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irenadel · 1 year ago

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Due to the Dead

A Pygmalion Story

Set in the Pygmalion verse but no clear timeline because it doesn’t fit with the show dates. Whatever. I do what I want. No proofing we die like Aztec warriors. I’ll come fix it later. I just wanted it done today.

This is for @theonlymanintheskyisme because sometimes you just wanna spend these moments with the people you love. Wherever they are.

“No, that’s fine. If you can handle the tissue paper flowers I got some real ones in Little Oaxaca,” you panted tiredly into your phone, regretting the choice to walk instead of waiting for the bus. “Chocolate skulls too. Pretty good. Pan de muerto is still a no go but I got the candles. Yeah. Yeah. I’ll see you at home. Got papel picado too.”

“Should you really be eating all that Halloween candy, young lady?”

You nearly jumped out of your skin, phone still tightly clutched in your hand, but bags spilling out onto the questionable pavement of Park Avenue. Or at least they would have, if the man who had so cruelly and with malice aforethought startled you, hadn’t also been possessed of superspeed. And the uncanny ability to detect when whatever he was pulling off would have been Going Too Far. He caught everything in the nick of time (you had to admire the showmanship) and even deposited the last potted marigold right into your unbelieving hands.

That did make you drop your phone.

“Well,” he said, smiling so smugly it was a wonder no one threatened to slap it away, super powers or not. “That one is entirely on you, and it better not be the phone I got you, missy.”

And you were, suddenly, irresistibly, unsurprisingly delighted to see him. Because you always were and because in the strange dance of your friendship, you’ve come to realize, holidays aren’t really a thing in Homelander’s world.

It’s one of those things you resentfully blame on Vought.

“It’s not Halloween candy,” you answered, your own smile echoing his, making it lose some of that sardonic tilt to it. “It’s for my ofrenda.”

He offered you his arm, using the other to carry the shopping bags you had been struggling with moments ago. You took it, not bothering to hide the renewed joy in your face at his visit. The street was dark and empty as it usually was whenever he came looking for you, respecting always your desire to avoid the spotlight. There was an extra pep in his step and you wanted to believe (but never trusted) that it meant he was happy to see you too.

“Is this more of your unamerican crap?” He teased you, delighted when you took the bait. He liked hearing you get outraged.

“That’s right it is!” You beamed at him. “They’re for my dead! Day of the Dead baby! Time to invite the fam back for dinner!”

He blinked. Twice.

“Come again?”

You rolled your eyes at him. “I celebrate Halloween and the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.”

“Like in that Coco movie?” The one that had (briefly) knocked that year’s Seven movie out of the top spot at the box office.

“That’s right! We light candles to guide the dead home and we set the table for them. Anything they liked to eat or drink when they were alive. Next day, you eat it, and it’s like you share a meal with your dead loved ones again.”

He made a mock grimace at you and you elbowed him companionably right back. You’d never admit it, under threat of torture, but this was the best part of your day. When he would show up out of nowhere and be yours for however long he could spare. So, you took it in stride when he clicked his tongue at you, playful smile so pleased it had a hint of fangs to it. “That’s a little morbid even for you, don’t you think?”

“That’s just your gringo sensibilities,” you quipped back, your turn to look smug. “I got my Halloween candy from Costco ages ago. The chocolate skulls are for my dead. They’re meant to represent each person the ofrenda is for. So my grandparents. My aunt. My cousin who committed suicide in 2011–“

“It’s a family thing.”

Homelander didn’t ask it, not exactly, but you got the lilt right at the end. The little inflection that signaled interest and deep hurt. Even now you were still surprised by the whiplash of his moods. The way his whole face tensed in that moment and how he looking straight at his own reflection in an empty storefront window. His arm firmly wrapped around yours but somehow still a thousand miles away. You’ve learned he will do this when he’s deeply considering something. You thought it vanity at first, him staring at himself, now it just makes your heart ache for him.

“No,” and you rested your head on his shoulder, navigating his ridiculous pauldron, because you understood. This was important. “My ‘aunt’ was my mom’s best friend when she was studying abroad. She used to visit us when I was a kid. No blood relationship. I just loved her a whole lot.”

He said nothing, and neither did you. But you tucked the potted marigold under your arm and brought your hand to cover his. He didn’t quite recover his smile, but you saw the set of his shoulders relax.

“We’re putting the ofrenda up tomorrow and receiving trick or treaters all night if you wanna—“

It was the wrong thing to say and you knew it the moment he cut you off.

“There’s a Halloween party at Vought,” he said, letting go of your arm. A simple but effective gesture. No more fondness in his tone, just exasperation. As if you should have known better than to ask. Because ultimately, his tone said, he was too important to deal with you more than he already did.

“Yeah?” You tried for cheerful teasing but found yourself putting a little more bitterness in it than you had bargained for. “What’re you going as? Homelander?”

A dignified sniff. “Of course!”

“Why am I surprised at this point!” And this time you did try. You caught up to him, hooked up your own arm to his and found yourself relieved at how mollified he looked by the gesture. “You’re such a nerd.”

“What are you going to be for Halloween, smartypants?”

You turned crimson and avoided looking at him.

“Work and ofrenda prep have fucked up my time. I’ve been up and down all Madison and Park Avenue and no one sells pan de muerto anymore. And if they do, they’ve run out by now. I’m probably just gonna be a sheet ghost or something.”

Homelander rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed, this time his exasperation so clearly an act, that you almost cried with relief. You really did hate hurting his feelings.

Hands on his hips like he’s posing for a poster, he looked you up and down critically, and you knew exactly what to expect. He did this whenever you complained about not having time. Or when he wanted to knock you down a peg or two. It never worked, because you enjoyed it too much.

Over his shoulder you went, bags of candy, marigolds and all, effortlessly, like you weigh nothing at all. It always took your breath away.

“Who’s the lame one now?”

You screamed back YOUUUUU as he lifted off and your answer was lost in the rush of wind and your delighted laughter.

——-

It had been such a simple thing, he’d been surprised you’d managed to fuck it up.

Homelander was supposed to swoop in, tell you about the costume gala and the exclusive one of a kind ticket he’d gotten for you (so you could meet some of the publishing execs, of course… of course). You would have been awed and grateful and there. At the masquerade. Available whenever he needed a break from everyone’s bullshit. You’d have laughed and been nervous and he’d be able to tease you and hear you make catty, and yet somehow impossibly naive and optimistic, comments about Vought…

It would have been so good.

But you had to get all sentimental on him. Show him your silly little art project, with your silly little tissue paper in different colors, and your stupid food for people who weren’t really going to come to dinner. Their pictures, which you set up fondly (people who weren’t him), taking your time and space and thoughts.

He didn’t get it. It all seemed so typically stupid of you. Insufferably sappy.

(So far removed from him. In that strange realm you inhabited where there were childhoods and parents and dead loved ones.)

In Homelander’s world, there were masquerades with professionally tailored costumes. A beautiful woman in a very tight Morticia Adams gown who had tried to chat him up. Her Halloween themed cocktail bubbling and smoking into his eyes.

(You’d said a friend of yours would lend you a bat onesie which he’d laughed at. You’d proudly presented him with a Frankestein green colored flavor powder for milk that you just had to get for the occasion.)

There was also WORK to be done! It wasn’t just fashion models in witchy corsets and perfectly arranged hats. There were senators and congressmen and investors to woo. There was Maeve, already on her third tequila sunrise with eyeballs at the bottom, to keep under careful watch. There was Starlight to control, make sure she didn’t say anything stupid.

(You’d been singing this is Halloween, this is Halloween, while handing him the tail end of the brightly colored banners he’d offered to hang from your ceiling. Loud and off-key, like some bad attempt at a Halloween carol and when he’d complained that didn’t sound very Mexican, you’d reminded him since he was here, this was officially a Mexican-American celebration now.)

Starlight was the only one who had insisted the Seven should’ve worn different costumes. You’d have liked her, he thought with a smile. Equally stupid, the both of you.

“Nice seeing you enjoying yourself for once, Homelander.”

Some nameless politician he barely recognized. No one important. But he’d seen the brief elusive twist of his mouth. He almost lasered him then and there for the intrusion. But damn it, he was trying to work. You had no right to interrupt him like this when he was at work.

He listened to the man drone on about oil imports and the need to protect global human rights, while he thought about the pumpkins you’d bought. Too little to carve, scattered around your ofrenda thingamajing. Water and salt, candles to light the way home for your dead, and to represent fire. Incense too. The paper crafts (jeez you were such a child) were meant to be the air (papel picado) and the pumpkins stood for the earth. It was supposed to be in tiers, because of the various underworlds in the afterlife.

You can add someone if you want, you’d told him and he’d felt like you had knocked the air out of him. Or at least how he imagined that would feel. It’s really a multiple day holiday. The 31st is for dead babies and then November 1st is for children. So you can come over anytime up until the night of the 2nd and we can add whoever you want.

Your roommate had been so cheerful she’d even managed to look like she didn’t hate him quite so much. (You just ran with people with terrible taste). Yeah! Get your contacts at Vought to hook us up with some pan de muerto and you can add anyone you want to the ofrenda.

You’d had to explain what that was. Sweet pastry with orange blossom water and sugar sprinkled on top. Good for dunking in milk, you’d teased him. The dead liked it. But he didn’t have to bring any, just a picture of his dead if he wanted. He’d scoffed. Had told you he wasn’t like you (sentimental, prone to losing, weak). You hadn’t pressed the issue.

(He’d never even asked her what food she liked. He didn’t have a picture… did he?)

It took no more than a second to decide.

“Excuse me, senator Brown.” He clapped the old man’s back, making him let out a small umphhh of protest. Homelander smiled wider. He could already feel his mood improving. “I’ve an important meeting to attend. No, no, sir. Thank you for your time tonight.”

He didn’t even bother to respond to Maeve’s frown of surprise or Starlight’s questioning looks. Let them deal with his absence for now. He owed them no explanations or concerns. He called Ashley not to give her any warning but to put in an order. They should know a good bakery, right? Anything for Homelander, right? And if that wasn’t right, then he’d be making it wrong for everyone else.

He just needed to pick up a couple of things from his suite.

——-

“Is this it?” He’d asked climbing through your room’s window because the living room one was papered over in papel picado. He hated the worried edge to his voice but felt his ruffled feathers soothed both by your look of surprise and then your arms thrown around his neck.

“You made it! Thank you! You didn’t have to but, boy, am I glad to see you!”

He basked in it. One arm holding up the tray, the other snaking around your waist, feeling glad, feeling strange, feeling welcome. You didn’t look so bad in your bat onesie.

“Brought a costume too. See?”

Bared his teeth at you, exposing the fake fangs he’d gotten last minute. You’d assured him his own were more than enough to give vampire if he just let you get him a Bela Lugosi cape. He already had the widow’s peak.

“Let’s go decorate and spread rabies together,” you’d said, taking his hand leading him to the living room. Your roommate had been delighted at the pan de muerto and he’d felt so unwarrantedly pleased with himself that you’d laughed.

He’d missed that.

Homelander was, of course, placed on treat giving duty and only got a little upset when an snotty eight year old told him point blank his Homelander costume was lame. You’d made him promise not to laser anyone.

“I could slice the bread with my lasers. Nice and toasted,” he’d suggested with a shit eating grin, the moment you handed him a glass of Frankenstein green milk.

“We don’t eat it tonight! It’s until the 3rd of November. So you’re just gonna have to stay over and watch scary movies with me in the meantime.”

He couldn’t help smiling. Not even when your roommate put on Nightmare Before Christmas and he complained this was clearly disloyalty to Vought. Betrayal for Disney. He even smiled through your rendition of oh somewhere deep inside of these bones, an emptiness began to grow and felt it (not at all, never, would not have admitted it if you asked) like a lump in his chest when you looked directly at him and mock gestured through the rest of the song.

It was good. It was good and warm and safe here. And he thought it nothing to hand you the picture, the one he’d picked up from his suite, from a too painful, forgotten place underneath his bed.

Stormfront in her wedding gown.

You said nothing for a moment. Couldn’t begin to explain to him what he was asking of you. The deep roots of this holiday and the pools of blood it had waded through to get to you. Through a dead people and countless enslaved others. That it hadn’t started with the Nazis but there they were, clear as day, the far point where every nation that conquered another could arrive.

But you could almost hear yourself telling him. For your dead. So you know your loved ones are still with you. My cousin who killed herself, she liked chocolate and that’s why we use these kinds of skulls.

You had no heart to deny him his dead. And he could see it in your face, a shame shared between the both of you perhaps, that you would have considered saying no. That he knew you could have because in spite of his bluster and confident security in your feelings for him… still he knew that he was asking a lot.

You took the picture from his hands and because the sigh he heaved was as much hurt as relief, you took him in your arms too. You held him because the dead were meant to bring joy and comfort and it was a hard lesson to learn. You held him because his dead could not.

“If she ends up scorching the place and scaring off the fam it’s on you!” You heard your roommate shout from the kitchen, having caught a glimpse of the ofrenda’s new resident. You laughed together, and if his laughter had the hidden hint of a sob, well, it was only natural.

Tonight was for mourning and celebrating and being together. And that’s what you would do.

#homelander #homelander x reader #homelander fanfiction #the boys tv #day of the dead #cultural clash #homelander has a friend #i like to think Vought and Disney have a mutual rivalry #i am exausted but am experiencing feelings #pygmalion homelander #my writing

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scorchieart · 2 years ago

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Sariel takes Belle & the Ikeprinces on the monthly Costco trip

@atelieredux this is all your fault, and you know it. Based on this post.

Edit: Here's a quick overview of Costco in case you need a visual of where the madness all goes down.

Sariel Noir

Dreads the first Saturday of the month more than any other day.

Premium Executive membership card holder for the past 20 years. He wears the same tired-dad-this-close-to-snapping expression every time they take his picture.

Always walks in with the current month's coupon book, a shopping list with prices calculated down to the cent, and a target budget. They have never once left the store according to plan.

His favorite section is the Vision Center because they only allow the patient inside.

Belle

In charge of organizing the items in the cart and checking them off the list.

Was very excited the first time Sariel invited her since she's never had a reason to shop there on her own, but now dreads the trips as much as he does.

Is trusted with alerting Sariel anytime a non-accounted for item "happens to fall" into the cart. Only bothers informing him if the item is too big for her to return to the shelf on her own (like those 48-can soda packs or an extra giant bag of flour or a TV set)

Her favorite section is the book stand in the middle of the store, but Sariel doesn't let her dawdle there for long.

Rio Ortiz

In charge of pushing the cart and unloading/reloading at checkout time. The employees always offer to help, but he's done before they can finish asking "Need a hand?"

Also in charge of rounding up the princes when it's time to leave. He can run across the entire floorplan in 3 minutes, but then he collapses so it's up to everyone else to unload the haul into the van.

His favorite section is Outdoors & Gardening because it's right next to the books.

Jin Grandet

Sneaks giant chip bags and soda bottles and those big Halloween candy packs they sell all year-long (for some reason?) into the cart when Rio turns around. Belle always gives him 3 chances before telling Sariel.

Keeps his eyes on the other princes when they pass through the store to make sure they're not hurting themselves (or anyone else)

His favorite section is Beverages, but Sariel never lets him walk through alone.

Chevalier Michel

Picks a book and sits in the rocking bench in the gardening section. The kids that walk by ask if they can have a turn, but he doesn't budge.

Whenever he finishes a book, he scans the surrounding area to make sure no one is nearby. He runs to the book stand, picks up a new title, then rushes back before anyone can steal his spot.

"Why not just take more than one book at a time?" Clavis asked during one trip. Chevalier grabbed him in a headlock and left him hanging off the wall of a display tool shed until it was time to leave. It was the least destructive trip to date.

Clavis Lelouch

Steals the cart away from Rio and runs around the store, laughing and ramming into people. Sometimes he accidentally runs into the free sample stands and has to awkwardly help clean up.

When it's time to checkout, he is glued to Sariel as he does a last-minute check of the items and sings top-volume in his ear.

When they're stacking the items into the van, he steals the keys and locks everyone out until Sariel apologizes for yelling at him in the middle of the store.

His favorite section is the Pharmacy because it's the farthest away from the book stand and the Vision Center.

Leon Dompteur

Says he'll order pizza for the group the moment they walk in. Ends up spending the entire trip at the food court stuffing his face.

At $1.50 a hot dog and unlimited soda refills, they're just asking for a challenge.

Claims the churros are better than anything the bakery's got, much to Yves's chagrin.

By the time they're checked out, he's been crowned the King of Wieners after finishing 62 hot dogs and is awarded a $500 gift card. Sariel snatched the card and ordered him to wash up for 10 minutes before he'd be allowed back in the van.

Yves Kloss

Spends the entire time in the bakery section inspecting each of the baked goods and reading the ingredient lists for the newest items. Scoffs at the excessive use of added sugars and artificial colors and all those other ingredients he can't pronounce.

Watches the bakers from behind the cookie display with hawk eyes. They're more afraid of him than of their manager.

Eventually huffs, barges into the kitchen, and snatches the piping bag from the shaking new hire. "Let me do it!" he says, and within 15 minutes he's become the new head baker.

Licht Klein

Likes standing in the big refrigerated room with the dairy and produce. Not because he's particularly interested in them, it's just so hot and noisy and crowded everywhere else.

When he gets too cold, he walks through the smaller refrigerated aisles. He spends extra time drooling over the ice cream portion.

Every once in a while, he'll ask Sariel (quietly so Yves doesn't hear) if he could pick something to buy. It's always something small, like a pack of bubblegum or a cheesecake or brownies. Sariel never refuses, and when the time comes he tells Yves that Luke asked for it.

Nokto Klein

Pulls Licht by the chilled arm out of the fridge section to help him tackle all the free samples stations.

Gets upset when the employees Licht visits first claim he's already tried their sample and can't have any more. He started bringing a wig and mustache into the store just so he could double dip with the samples.

His favorite section is Personal Care & Hygiene because it always smells nice there and that's usually where the ladies gather. (And it's where he stocks up on his favorite baby-soft lotion)

Is usually the last person to find when Rio's rounding everyone up to leave because he brings a different disguise each time. One thing that stays the same is that his pockets are always full of snacks he's saving for the ride back.

Luke Randolph

Falls asleep in the car ride over. Has to be lifted out and into the cart by Jin and Leon.

When he wakes up (from the screams of terror after Clavis crashes into another cart), he's usually starving. Opens the triple-fudge-honey-glazed cookie box and starts eating. Sariel wastes more time chastising him than Clavis in the middle of the store.

He prefers staying in the cart because when he walks around people usually corner him and ask him to hand them items from the top shelves.

His favorite section is the bakery because he likes taste-testing the new desserts for Head Baker Yves.

Gilbert von Obsidian

Beat Chevalier to the rocking bench that one time he visited the Rhodolite Costco and never lets him forget it. All he read was one children's book, but he flipped through the pages so tauntingly slowly just to rub it in his face.

As he walked through the aisles, he couldn't stop making comments on how the section locations were not optimal and how things were much better planned in Obsidian. Why were the snacks right next to the adult beverages? And why were the pharmacist and optometrist on opposite ends of the store? And why were there spills and knocked-over carts in every other aisle?

Although, he never admitted it out loud but the bakery was lightyears better than Obsidian's.

Keith Howell

Spends most of his time in the clothes section refolding and rehanging the clothes the other customers mess up. He has an impeccable pant-stacking technique.

He really shouldn't have worn a red jacket that day, because someone came up to him and asked where the bathrooms were. That was an easy one, but after he directed the man another person showed up and asked for the spices aisle. And then another for the meat section. And then for the office supplies...

He doesn't know the layout of the Rhodolite Costco very well, so he just pointed the people in random directions then hid underneath the children's pajamas table until it was time to leave.

Silvio Ricci

Buys Costco.

Tagging: @atelieredux @queengiuliettafirstlady @violettduchess

(Check out my Ikemen Prince Writing Master list here! And if you want to send me a request or be added to my tag list, please check the details here!)

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thelittleredheadedmusician · 4 years ago

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Halloween prompt: Alfred is getting increasingly annoyed at whoever is eating the halloween candy. No one will confess. (Bruce is sitting in a corner somewhere with a bag of... [insert Batfamily appropriate candy here])

Three Musketeers

Rating: G 1,844 words Gen AO3

Bristol was technically in Gotham City limits. Though the gilted mansions and private woods with pastures and stables seemed like a whole other world in comparison. The residents liked to think so too, especially because – despite Gotham’s robust public transportation system – it was almost impossible to reach the rich suburb from the city proper. It was because they lived in this separate world that Bristol’s wealthy residents often fought to receive special treatment or even secede from the city all together.

Except when it came to Halloween.

The residents of Bristol were more than happy to hold their trick-or-treat night during the same time as the rest of Gotham. Mostly, because it discouraged the city’s poorer residents from coming out to ask for literal handouts from them. The time it would take to sit in train stations and bus stops to get there ate up a large chunk of trick-or-treat’s two-hour window. And the walk from the last stop and between the houses took up the rest.

Despite all this, many made the trek out to Wayne Manor and its residents always made it well worth the work.

It was known that the Manor didn’t simply give out full-sized candy bars, no, they gave a whole bag of king’s sized bars. And from the entrance way to the ballroom off to the side were decked out and fitted to be a haunted house with games and entertainment and even more snacks. There was no reason to go anywhere else when you went to Wayne Manor.

Except, this year the seemingly endless supply of candy was mysteriously missing in the week leading up to the big night. Which was ironic considering the Manor was populated by detectives.

Alfred was suspicious. And annoyed. But mostly suspicious. He had raised the world’s greatest detective and then helped raise the current world’s greatest detective. In addition to the other seven vigilantes he’d actively cared for over the years. And countless others who hadn’t lived under his roof. Which meant that he was extremely hard to pull something over on. Extremely.

Yet, his stockpile of trick-or-treat candy was gone. Completely. And his list of suspects was long and skilled.

First, was Barbara because he loved the young woman dearly but she was a bit of a chocolate fiend. Also, if he could rule her out then he could enlist her assistance. It was easy enough to make her coffee just the way she liked and message her to come to the kitchen when she was working in the Cave one evening. She was happy enough to come up, thinking it was just for a chat but knowing something was up when Alfred passed her the mug.

They studied each other from across the long wooden table that took up the far side of the kitchen. Alfred sipped his tea from the good china that after the last family debacle was his alone to use. Barbara narrowed her eyes as her glasses slipped down her nose. They were playing a high stakes game of chicken and they both knew it.

Barbara broke first. “Is there something you wanted to talk about, Alfred?” she asked sweetly, setting her coffee down and pushing her glasses back up in the same movement.

“Now that you mention it, yes. I was wondering if you happened to know where my trick-or-treat supply is disappearing to?” Alfred’s lips turned up in kindness, but his eyes were hard and steady as he held her gaze.

An adult, a seasoned crimefighter, an honest to god superhero and yet Barbara wanted to wriggle in her chair, knot her fingers in the hem of her t-shirt, under that look. Pure willpower was the only thing that stopped her. Though it didn’t extend to her mouth. “No, I’ve been out of town most of the week.”

This was true, Alfred knew, but not necessarily an airtight alibi.

“Besides,” Barbara continued, “I have a Costco card. The Birds and I split it. If I wanted to eat a whole bag of candy, I’d just buy my own.”

Alfred nodded, lifting his tea to take another sip. He accepted that answer, she knew better than to lie to him. “In that case, might I enlist your skills to uncover the real culprit?”

This was what Alfred had truly wanted to ask, they both knew, and Barbara smiled in delight at the prospect. “I’d love to.”

The next suspect was Tim. He knew exactly how to cover his tracks and misdirect their attention. Tim was sly, smart, and still technically a teenaged boy so sugar was irresistible. Barbara set the trap, crashing the Batcomputer one afternoon when everyone else was out. This forced Tim up, out of the Cave and to Alfred lying in wait in the kitchen.

Tim had climbed up onto a kitchen chair to get at the stash of poptarts on the top shelf of the cabinet above the stove. Proving that he had means, motive, and a record.

“Master Timothy,” Alfred drawled as he stepped out of the shadows. Bruce had to learn the skill from somewhere.

Startling, Tim whirled around and nearly fell from the chair. Dropping the silver packet in the process. It landed on the tile with a crunch. “Look I need the brain power to get the computer back up,” he said hastily, glancing guiltily between Alfred and the fallen junk food.

“I am not here to reprimand you about the poptarts,” Alfred said and Tim immediately relaxed, shooting him a relieved little grin. “But I may have to reprimand you for sneaking something else,” Alfred continued, causing Tim’s face to fall.

“I swear, I only had the one Monster the other week. And I split it with Kon ‘cause we were trying to keep Bart from drinking it. Me and him on an energy drink bouncing round the Tower is way better than a speedster on an energy drink.” Tim’s eyes were wide and the blood that had drained from his face made the boy almost impossibly paler.

Alfred lifted an eyebrow at the confession. Not what he was looking for but good to know all the same. “And what of the candy for trick-or-treat?”

Tim’s brows drew together in confusion. “Uh, I don’t know? I suggested we get milkyways but if you got snickers again then I’m not going to complain.”

“So, you did not eat the supply?” Alfred confirmed, though the fact that Tim was already feeling guilty and hesitant to lie on top of the fact that he had no idea Alfred had purchased boxes of three musketeers cleared him of the crime.

“No?” Tim shook his head as he shrugged.

Satisfied, Alfred nodded. “Enjoy your poptarts, Master Timothy. I shall be moving them shortly.”

“It wasn’t Jason,” Barbara said over the phone. “I have a couple different angles of him being in Paraguay all last week.”

“I never suspected him to begin with,” Alfred admitted as he pushed the shopping cart, restocking for the big night tomorrow. “He never liked three musketeers. Dark chocolate kit-kats are a separate story.” He smiled at the memory of a young Jason carrying a huge box of the candy bars to drop in the cart during his first Halloween with them.

“Cass and Dick are out too,” she continued. “Cass laughed at me when I even suggested it and then confirmed Dick was telling the truth when I questioned him.”

Alfred hummed. Richard had been his next guess, though he was more likely to take them to hand out while on patrol or pass on to his friends’ children than to eat himself. “Master Damian is innocent as well. He scoffed at the implication he would, quote, ‘stoop so low as to steal candy from children.’ He also vouched for Master Duke and neither were anywhere near the spare pantry recently to begin with.”

“Security cameras confirm that.”

“That leaves Miss Stephanie,” Alfred frowned. Stephanie tended to decline any offers of assistance from the Manor’s residents that weren’t directly related to masked vigilantism. Though she recently had allowed Alfred to slip her gas money when she visited during daylight hours. The thought of her taking the Halloween candy just did not sit right with him. It was almost as impossible to imagine as Damian taking it. Cassandra was more likely to be playing a trick on them all, having hidden it for some soon to be revealed reason. “Are you positive Miss Cassandra is not the culprit?”

Barbara chuckled. “I mean, not really. But at the same time why would she? Though why would Steph either? I don’t think it was either of them but I can vouch for Steph. She hasn’t been anywhere near the Cave or the Manor since last month. What with school she’s been staying close.”

“Which leaves us back to the beginning,” Alfred sighed and got in line. “We could create a sting operation though I’d loathe to lose this supply as well. There’s nearly no candy left in the entire state.”

“That I believe. Alright, I’ve got the feed from the events kitchen running on one of my screens. I’ll keep an eye on it for the rest of the night, see if anyone stupid enough to try it again.”

“Thank you, Miss Barbara. I really appreciate your assistance in this matter,” Alfred told her before exchanging their goodbyes. He had plans for a little stakeout of his own.

Placing the boxes in the spare pantry, Alfred settled himself on a stool next to the industrial fridge in the dark. He typed out a careful message in the family’s groupchat informing them all that the missing candy had been replaced and politely asking that it not disappear again before the next night. They would all be getting ready to go out for the night so there is no doubt they would see it. And he would have plenty of time to wait for them to strike.

Hours later, the family was returning and Alfred was still lying in wait. A creak echoed in from the ballroom where decorations were mostly in place. The light padding of rubber soles on the marble tile came closer and closer. Alfred leant further back into the shadows as the door swung open. He held his breath, waiting as the guilty party walked into the kitchen proper, headed directly towards the pantry. Alfred slipped from his hiding spot, keeping low as he crept around the island to come up behind the culprit.

Alfred contained his gasp of shock and annoyance as he flipped on the light. Forcing the candy thief to whirl on him. “Master Bruce!” Alfred scolded. He hadn’t thought his first charge would do such a thing and hadn’t even considered him as a suspect.

Having the good sense to look ashamed and like a ten-year-old boy again, Bruce offered a wavering grin in apology. “You bought three musketeers,” he said as his only defense.

Alfred frowned as he crossed his arms. “And your penance will be handing them out tomorrow night.”

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prettyinlimegreenboots · 4 years ago

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10. “What kind of candy should I get.”

October 23, 2019

Looking around the small kitchen, he made a couple of quick notes on the pad of paper in front of him. Wednesdays were his day off and usually his grocery shopping day. Halloween was a week away and he needed to get something for all the little goblins that would be coming to their door.

“Hey, what kind of candy should I get?” Race looked up from the pad of paper to Kat who was sitting at the kitchen table. She had come over to grab a hoodie she had left at the house after a bonfire.

“Not the gross kind.” She glanced up at him. “Get Reese’s or Kit Kats. Kids love those.”

He nodded, adding those to the list. “What else should I get? You know how many kids we get in the neighborhood. What are you guys doing?”

“I grabbed a bunch of bags from Costco and some mini Rice Krispie treats for the kids that can’t have chocolate.” Kat shrugged.

Race smirked, shaking his head. “You always think of these things.”

“I kinda have to.” She smirked. “Ralphie couldn’t have any chocolate due to his allergy so I try to have other things for kids to choose from.”

Race had met Kat’s younger brother, Ralphie, a couple of times at holidays and other functions. He was a nice kid who absolutely adored Kat and looked up to her.

“Wait, you said gross kind. What kind of candy is the gross kind?” Race asked, looking over at her with a confused look. “If I remember right, as a kid, I didn’t care what kind of candy I got as long as it was candy.”

Kat laughed. “True, candy is candy but there’s certain ones that kids just don’t like. Good and Plenty, Licorice, Paydays, and Candy Corn. I remember pushing those aside and hoarding all of the good stuff - Reese’s and Kit Kats and the occasional Peanut M&Ms.”

“Hey now, Paydays are amazing! That’s one of the best candy.” A new voice defended it as Race added it to the grocery list.

They both looked up at the new voice, a smile crossing both of their faces. “Of course you’d like Paydays, Spot.”

“Hey now, don’t be getting on me about my choice of candy. At least it’s not Reese’s or Kit Kats.” Spot dropped his bag in the hallway and kicked off his shoes before walking into the kitchen. Walking over to Race, he gave him a kiss before greeting Kat. “What are you two discussing?”

Race looked over at his husband. “I’m putting together the grocery list for the week and Kat’s not so helpful. She told me not to get the gross candy . . . one of which is Payday.”

“So we’re going to have a candy debate?” Spot grinned, clapping his hands. “We should totally do a candy knockout - battle of the candies and see which ones come out on top.”

Race looked between Kat and Spot, both of whom looked way too excited at the prospect. “I’m going to the grocery store in an hour - there’s no time for a candy knockout. I’m getting Paydays, Reese’s, Kit Kat’s, Tiwx, and Snickers, along with Rice Krispie Treats”

“Wait, when did Snickers and Twix get thrown into the mix?” Kat and Spot talked over one another asking the question.

Race grinned. “Those are my two favorite candies, so of course I’m going to get some.”

“Dude, those are the worst.” Kat exclaimed, shaking her head.

Race’s eyes went wide. “Just because you like the basic Reese’s and Kit Kats, doesn’t mean every other candy is the worst.”

“Basic candy?” Kat raised an eyebrow. “Those are fightin’ words, Racetrack. Care to take them back?”

He merely laughed, shaking his head. “Nah, the look on your face when I said it was brilliant.”

Spot just laughed at the brother and sister arguing at one another. “Are you two really arguing about candy right now? Grow up.”

“Says the man who likes Paydays.” Kat rolled her eyes, picking up her phone, giving the two men a look. “Jack agrees with me and Race - Twix, Snickers, Reese’s and Kit Kats are the best. He says that Paydays should die.”

Scribbling something else on the list, Race threw down the pen, giving the two a look. “I’m heading to the store. Can I trust you two not to destroy my house while I’m gone?”

Kat and Spot looked at one another, nodding slowly. Race grabbed his list, making sure his wallet was in his back pocket along with his phone before giving the two a look. Walking out of the kitchen, he heard the two discuss something before walking out the door.

An Hour Later

“I’m back. All is well?” Walking into the house, he carried three reusable bags in his arms, setting them on the kitchen counter. The house was quiet, which was a miracle when Kat and Spot were together.

Peeking his head into the living room, he saw Jack, Spot and Kat looking at a piece of posterboard together, pointing at something written on it. “All is calm, Racer.” Spot looked up at him with a grin.

“Then what are you three doing?” Race started putting away the groceries, leaving the two of them to do whatever they were doing. He grabbed a bottle of juice out of the fridge before joining them in the living room.

Spot chuckled, picking up the poster board, showing it to Race. “You actually had a great idea - we decided to do a candy knockout. We laid out all the candy we could think of and laid it out in a knockout round.”

“You all are crazy . . . but I’m in.” Race grinned, looking over at the poster board. “What are the rules?”

Kat quickly explained the rules, they would debate which of the candies were better, then decide which one would be moving on. Some of the candies were easier to decide which would be moving on before moving onto the next section. In total they had 20 different candies they were debating. Before long, it was down to two candies.

Race raised his eyebrow in Kat’s direction. “It comes down to the final two. Paydays and Reese’s. Which will be the reigning champion?”

“Reese’s.” She quickly casted her vote for the candy.

“Payday.” Spot quickly followed as Race looked over at Jack with an eyebrow raised, challenging him to pick one.

Jack groaned, loudly. “Ugh why do we have to pick just one . . . why can’t there be a two way tie?”

“That’s not how it’s worked for the last 14 rounds, Jack.” Kat rolled her eyes at her husband. “Pick one - Reese’s or Paydays.”

Race grinned. “I pick Paydays.”

Kat looked at her husband. “So it’s 2-1 in favor of Paydays. What’s your vote Jack?”

“What if it ends in a tie?” He questioned, looking at the three of them.

Shrugging, Kat picked up her phone and dialed a number. “Then we’re bringing in a source that won’t really care and will just pick one.”

“I choose Reese’s. It’s a tie.” Jack quickly said as Kat dialed the number.

They listened as the phone rang a few times before a voice answered. “Hello?”

“I don’t have time to explain but I need you to pick one - Paydays or Reese’s.” Kat hurried as she looked at the three of them.

He sighed. “Are you and Jack having another disagreement?”

“Well, me, Jack, Spot, and Race. It’s tied right now and you’re the deciding voice, Davey.” Kat said as a loud sigh came across the line.

“Why do you always call me to be a tie-breaker?” Davey asked.

Spot snorted. “Because everyone else knows our tells and would side with whoever is talking. You just don’t care and will just pick one. So what will it be, Reese’s or Payday?”

“Payday; now leave me alone.” Davey quickly ended the call, not wanting to know the fallout from his decision.

Spot and Race jumped up and did a jig as Kat and Jack looked at the two idiots dancing. Kat stood up, giving the two a look, who paused in their sloppy jig. “I guess the best candy won.”

“It was a well fought battle, Kat.” Race held out his hand for her to shake. “But the better candy won out.”

She gave him a look, before looking over at Spot. “I’m going to curl up in the corner with my Reese’s . . . I do not wish to be disturb.”

“Well then it’s a good thing that I bought something for you.” Race snuck into the kitchen and came back with a giant Reese’s cup, handing it over to her. “Don’t eat it all in one go.”

Jack glared at Race. “When she’s bouncing off the walls at 2 in the morning, I’m shipping her over here. You guys can deal with her.”

“You’re welcome, Jackie boy.” Spot laughed, watching Kat bust into the candy and breaking off a piece before putting it in her mouth, a content sigh slipping through her lips.

Happy early Halloween everyone!!

#newsies #newsies fan fiction #writing #ask #drabble requests #newsies drabble #drabble prompt #spot conlon #racetrack higgins #katherine Kelly #Jack Kelly #Halloween #candy debate

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lovemesomesurveys · 3 years ago

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Do you look good today, or do you look shitty (in your opinion)? I always look (and feel) shitty. Do you enjoy reading murder mysteries? That’s one of my top favorite genres and I’ll been reading the past couple years.

Would you ever want to be a detective who solves crimes? No, but I enjoy doing so for fun when reading mysteries and trying to figure out the “who done it” in movies and TV shows. I’ve been into that since I was a kid reading Nancy Drew.

Have you ever hallucinated? No.

What was the last picture you uploaded to social media of? It was a screenshot of my mom’s Facebook post with photos of my aunt’s puppies who were in need of homes.

What is one thing that makes you itch? My dry skin in the summertime.

Have you been in your pajamas all day? Well, what I wear is also what I sleep in, so yeah. All I wear are oversized tees or t-shirt dresses and lounge shorts or leggings.

What do your favorite pair of flannel pajamas look like? I don’t have any flannel pjs.

When was the last time you scrapbooked? Back in high school for a school project.

Are you currently working on an art project? Nope.

Do you like to make lists? Yeah. I use the list app on my phone pretty often.

When was that last time you dyed your hair? February of last year.

If applicable, what color are you planning to dye your hair next? When my hair grows out more I’ll dye it red again.

Do you have a sibling who looks like your twin? No.

Are you disorganized? I’m pretty organized for the most part.

Are you a warrior? I don’t feel like one.

Mermaid or fairy? Mermaid.

Do you read more New Arrivals or historical fiction? New Arrivals.

Do you frequent the library? No, I haven’t been to the library in a very long time.

Do you frequent a coffee shop? I often go through the Starbucks drive-thru, but I haven’t actually been to/hung out at a coffee shop in quite awhile. I used to more often.

Who do you look like the most in your family? My mom.

Do you think you'd make a good actor or actress? No.

Do you believe you have a lot of potential? No.

Do you believe in God-given talents? Yeah, some people definitely just seem to have a knack or natural born talent for things like it just comes easy to them.

Are you gifted? In what areas are you the most gifted? I’m not one of those people I just described, sadly. I have no talents.

Do you compare yourself to other people? Yes.

How often do you eat candy? Not often. I opt for other sweets like cookies, cupcakes, muffins, donuts, or ice cream.

Do you have a sweet tooth? Nah, I just have a craving for something sweet now and then. I have been on this weird milkshake kick lately, though.

Would you rather visit Paris or Tokyo? Paris.

What are five careers you've considered? Teacher, counselor, social worker, psychologist, or department of rehabilitation for people with disabilities.

What are five things you want to accomplish before you're 30? I’m 32 now so it’s too late for that.

At what age do you want to go gray? I started to get a few grays when I turned 30. I swear one just sprouted on my birthday.

Are you the same height and weight as your mom? No.

Have you ever donated blood? No.

If so, have you ever had a bad experience donating blood? --

Do you have any severe allergies? No, thankfully nothing severe.

Are you allergic to any trees? Not that I know if.

What is your favorite type of tree in the spring? I don’t have one.

What is your favorite type of tree in the fall? I’m not familiar with too many tree types, I just know I love the fall colors of the leaves.

What is your favorite type of tree in the summer? --

Do you like winter? I love wintertime.

What is your favorite season? Fall and winter. Would you like to be rich and own a vacation home? I would love that. That’s the dream. Have you ever walked through a labyrinth? No.

Are you at your ideal weight right now? No, definitely not.

Do you have a favorite lipstick? Nope; I don’t wear lipstick.

If so, what color is your favorite lipstick, and what brand? --

What eyeshadow color do you think looks best on you? I rarely wore eyeshadow but when I did I opted for browns for the most part and dabbled some with light shades.

What color are your eyes? Brown.

Did you do anything productive today? Nope.

What is your favorite Halloween costume that you've worn? I don’t really have one particular favorite.

Do you like Snoopy? Yeah.

Do you shop in the girls, juniors, or womens section at the store? Juniors and women’s in store for the most part, but a lot of my graphic tees are men’s.

What's the biggest store in your town? Probably Costco.

Do you eat out a lot? I get takeout/delivery a lot.

Do you take medication every day? Yes.

Favorite nail polish color(s)? Black.

Are you someone who loves paper? Uhh, I’ve never felt that strongly about it.

Are you a runner? No.

Have you ever run a race for charity? No.

Do you set goals for yourself? I should. Who was your valentine this year? I didn’t have one.

Will you wear green on St. Patrick's Day? I usually incorporate something green just for fun.

Will you celebrate Easter? Yeah, I always do.

What is your favorite spring holiday? Easter.

Do you celebrate Good Friday? I attended my church’s live stream service for it the past couple years.

What is your favorite type of filling for a chocolate egg? Peanut butter or just no filling at all.

Have you bought any new shorts for summer yet? I have a pretty good collection of shorts now that I got over the past couple months to wear around the house. They’re a lot more comfortable right now.

Do you own any light-colored jeggings or skinny jeans? No.

Would you ever wear pastel-colored pants? I have before.

Do you write in calligraphy? No.

Do you collect journals? No.

List five good themes for a bedroom. Nah.

Do you like avocado? Yes.

Have you ever moved to another state? No.

Would you ever move to another country? No, I really don’t think so.

If you HAD to move to another country, which one would you pick? I don’t know enough about other countries to make an informed decision at this point. <<< Yeah, I’d have to really do some research and actually check things out.

Do you want any tattoos? Nah.

Do you feel relaxed today? No. I feel hot, tired, and irritable.

Name 5 girl's names that start with R. Nah.

What is your favorite middle name? I don’t knowww.

Do you like the feeling of the warm sun on your face? When I’m at the beach, yes.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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tsfennec · 4 years ago

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Decided it was a Treat Yo Self kind of day, as I had to do some shopping anyway, and...

- Got a flu shot - not such a treat in the short term usually, but bless you Costco pharmacist, that was probably the fastest, least painful shot I have ever had

- The cereal I’ve been eating a ton of lately was on sale (it’s the little things, honestly)

- Wanted to get something cold to drink and discovered two bottles of a particularly nice flavor of the kombucha that’s usually a liiiitle too expensive to splurge on was in the discount produce section so I could get one for myself and one for my sister

- Beautiful sunny day with perfect temperature was really nice for taking a walk

- We made a really nice chicken soup together... and then ate leftover Halloween candy to counteract all that healthiness, lol

- Sister and I both happened to have Bath & Body Works coupons so we decided to stop in and get some nice scented things... and turned out there were multiple sales and coupons we were able to combine so we were each able to get about $60+ of lotions, soaps, and candles for less than $35. \o/

- New season of Carmen Sandiego on Netflix continues to be a delight with a gorgeous art style

Lots of nice things today. :)

#good things #positivity #nice day #it's a good day to focus on the good #and do what you can to make things nice around yourself #in the midst of uncertainty and things we can't control

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bridgetatwork-blog · 7 years ago

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How I did the DCP on a Budget

Well, to be fair the word “Budget” may be the wrong choice. I merely chose to blow my money on things like coffee mugs with Mickey Mouse on it and buy every person I ever knew a Christmas ornament because the discount was bumped to, like, 50% off.

If you’re reading this you most likely know what the DCP is. If not, no worries- I’ll tell you! The DCP, or Disney College Program, is an internship that caters to thousands of students from varying backgrounds and aspirations. It has two main seasons, Spring and Fall, and a smaller Summer season. These can break down even further to Spring/Fall Advantage (longer) or just the Spring/Fall (most resembles a typical college semester). Students live in Disney sponsored housing and work on property in a multitude of roles (jobs) such as merchandise, food service, custodial, entertainment, hotel services, etc. The program exists in both Anaheim’s Disneyland and Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort. I participated in a Spring and Fall program in Orlando as a Merchandise cast member.

The pay for these roles are mostly shit unless you land an Entertainment gig or working in a premium location like on Main Street in Magic Kingdom. I think I made $7.25 my first program and $7.50 my second program working merch in the resorts right outside Magic Kingdom. I did earn a little extra when I worked the holiday booth in the Contemporary during Christmas time, which was nice. That costume was also super comfy- the pants felt like yoga sweats and I wore a Chef’s jacket that felt like a hoodie! The costumes at Disney are really hit or miss with the designs and how they fit. Mostly misses. The hours varied for me in these locations. I would typically be scheduled for 25-30 hours and would offer to stay late and would pick up a bunch of extra shifts. Disney has one of my favorite OT policies for interns: if your shift is longer than 9 hours, everything after that 9th hour is OT. If two different shifts are within 6 hours of each other (back to back) then the previous 9 hour rule applies. If you work more than 40 hours in a week than everything after that 40th hour is OT. This was how it worked in 2012- it may have changed since then.

So with that layed out it is safe to say that I was making enough money to support myself, but not enough to do that and have the fun I wanted. When it came time to choose between groceries or tickets to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights you can guess which one I picked. Hint: I wouldn’t be writing this if I had a full pantry all the time.

FOOD The most important thing to have on your radar is where your next meal was coming from. If one of your roommates has a membership to Sam’s or Costco, coordinate your shopping day with them to take advantage! I signed up for a loyalty card to Walgreens, Winn-Dixie, and anywhere else I found myself visiting often. Winn-Dixie is a southern grocery store that sometimes can rival Walmart with their deals- like 10 Totino’s Party Pizzas for $10! I could make those things last for like 2-3 meals each when put with some cheap chips or something. Watching the weekly ads for deals from local places and Walmart helped me find variety so I wouldn’t notice I wasn’t eating right. And I could sometimes find deals on fresh produce, sandwhich meat, or meats that were about to reach their sell-by date! Something I always kept on hand was Popcorn and Pickles. They lasted forever, made quick snacks I could eat on the go, and would give me a false sense of eating a lot (especially the popcorn) which kept me from being hungry. If you skimp on the nutrition remember to buy a good multivitamin and drink lots of water. I was always moving so these bad eating habits didn’t really catch up to me until I got home from the program. I did drop 20lbs which was cool. **

Speaking of water: buy a case of cheap water, enjoy the fresh bottled taste at first, and save those bottles! Reuse them by filling them up with water at the drinking fountains. If you forget your water at home or throw the bottle out after many uses don’t worry. If you’re playing in the parks you can go to any quick-service counter and ask for a cup of water. It’s free!

Eating out is expensive. Pick where you eat wisely. We always went to Golden Corral, Siciliy’s Pizza, or Sweet Tomatoes where we would get a small discount and could eat as much as we wanted. Despite the discount Disney food is not usually your best option. Here are my exceptions: Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Magic Kingdom: If you’re playing make sure you bring a backpack to stow your “Ears” and pin lanyard. Wear plain clothes and have your cast ID handy. You want to appear as if you’re coming to/leaving work. Behind Main Street heading towards Tomorrowland on the right is an easy entrance to the Utilidors. Make sure you’re familiar with the Utilidors before venturing down there if MK is not your home park. If you get lost try not to ask security or upper management for directions. Stick to others in sweats or themed gear. You’re looking for the cast member cafeteria. There’s a Subway down there where you can get a $5 footlong and Aramark also has other options for snacks. I would always split this with someone and have one of my water bottles handy for a cheap meal. It’s also really fun to watch Cinderella and Gaston talk shit about someone (Peter Pan?!) while stuffing their faces with Hot Cheetos. You’re not supposed to be down there if you aren’t working so be careful. Pecos Bill in Adventureland has a little salad bar meant for the taco salads. It’s packed with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, pickles, and other toppings and condiments that you can create a make-shift salad with for free (unless a cast member decides to stop you, but they most likely won’t). Epcot: Make a bee-line to Japan in the World Showcase. The kids meal at the quick-service is like $6 and plenty of food to fill you up. Saves money for the important stuff- like Tequila in Mexico!

I was lucky to work at the Contemporary where we hosted Pirates and Pals, which is a fireworks cruise. They served these giant sheet cakes for the guests and there was always a whole cake left over. One of our supervisors was married to a man that facilitated the food for that shindig so it always appeared in our break room! We also had a popcorn machine (remember what I said about popcorn!) that we could rev up any time we wanted, and so I did during my breaks. Many nights my dinner was cake and popcorn! There was also a “Hungry Intern” box the other cast members would put stuff in that had stuff like easy mac, ramen, and granola bars. I had great coworkers. :)

If you happen to work in a place that has a merchandise cooler for drinks and food or sells candy keep an eye on the expiration dates! If you have a supervisor that doesn’t care or pays attention you could score things like boxed candy or frozen breakfast foods (in the hotels) that were on their way to being thrown out anyways. I wouldn’t recommend taking things like MILK that was expired- but who cares if the Goofy cotton candy was day over it’s mark?

Household Essentials Some of my “tips” here include theft. Cover your innocent eyes if you’re not into that. I would take things like toilet paper, soap, razors, and feminine products from the hotel’s supply closets. I didn’t want to spend my money on things like that when there it was behind this door I had a key to. Sometimes you could score stuff like candles or laundry detergent too. I only took what I needed and I shared with the other interns. Like Robin Hood! You could also grab essentials from the bathroms, like cotton swabs and toilet paper and paper/cloth napkins. The best place is the bathrooms in the convention centers like the one at the Boardwalk. This is conveniently located next to the cast member parking lot/bus stop!

If you’re purchasing buy things in bulk if the price is right! You know you’ll need it, it’s worth it to just get as much as you can when you can.

Entertainment This is where all my money went. I mainly spent my money on shows, alcohol, gas, parking, and food when I wasn’t using my free food cheats and comped park entrances. Before I even left home I bought an annual pass to Universal that got me discounts on Halloween Horror Nights tickets, food, and free parking. I knew as a Cast Member I would already be getting those same perks at Disney. This helped me save money while escaping the Disney Bubble often.

SIN Night at House of Blues - Service Industry Night is the best if you want to go clubbing. Admission is free with your Disney ID if you’re over 21 and ladies drink free until about 10 or 11. Jellyrolls - This is a dueling piano bar at the Boardwalk outside Epcot. Admission is free for cast members and they serve free... wait for it... POPCORN inside! This is a great show and the pianist are very talented. Each night is different as they play requests only all night. The staff is very friendly as well! The alcohol is expensive - like $7 for a bottled beer! We would usually just pool our resources and buy liquor from the Walgreens in front of Vista Way and pregame in the parking lot. If you’ve been keeping your water bottles from earlier handy you could smuggle in your own vodka and sip at your leisure! Buffalo Wild Wings - On Wednesday nights the BWWs in the Crossroads Center on SR 535 clears their dining room floor and turns the place into a karaoke bar on the inside and a latin club on the patio! Great prices on drinks, food, and admission. I can’t remember if there was a way to get in free or not. When they’d shut down you just crossed the parking lot to McDonald’s and ball out of control because it was just after 1 am on a Thursday and your drunk self just remembered EPCOT!! EPCOT - Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday. Direct Deposit, hell yeah! Disney pays you weekly!

Other ways we would save money is by splitting dryer time on small loads in the laundry rooms, carpooling, pregaming, rotating email addresses to get free trials on Hulu and Netflix, rotating which roommate would buy community use things, rotating amongst friends each week for a home-cooked meal, investing in things we would use over and over like board games and cards for entertainment, staying away from fast food whenever possible, and not being wasteful. This post may look like all I did was play and party, but I worked hard too. I took advantage of the OT regulations to where I would work 4 10-12 hour shifts each week. When doing this I would usually get an Early Release on my 5th day or could afford to give up the shift all together. I enjoyed being at work since most of my friends were already there! I had a great time with the guests and thoroughly enjoyed what I was doing every day! My two programs got me the job I have now and the above-average salary I’m making.

** Please be safe and treat your body right. This is no way advocates the usefulness of an eating disorder in any way. Do not skip meals. Do not starve yourself. Do not count popcorn as your only meal for an extended amount of time. I love popcorn, I really do, but it’s not a miracle food. Listen to your body and give it what it needs.

#disney college #disney #budget #dcp #disney college program #college #broke college student #broke college girl #work hard play hard

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dashlung62-blog · 5 years ago

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Butterbeer Cupcakes

Accio Cupcakes! Look at these Butterbeer Cupcakes! The Harry Potter geek in me is freaking out! I haven’t had this much fun making, styling, and photographing a recipe probably ever. I recently went to Universal Studios Hollywood to check out the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was like a kid in a candy store, literally, because I went to Honeydukes. I got a Chocolate Frog, a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans (and they mean every flavor!), and some pumpkin juice to wash it all down.

While I was there I also got to taste Butterbeer for the first time. It was so fun! It tasted surprisingly good. Very sweet, but hello, it’s me, I love dessert so much I wrote a book about it. The butterbeer liquid part tasted like a rich cream soda and then on top there was butterscotch flavored whipped cream. Yum. It came in frozen and regular, I only tried the regular.

My favorite part (why do I feel like I’m writing a 3rd grade report on my summer vacation? Ha!) was Ollivander’s wand shop. It was soooo freaking cool! I want to start a wand collection now. Is that lame? I don’t even care. The staff that works in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, are so awesome. This super nice lady sat there and asked me all these questions like, what my top 3 qualities are, what house I was sorted into (Griffindor, duh), and then walked around the shop showing me which wands would best be suited to me. You can tell the staff is super into Harry Potter. They get so excited seeing you excited. I got a season pass so I could go back. What?

I was also very excited to buy some legit Griffindor robes. I got a new scarf, and tie as well. These are so real looking, they could be from the movies. They were pricey, but I justified it by telling myself I would dress up as Harry Potter for Halloween this year…and probably forever. I spent dumb money in Harry Potter land, but you know what, #yolo.

In prep for my visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (can I just abbreviate it to TWWOHP yet?) I re-read all the books from start to finish and then watched each corresponding movie after I finished the book. I started before I left for my caribbean vacation because I needed reading material for the plane and finished right before I went, a few weeks ago. Perfect timing. All of the magic was still fresh in my mind. It made the experience that much better!

So if you don’t like Harry Potter, sorry not sorry. You should still try these cupcakes because they are pretty legit. I prefer them made with almond flour, but then again, I don’t have nut allergies. If you do, then these are for you because I used Otto’s Cassava Flour. If you want to use almond flour I found a great deal at Costco in the baking aisle. If you aren’t a Costco member, I’ve been seeing this Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour in regular grocery stores, which is exciting, because it’s way better than their Almond Meal, which isn’t fine enough for baked goods.

So what else has been up besides Caribbeaning and Harry Pottering? Are you actually still reading this? I thought I lost you at wand shop. Well I’ve been dealing with a skin condition. I’ve been to 2 doctors already, my general practitioner and an allergist. I see the dermatologist on Tuesday, but I think what I have is atopic dermatitis.

At first I thought it was hives. I changed my laundry detergent even though I’ve been using it for years and it didn’t improve. The allergist gave me steroid pills, antibiotics, a steroid cream, anti-histamines, and a new inhaler because my asthma started acting up along with my skin issue. Nothing has helped. I have to take cold showers and scratch myself with a boar hair brush because my nails end up scratching then scarring me. It’s been awful. Most nights I wake up itching for at least an hour before I can fall back asleep.

It started out as a small patch on my leg. I thought it was a reaction from tanning (I had to get my pre-caribbean glow on, don’t judge and yell at me). Then as I scratched it started to spread. It started to clear up, and then a few days after my birthday it got really bad and it’s been really bad ever since. Part of me thinks it’s because I ate real gluten donuts and real gluten pizza. Oops. It was a dumb idea, I know. Trust me, I learned my lesson. No more Evil Kenevil stunts for me. I’ve been reading articles that say people with atopic dermatitis should stay away from gluten because it causes so much inflammation. Ugh. Good thing I don’t normally eat it anyway I guess.

Anyway sorry to bring this Butterbeer Cupcake Harry Potter party down! Just catching you up on some health stuff since I kind of write like a food blog about how cleaner food makes you feel better. Just so you guys know I have my health issues too and have to eliminate food from my diet sometimes too even when I don’t want to. I’ve also been doing a Sober October! I know, can you believe it! I feel SO good. It makes me never want to start drinking again, but then that would be so unfair to all the gluten-free beer, wine, vodka, gin and craft cocktails of the world. Oh and we can’t forget Moscow Mules. My fave.

I also started doing hot yoga. I’m obsessed. Not like Harry Potter obsessed, but like I started doing it 3-4 times a week. They heat the room to 115 degrees and each class you do different poses. I leave each class feeling like ten-thousand million dollars. It’s my new jam.

My Mom came to visit. That was fun. We made some Rocky Road ice cream from my cookbook, using the Best Chocolate Ice Cream recipe as the base, then adding mini-marshmallows and chopped almonds. It’s her favorite flavor so we had to! We went to church at my favorite place, The Rock, no, not like Dwayne Johnson, like The Rock Church. We went out to eat, got facials at the day spa and laid out by the pool. It was such a great time.

Okay so I think that’s a pretty good recap on like the last 2 months. Did you see how cute these Harry Potter baking supplies are! I got them on Etsy! I just did an Etsy search for Harry Potter Cupcakes and all this cool stuff came up! I may have also bought some HP shirts and HP jewelry too to wear on my next trip to Universal Studios.

Now go butterbeer! Do it!

1 cup (120 g) cassava flour

1 tablespoon coconut sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (7 ounces/200 g) butterscotch chips

½ cup (120 ml) canned full-fat coconut milk, room temperature

¼ cup (55 g) palm shortening

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup (7 ounces/200 g) butterscotch chips

1/4 cup (60 ml) canned full-fat coconut milk, room temperature

For the butterbeer cream frosting

16 tablespoons (227 g) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup (135 g) sifted maple sugar

1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cream soda, to make a reduction (see directions)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper baking cups; set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients—cassava flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon—and stir together using a fork until combined; set aside.

Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Melt the butterscotch chips, coconut milk, and palm shortening together in a large heatproof mixing bowl set over the simmering water. Stir together using a rubber spatula until smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in the vanilla, and eggs until combined.

Use a cookie dough scoop or a large spoon to transfer batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds full (they will rise slightly when baking). Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, use the bottom flat side of a decorating tip to core out the center of each cupcake. Then make the filling/garnish and Butterbeer Cream Frosting .

For the filling and garnish

Melt the butterscotch chips and coconut milk together in a large heatproof mixing bowl set over simmering water. Stir together using a rubber spatula until smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag or ziplock bag. Snip the corner and fill the inside of each cupcake.

For the butterbeer cream frosting

In a medium sized saucepan, heat the cream soda over medium heat until it boils and reduces down to about 1/4 cup. Let cool completely. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer or stand mixer set to medium-high until the butter is light and fluffy and the sugar is incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of the cream soda reduction, continue to beat until smooth. Make sure the cream soda reduction has cooled enough so it doesn’t melt the butter when combined.

Use an offset spatula to spread or transfer to a piping bag fitted with desired tip.

Garnish by drizzling the remaining butterscotch filling mixture over the frosting. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

1 bag of butterscotch chips will be enough since it's about 2 cups.

Subs: For frosting sub 2 cups (250 g) organic powdered sugar in place of maple sugar.

You could use a sugar-free cream soda like Zevia in place of regular cream soda, but there is no need to boil it down since it doesn't have real sugar in it. Instead, just use 3 tablespoons of the soda at room temperature. The flavor will come through much more subtle in the frosting though.

For the butterscotch chips I used Guittard brand, they have no partially hydrogenated oils.

Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind http://cleaneatingwithadirtymind.com/

October 31, 2016 | 10 Comments

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Tags: Cupcakes, Halloween, Harry Potter, Holidays, Paleo Desserts

Source: http://cleaneatingwithadirtymind.com/2016/10/31/butterbeer-cupcakes/

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eatpraydig · 7 years ago

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365 day happiness challenge -

*these things are numbered by day (bc there are A Lot of them) but i’m just going to do the ones i feel like doing at the moment or happen to be doing and keep a running list of the days/what things i’ve done :)

Day 1: Wear your favorite things.

Day 2: Sign up for a free exercise class.

Day 3: Rearrange your furniture.

Day 4: Start a gratitude journal.

Day 5: Bake a cake.

Day 6: Have a sleepover.

Day 7: Watch a funny YouTube video.

Day 8: Listen to the radio.

Day 9: Make a scrapbook.

Day 10: Stargaze.

Day 11: FaceTime an old friend.

Day 12: Put your favorite photo in a frame.

Day 13: Learn to cook a new dish.

Day 14: Dance around your living room.

Day 15: Host a dinner party.

Day 16: Go to your local farmers market.

Day 17: Have a yard sale and earn some money.

Day 18: Take a bath.

Day 19: Surprise someone you love with a gift.

Day 20: Try nail art.

Day 21: Go on a picnic.

Day 22: Build a fort in your house.

Day 23: Roast marshmallows.

Day 24: Play a board game.

Day 25: Watch the sunset.

Day 26: Send someone you miss a postcard.

Day 27: Take a day off work just because.

Day 28: Watch your favorite movie.

Day 29: Blow bubbles.

Day 30: Visit a museum.

Day 31: Treat yourself to something sweet.

Day 32: Swap clothes with your friends.

Day 33: Post an old photo that makes you happy on social media.

Day 34: Sing in the shower.

Day 35: Tie-dye or upcycle a t-shirt.

Day 36: Start a blog.

Day 37: Give yourself a makeover.

Day 38: Volunteer for a cause you care about.

Day 39: Complete a paint-by-numbers.

Day 40: Visit a local park.

Day 41: Teach yourself how to knit.

Day 42: Take a dance class.

Day 43: Read a magazine.

Day 44: Play frisbee.

Day 45: Donate clothes.

Day 46: Slide across the floor in your socks.

Day 47: Go for a bike ride.

Day 48: Write thank-you cards.

Day 49: Jump rope.

Day 50: Plant a garden.

Day 51: Put together a puzzle.

Day 52: Skip rocks at a pond.

Day 53: Go to the aquarium.

Day 54: Listen to a podcast about something that interests you.

Day 55: Clean out your closet.

Day 56: Learn how to skateboard.

Day 57: Go to a karaoke night.

Day 58: Pick flowers.

Day 59: Go bowling.

Day 60: Watch a TED Talk.

Day 61: Make crafts and display them in your home.

Day 62: Fly a kite.

Day 63: Learn how to juggle.

Day 64: Listen to an upbeat playlist. 8/11/2017

Day 65: Do some yoga outdoors.

Day 66: Make a memory box.

Day 67: Play laser tag.

Day 68: Go to a flea market.

Day 69: Write a poem.

Day 70: Give yourself a spa treatment.

Day 71: Buy a small pet.

Day 72: Meditate.

Day 73: Play a free online game.

Day 74: Practice origami.

Day 75: Have a pajama day.

Day 76: Play hide and seek.

Day 77: Go to an animal shelter and play with some pets.

Day 78: Get a fancy dinner at a restaurant.

Day 79: Surprise your co-workers with a treat.

Day 80: Browse through Target.

Day 81: Go swimming.

Day 82: Create a new recipe.

Day 83: Hire someome to clean your home.

Day 84: Do a newspaper crossword puzzle.

Day 85: Get a massage.

Day 86: Make a recipe book.

Day 87: Go to the movies.

Day 88: Buy a new album.

Day 89: Meet a friend for a drink.

Day 90: Make paper airplanes.

Day 91: Get a fancy drink at your favorite coffee shop.

Day 92: Watch a movie from your childhood.

Day 93: Go for a run.

Day 94: Complete a sudoku puzzle.

Day 95: Go to the library.

Day 96: Visit your old school.

Day 97: Make your own pizza.

Day 98: Have a cartoon-watching marathon.

Day 99: Visit your family.

Day 100: Go thrift shopping.

Day 101: Ask a barista for latte art.

Day 102: Trade books with a friend.

Day 103: Go for a long walk.

Day 104: Go to the zoo.

Day 105: Watch a stand-up comedy show.

Day 106: Light up your fireplace.

Day 107: Complete a Rubik's Cube.

Day 108: Jot down positive affirmations and tape them to your mirror.

Day 109: Go to a playground and swing.

Day 110: Collect shells on a beach.

Day 111: Spend an hour on Pinterest.

Day 112: Indulge in some selfies.

Day 113: Watch a cute animal video.

Day 114: Host a cocktail party.

Day 115: Go canoeing.

Day 116: Visit a nursing home.

Day 117: Give a server a big tip.

Day 118: Order your favorite takeout.

Day 119: Camp in your backyard.

Day 120: Press flowers in a book.

Day 121: Buy yourself flowers.

Day 122: Hug someone.

Day 123: Flip through old yearbooks.

Day 124: Get a haircut.

Day 125: Make an inspiration board.

Day 126: Go on a hike.

Day 127: Snuggle a kitten.

Day 128: Learn to surf.

Day 129: Make homemade ice cream.

Day 130: Chill out in a hot tub.

Day 131: Spend a day in your favorite part of town.

Day 132: Give your bedroom a makeover.

Day 133: Learn a new skill though YouTube videos.

Day 134: Go on a photography adventure.

Day 135: Make a time capsule.

Day 136: Send your parents flowers.

Day 137: Perfect your hula-hooping skills.

Day 138: Paint a wall in your home your favorite color.

Day 139: Go roller-skating.

Day 140: Binge on a TV show.

Day 141: Learn a dance routine from an online video.

Day 142: Get a facial.

Day 143: Sail on a boat.

Day 144: Play Mad Libs.

Day 145: Watch the sunrise.

Day 146: Bake cookies.

Day 147: Fill up a coloring book.

Day 148: Put your feet in the ocean.

Day 149: Clean the house for a roommate or significant other.

Day 150: Play with a baby.

Day 151: Have breakfast in bed.

Day 152: Enjoy coffee and a book.

Day 153: Plan a vacation.

Day 154: Join a book club.

Day 155: Try out a DIY.

Day 156: Sign up for a color run.

Day 157: Compliment a stranger.

Day 158: Kiss someone.

Day 159: Visit a local beach.

Day 160: Buy something new for your room.

Day 161: Write a letter to your future self.

Day 162: Make a paper fortune teller.

Day 163: Have sex.

Day 164: Go somewhere fancy for lunch.

Day 165: Choreograph a dance routine.

Day 166: Start your own YouTube account.

Day 167: Play with puppies.

Day 168: Forgive someone.

Day 169: Find a new show on Netflix.

Day 170: Make a list of things that make you happy.

Day 171: High-five someone.

Day 172: Buy a houseplant.

Day 173: Cuddle.

Day 174: Pay for someone else's coffee.

Day 175: Look at old photo albums.

Day 176: Write a short story.

Day 177: Peruse a bookstore.

Day 178: Watch the clouds.

Day 179: Meet a neighbor.

Day 180: Stretch before bedtime. 8/10/2017

Day 181: Have a photo shoot with your BFF.

Day 182: Take your friend out for a meal.

Day 183: Don't check social media for a day.

Day 184: Go to an antique store.

Day 185: Dress up for no reason.

Day 186: Tell someone you love them.

Day 187: Sit in the sun for 15 minutes.

Day 188: Get a manicure. 8/12/2017

Day 189: Ride a scooter.

Day 190: Buy a new pair of shoes.

Day 191: Smile at a stranger.

Day 192: Visit a rooftop bar.

Day 193: Go skinny-dipping.

Day 194: Pick out your Halloween costume.

Day 195: Write an open letter to someone who inspires you.

Day 196: Go on a Tumblr binge.

Day 197: Get rid of something you don't use.

Day 198: Give money to a homeless person.

Day 199: Call your mom.

Day 200: Have a margarita.

Day 201: Take a family photo.

Day 202: Draw a picture.

Day 203: Drink green tea.

Day 204: Dance in the rain.

Day 205: Go paddleboarding.

Day 206: Host a barbecue.

Day 207: Climb a tree.

Day 208: Turn off your phone for a day.

Day 209: Get something that you never wear altered.

Day 210: Make a list of things you want to do before your next birthday.

Day 211: Make your favorite drink at home and invite friends over to share.

Day 212: Buy balloons.

Day 213: Make your own playlist.

Day 214: Play cards.

Day 215: Do something touristy.

Day 216: Tweet at an author.

Day 217: Have a Harry Potter marathon.

Day 218: Get a pedicure.

Day 219: Have a costume party.

Day 220: Sip on a poolside beer.

Day 221: Take deep breaths.

Day 222: Wear sweatpants.

Day 223: Plan a road trip.

Day 224: Do cartwheels.

Day 225: Make a healthy meal.

Day 226: Download fun, new apps to your phone.

Day 227: Make a mood board.

Day 228: Buy a new accessory.

Day 229: Try a new hairstyle.

Day 230: Exfoliate your face.

Day 231: Skip down the street.

Day 232: Babysit for a friend.

Day 233: Volunteer at a youth center.

Day 234: Watch home videos.

Day 235: Organize your pantry.

Day 236: Blow a bubble with chewing gum.

Day 237: Invest in quality skin care items.

Day 238: Eat chocolate.

Day 239: Draw on the sidewalk with chalk.

Day 240: Set goals for the week.

Day 241: Start a book you've been dying to read.

Day 242: Make a flower crown.

Day 243: Pop some popcorn.

Day 244: Have an afternoon nap.

Day 245: Reread your favorite book.

Day 246: Start a piggy bank.

Day 247: Create a collage and frame it.

Day 248: Eat samples at Costco.

Day 249: Subscribe to a magazine.

Day 250: Go ice skating.

Day 251: Attend a free concert.

Day 252: Learn a few sentences of a new language.

Day 253: Text your high school friends a throwback photo.

Day 254: Put on clean sheets.

Day 255: Join a subscription box service.

Day 256: Buy fun, new pens that will inspire you to write.

Day 257: Learn something new about a family member.

Day 258: Play basketball with a friend.

Day 259: Shake a snow globe.

Day 260: Go skiing.

Day 261: Freeze your favorite fruit.

Day 262: Call your grandparents.

Day 263: Eat your favorite childhood snack.

Day 264: Order a pizza.

Day 265: Buy a plant for your desk at work.

Day 266: Get perfume samples.

Day 267: Buy a cozy blanket.

Day 268: Eat your favorite candy.

Day 269: Decorate your closet.

Day 270: Go to Chuck E. Cheese's.

Day 271: Get yourself something special.

Day 272: Drink some hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

Day 273: Play with a Slinky.

Day 274: Watch a movie from the year you were born.

Day 275: Declutter your workspace.

Day 276: Go sledding.

Day 277: Eat a burrito.

Day 278: Write a positive review online for a restaurant.

Day 279: Have a twin day with your best friend.

Day 280: Make a scarf or camera strap.

Day 281: Lick a popsicle.

Day 282: Ride a go-kart.

Day 283: Make a snow or sand angel.

Day 284: Create a candy jar custom to you.

Day 285: Go to a Zumba class.

Day 286: Help a grandparent sign up for Facebook.

Day 287: Buy a new outfit for work.

Day 288: Get your eyebrows done.

Day 289: Buy a new piece of statement jewelry.

Day 290: Tell a joke.

Day 291: Memorize the lyrics to a favorite song.

Day 292: Go camping.

Day 293: Grab some fro-yo.

Day 294: Go to a funhouse or mirror maze.

Day 295: Take a cooking class.

Day 296: Have a game night with friends.

Day 297: Get some fresh air.

Day 298: Message a long-lost friend on Facebook.

Day 299: Go scuba diving.

Day 300: Talk to a co-worker you've never spoken to.

Day 301: Try something new you've never eaten before.

Day 302: Write down a favorite book quote.

Day 303: Master the art of chess.

Day 304: Listen to a record player.

Day 305: Find a photo booth and take pictures.

Day 306: Eat an ice cream cone.

Day 307: Try a Spin class.

Day 308: Wear a fun hat.

Day 309: Listen to Christmas music.

Day 310: Ask your friends for song recommendations.

Day 311: Check something off your bucket list.

Day 312: Ride a horse.

Day 313: Have a no-electricity night.

Day 314: Stay in bed all day.

Day 315: Have breakfast for dinner.

Day 316: Make out with someone.

Day 317: Pop open a bottle of Champagne and celebrate yourself.

Day 318: Read your favorite children's book again.

Day 319: Go on a virtual trip via Google Maps.

Day 320: Get a new piercing.

Day 321: Try a new cuisine.

Day 322: Visit a friend's office.

Day 323: Give a friend some advice.

Day 324: Try to drink eight glasses of water in a day.

Day 325: Get your shoes shined.

Day 326: Fix something that's been broken.

Day 327: Slip into some lingerie.

Day 328: Use a Polaroid camera all day.

Day 329: Spoon someone you love.

Day 330: Join a dating app.

Day 331: Go for a walk somewhere scenic.

Day 332: Wear crazy socks.

Day 333: Go to happy hour.

Day 334: Prank call someone.

Day 335: Listen to oldies.

Day 336: Play checkers.

Day 337: Get coffee with an old friend. 8/13/2017

Day 338: Play truth or dare.

Day 339: Try on an evening gown.

Day 340: Plan a friend's birthday party.

Day 341: Get your makeup done at the mall.

Day 342: Do a social media cleanup.

Day 343: Go line dancing.

Day 344: Get a new tattoo.

Day 345: Treat your boss to something.

Day 346: Watch your favorite sports game live.

Day 347: Dog-sit for a friend.

Day 348: Go to an art gallery.

Day 349: Learn how to play an instrument.

Day 350: Play a video game.

Day 351: Get new business cards.

Day 352: Floss.

Day 353: Get a blowout.

Day 354: Get your teeth whitened.

Day 355: Wear your favorite jeans.

Day 356: Get a box of doughnuts.

Day 357: Buy a new phone case.

Day 358: Put up Christmas lights (even when it's not Christmas).

Day 359: Put a sticker on your laptop.

Day 360: Plan a staycation.

Day 361: Set up your planner for the year.

Day 362: Bedazzle something.

Day 363: Join a fantasy league.

Day 364: Wear your robe all day.

Day 365: Reflect on all the amazing things you did this year!

#happiness challenge #nadhira tag

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yeskraim · 5 years ago

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Is tipping on the way out? Here’s why more travelers are joining the ‘do not tip’ movement

Become a tipping expert by learning exactly who you should tip and by how much.

Tipping has reached a tipping point. Many travelers say they’re tired of shelling out gratuities to everyone they meet – hotel concierges, luggage porters, tour guides and, of course, restaurant servers.

Enough is enough. They do not tip anymore.

The changes are happening slowly. Travelers say the ever-present tip jars and outstretched hands leave them confused and frustrated. Gradually, consumers are easing up on gratuities – and businesses are moving away from compensating staff with tips.

Never-tippers might be thought of as rude, but one thing is clear: They are the future. Tipping may be on the way out.

Why travelers do not tip anymore

“I am beginning to wonder if tipping is right,” says Barbara Howell, a frequent air traveler and registered nurse from Carpinteria, California. She says travelers should tip when they receive outstanding service, not to subsidize the salaries of service employees.

Ed Horenburger, a retired printer from Philadelphia, says he tries to avoid tipping situations altogether. “Sometimes, I go to a convenience store for just coffee or to McDonald’s for lunch just to avoid the issue,” he says.

Frequent travelers such as Nick Brennan agree. “Tipping is illogical, archaic and irrational,” he says.

On a visit to Las Vegas, his sit-down restaurant slipped a laminated card in his menu soliciting a 15% to 20% tip. The notification, left for the benefit of international travelers such as Brennan, infuriated him.

“Why don’t we tip the cashier at Costco while we’re at it? Or the bank teller? Or the American Eagle sales associate?” says Brennan, who runs a technology company in the U.K.

But doesn’t everyone tip? Actually, no. A survey by Dynata, a data and marketing services firm, found only 37% of people reported that they “always” or “frequently” tip at fast-casual restaurants. Almost 60% of Uber riders never tip, and those who tip leave an average of $3, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

What created the ‘do not tip’ movement?

Old habits die hard. Carol Sadowski, a retired secretary from Plantation, Florida, says she tips at full-service restaurants, but at cafes and places with counter service, she refuses to tip. She stopped frequenting her local Chinese restaurant when it imposed a $5 delivery fee. Sadowski says she used to tip her driver generously to cover his costs, but the new fee plus the expectation of a gratuity feels like a money-grab to her.

“More and more, I see people looking to be tipped for everything,” she says. “I just don’t get it. Why don’t restaurants just pay a decent wage and charge accordingly, rather than depending on customers to make up the difference?”

Some are. Last fall, La Strada Italian Kitchen + Bar in suburban Detroit transitioned to a salaried server program. Owner and executive chef Zharko Palushaj says he researched best practices around the world and concluded that the American system didn’t work. Palushaj says he believes the industry is moving toward salaried servers.

Tip-heavy businesses expect you to bring cash

Many travelers are afraid to admit they’ve stopped tipping. Privately, they tell me they stopped handing out dollar bills like Halloween candy because tipping is out of control.

Tip jars are everywhere – even in laundromats. When you don’t fill the jar, employees glare at you. In some tip-heavy businesses such as hair or nail salons, you’re not even allowed to include the worker’s tip in your credit card payment. Instead, you’re required to bring the tip in cash, use an on-site ATM to withdraw it (which the business can profit from by charging you a fee) or use an app such as Venmo or Apple Cash to send it directly to the hairdresser or nail technician.

Even when a credit card slip or tip jar doesn’t overtly demand a gratuity, you might have to deal with signs guilting you into leaving money. My least favorite is a picture of Jesus captioned, “I saw that tip you left.”

Come on.

The members of the “do not tip” movement say they want to pay their servers and tour guides a fair wage. But for them, this isn’t about workers’ pay. It’s about honesty. If a business advertises a product or service at one price, the customer should be able to pay that price, period. If businesses expect a 20% tip, why not just raise the price by 20%? Don’t try to guilt someone into paying more, they say.

Ready to stop leaving tips?

Reality check: Refusing to tip is sometimes a breach of etiquette. At least that’s according to etiquette experts such as Nick Leighton, who co-hosts the podcast “Were You Raised By Wolves?”

“We have a tipping culture and tradition, and so if you’re a never-tipper visiting a restaurant within our boundaries and refuse to tip, you are, by definition, rude,” he explains.

Is the system fair if it pays service workers poverty wages and expects them to make up the difference with tips?

“We could debate that,” he says.

There’s a gray area for tipping, even among experts. Should you tip your Starbucks barista? How about your hotel housekeeper? When is it optional – and where is it required?

I’m a little confused, too. The system is unfair to both travelers and employees, and it needs to change. Service employees ought to be paid a living wage and not rely on your generosity or guilt to make ends meet. Unfortunately, it may be that the only way to change the situation is if enough people stop tipping.

Places that should ban tip jars

Coffee shops. Customers have long puzzled over the presence of tip jars at cafes that serve drinks over the counter. What, exactly, are they tipping for? Who knows?

Grocery stores. What are you tipping for at the checkout register? The employees are doing their job, and they get a salary.

“Free” shuttle buses. Drivers are salaried workers. Unless they go above and beyond (say, helping you load your luggage), you shouldn’t be expected to tip.

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kaylacantadult · 5 years ago

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NaNo Day 2: Space Crew

Words Written: 1751

Total Word Count: 3436

Goal: 50,000 words

How it Went: Today it was hard to get the words out. Last night it took me an hour to finish my word count, but today it took me three. Overall, I’m more happy with what I wrote today though. It still rough, since I haven’t edited at all, but I like how it turned out. Space crew is also my favorite thing to write about which made the writing so much more fun.

Prompt 2: An alien's first trip to Earth is on Halloween it knows nothing of the holiday.

The crew stepped out of the ship, parked illegally in a port in the middle of a dense forest. Tarrant had barely been able to land it, but none of the crew wanted to be arrested. Miller manipulated the plants to grow around the ship, disguising it in a layer of mossy green underbrush. Hacker, Frank, and the Roombas would watch over the ship while we were gone, it’d be safe enough.

When we got into the city, we decided to split up in to groups to help lessen our chances of being recognized. Tarrant and Miller went to the mechanics store to look for parts. Pilot and I went to the groceries and medical supplies store. We needed to stock up before the next leg of our journey. Pilot and I had never been to earth before.

To get to the store, we had to make our way through a housing development. It was just dusk; the sun barely beginning to slipp behind the mountain. Houses were arranged in small circles of four to six houses each, with a few sprinkled in between each cluster. Every house looked the same and each had a small yard, just big enough for a grill and a pool. The sunset was an ugly pale yellow purple gradient.

I couldn’t help but compare it to Mars’ acrid landscapes. We had lots of space up there; didn’t even have fences around our houses. We were allowed to go wherever we wanted, our feet would leave tracks in the blood red soil as we ran from canyon to canyon. We didn’t have the lush trees that lined the gated communities, but we had rock spires that scraped the sky and canyons so deep when you looked up you could barely see the sky. Our sunsets were vivid reds and bright pinks; deep blues and neon purple. There was never a dull sky.

The winters there were far colder than the tepid fall weather the had on earth. The months on Mars were different too, our planet went around the sun far slower than earth did. The controls on the ship said that on earth it was the last night in October. There was a slight chill in the air, but it was still enough that my leather coat trapped in heat enough to keep me warm. I had my knife strapped across my waist, easy to reach in case anyone recognized us. My boots were laced up tight to keep any wind out.

Pilot had a large duffel bag slung over one of his shoulders to carry any supplies we might need. His uniform was neatly pressed, every aspect perfectly upkept. Each button shone under the streetlights and his pants were perfectly ironed. His metals and other decorative items were polished perfectly. He stood stick straight, never one to slouch. He was the only one in the crew that had his life together. He stood taller than me, but not by much. His limbs were too long for his frame, and his blue tinged skin gave away his alien-ness. He was from Kopenaate, a planet from a neighboring solar system.

There were crows of people on every street we walked down. Odd stringy fabric was stung around the trees and there were carved fruits sitting on every doorstep. Skeletons hung from trees, sat in chairs on the lawns, peeked out of windows.

“I didn’t know they had such respect for the dead here.” I said, glancing at Pilot.

“Neither did I. Frank would fit in nicely here, wouldn’t he?”

I nodded, wishing I had taken Frank out of his closet to join us. The ropes probably would have kept his bones together and he would have loved the fresh air. He got lonely in his closet.

The children walking with their parents wore odd clothes. Some wore dresses over top of warm long sleeves and pants, others wore dark robes and masks with jagged teeth. One child toddled along in a rotund outfit that matched the carved fruit we’d seen earlier. A few of the adults wandered about in strange clothing too, but most were huddled up in warm sweaters, pushing strollers for the young kids to hop into when they got too tired.

“Miller didn’t mention that the people here dressed so strange.” Pilot said, eyeing a demon as it walked past

“No she didn’t. Maybe it’s just so normal she didn’t even think about it.”

“Why do you think they do it?” Pilot asked. He had a obsession with Earth culture. He sometimes referred to himself as a part-time anthropologist, even though he’d never been to the plane before. He liked to pull out Earth movies to watch and called it research. He loved to study Miller, since she was the first human he had ever spent extended time with. I was pretty sure Miller was an outlier when it came to human statistics and shouldn’t be counted in the average.

“Maybe it scares away kidnappers,” I said. “I sure wouldn’t want to take one of those.” I dodged out of the way as a group of kids ran past.

Pilot scoffed.

We made our way out of the crowded community and worked towards the nearest bulk store. Miller had given us a GPS devise she called ‘Google Maps’ and programmed it to take us to a ‘Costco’.

“Technically, you have to have a membership to get in, but I trust your sneaking skills.” She’d said as she handed us the device.

“Great costumes,” the greeter said as we approached the doors, “May I see your ID.”

Pilot handed them a card out of his front pocket. “Official business.”

The greeter’s eyes grew wide and they nodded as they ushered us through the doors. An elderly woman beside us glared as we walked in, mumbling about how we were too old for trick or treating.

“What was that?” I asked

“Trick or treat is an American holiday where children are gifted candy in celebration of not being eaten by demons.” He said

“No, not that you dumbfuck, the ID thing.”

“Oh,” he said, disappointed, “It’s an old FBI badge I bartered for a few years ago. It can get you into anything, as my research has shown.”

I rolled my eyes. “ Right, research.”

We both gasped as we walked into the building. The ceiling towered over us, taller than any building I’d ever been in, bigger than the hanger we’d stolen our ship from. We could fit at least five ships in here. The entry way was filled with flashing lights and giant televisions. Mattresses were stacked neatly in the middle of the aisle, separating the entrance line from the exit line. A stack of person sized gummy bears stood across from us. The number of products was overwhelming. A greasy smell of over processed food wafted through the air. Pilot glanced at the fake credit card Hacker had given us.

“Let’s go fucking feral.” I said, yanking it from his hand and dashing down across the aisle.

We bought ourselves a five course meal, a teddy bear three times the size of a person for Miller, as much non-perishable food as we could carry and push in two shopping carts, warm blankets, alcohol, toothbrushes, a singing fish, four skeletons to keep Frank company, a 120 inch flat screen tv, a singing Santa and sixteen new Roombas. Pilot also bought something for Tarrant, but he wouldn’t let me see what it was. We stuffed ourselves with as many free samples as we could and went on out merry way. (We may or may not have stolen the shopping carts.)

When we got back to the ship, we found Miller and Tarrant grinning from ear to ear, sacks of candy stacked all around them. They were both sitting on the tailgate, laughing together, stuffing their faces with candy. Tarrant had chocolate on his forehead.

“Where are the supplies you were supposed to get?” Pilot demanded.

“It’s Hallow-fuckin’-ween, Pilot! We had to go trick or treating!”

Pilot scowled. We would have to stay on the planet another day. That set his plan back and made us more likely to be caught.

“Tarrant…” He started.

“Pilot, come on,” Miller said, “we have to have fun once in a while. It’s not that big a deal, I promise. No one’s gonna find us out here.”

Pilot scowled deeper but said nothing.

“Besides,” she said, “It’s been three years since y’all stole the ship, no one’s looking for us.”

Miller had a way of making Pilot deviate from his rules. I loved the way her suppressed southern drawl escaped from her over-confident grin.

“Help us load this into the ship at least.”

Miller waved the plants away, parting them under her hand. Her father was an alien from a far away planet, where all the creatures were plant based, but she had grown up on Earth. She could communicate and draw energy from plants. One of the vines wrapped itself around a shopping cart handle and dragged it into the ship.

“What’s a Halloween?” I asked.

“You dress up and steal candy from kids,” Tarrant said. “That’s why they wear the costumes; to try to scare people away.”

“Makes sense.” I nodded. “I got you a present, Mill.” I dragged the teddy bear out of the shadows and plopped it in front of her. “A baby.”

“A baby!” She cried as she threw herself into its fluffy body. She grinned up at me. “This is exactly what I needed.”

We hauled it up to her room together, each of us carrying a limb, dissolving into giggles every few feet as we struggled to get it through the hallways. We stuffed it into her room. It took up half the floor space. Tarrant hooked up the new TV and we spent the night watching scary movies, cuddled up together on the stuffed bear.

“This is excellent research,” Pilot said, munching on a candy bar.

“Shut up,” I said, pushing him off the bear.

#nano update #nanowrimo 2019 #wip #nano 2019 #day 2 #writing prompt #writeblr #short story #flash fiction #fiction

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