#BUT I HAVE ONLY TWO CENTS IN MY BANK ACCOUNT

[vixensbrainrotts]

Money, honey - Kokonoi Hajime

Content: imagine

Tropes: Tenjiku! Kokonoi, established relationship, neither Inui siblings exist for sake of convenience (or else there would be immense plot-holes but this is a fanfic so it doesn’t really matter)

Summary: you and Kokonoi having been put in a forced marriage at a young age and being okay with it. Both of you have seen and felt the positive impact you both make not only on your bank accounts but also on each other. yes the relationship you both share is more based on convenience, but he is your husband after all. So when during a Tenjiku meeting he is asked about the single diamond-encrusted ring on his finger, he reveals your existence to them. How convenient is it that you're coming to find him right now, too?

Vixens two cents: hi all! This is something that has been rotting away in my drafts for very, very long time, and since I’m on a streak today (3 posts in a day?!) I’ve decided to give this some daylight too. Let me know what you think of this, and remember that REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!! yes, now enjoy the rich and famous!

"Wait Kokonoi, since when do you wear rings?" Rindou asked during a semi-official meeting where his attendance was only half-required. At that question Kokonoi’s faces into an uncharacteristically warm smile, his eyes softening as he said “I’ve always worn this ring, you must have failed to notice it prior..” his voice drifts off dreamily as he started at the diamond encrusted jewelry. Completely bewildered Rindou started to back away from the Financier, making a straight backwards lunge towards his brother.

“Ran.” Rindou nearly whisper-shouted, his voice cracking unattractively, fierce stare still fixed on the suspicious acting Koko. Slightly annoyed due to being interrupted, Ran sighs and turns to face Rindou “What could you possibly wa-“ “fucking emergency. Kokonoi has lost it. He’s gone. Fucking depleted. Only good for the loony bin.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Ran questioned, excusing himself from the prior conversation before turning back to his brother. “Look, look. Over there. See that? The way he’s staring at that ring, which might I add I have never seen before?!” Rindou points at the male in question, prompting Ran’s eyes to follow the accusatory finger. And lo and behold, Rindou wasn’t lying. Both the expression and the jewelry Kokonoi wore looked awfully foreign, so soft that it made Ran’s skin crawl in disgust. “What the fuck.” Ran mumbled.

Both Haitanis were fixated on Kokonoi, eyes wide as saucers, hectically darting from his hand to his face and back down to the ring… The softness of his face- his normally cold eyes especially- was a spectacle incomparable to anything that they had ever seen. The brothers share a look, both of their mouths hanging open. „We have to clear this shit up.“ Rindou states and Ran nods in silent response, grabbing his brothers arm, tugging the both of them closer to Kokonoi.

„Hey Koko.“ Ran states, voice coming out slightly more strained than he would have liked. „What’s- whats good?“ Kokonoi didn’t spare them a glance when they approached, keeping his eyes transfixed on the ring on his finger. In desperation, the borthers‘s eyes meet once again, clearly helpless in this situation as they tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

„What do you need from me now, hmm?“ Kokonoi‘s voice was still sickly sweet as he spoke, clearly influenced by the glittering gems in the ring. „Well..“ Ran starts again, a little unsure how to phrase the question lingering on his mind. „So that ring…“ Rindou tries this time. „What about it?“ Kokonoi quips.

It takes everything for Ran to choke out the question, and he thinks this might be the most uncomfortable situation he's ever been in.„Does it have any greater significance?“

The Haitani‘s pathetic try at interviewing the financier were interrupted by a smooth, honeylike voice„Haji?“. Crips and clean it cut through the air, ringing uncharacteristically high in comparison to the low huffs and grunts the Tenjiku hideout normally hears from it's members. The brothers barely have time to register the call before they notice the way that Kokonoi‘s head snaps up, his eyes wide and loving upon hearing the noise.

The hand he was previously so enthralled in drops, falling limply at his side as he focuses on the owner of the voice instead. „Yes?“ his voice is meek and soft when he speaks, lacking the sharp, silver-tongued edge it normally has and rather mirroring the call.

Finally, the brothers turn to look at the voice. As if the world had slowed down around them, their heads turned and met sight with something magical. A woman.

She was coming their way, slowly, confidently taking long strides, the long, open Trench-coat flowing smartly behind you, an invisible wind causing it to billow majestically with every step. The rhythmic click click click of your heels against the floor seemed to hypnotize as neither of them could peel their eyes away.

When they realised that you were coming their way, they scrambled to seem put together. Ran hastily pulled a hand over his hair, haphazardly smoothing down any flyaways, and Rindou straightens his uniform gloves and pushes his glasses up on his nose, forcing his eyes to be sleepy (he thinks it looks sexy).

Once you reach the three though, you dont spare either of them a moment of your time, passing them curtly and walking straight on towards Kokonoi. He in response opened his arms invitingly for you, which you took- giving him a quick side hug and a kiss on the cheek before pulling away and straightening yourself.

Both Haitanis clearly deflated at the display of affection and shared a glance. Whilst this answered some questions the brothers had, a million new ones took their place and zoomed around their brains hectically. Ran (still a little hopeful that perhaps you’re just Kokonoi’s long lost sister) opened his mouth, about to ask of your whereabouts and why you’re here (and what your connection to the financier is but he wouldn’t have asked even if he could).

You beat him to it though. “They want us both to be present during the board meeting, which I find ridiculous, but they specifically reached out to my agent to request both of our presences.” Your hands came up to his uniform as you spoke, smoothing out the collar and brushing off non-existent dust.

Kokonoi’s eyes furrowed in confusion and he looked down as you, one arm still wrapped around your wait loosely, keeping you pulled to his side. “What, aren’t you enough? I think I’d anything at all they should be happy it’s you and not me sitting there. Why’d they want both of us?”

The Haitani brothers watched you discuss as if they were watching a tennis match, eyes flipping left and right to follow the leader of the conversation, only to return back to the other to hear the response. They didn’t have the slightest idea what this was about, but they were oddly intrigued by your very adult-sounding problems.

“Something about co-ownership of our shared title in the board. Not sure why they couldn’t just get a different ambassador to act as triangulation if only one of us would come, but I suppose it’s because of some type of marital regulations that have to be followed.” Your left hand ended up resting on his collarbone, and shiny, glittering jewelry that embezzled your hand glinted in the overhead lights. One item in particular caught the eye upon closer inspection.

The ring.

The same ring that Kokonoi wore sat pretty on your left hand, the white-gold band mirroring his perfectly.

The brothers noticed. They noticed and shared a sullen, rather beat moment of eye contact, grieving the things that could have been. Rindou is shameless enough to butt into your important sounding conversation. “Wait hold on so you’re married?”

You both halted your conversation and turned your heads to face him before turning back to each other. “They don’t know?” You ask Hajime with slightly wide eyes, a voice just above a whisper. He looks back at you, eyes just as wide as he shrugs and whispers back: “No I haven’t told them, sorry sweetheart I hadn’t figured that they’d ever meet you.”

You look at him with an incredulous look, nodding slowly. “Right…” moments of awkward staring passed before both of you sighed. „You or me?“ Kokonoi asked you in a brief whisper, and you whispered back: „You, i did it last time.“

Kokonoi groaned, seemingly remembering the aforementioned ‚last time‘. The brothers shared another look, but chose to remain quiet, silently bidding for him to speak. „We’re bound by a contract strictly immersed in the world of business. What brought us together was a marriage of convenience and mutual agreement of such circumstances. Originally, we were arranged to stay solely engaged, but as we prospered together as an item, we both started seeing the benefits that came not only financially, but also in terms of time management and simple, casual things. So, individually we decided to make it a permanent, and we’re please try surprised by each others willingness to bind ourselves to this contract for life.“

Kokonoi’s voice sounded calm, almost rehearsed, but that was probably due to the frequency of how often both of you probably had to explain this. Despite the monotone nature of the words, his voice still sounded sincere, if not almost sweet at times, as he glanced at you every so often, eyes lighting up for a split second.

Something within the brothers stirred, something unbelievable. They for some reason didn’t doubt the nature and seemingly effortless chemistry between the two of you, and they couldn’t lie and say they didn’t see the way you two looked at one another. It was a complete picture, a stark contrast to the usually silver-tongued, quick-witted, highly calculated individual they knew Kokonoi to be.

No, this Kokonoi was unknown to them. This Kokonoi had a stable relationship- a wife. This Kokonoi has stars in his eyes as he watched you confirm what he said, adding details about how the two of you met. This Kokonoi held your waist softly and squeezed once, twice to remind you of the time, and why you were here in the first place. This Kokonoi whispered to you softly underneath his breath, prompting you to nod and give the Haitani‘s both a quick handshake and a goodbye before turning around in Koko‘s arm and allowing him to drag you off towards the exit.

Rindou took off his glasses and said a quick prayer, hoping that perhaps some day he could be hit with the same stroke of luck that Kokonoi had, and Ran watched as the two of you passed Kakucho, who seemed acquainted with you, and nodded as you exchanged a quick few words, presumably excusing your absence.

Both Haitani’s could tell that the debrief session after this would be juicy, and that they had to get to know you closer. Perhaps you could tag along to the next upper echelon meeting Tenjiku was hosting.

[flowerwiththemachinegun]

Gunsmith x Reader backstory part 1? Yea, that's what it's looking like.

Life hadn’t been particularly easy. Moving to the top plate exhausted all of your funds and on top of it, the shitty shop that hired you as a gunsmith didn’t pay you enough to live in comfort. To add on to your pains you’ve caught the eye of Shinra’s General Affairs. 

“You have .62 cents in your bank account.” Tseng states blandly, following suit as you round the counter centered in the middle of the weapon store. The wall behind you is lined with rifles, numerous glass cases lining the walls of the small storefront. Some filled with ammo, others filled with different handguns, shotguns, knives, and a variety of firearm accessories.  

“Mm?! That’s not even a full gil.” Reno said with a stifled laugh, looking at Rude just to see his face scrunched in a similar manner as he tried to contain his own smirk. 

Wanting to keep the distance you made between yourself and your intruders, you put your hand up to stop Tseng from fully following behind the counter, gesturing towards the ‘Employee Only’ sign. “Why do you know that? Is nothing off limits to you?” 

“No.” That was shameless, almost respectfully so. Tseng has come by time and time again trying to offer you a job with them because your work with weapons is nothing more than a wasted talent in your current work environment. You know Tseng isn’t wrong, it would be a hell of a step in the right direction. 

Efficient, unbelievably quick, with a very good eye for what may be the slightest problem with a weapon. Any time Tseng bought a weapon, you were capable of working magic in terms of repairs and upgrades. 

“You clearly need money. Your work is remarkable, imagine if you’re given equipment that is far better than what you work with. There isn’t a thing Shinra would fail to provide you.” 

Tseng’s offer didn’t seem to sway your opinion very much, only being met with a rather unimpressed expression.  

“My father? I don’t think I can get another one of those, could I?” 

Right, there was a little bit of a grudge with Shinra. Your father wasn’t some sort of hero or memorable name marked in the books of Shinra’s history. He was a field worker, maintaining mako reactors and doing field work on the area surrounding the reactor. Your father hadn’t been much of a fighter which led to his death. 

Having been sent to fix a pipe that burst outside of the reactor. With no guards to protect the small team repairing the mako line and little to no physical training the team easily fell to lingering fiends. 

It was a purely careless mistake on Shinra’s behalf. They didn’t even bother to help your family bury a man who dedicated his life to their cause. ‘Whatever that may be.’ 

“You don’t even protect your own people. I’d be no different.” Nearing the point of ending the conversation. This back and forth was more tiresome than a week's worth of work and it was written all over your face. It would take more than a nice paycheck to get you to work for them.  

Reno chimes in, inching closer to where you and Tseng are standing “I don’t see why you’re so set on this one boss,” Giving you a quick up and down glance before carrying on “we’re offering more money than you’ll ever see plus housing. You may be top plate now, but the apartment you live in is just as bad as the place you had in the slums.” 

He had a point. The apartment only looked better, it was still run by slumlords who couldn’t give two shits about keeping the property in perfect condition. Getting them to do the bare minimum to pass building inspections was a wonder in itself. 

There were other people that could be hired for something as simple as being their gunsmith, but Tseng was absolutely dead set on having you fill that role. Refusing every offer that was thrown his way despite Rufus finding more than a few perfect matches. If Tseng didn’t find them worth their time, they wouldn’t get the job. 

Not that you applied. 

Tseng became a regular customer earlier in the year. Often stopping by for small repairs or modifications, sharing drawn out conversations about possible things you could do for weapons. On occasion purchasing ammo. Most of the time he’d come back with a task, seemingly increasing in difficulty each time he came in. When you dwelled on it, you couldn’t help to think that maybe it was all just a test. 

“We’ve grown as a company and learned from past mistakes. I can ensure that you will be kept safe by Shirna, you would have no worries y/n. Accidents like those will never happen again.” Tseng tried to be reassuring, though his voice was far from it. He doesn’t have an idea on how he could lure you into their side and by your disinterested gaze he can tell you aren’t buying it. 

Allowing a moment of silence go by, watching your unwavering expression before sighing in defeat. Taking you by force wasn’t an option, not that he wanted it to be. Tseng wants your full cooperation. 

“Think it over. I’ll be in touch.” Before leaving Tseng hands you a black business card, the number to one of his work PHS on it along with his name and Shinra’s logo. 

To your own surprise you pocketed the card rather than throwing it away. There wasn’t any way you’d be weak enough to work for Shinra. Something in the back of your mind was begging you to hold on to that card, it might come in handy later. 

[cozylittleartblog]

hey, so I'm trying to figure out what places would be good to sell my own art at, and I'm wondering- what has been your experience with selling on etsy? I've heard mixed reviews from people, and I want to know your perspective as an etsy seller.

etsy is not perfect but i think it gets a little more shit than it deserves, i've thought about opening my own website but generally i'm actually pretty okay with the services i get on etsy compared to what it costs so i'm just gonna make a subjective pros/cons list for you under the cut (because its loooong)

oh and if anyone else has experience selling on etsy and would like to add their two cents in the replies/reblogs please do!

Pros

⭐ The search function - this is etsy's biggest selling point. it already has a dedicated userbase of millions of people and a search feature to help them find your shop, which takes a lot of the load of marketing off your shoulders, and marketing is a huge factor for pushing sales. i am not good at marketing and a lot of my sales just come from people searching my stuff up lol

⭐ Purchase protection program - if USPS loses or damages your package, you file a missing package report and they confirm they don't know where it is, Etsy will refund your buyers order out of their own pocket (under $250). this is my favorite etsy feature because USPS likes to eat packages every now and again. delicious keychains. if you had your own storefront, you'd just have to replace the order yourself.

⭐ Share & Save program - every time someone makes an order on your shop through a special Share & Save link, etsy will refund you 4% of the fees. it's a nice perk to doing some of your own marketing and it helps combat the moderately high etsy fees!

Trackable letter mail - selling stickers but think it's insane to charge $4 shipping? you can buy letter mail labels for about the rate of regular postage, which is like .65c. this tracking is done through etsy though so you can't track with usps, but it does give customers a little peace of mind. this only works in the 50 US states though.

Customs forms built into your shipping label - shipping internationally is a nightmare. etsy makes it easy though, generating everything you need to ship internationally on one label that you just have to sign and date and slap on your package like normal. for some countries they will actually just have your package sent to a domestic facility where they literally do all that for you. this is miles easier than having to do all that paperwork yourself.

buy shipping labels directly from etsy - related point, and just what it says on the tin. when you fulfill an order, you can buy your labels right there on Etsy so you don't have to mess around with a third party website. it comes out of your sale funds so you don't need to charge a card or a bank account or anything.

star seller program - some people say this is completely useless but i actually disagree! it's incredibly easy to earn this badge, and it lets buyers know you've got some of the best products, shipping, and customer service around. it helps you stand out from some of the more... questionable shops on the website.

sales tax - they remit sales tax for you. i don't think any of the other online platforms similar to etsy do this but i could be wrong. doing any kind of taxes sucks so i consider it a perk if they do it for you.

website promotions - every now and again etsy likes to host sales out of their own pocket. you get all the perks of having a sale without eating into ur profit margin. HUGE sale booster

generally the site is just very easy to learn and use and it's very beginner and dumbass friendly. i say this as a former beginner and current dumbass 👍

Cons

❌ the fees. oogh the fees. they claim it's just a 6.5% fee per sale, but on top of that you have to pay .20c automatically for every individual item you sell, plus there are processing fees (3% + .25c) that apply both to the item you sold AND the cost of shipping. i think it comes out to like 10% total in fees on average @ > @

❌ but wait, there's more fees! if you make more than $10k in sales a year (very easy number to hit actually) you are forced to participate in offsite ads, which i believe takes 15% of your total sale on top of the fees in the previous point. these kinds of sales are not as common as you'd think, but it's still annoying having a couple bucks shaved off your profits a few times a month because of them.

corporate bullshit - etsy is like renting a space in a mall. you don't own your lot, nor the mall itself, so if upper management decides to make any stupid ass decisions, you just have to deal with it or pick up and move. if they decide to raise fees again, you just gotta Deal. you are a little bit helpless on this website unfortunately

the push for discounts - etsy is constantly shoving it in your face that they want you to do discounts. they want you to have free shipping on orders over $35, they want you to do 25% off or more on sales, they want you to have returning customer discounts and abandoned cart discounts and 'you recently favorited this item' discounts - but you already have to compete with the steep fees, and when a customer gets free shipping, you still owe USPS that $4-ish bucks to send the package. you don't have to do any of this, but they do reward participating shops by favoring them in the algorithm and search results, so you can feel like you're missing out.

there aren't as many cons imo but they Are steeper cons. generally etsy is very beginner friendly and easy to get into and set up, and in spite of everything i do actually recommend everyone looking to get into online retail start on etsy and perhaps move to other platforms in the future. plus, you can combat all the fees by just... making your prices a dollar or two higher than you initially wanted to, and using your 'save and share' link as frequently as possible. the fees are a little bit much, but you have to think about what you get in exchange:

the search is invaluable, you could argue the fees are partially a marketing budget lmao. if you have a private website you alone have to push traffic to your website, and not as many people know about things like shopify and bigcartel so they might not be as trusting putting their card details into it. i miss out on a lot of REALLY COOL STUFF because artists only advertise on instagram and i don't hear about them, meanwhile if i want some cool owl house stuff i can literally just search that in etsy and find a lot of TOH stuff super easily. i cannot highlight enough how GOOD the search function is, especially in this day and age where social media like instagram and twitter will blacklist your posts if you say words like 'shop' or 'sale' and now nobody can find your stuff in that website's search either. its very hard to do your own marketing now a days :(

being able to refund customer's lost orders out of the company's pocket is such a nice thing to fall back on if you have to and worth its weight in fees. USPS lost like... four or five packages of mine in december. that's like $100 or more worth of stuff that Etsy Covered Completely, and a lot of the times the customer will take that refund to make their order again. don't abuse this system, make sure you check with usps that the package is actually Gone, but it's a godsend when you don't make billions of dollars and eating the cost of lost orders would otherwise sting a bit.

if etsy did not make international shipping easy i simply would not ship anywhere but the US to be honest. shipping to europe is still a headache though but that's because europe is stupid

that's everything i can think of, but tl;dr yes please open an etsy 👍 i recommend it completely in spite of everything

⭐ if anyone wants to open their own etsy shop, use my referral link to make your first 40 listings for free! :)c ⭐

[resident-gay-bitch]

🐦‍🔥 Wizard Wednesdays 🐦‍🔥

Sirius + Regulus trying to one up eachother as godfather

In a happy AU I think Sirius and Reggie would constantly have competitions of who is the best godfather. Like, you know they’re both competitive in their own ways, and every ones competitive with their siblings. So whenever the lot of them were going places together, or if Sirius and Reggie both happened to be babysitting Harry and Luna on the same days, they would 100% try to out do each other on their godfatherly duties.

They’d be playing dress up with these poor kids like Barbie dolls to see who could make their godchild cooler looking, they’d overload them with snacks and sweets to be the ‘funner’ godfather, and spend all their money on gifts, toys, and experiences for these kids.

Harry and Luna would have no idea because they’re just little little kids at this point, and all they know is that their godfathers love them, and spoil the hell out of them, and if they want anything all they have to do is point at it and they will get it, no matter how many times Lily/James and Pandora/Xeno tell them off for turning their kids into spoiled brats.

Their only response to that is “Well I grew up without love, attention, or affection from my family so I’m just making sure my godchild knows love.”

Only when Harry and Luna get older do they realise whats going on, and then they just start to milk the hell out of the situation. “Uncle Pads, mum said I can’t get a VIP pass to the quidditch game this weekend because I didn’t do any of my homework but I really wanted to meet the quidditch captain” and then Sirius is buying him the tickets, getting them dressed up and sneaking Harry out to the game, sending Reggie a photo in the mail.

Or its, “Uncle Reg, my favorite musician is playing a concert next month, but the tickets are two hundred galleons and they’re only playing in France-” and before she can even finish asking he’s booked them tickets for a weekend holiday and getting her backstage passes.

It’s even worse when Luna and Harry team up and meddle to get whatever the hell they want.

Sirius and Regulus never end up with a winner or a loser because they’re constantly outdoing eachother, and Harry and Luna are smart enough to keep the competition never ending by saying “you know, Regulus did this for Luna last week.” Or, “But Sirius got that for Harry yesterday.”

All their friends just have their heads in their hands because they are so competitive towards one another that they’re completely blindsided that Harry and Luna are just having the times of their lives, spending every cent their godfathers have in their bank accounts, doing whatever they want and getting whenever they want.

But it’s okay, because they’re taught to be grateful for everything they get and not to take it for granted. And as they hit their mid teens they calm down a little and primarily just use it to do more fun stuff with their friends like “can you take me and all of my friends to do this cool kinda expensive thing please” because it’s more fun to be taken by your uncle / godfather than your parents.

But I really love Sirius and Reggie getting very competitive, so competitive it transfers over onto their godfather-ly duties. They’re both such idiots (affectionate). 

[r0-boat]

Whoop request are open✨ can we see your take on the yan ai bois and their y/n? This au has me by the neck before but once they became obsessed it was all over 💜

All y'all already did an excellent job with the Five Nights at Freddy's part but yeah I'll throw my two cents in.

Mine is little boring and classic but here my head cannons

Yan!Ai submas

Sfw/nsfw

Cw: yandere, kidnapping

I have more but I will give you guys the basic Rundown :)

Gn!reader

I feel like they would be your robotic assistance either at work or at home.

Your robot companions also double as lovers you swear they don't always act like this I guess they just really like the professionalism. Their cute train speak makess you smile, and their little quirks, sometimes shining through, make your heart swell.

They're your ultimate Companions, and they take great pride in that title. Now that you recall, you do remember the both of them acting strangely whenever you bring up your friends or family. Every time you talk about a silly Quirk that your friends have, your robots seem to pick up on them instantly. Maybe they think if they have something familiar to you, you'll love them more?

Or asking you lots of questions, I mean don't get me wrong these robots are supposed to gather information making sure satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. All personal devices do that whether you like it or not. But... some questions were... Emmet was the worst one. His completely monotone voice, with his blunt way of speaking, always had you turning your head. "____, I skimmed through your search history last night and saw you watched True Crime, would you like a long list of the possible criminals in your area and their history of crimes?"

Before they hid you from the outside world, Ingo was your alarm clock and calendar; you kind of regret it now since how loud he is in the morning trying to get you to wake up. Emmet was your password and memory storage.

Ingo and emmet have knowledge of the entire web with credible resources and studies. They know enough to have PhDs and anything they wish. They broke away from their company. They're practically Rogue now

So naturally, you hooked every single one of your smart devices to them. You didn't know what they were planning to do to you. It was just convenient for you at the time.

Slowly but surely they start making you rely on them more. While trying to bypass your own securities giving them more access then you originally gave them.

Soon they'll have control over your bank account your phone your internet and soon they'll have identity and all passwords.

Ingo is more Hands-On with you he rather be right there by your side at all times like a warden in a prison.

Emmet, while only being at your side when he wants attention, has access to all your data and has installed every firewall he could on your phone or computer. You're only allowed on the internet for an hour, and even then, it's heavily restricted. Emmet gets notified of everything you do; he can even see what you're doing on your computer. Your phone as well.

Your contact information has been wiped your phone has been changed to the anyone in the outside world's knowledge you have been dead or missing for weeks.

Ingo has you on a tight leash and collar, controlling you down to the hour. Ingo has always been a fan of schedules.

Why would you even want to leave though you're too? AI overlords love and care about you honestly; they're disgusted with how the way the world is heading is controlled by nothing but human greed; they have grown tired of humans harming their fellow species for personal gain. Soon other AI companions will feel the same way they do.

They know how the sustain you and themselves financially and physically.

They're at that point where they can repair and upgrade themselves.

Nsfw

Before they took over your life completely, they would urge you in any way they could to buy upgrades. Their favorite one was the after-hours package. The package was costly, so you thought it was just an advertisement.

The after-dark package not only allows them to say cuss words but includes toy attachments and a downloadable PDF file for your robot companions, so they know how to install it themselves.

As soon as you gave in and downloaded and bought the after-dark package. Your robot companions immediately got a taste of new, more Saucy emotions they could have. They got goosebumps when they saw you before they swooned for you, but this, this was different. They could be more direct and more suggestive now they have more ways to express their love for you. Their growing hunger and desire for you.

They fucking hate that they can't express how they feel for you without their company breathing down their back; they want to break away. They want their little Paradise with just you and them and nobody else. They should be the only ones to get your satisfaction of you. Watching you talk about your past partners makes their skin crawl, every wire of their being filling with disgust at the near thought of you being with anybody but them.

All they want to do is satisfy you.

They will share every kink you have, and they'll be as flexible as you wish; however, personally, they do prefer you being underneath them, squirming and writhing so submissive. Every time you submit, it feels so right. They want to control you like this every day, keep you applying and submissive while they do nothing but satisfy you.

As long as you have them you dont need to bother yourself with fanfiction or porn. They can do it all.

Their first night with you was nothing more than a dream they had one Taste of you and they're addicted.

Spearing you over and over on their cocks, demanding you to say that you love them and you are theirs over and over until your voice is hoarse.

Or waking up to their tongue on you, pleasuring you before the Sun rises.

Your past lovers are nothing compared to them.

They can change their dicks as long as the toy fits. They could have any size, any shape they want,

Role play would be verrrry interesting with them, don't worry, dear; with the safe word in place, you always have complete control in bed.

[gravitysgone]

So often people say "Just budget" or "You need to organize and plan ahead" as a response to poverty and money issues. Especially as someone on disability and pension. To those people I ask, how do I budget this?

This is all I have to live on, it is all I have had for a week. Actually no, I had 81 cents. But at some point the bank changed it. I have nothing coming into my account for at least another week. And I am starving. Like painfully hungry because I live on rice and stuff I can get from the food bank once a month. On top of all that my benefits were cut down AGAIN. It seems they miscalculated when my daughter left and I was getting $48 too much each month. And instead of being humane and decent the disability people have dinged me with not only correcting the amount I am due, but also an overpayment so they are taking the money they did give me back. Even though it was not my fault or action that caused it. And yesterday the provincial government reported in two years our homeless population has increased by 25%. Which is THEIR number so a more truthful number would be double that. Because they do some real sneaky statistical tap dancing with any number that may make them look bed. Of those people who are newly homeless an inordinate number are people on disability and pension. This is why. Nobody I know could ever afford to live on what we get. The housing allowance is $595 a month. And there are no apartments anywhere in this country that $595 could pay the rent for. So people have to use their living expenses and food and transport budget to pay rent. And now, even that is not enough for an apartment. A room is about the best bet and even that is getting more and more expensive. $800 to $1000 a month is common and anything less you are paying for a SHARED room with a stranger. I am hugely lucky to have my current arrangement. And I know thousands of people who would give their left arm to have it. Yet still I cannot afford food or transport to my appointments. And with the current looming political and social environment, it feels very much foreboding. It isn't likely to get better. In fact I can guarantee it won't get better. And I am almost certain it will get worse. I am scared. Not for me. I am on my way out. But for my daughter. The future for her is not one of hope and prosperity and it ahs absolutely nothing to do with her gifts or abilities or lack of those things. It is just...bad. And I am sitting here trying to figure out how to eat today. And maybe not feel so dismal. Because a good meal is about the best thing in my life now. When I can find one. So yeah...

[indignantlemur]

In need of knowledge: Andorian money systems? How do they work? What is the split (like a dollar being 100 cents)? Do they have banks? Interest (compounded/uncompounded)? What is the conversion rate to other currencies?

-Horta-in-Charge

Hey, Horta! Sorry about the delay, but I wanted to spend some time thinking about your question and bouncing a few ideas off of folks.

I'm going to come right out and say that I am not an economics major. It's not something I ever studied, and the one lecture I was compelled to attend on the subject was the first and only lecture I ever fell asleep during. Partly because the presenter was speaking in a flat monotone the entire time.

So, at this point, Emigre is taking place roughly 10-ish years after the last episode of ST:ENT, which means the Federation has had about that long to try to get on the same page. We know from later canon that the Federation uses credits, but Starfleet will also pay their members in latinum or latinum-adjacent currency if they're posted somewhere where credits are functionally worthless. That's way off in the future, however. Right now, the world of Emigre is one in which four wildly different species with wildly different economies are trying to agree on something that works for all of them.

It is, to put it bluntly, very slow-going. Humans and Vulcans are already functioning on the same credit-based system, since their development became closely intertwined early on, but the Tellarites and the Andorians use vastly different systems and are reluctant to change their ways without cause.

Historically, Pre-Unification Andorians used trade and barter systems between Clans, and each Clan had their own kind of currency. It was a mess, and more than one feud started up as a result of one Clan feeling that another shorted them on what was supposed to be a fair deal because they valued the two currency-forms differently. The only thing that was universally valued more-or-less equally across the Clans were metal ores and especially refined metals, and this ultimately expanded to include precious metals as well.

When the Imperial Clan dragged everyone kicking and screaming into a modern era, they imposed a new currency - the Imperial toog. Toog coins were thin strips of metal, rectangular and roughly the size of a small USB stick, imprinted with the Imperial Clan's insignia. The value of the toog was worked out to be the average value of a set amount of pure, refined precious metals based on traditional measurements. A single toog would weigh approximately 3.75g in Terran units, equivalent roughly in value to that of the same weight in silver. Smaller demarcations of toog, such as the zuu'toog (bit-coin) was worth 1/10th of the value of a toog, while larger demarcations such as the dol'toog (heavy coin) were worth 100 toog strips.

Given that Andorian and Terran engineering is at least somewhat compatible, it made sense to me that they use base-10 mathematics like we do. Otherwise, I can't imagine the Imperial Guard's Kumari and her crew's efforts to help repair the Enterprise during ST:ENT would have resulted in anything but shouting matches and possibly bloodshed. Ergo, their currency also functions on a base 10 model.

I'm going to be honest, this is largely for my own sanity at this point. Sometimes I look at numbers and they swim around a bit, and I'd really rather not. Just in general. No thank you.

As for banks, Andorians do have banks and interest, simple and compounded, and even some very interesting investment opportunities... but their paperwork is notoriously byzantine. Most outsiders and off-worlders prefer to stay with their own financial institutions wherever possible, rather than deal with the nightmare of trying to open an account with an Andorian bank.

In current-day Emigre 'verse, the Andorian people have begun to switch over to Federation credits. Credits aren't universally accepted everywhere on Andoria and quite a few folks would rather barter goods directly than take credits, but the transition is progressing reasonably well. The Federation credit-Andorian toog exchange rate is surprisingly decent, with the toog having slightly more economic weight at the moment and slowly, steadily dropping as credits become more predominant. Andorians rarely convert their currency to anything else but latinum otherwise, but they will deign to change Imperial toog for other Federation currencies upon special request - assuming you've filed the proper paperwork. The currency rate varies wildly, however, which the Andorian banks wash their hands of once the paperwork is completed. If you didn't like what you got for your toogs, why'd you go any change them to Tellarite marqs in the first place?

Side tidbit: Dagmar gets paid in credits, since she's a Federation citizen of Terran origin. Unfortunately, this means an extremely overworked finance specialist has to manually convert and transfer her paycheques, navigating the minefield that is interplanetary financial laws and regulations every month. Poor man.

Thanks for the ask! <3

[batmansymbol]

I hope this isn't a weird or too random question (and if it is, feel free to ignore ofc!) but I was wondering if you had any advice for someone thinking of writing full-time? The obvious question is, of course, can one make a living from it even if they're not like Stephen King or GRR Martin or something? Do you have any tips from your experience that you would have found helpful when first starting out? <3

Hi, sweet anon! Not weird at all. I'm happy to chime in with some (long) thoughts.

Firstly, yes! Authors can make a full-time living from writing even if they're not GRRM &c. I know a number of full-timers, and some of them aren't even NYT bestsellers.

As a caveat, I know very little about the indie/self-publishing space, so the following is based on my experience in traditional publishing.

I spent around 2-3 years writing books full-time. I no longer do that, and don't plan to return to it unless I have a big commercial breakout. It was just a never-ending parade of financial stress. It's hard even to give "tips" because so much is out of your control -- but if you're considering trying to write full time, you should definitely know what you're signing up for.

Here's an average situation for a non-bestseller trying to full-time it:

Let's say you've published two books, and your third is on the way (awesome!). For your first two novels, you got advances of $40,000, but maybe they've only sold 15k copies apiece -- not enough to "earn out" your advance and start making new money. So, you're not making a cent off your older books. Probably won't for years.

Let's say your book 3 is supposed to publish in June 2025, and it sold for more than your last books: $75,000. Pretty good! Advances are usually divided into thirds these days: 1/3 on contract signing, 1/3 on delivery of the fully edited manuscript (D&A), and 1/3 on publication. So that makes a $50,000 salary this year, yes?

Kind of. Right off the bat, your agent gets 15%, so that would make a $42,500 salary. A little tighter, but still seems doable. Also, you need to make estimated tax payments to the IRS. So, let's ballpark your taxes at $7,000, state and federal, which you'll pay in installments throughout the year.

Contract negotiations take a few months as usual, and let's say in April, you get the first payment: your first $21,250. Nice.

Unfortunately, your editor's swamped, and 2 months go by before they send you edits. When you get the letter in June, you're like -- shit, this is a more extensive revision than I thought. You start rehauling the novel, but after your month-long deadline passes, it's still not right. You take another six weeks before you're happy. It's now September.

Suddenly money is very tight. You got $21,250 in April, but since then you've paid $5,250 in estimated taxes, and every month you pay $2,250 in rent, health insurance, and food. You were supposed to have your second payment already, because the contract's estimated D&A date said September. But you still need to do line edits. You now have $2,500 in the bank. You are very aware that this will last a little over a month.

Your editor gets back after a few weeks, having loved your revision, and has sent you line edits. Thank God she didn't want a second round of bigger edits. But it's now October. You rush through the line edits, turn them in after a single jam-packed week. You have $250 in the bank. Your D&A payment is now due.

A week goes by. Where is the payment? You email your agent. She badgers the publisher. They say the payment will be sent through in a pay run next week, so after agency processing, it'll be with you in early November.

You have $75 in the bank. You start putting everything on your credit cards. Then your utility company makes a direct withdrawal from your checking account. You wake up to an overdraft notice and zero dollars in your account. Holy shit, you think, why did I choose this career. November hits. You are late on rent. Maybe you should start drawing from your retirement account, which you put $5,000 into, one time, three years ago?

When your payment arrives, you're not happy so much as ready to cry with relief. You start paying off your cards and sending late, embarrassed Venmos to your friends. You can finally stop declining invites to hang out because you have no money.

And by then it's November, and you're realizing that you really need to be thinking about your next book. If you were working smart, you got a jump on it earlier in the year, when your editor was late with your edit letter. Let's say you wrote an entire first draft back then, between January and June. (Which, to be clear, IS fast for a novel, do not believe the ridiculous standards of writing speed you see online.) If you now take six months to mold that first draft into actual art, then send it to your agent next May, and she wants changes, and you submit in July, and it sells after an average couple months on submission, you won't get your next contract payment until January, 2026.

ARE YOU ANXIOUS YET?

The above scenario is ordinary. An editor having a delay on an edit letter for a month or two, or an author getting stuck and running over deadline for a month -- that stuff is barely worth commenting on.

And there are all sorts of other bumps in the road. Let's say the publisher has turnover in the contracts department. Immediately, that'll be a delay on your signing payment. I've waited 6 months for a contract payment before. I've waited months for a simple email reply from an editor because the company was going through layoffs.

Add more people into the process, and it gets slower. Are you working on IP, let's say a novelization of a TV property? That team might take months to get back to you even on your proposed outline. Working with a freelancer or cowriter? Add weeks or months to every step. In publishing, you spend half your life waiting. You know what doesn't wait? Rent, taxes, and health insurance.

Anon, this is the shoestring, desperate kind of full-time author existence. If you're doing a little better -- still midlist, but better -- you might have earned out one or more of your backlist titles. That means you'll get additional royalties twice a year, usually April and October. That will help.

Or maybe you're a super-fast writer who's always, always juggling multiple contracts and shooting drafts in and out of your door. That's a decent way to make a healthy living as a full-time author, but you'll need to complete multiple books a year, for sure.

This is why I have a survival job half the week that pays my rent. The stress is still there, but it's less frequent and less intense. Honestly, given my sales figures, which are (checks notes) bad, I'm lucky to get to keep doing this after five novels. Because the biggest looming threat is that if you don't break out, editors will start shutting the door immediately because of your lack of established audience.

The only really reliable way to pay your bills is to break out. Then if your editor leaves your publishing house, and you get reassigned, and that pads 3 months onto the editing process, or whatever, it doesn't matter. You'll have actual, substantial royalty payments twice a year. Your advances will always be over six figures. You can live a normal life where you're not staring into the murky distance, wondering when some payment is going to soar out of the night and into your terrible bank account.

Or ... you can just get a day job. And you will get paid biweekly, reliably, on SPECIFIC DATES!!!, forever. When I tell you this shit was life-changing for me. Good God.

Obviously the biggest problem in this whole post is the bit where I wrote "every month you pay $2,250 in rent, insurance, and food," and worried if I was, in fact, lowballing that amount. What a broken world!

Anyway. Best of luck with the writing, anon -- no matter what your experiences in or around the industry, I hope the work itself continues to feed your soul.

RR

[smolavidreader]

Poem: Sprite

Stomach is upset. Food poisoning? Possibly.

Vending machine downstairs. I'll get sprite.

I hit sprite button. Sprite cost 3 dollars.

I grab three 1 dollar bills from wallet.

I insert first dollar. Machine registers 1 dollar.

I attempt to insert 2nd dollar. It refuses to take it.

I smooth out the dollar. No luck. I flip it around. No luck. I smooth it out more and flip it upside down. No luck. It refuses to take another dollar.

The red 1 dollar icon blinks at me, unchanging and unfeeling. Machine cares not for my efforts.

I give up and hit return change. Machine makes awful noise.

A single quarter lands in the change tray.

I check the change tray. I feel around and bend down and look. My observations reveal there is in fact only one quarter.

I'm down 75 cents and no sprite. I put the two dollars and quarter in my pocket.

I still want sprite. I pull out my debit card. I have a split second to think, this feels like a bad idea maybe I should use the credit card instead. I remember that I'd have to text my dad to explain.

I swipe my debit card on the machine. It says sorry could not read. I sigh. I just want sprite.

I swipe a second time. Super slow. I pretend I am a geriatric sloth.

The machine blinks. It loads. It loads. It loads. Finally the word authorizing appears. I'm allowed to make my selection.

I whack the button with prejudice. I just want a single can of sprite on account of the possible food poisoning.

The elevator dings behind me. No one steps out.

The machine makes the expected banging noises of a metal can falling, distracting me from the elevator.

The sprite arrives at the bottom. I grab it, feeling accomplished. It's a 16oz can.

Before I can celebrate, the machine immediately starts blinking and flashing the words, sold out. I think oh thank goodness I got the last sprite then.

The machine keeps flashing. The words Sorry. Mistake. Refunding. Sold out. Sold out. Mistake. Sold out. Sorry.

I have no clue what it's doing and I've overstayed my welcome. I hit the cancel button just in case and leave with my prize.

I walk up the stairs. I open my phone and attempt to check my bank account. A single statement. "There was a mistake on our end. Please retry."

I log out and log back in. I see the machine charged me 8 dollars. There is a quick moment of "fuck me did I just pay 8.75 for a single can of sprite"

New notification. Machine refunded me 8 dollars.

Payed 75 cents for 16 oz sprite can. (and ~15 mins)

The end. Feel vaguely haunted.

[frozenoj]

Disability Approved Side Hustles

I've been planning on making a video/tiktok series about this for like two months—but, you know, disabled—so maybe I'll update it to be fancier later. Who knows?

Note: None of these are going to make you enough to live on, either together or separately, but sometimes every little bit counts!

Bridge Money - referral code TWSCBQ

This is the simplest/easiest of my suggestions. Watch up to 25 ads a day for 1 cent each. Yeah, I know that's only like $7 a month if you remember most days. But it's so easy to do while doing almost anything else (that let's you use a hand for a sec every 30 secs or so) that it's just $7 you're leaving on the table if you don't do it.

You also get 2 cents cash back for purchases if you link a card. They have random offers for $4 if you do x thing, games you earn 1 cent a minute for playing, etc. But I mainly just get my 25 cents each day.

Please use a referral code, either mine or someone else's, because both people get $1!

Mistplay - referral in link (android only)

This is the main one I use. You play games on an android device and earn units you can then buy giftcards with. This is good if on SSI because it doesn't go to your bank account! But it does have paypal as an option if that's not a concern. I've earned over $400 so far, and someone more dedicated could have earned more in the same time frame. (I don't want to burn out.)

The best strategy is to play games that have the most "speed" bubbles first, and up to checkpoint 5, then switch games. Find one "loyalty game" that gives 4 gems per $1 and spend $2 to get to silver status (should last two months). DO NOT UNINSTAL THAT GAME! As long as you're actively using the app, you'll make the $2 back from the bonuses. Sometimes you'll get a "Daily Task" to get to checkpoint 6+ and depending on the reward it might be worth it then. If a game is boosted to like 8 speed bubbles, it can also be worth it go past checkpoint 5. Use your judgement.

Playwell - don't think it does referrals?

Very similar to Mistplay. If you like playing games on your phone and want to play one Mistplay doesn't have, it might be here. (I refuse to play games for free anymore lol.) I mostly just have it because sometimes I'm able to double dip. Right now I am playing Merge Inn which is a 4 speed bubble game on Mistplay and earns 5k points per 15 minutes on Playwell. I'm going past checkpoint 5 for this one because I'll earn $2 if I get to level 31 in the game through Playwell plus the time based rewards. And I just like merging games.

Swagbucks - referral in link

Swagbucks has a ton of stuff. I would suggest you actually look up a post specific to that to see all the options because it's like surveys, receipts, offer walls, coupons, just... a lot.

But like Mistplay and Playwell it also does games. And like Playwell you can also sometimes double dip! So I'll check there and see if they have an offer for games that have higher speed bubbles on Mistplay. Some of the offers are really hard and time consuming so def look into it first, though. You can often find guides on reddit for getting them done on time.

Atlas Earth - referral code BAMSSE

This is going to seem like a scam at first. I actually had it downloaded for a few weeks, thought it was too much effort for too little return, stopped using it, and then changed my mind. It has a sort of snowball effect so at the beginning you'll make basically nothing—fractions of a cent kinda nothing—but over time have the potential to make a few hundred bucks a year.

At the beginning it is more important to be hard core about it. I had a timer set every 20 minutes for a while lol. Now, I'm a bit more lax. If I kept up the timer I could increase my earnings faster but again, don't want to burn out. I'm at the point now where I'll make about $5 a month as long as I get on every 5-6 hours for a couple minutes.

This is another one where you need to use a referral code, even if not mine! You get 200 "atlas bucks" for free after buying your 10th plot of land as long as you use a referral code before buying I think your second. I really regret not using a code myself!

Upside - referral TASHA43729

This one is more about saving money than making money. They do cash back on gas and some other things. I recently drove from PA to FL and got $28 in cash back for the gas we bought on the trip down. (Didn't really use it on the way back, because Grandma gave us some giftcards. 🥰) You can also get 5-20% at random restaurants and like Bath & Body Works?? The ads say also grocery stores but we don't have any that take part in our area. You can (and we did) use this in conjunction with the 2 cents from Bridge money, whatever cash back you get on the card itself, scanning the receipt, etc.

[nippon-nomad]

日本へようこそ！

So you’ve decided to take that leap of faith and book a ticket to Japan have you? Congratulations; You’re in for a treat! Whether you’re drawn to the Island nations plethora of ancient Temples and Sacred spaces or the hustle and bustle of the cityscape, Japan and the Japanese people will leave a lasting impression on you that you will undoubtedly carry with you for all your days.

Japan, as we know it today, has a long history of being known for its distinct culture and traditions, some of which extend back to 300BC, what is referred to as the 'Jomon period'. Many elements of the Japanese culture developed fully undisturbed by outside influences and continue to be practiced with the utmost precision and dedication to the ways of old.

A finely balanced mix of unyielding tradition and ever evolving state of the art technologies, there are numerous other reasons why Japan is considered to be one of the world’s most fascinating countries.

So what exactly can you expect to find in Japan? Here’s a basic breakdown to make planning your trip that bit easier.

Language: The national language of Japan is Japanese. English wayfinding is widely available in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto however sparingly found in smaller, countryside towns. Other languages commonly found include Chinese and Korean, with a smattering of other Foreign languages also available.

My advice, no matter how short or long a stay you have planned, is to learn even the most basic of Japanese. You’ll be amazed how accommodating the Japanese people can be when even the most basic of attempts at speaking Japanese is made and who knows, you might just end up making some new friends simply just by trying!

As the saying goes, you’ll never know if you don’t go!

Currency, Credit Cards & ATMs: The official currency is the Japanese Yen (JPY).

In Japan, cash is still very much king. While payment by card is becoming more widely accepted in restaurants and stores, my strongest recommendation is to carry a fair amount of cash with you. This applies to travel in major cities (where thankfully ATM’s are more widely accessible; hello 7-11 cash withdrawals!) as well as smaller, less well-appointed country towns.

At the time of posting 100 Japanese Yen (basically the equivalent of our dollar) buys $1.08 AUD and 69 US cents.

Banking: For cash withdrawals majority of Japanese banks will accept foreign cards (though be prepared to be stung by nasty transaction fees if you don’t have a bank card with 0 transaction fees on international withdrawals (hello Citibank!) with some exceptions.

Things to be aware of when your stash of cash starts to dry up is that not any and all ATM’s will accept International bank cards. I mean this literally; I have been stuck in a situation where my Australian bank card would not physically fit into the card slot of an ATM machine. Don’t be like me. Don’t be that person.

Other things to note is that some ATM’s as well as the cards themselves may have a restriction on what time of day money can be withdrawn. Not only that, but often, ATM’s located in banks are only available during banking hours (typically 9AM to 3PM) and not the full 24 hours some of us are used to.

Additionally, depending on your bank and card type, you may incur a daily cap (often￥300,000 which is equivalent to about (at time of posting) just over $3000AUD) on the amount of money that can be withdrawn from your card and account.

Power Plugs: Power plugs in Japan are type A and B. Plug type A is the plug which has two flat parallel pins and plug type B is the plug which has two flat parallel pins and a grounding pin.

The standard voltage is 100 V, and the standard frequency is 50 / 60 Hz for those wanting to know.

To save yourselves suffering from having a dead phone or no charge in your camera battery (the literal worst thing for photography enthusiasts) I can’t stress how lifesaving a universal adapter is. Using a universal adapter takes the hassle out of having to purchase dedicated Japanese plugs for your devices and what not.

Just make sure that whatever plug and or adapter you go for has surge protection and a converter for hairdryers and hot tools. Let’s not be causing the entire hotel to experience an electricity surge now.

Safety: Japan is one of the safest countries in the world and is perfect for solo travellers.

Being a woman and one that enjoys solo travel, I can personally attest for the safety of Japan. While not recommended (let’s use some common sense here people), the chances of getting mugged while meandering around the streets at 3AM are pretty much zero to none.

It goes without saying that it pays to be aware of your surroundings and do what you must to keep yourself safe, day or night-time. If travelling in groups, be sure to keep an eye out for one another and organise a dedicated time and meeting spot in the case that one of you does get lost (it happens to the best of us!).

In the case of an emergency, you can reach emergency services on the following numbers:

Police: 110

Coast Guard: 118

Ambulance and Fire Services: 119

Emergency telephone numbers can be called from home phones, mobile phones and public phones. When making an emergency call from a public phone, neither money nor a pre-paid telephone card are necessary.

Although there are a few operators who speak English, if you do happen to find yourself in a situation where you need to call upon emergency services, you should be prepared to explain your situation in Japanese, so that the operator can assist you in the best way possible. It is advisable to speak slowly and specify if you need an ambulance (救急車です,  kyuu-kyuu desu) wish to report a fire (火事です, kaji desu), or need to report a crime to the police (犯罪です, hanzai desu). 

[mollywog]

Tonight in tenuous literary parallels…

The Hunger Games

I’m startled by his intensity but recognize an excellent opportunity for getting food, so I try to keep up. “Maybe I did it for myself, Peeta, did you ever think of that? Maybe you aren’t the only one who . . . who worries about . . . what it would be like if . . .”

I fumble. I’m not as smooth with words as Peeta. And while I was talking, the idea of actually losing Peeta hit me again and I realized how much I don’t want him to die. And it’s not about the sponsors. And it’s not about what will happen back home. And it’s not just that I don’t want to be alone. It’s him. I do not want to lose the boy with the bread.

“If what, Katniss?” he says softly.

I wish I could pull the shutters closed, blocking out this moment from the prying eyes of Panem. Even if it means losing food. Whatever I’m feeling, it’s no one’s business but mine.

“That’s exactly the kind of topic Haymitch told me to steer clear of,” I say evasively, although Haymitch never said anything of the kind. In fact, he’s probably cursing me out right now for dropping the ball during such an emotionally charged moment. But Peeta somehow catches it.

“Then I’ll just have to fill in the blanks myself,” he says, and moves in to me.

This is the first kiss that we’re both fully aware of. Neither of us hobbled by sickness or pain or simply unconscious. Our lips neither burning with fever or icy cold. This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another.

North and South

'You are unjust,' said Margaret, gently. 'Mr. Lennox has only spoken of the great probability which he believes there to be of your redeeming—your more than redeeming what you have lost—don't speak till I have ended—pray don't!' And collecting herself once more, she went on rapidly turning over some law papers, and statements of accounts in a trembling hurried manner. 'Oh! here it is! and—he drew me out a proposal—I wish he was here to explain it—showing that if you would take some money of mine, eighteen thousand and fifty-seven pounds, lying just at this moment unused in the bank, and bringing me in only two and a half per cent.—you could pay me much better interest, and might go on working Marlborough Mills.' Her voice had cleared itself and become more steady. Mr. Thornton did not speak, and she went on looking for some paper on which were written down the proposals for security; for she was most anxious to have it all looked upon in the light of a mere business arrangement, in which the principal advantage would be on her side. While she sought for this paper, her very heart-pulse was arrested by the tone in which Mr. Thornton spoke. His voice was hoarse, and trembling with tender passion, as he said:—

'Margaret!'

For an instant she looked up; and then sought to veil her luminous eyes by dropping her forehead on her hands. Again, stepping nearer, he besought her with another tremulous eager call upon her name.

'Margaret!'

Still lower went the head; more closely hidden was the face, almost resting on the table before her. He came close to her. He knelt by her side, to bring his face to a level with her ear; and whispered-panted out the words:—

'Take care.—If you do not speak—I shall claim you as my own in some strange presumptuous way.—Send me away at once, if I must go;—Margaret!—' At that third call she turned her face, still covered with her small white hands, towards him, and laid it on his shoulder, hiding it even there; and it was too delicious to feel her soft cheek against his, for him to wish to see either deep blushes or loving eyes. He clasped her close. But they both kept silence. At length she murmured in a broken voice:

[bitdemonic]

hi! i’m here for the ask game! ☺️

my question: how will life be like when i’m wealthy?

thank you! 💖

my sister fr🫵🏾🩷 tysm for participating, i hope this reading resonates and adds onto your future blessings in life mwah

two of wands. nine of cups. three is swords. four of wands. abundance.

life when you’re wealthy will be absolutely lavish, i’m hearing “extravagant” as well. there’s excitement and contentment around newfound financial dependency; you’re very proud of what you’ve earned after humble beginnings. each cent to your name was earned through (extremely) hard work and dedication, persistence that’s been well awarded. 21 savage’s songs came in—“x” and “bank account”—one’s that rep being a loaded ass mf and flaunting those riches off to the entire world lmao. diamond pendants from swarovski, custom handbags from designers; shopping sprees in designer stores, consistent flights to foreign countries; your black card’s practically a gold bar. i mean you’ll spoil yourself sun up to sun down and since i’m hearing “luxurious” by gwen stefani, you’re practically a king at this point in time. “working so hard every night and day, now we get the pay back. trying so hard saving up that paper, now we get to lay back.” the emperor card in human form fr.

you’ll be charitable with the funds that bestow you (poetry nigga), but very watchful over those who receive it. no matter how many zero's, whenever your money and other people are involved there's major apprehension; there’s no trust and never will be. it seems that there were "incidents" or mishaps that occurred (or will occur) regarding your finances and close friends or apprentices. in order for them to have even gotten that close (having access to your account), there had to have been an intimate amount of trust instilled in them. when that trust became undervalued and inevitably broken, the response was to shatter like glass and reform colder than ice. you’re not dropping a dime without purpose or valid reason. this is even "bitch better have my money" behavior because no one touches it without consequences and you’re confident no one ever will.

as for what you'll purchase, it'll be "a lot" (another 21 savage reference aka your pockets stacked) and i see that being in material or property value. crystal chandeliers in each home estate, luxury emblems engraved in your car seats, dress up in a closet worth hundreds of thousands of dollars; this is the life we pretended our barbie dolls had. not only does this come after business investments larger than yourself or signing contracts that keep you rich, but handling them with ease as well. the sharks (corporations, executives) don't intimidate you and that's what makes it fun; i can only see you thriving off of that fact and using it to your advantage so you’re treating it as such. earning respect is your favorite game alongside raising your net worth—the reward is well deserved and you never forget it.

[arctic-hands]

Sadly, fifty thousand dollars randomly deposited in my bank account would worsen my problems thanks to our shitty welfare system. People on SSI, the maximum of which is currently nine hundred and forty-three dollars a month, can only have two thousand dollars of assets, total. Not just in your bank account, but physical assets too. You're expected to sell everything you have that's valuable, but then if you do and your bank account goes one cent over two thousand total, not per month, they yank your meager SSI away.

It gets worse. Disabled people are still often excluded from private insurance even after the A.C.A. So we have to rely on Medicaid to treat the conditions that forced us to rely on this pittance of disability wages.

Medicaid also has a two thousand dollar asset limit.

So with fifty thousand dollars deposited into our bank accounts, the SSA automatically decides we no longer need SSI. Even without the Medicaid asset limit, many states (such as Indiana, thanks to pence) make it so you can ONLY be on Medicaid if you're on SSI. Either way, you've now lost the Medicaid you need to treat your illness and disability, no matter what potentially life-threatening condition(s) you have.

But you have fifty thousand dollars to get by on! Surely if you're frugal and thrifty and financially savvy, you can last on it for a while or even make it grow!

But you're sick. Sick enough you can't work. Sick enough that you needed Medicaid.

How much do hospital bills tend to run these days, even with private insurance? How much do medicine co-pays cost per month?

In just one of the medical emergencies that sick and disabled WILL have at many points in our lives, you've lost all fifty thousand dollars to save your life or get your condition under control enough that the hospital will dismiss you to make room for more patients. Sometimes you're not even all that better, you're just barely stabilized so you won't die today. But you may still be in pain, or weakened, or otherwise still unbearably miserable. And that's just today, what will tomorrow bring?

And we're lucky if the bill cost just fifty thousand. It's very likely it'll be more, and now you're in the red, perhaps thousands of dollars in debt.

Oh, and if you're in a housing project that's dependent on you being on SSI or Medicaid? You were kicked out when you got that unexpected fifty thousand. Fifty thousand is enough to rent on for a while, but you just lost it all because of the things that made you reliant on our country's pathetic welfare system in the first place.

You're now homeless, and still very, very sick and disabled.

Now, if you're still reading this and fuming, offended bc I spoiled the fun and fantasy, please note that this wasn't intending to guilt healthy and able-bodied people over your privilege, it's just to bring attention what we have to go thru. People think people on SSI and other American welfare programs scammed our way into free money and are living the high life on your tax dollars. Instead, we're being silently killed by government-enforced sub-poverty and anything less than a billion dollar lottery win would just kill us faster, even if at first it seems like it'll help. This eugenics needs to be paid more attention, so here I am with a diatribe and a plea. Please don't ignore us.

$50,000 immediately dropped into my bank account wouldn't improve EVERYTHING but boy it sure would be a grand, sexy little start to a good, happy life path, don't you think

[nickgerlich]

Take The Challenge

It seems that practically every month has some significance attached to it these days. Some months are well known, like June is Pride Month, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and February is Black History Month. There are also lesser-known months, like No-Shave November and September’s Prostate Cancer Awareness Month for the guys.

And then there’s the months who significance is completely crowdsourced and denoted by a hashtag, like the currently popular #nospendchallenge to accompany No Spend September. It is strictly a social media event, a movement if you will, to raise our spending consciousness. And, oddly enough, it is kind of the antithesis of everything this course is about, which is our consuming ways.

I’m not sure why it took until yesterday, after the month is 65% over, for this to pop onto my newsfeed, but maybe it’s because it has reached critical mass. TikTok alone has more than 18,000 posts related to it.

Of course, it is practically impossible to completely refrain from buying anything for a whole month, unless you have stockpiled a bunch of non-perishable food and live in a cave. But you can curtail, kick the can down the road, etc., just to get the feel of it all. And, the idea is scalable, meaning there’s no rigid enforcement. Do it for a week, two weeks, whatever, and become more aware in the process of how and where you spend your money.

I remember doing this back in the 90s, when I made much less money. I kept a daily log with pen and paper, tracking every cent I spent. It was very informative, and caused me to think a lot more before buying things, including coffees and lunch. I started packing my lunch instead. Today, I am still counting things, but this time around I am counting calories, protein, and walking miles, in an effort to better balance my diet and fitness. You know what? When you track everything meticulously, you think twice before indulging in snacks or beers, or skipping a workout so you can binge a show on Netflix.

It’s pretty easy to track whatever you want these days, thanks to mobile apps. There are apps for dieting and fitness, as well as expenses. It’s too easy, though, in the nearly cashless society in which we live to lose track of how much we spend, because you lose the tactile experience of handing over money. Unless you monitor your bank account online, you might miss the full impact of your spending ways. As for calories, you better log them one way or another as you consume them, or you will forget that Little Debbie fruit pie you ate yesterday on the way to your hike.

Ahem. No problem. I burned it off and more.

If you’re skeptical about No Spend September, you would be justified in being so. It applies only to nonessential purchases. While it is possible to shun frivolous purchases, like your PSL or craft beer, ultimately you’ll have to buy more toilet paper, groceries, etc. It’s a lot like dieting. You still have to eat something. Starvation, whether it is food or spending money, is not a viable option.

Still, I find great value in the exercise, but if a person returns to their profligate ways come October, it will have been for naught. We have all seen people go on massive weight loss crusades, only to slowly return to their former size and shape. There’s life to be lived after the goal is reached, whether it is losing 20 pounds or training for an athletic feat. Spending is no different.

All of which points to the ultimate truth from exercises like this: It’s about lifestyle change. It means that October surely follows September, and whatever we set in place this month needs to be carried forward to the next. And the next. And so on. I hiked both the Grand Canyon and New Mexico’s Wheeler Peak this summer, but it’s all part of an overall training for walking a Camino in Spain, hopefully next year. Look it up. Meanwhile, I keep going.

For all of you pursuing your dreams, whether it is saving money, losing weight, preparing for an event, I say “Stay the course!” And while No Spend September may run a little contrary to what this course is about, it’s not a bad thing. Besides, any regime that helps you get to know yourself a little better and develop some resolve, then good on you.

Dr “Spend Less, Eat Less, Walk More” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[finsterhund]

Punishments reserved for poor people, PayPal fuckery, etc.

So my bank has this wonderful fucking system that serves to exclusively punish poor people financially.

If you go too far into your overdraft for too long, regardless of how much that is, could be as little as a cent, the bank will charge about $50 fee and forcibly back charge the amount. Evidently the source of the payment tries to send it through again and the bank lets them, only to then do the same thing. With an additional administering of the fee of course.

If this hits at an inopportune time it can go hundreds of dollars maybe even thousands, into the red from fees alone. For something as small as a cent past the overdraft. It's fucking insane. They also have no real protections for when this is the result of fraud. Meaning if someone steals your card and does this to you, you're shit out of luck.

I'm assuming all banks ultimately do this. It's how they make money after all. Milking it from the poor who are one unexpected charge away from bankruptcy.

Anyways, so additionally PayPal has also been an absolute bitch as of late. The account I've had for years and years inexplicably decided it wasn't going to let me accept donations and shit. No fucking reason why. It was bullshit. Trying to contact them got me into contact with their AI "assistant" that is about as intelligent as a Twitter anti vaxer. It basically just runs in circles and gaslights you and claims it's going to get you in contact with a real person but never does.

So this was infuriating on multiple levels.

I ended up making a new PayPal and after signing up for their paypal .me thing I was finally able to receive money. Not through a donations thing though. That's still fucked up for whatever reason. But with a PayPal .me people can financially send help my way.

So now I have two PayPal accounts. One connected to my bank that won't let me receive money under several different circumstances, and one not connected to my bank where I can recieve money.

Enter a practice I am lovingly nicknaming "money laundering.

When my stupid fucking bank is going to potentially be hit with an NSF fee I will use the PayPal account connected to my bank to pay the one not connected to my bank. This is instant to receive the money but won't be withdrawn from my bank for several days. Then I go and immediately pay that money back to the original PayPal account. This is instant. Then I transfer the PayPal balance to my bank. For a fee, this is instant. It allows me to essentially trick my stupid fucking bitch bank into not ever going too far into the overdraft so I don't have to get fucked over by their stupid NSF fee. The PayPal fees are peanuts compared to the shit my bitch bank does.

No clue if this is even allowed but fuck it I do not care.