Honestly if your response to "I dont have many skills that would be useful in a post-capitalist society" is "so I guess I'll just be pursuing my intellectual hobbies as my contribution to my community" instead of "so I guess I'll be doing dishes in the cafeteria/janitorial work/manual labor" you should really reconsider how you come at the very concept of work and society as a leftist. Is socialism no longer appealing if you have to do the work you previously took for granted? Is the liberation of the proletariat not worth it if you have to contribute something besides your dream job in academia or leading support groups? Are you really "too good" for "that type" of work, even if it is for a world where no one starves?
we will still have hobbies/run d&d/learn other languages under socialism - in fact, we would likely have far more time to pursue them than under capitalism - but when we think of our future labor, we ought to consider the "menial" tasks that keep society running; loading boxes onto trucks, cooking in a factory kitchen, packaging medical supplies for distribution, building new homes as a worker and not an architect. these jobs will never disappear, and to assume that someone else will do them while you lead workshops or go to school to become a trained professional is to announce your continuing loyalty to petite bourgeois ethics. The dream of socialism is not a fantasy where you continue to do the exact same thing you want to do under capitalism, but now with a clear conscience about it. It's to build a better world as one global movement, to lift up the most oppressed and downtrodden from the muck; a task which requires, above all else, heavy and thankless work that we must be prepared and happy to undertake if we ever hope to succeed.
this is my piece for the mcyt g/t exchange! @leyfaire (tumblr wont let me tag you for some reason :'D,,)
i ended up writing a bit for this as well so that (plus some other drawings) are all under the cut! i hope you enjoy! 💛
tw: canon typical swearing, very brief mention of a past panic attack
He thinks he's haunted.
I can work with that.
Holding back laughter as he continued to listen in on the conversation, Tommy let his mind wander, settling in against the stack of books and papers.
He had gotten pretty lucky with this human. Forgetful, a little messy, very fun to fuck with. Recently he had taken to setting random items close to the edge of shelves and letting the human's footsteps do the work.
Sometimes it didn't even require the human to interfere. The last one he had set up seemed to have fallen down on its own. A smirk spread across his face as he thought about that particularly ugly flowerpot being shattered.
Tommy never touched anything too precious of Ranboo's. Not after that one time when he had hidden the human's journal and found him panicked and crying on the floor a couple hours later. Tommy had shakily shoved it out from under the couch, sending some other item to the floor in order to get Ranboo's attention.
The relief apparent on Ranboo's face when he found the journal was enough for Tommy to vow he would never mess with it again.
Eyebrows furrowing he picked at the newly darned sleeve of his sweater, contemplating his "pranks". He had started them as an attempt to get the human to move out, to leave him alone in the house again.
Summer was meant to be quiet- autumn and winter were reserved for the soft man who feeds the crows and the intimidating pink haired man who likes to read.
Spring was for the curly haired singer with the guitar and sometimes if Tommy's lucky, the lady who likes baking. Spring is also when his brother comes to visit, helping him darn his clothes and fixing up routes around the house.
Summer was his time. Just him and the fading memories of a human boy with a toothy smile missing a few teeth, framed by dark hair. Bangs barely covering eyes full of wonder, looking back at Tommy, who's equally curious gaze stared right back.
He's having fun messing with Ranboo now though. Perhaps the most fun since he's had since the boy left.
Tommy sighs, tuning back into the conversation again, a melancholy feeling settling in his chest as Ranboob (ha!) and… T… Tubbo? finish up their conversation. The name rests on his tongue for a moment, and he rolls its syllables under his breath. It seems… familiar somehow. Tommy shrugs. It's not like he would ever meet them anyway.
"So you're coming over tomorrow then?"
Ah, shit.
"Tubbo!"
He is shaken out of his sleepy reverie by the frantic voice of Ranboo, one hand pressed white-knuckled into the bedsheets as the other shook Tubbo awake. Half remembered dreams of bright summer mornings and mischief lingering still as he slowly comes to.
"Mwuh-?"
"I-I heard something in the kitchen- I think-" The boy kneeling beside him looks back over his shoulder, eyes darting around the darkened room as he lowers his voice to a whisper.
"-I think it's the ghost." With a sigh, Tubbo forces himself out of bed, pushing Ranboos face away with a grunt as he drags his other hand over his own face.
It was barely a week into his stay and he too had witnessed firsthand the effects of the "ghost".
At first it was the weird scratching noises that echoed through the vents of the old house. Then came the whispering at night, interspersed by soft, mournful cries. Static interference when they went to watch TV or play games online. These occurrences were easy enough to brush off as mice or raccoons messing with things, but when the writing in stolen spaghetti sauce started, it was a little harder to deny something was going on.
So, like the good friend he is, Tubbo motions for Ranboo to get behind him as makes his way towards the kitchen. The summers he spent in this house pay off as he tiptoes across the floorboards, stepping carefully as to avoid the creakier ones and directing Ranboo to do the same.
Moonlight streaks through the kitchen window, illuminating the dining table that sits to the side of the room. A small, dark shadow shifts on the tabletop, something glinting silver as it messes with some of the papers spread across the surface.
Ranboo tenses beside him, glancing back and forth between the shadow and Tubbo, wringing his hands as he slips back behind the wall.
The creature (ghost?) hadn't noticed them just yet, so Tubbo hoped to take it by surprise and maybe trap it. Glancing around the kitchen he spots an empty glass that had gone unused earlier that day, grabbing it before quickly bringing it down over the shadowy creature.
"I've got it Ranboo!"
With that, Tubbo lifts his hand away from the glass slowly, careful not to jostle the tiny creature underneath.
As his eyes adjust further to the pale moonlight, he is reminded of a time long ago that had slipped into his dreams that night and every night prior. For so long he had brushed those memories aside, simply pinning it as another story his wild imagination had fostered while on vacation. Because now, with what looks to be a small person trapped under a glass, he finds those memories to be a lot more plausible.
-----
He was SCREWED. Swearing to himself under his breath, Tommy slams his shoulder against the side of the glass again, steadfastly ignoring the human still hovering over him.
"You don't look like a ghost."
"I'll make you into a ghost if you don't let me OUT." He snarls, throwing himself at the glass once more.
"I'll let you out if you agree not to run."
"Don't tell me what to do bitch!"
"I can wait here all night. I just want to know why you've been harassing my friend." The human stares down at him, arms crossed.
Tommy huffs, swallowing thickly as the reality of the situation begins to sink in. He's trapped.
"Fine." He sits down slowly, never taking his eyes off of the human as he crosses his legs and lets his hand rest on his pin. It's not much but it will do the job and he can try make a getaway if the human tries anything.
The human's hand returns to remove the glass and as it comes closer Tommy does NOT flinch. He is a BIG MAN and he is not scared at all. The human however, notices the small movement, and pauses, hand hovering over the glass for a moment.
"You gonna let me out or what?!"
Beyond the glass Tommy sees the human frown, and he grins. The glass is removed from above him and so is any barrier between him and the human. He takes in a shaky breath, running his hand over his sash, the cool beads and soft thread one of the few constants in his life.
The human opens his mouth as if to say something, but catches sight of the sash and freezes instead, blinking owlishly as he looks over the green braid for a moment.
"You're real."
Something about the soft disbelief that in the human's voice gives Tommy a burst of bravery, and he stands up and addresses the human towering over him with a scowl.
"Of course I'm real, dickhead! What, we've been talking for the last few minutes-"
"I- Tommy- don't you remember me?"
"Wh-wh-huhh?" He stops his ranting, shocked into stunned confusion by the human calling his name. He squints up the human above him, gears turning in this brain as he scrambles for an explanation.
He grips the worn thread of his sash, the comforting texture grounding him while he wracks his brain, it's familiar feel bringing him the comfort of summers long gone-
Wait... surely not.
The human, seemingly crestfallen at the lack of recognition perks up suddenly, kneeling at the table and pulling down his sleeve to reveal a bracelet. The plastic beads strung along the red braid read:
"F R E I N D S"
Something clicks into place and memories of sweet summers come flooding back- picking strawberries with his human friend, playing hide and seek, the mess with the paint- his name.
"OHHHHH!!! TUBBO!!"
[end]
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prompt: a human and borrower who were childhood friends but were forced to separate due to some circumstance, reunite years later
i had a great time putting this together!! i came up with the idea of borrower!tommy "haunting" ranboo shortly after i got your prompts and i realised i could merge the two concepts ;D
and now i never want to even think about a hawaiian shirt again /lh
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extra info i couldnt fit in this, but were in my thoughts as i was writing/drawing:
the house belongs to phil and techno! (tubbo also mentions them in the call)
ranboo is kind of meant to act as a housekeeper for the summer, and it gives him a place to stay also!
phil used to bring tubbo, wilbur and techno to the house when they were younger
tommy and tubbo first met when they were 7! they spent 3 summers together and became REALLY close during then.
tubbo had to switch schools, and it became too hard to travel back to the house for summer holidays
tommys brother is eret! the two of them moved away from the house after tubbo left, but tommy moved back around 3 years prior to this
eret also knows wilbur and niki :] tommy doesnt know that though dgdjcbdnbc
dad: well son, a 69 is when two people who love each other very much get together with a 6 and a 9 and a 5 6 7 8 [spotlight turns on] [dad breaks into jazz number]
this one time I ran a red light on mistake and I didn’t notice it was red until it was too late so I just ran the light screeching like an angry pterodactyl the entire time
a cop was at the intersection so he pulled me over and when he came up to my window he was wheezing cause he was laughing so hard and he said
“ok so i know you ran a red light and that’s really bad and you should never do it again but i’m not gonna give you a ticket cause that was the funniest thing i’ve ever seen and my partner can’t get out of the car cause he’s laughing so hard he’s about to pee himself”
i forgot that i’d had my window open when i ran the red light and the cop told me that all he heard from my car was this really high-pitched “screeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEAAAHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
and that’s how i got out of getting a ticket for running a red light
“It’s very easy to lose hope, but we cannot do that. I always say that there’s a lot more good in the world than there is bad, and I continue to believe that. And that is what we must focus on.”
— Ellen DeGeneres
Bread Genie @justinseagullpornesianparapio - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
