#I can afford my bills... Food... I am getting payed from the government but now at least i am doing work for that pay

[mrfoox]

Um. I told Oliver that I'm... Genuinely happy/content with my life

And cried bc i realize that's like the first time I've truly felt that way? Ever. The one by one big thing I want is an life partner otherwise... I think my life is good?

[uglytrannymess]

I was just beaten, stabbed, and shot all in just the matter of a few days, each day a different incident or attack by an individual in my family and outside of my family by ppl around me, I had to get several stitches in my legs, arms, hands and even some in my face after being jumped and beaten and stabbed, I had a bullet pulled out my leg and my side, I was shot 8 times, 4 times in the legs and 2 times in my right lower abdomen and another 2 times in my left lower abdomen, I been in and out of the hospital including the mental hospital for suicide attempts as well as being harmed by transphobic ppl, I've been struggling paying for costs of a vet visit after my kitten was killed by my moms dog after she had her dog kill her, I've been raped, molested and abused by my family and ppl in my schools and neighborhood and I just get tired of being in this same situation surrounded by poverty, I live in a neighborhood where I'm constantly threatened for being a black trans woman and I have NO ONE TO TURN TO, I've tried getting help finding a new job but it's harder after constantly being fired for molestation at work and sexual harassment and constant work abuse I've been thru whether it was employees or managers targeting me with harassment and bullying within the workplace and it's been hard in general trying to get help with financial situations, paying for medical bills and get med assistance from the government and the city as well as mental health help for therapists, psychiatric help, and safe space havens or shelters, I've also been from mental health facility shelter to homeless shelters and been harassed, abused, raped and molested in EVERY SINGLE ONE, i am currently living in a rundown home surrounded by poverty and bad conditions, rusted bursted pipes, i have no plumbing, no water, no way to get anything to drink, to clean stuff with, i dont have water for dishes to be cleaned, laundry to be washed, or to bathe or shower in or to take a piss or shit in either and there are several dead cats in my basement as well as raccoons from all the holes in the walls, I had to freeze in the winter and was trying to get help from the city with some government assistance and I'VE YET TO GET ANY HELP, ANY THERAPISTS FOR MY MENTAL HEALTH I'M STILL ON A QUEUE, I HAVE NO HELP FOR MENTAL HEALTH MEDS, OR PSYCHIATRIC HELP, I can't seem to afford to get help with much even after succeeding my Gofundme goal because I had to use most of that money for food for me and my cats and keep cleaning products to get my home clean WHICH IS STILL A MESS. so what i need anyone to do for me if yall POSSIBLY CAN, is reblog this as much as you can and please share my links to donation help with pet food, water, meds, med help, mental health help, finding an apartment, getting a bed or mattress, and any daily needs and necessities IF YALL CAN.

My goal is to get at least $2500 to $3000, I know it's alot but rn I need as much as I can possibly get, yall can send anything, nothing is too small it's ALL APPRECIATED. IF PPL CAN SEND AT LEAST 25 OR 30$ EACH IT WOULD HELP OUT SO MUCH, BUT AGAIN ANY AMOUNT IS APPRECIATED. THIS is REALLY IMPORTANT!!....I'M TRYING MY BEST TO SURVIVE RIGHT NOW!

Cashapp: $Slasherstan91

Venmo: Negrophiliac (I know the name's wild 😭)

Chime: $MarsRayL

Paypal: paypal.me/MarsRayL

[sillysadduck]

I never wanted it to get to this point, but I don't have a choice. I finally made a paypal and I'm trying to set up a ko-fi.

Please read to the bottom and reblog, for the first time I seriously need your help, I mean it.

Hi again, context for my desperate behavior:

For those who know me from my dhmis or fnaf fanart, you know I have been around for years, and I was always happy to bring you free requests. I have never asked for money, it didn't feel right for me even when you were willing to donate to help me escape my living situation, but I am eternally thankful with those who offered ♡ having said this, you know I would never ask unless I absolutely HAVE to.

I'm studying -and pretty much living- with the money of a scholarship, but with the costs of food and books I cannot afford to live. I'm not being dramatic, I have spent more than one day without eating in the last few weeks.

I'm off my meds because I cannot afford them either.

I can't work because I'm the only one who takes care of my disabled sister at home, my mom isn't strong enough to pick her up and change her on her own anymore even if she tries. The days when I'm not home, I'm at college all day trying to survive while my elderly aunt helps take care of my sister.

Recently, what made me hit rock bottom was that my cat, Chimu, started peeing blood. My parents refused to help me pay for his vet bills, even when they're the ones who adopted him. He cries in pain everyday, he's a cat from the streets with a mental disability and I'm the only one who cares about him. The cat food for cats with urinary issues is $70, it may not seem like a lot but I'm surviving with $20 a month (in my country's currency, minimum wage is around $200) and I didn't care about suffering on my own but I won't drag him down with me.

Plus, this month, the government website has been glitching and I didn't receive the money I had been receiving so far. I need your help, if you can't buy then please reblog. I'm currently trying to set up a ko-fi too. I need you more than ever, even if I'm not as active as I used to be, as you can see now there is good reason for my absence.

TLDR: I can't afford to eat, study, or save my family cat, and my parents are pretending I don't exist. Please help me.

Thank you if you read this far <3

[seththemusehub]

hello, happy pride month! I'm Seth. I am multiple flavors of queer, physically and mentally disabled, and I have been waiting on disability to pull through for years by now. I receive food stamps. and I have no other income to speak of. internet and my phone are pretty much my only real windows to the outside world, since I'm kinda homebound.

recently the affordable connectivity program, which used to pay for my internet, shut down. I got enough for last month's payment and part of this month's (this month's will be due at the start of next month). it's $30, and I got $10 for this month's bill. phone is $10 a month. I had to switch carriers from the free government-provided cell phone service because none of them got any amount of connection inside my apartment.

unfortunately I also have dietary restrictions and don't get a whole lot in the way of food money as well. basically am down to pasta in the cupboard for food. I used the last of my mashed potatoes today, and I'd really like to get milk, cheese, lunch meat, another box of instant mashed potatoes, an actual bag of whole ass potatoes. maybe some chicken. cereal. things like that.

can I get a bit of help so I can get stuff to eat and pay off some of this stuff? I'd appreciate it. also boosts, those mean a lot to me.

paypal: paypal.me/seththemuse

[mathsbian]

You know what I was thinking about last night?

In the US, we pay into various accounts that are set up by the government to help us out later if/when we need it. These include unemployment insurance (UI), social security retirement benefits, and social security disability benefits (SSDI). These accounts are directly connected to how long you have worked and the amount of money you were paid, and are only for you to access.

We also pay into programs that are for anyone who needs them, no work required to get assistance. These include social welfare programs like SNAP (food stamps) and TANF (cash assistance for families with children so they can buy clothes for their kids and stuff that isn’t covered by SNAP) and SSI, which is another kind of disability insurance but is specifically for poor disabled people who are possibly still working but can’t afford their cost-of-living expenses which are higher than the average person thanks to their disability.

If you want to get money from SNAP or TANF, you have to prove that you need it. The government will be checking if you have a job and how much you get paid, they’ll look at your bank accounts to see how much money you have on hand, you send them copies of bill statements to prove your expenses eat up most or all of your income. Since SSI is a similar program, I can understand why there’s hoops to jump through to get money from that program.

However, if you want money from your UI account or your social security retirement account, you pretty much just have to tell the government you’re in the group that account is for now. For UI, you have to show you’re still looking for new work (at least in my state) but it’s a very lax requirement compared to the requirements for SNAP/TANF. I’m not entirely sure how one goes about collecting their retirement benefits but I assume it involves a similar process of filing with the government that you’ve retired instead of being between jobs, and they’re only check that that admission from you is true.

SSDI, though? You pay into that account your entire career. But then if you suddenly need the money, you have to go through a ridiculously complicated and drawn out process to be approved. UI approval takes a week at most in my state. I assume retirement benefits get approved in under a year at the very most. But getting approved for SSDI when you don’t have one of the limited diagnoses that automatically qualify you (and not even just a diagnosis in the list, a diagnosis with the right stipulations such as mental health conditions having to be present for over two years without much documented improvement despite consistent treatment)? That can take up to TWO YEARS because they can just deny you over and over again and force you to appeal the decision as many as like 5 times, and each appeal has a 6 month waiting period. And on top of that, once you stop working, the account starts counting down to self-destruction. You only have so much time before you lose access to the money entirely. If I am not found disabled on this application (I’m halfway through all the possible appeals), I will not be able to get my SSDI money AT ALL.

It’s fucking bullshit. I paid into that account so I would have money set aside for if I became disabled. I don’t have to prove I need the unemployment money, which I’m no longer qualified to receive, they’ll basically give it to me no questions asked. But when I’m disabled and barely scraping by for years I keep getting told that “actually from our review of your case it seems like you totally can have a desk job, go fuck yourself” despite me constantly including the detail that I cannot sit upright at a desk for more than an hour without needing to lie down completely flat for two hours immediately after. It’s MY MONEY. They’re not saving it for someone else, they’re going to just eat it if I don’t get it, why can’t they just GIVE IT TO ME???

[shrimplymoray]

I'm gonna use the little bit of traction I got with my latest posts to share this

I have commissions opened and I really need the money for it

A little bit of background on myself (no need to see if you don't want to, it is just explaining why this, so out of nowhere)

I am a disabled Brazilian artist with a focus on fanart. I am from a poor family, we use all the money we have and a bit more we get from the help of friends to live by. I am the oldest of 3 siblings, and I live with my stepdad, my mother, my grandma, and my siblings. I have Level 1 Autism and Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. I am over 18, but I am not able to work due to my autism limitations. I am currently studying ONLY because of a university program that pays all my university fees. My mom is on a medical retiring license off work because she has panic attacks at work. My stepdad is the only one in my house who works, and we use all that money in bills, food, and medicine. My younger siblings don't have the age to work, and my youngest one was diagnosed with autism together with ADHD.

Nowadays, we spend over 800 BRS on medicines, not counting other medical bills we have like my braces or therapy. My brother is getting as much for free, but I'm not so lucky, as I am a legal adult now. My family has been trying for 2 years to get a benefit from the government that would help us, but it is stuck in the judge's table, we can only wait for it.

I don't have therapy anymore, nor have a neurologist. I am without one of my medicines and don't have the money to go to my Psychiatrist to find a way to get more. I've recently found out I was groomed since I was 16, and I also deal with the past traumas of domestic abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, and more.

All the money I get is to try funding therapy for me. Whatever I get besides that is gonna go for me to buy a better computer so I can study and do more commissions. I also am engaged, and would like to save some money for when my fiancé comes to live with me, we can get married.

My whole goal with my art since the beginning was to share stories, make people see characters that they can relate to, and spread joy. My dreams are to be a webtoon artist, get married, and be able to afford a good life for my family, where my siblings won't need to wear hand-me-downs, where my mom will not need to go to work risking having a panic attack, where my grandma can relax and finally enjoy her retirement, where my stepdad can make a barbecue like he loves, and with as much hot sauce as he wants. Where my fiancé can relax and not need to wait over 4 years to see me again.

Any help, be it commissioning or even reblogging and spreading this, goes a long way. I have not forgotten the name of a single person who has commissioned me in the past, and I don't plan on forgetting anyone who does so in the future.

[gravitysgone]

I'm a little frustrated. I have to figure out how to get through my life on $17,748 a year ($1429 a month). That is exactly all I get from disability (I added it up from my pair of incomes). All in. So needs and rent and food and everything. There is no other outside money. The government this year in April set the poverty line for a single individual as $25,252. My income comes from a government program that they control and set the amount for. And they also decide what the legal definition of poverty is. It is just insane. The average cost to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Canada is $1,922 (May 2024 from Canadian Housing) or $23,064 a year. It's just impossible to make it work. While there is room for people to work part-time on disability, my health simply doesn't allow for that. I have thought about and researched all options and I simply can't make something go the way I would need to. And I have no true freelance skills. So I live on an amount that is well, well below the poverty line. And right now, the real frustration comes from the fact that what I get comes at the beginning of the month I get the funds and then that is it. No budgeting or finagling or saving can stretch out what little is left after I pay my rent, my cell bill and the cost of transport (I don't own a vehicle) and the OTC meds that make day to day life less miserable. And whatever else I can fit in along the lines of hygiene and self-care. Food if I have anything left (we have no EBT or food stamps in Canada at all) It is a hopeless feeling. Not a life ending hopeless anymore, but a feeling of being trapped. I am truly grateful for the fact that we have some semblance of a social security net. I know there are places where I person like me would be a beggar on the street who digs for errant potatoes on a farmers field just to eat. I know my privilege. But this situation is crummy. And I bummed out and broke and I got 18 more days to go. And all I want is to take a day trip to the city and maybe get some new boots for winter. Canadian winters in low cut hikers is no good. And especially for a ganky dude with a cane. Ah well. There are lots of people getting exactly what I am who simply can't find or afford even a room and are living underhoused and homeless. So gratitude is where I find it. I am grateful. So very grateful. I just needed to let this out instead of stewing on it. And also just share the reality I live with. There is a weird impression in Canada and the U.S., especially in right-leaning folk, that people on welfare and disability are living in some kind of hard working people's paid for luxury and that's just not true. There's no pot of gold at the end of the social service rainbow. So it goes...

[itscoldinwonderland]

Job training might not be available, accesible, or even purposeful for you. Ex. you do not drive, you're disabled, you already have the skills ... I've been through job training programs and they can be helpful because they can offer a community and some networking, but if you're already tech savvy and speak english they might not be too helpful in actually acquiring a job.

Education is only free until you leave highschool, but some jobs require higher education.Here is info on states with tuition free community college. And since I'm from Massachusetts I'll let you know that MA offers free college to those over the age of 25. Pell grants also exist but if you are an adult who works a job and/or doesn't live with your parents, good luck.

Mental health resources like the rest of the US healthcare system isn't free. If you are on government insurance you may be able to pay nothing for mental health care. But generally speaking the only free mental health resources you will find are support groups usually run by peers.

Welfare is not one thing. Welfare includes all programs which help low income, poor and otherwise disadvantage people. Welfare programs include EBT(food stamps), Medicare, Medicaid, SSI disability, even federal pell grants for school and free lunch programs. Now I am a strong contender in encouraging people who are struggling to look into and applying to these programs. The problem is that they all have specific requirements and it always bars someone who needs help from getting help. With that said some of these things aren't even as helpful as they should be. I get EBT and I only get enough for a week-and-a half worth of groceries, that's supposed to last me all month. Disability in many states will not even pay your rent. Housing takes years to get on the list. All these programs have income caps which creates a divide between the "poorest class" and the "working class" this is why the poor can go to the er when they need to and the working class will do anything to avoid the trip.

Shelters all have their own requirements. Some shelters won't let you in if your (visibly/admittedly) trans, or even gay. Sometimes you're a man who's only surrounded by female-only shelters. Some shelters will try to push religion on you. Shelters commonly don't allow pets. Shelters may require you to be sober. Shelters have a cut off time, this can be detrimental if you have a job or any obligations past like 4o-clock.

Drug-abuse and addiction centers are not free. And yes hospitals and rehab will throw you out if you can't pay past the legally required holding time. And even if you have insurance they may not cover it all. This will leave you with bills in the thousands that might make someone feel depressed or anxious and turn to using again. Here's what I'll tell you, don't pay your medical bills, don't do it. Ignore, delete, throw that mail away. You will not go to jail and nobody is going to come to your house.

Food banks, while I'll say this is the first really good resource on the list as it is always free and many places that offer free food will deliver to you. The one issue I have with this is that, many places will not deliver to you, this means you need to go there on their hours and this may not be possible if you have a job or other obligations.

Food stamps (see, welfare)

Rental assistance, let me tell you something I use to qualify for a program that helps pay first last and security, now I make too much money, but I can't afford most studios in my area. If you qualify for rental assistance of any kind you should take advantage of it because rent is outrageous.

The issue with most of these is that they are not federal, they are state and sometimes even city-town oriented. The food banks I can find in Boston are going to be different than the food banks in nobody-knows town in western MA.

But yes steamboat jimmy, I do think everyone should get a form of universal basic income, and I do think universal food stamps, universal college, universal healthcare, and yes even universal housing, should all be a thing.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk or something.

[teruterujiru]

New Goal and yes it’s a lot!

I suppose I could start at the beginning, but that would mean going back to the start of the pandemic and how I lost my job and had to move home. It’s a long story and one that many people experienced, so instead I’m going to start with my current state and what’s going on now.

Okay, so actually I’m going to jump back a couple years but that’s because I’m still dealing with the main issue, my thyroid. Without any warning signs, it went berserk and I couldn’t work while we figured out what treatments were needed. It ended up being irradiated and I’m still recovering, but I’m am able to work now, but there were about two years there before I was strong enough to have a job.

It’s easy to see how in that time, between the pandemic and my health, that I basically ate through my savings. Not to mention I was still paying off some bills from school after moving home with the completion of my Gemology degrees.

Last summer during some of the debacles of trying to keep the government from shutting down, I found myself stuff with a new bill. I have very limited EBT benefits and it had been reduced even more and new requirements were added in one of the deals to keep the government running and during those changes when I thought I was using my EBT card, the system was actually charging my credit card. It took months for them to realize this was happening and in the end the Feds basically said “well we can’t refund you and then charge it all to EBT because the prices of food fluctuates and it won’t be the same as when you made the purchases”. In other words, sorry, you owe this money now. So in the time it took for the problem to be discovered I had $3000 that was now all on my credit card.

Now health wise I only have state issued insurance and it doesn’t cover anything when it comes to mental health services, so in order for me to get my ADD, Anxiety and Depression medication, I have to pay out of pocket for my psychiatrist.

Most recently Teru, my Dachshund, had to have an emergency tooth surgery because she had a couple puppy teeth that never came out, and one was actually broken up in her gum.

Can you see why I ate through all my savings? And unfortunately the industry that I work in, is really struggling still. No one can afford to employ a Gemologist, especially one with my set of certifications. That means I’m working a basic retail job for minimum wage.

My dad has done what he can to help me with some of the bills but even so, that means I’m still not really making any money. My paychecks go into my account and then right back out to pay whichever due date is coming up.

So there you have it, a general overview of why I’m still living at my mom’s, which is not a good situation -that’s a whole other story- and why I’m in the hole.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I don’t have any to offer at the moment; perhaps I’ll be able to do something eventually and I would like to.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you have a wonderful day.

[renniferno]

You know what I don't get? Why some people have such a hard time realizing that the purpose of society, of community, is to help one another so life is easier for everyone. People like to help others. It feels good. I know you feel warm and happy when you do something that someone else is like 'wow thank you!' about.

Really hate how the government (i'm in usamerica unfortunately, i am talking about the United States Government, tm,) does it's best to squash any resources that would be normal in a healthy, happy society.

Starting with the fact that so many of the resources we -do- have are hard to find, harder to -get- and nearly impossible to use to actually make a significant enough difference in your life that you can eventually move away from using them....

Oh, you're having issues with food? Well, prove you're poor, we're going to give you too little money to afford anything, and tell us if someone so much as offers you a french fry.

You're having issues with housing? We're going to make it super difficult to find a way to get help with that, and also if you dare even live with someone else, fuck you.

Oh, you have a bunch of health problems? Hope you were working before! Oh, wait, they started up as a teenager for you and now you're making yourself worse by trying to work to get any sort of meaningful coverage? Well, that's a 'pre-existing' condition which means we're not going to help you with it, because it was there before you reached out.

I would be so thrilled if I could go back to college (expensive, not designed for people with Brain Problems, like me and my likely but not yet diagnosed adhd, plus the. anxiety, depression, ptsd...) and become a teacher for like. highschool level writing. please. I want to teach people reading comprehension, I want to teach people how to expand on and explore the ideas they have, how to pull inspiration from everyday life! I want to teach people how to have wonder!

But I'm here, with a broken body and bills to pay, and no idea how to ask for help.

Maybe that's what it is, no one knows how to ask for help.

[kierancampire]

I don't like talking money, but eh, stress and i need to vent

So i get £689.19 a month, last month i spent £881.08 in total. My essentials came to £161.56, the girls with the vets totalled £349.57, food shops came to £282.48, then i got added extras which came to £91.19. Removing the vets and other extras, i think i coulda got it down to 558.37 maybe

Thing is, some of those "extras" were the window nets which i literally need to be able to open my windows, and the spice rack and shower unit, which i have been in desperate need of. So that was prices added that i coulda removed but not really. But on the flip side, i was only paying like £15 a month for gas and electric, well that's jumped up to £70, and if i don't sort out my internet soon, that's going from £25 to £50

I was kindly given £300 extra from the government this month as a "cost of living" payment, but the thing is, that's already gone, it was literally instantly in and out of my bank, i still have a whole month to pay out for, including the increased utility bill. I think if i am even more selective i can bring the food shops down a bit, i dunno if it'll be much, but it'll be something. And i would say there'll be no extras this month, but i already spent roughly £70 on all that mould stuff

I'm just stressed cause i am struggling so much to keep costs down while being able to afford everything, especially as the girls won't eat a cheaper food, so i am still having to buy the expensive food but just feed them half as much. But then yeah, i now have a drastically higher utility bill to pay, and i need to sort my internet out. Hopefully if nothing goes wrong this month, which shit keeps going wrong so I'm not holding my breath, hopefully I'll have a better idea what things really are looking like and i can tryto work it all out, i just need to sort this internet out

I'm getting so worried i have to give up the girls. I can't, for them and for me i can't do it, i lost Roxy, i can't lose them too, I'll be so alone without them, I'll hate myself and my life more than i already do. But especially while they refuse to eat a purely cheaper food? I can't cut their costs more than i have, i can't cut my bills any more. I am just scared my hand will be forced if at the end of this month i am still way over budger, as i am severely losing wriggle room to play about now

[hardynwa]

Naira scarcity: Kogi Sex workers reject transfer, introduce POS

Sex workers in Kogi State say they are not left behind in the biting scarcity of naira notes in Nigeria. Inquiries by DAILY POST show that they now carry POS to avoid being defrauded by their customers when they do bank transfer. Since the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) announced February 10, 2023, as the deadline for the swap of old naira notes to new naira notes, many Nigerians have found it hard to do transactions, even though they have money in their bank account. The naira became an emergency gold in Nigeria, as anyone in custody of the new 500 and 1000 notes is treated like a king. Just as many people in the country, including residents of Kogi State are obeying President Muhammadu Buhari’s pronouncement on the usage of new naira notes, business owners, including sex workers (prostitutes) have now opted to collect transfer or use POS machines to sustain their businesses in Kogi. In Lokoja, some of the popular hot spots where prostitutes gather between 7:30 PM in the evening to do their business are Nigeria Television Authority, (NTA), roundabout, Jackins, Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) road and 16 Hours drinking spot. Other prominent spots where sex workers gather in Lokoja include Lounge 1, in Phase one Lokoja, Federal Medical Center, (FMC), road, Ganaja Junction by flyover, Felele axis, and many more. In these flash points, the sex hawkers wait for their customers to patronise them, with both parties agreeing on an amount before sex. DAILY POST gathered that, in these areas, some of the sex hawkers who do not have a specific hotel, or their customers can’t afford one, decide to have quick sex outside in a dark place. In a chat with one of the sex workers in Jackins, identified as Zarah, (not real name) she explained to DAILY POST that she has been in the business for more than one year. According to her, she lost her parents and does not have anyone who will cater for her needs, hence she decided to go into prostitution business. When asked how she is sustaining her trade with the naira scarcity quagmires, Zarah responded, “it is not easy at all. It is difficult to buy food or even do anything because of this naira scarcity. We just have to come here every day to try our luck so that we can get something to eat on a daily basis. “If I don’t sell my body, how will I get food or pay my bills? I am an orphan who has nobody to run to. Any person I meet, especially men, they will want to have my body. So I had no choice than to go into this. For now, if I can’t get physical cash, my customer will transfer. If I see an alert, then we go into business”. Scarcity of Customers The sex workers lamented over the scarcity of customers in the last two weeks. According to them, since the issue of naira scarcity, their customers have continued to drop on a daily basis. A sex hawker in NUJ road, Queen, who spoke to DAILY POST said she hardly makes half of what she earned before. Queen, who noted that she is still finding it difficult to come to terms with the cashless policy introduced by the Federal Government, said she hardly gets two or three clients in a day. “I don’t trust the cashless policy we are into right now because it does not favour me and my business. Before now, I normally had at least eight men before daybreak. But right now, it is hard to even see two. “They keep saying they don’t have cash but transfer. I don’t have a bank account, so how will I now receive transfers for my business? This is really hurting my business, I must tell you. As I speak to you, I normally collect N2000 for a short time, while for daybreak, depending on the client, I collect nothing less than N7,000. But now my brother, things have changed. If I see who will give me physical cash, I normally collect N500 for a short time and N3,000 for daybreak. Transfers/Fake alert DAILY POST gathered that the sex workers are battling with fake transactions from fraudulent customers who patronise them. According to them, they receive alerts from customers but at the end, the money does not hit their account. A sex worker along Lounge I in Phase 1 Lokoja shared her experience to DAILY POST. Princess, who thought DAILY POST correspondent wanted to patronise her sex trade when she was approached at about 10:30 PM on Monday evening spoke in pidgin English saying, “Bros, I take baba God beg you, make you no come tell me say na transfer you go do ooo if we talk price. I know una type. All these yahoo boys, una go dress fine like say una be better person, but if person gree for una, una go do the person strong thing. “As for me, I no go form mugu again for this Lokoja. Una think say to they sleep with different men, he easy. Una get sister, she go tell una how far as he they go. If I go collect transfer from you, I must see the alert and confirm for my account before we go go anywhere. If you hold cash I for prefer am. “He don pass four men in the last on week we sleep with me in the name of transfer. Till today, I no see anything for my account and I get fake alert. I no come Lokoja come look Uche face. I come here come hustle. Just because say naira scarce, una go come they use another means to dupe us where we they hustle genuinely and no want go thief for road. If you they game, make I know. Day break na N10,000 while short time na N4,000”. (Sic). Sex workers resort to POS to avert fake transaction Following their numerous financial experience in the last two weeks some sex workers in Lokoja, especially those in Felele, NUJ axis have resorted to carrying POS to avoid being cheated by fraudulent customers. DAILY POST gathered that the sex workers put the POS in their bags in case their customers have no physical cash. Precious, a single mother of two who has been in the sex business for over seven years, said using a POS machine will guarantee her money in her account. According to her, it reduces the incident of fake alerts and ensures that she has money in her account to pay her bills at the end of the day. “Some of us in this business have decided to get our own POS machines to avoid fake transfers. If you observe, there is scarcity of naira notes in the country. Although our daily customers have dropped, we decided to start collecting transfers. But this is not favouring us. “That is why we carry POS. If we agree on a fixed price, you will insert your ATM on our POS machine. When the transaction is successful, then we can go and have sex,” Precious added. Read the full article

[ludmithjacques]

I’m tired and I’m scared.

I like my job, I enjoy it(as much as one can enjoy toiling endlessly for eight hours towards eternally renewing goals).

But It’s far away, and gas is expensive, and I don’t get paid enough.

I’m part of a union now, because of this job, but the job has been union for a long time, and the pay is still what it is, so the union isn’t doing much as far as my immediate needs are concerned.

I’m going to have to quit and get a different job, a closer job, or one with garbage hours and higher pay and harder work that I will hate inside of a month.

Again.

is this just going to be my life? Working jobs I hate to barely scrape by with rent only to just be... Wasting my time in a chair, too tired to interact with my wife or child in any meaningful way? Destroying my body for pennies?

I’m so fucking tired.

I hate this country, I hate capitalism. hate hate hate

I don’t need to be radicalized by a single event, I am an adult and I have eyes and needs and pains.

I suffer from depression and adhd and maybe even some kind of low-level autism from what tests I’ve taken but medical insurance is so fucking expensive I don’t bother going to a hospital/doctor unless I am in non-joint related agony or actively bleeding from an open wound so I’ll never fucking know now will I?

I can’t afford it. I can’t afford anythign that makes me happy but I buy it anyway and suffer the practical cost of it and I’m so fucking angry and tired and scared that I’m just going to keel over and die one day because I can’t afford to go and questoin something that I should be worried about.

I’m tired of never taking my wife on Dates that are better than ‘grab some fast food and wander through a park and hope some festival we didn’t know about is happening’(which too be fair is something that has happened... often, for us).

I’m tired of never taking my daughter to fun places because they cost a fortune.

I’m tired of looking an HR person in the eyes during an interview and saying ‘Why Yes, getting paid a full ten dollars under what was the living wage two years ago sounds wonderful’ just so I can have money in my pocket.

I’m tired of needing to remember every detail of my life so a government agency can decide if I am despairing hard enough for help.

I’m tired of looking at something new and beautiful and right up my alley and then immediately deciding ‘I don’t really need that’ or ‘boy that’ll be fun to play in six years when it’s popularity has faded enough for it to drop ten dollars in price and maybe go on sale once’.

I’m tired and scared.

I grew up poor without really realizing it because we were lucky to live in my grandpa’s house and he didn’t really charge us more than a very tiny amount in rent just to help with upkeep of the place, and it was in a nice neighborhood so we never looked tv-poor.

I’m a 30 year-old man, married, a father, and I have never lived without aid. I have never even hazarded the thought that I’d be able to live alone, never dared consider the monetary implications of getting a place just for me and my wife that didn’t have at least one other person helping with bills.

I really like my job, I don’t wanna quit.

But this is why I can’t have nice things.

[arcticfox007]

Suptober Day 1: Harvest

This is my first time doing Suptober and I probably won’t do every day (and am already a day late) but I thought it would be a good creativity boost and looking through all the other work it seemed like a lot of fun! Thanks to @winchester-reload for organizing this :)

Check it out on AO3!

Castiel hadn’t meant to overhear the conversation. He was supposed to be on break, but had volunteered to reset room 5 for the next patient because he knew his friend Alex had been in dire need of a break. Cas was only a volunteer, spending his junior year of college shadowing various medical professionals to get a better idea of what a career in medicine would really be like. When Alex had suggested shadowing one of the doctors she worked with, he’d readily agreed, knowing that his friend spoke highly of both Dr. Barnes and Dr. Fitzgerald.

He’d already spent the past few hours shadowing Dr. Fitzgerald (or Garth as he insisted on being called) and had seen enough to realize that Family Medicine was understaffed and struggling to do the best they could for their patients given the absurd constraints on their time. Garth was currently seeing a patient who didn’t want a stranger in the room, so the doctor had told Cas to grab some lunch. Cas had intended to do just that when he saw Alex making frantic phone calls at the front desk. When she’d hung up, she’d looked at the end of her rope, explaining to Can that one of the other nurses called out and she couldn’t find anyone to cover for them.

Which is how Cas ended up in room 5 wiping down the surfaces and pulling a new paper cover over the bed. Cas knew all about patient privacy, but really, the conversation easily carried into the room when the man who must be one of Dr. Barnes patients had decided to continue talking to her out in the hallway. The man had a compelling voice and by the time Cas realized he was eavesdropping it was too late to avoid it as leaving room 5 now would have only made the unsuspecting patient realize he’d been overheard.

“Um, and, I’m really sorry about this doc, but I probably can’t afford the bill for today’s services right away.”

“Dean, just call Meg like I told you. Our pharmacy here is amazing at finding co-pay cards for these types of medications.”

“I will talk to her, I swear. It’s just when we had to switch insurance plans the new one says the co-pay for that grade of medicine is $100 a dose. I’m honestly not sure I can make that work Dr. Barnes.”

“I understand, but you need this medicine Dean. Your RA will flare right back up without it. If that happens you eventually won’t be able to work at all. Even skipping doses is ill-advised, letting the inflammation persist could eventually cause permanent damage to your joints.”

“I get it doc, I do, but $400 a month? It’s basically choosing between eating and my ability to move without pain.”

“Dean, just talk to Meg. We will figure something out. At least promise me you’ll take the Humira every other week. I know it didn’t manage your symptoms well at the lower dose before, but it was still better than letting the RA go untreated.”

Dean must have responded to Dr. Barnes in some way Castiel couldn’t hear, because after a few moments the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, fading as they moved towards the front desk. Cas hurried out of room 5, the trash bag hanging unnoticed from his wrist. His heartbeat sped up as he worried that he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of “Dean” before he left the office. Cas didn’t really know what he was planning on doing, just that he couldn’t stand the thought of this man resigning himself to pain all because the healthcare industry was such an awful mess that it would burden someone with choosing food over medicine. Something about the way Dean had sounded reminded him so much of his sister, Anna, right before she had left Castiel forever. That feeling drew Cas forward to meet a man he didn’t know. Cas couldn’t solve Dean’s money problems, Cas couldn’t force the government to change how healthcare was run in the country, Cas couldn’t even make Dean’s medical issues any better – but he could meet this man and maybe make him smile for a moment. Maybe, if he was brave enough, he could offer him some sort of friendship so maybe he would have one more person to help him through his struggles. Cas had been too young to understand how alone Anna must have felt but he knew more about it now. Helping people like Anna was what had drawn Cas to medicine in the first place.

Turning the corner Cas was startled to see what could only be a 6-foot flannel-wearing freckled god. The man was Hollywood beautiful and for a moment Cas forgot what had brought him rushing around the corner in the first place. The sound of Alex pointedly snapping her fingers brought Castiel back to reality as he broke of his inappropriate staring. He felt his skin heat up rapidly as he blushed.

“Did you finish room 5, Castiel?” Alex stared at him expectantly. Silently, Cas handed over the trash bag and muttered something about taking his lunch break outside. Too embarrassed by his very obvious admiration of the man that must have been Dean, Cas didn’t think he could talk to him in front of Alex. He rushed out the front door in the hopes that the autumn air would help him pull himself together. He didn’t know why he’d felt so compelled to talk to a man who’s private and very personal conversation he’d overheard. He was almost glad that his humiliating gawking had saved him from speaking to the guy. After all, what would he have said anyway? The air alone wasn’t helping Castiel’s composure, so he began pacing in front of the building.

“I mean how do you go up to a stranger and tell them they aren’t alone and that good things do happen? It’s not like it wouldn’t embarrass the guy to know I overheard him talking about his money problems…” Cas froze as he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

“Uh, hey man. I actually came out to ask you something else, but I think this just got awkward.” Cas took a deep breath already knowing it was Dean standing behind him. Cas’ habit of muttering to himself when anxious had gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion, but never quite as badly as this felt. Sadly, his fervent wish to turn invisible on the spot was being ignored by the universe and he found himself staring into striking green eyes while wondering how he could possibly salvage this situation.

“H-hello Dean. I’m Castiel, and I can’t apologize enough for overhearing your conversation with Dr. Barnes. I swear it wasn’t intentional, I was cleaning out the room you were standing near and – “

“Whoa, hold up buddy. I’m not mad or anything. I mean, it wouldn’t be my topic of choice to start chatting up the hot new guy at my doctor’s office, but you clearly work in healthcare, I’m sure you’ve heard the same thing from lots of folks.” Cas’ brain froze a bit when Dean referred to him as hot, but then it caught up with what he was actually saying.

“Er, actually I’m just shadowing Dr. Garth for the day, but yes, I have heard stories like yours. My sister, Anna, went through something similar. That’s why I wanted to say something to you but wasn’t sure what. Then I actually saw you and, well, you saw. I’m not really good with subtlety. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” Dean threw his head back with a barking laugh and Cas found himself staring at the beautiful man yet again.

“Having someone like you checking me out definitely doesn’t make me uncomfortable. If it makes you feel better, I came out hoping to ask if you’d be interested in going to the Harvest Festival tonight. I have to work for a bit at my store’s booth but if you were free around 7, I’d love to talk with you more. Even if it’s just whatever you wanted to talk to me about before.” Dean smiled flirtatiously at Cas, and there was no way to resist that.

“Yes, I’d love to! Where should I meet you?”

They exchanged information quickly, and parted ways with matching smiles. Cas would get his chance to tell Dean how his sister gave up her fight with cancer because she knew her treatments were bankrupting the family. He’d tell him how he’d was hoping to be a doctor himself one day to maybe help someone else like Anna win their fight despite the shitty healthcare system. He’d also tell Dean that he’d chased him down the hall because he’d desperately wanted to tell him that maybe they were strangers, but that he hoped Dean didn’t give up and that he’d be willing to be there for him if having a friend would help.

Now though, Cas thought maybe he’d already made Dean’s day a bit brighter, and he looked forward to getting to know the handsome man better. Maybe his impulse to offer his friendship to a stranger wasn’t as insane as it first seemed, and if Castiel was reading things right perhaps friendship wasn’t the only thing they had to offer one another.

[rainbowloliofjustice]

So I didn’t want to touch one of the posts that came across my dash and I had a much longer post than this before it got erased but..

Why is it that people are demanding that someone care about them, and their wellbeing but not being demanded to offer the same thing in return? How can you honestly demand people give a one way street of care about you, but you can’t be bothered to do the same thing in return or if you’re that kind of person, just tell them something that amounts to going to die and saying their issues are their problem. 

Last I checked, the same thing “Your issues are your problem”, “You are responsible for your own health”, etc. can be applied to those of us who are at higher risk of death from complications of covid. I have asthma, no one else is responsible for that. Yeah, I get annoyed and mad when people who are fully capable of wearing a mask refuse to do so because they think covid is a hoax, that its no big deal, etc. 

But wanna know something? I don’t decide to tear people a new asshole or tell them to “suck it up” if they cannot wear a mask for medical and physical reasons and haven’t been able to afford or get a face shield. I have asthma, so I already have a hard time breathing. But I wear my mask when I can, why? Because my health is my responsibility. Yet even still, I cannot wear my mask 100% of the time unless I want to be found passed out in the middle of the street or store so I have to take it off in order to breath (and ya know, not pass out) when I’m able to. 

I don’t sit around telling them they should stay inside, just die anyways, etc. or do everything online because online services such as curbside delivery, doorstep delivery, etc. may not be offered in their area or if it is, it may cost them 30+ dollars more than it would have just going to the store to buy them. Yeah, for you 30 bucks may not be a lot but for someone else it is. 

Like, me ordering one meal from doordash (something for one person) cost me like, 25 bucks. The delivery fee, service fee, and tax on top of what was a 10 dollar meal. Not everyone can afford that, hell I cannot afford that. I paid more in fees and taxes than I did for the actual meal. For 25 bucks I could have just gone up there and ordered the meal and a second one.

And another thing... last I checked, bills haven’t stopped. The government hasn’t sent out a second stimulus check and most likely never will. Why is it that someone has to care about my health, my wellbeing, etc. and that “their health is their responsibility” yet “my health is their responsibility”, etc. when it comes to them wanting to go back to work so they can keep a roof over their head?

Wanna make this pandemic worse? Keep a bunch of people out of work, in debt, have them become homeless, go hungry, etc. and you’ll have an even bigger and worse pandemic on your hands than if you had just let them go to work without demonizing them for being “plague rats”. If it bothers you that much that others are going back to work, stay ya ass at home like you’re telling everyone else to do. Why is it that giving a shit about you and your health has to come at the expensive of someone else’s health and wellbeing?

Are you gunna offer to pay their bills? To pay for food? To pay the car note? Are you gunna do anything to help and encourage them to stay home or are you just going to demonize them for being (rightfully I might add) afraid, worried, and wanting to keep some type of income so they aren’t left homeless in a pandemic?

How the hell can you demand that people care about you and your wellbeing, but you can’t even offer them dogshit in return without being one of the most self centered, selfish, and narcissistic people in existence?

AND ANOTHER THING why is it that mega corporations like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Cosco, etc. are allowed to stay open and operate within certain limitations and guidelines while small businesses, therapists, independent practices, etc. are forced to remain closed? Why is it that small business owners and independent practices are demonized to hell and back for being concerned with their wellbeing for wanting to do the same thing that mega corporations are allowed to do? Why is it that Walmart can operate under reduced hours but a small business can’t do the same damn thing? Why are we not questioning the fact that mega corps are allowed time and time again to get away with doing things that other businesses are demonized for doing? and I’m not even talking about unethical shit like wage theft. 

Why is it that governors and politicians are allowed to attend birthday parties and celebrations that are “socially distanced” but god forbid someone want to spend Christmas with their family? Why are they not equally if not fucking more considering they came up with the guidelines and rules than a regular, average person? Why is it that they’re allowed to break the rules and guidelines they came up with but a regular person faces fines and jail time in some extreme cases?

Anyways back on topic... Last I checked, caring about other people was a two way street. To demand that it be a one way street is to basically say how entitled you are to people giving you things but giving nothing back in return. 

Yeah, having asthma and being at higher risk of covid fucking sucks, esp if people decide to not wear a face mask or socially distance for stupid reasons... But it also sucks being at risk of losing your house, going hungry, the decline in mental and physical health, etc. that comes from being out of work, quarantined, etc.

I actually understand that even though that I am at higher risk of dying from complications of covid, this pandemic won’t get any better (and in fact, will only get worse) if people are kept without work because they’ll be at greater risk due to being homeless, a weakened immune system from hunger, stress, etc. and you’ll have far more cases of covid than those “plague rats” could have brought by practicing social distancing and wearing a mask while at work. 

Cause now, you have people homeless, not able to afford masks at all, etc. contracting covid and dying in the streets which brings upon even more diseases that can kill you than just covid.

So until the government decides they’re actually going to take care of their citizens until the pandemic is over and pull their thumbs out of their asses, the harsh reality is that people will need to go back to work. It isn’t that people who are at higher risk are “worth sacrificing” for “the economy” its that with an economy in shambles, people who are already at higher risk and those who previously weren’t before will be at even greater risk because now things have grinded to a halt, people are homeless, etc. 

The pandemic won’t be made better by forcing a total shut down of everything while the government doesn’t send out any money or aid to it’s people for the protection of those at higher risk for covid complications because now you’re dealing with people being homeless, starving, more spikes in cases, etc. and similarly, the pandemic won’t be made any better by freely allowing people to do all the same shit and congregate like they were able to before the pandemic because then that will result in more spikes in cases. 

It’s almost like an extreme of either will result in more people dying and demanding people care about you while offering dog shit in return is how this pandemic got as awful as it did in the first fucking place. 

[lovelyirony]

fic title: I’m falling and the sun is blinding me to your faults

i wanted to do an au of this one, so presenting: tony and rhodey, but make it villainous. i think it’d be fun! 

James Rhodes is two things, first and foremost being that he is a businessman. 

People call him a villain. He doesn’t really think he’s that villainous. 

After all, he only took over New York. He left all the other states alone, so that has to mean something. He was gracious! 

He also wouldn’t consider himself a villain because everyone who works under him gets health insurance. They don’t complain that much, although he’s gotten some about the quality of the buffet on Fridays. 

Catering companies. Hit-or-miss, you know? 

There have been a couple of companies who try to stop him. Rivals that hate that his products are better and employees are happier, for one. Those are easy to dismiss. 

SHIELD is one company who tries, and fails. Repeatedly. It would be embarrassing, but Rhodes has respect for Agents Romanov and Hill, who have been the closest to breaking into his personal office. 

- 

The player that isn’t registering on the field is Tony Stark. Perhaps because he isn’t so much of a player on the field as an existing person who just happens to be on a field. Or a building. However you would like to imagine it. 

In other universes, he walks like he owns the world because he could buy up everything and still have money left over to get ice cream at the end of the day. 

In this universe, his father kicked him out of his house for various things, the most prominent being that Tony is rather partial to kissing guys and ladies, and that just simply won’t do. 

(Tony also stole enough money out of his bank account to buy a house and also start his own business without his knowledge, but in the grand scheme of things, that’s just a small drop in the ocean.) 

Tony made his own tech start-up business. He’s invented a few new things that hit the market discreetly, and he’s building up more and more clientele. He’s about to open another shop, and in all honesty he’s not worried about getting noticed. 

This is until Rhodes comes across an employee bragging about a new repair guy who makes computers run twice as fast, charges less than most repair shops, and looks mighty fine in a tank top.

The last reason is reason enough to visit. 

But also, to see who’s been fixing up Rhodes tech and can make it faster. He doesn’t know why he wouldn’t have just applied for a job. 

Tony is not expecting Rhodes to enter into his building. He has people who are walk-ins, but usually you would expect a villain to make an appointment. Or not, they are villains. 

“I heard that you’ve been improving my phones,” James says. He leans into Tony’s space. He smells quite nice, has a well-tailored suit, and Tony is trying very hard not to find him attractive. That’s not the sort of thing you could be focusing on. 

“You gonna sue me or something?” 

“No, I want to hire you.” 

Tony blinks. 

“Oh. No thank you.” 

Rhodes pulls back. 

“Why ‘no’?” 

“I like my shop just fine. And you have things well-handled.” 

“Could I consult you?” 

“You can’t afford me.” 

Rhodes grins. 

“Are you sure about that?” 

“Of course I am. Can I get anything for you today, or did you just want to beg me to come work for you?” 

“Most people would never be this bold.” 

"What would they be? Terrified in your presence?” 

“More or less, yes. It’s what I prefer.” 

"I don’t cater to people’s preferences, it’s a character flaw and strength,” Tony quips. 

Rhodes smiles. 

It’s terrifyingly beautiful, really. Tony is at a loss for words. 

“I think I’m liking you, Stark.” 

“Tony. You don’t call me Stark. I don’t do the last name dynamic.” 

“Sweetheart, then. Not your last name.” 

“Pet names, seriously?” 

“Oh you got it, honey.” 

“Then go on, platypus,” Tony throws back. 

“Platypus? Really?” 

"Pet names are on the menu, honey bunch. Just try me.” 

Rhodes smiles, turning to exit. 

“I’ll be in touch, darling.” 

Tony leans against his desk, legs shaking underneath. 

There are two problems that he’s not sure how to solve. Here they are: 

1.) Rhodes now has Tony on his radar, which is probably bad because Tony will absolutely be used for world domination or whatever. 

2.) Tony doesn’t really mind as long as he gets to see Rhodes because goddamn. That man could get so many things, and he probably has. And Tony wouldn’t mind being one of those things if he played his cards right. 

But for now, Tony just wants to fix computers and maybe just buy a new brand of tea, but he’s honestly not sure. 

- 

Rhodes makes an appointment to meet. 

Of Fucking Course. 

Tony is not impressed, and is also not impressed that he comes in with a very expensive custom-made designer suit, whereas Tony is not sure the last time his pair of jeans got washed, and an old t-shirt that’s advertising an ice cream shop that is closed now. 

“You love to make an entrance all the time?” Tony asks. “What can I legally do for you?” 

“You’re assuming I’m making you do illegal things, babe?” 

“Yes, Rhodey.” 

“It’s Rhodes.” 

“Hm, maybe. But not to me. Rhodey. I wanna ruin your business impression.” 

Pepper snorts besides Rhodes, who is suitably impressed that Tony doesn’t give one flying fuck about the fact that he could destroy him at any point. 

“I’m ordering that on your next business card deal.” 

“I’ll fire you.” 

“You can’t find someone as competent as me, don’t even joke.” 

“I came here for an opportunity for you. You’ve managed to get some people’s computers to speed up so much. And I want you to do it with all of my employee’s computers.” 

“What, you couldn’t reverse-engineer it? See what I did for yourself?” 

Rhodey grins. 

“I never question a handsome man’s work, darling.” 

Tony turns red. 

“You’re really bad with professionalism, honeysop.” 

“What the hell is that?” 

“What, never heard about romance in the fifteenth century? Boring.” 

“Will you do the job or not?” 

“What are the terms, the conditions, and how much are you paying?” 

Pepper steps forward, a sizable stack of paperwork in her hands. 

The work would pay off the building. It would pay off his mortgage on his house. Hell, it would help a lot. He’d have extra to mess around and maybe go on a vacation. 

The downside is that he’s helping a villain get faster speed and better battery life with laptops. This could also mean he’d die, but honestly he was kind of expecting an early death. 

Rhodey assures him that he won’t die. 

“If anyone touches you, then they feel my wrath,” he says. His teeth glint underneath the lights. “And honey, no one ever likes feeling that.” 

“What, it isn’t all feather-light tickles?” 

“Touches a bit more than that.” 

There’s an unspoken story there. Rhodey’s grin goes from tight and eyes empty to refocusing on Tony and turning soft, genuine. 

“We can discuss the official plans over dinner.” 

“Dinner won’t work for me, I got plans tonight.” 

“A hot date?” 

"A special movie screening,” Tony says. “Can’t miss it. Maybe next time, or the next three times.” 

Rhodey smiles. 

“Maybe sometime.” 

“Maybe.” 

- 

Holy fuck.

Rhodes International has a local coffee shop on the lobby. A barista is a cheerful girl who has neon yellow hair greets him and asks if he wants a complimentary drink. 

“You...know who I am?” 

“Not in the slightest!” she says cheerily. “I have a memory thing where I remember everyone I ever meet and who I don’t meet. What kind of coffee guy are you?” 

“Um...you guys have mint syrup?” 

“Yup!” 

“Then I guess a peppermint latte?” 

“Coming right up!” 

So here is this girl humming what sounds suspiciously like the Winnie the Pooh song as she makes a drink, and that drink is amazing. 

Also, people are wearing, it seems, whatever outfit they want. There are some people talking, and two look to be dressed in professional business clothing, but the third guy they’re talking to is wearing ripped jeans and a tank top has the phrase of “I’m Just Existing on a Manifestation of Reality” emblazoned. 

It’s odd. 

“So glad you could make it, Tones,” Rhodey says. 

“Tones?” 

“What, too much?” 

“Tones sounds like you know me.” 

“And I don’t?” 

“What’s my favorite jam?” 

“Why jam?” 

“If you know someone well, you know their favorite type of jam.” 

“Orange marmalade?” 

“What the fuck do I look like, Paddington?” 

“You’re right, Paddington’s not near as sexy.” 

“This counts as harassment, right? This counts as harassment.” 

“Don’t have him sue us already, he’ll win,” Pepper says, breezing to their sides. God, she’s gorgeous. Casually dressed in a pencil skirt and a blouse and acting like she doesn’t look like a goddess. Must be exhausting. “Tony, great to have you. Let me show you who you’re working with.” 

He has his own fancy office, a team that knows what they’re doing, and catered lunch. 

Catered lunch. It’s not even a Friday. 

“Friday’s are questionable,” Rhodey says. “Weird selection.” 

“You don’t wanna know,” says Intern Joe. 

That’s literally on his ID card. 

- 

Tony starts work. It’s not bad, not at all. He works in the mornings on the weekends and Mondays as well as Thursdays, and then sometimes does work from his own office. 

Rhodey is...nice. 

This is a bit unsettling, because Rhodey literally just threatened the president over an environmental bill not being accepted and currently all employees are only slightly scared. 

“This is just like three months ago,” says Janice The Badass. (Also on her ID card.) “Don’t worry, the government can’t do anything. They rely on us too heavily.” 

“For what?” 

“For safety.” 

“Not asking.” 

“Good, I’m not going to answer.” 

“Okay?” 

- 

It’s also weird that Rhodey checks in on him. He brings him coffee how he likes it, and he makes him sit down and try new foods with him. 

He’s not bad at conversational topics either. Tony’s used to talking, and he’s used to bad-talking on dates. This doesn’t come close. 

No, they talk about the differences of Star Trek and how much Tony hates specific brands of pens, and how Rhodey is a disaster when it comes to coordination of ties. 

“I don’t like ties,” he scowls. 

“Then why wear one?” 

“Pepper says they look nice.” 

“Why do you need to look nice?” 

“Most things are all about presentation.” 

“Ah, need to be taken seriously.” 

“Only at times when I’m facing government officials or weird corporate bosses.” 

“Aren’t you a corporate boss?” 

“I’m a corporate boss who is also an enemy of fellow corporate bosses. Weird thing.” 

“That’s...intriguing.” 

“How so?” 

“Well, how does that work?” Tony asks, popping a couple blueberries into his mouth. “How are you both the same and an enemy?” 

“Watch and learn, sugar. Watch and learn.” 

Tony is allowed on the next business meeting. Which, coincidentally, his old Uncle Obadiah is part of. 

This leads to rather undesired complications. 

-

“You’re working for a supervillain?” Obie practically yells. 

“Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that,” Tony says. “I just work with computers.” 

“Besides if he wanted to work for a real supervillain, wouldn’t he be working for you?” Rhodey asks. 

He’s sitting in one of those rolling-chairs, and despite that, he made it his throne. He’s relaxed in it, perfectly at peace with the situation. All eyes are on him. 

“I’m not the one that the government is after.” 

“And yet I’m the one who’s successfully paid taxes. Where have yours gone, hm? Strip club in Vegas? Weapon sales in Afghanistan?” 

Obie freezes. 

Tony knows that when you freeze, it is your worst tell. 

“Does dad know?” 

This time, Rhodey turns towards him. He’s surprised. 

“We’ll discuss that later. But does Howard know, Obadiah?” 

“Howard is none of your concern.” 

“Oh my god, he is,” Rhodey says grinning. “You haven’t told him about your little back-door escapades. I wonder what would happen if I told him.” 

“You don’t want me as an enemy,” Obadiah says, shaking. He looks at Tony. “And you, boy, you just earned yourself a death sentence.” 

“Funny, Howard said the same thing when he kicked me out of the house,” Tony says as he’s checking his nails. Rhodey thinks he is in love. 

“Go ahead and try to get me as an enemy, see how well it works for you,” Rhodey says, pearly whites on display. “I took over the entire state of New York, leaving everyone in power allied with me. Plus, Tony hasn’t pushed his legacy from what I’ve seen, but what would happen if I just...let him talk? At the next press conference, perhaps.” 

Tony grins, and it’s dangerous. 

“Yeah Obie, what if I talked? I’m sure Howard’s disastrous attempt at fatherhood would be a real uptick in stock points.” 

“You wouldn’t.” 

“Just watch. Just fucking watch,” Tony says. “I still know how to smile for the press, and I still remember all of my lessons for how to make sure anything is believable.” 

He shakes. 

Rhodey gets security. 

Tony visibly relaxes as Stane is led out of the building, and Rhodey smiles over at him. 

“What?” 

“You wanna grab dinner with me?” 

“Like as a casual dinner, or a date-dinner?” 

“How about both?” 

“Thank god, I can’t remember where my nice shoes are.” 

- 

Tony supposes it is odd to be out to dinner with one of the most-feared men in all of New York. 

But it was hard to fear him when he was currently trying to lick ice cream off the tip of his nose with no such luck. 

Or when Rhodey kisses him senseless on his doorstep and makes fun of the little gnome that he’s put outside, and Tony giggles and watches him leave in his fancy car, still leaning on his door. 

Oh, he’s got it bad. 

But he doesn’t mind.