#Compare Gas bills

[kedreeva]

Well, I've had a bit of a rough week. A deer totaled my (new-to-me I've-only-had-it-a-year) car when it rammed headlong into to side of it on a dark back road, and set off the passenger side side airbags (on the doors, not the dashboard ones). Thankfully I was completely unharmed aside from ringing ears and it did not do a whole ton of damage running into the side of the car (as opposed to the damage that would have been done the other way around, if I had hit it), but unthankfully it hit the airbag sensors and the airbags going off made it unable to be repaired for less than the cost of the car. The deer did not even have the decency to drop dead on the spot so I could eat it, it took off running back into the woods (at least according to the guy behind me that saw it hit me, because personally I thought someone had fuckin' shot my car, because the airbags are apparently explosively powered and smell like gunpowder and smoke).

So, I've been away dealing with that and looking for another car. I was not in love with the Patriot, even though I stuck cool jurassic park stickers on it (rather, I stuck cool jurassic park stickers on it because I was not in love with it), and I was still badly missing my Liberty. So imagine my surprise when I found a new listing for a 2010 jeep liberty with nearly the exact same number of miles on it (70,139) as the patriot I just lost (70,106). It looked practically pristine, came with a clean bill of health from Carfax, and was within a few hours drive to go get. On top of that, it was listed as marked down because it was at non-same dealership that wanted space back, so it was less than the insurance payout. I still called, and I still asked them to do me better than what they had it up for, and the guy was SO busy explaining how much trouble it would be to give it to me for the price I asked with all the taxes and fees and stuff included but that he would valiantly go talk to his manager that I didn't get a chance to say I MEANT just the car price not including those things. So he came back with a price, I asked again for lower again if I could bring cash today (offering the price I wanted to pay total in the first place, had he stopped to listen) and they accepted it.

So, I drove down in my mom's car with her, and took him out for a spin. He drives like a new car. Whisper quiet compared to the lawnmower of car the Patriot was. Tight steering, gas, break pressures, good wheels, great pickup and go, rides high like my old Liberty did, huge backseat/trunk space for caging and hay and stuff. They had detailed the inside so it was pristine and even smelled like new car. Stunning little beast.

When I climbed in to drive home, I found a heads-up penny sitting on each front seat. I think probably the dealership guy put them there in reality, but I choose to believe that it was a peace offering from the universe. Or perhaps the car trying to tell me his new name: Lucky.

I managed not to cry about having a car so much like my good boy Colt back under my hands, but it was a close thing. Anyway, here's to the next 200k miles! Let's see if we can beat Colt's record :)

[deadsetromance]

literally anything with gerard way please im begging

FORGET ME

not my gif!

gerard way x gn!reader

summary:  you can’t tell if you’re unwelcome in the band, or if you’re reading too much into things. maybe it would be best if you just left…

warnings: angst! , language, non edited writing. a happy ending if you read between the lines.

note:  thank you for the request!!! i hope you enjoy ! i’ve seen several ideas like this and i finally thought i’d try my hand with a band scenario :)

you wished things were simpler.

you wished gerard wouldn’t toy with your feelings the way he did. you wished there was more to it all then holding hands in the darker corners of the backstage lots. you wished you could show more than shy glances and quiet whispers when you were wrapped together in hotel beds. you wished you actually knew what you had with him.

you wished he wasn’t the lead singer and that you weren’t just the drummer.

for once, you wanted to be selfish…to put your foot down and scream, and say that it wasn’t fair. you wanted to be able to have it your own way, to finally be able to breathe.

but you were never really good at sticking up for yourself.

☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎

you never particularly liked the way you looked in magazines. maybe it was the poses, or the fake blood, or…. it didn’t matter though, you promised your mother you’d send her one. you did it with every magazine you’d find in convince stores, you’d write her a note and have the guys sign it for you before you posted it off to her. 

the issue you were flipping through boasted an “exclusive” interview with the members of my chemical romance on page thirteen, and you smiled thinly. at least the pictures they used were nice. 

the man at the register cleared his throat, and you looked up. “you gonna pay for that?” you looked around, to find the store empty. he gestured at you again, and you quickly walked up to the counter, pulling out your wallet. your shoes squeaked against the linoleum.

you stood awkwardly as he rang you up. was he looking at you funny, or were you just imagining it? you didn’t speak much as you paid, handing over a five dollar bill. you would have bought a pack of cigarettes too, but frank had borrowed money from you, and all you had was whatever change you got from the five. 

you banged your elbow on the way out of the market. it was colder outside compared to the store, perhaps because of the morning rain. hopefully they had the heater on in the bus.

if only the bus had been in the parking lot.  

like the inside of the store, the parking lot was empty. they had left you behind. again.

you used the payphone behind the gas station to call gerard. when he didn’t answer, you called frank, then mikey, then ray. no one answered. you should have expected it, really. 

you had no money for a taxi. it seemed as if you had no choice but to walk to the hotel, though you didn’t know where that was. you walked away from the store, guessing which direction the bus went. it was a shot in the dark, and all you could do was hope that it wouldn’t start raining as you walked.

☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎

the cuffs of your jeans were soaked by the time you made it to the hotel. it was late, and the hotel staff looked mildly worried at your arrival.

they told you that the others had arrived earlier, and already settled into the room. they had headed out to a restaurant without a care as to where you were. 

you had your pick of bed, though your choice was limited to one or the other.it was a sort of roulette to see who you would be sharing with. you’d go to bed angry tonight, bitter, and fall asleep long before they came back from dinner. 

☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎

 you had a headache. the lights in the interview room seemed too bright, and the arm of the sofa wasn’t very comfortable. gerard woke you up earlier than you would have liked. it was fine though… you just had to finish the interview first and then you could sleep on the bus. you tried not to think about the morning, when you had woken up curled into gerard. maybe you should have slept on the couch, saved yourself the trouble of whatever inner turmoil you had going on. 

you didn’t speak much, with most of the questions being directed to gerard and frank. not that you minded, because the interview would go by faster that way. 

the journalist was a guy you knew from kerrang! you couldn’t remember where you met him though…maybe at a gig or…

“i hate to make you pick favorites, but for this next question you’re gonna have to.” now you remembered. he did a one-on-one a few months ago, backstage before a festival. “let’s start with gerard.” 

you didn’t really want to answer the question, so you listened instead. you’d make something up when it was your turn, and hopefully you were last to answer. 

“well, thats hard… i mean i love all the guys, and mikey’s my brother, and frank and ray are so talented…i dunno” gerard laughed, sliding down the couch. 

frank looked like he was about vibrate out of his seat as he beamed at the camera. “well, ray is just an amazing artist and he get’s so fuckin’ into what he does.”“i mean i, guess he’s my favorite, because i’ve just learned so much from him, really.” 

ray was next. “well i mean i get along with them all, but i think i’d have to say gerard, just because i’ve known him for the longest.” 

you wanted to yell at the interviewer for asking the question. you felt like you were going to puke as you waited for mikey to think about it. “uh…i don’t… i mean maybe my brother gerard?” 

you pretended not to care that you hadn’t been mentioned once. was it because you were a drummer? because you hadn’t been with them since the start? because you were replaceable? 

“y/n? what about you?” you’d pretend their answers didn’t hurt, and so you smiled just as bright as before. you just had to get through this interview and then you could take a nap on the bus. 

“i don’t really think that’s a fair question,” you just had to answer a few more questions and then you could get back on the bus. “y’know i don’t really think i have a favorite. well, i mean…can’t i say that they’re all my favorites? guess i love them all the same.” hopefully they wouldn’t ask you to elaborate, because you didn’t know if you could.

you felt like it was too quiet when you finished talking. maybe it was shame…maybe you should have kept your mouth shut and picked someone.

the interview felt like it dragged on after. you tried to stay on your best behavior, but as every minute passed by you felt the life drain out of you. 

the interviewer didn’t notice the way your smile dropped every time you were ignored, or spoken over. he didn’t notice, but the fans watching the interview would. 

☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎

you felt drained. interviews always made you stressed, and added onto the poor nights sleep you had last night, you felt awful. 

the interview went terribly, so you smoked by the dumpster behind the building. hopefully you could forget about everything.

 frank had been talking to one of the producers, but they should have wrapped everything up by now. you put out your cigarette and headed back to the bus.

you would have been worried about keeping everyone waiting, but it was clear that you hadn’t. they had left without you. again.

never in your life had you felt so small. you wanted to scream, or, cry, or do something. you didn’t. it was instinctual, the phone number you dialed was second nature. 

your voice was calm as you told gerard to turn the bus around. you didn’t care to hear his explanation, if he gave one at all. you waited for them to come back and pick you up.

you didn’t understand how they forgot about you again, and again, and again. fuck, this time you had been sitting right next to them for nearly an hour. yet you were gone for less then five minutes, and they had forgotten about you. 

you didn’t understand how gerard could be so sweet to you, only to act like you didn’t exist. he was gentle when he woke you up, when you found yourself wrapped in his arms. so why did he forget about you so often? why did he ignore you, and speak over you? he made everything so much harder.

the bus pulled into the parking lot before you could think about anything too deeply.

you ignored them and their pleas and apologies. you didn’t care, and you were far too tired to put up with their bullshit. 

frank followed you to your bunk, but you pushed him away, pretending to read the magazine on your bed. it took time, but in the end he got the hint and left you alone. 

irony was bitter on your tongue when you looked at the page you had opened to. it was the magazine you bought from the convenience store the day before, opened to your interview.

you could hear a whispered conversation coming from the front of the bus, and you grit your teeth. still, your eyes scanned over the print, intrigued, because you couldn’t remember that particular interview for the life of you.

“…oh yeah, touring with my chem is just an amazing experience! i mean i’ve only been with them for a year maybe? it’s just great. i wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. 

sure touring has its ups and downs, but i love it. okay…so i’ve been left behind a rest stops a few times, and it does get hard, but i have so much respect for the guys. 

you can tell they love what they do, and i love being a part of not only the creative process, but just…being able to do what i do?! its awesome!! the fans are amazing, and i wouldn’t be where i am without them, seriously! 

really i wouldn’t want to be doing this with any other band.”

you wished you hadn’t read it. you looked so happy in the picture they printed, smiling and crammed into the group photo. what happened?

a part of you wished you never joined the band. it was nothing but heartache, just like what you felt now. you were angry, and so tired, and above all confused. 

your picture beamed up at you from the page, and you felt nothing but white-hot anger. with a scream, you hurled the magazine out from your bunk, not caring where it landed. 

it wasn’t until your breathing became uneven that you realized you were crying. the conversation in the front of the bus stilled, and you heard worried footsteps. 

while you couldn’t stop your crying, you still rolled over, and did your best to pretend you didn’t notice them. someone was standing outside your bunk…you could feel it. but you ignored them, and cried yourself to sleep.

☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎

you wanted to pretend yesterday had been a bad dream. the magazine sitting on the table, opened to page thirteen, let you know that it wasn’t.

the second you crawled out of your bunk and to the dining area everyone’s head snapped up. you hated it.

you didn’t know what to say or where to look. so you looked at the cup of coffee on the table. you knew it was meant for you, the mug was your favorite, and whoever had prepared it made it just the way you liked your coffee. you wanted to cry.

the “i quit,” spilled out of your lips before you could stop yourself. you were met with protests, and apologies, and pleads, but you didn’t listen. “i hope you can find a drummer, because i’m done here.” 

deep down some twisted part of you enjoyed their reactions.

☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎ ☠︎

you had started to pack your shit and call in a few favors. your apartment seemed so empty when you thought of it, so you’d couch surf for a while. 

no one had talked to you since you ‘quit’. not that you minded entirely…it made things easier. thursday’s show would be your last with the band you decided. you refused to let them treat you the way they did, refused to listen to any of their reasoning. maybe you were jumping the gun...but you didn’t care. right?

the air was crisp, and you could near see your breath when you stepped out to stretch your legs. it felt too early to be at a rest stop, the sun barely peeking above the horizon. you leaned against the bus as you smoked, a habit you’d come upon after being left behind more often than not. 

it wouldn’t really matter if they had left without you this time, you were already on your way out.

it was strange, the way that you could pick gerards footsteps from the rest of the guys. you could tell it was him coming down the steps before you even caught sight of him. 

“hey.” he sounded shy…and it all felt so unnatural. you almost felt bad. “i just wanted to say that we- i’m sorry.” 

“okay.” couldn’t he see that the apology had come too late? you wouldn’t lie…wouldn’t say it was okay and then act like you were one big happy family again. 

“you have every right to leave. we’ve treated you like shit.” it was all starting to sink in. it all seemed so final…so foreign. you were leaving and that was it. this whole time you hadn’t even stopped to think…jumping at chances before you even weighed your options. 

“why?”

“i don’t know. and i know i can’t speak for the others. it’s just weird…being on tour. it takes its toll y’know? and i just get in my head. some days i feel like i’m still asleep. but that doesn’t make it okay.”

“i know.” listening to him bear his soul like that was hard, but he still left you feeling like you were buried in questions. “leaving me behind and all that wouldn’t have hurt so much. but i never knew where we stood. what we were…” he took a sharp breath, and you flicked the ash of your cigarette away. “keeping it a secret–hiding in dark corners and trying not to get caught–that’s what hurt the most.”

“i really do care about you. i know i didn’t do the best job at showing it and… fuck i was keeping you at arms length.” his shoulder brushed against yours and for a moment the both of you fell into tired silence. “you can hate me, but i’m putting it all out on the table. i really really like you. and i want to fix this. i don’t want to lose you.” maybe you were stupid for loving him, even though he left you behind at rest stops and hurt your feelings so often. but your chest squeezed, and for once you stopped to think for a moment. 

is this really what you wanted? cutting it all short so abruptly like this? a part of you mourned what you knew would never come to be. but somewhere inside you…this little coil of something you couldn’t understand slithered around. you were moving so fast, and you didn’t want to let go. 

you knew what you were going to do.

“we can start over. make it real…if you want.” you couldn’t seem to help but squeeze back when his hand found yours. “we’ll keep in touch okay? i’ll sit the rest of this tour out…take a breather. and then we’ll see how it goes from there.” 

you talked well until the sun came up…about the new drummer replacing you—tucker—,about plans for the future, about stupid mistakes, and whatever else you could think about. they would go on with the tour and do good and play music. you knew that.

 he wished you luck, and you kissed him. it felt like a goodbye and new beginnings all in one.

 you wouldn’t take back your resignation…you wouldn’t forgive, at least not for now. but you would look at things a little differently now.

 you’d climb back into the bus, the guilt that had been bubbling in your stomach dying down a little. you would play your last show, and then climb into a taxi and head back the way you came. this time…with four less people.

[stop-talking]

Jhutch Valentines Head-cannons

(What Mike, Futturman, Billy, Derek, and Clapton would get you for Valentines day 🎀) 18+ , written partially with fem reader in mind !

Mike

♡ Prefers a stay-at-home date. He'd get Abby out of the house for the evening for some alone time.

♡ A homemade dinner would be waiting for you on the table, with some flowers he picked somewhere outside in a vase at the center. (He finds flowers at the store to be a little pricey.)

♡ He does, however, splurge on a nice bottle of wine to share over dinner.

♡ After dinner activities include cuddling on the mattress he dragged out in the living room to be in front of the T.V, sharing a pint of ice cream, and watching your favorite movie.

♡ And since you're home alone for once? Maybe something a little less innocent as well, if you're up to it. 💖

Futturman

♡ Definitely buys you one of the Lego flower bouquet sets. His logic? They'll never wilt! (Plus, he'd love to spend time building it with you.)

♡ Hand-writes you a card. He spent hours at the store agonizing over what would be the best choice for you- but eventually decided there was nothing he could buy to accurately express how much he loves you. His card is a little sloppy, and his handwriting isn't great, but the sentiment is beautiful and genuine.

♡ If you're a gamer like he is, he gets you a little something relating to that. Whether it be in-game currency, an expansion pack, or a completely new game to play together. He pays attention and knows what you want most.

♡ Dresses nice and takes you to a decent sit down restaurant. He doesn't stop touching you and complimenting you the whole night, no matter how well he's dressed it can't compare to you.

Billy

♡ low-key forgets Valentines Day is coming up until a few days before, when he notices the gas station is decked out in hearts and flowers.

♡ Wakes you up with a nice breakfast in bed, whispering in your ear about how you aren't gonna lift a finger for anything today.

♡ Simple lunch date after a cozy morning together, and after that he takes you shopping. Its just running errands together, getting groceries and other necessities, but he throws a cute stuffed animal in the cart when you aren't looking.

♡ Ends the day by making sure you know exactly how much he loves you, wants you, needs you. You're up far too late that night for people who have work the next morning. 💞

Derek

♡ At first you think he's forgotten all about you, but around noon he shows up at your door with an obnoxiously large rose bouquet, $100 bills worked into it somehow.

♡ "To get your hair and nails done. For tonight." he explains, insisting you take the money. It's a little over a grand.

♡ He doesn't leave without a kiss, and a promise to send a limo for you later that evening. With Derek, who knows where your date could be at. A restaurant? A concert? A strip club? All feasible options.

♡ Turns out he was feeling a little more sappy than that, and you find yourself at the very establishment you met him at just over a year ago.

♡ After dinner he gives you another present, some extremely revealing lingerie. He has a matching set, of course. They don't stay on for long.

Clapton

♡ Def the type of guy to slide you conversation hearts from across the lunch table. The little chalky candies with stuff like "luv u" and "kiss me" on them. Gets pouty if you don't say it back or actually give him a kiss.

♡ Gives you your favorite candy, along with a CD he burned for you. The playlist is a mix of both his and your favorite songs, most of them love songs.

♡ If you'll let him, he takes you out on a bowling date. Makes you promise if he gets three strikes you'll give him a kiss. (He only gets two and you kiss him anyways.)

♡ Walks you home, holding his skateboard in one hand and your own hand in his other. Doesn't mind that walking is slower, he's not gonna complain about more time with you.

♡ Ends the night by giving you his jacket. It's not remotely cold outside, he just thinks its hot when you wear his clothes. 🎀

Tagging some of my moots because I miss u guys:

@xcherryerim @joshfutturman @janitorhutcherson @solarissun @jealousjersey

no pressure to interact, ily :3

[ceasarslegion]

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

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

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

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

-why do you have war vets advertised on street lamps

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - January 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. In Chicago, all city buildings now use 100 percent clean power

“As of January 1, every single one of [Chicago’s municipal buildings] — including 98 fire stations, two international airports, and two of the largest water treatment plants on the planet — is running on renewable energy, thanks largely to Illinois’ newest and largest solar farm.”

2. California Rice Fields Offer Threatened Migratory Waterbirds a Lifeline

“Cranes need nighttime roosting sites flooded to a depth of about 3 to 9 inches, so they can easily hear or feel predators moving through the water. [... Bird Returns pays] farmers to flood their fields during critical migration periods [... and] provide foraging sites by leaving harvested rice or corn fields untilled, so cranes can access the leftover grain.”

3. New York Climate Superfund Becomes Law

“[Funds recovered “from major oil and gas companies” will be used to pay for] the restoration of stormwater drainage and sewage treatment systems, upgrades to transit systems, roads and bridges, the installation of green spaces to mitigate city heat islands and even medical coverage and preventative health programs for illnesses and injuries induced by climate change.”

4. Austin says retooled process for opening overnight cold-weather shelters is paying off

“[... T]he city's moves to lower the temperature threshold to open shelters and announce their activation at least a day in advance were the result of community feedback. [Shelter operators also passed out hot food.]”

5. Helping Communities Find Funding for Nature-Based Solutions

““From coastal oyster reefs to urban stormwater greenways, nature-based solutions are becoming the new normal.” That’s because these types of projects are often less expensive to build and have additional community benefits, such as improving water quality or creating parkland.”

6. Saving the Iberian lynx: How humans rescued this rare feline from extinction

“Back in the early 2000s, fewer than 100 individuals roamed the wild, including only 25 reproductive females. [...] Conservation staff [...] shape these cats into resourceful hunters and get them ready for life outside the center. [...] They’re fine-tuning captive-breeding routines, improving veterinary procedures, and pushing for more wildlife corridors.”

7. Biden cancels student loans for 150,000 more borrowers

“The 150,000 new beneficiaries announced Monday include more than 80,000 borrowers who were cheated or defrauded by their schools, over 60,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities and more than 6,000 public service workers[...] bringing the number whose student debt has been canceled during [Biden’s] administration to over 5 million[....]”

8. PosiGen wins another $200M for lower-income rooftop solar

“PosiGen offers a ​“no credit check” [solar panel installation to] those with a higher percentage of their income going to power and fuel bills[....] “somewhere between 25 and 75 percent” of the consumer’s monthly energy savings could come from efficiency measures such as sealing heating and cooling leaks, replacing thermostats, and installing LED lights[....]”

9. Indigenous communities come together to protect the Colombian Amazon

“At this year’s COP, Indigenous peoples celebrated the [protection of] traditional knowledge, innovations and practices[... and] the Cali Fund, which ensures that communities, including Indigenous peoples, receive benefits from the commercial use of [...] genetic data derived from the biological resources that they have long stewarded.”

10. How the heartland of Poland’s coal industry is ditching fossil fuels - without sacrificing jobs

“[Katowice, a former coal city] committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 40 per cent compared to 1990, prioritising investments in green infrastructure, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. [...”]The gradual departure from heavy industry did not bring high social costs in our city,” says Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice City.”

January 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[harrleyquins]

Okay, so picture this. SNL. Lex Luthor somehow is slated to host the show with like... Lady Gaga or some shit. Everyone's really curious to see how he does as a host because there are plenty of little clips sprinkled around Youtube about how not funny he is in interviews. Did he pay someone off? Did someone at NBC offer the hosting gig just for the chaos? We'll never know.

Anyways, Lex Luthor goes on to have one of the worst episodes in recent memory. He comes off so stiff when reading from the cards and Cecily Strong is trying so fucking hard not to laugh at how awkward it is.

One clip of him that has been clipped and circled around, a foundational clip in internet lore, is one of Lex Luthor standing with a military-like posture in front of the NBC camera. He gestures to the stage,

"Ladies and Gentleman... Ga-ga."

It's a simple phrase. But the way he says it, with thunder behind every vowel and bared teeth, has been archived forever and traveled from Vine all the way through to modern TikTok. It's the kind of meme that's had a few resurgences throughout the years.

It got bad to the point where Lex spent most of the summer out of the country in Europe keeping his head down. That is also the summer that Clark takes Lois on a long and needed vacation.

That next winter, after the holidays, Bruce Wayne is slated to host with Fall Out Boy or some shit. He ends up hosting the last episode before the show breaks for the season.

Everyone loves him. He is lovely to the whole cast. His inner theater kid comes out and he takes the whole week of his hosting duties seriously.

The best sketch of the night revolves around a trip to some high-end salon where Raul (Bruce with a thin pencil mustache, tight pants, and a silk button-up shirt with his hair slicked straight back) does the exact opposite of whatever any of the female castmates' characters ask for. The wigs are gaudy and it got the laughs. Bruce almost breaks character.

He goes on to do a caricature of himself on Weekend Update with a satin robe and smoking pipe. It makes Seth Meyers catch the giggles while Bruce keeps a straight face the whole time.

Blessedly, the Bat-related sketches that made it to air were tame compared to the ones pitched and rehearsed. Bruce couldn't take it seriously and kept breaking character to the point where they couldn't run through the sketches with Batman even once.

Instead, Batman (Jason Sudeikis), Lex Luthor (an eager Bill Hader) and Bruce Wayne all end up on Weekend Update. Lex Luthor interrupts Bruce in the middle of answering a question from Seth Meyers, desperately getting advice on how to get Superman to notice him.

It's the only time that Bruce breaks character and laughs.

Anyways, it's one of the most loved episodes of modern SNL. His sketches get featured in those little articles that rank the show's hosts. Not only did he become friendly with a lot of the cast and Lorne himself, he's one more show away from ending up in the 5-timers club.

[ase-trollplays]

So recently I made this poll, and in typical fashion, I didn't quite think it through. As a result, I made it way too easy to choose. 😅💦 That's my B. So in an attempt to make something a little bit less unbalanced, I'm redoing the poll with some changes.

Same scenario: Two job offers, can't have a second job or a side hustle.

The first offer is still your dream job, but this time you make enough to support yourself. And nothing else. Your bills are paid, and there's food on your table and gas in your car, but there is no room in your budget for anything beyond that. You are only making just enough money to keep your head above water. God help you if you have an emergency.

The second job is essentially the same as last time: Naked in an empty room for eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, with a lunch break, and you're allowed to bring your own entertainment. Whatever you bring in the room with you has to leave with you at the end of the day, you can't bring other people with you, and you are being recorded and livestreamed for the whole eight hours barring your lunch break. You're not allowed to cover yourself. The job pays six million a year.

I'm curious how much the answers will change compared to the first time around. And if you voted in the last poll, tell me if your answer changed and why. 😃

[accidentshappen-23]

Making bubbles

Men DNI

Minors DNI

Summary: In an effort to conserve water and your power bill, the inflatable backyard jacuzzi is getting evicted and you decide to send it off with one final soak, not everything goes as planned..

*1800 words*

Warning Fic contains heavy explicit and to most people "gross" content: Omo -pissing, Messing (scat) panty pooping - sitting in mess, fart kink, eprocto, fingering, masturbation and sex, some humiliation, also implied mommy kink).

Fem!Y/NX Fem!Milf (Can be self insert called "Acli" for the sake of the fic and my imagination) ReaderxFem!Dom / AfabRx Older Milf.

*Do not read if you're uncomfortable with any of the above *

This is probably a lot messier than anything I'd normally write, ofc unrealistic too, *Fantasy Events*

“I'm gonna miss this” Alci mutters, her cheek pressed against your wet hair, “We literally never use it.” you mutter half joking, comparing your hands to hers under the moving water.

you’re sitting in her lap on the seat inside the inflatable spa, the one you splurged on a number of months ago only to never use. The water laps against your belly button but doesn't so much as cover her waist, you always feel small beside her. Beneath the water, the bubble pump hums quietly submerged, creating a small vortex at the bottom of the spa swirling around your feet.

You lost track of time for a while, soaking in the warm water. Her hands caressing your skin everywhere they could, finally residing on your breasts, you offer her a glance of judgement which she returns with a smirk.

“Turn the bubbles off” she whispers in a low voice, you reach over to the dial and switch it back to 0, within a few seconds the water stops rippling and the current between your legs stills “Don't like bubbles now?” you ask, the air feels suddenly too quiet without the background whirring of the pump. “I prefer to make my own” She smiles and you realise what she means as soon as you hear the bubbling behind you, Acli moans and you can hear her farts bubbling to the surface rapidly. She laughs at your surprise “try baby it's fun.” you hear the water surface rippling as she releases more gas, you couldn't deny the rush of excitement you felt when she said that.

“Ok then”, you laugh and stand up; the water ripples around your hips, you glance back to see her shamelessly staring at your ass under the water. “I don't even know if I can” your cheeks flush at the thought. You testingly clench and push and a few small bubbles escape you, shooting to the surface and making a gurgling noise, shes right it is fun “Got any more?” she asks with that low rasp in her voice You push harder this time and feel a massive fart erupt through your cheeks, the water bubbles again and you laugh in surprise at how loud it was. When the water clears again you try to let a few more out only now you realise why that last one sounded so big. “Oh no-” You gasp in realisation and cup the back of your bikini, sure enough the fabric holds more than air, you can feel a small piece of poop between the fabric and your cheeks.

“What was that?” you can hear Alci as she gets up and moves toward you. “I um-” you turn back to her with wide eyes “That wasn’t a fart” She immediately knows what you mean and her gaze darts under the water, your smooth yellow bikini is interrupted by a rough lump. Her hand cups your ass without warning and she feels your little accident “I'll go change” you mutter, your cheeks feeling redder than ever.

“Uh ah” she hums, pulling you back by your hips. You turn to her and see that familiar expression as she feels your poop through your bikini. She's horny. “It's the last time we said we’d use it anyway.. Why not have some fun?” “Aren’t you grossed out?” you mutter feeling your tummy gurgle, reminding you there's more to come. She pulls your wrist away from your side, bringing it against your pussy “c,mon baby, I know that turned you on.. It's certainly making me wet” You moan softly as she strokes your pussy with your hand. She’s right, you realise, you suddenly can't think of anything more exciting, you need to poop and doing it here?.. under the water... it feels so humiliating it makes your legs weak. “Just relax and go like normal” Her hand smooths your wet hair behind your ear and she kisses your neck “For mommy?” You groan feeling her lips ghost along your neck, the pressure is becoming stronger now, you realise even without forcing it, if you wait much longer you really will have an accident.

You hear her groan for a moment, straining; her breath shallows and behind you the water begins to bubble, a burst of gas bubbles to the surface and she lets out a deep sigh “Feels so good baby, push a little ok?” her spare hand is groping your ass again, teasingly pushing a finger between your cheeks and pushing your poop back between your cheeks, you groan softly, the feeling sends ripples of pleasure through you

You huff softly, clenching and your tummy grumbles in response, you can feel the pressure of more shit poking out your entrance, Alci's hand strokes your pussy again and this time you moan, pushing harder; a flurry of bubbles float up and you feel the force of a thick log parting your cheeks, your hole squishes tightly around it and quickly it meets the back of your bikini, You push a little harder than before and moan from the sudden pressure, you can feel more chunks squeezing through your entrance, it's firm and probably your first poop in a few days, now that you think about it. Alci cups the bulge you can hear her groan and you push a little harder, it comes out quicker than you expected and more gas bubbles at the surface, your bikini is getting fuller by the moment and it feels fucking incredible, the water around you is warm and freeing, your load almost floats in the water bobbing against your ass cheeks when you move. You let more out and feel the top of your bikini threatening to open from the amount of poop. “There's still more mommy-” You moan pushing enough to let out more gas, it vibrates against your cheeks before bubbling up your crack and escaping to the surface. “Push it all out honey, don't worry about it overflowing” she sounds so reassuring you'd probably do anything if she asked like that You groan and squat a little which sways your load under the water. This time you push hard as you can and you feel your ass hole open as shit piles out, peices rip out your hole and fill any remaining space, bubbles spread across your ass and down to your pussy trying to escape your bikini, you know its too much but you can't stop now, it feels so good you almost think you could cum. You clench and keep pushing, the firm logs your first pushed out are quickly turning into soft little poops, the fabric cant contain such a big mess and you feel some slipping out, you can't look and keep pushing, the last of your load is forced out of your full bikini and floats down to the bottom of the spa. You feel your knees getting weak from the rush of arousal that overcomes you, causing a number of sounds to escape you. almost reluctantly, you peer down through ripples and see a small pile of brown by your feet,

“That almost made me cum baby” Alci’s arms wrap around you tightly and you feel her breasts against your back, your load is no doubt rubbing against her pussy. She kisses your neck again, sucking the skin softly until you turn around, she seems almost disappointed to lose contact with your load. she leans in and kisses you softly, slipping her tongue into your mouth, you melt under her touch, she pulls away and her hand slips onto your pussy, dipping under the fabric to stroke your slick covered hole, you whine and bury your face in damp her breasts, between the pleasure from your messing and this, you don't know how long you’ll last. She pushes one finger into your pussy, pumping it quickly before adding a second. You can barely stand from the feeling and cry out as her thumb brushes your clit. The pleasure is overwhelming and almost too much, you’re so close when suddenly she stops.

You gasp feeling tears welling from the loss of contact, she looks down at you with a feigned pout, her lips turning up in the corners revealing her hidden enjoyment. “Sit on the edge, baby” you glance at the edge of the spa and a moment of worry fills you about what will happen but the mess already at the bottom of the spa catches your eyes and you do as she says. you shuffle to the edge and pull yourself up onto the squishy plastic ledge Its bouncy but firm, you lower bulging bikini and gasp as you feel your poop squish down and out. It plops out from under you and down the edge into the water, some comes up your back and spills over the confines of your bikini onto the deck beneath you. watching it feels more embarrassing and arousing than ever.

Alci wades over to you, avoiding stepping on your accidents still lurking at the bottom “Such a messy girl” she sucks her bottom lip “still horny huh?” you nod and she smiles, pulling her bikini down to her thighs, your eyes are drawn to her glistening pussy, even with you sitting on the edge shes still taller, the water doesn't touch her pussy when she stands. You watch intently as she touches herself, parting her folds with two fingers and tracing her clit. “Does this turn you on, babygirl?” She asks in a tone you only recognise from your bedroom “what about this?” She lifts her hand and a trickle of yellow runs into the water below, she moans in relief and her trickle of piss becomes a steady stream gushing into the spa. She moans louder rubbing herself over the piss, you can't help but touch yourself while watching her, you start to rub your clit as she fucks herself, her piss stream trickles to a stop and she inserts two fingers thrusting them desperately.

She notices you touching yourself, of course and smiles as you whine from the sensitivity. She cums first, almost losing balance from her climax, her moans are enough to push you to the edge as you shove two fingers into your gaping hole and nearly scream as you cum, squirting through your bikini. The world goes white while you come down from your high and in your bliss you can hear the water rippling as Alci wades toward you.

She cups your cheek and you open your eyes, brought back to the real world. She steps back as you slide back down into the water leaving a brown streaks on the plastic behind you. You notice more poop floating at your feet than you want to acknowledge “That was the hottest thing you’ve ever done” Alci hums, “Maybe the messiest too” you blush and hide your gaze in her chest, not even wanting to picture the clean up it's going to take. “Shall we hop out?” she asks smoothing back your hair. You take her hand and bring it under the water to your bikini so she's cupping your heat “in a minute” you sigh as you start peeing; she inhales sharply feeling the strong stream of your warm piss under the surface.

“Maybe we should hang onto this spa.” you mutter against her chest, feeling her chuckle at your statement “Now you want to keep it”

[cognitivejustice]

Kieran, a longtime mechanical engineer, had just invented Ireland’s first micro-scale anaerobic biodigester.

What does one even do with a micro-scale anaerobic biodigester?

Well, this particular anaerobic biodigester takes care of nearly 100% of your food waste.

You feed in all your scraps and waste – even hard-to-compost foods like cooked meats, dairy, cakes and liquids go in. Then the anaerobic bacteria get to work breaking down the waste.

After that, out come two very different ready-to-use products: a biogas for cooking and a nutrient-rich liquid fertiliser for gardening.

Food waste goes in. Gas and fertiliser come out.

‘We were never really into gardening or growing food. That was the biggest thing to change with the digester,’ Kieran says.

‘During lockdown, we set up the polytunnel and started using the fertiliser from the egg to grow tomatoes and courgettes. Because not only have you got a way to get rid of your food waste, you’ve also got a way to grow more food. And the taste was extraordinary. We had loads of tomatoes so we gave them to friends. They couldn’t get over how tasty they were compared to what they were buying from shops.’

Fiona and Kieran have only seen positives come out of using the egg. They love cooking with the biogas they produce themselves, and having no bill for fertiliser.

[qprpbj]

for soda centric fics decentishoutsidersthoughts has some good ideas!

but some general ones to spur the thoughts:

middle child syndrome in the sense that he’s always playing the middle man between pony and Darry… and do they really stop fighting after canon even with his whole breakdown….

he’s the “stupid” curtis… both his brothers are so smart damn how would he feel growing up… his baby brother being able to do his homework for him :/ his convo with Darry abt dropping out after their parents die and Darry is trying to prove to the state that he’s a fit guardian

sandy. that’s it.

I lie that’s not it. but the girl ur so in love with and want to marry just up and leaves with no explanation. you find out later it’s cause she’s pregnant (with another man’s child?)

he’s canonically the crybaby of the family. he wears his heart on his sleeve but wouldn’t that get him into trouble? as a boy as a greaser in the south in the 60s

ADHD, dyslexia… in the 60s... end tweet

He’s 16 and also working as a breadwinner for the household. Hes even taking the place as one of pony’s guardians in a way…

Just his stress and anxiety abt pony being gone that week, the trial, his friends dying (and they’re all around his age more than they are the other brothers… do with that what you will)

Him finding Johnny in the lot

Pomyboy says he doesn’t drink and has never lost a fight BFFR he’s just hero worshipping and I believe sodas never let him see him like that

If ur a Stevepop gal…. yeah…. having feelings for your best friend…. and you really notice them after ur girlfriend disappears… but he’s still happily dating evie….

He probably has a shit ton of insecurities and just doesn’t show it… not being smart like his brothers… working at a gas station… not being enough for his gf to not cheat… not being enough for his brothers to not fight… not being able to help out with bills more… not being able to help his little brother out at school… people just talk about him for his looks….

Imagine ponyboy starting to grow up and not need soda as much anymore… no more bed sharing, no more late combos, pony grows taller than him (I’m a truther), pony starts hanging out with people other than the gang (curly Angela) and imagine how that feels after being such a strong parental role for your brother and he’s just starting to pull away from you like every teen does… but then again that’s your brother and you’ve always been close…. you were just immediately thrust into this parental roll and slowly it’s being taken away from you and you don’t even notice it until it’s too late…. ADD ON TOP OF THAT HOW OUT OF ALL THREE BROTHERS SODA IS THE LEAST LIKELY TO GET OUT OF TULSA BC OF REASONS (SEE ABOVE) AND SO HES FEELS LIKE HES BEING LEFT BEHIND

Shit wait I kinda cooked up more than I meant to… maybe I actually gotta learn how to write fanfics skdhfbcbbd

ok no but the soda feeling stupid compared to his brothers is sooooo insane to me. like one of them graduating, okay, but BOTH? esp pony a year early?? frankly once is a fluke but twice is a pattern!! so why couldn’t he graduate too, why did he have to be the only brother to perpetuate greaserhood and see nothing bigger for himself than working at a gas station?? also ponyboy doing his hw FOR him despite being two years younger is nauseatingggggg.

i DO think that soda genuinely is happy where he is most of the time but at the same timeee i think he’d sometimes have trouble reckoning with guilt esp on pony’s graduation day (i dooooo have a fic. coming someday about that. smiles), esp because we only know soda through ponyboys eyes. for all we know maybe he ISNT as happy as he always seems and puts up a front for his baby brother!!! in fact that’s most likely it tbh!! like he is canonically a crybaby and is probably just scared to show ponyboy bc he Knows pony looks up to him like a hero!!! it’s so!!!

adhd dyslexic soda in the 50/60s. yeah. i could yap that into the GROUND. lest this post becomes an Essay though i will leave it there unless someone else asks LOL

pony not needing soda as much anymore as he gets older is so. like ohhh you Hate me. it’s not even that pony doesn’t Need him it’s just that he’s growing up and bettering himself and making a better life than he was ever supposed to have and sodaaaa thinks he’s gonna stay stagnant his whole life 😣😣 pony who used to share every secret with him but now he’s all grown and doesn’t need to as much anymore. sighhhhh. sodapop curtis i LOVE YOUUUUU

[bucked-it-up]

That's the thing though bc there would be portions ga who aren't here for the queer storylines are good with buck and hen have queer partners chase those partners aren't mains and so it's sort if a out of sight out of mind things but if you have 3 of the 5 mains as queer (not that more representation isn't good) it becomes a queer show and that would put more people off that it would join bc a lot of the fandom has a fundamental misunderstanding of the bulk of the audience that brings in the ratings

I agree with you ! I'm also gonna use this to bounce off of to talk about how having Buck and Eddie together would change the dynamic within the firehouse which I would say is probably one of the top reasons many people watch this show for. Whether you watch more for the emergencies or the personal moments, the dynamic between the team is the foundation to making those part work as well as they do. Changing this could affect ratings.

Rest under the cut because it got way too long

First, it's very unlikely that in the real LAFD that Eddie and Buck could work on the same shift. There would be a conflict of interest there, as much as everyone should be professional, there is always that chance that they may in times of distress priotise their romantic partner and not on the job. It's like in medicine. For example, it is against most policies to carry out any kind of procedure, examination, or consultion on a family member. Having them seen by a non related professional reduces the chance of bias, thus reducing the chance of harm or exploitation. Having them on the same team could also mean that they bring home life disputes into work, which distracting them and going on to cause harm to civilians, co-workers, or themselves. While yes, 911 is not a perfect example of the real world, I don't think this is something they would necessarily forgo. It's fun in fanfics to have it explained as okay by mysterious paperwork, but irl and in the show, it would not happen this way. (I do understand that in ls Nancy and Mateo are together while in the same firehouse, but they are also under different captains and work in different teams. As such they spend much less time together in comparison to what Buck and Eddie would be doing as they do not exclusively work on the same team and will be going on different calls and in different vehicles compared to Buck and Eddie, who work on the same team and also go to scenes in the same vehicle).

Having two main characters who are within the same team would also mess with the balance of the show. Obviously, bathena are both main characters, but they do not both work for the same service and also arguably the main characters of 911, so they will get more screen time and focus as they bring in the GA audience. Eddie and Buck are both within the fire service, and Eddie is also the bottom billed main. The focus would be off, and with how some fans see it, they want the focus to be on their relationship, ignoring that they are not the main draw of the show and thus turn away GA. The show would not feel quite right as more of the firehouse scenes may feel like there is a focus on those two rather than the whole team, and tbh I wouldn't want that. Also, realistically, as they would be likely working the same shift (in the world the shippers want), they would be around each other a lot. That would put strain on any relationship and also parenting Chris (which I will not go into as i am not a parent myself so do not understand all the nuances of it but as a child of a parents who had to work longer hours and spent time in both breakfast and afterschool clubs its hard to not be able to spend that much time with them and also increases the cost of childcare, once my dad got into teaching summers and breaks were a lot more fun because he was around more. Tldr it would be hard on chris to not be able to see both guardians for long periods if they both worked on the same shifts). Holidays all together would be hard as it is likely harder for both of them to get time off at the same time. There would be a lot of strain and stress in that relationship, of course people could make it work but as Eddie has been shown to struggle to communicate issues that would make it harder to work through issues before they turn into serious problems and Buck also has his own issues when it comes to relationships and would likely burn himself out trying to make sure the relationship worked and likely struggling with abandonedment issues etc.

I think a lot of this would lead to not fun drama to watch on the show or it would have to be handwaved away to make it all work. I wouldn't want that, and I doubt the GA would either. They don't watch the show for Buck and Eddie. I think the change in dynamics would turn away people from the show and would definitely turn away the less tolerant people. The GA also, like Tommy and Buck together they have had a good response to that, so why would they throw it away for a part of the online fandom. Buck and Tommy will be here to stay for a little while due to that alone and I think many people now (including the GA) want to see Buck settled down in a long term relationship and to see Eddie get a partner that he can settle down with, without breaking up Buck and Tommy.

It's amazing how many queer stories and characters we have gotten in 911, and while yes, I would love and be accepting of more, I don't think Eddie will be one of them.

[ckret2]

what does gender affirming care look like in flatworld? do they even have equivalents to hrt or gas and the like?

"flatworld" is never gonna stop being funny lmao

So in Flatland official, we have two interesting details:

One of the reasons color is illegal is because of fears that, for example, a line could shade her extremities to make herself look like a circle in profile

Amongst higher polygons, it's common to (try to) increase the number of an infant's sides by fracturing and resetting them; and among lower polygons, to try to surgically make children with slightly irregular angles regular.

Now, Flatland is about Victorian-era shapes, so these examples represent, respectively, Victorian-era sexism/classism and eugenics.

But I headcanon the society Bill came from is (compared to human development) about a century beyond the Victorian era, which means:

people have known for at least a century how to use makeup contouring to look like another sex (think exaggerated drag makeup)

and they've known for at least a century how to crack and reshape angles, and there's been a hundred years of medical progress since then. Compare plastic surgery in the 1880s vs plastic surgery in the 1980s, I imagine changing sides/angles is much more successful in Bill's time.

I don't think their shapes are determined by hormones, I think it's more like part of your skeletal structure. Babies are born with a shape and there's no indication their shape shifts during puberty. You can't switch from tri-tosterone to square-strogen and develop a fourth side.

Beyond that, I haven't put any deeper thought into it because it's one of those potentially-super-deep worldbuilding pits that would contribute nothing to the story I'm working on. The only shape whose gender I care about is Bill and the only transition he's ever pursued is "become a pyramid!!!!!!!" and he picked up that goal long after his dimension was gone.

[mariacallous]

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) promised billions in investments towards clean energy and climate-related projects. While the implementation and delivery of the IRA is ongoing, it has also faced persistent efforts to roll it back from many Republican lawmakers since its enactment.

With the impending shift to a Republican-controlled White House and Congress, the fate of the IRA and its estimated $1.045 trillion worth of climate and energy provisions is uncertain. In this explainer, we examine the possible trajectories of the IRA under a Republican White House, Senate, and House.

What is the IRA?

The IRA focuses on clean energy technology, manufacturing, and innovation, with $370 billion in investments aimed at incentivizing private investments in clean energy, supply chains, job creation, and to reduce energy costs. The Biden administration intended for the IRA to support its climate goals, which included achieving 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035; a 50-52% reduction of economy-wide net greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution from 2005 levels in 2030; and net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.

Findings from a comparison of nine models projecting the IRA’s impact on U.S. GHG emissions suggest that the maximum additional emissions reductions from the IRA (relative to a business-as-usual scenario without the IRA) could be up to 15 percentage points by 2030 as compared to 2005 emissions levels.1

On the cost side, the clean energy and climate portions of the IRA were estimated to cost $392 billion between 2022 and 2031, with tax credits estimated to cost $271 billion and direct spending estimated to cost $121 billion. Most of the tax credits are not capped, which means that the fiscal cost of the tax credits remains uncertain, as it depends on the behavior of firms and households (or more precisely, how many tax credits they claim). In April 2023, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School updated their budget estimate of the IRA on climate and energy provisions, from $384.9 billion between 2022-2031 to $1,045 billion for the same period.

Republican lawmakers have cited the cost of the IRA as one of the reasons to roll it back—for example, the House Committee on Ways and Means has highlighted the “exploding” cost of “green corporate welfare” under the IRA. The cost of IRA’s “green subsidies” was a part of the justification for introducing the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, that sought to cut billions in funding from climate, environmental justice, and clean energy tax incentives from the IRA.

The IRA under the incoming Republican White House and Congress

Former President Trump, his campaign officials and advisors have expressed an intent to cut IRA spending and to roll back President Biden’s climate and energy policies. Republicans have voted 53 times in the House and once in the Senate, to repeal parts of the IRA as of October 15, 2024. The House has passed 20 bills that have attempted to repeal or constrain the IRA.

IRA provisions likely to be rolled back

Previous House attempts to roll back the IRA may provide an indication of the specific provisions that could be targeted under a Republican White House and Congress. According to Climate Power’s IRA repeal votes tracker, as of October 15, 2024, the attempts to roll back the IRA have repeatedly focused on preventing funding for Executive Order 14082 (which helps implement the IRA), repealing sections related to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and repealing sections related to the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. Figure 1 illustrates the climate-related provisions of the IRA that have faced at least two attempts to repeal:

Republican constituents are likely to benefit from the IRA

While it is easier for the IRA to be repealed under a Republican trifecta, it may be difficult to build a sufficiently large coalition in Congress to repeal the full IRA, as Republican lawmakers may prefer to retain certain IRA incentives that benefit their constituents. In August 2024, 18 Republican House Representatives signed a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that asked for the IRA’s energy tax credits to be “spared” from attempts to repeal the IRA. A Senior Tax Policy Advisor on the Senate Finance Committee also noted that a full repeal of clean energy tax incentives is unlikely regardless of the election results, as some parts of the IRA received bipartisan support before its enactment, which was expected to continue.

Republican-held areas have benefitted from the IRA since its enactment, as more than half of announced clean energy and vehicle projects are located in Republican congressional districts. According to the Rhodium Group and MIT’s Clean Investment Monitor, Nevada and Wyoming had the highest level of actual clean investment as a percent of GDP between September 2023 and September 2024 – with 2.65% and 4.11% respectively. Nevada, Kentucky, and Georgia had the highest levels of actual clean manufacturing investment as a percent of GDP over the same period, with 1.1% for Georgia and Kentucky, and 1.2% for Nevada. In terms of federal investments, the most populous states, such as California and Texas, received the most dollars. However, Nevada and Wyoming received the most federal investments per capita, as well as relative to the size of their GDP. This includes federal tax credits, grants, and fiscal cost of loans and loan guarantees.

The Political Economy Research Institute (University of Massachusetts Amherst) projected that the IRA could have an employment impact of creating 848,728 jobs annually, across industries. Clean Jobs America estimated that there has been an increase of 14% in clean energy workers since the enactment of the IRA in August 2022,2 with 3.5 million workers in clean energy. Many of these jobs are in California (544,604 jobs), Texas (268,035 jobs), and New York (173,731 jobs).

While it is true that the IRA does not appear to be well known by American voters—in July 2023, 71% of Americans said they have heard little or nothing about the IRA—industry players and investors who are direct beneficiaries of the IRA energy provisions may play an important role in influencing lawmakers to protect certain provisions of the IRA.

How might the IRA be repealed or restricted?

With a Republican President, an executive order could be used to hinder the implementation of the IRA, while a sufficiently large coalition in Congress could restrict the IRA through reversals of implementing regulations or repeal the IRA through legislative action.

Executive action

A President could make the implementation of the IRA more difficult via executive action that tightens limits on tax credits, by holding back some of its loans and grants, or by revising rules that have not yet been finalized. President Biden’s Executive Order 14082, which implements the IRA, could be reversed by a new executive order as well. This would dismantle the White House Office on Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, which coordinates the implementation of the IRA.

A presidential administration could also direct agencies to refrain from publishing proposed or final rules or to delay the effective dates of finalized rules that have not yet taken effect. For example, the Biden administration issued a memorandum on January 20, 2021, which directed agencies to consider postponing the effective dates of rules that have been published but not yet in effect by 60 days. It also called for consideration of a 30-day comment period during the postponement, plus additional days beyond the 60-day period to review questions and comments, if needed. This delay may also apply to guidance documents, as evidenced by the Trump administration’s January 20, 2017 memorandum that directed a “regulatory freeze” which included guidance documents.

Legislative repeal of the IRA

Congress could partially or fully repeal the IRA through legislation. Congress may also look to repeal the IRA tax credits to help pay for a renewal of the 2017 tax cuts under President Trump. While a repeal could be achieved explicitly or implicitly,3 courts are generally reluctant to construe implicit repeals of legislation—so it is likely that any legislation purporting to repeal the IRA would need to be clear and explicit about the provisions being repealed. The IRA was passed under a Budget Resolution, which means that only a simple majority vote in the House and Senate are needed to repeal it, with no opportunities for a filibuster to prevent the repeal.

Since a sufficiently large congressional coalition across the House and Senate is needed to partially or fully repeal the IRA, the composition of Congress matters. With many Republican districts benefitting from investments that are incentivized by the IRA, a slim congressional majority is likely to present a challenge to a full repeal of the IRA, and only specific parts of the IRA may be targeted under this approach. Republicans are expected to hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and as of December 19, 2024, are also expected to hold a 220-215 majority in the House, further narrowed to 217-215 for some time due to President-elect Trump’s appointments.

What elements of the IRA might survive?

A letter to Speaker Mike Johnson in August 2024, signed by 18 Republican House Representatives, highlighted the dangers of “prematurely repealing energy tax credits” that industry and constituents have relied on to make investments and create jobs. The Representatives who signed the letter represented districts from 13 states, including Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia—the states with the highest (2.4%), third highest (1.8%), and sixth highest (1.4%) amount of actual clean investment as a percentage of the state’s GDP from the enactment of the IRA to June 2024.

The parts of the IRA that are likely to be targeted for a repeal, based on previous attempts by House Republicans, include the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, Methane Emissions Reduction Program, and the energy efficiency rebate (Figure 1). The effectiveness of repealing the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is unclear, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already announced that it has awarded $27 billion from the Fund in August 2024, and that award recipients can begin accessing these funds. The Methane Emissions Reduction Program is likely to be at a higher risk of repeal: While it includes $1.36 billion in financial and technical assistance for methane reduction, it is unpopular in the oil industry as it would also levy a Waste Emissions Charge (WEC) on oil and gas facilities, beginning with methane emitted in 2024. The final rule for WEC was published in November 2024 to be effective from January 17, 2025, which means that this rule could be vulnerable to a Congressional Review Act (CRA) review, as well. Elements of the energy efficiency rebates, such as the home energy rebates, may survive as all states except South Dakota are participating as of November 26, 2024. Eleven out of the 18 Republican signatories of the August 2024 letter to Speaker Mike Johnson represent districts in states that have been approved to roll out the home energy rebates; the remaining Representatives represent districts in states that are preparing or have submitted applications to offer these rebates. 

While a full repeal of the IRA may be unlikely given political incentives, some scholars have called for a bipartisan full repeal of the IRA. While they acknowledge that this would be opposed by many, they see the IRA as an avenue for rent-seekers and argue that a complete repeal is preferable, as a partial repeal could leave room for a future Congress to build on the IRA.

An additional consideration is the cost of repealing the IRA. The initial cost estimates of the IRA by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) have been updated by the CBO in their 2024-2034 Budget and Economic Outlook, published in February 2024:4 While the initial cost estimates assumed that the clean vehicle credits had no effect on outlays and reduced tax revenues, in the 2024-2034 Outlook, the CBO increased the estimated outlay portion of the clean vehicle and energy-related tax credits by $124 billion over 2024-2033. The CBO also increased the estimated outlays for energy-related tax credits by $51 billion, to reflect the “increase in projected investment in battery manufacturing.” The February 2024 estimate for the cumulative deficit arising from the IRA’s energy-related tax credits were further revised in June 2024, as the CBO increased its 2025-2034 projection by $12 billion relative to the February 2024 projection. Similarly, Bistline, Mehrotra, and Wolfram (2022) estimate the total fiscal cost of the IRA’s climate provisions to be $901 billion through 2031, with IRA tax credits estimated to cost over $780 billion by 2031—a figure that the authors note is nearly three times that of CBO’s initial estimate in 2022. These updated cost estimates suggest that a bill to repeal the IRA could have a budget score with a larger magnitude compared to the IRA’s budget estimate in 2022. While the bill may reduce government expenditures, the IRA’s impact on the economy may make the cost of the bill more “expensive”—although this depends on how the CBO scores the bill.

Restricting funding

A Republican-controlled House could facilitate budget cuts for the EPA and other relevant agencies, which is likely to slow down or restrict the implementation of the IRA.

The House has also attempted 17 times (as of October 15, 2024) to prevent funds from being used for President Biden’s Executive Order 14082, which helps implement the IRA.

Reversing regulations

The IRA relies on regulations for implementation. As of November 29, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) currently lists 20 Notices of Proposed Rules and as of December 6, 2024, 11 final regulations that relate to the implementation of the IRA, and other agencies have published at least four final rules, one interim rule, and one proposed rule on the Federal Register.5 The final regulations are on clean vehicle credits, transfer of certain credits, advanced manufacturing investment credit, and elective payment of applicable credits.

If a rule has not been finalized, a President can prevent the rule from being issued by imposing moratoriums on regulations or withdrawing the rule. If a rule has been finalized, then a President must go through the rulemaking process set forth in the Administrative Procedures Act to repeal the finalized rule. This involves:

Agencies publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking, allowing for public comment, and publishing a final rule; or

Congressional action under the Congressional Review Act.

Former President Trump’s previous administration was successful at preventing proposed rules from being finalized and overturning finalized rules through both the rulemaking process and the Congressional Review Act.

Congressional Review Act

A Republican controlled White House and Congress could use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to review and potentially overturn regulations issued by federal agencies. The CRA applies to the broadest definition of “rules,” including final rules and may include agency actions that are not subject to traditional notice-and-comment rulemaking, such as guidance and policy memoranda. The CRA was used under the previous Trump administration to overturn regulations: There were 16 successful CRA resolutions in 2017, the year former President Trump first took office.6

If a CRA joint resolution passes and is signed by the President, then the rule would be deemed ineffective. The CRA allows Congress to pass a joint resolution of disapproval for a rule up to 60 days after the final rule is published by the agency in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress.7 Notably, for rules submitted within the last 60 days of congress, the CRA includes a “lookback” mechanism that resets the 60-day window near the start of the next yearly legislative session. When administrations change, this allows the next Congress and President to expediently overturn previous administration’s rules that were submitted near the end of the previous President’s term. The Congressional Research Service estimates that Biden administration rules that were published in the Federal Register on or after August 1, 2024 are likely to qualify for CRA reviews by the new 119th Congress in 2025—although this depends on when the final session of the 118th Congress is adjourned. If the current Congress were to adjourn on the same day as the last eight sessions, its last session may end on January 3, 2025.8

The limitations of reversing a rule through the CRA include:

The CRA only allows Congress to invalidate final rules in their entirety.

The CRA does not allow reissuance of any rule that is “substantially the same form” or a “new rule that is substantially the same” as the invalidated rule, unless the reissued or new rule is “specifically authorized by a law enacted after the date of the joint resolution”.

The CRA prevents judicial reviews of any “determination, finding, action, or omission” made under the CRA, which means that the courts cannot check if Congress followed its rules. There is also uncertainty around whether this also precludes the courts from reviewing “whether a new rule is substantially similar to a disapproved rule”. This uncertainty could result in legal challenges that might delay implementation.

Which IRA regulations are at risk?

Proposed regulation

As of December 23, 2024, there are 23 proposed rules to implement the climate-related provisions of the IRA according to the IRA tracker by the Environmental Defense Fund and Columbia’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. Since a President is able to reverse rules that have not been finalized, the notable IRA-related climate regulations that are at risk of reversals by the President include:

Rules for manufacturers and taxpayers related to the energy efficient home improvement credit.

Federal income tax credit for costs related to alternative fuel refueling property in a low-income community or non-urban census tract.

Bonus credit amounts for investors in clean electricity in low-income communities.

Clean electricity production credit and the clean electricity investment credit, including eligibility.

Rules for clean hydrogen production credit.

Definitions and requirements for the low-income communities bonus energy investment credit program, which allows for increased energy investment credit for certain clean energy investments.

Finalized regulation

As noted above, executive action could direct agencies to delay the effective dates of rules or guidance documents that are finalized but not yet in effect. While many of the recently finalized rules have effective dates before January 20, 2025, proposed rules—such as those listed in the previous section—may be at risk of delays if they are finalized.

Rules that were finalized after August 1, 2024 may be at risk of reversal through the CRA. If this cut-off date is confirmed, notable climate-related IRA rules at risk of reversal include:

Implementation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (finalized on November 18, 2024).

Rules to implement the advanced manufacturing production credit (finalized on October 28, 2024).

Rules related to the energy credit, including eligibility (finalized December 12, 2024).

Conclusion

With a Republican-controlled White House and Congress, the future of the IRA is uncertain. Recent attempts by Republican lawmakers to partially repeal or hinder the implementation of the IRA suggest that there may be specific sections of the IRA that are particularly vulnerable under the next administration. The slimness of majorities in the Senate and House could present challenges for Republican lawmakers in creating a coalition for a full repeal of the IRA, as incentives in the IRA have benefitted Republican constituents.  However, the IRA remains vulnerable as congressional coalitions are not needed for executive action that challenge the implementation of the IRA.

[ramonag-if]

Tbh in the last couple years (really since the pandemic) I would say that living with family has become a bit more common in the US thanks to the cost of living. I’m from a mostly urban/suburban area and while a lot of my friends and I planned on moving out into the city as soon as we got out of college, the cost of living skyrocketed since then, especially in the cities. At a certain point most of us realized that staying rent free (or at least minimal cost) at our childhood homes with our families made a hell of a lot more sense than shelling out thousands per months to landlords who have become increasingly predatory - charging double the price for half the space compared to 10-20 years of - or taking our chances with multiple strangers as roommates to split that rent with.

I had every intention of moving out ASAP after I graduated and still plan to when I’m able - but as of right now literally every rental in reasonable distance of my work the flat rent price alone cost almost my entire monthly paycheck, BEFORE things like groceries, gas (I’m more suburban than urban so public transport is limited), or medical costs. Meanwhile my parents let me stay rent free, I use my dad’s work vehicle which his company covers the cost of gas for, and I only pay for any utility costs or groceries that are specific to me (ex. my parents cover family meals and the light/water bills, while I handle my snacks and sweets and the cost of my personal internet package). Because I’ve stayed with them like that for the last 4 years and saved the extra money I’m in much, MUCH better position to just buy my own place in another year or two, where I’d probably be scrounging month to month if I tried to go the usual “start renting a place after college until you can buy a house” route that most of my generation was expected to.

Ah, that's like my situation. My plan is to move out by this year, I've been with my family for a long time especially since Covid hit and everything just stalled. My hope is to get a better paying role in my current company which will help with getting a place of my own to rent by mid-year and I've saved a lot as well but buying a house isn't my goal since the plan is to move out of my country eventually but plans change and there's tons of wars happening so I'm just going to wait and see what happens 👀😅

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Shruti Rajkumar at HuffPost:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) couldn’t resist referencing a dirty internet joke to poke fun at Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night.

The Massachusetts senator began her DNC speech by lauding Vice President Kamala Harris and comparing her dedication to supporting families to that of Trump. “We need to make life more affordable for working people. Donald Trump, the felon, has no plans to lower costs for families. He doesn’t know how, and basically, he doesn’t really care,” she said. “When did he ever fill up a gas tank or worry about a grocery bill? The only bills he worries about are from his criminal defense lawyers.” [...] “Trust Donald Trump and JD Vance to look out for your family? Shoot, I wouldn’t trust them to move my couch,” she said. Vance has leaned into the jokes, referencing couches in one of his speeches at a rally in Nevada last month.

At the DNC last night, Massachusetts Senator and 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren made a couch joke aimed at JD Vance and Donald Trump. She was brilliant. #DNC2024

[rjzimmerman]

The Hidden Environmental Costs of Food. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

As pricey as a run to the grocery store has become, our grocery bills would be considerably more expensive if environmental costs were included, researchers say. The loss of species as cropland takes over habitat. Groundwater depletion. Greenhouse gases from manure and farm equipment.

For years, economists have been developing a system of “true cost accounting” based on a growing body of evidence about the environmental damage caused by different types of agriculture. Now, emerging research aims to translate this damage to the planet into dollar figures.

By displaying these so-called true prices, sometimes next to retail prices, researchers hope to nudge consumers, businesses, farmers and regulators to factor in the environmental toll of food.

The proponents of true cost accounting don’t propose raising food prices across the board, but they say that increased awareness of the hidden environmental cost of food could change behavior.

We asked True Price, a Dutch nonprofit group that has pioneered true cost accounting alongside the United Nations and the Rockefeller Foundation, to provide a window into some of their research. They came up with a data set that compares the estimated environmental costs of common foods produced in the United States, divided into three categories: Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and ecosystem effects from land use, including loss of biodiversity.

“These costs are going to be paid,” said Claire van den Broek, managing director at True Price. “They’re paid in the healthcare system, in climate adaptation mechanisms, and those will come back in taxes. It’s not like these costs are fictional.”