#actually means you're less qualified to tell other people what's going to make you look bad to the mainstream right?

[collaredkittyboy]

Well it's come up multiple times today so I'll make a post about it.

I think the popularization of the word "twink" has ultimately been really bad for people in general.

I know it's hard to track the positive and negative effects of language but I don't think it's hard to see how creating a word for a group of people wherein the most consistent qualifying trait is "being skinny" is healthy for people's self image. Obviously people have lots of ideas about what it means to be a twink- gay, lacking body hair, feminine, beautiful, young, white- but the most consistent descriptor I've seen is "skinny." Hell, it's even a body type on Grindr; the size below "average."

So it kind of functions as a code word in the gay community: anyone can say that they're only interested in twinks and they don't have to look shallow by saying they only like skinny guys. It's such an accepted attitude that no one really bats an eye when they hear it.

I'm not even going to get into how it's become part of the larger issue of people turning "top" and "bottom" into gender roles 2.0, but that is closely related, because people with any internalized homophobia can look at a skinny, feminine man and turn off their fag alarms by viewing him as a woman or not a "real" man, and it makes twinks more acceptable to society at large.

No, ignoring all of that, one of the biggest issues is that gay men are taught by society that they are only attractive while they are skinny. Just having the label "twink" reminds a boy that people are looking at his body and judging it. There were countless times when I was growing up that people would tell me, "You're such a twink," or argue about whether or not I qualified as a twink because I had body hair. People around you, unpromted, judge your body and give you a label based on it, and that label has a large influence on whether or not you're seen as objectively attractive. I know many other gay people who say they wish they were a twink so they could be more attractive to guys.

So think, you have all these kids growing up being told whether or not they qualify as a twink, and then we have the gay community as a whole where it's completely acceptable to say you're only attracted to twinks. I think its because of all of this pressure to be a twink (in other words, to have a below average weight) that many of the gay people that I interact with struggle with a negative body image or eating disorders.

I mean, people talk about "twink death" like it's an actual event that makes a gay man much less attractive, and no one thinks that, maybe, it's harmful to tell a guy that the very day he stops being young and thin and pretty, he will stop being attractive and celebrated?

I'm not qualified to speak on fatphobia in physical queer spaces because I don't have the ability to frequent them where I live, but I can't imagine that these aren't issues at social gatherings as well. I also can't speak on my own experiences with weight discrimination because so far in my life I have had a naturally thin body, but I have experienced a lot of outside pressure to be thin that have caused me to pick up unhealthy eating habits to reduce my weight in fear that I could become fat later on. Thankfully that is something that I've mostly been able to work past. I'm not an expert, but idk, I just wanted to rant on my silly tumblr blog.

Obviously it's impossible for a word to be inherently bad. I'm not trying to imply that saying "twink" is a magic word with evil powers. Obviously the real issues at play here are fatphobia and harmful beauty standards and body shaming. But in my opinion, the popular use of the word twink has made it much easier and acceptable to express fatphobia, etc, in the gay community by turning "skinny person" into a "type of guy that you should try to be so you can be attractive."

[creature-wizard]

A few tips for getting out of a toxic online group

Unlike a physical cult or something, an online group generally can't physically keep you from leaving - but that doesn't mean they can't have a powerful emotional hold on you. You mind think to yourself, "I'd really like to get out of this situation," but find yourself going back because you don't really have anything else to do, and all your friends are there.

So here's some things that might help. I'm not saying that this is going to be 100% applicable for every situation, but hopefully for some of you, they can help.

1: Get some hobbies unrelated to what the group's doing. It doesn't have to be anything huge or complicated; it just needs to be something to do apart from them. Basically, this will give you something new to fill some of your time with.

2: Get into different groups and make different friends. Join unrelated communities and hang out with people there. Again, it fills some of your time, and also scratches the social itch.

3: You can give a short, simple reason why you're leaving or spending less time with your current group. If you feel like you should or need to explain yourself, you can say something like "I need to take some time to focus on my mental health" or "I'm busy with things these days and don't have as much time to spend here."

4: Remember that your first obligation is to yourself. It can be easy to end up feeling responsible for somebody in the group; if not the whole group. That said, it's important to acknowledge when you're simply not qualified or experiencing burnout. If you or somebody else feels like things will just fall apart without you, remember that this is a fear, not a fact. You can also encourage people to seek help from somebody more qualified. If they won't do it, it's on them, not you.

5: If you're in actual danger, reach out for help. Now, I'm personally not the person who can tell you exactly what you need to do if you're in danger - but with that said, other people do. If you're not sure what to do or where to look, ask people for help. Ask friends, ask through anon messages through abuse support blogs, whatever. You can also search the Internet for resources and help.

Again, this won't cover everyone's cases, but hopefully it'll help some of you out there.

[tetsunabouquet]

Hi! Could you do a nsfw scenario for Nash and Hanamiya in which they're bullying the girl that they like?

(18+ And with the slight increase of young, new KNB fans: If I catch you making NSFW requests to me I will be deleting the asks. A firm reminder to everyone that I don't write that kind of stuff for minors. I'm not named Colleen nor do I have a ukelele.)

Hanamiya

He grinned widely as he caught you doing something you shouldn't be doing. Now as a member of the Disciplinary Comittee, he couldn't just ignore you stealing a can of Coke from the vending machine. Even if you had forgotten your lunch money and looked like you were about to faint. If aything, he could use that to his advantage. "Now, now, y/n-san, aren't you a bad girl?" You froze at his voice and desperately started to shake your head. "Please Hanamiya-san. Forget you saw me." Hanamiya chuckled darkly, you just had to offer yourself on a plate, didn't you? "I could do that but honestly, I don't want to have this school turn into a breeding ground of disobedient little bitches." You flushed as those words sent a strange tingle down your spine. "I'm not a disobedient little bitch." You uttered the words with a shame you didn't quite understand. Hanamiya laughed as a reponse, and the poisonous edge to it brought tears to your eyes. "Oh really? I think a thief would qualify for being a disobedient little bitch. You're worse then that actually. You should be happy I gave you that compliment." Your lips were wobbling at the insults, and a tear rolled down your cheek. "I'm sorry." You apologized as you trembled and it was honestly making Hanamiya rather hard. "You know, I could see past this if you could be so good to help me with something." Your eyed widened and you nodded. "Of course. You know I didn't mean to do something bad." You said before you once more looked at your shoes at the sight of his intense gaze. Hanamiya's lips curled, and he unbuckled his belt as you gulped. "Be sweet and put that mouth of yours to use already." You fell on your knees, because it's not like you had any other choice and so you licked at his throbbing cock like the good girl you promised you were. You couldn't tell wether it was his cum or your tears that left such a salty taste but you swallowed it all up just the same.

Nash

College life was far less interesting as people had made it seem, so he tried finding some new hobbies outside of sports. Which is how he met you. The students who were following art or music programs would typically gather in one corner of the campus when they had no classes and they would all make art with everyone uplifting each other. The photography and film students would film the musicians for their YouTube pages and make photos of the paintings made under the bright L.A sky. They would allow people curious to sit with them and there always seemed to be someone willing to teach someone a few basic skills if they seemed interested. As a photography student, you always were springing about taking pictures of everything but honestly, Nash just wanted you to snap a picture of his dick and burn in into your memory and memory card alike. Which is why, when he got to corner you all alone, he took your camera away from you. "Hey, give that back!" "What? You think you look threatening to me shortie? I would tell you that you look like you punch as a girl, but you are one already." Your jaw dropped open as you saw him going through your photos. "Are you really studying photography? These look like dogshit," Nash commented and you felt rightfully defensive at the way he sneered at your pictures. "I am! You don't need to be such an asshole because it's not up to your taste." You scoffed. "First of all, don't you think you should be talking less shit when I have your camera? Secondly, I would like to know what you think qualifies as taste and how do you even know mine?" This man left you speechless and you tried to grasp at things to say but the words died on your tongue, tears slowly forming. "You know what, I'll give it back to you. But I do require a picture from you, and one of better quality then this garbage you snap." Your eyes immediately narrowed, sensing the direction of this conversation. "I am not allowing you to snap a nude of me." Nash once more curled his lip into a sneer as he said, "I'm not going to be the one taking any picture of you. Why would I want your ugly face and sullen expression? Didn't you teach me that it's better to capture something in the heat of the moment?" You did tell him something along those lines in an earlier conversation and he once more managed to silence you with the way he was analyzing your every move. You honestly were shaking from anxiety as his imposing figure loomed before you. "So how about you take a selfie when you're riding my dick." His free hand grabbed your ass and as your lashes fluttered from confusion and fear he planted the most sensual kiss on your lips, his tongue licking and teasing at your bottom lip in a way that made you lean forwards and press your body against his. There was no way of denying Nash what he wanted, and finally he would have you and that dirty picture.

[c-ptsdrecovery]

I've been meaning to make this post for months, but I'm lazy :P

This year, I got diagnosed with bipolar 2, and going on mood stabilizers has been LIFE-CHANGING. (In the way they always told me going on antidepressants would be, only it wasn't.) I have discovered that I had a lot of (common) misconceptions about what bipolar disorder was like, which was why I struggled for at least 15 years with it and didn't get diagnosed until now. So I wanted to share a little bit about what I've learned about what bipolar disorder is REALLY like, in the hopes that other people in the same boat as me might recognize their own symptoms.

Disclaimers: I am not a mental health professional or an expert in bipolar disorder, and this is drawn from my personal experiences, which may be different from what another person with bipolar experiences.

--There are different levels of depression and of mania. Low mania, for instance, is called hypomania. While people with Bipolar 1 experience a range of emotions from mania to depression, people with Bipolar 2 experience mostly depression with occasional hypomania.

--People have a very extreme and stereotyped idea of what mania looks like, so it can be harder to recognize hypomania in particular. Things that mania/hypomania can look like:

anxiety

restlessness

insomnia

constant fidgeting

huge excitement or joy

intense creativity

intense sensory experience (colors are brighter, handsoap smells AMAZING, etc)

rage

less inhibited behavior

more spending

more risky behavior

feeling like you're finally yourself for the first time in years

--You will notice in that list that manic doesn't just mean happy. Mania is a high-energy state. That can mean high-energy happiness, high-energy anger, high-energy anxiety, etc. Depression is the low-energy side of the equation.

--You don't have to be JUST manic or JUST depressed. It's very common to have "mixed episodes" where you are both at one time. I was diagnosed years ago with "anxiety and depression"--and it turns out that that was probably actually a bipolar mixed state. A lot of people with classic depression talk about having no energy, having trouble getting out of bed, etc, but I always had the kind of depression where I felt despairing but also high-energy. I was restless and anxious--and sometimes had bursts of happiness and enjoyment in the middle and then went back to being depressed again.

--Bipolar can feel like mood swings. Your moods are intense and they can change quickly. I have had a psychiatrist tell me that you know it's bipolar when your mood changes for no reason. This may be true for some people, but for me, I could almost always attribute my mood change to SOMETHING. "I feel bad because of that thing somebody said to me" or "I feel bad because I'm lonely" or "I feel anxious because my stomach is upset". So that wasn't a helpful indicator for me, but the presence of the mood swings was. Some people also try to say that you have to be in a manic or depressive state for a certain number of days in order to qualify as bipolar--but if you're having mixed episodes like I was, all bets are off as to how long a mood is going to last.

--It's very common for people with bipolar disorder to have sleep problems: sleeping too much, sleeping too little, or both. I go right to sleep at bedtime, but then I wake up in the middle of the night, lie awake for an hour, and then go back to sleep. I have done this regularly for literally 15 years.

--A really good sign of having bipolar disorder is if trying a new antidepressant makes you manic/hypomanic. This doesn't always happen to people with bipolar disorder trying an antidepressant, but it certainly can.

My experience with antidepressants is that sometimes they seemed to work a bit for awhile, but in the long run, they really didn't work. One antidepressant that I tried made me FURIOUSLY ANGRY, so much so that it scared me and I had to get off the med after a week (the rage was a hypomanic state). One antidepressant that I tried made me so unbearably anxious that I took it ONCE and never again (that anxiety was also a hypomanic state). I took an antidepressant once that worked PERFECTLY for two months, and then suddenly stopped, and never worked again (happy hypomania, mood-swinging back to depressed again). What finally tipped us off that my problem was bipolar disorder was when I tried a new antidepressant and it made me feel AMAZING and then it wore off and I got super-depressed again... and then we raised the dose and I felt AMAZING and then it wore off, and... Meanwhile, I was happier than I had ever been before, I started a new hobby of collecting bonkers earrings, I started dressing in eye-burning rainbow colors, I was far more confident than I had ever been, I spent more (not way too much, but more) than usual... That is the kind of hypomanic/manic state that most people recognize as such, which is how I finally got diagnosed.

I will add on tomorrow or so with some stories about episodes that I recognize in retrospect were from my bipolar disorder, but I don't want to make this post longer than it already is! I will just add: If any of this sounds like you, I strongly encourage you to talk to a doctor about trying mood stabilizers. Maybe they won't do anything for you--but then at least you'll KNOW. I have a sneaking suspicion that just like C-PTSD is wildly underdiagnosed, bipolar disorder probably is, too.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Before he leaves for Earth, Mebius goes to each of the six Ultra Brothers to ask if they have any advice for him. Of course, he's been given every possible briefing, every informational course, but education isn't the same as wisdom, and the Brothers more than anyone else have that.

He goes to Zoffy first, because Zoffy's very busy and probably won't have much time to talk, and Zoffy looks at him for a long moment and then says, "Accept help when it's offered. Don't assume that you're ready to do everything entirely by yourself."

Ultraman says nothing. Ultraman almost never says anything. He just reaches out and presses his hand to the center of Mebius' chest and nods encouragingly. Mebius doesn't entirely get it, but he does feel encouraged.

Seven makes a face for a moment, stares off into the sky, and then says, "Make sure to get plenty of sleep and drink a lot of water. Try any food you're offered. If you see Anne, tell her I say hello."

Jack makes a different kind of face than the one Seven made. "Keep an eye out for cars around any humans you know. And make sure to watch the sun rise at least once."

Ace grins. "Relax! Try to make some friends. Talk to lots of children. Learn to dance."

Taro is last, because he knows Taro best and finds him sort of less intimidating than the others, and Taro looks at him very closely for a moment and then says, "You're going to have a moment, probably very early on, where you're holding a human in the palm of your hand and you'll be able to feel them breathing and it's going to strike you how small they are, and how fragile. And you'll probably panic and think, why am I the one doing this? What makes me qualified to help these people?"

Mebius nods seriously and tries to turn that thought around in his head. "All right. What do I do then?"

"You save them. Like you were already going to do."

"But what does make me qualified? I mean, I've had all this training–"

"The training's not that important." Taro shrugs. "Training's just training. The only thing that actually makes you qualified to do it is that you're the one there to do it. Everything else comes after that." He claps Mebius on the shoulder. "Just keep that in mind and you'll be fine."

[writingquestionsanswered]

Something always felt wrong about my writing and I think I've now found what it is: it is too corny. How can I fix this? I've written three full novels, I've studied plot structure, read and watched tons of resources, I'm a regular reader (at least 5 books per month, mostly within my genre)... But I always end up cringing when I reread most of what I've written. A part of me feels that, if I had any talent, I would've already overcame this by now. Sorry for mistakes, English is not my language, and sorry for bringing my problems here 🤦🏻‍♀️

Writer Feels Like Their Writing is Corny

Here's the thing... here's two things, actually:

1 - "Corny" doesn't mean anything. It's a subjective personal feeling. What one person finds to be corny another person might not find to be corny. So, unless you tell me what you feel is corny about your writing, I can't tell you how to fix it.

2 - You're actually not the best judge of your own writing...

As writers, we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to evaluating our own writing. For one thing, we can get hung up on confidence issues that make us feel things about our writing that aren't true. We can get overconfident and feel like our writing is flawless and amazing when it isn't, and we can get under confident and feel like our writing is bad when it isn't. We're also just too close to the writing... so close that we can't always see issues that others can easily see. So we're just not the most qualified people to judge our own writing, and that's why there's such a thing as critique partners, beta readers, and editors. And the truth of the matter is, most good writers struggle with feeling like their writing is corny at some point. It tends to happen more often earlier in our writing, and that's because it's more likely to be true then. But it still happens further into our writing journeys, even to critically acclaimed, best-selling authors. And obviously, then it's less likely to be true and more likely to be the kind of random self-doubt that plagues most creatives. But the point is that just because you feel like your writing is corny doesn't mean it is. (Again, you're not the best judge on that front...)

This is why it's ESSENTIAL for writers to get feedback from others. You can't know if your writing is actually corny unless other people read your writing and the bulk of them agree that it's corny. Otherwise, you're just going off a gut instinct that may not even be correct.

If you're truly as experienced as you say you are, odds are you're just experiencing random self-doubt, but the only way to know for sure (and the only way to erase the self-doubt) is to get feedback from others. Look for a local or online writer's group, find a critique partner, hire someone to do a professional critique, or find some beta readers. If all or most of them agree your writing is corny, ask them why and then let me know what they say, and I'll help you figure out how to fix it. I think there's a reasonably good chance that they won't think it's corny, though, but you won't know until you get the feedback. :)

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[luthwhore]

i am buying a house, and (maybe) you can too!

so... you want to buy a house, but you don't make a lot of money and you have no way to save up the recommended 10% recommended downpayment on a mortgage, which means you're basically going to be stuck renting forever, right?

well... actually, maybe not!

this post is going to be very US-centric, so i cannot speak to the homebuying experience in other countries, but if you live in the united states... you might be able to buy a house for much less up front than you might think!

this is gonna get long, but the main things you'll need are:

a credit score in the low- to mid-600s. this can vary by program, but most down payment assistance programs require somewhere between a 620 and 660. (i might make a second post at some point about credit scores bc fixing my credit score was a long and arduous process.)

enough in savings to cover a few up-front expenses. there are a couple of things that the down payment assistance programs won't cover. for me, we ended up having to pay ~$1500 up front total, which - to put it in perspective - is less than the deposit and move-in fees were going to be at most apartments in our area.

that's basically it! if you can do those two things, you might be able to buy a house!

let's talk about the details.

programs vary by state, but most states have down payment assistance programs of one kind or another. there's also a federal USDA loan program which is $0 down as well, but is only available in rural areas.

these programs WILL usually require you to have a certain credit score, usually somewhere in the 600s. (the particular program my housemates and i are using requires a minimum 640, but some require a higher or lower credit score than that.)

usually your first step is speak to a mortgage lender. the mortgage lender i'm working with is only available in the state of tennessee and not all mortgage companies accept all down payment assistance options, so i would research options in your state and then check to see if the programs have a list of preferred lenders and/or loan officers.

this sounds scary, but my loan officer has been a life-saver during this process. generally your loan officer wants to help you succeed, particularly when they know you're a first time home owner. tell your loan officer that you're going to be a first time home owner and you're interested in a $0 down payment program. they can run the numbers and see if you qualify, and if so, how much you can qualify for.

you can have multiple people on the mortgage with you, but everyone on the mortgage has to meet the credit score requirement.

if you do qualify, also talk to your loan officer about how much you can pay per month for a mortgage, too, since this might also impact what price range you're shopping in.

you'll also want a real estate agent. (trust me on this. you want a real estate agent.) my loan officer recommended a real estate agent to me and we quite literally could not have done this without him. your real estate agent does a lot more than just help you find houses to look at. they will also point out things that you might not know to look for and will also help negotiate with the seller for you.

when you talk to your real estate agent, tell them you are using a down payment assistance program and that you will need the seller to cover your closing costs. closing costs, for reference, are a bunch of small expenses that are paid when you officially sign the mortgage. typically both the buyer and the seller have separate closing costs, but it's fairly normal for buyers to ask the seller to pay for their closing costs for them in the current market. your real estate agent can then negotiate for this for you.

if the seller covers your closing costs and you can get approved for down payment assistance, there are only three things you will probably have to pay for out of pocket:

"earnest money." this is a small sum of money you pay to hold the house after the seller accepts your bid. (in our case, we paid $500 for our earnest money.)

the home inspection. our home inspection was also about $500, though the price of this could vary based on where you live.

the home appraisal. for us this was also about $500, though again, this could vary based on where you live.

and that's basically it! obviously talk with your loan officer and real estate agent about the cost of these things bc they might not be the same cost for you as they were for me, but for us, this ended up actually being cheaper than moving into a new apartment!

[l0vegl0wsinthedark]

heyy <3

can i get some writing tips??

like how to describe something without seeming too much?

oh and how tf do i write smut 😭 i always cringe and end up deleting it

thank you 💙🤍

p.s. have a lovely dayyy

Okay look i usually never answer these asks with any real advice because i just don't think i am qualified to teach anybody how to write. I'm so sleepy and tired rn so obviously I'm going to give you advice. I will tell you what i try to bear in mind while i write which is never haha. Please don't read this more than once:

When describing:

People:

Don't describe clothes/outfits in intricate detail unless the details matter/contribute to the story/plot. Or if the clothes themselves help describe something else (eg. Her blue shirt made hear eyes appear bluer than ever.)

While we're on a person's appearance, try to describe a character in a way that tells us more than just about what you're describing (eg. His sweet smile was directly at odds with the malevolence his eyes always gleamed with.) Two birds, one stone.

Please refrain from having character stand before a mirror and describe themselves in painful detail to the reader. Just please no. (Case in point: nicely separated breasts. iykyk)

Describe a person's nature/character using their actions. Actions similar in style/motive etc will go on to form the character's tendencies. This is how the reader can then go "ah shit, he's about to fuck around and find out isn't he thE IDIOT NOOO I KNEW IT!!!". Additionally, this can also be a way to surprise the reader "great she's gonna work late AGAIN and miss the— SHE JUST BROKE HER BOSS' FACE?!?!!?AHSHSJSJHSHS"

Setting:

Describe what is pertinent to the scene you're writing. If you describe one particular thing in rich detail, it's gotta play an important role at some point.

The curtains don't have to be blue if the character is sad. They can be any colour you want them to be. Use instant instinct to draw details; if you overthink you might end up pouring a whole lot of meaning into stuff that you never intended to and this might distract from the actual story.

The more details you provide, the clearer the picture in the reader's mind (also the more you need to remember if you're revisiting the room). It's a fucking gamble.

When providing descriptions in general, less is more. I struggle a lot with this because i want to tell the readers about every flower in the upholstery and every lamp post on the street. When you read the old classics you'll find all these detailed descriptions and they're just so charming. Something about the way literature has evolved since then has prompted professors to teach us not to bore the reader with too much or something. Like, honestly, i don't think any two writers can describe something in the same way. It all comes down to style i think??

On writing smut:

I am the opposite of an expert just please don't listen to me.

Please just say cock.

PLEASE DON'T SAY CUM.

Please let them sweat and smell like it; let them make dying whale noises instead of musical moans; sometimes people have kinda funny or weird sex faces and that's fine i think.

Body parts dangle and sag and bulge and jiggle.

Bodies have hair.

Write what you think would feel good. Chances are that others might think so too.

No he cannot last that long, make him come.

No she did not squirt like a fountain.

No he does not taste like fucking mango sorbet or some gourmet shit; his cock tasted like a dick because it is a penis.

No her vagina did not look like a rose spreading its petals and did not taste like a strawberry; it smelled and tasted like a vagina.

Sometimes sex is awkward.

Not everyone is an expert.

I think it's safe to say that one does not usually have fourteen consecutive orgasms.

Look i can go on and on. Keep smut real and stay in character and things will sound hot because the people having sex in scene think it's hot.

Everything i have just written is complete bullshit. Kisses!

[imagine-silk]

AtSV; Modern!College!Miguel and Peter w/ a exchange student who speaks little English

》 This kind of relies on you being a man because you will be living with him

Miguel

Was more than a little annoyed because they chose him for speaking Spanish. You spoke Brazilian Portuguese. "Olá, estou muito animado para conhecê-lo."

When you get there he hears you and immediately goes for a transfer. B-lines for the office with you and shows them the problem.

"We don't speak the same language. Look." He turned to you who had no idea why you were there. "¿Me entiendes?" You furrowed your brow at him saying unknown words. "O que você está dizendo?"

Unfortunately, the program was just starting and no one but the teacher spoke Portuguese. Everyone else spoke enough English to get by but you didn't.

He takes you to his classes and uses a translator to talk to you. He says if you're surrounded by the language you will learn it. And as much as it pains him that means he needs to speak English at home.

You can sense his frustration with you and it off puts you to the point you get a translation app too and try to walk around by yourself. But then he had to save you from a fight you accidentally found yourself in. How you did that you don't know.

He tells you it's not personal, he hates that they gave him a task he's not qualified for and doesn't have the time to learn the qualifications. "It going fine. Trying is something even you are upset." You say trying to assure him, and it works.

He becomes a lot less uptight about you in general and actually goes out of his way to help you, something Jess and Lyla will point out.

He doesn't learn Portuguese, he already knows a Latin language and he just doesn't have the time. But he will always have some sort of translator on him to make up for it.

You both get withdrawls from speaking English all the time so you agreed to speak your language at home and just deal. If you need the other to for sure know what your saying then you speak English.

Teachers both love and hate you. Miguel is one of the best students and he's helping another student therefore furthering the message, but also they can't use him as an example or use him as a TA because he has to walk around a new kid.

The more you learn English the easier your life gets, you still want to speak your language but you do that on your own. But well passed the exit point Miguel doesn't sign off on being your chauffeur. You both know why, you just don't want to say the quiet part out loud.

Peter

He doesn't know how he got chosen to take care of you, he's not known for being responsible. But he doesn't say no.

Even though he was in charge of helping you through daily life he didn't think the language barrier would be as difficult as it was. Turkish was more than a little different.

"Merhaba ve benimle yaşamayı kabul ettiğiniz için teşekkür ederim." He blinks a few times before you realize he didn't understand you. "You are not translate?" "No. We're you supposed to have one?" He's genuinely confused rather than annoyed. You tell him you thought you would but rereading your transfer papers it didn't say you would be supplied with one.

You apologize for your broken English and he brushes it off. It wasn't your fault.

Without any thought he takes up learning it. Seriously, he shows up that night with books, a few academic and a few for children. "I know less than a kid so it's a good place to start."

You will teach each other your respective languages. You told him he didn't need to learn Turkish but he insisted he did, if not to make you more comfortable then to talk shit in front of people.

He's better at academics than he'll have anyone know so it doesn't take long for him to get the basics down and a few key phrases. "Yiyecek almaya gitmek ister misin? Açlıktan ölüyorum." His accent is halfway there because he hears yours.

Constantly speaks to you in Turkish for various reasons. One; to keep it fresh in his mind and make you comfortable while you learn English. Two; to show off he knows another language. Three; to low-key keep you to himself. It's not possessive it's just a quiet 'we have a thing you will never understand' so it's more like bragging.

Will talk about classes, social cues, people to know and stay away from, how the freshmen are adorable, and how much he doesn't like Jess. You can find a safe place with him while you're getting things in order. You can count on him to help you. Who wouldn't find that incredibly sexy?

[sk8termikey]

Chapter 7 of 21 Questions

better interface on wattpad

"Your boyfriend texted!" Alex called for her best friend who was in the kitchen, as the phone lit up from a message from Matt🍂.

"My hands are full of batter girl, just tell me what he says and maybe reply for me if it looks important", Lily replied as she was cooking. "And drop the boy in front of friend, unless you put a fucking space between the words.

As she used her fingerprint to unlock Lily's phone, Alex looked at the notification – she didn't want to actually open the message in case it could wait, fearing that she might leave the boy on read. She had been joking for the past month about Lily and her new friend's relationship since she discovered that he went out of his way to send a picture to Lily. This had been enough proof for Alex to start teasing her best friend about a possible romance – pretty pictures of the sky were in fact Lily's love language. Both girls did know it was just for fun, the same way they would qualify famous people as theirs when it was their ultimate celebrity crush.

Furrowing her brows at the phone in front of her, Alex didn't know whether to qualify the text as important or not.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Alex went to the kitchen where Lily was and read her the text, which led to the brunette letting out a laugh.

"Oh my god this kid I swear to god". Lily couldn’t stop laughing as she thought about an answer. "This sounds semi important lol but just tell him that of course I am always down to hide a body, I know a few tricks."

Alex laughed as well – more to her friend's reply than the actual subject – and wrote back a message, trying to imitate Lily's writing style. The two girls influenced each other a lot regarding their texting habits and the way they spoke, thus making it easy for Alex to fake it. Before sending it, she thought it could be funny to actually hold a conversation with the mystery guy as she had only heard about him and still needed to check if he was a good person for Lily.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Heya, your girl's bestie here

Obviously she would

Dw ab it

Oh

Hi

Thanks for the reassurance haha

You're the famous Alex?

I am, yes💃🏻

Glad to know I'm known even in whatever state you're in

I'm here to check if you're legit bro

Check all you want

I like to think I'm a good person

Well

You did ask help to bury a body

This doesn't help your case

Well

According to you, your "bestie" would help my case

Nice one

Ig talking for a couple of months led to you guys knowing each other

Yeah, it's fun getting to know Lily

She's really kind and we get along well :)

Friendship test then

You ready for it?

Go ahead

Simple questions to see if you deserve the honour of taking her time

Her favourite colour?

I know this one

It's purple

But she told me she actually doesn't have lots of purple things in her life, mostly blue

Wow bonus points

Yes!

I'm sure I can manage the rest

We'll see, pokemon boy

Her favourite food?

One of the first things we talked about 

I remember bc I don't like sushi

So it's this and pizza i think 

I-

I'm gonna ignore you not liking sushi and give you the point

Hmm next question 

Do you know where we work?

Like our job

Yeah, a café right?

With books

She loves talking about it

She just loves talking about you in general because you're related to her passions 

And also being the closest person to her

Damn this girl is absolutely getting the best birthday ever

She deserves the world

Ig you pass the test matty boy

Ok what

Unsent

The fuck is this nickname coming from

Unsent

We're just chilling, no need to panic

Unsent

Cool cool cool

Wait i kinda need a retake tho

What

Why

Idk her birthday??

I don't think we ever talked about it

Oh

That just means you'll never steal my best friend title

But yeah it's next week actually

Well in less than a week technically like in 4 days

Thanks, I'll wish it to her then

You better

I'm gonna delete the last texts so that she gets your text as a surprise

Counting on you bro

Of course, I won't let you or her down

As she deleted the last dozens of messages between her and Matt, Alex then put down the phone and looked up to see Lily smiling at her.

"You were having fun?" Lily asked her best friend. "I couldn't hear you for ten minutes and you looked like you were having fun."

"Oh". Alex was almost embarrassed to be caught enjoying a conversation with her friend's new friend. She shrugged it off and slided the phone back to its owner. "Just checking if the kid deserves your friendship."

"And? What's the verdict, judge Alex?" Lily playfully teased.

"Well, I guess he's not that bad. I trust you and you would have dropped him if he wasn't someone you liked talking to."

Lily's smile grew bigger at Alex's replies and took her arm to lead her to the couch as they would watch TV while waiting for Lily's desserts to cook.

~~~

A few days later and on the eve of Lily's birthday, Alex had everything planned: she was prepared to give her best friend a wonderful twentieth birthday, starting the day before with their out-of-work-coming-back-to-home ritual. As always for the last months, Wednesday meant a new video from the Sturniolo Triplets and Alex had prepared a comfortable scenery for Lily. The couch had been specially opened as a bed, with several blankets carefully folded on it. Snacks were ready and dinner was on its way as Alex had ordered some of Lily's favourites, which were pizza and sushi – damn Matt did get it right, Alex thought back to her conversation with him a few days prior. She hoped he could be part of Lily's happiness tomorrow, and maybe for a while after. Lily had always wished for simple birthdays. The sheer fact of knowing the people she loved took the time to think of her on this day was enough to her. Lily only needed her favourite people around her; just a day spent with her loved ones was the only gift she wished for and this is what Alex tried to stay faithful to, although a couple of surprises felt deserved for the special occasion.

As usual, Lily was coming home almost an hour after the video came out and Alex wasted no time to welcome her friend at the door. She took Lily's bag to put it down and closed the door behind them.

"Now now, just do whatever I say and don't ask questions", Alex ordered Lily who could only comply. 

The blonde led her best friend to the bathroom and to Lily's surprise, a bath had been drawn along with a few candles. Pink bubbles could be seen floating on top of the bath and Lily couldn't help but smile. It had been a long day at work – one of those rude customers who were unable to accept that their order was not ready within two seconds after having asked for it – so the girl had been exhausted and her mood started to lift up due to this pleasant surprise.

"I don't want to see you for at least the next half hour", Alex warned her friend. "Enjoy this and stay in it until your skin gets fucking wrinkles, okay?"

Lily nodded with a quiet laugh and got ready to enter the bath as Alex left the room, not without putting on a bit of music to help Lily relax.

Exactly thirty-one minutes later did Lily go back downstairs to see Alex setting up the freshly arrived food on the table in the living room. Lily definitely appreciated the bath and the calm music, but she had felt lonely and only wanted to come back to her friend so that they could do their weekly tradition in honour of a new vlog or challenge from their favourite triplets.

Lily saw the TV already set up to play this day's video which was entitled Chris forced us all to do COLD PLUNGES – it sounded even more chaotic than the previous videos and Lily knew it was possible for them to achieve that.

The two girls sat on the couch and put the food between them as the video started. What was a given from the title is that the triplets were going to bathe in ice cold water and so they had to go to the supermarket to buy ice. As they didn’t find enough – well in Chris’s opinion, the youngest triplet decided to ask if they had more in the back when they were paying. Luckily for them, the cashier managed to bring them more ice, which Chris thanked him for as he put them all in his arms.

“Damn, I feel cold just watching him with all this ice,” Lily said as she shivered. She had always been prone to being cold and getting sick easily so she knew the whole video was going to make her feel uncomfortable even though she wasn’t the one doing the activity with them.

Alex laughed at her friend’s comment and they started laughing even more when Chris wished for more ice, thus getting his brothers to go to another store and ending with a cart full of ice per Chris’s request.

“Okay, this is definitely too much ice like I gotta agree with Nick on this one”, Alex said as she was matching Nick’s apprehensive expression.

“Yeah for real”, Lily approved. “Chris is gonna regret saying that it’s never too much.”

After the bathtub was filled with ice and ice cold water, the triplets were finally ready to do their “cold plunges” as Chris tried to motivate himself by having to pretend to be a can of pepsi. Funnily enough, there had actually been a can of pepsi right before this. Therefore, Chris was the first to go in and he did regret it as he was barely able to put his feet in the bathtub. Followed Nick who imitated Chris with a spider-like position above the bathtub but did not end up fully in – unlike Matt who absolutely did not care and managed to get most of his body in the water.

“I. Am. amazed right now”, Lily commented as she was curled like a ball with a blanket around her. “I don’t know how he accepted the idea and succeeded in doing that. I would surely want to kill my brothers for this crazy situation.”

Alex hummed in agreement with her best friend and they both gasped when a couple of minutes later, Nick also fully went into the bathtub. The two girls then started laughing along with Matt and Chris as Nick ran into the shower while being shocked from what he had just done. After the middle and youngest decided to give it one last try, Lily couldn’t help but comment:

“Wait, I just noticed, is Chris the only one without tattoos?”

“Yeah, Nick and Matt both have an almost full sleeve but Chris doesn’t have any for now”, Alex explained. “I don’t know if he’ll ever get one but he would look great with a couple honestly.”

“I totally agree. And I absolutely love Nick’s and Matt’s tattoos, I might have to look at them more clearly to get a few inspirations for if I ever decide to get tattooed.” Lily was in awe of the triplets at the moment: since she started to follow them, Lily had to admit that they were all good-looking and tattoos really added something to their charm. “Also if I can say, Matt is slaying with the beard.”

“Right?” Alex exclaimed. “That was such a good move from him and I hope he’s gonna keep it for a while.”

As the girls kept talking after watching the video, Lily was feeling so much better. The simple things like spending time with her favourite person and eating her favourite foods were all Lily could ask for to enjoy life.

The night being still young, the two girls decided to watch some of their favourite Disney movies, such as Cars or Inside Out. They had a passion for animated movies that quickly brought them together when their friendship had started and everytime a new movie would come out, they would go see it together at the cinema. Lily and Alex had had this routine for a few years and none of them would ever trade the way they lived.

It was finally the actual date of Lily's birthday. As she had already spent a really nice evening the day before with Alex, she wasn't expecting much when she woke up. Obviously, everyone at the café had been giving a day off as the four coworkers were planning to maybe hang out to celebrate Lily's twentieth birthday. 

As it had happened last year as well – since the two girls started living together, both Lily's and Alex's parents called her to wish her a good day and catch up on what was new. The two families had been close since the two became best friends and would often have get-together, even as Lily and Alex moved out from their family houses.

After an hour spent talking to her parents and "second" parents, Lily received a message from the group chat with her friends.

gc: Caffeine addicts💃🏻💃🏻

Alexxx🫶🏻

Okayy guys

Everyone meet at noon at our house

We're going out :))

Luke🌈

Will I drive the whole way or be able to leave my car at yours?

Bc if i do, i need gas💀

Alexxx🫶🏻

Well-

That'd be great bc I'm not making my bestie drive on her bday

I'll pay for it even

Or you drive our car idk

Luke🌈

Kk, I'll go now

And no need dw<3

I'll regret not having gas and forgetting in a few days i know myself

Jade🌱

I'll be there, see you soon!!

Why am I only learning ab it now??

Where are we even going like

What's the dress code??

Jade🌱

Wear smth normal

It's gonna be chill, don't overthink

Okay😭

@Alexxx🫶🏻 where are you btw?

Alexxx🫶🏻

Just went to give back a plate to the neighbour 

Yk she cooked us the muffins last week

Oooh ye i remember

Ig I'll get ready then

What Lily didn't know is that Alex was absolutely not at their neighbour's. The plate had been given back a few days ago already but Alex took the opportunity of Lily forgetting to use that excuse. In reality, the blonde was at the bakery to get the birthday cake she had ordered: Lily's favourite, which was a triple chocolate cake with some fresh fruits on the top.

~~~

When she came home, Alex was right on time as Lily was descending the stairs. Alex went up to her best friend to wish her happy birthday for the tenth time – she had already said it the day before as a pre-birthday celebration, then at midnight, then she had sent a couple of texts to Lily during the night. The two girls hugged for a few minutes then let go as it was almost time for their friends to arrive. The four of them were all used to being punctual so it wasn't a surprise when at five to twelve, the doorbell rang. Lucas had picked Jade up as they were living near each other. Lily being ready and Alex having prepared what she needed earlier in the morning, they all decided to go. As agreed, Lucas drove his three friends to the secret place – secret only to Lily obviously – and for the whole ride, he had let the birthday girl choose the music, which was a once in a blue moon occasion for Lucas was very picky with what type of music was played in his car. Well, today was a special day and Lily took advantage of it.

After a ride full of pop music, the four friends arrived at the Weeki Wachee Spring State Park. It was not just a simple park, but it was filled with attractions and animals, appealing to both children and adults. Alex had purchased tickets knowing how much Lily loved nature and just walking around while admiring the beauty of the world they had the chance to live in. Speaking of the devil, Lilt was ecstatic when she realised where they were. She had been wanting to go there for a while but never had the chance so she was really excited to finally visit it. The weather was perfect for a day out and Alex knew it was because her friend brought happiness and warmth everywhere she went, just like the sun would.

After checking in, the group let Jade guide them as she had been to the place a couple of times and knew exactly where to bring Lily to make her have the best day ever. Lucas had brought some food and so once in a while they would just sit on a bench to eat as they appreciated what Mother Nature gave them. For the whole afternoon, they simply walked around and as Lily was smiling at every turn, her three friends could only be happy as well that she was having an amazing day.

As they were leaving the park due to it closing and coming back to Lucas's car, Jade suddenly gasped.

"Oh my god fuck–"

"What's wrong?" Lily immediately asked, afraid that her friend was in trouble.

"Oh sorry, I was just looking for my cardigan in my bag. I was so sure I packed it," Jade explained.

"Wait, do you mean the one you had on yesterday?" Lucas tried to confirm. "The brown one?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw it on the couch in the break room", Lucas replied.

Jade faced her friend as if he had revealed the world's biggest secret to her. The sad expression on her face was enough for Lily to react.

"Well, tomorrow is your day off so that would mean you won't get it back till Saturday. We can get it before coming home if you want, it's on the way." Lily suggested as she didn't want one of her friends to experience an issue.

Jade quickly thanked Lily for offering and so they all decided to make a quick stop by their workplace. Little did Lily know, she was so predictable that this whole conversation had been rehearsed and planned by her friends. Indeed, they knew the brunette would never let Jade go home without her beloved cardigan – which was actually at the café, but Jade didn't give a fuck about it as she could literally come get it the next day even if she didn't have a shift. It was usual for one of them to just come to the café and act as a customer who was absolutely not working there.

When they arrived at the café, Lily was the first to leave the car and take her keys to open the door. She was fully expecting it to take five minutes maximum as she just needed to go into the break room, take the cardigan and come back outside so that her friends didn't have anything to do – which was still according to their plan. As a matter of fact, when Lily entered the main room where most of the chairs and tables were, she actually stopped in her tracks and wondered why some of the chairs were down. Had she forgotten to put them all on the tables when she closed yesterday? To be sure of what she thought she was seeing, Lily turned the light on and was faced with a surprise. Nothing could have prepared her for the huge sign that was reading HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY and the heart balloons over the counter.

Turning back to the door through which she entered, Lily was met with her friends all smiling and singing to her. How had she not seen it coming? Lily had just expected the afternoon at the park to be the only thing they had planned, along with a small diner back at her house. She was still harbouring a shocked expression when Alex quickly slipped behind her to go open the fridge and took out the cake she had bought this morning. As she lit up twenty candles on the cake, Alex, Jade and Lucas started again to sing to Lily. When the cake was put down on the only table without any chair on it, they all sat down and told Lily to make a wish, which she did while blowing out her candles. Following some laughter during the explanations of how Alex had lied this morning as well as how Lucas and Jade had come in early to decorate the café, the four friends enjoyed the cake and discussed some memories of previous birthdays they had experienced together. Although Jade and Lucas had only been working with Lily and Alex for less than two years, it was enough for the four of them to develop a close bond.

After they finished eating, Jade, Lucas and Alex went to the break room to retrieve the gifts they had for Lily – plus the brown cardigan that Jade remembered. They all gave their presents to Lily, who started crying when opening them – emotions are really overwhelming sometimes. Lucas had bought her new headphones as her old ones stopped working a few weeks ago. They were decorated with heart and flower stickers which Lily found adorable. Jade, as a fan of crafts, had made her a set composed of a mug, a plate and a bowl that were all painted with Lily's favourite colour. Finally, Alex had bought her a Care Bear – the "Tenderheart" one, which was perfect to symbolise the girls' relationship. Lily thanked them all for their friendship and told them how glad she was to have them in her life as she hugged them first individually then decided she wanted a group hug.

Lily would never trade her friends for anything else and as she came home with Alex after bidding goodbye to Jade and Lucas who had dropped them off, she realised that another friend of hers was starting to be also important to her. Indeed, as she hadn't checked her phone since they left the park, Lily saw that she had actually received a birthday message a few hours ago from her new friend Matt, which brought a smile onto her face.

Matt🍂

Hi, I hope you had/have a good day

Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, enjoy your twenties :)

Thank you so much omgg<3

How do you even know?

I don't remember ever mentioning it

Or i just have a bad memory-

It was actually your friend alex who told me

When she replied to me a few days ago?

Ooooh

Makes sense

So, did you enjoy your day?

Yess it was so fun!!

My friends organised me a great day, i love them sm

Good to know

While we're at it, I need to know your birthday now

It's only fair🤷🏻‍♀️

Here we go

Unsent

Hmm ok ok a random date far enough from now

Unsent

Oh yes of course 

It's november 6

Not very soon

I'll remember it :))

It's a bit late for me rn so I won't stay up long but thanks again

It was nice to know you thought of me

No problem

You're kinda in my thoughts lately tbh

Oh

I've been binge watching gravity falls so yeah haha

Oh haha

A man of taste

You know me!

Well i won't keep you awake so have a good night

Thaanks, you too

Talk to you soon

Thank you for reading. Votes and comments are always appreciated if you like this story :) The story is co-written w @/little_grapejuice on wattpad

[theflyingfeeling]

sending you a lot of hugs! 🫂🫂🫂

everything’s gonna be alright again! 🥰

please don’t be too hard on yourself. even if you reapplied to the job - you had your reasons and they should respect it. that doesn’t make a fool out of you.

here have an orca who has fun splashing in the water:

I hope this cheered you up a bit 🥰🫂

awwwww a cute orca 🥺 thank you 🖤

I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that (gonna put this behind a read-more)

I less worried what they might think of me for reapplying after having turned them down once already. I'm more worried about my employement agency person calling them to make sure I did actually apply and that I do actually have an interview with them, in other words, that I haven't been lying about it. IF the people from the workplace I'm applying to find it odd or off-putting or suspicious that someone from the employment agency is asking after me to make sure I haven't been dishonest in what I've told them (even though I haven't!), they might not want to hire me? Is that something they could do? If I'm otherwise qualified? I mean, I could live with not being hired, but then I'd have to worry about the employment agency deciding to cut off/suspend my unemployment daily allowance, because I had declined the first interview that I was invited to. Because I guess they could very easily do that, since I've been neglecting my responsibilities as an unemployed job-seeker (at least this is how my wrteched brain sees it lol).

I'm not sure if this makes any sense to anyone 🤷‍♀️ I'm just so scared of having screwed things up.

(As a side note, in Finland the current system is that if you're an unemployed job seeker, you're required to apply to 4 jobs every month or in other ways show you've been "an active job-seeker". You do this by filling in a form online in which you explain what you've done during each 4-week period (there's a deadline for it too). It's mostly about applying for jobs or looking for job opportunities in other ways (e.g. sending out open applications to employers; I'm not sure if you're supposed to tell them you've been in a job interview or if it counts as "activity", but at least there's no clear option for that in the online form). And I have fulfilled this criteria every fucking month, this month well in advance actually, so on that part they'd have no reason to cut off my allowance, but I also assume not going to an interview would be enough of a reason for them to do so 🤷‍♀️

Furthermore, on my first meeting with my employment agency contact person I asked how they make sure one really has done all those activities they have reported, and she said that sometimes they do check-ups, but not usually not needed and that she's never had to do it. In my case I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she decided to do a check-up and call the place, especially because I've been sort of passive and gloomy whenever we've talked (because I'm just so stressed out and anxious about being unemployed. I had to hold back tears the whole time during our first meeting; the rest have been just phone calls but I did silently cry during one of them too), so I have no idea what kind of impression I have given of myself to her.

[palialaina]

You know, it's always when I think it's going to be a calm time that I just get jumped by nonsense.

And honestly, I wasn't too impressed by Kenli when I met him, but this kind of tanked my whole opinion...

I get that he definitely doesn't feel qualified for the job, but... pushing your duties off on other people just because you can't bear to hurt someone is... you know.. kind of not okay.

Like, how was I supposed to be okay with telling Auntie Del about the taxes and taking away teh farm?! I had to make Dad come with me to help me say something!

And of course then we learned that Auntie Del's grandfather was a very smart man and that made things a lot less stressful, but also, Kenli really should have dealt with all of that himself instead of insisting I do it.

I should have told him to grow a spine, ugh. I really wish I knew how Kenyatta came from parents like Eshe and Kenli, because she's awesome, and they're... well. Not that great.

Dad said I was being a little harsh, but he did agree that Kenli should also have done his job, so like...

Feh.

Then I had to help Hodari get some iron, which wasn't so bad. Right up until Najuma popped by and told me the mine was haunted. Like, I don't think it is, but also, Najuma's a kid who lost her mom and her dad is... well, he tries, but he's really bad at actually hearing her.

So I told her I believed her, and went to talk to Hodari, again. He said it was just how dark the new tunnels in the mine were, so he had me gather up some lantern bugs to help brighten the passages some.

I'm pretty sure there's les... insect-murdery ways to do that, Hodari. I mean, I did it because like heck I'm going into a dark dark mine either! My eyesight is bad enough that I'd probably end up freaked out too!

I try to stop by Naj every time I'm out in Bahari, just so she knows she's not alone. Maybe I don't get the whole fascination with mining and explosives, but I know a lonely kid when I see one.

She did complain at me about the idea of Auni having a crush on her. Auni's way more invested in bugs and the Order, fortunately. It's a shame there aren't more kids around her age; being stuck together with someone just because you're the only two around can kinda suck.

With that nonsense out of the way though, I was finally able to get around to actually doing what I wanted at Bahari. So much useful beachcombing today, all the oysters! I still haven't caught the bottle with the sushi recipe in it (and I'm going to smack whoever tossed it into a pond around here...), but I did catch some other new fish with my very pretty fishing rod!

Oh, and Eshe was in a mood. Apparently Zeki jumped her (seriously Zeki? What the heck???) and then a chappa stole her money pouch. I have so many questions, but it took a ton of effort to just keep a straight face and be solicitous about it. I had to rush off before I just busted out laughing at her face.

She looked so mad! So huffy! I don't entirely get why she's telling me these things now, but it's weirdly nice to see that she's not... always Like That.

ANyways, after I decided I was going to try and improve my skills with my bow. I... am definitely not the best. It's really not my favorite thing (bug hunting is worse, but not by much), thought I understand why Hassian wants us to hunt the chappa. I swear, every time I shot one, at least four more of them scattered!

Hassian actually kind of saved me from getting my face kicked in too.

I was chasing a chappa, and a sernuk just came out of nowhere. And then so did Hassien! Just yanked me out of the way like it wasn't any big deal!

I had to give him something for it, I mean really. And I was carrying around some extra food to snack on, so I insisted he have some, and I think he even smiled a little!

...his smile isn't as nice as Jel's, but. Well. It's nice to see him smile period. Even though he said he was taking out misplaced anger on me, I still think he doesn't actually like many humans.

I can't really blame him, I guess, but it'd be nice if he was less... bitey.

Hm.

After that I decided I was doing going out and about, and just went home. I had to work on my house some more, and I think I'm close to actually having it just perfect~

I decided it made more sense to have the bigger room be the living room, and that was one heck of an adventure, getting all of that moved around and rebuilt, and I kind of wish I knew magic, because holy heck....

But now the house is better laid out, I think. I need a new couch, which means I have to gather a lot of plant fiber and silk, and I still need more iron (soooooo much iron), but after that, and I find a few more finishing touches, it's gonna be just perfect.

And I got to show both of my human friends around! Orion's still working on his house and he has no idea what he wants to do, so maybe I gave him some inspiration! Lark's still working on their set up too, but they both were really amazed at everything I've done. I had to point out that I emerged before they did, so I've had more time to make it this comfy.

They were both still impressed. It was a nice feeling.

And then Jel came to see me, since I had once again lost all track of time, and he admired my house too, and I think he was going to say something, but then he changed his mind and instead asked if I could help him muddle through a bout of artists block.

So I made him help me weed the garden! He went and used the guest tub after (I finally got a spared wardrobe in there, and some extra clothes too), and we had dinner, and then he beat me at chezzu again, and I told him almost everything I'd done recently, and he scolded me for being an insomniac, and I teased him about being exactly the same, and he's currently passed out in the slumber party room, so I think I won that one.

...I also think I'm going to drag my blanket off my bed and go snuggle with him. Just because I can.

[silverloreley]

What are your headcanons about Claudine Frollo?

Since I started with the HoND characters, I expected this question. Yet, it took me a while to write a decent answer, if the one you're about to read qualifies as one.

Point is... I don't know what to make of her. We know she's the child of one of the worst villains in Disney history and there's a lot to unpack about such a person having a child, a daughter nevertheless. We're talking about a man who had no qualms about burning homes with people inside to reach his twisted goals, and the power to get out of it clean. A man who thinks of himself as above everyone else and self-justifies all his wrongdoings by thinking himself holy. A man who has a whole song about lusting after a 16 years-old girl (although we can argue Esmeralda is older in the movie, it's not any better). And that's not talking about his view of the world and the tie with religion (and I was raised Catholic so believe me when I say Disney toned down/avoided adding lots of things that would have made him even worse).

But also, how do you raise a child Catholic in a place where a literal Greek god lives? What do you tell her? We know he must have some great manipulation techniques, but assuming that 1) Claudine has a mother (and possibly an uncle) and 2) she's able-bodied and without big physical issues, Frollo couldn't have kept her inside like he did with Quasimodo and we know Quasi, as soon as he had the chance to get out and meet more people, changed his view of the world pretty quickly.

Also, children start to question their parents' words and beliefs around 12-13 years old, on average. Assuming Claudine isn't stupid (and I don't think she is) and she had the chance to look around herself, her trust in her father's infallibility should be shaky at best. I'm pretty sure she'd become an atheist - because if your father tells you there's only one infallible God that allows bad things to happen even to innocents like babies but you live with all kinds of supernatural creatures including a so-called Greek god, you end up thinking there is no such thing as gods or anything as absolute as a "true" God, just a ton of overpowered beings.

So, Claudine. We know she attends Dragon Hall and rings the bell that signals the start of the day. It means she's not confined in her home/room/tower or whatever. We also know she joined the Anti-heroes club, meaning she was recruited, convinced, and ended up acting as a messenger for them. This alone means Frollo's control over her is loose at best.

Now, I spoke about Jehan Frollo in another post and, perhaps, his influence on Claudine's growth shows in some ways. I bet, since he used to be a university student, he had some interesting ideas about law and free will and other things his brother wouldn't approve of, but he ended up passing those very ideas to Claudine. The seed of rebellion was planted by her uncle, the only other person who was allowed to have influence over her, and her biggest protector against her father's worst tendencies.

Other than that, the fact she can go out and mingle with other teens, she attends school, she can go out and do things more or less normal, it doesn't really speak of a secluded child, so I think either her mother is a rather strong-willed woman who only humors Frollo but ultimately lets her daughter do whatever; OR Frollo himself realized that to better control his daughter he had to let the chain looser, perhaps under Jehan's suggestion; OR he actually cares for his flesh and blood, again, the way he behaved with Jehan says he ends up justifying and covering up for his relatives' shortcomings, so Claudine could fall under the category of "my blood never sins, only makes minor mistakes that money and influence can fix".

The second explanation is more interesting, to me. Frollo is cunning and ended up learning from his mistakes in raising Quasimodo, which means he decided to try a different approach to raising his daughter. I think the Barrier mellowed him (remember my theory on why the Villains are almost OOC? that goes for him too) in the sense he's less harsh and his obsessive nature toned down to a caricatural Catholic man who spouts Bible verses in any occasion, is scandalized by the perdition of everyone around him but actually does nothing about it and he's more of a glutton than anyone around (he does have a creperie, no?) In fact, his lust was turned into gluttony the same way Jafar's pride and ambition became mere greed over common objects and the cheap money of the Isle.

He still administered a slap or two to his rebellious child when she sins (or he thinks she did) and he did try to raise her as the perfect Catholic, but, in my head, he's the kind of parent who, in public, is always on their children's side. In private, it's another thing and he does punish Claudine, sometimes very harshly (but never in ways that could be noticed at a glance, think of stuff like making her wear a cilice, or whip the soles of her feet, or slap her hands, or even making her kneel on chickpeas for a few hours, you know, the traditional Catholic punishments for misbehaving kids) but nothing she can't walk away from in a few hours.

(it helps that her mother is a former prostitute that Frollo "redeemed", actually a rather cunning woman who realized she could use his lust to her advantage, get married and make him provide for her in both resources and protection. She also made sure Claudine never had to live her same life and the very first time Claude so much looked at their daughter the wrong way she threatened to cut off his dick).

Claudine knows appearances are everything to her father and she has to dress in a modest yet elegant way, her clothes must stay clean, her hair tied in a certain way, and her grades can't slip. Therefore, she's terrified of getting dirt or ruining her clothes, let alone getting bad grades, and, of course, she had to memorize entire sections of the Bible in both Latin and in the common tongue (that's so she can help convert her fellow kids).

She can have friends of lower stature, it's charitable for her to, but can't allow them to overpower or influence her out of the Frollo family ways. If anything, she's supposed to rule over them. She hates the idea of that, she'd much rather have genuine friends than minions.

Uhh, I can't think of anything else, right now, and the answer is long overdue, so I'll just reblog it again if something else comes to mind.

[lorbanery]

If you live in the US and you're looking longingly at Zillow and you've assessed your finances and realized that you could afford a mortgage, but you don't think you could afford a down payment and you don't think you could get a loan from a bank

Step 1: Do a little research into your state financial aid services to see if they have aid available for first time home buyers. I know this is a program in Vermont and I find it highly unlikely they're the only state that does it. Vermont's program is quite picky, they don't like fixer uppers, or houses that need a lot of work done to be up to code, which can be an issue in a state with a whole lot of early-to-mid-century houses.

Things we were warned by our realtor would be potential red flags: Mouldering siding, stains from water damage, lead paint, flaking paint,an older tree less then five feet from the house, knob and tube wiring (if it's the active electric wiring, if they just didn't bother removing all of it but there's no electricity running through it, it's fine), secondary structures on the property (eg sheds, detached garages).

It's also only available to people buying a home for their personal residence. And we had to go through a relatively quick, self-led, free online course about the process of buying a house. It was genuinely helpful in terms of letting us know what to expect, and defining all the esoteric financial terms.

The program had a list of all the banks that we could apply to the program through. All we had to do was pick out the one we wanted to work with, tell them what we wanted to do, and we were walked through the whole process every step of the way.

Step 2: If you're looking to buy a house in a rural area, if you've been rejected by the bank for a loan, if you've been rejected by any First Time Home Buyer program your state might have, you might be able to get a loan and aid through the USDA. No, that is not a typo. The USDA, the government agency we usually hear of in terms of meat and produce safety, has a department within it, Rural Development, whose whole purpose is helping low-income folks buy houses in rural areas.

And that doesn't just mean tiny villages with populations under 1,000 people or farming towns where your nearest neighbor is a mile down the road. My town has ~12k people, an Amtrack station, public transportation, and a major area hospital. That was rural enough for the USDA.

You do actually have to provide them with proof that you applied for loans through other avenues, including a bank, and were denied, which makes the process take longer. That could potentially be an issue with an impatient seller. But they have multiple options available with benefits and drawbacks to them all. And you might also qualify for down payment aid where they just ... pay your down payment. Like, it's not part of the mortgage, it's not a separate loan that you have to pay back. They just. Pay it. For you.

There are organizations and agencies that do, actually, recognize that we no longer live in a world where it's feasible for most people to just save up and buy a house, or save up for a down payment and get a loan through their bank. Especially when you don't already have a house that you can sell and then put that money towards the new house. It's unfortunate that that's the only narrative we're fed and that the programs set up to help mitigate these issues aren't more well-known.

You all can debate the ethics of single-family homes all you want. If this post helps even one person even just reconsider that they might be able to buy a house someday, I call that a win. Because not all of us were built to live in an apartment building.

How about this. Buy your own property. Live on the streets. Or rent one. You can't build anything on any property that isn't yours. That would be illegal. Be thankful that people rent out their property to share so you don't have to deal with the property tax.

Or people could not buy houses they don't need? Owning a house you rent out is a way of generating profit from people who have less money than you, like a reverse robin hood

Plus it reduces supply of houses, which means house prices are inflated and even more people are forced to rent because they can't afford to buy. Deposits for a mortgage are generally more than a year's wages. So if you want to buy, you gotta scrimp and save for years whilst paying someone else's mortgage

Hell, even better them not buying houses you don't need, we could actually recognise housing as a human right and make sure people have what they need to survive

And finally, lol, I rent in the uk, I pay the property taxes

[scottdamron1]

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Once you've hired a lawyer, make sure to control all costs involved as much as possible. Most lawyers charge you every moment they spend on your case including phone calls and emails. Handle some of the legwork to save time and money. Small things like this can help you save a lot of money in the long run.

Scott Damron LawSuit Proficient tips provider.  You should now be able to weigh your options better and come up with the right solution regarding hiring yourself a lawyer. It's important that you remember the guidelines and tips you've read here so that you can find the right one. Keep them in mind, and get out there and win your case.

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