#to be clear: i pay mortgage on my house that i live in and my roommate also lives here

[weaselle]

i mean. It IS the comments section. Sends me into a rage too. And yeah, there's a lot of that sentiment all over the country. But not as much as you might assume if the comments section is your main sample. Also, california is... mostly conservative, by area. And disturbingly close by population. California voted for Reagan. Look at this

the only thing that makes california blue is that more people live in the blue areas, so those areas have more votes, and more of the people in the heavily populated places vote blue. But by population we're still only something like a 55/45 split percentage wise, so single issues like prison labor don't take a lot of people to swing it the other way.

And even for a very liberal voter, there's always like 10 or 15 things on the ballot that will raise taxes to do, and very few people are going to vote yes on all of them even though they are all incredibly worthwhile.

Because we already pay almost 45% of our income in total tax, plus one of the highest sales taxes of any state keeping our grocery bill high, and our housing prices are one of the worst in the country, and most people are already struggling financially, and i can tell you from experience you check yes on about 3 or 4 propositions that will raise taxes even more and you start to feel like you're at about the limit of what you can afford because you're already broke and you're voting to be broker.

Personally, I still voted yes to end prison labor in this state, but i didn't vote on a few things i believe in because... i used up all the yes votes i think i can afford. Plus a couple, actually, because i will absolutely vote to be even more poor to get some worthy things done. But then, I don't have kids or a mortgage or a sick spouse or anything either.

And prison labor isn't on the general population's radar in a big enough way. I know it's not, because when i get off the internet and i tell real people to their face that california uses prisoners for an amount of firefighting that would cost the state 100 million dollars if we actually paid people to do it instead of using prisoners, they never know that.

They also don't know just how much prison labor the US really uses, and they aren't aware of how, for example, the georgia governor's house (like the white house but for the state governor instead of the country's president) is a re-purposed slave plantation and the grounds keeping and cooking and housecleaning and everything is done on that ex-plantation by (mostly black) prison labor. So the main way it's a different facility now is that it produces legislation instead of cotton.

Me, i am very passionate about ending prison labor but there isn't enough public awareness (which i try my best to address with the people around me) and there isn't enough public agreement on priorities.

People sit with their voting guide every year trying to choose between prisoners, school kids, wildlife, air-quality, funding for battered women, environmental chemical regulation, the homeless, mental health services, raising minimum wage and a bunch more programs it feels shameful to vote "no" on... but i can only agree to be so much poorer next year before i have a panic attack about the possibility of winding up homeless again myself.

And there's chaff that gets in the way of the public having a clear cut decision. Because prison work programs are actually SUPER beneficial to incarcerated people (for example, gaining them an employable skill for when they get out, often with an employer who might actually hire them as an ex-con because they've already been working there as a convict. Incarcerated people go back to prison far less often if they have access to these kinds of programs). It's just, you can't tie it to any entity's profit margin or it becomes slave labor. It has to be a program that exists 100% for the benefit of the prisoners, which is always going to cost money and be a harder sell to the public. And the more complex an issue is, the harder it is to get the public to be educated about it, or have agreeing opinions.

Anyway, I don't really know anyone irl that feels the way the comments section feels, but i do think a lot of people vote yes on about half the things they wish they could afford. I don't think it lost because most people have "fuck those prisoners" feelings and voted no on it, i think it lost because a lot of people who would instantly agree to it if it was explained well to them and totally free, voted yes on other stuff and then left that one blank because it didn't make their top 5 list.

There's too many holes in the dike, and we already feel like we're out of fingers. And "prisoners" is a demographic that the public does not tend to have as much empathy for without unlearning a lot of internalized biases. It's starting from behind and it's competing with a lot of things competing for voter's hearts and minds... and wallets.

I suspect the people you've had conversations with who are aghast about the results are probably not in touch with this part of the way things are, or else they think the issue they are most passionate about should automatically be the issue everyone else is most passionate about too.

I hate it, I HATE that abolishing prison labor wasn't passed, but i get how that happens. There's ten drowning people and i only have three life vests and all the choices are tragic. And there's a hole in the bottom of the lifeboat i managed to get in.

i've been seeing a lot of californians aghast at the proposition to abolish prisoners being used as slave labour getting voted down and i have no idea how to fix this on a societal scale but after having enough conversations with people you really do start to realise that a massive percentage of the population sees prisoners as subhuman and therefore believes that once someone is in prison for any reason then everything bad that's done to them is simply their just desserts

[madredhattie]

the best part about being 1. long-time friends with my roommate and 2. technically their landlord is i get hilarious messages like this

to which I immediately start yelling 'R/LANDLORDS MY TENANT IS CALLING ME HOMOPHOBIC BUT I'M NOT SCARED OF MY HOUSE???', sending them into hysterics

[guinevereslancelot]

not to be ungrateful but i don't get paid enough at my job lol

[builtbybrokenbells]

Poolsides & Pizza Boxes | JTK | Some Time Later

Just when you think everything is changing, you begin to see that it’s really the exact same as it’s been all along.

Read Poolsides & Pizza Boxes here

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: brief mentions of sex, brief mentions of drinking, swearing, and lots of fluff!

I received a lovely little ask and I couldn’t help but write a little blurb 🤍 I love you guys more than you know!!

“That’s just about everything, trouble.” Jake let out a long breath, landing a firm hand atop the cardboard box he just placed on the table. “Everything upstairs is cleared out, and it seems like we got everything that was down here, too.” He continued, his eyes briefly scanning the kitchen as he spoke.

“I think I’m gonna miss this place.” You said, an air of sadness in your tone. “It was my first house, you know? I made it into a home, even if it wasn’t for very long.”

“You did.” He nodded, his eyes settling on his face as he tried to decipher the emotion in your features. “But it wasn’t your first house. Technically, you're moving back into your first house.”

“No, that’s different.” You shook your head, your lips twitching into a small smile. “That was your house; I was just staying there.”

“No, you were living there.” He corrected, taking a step towards you. “That house has always been yours just as well as mine.” He said, brushing the baby hairs away from your forehead as he gave you a soft smile. “Now, it’ll really be ours.”

“I like the sound of that.” You hummed, stepping forward and wrapping a single arm around his torso. You leaned into him, resting your head on his shoulder as you let your eyes flutter closed. “You think the guys are mad at me for making them help me move again?” He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head immediately after the words left your lips.

“They’d never be mad at you, trouble. Plus, it gives them an excuse to day-drink and eat takeout.”

“They do that anyway.” You grinned, turning your head upwards to face his. He let out a small noise, not responding with words but very clearly agreeing with your thoughts.

It had been just shy of half a year since you and Jake started dating. The high emotion of the fateful night opened a whole new door for the two of you, and it didn’t take long for you to grow comfortable in a relationship, just the same as you did as friends. Now, he was spending nearly every night at your house, or vice versa. As adults, you’d come to the conclusion that paying two mortgages when one house was mostly vacant was a stupid idea. You were burning money the longer you lived apart, all while going through the motions of cohabitation.

A few weeks prior, Jake slipped the idea in your mind of moving in with him. At first, you brushed it off with a laugh, not taking him too seriously. Then, he brought it up again at dinner, striking the irrefutable idea. He liked your house; loved it, even, but his was bigger, and yours would need more work done to it as the years went on. You had lived there before, and you had both been under the general impression that the two of you were going to last. You felt no need to go through the classic motions of dating, because you’d been doing it all without the sexual intimacy for your entire lives.

So you thought about it for a day, but you didn’t need much longer than that to agree with his proposal. You both figured you could fix it up a little more and host an open house to show all the renovations it received, and once it sold, you’d move in with him. The process only took about a month total, and before you knew it, your life was packed up in boxes again and you were hopeful it would be for the last time.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m just too sentimental.” You shrugged, your sad eyes glancing out the patio door to your backyard. “We put so much work into this place. I got the expensive wood floors Sam liked so much, and we built a pool, Jake.”

“Do you want to move in with me, trouble?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. If you were to disagree, he wouldn’t be angry about it. It was more or less a question to ensure your comfortability, to make sure that he didn’t pressure you into something you did not want to do.

“Of course I do, Jake.” You said, finding it near blasphemous that he even had to ask. “I love living with you, and I want to do it. Besides, even if I didn’t, it would be a little too late to back out now.” You smiled.

“Then what is it?” He asked, relieved to hear the words. “Why are you so hesitant?” You stayed silent for a moment, your lips dipping down into a slight frown.

“I guess…” you trailed off, your stomach twisting with nerves for a reason completely unapparent to you. “We happened here, Jake. Everything started here, in this kitchen, and that pool. I guess I’m a sucker for sentimental stuff, and that was the best day of my whole life. Is it weird that I don’t want to let that go? I don’t want strangers living in this house, especially when it’s so important to me. We’ll never get to see this place again, and I guess that does make me a little sad.”

“No, it isn’t weird, trouble.” He said, pulling away from you slightly so he could turn to face you. He lifted your chin with his index finger, forcing you to hold his gaze. The warmth of his brown eyes seemed to wash away all of your troubles, and you felt ridiculous for ever being upset at all when you had someone like him around. “This place is important, and it’s special to me, too. I think of that night every time I walk in this kitchen, trust me.” His tone changed as he spoke the last sentence, like the thought alone was working him up. A smirk was plastered on his lips and his eyes glazed over with a now overly familiar emotion to you. You rolled your eyes, landing a playful smack on his arms.

“Gross, Jake.” You laughed.

“Shut up, you think about it too.”

“Well duh.” You shot back. “But I don’t think about it like that.”

“Don’t lie to me, trouble. I know that’s not true.” He said, cocking his head to the side as he waited for you to confirm his words.

“Okay, yeah, fine. I do.”

“Right.” He laughed. “Point is, sweetheart, I’m sad to let go of that, too. You’re not stupid for feeling that way, because I’ve been thinking about it all day. But,” he said, leaning ever so slightly closer to you. “We’re going to make so many more memories, some that might be even better than the one we made that night, in our house, together.” He reminded you. “So yeah, it sucks when one chapter ends, but we’ve got at least ten more in this lifetime, right?”

“Right.” You nodded against his gentle hold, leaning upwards to meet his position. His nose brushed over yours, the slight touch sending a shiver down your spine. Still, months later, he managed to make you weak just by existing. “New memories, and a new life. It’s going to be great.”

“It is.” He whispered, his eyes heavy lidded as he fought the urge to kiss you. “We’ve got the whole world in our hands, trouble. Let’s do something with it.”

“Yeah,” you breathed, unapologetic about how immersed you were in him, in the moment. With that, he leaned down and placed a small kiss on your lips. It still took your breath away and made your head spin, and he still tasted as sweet as he did the first time he ever kissed you. The only tragic part about kissing Jake was the fact that it had to end, and you couldn’t spend the rest of your life with him, exactly like that. When he parted with you, you held him close for a moment, not ready to grieve the ending of the moment just yet. “I am going to miss that pool. I know I gave you a hard time about it, but I love it.”

“I know you do, sweetheart. That’s why I did it in the first place.” He explained, pulling your hips into his, showing you he was just as happy as you to stay in the position. “Which is also why I have a couple guys at my house right now, surveying the backyard so they can start on ours tomorrow.”

“What?!” You exploded, taking a step back from him. “Jacob Kiszka, you did not!” You tried to wrap your head around the fact, floored that he loved you enough to build you not one, but two pools.

“Yeah, I did.” He laughed, hanging his head low as his shoulders shook with laughter. “But it was a little selfish, this time. It wasn’t just for you, it was for me, too.”

“I can’t believe you.” You laughed, shaking your head at the man before you.

“Well, you better start believing sweetheart, cause this is what the rest of your life is gonna look like.” He grinned. “Now we have our own pool, and I can fuck you in it whenever I want.” Your cheeks burned red and your heart sped at his words, realizing that his intent this time really was a bit selfish. You couldn’t be too upset about it, because you knew you would enjoy that part just as much as he would.

“Right, so now that that’s settled, you ready to get going?” You asked, trying to quickly brush over the topic. You couldn’t focus on it for too long, because if you did, you wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else for the rest of the day.

“Yeah, s’long as you are.” He said, giving you a smile.

“Okay.” You let out a sigh, looking around the room. Tomorrow, new owners would have the key to the front door, and the most exhilarating and beautiful chapter of your life would come to an end. At the same time, you couldn’t be too sad about it because you knew it would only open the door to an even better future. “Let’s hit the road, then.” You said, giving a sad smile.

“Sure.” He nodded, but made no move to leave. You furrowed your eyebrows, curious as to why he seemed so reluctant to leave, now.

“Spill, Jacob.” You said, taking your turn to pry into his brain. He swallowed hard, tapping his foot against the floor as he tried to phrase his words correctly.

“How about we wait, just a little while longer?” He offered, his eyes glancing around the room.

“Why would we do that?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest. He gave a slight shrug, his hands resting in the pockets of his jeans as his gaze finally landed back on your face.

“We could make one last memory in this kitchen before we have to leave.” He offered, waiting to hear your thoughts before saying anything else. “Up to you, trouble.” You slowly turned, your eyes landing on the kitchen table that started it all, and your lips quirked into a smile.

“One more, just for old times sake.” You nodded, turning back to him as you accepted his offer. A grin overtook his face as he stepped towards you, landing his hands on your hips and his lips on your own.

As you wrapped your arms around his neck, inviting him in even further, you finally understood what he was trying to tell you; it didn’t matter where in the world you were, not what house you lived in or how old you were. Memories would be plentiful, and perfection wouldn’t be a strong enough word to describe it. So long as you had Jake by your side, you would be happier than ever before.

[brainrotallthewaydown1312]

I have a personal l&co hc that I can't get out of my head, so now y'all get to enjoy the absolutely riveting content that is the Portland Row budgeting system. under the cut because this is a needlessly detailed post that like 5 people will be interested in

I think that when they are paid for a job, the first thing that happens to the money is that there is a big cut that goes to bills for the house and business. mortgage, utilities, groceries, ghost supplies, advertising, etc. I think it's probably 50-60% of most jobs pay. probably a smaller cut on big jobs that come with bigger checks.

I think Lockwood started out trying very hard to be a "proper business man" and split the remainder evenly and paid them every other Friday because that's what your supposed to do. but I think that would have devolved after only a few months living and working together. between covering each other for dinner or coffee and getting household stuff with their money and everyone feeling a little weird on payday because it was one of the only times there was a clear boss/employee dynamic because they all saw each other as genuine equals, it just didn't make sense to keep doing it that way.

and so I think George (after pestering Lockwood about fixing the budgeting) sat down and set it up so that it was basically automatic profit sharing. first the bills and expenses cut goes straight to an auto pay acct. and then the remaining cut goes to a general house acct, which pays out a small allowance to each of their personal accts each week. most of the stuff they get and do is covered from the joint acct because it makes sense that way. but they do each have their own money and savings.

after the new system is set up George checks on the balances and bank statements once a week but it mostly manages itself. he folds it into the other chores that he does and likes how simple it is to keep running.

Lockwood pretends to be grumpy about not being in charge but is not so secretly very happy to not have to worry about it. he is also very happy that this puts all of them on equal footing with the business because he he like being the leader and the face of things, but he doesn't like the power dynamic of being the boss.

Lucy is worried at first that they will argue about spending from the joint acct, but they very rarely ever run into issues with it, and when there is it is almost always resolved quickly because while they all bicker about smaller things and about everyone's bad habits, they actually get along and manage house very smoothly

---

edit: i have in fact added more domestic head canons in this thread and I have been seeing a lot of people tagging asking for more. they are in the notes if you're interested

[treason-and-plot]

[previous]

“How am I being selfish?” says Joël. “I’m doing this for our daughter!”

“Have you forgotten that we have a mortgage, Joël?" shouts Anita. "Did you think about how your daughter is going to feel when we’re forced to live on the streets?” Anita was on long service leave from the police force until she had Alice, and now she’s on maternity leave, but at half-pay to try and stretch it out a bit longer. However her weekly pay packet barely covers the mortgage repayments, let alone groceries and utility bills and all their other living expenses. She feels light-headed with fear and anger at Joël’s impulsiveness. How dare he not discuss this with her first!

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” says Joël. “We’re not going to lose the house. I can easily get another bartending job.”

“Can you easily get another bartending job where you earn §500 a night in tips?” demands Anita.

“Probably not,” says Joël. “But that’s kind of the point. I don’t want that kind of a job anymore. I'm sick of being objectified. I want to be treated with respect. Nobody treated me with respect at The Grind, least of all Monica. It never used to bother me that much before because the money made up for all the bullshit. But now we have Alice it’s different. I want her to look up to me. I don’t want her growing up knowing her Dad cavorts around half-naked around a sleazy dive bar for tips. There’s no amount of money that could make me feel okay with that.”

He and Anita stare at each other. Her anger starts to fizzle beneath the earnestness in his eyes.

“Look, I’ll get two jobs, if that’s what it takes to pay the bills,” he says. “But they have to be at places where I’m appreciated for my skills, not for what my arse looks like in a pair of fake leather trousers.”

“Are you sure this isn’t just about your fake leather trousers being too tight?” she says.

“No,” says Joël.

“Please go and check on Alice,” Anita says through gritted teeth. ”I need to go for a walk around the garden to clear my head."

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Something I don't usually see talked about in political discourse around major societal problems is that you can have more than one position on a given topic because you think there's an ideal solution, a position that is morally the most correct, and a practical position based on the hard reality of the facts on the ground. In a perfect world, these positions would line up: the end-goal ideal would be accomplishable using the most morally correct methods. We don't live in that world, obviously.

A lot of this is the result of my legal background helping people navigate extremely non-optimal systems to get to a liveable solution. (Also probably being Jewish, let's be honest.)

Let's take a scaled-down example; a classic legal problem: Person A sells a house to Person B and pays off their mortgage. Person A then also sells the house to Person C as an investment property, pockets the profits, and disappears into that goodly night. Person B moves into the house unaware that Person C has a functionally equal claim to the property. Person C discovers this problem when they go to record the deed and sue Person B to clear the title.

Obviously Person A is the bad actor here, and if they can be caught, they will owe a house to one party and the value of the house to the other (which that person will have to extract from them slowly over time, because lbr, Person A already blew that cash and likely doesn't have an equal amount just lying around to give to that person.) At the end of the day, either Person B or Person C are going to get hosed for something that wasn't their fault.

Personally, my ideal solution is that actually private property as we currently understand it wouldn't exist, and we would all each have rights and responsibilities to the land and the environment that were proportional, in which case this scenario wouldn't have happened in the first place. My morally correct answer is that the state should have a fund for innocent third party buyers out of which Person C would get paid, and leave Person B alone with good title while the state goes after Person A. My practical answer is that Person B was the first purchaser who is actually living on the property and so their need is greater than Person C's need. That should give Person B the stronger claim to the actual property and give Person C (essentially) a property right in the lawsuit and potential recovery against Person A. That answer gets much more complicated and fact-specific if there are other factors in favor of Person C, such as they have lost their housing and will be homeless if they can't move into what was originally intended to be an investment property.

I think most people have this sort of variable response to large, complex societal issues, but our discourse on the subject suffers a lot when people refuse to acknowledge what sort of place they're speaking from or that different discussions have different purposes (thus requiring different answers.)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for pointing out to my brother when his girlfriend treats him poorly?

I’m the older sibling to my younger brother, 24M, and his gf (I’ll be real I THINK she’s 23 but I don’t remember her birthday ) they’ve been dating for a few years and throughout it me and my mom whom I live with because I’m disabled have done our best to try to welcome her, even though she has done some hurtful things [she got angry at my mom while she was living here the first time and threatened to never let her see her grandkids, and the second time mom welcomed her into the home she ended up screaming at us both out of basically nowhere. She yelled at my mom because one of her fish was dying and took the opportunity to yell loud enough that I could hear her in my room with the door closed complain about my puppy whom I was still training. She yelled at me because she was in the room while I was trying to talk to my brother about something serious and mentioned her without trying to include her in the conversation, because it wasn’t meant as a dig and also because it was a passing mention of her name, not a full topic.]

Anyways. At this point they’ve moved out and my brother comes here to chat with us and check in every couple weeks. She forced them to move out before he’d been able to get a job and then asked him to immediately pay back his half of the lot rent and mortgage payment for their trailer the moment he got a job, which has him scrambling and exhausted trying to keep up because he’d been unemployed mostly at her request for months. She makes her living on OF, and he leaves the house when she’s working. We also suspect that she forced him to dump his dog back on us.

In addition to making him drive everywhere on his dime for gas, she also doesn’t want to chip in for repairs to the trailer, and when she has him take her to get groceries we know she doesn’t buy anything with his food preferences in mind. We know this because he comes scrounging for food he actually wants to eat from our fridge [which we’re happy to give him, but.. yeah. It feels shitty to know that he can’t get his own gf to buy him diced pear fruit cups or frozen chicken nuggets.]

So, I started calling out gently when something she does is mean to him. I don’t call him out directly or anything, but I do ask him why. Like, if he asked for grocery money, I’ve said “sure, I’ve only got a little extra rn is 30$ okay? Do you and [gf] not grocery shop together?”

To put it lightly, he doesn’t like this. But I’m afraid that if I pretend it’s normal he’ll get seriously hurt. I don’t know what else to do, besides try to gently make it clear that it’s just not okay to treat a partner the way she treats him.

Not to mention that through all this he has needed to beg money off me and my mom for gas and groceries and other necessities, and has at times used her credit card for non-emergencies and taken money from her accounts without asking. He doesn’t seem to see a problem with this, which also makes me worried. I love him to death and I don’t want to think that he’s become someone that cold.

Am I the asshole for trying to remind him that people who love you don’t do the things his gf does? Or am I wrong about this?

What are these acronyms?

[mariacallous]

“I am opposed to war, unless in self-defense.” This was the most-liked comment on Douyin—the Chinese counterpart to TikTok—in reaction to a speech delivered by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Jan. 9. In his address, Wang previewed China’s top diplomatic goals for 2024 and emphasized “the unwavering resolve of all 1.4 billion Chinese citizens to achieve reunification with Taiwan,” a statement made just days prior to the island’s general elections.

The broader reaction to Wang’s remarks likely wasn’t what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hoped for: Tens of thousands of Chinese social media users responded, many of them with grievances, sarcasm, and defiance, widely questioning the costs of a potential war.

One man from Shanghai complained, “Who is going to fight the war? If I die, who is going to pay my mortgage or my car loan?” Wang’s speech framed “national unification” as one of “China’s core interests,” but as one user from Hunan rebutted, “[China’s] core interests are that every Chinese can be treated equally and have access to elderly care and health care.” The pushback went beyond economic and social grievances. Some posters were even bolder, suggesting that Taiwan’s democracy may demonstrate a political alternative to mainland China: “The fact that Taiwanese choose their own way of life,” said one commentator from Shandong, “might show that Chinese people can take a different route.”

The mood among social media users is a sharp departure from past elections. After almost every Taiwanese general election since 2016, a wave of pro-war fever has swept the Chinese internet. After Taiwan’s 2020 elections, for example, upbeat war enthusiasts in China produced oil paintings that illustrated wild fantasies of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) capturing Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen alive after landing in Taiwan and forcing her to sign an official surrender document onboard a Chinese aircraft carrier—a scene reminiscent of the 1945 Japanese surrender that ended World War II.

In 2021, one of the most popular songs to go viral on Chinese social media was “Take A Bullet Train to Taiwan in 2035.” Its allusion to a high-speed rail line connecting Beijing and Taipei was a dog whistle to nationalist masses who hoped that unification was on the horizon—by force, if necessary.

Absent from these fantasies, however, was the blood and violence that accompanies real war. At the time, China’s star was rising on the international stage, and public confidence was riding high on China’s success in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic within its borders. As such, the sentiments surrounding unification and the use of military force were quite romantic; many people believed that victory over Taiwan would be easy, that the Taiwanese would surrender voluntarily if the PLA simply blockaded the island.

In 2024, however, things have changed. The most recent Taiwanese presidential election—in which the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a repeat victory—served as an uncomfortable reminder to the Chinese public that neither Taiwanese politicians nor voters are interested in Beijing’s plans for political unification. Although the forceful unification narrative still exists, any push from nationalists to reignite war fever has now run into a wall of skepticism following the DPP victory.

“Wake up,” one Weibo user wrote in opposition to the broader online calls for forceful unification. “Stop dreaming,” another echoed. The defiant voices are becoming a common reaction to the suggested use of military force to an extent rarely seen, given the massive culture of censorship on Chinese social media.

A clear reason for this change is China’s economic slowdown. While Taiwan went to the polls in 2024, China was grappling with a youth unemployment rate above 20 percent, a housing market crisis with sales down by 45 percent, and a stock market in free fall that lost $6 trillion in just three years, the likes of which haven’t been seen in almost a decade. News about Taiwanese elections failed to arouse the same nationalistic reactions among the preoccupied Chinese public that had occurred in the previous two contests.

Instead, the 2024 elections triggered a flood of complaints: “Sort out our own economy, what a mess.” a Shanghai resident said angrily. “Look at our stock market,” an apparently frustrated investor from Hunan grieved, “It’d be better to keep the status quo, and leave Taiwanese alone.” The gloomy economy has made some commenters question the underlying justification for war: “With low-income people making less than 1,000 yuan a month ($140), and the national insurance tax going up, huge medical bills, and unaffordable apartments, why do you want forceful unification? I don’t get it.”

“It is the economy that really matters,” another person from Tianjin pointed out. “[Taiwan] being independent or not has nothing to do with ordinary people.”

The changing attitudes toward Taiwan’s elections reflect a broader shift in public sentiment in China’s online space. Discontent about the country’s poor economic reality has been growing louder, drowning out calls for a military takeover.

Ironically, the CCP’s own past propaganda efforts contributed to this cooling effect. Right before Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in August 2022, official and semiofficial rhetoric in mainland China was so belligerent that it led many Chinese to believe that the day of unification had finally arrived and that the military would shoot down her plane and launch its attack on Taiwan imminently.

This was the peak of forceful unification hysteria, but it only left its crusaders disappointed. In the end, there was not only no shootdown of Pelosi’s plane, but there also weren’t even military exercises conducted before she left Taiwan. Many Chinese, especially forceful unification advocates, felt betrayed and disillusioned by their government’s failure to follow through on its belligerent rhetoric, and the after-effects of this letdown are still being felt today.

During Taiwan’s 2024 elections, war enthusiasts were continuously reminded of Beijing’s military inaction following Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. “Have you guys forgotten Pelosi?” one said. One commonly repeated joke, observing the lack of military action, scoffed that the only thing that was fired up when Pelosi visited was the stove in her hotel. The kinds of threats that once resonated with nationalists now drew widespread ridicule online: “delusion,” “talking a big game,” “an unrealistic fantasy,” and “all hat, no cattle.”

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Chinese political spectrum, the 2024 election prompted the resurgence of the view among many liberals that Taiwan’s democracy represents a desirable political model. In the early 2010s, many Chinese saw Taiwan as a beacon of hope for Chinese society—a liberal, civic, and democratic alternative to the one-party state. The liberal Chinese writer Han Han coined a popular phrase—“The most beautiful scenery of Taiwan is its people.”—that encapsulated the view of how trustworthy and free a people can become under democracy.

But after the crackdown on liberal intellectuals and online speech under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the honeymoon did not last long and was gradually replaced by a climate of xenophobia, jingoism, war euphoria, and a longing for unification by force. Making matters worse, a growing nationalist mood in Taiwan led many to believe that Taiwanese looked down on mainlanders.

The 2024 elections, however, prompted a renewed interest from the Chinese public about their neighbor, home to the world’s only Chinese-speaking democracy. News about Taiwanese elections aroused great curiosity on Weibo about the nuts and bolts of the electoral process—what a ballot looks like, how many ballots one can cast, how votes are counted, and how candidates are selected. When a few Taiwanese Weibo users answered these questions, they were liked and retweeted by thousands of Chinese accounts, drawing genuine admiration and blessings from many.

“Are we going to see one day like this?” one user from Gansu wondered with a crying emoji. “Maybe this is accumulating experience for our own future: giving speeches, holding debates, and counting votes,” commented another, from Tianjin.

China’s shifting public sentiment is bound to have repercussions for cross-strait relations, but it would probably be a bridge too far to infer that the Chinese public will fiercely oppose a war in the Taiwan Strait. Ultimately, the nationalist base remains. At present, the euphoria about forceful unification is quieting down, mainly because the party’s over-the-top propaganda failed to meet the expectations of its most ardent supporters. But if aggressive rhetoric were followed by military action in the future, war fever could be easily fanned again.

Despite the prevalence of extreme nationalism, Chinese public opinion is more divided on Taiwan than it seems, and these divisions are only likely to increase. What concerns most ordinary Chinese are decent jobs, good income, accumulating savings for retirement, and getting affordable access to health care and housing.

So long as the economy is struggling and people’s livelihoods are threatened, there is no guarantee that the CCP’s attempts to exploit nationalism will work; quite the opposite, it could be faced with plenty of pushback.

[annakie]

Part One: I Do Not, In Fact, Have the Power

Part Two: Let’s Spend Lots of Money!

Part Three: All These Things That I’ve Done

Part Four: I Really Want to Stay At My House

A little interlude.

Part Five: Power Down

Part Six: You Will Leave Some Paint

-----

Fixing The House Part Seven (Sorta) - Let's go Backwards to go Forwards

In the summer of 2003, it felt like all of my friends were moving forward with their lives but me.

Two of my friends had gotten married a year or two earlier and were living a ways away but had rented a house.

Two more friends had just gotten married, and were buying a house.

Two more had just gotten into a serious relationship, and he decided to buy a house. She was moving in and paying rent. A year or so later they'd get married, too.

I wasn't in a relationship but was the oldest in the friend group and I was still renting a one bedroom apartment.

I got the bug in my ear that I should buy a house, too.

Once again, a very long post.

I just want to make it clear -- this is more of a flashback episode than updates on what's been going on. But it's important.

Those three couples all eventually had houses all in the same neighborhood. I couldn't afford their neighborhood. Honestly I couldn't afford a house at all but that was right during the time that banks were handing out mortgages like candy.

I shouldn't have been house shopping, but I did it anyway. Somehow my mom agreed to co-sign with me. She shouldn't have, tbh I was a bad bet credit wise at that time, but she did.

After losing out on a couple of bids, I finally found this house I really loved from the outside. The thing was, they weren't letting people inside for awhile, but the price was great and it looked great from the outside.

I put in an offer before seeing the inside (Pro Tip: never do this) with money I didn't really have, and despite many warning signs that I shouldn't be buying this house, I went ahead and did it anyway.

For several years, it was a really bad decision.

This house had been a rental for like 20 years before I bought it. It was severely neglected, but it had been fixed up just enough by the previous owners to hide the most glaring problems with it.

So much went wrong those first few years that I was more or less always in debt, lurching from problem to problem, borrowing money from my parents to keep the AC going and sewer flowing. Eventually my mom just paid to fix the sewer rather than call a plumber every month or two. (Eventually, I paid her back). Now I just have to call one out once a year or so.

And y'all, the house was ugly inside. Just really not updated almost at all since the 60's. Nobody gave a shit.

A few things had happened, three layers of wallpaper in the bathrooms and kitchen, and two layers of peel and stick tiles on the floor.

But most things were original to the house, or maybe updated in the mid to late 80's at the newest.

In 2004 when I'd done what I could with the place I started writing a walkthrough with pictures. It's not complete, I never did the bedrooms or master bath... I think I have pictures of those, I'll fill in later. But just scrolling through that and taking a look is super cringe for me and maybe entertaining for you. Also, hey, some of my friends and family are in there, too.

It will give you a decent idea of where I started, so later you can see where I am now and why doing this has been so damn important to me.

-----

I had a few bits of good luck, one of those couples mentioned above gave me their old washer and dryer which I still have and use to this day, I bought a dishwasher and fridge at the Sears Scratch and Dent store and the fridge is still running... for now. And my house had come with a home warranty that was paid for the year AND GOT USED HEAVILY. It saved my ass a time or two. And at least once I got ripped off by a new furnace install that was an utter disaster and almost killed me with carbon monoxide poisoning until I got them to send out a better repair guy who probably saved my life.

My parents would come once or twice a year and help me do all the repairs and improvements I could afford, and usually kick in some of their own money to help.

I had secondhand and salvaged furniture, much of it came from relatives who downsized or passed. I scoured yard sales for stuff to put in the house. I was paying off $4000ish on a $1700ish bedroom suite. I was at a job that was severely underpaying me and then everyone there got a paycut in 2007. I had no savings, maybe I'd scrape up $1000 which would get eaten by a new emergency every time I got it together.

It was bad. I was barely scraping by.

I made a post about it 10 years ago, and I still agree with basically everything I said in there. And that was when things had just started to turn around for me financially so that I wasn't lurching from paycheck to paycheck.

These are also linked there, but in 2008 my mom came into a little money and gave me a couple thousand and I was able to get all of the floors redone, and new countertops/sink in the kitchen.

These Flickr sets show even better just how bad it was, and how much it was improved. Except I made a huge mistake and got carpet in the bedrooms instead of Laminate everywhere. Something I'd start regretting days into the new floors and would keep regretting deeply for a few years. New Floors

New Countertops

With the countertops came a sink and faucet. Instead of laminate countertop from 1963 that had worn through and had holes in it, I had the cheapest countertop Home Depot had but it was new and looked decent. Instead of peel and stick linoleum I had the cheapest laminate flooring on the market but it was way better than the forever-stained brown carpet from the 80's.

That was the first time the house felt livable at least, finally.

In 2012 I got a better job, and finally started having some savings. I spent about $1500 one weekend with my parents upgrading the bathrooms. We bought $250 cabinets from Home Depot, two of the same ones, two of the same faucets, two of the same toilets.

We re-painted the bathrooms because I was thinking of selling the house at that point.

I was a big dummy and never finished painting the hall bath -- ever. It was still only like 90% done for nine years. I have no excuse for that. I just kinda stopped seeing it.

The very worst problems of the house were solved then, and my house was... okay.

The pictures in that Flickr set make it look almost nice in some places.

Except for a few things.

Like that when you took a shower in the master bath it had started having water seep through under the trim back into the bathroom.

I hadn't taken a shower in my master bath since about 2009.

And the hall bath, while it worked, the entire tub area was a nightmare. A horrorshow, honestly. I mean, it worked though. It was just really ugly, and a little grosser every year. But hey, as long as you kept the shower curtain closed, I only had to contend with it a few minutes a day.

----

In 2019, things had spiraled a bit in the house. I made a couple of posts about this, and how my friend Ange came to visit so I did a big cleanout of the house, and replaced the carpet with new laminate.

Here's the first and second post. Well it's the second post that links to the first post.

Here's the followup post.

It was a huge blessing that I did this, that Ange's visit got me to get my house in order. I put a lot of work into it, and in the end it paid off not only because I wasn't that ashamed of most of my house when Ange was here (I mean, still, the garage was a huge Problem, the bathtub had continued to deteriorate and still wasn't fully painted, and the dining room was still full of STUFF that needed to be sorted and put away when she got here) but it was enough.

Then, you know, 4 months later we all stayed home for a year or two and having a house that was improved and decluttered significantly went a long way towards being OK mentally that year.

----

Four years on, and some of the things that had been bad had gotten worse. For instance, the 1960's electric wiring. The house once again had more clutter than I was comfortable with, and the tub situation had gotten fucking dire. Also, the cheap, cheap laminate in most of the house from 2008 was really showing its wear... it had not only started separating at the point in the house that got the most traffic, but it had water damage there, and in other places, too.

Things that were bad, like the state of the windows, hadn't gotten better. The kids across the street shot BBs at my garage one day and one went through one of my garage windows (I didn't catch them in the act but I saw them with it a few weeks later. I love those kids, I'm friendly with the family, and at that point I was like IDGAF, tbh.) The patio roof was a few years from falling down from rot. And a whole host of other things I've posted here and some I haven't.

-----

Y'all, I'm aware that I'm damn lucky to own a house, especially in this market. I'm lucky that I was old enough to buy one before prices skyrocketed and I bought one cheap enough (even in 2003 prices) that I ended up not losing it when the housing market exploded in 2007 and I sailed out of that OK when so many others didn't.

I am aware I'm talking about something now that it's ridiculously out of reach for so many people, and that situation is just unbelievably shitty, and I'm sorry for that.

-----

At one point when all these renovations started, a friend of mine, one who is in a lot of the 2004 pictures and was one of the couples who bought their house in 2004 asked me if I would still buy a house knowing everything I went through the first few years, all of the things that have gone so very wrong with this place. All of the ugly things that didn't get fixed for 21 years, and how much money this place would cost me.

At the time, I told them I wish I could go back and tell myself do not buy THIS house. Get a house, just not THIS ONE.

But then, a few hours later I re-thought my decision. There's a few reasons why... even through it all, I'd get this house.

Here's the three most important reasons.

And about a half dozen other cats, and two dogs, that I've rescued and re-homed, or just ferals I've taken care of, because I lived in this house.

I wouldn't have Fry, or Pemily, and I wouldn't have had Patchy (or re-homed her babies) if I didn't live here, because they all came from my backyard. I don't think any of them would have survived, and Pemily probably would have never been born.

I also have good neighbors. We look after each other but also mostly mind our own damn business. We're not in a floodplain, taxes are relatively low. It's a decent place to be, even if all my friends who used to live near me moved farther away except one.

So, yeah.

After 21 years I'd saved enough and in the end when I found someone I liked and trusted and who didn't charge crazy amounts of money (HONESTLY I think Arturo didn't charge me ENOUGH) all of this spiraled from "Well we'd better get the electricity fixed so the house doesn't burn down" to... well... what it is now.

It's starting to wind down. We just need a couple more good days of work and it'll be over, for now.

Hopefully then I'll have time to finish this extremely long story and share all the pictures and all the stuff that's happened, more than I have, and show you what Arturo and I made from what you've seen in all the pictures in the links above, if you looked.

I'll be back as soon as I have the time. :)

[abundancewithher]

Budgeting Tips

Hey young stars and hearts! As you all may know, i am on my big girl finance journey and if you didn’t know you do! Welcome or welcome back my loves! My name is Mimi if you are just coming across my posts.

My goal is to be a representation for the finance, manifestation, and money mindset for black girls and other POC. I spend a lot of money, that’s okay because i am changing my mindset about money. Instead of surviving in scarcity mindset, choosing to live in abundance mindset. Living in a state of abundance does require a little work.

As much as i changing my mindset into believing i am deserving of more money and that it flows to me effortlessly, I want to actually keep it and not over spend my money that flows to me easily by overindulging.

So, with that being said, here are some budgeting tips i will be implementing into my finances to improve my financial health:

- Assessing Your Financial Situation

Before you can create a budget, you need to understand your current financial situation. Take a peek into those bank credit card statements! This all includes:

- Bank statements

- Credit card statements

- Pay stubs

- Bills and receipts

2. - Calculate Your Monthly Income

Determine your total monthly income, this is very crucial. I cannot stress this enough! This includes your salary, any freelance or side income, rental income, dividends, and any other sources of income. Make sure to calculate your net income (after taxes) rather than your gross income. Write down an estimate in a monthly budget planner, if you don’t have one you can purchase one here, or write it on paper to stay organized.

3. - List Your Monthly Expenses

Make a list of all your monthly expenses. You actually might not have any, but what if you’re down to your last five dollars and Apple just takes that shit? That would be frustrating, right? because you didn’t know it was coming up or that you even had a subscription for anything at all, list that also! These can be categorized into fixed and variable expenses:

- **Fixed Expenses:** Rent or mortgage, utilities, insurance, car payments, and subscriptions.

- **Variable Expenses:** Groceries, dining out, entertainment, clothing, and miscellaneous expenses.

4. - Track Your Spending

For at least one month, track every penny you spend. This will give you a clear picture of where your money is going and help identify areas where you can cut back. Use a spreadsheet, or budgeting app, purchase a budget planner, or write it down in a notebook.

5. - Set Financial Goals

Define your financial goals. These could be short-term (e.g., paying off a credit card), medium-term (e.g., saving for a vacation), or long-term (e.g., retirement savings). Having clear goals will motivate you to stick to your budget.

6. - Create Your Budget

With your income, expenses, and financial goals in mind, create your budget. Allocate a specific amount of money to each category of expenses. Make sure to prioritize essentials (like housing, utilities, and groceries) before allocating money to discretionary spending (like entertainment and dining out).

Example Budget Categories:

Housing: $1,200

Utilities: $200

Groceries: $400

7. - Stay Committed and Be Flexible

Sticking to a budget requires commitment and discipline. Be patient with yourself and remember that it's okay to make mistakes. If unexpected expenses arise, adjust your budget accordingly. The key is to remain flexible and adaptable while staying focused on your financial goals.

These are tips I have created according to my digital budget planner, which can be purchased below. Again, building your finances takes time and discipline but it is very rewarding once you actually start to create a flow and a plan. I am implementing this asap to get ahead of my finances. Have fun with this of course!

Budget Planner

xoxo mimi💋

[belethlegwen]

The Rescue - Chp 54 - That Dark Old Friend [+ Life Update]

Hey there everyone!

So sorry about the delay in updates since the Christmas season, there's a lot of shit to blame for it and I'll get into it in more detail, but in short this was a wildly busy Christmas season where I had 0 time to write between work and family stuff from like, November-end of December, and then a whole lot of house shit started happening and I've been unbelievably stressed since just before New Years.

Longer details and stuff below the cut for people who are interested, but in short the important details are:

Updates to works on AO3 may be at random times with long delays between for the coming year. Can't be sure, but for now that's how things are looking while I have way too much shit going on IRL.

Please enjoy this little chapter for now, and if you're up for a long winding journey about why it felt like all of my hair has been falling out for two weeks, meet me below <3

So the Christmas season at my job was wildly busy, on top of that there's some issues going on there between the business owner I rent space from and the person who owns the building. It's a mess, for a while it looked like/still kinda looks like we're going to have some major issues with the lot clearing what with winter being a major issue where I live in the Frozen Nor'Atlantic. That was all bad enough.

I had been told back in the fall by my landlord, who I've been renting from for 10 years now, that her mortgage was up for renewal in January and that it looked like it was going to go up a hot amount. Rates are super fucking high in Canada right now, shit's bad, the mortgage specialist at the bank I was talking to yesterday said that it's bad enough they legitimately expect the government to be stepping in soon to do something about it before it's a crisis (or more of a crisis because personally, it's already a fucking crisis and has been, but I digress). She warned me the rent was going to have to go up, I told her I expected it, I knew it was going to happen, she's been amazing to me for 10 years, if it's gotta go up it's gotta go up, I get it.

This past fall is when my partner Zip came to visit for 6 weeks and we got engaged, and when we started to plan to move them up here so we could start immigration and the like, which we were aiming to do for the beginning of this summer.

So as we're gearing up to New Year's and everything, I am expecting to deal with the start of immigration application readying, and expecting rent to increase. December 27th, I got a message from the landlord that uh, someone wants to buy the house (as an investment property and keep the renters) and despite her best efforts to try and bounce around and get a lower mortgage rate, it didn't work out and she's going to have to sell either way. So we suddenly had to get the house ready to be listed and viewed.

Viewings were fucking hell, by the way. While priority for accepting the offer was going to someone who wanted to take the property over and keep the renters in place, Real Estate agents just want the fucking sale, so being in my home while people are wandering around it scaring my cats and talking about how my bedroom was going to be the kid's room and my office was going to be turned into something else? Shit time, don't recommend. Not to mention the agents that were showing up half-hour not just away of their own scheduled appointment but a half hour outside of when viewings were actually permitted to happen.

I'm glad we have such high paying careers available for people who are, apparently, fucking illiterate, but I was getting extremely rude to agents and their desperation for a sale by the end of it. Someone tried to show up yesterday after a offer was accepted literally the night before and we sent them packing fine enough, but now anytime the rain hits the gutters too hard I think someone is walking into my home so that's fun.

We have signs all over the house about keeping doors closed to keep the cats inside, including one on the back door (where it isn't an enclosed porch) that says in extremely large lettering Access To Patio From Outside ONLY, and there were still at least two agents that opened the back door, so. Nightmares all around.

An offering has been accepted, the person who is hopefully going to buy wants to keep us as tenants, and I'm locked in a lease until later this year anyway. Things are at least, as of yesterday when I got the confirmation that an offer was in that stage, stable now that I didn't throw up this morning. Hooray! It's been hell. I can not stress enough that this has been hell.

It still leaves the later part of the year up in the air a lot, because new landlord may still want us out at the end of the lease of whathaveyou, and between now and then I am flying down to America to drive across that wild country with a car full of stuff to move my fiancee here, then we gonna get immigration rolling and the employment switchover and everything else. My Dad has been a massive rock for me during this time in terms of trying to keep me level, and as he says: "this is all just one-step-at-a-time things. You're just keeping ducks in a row".

And as I keep saying: "Yeah but I've got a lot of fuckin' ducks, man."

So that's the kind of thing that's in the air right now for me. Lots and lots of stuff going on. I'm still picking away at writing but to make things easier on myself, I'm going to not stress about any kind of schedule or the like right now and just play with whatever flows come when I have them and have the time/ability to focus on them in the few quiet moments I have between all of the other stuff.

Much love to all of you, thank you all again as always for the wonderful comments you've all left, the kudos, the people who reached out, all of it. You're wonderful <3

Take care of yourselves out there,

~ Belle

[myeyesarebrighter]

In April 2009, I made a classic crystal decision and bought a shit heap short sale house for $145k. I’d gotten my first cash bonus at work that paid me enough to cover costs to move and put down 5%, I’d figure out the taxes on the bonus later, and pay PMI until I could refi and get 20% equity.

I met P the May before at our besties wedding. He came to a few house showings with me, but it was clear in my eyes this was my house, my responsibility, and mine alone.

We turned the water on for the home inspection and the kitchen rained. I pulled my cat out of the drop ceiling the morning after I moved in because nothing was closed properly in the whole house. We make a few repairs at risk on a home we didn’t own so that our mortgage would go through… banks have some requirements when you’re doing federal programs for firs time homebuyers.

P moved in basically right away. His dad and my dad helped us lovingly piece the old girl back together. We poured love and free/cheap shit into it for two summers and a winter. I cooked in an electric skillet on my porch while we assembled a kitchen.

It’s been 14 years. That house is still ours and we rent it to one of the best friends who married the day we met/connected for real. They’re long separated, but he’s lived there off and on a few times, and has been our tenant since we moved out. It’s ideal. We charge him 2010 rent rates which just cover all the house expenses, so it’s a wash for us month to month. He’s been able to save and get ahead in his plans to build his own place - bought the land last year.

We’ll make the last mortgage payment sometime this year. It blows my mind. We refi’d our 30 year down to a 15 year for just a couple hundred more per month… and try to roll a little extra at it whenever we can. We’ve been lucky, we’ve worked hard, and we’ve had a lot of great support.

I zillowed that house now and it’s valued at approx 350k, more than double what we paid. We got it on a steal and dumped tons of labor and cash into it. But I’m just not sure how much longer things can keep ballooning like this and have anyone afford anything. This is a 1000 sq ft cape house on a postage square lot, the first subdivisions from 1920. It is literally the most basic starter home with 2 beds and a single tiny bathroom. The entry price is now crawling north of $400k in central Massachusetts for a tiny home. It’s boggling.

[cagandante-communistoide]

i think it's funny when landlords or people with aspirations of having tenants justify charging money for someone's housing by saying that they also have to pay to live in that home, whether it be mortgage/maintenance/electricity + water bills or whatnot. you never hear anyone justifying, say, charging someone you took in your car to a place you're going to together for half of the cost of parking. just because you have to pay to use the car doesn't mean it makes any logical sense to charge the passenger. after all - you would have to pay to use the car anyway! if you went by yourself, you would still be paying the parking ticket. when it's this example, then it becomes clear to the average person that the cost of operating is an excuse to financially take advantage of someone worse off than you to lessen your bills because they need something from you. but when it's housing, the divine right of the landlord to take advantage of someone with a more credible threat of homelessness to alleviate the cost of owning property is far more difficult to question.

I think it's funny that landlords like to pretend that tenants going "well, the cost of you owning your home isn't my problem, I shouldn't have to pay rent to live here" is absurd just because they pay bills to own the home. you would be paying that bill anyway. what you are doing when you rent your property instead of selling it to alleviate that bill is deciding that exploiting tenants is more practical for you than becoming a tenant. and maybe it is! but it's not more practical for the tenant, and there are more tenants than landlords. the landowner position is not inherently more logical than the tenant position. tenants are not being illogical by failing to consider landlord interests by decrying property-as-investment and the for-profit housing market where charging someone market rate for a necessity is acceptable. they are saying that landlord interests do not matter to them because what benefits landlords and what benefits tenants is diametrically opposed, and they are right.

[all-the-things-2020]

No Better Place - Chapter 5

Summary: Javi and Cassidy go for a ride.

Word count: 1700+

“Bored yet?”

Javi opened his eyes. He’d been leaning back in his lawn chair, arms crossed, but definitely not napping. “Just communing with Buster,” he said. “He gets me, don’t you, buddy?” The gelding, who had been dozing off, simply swished his tail at a particularly annoying fly and flicked an ear when he heard his name.

Cassidy laughed. “Yeah, you have so much in common,” she said. “You’re both lazy, good for nothing, free loaders.”

Javi sat up. “Hey! I’m doing this as a favor to you,” he said. “And I brought the beer last week.”

“One lousy six pack,” she scoffed.

“It was the good shit,” Javi shot back. “Not that cheap crap you buy.” In the weeks since he’d started coming over to socialize Buster, they’d fallen into a friendly banter, ending most days with a cold beer in the barn or on her back porch.

“Well, I have a mortgage to pay,” Cassidy replied. “I’m not living rent free in my dad’s house.”

Javi shook his head and flipped her the bird. She’d hit a bit too close to the bone with that last remark. Chucho had made it clear that Javi could stay as long as he liked, but he still felt like he was imposing.

“Get off your lazy ass and come for a ride with me,” Cassidy said. “I need to get some miles on Dawson before I can start advertising him for sale, but I also need to get Cricket out before she gets too fat.”

“I’m not much of a rider,” Javi protested. It was true. He knew how to ride, of course. His dad had insisted on it, but it had been years since he’d ridden more than just to get from point A to point B on the ranch, and then only if he couldn’t easily drive one of the trucks.

“I’ll put you on Cricket,” Cassidy said. “She’s my babysitter horse. I’ve put little kids on her. I think you’ll be okay.”

“Oh, I know how to ride well enough,” Javi said. “I meant I’m not used to riding for a long time.”

“Afraid you’ll hurt your ass?”

“Afraid I won’t be able to walk tomorrow,” Javi admitted. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“You’re not that old,” Cassidy said. “But you are out of shape.” She reached down and poked his stomach. “Less beer and whiskey, more exercise. And stop smoking those cancer sticks.”

Javi batted her hand away. “Don’t touch me,” he grumbled.

“Just get up and help me saddle the horses,” she said. Javi took a moment to admire the view as she walked away before he levered himself up out of the chair. He followed her into the barn and into the tack room at the end.

He whistled in admiration. “Nice collection,” he said. There were close to a dozen saddles placed neatly on racks on the far wall. The wall opposite had pegs which held bridles and halters and other bits of tack.

“Yeah, I like to have options,” Cassidy said. She ran her hand over the seat of a glossy black English style saddle. “Western, jumping, dressage … I used to have a sidesaddle, too, but I got a great offer to sell it to a historical reenactor.” She pulled a plain trail saddle off one of the racks and nodded to another one a few spaces over. “Grab that and follow me.”

They worked silently, except for a few quiet instructions from Cassidy, brushing the horses off and tacking them up. Dawson was a nondescript bay gelding with no white markings at all. He fidgeted as Cassidy worked with him. Cricket, on the other hand, was a pretty little buckskin mare with a white stripe down her face and impeccable ground manners.

“I’m serious about you riding Cricket,” Cassidy said as she checked the girths on both saddles. “She’s got that nice, easy jog. Dawson’s a real bone shaker. Your backside will thank me.”

“Glad to know you think about my backside so much,” Javi said. “I’m flattered.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” she replied, as she swung gracefully into the saddle on Dawson’s back.

Javi chuckled and hoisted himself onto Cricket’s back. Cassidy led the way past the riding arena and to the beginnings of a trail that led out into the brush. She sat easily in the saddle, swaying with the horse’s movements. Javi tried to relax and imitate her, but it was hard to strike the right balance between following the horse and staying in control.

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

Cassidy turned in the saddle to check on Javi. “Jesus Christ, man, relax,” she laughed. “Give her a loose rein and sit back on the cantle. She won’t bolt on you. Trust her. Cricket’s a good girl.”

She was sure Javi had narrowed his eyes behind his ubiquitous aviator sunglasses. She kept hoping he’d lose them somewhere; they reminded her of that cheesy show about the California highway patrol officers from the 70’s.

“Last time I trusted a horse, he took me through a barbed wire fence and dumped me in a patch of cactus,” Javi grumbled. “I like to be in control of my horse.” He lifted his chin at her in accusation. It was true that she was sitting halfway round in her saddle, one foot out of the stirrup, with the reins looped loosely around the saddle horn.

“I’m still in control,” she retorted. “I just don’t have to rule with an iron hand.” She shifted her weight, cueing Dawson to stop, and he did. Javi pulled back on Cricket’s reins to keep her from walking into Dawson’s butt. “See!” Cassidy cried. “Right there. You hauled on her mouth. All she needs is for you to sit back in the saddle, drop your weight, open your legs a little.” She held up her hand to forestall the snide comment she knew he was dying to make. “Yeah, I heard it. But it’s true. You don’t need to be yanking on the reins. I don’t cowboy my horses, and I don’t charro my horses. Got it?” Dawson shifted nervously beneath her. She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, but damn, men were such asses sometimes when it came to horses.

Javi nodded. “Okay, okay, I’ll try to be gentler,” he said. “But in my defense, my dad’s horses aren’t as well trained as this little lady.” He leaned forward to smooth down a section of Cricket’s mane that had flipped the wrong way, and Cassidy saw that he could be gentle if he wanted to be. She also wondered what it would feel like to have that hand smooth her own hair away from her neck and … she shook her head. Focus, Cass, focus!

“All right, as long as we’re on the same page,” she said. “Come on, let’s ride.” She nudged Dawson into a walk and then a trot. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Javi he was a bone shaker. It was nearly impossible to sit his trot, so she posted as best she could. She did take a glance back and saw that Javi was bouncing around in the saddle a bit, even with Cricket’s smooth Quarter Horse jog.

She slowed to a walk when they reached a wide, open section of grassland where the well defined trail they’d been following broke into a braid of tracks. “Bring her up alongside,” she said. “I want Dawson to get used to being next to other horses, not always single file.”

Javi let Cricket stride out until they had caught up. Dawson immediately pinned his ears. “Hey, hey, none of that,” Cassidy chided him, taking a firmer grip on the reins. Cricket snorted and shook her head as if to say, Amateur.

They rode in silence for a while, no sound but the creaking of saddle leather, the jingling of bits, the thud of hooves, and the occasional snort as the horses blew dust from their noses. “This is the life,” Cassidy said eventually. She dropped the reins and leaned back to rest her hands on Dawson’s rump. “I could do this forever.”

Javi looked over at her, and she felt his eyes travel the length of her body. “I could watch it forever,” he said.

“You’re disgusting,” she said, sitting back up properly. “But you don’t look so bad yourself, when you’re not trying to be all macho and in control.” She ran her own eyes over him, his long legs hanging loosely along Cricket’s sides, his hips moving gently with her strides, his huge hands lightly holding the leather reins. Yeah, he looked damned good.

Javi shrugged. “Okay, so we agree we both look hot in the saddle,” he said. “Can we head back now before I get a callus on my ass the size of Dallas?”

Cassidy laughed. “Oh, we’re just getting started, Mr. Pena,” she said. “Giddy up!” She tapped her heels against Dawson’s sides, urging him into a canter. Cricket didn’t need any encouragement to join in; she loved to run.

“Hey!” Javi yelped as Cricket lowered her head and lit out after Cassidy. “I wasn’t ready!”

“You snooze, you lose!” Cassidy cried. “Yee haw!” She leaned forward and urged Dawson into a full on gallop. She heard Javi cursing behind her and knew that Cricket had kicked into overdrive. She was a sweet mare but had a competitive streak that would put a racehorse to shame. No one outran her. In just a few strides, she’d caught Dawson and was pulling ahead. She flicked an ear at Javi but kept going. Cassidy laughed. “That’s my girl. Show him who’s boss!”

As soon as she’d put a length or two between them, Cricket slowed her stride. Cassidy reined Dawson back into a canter, then to a trot, and finally a walk. He was blowing hard, but Cricket looked ready to go again.

“Damn, that was insane,” Javi said once the two horse were walking side by side again.

“Never underestimate a woman,” Cassidy said. “Human or equine.”

Javi smiled, something she rarely got to see. “Point taken,” he said. “Now, seriously, can we go home now? My ass is killing me.”

[morimakesfanart]

Is your house big enough for 10 people 🫠 I can feel myself melting away thinking about the problems you will face 😮‍💨 but having anime people in your house how cool is that 😎

We can make it work. Due to financial and legal reason, my sibling and I have been unable to move out of our parents' home. Here's a preview from what I have written so far that explains how all of them will fit:

When I was 4 1/2 years old, we had to move because my mom's job changed locations. At that same time she was pregnant with my younger sibling, so we also moved into a bigger home. My parents were sold a house they couldn't afford the upkeep on, but they wouldn't understand that for several years. And because of the crashing housing bubble, job markets, and person taste, my parents out right denied the idea of selling the house to get a smaller place we could actually properly take care of. Our roof has poorly patch, holes, and our siding is rotting -to name some of the growing problems. However, it did have a few more rooms than the average house. Both of my parents were hoarders and 7 years after my mom's death, we were still clearing out her things, and fighting my father from adding to the problem. Luckily, in the past few years we had managed to mostly clear out the 2 rooms that had once been a dining room(now "the back room"), and home office (now "the den"). It would be cramped, but we would be able to fit all 9 of them. Both the living room and the den each have a sofa with a pullout queen mattress, and since my dad was a literal hoarder that wouldn't let us throw things out, we have another old queen mattress in our basement, and a king mattress blocking the coat closet. The two old mattresses could be laid on the floor in the back room next to the den. All 4 of those would be enough to fit 9 people ....even with Hina being a giant. I decided to leave the end decisions for who would sleep where to our guests. If they could run a country, they could figure out who was going to sleep where on their own.

Since I was little, my parents pulled out of their pensions and 401Ks multiple times to keep us afloat, so we wouldn't have to move :( We've only been surviving since my mom died, because of me working, and my mom leaving a bunch in savings that my dad uses to pay utilities and most of the food bill. My dad can't work, so I have been the one paying the mortgage, insurance, and taxes for the house too. There are still a few more years left before it will be payed off. Since the house is falling apart it's an eyesore, so we are being charged higher taxes then our neighbors. (This is a common tactic to kick out "problem" families instead of helping them.) Once the house is paid off, I can start putting money aside to be able to try fixing the house, and hopefully get our taxes lowered.

In the fanfic, I plan to have Sin and the Generals work enough to help us, so it won't focus on our struggles. I am planning on having one chapter as set up, and then any other requests for things to happen in the reverse isekai AU will be chapters after that. :D

Me and my younger sibling, Lyly, have discussed reverse isekai for a ton of series before, so we already have some plans for how it could work, and what we would do. Since I started working on this in June of '22, I have talked to my family about what we would do, and how we might make it work. The excerpt I put above is something I talked to them about earlier today, actually XD We talked for over an hour about the different characters and how they might be able to help us too. My whole household knows Magi because I live here and they can't get me to shut up about it XD They've both seen the full anime for Magi and Adventures; Lyly has read a bit of both manga but didn't finish. Everyone in this house agrees that Ja'far is a lot like Lyly, so my dad said he'd be comfortable with Ja'far helping him with paperwork stuff. He also wants to know more about Hina after learning that he's also a widower and over 50 y/o. So it's going to be fun writing how all of them help us get out of the red :3

For all the people that have dm'd me asking if Lyly will ever isekai into Sindria's Prophet after reading my diary comic, "Mori the Webcomic," the answer is: probably not because I don't want to ever misrepresent them. I will write some one shots where it happens for fun, and they will be in this reverse iskekai AU. Lyly is taking a semi active roll with the writing for any chapter that they appear in.