Stitch Witch

All I am

Aro and ace activism is healthcare reform, so that no one needs to rely on a spouse for health insurance, so that healthcare is available to everybody regardless of income, so that no one’s lived experiences or basic dignity are dismissed or overridden by doctors

Aro and ace activism is well-funded and expansive public transit, so that you don’t need to have someone on hand to drive you places if you are incapacitated, so that you don’t have to pay for an ambulance if you need to get to the hospital quickly

Aro and ace activism is disability and elder care services, so that no one needs a spouse to care for them, so that no one needs children to care for them, so that marriage is not a bind for disabled people, so that people on disability who want to and can live alone can

Aro and ace activism is community-building, it’s public events, it’s free social activities, it’s mutual aid, it’s activities that bring community members together without socializing relying on just a romantic partner

Aro and ace activism is developing a culture of believing when people tell you who they are and what they want rather than assuming you know them better than they know themselves

I spent way too long continuously adding more and more stuff onto him so im gonna stop before I get out of hand 🥲

I guess the question is, what exactly IS Carl’s job? If it were as straightforward as “guard Grace, keep him alive and working and unbothered by anyone else”, then what’s the expense account for and why is it under Carl’s specific control? If it was just for like. Ordering in lunch for Grace to eat on the Petrova Taskforce’s dime. Why wouldn’t Grace have direct access to those funds?

So I thought about it, and I came to one possible conclusion, a rather dramatic and sinister one. I think Carl’s job was to keep Grace on task and - crucially - with NO opportunity to blab any uncontrolled information to the media before the Petrova Taskforce learned all about it first. No matter what. Even if Stratt, after meeting Grace in person, had judged him a low risk in terms of info security, she would NEVER bet the security of the operation on just trusting him to keep quiet.

Ultimately, I think maybe Carl was told: “If it comes down to either letting Dr. Grace release uncontrolled, unauthorized-for-publication information about Astrophage to the world, or shooting him in the head? Here’s your gun. The local hardware store will have tarps and mops for the blood and shovels. Do what you have to do.”