#and my translation skills are not great right before bedtime

[marzipanandminutiae]

The fact that I will never read The Red House by Julián Carax is homophobic

[theprodigypenguin]

➥: nap BLEASE FEED ME THE ACEDEU FOOD I LOVE YOU YAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

This took a hot minute to complete, as well as several rewrites because it was NOT coming out the way I wanted. This is maybe my fourth edit of it asdfghjkl catch me being a perfectionist for a ONESHOT.

It came out being more fluffy than whumpy I’ll admit, but I still hope you enjoy!!!!

Words: 1737

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“They still in there?”

The question tore Ace from his deep, dissociated train of thought, making him jerk from his position perched on top of a wooden crate with his eyes locked intensely at the door to the infirmary. He forced his eyes away from the door to acknowledge Thatch, who was standing with a plate of food in one hand, the other stuffed into his pocket. Ace eyed the steaming meat for an instant before looking back at the door, arms folded atop of his knees.

“Uh-huh.”

“Sheesh, it’s been what, twenty hours?” Thatch set the food beside Ace and leaned off on one leg, folding his arms. “Must’ve been worse than what we thought.” Thatch looked between Ace and the food. “You should eat something.”

“Later,” Ace said quickly, hands gripping his elbows and a frown weighing his lips. “I’m not hungry right now.”

“Ah come on, we both know that’s a lie.”

“I’ll eat when Deuce eats,” Ace decided, though he did cast a longing look to the meal Thatch had meticulously prepared just for him.

He felt too anxious to eat, even if he was hungry. He couldn’t stop thinking about the medical situation going down behind the infirmary door.

Twenty hours ago Marco had roused the couple from their sleep in the middle of the night, banging a fist against the door until someone opened it. He’d rushed out a frantic explanation that the thirteenth division had returned from their mission with near fatal injuries, and that they needed every medical staff available to help. Deuce had practically fallen into his clothes before stumbling after Marco, still half asleep and rubbing the sand from his eyes, telling Ace to go back to sleep — that he’d be back soon.

Ace hadn’t really been expecting his partner back that night, but soon ended up being almost a full day. It was getting dark out, most of the crew had retired to their quarters unless they were one watch.

Deuce had been in the OR with Marco for hours. He’d been working with barely any sleep, probably no breaks and certainly no food. Ace had stubbornly chosen to fast in solidarity, at least until the infirmary doors opened and Deuce was released from his duties, but it felt like a losing battle.

The aroma of Thatch’s excellent cooking was tempting, so Ace buried his mouth and nose against his forearms to block out the smell, sending a frustrated glare in the head chef’s direction. Thatch caught his eye and unfolded his arms, placing his hands on his hips and returning the glare.

“Deuce won’t be very pleased if he finds out you’re starving yourself just because you’re worried about him.”

“I’m not starving myself. I missed one meal at best!”

“You missed three. Plus all your usual snacks — and by snacks I mean all those times you sneak into the kitchen to steal food when I’m otherwise occupied and can’t catch you.”

Ace lifted his head in alarm. “I missed three meals?” He turned his head down to look at the food, his stomach making a noise that almost sounded sad. “I guess a little wouldn’t hurt…”

“You better clean the plate; and don’t worry about Deuce and the others. I’ve already got the kitchen working on their next meal. Something to help them regain their energy after going nonstop like this.”

Ace didn’t answer as he put all his focus into eating. The plate was half cleared when the door to the infirmary opened. Ace choked on his mouthful in his haste to get to his feet, shoving the plate into Thatch’s hands and bouncing on the balls of his feet as he eagerly watched Whitebeard’s medical staff shuffle onto the deck.

They all looked exhausted, which Ace had been expecting, but he didn’t spend too much time worrying about them as he swayed side to side on his feet, searching for Deuce. The blue haired doctor was the last to exit the infirmary. Marco walked at his side, a hand on his back to help him walk, and Ace could see why. Deuce looked worse off than the rest of them did. Ace could see the shadows beneath his eyes even with the mask on. Deuce’s eyes looked glassy and unfocused, his shoulders were slumped, and he couldn’t seem to lift his feet from the floor. He was swaying dangerously from side to side, probably only staying upright thanks to Marco’s assistance.

Ace was moving almost instantly, half jogging to meet the duo. He had one hand raised towards Deuce, wanting to pull the other man into his arms, but held back as he looked to Marco for some clarity over the situation. “Hey, are you done? Is everything okay? How are Atmos and the others?”

“Yeah, we’re done finally,” Marco answered, stopping Deuce with a hand on his shoulder. “Everyone’s okay. We almost lost one or two, but managed to keep them on this side of existence for the time being. Do me a favor and get this one back to bed. He’s been on his feet the entire time. Make sure he gets some well earned rest.”

Marco nudged Deuce forward. The younger doctor shuffled in the direction he was led, but the fog in his eyes showed he didn’t know where he was going or recognize where he was. He bumped against Ace, face dropping onto his shoulder, and Ace lifted his arms around him in an embrace.

“Right.” Ace lifted a hand to cradle the back of Deuce’s head, stroking fingers through pale blue hair. “I’ll take care of him. You should lie down too, Marco. You’ve all been up for a while. I think right now is the perfect time for a nap.”

“It’s night,” Thatch commented. “This would be considered bedtime, not naptime.”

“Either way we should all be unconscious right now,” Ace decided, tightening his hold around Deuce and stepping backwards. “Come on, Deu. Let’s get you to bed.”

Deuce seemed to be just aware enough to sort of walk on his own, though he was leaning heavily against Ace the entire time with his face buried into his partner’s neck. Ace kept an arm locked around the middle of Deuce’s back to keep him upright, leading him across the deck towards their room and murmuring the entire way there.

“You did great, I am so proud of you. We’re going to sleep in tomorrow, just the two of us. I mean I haven’t done anything to deserve it, you’re the one who was working and saving lives, but I’m going to sleep in too because that way we can cuddle.”

Deuce murmured something inarticulate that Ace didn’t bother trying to translate. He kicked open the door to their room and carefully led Deuce inside before swinging the door shut with his heel. He didn’t want to let go of Deuce, worried that he was so exhausted he’d simply collapse if the support disappeared, so Ace kept one arm around him the entire time. It wasn’t easy to maneuver Deuce out of his jacket — stripping a deadweight man with one hand was one of Ace’s lesser developed skills — but Ace eventually had Deuce out of his heavy clothing and on the bed.

Deuce seemed to have fallen asleep before his head was even on the pillow, body curled towards Ace’s side of the bed and one hand twisted in the sheets there. Ace was quick to shuck off his boots and shorts so he could lie down beside his lover, lifting Deuce’s arm just enough to wiggle beneath it so he could hold Ace instead of the mattress.

“There you go,” Ace wound his arms around Deuce, hauling him closer and pulling away the mask with gentle fingers — he caressed Deuce’s cheek with his thumb before setting the mask on the desk beside the bed, then turned back to Deuce and pulled him closer. “All cozy now.”

Deuce made a noise as if he was responding to Ace, who tensed up momentarily as the other man shifted under the blankets. Deuce dragged a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. Ace felt his shoulders freeze under his hands as Deuce pressed his palm to his eyes with a soft gasp.

“Hey, it’s just me,” Ace soothed. “I took your mask off.”

Deuce relaxed, sighing and dropping his hand. “Ace…”

“I thought you were completely out, did I wake you up?”

Deuce shook his head. “Sorry. It was probably annoying having to get me to bed.”

“Nah, nothing annoying about it. I love stripping you!”

Deuce must have still been half asleep, because Ace knew that comment would have gotten a reaction if he’d been fully conscious. Instead Deuce hummed, relaxing completely against Ace.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Marco said so.” Ace stroked Deuce’s shoulder with his fingertips. “You did a great job.”

Deuce’s voice dropped to a softer octave. “I was scared… during it. Even though I’m a doctor and I should be used to it. A few of them flatlined during surgery and… I nearly started crying a few times.”

Ace was frowning at the ceiling as Deuce talked, knowing he would probably never confess to feeling vulnerable in any other situation. Ace knew his partner was still less than confident in his abilities as a healer.

In Deuce’s eyes, he was still a drop out medical student — nothing more. Where healing was involved, Deuce always thought he could be doing more, or doing better, and the only reason he couldn’t was because he dropped out of school before learning the necessary skills.

Ace thought that was bullshit, but he couldn’t tell Deuce to stop feeling worthless. All he could do was support Deuce and stay optimistic in the hopes that one day Deuce would see just how invaluable and irreplaceable he was.

“Yeah, but guess what? Marco said everyone survived, and you’re part of the reason that was possible. You helped save our friend’s lives. I couldn’t have done that. I don’t even know how to give someone an IV.”

Deuce hummed again, already sleeping again, and Ace laughed softly. He turned his head to press a kiss to Deuce’s hairline, then pressed his cheek against his lover’s forehead and shut his eyes.

“You’re so much more amazing than you think. I wish you could see what I see.”

[krismusings]

Discord thread featuring: Roman and  @aaronhart93

When: The first time Roman purposely stayed the night at Aaron’s flat.

Mentions: -

Description: Roman plans to stay at aaron’s, and they get to know each other better, talk about feelings, and Ro tops (wow)

Trigger Warnings: sexy time, and gross feels.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman and Aaron had spent a few nights together in the past, but not necessarily on purpose. Usually one of them was too wasted, tired, or high to really make it back home after a late night of fun. Tonight was the first time Ro had bothered to bring his overnight bag, which honestly was a little extensive. He’d laid out everything he needed for his bedtime routine on the millionaire’s marble countertop, his OCD forcing him to place the items in order. He’d grabbed a bowl of ice from the kitchen, something that confused Aaron, but the actor assured him it had a purpose. He pursed his lips as he reached for his toothbrush, taking his time to brush, and floss until he was satisfied. Next he did a quick ice water bath on his face, opening up his pores so that he could properly wash with a block of homemade charcoal soap, scrubbing every single inch of his skin before rinsing with steaming hot water. He wanted it to be painful almost, like he was scrubbing away all of his insecurities. It didn’t make sense to a lot of people, so he rarely showed this side of himself. His creams and serums were next, wanting to make sure his skin stayed hydrated, or else he’d definitely breakout. Poor Aaron was probably wondering where the hell he was at this point. Speaking of Aaron, the barista happened to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, turning to catch the other male standing in the doorway. “How long ‘ve you been there??” Roman asked with a flustered smirk.

Aaron

Aaron was quick to get ready for bed in comparison to Roman. Almost a little too quick. Roman had briefly told him about his extensive nightly routine and mild OCD, but Aaron wasn't really quite sure what to expect. He gave Roman some time in the master bath while he went to go fill up their wine glasses with the rest of the bottle. It had been a long time since Aaron had seen Roman really it had only been like a week, but anything longer than 12 hours was cause for withdrawal symptoms.He was just in his boxers when he returned to the master bedroom and set their wine glasses down. He half expected Roman to already be in bed by now, so decided to peak in on the actor to see what exactly was taking him so long. Boy, was it a sight. He finally realized what the ice was for as stood in the doorway between the bedroom and the bathroom, watching Roman practically scrub off a layer of his skin. He was...wow. Just wow. Aaron couldn't keep himself from smiling like a dumbass. He forced himself to take several deep breaths to keep his stomach from doing a million 360s. This wasn't the fucking x-games. Chill, Aaron. His dumb smile turned into a smirk when Roman finally realized he was there. "Long enough." He chuckled. "You done? Or do you need more time?" He asked, almost picking on him in a way.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

“Heyyyy...” Roman pretended to be offended by Aaron’s accusation that he was taking a long time. He knew the man was right though, he definitely needed to trim off some time on his routine. “I’m done, thank you very much.” The actor wiped off his hands on a hand towel before folding it neatly by the sink, and then he was moving over to the other male. He wrapped his arms around Aaron’s neck, pulling him close because he wanted to, and decided to rub his nose  against the smaller’s. Ro was an overly affectionate person, he couldn’t help but want to do cutesy things. “Do you wanna wind down in the living room, or the bedroom?” The actor wiggled his eyebrows.

Aaron

Aaron was actually really happy to know that Roman was comfortable enough to do his nightly routine in front of Aaron like that. He could tell by the way that he was joking with him that he didn't mind the businessman watching him intensely. It was hot...intimate even. Speaking of intimate....Aaron stepped closer to Roman when he started walking over towards the millionaire. He instinctively wrapped his arms around the taller's waist and hummed when their noses brushed past each other. Aaron smirked. "Mmm, bedroom." He hummed, pressing his lips to Roman's without even a little bit of hesitation. Roman was becoming so familiar to him. They were starting to get to know each other in a way that lovers did. Which, of course, terrified Aaron. But it also made him feel so god damn warm at the same time. "C'mon." He grabbed his hand and pulled him over to bed.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman of course was hoping Aaron would say bedroom, so he went easily when he was tugged towards the bed. “Ooo, you got wine.” The actor observed as soon as he was positioned comfortably on top of the mattress. He relaxed with one leg crossed over the other, sipping on his wine glass while he looked over the smaller’s master bedroom. He’d seen it before of course, but he didn’t think he’d really taken it in until now. “You know, I love this room. Don’t think I’ve told you that before.” He turned to raise a brow in Aaron’s direction. “What’s it feel like to be king of the world?” Roman asked before taking another few sips of his wine.

Aaron

"Of course I got wine." He mused, as he leaned against the headboard. He held his arm out and motioned for him to snuggle into him. He gripped onto the wine glass and looked proudly over his room as Romans spoke. "Yeah...thanks. I hired an interior designer to help me bring a vision to life, and she helped me with the entire penthouse. My bedroom is my favorite part though." He admitted, humming contently. Aaron was a workaholic, and when he set his mind to something...He most definitely completed it. When he moved to Kingsboro a few years ago, he had a vision for this place and he wasn't going to stop until he got exactly what he wanted. That translated to many other parts of his life too. Aaron really was like a king. He only wished he was the king of the world. But right now...hanging out with Roman was exactly what he wanted, and he really did feel like a king. "The real question is...how does it feel being the queen?" He asked the actor with a shy smile.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

“Ha!” Roman managed a dry laugh, looking over Aaron’s face from close proximity as he thought over what he’d said. He was smooth, so of course his words reflected exactly how the businessman had managed to be so successful. Sure, a lot of it had to do with who his father was, but Aaron had maintained his status all on his own persuasion skills. “I wish that was true. I feel like I’m always just scraping by, finding the next best thing.” Roman reached out to play with the waistline of Aaron’s boxer shorts mindlessly. “I still can’t believe I’m in your bed. You could have anyone you want.”

Aaron

Yeah, Aaron was smooth but Roman constantly flustered him. it was honestly a mystery as to how Aaron could keep his cool so often. He wasn't quite sure what exactly Roman meant by 'scraping by to find the next best thing', but what he said next actually surprised Aaron. "You really have no idea how great you are, do you?" He his neck to look down at Roman. Ahh...fuck. Aaron was in so fucking deep with Roman, he didn't think he'd ever be able to get out of the hole we was in. He smirked and rubbed his thumb along the other male's arms. "I want you, Roman Beckett. Am I not making that clear enough?" He actually chuckled a little bit.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman’s eyes searched Aaron’s as he spoke, feeling like his throat was closing up as he tried to think through this. Quentin. They both loved Quentin, but Aaron? God. He was just...he was...Roman was definitely falling for him, too. “But...what about Q?” He reached for the smaller’s shoulder, gripping it before dropping his touch down to Aaron’s bicep. He’d gone from never being in love, to giving his heart away so easily it felt like. But, at the same time, this wasn’t easy at it. It was enough to shift his anxiety into high gear, the fear of losing everything riding on his nerves. “Are we doing the right thing here?”

Aaron

Aaron shifted a little bit when he mentioned Quentin. It was weird. When he was with Roman, he missed Quentin and when he was with Quentin he missed Roman. He was happy with them when he spent time with them separately...but he was even more happy and...even a little complete when he was with the two of them. "It's not wrong. I mean...we all agreed this was okay." He took another big gulp of wine. "I love Quentin. You know that more than anyone else. I've loved him for a while. But Roman I..." JESUS CHRIST, AARON YOU'RE NOT EVEN DRUNK. "I feel very strongly towards you too. Obviously. I'd be hurt loosing either of you. And I can't...like I can't lose both of you either." He set his wine glass down and ran his free hand through his hair and he let out a deep breath. this was heavy.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman felt terrible suddenly for bringing up something that was obviously so sensitive for the other. He hadn’t been thinking, they were being honest, and open, getting even closer to each other than they had been before. Roman wanted to know more about Aaron, as much as he could know, and that included seeing into his heart. “Aaron, you’re not gonna lose me.” He assured the smaller while placing a hand on the businessman’s chest, feeling his heart racing below. “I know things are confusing right now, trust me. My head is in a million different places. But, I do know I love being around you. I don’t want it to stop.”

Aaron

Aaron placed his wine glass on the side table after quickly downing the rest of the drink. He placed his free hand over Roman's on his chest and let out a heavy sigh. He could feel his heart beating in his ears so he knew that Roman could feel his panic right now. The barista's words did comfort him though. "Good. I love..." Aaron Hart. "...being around you too." He smiled down at his softly and kissed him softly on the forehead.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman moved his own wine glass to the side table when Aaron did, watching him once again with intense eyes when he started to say what he loved. It made Ro’s heart jump for a moment, he had to admit, but when Aaron finished the statement, he quickly realized he wasn’t going to say what he thought he would. The actor nodded, and pressed his fingertips into the other’s firm chest, like he was trying to make sure Aaron was even real. His eyes slipped closed at the kiss to his forehead, and then he decided to curl up against the smaller with his cheek now pressed against his pec. “I know how it feels to be scared to lose someone. I think I’m the world’s worst when it comes to abandonment issues.”

Aaron

Aaron gripped onto Roman’s hand tighter and brought his other hand up to run his fingers through Roman’s hair, petting him like a kitten almost. Aaron wasn’t really surprised when Roman told him that he had abandonment issues. He knew he was adopted, and he figured that as probably where it stemmed from. Aaron didn’t have abandonment issues exactly, but losing his father so young most definitely made him afraid of losing important people. Roman being one of them. “Why?” Maybe he was overstepping, but if he was falling for Roman like he thought he was he wanted to get to know him even more. Even all the bad things about him.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman was practically purring with the hand in his hair, making him want to nuzzle against Aaron’s chest, so he did. Literally, he was like a human cat right now. His heart sank like lead in his chest though when Aaron asked him about his abandonment issues, something he knew he’d have to talk about with him one day. He was still somehow not prepared. “My mum gave my twin sister and I up for adoption when I was five. She was...messed up. A prostitute. I had a lot of repressed memories about her that started coming up when I was a teenager, and my parents kind of just always made me bury it, thinking I’d imagined things, or maybe it Jus’ makes them uncomfortable. I dunno.” He squeezed an arm around the other male, wanting to somehow get closer.

Aaron

Aaron was no mental health professional, but he could tell just by the way that Roman sometimes acted that he had some trauma. He wondered what he would noticed if he actually was a mental health professional. Aaron held onto Roman tightly because Aaron knew that he would want to be held even closer if he was telling someone about his dad and all the fucked yo shot he’d done. “I’m sorry.” He sighed. “But the only way I’m leaving you is if you drag me away kicking and screaming.” He admitted, trying to make him laugh a bit now because that was some heavy shit. “Do you know what happened to her?” He asked. fearing he was over stepping again, he quickly corrected himself. “We don’t have to talk about it anymore if you don’t want.” He pressed his lips together to get himself to shut up.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman didn’t necessarily want to look Aaron in the eye for this, but he pulled back anyway, deciding to lean his cheek against his fist while he held onto Aaron’s arm that was still around his waist. “I have no idea what happened to her. Don’t know anythin’ about my dad either. It’s weird...not knowing about the people you came from. All I know is my Mum wasn’t a great person, and apparently neither was my father.” He looked solemn, though Roman really hated getting so serious on what was supposed to be a nice night. “Sometimes I wonder which one I take after. I’m nothing like my adopted parents.”

Aaron

That was crazy to Aaron. He knew he family tree going generations back. Even before his family came over to America. He knew all about how his great great grandfather came to New York City during the potato famine and worked hard to build the foundation for what Aaron was working with today. His money was old old. He squeezed his shoulder and craned his neck to look down at him and meet his eyes. “Maybe you’re just your own person. You don’t need to take after either of your parents.” He suggested with a shrug.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

“Well I know I don’t need to.” Roman responded easily, looking up into Aaron’s intensely blue eyes, and maybe getting a little lost. Fuck. They could give the damn sky a run for its money. Not that the sky had any money, but you know what I mean. “But I think we all have this need to want to know where we come from, it’s just easy to take advantage of it for most people, when the answers are all there in front of you, y’know? I’ve never been able to hear “you’re just like your father” or “that sounds like something your Mum would say”. I’m just always thinking about the shit I had to go through as a kid, and how I thought that was normal. It’s no wonder I’m so fucked up now.” His voice broke a bit at the end, bottom lip quivering before he was forcing himself to look down at the bedspread between them. “I try to pretend like I’m confident, but I’m not.”

Aaron

Aaron ran a hand through his thick hair again and let out an exasperated sigh. Yeah, he had no clue what to say. He'd never really heard a story like Roman's before...except Quentin's that is. Bit odd that both men he'd been falling for had immense trauma...but Aaron wasn't really thinking about that right now. He was really just wrecking his brain trying to find a good way to respond. He gripped onto Roman even tighter when he heard his voice quiver. "We're all a little fucked up, Roman. And we're all hiding part of ourselves from other people." He told him, almost laughing a bit. "You're definitely not alone in that." He sighed, continuing to run his hands through the other's curls.January 6, 2021

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman flicked his gaze back to the other male when he explained further,  clearly telling the actor things he needed to hear. He never talked about his issues, therefor he never received advice. It was nice for once, to have someone tell it to him like it is, from an outside perspective. “I know, it’s jus’ hard not to feel alone sometimes I guess.” He lifted a hand to run his fingertips down the side of Aaron’s face, stopping at the cleft of his chin with a smirk. “I love your chin. Have I ever told you that?”

Aaron

Aaron nodded his head. Even with Des and Alison and everyone he entertained, it was easy for Aaron to get in his head sometimes. “If you ever feel alone like that, make sure you come talk to me and I’ll just to make you feel less lonely.” He smiled and smiled even wider at romans touch. “I don’t think you have.” He chuckled and looked down at him loving. He reached over to play with a curl in his face then tucked it back behind the actor’s ear. He was very silent, unsure of what to say but he knew that he didn’t want to stop looking at Roman. Not for a long time.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman managed a smirk when Aaron said he didn’t think he’d mentioned it, which was honestly a little shocking seeing as how this was one of his all time favorite facial features on the man. “I had to have mentioned it. It’s my favorite part of your whole face.” He held onto Aaron’s chin, and rubbed his thumb up the line of his cleft. “Makes you look like Clark Kent. Especially when you wear your glasses. I like a lot of things about you though...too many things.”(edited)

Aaron

Now Aaron was liking the direction of this conversation a little bit more, although, he was really happy that Roman had opened up to him more. Like he'd told him he could do from the start. He was being compared to Superman, which was pretty fucking cool. Roman maybe even made him blush a little bit. Damnit. "You know...my favorite part of your face are those fucking dimples. Even though I like everything about that fucking face." He chuckled. "But I'll bite. Tell me...what else do you like about me?" he nearly smirked.(edited)

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman smirked when Aaron commented on his dimples, because of course he had to show them off now that they were being discussed. He wasn’t surprised when Aaron then asked what else he liked about him, because the millionaire definitely came off as someone narcissist and needing that extra boost. He was so sweet though under all of that, Roman was someone who luckily got to see that side, and he was so thankful. “You know I love your eyes. Your amazing hair...this jawline....” the actor started while running his finger along Aaron’s jaw. “I love your body, I love your heart...that’s probably my favorite bit.” He placed his hand against the smaller’s chest once again. “I love how much you love your daughter, and the way you look at me...”

Aaron

Aaron practically melting into Roman as he spoke to him, his blue eyes looking down at him with adoration. His heart jumped after every phrase. Roman really did have a way with words, even if the barista didn’t know it. He smiled even more and his heart became even fuller when he mentioned Des. That was one thing about Aaron that no one could deny - he loved Des with all he had and was a great father. Much better than his own. Once again, Aaron rested his hand on Roman’s. “Roman Beckett...I’m supposed to be the smooth one.” He smirked before leaning down to finally press a soft, loving kiss onto his lips.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Honestly, Roman had read more than enough romance novels to consider himself an expert at the idea of love, but knowing about something was completely different than putting it into practice. Still, he must have done a good job judging by the way Aaron was kissing him now. Ro shifted closer to the other male and buried his fingers in the dark strands at the base of Aaron’s neck. He tasted so good, the hint of wine still heavy on his tongue. The actor let out a soft sigh into his lover’s mouth, and then hooked his leg over Aaron’s waist. “Mmm, well maybe I’m smooth, too.” Roman mumbled against the other pair of lips before biting at them.

Aaron

Humming softly, Aaron smiled on Roman’s lips contently. Aaron’s hand in Roman’s hair reached to cup his cheek gently and his other hand moved to wrap around the back of Roman’s thigh to pull him in closer. He breathed him in, taking in his scent. He could smell the product he’d just used and the remnants of whatever cologne he used that day. “Looks like I’m going to have to get used to that.” He actually chuckled a little bit before he opened his mouth to slid his tongue inside of Roman’s sexy mouth.(edited)

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman smiled against Aaron’s lips before pushing himself closer, causing Aaron to roll onto his back so that the actor could shadow over him. Ro was known to love giving up control in the bedroom, but sometimes he couldn’t help but take it back over. He liked Aaron so fucking much, it was like he needed to get that energy out. He needed to grab hold of his hands, and pin them above his head while he positioned himself between the smaller’s legs and pressed his erection against him. They’d talked briefly about Roman topping before, and maybe now was the time to try it.

Aaron

Aaron's back hit the mattress a bit more forcefully than he thought it would. Okay. He liked where this was going. Aaron let out an almost inaudible moan into Roman's mouth when he pinned his hands above his head and rubbed their hips together. Aaron squirmed a little under his grip and even tried to get out from under it. He just wasn't used to giving up control right away like that. It definitely took him a moment to realize what was happening. As soon as he did, he felt his body relax and lifted his hips up to met Roman's. "Fuck."

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman’s heart was racing, pounding to the point he wondered if Aaron could tell. Of course he’d been turned on beyond belief every time he was with the other male, but tonight was different. It was like he was finally taking down that very last walk with Aaron, letting him in completely, showing him every side of the actor and trusting him with his heart. “Yeah...” Ro breathed out against the smaller’s lips, just grinding his hips and allowing the friction between them suffice for now. He wanted to take this slow, build up the anticipation, but he could already tell that wasn’t going to last long. His forehead leaned down against the millionaire’s, keeping them close while deciding to take Aaron’s bottom lip between his teeth.

Aaron

"Yeah." Aaron whimpered softly, letting his upper body completely relax under Roman as he rolled his hips with Roman's. He let out a dirty little moan when Roman tugged at his lip and craned his gaze to catch a glimpse. Fuck. He was absolutely stunning.  Had these past couple of months with Roman been real? Or was it some lucid dream he was stuck in? Regardless, he wanted to stay in whatever reality he was in with Roman. Within what felt like less than a minute, he felt his length press up against his pants. "Fuck...fuck..." He panted, blue eyes hooding as he pressed his head back into the mattress, arching his back to meet Roman's hips even more.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman wasn’t sure that he’d ever heard Aaron whimper before, but that was something of sheer beauty. Seeing him in this position, he was already starting to feel a little addicted. Ro didn’t want to ever pull away from this beautiful man, but he did so only to grab some lube. As much as he wanted to just plow into Aaron, he knew he needed to be careful. He spent time getting them both completely undressed, and then he was ready with the lube, getting his fingers coated as he slipped the digits inside of his lover, making sure to hook them in the direction of his prostate while keeping eye contact.

Aaron

The businessman had no doubt that Roman was going to be an amazing top. The man's dick was fucking massive and Aaron was hard just thinking about the other filling him up. Aaron cooperated with Roman as he got them undressed, but let him do most of the work. He had a feeling that Roman was the one that was going to be doing most of the work tonight anyway...might as well start now. Aaron gripped onto Ro's bicep as his fingers prodded at his entrance, mouth gaping open slightly when Roman quickly found his prostate. "Yeah...fuck, baby. Right there." He whispered, looking up at Roman through hooded blue eyes.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Aaron looked so sexy like this, probably his favorite way he’d ever seen him. That face, it was like something straight out of heaven. Or, maybe it was hell. Either way, it was appealing, and Roman was enjoying it. He continued to massage his fingers against the smaller male’s prostate, nothing too intense, but just enough to drive Aaron a little crazy. He wanted to get him close to exploding, build him up just to reel him back in. Edging like this always guaranteed a mind blowing orgasm while being fucked, and hopefully they’d both cum around the same time. “That feel good, baby?” He asked in a rasp.

Aaron

Roman knew exactly the right way to tease him. Aaron liked things quick and intense...this had all of that intensity, but he knew that Roman was trying to build him up to an incredible orgasm. That was just another one of the seemingly hundreds of reasons why Roman made such a good sex partner. Aaron squeezed down on Roman's arm even harder. "Mmmm...yeah." He hummed, a thick rasp in his voice. He instinctively reached down to stroke his own hard that was now just about standing straight up. A gesture he knew would probably get him in trouble.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman lifted an eyebrow when Aaron began playing with himself, something the actor quickly put a stop to by reaching for the other’s wrist. “Don’t make me tie you up.” He warned in a low rasp, his piercing green eyes boring into Aaron as he pulled away from him to grab some lube. Now, he was actually going to get his lover opened up. As much as he’d love to just plunge inside of him, he was well aware of his own size, and knew he needed to ease into this. “Put your hands behind your head.” Roman instructed while watching Aaron closely, his lubed up fingers now sliding inside of the smaller and seeking out his prostate once again.

Aaron

Aaron’s jaw dropped a little and he looked almost offended when Roman snatched his hand away. That look quickly turned to one of playfulness when the other male spoke to him in that voice that got all deep and raspy when they were in bed. The thought intrigued him and he thought about reached for his dick once more, but decided that being a submissive slut tonight would be hot. SO. he did was he was told, lacing his fingers together and sliding them under his head like he was watching a good movie. Which...in a sense he was. Aaron’s legs spread even more for the other male as he slid his digits back inside of him. “Fuuuuuck, Roman.” he bit down on his lip.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Aaron looked so sexy like this — not that he didn’t always anyway, but this was really something special. The way his biceps looked while he was posing, that expression on his face, enthroned in pleasure. Beautiful. “Yeah baby, you’re love it, don’t you? Dying for my cock?” He began to pump his fingers in and out of his lover, going fast at first just to see how far he could push Aaron. The other male was always so in control of every situation, it was extremely hot to see him start to crumble a bit for Roman. “I wanna fill you up so bad, watch your squirm for me.” The actor leaned down to place some kisses over the smaller’s stomach while he added another finger.

Aaron

Aaron’s hips arched as Roman moved his fingers in and out of him. This felt good now, so he knew that Roman’s entire length inside of him was going to feel even better. Fucking amazing actually. “Yeah...” he said breathlessly as he craned his neck to watch Roman was on him. He let out a string of moans as he watched a small amount of pre cum leaking out of his practically throbbing cock. “Fuck me. Please.” He begged, even though he knew Roman was probably going to spend a little extra time torturing him and opening him up. He cheated and ran a hand through his favorite brown curls while he kissed his stomach in a sexy, yet loving way at the same time. “Baby, I want you so bad...” he said, again, breathlessly.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman loved seeing Aaron like this, begging, in rare form. Sometimes Ro would act as a power bottom, and take control, but it was never like this. It was turning him on to a level he didn’t know existed, which was making it nearly impossible to deny the smaller any more. “Okay.” The actor nodded, and pulled back so that he could slick up his cock, and line up with his lover’s heat. “Aaron....” Ro sighed as soon as he began to inch in, trying to take his time as to not hurt the younger, but fuck, he wanted to just thrust all the way in so badly. “You’re so fucking tight, ughh...” he moaned, and leaned down to press his lips hard against the other’s.

Aaron.

It was time like these when Aaron wondered why he didn't bottom more. Roman immediately hit his prostate effortlessly. Aaron groaned out loudly, the face he made was one of both pleasure and pain. Aaron ran a hand through his curls and fisted his locks as they kissed, strings of moans left his lips as he did. "Fill me up all the way, baby. Please." He begged, his voice was deep and raspy. He leaned up to bring their lips together again, their tongues slide to together effortlessly - like they were two part of a whole. Corny...but that's how it felt.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman also was wondering why he didn’t top more, because this was fucking heaven. Aaron was so tight, and begging for him to fill him up completely. Who wouldn’t want that? Ro moved his hips forward, pushing as far into his lover as he could possibly go, bottoming out with a low groan as he clamped his teeth around Aaron’s bottom lip. Once he was ready, the actor then began to start thrusting, moving in and out of the younger male at a steady pace. The pleasure pulsing through his body was making it hard to breathe, which in turn was giving him some sort of dizzy high. Roman turned his head after a few more seconds, choosing now to nuzzle against Aaron’s cheek, and then made his way down to his neck for an open mouthed kiss.January 12, 2021

Aaron

Aaron gripped on to Roman’s shoulders once again as he slid into his balls deep. He let out a deep, guttural moan when Roman continuously hit his prostate just right. “Fuck.” He groaned before licking into Roman’s mouth. He punched out heavy breaths and low groans before sliding his fingers through his hair and gripping on tightly. “F-feels so good, baby.” He called out for him with a dirty moan. Roman was so good at this. Of course, he wasn’t expecting anything less but that didn’t take away from the absolute euphoria he was feeling right now. Like no feeling in the world could ever compare. “You fuck me so good.” He choked out before kissing him again and moaning into his mouth.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Of course Roman was in a total state of euphoria. Aaron felt amazing, so tight, and warm around his cock. It was hard not to try and focus on that sensation, and nothing else. He cared about Aaron too much to do that. He’d much rather make sure he was feeling as good as he possible could. “You’re mine.” Roman practically growled down at the smaller, and then was kissing his with as much passion as he could possibly build. Ro loved kissing, and was a great enough actor to play it up even more. Not that he was pretending, but normal people also didn’t sound the way he was sounding in anything other than a porno. Aaron deserved his own real life porno.

Aaron

Roman's words only made Aaron more eager for him. He loved the idea of being all Roman's here and now. "I'm all yours, Ro." He said lowly, between sloppy and intense kisses. A string of moans left his lips and echoed onto Roman's. The way that Roman sounded almost made it seem like he was putting on a show. A show he knew that Aaron would fucking love. It seemed like he already knew him so well at this point - exactly what he liked in bed at least. His hands slid up to laced through his hair, giving his locks a few good tugs. He squeezed around Roman's cock, moving his hips up to meet Roman's thrusts.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman wasn’t going to be able to last much longer. This was all thanks to the fact that he didn’t top probably as much as he should. The second he was buried in a tight ass, it was hard to control himself, and Aaron was absolutely no different. He felt amazing, not to mention the emotions behind it, this was nearly impossible.  “Baby...” he breathed out, curls draping his face as he looked down at his lover. Having his hair pulled was yet another thing that was only serving to make him borderline lose it. Aaron knew all his buttons, and wasn’t gonna make this easy. “I’m so close. I’m gonna fill you up.” He moaned, and leaned down to bite that cleft chin he loved so much.January 18, 2021

Aaron

He was thankful to hear that he was close. Truly, Aaron wasn't sure that he'd be able to lat much longer himself. How could he when he was fucking a man like Roman? He probably one of the most physically flawless men in all of New York City, and he was just...so perfect in every way. Not just physically...even though he was a greek god. Roman brought out parts of Aaron that not everyone saw...some parts of himself that Aaron didn't even know that he had. His jaw gaped open when the older male nibbled on his chin, and his head pressed back onto the bed beneath him. "Cum for me, baby. Fill me up, Roman." He begged him. He could feel his own cum collecting right at his tip. "I'm close too." He said breathlessly.

𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 ✩

Roman could feel his entire pelvic region burning at this point, but he was enjoying this way too much to care. He could feel Aaron’s pre cum on his lower stomach as their bodies rubbed together, hopefully giving the smaller male some great friction to the head of his cock. The actor began to somehow snap his hips even faster when he was told Aaron was close, trying to nail his prostate as roughly as he could without causing any actual pain. Within seconds, he was moaning through his orgasm and filling up his boyfriend to the point he was overflowing onto the bed. “Aaron!” Ro rasped out while gripping the sheets tightly below.

Aaron

Aaron gripped onto Roman's shoulder's most tightly than ever, nails digging into his skin and everything. He let his head fall back into the pillow as he looked at Roman through slitted eyes, trying his hardest to keep eye contact with the other man. Roman was hitting his prostate just right, and the way his dick was rubbing against his body created the perfect environment for an intense orgasm. "Fuck, Roman!!" He screamed as he created a mess over both of them. "Fuck...ooo..." He whimpered as he came down from his amazing high, endorphins floating all in his head and running through his body. Yeah, he was definitely bottoming more often.

[pollylynn]

Title: Bespeak  WC: 1100

Today, she remembers to do her mirror check before she exits her unmarked and ducks her way under the crime scene tape. She doesn’t always remember. That’s a problem because, number one, the Castle–Rodgers clan should come with a hard on the wardrobe warning label, and number two, her dangerously observant co-workers think it’s the height of hilarity to scan her from head to toe each day to see—and/or to fabricate, as necessary—what’s been happening lately on the Family Circus, as they like to call it. 

They tell her this new form of abuse is because she’s an old married lady now. They tell her that this is the only fun she brings to the table. But the truth is they miss him. The boys do, Lanie does. 

They all socialize more. They make a point of the Old Haunt and poker nights when they can, all of it early so Ryan can be home for what he swears is Sarah Grace’s bedtime, but they all know is his designated honey milk date with Jenny. But they all miss him tagging along on cases, and she, unfortunately, finds herself a the intersection of the nosiness that translates into and the constant assault on her work clothes by the Castle–Rodgers clan. 

Martha’s specialty is the drive-by swipe of lipstick on the cheek, and it’s not like Kate owns an untoward amount of white, cream, or otherwise light-colored clothing. Too much at that end of the spectrum is an invitation to blood spatter and other undesirable substances a cop is likely to encounter regularly. But even with her penchant for blacks, greys, and darker neutrals, Martha favors a very bold, very persistent lip color. So on any given day  Kate might find it’s her collar, the placket of her coat or blouse, her sleeve that bears the imprint of her mother-in-law’s flamboyant affection.  

Martha stories are Ryan’s area of expertise, and he mostly deals in factual or close enough guesses. He is uncannily good at guessing what Martha might have been wearing from the shade. From the location of the smear—from whether Kate has been successful or unsuccessful at scrubbing it entirely from her cheek—he’s damned good at extrapolating Martha’s mood, at guessing whether she was rushing out or sleeping in. He’d actually stolen Kate’s thunder the morning she’d emerged from the elevator with a wide smile on her face. 

Martha got that part? That’s great!

Castle’s brand of havoc doesn’t really bear examination. He is hell on buttons, zippers, and any other kind of fastener. Each and every morning he acts as though it is his life’s work to immediately remove whatever item of clothing she has just tried to put on. And hands as large as his—as reliably clumsy in almost every other respect—really should not also be so devilishly fast and dextrous in this. For her part, she shouldn’t fall for his feints and misdirections as often as she does. He’ll go for her cuffs as though they are his sole concern and by the time she moves to slap his hand away, he has her whole top unbuttoned to the waist. 

It’s practically a full-time job dressing and re-dressing herself to get out the damned door in the morning, and when she finally makes it to a scene, it’s Esposito’s awkward purview to point out that she’s managed to zip up part of an errant shirt tail, she’s missing a button here, there, and everywhere, or the she’s managed, in her distraction, to misalign every last fastener on her blouse, her blazer, her coat. 

He’s not usually big on crafting a story to go with the day’s wardrobe malfunction. She’d be more grateful for that if she didn’t have the distinct impression that he stores them up and tries to make Castle’s ears burn when the boys have their no-girls-allowed video game nights. 

Castle’s clothing-related disruptions, of course, require the investigative skills of no fewer than two people, of course. Lanie is on turtleneck, high collar, and unseasonal scarf duty. On the days when she’s feeling generous—or maybe on the days the boys have annoyed her enough that she’s not inclined to join in the games—she’ll simply toss a knowing smirk Kate’s way. On Kate’s less lucky days, there’s all manner of commentary on exactly how married life must be treating Detective Beckett. 

She hadn’t thought about staying off Lanie’s radar today. She sighs at her reflection in the visor’s flip down mirror. She’s not even hiding anything. The white turtleneck she’d pulled on is perfectly weather appropriate, and it’s still going to bring her all manner of grief. She swipes on the flash light on her phone to at least do a lipstick check. A strategic smear might even be in order to jump start Ryan, who’ll want to know absolutely everything about Martha’s rehearsals. If Kate is lucky, he’ll refuse to yield the stage to Lanie’s Love Bite Theater. 

But there’s nothing on her cheek or anywhere else she can see that would have a name in the jungle cat family or be mistaken for the title of long-forgotten erotica. And now that she thinks of it, Martha was too caught up in the prospect of her wardrobe fitting to give either her or Castle so much as an air kiss this morning. 

But there’s a shimmer of something on the peach side of pink, just below her right cheekbone. Alexis, she remembers, and her hand halts in the act of swiping away the sweep of color. It was a sweet, sudden thing. A little thing for a member of the unrelentingly affectionate Castle–Rodgers clan, she’s sure. But for her, it was unexpectedly touching in the moment. It’s unexpectedly touching now.  

She almost wants to leave it. She almost wants one of them to guess—all of them to guess—that this morning on the Family Circus, she got a spur-of-the-moment Bye, Kate kiss from her stepdaughter. It’s a little thing, something she’d be too embarrassed to say out loud, even to Lanie, but it means something to her. 

She doesn’t leave it, of course, that shimmer of something on the peach side of pink. She finds a napkin and wipes her cheek clean. She looks at the transfer of color on to the white. She folds it in half and tucks it into her pocket for safe keeping. It’s a silly, sentimental gesture, but it means something to her.  A/N: Hmm. This was going to be more about the “thinking about . . .  it” conversation. And then it was about lipstick. The grandmother I knew best was very much about leaving lipstick smooches. My other grandmother was ill—in a nursing home—for the short time I knew her. She didn’t wear lipstick. I wonder if she would have—if she did—in life before Parkinson’s struck. Double Hmm. images via homeofthenutty

[malignedaffairs]

Artist Interview

Some time ago I was asked to answer some questions for a Russian community that collects interviews from various fanartists - what a lovely idea! Here’s the Russian translation along with lots of other interesting interviews. Under the cut is the English version.

On the artist

Nickname: Fifi

Date of birth: December 11th

What city are you from? Berlin

What genre in music do you prefer? Are there any favorite bands/singers? Dark electro, industrial, gothic, EBM, new wave, with a little side of metal and rock’n’roll. My favourite band is Rammstein.

The book that made the most impression and why? There’s nothing life-changing, but I have a ritual of reading before bedtime and some books have been great companions, mostly because they are gripping as hell or because they build up a huge world to blissfully get lost in. I really enjoyed In Cold Blood, The Swarm, Out, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Fifth Woman, Into Thin Air, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings and ASOIAF.

What are your hobbies besides artistic creativity? Video games, reading up/watching documentaries on things like history, nature, the psychology connected to criminal cases or the obscure niche interest du jour, tasting and trying to cook food from around the world, spending time with close friends and family, planning trips and travelling, board games, being outside in nature, doting on my cat.

What movies (TV series) do you like to watch? Is there something you revise (recommend)? I prefer short thriller/mystery/horror series like Zone Blanche, The Sinner, La Forêt, Penny Dreadful, period dramas like Moon Lovers or The Tudors, movies/series that are funny and thoughtful like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Intouchables and Better Call Saul, Tarantino movies, oh and movies/series about food!

Favorite anime? Mushishi, Hellsing Ultimate, Samurai Champloo, Kuroko no Basuke, Dragonball Z

Favorite manga? Vagabond, Blade of the Immortal, Naruto, Dragonball, Rookies, Shokugeki no Soma

Favorite pictures, installations? Romanticism paintings, they’re so atmospheric. And traditional artwork from indigenous cultures.

Is there something that you would have trouble parting with? (Some thing, for example) There are things like my old diaries or my hard drive full of photos and drawings, but in general I’m more attached to places than to things.

What are your future plans? Getting better at my job, falling in love, lots of drawings.

On the art

What was the beginning of your passion? Discovering how crayons work as a toddler, I guess.

Do you think the academic base is obligatory and should everyone go through universities to be good masters? I think a profound education can totally polish your technical skills, so the benefits can be great. But art is very individual, and you don’t need university for expressing yourself creatively. When I graduated from high school I thought about studying to become a professional artist, but decided on keeping it a leisure activity for me to unwind and express myself without any pressure.

How long have you been drawing? I’ve been drawing from early childhood.

Tell us about the process of drawing. Where do you start, how do you finish? How much time is spent on drawing? When I’m super lazy, I just use one layer. I start with a rough sketch and refine it by just adding cleaner lines on top and erasing the messy parts. When I’m less lazy I do a rough sketch and a second layer of clean lines on top. During the process I often adjust proportions by cutting, warping and relocating parts of the content. For a comic I first think of a rough plot and draft the dialogue, then make a rough storyboard with page thumbnails. I usually only plan around three pages at a time, never the whole thing in one go. Colouring is another beast entirely. No system there whatsoever, I just put colours on there and hope for the best. Usually a drawing takes me at least two hours, comic pages take up to eight hours. I mostly use the same three brushes all the time.

How did your nickname appear? Fifi-la-fumeuse is a random thing I found in a book about curiosities I bought in Paris a long time ago. It’s basically a vintage doll that was used for educating students about the dangers of smoking during pregnancy. I liked how creepy it looked and the name sounds nice and a little similar to my real name, so I’ve kept it ever since. Malignedaffairs is an allusion to the “forbidden” nature of Itasasu, which was my OTP when I started my blog back in 2012/13. Nowadays I’m finding the name rather corny, but it’s what most people associate with my art, so I’m just keeping it.

What inspires you? Everyday life, my feelings, media, exchanging ideas with people within the fandom.

How do you feel about criticism? Do you criticize other artists? I’m not here for the criticism. My first and foremost goals in posting art on the internet are expressing my feelings, getting in touch with like-minded people and having fun, not necessarily improving my artwork or meeting any achievement goals. I’m grateful for constructive criticism if I respect and trust the person who gives it. I only give criticism if invited to do so.

Do you have your own characters? Or maybe the whole universe? Tell a little about it. No, I don’t have any OCs at all.

How did you come to the Naruto fandom? What kind of heroes do you draw and why them? My ex bf was a big fan of Naruto and always tried to get me into it, but I found it boring and childish. After we broke up though, I felt really lost and started to watch Naruto as a way to feel a little closer to him, and before I knew it I was super into the plot and the characters and then Itachi appeared and the story of the Uchiha brothers struck a very deep chord with me. I’m very much into beautiful, tragic, brilliant but troubled characters who are sweet cinnamon rolls inside, and Itachi and Shisui are like the posterboys for this concept. I feel like they’re the perfect muses for me to give some kind of shape to my ideals of love and mutual respect.

Do you agree with the opinion that national self-perception, as an intellectual factor, is present in the creative process? You’re always influenced by the social environment, the battles and the values you grew up with, and some of that can be determined by your nationality. Themes like identity, society, communication, politics and ideologies are often expressed in art, and if that’s the case you can’t and probably don’t even aim to separate it from national self-perception. I think it’s more present in original art than in fanart though.

What topics worry you and most often are reflected in your work? Belonging, mutual love, loss, sex.

Do you consider drawing to be your recognition in life? Do you plan to continue to devote yourself to this business? It’s an important part of my life and I’m going to do it as long as it feels right, but I won’t pressure myself.

What advice do you have for novice artists? Expect your drawings to look ugly in the beginning and draw all the ugly pictures anyway. Draw whatever attracts you, however silly it may seem. “Art block” means you should lower the pressure on yourself and allow yourself to draw something ugly, silly or uncreative, or even take a break from drawing. Art is not about achievement but about expression. Don’t take it personally when no one seems to appreciate your art right away. Instead actively seek out like-minded people in online communities or in real life, get engaged and show your art to them. Also: flip that canvas!

[northwind4]

Dearest WingDings（15）

*It's a story about HandPlates! Gaster and Wing! Gaster

*I’ll appreciate it very much if you point out the mistakes I made in the translation, all kinds of help are welcomed!

*previous & next

*Handplates by @zarla-s

Wing!Gaster by me

————————————————

Chapter15

“It took me so long to understand”

257

Wing held Sans on his lap.

W: I feel much better now, thank you, kid.

W: Maybe now I should go and prepare things for you next...?

The little skeleton held his face and looked at him.

S: after the...experiences like THAT, i seem to have more things that i understand and don’t understand.

S: i mean, i think you can tell me about what just happened.

258

P: LET ME TELL YOU

P: I THINK YOU ARE A GREAT PERSON

P: ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE DONE A LOT OF BAD THINGS BEFORE

P: A LOT A LOT OF BAD THINGS

P: BUT NOW YOU HAVE ALREADY BECOME GOOD

P: SO, ALTHOUGH THINGS DID NOT DO WELL THIS TIME...

P: WE CAN ALWAYS FIX IT, RIGHT?

P: YOU JUST NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE GOOD

259

W: This is not good.

W: ...

He sighed lightly.

W: Sometimes I think, maybe he is right.

W: I wandered among all kinds of worlds before, and I could only watched what happened, whether it was good or bad, I could do nothing.

W: Maybe it’s the same in this world, everything will follow the “destiny”, whether I am here or not

W: All I have done doesn’t make any sense. I still can’t change anything.

260

P: YOU HAVE CHANGED SO MANY THINGS!

P: FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MADE SPAGHETTI WITH US LAST TIME

P: IT WAS A SUPER HAPPY DAY!

P: AND REMEMBER WHEN YOU TAUGHT ME TO USE...BLUE MAGIC, AT FIRST I WAS SCARED AND KEPT CRYING, BUT YOU NEVER GOT ANGRY

P: YOU EVER ALLOW ME TO USE IT ON YOU...

P: YOU ALSO HELPED ME SEE MORE CLEARLY WITH THIS, UH, THIS...

G: Glasses.

P: YES! GLASSES! IT MADE MY WHOLE WORLD SO BRIGHT!

P: HMM...AND...OH! AND MY BROTHER!

261

S: take my brother as an example, after all, i haven’t seen so many places

S: he is really...persistent.

S: maybe he seems to listen to me, but...

S: no matter what i do i can’t change him

S: his kindness, regardless of what he is facing...i always fear that it would get him in dangerous one day.

S: we’ve argued so much about it, but he...ugh, that’s him

S: sometimes i felt very tired, i thought, since i couldn’t do anything, it would be easier if i just let it go.

S: ...

S: but...if some day, something really bad happens because of my indifference...if i could have saved him but i didn’t...

S: i will never forgive myself

262

P: YOU SAVED HIM, REMEMBER?

P: IN THE LAB, HE BROKE A BOTTLE OF...SOMETHING

P: YOU RUSHED OVER AND PROTECT HIM IN YOUR ARMS JUST THE SECOND BEFORE THE EXPLOSION!

P: WOW!

P: ALTHOUGH THE ACCIDENT MADE YOU LOOK A LITTLE TERRIBLE(´ ･ _ ･ `)

P: YOU ARE STILL THE COOLEST!

P: IT WAS DANGEROUS AT THAT TIME, YOU WERE ALSO AFRAID OF EXPLOSIONS, RIGHT? BUT YOU JUST RAN TOWARDS HIM.

P: THAT WAS WHAT YOU WANTED IN YOUR HEART, RIGHT?

263

W: ...you’re right.

He softly petted the little skeleton on the head.

W: You’re much more mature than I thought...though I don’t really hope so.

S: it’s hard to be still like a kid after that kind of things, probably

S: at the same time i still have too many things that i don’t understand

S: HE said we could hurt him back at will. is it some sort of...revenge?

S: uh, then i punched him

S: ...

S: i thought it would make me feel better

S: but not at all.

S: i had the same feeling when we finally went out. i thought about letting everyone know what HE did to us.

S: but i found that i would not be happy about it...

S: i don’t know why

264

P: I THINK THIS IS BECAUSE YOU ARE A KIND PERSON DEEP INSIDE

P: YOU DECIDED TO BE GOOD

P: SO YOU NO LONGER HURT US

P: HMM...

P: AND YOU DO CARE ABOUT US

P: JUST LIKE WE CARE ABOUT YOU

P: SO DOES BLACKY

265

S: you got mad because you care

S: last time you were so angry because HE was hurting us, and we reminded you of your children. you love your sans and papyrus, so you love us

S: then this time it was because...he was hurting himself?

S: i think that means you are concerned about him too

266

G: I don’t deserve these concerns.

P: (♯｀∧´)HEY!

P: WHAT I WANT IS NOT HEARING YOUR RESPONSE LIKE THIS AFTER I TALKED SO MUCH!

P: LET ME TEACH YOU WHAT TO SAY! “I DESERVE ALL THE LOVE AND I LOVE YOU TOO”!

P: AT LEAST YOU SHOULD GET UP AND DO SOMETHING

The angry little skeleton tried to pull Gaster up, after failing he even used the blue magic.

G: ...I think it’s time for you to go back to your room and sleep.

At least he stood up.

267

Wing held Sans’ hand and left the small room.

W: Hmm...

W: You are really smart, little one.

W: But it seems like it’s bedtime?

W: Go and have a good sleep, I’ll handle the rest.

S: fine...good night

He quickly ran towards his room.

268

The bone in the machine had been taken away. When Wing wanted to leave, he saw Gaster walking to the door.

W: Well, uh, good evening?

W: Haven’t you gone to rest...? I mean, ugh, I...

W: ...

He covered his face.

W: Terrible greetings, right?

269

G: ...

G: Probably...?

It looked like he wanted to walk over but he didn’t move.

G: I...I’m fine.

G: It’s getting late...then I think I—

His soul suddenly turned blue, the magic quickly pushed him towards Wing before he could react, then a small bone popped on the ground and tripped him.

G: Watch out—!

He knocked into Wing, and they fell into the piles of research records, the rising papers flew like snow flakes.

270

G: Uh...

G: Are you okay?

He wanted to get up from Wing, but failed—not because of the blue magic or the bones, but two hands on his back.

W: There is a saying that if you want to keep something

W: Just hug him tight.

271

Gaster sighed, just like when he was hugged before.

He quietly leaned on Wing’s chest. The skeleton had no blood or skin, but he felt inexplicably warm.

272

W: I think...we both said some stupid things to each other

W: This even almost wavered our determination.

W: But, uh, like the kids said

W: Argument can happen over various things

W: But we will always make up, right?

273

W: In the past, I mean before I created Sans and Papyrus, I cared about my body even less than you did

W: My colleagues always said that thanks to them I could survive

W: This lasted a long time even after I had the kids...Until one day. As usual, I got injured while doing some research. When I went home, the children saw it.

W: They...I’ve never seen them crying so bitterly.

274

W: I felt confused. I asked myself, I was the one who got hurt, but why were they crying?

W: Then I understood

W: The feeling they got when they saw me hurt, was the same as the feeling I got when Sans fell, when Papyrus got sick.

W: At that moment I suddenly realized that if I continued to treat myself like this

W: I would deeply hurt those people who love me.

275

W: So please

W: Stop saying that you are not worth it, okay?

W: Stop refusing the love from us

W: Stop denying that you are alive.

276

The trembling bones made a slight sound.

Gaster sobbed quietly, with the tears dropping on the other one’s shirt.

“I want to be a scientist,”

There was a tiny sound deep in his soul.

“so I can help people!”

277

Wing patted the crying skeleton on the back softly.

W: There, there

W: Hmm...let me see your hand? It seems to be some cracks on it

W: Or, uh

W: Would you like me to cook something for you...?

W: I can use the crucible to-ah, no, of course not

W: ...

W: Forget it

His language ability seemed to have a bug.

278

Gaster rubbed his eyes and then looked up at Wing.

G: Now where is the “common skill of Gasters”?

The pale skeleton looked so tired, but Wing was sure that Gaster was actually smiling, although it was only in his eyes.

W: I don’t know where it have gone(´Д`)!

279

The little skeletons hid outside the door.

P: (* ｀ ω´)WOWIE!

P: WE DID SOMETHING REALLY COOL, RIGHT?

S: (￣v￣) obviously

[writebethany]

How would baby Vega react to Astra at first? Would it be like she already recognized her, or another stranger in her life and she wants Alex?

You know, I look forward to these messages now anon. Part One | Two | Three 

Vega is ten, almost eleven months old when Astra lands. Astra, at first is hesitant to hold her. She’s afraid it’s a dream, that she’s still in the pod, or worse that she’s still trapped in the Phantom Zone and all this has been a dream that will shatter the moment she has Vega in her arms. But Alex encourages her gently and Kara is practically hopping up and down waiting for mother and daughter to reunite, it’s the Disney-like ending that Kara almost craves after all. When Astra takes Vega from Alex she sighs heavily, world-weary with just that note of happiness mixed in that says it was all worth it for this.

Vega looks up at Astra and smiles. She’s always been a happy baby, a little prone to dramatics, and sometimes so quiet Alex wonders why, but when she looks down Vega always is happy. She coos at Astra now and reaches up to grab onto the silver streak in her hair and tugs. Astra just laughs with tears in her eyes as her breath catches in her throat. This is her child. Her child. In her wildest dreams she could have never imagined that this would happen and yet there is living breathing proof in her arms and she feels shattered but so, so alive. 

“What is her name?” Astra asks. 

“Vega Astra-Ze Danvers,” Alex says quietly. 

Kara had picked out the name. Alex had insisted that her name be something Kryptonian despite the fact that a great deal of Kryptonian names sounded almost like gibberish to English speakers. Being Kryptonian was part of the little one’s heritage and her name should reflect that. Kara had thought on it for a long while, there were a few days where Vega was just called the baby or little girl while she thought. When she had come back to Alex holding Vega and had placed the girl in Alex’s arms, Kryptonese glyphs glowing softly on chubby arms, Alex had dusted off her reading skills and translated slowly. Vega. Kara smiled sadly and told Alex of an old Kryptonian goddess, that of wisdom and strength named Astra. The gods of the old pantheon hadn’t liked her much because she had a way of going against them, all for good reason of cours, they were being foolish,, but in a great many of the stories she was painted as a villain. That did not stop her from having a daughter though, one she loved beyond all measure, who she named Vega. Vega later became the goddess of the arts and charm and had a way of smoothing the arguments between her mother and the other gods. So much so that in those stories where Astra was the villain, Vega was her redemption. Kara had said it was an old myth, that not many knew it, but that her mother had told her of it as a bedtime story many times.

Alex looks at Astra as she absorbs the name, and knows that Astra knew the myth too and knew the implications. There is a look deep in her eyes that says “yes, she is my redemption, but not only her.” Alex just smiles a wisp of a smile and says, “Kara picked it out.”

“Of course she did.” Astra looks at Kara with more love in the world than Alex has ever seen before looking back at Vega. She starts to coo in Krpytonese and Alex melts a bit.

But eventually Vega starts to wiggle about after a long while. It’s not a storybook and to Vega right at this instance, Astra is not her mother. Astra tries to soothe her when she starts to fret, but she doesn’t calm. After a few moments a bit of the light goes out of Astra’s face as she holds Vega up to Alex, knowing that this particular battle isn’t worth fighting. Keeping Vega happy is what is important. And besides all will come in good time, as with many things.

Alex takes Vega and looks down at her face, smiling again, eyes drooping tiredly. “That’s your ieiu right there, baby girl. She’s traveled a long way to meet you.” Her pronunciation is a bit off, but she hasn’t practiced in a long while with Kara, but the fact that Astra is Vega’s mother just as much as she is remains the same no matter how bad she botched the Kryptonian. 

“I never thought I’d hear that word directed at me,” Astra says quietly.

“Well, you’re going to hear it a lot. She’ll start talking soon enough.”

Astra looks up at the ceiling of Alex’s apartment, out and through the plaster and wood into the sky beyond that’s turning towards night as they sit together, and she nods for a few long seconds, taking it all in once more. “Yes. I suppose she will.”

part five| part six 

[kennethherrerablog]

70+ Ways to Get Money When You Need Money Now

  Are you here because you are saying to yourself, “I need money now and don’t know what to do”?

We all know nobody has a money tree in their backyard that grows dollar bills you can pick on-demand. However, you can still get money right now if you’re dealing with an unexpected bill, home repair, medical expense, or whatever it may be that is causing you to scramble for a quick money WITHOUT having to borrow it.

With a little hustle and creativity, you can begin implementing these ideas today to quickly increase your cash flow.

Believe me, my wife and I have had to raise cash quickly without paying late fees or borrowing money. Even if you have enough money in your emergency fund to cover a surprise expense, you can quickly replenish your balance with these earning hacks as well.

I Need Money Now – Earning Online

The good news is if you really need money right now, you can get money right now. Whether you want to make money from home, from an app on your phone or you’re willing to put your skills to work, here are some great ways to start earning income today.

1. Trade In Your Cell Phone and Put $475 in Your Pocket

Buyback Boss is who I continue to use whenever we upgrade to a new phone because they guarantee the most money for your phone and they send same-day payments via check or PayPal.

If you have an old phone in a drawer somewhere, why not sell it today and get paid ASAP? Think of that old phone as cash sitting in your drawer that you need right now.

You can also downgrade to last year’s model (often getting the phone for a few dollars with a new contract) and sell your current phone for up to $475. Here’s a screenshot I snapped of the latest offer I received on my current used phone (iPhone X) in good condition.

  2. Get Money Sent to Your PayPal For Your Opinion

Survey Junkie is a great place to start because cash can be deposited into your PayPal account, or you can get paid out via Amazon or Target gift cards for simply giving you opinion online.

We also have a full list of all different types of survey companies who are looking to pay people for their opinions on different products and brands. You can see the full list of the top survey companies here.

Our Top Pick: Survey Junkie has been around since 2005 and is the most trusted in the survey industry with a Trustpilot Rating of 4.4/5.

You can start making money today by checking out Survey Junkie here.

  3. Get Paid to Play Games

Yes, you can actually get paid to play games.

Mistplay is one of the very best places to get started.

The reason is online game creators need to have their games tested by real people before they launch it out to the market. 

For testing out their games on you mobile device, apps like Mistplay will pay via credits. These credits can then be cashed out in the form of different gift cards, including Visa or Amazon gift cards.

We also put together a full list of places that will pay you to play games here.

4. Teach English Online

Teaching English online to international students can be the perfect side hustle opportunity if you want to work before your children wake up or after bedtime. VIPKid is one of the leading online classrooms. To get started, you need a webcam, microphone, and a love for teaching.

Most of these online teaching sites require you to have a teaching degree or prior classroom experience.

5. Save Money and Make Money with the Honey App

The Honey App will search every online coupon for you and apply the best promo code at your checkout for free. This is the first way to save money.

Also, for every 2 people you refer to Honey, they will pay you $10 in the form of popular gift cards like Amazon, Walmart and Target.

By reducing how much you spend, you won’t have to earn as much money from these side hustles. Honey makes it easy to save money when you shop online by automatically applying every known discount code to your order when you checkout.

If you shop at Amazon, Honey also compares the prices of third-party sellers to the current Amazon price to quickly spot the lowest price so you pay less for the exact same product.

With no additional effort, Honey saves you money on products you are going to purchase regardless. Now, make sure you put your savings to good use!

You can also learn about the triple savings hack with honey here.

6. Complete Mini-Online Tasks

Swagbucks is the best place to start when for getting paid to complete tasks such as reading emails, surfing the web, playing games, shopping online and using mobile apps to name a few.

BONUS: One thing I really like about Swagbucks is the option to donate to one of the many charities they work with.

Our Top Pick: The most widely known company is Swagbucks, with a Trust Pilot Rating of 4.3/5..

With Swagbucks, you earn swagbucks that can be redeemed for cash via your PayPal or through gift cards to places like Walmart, Amazon, Express, or even Bass Pro Shops.

  7. Get a quick $10 with Ebates (now called Rakuten)

Ebates sends you cash via PayPal for shopping online or in stories at places you already normally shop.

Let’s be clear, unnecessary shopping is one of the last activities you need to do if you need to get money fast, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a smart shopper for those unavoidable purchases. My wife and I shop with Ebates and get up to 40% cash back on nearly every online purchase.

Ebates cashback arrives once a quarter via PayPal or mailed check and you can get a bonus by referring your friends to shop with Ebates too. Using Ebates is like getting paid to shop.

Also, you can get a free $10 when you create an account with eBates today.

8. Freelance Online with Fiverr

Freelancing online with Fiverr is another great way to make money online. With Fiverr, you use your talents online without performing manual labor. Here are some of the possible gigs you can perform:

Writing blog posts

Graphic design

Website design

Creating YouTube videos

Translation

Proofreading

Voice Over

Jingles, sound effects, and songs

Similar to Fiverr, Upwork is another great platform for aspiring freelancers.

I have been freelancing online for the past two years and it’s been an excellent source of supplemental income because you can truly work from anywhere in the world with an internet connection and get paid.

9. Proofread

If you have an eye for detail and can spot typos from a mile away when you read the news or visit a restaurant, you might find your calling as a proofreader. Several proofreading companies require prior experience, but you can also get your foot in the door at Cactus Communications or freelancer platforms including Upwork and Fiverr.

If you are looking to perfect your craft as a proofreader and earn more money, look into Caitlin Pyle’s Proofread Anywhere program.

10. Create an Online Course

With Udemy, you can create a video course to teach others something you’re an expert in. Your video can be teaching computer coding, cooking skills, making a craft, or anything else in the Udemy course catalog. You collect a royalty for each course purchase and you can easily create new courses to continue earning residual income.

11. Transcribe Audio Recordings

Do you excel at dictation? Audio transcriptionists put sound recordings to paper. With sites like TranscribeMe, you transcribe one or two-minute recordings on a variety of topics. If you have medical or legal experience, you can make extra money transcribing these recordings that require a professional background.

12. Lucktastic

Lucktastic can give you a break from your other side hustles. This app is an instant win game where you can scratch multiple tickets each day and potentially win cash prizes. If you need money now, you should still pursue other recommendations that provide a guaranteed income first.

13. Test Websites and Apps

Another fun way to make money online is testing websites and apps. UserTesting is one of the most popular testing platforms. Each test takes up to twenty minutes to complete and you make $10. At that rate, you make $30 an hour for testing websites!

To become a tester, you will need a computer or app that has a functioning webcam and microphone. You are given a series of tasks to complete during the test and you verbally share your thoughts as you complete each task.

14. Sell Unwanted Gift Cards

Sometimes, you don’t have to work to make money because you already have it in unwanted gift cards. Instead of letting your gift cards collect dust, sell them on Gift Card Granny.

You can sell your unused and partially used gift cards quickly with three different selling options:

Sell It Now

Name Your Price

Trade In

Gift Card Granny finds the best price on the top gift card marketplaces and you get paid almost instantly when a sale is made.

I have sold several gift cards online almost always within 24 hours of posting and payment is sent via PayPal within three business days. Selling gift cards is one of the quickest ways to get money fast because of the quick turnaround.

15. Sell Unused Clothing

As your fashion tastes change or your children grow older, you might find yourself with a closet full of clothes you’ll never wear again. While you can sell them at a yard sale or local consignment shop, you might also consider selling online at thredUP for men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing.

For designer clothing you wish to keep but don’t plan to wear in the near future, Rent the Runway lets you rent your high-end articles for up to one month at a time.

Finally, my wife has also had success selling on eBay and Poshmark. To increase the odds of selling your items, make sure to take plenty of pictures and consider wearing them or putting them on a mannequin so the buyer can visualize how the item fits.

16. Sell Your Old Books

You can also make a quick buck by selling your used books and textbooks that you’ll no longer read. Selling our old books is another way we boost our income each year and you can start with these three sites:

Amazon Marketplace

Cash4Books

Bookscouter (Textbooks only)

Selling is easy as you only have to enter the ISBN to receive an instant quote from Cash4Books and Bookscouter. If you like the price, you ship the books for free using their prepaid shipping label and you will be paid via PayPal once your shipment arrives and is processed.

I recommend using Bookscouter for selling your textbooks as they compare the prices of 42 buyback vendors in a single search; saving you time while finding the best buyer.

17. Sell Movies, Music, and Video Games

You can also make some extra cash by selling your old DVDs, CDs, and video games with Bonavendi. With their app, you can scan barcodes and compare the prices of 28 companies including Amazon and Best Buy.

18. Sell Old Electronics

Decluttr can be the most efficient app to sell your old electronics, smartphone, and tech gadgets. The Decluttr app scans item barcodes and you receive next-day payments via PayPal and direct deposit once Decluttr receives your shipment. College students can also receive a 10% bonus payment to earn a little extra cash.

Make Money With Your Car or House

Most of us have either a car or a house and which means you can put each of them to work for you to make money. Here are a few of my favorites when it comes to having your car or house go to work for you!

19. Deliver Food, Drinks and Groceries to People

Have you heard of Postmates?

Postmates is a service where people can order food, drinks and groceries and have them available for delivery or pickup. The people who provide that service and get paid, are people just like yourself.

Postmates states that experienced couriers can earn up to $25 an hour and work on their own hours.

However, if you only want to deliver groceries to people, then you should also sign up for Instacart.

Instacart pays people quickly to deliver groceries from grocery store to their clients doorstep. Currently, people working with Instacart are making anywhere from $50 – $1,000 per month as a side hustle.

20. Become an Uber Driver

Uber is a great option if you have a car and like interacting with people. There are two additional reasons to consider driving for Uber:

Flexible hours

Weekly pay

Signup incentive for new drivers

Another reason to consider Uber is for their schedule flexibility; you drive when you have time and aren’t beholden to a specific shift or having to be available at least X hours a week.

You can find more information here to determine if driving with Uber is right for you.

21.  Deliver for Uber Eats

Uber Eats allows you earn on your own schedule by delivering food from restaurants to people.

The best thing about Uber Eats is you get to choose your wheels based on the city you live in. Depending on your city, you can deliver for Uber Eats via your car, bike or scooter. Just turn on the app in the morning before work, when you get home, or whenever you have some extra time to make money on your terms.

Also, the driver qualifications are less stringent for Uber Eats. In case you don’t meet the age and vehicle requirements to be a full-fledged Uber driver, you can be an Uber Eats driver until then.

22. Become an Airbnb Host

Become and Airbnb Host and you can start making really good income each month. There are many of benefits to being a homeowner, including the option to rent out your unused rooms for cash. But, by becoming an Airbnb host, travelers stay in your spare bedroom, basement, or second house.

Real estate is one time-tested approach to earning passive income and Airbnb can be less stressful than being a full-time landlord or trying to fix and flip houses for a profit. And, you get to interact with visitors coming from all corners of the world!

23. Rent Out Your Car

If you don’t drive your car every day or have the time to be an Uber driver, you can make some extra cash by renting your car on Turo. You can earn approximately $541 a month ($6,501 a year) when your car is worth $20,000 and it’s borrowed 15 days a month. This income can easily cover your monthly insurance premium and car payment.

Considering most cars are depreciating assets that lose value every day and cost money to maintain, renting your car on Turo is one of the very few ways your car can actually make money for you.

You will receive payment within five days after a rental period ends.

24. Rent Your Spare Bedroom

You can also make money by listing your spare bedroom or a second house as an Airbnb host. An increasing number of travelers prefer staying at Airbnb because it’s typically more reasonable than most hotel rooms and it’s a more enjoyable experience. Airbnb will help you through the listing process so you can begin taking guests and putting your vacant real estate to good use.

  Make Money Locally 

You should also consider making money within your local community. After all, not everybody wants to stare at a computer screen to make extra income. If you enjoy being on the move or have handy skills there are plenty of ways to have a gig without working a regular shift.

Also, ask your friends and family if they have any potential clients. Word of mouth referral is always one of the most effective forms of advertising.

25. Get Cashback on Grocery Purchases

Each time you shop at grocery stores, you can get cashback with iBotta or Checkout51 . By activating offers and scanning your receipts, both of these apps gives you a cash reward for every redeemed offer. These cash rewards are in addition to any paper coupons you might clip, and you can potentially double your savings.

Checkout51 publishes their newest offers every Thursday. Once your account balance reaches $20, you can request a cash payment.

26. Become a TaskRabbit

There are people who need simple tasks completed but simply don’t have the time. Whether it’s putting together furniture from iKea, delivering a dresser across town, or trimming some overgrown bushes in the backyard – people will hire you.

Here are the top three places to find work using your phone:

TaskRabbit

OfferUp

Facebook Marketplace

Simply create a bio about yourself and then start looking for the task requests to pour in. I personally can tell you I utilize one of these three apps a week to find someone to do tasks for me!

27. Sell Locally on Craigslist

Bulky items aren’t cost-effective to sell online because they cost too much to ship. When that’s the case, sell locally with Craigslist or another app to sell locally. We periodically sell our unwanted items during the year and pocket 100% profit because it’s free to sell on these apps.

Beyond Craigslist, there are also dozens of other similar websites where you can sell your stuff locally as well.

28. Scan Grocery Receipts and Get $10

Earlier we told you ways to make money delivering through places like Postmates, Instacart and Uber Eats. However, there is still other money to be made by simply scanning grocery receipts.

Scanning grocery receipts for money is a real thing and there are over 20 apps that allow you to get started. While some are better than others, we recommend starting with the most popular receipts scanning app, Ibotta.

Our Top Pick: We like Ibotta because you can redeem digital offers plus your regular coupons for many food items at most supermarkets and even discount stores like Walmart and Target, and you also get a $10 sign-up bonus. When your rewards balance reaches $20, you can request PayPal payment or a gift card.

  29. Recycle Scrap Material

It’s also possible to make money recycling scrap material for cash. You can get cash for some of the following items you might have in your house:

Loose metal (i.e., sheet metal, copper, tire rims)

Appliances

Metal cans

Glass bottles

For larger objects like your old washer and dryer, you will need a truck and trailer to haul your scrap off. You can look online for scrap yards and recycle-for-cash facilities near you.

30. Picking Up Dog Poop

You can also make money picking up dog poop when you don’t have the time to walk dogs or pet sit. Why? Because it only takes a few minutes to clean up a backyard compared to keeping a pet for several hours.

One man operates a full-time business picking up dog poop for a premium in the Phoenix area. You can scroll down to #73 on this side hustle list to see a video of how he turned dog poop into a full-time income.

31. Sell Used Furniture

Did you recently upgrade your living room or dining room set? If there’s still some life in your old furniture collection, get a few bucks for it. Craigslist or letgo can be your best friend to attract college students and young couples that only need something affordable, but Trove Market is another option for more valuable pieces.

32. Sell Your Car

Another way to raise cash quickly is to sell a car you no longer need. Even if you need to sell your fancy ride and drive a clunker instead, how else can you access $10,000+ instantly.

I sold my $20,000 sports car and now drive a very reliable $4,000 vehicle instead. Although I don’t turn as many heads as before, the $16,000 in cash proceeds was split between our savings and an extra house payment.

33. Have a Yard Sale

Decluttering helps you discover a small fortune sitting underneath your roof. The only problem is that you must sell your stuff to get cash. Having a yard sale is one of the quickest ways to sell most of your items in a weekend.

Coordinating your yard sale with your neighborhood sale is a good idea, but you should also post your sale on:

Craigslist

Facebook Marketplace

Your local newspaper

34. Deliver Phone Books

This job is seasonal, but it can be perfect if you only need to work for a few days. Neighborhoods all across the country still get a phone book delivered at least once a year. You can even get your daily exercise requirement in on delivery days too!

You can find local positions online to begin delivering phone books.

35. Pick Up Trash

You might find this income stream a tad bizarre, but you can make money picking up trash! Brian from Clean Lots has been doing it for thirty years and makes a six-figure income.

Business and shopping center parking lots don’t clean themselves. If you’re not afraid of getting your hands a little dirty, you can put some extra green in your wallet.

Tip: Hear Brian’s story on Episode 59 of the Money Peach Podcast.

36. Sell Your Clothes

You could do what you always do and hold a garage sale, or you can also try selling your clothes to a nearby consignment store. It’s less work and you might make more money! You can also use the same tactic for bulky household goods that are too expensive to ship to an online buyer.

Another option is to try selling your more valuable clothes online if you think you can earn more selling it yourself. Make sure you take good pictures and factor shipping prices into the equation too.

37. Flip Garage Sale Finds

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Some people might be selling their treasures at a discount because they need money now. By perusing garage sales and thrift stores, you can find bargains that can be sold online for a profit.

You can also scour the “Free” section on Craigslist for steals too. Once you figure out the average selling price of the items you plan to flip, shopping will be much easier and quicker.

You will need to find the system that works best for you to find treasures and the best places to sell them.

Every town has a different dynamic to find discounted items. One tip is to visit the thrift stores in the wealthier parts of your town as they are more likely to sell quality items at steep discounts. For example, you might be able to find designer clothing for a dollar that can be sold for $10 or more.

38. Wash Cars for Cash

You can offer to wash cars by hand by having a mobile car wash station or you can travel to a person’s house to wash the car. If you provide house calls or interior detailing, you need to provide your own cleaning supplies in addition to the car wash soap you use.

It’s also possible to offer exterior car waxing services to if you have the time and want to make some additional cash.

39. Pressure Wash Houses

Here’s one task that many homeowners neglect is pressure washing their home. Some people only pressure wash their homes when they get ready to sell it. You can advertise your services online or the old-fashioned way of knocking on doors.

To increase your chances of landing a job, take before and after pictures of a few homes that you pressure wash. Being able to show your clients visual examples of your quality work goes a long way.

40. Mow Lawns

You can also mow lawns and offer basic landscaping services to make money to while improving curb appeal for the homeowner.  This is a great idea to boost your income in the summer months when there’s more daylight and you’re probably outside already.

If you live in a region with significant snowfall, you can get paid during all four seasons to keep lawns and driveways in tiptop shape.

41. Clean Houses

Another way to make money any month of the year is to clean houses or places of business. You can find openings on Craigslist. For example, you might be able to clean vacation cabins on the weekends if you live near a touristy area. Or, cleaning services might also be looking for people to clean office buildings or industrial properties.

Depending on your personal network, you can also ask your friends and family if they know of anybody that needs help cleaning. Asking a simple question can help you find long-term clients or cleaning before somebody has company arrive to visit.

42. Donate Plasma

There’s a perpetual demand for plasma to treat rare, chronic diseases and you can make $400 each month by donating your plasma. Maybe this is something you or your friends did in college for some extra “weekend money.” You must be at least 110 pounds, at least 18-years-old in most states to donate and free of certain illnesses.

43. Participate in Paid Clinical Studies

Another option for making money locally is to participate in paid medical studies. You can find studies by searching for “paid medical studies near me” to find paid opportunities. You can also ask your local college or medical center if they are aware of any opportunities too.

When medical studies are available, you may have to be experiencing certain medical conditions. You will also need to be okay with being a “medical guinea pig” and testing new medications and treatment ideas.

44. Teach Lessons

All those piano lessons or karate lessons your parents paid for can finally be put to good use. You can teach a skill one night a week or multiple nights depending on how many students you have. Whether it’s music lessons, karate, gymnastics, or another talent you can teach individually or to a group, you can advertise locally to get students.

Once you decide what you can teach, you can advertise your services on Craigslist or also leave flyers at local businesses, community centers, or the public library.

45. Babysit

Parents sometimes need a break–date night— from their children and need to hire a babysitter. Besides asking for your family and friends for gigs, you can always advertise your services on Care.com.

46. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking

Animals need loving too and you can make just as much money pet sitting when their owners leave town or work long hours. Dog walking is another daily hustle opportunity as you take the dogs on their daily walk so their owner doesn’t have to.

Believe it or not, some professional dog walkers make $100,000 a year for doing something that millions of dog owners do every day for free.

Two places to begin advertising your pet sitting and dog walking services are Care and Rover.

47. Clean Houses

If you keep a clean house, put your skills to work by cleaning other people’s houses or office buildings in your spare time. Care.com can help you connect you with homeowners that don’t have the time to clean their house. Another great resource is Craigslist and looking in the “Part-Time Jobs” section.

48. Mow Lawns

When the grass is green, make money mowing lawns in your neighborhood and around town. Mowing lawns can be the perfect seasonal job if you need to make extra money in the summer when school is out or there’s more sunlight to work outside in the evenings.

49. Shovel Snow

You can also make money during the winter shoveling driveways and sidewalks. By owning a truck and plow, you can earn more keeping parking lots clean. Because snow removal is more labor-intensive than mowing a lawn, you can earn more per property than mowing (I did at least).

50. Clean Gutters and Rake Leaves

In the fall, you can also rake leaves and clean gutters before winter sets in. Once again, these are simple tasks that most homeowners simple don’t enjoy doing and offer a decent income if you enjoy working outside.

51. Pressure Wash Houses

Most houses need to be pressure washed every two or three years to maintain that “new” look. Many homeowners either don’t own a pressure washer or don’t have the time to keep their siding clean. You can advertise your services online or simply start knocking on doors to get your first clients.

52. Paint Houses

If you own a paint sprayer, can smoothly roll paint, or know how to seamlessly cut in wall edges, painting houses is another possibility. This is one task most homeowners won’t attempt on their own, especially if they aren’t a skilled painter or they are preparing to sell their house and want a professional-quality job.

53. Become a Handyman

Property management is a huge business beyond yard work, you can use your hands to help your neighbors with various home tasks with Takl or TaskRabbit including:

Home improvement

Mounting and installing new household devices

Furniture assembly

Moving and packing

54. Collect Scrap Metal

You or your family and friends might have a garage full of old household appliances. Maybe you have acquired a small scrap metal collection from your other side hustle opportunities. Regardless of how you (legally) collect your scrap, taking your ferrous and non-ferrous metal to a local scrap yard will yield an instant payment.

Some of the best ferrous and non-ferrous metals to collect are:

Aluminum

Brass

Copper

Steel

You will get the best price by bringing a single, large load compared to many small loads–even if they’re the same weight. Scrap yards have an easier time selling larger quantities to buyers and reward you with a volume bonus for making their job easier.

55. Deliver Newspapers

Newspaper routes are a steady part-time income stream if you can work in the early morning hours before your regular job or classes. If there are multiple newspaper in your town, you can also apply for a route that might deliver only a few days per week–instead of all seven– if you can’t commit to delivering papers every day of the week.

56. Deliver Phone Books

A one-time, seasonal hustle is delivering phone books five days a week. You need to be at least 18-years-old and have a driver’s license to participate. PDC is one of the largest delivery companies and they might be looking for delivery people like you.

57. Cut Firewood

Many people still heat their houses with wood in the winter or need wood for summer camping trips, but they don’t have access to their own firewood source. Or, they don’t have the time to cut their own wood. Cutting and delivering firewood is another in-demand income stream.

Make Better Decisions with the Money You Have

Whether it’s getting on a budget or learning how to manage the money you currently have, you still get a raise. In fact, the biggest raise you will ever receive in your working lifetime is not when you make more money, but when you control the money you already have.

58. Get on a Budget

Most of us don’t like the word budget because it’s so restrictive, right? We think if we are on a budget, then the result is our life goes from fun to awful in a blink of an eye.

But what if a budget was simply a plan for your money. Instead of wondering where it went at the end of each month, what if you decided where it went? What would it feel like if you were in control of your money each month?

Creating a budget is easier than you may think.

Step 1: Start a free and simple budget today.

59. Hire a Money Coach

Are you tired of trying to figure out the money all by yourself without any help? Does it feel like no matter how hard you try, you never seem to have any money left over at the end of the month.

The problem isn’t you, the problem is you were never shown what to do or how to do it.

Chris Peach teaches a live program (not an online course) called Smart Money Academy. Inside the program, Chris will show you how to create a budget you can stick to and he will even guarantee you will save $500 in the first month we work together. 

If Chris doesn’t come through on these two promises, the program is 100% free to you. If you are looking for someone to walk with you step-by-step through your financial journey and actually help you along the way, Chris Peach from SMA is the coach I highly recommend.

60. Ditch Your Permanent Life Insurance Policy

One of the worst “investments” an adult can make is buying permanent life insurance – aka Cash Value Policy. In most cases, the policy benefits are not worth the extra cost. Apply for a term life insurance policy instead that can be ten times cheaper than a permanent life insurance policy. Once you have your new term policy in place, cash out your cash value immediately!

61. Switch Bank Accounts

This hack won’t give you more spending money, but you can avoid overdraft fees, monthly account fees, and earn more interest on your deposit. In addition to thinking about short-term ways to make money, you should also pursue long-term income streams to earn recurring wealth.

Best Savings and Checking Accounts RateDetails CIT Savings Builder2.05% APR$100 monthly deposit OR $25,000 account balance CIT Money Market Account1.75% APR $100 min opening deposit UFB Direct2.00% APR$0 min to open account. $10,000 minimum to earn full 2.25% Axos Rewards Checking Account1.11% APRNo overdraft or non-sufficient fund fees, unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and no minimum balance requirements

62. Refinance Your High Interest Debt

There are much better options for you instead of high interest credit card debt or any high interest debt for that matter. Borrowers are literally saving thousands of dollars in interest payments by trading their higher interest debt for a lower interest personal loan. The nice thing is you have so many more options than you did just a few years ago and with the competition for your business, your new interest rate could be much lower than what you have now.

Check our our favorite places to start for lowering your high interest debt.

63. Refinance Your Student Loans

If you have a mountain of student loans to repay, you can refinance the balance for a potentially lower interest rate. This is because you now have a job and your credit score has likely improved since you earned your diploma. Credible is a leader in student loan refinancing and they even offer job loss protection benefits and incentives for entrepreneurs too.

Immediately Cut Your Spending for an Instant Pay Raise

Are you ready to learn the secret on getting an immediate pay raise? Reduce your monthly spending.

For example, if you can spend $100 less each month than right now, you get an instant $1,200 indirect pay raise for the year. And, it might only take a few minutes to make a few quick changes to immediately begin saving money.

Besides using your free time to make money, you can also use these money hacks to instantly cut your spending. Another mantra you might take to hear is, “Spend less, work less.” By cutting your spending, maybe you don’t have to sacrifice your work/life balance to make extra money.

64. Save Your Spare Change

Maybe you’ve heard the tip of stashing all of your $1 bills in a savings envelope instead of keeping them into your wallet to spend on coffee and candy bars to easily save money for the future. The Acorns app makes it even easier to save and invest your spare change instead of spending it.

With each purchase, Acorns rounds up the purchase amount to the next dollar for every credit or debit card purchase. For example, a $4.25 purchase becomes $5 and the extra 75 cents is invested to build a small nest egg. You can also get extra cash investments by shopping online through Acorns retail partners too.

65. Stop Paying High Investing Fees

Each time you buy or sell a stock or ETF, your brokerage might charge up to $7 per trade. If you’re only investing small amounts of income at a time or are simply tired of paying hundreds of dollars in trade commissions each year M1 Finance is an option you should definitely give a look.

66. Trim Automatically Gets Rid of Your “Gray Charges”

Ask Trim makes it easy to “work smarter and not harder.”  For free, Trim monitors your spending, account balances, and can even reduce your monthly bill amount in the following categories:

Cable, cell phone, and internet

Car insurance

Unwanted subscriptions

With a single text message or Facebook Messenger request, Trim works on your behalf to find discounts on your current monthly bills or cancel the services–streaming plans including Hulu and Spotify, insurance, and gym membership– you no longer use but are still paying for.

You will realize the savings the next time you get ready to pay your bills and realize there’s more money in your bank account than usual; and you never lifted a finger.

Read our full Trim Review to learn about all of Trim’s benefits to save you money.

67. Cancel Your Cable TV Subscription

The average household cable TV bill is over $120 a month and most people only watch 20 of the 100s of channels to choose from. We dumped our cable years ago and use services like Hulu for our favorite shows with SlingTV for a total of $26/month (and no contracts).

By cutting the cord, you instantly save $100 a month on cable TV by streaming live and on-demand programming over your high-speed internet. Sling TV can be watch with any flat screen TV, computer, or mobile device.

BONUS: If you’re a fan of the 90’s TGIF shows like me, Hulu now offers Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Perfect Strangers and Hangin with Mr. Cooper.

68. File Price Protection Claims for Online Orders

You can already get cashback on every online purchase when you shop with a shopping app like Ebates and you can get additional cash back if the price drops after you make the purchase.

With Paribus, you can get free price protection notifications when a retailer drops the price on recent purchases. Paribus then submits the claim on your behalf, which means you don’t have to monitor for price changes yourself and then submit it.

Disclaimer: Paribus does compensate MoneyPeach when you sign up for Paribus using the links we have provided in this post. 

69. Earn Credit Card Rewards

Many people stick with debit cards because you’re still required to immediately pay for your purchases with cash. While you won’t go into credit card debt, you’re missing out on credit card rewards for cash back or travel rewards.

If you are going to use a credit card, make sure to pay them off in full so you don’t incur high interest payments. The best way to do this is to set a reminder to pay your credit cards in full once per week. If you don’t feel like paying them in full each week, then set up auto-pay so you never carry a balance.

Also, choose the best credit card rewards that fit your lifestyle. If you notice you spend most of your money at the grocery store and on fuel costs, then you may want to look at a card that gives you the highest cash back on those types of purchases.

Conversely, if you are someone who enjoys traveling, then it may be a good idea to look at cards that offer the best travel perks.

Check out Nerdwallet’s credit card reviews to help you choose the best option

70. Stop Going Out to Eat As Often

Food is a large portion of most people’s household budget. You might be spending more on food than you must because you go out to eat all the time. In many cases, you can make the same meals at home for a fraction of the cost. For a family of four, you can easily spend at least $40 for each restaurant meal.

If you don’t think it’s possible to feed a family on a budget, visit $5 Meal Plan. You can access delicious recipes that let you feed an army for pennies.

71. Switch to a Health Sharing Plan

You may not realize it, but health insurance is one of the largest monthly expenses. Switching to an affordable health sharing plan saves my family 75% in health insurance premiums compared to traditional health insurance. Honestly, it’s probably one of the best financial moves we made when I became self-employed.

Our Top Pick: There are many great health sharing options, but our favorite is Medi-Share because of the affordability AND their own MDLive program: a FREE add on that gives you 24/7 access to a doctor visit via your smartphone, which saves you time and money on co-pays!

Summary

It doesn’t matter if you want to pursue a side hustle, sell some of your belongings, or cut spending, there are multiple ways to get money fast. We all have different skills and schedules so you pick the ideas that work best for you. No matter which ideas you pick, you can’t go wrong because you’re improving your financial situation.

    70+ Ways to Get Money When You Need Money Now published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

[darcyfarber]

70+ Ways to Get Money When You Need Money Now

  Are you here because you are saying to yourself, “I need money now and don’t know what to do”?

We all know nobody has a money tree in their backyard that grows dollar bills you can pick on-demand. However, you can still get money right now if you’re dealing with an unexpected bill, home repair, medical expense, or whatever it may be that is causing you to scramble for a quick money WITHOUT having to borrow it.

With a little hustle and creativity, you can begin implementing these ideas today to quickly increase your cash flow.

Believe me, my wife and I have had to raise cash quickly without paying late fees or borrowing money. Even if you have enough money in your emergency fund to cover a surprise expense, you can quickly replenish your balance with these earning hacks as well.

I Need Money Now – Earning Online

The good news is if you really need money right now, you can get money right now. Whether you want to make money from home, from an app on your phone or you’re willing to put your skills to work, here are some great ways to start earning income today.

1. Trade In Your Cell Phone and Put $475 in Your Pocket

Buyback Boss is who I continue to use whenever we upgrade to a new phone because they guarantee the most money for your phone and they send same-day payments via check or PayPal.

If you have an old phone in a drawer somewhere, why not sell it today and get paid ASAP? Think of that old phone as cash sitting in your drawer that you need right now.

You can also downgrade to last year’s model (often getting the phone for a few dollars with a new contract) and sell your current phone for up to $475. Here’s a screenshot I snapped of the latest offer I received on my current used phone (iPhone X) in good condition.

  2. Get Money Sent to Your PayPal For Your Opinion

Survey Junkie is a great place to start because cash can be deposited into your PayPal account, or you can get paid out via Amazon or Target gift cards for simply giving you opinion online.

We also have a full list of all different types of survey companies who are looking to pay people for their opinions on different products and brands. You can see the full list of the top survey companies here.

Our Top Pick: Survey Junkie has been around since 2005 and is the most trusted in the survey industry with a Trustpilot Rating of 4.4/5.

You can start making money today by checking out Survey Junkie here.

  3. Get Paid to Play Games

Yes, you can actually get paid to play games.

Mistplay is one of the very best places to get started.

The reason is online game creators need to have their games tested by real people before they launch it out to the market. 

For testing out their games on you mobile device, apps like Mistplay will pay via credits. These credits can then be cashed out in the form of different gift cards, including Visa or Amazon gift cards.

We also put together a full list of places that will pay you to play games here.

4. Teach English Online

Teaching English online to international students can be the perfect side hustle opportunity if you want to work before your children wake up or after bedtime. VIPKid is one of the leading online classrooms. To get started, you need a webcam, microphone, and a love for teaching.

Most of these online teaching sites require you to have a teaching degree or prior classroom experience.

5. Save Money and Make Money with the Honey App

The Honey App will search every online coupon for you and apply the best promo code at your checkout for free. This is the first way to save money.

Also, for every 2 people you refer to Honey, they will pay you $10 in the form of popular gift cards like Amazon, Walmart and Target.

By reducing how much you spend, you won’t have to earn as much money from these side hustles. Honey makes it easy to save money when you shop online by automatically applying every known discount code to your order when you checkout.

If you shop at Amazon, Honey also compares the prices of third-party sellers to the current Amazon price to quickly spot the lowest price so you pay less for the exact same product.

With no additional effort, Honey saves you money on products you are going to purchase regardless. Now, make sure you put your savings to good use!

You can also learn about the triple savings hack with honey here.

6. Complete Mini-Online Tasks

Swagbucks is the best place to start when for getting paid to complete tasks such as reading emails, surfing the web, playing games, shopping online and using mobile apps to name a few.

BONUS: One thing I really like about Swagbucks is the option to donate to one of the many charities they work with.

Our Top Pick: The most widely known company is Swagbucks, with a Trust Pilot Rating of 4.3/5..

With Swagbucks, you earn swagbucks that can be redeemed for cash via your PayPal or through gift cards to places like Walmart, Amazon, Express, or even Bass Pro Shops.

  7. Get a quick $10 with Ebates (now called Rakuten)

Ebates sends you cash via PayPal for shopping online or in stories at places you already normally shop.

Let’s be clear, unnecessary shopping is one of the last activities you need to do if you need to get money fast, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a smart shopper for those unavoidable purchases. My wife and I shop with Ebates and get up to 40% cash back on nearly every online purchase.

Ebates cashback arrives once a quarter via PayPal or mailed check and you can get a bonus by referring your friends to shop with Ebates too. Using Ebates is like getting paid to shop.

Also, you can get a free $10 when you create an account with eBates today.

8. Freelance Online with Fiverr

Freelancing online with Fiverr is another great way to make money online. With Fiverr, you use your talents online without performing manual labor. Here are some of the possible gigs you can perform:

Writing blog posts

Graphic design

Website design

Creating YouTube videos

Translation

Proofreading

Voice Over

Jingles, sound effects, and songs

Similar to Fiverr, Upwork is another great platform for aspiring freelancers.

I have been freelancing online for the past two years and it’s been an excellent source of supplemental income because you can truly work from anywhere in the world with an internet connection and get paid.

9. Proofread

If you have an eye for detail and can spot typos from a mile away when you read the news or visit a restaurant, you might find your calling as a proofreader. Several proofreading companies require prior experience, but you can also get your foot in the door at Cactus Communications or freelancer platforms including Upwork and Fiverr.

If you are looking to perfect your craft as a proofreader and earn more money, look into Caitlin Pyle’s Proofread Anywhere program.

10. Create an Online Course

With Udemy, you can create a video course to teach others something you’re an expert in. Your video can be teaching computer coding, cooking skills, making a craft, or anything else in the Udemy course catalog. You collect a royalty for each course purchase and you can easily create new courses to continue earning residual income.

11. Transcribe Audio Recordings

Do you excel at dictation? Audio transcriptionists put sound recordings to paper. With sites like TranscribeMe, you transcribe one or two-minute recordings on a variety of topics. If you have medical or legal experience, you can make extra money transcribing these recordings that require a professional background.

12. Lucktastic

Lucktastic can give you a break from your other side hustles. This app is an instant win game where you can scratch multiple tickets each day and potentially win cash prizes. If you need money now, you should still pursue other recommendations that provide a guaranteed income first.

13. Test Websites and Apps

Another fun way to make money online is testing websites and apps. UserTesting is one of the most popular testing platforms. Each test takes up to twenty minutes to complete and you make $10. At that rate, you make $30 an hour for testing websites!

To become a tester, you will need a computer or app that has a functioning webcam and microphone. You are given a series of tasks to complete during the test and you verbally share your thoughts as you complete each task.

14. Sell Unwanted Gift Cards

Sometimes, you don’t have to work to make money because you already have it in unwanted gift cards. Instead of letting your gift cards collect dust, sell them on Gift Card Granny.

You can sell your unused and partially used gift cards quickly with three different selling options:

Sell It Now

Name Your Price

Trade In

Gift Card Granny finds the best price on the top gift card marketplaces and you get paid almost instantly when a sale is made.

I have sold several gift cards online almost always within 24 hours of posting and payment is sent via PayPal within three business days. Selling gift cards is one of the quickest ways to get money fast because of the quick turnaround.

15. Sell Unused Clothing

As your fashion tastes change or your children grow older, you might find yourself with a closet full of clothes you’ll never wear again. While you can sell them at a yard sale or local consignment shop, you might also consider selling online at thredUP for men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing.

For designer clothing you wish to keep but don’t plan to wear in the near future, Rent the Runway lets you rent your high-end articles for up to one month at a time.

Finally, my wife has also had success selling on eBay and Poshmark. To increase the odds of selling your items, make sure to take plenty of pictures and consider wearing them or putting them on a mannequin so the buyer can visualize how the item fits.

16. Sell Your Old Books

You can also make a quick buck by selling your used books and textbooks that you’ll no longer read. Selling our old books is another way we boost our income each year and you can start with these three sites:

Amazon Marketplace

Cash4Books

Bookscouter (Textbooks only)

Selling is easy as you only have to enter the ISBN to receive an instant quote from Cash4Books and Bookscouter. If you like the price, you ship the books for free using their prepaid shipping label and you will be paid via PayPal once your shipment arrives and is processed.

I recommend using Bookscouter for selling your textbooks as they compare the prices of 42 buyback vendors in a single search; saving you time while finding the best buyer.

17. Sell Movies, Music, and Video Games

You can also make some extra cash by selling your old DVDs, CDs, and video games with Bonavendi. With their app, you can scan barcodes and compare the prices of 28 companies including Amazon and Best Buy.

18. Sell Old Electronics

Decluttr can be the most efficient app to sell your old electronics, smartphone, and tech gadgets. The Decluttr app scans item barcodes and you receive next-day payments via PayPal and direct deposit once Decluttr receives your shipment. College students can also receive a 10% bonus payment to earn a little extra cash.

Make Money Locally

You should also consider making money within your local community. After all, not everybody wants to stare at a computer screen to make extra income. If you enjoy being on the move or have handy skills there are plenty of ways to have a gig without working a regular shift.

Also, ask your friends and family if they have any potential clients. Word of mouth referral is always one of the most effective forms of advertising.

19. Deliver Food, Drinks and Groceries to People

Have you heard of Postmates?

Postmates is a service where people can order food, drinks and groceries and have them available for delivery or pickup. The people who provide that service and get paid, are people just like yourself.

Postmates states that experienced couriers can earn up to $25 an hour and work on their own hours.

However, if you only want to deliver groceries to people, then you should also sign up for Instacart.

Instacart pays people quickly to deliver groceries from grocery store to their clients doorstep. Currently, people working with Instacart are making anywhere from $50 – $1,000 per month as a side hustle.

20. Get Cashback on Grocery Purchases

Each time you shop at grocery stores, you can get cashback with iBotta or Checkout51 . By activating offers and scanning your receipts, both of these apps gives you a cash reward for every redeemed offer. These cash rewards are in addition to any paper coupons you might clip, and you can potentially double your savings.

Checkout51 publishes their newest offers every Thursday. Once your account balance reaches $20, you can request a cash payment.

21. Become an Uber Driver

Uber is a great option if you have a car and like interacting with people. There are two additional reasons to consider driving for Uber:

Flexible hours

Weekly pay

Signup incentive for new drivers

Another reason to consider Uber is for their schedule flexibility; you drive when you have time and aren’t beholden to a specific shift or having to be available at least X hours a week.

You can find more information here to determine if driving with Uber is right for you.

22.  Deliver for Uber Eats

Uber Eats allows you earn on your own schedule by delivering food from restaurants to people.

The best thing about Uber Eats is you get to choose your wheels based on the city you live in. Depending on your city, you can deliver for Uber Eats via your car, bike or scooter. Just turn on the app in the morning before work, when you get home, or whenever you have some extra time to make money on your terms.

Also, the driver qualifications are less stringent for Uber Eats. In case you don’t meet the age and vehicle requirements to be a full-fledged Uber driver, you can be an Uber Eats driver until then.

23. Become an Airbnb Host

Become and Airbnb Host and you can start making really good income each month. There are many of benefits to being a homeowner, including the option to rent out your unused rooms for cash. But, by becoming an Airbnb host, travelers stay in your spare bedroom, basement, or second house.

Real estate is one time-tested approach to earning passive income and Airbnb can be less stressful than being a full-time landlord or trying to fix and flip houses for a profit. And, you get to interact with visitors coming from all corners of the world!

24. Become a TaskRabbit

There are people who need simple tasks completed but simply don’t have the time. Whether it’s putting together furniture from iKea, delivering a dresser across town, or trimming some overgrown bushes in the backyard – people will hire you.

Here are the top three places to find work using your phone:

TaskRabbit

OfferUp

Facebook Marketplace

Simply create a bio about yourself and then start looking for the task requests to pour in. I personally can tell you I utilize one of these three apps a week to find someone to do tasks for me!

25. Sell Locally on Craigslist

Bulky items aren’t cost-effective to sell online because they cost too much to ship. When that’s the case, sell locally with Craigslist or another app to sell locally. We periodically sell our unwanted items during the year and pocket 100% profit because it’s free to sell on these apps.

Beyond Craigslist, there are also dozens of other similar websites where you can sell your stuff locally as well.

26. Scan Grocery Receipts and Get $10

Earlier we told you ways to make money delivering through places like Postmates, Instacart and Uber Eats. However, there is still other money to be made by simply scanning grocery receipts.

Scanning grocery receipts for money is a real thing and there are over 20 apps that allow you to get started. While some are better than others, we recommend starting with the most popular receipts scanning app, Ibotta.

Our Top Pick: We like Ibotta because you can redeem digital offers plus your regular coupons for many food items at most supermarkets and even discount stores like Walmart and Target, and you also get a $10 sign-up bonus. When your rewards balance reaches $20, you can request PayPal payment or a gift card.

27. Rent Out Your Car

If you don’t drive your car every day or have the time to be an Uber driver, you can make some extra cash by renting your car on Turo. You can earn approximately $541 a month ($6,501 a year) when your car is worth $20,000 and it’s borrowed 15 days a month. This income can easily cover your monthly insurance premium and car payment.

Considering most cars are depreciating assets that lose value every day and cost money to maintain, renting your car on Turo is one of the very few ways your car can actually make money for you.

You will receive payment within five days after a rental period ends.

28. Rent Your Spare Bedroom

You can also make money by listing your spare bedroom or a second house as an Airbnb host. An increasing number of travelers prefer staying at Airbnb because it’s typically more reasonable than most hotel rooms and it’s a more enjoyable experience. Airbnb will help you through the listing process so you can begin taking guests and putting your vacant real estate to good use.

29. Recycle Scrap Material

It’s also possible to make money recycling scrap material for cash. You can get cash for some of the following items you might have in your house:

Loose metal (i.e., sheet metal, copper, tire rims)

Appliances

Metal cans

Glass bottles

For larger objects like your old washer and dryer, you will need a truck and trailer to haul your scrap off. You can look online for scrap yards and recycle-for-cash facilities near you.

30. Picking Up Dog Poop

You can also make money picking up dog poop when you don’t have the time to walk dogs or pet sit. Why? Because it only takes a few minutes to clean up a backyard compared to keeping a pet for several hours.

One man operates a full-time business picking up dog poop for a premium in the Phoenix area. You can scroll down to #73 on this side hustle list to see a video of how he turned dog poop into a full-time income.

31. Sell Used Furniture

Did you recently upgrade your living room or dining room set? If there’s still some life in your old furniture collection, get a few bucks for it. Craigslist or letgo can be your best friend to attract college students and young couples that only need something affordable, but Trove Market is another option for more valuable pieces.

32. Sell Your Car

Another way to raise cash quickly is to sell a car you no longer need. Even if you need to sell your fancy ride and drive a clunker instead, how else can you access $10,000+ instantly.

I sold my $20,000 sports car and now drive a very reliable $4,000 vehicle instead. Although I don’t turn as many heads as before, the $16,000 in cash proceeds was split between our savings and an extra house payment.

33. Have a Yard Sale

Decluttering helps you discover a small fortune sitting underneath your roof. The only problem is that you must sell your stuff to get cash. Having a yard sale is one of the quickest ways to sell most of your items in a weekend.

Coordinating your yard sale with your neighborhood sale is a good idea, but you should also post your sale on:

Craigslist

Facebook Marketplace

Your local newspaper

34. Deliver Phone Books

This job is seasonal, but it can be perfect if you only need to work for a few days. Neighborhoods all across the country still get a phone book delivered at least once a year. You can even get your daily exercise requirement in on delivery days too!

You can find local positions online to begin delivering phone books.

35. Pick Up Trash

You might find this income stream a tad bizarre, but you can make money picking up trash! Brian from Clean Lots has been doing it for thirty years and makes a six-figure income.

Business and shopping center parking lots don’t clean themselves. If you’re not afraid of getting your hands a little dirty, you can put some extra green in your wallet.

Tip: Hear Brian’s story on Episode 59 of the Money Peach Podcast.

36. Sell Your Clothes

You could do what you always do and hold a garage sale, or you can also try selling your clothes to a nearby consignment store. It’s less work and you might make more money! You can also use the same tactic for bulky household goods that are too expensive to ship to an online buyer.

Another option is to try selling your more valuable clothes online if you think you can earn more selling it yourself. Make sure you take good pictures and factor shipping prices into the equation too.

36. Flip Garage Sale Finds

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Some people might be selling their treasures at a discount because they need money now. By perusing garage sales and thrift stores, you can find bargains that can be sold online for a profit.

You can also scour the “Free” section on Craigslist for steals too. Once you figure out the average selling price of the items you plan to flip, shopping will be much easier and quicker.

You will need to find the system that works best for you to find treasures and the best places to sell them.

Every town has a different dynamic to find discounted items. One tip is to visit the thrift stores in the wealthier parts of your town as they are more likely to sell quality items at steep discounts. For example, you might be able to find designer clothing for a dollar that can be sold for $10 or more.

37. Wash Cars for Cash

You can offer to wash cars by hand by having a mobile car wash station or you can travel to a person’s house to wash the car. If you provide house calls or interior detailing, you need to provide your own cleaning supplies in addition to the car wash soap you use.

It’s also possible to offer exterior car waxing services to if you have the time and want to make some additional cash.

38. Pressure Wash Houses

Here’s one task that many homeowners neglect is pressure washing their home. Some people only pressure wash their homes when they get ready to sell it. You can advertise your services online or the old-fashioned way of knocking on doors.

To increase your chances of landing a job, take before and after pictures of a few homes that you pressure wash. Being able to show your clients visual examples of your quality work goes a long way.

39. Mow Lawns

You can also mow lawns and offer basic landscaping services to make money to while improving curb appeal for the homeowner.  This is a great idea to boost your income in the summer months when there’s more daylight and you’re probably outside already.

If you live in a region with significant snowfall, you can get paid during all four seasons to keep lawns and driveways in tiptop shape.

40. Clean Houses

Another way to make money any month of the year is to clean houses or places of business. You can find openings on Craigslist. For example, you might be able to clean vacation cabins on the weekends if you live near a touristy area. Or, cleaning services might also be looking for people to clean office buildings or industrial properties.

Depending on your personal network, you can also ask your friends and family if they know of anybody that needs help cleaning. Asking a simple question can help you find long-term clients or cleaning before somebody has company arrive to visit.

41. Donate Plasma

There’s a perpetual demand for plasma to treat rare, chronic diseases and you can make $400 each month by donating your plasma. Maybe this is something you or your friends did in college for some extra “weekend money.” You must be at least 110 pounds, at least 18-years-old in most states to donate and free of certain illnesses.

42. Participate in Paid Clinical Studies

Another option for making money locally is to participate in paid medical studies. You can find studies by searching for “paid medical studies near me” to find paid opportunities. You can also ask your local college or medical center if they are aware of any opportunities too.

When medical studies are available, you may have to be experiencing certain medical conditions. You will also need to be okay with being a “medical guinea pig” and testing new medications and treatment ideas.

43. Teach Lessons

All those piano lessons or karate lessons your parents paid for can finally be put to good use. You can teach a skill one night a week or multiple nights depending on how many students you have. Whether it’s music lessons, karate, gymnastics, or another talent you can teach individually or to a group, you can advertise locally to get students.

Once you decide what you can teach, you can advertise your services on Craigslist or also leave flyers at local businesses, community centers, or the public library.

44. Babysit

Parents sometimes need a break–date night— from their children and need to hire a babysitter. Besides asking for your family and friends for gigs, you can always advertise your services on Care.com.

45. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking

Animals need loving too and you can make just as much money pet sitting when their owners leave town or work long hours. Dog walking is another daily hustle opportunity as you take the dogs on their daily walk so their owner doesn’t have to.

Believe it or not, some professional dog walkers make $100,000 a year for doing something that millions of dog owners do every day for free.

Two places to begin advertising your pet sitting and dog walking services are Care and Rover.

46. Clean Houses

If you keep a clean house, put your skills to work by cleaning other people’s houses or office buildings in your spare time. Care.com can help you connect you with homeowners that don’t have the time to clean their house. Another great resource is Craigslist and looking in the “Part-Time Jobs” section.

47. Mow Lawns

When the grass is green, make money mowing lawns in your neighborhood and around town. Mowing lawns can be the perfect seasonal job if you need to make extra money in the summer when school is out or there’s more sunlight to work outside in the evenings.

48. Shovel Snow

You can also make money during the winter shoveling driveways and sidewalks. By owning a truck and plow, you can earn more keeping parking lots clean. Because snow removal is more labor-intensive than mowing a lawn, you can earn more per property than mowing (I did at least).

49. Clean Gutters and Rake Leaves

In the fall, you can also rake leaves and clean gutters before winter sets in. Once again, these are simple tasks that most homeowners simple don’t enjoy doing and offer a decent income if you enjoy working outside.

50. Pressure Wash Houses

Most houses need to be pressure washed every two or three years to maintain that “new” look. Many homeowners either don’t own a pressure washer or don’t have the time to keep their siding clean. You can advertise your services online or simply start knocking on doors to get your first clients.

51. Paint Houses

If you own a paint sprayer, can smoothly roll paint, or know how to seamlessly cut in wall edges, painting houses is another possibility. This is one task most homeowners won’t attempt on their own, especially if they aren’t a skilled painter or they are preparing to sell their house and want a professional-quality job.

52. Become a Handyman

Property management is a huge business beyond yard work, you can use your hands to help your neighbors with various home tasks with Takl or TaskRabbit including:

Home improvement

Mounting and installing new household devices

Furniture assembly

Moving and packing

53. Collect Scrap Metal

You or your family and friends might have a garage full of old household appliances. Maybe you have acquired a small scrap metal collection from your other side hustle opportunities. Regardless of how you (legally) collect your scrap, taking your ferrous and non-ferrous metal to a local scrap yard will yield an instant payment.

Some of the best ferrous and non-ferrous metals to collect are:

Aluminum

Brass

Copper

Steel

You will get the best price by bringing a single, large load compared to many small loads–even if they’re the same weight. Scrap yards have an easier time selling larger quantities to buyers and reward you with a volume bonus for making their job easier.

54. Deliver Newspapers

Newspaper routes are a steady part-time income stream if you can work in the early morning hours before your regular job or classes. If there are multiple newspaper in your town, you can also apply for a route that might deliver only a few days per week–instead of all seven– if you can’t commit to delivering papers every day of the week.

55. Deliver Phone Books

A one-time, seasonal hustle is delivering phone books five days a week. You need to be at least 18-years-old and have a driver’s license to participate. PDC is one of the largest delivery companies and they might be looking for delivery people like you.

56. Cut Firewood

Many people still heat their houses with wood in the winter or need wood for summer camping trips, but they don’t have access to their own firewood source. Or, they don’t have the time to cut their own wood. Cutting and delivering firewood is another in-demand income stream.

Make Better Decisions with the Money You Have

Whether it’s getting on a budget or learning how to manage the money you currently have, you still get a raise. In fact, the biggest raise you will ever receive in your working lifetime is not when you make more money, but when you control the money you already have.

57. Get on a Budget

Most of us don’t like the word budget because it’s so restrictive, right? We think if we are on a budget, then the result is our life goes from fun to awful in a blink of an eye.

But what if a budget was simply a plan for your money. Instead of wondering where it went at the end of each month, what if you decided where it went? What would it feel like if you were in control of your money each month?

Creating a budget is easier than you may think.

Step 1: Start a free and simple budget today.

58. Hire a Money Coach

Are you tired of trying to figure out the money all by yourself without any help? Does it feel like no matter how hard you try, you never seem to have any money left over at the end of the month.

The problem isn’t you, the problem is you were never shown what to do or how to do it.

Chris Peach teaches a live program (not an online course) called Smart Money Academy. Inside the program, Chris will show you how to create a budget you can stick to and he will even guarantee you will save $500 in the first month we work together. 

If Chris doesn’t come through on these two promises, the program is 100% free to you. If you are looking for someone to walk with you step-by-step through your financial journey and actually help you along the way, Chris Peach from SMA is the coach I highly recommend.

59. Ditch Your Permanent Life Insurance Policy

One of the worst “investments” an adult can make is buying permanent life insurance – aka Cash Value Policy. In most cases, the policy benefits are not worth the extra cost. Apply for a term life insurance policy instead that can be ten times cheaper than a permanent life insurance policy. Once you have your new term policy in place, cash out your cash value immediately!

60. Switch Bank Accounts

This hack won’t give you more spending money, but you can avoid overdraft fees, monthly account fees, and earn more interest on your deposit. In addition to thinking about short-term ways to make money, you should also pursue long-term income streams to earn recurring wealth.

Best Savings and Checking Accounts RateDetails CIT Savings Builder2.05% APR$100 monthly deposit OR $25,000 account balance CIT Money Market Account1.75% APR $100 min opening deposit UFB Direct2.00% APR$0 min to open account. $10,000 minimum to earn full 2.25% Axos Rewards Checking Account1.11% APRNo overdraft or non-sufficient fund fees, unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and no minimum balance requirements

60. Refinance Your High Interest Debt

There are much better options for you instead of high interest credit card debt or any high interest debt for that matter. Borrowers are literally saving thousands of dollars in interest payments by trading their higher interest debt for a lower interest personal loan. The nice thing is you have so many more options than you did just a few years ago and with the competition for your business, your new interest rate could be much lower than what you have now.

Check our our favorite places to start for lowering your high interest debt.

61. Refinance Your Student Loans

If you have a mountain of student loans to repay, you can refinance the balance for a potentially lower interest rate. This is because you now have a job and your credit score has likely improved since you earned your diploma. Credible is a leader in student loan refinancing and they even offer job loss protection benefits and incentives for entrepreneurs too.

Immediately Cut Your Spending for an Instant Pay Raise

Are you ready to learn the secret on getting an immediate pay raise? Reduce your monthly spending.

For example, if you can spend $100 less each month than right now, you get an instant $1,200 indirect pay raise for the year. And, it might only take a few minutes to make a few quick changes to immediately begin saving money.

Besides using your free time to make money, you can also use these money hacks to instantly cut your spending. Another mantra you might take to hear is, “Spend less, work less.” By cutting your spending, maybe you don’t have to sacrifice your work/life balance to make extra money.

62. Save Your Spare Change

Maybe you’ve heard the tip of stashing all of your $1 bills in a savings envelope instead of keeping them into your wallet to spend on coffee and candy bars to easily save money for the future. The Acorns app makes it even easier to save and invest your spare change instead of spending it.

With each purchase, Acorns rounds up the purchase amount to the next dollar for every credit or debit card purchase. For example, a $4.25 purchase becomes $5 and the extra 75 cents is invested to build a small nest egg. You can also get extra cash investments by shopping online through Acorns retail partners too.

63. Stop Paying High Investing Fees

Each time you buy or sell a stock or ETF, your brokerage might charge up to $7 per trade. If you’re only investing small amounts of income at a time or are simply tired of paying hundreds of dollars in trade commissions each year M1 Finance is an option you should definitely give a look.

64. Trim Automatically Gets Rid of Your “Gray Charges”

Ask Trim makes it easy to “work smarter and not harder.”  For free, Trim monitors your spending, account balances, and can even reduce your monthly bill amount in the following categories:

Cable, cell phone, and internet

Car insurance

Unwanted subscriptions

With a single text message or Facebook Messenger request, Trim works on your behalf to find discounts on your current monthly bills or cancel the services–streaming plans including Hulu and Spotify, insurance, and gym membership– you no longer use but are still paying for.

You will realize the savings the next time you get ready to pay your bills and realize there’s more money in your bank account than usual; and you never lifted a finger.

Read our full Trim Review to learn about all of Trim’s benefits to save you money.

65. Cancel Your Cable TV Subscription

The average household cable TV bill is over $120 a month and most people only watch 20 of the 100s of channels to choose from. We dumped our cable years ago and use services like Hulu for our favorite shows with SlingTV for a total of $26/month (and no contracts).

By cutting the cord, you instantly save $100 a month on cable TV by streaming live and on-demand programming over your high-speed internet. Sling TV can be watch with any flat screen TV, computer, or mobile device.

BONUS: If you’re a fan of the 90’s TGIF shows like me, Hulu now offers Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Perfect Strangers and Hangin with Mr. Cooper.

66. File Price Protection Claims for Online Orders

You can already get cashback on every online purchase when you shop with a shopping app like Ebates and you can get additional cash back if the price drops after you make the purchase.

With Paribus, you can get free price protection notifications when a retailer drops the price on recent purchases. Paribus then submits the claim on your behalf, which means you don’t have to monitor for price changes yourself and then submit it.

Disclaimer: Paribus does compensate MoneyPeach when you sign up for Paribus using the links we have provided in this post. 

67. Earn Credit Card Rewards

Many people stick with debit cards because you’re still required to immediately pay for your purchases with cash. While you won’t go into credit card debt, you’re missing out on credit card rewards for cash back or travel rewards.

If you are going to use a credit card, make sure to pay them off in full so you don’t incur high interest payments. The best way to do this is to set a reminder to pay your credit cards in full once per week. If you don’t feel like paying them in full each week, then set up auto-pay so you never carry a balance.

Also, choose the best credit card rewards that fit your lifestyle. If you notice you spend most of your money at the grocery store and on fuel costs, then you may want to look at a card that gives you the highest cash back on those types of purchases.

Conversely, if you are someone who enjoys traveling, then it may be a good idea to look at cards that offer the best travel perks.

Check out Nerdwallet’s credit card reviews to help you choose the best option

68. Stop Going Out to Eat As Often

Food is a large portion of most people’s household budget. You might be spending more on food than you must because you go out to eat all the time. In many cases, you can make the same meals at home for a fraction of the cost. For a family of four, you can easily spend at least $40 for each restaurant meal.

If you don’t think it’s possible to feed a family on a budget, visit $5 Meal Plan. You can access delicious recipes that let you feed an army for pennies.

69. Switch to a Health Sharing Plan

You may not realize it, but health insurance is one of the largest monthly expenses. Switching to an affordable health sharing plan saves my family 75% in health insurance premiums compared to traditional health insurance. Honestly, it’s probably one of the best financial moves we made when I became self-employed.

Our Top Pick: There are many great health sharing options, but our favorite is Medi-Share because of the affordability AND their own MDLive program: a FREE add on that gives you 24/7 access to a doctor visit via your smartphone, which saves you time and money on co-pays!

Summary

It doesn’t matter if you want to pursue a side hustle, sell some of your belongings, or cut spending, there are multiple ways to get money fast. We all have different skills and schedules so you pick the ideas that work best for you. No matter which ideas you pick, you can’t go wrong because you’re improving your financial situation.

    70+ Ways to Get Money When You Need Money Now published first on https://mysingaporepools.weebly.com/

[parents-baby]

How to patch the hole energy during maternity, Part 2

In the last article we talked about how you can "plug" holes in your motherboard are leaking energy creation, your internal resources.

SPACE PIRATE ATTACK!! | No Man's Sky - Part 2

We have considered the following reasons for the depletion of your energy:

1) Depreciation Society domestic work, family and most mom.

2) The lack of visible results of the work done

3) Loss of professional interests and skills.

4) hour stress associated with an incredible responsibility for the child and the "home".

5) The narrow circle of friends, suzivshayasya area of ​​interest, a change of priorities in favor of the child.

Continuing the conversation on this subject, having considered all the other "energy holes".

6) Financial dependence. Unfortunately, in most cases, mommy, located in the decree, is financially dependent on a partner (child's father) or from relatives who take on the financial support of mothers at the time, until it can not go to work. This relationship - a very serious reason why the mother feels "out of place", even if it "breadwinners" did not reproach her ruble. If the accusations of financial insolvency mother sitting with her child, expressed in the open - it can completely deprive the forces, to drop to the lowest self-esteem, and even cause a depression.

Way out of this situation is not too much, and they better take care in advance, before entering into a financial relationship - save "pillow security", to agree on working remotely even before the decree, discuss with your partner the family budget and all possible expenses before the advent of the child to light.

If all these measures were not taken by you in advance - well, never too late to get out of dependence, already caught in it. What may be possible to earn money for my mother with a small child? In fact, they are not so small:

Taylor Swift - Bad Blood ft. Kendrick Lamar

Remote work (a set of texts, editing and proofreading, translation, reporting, writing dissertations and term papers, design, photo editing, Moderator, etc.) It offers those wishing to find a remote work - a lot of forums, specialized sites, sites with advertisement. Of course, for this type of work we need some skill and experience, but you can start with the most basic work, gradually increasing the pace and volume.

Handmade. For the sale of products of own production and there are many sites on the Internet. You can try your hand in many areas of creativity: this might be knitting, sewing (especially in demand children's toys, educational soft mats and books, unusual clothes and Christmas costumes for kids), drawing, modeling, decoupage, plastic decorations made of polymer clay and an epoxy resin, and more). Perhaps such activity will bring you great earnings, but Creative arts at the same time is a serious way to raise their self-esteem and "recharge" positive energy.

Care for children. If you sit with your child - why do not you help other moms? Baby alien child - a complicated matter and responsible, but in some cases it can generate a good income.

Important in the case of such podrabotok not so much the value of earnings, how much of its usefulness and sense of possibility together to cope with financial difficulties in the family. Of course, to combine work with raising a young child is very difficult. Unfortunately, in some cases it may be other way.

THE OUIJA BOARD CHALLENGE! *DO NOT ATTEMPT*

So advice: if you can take care of their financial independence in advance. If this is not possible, never too late to start: Find part time, remote work, get creative, which simultaneously will be a new area for your earnings.

7) Lack of confidence in their own knowledge, abilities and capabilities. This "hole", which flies whistling your energy, especially if this uncertainty you feel constantly. It is amplified in cases where your child is ill, capricious, behave so badly that others draw your attention to this and criticize your mother's abilities. With uncertainty fight possible and necessary!

First, the accumulation of your own experience, it is becoming less.

Second, you can always use other people's experiences! This is why there are many books, communities, young and experienced moms on the Internet, forums and groups in social networks, as well as "moms club" on the playground.

Do not hesitate to ask questions to her friends, as well as the older female relatives who have already raised their own children.

Feel free to ask all your questions to doctors in the clinic during a routine examination of the child!

Find answers to their questions on their own, with the help of search engines on the Internet, get a subscription to the nearest library. Mankind has accumulated extensive experience in education and treatment of children, as well as in solving a variety of problems in young families, and this experience can be quite easy to use, ask such a purpose.

So, advice accumulate their own experience, do not hesitate to ask questions to anyone who can answer them, look for information in books and on the Internet. This will increase your knowledge and confidence in their own abilities, and thus will contribute to the growth of your inner life.

8) Multifunctionality - is that exhausting motherhood often. Modern Mom has to be both a nurse and a teacher, and nurse-nurse, and all this continuously around the clock. The only way out of this carousel to release their own forces - to give some areas of care and education to outsource. Find a good children's speech therapy, early development of the group, dance group or section for the little ones. If possible, use the services daily maid. You can seek the assistance of friends and relatives in order to free itself a little personal time until the child walks or visits development activities under the supervision of a person close to the family. Engage in the process of education of the husband! He can be your responsibilities for child care - it can be swimming, walking, reading before bedtime, and more.

So advice: do not try to grasp the immensity! With the help of relatives, friends, and professional educators, nurses, speech therapists and trainers. This will free up your time and energy, which you can spend on the recovery of own resources.

9) Excessive demands for motherhood. This is a problem of many modern mothers, as well as their environment. Too many are the requirements for a collective image of a "good mother." Firstly it is important to reduce the requirements to itself. Well, what if you do not have time to do a thousand cases, and your child still does not know English and French alphabets. The main function of the mother - the love and care of the child, creating a favorable environment for its development, and the rest is not a necessity, lower the bar! This allows you to take a break and assess the direction that you'd better move on. You do not have the ability to develop your baby in all areas at once: it is possible that some manage it better than others, and you should give up its efforts in this area only.

Once you are re-evaluate their own capabilities as well as the possibility of the child will be easier to respond adequately to the excessive demands of others. Your child still did not read? But we spend a lot of time in outdoor games in the fresh air! Not teaching Chinese to two years? He is enough of fairy tales and poems. And the most important answer: we are very fond of each other, happy to spend time together, and all sorts of complicated adult science teach him at the right time professional teachers.

So advice: relax yourself, and do not allow those around you to strain! You - a great mother, if only because that very love your child, and for him it is more important than the skills of writing, reading and mastery of foreign languages ​​from an early age.

10) The lack of a clear time frame, as well as time for their own interests. Reliable and precise plan - your salvation! Try to plan every detail: it's not just discipline and you and the child, it is also a calming effect on both of you. When lifting, the food and hang up every day at the same place and the same time, it's easier to plan their business, and the child is easier to log into your circadian rhythm, in which he sleeps better and less capricious.

If you have a child who refuses any mode - you should make every effort to ensure that it in this dissuade. Try to get up and stay up for hours for rides and food intake must also be given at the same time. It is especially important during recovery and rebound. It is not necessary to re-educate "owl" and try to make a "lark" from it. Relate its regime with the features of the child, then it will be easier to find a suitable schedule of the day and you and him. On the establishment of the regime of the day, you may need to spend some time and a lot of effort, but believe me, it's definitely worth it.

This schedule will remain calm and you. If you know exactly that after the hectic week you will find a guaranteed outlet (at least one night!), Which you can devote to their own affairs, fatigue will not seem intolerable to you. To carve out their own affairs at least a few hours a week: it will keep you in good shape and removes the feeling of "Groundhog Day."

So advice: schedule the day and try to stick with your child. Select a day off the evening at least once a week (with the help of her husband, relatives, friends or nannies) - for you it is just as vital as sleep or food.

If you can bring to life advice in problem areas for you - half of the problem is already solved. After a short time you will notice that you feel better, you will become much more energy and optimism, so - and love for your baby. This means that those "holes" into which flowed your strength, now is not solid gaping holes, and it's time to think about how to recharge their internal "battery", accumulating power and energy for the future.

On the methods of accumulation of internal energy, I will try to tell you in detail in the next section.