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arenabreadandbiscuits · 2 months ago

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HEY wanna commission a writer to write your Reader or OC x another OC or fandom character?? Or even a ship you really like? Please read on! (POLL BELOW)

I'm open! Honestly I'm just curious to see how many people will vote if they see this though so please don't vote if you don't think you'd actually ask for a story, it's no hate on y'all so don't worry! I'm serious!❤️ The most I'll ask you to do is like and reblog so I can reach others! I take the commission stuff seriously because I don't want any mistakes and misunderstandings so if you have questions my dms are open! Always ask before actually sending ANYTHING to ANYONE! I also want to make sure you both have a good understanding of the story so I'll always ask for details before actually asking for payment. Once payment is sent I start writing and if you want updates I'm happy to give them just ask or check in.

If you do have the funds and you are interested in possibly commissioning me for one of these fandoms then please DO vote! I'm happy to hear from everyone to know how many post actually reach people. Also with the canon x canon, I'm sorry but we MUST love the same ships if you ask for them because I can't write for a ship I don't favor so here's a couple in particular from the fandoms I'm in.

SHIPS:

Top Alastor x Bottom Vox

(Power) Bottom Alastor x (Submissive) Top Vox

Top Lucifer x Bottom Adam

Angeldust x Husk

Lucifer x Lilith

Charlie x Vaggie

Alastor x Vox x Lucifer x Adam (someone PLEASE commission this 🥴 preferably of 'sinful' with top Alastor and Lucifer and bottom Vox and Adam)

Julian x Arsa

Julian x Nadia

Nadia x Asra

Lucio x Nadia

Valdemar x Vulgora

Hisoka x Illumi

Muzan x Douma

Chrollo x Hisoka

I'm sure more ships could possibly be added here from the fandoms listed below but honestly I'm not too into many ships so please forgive me ^^`

Bonus points though if you commission SEBASTIAN X CLAUDE (preferably top Sebastian x Bottom Claude pleasepleaseplease) I promise I'll write many and most things for them, literally the first ship I ever fell for in my many years of anime.

Now outside of ships I'm happy to write OCS or readers x most characters as long as those characters are of age! Sometimes I tell myself I don't have to mention that but sometimes people are surprising... So I'm just saying.

CHARACTERS I'LL WRITE FOR:

Nadia

Lucio

Asra

Julian

VALDEMAR

Vulgora

Vlastomil

Muriel

Portia

Jinx

Jayce

Victor

Caitlyn

Sevika

SILCO

Ambessa

ALASTOR

LUCIFER

VOX

ADAM

Vaggie

Charlie

Angeldust

Husk

SIR PENTIOUS

cherrypop

Karmilla

VEROSIKA😩

Blitzo

Stolas

Moxie and Millie (two for one IDC)

ASMODEUS and Fizz ÙwÚ

Loona

Stella

MUZAN

DOUMA

AKAZA

RENGOKU

TENGEN UZUI

GIYU

Gyomei

Kokushibo

Mitsuri

Ubuyashiki

Gyokko

Shinobu

GYUTARO

Daki

ADRIAN TEPES

Trevor Belmont

Sypha Belnades

DRACULA

CARMILLA😩

ALUCARD

Seras

INTEGRA🥴

Alexander Anderson

WALTER

Rip Van Winkle

Enrico Maxwell

LUKE VALENTINE

THE DOCTOR 🫣

Naruto

Sasuke

Itachi

Pein

Kakashi

ITACHI

OROCHIMARU 🙏😩

HISOKA

ILLUMI 😩😩😩

Chrollo Lucifer

Feitan

GOJO

GETO 😩

NANAMI

LUCIFER 😩

Diavolo

SIMEON 😩

Belphighor

Beelzebub

Mammon

LEVIATHAN 🥴

Satan

ASMODEUS 🙏😩

Solomon

PRICES OF WRITING:

100 word blurbs for $2.50

500 words for $5

1k for $10

2k for $20

3k for $30

4k for $40

5k for $50

6k for $60

7k for $70

8k for $80

9k for $90

10k for $105

Anything over 10k is $20 extra and I'll only write up to 15k for things like this. Just also keep in mind the higher the number of words the more time I'll need to write but with my schedule (physical therapy and regular therapy) I feel like maybe up to 2-3 weeks will be the timing for bigger stories. The time varies though depending so 1-3 days minimum and 2-3 weeks maximum. (11k is $120, 12k is $140, 13k is $160, 14k is $180, 15k is $200)

Imma leave this here and see what happens. ÙwÚ just to state again please don't vote if you don't have the funds or if you don't actually plan to commission. Call this post a serious one if you will.

ONLY VOTE IF YOU ACTUALLY ARE GOING TO COMMISSION. (Gotta say it twice ^^`) Reblog and repost to help me reach out more if you don't have the money, that's just as useful and I very much so appreciate it! ✨

I don't think I left anything out but I hope to hear from a lot of people but I'm going to put that in the universe's hands and wait to see!

I appreciate anyone who's made it this far in this post! Have a blessed day! ✨

Like I said always ask questions before sending money to help not just you but me as well!

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doberbutts · 2 years ago

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Tomorrow I talk to my doctor about top surgery and starting the process for scheduling, as well as my regular T checkin, and it's Pride so here's a list of things 8 months in:

Recently I have been Noticing The Fuzz quite a lot- my arms my legs my stomach my ass. Nothing on my chest and patchy on my face still. Can't grow hair on my cheeks but sure can between em 🙄 every once in a while I feel a tickle and look down and oh. That's MY hair.

Last actual cycle was in March, and even that was a piddley sad spotting that didn't even need a pad. Ideal really.

I have. Gained a lot of weight 😅 I'm more okay with it than I was but I do grumble still about the fat padding around my hips. I think it makes me look solid and blocky and I'm loving it.

I've also gained a lot of muscle. Without going to the gym, just doing my everyday stuff, I've gained a lot of arms and shoulders and back muscle on top of the belly fat. Lifting heavy things is way easier. And my joints and bones don't ache as much anymore.

My first fainting episode since I started T happened a couple weeks ago while I was positioning a dog on the xray table- he's long and low and uncooperative and I was bent double trying to wrangle him while the doctor was doing her thing when suddenly my body went 🤷‍♂️ floor time 🤷‍♂️ and I only stayed upright because I was able to sag into a chair while keeping my position. One in 8 months is a new record for me, but a good reminder that "better" isn't "cured". But also good to know that I have to ignore pretty much every rule my body has enforced the ladt three decades before it decides to punish me for my hubris.

Surprisingly this month the constant horniness sort of wore off. Whereas before it was "if I don't orgasm at minimum twice per day I Will Die", now it's "huh, that'd be nice right now". The constant hunger is starting to abate too, it's "food is delicious and hits pleasure centers in my brain" instead of "I AM STARVING FEED ME PLEASE".

Oh god The Stankening. It's hot now and I take Phoebe for a daily walk and by the time I get home 😱😱😱 it's bad. I sweat a lot more than I used to so I've got it under control for my mostly sedate job but definitely not when adding exercise.

I was afraid I'd lose my heat tolerance because initially I was getting a lot of hot flashes but if anything I'm still fine in the heat AND I'm more hardy in the cold. Take that, metabolism.

Historically I've always fit a men's medium and I might actually be toeing the line to a large now. Not because of my stomach but because of my arms and shoulders. My scrubs are pretty restrictive across the shoulderblades. At 30 I didn't really expect my shoulders to widen but they sure did. My arms, too, are beginning to chafe at the sleeves, too bulky for the tighter sleeve cuff I'm used to wearing. I don't really want to re-buy my wardrobe *again* but I may have to.

Stamina continues to be noticably higher than it used to be. I can be outside gardening and weeding and tending my lawn all day and nothing will happen except that I will be incredibly stinky and my back somewhat sore.

Still about 80/20 passing vs not. Significant improvement if that person has never met me prior to this point in my transition. Still called "lady" and "she" and "woman" to my face at the front desk by returning clients or folks on the phone. It's not deliberate but it is annoying.

My cholesterol is fine but my blood pressure did raise from its usual- benefit is that it makes me feel better than ever but drawback is that it's something to keep an eye on with my history of heart problems.

Voice still cracks and bounces around everywhere but I do like my singing voice now when I can get it to cooperate.

Way more in control of my emotions.

Also way more attention on various dating apps. Where were all these guys in my dms before??? Not a day goes by that I don't have several new "hey cutie"s sliding up into my dms. Hello??? Sir??? I know I'm hot now but god damn.

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meesefr · 2 years ago

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do you have any advice on how to price comms in flight rising? I think i'm underpricing a lot right now

Oh boy, long post incoming. I obviously don't know your art/where you live/current prices so I'll try to apprach this based on how I price my work, and touching a bit on what to expect. Gonna make this a more generalised commission pricing post because I've seen this come up a lot.

Tl;dr version = Hourly rate (always above national minimum) + time it takes you on average + extra time calculated outside of pure drawing time + taxes

I personally price commissions on FR the same way I price coms/work anywhere else. For commissions I use flatrates which are in turn based on my hourly. Imo if you're doing FRC coms I'd ALWAYS price higher for gems/tr than for IRLC since their usage is confined to on-site. (I do cheapo FRC coms here and there for stuff like foddart too but it's with the explicit understanding that this is NOT a regular transaction. I would not recommend this for a long-term commission shop.) So for FRC coms I'd convert my standard IRLC price + FRC "tax". How much do I value gems/tr over actual IRL goods etc.

My studio hourly usually ranges from 25$ to 30$ but since most commissions are non-commercial work I stick to a 20$/h range for them. I like doing them and I still want my coms to be accessible to people, so I don't mind a small cut (drawing dragons is fun). So if say... a bust on average takes me about an hour and a half the strictest estimate would be 30$ + taxes. But you want to incorporate the possibility of complicated designs, taking longer for polish/make sure the work is up to your standards, reference gathering, small changes and client communication (transaction fees as well when applicable), so it's always good to leave breathing room. (I usually estimate at least another 40 minutes. It honestly ends up taking much longer most of the time. I've had coms take me 10+ hours longer than my priced estimate because I got too ambitious/excited with the illustration, don't be me.)

Now of course all of this stuff depends on your hourly rate too which is honestly a big debate in and on itself. I think the general commissioner audience is used to significantly lower rates than the industry side might. My main income comes from freelancing, where my rate is considered low end. Outside of Illustration, which is vastly underpayed, most designers and creative freelancers will usually have an hourly rate that ranges from 40-100$/h. 20-25$ is considered entry level. My personal recommendation would be to not go lower than 15-20/h if you're doing commissions professionally, even if you live in a place where that is considered a fairly high hourly wage. If you're still a student or your art doesn't really sell yet at those price ranges because of inexperience I think it'd be better to invest in practicing your fundamentals instead and do other work in the meantime. (Or find another platform! Might be an audience issue and not a skill one!)

Unfortunately most people doing coms (including myself) ARE underpricing. I've seen people that would be senior artists in a company if they were doing concept art instead have similar prices to mine, which is ridiculous. (The average mid level concept artist in-house makes 65k/y. People doing coms at the same skillrange often make >20k/y) But to some degree that is kind of inescapable because of how many other people you are competing with. So I don't doubt one bit that you are underpricing already. Illustrators and commission artists are vastly underpayed which means the average audience is conditioned to significantly lower prices.

Thankfully, specifically on FR from my experience the quality of commissioners you'll get is really high. I'm still not sure if you could get away with strictly fairly priced coms, unless you're very popular/your art is super in demand. But other than that, I do payment upon art delivery and have never had issues with a client except once. Communication/references/respect etc are also really good and folks tend to be very understanding and patient.

Be aware that the audience does get smaller the more fairly you price your stuff. I've kinda noticed that the folks commissioning me tend to be from a smaller pool of people that are also the ones commissioning the other artists with a similar skill level on FR that do IRLC coms. So a small pool of regular commissioners + other really skilled or better than you folks that are also fairly accessible/cheap by industry standards. You start seeing a lot of the same artist names pop up when you scroll down in the dragon's bio for references. You will probably not consistently fill all your slots but your clients will most likely end up being trustworthy/reliable and occasionally repeat customers. (Not surprisingly a lot of them are fellow artists/creatives too, y'all know the pain of the grind lol)

I wish you the best, anon. Sorry for kinda hijacking your question to go in-depth with this lol. I upped my prices a few months ago too and thankfully didn't see a decline in clients even if unfortunately I'm still underpricing. Commissions are just a tough game in general. I hope you'll be compensated fairly! If art is your main gig or you're planning on making it your full-time job, definitely look into freelancing instead long term. It's still tough but at least your rates will be much more acceptable. Take care and good luck!

(P.S. In case you're not paying taxes from commissions yet, check with an accountant if you're over the declare threshold. Different countries have different rules for this. If art is your main source of income you almost definitely have to essentially open a business in most places.)

#meese talks #commissions #art pricing #flightrising

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oldfangirl81 · 8 months ago

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I still think it is a little amusing that I eventually got tested for ADHD because an online friend already thought I had the diagnosis. They didn't mean anything bad by it, more a "one of us, one of us" type things. Because I always liked and retweeted ADHD related posts. "but no of course I don't have it, it is just relatable. Obviously I can't have it because I can focus for long chunks of time...except when I can't" I told myself.

But it did get me wondering. And so curiosity won out. I took an online test. It said likely ADHD. But that had to be wrong. So I took another one. This one said highly likely. Well that can't be right. I bet it says everyone has it. So I made my parents take it figuring it'll at a minimum say possible. But then Dad got a super low score. And Mom got a higher score than him but still in the no section. I remember being shocked that things I thought everyone dealt with was not the case.

So I talked to the psychiatrist I was seeing at the time. She was fine with testing to see. After she said yeah I likely do have ADHD. That was April/March '20. I was just getting ready to turn 40.

There are days where I still think maybe I don't have it. Maybe I'm just a lazy unmotivated slug. Then other days there is no question. Certain behaviors make sense or certain struggles make sense.

I've always focused better with background noise. I'd struggle doing homework in a quiet room. Always had headphones in when studying at the library because the regular library sounds are too distracting. The irritability around certain things. Some of my meltdowns made more sense. And rejection sensitivity explained a bunch about my friendships. It explained why certain lines around Bart Simpson seemed to hit me differently than others.

I've said it has gotten worse in the last year. But I think it is just that I'm more aware of the symptoms and that it isn't just me being a failure of a human. It could be worse too. In the last couple of years I have definitely wrecked any masking I did well.

#adhd #mental health

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ringchollyandfriends · 9 months ago

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First parallel walk with Chico and Elliot didn't go well for Elliot. (Nobody was injured, at least.)

Ramble below.

Chico did very well, but Elliot was very scared and panicked, even from 20 feet away from each other. (I couldn't go any further because cliff.)

That's the part that's scares me— if Elliot is unable to redirect or relax, how are they going to be able to coexist one day? It would help me a lot if I could see some hope, but I can't.

My plan, for now, is this:

1. Give Elliot trazodone before the walk. If he has to be slower in order to be able to relax, so be it. We have to try *something*.

2. I'm going to bring higher value treats. My goal is for him to be able to relax enough to sniff the ground, but we're not there yet. I brought kibble because I was in a hurry, I'll try something higher value by a lot next time.

3. I really, really think medication that doesn't slow him down would be beneficial. Chico is on Prozac and I think it's a big part of why he's the calmer one. Plus, trazodone is the only thing that makes my absences torelable for Elliot.

I have no idea how to bring it up to my vet.

They didn't want to try long term medication at first because he was new, which is understandable, but I so badly think that he needs extra help, even if it's temporary (I don't think it is, but still).

4. I sadly can't afford a regular trainer's help anymore which is shitty, but I can't magically make more money at minimum wage.

I think I'll have an appointment with my current trainer and have an honest conversation about wether or not Elliot and Chico coexisting is realistic in the future. I know my trainer can't see the future, but they have more knowledge, insight and experience than me.

It's also hard to sit with the fact that Elliot's fear is partially my fault. I opened the house door that one time, thinking Chico wasn't there, and Chico was there and went after Elliot. It's where Elliot's fear comes from.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that outside of being alone and Chico, Elliot isn't scared . A large crate fell next to him and he didn't care. He has met probably 50 dogs by now at work and he's fine with all of them. He's annoyed at pushy puppies, but he's not scared of any dog. He understands and respects body language but he is not scared of barking, growling, etc.

He's only scared of Chico.

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athinveil · 2 years ago

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saw you in the notes of some post saying you work in finance. like, no pressure, and i'm not expecting any depth from a tumblr ask, but... do you have any advice for people living paycheck to paycheck other than the classic "make a budget"? (i have already discovered that getting a credit card does not help.)

just wondering if there's anything you've learned from your profession that you wish was better known to the public

https://undebt.it/ is a big help to help pay off debt efficiently undebt it - google search if you don’t like hitting links - I don’t hitting links. I have a super hard time with budgets myself. And credit cards are rough - I get manic and then my budget friendly self can’t keep up with manic me.

Apologies in advance if some of this is like bro - I don’t live a place w these stores - just mentally replace store names with what’s around you.

If your debt has an interest rate under 7%, pay the minimums because a lot of investments will grow at 7% or better (common examples - car loans, most student loans, mortgages, etc.). Typically it’s better to focus on the higher interest loans/debt first. If it’s above 7%, prioritize that. A lot of minimum payments will also never pay off your debt - designed to keep you in it.

If you have a Roth option in your work retirement account, do that. It’s taxed now instead of in retirement - taxes only go up over time. However if you need to reduce your taxable income, then pretax dollars will do that. Only contribute up to the match if it’s not Roth. If it’s pretax, then you usually only want do up to the match. Maximize the free money you can get from your employer.

Always opt into long term disability insurance at work. When you can afford some extra coverage check out supplemental (most employers offer 60% in the US - if you only were paid 60% of your income it would be rough), life insurance is cheap - 200k is a small policy. The company you go with matters. A company like mass mutual or northwestern mutual (I’m at northwestern) gives higher dividends- basically a good chunk of profit goes back to policy holders instead of stockholders. Most companies can run company comparisons. Insurance pays for financial security. It’s not a scam - which is genuinely what I thought of it before I got into the field and understood it better.

Whole life insurance costs more - but it’s worth it. It’s like buying your insurance instead of renting. Again company matters - example: northwestern mutual cash value grows historically at 5% on average, give or take, usually give. It’s money you can use to collateralize a loan or take a loan out against your own policy and “be your own bank” - downside, if finances are unstable, it’s a policy with regular premiums. Unlike a Roth you can stop contributing to any time, you’re paying for coverage and it’s monthly or whatever interval without much for exceptions. Probably not a good fit for you right now with being paycheck to paycheck - but something to keep in mind for the future.

Some of my hacks for my own life and my tight budget - I get most of my stuff off of Facebook marketplace for free or cheap - if you search something for a week or two and save the cheap items eventually they’ll appear for free or less and less. You just gotta be quick to ask and pick up. I picked up a stand alone pantry cabinet yesterday for free so now I have more storage space for non-perishables. Also if you just always keep free and “curb alert” as a regular search item you’ll find good stuff. I’ve picked up some things that I know have value near me - like fish tanks with stands only to resell them later at market value which is higher because I’m in a city/suburban outskirts - I only deal in cash on Facebook because they wanna start tracking and people can’t rescind a $20 electronically.

There are food shelves that don’t require minimums. There’s also no shame in seeing if you can get assistance from the government. If you can boost yourself to live better, do it.

The dollar tree (and some other dollar stores) - while most food at the dollar tree isn’t a good deal - I’ve also found shelf stable tofu, pesto, mustard (1.25 vs $5 for pesto). I also have pets - my cats get their toys on a stick with the dangly strings from the dollar tree. I get all of my cleaning products at the dollar tree. You can also make your own - one super simple one is lemon juice (from bottle), white vinegar, and water.

I shop at specific places for specific items. I get carbon litter box filters at my hardware store because they’re a dollar there instead of $5-7 elsewhere.

I order my groceries online - it’s convenient but it also eliminates a lot of impulse shopping. I pay $10/month for it, but I save more than $10 in not impulse buying.

I mostly avoid target - target has done research on how to get you to buy more - it works. So I avoid it. Not that other stores don’t do similarly, but I know that I will fail myself at target - sort of a figure out your vices.

I shop at discount grocery stores. I got to Asian grocery stores for tea because I get way more tea for way less. I go to Aldi for most of my vegetarian foods and also their chicken. Most of their stuff is a fair bit cheaper and I’ve figured out which off brand or Aldi brand stuff I like.

I work in a super fancy office - think of a building with literal halls with marble tile. I get 99% of my clothes from thrift stores. I’m picky - I try to buy only things that I feel good in (not I feel okay, but I feel good) and I have a hard time pushing myself over $10 for almost anything. I dress with a classic style because then I don’t have to chase trends. I mostly just wear black pants and a shirt that looks business casual.

Garage sale - I spent a Saturday driving around the town I grew up in going to garage sales. Saturdays are usually the last day sales are open - they want stuff gone as the reality sets in that whatever isn’t sold is being donated. I filled a paper grocery bag full of clothing for my spouse and paid $1. I’ve hit sales where the person just wanted to be done and said just take everything you want, free. I haggle. I ask if they’d do a deal for a bunch of stuff if it’s a good sale. If there’s something I’m looking for or need - I know the value of the item before I go shopping and I know the value of it to me. I wanted a giant bean bag chair. I valued that at a maximum of $20. The going Facebook marketplace was $50-150. I held out and got one for $7 at a thrift store.

Sign up for VIP stuff at thrift stores and reward programs (assuming it’s free). Don’t buy most holiday decor new - thrift stores can barely sell a christmas tree.

Home Depot and many hardware stores offer free how-to classes - you want to learn how to lay tile? Sign up for a class. Learn to diy what you’re comfortable doing. Some labor and know how is worth paying for. Example: I will not lay tile because I can live with a crooked tile if someone else did it. I can’t if I did it. For my sanity, I would pay for that. Minding - I need that done currently and can’t afford it so it’s just not on the reality list.

Grow some of your own food if you can. Grow lights can be cheap and seeds are cheap. Sometimes you can split a pack with a friend. You can also get free pots and gardening materials online easily. Maybe not the seeds tho. If you hate gardening then don’t bother. What you want matters too.

When you buy stuff - make sure you love it when you can. Stuff you love, you will keep and use. Stuff you feel so-so about might end up being donated next year.

Utilize libraries! They have e-books also and there are so many free apps you can download to read them on. If I’m only gonna read a book once, then I shouldn’t own it. Reality is - I don’t reread that many books. Too many more books to read.

If you’re into cold brew coffee - dark roast Walmart makes just as good as a fancy brand that costs more. Try off brand stuff - it’s often way better or exactly the same. Walmart chips ahoy offbrand is better than chips ahoy. ALDIs version of coconut caramel Girl Scout chocolate cookies taste the same as Girl Scout ones but cost under $2.

Find hobbies that don’t cost you money or cost you very little money. Aquarium fish are not that hobby as I’ve learned the hard way. But I have a beautiful dr who tank so at least there’s that. I volunteered for a while with shelter cats - the ones that are in pet stores. I got kitty snuggles and got to put it on my resume. Can’t afford a pet but want one? Foster - the shelter pays for everything. One of my new hobbies is literally finding free things on Facebook marketplace. It’s great.

If you’re on meds and insurance isn’t covering everything - check out goodrx. Also - check different pharmacies and keep checking. CVS wanted $300 for 1 month of my depression meds. I walked away w/o meds. I went to Costco a week later (no membership needed for specifically their pharmacy) and got those same meds for maybe $10 without insurance.

YouTube can also teach you neat skills. Tumblr can too - I got really into tiny homes - still love them but I can’t ethically keep a Great Dane mix and all my cats in a tiny space - a big part of tiny homes is making sure you have what you need but you have it smart. I gleaned a lot from that obsession. How to have a full wardrobe w 30 pieces of clothing but still variety? It showed it. Most tiny home people are about financial freedom - a lot of them perhaps don’t have a financial background, but it’s about gathering info that works for you.

If you have kids - I do not - but I have a niece. So much free stuff from other people. I think I gave my sister in law about the first years worth of clothing for her kid and it mostly cost me some laundry soap and time with marketplace and stopping for bags of free kids clothes on the side of the road (that I then picked through, washed, and donated the iffy ones). I even got a bouncer thingy that I took apart and cleaned and gave her. Plus a stroller for my mother in law - one of those $300 ones that someone just wanted gone at no cost.

I’ve got home owner savings tricks too if you need them - but let’s be honest, few of us can afford homes. I have one in a super sketchy area that has shot spotter tech to help police respond faster to gunfire. But honestly just lucked out and fell into the job I have now.

Buy quality when you can - I got clearance Clark’s brand shoes for my job - I think they cost me $40? They’ve lasted years. I got thrift store shoes and they are falling apart in less than a year. Those same thrift store shoes during the 5 years that I’ve had my clearance Clark’s would have cost more to replace that 5x over.

Make sure you’re taking care of yourself - eat enough, sleep enough. Your health will affect how you work and live - you matter. I do premier protein shakes in the morning so I get enough protein and also account for my inability to wake up with enough time to make food. I try to bring my lunch to work. Peanut butter sandwiches are a big go-to for me. I’m rather sick of them, but for now, it helps me to save a bit and prioritize things that are more important to me.

I’m trying to think of other stuff. I mean maybe you’re already doing a big load of this or have even cut some of these expenses out. I’ve got more pet saving tricks - pets are something in life that bring me so much joy and happiness so I have them and I try to be responsible and smart with spending on them - but maybe you don’t have pets or don’t want them. I love video games so I have a few systems - mainly PC. I wait for sales for games. I still buy things that are discretionary. I buy “what I want” when I can but I try to make sure it really is something that I want. I wait for game reviews to come out.

I try to find easy recipes online with a focus on budget friendly and quick to make. Preferably with leftovers to avoid a peanut butter sandwich for a day or two. I’m in a Facebook group called “what broke vegans eat.” I go to a butcher to get ground beef because it costs the same but has less gristle and they can give me tips on making different things. Plus I can occasionally splurge on something simple - they have the best in house take home and bake lasagna which last me at least 4-5 days between my spouse and I.

What field are you job-wise? What field or kind of work would you want to be in if you could choose? What kind of hours would you prefer to work? Education level? Are you in the US? Might have some tips around that too. Is there an area you want advice on - like X costs so much, what tips do you have for cost savings with that, etc.

So happy to help. Sorry for the novel.

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enniewritesathing · 2 years ago

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For the OC emoji asks: 💢 ANGER, 🍧 SHAVED ICE, 📣 MEGAPHONE

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

John: For whatever reason, he is cranky in the morning and needs about a good 20 minutes before he's able to be talked to. If it's not a question that he can grunt yes/no to, don't bother. He tends to fidget by doing small stretches here and there. Surprisingly quiet in his movement (Brian has joked he needs a bell on him) and in general. And also being naked on a semi-regular basis (or the bare minimum of clothing). He does have the excuse of being a werewolf and runs hot, especially during the summer, so he does it to cool off. Mostly.

Brian: He can be very touchy, but on the other hand, he also doesn't want to be touched. When he's doing work (like say, putting in charts, doing research), he will make little small noises. I'd call this one 'being a cat'.

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

John: Everything's still in his childhood house (or second house idk if I'll change that or what). He still has his first pair of boxing gloves -- and they are small because he was a little on the short side as a kid. The other is what he calls the the last good picture of him, Jacob and their dad. I'm not sure what his reaction would be if he lost them, but I also think there's a specific reason he didn't take them with him when he moved out.

Brian: Considering he got disowned and left his aunt's house at 15/16, I don't think he has any objects. Or that he'd care about them anyway.

📣 MEGAPHONE - how loud are they? what do they speak like? got a voice claim?

John: He's got a voice that carries, but not necessarily loud. John has a deep voice and it's got some bass to it. (Were!John is the same, but gravelly/little growly. As Noelle put it once, sounds like he ate a bug.) He also has a slight Filipino accent; it's very noticable when he's around his relatives (mom's side). People often do a double take when they hear it and ask where he's from or try to guess what he is. He's clearly something, lol.

Unfortunately, I don't have a voice claim for him... he's got several tones in my head, but if I had to pick, he'd probably be voiced by Crispin Freeman, specifically Kirinmaru. why no I didn't finish watching Yashahime like a git on Toonami a few weeks ago... what a mid show.

Brian: Not that loud, but he can be if he needs to be. He's what I call 'sharp loud'. He has an inexplicable Southern accent. I still don't know where is from in terms of what place he's from in-game (for whatever reason it's Strangerville, which explains some things about his family). His voice is a little high and it comes off as being cheerful; Brian has a tendency to do a little ~, if that makes sense.

Like with John, I don't have a voice claim, but, if I had to point to what he mostly sounds like, he sounds a lot like Whis from Dragonball Super, but higher.

#ennie answers #thewalkingplumbob #ask game #i had so much trouble on the voice prompt lol #john has said that brian's like a cat #lucky for him tho he likes cats and also he knows cats so its fine lol #a text post #non sims #oc things

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geimei · 8 years ago

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Love your blog! I'm spending 3 days in Kyoto in July, where do I go to catch a glimpse of Geiko or Maiko? Do I just have to spend all of my time wandering around Gion? What would you do?!

July is a great month to see Maiko and Geiko in Kyoto! From the 1st to the 24th of July, the Gion Matsuri, the biggest of Kyoto’s festivals is held. Gion Kobu’s Maiko and Geiko hold beer stands during this time and if you happen to be around on the 24th, you can visit the Yasaka Shrine to watch the dances the Maiko and Geiko put up there every year. This year, Maiko of Gion Kobu will perform the “Suzume Odori” and Maiko of Miyagawacho will perform the “Konchiki Odori”.

You could also visit the Kamishichiken Beer Garden, which starts on the 1st of July and ends in early September. At the Kamishichiken Kaburenjo Theatre, you can drink beer (or other drinks) with Maiko and Geiko of Kamishichiken dressed in casual Yukata for a cheap price. The Beer Garden is probably the cheapest way to meet and talk to Geimaiko.

You can also visit the Gion Corner Theater, which offers regular dance performances of Maiko from Gion Kobu (if Gion Kobu is very busy, Maiko from other districts sometimes come in to replace them) and also performances of various other traditional Japanese art forms, like ikebana and bunraku. You also get to take a commemorative photo with the Maiko present that day and it’s also pretty cheap, too!

Then there’s also the Maiko Theater that is operated by the Shigemori Okiya and was started just last year. It is more expensive, but also offers more services and different “packages” for different prices. At the moment, only Maiko and Geiko of their own okiya perform there, but there are plans to include Maiko and Geiko from other okiya as well. Each package or “course” is named after a Maiko-hairstyle.

The Wareshinobu Package:It costs 80 USD for adults and 40 USD for children and is set for 12:30 to 13:30. It includes a dance performance, ad explanation of the job of Maiko and Geiko, bentô lunch and tea served in in a PET bottle, and a commemorative photo with a Maiko present that day and Maiko Theater tenugui.If you buy a ticket on the day of the performance you don’t get any lunch, but prices are dropped to 60 USD for adults and 20 USD for children.Ofuku Package:It costs 60 USD for adults and 20 USD for children and is set for 14:00 to 15:30 and 16:00 to 17:30. It includes a dance performance, matcha and sweets served by a Maiko, and explanation of Maiko and Geiko and a commemorative photo and a Maiko Theater tenugui.Katsuyama Package:It costs 120 USD for adults and 50 USD for children and is set for 18:00 to 20:00. It includes a dance performance, an explanation of Maiko and Geiko, a bentô and bottle of tea or beer and a commemorative photo and tenugui.It is only held for 5 people or more and will be cancelled if the 5 people minimum is not met and it’s not available on Sunday.If you buy a ticket on the day of the performance there is no bentô and prices drop to 90 USD for adults and 20 USD for children.Yakko Shimada Package: It costs 110 USD for adults and there is no price listed for children, probably because of the time and because there is alcohol available, and I’m not sure if children are allowed. It is set for 20:30 to 22:30You get a dance performance, an explanation of Maiko and Geiko, appetizers & hors d'œuvres (fancy!), all-you-can-drink alcohol (shôchû, wine, whiskey, liquor; local beer is also available and charged separately) both served by Maiko and a commemorative photo and tenugui. You can also choose the “soft drink” version of this package if you don’t want to drink, and will only have to pay 100 USD.It is not available on Sunday.

Basically, the more money it costs, the more it is like a real ozashiki. The Maiko Theater has been running for a while now and most people from Japan and foreign countries have reviewed it very positively, so if you have the money, it may be a great option!

Miyagawacho (July 15th), Kamishichiken (date varies) and Gion Higashi (July 31rd) also put up a Yukata-Kai performance every July, during which Maiko and Geiko all perform in identical yukata. But they are only held for one day each, so getting a ticket might be hard!

If you have more money to spend, you might also want to book an evening at the Gion Hatanaka or the Tomikiku Ochaya. They offer sepcial packages for first-time customers and are just like real ozashiki (maybe a bit more beginner-friendly), but they are also of the same price, which can easily surpass 500 USD. You can best book them via a travel agency, which will handle all the arrangements for you. The Maiko and Geiko present at these events usually also speak English well, especially at the Tomikiku Ochaya.

If you do happen to want to go and try to get a picture with a Maiko or Geiko at night, that’s fine, too! Just be friendly and polite to them, just like you would be to any stranger. You would be surprised how many of them will stop for you if you ask nicely! Geimaiko also usually speak basic English, if you don’t speak any Japanese and have no Japanese person accompanying you.

Since you’re not going to Kyoto in a top-tourist season, you might also be more lucky than those going in April or November, too, because during those times especially, a lot of Maiko and Geiko try to avoid the busy main roads and/or take taxis more often to avoid the crowds.

You might also want to visit Miyagawacho and/or Pontocho. They are both big districts (Miyagawacho has 69 and Pontocho has 59 active Geiko and Maiko), so the chance of coming across a Geimaiko is higher, but are far less crowded with tourists, because Gion Kobu has become so synonymous with Geisha that the other districts are often forgotten by tourists. There, Geimaiko are more likely to be more relaxed when it comes to tourists, because they simply haven’t had as many (bad) experiences with them.

I hope I could help you! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them!

#ask

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randomthingsbecausebored · 5 years ago

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I broke down the numbers. Their argument is that disability benefits should be at least as much as a full time worker. Disability benefits net is actually higher (if in the states). That was the lie (if in states).

Full time minimum wage should be livable.

Disability benefits should be livable.

That is not my argument. My argument is the lie when the numbers are so easy to break down.

Also 20% would never cover medical and retirement. It would be lucky to cover regular income taxes (assuming your hours are all from one place). And most places paying minimum wage don't offer retirement plans (at the least) and a heckin lot don't offer any other benefits either.

Benefits laws and full time laws are different.

As a payroll manager, it is literally my job to know these things. Screenshot from the Google pull off the IRS:

(not trying to be a dick. I know people have issues with screenshots for whatever reason. Just trying to show that I'm not pulling these numbers out of my ass).

I did also specify that I was talking about the states because I don't have the energy to go to someone's profile to *hopefully* figure out where someone is from. I saw someone else said they are from Canada so, in that case, what I said doesn't actually apply to them. And once I said the states in the beginning of my whole thing, that should've been a clue that it wasn't, in the end, for them because I know jack shit about the intricacies of pay in Canada.

Can you tell that I'm very passionate about numbers?

Disability benefits should be the equivalent of a full time job on living wage. Things don’t cost less because you’re disabled - in fact you often have additional costs of living. You shouldn’t be forced into poverty because you are disabled.

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durzarya · 6 years ago

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I mean they were partially right about the minimum wage thing (I'm not American so I can only speak about my own country). Here the raised minimum wage definitely hurt small businesses. And hurt them like hell. And not just small businesses but just regular households as well.

You see every time they raise it with like 5% everything else (food and other necessary things) gets raised by 20% because small businesses can't afford to give more money to their employees so either they cut people or make things more expensive. They can't cut workforce because they are already working with the minimum amount of possible people and it's just impossible with any less. But hey there are twenty new regulations made by the fire department so most of the money goes to updating stuff that if bullshit and really isn't needed (all these regulations are an overreacting to a tragedy which have been less of a thing if the hospitals have had working medicine instead of a cheat, but this is another story.). Now if this would not be enough whoever looks over the regulations loves nitpicking and keeps giving fees that are impossible to pay. There is a bunch of taxes nobody understands but needs to pay. And half of the country is working anywhere but in the country.

Okay so when people retire they get money from the government. Not like much, less then the minimum wage most of the time. If you don't get some amount of money from the government you get some healthcare bonuses. I don't know how to explain it better. So someone decided to raise this line, because like this more people could benefit from it. The government's response was to raise everyone money so less people would get that benefit, but with this actually everything got more expensive. Not just healthcare. Everything.

So while I want the minimum wage to be higher. I want this country to first get it's shit together and stabilize what it got. Because there are some many opportunities here, but nobody gives a fuck, because everyone has lost hope that this would ever work.

(ps. I would love the minimum wage to be higher because everything we got from the west, we get it in their price. But if you calculate our money to $ we only have like 450$ a month to live buy (again food and stuff like that doesn't count, it's more like phones and electric stuff and gas.))

a very famous blog just made a post saying economically its not a great idea to raise the minimum wage because it will hurt small business and help big business, made another post saying they can post whatever they want because it’s their blog and people should just unfollow. and then 5 minutes later deleted all of it because they got too much criticism (including mine, because no) and started losing followers, I guess

like. live ur best life, but the stance of your blog not being dictated by followers only works if …. your blog isnt obviously dictated by followers. also engage with meaningful criticisms of controversial stances maybe? or don’t idk

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razethestory · 6 years ago

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As someone stuck in the mess that is the USA, the ONLY reason I haven't left the country (apart from being broke) is that the person who I love (who my current government doesn't like that I love) is still here. I've been one for higher taxes for this stuff my whole life. Currently I'm trying to pay off a medical bill that should've 100% company paid and as it is I can barely make my rent payments. I have a LOT of mental problems which make insurance companies see me as a liability, especially with just the mood stablizers I need to make it easier to deal with my depression and I can't afford to even go to a talk therapist anymore. I wish that if I'm stuck in a country that takes part of my hard earned (I MEAN HARD earned. I work for $8/hour before the taxes are taken out which is about $0.16/hour... I get about 15-20 hours a week) I WISH it mostly went to healthcare, not just for me but for others as well, and education. But that's the whole thing with this country. Because we're based on a capitalist economy, all anyone really cares about is getting money and it's even worse with just how much we spend on our military! Like I get we're a "proud" nation with a huge military at our disposal and like shoving our noses in the business of people who don't need it and screwing everyone else over, but seriously we could cut it quite a bit and allocate funds to universal healthcare and education and we'd be SO MUCH better off, and maybe we wouldn't have to be so aggressive with the rest of the world... When I became an adult my family pretty much abandoned me over reasons I STILL don't know, and I couldn't go to college, I don't want to be stuck in a mountain of debt like the rest of this country, so I stuck with my job and now I'm getting screwed over. I've been sick about 8 times since being stuck on my own and I've been to a doctor about it twice. Mostly my problem is reoccurring but I can't afford to go and get it taken care of. Lost hours and MORE medical bills again when I still can't even garuntee how much longer I'll have to live here because I can't afford rent every month because I don't have regular hours (I'm renting from a friend's parents and pay about $300/month) and I have other things I have to pay for too, like food. I mostly get by on bare minimum amounts of food and pushing myself to try and get as many hours and shifts at work as they'll let me take. And I can't leave the job because of something else I have to pay for, which would prevent me FROM being able get a new job where I can get better pay. And it SUCKS! The way we're educated in this country just makes it worse because it teaches everyone here that we do anything to raise taxes that helps everyone it's bad because it raises taxes and the 1% don't wanna pay more money than they need too and just distract the general population with false information. It's horrible to watch!

I get really confused when americans, when talking about universal health care are like ‘yeh but it’s not free sweaty :) :) you have to pay it through taxes :) so gotcha!!’

and I’m like ….???? That’s the whole point??? Everyone pays their fair share so that no one has to be turned away because they don’t have insurance??? And no one has to set up a Fundraiser page just so that they DONT DIE???? So people don’t put off going to the doctor because they’re scared of going bankrupt?? Because healthcare is a RIGHT and should be free at the point of access?!?

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