#the economy right now is so fucking awful like. i want out but I'm staying because the job market is so bad

[music-for-them-asses]

asking for a friend. how the fuck do you get an office job in this economy. i've been trying for months :(

Ahhhh I got really lucky!! I've been at this company since 2017. I have a lot of friends looking for jobs rn, I've heard it's awful (which is why I'm putting it off). Wishing you lots of luck on your search!!

[thefirstknife]

I don’t know how public-facing this info is, but: the inside-the-industry discourse right now is that Sony wants to move away from games-as-a-service, (imo correctly) perceiving that it’s a totally unsustainable model both on the front end (as players across the board are burnt out on pandemic-era design that incentivized constant play via FOMO) and the back end (since the expectations for the rate of release of such content is completely insane, especially for how little they charge/how out of control the wage:investor profits ratio is right now in the economy generally, and drives off good talent). So, like, good for the long term health of the game, maybe? But what did Sony cite as a major reason for acquiring Bungie in the first place?

Well… it was that they wanted to pivot TO games as a service.

Nobody at Bungie who can remotely be called “working on the game” likes delivering it as a service (source: trust me). And now the people who were most acutely aware what a terrible model it is are the ones out of a job. This whole situation is so, so fucked up.

Yeah, heard something about that too, specifically the stuff about Sony wanting to move away from games-as-a-service. And yeah, agreed, overall I would love for this trend to be phased out eventually, though I'm not sure how realistic that is given that the genre of MMOs has been going on for so long.

But that aside, yeah. It's a fucked up situation. I remember when Sony got Bungie and emphasised how they want to fund Destiny as a live service game and now what... Over night they changed their mind? And this wouldn't be such an issue, except in this case they decided to move in this direction by having so many employees laid off. Like, this could not have happened in a worse time, just as they're set on a schedule and are preparing an expansion and they need those people to deal with the workload. Horrible situation for everyone that was fired and horrible situation for everyone that's staying.

It feels such a tone-deaf decision made by people who sit in offices and have never interacted with a game dev or a video game. I even thought that the way they didn't announce any expansions post-TFS and with how they teased episodes, that those two things were a beginning process of moving away from a live service or at least moving away from the current model that expects so much stuff to be released in such short dev cycles.

But like, this shit can't happen over night. And it most certainly can't happen when you gut the studio and take away talented people who have been working on the game for years and who even agree that live service models are awful. And worst of all, not the first nor the last wave of lay offs recently.

[icedmetaltea]

.

I'm supposed to go back to my apartment tomorrow... or at least start, it's a 9 hour drive. Considering I can't go 30 mins in a car without a panic attack, I'm guessing I'll have at least 5 a day, and considering even one is traumatizing enough??? I'm gonna fucking die I swear to god

There's still so much to do, so much to pack, so much to clean, dishes to wash, laundry to do... I've barely eaten today and I didn't even notice till now. My stomach hurts but I'm not hungry, couldn't dream of eating rn

I've had this awful choking, lump-in-throat feeling come throughout the day, got really bad this past hour, just been laying in bed trying to not swallow cause whenever I do that makes it worse. I keep coughing, trying to get it out, but nothing helps... I know it's gotta be anxiety but in the back of my brain I'm worried it's asthma, like I've had mild asthma this whole time and just didn't know it and I'm just lucky I haven't died yet

Sure feels like I'll suffocate. People liken it to breathing through a straw and yep I've sure felt that a lot. I also noticed it gets worse when I use perfume so that leads me to think it could be that more...

Nothing is helping today. I've tried staying distracted by playing games but no, ofc it's 70 degrees... is that normal in march?? I don't even know anymore. It's supposed to get to 80 on thursday. My only hope is that the conditioner my parents are lending me will work better than the shitty window fan in literally one room in my apartment.

I don't want to go back there. Realistically I know I have to, I still have a lot of stuff I'd need to throw out before I could move, and if I did move... where?? There's nowhere to go. I could move to an apartment in the state my parents are moving to but they're in the process of moving in and it could take like half a year or longer for them to fully move in, and even then I don't know if they plan to stay there or only go there in a specific season.

My sister isn't that far from the apartment, maybe 20 mins ish, but she works and I don't know her schedule, plus she has kids and will probably not be available most of the time if I have a bad panic attack or there's some kind of emergency

Everything is just so fucked right now. The economy is in shambles, women's rights are getting stripped away more and more every day, we're on the brink of like multiple wars and I'm just trying to get through my last semester and don't know if I can due to all this shit plus my dyscalculia

Even if I do... what then?? I don't have a plan for my future. I would never make it as a therapist. I would never make it as any of my other dream jobs through the years. The only thing I can think of is some computer science job but my eyes cross when trying to do that, I'm the opposite of logic-minded, I really just have no skills or passions or anything to set me apart

And my blood pressure keeps getting high for some reason. I know it's probably the anxiety but what the fuck am I supposed to do about that??? I tried therapy for half a year and it didn't help, might've made it worse bc she kept saying I should just give up and go on disability (which as we know would probably just lead to poverty) I can't get on meds because the ones I've tried make me suicidal (er) and I've tried healthy eating + exercising as much as I can considering I can't do anything more than walking and guess what??? I still have anxiety

I just want to live with my parents forever but even if I did, they're still going to die someday. Everyone I love is going to die and I'm going to be alone and/or abandoned again and again and again. It's be just like danny all over again.

Like genuinely what am I even alive for?? People always say it gets better and sure it does... for a while. Then I end up back at rock bottom. And I always will. Because I'm a failure

[pbs-theundeadmaggot]

first love // the art of eye contact

🎶 the art of eye contact by too close to touch

(AU) Steve Harrington x fem!reader

[a/n] so I'm releasing this a day early cause I've got a lot of work to do this week but I hope you enjoy it. Please please reblog if you do because reblogs are what helps writers remain motivated and spread our content

[warnings?] the usual angst, Rebecca is a bitch (sorry if thats your name),

first love masterlist here!

Thinking back to all the times you watched Steve fall in and out of love with girl after girl definitely took its toll on your mental health, the nights you’d spent crying into your pillow wondering why you would never be good enough for him, why he looked for love in all the wrong places when you were there all along. Why it always had to be girls the complete opposite to you, as if the idea of dating someone even remotely similar was repulsive. He was entitled to having a preference, but when does a preference become a problem? Especially if it means allowing yourself to become the person you swore to never be. To let yourself be another puppet at the fate of its master, to give into every demand and impossible expectation when being yourself was more than enough for those who truly loved you. 

Yet here he was continuing the exact same cycle time after fucking time like a broken record that just wont stop. You’d so badly wanted her to finally be the one for him, just as he deserved, and you tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, creating excuse after excuse for her awful behaviour but it quickly became clear no excuse could make it right.

First of all you didn’t know Steve had a girlfriend let alone that she’d be joining you, so when you booked four business class seats a year prior to your trip you hadn’t expected to be expected to give up your place. The whole reason you’d booked business in the first place was because a) neither one of you could afford first class and b) you all wanted to fly with a little bit of luxury (or as luxury as you could get 35000ft in the air) especially since it was a long first flight for all of you. Rebecca of course decided to poke holes in that plan flashing an unsettling smile and expectant stare behind Steve’s back as he negotiated with the flight attendant to upgrade Rebecca’s economy ticket to business. She’d obviously wanted you to give up your place next to him and in a way you understood, hoping that if you were in her situation she’d do the same, so you’d quickly caved in and swapped seats, refusing to let Robin or Eddie swap as they deserved the luxury just as much, although Eddie didn’t let you off easy arguing that he should swap since he was a newly famous rockstar he’d get plenty of opportunities to fly business probably even first class while you… well you wouldn’t. Finally agreeing to swap half way through so you’d both get the best of both worlds, sort of. 

12 hours later you would’ve happily stayed at home if it meant you’d never have to fly again. It wasn’t the worst experience but it certainly wasn’t the best, turns out you really were a nervous flyer and it didn’t matter where about on the plane you were, you hated it. Either that or you’d jinxed yourself by lying earlier and your karma had just been served.

The second incident happened that exact same evening, arriving at the hotel with luggage in hand and tired smiles, the concierge had greeted you and happily offered to take your bags to your rooms. Unfortunately that was also your second mistake. Only three rooms had been booked, two of which were singles and the double originally meant for you and Steve was now a double for Steve and Rebecca, leaving you with nowhere. 

Of course it only made sense that Steve took the room, the problem was where you were going to stay, deciding to look for a nearby cheap room as you’d already spent the better part of your money towards the trip, and paying for two expensive hotel rooms was rather than one was not exactly budget friendly all things considering. Steve had tried to persuade Rebecca to let you take his place while he took the floor for the time being but she insisted if that was going to happen you’d remain as far away from the couple as possible. 

Thankfully as it turns out the hotel were able to set up an extra bed in Robin’s room which you gladly took, leaving the couple behind as they got into what seemed to be a heated discussion. 

The silence of the night accompanied by the occasional snore from Robin left too much room for thinking. She’d passed out as soon as she saw the bed, not even the slamming of doors and heavy footsteps could wake her. Steve had come to apologise and of course you quickly brushed everything off but not before downing some alcohol to keep you somewhat stable with the tension weighing thick. All you wanted was for him to be happy which is why you let yourself give in to Rebecca’s every whim knowing it would make him happy. 

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。.

You were only three days in by now and the final straw was her complete ignorance, you really didn't want to ruin anything for Steve but its as if everything she did was ignored or overlooked by him. She was clever enough to keep the jabs aimed at you on the lowdown but the outright tantrums she threw when things didn’t go her way and insults towards your friends made you see red. 

All you wanted was to chill with your friends and have fun at Paris’ Zoological Park after all it wasn’t everyday you’d get to see a multitude of animals kept in specific ecosystems replicated from their natural habitat.

Had you always sounded that geeky?

That was beside the point.

The point being that Rebecca ruining it was not happening.

You’d all agreed to go by bus since it was cheaper than getting a taxi everywhere and of course Rebecca had a problem with that. She’d made a whole point earlier about how she was so rich and privileged yet when you’d asked if she’d be willing to pay for the taxi she feigned offence, whining that you’d basically called her poor as she refused now calling you a charity case which if you didn’t realise by now, she definitely didn't do. 

After much debate Steve had talked her into it, if you weren’t so upset by his encouragement of her behaviour you would’ve wanted to know how on earth he managed it, assuming it was something along the lines of “I’ll make it up to you later” with a wink to seal the deal, it was the same old act he’d repeated time after time.

“Steve can I borrow you for a second?” You pulled him away from the group as you arrived at your destination. As much as you wanted everyone together you also wanted to enjoy just a couple of hours of peace so you’d decided to give Steve and Rebecca an out. 

“I know animal’s aren’t really your thing and that’s okay but maybe you and Rebecca will enjoy a little date at the coffee shop we passed?” Somewhat nervous as you explained to him that it wasn’t that you didn’t want them here, but they would probably enjoy being elsewhere more and that you would get to spend time as a group later. 

Thankfully he agreed, almost painfully the conflict written upon his usually angelic face but not because he was upset about missing out on a group activity but more because he wanted to please everyone, even when it was clear that would never happen. Perhaps any other time it would hurt how quickly he agreed and how little he actually cared for your interests, but it gave you a sense of relief knowing you’d get an afternoon free from her and free from having to pretend everything was okay. 

Although Steve was your best friend sometimes you forgot about the other two friends you also loved dearly and now was the time to truly appreciate them without any distractions. Just you, Robin and Eddie exploring Paris’ famous attraction and of course causing a little bit of mischief along the way. 

That was mainly Eddie’s fault though. 

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

[a/n] reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated and encouraged!

Other works available here!

Taglist: @freezaz123

[lexiawrittings]

writing prompt

special surprise for the holidays : rules.

Fluff

"It's alright, love. You can hold onto me as long as you want. I'm not going anywhere."

"Take a deep breath. Look at me. You're safe now, baby. You're safe."

"Cry as much as you need to. There is no need to hide your tears from me."

"You're always safe with me, sweetheart. I won't let a single thing touch you."

"You can squeeze me tightly if you need to. I'm not gonna break, baby."

"Come join me in the blanket! I'll keep you warm and safe from the thunder, babe!"

"If it's too much, just squeeze my hand as hard as you can."

"Let me wipe those tears away, my love."

"I'm with you til' the end of the line."

"Aw, you made food for me? Thanks, baby."

"I feel so safe with you."

"Take look inside your heart. Is there any room for me?"

"Do I tempt you, vampire hunter?"

"Can I hold your hand?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Would you let me take care of you?"

"Might I walk you home?"

"You look pretty today."

“You’re never getting out of this hug, sucker."

"You're my family."

"I'm so proud of you."

"I'd do anything for you."

Situation

Playing with their hair while their head is in your lap.

Making them a nice warm meal.

Ship Dynamics

Nerd who makes theories about mothman ruining the American Economy × Popular who just loves hearing them rant about it.

Monarch × Royal Guard

Vampire x Vampire Hunter

Angst

"Please stay with me, love! Please don't close your eyes! You'll live for me, won't you?! Please.. Please don't go.."

"I said I wouldn't let anyone touch you, but this is the only way I can keep you safe. You must stay away from me."

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you..." You sob as you look at the person you're truly in love with getting married to an another person.

"Don't you care about me? About us?"

"Do you know how hard it is to love you when all I can think is how horrible you are ?"

"I'm tired. Tired of you. So tired that you're nothing but an obligation for me."

"Leave me alone. That's what you're best at, anyway."

"If you hate me so much, kill me already. It's not like I have anything to live for."

"Please, please, just leave. I can't stand to look at you right now."

"We can start over. I'll do anything, everything can be perfect. Just please don't leave me. "

Smut (18+)

"Lick it."

"I'm already dying to take you right now. Don't tempt me."

"You're so soft."

"I want to make love to you."

“I want you. I need you.”

"Don't close your eyes, baby. Look at me."

"You're mine."

“Ah, fuck.”

"Don't hold back."

"Open your legs for me, baby. I wanna see you."

"God, you feel so fucking good."

"I’m yours. Only yours.”

“This is wrong.” “So wrong.”

They murmur pure filth into your ear while touching you.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Is this okay?”

“Do that again…”

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“Am I going too fast?”

“Can you show me how?”

“Does this feel good?”

“I wanted you to be my first…”

“I want to make this perfect for you.”

 “I can’t pull out when you wrap your legs around me like that.”

"I want you to be louder, my love."

"Can you feel how much I want you? "

"I can never seem to get enough of you."

"Your hand feels much better than my own."

“Touch me there. Right there.”

"Say my name."

"Does that feel good?"

"Touch yourself."

"Do you want my fingers ?"

"Tell me what you want."

"Show my how much you need me."

"Put your hands on me. You can put them yourself."

all the prompts where find on tumblr, pinterest... thank you! 💕

[mageicalwishes]

Day 1, Found Family - New Traditions

The Gang start a new Festive tradition filled with love, laughter, music, food & fun.

Day 2, Distance - Say I Love You When You’re Not Listening

Baz reflects on the events of Wayward Son, and the hopelessness he feels. "A trip to try and save him - To save us. A last ditch effort to put some of the sunshine back in to his soul. Rammed together in economy, the press of his knee firm against mine, but his mind miles away. His eyes ever averted. Touching yet so far apart. I just wish I knew where I went wrong."

Day 3, Retellings - Changing History

The Mage's publicized documents reveal a myriad of painful truths about the loss of Natasha Grimm-Pitch and the origins of Simon Snow.

Day 4, Side Characters - Thawing Of A Heart

Malcolm & Daphne. “I’d always known that I would remarry eventually. It was my duty for the good of the family. Basil needed a mother. And I needed … someone. It was a simple, logical decision - To find a woman of good breeding, and give her the Grimm name. To carry on. But, through all my planning and preparation, I had never anticipated that I would fall in love. Never anticipated her."

Day 5, Sleepless - Tonight He Is Mine

"I can’t sleep. I can never sleep these days, not how I want to anyway - It's always either that I’m knocked out for 15 hours, waking up disoriented and heavy, or that I can barely catch a moment's rest. But today is different. My body is tired, and my mind is too. If I let myself, I’d be gone. But I won’t. I can’t. Tonight is my last night with Baz, and I don’t want to miss a minute of it."

Day 6, WLW - To Her, I Taste Of Nothing At All

Fiona & Ebb. "But then, before I even knew what was happening, she was kissing me back. And Crowley, I swear I melted. She tasted of cigarette smoke and spiced rum - Like fire personified."

Day 7, Animal(s) - Family Dog

My interpretation of ‘I was a 15-year-old closet case whose parents pretended they didn’t notice when the family dog disappeared’. “A shallow grave. So much less than she deserves. But … I can’t breathe. I can’t even think. I’m running on autopilot and adrenaline alone. Everything is just - I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how I got here. I'm losing control. I can't - I can't even look at her. She's still wrapped in my sheets. I can see her bleeding. I still want it. I still want more."

Day 8, Rain - From Across The Courtyard

"When I first met him, it was hammering it down. I was rushing to the main door in a desperate attempt to rescue my suede shoes, umbrella snagging against the wind, when I heard it - An impolite 'Oi! Are you new?'"

Day 9, Kids/Childhood - At The Top Of A Tower

Simon reflects on the few happy memories he made with Baz at Watford.

Day 10, Crossover - I’ll Give You The Stars

A loose crossover between Carry On and parts of I'll Give You The Sun. “He’s haloed under the streetlights, and I’m trying not to stare. But, it’s hard. His face is celestial - The sunshine of his soul peeking through his features. I want to say more, just so that he doesn’t leave. Our houses are right there but, I feel so ... multicoloured."

Day 11, Fluff - Keeping Warm

Simon & Baz spend a tentative first night together after the events of the forest fire. “He’s sighing against me, and sliding a hand up towards to my neck to hold me closer against him, and - Fuck. He’s freezing. I jolt backwards without meaning to. Staring down at him in awe - His pupils blown wide, and a faint (But definitely present) blush spread across his cheeks."

Day 12, Wings - The Guests Can Wait

"Weddings are even more exhausting than I had imagined. What with the panicked last minute search for Simon’s vows (Which ended up being in the mini-fridge of all places), and having to parade ourselves around all of our well-wishing friends and family. All I want to do was get him alone. To tell him, without the presence of a hundred witnesses, how much he means to me - How much the fact that we’re here, together, after everything, means to me."

Day 13, Below the Surface - Below The Surface

"Las Vegas is a sham of a city. Outside it’s all bright lights and glitzy shows - Normal magicians and celebrity chefs. But, beneath its shiny exterior, it’s nothing more than a grim desert, filled with counterfeit culture, and people burning through money they don’t really have. The Katherine is no exception."

Day 14, Constellation(s) - Mirror, Mirror

Simon struggles with his body image Post-Carry On. “Sometimes I just … get so mad at them (At myself, really). I wish that they’d just grow up and tell me like it is. Tell me how much I’ve disappointed them. Tell me that they no longer want me."

Day 15, Hurt/Comfort - First Aid

Simon cares for Baz's Buckshot wounds. Less angsty re-write of the scene in Wayward Son. “I glare at him - At his blackened under eyes, and matted hair. The slight hunch of his back. It does hurt. I know it does. Liar. I move my face closer to his, and breathe in his air. I want to hug him. To kiss him. To cheer him up, somehow. Make him better. But I can’t. I don’t know how. So, instead I step away. My hands dropping limply, to my sides."

Day 16, Meme/Crack - Baby, You Can Pick Me Up Any Day

Oovoo Javer? Oovoo Javer. AKA: Baz is Simon's slightly dickhead-ish Uber driver. “I kept trying to talk to him - Asking about his night, and whether he always listens to Classical music, or if it was just for show - but he ignored me. Staring unamusedly at me in the mirror, eyebrow raised and lips tilted downwards. He got 2 stars for that trip."

Day 17, Blanket Fort - Torch The Night-Filled Fort

Baz surprises Simon with a living room blanket fort transformation. “I turn to him, beaming. ‘Baz, what? What is this?’ He hums against me. ‘Blanket fort. You’re terribly inobservant, Snow.’ ‘Yeah, but … I mean, why?’ ‘Well, it’s been a year now since we left for America, and we’ve come a long way since then. Thought it was worth celebrating,’ he confesses, smiling shyly down at the floor.”

Day 18, Side Ships - You Got A Boyfriend?

Shepard & Penny. Shepard asks Penny a very important question (Well, in his mind, anyway).

Day 19, Misunderstanding - Wrong Bottle, Moron

Simon makes a VERY stupid mistake while showering. Cue, Baz coming to his rescue.

Day 20, Technology - Screenless

Baz and Simon have been chatting online for a year. It's finally time to meet IRL and take their relationship into HD reality.

Day 21, Warmth - Out In The Cold

Fangirl era. Simon and Baz get stuck in a snowstorm, and have to find a way to stay warm.

Day 22, Unlikely Friends - You’re My Bro

Shepard comes over to hang out with his bro ... Baz?

Day 23, Cooking/Baking - What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’?

Simon is making dinner. Baz is soft.

Day 24, Song - He Made It Easy, Darlin’

Simon & Baz struggle with trying to take the next step in their relationship. Inspired by Easy by Troye Sivan

Day 25, Parallel Universe - Parallelt Univers

Simon and Baz spend the day recovering in bed, after their first kiss. Inspired by the 'Parallel Universes' talk from Skam.

Day 26, Break - I Think We Should Break Up

Simon is trying to do what's right for Baz. Baz disagrees.

Day 27, Snowstorm - Searching In The Snow

Simon has lost his cat. So the only obvious choice is to hammer on his neighbour's door at 2AM ... And Baz is not impressed.

Day 28, Party - Festivities, Food, and Family. Chapter 1

"I’m over the bloody moon. After everything that happened after we left Watford, I wasn’t sure that I’d ever get to see this Snow - a truly joyful Snow - again. And it broke my heart. Yet, here we are, spending our fifth anniversary together, surrounded by friends and family in our own little London flat."

Day 29, Secret Santa/Gift Giving - Festivities, Food, and Family. Chapter 2

Day 30, Any Way the Wind Blows - Worst Road Trip ... Ever!

Shepard is NOT enjoying his trip back to England with the Gang. "I feel like a kid again, sat in the back of my mothers pick-up, hyped up on sugar, but belted down to the seat. Unable to run. Constantly being shushed."

Also huge thanks and praise goes to everyone involved in running the @carryon-countdown Countdown this year!!! I really enjoyed taking part :)

[asynca]

Hey auntie. So I'm Uyghur, and things are not great in the homeland. I'm also pretty left leaning, and those are the circles i hang around. There's been this trend lately tho, where people on the left seen to be completely ignoring China's atrocities towards uyghurs and claiming that there is no current uyghur crisis. And I dont... know how to deal with that kind of absolute refusal to acknowledge something I've grown up with for 20 years. I dont really know what I'm asking tbh

This reply comes from a white Australian person, so please read it from that perspective. My advice might be shite as a result.

For people who don’t know what’s going on to the Uyghur folks in Western China, Google can help you out with the basics. Uyghur folks are a big Muslim community in Western China. China moved millions of Han chinese into the area (and sometimes directly into Uyghur folks’ houses), kidnapped more than a million Uyghur adults and put them into forced ‘re-education’ camps, and put dozens of thousands of their children into ‘kindergartens’ that teach them Han Chinese culture and divorce them of their religion, language and own culture. After being ‘re-educated’, Uyghur adults are put in forced labour factories. Anyone who speaks out against the government, or who is the family of someone who speaks out against the government, disappears often forever. This is happening right now on a grand scale. China is also selling labour in these forced labour factories to Western fashion brands for fast fashion. When asked about this, China merely says it is pro-actively countering ‘terrorism’ and helpfully teaching Uyghur adults useful skills in their New Education Centres!! Look how happy these Uyghurs in this stock footage are, learning how to sew!! Everything is fine!!

Capitalism, debt and trade pressure are the new means through which countries wage war, and China is pretty adept at putting its fingers in the right pies so that people who could speak out against China are too economically in bed with China to want to risk damaging that relationship and harming their own economy. Countries that are close to China are probably (appropriately) afraid of the fact China it’s pretty cool to just use military force to get what they want with no reserve in doing so. Just ask Vietnam and Philippines what it’s like in the South China Sea. So those are the reason foreign governments aren’t giving China ultimatums on what actually is genuinely concentration camps with more than a million people in them in Western China. 

Furthermore there are genuinely Western fashion brands that use Uyghur forced labour for the cotton in their clothes and other related items. 

Re: how that relates to you, now. Often when people feel helpless, it’s easier to pretend there’s no problem rather than sit with the knowledge there is an awful humanitarian crisis you can do nothing about. Minimizing the problem makes you feel personally more comfortable that it exists. I’m not saying it’s the best way to respond or that you, being Uyghur yourself, should tolerate people minimising the crises in Western China. You shouldn’t, and it would be unhealthy to hang around people who are apathetic about the crisis your people are facing. But that’s part of the reason it happens. 

My suggestion is spend as little time as possible around people who minimise what the Uyghurs are facing so you don’t have to just sort of be aware the person you’re having lunch with doesn’t give a fuck about Uyghur folks or is more comfortable believing there is no problem. It’s soul-destroying being around people who don’t care about your culture or believe your people. Surround yourself with people who care and feel compassionate about the situation. To the best of your ability, surround yourself with people you care. 

Beyond that, I wish I had answers for you. I don’t. It’s an awful problem and I can’t even being to imagine what it must be like for Uyghur folks. I can’t even being to imagine what it must be like for you just having to exist and know this is happening to your people. I hope you stay well and everyone you love and cherish makes it through this awful bullshit :(

[penzyroamin]

LITERALLY ANY PAIRING BUT DAVEY AS A METICULOUS "I WORK WITH NO ONE EVERYONE DRAGS ME DOWN I'M JUST THAT SMART" ASSASSIN I AM,,,,,, INTERESTED,,,,

i. love. you.

okay so, some quick warnings for mentions of death, poison, and pedophiles. (in the context of them getting killed.) this could have been a lot darker, but im me and therefore didnt write anything graphic. if anyone reads this and finds anything, they’d like me to tag, just say the word and i will!

David could admit that he had a flair for the dramatic. But his choice of career had nothing to do with it– it was just difficult to find work in the current economy.

He could be worse, he could be one of those people who just killed anyone. Sometimes people just fucking deserved to die, and that was why David was doing what he did.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard a loud thump and opened the door, squinting through the crack at the man laying on the ground, then shut the door quietly and made his way out of the house.

Just as he was about to open his car door, checking both directions to make sure that no one was around, someone called after him.

“Wait!”

He whipped around and immediately exhaled upon the realization that whatever asshole decided to interrupt his getaway didn’t seem threatening.

“David Jacobs?” the interrupting asshole said, and, well, that complicated things.

David stared at him for a second, then pointed at the passenger’s seat. “Get in the car.”

Years of being in charge of a little brother apparently made David commanding enough that the guy got into the car in seconds, and David huffed and drove away.

“I’m Jack Kelly,” Mr. Interrupting Asshole said after a while, and David gave him a deadpan look before he turned back to the road.

“I didn’t ask.”

“But you’ll need to know!” Jack said, grinning in a way that let David know he had no clue what he was getting into.

“Why?” David asked, making a sharp turn onto the freeway.

“Plumber says I should be your partner.”

David nearly drove off the road. Of fucking course she was involved.

Jack seemed to sense how David had been caught off guard. “Yeah, she’s a friend of mine. She thinks you could use some help with staying completely off-the-radar.”

David wrinkled his nose. “I’m legally dead.”

“But you’re not subtle.” David scoffed, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Jack raise his eyebrows. “You’re wearing a three piece suit.”

“I’m blending into the upper classes!”

“You always drive the same car.”

“If you think I’m disposing of this car, you’re wrong. If it’s good enough for Bond, it’s good enough for me.”

“Are you really comparing yourself to James Bond?” Jack scoffed, and David was tempted to pull over so he could glare at him without any danger.

“I’m fucking better than Bond. Does Bond get paid good money to kill pedophiles? I think not.”

Jack sighed. “Plumber just said that if you don’t want to be recognized, you’ve got to have someone watching your back.”

Goddamn Katherine. David let her help one time, and then she started dating his sister and trying to get him to meet people. Newsflash– when one legally dies at age nineteen and proceeds to take on twenty-seven fake identities, dating probably isn’t the most brilliant idea for them.

And here she was, trying to give him an unneeded and annoyingly attractive sidekick of sorts. He didn’t need a sidekick.

David bit the inside of his cheek. “This is hard to say.”

“You need me.”

“Not need,” he said, affronted, and Jack grinned.

“You think I’m awesome and you’ll totally let me be your partner.”

“You’re strictly here for convenience purposes,” David corrected. “This does not mean I hate you any less or that I am any less brilliant and capable.”

“Tell that to your burning warehouse.”

David shot a mournful look over his shoulder at what was become a smoking speck on the horizon, surrounded by fire engines. “She was a good hideout.”

Jack pretended to pour out a glass. “So, partner, what’s our next task?”

“Hey, now. You’re a sidekick and strictly a sidekick.”

“I saved your ass. I’m your partner.”

“Sidekick!” David said, and Jack just laughed loudly as the light turned red and David sped forwards, far away from worry.

“So,” Jack said, far too peppy for nine in the morning and surrounded by deadly substances, hopping up onto the counter next to David, “what’re we using?”

David capped the bottle, taking off his goggles. “First off, please wear gloves in here. Second, poison. His wife, who hired us, makes him a drink every evening. It gets slipped in there, he’s out, we sneak the wife and kid out to the aunt’s until the police find the body.”

“Dope. What kind of poison?”

David gave him a critical look. “You have a truly morbid obsession with this.”

“It’s the art of killing awful people, what’s not to love?” David wasn’t quite sure if Jack was kidding, but it was still mildly disturbing. It was how David made a living, but it wasn’t like he was thrilled by the prospect of deadly poison.

“A mix of my own,” he said eventually. “Colorless, odorless, doesn’t dilute anything that it’s put in. After forty-five minutes, basically undetectable, but always deadly.”

Jack tilted his head. “You invented this?” David hummed in affirmation. “Damn.”

“Thank you?”

“You’re like some sorta mad scientist or shit.”

David tried to pretend like he knew whether or not that was a compliment.

“Why do you do this?” Jack asked quietly, and David knew that that conversation would last longer than he would have liked it to. “Besides money,” Jack added, in that mildly haunting way he’d started guessing what David was going to say.

David exhaled slowly, looking up at the stars. They were staying in a campsite in California that night, in between jobs and looking for a nice place to spend the night. David was a city person– he wished that he was able to spend more time in high-up apartments and fancy restaurants– but he liked being where he was. It was quiet, and more peaceful, even with Jack there.

(Especially with Jack there?)

“I guess because there are people that the world would be better off without.”

Neither of them spoke for a while, sitting in silence while the moon advanced across the sky.

“I heard about people who do it for the money or because someone’s different or because they don’t care enough to worry about their effect,” Jack said, spaces between the words sometimes like he was worried about saying the wrong thing. “I never heard about anyone like you.”

“Is that good or bad?” David asked, only slightly joking. Jack turned to look at him, his eyes seeming to scan over and analyze and understand each inch and minute and semblance of David’s being within seconds.

Jack paused. “Good, I think. You… you do things for the right reason.”

They stayed in the position that they were in, inches away from each other and both thinking so hard that their thoughts practically buzzed in the air as if they were electric, until Jack laughed breathlessly and closed the last few inches to kiss him.

“Soooooo,” Sarah said, insufferable even from hundreds of miles away, “is my girlfriend the most brilliant of geniuses ever or what?”

“Your girlfriend,” David said, looking around him at the few people bold enough to brave the heat and move sluggishly around town, “is just as stubborn as you.”

Sarah laughed in that way of hers that was always somewhere between a giggle and a cackle. “That’s how I know that we’re meant to be. It’s a match made in the stars.”

“Sure, Saz.”

He could feel her smiling through the pay phone. “So you totally love him?”

David looked at Jack, who was leaning against the phone booth, smiling widely at David and holding a fresh watermelon from the farmer’s market like it was a child.

“I think I’m going to keep him around.”

[phantasyprone]

Helloo! I'm asking about the election. I'm not British so I'm a bit confused. What is 'labour' is it good or bad people? And is teresa may "a bad guy" of sorts? And most importantly who won? Thanks for answering I am really interested in the situation but I don't understand politics :(

Hey! OK, so it’s all a bit confusing but I’ll try to explain as best I can. 

So about Teresa May: She is a Conservative/aka Tory. She is right wing. She wants the UK to fully leave the EU (calling that hard Brexit). She doesn’t want to pour more money into national services. The Tories have been privatising the NHS (national health service) and cutting funds to mental health and disability services to name a few.

About Jeremy Corbyn: He is the leader of the Labour party. He has been a campaigner for various morally great things all the time he’s been in parliament. Labour supports the working classes. He wants to re-nationalise the National Health Service, stop cuts for disability allowances. Make university tuition fees free. He’s one of the first labour leaders in a long time who is properly Left wing. 

Normally, 18-25 year olds tend not to vote as much, but if they do, they vote for Labour. Working class communities also used to vote for labour, but the tories have been promising them empty things recently so they’ve been moving more to the right. In general, this election, a vote for labour was a vote for the welfare state, and a vote for a more socialist society. A vote for the tories was a vote for an isolated Britain (*cough racist and xenophobic cough*), a vote for capitalism, and a vote for inequality.

So for some background knowledge: This election was about Britain leaving the EU as much as it was about the political parties. Last year, 51% of people in a referendum voted to leave the EU. Since then, a lot of people have changed their minds as the realities of that have been awful. Northern Ireland is in political stale-mate because they’re the only country to have a border with an EU country (Ireland) and don’t know what the fuck to do. Scotland is also in a political mess after the Leave vote won. Some Scottish people want to have a referendum to gain independence from Britain and therefore return into the EU. Other Scottish people want to remain in Britain and stay out of the EU. So basically, this election was fucked up from the start because everyone was voting according to how pissed off they were about Brexit.

Why did we even have this election?: Teresa May called this early election because after the EU referendum the last Prime Minister stepped down and put her in charge so she was never voted in. The Brexit negotiations with the EU were going to start in 10 days from now, so May wanted to have a larger majority in parliament so that we could have a hard Brexit (i.e. she wanted more Tories in government so that the UK could fully leave the EU, rather than half-leave the EU like Labour wants).

So what has happened?: 18-25 year olds came out in their droves and voted for labour. People who were pissed off that we are leaving the EU voted labour. The Scottish people who didn’t want their economy to crash even more by voting for independence voted for the Tories. 

Rather than winning more Tory seats in government, the Tories LOST seats. In UK elections, one party must get above a certain number of seats to have a majority which means that they can put through decisions. This has not happened. The Tories are the largest party (so they kinda won), but they didn’t get enough seats for a majority. Labour are now stronger and the whole point of the snap election (to make Brexit more firm and easier to decide upon) is now in ruins. May now has to form an alliance with the DUP (a Northern Irish party) and persuade them to vote in accordance with the Tories. This will probably happen.

So currently, it’s a Hung Parliament. This means that the largest party doesn’t have enough seats to put through any decisions and for them to go through because they don’t have enough Members of Parliament to vote in favour of anything. 

What will happen?: It looks like May will form an alliance with the DUP to give them a majority so they can actually pass laws and stuff. But they’ve only just got majority and have less power than before. People are calling for May to resign. People are talking about yet another election. Everything is a mess and now we don’t know how we can negotiate us leaving the EU because the political situation is now chaotic. 

What do I think?: I want another referendum on Britain leaving the EU. This election result is as much about that as anything. This election was done because May wanted the UK to fully leave the EU, but people voted according to them rather not wanting to leave the EU. For me, the tides have changed and more people want to stay in the EU than leave it. This whole election was really about that and now nothing will be properly decided about Brexit, no laws can be passed easily.

The good thing about this is that I hate the Tories, as do almost all young people who can vote. A hung parliament means that the Tories won’t really be able to do much over the next 5 years. Britain is basically in a political standstill.

I hope that was clear enough to understand and helped you work out what’s going on? It’s very complicated, more complicated than that, but that’s the general idea :)