#this is gonna hurt low income people

[beardedmrbean]

Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing a New York City tax hike to replace the $15 congestion pricing tolls she indefinitely postponed — a last-minute funding Hail Mary that drew fierce opposition Thursday.

Lawmakers and business groups slammed the prospect of a tax increase, especially after Hochul scuttled congestion pricing Wednesday because it would “break the budget” for the working class.

“Proposing another tax is an insulting joke that will only exacerbate the affordability crisis that Gov. Hochul pointed to as her reason for killing congestion pricing,” Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Putnam) told The Post.

“The combination of corporate income, payroll and other taxes on New York City businesses already has them paying some of the highest effective rates in the nation,” noted Ken Girardin, director of research at the Empire Center for Public Policy.

Bigwigs and politicos who already felt burned by Hochul’s flip-flop on congestion pricing said the tax proposal shows she had no real Plan B to make up for the $1 billion a year Manhattan tolls would have raised for the flailing transit agency — and they’re not likely to throw her a lifeline.

“I think it does not have support,” state Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) said about a vote on the tax.

“No new taxes,” added Assemblyman Brian Cunningham (D-Brooklyn).

The governor’s shock announcement also created turmoil at the MTA’s highest levels.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, along with Hochul’s board appointees, have threatened to resign, a state Senate source told The Post.

Complicating matters is the fact Albany lawmakers are poised to skip town Friday as the legislative session ends — a deadline that could leave major MTA projects in limbo as officials scramble to replace the $15 billion promised by congestion pricing.

Legislative opponents of congestion pricing hailed Hochul’s move as a victory for everyday New Yorkers, but offered no firm solutions for the last-minute funding problem it created.

State Assemblyman Member David Weprin (D-Queens) said hiking the mobility tax is a possibility, along with other vague “proposals” that he wouldn’t elaborate upon when pressed by The Post.

“You’ll find out within a week,” he said. “We’re committed to find a billion dollars.”

The payroll mobility tax is leveled on businesses and self-employed workers in New York City and the surrounding region to help fund the MTA.

Hochul and lawmakers just last year raised the tax on the city’s largest businesses to raise $1.1 billion annually.

The governor, besides a potential mobility tax hike, has floated tapping into state reserves as a replacement, insiders said.

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, a co-plaintiff in one of the lawsuits to block congestion pricing, said tax hikes can’t always be the answer.

“We have $300 billion combined between the state and city budget,” said Fossella, suggesting efficiencies can be found elsewhere to fund transit.

“Raising taxes will just hurt businesses more. I just don’t understand it,” he said.

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, who supports congestion pricing, also blasted a New York City-focused tax increase.

“Our transit system serves twelve New York counties and two other states,” he tweeted. “It’s completely unacceptable for the burden of yet another payroll tax increase to be raised on NYC small businesses to fund regional transit projects.”

The legislators weren’t alone in their opposition.

Prominent business groups – including some that stuck their necks out in support of congestion pricing, such as The Real Estate Board of New York – have criticized Hochul’s reversal and funding replacement proposals.

“Unquestionably, there is a cost of living and affordability crisis in New York, which is also deeply felt by small business owners,” said Ashley Ranslow, the New York director for the National Federation of Independent Business.

“Increasing the MTA payroll tax will only exacerbate this crisis and worsen New York’s dismal business climate and lagging economic growth post-pandemic.”

Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the prominent Partnership for NYC, told NY1 Thursday that she personally expressed her “frustration and disappointment” to Hochul.

Her group later that day issued a statement opposing any increase in the payroll mobility tax to replace the $1 billion. 

Business and real estate taxes already account for 44% of MTA revenues, followed by rider fares at 27% and 13% for vehicle tolls – an unfair share that congestion pricing would have corrected, the statement contended.

“Congestion pricing spread the MTA funding burden equitably across all the constituencies that benefit from the mass transit system that supports the tri-state regional economy,” the statement reads.

“The PMT burden is entirely on New York City, which is already the most highly taxed city in the country.”

[dissociacrip]

i saw that one disability-related post a while ago about dental care but i can't find it again so i'm gonna mention a few things as a (mild to moderately) mentally & physically disabled person, whose teeth hurt when i eat sweet stuff now + i've had a root canal due to a fall + i'm learning to take care of myself, that may or may not help other folks with their dental routine

note: i am not a dentist & this info is mostly what i've gleaned secondhand from dentists, so yeah, i am not an expert in any capacity

water flossers aren't as effective as regular flossing (doing both is actually what's most effective) but they're better than nothing & helpful in cases where coordination problems or other issues might prevent regular flossing technique (i imagine this also depends on the quality of the water flosser)

if you use one of the plastic pre-made floss picks things, rinse the string off in-between each time you use it to floss one side of a tooth, it's tedious but it mimics moving to a new (clean) part of the thread like you do with regular floss

if you get an automatic toothbrush, get one that does circular rotation rather than just vibrating or whatever, as this mimics the tools they use in a dentist's office + imitates the circular motion you're expected to make with a standard toothbrush (which is also hard with coordination issues), i got one that does this pretty cheap from walmart (it's an oral-b but i forgot the specific type) + it automatically times it for you

if you have white spots on your teeth that are uneven with the shade of the rest of the tooth those are potentially white spot lesions due to demineralization; whitening products can make this worse rather than help it, but some products can help with remineralization such as mi paste topical tooth creme, which contains calcium and phosphate (i have yet to try this myself but it seems to get suggested by a lot of dentists, orthodontists, etc. for white spots on teeth & it's also supposed to help with sensitivity and tooth health in general because the white spots are lesions so it's not purely cosmetic!)

it's advised to not rinse your mouth immediately after brushing as this potentially dilutes & reduces the effects of the flouride (if you use fluoride toothpaste), stuff says to wait at least 15 minutes or so

just giving your teeth a quick scrub (even if it's without toothpaste and just water) is better than not brushing your teeth at all

if you have trouble seeing a dentist for financial reasons, try to see if there are income-based or charity dental services in your area, sometimes dental schools also provide low-cost/free dental care

that's all i can think of for now, i wish i had more advice for people who struggle to be able to brush their teeth at all in general but this is all i got unfortunately :(

additionally - you're not bad, useless, gross, or a failure if you struggle to (or can't) maintain oral hygiene; this stuff is much easier for some people than it is to others & those who take it for granted like to forget that, no one deserves to be mocked or looked down on for being disabled & struggling to/not being able to do """basic""" stuff like this!

[deanstead]

Welcome Home

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Requested: Yes, by anon

Summary: Sam gets an unexpected call from Y/N, which brings another surprise for Dean

Word Count: 2.7K

Tags/Warnings: Dad!Dean, canon-typical mentions of blood/violence

A/N: In my "everything i write sucks" era but thanks to @seatsbythepit for her consistent beta services! I think this was in my inbox for a (long) while so I finally got this out!

DEAN WINCHESTER MASTERLIST

Sam frowned, glancing at his phone where it was lighting up with an incoming call from a number he didn’t know.

Not many people had this number, so he picked up warily, as Dean looked up.

“Hello?”

There was a short silence on the other end of the line before a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Sam?” 

Sam froze.

“Y/N?”

Dean sat up straighter, his eyes flicking toward his brother but Sam wasn’t paying attention.

It had been more than 2 years since you’d left and not a day had gone by that Dean didn’t blame himself for it. Sometimes, when he lay in bed at night, the last fight still haunted him - the look in your eyes when those hurtful words had cut across the room, the defeated sound in your voice as you looked him in the eyes and told him that if that’s what he thought of you, there was no point to all this.

After you left, he’d spent too many days staring at your name in his lists of contacts, his thumb hovering over the call button. The days ticked by, and soon it was way too late for Dean to call or reach out so he was left with replaying the last conversation you’d ever had like he needed to torture himself to make up for the hurt.

“Where are you?” Sam’s voice pulled Dean out of his thoughts and he frowned. That was never a good sign.

Sam spoke in a low voice before he nodded and hung up.

Dean stared at his younger brother as Sam stood, pausing as his eyes flicked toward Dean who was watching intently.

“Dean, she…”

Dean nodded, his eyes flicking back downward. “Yeah, I don’t blame her.”

“Look, why don’t you help from here, alright? I’ll make sure she’s alright.” Sam said, although he knew it must be killing Dean. 

“Yeah, just let me know what you need,” Dean responded, failing to hide the slight dejection in his voice as Sam left.

“Sammy.”

His name flowed off your lips the moment you opened the door, feeling familiar yet foreign at the same time. Yet, it was really good to see him.

Sam just smiled, enveloping you in a tight hug the way only an older brother would. “It’s good to see you.”

You nodded, smiling.

“You flying solo?” Sam asked, frowning.

You shook your head. “I’m not hunting. Not really. We were just passing through and I wanted to just run, but I… I couldn’t. Now, my friend’s sister is missing and I just…”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Wait. We?”

You gave him a guilty smile. “That’s why I called.” You paused before continuing. “And why I asked you to come alone. I didn’t think I should surprise Dean out here.”

Sam gave you a confused look and you exhaled slowly.

Without saying anything more, you led Sam into the room, as his eyes fell upon a two-year-old kid. A kid who was unmistakably Dean’s son as he gripped a miniature Impala car in his hand where he was sitting on the ground.

Sam looked at you in surprise.

You nodded. “This is Leo.”

It was probably a Winchester thing but Leo took to Sam almost immediately despite the fact he never let anyone else but you carry him for the past two years. 

You remembered how he’d wail in the doctor's or nurse’s arms but he seemed perfectly content sitting in Uncle Sammy’s arms now, playing with Sam’s hair.

“I was gonna get a friend to watch him, but if he likes you so much…”

Sam looked at you like you were crazy. “You’re not going alone.”

You exhaled slowly and nodded, like you’d already expected this answer from him.

Instead, Sam asked to review the information you had. It felt almost like the good old days, as you watched Sam pore over the notes you had at the small desk at the motel, the only thing different being that Dean wasn’t here and you had a two-year-old who’d fallen asleep in your arms.

You knew Sam was planning to call Dean when he left to get dinner but you pretended like you didn’t, busying yourself with preparing Leo’s meal.

When Sam returned with food for the both of you, you glanced at him and he nodded. “Yeah, I called Dean. Look, you know the research there is helpful. It won’t hurt.”

You shrugged. “I didn’t say anything.”

Sam glanced up at you. “What’s the plan, Y/N? Why didn’t you tell him? Or me?”

You glanced over your shoulder at where Leo was sleeping soundly and sighed softly. “I don’t know. I guess… I guess Dean and I never really had the talk. I didn’t know where he stood with regards to having kids, especially in this life.”

You paused, looking up at Sam momentarily before continuing. “Besides, we’d broken up. I thought he’d try to come and get me but… well, he didn’t. By the time I found out I was pregnant, too much time had passed and I didn’t know how to tell him.”

Sam nodded quietly, letting you continue.

“But I got out. I didn’t let Leo into this part of our life. Until today. And I hate it that he’s here when there’s a nest of fucking vamps right here. I didn’t…”

Sam reached out and squeezed your shoulder. “You were right to call. No matter what, it never hurts to have someone looking out for you.”

You smiled. “Well, I’m glad it’s you…”

“And Dean. Sorta.” You added after a small silence.

The conversation was cut short by Sam’s phone and he quickly answered it. “Anything good?”

You could hear the crackle of Dean’s voice and you felt your heart give a jolt. A jolt that didn’t exactly surprise you. Of course, how could you ever get over Dean Winchester?

You could vaguely hear Dean giving Sam some additional information before Sam hung up, glancing at you.

“You sure about this, Y/N?”

You glanced at Leo before nodding. You planted a firm kiss on Leo’s head, nodding to your friend, Samantha.

“Don’t worry. Sam’s great at what he does. We’ll figure this out.” 

She nodded back at you, assuring you that Leo was in safe hands.

It was your first hunt in a long while, but being a hunter seemed to already be a part of your DNA. 

Armed with the information that Dean had dug up, you and Sam managed to infiltrate the nest, easily lopping heads of vampires off as they were caught off-guard. You were glad Sam was there to have your back, especially when you both made your way to the dead center of the nest. 

“Sharon?” You kept your voice low. 

You headed to where she was huddled in the corner. You didn’t know Sharon well but you’d met once or twice when you’d come up here to meet Samantha.

“Y/N?” 

Her voice shook slightly. 

You nodded. “Yeah. I promised Samantha I’d bring you home.”

Sharon looked around, her eyes flicking to a dead body lying to the side. “They’re…”

You shook your head at Sharon. “Sharon, look at me. We’re going to get you home alright? Trust me.”

“Come on, Y/N.” Sam urged gently. 

Of course, you knew hunts never went that smoothly. 

A growl alerted you that a vamp had joined you and your body stiffened, the grip on the machete in your hand tightening. 

“Sam, get her out of here.”

“Y/N.” Sam’s voice was stressed and you recognized it, the struggle between leaving you here and taking Sharon to safety. 

“I’ll be fine.” You assured him, glancing back at the new arrival.

Sam didn’t answer but you knew the exact moment when he took Sharon and left, their footsteps seeming to echo as they got further away. 

“You hunters are the real monsters.” The vampire droned, staring at you. “Here we are, just trying to survive and you break into our home and kill my entire family.”

You tried to stifle the sarcastic laughter that was at the tip of your tongue.

“That’s rich coming from you.”

You knew it was coming before the vampire twitched, and you swung your machete upward as he rushed toward you. 

The vampire sidestepped, missing the machete by inches as it growled, even more determined to get you.

You stepped back again as it lunged at you, your heart sinking as you felt yourself lose your footing. 

Fuck. 

You rolled out of the way but the vampire was too quick, pouncing upon you. 

You raised your machete but it was too close, the machete inching closer toward you as the vampire bared its fangs at you. 

You held onto a single thought. You had to get home to Leo. 

Then, as if by sheer willpower, the unmistakable sound of a blade swishing through the air before the vampire’s head rolled off its shoulders. 

“Dean?”

Dean had lasted all of five minutes after the last call with Sam before he’d muttered a “screw this” to himself and torn his way out of the bunker and down to where Sam and you were.

You were still stunned as Dean rolled what was left of the vampire off you and helped you up.

“You alright? Are you hurt?” Dean’s eyes studied you, unable to differentiate if the blood on you was the result of any injuries you might have sustained before he’d arrived.

You shook your head. “I’m fine.”

The atmosphere sank into awkwardness as the both of you stood there now in silence.

“Sorry, Y/N. I know you wanted me to sit this one out, but I…”

You shook your head and interrupted him. “No, I… Thanks, Dean.”

You fell back into silence, both of you walking out toward the exit to Sam.

“God, Y/N!” Sharon’s stressed voice made her way to you first but you didn’t miss the surprised look Sam gave his brother even as you were assuring Sharon you weren’t hurt.

You looked up to see Dean quietly heading to the Impala, and before you could think through your next move, you were running toward him.

“Dean.”

Dean paused and turned to look at you.

You took a deep breath. “We need to talk.”

There was a look in Dean’s eyes that sat somewhere between confusion and intrigue.

You looked down at your blood-stained clothes and smiled. “Give me a few hours and I’ll come meet you at the bunker?” 

The words rolled off your tongue feeling foreign yet welcoming at the same time.

“The bunker?” Dean asked.

You shrugged. “Or wherever you guys want. If you don’t want me there.”

Dean shook his head. “That’s not what I…” He paused before continuing. “See you there.”

You watched the Impala drive off before you turned back to look at Sam, who had a small smile on his face, and you knew he’d heard everything.

You’d delivered Sharon safely back to Samantha, who hadn’t asked any questions, just glad to see her sister again. and you even managed to shower and change before Leo even noticed you and Sam were gone.

Now, Sam pulled up outside the bunker and you took a deep breath. 

“Ready?” Sam asked softly.

You gave a short laugh. “Never.”

You felt everything at the same time as you took Leo in your arms and walked into the bunker, the memories seeming to hit you all at once - the way this place made you feel, the laughter in your head that belonged to a memory of the three of you as you sat in Dean's embrace.

Even if this was the same place where things had ended, it was the happy memories that followed you as you walked down the stairs now.

Dean stepped out of the kitchen, freezing in his footsteps.

His eyes took in the sight before him, a kid that looked like a carbon copy of himself except for the eyes that were undoubtedly yours.

“Y/N…”

You cleared your throat and exhaled. 

“Hey Leo, let’s go find you some snacks,” Sam said, reaching his hands out for Leo.

Leo cracked a smile and allowed Sam to pick him out of your arms. “Pie!”

Sam glanced over at Dean, unable to hide a chuckle. “I’m sure we have that.”

The silence that followed was almost loud as Dean looked at you in disbelief and you cleared your throat. “Let’s talk.”

Dean led the way into the library, unsure if he should be pissed or happy to see you.

You leaned against one of the tables, as Dean looked back at you.

“Sorry.” You said quietly, looking down. You knew Dean had every right to be angry and you braced yourself for the rise in his voice but nothing came.

You glanced up at him again, meeting the green eyes you’d sorely missed.

Met with Dean’s silence you spoke again. “I didn’t know how to tell you. By the time I found out about it, too much time had passed since the last time we spoke. I stared at your number but I was afraid. I…” You took another breath. “We never talked about this. I didn’t know if you’d be happy or not and I chickened out.”

“So were you never going to tell me?” Dean finally asked.

You couldn’t really determine the tone of his voice but you shook your head.

“I… I kinda was on the way here.” You said quietly.

Dean’s eyebrows shot up. 

“I didn’t really have a plan.” You said. “Part of me thought if I just drove here, I wouldn’t be able to back out anymore. Then, that nest of vamps kidnapped my friend’s sister so I…”

“So you called Sam.” It was a statement.

You gave him a tentative smile. “Didn’t think you’d appreciate seeing Leo without an explanation in the middle of a hunt.”

Dean exhaled slowly.

“So what now?” Dean asked.

You didn’t dare look up at him, afraid your eyes would give you away. The eyes that screamed how you were still in love with him and that you’d missed him every single day that you’d been apart. The way your heart crumbled every time Leo smiled because it reminded you of Dean, and how all you wanted was to be enveloped in those arms again.

Even as those thoughts ran through your mind, you felt the prick of tears because this was exactly why you’d put off telling Dean about Leo.

“I don’t know, D.” You answered quietly. 

Your voice cracked slightly and you hoped Dean hadn’t picked up on it.

“Y/N.” He called, forcing you to look up at him, even though the tears blurred your vision.

Dean closed the gap between the both of you, one hand cupping your face as he pressed his lips against yours, his other arm snaking around your waist and pulling you closer to him.

“God, I missed you,” Dean whispered, as he pulled away just a little, your faces still pressed together.

You buried your face into his shoulder without saying anything, feeling your tears get absorbed into the shirt he had on.

You needn’t have worried about Leo. You looked at you son clutching the tiny toy Impala while he sat in his father's arms almost triumphantly as they came back in. Dean had brought Leo to see the real thing, and Leo had a ball of a time just sitting in the Impala.

“Mama, can we stay?” Leo asked with anticipation in his voice.

You froze. Dean and you hadn’t talked about anything. He’d kissed you, you’d hugged and then you’d gotten him out of that library to meet his son.

Dean closed the gap between the two of you, putting Leo into a giant hug between the both of you before he reached out for your hand.

“Stay,” Dean said quietly.

You glanced up at him. 

“I’m not going to lose you again.” Dean added, squeezing your hand gently. “Not for anything in the world.”

The words felt stuck in your throat, but you glanced at Leo and smiled. “Yeah, we’re staying with Daddy and Uncle Sammy.”

Dean leaned forward to press a quick kiss to your lips amidst Leo's triumphant yells.

Sam moved forward to press you into a hug. “Welcome home, Y/N.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

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Character taglists are open, hit me up if you would like to be added!

[astuteology]

please please please make more solar return observations🙏🙏🙏

You ask... i deliver~😋

👾Solar return observations👾

🦧

Stellium in the 12th house- could either mean one of the following things: getting frequently sick, being hospitalised, mental health disorders, accidents or being weak, low energy levels.😴 (I have 6 planets of mine this year and i just came back from the hospital after getting treated for food poisoning 😷)

Sun, Mercury, nodes or chiron in the 12th- you may hear alot of not-so-good news about people close to you or your parents, your friends or your parents friends'. Like someone died suddenly, someone getting diagnosed with cancer, a robbery, etc. 🤒😔

Venus in the 12th- it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have a heartbreak, although it completely depends on you, what stage of life are you in. Usually it manifests as having dreams about your celebrity crushes or real life crushes, your past lovers, or your fear about love. You could be running away from someone or something in your dreams. 🪱💭

Moon and mars conjunction in the 3rd- fights🤬 expect alot of fights with people around you. People will purposely or not, get on your nerves and it'll be hard for you to sit quietly. Anxious, restlessness, aggression, irritation, annoyed are the common feelings that come with this. 🤯🤖

Lilith in the 7th- your friends may try to take your partner away from you, kinda like snatching them from you. Maybe you'll discover that your friends or siblings had a crush on your partner for a long time🙄. If you're single, people would want to be with you. You may attract negative, jealous, manipulative people who wants to use you only. 😑

Mercury or north/south node in the 12th- you are likely to have paranormal experiences or hear voices. You could also be able to tell if a person is about to die just by touching their hands or anything. Depends on your spiritual level though. 👻🙀

Venus in the 6th indicates open enemies😄 and venus in the 12th indicates hidden😶‍🌫️. Open enemies are likely to harm you physically and hidden enemies, emotionally.

Moon in the 12th- could indicate that no matter how angry you were with someone or something or a situation, or if you were holding grudges against people, youre more likely to calm down and just accept. You'll be exhausted, you wouldn't gaf about what happened. 😪

Mercury in the 11th- lets say you changed schools/universities/jobs, people would approach you because you look so peculiar and unique to them. They surely wanna be your friends. This could also mean that you get selected in jobs/universities that are related to law, teacher, professions related to technology, social media, or crime investigation.😵‍💫

Jupiter in the 2nd- money incoming~~ youre likely to feel more grounded and contained. Your selft esteem, self confidence skyrockets. Feeling more happy than usual. Helping random people. You may also get alot of flowers. 😚

Now add saturn in the 2nd house with that, you'll have trouble saving/spending money. Getting anxious. Not trusting your judgement. Indecisive. Sleepless nights, insomnia. No appetite🥴. BUT... its not gonna last long, saturn is here to keep you humbled and stay detached to the material things or the things that you want but don't need.🥸

Wherever saturn is placed in your sr, make sure you don't hurt anyone or else saturn's gonna smack your ass in front of the people🙃. Let's say it's in your 5th, and you messed up pretty badly or hurted someone the previous year, saturn's gonna humiliate you in front of kids, your close friends or places related to the 5th house. May even embarrass you😇. Let's say you lied or deceived someone who loved you, and you have saturn in the 7th.............. you'll know then how it feels to get cheated on.😗

Vertex in the 5th- going to alot of parties, marriages, baby shower, birthdays, events, concerts, etc.🧜‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️

Vertex in the 6th- getting sick. Stomach infection, intestinal infection, ear/eye infection. Strange but you could also wear glasses or lenses for the first time this year. 🤓🤧

Moon in the 10th- either you will let people know what had happened to you the previous year/recently or people will know from your face and body language that something went down the hill. It may also be a time where you would rethink everything that has happened to you and try to make sense of it.😔

Pisces/ gemini venus- could indicate two people are after you, they could be two best friends. Or people who change sides. 👀👎

Saturn+ moon, moon+ mars, mars+nodes, Saturn+mars, moon+ nodes in the 2nd- any of these conjunctions or 3 of these planets in the 2nd, please please please try to control your mind!!! Try deep breathing when you feel scared. These placements can make someone feel unnecessary fears, feeling anxious for no reason, getting scared easily, overthinking not curiosity. Wanting to cry alot (cry if it makes you feel light because you have to let your emotions out in ANY WAY!!!!). Your mental health will get very badly messed up. You wouldn't want to be left alone. Scared of darkness. Hallucinations. 🧠

Nodes square venus, venus square chiron, venus square uranus- breakup 💔

Saturn/lilith square ascendant- defamation😿

Venus conjunct uranus- sudden relationship 🐕

Moon square venus- breaking up because it wasn't fulfilling or finding out your partner cheated on you.🦂

Scorpio rising- people want to touch you or see you naked. They may also keep their pedophile tendencies hidden. 🕸🪰

Venus/Jupiter/neptune in the 11th- you may fall for one of your friends or your friend may fall for you. Could also be friend of a friend. 🌛🌜

Mars in the 10th- people may not approve of your new relationship, new job, new hairstyle, etc. Kinda sparks jealousy in them. 🌋

Moon+lilith conjunction in the 2nd- you may notice that people go silent when you start to speak. They hear very intently😌👂. Square could mean misinterpreted words or people purposely twisting your words to make you appear as the bad guy.😠💢👊

🌙

That's it for now! Ill be back soon to answer your questions and engage with you. As of now I'll be recovering! Thanks for reading! :)

[vampirae]

Astrology observations

Capricorn Venus isn't so materialistic, into hypergamy or well-known/respected people. There's more depth to this placement; they look for a long-term relationship or bond, so they're not gonna invest their time, energy, money and love for something frivolous as popularity or a nice income, surely they wouldn't mind an ambitious person or someone that wants more than a simple life, but they look firstly for a safe place, someone that won't let the down, and understands them.

Fire rising with a watery planet (like Moon, Neptune or Pluto) in 1st house or heavily aspected by the aforementioned planets tend to be mistaken for a water sign or rising. Their fiery nature is watered down but if you look closely and patiently you'll notice that fierness, vitality and chaotic positive energy that only fire signs could have.

Planets in 2nd house or Taurus could be accused of being lazy, and honestly they're okay with it, it's your problem not theirs, they just enjoy doing stuff in their own natural pace, unless they have fire placements or abundant fiery houses. They'll take this more as a criticism, and honestly it will get on their nerves, and they would light up that fire and start doing projects one after another, just to show you, that you shouldn't underestimate them.

Honestly, fire placements tend to be really emotional, but not in a watery placements way, but more when you touch their ego, personality or life visions. It's also the only placements (except Scorpio and Capricorn) that could use their rage/annoyance to their advantage, it gives them an extra boost of motivation and energy.

Cardinal moons are the easier to deal with. Like you could persuade them more easily, also they're more open to new perspectives, unless they hate you obviously, then you can't do anything.

Like fixed moons are so so so stubborn about their emotions and beliefs, that it's useless to talk to them. Let's say they're in a toxic relationship, no matter how much you try to convince them to leave their partner, they'll find an excuse for every toxic trait their partner have, it's like talking to a wall.

Same situation but mutable moons, oh Jesus, try to understand what they're thinking, and if they understood your point of view, until they're sure they can manage the situation, they'll stick with it even if, they may realize you're right.

Cardinal moons on the other side, are way more realistic and pragmatic, if you give them evidence and a well thought explanation, they'll start crying like little bitches, but will listen to you and start to think about it, planning what to do, or just looking at the pro and cons. Somehow they're the least delusional moons, even if all this realism hurts them.

Scorpio placements, honestly I don't understand why all this placements are so sexualised, tbh they only Scorpio placement worth it, it's Scorpio mars (hot bitches by default). I've noticed that usually Scorpio placements are so overbearing and borderline toxic. I mean they're a ride or die, tend to very loyal and sincere, gives amazing insights and advices but in love, oh Jesus, too much drama, paranoia, jealousy etc. The only placement I feel safe with it's Scorpio mars, they're just too focused chasing their goals and give all they have to their partner, my golden boy/girl in an ocean of issues.

Talking about Capricorn placements, I low-key hate when people think they're marriage material or extremely loyal, like it's enough to be in their hearts to have the best version of them and the undying love. Sure, they look like the least person to hurt you, but they can be worse and more insincere that a stereotyped Gemini or Libra. Usually they're taken for granted, and people use them a lot, without appreciating them or their efforts, with time, their resentment grows, to a point where they will continue acting as usual, but behind your back, they'll chase pleasures and happiness. Practical example: they could have another partner or just a liaison that would fill their emptiness, or hide their real income, and use the rest for enjoying or buying stuff, or just going out with other ppl, it may be also friends, yet say they had some extra work to do. I've noticed that Capricorn placements ends up with controlling people (family, lovers, friends), so they learned to act well and do stuff in secrecy.

Also, Capricorn placements tend to have few things that sparks joy in them, it's always about responsibility, goals, self mastering, chasing career or social status, whatever they do it's never enough, few are the lucky ones that have a healthy emotional support or enough ego to chase what they really want or love.

To sum up, a Saturnian heart it's like a flower, if you take care of it one day it will become like an Hayao Miyazaki's garden, if you do the bare minimum you'll end up with a lawn full of weeds. They have a lot to offer, really they can be so selfless but to the right people. *I think even some 10th house placements could relate to it*

[makethatelevenrings]

One Star Review // J. Todd x gn!reader

Requested? Yes!

Warnings: injury, blood, medical talk

Summary: When working a late night shift at the drug store, a certain vigilante comes stumbling in with a stab wound and a bad attitude.

The bell over the door chimed, setting off your Pavlovian response to greet the incoming customer. By the time you raised your head, you found no one standing there. Peeking over the counter, you spied a trail of blood drops on the linoleum tiles and sighed.

Working at a twenty-four hour drugstore in Gotham was a guarantee for stories to bring home to your roommates, but the novelty had worn off by the third robbery. You wished you could say that random people stumbling in with injuries was rare, but you weren’t raised to be a liar.

“Hi, can I help you?” you called. A low curse met your ears and you moved out from behind the bulletproof glass covered desk to peer down the aisles. The trail led you towards the first aid section. Of course.

“Do you need help?” you tried again.

“Fuck off,” was your reply.

You huffed and turned around the end of the aisle to find Red Hood of all people leaning up against the shelves with one hand clasped over his side and the other full of various first aid items. Planting your hands on your hips, you stared at him with an unimpressed look on your face.

“This is my store, bitch boy. Don’t tell me to fuck off,” you snapped. “And sit down before you hurt yourself worse.”

“I’m gonna write a review,” he grumbled. “Terrible service. Employee called me a bitch boy.”

“Tough,” you said. You gestured for him to follow you over to a chair next to the blood pressure cuff. “Now move it.”

He sighed and maneuvered his large frame into the small chair. Red Hood pulled his hand away from his side and you could see the angry, pulsing wound under his destroyed body armor. A hiss of empathetic pain passed through your teeth and you leaned in closer to see it.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” he snapped.

“Do you want to be a dick and bleed out or do you want help? Because you can’t do both.”

That shut him up, thankfully. You poured a glob of hand sanitizer on your hands and scrubbed it in before you pulled on a pair of the latex gloves from the box he grabbed. Gently, you pulled his ruined kevlar away from his skin and examined the wound.

“You got stabbed,” you noted. “Didn’t go too deep, luckily. Must have been a sharp knife to break through this material.”

“Assassins,” he muttered.

“Yeah, that’ll do it.” Grabbing the saline wash and some clean gauze wrappers, you ripped open the gauze and poured saline on it. Without giving him a warning, you pressed it against the wound. Red Hood, to his credit, barely flinched.

“I’m in an EMT class right now,” you explained. “I’ve always been interested in this stuff but shit, it’s expensive. By the way, you better be paying for this stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah. Put it on my tab,” he said through gritted teeth.

The two of you fell into an easy silence as you packed his wound and applied a layer of thick gauze before taping it onto his skin. You tried to ignore the very pronounced dips of his abs, but how could you when they were right there? The second you were done taping down the edges, he was fighting to stand up.

“Woah,” you exclaimed. Your hands landed on his shoulders and you pushed him back into the seat. “You lost a lot of blood so I wouldn’t try to get up too quickly.”

“I need to get back out there,” he argued. “Thanks for the help, but you did your job. Now I need to do mine.”

Your face went deadpan and you stared at him with pursed lips and raised brows. “Okay, fine. But if you go out there and ruin my handiwork, you will have to live with the guilt of knowing that you were a dick to a retail employee.”

Red Hood’s helmet stared off into the distance for a moment before he grumbled out a “fine” and settled back in the chair. A triumphant smirk settled across your face and you started to gather up the trash you had tossed around you when patching him up.

“Let me grab you a juice and some crackers to help with your blood sugar. Any kind you want?”

He sighed. “Apple, please.”

When you returned to the back of the store, the chair was empty except for a single one-hundred dollar bill and a business card. The card was face down, blue ink marking the empty white space of the back.

Call her, it instructed. You flipped it over and read the name printed on the front. Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

“Huh,” you murmured to yourself. You were definitely telling your roommates about this the second you got home.

Tag List: @mcrmarvelloki​ @gone-batty-fics​ @someoneimsure​ @perpetual-fangirl900​ @visagebrise​ @cursedandromedablack​ @alexxavicry​ @the-wayward-daughter​ @raging-trash-of-mind​ @kat-nee​ @khaylin27​ @igotanidea​ @princessbl0ss0m​

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

You might have seen me mentioning before the Palestinian Authority's "Pay for Slay" policy, where they pay Palestinian terrorists based on how deadly their attacks have been. Let me share something even worse: based on the Oslo peace accords from the 1990's, Israel collects the Palestinian tax money, and then passes it along to the PA. Which means, when Israel became aware of the "Pay for Slay" law (yes, turns out that it's a LAW, not just a program, that the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists... the same PA that now has the audacity to claim at the International court in Hague that Israel is committing a genocide, meaning the intentional destruction of, or a part of, a nation... I think a LAW that financially incentivizes terrorists to kill members of the Israeli nation fits), it also realized that Israeli authorities, paying with Israeli tax payer money for the work done by Israeli clerks tasked with doing this, has been collecting and passing along money that goes to pay Palestinian terrorists for having attacked, injured and murdered Israelis. In what world is that right? In what world is it moral to make a victim, through a "peace accord" participate in the payment to its victimizer? As part of the money collected by Israel and given to the PA, an annual 278 million dollars (!) are then passed by it to Palestinian terrorists for hurting and killing Israelis. The PA has already added Oct 7 terrorists, most of them Hamas members, to the list of those being paid thanks to the "Pay for Slay" law.

The annual payment was revealed thanks to a lawsuit by the parents of 26 years old Dalia Lemkus, who was stabbed to death in Nov 2014 by a Palestinian terrorist (he also injured 2 others. Dalia herself had survived a previous terrorist attack in 2006. On the day she was murdered, another Israeli was killed in a separate terrorist attack. I don't think most people realize just how intense Palestinian terrorism is). The lawsuit was filed against the PA, which has been paying him 3,300 dollars a month. This is Dalia, may her memory be a blessing:

I'm not gonna lie, I'm thinking about the fact that coincidentally, I've been at our Holocaust museum and education center since Nov 2014, with the purpose of helping to educate against antisemitism, racism, homophobia, every other type of generalized hatred that humans are capable of, and against genocide, which is the possible consequence of that type of hate. And a part of what's wrong with this world, is that even with me being a "veteran," I get paid less money a month than that Palestinian terrorist does for having murdered a Jewish woman based on that kind of generalized hatred. My income depends on how many tours, lectures or workshops I did that month, but in almost 10 years of working there, I have never had a month where I got a salary of 3,300 dollars, most months I don't make it to half of that, and I have had many months where my salary was zero (during Covid, and whenever the security situation is bad enough that no one comes to our museum). Don't get me wrong, I consciously made a choice to do this work, where my salary would be very low, because I wanted to do something meaningful, I'm not complaining, but I can't help thinking about the fact that a part of why antisemitism thrives, is because it IS socially and financially rewarded, clearly more so than fighting it. That was true before and during the Holocaust, and sadly has been true since as well.

I would love to understand how the evacuation of civilian Gazans out of the war zone is described as "ethnic cleansing" or worse, but not the evacuation of Ukrainian civilians out of those war zones, and not the evacuation of a Hamas-affiliated Al Jazeera "journalist" (who documented himself in southern Israel during Hamas' massacre), taken out of Gaza to Egypt, to be flown from there to Qatar, one of the two great financiers of Hamas (along with Iran). Qatar has not opened up its gates to wounded Gazan civilians. It's clear Ismail Abu Omar was given this special treatment precisely because he is a Hamas terrorist. What's scary about this possibility is that the IDF didn't know he was smuggled out of Gaza, begging the question, who else is Hamas smuggling out? Also, this is Hamas' middle finger to anyone claiming Gaza is closed off, and an open air prison or concentration camp...

Speaking of Qatar, it is currently hosting the swimming world championship. Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko won a silver medal, a huge Israeli achievement, but she got repeatedly booed by the crowd, including during the medals ceremony. Anastasia has a childhood classmate who is currently held hostage in Gaza. She dedicated her medal to him.

A TV report by an Israeli journalist (source in Hebrew) is about a Hamas document dated May 2023, which the IDF found, the summary of a Hamas leaders meeting. It details some of the considerations for the timing of "the big project," listing 4 Jewish holidays as possibilities for the massacre (including Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, and Simchat Torah, when the massacre actually took place), so it's clear Hamas was always going to use our holy days against us. Another thing mentioned is that Hamas must strike before Israel deploys Magen Or (literally: shield of light, but most publications in English refer to it as Iron Beam), the laser-based defense system meant to complement Iron Dome. The system has been making a lot of progress, enough that by Oct 2023 there have been reports on it becoming operational soon. The document mentions making Israel used to Hamas conducting large scale exercises close to the border, so that the commotion ahead of the massacre wouldn't look abnormal, and it also mentions making use of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second biggest Palestinian terrorist organization in Gaza. It wasn't included in the plans, but was being relied on. In recent years, all of Israel's operations in Gaza have been against PIJ, and Hamas chose not to join them, the document indicates that this was done in order to reinforce the idea in Israel that Hamas is more interested in the wellfare of Gazans, than in killing Israelis. At the same time, the document warns not to let PIJ fuck up Hamas' planned operation.

I did not write about the private initiative of family members to send medications through international mediators to Hamas, meant for the hostages, for the simple reason that I did not for a second believe Hamas would give the hostages these meds. I didn't wanna get my hopes up, when logically, I was sure such initiatives were futile. Now, thanks to the IDF's operation in the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, we have confirmation that these meds were found in its pharmacy, with the names of the hostages on the unopened boxes, meaning the kidnapped Israelis never got them. We can assume the meds were kept in the hospital pharmacy, either to serve Hamas terrorists, or to be sold, with the money going to Hamas.

This is Matan ben Ari, the last Israeli injured on Oct 7 (out of thousands) to be discharged from the hospital on Dec 1, almost two full months after Hamas' massacre. People spontaneously gathered around to applaud him as he was making his way out:

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[wallisninety-six]

I hope all people roll their eyes at capitalists freaking out about low fertility rates worldwide- I’m sorry, but there’s no way you can ever make me give two fucks about and freak out about declining birth rates worldwide

“But it’s gonna be disastrous for the economy and labor force!” Okay, that’s an economy problem. More of a problem for an economy that’s laser-focused on non-stop growth to even remotely work well and falls into crisis mode when that growth just slows, don’t blame birth rates for a shitty economic system’s inherent flaws

And beyond that, if people across the world are too scared (because of climate change and shootings), too broke (slave-wages and intense income inequality), and too little time to spend with family, loved-ones, making dreams a reality, and little effective welfare programs to birth and raise kids, then why listen to the fearmongerings of a wealthy class that put us in this situation to begin with?

It’s even worse when many countries (including/mainly the US) are being openly hostile to the things that can keep population increases at bay- with attempts to take away birth control and abortion, this all leaves an even worse bad taste in my mouth and shows an even worse, extra dimension to all this. People are hurting in the name of god & economy. Forcing birthrates down is bad & flawed enough- forcing it up is lunacy

And besides, is society really going to be *better* if we *force* a huge population increase for the *sake* of an extremely broken and flawed economy? Hell no, it’s not like things got any better when the population went from 6 billion to 8 billion from the 2000s to now.

Declining birth rates spreading worldwide show that an extremely industrial, capitalist world that has shaped and grew humanity astronomically for decades, is hitting a major wall- and if “the economy” can’t handle a demographic shift that seems destined to happen without sputtering into permanent crisis, then it should be left in the dustbin of history for good.

[voparwave69]

Worst part abt this is that every time I tell my case worker abt the treatment and show her proof she just

She endorses this behavior

She endorses the kids being beaten and it fucking hurts

One if the foster kids here is leaving (he's going back to his mom I'm so happy for him) and immedietly they're replacing him with another foster kid

"You guys are so expensive to raise" then WHY ARE YOU TAKING IN ANOTHER KID??? HELLO????

WHY does she endorse it? For what fucking reason? Why are the people that are in charge of kids without parents the people that are the LEAST empathetic for a situation that requires MORE empathy? Why are the therapists in low income clinics for disadvantaged kids LESS empathetic? Why does this always fucking happen? It's not only kids from "normal" or well off situations that deserve to be treated with care. If anything they've already got support and MORE should be going to the kids that have less. Also don't EVER let that "yall are so expensive to raise" excuse get to you. It is not YALL. They CHOSE to do this. They're just mad that they can't keep every fucking penny is all it is. Notice in my last message I said "when I'm financially set I would like to be a foster parent". If I can't afford it then I'm not going to do it. They didn't HAVE to be foster parents, they chose to be, and they're not gonna have the audacity to act like that's YALLS fault for not just basically being live in objects for them to collect cash over. Yall are human beings, more human than they are. My grandparents had that same excuse for my uncle and they literally killed him through neglect. They bitched and moaned about how needy he was because they wanted to just collect cash for him. Me and my mom offered to take care of him and she wouldn't let us. Her hatred towards him wasn't because she was tired or he was too much, it was because she wanted to sit on her lazy fucking ass and just be paid for having the mercy to keep him alive. And she failed at that too. He died directly from her neglect because he had severe UTIs that I kept telling her he needed to go to the doctor over and she lied and said the doctors said it was normal. He died of chronic kidney infections. He was genuinely the sweetest person I've ever known and was severely mentally handicapped and just wanted to play guitar and sing for people. He was always saying "I just want to make everyone happy". He was almost cartoonishly innocent and she incomprehensibly evil. And since it's the topic at hand -- that's why I fucking destroyed her entire life. She's lost tons of weight from stress and fear and whenever I see her she looks miserable and I know she is terrified of me. I laced her house with things for her to find, and i know she's found them recently, and I know that they're going to make her even worse, and for every second of misery and fear and looking over her back and having nightmares is only a fraction of what she did to him. That's what people like that deserve -- to live in constant helpless fear like they inflict on others. They inflict hell for no reason and therefore they need to live in a hell that they crafted with their own actions, sewing their own prison without even knowing it. People like your foster parents need to know there are people like me out there. And while I may not find them in the mundane, I and those I know will find them later. :o)

[lmkwritings]

I’m not sure you’re open or still interested in lmk but I bring a request!

Can I have a headcannon where reader is sweet but has really bad luck? ( Like she would almost get hit by a car, incoming ball to the face, tripping, accidentally falling down the stairs, bumping into furniture or people, and light poles, flower pots or signs almost falling on her. And not just her getting hurt but generally things that won’t work with her like a soda getting stuck in a vending machine, losing her wallet and opening a bag of chips but it gets ripped apart instead and falls over to the ground. )

People actually avoid her cause they’re afraid it’ll spread to them and it makes her lonely but accepts this because this is her life now..

So I was wondering if the traffic light group ( Mk, Mei and redson ) and wukong ( or maybe I’ll do him in a separate request so I don’t overwhelm you 😅) actually found this out by hanging out with her and does everything to protect her or put her out of harms way? ( I thought this idea was cute and funny so I hope it’ll be fun for you! )

i like you.

it had just been any other normal day, until;

⭐️ MK 💫

A baseball came flying for your head.

it had been quick, with the slightest shift of his foot, MK swung his staff like a bat, the loud “CRACK!” of his staff slamming against the ball your only warning.

it left you staring at him in silent awe, the fact he had caught it in time before it hit you, and in awe over the fact that he had Hit it.

he whirled towards you with a swish, and a frenzied look in his eyes, the loud(er) crack of his staff leaving a crater on the sidewalk as he dropped it dragged your gaze down.

not for long though.

“are you alright?!”

a smile made its way across your face slowly.

🐉 Mei 🐉

A potted plant came tumbling down, struck you upon the shoulder.

it had been sudden, and made a sharp cry leave your throat, causing Mei to whirl around in a panic, rushing to your side and hands fluttering in a panic around the wounded area.

“i’m okay- it’s okay-“ you whispered, gripping your arm just below the swelling skin.

she caught onto your pain, and called her bike.

“it’s okay babe, it’s alright, i’m taking you to the hospital okay? your gonna be okay.” you smiled in a strained manner, and she wrapped an arm delicately around you.

“i’m gonna take care of you, okay?

♦️Red son🔥

A crumbling building came down atop you.

you couldn’t stop it- you were mortal, helping evacuate the area. red son, your boyfriend, however..

he grunted, face screwing up before he forced his eyes open, giving you a strained smile. he stood above you, the heavy metal and walls lay atop his shoulders, alight with the blaze that was his hair and crumbling around him.

it was like a small pocket of air around you both, but that air was running out with his flames.

“take a breath. good, another. another, hold.” when you did as told, he grunted, and then you watched him strain, watched his teeth grit, and then the building started trembling, more rubble rained around you both.

he took a deep breath, you felt the air grow sweltering hot, you wanted to breathe, but squeezed your eyes shut and let red son do his thing.

you felt more rubble rain down, heard the low creaking groan of the metal and the large office building and then, sounds.

“you guys okay?!” “redson! (y/n)?!”

then there were arms around you and you realized you had passed out from the heat. oops.

“i’ve got you darling, it’s alright. your safe with me.”

———

:)

[xkittzkornerx]

so, team, what's the gameplan for Junes and generally any LGBTQ+ and progressive events/spaces under another Trump term? clearly, we're not going anywhere, and we're gonna have to navigate some extra assholery thanks to the emboldening of some of the worst possible people alive. i highly doubt these idiots can successfully complete a full Project 2025, but they have managed to implement some stuff already, so don't sell them completely short. we still have work to do.

a few things off the top of my head:

use the buddy system at crowded gatherings; tell trusted people where you're going and the time you should be back.

if you're closeted and feel unsafe, do not come out until you have a support system/safer place to live.

ignore hecklers; they are looking for a reaction/an excuse to hurt you (and we all know the cops are gonna favor them over us).

create in-person community. we need to stay connected and communicative. spoken-word cannot be tracked (they will be digitally tracking us specifically, especially our members that are female and of child-bearing age, low-income, and of color).

practice general internet safety. private your personal accounts. don't tell people your location. wait to post videos of yourself in public 'til you've left that place. be careful showing yourself vulnerable. do not mention anything related to your reproductive health/choices (contraceptives, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion). delete your period and pregnancy tracking apps and start keeping your cycle on a physical calendar or journal.

stock up on contraceptives and abortion pills. you can purchase these online. try going for generic brands to save money.

women/women-presenting: questioning if you should get that divorce? get it now. they are coming for no-fault divorce. you are allowed to ditch people who mistreat you/waste your time.

if you've been wanting to and can, get sterilized ASAP.

do not trust the police. remember Stonewall. the moment laws and policies turn against us, the cops follow like sheep. they are not our friends. they are not gonna strike in our honor, or anybody's for that matter. they're traitors to the working class whether they meant to be or not. if you know any, be careful with what you share. a lot of them see their "Blue family" before anything else...

help where you can. know your role. i'm still learning mine. :)

[mr-president]

*Crashes into whatever space you are living in and plasters the hole with duct tape.

Tell me about your Marxist analysis on pokemon XD

:3

i live in a college dorm please pay for the wall or they’re gonna charge me $10000+ please please pls pl

anyway.

I’d like to first establish that the Pokémon in Pokémon XD are something akin the proletariat—the working/laboring class. Pokémon XD and Colosseum introduce the mechanic of “shadow Pokémon,” where Pokémon are literally manufactured in a factory that “closes their hearts,” turning them into nothing but mindless battle machines. Shadow Pokémon are aggressive, may attack opposing trainers, and hurt themselves in their rage.

This is all for a pokémon that is nothing but a mindless battle machine—it is literally separating pokémon from their labor. The Pokémon’s personhood (Pokemonhood?) is dismissed simply for the value they possess in exerting power. in addition to the fact that shadow Pokémon are both laborers and products that are sold and distributed, and this echoes how the labor of the proletariat are devalued, seen as “lessers” merely to be used. They are just as much products as they are the means of production.

There’s also the fact that shadow Pokémon aren’t created from conception however—they’re pokémon that were stolen from their trainers and turned into shadow Pokémon. So, in a sense, Pokemon XD comments how the modes of production require foul play in order to sustain constant productivity, and the proletariat are then manipulated and morphed by the bourgeoisie, stolen from their homes, and have the burden placed on their shoulders. Of course, I’m going very surface level with this analysis but you can read the stealing of Pokémon for shadow Pokémon production in other ways.

Anyway, what makes Pokémon XD, and the GameCube Pokémon games in general, different from most other Pokémon media is just how different the orre region is because orre is uniquely low-income.

This is more apparent in the first game, Pokémon Colosseum, where every location is rife with some level of crime and poverty. The buildings are often dated and worn down, there are no established roads between areas (you have to motorbike/scooter through barren desert), the land is so dry and barren that no wild Pokémon exist within the region, and—importantly—the people of orre are rude.

This is less apparent in XD because Michael is a literal child, but in Colosseum, a large portion of NPCs insult and belittle Wes or Rui. In a sense, Colosseum comments how people in poverty can’t afford to be “nice”—niceness itself is a luxury, and this is also highlighted in the high crime rate in Orre. Even Wes himself is a thief and probably murderer, even if the game never explicitly shows anyone dying.

But the brunt of Orre’s poverty however is how a massive global corporation such as Cipher can operate and fly under the radar in orre. Orre does not have the means nor power to stop Cipher from setting up their main base of operations there because unlike every other pokémon region, there is no established “league” or “government.”

So of course the people of Orre buy into Cipher’s plans and often propagate shadow Pokémon because there is nothing else they can do. It’s them versus this massive corporation that suddenly started taking over and buying up land and stealing their Pokémon if they don’t comply (they do this with Duking).

The inhabitants of Orre then too must operate within Cipher outside their own volition. It’s akin to how the bourgeois in the real world occupy low-income areas, buy out every other property, and eventually take over every aspect of a region. When more rural land owners don’t comply, the bourgeois will develop as close to their property as possible and drive them out of their conformity.

Even the location of Phenac City is a literal gentrified area, the only city in the deep desert that has water and literally housed the region head of a global organization. For what is the most “developed” modern city in the game (that isn’t built into a fucking tree), it makes sense that it would be run by Cipher in this way. It allows Cipher to operate on a level of plausible deniability—haven’t they brought this wonderful city to Orre? Haven’t they helped its people? Perhaps corporations can be good for “helping” people via charity.

All they gotta do is give a Pokémon or two (or steal a Pokémon or two) to Cipher and never say anything about their rulers.

This is the Orre region. It isn’t just one city taken over by a big bad—this is an entire Pokémon region and its main trade being completely at the mercy of a global corporation.

It’s important to note just how wealthy, then, Cipher is. Specifically, its CEO—Grandmaster Greevil. Also known as the wealthy philanthropist—Mr. Verich.

Michael meets Greevil as Mr. Verich, whose bodyguard saves him from a street thug. This is painted as an act of kindness or charity—like kissing a baby on camera—but this deed becomes much more insidious when it’s revealed that Mr. Verich manufactured the whole situation in the first place. That street thug attacked Michael because he wanted to show off a shadow Pokémon. Mr. Verich only saved Michael so that the presence of shadow Pokémon wouldn’t alert the public.

Billionaires perform acts of charity as a smokescreen for the actual harm they may cause, whilst endearing themselves to the public eye. For Greevil, saving Michael just so happened to coincide with his intended goal that doubled as a means to increase his public image.

Greevil is also very well liked by the people of Orre, especially in Gateon Port. The sailors at the diner all cheer his name because Mr. Verich will often pay for all of their tabs, letting them eat free for the day. The novelist, a friend of Michael’s, calls Mr. Verich interesting and intends to write a book idolizing the man’s good deeds and character. There’s an old woman who’s in love with Mr. Verich—people fucking love this guy for existing and being rich.

The bourgeois’ charity is not only celebrated but idolized—worshipped, but this “kindness” is merely an act to further their control. Mr. Verich isn’t merely doing this out of the kindness of his heart nor as a smokescreen for his more nefarious side—it’s so he can gain control over the only means of trade Orre has so that he may distribute shadow Pokémon globally more easily. The rich can not only “afford” niceness, but this niceness itself is a commodity that can be bought using wealth to gain more capital.

So in XD, Michael essentially acts as a “union man” by unionizing the pokémon in an act of ideological un-brainwashing via “purification”, which “opens the heart” of a shadow pokémon. The act of purification in XD is interesting because it emphasizes community between pokémon, synergizing their strengths and weaknesses into something impenetrable, and healing them from being mindless laborers for capitalism.

Michael is uniquely free from capitalistic forces for two reasons 1) he’s a child and therefore able to “imagine a world without capitalism,” and 2) he kinda grew up in a commune. Like, if you think about it, the purification lab is a self-sustaining commune that supports its inhabitants and encourages gradual but effective scientific progression in the Purify Chamber. Michael is the “big Communism builder,” and the Purification Pokémon lab is the commune.

I think the difference in scientific progression of the Purification Lab compared to Cipher’s Shadow Pokémon Lab also needs to be stated:

The creation of XD001–Shadow Lugia—and the mass production of shadow pokémon also illustrates how science and scientific “progress” is largely determined by what the top 1% will put their money into. How streamlined scientific progress is for the Pokémon equivalent of mass bioweapons.

But, in the uniquely communist society that Michael grew up in, Pokemon XD reveals that communism is not a stalling of scientific progress but simply a change in the intentions of it. In a capitalistic society, science is driven by capital and the bourgeois. In a communist society, science is driven by a mutual interest in a common societal “good.”

tldr;

[my-castles-crumbling]

hey cas

I'm scared.

I'm scared that I'm going down some weird ass classism alt right pipeline.

I'm queer and trans myself, I've always been what ppl mockingly call a "social justice warrior" and I've always stood up against racism, classism and homo-and transphobia of any kind as much as I could

The problem is, that I'm currently being bullied and I have been for the last five, six ish years.

My bullies come from low income immigrant families, and I know rationally that the way they were raised contributes very greatly to why they're like this now why they bully me

I also know that they are also just reacting, to their own jealousy towards me... But lately, every time I'm angry at them, when I've had a particularly bad day, when they've been proper bitches again, smth inside of me thinks "Oh but it's okay because they're never gonna make it anywhere in life cus they're poor" or "Oh but they're less than me anyway, that's just how it is." or "they deserve that their families suck, because they hurt me so much" (there's more examples of it tho)

And i rationally know that all of that is my own trauma talking, that this is a somewhat natural reaction to someone pushing me down like that, is to push back, no matter how bad it may seem, because to a point they've destroyed my self confidence (or tried to) and this is a way for that to recover. It's not a good one, ik that

Anyways, my point is I'm scared. I'm scared that one day I'm gonna hurt someone who hasn't done anything wrong to me, just because they're similar to my bullies, or jus because it triggers that same reaction in me. I'm scared because ik of myself that I'm a rational person and know that these prejudices are not real or true. But the thought of saying these things and yelling at people for it is still there, when I get angry.

I wanna try going to therapy this year, but I'm not sure if this is something I can explain without sounding insane

Any advice would be rlly appreciated, I just don't know what to do about this, like at all, and you're the only person I can think of who I can trust with this

Thank you

-😇

(ironic emoji, ik)

Hi!

I think this is honestly a really complicated situation, for all the reasons you listed. But the important thing is, you're constantly questioning your biases and prejudices, which is really important.

I think all people with privilege (it sounds like you have class privilege) have biases, right? And because you're being bullied, it makes it even more complicated. But it's our job to question them and you're doing that. Honestly, you can't be expected to treat your actual bullies with a hundred percent graciousness...that's not human. but if you find you're treating OTHER people in ways that are bigoted, that's a red flag and you might need to take some time to think about your actions.

I think therapy is a really good idea, regardless. Like everyone should be in therapy, but especially people who have been/are being bullied.

I also am wondering what the hell the school is doing about this? Because yeah, bullying happens for a reason, people have their own issues, blah blah blah, but you still should NOT have to deal with it. You don't deserve it. Does the school know? Are they being helpful at all?

naming you angel anon!

[oceanofsoup]

Figure I'd throw out my thoughts about the finale, right out the gate I fucking loved it and could not have asked for a better way to end their story. Tech not being cx 2 hurts, especially considering he's the only member of the batch that didn't get that happy ending, but something I have been seeing less of in media is actual sacrifices. It becomes much more meaningful to think back on that scene with the confirmation that he did indeed use his last moments ensuring that his family was able to get away, however I will be constantly making myself cry thinking about what could have been with him and phee.

The whole escape was amazing to watch, I particularly loved emerie and echo following the kids' path of destruction and just being like, ah yes classic omega. Everyone's roles were great conclusions to what we've been seeing the whole series, and one of the best character arcs in all of star wars with crosshair. The deaths of both rampart and hemlock were perfect, with rampart finding out the consequences of his actions and the boys getting revenge for all the pain that hemlock has caused. I also think is interesting that they didn't have omega try to do anything with the force, even connecting with the zillo beast (not in a negative way, i love moving on from needing a force user as a main character). For me it just confirms/backs up my own theory, it's not the she had a significant m-count, but because she's almost entirely unmodified she was able to keep whatever Jangos m-count was while the modifications on all other clones rendered m-count null or at least super low.

They more than deserved their life on Pabu, being able to live quietly and let omega grow up the way they never got to. And omega getting the chance to chose to get back into the fight, wanting to help people cause she knows all to well what the empire is capable of and what they'll do to get what they want. I wonder if those clone cadets joined the rebellion as well. Old man hunter is everything I could have ever hoped for, I was gonna point out hunters new bandanna to my dad but then I saw that omega had his old one and started crying a bit. Him calling omega their kid broke me and I don't think I'll be able to recover from this, he was able to fully embrace being a father and I couldn't be happier.

All in all this was so fucking good and I hope that zillo beast is having the time of his life on a planet all by himself and no one tries to hurt him again. Cannot wait to read the incoming horde of omega and hera reunion fics.

[viciouslyfilthy]

I got this kind of ask for the frost kids and thought you might have fun with it as well! Rank the sins from the worst to best person

AWH MAN I MUSTA MISSED IT BC I DIDNT SEE THAT ON UR BLOG!! 🐀💨💨 this is gonna be fun lmao. I'm SO sorry it took me this long to finally reply to this 😭 I've been so distant from my OCs, I miss talking about/drawing them. Beware the reply is LONG make yourself a coffee in the meantime lmao

FROM WORST TO BEST (OR AT LEAST... A LITTLE LESS 'WORSE')

Oof, for worst of the worst? I'm torn between Sün and Jeremiah. They're kind of like two sides of the same coin, but with opposite 'positive' traits. Jeremiah is greedy and will squash anyone that gets in the way of getting what he wants and puts down his low income workers. Jeremiah doesn't care what others think of him, thus he doesn't try to control it. He operates mainly through a consumerist's point of view, so as long as what he produces is good and he has satisfied clients and most of his workers are content, you can't really hurt him and he doesn't care. But he is greedy, he takes more than what he gives to lower-class folks who work for him because they don't provide him with many benefits compared to someone who's wealthier or is more popular/has an influence because it can attract more customers. He is unwilling to change his capitalist mindset because of selfishness and greed.

Whereas Sün is generous (money has no value for him) and is willing to, albeit begrudgingly, negotiate things and discuss topics of change especially amongst his followers since he wants them to think they're on the same level. (manipulates their view to get his way but at least he's not making their lives entirely miserable); and for those that aren't up to date on Sün- the reason I think he's one of the worst is because: he is a cult leader supernatural creature that witholds the power of the Sun itself, which he uses as a fear tactic for his flock since they believe he's the one true God that really makes the world work (spinning the Earth, making natural life exist). Sün is manipulative and egotistical whom preys on the weak-minded and those in vulenrable positions (economical or otherwise) to indoctrinate them into his cult and further grow the worship around Him. (NOTE: he is not truly a deity, he just goes along with whatever people call him to fuel his ego. What he is exactly is complex to describe, but he's basically a supernatural terrestrial creature that is tied to the Sun, hence giving him a long lifespan. When the Sun blows up, his life ends on the spot as well- like having a heart attack. A true deity is not a creature born on Earth, their powers are not limited- meaning they can bend time, space & dimensions, and they do not die.)

-

Next up is Claude, because of his status when he was alive in his time period. Now that aristocracy isn't a thing anymore, he has no real power in society which leaves him an outcast. Claude, to put it in plain words, is a man that has no clue what he's doing.

He was raised to be a certain way, was made to follow certain beliefs and that's how it simply is in his mind. He doesn't know how to look past that, he doesn't know about himself, unless he has someone whispering in his ear what he should do, he doesn't really know what he's supposed to stand for or who is 'the good guy' since from his point of view, it should be him objectively just because he's an aristocrat and has a wealthy background; he is often conflicted and hypocritical, he doesn't know right from wrong + he's constantly at war with himself. You don't want that kind of person to make political choices, let alone be in a powerful position.

-

Next up is Willy, because similarly to Claude, he too doesn't know what he's doing, but in this case it's a bit more literal because of his intense emotional disregulation, since he's never had parents or a guardian at all, and having been exposed to torture 'therapy treatments' at the insane asylum that he grew up in- it created a loose cannon.

How Willy acts and behaves is purely based on raw emotions, he has no sense of critical thinking or processing situations, and if for some reason he is unable to use violence (his usual go-to response) he just cowers in fear, bites and screams like a frightened wild animal. While this last bit might make him more empathetic, it's to make an observation that he cannot be reasoned with like an average person having a breakdown if he's overtaken by emotions even if restrained, he won't listen to you because you've made him feel upsetting emotions which makes you bad in his eyes. His one true Saint that he will listen to is Eden, because he's kind to him .

-

Next is Rotgut which I could argue goes on the same level as Willy... while they are both victims which you Can empathize with, it doesn't mean they're little angels that never did anything wrong. They are Bad™️ and they lash out externally at anyone that gets in their path, the difference here is that Rotgut is 100% aware of what he's doing and still chooses to do it because he genuinely believes people around him deserve it because of the many centuries where people have ridiculed, abused and killed him over and over in the past.

He goes as far as to detach himself from people as if he's not also human. He puts himself high on a pedastal, he sees little to no good in humanity so he's always degrading anything remotely humanoid because you are objectively below him just for existing as you are, in his eyes all you're good for is sex and he's more than open to show that in the form of catcalling or groping.

He's at a surprisingly higher level from the top 'worse' I mentioned at the very beginning because at heart he is not entirely a bad or beyond irredeemable person... believe it or not, he has moments where he manages to look past sex; he has interests he enjoys discussing with other people that enjoy them; he is quite generous when it comes to wealth- money means nothing to him other than 21st century collectibles to keep in his coin collection, it doesn't matter if he has money or not- if he sees something he wants, he takes it regardless, a prison cell can't contain him and he can't be killed.

And of course, he has a big soft spot for kids (his own mostly, human kids just annoy him but he would never hurt or ignore a human child in danger either); lastly- Rotgut has a strong sense of justice when it comes to discrimination, but it fluctates a lot between his own selfishness and being selfless for others, to the point where it makes him quite hypocritical. He's fully capable of simply not giving a damn about the next person's feelings or space by spitting on their food or unsolicited tiddy honking, but the moment he sees a marginalized group being threatened he fights back on impulse based on emotion. His home country was taken from the hands of his people and he was tortured and killed over and over again because he refused to leave or submit to christian beliefs, it's like an automatic response from the little bit of humanity he still has left to defend others going through something similiar. I guess this kind of makes him morally grey in some aspects?

-

Next up is Freddy, who is also on a morally grey spectrum.

On one hand he is a scary-intelligent but introverted man; he's kind, understanding, he can be melancholic (artistic melancholy/dramatic more often than genuine grieving or despair, to be clear), and maybe a little gruff but with good intentions, but on the other he's a mad scientist with horrendous coping mechanisms who's primarly focus is his work and his work ONLY, so far that he's willing to perform gruesome experiments on creatures he's captured over minor offenses.

His 'side jobs' as a monster hunter and hitman sometimes leads to finding creatures that genuinely mean no malicious harm- but he uses the excuse thaf they 'posed a threat to humanity' in the moment he caught them which, in his mind, automagically justifies kidnapping them and using them as guinea pigs- at which point he no longer sees you as a person but an emotionless object instead which he is allowed to toy around with to reach his desired goal in xyz experiment. Really, deep down torturing monsters he's captured and deemed 'a threat' is, in a way, a personal way of letting out his bottled-up frustration and resentment on something.

He can focus his spite in the form of work, which he sees not only as productive but beneficial; it's a methodical hate, it's calculated as he cuts, injects, and surgically separates tendon from muscle, basking in the agony of the creature.

All his life he's masked and bottled his true feelings, nobody would listen or try to reason with a 'hostile' man who can only argue over a joke because it was a microaggression towards him? And what of his attitude, nobody would take seriously someone who's bitter all the time, only because you judged him by his appearence.

I think, summarized: dr. Kraus' character is tragic; another case where this person is a victim of generational trauma and racism, which you can understand, but his actions aren't justified. He is very prideful, egocentric perhaps, he's aware of his position of power thanks to his intelligence, he knows he has talent and he's very smug about it; thus, he justifies himself that this 'inferior' creature's (or anyone who crosses him) fate is for him to decide what to do.

He CAN be reasoned with. He can be redeemed. Kind of similiar to Willy, his actions are very much tied to his emotions- but in this case it's much more complex and elaborate instead of unchained and direct. If he finds that he can relate to X creature/person, you can be able to dig out his humanity. (The best way I can picture this for it to be understandable is that final scene with Peter Parker and Otto Octavius in Spiderman 2)

-

Lastly, Eden! I think that on a scale, he's the most mentally stable and 'normal' out of everyone else, although his condition is far from normal, being a corpse full of rats and all. He's introverted, he's kind, he's understanding, he's open-minded and happy-go-lucky.

But that doesn't mean he isn't flawed. While he generally doesn't pose a threat to others (unless Sün forces him to), he has little to no respect/boundaries for himself. His 'soft' nature, his meekness, his cowardly/neutral behaviour to speak up for himself can make him become a victim at the hands of others without being able to eacape the cycle, and he allows it to keep happening out of fear. Sün openly abuses and bullies him knowing that he won't fight back; on the other hand, if he sees Sün abusing someone else, he will be too scared to speak up or mention it to someone else for fear of the abuser finding out, unless you force it out of him.

His personality mirrors Freddy's; he bottles up a lot of his feelings, leaving only those which are 'pleasant' for those around him. Both forced to put on a 'formal gentleman' mask to be seen as people in their timeline where appearences meant everything. He doesn't have any coping mechanism like Freddy, he just straight up ignores any feeling of anger, resentment, injustice because he thinks it's nonsense and doesn't know what to do with it.

And when he reaches his limit, just like Freddy- he explodes and unleashes raw, unprocessed emotions in destructive manners. Although his 'tolerance' bar is a lot higher than Freddy since he's lived like this his entire life, it's very rare for him to lash out. It's easier to see him cry or make him kiss your feet before you'll see him being genuinely angry/expressing his true feelings or standing up for himself, it's sad and pathetic.

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

https://www.instagram.com/stories/ponprincess/3394102924874995903?igsh=aGRrdmVreDl6dG1j

Does her post have anything to do with Evan and Nat?

I know it’s nothing serious with her post. But I feel that she is still childish and very sarcastic.

Now I know if Evan chooses a woman who is more stable and a little mature (especially for online behavior). Nat is very different from Fran.

And the second story of her (if it’s true that she’s comparing her to nat), nat has a stable job in NY as digital strategist. At least, she has a stable income from big agency, means that she’s talented. But sorry to say, what is Fran's exact job? only makes amateur videos and as far as I know, she has really struggled to be financially independent since being with Evan, maybe even before being with Evan. Not typical woman with stable job.

i honestly don’t know who fran is lashing out at here, i don’t follow her life.. but that’s a pretty extreme cope either way 😭 remember, frances was the one whose online persona was “i don’t want to work, i shouldn’t have to work, i need a sugar daddy, i’m railing against rich people because i hate being poor” so no one is ever going to buy into her being “proud” that she’s an independent woman paying her own way. because fran herself hates that and resents it; she desperately wants a wealthy man to find her beautiful enough to fund a luxurious lifestyle for her. she was just in her IG stories telling everyone her new man funded a vacation for them, but he’s obviously not very wealthy because fran’s life isn’t upgraded yet and i know that frustrates her.

because she seems to pay close attention to the online chatter and obviously evan’s crazier stans go out of their way to inform her.. i do believe that due to stuff she’s said herself, it would bother frances that her and natalie are essentially the same age, and one is wayyy more accomplished than the other. natalie has a stable and solid career established, and seemingly surrounds herself with friends who are on her level - creative, fashionable, with careers of their own. but fran is still making low quality home videos she calls art, not making it as an influencer, in what’s likely a low level data entry type job that requires her to work remotely even while she’s on vacation 😬 meanwhile natalie just got the upgraded girlfriend package covid-era fran was denied; wined and dined in italy, front row at the fashion show on evan’s arm, while wearing a prada outfit fran will never be able to afford.

yeah, this one is gonna hurt for a while. pray for our girl. she’ll be alright! 🙏🏼