#are going to just straight up buy their way out of dealing with climate change?

[circusgoth-dotcom]

I Just Want To Take Care Of You

Ship: Bill Sawyer & The Sawyer Brothers (Familial)

Word Count: 1065

Summary: Bill is struggling with his menstrual cycle and Bubba wants to help his cousin feel better in any way he knows how. CWs for period mentions throughout, arguing, empty threats, unsanitary mentions.

Tag List: @canongf @futurewife

Bill felt as if he was about to collapse into a puddle of tired, frustrated tears. Dealing with his menstrual cycle was hard enough as a self-identified man, but add in the fact he lived in the arid climate of the Texas countryside, alongside his mostly uneducated cousins, and the monthlies could feel like life or death situations depending on his symptoms. The least he could say was Drayton knew enough to send him to the convenience store with the right amount of change to buy supplies, but even then his eldest cousin was always squeamish about “womanly things.”

It had been a long, hot day. Bill had only worked at his “antiques” store for half of it before giving up and heading back home, where Drayton put him on chore duty before heading out for the gas station. While he had been mucking out the chicken coop, the old rake snapped in half, and that was the last straw. Tossing the broken halves aside, Bill headed back inside and buried his face in his hands as he leaned against the kitchen counter, breathing heavily. When he heard the front door bang open, he had to suppress a sob of anger. He didn’t have a shred of patience to spare on Nubbins or Bubba, though he and Bubba usually melded together the best out of the possible relationship combinations.

“Hey Bill! Bill!” Nubbins called, rushing into the kitchen with an excited grin. Bill glowered at him through his fingers, barely glimpsing the red cardboard container he was swinging in one of his hands.

“What?” He asked in a quiet, dangerous tone.

“Br-brought-t ya a present-t!” The lanky, greasy man thrust the container forth proudly as Bill’s hands fell away from his hot, splotchy face. It was a four-pack of Coca-Cola in glass bottles. A small amount of frustration slipped away from Bill.

“Shit, how’d you get these? Thanks,” he eagerly took one of the bottles and popped off the cap. Cold to the touch.

“Nabbed ‘em off s-s-some folks up the- up the road. T-too far away right-t now to-to be of any int-t-terest, but-t-t if they keep comin’ thisaway they might-t-t just-t be t-t’nights dinner!” Nubbins opened a bottle as well, gulping down the sugary, bubbly content.

“Good eye, Nubs.” Bill hummed in relief as he took a swig, the coolness of the drink spreading over him like a much-needed mist.

“Man, you-you look beat-t. Were you r-r-rollin’ around in the ch-chick-ken coop??”

His frustration returned in a flash. “Why, am I fuckin’ covered in shit?? The damn rake broke, Drayton’s gonna have to buy a new one.”

Nubbins laughed. “Whoo, that-t sucks!”

“Yeah, and it’d suck too if I knocked your teeth in for laughing at my misfortune!”

Nubbins flinched. “He-hey man, I thought-t we were cool, I brought-t you co-coke, don’t-t ge-get pissy with me!”

“I’m not bein’ pissy…” Bill slammed his bottle down on the counter. “Nubbins, it’s been a long goddamn day, I don’t need lip from you and as soon as Drayton gets home I’m going straight to bed. Shit, I think a headache’s starting…”

Nubbins gave him a sort of “cog-turning” look before speaking again. “Oh, that-t’s right-t, it-t’s that-t ti-time of the month again, ain’t it? Why’s that-t happen again??”

Bill groaned and took another deep swig of his coke. “I’m not explaining it to you again!”

“Aw, c’monn! You’re always t-t-talkin’ about edu’catin’ me and Bubba, how’m’I supposed to-to learn anythin’ if you’re not-t gonna drill it-t int-to my brain??”

Bill finished his Coke and briefly stepped into Bubba’s butchering room to retrieve a drill, swiftly returning to the kitchen. “Alright, I’ll drill somethin’ into your brain!”

Nubbins yelped and sped off, finally leaving his cousin be.

“Serves you right, I swear that boy is worse than a horsefly sometimes…” He muttered to himself as he put the tool back in its place. His anger was now ebbing away, replaced by sheer exhaustion, though his heart rate spiked again when he heard the back door open, turning to see Bubba’s large frame entering the kitchen.

“Why the chicken coop all tore up?” He grunted through his mask, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Bubba, the rake broke in the middle of my cleanin’ and I just couldn’t deal with it anymore so I came inside. I’ll help you finish cleaning after supper, how’s that?”

Bubba nodded, but still seemed concerned. He pointed at his cousin’s face. “Yer tired.”

Bill opened his mouth to sass, but all that came out was something like the weak deflation of a balloon. “Yes, Bubba, I’m tired.” His voice cracked as he spoke. Bubba walked to the opposite side of the kitchen, waving for Bill to follow him. He was confused but eventually began to trot behind his larger cousin, ascending the creaky stairs into the upper floor of the farmhouse. He followed him straight to his own bedroom.

“Oh, Bubba, I can’t take a nap, there’s still work to be done…”

“Can’t be doin’ any worksome if yer fallin’ ‘sleep standin’ up can ya?” Bubba kicked off his boots and laid down on the bed himself, patting what little space was left beside him. “Gonna help you now c’mon siddown.”

“I… Bubba, it’s so hot, darlin’...”

“Gonna help you cousin siddown. C’mon now yer tired.”

“Fine. But only ten minutes, then it’s up until eight for the both of us, y’hear?” Reluctantly, Bill joined his cousin on the bed, curling his body away from him and setting his glasses on the bedside table.

“There y’go.” Bubba muttered softly, reaching out to rub Bill’s back. His touch was firm but not painful, and Bill was content to let Bubba try and help him. After all, there was no harm in that. Despite the heat and the sweat and being used to sleeping alone, Bill eventually dozed off. Bubba remained awake, protectively watching over him, determined not to let anything- in particular, Drayton -disturb his slumber. Unfortunately, Nubbins soon appeared in the doorway.

“What are y’all…?”

“Shh! Bill sleepin’. Needs rest.”

“Now why d-does he get-t a week a month t-to bitch at-t us and sleep whenever the hell-hell he wants t-to??”

“Dunno but yer not ruinin’ it. Shoo.”

“Bubba did you just-t tell-tell me t-to ‘shoo??’”

“G’on get!”

Grumpily, Nubbins turned and went back downstairs, much to Bubba’s appreciation.

[squimp]

disregard. contemplations of The Misery

okay liek not to be a doomer or anything but seriously genuinely how does one survive going about living their daily life in a world where no matter what your neutral everyday actions are just helping corporations and the government and shit putting the planet in a meat grinder. i kind of just live in a mire of catholic guilt over the plastic packaging every time i order takeout from being too exhausted from being a full-time student to cook (and for what? a degree I wont even use?), or like eating freezer meals and shit. like when i walk into a walgreens r whatever the fuck to go pick up my meds i see shelves full of crap and literally all i can see when i look at it is all the pounds of plastic that are going to end up in a landfill in probably. less than a month. my apartment building doesnt even have a recycling dumpster. and recycling in this country is such a dogshit joke anyway, not to say that plastic doesn't get recycled at all but you know most of it ends up in a landfill anyhow to the point where it's like the thing that companies say makes it okay to buy their product to alleviate guilt in the consumer when it's pretty much a bald faced lie. and with the economic situation being what it is, people have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to have to choose between rent and medical bills and student debt, billionaires and oil execs lining politicians pockets keeping us from getting anywhere policy-wise in terms of environmental policy or labor/unionization, while they tell us voting will fix it all -- i just can't understand any way to live in todays USA (or other places in the world you know,) without wanting to straight up off myself, unless you just stick your head in the sand and Not Think About It which is exactly what they want you to do? to stay entertained and docile and not take any real action?

like obviously the 'answer' here to feeling guilty over not, like, leading the revolution or whatever is to organize. even on a small local community level. but like. what does that even mean. what does that look like. how do you even get started. I dont even really live in the place I go to school, where i spend over half the year. I don't want to participate in anything here I don't like living here I kind of just want to get out. is that selfish? even in the city where I'm from, there is no sense of community that I've ever been able to discern. i wish the hard truth wasn't that there isn't any easy path towards a future that is even a little bit just. and there is no way to anticipate how things will evolve in the face of new tech, its all so scary. its kind of shameful to admit this but i think to myself so often that i would so much rather live in like roman times or whatever the fuck and deal with chamber pots in the street, you know, that shit, than have to live with the looming knowledge of climate change and feel so powerless. then again maybe this powerlessness is kind of the same way people felt under tyrannical god-kings. THEN AGAIN they didn't have to deal with microplastics in our god damn uterine linings or whatever. it all kind of just makes me wish I'd never been born

All this, AND I'm behind on my finals

[halfbakedrant]

Will we ever get serious about going Carbon-free?

I have a working theory that we haven't "got serious" about leaving fossil fuels because the USA is not ready (Remember, 1.3B litres of petrol a day!!!). They've used fossil fuels to manipulate world politics for the last 100+ years. That lever isn't there in a post-carbon world, which has significant implications for global politics. You can guarantee they have some pretty smart people working out how the USA can continue manipulating the global economy when no one relies on fossil fuels anymore.

Europe's investment in fossil fuel production is significantly smaller, and fossil-fuel shocks constantly remind them of their vulnerability. That's why they are moving faster in this area. But they are hamstrung by limited places to harvest renewable resources (ie vacant land, unpopulated coastline, etc).

The messaging will remain muddy and noisy until those two large western economies are ready to go "all in" on renewables. You can't fight that.

I've stopped trying to convince people. Instead, I ask them to justify their point of view. So, for example, after stating facts like China's investment in renewables and the cost of generating electricity from coal compared to renewables (facts that can't be just waved away), I ask them, who are these people buying our coal in 10 years? Of course, they'll keep insisting on "China". But China has invested in Mongolia's mining and transport infrastructure for years. Everything they get from us they can get from Mongolia once the infrastructure is in place. And they don't have to deal with a noisy, self-righteous Western country with labour laws or worry about putting coal on a train, then a boat, then a train. It is much simpler to dig it up in Mongolia (cheaply), put it on a train, and take it straight to where they want it. So who else is buying our coal? India? India's thirst for energy is growing incredibly quickly. In response, they are increasing their coal production. But the lead time on a new coal-fired power plant is much longer than renewable generation. So they are building 8GW of wind generation every year until 2030. So who's buying our coal?

Regarding moving to renewables, what's different now (compared with the previous 30 years when climate scientists first warned us about climate change) is the cost of generating energy from renewable sources. It is now cost-competitive with fossil fuels (even without subsidies). And the economics are so attractive now that (regardless of any environmental benefits) money is being invested into it.

So, rather than a planned, structured transition (managed by governments), we're going to get a "gold rush" type of transition (run by private investment) that will be noisy and damaging and chaotic. But it will be quick.

Remember the transition to The Internet. Governments managed it from 1970 until the mid-1990s. Then, when private investment got involved, everything changed. The Internet was not mainstream for a long time; now it's everything. That transition happened even though The Internet decimated mainstream Media. They controlled all the information sources, yet it rolled right over them. Lots of money was invested. Lots of money was lost. Lots of money was made.

I'm not a fan of unrestrained capitalism. It is ruthless. If there's money to be made, investors will go there. They will overcome all barriers. They'll get laws changed (or ignore them). They'll sweep aside entrenched or legacy industries. There are big winners and big losers.

I hope we find a political leader with enough spine to lead us to a carbon-free future one day. But, even if we don't, I am confident that the economics of renewable energy will get us there. And like other transitions, the destination will appear a long way off until we suddenly realise we're there.

[pizzainmeridian]

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[anthonybialy]

Blew Away from Blue States

Democratic states want you to get lost.  Vigorous pushers couldn’t try harder to scare you out of their domains.  Shortsighted bullies somehow keep inventing fresh harassments that sure seem like a deliberate effort to parody themselves.  Liberals loathe free markets because you can choose different governments, as well.

Banning vehicles that commit the crime of working makes it harder to escape.  You’ll have to find an outlet then wait hours for freedom to power up.  California made the mistake of allowing ample time to buy a working car to leave the state in its self-mocking gasoline engine sales ban.  Teetering past mere coercion won’t stop a state determined to fritter every natural advantage from losing electoral votes, but at least it won’t clean the environment, either.  The power grid failing is a nice factor.  What makes the plug work?  It’s surely karma and not coal.

Modern liberalism has become a test how far they’ll go to bother you.  Take the empty arrogance behind banning plastic bags, as commerce hasn’t been infringed upon enough without making it tricky to carry what they keep you from getting in the first place.  Such a little bother isn’t a big deal, which is precisely why it’s a big deal.  Elected nannies will bother you down to the smallest detail, including how the party from which you purchased enables you to carry goods.

Spontaneous commerce is discouraged in alleged Earth-loving states that decided we’re wading knee-deep through the aftermath of litterbugs.  New York doesn’t let you carry the things that are out of stock and you couldn’t afford, anyway.  Decadent capitalist transactions they loathe just happen to be more inconvenient under the guise of rescuing Mother Gaia.

The Sun loves us.  Look at it floating up there selflessly lighting up everything, presuming it’s daytime.  If free sunshine weren’t enough evidence that a nearby star loves sharing,  The rather bright sphere powers our world when it’s not shyly hiding behind clouds, and all ingrates do is note it’s nice to turn on lights while our world isn’t facing it.

It’s not to be ungrateful.  But these panels to collect solar don’t seem to enable toasty living.  We’d buy them otherwise.  Panel bribers never grasp that consumers will buy efficient options without coercion from wind-powered cattle prods.  Commerce saves the planet, which especially irks enemies of icky capitalism and monstrous conglomerates that somehow profit off polluting playgrounds.

Apocalyptic predictions they’re sad never come true just inspire them to double down on zealotry.  Focusing on marketing terms seems very scientific.  If doom remains impending, try a different plague.  The Ice Age fears at the first Earth Day gave way to claims Earth was melting.  Now, change to climate change.  That’ll cover any temperature switch.

Irksome hippies are not saving the Earth: making life more uncomfortable for those on it.  Endless violations are especially glaring in states that illustrate federalism by making more relaxed jurisdictions seem less bothersome by comparison.  Let’s build a better planet North Korean-style.  Earth-hating America lets eco-enemies ditch states to poison our precious environment in Texas and Florida.  Escaping to prosperity increases the size of carbon footprints.  You have some nerve wanting to keep watching television.

Trying to convince residents not to flee is failing like taxing our way to riches.  Advertising doesn’t trick people as well as those who think commerce is a giant scam hoped.  California wasting their quite finite resources on billboards trying to convince citizens that the Lone Star State is a vile hellhole where comrades certainly couldn’t find employment and autonomy.  How is Gavin Newsom supposed to guarantee your protection against life’s vicissitudes if you’re attending a Texans game?

Voters who steered California toward the iceberg might paddle toward a state heading straight, you say?  It’s adorable to think Texas would be offended by not having to endure more of the refugee crisis.  Escapees from the People’s Republic of California should be prepared to assimilate.  Buy spurs with some money that magically isn’t taken by politicians who know just how to spend it.

Fed-up Blue State inmates display the nerve of noticing that Kathy Hochul has performed the seemingly impossible task of making New York even more unlivable.  Empire State is only used ironically as the most productive job field is stealing anything of value left.  Workers don’t have to worry about losing some of their gains to posting cash bail.

All the productive people need to get out.  You’re ruining New York’s grade curve with all that extra credit.  Could you rich jerks just please leave your income to be confiscated?

Punishment for success is somehow not convincing Blue State residents that their ZIP codes are too exclusive to leave.  Getting to retain phone numbers thanks to free long distance and magic phones memorizing them hurts the collective.  Telling people who dare disagree to leave might ironically be the last bit of persuasion those sick of the hassles need.  Most successful restaurants serve awful food then tell customers who notice to eat elsewhere.

Diabolical dolt Hochul says those who don’t represent her values should get out of town.  That means Americans who like earning without having it confiscated by muggers on the sidewalk or in Albany can spend on real estate across the invisible state line.  Liberal governors are awful poker players on top of being bad at, well, governing.  The inability to bluff is particularly troublesome for alleged leaders who gamble with your money like it’s a habit.

[the-firebird69]

Now this is something we both agree in on not in and I think we might get it and he says it's for sale now and we can add a garage one or two car and that's two doors is nice but one door looks smaller so we might do that and they say two doors look smaller cuz you can make them smaller so you do that and I want to do that too and as a matter of fact I think I'm going to buy this right now and her friend says he wants he wants one I don't think we can do that so he tried. You like to add his idea but he changed it from fireplace to wood stove and we agree it's a great idea if you have to you can cook with it we might put that in a certain level camp house because you can fit it and it's a nice ad and he said that you can add them in later easy enough cuz they're on slabs and the chimney comes out the side if you come out the side and go up or go straight up inside the house through the roof it's not a big deal I have seen that and he is a construction expert and it is true both ways are true and you can put it in the back sort of so we're going to think about that because if it's cold you can heat the whole place in minutes and you can use your own wood in stock it out back I mean you put in smaller pieces and it really works great wood stove works terrific it's a perfect idea cuz it's safer and if you need to cook you cook just like a regular stove and you can cook on one burner and isolate the coals as well and usually cook a bunch of food so you don't have to do it again it's a great idea this person is not stupid and is also it's of energy saving devices they have one of them is extremely interesting it's a system where you run a generator and you charge up the battery enough to run the alternator and it charges the batteries up and you charge the batteries up probably once a week so we might buy a battery Bank and there's an old school battery Bank he says it's less money and provides a lot more power that you can power up a whole village with and it is about the same kind of thing and there's several different systems and he suggests buying a mix of a generator and wind and solar and some of his generators and Thor Freya built them run on wood so we're going to look at that that's intense so I can steam generator.

I think we're going to go with that model and to run the whole place on wood because you can replant it it's replenishable and maybe a battery system for several of the houses but boy you know that would be great and the wood stove is like a redundancy as you can almost do everything with it except for light on TV

Jason

Nice pick on the house and I was really him picking it and US discussing it, so is waving at Camilla and she's quiet just like his mom used to be and says thank you and that's it and he's fine so I get it it's not nothing and she says she can help decorate them that's a good idea but he says usually to come predecorated so you have to do that so she's going to talk about it and because she knows what we like and she's going to be a go-between and it's going to be wonderful we're going to go ahead and do that colors and appliances in the walls and everything even the shape of the wood stove and size and they say they're going to recommend a size because you have to have it for heat especially in certain climates but these are insulated it's not going to be r20 on the walls and are 30 on the roof which is practically anywhere you can survive temperatures like negative 30 without wearing anything in the inside and if you were wearing stuff you could survive native 80 with your wood stove so buying these houses now they include a shuttering system for your windows and they can withstand like a 200 mph winds or better

[brotheralyosha]

“I’ve visited the construction site several times, and circled it many more, watching the towers lumber toward the sky and this improbable mirage take shape. Now, as workers rush to lay the final paving stones and finish wiring the lights, I tour it with Jay Cross, the project’s hands-on chief. I am in awe of the sheer managerial omniscience that allows Cross to grasp, predict, and control every aspect of construction, from the colossal to the picayune. Even if the whole East Coast goes dark, he tells me, the site’s co-generation plant will kick in within milliseconds, so that multimillion-dollar electronic transactions can continue whizzing around the globe without a hiccup. When the rains come and the waters rise, submarine doors will close around elevator machinery and fuel tanks. This shining city on a deck is built to withstand a wide range of plagues.”

. . .

“In this West Side Westworld, every aspect of the experience is curated by an unseen hand. Everything is engineered to suck passersby onto the property and keep them there, spending money, as long as possible. There are no storefronts in this version of New York, only indoor pathways through the seven-story shopping center. Visitors can browse at Van Cleef & Arpels as they wait for their table at Thomas Keller’s TAK Room or their time slot on the observation deck. For many office workers, the shortest distance from subway to desk leads past Tiffany.”

“It’s possible to live a full and varied life here — to sleep, put in an hour at the gym, bring the kids to school, drop the dog off at day care, go to the office, shop, eat out, visit a museum, and catch a show — without so much as crossing the street. That kind of total-service completeness has been a goal of smart-growth urbanists for many years, but it’s one thing to apply those aspirations to a semi-citified development around a suburban transit station, in the hope that it won’t go dead after rush hour. It’s a very different, and more disquieting, achievement to create a high-rise district on a plinth so sealed-off and yachtlike that nobody need ever leave.”

. . .

“In my more dyspeptic moments, I wonder what Hudson Yards portends for New York’s future. Today it feels like the last spasm of the Bloomberg era, seductive and smooth and substantial, the home of some finely provocative art but fundamentally a grand gift of urban space to the global elite. Will it become a bastion of a Gilded Age that has already started to wane or the unavoidable model for the next megadevelopment and the one after that? Already the city keeps ratcheting up its scale. Today’s supertall towers are being overtaken by even bigger ones. Lessons learned at Hudson Yards, if any, will be applied at Sunnyside Yard, which is seven times the size. These thoughts lead to darker questions: Is New York ballooning into oblivion? If you don’t know how to code or what private equity actually is, does that mean your choices are panic, despair, or flight? These musings seem almost reasonable when the new skyline glowers overhead. But then my mind drifts back to the alien separateness of Hudson Yards, and it occurs to me that could be its saving grace. Those who feel pushed away by it will never go there. It will keep hovering 25 feet above the street, a spaceship that hasn’t committed to landing, while the rest of the city scrambles on, peculiar and perpetually discontented, sending its chorus of sirens and grumbles up to the party on the 101st floor.”

[paradisetemporarilymisplaced]

omg please drop all of your haircare knowledge, asking for a wavy/curly friend

HELLO YES I LOVE TALKING ABT THIS

So once upon a time I spent weeks on end on naturallycurly.com reading about wavy hair care specifically. I had just moved to Colorado six months before and my hair was Not loving the climate shift - the higher altitude results in dryer air and my hair was unmanageable and gross 100% of the time and I was sick of it. This article in particular was unbelievably helpful and it formed the basis of my research.

Here’s my before (spring 2019) and after (spring 2020):

(I have not really been styling my hair and/or taking selfies since then because. Pandemic. Not much point in going to that much effort just to work from home lol)

Below the cut are more specific tips for washing/styling, featuring linked articles, tutorials, and products. I do want to acknowledge that these are adapted from the methods Black women have been using to care for their (type 4) hair for generations - the methods largely work for 2&3 hair types too, but with some modifications (e.g., white people don’t generally need to add extra oil to moisturize their hair between washes). If you’re going to buy products, buy from Black-owned companies whenever possible! Ecoslay and Inahsi are two of my favorites.

Some general tips:

Know the general state of your hair. Is it dense or thin? Are the strands coarse or fine? Is it damaged from color and/or heat? If it’s dense and/or coarse, you’ll want heavier products to penetrate the strands (like gels). If it’s thin and/or fine, you’ll want lighter products to not weigh them down (like mousses). If it’s damaged, you’ll want heavy stuff with a lot of protein to get it healthy.

Protein and moisture are key to balancing your hair. Protein deficiency/excess moisture results in hair that’s too soft and doesn’t hold a curl, while moisture deficiency/excess protein is when your hair feels crunchy without anything in it. Odds are if you’ve been using sulfate-heavy products you’ll need a heavy dose of both. My hair was so protein-starved that I had to do two gelatin treatments to build it back up but I haven’t had to do anything like that since

Ingredients: cut out sulfates and silicones. Sulfates dry out your hair and silicones coat the strands and weigh it down. Ingredient labels are your friends - sulfates are pretty easy to spot (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate) and silicones usually end in ‘cone’ (e.g., dimethicone). Some people also avoid heavy oils and butters (e.g., shea butter) but it really depends on how thick your hair is and how tight your curls are. I generally avoid them because they weigh down my looser curls but others with tighter curl patterns find them moisturizing and helpful. When in doubt, plug the ingredient list into Curlsbot to see what's curl friendly and what's not.

You do not need fancy products. I've linked some of my faves in here but there's plenty of inexpensive stuff available at drug stores. @coffeecurlygirl on Instagram has some highlights where she's reviewed curl-friendly drug store products. I am also American, so product availability may be different in other places. Curl Maven (based in Ireland) is a treasure trove of product information for Europe, as well as an excellent source for curly hair care in general.

Washing:

The most important part of washing your hair and scalp isn’t the cleanser, it’s the friction. Some people find success with cowashing, which is when you use a conditioner to wash your hair. This moisturizes your scalp and prevents your hair from drying out with the cleansing agents. Others like having something more cleansing and use a sulfate-free shampoo (usually containing something like sodium olefin 14-16 sulfonate). I tend to switch cleansers whenever I wash - I like the As I Am Dry and Itchy Scalp cowash, Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle shampoo, and a medicated shampoo & conditioner 2 in 1 deal. (My scalp is dry 100% of the time, it’s a struggle.) I also recommend getting a shampoo brush to really scrub it in there.

Conditioning is probably the most important step in your routine. Again, knowing your hair is really important here! Conditioners come in a huge range of heaviness. I have relatively thick hair and I like heavy conditioners. You want one that you can apply to your hair and practically feel it detangle itself. I like Giovanni conditioners best - the Deeper Moisture and Tea Tree Triple Treat are both good. You want to avoid your scalp because that’s where buildup happens, so apply to the length of your hair and squish it in (tutorial) from the bottom to form your curl clumps and ensure it penetrates each strand.

Clarifying is also something you want to do every so often. You’ll end up with some buildup on your hair no matter what so this is when you need an actual cleanser to break it down. You can get clarifying shampoos (Bumble & Bumble has one but I’ve never used it) but honestly you just need a normal sulfate shampoo. I use Suave Daily Clarifying (do not use it daily) which is like a dollar and will last forever.

After clarifying you should deep condition to restore moisture to your hair. My favorite these days is Jessicurl, but when I first started out this whole thing I needed something super protein-heavy so I used Curl Junkie’s Repair Me. In the middle of the road is something like Inahsi which is relatively balanced between moisture and protein. It all depends on what your hair needs. Apply after washing, let it sit on your hair for 30-45 minutes (use a shower cap and ideally a heat cap for max effectiveness). Rinse and style as usual.

Don’t use a normal towel to dry your hair. Terrycloth is a one-way ticket to Frizz City. You can buy microfiber towels made specifically for hair but you can also just use a tshirt. Also don’t rub your hair when you dry it, instead squeeze the water out from the bottom to preserve your curl pattern and prevent frizz.

You probably don’t have to wash your hair as often as you think. I wash my hair once or twice a week and it gets the job done. It takes much longer for curly hair to get gross and oily than for straight hair - my sister’s hair is stick straight and she has to wash every day.

Styling:

The products you use are much less important than the technique. Youtube is super helpful for demonstrations of how to apply products - reallife+curlygirl has my favorite channel for this.

Leave in conditioner is a must. I recommend finding something that’s intended to be a leave in, but some people just leave in some of the conditioner they used in the shower. Same deal, apply only to your ends, not the scalp.

After the leave in, here’s where the fun begins! Apply your styling products when your hair is soaking wet (like, immediately after your shower). I like to use a curl enhancer (eg Ecoslay’s Orange Marmalade or Uncle Funky’s Curl Magic) and then a gel over top (pretty much any drug store brand works - Aussie, LA Looks, etc.). Squish it in like you did your conditioner and use a lot of water. I legit have a mixing bowl that I keep in my shower and fill partway with water when applying so I can scoop in more water as needed. Squish until you can’t really feel the product anymore and then you’re good.

Plop your hair to set the curls (tutorial). Let it sit for 15-20 minutes. If you’re feeling extra you can add more gel once you take it down.

Diffuse dry (tutorial). DO NOT use a hair dryer without a diffuser, the direct heat is too intense and won’t give you good results.

Your hair will probably be a little crunchy after you’re done. Wait however long you want/can (at least until your hair has cooled down and it’s 100% dry) and then scrunch it out. No ramen noodle hair and your curls have set!

This can all be super overwhelming but is super worth it. You can see how much it's benefited my hair and I have no regrets. Most of these tips are things that have specifically worked for me, but if you want a more general (and better explained) quick-start guide for curl care, Curl Maven is a fantastic resource. There are a zillion places on the internet to get information, but I strongly recommend just sticking to a few: Naturally Curly, reallife+curlygirl, and Curl Maven are the best I've found and seem to cover the most ground. There's also a thriving Instagram community but proceed with caution - big Mormon mom energy over there, for whatever reason.

Finally, while the curls are great, the biggest change I’ve seen has been in the overall health of my hair. Washing less means my hair doesn’t get dried out as quickly, and even when I don’t style my hair (leave-in only and air dry) my hair still has some volume which is nuts. You don’t have to do all the styling every time you wash to get the benefits.

Hope this is helpful! Godspeed, my friend.

[ibijau]

Suyao’s happy evil life in Japan, because I think they deserve that / also on AO3

warning for jgy having some very condescending views about Japan and its culture

The damn house wasn’t even haunted, Jin Guangyao thought as he performed the ritual. It had been abandoned for a few years, certainly, and it had a certain creepiness still clinging to its walls as a result, but that was nothing that a good deep cleaning and more recent furniture couldn’t solve. 

Not that Jin Guangyao would say as much. If the tradition in Japan dictated that abandoned houses had to be cleansed before they could be used, he’d do just that. Business was business, and it wasn’t impossible that a pre-emptive ritual ensured no future ghosts would appear there. And even if one did, he’d come up with something, blame it on the family, on some fault in the landscape. It wouldn’t even be a lie. This house’s fengshui was a complete disaster… but he wasn’t being paid for that, and he didn’t particularly like this lord. The man had made disparaging comments against Su Minshan more than once, and Jin Guangyao had made note of that.

He wasn’t about to do Awata no Seimei any favours. In fact, Su Minshan and him had already agreed that they’d make the man pay more for the exorcism, even though they didn’t particularly need the extra money, not the way they’d done their first year. But then, in that first year, they wouldn’t have dared to aggravate someone as high ranking as Awata no Seimei, supposing they could even have gotten such a patron in the first place.

It had been hard, that first year, but neither of them were the sort to give up just because things weren’t easy. Besides, they’d had to survive, if only to spite the enemies they’d left behind.

Inflamed at the memory of that shameful flight, Jin Guangyao stomped a little harder than strictly necessary, which appeared to catch the attention of his spectators. Good. Let Awata no Seimei think he was working hard to purify that house he’d bought, it would justify the higher price.

It was mid-morning when Jin Guangyao decided he’d put on enough of a show and could announce that the house was now safe for ordinary humans. As soon as he stopped the ritual, Su Minshan rushed to his side, offering some cool tea, one of the local types that Jin Guangyao had become so fond of. As he drank, Jin Guangyao realised he was parched. It was still early enough in the day, but the heat was rising fast. It would soon be unbearably hot and damp, making Jin Guangyao regret that he’d wasted so long on this empty ritual.

“Master Kin Kouyou, what a splendid ceremony,” Awata no Seimei said in a too deferential tone that Jin Guangyao despised for reminding him of his own. “You have my thanks for your help, I could not have asked anyone else. Truly, there is no one else who would do as well as master Kin Kouyou.”

Jin Guangyao shot him a cold look. Before he could try guessing what Awata no Seimei might want from him next, Su Minshan came to stand between them, arms crossed on his chest, towering over the nobleman.

“Zongzhu just conducted this ritual for your house,” Su Minshan barked. “Please understand how draining this is, the house had been left untouched for many years, and there were traces of a fox spirit in there.”

Well, there were fox droppings in one of the bedrooms, Jin Guangyao thought, biting his cheeks not to grin. He couldn’t laugh in public, not when he was supposed to be exhausted from his great fight against evil, but the look of horror on that noble lord’s face at the mention of a fox demon was priceless.

“Of course I am grateful to master Kin Kouyou,” Awata no Seimei said. “I will make no further requests today. Then, regarding the master’s dues...”

“Don’t bother Zongzhu with that either,” Su Minshan snapped. “Come see me tomorrow, and I will deal with the payment. Zongzhu isn’t to be disturbed with such trivial matters. Zongzhu needs to retire now, unless you have any real reason to keep him here.”

Awata no Seimei didn’t. Between Jin Guangyao’s growing reputation now that the emperor himself had hired him and Su Minshan’s attitude, those nobles knew to keep conversations short. It had worried Jin Guangyao, at first, the way Su Minshan couldn’t bother being polite to these people, but in the end this played to their advantage. People expected foreigners to be a little odd, and the locals seemed to enjoy knowing that however talented those two Chinese cultivators were in magic arts, at least they had better manners.

Having finished their business with this old house, Jin Guangyao and Su Minshan headed back home. Awata no Seimei, quite generously, offered them the use of a pair of kago, which struck Jin Guangyao as rather suspicious. The man definitely had to have another service to ask of them, and probably one they wouldn’t enjoy performing. An onmyouji he’d become friendly with had warned him that some of those important people could become overdependent on divination and rituals, and Awata no Seimei seemed just like the sort who would ask the heavens what he should have for breakfast.

It sounded very annoying, Jin Guangyao thought as he stepped onto the travelling chair, but until Awata no Seimei actually started making requests, he wasn’t above taking advantage of the man’s generosity. The less he had to walk in this heavy, wet heat, the better. And he could tell that Su Minshan was getting uncomfortable, scratching his chest often. Summers were hard on him here, especially with his condition.

Eager to distract the other man from his discomfort, Jin Guangyao started chatting with him while their kago were carried along the streets of Heijou-Kyou, asking what else they had on their schedule for that day.

“Music lessons for the disciples this afternoon,” Su Minshan said, hands clenched over his knees in a futile effort to resist the itchiness. “Aside from that, nothing much.”

Jin Guangyao hummed, letting his gaze rest on the scenery. He’d been told that the city had been modelled after Chang’an, and many people had asked him if it looked as good as the original. Having never visited the capital at home, he always had to invent some polite lie about Heijou-Kyou having its own grandeur, but privately he wasn’t impressed. The original was always better than a copy, except in one specific case… and that case was sitting on a kago next to his own, suffering because of this country's climate.

“Minshan, take the rest of the day off,” Jin Guangyao said after a little while. “I’ll deal with the music lesson, you should have a fresh bath and rest. You’re really feeling bad today, aren’t you?”

Su Minshan looked away in shame, but nodded shortly. If it had been possible, Jin Guangyao would have reached out for him and taken his hand to comfort him.

“I’m fine,” Su Minshan said. “There’s no need to trouble yourself, I can take care of the disciples.”

“And I’d rather you take care of yourself,” Jin Guangyao countered. “I like teaching them, anyway. They’re good children.”

About half the disciples they’d recruited for their new sect were sons of minor nobility, because that paid, and because it never hurt to have connections. But a few were youth of genuine potential, who had in them the making of true cultivators, if they applied themselves.

The noble boys only came to study some of the days, and were sent back to their parents after lessons. The true disciples lived in their house, so they could be taught proper cultivation without inducing jealousy in those spoiled little princes who would never even come close to forming a golden core. Two of those boys Jin Guangyao had straight up bought from their family, something he couldn’t decide how to feel about. But they’d have been wasted as peasants, and they were grateful to their masters, and…

And Jin Guangyao wondered sometimes if this was what it had felt like for Nie Mingjue, picking the lowest person he could see and bringing him higher than others. Knowing you could change someone’s life was a potent drug, and it made Jin Guangyao want to fight to maintain their current position, so he could keep doing it. He’d been on the receiving end of pity for so long, he quite enjoyed being the one who could bestow it upon others at last.

“Do take the afternoon off,” Jin Guangyao insisted. “And I’ll send Haruto to buy some refreshing treats. He’ll be so happy to be of service to you, don’t refuse him that pleasure.”

“But…”

“Don’t refuse me the pleasure of spoiling you, either,” Jin Guangyao said, and with that Su Minshan could only nod meekly, defeated. 

They reached home soon after. A light lunch was served to them, after which Jin Guangyao ordered that a bath be prepared for Su Minshan. Haruto and Minato, the two peasant boys, acquitted themselves of that task before going to prepare for their afternoon class. Jin Guangyao too went to prepare, but only after making sure that Su Minshan had everything he needed, and that the room they shared wasn’t too unbearably hot. Mostly, he enjoyed having someone to fuss over, something Su Minshan always resisted a little out of some fear he’d be relying too much on Jin Guangyao and become a burden.

A ridiculous notion. Out of everyone Jin Guangyao had ever allowed close to him, Su Minshan was the only one whose company had never once felt like a weight on his shoulder. Right from the start they had been equals, their temperament matching, as well as their hunger from more than the world was willing to give them. Jin Guangyao's few loved ones had all held him back, Qin Su with her unfortunate parentage, Lan Xichen with his principles, Jin Ling with the threat he represented... but Su Minshan had always been the perfect person to stand at Jin Guangyao’s side, and now they could do so openly.

The afternoon lesson passed quickly. Due to the humid heat, the boys were a little less attentive than usual, but then again so was Jin Guangyao. He was only too happy to free the boys for the day. Jin Guangyao only took a moment to send Haruto, his favourite student, on a few errands, while he went to do some accounting. 

He’d been carefully managing their finances since they’d arrived in this country, and finally things were looking up. Jin Guangyao hoped that in a year or two they might buy a small house in the mountains, where he was told summers were fresher. Hopefully, he might get parts of the expense dumped onto some idiot prince or other, in exchange for teaching one of their dull witted sons. Back at home it wouldn’t have worked, because people understood money couldn’t buy cultivation, but here… here, any idiot with gold to waste thought they would learn magic.

It was fine to scam these people, Jin Guangyao told himself. Taking advantage of powerful men was nothing at all like those people who had sold his mother fake cultivation manuals. He wasn’t hurting anyone. Or at least, no one that particularly mattered.

When Haruto returned, Jin Guangyao took it as a sign he’d worked enough for the day. He thanks the boy for his effort, and gave him a few of the just purchased treats to share with the other disciples. The rest he took with him as he went to the room he shared with Su Minshan. As always he knocked on the wall to announce his presence, using a certain code between them so Su Minshan would know he didn’t need to cover himself.

When he came in, Su Minshan was sprawled inelegantly on a futon, and desperately fanning himself, his ruined chest glistening with sweat. He looked so miserable like this, though his face lit up when Jin Guangyao put down a box on their low table, and opened it to reveal some fresh shaved ice.

“I could kiss you,” Su Minshan said, all but crawling to the table.

“I hope you will,” Jin Guangyao retorted, picking some of the shaved ice with a spoon so he could feed it to the other man. “I also have some cold noodles, and some rice wine.”

“You are a god among men.”

Jin Guangyao laughed, and started chatting about their students, the ones in which they placed true hope, the ones who were there only for their parents’ fortune. Su Minshan was delighted to hear they might be able to buy a secondary house. With his thousand holes curse, heat and humidity were particularly hard on him, sweat and friction chafing his skin nearly to the point of bleeding sometimes. They really needed that house in the mountain, Jin Guangyao decided. He'd start looking very soon, and maybe drop a word to one of his richer patrons to ask for advice on such a purchase.

For now though, the two men enjoyed their shaved ice, then moved on to some delicious cold noodles. The local food was different from the one back home, but it was something they'd both taken to rather well, unlike that blasted climate. Then, after eating, they started drinking their wine, and the two men found themselves chatting about the place they would always call home, even if they should live in Japan for a thousand years.

“I wonder how A-Ling is doing,” Jin Guangyao mused, staring into his cup of wine. “Poor boy, he must have run the sect to the grounds by now, unless someone more competent got rid of him.”

“Maybe your enemy killed him,” Su Minshan retorted. “If they couldn’t get you, at least they’d get your next of kin.”

Jin Guangyao grimaced. “Probably. After all, they got Qin Su and that little idiot Mo Xuanyu, why not Jin Ling as well? Unless…”

“Unless?”

Jin Guangyao hummed thoughtfully. “I’m still wondering who it could have been,” he said. “I had my enemies of course, but there aren’t many who could have been bold enough to come after me like that. They all hated me of course,” he added with a joyless laugh. “But hate is not enough to go after a man who will slaughter your sect if you stand in his way. It takes a certain type of man to stand up to someone like me.”

“Could have been Lan Wangji,” Su Minshan predictably suggested. “Righteous prick, he didn’t particularly like Nie Mingjue, but he’d avenge him just to feel morally superior.”

“The fact that his lover was brought back certainly is suspicious,” Jin Guangyao conceded, sipping some wine. “And he never particularly liked me, either. To be fair, I don’t think he likes anyone, except that murderer. Still, I’m not sure he would have let Mo Xuanyu kill himself, he does have principles. No, I have another theory.”

“I’m listening.”

Jin Guangyao smiled, and poured more alcohol for both of them, letting the liquid flow as slowly as possible, allowing the suspense to rise a little before he dropped his bomb.

“Jiang Cheng,” he then said.

Su Minshan blinked a few times, frowned, then severely nodded, glaring at his cup of wine.

“It would make sense. Good way to make sure you don’t get rid of his idiotic nephew.”

“Our idiotic nephew,” Jin Guangyao corrected, who had put too much effort into becoming a Jin to disown his last direct relative, even if the boy really took more after his other uncle. “And everyone knows he’s obsessed with finding Wei Wuxian, right? I wouldn’t put it past him to just take things in his own hands and bring back the man who killed his sister, just for a chance to kill him himself, once he was sure no one stood in the way of A-Ling’s inheritance. Too bad he didn’t count on Lan Wangji. Ah, I almost wish I could go back and check on conferences now, it must be quite the show.”

The thought of Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng, who had always hated each other, forced to act half polite even though they both wanted to lock down Wei Wuxian and keep him to themselves… it might have been the wine, but Jin Guangyao couldn’t help chuckling a little. He was so glad that he didn’t have to deal with that sort of mess. For this alone, he was almost grateful to his mysterious enemy.

It was an odd feeling, actually, but Jin Guangyao had come to enjoy his life here, in this foreign land. It wasn’t as good as home, nothing compared to the near absolute power he’d held back then, but… but his eyes fell on Su Minshan, naked from the waist up, looking in a rare good mood, and he smiled. There was definitely something to be said for this simpler life they had here. There was so much less scheming to be done, fewer enemies to deal with, and Jin Guangyao was finally free from the looming menace of Nie Mingjue’s resentful head hidden in his secret room.

Life here really wasn’t so bad.

“You know who it could have been?” Su Minshan asked, grinning like a fool, his cheeks flushed from the heat and the wine. 

“Who?”

Su Minshan beamed, the way he usually did when sharing a nasty story about the darker secrets of Gusu Lan.

“Think about it. Someone who would have wanted to avenge Nie Mingjue. Someone who might have been able to wander around in other sects without attracting attention to collect information, because nobody cares what he does. Someone who Mo Xuanyu might have met before, who was there when Wei Wuxian came to Jinlin Tai to accuse you…”

Jin Guangyao, who had expected his lover to blame Lan Xichen, burst out laughing.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink, Minshan. Really? You’re accusing Nie Huaisang now?” Just saying it out loud, Jin Guangyao laughed louder. Nie Huaisang had never had a single idea of his own in his entire life, and didn’t even get along with his brother when he’d been alive. Su Minshan might as well have blamed a very stupid dog. “That poor boy, I bet he would have taken my defence to the end. I almost miss him, you know.”

“No you don’t,” Su Minshan retorted, which made Jin Guangyao laugh again.

“I do! Ah, Minshan, let’s get a cat and call it Huaisang.”

Su Minshan scoffed, and reached out for the wine, only to find they had already finished it. It was probably for the best, if they were so drunk that they could consider the possibility of Nie Huaisang being their secret enemy.

“It’d have to be a fat cat then,” Su Minshan grumbled, stretching in a way that called attention to his chest. It was funny, Jin Guangyao thought sometimes, how he should have been disgusted by the effects of the Thousand Holes curse, but wasn’t at all. “ And one too lazy to even run after mice, or do anything but sleep in the sun, or else the name won’t fit.”

“Minshan, you’re so mean,” Jin Guangyao fondly said, taking the other man’s hand and pulling on it, wanting to go to bed now and enjoy some more this very mean-spirited man he was lucky enough to share his new life with. “Please, never change.”

[bitch-its-me-alv]

You can’t touch what’s mine, bitch

(Part two of He is mine, bitches)

Damian was very proud of himself. He got a very hot and sweet boyfriend 13 months ago, managed to keep that boyfriend more than happy, and had managed to hide the existence of marin from his family for 14 months. 

He had no idea how an alleged family of detectives and vigilantes hadn't even noticed that their youngest member was in a relationship. And that he spent less and less time with them and more with Marin. He was severely disappointed in his family, although he never said it out loud, he thought they would make better opponents.

In Marin's apartment he even had his own closet where he had his clothes, the only reason Damian kept coming back to the Mansion was because of appearances and his precious pets.

But he knew he couldn't go on like this forever. he wanted to introduce his family to Marin, to see how damn perfect he was, his photographs around the world, his point of view so different from the others, the way he sang for Damian even when he was in another room… Well maybe if he kept to himself how weak he was for his boyfriend everything would be fine.

With a good contact on the dark web, he got a protector on his cell phone, and so there were more than two thousand photos with Marin. They on their first date, in the bathroom mirror, at gotham school, in the classrooms, in the cafes, in bed. Their chat seemed like they were talking for years, full of memes that Damian didn't understand at first, and memes with their own faces.

He take all possible measures, but never anticipated that Marin would get sick from some kind of virus, forcing him to stay in bed, well, Damian actually forced him after Marin almost fell down the stairs at school.

So when he informed his father that he would take a break from patrols until further notice, he turned on all the Wayne family alarms.

Little Demon Spawn wouldn't use patrols as an excuse to hit people? Would he pass up the opportunity to take his katana out of its case? Who had he killed? Oh my god, would he be doing drugs? Maybe that would explain the little bruises on his neck and wrist.

“Oh for all the bats, Bats, what are you going to do? your only son of blood became a drug addict!”Dick very concerned about his little brother's safety “Tim, hack his cell phone, look it up in the network of cameras in the city, we can't leave it like that!”

“Calm down, boy wonder. It is clear that he killed someone and he is not using drugs.”Jason tried to appease his brother in his mother hen way.

"Well, he's hiding something big, someone has been removing images from cameras for over six months, and Damian coincidentally never sees himself in them, not even at school.”Tim didn't want to alarm anyone, but the fact that he hadn't found evidence of his little brother in the last six months in the city was certainly a big concern.

Had he been going back to his habits from the prince of assassins?

Everyone looked at Bruce, waiting for his words. “We will follow him just to make sure he is safe, whatever his secret he will tell us sooner or later.”

(They didn't know it was more later than sooner)

Nightwing, Red hood, Red robin, and Batman followed the low trail Damian left when he left the mansion. Unaware of the luck they had, of Damian being in a discussion on the phone with Bourgeois, to distracted to know he was being followed.

They stopped on the roof opposite the minimarket that Damian entered. With tim setting up the microphone to understand what Damian was saying. Another red flag was that he could not hack his cell phone.

"There is no need for threats Bourgeois, I understand the delicacy of the situation, and I am fully prepared to waste a couple of days on the cause."

No one in the family harbored hope at this point.

After hearing Bourgeois rant about the importance of his best friend's health, Damian continued navigating the soda aisle, he would never understand why Marin insisted that Dr.Pepper was the best of drinks when Mountain-Dew was clearly superior.

"To prevent him from trying to escape I had to chain him to bed, his insistence on continuing with his final project is very irritating, I am grateful that he can hardly speak at this point, or else his voice would be ringing throughout the department."

The whole Bat family was shocked and disappointed, Damian was holding a hostage somewhere horrible, and he was working with someone else.

At leaving the store, the vigilantes dispersed, all decided to find Damian's hostage, then they could deal with Demon Spawn. They were a little scared of what Damian could have bought in a simple minimarket to use as torture.

From Damian's phone, Chloe gave up with her hateful act and said goodbye to her best friend's boyfriend. "Just make sure he recovers properly, it is very rare that he gets sick, no matter what country or climate Marin was in, he almost never contracted any disease."

"I am conscious chloe, we both know that if there is someone Marin surrenders for, it will be me. I will inform you of any change in his condition."

He hung up the call as he entered his apartment building. His call with chloe lasted his entire journey on the street, luckily he was about to spend all his time with his soft and muscular boyfriend.

Meanwhile, on the rooftops around, the watchers waited for a more appropriate place for torture, but with their beloved Demon Spawn they never knew. Tim pulled out the binoculars so he could see through the walls of the building, looking for the poor soul that Damian held captive.

What they did not expect was for Damian to reach the top floor of the building, taking off his coat and shoes as he entered. The apartment very well furnished and full of life, as if someone actually lived there.

Batman was about to fly straight to the biggest window in the apartment, when what Tim saw made him fall backwards. Bats snatched the binoculars away from him before anyone else could.

"Bats you really don't want to see what's going on there, you wish you could forget it!" All the boys went crazy trying to get Tim to tell them what he had seen.

Inside the apartment, Marin was chained from his right hand to the head of his bed, his mystical blue eyes reddened at the corners, his body rendered by the dark green sheets that Damian had insisted on buying or would not sleep in bed. Marin saw nothing wrong with the old bear sheets.

Instantly Marin felt better when her grumpy boyfriend came home. If he could have produced any vaguely human sounds, he would have rushed Damian into the room.

Before Damian could say anything to his very sick boyfriend, Marin pulled him down onto his chest. Damian was very frustrated that despite all his years of killer training, he always fell on his boyfriend's chest. It was very common to find himself more than six times with his face buried in his hard chest.

So as a very usual act, he made himself comfortable to lock Marin between his body and the bed, holding on tight as always.

They give each other a chaste kiss to avoid germs, but the habit is difficult to break even for a few days. Tim falls on his back at that moment.

“Why did you take so long? It is sooo boring here without your vocabulary of yesteryear and your beautiful frown.” Damn the expensive cologne that always clings to damian, making his neck and hair always so tempting. He curses his body that matches him, which is always ready to attack at any time, and curses his sharp jaw.

"Your very dear best friend distracted me all the way, pretending to be the enemy, as if she hadn't been happy for us when we got together"Damian rolls his eyes.

Marin apparently having said the last thing his throat could handle surrenders to his boyfriend's possessiveness, letting Damian give him little kisses all over her face, excluding his lips. 

Across the street batman curses and turns around, contacting agent A. Tim comes out of his stupor and tells his brothers what he saw. They also desperately contact agent A, the only sane one in any situation.

Two days later Marin is fully recovered, shining like a malicious and amiable ray of sunshine. 

After Marin confessed to Damian that he knew he was Robin by his butt, and consequently deduced who the other bats were, along with super boy and superman, the barriers of the alter egos had fallen, and in exchange Marian told him about what he found in the Amazon caves and about who his relatives were.

To say that Marin had been about to split the marble island of his kitchen in two because of nerves would not be a lie, but once again, Damian surprised him by saying that it was not very important in his relationship that he had villains as a family, reminding Marin that his mother and grandfather were assassins and that he was also assassin at some point.

So there were no unpleasant surprises in their relationship, but there were surprises for the rest of the world. Marin knew about the secret that Damian was hiding from his family, because he was the secret.

He didn't get it wrong, no, Marin knew that Damian was more than willing to tell the world who he was dating, if the first selfie he published was something to consider, or ... all the broken hands he left behind because he thought they were very comfortable with him.

Oh, he loved when damian got all possessive, like a bristling kitten, or rather a panther ready to attack.

Returning from his fantasies, Marin decided to tell Damian that his time was up. His aunt Ivy had mentioned that the cameras hidden among the succulents had caught the bats spying on them days ago. Harley and ivy investigated before informing him, wanting to make sure they weren't going to confront him.

He loved Ivy and Harley, but the fact that they had called his parents and his nonna had not made him very happy, now he would have to explain why he had not told them about his boyfriend.

Marin hoped that the feeling of imbalance that was beginning to form in his chest was only the work of the family drama that was coming and nothing else.

➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞

Damian was a bit more bitter than normal at school during the morning, he would admit that his call with Bourgeois distracted him from his surroundings, but it was about time that his family began to suspect.

Obviously he didn't take it out on his angel, he was what kept him going, so if Marin's fans came out with completely unnecessary bruises, neither Jon, Chloe, or Marin said anything.

And when Marin started kissing him more often to distract him nobody complained so much.

By the middle of the school day Damian had his hair messed up by Marin, Jon had chosen to warn Marin's outside friends about getting close, and Chloe was on her cell phone as usual. But a strange call to Marin sparked everyone's interest.

Marin reluctantly answered upon seeing the unknown number, but when no one spoke on the line, he knew it was a premonitory call.

The group partially aware of Marin's secrets nodded in acknowledgment, attentive to what was to come.

➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞

Tim was ready to die, Dick was almost there, and Jason was more than pleased to help his little brothers leave this plane of existence.

Bruce was regretting in the darkest corner of his cave, what had he done wrong for his son to hide his partner? The moments of fatherhood that he shared with his son came to his mind ... and he realized that in reality he had not done much fatherly, so it made sense.

“I can't find any mention of Marin Dupain-Cheng, Jon Kent, Chloe Bourgeois or Damian on the internet for the last year. Everything has disappeared since October 28 from last year.”Tim was going crazy, he couldn't possibly find nothing.

“Calm down replacement, you can not find anything because you are looking for them from our devices and accounts. Alfred lent me his cell phone, and when I look for the name of our mysterious boy many interesting things appear”

“What are you waiting for Jason? Show it on the screen, I'm worried about little D”Dick said.

Bruce just nodded to his son, he had to be a better father to Damian from now on.

Jon, Chloe, Damian and Marin instagram appeared on the main screen of the cave. All with ridiculous names, like hellaMari, NottrollJon, QueenChloOriginal, and TheDEmon66. With too many followers to be just teenage accounts.

The only recent one was that of damian, where his photos were of him distracted, the one with Marin or the animal welfare he helped and the one he founded.

I had comments like: I would like to be you, how lucky you are, how I chose you, omg give me your life, etc ... It was very disturbing for the bati family, especially because they did not know that it was THE Damian Wayne, nor did they have his real name, they called him demon.

The evidence was refuted a year ago, with a photo in the instagram of Marin, of Damian and him facing the sun. With Damian's hair styled in a modern way, and with Marin lying on him, winking. Damian didn't even look the same even though he wasn't smiling, how happy he looked without needing to smile amazement at his family.

Thereafter, Jon and chloe began uploading photos of the group. A video especially on the NottrollJon insta convinced them to stop snooping.

Now they just had to wait for Damian to come back.

➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞

"Since they overcame their own incompetence, I decided this would be the most effective, Marin, this is my family, my father Bruce, Grayson, Todd, and Drake. I think Alfred is in the kitchen but you already know him. Father and idiots, this is Marin my boyfriend for a year, congratulations for finding out.”

The bats definitely did not expect Damian to arrive with Marin after school, they had assumed they would have to hunt him all over the mansion. Even so, Bruce always prepared for everything with his mask, he shook Marin's hand, impressed by the height and strength of the boy.

"I'm glad you guys have finally discovered our secret" Marin smiled to the bats, making Damian grumpty.

“Wow, why are you like the sun if you date Demon Spawn?”

“Wait, did you know that he was hiding you from us?” Dick was surprised.

“Well ... I think we better start the story in the dining room, we don't want to make Alfred wait.” Damian was very pleased with his family's reactions and the fact that they were very surprised to approach Marin.

None in the family knew how to describe Marin yet. Physically, it was quite a surprise, with his big, slanted eyes, his symmetrical face, the fact that he was bigger than Jason in muscles and height, that his smile rivaled Grayson's, and that his dark blue hair was real.

But they knew very little about their attitude, tastes, or backstory. Tim's investigations had been very vague, only discovering that in reality there were not many papers about Marin because he had never been to school, or had lasted more than nine months in one place.

Then they followed the boys into the dining room, still amazed at Damian's attitude. Determined to inspect Damian's boyfriend thoroughly and decide for themselves how dangerous Marin Dupain-Cheng was. After all, if their beloved little brother liked it, it would have to have a dark side.

➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞

As night fell, the bats could tell that Marin Dupain-Cheng did not lie to them even once. With their detective senses on edge, everyone could agree that he didn't tell a lie even once.

Which leaves them with the incredible travel anecdotes that Marin had related to them to please Damian and distract him from the accusations of his family.

It was refreshing to say the least, Marin's point of view on heroic and villainous figures, the problems of the world, the little ones, the horrible situations of the poor, the wonders of traveling. It was a drastic change to what they were used to. A vision stained brown with red and black shades, the city, the complaints and the pressure on the vigilantes or the absolute disgust for the anti-heroes or rogues.

“So you were in the scarecrow attack at the museum a year ago, and you threw your motorcycle at the guys who were shooting at you?” It was obvious that Jason had reminded him of the incident long ago, but unaware that Marin already knew their identities because of her boyfriend's butt, Jason pretended he hadn't been there.

Tim, Dick and Bruce had also been there, but they didn't see the moment that happened, so their disbelief was not acted.

"Was it because of the toxin of fear, or before you could already launch motorcycles at your whim?"Bruce spoke, seriously, what the hell did he take in the morning to make his voice so deep and strong?

Marin told Damian that it was the magic of the dark knight, but Damian dismissed it saying that after pretending so much he had stayed like this.

“Oh no, it's actually partly because I do what I can to keep fit.“Marin and Damian knew what was coming

“And the other part? "Dick asked suspiciously.

“Well that's thanks to my curse” Marin shrugged. As Damian reached for his hand under the table and all the bats leaned in his direction synchronously.

“Damn, like magic and that?”

“Yeah, when I was five, my nonna took me to the Amazon, of course she hadn't originally thought about going to the jungle, but for some reason I escaped, and ended up being swept away by a current in the river. Miraculously, I came to some kind of cave next to the rapids, where I touched something I shouldn't have touched and then the plague's curse clung to me.” Marin didn't mention that the curse came with the slim silver ring that right now was being rubbed by his boyfriend.

“So you're saying, that you have super strength because you drank from the Amazon River?“ Tim hit Jason, wondering if that white streak actually meant the death of all his neurons.

"It is more complicated than that but yes, it is actually quite similar to what you say”

Damian looks at his father, he will never admit it, but he was worried that his father did not like Marin, either because of his magic, the fact that he discovered his secret identities ... Or that his family is made up of the rogues of Gotham and other non-heroic personalities.

“He also discovered our identities a month after we started dating "Damian let out.

This time no one moved, with poker faces and saved breaths. Tim was the boldest "How ... did that happen?"

“I know Damian's butt from near, and being Robin didn't hide his butt very well.” Marin knew exactly how to break the tension, even if it means embarrassing his boyfriend a bit.

Jason and Dick started laughing seconds later, Bruce massaged his forehead, with the slightest blush on his cheeks. Tim dropped his head to the table, regretting his question, Damian just covered his blush, without looking directly at his family.

“Tt, Marin, couldn't you just tell them something else?”

“Of course not mon amour, they would know if I had lied”

After that they moved into the living room, where the fireplace was conveniently already on. The talk was postponed until it was late at night, and Marin after so many jokes with Jason and Dick had forgotten to mention that his parents would be coming to Gotham soon to meet them all.

Oh well, interesting things were definitely to come.

➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞ ➞

Damian had a good night, maybe it had to do with the fact that he shared a bed with Marin, but they had done that before, or maybe it was the fact that this was the bed where he slept only before meeting Marin. Or was it because he had finally introduced his boyfriend to his family, and they all got along wonderfully.

Naturally someone had to ruin his good mood, and to his surprise, it wasn't his brothers this time, not even bruce had that nerve. It was that annoying weakling with casuela hair and orange spots on his face who dared to affirm that he had dated Matin and had currently come to town to repair his relationship.

The rest of the Gothnamites at school seemed unconvinced of their cheap babbling in bad English, but Damian didn't give a shit what his classmates thought. The important thing was that they had learned the lesson about Marin a long time ago, and it seemed like Damian would have to break some noses to make his point again.

"Oh yeah, my Mari and I were like this in the past." He showed his intertwined fingers. "But when he had to leave France because his aunt was trapped in the Himalayas it broke my heart, now that he's in town he has been insisting that we come back, isn't that so romantic that he dragged himself along for me?"  

Lian was proud that all eyes in the hall were on him, who said that the Gothnamites were smarter was clearly an idiot.

Perhaps he did not realize that all eyes were of displeasure, weariness, and a few concerns. The skinny boy clearly didn't know what he was getting into.

Damian approached with irritation, after a quick check, decided he couldn't hit him ... as hard as he wanted. The chestnut build was too weak, and judging from the orange stains and chipped teeth, there was a more than 73 percent chance that a punch from him would send him to the hospital, and Marin had made him promise not to send more people to the hospital, to the hospital outside of school.

"Oh, so you and Marin are something?" Damian said to the chestnut, ignoring how people began to crowd with interest, while leaving space so that they did not cross with the cold words of Ice Prince, or his fists.

Lian, ignorant and malicious noticed the growing crowd, he had to do it right, or Adrianna would destroy him.

"Well… I don't really want to create any misunderstandings, especially with all the false publicity that he put on instagram, I mean, Marin didn't know a better way to get my attention, so he ended up hiring that model to fake a relationship for Internet." The crowd gasped, that boy would end up knocked out.

"Woah, everything that has come out of your mouth is nothing but shit, and I've only had the misfortune to meet you for a minute."Damian spoke. “So I will tell you something flimsy rat, Marin has never had something with you nor will he, he is a man of good taste, he has class and high standards that you will never can fill in your miserable excuse for life. So you better shut your mouth full of shit before I kick your ass and those horrible orange stains you have.”

The students smiled, that bastard would finally shut his mouth in the best way, oh, and sunshine prince did not look close, there was a great possibility of punches.

Lian did not know what was the best way to react, that guy was scary, damn, he was surely the thug, the safest thing was to play the scary victim, anyway he was too scared to act angry.

"Oh, maybe you are one of the people who is in love with Marin, I can't blame you, my boyfriend is charming that everywhere he go he get a ... admirers entourage, it is understandable that you are angry but there is no need to do great matter about it.”

Damian was about to reply with his usual cold and dark aura, when his boyfriend entered the crowd. 

Lian, or actually Lila, cringed at the sudden appearance of Marin, she / he thought it would keep her record of being late to school and give her time to manipulate the sheep.

“Stop your pathetic act Rossi, the French in our old school may be a ball of idiots, but in Gotham things are very different.”

Ah, Marin. It could be called sunshine prince and boy did it fit him. You can be in his graces and be lucky to have a ray of sunshine to light up your days, or you could be an idiot without self-preservation and die from sunburn.

Lian tried to regain command, wild was going to kill her, she had not been in the city for five days and had already been discovered.

“Oh, Marin darling, you don't have to protect me from the media anymore, you can stop pretending.”

He tried to get closer, but damian slapped his hand against the lockers before he could touch him. Lian did not hesitate to exaggerate and throw himself against the lockers. "Agh, this brute just attacked me! Separate him from me!"

No one moved, sharing the feeling of shame that apparently the skinny did not have.

Marin decided to speak. "Let it be known, that I am not associated in any way with this cheap and lying bitch. Anything that comes out of her mouth is more false than the pyrite. I hope I don't see you again Rossi"

When Lian was about to throw herself at Marin's feet, Damian stopped him, putting his brand name shoe on her chest.

“Don't even try you bastard, he's my boyfriend. And you can't touch what's mine, bitch.”

When the order of the hierarchy was restored, with Damian and Marin walking hand in hand the students lost interest, and left quickly. Completely forgetting the sulfuric chestnut on the ground.

Lila Rossi was so fucked up, and the Agrestes still didn't know.

At a spa across town, Chloe had a feeling. And in a room a few doors from where Rossi Jon was, he also felt it.

[greatfay]

since ur answering asks and shit can u explain what u meant by generational differences in communication

Damn it’s like 2015 tumblr when my inbox used to be WET. So if you’re talking about the controversial opinions post, YES, like I totally understand where people are coming from when they say that generational divides aren’t real (because they aren’t, they’re arbitrary) and distract us from real problems and yes they paint past generations as collectively bigoted when Civil Rights protestors in the 60s (who are in their 70s and 80s now) are mirrors to BLM protestors today, who could be of any age, but the most vocal and famous (at least online, especially irt to the founders, like Patrisse Cullors who is 37.

But how we communicate is sooooo different. I really point to the Internet and Social Media as a major influence in how younger millennials (more Tom Hollands and less Seth Rogans—see even there, I feel like there are two different types of Millennials) and Gen Zrs/Zoomers and even Generation Alpha behave and communicate. We live in a world where we grew up either knowing right out the gate or discovering the hard way that what we say and do has permanence, the kind of permanence that prior generations have never experienced until today. The dumb things kids have been saying since forever can now follow them... forever. We have an inherent understanding of how online spaces work. Compare that to, idk, let’s say you posted on your Facebook (for the first time in 18 months) “All these big and bad grown ass Senators going after actual child Greta Gerwig lol ok, you’re so brave for attacking a CHILD over climate change” and then your aunt, who’s turning “forty-fifteen” in May replies to your post with “So happy to see my passionate niece! Much love from us, hope you’re doing well. Paul is doing great, waiting on his screening results. Tell your mom I said we miss her, we need to get together, we forgive her for last Christmas.”

Like... ok there’s a lot going on there, but your hypothetical aunt is oversharing on a publicly accessible post. And even with the most strict of privacy settings, she’s oversharing where your other Facebook friends (which may include classmates, coworkers, etc.) can see. But she’s saying things that would only be appropriate in a 1-on-1 conversation. This Aunt doesn’t have an understanding of such boundaries, she’s not as technologically literate and hasn’t grown up in a world of Virtual Space, she still gets most of her news from TV, she trusts what a reporter on Channel 4 will read off a script more than what actual video footage of an incident might reveal on Twitter, and she has no clue that she’s been sharing her location data with every post she makes.

There’s such a huge difference. I think it even affects how we experience and express stress and frustration. I think growing up partially in online spaces has made me more accustomed to conflict and consequence-free arguing than someone who never had to worry about that. I’ve been exposed so much to harassment and bullying, triangulating and echo chambers in forums and threads, and vastly opposing point of views at such an early age that it’s had an effect on how I see the world. Compare this to a customer I helped two weeks ago who was looking for a specific type of supplement for children. I found it for her, I handed her exactly what she was looking for, even though her description of the product actually matched several different products; to make sure I’d done my job thoroughly and that she leaves happy and satisfied and doesn’t bother me again, I then show her more products that match her description so that she knows she has options. And she proceeds to freak out, saying “NO, NO, I’M LOOKING FOR [X] AND IT HAS TO BE [XYZ]” and when I say freak out, she looked stressed and PANICKED. And being a retail employee wears you down bit by bit, and add COVID on top of it and little shit like this makes you snap, sometimes. So I have to cut her off like “Why are you screaming and freaking out, jfc you’re holding what you said you wanted. It’s in your hands. I gave you what you wanted, I’m just showing you more things.”

That customer is not an exception, she’s not a unique case. She’s representative of a frightening percentage of her generation, the kids who watched Grease and The Breakfast Club and Ghost in theaters when they were originally released. This is how they communicate and process information. She could not, for some reason, register that her need had been fulfilled, and defaulted to an extreme emotional response when given new and different information.

I’ve yet to deal with someone younger than 35 act the same way, the exceptions being the kids of very wealthy people at my new job who reek of privilege I gag when they walk in—but even they are like *shrugs* “ok whatever” and understanding when there’s something I can’t do for them.

Me: “sorry, we are totally out of that one in your size, but I can order it for you, it’s 2-3 day shipping at no cost to you and we ship it straight to your house”

A rich, white, attractive 22-year-old who’s had access to organic food, a rigorous dermatologist, and financial security since she was born: “mmm... sure, I’ll order it”

A 47-year-old of any socioeconomic background, of any race, in the same situation: “AHHHHHHHHHHH”

I just think it’s crazy how three generations of kids and young adults raised in a world where everything moves so much faster, where knowledge and entertainment and communication can be gathered so much faster, are often so much more polite and patient and understanding. Yesterday I told an older man (mid-50s) whose native tongue is the same as mine, as clearly and succinct as possible, that what he’s looking for is “in aisle 4.” He proceeded to repeat back, “Aisle 7?” four time before I dropped everything to show him what he needed in aisle 4, despite his insistence that he didn’t need me to walk him there. 4 and 7 sound nothing alike in English. There’s just something going on up there 🧠 that’s different.

Oh, other generational divides!!! We have different approaches to labor and working. Totally different! I’m a “young” millennial where I’m almost Gen Z, and I’ve noticed an awful trend among my demographic where people actually brag about working 90 hour work weeks. Or brag about how they skip breaks and live on-call to get the job done for “the hustle” like this “hustle, become a millionaire by 30″ culture that’s dominated these kids, idk where tf that came from. Like why are you proud of being a wage slave, getting taken advantage of by your millionaire/billionaire overlords. Compare this to my mother’s generation (she’s a borderline Genius X’er, she and her best friend were a year too young to watch Grease when it came out and had a random older woman buy tickets for her; she went to Prince concerts, took photos of him, then sold the photos on buttons at school, that’s her culture and teenage experience), where she’s insistent on her rights and entitlements as an employee, and these things she instilled me: “whatchu mean they didn’t schedule a break for you and you’re working 12 hrs today? oh no, you’re off, don’t answer your phone cuz you are NOT available!” There are Gen X’ers who entered the workforce at a time that America was drifting toward this corporate world, with more strictly defined regulations, roles, and understandings of labor rights (and also, let’s talk about how the 80s there was so much more attention on workplace harassment, misogyny and gender divides in wage gaps, etc. etc... not that much has changed, but at least it was talked about!). There are young people today who are taken advantage of because they aren’t as informed or don’t feel as secure and valuable enough to claim what belongs to them.

At the same time, those generations (Gen X and older) have a different viewpoint of hierarchies in the workplace and respect irt our direct supervisors. That’s how you get this blurring of boundaries between Work Life and one’s Personal Life that leads to common tropes in media written by their generations, where oh no! I’m having my boss over for dinner and the roast beef is still defrosting :O is such a “relatable thing” for them... meanwhile us younger generations are like I don’t even like that you know where I live, and if I see your 2017 Honda Civic pass my place one day, we’re going to have a problem. I think older generations have a different relationship with the word “Respect” than we do. Like, my grandma, who’s turning 87 (?) this year, and the other seniors in my area, they have a different concept of honor and an expectation of professional boundaries that I, and my mom and her generation, just don’t see (so then there’s something in common with Gen X’ers and the rest of us.) My dad grew up in a world where talking and acting like George Bailey and knocking on someone’s door with a big smile could get you a job, a job that could pay for college and rent no problem. My mom grew up in a world that demanded more prestige, where cover letters and references could get you into some cushy jobs if you’re persistent and ballsy enough. And I grew up in a world where potential employers literally don’t see your face when you apply unless they lurk on any social media profiles you have publicly available and they hold all the cards, and you need all those CVs and reference letters just to make minimum wage... so I feel like I am powerless in the face of such employers.

[rotationalsymmetry]

(Take 2, cleaned up.)

Ok, yes, the election was a year ago, I’m still pissed. The cycle goes:

In the Democratic primary, the more moderate candidate gets chosen because they’re “more electable.”

In the general election, people who wanted the candidate calling for more change (plus a bunch of people who were going to vote third party or not vote at all regardless of the outcome of the primary) get told they have to vote for the moderate Democrat or else they’re privileged wankers who want marginalized people to suffer. (Ignoring and indeed speaking over all the marginalized people who are in the “not going to vote for that person” category.)

(and ignoring that it’s way more constructive to focus on people who intend to vote Democrat but might not if they don’t get nudged a bit, than people who have decided not to vote because the candidate isn’t left leaning enough, and ignoring the fact that people usually don't find being yelled at persuasive, but I’ve been through that already)

Whichever candidate wins, next time the argument will be the same: the moderate candidate is more electable, always more electable, no matter how desperate the country is for change and no matter how similar to Republicans the candidate is. Because when people in the center won’t vote for a more left leaning candidate that’s just democracy, but when people on the left have a line past which they won’t vote for a candidate, any line at all, that’s…something different?

(also, I think people are dramatically underestimating the horseshoe effect: not all people who swing from one major party to the other are centrists. Anyways.)

We will never, ever, ever get the less moderate candidate in a primary as long as most Democratic voters are convinced that centrist undecided voters have a legitimate choice to make and the progressive edge of the party does not.

As long as the more centrist candidate is by definition the “more electable” one. Because it just doesn’t count when you lose people for being too centrist. It’s not the fault of the candidate’s politics, it’s not people making a valid choice, it’s … somehow cheating the system.

This is why I’m still mad. (This is why I’m still not following most of the blogs that were my favorite blogs before election season hit.) I get that stressed and scared people tend to tilt at windmills, it’s very human. I can forgive yelling at people as though that’s somehow effective Get Out The Vote. I can’t let go of framing the situation in a way that inevitably ratchets Democratic candidates towards the center as long as enough people buy into the framing.

Incidentally, there’s this idea of inevitable progress over time. Voting rights and desegregation and so on. And I mean i understand the appeal of that narrative. But not everything has gotten better. The rich are taxed far less than they were under the New Deal. Mass incarceration has exploded, and you can trace a straight line from slavery through Jim Crow to mass incarceration. Real wages have gone down. Student loans have shot through the roof while simultaneously earning a living wage without college has become near impossible. While we got some specific environmental victories decades ago, like banning DDT, other things are getting worse, like climate change, offshore drilling, wildfires. And the US is in massive denial about our history of colonialism and genocide. And slavery -- I mean, ok, technically everybody knows slavery happened, but how we talk about it is still very distorted. And the US backed coups and every other human rights atrocity the US has done in the name of fighting Communism or terrorism (see: actually for corporate profit.)

And the positive changes didn’t just happen, they were fought for.

What I mean is: there’s this idea that “the moral arc of the universe (or at least the United States) tends towards justice” without any actual action on anyone’s part, and that just doesn’t line up with, y’know. Everything in that paragraph.

We really can’t afford the idea that it’s illegitimate for people to refuse to vote for a candidate who doesn’t meet their standards.

[ober-affen-geil]

My brain is presenting me with very few entertainment options tonight so I decided to put together a reference post for writing characters with naturally curly hair. Enjoy! Please feel free to ask me questions if needed.

First things first, I am writing this from the perspective of someone who does have naturally curly hair but I’m fully aware that my hair/my experience with it is CERTAINLY NOT universal. If other people would like to add onto this with points that come from their own experience, by all means please do so!.

Speaking of my experience, I clock in at about a 3B according to this chart. That’s a “curly” curl type as opposed to “wavy” (straighter) or “coily” (more curly/kinky). My best guess is that I get mine from the random Scottish genes somewhere in my lineage, suffice it to say I am Super Fucking White and all of this discussion is from that perspective.

Anyways. I’m going to try to cover Curly Hair Care and The Many Faces Of Curly Hair but before I get into that I need you, the author with the curly-haired character, to ask yourself 3 questions:

1) Does your character know how to care for their hair 2) Can your character afford it 3) Do they care enough to do so/do they have the time or energy

To expand further.

1. Fun fact! Hair texture can change with your body’s hormones. It is not uncommon for hair to (permanently!) alter texture because of puberty, pregnancy, or menopause. I got my curly hair when I hit puberty, which was a complete surprise and profoundly unexpected. No one in my immediate (or extended actually) family has curly hair and I had never had to deal with it before. And no, I did not have an innate knowledge of how to care for my new curly hair. Still figuring it out but I’m a lot better now than I was. In any case, there are many reasons why your character may not know how to properly care for their hair.

2. This is pretty self-explanatory tbh but products for curly hair can get expensive and your character may not be able to buy what they need to keep their hair perfectly healthy.

3. What I mean by this is, I, personally, do care for my hair the best that I know how, but I don’t use after-shower holding product because I don’t like the way it feels in my hair and I don’t care enough about what it looks like to tough it out. This means my hair is at the whims of my environment (see below) and has a major effect on what it looks like and feels like. Does your character feel similarly? Are they in a rush? Are they at someone else’s place and don’t have access to their normal supplies?

Once you have answered those, you can dive into Curly Hair Care. 

The number one thing to keep in mind is that curly hair needs to be hydrated. It’s a thirsty bitch. Frequent washing and/or shampoo will dry out curly hair and make it frizzy, natural oils and conditioner are better for it. (Also never ever brush out your curly hair, that will lead to INSTANT frizz city plus it’s frankly a bitch to do and will tangle almost as soon as the brush leaves your hand.)

To give you an idea of what I mean, my current routine is to wash my hair every other day. Every time I wash my hair I use conditioner (comb in while wet). Every OTHER time I wash my hair I ALSO use a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, because my hair is fine enough and my skin is oily enough I really do need at least a little shampoo to prevent myself from turning into a complete greaseball. On the days I wash my hair with shampoo, I use an after-shower conditioner as well.

That’s what it takes to keep my hair happy and healthy, but every person’s needs are going to be a little different. AND even if your ROUTINE is the same, there is NO GUARENTEE your hair will look the same every time. Which leads me to The Many Faces Of Curly Hair.

Plain, untreated, natural curly hair, even hair that’s healthy, is extremely susceptible to fluctuations in the environment. The more humid the air, the tighter the curl will be. The drier the air, the looser the curl will be.  Rain, humidity, air conditioning, a hot bath, a sauna, all of these will effect curly hair. I live in a fairly damp environment and while I usually get out of bed in the morning pretty springy, my hair wilts after spending all day in air conditioning. Conversely, my mom loves to tell the story of the time we got off a climate controlled plane onto an extremely humid ramp and she delighted in watching my hair curl up in the new environment in a matter of minutes. 

I’ve also found the greasier my hair is, the lankier it is which is to say more likely to be a mixed bag of tight/loose curls. The longer I go between washes, the looser my curls/the more straight my hair will be. And remember curly hair will appear shorter than it actually is because the length is affected by how tight the curl is. Also, curly hair dried naturally without product will tend to have parts that just...don’t curl. For whatever reason. Usually its just a lock or two but the longer between washes or the drier the environment, the more prominent it will become. Alternatively I’ve found that there is a lock that hangs in the center of my forehead that is always the last to lose its curl, and insists on staying directly in my face at all times.  

A final note, straighteners work about as well on curly hair as curling irons work on straight hair. Which is to say, for a little while but it won’t hold. If you want your character to have straight hair that lasts, chemicals need to get involved.

[rockshortage]

Finally read dem asks so lets go for the fresh new. Gonna separate them with the slash: A17, 20, 24 / B1, 6, 10, 12 / C6 / D2 / F2 / H4, 8 / J8 / L1, 4 , 9 for Hector. Cheerz!

really slacked off on answering this in a timely manner, my apologies

A17) What’s one of your OC’s proudest moments of themselves?

The first time he gave an order that he knew the bosses wouldn’t like, and they obeyed without arguing or questioning it (much). It was finally a clear sign that he had things under control.

A20) Are they harsh on themselves?

Yeah… always questioning himself and whether he did good enough, what he could have done better – kind of a perfectionist.

A24) What are some of your OC’s biggest personal obstacles? This could be emotional, physical, social… Are they aware of it? Are they trying to overcome it?

Mostly emotional and social – emotional in the sense that he doesn’t know himself very well and doesn’t understand his own emotions. This also influences how well he carries himself socially, though it’s not the only reason he’s bad at social interaction. He just never really learned it, communicating is hard and anxiety kicks his ass. He sure is aware of how unnecessarily nervous he gets in many situations. Of course he’d like it to not be that way, but he also doesn’t want to expose himself to more of this stress than necessary, even if doing so would help him overcome it (or at least make it less bad). 

B1) Do they believe you have to give respect to get it, or get respect to give it?

answered

B6) Would your OC let someone ahead of them in line if your OC had a big cart and the person behind them had very few items?

Yeah because it’s nice but also he’d hate to be fumbling to get everything in a bag while the person behind him waits impatiently

B10) Does your OC find any “bad” or “mean” humor funny? Do they wish they didn’t?

Bad as in dad jokes and boomer humor, yeah it’s a riot. Doesn’t feel bad about that one, if it’s funny it’s funny. He’s more inclined to feel bad about the mean or dark humor – definitely if he finds it funny and others don’t. But it’s more on a case by case basis whether he finds that funny or not. “What do you call a family of ducks on the road? Speed bumps.” NOT funny, those poor ducks didn’t hurt anyone ;<;

B12) Your OC orders something to eat and gets their order done in a pretty wrong way, something they can’t just pick off or whatnot to correct, or something major is missing. What do they do?

answered

C6) What do they do when they see someone asking for money or food? If they ignore them, why? If they help, how so?

Pre-war, he’s likely to walk past with a mumbled ‘sorry’, pretending he has no cash on him or something. He’d feel bad about it because that was a lie and he could have helped, but he wouldn’t really want to give them straight up money, because he doesn’t really want to finance drugs or alcohol. But like going to the store with them to buy them a sandwich or something if they’re hungry requires so much social labor and then those kinda people are often likely to wanna talk to him about their problems for a long time and he just doesn’t want to deal with that. No matter how bad he feels about it.

Post-war, he’s likely to throw them some caps, or give them some purified water, or whatever little thing they ask for – as long as no one can see. After all, an overboss isn’t supposed to just give away stuff to some beggar.

D2) Do they believe in an afterlife?

Not until he gets proof, which is extremely unlikely to ever happen. He’s not a dick to people believing in it though, unlike superstition. I can imagine he might reconsider his stance a bit after he’s forcefully reminded of his sister, but I don’t think he’d really believe in it. It would just be a nice thought to have sometimes, nice to play a little pretend.

F2) What’s their ideal home look like? Where is it?

answered

H4) Does your OC believe in love in first sight?

No. Hell, he’s not even sure if he’s supposed to believe in love itself. At least not until it really clicks with him that love can be platonic too. But sometimes he wishes love at first sight was real because that’s probably the only way he’d ever have the chance to fall in love with anyone. Attraction at first sight exists, sure, but even if he felt that, it’s not something he’d pursue further.

H8) What’s your OC’s idea of a perfect date?

Ignoring all the circumstantial stuff above… first of all it would have to be with someone he already feels very comfortable with. Just a nice little simple thing – chilling with a beer in a quiet corner at a bar, or outside at night by a fire. Calm and quiet, with nice conversations and comfortable silence. No pressure about anything.

J8) In reality-based or applicable worlds, do they believe in global warming? Do they recycle?

I don’t remember any mention of climate change in the fallout world and I don’t care enough right now to research it or put too much thought into it.

So assuming it was a thing before the bombs dropped, yeah. If science says it’s real then of course it’s real. It’s not something you either believe in or don’t, it’s fucking fact. He’d invest a normal amount of energy into recycling. He wouldn’t remove every single aluminium lid and carton sleeve off a plastic yogurt container, but he would generally pay attention to recycling properly.

L1) How have your characters changed since you created them?

answered

L4) Would you hang out with your OC if you could?

answered

L9) How did you come up with your OC?

answered

[moathemp3]

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[scarsxandxstories]

Greenhouse construction in Kenya

greenhouse construction in Kenya has been a lucrative business though many farmers make minor mistakes which can be corrected

Over the last couple of years, the world has been facing a global food crisis, and Kenya is no exception. The food insecurity in Kenya has been accelerated by drought and famine. That notwithstanding, the climate has changed drastically, and it’s mainly characterized by dry seasons. Such situations lead to most farmers suffering because of poor soil nutrition and water shortages, which are poor conditions for food production. As a result, farmers are now looking towards greenhouse construction in Kenya to allow them to grow crops during both wet and dry seasons.

Greenhouses have proven an effective alternative to increase productivity for both small scale and large scale farmers. Besides, greenhouses can help improve their livelihoods and promote food security in Kenya. Farmers can construct either plastic-covered or permanent glass greenhouses that create a suitable environment for growing healthy crops all year round. The growth of crops in these structures is promoted by good irrigation systems, plus the temperature is mechanically controlled.

The benefits of growing plants in a greenhouse

Over time, farmers have come to realize that there are plenty of benefits of growing plants in a greenhouse, especially with the uncertainty in climate change lately. However, before you carry out your greenhouse construction in Kenya, you have to conduct adequate research to ensure that you will reap some of the following benefits.

A greenhouse delivers an extended growing season

There are consistency and reliability in food production

You can plant a variety of crops in a greenhouse

It allows you to control the growth environment, humidity levels, and soil easily

A greenhouse makes it easy for you to control insect and animal infestation

Decide whether you need to buy or build a greenhouse in kenya

When you set your mind to do greenhouse farming, you need to consider if a building or buying a structure is the right way to go. But first, you need to consider where you wish to place your greenhouse to establish if you have adequate space to grow the crop that you want.

However, before you come to the decision of whether to buy or carry out greenhouse construction in Kenya, you have to ask yourself a couple of things. First, you need the type and variety of plants that you wish to grow in your greenhouse and the space that they will require. Additionally, you need to consider if you have a tree nearby that can provide shade and if it sheds its leaves during certain seasons.

You also need to consider the material to use in the construction; particularly, the foundation. Moreover, you need to asses if the soil in the space that you have has good drainage or whether you need to come up with a water recycling system. That notwithstanding, you need to know if the area where you would like to set up your greenhouse has adequate water and if there is electrical connectivity within the area.

Most importantly, you need to consider your budget, and then decide which option works best for you. Building or buying? Apart from the cost, you need to know that greenhouses need to be constructed in a particular way to ensure that your crops will grow as expected. You have to position your greenhouse where it will receive optimal sunlight exposure during the day. It is recommended that greenhouses receive about 6 hours of sunlight every day.

Apart from the natural light from the sun, you must also install energy-efficient lights when it comes to greenhouse construction in Kenya. Before you decide between buying and building your greenhouse, you must also consider the design of the greenhouse. Do you want an all-in-one structure, or do you want a greenhouse that features your own design? If it is the latter, then you’re better off building your own structure. You can also customize it to suit your specific requirements.

However, if you are looking to establish it as a side business, then you are better off buying an already-established structure. Interestingly, there are various companies in Kenya that lease greenhouses to interested parties for a certain period. Some of those who have ventured into this business claim that it is quite profitable. Although these are just claims.

How to get started in greenhouse construction in Kenya

When you decide whether to buy or build your greenhouse, you’ve already figured out the space that you require to grow the crop you have in mind. It’s crucial that you consider your greenhouse as a long-term investment. Consequently, you need to have adequate space that will accommodate the plants that you would like to grow in the years ahead. Greenhouse construction in Kenya also needs to match up to the type of plant you wish to grow. For instance, if you wish to grow vegetables, your greenhouse should have a lot of headroom, plus it needs to receive maximum light.

You also have to decide on the style of the greenhouse that you want. There exist several styles, and some can even get built in one day. Here are some of the different styles that you could settle for based on your budget limits and needs.

Freestanding greenhouses – such types of greenhouses are stand-alone structures; therefore, you can place these structures where you would like on your property, but you have to ensure that the position you place your structure receives enough lighting. You can grow plenty of plants in this type of greenhouses, and you can start growing your plants as early as January.

Attached/lean-to greenhouses – you could also go for this style of greenhouses. Such greenhouses don’t require you to build all the four walls. However, one of the walls needs to be sturdy such as the wall of your house so that you can construct the three remaining sides to be lighter.

Due to their construction design, attached greenhouses are less expensive to construct compared to other styles. You can use such structured to grow seedlings and herbs. A major downside with the attached greenhouses is that sunlight only comes in from three sides.

Your greenhouse construction in Kenya should feature one of these styles, but that’s entirely dependent on the crop(s) that you would like to grow. It is also recommended that you refrain from building your greenhouse near coniferous trees. Those are trees that don’t shed their leaves during the cold season in Kenya, blocking the little sunlight that is available.

You can also place your greenhouse structure on any surface. However, you have to ensure that you construct it in an area that has good drainage. You can place a layer of landscape cloth where you intend to place your greenhouse. Doing so not only allows proper drainage but also keeps the weeds out.

Greenhouse accessories for greenhouse construction in kenya

Apart from the frame and exterior structure of the greenhouse, you need to know that there are accessories that have to go into a greenhouse to ensure that your crops grow as you would like. However, the accessories you put greatly depend on your budget allocations as they could get pricey at times.

You need to consider what you really need in your greenhouse, and the accessories that you could place during your greenhouse construction in Kenya include a heating system, automatic vents, shelving, a fan, a mist system, and a rack among other accessories.

How do you prepare for your first growing season

Now that you’ve already set up your greenhouse, including the accessories you want, you have to prepare for the growing season, but that also depends on the type of plant that you would like to grow in your greenhouse.

If it is your first time dealing with a greenhouse, then you need to start off with straight-forward crops instead of going for complicated crops without the experience. You will find that most greenhouse farmers in Kenya start with vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, leafy greens, and turnips among others. It is also advisable for you to group together plants that have a similar growth cycle so that you can organize your planting season accordingly.

You should also know that not all the seeds that you plant will germinate. That’s why it is advisable for you to plant more seeds than you would expect to grow. Doing so will help you save a significant amount of time, which you would otherwise spend transplanting. On the other hand, if you are planting crops that climb vertically such as tomatoes, then you need to plant them on a raised platform on your greenhouse’s floor. A bench could also serve as a suitable alternative.

Pesticides

Usually, experts advise against using pesticides in greenhouses as they could compromise the quality of produce, but there are some greenhouse owners who still use pesticides. Instead of using pesticides, you need to ensure that your greenhouse construction in Kenya is done to perfection. A well-constructed greenhouse has measures in place to prevent entry by pests.

You can install insect screens on the exhausts and air intakes of your greenhouse to prevent insects and or mites from getting into your greenhouse. Furthermore, you need to ensure that the equipment you use in your greenhouse isn’t used anywhere else to prevent cross-contamination, which could result in the presence of insects and diseases in your structure.

Fertilizer

A majority of greenhouse owners in Kenya prefer using organic fertilizers as opposed to manufactured products. If you find natural fertilizer, then you’re in a better position. However, there are some situations where you may need to get manufactured fertilizer to deliver the nutrients your crops need.

Environmental control

Greenhouse construction in Kenya should never be done without considering environmental control. You must keep in mind that a greenhouse is a place where you grow your crops under a controlled environment. One of the things you need to do in your greenhouse is heating. You have to insulate your greenhouse to ensure that your crops receive the heat they need even when there is no sunlight. You can find different types of heaters available, which are powered by different means. You must also ensure that the heating system in your greenhouse has an automatic shut-off feature.

Shading is also a requirement when it comes to greenhouses. Shade comes in handy when the sun is too warm and it is hitting the greenhouse directly. You can get roll-up screens of aluminum or wood, polypropylene shade cloth, or paint-on materials to provide the necessary shading during such times.

Your greenhouse must also have proper ventilation. Why is ventilation so important? Well, it is because plants also get hot, and the vents will allow proper circulation of air, preventing any damage from coming to your plants. Proper ventilation also minimizes t