#and now i'm going to have to pay $50 a week to park................................

[ranger-kellyn]

just got the devastating news that we're being forced to go back to work 50% of the time in office next month, and likely by this time next year it will be at 100% all so we can "get back enjoying the things we did pre-covid, like meaningful in-person engagement!" due to "how well our nation handled covid!" as if it's literally not still killing and disabling people on the daily.

[roaringroa]

they should make a life where you don't have appointments, work, school and scheduled events every single day for months on end

[kiefbowl]

i made a string of really dumb financial decisions and now im in debt that might take me years to pay off, do you have any words of wisdom for me queen. like that feels bad. how do i even save up. imagine flushing a pile of money down the toilet thats what this debt it

I know how that feels, believe me. A lot of people do. I'm feeling the pain of my 9 month school loans, and credit cards I had already paid off back "on" again (one in particular is pretty high...whooooops).

Don't lose your cool, I have a couple of flexible suggestions that you take, use, and modify to your specifics:

Tithe yourself - if your job does direct deposit (which most do!), you can direct deposit your money into multiple accounts. Get it set up so your paycheck goes 90% into your checking account, 10% into your savings account so that you're not even thinking about it. You might feel the squeeze for a little bit but you'll acclimate to that "missing" 10% sooner than you think.

Ask for a raise - if you're working, ask for a raise. If you're new, or maybe not that "great", or they're penny-pinchers, or you're just nervous to ask, don't even worry about it. Ask for 3% - this is low, and most jobs will give it to you just for the convenience of getting you to stop bothering them about it (if they can't afford 3%, run run run). For context, if you make $10 an hour, a 3% raise only gives you $12.00 more each week. It's really not much, but not nothing! If you're NOT worried about asking a raise, go all in! Ask for 10%, maybe even 15%. Flex some negotiation skills. Maybe you'll walkaway with 7%, but every penny counts.

Get yourself on auto payments [at the smallest amounts you can] - if you've got credit cards, log in right now and get yourself on auto payments for the smallest amount. If you've got student loans, do the same thing. If you've got utility bills, get them on auto pay. These things take 3 minutes to set up, and there are phone numbers to call if you can't figure it out. These companies WANT you to do this, they will help you get it done.

Work off the smallest amount you owe first [aggressively] - Let's say you have a $60 parking ticket, a credit card you owe $400 on, and three student loans that are currently at $6,000 & $7,000 & $10,000. Forget the student loans right now, you've got them on autopay for the smallest amount you can get away with. First, pay off that $60 parking ticket with your next pay check before it becomes a $200 ticket and a court appearance. Now you can focus on the paying off the $400 aggressively. Your minimum payments will still go off, but every time you get a paycheck, long on and pay an additional amount to the credit card (something you can manage and will also feel good to your brain - $50 feels good when you're thinking of your debit in hundreds for example). Once you've got that paid off, now you can aggressively pay off your $6,000. Don't worry about the other two. Just focus on the smallest amount you owe. Each paycheck, payoff a chunk of your smallest debt. It'll get exciting after awhile, like yes I get paid I can make that credit card even smaller. Gamify it, whatever.

Stop worrying about how long it will all take - Only worry about the smallest amount of debt you owe and how (reasonably) fast you can get that paid off. That $400 credit card, if you can spare $100 each pay check - that's only 4 paychecks. That's not too long, right? That's the way to think of time and debt: how much can you spare each paycheck to pay off your lowest debt.

Ask for help - do not punish yourself by lying to your parents and friends. Tell your friends you can't do fancy dinners because you are paying off debt and can't afford it. Real friends will bring over a pizza to hang with you. Your parents might be willing to send you a check without you asking for it. Don't feel guilty about monetary gifts, just take it. Go to a bank and talk about their consolidation options. Bring a third party so you aren't dazzled by sales pitches. Consolidation loans aren't objectively good or bad, they can be a life saver if they have the right terms that work for you. Don't think it's over your head! Ask as many questions until you understand all your options.

Buy smart, stop suffering - this really should be like 4 different bullet points, but I'm going to be as concise as possible: you'll never get out of debt if you spend your money without purpose, and you'll never get out under the yoke of anxiety that you fucked up if you just squirrel your money away in fear. A lot of people will give you advice that you need to put yourself on a tight, punishing budget. Maybe, but I think those are doomed to fail for most people. And now you feel twice as bad. Don't do that to yourself. Learning the value of $10 is important. So it learning the value of $100, or $1,000. And the best way to learn is to practice buying and using your money - there's a cheap $1,000 and an expensive $10, and you have to learn how much value you are getting out of these amounts for these purchases. If you punish yourself all week, and then allow yourself a "little treat" on Sunday - that doesn't feel worthwhile to me. Those little treats will grow every day. Soon you're stopping at Starbucks every day for "just $10" and your Sunday treat has become a weekly blow out brunch with friends and then week to week you're scrounging to eat Top Ramen and lamenting your dreams are dying. Instead, save money by spending money on things worthwhile that make you budget for them. Go sign up for those yoga classes you want, go sign up for those guitar lessons you want, go sign up for those art lessons you want, whatever it is. Whatever brings value to your life. Your $70 a week yoga membership can now be valued against your $70 week at Starbucks, and as your pockets pinch one hopes you'll choose the yoga over the Starbucks because one hopes that the yoga is serving you better. Or maybe yoga is ass and you want to spend it on Starbucks, at least now you know. Though I recommend your local coffee shop, as Starbucks is a union busting piece of shit corporation :)

[popcorn-plots]

long rant incoming, I'm just fed up with a certain person right now

OH MY GOODNESS is it too much to ask for just a LITTLE respect?? I drive this girl to and from school, every day. I'm going to call her Laura. Laura is an only child and the only reason I'm taking her to school is because she refuses to bike to mile and a half from her place to the school in the cold. Which is fine. The arrangement was that I drive her and she pays gas money. The problem is, she's been super annoying about it. Every morning for about a month, she would text me "are you picking me up today". every single morning. Until I snapped one day and told her that I have been picking her up every morning for the past month, of course I'm picking her up. not my proudest moment, but it works. Now, however, I have to text her every time I'm at her house and she still takes maybe 4 minutes to get out the door. Which, okay, I can understand the texting thing, but I would like her to be ready. and then every afternoon, she tells me that she can't find my car, so I have to tell her where I parked it in the morning. or she won't text anything and I'm sitting in my car for five or ten minutes after I text her for a response that's lik "oh I was with friends" or "I thought you were still in the school, I'm coming out now" which. okay. I understand, I like talking to my friends, but we all leave pretty quickly because no senior wants to stay at school longer than they have to. But there have been more than a few times where I'm sitting in my car for OVER HALF AN HOUR waiting for her to text back with "oh btw I forgot to tell you, I have a club meeting" or "i went home with a friend" or some bs. So every day I have to text her "do you need a ride home" because I'm waiting, in my car, for 15 minutes after school, waiting for this girl. And today, I'm sitting there for 25 minutes. and I'm like, okay I can wait, because I have some fics to catch up on. But then I'm finished with my fics

and I text her because she's still not there and it takes another five minutes for her to respond, word for word, "oh, sorry, I thought you would text me when you got to your car" after I've REPEATEDLY said that I typically leave school as soon as I can. I'm willing to wait for her, but I'm usually gone within five minutes of the bell. I waited half an hour for her to tell me that she was waiting for me to text her, informing her of my location, after I've told her that I'm always at my car. I even text her when I have something going on! Club meeting? I pick her up and before we get to school "I can't drive you home because I have a club meeting." If I have somewhere to be, or if I have to stay after school, I tell her before school or during lunch. Every single time, without fail.

not to mention the fact that the original arrangement was that she would pay me 10 dollars every 2 weeks for gas. I've only gotten 20 dollars in the past three and a half months. she keeps asking if I have venmo, and then never bringing up payment when I say that I don't. and she always complains about being too broke to afford anything, then goes and buys pizza and donughts during lunch. she's been flaky for everything else, too and it's so annoying. I've been trying to be a nice friend, because I didn't have friends, let alone kind friends growing up, and I've becoming known as the rich friend who's always willing to help in my friend group. I try to set boundaries, but then people stop talking to me the moment I do. and this has gone on throughout my entire life. Laura's behavior is even what happened in all of my previous relationships, I'd be giving 100 percent and they're giving 50, at best, until I wear myself out just trying to spend time with them and make it work, including talks where I set my boundaries and tell them, literally say "I would like it if you could just do this". If you could just get work off for a single evening or just look away from the computer for half an hour during lunch so we can have an actually conversation, then they never even try and don't understand when I'm all out of juice and can't keep going, then are confused when I stop giving my all

it's infuriating and I hate it. I really want to set boundaries, but guess what. I was raised to walk on eggshells around my mom and let people walk all over me because that's the only way that I would ever get attention from my PARENTS. because I was told to shut up and do what I'm told so that my siblings could get the help that they needed.

[tickitytockityrattityrottity]

Writer asks!! ♥️ 8 and 24 ♥️

8: fic I would do a sequel for

I'd like to do another Rolan/Tower fic. One with Rolan upgrading the tower and touching its runes and stuff.

I also want to do a sequel to I Will Bury You In Diamonds, exploring the other tieflings Ethel and Guex "saved". How did they survive the Shadow Cursed lands, have they figured out that she cursed them, will they figure it out before the time runs out. Etc

24: recharging when I'm not feeling creative

This got long, sorry.

It depends on the energy of the lack of creativity.

Exhaustion:

If I'm genuinely tired I take a break. The longest break I've taken was over a month. I think of creating like exercise; if you over train you need to recover. I also like to think of ideas as seeds. Sometimes they need to incubate a little before they sprout.

On breaks, I like to go out a lot and people watch at bars, breweries (although I really try to not use any drugs for creating), parks, cafes, shopping centers, etc. Sometimes I run into people who like to talk, which is great, because I like to listen. I walk a lot, daydream, exercise, do something destructive (yard work, cleaning, stomping cans), try out new skills, etc. It's hard to write experiences when you haven't had any.

Right now, though, I'm challenging myself to put out a short story or chapter every week this year, which means I don't have the luxury of long breaks (and I miss them. Writing for quantity is a whole different animal, and I'm not sure I like it, even though I'm learning a lot).

I've really started prioritizing short breaks to compensate, and really indulging in writing when the opportunity hits. I've also been prioritizing editing less.

If I'm just struggling:

If I just don't want to write part of the story, I write it anyway. I slog through it and it might be crap but at least it's done. Then once I have that no longer clogging up the brain pipes, I find other writing comes easier. I find sprints/the Pomodoro technique really helpful here.

Sometimes I'm not feeling creative because the scene I'm writing is dead. So I just end it. Most scenes are only a line away from ending, anyway.

I've had success writing a scene from another character's POV.

Sometimes I delete scenes and rewrite them from scratch. I'm a big believer that writing cannot get worse, haha, and that if something was important or a heavy hitter I'll write it again.

And, my favorite, if I'm stuck on plot, I like to write an idea. Then a different one. Then a different one. The idea came from a post I saw about drawing 50(?) thumbnails for every illustration, because your first 10-ish are just going to be you pulling out your normal fall backs. So by generating a dozen or so ideas I'll hopefully find one I resonate with.

Here's a sample from a fic I'm working on, you can see the ideas getting a little wilder and more out there towards the end. I write down every idea, even bad ones, because sometimes those spawn good ones. Example under the cut

Mol helps because…

She wants a sorcerer on her side

She feels bad

She is forced to by nine-fingers

She is forced by raphael

Thinks this will get her the power to be above nine-fingers OR power from Raphael

The lulz

Arabella pays her

Arabella threatens her

She, too, wants someone back (who?)

She wants to show off/is arrogant

She was going there anyway

---To steal something

---To hide something

---To learn something

One of the targets knows something she wants to know

She wants Arabella to owe her big

She didn't kill them, but she's claiming it to seem tough

She didn't kill them and she's clearing her name

She killed them by swapping out certain supplies per Raphael's instructions and needs to hide that

She is missing a key thing and suspects she can trick Arabella into getting it for her

She regrets breaking up the team and wants her friends back

She is cleaning up loose ends and this is a good job for people to disappear on

[yourkimjaejin]

Impressed - A scene from my muse's past in which they tried to impress someone, successful or not

"The first moment that comes to mind brings me back to 20....18? The KBS Music Festival that year. Everybody had there own section of time to do a performance and SM wanted to highlight all of us. or at least try to. It was NCT, Red Velvet, Exo, and Hyoyeon sunbaenim's. It was a lot of moving parts but long story short myself, Juno and Aurora were involved in a couple of sections."

"First we did Punk Right Now with Hyoyeon and Red Velvet unnies. Then we were with Dream for Go/Boss and lastly we performed with Exo sunbae for their song Monster. Now let me preface this by saying I never got to meet to Exo members before this. I never met them during my training so they don't know me and at the time I didn't know them."

"Weeks before the show, a bunch of the nct members got together to learn/refresh our memories on the Monster's choreo. It was more like refreshing because who doesn't know that dance. When we gathered together to practice with Exo, I'm not gonna name any names, but there were a couple of confused faces."

"I can't confirm who said this cause my back was turned. But I heard someone say something along the lines of 'Are we sure they can keep up?"

"Now, I have a bit of a reputation when it comes to proving people wrong. I wasn't nicknamed The Shark during training for nothing. I would advise anyone who wants to challenge me to not to. Cause you'll never win. Cause I won't let you."

"I got so heated extremely quickly. In my head I was like, Who TF are you to assume I can't keep up. To quote the Michael Joradn meme, 'and I took that personally'. I out danced all those boys in every run though. I was mean mugging everyone in the mirror. I think I heard Johnny-oppa telling one of the exo members 'there's a reason Migyeong was called the shark."

"I don't take kindly to be underestimated. By anyone. There aren't many idols in my position. In fact, there's only four, Me, Aurora, Juno and Hannah. And I think that fact alone should inform everyone of how good I am at my job. You worry about you and yourself and I'll worry about me and mine. But I can guarantee I won't need to worry that much." ~ Moxy

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I think it was during We Young era that this happened. Fans have always wanted to know why there are some scars on my left knee."

"For those who don't know I'm a pretty good skateboarder. One day, the dreamies and I were in the dance studio and Chenle saw some trick video. He asked if I could do any of them. I chose to be a cocky idiot cause I said yes."

"Some of the tricks I already knew how to do but there was one I had yet to try. The 360 ollie heelflip. Essentially you flick the board so it spins in a full circle. During this, you turn your body in a 180 to land on the board then complete the rest of the circle to face forward again. Not the most complicated but it takes a moment to get in down. Even then, sometimes you can miss the board or it could spin too much."

"So I bet Chenle what would be 50 dollars in the America that I could do all those tricks. We met up after practice at the skate park I frequent and I was nailing everything. Time came for me to do the heelflip. I had the blueprint laid out in head on what to do. I went for it, everything was going well........until I over rotated and completely whiffed the landing. I fell on my knee and scrapped it."

"Thing is, I'm not mad about the scrape. You know those are battle scars that I'm proud of."

"I'm mad I had to pay Chenle 50 bucks." ~ Aurora

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Request Prompt: And for the ask game, I’m picking impressed (it can be both romantic, platonic, or proving someone wrong). If you want to do all members, that’s okay, or if you want to do one for this ask, I’ll pick Moxy.

Taglist: @alixnsuperstxr / @1-800-call-ria / @sophrodite / @sunflower-0180

[batz-surveys]

5.

The last time you were at a diner, what did you order? We don't really have any true diners here. We have a Metro Diner down the street but that's a chain restaurant. But I guess since that's the closest thing, the last time I went I had grits, scrambled eggs, and pancakes.

Do you usually buy souvenirs when you go to amusement parks? I haven't been to an amusement park in so long, but no. The only thing I bring home are the prizes I win.

When you last watched a movie, did you watch it alone or with someone? The last movie I watched was Baby Mama, haha. I was by myself. I just randomly wanted to watch a movie with Tina Fey in it one night.

Are you happy with your weight? No, not at all.

What’s the dress code for your job? Do you like it?: We don't have a dress code other than the obvious stuff. Don't wear anything with anything offensive on it, and nothing revealing - so no short-shorts, low-cut shirts/tops, etc. And yes, I like it, though sometimes I wish we had a uniform just to make picking out clothes a little easier.

Does your job allow piercings or tattoos? They do!

How often do you wash your hair? I try to wash my hair every Wednesday and Sunday, but sometimes, like if it's straightened, I'll only wash it once a week.

Do you want to get married? If so, what color will your dress be? I am married and my dress was black and white.

Ever had a caricature done of yourself? How much was it, and were you satisfied with it? Yes, I sure have. It was, I think $50 or something, but I love it.

Do you like peanut butter and fluff sandwiches? No, but my husband loves them. He calls them Fluffernutters. I'm not sure if everyone calls them that, but it's pretty cute.

Last color you painted your nails? A dark violet-red.

Last time you got a hair cut? About two weeks ago. I needed a trim very badly. I was hanging on to the length but it looked terrible after straightening it. It looks so much better now.

When you want to buy coffee, where do you go? Either Dunkin or Bigby Coffee. Unless it's wintertime and I'm in the mood for peppermint mocha, then I'll go to Starbucks. But usually I make my coffees at home.

Did you try McDonald’s new smoothies? What do you think of them? Damn, how old is this survey? Haha. No, I've never had a smoothie from there.

What are some things you like fashion-wise that most people don’t? I don't know. I don't keep up with fashion trends.

What are some trends you dislike that everyone seems to love? Cropped everything. Not everyone is comfortable with showing themselves, whether they're fit or not, and I think it's maddening to have to pay full price for half a shirt, or half a sweater, or whatever. Stop cutting shit in half!

Ever been to Gaia Online? Do you have an account?: No, I have no clue what that is.

Where can you usually be found on a Friday night? At home. At the end of the work week, I need to decompress by doing a little self-care and playing video games, haha.

What do you think of underage drinking?: I did it, so I can't really say too much about it. I feel like as long as you're smart enough to not do anything stupid, like drink and drive, or drink and go cuss out a cop, then it's whatever. Whenever we drank, it was always at a party or some friend's house whose parents were the "I'd rather you do it in the house than get busted for it somewhere else" kind.

What’s your relationship status? Are you happy with it? I'm married and I'm very happy.

If you got married and then got divorced, would you want to re-marry? Probably not.

If you could dye your hair any color right now with absolutely no restrictions, what color would you dye it? Probably something like a dark red, or a brownish red, to go with the fall season.

What shoes do you usually wear in the summer?: Crocs, flats, sandals, and sometimes sneakers depending on where I'm going or what outfit I'm wearing.

What’s your favorite amusement park? I've only ever been to one and that's Carowinds.

Do you like rollercoasters? The last time I rode one I did, but I'm sure if I were face to face with the choice of riding one, I'd probably bow out.

How old are your siblings? Eh, almost 50, 39, 50. I'm the baby. Damn, writing out those numbers made me feel so weird.

Would you ever enlist in the army? No.

Are you afraid of public restrooms? I’m not afraid of them, but I don’t like to use them unless it's an emergency.

What perfume do you wear? I have several kinds of perfumes and body sprays, so I'll just name what I've been wearing for the past few weeks: Vampire Blood from Bath and Body Works. It's my favorite scent right now.

How often do you use lotion? Not often at all, but I should. I usually only moisturize during the winter months because my skin is usually so dry then.

Do you play video games? If so, what kind? I play The Sims 4 mostly, but I love Mario Kart, and anything Kirby, and really a bunch of retro games.

How old is your oldest and youngest friend?: My oldest friend is my brother, and he's 39. My youngest friend is also someone I work with and he's 22 today!

Do you donate your old stuff to Goodwill? Depends on what it is. If it's small enough to fit in these donate boxes that are all over town, I'll put the stuff in there. But if it's something bigger, I'll either drop it off there if I know I'll be heading that way, or a church that's near my work that takes donated things to the women/children center.

Would you buy used clothes? Of course. Actually, a lot of my closet are things I've bought from Poshmark and Mercari. I used to go to thrift stores, too, but usually their plus size sections are lacking what I like so I stopped going.

Do you wear jeans? I can't remember the last time I wore jeans. I know it's been at least ten years.

How many hours do you usually work a week? 34 hours. 40 hours is just too much for me, man. I've made my peace with it.

How old were you in 1999?: I was 11. Sheesh.

Last time you were at a job interview? How did it go? It went great. I went in for an interview, and I think this place was so desperate for anyone with experience, that I got hired on the spot basically.

What’s one place you’d NEVER want to work at? A restaurant. Like, I've done it before, and that's how I know I don't ever want to again.

How many kids would you want? None.

Do you wear lipstick? If so, what color? I'm usually wearing red lipstick if I'm not at work.

Do you use Tumblr? What do you normally post?: Yes, and this.

How often do you wear skirts? Never.

Was your first Green Day album American Idiot? I've never owned a Green Day album.

Do you do your own laundry? Since I was like, eleven, yes.

Do you get paid weekly or bi-weekly? Weekly.

Did you tease freshmen in high school? No, and I was never teased, so I'm convinced that it's just something that happens on television shows.

[dearmrsawyer]

hello! it has been a long time since i've talked through my day! this one had such a big turnaround that i needed to document it, mostly for myself.

i had an appointment with a 'root canal specialist' today bc i had my first app with my new dentist a couple of weeks ago and his xray revealed an abscess wow how fun :) i couldn't feel it bc that tooth has a decade old root canal so there are no nerves to reveal there is anything going on!! fun!!!! he's a super nice dentist, i like him but he made me very panicked lol he was showing me how close it is to my sinuses on the xray. so he was like 'go see this guy asap' bc he wanted to know whether there was a chance my old root canal could be redone or if i'd have to get the whole tooth removed/an implant, all for the low low price of $5-6000 🙃 but obviously you can never see specialists asap!!! so i've been walking around for 2.5 weeks with dread/phantom pains that by the time i saw him the infection would've spread and idk had catastrophic consequences??? and then today when i went there was CONSTRUCTION at the turn i needed to make and the road was closed and i was like i don't know how to get there from another street??!?!?!??! i spent 10 minutes driving through suburban streets and my navigation kept trying to take me back to the original route with the closed road, and its the middle of town so there was nowhere i could just temporarily stop and look at the map, and i called them almost crying to let them know i'm coming but i might be late bc i just can't navigate these streets jegjkdgkjdkg

anyway i MADE it, i think i parked in another business's parking lot and just hoped they didn't care lol and then the lady at the desk was like 'our other specialist will have to see you bc the guy you're here for isn't here' so i was feeling uhhhh not good after my dentist talked him up so much. AND my dentist didn't send over my electronic referral and i had LITERALLY been stressed that he would forget to do exactly that for the whole 2.5 weeks oh my god, thankfully they didnt even seem to care. but then as i was filling out the paperwork in the waiting room 'no judgment' came on, and then 'wolves' right after??? and i was like this seems deliberate to try and calm me down 😂 and when the substitute specialist called me in he was so extremely calming and talked me through my options, one of which is indeed to try and redo the root canal bc he's confident he can, it would still cost a lot but wayyyyy less. he also said i could 'do nothing' (which is obv risky, and i would never do nothing, but that made me realise my infection is not about to bust through and spread across my sinuses any second, one fear down!). he was just softly spoken and super relaxed and he made me feel like this was not in fact a crisis and said i could go and think about what i wanted to do, and just call for an appointment when i decided. and then when i went out to pay 'i want to write you a song' was playing 😭 i asked the receptionists if there was a 1d fan in the house and one of them said it must just be a random playlist on spotify, so this was all a complete coincidence????? i told them i was enjoying it very much.

anyway long story short i had already taken the rest of the afternoon off work to go work in the garden, but figured there was a good chance i'd be so down about an unexpected and immiment $5000 hit that i wouldn't want to do anything, but i drove home feeling extremely reassured that i had options and i was not on the clock to decide, and also very relaxed by 1d playing in the background the entire time. i have also been extremely stressed that i would need to take the next step asap and this would be such a bad time as mum is working 50 hour weeks right now bc of the referendum, so i am on caring duty with nonna/nonno anytime we don't have carers here. but there's time! i had a v good afternoon in the garden after all!

[msfbgraves]

Thrifting: a way to help yourself and others when disabled

My mother grew up in a family that was constantly penny pinching and she hated it. My father was so cheap other people made fun of him or complained bitterly (my parents made an interesting couple). My ass is disabled so "just getting a job" was never on the table. Employment has always been an unreliable option - not impossible, but tumultuous. So saving money has always been a keen interest. But doing it right, like. I feel that people use it as an option to shaft someone, even themselves, and I do not hold to that. Also, you cannot thrift yourself out of insufficient funds. You need mo money, you need mo money. But we also know that society loves an excuse to underpay people, deny promotions and fuck you over in a million different ways no matter how hard you work.

Thrifting is work that will always yield results, no matter who you are, and a good skill to have when mf's keep finding excuses to not pay you, or even employ you. It's even better when you're in a position to say, hm, more would be nice, but I'm staying afloat. Again, this is no feckin bootstrap talk. This is getting more bang for your buck.

And especially during Disability Pride this actually makes me proud to be able to do. Without hurting anyone, for one, and actually helping those without the time for it. I can find The Thing for less for them very often.

OK, first things first.

This is not self-denial 101. Fuck off with that. We want more joy maximisers, not fewer.

The Vimes boots theory is 100% correct. But there are plenty of places where $50 boots are sold for $25 or even $20. Yes, in Ankh Mopork too.

Skills are cash money. I should know, I barely have any.

Many people think that thrifty means "cheap" and "no fun". And that's what people do. "Whelp, I have to economise, so I can't have any treats and can only shop at Primark. Bummer! I hate life."

No, you're going to have to put some more time in preparation, and you need to figure out where to look.

It's an activity.

The first thing I would advise people to do is clean their stuff up. Told you this was work. And that may feel terrifying but if you know what you have you find things you thought you needed to buy. That's an immediate savings without pain. C'mon, do you really think you'd get a high from buying oregano? Of course not, and now you don't have to. You've probably slashed off 25% off your grocery bill for the week without going without anything you look forward to buying. King shit.

You probably have a keen sense of what you need to replace and since you're already going to Goodwill, look there. A lot of second hand is higher quality, and even if it's not, it can still be 25 to 80% below dollar store.

All that extra space will come in handy for buying things and storing them until gift giving season arrives, or birthdays and the like.

Gifts are insanely important. Don't skimp on the quality of something you buy for others. Find the place that stunts with that item. Here, time is your friend, too. If you can wait three weeks for it to ship, you can take advantage of a lower price nearly always.

Ask people what you're looking for and spruce the thing up when they offer it to you. Again, here the skills are a lifesaver.

Personalise. Any small thing that actually fits a recipient will be much appreciated. Gift wrap with care, write a kind message. But only do this when you can't find a "normal" gift for a better price. If you can find a steal, still gift wrap with care.

Do treat yourself! But treat it as anything else you want: best quality for the best price. This can also mean adding a top up. For instance: I generally know what the best bang for your buck is when it comes to theatrical shows: the last preview. Saw a show during the last try out, but spent $30 extra on seats. More expensive than just regular seats, vastly better experience. I did find a discount on parking too - who tf likes to pay for parking anyway?

Buy clothing that fits your body shape. That's what makes you look good. Vintage is fine, who cares if you wear something high quality that looks gorgeous?

Learn what stuff is made of. I bought a stick of foot balm that is supposed to prevent blisters. Felt suspiciously like vaseline. Next time I succesfully used vaseline.

Something I never hear but I find very useful: go on and try the hideously expensive option if possible. See what the fuss is about. Incorporate the thing you like most about it in your routine, don't bother with the rest. Other end of the spectrum: do a taste test with store brand. If it's bad, now you know. If it's good, no one will notice.

Loyalty programmes can be your friend, if you don't look at them as the default option. Do sign up, don't get mad if they keep taking away your credit. Every time they give you something for what you would have done anyway is a win.

Shop around for better banking fees. Who the hell wants to pay those anyway.

Try to pay for what you want and only what you want. Review any package deal; they're rarely worth it.

Try something a little bit different, if you have the skill to back it up. Go do things "people like you don't do". Slovenian wine, people.

Be consistently nice, and people will gladly help you with things. Can be a huge savings. Give where and what you can.

Take the bus, geezus. All that nonsense about it being a poor people thing or dangerous when travelling. How do you think locals get home?

Again I am aware this is work and of course, nobody can do all of it all the time. But I know a lot of people who start by slashing the joy, but why would you? Have your latte! Take your trip! Have your avocado and triple organic eggs. Think about where and when you buy things instead, and be a little adventurous.

If you're disabled with limited energy, this is a way you can help out those around you. Maybe you can do it for them. I am proud of all the ways I have saved my friends and family money without compromising on quality at all. I promise you: loyalty discounted organic chicken thighs with store brand cream cheese blanched in leftover white wine sauce with $0.40 worth of pasta are really damn yummy. And those $40 dollars saved on a taxi because I found the right bus on a trip are welcome too.

People mostly don't want to do this work. But if you can, and know how, you can be a great help to those you love.

[kyokushinpunk]

We're well into August, the dojo is still closed for summer, so I figured I'd try to do a thing about maintenance routines when you can't practice

I need to maintain some sort of shape over the summer so that I'm not completely behind when the season starts.

So far my daily routine has been :

30 crunches

30 squats

30 knuckle push-ups

15 minutes of stretching, trying to get splits so I can finally reach joudan / high kicks and generally be more flexible. I basically do all of the usual stretching we do in the dojo but keep positions for 1 minute. It's paying off.

When I remember, I do a couple kata, mostly sanchin.

Twice a week, I'm going to the gym for some cardio and weight lifting. I do 15 minutes on a rowing machine, then 4 exercices in 5x5 (two push / two pull). One day is upper body, second day is lower body. I'm allowing myself a little more junk food than usual because it's kinda vacation season, haha, but I still keep a balanced diet. I'm thinking of going a third time to work more core and back stuff, but I'll do when I can afford a couple coaching sessions.

Some of the senpai are running small training and light sparring sessions once a week in a park, and I've attend the last two (I feel like a white belt again when I spar against them, damn).

So far it's been quite useful, I've noticed progress in both strength and flexibility (my kicks can reach shoulder height now). The senpai have recommended I up my daily routine to 50 of each, which I will probably do for the last two weeks of summer leading up to the dojo reopening on september 4th. I'd be curious to know about your own maintenance routines when you can't go and train ? I admit I'm very new to this, so I might be doing stuff wrong.

I'm thinking into properly getting into weight lifting in the future, especially as my girlfriend is moving to France soon and is big into lifting. Couldn't think of a better incentive to lift.

Anyway, as soon as septembers starts, competition training starts again. I really want to go the tournament in december, I couldn't last year after injuries, reaaaaally want to try this time.

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

I have to say my final farewell to my Grandmother today. She lived to a be very respectful 95.

In her last few years she lived as long as she was able to in her own home with family dropping in and carers to take care of the cooking and cleaning for her. We made sure she got to see her remaining friends and go on organised outings as often as possible after my Grandfather passed a few years ago, but eventually when it became necessary we had to move her into full time care with medical support/supervision and sell the house that my Grandfather had built himself back in the 60's. (The only time it's ever been sold)

It's been hard the last few years to watch her slip away. Her memory/cognition had started to fail her and confusion was common.

She was always a quiet but caring soul, committed to helping those in her community and her church (We may not have all followed in her footsteps but we were all at the very least confirmed in the Catholic tradition) A great matriarch, a source of calm and safety, a gentle hug whenever you needed it, with a near constant supply of home baked cookies in the cupboard.

With her passing I have become a member of the second living generation of my family instead of the third as both of my grandparents were the last living members of their own generations in their families, they outlived everyone else.

I was very much a latchkey kid when I was growing up due to both of my parents needing to work with four kids to support, so she was in many respects also a surrogate parent (plenty of experience to draw from given she'd already raised 6 of her own)

I think it's because of her influence in my life that I had any kind of meaningful moments in my childhood at all. She was the type to send the kids outside to play, or let us go down to the playground at the park over her back fence, using your imagination and climbing trees.

Things like watching TV/movies were very much discouraged in her house and unless you brought one with you there were only two choices if you wanted to watch something

A live action Snow White made in Germany with English voiceovers (Schneewittchen 1955)

A copy of Fun and Fancy Free (1947) she had taped off of the TV one night (The ONLY Disney movie I can mute and give you almost the entire narration, songs, and lines to)

She and my grandfather now have something like 50 or so living direct descendants. They were both also lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet many of their great grandchildren.

While her passing doesn't come as a surprise given her health, it does very much feel like the end of an era. It reminds me of all of the things that she made sure to teach both her own children and her grandchildren (the ones that were willing to pay attention) that I'm yet to pass along to my own, I'm going to have to start teaching her the family pickle recipe.

If you come across this post today, take a moment and reach out to a loved one you can never seem to find the time to call. I had planned on visiting my Grandmother last week but she ended up in hospital before I was able to.

Make the most of the time and opportunity you still have left, you never know when it will be the last time.

🙏

💜🪽🌟

[sybaritick]

A couple weeks ago I substitute taught an [online] AMC¹ prep class (unreasonably proud of the way I'm afaik the only one without a college degree among like 50 instructors) and while talking to a few friends about it I took pics of a couple of my middle-school-mathlete-era trophies from the AMC and Math Olympiad as a silly brag: look I'm clearly qualified to teach this I was there once and winning at it! and one's for a top score in the grade, when my graduating class/size of the grade was about 400 students. I didn't win every time, so really I'm more like 1 in 100 here. But let's be generous for the sake of the example. 1 in 400 at competition math!

But the thing I felt as a kid so instinctively, and still often think of now, is that 1 in 400 is nowhere near good enough for anything real. 99.75th percentile, right? In NYC alone that's 21,000 people better than you.

A one-in-400 football player wouldn't make a decent college team, never mind the NFL. A one-in-400 SAT score certainly won't get you into Harvard. (Trust me, I'd know-- 800 math / 780 reading.)

So I'd have my brief moment of pride (often not even that, lol) but like, I never forget the scale of the task. That you should search broadly for your 1-in-400 niche, and once you find it, push. Intentional, directional effort. Take what you can; ask for forgiveness, not permission; become what you are! When I was 16 this was the only thing I ever thought about.

Now, I do at least sometimes temper it with thoughts of my partner or of reading in the park. Some balance is required. I think that if I still thought of nothing but "in what areas of my life can I most effectively find success (usually meaning financial success) by figuring out what skills I am the best at" I would burn out and make myself miserable. I also care about what things I personally enjoy doing-- you have to choose goals you can at least tolerate! But for me, a big part of the joy is in the doing (one of the few people on earth who enjoys looking for jobs? I've had to do a lot of it in my life so I kind of like doing interviews. Sure, it's stressful, but it's a nice bit of controlled stress!)

Anyway, as I prepare to maybe go back to the "regular" workforce for a bit after my long stint as a joyful-weirdo freelancer, I think it does me good to remember that even the "regular" workforce is a means to an end-- it pays money, potentially provides useful experience, and gives you something to put on your resume that you can use for future jobs, and ideally the job is reasonably tolerable along with it as you inch your way closer to the sort of work you think you would truly be best at. and at each step you push the 1-in-400 towards a 1-in-10k-or-so. in the end each job is just another step, not a vital element of your identity!

[horce-divorce]

I think that anon belied a common misconception among many well-meaning people, too, that is actually worth addressing, wrt my donation posts: I DONT usually get money from strangers, and I DONT put those posts up with any expectations at all! Sometimes they don't work! Sometimes we get nothing for weeks on end, or just $5 here and there, and we go a month without everything that we need, and we make do with what we can find anyway.

But the thing is, when I do put up a post and I ask for money, I'm NOT asking strangers. I have a TON of connections near & far that I talk to online. I'm putting out a call to all of my friends, giving them an update, and saying, "hey if any of you is better off right now, we could use a hand!" often my friends are no better off than me, and they can't help. that's fine! Its hard times for everyone! that's why I know they don't begrudge me for asking.

In fact, a lot of my friends send me money WITHOUT me asking!! one of my IRL friends has learned to recognize when I need more help and I'm playing it down. They gave me $60 just recently, after I waffled for hours about taking their money, and finally told them I could get by the rest of the week on $30-50. Another friend, someone I've known since we were toddlers, sent me $80 out of the blue several months ago just bc she missed us and was thinking of us, and she had a little extra. Last time we talked to her, I mentioned how our food stamps got cut, & we'd be out for another week. She venmo'd me $30 labeled "pizza tears" before we even got off the phone (which I think was hilarious fwiw). A different friend recently heard that Bel and I wanted to go on a date to taco bell, and when I said we could do it for under $20, she gave me $50 and said "make sure you get the cinnabons!!!" Another friend bought me winter boots and socks this year as soon as i said i didnt have any- THE best, warmest, cosiest socks I've ever owned. Last year, one (1) of my tumblr mutuals covered my ENTIRE cost of post-op care for top surgery. I said "I'll probably need $$$" and they covered all of it! That same person has bought me groceries, meds, and gas on many other occasions, too. All of these people are folks I've known for years either thru tumblr or IRL.

Very occasionally, it's a newer mutual or even a stranger. One time, when I was still on Twitter and very early in my transition, I said something about how gender affirming my old high school Chuck Taylor's were and how I missed them so. My mutual from another COUNTRY immediately sent me $60 for gender affirming Chuck Taylor's. I haven't spoken to that person since Twitter went south, sadly. If youre still out there, I named my shoes after you, Bergamot & Jones, and I think of you every time I step outside. Another time, a guy who wasn't even my mutual sent me a bunch of binders and boxers for free. Sometimes even my old coworkers from my mall days pop up out of the woodwork and send me 20 bucks or something.

I have more stories like this. Not even just about money. Like that guy who saw me pop a flat tire in the mall parking lot and insisted on changing it for me.

I actually also never feel guilty about asking for what I need, or accepting it, and you shouldn't either. I don't like this idea that you need to grovel and be exactly This self-flagellating and full of hatred and remorse to ride and earn one (1) morsel of kindness. What do I look like, a Catholic? You dont have to apologize for wanting to stay alive. You didn't ask to be born, and you weren't the one that put a price on living!

You know what I do instead? Pay it forward. Yes, I ebeg often, yet I, too, will sometimes send $5, $10, $30 to people I care about whenever we wind up with a little extra. You can't save money as a poor person anyway, it doesn't work, so why cling to my last few pennies when someone else could use it right now? I've watched Bel give away his last $5 to a different homeless person twice since we've been living in the car. One time we stayed and had dinner with the guy and his dog. He was a hitchhiker named Ray and he was SO interesting to talk to.

There are studies that show that the most generous people when it comes to donating are NOT the people with the most money. It's the poorest ppl in the community who have been or are in your shoes, and who know how you feel, who pitch in when you need it most. Hence the community $20. The idea that panhandlers are expecting something from well-off strangers who can't empathize with us is like... kinda silly lmao, we know most of those ppl hate our fucking guts and want us dead, actually. (Are rich ppl really just that threatened by the idea of sharing that they see someone going "help please (generally speaking)!" And they immediately go "ugh, ME????? How dare you ask ME specifically for MY hard earned money?????" Idk it kinda tracks.)

I also use a jovial tone in a lot of my posts because I have to ask for help a lot, and it gets tiring to everyone to constantly hear "I'm soooo sorry for being such a needy piece of GARBAGE, AGAIN, I really hate that i have to do this, but..." because that's just The Friend Who Is Apogizing For Breathing. That doesn't feel good to hear any more than it does to say, no one likes that. And yes SOME people DO want you to feel that way about needing help- but its not going to be the people who will help you, I promise you that. Also, think about what you're saying when you talk about yourself like that. Why are you garbage? Because the cost of living is too high? Because your boss doesn't pay you a living wage? Because your landlord wrings you dry? Because you can't afford your meds or food? How is any of that actually about you at all? How does being hungry and wanting to live make you garbage???

Deeply unfortunately, you also tend to get more attention with a chipper tone and a preemtive "thank you" instead of an "oh God oh God oh God I'm so sorry I'm so fucking sorry, fuck!!!!" I also won't imply urgency where there isn't any. Sometimes we DO need money asap and it's like, we'll literally be stranded in the woods with no food if we don't get it. But other times, we need money, but like, we have time to figure it out. I save the urgency for the times I really need it.

Instead I focus on the positive: I DO have a lot of friends who care about me, all over, and even strangers who care about me, too! Those people have been keeping my ass alive for YEARS! They shouldn't have to do that! I shoudlnt have to beg to continue to use my own organs! But also, how cool are my friends for being the realest commies I know??? They're not going to just let me die out here. Why would I be sad about that? Why would I feel bad about people caring about me and wanting to see me pull through? Why would I apologize for proving that the human loving spirit is in fact alive and well? In the times when there IS less urgency, I think it's just nicer to my friends to make a lighter hearted post once in a while- you know, for the ones constantly seeing this stuff and helping me out. I think it's nice to acknowledge them in a positive way, instead of always being like "god im do sorry that im STILL BREATHING, i know you guys HATE that!!!"

Like. Idk if this is making sense. Remember that post where the person was telling their partner, "I'm just so worried that you'll think I'm stupid and want me to shut up," and their partner said, "Thats kind of mean, I wish you wouldn't think of me that way"? It's like that. If your friends and mutuals wanted you to shut up and die and feel guilty for living, they wouldn't be sharing your posts or donating to you, and it's kind of... mean? To get off on that foot. It's like we expect people to only help us begrudgingly. Thats not true at all! Donation posts are optional. Most people who reply to them do so because they're in a position to help and they WANT to, because it makes them feel good.

It's thanks to my friends that I am still alive to make all these delightful posts for them to read. They want me to stay alive because they like having me around. So i try to continue to be that presence in exchange for their love and suppport, and yes, i will incorporate that into my posts asking for help, especially if its a less time-sensitive ask. Idk like, re-framing a situation and focusing on the positive is a basic coping skill from many types of therapy and I hate to say this but it really is good for you. (Also fwiw I try to always say "thank you" to every individual who sends me money, each and every time. Sometimes they don't let me send messages back thru the pay apps, and sometimes I forget, but I try to every time.)

Plus, damn near EVERYONE needs help right now! Poverty and income inequality and chronic houslessness and chronic ILLNESS are all at ALL TIME HIGHS. Pre-covid 25% of the population was disabled. I wonder what it will look like next time we get a handle on those numbers?

So just to be clear, again: I don't expect donations to pull us out of poverty! If that were realistic, it would have already happened, ive been doing this for a decade. I don't expect strangers to have a stake in our situation, either. All either of us want is to be able to keep living our lives as best as we can for as long as we can- and a lot of our friends, and other people, DO sympathize with that. That's a point of pride for the community I've chosen for myself. I refuse to feel guilty about surrounding myself with caring, wonderful people who actually read my posts. That sounds like a pretty big win for me actually lmao.

AND I refuse to feel guilty and self-deprecating over circumstances that are out of my control and don't actually weigh on my character whatsoever. Being disabled isn't a character flaw. Being unemployable bc of my symptoms isn't something that's "wrong" with ME. Being homeless during an ALL TIME RECORD HIGH of homelessness ISNT something thats "wrong" with "me," and it's not something I would want anyone else to feel guilty over, either! These things don't determine who I am as a person or the impact I have on the people around me. Clearly I continue to have a positive impact and be a good friend, or asking my friends for help wouldnt be keeping me alive. I simply don't have enough followers to get that much money from strangers lol. And I have more followers than a lot of people (around 1500 currently).

So yeah, this is to everyone else who's ever felt horrifically guilty for asking for help online or otherwise: even if you dont have a lot of connections and you ARE asking for help from strangers, needing one another isnt a character flaw! The people who care will WANT to help anyway, period. It makes people feel good to know they can help. And yes it does make people feel better to hear a "thank you! we are still alive and happy to be here!" Over a "fuck God I'm so sorry I'm still alive and burdening you all so with my high cost of breathing!!!!" I'm so sorry that you have to have a body! Me, too, bud. It's rough, but it's gonna be ok.

Anyway needing help is morally neutral. Now im just thinking about the way the upper class has poor people at each other's throats for the perceived "selfishness" of needing help- because in a world where you are constantly burnt out from work, and the value of a dollar is so horribly out of proportion to the effort it takes to earn, sharing that hard-won effort with anyone else does sometimes feel like too much. Im thinking about the way hoarding wealth & resources & keeping them behind paywalls is seen not only as morally superior but a sign of objective intelligence and life skills, vs how the way sharing is construed as foolishness, the way needing help to stay alive is construed as greed, while the upper class that literally stays healthy and youthful and thrives on the blood, sweat and tears of the lower class gets to pat themselves on the back for being morally superior, individualist, and "not needing anyone." Kinda makes me sick when I put it like that!

Anyway. Again, needing help is morally neutral, especially in this economy, and I refuse to hate myself for circumstances that aren't my fault and for having people in my life who are invested in me and want to see me pull through. Everyone deserves friends like that, and I hope you find them.

[occult-roommates]

A new beginning to an old story

Around five days after their walk in the park, Athena felt ready to invite Akva to her new apartment. The reason it took so long is mostly because she needed to clean it first, and also for Akva to have some free time in between her retail job and flying lessons, but now it was time.

Athena: Tadah! Akva: Oh wow, congratulation on getting your own place. It's actually pretty decent. Athena: Why are you surprised by that? Akva: Cause like, have you seen my apartment? I live with six grown adults and one baby, but we only have two bedrooms but Charlie refuses to share hers except with the baby. We barely have enough space, privacy is like a foreign concept to me now after living like this for more than three years. Athena: I mean, I'm just saying, I only have one bedroom, but I think it's spacious enough I could get at least one roommates. Akva: Also, I was about to ask how you can afford it, but I mean, it's the spice district, most people in the area don't make that much money in the first place. Athena: That's because Paisley pays me good. Like I said, I could have a roommate to make it easier but I don't absolutely need one. Especially since in college I had one that must be from Hell. Like imagine a dude who refuses to shower more than once a week in spite of being a gym rat, would leave his dirty dishes everywhere to the point we had bugs infestation multiple times, and would punch holes into walls on a regular basis. Even had to bail him out of jail after a DUI with the money I needed to pay for a new computer. Oh and also he'd let his used condoms around the apartment as a way to assert dominance over my "beta" ass. Akva: Cause this guy was getting laid???!!!

Anyway, Athena kept showing Akva around the place. It wasn't that decorated to her personality yet, 50% because she couldn't afford it yet, 50% because the landlord wouldn't let her repaint that sickly green or move the furnitures around that much.

Then, the two women sat down on the couch to continue their little chat.

Athena: Fun fact, you can see by the window the exact place where that plane landed in the Myshun river a few years ago. Akva: Oh wow, that's cool. I remember recently, Ralf and I went to an aviation museum that's in southern New York in hope of seeing part of that plane, but turns out it's in North Carolina. We still had fun though, after the museum we went to eat at the shadiest roadside dinner known to man. Athena: Who are you talking about? Akva: Ralf is my new father figure, you should meet him, he is really nice.

Akva then leaned in for a hug. It felt good to finally have a close friend back in town. It felt even more special now that she knew Athena was actually happy and not just pretending. Though, it did messed her up that she literally had no idea what she was going through. Then again, in her defense, she was living on the other side of the country, even if Athena was visibly unhappy, she couldn't have known. Yeah, they did saw each other from time to time, like when they briefly dated which caused Akva to get pregnant, but still, she could have very well hid how she felt.

Akva: And you know, it would feel even more special if instead of introducing you to him as my friend...

Akva tapped her laps and told Athena to sit here, so she did. Now that they were in a more intimade position, step 2.

Akva: I'd introduce you as my girlfriend.

Athena looked at her all red and then, they made out on the couch, as the cameraman panned away as to not creep on them. Maybe their first attempt at dating did not ended up super well, and let's be real, ruined Akva's life for a year, but this time is the right time. Round 2 will be different, round 2 will have a happy ending.

Prev - Next

[mothman-is-my-girlfriend]

Having one of those absolutely comically bad mornings

None of my laundry was dry so I moved my car from the lot I pay for onto my street so I could leave immediately once my clothes were done. Takes an hour for them to dry so I'm an hour late for work. Go out to my car - there's a parking ticket for "street cleaning". Mind you, I've never once seen a cleaner go by in my neighborhood. So now I've got a fat 50+ dollar ticket when my utilities were already way iver budget. Which just means I have even less money to buy groceries and gas for the next two weeks agter my rent is paid 😭

But THEN when I do get to work literally the FIRST table I sit is lowkey sexually harassing me. Asking about my age and when my first kiss was.... I want to drag my boyfriend out of the kitchen to beat them up. 🤬🤬🤬

[lorirwritesfanfic]

I posted 1,567 times in 2022

119 posts created (8%)

1,448 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lorirwritesfanfic

@choicesjanuarychallenge2022

@missameliep

@storyofmychoices

@fanficmemes

I tagged 1,555 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#a little self reblog 😉 - 152 posts

#fanfiction - 136 posts

#choicesjanuary2022 - 121 posts

#choicesmonthlychallenge - 99 posts

#comment reblog - 80 posts

#lorirwritesfanfic - 77 posts

#playchoices - 59 posts

#the royal romance - 55 posts

#choices fanart - 51 posts

#blog updates - 50 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#but i know that if i start playing it i'll get sucked into that fake perfect world and ignore that i have to eat/sleep/shower/pay bills 😅

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Because Of Him

Author's note: I wrote this in one sitting! Yes, that's all my notes are about. (sorry, it's been a few weeks since the last time I finished and posted a story.)

[Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Pixelberry Studios]

Book: Perfect Match

Characters: Sloane Washington, Hayden Young, F!MC (Natasha Park)

Rating: G

Word count: 928

Reading time: 4 min

Summary: An incident reminds Sloane of how much Hayden (and Dipper) mean to her.

Based on the prompt: @sloanewashingtonappreciationweek​ day three: friendships

Sloane's left knee bounces up and down as she sits on the waiting room of the veterinary hospital they always take Dipper. She always told herself she's more of a cat person, but things slowly changed when she became Hayden's handler and she had to adopt a dog for him.

The idea of getting an animal so loud, clingy and with a potential to destroy her apartment was daunting, but sacrifices had to be made. Back then, she had no idea she would come to love Hayden as dearly as she would love a younger brother or how much Dipper would grow on her. But most of all, she didn't expect to feel so emotional when it comes to either of them.

She glanced around the room, then at her wristwatch, and chewed on a nail, knee bouncing frantically. Why is it taking so long?

Just then, Natasha's beaming face pops on the screen of her phone. Then she realizes it isn't her phone. But given how hectic the night was, it doesn't surprise her that she ended up switching phones with Hayden by accident.

"Hey, Natasha..."

"Sloane? Hey! Khaan dropped by to give back your phone. He said Hamza found it on the floor of his car."

"I didn't realize I didn't have it with me until now... but thanks... How's everything there?"

"Everyone left. I just finished cleaning everything with Nadia and she went home now. Where's Hayden?"

"He went out for coffee."

"Any news on Dipper?"

"She's on a surgery right now."

"Oh... I didn't know it was that bad..."

"It kinda is..."

A brief silence settles between them.

"I'm so sorry, Sloane..."

"It's not your fault, Natasha."

"But it happened because of me."

"It's nobody's fault. You couldn't have known Dipper was going to eat your slice of cake when you left and all of us got distracted."

"Yeah... I guess..."

"Everything is going to be fine. We just have to—" Sloane trails off when the veterinarian and Hayden walk into the waiting room.

"What is it?"

"Hayden and Dipper's vet are back."

"Oh! Is the surgery over?"

"Maybe? I don't know..."

"Go ask them! I'll wait here."

"Okay."

Sloane puts her phone in her jacket pocket as she stands up meet them. Much to her relief, Hayden smiles when the vet puts the fourteen carat diamond ring in his palm.

"Here you go, Mr. Young."

See the full post

26 notes - Posted February 13, 2022

#4

Kenna Rys moodboard for @choicesaprilchallenge day one: The Crown & The Flame

36 notes - Posted April 2, 2022

#3

Decisions

Author's note: Guess who’s finally posting a For The World To Know chapter? 😁 Took me three years to get this story unstuck, so please be kind to me if you decide to comment. [Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Pixelberry Studios]

Book: The Royal Romance - Book Three

Characters: Liam Rys, MC (Jade), Madeleine Amaranth, Regina Rys

Pairing: Liam Rys x MC (Jade)

Rating: T

Word count: 4887

Reading time: ~20min

Summary: As the wedding approaches, Jade will struggle with the compromises she will have to make to become Liam’s wife.

Jade walked down the hallway leading to the main lounge of the palace, where she would decide the final details of her wedding. Though she wasn't looking forward to meeting Regina and Madeleine, any moment with her fiancé to talk about the future was still worth it. The thought of having cake and making the last adjustments about the ceremony and reception with her betrothed felt like paradise for her. Even if the other people there wouldn't allow them to enjoy this little piece of heaven for too long.

Her eyes sparkled with joy as she spotted Liam by the door talking on the phone. With a wide smile, the duchess approached her fiancé and encircled her arms around his strong frame, resting her head on his back.

"My apologies, sir, but I have a meeting to attend. Have a good day," Liam hung up, lifted Jade's hands to his lips, kissed her knuckles and turned around to gaze at her.

"You didn't have to hang up, Li. I could've waited until you finished the call."

"I could never leave my queen waiting," he said, kissing her forehead. "Are you ready for the last meeting?"

"No..." She made a face, making him chuckle. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not because it's a meeting with Madeleine and Regina. It's the last meeting."

Liam cupped her face, caressing her cheek gently. "Are you concerned about anything, my love? Are you having second thoughts?"

"No! I have no doubts about what I want. I was just thinking about our wedding. Time flew by us lately."

"Both of us are busier now, my love," Liam explained. "And I have a feeling our lives will get more hectic as the wedding approaches."

"I feel like we only see each other at courtly functions or formal meetings." Jade frowned. "We barely had any time alone this week."

"I did notice that. In that spirit, I'd like you to join me for lunch. We'll have plenty of time to talk in private. Maybe even kiss and do other things as well," he whispered as one hand rested on the small of her back.

"I'd like that. But we can start the kissing part now," the duchess suggested with a mischievous smile.

"You make a fair point as usual, my queen."

With that, Liam pulled her closer and leaned in, pressing his lips on hers. Jade tugged on his jacket and deepened the kiss. For a moment, time seemed to stand still for the two of them. But as heat began to spread within her, he pulled away.

"We should get in now," the monarch whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Five more minutes?" Jade looked at the King with her best smile and pleading eyes.

"We can't keep Madeleine and Regina waiting forever."

"Are you sure?"

He chuckled softly, but shook his head.

"Fine..."

She made a face that quickly dissolved by her fiancé as he kissed her cheek a few times before they walked into the private lounge.

As the guards opened the doors for the two of them, Queen Mother Regina gave the couple a subtle glare as she sipped her tea. Madeleine looked at her golden wrist watch then reached for her tablet.

"It took long enough for the two of you to arrive." Madeleine raised an eyebrow as the couple sat on the loveseat across from her.

"My apologies, Madeleine. Though our wedding ceremony is important to us, my role as the monarch of this country and Jade's new obligations as ruler of Valtoria also demand our attention," Liam explained.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the countess replied, looking down at her tablet.

Jade glanced at her fiancé with her eyes widened, who replied with a smile and a wink.

"We're eleven minutes late, so let's not waste another moment," Queen Mother said as she signaled for the maids to serve them tea. "Shall we take a look at the menu options once again?"

Liam and Jade nodded.

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42 notes - Posted September 16, 2022

#2

Heavy

Author's note: Late submission to day two of KLAW and day eight Royal n Noble April Tea Party. Sorry, I got a cruel disease that doesn't allow me to write much. [Original characters are creations of this author. The others are owned by Pixelberry Studios]

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam Rys x MC (Jade)

Rating: M

Word count: 434

Reading time: 2 min

Summary: "Uneasy is the head that wears the crown."¹

Based on the prompts: @kingliamappreciationweek​​ - day two: Liam the King / @choicesaprilchallenge​ - The Royal Romance/Masquerade/Heir: The Rys

Warning: This piece contains adult material (brief mention of sexual assault attempt) that may be disturbing/offensive for some people. Reader discretion is advised.

The crowd rose to their feet when Liam walked towards the middle of the ballroom, where a platform and the throne were placed for the coronation of the future king. Wearing the royal cape and the crown he used as a prince for the last time, the young prince carried the royal scepter in one hand and the orb in the other and took his place before King Constantine so the coronation could start.

To all onlookers, it was a mystery yet not a surprise that the crown prince remained calm and solemnly took his vows, pledging himself to the service of ruling Cornodia. After the scandal that exposed the suitor believed to be the prince's favorite, anyone else in shoes would've stuttered, tripped in the middle of the room or panicked. But not him. Prince Liam wasn't the firstborn, but more than anyone else in the royal family, he was the perfect image of poise, strength and stability, traits all citizens agreed the kingdom needed.

The audience, however, often failed to see the man behind the stoic mask. While he pretended to be unaffected by the previous events of the night, deep within himself, he was hurting. His heart ached. He knew it was all a ruse. He knew about the broken lock of Jade's door. He knew that a man he once saw as a friend forced himself upon the woman he'd choose as his queen. He knew she wasn't approved by royal advisors and many would benefit from her downfall.

What the people failed to see is that he also knew her. He knew her intentions, her dreams, what she wanted out of life, and what she wanted from him. And this is precisely why it was so hard for him to stand there, become king and choose someone else when every part of him ached for her.

All his life had been planned out by others. He had accepted his fate. But now that he knew what love felt like, he was no longer the same. He was so close to having so much more than he ever hoped for and it slipped through his fingers like water. How could he keep going?

As the monarch's crown was placed on his head, he recalled a moment he had with her. She mentioned how the crown looked heavy in pictures and he explained the meaning behind its heaviness. Wearing the crown came with big responsibilities and he understood that much from a very young age. What he didn't know was how uneasy he would feel when that moment came at last.

____

¹ Shakespeare, William. Henry IV, Part II. 1600

44 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I say ignorance is bliss, but when I see someone so ignorant to the point they don't know who to vote for today when the choices are a man that made Brazil the 6th most powerful economy in the 00's and a troglodyte that publicly mocked the people dying from COVID-19, I'm like

47 notes - Posted October 30, 2022

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