#awesome electrician

[3gremlins]

omg this younger person from my undergrad college contacted me for tips on having an art career* and i'm just like okay but you're not going to like what i have to say, "it's very feast/famine, start small and do it on the side to start" and every email back they're like "so i should quit my day job, right?" and i'm like NO YOU SWEET SUMMER CHILD, YOU NEED TO EAT AND HAVE HEALTHCARE. JUST DO ART ALSO AND YOU WILL BE AN ARTIST DOING ART THINGS.

*it feels like it springs from those horrible exit interview colleges do where they're like "you owe us SO MUCH MONEY, good luck paying it back suckers, we sure didn't teach you any life skillz here, maybe ask some alums, okay buh-bye!!" as they push you out into the cold cruel world so i really feel for them** **also haha younger people asking me for advice omg T.T i'm still muddling through too (i guess i can advise you not to make the same mistakes as me but it might not be avoidable)

[johnnydany]

World's Okayest Electrician T-Shirt

Get yours now: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/39703347-worlds-okayest-electrician

[llanonelson]

I would hire this guy in a heartbeat!

[infinite-hearts-333]

After so many sleepless nights and so much anxiety, Thorn turns to having a midnight drink. A certain dragon finds them.

“A little late to be out drinking, don’t you think?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah I guess. Couldn’t sleep.”

“I can tell. May I?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m Ouřa Thorn, by the way.”

“North Heat. Leader of the Rangers. And you?”

“I’m the janitor. And the electrician right now.”

“Really? You look like you’d make a good space rider.”

“Ha-! Yeah- well, with my history, and my powers- I’m more of a ticking time bomb than a ‘good space rider’ but, thanks I guess.”

“History..? Problems with powers hmm? We have a few programs for that if you’d like me to help you get into one-?”

“No, no.. to risky. *sighs* What do you do when you know a part of you is a big danger?”

“I’m not scared of you,”

“Well you SHOULD be. You wouldn’t know, no one but a few do, and most of them are cultist that scream every time they see me…”

“Try me.”

“What?”

“Try me- I can take your power, I’m sure of it.”

“No, no you couldn’t, don’t be stupid.”

“I’m sure I can- try me Oura Thorn, I’m not scared of you.”

“YOU, HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DAMAGE IT CAN CAUSE- YOU-”

*aggressive huffing, tears welling up*

“Take a breath Thorn, it’s okay. You look like shit, man.”

“Haha… It comes with the territory of lack of sleep..”

“Well let’s start there, then. Come on, wheres your house.”

*mumbling* “The storage room….”

“….. Seriously??? Nope, alright, we’re going to my crews place then. Merrit made a some lavender tea last week, so you’re gonna crash on our couch for tonight.”

“Are you sure..? I don’t want to interfere..”

“You don’t have a choice here, if I’m honest.”

The next morning:

FINALLY ITS DONE

*disintegrates*

Wuff that took SO long, but I’m so proud of it damn. Good job me *pats back*

I just hope that it’s up to the beans expectations! Those who saw it seemed very excited and I’m berry grateful <3333333

North heat belongs to the awesome: @north-heats-stronghold

Zane in the last panel belongs to: @moonspiritleaf

And the au (space riders!) belongs to: @onyxonline

[alvisthefox]

Name: Alvis Winter

Nicknames: Al (gose by Al mostly) 113 (called by eggman when he was in his controle)

Language: default is English (He is Polyglot so he can speak any language)

D.O.B: 17 November during The War to Take Back the Planet (during Sonic Forces) ((vertion 1 was made all the way in 2006 irl))

Species: Fox (Genetically modified)

Age: 13 (depends on when story is, some could be him in 20s but looks mostly the same)

Gender: Male

Hight: 106cm

Alignment: True Neutral / Chaotic Neutral

Abilitys: Teleportation, electricity (He's resistant to electricity. Just cant control it. But can direct thru his gauntlets) (more but not gonna say)

Skills: Smart, Good fighting (hand to hand and weapons), Engineer/Electrician, Tech, Baking, musical instruments, Mimic voices, Parkour/Gymnastics/Brake dance

Team: Team Sonic. But work alone and with others to help. Has worked with G.U.N and other Teams

Info: Alvis (Al) use to be known as 113 was once pronounced as a missing child presumed dead before a altercation as 113 with Sonic reviling the hold time he was in Eggmans captivity. Since Eggman let him go and was found 3 months later in the mountains living out a crashed G.U.N cargo plane. He's slowly getting a somewhat normal life with team sonic. Giving inside of working for Robotnic, why he is purple ect but keeps something still to himself. Like birthdays and why he tenses up around the mayor's wife. Almost like he is holding back anger. Alvis most open with Miles "Tails" Prower. Being when was he was 5 they did meet and found out he was a HUGE and still is a Tails fan. But Tails has mentioned how he was in Eggmans position in the first place was he was sold. But is keeping alot secrate. What els dose Alvis know. What els, he has the memories of the 4 who's DNA was used to chnage Als DNA and give powers?

Edit: That last thing. Yes. Said he had identity problem and even others saying for example "Sonic" Alvis would react like you said his name, and was mentioned he hallucinates seeing one of the 4 or all 4 at the same time. Can feel how it Felt being super in space, How the space ark food tasted, How lonly it is on angel island and how it feels to bullied to then find someone who accepts you and treats u like a brother

(This is a AU.)

Yet a nother awesome peace from @catragemiau they did a amazing job with my Sonic OC and got a charicter sheet.

I cant stress anuff that @catragemiau is worth every penny! If you want art at grate quality! @catragemiau is the one!

(Pls leave a slot for me to get art tho 🥺)

I can just go on for days about this! This is my 2nd art from them. And just like last time. So happy.

((Should mention. These are all versions. I'm kinda just re using the look of past versions of Al in my AU))

V1 (first ever alvis back in 06)(IRL 06)

V2 (pre experimented Alvis)

V3 (half way thru fur changing colour)

V4

Sonic Prime AU

--Carbine-- --Captain Iceberg-- --Savage--

Sonic Riders

Sonic Boom AU

[thatbadadvice]

Help! The Ungrateful Youths of Today Don't Appreciate the Value of Anything, and by 'Anything' I Mean the Worthless Shit I Am Trying to Sell Them

Ask A Manager, 12 May 2023:

Several years ago I was frustrated with the way people went about looking for jobs. I’m a small business owner and even before running my own company, I always networked. Through networking I’ve managed to do so much. Today I run six networking groups. Again, several years ago I created a t-shirt designed to network for you. It lists various fields, each with a checkbox by it, and comes with a small sharpie so you can check off the type of job or career you desire. By wearing the t-shirt everywhere you go, it starts the job seeking conversation. I marketed them inexpensively to college grads. I went to colleges, job fairs, and even graduations. Not one t-shirt sold. I was so angry. I was on popular talk shows and in the paper and still nothing. Today I sit with every size t-shirt in my garage. Many ask why I don’t still pursue this idea. They are the ones who got the idea and believe in it. Perhaps I was ahead of my time. I marketed towards college grads who texted as a main form of communication. However, today communication is even worse. Young adults can barely look someone in the eye. Please tell me what your opinion is of my t-shirts. I hoped people would wear them daily and maybe while filling their gas tank this would start a conversation that would change their lives forever. Networking will always be the way to get what you need. Referrals, physicians, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, housekeepers, financial advisors, accountants, babysitters, trainers, real estate agents, tutors, and whatever I have missed. Am I wrong? Would my product help those unable to network?

There is one reason and one reason only that your revolutionary clothing business has failed to see the success it so clearly deserves: young people today are appallingly poor communicators who, for reasons that likely include video games and participation trophies, are actively unwilling to appreciate the awesome one-on-one human connections that can only be made by going about life wearing a t-shirt and hoping someone reads it and decides to enter into a business relationship as a result. Yes indeed, it is specifically and only the modern youths who have refused to purchase your t-shirts who are very, very poor at understanding how to build valuable and meaningful relationships with other humans. There is definitely not anybody else here who is bad at communicating.

Every single person on planet earth who is under the age of, say, 25, lacks the foresight and vision to appreciate the radically lucrative possibilities of wearing the same t-shirt every day every single place they go. Every single person who didn't buy one of your shirts did so because they are young and stupid and don't know a life-changing idea when they see one. But you do! Because you are old and smart, which are the same thing.

After all, you are great at networking and have managed to do incredible things as a result of your great networking skills, such as running six networking groups. If that's not proof positive that networking works, what is?

The only way to know for sure whether your shirts will help poor communicators understand exactly how bad they are at connecting with others may be to try your product out for yourself.

[emmanuellececchi]

Crazy Decorator Éomer meets surly electrician Gimli - Chapter 2

(link to read on AO3)

dividers coming from this awesome blog - thanks to @lucifers-legions for the edit and suggestions.

---

Gimli arrived at precisely 7:55 AM. Punctuality was important to him, especially for this job. He wanted to finish as soon as possible, even if he knew it would take a Christmas miracle to actually finish it before the holidays. Like in one of those sappy movies.

He sighed. It would take a week and a half if everything went smoothly, but Gimli knew well enough that things never happened that way. Besides, this was an old house that had been left to itself for too long. He remembered the face of the owner, Éomer Éomundson, when he had to break the news: a complete rewiring of the house.

Gimli grabbed his toolbox and locked his truck. He paused on the front steps and looked up at the historic home with a web of wires that hadn’t been looked at in… thirty years? Maybe more? He shook his head. He wasn’t into Christmas decorations but, really, he pitied the guy.

“Hi there!”

Startled, Gimli turned towards the sound of the voice. It was the guy he had seen yesterday; the neighbor. He walked onto Éomer’s driveway, with a smile that grated on Gimli’s nerves. He knew these kinds of guys, who thought they owned everyone and everything. And, as expected, the guy came and leaned against the truck. Gimli’s truck. He felt a twinge of irritation and tightened his grip on the handle of his toolbox.

“Yes?”  The man smiled sheepishly which only aggravated Gimli even more.

“I was wondering if I could… borrow you… for a job in my house?”

“I already have an appointment.  And you’re about to make me late for it.”

“Oh. It would be after your work here.”

“Never heard anything from my boss.”  The man gaped at him, and Gimli enjoyed it immensely.

“No. It would be a… side job, you understand?”

“I don’t do side jobs.”

“It won’t take long. Just a few things to fix… here and there,” the man pressed.

“I don’t fix here and there. Make an appointment.”  He turned on his heel, but the shrill tone of the man’s voice stopped him.

“But there’s no one else available before Christmas!”

“Guess you won’t be able to add more inflatables then.”  Gimli didn’t even look to see the other guy’s reaction. He climbed the steps, ready to ring the bell when the door opened suddenly. Éomer was furious.  “Sorry I’m…”

But Gimli never finished. He realized the man’s anger was directed elsewhere.

“Neighbor.”

“Hey, neighbor. I was just leaving.”  Gimli looked back, and the smirk he saw made him hate the guy even more.  “Good luck with your lights.”

The man chuckled and left, walking through the yard and knocking over a reindeer. So, this was what a decoration war looked like. It was pathetic and ugly. Gimli shook his head, but thankfully, Éomer was too caught up in his own anger to notice.

Even though he’d never admit it out loud, Gimli did feel sorry for him. After all, his decorations weren’t that bad, and he could tell that Éomer had put a lot of work into them. Especially compared to the army of inflatables across the street. Well, there was only one thing to do: try to get through this tremendous job as quickly as possible so the neighbor would have less to smirk about.

“Ignore that chump,” he said and patted Éomer’s arm. “At Aglarond Electricians, we don’t give up on the job. Soon, this house will blind everyone in the whole neighborhood!”  To Gimli’s surprise, Éomer frowned.  Had he been too forward with the arm pat?

“The goal is not to blind everyone, it’s…” Éomer pinched his nose and sighed.  “You know what, it doesn’t matter.  Let’s just get this over with.”

But the man had been nothing but professional, minus the grumbling about the decorations. He had taken the time to explain everything in detail: the age of the house, the condition of the wiring, the signs of deterioration, what the process would involve. Then, after ordering a few parts, he gave Éomer the quote.

That had been the cherry on this dreadful morning. Éomer had been tempted to call the whole thing off, but the thought of Éowyn not coming to spend Christmas with him was unacceptable. Feeling trapped, he signed the dotted line.

Éomer looked around. He noted where Gimli was working then looked again at his watch. Soon he would have to leave to meet Éowyn for lunch. He didn’t want to miss a single minute with her, even if it meant he had to help her shop for this new boyfriend of hers.

A part of him resented the guy. Éowyn needed to be protected. She had taken the death of their uncle the hardest, since she had been the one taking care of him. That was why Éomer had always tried to make Christmas as special as their uncle had; so that she would remember the good times they’d spent together and not the last months of his life.  But now she had chosen to spend Christmas somewhere else with a guy Éomer hadn’t even met before.

A sound brought him back to reality. Gimli was shifting from foot to foot, watching him.  How long had he been standing there?

“What?”

“I was going to ask if you wanted me to lock the basement door when I was done, if you weren’t back yet.”

“Right.” He had forgotten that a good part of the job would be there. With an irritated, Éomer went to unlock the door that would lead to the dreaded fuse box and its nest of old wires. “Uh… if I leave, are you going to be okay?”

Gimli arched an eyebrow in a way that made Éomer feel like an idiot. Who would ask this kind of thing to a rough and burly electrician like this guy? With his braided red beard and his muscular arms… and who hated Christmas.

“If you’re okay with leaving me alone in your house.”

“As long as you don’t tear down my decorations.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

Éomer froze. Was that a joke? It was difficult to read the other man’s expression. Then Gimli rolled his eyes.

“At Aglarond Electricians, we repair things that are broken, we don’t break them.” Éomer felt ashamed. Of course he would not do anything like that. But before he could apologize, Gimli added.

“Too late to fix your taste in decorations though.” Éomer clamped his mouth shut. No way he would apologize to this… Scrooge. Gimli held out his hand. “Give me what’s necessary to navigate your house and I’ll be fine.”

Éomer nodded. The sooner he left, the better. It was impossible to stay here any longer with a man like that. Besides, he was already running late, because he lost a fair amount of time trying to find his keys. He began to swear under his breath.

Gimli was beginning to feel unnerved by the increasing agitation of the other man. He was losing precious time to advance the repairs while Éomer was struggling to find which key opened what. He grabbed the key set and Éomer looked at him startled.

“I’ll figure out the keys, myself. You’re making me nervous.” Éomer looked at him, stunned.

“You’re serious?” Gimli rolled his eyes. He didn’t know why he was acting like that. It was ridiculous. But the other man’s face lit up with a smile. And something twirled in Gimli’s stomach. “It won’t cost more, right?!”

The bubbling feelings became ice.

“No. I don’t make my client pay extra when they mix up their keys.” Éomer reddened and, seeing his eyes downcast, Gimli felt a bit mollified. “So… got a date, eh?”

Eomer shook his head.

“My sister. It has been a while…”

To his surprise, Gimli felt a rush of relief. It made him angry all of a sudden.  Why would he be relieved that Éomer wasn’t going on a date?

“’kay. Go now, I’ve got work waiting for me.”

Éomer left in a hurry, not even looking back. Gimli sighed and left for the basement. He had a job to do and he couldn’t afford to get behind…

“Can you believe that? It’ll cost me an arm and a leg, and I’ll have to deal with this… Scrooge for the next two weeks!” Éomer sighed as he took a sip of his coffee.

“You’re sure it’s not just a bad string?” Éomer rolled his eyes.

“I’m not an idiot. Of course I tested them all inside before installing them.”  Éowyn hold her hands out.

“Okay! Just wanted to make sure you didn’t need to pay big bucks…”

“Mr. Scrooge already asked me. Made me feel like a fool, but at least he’s honest.”

“Why do you keep calling him that?”

Éowyn was looking at him, but Éomer noticed how she had barely eaten. Something was bothering her. Maybe his problem with the lights? Dread began gnawing at his stomach.

“He does not like Christmas. First thing he said in the house! He had not stopped grumbling about the decorations since he arrived. It’s a nightmare.”  Éowyn smiled tightly.

“Maybe he just does not like overdecorations?”

The words made Éomer’s stomach lurch. He looked at his half-eaten plate. They had walked a good part of the afternoon, looking for gifts for her new boyfriend, this supposedly “Mr. Perfect” and his family. Éomer was merely tagging along, just to be there with her. After all, the best gift he could give her was the house fully decorated, just like when Uncle Théoden did it.

Then, after all the gifts had been bought, they sat for a quick supper… and the sky dropped on his head. Háma had told Éowyn about his light problem. Why would Háma betray him like that?

Éowyn laid a hand on his arm. He blinked.

“What?”

“Mer. Christmas is not about decorations, or how many lights or the music? It’s about… who you spend Christmas with… the people.” She was smiling tentatively. He patted her arm.

“Thank you, but I know you’re only saying that just to be nice. Don’t worry, I’ll get this problem fixed. You will get your Christmas decorations.”

“Éomer…”

“Éowyn, I promise. It’ll be perfect, like when we were kids!” She sighed and looked away.  “Háma shouldn’t have told you about this! You’re worried for nothing!”

“Do not dare blame him! He only told me so that I could reassure you I would come, lights or no lights.”

“Why would you not come?”

“Éomer…”

“No. You’re not coming. Is that it?”

“I told you. Faramir invited me to spend Christmas with him and his family.” She touched his arm but he kept staring at his plate now. “And you are welcome to come, you know? It’s not even about where … it’s about who you’re spending it with!”

“No. No. Éowyn. Please, listen to me.” Éomer shook his head vehemently. It was his turn now to take her arm, to look into her eyes, to make her understand.

“I promise. I’ll fix everything! The house will be decorated like never before. There will be lights everywhere!” he added with a triumphal smile, “Faramir will not be able to compete against that.”

But Éowyn’s face darkened. She took her arm away from him and begin packing.

“You. Don’t. Listen.”  She stood and now Éomer felt panic rise, eating at him.

“Wyn?”

“Just…” She shook her head and sighed.  “Forget it. I still have a lot of things to do before Christmas. And clearly you do, too. I’m sure you don’t want to leave your Mr. Scrooge too long alone in the house.”

He was looking at her, unable to speak or move. She had her gift bags in her hands and gave him one last hard look.

“After all, you don’t want him to ruin your perfect lights, right?”  She turned on her heel and left.

Éomer watched her leave and then laid his hands on the table.  No. It wasn’t possible. Why was everything going so wrong?

Still shaking, he stood up and went to pay. That darn electrician had better solve his light problem, and fast.

[notasapleasure]

Wild hopes for Andor S2:

Oh, apparently blorbo *might* be in the trailer? Riding a speeder on Dantooine you say? Aughhhh don't toy with my emotions like this!!

So for posterity, before anything about s2 does actually become clear, my vague hopes/'if I got to write their story' headcanons for my Ferrix badasses are a jumble of the following:

I don't see them immediately going back to Ferrix, they're recognisable (Bix is known to the Empire, Wilmon will be known by association with Salman, Bee is known as Maarva's droid, they had an eye on Brasso as 'the big guy' even before he fucked shit up with the funerary brick...and I can't remember Jezzi doing anything specific but she'll have been seen round Maarva's home and funeral), and riot or not, I'd say the Empire will be in the mood to make an example of Ferrix rather than to go 'oops our bad we'll leave you in peace'. So it seems a bad idea for the fugitives to return there for their rebellion as soon as they've left.

On that ship we know there's a skilled electrician (Wilmon) and mechanic (Bix), and I've always presumed Brasso must know his way around a ship well enough to be able to take it apart, and that Jezzi has some similarly Ferrixian industrial skill. I thought it would be very sexy if they all got involved in making/repurposing tech for the rebellion. In my heart of hearts they're patching together the first fleet of X-Wings.

Orange. Ferrix orange (Brasso's felt jacket orange) and rebel pilot orange. And there's the shot of Cassian in an orange pilot's suit in the trailer. I just. I just have hopes. And dreams. And colour was so significant in Rogue One (the red of the force/rebellion...there was an awesome post on here pointing out way more examples than I'd noticed, but I always think of the lining of Jyn's vest). Maybe it's reclaiming Narkina orange, even? But the look of the Ferrix clothes reminds me so much of the OT aesthetic, I think that's got to be the more likely connection.

Bee? Kay? Do they meet? ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ trying to suppress the thought 'what if Bee helps to make Kay possible?' but the thought has been thunk. (ETA: NOT into the theory that they're the same person that's not what I mean. I'm talking hardware donation. Wires and chips. Not personality)

Dantooine. Dantooine base. After all this time!!!! What Legends book did I first read about the base on Dantooine in?? idek but if I'd ever written the epic angsty plot follow-up to that one fic (only ever just one night) it would have involved the Ferrix gang making X-Wings work on Dantooine :') I have feelings about Brasso the wrecker learning to make things instead :))

It should go without saying that I want to see Bix channel her healing into getting stuff done and fucking up the Empire.

I guess my feeling is that if we're time-skipping over a five year period in a, what, 12 episode season? There's not time for a huge arc for all the Ferrix characters alongside everything else the show needs to cover. My cautious assumption is that this either means a load of them get killed off/sidelined early, or they're kept together in the same setting so their stories are interlinked, but presumably with focus remaining on Bix (and Bee). Dantooine/wherever the rebel base is beforehand/the move to Yavin struck me as a good place for this, where they can still be brought in and out of episodes through whatever time-skips happen because it's a place the title character is going to be coming and going from regularly, like Ferrix is in S1. Naturally it is a selfish thought to want to recreate the S1 dynamic :)) because I want my blorbo(s) to get to be relevant and a part of Cassian's life still, but if that suggestion about Brasso on a speeder on Dantooine in the trailer is remotely accurate then I will cry happy tears.

Who knows, if they get to survive, maybe all those heart-pulverising fics and fanarts about Cassian's (glass) stone being laid on Ferrix will find a place at the end of the series?

[foxmonkey]

I did this! Front, and back:

It was pretty easy.

Because I'm impatient, and once I got it in my head to do this I didn't want to wait until I had the right materials -- namely black duct tape -- I ended up using three different kinds of tape on this project: black electrician's tape, a blue and white very thin duct-ish tape, and as seen in the pic on the right, some kind of reinforced shipping tape. Unless you don't mind a Franken-notebook, I'd recommend using real duct tape throughout.

This notebook is mainly for jotting down ideas and snippets when I'm out and about, because I hate trying to write on my phone. I only used one Cahiers Moleskine instead of two; I have a lot of pages and notes that I've taped inside, and I didn't want it to be too thick:

I want to decorate the front but keep it simple; on the right, a bit of cherry pie packaging that hasn't been glued down yet in case I find something I like better.

All in all, I'm very happy with the way it turned out!

[kickthecan-revolution]

I’m reading a book for the first time in years. This was such a good one to start with.

I slept for almost 8h, let Buddy out to do whatever she does out here in the morning and then fell back to sleep for another 2h. This is becoming a pattern, I’ve never slept so much in my life.

It seems like COVID has reduced itself to a morning coughing fit that sounds like I have late-stage emphysema but I’ll take it.

I am going to see Van Morrison tonight with a friend who also knows none of the songs, so I’m not quite sure why we’re going? But it’s fine, she’s excited and it will be good to go do something fun.

A link came up to buy next year’s BottleRock tickets, so I went for it. I’m so excited for it even though it’s months away.

I want to get this radiation moving. It sounds kind of terrible but so has everything else, and I was able to do it. I just want it over with, it locks me in to this daily trip to the radiation place which is going to suck. It would take me about an hour and 20m to walk there one way so I might try that in the beginning, just to save money on driving all the way across town. Plus health-wise it would be so good. If I can get it started the first week of November, I could be done by Christmas and then be FREE. I’m going to ask them to schedule it as soon as they can. I think it means I can’t be in Seattle for Thanksgiving which makes me so sad but I’ll be there for Christmas.

My sister is heading down to Alki this week to meet with the electrician to get what we need for the sauna sorted, and then clean out the garage for the new tenants which is awesome. She’s cautioning me not to give too much h stuff away in the event I want to someday rent the upper unit furnished and she’s right. I just want it all done and I’m relieved her ankle is better so she can do it.

My day’s schedule includes putting shoes on, walking to the store for lettuce, garlic and ketchup and sealing a crack in the wall to keep the ants out. And then the concert. And a shower somewhere in-between. Who is this person? I’m not sure but I like her.

[ryp3004]

So @hssprimefan asked about Ryanne's bio dad so I decided to put it here instead of reblogging that one post!

Michael was an okay guy. He was an athlete, he had good grades, his dad was an electrician and his mom was a secretary. Michael was the 6th kid of 7. His older siblings were awesome. 1 is a doctor, 2 works with dad, 3 is a dentist, 4 is a pilot, 5 is a lawyer, and 7 is some kind of genius. Michael doesn't know, he tries to keep his head down. Stay focused on the now. But he catches his Dad looking at him sometimes. Hears him when they think he's not listening. "The boy has no direction. No discipline. He's so different from the other kids... I just don't know where we went wrong."

Oh.

He... He didn't know they thought about him like that. That... That explains a lot.

Well, how is he supposed to live up to the others?

They've all got big fancy houses, drive nice fancy cars, have their own fancy families and still find time to send money home.

What's the point of trying?

When he's 15 he meets this girl, Becca. Becca's awesome. She doesn't give a shit what people think of her. She tells Michael that she's gonna direct movies. Like Stanley Kubric. Becca has a clockwork orange tattoo on her hip. "It's my favorite movie." Becca tells him with sparkling eyes. "The storyline, the camera angles, the sound mixing... It's all amazing! I want to make people feel like that one day... Pure awe!" And Michael believes her because Becca is incredible. She's so incredible, it was only a matter of time before he fell for her.

They've been together for a year when Becca sits him down.

"I'm pregnant."

...

Oh...

"I took the test earlier. I'm not sure how far along I am... I haven't told my parents yet."

Lucille and Adam Prince are going to kill him. Right after his parents kill him. Maybe before his siblings kill him., but Michael's not to sure.

"are you sure?" He asks softly, disbelieving. Becca nods and hands him four positive tests.

His parents already have grandchildren. 9, if he remembers right. This won't be as bad as he thinks... They'll tell him everything will be okay and that this is just one of those things, right?

They gave him an ultimatum.

Either break up with Becca and go to college and forget all about this or he's getting kicked out and cut off.

"God, Michael, I can't believe you! How could you be so irresponsible!?" His dad screams at him, shoving him out the door. "Go fix this, or you're out!" He can hear his mom pleading with his Dad, telling him that he's just a boy, he didn't know any better, they can fix this!

And Michael is scared. This is the first time in a long time Michael has been terrified. This wasn't what his life was supposed to be, he was supposed to go to college, get a good job, meet a nice girl, and settle down in a suburban neighborhood. Not... Becca. Not... Whatever's in her stomach.

So he makes his choice. Becca curses him out, slaps him so hard he can feel where her rings cut his cheek. But that's fine. He promises her he'll send her money to help out, but that's it. He doesn't want to know any more than that. And Becca tells him to go fuck himself as he gets in his car.

It'll be okay... Becca's strong, her parents are strong, her family will be fine.

Eight months later he gets a letter in the mail while he's packing up to go to University of Michigan. It's a photograph of a baby girl. HIS baby girl. Ryanne... He tests the name on his tongue and he can't stop saying it. That's his baby, he should be there with Becca, he needs to go to... Where? Becca said she doesn't want to see him... Said that he was nothing to her. This was just a courtesy. It should be just a blip in his radar.

Next year he gets another post card. Ryanne has his curls. She has his eyes. His mole. He puts the picture on his desk and when his roommate asks he says it's his little sister.

Every year he gets another post card. He graduates when Ryanne is 4. He gets a job at an architectural firm when she's 6. He starts getting his buildings built when she's 7. She's 10 when he finally decides to write her a letter. He tells her who he is. He tells her that he's sorry. He tells her that he's so proud of who she's become. He tells her to say hi to becca for him. He tells her that she doesn't have to respond.

But she does.

She writes him a letter.

She says she's not sure about Dad, but Mike seems nice enough and that she'd like to get to write him sometimes if that's okay.

She sends him a picture she took with a pumpkin she carved.

Michael gets 5 copies of the photo to put everywhere. One on his desk, one in his office, one in his car, one in his wallet, and one in his hallway.

He tells people that's his pumpkin when they ask.

That's his daughter, Ryanne.

She tells him about Becca and her new husband Tom. And Michael is so happy for her. So happy that she found someone who could do what he couldn't.

When Ryanne is 11 she invites him to her birthday party. It's just gonna be mom and dad, but it'd be cool if Mike was there, too :).

Michael takes off the weekend and buys her every flavor cupcake in the bakery.

Ryanne liked the ones that had pumpkins on the wrapper.

Becca took a picture of them together.

Michael makes as many copies as he can. One for every desk he owns. Every room in his house. Every wallet he buys or will buy.

When Ryanne gets a phone they start texting every so often.

He takes her on a week long vacation every summer.

He loves his daughter, and even though Ryanne doesn't call him Dad, he's happy to be Mike.

[handweavers]

if i didn't have the physical capacity of an 80 year old who needs an afternoon nap to get through the day and stubbornly argues with their grandchildren because they won't use a cane even though they probably should.. i would LOVE doing like. construction work or some kind of trade like that. transit worker. electrician. like having that as my primary job/way of paying bills would be awesome. and it would be unionized, so good benefits, decent pay. if i were physically able to do that kind of work it would be an ideal situation tbh

[survivorsfm]

               all  our  pages  have  been  updated  once  more !   and  i  come  bearing  a  uhh,  small  summary  of  our  most  wanted  positions,  a  post  i  had  to  make  yesterday  but  i  didn’t  because  i’m  a  disaster,  and  i  have  issues  with  mister  time.   but  here  it  is !   and  you  can  find  it  under  the  cut  along  with  a  small  description  of  every  job.   if  any  of  them  wakes  your  interest  up,  you  know  where  to  find  me !   *tries  to  wink.  fails  miserably*

our  projectionist.     —     in  charge  of  preparing  and  projecting  the  movies  during  movie  evenings / nights.   since  movie  projections  don’t  happen  every  day,  this  is  a  part - time  job.

solar  engineers.     —    they’re  the  ones  responsible  for  the  idea  of  using  solar  panels  to  give  power  to  the  entire  campus,  and  to  this  day  they’re  in  charge  of  maintaining  and  improving  it,  which  makes  them  a  pretty  rad  group  imho.

our  electrician     —    speaks  for  itself,  i  think !  but  if  you  need  prompts,  hmu,  i  have  Ideas™

our  comms  tower  maintainer.     —     every  time  there’s  a  technical  problem  in  the  communications  tower,  this  is  the  person  radio  operators  call.  they  can  or  cannot  have  previous  studies / training  in  the  field,  but  they  have  to  possess  some  kind  of  knowledge  about  it.

cooks.     —     we  lit  lost  both  our  cooks  in  the  same  week  and  we’re  starving  :/   that  …  was  a  terrible  joke,  i’m  sorry.   these  are  the  ones  in  charge  of  the  kitchen !   the  only  ones  who  don’t  have  to  work  as  servers  or  volunteer  at  the  farm.   that  sounds  very  tempting,  isn’t  it ?

our  carpenter / construction  workers.     —     yeah,  i’d  love  to  see  more  hands - on  types  of  people  around,  they’re  very  vital  to  the  community  and  we  could  have  awesome  plot  drops / events  involving  them.

our  medical  chief.     —     reopened  today,  it  is  a  highly  wanted  position  for  the  same  reason  our  carpenter  and  construction  workers  are !   if  they  double  as  a  surgeon  and / or  an  original  even  better.

farmhands.     —     i’d  say  the  farm  is  the  heart  of  the  uc’s  sanctuary  and  we’re  currently  lacking  farmhands  in  a  painful  amount  *sad  reacts  only*.  the  role  is  pretty  open,  so  it  lit  can  be  anyone,  with  any  background,  even  someone  who  doesn’t  know  a  thing  about  farms  but  compensates  it  with  their  scorching  enthusiasm !  

blacksmiths.     —     a  very  important  job,  even  more  so  in  these  frightening,  uncertain  times  for  the  sanctuary.  we  need  people  who  make  our  guns  and  weapons !!!

our  scouts  &  scavengers  trainer.     —     mostly  for  fun,  i’d  love  to  see  some  sparring  on  the  dash,  sweaty  people,  tough  scoutvengers  being  bossed  around,  you  know,  that  kind  of  stuff  …  oh,  it  would  be  heaven ! 

and  that'd  be  all  for  now,  me  thinks !   i’d  really,  really  love  to  see  any  of  these  positions  taken,  and  if  you  mix  them  with  a  wanted  connection  or  an  original,  i’d  love  you  ‘til  the  end  of  time.  no  joke.

[atlas-the-idiot-2]

Family: oh wow im so happy you're into electrical work because theirs so little female electricians!!!! That's so awesome!!

Little do they moment the moment i step into collage or wtv I'm planning on possibly getting on testrone and maybe growing a damn beard and getting BUFF!!

[homesweetgoodneighbor]

You know what I want? Night owl professionals. I don't want all of them to be night owls, just like one of each type.

See, my natural state is nocturnal, but unfortunately, the world is mostly day people. However, I can find any number of places to shop at night, either 24 hrs or they stay open late. Or just order stuff online. (Sometimes living in the future is awesome.) Restaurants and other luxuries are usually open until late. I can even hit the library until like 8 pm here. Hell, we have a 24 hour animal hospital that takes appts until like 8 pm. After that it's for emergencies, but still there are options.

Like, the only thing I cannot get is a plumber or electrician at night. When my insomnia inevitably causes my sleep to go back to days, I end up having to fight to get my sleep to "normal" at least long enough so I can have house stuff fixed.

Granted, in this town, there's probably not enough night people that warrant anyone having a night owl repair business, but gods, I wish. I mean, you have students, but they are broke and do not require repair services other than from asshole landlords.

Wouldn't mind a night owl doctor, too. Just a regular doc, not emergency room. Night owl dentist.

Where are the professionals for us bats?

[proxylynn]

"How to make a woman happy: a man has to be like a friend; a father; a brother, a chef; an electrician; mechanical; a masseur; a photographer; a stylist; a great listener; nice; athletic; sensitive; sincere; attentive; creative; generous; intelligent; strong; passionate; funny; thoughtful; makes surprises; gallant; send love messages; makes compliments; eat what what she cooks; don't look other girls; and never forget birthdays, anniversaries and valentine's day."What the boys thinks about this?

Mal: Hey, luv. What ya think about this?

Lynn: *grabs this list and a pencil, crossing stuff out*

Liu: What's it say now?

Lynn: *clears throat* How to make a woman happy: a man has to be a friend; sincere; and funny.

Charlie: You crossed out like 90%.

Lynn: Yeah. Because all that other junk falls into being sincere and a good friend. Besides, who wants a Mr. Perfect or a boyfriend that makes you think of your dad or brother? That's weird. I just want an equal. I think any girl or guy or nonbio wants that.

Douglas: That. That is why you're awesome, sweet thing.