#convo with a veteran today

[pr1ncessk1tty]

[your-magloving-satinwhistle]

After today's convos I think I made my choice.

Im dating Arthur and BFFing with Aoi. I love then both a lot, and I want in my heart of hearts to say "Aoi and I are gonna Mag together forever", but first of all I don't want to break up with her ever... and I messed up a dialogue cuz I misread a question and she quickly left after that. It felt terrible and Im like "I would rather not exist if I disappoint you again in a relationship", but that's part of the problem. I put her too high on the pedestal cuz she's Mag and she's cute. Our personalities are similar enough that I dont think we had a bad conversation until now (omfg that hurts), and talking to her is like talking to the me I'd love to be... but then I feel like I'm objectifying her and that has its own problems. .... Yeaaaah, no I'm not doing that to her.

Arthur is different enough to me that he's grounding... or... I feel like we (Arthur and Flo... who is kinda me. Before i was speaking as Me) could be anchors to each other. Keep us tethered to reality. Also, because I'm not biased towards him I don't feel like I have to be perfect all the time or that he is perfect all the time... .... I think I'm trying to say that he I feel normal around him and it makes me feel secure. It's comforting. Granted I also feel bad when I mess up with him but it's not the end of the world. I'm gonna process, reflect, breathe and be confident that I can go back and we can recover instead of doom spiral and never show my face again.

Eleanor I like a lot, but she's in a similar boat as Aoi in the "Ah shit, I hate having a bad interaction with her" but it's not as severe. It's more like... "I love talking to you, but I feel bad because I keep missing your point". Given time I think I can understand her better (AuDHD be damned, I'll get there! I'll be on the same page one day!), but until then I need to understand her mind better so she doesnt keep ending conversations in distress.

Quincy? ... Yeah Im not gonna date him. Saw a lil spoiler that made me feel terrible with the idea of breaking up with him and it made me take a step back and look at how I feel about him. Now I could be messy (and maybe Flo will be messy cuz why not?), but then I thought "As much as I am overjoyed to have a black love interest with long locs (like me), has at least some Jamaican in him (I'm half Jamaican/Haitian, American born and raised), is a Sagittarius (he's December Sag and I'm November Sag), not as dreary as Arthur can be but still more grounded and I like his humor and honesty.... I hate the favors. I'll give in cuz I want to know more about him and I like talking to him, but it's approaching pet peeve territory and this recent conversation made me realize that it's part of his world-view. Now, could I commit and push through his conditions to see if he'd open up to me unconditionally? Yeah... but as a non-confrontational people pleaser I know the process would chew me up and spit me out while I feel bad for even daring to challenge the mindset that he most likely developed to survive in a world that could destroy you for a weakness. Tis not healthy.

Now Lettie surprises me. I'm not great when it comes to people who are more harsh with their no-nonsense and her interest in religion was a bit of a turn off. What gets me is that when we talk, I'm uncomfortable but because I dont want to blow her off I engage with her and accidentally find myself getting along with her. It was awkward at first, but then... I understand her views the most out of all the Hex. Aside from Aoi. She's the me I'd be if I dropped the smile I use to survive irl and didn't let my shortcomings rule me.

Now Amir... Amir is cute but he's just like me but actually good and videogames and technology and I hate it. He's the oddball with ADHD and insecurities, a love for games and funky jokes when surrounded by tired and defensive veterans who would rather fucking not and I see him and I'm like. "Hello brother... Tell me about your games cuz literally no one else takes about games. Let's game! Let's go nuts! Let's go buckwild!" I say I hate him but I don't, I just hate the idea of dating him cuz it'll be like dating me or my brother. Brother energy. Eugh... I miss my brother. This made no sense and I know that, but idk how to make this make sense.

... So yeah those are my feelings as I understand them so far. As lovely as it would be to date and romance everyone, or date Aoi and just go Mag all the way... I have to go with what feels best. And right now I feel best with Arthur.

[187days]

Day Sixteen

I had a disagreement with one of the school counselors this morning. It was really no biggie, and I think we resolved it quickly, but it did make me feel out of sorts for a bit. Thankfully, Dean 1 came by to ask for some information about one of my ninth graders, and then we had a chat about the party that is APGOV, so I was sufficiently distracted.

And APGOV is, in fact, a party.

We hosted some of our state reps today, and Mrs. C brought her civics class down to join us, so we had thirty-something young people split into groups around my classroom. Each group talked to one of the reps for about twenty minutes, then switched, so by the end of the block they'd talked to everyone. I thought it went pretty well- convos about housing, the cost of living, abortion, gun laws, voting, and more- and it was a really great way to end the day.

Before that, I'd taught Global studies, which was much calmer- students were just working on their projects- but also good times.

And in the afternoon there was a union meeting! The board decided that the members at each school should host one for new teachers interested in learning more about union membership, or veteran teachers who wanted a refresher. Mr. B, Ms. L, and I hosted ours. We had snacks, raffle prizes, a quick presentation about our work, and then a Q&A session. I thought it went pretty well!

I had work to do in my classroom afterwards- rearranging my tables, prepping my boards, answering emails, updating my agenda for tomorrow's PLC meeting- so I didn't end up leaving till around 4:00. That did leave me just enough time to get to the post office, though, and the women who parked next to me complimented my teacher outfit (a dark blue Gap dress and heels), so that was delightful.

[gege-wondering-around]

guys, i was thinking and i think someone needs to hear this.

talk to the people you wanna talk to.

if you're curious about them or wanna know them better or start to know them from nothing -> hit them up in their dm. i promise you it's worth giving it a try or you'll never know if they are who you're searching for.

and maybe it could unveil something you thought was lost within you...

and lemme give ya an example:

for those who don't know me from the start, my first posts were theories/analysis/interpretation etc. and i haven't done one of those in a very long time cause nothing came to my mind, i just stick to reblogs.

then someone came knocking at my door and i started to get to know @dontcallpanic a bit more, ask after ask. then, yesterday (i think it was yesterday) i got a dm from this sweet soul and we were chatting a bit and it came out something that really woke up that part in me again, of doing those kind of posts. (i'll post it when it's ready)

so, this is a silly, simply example of how a stranger (whom i plan to get to know better🩵) can wake you up from hibernation without even knowing it. of how a pretty soul can light back up that spark you thought was gone.

you can be the lighter and the spark. you can be the new comer or the old veteran, and both are good. both need each other cause it's just happier that way. you pour your passion which lighten up their spark, and your passions and feeling gets read by someone who understands them and you'll be happy.

and this is how the people you are curious about might be the best that could happen to you today, so go and talk to them, even if you're awkward or dont know how to start, just hit them up with...

idk, maybe why you follow them? maybe your intention to know them better if they'd be down to it too? maybe sending them one of their own post and sharing your opinion with them as a private convo?

there are many ways you can do this and i believe you can do this.

if you are curious, talk to people.

you'll find the right one for ya, but you gotta swim in the wild, vast ocean to find your species, cause there isn't any community or friendship without the hardship of building them.

I want you to meet your people, i want you to find someone who gets your feeling for your passions and hobbies and i want you to swim in the ocean to find them. you'll hit some rocks, maybe hook yourself to false baits but it'll be worth it when you'll find your buddies, i promise you.

it'd be my wildest dream to do those posts once again and get the community to hit them up with their opinions and ideas and everything in between (cause im genuinenly a curious person), it'd be my wild wild dream to be part of something and you can be part of it too.

you can find your people, you can find your freaks and beans. they are out there, you just gotta take a chance with people and i know it might be scary cause the internet is scary, the amount of cruelty and hate people have nowadays is bewildering, the way fandoms, communities etc got so weak (as someone rightfully said but i don't remember who) it's sad to see cause the new comers just see... that.

the dying light of a fandom, the hateful reblogs someone does under other's posts, the seemengly lost spark when you search your fav ship, or your new obsession, or your fav artist of the moment, or your fav actor or anything else and all you see are old posts (that makes you feel you're too late to join in) and hateful discussion that were meant to be nothing more than a chitchat within a part of the fandom (and you feel like you're wrong supporting your passion for that one thing)

but lemme tell you something.

lemme let you in on somethng, come here. come closer...

it's not dead. what you're searching for it's not dead, it just got weak and you can be one of the many little sparks that can bring back the joy of chatting and reblogging posts, of leaving playful and happy comments under other's posts about their passions.

you aren't late, you aren't in the wrong for liking it, you aren't walking in a cementary. it's more like everyone is in hibernation and you kinda have to shake'em up a bit with care, showing them your passion about that little ship, that character analysis, that little poem you wrote about your ex or about your boss being the worst. you woke'em up a bit and you keep being kind and respectfull and polite and you'll see how the fandom isn't dead, it just needed to hear the starting bell.

"hey guys, weird but true, here's my thoughts" and you pour everything down and i bet, i BET someone is gonna love it, you'll wake'em up and they'll be like 'finally someone with that pretty spark and those deep dives into ---' and i promise you, i swear on my name, you'll get yourself a small audience and you'll feel happy about sharing your thoughts while other will he eager to read them. then maybe they'll reblog it and comment on it, and you'll build a small connection with them, then maybe, one day a few months later, you'll wake up to a dm. or you'll the one sending it.

'hey, i think you're pretty cool and i like what you write, wanna chat a bit?'

and you'll find your people.

you will find them.

be kind, polite, respectfull in sharing your thoughts and you'll slowly build something with your strangers, then mutuals, then dm buddies, and maybe you'll end up with a friend sending you pic of their home made bread cause they care for you to the point they make bread for ya even if you cant eat it, but they know you'll love it and they'll eat for you.

nothing is dead, kiddo. you gotta dig up the fish from the bottom of the ocean but i promise you, they just need a little light to follow to come back and show you how to build a comfy aquarium with'em.

you'll find your people kiddo, you just gotta be curious about them.

and if you are one of those who just like to read and are eager to know more, you'll still be part of it. people will notice you, i promise you i notice those few beans of mine that likes many of my reblogs and i treasure them dearly. you'll be welcome too buddy, everyone is.

search for you freaks and beans, kiddo, you'll find them in the wild, vast and scary ocean. you'll wake up that feeling of belonging into a community and your spark will be treasured while you'll wake back up theirs. (which was never gone to begin with, they just needed to feel at home between a bunch of strangers calling each other darling and sweetheart while talking about two gay dudes)

find them kiddo, find them...

i believe you can.

[darkmoonkestrel]

daily kestrel 67:

volunteered to skip my lunch break today if they would feed me from the food catered for the veteran's day lunch bc ya girl needs the extra hours, got home and immediately got changed to head to the overlord movie

one of the places we wanted to look at was an OpenDoor house so we *tried* to go to it before the movie, went like 40+ minutes out of our way and everything, and it wouldn't fuckin work, so that's great. while the kids were napping I got some of the utilities logistics figured out since we're now within 30 days of leaving here, and one of my green room kiddos tried a new coping mechanism today of *checks notes* peeing on the library carpet, so that was a fun way to end my workday

the movie was really fuckin good, Peyton read on the way there and home, although tbh I drifted off a bit on the way home. Paige made the chicken pasta dinner to go, and while Peyton and I ate ours in the car, she fully brought a Tupperware into the movie theatre, which honestly, iconic. we had a short convo after the movie with a couple of other weebs in the hallway of the movie theatre and man I love little connections like that. we're home, it's almost 11pm, and god I am exhausted so it's time to sleep, with the aid of NyQuil bc I am still struggling with this damn cough

[agentemo]

Netflix's ATLA initial thoughts, ep 4: Into the Dark but first some big thoughts

Three episodes in, I kind of wish they'd gotten rid of Momo. They're cutting so much from the OG show and Appa doesn't really have a personality yet. I doubt we'll see him this episode; so halfway through season 1 and we've barely seen a very important character. Did we need Momo? As I said previously, the main trio don't have good chemistry but they're better with other actors so I'm starting to suspect that the fact that they're not strong actors is holding them back as a group. It feels like the creators tried to squeeze too much into these short episodes without developing their relationships [with Aang] in a meaningful and fun way; there's not really much FUN in the show, just some jokes and also sentimental moments.

All of that said, there are some things I do like. Ozai and other prominent fire nation citizens showing up early on is A-OK with me and it has almost nothing to do with Daniel Dae Kim's cheekbones. The effects are mostly good; I've decided this is just a type of magic that can't be shown in live action but there are moments that are strong. Iroh and Zuko are better fleshed out, which I suspect is having a veteran actor and only one child actor (easier than 3 child actors). I think they've done a decent job at cutting some of the fat; the combined storylines, like everything in Omashu and Kyoshi Island, work for me. I wish there were more silly moments but I don't mind that they decided to steer clear of the cartoonish route. At least it's consistent. Sokka is funny.

Back to the show!

Aang and Iroh convo ftw! And is Zuko going back in to save Iroh? I'm excited.

Too much exposition in the dialogue, man! Why are these people not talking like people!?

Danny Pudi elevates every scene he's in. Excellent casting choice.

I like that Bumi's identity isn't a "mystery" this time around. It adds an interesting edge to his antagonism. That edge is unlikeability. Maybe he'll be better by the end of the episode.

Sokka letting go and vibing with the earth kingdom nomads? Chefs kiss.

GAY OMASHU GAY OMASHU GAY OMASHU

SECRET TUNNEEEEEELLL

Best scene. Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Is it terrible that Sokka and Katara in the tunnel is giving me Folger's commecial? I like the idea of it being familial love, and the trio acts better when none of them have to third wheel, but my brain went there. I'm sorry lmao.

Honestly Iroh deserves the shit he's getting from the guard, who is eating an apple so we know he's an asshole.

Young Zuko showing signs of his goodness by ignoring tradition and comforting Iroh jfc the first time this show THIS SHOW made me cry. Not he echoes of the animation, but this actual show. Wow. Incredible choice. And LEAVES FROM THE VINE 😭

Sibbling bonding ftw. The change to the "love is brightest..." bit is whack. Badgermole looks sick.

The Bumi/Aang fight had a lot of cool similarities to the OG! I don't love that the point of the fight, however, was for a child to convince an old man that there's hope instead of an old man teaching a child an important lesson.

Zuko and Iroh at the end... WHO keeps cutting ONIONS?!

Best episode so far. The changes mostly worked. All for today for me. Halfway point!

[ear-worthy]

Bloomberg Releases New Big Take Podcast; Women Evolve Podcast "Evolves"

Bloomberg debuts new podcast called Big Take  Bloomberg doesn't get a lot of press from the podcasting community, but it does have a strong podcast network with shows focused, of course, on business. In fact, Bloomberg was producing and releasing an excellent podcast version of its Businessweek magazine back in the early days of podcasting. 

 Bloomberg is now premiering "Big Take DC,"a new podcast that shares one reported story a week about how money, politics, and power shape Washington — and the consequences for people in America and all over the world. 

The show is hosted by a veteran DC reporter, Bloomberg Senior Washington Correspondent Saleha Mohsin, who will bring a signature blend of narrative story-telling and sharp interviews every week. The podcast will air weekly on Thursdays and is an offshoot of Bloomberg's existing daily "Big Take" podcast that brings listeners inside one important story. 

Episode one, going live today, features an interview with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, in which she reveals she would back whoever ultimately wins the nomination, even if it is former president Donald Trump. Maybe someone can ask her why she refused the 2024 federal EBT program that provides low-income families with funds to ensure children don’t go hungry, half of which would be funded by the federal government. The full interview will go live HERE on January 11th at 4 PM ET.

*************************************************

Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts” Joins The Black Effect Podcast Network

iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God have announced that Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts, an inspirational podcast that blends faith, contemporary culture and spiritual wellness, will join The Black Effect Podcast Network as of January 10. New episodes will launch every Wednesday, and fans can hear all previous episodes on the iHeartRadio app.

“Spiritual leaders like Sarah Jakes Roberts come along once in a generation,” said Charlamagne Tha God, Founder, The Black Effect Podcast Network. “The way she is able to showcase the intersectionality between GOD, faith, the word and how to navigate our mental health is extremely powerful. It is a privilege and honor to partner with Woman Evolve and assist in amplifying her life changing messages."

According to iHeart, "With more than a half million monthly downloads, Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts has revolutionized the airwaves with down-to-earth convos that edify every aspect of the woman. The popular podcast’s approach to life, health and wellness defies boundaries and reaches those who are seeking to make peace with their past, maximize their present, and unequivocally evolve"

The Black Effect Podcast Network was founded by executive producer, bestselling author, and media mogul Charlamagne Tha God. In a joint venture with iHeartMedia, Charlamagne and iHeartMedia created the Black Effect Podcast Network, celebrating the most important Black culture-shapers on the planet—in education, politics, entertainment, sports and pop culture. The Black Effect Podcast Network gives rise to emerging and established content creators and storytellers whose perspective and creative vision have been marginalized and overlooked while serving an audience that has been underserved.

[mythiccheroacademia]

Hey!! Could we please get more sugar daddy fics with a black reader ofc 😋 idk if you've done shoto already but that'd be nice or hawks and deku💕

A/N: “wrist on glitter, waist on thinner, imma show you how to bag a eight-figure nigga” 👅💋 I enjoyed this way too much

All characters are 18+

Warnings: it got a lil spicy so imma put the line 

Todoroki Shouto:

this mf has money to burn 

we all know todoroki came out the womb w cash from his hair to his ass 

he’s on some “yes, jeff bezos knows me” type shit so if you’re tryna end up with someone that’s gonna possibly buy you a house, he’s your guy 

he slid into your dms after you posted a pic with your skin moisturized and glistening under golden hour and your body had him wanting to run laps 

he had been plottin on you for a min but never got the motivation to do something about it until then

he’s a no strings attached type of sugar daddy

todoroki is a big name even outside of hero work and he’s well aware of all the people that have tried to use him. so instead of letting that happen, he’s decided to do things on his own terms 

when yall first started talking, he questioned you like this was managerial position at apple 💀 

best believe he ran an in-depth background check and made you sign an NDA 💀💀💀

he was a tough one

but you passed w flying colors and y’all settled on an arrangement

you have a weekly allowance that hits your bank account every saturday with some bonuses that he’ll give you depending on how the week goes

todoroki isnt needy nor is he one to be all up in your business 

it’s actually weird in an endearing kind of way? 

he only wants to have conversations with you 

i mean, dont get me wrong, he’s up for anything you are

todoroki would be a liar if he said he never ended some nights with a picture of you and a hand down his pants 

but that’s not what he’s mainly looking for 

you figure out very quickly that shouto just wants someone to talk to 

he’ll randomly hit up your phone and have a 30 min convo about something like the weather or hero politics, and then he’ll dip

next thing you know, you got $1000 in your cashapp

you kind of panicked bc like...wtf? 

your dumb ass messaged him: “did you mean to send $1000?”

sis, dont put a question mark where God put a period

him: “Yes.”

and that was the end of that

you dont question anymore

he’s not doting in any kind of way, and sometimes you lowkey think he forgets about you, but you still get your allowance 

doesn’t send a lot of gifts unless you explicitly state you want something

he doesnt text back a lot, but he tried to respond when he can

but i do see him liking it when you send him mundane things you do throughout your day, like pics of cookies you baked, or a cool plant you saw at home depot

and he enjoys the times you and him end up just trashing his father for nearly an hour. expect to find flowers, with some expensive ass coats or something at your door the next morning 

he really fucks w your laid back vibe 

sometimes he forgets you guys arent really supposed to be friends 

Takami Kiego (Hawks):

this is not hawks’ first time being a sugar daddy

he’s hot, rich, and one of the most eligible bachelor’s in japan with a life that prevents him from having anything too serious

so, long story short, he’s a veteran at this 

he used to be the type to reach out to instagram baddies but he had a couple bad run-ins and decided to stick with the official sites because it was a lot more secure on both ends 

the funny thing was, you set up your account a long time ago as a joke. though at one point, you did take it seriously, but you came in contact with a lot of super creepy men that sexualized you for your skin and ethnicity. 

you were tired of the “chocolate king/queen” and “amazonian god/dess” comments,so you took a break. you didnt have much activity since

so imagine youre surprise when the #2 hero hit your line talking about some 

“Hey~ I’ll get straight to the point. I think you’re beautiful and I’d like to talk with you about an arrangement” 

you thought this was a fake account, but after he chatting for a little and sending some pictures, you knew he was the real deal 

hawks is your standard tit-for-tat transaction sugar daddy

he’s the type to hit you up at night with a “how ya doing, dove? got any pics for me?”

he’s good about his respect ad won’t do anything out of line

it’s the bare minimum, be he doesnt fetishize you so that’s always nice 

however, he does make you call him daddy, sir, etc. whether it’s through text, call, or when y’all get together for...reasons

ngl his dicc game is fire

he might ghost you for a week or so but he’ll always come back with a nice check to make up for it 

just be careful about catching feelings bc he’s so fucking smooth. he makes you feel like you’ve got his heart, but dont fall for that shit

if you think you can “change him” or fuflfil whatever wattpad romance fantasy lives in your head, he is not your guy. you better get on w your life before you get your heart broken

he’s here to suck, fuck, send pics, do a little phone call here n there, send some money, and go 

if you’re not with all that, you might as well dip 

but if you’re cool with that, rest assured, you’re gonna be living your best mf life with this man in your wallet 

and good news, you might not be his only, but you are his favorite

there’s just something about you that’s got him giving you a few extra thousand than he normally does 

he doesnt take his sugar babies on proper dates bc he’s gotta stay away from media outlets, but he will invite you to his office for a “lunch break”

if you ever surprise him with a cute but sexy hawks cosplay, you won’t have to work for two whole weeks bc you cant walk  

overall, he’s a good sugar daddy. defintely good for your pockets and any other non-romantic desires you want fulfilled

Mirodirya Izuku:  

the way you two met and came to this arrangement was more or less an accident

the life of the number one pro-hero was lonely and stressful 

he’s tried to dip his toes in the water here and there, but it never worked out because not many people could deal with the fact that he’d always put hero work first

he was teetering on the edge of signing up for one of those sugar daddy/baby websites until he met you at some cafe he passed by 

it’s cliche really. you were his server and, honestly? he was hooked on day one 

he watched you intently as you pranced around in your cute uniform. he couldnt stop admiring your brown skin and eyes and how cute your hair was. you spoke with such enthusiasm and cheerfulness that he couldnt help but swoon. and it didn’t hurt that you were very easy on the eyes

he listened to you as you went on a spiel about how college was a fortune and how you stayed up last night for a project bc you had to pick up extra shifts

that’s when he made his decision

by the time the hero is out of the door, you collected the reciept and almost fainted when you realized he left you a $500 tip and his personal number 

“i enjoyed talking to you today and i hope we can continue that...here’s something small to help with your bills. and i hope this isnt too forward but you’re very beautiful. stay safe. deku.”

and what did you do that night?

you called his ass right back

you were nervous as hell bc you still couldnt believe this was real, but after talking on the phone with him for two hours, an arrangement was set

midoriya is the most gentlemen like sugar daddy out there 

you wake up to good morning texts and a few hundred in your bank account almost every two days 

he goes crazy over your insta posts. and if you wear something green? expect a bonus

takes you out shopping unprovoked 

izuku: “are you busy? i saw you were having a rough week and was wondering if you wanted to go to that new outlet mall downtown”

you: ����🏾‍♀️💨  

you most certainly had homework due that night but what tf you look like missing out on that offer? 

it’s after so many “dates” that deku realizes that he prefers hanging around you more than he should but he doesnt wanna ruin anything so he keeps that underwraps 

he’s the idiot that goes into this thinking he won’t fall in love

deku defintely has some dirty thoughts about you but he doesnt try to bring it up unless you do first

if you’re comfortable with anything nsfw, you gone see a whole different side to izuku

he’s a giver, giver, giver, but when he recieves, he just about loses it

send him “innocent” pics of yourself matched with a string of filthy texts and he’ll combust 

when you send him pics of yourself in deku-themed lingre, he deadass sends you a whole black card with your name on it as a thank you

you guys get very comfortable with each other very quickly

soon enough, DA’s start turning into y/n stayng over for a week 

you both realize this relatiosnhip runs a lot deeper than an arrangement when he accidentally let it slip that he told his mom about you 

he’s profusely apologizing but you shut him up with a kiss and tell him that you’ve kinda caught feelings yourself 

your next conversation works out well for the both of you 

[spicy0pumpkin]

I know this is a Fall,cozy, Halloween blog but this guy here ME is disabled applying for SSI this would be LIFE changing and it would mean the world and sooo much more to reblog, share start a convo and get people to start talking. Once people start talking it’s when things start to change for the better. During pride month people screamed wooo we all can get married now and I cried, broke down as a gay disabled man I couldn’t or I would loose my benefits. (Court date for SSI which most likely win) These benefits are life or death for me. To love or to die. I want to be able to marry , I dream for marriage equality and much updated benefits to live life with peace.

The SSI Restoration Act would:

Raise SSI's sub-poverty-level monthly benefits, currently $794 per month, to 100% of the federal poverty level--a 31% increase--and index them to inflation;

Update and index the assets individuals or couples may have up to $10,000 and $20,000, respectively. The current limit of $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple has not been updated since 1989;

Update and index SSI's income rules -- which have never been updated since the program was signed into law in 1972. These reforms will allow individuals to earn up to $399 a month from working, and up to $123 a month in assistance from other sources: including Social Security, veterans’ benefits, and pension payments without being subject to a benefit reduction.

These reforms will reward, not penalize, SSI recipients who want to earn additional income to provide for themselves and their families;

Eliminate the marriage penalty and increase the benefit for married couples to double the individual rate, to put marriage equality within reach for SSI beneficiaries; and

Eliminate benefit reductions that penalize beneficiaries who receive in-kind help from friends or family, such as groceries or a place to stay.

In April, Brown, along with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), led colleagues in calling for the Biden administration to make historic and much-needed expansions and improvements to the SSI program as part of “building back better.” Several key elements of the SSI Restoration Act were endorsed by President Biden during the campaign.

Right now, eligible individuals may receive a maximum benefit of $794 ($1,157 for couples) per month. The average current monthly benefit is $585 for individuals. For approximately 60% of recipients, SSI is their only source of income.

Brown’s bill is cosponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Robert Casey (D-PA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MN).

The bill has been endorsed by: Justice in Aging, AARP, AFL-CIO, AFSCME Retirees, Easter Seals, United Auto Workers (UAW), Leading Age, Homeless Action Center, Medicare Rights Center, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Center for Law & Economic Justice, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), National Council on Aging, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Women’s Law Center, New York Legal Assistance Group, Social Security Works, Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE), Strengthen Social Security Coalition, the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement, and over 87 national organizations.

Last month, Members of Congress, advocates, and supporters of SSI benefits gathered in a virtual event making the case for strengthened SSI benefits to be part of the next recovery package. Click here to watch a recording of the event.

The link to where I got the info from

[fuck-customers]

so i call veterans to schedule deliveries of medical equipment. last week, i tried to call one's wife to set up an appointment, and the grandbaby answered. npw, i'd called before and one had answered but they were old enough to understand they needed to hand off the phone.

but this was a toddler. barely talking, knows enough to have a basic convo, but not old enough to actually know what i'm trying to do or that they need to hand off the phone. after about two minutes of "wheres grandma? can you tell her the doctors on the phone?" (a lie but a baby doesn't understand what i'm doing) finally had to hang up bc i was getting nowhere.

next day, same thing.

finally decide to call earlier in the day (normally call later around 11 or 12 to give them time to get up and going), hoping to catch the babies at nap time and with grandma in full control of her phone. it worked! veteran got his equipment and i left a note in the folder for future reference.

cut to today, three days post delivery: his name pops up on my caller id. assuming its a problem, my coworkers hand it off to me bc i have the most experience. pick up the phone to "hewwo??????" and the concersation went a little like this:

"hi there honey"

"whatcha doing"

"i'm working"

"working?¿?¿"

"yeah i'm working"

*muffled words*

"hewwo??"

"hi honey. okay i have to go back to work now, so i'm going to hang up, okay?"

"okay! bye!"

best part of my day 💕

[writing-in-april]

Woodland Adventures

Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia x Female Reader

Summary: Santiago and Reader go on a camping trip to relax after everything that happened in South America.

A/N: Hey! This is my thirteenth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April!!!!!!! This is my first fic I’ve ever written for Santiago so I’m kinda excited 😆 he’s one of my favorites and it’s taken me a while to figure out what I wanted to write for him. I actually had this finished for a while and then there was a convo I had that made me change it because of that video of Oscar licking a knife- so I changed it lol 😂@writefightandflightclub I just couldn’t help myself 🙈 Feel free to drop me an ask about anything here!! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

Warnings: 18+, Mentions of Santi struggling with PTSD, Smut, Dom!Santiago, Size kink, Knife kink, Masturbation, Unprotected sex, Outdoor sex

Main Masterlist Word Count: 2.4k

Everyone had their own ways of finding an outlet to escape to whenever times were tough, and even when they were good. Some would rather stay at home to curl up to watch television or read a book. Santiago had other ways of escaping, ones that were a bit more taxing and long.

He had dragged you out into the middle of nowhere to go camping in the woods. He had told you many times before that this was his favorite way to relax, saying that the fresh air breathed life back into his lungs. You weren’t going to complain though, after what had happened in South America you knew he needed it. You couldn’t deny that the scenery was gorgeous and he was right, the fresh air did make you feel like you could finally breathe again.

Santiago however, had been trying to test your ability to breathe this entire trip. Every morning he’d choose a different area of path in these woods to hike through, which would inevitably exhaust you. You weren’t necessarily surprised that your boyfriend, a veteran, was in much better shape than you. He still had to keep himself in somewhat great shape because of his current job working in private security.

Despite knowing all of that, you couldn’t help but bellyache and moan after a certain point each day, when your knees ache too much to go any further. You also preferred basking in the sweeping scenery that encompassed everywhere around you rather than walking right through it. It sounded like heaven to just stop and stare at the world around you, but this trip was for Santiago so you tried to not get him to stop unless you were exhausted. You’d ask on the next trip to sightsee more, you at least got to watch the sunrise and the morning dew get to form before you went out each day. And, you wanted to help Santiago in any possible way that you could, even if it did test your physical limits.

Today in particular was testing those limits, your forehead glistening with sweat that had begun to drip down the rest of your face. You kept trying to wipe the beads of sweat with a rag and force your knees to go just a touch further. When your knees began to buckle under the weight of the backpack, even with the light load, you knew you couldn’t go any further without potentially dropping to the ground.

It pained you to ask, as you had done this everyday you had gone out, but you absolutely could not go any further. Your energy was completely shot, not even your consideration for Santiago’s penchant for hiking could force you to take another step, “Santiago? C-can we go back? I’m not feeling good…”

Your words must have made him even more concerned than any time before as he had shot to your side immediately to help prop you up. You opened your mouth to say something else, but he quickly cut you off, “You don’t need to say anything else cariño, I’m taking you back to our tent.”

Somehow even though you both had taken the same exhausting path to get to this spot in the woods, Santiago still had enough energy to pick you up. He tapped your thigh twice, like he did whenever he asked you to jump to wrap your legs around his waist, which on a normal day happens when you want him to exhaust you. Almost immediately after you had jumped and he had you in his arms your eyes began to droop close out of sheer exhaustion.

——

When your eyes blinked open you groaned, then you moved a hand over your eyes to block out the sun that had peeked through the tent. Confusion was your next thought, wondering how you had gotten back to your tent and onto the cot to sleep. Santiago must have carried you all the way back to your tent and tucked you in so you could sleep. You slowly sat up with a groan, you were sore but now much more energetic as you must have gotten a few good hours of sleep.

Traipsing out of the tent you looked around the small camp you had both set up to find Santiago. When you turned your head to the right you found him, sitting on the ground sharpening small sticks with a hunting knife, most likely out of boredom. He must have felt his eyes on you as his head snapped up quickly, searching for whoever had been looking at him. He flashed you a small smile when he realized that it was only you, his hypervigilance had gotten worse again after coming back, along with his nightmares. But, seeing you and being with you made it all seem better.

You went over to sit next to him, your own back now to the same tree. He went back to work on the sticks he had been mindlessly sharpening, though this time he wasn’t silent as he now had company, “You had me worried for a while cariño, thought I had worn you out too much.”

“Nah- I was fine.” You joked to try to help lighten the mood and the unnecessary guilt he was feeling. He didn’t have an answer to your joke, just continuing to peel the bark of the sticks with the sharp metal. Turning to face him more you leaned forward to press a small kiss on his cheeks that were scratchy from his light stubble. You frowned a little when you still got no answer and decided to cup his face in your hands so he’d have to stop what he was doing to listen to you, “I’m fine, I promise. I was just tired- you did nothing wrong baby.”

He nodded his head in confirmation, his eyes slightly glistening because of the unnecessary guilt he was trying to let go. You then leaned forward to press another soft kiss on his forehead, mutual understanding now flowing in between you both without having to say it out loud. You didn’t know exactly what he was going through, some of the details were kept from you, but you’d be here with him through it all.

After you had both let yourselves be silent for a while, you spoke up and changed the course of the conversation, “What are you doing with those sticks?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Just passing the time.”

“You could’ve hiked some more while I slept you know.”

What he said next made your heart swell and almost break, “I know, I wanted to make sure you were safe.” You knew he was trying his best after a horrible situation that had left him in pieces.

“Thank you, Santi. You always take good care of me, just remember I’m not fragile.” You did appreciate the gesture, only adding the last part at the end as a reminder. You pressed one last chaste kiss to his face in thanks, this time to his nose, before going back to your original position against the tree. He looked like he wanted to perhaps argue with you, but decided to accept your gratitude.

Santiago was soon testing your breathing in a different way than before, arousal creeping up inside of you as you watched him go back to destroying the sticks with his knife. Sometimes the way he did things reminded you of how strong he was, how easily it could be for him to break you. He cared about you so much to not want to break you, but you wanted to put your trust in him so he could hurt you in a way that felt good.

You wriggled a bit, causing Santi to look over at you for a second before going back to what he was doing. This was going to be the death of you, you were already soaking through your panties and soon it would be your shorts too. Deciding to test the waters once you were too turned on to ignore you snuck one of your hands down your shorts, discreetly unbuttoning them so you could continue to watch.

At first you just rubbed small circles into your clit to try to satiate some of the arousal coursing through your veins. It made some pleasure spark through you, biting your lip to make sure you didn’t make any noise. When you slipped your fingers to curl inside you was when it started to feel really good, pushing you close to an orgasm while you curled them upwards.

Your eyes slipped closed after a while of you staring at his hands while you played with yourself. You started to fantasize what Santiago might do to you with those hands, maybe he’d wrap them around your neck while he fucked you. An orgasm was fast approaching you, that was until you were cut off by Santiago speaking, “What are you doing?”

When you froze because of being caught your release that you had been close to achieving then abated. You answered in the most innocent voice you could muster up, “Nothing.”

“Get up and strip.” His tone told you that there was no room for you to argue, not that you really wanted him to anyway. Quickly you shucked off all your clothes, while Santiago stood up as well. All Santiago did was free his now hard cock from his cargo pants, not bothering to strip off any of his own clothes.

When you turned around to face him he instead grabbed hold of your shoulders, making you face the tree. Another order was then barked at you, “Bend over.”

You scrambled to bend over, only getting a few seconds to get comfortable in the position before he notched his cock at your entrance and began to sink inside you. Your walls stretched around his thick length as they always did because of how girth he was, but you were wet enough already that it was easier than usual.

His pace was rougher than usual once he worked himself all the way inside you. You weren’t going to question or complain though. It was exactly what you wanted, what you needed, and again you bit your lip hard to try to contain your moans.

“Don’t you dare hold back those pretty noises, Princesa, no one’s around to hear them.” Almost immediately you let out a moan that was so loud it might have bounced off the trees and echoed. He was right, if no one was around to hear it, the only people that would know how unrestrained you were letting your loud noises be, were you and Santi.

The bark bit into my hands harder as you gripped my fingers harder into the tree to try to keep yourself propped up. Everytime he thrusted into you, your eyes were tempted to roll back into your head. You tried to fight that urge because you couldn’t help but want to keep them fixed right on the hand that Santi was using as leverage for each of his deep thrusts inside you. In his hand he still held tight the hunting knife that he had been using.

You felt filthy being turned on by how he could do anything to you with that knife while you were small underneath him. Each time the front of his thighs hit the back of yours, his grip on your hip, and the one on the knife would get stronger. The veins in his hands became more prominent each time he strengthened his grip, making you think about what else he could do with his hands, and the knife. Your knees started to buckle when his cock brushed up against your sweet spot inside of you, but you kept your gaze strong.

Santi must have noticed at some point where you were looking, seeing what you couldn’t take your eyes off of. You figured out that he had noticed when he suddenly pulled out of you, turning you around roughly before speaking gruffly, “Did you like watching me with the knife? Hmm?”

You whimpered and nodded your head, admitting wordlessly your filthy desires. You already had felt small underneath him earlier while he took you from behind, but when he tapped your hip twice to signal you to jump you felt minuscule with his body crushing yours against the tree. The bark was now biting into all the skin on your back, though the slight stinging pain you felt was ignored when he sunk back inside you. This time he wasted no time in building up his pace, slamming his hips into yours with brutal efficiency.

You had almost forgotten about the knife that was still being held in one of his hands, until he brought it up back into your line of sight. Again, it was hard to keep your eyes focused on him as his cock railed into you, building your orgasm behind the scenes. Though, when he slowed his pace for a second so he could drag his tongue across the blade your drooping eyes snapped open, wide with astonishment. He then threw it to the side, landing somewhere in the pile of sticks he had cut apart and picked up his pace again.

“Can’t believe you trust me enough to have that knife so close to you.” He breathlessly spoke in disbelief, making you let out a moan which he again had no intentions of stifling, “Yeah, that’s right, moan while I use, Princesa.”

It wasn’t long before both of your releases hit hard. You tried to writhe and wriggle underneath him, but he had you trapped underneath him as he filled you. His broad shoulders did most of the work to pin you down as he finished letting you both ride out your highs.

When he began whispering sweet words into your neck laced with some obvious sadness, you were worried he might feel guilty for using the knife. He often treated you like glass, afraid to handle it roughly in case it shattered because of him. So, just to banish those thoughts swiftly you cupped his cheeks again after he had let you down, then giving him a similar reassurance as before, “I’m fine, I promise. I wanted you to do that. I promise I had a good time Santi.”

He ducked his head a little at your words, probably out of embarrassment that you had caught his guilty feelings swirling again. Mirroring his previous actions he nodded his head in confirmation, then wrapping his arms around you in an all encompassing hug. You whispered your own sweet words into his neck for a bit, without sadness, until you pulled him back in the direction of your tent, “Come on, let me clean up and then we can try to sleep. I’m tired, you wore me out again.”

Ask Me Anything

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[panharmonium]

hey guys, semi-rhetorical question,

what exactly do i have to do in order to stop total strangers from leaving their unsolicited opinions on posts that i wrote for myself, on my own blog, behind a cut, not under the merlin tag, with a disclaimer saying “it’s cool if we have different opinions, feel free to scroll on by if this isn’t your jam”?

how many more steps do i have to take to remind strangers on the internet that i am not soliciting commentary and that not everything is an invitation for debate?  it’s frustrating enough that i feel like i have to take these steps at all - basic etiquette should be enough for people to understand that when you see a take you don’t agree with, you can just go ahead and scroll past it.  

i am going to try to muse about this in the gentlest way possible, because it’s hard to know on the internet whether people are maybe just too young to realize these things, or maybe they just weren’t thinking in that particular moment (like - the way i would talk about this with a young person is not the same way i would talk to a fandom veteran who ought to know better, for instance), but this is definitely a recurring thing on tumblr that i have experienced numerous times, and which i do think is aggravated by the structure of the platform.  and, given that tumblr does not have the old LJ-style functionality of friends-only or anything like that, the truth is that this site can make it kind of a challenging to establish a comfortable space for yourself, which is something that has bothered me for a long time.

this is why i started putting disclaimers on meta in the first place.  i know it’s hard to remember, given the structure of this website, but not everything on the internet is written in the spirit of “prove me wrong.”  that’s why i started writing preludes saying “this is how *I* engage with the show.  it is fine if *YOU* engage with the show a different way.  i am just writing in my own space for my own personal enjoyment, please feel free to continue enjoying the show in your own way.”

as an example - this is the disclaimer i put on a piece of meta that recently earned itself some unsolicited commentary (boldings added now, for emphasis [and yes, the commentary has been removed already, to protect that user’s anonymity; i’m not interested in pointing fingers at specific people, just in discussing the dynamics of a wider phenomenon that i encounter sometimes on this website]):

just some meandering thoughts on where the thematic center of merlin bbc lies for me, and how it weaves itself in and out of my fandom experience.

under a cut because this is a) sort of long and b) not really directed anywhere but my own brain, as i keep thinking about and creating for this show.

[as always, before i get rolling, a reminder: when i write about how i engage with this show, it’s just me talking about what gives me, personally, the most satisfaction or enjoyment, not the way i think everybody should do things.  if this isn’t your particular read, please feel free to scroll past.  i am not ever going to bother anybody for engaging with this show in their own way, so please don’t worry about it if we are not on the same page.]

when i look at that, i’m not sure how much clearer i can be.  i’m not sure what part of this says, “send me a six-paragraph screed about how vehemently you disagree with me, as if i personally placed this analysis in your inbox and forced you to read it.”

do you know how often in a day i see fandom posts that i disagree with?  every time i see a merthur post, for instance, i think to myself “ugh, this is not remotely accurate.”  but i have never, in my life, left a reply on someone’s post telling them how wrong i think their take is.  that’s just not polite, and it’s just not necessary.  what do i care if someone has a different opinion than me?  they are just having fun in their own area.  it doesn’t make sense for me to enter their space and tell them what i, personally, think of their take.  they aren’t asking me for a debate.  they are hanging out on their own blog, having a good time in their own way.  i am glad they are enjoying themselves!  i am happy to let them keep having fun!  i do not need to insert myself into that conversation and rain on their parade.

i know this is something tumblr culture isn’t always good about understanding (and i know the structure of this website makes it almost impossible to remember, too; i do get that), but just, as a gentle reminder: me posting an analysis on my own blog, in my own space, is not equivalent to me saying “you, a stranger on the internet, must agree with this!”  me posting on my own blog is not directed at you at all.  it has nothing to do with you.  i did not send you that post.  i did not ask you to read it.  i did not put it in your inbox.  i did not insert myself into your space.  i did not ask for your attention.  i did not come anywhere NEAR you.  i don’t even know who you are.  i don’t mind if you engage with this show in a different way.  it does not affect me.  i have never and will never leave contentious replies on posts that i disagree with in order to try to convince people they’re wrong.  i have never in my life sent somebody a message to change their mind about a fandom opinion of theirs that i believe to be ill-conceived.

i see posts that i disagree with every day, and every single time, i scroll past them.  i leave them alone.  i let people have their fun.

i understand that the knee-jerk reaction on this platform is for us to react to everything as if it’s being shouted at us, personally, through a megaphone, and a lot of this is a structural problem on this website, i know.  i know that.  it’s bothered me for years.  the reblog function creates a system where posts leave their homes quickly, so it’s all too easy for people to feel like an OP is seeking them out and forcing them to read something, or soliciting contributions from the wider internet.  but we HAVE to remember the structure of the forum we’re in - any particular post you stumble across was written on an individual blog, and the individual who wrote it did not ask you to look at it.  they had no control over whether you saw it or not.  it wasn’t directed at you personally, and it isn’t an automatic invitation for caustic debate with strangers, either.  

people are allowed to write about their own fandom thoughts on their own blogs.  the act of writing about one’s own fandom thoughts on one’s own blog is not equivalent to canceling someone else’s fun, or stopping other people from liking/disliking things in whatever way they please.  i am allowed to write about my own opinions, in my own space, without worrying about other people who might wander by, catch a glimpse of my house through the window, and get upset because i’m “telling them” something they didn’t agree with.  i didn’t “tell you” anything!  you came here yourself.  i did not send this post to you.  i did not visit your blog and tell you ‘you’re doing fandom wrong.’  i don’t even know who you are.  we have never spoken to each other in our lives.  you don’t follow me, we’re not friends, and my post (in this particular instance) has zero reblogs - the only place you could have read it was on my own blog, which you chose to visit.

i’ve met tons of great people on here, and we’ve had lots of fun conversations.  and sometimes our takes are not even the same!  but i don’t mind that, because we’ve introduced ourselves to each other and have already developed a friendly relationship.  like, just today, i was having a fantastic convo about hunith where myself and the other participant weren’t 100% on the same page, but we were still having a great time with the discussion.  i don’t mind talking to people who have different opinions than me - to be honest, most of the topics about which i recently received a bunch of unsolicited commentary were actually things that i have written about previously, and that i would’ve loved to have talked about more, under different circumstances.  but i do mind strangers barreling into my house uninvited and then lecturing me, via a series of long, combative messages (devoid of any background context that could have been gleaned from the rest of my writing), about how the ultimate message of merlin bbc is that “the only correct way to fight oppression is to suck your oppressors dick.”

like.  was that necessary?

if we were friends, or even acquaintances, you would know that i do in fact talk about this theme a lot.  but we’re not, and i am not interested in having a conversation with someone whose first message to me was a) an unsolicited argument and b) a reference to metaphorically sucking someone off.  i have literally never met you before in my life.  you did not say hello, you did not introduce yourself.  and you jumped right into that?  

it’s just not polite.  i wouldn’t approach a stranger like that in real life.  it’s not cool to do it on the internet, either.

and just to be clear - i don’t have anything personally against any of the people who have ever sent me messages like this.  i’m not mad about it, and i really do think that for the most part it’s not intended to be malicious in any way; i just think people legitimately don’t register that this isn’t an okay way to approach someone.  so just - in the spirit of maybe helping people pause before they interact with somebody else like this, because i’m pretty chill myself, but other people might be more rankled by it - please, next time, just stop and think for a second.  if it helps to ask yourself “would i interact with this person like this if we were off the internet,” then definitely consider that.  entering someone else’s space for the sole purpose of leaving them negative commentary, when you have never met them before, and when they did not come anywhere near you or ask for your attention or approach you in any way, is not a good way to start a conversation with a stranger, especially when that person’s work specifically states “these are my own thoughts, not a directive for how others should do things/if you have a different take, no worries; feel free to just scroll past.” 

*deep breath* ...anyhow.  

there is no “friends-only” option on tumblr, so i don’t really know what else i can do to make it clear that i am only writing about my own thoughts and my own experiences, and if your thoughts and experiences are different, cool!  go have fun!  i don’t need you to agree with me about everything.  i will never, ever come to your blog and leave you notes about all the ways i think your analysis is flawed, especially when i’ve never met you and haven’t read your other work, plenty of which address the “disagreements” i have.  i just don’t think it’s a polite or fun thing to do to others, and i would love it if people could extend me the same courtesy.

[signalsgirl2112]

OK, A HEADS UP FOR ANYONE KEEPING TABS ON ME:

I'm doing great today!!!! Had a phonecall from LG about 90 minutes ago and we talked at length on copyright, covid, his daughter helping the fight as a doctor in the states, metaphoric meanings of Dark Forest Riders, and on what to add to my newest painting. (Also small political blurbs, but I won't share those here)

SO as per part of the convo above, I have taken down any pieces in my RedBubble shop with official logos in them(including Styx, Rush, and Gowan pieces), taken down any public sharing of the livestream file I saved, and will be making a small writeup on the meaning of Gowan's new song!

We also talked about the cameraman who took a tumble during the performance of (You're A)Strange Animal during the Belleville Theatre Livestream and how Gowan thought the camera guy either got a concussion, dislocated shoulder, or straight up fricken died in that moment, but the camera guy got back up like it was nbd and continued filming! (Turns out the camera guy was a TV/News veteran and taught himself how to fall correctly so that he wouldn't get hurt if he falls over something while filming)

So yeah, thats whats happened this morning in my camp lol.

Upwards and Ominous!

[elzariel]

Karma Fairy

This will be a LONG one, like, short novel long, but its been a long gig and I need to tell the world of this mess, hoping this'll pay my debt back to the karma fairy for letting justice rain on this.

The cast: Me MOS (manager on site) CB (cheeky bugger) HAH (horny asshole)

TLDR; HAH acts like he's the pro and brags to everyone, before talking shit about coworkers behind their back to other coworkers and boss, then doesn't do his job, expects boss not to find out he's skipping work, doesn't turn to work and when boss wants to ask him what the fuck, doesn't even answer his phone. HAH is in for a surprise when MOS will never hire him again and probably will cut ties with him all together, as he now knows what a shit person HAH is.   

Background info: I'v been with this company for half a year now, but have recently moved from another town. My old boss offered to introduce me to the manager at the new town and said they could easily get me more work there. I agree that I'd love to keep working for them, as I'v been cleaning for years on several smaller companies, but its never ended happily. Turns out cleaning as a profession is a swamp of bad customers and crap employers. Who knew. All in all, this company has been nothing but nice and I love working for them. The two managers I'v worked for were stellar gents, I trust them and will bend backwards to keep the customer happy for these people. My current boss at the company, is a friendly, no nonsense guy. I'v met him like, twice before I got to the worksite, but he seemed to get along well with my old boss, so I trust this guy. A little scatterbrained and bad at choosing workers, but we all make mistakes. Also kinda crap at making inventory on what needs to be done when etc. but its okay, he has a whole town's cleaning jobs to run for a fairly big company.

My new manager, MOS, asks if I want to do a short gig, since they don't have anything stable to give me yet. I agree, as I want work asap. This would also raise my experience and give me kudos in the company for accepting short notice work, since MOS called me a day before the gig starts. (turns out nobody else wanted to do it except me and CB) Gig is at an office type building, to clean before the new tenants move in. Space has been cleaned after the last tenant left, but they want us to deep clean the space, since new tenant has had problems with in-door air quality at their last place, meaning they're gonna be absolutely anal about new place being clean. MOS makes it clear to all three of us working there, me, CB and HAH that this is IMPORTANT. The dust HAS to be gone. From EVERYWHERE. There is no slacking at this job. This is one of those gigs where it has to be spotless or we'll have to just re-do it until it is.

On day one, I meet my work buddies for this gig. CB, darker skinned immigrant worker, speaks fairly ok english and a understandable version of the language of the land. Does the jobs given to him, or so we thought. Not a bad dude, just has a shit ton of work on his plate, including another cleaning company next to ours, this raises tension with him and MOS. HAH, dude says he's a veteran of the field. Has been cleaning "forever". Keeps mentioning how he's a pro at window washing and seems oddly fixated on windows, as if he thinks this is his only job here. MOS said he hired this guy because HAH didn't have work atm. Never said that HAH would only be doing windows. From that day on, HAH would constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY, keep talking how the windows will only take him a day to do, including the outside. How this job, that has been scheduled for 70 hours or in other words 5 days, will only take us like two, so we can take it slow and laze around. (Of course not when MOS is around, but he openly talks about going slow with me and CB. Even bitches at me for doing the bathrooms "too fast" as we'll "run out of work" if I don't slow down.) When HAH wasn't boasting about how fast this'll be, he is talking about sex. Not kidding. This man spent 80% of the time his mouth was moving talking about fucking, dicks, vags, railing women and the sort. Now I ain't a prude, but damn son, reel it in a little. He's 49, going through a divorce, with kids my age (29) and it seems like he has no other topics besides being a fast worker and how many women he's banged. CB humors him, but I only answer with curt, short comments. I'm not interested. I'm here to work, not boost someone's ego. We get trouble almost immediately. HAH starts on indoors glass surfaces, while me and CB start trying to figure out how the heck we're supposed to clean the windows that are second story high, we have our own saga with fighting a scaffolding set that's not only badly installed, but at the wrong spot, trying to get it moved, trying to have CB not die falling from cleaning on this thing, etc. It is not fun, its driving MOS insane trying to get the guys responsible for the scaffolding to help us. It goes on for most of the time we're there. In the end, all higher windows have to be cleaned with a seriously dodgy ladder.

Trouble starts on the third last day. Its monday. I come in to find nobody there. Okay, I assume CB has been working too much again and can't come in today, or will be late. Its a trend, but I'm like, its okay. We're almost done anyways. On Friday, HAH left super SUPER early, saying he's done all he needs and we'll do the windows outside on monday when it gets warmer. I shrug, almost tell him to fuck off since he's done jack shit all week, even though he was supposed to help us with EVERYTHING, not just windows, but let him leave because its his fault when MOS comes by later that day and he gets in trouble. MOS got annoyed as fuck when he did come by, but said I could leave early too since we're almost done. (or were we, dun dun duu)

At around lunch on monday, I call MOS to ask about the bathrooms in the foyer, if they belong to the office space and if I should clean them too. Here's the convo: "Yeah those are part of the office too." "Hey I wanted to ask, where is everybody? I'm alone here and we aren't nearly done." "Oh uhh.. Yeah HAH was there this morning, but since the usual electricians didn't show up before 9am, he waited outside the door for an hour and left, without calling me to get someone to open the door." "What?! He left???" "Yeah I don't think I'm hiring this guy again after this. Old friend or not. He's getting all kinds of cocky.." "Well, yeah, he left super early on friday too, saying how he'd finish the outside windows on monday but I guess thats tomorrow then?" MOS apologizes and tells me he's gonna come by in a few to do inventory on what needs to be done and check up a bit on what has been done. We're going to have a check-up with the customer on tuesday around noon, so we'll know what the customer wants re-done by wednesday. MOS shows up in about half an hour, I tell him the list of stuff that needs doing, at this point its mostly the floors, one bathroom needs a quick dust-up since its been in use. We walk around and spot some dusty window frames. MOS looks suspicious af and starts touching ALL the window frames indoors. There's dust everywhere. HAH was supposed to wipe these as he cleaned them, turns out he didn't. While we're doing that, we spot a few ventilation vents that need to be vacuumed, nothing major. Some walls are scuffed and we comment on how that could use a touch up. All in all it looks ok. Rest of monday is spent with CB, who shows up late, getting upper surface dusting done and me finishing small stuff like the bathrooms and some of the walls. By the end of day, I'v seen MOS outside with window cleaning stuff finishing the outside windows. I'm starting to suspect he is so done with HAH at this point. This is tuesday. I come in fairly early, as I can only work for 3 hours that day. In between that tuesday and the first day there, I'v gotten a small bank job from CB to do three times a week + I'm doing holiday leave for a bigger job in town, cutting my available hours to 3 at the office space. This means I'm there for 3 hours, finishing up dusting high up surfaces, when I walk past where MOS and HAH are talking in a room. HAH is making snide comments on how he's surprised (me) can use the floor cleaning equipment. I listen in, take a deep breath, and walk away. Not worth it. I don't have the energy to explain to this jackass I have a damn degree, that has 40% of it concentrated on machine usage and maintenance. I can use any and all equipment a cleaning job needs, be it floor cleaners, polishers, watervacuums or those mini-zambonis. Client shows up around noon. MOS is busy walking the premises with them and I immediately realize there's trouble. The client(s) turn out to be a group of people, with various faces and job titles. MOS looks horrified about 5 minutes in and it just gets worse from there. HAH has done a shit job. Like, major shit job. CB did some of the windows high up, but since he's clearly never been actually taught how to do it, he did it in whatever way that felt logical to him. HAH was supposed to spot clean after CB, but this combo just turned into a mess where ALL indoors window frames had to now be re-dusted with a wet cloth. Yes. All of them. 1000m2 of space, re-dusted. That's 10 763,9 sq ft for americans. HAH had the balls to walk past me re-dusting with "I did that when I cleaned the windows you don't have to do that" which I curtly responded to with "No, the customer literally just said everything has to be re-done." This caused HAH to start doing the SAME THING I WAS DOING. We now had TWO people dusting these window frames, like idiots, while the customer is there. I was so very VERY close to throwing my rag at this guy, telling him to fucking find something useful to do, instead of passive-aggressively following me. I was already doing the job, what on earth! On top of this, the customer found dust. But refused to tell us where he found the dust from. MOS is flabbergasted. How does hiding where it is help us clean? We have no idea, we went through the whole location trying to find this mystery dust treasure trove. Got some hits, cleaned those. MOS is defeated and deflated, he is tired and done after the customer(s) leave. Turns out we have to re-do most light-fixtures, some windows needed a re-wipe, the floors are still not done. I leave on tuesday early, with HAH still shit talking to MOS, now insulting CB's work ethic and results openly, getting more and more racist by the minute. I exit before I have to hear what he has to say about my cleaning. So its wednesday now. Its technically our last day there and everything has to be perfect, finished and spotless before anyone can go home. What does HAH do? Leave early. I come in around 9:30, by 10:00 HAH is gathering his gear talking about how there's only the floor to clean and we should be done. CB is coming later to help right, you'll be fine on your own with 1000m2 flooring to clean! (again, 10 763,9 sq ft) Apparently only some of the offices floors need cleaning, mostly what is needed is two front offices, the big entrance room, a hallway and the foyer. All this time HAH is talking, he is clearly talking about using the small floor cleaning machine we have there. He even points at it, making sure I know how to use it etc. Before he leaves, I ask him to help me move all our equipment, scattered around the office, to the main lobby room and clean up a little. I'm thinking, he can at least do THAT, right?? No. No he cannot. He brings maybe third of the equipment to the lobby, helps with none of the trash, and just poofs into thin air. I'm like, ok, I'm fine with this. I start by checking that everything is ok, spot clean some walls, then start on the floor. I use the little machine we have. At the lesser used end of the hallway it works fine. It looks clean etc. But by the time I'm at the lobby end of the hallway, I'm seeing streaks on the floor. This is a trend that continues through the two offices and the foyer. After I'm done with the lobby/main entrance room, I realize this isn't gonna fly. The floor is super streaky and I can't figure out what is going on. I'm technically done now, all the floors are ran through once with the cleaning machine, but I just don't feel right leaving without asking MOS about the floor, if there's something to do, if I can leave etc. I text MOS if I can leave, I'm done with everything, I think, etc. Ask about the streaking. Then I start my lunch. I know he's at a meeting so getting an answer might take time and I'm in no hurry, as I have no other work on wednesdays, I can stay here however long that is needed. I don't hear anything in 45 minutes and decide fuck it, I'll call him. MOS answers instantly, laughing how he was just about to call. We laugh about telepathy and here's the convo: "So are the electricians gone? They were supposed to finish today right? Are you guys alone?" "What? No, I'm alone. There's two electricians here with me, they seem pissed too, I guess nobody is in time here." "Wait what? You're alone? Where's HAH??? Didn't CB show up??" "Uhh no?" "What in the actual fuck!? What happened???" "HAH was here until about 10am but he left, said everything was done, he had nothing to do so he'd be off" "What the fuck does he mean Nothing to do?? The floors are- are the floors done?" "Well see, there's this weird streaking problem.. I don't want to leave before you ok me to leave, since this doesn't look clean to me, tbh" "Give me 20 minutes. I'll be there. I'll give you a ride home later." "I'm in no hurry, I have no other work for today" MOS shows up in exactly 20 minutes. "The polishing machine hasn't done a very good job has it.." "What polishing machine?" "Huh? You haven't used the polishing machine on the lobby yet?" "No??? I wasn't told that was to be done. All HAH told me was to use the small machine and we'd be done?" "No, we need to use the polishin machine on the lobby, foyer and probably the hallway too, looking at the streaking, the shit's stained too deep for the small machine to penetrate it. Fucking HAH! What the hell does he think he's doing!? Why the hell did we bring the polishing machine and watervacuum here if its not used! Idiots!" At this point MOS starts cursing and I realize its finally dawned on him how much work there still is to do, and its just me and him now. MOS calls around trying to reach anyone to help, CB can't come he's already used his hours today, again. (Turns out he isn't even doing his jobs at the other places he cleans well, he has been lazying around wasting time and not following customer wishes/demands for a while, MOS tells me I might be getting stable work sooner than later, as it seems CB is gonna get booted too if his shitty work quality continues) Its now about 1pm and MOS asks me, looking desperate, if I'm okay helping him for the afternoon and for the next day as well. I agree, saying I'd gladly take the cash and how this vexes me too. The floor looks terrible + I want to look as good as possible to MOS now that I know both CB and HAH have screwed over their graces royally. We take a couple hours to use the smaller machine again the offices, but with the Good Stuff used with the polishing machine, resulting in clean floors. While I'm doing the offices, MOS starts on the lobby, with the Good Stuff + the polisher. GS is a very smelly, acidic chemical meant to strip wax off flooring, so its serious stuff, but also proceeds to get this grimy, black substance to come out the plastic flooring, making us realize some poor fucker waxed this floor, thinking it'd help (spoiler it didn't, don't wax plastic flooring) and that was causing the streaking, as the smaller machine can't strip wax but it can streak it. Thing is, when you use the polishing machine, you literally throw water and cleaning agent on the floor, run it over with the polisher then use the watervacuum to remove the dirty water. Its a two person job or it takes forever, since you cannot let the detergent and water dry, or you have to re-do everything. There was NO way I could have done this alone in a sensible time! HAH either knew this and was a cruel shit head or didn't know and wasn't the pro he said he was. By the time its 3pm, we have the lobby half done and the offices finished. The next day would be the hallway and the rest of the lobby. Before we leave, MOS tries to call HAH to ask him what the fuck is up, but doesn't get an answer. I tell MOS not to bother, HAH knows he's in shit so won't answer. MOS drives me home and on the way he expresses his regret in letting HAH in on the job, saying how if he knew what a bastard HAH'd be, MOS would never have hired HAH. MOS also tells me how HAH spent the whole tuesday shit talking CB and my work, how if HAH was alone he'd finished in 2 days. TWO DAYS. MOS says that was the point where he stopped listening and decided this man was beyond help. This is also when I heard MOS talk about how CB's other locations have been complaining a lot, saying how CB would leave equipment everywhere, would not clean the whole time he was supposed to be cleaning, would not show up at work etc. Got pretty much told I could have free pick when CB was fired later this year on his locations. MOS also mentioned how he was going to find out if there was anything he could do about HAH's pay, since he hadn't been at work or if he had been at work hadn't actually worked. I told MOS some pretty exact times when I knew HAH was working, meaning HAH couldn't bullshit his hours to MOS saying he'd worked when he hadn't.

Sadly, I didn’t go on thursday after all, as I realized I had a medical appointment I thought was on friday but was on thursday instead, so I have no other ending to this, except the knowledge that HAH will never work for MOS again.

I apologize for the HUGE wall of text, but it was a wild week and by the end of it, I could literally see karma fairy when I closed my eyes. I just wish I could be a fly on the wall when HAH realizes what a shit show this gig was and how its gonna affect his work prospects with this company.

Epilogue: Also, as a sidenote, yeah, this whole thing was a mess from the customer perspective too. By the time we got to wednesday, the electricians weren't done, they were supposed to have been done DAYS before we were to be done. There was new renovations that needed to be done showing up constantly. Several smaller jobs hadn't been done etc. I feel bad for the new tenants, who were supposed to move in on FRIDAY, with walls to be painted and crap still MIA. So its almost as if the picky customer got karma'd too. They were so hellbent on having the cleaning done perfectly, that the renovations weren't done anywhere near in time, meaning the nice clean floors and bathrooms? Now dirty again from reno guys using them for a good two days after we finished. And as we have picture evidence of our work, they can't come back saying we didn't clean. We did our job and their reno guys fucked our work up, not our problem.

TLDR; HAH acts like he's the pro and brags to everyone, before talking shit about coworkers behind their back to other coworkers and boss, then doesn't do his job, expects boss not to find out he's skipping work, doesn't turn to work and when boss wants to ask him what the fuck, doesn't even answer his phone. HAH is in for a surprise when MOS will never hire him again and probably will cut ties with him all together, as he now knows what a shit person HAH is.

[westerngirl32]

Western SMP, AUL and Jellomaner memes and incorrect quotes

Most is Western SMP

Player: Veteran and I don’t use pet names. Captain: I see. Hey, what do bees make? Player: Honey? Veteran: Yes, dear? Player: Captain: Don't ever lie to my face again.

Slogo: Jelly and I are having a baby. Player: That's gre- Slogo, slamming adoption papers on the table: It's you, sign here.

Mel: So, Ihave1IQ is late today. Anyone wanna bet why? Mel: I say they slipped through the subway grate and is having terrible s** with the mole man. WesternGirl12: I don't know about that...I think either their alarm clock didn't go off, or they're in line at the bank. Jellyiscool: Take this more seriously! Ihave1IQ was clearly taken in their sleep! YX: I bet they tucked themselves into the bed too tightly and got stuck. Lollipops: Maybe they fell into another dimension where they're more interesting...? *Ihave1IQ arrives* Ihave1IQ: Sorry I'm late - there was a problem at the bank. WesternGirl12, clapping their hands in excitement: HOT DAMN!

Slogo: Who else is hiding in the laundry room trying to listen to Hunter and Greaser's convo? Veteran: Me. I'm in the laundry basket. Captain: I'm in the washing machine. (who tf hides there anyway?) Player: I'm in the closet. Veteran: We accept you Player <3 Player: No I'm literally in the closet. Veteran: Love is love. <3

*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker* Ihave1IQ: So. Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know. Everyone: Jellyiscool: ...I did. I broke it. Ihave1IQ: No. No you didn't. Lollipops? Lollipops: Don't look at me. Look at Mel. Mel: What?! I didn't break it. Lollipops: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken? Mel: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken. Lollipops: Suspicious. Mel: No, it's not! YX: If it matters, probably not, but WesternGirl12 was the last one to use it. WesternGirl12: Liar! I don't even drink that crap! YX: Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier? WesternGirl12: I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles. Everyone knows that, YX! Jellyiscool: Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, Ihave1IQ. Ihave1IQ: No! Who broke it!? Everyone: YX: Ihave1IQ... Lollipops’ been awfully quiet. Lollipops: rEALLY?! *Everyone starts arguing* Ihave1IQ, being interviewed: I broke it. I burned my hand so I punched it. Ihave1IQ: I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick. Ihave1IQ: Ihave1IQ: Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.

Jellyiscool: Bye WesternGirl12! Bye Ihave1IQ! Bye Lollipops! Bye YX! Bye WesternGirl12! Mel: You said ‘bye WesternGirl12’ twice. Jellyiscool: I love WesternGirl12.

Squad reactions to being called straight: WesternGirl12: The fuck, no I'm not. Jellyiscool: Excuse the hell out of you? Lollipops: Ding dong, you are wrong! Mel: Who told you that? And why did they lie? Ihave1IQ: Rude. YX: *punches the person*

Lollipops, walking into their house: Hello, people who do not live here. WesternGirl12: Hey. YX: Hi. Mel: Hello. Ihave1IQ: Hey! Lollipops: I gave you the key to my place for emergencies only! Jellyiscool: We were out of Doritos.

*The squad's reaction to being told they're the chosen one* WesternGirl12: I will not let you down. Ihave1IQ: Sounds fun. YX: K. Mel: No, I'm not. Lollipops: Do I have to be? Jellyiscool: Please god, I am so tired.

Mel: Christmas lights? WesternGirl12: Check. Lollipops: Thermos of hot cocoa? WesternGirl12: Check. YX: Santa suits? WesternGirl12: Check. Ihave1IQ: Shovel? WesternGirl12: Check. Jellyiscool: Alibi and bail money? WesternGirl12: Check- wait, WHAT?!

WesternGirl12: Time for plan G. Jellyiscool: Don’t you mean plan B? WesternGirl12: No, we tried plan B a long time ago. I had to skip over plan C due to technical difficulties. YX: What about plan D? WesternGirl12: Plan D was that desperate disguise attempt half an hour ago. Ihave1IQ: What about plan E? WesternGirl12: I’m hoping not to use it. Lollipops dies in plan E. Mel: I like plan E.

'Can I copy the homework?' Lollipops: I can help you with it! FillyOFish69: Yeah, sure. Ihave1Q: Bold of you to assume I did the homework. Sushi: lol nope. Jellyiscool: Wait, we had homework?!?!?! WesternGirl12: *Read 5:55pm*

*The squad is over at WesternGirl12's house* Ihave1IQ: Ohhhh, we each get our own oven? WesternGirl12: ... N-No... WesternGirl12, laughing: How many ovens do you think I have??? Ihave1IQ, motioning to their kitchen: Three, I thought! Sushi: I see a- WesternGirl12, motioning to one device: This is a microwave. Ihave1IQ: Oh, well I- WesternGirl12: Hey wait wait, actually- hang on- *fiddles with the buttons on the microwave* WesternGirl12, amazed: Its got a bake setting! FillyOFish69: Ohoho, you learn something new every day! Jellyiscool: Do we- Do we roshambo for who gets to pick first? WesternGirl12: Now I've just discovered I have more ovens than I thought, we don't have to roshambo nothin! WesternGirl12: I am someone who owns four ovens... WesternGirl12, louder and way too happy: I am someone... who owns FOUR OVENS... WesternGirl12: I didn't know I was so rich with ovens... Lollipops, pointing to another appliance: Also the toaster oven! WesternGirl12: Ihave1IQ: Ohhh, toasty boy! Four- Five ovens! WesternGirl12: WesternGirl12, fucking ECSTATIC: I AM SOMEONE WHO OWNS FIVE OVENS

*The squad right before Jellyiscool's wedding* Ihave1IQ: Well I have to go, I have a wedding to attend. Sushi: Wait... Oh! I have a wedding to attend too! FillyOFish69: Oh, I have a wedding to attend as well Lollipops: I THINK WE ALL HAVE WEDDINGS TO ATTEND WesternGirl12, panicked: I THINK I HAVE A WEDDING TO OFFICIATE

*Squad reactions to being told ‘I love you’* Mel: Thanks fam! WesternGirl12: Excuse me wuh? Jellyiscool: *cries* I love you too. Ihave1IQ: OH. NO. Lollipops: *A flustered mess* YX: As a friend?

Captain: Greaser’s refusing to wear their glasses! Greaser: Captain, look, I wore the glasses for a day. My eyes are much better now. Watch. Greaser: *points to Hunter* Hunter. Greaser: *points to Player* Player. Greaser: *points to Veteran* Crainer. Crainer: Wuh?

Lollipops: Look guys, I need help- Jellyiscool: Love help? WesternGirl12: Financial help? Mel: Emotional help? Ihave1IQ: Help moving a body? *Everybody looks at Ihave1IQ* Ihave1IQ: What?

Greaser: How would you like your pancakes? Hunter: Plain. Player: With sprinkles! Captain: Chocolate chips. Veteran: Potatoes. *Hunter, Player, and Captain look at Veteran* Veteran: What? They're good.

Player: You three, explain right now! Hunter: It was Captain. Veteran: It was Captain. Greaser: It was Captain. Captain: Captain: …f***.

Captain: So anyways have y'all seen Veteran? Hunter: I think they went in Player's room 'studying'. Greaser: Doubt that. I heard groans there. *Meanwhile in Player's room* Veteran & Player, fighting:

Greaser: I sleep with a knife under my pillow. Hunter: I sleep with a gun. Veteran: Both of you are pathetic. Greaser: Oh yeah? What do you sleep with? Veteran: Player.

Greaser: How is the most beautiful person in the world? Noob: *blushing* I— Veteran, butting into the conversation: Player is perfect, thanks for asking.

Greaser: *about Veteran and Player* They make a cute couple, huh? Hunter: They certainly are standing next to each other.

Player: This food is too hot... I cant eat it. Veteran: You’re very hot, and I still eat you. Everyone at the table: *silence* Greaser: YOU GUYS ARE DISGUSTING! Hunter: One dinner... I just want ONE DINNER!

Hunter: You know, Player gives Veteran flowers everyday, I wish you'd do that too. Greaser: Okay. *Later* Greaser: *gives Veteran flowers* Veteran: ??? Greaser: I don't know, I'm confused as well.

Veteran: I love you. Player: I love you too. I've waited so long to hear you say that. *Veteran and Player kiss passionately* Greaser, to Hunter: You owe me 20 dollars.

Ihave1IQ: It’s not fair. WesternGirl12: What’s not fair? Ihave1IQ: Lollipops is in the center of attraction! WesternGirl12: She’s in the center of attraction just by standing in the middle?

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Inspired by a convo on Discord, first of a small series I will randomly update.

Robin Asher and her sister Grace Asher were weird. All of Havenfall agreed though some thought it was an interesting weird.

Robin Asher was a tall woman with a badly scarred face and a prosthetic leg she refused to talk about. Most of the older generation in town thought her to be a veteran of some kind- probably got injured her first time out on the field, poor girl. She was twitchy and had a look in her eyes that spoke of something horrific happening.

Grace Asher was a genius, everyone knew. When Mackenzie asked the older Asher about why her sister wasn’t in school, Robin had replied that Grace was actually a college graduate who was working towards a university degree online. She had some secret job that caused a bunch of people to show up all the time- notably was Oliver Queen- and that Robin avoided mentioning at all costs. She actually threw herself onto JD’s motorcycle once to get out of that conversation.

They were weird and most were happy they mostly stuck to themselves- especially after their grandmother’s death. Robin had a job at the bowling alley she kept for routine, some veterans often coming out to quietly chat from time to time, the girl relaxing a little in their presence. But she mostly kept to herself, so it was fine.

They were just… the Ashers.

-

Robin holds her legs out in front of her- prosthetic gone for the moment- as she does a sitting chin up, grunting under the excursion.

“You know, the more muscles you add, the more Razi will ask you to lift stuff to check it out.” Grace calls out from where she’s working on Robin’s leg.

“Razi does not like me.” Robin shoots back, grunting as she pulls herself up. Grace snorts, loudly. “Fuck off.” Robin grunts.

“No. Want me to add anything to the leg?”

“No.”

“Really? No grappling hook, no bo staff, no-“

“Those days,” Robin says, dropping to the floor and compensating for her missing leg. “Are over.” Grace hums, looking over her shoulder and lifting her goggles to look at Robin closely.

“Gotham has it’s hold on you sis, it will never be truly over.” Robin snorts in answer.

“Watch me.” She sits on a chair and begins to lift some weights, ignoring her sister who works quietly before she had back Robin’s leg, the older woman strapping it on.

“…Dick called. Says he wants to come see us.”

“No,” Robin replies. Grace nods, having already said so.

“What about any of the others?” Grace asks and Robin hesitates before she shrugs.

“Maybe Damien.” Grace nods in agreement as Robin goes back to her workout. Grace herself heads to the basement where she keeps her lab, eager to start working.

Once her workout was done, Robin got ready for work before she opened the tube Grace had made that let her talk to her so she didn’t need to go into the lab.

“Don’t forget to eat!” Robin calls down the tube. “Go to the diner, don’t try and cook!”

“Alright!” Grace calls back and Robin heads out, hopping into her truck with a grin.

She loves her truck so much, even if Grace got twitchy every time she had to deal with it. But the old and rusty truck was just way to perfect, so Robin kept it the way it was.

… after letting Grace have a go at the engine.

Driving into work, Robin flicked through the various radio stations, stopping on a new cast.

“…fifteen teens found missing today. The police currently have no leads-“ Robin quickly turns to the next channel after realizing her mind was putting ideas together.

She left that life behind.

“Jonas Quinton is holding a concert tonight outside of Havenfall in Indiana-“ Jonas… wasn’t that Grace’s favorite singer?

Robin stops at the alley and texts Grace the news before she heads inside with a smile to Razi.

“Morning Razi!” she tells her boss. “JD being a pest again?”

“Hey!” the redhead calls out and she waves them off with a grin that pulls at her facial scars.

“Hey Robin, and somewhat. They refuse to turn off the news, keep saying there’s Robin.” Robin closes her eyes and breathes through her nose slowly.

She knows exactly what this is.

“The Joker has escaped from Arkham once more, leading experts to wonder if it’s safe leaving the man alive-“ the news reporter drones on as JD scowls.

“Aw, no more about Robin kicking ass?”

“I used to live in Gotham, not that impressive,” Robin tells JD bluntly.

“Did you ever like meet them?” JD asks.

“I saw them, I’ve told you before,” Robin tells JD before getting to work, refusing to let her mind wander, focusing it on the task.

She was not going to think about it. That was behind her.

It was all behind her.