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battle-of-alberta · 2 months

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Who had the happiest childhood ?

well over a year later i finally tackle this question! it was at the bottom of the box because one of my weaknesses is drawing children, and another one is the necessary historical research to draw their childhoods :' ) but i really wanted to start imagining them because it's very important to the overall story i'm trying to tell here.

here's the main gang, who were children at one end of the 19th century or another. I don't really know how to answer the question (they all lived through some very rough times, even if they didn't know as much) but I can give a little bit of an explanation for the times they grew up in...

[but most importantly, who do you think was the cutest?]

Ed and Jas were kids in the early decades of the 19th century (the regency era). They didn't really have a sense of the outside world much at all (Ed in particular had a very inflated sense of self importance he has since lost) and moved around a lot to follow the fur bearing animals (typically beavers). I feel like they were often getting into scrapes like this!

Cal and Lil grew up in the 1870s when the Northwest Mounted Police were establishing the Canada-US border. Calvin doesn't realize that his childhood enemy Fort Whoop Up and Lilith are the same person, so he tends to think of Lilith as younger than him. Lilith knows better, of course, but I guess she wanted a fresh start. In some ways, they were both only a bit spoiled as kids, though Lilith was less sheltered.

Jo and Mac didn't really interact much as they were isolated for most of their childhoods and didn't really hit their first growth spurts until the 20th century. It's hard to imagine their childhoods (or that Mac was ever a child haha) but they must have been quite lonely, so I figure they had to have pretty big imaginations to cope during the times Ed wasn't around.

Nor, Red and Maddie grew up in the railroad era of the 1880s-90s, although Nor and Maddie were the railroad resort and energy princesses respectively. Red depended far more on carriages and later vehicles passing through on their way between Ed and Cal's places. [also, do not attempt to cuddle bear cubs or feed them chocolate biscuits!!]

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randomoranges · 3 months

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i lost a wagerino to @allbeendonebefore

i was tasked to draw ét and mac hanging out.

yes, those are sliced cucumbers, so glad you asked. and yes, they do have face goop on that didn't come through the picture, so glad you asked again.

#pc: montreal #étienne maisonneuve #pc: mac #mac something #wow what are mac's tags #let's find out #pc: fort mcmurray #reginald buffalo #and yes those are barrettes in mac's hair so glad u asked again #windex attemps to draw

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allbeendonebefore · 1 year

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(this is right to left not left to right sorry)

going through photos of comics i drew at work in 2019 that i never posted and nothing is funnier to me than this really angsty comic of ed yelling at calvin for ghosting him for 9+ months (and then the smoke alarm going off because he started burning what he was cooking) being immediately followed by this

#hapo rambles #pc: calgary #pc: edmonton #pc: fort mcmurray #hapo doodles #edward murphy #calvin mccall #reginald buffalo

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acetechne · 1 year

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F6 Mac?

i think i messed up on his phone case so idk if its clear what it is supposed to be rip. anyway i have been told this is his face after seeing sasquatsch

#projectcanada cities #pc: fort mcmurray #hapo doodles #traditional art #ink #pencil crayon #mixed media #hapo art #art challenge #art meme #expression challenge #expression meme #reginald buffalo #anonymous

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the-quotable-alberta-hansard · 2 years

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April 21, 2022

Mr. Yao: Nowhere have we seen an organization like that advertise so much political advertising that attacks one government or one group while negating the effects of the others. I find it just absolutely disgusting that this labour organization chooses to spend their money on advertising and attack ads as opposed to developing their members with balanced education. I have had teachers from my region, from my community whisper in my ear that they dislike the education that the ATA has been providing them for the last half a dozen years because it demonstrates a certain level of socialism and social justice that they don’t necessarily agree with.

It paints a picture of a very hard-left union. It’s really disappointing that such a group is in charge, when their members have to whisper in my ear that they do not feel that they have the freedom to speak to the truth, and it is disappointing that they have to speak to the fact that they aren’t being supported, that they are actually being provided with, for all intents and purposes, propaganda.

#historically the ata has not had bad relationships with the government #not with the ndp #not with the pcs #just these guys #i wonder why #alberta #alberta politics #ableg #Tany Yao #Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo #UCP #cdnpoli

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tennantdegn51 · 1 year

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kayla1993-world · 2 years

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Former Opposition and Wildrose leader Danielle Smith is re-entering provincial politics with an eye on the United Conservative Party leadership.

Smith told Postmedia on Thursday she will put her name forward to become the UCP nominee for Livingstone-Macleod in next year’s general election, with an official announcement planned for Friday. If Premier Jason Kenney loses an upcoming leadership vote, she said she will throw her hat in the ring in the ensuing race for the party’s top job.

“I’ve had lots of people approach me saying when are you gonna get back into politics, and specifically asking me if I’d put my name forward here, and so I talked with my husband and we agreed, gonna give it one more try,” said Smith.

She said she is returning to politics because she is upset the UCP cancelled its April 9 general meeting and moved the leadership vote to mail-in ballots. She called for the party to reverse the decision and either hold the vote in person in Red Deer or set up polls in all major population centres to allow people easy access.

She also noted she is angry with how Kenney has characterized people in the province as “lunatics” or bigots based on their views around COVID-19 and public health mandates.

“If me announcing allows people to think that I might be a leadership candidate, then fair enough, I’m in,” said Smith. “I will put my name forward for leadership as well. But that really is a decision that’s up to members, and if members choose to keep the current leader, then I’m quite happy to make my voice heard from the backbench.”

She would join a battle that saw Kenney against another former Wildrose Party leader, Brian Jean, who recently won a by-election as the UCP candidate in Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche.

Smith has a long history in Alberta politics, beginning with a nearly year-long stint as a Calgary Board of Education trustee in the 1990s. She would later become the leader of the provincial Wildrose Party and elevate the party to official opposition status.

Her time with the Wildrose ended in 2014 when she crossed the floor and joined the Progressive Conservative party, led at the time by Jim Prentice. She would lose the PC nomination in her home riding in 2015 before the region eventually elected a Wildrose member back into the legislature.

Following her time in politics, Smith hosted a daily talk radio show on Corus Radio for six years and has regularly written columns for Postmedia papers, including the Calgary Herald. She left Corus last year, decrying what she perceived as restrictions on free speech, saying there were topics that were “unchallengeable.” She has since been the president of the Alberta Enterprise Group.

While on the radio, she regularly criticized Kenney’s handling of COVID-19. She also apologized early in the pandemic after tweeting false claims about COVID-19 treatments.

If successful in her nomination in Livingstone-Macleod, she said she would look to involve the grassroots of the party and work to make sure MLAs have a voice in caucus and the ability to bring forward constituents’ concerns.

“The approach that we’ve taken in Alberta is not the way Alberta politics normally takes place. It’s really more of an Ottawa style,” said Smith. “The individual MLAs almost completely taking out of the picture and that’s not giving good governance to the people in my constituency.”

After proclaiming her intention to run Friday, she said she will begin meeting with people and stakeholders in the riding to learn what concerns they have as she embarks on the campaign trail.

Smith said she informed current Livingstone-Macleod MLA Roger Reid of her decision to vie for the upcoming nomination earlier this week.

They could not reach Reid for comment Thursday.

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atlanticcanada · 4 years

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PCs urge minister to deal with school violence as bullied teen leaves N.L.

Days after CBC reported that Grade 12 student Alex Mercer left Carbonear Collegiate for Fort McMurray to get away from relentless harassment, the PC education critic pressed government to ensure schools are safe for all students.

from CBC | Newfoundland and Labrador News https://ift.tt/32lWtjA

#newfoundland and labrador #news #politics #canada #CBCNL

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battle-of-alberta · 7 months

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Hooray! The height chart is done!

Obviously there are some minor characters not featured here but, uh, that's for me to figure out later and you to speculate.

and yeahhhhh there's quite a few characters who are the same height but uh. It's Fine. Height inconsistency, for my part, can be attributed to the fact that Many of these characters wear heels in their day to day (so it was fun thinking about their socks, which I don't usually do).

Enjoy!

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importantkryptoniteenemy-blog · 7 years

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Value Of Computer Repair Solutions

Gone are the times when personal computers used to be owned by big corporations and had been so expensive and challenging to handle that widespread public could not even desire of getting a single. Presently, there is a pc in practically every single household in The usa. Individuals of all ages and from each and every walk of life use computers according to their particular needs. Specialists operating in an place of work to a housewife at property all are making use of personal computers for their positive aspects. It has turn into an indispensable device for us. Currently being a equipment and in consistent use, our pcs are susceptible to develop faults over time and when this takes place, it is extremely advisable to look for out professional support as an alternative of making an attempt to diagnose and solution the scenario ourselves. computer repair fort mcmurray of Lengthy Island can relaxation certain if these kinds of a issue happens with their pcs all they have to do is attain for laptop repair and look for for Lengthy Island pc mend solutions. This class can be more subdivided in accordance to distinct location you are currently residing whether you are situated at North Shore, South Fork or Prolonged Island Sound, you can find a mend support supplier in close proximity to you. Lengthy Island computer restore companies are supplied by men and women, who are expertly trained experts, who excel at elimination of any fault that a personal computer could possibly have. If you have absent online and unknowingly downloaded malicious software (also known as virus), which is creating your computer to gradual down or causing information decline, you require to make contact with a restore services provider quickly as delay may possibly worsen the scenario and lead to irreparable reduction of info and components. In these kinds of instances, most restore services companies in Long Island would deliver more than their technician who would take away the viruses from your hard disk push and also give you worthwhile insights as to keep away from prevalence of equivalent circumstance in the potential. Prolonged Island personal computer repair companies are ideal for firms that have dependence on pcs for their daily operations. Not only do these businesses give about the clock mend companies but also regimen maintenance as properly. A common routine maintenance bundle could consist of providers this kind of as hardware and software program prognosis, upgrading of both hardware and application, tweaking and optimizing LAN and WAN networks or the intranet and other needed restore operate. Most repair support vendors in Prolonged Island deal in notebook and desktop pc repairs, most have a predetermined affixed volume they charge for basic prognosis and fix but will cost you extra if restore consists of putting in new elements.

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allbeendonebefore · 2 years

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Out of your ocs, who is a shower and who is a bath person? Also hot water or cold water?

gut reactions

the cold shower challenge is some weird manly man thing i encountered modding for business school classes and it frightens me. While I think Calvin is also a hot shower person I also think he's stubborn and swears by this weird thing.

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thecloudlight-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Cloudlight

New Post has been published on https://cloudlight.biz/fort-mac-former-pictou-county-resident-recalls-fire/

Fort Mac: Former Pictou County resident recalls fire

Overwhelming.

That’s what it felt want to force returned into Citadel McMurray and spot the damage that the wooded area fireplace brought on the last yr.

Commercial “It changed into a big surprise seeing the devastation and coming to phrases with it as the brand new normal,” said Erika Margeson, a former Pictou County resident who at the side of her husband Connor and 5-week vintage infant fled the flames. “It took a long term for it to sense like home to us again. It’s nevertheless a lot of technique.” This week as u . S . A . and the metropolis specifically do not forget the fire, she said it has been ordinary for everybody residing there.

“We speak approximately the fire every day, we see what it left all around us, but somehow the anniversary is stirring up masses of unsettled emotions,” she stated. “I can believe folks who nevertheless aren’t returned to their homes or still preventing to get back to regular are simply completely crushed”

The Margesons were the various lucky ones. After a daunting exit that concerned a aircraft journey from a northern camp to Calgary, they ended up returning to Nova Scotia temporarily while the evacuation orders were in location. They’re domestic, although it sustained smoke damage was structurally adequate.

Remove Porn From a Mac Instantly

The sector Huge Web is a portal to nearly anything and the entirety that we idea we couldn’t get our hands on. With LAN era and instantaneous get right of entry to each internet site on-line, folks that are particularly right with computer systems may even locate the pleasant sources of porn on the internet without having to fear approximately viruses or sneaky malware entering into their gadget. So that they download and download day and night time without a care in the global, but so long as there are opportunities of unknown get admission to, hacking, and different human beings by chance opening your porn listing then there’s a want to both Take away Porn from Mac completely or circulate it to a specific place.

Studying how to Remove Porn from Mac or Laptop is pretty clean however with unique approaches,

Of direction. For this text, we can be focusing on the way to Put off Porn from Mac in view that lots of people who are into photos, videos, and who want the nice high-quality for their media would flip to Macbooks now. Here are a few hints and ideas on how to completely Do away with or disguise the porn from prying eyes:

o If you are sharing your PC with another person then it’s time to hide them in a special listing or region. You might imagine that the character won’t snoop around your documents, however, after you go away your region in front of your Mac there may be no telling what could manifest. What you may do is to make more than one money owed or customers for you, your partners, and even a secret person simply to shop your porn in.

O In case you’ve created hidden bills in your porn series, enable Speedy consumer Switching so that you can switch back and forth whenever you need to view your documents.

O So as to conceal your porn even extra from others

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A Former Addict Can Always Spot an Addict

Romans 2:1-3 “Therefore you don’t have any excuse, O man, each considered one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, due to the fact you, the choose, exercise the very identical matters.”

Terrible addiction, dependency, and steady relapsing is hell. The mendacity, sneaking and making excuses get old. Information, staying power and information fast replace Horrific conduct once freedom from addiction is done. An attention emerges and you understand that hell is an area which could never be revisited. Temptations and triggers are avoided and slowly the dependency loses energy.

Capsules, gluttony, gambling, pornography, alcohol

Gossip smoking and lots of other addictions are a dwelling hell, in particular, if there may be a preference to be unfastened and freedom doesn’t come. If a person is overweight and eats continuously when they may be no longer hungry and their fitness suffers due to overeating, they may be in hell. If an alcoholic has Horrific fitness, loss of profession and circle of relatives due to drinking and that they nevertheless retain drink, they may be in hell. If one is in critical debt and suffers financially due to their compulsive playing and they still gamble, they may be in hell. If someone smokes thru the hollow inside the front in their neck because of smoking and that they nonetheless hold to smoke, this is hell. If one is demise due to drug use and that they nevertheless hold to use Capsules, they’re in hell. And if someone is online in mystery, viewing matters they know they shouldn’t and maintains doing so, regardless of knowing the risk and outcomes if stuck, is in hell.

There are numerous extra examples of Horrific habit addictions and if there may be

Recognition of the cause, freedom may be accomplished. knowing the motive is the first step. Help is all around. There are loose articles, blogs, publications, boards, support corporations and motion pictures online. Maximum help comes from former addicts. If one wants help and seeks to be helped, they’ll be helped.

It is vital also no longer to choose. Human beings divulge themselves, their fears and their insecurities when they continuously decide different Humans. The one who judges will also be judged. The fact continually well-known shoes itself in time and karma is an actual factor.

As era advances, temptations are to be had like by no means before. Most people have instantaneous access to information at Maximum any time. Signs and behaviors of addictions are one of the Maximum searched topics on the net. Humans can research and discover nearly something right away. Nothing hides anymore and judging a person who’s addicted is wrong on such a lot of levels. People need to assist and this international will most effective turn out to be free while Humans free themselves. If there may be suffering due to addiction, seek to assist. If one thinks they’re hiding the dependency in secret, they’re fooling themselves. All is being revealed. A former addict can continually spot an addict

When Dementia Residents Fight

Here’s a story ripped from the headlines. Names and region changed, to guard folks that have to have achieved higher.

Believe this. An antique gentleman in a care center had been a professional footballer. At 88, Bill was still large, and weighty and truly competitive. Some other vintage gentleman arrived to stay in the equal vicinity. Simon was a narrow old man, rather scholarly-searching and dignified. Both have been recognized with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. They did now not come to be buddies.

In reality, team of workers noticed that the retired footballer, Invoice, appeared to take some thing of a satisfaction in bullying the opposite man. He might deliberately bump into Simon. body of workers watched to prevent this from taking place. A team of workers observe said the guys regarded to will be inclined to combat or quarrel, even though in reality simplest one in all them did that.

This, by using the way

Is generally located in care situations and it comes about due to the fact personnel are frequently neither practiced nor educated in unbiased reporting of incidents. Then one day, Invoice seemingly changed into simply full of energy for a fight and him check-butted Simon, inflicting the smaller guy to fall and hit his head towards a chair. Ten days later, Simon died and the nearby district legal professional taken into consideration however ultimately did now not file murder a homicide charge against Bill.

In my commentary of competitive citizens, there need to frequently be a query from the care facility of the authentic dementia prognosis. Don’t forget the background — aggression in sports isn’t always unusual. Head damage not unusual. Daily competitive social conduct is unusual. The care facility must have insisted on having the prognosis re-examined, with appropriate psychiatric investigation into Bill lengthy earlier than this incident.

In fact, in my view, with that retrospective information so clean to us all, the power became relationship catastrophe in retaining this resident once he was recognized to be competitive. I’d have notified the circle of relatives and the nation that he was not capable to advantage from a socially-based care policy and posed a probable threat to fellow citizens.

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quatschmachen · 4 years

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Hitch Work

Follows Fresh Powder

2000′s. Edward finally visits Mac up north.

Master post

XXXX

Whenever he fell into that in-between miasma, where other options no longer seemed to exist, he usually found himself escaping Edmonton. Usually it was to Montreal, but that option was out now. So he decided to take Mac up on his offer, an offer that he had often apologetically refused, due to being busy with something or other. But this time Mac somehow made going up to where it was colder, less populated, with a sky full of the dancing lights, more appealing than participating in civil society.

As always, before they even left the city, they had to pull into the Costco to get some essentials.

For Fort McMurray might be the place where most of the money was pulled out of the ground through the sweat and tears of the blue collar worker, but the money shifted south faster than a fart. The big city basics, the stuff the city dweller takes for granted, like Costco, Walmart, dipping out for some reasonably priced provisions…

Mac had to make the six hour journey down for that. He had come with a list. There was the usual on the list – toilet paper, essential food items such as potato chips, mustard pretzels, all the items that were hell to get up north – or if you could it would be twice the price for the inconvenience of lugging it up there. Never mind the desperation to get as much reasonably priced alcohol as possible.

It was almost as an afterthought that Mac led Edward to the aisle with dishes, and wordlessly grabbed a single mug. Edward thought nothing of it, other than Mac obviously needed a new mug.

His hockey bag packed with the essentials, Mac’s truck with all his supplies, Edward felt slightly optimistic.

They had to time it just right, but with a few pitstops, and the black ice which even the winter tires had difficulty navigating, the five hours turned into six. The ride interspersed with their conversation, both of them smoking like chimneys, the country radio that dominated rural Alberta, but not enough to not cut in and out sometimes, the flat prairie farms turning into boreal forest, dominated by the tall frames of the lodgepole pines. A land carefully cultivated for centuries with a respect to nature, a land which now was being cut up to feed the white man’s economy. Brushing that thought aside, Edward let himself contentedly look at the nature around him.

As they pulled into Fort McMurray, Edward was interested to see how the place had changed, and how it hadn’t. It was an odd mixture, the place where the money flowed from, the place where the money often did not stay. A place of historic transience, where one’s home was contained in the heart, but physically was far away. Something like he was doing – running away, getting to work. The grief heavy within him had settled like rocks in the bottom of his heart and stomach. A manageable pain, a manageable self hatred.

As they drove up to a relatively new house, Mac got visibly nervous.

Almost shyly, Mac announced he had finally bought a house. “Oh ye knows, I was rentin’ but then the owner wanted ta move right? So I figures, it’s a nice place, might as well just buy.”

As far as Edward knew, Mac had bounced around his own town unable to settle, never bothering too much with property, probably because it was so easy to crash at Edward’s between hitches. Why invest in a place you barely spent any time in, right? Or at least that had been his own pet theory. It was a feeling of shock and surprise then, at this announcement. Surprise because the man hadn’t bothered to hold a housewarming party, or even mention much about it.

Edward was too tired to even ask why his friend was renting in his own town. Mac did things his own way, and sometimes you just had to accept that. Edward had not seen this house before, and the build looked relatively new.

Pulling his hockey bag out of the truck, Edward followed Mac inside. Mac’s arms were full of the shopping, the bags dangling from the elbows, as he huffed from the weight of it. Edward offered to take something, but Mac was determined to bring it all into the house in one go. Edward locked the truck, and after careful instruction from Mac, which involved awkwardly reaching into Mac’s jacket pocket to retrieve the keys, opened the door to the house.

Taking his boots off, Edward glanced into the living room and frowned. It was a rather sparse room.

Mac had moved ahead to lazily dump the bags down in the nearest location, rubbing his arms.

“Mac… do you live in the basement or something?”

“No. I rents that out.”

Edward looked again at the living room. A space with bare wood floor where huddled in a corner sat one lamp, a worn-out bean bag chair covered in duct tape, gaming consoles and a very large television. There was an overflowing ashtray beside the bean bag, and if he looked hard enough he could see some of the foam peanuts leaking out of the bag.

There was nothing else.

“Where’s your furniture?”

“You blind or wha’? It’s all there.” Mac gestured to the bean bag chair.

“Do you ever have guests?”

“Sometimes – but ye knows holdin’ a kitchen party ye jus’ needs takeout and alcohol.”

Edward made a ‘hmm’ing sound as he shifted his bag. “Well, you can show me where I’m supposed to sleep at least.”

“Sure thing, though now I’m realizing maybe should have got you a blanket or something,” Mac laughed. Edward laughed as well, as he was lead to the guest room.

The laughing stopped.

Before his eyes, was a room yes. In the room? For guests?

In the middle of the floor lay the saddest mattress on the ground. No box spring, no pillow. No duvet.

Simply something that looked like it should have been burnt in the last century.

Attempting to keep his shit together (for Edward knew that while Mac was a competent man, he also needed to be handled in the right way), he asked in a high pitched voice,

“So… am I supposed to sleep in here, or?”

Mac frowned, “Guess it’s not ideal, didn’t really think this through eh?”

Looking at the other man’s profile, Edward let out a breath, “We can make this work, though, I think tonight it might be too late to get me a place to sleep.”

Inwardly he screamed, when we went to Costco you could have said I would need to buy fucking pillows! A duvet! An entire bed! Instead you encouraged me to get more mustard pretzels!!

“Hell we can just share my bed, it’s big enough.”

Raising his eyebrow, and not quite looking at the other man, Edward attempted to joke, “You sure? You might get gay cooties.”

In response Mac slung his arm around Edward’s shoulders and firmly squished him into his warm side, “Chuck, if I’s a gay that would have been apparent years ago. I’s not worried ‘bout that.”

“Years ago?” Edward questioned, peering up at Mac’s amused expression. His internal screaming monologue quelled for the moment.

Giving him a reassuring squeeze, Mac let him go and cryptically replied, “This ain’t a place bustling with women in case ye haven’t noticed.”

“Maaaac… are you saying you’ve been experimenting?” Edward slowly asked, feeling somewhat delighted and surprised.

“Chucky, just cuz I ain’t a big city slicker don’t mean I don’t leave the house and sees people and does stuff, and I’ve realized that I am for sure not going to be worrying about turning homo.”

“Alright then buster… we can drop my stuff in your room and make some food.”

Mac was silent on the way to his room - which unsurprisingly smelt like sweat and something else.

This room had more stuff in it at least, Edward thought. He looked at the bed – simply a mattress on top of a box spring on the floor with what he supposed was the head pushed up against the wall. He knew he should probably count himself lucky that the box spring even existed in this scenario. The bed was messy and unmade, and he could just make out the forms of crushed potato chips amongst the black sheets.

Directly above the bed was a poster of a lady in a bikini, and then on the walls were scattered posters of other ladies, Oilers stuff, and the odd truck poster.

Clothes overflowed from the dresser, balled up tissues propagated on the floor, hiding in the green shag carpet. Edward’s gaze returned to linger to the bed.

“Uh, when was the last time you changed your sheets?”

“Ye change ‘em?”

“…Do you have some like, fresh bedsheets, Mac?”

Mac shrugged, “Maybe? I dunno. Maybe in the cupboard.”

Maybe? Maybe? Was Mac’s plan to share the bed all along? Mac? How the hell did he live like this?!

Edward frowned, attempting to figure out if he cared for the night. He was tired, they both were tired. He had slept in worse locations. He knew when there were times to fight, he also knew when it was time to eat.

“Let’s eat.”

Edward attempted to keep his trepidation at bay. It was as if this house wasn’t actually lived in. Simply a place for Mac to play games and pass out. A house – not a home.

Mac had said kitchen parties but… the stove still had plastic wrap on it. He was not sure what to expect when it came to the cupboards. He opened one and saw an open package of cookies, the plastic tray slightly hanging out of the bag, and on further inspection, only one broken cookie left. Squinting at the bag, Edward realized the cookie had expired over a year ago. The cupboard beside that one was empty.

The next cupboard contained one bowl, one mug, and one plate.

His next step had his foot stick to the floor, his hand fumbling on the next cupboard.

“Oh I calls that the fly trap.”

“What?”

Mac gestured to the sticky patch on the floor, “Keeps meaning to clean it up but ye know, easier to just not step in it.”

“Mac…” Edward sighed, as he opened the next cupboard, and was relieved that it contained some packs of ramen.

He opened a drawer and found it crammed with odd bits of silverware, free floating in the drawer, a divider nowhere in sight. He could discern a sharp knife, a wooden spoon, two forks, a butter knife and three spoons. And what possibly might be a cheese grater buried at the bottom of it all. There also happened to be about six different types of novelty beer openers. The drawer beneath that contained cedar planks, hot dog buns, a long lighter, a metal spatula, and those tiny condiments you get from take out.

“That’s the barbeque drawer.” Mac offered in explanation.

One of the cupboards under the sink was crammed full of fishing supplies. Edward dearly hoped that the locked metal container did not contain fish bait. He did not open to find out.

With slight trepidation Edward opened the refrigerator.

On the top shelf, was an open can of peaches with a fork stuck into it. It stood in the middle of the top shelf like a sculpture – a sculpture that smelled. In the door was some open juice, pickled radishes, mustard, ketchup, relish and hot sauce. Edward could deal with this, indeed he had dealt with far worse before when it came to mysterious refrigerator contents.

Opening the freezer Edward let out a cry of surprise. Neatly stacked, packaged and dated was various cuts of meat that Mac had hunted.

Is this what he spent all his time doing? Edward mentally grumbled, expend all the energy to make sure you ate the meat in the right order?

Beside the meat was an assortment of frozen dinners crammed around a tub of ice cream, one of them nearly bent in half, and Edward did not want to spend too much thought as to how Mac had managed that.

He opened the door of what he supposed was going to be the pantry. He expected to find at least a potato or something, but instead it was full of neatly arranged video games on the shelves, and a few gaming consoles tucked into a corner. On the floor was a half full box of whippets.

His eyes scanned the pantry still searching and not finding.

There was something missing though. Sure there was a bowl and stuff, but what the hell did Mac cook his food in? Ramen existed, the one mug was not large enough to cook it. Did Mac just eat it raw like some moody teenager?

“Mac. Where’s your pots and pans?” Edward turned to ask the other man, who was leaning against the counter simply staring at him with amusement.

In answer he shifted and in the corner of the counter was a small silver pot. By itself.

Edward had no words, as in a dream like state he crossed the room, deliberately ignoring the sticky bits of the floor, and went to examine this battered little pot.

“Mac… why do you have a pot with no handle?”

“Oh you knows it broke a while back haven’t gots the time to jus’ pop down to the store to get a new one, and its not like I needs it.” He shrugged, “It’s like my bowl too – I just make the noodles innit then I moves it to the counter on the little cork pot pad and eats straight outta it.”

Edward was not quite sure how to describe the sensation he was feeling as he looked at the fully grown man in front of him. How… how did Mac survive? How was this even life? Sure he thought himself as screwed up but Mac seemed to be existing on another level.

“Mac… do you just spend all your money on your truck and video games?”

“Beers, cocaine, darts and the prostitutes too.” He gamely added.

“Mac… tomorrow we’re going to the store to uh…” Edward frowned, struggling to find words, “Well, to at least get me my own fucking mug.”

At this Mac brightened, “I got you one! It’s in the pile of crap I brought in from Costco. Chuck – Chuck why are you crying!?”

Edward was laughing as well as crying, as he looked up at the other man, “Mac… I think you’re more fucked up than I am. Shit – you’re supposed to be the epitome of the ideal man—well paying job, a house, passably white, heterosexual – and here you are-” at this Edward’s voice had raised in pitch as he held the pot, “using a pot with no handle! YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE A FRYING PAN.”

“Don’t need it on the barbeque.”

Edward choked slightly at that response.

“Mac… tomorrow we’re going to Canadian Tire and I swear to god, I may be a fucking mess, but I at least know how to get a pot with a handle on it for you.”

A small smile graced the other man’s lips, “So’s did ya decide what ya wanna eat for dinner?”

“A microwave dinner.”

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable and I’ll get it made then?”

Edward snorted. “Comfortable where? You don’t even have a kitchen table or chair.”

“Uh,” Mac’s ears turned red, his words apparently escaping him, his hands fumbling slightly with the microwave dinner packaging.

Realizing his tone was probably a little too harsh, Edward attempted to settle against the counter, “I’m fine standing here I guess.”

Mac nodded and stuck the meals into the microwave (which Edward pointedly did not look into, he feared for his life and decided that in this case ignorance was his friend.) For a man of money Mac didn’t have a lot of appliances, hell he didn’t even have a kettle or a toaster.

“What do you usually eat?” he asked, his voice slightly louder than necessary to be heard over the hum of the microwave.

Mac looked slightly ashamed, “Oh takeout, or I just go to my favourite restaurant or pub. I mean it’s not like being home is a place I’m at too much – spend most of my time up at the camps. They feed ye well there. Sometimes its just easier being at work. Don’t need to worry about nothing. Just get the job done.”

Breathing deeply, Edward nodded, “That sounds nice. No need to think, just work.”

“Which is why you’re up here.” Mac grabbed the meals out of the microwave, and they ate their respective meals standing in the kitchen in companionable silence.

Together they unpacked the groceries, Edward already attempting to bring some sort of order to the cupboards. Satisfied that there was some sort of start, he grabbed his toiletries and made his way to the washroom. Flicking on the light, his life flashed before his eyes.

He wasn’t sure where to start first. The dried pee puddles by the toilet, of a man who didn’t care if he missed? (Granted, he had been specifically trained by a VERY grouchy Edith to NEVER EVER make a mess like that.) The ragged shower curtain? The suspicious black mold in the bathtub, or the sink? It was as if Mac was simply a boy in a man’s body, with no one around to teach him about the joys of bleach. As he carefully shuffled into the washroom, mentally informing himself that all he needed to focus upon was getting himself suitable for bed, Edward looked at himself in the mirror splotched with water and tooth paste. His mind whirring to who possibly would be the person to take Mac to the side to teach him the basics of cleaning. Johnny B’y? Freddy? While they were capable men in their own rights, Edward wasn’t entirely sure how close they were to Mac to inform him what a mop was. Johnny B’y was rather outspoken, and Edward felt if he had visited there would be loud words… a thought crossed his mind. A rather unpleasant one.

Mac had mentioned kitchen parties, but the place really did feel unlived in. Sure there was empty beer cans, but there wasn’t any signs that the Atlantic coasters had dropped by. No off-brand screech, none of their specialty favourite foods… – hell he had Johnny B’y stop by for a short visit and he was finding random Purity brand items months later. If there was one thing you could count on, it was that a Newfoundlander would bring food from home with them. There was no evidence of that. Mac was lying, came his conclusion.

Spitting into the sink, and cupping water to his mouth, Edward swished the toothpaste out, and then cleaned his toothbrush.

Not trusting to leave his toiletries overnight in this washroom, Edward packed them up. As he went to turn off the light he cringed. Like the other light switches in the house, which he suspected were supposed to be white, this was a dark grey of grime. Things he hadn’t thought about cleaning were dirty – such as the edges of corners where one brushed up. He was fairly certain Mac had never thought about washing a wall. Or perhaps not tossing his dirty coveralls on the floor. Like a little boy with free reign of a house and no mother to nag after him.

Oh god, Edward panicked, am I the mother?

He was glad he had had the two to three beers. No one wanted to be sober entering Mac’s bedroom.

Mac had scrubbed his teeth before, and was already in bed, snoring lightly. Edward decided to keep his thought to himself, and try to sleep himself. As his hand brushed against something in the bed, that was not attached to Mac, and which was not a pillow, Edward concluded, maybe acting as the surrogate mother was not a bad thing.

XXXX

Entering Canadian Tire was like entering a holy cathedral, Edward thought, breathing the tire smell in deeply. Wherever you went Canadian Tire had the same smell, the same atmosphere, the same lighting that wasn’t overbearing, but instead felt like entering a sacred space. Directing Mac to the shopping cart, Edward lead the way to the main aisle which held the string of palettes in the middle of the floor, the first one piled up with boxes of sale Christmas decorations. Ignoring the temptations, he looked around, torn between kitchen appliances and decent fucking bedding.

He was trying to block last night. Or this morning. Time had ceased to mean anything to him. Dinner had been alright, he was aghast that Mac wanted to use the dishwasher for all two forks. He asked where the liquid detergent was and from the shifty look on Mac’s face he realized that it didn’t exist. Unbidden to his mind was the memory of the bed. The foul smell. The fact that he had found a half eaten kubasa amongst the potato chips. There was even some marijuana hidden under the pillow. And then god, Mac’s snoring. Edward too afraid to move in the bed, in fear his foot would strike a crusty cum sock.

He was tired as hell, but simply being in the Canadian Tire was reviving him. His mind began clicking in place, as he headed to the kitchen appliances, it was the closest to them. Pots and pans gleamed on display, like holy implements of cookery. He stared at them hard, calculating the best costs, seeing what was on sale, what would be the easiest for Mac to maintain.

“You’re getting this set.” Edward pointed to a boxset of copper pots and pans. “And that cast iron skillet.” Edward bent down to lift the heavy boxset, grunting in effort. It was heavier than he thought.

“Chuck, stop.”

“Mac! You need pots with handles on them!” Edward grunted as he crab walked the box towards the shopping cart.

The box was suddenly lifted out of his arms, as Mac rolled his eyes, and easily placed it into the cart. “I’ll get the stuff, you point.”

“Oh.” A soft ‘oh’, a look of consideration, then, “Hmm am I supposed to be your…” Edward leant close to Mac to whisper this conspiratorially, “gay makeover?”

Mac snorted, “No, you’re supposed to help me get my shit together because the last time I was in charge of a home it was made out of animal hide.”

“Right.” Edward nibbled his lip as they navigated the maze of the kitchen area away from the pots and pans to the beverage accessories. “So… No one’s actually shown you how to housekeep?”

“Keep a house?”

“I mean all the nonsense like how to clean, and the types of comforts you don’t realize you need but when you have it you wonder how you lived without it before.”

“Like you know – having the double shower curtain, so the water doesn’t get out.”

“The double what now?”

“You’ll understand that particular one soon enough. I mean why didn’t you even bother to hire a cleaner?”

“No need to. Mess doesn’t bother me, not like anyone else comes to visit.” Mac’s words trailed off and he shot Edward a nervous quick glance as if he realized what he had just said.

Sensing the nervousness, Edward decided to let it slide. If Mac wanted to elaborate later, he could. “Well we need to make sure you get a kettle then. If there’s no tea in sight when the rest of the guys come over you know you’ll be in trouble.” They were standing in front of a selection of them, and he pointed towards a cordless kettle which was on sale.

“You’re right there. No need to be microwaving the mug.” Mac laughed as he grabbed the kettle carefully slotting it in beside the box of pots and pans.

They had moved out of the kitchen appliances to the aisle full of various cleaners. Rows upon rows of choices, each cleaner singing out their own praises in order to tempt the customer. Edward had to debate between sale and what he knew worked. He looked over to Mac, who was staring a little too hard at some Pledge, his brow slightly furrowed. Best not try new things, best stick to what he knew would work.

His hands darted out as he grabbed two different types of the same cleaner, “Do you care about smell?”

“Uh,” Mac was broken out of his reverie, looking at the choices before him. “Whatever you like Chuck.”

“Uh huhhh,” Edward decided to get both, handing the cleaners over to Mac, who neatly slid them into the cart, maximizing the space.

They had reached a section with discounted patio furniture, and Edward paused thoughtfully.

“Chuck it’s not the season for patios.”

“I know but… it’s on sale…” he nibbled his lower lip, and then moved towards a wicker chair with a cushion and sat in it. “Come try.”

Frowning slightly but in an action of trust, Mac sat down in an identical chair.

Wriggling, Edward let his head fall back, “I think this at least beats sitting on a beanbag with the beans falling out.”

“Hey! I’ll have ye know I’ve had that bag since like 1990! I’ve drug it around faithfully for over a decade, it’s my favourite chair!”

“It may be your favourite chair, but do you REALLY want to be playing Call of Duty with me snuggled half on your thigh as we try to share it?”

Narrowing his eyes, Mac stuck his tongue out. “Who says I have a second controller?”

“The one I literally saw in a heap on the floor?”

“Aw shit ye got me there.” Mac stretched out his legs, “I guess we could get one.”

“And that.”

“What?”

Edward was pointing to some sort of wicker loveseat. It was a different stain from the chair, not a matching set.

“Why?”

“So other people can sit their assess down somewhere.” Edward simply replied. He was looking around, wondering where the hell an attendant could be.

“Chucky, trying to find a Canadian Tire employee in the actual goddam store is like tryin’ to get a blow job for free from a hooker, not gonna happen.”

Except that Edward had sprung up from the seat and was halfway down the aisle, talking animatedly with an attendant, who nodded and disappeared.

Mac had no clue what was happening, until the attendant appeared with a flat dolly to load the patio furniture.

“I’ll have it by the front for when you’re ready to go.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate your help.”

Looking pleased as punch, Edward winked at Mac. “And let’s just say I’ve gotten a few freebies in my past.”

Jaw hanging open, Mac sputtered, and then laughed as he stood up. “Geezus.” His hands were back on the handle of the shopping cart, “Where to next, Chucky?”

“Uh bedding so I can sleep in a bed without half a pantry in it.” Edward teased.

“Hey kubasa is cured, it can keep.”

“Uh not for like a week in a bed!” Edward walked just fast enough to be outside of any chance of Mac jostling him. He hadn’t realized Mac had stopped, until he was about a few aisles down. A small surge of worry filled him as he wondered if he had gone too far.

Mac’s expression was hard to read; as he approached, he followed the man’s gaze. To his surprise it was at the paint chips.

“Mac?”

“Chuck… would it be weird to paint the living room?”

“Huh?” This was not at all what Edward expected.

Flushing slightly, Mac said, “I likes how your house is with the colours, but I don’t know how to goes about it.”

Gathering himself out of his shock, Edward nodded. “Sure… well we go look at paint chips and figure out colours…” he pulled a set of grey to black “Black walls? Express your true bituminous self?” he asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Holy fuck no, I stare at that shit all day at work, there is no friggin’ way I’m gonna be havin’ my living room be that colour!” Mac exclaimed as he aggressively moved past Edward, paused at the rainbow of colours and then plucked out a couple sheets in the yellow and orange range. “Give me the fucking sun all year round thank you very much.”

“But Mac! Look at these wonderful colours!” Edward managed to get out, stifling his giggles as Mac’s eyes registered the different chips in neon green, baby puke brown, and some sort of blinding hot pink.

“Ye must be nuts,” Mac snorted, a small smile playing on his lips, as if he was considering, “But maybe that shit brown could be a nice accent colour to…” he looked at the paint chips in his hands, concentrating, then nodded, “This soft buttercup yellow.”

“Ohh actually that’s a nice colour, I think we probably shouldn’t match it with shit brown.” Edward placed the rejected colours back, and after a moment, grabbed a sheet of various shades of white, “We could accent it with this eggshell? Unless you want to be bold with some soft light blue?”

“Blue’s getting a little out there but show me anyway.”

Taking a minute, Edward looked at all the light blues, before drawing three different cards, and holding them in turn next to the buttercup yellow. “This one – soft turquoise.”

Mac took the blue paint chip, and held it with the yellow, staring quietly for a long time. Long enough that Edward began to feel awkward standing there, waiting for his reply. Had he gone a little too off the deep end with the blue?

Mac’s gaze shifted from the paint chips to meet Edward’s eyes, and for an excruciating ten seconds simply held it. “Yeah sure, why the fuck not? Sun needs the sky, don’t it?”

The breath he hadn’t even known he was holding was let go, a broad smile breaking across Edward’s face. “Sure as hell does.”

Somehow, even though it was stupid, Edward felt like the stones he had been carrying around were being lifted, somehow being placed into that damned shopping cart between the kettle and the freshly mixed paint. Absolved of all his sins, as he joked with Mac, reminding himself that perhaps not everything had gone to hell since the New Years. That maybe there were other aspects of his life that were worthwhile, worth building. Worth using the stones he carried around to create a new base.

By the time they reach the till, Edward was pushing a second cart full of ‘essentials’, their banter loud and boisterous, their feet moving in a slight competition as to who could reach the till first. The bill is something Edward doesn’t want to know, but Mac doesn’t mind paying it. He jokes with the cashier, that his cousin is helping him get set up in life – help him get the chicks.

In a way he was looking forward to cleaning and painting and making the house a home together with Mac. Spending the time he never seemed to have before, with someone he feels (with some guilt) he may have been neglecting.

As they made their way out to the parking lot, snow crunching under the wheels of the cart, the gun grey sky dark with the weak sun, Edward took a deep breath in, allowing the tensions to release out of him. They loaded the truck together, carefully puzzling the furniture, trying to arrange all the cleaning products and shiny new kitchen items in the back seat. As Edward attempted to balance something, Mac frowned.

“Chuck, no, what the hell are you doing. Step back and let the master work.”

Before his eyes, he watched as Mac re-shifted everything, moving the packages and different shapes together in a nice tight satisfying puzzle. Somehow everything fit. Noticing Edward’s admiring look, Mac’s ears turned slightly red, “Probably spendin’ too much time on Tetris.”

“I’d say just enough time.”

As he returned the carts to the outdoor corral, Edward realized that maybe Mac had done him a favour. His concern and intolerance of the other man’s lifestyle had consumed his worries and fears about the future. It had given him a project, something with tangible goals to accomplish. A purpose in life. Turn Mac’s house into a home, a place that was no longer a place of transience. But it wasn’t only that. It was Mac shifting his life, wiggling a piece out there, putting a new one there, providing Edward with a fundamental shift in his self-flagellation.

Moving out of the parking lot, Edward in shotgun, the heater on full blast, he chanced a glance at the other man. The strong profile, the crooked nose, with a jaw which could probably be used to break rocks in between swigs of beer. Maybe this year won’t be as shitty as he feared.

#quatschfic #pc: edmonton #pc: ft mac #pc: fort mcmurray #hitchwork #warning: man mess

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battle-of-alberta · 4 months

Text

Nothing serious, I was wandering around Crap Tire the other day and thought of this dialogue. I feel like the main thing Ed and Jo have in common is mundane retail therapy. This is the first thing I've drawn in about of week due to the chaos of travel and family in the hospital, but everything's starting to settle down again and I feel like I can spare the brain space.

My impression is that Jo is always the last to know things because she has a tendency to jump to her own conclusions / overreact / not shut up.

(He doesn't actually appear here but Étienne / MTL belongs to @randomoranges anyway)

Bonus