#and i don't think we're going to have the funds to do literally anything ever again

[dickvinci]

i used to be really good at like. gritting my teeth and doing shit i didn't want to do because i had to and it's just. getting harder and harder and harder.

[unknownati]

xi. christmas!

a/n: guys part of this was supposed to be the PROLOGUE to a 12 part sfw and nsfw winter/christmas themed drabbles (mini fics?) but i got too busy 💀 literally had 4 days left to write but then the 12th went by and i was like... damn

its ok tho i might upload the finished days just as separate fics

while we're here why does nle choppa have a christmas song

warnings/tags: none rlly, just fluff, SO corny, SO sappy, no use of y/n, no description of reader's features, gn!reader, decorating w/ ekko 🎉, reader is a THIEF, pre-arcane plotline (choosing happiness)

_______________________________________________

christmas in zaun was nothing close to ideal. it was never if people celebrated, but more if they could afford it, which most of the time was a no. unless people had kids, they weren't going out of their way to make it a whole thing. not only that, but people didn't really care for it, anyway. they had other things to do. sure, maybe you'd see some extra lights around, or maybe a few lopsided wreaths hanging on a weathered door, but it was always the bare minimum.

but ever since you snuck into piltover as a kid right at the tail end of december, your world was absolutely rocked by the blinding lights and stars and bows and garlands and wreaths and the huge tree sitting smack dab in the middle of the city, illuminating the night sky.

after that, you were obsessed with the idea of christmas. you never had the funds, nor the time, nor the energy, nor enough friends or family to make anything happen all by yourself. but the dream stuck to you.

and then came ekko, and with him, a chance. a huge tree? with an abundance of people living there? it gave you the best idea.

*✲ﾟ*｡⋆

cool november air was giving way to the first hints of winter, the sharp bite of cold nipping at the cheeks of zaunites. warm colored leaves were shriveling into themselves and trembling down onto the concrete, scattering through the town. settled in uneven piles, nestled in corners, where the wind could push them no further. christmas has long began to be advertised in piltover, and your excitement was uncontrollable.

quiet as a mouse, you slipped into ekko's work room. he's sat on his stool, elbows rested on the table with his figure shadowing over his work. your fingers glide across his biceps, chin resting against his right shoulder.

"hey handsome," you chirped, working your digits over the curves of his muscles. your lips curled into a grin you were incapable of withholding. "y'got a minute?"

"for you, always." he turned, hands hoisting the weight of his upper body on his knees. his eyes softened upon looking at you. "what's up?"

you slid on his lap, feet swinging back and forth, pendulum like. "soooo," you begin, leaning back on his shoulder. "i'm sure you know what christmas is."

"yeah, why? want me to get you something?" his fingers twisted at the hem of your sweater. you shake your head—not the goal right now.

"no. well, yes, but not what i'm asking you for right now," ekko's head tilts in response. your voice dropped into a playful yet unsure murmur. "iiiiii wanted to know if you'd maaaybe be willing to decorate the base and celebrate it this year?"

his thoughts stutter, and then he laughed. "baby, you know i'd love to, but i can't. don't have the time or the money."

a pout formed on your face, lips jutting out. "we don't have to spend money, we can use what we have lying around! and i have some extra money on the side. we're not flat broke."

"doesn't solve the whole time thing."

"oookay, make time. we'll have the kids help, too! you won't even have to do much, like—seriously, think about it. we don't even need to get a tree because the firelight tree, duh. we can use big cardboard boxes to look like fake presents, we can steal lights 'n' other stuff from the pilties—"

you rambled on, every idea you've ever had since childhood resurfacing and bubbling out of you in an unstoppable torrent. each thought, each plan, all of it spilled out, an overflowing pot.

"hey, hey—" he interrupted, thumb stroking your thigh. "listen, those ideas are great. but we can't. and you have got to stop stealing from topside."

your smile faltered. "but why!? think about the kids, think about me!" ekko hesitates to speak, eyes darting around the room as your face transitions into a pleading pout. "please? pretty please? i'll do the dishes for a month?"

"fuck," your eyes filled with stars. ekko groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "fine! fine, jeez."

the squeal that exited you entered directly into his ears, lips pressing kisses into his face in rapid succession.

"thankyouthankyouthankyou!!! oh my god, it'll be great, we can have the kids make little snowflakes, we could have a little fucking wish box to get gifts for some of the kids—" you gasped loudly upon a realization, planting your hands onto his shoulders. "—you can be santa!!!"

he scoffs, brushing a loc of white hair out of his face. "don't push your luck."

you sigh in mock defeat. "fine, hiemerdinger's got that. i'll take what i can get."

"isn't he kinda short for santa?"

you shake your head. "don't height shame."

*✲ﾟ*｡⋆

ekko rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, a small groan rumbling in his throat as he reached over on the bed to find you.

empty.

his head flipped. you've left a now cool dent in the bed in your wake, blanket left in a wild mess.

he frowned, sitting up and looking around. you're nowhere to be found.

maybe you got up to use the bathroom, he thinks, standing up to search the place for you.

the second his feet hit the floor, his brows furrow.

'...glitter?'

his gaze lifts, and his eyes widen as they follow the specks of glitter scattered across the floor, which caught the faint morning light that bled through the curtains.

he followed the trail, small drops of glitter turning into discarded cardboard scraps, which turned into unfinished rolls of ribbon, which lead him to his workroom, where the door was slightly ajar.

he slowly pushed the door open, finding you hunched over a box that you were decorating to look like presents. you tilt your head up to look at him, a smile spreading ear to ear.

"w'ssup?"

he glanced at the small clock on his desk. "it's...five in the morning, why are you up so early?"

you gestured towards the pile of finished boxes in the corner. "working!" the sound of tape ripping off of the roll fills the air as you took a strip, taping the box shut. "i already collected a bunch of paper for the kids to make snowflakes, borrowed some lights 'nd garlands from topside, aaand i'm almost done making all these boxes."

a lot done considering you had had that conversation just the night before.

ekko crouched down to your level, eyes meeting yours. "but...you're gonna clean all this up, right?"

silence.

"right?" he repeated.

your eyes narrowed. "yes?"

"why is that a question?"

you scoff, pressing an empty roll of wrapping paper into his chest. "why are you asking me so many of 'em? get to work. and i need you to use your hover board to fly around and get those lights up," you nod towards a pile of lights on his desk without looking away from your box. he opened his mouth to reply, but you cut him off. "thank you!"

he rolled his eyes and stood, tossing the wrapping paper roll into the recycling bin.

at a more appropriate time in the day, you stood at the top of the firelight tree after capturing everyone's attention. public speaking wasn't exactly your thing, but ekko insisted you do it since everything was your idea.

you cleared your throat as the crowd settled into silence, all eyes on you. you shifted your weight onto your other leg.

"um—wow, okay, hi guys. so, i'm sure you've all...heard of christmas. and i know it's usually kinda lame, but truuust me, this year i'm gonna make sure it's—" you gather your fingers, kissing the tips of them and flaring your hand out. "—chef's kiss."

eyes leave you to glance at other's reactions, the silence lifted by an excited murmur.

"yeah, but i'm gonna need help. i have a bunch of paper that i need to be made into snowflakes, so that by the end of the day this place can look better than it already does."

you shifted their focus to scar, who carried a large bin of scissors, string, and paper of various colors. (earlier, scar questioned how you got all these supplies. you just smiled at him.)

after a quick tutorial, children started racing to gather around him, picking their colors and scissors. within a few minutes, the kids were gathered in groups on the floor, cutting out their best attempts at snowflakes.

pride swelled in your chest and you looked up into the bulk of the tree's leaves, ekko's form flying around in circles with lights being strung along behind him. with fists on your hips, you beam. "i'm amazing," you praise, making your way back inside.

everything came together surprisingly quick. ekko had never seen you that focused—hanging up lights, making paper bows to place at the points where lights held, and placing those big fake presents around the tree. of course, other people helped too, which made the work lighter.

you mostly left the mural alone, only placing a few extra candles and waving to the colorful portraits.

by the time night fell, the project was close to finished. it wasn't perfect, but to you, it was. the entire base was illuminated in warm, white lights, paper snowflakes dangling from the branches and twisting in the wind. the beat in your chest stuttered. it all felt...magical.

*✲ﾟ*｡⋆

over the next few weeks, you kept adding and adding to the scene. and it was all finished just in time for today, christmas eve.

by now, you'd forced ekko into so many christmas activities, some more enjoyable than the others. he thoroughly enjoyed making matching pajamas with you and drinking cocoa that was overflowing with marshmallows���being constantly tricked into mistletoe kisses, not so much. at least, he acted like he hated it. he secretly adored accidentally walking right into your trap of a hidden mistletoe and being attacked by an onslaught of messy kisses.

ekko finds you at the balcony again, glancing out into the scene below. "hm. not bad." he leans against the railing, hips bumping into yours.

"yeah, cuz it's awesome. i did that, thank you."

warm lips meet your cold cheek. "mhm. you did." he paused, tongue running over his molars. "i-um...got you something."

you perked up at his words, head whipping around to face him. "ooh, you just reminded me that i have to finish making your gift, i—"

as you're speaking, he pulls a little box from his coat pocket, black with a messy red bow.

"it's not perfect, but...y'know," his voice trails off. he pops the box open and offers it to you.

inside rested a delicate necklace, light reflecting off of the silver metal and glimmering into your eyes. the chain was thin, the links very neatly melded together, and a little circular locket hanging off the center.

you take the box and reach in, mouth agape in awe, gently pushing the locket open. inside was a tiny picture of the two of you, laying in bed, with you sound asleep on his shoulder. ekko's eyes were shut as he was in the middle of pressing a kiss to your forehead.

you smile down at the picture, warmth flooding your chest. for a long moment, you're just staring at it, ekko awaiting your reaction. your lips press together, your vision starts to blur, and a tear rolls down your face and into the velvet lining of the box. then they just kept streaming down.

ekko's face drops, immediately reaching to wipe your tears. "hey, it's okay, if you don't like it i can get you something else."

you hiccup, shaking your head. "shut up, i love it so much, this is just everything i've ever wanted for my whole life, and it's so stupid but you've literally made this the best christmas i've ever had a-and this necklace is really cute and this was so worth doing the dishes—"

you could've kept going but your joyful sobs cut you off. it was all too much, all the decorations and all the traditions you once wished for finally coming into fruition. ekko's arms wrap around you and you return the gesture, fingers twisting into his coat.

"i'd do it again in a heartbeat." he whispers, moving to peck your wet cheek. once, twice, three times.

"boo," a voice calls below you. "get a room."

*✲ﾟ*｡⋆

[end-otw-racism]

End OTW Racism Link Round-up: Week 2!

Our first (hopefully of many) two-week #EndOTWRacism action is over! Check out our post on next steps and how to stay involved if you haven’t already. 

Just like our first week link round-up, here’s a collection of some of the longer-form discussion/analysis that people shared in week two (we're going with posts on tumblr, dreamwidth, and other sites, as well as twitter threads that are longer than three tweets). These are posts that we think would be helpful to consider as fandom engages in the necessary conversations about these issues.

Note: There has been a plethora of information that’s come out about OTW in the past week, particularly from former and current volunteers, which calls into question the way the organization functions and details the harm they have done to their own volunteers. Much of it does not directly reference our campaign or racism, so we won’t be sharing all of that conversation here, but you can find a round-up of that conversation at the dreamwidth account synonymous.

Tumblr

seepunkrun: I haven’t heard back from the OTW on this yet. In fact, I’m still waiting for a reply to the last letter I sent them on this subject. That’s why I’m glad to see increased transparency included in @end-otw-racism’s list of demands [link]

wondersmith-and-sons: if we're gonna be frank about otw's "anti-racism policies"/hiring of diversity consultants/attempt for social change, i'm gonna say that my good faith in them has run out a while ago and that i genuinely don't think they ever had the intention to follow through on tackling racial abuse, like, ever. [link]

elumish: In response to criticism about EndOTWRacism (part 2): one of the main questions that I see a lot about stuff like this is, how do we write policy to keep there it from backfiring or being used for purges? [link]

princeescaluswords: Activism Isn’t a Raincoat [link]

massharp1971: The right want free speech, but only for themselves [link]

Twitter

tea_deviation: this is even further off topic, but I was doing the math here and it boggles my fucking mind that ao3 is not driving towards being endowment funded? [link]

fiercynonym: i mentioned, as an aside in my thread about how OTW appears to have $2.5 MILLION that they are spending on absolutely nothing, that francesca coppa received a fan studies grant from OTW once, but i want to talk about that specific piece a little more [link]

generalfrings: For all the disingenuous raising of "concerns" at #EndOTWRacism over hypothetical volunteers that would hypothetically handle racists in AO3 (+ the dismissal of the real current harm on poc and black fans), I want to see some response for OTW actually traumatizing real volunteers [link]

_impertinence: #EndOTWRacism the way chinese fans have been sidelined and belittled by the org is so fucking disgusting [link]

hydrochaeris3: ok full disclosure this came about bc i was thinking about why i havent seen people be "pro worker" (or in the otw/ao3's case "pro volunteer") more in response to the endotwracism campaign. bc in most leftist circles ik that ppl would use workers rights arguments to push back on [link]

saathi1013: If it's anything I've learned from contemporary activism it's this: it's never "just" racism. [link]

cyrilapologist: worth considering that end otw racism is also a labor issue [link]

hydrochaeris3: stalking IS bad but i do think it's real funny that so many bnfs are coming out of the woodwork to say smthn about how upsetting it is that this white person got stalked instead of literally anything for #EndOTWRacism for the last two whole weeks [link]

aral_was_here: I'm going to keep the pfp and account name for a bit because I'm feeling pissed about how #EndOTWRacism has been dismissed by so many fans as virtue signaling or as a smokescreen for certain people they see as fandom boogeymen lying in wait to take our porn at a moment's notice. [link]

Dreamwidth

beatrice_otter: Signal boost: "Be more democratic, be more autocratic, OTW", by chestnut_pod (with background & highlights) [link]

wistfuljane: Mythical Dragons & Wild Unicorns: A Decade Later [link]

naye: The Glorious 25th of May - #EndOTWRacism [link]

naye: OTW needs a lot more transforming [link]

Other sites

enk-dash-one at fandom.ink: 1/3 Fellow white people, I encourage you to read this thread first: Then, I'd like to add, speaking exclusively to fellow white people who are worried about this: we are already racist. [link] 

Klaudiasays on TikTok: let's get #EndOTWRacism trending [link]

Stitch for Teen Vogue: As #EndOTWRacism Fights for AO3 Policy Changes, Fandom Racism Bubbles to the Surface [link]

We'd love for folks to keep discussing the issues raised during this action! We organizers are probably going to go quiet for a little while to gather ourselves and work on moving forward, but if you send us posts by submitting to our tumblr, tweeting at us, messaging us on dreamwidth, or emailing us at endotwracism [at] gmail [dot], we will consider linking or posting them. We do reserve the right to only share posts that are in line with the intent of the campaign and that we believe are adding to the conversation.

[from-the-clouds]

you know what kendall deserves his version of willa (with a happier ending) he can do his lewis and clark of sex manic episode thing with her, it starts as filling the void with sex and pushing shit away, she wanted some fun and the money wasn't a bad thing and doesn't find him to be as awful as she thought he could be.

she becomes super protective of him once she realizes what he's actually going through, doesn't let his family speak over him. None of that your kids aren't your real kids bullshit, all 'that's it we're doing something about it' attitude. she convinces him to go back to rehab and stay in therapy treatment (and she waits for him)

it goes from sex buddies to actual friendship to love.

she becomes his number 1 fan, she gets him into collecting records and investing into things he actually cares about. maybe he starts a label? or he funds one. he wants to patch up his relationship with his kids guess who's there ready to be there for him?? when kens guilt returns about the waiter, about the election, about his kids, about everything shes is there. if the jess publishing a book thing is an in universe thing and he gets to see himself from the outside, she is there.

she also comes from this hard background and has done tons of work to heal, so she's ready to be there for him. nobody has ever actually cared about him, and wasn't counting on that being the direction of the relationship so it takes him a while to realize this isn't just sex and money anymore.

he probably keeps thinking the only reason she stays is because well she likes his money, the more he likes her the more he pushes her away because he thinks it's for the best. nobody really needs to put up with him, she figures it out though.

she knows the cycle, she has lived the cycle. they don't have to be together anymore but she will not leave him, he breaks, it's love, it's real. it might not be forever but close enough, and it's real love.

_

Anyway I'm not a writer I'm just tired of the nihilism of people with kendall my man is happy and content in the future, he finds happiness again. He still has stewy who will be definitely investing on the label thing even if he says he won't work with ken ever again. ken funds stewys lube line (the wetter the better) in repayment.

sorry that i sent this to you but i needed it to be out there somewhere. love your Professor!Ken headcanons! hope you're having a great time on your vacations 💜

i totally could see ken ending up with a willa! or someone like him. there are some really good ken x reader fics that have this sort of dynamic, too, even if doesn't go exactly how you type it out here!

i think kendall could literally do anything with his money, a record label would be a great idea since he's so into music/art and pop culture stuff! also him dating someone younger would keep him 'hip' to everything so he would see that as a perk of seeing her.

and yes! i could see their relationship being sort of cyclic like the show. maybe he pushes her away when he gets too emotionally involved, but she sort of keeps coming back because she likes him too.

i understand why kendall's ending has to be seen as grim for the sake of the show, but i don't know that it's as grim as 'he's going to die' if that's how jesse wanted to end the show that's how he would've ended it, you know? like i think it's intentional kendall was kept alive, but he will probably find something else to be obsessive about eventually. and the cycle will keep repeating!! but its not all bad in my opinion.

[ohara-n-brown]

I think the people that are asking others to vote for Biden are always missing a big thing.

I get the argument - 'Trump is worse and more of a threat to all of us, so you have to vote for Biden, he's the lesser of two evils!'

Okay, makes sense.

But these posts NEVER EVER bring up the moral dilemma, or how to handle it.

Why 'Blue No Matter Who' WON'T Work Right Now -

You are asking people to directly go against their morals and vote for a man funding genocide -

But then you refuse to give either

1) A way for those people to come to peace with their decision after the fact and

2) A way we're gonna hold Biden accountable AFTER he wins.

You are asking others to vote for a man funding genocide.

Okay, so once they do - and go home and lay in their beds - only to wake up two months later and see Biden sending another 10 billion dollars to Israel-

What moral comfort do you have to give them? For them, knowing that's their money and the man they put into power.

Do you have anything to say to them? Nothing? Because you don't care?

How do you expect them to sleep knowing they've betrayed their morals? Or do you think betraying your morals is something someone can outright choose to do with no mental reprecussions?

And this isn't just some abstract comment. I'm being LITERAL. We all have to go against our morals at least each in our life yes, but you still have to deal with the emotional aftermath.

You all are asking people to set aside their morals without acknowledging that morals, and without justification for it after the fact.

Really, those posts sound like 'Please vote for Biden, we know he's funding a genocide and you don't like that. But PLEASE it's so important. Oh thanks, you voted for him. Wait you feel guilty?.... Not my problem.'

And two - you're providing NO SOLUTION for Biden's behavior.

Biden has been funding a genocide. In the last 130 days he has sent BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to a foreign country for genocide and war.

You want me to vote for him. And then you never ever ever mention how you plan to get him to STOP doing these things.

You're telling me 'Trump is dangerous! He doesn't listen to the people, he dehumanizes the oppressed and wants them dead!'

Okay, true.

But if Biden ends up in office AGAIN how are we gonna stop him from continuing to abuse his power AGAIN?

Or have you just not thought about that? Are you not concerned about the fact you have no ability whatsoever to hold your own canidate accountable?

Do you just not think about that because it makes you feel powerless and uncomfortable?

Biden has proven he too doesn't listen to the people.

And he in fact, DOES dehumanize the oppressed and does indeed want them dead. Just because those people aren't American doesn't mean anything.

Biden wants oppressed people dead.

So now that we know he does and wants those things - and we can't get him to stop NOW - and yet you want me to re-elect him without offering me methods in which he'll change.

Okay, buddy.

If you want to convince people to vote for Biden you're gonna have to

1) Engage with their morals and explain how they can come to peace with voting for a Genocidal Fascist and their tax dollars being directly used to aid that AND

2) How we plan to hold Biden accountable and change his behavior AFTER I've sacrificed my morals to give him more power.

If you can't do that in your post - shut the fuck up.

You're not gonna tell me to vote for a Genocidal asshole only to tell me 'ummm if you feel guilty afterwards that's not my problem just vote for him okay and also after he's elected I have no idea how to get him to do what we want cause he doesn't even listen to us right now but I promise he's better than Trump so just do it okay'

I'll see entire posts asking for people to vote for Biden - and the post will just not mention Palestine.

They'll talk about Trump, trump, trump - but literally no one with ever say 'Listen, I know Biden is the reason thousands of Palestinians are dead, but-'

Because they know that sounds fucking ridiculous and evil so they leave that part out and hope we don't notice that you've conveniently forgot to mention why we're at this crossroads in the first place.

They tell people to vote for Biden, but never mention why people don't want to vote for him.

Because Democratic voters do not support the massacre of Gaza and Biden does not care.

HOW ARE YOU GONNA MAKE HIM CARE? If you can't tell me - don't tell me what the hell to do. Cause you don't even know what you're gonna do.

If you can't acknowledge the conversation, You're ignoring the crimes of your canidate breaking international law, simply saying they didn't happen or don't matter in the general scheme of things - just like a Trump-ette.

You're literally telling me that Biden will save America and the only chance we have at keeping it... Shit we're not even saying America is 'great', like the Trump-ettes.

We know the US is shit and that Biden contributes to that. None of us actually even believe he'll make America better in the slightest.

At the very least Trump supporters stupidly believe he'll bring about positive chance.

Biden supporters acknowledge he probably won't bring positive change for anyone really. And then they still go vote for him.

That's even fucking sadder. It's less evil, but just as fucking sad.

Voting for a canidate you know doesn't care about you, your education, your health, your home, your life, or really whether you're dead or not.

But you still vote for him - because he's blue.

If you want people to vote for Biden but refuse to engage the moral argument OR Biden's silencing and ROBBING (Yes, using executive action to send billions of dollars overseas against the wills of most Americans is fucking robbery) of the American people -

Please just shut the fuck up. You really can't expect me to listen to that.

'Vote for Biden... just cause!! Don't think about it! Don't think about what happens after! Just do it :) Why? Democrats are inherently better, that's why'

You've got to be joking

So yes, make the argument you want. But if you can't back it up, don't blame others cause they didn't vote.

Blame yourself for not thinking through your point for more than twenty seconds. Blame yourself for expecting people to conform blindly.

If you want me to vote for that man but can't tell me how we're gonna free Palestine from that same man's genocidal glee then I'm begging you to shut the hell up.

[6ilent-9ufferer]

For the past few days, the song "where is the justice" from death note the musical has been on my mind.

Show me what’s right about the wrongs that we allow

Yeah, why are wrongs allowed? And when you try to do something right, others tell you that you're wrong. Societal norms, cultural differences, and personal biases are all contributors to this.

Real people need to feel protected here and now

This rings true today now more than ever. One of the most vulnerable people among us is the uneducated and easily manipulated. That's why they're so easy to be recruited by cults. They want to feel protected and secure... To matter, to feel like they're a part of something bigger. And when confronted with evidence of their leader doing wrong, they don't care. They are so disillusioned by false promises that they turn a blind eye. They can't think for themselves and that's why cult leaders "love" them; their flock eat up the lies from the palm of their hand like a domesticated animal. Cult mentality is like sheep: when their "shepherd" herds them, they obey. It's a shame how much America has been dummied down.

We probably wouldn't have as many sheeple as we do today if America funded schools as much as they do the military; we would have better education and better pay for our teachers who work so hard to educate with what material they're given or allowed to teach.

This whole damn system’s broken way beyond repair

It’s just law

Not law and order

Not much good and seldom fair

Yep. That's our system today. Peaceful protesting? Fact checking? Gasp! The horror. The 🍊 man-baby scared shitless of peace and truth forbids it. This is why we can't have nice things: anything and everything will offend him and people like him for no reason.

We truly live in a society.

Till a lawyer’s tricks can fix the blame

What about the victims

Waiting for some justice?

How can we turn away

And say that's just the way things are?

We should never turn away from justice. This is a problem prominent in America. Some lawyers should not be lawyering. Some jurors should not have jury duty. And some judges should not be judging.

[Light's Teacher]

The world's not black and white

The choice not either, or

[Light]

Perhaps it's time we drain the color from within

Till we're back to seeing black and white

And wrong and right again

Sure, the world isn't black and white. But how can we see wrong and right with so many shades of grey?

[Light's Teacher]

"Overwrought pronouncements won't improve the paradigm"

[Light]

"Till lawyers cutting deals becomes a crime"

Honestly, it should be. Go off Light. Slay king. Uh, wait... Not literally.

Let the corporations make the regulations

And all go unaccountable when everything goes wrong

The corporations always blame someone or something else. When are they going to be held accountable? Better yet, when is the rotten 🍊 going to?

Let the rich and famous get away with murder

Every time a high-priced mouth piece starts to talk

His client gets to walk

Tell me where is the justice?

If there’s any justice

It's sickening that this happens. And not just with murder.

Where is the justice?

What good is law that can’t punish those who break it?

Yeah, what good is it when the "rich and famous" can just use their money and influence to get out of punishment?

Isn’t everybody sick to death of all this stuff

Can’t we all stand up and say enough?

Exactly. I know I have.

These lines hit so hard. I wish this musical was playing somewhere near me so I can watch and listen to it in person.

[lyriquette]

Old RWBY AU descriptions from the frosen steel server - 12/21/2020

Scientist!Ruby. CEO!Weiss DanceInstructor!Penny

----

lilac — 12/21/2020 10:26 PM

It was just supposed to be her learning how to dance for the stupid Atlasian ball.

How'd it come to her crouching inside a cleaning closet in the dance studio, internally screaming and blushing about her dance instructor?

Her cute, quirky redheaded dance instructor. Aaaaaah! It's all Weiss's fault!

========

Three weeks ago:

"Weiss. I don't even want to go to your party thing, much less find a partner for it," Ruby complained, arms flailing. The oversized lab coat was a bit out of place on her, but it kept her hands warm while working in the engineering lab and that's all that mattered.

"I don't want to go either," Weiss, donning a navy blue blazer and skirt, argued back, "But we still have to anyway. High class society has its rules, rules that can't be avoided if we want to secure funding for our very poor, independent company."

"Can't your family name do something about that? Like calling in a favor or something," Ruby frowned as she rocked back and forth in the chair, "aren't all you high society peeps close?"

Weiss laughed self-mockingly, "Family name's not so great anymore ever since Father ran off with the funds for the Mantle Residency Project, and the SDC company went under. A lot of those same families invested in that."

They both went silent with that.

"...Anyone else would still be a bazillion times more helpful than me." Ruby leaned forward and stared directly into Weiss's eyes, "Do you really want to hinge our company's funding on whether or not I can remember which fork to eat salad with?"

Weiss winced.

"Please don't say the word bazillion during the party. It's not something my chief engineer should be saying."

"Is that what you're choosing to focus on?!" Ruby screamed incredulously before shaking her head. "Can't you just choose someone else like.. uh. Blake. Yeah Blake went with you to one of these things once."

"Blake broke her ex's nose the last time I brought her to one of these," Weiss deadpanned before running a hand through her white hair, "I know you prefer to be in the lab. But literally no one else is suitable. If I bring anyone else - people not as important to this project as you, our potential investors are going to think we're insincere, and that will be fatal."

She sighed.

"Look. There will be...normal people," Weiss winced slightly at the term, "at this party too. Those old families aren't going to expect everyone to perform to their standard. All you really need to do is mingle, don't say anything controversial, and speak something good about the company..."

Ruby cautiously watched Weiss.

"...that's not so har- "

And you will need to learn how to dance with the partner you'll be bringing because our sad unspoken rules require it," she finished.

Ruby's eyes bulged momentarily.

"No."

"Ruby...."

"No. There's no way."

Weiss looks at Ruby imploringly.

"No! There's no way I'm going to a party just to go up and make a fool of myself!"

-----

"-and so I'm here because my boss wants me to make a fool of myself dancing but in a way where I retain enough dignity to not insult everyone there," Ruby explained to the redheaded dance instructor Weiss found her - Penny Polendina was her name.

Said girl was also trying not to laugh at her story, settling for a small choked laugh that made her feel a bit better about the situation. At least someone else found it funny.

"Well, in these three weeks, I can least teach you enough to reach that standard, " Penny giggled good-naturedly, "Have you thought about what you're going to wear to the party?"

"...Isn't this good enough?" Ruby said cautiously turning to her sides examine her lab coat, red dress shirt, and jeans. "...oh dear."

----

lilac — 12/23/2020 11:28 PM To just go back the Nuts n Dolts dancing AU for a moment: 8D. Have a pair of dance sessions. 80 nsfw /j

First lesson:

"Wait. I'm not ready! How could you be asking that of me?" Ruby yelled, stepping back in panic.

"Uhh, Ruby? How else are we going to dance if we don-" Penny said skeptically.

"No don't say it!" A blushing Ruby covered her ears momentarily before putting her hands down. "Can't we just dance without you know…doing that?"

"Uhhh assuming I know what you're talking about," Penny carefully replied, a little confusion in her tone, "not doing what you're telling me not to do won't fulfill the theme of a formal dance."

Seeing the other girl glance towards the nearest exits, Penny quickly added, "tell you what. For the first day, I'll just teach you the footwork. We'll go over the other stuff another time."

Ruby instantly relaxed, "Thank god." She then hopped back as Penny took a step forward to demonstrate to her, "Ahh. What are you doing? Not so close!"

----- (edited) [11:29 PM] A couple sessions later:

"I-I just. I just need a moment," Ruby raised a finger, "I need to prepare myself." Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

"Take all the time you need," Penny kindly replied, "though if you don't mind me being too forward, do you have something against touching other people?"

"I. No. Maybe. Not really. Possibly?" Ruby mulled over her question uncomfortably before hastily adding, "It's just never come up before like this before. Like I've gotten the odd hug from family and pat on the back, and I've never minded that much. But now you're asking me- asking me to…"

"Hold hands?" Penny supplied helpfully, not quite sure whether to comfort or stay back from her dance student who suddenly blushed red.

"You said it. Not me!" Ruby yelled, hands flailing.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. But what's so ba-" Penny questioned.

"It's everything bad!! It's like uhhh the gateway gesture for more intimate things!” Ruby exclaimed, hands gesturing side to side as she explained, “first you start holding hands with each other. Then you'll begin grabbing coffee together. Sneaking glances at each other. Eating dinner together.” Her words came out faster and faster, the girl turning redder and redder as she continued, “lying on the same sofa watching TV together. Leaving toothbrushes in each other’s bathroom. Sipping on chocolate on a winter day with each other. Showing the internals of your weapons to ea-"

…Ruby suddenly stopped mouth half-open, face tomato red. Steam looked like it would be coming out of her ears if she were capable of doing so.

“Uhh. Ruby. Are you okay?” Penny asked worriedly, carefully waving a hand in front of the girl who looked like she just BSOD'd.

After a minute of waving, Penny said, “okay I guess this lesson is over. I’m…going to find you a chair so you don't fall over when you finally come to. Alright? Alright.”

[hussyknee]

Israel is fucking abhorrent but how can you think the solution is supporting Putin—who is also engaging in genocide right now?? I followed you here because of your support for Ukranian bloggers against disinformation, saying the west is gonna “make you” support another genocidal maniac and that you’re down with other people who’ve been cheering just that and other genocides on now is horrible. What the fuck.

You cannot trust people who are cool with one genocide to seriously oppose others! That’s true of anti-tankie pro-Israel types too! Get a grip!

At first I was baffled by this because I was ripping into a Tankie just yesterday for their moral posturing over Palestine because the same people have no problem erasing and denying the rest of the Global South's genocides when it suits them. I haven't forgotten Ukraine and never will.

Then I realized this was about my infuriated post about liberals harrassing people to vote for Biden while we're watching the extent of not just his own administration's but the entire Western political establishment's utter moral depravity and commitment to genocide. I said I now will support not just Hamas but also Houthis and Hezbollah and literally any motherfucker who will do something to help Gaza, even Putin, even though I'll probably want to kill myself for having to support another genocider.

I was going to talk to you about betrayal, in the context of your country's treatment of Black and brown students, and talk about how every fuckstick with a Ukrainian flag pinned to their bio, nearly all white Europeans, are out defending Israel's rights underneath videos of dead and maimed and screaming Palestinian children. I've started reacting viscerally to the very sight of your flag did you know that??

I wanted to ask you to contrast the West's mobilization and outcry for you, with the way they're funding and manufacturing consent for Israel cutting off all food, water and electricity for two million people in a concentration camp while carpet bombing them for a solid month. To imagine the level of concerted dehumanization, repression, persecution, and psychological brutalism they're subjecting Arabs and Muslims to, and by extension the rest of the Global South. To understand that within one month far more Gazans have been murdered than you have lost in 20. That they no longer have water or anything to eat, and Israel is still bombing as many fishing boats and solar panels and food stores still remaining so that they are now slowly dying of dehydration, starvation and sepsis. And that none of the governments have any intention of so much as calling a "humanitarian pause" let alone a ceasefire while raising money for "humanitarian aid" they won't send. THAT HALF OF GAZA MIGHT WELL DIE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND SO FAR THE ONLY PEOPLE HELPING FIGHT ISRAEL ARE HAMAS'S ALLIES.

I was going to ask you to imagine why, under these circumstances, I might now feel slightly more appreciative of the same people who protested the US's military support for Ukraine now getting themselves bodily thrown out of Congress hearings protesting the US sending Israel billions more for their bombs and weapons.

But you know what? I don't actually want to ask you for any of that. Because I want nothing to do with this level of selfish, self-involved, entitled, white sociopathy.

My care and compassion for oppressed and suffering human beings are not contingent on their moral behaviour. I'm always going to care about Ukraine even if every single one of you turn out be the same kind of racist colonial cunt that's migrated to Israel. Despite everything I'm still deeply sad that any hope of the US divesting from Israel might have to come at the expense of their support for y'all as well, although as of now them divesting from Israel is far less likely than y'all ever losing out. And I'm not a fucking idiot, I know exactly what kind of self-interested imperialist bootlickers Tankies are.

But understand that Black and brown people owe you nothing. We are intimately familiar with the fact that we're barely human to any of you white chucklefucks, irrespective of region or religion or ethnicity. And still the vast majority of us don't want you to lose your homes and families, because our moral compasses and humanity have always outstripped yours.

Get off my blog and go fuck yourself.

[alterrune]

How has things been after The Grand Festival, now that things cooled down?

(And who knows? Perhaps the outcome was what Mr. Grizz wanted)

We've been busier than ever. Grand Festival may have ended, but there was some fallout to it.

Yeah, Deep Cut cussed us out on their broadcast, and essentially quit working with us on live television. It was quite the incident. And thanks to Siphon-Boy over here, we've been pressuring him to get Splatsville's Great Zapfish back so he stops using power from ours.

I mean, I was really salty at the time, and Deep Cut suggested it.

Dystopiac, you realize they're a band of thieves, right?

Yeah. And I fucking live with them, remember? Just like how you live with your foster moms. Plus, they help fund my gigs as DJ BL3ND3R, so I'm not complaining.

"Regardless, thanks to Callie & Marie, nobody was allowed to go anywhere outside the venue. And thank goodness, because if someone had accidentally seen us, we would've been done for."

"We're trying to keep this under wraps. And luckily, we have."

the only people who know about all of this aside from the NSS are me and synth. and we're not snitching on them.

YEAH. WE'RE NOT BETRAYING THEM. ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE LITERALLY SAVING THE WORLD HERE.

God, this Tri-Stringer is so unwieldly! How the hell do I---?

(PEW, THUNK)

Wait...I have to jump to shoot vertically? What kind of backwards logic is---?

Kyle. We're in a world where squids and octopi can swap from regular form to humanoid form on command. Don't think too hard about it.

Alter, that doesn't explain why the hell we can't just turn it vertically in our hands!

Vi, believe me, I feel this is stupid too. But let's just accept the stupidity, okay? These weapons seem like they wouldn't shoot anything at all in our world, let's be grateful they actually function here.

Alright, cuz, fair enough. We should get out of this FAR quicker than we did the last level, though, we seem to finally be getting the hang of all this.

...WELL, "SAVING THE WORLD" AT A SLOW PACE RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY'LL SPEED UP EVENTUALLY.

Yeah. It took me a while to learn, so they'll probably be the same.

And yes, Grizz got exactly what he fucking wanted. You could hear that evil victorious laugh of his all the way from the goddamn DEEPSEA METRO. Smug prick...

[thedawningofthehour]

Ok, I just found out that the supreme court of the OH SO FUCKING GREAT united states just ruled that it is not ok for institutions to take action to level the educational playing field for POC, but that it is ok to discriminate against LGBT+ people right on the last day of Pride month.

I don't live in the states, PERO ESTOY TAN JODIDAMENTE FURIOSA

Mientras tanto voy a soltar una pintoresca linea de insultos con la que espero que se ahogen

MALPARIDOS HIJOS DE REPUTISIMA MADRE ESPERO QUE LOS APALEEN EN LAS CALLES. MALANDROS MAMAGUEVOS CARACULOS.

Also the French are burning down half of France because of a cop killing a 17 year old.

Seriously, if it wasn't for the whole 'let's commit genocide' thing I'd be 1000% on Draxum's side.

If Draxum had omitted that issue and focused on the 'let's end capitalism' issue I'm sure the turtles would have at least considered joining him.

Literally everything in the world is going to hell and I have zero hope that it'll ever get better. Like, my mom's over here talking about how I really should start a retirement fund and most predictions have society collapsing completely before then. I will consider it a win if I'm still alive, honestly.

And it's impossible to get away from. My mother watches the news fucking constantly. She's better than she used to be, but her 'used to be' was 18-20 hours a day of straight news cycle so I can't really sing her praises. All day, she sits and watches the news and scrolls through political twitter on her phone. That's what she does. And then she rags on me for 'not keeping up with the news.' I KEEP UP WITH IT I JUST DO OTHER STUFF BESIDES THAT.

And she doesn't get how it's depressing. She thinks of it like a soap opera. Yes, she logically knows that me and my sister are going to have to live with this hell and says she's upset about that, but I don't think she actually believes it. It's like it isn't real to her.

You know, I dunk on the French language here, but nothing but respect for the French themselves. They're out there absolutely owning everyone else and showing us how a real protest is done. They don't take shit.

I live in Minneapolis. My sister actually lived just a few blocks from where George Floyd was killed at the time, and she shopped at that one Target that got looted. At the time I was working at a family-owned restaurant, and the owner and all her kids were hardcore alt-righters. Only one of them was a conspiracy theorist, (I think the others were literally too dumb to wrap their brains around conspiracy theories-I had to tell one, a woman in her fifties, what temperature to bake a cake at, for example) and when this was all going down he was going on nightly tirades about how the entire city was burning, already burnt to the ground.

And again. We're in Minneapolis. Not the city proper, but if you went outside you could see the city skyline. Very much not on fire.

I'm sure there's French people doing the same song and dance downplaying Merzouk's death and demonizing the protestors-including Macron, which makes me wonder if he's forgotten some key history-but honestly it seems like most people are rightfully enraged. Good for them. The French are being metal af right now and I am here for it. I don't like civil unrest, but I like teenagers getting killed even less.

This ended up just being a ramble about the general state of the world than anything about the fic, sorry. I've been kind of shit mentally the past few days and I think I needed to let some stuff out.

[giantkillerjack]

"Oh, Jack. You silly boi. You know that help at the top of the stairs is no help at all."

---

Art piece i may delete later about my parents offering money to me and my sisters to pay for either grad school (a thing I don't want and can't do with my disability) or my wedding (also a thing I don't need/want), but not for anything that would actually help me escape poverty and find stable housing and income.

Like, I recognize the privilege of being able to complain that my parents have offered me a bunch of money but in the wrong way.

But also if that money is on top of a flight of stairs that I can't climb (but my sisters can), then I haven't really been offered money, so much as I have watched money I need be placed somewhere I can't reach it. Which tbh feels worse than if it was never mentioned to me in the first place.

I was gonna send this art to them and i wrote this big long message to go with it, but then I decided to wait until my therapy session on Tuesday to talk it thru with her first, since I've literally never regretted doing that.

Besides, both of my parents are lawyers and right now they're providing me and my friends with a lot of free legal advice about this property we're trying to buy together, so I don't want to rock the boat currently.

I just wish I knew if I had access to that money as a poor person in need of stable housing and quality disability care, and I wish my parents weren't world-class hLepers who have a long and triggering history of engaging me in rigorous debate about the kind of help I should be allowed to receive from them as a disabled person.

Nothing like having to provide an argument that would hold up in court every time I'm sick and need help! Love that! Love that I can't even talk about money with them now without having invasive thoughts about it for days to come due to past incidences in which this repeated behavior of theirs literally endangered my life!!

Not like I need that mental capacity for working on the largest and most exciting opportunity of my life that also happens to line up with my hopes and dreams for the future!! It's fine!! What do I even need mental capacity for anyway?????

This wouldn't even be the first time this little Distrust Fund has caused problems for my relationship with my parents. They are very opposed to that money being used to help my disability and it has caused PROBLEMS for us that we have never quite recovered from.

It's just difficult to be reminded that although our relationship has gotten better (mostly thanks to me setting boundaries), that doesn't mean they now actually believe what I need for my disability when I tell them.

They really do love me, and they have only ever acted with the best of intentions . But good intentions cease to matter when the impact is harmful and repeated. And they have proven to be repeatedly incapable of providing non-ableist support for me again and again and again. They've even genuinely tried to learn; and sometimes it really seems like my mom has made progress with her therapist (who is disabled), but who knows when I can so jarringly be reminded of how quickly that toxic ableist thinking can show its ugly face.

It's so clear to me and they don't even know it's there.

It feels like I'm in a horror movie when I try to get them to understand their own ableism, and that is a good good sign that I may want to consider an approach that minimizes my mental damage instead. Even if it means I don't get their stupid, deeply-conditional-and-yet-the-conditions-are-SO-vague-and-they-won't-admit-it money.

[universal-kitty]

I saw the jellyfish ask meme, so...

crystal, moon, pink meanie, sea wasp + upside-down jellyfish with Rendacted?

Jellyfish Themed Asks

How does your F/O act in public? And in contrast, how do they act when they’re in private with you?

[ Due to source material, minors + ageless DNI w/ this post! I will block you. ]

In public, Ren seems to have a persistent case of RBF (resting bitch face). Anyone else will not get an ounce of his attention, much less...anything, really. They're super closed off like that.

If cosplaying Haruko, they'll be more patient with me around...but is still quick to show their distaste, if I'm not paying attention and/or am not nearby.

In private, though?! Biggest cuddlebug. Lots more smiles, touchy, involved in whatever I'm doing... Big fan of parallel play, especially if they can peek in on what I'm doing. Hanging out is their whole thing, really. And cuddles.

If you had to compare your F/O to any sort of cosmic entity (planets, meteors/comets, stars, black holes, etc), what would you pick and why?

OH, this is such a good question?!? For Ren... Assuming he's being a Good Boi, I think a comet would suit him pretty well! Flying back, a blaze of glory... He's trying to be something eye-catching and admiring...to one person. Ice cold, a brilliant show of life... Idk. Something about it has his energy, and I'm not explaining it well enough rn. LOL!

Bad Boi Ren gets a black hole as something most like them. Devouring all to get what they want. Devoid of light, but seeking it and creating a show of the destruction. (One that no one has to see...)

Tell us all about why your F/O loves you! All about why you’re their special person!

It was a childhood crush that persisted! Simple as that... While also not?

Kept an eye on me as we grew up. Even occasionally went to the same school! Although I didn't really...notice. Bad memory and face blindness? Man. They definitely didn't have a lot of good luck pursuing me... Plus-! The many fictional characters I liked over the years!! They really tried to emulate a few of them, but it was...a whole thing, again. Aha...

But-! Enough story mentions! Why am I so loved by this silly lil guy?! (He's 6'5" but shh.)

Cause I'm... Me. I don't have to be anyone else, do anything else. I want to game with him all day? He's got the funds to keep us stable while we do that. Do I wanna find work to do? Shit, okay; he'll help find something that accommodates every need I want fulfilled.

If I'm happy, fulfilled, and content? Love and care for them? That's all Ren could ask for. Anything else is just extra aspects to love.

If you’ve ever had moments where you felt invisible/insignificant, how has your F/O helped through them? How do you help your F/O through those moments?

I...go through this unfortunately often. It boggles their mind to imagine me in that way, much less knowing I feel it...but Ren does their best.

Lots of comforting words, cuddling under my favorite blanket, hot chocolate... Honestly, anything I need. As well as working on my self-esteem over time. Letting me continue to think of myself as lesser is something they won't stand for.

...Ironic, cause he's felt the same, if not similar. 👀 I've had to prove it to him over time, but... That's worked! Hell, I had the job of prying his true self out from fake personas and cosplays! He deserves to be loved as he truly is!!!

But y'know. Work on both sides, and all that. Ehehe.

What’s your F/O’s favorite way to relax with you?

Literally. Anything. Cuddles, eating together, cooking together, dates, picnics- If we're together, then it's his favorite thing. Picking just one thing? They'd never.

[turnedpalefromlackofsun]

Wanna hear my opinion on transformers one?

Warning i get overly political lmao (sorry for being disgusting)

Usually I'm a huge fan of optimus prime but this time I was not inspired by his ass. It was lackluster and I would not follow him for anything.

Which made it hard to sympathize with both sides (optimus and megatron)

Megatron was having some sort of mental breakdown but even then we was way more compelling. And it makes sense.

When has a revolution ever been peaceful? That's the reason my race is still mistreated and then gaslit about it. We know peace doesn't change anything but we still softly go "hey please remove the discrimination? No? Awe ok. We dont want to cause trouble. Please think about it? We have evidence to bring to court. Oh rejected? Ok. Have a nice day then"

A system that bad needs to be completely destroyed and then rebuilt. It's like a plastic toy. You can't just move a part and expect it to stay moved. You have to snap it off and then glue it the way you want.

I wouldn't do what megatron did. And i also wouldnt join him. but if a megatron popped up I'd silently cheer him on 🤣

Yes king, take down all those who made us the public enemy by calling us privileged while taking away our resources under the guise of righteousness. They are too good at their lies. Remove them big boss.

.....silently i think to myself in my 23 hour shift in the mines kek

Like damn orion. We did show evidence in court. Politicians are just so good they claimed we lied and we wanna be oppressed so bad, and the entire country believed it. Answer me optimus. How would we ever escape that?

Whats the guarantee sentinel couldnt do the same? His whole scheme is that he's extremely extremely charming. He can talk his way through things. He's a seasoned politician and also the devil. You think he cant cover up his ass and make it so YOURE the traitor even after the livestream

I see why it's a kids movie. It's cuz kids don't get just how dark the government can get.

Sentinel was right! He's in power so he decides what's the truth and what's not. It's a huge problem in science too. The study's results depend on which company sent the funding!! It's everywhere. The influence of money and power controls everything!!! "Science" was not left unmolested by the rich!! You think something as small as daily life can escape? You don't even know that they already have you.

Wake up Orion!! Wake up!!! Wake up!!! Wake up!!!

Open your eyes!!! You don't understand how deep the rot really runs. Sentinel literally admitted all of this to megatron when he was captured. Thats why only he knows how to exorcise your nation. The roots are infected. You have to pull out the entire tree. You can't just spare parts and hope the infection doesn't travel up FROM THE ROOTS

Babygirl... 💀 its ok I forgive orion because he's cute.

I took my bro to watch it with me (same race as me) and he's never seen transformers before and he was so mad.

Me too tbh.

And we're opposite sides of the political spectrum.

Like damn big dawg how tf did you think your people got free of the quintessons? By asking nicely? Orionnnnnnnnnnnnn *throws a rock*

That being said i swear I'm not being ungrateful to this country. It gives me so much more than anywhere else. Best country ever tbh.

And I can have all the privileges. I'm ambiguous enough that I just have to lie about my race a little bit and then I get everything. It's not bad. It's broken but also easy to scam. Thats what the smartest of our kind do.

Im just using it as an example.

so in conclusion i liked the movie. it made me feel. it is art that inspires emotion

[tempesttz]

not so hot take: what sophie, i know you're usually very open for debate/criticism, which is why i am going to bother to debate you on this one. this isn't gonna be formatted great i like just woke up and am infected with the "chronically unserious" that i am occasionally stricken with but lets talk about this first off did we watch the same debate because that man looked like he was on another planet, he fumbled so many times on such easy talking points that it was genuinely concerning for most people watching. second off, biden has had a history of his mental decline being commented on (may 2023 article) (and here's another for the sake of it (nov 2022 article) ). the issue is that both parties are too old to be doing this. putting them on that podium frankly felt like watching elder abuse to me. as someone who has first-hand witnessed dementia and the effects it has on a person, i can safely say i am terrified for what will happen if joe biden is voted into office. if i had to guess, i would say his decline will only get worse exponentially from here, especially if he's put in a place like the president of the united states. i give him a year of general clarity from here, tops, but this paragraph is mostly personal opinion and anecdote so feel free to ignore it. third off, are we forgetting about the fact he denies there being a genocide going on in gaza? not to mention sending literal billions of dollars to funding that genocide? people don't call him genocide joe for no reason, sophie. the only fathomable reason joe biden would ever look competent is because he's put next to donald trump, one of the literal most incompetent, awful individuals in the known universe. to go over some of your points - he's willing to fight for human rights: see him funding a genocide. he's also done fuckall about... well, anything honestly. (other than "beating medicare," i guess /sarc) the decline in lgbtq rights, especially trans rights, is noticeable. you can check out the anti-trans bill tracker to see just how many have been proposed, passed and denied in 2024 alone. they do one every year. i recommend looking into it. - he's well-informed: trump lied on the podium multiple times. biden said nothing. - speaking as someone with autism, this has nothing to do with autism. joe biden is (likely) not autistic. he is likely not neurodivergent in any meaningful, noticable way because if he was he likely never would have been brought up that far to the podium in the first place. - the issue was not that he is "not the best speaker," the issue is that it is obvious he has noticeably declined to startling degrees during the entirety of his term which just proves that it will only get worse from here. not to mention, having joe biden up there at this point is causing more people to consider voting for trump. that's not a good thing. is trump godawful? yes. do i think, if not given other options, people should still vote for biden as the lesser of two evils? also yes. am i distraught that we're in a position as a country where we have to vote for the lesser of two evils to run our country? also also yes. am i sure a lot of people are hoping for joe biden's untimely passing so that harris will hopefully, hopefully do anything of value in the next four years? surely. if this keeps up, maybe we should just vote for the icp in 2024.... maybe homestuck was right after all please do more research before posting, sophie.

can we please have a presidential candidate that doesn't belong in a geriatric ward 2024

Hot take: Joe Biden made way more rational arguments than his opponent in the debate, citing actual facts to combat the fascist's lies, but everyone decided he "lost" because his voice was hoarse and he tripped over his words or lost track of what he was saying in a couple places.

What the debate response really shows is America's ableism. Because what I saw is someone who is well-informed and willing to fight for human rights and stand for a better America. And he's been torn apart because he wasn't the best speaker given a time limit of a minute to spit out a response.

Speaking as someone with autism, who so often struggles articulating my own thoughts, I relate to that.

If this causes Biden to lose to a man who is making up lies about invaders pouring over the border from insane asylums, has threatened to bring back mental institutions and lock up homeless people in them, and used his position as President to cyberbully an autistic teen... well, it will show what America really thinks of its neurodivergent population.

Biden 2024!

[mangodestroyer]

"With a larger population, we can have more innovation! More people to do research and invent new technologies!"

Well, yeah. This is kind of true. Technology has progressed faster because of the increase in population.

However, it's not going as quickly as I thought it would have with 8 billion people. If anything, it's now harder than ever to get into research positions. Funnily enough, funding for research is just not increasing fast enough for the increase in population. And also, people are now working harder to gather whatever shrinking resources they have access to. In fact, nowadays, people seem way more focused on just surviving rather than whatever new discoveries are being made.

And also, this line of thinking follows the idea that geniuses like Einstein are a "one in a billion phenomenon." Which just isn't true. Having the level of intelligence and passion Einstein had is certainly uncommon, but probably way more common than you might think. Consider: there are probably lots of Einsteins out there who are either overlooked or who never had a chance to nurture their potential (and never will). I mean, someone who's never had adequate access to food and clean water isn't going to grow up reaching their full potential. Someone who has to work in a sweatshop all day for literal pennies in order to maybe get to eat isn't going to be thinking about physics. And there are tons of people who are members of marginalized group, in first world countries, who still struggle in their day to day life and do often get overlooked, discouraged, and bullied out prestigious positions. Being a POC, neurodivergent, LGBTQ, or someone who is perceived as female can put you at a huge disadvantage.

I don't understand people who think overpopulation is a good thing. I'd rather have a lower population that at least cared about individuals and had the resources and heart to take care of these problems. Right now, it just feels like we're disposable and can't actually focus on doing the things we actually want to do in life unless we either work REALLY hard for it, or just get lucky and are born into wealth.

[bearpillowmonster]

So yesterday we had our conference call where the CEO goes live and makes a presentation on the state of affairs and blah blah, here's what happened over the past month. The first thing he talks about is these lessons that we have every week where it's like a positive quote (idk something hr probably thought up) and it was something along the lines of walking in each others shoes. But he goes over that topic and what it means to him then moves on to financials.

All year, we've been under what we've been last year but we were still turning a profit. But for some reason, this month was different, it wasn't a percentage, it was zero. I've felt like this month has been decently productive but they also gauge it as a whole company so I don't know. But he says about how we don't get a holiday bonus this year. Which is apparently a new thing, like this is my first year and I got a bonus last year but we also did record numbers, it was a huge spike from the year before so to keep up with it would've been a tremendous effort on all fronts and even then, it was a phenomenon that was still decided by customer base.

They exclaimed how we didn't do anything wrong but there might be some things we could do to improve it for next year which I thought was an alright way of letting them down, though it seemed weird that it was practically unheard of beforehand. But then he says that we got more of a bonus than we should've last year and then everyone lost it.

These calls are live but there's no engagement, it's this guy telling you this without input, why it's even live I'm not sure. But to poke the bear like that was just stupid. He continues on like normal and then at the end talks about the "difference between thankful and grateful" and basically thankful means that you "say it" and grateful means that you feel it. Or at least, according to him. Why he said this, I'm not too sure, maybe he was just trying to say "be thankful you even have a job." but it's a large disconnect when you preach to be thankful and grateful and to walk in each others shoes when you don't yourself. I mean, we were down from last year but they also turned a huge profit on the side that none of us will ever see a part of because they built their own manufacturing company and then sold it and then continued to sell off all the extra inventory that's been sitting around at a discounted price. THEY made tons, but WE didn't get rewarded. They were well within their power and to say that they didn't make enough money to meet a bonus was crazy.

Today I saw something even more unheard of though. He CHANGED HIS MIND. Yes, you read that correctly. The backlash was so hard, even from the board or whatever that he reversed it and then tried to spin it that they're going to shut down a certain project and then give us money that "isn't considered a bonus" it still goes through taxes and all that and works the same as a bonus but he refused to call it as such. And actually, I think last years was a hundred bucks. Childs play for a great year, I know, but it was ok I guess but he TRIPLED IT. The backlash must've been so hard that he is giving us each 300$. That didn't come without him getting back into the grateful thankful speech like it was some power play to show who's boss or something only then to say "since this is taking out of the (fund) then please consider donating your (bonus) for those in need."

But of course, he's already donated and we'll never see how much and we'll never see proof but he can assure us just like any leader who's house is worth 2 million with 8 bathrooms. (literally, I looked it up) the poor guy. I thought we didn't make money this year? No, you're right, YOU made money this year. Who's to say that fund is even real, I'd like to think but I don't trust corps for any funds or donations. Even if it was real, if most of us were paid what we're worth anyway then we might consider it but a lot of us are relying on this bonus and you just tried to take it away.