#but it’s so good dude i’d recommend checking it out if you can

[brittlebutch]

Bro thank G-D we do not live in the Bill and Ted Reboot universe

[ladykailitha]

Paper Hearts Part 6

The sequel is coming along great I just have one more part to do and it'll be done. Sweet Home Indiana is nearing its end too.

Heads up! I will be going on vacation on Tuesday and won't be back until next week. So no WIP Wednesday this week as that is the day of my niece's graduation and I will be away from laptop all day.

I will still be uploading chapters and should be able to do WIP Wednesday next week. But if not I'll let you know.

In this we have the Corroded Coffin boys being silly and a wild Dustin appears.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

****

Eddie rolled up to band practice fashionably late as always. The other three boys were doing a sound check and making sure everything was in order.

Gareth looked up first. “Did you bring the hearts?” he asked excitedly.

Eddie held up his bag and the other boys cheered.

“So how are we going to do this?” Eddie asked flopping on the sofa after gently setting his sweetheart to the side. “Do we want to do the hearts first or practice first?”

They all look around at each for a moment.

“Let’s get the heart thing out of the way,” Jeff suggested, “get it out of the way so we can focus on practicing.”

“Sounds good to me, man,” Gareth said. “In case practice runs over or some shit.”

Eddie pulled his backpack closer and began digging through it. He pulled out the hearts that he’d put in a plastic baggie so they wouldn’t get bent in the maw that was his bag.

He tossed the bag onto the table in front of them and then dug around for his notebook. He pulled it out with a bunch of pens.

“You don’t have to,” he murmured, “but I’d recommend changing up your handwriting a couple of times so he doesn’t realize they’re from the same four people.”

“We were doing anonymous and initials, right?” Brian asked, picking up the bag and opening it up.

Eddie lit up, a huge smile on his face. “I actually had an idea about that. I was thinking of famous groups with four dudes in it and I thought it would be hilarious if we mixed it up a bit with some of those to avoid the whole repetition thing.”

Jeff licked his top lip. “Show us what you’ve got,” he said jutting out his chin.

He opened up his notebook and flipped to the right page. “Alright, so I was thinking the Three Musketeers plus D’Artagnan.”

“Who would be who?” Gareth asked, wrinkling his nose.

“Gareth is absolutely D’Artagnan,” Brian said without hesitation. “No question.”

Jeff straightened up and looked over at him in confusion. “Why’s that?”

“Because my dearest Jeffy,” Eddie said with a grin, “because he’s the youngest and not an original member. Therefore D’Artagnan.”

Gareth and Brian glanced at each. Brian shrugged and Gareth blinked a moment or two before he shrugged, too.

“Yeah, that tracks.”

“I’ll take Aramis,” Eddie said with a grin. “The smooth talker with religious trauma.”

The other boys just cackled.

“I’ll be Porthos,” Brian said. “The compulsive liar with a flare for the dramatic.”

“Why am I left with the dude with serious romantic wo–” Jeff stopped. “Right, scratch that. I’m Athos.”

They cackled again. Eddie had had some wild crushes, but it was nothing on Jeff. He even had a slightly tragic love story. He’d actually dated Vicki Carmichael before she became a popular kid and hanging out with Steve’s crowd. They had both loved metal music, but Jeff was pretty sure she stopped listening to it once she joined the cool kids.

“And I have a list of other ones too,” Eddie said breaking into the resulting silence. “The four winds from Greek mythology. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...um...let’s see...” he looked at the notebook again. “The members of Metallica. The four horsemen of the apocalypse–”

Jeff winced. “Probably not that one, man. It’s for Valentine’s day and that kinda screams the opposite.”

Eddie blinked at him for a moment and then scratched out that idea. “Fair enough.”

“The four hobbits from Lord of the Rings?” Gareth suggested.

“Yes!” Brian cried. “I get to be Samwise!”

Jeff cackled. “Gareth and Eddie are sooo Merry and Pippin!”

“Oh god! Yes! Which one is which, though?” Brian said joining in the laughter.

“I’m Merry, of course,” Eddie said proudly. “I’m the instigator and Gareth goes where I lead.”

Gareth grumped in the corner, crossing his arms and glaring at all of them. “But that makes Jeff Frodo though.”

Jeff straightened up, smug. “I could handle that.”

Eddie shook his head at his friends. “All right, also on my list are the Ghostbusters and The A-Team.”

The other boys shook their heads at either suggestion but they had a pretty good list anyway. Plus their D&D names sprinkled in here and there and they’ve got in the bag.

They spent the next half hour coming up with nice things about Steve. Eddie did have nix a couple of their ideas because they came off as stalker-esque. Which was not the look they were going for.

****

To say that Eddie got a kick out of seeing Steve light up every time he opened his locker and more pink hearts fluttered out of it was an understatement.

The goofy smile the former jock got on his face was worth every second of the time they’d spent on the project.

And it was working, too. That was the really impressive part.

Even Tommy H. was baffled.

“How the hell are you getting so many pink hearts, Harrington?” he said on Friday, just four days into Eddie’s plan.

Steve shrugged in that dorky way that made Eddie’s heart stop. “I guess people are deciding to hell with social constructs and stupid cliques and are telling me even if they don’t dare to be open about that they still like me.”

Tommy’s mouth open and closed like a goldfish then he turned around and stormed off.

Eddie lean against the lock above Steve. “Back to being king again, huh, Stevie?”

“Not really,” he said, closing his locker and standing up. “Most of them are anonymous or fake names. But there are a few that real names.”

“You think someone is stuffing the ballot box as it were?” Eddie asked, worried the jig was up.

Steve shook his head. “At least I don’t think so. But it’s sad that they think they have to hide who they are to tell me that they still think I’m a cool dude or whatever.”

“For what it’s worth,” Eddie said, pushing off from the locker, “I think you’re a pretty cool dude.”

Steve blushed and mumbled his thanks.

God, did Eddie just want to bite those flushed cheeks. They were just too cute.

“It’s worth a lot, actually,” Steve whispered. He stood up and shouldered his backpack. “Catch you later, Eds.”

Shit that little nickname had Eddie’s heart doing overtime.

****

Steve was outside the middle school waiting for Dustin to come out. His mom had asked Steve to pick him because she had to stay after hours at work for a meeting.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he hummed to the music in his head. He could have turned on the radio but Dustin hated his music didn’t like him blaring it for the whole school to hear.

His eyes kept flicking to the rearview mirror to see his backpack on the backseat. He wanted to go over the ones he got today. There had been some really good ones. Ones that melted his insides and turned them to goo.

He bit his lip and checked the mirror again. He looked at his watch and he still had a couple minutes until the bell rang.

Steve whirled around and grabbed the bag. He ripped it open and pulled out his trapper keeper. Tucked in the front pocket were the hearts. He ran his fingers over the outline the hearts made on the plastic pocket.

He pulled out the hearts and read over each one. Tracing the names of the givers, thinking about each name and wondering where they were from.

There was a thump on his window startling him. He looked up to see Dustin making faces at him through the glass.

Steve shook his head and unlocked the passenger door to let the twerp in.

“Looking at pink hearts, Steve?” Dustin asked with the shake of his head. “So pathetic.”

Steve rolled his eyes and tried to put the hearts back in the folder, but Dustin snatched them from him and wouldn’t let him take them back.

“Come on, man!” Steve whined. “They’re none of your business.”

“I want to see which girls are giving the Steve Harrington Valentine’s hearts,” Dustin said, wagging his eyebrows.

“Dude, give it up,” he growled. “The pink hearts are friendship hearts, the red ones are the romantic ones. So give it back.”

The younger teen cocked his head to the side and said, “No.”

Steve folded his arms and glared at him.

“Aren’t you going to take me home?” Dustin asked after they sat in silence for a minute or two.

“Not until you give them back.”

Dustin just shrugged. “It’s your funeral if we get home after my mom does.”

Steve threw his arms in the air, but turned the engine and started the car toward the Hendersons.

“These are actually really sweet, Steve,” Dustin said after a couple of minutes. “I like the idea of friendship hearts. That way you don’t accidentally send the wrong message.”

Steve just shrugged.

“You do know that some of these are fake names, right?”

Steve rolled his eyes and dared to look over at him. “Yes, of course I do. I am familiar with D’Artagnan after you named a fucking demodog after him, thanks.”

Dustin cocked his head to the side and then shrugged. “That’s fair. What you probably don’t know is that Aramis, Porthos, and Athos are the names of the Three Musketeers.”

Steve pursed his lips and nodded. “That’s cool.” They hit a stop sign and Steve looked over and pulled out one. “What about this one? Tommy H. thinks it’s short for Kassie, but none of the girls at our school spell it like that.”

Dustin took the heart and looked at it. “Kas. Kas. Yeah, okay. That does sound familiar. Can I get back to you on that one?”

“Sure thing, bud.”

Steve pulled up to curb to let Dustin out. “You got your key? If you don’t, you can hang out with me until your mom gets home.”

Dustin began rummaging around in his bag and Steve snatched the hearts away before he could bend them.

The kid pulled out his keys with a triumphant, “Eureka!”

Steve shook his head. “You are such a dweeb. Go on, get.”

“Bye, Steve!”

“Next time say thank you, asshole!” Steve called out the window.

Dustin turned around and gave him the double middle finger.

Steve shook his head and drove off. Why he loved that kid, he had no idea.

When he got home he pulled out the little notebook and placed the pink hearts in with the rest. All but the one from Kas. Those he kept in his wallet. He really couldn’t place why. There was just something about what they said that made him feel warm and not in the fuzzy friendship way that the others did.

There was the first one:

-Stevie I like the way you’re kind even when it doesn’t benefit you. Kas

Which Steve loved but the others were just as sweet.

-Stevie You have a great laugh, you don’t have to hide it. Kas

-Stevie That shirt today really brings out the color in your eyes. Kas

And Steve’s personal favorite:

-Stevie Each day is brighter because you’re in it. Kas

There was one for each day he got hearts in his locker so he assumed it was all the same person.

He slid it next to the other three hearts in the billfold portion of his wallet and put the wallet next to his keys on his desk. Then he put the little notebook back, careful to make sure it was well hidden.

He wasn’t sure what his dad would do about the mementos but Steve really didn’t want to find out.

He was really going to miss getting the hearts over the weekend. They really had become the highlight of his day.

He sighed and buckled down to work on his homework. It wasn’t as though he had anything better to do with his time. He wasn’t invited to any parties, he didn’t have friends to hang out with, and the people who would hang with him were fourteen year olds and they all had bedtimes.

He briefly thought about calling Eddie, but the guy had friends, unlike Steve and was probably doing something with them. Probably that nerd game that Eddie had a club for.

He buried his head in his hands.

Steve sighed. Fuck his life was depressing as shit.

With another sigh, he resigned himself to another lonely weekend.

****

Part 7 Part 8

Tag List: CLOSED

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

@spectrum-spectre @slv-333 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie

@chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi

@val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @vecnuthy

@irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee

@awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76

@scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @fullpoetrybread

@disrespectedgoatman @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @moonshadows-13 @skyewaytohell

@swimmingbirdrunningrock @croatoan-like-its-hot @lolawonsstuff @lololol-1234 @dotdot-wierdlife

@ravenfrog @dauntlessdiva @thelittleclare @steddieyourself @dam28lh

[clockwayswrites]

A Broken Sort of Normal Part 11

WC 1326, Masterpost CW: anxiety

“Hey, kid,” Flash the older said as he raced up beside Danny.

“Still not a kid, old man,” Danny replied. It was already a well worn argument by this point after several dinners or weekend meals over at the Flash’s household. Sure it was used before that, but once Danny had started seeing Barry out of the mask, he’d only been worse about it. Danny guessed it was their thing now. It was weird to have ‘things’ again with people, but a good sort of weird.

“Still not an old man, kid. I’m not even a grandpa yet!”

Danny almost dropped the tablet he was working on. Barry didn’t have any kids, not aside from Wally who might as well count. Did that mean…?

“I’d tell you to watch your sass in your new position,” Barry continued, unaware or uncaring of Danny’s sudden crisis about the idea of children, “but one, I’d be a hypocrite and two, it’s a solid third of the reason I recommended you.”

“Well, that’s good because the sass isn’t going awa— wait, what new position?”

Barry grinned under his mask in a way that just felt dangerous. Not, like, dangerous in general, but dangerous for Danny who was the focus of that smile. “You’ll see. Flash Two will pick you up Monday at nine am. Don’t worry, you’re cleared off work already.”

“Fla— and he’s gone. That’s great. What the fuck,” Danny said to himself. It was a struggle to focus on finishing up the post event check in and then his reports and then going over his team’s report and then some more paperwork, but Danny managed. As soon as he got home he was immediately was texting Wally.

After the Reveal, Danny had gotten Wally’s civilian number too, but there were strict rules for using that number. Danny understood the caution. Apparently the first number he had been given was encrypted by Batman’s crew, which was crazy to think about, even when he was dating a Flash, so there were less rules other than no civilian names. Just for the ease of it, Danny mostly stuck to the old number unless they were planning a purely civilian date. Or if Danny wanted to say things that he knew would make Wally blush. Things Danny would very much never want anyone else to read. They may have mostly kept to kissing in person, but teasing Wally was just too much fun.

Danny: Why is Big!Flash having you pick me up on Monday??? What did he mean about a ‘new position’?????? I like my job! FLASH!

Quick Boy: You’ve got to give me a second to answer, dude!

Danny: You’re supposed to be fast. 😑

Quick Boy: Who’s always telling me electrical signals can only move so fast?

Danny: FLASH 🤬

Quick Boy: Sorry, babe, I’m not allowed to tell! But you’ll love it! Promise!

Danny: 🥺

Quick Boy: Don’t make those eyes at me! Trust me, babe, just wait until Monday.

Danny: Fine. But know I’m pouting.

Quick Boy: 😭

Danny behaved. He didn’t bother for updates. He sent more cats dressed as Justice League members and finished off the last Percy Jackson book, sending Wally updates along the way. But the whole weekend the fact that he apparently had a new job he knew nothing about and would be taken to Monday churned in the back of his mind.

It made him anxious in a way that he hadn’t been since he left Amity Park for Central city.

He didn’t much like it.

-

“Please at least tell me that I’m dressed fine for this new job?” Danny asked when he opened the door to Wally’s knock.

He didn’t really have many other options if Wally said no, he already had on his best dark jeans, cleanest boots, and his new cross body bag. He might have a button up shirt he could change into instead of the long sleeve one he was in, but that was as good as it was going to get. He just didn’t have business casual clothes with the jobs he had.

“You look fine,” Wally said.

“Not exactly a supersuit,” Danny said with a sigh, taking in Wally’s uniform.

Wally pressed a quick kiss to Danny’s cheek. “Not the kind of hero you are.”

That was something Wally had been doing, insisting that Danny was a hero. Whenever he protested, it only seemed to make Wally more insistent so Danny mostly let it be. Plus, the cute smile Wally got for ‘winning’ was nice to see.

It was gracing Wally’s lips now as Danny stepped out of his apartment, locked the door, and shoved the keys securely in his bag. One lost set of keys due to super speed was enough to make sure they were safely clipped in from then on.

“Okay. Right, let’s get this over with.”

“It’s a good thing,” Wally insisted as he squatted down for Danny to climb onto his back, “not your execution or anything.”

“I just don’t like not knowing,” Danny said.

“You love surprises.”

“Little surprises like picnics and presents, not life changing ones.”

“You’ll love it,” Wally insisted and then they were off.

-

“I’ll love an abandoned warehouse?”

“Apparently abandoned warehouse,” Wally stressed with a wave of his hands, like he was a two-bit magician.

“Convincing appearance. Once again, Flash, it’s a good thing you’re a hero because this as serial killer vibes.”

The windows were blacked out. There was a heavy layer of dust on most surfaces. The stairs to the foreman office were long rusted away. It was a mess.

But there was that feeling of being watched that crawled up Danny’s spine. None of the dust actually moved as they crossed the floor over to Barry. And the doors were either welded shut or solidly reinforced.

“Ready kids?” Barry asked.

“Still not kids,” Danny replied almost absently.

“Still don’t care!” Barry pressed one of the bricks on the wall and the whole thing shuddered and pulled back like some massive pocket door to reveal a… a portal behind the wall.

“Ta-da!” Wally said, complete with jazz hands.

Danny couldn’t tear his eyes away from the portal to look at him.

Did they know? Was this…?

“Danny?”

“What?” Danny started, forcing himself to look over at Wally who was beside him again.

“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Danny winced. He just couldn’t hold back the twitch of his body at that word. “Sorry. Um, so what is that?”

“A Zeta tube, it’s how we travel to the Justice League. It’s like a transporter,” Barry explained.

Okay, right, not a portal to the Ghost Zone. No one knew. He was safe. Danny closed his eyes. It was just a transporter that looked a lot like a portal.

Wally rested his hand on Danny’s arm and Danny almost jumped from the light touch. “Babe?”

“Um, remember how I told you there was an accident in my parent’s lab when I was a kid? Yeah, um, sorta similar look, is all. It just freaked me out for a moment.”

"Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” Wally said. He squeezed Danny’s arm gently.

“No way you could have known. Who has a phobia over portals, right?” Danny said as he summoned his best attempt at a smile for Wally.

“Are you okay to…” Wally glanced from Danny to the portal nervously.

“I, yes? Can you just explain to me how it will go?” Danny asked. He pressed himself close to Wally, doing what he could to scrape together his frayed nerves. It wasn’t like he hadn’t gone through the actual portal that had killed him all the time. It was just that now all that felt like a lifetime ago, a lifetime no one remembered but him.

“Of course, babe,” Wally said, twining their arms together before he launched into a passionate explanation of the Zeta tubes.

It would be alright.

He could do this.

He had Wally.

-----

AN: Wally and Barry: We have something so cool to show you! Danny: *has portal based ptsd* ._.

I no longer tag people, but you can subscribe to the masterpost!

[foldingfittedsheets]

would you recommend financing a mattress over say buying cheap im a tall guy and anything less than a queen is too small

YES. You’re gonna ideally want a cal king which is the longest commercially available bed. But if a queen works it’s less expensive and honestly.

There’s only a few caveats.

So say you have pretty okay credit. Financing a bed is the BEST, because the store made a deal with the financial company to pay the interest for you. That means no interest while you pay it off. Obviously a win win if you can take the credit check.

Now let’s say you don’t have the best credit. You still have options but let’s be real, they’re not as good. There’s no credit needed programs and the thing is they’re actually pretty good IF you can pay them off in the promo term. So if they give you 90 days and you pay it back in 91 days? You are screwed my dude. They’re gonna charge you so much interest.

So in a lot of cases it you need the no credit program I’d recommend saving up for a down payment then financing out the remainder to what your budget can take.

If you’re in a transitional phase and you just can’t prioritize sleep at the moment you go cheap and just keep it top of mind to check in a year or two later and reassess the bed. Even a crappy bed in the box is better than a broken worn in bed, it just won’t stay better for as long.

[oncamelliastreet]

how would u recommend getting into 5sos?? i have friends who think i'll like them but it feels like a daunting task

OOO OO OOOOO

okay A) do it, they’re the best band ever and literally so funny you’ll die and luke hemmings is the loml so like you need to

B) the way i did it was i just listened to their first album and worked from there, but if we’re being extremely honest here their first album is hardly anyone’s favorite and that’s for a reason, so if you’re gonna listen to an album first i’d say either work from the beginning because you’ll here their growth more, or their 4th album CALM is really good and it’s only like 12 songs plus a bonus track and it’s a really good intro to them, or youngblood is my fav album by them so i’d definitely throw that your way

C) if you don’t want to listen to an album first and just want to get a feel, here are my fav songs by them

- take my hand (joshua tree version) ((ashton, the drummer, has said that this is the song he would want to define their band))

- lie to me (NOT the version featuring julia michaels) (this one comes with an extremely sad music video which i would be glad to describe to you in depth

- bad omens (literally one of their best songs)

- teeth

- no shame

- jet black heart (this one is really personal to their guitarist michael and they’ve said that they’re never removing it from their set list because it’s just too good which is amazing news because this song live is CATHARTIC)

- outer space/carry on (don’t be confused by the random silence in the middle it’s the rain in outer space if you listen closely, also i listen to this one every new year’s eve because it’s very hopeful and comforting)

- older (luke hemmings ft. his wife basically but it’s literally the most beautiful depressing love song and they randomly released it one day so i was crying at the bank after school when it first came out)

- not in the same way (THEIR BEST BRIDGE)

- out of my limit

- gotta get out (the first song they wrote and it fucking slaps dude)

also for some background info: they started out as a pop rock-ish band and luke hemmings is their lead singer, but they all sing and play instruments.

luke hemmings - lead singer, rhythm guitar (but he can also fucking shred because he’s made of angel dust)

calum hood - bass, background vocals mostly (he sings the entirety of wildflower & babylon and has mixed verses here and there throughout all their albums)

michael clifford - lead guitar, background vocals (he also has mixed verses here and there and sings the entirety of emotions)

ashton irwin - drums (and a beast at them) and background vocals (he had verses here and there too but not as common)

if you listen to a song, for example, Teeth, and you pause and think wait, there’s no way that’s the same guy singing because the vocals go so high and they were so deep before, that’s not possible, ITS LUKE!!! HE HAS THE MOST AMAZING RANGE OF ANY MALE ARTIST ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET AND CAN AND WILL SING AS HIGH OR AS LOW AS HE WANTS BECAUSE HE IS AN ICON

and if you wanna get to know their personalities first, carpool karabloke was the first video i watched of them (their australian hence karabloke) and it’s literally just them fucking around in the car listening to their album CALM (side note, that albums is there names —calum, ashton, luke, michael—because if there’s one thing they love, it’s naming an album after themselves. see: 5 seconds of summer, livesos, CALM, 5sos5)

and one more thing, if you listen to them and don’t really fuck with them (you would be wrong, by the way, listen again) then two of their members have solo works!! ashton had two albums: blood on the drums and superbloom, and luke has an album: when facing the things we turn away from (this one i could really talk about for hours because it’s my favorite album of all time) and a long ep called “boy” which is also amazing, so i would check those out

okay sorry i totally just infodumped on you because i have so much 5sos info in my brain and nobody to share it with YAYAYAY so if you ever want like a super in depth breakdown of like one of their music videos or their history feel free to ask me about it because i would loooove to talk about this for hours

also you’ll have to wait a sec for your flower because my sister literally told me she got engaged in the middle of me writing this so i got distracted 😭

[c28hunter]

nurse kris fic when

You made me think man, it is all your fault

And thank you to @anxious-witch for yet again checking this... thing that is written I guess

 “Can you please stop moving?!” Kris scolded Bojan, as he pressed a gauze to his bleeding nose.

Bojan flinched as he felt the material irritate the wound, which earned him another annoyed sigh. It’s not like Bojan got into a fight in a night club. Totally not. His nose was bleeding because he saw a man so beautiful, who now was caressing his face that he…

“I can’t believe you decided to punch that guy just because he called me a slur”

Actually, he got into a fight.

But hey, he had reasons, didn’t he?

“He was being a douchebag anyways.”

“You’re jealous that someone else was trying to banter with me?” Kris asked jokingly.

“I’d never call you such a thing.”

Bojan could feel Kris’ hand stop for a split second but he didn’t say anything.

Normally Bojan would’ve ignored people like him and would’ve just taken his friends away. But that man was more aggressive than any other dude Bojan had encountered. It wasn’t just one slur either, but a long elucidation about how “unmanly” Kris was, followed by a shove. And that was Bojan’s thirteenth reason, and he chose to use his martial arts skills in a good way.

The only downside was that they all were kicked out of the club. Having a bleeding nose would’ve been a problem, if not for the nurse, who was now taking care of him. It was the prettiest, most delicate nurse in the entire world. Also known as Kris Guštin.

“You’re lucky that he didn’t break your nose."

“I think I might’ve broken his,” smiled Bojan.

“Don’t move your face,” Kris said firmly.

“I have to somehow respond to you” Bojan’s grin widened, as he saw that his teasing was working.

Kris frowned and caught Bojan’s chin in a strong grip, making it impossible for the other to move his face. Bojan could feel his face starting to burn even more than before. He tried to breathe normally but the sensation seemed to be too intense to just ignore. And the worst was that Kris was fully aware of what he was doing to Bojan.

He slowed his movement, torturing Bojan with every little, “accidental” touch, making it almost impossible for the other man to stay quiet. He brought his face closer, examining the wound, which earned him a sharp inhale from Bojan. He smiled mischievously, observing the reaction. And that made Bojan blush even more.

Finally Kris smacked his lips and let go of Bojan’s face. The other had to forcefully stop himself from whining. He was not going to give Kris the satisfaction, not this time.

“Okay, I think it’s done,” he said, putting away the dirty gauzes.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to do it,” Bojan replied, looking everywhere, just not on the other man.

“Oh, I don’t think you would’ve handled this yourself. This fight seems to have caused you some real damage,” he grinned. “You are all red and I think you’ve got a high temperature. I recommend you go to bed and stay there for the rest of the night.”

That caught Bojan off guard. Kris smiled triumphantly.

“Pff, of course, nurse,” that was the only comeback that came to Bojan’s mind.

The other turned with a face so serious that it made Bojan scared that he might have crossed the line.

“You would’ve died if you’d see me in a nurse outfit."

Bojan wasn’t thinking straight at this point (not that he ever was), so he just fired the first thing that came to his mind.

“Wanna bet?”

[isthedogawolfdog]

The Ultimate Masterpost/Masterlist of Wolf Books And Resources

Introduction

Hello hello, and welcome to the ultimate post on wolf resources, brought by me, a person with too much free time who recently had coffee for the first time in years and I can feel it. Before I start I want the reader to know that this will be a very long post, so be prepared! Maybe grab some water or something as you may be here for a while. (ending note, it took me five hours plus a few minutes to make this, it’s long).

So a while ago I made this post upon being asked for book recommendations on wolves, and I happily provided a brief but not entire list. I wanted to create a more extensive list, but have yet to have an opportunity to do so. Now that time has passed, I’m finally going to be making it. I remember how hard it was to find solid resources when I first started personal research on wild canids, so hopefully this post can help other wide eyed individuals who are hungry for the good Knowledge.

I few disclaimers before I start: 1. this list is not at all an exhaustive list of all resources, as there are likely many more I am leaving out. 2. Along with that, I am not an expert, I am simply someone who is neurodivergent and needs something to tether me to the real world or else I will lose it who has some free time and a deep love for animals, especially canines. I am pursuing a degree in wildlife conservation and rehabilitation, but even that is the extent of my knowledge. 3. This list will mainly focus on books, but if I have time I will add some other resources to (ending note: I had time :) ).

Without further ado (adieu?), it is 11:20 in the morning while starting this, lets get on with the books!

Quick Side Notes

Real quick, the following are names you will want to keep an eye out when researching wolves:

- Rick McIntyre (wolf interpreter; has recorded more sightings of wild wolves than any other person, he has a treasure trove of information and it is a dream of mine to meet him one day, now retired)

- L. David Mech (wildlife research biologist; focuses on large carnivores, mainly wolves, A+ dude who I would love to meet one day)

- Douglas W. Smith (wildlife biologist in YNP; project leader of the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Restoration Project, another dude I’d love to meet, now retired)

- Mark Bekoff (biologist and animal behavior extraordinaire; I’ve seen some info   such as intense vegan ideas (?), but I don’t think he would be labeled as an ARA, on the advisory board for Project Coyote (which I’ve heard has some ARA tendencies though I’ll have to double check), has worked with Mech)

- Thomas McNamee (author; served on the board of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, I don’t think he’s a biologist but I may be wrong)

- Carter Neimeyer (wildlife biologist; was also a trapper for the government and a wolf recovery coordinator in Idaho, now retired)

- Daniel R. MacNulty (assistant professor and I think biologist?; involved in the Yellowstone Wolf Project since reintroduction (1995), hard to find info on but he created a very important book along with others Wolves on the Hunt which will be covered in this post)

- Other: Nate Blakeslee (author), Jim and Jamie Dutcher (authors), Aldo Leopold (author and biologist), Ernest Thomas Seton (author and naturalist), Daniel R. Stahler (biologist, YWP lead biologist to be specific).

Another note is that I was originally going to create a google doc with more info on these books, including ISBN numbers, cheapest ways to find the books, basic info, etc. but I realized that I could also put that here to prevent me doing extra work as this post already has so much. I will list the Amazon (hate the mega corporation, but I realize its the only option for some) and Thriftbooks, but eBay, Abebooks, and others may be of use too. Note: This post was written and published on 7/25/23, so prices may vary in the future!

I also may add that at the end of the majority if not all of these books is a long reference section filled with amazing resources. I usually highlight any of interest and save them in a doc for future use!

Some of these books are older and may be more expensive. If the book is old enough, sometimes there may be a pdf of it available online, all you need to do is google it! To find only PDF’s, search up the following: filetype:pdf (insert book name here).

An example using a real book is as follows:

I am all for supporting authors, so I’d recommend buying said books to read if possible instead of using certain sites that allow you to use them for free. Unless it’s like, a mega corporation run by shitty people, then have at it.

Lastly, the longer ago the book was published the more you should fact check it with more recent information. I’d venture to say anything before 1981 or perhaps even 1990 should be fact checked, juuuuust in case. For example, a the first book listed under books to avoid was published in 1981, and is now considered outdated. I am going to include books published before or around that just to see how ideas and theories on wolves have changed over the years.

Now that we got that covered, it is 12:03 PM, on to the books!

American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee

This book is an amazing source about wolf 06′s life, aka 832F, in YNP.  Not only does it follow the anonymous identity of the hunter who killed 06 and gives an insight on his part of the story, but it also follows the ordeal of wolves in court during 06′s life (2006 - 2012) and has personal insights from Rick McIntyre who followed and recorded data and sightings on 06 from her birth to death. I will warn you though, every time I read and reread this book I am brought to tears because of 06′s beauty and final days, as well as the reaction even the biologists had upon her death, who usually are professional and try not to be emotionally invested in the animals (which isn’t always the case). All above, a 10/10 book which will leave you stunned and amazed and bawling.

Find it at a bookstore or on Amazon for $13.99 and Thriftbooks for $4.39 to $5.79.

The Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone Series by Rick McIntyre (not in order, The Reign of Wolf 21, the Redemption of Wolf 302, The Alpha Female Wolf, The Rise of Wolf 8, and more to come!)

Rick McIntyre is a name you will see a lot on this list, namely for his knowledge on wolves, which he not only got from viewing wolves in the wild every day for roughly 9,000+ days but also from working in YNP, beginning as the worlds first Wolf Interpreter with the social/public side, and then along with the biology side of the project. His books cover the in depth lives of the wolves he’s watched over the years along with various science tidbits and research. An all around 10/10 series from someone who you may just catch watching wolves in the park early in the morning if you’re in the right place at the right time! Note: will also make you cry.

You can find some of these at a bookstore, but I’ve had hard luck with others. Wolf 8 and Wolf 21 are usually in stores, but the others are usually bought online via Amazon or others.

(In order)

- Wolf 8: Amazon $17.95, Thriftbooks $13.89

- Wolf 21: Amazon $17.95, not seeing any on Thriftbooks at this time

- Wolf 302: Amazon $25.99, Thriftbooks $17.49

- Wolf 06: Amazon $17.99, Thriftbooks $22.40

Wolves on the Hunt by L. David Mech, Douglas W. Smith, and Daniel R. MacNulty

This book may just be the biggest published treasure trove of information on wolf hunting accounts there is. From elk and bison to beaver and snowshoe hares (and fish!), this book covers real life, in the moment accounts of wolves hunting their prey. It covers wolves in YNP, Voyageurs National Park, Isle Royale, Glacier National Park, and so on and so forth, giving you an array of wolf hunting behavior in various areas. A must have that took me a while to get through.

Find it at a bookstore or on Amazon for $54.00, not seeing one on Thriftbooks.

War Against the Wolf: America’s Campaign to Exterminate the Wolf by Rick McIntyre

I know I’ve spoken highly of all the books on here so far, but I cannot emphasize how important this book is. War Against the Wolf is the end all be all of history accounts of how society in the US’s views have shifted and altered throughout history. From the moment white people came to the US and starting killing wolves, to the present day, it covers a lot, really helping you understand what wolves have had to go through. !!Trigger Warning/disclaimer for this book!!: I will note that a lot of topics touch on the cruel and terrible treatment of the wolves, coyotes, various wildlife in America, and the Indigenous in this book. If you have a big sensitivity to animal abuse and cruelty, maybe skip this one, as it covers horrendous treatment of animals. Regarding Indigenous peoples’, the book will mention a few ways the Native Americans were treated poorly, whether it be through being paid less for bounties for animal carcasses, to the scalping of the Indigenous along with wolves and others (yes you read that right, wolves and other carnivores such as cougars and coyotes were scalped by mainly white dudes who wanted them for a bounty). Though this book is very important in understanding the trials wolves have faced, it is not worth triggering yourself.

Hard to find in bookstore, if possible, but it’s $25.19 on Amazon, not seeing one on Thriftbooks.

A Society of Wolves: National Parks and the Battle Over the Wolf by Rick McIntyre

This book is somewhat of a beginner-ish/introduction to wolves. It was made around the same time as wolves were being/thinking about being reintroduced into YNP. It covers basics, like the life and growth of pups, the pack dynamics, hunting behavior, etc. but nothing too in depth. It’s a bit of a lighter read, but still a very good one!

Very hard to find at a bookstore, if possible, but on Amazon for $18.69 and $6.89 on Thriftbooks.

Decade of the Wolf: returning the Wild to Yellowstone by Douglas w. Smith and Gary Ferguson

It’s been a hot minute since I read this one, but from what I remember is has “portraits” of wolves, AKA snippets of their life in YNP. It has a fair amount of details regarding their lives and iirc some insight on their behavior. It’s truly a sweet book and really made me think about their individual lives and quirks more than I already did.

Haven’t seen it in a bookstore, but maybe? On Amazon for $16.95 and Thriftbooks for $6.69.

Books That I Have Yet to Read or Haven’t Read in a While

Now, here is a list of books I’ve read too long ago to recall correctly, or just haven’t read at all. These books are also important, and I’m excited to get my hands on them (whenever that happens) or reread. This list won’t be as in depth as the above one, but it will lead to certain links that’ll give you a description of said books.

A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans

About a wolf who befriended various dogs in Alaska (wolfdog speculation?). $13.99 on Amazon.

Vanishing Lobo: The Mexican Wolf in the Southwest by James C. Burbank

About the disappearance of Mexican wolves in the south/southwest. $3.72 on Amazon.

Canids of the World: Wolves, Wild Dogs, Foxes, Jackals, Coyotes, and Their Relatives by Dr. Jose R. Castello

About various canines throughout the world. DISCLAIMER: Through a few sources and research of my own I have discovered a few things about this book: 1. the coyote section is very poorly put together and one shouldn’t take too much info from it, if any, due to many inconsistencies and mistakes. And 2. there is a section on foxes about arctic foxes specifically, but the animal pictured is actually either a silver marble color morph (no, not a Canadian Marble fox as that is not a thing and so help me if I see it again I will smack someone on the head with a stick) or a Georgian white color morph on a red fox (pretty sure it’s the marble but don’t quote me on that!) and is NOT a arctic fox. All that being said, probably don’t rely on this book too much without other info, sources, and double checking claims. $21.99 on Amazon.

Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids by David W. Mcdonald and Claudio Sillero-Zubiri

Not just about wolves, but a great in depth read on canids. $37.83 - $88.00 on Amazon just for a paperback.

The Wild Canids: Their Systematics, Behavioral Ecology and Evolution by Michael W. Fox

Not entirely sure what this book entails, but I’m looking for it anyway! $26.95 on Amazon.

Wolves: Biology, Ecology, and Conservation by L. David Mech and Luigi Boitani

A very good and must have book for canine lovers in general. $30.00 on Amazon.

Wolves of the World: Perspectives of Behavior, Ecology and Conservation by  Fred H. Harrington and Paul C. Paquet

Although very expensive, I’ve heard good things about this one, so I’m betting it’s worth it. $72.95 on Amazon.

The Grand Lady of Yellowstone: & Other Wolf Stories by Brad A. Bulin and Carolyn Bulin

A lovely book on what I believe is mostly wolves in YNP, but could also be about ones elsewhere. $14.95 on Amazon.

Wolf Island: Discovering the Secrets of a Mythic Animal by L. David Mech

Another lovely book by the legend of a biologist himself. It’s also more recent, so it’s likely to have up to date information.

The Wolves of Minnesota by L. David Mech

$23.04 for paperback on Amazon, cheaper in hard cover.

Wolves of Denali by L. David Mech

$27.02 in paperback on Amazon.

The Arctic Wolf: Ten Years with the Pack by L. David Mech

$29.80 hard cover on Amazon.

The Way of the Wolf by L. David Mech

$17.46 on Amazon.

Wolves of Isle Royale by L. David Mech

Want a break from the Yellowstone wolves? Check the books based in Minnesota out! $28.24 on Amazon.

Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World's First National Park by Douglas W. Smith

$32.55 on Amazon.

The Wolves of Yellowstone by  Michael K. Phillips and Douglas W. Smith

$19.99 on Amazon.

The Killing of Wolf Number Ten: The True Story by Thomas McNamee

$11:94 on Amazon.

The Return of the Wolf To Yellowstone by Thomas McNamee

$9.65 on Amazon.

Wolfer: A Memoir by Carter Neimeyer

A book on a wolfer (a name dubbed to one who kills wolves, usually way back when with violent techniques) turned advocate. $8.62 on Amazon.

The Wisdom of Wolves: Lessons From the Sawtooth Pack by Jim and Jamie Dutcher

The book I am currently reading. Not about wild wolves but instead about a pack that was captive bred and brought in for a film. $11.99 on Amazon.

Books on Wolves to Stay Away From

The following book(s) are things that are either poorly written or completely and utterly false. Keep an eye on these and take what they say with a grain of salt. 

The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species by L. David Mech

This book was amazing at the time of it’s publishing, but throughout the years Dave Mech even admitted that he wasn’t fond of it’s popularity, mainly due to the section on “alphas” and wolf hierarchy that we now deem false. For these reasons I probably won’t read this book and wouldn’t really suggest it due to it’s outdated material.

Online Resources To Look Into (and Avoid)

The following resources are sites or other material you can use to find more information on wolves:

- The International Wolf Center (where I get a lot of my wolf news)

- The International Wolf Center YouTube Channel (a great place to observe and learn about wolf behavior, body language, etc. while you watch the ambassador wolves on camera interacting. Their FB is mainly promotional stuff but it also is a good source for information on upcoming events about wolves)

- The Wolf Conservation Center (they have a YouTube channel too, but I have yet to actively check it out, but I’d suggest looking into it for fun just in case. I think the FB group is similar to the IWC’s FB as mentioned above)

- The Voyageur's Wolf Project (the wolf study project in northern Minnesota)

- The Voyageur’s Wolf Project YouTube Channel (lots of trail cam footage and cool stuffs!)

- The Voyageur’s Wolf Project Facebook (here me out; FB is a cesspool BUT the VWP actually have a lot of very good posts on their page about the wolves they work with, just, maybe be wary when going into the comment section)

- I am hesitant to share this because I don’t want a sudden rush of people joining to clog up systems, but it’s still a good tool. If you go to this site or this FB page, you may be able to get access to the ancestry and lineage of the wolves of YNP, available on ancestry.com. I think you need an account on the site, but hopefully you don’t absolutely need to do the genetic test for yourself in order to access it. If you are able to figure out the instructions, please be kind, courteous, and not pushy when you contact the person who runs it because they are a person too.

- Bonus: You know I have to plug my favorite game; if you’re into more casual learning, the video game Wolf Quest, a game I’ve played going on 12 years now, is completely based on realism down to the genetics and behavior of the animals in game. The developers get a lot of their information from the IWC and wolves in YNP, even directly from biologists! Their blog also shows some interesting facts being implemented into the game, so it’s a win win.

A couple things to avoid is, of course, Facebook groups and general social media things. The above groups mentioned may be okay (just be wary of the comment sections), but any sort of media that seems problematic, AKA people interacting with wildlife, any ARA behavior, general endangerment of animals and other people, should be avoided. I’d also venture to say that anything that really pushes the dominance/alpha theory is a no go. I know some biologists still use the term loosely, but that’s for a few reasons that I will make a post about in the future.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope this post was helpful for as many people as possible. My instinct is to try and keep this information, frankly because I’m worried something bad will happen if I share it, but my therapist says that’s just anxiety, so hopefully she’s right.

Of course, you do not have to look through all the books and resources here. These are all from my personal research and I try to be thorough; you will not be any less of a “smart” person by not looking into everything.

(tw slight mental health talk ahead, just for this paragraph) So... yeah! It’s 3:23 PM as of now. I’ve spent roughly five hours on this post and I hope it helps maybe just one person. Wolves have quite literally saved my life, in fact the first time I read Rick McIntyre’s books I was in an inpatient hospital for an eating disorder. The wolves and their stories reminded me that I have to keep going, not for me, but to help them. I’m doing better now, and am planning a tattoo in wolf 8, 21, and 06′s memory for helping me through that dark time.

Anyway, enough with the sappy stuff, go on and gain some knowledge, I hope this helped! <3

[gemsofgreece]

Hello! I'm sure you've been asked this a myriad times over and I'm so sorry if I urge you to repeat yourself! but do you have recommendations as to what apps to use for Greek language learning? I've tried out GreekPodcast and Duolingo but I feel like there might be something more well-structured? Any advice? Thank you, lovely blog!

Thank you! I might not be the right person to answer this because I am a big Duolingo fan and I find it very helpful.

In fact, I once checked the Greek course so I could have an opinion on it and I was pleasantly surprised that it reaches a low intermediate level. Honestly, I don’t think you will easily find other apps reaching that level in Greek and certainly not for free. I found it very good so perhaps we approach learning differently and any recs from me might not be suitable.

I have seen some GreekPod stuff and I don’t like it. It feels very 90s learning method. Old school, a bit sterile, for me anyway.

I found a list with recs on the internet though, here it is:

This might help you out. I’d say free Duolingo is probably better than half of the paid ones but that’s just the feel I personally get. Also read the full article for more insight:

You said you want more structure so according to this list Mango Languages might be a good one. I downloaded just to check it out myself a bit and:

I think Mango is the only one which pulls the flex of featuring all three lingual eras! Also I love that they have a temple, a church and a beach for each era. Mango has earned my respect. I will actually keep the app and go with the ancient course which is free too! But I checked it out and I was a little disappointed because it literally starts with the Iliad and I am already reading the Iliad on my own and the course, I don’t know, the very first lesson just dropping you first thing in the Iliad… how can this be effective for someone not knowing Greek beforehand?! Literally, a full blown paragraph of poetry in the first lesson! Maybe chill a bit my dude! This felt more for someone like me, who knows Greek or just wants to improve their Ancient Greek. Also, the course kinda focuses on speaking and I predict I am gonna have a lot of rows with this app which teaches it in Erasmian and it is gonna tell me “you said it wrong!!!1!” and I am gonna scream back “I said it right f* you”. 😂😂😂😂😂 But Koine Greek is fortunately in modern pronunciation which btw is semi-accurate historically, therefore Mango redeems itself and we keep respecting it in this blog. Well, until Duolingo releases a course on Ancient. They already have Latin so there’s no excuse. I am waiting.

……… but to leave aside my meltdown and return to your question, the Modern Greek course starts with “good morning” so I guess it will be more structured if they say so. There you go I guess! Hope I helped 😂

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

LAD GAIDEN: Gathered Thoughts

Before I get into this proper, I just want to say that I’m not a professional reviewer or anything. And I’ve never really done a ‘write up’ for any of the RGG games before this. I’m just a dude with some very emotional thoughts. Yadda-Yadda. The best TL’DR of everything I can give? Gaiden is absolutely amazing. It has quickly become one of my favourite RGG games of all time, and I’d like to do a replay when less emotional overall, and Plat it.

Short Sweet: No Spoilers Version

Gaiden was touted (from what I recall) as a little bit of side content to give Kiryu some more context, or possibly something else to do. Instead, we got a short, but incredible game with stellar acting, amazing characters, fantastic writing (some of my favourite RGG writing since 0) and fun mini games, the best version of the Coliseum they’ve managed to do; wonderful sound track, two new styles (Agent Style is an absolute blast) and a finale that left me so emotionally distraught my mum came into my room to hug me when she heard me crying.

If Gaiden has any cons (and again, please keep in mind this is all just my personal opinion) it’s that the side content in regard to substories are mostly tied to content to build up the Joryu Clan in the Coliseum, including a somewhat tiresome gang mechanic. It’s nothing like the slog fest of annoyance Judgment’s was, but I have never been a fan of the gangs in these games and this one was more contained and shorter. Thanks to the game itself being much shorter.

The pacing in the beginning is a little bit odd too. But once the game itself picks up, it hits very well and doesn’t slow itself down.

My only other ‘gripe’ if you can call it that, is that the live action cabaret is uncanny in a way I really did not enjoy. This is not the first time that RGG has done live-action (the intro is live action briefly too, and has a beautiful, seamless transition to Kiryu that I really liked) but the hostesses have a strange stiffness to them as they talk at a camera (Or well, Joryu since it switches out to first person) and I just never adjusted to it. No disrespect to the actresses, or Kson, but I just couldn’t get myself to mesh with it.

Oh, and I found the Karaoke really hard for some reason in this one. Go figure.

And you can dress Kiryu up, which renders fully in game and in cutscenes. Greatest. Mechanic. Ever. And I’m just going to put a special shout out to Akame here. One of the most fun characters they’ve done yet. 10/10. Love her.

That’s about as spoiler-free as can be. So, I’ll wrap up this fast summary with ‘highly recommend, check it out if you get a chance’.

Everything below the cut is going to include spoilers, and lots of them. Screenshots too, as well as links. (Including for Yakuza 5, 6 and 7 in particular) so if you want to read me rambling for far too long, keep going. Otherwise, take care!

--

Extensive Thoughts Version

I’ve been trying best to think about how to put down everything I want to say, but I can never quite agree (mentally) on the best way to put it. The summary version up top does say it all, in a way, but Gaiden was so much more than it promised. And in a good way.

I’m one of those people who came out of playing Yakuza 6 feeling a weird mix of hollow and annoyed. For a supposed ending to Kiryu, so much just felt utterly unsatisfying and I was irritated (again a personal thing) with how Yakuza 6 felt like some weird Haruka punishment. I realize completely that this is all a personal interpretation; but 6 just did not sit well with me.

It remains the only Yakuza game I have yet to replay.

I guess one could ask ‘did we need Gaiden’? And honestly? I’d say yes, we did. If you’re one of those people who felt as annoyed with 6 as I did, and (let’s be honest) a little thrilled but also somewhat stumped by Kiryu diving into 7 to have his cameo and ‘day saving’ appearance and vanish again.

But I don’t want to ramble too much, this is already going to be longer than something anyone wants to read on Tumblr. So let me conclude by saying this game completely patched up the ‘meh’ feeling 6 left with me, and mentally wrecked me in the process.

In a good way.

Gaiden’s real strength is it’s writing. The characters have that grittiness and desperation that drew me in so hard to Yakuza 0. They feel like the Yakuza I know from these games, and that energy carries through every scene. There’s a greyness to them that is extremely well done, and anyone who follows me knows how much I love my morally grey characters.

(For those who do not know jack shite all about me; I love them. I love my grit and grey morality a lot). Anyway!

On the title screen, you’re presented with four characters. Kiryu (ahem, Joryu). Nishitani III, Tsuruno and Shishido.

It’s sleek, elegant and draws you right in. Also gives you a good clue as to what lies ahead (in a way). But I’m going to be coming back to that, so let me move on for a moment.

To keep this as contained as I can, I’m going to link to a post write up I did for a scene in chapter two. That summarizes to a degree what I really loved about this writing. Like 0, you are never 100% sure who is on Kiryu’s side. Or. More accurately, who is going to stay there. Tsuruno starts out the same way the others do. Kiryu can cooperate, or they can attack Morning Glory. Or he can kill Hanawa. Kiryu is often presented in Gaiden with choices that aren’t exactly choices. But that’s hardly new.

Same is true of Hanawa. But as it pans out, both of them stay firmly on Kiryu’s side after certain points. Hanawa’s loyalty is secured when Kiryu saves his life; and Tsuruno gives up fighting the stubborn wall that is Kiryu’s loyalty (if loyalty by complete necessity) to the Daidoji.

The Daidoji are something else that is done better here than in 6 as well. In 6, they kind of had this boogeyman in the shadows element that made so little sense until they have their reveal in the ending and take over Kiryu’s uh..non life? After he is forced to fake his death and go under their control. (They are also funding Morning Glory, a fact they remind him of any chance they get, and the hit squad on it remains until chapter 2 and Kiryu makes the deal with the Boss). The observation itself doesn’t cease completely, however.

As we’ll see in the ending.

But one of Gaiden’s real strengths, IMO anyway, is the characters. Gaiden’s story is built around them the same way any RGG game is, but in a way that is representative of the story itself too. Kiryu’s job in this game is to assist Watase in the dissolution of the Yakuza. Watase (from prison) is fully aware this is not going to go well, and rallying assistance is the only way they can even hope for it going off without too much of a body count.

One of the biggest hurdles in achieving this is the existence of Nishitani III. An ex-Jingweon mafia member who eventually revitalized the Kijin clan and became its patriarch. As well as taking up the Homare Nishitani mantle. In previous games, I’ve found they sort of shoehorn in the Jingweon when it seems convenient, but I think it works well enough here. It isn’t dwelled upon all that long, and it’s decently believable for a backstory.

Is giving Nishitani III a personal grudge against Kiryu necessary for the role he serves here? No clue to be honest. But it’s no gripe and it doesn’t impact the story all that much. The issue at hand is that Nishitani III is (in Watase’s eyes) one of the people who won’t accept a dissolution, and they want him out of the way. Eliminate Nishitani and the biggest dissenter is out of the picture.

I touched on it in this post here, but the TL’DR of all this, is that they are not at all correct in this assessment.

(I should mention Hanawa’s arc here, but I’m going to save it for a bit later). Instead, I want to get my thoughts out on the final boss of the game. As the real issue is not just Nishitani III, but Shishido.

Shishido’s story is that, at the age of 15 his father sold him to the Kijin clan as a slave to amend his own massive debts. A fact that is shown in a flashback where he’s collared and chained up, forced into playing Russian Roulette, amongst whatever other established horrors Nishitani III can come up with. (Nishtiani’s thing is the beautiful, ostentatious Castle. A boat of every element of sin, debauchery, and pleasure you can think of. Including gambling, human slaves, the coliseum and of all things, the place you can dress Kiryu up in his funky outfits).

Shishido is an amazing fucking character.

(I ran out of image space but his character design absolutely fucks too)

He has fast become one of my favourites, and it’s no surprise. His set-up for being the final boss isn’t made immediately obvious but over the game you notice him following the general formula for it, (see this ask I got here for more details if you’re so inclined) and boy is the payoff so worth it.

Shishido climbed his way up and up in the pursuit of survival. Anything the man has to his name he earned through very literal blood, sweat and tears. Shishido is young, but he is very much a Yakuza of the old. A fact that is commented on by Kiryu in game. It’s no mean feat either to from slave to Watase Family Lieutenant, with the man’s physical history is written all over his face.

(And I adore him. But that’s hardly important for a review eh 😉)

In the games final chapter, we learn that Shishido is against the dissolution of the Yakuza, and considers Watase, Tsuruno, Kiryu and any other traitors. Shishido is the embodiment of what Watase was so concerned about in the first place; a Yakuza who has known no other life and has no way assimilating into the world without it. Not to mention, Shishido feels he earned his place in this world. Why should he have the rug he worked so hard to install ripped out from under him?

He’s not wrong to believe this; and the others around him don’t think that he is either. The issue is that the world is moving on without them. Everything Shishido worked for doesn’t matter when that ending is coming; and there is so little they can do to change or stop it. Shishido might’ve thrived in the old days; but the modern world doesn’t have a place for him.

With this being a tie-in game, we know this is a foregone conclusion. We know the days of the Yakuza as they once were are well and truly over. But that doesn’t lessen the impact Shishido has at all. I made a comment to myself in the recorded playthrough (I recorded the finale but it’s a blubbering disaster, so I doubt I’ll post it) that “Shishido fights like a dying man”, in the endgame.

Or, as Saejima more accurately puts it “He’s like a cornered animal right now.” But having a little bit of time on my hands to reflect (well somewhat, I just finished the game yesterday after all, at the time of posting this). I think Kiryu does in a way to.

The final boss battle is a recreation of the Aizawa fight in Yakuza 5. Shishido has 4 phases and 12 health bars. And just like Yakuza 5, it’s amazing. With Kiryu fighting him through the Omi Headquarters until he’s kicked right out of the building. My words don’t’ do it justice, and it’s absolutely the kind of thing one has to play (or watch) for themselves.

When Shishido is defeated, he is grabbed and choked unconscious by the Daidoji Agent Yoshimura (who I took to calling ‘diet Jingu’ because he fights with a gun and runs away from you like a lil bitch-and was the one who left Hanawa to die and tried to kill Kiryu for trying to save him). Who then throws Shishido in his trunk to be a future “Daidoji Agent on a very short leash.” To bunk with Nishitani…his old Master. And the one Shishido worked so hard to get his life away from. I have no idea if this is going to be touched upon in future games like Infinite Wealth, but it hit me like a train.

The Yakuza is over, but Shishido isn’t. And this leads us right into the finale. Which.

This mother fucking goddamned sob fest finale.

I touched upon it here. But I just. Can’t do it justice with words. I don’t think that I ever will. Kuroda’s acting in this is unlike anything I’ve witnessed, and it’s amazing. He’s not just sobbing; he is breaking down completely and heaving over a tablet of his kids visiting his grave. With Ayako and Taichi noticing they’re being monitored and assuming their Uncle Kaz (who none of the kids believe to be dead, btw) is watching them. So, they begin talking. Updating him on their lives, where they are now etc.

Taichi is a firefighter, for example. Yuta is still around. Haruto is an adorable handful, and overall, they assure him that they’re all doing really well. They promise to come back tomorrow with a gift. Hanawa explains they had to remove the camera after that..but they did take photo of the gift the kids left behind.

Kiryu has been vulnerable in the past, but this is something completely unique. He’s broken, alone, and in all respects, a dead man who can’t have the one thing he cares about more than anything in the world. His kids are growing up, and trying to maintain their lives without him, but they feel the big gaping hole left behind by his larger-than-life and fatherly presence more than ever. And god I’m going to tear up writing this.

A drawing Haruto did of the family.

A drawing Kiryu (amidst his utter flood of tears-and mine) turns to show off to Hanawa to brag like the proud, sad grandpa he is. Hanawa questions if this ‘gift’ was just cruelty, but Kiryu promises him that it wasn't. It’s agonizing. It’s through all this that Kiryu admits, possibly for the first time in his entire life, that he is lonely, and that he realizes he needed his kids more than they needed him.

And we know, of course, that by Yakuza 8, Kiryu is deathly ill, and still for all circumstances; alone. Away from the kids eternally. Unless they make some change to that. I cannot stress enough how little justice my words do here. I really can’t. Kiryu may not have been the perfect father, or grandfather. He has made a lot of mistakes in his life, and his tendency to run off to solve problems on his own unfortunately translated to his daughter, Haruka.

Bu goddamnit I can’t say that he didn’t try.

It is clear as day how much he loves these kids. And misses them. No, he wasn’t perfect. Yes, he made a lot of mistakes, but he tried. And he can never see them again even though they know he is out there somewhere and ho man ho boy I can’t.

Remember how I mentioned above that I’d touch on Hanawa? I’ve chosen the finale to do so, because Hanawa and the Head Priest are the only ones who can share this moment with Kiryu. Kiryu also reveals to Hanawa that he kept Yumi’s ring and admits that his inability to be honest with his feelings kept him from confessing and proposing to her.

“Until she was dying in my arms.”

Man, I need tissues. Again. Hanawa is Kiryu’s handler (for lack of a better term) but he very much becomes a friend throughout the game. He’s ruthless. He’s dangerous, but their relationship is an interesting one and I found myself appreciating it a lot.  He doesn’t seem like all that much from the beginning, but their bond is a good one; and over the course of the game Hanawa opens up in small ways and throws Kiryu bones where they are the least expected.

He's eternally loyal to the Daidoji and makes very difficult choices (and threatens Morning Glory in Chapter 2, only backing down when Kiryu submits again) but like I said in the link above, I actually believe him when he says he really doesn’t want to be doing this.

Doesn’t change the fact that he’s doing it, mind. But it’s good writing. It’s really good writing. I love this game. And then as Kiryu sets out for his (much needed vacation) Hanawa gives him a new temporary identity.

Taichi Suzuki. To which Kiryu is like "Oh. I've used that before. Didn't tell any of you though..?"

Now, I’d like to point out here that Hanawa shares the same VA as Yu Morinaga from Yakuza 5; Hiroki Tochi. This on its own really wouldn’t mean much. RGG has done this sort of thing many times before. Shared VAs throughout the series is normal.

BUT.

There are some heavy context clues that seem to heavily imply that this is, indeed, Morinaga.

I cannot possibly confirm this 100% of course, but there’s other clues dropped in the ending that really make you wonder.

I think it works.

Which is such a fascinating little idea. The kind of thing that could really feel ham-fisted; but if it is indeed the case here?

But we’ll see.

This is already way too long a write up, but I want to make a final note on Kiryu here. Kiryu in this game is something to behold. He’s miserable, he’s tired, and he’s truly a dead man walking. “The Man Who Erased His Name.” indeed. Sure, everyone sees through his fake identity in seconds, but that doesn’t change the fact that Kiryu is locked into this role for good.

Who he is who he might want to be. The people he cares about. He can’t touch them. He can’t do any of that. Kiryu is sassy and ‘done with everyone’s shit’ in Yakuza 5, and that same energy is carried over into this. He has some truly biting ‘IDGAF’ moments, and in the most ‘gangster’ we ever see him (taking over the Castle from Nishitani) it’s both a great window into how he might’ve been as the chairman of the Tojo, and a man who is already dead and miserable, so what does he have to lose?

(I swear I had a better way of putting this..and the internally selfish part of me kinda loved and adored that moment even though I know he’s in pain so uh. Bah, make of that what ya will).

To conclude, Gaiden’s a wonderful game. No game is perfect, and there’s no way this is all my thoughts on it (as I said, I’m still extremely emotional). But it’s everything I didn’t know I wanted, and a fantastic ride.

If you’ve read this far, thanks for coming along for the ride! I hope you enjoy this game as much as I did!

And I'm gonna cry again. Help.

[mayakern]

thank you for the advice on pins ! i am in the process of researching how to set up my shop and i have a couple more questions if you don't mind- at what stage did you feel it was time to open your shop, follower-wise? did it take a long time to become profitable ? i saw you go through a manufacturer for your prints, is it because making them is too expensive? i see you don't make stickers, is there a reason? is a laser cutting machine worth it when debuting ? or superfluous? what did you use to design your website (it's very pretty btw)? do you have advice on getting people interested in checking it out?

how does one deal with sales being down, mentally, and how to be patient in the beginning?

does managing orders require a lot of organization? is a label maker worth the time it saves? in general, do you recomment buying your own machines (printer, or button maker) or stick with manufacturers? also, do you have advice on reconcialiting it with anticapitalism because im feeling conflicted about outsourcing labor and adding products to this world... is setting up shopify very hard ? are taxes a hassle ? sorry if it's a lot, i have trouble wrapping my head around every step i'll have to do and want to avoid beginner mistakes if i can. if you have any other advice and traps to avoid i'd be very grateful

dude this is SO many questions.

the short answer is: everything is hard and takes work.

there is no “right” time to start a shop or start selling stuff. you just kind of do it and hope. i opened mine in college (around 2012 or 2013) because i had already made some merch for a local convention and i wanted to sell the leftovers. my store didn’t become viable as a full time job until around 2017—it was a means to subsidize the income i had from working as a freelance artist.

also i never went into debt for the store so there was never a moment when my store “became profitable.” unless you’re willing to go into debt for this (not something i’d recommend), it’s a slow slog to get to a point where you can afford to sell items with a higher price point at a high enough volume that it is viable as a full career. inventory costs money and the more profitable items cost more money. it takes a lot of time and work and momentum to make this your whole job.

buying your own equipment is only worth it if you plan to use that equipment for multiple years to get a good return on investment.

however a label printer is almost always worth it, but i wouldn’t buy one until you’re getting at least 20 orders a month.

low price point items like buttons and stickers can be good to start out (i used to sell both) but at a certain point, unless you’re selling a massive amount of them there is a limit to how profitable a $3 item can be.

managing a store takes an amount of work/organization that is proportional to the number of products you have/sell. i will say i was an absolute disaster at this when i handled everything myself, which is why the store only became viable as a full time job once devin joined me.

i use squarespace for my portfolio site and shopify for the store. they’re relatively hassle free.

if you’re making most of your income from store or freelance work, find a local CPA to help you do taxes. also keep a running spreadsheet for all your expenses and income. separate your expenses into groups based on the different types of deductions (i.e. office equipment, travel, etc.) and update that spreadsheet, at minimum, once a month. then taxes are easy.

as far as anticapitalist mindset goes… do your due diligence when it comes to sussing out the manufacturers/companies you work with and try to create thoughtfully.

anyway next time you ask for advice please just pick like 3 questions at a time. this was… a lot.

[dreamii-yume]

idk if ur into bl but there’s a rlly good game called “slow damage” by nitro chiral. they’re the same company who made dramatical murder…so if you know. then you know how this game will play out 😭 but i’m pretty sure slow damage is more of their darker games.

it’s not free, but for what it’s worth (about $20 usd), id say i don’t regret buying it myself. i think it would fit right into your ally bc when i’m talking dark content…i mean it! if i remember correctly, it follows a depressed desk worker (bc ofc) who’s also a painter trying to get some cash yk?? and the cool thing about the mc is he has the ability to see people’s deepest darkest desires, which he uses as inspo to create art.

and this game is not afraid about getting depraved 😅 one of my fav characters (besides the mc bc i actually love him) is this dude named madarame, iirc??? and he’s every masochists wet dream 🫣 don’t @ me for that lmfaooo

it’s such a wild game!! i loved the nsfw scenes so much, i encourage you to look up some of the cutscene art bc it’s genuinely so beautiful 😩 there’s always some kind of blood involved and they’re usually banging at some decrypt place that prolly stinks so hard. despite all of that, the mc always looks like he’s on cloud nine, even when he’s chained up and bleeding profusely 😳

and it’s not just the nsfw scenes that has me drooling, but the story itself is intensely gripping??? like i’m hooked from beginning to end. and this is coming from someone who studied/s classical lit or literature in general…dunno if that holds any substance, but trust me when i say i’ve read countless of books and consumed enough media that it’s tantamount to mt kilimanjaro, but by far slow damage is one of the best visual novel games i’ve ever had the pleasure of playing 😖 usually vn games have good art and spicy scenes, but never plot. but this game blew my exception. so if you’re not much into how gorey it can get (bc the spicy scenes are low-key eroguro 80% of the time) then i’d say go for the story. it’s an absolute gem and thought provoking.

anyway sorry for the long rant 😭 this game is my guilty pleasure and idk if you’ve heard of it or what, but i don’t hear many people talk about it!! if you like euphoria, slow damage is not graphic in the same way, but it’s definitely dark and they’re not afraid to show the pleasure that comes from the pain 🫣

ps…in terms of yandere themes, idk if i’m remembering anything right bc it’s been a hot min, but it’s not really set in canon or directly in the game whether the yandere trope is applicable. but ngl, almost all characters display some kind of yandere characteristic where they’ll say the craziest shit and do something 10x crazier 😭 i mean if it wasn’t evident enough with some of them tying down and forcing themselves on the mc, then idk what is 🤔 but yes, it does get super intense!! highly recommend it, if i haven’t expressed that enough. they also have the opening soundtrack on youtube if you just look up slow damage op!! the soundtrack in general is actually good and fits with the vibes.

☠️☠️☠️

I personally haven’t played Dramatical Murder but during my teenage years, that game’s influence over the internet is ASTRONOMICAL ☠️ So, I always assumed that it’s something crazy, but never really bothered to know anything about it lol (Because I was an edgy little highschool girl who hated men ☠️) I just laugh every time I hear someone talk about it, because they’re so passionate. It’s cute ✨

Man, BL games always has the craziest fucking plot in the visual novel genre, and they always have the craziest characters too!! 😭 Otome games can only hope to have that kind content on their games lol Because eroguro is kind of a taboo topic, right? But I love to see more creative ways into corporating it into “dating” games 🧎‍♀️ This game seems like it checks the right corners of my brain, every single guilty pleasure so I don’t blame you for the enthusiasm! But don’t worry, we don’t judge other people here ☠️

Anyway, I personally haven’t played much BL games in general, (Because I’m personally more of a GL girl because women) and my knowledge of it only comes from friends who really loves them, but this sounds really interesting! Thank you for sharing ♥︎

[roosterbox]

Fic Rec Friday 2/16/2024

Title: Like It Was Made For You

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandoms: X-Men: First Class (2011) RPF, British Actor RPF, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) RPF

Relationship: Michael Fassbender/James McAvoy

Characters: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy

Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Mpreg, Breakfast in Bed, Coffee, Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Love, Established Relationship

Summary: "I’m pregnant,” James says. This excuse works, as it has for the past seven and a half months. He’s beginning to feel a bit guilty about this, but only a bit, since he’s also feeling the size of a whale and distinctly uncomfortable. Michael smiles.

Or: adventures with tabasco sauce, hot coffee, hurt/comfort, and sunny mornings.

———

A blast from fandoms past today. These were the days…

Mpreg is my kryptonite. Seriously. If there’s ever a ship you want me to check out, and you want an absolute guarantee that I’ll read it? Drop me an mpreg fic. I may or may not enjoy it, but I will NEVER be able to resist the siren call of mpreg. You’d think I’d be more drawn to ABO as a result, but eh. Anyway.

The dynamic here is so good. I love McFassy fics where James is something of a lil shit. Because let’s face it - he absolutely is, lol. His restlessness is so well conveyed; I’ve never been (and never will be) pregnant, but somehow I still know how he feels. And Michael being the softer, perhaps more caring one of the two is lovely. He’s certainly a tad bit overprotective, but luckily for him, it’s endearing. Their relationship is so affectionate and playful. It’s a genuine pleasure to read these two guys just existing in the world and loving each other, eagerly awaiting the birth of their child.

I love the changing names for their kiddo too, shifting as they try different ones out. That kid, when they’re born, will be so fucking cherished and adored. Also, if you read other fics of this ship by one of these writers, you start to recognize familiar tropes. Those tropes are like a warm blanket for me whenever I reread this. Reminds me of a time, years ago, when we were all just enjoying reading, writing, and experiencing the relationship - friendly, sexual, and all points in between - of these two actors. Fun times, my dudes.

Important note: Locked fic, so no link, sorry. You can probably still find it fairly easily if you have an account though.

———

Next Week: For the penultimate fic in this year-long batch of weekly recommendations, how about a nice, smutty little Spacedogs story? Features include Lust/Love at First Sight and then almost immediately turning that UST into RST, Nigel being a lil shit, and transmasc Adam. An excellent combo if I do say so myself.

See you soon!

[frostbite-yinny]

Hi! I was wondering what Pokémon are for adoption right now. My sewaddle has been looking rather lonely as of late and I’d love to get him a little (or big) freind! Im a bug/grass trainer.

Hey! So, for you, I'm only going to suggest bug and grass-type pokemon BUT I will also recommend some eggs and pokemon of other types at the end just in case you decide to try it out :D Without further ado:

Sakura the Leafeon: This little girl used to be a 'life coach' She was owned by a terminally ill man to support him both around the house and emotionally in his last years. She is a very heavy-headed pokemon, she is quiet and very gentle with everyone and everything but she gets distracted easily. She likes to stop to inspect every flower, look at every passing bird, watch the wind ruffle the leaves of a tree, and many more. She takes life slow and steady. Her name comes from the pink tint at the tip of her 'leafs' because the poor thing suffered a form of fin-rot when she first evolved. It's pretty, yes, but you need to get it checked regularly to make sure the cells are dead and not spreading.

Prima Donna the Dolliv: Another little girl. The only way to describe her is, well, spoiled. The same old story of being owned by some up-and-coming actor, Getting spoiled to the core, and then getting thrown aside when you evolve. Apparently, the actor only wanted a lap smoliv and didn't want to deal with a dolliv that might just evolve again. She is kinda brash and definitely needs strict boundaries and strict training to learn the do's and don'ts. She is definitely a prime example of her species. The head-to-olive ratio would win her an award.

Caterpie: If you want another little friend to your sewaddle, this little guy would be perfect. He is a catch-and-dump but his wild pokemon background doesn't really show. Friendly, curious, and cheerful. He would make a perfect house pet.

Ah the surskit: He is just a little dude. He used to belong to a swimming coach for children. He is good with kids and can definitely alert someone if you are drowning and thanks to knowing aqua jet, he has no problem saving you himself. He is on the lazy side, though. He got dumped here for refusing to work. I can relate.

Now! A few mentions: Mint the male meowstic, Bruce Wayne the cubone, 2 Igglybuffs that bonded so have to be adopted together, Bagel the Furfrou (he hates getting a haircut, that's why he is dumped here), 17 inkays (we got lucky with the number of inkays we got in the 'accident')

Lastly, a few eggs: A combee egg, 4 bunnelby eggs, probably a squirtle egg, a paras egg, a mimikyu egg, a mankey egg, and finally, a sentret egg

Just a little reminder, anyone else can adopt them too :D

[transgender-scout]

Hi Arrow. Do you recommend trying TF2? I like the funny guys but I have no FPS experience

Em. I am gripping you by the face. I have not been thinking about anything besides TF2 for the past two months. I absolutely recommend it.

I’m also not really big into FPSs, but I really enjoy the gameplay for it. There’s a fairly outdated tutorial you can play where it walks you through how to play a few of the classes that I found helpful to get a feel for the game, but there’s also offline training with bots that you can play to get a little more practice with each class until you feel comfortable enough to play online (if you even want to).

There’s also a lot of custom maps that people make just to be silly on (the Mario kart and McDonald’s maps come to mind lol). I’m personally a big fan of Mann vs Machine, where you and five others just fight waves of robots.

The game isn’t super great at walking you through things, so you would probably need to either have someone play with you to explain things or do some quick research on it, like reading the wikis or watching some videos about it. It’s pretty easy to pick up once you get it tho!

Also, TF2 has had a huge problem with bots in the past few years, so to be able to communicate through chat, voice commands, or voice chat, you have to spend at least $5 on the game. I just bought some silly cosmetics from the community shop, but you can also buy taunts and other weapons if you want.

There’s a ton to explore in the game and I learn something new every time I play tbh!!!

But!!! If you want to enjoy the silly guys without playing the game!!!! There’s comics!!!!!!!!!!!

There’s a lot of smaller comics that were released to introduce new updates which is really fun, but then there’s the main comic series that focuses on a big overarching plot that’s sooooo funny and silly and heartbreaking <333

It also (imo) helps establish some of the characters in really interesting way. Like they’re all fucked up little clown dudes, but the comics give a bit of insight for some of them. A couple of the characters get brushed over a bit because there’s nine of them and you can only do so much, but it still did a damn good job of getting me attached to them all.

The only problem is…it’s not finished. The second to last comic was published in 2017 and the last one has been “coming soon!” since then. :( I’d still recommended it tho bc the comics are really good! The art is gorgeous and everyone is sooooo silly.

AND if you don’t want to do THAT! Theres the Meet the Team videos that Valve made to introduce each of the mercs, plus a few other videos for updates and other things. I LOVE these. I watch em all the time lol. My personal favs are Spy, Pyro, and Medic but it doesn’t take long to watch them all.

AND THEN There’s a whole wide internet of SFMs (SourceFilm Maker) on YouTube!! A lot of them are super silly YouTube poop-like videos that are rawrXDomgLOL random. This isn’t super my thing so I don’t have any recs unfortunately.

But there was an SFM recently released called Emesis Blue that is driving me to the brink. It’s a full length psychological horror/thriller movie that’s like TF2 but real fucked up. It’s been living in my brain for a solid week. It lowkey kinda gave me nightmares so you may check out the Does the Dog Die page for it if you’re sensitive to horror, or skip it all together.

Also kind of a blanket trigger warning for all media listed is blood, guns, violence, and bodies exploding into cartoon meat chunks. Fun stuff lol.

So there’s a lot of ways to enjoy the fun mess that is TF2. Let me know if you get into it bc hooooly shit I love this funny hat game so much.

[malcolm-reeds-pineapple]

Okay so I hope you guys r ready for a long one because baby I’ve had an interesting week.

So on Monday I accidentally no-call no-showed to my second job. I only got the messages like an hour after my shift was supposed to end so like I really fucked up. The next day, I got an email asking me what happened and I was immediately overcome with anxiety and just didn’t respond. Then on Wednesday I was like okay I really need this extra income so I will deal with this. I’d had a great day sales wise at my Real Job (tm) so I was feeling jazzed enough to want to deal with it. I got home an immediately I was The Opposite Of Jazzed and send off my login information for my email to my best friend who dealt with it because she’s the best person on this fucking planet.

So then today, Thursday, I got into my Real Job and found out that my boss was recommending me for a full time leadership position. I was very pumped and still am. Then, after that shift, I hightailed it to my second job (the one I no-call no-showed at on Monday) and sat in absolute fucking agony for 30 minutes while I thought about what to say in the impending Corporate Meeting Regarding My Behaviour. I got in there and turns out I was going to be completely on my own for my first close and I was like cool great I don’t have to Have a Meeting.

Everything was going good for a while until I met my fucking supervisor: a middle aged man with a ponytail. Immediately the vibes were off but I was like Nah you’re just not used to working with men. My Real Job (tm) only has 12 men on the payroll company wide and my previous jobs have all been predominantly staffed by women/queer people so like I just don’t see many straight/cis men in the workplace.

Anyway I was right to have weird vibes about him because the ENTIRE NIGHT anytime we came face to face he was hitting on me. At one point I was trying to get him to come over without hollering over a customers head by making eye contact with him. He comes over and just said “oh sorry I didn’t think you wanted me to come over I just thought you were checking me out” and I just laughed uncomfortably because there was a customer right in front of us. He proceeded to get uncomfortably close to me and do the task I was trying to do completely wrong.

And then finally, it was time to close. This was my first time closing and I had no clue what the procedure was in the slightest. I get locked in a fucking cash office with him while he got uncomfortably close to me and we counted my till. At every other job I’ve ever had I’ve either counted my own till and had it verified by someone else the next day or just not had to deal with it. And normally I am not the type to feel anxious about being locked in a tiny room with someone because I know I’m fuckin safe but this dude?? Dog the only thing that brought me comfort was the fact that we both knew there were cameras in there. Like I know he was probably trying to be nice / funny and all but like he just gave me the creeps.

Anyway I’m counting down the days until I find out if I get that leadership position at my Real Job so I don’t have to go back to my second job ever again. A 30% discount on groceries is not worth it at this point what the fuck. Like I’d already lost patience with my second job pretty soon after I started but like this is just another nail in the coffin. I’m losing my mind because realistically I’m probably just missing a joke of some kind so I can’t really go to HR with anything cuz like he didn’t do anything but have pungent vibes and creep me out but also I don’t ever want to work with him again because I care about my own peace too much. I’ve got a light at the end of the tunnel so I’m just gonna avoid him until I can secure a full time gig at My Real Job

[a9saga]

i dont think i mentioned that i was going to it on here, but i did see big time rush again last night with my in-laws as well as two of their sisters. it was amazing again. loved it. if they havent stopped by your city on tour yet, they’re gonna be touring for another month. check the tour dates. if you wanna go, do it, so many people told me last year they wanted to go and didn’t, so if you can go now, do it, i can’t recommend it enough. after the show, i heard a couple guys talking to one another outside the bathrooms, presumably waiting for their girlfriends. but they were saying to one another stuff like, “yeah, my girlfriend got these tickets kinda as a joke for my birthday but that was actually really amazing.” lemme tell you, those two guys were good boyfriends that night. a guy in front of us last year sucked and was whiny and dragged his girlfriend out before the encore, and you could tell it was the type of thing where he was purposefully trying not to enjoy a good time.

i’ve also never seen a band literally stop traffic like big time rush. both times. given, we saw them in mansfield, ma, which is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and gilford, nh, which is totally and completely in the middle of nowhere. and we were a stuck in traffic last night over a mile and a half from the venue for almost an hour. the opening acts started at 7. originally we were supposed to get there at 6:56 or smth and we parked at 7:43. i dont know when the opening acts actually started, the guys came out late. we got lucky enough to miss jax’s set 🙏🤍 lol. we arrived during max’s set, and he was really good, i don’t think i’d listened to him before but he was impressive. he said in the intermission he’d be waiting to meet everyone and take pictures at the merch stand and when i got up to use the restroom and get a drink and that line was by far the biggest i;d ever seen, and i worked four years at a theme park! it was literally farther than the eye can see, and as i kept walking back it kept getting even bigger than i could imagine. i’m probably gonna queue one of his songs for the coming weeks.

and one last thing about last night...... i got a bone to pick w the brand “liquid death”. y’all make it look like it’s booze on purpose. you can sell cans of water, that’s actually a great and very ethical idea, but that branding damn well makes itself look like alcohol and the very name “liquid death.” dude. i ordered a drink and also asked for a water, and the guy grabs a can from a fridge full of beers and i’m like.... this is... water? this liquid death? cause it sounds like it’s gonna get you wasted from the name. i was tryin not to give him too hard a time and he was like, “oh yeah, you’re gonna love the taste of this stuff. it actually is just water though.” and like the first part sounded a little sarcastic so i was like “....this is for my pregnant sister-in-law” and i felt like i might’ve been giving him a hard time.... you can put beverages in cans w/o them looking as much like hard seltzer or beer or cider as possible, i’m just sayin. but i tasted a sip of it and it was fine.