oh you know it's all latestage capitalism but the thing is. how are you supposed to be a person inside of this. a person trying to be a better version of yourself.
oh, you started working young, which was kind of hard, but it's just the way stuff works sometimes. and it was 2008 and your family couldn't afford heat. but it's fine, you grow a spine and get used to the professional world and besides it was the suburbs we're talking about here, like, your life could have been actually hard, so what if your father lost his job and you can't afford to move or turn the lights back on. and once you start making money, it's good. you keep doing that. because now they're relying on you. so you have to do that.
oh you were in thousands of dollars of debt at 17 years old so that you could go to school, because you have to go to school if you want to get a "real" job. you even did it "right", you worked parttime and attended community college before you transferred to a public school. you were under so many merit scholarships.
which is fine. you pick yourself up and you say like, okay. i graduated college. i'm holding down a job. i'm doing the Adult Thing, which looks and acts like this, according to all the books i've read. you start with the shitty job and then you climb that corporate ladder.
but the shitty job doesn't cover rent and you stretch yourself too-thin so you get sick. good luck with that. the shitty job no longer pays for your meals. everyone asks why you don't just move, but there's nowhere to move to. and with what money are you going to be moving? and then the loans come back, because they were never going to forgive them, because you were 17 and trying to do the right thing, which was stupid. people are now saying you shouldn't have even gone to school.
which is fine. but because you have no other option, so you do the shitty job, and you apply every day for like 5 new ones, and despite the fact everyone says "there's no one who wants to work!" it's actually just that nobody is fucking hiring so you can either work for 13 dollars an hour in the shitty place you know (where at least you have a passingly friendly relationship with the manager) or you can start from scratch again with a different 13 dollars an hour without knowing how much abuse from the new job you'll be taking.
and if you quit you lose your insurance. if you quit you lose your housing. if you quit, you'll be another burnout kid. the lazy ones. these assholes, look at them!
and you come home to a family dinner and you hear from your father the same old thing. how he worked hard at his job and yes it sucked for a while but he was able to provide for the family and then the house and the dog and the rest of barbie's dream vacation. how the insurance did cover some of it. how you just really need to start speaking up more in manager conversations so they know you're a go-getter. you want to tell him - did you know we're actually doing more now hourly than any previous generation? - but you can't remember where you heard that statistic, and you're far too tired for the fucking argument. and then he starts in on his usual bit. where's the house? where's your kids? where's your ambition.
the same job the same money the same hours doesn't do it anymore. the same nose-to-the-grindstone now just shreds your face off. there's no such thing as upwards mobility, not really. and as far as you're aware, the money certainly is not trickling. you do the soulless stupid shit you signed up for because you fucking have to or else you literally risk your life (food, the apartment, the insurance), but it's not getting you anything. you download the stupid "save more" app and you budget and you do every right thing and then the price of eggs is 7 dollars and you say - oh great! another thing i have to fucking worry about now!
and you go to your stupid job and everyone in your father's generation just tells you to be better about being an adult. they have their homes and their savings account and their bailout and they say. well have you tried not drinking starbucks. well your generation just spends too much on clothing. well you might just be too addicted to travelling. and you - because you need the job - you bite your tongue and don't say i am being held prisoner and you're suggesting i stop pacing my cell if i don't like the scenery and you don't say what the fuck do you think i've been doing with my money and you don't say i haven't spent a cent on something nice in literally forever much less coffee you arrogant asshole. you open and close your bank app and check your loans and check your credit score and check fucking zillow and ziprecruiter and apartments.com just one time more. and still they give you that demeaning little grin and say - see, what you need is -
what you need is for your meds to stop being so fucking expensive. what you need is for the housing bubble to explode into dust. what you need is for billionaires to choke on their wealth. what you need is actual help. what you will get is more economic advice from people who are older-and-wiser.
and above you, almost in a glimmer, you can see the wedged smile of your debt getting toothier, wider.
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Just wanted to plant an idea if you wanted a bit of fuel: Mahiru asking Yuno to come to her cell before everything goes down.
Edit: I forgot the ask didn't say it but this is part of Kyanako's incredible Order Of Attack AU!
Didn't mean for this to become a mini Mappi study but here we are ✨ Thank you for the request! I fully intended to write them hanging out, but it's more right before they hang out lol. Went a bit on-the-nose with foreshadowing, but isn't that the fun part? It has become Emotional Over Mahiru Hour...
I kept things vague, but TW for mentioning her boyfriend's state of potential self-harm
Mahiru tried not to act superstitious, she really did. As much as she loved the idea of little luck charms, or avoided easy signs of misfortune, it was easier to keep quiet about such ridiculous things.
Maybe catching a bride’s bouquet meant no guarantees; maybe there was no real harm in stepping underneath ladders, maybe a coin tossed into a fountain had no real magic to its wish. However, the one thing she knew for sure held power was a lucky presence. Being in the right place at the right time could alter everything. And today was the right time for something. There was this waiting in the air. The prison had been holding its breath. Mahiru knew it was time to release it all.
“You must be so lonely, why don’t you let big sis Mahiru keep you company?” She beamed at Amane.
She often recalled the good fortune that she and a certain young man had crossed paths on the university terrace. She used to laugh with him about the wonderful coincidence of bumping into each other outside of the bakery, then the convenience store.
Though she’d never spoken about it to him, she was also grateful for many occasions where she walked in on him at the precise moment to talk him out of something reckless. She always told him that they’d do everything together. He didn’t need to be alone anymore.
“I wish to be alone. I need peace of mind to think.” Amane turned away from the cell door.
It was a good thing, too. Mahiru’s smile wasn’t as convincing as she said, “o-oh. Of course.”
She made her way around the panopticon, hearing Fuuta pace his cell in anticipation. He must have felt it too, this holding of breath.
Or perhaps not. He turned down her offer for a bit of company, including a few more colorful words than Amane had. Mahiru just apologized for bothering him and headed back to her cell. She wasn’t sure where Mikoto was at this hour, but she didn’t feel like smiling through a third rejection.
She shook her head back and forth. She wished the motion could rattle the voices inside, she wished she could shake them all away. With her arms secured in place she could no longer cover her ears. She used to hum to keep them at bay, but lately they’d been too loud to stifle. They just kept on talking.
Their words told her the two were right. Nobody needed her company. No – nobody wanted it. Being together hadn’t helped her boyfriend. In fact, being together had been the very thing that got him killed. No wonder Amane and Fuuta wanted to avoid her.
So then, this was for the best. She would rather deal with the brief sting of refusal than stumble in one day to find them hurt… or worse. As much as she tried to avoid the superstition of it all, the voices reminded her that her very presence could mean life or death.
“Mappi, are you alright?” Mahiru hadn’t realized a tear had slipped down her cheek until she hurried to swipe it away in front of Yuno.
“Hah, I’m fine! Just fine.” It was impossible to fool her, Mahiru had learned, but that never stopped her from trying.
At least she always spoke tactfully. “Rough morning?”
Mahiru shifted her arms in her uniform, making a small sound of agreement.
“Can I do anything to help? What if I stay with you for a bit? I can do your hair, and…”
The voices were right. Amane and Fuuta knew it, too. Presences did hold power, and Mahiru’s was cursed.
But she would sound foolish admitting such a fear to Yuno. She'd heard plenty from the voices about how stupid and airheaded she was, there was no use in getting the same lecture from someone as grounded as her.
Mahiru managed a weak protest, unable to explain her real reasoning. Yuno was insistent. She didn’t give much of a choice. Could she feel the strangeness of the prison, as well?
At last, Mahiru allowed her shoulders to sag. Yuno was lucky. And kind. Having her nearby would do her good. Amane and Fuuta would be alright. Mahiru had tried spending more time with them after verdicts were announced. Now, she made a mental note to pull back. If her love couldn’t save anyone, at least she could spare them from her curse. They would be safe.
“Yes. Please stay. The truth is... I don't want to be alone.”
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What's that? Why yes, it's another WIP idea (gods I need a priority organizer for these at some point).
This one's simple though, working title is just straight up, Walnut Mist:
Jamie, tired of Richard and Jan making jests about his hair, teams up with Colin (and Zoreaux) to dye their hair while they're sleeping, with the additional help of some definitely legal and not at all homemade 'sleep enhancers' Bumbercatch made.
When they wake up, as to be expected, all hell breaks loose.
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21 is not enough (it’s 1:39am and I’m alone)
Is it too much to ask?
1 She lays on top of me like a weighted blanket. We had put a movie on. Neither of us will watch it. 2 I run my fingers through her hair and let my knuckles catch on the tangles. 3 We stand outside in the rain and dance. I let her push me down to the pavement. We are happy. 4 It’s three in the morning and she wants to bake. I sit on the counter and dust her nose with flour. 5 The sun rises. The curtains did not get closed. Neither of us move. 6 It’s autumn and the leaves are turning. Each colour is mirrored in the way the sunlight dances through her hair. 7 We are on a roof, looking up at the stars. Each one looks like her. 8 She grins at me. She looks like warm honey and cinnamon. 9 I lay my head on her stomach, and listen. Each sound reminds me that we are alive. 10 We are standing in the street, lit by neon and street lamps. It is dark. The light reflects off the snow on the ground like a kaleidoscope, and shines in her eyes. I cannot help myself. 11 We are in a grocery store. She asks me to push her in the cart. I do. 12 She hands me a sticky note covered in doodles. I fold it up and put it in my wallet. It never leaves. 13 She stands in the sea, waves to her knees, letting it soak through her jeans. I snap a picture. The one in my mind lasts longer. 14 I am barely awake enough to stand. She wraps her arm around my waist, and takes me inside. 15 I look at the hundreds of photos I could hang on the wall above the bed. I try to fit as many as possible. There could never be enough room. 16 A crack of thunder, and the power goes out. She has plenty of candles. 17 I don’t know where we are. I don’t know what time it is. We are in the back seat of a car, her head is on my chest, and the music is still playing. I don’t want to leave. 18 There are a million words we’ll never tell another soul. 19 We sit in silence, listening to the other breathe. We do not move. The sun sets, and rises again. 20 We are on a boat, in the middle of a lake. We can see the stars; she is soaked in moonlight. I take another picture. I can’t take my eyes off her. The picture comes out blurry. 21 The little things mean so much.
Is it too much to ask?
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Having previous bad habits really sucks for a number of reasons, but one really is that it just doesn't really leave you even when it feels like it should. Lately things have been not so great. Everything feels so bland. I don't enjoy the things I do as much and I'm desperately trying my best to get out of it. I'm trying to go outside and talk with friends, and just trying whatever I can think of. But there's this constant thought in the back of my mind that the empty feeling could very easily be gone, at least for some time, if I just hurt myself. Because that's what I used to do when I felt like this. And I want to avoid doing that, but the thought is still there and there's still times where its something I start considering and have to really try to push myself away from thinking about. Or how I used to purposefully make myself feel worse because I preferred feeling awful to feeling like everything is bland and uninteresting. And like I'm doing that again. I noticed today that I'm doing stuff like that again and I have to try to push myself away from it, but that's way fucking easier said than done. But like I'm better now. My mental health isn't as bad as it used to be. It's not exactly amazing now, but it's not nearly as bad as before. It's better and this shouldnt happen. But yet they do. These habits are still here even though I should be better and I should be okay. I just wish it was okay
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