#You need to know how to immigrate and get a job in the country

[vivaciouscynner]

How accurate is this article?

I hate articles like these though, because first of all, immigration laws aside, how many of you are even ABLE to just migrate? And then even if you are, THEIR IMMIGRATION LAWS.

Like you can't just be like, "I'm just gonna move, that other country won't mind."

Not to crush anyone's hopes or anything, but moving to another country is kind of a big deal and they don't want you to be a burden.

But hey, if you fit the criteria, go for it.

[yuri-is-online]

Been thinking back on the early books where Crowly would just not even play coy about holding Yuu's vulnerable status in TWST over their head to do things, he's only stopped in recent books because after Jamil's overblot, Yuu's stopped going to him for things/Yuu gets involved in stuff anyways but like, imagine Ortho or any of the boys with real Means hearing Crowly do the whole "Oh I'd hate to see you on the streets, Prefect" shit and just going "not if I have anything to say about it".

STYX probably has some sort of deal with other countries for Nationality if people born there like Idia ever need ID, so i could see the Shroud brothers just asking Mum and Dad to make their buddy a fake ID so they can get a job.

Or just Kalim or Vil using their wealth to simply pay for Yuu to get all the paperwork they need and then some if Crowly continues to be skeezy about it. (And its because its me and you, Ace debating whether or not to cheekily slip a marriage certificate in with all the paperwork, if only briefly).

Azul and the Tweels Girlbossing and Gaslighting that Yuu is actually from the Coral Sea and their paperworks just been lost in the exchange program, how dare customs lose something that important! All four of them deserve compensation for the damage!

But who needs all that when Malleus just bold face says that by Divine Right he declared Yuu a sovereign citizen of Briar Valley. Whose gonna fight him in this? Just.. the boys in general making sure Yuu is OK

Ortho offers to give you any secret you want off the internet for your birthday so I definitely see the S.T.Y.X. people coming in clutch for the paperwork. It makes the most sense to me because when I read Book 6 I felt like the implication was Grim was going to be kept there past when the OB boys were returned due to him being seen as a danger, so if Grim is a matter of interest to S.T.Y.X. then Yuu probably will be too eventually. Paperwork shmaperwork they'll have ids made up for Yuu lickty split.

Malleus is another good option, but there is that pesky senate to deal with... I wonder if we will ever get an explanation of how Sebek's dad immigrated there? Could Malleus claim that he's technically doubled the human population by making Yuu a citizen because Mr. Zigvolt is the only one there for now?

and just because it's between you, me, and hundreds of our closest aceyuu friends and family, maybe yuu jokes that if they just got married then they'd have some paperwork and ace makes a great big show of "taking one for the team" even though we both know he'd really like that actually. And so would you otherwise you wouldn't be joking about it.

[drdemonprince]

Hi Devon, I keep finding out that more of my trans friends are actively in the middle of leaving the U.S., and my partner keeps saying things like 'well we need to make plans in case we need to get you out of here.' Is it weird that my first instinct is to push back on this? I don't really want to leave, and I am clear-eyed enough about how being an immigrant works and how little connections we have, plus the global rise of fascism, that I just don't really understand how this could be, for us, the best option.

For reference, I am white and genderqueer, and though I have been on T for a while and had top surgery I still get mostly gendered as a woman (I think this has to do with my being fat and not making much effort to pass or deepen my voice). But we live in a blue state with lots of good laws supporting trans people, and I work in a supporting workplace. So I am in a pretty safe spot, all things considered.

Yeah honestly, I think a lot of white Americans who are considering leaving the country are a little bit deluded by white supremacy and eurocentrism into thinking that there is a better place they can flee to, with decent trans healthcare, where they will somehow be welcomed, and able to find jobs easily, rather than face anti-immigrant sentiment.

Of course, it is true that white American immigrants are valued more compared to other immigrants, but the degree of certainty with which a lot of white Americans are behaving as if leaving the country is an easy solution is pretty divorced from reality I think. Especially when you take into account what accessing hormone replacement therapy looks like in a majority of other countries. It's worse! In every country in Europe other than Spain, they don't have informed consent, and they have extremely long wait lists to get care if at all. It's often much harder to change one's documents or name, depending on the country.

I speak to a lot of European trans people and I know that in a majority of those countries, trans acceptance is a lot farther back than what you can find in most American cities. This country is obviously fucked in a great many ways, but if you really have an understanding on a systemic and historical level as to why that is, I don't think you'd be looking at Europe as an answer or a refuge. they are where we inherited all of those problems from! our country is fucked up and evil because it's filled with a bunch of white settlers!

I suppose Canada and Mexico are a little bit more promising in certain ways, if I was going to flee somewhere those would be the places I was considering, but it would still be pretty supremely fucked up for me to do so and leave behind so many of the trans people who don't have the luxury of doing so. It just isn't a solution. It's kind of a white liberal fantasy that has been popular ever since Bush came into office in the early 2000s.

I think it makes a lot more sense for a trans person in a red state to flee to a blue state and then to contemplate a cross-country move when a majority of these countries that they're considering are extremely hostile to immigrants, particularly ones with disabilities, reduced employment prospects, or any other vulnerabilities, which trans people typically have. American people tend to believe that our lives are so important that any place would take us, which is kinda disgusting in its own right, but it doesn't really work out well to hurl oneself into non-citizenship even when you have those massive advantages if you can't promise those countries the 'benefits' of american economic and cultural supremacy. which most of us can't.

[plant-ago]

An Open Letter to Dan and Phil

Dear beloved nerds,

This was originally going to be an (even longer) actual letter that I was going to give to you at the tour, but my nonprofit-employed ass can’t afford a meet and greet, so we’re doing this instead. I promise it’s not just trauma dumping— mostly, it’s about saying thank you and trying to cultivate some hope for all of us.

I’ve been a big fan since around 2014, when I was a mentally ill neurotic deeply repressed loner egg (average phannie, let's be honest). Now I’m a whole adult who got therapy and HRT and has joined the legions of transmascs with the Dan Howell haircut! What a legacy.

I’m making jokes because the thing I actually want to talk about, and the reason I decided to make this an open letter, is kind of serious. But in light of the election, I feel like I need to share this, both with you and with all the other queers in this little corner of the internet.

Here’s the gist: I’m a paralegal at a non-profit organization that works to help queer migrants get asylum. Mostly what I do is sit them down in our nasty sterile office and try to be kind, and help them get through telling me all the most terrible things that have happened to them, and then turn around and pare it all down into legalese that is digestible to the government to make the case they should get asylum.

It’s a horrible job, really, and one that shouldn’t have to exist. Some parts are plainly wonderful, like meeting so many queer people from all walks of life. But it’s also heartrending and difficult, and burnout is always looming. My horrible banal work is often literally a matter of life and death for the client, and I’m fighting a broken system for a chance at giving them the happiness and safety is owed to them by international law and, really, by any decent human standard, should never have been in question.

The thing is—and this is reason to hope—queer people really do exist everywhere, no matter how much repression and violence we face. In a tiny village in Colombia, there's a kid who’s all spit and vinegar, dresses like a boy and plays football and fights anyone who says that they can’t, who grows up wiry and gets black eyes because men still can’t handle getting their asses handed to them on the soccer field by a dyke. This client texts me at my work number sometimes to ask if I’ve eaten that day, because they wanted to check in on me. He asked me to call him by a boy’s name, recently. I don’t know that he’s told anyone else. I open every message I send him with "Hola, James."

Then there’s the sweet, babyfaced college freshman who got death threats when he was outed to his classmates back home, and whose parents kicked him out when he refused to marry a girl to protect the family's reputation, leaving him alone in a foreign country. He was couch surfing and just trying not to miss class so he could keep his student status and he was so conscientious I wanted to cry— he’s eighteen, guys. Eighteen. I’ll get him his papers or so help me fucking God I will kill for him. You know? You know. After that meeting I had to sit at my desk with my notebook and fill an entire blank page with the phrase “he’s just a kid,” over and over again, until I felt like I could breathe.

On a Friday morning recently I get up and open my laptop to interpret on a call with a soft-spoken older trans woman who's sat in the bleak phone room of the ICE detention facility because her immigration judge didn’t believe that she was really transgender. “An odor of mendacity pervades everything the respondent says,” the judge wrote in her ruling, where she determined the client wasn't "credible." To this day I’m still floored that she straight up ripped off Tennessee Williams—new frontiers in bigotry, truly. She didn’t even cite. In our meeting now, the client quietly tells us how hard it was when she came out but how happy she was the first time she wore makeup, and she'd rather stay in detention here for indeterminate years as proceedings spiral on than go back to Guatemala, where they'll kill her—boys, if I ever get within spitting distance of this fuckass judge, it is on SIGHT. Absolutely fucking ON SIGHT. For legal purposes, that was a JOKE.

So I finish the call and get up to get a snack. It’s only ten am but feel tired already because I’m angry, which is not unusual but also not something I want to hold onto, because it doesn't help anything. So I make some toast and look at my phone— two texts, which I ignore, a spam email, and, wouldn't you know it, a YouTube notification from Dan and Phil games! Jarring! That’s just sort of how life is though, isn’t it? Deathly serious and lighthearted in the same breath.

But regardless, seeing the notification makes me feel warm, so I have my toast and watch a little video of you two playing Roblox or dress up or whatever it is you do on that channel these days. I have a good giggle and I finish my toast and go back to my desk. It’s a crucial part of my diet really— the giggles, not the toast. I’m not angry anymore. I’ll be angry again, but for now my cortisol levels are manageable and I can put my head back into emails or whatever the fuck. Do you ever think about how plants make food for free out of sunlight but we sit around writing emails all day? And that’s if we’re lucky. Capitalism is hell.

Anyway, there is a point I am trying to make, and it’s not really about the banal horrors of neoliberal nation-state or capitalism or even homophobia. It’s to say thank you for coming back to make silly videos together, because I love them, and you never fail to make me happy. And yeah, maybe something about the story of that scared eighteen-year-old kid at the front of my mind makes it particularly sweet to watch you two goofing off and being openly queer. It reminds me why I’m doing what I’m doing, and it gives me the strength to send another fucking email because sometimes doing “important work that I value and believe in deeply” means having to send another fucking email. And sometimes I’ll rewatch your older videos, and then come back to the more recent ones, and my heart bruises, because you remind me what I’m fighting for and why. It’s nothing grandiose, it’s just— for queer people to get to have the ability to grow into themselves and be outrageous and silly and make mistakes and to love and be loved for who they are. To have the safety and support and security that no one should ever go without. That’s all.

So I am being dead serious when I say thank you for making top-tier light entertainment, and for coming back to a job that wasn’t always kind to you, and that it does actually matter. All this talk about terrible influences and legacies has made me think that sometimes you doubt whether you do good in the world, so let me be clear: you really, really do. I kind of get the sense that in order to accept sincerity Dan needs to be beat over the head with it, so if that’s the case, consider yourself coerced, you dickhead. You matter to me, and especially in times like these, I think I speak for all of us when I say that the joy you share is a precious and treasured gift. So please accept my gratitude in return.

All my love,

Jules

(I removed or changed all identifying information in this letter to protect privacy, but the stories are real).

[cy-cyborg]

Big vent about Centrelink and Australia’s welfare system ahead.

I’ve known for a long time how cold and uncaring Australia’s welfare system is, especially Centrelink, but I don’t think it really clicked until today.

Im on the disability support pension meaning the government acknowledges I can not work full time. A few years ago, I messed up on some forms and never declared to them that my partner and I were in a relationship. I had meant to, but had a moment and forgot to hand them in. By the time I realised my mistake it was years later. Just before Christmas I went in to fix it and to get help with the forms because I always panic when I do Centrelink forms, I always miss something or misunderstand, I always do something wrong, so this time I went in for help with it. My partner and my support worker came with me to help make sure I was understanding everything, and to make sure I remember what they told me, because I tend to forget more when stressed.

Because my partner is an immigrant and self employed but not earning much, the process actually ended up being a bit more complicated so we’ve had to go in to do the forms over multiple appointments with the last one being last Thursday.

I was informed that because I didn’t declare the relationship right away, I’ve been overpaid and I’ll have to give that overpay amount back because, fun fact, just being in a relationship is enough for them to cut your payments here - not being married, just in a relationship. I knew that though and was prepared for it. At the last appointment I was finally given an estimate of how much I need to pay back.

It’s over $20,000.

I’m not entirely sure how they got that number, I’m going to ask for a break down of it once the amount is confirmed, but you want to know what sucks? I was relieved to hear that amount. I was mentally prepared for it to be double or triple that, and it would have been if the worker at the office didn’t pull me up and inform me I’d misunderstood some of the questions (so yeah, going in for help was a good call). Thankfully, because the disability support pension is already below the poverty line even before the cuts they made, I don’t have to pay it back at once, they’ll take a percentage of my pension out every fortnight to pay it back. Unfortunately, because I’m already below the poverty line, reducing my pension even further means I can’t afford rent anymore, even in a place that is already way, WAY below the current rental market value, so I can’t really afford rent…anywhere. Not even in remote and regional areas (I checked). Not a single private rental in the country is low enough for us to afford now. The only ones that were close weren’t wheelchair accessible. The pension will also go down if my partner earns anything, and it limits his hours (though I don’t know how that’s supposed to work if he’s self employed since pay isn’t really based on hours like typical jobs, I’m going to ask about that at the next appointment). Thankfully we had already planned for that and we’re planning to move in with my mum, but that means basically being cut off from the internet since her place is very rural and signal doesn’t really reach their place consistently.

But the shittyness doesn’t end there, oh no.

Today, I woke up to the dreaded “you have a myGov message” text. Only to open it and for them to tell me that they’re cutting my whole disability pension, it was just canceled. No ifs or buts, it was just gone. A few days before rent and all my bills are due. What was the reason you ask? Because one of the fields (asking for my partner’s tax info) on the form wasn’t filled out… the form I got the Centrelink office to check over before handing it in, that was definitely filled in. I know it was. There wasn’t even any “we’re missing information, you have x amount of time to fix this or your payment will be cancelled” warning, it was just, you didn’t fill out this one field that could be easily fixed so your pension is canceled, and you have to pay us that $20,000 out of pocket now, bye!

Obviously rattled and confused, I went back to the office (which is only a few minutes from where I live) and asked what the hell happened, the lady who helped us last time even vouched for us and said she knows we filled that out and gave it to them, she was there, only for them to go into my file and realise the way the file had been scanned cut off part of the field, so the automated systems didn’t see it and auto-cancelled my whole pension over it. So we had to wait an additional half and hour for the office staff to argue with whoever was in charge of that decision, to let them fix it because as far as Centrelink was concerned the issue wasn’t negotiable. It did eventually get sorted, so I’m at least not loosing my pension and being forced to pay back the dept out of pocket.

My partner, before coming to Australia was in the US military, he describes his experience with them as being treated like “numbered cannon fodder” and his dealings with the VA as being treated like “a piece of dog shit on their shoes”. He fought with the Australian immigration department for years to be allowed to stay here, the department that openly and proudly discriminated against him and me for our disabilities, that insisted he jump through countless hoops for the most ridiculous of reasons to prove he “wouldn’t be a burden on the system”. But today he just sat in the car after all this and stared off into space, saying this is the worst treatment from a government agency he’s ever seen. They didn’t see us as people, we were numbers. That automated cancellation over an automated mistake would have put us on the street if my mother wasn’t in the picture and paying off $20,000 of dept out-of-pocket. And they just didn’t care. We made a mistake, yes, but it was a mistake that is in-line with the diagnostic criteria of one of my disabilities (forgetfulness from a brain injury) and we did everything we were supposed to do to make it right once I noticed. we fessed up and did what we needed to fix it, we got help from multiple staff members to ensure we did everything we were supposed to, but a machine made a mistake and nearly ruined our lives anyway.

Im not saying any of this to ask for money btw, I couldn’t accept it even if I wanted to because I’m pretty sure that would count as income too and would mean my pension would go down even more or just be cut (again) entirely. We’re safe and as stable as we could be in this situation for now. I just wanted to vent a bit and explain where I’ve been. I’m probably not going to be back online again for a bit while we get the rest of this situation sorted, and once I move to mum’s, so the messages and ask box are staying closed for a bit longer.

[yey56]

Eagle Flies x Foreign Reader (Hispanic)

Summary: reader (female) is friends with eagle flies and part of the van Der Linde Gang.

Eagle flies decides to attack the us army with his people and the gang. When he's about to get shot, you receive the bullet for him...

(mentions of canary island culture: the jump of the herder)

You met Eagle Flies 4 years ago, it was pure fate that you got to know eachother. Nonetheless, your friendship started strangely at best.

You came from another country, your father had sent you to America trying to give you a better chance at life since there where no better options in your homeland.

He managed to get you into a job on a mansion on Saint Denis. But unluckily for you, this mansion was at the outskirts of the city, therefore easier target to robbers.

The men who robbed the house also took some servant hostages to either sell them or just have fun with them. In that group, they included you and a few maids.

You had seen them kill your coworkers so while they were sleeping and summoning all of your courage and will to live, you managed to kill one with a dagger and the other one with a gun you stole from the corpse. After that you run away.

Eagle Flies found you in the middle of the night while he was getting back to his tribe. You were bloodied, with an exhausted look, running as if your life depended on it. He didn't know how to react when he saw a girl his age running through the fields like a madwoman.

Against his better judgement he approached you. He was mounted on a horse so the moment the steps of the animal started getting louder you stopped, grabbing the gun you had just acquired.

Being a foreigner, an immigrant your English wasn't the best. You had only been in America for a year so you didn't really had time to properly learn the language, just some phrases and key words

Eagle Flies catched quicky on the language barrier so he started asking you several questions and you answered with incomplete phrases and with hand signs in an attempt to articulate the message.

"Hey! You can drop the gun I won't hurt you" he said trying to calm you. He looked right into your scared and frantic eyes and realised you must have scaped from something bad. "Are you ok? Do you need help?" He still didn't let his guard down, just in case.

"¿Que?" He heard you mumble "H-Help" you chocked out your voice cracking a bit but still trying to appear confident. "People- They! eh... Bad people!" you were trying to articulate a coherent phrase and communicate him the nightmare you just went through "I don't English-very little English " you were praying that he would catch on your message and luckily, he did.

"Hey hey, it's ok." Eagle Flies came down from his horse trying to reassure that you weren't going to be hurt by him. "Where do you live?" He talked slowly, making sure you at least got the important part of the message "Not here, not American" you replied

You were now much calmer. Even though a stranger was not a wise decision but this boy seemed nice enough and you had no better option.

Eagle Flies offered to take you to the nearest town and that's how you arrived to Valentine.

He wanted to pay for a room for you but you denied it, telling him that you were grateful.

Eagle Flies could not take you out of his head: your thick accent, your scared look, the way you looked like you were going to collapse.

It had been 5 months since he last saw you and he was already accepting that he would never see you again. Until one day, while he was coming back from hunting, he recognised you on the side of the path with a big stick in your hands and a flask tied to the stick.

You looked way better than the last time, sane. You recognised him and greeted him, seemingly happy to see him.

He stopped his horse to talk to you. Your english had improved a lot, you accent was still there but your sentences were more coherent and made some sense.

You presented yourself as Y/N, you explained him what happened that night and how grateful you were of having found him. In valentine you had been able to work and get some money and after a few months of hard work, you decided sedentary life was lot for you so taking your risks you used your saving to buy food and improve the gun you still had from the kidnap.

You sat on the grass of the forest and talked for hours.

"Why don't you have a horse? Valentines ones are very docile." Eagle Flies wondered why you were so insistent on waking, you had told him all of your travels have been made by foot and so far you had already visited both Strawberry and Rhodes.

"I enjoy the journey. I draw the landscapes, animals, plants... And that I don't know how to ride so I have to work with what I have" Your personality was more extroverted and friendly. "Is my stick and me against the world"

"And the gun" He added chuckling a little "And my gun" You replied laughing back.

"Right now I have to take this back to my people but if you come by here tomorrow by the morning I can teach you" He offered. The man didn't knew why was he so drawn to you. Your personality, the way you had adapted to your situation, your pretty voice.

Just as promised, the next morning he arrived at the same place. You came a little later, he saw you walking towards him from the top of an uneven hill. Instead of going down trough the path, you used the large stick you had to jump from the tops to the nearest flat surface until you reached the ground.

He was completely amazed by what you just did. Smitten even. He praised whatever you just did and admired the creative technique used to descend from the hill.

You explained that it was a technique used back in your home, the Herders jump. You offered your stick to him encouraging Eagle flies to try it himself. He failed to do it as effortlessly as you but still had fun trying.

He had brought his horse alone so after lending him the stick, you took the reins of the animal.

You learned quickly and that was something Eagle flies admired from you but of course there were still things to perfectionate. For example your absolute horrible ability to slow down, but hey! You will do it someday (he hopes)

Your friendship continued to develope and grow each passing day. Some weeks you were completely missing and later you would just reappear with new stories and little trinkets to give to him. At some point you started sending him letter telling him where would you go so he wouldn't worry so much.

One day Eagle Flies presented you to Paytah, his best friend and you actually got along very well. He was also curious about your sporadic journeys so now whenever you wrote to Eagle Flies, Paytah got send your rewards and a funny sketch of a silly animal.

After being made aware by your new friends the abusive situation they were in thanks to the army, you started getting directly involved in helping them.

You would take jobs as bounty hunting lower criminals or just cleaning tables at saloons so you could afford medicine and other essentials for them.

Eagle Flies always insisted on you not overworking yourself and tried to deny the money you were offering him but you were always so insistent. You just always needed the last word so it was useless to argue with you.

You sympathise with their situation, the crisis on your country had been caused by a war with the Unated States some years prior therefore you understood what lack of resources could course to a community.

He even presented you to his father as his dear friend (even Rains Fall knew that his boy had a huge fucking crush on you). You got along well with his father, he appreciated that his son had such a wise friend and well traveled friend. He also liked that you knew well the world around you, it helped you understand everything better.

(He was fully prepared to accept you into the family fr 😉)

Eagle Flies couldn't help himself, you were so curious, so full of live and so hungry for knowledge. You always had an explanation for things.

Trivial conversations such as how the silly new invention, the camera or cinema, worked; or maybe just why the higher classes were so despotic even if they should represent a whole nation.

You always had an explanation, you always knew it. It was like the world was nothing but a book you were reading. You always explained it to him with such a exited tone and such a sparkle in your eyes. That witty and sassy attitude that matched his, you were just such a good team.

He couldn't help but fall in love with you. And both his father and Paytah made known that they knew. Paytah went as far as organising a hang out between the three of you only to disappear on last minute.

After two years of a strong bond forming between the two of you, eagle flies started yearning to accompany your in your travels. But his people were his priority and he was already grateful enough that you helped him with his conflict even though you weren't even American.

You always send him letter when the journey got to long or to hard so he wouldn't worry about your well being. Travelling alone as a woman was no easy feat. But there was one time that he didn't received any letter from you in almost 5 months.

The people around him noticed how something was bothering him. Eagle Flies was worried. Not just worried, afraid.

He was already imagining the worst and was ready to mount on his horse and go search for you until a letter under Tacitus Kilgore surprised him.

Apparently and as you explained in the letter you had some trouble with the lawman to the point that you now had a small bounty under your name. The letter recalled the events like this.

Dearest Eagle Flies:

I'm aware I haven't written in a long time and both you and paytah must be worried.

I am fine, well, as fine as someone can be with a 20 dollar bounty on their heads on the state of New Austin.

After a little trouble I had with the lawmen I managed to hide myself and I have found a decent enough group of people, a gang that is willing to take me in.

We are near Blackwater by now. I hope you understand that I will not be able to visit you as often anymore but I promise that as soon as we get out of here I will write to you again and tell you everything in person.

Rewards, your friend, Y/N.

Apparently you were now part of a gang. He was glad that you were alive and ok, but he still felt disappointed about the new situation.

While he was still adapting to the news, you, on the other hand were trying to adapt to your new companions.

You've been with the gang for two month before writing to Eagle Flies and you have gotten along with everyone just fine. The girls were quick to welcome you. Miss Grimshaw was quick to put you to work. You've also made good friends with some other members such as Jenny, Mac, Lenny, Sean and Little Jack, who seemed very curious about your travels.

After the blackwater incident (6 months after you joining the gang), everything went downhill. You survived by divine luck. The gang had lost a few people on the way but you were finally on Valentine.

You didn't sent a letter to Eagle flies, you went straight to see him. When you arrived he was not there. His father, who very happily greeted you, told you that both him, Paytah and other young men were patroling the area since the army's grasp on them had become tighter.

Rains falls accompanied you while you waited for his son. He had grown very fond of you over the last years. You once confided in him that your own father had spent his life savings only to get you an opportunity for a better life and that you hoped that someday you can save enough money to bring him to America with you.

He had been the nearest fatherly figure you had had over the last years and he was more than willing to take that position. He liked you for his son and he respected you as a person. It gave you a feeling of acceptance that you didn't knew you needed.

Finally Eagle Flies and the other young men came back. The moment he spotted you he quickly came down from his horse and turned to give you the strongest and tightest hug someone has ever given you. You almost fell back because of the force he had.

He would never admit it in front of you (not anyone) but he almost cried when he saw you waving at him.

"What the hell did you do! 20 dollars? They could had you hanged for that!!" He was holding your shoulders, grounding himself, using you as an anchor.

"Two men! They tried to rob me and attacked me. Can you believe it!? I have a gun for a reason, I just defended myself." You explained to him.

He hugged you once more, being interrupted only by Paytah who greeted you, also happy to see you.

After that, days, weeks and months passed by and while the gangs situation was getting way more dangerous, the natives conflict was becoming unbearable.

The gang had been reduced by several lawmen and various internal conflicts to the point that even the oldest members of the gang such as Arthur or John or Abigail were starting to question themselves the integrity of their leader.

Both you and Charles had worked hard to help the natives, with Arthur starting to collaborate not to long ago.

When you were back in camp you tried to convince Abigail to run away with her son. You had become good friends and you knew that this was a downfall ride.

Finally an as the cherry on top, Eagle flies, who had became bolder in the last month's started hearing Dutch's advice and making not so good decisions.

Arthur, Charles and yourself were aware that Dutch would only make the situation worst and warned Rains fall about it.

Rains Fall had tried to warn his son. He had pleaded you to help him see reason.

"Please, Y/N, he will not listen to me. I am nothing but a weak man in my son's eyes but he might listen to you." He asked while holding on your shoulders.

You had already talked with Eagle flies several times. Dissuading him to act impulsively but it was not enough anymore.

The worst of all had been after being kidnapped and tortured. He still wanted more war. He was convinced that he either died in honor or lived in misery.

Rains Fall made a last effort of persuading his son to drop the violence to no avail. Eagle Flies rode to the oil fields with his men while you stayed back with Rains Fall.

"He is going to die, all of them are going to en up dead" He lamented to you, a tired and sad look on his face as if already imagining his son's corpse

You took his hands in yours and looked him in the eye "Rains fall, I swear to you, I will bring him back, whatever it takes."

He looked at you afraid that you would do something you might regret but the only thing you did was getting your horse and riding to the battle.

You were no fighter. You were decent enough with a gun but that's it. You felt a pit in your stomach, a remainder of your most primitive instincts shouting at you not to go.

You ignored the fear, thinking one last time about your father and how you would probably not see him again. That made a single tear drop but you weren't willing to loose the person who had helped you and accepted you the most just because he was an impulsive wreck.

By sheer luck you managed to not get shot by the military men. You saw Eagle Flies near the oil factory with the rest of the people. You quickly approached him and as soon as he noticed you he looked panicked.

" What are you doing here!!" He got closer to you searching for some injuries in your body.

"Trying not to get you killed" you took his hand on yours" Eagle flies, why are you so insistent on dying when you have people to live for-" you were interrupted by the sounds of three soldiers attacking someone.

Both you and Eagle flies ran to see what was happening and while eagle flies was able to kill the three men that were kicking Arthur, he failed to notice the man with a gun in hand behind him.

You saw his intentions clear. Without thinking you jumped on that men and fought for a few seconds for the gun he had until...

A shot was heard against the cold walls of the place. You left out a squeak and a weak cry falling to the floor while your abdomen was turning red with your blood.

The dry sound that your body did when hitting the surface made Eagle Flies react. Arthur from the floor shotted the rich man that had shotted you.

"Y/N!!!" He took you in his arms, pressing on your injury to try and stop the bleeding. His hands were now a deep wet red. "Nononono!" Some tears started to pool out from his eyes onto your face.

You were still weakly crying trying to breath as much as you could while dealing with the horrible pain.

Both Eagle flies and Arthur took you and helped you on one of the horses. Charles, Sadie, Bill, Javier and even Dutch looked perturbed by your injury.

You had made yourself a place in the gang, you've made friends and established respect with most of its members so your deathly wound was not a nice sight to anyone present.

Eagle Flies was in the same horse as you, mounting quickly to the tribe so they could try to heal you. Arthur and Charles accompanied him.

You had became quiet, whispering and whining desperately some things in Spanish he didn't fully understand. "Papa-" "Papa" " Lo siento, papa" "perdón, perdoname" Your cries could be mistaken for the ones a child made when very scared and that unsettled him.

Just as you were about to arrive to the tribe the uneven terrain made you fall form the horse. Eagle flies followed you quickly basically throwing himself from the horse and took you on his arms while trying desperately to keep you awake.

"No! No, please hold on!!" He was fully crying now fully aware that the bullet was for him" Y/N! Stay awake please, we are already here. Wait a little more please" His begs and cries warned his father whose face dropped at the scene.

"Oh no" Was the first thing that fell from Rains Fall lips when he saw his son hugging your bleeding body. "Dad!" His sons call was desperate, his crying face showing the deep care he had for you "What happened?" He knelt down next to you and his son, helping him to add pressure to the wound.

"It was for me- the bullet- it was for me and she took it!!" Rains Fall watched in horror as he understood the last words you said to him. Whatever it takes....

You were still saying faint "papá, perdon" very quietly and very fast, as a last prayer. But at least it indicated you were still alive.

Charles and Arthur helped Eagle Flies carry you to his tent where some people who knew about medicine started treating you trying to save you.

Paytah looked completely speechless. Eagle flies injured and completely unconsolable, refusing to get away from you, and you, the unexpected but dear friend he had made years ago at the verge of a painful death.

The night settled and while Charles stayed to keep an eye on you and ensure that you were ok, Arthur had some matters to discuss with Dutch.

————————————————————————

It had been four days since you were shot in the abdomen and it had been three and a half days since you fell unconscious.

Eagle flies had been there when your pleas for your father had finally shut down. He had a meltdown, thinking you had died but thankfully you had just became unconscious.

He stayed at your side, feeding your sleeping body and helping with the change of tissues that were covering the wound.

He barely slept, keeping himself awake and talking to you at night about anything and nothing trying to distract himself.

Your breathing was the only reassurance he had that you were still there, with him. The faint pulse on your wrist also was an anchor for him.

He had only gotten out of his tent, in which you where, to get you food from Paytah and the moment he came back in he found your head turned to the door and a very cracked voice.

"A-gua- Ag-ua" Your quiet tone of voice was evidence of your weak state.:"Water...please"

He immediately got out from his shock and guessed that you were asking for water.

With shaky hands he held your head and let you drink very slowly from a vase

You stopped drinking and coughed a little, whining as you felt your wound. His hands didn't let your head and face.

"Your awake" He mumbled "You're awake!" He said now as if convincing himself, amused that your eyes were looking at his.

You couldn't summoned the strength to talk but instead you cried. Relieve tears after your almost death, relieve of seeing him alive made it all worthy it.

"Whatever it takes" He heard you mumble very silently.

He didn't leave your side for one moment. The rest of the people discovered that you were alive because Paytah entered the tent and saw you sat down on the floor leaning on Eagle flies for support while you ate slowly.

That way you were able to contact Charles who quickly came to see you accompanied by Sadie.

Both of them were going to move away from the place after what happened to the gang. They told you to do the same, wishing you the best and giving you some of the money so you could start over if you wished so.

By this point, Eagle Flies had already told you everything about his feeling, not willing to let you go ever again and you of course corresponded (as if taking a shot for him wasn't enough prove)

After a few weeks you could stand up, Eagle flies always insisted on you using him for support and always was near you, paying attention to see if you showed any signs of relapse.

Eventually the tribe decided to move to Canada since the army was not to be trusted no more, not that they ever were.

You went with them, the tribe had known you for quite some years now and with Rains Fall blessing your relationship with his son there was no better place for you.

Finally after all the years, you wrote to your father, telling him all about what happened for the last year and finally sending him the money to by a ticket to go to Canada.

You didn't knew what life had prepare for you and Eagle Flies but you knew that whatever it was, you would deal with it together.

[theslackercorner55]

I won’t lie, I’m not shocked he even one just because America always has the need to support the “ anti hero” or self proclaimed “ underdog” and so on. But what I will say is I never want to hear anyone talk about banding together or doing the right thing because ( with the exception of people who did take it seriously) most of everyone where posting their ballots writing joke shit on them, despite project 2025 being released to the public people did not see how much of a treat it is to not just black, LGBTQ+ and immigration rights, healthcare, but the rights of human beings at large

So with that said, I don’t want to hear anyone between now and the next four years talk about how books are getting censored or banned, free speech is dead, women’s rights are gone, people can’t get married or live their gay/queer dreams or story, how “ well I mean it won’t be that bad” because it will, and honestly the fact that no one understands this is going to be our generations reagan years is beyond me at this point

And with that said, I don’t want to hear shit also from anyone if people start becoming cynical, disinfectant or disenfranchised. The people are now un motivated, slackers, and the way pervious generations were seen from the 80’s-90’s. Because not only trump being president is bad enough now republicans have the house again and we all know what hell that will bring

I never want to hear about unity or coming together when we didn’t do that, the people who are a minority and still voted for him especially people of color, hispanics and so on even though our people have been though it for years we still looked at a convicted felon and facist and said “ well Kamala was against weed in the 90’s, even though she changed we hate her so fuck her” or “ well trump is friends with ( insert poc celebrities here)” is so fucking beyond me

So with that said, fuck this election, fuck the next four years, fuck everyone who failed at basic common sense and most of all fuck everyone who did the “ they are both bad imma not vote” shit because it’s not about electing a role model, all presidents are bad people, but that does not mean you elect a proven racist, rapist and vile human being over a flawed woman who’s not those things and wouldn’t put us thought the shit we will deal with now

If you voted for him, fuck you

If you where against Kamala for hypocritical standards, fuck you

If you are older and complain that todays youth is out of control and doesn’t care anymore and is angst ridden and is cynical and wants nothing to do with anything, fuck you

And if anyone shames people with moderate or severe mental illness and they can’t get help now moving forward, people have breakdowns and lose their shit, fuck you

We failed at doing our one job, and that is looking out for each other and making this bat shit country a safe place for us and tomorrow’s youth

[very-gay-poet]

Scapegoats:

Scapegoats are a person or a group of people that are blamed for anything bad happening in a space (a country, state, town, family, etc).

In between the first and second World War, Germany had a terrible economy, so bad that parents regularly gave their children stacks of money to play with instead of toys. Soon, Jews were to blame for the economic crisis, with the help of Hitlers campaign. He pointed out a demographic for people to blame so they don’t start blaming the government.

I also want to highlight that in 2023 alone, there were almost 10,000 reports of antisemitic incidents in the US, comparing that to just the year before, 2022, with around 3,700 reports from the US, and under 2000 reports in 2008. Over the course of just a year, the oppresion of jewish people had risen at over 100% in just a year. Antisemitism beliefs are rising again, Jewish people are being met with hostility again, and it’ll just keep on getting worse if we do nothing about it. Especially with Elon Musk's little “stim” at Trump's inauguration. I’m no conspiracy theorist but It feels like him doing the Nazi Salute, Trump signing an executive order to make it legal to discriminate against people and canceling all D.E.I programs (also mentioning that the KKK were spotted recruiting people in Kentucky) seems to be a whistle to Neo-Nazis to let them know that they’ll get away with whatever they do, and give them the confidence to be more bold than they already are.

I don’t believe that this is a coincidence, and, I really hope I’m wrong here, I don’t believe that these people (Trump, Elon) are above antisemitism, saying it’s for not promoting christian values or something stupid like that. I’ll be getting into weaponizing religion later, but I feel that this is important to mention, considering that the stats mentioned above were of 2023, God knows what that number was in 2024 and I don’t think we’ll be getting the true number anytime soon. This is all my personal speculation so take this with a bit of salt, but I find it concerning with how we’re all calling the right and Elon Nazis and Trump a Hitler reincarnate (which is justified don't get me wrong), but aren’t mentioning all the antisemitism as a result of the rise this type of bigotry. Jews were the main target of the Nazi party, don’t forget that.

So the next time you hear that the reason why people can’t get a house is because immigrants are taking them, the Chinese made COVID 19, minorities are taking jobs away because they tick a diversity box, remember who's truly to blame. The Chinese didn’t kill all the people who died during COVID, your government did, because they didn’t take COVID seriously as they should’ve, saw the consequences, and don’t want the responsibility that comes with it. They base it on preexisting stigma to magnify it, many Asian people in America were treated with more hostility than ever during COVID, because the American Government needed someone to blame, and what better than a group that aren’t white and are "commies".

It’s acceptable discrimination so that no one will turn an eye on what the government really wants to do; be discriminatory. They base it on their own prejudice so they can get away with bills and laws further normalizing the prejudice in the country, and thus get away with it. We’re already starting to see this now, with the plane crash; Trump blaming diversity and “the right people not being hired”, is the perfect cover story to take away rights of minority workers, and publish it as acceptable discrimination. Remember, not being hired because of your race (including skin colour) , religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, or disability, is illegal, unless they have an agenda to push and have an excuse to make it “the right thing to do”.

If you find yourself feeling hatred for a certain group– ask yourself: will anyone benefit from this anger? The answer is always no. No one benefits from prejudice or discrimination. No one, except the rich pigs at the top. America is already turning into a plutocracy and it hasn’t even been a year yet, so remember: if you’re not already a billionaire, you’re never gonna be a billionaire, so don’t act like you ever will. Division is their favorite game, don’t let them win it.

this is a snipit from an essay I'm writing that's taking longer than I thought it would. So now I'm going to post some snipits of it in hopes that it can help people.

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 66: Prove To Me

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

“Give our best to your parents,” Anna says and gives me a final hug before I board the train. “Your neefs are going to miss you.”

It’s time to leave. As much as I would love to stay longer there is lots more calling me back west. Thomas and I meet with Uncle Colon in three days. The Müller contracts need to, nay, will be approved by Thomas. I also need to see what he already knows about the Nazi movement. If it’s spreading this fast here then surely it’s going to become more than just a rumor in Britain.  

“Please stay safe,” Franz bids as he hands me my luggage. “Trouble’s brewing everywhere nowadays.”

We all exchange uneasy glances, partially due to the swastika flag hanging overhead, and Abel steps forward for his own hug.

“You’re going to visit Uncle Colon?”

“Yes. I pray that he will have some answers to Mr. Shelby’s problems. As well as my own.”

My soft-eyed broer nods and offers a hopeful smile. “Our prayers are with you. Tot ziens.”

“Tot ziens, Abel. I guess the next time I might see you all is for Christmas.” I give a small tug on the lead and test out my hond’s new name. “Komm, Dílis.”

The German Shepherd climbs the steps onto the train car and we find a cabin. Dílis hops up on the seat next to me and lays his head on my lap. After a few minutes the train rocks forward and begins chugging away. So here I go. Instead of finding a man in my travels I acquire a German Shepherd. How fitting. Out the window I see Abel and the others on the platform waving at me. 

Arf! The canine whines as he looks out at more Jewish immigrants waiting for their trains.

“You said it,” I murmur, my heart clenching at the sight.

Somehow the trip back seems to fly much faster. Before I board the boat in Amsterdam I make a quick call to arrange for a car to get me once I reach England. The secretary is a different one than last time but she too remembers not to mess with me.

I recognize Nathaniel on another ship once my boat docks in Port of Hull. He steps off and joins me once Dílis and I depart our own barge.

“I see you found a friend," he observes with a smile.

“This is Dílis. Gib Pfötchen.”

The dog’s ears perk up. He remembers what I taught him on the way over and proves it by raising a paw for Nathaniel to shake.

“Well, hello!” Nathaniel returns the gesture. “So did you find what you were looking for?” He wonders as we walk towards the dock entrance.

“I got what I came for. My broer and his family are now partners with Mr. Shelby.”

Nathaniel runs a hand through his thin beard. “That’s very kind of you to do that. But it sounds more like a professional goal rather than the personal one I pegged you for.”

Am I really that pathetic? “However my life is to proceed, God will lead me there. Right now I need to work towards earning money for my familie.” I change the tide of the topic. “What about you?”

The sailor tilts his head in thought. “My family’s doing their part. I guess my job is to keep transporting people. Between the depression and the conditions in Germany, more and more people are moving these days.”

“I agree. In fact you might see my broer and his familie pass by too.”

“I’ll keep a weathered eye out,” Nathaniel promises as a black Bentley cruises towards us. “Just remember your family always has a friend at Port of Hull.”

“I am most grateful,” I thank him as I slide in and Dílis jumps up next to me. “Tot ziens, Nathaniel.”

The car drives off and I’m presented with the familiar English countryside. A freezing countryside. It’s no warmer here than Germany. Throughout the whole day I’m driven across the country, watching the many towns and villages blink by. When we drive past places more affected with poverty there’s no denying the strange looks being given to my pristine transport. I’m sure there will come a point when this depression will turn almost any honest man into a desperate one.

“Here we are, Ms. Steenstra,” the driver says as he pulls up to where I assume is the Port of Liverpool. “Mr. Shelby instructed me to bring you here and tell you that he will be waiting for you.”

Of course he will. “Thank you, sir. Komm, Dílis.”

The pup jumps out of the car and we begin to make our way to the docks. After a few minutes of walking I spot the man I’m searching for. Compared to the rest of the sailors and pedestrians here Thomas’ tailored suit sticks out like a sore thumb; though then again my fur coat isn’t too ordinary either. 

He locks eyes with me and stands up from the bench he’s sitting on. I can’t tell- Is he perturbed? Upset? Anxious? The one thing that is clear is his confusion towards the dog perched by my side.

“What is that?” Thomas asks bluntly.

I gesture to the panting canine, who’s already trying to smell him. “This is Dílis, my new companion.”

Thomas raises an eyebrow. “Dílis?”

“It’s Celtic for ‘loyal.’”

This gets a shadow of a smirk on Thomas’ face. “An Irish name for a German dog?”

I shrug. “I’m American. It’s sort of our thing.”

The gangster takes another skeptical look at him. “He’s just a pup.”

“He’ll grow,” I assure sternly. “Dílis, gib pfötchen.”

Dílis stands up and repeats the trick from earlier. What’s different now is that he’s still smelling Thomas, as if trying to uncover what kind of a person he's just met. Meanwhile Thomas is very accepting of this greeting and gives the dog a gloved handshake.

“Hello hello, Dílis.”

I smile proudly. “You have your horses, I have my hond.”

“Indeed. He likes you.”

Dílis licks his glove. “He likes you, too.”

“Yeah. But you’re his master. The one giving the orders. He’s a fighter. He would tear a bloke to pieces for you.” Thomas and I begin walking to the ship bound for Ireland. “I should tell you there’s a new cause for celebration. I’ve arranged for Aberama and Polly to be married. But don’t tell her. She doesn’t know.”

Of course not. Why change anything now? A fleeting thought of relief sparks through me and I close my eyes. “That’s good. We need some good in the world right now. A wedding sounds like a perfect way to share it.”

Another wedding. More talk of love. Another ceremony for me to be cast out of because I can never truly be one of them. Deep breath. Remember who you are here for.

“I have the Müller contracts to submit to you. We can talk about that later. We have lots to discuss from my trip.” A pinch of guilt tugs at my stomach. “Also…”

“No. Don’t tell me,” Thomas grunts and we stop next to the ticket booth. “You want your pay, yeah? ‘Cause that’s all I am to you now. Another paycheck.”

I keep my tone cool. “You should be used to that by now. I wish that wasn’t true. If you had gone through what I have, can you blame me?”

He doesn’t answer. He stays silent and plunges a hand into his pocket, pulling out his glasses. He fishes out his cheque book and after a few waves of a pen hands me the slip. 

“Here. Take the bloody money.”

Another thousand pounds. “My familie appreciates it,” I acknowledge gratefully and stow it in my purse. “What did you expect?”

He finishes buying our tickets and scoffs. “‘Hello, Thomas.’ ‘Good to see you.’”

“What’s the good of small talk when you’ll just ignore me again? The contract says I am still an employee so I am here on behalf of my familie to earn some extra wages.”

If he thinks I’m here out of the goodness of my heart he’s dead wrong. It kills me to do this to him but he can’t play the innocent card with me. I’m not the same naïve, helpless meisje who wound up in your kitchen all those years ago. In fact, you could say that you helped shape me into who I am now, Thomas Shelby. Now instead of sporadically handing out kindness, I reserve it and look out for my familie first. Much like yourself.

Four hours later we’re both standing at the edge of the barge, staring out at the approaching country. It doesn’t look to have changed much since the last time I visited. Dílis is already enjoying the fresh air.

“How might I address your uncle?” Thomas mutters after lighting a cigarette.

I pull my coat tighter around me. “His name is Edmund Colon. Mr. Colon will suffice.”

“And this Mr. Colon… He ain’t gonna fuck with my head, is he?”

“Absolutely not. If he dislikes you he will not hesitate to tell you.”

Thomas takes a puff and shows no definite reaction to this answer. “Good to know.”

“Relax. If I’m around he won’t do anything drastic.”

He hums and keeps looking outward. “Have you been in touch with Linda?”

Now it’s my turn to scoff. “You know me better. You know I don’t stay in touch with her or Lizzie.” 

He smirks. “I thought you said you tend to avoid jealousy. ‘Causes viciousness,’ as you’ve said.”

“‘S not just that,” I admit. “They don’t want me to talk, so I won’t.”

He doesn’t respond. Instead he takes another puff of smoke and straightens his cap. “I’m afraid there’s more news. While you were constructing business in Germany, we had a visit from a mister Brilliant Chang. We’re now helping to transport opium.”

Drugs? He’s shipping drugs now? How can he agree to that after the mess that drug gave to his body? Well, he most certainly isn’t going to convince me to sell it.

“I see” is all I answer with.

Thomas grunts. “I must say it was unfortunate that you were not here to negotiate. Chang brought a whore who put a gun to Finn’s head.”

His tone sounds as one does when talking about the weather. First Finn gets himself shot and now this? It’s like Polly said when I first started. They forget he’s still so young. Even Finn is forgetting how stupid he can be.

“It was Finn who allowed such a woman to get so close,” I reply softly, reaching down to scratch Dílis’ ears.

“I knew you’d be disappointed,” Thomas sighs. “There’s more.” 

My head whips up at him. “More?”

“Yes. We’ve been in contact with a gang called the Billy Boys.” Thomas licks his lips and continues. “They’re the ones who killed Bonnie Gold. Billy Boys fucking tied him to a cross and shot him.”

Bang! The memory of a gunshot rings through my head and the image of Bonnie’s corpse takes form. My body goes stiff and my cold hands grip the railing.

“Jesus Christ… " I murmur with dread. "Have they no morals? Is this all just to get to you? Thomas…”

His icy blue eyes creep over to mine, analyzing me. “You think I don’t feel guilt?”

“I’m saying… When will enough be enough for you?” I gasp. “Your company, your empire, has grown most impressively despite the losses in America. History shows that every civilization eventually experiences its downfall. You need to know when enough is enough!” 

Thomas’ jaw tightens and he takes a step back, pointing a finger at me. “I had you bring me here to discuss matters with your uncle so that I might handle them. Not to hear about how everything I do is wrong.”

My face stays straight and my stare hardens. “I never said that. And believe me, Edmund Colon will say these exact same words when he hears of what you’re going through.” 

The ship docks and I immediately lead Dílis off. Lord, I am already losing patience. Just pay attention and get Thomas to the meeting. Settle things out and then I can get back to work.

Thomas hails a cab and when I ask for Uncle Colon’s address the driver gives me a double-take. Even here it’s not a normal request to be driven to a gangster’s home. But he agrees and in no less than twenty minutes we’re riding through misty green meadows and over frozen streams. Thomas and I stay quiet the whole time and the only noise comes from Dílis’ small whines. Soon the car approaches Uncle Colon’s road and the sight of the cozy stone home makes me relax by a fraction. With its trimmed fence and many bushes. Even the guards don’t bother me. The handful of men standing watch outside recognize me and give friendly waves as I step out of the car.

Thomas, however, is not eased at all about their company. He keeps fingering his cap and running his hand over his jacket where his gun is most likely concealed. I snap him out of it by taking his hand and leading him and Dílis around to the barn. We step inside out of the mist and I hear metal clanking in the distance. I poke my head around a corner and spot Uncle Colon hunched over a beaten up Ford truck. His rolled up sleeves allow for a view of the Celtic cross tattooed to his wrist, just like my necklace. His worn work clothes are a steep difference compared to Thomas' overdressed appearance.

Arf!

At the sound of Dílis’ noise my uncle looks over his shoulder and gets a wide grin.

“Ah, Verena! How’s the cutting?” Uncle Colon greets as he wrings his hands on a grease towel.

“As good as it can when the world’s this dark,” I smile and we both hug. “Good to see you, Uncle Colon!”

Dílis doesn’t hesitate to begin smelling his shoes. “Who is this handsome beast?”

“This is Dílis,” I introduce.

Uncle Colon gets a wise gleam in his eye. “Ah, wise choice. He does look very loyal.” He gets the towel down and reaches for a glass of water. “Have you heard any word from Alfie?”

My smile fades. “I’m afraid Mr. Solomons has been dead for some time now, Uncle Colon.”

The older man’s eyes soften. “I’m so sorry to hear that. It appears our estranged relationship will go on unmended.” His eyes travel past me and his gaze sharpens. “I see you brought someone. This is your boss, then?”

I step aside and gesture to my colleague. “This is Thomas-”

“Thomas Shelby, of Shelby Company Limited,” Uncle Colon asserts, staring him square on. “Anyone who’s anyone here knows about you.”

Thomas stays quiet the whole time, not showing too much gruffness but not exactly appearing overly friendly either. He never moves his eyes away from my uncle.

“He’s the one who’s requested an audience with you,” I remind him.

Uncle Colon nods, staring at Thomas, and goes to pull a tarp over his project. “Alright, then. This banjaxed car can wait a moment or two. Go on in, Verena. Help yourself to a drink.”

Don’t mind if I do. I nudge Dílis forward and walk back out into the damp pasture towards the house’s warm glow. My end of today’s job is done. It’s up to Thomas now to strike an understanding with my own familie.

General POV

The rugged Irishman leads Thomas into another room in the barn. This one appears less dirty and more for business purposes. How can Thomas tell? Because of the waiting cases of empty whiskey bottles. Somewhere in here is Edmund Colon’s own small distillery. Thomas should respect it as if it were his own.

So this is the man who’s always stood behind Verena. The connection to the White Hand. At a glance Thomas thinks he could pass for any other Irishman. A few inches taller than he is, calculating hazel eyes, and a worn face with a faint beard matching the salt and pepper hair tucked under his flat cap. No dapper suit or accessories. His clothing consists of simple muck boots, work trousers, suspenders, undershirt and coat. One could say he appears as a wise friend.

This Mr. Colon is part of Verena’s family, there’s no doubt about it. She shares his bluntness and sense of tradition. If only Thomas wasn’t equally blunt when he paid her. His words are coming back to haunt him. Now he’s whoring away his shame to her while she earns the paycheck.

“Four years ago you got a taste of American cars,” Colon gloats as he pours them each a drink. “Did you enjoy our gift?”

“Yes. The Hudson still works splendidly. It’s one of my brother’s favorites.” They each take a seat on some barrels and Thomas looks up again. “Mr. Solomons is alive and well, Mr. Colon. Verena doesn’t know.”

Colon takes a deep breath and swirls the whiskey in his cup. “Sometimes a dead man is a free man in this world. Give him my regards, if you wouldn’t mind.” He gets a distant look and states: “I love my country, Mr. Shelby. Ireland is a true beauty. But you English always look at us the wrong way.” His hazel eyes flash up to inspect Thomas. “You Peaky Blinders certainly have made a name for yourselves.”

“If you know who we are-” The Brummie gangster starts to explain.

“Mr. Shelby, I don’t care if you’re Gypsy, Catholic, or Jewish. The only reason you’re still breathing is because my informants keep me updated on one of your employees.” Colon points in the direction he just sent Verena and then points to himself. “My niece. Right out there. She trusts you. That got me thinking. You are not members of the Crown, nor am I a member of the IRA. We are simply two men trying to do business for the good of our families. So let us have it remain that way.”

Thomas replays his words and it clicks that now he’s getting somewhere. Just like Verena, any of Colon’s decisions are going to be based on family. 

“My cousin informed me of some men passing through Belfast,” Thomas expresses, taking a drink of the familiar whiskey. “Those one’s called Billy Boys.”

Colon lightly pounds the wall. “Them damn Billy Boys. Thinking they can walk through my streets all high and grand. What trouble did they give you, eh?”

“They’re trying to snuff us out.”

The Irishman lets out a laugh and raises his glass. “Join the club. How’s about we make a deal? I keep away any more mishaps from affecting your trade routes through Belfast, and you kill Jimmy McCavern.”

This man works fast. Thomas can already tell he’s read his character but the question is why is Colon already so accepting? Is it because of Verena’s trust in him?

“That isn’t a fair trade, Mr. Colon. We both want him dead.”

“Aye. But it gives you better motivation. You deal with him and it will prove to me if I should help you. Prove to me that the Shelbys are all they're made out to be.” Colon polishes off the rest of his liquor. “Oh, a fair warning. We do not control the Titanic folk, Mr. Shelby. We keep to ourselves. If they cause trouble it will not be the White Hand’s problem.”

“Very well.”

Thomas takes that as his que of dismissal and stands up, dusting off his jacket. He nearly reaches the end of the room when Mr. Colon speaks again.

“One final thought, Mr. Shelby.” Thomas hears his boots creak closer and closer until Colon puts a firm hand on his shoulder. “You know, when I married my dear Eleanor I thought the guns and fights would leave us alone. But you can’t have both, Thomas Shelby. One or the other, they cannot coexist. From what I’ve been told you found this out the hard way. Your first wife-”

Thomas flinches. “Do not bring my late wife into this.”

“The Hell I will,” Colon growls. “You’re a chaser. This is the life you made for yourself, Shelby. Do not drag my niece into it too. No bullet will be carved with her name.”

The Brummie swallows. “Verena chose to-”

“Malarkey! First you make her think she owes you. Then she falls in love with you.” Colon holds up his wrist with the tattoo. “I am a religious man, Mr. Shelby. But if you break her heart… Another dead man is no skin off my nose. Have I made myself clear?”

His other hand reaches for a pistol under his jacket, never breaking eye contact, and Thomas knows exactly what he’s thinking. It’s the same process he goes through when scum politicians and aristocrats turn their noses up at his own family. He never wanted to cause Verena pain. It just… fell out of place. But there is no denying now that he will do what it takes to support her family. 

Thomas holds out a hand and the two men shake. “Very.”

Verena’s POV

It’s sad to see how the house has gotten so cluttered. Instead of a mobster’s home it looks like a hunting cabin. I remember when I was younger it was always spotless, with fresh flowers placed around during springtime. Aunt Eleanor’s touch has since been fading away. Part of this reminds me of Vinegar Hill back home. More Celtic crosses, a faded Bible placed on the mantel, and some of vader’s gifted delft pottery. 

Dílis has taken the liberty to lay in front of the warm fireplace. I set down my glass and look up at the ticking grandfather clock. It’s been an hour. How long are they going to talk? Is Thomas really so stubborn to ignore what offer Uncle Colon might have? If he knows anything about the men who killed Bonnie then he should not hesitate. 

I think back to Michael’s words. This is by far the time to not hesitate. Now is the time for action, to show that Thomas is no spent force. Franz was right. Trouble is brewing and I am not going to let myself be caught in it.

Creak.

The back door swings open and Uncle Colon steps in, stomping the mud off his boots. 

“I left your boss outside to wait.” He points to where he just came from. “Verena. That man. He is just as I’ve been told. Stubborn, scheming, arrogant. Yet you still give yourself to him.”

My jaw drops. “I do not-”

“I’m not talking about virginity. I’m talking about time. For over ten years you’ve served this man. And for what?” He taps the side of his head. “That’s the question you need to answer, Verena.”

If I didn’t know better I’d say his lecture is tinged with pity. Lord knows I’m one of the oddballs in my familie as far as courtship goes but I think I’ve done enough mental bashing to myself by now. Of all people I’d hoped Uncle Colon might understand my position.

“I know.”

My uncle takes my hand as if to say he means no harm. “You’re a wise lass. I know you will do as God guides you. But make sure you remember to value your time, Verena. As your Aunt Eleanor would say, time’s as precious as endless fortunes of gold.”

I respond with a bittersweet smile. “Yes. I understand.”

“Good. ‘S been good to see you, lass.” He smiles down at my dog, who’s now up and alert. “You take care of her now, Dílis. Eh?” 

He leans in for a hug goodbye and I lead Dílis back to the door. Thomas is already waiting in the car. 

“Visit your crazy uncle more often, eh? Slán.”

His Irish phrase brings a smile to my face and I wave goodbye before climbing into the car next to Thomas and Dílis.

“Tot ziens, Uncle Colon. Thanks a million.”

The driver revs the engine and begins driving down the muddy road. As the cottage gets further and further behind us Thomas makes no move to speak. Did Uncle Colon have news for him? Did they accomplish anything?

“What did you think of my uncle?” I outright ask in a laid-back tone. “He’s nice, isn’t he?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Thomas pauses, still staring ahead. “You’ve said family is everything to you… Never thought it was this deep.”

“What do you think I first thought when I first saw how your familie runs itself?”

@sherbitdibdab @meadows5

[tanadrin]

o tanadrin, normal politics understander, i'm an american with a german mother (finally applied for my first german passport last month but i'm told processing times are around 3mo, hoping it gets through alright because I would really love to have an EU passport right about now). i'm not a doomer, the current state of affairs enrages me and makes me want to act more than wallow, but by god it's getting really bleak out here. is there any barometer you would look to for a time-to-flee-the-country alert? besides the presidential statement that anyone can and will be sent to a death camp in el salvadore on a whim

you do not need my permission or anyone else's to move countries if you want to (aside from the relevant immigration authorities i mean. you definitely need their permission). if you've got an easy route to an EU passport your main obstacles are just gonna be the usual things that are impediments to moving like how much it costs and finding a job and maybe the language a bit if you're not fluent (and especially if you move to a city without a big anglophone immigrant community).

i have no special insights here about what you "should" do. i come from a long line of people on both sides of my family who for the last several centuries have had the habit of fucking off to new places whenever the fancy took them, and am in general in favor of people spending at least a little time living overseas if they can bc it's an interesting and character-building experience. i will say you should be clear-eyed about the difficulties. money, jobs, language. also just the alienating effect moving to a new place where you don't know anybody can have. but you gotta weigh that against your personal feelings about staying put, how safe you feel, and your ability to maintain your current standard of living where you are.

[darkeagleruins]

From David Thomsen:

An Open Letter to Leftists: On July 13, 2024 things CHANGED. For too long you have mistaken our TOLERANCE for weakness and it emboldened you. That TIME has come to an END. Things are going to happen FAST now and you will find yourself wondering HOW you got here. So, here’s how.

You called us RACISTS while we were standing together as WHITE, BLACK, & BROWN Americans. You overwhelmed us with images of races unable to COEXIST. Then came DEI, reparations, & constant ATTACKS for even the smallest perceived slight. You needed us DIVIDED, which was the GOAL.

We supported GAY marriage and didn’t notice the TQIA’s at first. Then you went after OUR KIDS, openly flaunted your sexuality, & made PRONOUNS a weapon. You had men competing in WOMEN’s sports and invading their private spaces. And again you demonized those that DARE push back.

We got behind “ME TOO”, not knowing the intent. The slightest accusation became grounds for MOB RULE. You cancelled and shamed. You made being a MAN the problem. Toxic MASCULINITY was the phrase of the day. So we watched you TEACH AND RAISE a generation of SOFT, feckless boys.

WE’RE ALL immigrants and our ancestors did it RIGHT. They learned English, got JOBS, and assimilated into the culture in order to be a part of this GREAT NATION. Then you allowed an INVASION, gave them handouts, and let them do as they LIKE. Hell, you even wanted them to VOTE.

You changed the NAMES of mountains, and buildings, and teams to ERASE our history. You took the pledge out of schools, knelt during the anthem, and burned our FLAG!! And did it while proudly displaying those of OTHER countries and movements. You made PATRIOT a dirty word.

You took away our VOICE. Media STOPPED even talking about OUR side. You PREACHED to us during our shows, on the NEWS and in the theatres. VIRTUE SIGNALING at every turn. And you LIED. Telling us not to BELIEVE what we were seeing with our own EYES. We felt isolated, even CRAZY.

Then HE came along. He was brash, RAW, but grew on US. He wanted to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. He spoke to the helplessness we FELT. You said RUSSIA was his handler. You attacked his CHARACTER, his family. And yet, HE WON. You didn’t let us CELEBRATE though. You said he CHEATED.

So you took to the STREETS. You PROTESTED, and BURNT, and THREATENED, and ATTACKED. Our fascist response was to remain SILENT. We heard every single day that, ORANGE MAN bad. The economy was STRONG, the world was SAFE, and the WALL was going up. You couldn’t let that STAND.

Then came your VIRUS. You locked us in OUR HOMES, hurt our businesses, stole moments from our CHILDREN they won’t ever get back. Keeping us separated became LAW. You killed our ELDERLY and VULNERABLE. Then you FORCED us to inject a CURE. If we refused, you SHAMED and fired us.

You LIED some more. A lot more. You covered up LAPTOPS, mobilized your ARMY of celebs, and smeared the man’s RECORD and reputation. Worse yet, you CHEATED. At least you told us the BLUE WAVE was coming. We didn’t expect it to happen while we were SLEEPING. You STOLE an election.

The best of US finally stood & took to the STREETS. You provoked us and let us walk into that BUILDING. You killed a woman and PROSECUTED the rest. You locked us up. You CENSORED us. Made sure we couldn’t RISE. You weaponized LAW and laughed as YOU DID IT. You thought you’d WON.

We sat and watched you destroy our COUNTRY. You defunded our POLICE, allowing crime to run RAMPANT. You spent to the point we couldn’t AFFORD to live. You abandoned BASES, and EMBASSIES, and allies. You made us WEAK. Then OTHERS began to awake. So you became DESPERATE, more vile.

You convicted him of CRIMES he didn’t commit on CHARGES you didn’t define. You tried to take his FORTUNE. Your leaders called him a THREAT and a fascist. You called him HITLER. And you DEMONIZED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. We lost friends and FAMILY. MSM spent everyday on our EVIL.

Then SHOTS rang out. YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM. But the man ROSE. He lifted his FIST in the air and told us to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT. This selfish, HATEFUL, ugly man nearly gave all to save a COUNTRY he LOVES. And we’d been afraid to wear a RED HAT? Our eyes teared with ANGER, respect.

He withstood all you could MUSTER. And in doing so, he EMPOWERED us. And so now you see, the REAL men and REAL women are coming to take our COUNTRY back. We won’t be SILENCED, we can’t be STOPPED. You will watch as every ounce of POWER you once held is returned to the PEOPLE.

We will restore LAW AND ORDER and ILLEGALS will be shown the door. WE will retake our SCHOOLS, our cities, and our STATES. The minority will NO LONGER dictate to a once silent MAJORITY. We the PEOPLE of the United States of America LOVE this man and country. We will and are MAGA!

[shivadh]

It's not really in the spirit of the lighthearted romance genre, but every so often I want to write a story in the Shivadhverse that's about one of the kings passing on to the next king the weird covert stuff you occasionally just have to do as a working politician. Canonically, though I haven't put it in the books anywhere, Fons-Askaz was a neutral ground where Meetings That Never Happened could take place during the cold war, but I also step very carefully around that kind of thing because "A Jewish politician secretly mediating a peace treaty" can spill over into "Secretly Jews run the world" very, very quickly.

But I was listening to a podcast about Nicolae Ceaușescu this morning and it was talking about how basically, he ransomed Romania's Jewish population for spending cash -- if Romanian Jews wanted to immigrate out of the country there was a visa fee, which Ceaușescu then took and used on shopping sprees outside of Romania, a cash-low socialist country at the time. There is a reason the podcast about him is called Behind The Bastards.

Most of the Jews leaving Romania were heading to Israel, which paid the fees to get them out. Still, I can't shake the idea of Jason introducing Michaelis to the more dangerous side of the job by taking him, around age 15 or 16, to a nighttime meeting at the country's one tiny airstrip (purportedly abandoned since WWII) to greet a small aircraft with a handful of undocumented Jewish-Romanian immigrants on board, to welcome them to Askazer-Shivadlakia and give them their new papers as citizens.

"We can't pay the fees, but we can get a few out at a time, illegally. Generally small aircraft flown by volunteer pilots. You asked about the budget line-item for keeping up the old airstrip, and this is why."

"How often do you do this?"

"A few times a year. Sometimes they're only passing through, but they still need papers. Most stay -- there are farmers in dairy country that take them in, until they can get on their feet."

"But you don't have to meet the plane yourself. You could sign the papers and have someone else deliver them, if you wanted."

"I could, but I want to meet them. I want them to know I'm here, that the man holding the highest office in the country cares about their safety. Someday you may have to pass this on to whoever follows you as king. It's important that you pass on the values, not just the actions. So we go and look them in the eye as we give them their new life."

On the one hand, the good thing is that Gregory was born after Ceaușescu fell from power, so this particular tradition doesn't have to be passed on. But I would imagine Askazer-Shivadlakia might still have need of a small covert immigration program of some kind, and sooner or later Gregory's going to have to take Joan with him and teach her that the king goes and looks his new citizens in the eye as he gives them their identity papers.

[androgynousblackbox]

OKAY, so I haven't actually finished the book yet so maybe my opinion on this will change, but I honestly feel like the gringo booktubers I watch all have no idea of what to do with Tender Is The Flesh and are fundamentally wrong about it? Like, saw someone trying to say "this book tries to criticize the food we eat rather than the industry", which sounds like absolute fucking bullshit to me because a BIG portion of the fucking book is all about how the industry is treating "the meat" like fucking dogshit and how the characters themselves, the ones who work inside of the industry, are disgusted whenever anyone even attempts to say there is something good about it. There is this constant cognitive dissonance where the characters know what they are doing is inhumane and awful, that they are treating "the meat" horrible, but it's their job, what are they going to do, and at the same time they feel it crosses a line whenever someone call "the meat" human or are even beyond inhumane when someone says the meat "have a good life" because they get treated as studs. Also, like in general, I feel all of them miss the part about this author being argentine and thus how that colors their vision of how the industry works. The biggest industry in all of the argentina, the one that gave us any kind of possibility to survive in this world, was the meat industry, we actually fucking need it because we have nothing else to offer, and yet, all the powerful people who are involved with the meat industry in this work are all foreigners: a japanese man who collects skin of people and threatens his employees with skinning them alive, a gringo, that is literally called gringo, and a german man who is to utterly dettached that has no issue calling "the meat" human and also make inhumane comments about them. At that point is very obvious to me that this isn't about just criticizing an industry, but criticizing a system to whome the industries are merely a reflection of. It's not about the world, it's about a country being so set on their old ways and traditions that are literally willing to eat each other if it means having a foot in the outside world. Because otherwise we have fucking nothing. And this ALREADY fuck us over in the real world. The protagonist is literally the representation of that! He literally asks himself why he keeps working on this shit if it makes him miserable? Because he is the best at it, because he gets paid and he needs the money. CAPITALISM ALL THE WAY DOWN, BABY. Like, the meat food industry is bad, but also think about why they are bad and why the powerful people want it to be bad in the first place. Like, the books says that indigenous, immigrants and other POCs are the first humans to being eaten. The poor and elderly. Why do you all think that is?? Like, I just generally do not understand how you can read that and come out thinking "this person just wants me to be vegan and I don't like that"/"this person doesn't criticize the food industry", like I am a very fucking firm believer that vegans who spend every breath trying to make you vegan are shit and just eat whatever, but even I got that it was meant as something else than that. And how people keep saying that the ending "comes out of nowhere" when it's literally foreshadowed at the beggining at the book while doing the world building? Were you even paying attention at all at that point? Like, I literally saw someone being "I think this book overstimates how much it would take for the world to be okay with cannibalism", like THAT IS NOT THE POINT. The point is not to write "how it's a world where human meat is mandatory", but rather explore the idea in which the way we ALREADY eat each other gets taken to it's extreme. LITERALLY WHAT ALL DISTOPIA FICTION DOES?? Anyway, again, I might change my mind when I finish the work myself, but even by reading the start myself and knowing a bit about the background of this author, I just do not get any of these reviews at all.

[technofeudalism]

when the party of drone striking hospitals starts shedding crocodile tears today as our neighbors wait in fear of potentially being thrown in the back of an ICE van, remember that this was the Democratic nominee for president's answer on October 23rd, 2024 in response to the following question:

Q: "Regarding the rapid increase in the migrant population how will you ensure that every immigrant is integrated into American society safely what benefits and subsidies will you provide them with and how long will these benefits and subsidies last for an individual most importantly will the American citizens taxes pay for these benefits and subsidies and if so how much money how much money will be allocated?"

HARRIS: Well, thank you, Jaxon. Let's start with this. America's immigration system is broken and it needs to be fixed. And it's been broken for a long time. And part of what we need to do is always prioritize what we need to do to strengthen our border. I will tell you, I'm the only person in this race among the two choices that voters have, I've personally prosecuted transnational criminal organizations in the trafficking of guns, drugs, and human beings. I have spent a significant part of my career making sure that our border is secure and that we do not allow criminals in, and we don't allow that kind of trafficking to happen and come into our country. And as the -- as my opponent has proven himself, he would prefer to run on the problem, instead of fix the problem. You may know there were some of the most conservative members of the United States Congress working with others that came up with a border security bill that would have put 1,500 more border agents at the border. Those border agents are overwhelmed. They need the support. They need the backup. It would have allowed us to have more resources to stem the flow of fentanyl. I don't need to tell this state and people around the country what is happening in terms of the scourge of fentanyl and how it is literally killing Americans. It would have put resources into stemming the flow. It would have given more resources to prosecute -- to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal organizations. It would have done a lot of good. Donald Trump got wind of the bill and told them, don't put it forward. He killed the bill because he preferred to run on a problem, instead of fixing a problem. We have to have a secure border and we have to have a comprehensive pathway for citizenship.

wow. what a magic job of humanizing immigrants. i can't believe that this didn't do anything to change the minds of millions of people who have been convinced that immigrants are flooding the country with fentanyl and human trafficking and guns. i mean sure, she didn't mention the fact that immigrants commit less crime per capita than US citizens. and yes, she didn't mention how there is basically only one gun store in the entire country of Mexico where you can legally buy one or that they literally get all of their guns from US trafficking at the rate of 80,000 per year. but what a great defense otherwise!

at least we have one thing: Trump wants to build the wall! Democrats are against that! Kamala should be able to capitalize on that, right? let's see what she said about that:

COOPER: Well, let's talk about this compromise bill you -- that you want to pass if you're elected. You said that's going to be a priority. It includes $650 million in funding for the border wall. That's something Republicans wanted. That was part of the compromise. Under Donald Trump, you criticized the wall more than 50 times. You called it stupid, useless, and a medieval vanity project. Is a border wall stupid? HARRIS: Well, let's talk about Donald Trump and that border wall. HARRIS: So, remember, Donald Trump said Mexico would pay for it? Come on. They didn't. How much of that wall did he build? I think the last number I saw was about 2 percent. And then when it came time for him to do a photo-op, you know where he did it? In the part of the wall that President Obama built. So, come on. COOPER: But you're agreeing to a bill that would earmark $650 million to continue building that wall. HARRIS: We -- I pledge that I am going to bring forward that bipartisan bill to further strengthen and secure our border. Yes, I am. And I'm going to work across the aisle to pass a comprehensive bill that deals with a broken immigration system. I think Jackson's question, part of it was to acknowledge that America has always had migration, but there needs to be a legal process for it. People have to earn it. And that's the point that I think is the most important point that can be made, which is we need a president who is grounded in common sense and practical outcomes. Like let's just fix this thing. Let's just fix it. Why is there any ideological perspective on it? Let's just fix the problem. COOPER: To fix the problem, you're doing this compromise bill. It does call for $650 million that was earmarked under Trump to actually still go to build the wall. HARRIS: I'm not afraid of good ideas where they occur, Anderson. COOPER: You heard me say, you don't think it's stupid anymore? HARRIS: I think what he did and how he did it did -- was did not make much sense because he actually didn't do much of anything. I just talked about that wall, right? We just talked about it. He didn't actually do much of anything. COOPER: But you do want to build some wall? HARRIS: I want to strengthen our border.

everyone on this website will scream and scream about Trump being a Nazi and how he is evil incarnate. well. the person you said would be best to fight off fascism failed to even raise her fist. she didn't dispel any xenophobic notions, she embraced them for her own potential personal gain. just like Democrats do every single time.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #539

I woke up to more terrible news this morning. Apparently, the Marines are being deployed to suppress the protests in Los Angeles, California. As far as I know, they're the strongest branch of the armed forces that my country can bring to bear. It seems absolutely ridiculous and cartoonishly evil to deploy those against mostly unarmed people who just... don't want innocent people from immigrant communities to be rounded up and sent to the torture prison in El Salvador. But... that's what's happening.

And... there's not a whole lot I can do about it, so... yeah. Today was very much not off to a great start. So J suggested we take a walk. I'm sad to report to you that I was in such a foul state that it didn't even occur to me to get pictures for you. I'm really sorry about that. When we got back, I had some more of the leftover burgers from our adventures when Atr visited our house. That was pretty good, I guess. But it still doesn't quell the horrifying sense of dread I feel in the pit of my stomach.

I must have slept better than usual last night, or hydrated better than usual, or... maybe even a bit of both, though. Because, for a little bit, I felt motivated to break out the supplies to weave a wire tree. This one will be silver on amethyst. For the friend who sent me that lovely letter:

...I only wove together 3 of the 27 strands I needed, though, before my right wrist started to hurt. I think I messed it up trying to type on my laptop while the keyboard was inclined forward towards me. So I figured I should probably avoid pushing it and stop. Still, I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out:

...I'll try to weave more tomorrow. We'll see how I feel. EDS is hard because like... everything doesn't work quite right. My tendons and cartilage and stuff are a little fragile. And it's gonna get worse as I get older. Lame.

Well. I'm not “older” yet. So... let's keep trying to hang in there for now, okay?

I decided the thing to do was breathe life into a couple more wishes for you. So that's what I did:

And then after that, it was time for me to run today's errands. I had to go get my new Invisalign sets, and I had to go get my medicine from the pharmacy. I have one that stops my blood pressure from causing problems. And another that stops my stomach from digesting itself like a very confused weirdo. The real issue is that my esophageal sphincter is made of – you guessed it – connective tissue! So... like everything else, it's all loosey-goosey and... it doesn't quite do the job of keeping my stomach acid where it belongs, so without the medicine, it'll creep up into my esophagus instead.

...Laaaaaaaame.

Well. It is what it is. So we make the best of what we have, and try to solve problems as they arise. What else can we do?

M was having a hard time at work, so at the pharmacy, I picked him up a couple small packets of peanut butter M&Ms. He seemed to really appreciate that. I got J a Twix and a Snickers; he requested one or the other, but... I got him both. Because why the fuck not.

When I got home, I decided to take pictures of the new set of Invisaligns, compared to my initial set. Here's the upper jaw:

...And the lower jaw:

This set is not moving my teeth. But it fits a lot better than the previous set. I don't have weird gaps between the aligners and my teeth anymore, so that's pretty rad. They still want me to wear it for 10 days. And they want me to wear rubber bands only at night from now on. Weird. But I won't complain about it; I don't really like discarding the used rubber bands.

It rained shortly after I got home. It rained a LOT. And it was warm. And once again... I could not resist going outside and running around. I guess J went outside sometime after I started, in order to grab up video of me; I didn't notice at first because I can't see very well when my glasses are off. But. Well. Here:

...You'll have to excuse the blacked-out bits at the beginning; I have to protect things like addresses and license plate numbers because the internet is a weird and dangerous place. But... aside from that... I hope you had fun, imagining what it might be like for you to play in the rain, too.

...I hope you'll join me someday. Won't you...?

I took a shower after I got in. I had a nice time, but... I didn't wanna keep being covered in dirty water and bits of plants. And so now I'm in my pajamas. I got hungry afterwards, so I decided to get sushi. Wanna share...?

I spent the time between then and now fixing up the video that J got, and... writing today's letter to you.

The funk seems to be banished, at least for the time being. Maybe I also just... needed to move a little more briskly than what a walk can offer. I dunno.

J and I will watch M play Deltarune pretty soon. So I guess I'll end today's letter here to go do that. It's going on 9pm here anyways, and I've got more errands tomorrow, too; I wanna go to bed on time and make sure I'm alert for them.

...I wish you could have played in the rain with me today...

…

I love you. Do you know it? Is it enough to prompt you to make choices that will keep yourself safe? Is it enough to prompt you to return back home to the people who love you? Is it enough to move you to love yourself, even if only just a little...?

Try really hard out there to make good choices, okay, Sephiroth...?

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[poorrichardjr]

Conspiracies Abound

If you ever spend any time around MAGA individuals you will quickly run into at least three different conspiracy theories before the first twenty minutes of conversation, and even more if you start speaking about politics. The country is doing terribly because of a loss of God, satanic democrats drinking the blood of raped babies they murdered just after they were born, or because of the Illuminati, deep state, or UN. Pick your poison and a MAGA has a conspiracy theory that explains everything. Covid was a Chinese hoax designed to get Biden elected. There is no limit to their madness.

No offense to any of these people. I understand the need to explain things that seem "unusual." The thing is, almost none of these people understand Occam's Razor, which states that the simplest explanation for any situation is often correct. America sucks because we elect bad leaders and don't take the time or effort to do the work to determine who really would be a better politician for us. Instead we descend into tribalism that has determined our entire view of the world.

The thing is, conspiracy theories have a place. It just depends upon why you are using them. Believe it or not, but conspiracy theories can be used to make yourself more aware of things that you should be paying attention to. If a conspiracy theory makes you suspicious of the election process, you "could" spend more time learning about it and trying to understand it. We know that almost never happens, but it is always a way to combat the craziness of some more outlandish conspiracy theories.

Another plus of conspiratorial thinking, not necessarily the theory spinning so popular in America today, is to posit future possibilities. Depending upon how far you take it the "theories" become more and more conspiratorial. However, there is a good reason to sometimes spin these yarns, especially when it comes to dictatorially minded politicians. I am not saying you should take all of these theories so seriously that you see the possibilities of the thinking everywhere, but it can make you aware of situations that are definitely questionable at best.

For instance here is a conspiracy theory to be aware of, simply because it has happened in history and considering our current situation could be a factor in our future. Complain all you want about how many people are drawing parallels between Hitlerian Germany and modern America, but any historian worth their salt will tell you there are many similarities. Hitler complained about Jews and undesirables, Trump complains about immigrants and undesirables. Each divided the people of their nations. Each came to power through election where they did not receive the plurality of the vote.

Here are some similarities that haven't yet come to pass. Hitler placed people into positions of power who had no experience in those jobs but who had a lot of disdain for the functions of those departments. Trump is nominating people to lead departments who fit that mold, though the Senate "might" keep them from those positions (though I doubt it). Hitler deported people, made life so uncomfortable that many "undesirables" left, and eventually put people into camps. We know how that ended. Trump is promising mass deportations for legal and illegal immigrants, removal of citizenship, and massive camps. We can go on, but you get the picture.

So, here is where I will give you a conspiracy theory to ponder. Hitler had power when he got his Chancellorship, but that wasn't enough. Similar to how Trump being president isn't quite enough to turn him into a dictator. What really gave Hitler power was the moment he was able to remove his oppositions ability to interfere with his plans. Enter the Reichstag fire, the pretext the Nazi's used to seize total power and jail and make illegal opposition parties.

Yesterday all I heard from some people was that the people Trump was nominating for power were being targeted with bombings and swatting threats. I expect tons of protests when Trump takes office, especially if he gets his way and starts deploying the military and police to go through cities. Here is where the conspiracy comes into play. Some event is going to happen in the future that causes the right wing talking heads to demand Trump crack down on the opposition. Whether that is the death of a possible head (even if it isn't caused by liberals or immigrants) or a riot by the "liberals."

Where that goes is anybody's guess, but if history repeats itself it will be the fundamental issue that gives Trump the power he needs and craves to do everything he wants. As I said, it is a conspiracy theory, but one based in some semblance of reality. As reactionary as our republican "friends" are, I wouldn't put it too far past them to try something like this. Care to take bets now?