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avimuses · 4 years

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Universal Rules (Mobile Link)

Hey!! This is an hub blog for several RP/Ask sideblogs, written (and sometimes drawn) by Avi!

My rules page got a little lengthy, so I’ve bolded what I thought was the most important. The rest is sort of an explanation? So yeah, here you go:

The Mun:

I’ll respond to Avi, but to be honest you can call me whatever you want (as long as it’s respectful??).

I am twenty-four! I’m an adult struggling with adult life, so there will be days when I’m gone and unavailable.

I am asexual/aromantic and agender (they/them pronouns).

My Discord, Skype, personal email, etc. is available upon request, but only for mutuals who I’ve gotten to know! (The only exception to this is probably my personal blog (aviaviator) and 3DS/Switch friend-code.)

Roleplaying, Threads, Ships, Triggers:

I do not enjoy smut! I��m uncomfortable with writing it, so I don’t expect to write it in the future. Several of my muses are children so it’s extremely unlikely that they’ll even develop romantic feelings. You won’t see me roleplaying smut here, so don’t ask.

These blogs are adaptable, meaning that I’ll often adjust my style of writing to match my partner’s. I will thread in any style except first person. I’m just not comfortable writing it.

I am open to threads with multiple people (Three-ways or more). It’s pretty fun if coordinated right, and can often lead to unique scenarios! So yeah!! I’m totally up for it!!!

I only ship based on chemistry. Please do not try and force a romantic relationship on my character. Realistically, it takes some time for romantic feelings to develop. That being said, please don’t be discouraged from flirting or unrequited love.

Pre-established relationships can be discussed! Sometimes it’s better to start roleplaying like our characters know each other, but I only accept it as long as we’ve talked about it beforehand! This goes for any kind of relationship (romantic, platonic, enemies, etc.) (This of course does not include any characters my characters know in canon.)

To follow off the above point, it’s totally alright if, say, you’re playing a character who would reasonably know my character due to fame or notoriety.

God-modding is a big no. Please don’t try to control my character unless your character has an ability and we’ve talked about it before hand.

As far as reply lengths go, I’m a quality over quantity type of person, but it can be pretty disheartening if I’ve written a paragraph or two and a partner replies with a single line. Just be sure to give enough to work with, though, and it should be good!

An edit to the above: I do not do threads with those who roleplay in script format (IE, “[Character name]: *[action in asteriks]* [dialogue]”). It just…rubs me the wrong way if I write out a long paragraph and all my partner does is a simple two lines in that format. This, however, does not apply to small banter.

I am pretty open to anyone. So yeah, I’ll RP with you, regardless of your blog type. However, I do have a right to turn down a thread.

Feel free to remind me about threads! I tend to drop a few from time to time, and other times I either don’t have the muse or it’s buried in drafts. But, please don’t pester me constantly. Once a week should be fine.

Please do not reblog threads that don’t involve you or your muse. Going off along this, I am okay with personal blogs following, but please please please do not interact with threads in which you do not have an involvement in.

Please inform me about your triggers! I currently do not tag many triggers, but if something I reblog or post triggers you, please tell me and I’ll try to tag it! I simply tag it as just “#(trigger)”.

Remind me about your triggers! I often forget about tagging things! Especially with triggers. Let me know if I forget and I’ll go back and tag it!

Current tagged triggers:

Greeters, Opens, Starter Calls:

I do post greeters for new followers! I find these an easy way to get to know my followers and their muse(s) (and yes, I do read rules and about pages before making the greeter post). (This currently does not apply to inkwise.) - Heads up! If you don't have a rules page readily visible, I won't be able to get a greeter out for you.

If for some reason you can’t find yours or you don’t like the greeter I’ve made for you, let me know! I can always try and write a new one.

Please don’t feel obligated to reply to my greeter. I’m totally okay with plotting first, so feel free to message me!.

My opens and starter calls are open for everyone unless stated otherwise! Usually I’ll put “mutuals only,” either in the tags or even on the post itself.

If you follow me on a side blog and I follow you with my main, I’ll consider us mutuals. This also applies if you follow my side blog and I follow your side blog.

Reply to any open you want. It doesn’t even matter if it’s been years, I’ll most likely reply to it.

Ask Box:

As of now, my ask box is always open for memes, asks, plotting, or even just chats!

Anons are allowed, but hate will not be tolerated. Honestly, I don’t have time for that. Any hate will be blocked and deleted. Thanks.

Memes and sentence starters are accepted, it doesn’t even matter how old it is. Just please keep in mind that I’m very forgetful and it might take me a while to get to it.

I’m gonna be trying something new with these blogs, which is that for every question, meme, and/or sentence starter I get, I’ll try to draw something small for it. This, however, does not make you at all obligated to respond with a drawing of your own. It’s just something to help me keep my drawing hand up to date with my writing one!

As previously mentioned, my Kik, Discord, and Skype is available upon request, but only to certain mutuals.

The private messenger is open to ooc conversations.

Credits:

I will be using my own artwork for different elements across all my blogs.

However, I may also use other people’s artwork. That being said, I do not claim to own any artwork on these blogs unless stated otherwise. Any artwork that I use which is also not mine will be found in the respective blog’s credits page.

I will try to ask for permission first, but if you do see me using your artwork and you’d like for me to take it down or credit you, feel free to message me.

And that’s about it for now! I’ll try to update this page if something changes.

#mobile links

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irascibledoctor-a · 8 years

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Useful info for new mutuals and maybe a reminder for old.

Just had a decent influx of new mutuals and the following is not all in my rules because I don’t want my rules to be massive but these are just good to know. I will link this up in my blog at some point.

Interacting

I will

reply to greeters and random starters.

like just about any starter call I see to get the ball rolling.

post starter calls occasionally and I will follow through on them.

post plotting calls occasionally because it is a bit easier for me to just pop in someone’s IM then.

Writing

I do turn memes/asks into threads if I see it could go somewhere.

I HIGHLY prefer my partner or I continuing them in a new thread. I dislike reblogging asks.

I will write anywhere from a small paragraph to a dozen+. I tend to match what I am given but sometimes get extra inspired and go beyond.

I do tend to adjust length based on plot complexity.

I don’t expect length to be matched if I get carried away.

I will gladly have multiple threads with people and group threads

Reblog Karma & Memes

I am selectively a follower of reblog karma in that if a meme is reblogged that has simple questions sent in with a symbol for example (not ones that prompts a thread) I do think those should be expected to fall under reblog karma. It takes five seconds to send an ask. However when it comes to memes that could prompt a thread I don’t expect you to send me one back because not all muses work in all scenarios. Just don’t use me as a meme farm. If it works for our muses please send then! Could be fun.

I don’t answer every ask I get for a meme because at some point I lose inspiration for that meme or just can’t come up with a good response to some. This does not mean I am ignoring you. Just send another one later (:

Shipping

I am shipping trash but plot comes before pairing always.

I don’t often bring up a ship because I get nervous. >~<

I do have an otp but I ship based on chemistry.

I like DEVELOPMENT which means shipping can take time and effort from our muses.

I don’t change my muse’s personality to make a ship work better. McCoy is stubborn and difficult at times but also has a heart of gold and you get both in a ship with him. He is who he is, take it or leave it.

I multi-ship. Poly ship. Crossover ship. F/M & M/M.

I will auto-ship if I have known the mun long enough and we discuss it.

I won’t ship with a writer under the age of 16 and I won’t write anything sexual with anyone under the age of 18. Fade to black is fine.

OOC

I will not rush you for a reply and I expect the same courtesy. I am very patient.

I will however check in on you if more than a month has passed.

If I write a starter and it never gets replied to I will give one gentle reminder and after that I will assume you’ve dropped it. Chances are I will be more hesitant to try again as I do put a lot of effort into plotted starters.

I AM slow at times. I am a college senior so this is a busy time for me. I might disappear for a week with very little interaction but I will announce a semi-hiatus if it gets past that. It is pretty easy to get a hold of me on skype though. Which you just need to ask for.

MIRROR VERSE: this gets a special call out because it is prevalent on my blog

This verse is dark. There is a lot of nsfw in general (not necessarily as in smut). There are NO holds or restrictions in this verse for me and there will be TRIGGERING themes. I will always tag and also put them under a readmore if my partner wants. This is not an excuse for writers who just want me to ‘hurt their muse’ to come get their masochistic fix. I am not a sadist. Any violence will be relevant to a plot and to how my muse reacts to things. Same on the flipside. Other mirror muses can try to knock around Bones but know he will get back at them.

#SORRY LONG POST #Just wanted this up so I could link it up somewhere on my page #FOR THE NIGHT CROWD

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floraexplorer · 5 years

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Helpful Ways to Volunteer with the Homeless in London

There are currently 170,000 people homeless in London.

Over the last ten years, a succession of drastic cuts means rough sleeping in the UK has increased 165% since 2010. By the end of this year, there will be more vulnerable people sleeping on England’s streets than ever before – an estimated 9,000.

Yet homelessness is not just sleeping rough. You can be homeless if you’ve been evicted; if you’re sofa-surfing; if you’re escaping a problematic or abusive relationship; if you’re a refugee. In fact, at this moment:

There are 14.3 million people are living in poverty in the UK. (Source)

Nearly 1 million young children will go without central heating or fresh food this Christmas. (Source)

1.2 million people in the UK use food banks. (Source)

That’s a hell of a lot of people relying on services like food banks, hostels, night shelters, donated clothing, housing associations and charitable organisations for help.

Maintaining homeless services in the UK is absolutely vital. There’s simply no way around it. Yet the Conservative party victory in the UK’s general election on December 13th 2019 means five years under a government which has repeatedly slashed funding to public services.

Just remember every single one of you is closer to using a food bank than you will ever be to having a billion quid.

— mil (@milupton) December 11, 2019

What can you do to help the homeless?

Many of us are scared about what the future holds for the UK after a decade of austerity – but there also seems to be a collective realisation occurring that now’s the time to support each other through what’s next.

The fact that you clicked on this article means you’re probably looking to be part of that support system. To help the homeless and vulnerable, you can start with the following ways:

You can donate your money.

Set up a direct debit to a chosen charity each month, or pool your spare change for a one-off donation. Whatever you choose, your money will be appreciated.

You can volunteer your time.

Sign up to a weekly shift at your local night shelter, do occasional shifts at the nearest food bank, or volunteer at Crisis at Christmas every December to get a first-hand perspective of the homelessness crisis in the UK.

You can utilise your skills.

Specific help is often needed in charity organisations. Offer your skills in social media, IT, legal experience, CV writing, and healthcare.

You can be knowledgeable.

Read widely about the issues affecting homeless people in the news.

You can voice your support.

Talk to your work colleagues, share information on social media, get involved in fundraising and campaigning drives.

And you can talk to those who are homeless.

For many people, it doesn’t seem to come naturally to say hello, to smile or even to make eye contact with someone sitting on the pavement. Get over your awkwardness. Make connections – ask how their day’s going, or if they want something from the nearby shop. Ask their name. It’s really not that difficult.

In an effort to help your volunteering and donating process easier, I’ve compiled all the resources I can find about organisations which help the homeless. Most are London-based but many of them have branches in the rest of the UK.

If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll add them into the article.

Donate to / volunteer at food banks

The use of foodbanks in the UK has risen steeply due to Conservative party policies – over 23% in the last year alone – and in the days following the general election, food banks reported a huge spike in donations.

There are over 2,000 foodbanks in the UK. The Trussell Trust is the UK’s biggest foodbank charity. They run a network of food banks across the UK which provide emergency support and food parcels to those in crisis. (Find the Trussell Trust online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.) There are also many independent food banks across the country which aren’t affiliated with Trussell Trust (have a look here).

Aside from financial donations, food banks obviously require food donations to operate. There are three main way to donate food:

Make direct donations to your local food bank (check The Trussell Trust’s network here)

Leave food donations at collection points in supermarkets like Sainsburys and Tesco (there’s usually a ‘food bank’ trolley just past the cash registers)

Hosting collections and food drives at your local school, church, or office

It’s also worth getting in touch with your local food bank first to find out what they’re lacking. Suggested foodstuffs often include tinned meat/fish, tinned pulses, tinned tomatoes, soup, tea and coffee, sugar, fruit juice, cereals, rice and pasta.

Volunteer with your local food bank

I googled ‘foodbank near me’ and found that my local foodbank is operated by an organisation called Pecan. They offer introductory sessions, so after I filled out the online form I was invited to a local church hall where they explained the volunteer roles on offer: helping at weekend collections in supermarkets; helping out at fundraising and charity events; restocking shelves and sorting donated items in the warehouse; welcoming clients to the food bank.

NB: there’s an app called ‘Foodbank’ which has been doing the rounds on Twitter – but according to multiple sources it’s run by a newly-elected Conservative MP and charges food banks £180 to include a shopping list of items they’re in need of. As a result of this app’s attempt to profit from food poverty, I’d highly recommend not downloading it, and doing your own research and getting in touch with your local food banks directly instead.

Donate to hygiene banks

Hygiene banks are a real necessity, but they’re often woefully overlooked. In the same vein as food banks, they provide essential personal care and beauty items to rough sleepers and vulnerable people in an attempt to tackle hygiene poverty – because being clean shouldn’t be a luxury.

Call-outs for donations usually include hairbrushes, nail clippers, toothbrushes, baby wipes, tampons and sanitary towels.

The Hygiene Bank

The Hygiene Bank is a national charity which recognises the trauma and anxiety caused by not having access to essential hygiene products. They provide toiletries, beauty, grooming and hygiene essentials to people who can’t afford them, via charity partners across the UK.

Find The Hygiene Bank online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Beauty Banks

Started by journalist Sali Hughes, ‘Beauty Banks’ is a non-profit which collects, re-packages and distributes parcels to registered foodbanks and shelters who ensure donations get to those who need them.

You can read more from founder Sali Hughes here.

Find Beauty Banks online via their main website, Facebook and Instagram.

Volunteer with food outreach organisations

Soup kitchens and food outreach organisations have long been a part of London’s history, offering hot, freshly prepared meals to people in need.

These organisations are usually looking for food donations, monetary donations and volunteers to cook, clean, serve food, and collect surplus food from donation points. Many ask for a regular volunteering commitment but there are usually some working on a shift-by-shift basis.

There’s an extensive list of all food distribution organisations and their operating times on the London Homeless site here.

Find your local soup kitchen

I googled “soup kitchen near me’ and quickly discovered Foodcycle, an organisation which combines surplus food and available kitchen spaces to prepare three-course meals for the local community.

There were a few different shifts available – either as a kitchen volunteer, a meet and greeter, or someone willing to drive around the area and collect donated food. As I don’t have a car I signed up for the former and arrived at a church hall on a Wednesday afternoon. Over the next hour, a dozen volunteers and I looked through the day’s donated ingredients (an assortment of pasta, potatoes and vegetables, crates of bananas and pears, along with an absolute ton of day-old bread) and set to work preparing a meal for around thirty people.

FoodCycle operates across the UK in 39 different locations and currently feeds over 1,400 people a week using surplus food. You can sign up for one-off shifts so it’s a great way to dip your toe into volunteering.

Find FoodCycle online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Streets Kitchen

Streets Kitchen is a grassroots group providing daily outreaches of food, clothes and information. They currently run ten outreach events each week, primarily in places like Clapham, Hackney and Camden. Check the locations here – each ‘Streets Kitchen’ has its own Facebook group too.

They’re also responsible for ‘Streets Fest’, a free festival for the homeless, which launched in September 2018 in Harringay.

Find Streets Kitchen online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Sock Mob

The Sock Mob are perhaps the easiest to get involved with. Each fortnight, they send out groups in areas like King’s Cross, Victoria, and Charing Cross Road, and chat to people sleeping rough – using pairs of socks, gloves, thermal layers as conversation starters.

I’ve attended a number of Sock Mob evenings, and it’s really simple. Just sign up to that evening’s event on Meetup.com and arrive at the pre-arranged spot to meet the rest of the group.

NB: After researching their channels, I’m not sure if Sock Mob is currently running. Any further info on this would be appreciated!

Find Sock Mob online via their main website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Brixton Soup Kitchen

This community space in South London is for homeless people or those in desperate need. The Brixton Soup Kitchen aspires to provide food, drink and companionship, and runs every weekday from 10am to 2pm. They’re always looking for donations and volunteers.

Find Brixton Soup Kitchen online via their main website, Instagram and Twitter.

Refugee Kitchen

Refugee Community Kitchen serves hot, nourishing meals to displaced people in the UK and France. I met these guys when I volunteered at the refugee camps in Calais and their tireless efforts in the kitchen were nothing short of incredible.

The charity often works in conjunction with Streets Kitchen and are usually found outside Camden Town Tube Station between 7.30pm – 9.00pm on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. Help is always needed to serve meals and to chat to the clients!

Find The Refugee Kitchen online via their main website, Facebook and Twitter.

Volunteer with a homeless charity

There are a number of ‘big name’ homeless charities in the UK. All these homeless charities have a range of voluntary roles on offer, both client-facing and non-client-facing.

They can include:

accommodation-based support

first response

in the community

mental health

physical support

services support

skills and employment

youth services

fundraising

The bigger charities like Crisis and Shelter also have dedicated charity shops on the high street — if you shop there you’re actively making donations to these charities. You can also volunteer to work a couple of shifts a week or each month.

Crisis

Crisis is the national charity for homeless people. They’re always looking for donations but their biggest volunteering push is during the Christmas week (23rd-29th December), when volunteer centres are open in Edinburgh, London, Oxford, Birmingham, Newcastle, Coventry and South Wales. As a long-term volunteer I can highly recommend doing this!

There are other volunteer opportunities throughout the year too – particularly at Crisis retail shops and the Crisis Skylight centres.

Find Crisis online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also read about my experiences volunteering with Crisis at Christmas here.

St Mungos

St Mungos are the most forward-facing of UK homeless charities, sending out seventeen outreach teams each night to speak to rough sleepers and help them. St Mungos have plenty of volunteering opportunities, namely with projects in London, Bath, Brighton, Bristol, Oxford and Reading.

Find St Mungos online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Centrepoint

Centrepoint is the country’s leading youth homelessness charity which supports more than 9,200 young people aged 16-25 in London, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East of England. It also provides more than 1,000 bed spaces for young people from the 60 accommodation services it runs in Sunderland, Bradford, Manchester, Barnsley and 14 boroughs in London.

Centrepoint also hold ‘sleep out’ events each year to raise awareness and vital funds – and these events need both participants and volunteers. Find out where and when here.

Find Centrepoint online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Shelter

Shelter helps people in housing need by providing advice and practical assistance, and fights for better investment in housing and for laws and policies to improve the lives of homeless and badly housed people.

Volunteering with Shelter can be at their fundraising events, in one of their shops or in various roles at their offices throughout the country.

Find Shelter online via their main website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Nightstop

Nightstop provides emergency overnight accommodation for young homeless people who are facing a night on the streets or sleeping in an unsafe place. Communities and charities run Nightstops in more than 31 locations around the UK, led and supported by the Nightstop team at Depaul UK.

You can volunteer to become a host, and offer your spare room to someone at risk of homelessness. You can also volunteer as a driver or a chaperone to accompany a young person to their accommodation for the night.

Find Nightstop online via their main website and Twitter.

Volunteer at a night shelter

Volunteering at a night shelter is a really rewarding thing to do. You’ll probably be asked to commit to a weekly, biweekly or monthly shift for a set amount of time (i.e. six months) so it’s a good role for someone who has a regular schedule.

You can read much more about London’s winter night shelters here, and check out these night shelters which are looking for volunteers:

Shelter From the Storm. This is a completely free emergency night shelter in Islington, North London, providing bed, dinner and breakfast for 38 homeless people every night of the year.

Hackney Winter Night Shelter. Based in Lower Clapton, East London, this shelter is particularly in need of overnight volunteers.

The Connection in St Martins In The Fields. They operate a day shelter and a night shelter in central London – the latter can accommodate 75-80 homeless people each night. They also require a six month commitment from volunteers.

Glass Door. They run various overnight shelters in Southwest London from November to April, providing beds for about 170 people each night.

The Passage. Based in Southwest London, The Passage is a long running resource charity for vulnerable people. They primarily operate as a day centre, but they also run a 40 bed hostel and 16 self-contained studio flats for long-term rough sleepers. There are usually plenty of short volunteering shifts available – anything from driving and reception work to helping in the kitchen.

Robes. They operate a winter shelter which offers beds in a range of locations around London from November to April. Have a look at which shelters are looking for volunteers here.

Other ways to help the homeless

There are plenty of other ways in which you can help the homeless in daily life.

SWEP (the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol)

There’s a nation-wide policy in the UK known as SWEP (the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) which is activated when nighttime temperatures drop below zero for three nights in a row. At this time, all local councils are obligated to provide emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.

You can keep track of when SWEP is activated on Twitter here – and if you think someone on the street isn’t aware of what SWEP means for them, either have a chat with them or get in touch with Streetlink.

Streetlink

Streetlink is a website, mobile app and phone line which enables the public to alert Local Authorities about people sleeping rough in England and Wales. If you see someone sleeping rough, it offers you a way to act and hopefully help connect them to local services and support available to them.

Other unique ways to help the homeless in London include:

Buy original artwork from Cafe Art (currently displayed in twelve independent cafes around London)

Buy coffee at a ‘Change Please’ coffee cart

Eat at restaurants which collaborate with StreetSmart – it adds a £1 donation onto your bill

Pay it forward by buying ‘suspended coffees’ at cafes all over the world – there’s at least 500 locations in the UK.

Spend your cash in charity shops run by Crisis, Shelter or Emmaus

Donate your coats to coat collection racks like the one from ‘Take One Leave One (or set up your own!)

Other tips:

Follow all of these organisations on social media. I’ve left the relevant links to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for each. Keep up to date on what they’re doing, when they need help. Share that info with the people you know.

Make noise. Every time you donate your time or your money, email your MP to tell them what you’re doing independently to combat homelessness and food poverty. Ask them what they’re planning to do to eliminate these crucial

Start small. Smile and say hello to the people you see sitting on the pavement. Buy a Big Issue. Ask someone on the street if they’d like you to buy them some food from the local shop.

Remember – you don’t need to be part of an organisation to make a difference. You just need to care about other people.

To search for homelessness services across England, please use the search tool provided by homeless.org – they’re the national charity for homeless organisations, and they campaign for policy changes to help end homelessness.

NB: All images in this article are sourced from Unsplash.

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