#and withholding money from the town

[giantkillerjack]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

If you are disabled and you need to lie to get the accommodations you need or to escape ableist social harassment, then it is not just morally acceptable to lie in that scenario, it is morally GOOD.

I say this with no irony or satire whatsoever (unlike the original post, which is very much meant to be sarcastic).

Abled people are always trying to be the "hero" who finds the "fakers," as though "fakers" are actually a concern for disabled people. - When instead I don't know a single disabled person who hasn't been denied the care they need by being called a faker on multiple occasions. That's what we ACTUALLY live in fear of.

(Also, notably, finding the "faker" is not actually about protecting disabled people for these self-appointed "heroes". It's actually about finding an ego-boosting outlet for personal aggression and frustration. They don't care that the government has the funding to care for all of us and yet refuses. They just want to pretend this isn't about them, and are using other disabled people as a moral shield.)

Besides, every person I've met who is actually LYING about their disability has done so not because they are faking being disabled (for all the AWESOME benefits that DEFINITELY exist - ????), but because their ACTUAL disability is not taken seriously by the gatekeepers who can deny them the help they need.

Lying in this scenario protects a disabled person from stigma, injury, pain, death, and/or social neglect. This is a moral good. Lying to protect people from abuse is good, yourself included.

You shouldn't get a wheelchair, walker, cane, shower chair, or any kind of assistive technology mobility aid because then you might become dependent on them. Just like how you also shouldn't get glasses if you have bad eyesight because then you might become dependent on those.

For instance, if you end up stuck using corrective eyewear, you could actually lose your ability to tell what things are even when they are extremely blurry! You need to get used to having migraines from seeing unclearly because if you wear glasses all the time, you are basically giving up!! You don't need to see things coming at you from far away! You just need to get good at dodging, and if you can't, then you have no one to blame but yourself!!

For example, I read a really heart-worming article recently about a girl who was stuck using glasses - just absolutely, tragically trapped in her eyewear from dawn to dusk, even though she was good and never ever complained; and I heard she trained herself to discern the blurry faces of her loved ones with 60% accuracy! - she was even able to walk down the aisle at her wedding WITHOUT forcing the discomfort of seeing a woman in glasses on all her guests!!

Sure, she had to give her vows with a splitting headache, and she couldn't see her husband's expression when he said "I do," but overall, SO inspi-ration-al!!! So up-lifting!!

(She didn't even have to use a seeing eye cane, which would have been the worst-case scenario, obviously, because she worked hard to make sure she looked LESS disabled, not MORE disabled!!! Everyone knows blind people exist solely to be a cautionary tale to sighted people!!)

Also, did you know some people get glasses when they only need them a little bit?? How selfish of them! Sure, there's not a shortage, and an increase in demand would result in overall increased accessibility to glasses--but emotionally it's like taking glasses away from someone who needs them more! After all, if everyone who needed glasses got them, then...... um...... more people would have glasses! Which is probably bad!!!!

I also had a friend who was trapped in glasses who saved up all her money for laser eye surgery, and I don't know why everyone doesn't just do that! Sure, some doctors say some people don't "qualify" and it "won't help" those people, but that's why you can't give up!! You don't want to be one of those people!

After all, what's the worse thing that could happen with an unnecessary laser surgery to the face that comes with crippling debt??? It's worth the risk to gain your FREEDOM back, and I'm so proud of my friend!!

Tragically, she did die later that year while driving Uber and squinting at street signs, but at least now I know my friend is finally free from the shackles of her terrible eyesight. #ripAshley #rippedAshley #justripit 😌😌😌❤😇😇😇

And that's why you shouldn't get used to using a mobility aid!! Because, like glasses, they are inherently embarrassing to be seen with; and - like glasses - it is more noble to silently suffer than to depend on unnatural technologies that force you to rely on them!!! (Besides, everyone else will be SO much more comfortable if you look normal!)

I hope you learned something today. 💖

[marvelsmostwanted]

Today in 🍂✨October surprises✨🍂

• Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of Labor Julie Su quietly assisted in winning labor rights for dockworkers, ending a strike that could have had catastrophic economic consequences. (10-4-24)

• In Springfield, Ohio, where Haitian migrants have been blamed for the disappearance of local animals with Trump claiming “‘migrants are walking off’ with geese in the town” and “they’re eating the dogs” - a lie also promoted by JD Vance, Ohio’s own sitting Senator, with no evidence - it turns out that the missing geese were actually the victims of a 64-year-old white man who was hunting illegally. (10-3-24)

• A Trump-appointed federal judge blocked Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan again after another judge reinstated it earlier this week. (10-3-24)

• Republicans and crazy Facebook uncles everywhere have spent this week spreading disinformation about the FEMA response to Hurricane Helene, including AI photos of Trump standing in floodwater and wild claims that Biden is sending money to undocumented immigrants. In reality, the Biden-Harris administration has provided substantial emergency assistance and both Biden and Harris have visited the region. Meanwhile, it turns out that Trump was the one who redirected money from disaster relief to send to ICE during his presidency. Shocker. (10-4-24)

• Seriously, though, Trump is not who you want to call in an emergency. Before allowing disaster relief to reach victims of wildfires in California, then-president Trump forced aides to show him an electoral map to see if he had voters there. He evidently intended to withhold the aid if he found out it was going to mostly Democratic voters. This would be a career-ending scandal in any other political era but alas, we are living in this one. (10-3-24)

• Finally, far-right extremist and Oklahoma superintendent of schools Ryan Walters intends to put Bibles in public schools, which is already disturbing, but in a stunning display of corruption, the only ones that meet his specifications are the so-called “Trump Bibles” that include the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. They go for $60 apiece and Trump gets fees from each one. (10-4-24)

No, wait, I’m going to say that one again:

In Oklahoma, taxpayers’ money will be used to put Trump Bibles in public schools. Their money will go directly to Trump. Not a joke!!! Not an exaggeration!!!

…Surely the voters who are still undecided are lying, right?? Right?!

30 days until Election Day.

Go to vote.org for a sample ballot, early voting dates, and more. Seriously, we have to win.

[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*｡⋆

[jesse-pinko]

I know there’s a lot of material for us Walt-haters to work with but I still don’t think we’ve covered how much of a miracle it was that Skyler and the kids got out of there alive when he not only put a target on their backs but also did absolutely Fuck All to shield them from the danger he brought into their lives… like this man is constantly bringing up his family-he-loves-so-much-and-does-everything-for around incredibly dangerous people who will absolutely use that against him (and who also did not ask) bc he needs everyone to know he’s not like the other drug dealers and he needs to reassure himself of his lie that he’s doing this for his family and he needs to be seen as The Provider… he doesn’t call it quits even after his brother-in-law is almost assassinated bc of him and SKYLER is the one who insists they pay for Hank’s rehab w the blood money that almost got him killed while Walter waffles ab it and sulks bc she (demonstrably) thought of a better cover story than he ever could… every time he has a chance to back out of the business he doubles down and when he’s finally exposed and Saul points out that he’s throwing Skyler under the bus by going on the lam he skips town anyway and a neo-Nazi cult breaks into their home and threatens to kill their baby unless she agrees to withhold information from the police… you mean to tell me you have all of this moolah to throw around and you never once over the course of the series thought about hiring an armed guard to discreetly watch over your family 24/7?? Fuck you dude lol

[palms-upturned]

For US unions like the UAW — which has thousands of members in weapons factories making the bombs, missiles, and aircraft used by Israel, as well in university departments doing research linked to the Israeli military — the Palestinian trade union call to action is particularly relevant. When the UAW’s national leadership came out in support of a cease-fire on December 1, they also voted to establish a “Divestment and Just Transition Working Group.” The stated purpose of the working group is to study the UAW’s own economic ties to Israel and explore ways to convert war-related industries to production for peaceful purposes while ensuring a just transition for weapons workers.

Members of UAW Labor for Palestine say they have started making visits to a Colt factory in Connecticut, which holds a contract to supply rifles to the Israeli military, to talk with their fellow union members about Palestine, a cease-fire, and a just transition. They want to see the union’s leadership support such organizing activity.

“If UAW leaders decided to, they could, tomorrow, form a national organizing campaign to educate and mobilize rank-and-file towards the UAW’s own ceasefire and just transition call,” UAW Labor for Palestine members said in a statement. “They could hold weapons shop town halls in every region; they could connect their small cadre of volunteer organizers — like us — to the people we are so keen to organize with; they could even send some of their staff to help with this work.”

On January 21, the membership of UAW Local 551, which represents 4,600 autoworkers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant (who were part of last year’s historic stand-up strike) endorsed the Palestinian trade unions’ call to not cooperate in the production and transportation of arms for Israel. Ten days later, UAW Locals 2865 and 5810, representing around forty-seven thousand academic workers at the University of California, passed a measure urging the union’s national leaders to ensure that the envisioned Divestment and Just Transition Working Group “has the needed resources to execute its mission, and that Palestinian, Arab and Muslim workers whose communities are disproportionately affected by U.S.-backed wars are well-represented on the committee.”

Members of UAW Locals 2865 and 5810 at UC Santa Cruz’s Astronomy Department have pledged to withhold any labor that supports militarism and to refuse research collaboration with military institutions and arms companies. In December, unionized academic workers from multiple universities formed Researchers Against War (RAW) to expose and cut ties between their research and warfare, and to organize in their labs and departments for more transparency about where the funding for their work comes from and more control over what their labor is used for. RAW, which was formed after a series of discussions by union members first convened by US Labor Against Racism and War last fall, hosted a national teach-in and planning meeting on February 12.

Meanwhile, public sector workers in New York City have begun their own campaign to divest their pension money from Israel. On January 25, rank-and-file members of AFSCME District Council (DC) 37 launched a petition calling on the New York City Employees’ Retirement System to divest the $115 million it holds in Israeli securities. The investments include $30 million in bonds that directly fund the Israeli military and its activities. “As rank-and-file members of DC 37 who contribute to and benefit from the New York City Employees’ Retirement System and care about the lives of working people everywhere, we refuse to support the Israeli government and the corporations that extract profit from the killing of innocent civilians,” the petition states.

In an election year when President Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates will depend heavily on organized labor for donations and especially get-out-the-vote efforts, rank and filers are also trying to push their unions to exert leverage on the president by getting him to firmly stand against the ongoing massacre in Gaza. NEA members with Educators for Palestine are calling on their union’s leaders to withdraw their support for Biden’s reelection campaign until he stops “sending military funding, equipment, and intelligence to Israel,” marching from AFT headquarters to NEA headquarters in Washington, DC on February 10 to assert their demand. Similarly, after the UAW International Executive Board endorsed Biden last month — a decision that sparked intense division within the union — UAW Labor for Palestine is demanding the endorsement be revoked “until [Biden] calls for a permanent ceasefire and stops sending weapons to Israel.”

[khalixvitae]

I never post here anymore due to personal stuff, but I want to reach out on all my socials about this because people need to see it. Can I just say that I am so incredibly disheartened by some people’s responses to what is happening in the South Eastern US/Appalachia? I really can’t explain the level of devastation that is unfolding here under Hurricane Helene. There are people trapped in my childhood neighborhood without power or water because of downed trees and power lines and flooding. I couldn’t get ahold of my family for more than a day because there was a massive cell service outage in my state. Parts of where I grew up will not have electricity for three weeks. My family could be without electricity for three weeks. I didn’t know if my best friend was okay for 12 hours because there was no way to communicate and we live two hours away from one another. I’m entering day 3 of not having electricity.

And frankly, we’re on the luckier side. A town my family has visited every year for the last 20 years is fucking gone- leveled by flooding from a failed dam. Everything including the road is completely washed out, and this is in the fucking mountains. And that’s just what we know about so far during what is still widespread cell service failure. There are entire interstates that have washed out or fallen apart during mudslides- whole towns are gone, and people cannot call for help.

And the number of people I’ve seen, people who say they’re advocating for MY rights as a trans/queer person, who have fully dismissed this in favor of taking to twitter to make comments about how it’s “Trump Country anyway” and how we “deserve it” and “should’ve voted blue to keep this from happening” is brutal. Every time something happens to us down here, out of touch middle class liberals are so quick to blame our collective region of the country for struggles we do not have the time, energy, money, or legislation to prevent. As if we’re fucking stupid and should be purged, like we somehow matter less because our politicians are a breed of fucked up that a whole lot of us disagree with. We aren’t a monolith and we are right fucking here, and mocking us on twitter in the middle of a humanitarian crisis is not going to help your case, I promise.

I cannot explain to you what it’s like to hear somebody with your mother’s accent describe that they can’t pull people out of cars quick enough because the flood water is moving too fast. Everything I’ve ever known is either blipped off the power grid or under water. I’m begging you, please see us as people who are suffering and not as a monolithic entity.

There are trans and queer people here, just like everywhere else. We are suffering at the hands of legislation we don’t believe in, legislation that thinks we should die, and now a mounting natural disaster that we still don’t know the full extent of. There are poor communities, communities that are predominantly BIPOC, disabled people, it goes on. There are a whole lot of us who don’t fit the criteria of the pro trump agenda, who don’t match the bill of what an American southerner looks like in the minds of those who have never been here, who are actively suffering. We ARE voting blue both locally and on the federal level.

But here’s the kicker: it doesn’t fucking matter that we’re here. My life doesn’t mean anything more than my neighbor who might hate who I am to their very bones. Nor am I more deserving of aid than them, even if I hate them right back. The concept of withholding aid or hesitating to help particular regions because of what their government officials believe is heinous. Hell, even if regular civilians believe it too, it’s still wrong and morally reprehensible. Similarly, providing aid with the caveat of “converting those stubborn hicks” to the cause is downright evangelical and fucking evil. This is a humanitarian crisis, and people need help. And truly if you think it would be better if the south couldn’t vote, or that we collectively deserve this on some moral or karmic basis, I really need you to think critically about those exact talking points because they should sound shockingly familiar. Governments should help their people, and that should be a bipartisan priority. I don’t give a fuck what anyone says- people who are ignoring this because of where it’s happening are vile and need to get themselves sorted out. And the people who do think this is some sort of universal comeuppance for this part of the country can- and I mean this truly deeply, from my heart of hearts- go straight to hell.

I’m going to be posting resources to help those in need in the Appalachia region, as well as Florida. I’ll include shelters, food banks, etc. I’ll have them out soon. I don’t use this blog really anymore but this is the least I can do.

[fortunelowtier]

I still 100% unironically wholeheartedly believe that this scuffed ass reality tv show from 2007 where CBS stranded 40 children in the middle of the NM desert a la Lord of the Flies is one of the most genuinely fascinating pieces of TV I've ever watched just because of how ABSURD it is on every level

-Their society is a bizarre Communism/Democracy hybrid whose entire economy is based on the barter system

-There is a set class system everyone is sorted into against their will who each get paid more or less money depending on how high or low they are on the ladder, and at the end of each episode they must compete in competitions to decide who gets to be at the top, with the "strongest" being able to get the esteemed title of "upper class"

-Every time they would complete a challenge, at the very end they were given a choice of 2 things that could be added to the town, to which the leaders of the teams would vote on which to get (For example, in one episode they had to choose between fresh produce or 50 pizzas). One of these things was letters from the children's parents, implying that the adults on site were receiving the mail from these kid's parents and deliberately withholding it from them

-In one episode the district leaders of each of the 4 teams (the classes) go out and find a chest full of buffalo nickels (the town's currency), they bring the chest to the town and naturally, this creates unprecedented inflation near instantly, as there's now a mass amount of currency that suddenly appeared in the economy

-Their entire society existed in relative stability until the moment religion was introduced in the form of various religious texts (Bibles, the Quran, etc), after which the town immediately started to go to shit. The Jewish kids and Christian kids were at each other's throats about which religion was """better""" (because they're children who had religion forced upon them at a young age before they were able to think for themselves but that's an entire can of worms I won't open), while the 1 (one) Hindu kid was trying to keep the peace

-At one point the kids start to crave meat, as their food up to that point was mostly canned goods and various produce, so one of the """eldest""" members of the group, (I say """eldest""" because he was still only like 14 or 15) who had worked as a butchers apprentice, took one of their chickens and lead the kids into the desert to where he then taught them how to decapitate, pluck, drain, and cook a chicken.

-One of the kids later did a Reddit AMA about his experience on the show, where he then disclosed various things that happened outside of the camera such as, but not limited to: Oil burns, a kid drinking bleach, scorpions, venomous snakes, an outbreak of herpes, the lack of showers, the lack of multiple toilets (up until I believe a few weeks in they only had one outhouse), etc etc etc

-The parents of these kids allegedly had to sign a 22 page waiver that was basically CBS going "If ur kids get hurt you can't sue us", specifically noting "acts of god" in the contract of things that they weren't to be held accountable for

-At the end of every week, the 4 leaders got together to choose which person would receive that week's "gold star", a star made out of 20,000 USD of solid gold (around 30k after adjusting for inflation), an unfathomable amount of money to give to kids who likely had no concept as to how much money 20 grand was

-The town used for Bonanza City is actually a ghost town/film set located just 20 miles from Santa Fe used as a filming location for movies like A Million Ways to Die In the West (2014) and The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981). The reason I bring this up is because it's the same film set in which 14 years later, Alec Baldwin would accidentally discharge a firearm on the set of Rust, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

To anyone asking where to watch this, I genuinely don't know. All of the 13 episodes used to be available on YouTube by someone who re-uploaded them in 2010, but the channel was terminated last year. I've heard that there are a few Google Drive folders floating around that have the raw MP4 files and you could watch them that way but you'd probably have to go digging for it

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Ways to Give:

dancing-thru-clouds was recently hit with a surprise tax bill (she didn't realize her town had local income tax, and didn't receive the previous year's notice); she's adjusted her withholding to account for this, but still owes the balance from the past two years and is fundraising to cover the balance. You can give via paypal here.

stemmonade is a disabled Black trans person who relies on crowdfunding for survival since they can't work and their wife is currently unemployed; they are raising a little over $700 to cover rent and essentials in the meantime. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

themerrymutants is a disabled queer man currently living on social security aid; he has recently had to travel to the emergency room several times for possible complications from a recent surgery, and is now short on rent because of the cost of transit. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for prototrans, a disabled artist who needs help with rent money; he is also offering commissions. You can read more, reblog, and find giving and commission information here.

Recurring Needs:

Anon linked to a fundraiser for a friend whose family has not had a working furnace since November; they've been using space heaters to keep warm but January in Chicago has been brutal and the space heaters aren't sufficient. With vulnerable family members including elderly relatives and children in the home, they need to raise $6K to get the furnace replaced. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

thelastpyler is raising funds for food and to purchase medication for their family; you can read more and find giving information here.

Eli is a disabled Michigander who cares for their elderly grandmother; they are applying for SSDI, but their car was damaged recently and is undrivable, with estimated $8K-$12K in repairs to make it drivable. They need transportation for doctor's visits and legal consultations for their SSDI appeal, and have no way to get around without the car. You can read more and reblog here or give at the gofundme here.

loversdoom is a college student from the Philippines, studying away from her family, and her parents are unexpectedly unable to support her education; she is in mounting debt and facing eviction from her dorm in her last semester of college. She's raising funds to repair her laptop so she can do her schoolwork and find a remote job that will help her pay rent, and to fund the remainder of her schooling. You can read more and reblog here and support the fundraiser here.

Anon linked to karla-hoshi or Hoshi on TikTok, who is raising funds for cancer treatment for her cat Naku; they caught the cancer early and hope that he can survive it, but can't continue treatment without funding. You can read more and support the fundraiser here, as well as find links to her updates on tiktok.

chingaderita's partner recently lost their job due to a house fire that also destroyed the house; they're raising funds to keep food on the table, to try and get a supply of water to keep clean and do laundry, and for various bills until they can find new work. You can read more, reblog, and support the fundraiser here.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

[housederiva]

Hello! Hope all is well, I wanted to ask what do you think is best to do about Da:tv? Considering the layoffs and like, Initially i wanted to wait a couple of weeks after release, specially after the catastrophe of everything about The Sims 4, Da:tv feels like its going down the same path? Like both games owned by EA that where too many years in development hell, first being made as multiplayer then burned to the ground and made again, much of the previous lore ignored, Da:tv will probably be also patched to hell and back like ts4.

Unfortunatly with all this said i think I will buy the game anyway, not pre-order! But still buying it, because truth be told, even if its garbage i will enjoy it, as much as i enjoyed the Sims 4, but i still wanted to hear your thoughts!

Like, maybe romance Lucanis as my first playthrough? Im sure EA/bioware have player stats and if the most romanced companion is by someone you laid off... I don't really know where Im going with this, Im not too knowledgeable, but i would like that Mary Kirby to be properly compensated :(

Dear listener I'm on a midnight train going nowhere (though i did sign the lease to move into a house in my favorite beach town this morning so maybe the train is flipping a sick Uie) a general rule of thumb I've seen is to wait a few days after a AAA launch for the first patch to come out or to see if it's playable in the first place...But Veilguard did have that giant player event earlier this month and all the bugs I could see were folds in fabric and hair clipping (though those folks were playing on optimized pc's) and BW has mentioned a few times that they're trying to not repeat Andromeda

Regardless if you preorder the game or not, Steam takes 30% of your payment. Speaking as someone who works in production, I know that devs/crew get paid either weekly or monthly for the work they've already done and will do until their contacts end from funds that have already been allocated to their payrolls. The vast majority of BioWare's crew, the people who actively coded and worked on Veilguard, will see none of the money from any sales, preorder or otherwise. AAA sales line EA ceo pockets, not that of the people we care about. Which sucks but that's the way it is. (if a BW crew member sees this please feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken)

This is a bit from a Eurogamer article if you want to read more into the logistic of where your money goes

I'm not preordering Veilguard out of personal preference, and while I know my money is still going to the people who laid of Marry and a bunch of other folks with no warning, I feel better withholding my contribution until Halloween

But yeah, I think it'd be a bitter-sweetness if Lucanis becomes the fan favorite romance just like how Varric is the favorite BW is squeezing the blood out of until there's nothing left. They can't repeat that same shade of success a third time. I want her legacy to be a ghost that haunts whoever made the call and when the round of obligatory congratulations goes around, there's a deafening silence when if they purposely leave out her name. Regardless, Marry's already been paid for all the work she did on Veilguard and now it's the recognition I'm worried about.

I don't know if the folks who got laid off's correct severance pay got resolved though, last I checked 14 were suing the company about this time last year

[spock-smokes-weed]

So again idk how Judge is in canon, but in my AU I imagine him as a deadbeat dad who only enters Sanji’s life to ask him for money. (If you’ve seen the episode “Mom” from Abbott Elementary, that’s the kind of dynamic I’m thinking of)

Sanji has been at a crossroads with his father for a long time, and when he comes to vist he’s always put in a bind because he wants his dad to love him, but he’s caught on to how he’s being used. Zeff always fumes when Judge is back in town but Sanji made him promise to stay out of it and to leave it between him and his dad.

None of the straw hats have met Judge. They’ve heard very little about Sanji’s family life outside of Zeff.

Judge comes through town during Zoro’s final trimester, and it becomes a whole thing. Sanji never told his father about Zoro and the baby because he doesn’t talk to him outside of the times Judge drops by unannounced. Sanji honestly didn’t want him to know or get in the middle of this because at this point it’s none of his business. So when he drops by out of the blue one day and meets a heavily pregnant Zoro at the door, it’s Sanji’s worst nightmare come to life.

Sanji is on edge at the freak out he’s gonna get from Judge, but his father takes it in stride. He’s jovial that he’s “becoming a grandfather” and grills Sanji a little bit for withholding this from him. The vibe of this visit is already totally different from how it usually goes, and judge almost seems like he cares about Sanji’s life for once.

He stays longer than he usually does (he usually only stays for a day or two, skipping town after he promised Sanji he’d hang out the whole week), actually following up on promises to Sanji.

Sanji gets the smallest bit of hope that maybe his dad has finally turned is act around, but Zeff is incredibly doubtful. Zeff warns Zoro to be weary of Judge and relays all the disappointments he’s put Sanji through. “He will try to drive a wedge between you and Sanji and you can’t let him. For the sake of your baby, you can’t let Judge stick around.”

Zoro of course, smells the rancid vibes coming off Judge from a mile away, but keeps civil for Sanji’s sake. He keeps a sharp eye for what kind of game Judge is playing, and doesn’t let his guard down.

Everyone is aware that this situation has the potential to emotionally decimate Sanji, so all of the Straw Hats are scrutinizing and keeping their eyes on Judge while he tries to worm his way back into Sanji’s life.

[silky-nereid]

— ⋆.𐙚˚ clara headcanons

request form

Yandere reanimator, Clara who dislikes change since her life has always been in a linear pattern— she loves you; the previous version of yourself but she wants the old you back. She tries to love the person that she stitched together from the corpses. 

Yandere Reanimator Clara who lives in a fantasy of the past to where you could speak to her and when you weren’t so cold in her arms—she yearns for your hands interwoven with hers and misses the gifts that you both shared. 

Yandere Reanimator Clara ruins her old reputation as the local physician and turns into a recluse in her home— she ignores the invitations that she gets from everyone in town and the interruptions from locals in need to solely focus on you. 

Yandere Reanimator Clara who constantly plays the part of a mourner and goes to open casket funerals to see what body parts are available and how much money she needs to bribe the graveyard shift so she can get the limbs and organs that she needs.  

Yandere Reanimator Clara who electrocutes you back to life after a close run in with the local sheriff and she finally has a sense of stability in her life again—she hides the mirrors from you since you shouldn’t see your face due to stitches and the discoloration of parts that still need to ‘heal’ even if it’s exposed muscle or bone. 

Yandere Reanimator Clara who always stays calm when she visits you and she helps you with picking your brooches and accessories for your clothes; she always matches with you even if you are not allowed to go outside due to your current state. 

Yandere Reanimator Clara whose dislike of change slowly becomes more apparent since she’s noticing the little changes that you do but she stays calm during; you’re just used to being alive again and soon, you’ll be back to normal, right? 

Yandere Reanimator Clara who tries to push your old hobbies on you even if you refuse or no longer have an interest in them anymore— she always installs extra locks onto the windows, the front and back door of the home due to your seemingly enhanced strength that you developed.

Yandere Reanimator Clara who is on the thinnest rope when you decide to move out of the shared bedroom because this is a big deal to her and she becomes a bit unstable after realizing that you’re not going to return to your old self but she doesn’t care— she’ll make you behave like yourself.

Yandere Reanimator Clara who starts to be a bit mean and purposely withholds certain body parts that you need since the old ones are rotting and starting to develop worms and other insects that feed on decaying flesh. 

Yandere Reanimator Clara who allows you to go outside during the day which was a dream turned nightmare due your now disturbed appearance of stitched up skin and the mismatched body parts; she purposely doesn’t let you back inside despite the raging knocks on her door.

Yandere Reanimator Clara who makes you blames yourself which she stitches you back together because all she wants to do is keep you safe in the isolated house and she holds you in her arms despite being a bit suffocating and adores you even more when you start acting like yourself rather than someone else that she doesn’t want to understand; you’re her wife, she only wants to love you.

[friendlyneighborhoodsynthezoid]

Pirate Batch Continues- Tech's Troubles

A new challenger approaches! Tech's fun.

Tech’s life wasn’t going at all the way he predicted it would, although perhaps he should have foreseen that. The young scholar pondered his life choices as he sprinted through the darkened streets of Tipoca City.

He rounded a corner, splashing through unidentifiable puddles and dodging debris as he made for a side of town he’d never ventured before. Behind him were the angry shouts and pounding footsteps of his… concerned colleagues. Honestly, he thought, I didn’t say anything THAT bad. It’s not my fault the whole school faculty is so bloody closed-minded. Well, maybe Tech could have stood to withhold his interest in forbidden science just a little while in the presence of others, and okay, maybe he hadn’t been terribly diplomatic when the head librarian had confronted him about his studies, but did that really warrant having to flee from a mob of old stuckups? Tech came upon an open tavern and burst inside, closing the door quickly behind him and finding a wall to put his back against. The chatter of the occupants halted as everyone stared at him. Never had his attention been towards his appearance, but he was suddenly very aware of how much his crisp attire and tinted spectacles stood out amongst such company. Then the moment ended, and everyone returned to their business. Except, Tech noted, for one person. A young fellow- well, probably older than tech himself but that wasn’t hard- who was still staring at him with interest from across the room. He wore a tricorn hat atop long dark hair that fell messily about his face, a long red overcoat that looked at least a size too big, and rather ridiculously high leather boots. The odd outfit marked him as a sailor of some kind, probably of dubious legality. He sat next to a great hulking shape of a man, who hadn’t noticed Tech the way his companion had. Both fellows were armed. Tech heard the door burst open again and saw the headmaster of his school flounce into the room with fury raging in his dusty eyes. Tech weighed his options and strode towards the man in the hat, who was watching Tech and the newcomers with open amusement. “You, with the questionable attire”, Tech addressed him, “can I perhaps commission your services as a charter to anywhere but here?” he managed in one breath. The man’s big companion finally took an interest. “You get chased by old guys a lot?”

“A recent development,” Tech said and, hoping to speed things up a little, he fished out a handful of coins and held one up to them. “Do you accept my commission? I’m afraid I’m in rather a hurry.” The man in the hat smirked, his eyes flicking from the money in Tech’s hand, to his face, to the horde of angry scholars behind him. “Yeah, alright, fancy pants,” he said, “you seem like good company. Wrecker,” he addressed his hulking companion, “let’s take our new friend out the back way.” Wrecker laughed and jumped to his feet, punching tech companionably in the shoulder with enough force to send him staggering, before starting off to the back wall of the tavern. “Might I point out,” Tech panted, “that there is in fact no door on this side of the buildi-.” he trailed off as Wrecker kicked a sizable chunk out of the wooden wall. Tech shrugged and followed the mysterious pair out into the night. They ran towards the docks and towards a very curious ship. He was hurried aboard and below deck as the man in the hat started guiding the ship away from the shore. Tech took a seat against the wall and took in his surroundings, quickly forming a viable hypothesis regarding his current companions. The abundant weapons strewn about, the visible damage to the ship’s structure, and the notable absence of any navy emblems, certifications, or even flags painted quite the picture for the young scholar. He was pulled from his musings by the ship's two occupants returning from above deck. The man in the hat smiled at him and held out a hand in greeting. “Well, that was entertaining,” he said, “the name’s Hunter, and that’s Wrecker. What might your name be?” Tech hesitated only a moment before answering, “I am known as Tech,” he supplied, ignoring the man called Hunter’s still outstretched hand. “I thank you for your assistance and am prepared to pay for my safe delivery to a nearby port” Hunter’s grin widened, hearing the slight emphasis on the word ‘safe’. “Yeah, we could do that,” he said. “Or I could offer you a job. You don’t seem like the normal sort, and, well, neither are we. As you’ve probably guessed. I could use a guy with brains, and one with enough guts to use ‘em. You seem like the right sort, and yeah, I’m a little desperate. You interested?” Tech considered his alternatives- limited- and grasped Hunter’s hand, pulling himself to his feet. “Perhaps,” he admitted. That seemed good enough for Hunter, who put a friendly hand on his shoulder and said, “Well then, Tech. Welcome aboard the Havoc Marauder”.

[girlactionfigure]

ISRAEL REALTIME - late-morning updates - Nov 2

THE MEMORY of the Holocaust is fading with the lives of those who saw it.  WHO will speak for the murdered babies of October 7 if we refuse to see it?

Do not turn away, do not ignore, do not go about your lives.  We will witness, we will speak for the murdered.

— BEIT LID, SHOMRON/YEHUDA (West Bank)… terror shooting attack at passing car on Route 557.  Driver shot, car overturned, did not survive.

Related - there are many reports of active incidents throughout the Shomron / Yehuda (West Bank).  At least 3 terrorists shot, skirmishes by Kalkilyah (at least 1 terrorist shot), riots by Shechem (Nablus) with rioter(s) shot attacking checkpoint.  

— LEBANON… Al Jazeera: An Israeli drone attacked with two missiles a target in the Al-Adisa area in southern Lebanon.

— NASRALLAH… the wait of the day is a 3:00 PM speech planned by Hezbollah leader Nasrallah.  Will Hezbollah ramp up, do the ‘big launch’, or posture?  Will Israel launch a preemptive strike?  IDF spokesman to Nasrallah a few minutes ago: We are ready.  

— POP-UP BATTLE REPORT… The heroic battle of the fighters of the 13th Battalion of Golan in the north of the Gaza Strip: about 30 terrorists from an elite Hamas force prepared a planned ambush from tunnels, with anti-tank missiles, rocket launchers and drones. The terrorists tried to surprise the fighters - and even tried to get into their armored personnel carriers. The fighters engaged in face-to-face battle, and with air support that hit the terrorists. The battle lasted about three hours. About 20 terrorists were killed in the battle, about 10 escaped. No casualties to our forces.

— HOSTAGE COUNT… increased to 242.

— GERMANY… from today activities of Hamas are banned in Germany.

— US THREATENS TO WITHHOLD GUNS GIVEN TO CIVILIANS?  (Supposedly from Haaretz)  “The USs has reportedly warned Israel that it would not send American-made rifles after the Israeli national security minister was seen handing out such guns to civilians amidst the war with the Hamas. The row erupted after images shared by minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showed him distributing rifles to civilian security squads on Oct 28 (Saturday), Israel’s Haaretz outlet reported.

(( This story is a bit bizarre. I can’t find a US source, Israel has PLENTY of guns - the IDF throws away nothing, generations of M-16’s etc, and many of the new Kitat Konenut town defense volunteer squads have also been raising money for their own equipment upgrades, and Israel manufactures rifles.  It buys them from the US because US military aid requires it. MSN reported but unconfirmed. ))

— WHEN THEY SAY IT OUT LOUD… Hamas Official Ghazi Hamad: “We Will Repeat The October 7 Attack, Time And Again, Until Israel Is Annihilated; We Are Victims – Everything We Do Is Justified.”  

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

25th September >> Mass Readings (USA)

Wednesday, Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II))

First Reading Proverbs 30:5-9 Give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need.

Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Add nothing to his words, lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.

Two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die: Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need; Lest, being full, I deny you, saying, “Who is the LORD?” Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the name of my God.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163

R/ Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with your law.

R/ Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

R/ Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

Your word, O LORD, endures forever; it is firm as the heavens.

R/ Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

From every evil way I withhold my feet, that I may keep your words.

R/ Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

Through your precepts I gain discernment; therefore I hate every false way.

R/ Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

Falsehood I hate and abhor; your law I love.

R/ Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.

Gospel Acclamation Mark 1:15

Alleluia, alleluia. The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 9:1-6 He sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[raayllum]

thought about how because dark magic requires, primarily, intensive magical knowledge of ingredients and the ability to collect them, and because dark magic spells whittle away at the caster's body

it's like — the perfect incentive and mindset with which to start a cult?

an experienced & knowledgeable dark mage who knows where all the ingredients are and is therefore the leader of a guild, either collecting the goods themselves or sending out their young apprentices to do so. a leader who has a vested, tangible interest in 1) offering magic to towns and kings for money and 2) withholding the knowledge from their workers/students to secure their position and 3) then using the students as human batteries, as it seems that once you have the ingredients and incantation, you can perform almost any spell up to the point your body can't take it anymore

[silvertheredhairedstranger]

sitting on all of these solid openings for long fics that will more than likely never go anywhere bc i have longfic commitment issues so i'm gonna start pulling some of these bc i don't want them all to collect dust for too long.

so!! here's the (second scene, the first has too many fill-ins i'm not messing w rn) start of the acsb marriage of convenience au :)

-

sabo gets married to his best friend roughly one week before graduation.

the following week is a myriad of different things, but sabo doesn’t think being married contributes to anything. 

an entire hour and a half is enough to finalize the whole affair. they don’t do much more than fill out paperwork and get on the attending clerk’s nerves. neither of them opt to change their names, for convenience. nothing special happens afterwards, both of them too exhausted to stay on their feet for much longer.

the next day is the start of the weekend, and sabo wakes ace up early to go take graduation pictures while he’s still willing to do so. it’s an event neither of them are particularly inclined to, but sabo’s insisted ace pose for at least a handful of shots in his cap and gown, knowing his surrogate parents will appreciate it.

they wrap up when the snowfall that’s been hovering over the left edge of the city finally moves in above campus. a measly hour is spent huddled together with steaming cups of cider before they’re rudely interrupted by an incoming phone call. sabo answers to find they’ve gotten their days switched up, because the moving truck they’d hired is outside of their apartment.

after rushing home and dealing with an event they’d expected to be the day after, they’re left with a much more empty living space and literal pennies to their name. 

lucky for them, ace gets paid the next day. it’s the last of the money they need to close out their affairs in the city they’ve spent the past four years living in. ace will get paid again the day they leave, the funds serving as their gas and grocery money for the long drive back home. his boss, shyarly, has already said to expect something to the tune of a closing bonus, which is nice. nicer still that she’s waiting for graduation to pass to hand it over, knowing a thing or two about college kids in a college town blowing money when they lose their inhibitions.

unfortunately for sabo and ace, it’s a very long fifteen-hour drive back to their sleepy seaside hometown. they get by graduation in their own company (ace has convinced the silvers to stay home and sabo has no proper family to speak of) and withhold from partying (too hard) with the knowledge of their pending long drive the next day.

sabo had photographed ace previously, but during graduation itself, ace is the cameraman. sabo lets him get away with taking more video reels than pics, just ecstatic himself that ace is enjoying himself so much. he doesn’t look at all like the man sabo had had to convince to finishing out his degree. he even seems happy up on stage, grinning directly into sabo’s phone’s camera lens when sabo holds it up for a shot. 

sabo is glad, especially since he knows that ace, unlike himself, is less likely to use the degree going forward. oh, sure, there’s definitely a real possibility for it – there are lots of things you can use a studio art degree for. but ace has fallen in love with his current job, and shyarly has prolonged it by securing him a position as a tech for a local pharmaceutical company back home. once he finishes his last course for his credentials over the summer, he’ll start getting paid as a proper tech, too. (he won’t let sabo forget either – that he’ll have all that money flowing in while sabo slaves away at law school.)

if sabo is happy for ace, ace is over the moon for him. he hoists sabo up in his arms as soon as the ceremony closes and they’re near each other again, holding his phone out to snap a quick selfie of them both. this one he sends to shakky directly, and it’s early enough in the night for it to only take a handful of minutes for her to reply back.

“cute,” ace reads. “also, she wants to know what time to expect us tomorrow.”

“if we leave by ten we won’t be there until after midnight.” sabo tugs ace to a stop, preventing him from walking into oncoming traffic while his fingers fly over the keyboard. “she won’t be home by then.”

“uncle ray won’t be up either. hmm.” ace keeps his thoughts internal and allows sabo to drag him over to where they’d parked. “i’ll let them figure it out,” he decides, pocketing his phone. “we’ll get there when we get there.”

the next morning sabo wakes up later than he should, leaves to procure breakfast burritos with the highest amount of grease possible, and lets ace rise on his own with the promise of food, knowing it will be easier to keep him awake if it’s a self-made choice.

they pack away what little food, toiletries, clothes, and personal items they have left and stuff everything into the car’s trunk and backseat. sabo pulls on shades to beat the morning sun and calls first shift. they definitely need gas, but ace has him pull into the pharmacy parking lot before that, and then bullies him into going inside.

sabo doesn’t really know any of these people like ace does, but he goes along when he gets roped in with the well-wishes. lets shyarly pull him into a one-armed hug while ischilly and camie and all the girls on staff that day fawn over ace before he leaves them for good.

ace takes his narcolepsy pills with a bottle of water while sabo fills up the tank. he’s still feeling the hangover, so sabo lets him sleep through the first portion of their drive. by the time they eat a late lunch and switch over, ace is wide awake.

the same thing cannot be said for when they pull into the silvers’ driveway. to be fair, sabo is just as tired, forcing a yawn into the palm of his hand while his other jerks the door handle open. his feet hit the ground in time with an audible thump, and he glances back over his shoulder to see ace dropped down onto the steering wheel.

“you are so much work,” sabo complains, hoisting his best friend from the driver’s seat. “i’ll be praying for your future spouse.”

ace hums into sabo’s neck; his nose moves and sabo shudders through the ticklish sensation. “sounds weird coming from my current spouse,” he mumbles.

sabo considers dropping him, since apparently he’s cognizant enough to make snarky remarks. should be able to hold his own weight then, no?

instead, he sighs, closes the door with his foot, maneuvers them toward the house, and gives up on retrieving the rest of his stuff until the morning. “don’t say it like that,” he mutters back. “what if someone hears?”

he might as well be talking of the wind, and ace knows it, huffing something like a laugh out of his lips. “we agreed to keep it on the down-low, not a secret. ‘s fine. besides, we should probably tell them both tomorrow, before they find out some other way on–”

ace cuts off without warning, slumping fully into sabo. sabo merely sighs again, adjusting to accommodate ace’s dead weight while he twists the house key in the door.

luckily for him, ace’s room is at the front of the house. it doesn’t take that much time or that much effort to drag him to bed and kick his shoes off. normally sabo would just join him, especially considering how tired he is, wobbling on his own feet. but he feels weird after ace’s comment, so after taking his own shoes off, he backtracks out to the hallway.

there’s no reason to force himself through a shower and risk waking someone. with this in mind, sabo collapses onto the couch in the main room. it’s still just long enough that his feet don’t hang over the edge, but sabo doesn’t take advantage of that tonight, curling his legs close for warmth. 

he’s fast asleep before the house’s remaining occupant gets home for the night, so he misses the blanket pulled over him until the sun is out.

when sabo’s eyes blink open his throat feels pasty. his head is awkwardly turned towards the ceiling and his cheeks are itchy, maybe. he blinks.

it hits that he’s in a familiar place just as the urge to look to the side gets the better of him. aisa is there, on her knees, one little hand pressed into the cushions enough for sabo to feel the dip. 

“stranger,” she speaks up, retreating with just her torso. 

“no, it’s sabo.” he pulls a hand up out of the blanket to push his hood from his head, baring his sleep-mused hair to the world. “see?” his eyes fall to her other hand, where she’s holding a wide-tipped marker, the cap nowhere in sight. “please tell me you didn’t draw on my face.”

“then i won’t tell you,” aisa says bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest. 

sabo sighs. that explains the sticky feeling on his skin. whatever, he’d wash it off later. wasn’t worth getting upset at a ten-year-old over.

he squints. “aisa, how old are you?”

“eleven!” she holds out all ten fingers to show him, the eleventh apparently depicted with the marker. that was right. her and ace were twelve years (and two days) apart in age. it had just been a minute since sabo had seen her. last time him and ace met up with the silvers, she had been away visiting her actual mother. said mother is now back in prison, so (just like ace) she’s a resident at her aunt and uncle’s place until further notice.

as if reading his mind, aisa squints back and asks the same question he’s thinking on. “where’s acey?”

“ahh, probably asleep?” sabo makes to run a hand down his face then remembers at the last second why that’s a bad idea. “we got in late last night. what time is it?” he starts patting around him for his keys, figuring they must have fallen out of his empty jacket pocket.

a jangling sound has him glancing up. “late,” aisa says, jiggling his key ring. “breakfast is over.”

sabo sits up and holds out a hand patiently. aisa snatches her hand back, so he takes another approach. “no school today?”

“snow delay.” she looks up past sabo’s head. “right?”

“it’s about time to head out, actually,” rayleigh says to her as sabo turns his head. he’s retreated (probably) from his favorite spot in the kitchen, travel mug of coffee steaming and ready to go. he nods to sabo and sabo does his best to smile back, but it’s hard when rayleigh parses what’s all over his face and breaks into a grin.

“i want sabby to take me!” aisa stomps her socked foot into the carpet, huffing as she says this. 

“sure thing, kid,” sabo says, diverting a crisis before it can blow up. “got your stuff?” she nods, jerking her head towards the back door. “good. go get your shoes on.”

she takes the keys (ace’s, he realizes balefully. ace’s to turn the car off and get into the house) with her as she goes, running off to parts unknown to hopefully do as he’s requested. sabo watches her go while stretching his arms high above his head, letting the blanket pool round his waist.

“thank you,” rayleigh says, taking a long drag of coffee to keep from saying much else. 

sabo shrugs, finally rising to his feet. “s’no problem. need anything while i’m out?”

“no, you’re good.” he gestures to somewhere over his shoulder. “i should be gone by the time you get back, but shakky will be up later. you boys just dig something out of the cabinets for breakfast, okay? think she wanted to do something special for lunch.”

“sure.” aisa runs back in wearing snowboots and sabo points her towards the front door. “outside. unlock it for me, okay? i’ll be out soon.”

aisa looks ecstatic by the prospect. she’s out the door with her backpack over one shoulder before sabo’s left the living room. he ducks into the bathroom first to wash his face, not wanting to run the risk of ace being awake to see it. 

the scribbles are uncreatively befitting of an eleven-year-old. a fake mustache, angry eyebrows, swirls on his cheeks. ‘stranger danger’ scrawled over the free space in a manner that suggests how little she understands the phrase. 

he washes it all down the drain and carefully teases ace’s bedroom door open while wiping his face on his sleeve. still asleep. typical. 

sabo sits on the edge of the mattress to do up the laces to the shoes he’d left here last night. ace wakes somewhere between shoe one and two, shifting on the mattress to blink up at him when he’s finished.

“where so early?” he mumbles. 

“i’m taking your niece to school.” he stands up. “gonna stop at hatchi’s after. want anything specific?”

“whatever they have left that has meat.” he pauses. “and a cherry soda. definitely need one of those.”

“sure. i’ll be back.”

“wait.”

he hesitates when ace starts wriggling, working himself up onto his elbows. “what?”

“did you sleep here last night?” his brow furrows. “how long have you been up.”

“i slept on the couch,” sabo confesses. ace gives him an are-you-kidding-me look that he does his best to ignore. “and not long. ray’s still here. bet you can catch him before he goes.”

“forget it.” ace flops back over. “‘m going back to sleep.” 

the words are muffled by the pillow he pulls halfway over his face. sabo rolls his eyes. “i’ll be back,” he repeats.

it’s freezing out. sabo shuts the door behind him and takes a second to shiver before moving again. aisa’s huddled in the front seat, legs pressed to her chest. the keys are in the ignition but the car’s not turned on, so sabo does so as soon as he slides in. he cranks the heater and lets aisa fumble for the seat warmer while he adjusts the driver seat from where ace had it. 

“took too long,” aisa admonishes him once her teeth stop chattering. “i turned into a popsicle!”

“yeah, sorry.” he tosses her ace’s coat to drape over her small form. “try that. should warm up in a minute, okay?”

she grumbles something inaudible that he tunes out to slide them down the driveway. if it’s important she’ll say it again.

he takes them by the scenic route after sparing a glance to the clock. they have time, and it feels like it’s been forever since he’s seen the sea. 

aisa enjoys it more than him, pressing her face to the glass to stare out at the calm waves as they speed by. maybe if it stops snowing him and ace can take her to the beach later in the week. the novelty of living in a port town never really fades away – even if it’s too cold to get in the water, walking along the sand is enjoyable in its own special way.

when the waves are out of sight aisa loses interest. she turns in her seat to dig through his and ace’s boxes instead, taking particular interest in their open snack bin.

sabo reaches back at a stoplight and appeases her by depositing a half-empty bag of candy into her lap. she looks up, eyes wide and bright, and he presses a finger to his lips, eyes back on the road. “don’t tell uncle ray about this one, okay?”

aisa swings her bag around to stuff the candy inside. “okay,” she repeats.

he pulls up to the curb and hovers over the gearshift, debating whether to put it in park. “need me to walk you in?”

aisa shakes her head, already done worming both arms through the straps of her bag. she lifts the handle up and kicks the door open, hurtling to the ground as soon as she’s able. sabo reaches over to close the door for her when her first attempt is too soft. “see you later!” he says out the open window. aisa briefly waves at him and then sprints toward the front doors.

sabo doesn’t blame her, rolling the window back up with a shudder. 

his next stop is a little corner-store-slash-take-out-eatery: hatchi’s. named after the cook that ran the place, though he didn’t when the store first opened, taking over after the original owner died of some cause sabo isn’t privy to. their food is good, straight from the sea. they send guys out every morning to collect reasonable hauls and fry it all up throughout the day. fresh seafood is a luxury sabo hasn’t been able to appreciate recently. it’s what pulls him from the warm car when he finally puts it in park.

everything is as it should be. sabo gets called by name before he’s even reached the counter and is offered the last two octopus skewers at a discounted price. he gets a large drink for him and ace to share, mentioning this when he grabs two straws from their holder.

“is ace with you?” he gets asked, one of hatchi’s men leaning on the counter further down to do so. 

“nah, he’s passed out back at his parents’ place. why?”

the same guy gestures up and down at sabo. “looks like his coat you have on. too big for you.”

“oh.” he glances down. he’d shrugged the thing on after managing to leave the car, not wanting to brave the cold clad in only an old sweatshirt. “yeah, it is, i guess. we drove back together last night and our stuff is still mixed in the car.”

“next time bring ace with you!” another guy says, poking his head out from the back where the grill is. “would love to see him again.”

“will do,” sabo promises. he takes a faux-curtsy and slides both straws into the coat’s left pocket. “sorry i’m such a letdown.”

“don’t say that!” someone shoves his shoulder from behind and sabo bends his legs to brace himself. praline comes around the side of the counter, leaning against the edge. she has a tray of steaming styrofoam cups held in both hands, and in a flash several of the cups disappear into eager hands. “we missed you too,” she rephrases. “come together next time.”

“alright,” he manages, straightening back out.

she gives him a cup before he leaves to balance with the others. it’s warm in his hand but he’s left the car on, so he doesn’t give himself the chance to savor it.

after nearly scalding his tongue, he deems it too hot to drink and sets it aside for the entire drive home. in the end he gives it to ace, using it to coerce him from bed when his empty-handed offer doesn’t quite work.

ace moves to the kitchen and slumps deep onto a bar stool to suck down half the hot chocolate. he leaves the remaining half for sabo, too distracted by soda and skewers to bother finishing it.

when he’s done, he yawns into a fist and goes out to the car to dig his medicine out from his travel bag. he ends up shrugging off sabo’s offer to unload and retreats to his room to take a nap while shakky is still asleep.

sabo finishes off the soda and manages the task on his own. most of their boxes were out of the way in the garage, and would stay that way until they were ready to move again. but, considering they would be using everything they brought by car until then, he opts to deposit it all in ace’s room. it’s a scattered mess for now, sabo doing his best to avoid keeping ace up. they’d organize it better later.

he’s coming through with the last of it when murmuring on the other side of the door catches his attention. when he pushes it open he finds shakky sitting on ace’s bedside, talking to him in low tones. she glances up and smiles wider with sabo’s appearance.

“hey.” he shuffles past with his arms full. 

“hi, sabo. i’m so glad one of you is up and being productive.”

he smiles at the slight, but since he’s turned away to set the luggage down, it’s entirely to himself. ace grumbles something that sounds like a protest, flipping over so his words come out more clearly.

“i thought you would go with him,” shakky admits, eyes on ace. “the roads are so icy right now. thought you’d be worried about him crashing and having another medical emergency.”

“i’m much more careful than that,” sabo speaks up, at the same time ace says, “nothing to worry about now that we’re married.”

sabo’s breath catches in his throat. he knows he hears right when shakky’s gaze snaps to him, her eyes growing wide. “ace!” he hisses, looking away. 

“you got married,” shakky says aloud, like she’s testing the words. “when, exactly?”

“right before graduation,” ace answers, still sounding half-asleep as he says it.

sabo flounders, drawing shakky’s attention back to him. “not like that!” he finally says, when he regains the ability to speak.

“oh, i thought you would deny it,” shakky follows, looking thoughtful, now.

sabo drops down on the other edge of the bed. “it’s for legal reasons,” he elaborates. “that’s all.”

“ouch,” ace mutters. his eyes are closed, still unwilling to submit to the waking world. “i’m hurt.”

“shut up already!” sabo barks, pushing at his feet. in response, ace kicks back, and sabo jostles him until he’s half-lying over ace’s legs to keep them pinned. 

meanwhile, shakky’s expression has twisted from open into something sour, like she can’t believe either of them are partaking in a loveless marriage. she watches them tousle with her arms crossed. when sabo’s declared the victor, she speaks up again. “i’m waiting on your ‘good reason’. any day, now.”

“ugh.” ace opens his eyes to stare sullenly at the sheets. “it’s so i’ll be his next-of-kin.”

“we can be that for each other, he means,” sabo follows. “if it becomes necessary.”

she raises one brow in mock-disbelief. “seems like a pretty big commitment for a ‘what if’, hm?”

“doesn’t matter!” ace whines. he shifts his legs from underneath sabo. “it’s already done. just let it alone.”

“alright. fine.” she gets up, gives the room an admonishing look, and then bends down to push a hand through ace’s hair. “unpack. shower, both of you.” (she glances up pointedly at sabo as she says this.) “i’ll come back when i decide about lunch.”

“that went well,” sabo says when they’re alone, words dripping with sarcasm. 

ace’s legs shift up to knock him onto the bed fully.