#bulk supply options

[supportsatvik]

Celebrate the Bond of Love with the Best Rakhi Collection

Rakhi is more than just a festival—it’s a cherished tradition that strengthens the bond of love between siblings. With the festive season approaching, it's time to find the best Rakhi that symbolizes your emotions. Whether you're looking for kids Rakhi, bhaiya-bhabhi Rakhi, or couple Rakhi, choosing a beautifully handcrafted Rakhi adds a touch of warmth and tradition to your celebrations.

Craftsmanship and Tradition in Every Rakhi

At Satvik, we take pride in offering Rakhis that reflect India’s rich craftsmanship and tradition. Each Rakhi is designed with intricate details, blending culture and artistry. Our Rakhi collection includes a variety of styles, ensuring there’s something special for every sibling.

Send Rakhi Abroad with Ease

Distance should never weaken the sibling bond. If your brother is away, you can send Rakhi abroad effortlessly. Our carefully packaged Rakhis ensure safe delivery, allowing you to celebrate even when miles apart.

Bulk Supply Options & Affordable Pricing

Whether you’re an individual buyer or looking for bulk supply options, we’ve got you covered. With our affordable pricing, you can shop for multiple Rakhis without compromising on quality.

Make This Festive Season a Success

A successful festive season is all about heartfelt celebrations and thoughtful gifts. Along with Rakhis, explore our Rakhi gift sets and puja essentials to make this occasion even more special.

Order Your Rakhi Today!

Celebrate the spirit of Raksha Bandhan with the perfect Rakhi from Satvik. Browse our exclusive Rakhi collection and make this festival a memorable one. Contact us now for special offers and bulk orders!

[lotus-tower]

Mask recommendations for ordering online (NA)

Note: for consistency, practicality, and simplicity all prices are listed in USD.

masknerd has a comprehensive data set on hundreds of masks he's tested according to his own criteria and methodology (pinned tweet). find his recommendations on his youtube channel. many of the following are on his list as well!

DISPOSABLE MASKS

3M Aura and Vflex: one of the most commonly recommended brands of N95. Where to buy?

- US: see here - Canada: see here - Multiple sizes per model. These suppliers are good for bulk ordering. If you aren't sure if something will fit you, check out the sample kits in the next recommendation - Price point: varies from $1-1.3 USD per mask depending on supplier

Breatheteq (US):

- KN95s that come in small, medium, large, or XS (kids) - Offers sample kits so you can test out what your size is - Comes in a few different colours. shoutout to the lavender - Earloop only - Price point: $69.75 USD for a 50-pack (~1.4 USD per mask)

Canadastrong (Canada):

- The Canadian equivalent to Breatheteq, but also carries N95s of other brands such as 3M Aura and Vflex, Vitacore, and Drager X-plore

Vitacore (Canada and US):

- N95 certified, but actually has 99% filtration - Both earloop and head strap versions (warning that the head strap seems to fit considerably smaller) - Regular and small adult sizes offered, also a kid's size - Price point: $33.99 for a 30-pack (~1.1 USD per mask)

Wellbefore (US, ships to Canada):

- N95s, KN95s, and KF94s - Head straps, normal earloops, or adjustable earloops depending on model - Kids/petite size available for certain KN95 models - Wide range of colours (excluding N95s) - Price point: varies per model, from $0.79 USD to $2.09 USD per mask - Also sells Covid tests, over the counter medication, and medical supplies

Masklab (US):

- This is an indulgent option for if you want to go out and look good, while still staying safe. These are masks that are part of your outfit - FFP2 certified, equivalent to KF94s - Standard size and slim fit series - Many beautiful patterns - Price point: $24.44 USD for a 5-pack ($4.88 per mask) for the patterned KF ones, ~$3.4 USD for the plain KF ones, ~$3.3 USD for the slim fit series, including patterns.

ELASTOMERIC MASKS

Flomask (US, ships to Canada):

- Reusable elastomeric mask (with replaceable filters) that meets KN95 standards - Two adult sizes (low/medium nose ridge and medium/high nose ridge) and a kid's size - Adjustable straps - Price point: $122 USD. 50-pack replacement filters: $81.46 (filters to be changed after 20-40 hours of use, depending on filter type)

A humble P100 elastomeric respirator from your local Home Depot or similar store! Magnitudes cheaper than the Flo mask (both the respirator itself and the filters)--however, I can't offer estimates for how often filters should be replaced. May not look pretty, but the most economical option for the highest degree of filtration if you aren't self-conscious.

General advice:

N95 or higher are the most reliable. They normally come with head straps, which offer better protection by making a tighter seal around your face.

But fit and comfort are the most important! Find a mask that fits your face and leaves the least amount of gap possible. KN95s are often more comfortable and breathable--find what's right for you.

You can wear different masks for different situations depending on risk level!

If you're hesitant to buy online, here's advice on how to tell if your respirator is legitimate.

A SIP drinking valve can be installed on any disposable mask to allow you to drink in public with less risk.

If anyone has other recommendations, please feel free to add!

[the-bi-space-ace]

Echo hates medbay. He hates going. He hates being hooked up to machines and he will avoid it if given the option. He hates it so much the batch starts going with him just to make sure he actually attends.

When Tech comes with him he chats the whole time. He distracts Echo while the medics work and he clarifies and asks questions when he feels the need. Tech is an excellent distraction that Echo would gladly take any day of the week.

Wrecker treats medical visits like a game. He plays with supplies and makes faces over the medic’s shoulders to make Echo laugh. The medics always know there’s some shenanigans going on (they’re too smart not to) but at least Echo isn’t squirming and scowling at everything they want him to do so they’ll consider that a win. Echo is grateful when Wrecker comes with him because he’s never bored.

Crosshair makes every medbay visit feel like a mission. He stands quietly in the corner and watches diligently. Echo’s never felt quite so observed before. If Echo even looked uncomfortable Crosshair would square up like a particularly prickly guard dog. He turns into such a hover hen when the medic even implies something might be wrong. ‘Is it because you haven’t eaten since last night? Someone get a ration bar.’ ‘I bet it’s because you took Wrecker’s night shift last night. Don’t look at me like that I know you did.’ Echo loves him but also wants to throttle him.

Hunter questions everything. ‘Is it really necessary to take his blood today?’ ‘You’re not our usual medic. We’d like the usual medic.’ ‘We have a mission in one rotation we’ll need to make this snappy.’ The second the medic is gone to run labs, ya know do his job, Hunter leans in so no one else can hear them and is like ‘I’ll break us out of here don’t you worry.’ Echo rolls his eyes but mumbles a grouchy ‘thank you’.

Echo used to bulk at them coming with him but he never refuses them now. Whether it’s a check up or physical or illness or injury. He hates medbays. But he loves the batch.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Calling all homebrewers!

Recently I've had an idea bouncing around my head that I want your help in refining: Building out the exploration pillar of the game by making the party's "camp" into a mechanic that players can interact with by upgrading it.

LOTS of RPGs give your party a home base/camp that you return to between missions and upgrade over the course of your adventure. D&D is no stranger to this, but building a base tends to be a high level/retirement sort of goal, and instead I want the players to be given a set of options from the very beginning. Think of this potential camp system like its own early game skill tree where upgrades can be unlocked with GP or quest rewards, which gives players a very tangible reason to partake in those early game low-stakes side quest.

As someone who's shifting more and more to the "one adventure per level" model, I specifically wanted this camp system to be a way to reintroduce a player driven progression back into the game. Likewise, the camp's upgrade system could give us a mechanical backbone for building out a codified exploration system, which has been something I've been wanting to knock out for a while.

Here's some of the upgrade paths and their uses I've been tinkering with:

Provisions- In addition to generally tracking how long it's going to be before the party goes hungry/needs to return to town, "enhanced" provisions are a consumable that gives the party temporary hitpoints every time they're used. Advanced provision upgrades grant more temporary hitpoints.

Supplies- Need an item in a pinch? Good thing you loaded up when you were last in town. Digging through your camp's supply allows you to retroactively have purchased an item off the equipment list below a certain GP threshhold. Upgrading your supplies means more chances to grab things, and a higher quality of item grabbed.

Shelter- Camping out under the stars can be picturesque, but not so much when it's raining. These items specifically shelter the party from different types/qualities of weather and the passive threats of the environments they're exploring.

Draft- That's right, we're playing with carrying capacity. Rather than making it a problem of individual inventory management, we keep the challenge of managing the party's encumbrance by making it simple and slot based, applying to large or bulk items (primarily loot and the camp upgrades we're acquiring). Pack animals and wagons can add to this total but limit the party's camping opportunities to roads and navigable terrain. Are they a caravan hauling house wagons and trade goods? or are they packing light to travel across rugged landscapes?

Camp Followers- NPC allies and hirelings that act as their own upgrades: a cook that makes the best of provisions, guards to prevent the camp from getting robbed, a quatermaster who ensures that things are packed more efficiantly, a merchant who pays out shares every time the party land in a new market. Having a cast of characters follow the party through their adventures

My question for you dear readers is if there's anything I'm missing. How do you think I should handle the encumbrance system? How should this information be presented to the party in the most efficient way possible? Eventually I want to evolve the camp system into a background for running a proper stronghold, or a ship's crew, but I want the foundations to be strong before I do.

[wellpresseddaisy]

Fabric, fabric, where to buy your fabric

With the likely closure of JoAnn Fabrics by March (they've filed for Chapter 11 again and so far the bidder looks to be the group that bought Big Lots), a lot of people are wondering where to get their apparel fabric and supplies.

Before I go any further, if you're feeling really sad about the likely closure of a place you always shopped, that's perfectly fine. I'm recommending what I do only because I haven't had even a JoAnn's close enough to make the drive worth it in years.

All of the fabric stores I'm recommending sell swatches, which are the secret to sewing when you don't have a local fabric store.

Don't shop at stores that won't send you swatches if you can manage it. Personally, I've had too many disappointments to go through it again. The discount may have been amazing, but the color was wrong or the fabric wasn't the right weight.

What I do:

1. Go through a store's catalog and mark favorites. Yes, you need to make an account to do it, but that usually nets you a coupon off your first order. Stonemountain let me use that coupon on swatches.

1a. Make a note of their free shipping threshold, if they have one.

2. Put together a cart of swatches. Consider what you might like to make for the coming year and in what type of fabric while selecting things.

3. Look at the total, factor in shipping, and save half of them for later. :) (this step is optional, but recommended).

4. Buy your swatches and spend the next few days like the pakidge? meme. Receive them and rejoice.

5. Consider the colors you ordered. Do you like how that fabric feels on your skin? How does it drape after washing it? Will it need special care? Do any of the colors make you look like you're sickening for something?

6. Make final selections for the coming season. Place a bulk order, meeting the fabric store's free shipping threshold (if applicable and workable in your budget). This works a lot better than ordering only enough fabric for one project at a time, if your budget allows.

6a. Complain bitterly that there are no local fabric stores where you can just go and play with the fabrics. Consider chucking your career and opening one.

7. Spend several days like the pakidge? meme again. Receive your fabric, rejoice, and then spend hours washing, drying, and ironing it before you put it away, ready to be sewn.

Notions and supplies

Wawak is honestly one of the best places for sewing notions and supplies. Their prices are good and their shipping is reasonably fast.

Apparel fabric

Stonemountain and Daughter

Has a good selection and they're pretty generous with the coupons and sales. They aren't the least expensive, but they sell good quality apparel fabric.

Minerva

Yes, they're in the UK, but even with the currency conversion most of their core range fabrics are a decent price. Their shipping is also really reasonable.

Vogue Fabric

They have an excellent selection at reasonable prices. If you need mockup fabric, their muslin is well-priced.

Dharma Trading Company

If you're at all interested in dyeing your own fabric, Dharma is the place. They have a wide array of dyeable fabric in so many different fibers and weaves. Their shipping is, admittedly, a bit pricey if you're on the east coast, but the quality is good.

I do not recommend Missouri Star Quilt Company or Robert Kaufman Fabrics any longer. MSQ bought a large stake of RKF a few months ago as the company was failing. The owners of MSQ are devout Mormons who tithe to the church and go on missions. While I absolutely support religious freedom, I don't want my money, even indirectly, going to support any religious organization that works against the interests of the LGBTQ community. This is also why I will never shop at Hobby Lobby.

[bvggvoreacab]

hi!! new to punk and i’ve got a couple questions 🧡

1- do you have any tips on finding more obscure/local bands? i’m unsure if there’s a punk scene near me and i’m a minor so my options are fairly limited. 2- is there a reason people sew on blank patches before painting on them or is it just for aesthetic reasons? and 3- any diy advice?

1) id say find a local record shop or bar with a parent if you have a cool parent and ask about local shows or bands! often locally owned shops will host concerts for local bands!!! i’ve met some awesome people at local shows!

2) making a layer of blank patches under other patches can help the strength of the clothing but i only sew blank patches on sometimes, i often paint them in bulk and then sew them on after. i don’t think there’s a correct way, just do what works for you!!

3) use up cycled things! ask your parents/friends/family for old clothes or sewing supplies! buttons are a fun addition to any project, and old tshirt fabric and designs can be sick additions and really useful in most diy projects! (also always have white and black acrylic paint on hand)

:)

[lyinginbedmon]

Howdy folks!

I'm not really comfortable making posts like these, because I'm extremely accustomed to just getting by Somehow without getting outside assistance. Historically I've just made do with whatever I had and over the years I've gotten pretty good at making "very little" seem like "just enough" at least, sometimes even "quite a bit".

But I recognise that's a long-term trauma response and, what's more, that I can't overcome this particular obstacle without external support.

So here's the situation: I have been on a waiting list for healthcare since 2019 and the most I've ever heard back to be sure I'm even still on that list is the occasional newsletter. There's a chance I'll hear back properly in November, but also every likelihood I still have years to wait.

Moreover, there's every possibility that the UK general election on July 7th will see a considerable crackdown on the availability of healthcare support for people like me. The current government just last week issued an emergency ban until September on medication for children of my demographic in the span of just 62 minutes.

The medication I've been taking since June 2020 has to be sourced from the grey market, and that makes it expensive, especially so if I don't order it in bulk. Which I frankly cannot afford to do due to a bunch of different problems over the last year. Whatever savings I had to the effect of paying for medication (or anything else for that matter) had to be dumped to prevent my bank from taking action against me just for not having enough money at once. I am not physically capable of working any more than I already am, and therefore have no available options to increase my income to resolve this myself.

So here's the rub: It's Pride Month, and my birthday is in 4 days.

If you have any spare change, please consider putting it towards the GoFundMe linked above. If you don't, please reblog this post so it hopefully reaches someone who can.

My supply will last less than 2 more months before I start to deplete parts of it, 3 months at the most overall. It's a dark time here for the trans community, and particularly for someone as far below the poverty line as me, so for my birthday all I ask is for a bit of assistance making it a teensy bit brighter.

[supportsatvik]

Agate Rakhi: A Symbol of Tradition and Elegance

Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of the eternal bond between siblings, and what better way to commemorate this occasion than with an Agate Rakhi? Handcrafted with precision and elegance, agate stone Rakhis embody both tradition and sophistication, making them a perfect choice for the festive season.

Wholesale Agate Rakhi for a Successful Festive Season

As a Rakhi wholesaler, we understand the importance of providing high-quality, intricately designed Rakhis that reflect craftsmanship and tradition. If you are looking for a Rakhi wholesaler in Delhi, or a Rakhi wholesale distributor in Gujarat, our collection ensures premium quality and affordability. Whether you are a manufacturer and supplier of Rakhi gifts in India or an independent seller, we offer bulk supply options to meet your business needs.

Why Choose Agate Rakhi?

Symbolizes strength, protection, and balance.

Crafted with premium materials ensuring durability.

A perfect blend of modern aesthetics and traditional values.

Your One-Stop Destination for Rakhi Wholesale

At Festaholic, we take pride in being the best wholesaler of Rakhi gifts in India. Our collection includes the best Rakhi options for businesses catering to the festive market. Whether you are looking to expand your offerings in the Rakhi wholesale market supplier in Delhi or planning to export Rakhi abroad, we provide customizable solutions at affordable pricing.

Contact Us Now for Bulk Orders

Don't miss the opportunity to be a part of this successful festive season. Get in touch with us today and stock up on high-quality Agate Rakhi to make this bond of love even more special!

Explore our exclusive collection and place your bulk order now! Contact us now.

This image features a beautifully designed Agate Rakhi set, perfect for Raksha Bandhan. The rakhis showcase a stunning natural agate stone with intricate Sanskrit inscriptions, elegantly framed with a gold-tone border. One rakhi is crafted with an adjustable golden chain adorned with pearl accents, while the other features a traditional green thread with pearl embellishments. Accompanying the rakhis are small golden bowls containing roli (kumkum) and rice, essential for the traditional rakhi ceremony. The soft pink background enhances the aesthetic appeal, making this rakhi set a meaningful and spiritual token of love and protection for brothers.

[thesummerstorms]

So when you meet Bellara for the first time, she says that "a couple of days ago" the sky split open (aka Solas's ritual).

Rook leaves the Lighthouse pretty quickly after waking; I don't think a full day passes, personally, much less two. To me, that implies that Rook was out cold for the better part of those two days after passing out at the ritual site.

And to be fair, I've read that head wounds bleed a lot. But Rook's hands came away covered in blood in that cuts scene, in addition to them clearly passing in and out of consciousness while Harding is dragging them away.

And yet when they wake Rook isn't sporting any visible injuries, even bruises, and doesn't complain of any lingering pains. Whoever they took to topple the statue looks like a hot mess and is clearly in pain, to the point that Rook and the second companion both worry about them in the field, but no one indicates that Rook should stay back.

YMMV, but I think for me that must mean that the companions must have triaged and ended up using the bulk of whatever healing supplies they had on Rook in an effort to keep them from dying.

Neve has healing magic (if she isn't the one who got battered), the team clearly had some potions on them in Minrathous, but the injured companion is covered in bruises and ends up scarred?

Those resources had to have been spent somewhere. It makes sense if you think about it. Again, lots of blood and two days unconscious. Head injuries can be lethal. And while the other the injured companion also took clear damage to the face and keeps complaining of a headache, implying another possible head injury, we can see them up and moving even during Rook's flashes of consciousness.

So the end result is that Rook is fine, completely recovered even if you don't count Solas being in their head, while their companion ends up with permanent marks.

I think that adds to those guilty options you have in those conversations in the infirmary, individually in the companion's rooms, and looking into Varric's mirror. Rook's first mission in charge and the people with them prioritized saving them, even though it meant someone else went unhealed from the consequences of Rook's decision.

[delimeful]

WIBAR Intermission: Visiting Home (1/3)

G/T July Day 17: Home

this intermission has 3 parts, taking place during different points in the WIBAR timeline. this chapter takes place before LMMR/Act 2 of WIBAR! baby time :)

shoutout to nyn for inspiring the last scene with Roman at the end! 

warnings: negative assumptions, mentions of blood/hunting/injury, mild fear/nervousness, other than that it's all fluff (literally)

-

Despite the tension buzzing at the back of his skull, Virgil found that being planetside again was surprisingly… nice.

He would have preferred that it was an uninhabited area— or at least, that it wasn’t one of the only places in the universe that had aliens he really, really couldn’t afford to terrify— but he couldn’t deny that feeling the ground under his feet and the sunlight on his skin was soothing, a balm he hadn’t known he’d needed.

It wasn’t the same as Earth, not really, but Patton’s home planet was close enough to familiar that he found tension seeping from his overwrought muscles despite himself.

He shook some of the dazed contentment off, flicking a glance over his shoulder and reminding himself that if any of the locals saw him, it could spell Capital-D Disaster.

His little excursion into one of the less populated natural areas near the little port town was entirely unplanned, and all the riskier for it, but they simply hadn’t had any better options.

Patton had been putting off visiting his family for longer than anyone would have liked— first with the excuse of healing from his injuries, and then with the financial strain that had come from his crewmates dedicating the bulk of their time to searching for him, rather than doing their usual delivery and transport jobs.

(The strain of providing for an entire new off-the-books crewmate, too, Virgil knew. He tried to avoid taking up too much, resource-wise, but there was only so little he could eat before his symptoms went from barely-tolerable to unmanageable.

The adrenaline crash and resulting sprains after he’d intervened in the raiders’ attack had been a painful reminder that most days, his body felt like it was barely holding together at the seams.)

Finally, they’d managed to weave together a cover story believable enough that the trip was set in motion, with the caveat that Patton would go planetside to visit, and Virgil would stay on the ship, up in orbit, firmly out of range of discovery.

Patton hated the idea of lying to his loved ones, wanted more than anything to introduce Virgil and prove he wasn’t the monster the galaxy thought he was, but even his stubborn optimism hadn’t held up under the combined forces of the other 3/4ths of the crew.

It was too dangerous for word to get out about Virgil, especially after the close call they’d already had, narrowly averted thanks to Remyy. Between Logan’s points on the historical government response to rumors of rogue humans, Roman’s assertions that bounty hunters of all kinds would begin targeting them, and Virgil’s own intense discomfort with the idea of his existence being revealed to others when he’d only just gotten free, Patton had conceded, if a bit morosely.

So, things had proceeded according to plan… right up until Patton’s clutchmates commed in, requesting that they bring the Mindscape down so that they could fill Patton’s quarters and kitchen with a variety of gifts and supplies to remind him of home after he left.

Patton hadn’t been informed. A surprise, they’d said, meant to show their love and care for their sibling in a way that would linger as long as possible.

It was a cultural custom, apparently, and Patton’s hard headed tendencies must have run in the family, because they’d refused to take no for an answer without a good reason.

Unfortunately for the reason in question, informing them that there was another crew member onboard who couldn’t be seen by anyone else would only defeat the purpose of staying off planet in the first place.

And so, after very intense sweep of the ship to hide away any trace of Virgil’s presence, he’d swept his old cloak around his shoulders, followed Logan offboard, and let himself be guided to what seemed to be an unoccupied area of the coastal jungle that surrounded the local populace.

Logan had requested he stay in the general area until he returned from corralling the busybody relatives, and then rushed back to the ship where Roman waited, looking more harried than Virgil had ever seen him.

It was an awkward, stressful situation, sure. But he still couldn’t help but marvel a little at the thick, dark fronds of the trees and the almost powdery texture of the grey-white sand beneath his feet.

He hadn’t gotten very many chances to actually appreciate the wonder of being in space, on alien planets, with how much of his stay so far had either been locked in cages aboard ships or on the run, too busy trying to survive to take in the scenery.

Running his fingers over the corkscrew-patterned bark of one of the nearby tree trunks, Virgil didn’t notice the slight rustling of a nearby brush.

—

Marren had thought the alien an intruder at first, had skidded to a halt and narrowly avoided toppling out of the underbrush right in front of them.

Behind her, Robbyn and Denel tumbled against her back with the beginnings of peeped complaints at the interruption of their game.

“Ssst!” Marren made a whistle that was more air than sound, her baby feathers ruffling up in pre-emptive upset. “Quiet, there’s a stranger!”

Unlike any other game, her playmates immediately went silent, eyes growing round and nervous. They all knew better than to catch the attention of a maybe-dangerous unfamiliar alien.

Especially now. One of the older kids had told horror stories about smugglers when the grown-ups weren’t listening, insisting that straying fledglings would get all their feathers shredded off and fed to the horrible monsters at the bottom of the Spacesea, where starlight and ships alike couldn’t reach.

They’d gotten in big trouble for the tall tales, but the story had already been taken up by the waves and couldn’t be squashed, especially with the fearful but dedicated belief of younger fledglings.

“Is it a monster?” Denel asked, already looking more fluff than form.

Marren… couldn’t really tell.

They were huge, even bigger than the Draellex spacefarer who had come to do a presentation for her class last season, but most of their features were also obscured by the long, deep grey cloak that they were swathed in.

“They’ve got hands,” she reported instead, because the stranger was touching various plants and rocks with nubby, strangely smooth fingers. “No claws, though.”

“Maybe a trader ship came early?” Robbyn offered thoughtfully. Their downy soft pink feathers were the least fluffed up between the three of them, their gaze focused on the alien with an intense curiosity.

“We woulda seen it, right?” Marren replied dubiously, before going quiet for a moment as the hooded head of the stranger turned and paused as though listening.

She didn’t continue until they turned back to their slow inspection of the wildlife, letting out a tiny peep-peep-peep of relief. “The only ship that came down is Uptel Patton’s, and he’s only got two playmates.”

She’d only met one of her Uptel’s friends in person, and only when she was a baby baby, way before her first molt, so she barely remembered it, but there were plenty of pictures in her Elder Uptel Farrun’s home. Patton’s parents were always happy to talk about their spacefarer son, and Marren always got a fun trinket from her Uptel when he visited.

Well. Almost always.

He’d seemed very distracted when she’d seen him this morning, enough that he’d barely noticed her amongst the many relatives that had swarmed to greet him after his longer than usual absence.

Something bad had happened to him, Marren had been told, which had made his parents’ home feel all sad-grief-loss whenever she visited, but he was all better now.

She wasn’t so sure. Everyone around him had felt like relief-joy-kinship at the sight of him, sure, but her Uptel had never flinched away from preening before.

“Maybe he got a new one?” Denel asked, still half-hidden behind Robbyn but not quite as frightened.

Marren made a considering chirp, and then began shuffling under the wiry branches as quietly as possible, seeking out a closer bush.

“Where are you going?” both of her playmates asked in very different tones.

“Gonna look closer,” she replied, and then froze as the answer carried farther than she meant it to.

The stranger turned sharper this time, and searched the clearing with tiny back-and-forth movements of their head.

“Patton?” they called after a moment, and Marren almost startled back in shock: the alien had spoken Uptel Patton’s actual name, not the Common version, and sounded uncannily close to an actual Ampen.

If it weren’t for how impossibly big the stranger was, she might have thought it was a simple prank, a couple of older kids stacked on top of each other under a form-disguising cloak.

Her gaze trailed down and finally focused on the familiar glow coming from the shadowed neckline of the cloak. She would know that glow anywhere!

“They’ve gotta special charm!” she crowed, and pushed past the branches to dart out into the open, intent on inspecting her Uptel’s newest friend.

Patton’s friend stumbled back hard with a sharp inhale, and Marren abruptly remembered that it wasn’t polite to startle people, especially strangers, and slowed to a stop. She angled her head up to try and peer into the shadows of the hood, squinting her eyes almost closed in as innocent and friendly a look as possible.

“I’m Marren,” she introduced herself, using the little bit of Common that her Uptel had taught her. “The stars greet you and so do I!”

That kind of greeting was more for actually being up in space with all the stars, but she figured it was the thought that counted.

Patton’s friend muttered something in an unfamiliar language, their tone soft, and then lowered themself to a seated position, much slower than they’d moved before. “My name is Virgil. It’s… nice to sea you?”

Marren let out a peal of chirping laughter, nearly knocking herself off balance with the force of her amusement.

That was definitely one of Uptel Patton’s friends, alright. He was the only bondrelative she had who put silly word jokes in his greetings like that.

“Can I sea you?” she shot back brightly, and when that didn’t seem to make it through, she pretended to move an invisible hood down from her own head.

Friend Virgil went all stiff for a moment, before speaking again. “I don’t think… uh, that’s not a good idea. I’m… I’m shy.”

Marren was distracted for a moment by puzzling through the words; it was an odd combination of Common and Ampen words, some of them a little smushed together until they almost seemed like a new word entirely.

Once the meaning behind the answer registered, though, she made a long, protesting whistle. “I’m not gonna be mean to you! Denel’s shy, too, you guys can get along!”

“Denel?” Friend Virgil echoed, again pronouncing the name eerily accurately, and Marren heard a little peep of alarm from behind her.

Antennae twitching with frustration, she turned and gave the bushes her best irritated stare, fluffing up indignantly. “They’re Patton’s friend! They’ve gotta be nice to me, I’m his favorite telit! Stop acting so new-hatched!”

“You’re his only little cousin,” Robbyn was speaking to her as they hopped into view, but their wide eyes were locked on Friend Virgil like they’d just found a shiny new stone. “Can they talk?”

“Kinda,” Marren chirped back, since it seemed like Friend Virgil knew more of the spacefarer tongue than their native one. “I know enough space words to translate! Probably.”

“You’re going to hurt your throat,” Robbyn cautioned in their best know-it-all voice. Marren was saved from having to answer by the thud of Denel tripping his own way out of the bush.

With his underlayer all fluffed out like that, it was no wonder that he accidentally rolled a few feather-lengths along the ground, squawking in high-pitched, babyish alarm as he tumbled.

Friend Virgil leaned forward so quickly that even Marren peeped in surprise, but all they did was set a humongous cupped hand next to Denel to keep him from toppling any further. Denel pulled all his limbs in with a panicked squeak as he bumped into the helping hand, and turned his head to peer up at Friend Virgil nervously.

“Safe and sound,” Friend Virgil crooned, in the sort of lullaby sing-song tone that was usually used to soothe hatchlings. “Okay, good, okay?”

It took Denel a stunned moment to respond, but when he chirped affirmative, the waver in his whistle had faded to almost nothing. He slowly uncurled, and even reached out for balance as he got back upright, looking absolutely awestruck.

He was way more aether-sensitive than most fledglings, Marren recalled, which meant that Friend Virgil must have been radiating some deeply trustworthy energy. As always, she had been totally right! Of course Patton’s friend was nice!

Marren wasted no time in spinning back around and darting up to Friend Virgil’s legs, giving them her best pleading expression.

“See? We can all be friends, you’re big-nice and nobody will be mean to you! Please please please?”

—

Virgil was not good with kids.

Specifically, he wasn’t good at saying no to kids.

Back home, they’d always picked up on it the moment they saw him, like sharks catching the scent of blood in the water, except the sharks were twelve year olds and the blood was Virgil’s inability to tell them not to draw on him in sharpie.

He’d finally found something that humans and aliens had in common, it seemed, because Marren– the apparent leader of the little group– had immediately figured out exactly how to use the Ampen version of puppy dog eyes against him. It was like nature had designed them as adorable feathery pom-pom creatures as a tactic designed to target him, specifically.

He hadn’t stood a chance.

As such, he found himself seated in the middle of the small clearing, his hood lowered and face exposed for anyone to see, being used as an actual, literal human jungle gym by a bunch of chirping alien fuzzballs.

The playtime racket must have been attracting more, because it felt like every time he looked up, three or four entirely new bundles of fluff had appeared, racing around his feet or climbing up the side of his cloak, chattering between themselves in strings of tweets and whistles.

The namecall they used for him wasn’t quite accurate, sounding more like ‘frrr-kul’ with a rolling trill followed by a chirp that only occasionally resembled the latter half of his name. They seemed to have a much harder time than Patton making the non-bird sort of syllables, which made sense, seeing as they were itty bitty babies.

“Frrrr-kul!” one of them called gleefully, summoning him over to the other side of the clearing for the newest round of whatever it was they were playing.

Virgil wasn’t ashamed to admit that something in his chest squeezed a bit as another fledgling turned dizzying little loop-de-loops in front of him, presumably leading him over to the new spot. For once, the heart palpitations he was experiencing around strange aliens were almost entirely cuteness-induced.

Almost, because there was still a solid chunk of his brain panicking viciously about how tiny and soft and fragile they all were, hence him moving at the pace of a seasick slug.

Marren had put forward a half-hearted complaint about how slow he was moving, to no avail. As it turned out, the only thing more compelling to him than a kid’s heartfelt request was the fear of accidentally hurting one of them.

It had taken him at least fifteen minutes just to stop flinching every time one of them fell or flung themself off of his knee or shoulder or— for one very stealthy candidate— his head, only to tumble lightly back to the ground unharmed, the impact entirely cushioned by their fluff.

He’d caught the first five or six on sheer instinct, which had only prompted even more to partake in the fun new ‘game’, until he gave up and accepted his fate as a living launch pad. Thankfully for his stress levels and long-term heart health, they had moved onto another game quickly enough.

He was slightly less thankful that every game so far had included him being scampered over, without exception, but he should have figured as much just from being friends with Patton, honestly.

His latest role seemed to be a very ill patient, as one of Marren’s friends walked around—and on— him carefully, calling out chirped instructions and sending the rest of the participants scrambling into the nearby brush. Within a few moments, they’d return with leaves, twigs, and other forest detritus, which would then be painstakingly applied to the top of his hand, or his chin, or wherever else the ‘doctor’ gestured to. Half the time, the makeshift bandages would flutter off the moment Virgil shifted even a little, prompting chitters of delight as the kids hurried to re-apply them.

Still better than any healthcare he’d gotten on Earth, honestly.

Seeing as his current job was to lay in place morosely like that guy from the Operation board game, he eventually closed his eyes and let himself relax a little, trying to hide an irrepressible closed-lip smile.

A few rounds later, he heard a chorus of what sounded like Patton’s favorite greeting chirp, but in a range of much higher pitches. He cracked his eyes open, expecting another gaggle of fledglings had showed up, and instead found that Logan was standing at the edge of the clearing, arms all dropped limply to his sides in shock.

Virgil went tense, only managing to repress his flinch because a good portion of his brain was still dedicated to monitoring where all the babies were around him, and currently at least ten were clinging onto his person. “Okay, listen. This was not my idea.”

Logan carefully tucked his hands behind his back in what Virgil first mistook for a polite gesture, only to emerge with what was unmistakably the portable camera he used whenever he was collecting video data for later.

“...Really?”

Whirr-click. Logan didn’t even bother looking apologetic as he began recording Virgil’s pint-sized tormentors. “If Patton didn’t get a memento of this, he would never forgive me, facetiously speaking.”

Rolling his eyes, Virgil slowly shifted up to his elbows, a startling amount of leaves fluttering down from his hair. A tentative hand feeling around in his hair revealed a fluffy stowaway, who peeped in displeasure as Virgil carefully disentangled them.

Talk about having a bird’s nest for hair. That was probably a sign that he needed a trim, but for now he could only laugh to himself, using two fingers to try and soothe the ruffled feathers of the fledgling that had apparently seen his head as prime real estate.

“You’re… very good with them,” Logan commented, shuffling closer with uncharacteristic tentativeness. “Is it normal to take on a parental role for children that aren’t under your care on Earth?”

Virgil snorted, and then leaned forward a little to help keep one of the more tenacious fledglings clinging to him from losing their grip. “It depends on the person, but honestly? A lot of humans are total suckers for anything cute making baby sounds, human or not. Sometimes to the point that the keener wildlife will take advantage of it and lead us to babies that are injured or out of reach because they know that odds are, a human will help.”

“Truly? Non-domesticated species, as well?” Logan replied, visibly distracted from his slow approach by the implications. “Cooperative dynamics between sapient species and local fauna are present on many planets, but for almost all studied Deathworlds, such a thing is unheard of. The risk is higher in harsher environments, where a much more competitive nature is required for survival.”

“Yeah, for real. I used to work as an assistant… uh. An assistant animal-healer, and people were always bringing in abandoned babies they’d found. Sometimes they were actually in need of help, but sometimes they definitely weren’t,” Virgil huffed a little at the memories, holding still as a fledgling took a running leap to jump from one of his knees to the other. “It was well-intentioned, though. Lots of people hate to see a baby left alone and jump to conclusions, since you’d never do that with a human infant.”

Logan’s hands twitched, and Virgil carefully shrugged one shoulder, giving him permission to record the information.

“Just make sure you don’t write stuff about babies or kids down where anyone could get to it,” he cautioned, chewing on the edge of his lip. “I trust you, but I don’t trust, y’know… the rest of space. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“Correct,” Logan confirmed, having heard that exact catchphrase from Virgil probably about twelve times a week. “Am I alright to approach?”

“What?” Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, of course, just be careful. I mean, you’re definitely safer for them to be around than me.”

There was a relieved angle to Logan’s ears as he stepped forward, nimbly avoiding a few of the fledglings chasing each other back and forth like feathered tumbleweeds. “I disagree. They seem quite safe in your hands,” he said. “I have no doubt that Patton would be ecstatic to know that you’ve managed to make some friends amongst his kin despite our need for secrecy.”

Right. His cover had been blown five minutes in by the Ampen equivalent of a bunch of grade-schoolers. Crap.

“Let your mind remain at ease,” Logan added, either correctly reading the panic on his face or just guessing from the not-inconsiderable experience he had with Virgil. “With Ampens this young, I’m certain that your positive impression as a playmate will be the bulk of what they mention to their families. I’ve already heard a few of them refer to you as ‘Patton’s shy friend,’ so I imagine most will come up with the rest of the answer on their own assumptions.”

"'Patton's shy friend'?" Virgil felt his ears redden as his face heated up, and there was a chorus of delighted whistle-squeals from the nearest fledglings.

“You change colors just like Uptel Patton!” Marren shouted excitedly, and, well.

There were at least four different species of alien he knew of that shifted colors in all sorts of ways, from a gradual chameleon shift to the rapid flush of an octopus. This was one trait that wasn’t likely to make anyone think ‘Human’.

“Do another color!” A small harmony of encouraging peeps and eager gazes.

“Uh…,” Virgil cast a helpless look of his own Logan’s way. “I mean, I can probably do purple if I hold my breath for long enough?”

“Alright,” Logan cut in urgently,“I think it’s time that Virgil get back to the ship, actually, you’ll have to play with him again the next time we come to visit. Yes, yes, everyone off now…”

–

Miraculously, they’d managed to get through the entire impromptu visit without either of Patton’s flockmates seeing any errant belongings, broken cabinets, or any other indications of the highly illegal and infamous Deathworlder they definitely had onboard.

Roman let out an exhausted snort, trying not to shift impatiently as he stood by the boarding platform and waited for Logan to return with Virgil. If Patton was there, he would have given him a disappointed look for being so blatantly untrusting, but he wasn’t, and it had been a long day, so Roman could be on edge if he wanted to, okay?!

Thankfully, Logan chose that moment to step out from the shade of the forested area, exchanging an assessing look with Roman before deeming the path clear and beckoning Virgil to follow him on board.

The Human padded after Logan, footsteps eerily quiet as always, and… huh. He looked a lot less stressed than he’d seemed when they’d all but shoved him off the ship a few hours ago. Roman tried not to feel immensely suspicious about it, but he glanced down to check his hands for blood anyhow.

He was mostly sure that the Human didn’t actually have any murderous designs, especially not on anyone from Patton’s hometown, but they’d set him loose in a random forest with little to no guidance. Roman couldn’t rule out the idea that Virgil had entertained himself by hunting down some of the local fauna or something.

There was nothing, though, and so he forced his eyes away and checked in briefly with Logan instead. See? He could be cordial when he wanted to! He was a beacon of toleration, okay?

The claim fell a little flat even in his own mind, but he was promptly distracted by the tiniest hint of a whistle. He straightened up, alarm shooting through him as he swiveled his head this way and that, searching for any surprise witnesses.

His gaze fell on the Human as Virgil passed him to board the ship, and Roman stiffened at the sight of three fluffy bundles perched in the swoop of the Human’s hood. “Stop right there!”

Virgil went still, shoulders hunching upward like a bristle and eyes bizarrely wide, and Roman let his tail scrape from side to side for a moment as he glowered, only growing more certain of his guilt.

“I knew it, those are fledglings! Let them go this instant,” he started, planning to end with a suitable threat to ensure the safety of the smallest and most vulnerable of Patton’s kin, only for the Human to somehow go even more stiff and frozen.

“Oh my god, where?” He hunched over slightly, eyes flickering down to scan over his front and arms. “Are they okay?”

Roman pulled up short, admittedly disoriented at the show of clear and abrupt concern. One of the fledglings cheeped in dismay, and Virgil’s head tilted, following the sound.

“Guys, that’s not safe,” he groaned, and then repeated it in Ampen tongue. “Not safe. Not good, not safe, okay?”

His hand twitched up like he was going to reach for them, but then he hesitated for a moment, before slowly turning around so that his hood faced Roman. “Can you help them out? I know they’ve got all the feathers and stuff to keep them safe, but I still don’t want… I don’t want to jostle the hood and knock them out or something.”

“I… yes,” Roman said, feeling like he’d just been hit by a paralyzer shot. He reached out and scooped the fledglings out of their makeshift nest, watching as Virgil’s shoulders grew more and more taut. The Human didn’t trust him, but he held still anyways. “You’ve got, ah. Leaves and twigs. In your head pocket.”

“I bet I do,” he muttered, before taking a few slightly too-fast steps away once he’d checked that his fuzzy passengers had been evacuated. With soft, cautious movements, he patted down the rest of himself, including his other pockets and even the folds of his overcloak. “I think I’m good.”

“That was very dangerous,” Roman scolded, looking down at the trio with disapproval.

Virgil shuffled slightly, looking at him more directly than he usually did. After a moment, he spoke. “They’re fine, right? It’s not their fault, they just think it’s a game.They’re… they’re only babies.”

This was what worry looked like on a Human, Roman realized with a jolt, and managed to choke down his initial offense at the very idea that he would hurt them. He’d assumed the same at first glance, hadn’t he? Virgil had never seen him with kits before, and didn't know very much about him. Roman hadn’t exactly been sharing information or encouraging any bonding, and it wasn’t like the Mindscape had provided very many opportunities for interacting with younglings thus far.

Stars, he hoped there hadn’t been any kids on the smuggler ship. The very idea made him sick.

“Of course they’re fine,” he replied a bit shortly, cradling them a little closer. “Kits will be kits. They didn’t mean any harm, like you said.”

“Oh. Okay, that’s good,” Virgil said, some of that odd tension falling away. He looked back down at the kids. “Uh. Bye, little guys. Stay safe.”

He mimicked a farewell trill with uncanny accuracy, and the fledglings all echoed it with varying levels of mournfulness. Virgil waved as he edged his way up the ship’s ramp backwards, like he thought the kids would ambush him the moment he took his eyes off of them.

Seeing as these three had somehow snuck past a Human’s senses, Roman almost couldn’t blame him.

“When I next see Patton, I’m going to tell him to have a serious talk with you all about being too adventurous, you hear me? Crewmates are not for climbing,” Roman lectured as he carried them back to the main path. He paused to think about how hypocritical that lesson would be coming from Patton, who took any excuse to perch on Virgil. “Oh, for stars’ sake.”

Well, whatever. This was just a one-off. What were the odds they would ever be bringing the Human back here, anyhow?

[remusicals]

Why and how did you come up with the design of The Beard?

(your mascot of course)

Gather round, children, for a tale of Mystery, Wonder, and The Weird Stuff One Does At 2AM! Though I’m suspicious a number of you are already authorities on that last one… 🤨

Before “The Beard” became an RE staple, “The Beard” was a short horror film concocted one autumn at Ithaca College. A student-run horror film festival was fast approaching and, two days from its submission deadline, Nate and I decided we wanted to enter a film of our own.

There were traditionally only two types of horror films screened: blood-and-guts slasher extravaganzas, and arthouse shorts where capitalism and existential dread comprised the bulk of the scares. We wanted to try for a third option: something fun and shlocky, a nonlethal monster movie with a sense of humor. And so, at 2am that night, we dug through our meager costume supplies, looking for the most absurd monster mask we could find.

All we managed to summon was a familiar, shabby yellow wig.

Not only did the short perform well at the film festival (and it even got a rerelease years later on RE with a new soundtrack!), it led us to develop new concepts further exploring The Beard, such as a web game and a recurring cameo on another series. A longer sequel was even tossed around, which depicted The Beard’s origins as an escaped lab specimen, as well as his chaotic war against other destructive abominations a la ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ and ‘Alien vs. Predator.’ Though we ultimately abandoned the sequel, the character persisted.

Eventually, Singachu came along, and with it the opportunity to smuggle in some self-absorbed in-jokes and easter eggs for our newly-developed video game musical series, RANDOM ENCOUNTERS. Hiding The Beard amongst some Pokemon could easily have been a one-off oddity, but fans found this quirky creature intriguing. By his third or fourth cameo, Encounterers had become invested in The Beard and his inexplicable presence in each musical.

Aside from The Beard’s alleged obsession with watching reruns of House, concrete lore remains slim. A short featurette (“Glimpse Into The Beard”) was our sole answer to the growing questions surrounding him, providing only the barest of insight into our enigmatic mascot. After all, a timeline-hopping, multiversal entity is better suited to a flexible existence (one free of pesky concepts like “continuity” and ��canon.”)

Despite having little to no apparent connection to either video games or musical numbers, The Beard has become an iconic representative of the harmless nonsense and wholesome antics RE’s videos (and community) embody. We can’t say for sure what will come next for him; only that it will most assuredly be a very random encounter. ❤️

[bots-and-cons]

Bumblebee with a neutral bot who's like a mercenary. Bee acts like he hates them, but he secretly has a crush on them and everyone on the base knows it. Kinda like the Ada Wong to Bee's Leon Kennedy.

A/N: I just mostly ran with the whole mercenary thing, kinda Deadpool inspired perhaps? Idk who those characters are and I’m too tired to check so their dynamic doesn’t play into this. I went with HCs, since that seemed like the easier option

•You visit the team occasionally to exchange supplies

•Mostly it’s you bringing Ratchet parts for his experiments and contraptions, stuff he can’t get on earth

•You trade them for energon or something else you need

•You’re not much older than Bee, but you’ve decided to make a living in your own way, traveling through the galaxies and doing whatever jobs you feel like doing

•When you first game to the base, everyone was of course pretty guarded against you

•You earned their trust pretty quickly though and you promised not to make deals with the decepticons

•Well at least not on earth, what you do in other planets is none of their business

•As long as you get paid, you’ll do pretty much any kind of job

•So your ship needed some repairs one time you came to earth, you had gotten the parts for it but you needed a safe place to install them and fix your ship

•So you stopped by the autobots’ base and enlisted Bee to help you since he was one of the only ones around at the time, the rest were on missions or busy otherwise

•He wanted to play video games, so he wasn’t exactly ecstatic about it, but he helped you anyway

•You got to talking, mostly about what it was like on earth and how the war was progressing

•You were kind of tight-lipped about what you did to get by when you’re on your travels, but Bee thought your lifestyle sounded interesting

•Of course he doesn’t know the extent of your work, but you feel like he doesn’t really need to either

•You and Bee became sort of rivals, or at least that’s how he acted, always trying to be better than you at everything and challenging you to fights and video game matches

•You consider him a friend, even though you like to compete about everything

•Bee has the biggest crush on you though and he acts like he doesn’t like you at all, or at least he tries to act that way

•Ratchet notices, Arcee notices, so do Bulk and Optimus, but you? Nope

•You’re oblivious, because it doesn’t really even enter your mind that he might like like you

•You’re just friends, right?

•Some of the jobs you’ve done, you don’t ever want him or anyone else to know about, you did what you were paid to do and that’s that

•You’ve done some stuff you’re not proud of, but it was for survival, at least most of it

[geodethecrow]

your forearm crutches are really nice! how did you make them and how much did it cost roughly?

referring to this post

thank you!! it cost me about 15-20 dollars all told but that doesn't count materials and tools I already had access to (wood, screws, embroidery floss, linseed oil, awl, Dremel, drill, saw, sandpaper, and whittling knife) and I'm very lucky to live near an art supply thrift store that sells leather scraps for 50¢ an ounce regardless of whether they're pleather or genuine. the wood is from two medium sized sycamore branches that were downed on my parents' farm, and the tips were less than a dollar each at [local hardware store] but they aren't Made to be crutch tips so I'm sacrificing some quality there although they've held up great on my cane.

okay so the simple process (minus the mistakes I made) was:

first I cut the sticks to about eye height, selecting the straightest section on each, then debarked them, took off twigs, and slimmed one stick down slightly because it was a decent amount wider than the other, all by whittling. then I marked the lengths of the different sections (main pole, handle, and forearm) on each stick, just by measuring on my body since one of my legs is slightly shorter so these are custom measured to each side. make sure to wear shoes when you're measuring the height of the main pole if you'll be wearing shoes most of the time while using them! I had to redo all my measurements because I was barefoot while doing them originally :')

after the wood sections were measured and cut, I shaped a curve into one end on all the main poles and forearm sections with a sanding bit on my Dremel so that the handles would fit into them better, then sanded all the pieces up to 320 grit and put two coats of linseed oil on for a finish.

while the finish was curing I worked on the leather for the cuffs, again just measuring on my body and estimating a good length to wrap around my forearms, leaving room for a stable enough overlap and two cuff width options depending on the bulk of my sleeves. I also cut two pieces to go around the back of the sticks for more strength when attaching the cuffs, then I poked stitching holes along all the edges (and holes for sewing on the bars of the loop-and-bar closures) since I originally planned to line the cuffs with fabric but ended up just stitching around for style and not lining them.

the leather was dyed with Rit dye and the non-suede side had leather sheen put on it in hopes of making it water resistant at least, so the dye wouldn't run, but they've got some visibly lighter spots after a minute in the rain a day ago sooooo do with that info what you will.

once both the wood and leather finishes were cured and the stitching on the leather was done, I had my dad help me with screwing the wood together (one screw in the handle-forearm join and two in the handle-main pole join) and screwing the smaller leather pieces on (then I realized the main poles were too tall so I cut them shorter 💀) and I put the tips on. the last step was sewing the large cuff pieces on to the smaller attachment pieces, and then they were good to go!

[queenofsquids]

Got the Novi Stars type head from Cosmo @cosmomoore !! It's adorable!

The head hole is made to go on a RH body but with the included elastic band I was able to bulk up this Azone I had on hand just for fun.

As I was toying around with options, T came and earnestly entreated me to use two googly eyes he picked from his craft supplies. So I did. 😆

What are you all looking at over there?

[goodluckclove]

hey I'm going to give some grocery store opinions that'll likely only be interesting to people who do the grocery shopping on the regular.

I didn't have much direct experience with Walmart for most of my life. I knew they were known for some terrible business practices - enough that even as we've started ordering pickups from them like twice a month I still supplement our regular groceries from a variety of other, likely better sources. I have struggled a lot with finding a decent big grocery store to Main, as they're all pretty bad for a variety of reasons.

Fred Meyer is overpriced, and their app to order for pickup is legitimately unusable. Grocery Outlet is well-priced, but their selection can be odd and they don't do curbside so I can't get as much as I'd like back on my bike. WinCo is even cheaper and has bulk products, but they don't do curbside either and after a few months of exhausting myself from a single trip there alone my wife has made me promise to stop going there.

Walmart has a much better app, which is nice. I ended up going there in person today, though, and was forced to reckon with the true horror which is the Physical Walmart Experience. Like the layout of the store? It was truly fucked and it left me jarred to the core for the rest of the day. My bones are sick. Why did they do this to me.

It didn't spiral me like a WinCo or a crowded CostCo would. But fuck it was surreal. Everything was categorized by the macro genre of Thing without there being any labels on the aisles themselves? Hey this is the Home section. You want more details? Fuck you.

I think I circled the circumference of the store several times in a daze. I kept checking the Pet section and wondered why they had options for bird and lizard owners but so few choices in cat supplies. There were several smaller register counters in different parts of the store. I bought a bubble gun for four dollars and I have no idea why I did that.

At one point I ended up in the coffee aisle for the third time and quietly considered dropping everything and just leaving. Not out of panic, but out of a strange calm that was far more disturbing. Like I could just walk away. Walk home, maybe, even though I biked there. Or maybe just sort of wander into the mountains.

Once I bought what I did (Nine forks? Apple dish soap??? Toffee instant espresso????) I unlocked my wife's bike and remembered they requested I get batteries. I did not get batteries. I don't even know where the batteries would've been in that void realm.

Luckily I am in a mutually neurodivergent marriage and they were very understanding.

Uh anyways if you shop groceries drop your grocery shopping strat. Here's mine currently:

Walmart for pantry/snacks/cleaning stuff

[Insert Local Market Name] for local produce and bread, with whatever odds and ends we might need throughout the week (I am there like twice a week. It's like weirdly well-priced I was surprised)

I will get frozen meals/apps from Safeway since I get my meds there. I'll probably go there tomorrow since I'm making sushi bowls and my wife only likes the kind of Americanized pickled ginger

[bisexualbaker]

Crochet Patterns for Palestine

Making a new post for this; I'll still accept donation receipts from all organizations linked on the previous version of this post, but my focus has shifted and/or concentrated somewhat.

[Alt]

This crochet pattern is for small cats, of a good size to make into keychains, magnets, or even hair clips! There are six PDF versions available:

- US stitch names in 12 point Atkinson Hyperlegible - US stitch names in 22 point Atkinson Hyperlegible - US stitch names in 22 point Comic Sans

- UK stitch names in 12 point Atkinson Hyperlegible - UK stitch names in 22 point Atkinson Hyperlegible - UK stitch names in 22 point Comic Sans

Between those six options, that should cover most pattern accessibility needs. If you need something else, though, let me know! I’m prepared to offer a .doc or similar file on an individual basis if you need a screenreader to access crochet patterns, and have a sheet I can use to translate things to German stitch terms (though more in-depth instructions would still be in English). The pattern is worked primarily in (US) single crochet/(UK) double crochet, with the ears in (US) double crochet/(UK) treble crochet popcorn stitches, and is bundled with similar file options of a popcorn stitch tutorial PDF (no stitch names used).

“Socchan,” you say, “These cats are super cute! And you said that this pattern is for charity? How does that work exactly?”

I’m glad you asked! Simply donate a minimum of $3 or close-enough local equivalent to a related charity, then take a screencap of your receipt/proof of donation. Block out any information that could doxx you; it’s nice if you trust me, but it’s not impossible that my email could get hacked, and I want you to be safe! Finally, email the altered screencap to socchan (at) protonmail (dot) com.

Once I get and check the screencap, I will email you back with a password-locked zipped folder of all six files, as well as the password. I will do my best to respond to all emails within two days of receiving them. Please be respectful of both my work and this donation incentive and don't upload the patterns elsewhere!

As a bonus, if you take your donation up to at least $5 (or close-enough local equivalent), I’ll throw in an additional link and password for a very cute little flower pattern!

[Alt]

“That sounds pretty easy,” you go on to say, “but where should I donate? There are so many options to choose from!”

No problem! Check out Operation Olive Branch: A spreadsheet collecting lots and lots of links to fundraisers in Palestine.

Too much information to sort through? Here are some good general options:

Palestine Children’s Relief Fund - Focuses on medical aid to children in Palestine Medical Aid for Palestine - “[H]elp MAP respond to the ongoing emergency in Gaza, as well as provide medical supplies, support healthcare services and deliver long term development to healthcare in the occupied Palestinian territory and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.” MAP reportedly has a team on the ground in Gaza, providing critical medical aid. Anera - Providing food, hygiene kits, and medical care in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Palestine Red Crescent - More medical support in Palestine; the rest of the webpage is in Arabic, so be prepared if you want to click around at all. Basically the Palestinian Red Cross. Crips for eSims for Gaza - This organization is raising money to buy eSims in bulk, to help Palestinians in Gaza to communicate with the outside world. Help Gaza Children - Organized in part by Tumblrite @fairuzfan, Help Gaza Children provides food and toys to children in Gaza, feeding bodies and hearts.

"Socchan," you say, "I heard about this other person who is offering something else in exchange for proof of donation to Palestine-related charities. If I make a donation to get a drawing of a dragon, or some neat music, or a book of international vegan recipes, or something else I've found, is it okay if I also use that same donation or purchase to get a crochet pattern or two?"

Absolutely! What matters to me is that the people of Palestine get the aid they need. One of the reasons I made my minimum donation request so low is because I know that money is tight for a lot of people right now; even small donations are still very welcome to many of these organizations, and I understand if you need to make your money stretch as far as it can.

Thank you so much for reading this far! Please consider boosting this post, so it can reach more crocheters and crocheter-adjascent people.