#they've got some cash they can afford it

[victorluvsalice]

It did, actually, though it took a while! Sun very reluctant to come out today. . .but eventually it got easier to see all the fun activities I was making my gang do, including:

-->Victor going around harvesting more unidentified plants with the help of his broom, encountering cute chipmunks along the way (and managing to avoid the “bear” that was wandering around and trying to talk to him)

-->Smiler and Alice starting a game of horseshoes at the picnic area! I had Victor go over and join once he was done collecting specimens -- I wasn’t sure for a moment if three Sims could play, as when he came over Smiler suddenly quit the game, but I had Alice invite them back in, and they all ended up taking a turn or two to throw. :) None of them were PARTICULARLY good, but they all seemed to have fun, at least! And I imagine it’s a difficult game to master.

-->The gang indulging in various creative pursuits -- I had Victor make a horse sculpture and a nice display shelf at the woodworking table to increase his Handiness; Alice paint the “station” sign (not a masterpiece, but a nice souvenir, at least!), and Smiler play some songs on the guitar (facing the wall, because apparently that guitar is not exactly in the right spot).

-->And, of course, our Angling Ace Smiler had to go fishing in the nice pond nearby! (Complete with a pretty rainbow!) They got some nice stuff -- a sturgeon, a bass, some parsley in a treasure box. . .

[torakowalski]

Apols for the delay but Swimmer Steve is back and pretty much exactly where we last left him.

(part one | part six)

"Fuck," says Steve. "Fuck." He hasn't said much of anything else since he came out of the changing rooms, still damp and kind of stunned-looking.

"Fuck," Eddie agrees.

Steve looks at him, a smile starting to spread across his face, going on and on like it might be endless.

God, he's handsome.

God, Eddie is stupid in love with him.

"Olympics, baby!" Eddie crows. They've already hugged; Steve got a hug from everyone, as soon as he emerged. Eddie wants to hug him again, but that would probably be too much.

"Fuck," says Steve and sits down on the floor between their two beds.

Eddie shrugs to himself and sits down with him.

They've only come back to the hotel so Steve can get showered and changed before the celebration dinner that the kids have planned. Or, actually, Steve has come back to the hotel for that; thinking about it, Eddie's not sure why he came with, except that it just felt natural.

Either way, looks like they're going to take longer than expected.

"All good?" Eddie asks, just in case.

"Jesus Christ," says Steve, which is a change from fuck and laughs. He lifts his hands up to cover his face and when he lowers them again, his eyes are wet. "The Olympics, Eddie."

Eddie nods, can't do anything but smile stupidly back at him. He doesn't think he's ever seen Steve this open and relaxed and delighted. "The Olympics, Steve."

Steve rubs at his eyes with his fingertips, mostly just making his eyelashes damper and darker from his happy tears. "You know when you've wanted something your whole damn life, but you never really thought you'd get it? It feels fucking wild to get it."

Eddie thinks about his guitar, his band, how badly he wants to stand on a stage looking out at thousands of people who all want to hear what he has to sing. Then he reminds himself that this is Steve's moment.

"I bet," he says. "Congrats. You've worked damn hard and you absolutely deserve it."

Steve leans over and bumps their shoulders together. "You're coming with me, right?"

Eddie blinks. "Where?"

"... the Olympics," says Steve, like it should be obvious.

Eddie blinks some more. "Steve. Sweetheart. Steve. The Olympics are in Korea."

"Mm," Steve agrees, "but the war's over, it's totally safe there now."

Eddie loves and hates that Steve thinks that might be the only thing putting Eddie off.

Eddie stretches his legs out so they disappear under Steve's bed and hopes there's nothing really gross under there that'll stick to his jeans. "Look, the literal only reason I've been able to afford rocking up and down the country with you is government hush money and the fact you keep buying all my meals. There's no way I can stretch to plane tickets, and I'd need my own hotel room, right? 'cause you'll be living in the athletes village?"

He could have kept going, obviously he could have kept going, but he stops there because Steve is waving a hand at him.

"What? Don't say you'll pay. There's no way you have that much extra cash, either."

"Nah," Steve says, "but my dad does. And I will be fully, fully back on the credit card, after he finds out about this."

Eddie makes a face. "But we hate your dad?"

"We really do," Steve agrees, smile not even dimming. "But we love spending his money on shit he'll hate." He drops a hand to Eddie's knee, giving it a squeeze and a shake. "You'll come, right?"

"... You should take Robin," Eddie tries, one last attempt to be a good person. "Or the kids. God, the kids would shit."

Steve leaves his hand on Eddie's knee, like that's just a place where it goes now. "I'd take them all, if I could... Plus like, all their parents to keep an eye on them, but they'll all be back in school by the time the Olympics start. None of them can take like, three weeks out."

"I bet Erica could wrangle it," Eddie points out.

Steve makes a guilty face. "Love Erica, but I don't think we have the kind of relationship where we hop over to Asia, just the two of us. You know?"

Eddie wants to ask, And we do? But they do. He knows they do.

"I don't know," he says. It's a big fucking deal. He's never left the country before and he'd love to, but he really does hate Steve's dad and all he chooses to be. The idea of being beholden to him for that big a favour sits wrong in his gut, even if Mr Harrington never actually knows about it.

"Eddie," Steve says, like he's prepared to wheedle for what he wants. Then he stops, takes a breath, shakes his head. "I know it's a big ask and obviously you don't have to, if you really don't want to. I kind of just, I can't, I can't imagine doing this without you."

Eddie claps a hand to his chest. "Right in the flattery gland, Harrington."

Steve slides his hand up Eddie's leg and squeezes his thigh. Is this going to be a thing? Is Eddie going to have to get Robin to have a word with him about this soon?

"You're the whole reason I've got this far," Steve tells him, all close and sincere. "If you don't want to come, that'll suck, but it's okay. I just wanna make sure that you know I appreciate everything you've done."

Eddie knows every mole on Steve's face, but Steve's close enough now to reveal a few previously unknown freckles.

Eddie chuckles weakly. "Personal space?" he suggests.

"Overrated," Steve says and then.

And then.

And then he presses his lips carefully against Eddie's.

"What?" Eddie croaks. He can feel his breath dance off Steve's mouth.

"Thank you," Steve says and kisses him again, a little firmer, a little damper this time.

"I..." Eddie is a goddamn fucking hero because he makes himself lean back. "Don't. You can't. Don't kiss me to say thank you. That's not... Don't. Please."

He's expecting Steve to sit back, blush and apologise and explain he had to best of intentions. Instead, Steve lifts the hand not on Eddie's thigh and touches his cheek. "Can I kiss you 'cause I can't imagine not kissing you?"

The centre of Eddie's chest throbs. Even he doesn't know what that means. "You don't want to kiss me," he manages.

"Kinda really do," Steve says. "So? Can I?"

(continued here)

[astoldbyaja]

Bark like you want it! -Ch. 6~AU Demon Slayer~

Pullin' out the coupe at the lot

Told 'em fuck 12, fuck SWAT

Bustin' all the bells out the box

I just hit a lick with the box

Had to put the stick in a box, mmh

Pour up the whole damn seal, I'ma get lazy

I got the mojo deals, we been trappin' like the '80s

She sucked a n*gga soul, gotta Cash App

Told 'em wipe a n*gga nose, say slatt, slatt

I won't never sell my soul, and I can back that

And I really wanna know, where you at, at?

I ground my hips with the beat of the music, flipping my hair and rotating my hips in a circular motion that made me smile as the music continued playing. I let my hands roam my body in happiness as I was engulfed in the ocean of people just wanting to forget their problems. I was one of them! I didn’t want to think about Akaza or Kyojuro or their lust of my body. No tonight it was all about me. A group of women came over, complimented my beauty and asked if they and their boyfriends could dance with me. It was a total of six.

I’ve seen then on campus before, so I was a bit familiar with who they were. I nodded and the men kept it respectful, only sensually touching their girlfriends who occasionally ground their hips and bodies on me of which I didn’t mind. Suddenly the music transitioned into 40 Cal by Hairatage and I was ready to really cut lose to the beat of the music!

I got some haters talking, they've been getting rookie nails They want to go to war, I chew 'em up just like my fingernails I roll with shadows, fuck the jail I can't afford the bail, but if I do they know I get it poppin' like the 40 Cal!

I curled my arms over my face, my braids over my face and popped my chest out immediately shaking my ass with the sharp rift of the music. Everyone was going crazy at the sharp music. The club was truly brought to life, the heat rising from everyone’s fast body movements and the smell now a mixture of different sweat. I wanted to drink tonight, I wanted to fuck tonight! I wanted to do whatever the fuck I wanted! As more relaxed dance music began to play, I began to move from the dance floor, letting my body droop against the bar. Since I needed to have my wits about me, I decided a water was the best I was going to get tonight. My heart was fluttering from utter happiness, the adrenaline overtaking me. My body was begging for more fun, the crowd felt as if it were calling me back into it.

I just needed to catch my breath. I pulled my phone from my dress’ pocket, happy it had a zip up fold so I would never lose it. I checked my messages.

Mitsuri: How are you doing?

Me: All good, shouldn’t be out too long. Hope your date is going well!

Mitsuri: Aw good I’m glad and yes it’s going well. Text me when you’re on your way home!

Me: Will do!

Kyojuro: Hey hope your night is going well. I heard you were going out to the club tonight. If things get weird with anyone there, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Me: Thanks, I’m good. Have a good weekend.

I did not need to ask him about his day, his evening or anything! His intentions were not pure, and I would refuse to think he could actually convince me otherwise.

Akaza: WYA

Me: The Unholy

Akaza: *Typing…* With who??

Me: Me, myself and I.

Akaza: Why didn’t you tell me you were going dancing! I would have loved to go dancing with you.”

I stiffened.

Me: That sounds like a date and I don’t do dates.

Akaza: So you’d rather go straight to the really sweaty work out then?

Me: I’m going back on the dance floor.

Akaza: I’m on my way over there.

Me: Fine then I’m leaving.

Akaza: Don’t be like that. Come on I can throw down! Besides nothing would make us both happier than to feel that ass grinding up on my-”

I tucked my phone back in my dress and looked at the bartender who was on the other side of the bar. He was a tall man with a handsome face and long flowing black hair.

“Hi, I’d like to pay for the water!” I replied waving to him. The man turned and smirked at me.

“On the house since you made my night with that hot dancing of yours!” he called out before winking at me. I smiled and dipped my head some in embarrassment.

“Thank you!” I called out. However, a flash of long black hair and a big grin is all I could make out before me.

“Hey cutie, how ‘bout I buy you the next round!” a boisterous voice said. Standing before me was a tall man in a black fishnet tank and green baggy jeans was leaning over the bar, cheek planted in his palm. I blinked rapidly.

“You wish to buy me another round of water?” I asked. He snickered.

“Of course! Gotta stay hydrated if you plan to dance again!” he said. “The name’s Karaku! I see you a lot on campus, so that makes us classmates in a way. What’s your name?”

Our campus was pretty big how exactly did he see me?

“Yara!” I said over the heavy music which only made the man lean in a bit so he could hear

“Yara? Wow that’s a pretty name! Never heard it before! So that’s makes you my first!” he said. I gave a polite smile however I wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, and I really wanted to dance to a few more songs before it was time to call a cab. “Say you have some really pretty hair, Yara, it makes you look like a goddess! Black women have the most exotic hair styles!”

And now he’s lost my attention and my tense face at his compliment told me so. I didn’t like the word exotic being used to describe me or anything on me. Made me feel weird.

“Thanks!” I said stiffly before leaning off the bar and trying to wave a goodbye to him, before he caught my hand.

“Say, I’m here tonight with three of my brothers! We’ve been studying hard cramming for the upcoming midterms you know how it is, and we were wondering if maybe you’d like to dance with us!” he offered before point pointing over my shoulder toward the very end of the bar where three men, identical to Karaku, were looking at me with different emotions on their faces. One looked to be glaring slightly, nodding his head up at me as if saying ‘sup with his eyes. He wore a red tank and black jeans. I could see the two sleeve tattoos that covered his muscular arms.

Waving happily beside him was a man in a black tank top under a yellow jacket and brown shorts. His wrists were wrapped with yellow bands and yellow beaded necklace sat loose on his neck. Beside him was a nervous, almost sad looking man in a blue and white striped uniform and he looked almost nervous.

Woah, I had never seen a set of quadruplets before, and I couldn’t help but look from then back to Karaku who just smirked.

“Wow, and all four of you want to dance with me, why?” I asked. There were many cute and attractive women in the club tonight and it made me suspicious that a group of men wanted to just dance with me when there were so many other options.

“Absolutely. The way you moved on the dancefloor was just stunning. My brothers and I couldn’t take our eyes off you! You seem like a lot of fun, Yara! So how’s about it, one more dance before the night ends?” he asked.

Suddenly, a beat popped in my ears from above and my eyes widened as well as my smile as the remix version of Enya’s Only Time, Crunk in Time, was playing. I couldn’t wait anymore I had to pop off tonight. I smirked at Karaku.

“If you and your brothers can keep up tonight, then sure, one dance.” I replied before pushing off the bar, taking his hand and guiding him to the dance floor, my hips dipping and swaying from side to side with the beat of the music. I noticed the three brothers moving off the bar and following us to the dance floor and slowly approached me with pleased looks on their faces as they each stood in a perfect square around me.

“I’m Sekido!” the brother in red said harshly making me jump a bit, but I smiled nonetheless from genuine amusement. He stood in front of me.

“I’m Urogi the fun one!” the brother in yellow said as he stood on the left of me.

“Ha as if!” Karaku shouted from behind me, his hand already palming my bottom which I didn’t mind.

“And I’m Aizetsu!” the brother in blue said on my right. He looked nervous almost.

“I’m Yara!” I said with a smile noticing how all four of these men smelled really good. I liked that. The men were moving their hips with the beat of the music as was I.

I began to move my hips in a circular motion so a part of me would graze each of the men’s body giving them each an inch of attention. I began to silently lip sync Enya’s part smiling at all of the men’s amused faces. The looks didn’t look malicious. Everyone around us was swaying themselves waiting for the real fun to start.

“Who can say where the road goes, where the day flows only time. Who can say where the road goes, where the day flows only time (SHAKE THAT-)

My mind was gone, captured by the beat of the music as everyone threw their hands up and shook their bodies giving their all to the music.

“GET CRUNK WITH IT, GET LOOSE WITH IT!” everyone sang shaking their hips and grinding against the partners. Karaku and Sekido kept their hands on hips grinding their hips on me when they could, while I had my hands on Aizetsu’s and Urogi’s cheeks smiling and laughing with them as they moved their bodies against my sides.

“SHAKE THAT ASS REAL FAST THEN DROP! SHAKE IT LIKE A SALTSHAKER! SHAKE IT LIKE A SALTSHAKER! SHAKE IT LIKE A SALTSHAKER!” people sang and shake it I did. I could feel my ass vibrating on command of the music digging into Karaku’s crotch.

“Fuck yes fucking shake it Yara!” the green dressed brother yelled behind. I let my hand move through my braids moving it to one side of my neck as I felt a pair of lips press into my neck from the man behind me. I told my mind to take note of it, but I found it hard from the hands moving over my body and beneath the top of my dress! I gasped realizing it was Sekido’s hand cupping one of my breasts and before I could attempt to push back, which would only get me blocked by Karaku, I feel the angry man’s tongue going down my throat. I realize my wrists are being held down by Urogi and Aizetsu, stopping me from pushing back against the man in front of me.

He's dominating my mouth, not letting my tongue get away from his as he explored every inch of my mouth.

“Sorry, Yara, but we had to see for ourselves what was so special about you!” Urogi said happily. I finally had the courage to bite the tongue that was invading me and Sekido leaned back with a growl.

“Naughty bitch bit me!” he snarled.

“Yes, Akaza was speaking so highly of you, I am sad to admit I was actually getting a little jealous.” Aizetsu told. What the fuck! Akaza… Oh damn these guys must be a part of the Kizuki.

“So, how’s about it Yara, want to play with us for a little bit? I promise you’ll enjoy every… inch of us.” Karaku purred, his tongue sliding up the shell of my ear. I stiffened heavily feeling that the grips on my wrists would not be loosened. Sekido wasn’t even going to wait fo a response because his hand came up to grip my throat as his face leaned in to mine to kiss me again.

But my feet acted fast, kicking him right in the groin.

“FUCK!” he snarled in pain as he was now caught up in the wave of dancing and being shoved into the crowd

I felt the grips on my wrists loosen and I used this time to move into the crowd and let the many shoulders push me about. I was looking for a way out of the crowd, the exit, and the four brother as a means to get away from them. I pushed my way from the crowd and pressed myself to the wall. I quickly grabbed my phone and texted fast.

Me: 911 (You shared your location)

Kyojuro: On my way! Find somewhere to lay low until I get there!

I could see Aizetsu coming from the crowd and hurried down the closest to me. I was looking for an emergency exit if anything, but I was luckily coming up on the front of the club. Where I could hide once out there, I didn’t know. The Unholy wasn’t a big place and it felt they would easily know I was in the lady’s restroom if I tried to hide there, and I didn’t need to get cornered there! Just as I was pushing myself out the door, I was immediately caught by someone I didn’t want to see.

“Yara! Wow your hair looks amazing!” he snapped catching my shoulders. I wanted to pull back, but he wouldn’t let me go.

“Please let me go, Akaza, I need to leave!” I said hurriedly looking over my shoulders. They could come at any minute! Okay, I couldn’t hide my fear through anger any longer. I was scared and I was scared shitless. I tore from Akaza’s hold and began to move down the sidewalk putting distance between me and the club. Akaza was speeding up behind me taking my hand.

“Hey woah what the fuck happened?” he yelled in panic. I needed to get out of here. I didn’t want his hand touching me. He’s one of them, they’re one of them! As I walked, a familiar shade of yellow was skipping in front of me.

“Yara, I found you!” Urogi said happily and I gasped as I saw red, blue and green appearing. I quickly back tracked and jumped behind Akaza.

“You stay the fuck away from me! All of you or I swear to God I’ll scream!” I threatened. Akaza looked at me then the four men who were walking up to him calmly and collectively.

“What the fuck did you do!” he snapped. Sekido just growled with annoyance.

“The cunt bit me and kicked me in my dick!” he snarled.

“Oh, calm down, Akaza, we were just trying to test her, to make sure she was being loyal to you and to the gang is all.” Karaku said with a purr.

“She attracts a lot of male attention whether she knows it or not. It’d be very upsetting if another guy tried to step in on what’s yours.” Aizetsu said with a pout.

“You’re all insane!” I snapped trying to step away from the group, but Akaza took my hand and wouldn’t let go as he held his other hand up.

“Okay can we all just calm the fuck down! Why the hell were you four out anyways when you were supposed to be… running errands?” he snarled. I could tell errands was code for something else. Sekido scoffed angrily.

“We earned. The club was our last errand. We saw your little toy here dancing like she’s single and couldn’t help our curiosity and thought we'd join in a dance!” he explained.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean! It seems like you wanted to do more than just dance!” I snapped still struggling from Akaza. He looked at me angrily noticing me pulling back.

“Will you please stop that!” he yelled before looking at the brothers. “Your business was not with her; you all should have left her alone!”

“Oh come on, you shared your last toy with us, we figured she was a new one to share with us!” Urogi told. My eyes widened.'

"Mother fucker." Akaza said shooting him a glare so dark, it almost caused me to miss the sound of tires screeching around the corner and now we all looked as I saw a black 2022 Toyota Tundra was jumping the curb of the sidewalk making us all jump back. I followed Akaza’s hand to the hem of his jacket and down to the back of his pants and the way he gripped the handle of his gun made my eyes pop as he pulled it from his waist band.

Gun! GUN! GUN! DANGER, DANGER, DANGER!

Popping out of the bed of the truck was Kyojuro and Sanemi, with pistols in their hands, all the while, Uzui’s window was down in the driver’s side, a very large gun in his hand that looked like it fired multiple rounds. Obanai’s body was sitting outside on the passenger window with two Glock pistols in his hands.

I looked at the four brothers to see guns in their hands pointed at the truck, and I felt my mind was ready to explode.

I noticed Kyojuro and Akaza’s guns were on each other, and I could tell they were waiting to take each other out, however I was in the line of fire.

I just wanted to dance and maybe fuck tonight. I wanted to have a wild and fun night and then go home and sleep the weekend away. Why was that so fucking hard!

[greatwyrmgold]

The elderly antiquarian looked through the trailer I brought, full of my late great-aunt's furniture. "Looks nice, decent condition. I might be able to give you a couple hundred bucks for that."

"Just a couple hundred? That's it?"

He nodded. "Antiques don't sell like they used to."

"Well, why not?"

The antiquarian looked back at his store. "Generations of consuerism and wage stagnation, I think."

"Huh?"

"Back when the baby boomers were babies, anything fifty or sixty or seventy years old was made in the nineteenth century. There was probably some cheap factory-made furniture back then, but most of it was still handmade, and most of that was assembled by someone who wanted their work to outlive them. Or someone who barely knew what he was doing.

"Point is, in the old old days, furniture was either shoddy or robust. Any table that survived two World Wars, the Great Depression, and generations of kids hitting it with hammers or whatever was a good damn table."

"Hammers?"

"Was that just my kids? Anyhow, most people with a table like that weren't gonna sell it. It was probably a family heirloom, after all, and it was hard to accumulate more tables than you needed. So antiques were rare, and they were tough, and they probably looked nice. They sold for a lot.

"Nowadays, anything that's fifty or seventy years old was made in the seventies or fifties. They'd figured out how to make decent chairs in a factory, and consumerism was taking off, so us boomers could buy all the furniture we wanted for our new homes. More than our parents and grandparents, I'd bet. Some of it was crap that fell apart in the eighties and nineties, but a lot of it is still around. Like this stuff. I'm guessing it's from an older relative?"

I nodded.

"We boomers bought a house of furniture, and so did our kids. When I die, my family won't need any of the stuff I've got at home, never mind all the stuff in my store. Maybe Generation X has some room for their parents' stuff, but you millennials don't have enough space for your own stuff.

"Which brings me to another problem. When I bought furniture, I could afford to splurge on a nice old clock. When you buy furniture, you don't care about history or aesthetics. Your generation just wants to keep enough cash in the bank to pay rent, yeah?

"With less people looking to buy old furniture because it's nice, and more people looking to sell old furniture because they've got too much, most antiques don't sell unless you sell 'em cheap. If something's really nice you might be able to sell it to one of the few people who can afford nice old furniture...but normal old furniture only sells if it's cheaper than new stuff."

[polyhexian]

Raine's entire experience in the eventually AU cracks me up.

Like, on the one hand, the rebellion seems to have a bit more steam earlier on here? (is that a result of Jasper being alive? or just headcanon?) In canon there didn't seem to be much organized rebellion until, like, a month before the Day of Unity. So they've got that going for them.

And they've got the Martlet! Who is a very strong ally, even if they can't figure out what the guy's whole DEAL is. Who is he? Where'd he come from? What's with the lack of magic? What's with the broken hawk palisman? How does he seem to have better castle intel than Raine does despite Raine WORKING IN THE CASTLE? Why is he so standoffish about getting more involved when he OBVIOUSLY hates Belos? He is weirdly obsessed with fighting the Golden Guard but also insanely protective of the Golden Guard? His motivations are inscrutable and make no sense. But beggars can't be choosers and the Martlet is really good at what he does, so Raine doesn't question him much.

But the guy isn't all that great at cashing in favors? He just keeps racking them up. What does he WANT??

When he DOES cash in a favor or name his price in a trade, it makes no SENSE.

"I want more information on the Golden Guard."

"You probably know more about the Golden Guard's fighting skills and tactics than anyone else at this point."

"Not that kind of information. I want to know ABOUT him. His likes, dislikes, personal history…"

Raine squints at the Martlet. "Okay, I'm aware you two are rivals, but this is a bit much." They can't afford to worry too much about the Golden Guard, aside from worrying that he doesn't get in the CATTs' way. The child soldier thing is messed up, but the kid is severely brainwashed and there's not much Raine can do when they need to focus on saving all of the Isles. Still… "Are you aware that the Golden Guard is a teenage boy?"

The Martlet straightens up. "Aha, so you are aware that the Golden Guard is a teenage boy."

"That…doesn't answer my question."

"Nope, but it's answered several of mine."

Raine groans, but the Martlet's price is relatively inexpensive and while the guy is weird he's never been a creep, so they say, "I know of a few people who were involved in his upbringing, I'll see what I can do."

Things progress generally along the same lines as canon for a while. Raine's got the CATTs, and they reunite with Eda for a bit, and then Darius and Eberwolf "protect" them in the stupidest way possible but at least it ends with them joining the CATTs, and they've got to fake being brainwashed by Terra's STUPID tea, but everything proceeds as usual.

And then Any Sport in a Storm happens.

"Darius," Raine says, staring blearily at the other man, "it is four in the morning. WHAT is so important that YOU are skipping out on your beauty sleep to knock on my door at four in the morning?"

"I need the Martlet's contact information," Darius says, wild-eyed.

"…Why?"

Darius draws a blank. "Um…classified?"

Raine decides they don't want to know and gives him the Martlet's scroll number.

And then things get weird. Darius doesn't leave his room for like two days and when he does he's oddly jumpy now? Eberwolf seems to think he's depressed by WHY is anyone's guess. And then Darius starts trying to befriend the Golden Guard?? Why?? Darius we're running a rebellion we need to stay UNDER the kid's radar - You're going on a camping trip? What? YOU? What's this about eating bugs??

If they try to contact the Martlet during this time period they are. taken aback. by what a bad mood the guy's in.

And there's a million ways Hollow Mind could go down, but if it goes down in such a way that Raine remains oblivious to the whole Jasper situation, they are just. So confused. Like, okay, we didn't get into the Emperor's mind, but we got the intel we needed. Time to stop the Day of Unity!

The Golden Guard ran away for some reason and Raine is like, okay, one threat eliminiated, yay? Except now Darius is freaking out over the missing kid and it's like, Darius. Darius can you please focus? Darius we are all going to die.

They try calling the Martlet like 50 times before he finally picks up and they're like, look, we figured out what the Day of Unity is, and it's bad, we need all hands on deck! Are you in or what? What do you mean no? So just because you're a wild witch you're gonna leave everyone with a sigil to die?

"I'M A LITTLE BUSY, WHISPERS."

"Busy doing WHAT? What could possibly be more important than - did he just hang up on me?!"

Eda's house gets raided but Eda herself isn't captured, so that's a relief, but Darius is really cagey all of a sudden, and - what's this about the Martlet single-handedly holding off an Emperor's Coven attack squad at Hexside? What is he DOING?

Darius finds the Golden Guard. Yay? The kid isn't on Belos's side anymore so that's good and Darius wants to give him a mission and you know what, knock yourself out Darius, Raine is just going to ignore whatever's going on there and focus on the ACTUAL plan. The Martlet STILL isn't answering their calls. Why does Raine feel like they're the only one who cares about this rebellion?

And then, y'know, Day of United, puppetization, possession, final battle, stomping Belos into an unrecognizable puddle of goo before seeing the spirit of their god ascend into the aether. Raine has had. A long day. Week. Month. Whatever. But they've won! Everyone's alive! And there are reunions!

Darius is with the Golden Guard kid, because of course he is. There is a strange man glaring very intently at Darius. Darius looks terrified of the guy but that is not stopping him from listening to Hunter's ramblings.

The strange man is the Martlet. The Martlet is the previous Golden Guard. And also Hunter's father. WHAT? WHAT??

And Raine looks at this enigma of an ally whom they have never been able to figure out, who is apparently the Emperor's old lackey and infamous bogeyman, and who the CATTs owe approximately five million favors to.

Shit.

And Raine is like, okay, what do you want. Are you after money? Power? What is your GAME?? I'll have you know we aren't going to replace one tyrant with another BUT I admit your leadership experience COULD come in handy so if you want a seat in the new government we've got to build up I could probably arrange SOMETHING.

And this man just looks at them and says, "I'm going on paternity leave. Don't call me."

And Raine is just like. What is HAPPENING.

DONT CALL ME FIRUABNDJFOWKRF

god raines perception of this man is so funny. He's a weirdo who won't listen to them unless they bring him a plain boiled egg for lunch. The only favours he ever cashes in are "can you find out what the golden guards favourite animal is" and "if anyone but me touches a hair on the golden guards head I'll blow up the boiling isles myself." He's so fucking DRAMATIC. And after the day of unity they don't see him again! It's three months and until Raine is captured they keep an eye out, but he appears to be gone. Either he ran away like he seemed to want to, or he got killed. Either way he's out of the picture and he's probably never coming back. Then. Who the fuck is that guy over there with Darius and Hunter.

Actually I imagined in hollow mind jasper shows up to the party late because obviously this was NOT on hunters mission schedule, and it is also not the weekend or his day off!! By the time he gets to the owl house eber and Raine and Darius are panicking in the bushes frantically arguing about what to do when the Martlet fucking emerges from the brush panting for air like what the FUCK did you DO. And they explain what happened as quickly as they can and he's like SO GO TELL THEM HOW THE FUCKING SPELL WORKS???? SO THEY CAN GET THEM OUT??? and they're like but our secret identities and-- at which point jasper just grabs Darius and drags him across the yard, kicks open the door and throws him on the floor. Everyone inside like HELLO and the Martlet like HE IS GOING TO TELL YOU HOW TO FIX THIS NOW.

And here, for DRAMA, it's like when Luz went in that portal she made for the vee episode, where they had her tied with a rope so they could pull her back? They have to send someone in to grab them so they can pull them back, and obviously jasper insists. Because how fucking cool would it be for the kids to be finally cornered by Belos like they were just before they got teleported back only for jasper to show up out of nowhere with a flapjack staff to block a big dramatic blow and Belos to freeze like YOU-! and a moment of absolute terror on jaspers face before he grabs the kids and yells he's got them and gets pulled back. And then they all drop on the floor, hunter panics and bolts, and jasper frantically goes after him but oh god, jasper just got hit hard, maybe he hurt a leg or something and he can't CATCH him and Hunter goes off on his exciting homeless era while jasper is left to collapse in the woods and wail angrily at god because he was so fucking close!

And of course he doesn't go back to Eda's or explain shit lmfao he's just gone again like fucking always

Can you imagine Raine seeing THAT. He drags Darius away. Enters the owl house all dramatically. Long silence. Flash of light, lots of yelling. Door slams open, hunter sprints into the woods. Martlet runs after him, bleeding, also vanishes into the woods. Darius stumbles out with a thousand yard stare. Raine is like what the FUCK happened??? And Darius is like I need a nap goodbye

[quordleona03]

Social class of M*A*S*H surgeons I got the idea from reading this interesting post by @majorbaby about Frank Burns. My reference was 8.3 Social Class in the United States

Charles Emerson Winchester III is upper-class his family has money and social position. He would certainly like you to think that his family is upper-upper class all the way back, and perhaps that's even true.

"Members of the upper-upper class have “old” money that has been in their families for generations; some boast of their ancestors coming over on the Mayflower. They belong to exclusive clubs and live in exclusive neighborhoods; have their names in the Social Register; send their children to expensive private schools; serve on the boards of museums, corporations, and major charities; and exert much influence on the political process and other areas of life from behind the scenes." B. J. Hunnicutt is upper-middle class. He went to Stanford: he was past of an exclusive fraternity, which Frank Burns comments on. He and Peg may be having cash-flow problems, but they're on the lines of "how do we pay for the second mortgage" not "how do we pay the rent". "People in the upper-middle class typically have college and, very often, graduate or professional degrees; live in the suburbs or in fairly expensive urban areas; and are bankers, lawyers, engineers, corporate managers, and financial advisers, among other occupations."

We don't get enough clues from the six appearances of Oliver Harmon Jones what social class he was supposed to be before institutional racism cut him from the series. Henry Blake - insufficient clues about background, but certainly comfortably upper-middle class when drafted. Frank Burns wants to be upper class and is origins are probably lower-middle class - he wasn't allowed into the exclusive fraternity that BJ Hunnicutt joined. "Members of the lower-upper class have “new” money acquired through hard work, lucky investments, and/or athletic prowess. In many ways their lives are similar to those of their old-money counterparts, but they do not enjoy the prestige that old money brings." John McIntyre and Hawkeye Pierce both look like scholarship students to me - McIntyre's accent places him on the South side of Boston, and Pierce's father, though a doctor, probably acquired that training the old-fashioned way, not by eight years of medical school. I place both families as lower-middle class. "The lower-middle class has household incomes from about $50,000 to $74,999, amounting to about 18% of all families. People in this income bracket typically work in white-collar jobs as nurses, teachers, and the like. Many have college degrees, usually from the less prestigious colleges, but many also have 2-year degrees or only a high school degree. They live somewhat comfortable lives but can hardly afford to go on expensive vacations or buy expensive cars and can send their children to expensive colleges only if they receive significant financial aid." Sherman Potter was a farm kid. He joined the cavalry in WWI because he could ride, and though I don't know they've ever mentioned Potter's rank in WWI, I get the impression he was an enlisted man, not an officer. He went to college to train as a surgeon as a military officer. His son-in-law is a salesman. His family may have been land rich before the Great Depression, and lost that land in bank foreclosures. That would put him in working-class origins - if so, the only other officer at the 4077th who had a working-class background is Father Mulcahy, which may explain why they get on so well.

[nyiibat2]

Only now 8 months later .... Yk for someone who claims to be an activist and on the phone they can't even call it what it is, a genocide. And the fact that he didn't do enough research to know the 'Hamas' are something Israel made up and the hostages have been released.

‘at least he IS saying something about it’

It means nothing when they post one thing and move on. These are people that can afford to donate and have more power to make change, than other people who've been speaking up since the beginning with smaller platforms.

The shit these celebrities have done in the past that wasn't “marketable" but got away with, doesn't hold a candle to speaking about people literally being burned alive in concentration camps. It's been going on far too long for people to still play the uneducated game. Especially people that have built followings on activism.

All that activism in the past was performative when it takes people this long to speak up and not call something what it is, and not do enough research on it. It's very telling that these "activists" only stand on something when it's effecting their cash outs.

There's smaller artists that have been vocal about it, there's people bigger than him that have spoken out. The talent aren't children, if you can be controlled you can be bought. This is one of the main reasons white "activists" don't sit well with POCs. There's been so many UK and European artist that have spoken out and done more. Dom has called out the UK government which had held more risk with his management than speaking out against a literal genocide.

It's been going on far too long for people to pretend they have not seen or heard about it. One tone deaf post that comes out right around the time you're going in tour is not activism, it's a cash grab and a disgusting one at that.

People know and don't speak up especially people that have huge platforms are complicit in a genocide

tell on themselves who they really are.

These people aren't the "idols" and the "activists" they pretend to be, they've outed themselves as complicit money hounds. the exact reason why this shit pisses me off so much.

How can you preach to the world about being who you are and everyone should live freely then turn around eight months later mind you, and give some bullshit statement calling it a war instead of what it really is, a genocide.

You can be a big name and still speak out and enjoy your fancy things but not at the expense of peoples lives. These are the people we made famous, these are the people we can let fall too. When you stand for nothing but your own greed you do not deserve the platform you promised to use for change.

There's real people doing more with so much more to loose than a couple million followers and some businesses deals. People that rely on scholar ships and internships for their futures.

When you only chase the fame and the money, there's no one left to blame when you come crashing down. Standing on nothing makes you a coward and fraud. So don't claim you're an activist and use it for profit.

[julieverne]

After the Mean Detective Jane video came out, Jane made more screen time with the media. They weren't exactly trying to catch her being mean, but they were trying to cash in on her internet infamy.

Predictably Jane got irritated by this, and Maura was forever chasing her down and pulling her away, putting a comforting hand on her back or shoulder to lead her away.

They'd already been in the news a lot, after their big public fight over Paddy's shooting. The look of devastation on Jane's face leading to speculation. And speculate the media did, once again.

---

'Mean Detective Jane's girlfriend finally speaks up!' the headline read. There was a copy on Jane's desk when she came in and she shoved it aside with a grunt, putting her coffee down where it had been. She rubbed her face, looking through her files for the day with a yawn. Frost seemed skittish this morning, and everyone else seemed amused.

"We got a body, come on," Korsak said, poking his head into the squad room. Jane and Frost grabbed their jackets and headed out.

---

The press kept wanting to ask about some rumours but Jane tuned them out. She squatted next to Maura, next to the body.

"Have you seen the paper?" Maura asked tentatively, not looking up from her corpse. Jane shook her head, helping Maura to her feet, worried when Maura's smile was tentative. "I didn't know they were going to..."

"I know the press. Whatever's going on, I know they've twisted whatever you said."

Maura nodded, relieved, looking up at Jane. It was windy, and Jane brushed Maura's hair away from her face and behind her ear since Maura still had her gloves on, hearing the press kick up behind them. Jane rolled her eyes and started to head towards them. Maura pulled off her gloves and snagged Jane's forearm, pulling her back, keeping Jane at her side.

"They may have... misinterpreted what I said about our relationship," Maura said, swallowing anxiously. "I just wanted them to stop calling you mean, it's the only reason I spoke to them."

Jane looked at Maura quizzically, but she let it slide, since they had a body to bring back to BPD.

---

"You seen this?" Korsak asked twelve hours later, leaving the paper on Jane's desk as he headed out for the night. Jane filled in some more paperwork before turning to the paper. She froze, feeling like an icy hand had touched her neck. There was a large, colour photo of Jane staring up lovingly at Maura from next to a body at a crime scene, followed by a series of smaller photos of Maura touching Jane's shoulder and back. Followed again by that photo of Maura walking away from her after she'd shot Paddy. This must be what Maura had been trying to tell her.

She read the article.

'"She is one of the most skilled, compassionate detectives on the force," Doctor Maura Isles told our team, a faint blush covering her cheeks. We asked why they were always together - surely the Chief Medical Examiner can afford to send out another ME?

"Some of our crime scenes are - despite the best efforts of everyone involved - still dangerous. With my biological family being who they are, and with that being public knowledge, there's a target on my back. Detective Rizzoli has always had my personal safety at heart, and while I don't need protecting, it's nice to have someone want to do that for you."

And on Paddy Doyle:

"He's a complex man. I didn't meet him until I was well into adulthood, and we don't have much in common. But the choices he made to keep me safe came from a good place. I don't condone any of his work."

And on Jane again:

"I wish you could see her the way I do. She's not mean. She's kind and compassionate, she's intelligent and determined. She's fiercely devoted to justice."

"She seems devoted to you," our reporter asked, and she blushed again.

"It's quite mutual," Doctor Isles said.

"And you two seem close - I never see one of you without the other. I'm glad I caught you on your own."

"We are close," Doctor Isles enthused. Even when talking about her favourite subject - the victims of murder - Doctor Isles rarely shows any kind of emotion. But talking about Detective Rizzoli she lights up as though this is another subject she's skilled in. "She's amazing, and I love her."

Well, readers, between that and our photos - gathered over the last few years - you can make your minds up for yourselves what that means.'

Jane put the paper down with a sigh. She'd told Maura not to speak to the press about any of their cases, but this wasn't about a case. There was a small knock, even though the squad room had no door. Jane looked up, her knee resting against the arm of her chair where she'd propped the paper on it.

"You've read it, then?" Maura asked anxiously.

"Yeah. They're trying to sell newspapers. Nothing you said makes that headline relevant." Maura came over and leaned against the edge of Jane's desk. "But we're going to have to keep a lower profile," Jane added, getting to her feet, slipping her hands to Maura's hips and kissing her into the deserted squad room.

[maryellencarter]

so i have no memory of who i've told what to and now i have an ear infection, so i'm probably not coherent, but here is an life update:

* i moved cross country to a state that reportedly has really good social services

* it turns out there is a 30 day wait period before i can apply for healthcare or housing or food assistance

* i am staying in what is frankly the nicest homeless shelter i have ever seen or heard tell of

* i have a library card

* i have a reduced fare transit card

* i have my new license plates

* my new id card is supposedly in the mail

* i am having to stand in line roughly 20 minutes per meal (they do provide 3 meals a day and do not kick us out of the building) which is quite rough on my feet

* i got very lucky and landed an assigned bunk in the night shelter my first day here, and the bunks even have power outlets and USB charging ports built right in

* because i have to eat my meals in the cafeteria and sleep in what is essentially a barracks, i am unavoidably breathing a lot of shared air

* therefore i have caught some kind of cough, which has settled into my right ear as a horrible ear infection ("it's all red and bulging", said the ER nurse)

* i had to go to the ER to get prescribed the antibiotics for my ear infection, as most low-cost clinics are closed saturday, the one that was open informed me they'll only take walk-ins from people they've previously seen there, and i definitely couldn't afford an urgent care

* my ear now feels like there is a very large rock wedged inside my head but it no longer actively hurts, i definitely can't hear out of it though

* they do kick us out of the barracks and over to the day shelter during the daytime, which is obnoxious because i just want to sleep the clock around and put all my energy toward healing

* there are some very nice chairs in the day shelter that you can shove together and they become a sofa for sleeping on. sadly they are all usually occupied pretty quickly

* i cashed out my 401(k) to get here but it is almost gone. luckily my final big expense so far was my car registration ($100 for a car that probably isn't worth that much as scrap, ouch) but this is an area where it gets below zero Fahrenheit on the regular so i am definitely going to need a proper winter coat and possibly some ski pants at some point

* thankfully leia is storing most of my crap so i don't have to worry about my electronics melting or freezing

* i have a local friend here (who recommended i move here) so i have access to such irreplaceable things as Hugs and Social Contact which is extremely nice

* once i have been here 30 days and can apply for all the social support services stuff, they have a lot of it. way more than where i lived before. their state-funded insurance for the poor even covers trans-related surgery, which many places do Not, so maybe i can even get that hysterectomy eventually

* their library system is also very high quality. or maybe my perspective is just skewed by having lived so long in an area where they don't keep any books older than 4 years. but they have really impressive knitting sections, i'm reading alice starmore's book on aran knitting now

[rosiedoestumblr]

40 looks so good on you, Ms. Rosie! I hope I’m as cool as you when I’m 40. I’m currently 28, and aging kind of scares me, but it’s people like you that make me feel like there’s nothing to be scared of. 🩷 Thanks for sticking around the internet (specifically Fall Out Boy spaces) as long as you have, it’s always quite a treat to see you on my dash. Have a good day!!

Aw, thanks dude! That's such a nice thing to say (I think you may be mistaken about exactly how cool I am, though). I know I'm really fortunate that having Sicilian genes and a chubby face disguises some of the ageing process, but bear in mind that (as with most people) the pictures I share are probably one or two out of 30 I took to find a couple from a good angle, with good lighting, possibly a Norfolk Terrier or a scarf over my chin to hide how many of them I've cultivated in the last 20 years... I also tend to keep my make up (except my eyeliner) quite natural, because I find that helps keep you looking fresh faced - but that principle shouldn't dictate what you wear.

Here is my stupid face right now, without make up and with unwashed hair. I developed adult acne after having immaculate skin when I was a teenager, possibly because my dog keeps standing on it or licking all over it. I have OCD and what is (appointment pending) probably about to be diagnosed as ADHD, so I'm a chronic skin picker, hence the scars all over my chin and forehead. I've also got fine lines under my eyes, bottom lip and on my forehead, but automatic settings on modern phone cameras kind of smooth the worst of them out.

The whole thing about getting older can be scary, but mostly because we've all been raised on the Boomer-generation's expectations, through movies, TV, adverts and the like, and a lot has changed. We're really fortunate to live at a time where being yourself is much more acceptable than it used to be, in most (although sadly not all) cases. Every advert you see is specifically designed to make you feel inadequate and make you fear irrelevance, but only so they've got an excuse to sell you something you can live without. Whether that's a fancier car or anti-wrinkle cream.

You don't actually have to do the stuff that really ages you, unless you want to. You can keep going to shows (to be honest, gigs have got so expensive we see more people our age there than younger people, who often struggle to afford what bands are asking). You can keep wearing band shirts. You can keep dying your hair and getting tattoos. You can keep being passionate about it. You're a grown ass adult, it's down to you to make your own choices. You don't have to give up what you love, but sometimes you have to be creative about the time you find in which to enjoy it. And you'll appreciate that more.

I've never wanted kids, so I haven't had any.

I never went to uni, but I fell into a career that pays me alright, and it's not an industry I care a lot about (I'm a gas safety contract manager) but I see it as a resource that allows me to do the things that I really want to, the rest of the time.

It's important to remember to live your own life, not the life someone else - anyone else - wants you to. You have to be pragmatic, obviously, and if you choose to settle down with another person then give and take will always be necessary, but don't ever let someone tell you what you can and can't be interested in because of your age (except you, Prince Andrew) or what you can or can't spend your own spare time and disposable cash doing. Keep loving the things you love, if they still captivate you. Fuck anyone who would tell you otherwise! It's the joylessness of giving up your identity to become nothing but your life obligations that costs you the most.

For my part, I'm pretty squarely between Patrick and Andy, age-wise. Fall Out Boy are my generation. We've grown up together, in a fannish sense. It's not like a TV show might be, where the characters are still young and I've gotten old in the last 18 years, they're still relatable to me, even now. Which is probably a lot of the reason I'm still here, specifically.

Watching the waves of new fans discovering the band over the years has been fun, really. Partly because it makes us truly geriatric emos feel like mystical sages sitting on the lonely mountain tops of Old Timer Fandom, offering anecdotes from bandom drama long ago, to young adventurers who approach us with news from the mists of TikTik to ask if things really happened, and witnessing the same things happening cyclically, every couple of years.

New blood means Pete will feel validated and Patrick will feel relevant they'll continue to feel they have something to offer/sell (look what happened when an album didn't do as well...) and it's hard to fault that.

Focus on enjoying your life and your interests as they are now (although do think about saving some of your money when you can, because you'll thank yourself later) and fuck worrying about everything else. You'll find you don't feel any different, when you get where I am, than you do now, anyway.

You have a good day, too. And thanks again for saying such kind things. xoxo

[naffeclipse]

I absolutely loved the Christmas fic! I loved the interactions with Y/N and the detectives, I can feel the love between them and it is all very wholesome and perfect for a fic like this. The interactions with Gregory were adorable! Although i did feel a bit worried about papa Freddy getting mad at Y/N for teaching Gregory how to pick locks, im sure he wont find out if Y/N teaches him how to hide the fact too hehe

I was wondering when we get to see Michael again, so i was very glad to see his reappearance! Also the domesticness of showing your lover (or well, lovers) to your family was very cute and i loved every second of it. It was also nice seeing Michael interact with Marionette because to me, it sorta ressembled how Michael also learned how to move past his trauma and be happy with the companionship of a close friend. A direct parallel to Y/N and their situation almost

And of course, I cant finish this comment without mentioning my man Eclipse. Damn, even beyond the grave he still manages to shake my heart in some way or another. The fact he has a tombstone feels very cute, yet, very sad considering all the atrocities he's comitted. The fact his gravestone highlights the fact he was a brother first and formost killed me and made me cry a bit because yeah. He was an unhinged asshole who owned a Mafia and whatnot, but in the end, he was still a brother and he was still their brother despite everything that happened in the end. And something about that just makes me tear up a bunch. Maybe its the reminder that Clip wasnt always a terrible badguy, maybe its the reminder that he always couldve had a potential redemption arc if he just did it. Or maybe its the reminder that his brothers always loved him and remembered him as the kind, caring, protective older brother who was willing to risk himself if it meant giving them both a good future, even when it was clear that their brother was going off into the deep end. They just wanted their brother man

Anyways. Sorry about getting emotional at the end- the Christmas spirit always made me feel a lot more sentimental than usual. But i just wanted you to know that I love your writing and that these characters have been living rent free in my head for months now- (not that im bothered by it of course) and that i just wanted to give an in depth analysis on something i cherished deeply for once. I hope you have a Merry Christmas (or a Happy Holidays in case you dont celebrate Christmas). Cheers!

(Btw, i also wanted to ask where Sun and Moon got all the cash to donate to Michael's shelter. Im not sure whether a Detective's salary can afford what sounds like a lot of cash)

Thank you for reading! Ahaha, I am eating up every line here! I'm glad it was sweet and cute, and ahhh, even emotional! You hit the nail right on the head. They just wanted their brother ;-;

Michael has healed a lot with Charlie's help. They've saved each other a lot over the years, just like how the detectives and Y/N have each other's back. It's a strong bond ♥

That makes my night! Thank you so much for the analysis and ahhh, that's a huge compliment and I cherish it so much ♥ Merry Christmas!

So it was actually Y/N who donated the cash! Not Sun and Moon. Sorry that it's not clear! Their, uh, vigilante 'salary' is more than enough to handle that hehe

[qllie]

vocaloid piracy mfs are so funny cuz they're like "pirating vocaloids is not only morally acceptable it is actually morally superior because piracy is a form of media preservation and vocaloid/vocal synths are created by giant corporations so i'm basically a modern day robinhood stealing from the rich"

and it's like literally just say "i pirate vocaloids cuz i don't want to/can't afford to pay" lol. like sure media preservation might be true for discontinued vocaloids or vocal synths inaccessible in your region. but like for newly released synthv or hatsune miku just say it's because you don't wanna pay those things are easily accessible lol.

like to be clear i don't really care about piracy or whatever it's just so funny when people act like they pirate because it's morally superior or whatever. some of the things on the list (can) be true? actually i'll evaluate them now:

piracy for discontinued/inaccessible banks: yes this can be true. some commercial vocal synths are no longer able to be purchased (other than like buying one second hand) so for some this is the only way you can get them. Some also aren't available in certain regions (or are very difficult to get). But like I said, this doesn't apply to shit like Miku or Luka or whatever.

Vocal synth companies are giant: not necessarily true? I mean you look at crypton and Miku's success and you're like "oh they've got to be fucking rolling in cash with a million employees" and they're actually got a pretty small team lol (wikipedia says 130 i will trust it). And a lot of vocal synth teams might have even less... So yeah, a lot of vocal synth companies aren't actually mega corporations. That's not to say pirating a 10 year old miku voicebank is going to bankrupt crypton... but i'm just pointing out that saying "vocal synth companies are massive corps" is misinformation.

I mean I would just say to some extent you don't really "need" a commercial voice bank? Like UTAU is free lol. I mean if you're producing original songs and you really want the name recognition of Hatsune Miku maybe.... but like UTAU has massively popular voicebanks (Kasane Teto...), synthv has a ton of popular voicebanks as lite versions (including Kasane Teto lol). And plus, there are plenty of songs that don't use massively popular voicebanks, so it's not like you necessarily have to. I mean I would say using a popular voicebank increases the chance of your song becoming popular but it's not 100% chance lol

like idk i think it's fine to pirate vocaloid or whatever but it's important to admit "yeah I'm doing this cuz I don't wanna pay" instead of spewing some ridiculous bullshit lol. like man it just sounds so silly lol....

[fem-fatalist]

here's a fun story about the insurance hell that is modern life in the good old US of A.

My friend had a shitty used Kia that kept getting broken into and stolen due to a defective part or something that was then spread thru tiktok as the "kia challenge"

you can read about it here: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a43941743/hyundai-kia-vehicle-theft-settlement/

Their car got stolen 3 times within like 2 years.

Fed up, this friend has scrounged up cash to lease a brand new car, and have been shopping around for coverage other than Progressive, but surprise! No other insurance company is willing to cover them! Even tho the leased car is brand new! And they had zero control over the defect in their old Kia!

It's like how, before the ACA, you could be denied health insurance for pre-existing conditions. It's so baldly classist and fucked up.

So they're basically stuck paying an insane high insurance rate for their car. When they definitely deserve a lower rate, and could use the extra cash in their pocket.

They have been priced out of their apartment, squeezing into a one-bedroom place with their partner. The rent is pricey, but they need to be in that area because their partner can't drive. They want a larger apartment, but my friend's credit isn't great, so they've had trouble finding a better place. Both of them have chronic health conditions that wrack up bills as well.

Reserving a parking spot in a garage with some more protection would cost them hundreds of dollars per month that they can't afford even if it could reduce their insurance.

This is what people mean when they say it's expensive to be poor!!

[velvetineblue]

it's late. really late, actually.

in retrospect, lí chényǔ didn't mean to stay out this late, but every once in awhile, he crosses paths with exactly the right people --- in this case, some girls from la on spring break, who were a little tipsy and more than a little eager to stuff more cash than he's seen in months in his erhu case in exchange for taking some photos with him in his traditional hanfu. they'd offered him drinks ( he declined ) and dim sum ( he accepted --- a bit too eagerly, maybe ) before parting ways. and now he's wandering his way back home, taking the time to indulge in an extra cigarette ( he can afford a pack now --- two packs, even ! ); though he may look lost in thought, dark eyes flit back and forth, keeping a watchful eye on the junkies and stragglers wandering about in the shadows.

( that's the thing about this part of town. it's safe until it isn't. that money is his until he takes another brick to the head, and relearns that the rules of the jungle still apply ... even when it's made of concrete.

but ... the man before him doesn't look like a junkie or a straggler. maybe not from around here ? lí chényǔ wishes he could ignore it, but he's always been beholden to the better angels of his nature. )

"hēi, shuài gē," he calls out, waving in a manner he hopes seems friendly and unassuming. "lost ? not, um ... here is ... not good part of town."

in the days leading up to his return to the states, Taiyang Tseng had heard many men innocently remark that the American-born was going 'home' . . . an error he rarely corrected, because he decided it was not their business to know, but the truth was . . . landing in the breezy California city didn't feel like a return to any home of his. he's merely here ON business for Black Fang -— making house calls to some business partners on the West Coast. one of them is a supplier who worked in this neighborhood. Taiyang knew: every first Tuesday of the month, the supplier snuck into their storefront at 3:30 AM sharp to get some of their work that shouldn't-be-seen-in-the-daylight done. and Taiyang doesn't think they'll be too happy to see him on their doorstep this Tuesday. after all, nobody likes a surprise drop-in from their boss... ( especially after they've stolen half-a-million American dollars of the bosses' money and thought they had gotten away with it ! HAH. ) but truth be told, Taiyang's in a good mood! EXCITED for this un-scheduled 'meeting'. ( he'd never much liked the guy— and having a good reason to now kick his ass was a pleasure... ) WHISTLING, he makes his way down dark, winding streets with broken-off pieces of concrete and dried leaves crunching underneath his boots. he arrives almost forty minutes early. leans against the doorframe, arms crossed and patient. it's late at night, but in a city this big, a neighborhood this crowded, it's no surprise to him that people are still around. a couple of them, actually, and he's aware of them all. one or two approached him to ask him for things, which he gave of them: cash, and conversation... but mostly cash. a few propositioned him to buy their wares, but he politely declined. nobody tried to mug him, which was a relief. he watches as a woman walks by with a toddler who was out WAY past their bedtime, but it's asleep in a stroller. she's walking fast and in the bottom of her stroller was a canvas shopping bag from the convenience store. probably had to do a late night trip for diapers or some other kind of essentials; maybe a single mom who couldn't leave her kid at home. sucks. she was alert, and aware of her surroundings, used to watching her back. he kept an eye on her to make sure nobody bothered her, and was relieved when she stopped at the door of an apartment, struggled with keys for a moment, and then got herself back inside where it was warm. a minute later, there's a man in a hanfu. well, he thinks it's a man. from this distance, he can't tell yet, but it was a men's hanfu. as they get closer, Taiyang confirms it's a young man— probably— carrying what seems to be a case for an instrument, or maybe some kind of sports equipment... he coughs from time to time while walking. other than that, he can make no inferences from him. hm. Taiyang hopes he keeps walking. ' don't get involved, kid. ' ( he doesn't know why the thought crosses his mind, but it does. something about him: he looks like the type to step in... he looks like the type to get mixed up in stuff he shouldn't. ) and his bad feeling comes true: next thing he knows, he's being waved at. he rose his hand and nodded his head in a friendly greeting. but from a distance, he is eyeing the man's carrying case... wondering, what was in it? was this guy really that friendly, or he was up to no good, and thought he'd found his next mark in Taiyang; a straggler who'd gotten 'lost' in this bad part of town . . . ? " I'm okay, " Taiyang calls back, in english. he had hoped that simple assurance would be enough to ward the guy off, but it isn't. he blinks slowly, like a cat. in Mandarin now, he makes an observation— a suggestion, perhaps. it's blunt, but not un-friendly, though perhaps far overreaching what he should say to a stranger... " hey, maybe you wouldn't cough so much if you weren't smoking those. " he nods his head toward the lit cigarette in Lí Chényǔ's hand.

his mandarin isn't perfect ( and spoken with the same rounded dialect as his family, distinctly taiwanese ) but neither is his english perfect— after living so many years abroad, and neither is his korean; it was afterall self-taught, entirely by immersion... he's a little bit of an outsider everywhere he goes.

[elderemorune]

The Great Vanishing Mom Act

I've mentioned before that my mother has the tendency to disappear whenever I need her, and of course, today is no different.

Cherry is sick, she got back on birth control recently and her periods have never really been kind to her, so she's been knocked on her ass. Headache, severe body pains, the works. She asked me to drive her to school this morning, but with $53 in the checking account until Friday, we just can't afford for me to make that trip twice in a day, not to mention that I can't lose the time at work.

So I text my mom.

"I feel like no matter how hard I work things do not get better. It bothers me a lot that I’m this old and still struggle as much as I do."

Mom reads the message.

Then this.

For those who don't know, when you silence your phone, other iOS users can see that.

Mind you, this is a few days after she tells me she's struggling with being an empty nester. How despite the fact that she never really wanted to be a parent, she came to love the job.

Did you though? Really mom, did you like being a mom?

Because she's done this for as long as I can remember, enough that I've named it the title of this post. Every time I needed her, it was "Ask your dad" or "I'm at lunch with a friend" or some fucking excuse like that. I'm not asking you for money, or help, or anything. I wanted a small amount of your time. Enough to tell me that while things suck now, they might get better.

Shit, even when I got into legal trouble, my mom made it a point to tell me that I could come to her for anything, that she was my 'therapy buddy' or what the fuck ever, only for me to wind up relying entirely on a support network I had to build myself from the ground up.

I had to rely on other 15 year old kids to help me grow as a person when the people who's job it was failed me.

You'd think I'd have learned by now, given that this has been my entire life. But no. There's apparently always going to be some part of me that longs for my mom. That wishes she'd just be fucking present for a moment, rather than bolting the second things look tough.

I mean fuck, she won't even divorce my dad because that would be too hard for her. He loves her, sure, but the shit they've done to each other, to their kids? The stuff of nightmares. Sure dad has money, and that comfort of never having to worry about where you'll get the cash for your next meal is great, they say, but FUCK.

This is a woman who raised me to do the right thing by others every time. If I have a choice between something that benefits me, or that benefits others, to always make the choice that benefits others, even if it comes at a cost to me. She's why I read the way I do, and the way I write.

So why can't she be present for a single moment? Is that really so much that she has to fucking silence me?

I mean, I suppose that I've finally internalized something my therapist said to me forever ago. Neither of my parents are safe options for anything, really.

Working for them's okay, I control what they see of me in my job. I don't think I'll be telling her about anything like this again, and when she wonders why, she'll be the one getting notifications silenced.

[crispyflowerfury]

10 Situations When You'll Need to Know About fake bags online

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