#cheapest one is 15 but yeah i get it

[weirdfreakshow]

i’ve just realized on this blog all my asks have been random funnies only one horny post so far, sounds like me

also i want so desperately to commission you but i’ve never commissioned before and i’m scared and broke, your art is so hot void fr fr

anyways recently been thinking about the old skizzpulse teacher au from grub (idk what name they go by-) because it was so hot i love problematic high school aus like that and bully joel au, speaking of i can’t remember did you reblog the art from that one?

sorry for the random ramblings it just kinda spiraled but oh well

-🪶

oh I totally get it, commissioning is scary asf for no reason, especially the part abt talking to the person???? and making your request?? 😭😭😭 NERVEWRACKING and I TOTALLY understand the broke part, I'm taking commissions for a reason after all LOL but thank you for the energy! I prommy I'm trustworthy and very nice I don't bite if you try to commission me I prommy i prommy. But it's okay if you can't

ALSO FUCJ YES I LOVE YOU TEACHERSTUDRNT IMPSKIZZ AU AND I MISS YOU EVERY DAY I'VE BEEN THINKING VAGUELY ABOUT IT FOR WEEKS NOW. Also! Yeah! I reposted it, I'll reblog it right after I post this ask so you get to see it yeah?

Also dw I allow you specifically bcus I like you duck

[beemovieerotica]

beloved fiber king,

as i once more waste 20 (very painful) minutes of my day on the throne of doom, humbled, I come for your wisdom

is there anything we ought to know abt what fiber sources get absorbed the most? I used to take packet supplements that i would mix with half a glass of apple juice (as that was the least brain-effort way my gastro doc could recommend me), but now i worry if that is financially less efficient than other methods, and times are as they are

what are your thoughts, o wise king

main thing is that you're getting fiber during a meal. having any volume of food in your stomach will slow digestion and make sure that fiber gets absorbed. same is true of any vitamin or supplement, which is why the labels always say take with a meal or milk.

psyllium powder + liquid isn't ideal on an empty stomach, because liquid runs through you faster, and compliance generally isn't good because the powder tastes bad. it really does make the texture of drinks weird. i don't like turning my drinks into slop. it makes sense that you dropped it.

recs with links under the cut

if you're fine with swallowing pills, the humble psyllium capsule can go a long way

$10 for 200 caps. or $20 for 500 caps. cheapest form of fiber out there that tastes like nothing. sure, they're only about 2g of fiber per serving, but it's all about the little, consistent changes, you know? it's better if someone can make the habit of taking a few tiny pills a day at dinner without even thinking, versus having to psych yourself up every time you need to drink a big lukewarm slushie of fiber. small steps.

$8 for half a kilo that lasts me well over a month.

i do swear by chia seeds because 1) they also taste like nothing, 2) they're pretty cheap, and 3) only change is adding a crunchy texture if you eat them fast, and a boba-like texture if you wait, which most people are fine with.

sprinkle on whatever cereal you eat every morning, yogurt, or make smoothies with it. i'll also throw it into pancakes and cookies if i do those.

$8 for 15 bars

fiber bars are probably the next cheapest route before we get to actual fresh fruit and veg, and unfortunately amazon does have the lowest price on this one. the fiber one brand does a lot of high-fiber snacks, and they're worth checking out. i like them because they have chocolate and actually taste good, plus 9g is a lot of fiber.

getting into "real foods" but still don't have access to good fresh produce - nuts dot com is actually a lifesaver for getting bulk nut products. for non-allergy havers, this is a great source of fiber with lots of varieties & flavors to try out to find what works for you (salty, sweet, spicy, etc). they do a lot of promotions and discounts, so keep your eye out.

after this point, you get into fruits / berries as your big fiber providers. apples are pretty easy and cheap, berries taste good but holy fuck they're expensive. but yeah, find one or two small things to try out, and develop a habit first before making sweeping changes to your diet that may not stick. let me know in the notes if anyone has other recs.

[snowysosturn]

Speeding Car - Matt Sturniolo Part 5

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29

Pairing : y/n x Matt Sturniolo

Summary : After six years with your boyfriend Alex, you start mentally check out. At a UCLA party, Alex reconnects with his childhood friend Emily, who proposes a double date with her boyfriend Matt. Your attraction to Matt grows as he pays you the first real attention you've had in years, sparking a complicated emotional journey.

Warnings : MDNI, unhappy relationship, mentions of hangover, angst

The start of the new semester at UCLA brought a sense of urgency and routine, a sense that clashed with my chaos inside my head. Alex was excited, his schedule packed with classes and Bruins practice. Meanwhile, I struggled to shake off the lingering thoughts about Matt and Emily from the party, the Instagram follow, and my relationship dying out. I couldn’t tell anymore if my embarrassment was first or second hand. But today was a new day, and I had to focus.

I made Alex a protein packed breakfast this morning, I had the day off so I had the time.

“Thanks Y/n” Alex said as he gave me a pat on the back.

A pat on the back.

He took the last few bites of his meal and grabbed the keys to the car. “I’m not too sure what time I’ll be back tonight, I’ll text to let you know” Alex said as I walked behind him to the front door. I saw him off as he walked down the steps to the driveway.

“Aw shit!” I hear him exclaim, realizing one of his tyres had burst. "Great, just what I needed." he muttered.

Alex and I shared a car, it was originally mine, but I let Alex put it in his name as he needs to get around more than I do. So in simpler terms, Alex has a car that I’m able to drive once a month at least.

"Take my phone and book an Uber" I offered, handing it to him. "I'll figure out the tyre later."

He took my phone with a grateful nod and quickly booked the ride. As he waited, I heard my phone ping. A familiar sound, from Instagram.

“Matthew Sturniolo (@matthew.sturniolo) has requested to follow you”

"Hey, looks like Matt wants to follow you" Alex said, showing me the screen with a chuckle. "Guess he enjoyed your company at the party."

My heart jumped, a burning sensation ran through my body. Why did this have to happen when Alex has my phone.

I tried to keep my voice steady. "Yeah, probably. We did talk quite a bit. I got along well with Nick too”

Alex shrugged, accepting the request before handing the phone back. "Alright, my ride's here. See you tonight."

"See you" I replied, watching him head out the door. Not a kiss to say goodbye or anything.

The day passed slowly, my thoughts constantly drifting to Matt's follow request. It felt like a lifeline, a connection I desperately wanted but also feared.

As the evening approached, I text Alex to let him know the tyre was fixed if he wanted me to pick him up whenever he was ready. He replied saying he had an evening free and he we was going to Uber home with Emily to hang out. They had figured out they were taking the same classes and were coming back to organize a few things for the current semester.

Alex and Emily arrived at our apartment. He seemed in good spirits despite the tyre mishap.

“We have a school trip to Barcelona in 4 weeks, Europe! How exciting!” Emily said with joy.

“We decided it would be easier to come back here and look at flights together if you don’t mind helping us Y/n, I know you’re good with all of that.” Alex suggested.

For some weird reason this lit a fire in my stomach. I knew I was being stupid since it was for a school trip, but it bothered me how eager he was to organize everything. It was almost like pulling teeth anytime I tried to organize a trip with him.

After an hour of researching, I found the cheapest flights for them and everything was booked.

"I'm going to hit the sack early" he said after a while. "Practice starts tomorrow."

"Alright, good night" I said, trying to sound unbothered.

Emily and I were left alone in the living room. An awkward silence settled between us, broken by the occasional sound of Alex moving around in the bedroom. I knew I needed to break the ice, and I also had an opportunity to see where her and Matt stood with each other after Saturday night's events.

"So, how are things with you and Matt?" I asked.

Emily smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Matt's great. I mean, he’s really sweet and all, but sometimes I feel like he’s too good, you know? I also want to apologize to you for how I acted at the party, it was out of line. We’re only newly friends and I don’t want to embarrass myself or make a bad impression. I honestly still have a hangover from it all”

Friends? I thought to myself.

“Oh you don’t need to apologize to me at all Emily, it happens!” I respond, trying to make her feel better.

“I feel like I get carried away sometimes. I like the attention I get from Matt, but I also love the attention I get from others."

I frowned slightly. "Others?"

She shrugged, taking a sip from her Stanley cup. "Yeah, I mean, Matt has a big following, and being with him means I get noticed too. I love him, but I can’t help enjoying the attention. It's kind of addicting. Did you not notice all of the influencers at the party?”

Her words struck a nerve. How could she be so nonchalant about treating Matt that way? He deserved someone who appreciated him fully, not someone who saw him as a means to boost their own ego.

"Oh, no I didn’t notice.." I said, trying to keep my tone neutral.

Emily glanced at me, her expression unreadable. "It just comes hand in hand with his job. I love him, but I also love being in the spotlight. Is that so wrong?"

I didn't know how to respond. It felt wrong, deeply wrong. Matt deserved someone who loved him for who he was, not for the attention he brought.

The more Emily talked, the more I realized she didn’t deserve him.

As time passed the conversation changed, I found myself genuinely getting along with Emily despite the lingering irritation from her comments about Matt. We chatted about various things like classes, mutual friends, upcoming campus events and even her life in Austin. I can’t lie, she was easy to talk to, and I could see why she was popular. But underneath her charming exterior, her earlier remarks about enjoying attention grated on me.

I knew I had to keep things friendly. Not just for Alex's sake, but for my own. Staying close to Emily meant staying close to Matt. It was a delicate balance, and I was determined to maintain it.

Later that night, Emily glanced at her phone and sighed. "I should probably get going. It's getting late."

"Do you need a ride?" I asked, half hoping she would say yes so I could see Matt again.

"Yeah, I'll ask Matt to come pick me up" she said, typing out a quick message..

Matt’s POV

I rotted away in my room all day Sunday and into Monday. I needed some time to myself. Emily went back to college early this morning and I hadn’t heard from her since.

After nearly 40 hours of sitting in my room, I decided it was time to try to be social again. I left my room and walked straight into the kitchen to find Nick and Chris sat at the kitchen table.

"Rough night Saturday.." Nick asked, eyeing me with concern.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "You could say that."

Chris obliviously laughed. "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad."

Nick shot him a look. "Matt, we need to talk about Emily. Her behavior at the party... it wasn't okay."

I nodded, feeling a weight settle on my shoulders. "I know. She's been like this more and more lately."

Nick leaned forward, his expression serious. "You don't deserve to be treated like that. You do so much for her, and it seems like she doesn't appreciate any of it."

Chris, still not fully grasping the gravity of the situation, shrugged. "Girls can be complicated, man."

Nick ignored him, focusing on me. "Look, I know you care about her, but you have to think about yourself too. You deserve to be with someone who respects you and values you."

I sighed, the truth of his words hitting hard. "I keep hoping she'll change, that she'll realize how much I care about her and start treating me better."

Nick frowned. "People don't change unless they want to. And from what I've seen, Emily isn't interested in changing."

There was a moment of silence as we all absorbed the reality of the situation. Nick then changed the topic slightly, a mischievous look in his eyes. “I noticed you got along pretty well with Y/n, Alex's girlfriend.."

My mind flashed back to our conversations. There had been an easy connection, a sense of understanding. "Yeah, she's great. We had some good talks."

Chris, always one to break the tension in the worst possible way, grinned. "That’s the girl with the fat ass, right?"

Nick groaned, and I shot Chris a look. "Dude, not the time."

Chris held up his hands in surrender. "Just saying."

The mood soured, I stood up, needing to clear my head. "I'm going to bed. Thanks for the talk, guys."

As I made my way back to my room, my phone buzzed. Emily had texted me: "Hey, can you pick me up? I'm at Alex's place."

I sighed, knowing I'd go pick her up despite everything. I couldn't ignore the feeling that something had to change, but I wasn’t sure if it would be her or me.

Y/n’s POV

"He'll be here in about ten minutes." Emily said, reading out the message from Matt.

My heart danced but I had to maintain my composure.

We continued chatting until Matt's car pulled up outside. Emily grabbed her things, and I walked her to the door.

"Thanks for having me over” she said with a smile. "We should do this more often."

"We should" I replied, forcing a smile. "It was nice."

We stepped outside, and I spotted Matt waiting in his car. As we approached, he got out and walked over, his expression warm but tired.

"Hey, thanks for picking me up" Emily said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"No problem" Matt replied, his eyes briefly meeting mine. "Hi" he added, his smile softening as he looked at me.

"Hi Matt" I responded, feeling a flutter in my chest.

"How was your evening?" Matt questioned.

"It was good" I replied, choosing my words carefully. "Emily and I had a nice time."

"Good to hear" he said, glancing at Emily. "Ready to go?"

"Yep" she replied, but then she turned to me. "We should all hang out together again, the four of us. Maybe we can plan another double date or something."

"Sounds good" I said, knowing that staying close to her meant more opportunities to see Matt.

As Emily climbed into the car, I took a moment to speak to Matt. "Hey, I just wanted to say.. if you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here."

Matt looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "Thanks, I appreciate that. And same to you."

Just then, Emily reached over and playfully tugged Matt's arm. "Come on, let's go. I've missed you."

Matt turned to her, his expression softening. "I've missed you too" he said, leaning in to kiss her. Their interaction was sweet and intimate, conflicting to the tension I had sensed before.

Watching them together, my heart sank. The way Matt looked at her, the way he held her, it made me question everything. Had I misread his kindness? Was I seeing what I wanted to see rather than what was really there?

As they drove away, I stood there for a moment, feeling a mix of confusion and heartache. The connection I thought I had with Matt now felt uncertain, overshadowed by his obvious affection for Emily.

Matts’ POV

The drive to Alex's was quiet, my thoughts a jumble of emotions. When I arrived, Emily was waiting outside, looking a bit worse for wear from her two day hangover but smiling when she saw me.

"Hey, thanks for coming to get me!" she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"No problem" I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral. Still wanting to keep my stance that how she acted on Saturday was out of line.

As Emily climbed into the car, Y/n turned to me.

“Hey, I just wanted to say... if you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here."

I knew fully what she was referring to. Could she relate to me? Or was it just out of pity from the events she witnessed at the party.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. And same to you." We locked eyes for a moment, until Emily tugged at me and instantly broke the contact.

We got into the car and drove off as Y/n waved us off. On the ride back home I couldn't help but think about Nick's words and the confusion I felt brewing in me surrounding Y/n. Maybe it was time to seriously consider what I wanted and needed in a relationship. Emily had her good moments, but were they enough to outweigh the bad?

Only time would tell..

a/n : i’m rushing out for dinner rn so i will proof read and do tags properly when i’m back i just wanted to get this out asaaaaap. we do go back and forth with the povs here soz. part 6 hopefully tomorrow or sunday!!!!

taglist : @muwapsturniolo @anitahunt @sturnfannn @jayde510 @chrissfavhoe @babyalliah-777 @v33angel @urmom69lol @willowrites @ribread03 @sleepyysavv @sturnsaver @sleepysturniolo @jcsturniolo11 @jessie-essie @immattsslut @mynbbys @sturniolopanini @mattsturnxoxo @delicatechrry @t77te @sturnsyaper69

[roboticchibitan]

Hey You, Yeah You, want one of these pins for cost of shipping and a $3 donation to a food bank?

I'm raising money for food banks for my birthday today! Ok, now that I have your attention, here's the pins. Rules at the end.

I am offering 20 slots for pins (15 premade design slots and 5 custom design slots) in exchange for cost of shipping and a donation to the food bank. For a donation of at least $3 and cost of shipping you can get a premade design of one of the above designs and for a donation of at least $10 and cost of shipping you can get a custom made pin. To secure a slot, reply to this post (if you can't reply you can reblog but please use replies if you can) with "reserving premade" or "reserving custom," depending on what you're reserving. Pins are first come, first serve.

Pins will ship via USPS unless you prefer another carrier (USPS is usually cheapest). Shipping will be paid via paypal.

If you want to reserve a pin slot but need to wait to donate until you get a paycheck, that's fine. As long as you provide proof of donation by March 31st, you can reserve a slot now.

Proof of donation is required. Send me a screenshot or picture of your donation receipt that includes how much you donated. I am going to keep a tally of how many people we've fed, as for most food banks they can feed 3 people for every $1 donated. If you feel moved to feed more than 9 or 30 people, feel free. The power of kindness is yours!

If there's no food bank in your area, one of my followers has contacted me about a nonprofit they work for that supports artists in the San Francisco Bay Area and part of their outreach includes a food pantry. I will provide a link to their website in a reblog when I have the time

For custom pins, I am not a skilled artist (yet) so the best custom art I can offer is doodles. However, if you want to design the pin yourself, there is a website that has templates for various art programs, including photoshop. I will reblog this post when I have time with a link to it and if that gets lost for some reason you can DM me for the link also. A note: the reviews of the button press say that it can't handle anything other than regular printer paper, so that is what I will be printing on.

If you, like me, already donate to your food bank on a monthly basis, you can count March's donation in reserving a pin (I may change this policy later)

I'm going to limit this to one pin per person but if some pins aren't reserved then I will change this policy.

If you've read this far, a reblog is a good birthday gift!

[mychemfessions]

ok this one is probably gonna be extra long because its really annoying to me:

I really dislike it when people say the Three Cheers remaster was a "cash grab" because its clear they don't understand the music industry and how INSANELY COMMON remasters are. Literally every artist who's been around longer than 15 years (hell even just a decade, music production has changed THAT much in THAT LITTLE TIME) has done it for one of their most well known albums. even multiple times if their music is old enough.

Some I can name off the top of my head are the Beatles, Nirvana (like a lot over and over again), Sublime, David Bowie, Metallica, Michael Jackson, Big Thief, The Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, The Eagles, Queen, Oasis, Blur, REM, The Notorious BIG, Mac Miller (one of his albums was even remastered after only 5 years), Alanis Morissette, Black Sabboth, Led Zepplin, fucking MSI, Soundgarden, Rammstein, Green Day, Taking Back Sunday, Paramore. Hell I think some artists don't even rerelease remasters and just replace the old recordings with the new ones for future publications/streaming. SO I COULD BE MISSING A FEW.

Look, I could go on for paragraphs upon paragraphs just naming artists that have remastered at LEAST one album during their career. My point is, MCR is not unique or necessarily "money hungry" (even then that's the choice of the record label usually, not necessarily the fault of the members of the band themselves), they're just doing something every artist and their mothers have done, which is take their tracks from a while ago and revamp them with new technology.

It's like historians restoring a painting, they're taking something older and renewing it so it's easier to enjoy for new audiences. sometimes remasters reveal something hidden in the track that was otherwise unnoticed (like an extra guitar or even a synth track), which is what makes a lot of them really cool.

Now of course there is criticism to be made for their, what, like 10 different limited edition vinyls they released alongside the remaster? Yeah, that's contributing to over consumption, you don't NEED to release so many different colors of one record just for "collectors value". This is sort of an unfortunate trend in the music industry right now where artists will release an "OMG!! LIMITED EDITION BLUE CUM VERSION OF OUR ALBUM RIGHT NOW!!! GET IT WHILE IT LASTS!!", make it worth twice as much as a usual record (which is a lot, I think the cheapest record I've ever seen is like 25 dollars, but that might just be because I live near a large city and prices are often higher there.) and make a fuck ton of sales. One of the most notable examples I see mentioned is Taylor Swift, although she does these runs for different reasons than just collectors value (I don't want to bore you by explaining it, this is already long enough). As far as I can tell its probably just the record label either noticing a profitable trend and going with it or doing something they're already used to doing already. Is it annoying? Yeah. Should some bands who go overboard with it be criticized? Absolutely. So criticize everyone who does it. Not just one band or artist.

Overall, I don't personally see this as uniquely money hungry. It more feels like the record label wanted to remaster a popular album alongside selling merchandise to fill a gap that the community has been begging for for years. Yes it's stupidly expensive but if you don't think its ethical don't fucking buy it.

♱♱♱

[hopeluna]

𖦹 ׂ 𓈒 ⋆ ۪ — Barista!Izuku Midoriya

♡! hope's notes: this is 50% unrealistic and 50% self indulgent. Tell me what u think lol <3

It's 7 in the morning when you realise that you're truly, utterly fucked.

You try to convince yourself that it was really your alarm's fault for not waking you up. Because now you are desperately trying to shove everything in your bag, while chewing on the world's driest granola bar and make your way out of your apartment.

You do the calculation in your head as you make your way down the stairs, trying not to trip. Your class is supposed start at 7:15, so you have approximately 5 minutes to get a much needed cup of coffee. And then you need to make run for your class which is 15 minutes, hoping to whatever deity that you'll reach there in 10 minutes.

A groan of frustration escapes you on the sidewalk at the utter slow pace the lady is moving in front of you, talking animatedly on the phone.

You've been late to class enough times this entire week that you're convinced your professor is going to shoot you in the head today. The first thing you notice in front of the cafe is how cute and cozy it looked. Like something straight out of a rom-com set.

There were small little coffee shops like this scattered through almost every road corner outside the campus. Coffee shops, cheap diners and stationaries all looking out for their target customers, drained college students.

This particular coffee shop, you had realised one day talking with your friends, was new and untouched by your hands. You knew that logically it wasn't a great time right now to experiment newly opened shops, no matter how much your friends had been praising the place but you were already late, and the decor and smell of roasted coffee beans seemed too appetizing to pass up.

The gentle chime of the bell at the entrance almost made you forget that your life could possibly be on the line in less than 10 minutes. Your shoulders loose some tension at the faint but noticeable fragrance in the air, the smell of coffee and the muffled sounds of students clicking away on their computers, couples chatting away in excitement and the sound of the workers behind the counter.

Oh yeah, you were definitely forgetting about class for some minutes.

Tapping your fingers to a random rhythm, your eyes immediately go to the cheapest drink on the big menu overhead the counter. Being a college student, you weren't really raking up the big bucks and would rather like to be able to afford instant ramen in the future.

And that's when it happened.

You swore that you almost went blind for about 2 seconds at the absolute beaming, sunshine-filled smile the barista gave you. The simple words "what can I get for you today?" suddenly sounded like the most holiest piece of angel music coming out of his mouth. He was cute, like a lot, with lush green curls falling messily atop his head, freckles doted like stars across his cheeks. You briefly registered the small "Midoriya" name plate attached to his shirt.

"Um, e-excuse me?"

"Yes?"

"I- what can I get you, ma'am?"

"Your number, hopefully"

Shit. The wide eyes and the full flush creeping up on his cheeks made you almost shriek in horror, you didn't mean to say that aloud. Suddenly, the once calming air felt stifling and uncomfortable.

"Uh! I mean- no!", wincing at your own volume, you suddenly wished that the earth would just open up and swallow you whole. "You see, um, that was- a joke! A bad joke!". It took all your strength to not bash your head on the counter under your sweaty palms, cringing at yourself.

The nervous laugh that "Midoriya" let out certainly didn't help the situation either.

You felt the tension lifting off your chest when a girl came up to the counter to ask for more creamer. The next course of action was probably not your proudest moment, definitely something you would look back at and curse yourself for. In your defence, your mind felt scrambled and fried at the whole interaction, so you did the only thing your brain managed to comprehend. You ran.

A few minutes later, already at your campus, you stopped for a second for breath. The frustrated whine you let out next was met with some questioning glances your way that you could not be bothered about right now, your mind only swirling with one thing.

You didn't even get your fucking coffee.

© hopeluna. Do not copy, translate, modify or repost any of my work in this or any other site. Do not steal or modify my ideas/concepts either.

[meirimerens]

when engaging in traditional art, does it matter to you what pencils|brushes|paint|paper|etc to use from what manufacturer? are you the "100 euros per single luxury pencil" person, inbetween, or the "the cheapest pen from the corner shop, and the back of the envelope, is fine" person ? did you art school have requirements for what materials the students use? thank you.

Depends on what you want to do with your art, but if you want to do more than chill and have fun (make it a field of study, go to art school,...) you gotta land on the middle, man. Had already mentioned it before but

^ I've drawn with these shitty clicky pencils for decades. For years I have, and tbf still do, draw on the most average printing paper I find with these shitty clicky things and lineart with that quadricolor pen.

If you want to do more, if you want to branch out, new material comes into the picture evidently, you have to adapt the paper you draw or paint in to the medium. While you, strictly speaking, can paint watercolor on printer paper, it's gonna suck the whole time.

I don't got "100 euros luxury pencil" money man. For paint and paintbrushes, though, I would recommend not going for the absolute absolute cheapest and save some money to at least get student-grade paints. Unless you're working every day with them and selling your works, you don't really need professional-grade paints imo. My first watercolor set which I've had a great run with (I need to get back to ittttt tbh) was a Winsor and Newton Cotman box like that one

It's like. 15-20€ depending on the place you get it at.

most of my acrylic paints are also W&N, the "Galeria" type which is their student-grade. They're 3-5€ a tube, which yeah is pretty steep if you're just getting started, that's why you build up a palette bit by bit. That and the professional grade is 10€ a tube.

I've also used Liquitex for the primary colors that are gonna run empty very quickly as well as black and white

Student-grade as opposed to artist/professional-grade might be a bit more streaky, less pigmented, etc but like. I don't use it enough to care. I can't tell you about oil paints because I've never used them myself.

My art school had no requirements for material, but my art school is different from yours, or the one you covet. You might be asked for specific materials. I wasn't.

[larissa-the-scribe]

Hey! I'm looking into potentially starting a newsletter for writing related stuff, do you have any advice on where to start?

Yeah, for sure!

So, I'll be dividing this response into several parts: the technical details, the content details, and the growing details. (disclaimer that I am by no means an expert, this is just stuff I've learned and/or observed and/or heard about)

Also sorry this is so long adfasdasdadfa it kept building on itself

The important thing throughout, though, is to have fun and be yourself. I'm only partially joking.

Technical details:

So what program do you use? How and why? Personally, my criteria for this was pretty simple: what was the cheapest but still functional option, and/or what option offered the best features for free (without being overcomplicated)?

The answer to this will vary depending on what you want to do. For example, Substack, from what I know, seems good; it's free, simple, straightforward. However, I wanted extra features that Substack didn't provide (automation sequences,* landing pages, etc), and so for me the best fit was Mailerlite. As far as I know, it's the only free option that offers automation, and besides that it seems like it has all the features I'd need. No need to pay until 1,000 subscribers, and after that it's still one of the cheaper options.

Some other possibilities include Mailchimp (though their pricing system can get a bit wonky), Brevo, Sendpulse, ConvertKit, HubSpot and like a gazillion others.

Basically, figure out what features you need/want, and go from there, but personally I'd recommend MailerLite. It can be a bit clunky at times, but overall I've found it more intuitive than Mailchimp, and it has a handy assortment of free features.

Honorable mention: Canva is a free service for graphic design, and that can be helpful for setting up any backgrounds or banners you might need.

*["automation sequence" refers to emails you can set up to send automatically without you needing to do extra manual work. For example, if someone signs up for your newsletter, you can set that up as the "trigger" for a sequence of emails that will deliver a freebie to the new subscriber, give them information, welcome them, etc, without you having to remember to do it every time someone new shows up].

Content details:

One of the other big questions that you'll have to answer for a newsletter is 'what am I going to be talking about for the next forever?'

An idea of how to start brainstorming is to sketch out broad categories, and then once you figure those out, see how many related ideas you can list out for each category (say, if you want to write about book publishing, how many topics or details can you cover?). If you can't list more than like 10-15 ideas for a shortish "post" off the top of your head, you may want to look at a different category.

Also, one of the best ways to answer this question is by asking the follow-up question of "what do I want to talk about for the next forever?" If you don't like writing about a topic, it's going to be an absolute chore, and the less you like doing something, the more of a drain that will be on your time and mental resources. And it will be harder to think of things to talk about. Don't worry about what you should write. That's a trap and only helpful in select cases.

So, what can you talk about and what do you want to talk about?

If that's still a lot of topics, you can ask people for their opinions on what they'd most be interested in hearing about, and in general asking 'the audience' for questions can also be a good way to find content ideas.

You'll also want to find a way to talk about your books regularly, too, since you're trying to cultivate an audience that will enjoy the stories you tell. That can be sharing snippets, updates, or even just talking a lot about similar types of books and have a line at the end of "if you liked--" etc.

What I do is I have three categories: 'updates', 'recommendations', and 'content'. Updates is behind-the-scenes stuff of the progress I've made on my creative projects (and a personal touch of things from my non-work life); recommendations is all about other peoples' books, with reviews, collaborations, and such; and content is a serial story I kinda designed for the email format (semi-inspired by podcast stories). I like talking about my projects (and that also makes the audience aware of and invested in my projects), I like reading and talking about books, and I like writing stories and am fairly fast at writing individual scenes. All three of my chosen categories are things I like to do with a lot of options for content, and that makes it easier to work on it regularly.

A lot of marketing-type people will also bring up that what you're sharing needs to 'bring value' to the audience, so that people will want to open your email; but that's really broad, and the 'value' you bring can just be... entertainment. It can be fun to hear someone talk about something they like (or dislike, depending). So like, it's a consideration (you don't want to just be saying "buy my book" over and over again, you want to be giving back to people), but also it is not that deep.

Also! Don't be afraid to talk about stuff you're 'selling'. As long as that's not most of what you ever talk about, people normally don't mind--and also, how else will they know.

Also also: You will want to figure out an upload schedule that you can stick to. Typically, you want to find the sweet spot between 'regular enough that those who signed up don't forget you exist and unsubscribe because they can't remember who you are' and 'spamming.' That can be anything from once a week to once a month. Conventional wisdom states that you don't want to go longer than a month without sending an email, but there can be exceptions.

Addition to the schedule idea: I've found it helpful to figure out a consistent routine so I'm working on my newsletter regularly, and don't have to panic-write an email the night before sending out. I try to work on my next email for 10-15 minutes a day as kind of my warm up for other writing stuff. Sometimes I really need that time every day, sometimes the consistent schedule means I finish early and don't have to worry about the next email for a bit. You could also try dedicating a day a week to focusing on the email versus your story, etc. Basically, play around with it until you can fit it into your schedule in a way that works for you.

[DISCLAIMER: I have a "category three" content system with more or less weekly updates, and I landed on that because I am an over-achiever who can't make up my mind on a thing to focus on. You do not have to make my mistakes. You can just focus on One Thing and do it like every two weeks or something. That would probably be a good idea for starting out]

Growing details:

Then..... the other hard part (on top of the other hard parts lol). You have a newsletter now. How do you get people to join and follow you?

Well, some sites/services make it easier. For example, currently I'm with StoryOrigin, which is a service that allows you to do newsletter swaps with other authors (they promote your book, you promote their book, etc). This does require you to have some kind of "reader magnet," though--that could be a paid one, like your book, but those can be harder to find swaps/followers for, etc. Another similar platform is Bookfunnel, I think, though I don't know much about them (I did research once upon a time but that was Ages ago and I have ADHD lol)

[Disclaimer: I linked to both, but the link for StoryOrigin is an affiliate link, which just means I get something if you go with them. But I do legitimately recommend them]

The downside to both of those is that they are paid. StoryOrigin is 100$ a year, and Bookfunnel is 20-250$ a year. Bookfunnel has a more tiered system, and StoryOrigin has one price and you get everything.

Now, you might find that to be a worthwhile expense, but it is nonetheless an expense. It also isn't a magic way to get your book promoted; sorting through the different groups and swaps takes time, and it takes even more time if you do what I do and try and read anything you swap with (you don't have to do that, and most people don't; you can usually get by with some quick research), but I have chronic "what if I recommended the worst thing ever" disease, so.

However, while SO doesn't magically solve your problems, it does offer steady growth. I only properly started using their services in September, and I'm up to 215 subscribers. I'm also taking it fairly slow; I keep a tighter limit on my swaps (I don't want to spam readers with options, since I make a larger space to talk about the swaps), but I know other authors do like five swaps/groups at a time (basically just sharing the cover), and that can make you grow a lot faster. It kind of is what you make of it, but also it's still going to take patience and effort.

Other methods of growing your newsletter subscriber count: growing a following on social media and hoping that translates with landing pages and promotion and the like; directly contacting other authors you might know to do a swap; doing guest appearances on podcasts or blogs etc to get yourself better known; and most of all, be very patient, and be willing to make mistakes until you get good (those last are for any form of newsletter growth, tbh). I've, uh, only ever done the one way, so this part isn't as good as it could be.

NOTE: Feel free to experiment. You might not get it right the first time. You might need to drastically change your content to something you enjoy more, if you find out that your idea didn't work as well as you'd hoped. That's okay! Now's the time to learn and figure out, when you still have a small audience. Also, I've found that as long as you communicate with people, they tend to be pretty forgiving.

OTHER NOTE: While newsletters typically have a higher "return on investment" than regular social media, you're still going to be dealing with less numbers than you might think. For example, a good, healthy mailing list will have like 60% of people actually opening the email; more often it's about 50%. That doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong (actually it means you're doing well), it just means that the further you expand, the more you're going to get normal people who forget to open emails.

Other things to consider:

What email are you going to use for email list?

Typically, it's recommended that, if possible, you try and get a domain name email (connected to a website), because that will make it seem more legitimate and help it get through peoples' spam filters. Using something like gmail, since it's so easy to get an email from them, is associated with spam and as such it might have a higher rate of being blocked/flagged as spam. Getting a domain name email is a whole other can of worms, but it is something that should be considered. You can also start with gmail and then switch later once you have a more stable platform, but switching things like that can be difficult/a pain depending on what all is going on.

(also I think MailerLite requires you to have a domain name email?? I can't remember. But that it is another thing to consider when looking for an email provider)

Reader magnet?

This would probably go in the "growth" section, but basically--what extra incentive/reason do you have for people to sign up to your letter? That can be a short story or a guide or a piece of art or whatever, but it is helpful to have something to pique peoples' curiosity. Also, it's a good way to present what you have to offer in terms of setting their expectations for type of story, quality of writing/content, your knowledge of a subject, etc. And you tend to get more subscribers this way than if you don't have anything to share upfront.

YouTube:

Mailing List Research is a playlist of all the videos I looked at when researching. There are. a lot of them with varying degrees of quality and helpfulness, and it's a pretty messy overall. But there's some helpful stuff in there on a variety of mailing list topics. I was going to pick out the best ones but unfortunately I can't remember which those were. I think I removed the worst ones, though.

Podcast suggestion:

For marketing in general (and Instragram), it might be worth checking out Book Marketing Simplified (by Jenn Hanson-dePaula). She covers a variety of topics, and since she basically has a few core principles that she keeps coming back to, it can get repetitive after a while, but she's a good starting place. She has some episodes on email marketing and ideas for doing that.

Joanna Penn is another podcaster people talk a lot about, but the few episodes of hers I listened to were pretty supportive of AI so I got miffed asdfasdfas I should probably give her another go because I still have a lot to learn about everything, but I might go back to some of her older ones, pre-AI, if I do lol

If you'd want more resources, I could go digging more, but a lot of what I've used to learn has gotten scattered over the years, or is like a single episode from a longer podcast series, etc.

[justasmallbloginabigklainefandom]

London trip

Welcome back, "me doing the actual blogging thing" tag! I went to London for my first solo trip. It was a bit of a rough timing, since a family member died two days before my trip started. But everyone told me to go, especially since I really, really wanted to. I was going to see Starkid for the first time. I've been a fan since 2011 so it was MY TIME.

But yeah, here's my little blog.

April 25th

I left my place at 11:00 and arrived at 17:15 in London. I went to my hostel in Angel and you know, I initially planned on getting dinner, but then I realised that Angel and Embarkment were on the same tube line (it wasn't... really... lol District Line having parallel lines in zone 1) so I decided to try to see Cabaret after all. I had been thinking about it for weeks, but thought I couldn't make it. I arrived at the theatre half an hour before the show started and went to the box office. I bluntly said: "I'm going to be blunt, what is the cheapest tickets you've got for tonight's show?" and the clerk actually laughed. I got a ticket for £66, which is over €70 and that did sting, but I could afford it and I was there now, and well, someone died. I literally said "Fuck it" and did it.

They turned the entire theatre into the Kit Kat Club. You weren't allowed to film. My camera on my phone even got stickered. But I get it. The moment I entered, I was like "yeah, this is worth it". There was even a prologue with its own cast of performers dancing and playing music. I actually entered the theatre, like, 5 minutes before the show started so I could keep watching it. I also spent £7 on a pin.

The main reason I wanted to see Cabaret was because of Billy Porter and he was actually on as the Emcee. I liked his work in Kinky Boots and POSE FX, but I didn't know how much of a fan I was till I saw him. I was starstruck. Literally gaping at him, thinking "holy shit he is actually here".

I knew a bit about Cabaret, but not a lot. But I did anticipate the tonal shift at the end of Act 1 and actually wondered how many people knew about it. After all, the show was a fucking hoot. People cheered and clapped. And then the reveal that Ludwig's a nazi happened and the entire theatre just went silent. Act 2 was rough. I actually didn't recognise Billy as the Emcee in his final costume at all. And I also have to shout out Marisha Wallace. Her version of Cabaret was honestly one of the best moments of the entire show, and the entire show is filled with great moments.

Unfortunately, I was seated next to an awful couple. The man kept scrolling on his phone and smartwatch. The ushers tried to make him stop and during intermission I saw that they also singled him out. And the couple was constantly whispering towards each other and being flirty and all that, which is annoying in general, but... during Act 2 of Cabaret? Folks, the nazi's are taking over. They're honouring the Führer in front of you. This is not a cute date spot.

Luckily, I also spoke with some Dutch folks who were seated in the row in front of me. They were cool. How do they feel about the upcoming Dutch production with Chantal Janzen as Sally Bowles?

After the show, I decided that maybe I should eat dinner. I skipped it for a show. Also, I liked the area and walked around, but a lot was already closed. Eventually I ordered tteokbokki at Bunsik, and it was honestly a bit of a let down. And then it leaked in my Dodo Airlines shopper when I took it back to the hostel. I finished most of it on a bench outside Angel station, since I knew there was a party at the hostel's kitchen.

Ah well.

April 26th

The next day, I woke up fucking early. I planned on going to The Who Shop in the morning and early noon, but I woke up around 5:30 for some reason. After lying in, I decided to get some breakfast at Pret A Manger and just catch a tube to Upton Park, which is around 50 minutes to the east of London.

I was there before the shop was open, lol. I walked around a bit, visited a local market and all that. I love Upton Park, because it obviously isn't marketed towards tourists. It's just where people live. In fact, I stopped at a Pound Store to buy face towels (since I forgot mine), and I think the cashier was very confused to find out I am a tourist. I don't look like one, since I travel lightly and my English sounds very British, but the moment I have to use cash, I falter.

Afterwards, I walked to The Who Shop and I wasn't even the first person. I hung around for a while. I bought a book of Time Lord fairy tales, an Eleven screwdriver magnet, Sarah Jane Adventures stickers and a TARDIS creamer. I don't know why I was so enamoured by that creamer, but I was. I actually wanted to buy a TARDIS pencil case. I bought one in 2013 and it's old and I wanted a new one since I have more markers. I showed a photo to the cashier and he literally gasped and sighed and said "I haven't seen that in ages". But it wasn't there.

There was a dog there, though!

I thought about staying till 11:00 for the museum. I had been there in 2015, so a lot has changed, but waiting for an hour for that felt like a bad idea, especially since an idea had started forming in my head: since I was done with The Who Shop way earlier than planned... maybe I could catch a matinee show of Hadestown.

So I went back to my hostel, dropped my stuff, caught a tube to Picadilly Circus and went to the box office of the Lyric theatre. I asked if there were restricted viewing seats and there were some for £29. The clerk told me he could also give me a clear view seat for that price, so yeah of fucking course I wanted that. So I bought my ticket and crossed the road to Chinatown, which is one of my favourite spots (I'm Chinese, lol). I didn't have time for a big lunch, since ya know, Hadestown, so I just bought a bun with pork at a Chinese Bakery and munched on that. Then I went back to the theatre. I got led to my seat and I was shook. I had an AMAZING seat.

It actually wasn't, but it all worked out. I sat all the way in the back, next to the door that leads to the toilets. I was underneath the balcony, which cut off my view of Hades and Persephone's little balcony on stage. BUT I am tiny, so I barely had any issues with that and for some reason, the first 5 rows in front of me were empty, so I had a clear fucking view indeed. Like. Wow. I thought I got lucky with Cabaret, but this was insane.

I had seen Hadestown in London in 2024 and it's coming to Amsterdam, which is why I doubted on buying the ticket, but I am so happy I did since I actually liked this cast more. I had mostly principal cast of the main characters, apart from Orpheus, who was played by Sebastian Lim-Seet. I think it was his debut. I also didn't know I needed to see a South-East Asian Orpheus until I started crying during his introduction. His Orpheus was also a himbo. He looked for approval of Hermes. I also liked that before Wait For Me, he crouched down in the same position as Act 2, when Eurydice gets dragged back. I liked that.

I also thought Desmonda Cathabel was great as Eurydice. When she cried out Orpheus's name in Chant... I felt that. Her raw emotion was amazing. Cedric Neal was a great comedic Hermes as well. He loved playing the audience. And I also need to shout out Chris Jarman, who looked so joyful as Hades when he showed Hadestown to Persephone, and who looked so hurt and disappointed when she rejected him. The entire cast was great, but these stood out to me.

Another cool thing was that I was seated next to a couple. They'd never seen the show before and went in completely blind. It was honestly almost as fun seeing their reactions. They were absolutely shook when the theatre broke open. I spoke with them during intermission and they were so awed. The woman said she knew a bit about Greek myth and was prepared to be sad. During Act 2, when Hermes tells Orpheus he needs to walk in front without looking back, her hand flew to her mouth in shock. She realised how it was going to end. Oof. After the show, she also said: "I wasn't prepared!"

Then it was time for the creme the la creme: I Can't Believe It's Been A Little Less Than A Years. Doors open at 19:00, but I had to eat dinner. I ate a small rice bowl at Itsu, and drank tea. It was fine.

I arrived around 18:45 and the queue was already fucking insane. I also loved being around so many Starkid fans. There were amazing cosplays all around, and someone made a huge ass Tinky doll. It's a good thing I arrived early, because I immediately joined the merch queue and that queue was massive. It went all the way to the second floor. I think I queued 45 minutes. When it was almost my turn, the staff gave the 10 minute call and me and the people around me just started cheering cause we made it! I also almost was able to get a poster with their autographs, but someone else managed to get it since we were confused. Ouch. But I accept it.

The merch itself was, not gonna lie, disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I am genuinely happy with the hoodie and I liked it, but it was only apparel. I wished for some stickers or pins or other smaller knicknacks, but maybe it's because of tariffs. They talk a lot in the TGWDLM kick-off stream about how tariffs ruined a lot of their Kickstarter rewards plans, so maybe here as well. Really fitting, since the entire ICBIBALLTAY show had the story that Starkid tries to flee the USA because of the Trump administration.

The setlist also surprised me. There were a lot of songs that usually don't get a lot of love. They started with This Is The End, which surprised me. And then Land of the Dicks? Orphanaged at 33? Hot damn. Of course, Cinderella's Castle had also just been released on YouTube and so they did songs of that as well. I loved the transition from Ever After into Last Forever. And fuck yeah they did 3 Spirits and Status Quo and Happy Ending. And many hoped to hear Axe Man, since Corey and Bryce are both in the cast and they delivered. I also liked how Gilderoy introduced the band and people lost their shit during Hatchet Town. "I am Dan Reynolds!"

There were a lot of little moments that I enjoyed, like "I'll impress Luna, that dog of mine!" or the gag where they are told by the producer that the queen has died. And the "It looks like your dick has run away." "... I am talking about my wife." Or the "It is time... to BACK OUR KICKSTARTERRRRRRR!!!". And of course, the married couple duet with Brian and Meredith and... Joey and Jamie. Jamie slashing Lauren away and singing about Diane and it's amazing.

They did songs from every show apart from AVPS and Black Friday. It wasn't till I got back to my hostel that I realised that they didn't do Granger Danger!

I am probably forgetting a lot of stuff, but man, this night was phenomenal. I called my mum the next day and even said that I kinda wished someone could see me, since I was so fucking excited. You think I was starstruck seeing Billy Porter? That was nothing compared to this. I can't believe I finally did it. I finally saw Starkid. After coincidentally running into Joey and Lauren in 2016, I saw them again. It's... Yeah... I was either speechless or screaming my head off. The entire audience was insane. I made a mental memo to bring earplugs for the next day, purely because the noise from the audience was deafening.

The show ended and when they were doing the photo, they heard the Kickstarted got funded. So cool, because Jamie introduced it in Act 1 and now it's funded.

Starkid, man. I love Starkid.

After that, for a second, I considered stagedooring, but nah. I usually don't stagedoor and waiting for so long didn't appeal to me. So I decided to stop at a Sainsbury's since I was hungry and many things were closed. I bought a pack with six pre-packaged chocolate croissants for, like, £2 and that was what I ate at the hostel's kitchen with a cup of tea.

April 27th

Unfortunately, I slept terribly. I was staying in a 9-people room with me being on top bunk in a three-tiered bunk bed. And the noise wasn't as awful, but the beds kept shaking when people moved around, and it felt like people kept coming in and out during the entire night. I gave up on trying to get more sleep and went to Pret A Manger again.

Also, due to laws, shops aren't allowed to be open for longer than 6 hours to protect workers (YES!), which means I couldn't go to shops till 12:00, when most open. But I saw some markets were open, so I travelled to Camden and folks, it sucked. Not only was travelling to Camden hell, since it was insanely busy in the Underground, but being there... the market was nothing more than touristy shit. I walked one lap around Camden and left. I did see a Forbidden Planet store, where I bought some Cult of the Lamb coasters and a pin. And I got a free one. I have no clue what Cobra Kai is, but thanks!

Around, I think, 11:00, the Museum of Transology had opened. This is one of the non-show things I wanted to visit. I expected a small expo, but it was big and gorgeous and I didn't think a pair of undies would almost make me cry. I heard about it, since someone from the Daltonfic Discord has something displayed there, namely a zine that shows their trans journey, using the words of Philosopher's Stone. The entire exhibition was honestly overwhelming and gorgeous. I highly recommend it.

(That's the photo I made to send to Dorian's partner.)

I got a pin and stickers. I wanted to donate, but they didn't accept debit card, only credit card. They thanked me for wanting to donate. I had to leave, otherwise I would've stayed, but I had to catch another show. The Lightning Thief was the only other show that I had booked before. It's off-West End in Victoria. On my way there, I noticed some... runners...

Since I stayed at the Museum of Transology for longer than I expected, I, uh, skipped lunch. But luckily, I had put some of those awful chocolate croissants in my bag. I ate those during intermission.

For the Lightning Thief, I got, once again, really good tickets for, like £35. I was on row 2 on the right side of the stage. It was so fucking close, I could see them up close. I did sit at the side, and had to see some backs every now and then, but I loved it and loved the staging. It was cool to see how much they could do with only a couple of set pieces. I also bought a magnet.

I got an u/s or s/b for Percy, Annabeth and another person. I forgot to take a photo of the cast list. I am checking the website now, and I guess Sally. Rachel Moran was on as Sally and Alex Waxman for Annabeth. I, for some reason, cannot figure out who played Percy. I think it was Angus Benstead, who usually plays Grover, so maybe he did Percy and someone took over for Grover, but that also doesn't seem correct. Maybe it was Greg Stylianou-Burns, without a beard (his headshot has a beard). Damn, I should've made a photo of the sign saying who plays who.

The entire cast was great, although sometimes Percy didn't reach his high notes, but his emotional acting was off the charts and made up for it. And he found his footing in Act 2. I really, really loved Clarisse's actress, Kenedy Small, too.

I also sat next to a grandma who was supposed to go there with her grandson, but her grandson had to work unexpectedly. So I talked to her and she was lovely. She's a huge Percy Jackson fan, and so is her grandson. Shout out to the "My grandson and I saw the movie when it premiered. We hated it." Going to a show aimed for kids was a wild ride, though. So many little kids, who cannot sit still and eat crisps loudly. But it was fine enough.

After the show, I went to Leicester Square for Jollibees. I had promised some of my Filipino mutuals to go there. It was another non-show thing I had planned. They told me to get the spaghetti, so I did, and a coke. But it was so fucking busy. It was insane. I was lucky to get a seat outside on their terrace, because being inside was stifling. But it was so busy with... runners. On the tube to Leicester Square, I saw more runners. I thought it was a thing in Victoria, but it was everywhere in the tube and I realised there was probably a marathon somewhere. But yeah, I liked the spaghetti. My Filipino friends told me to also get the chicken, but I am not a big eater. A small spaghetti and a medium coke was enough.

I was so tired, by the way. Again, I slept terribly. But I decided to go back to Angel, to my hostel, to drop stuff and pick up my new hoodie to wear to the show. Since I knew I could skip the queue line, I didn't arrive till 19:30 or so, and the admission queue was still outside.

And yes, I sat in the audience and I was so tired, but I knew I would wake up once the show started. And that was true. By now I knew what to expect since I had seen the show the day before. They came on wearing medals and they joked they all did the London Marathon. Oh, so that explains all the runners. Apparently one of the biggest marathons of the world took place. It was 40km long, passed many iconic landmarks, and it had over 56k runners and I didn't see a thing since I was watching shows. Lol. Lmao even.

The show was fucking great and I am so glad I bought the ticket. I had bought the Saturday ticket when the sale started, but I bought this one on Thursday, the day before I left, since I originally wanted a show on Sunday, but there weren't many available so I thought "... why not go to Starkid again?". I am so fucking glad I did. No other show could compare. My seat was slightly worse than Saturday's seat, but still a great one and during intermission I spoke with someone who said they'd seen 3 shows this week. Crazy, right? I was like ".... girl, this is my 5th show in 3 days."

To my surprise, they did If I Believe again, which was supposedly the Saturday exclusive song. Luckily, they still did Boy Toy, but they skipped The Way I Do. I do not know why they did it, but hey, I got Boy Toy, so I am good. And a little moment I want to point out is that when Joey did his monologue about Lauren leaving him, someone yelled "I'll marry you, Joey!" and he was like "Oh, well, that will make the citizenship thing easier."

But yeah. Good show. Good show.

After the show I went to Angel. I originally planned on eating xiaolongbao at a restaurant there, since I knew I was going to be hungry after the show. But I was just so tired, so my final 2 rancid croissants came through for me. And I knew I could eat xiaolongbao on Sunday as well, so I just went to bed.

April 28th

Luckily, I slept well. For some reason, only six people were in the room and everyone went to bed around 22:00 - 23:00, so no people coming in and out. Hooray! I still woke up around 7:00 and got up around 8:00. I decided that today would be the day to do some shopping. After all, I had no shows. If I would go to a matinee, I'd risk missing my train back home.

I literally called my mum and was like "What do I do in London without a show to watch?"

I bought 160 teabags for my parents from Sainsbury's and called my dad. And by then it was after 9:00 and I had mistakenly believed that Beijing Dumpling would open around 10:00, so I decided to skip Pret A Manger and go there. I did stop by at Boots in Angel to buy hand sanitiser and bought, like, a chocolate and nuts bar. But then I decided to save my appetite for dumplings.

Well, Beijing Dumpling was closed till 12:00.

So I decided to go to Waterstones Picadilly, since that one was open from 9:00. I looked around and saw interesting books, but I also knew I wanted to go to Gay's The Word, since I planned on going there. I did buy a cat cable holder for my sister. Then I went to the Forbidden Planet megastore in the hopes of finding more new stuff, but it was disappointing. There wasn't a lot of video game stuff. There were some IPs I love, like Zelda, Kirby and Splatoon, but the stuff was either too expensive or not fun. And the only Persona thing they had was a Persona 5 The Animation keychain and I skipped it, since it had the A in it.

By that time, it was 11:30 so I decided to walk to Beijing Dumplings and walked through Covent Garden, which is a nice place. I did like Covent Garden a lot. On my way, I passed some market stalls and they weren't filled with touristy shit. I walked past a stand of handcrafted crochet trinkets and actually walked back to buy something. By that time, I had spent a lot of money but I bought the cheapest thing: a flower for £5. And I loved it. I think this is actually my favourite thing I bought, since it felt like such a hidden gem. I walked around with it, feeling so joyous. I am sad I forgot to take a business card.

I arrived at Beijing Dumpling, just before opening time. And I got approached by an Italian couple who asked me where to find the ravioli on the menu. And I was like "... ravioli?" "Yes, we want to eat the ravioli." Girlie, you're in Chinatown. But then the woman pointed towards an image of a dumpling, so I understood. They called dumplings ravioli. So on brand for Italians. They wanted Chinese ravioli, I guess. I showed them the dumpling part of the menu and they asked "what was in the ravioli" so I tried to explain the different dumplings, but they didn't really get it.

Since I had no show to attend, I decided to take my time. No fast food this time. There was a minimal of £10 spending for dining in, so I ordered pork xiaolongbao, which I came for, and hot and sour soup, and Chinese tea. I got a pot of tea for £1,80! It was so fucking good.

The Italians were seated next to me and I gave them a thumbs up when they also ordered some fried dumplings on top of their xiaolongbao and they liked it. They also looked at how I was eating it, but hey they did well and used chopsticks. Shout out to this white girl that stabbed her jiaozi with a fork.

I spent a bit over an hour there. I also wished I could go to Bun House, since I went there last year with my mum and loved it, but I was full. Instead I went to Gay's The Word, which was also on my list of non-show things I wanted to see. I took the tube to Russell Square and passed the ugly ass Russell Centre. The bookstore was fucking amazing. I had heard a lot about it and it delivered. I bought two books, two postcards and a pin commemorating 40 years of Pits and Perverts. They also had a flyer of the Dutch asexuality organisation, so that was neat.

I was sad to leave, just like with the Museum of Transology, but staying there for ages for "no reason" felt weird. On my way to King's Cross, I passed a park and took a break there. For some reason, I fucking loved this. I also got free Wi-Fi there from eduroam, so thanks University of London.

But around 15:00, I went to my hostel, picked up my stuff and travelled back to King's Cross. I arrived at 15:45, got through customs at 16:00 and my train left at 18:04. I grabbed an expensive sandwich and a drink from the Pret A Manger there and that was it. I sat next to a family of three and it was fun when they spoke about seeing Book of Mormon and I said I saw 5 shows. I wish I could've seen a show on Monday, but again, seeing a matinee might make me miss my train, so ah well. I still watched, uh, 5 shows in 3 days. 7 in 4 days if you count the Next to Normal bootleg that I watched on the train to London and the Hedwig bootleg that I watched on the train home.

I arrived in Rotterdam at 22:30 and stayed at my aunt's.

That was it.

Starkid teased (as a joke?) that they will return next March. Maybe I will too, cause this was probably one of my best trips ever.

[marco-newgate]

Marco X CisFem Reader

7

You had initially thought this date wouldn't be so bad. You were wrong.

What you thought had been a Big Lebowski crack when he met you at the bar was actually a jab. He'd never even seen the movie. Who hates on bowling? You didn't mind a little sarcasm, look who you're surrounded by 24/7, but this guy was sort of mean about it.

He's a surgeon and a good one apparently, well known by most of the patrons surrounding you. One of which he got into a heated argument with. The attractive redhead eventually noticed your embarrassment and apologized before going back to his table. Law didn't apologize though; he actually didn't seem to care at all that you were embarrassed by all of the gawking their outburst had caused.

This cocky shit.

Super hot..cocky shit

The server came and picked up your menus. When he turned and asked what you wanted Law spoke instead ordering for you.

"I hope you don't mind." He started, "You seem like the type who will order the cheapest thing on the menu... to be polite or course."

Rude!

Well, there was truth to that but it didn't need to be pointed out.

"Excuse me for a moment." You smiled and stood.

Once you reached the ladies room you fished you phone out of your clutch furiously dialing Nami only to get her voicemail.

"Why would you set me up with this gorgeous asshole?? You are totally gonna pay for this."

Me: Worst. Date. Ever

Ace: Its all in your head. Give the guy a chance.

Ace: you didn't want this to work out in the first place.

Me: shut up

Me: he's a colossal ass

Ace: I'm not rescuing you so give it up and go back to your dinner

Me: I hate your dumb freckled face!

Ace: I love you too my darling sweet best friend

You sighed in defeat tapping your free hand on the counter as you scrolled through your text log and stopped on Marco's name. You could do it, but you also knew he might actually show up. And as much as you wanted him to, you also didn't.

Ace sat on the sofa chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny yoi?" Marco asked rounding the corner.

"Oh F/N was trying to fake emergency her way out of her date." He waved his phone, "I told her she had to suck it up."

"She wouldn't ask if she didn't have good reason, right?" The blond slipped into his favorite teal hoodie that hung by the door.

"She's just being difficult because she didn't want to go in the first place. It's for her own good. You should have seen her before she left." Ace turned to face his brother wiggling his brows.

"That's OK." Marco shrugged.

He'd honestly rather not see you dressed up for a fancy date.

"Where you going?" Ace asked suspiciously.

"The bar. Not that I have to tell you anyway."

_____________

"Will you stop sulking?" Thatch placed a shot in front of his brother.

"I'm not sulking yoi."

"What's up with him?" Shanks nodded toward the depressed blond.

"Nothing." Marco replied.

"He's upset because F/N is on a blind date with Trafalgar Law." Thatch laughed earning a sharp glare from his brother.

"She's hating it by the way." Marco started, "She was texting Ace."

"Not surprising." A female voice chirped from the other side of Shanks.

All three males turned to the pinkette.

"That guy has a terrible attitude. He's super hot though."

"Not helping Bonney." Thatch chuckled.

Bonney shrugged continuing to munch her order of nachos.

Marco spent almost two hours at the bar getting pity drinks from women who thought he'd just been dumped. He sat slumped forward eyes barely open, mentally torturing himself. What if the date took a turn for the better because you decided to give him a chance. A surgeon certainty sounded better than a high school art teacher, right?

Thatch : Can you come get this sad sack?

[[ Image received from Thatch ]]

Me: Yes! I'll be there in 15 or less.

You shook your head at the picture of a completely wasted Marco slouched over Thatch's bar.

"Everything ok?" Law inquired.

"Ah, yeah. Seems my friend got pretty drunk and I need to go pick them up." You smiled retrieving your keys from your clutch.

"I'm sure we'll see each other around." He smirked handing the valet his ticket.

"Sure. Thanks for tonight." You nodded and made your way to the mall parking lot the next block over.

You were so glad to get away from that stuffy place. Tossing your heels in the back seat you shifted into gear and turned onto the main road.

"Over here." Thatch pointed to the end of the bar.

"Hey F/N! You're looking well ~" Shanks winked as you passed.

"Charming as usual Red." You smiled slipping into seat next to the blond, "Oi...pineapple ~"

"Heeeey F/N." Marco smiled turning his sleepy gaze to you, "When did you get here yoi?"

"I'm here to take you home you drunken goon." You laughed.

"I'm n-not drunk." He hiccupped.

"Oh of course not." You stood as Thatch rounded the bar to help you pull him off the stool.

The drive home was quiet until Marco started fumbling with your radio. You didn't mind, you shared the same taste in music. He opted for a Blue October CD that was already in turning it up before slouching back into the seat.

What if we could

Where would we go

If it felt right

Would you want me to know

I would meet you

Would you meet me

Wildly appreciate lyrics for the car ride. You skipped to the next song.

"Sorry yoi." The blond murmured.

"For what?"

"You had to leave your fancy date to get me."

You chuckled, "If anything I should thank you. You saved me from having an awkward 'I'm not coming home with you conversation."

"He was gonna take you home yoi?" He sat up.

"He didn't say it...but I have a feeling that's how most of his dates end."

Marco frowned, "Bonney said he is super hot yoi."

"Well, I can't deny that." You looked at the pouty drunk, "But he isn't my type."

"I see." He relaxed.

"Think you've sobered up enough to walk a little? The boys aren't home and I'm sure pops is asleep." You asked pulling into the drive way and parking.

"Mhm." He hummed heaving himself out of the car.

"I mean I'll help you, idiot." You grabbed your shoes and shuffled to steady him.

"Ya know, you look really nice tonight yoi." He commented snaking an arm around your waist.

"At least someone acknowledges my effort." You laughed, "I thought it was customary to compliment your date."

"He must be blind yoi."

"Thanks." You flushed.

The two of you shambled into the house.

"Where do you want me to drop you? I'm not risking the stairs."

"Couch yoi."

"Your yois are more frequent when you're drunk." You commented earning a flushed glare from the blond, "What? It's cute don't worry."

He seemed more flustered as you plopped down on the sofa together.

"You wanna sleep out here? I'll get you a blanket and some water."

"Yeah thanks." He yawned stretching out.

After getting Marco situated you retired to your room to get comfortable.

What a weird fucking night.

A light tap brought you back to your door. Rubbing your makeup remover wipe over your face you opened it revealing a swaying Marco.

"Sorry yoi... I forgot to give you your shirt." He said far too loudly in the quiet hallway.

"Hush, you'll wake pops." You pulled him into the room.

He held up a small brown bag and plopped down on your bed. You took it and continued to wipe your makeup off taking a seat next to Marco. The plain gray v-neck you'd given him four days ago now had an elaborate turquois phoenix soaring across it.

"Marco this is amazing." You held it up to get a better look at the intricate detail of the curling flames.

"I'm glad you like it." He replied sheepishly.

"Like is an understatement." You wrapped your arms around his neck.

Before you knew it his lips were on yours.

[chibisquirt]

Unfortunately, I appear to be getting into tufting.

I haven't gone off the deep end yet. I did buy a latchhook and some grid cloth so I can paddle my feet in the rug-like waters, but I haven't bought anything else, not even any yarn for it! (I'm so virtuous.) (I actually am so virtuous; I'm severely weak to yarn.)

But I have been watching rug tufting videos... and looking up tufting guns online... and plotting how I'm going to go about this...

It's a problem.

The fact that, if I get good at it, this could become a viable side-hustle... is not, actually, any less of a problem.

Anyway here's all the shit I'd need to buy to actually get started with it, along with long-range plans for equivalent pieces. Under a cut for the sake of all y'all's humanity:

Tufting gun

This is the big one, and I find myself in a bit of a dilemma on it: you can get them for cheap of aliexpress, but like... do I really wanna trust something that came off aliexpress? I have not gotten anything off there, and while I have no evidence it's any worse than amazon, I have no reason to think it's any better, either. (Actually, I'm pretty sure some of the amazon listings at least *are* the aliexpress listings, being re-sold. So, avoid that one, at least.)

So anyway the tufting gun everyone says is the best runs about $250.

2. Frame

You tuft by shooting fibers into a grid made of fabric; in order to do that, you have to have the grid solidly suspended in the air. This requires a frame.

Price varies by size.

3. Tufting fabric (or equivalent)

This is the fabric that you shoot the fibers into. You can also use monks cloth or burlap, apparently. (Not to be confused with the other fabric, backing fabric, which goes on after everything else, and is what the rug actually sits on.) Not too bad, not too bad, monks cloth is about $15/yard.

4. Yarn

Not my *immediate* starting cost, just because oh god oh god I will be swimming in vanna's choice until I die, but yarn is also not the cheapest thing in the world. You can get two skeins of red heart super savor for about $15-$20, and it goes up from there.

5. Glue

Once the fibers are in the monks cloth, there's nothing really holding them there. That's why you have to glue the shit out of them! Recommended glue is carpet glue, Roberts 3000 or 3085 or something. A gallon of that is $25, or 4 for $50 at Home Depot.

6. More glue!

Yeah, you didn't think we were done, did you? Once you've glued all your fibers in place, you cut out the rug from the grid fabric and glue the edges down, this time with a different type of adhesive. Tutorial I saw recommended hot glue and spray adhesive, which, since I don't have a glue gun, means I'd be looking about $25 all together for them.

Once you've got that done, you can add your...

7. Backing fabric!

Non-slip is good if it's going on the floor... you can do a 6' by 6' square of this for $35.

8. Trimmers

Teeeechnically, I already have some trimmers, but if I'm gonna do this with any seriousness, I don't want to use those for it, because they're designed for human hair and rugs are made with sheep hair (or hair from the noble acryligoat). You can get trimmers that come with a little guide, too, which is super handy if you don't want a giant gouge down the middle of your rug. Call these $40-50.

9. Scissors

Once you've gotten your rug shaved--not a euphemism--you want to go in and outline each color with scissors to give it definition.

So all of that comes to about $500 if you're thrifty. 😬 And then you consider the costs that repeat, like the next batch of tufting fabric and yarn, and the costs that add on as not-essential-but-nice-to-have, like yarn cones, extra frames, labels... It is Yikes.

Buuuuuut... If I were to start selling them... I mean, you can get hundreds of dollars per rug. Per small rug. A thousand plus for a big one! So I do kind of think it might be financially viable.

Better to start it as a hobby first, though. And maybe be prepared to have a pretty big initial layout. :(

[28dayslater]

Doing the purchasing today. Three quotes for one order, all around a grand, go for the cheapest one bc we are #skint. Send the PO, get an email 10 minutes later, "oh sorry I fucked up the quote it's actually 150 quid more, is that okay" (why would it be okay?) "No, cancel the order please." Swiftly move on to putting it through under the next cheapest quote then he comes back scrambling "um er well before you cancel it can I maybe drop the price" "yeah we've had a quote for £15 more than your original price if you can match that you can have it" "Ok we can do that." CUCKED. You think you're scamming us out of money bc you're too thick to do your job right? Not on my watch

[crazy56u]

Just woke up 15 minutes ago, let's do this.

Once again, no saga sell. Meanwhile, in a pre-SAG-AFTRA Strike Hollywood...

Why do I get the feeling this guy was originally meant to be played by Kevin Costner?

"So, no filters." So, I take it this is at least in the 90s?

A movie where a scientist clones shit, I think I saw that on MST3K.

And right off of the bad, we're waxing poet about scripts. That's how you know this aired after the Writer's Strike ended.

Hey, look who finally decided to show back up to work!

I still say Tom's getting retconned through Ben preventing the time skip at the end of the season.

"This is the stuff dreams are made of." If that is meant to hint at my earlier theory being correct…

I swear to God, I thought Ian was wearing a red hat.

I feel like this was the cheapest episode to make, given how this was filmed without sets.

April 4th, 2000. Two fours, and a leap year, so of course Not Kevin Bacon died.

Hey, Ben, look on the bright side, this is pre-Jimmy Fallon-era Tonight Show. ...but, that does mean Jay Leno...

"Old address", teah, sure, keep telling yourself that…

Ben, I'm willing to bet you just lost him.

"Damn, I really suck at this Hollywood thing. … Addison, can we do commercials early?" "Yeah, why not…"

"Who loses Neil Russell?" People who don't love him?

And Ben commits a federal crime, and opens another man's mail.

A backyard wedding? In 2000?

And Ben almost gets run over by Roman soldiers.

"I think I may have blindsided people this morning, I don't think they expected me to come back to the show."

"What do you think about your first leap?" "…technically, wasn't that the bank robbery one?"

You know, while we're wasting time with this Tom and Addison shit, we could've seen more of Ben hitching a ride with the Romans.

"Hey, Rachel, no biggie, but I saw a thing on a computer, and I'm slightly freaking the fuck out."

Ben's got a golden ticket, this is the closest we will get to him leaping into Willy Wonka.

Look, who among us hasn't found themselves lying on the floor?

Ben, the biggest sitcom on TV was Full House, shut up.

…why is Neil's life slowly turning into Season 1 of Bojack Horseman?

"We get him to Leno, everyone wins. Literally the only time someone ever said that ironically."

"Look, please, I know I crashed your wedding, but I wanna get married again, this is 100% not a nervous breakdown."

"He's a sidekick, he's not a leading man! He doesn't vaguely remind the audience of Bojack Horseman!"

Uh oh, the badass brought out the whipping stick!

"Oh, wait, you're an agent, I'm not mad anymore."

"I don't wanna think, I don't wanna talk, I just wanna go on a boat-" "Okay, let's calm down!"

I wonder how Jay Leno must feel knowing this entire episode is built around him…

"I was quitting way too soon, we're only 15 minutes in!"

"We're winning Laura back!" And Ben and Addison low-key have a stroke.

Meanwhile, in... Blade Runner, I guess.

"Ian? Why are we in the blue dimension, and why do I suspect it involves Project-bullshit?"

What if it turns out this chip was what Jenn was talking about, and nothing else secretive was going on?

"Unless you find Ben, you'll never have a TV show."

Ian, you know what show you're on, you fucking know lying won't work in the long run.

"I can deal with your savior complex." That was a straight faced lie.

…was he calling Charlie Sheen? "Charlie Carter." Okay, thank God- okay, they're connected to Katzenberg, nevermind.

"You know, I once helped a bounty hunter-" "I thought you were never going to talk about Las Vegas, Summer?"

"How do you know she's the one?" "Because if she ain't, I'm getting on a boat and dying at sea."

And Neil indirectly shames Addison.

"And you're just drifting through life, lost, putting right what once went wrong-"

"We got flowers, we got the opera legend, we just gotta commit a crime!"

Robbing a wax museum. Only in Hollywood.

Addison, you can't keep shitting on Ben behind his back, he will find out, and he will get pissed.

"Ben's earned a little leadership. As a treat."

And Magic delivers some awful books. (ba-dum-ching!)

We're now in a horror movie, hot fucking damn.

Okay, I legitimately almost screamed after Not Yoda Jumpscare.

Is Not Jason Vorhees about to spring to life, I legitimately am getting freaked out the longer we stay here.

"Just get the tuxedo and go." "POLICE, OPEN UP, WE KNOW YOU'RE ROBBING THE WAX MUSEUM!"

Ben, you know what you have to do: Help Neil pick his cuffs, and escape the cops.

I don't like how quickly Ben learned the Hollywood magic of gaming the system.

But, hey, at least the cop took the bribe.

I don't know how Jenn is able to read that book, if that spotlight is shining directly at her like that.

I technically called it about that chip thing.

"So, that shitty chip is the only think letting us find Ben? Ian, no offense, but you suck at this."

"This is destiny, Summer. You know what happened the last time I tried to talk my way out of an arrest?!"

"Did Plan A go wrong?" "Ben, Neil almost got fucking arrested, what do you think?"

"It's about his daughter." "No, it's about Laura." (why-not-both.gif)

Addison, that is what we in the field like to call "Overplaying Your Hand". Now Ben's mad mad.

We have officially reached the "Relationship Bullshit Event Horizon".

"Hey, Frank, why is that agent yelling at a ghost about being abandoned for three years?" "Forget it, Jake, it's Hollywood." "I fucking hate you for making that joke."

"You know what else I did? (pointedly leaves the Imaging Chamber)"

Addison, no offense, but I'm still on Ben's side, not yours.

"Hey, Summer, why do you look like your heart got stomped on? Come on, we gotta crash a wedding!"

There is a non-zero percent chance that mug has bourbon in it.

"Hey, Addison, I know you and Ben had that fight, but I gotta talk to someone about this chip-"

"We have a few last minute flowers." "Ma'am, I know that Neil is hiding behind them."

"Summer, the bushes ate our tulips. I told you this would happen!"

Okay, having quickly looked this up, The Wedding Crashers came out in 2005, so if it turns out Ben indirectly caused the movie to exist-

"Neil, look, you're very sweet, but I am now convinced this is a nervous breakdown, do you need a blanket, or…"

"Look, time's passed, neither of us are the same people anymore. ...I can't help but notice your agent has that look on her face, so maybe that relates to her as well, but, I gotta go get married, have fun."

I'm actually impressed that Neil didn't bolt while Ben was busy apologizing to Addison.

"We still have 'The Tonight Show'." "Nah, fuck that, call me Ishmael."

[Annnnnnnnnd text limit!]

[describingcolours]

This reblog is a bit old but its come across my dash again and i wanted to reply cos right to repair is absolutely crucial and yeah the voyagers are constantly maintained by a team of professionals.

Everyday objects that we have in our homes should be able to be maintained by the everyday person, this is also true.

My dads washing machine is somewhere between 20-30 years old. It still works amazingly well. The only maintenance its ever needed in all that time was draining when the pipes got blocked.

I recently moved into my own place. The washing machine left behind was 3½ years old. I used it twice before it broke. I got someone out to figure out whats wrong with it and i was told that it wasnt worth fixing, i was better off getting a new one. I trust this person on this sort of stuff more so i got a new one. Cheapest one i could find cos im not made of money, and its still got too many functions, too many ways it could irrevocably break the machine.

My dad is not careful with his appliances. He doesnt look after anything. The person who owned this house and appliances before me was a houseproud woman who looked after everything as best as she, a layperson, could.

That is the point my original post was trying to make. Maybe its not a 1:1 comparison but i have a great appreciation for space and space missions and all the work people put into it.

And like yeah, i get your point about phones but 15 years ago, you could replace your phone battery with no problem, no fuss. This year, the company who made my phone pushed an update that bricked the battery and when i took it instore to get the battery replaced, i was told it would need sending off and factory resetting just to change the battery.

My house is 100 years old. The foundations are still strong, the timber still sturdy. The walls and floor without issue. My dad's house is 25 years old. The walls are cracking, the floor is buckling, the foundation in shambles. The toilet was slow filling and when he got someone out to fix it last year, it took the professional 4 hours just to get the part he needed to get to and found that the og builders had just thrown together a bunch of ill-fitting parts that meant he had to redo the entire fucking thing. My friend's house is 3 years old. The bathroom has flooded twice, theyve had someone out to fix stuff in the kitchen 5 times. The seals in the windows have already blown. There are holes in walls where there shouldnt be holes.

My 1924 sewing machine still sews. Just needs a new treadle that I can easily replace. My 2019 sewing machine freaks out when i try to use it for anything thicker than a tissue and i wouldnt even know where to start if one of the inner components stopped working.

Walking boots 35 years old that i borrowed from my mum still wearable and waterproof with a little polishing and upkeep. Walking boots i bought 5 years ago, the soles came off and then wore through within a year.

Its not just that we dont maintain things as well anymore. Its that either we can't (think phone batteries. Or that people just dont have the time or energy to do so) or things generally arent made as well as they used to be or a combination of both.

"People dont maintain things like we used to" and "people are unable to maintain things like we used to" and "companies dont build things to last or be maintained" are all sentences that co-exist without any contradiction imo.

This got away from me, i didnt mean to write all this much. Points can be made about how as technology gets more complicated, of course its gonna get more complicated to maintain but there are things that are complicated to maintain that dont need to be.

And, idk, i just think we need to look at why that is

"well youve had it 6 years that's a good amount of time for that kind of thing to work"

"you should be grateful you got 3 years of use out of that thing, I'm lucky if mine last a year haha"

listen, in 1977 nasa launched the voyager spacecrafts to take advantage of a planetary alignment that takes place every 175 years. These 2 crafts were planned to flyby the outer planets of our solar system and gather data on them to send back to us. Voyager 2 launched first on the 20th of August despite its name because it was planned to reach our gas giants after its counterpart voyager 1, which launched a little later on the 5th of September.

The voyager mission was planned to end 12 years later in 1989. In that time, voyager 1 and 2 passed by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. They discovered new moons, confirmed theories about Saturn's rings, found the first active volcanoes found outside the earth, and they take close-up images of planets only seen at that point from telescopes.

On the 25th of August 1989, voyager 2 encounters Neptune, the last planet in our solar system the voyagers will meet. And that was that. End of mission. Now obsolete.

~

Less than 1 year later on valentine's day in 1990 voyager 1 looked back on the planet that had built it and sent with it a world's worth of hopes and dreams and took a picture. We called it the solar system family portrait and in it, we see ourselves. The pale blue dot nestled in the darkness of space

And then commands were sent to shut down their cameras. Preserve fuel.

35 years after launch, in 2012 voyager 1 sent back to us data about interstellar space. The very first manmade object to enter it.

41 years after launch voyager 2 did the same. Still operational, still going. Still sending back to us invaluable data, teaching us about our own solar system and the suns influence in our local bubble of space.

They are expected to continue to operate until the year 2025 - almost 50 whole years after they were launched and 36 years after their mission was supposed to have ended.

48 years of harsh space travel, battered by solar winds, pulled by gravity but fast enough just to escape, pelted by who knows how much space dust and radiation.

And even after that, they still have a purpose. Each craft was given a golden record. A disc filled with human knowledge and knowledge of humans and the planet they live on. Greetings and well-wishes to any prospective extraterrestrial life that could potentially pick it up. Co-ordinates, an invite. Samples of our music, the things we love, sounds of the earth, a story of our world. The surf, the wind, birds and whales, images of a mother, our moon, a sunset. Long after the voyager spacecrafts go dark, probably long after we are gone, they will still be doing their job; educating a species about our very tiny corner of the galaxy.

They are nasa's longest-running operation.

And it was all done using 70s technology.

So excuse me if I want a phone that lasts more than 2 years or a vacuum cleaner that doesn't break down after 6, or god fucking forbid, a refrigerator that will keep my food cold my entire fucking lifetime.

[the-firebird69]

2700 usd

It has two batteries and it makes it long range it's a mid drive motor and it has two shocks in the back two in the front and it is an outrageously great bike truthfully it is mid engine yeah and the mileage is about 150 with 150 lb person is there a sun on it would be about 90 miles which is plenty says you can probably just take those batteries out and put new ones in and the batteries are not gang batteries they're lithium it's not really a massively high quality that's why it's inexpensive if you put two high quality lithium in and you can get it to work somehow it'll go like 300 miles and in the city they do that no you don't have to but here in the states they would and it goes as far as a car on the fill up and you can rapid charge this is the cheapest bike that's electric I've seen it in my life it should be cheap they're not expensive to me and wonder how they can get it here and you're going to and the name of the bike is

"Bolt"

And we think someone sent the cartoon back yeah and in honor of this

It is by ampersand energy and they have an ampersand emobility company. They did not threaten to put this out there now they did but it's Garth and he's kind of stupid no we could use some help. You think it's awesome we do think it's awesome or some likes it he says for 2,700 bucks you'd have to try it it's like an expensive eBike

Thor Freya

It's really not bad and I have tried it and it works and I weigh around 200 lb and it went 80 miles on a charge which is plenty and it takes 30 minutes to charge 45 if you empty it but really you never really empty it cuz you can't no I've seen things before this is great this this has to take off if it doesn't to definitely is a big problem

Mac Daddy

It's taking off slowly you think this is going to make it go fast and people here want it already it's a good name he says he named it and we made it the other day or named it the other day it's kind of true it was a year ago no there's a few years ago and he said to name it bolt and we like it and there's a ton of them not not that many but comparison it's like 1/2 of 1/10 of a percent but now people see it doesn't cost anything to charge you charge it at your house and you're off and running and if you get the real batteries which cost a lot and those would be about $500 each which isn't that much when you think about it you have a 15 minute charge enjoy your house and you can do it out there and people would make money they still do but boy this is this is crazy people are going to go nuts they're already bothering me about it and I didn't even put it out there and they're saying how do you do it and all this s*** I said you just buy inexpensive parts that work and that's what we do is it amazing bike I tell you I think this might be too much but hey we going to print it I'm going to be on electric avenue LOL doing conversions he says oh yeah kids tons of them and I conversion kits that I'm going to make them now

Garhh

Olympus this is great so we're going to print

[beaversatemygrandma]

some yapping

not all too much has been going on lately between work and home and my entire side piece off the table for breaking parole... I've been invited to two weddings on the same weekend in may which left me a choice of which one to go to. And obviously I chose the more local one so i wouldn't have to drive an entire state north, just an hour south. Small drive, casual dress code, not my shitty side of my family, bf's uncle. Yeah. That one is a bit better. I won't look like an out of place poor person who just drove 8 hours in the shittiest car those people have probably ever seen. (I'm lucky that thing goes over 60 and doesn't shimmy some days. I don't like taking it on the highway.) Anyways, the bf's uncle took us to the mall and straight up bought us a bunch of clothes. Himself. Very not careful with money. He got a full outfit, shoes and all, that was a total of like $300. And a few other shirts and such. Like. Damn. This uncle intimidates me a bit. But I got an outfit out of it too, but just pants, a cute shirt and sweater (that were on clearance bc i don't like when people spend THAT much on me.) Tbh, i regret not asking for shoes as well. Could've been nice and clearly this man has money. I mean, calvin klein, nike, brooks brothers... the cheapest things in those stores were $15 socks. Insane actions tbh. (It is evident that I try not to spend more than $20 on damn near everything.) Either way, solid excuse to not be the white trash attendant at my cousin's wedding. I'm the dirty little poor person there.

But the actual thing that's been entirely on my mind way too often. Yep, the guy. Who's currently in jail waiting on a court date that's in two days now. He really is actually calling everyday, checking in, making sure I know that I'm appreciated, and just trying his damnedest to keep in touch. Though, he did miss one day. Just yesterday. I get a message that he wouldn't be able to call. And to add on that, and i quote, "I miss you more every day." again stating that I am his best friend, which was closely followed by using the L word again. ...Holy fucking signs here. Like this emotionally went from situationship to wants me romantically far more than before real quick. And the weird part of it, even with this entire situation going on and the red flags on him getting redder, I can't even complain. I actually like him and he's nothing but an emotional green flag. It's just all the other stuff. I know he'd treat me well. He does. It's just literally everything else.

It doesn't help that i had this dream last night with him in it. I don't remember much of it but i have this vivid memory of one part. We were in this dimly lit office space with a couple other people. In the corner there was this L-shaped desk with a computer. He was there, using the computer, shirtless for some reason. And had two more tattoos other than what he already has. They were black and red and honestly looked like they were freshly drawn with sharpie. I ended up kissing him and leaving him to whatever it was he was doing and going off with the other people who were there. There's definitely a reading on how i see him there.

Just everything with him feels nothing like casual anymore. Even with this distance now. Sure, I'm at a point where we could just slowly stop talking and it probably wouldn't hurt too much. (over time, if he just Stopped, it would Hurt. Bad.) But I genuinely believe that with the right environment, he could actually be a perfectly fine person to be with. With the right motivations, he doesn't fall back on old habits. I've seen it. I've seen improvement and it's possible. It's not always a straight line up, there's always fluctuations. Some days are better than others. But then again, he admitted to having started using shortly after getting fired from the job we met at, but slowly and rarely at first, and then a bit before he got caught having done that, he was basically doing it once a day or every other. Then again, i did notice some things that were off and I have very much learned that this is somebody i need to call out on random errands that don't really make sense. ...and yet i still believe in something positive out of him. Somehow.

It's just now that it's been revealed, i know exactly when it happened. Just don't know how or where. And I'm not that type of person, but i swear if i end up going further with him, I'm going to end up having to be the one who keeps tabs on him and forcefully deletes a few contacts on his phone. Yeah. I need some more time to process this shit and a bit of separation is definitely helping me do that. Because all he's been is somebody who was constantly available for a while, suddenly not as available (now i think i know why), and was an escape from a dead relationship.

A few days later edit: because it's actually been hard to even put my own thoughts together here. I already wimped out of having this conversation with him. I sent a message that was essentially all i had put together, he asked me if i wanted to talk about it more. I ended up telling him that i was in a different headspace earlier in the day and i couldn't even think of how to start explaining it. I couldn't even put together more than saying "it's a back and forth thing." Because i still fucking care and i still believe that he can indeed improve.

And apparently the court does too. This is a good thing. So, the court hearing was today. He has been offered something that's similar to a parole sentence, but it's more in line with regular drug counseling, tests, and that sort of thing. Just a forceful support to get sober. And essentially being free to continue his goals of being in school and working for something more with his life like he had been doing. Currently there's a 2 week wait to see if it gets approved by the system that's offering it. It seems promising because there were people who were part of this system who actually recommended him as part of it because he is a promising individual for it. So I swear to god if he doesn't get approved. Because he really does need actual help and not to be treated like a criminal for having a health problem. You know, actual help and rehabilitation. So there's a good chance he'll be out in two weeks. If he doesn't get approved, it's like a year in prison. So. I swear to god. He's a safe person. He just needs help and that's The Help.

Plus, it didn't help my worrying spiral of thoughts of if this is good or bad and waiting for what the court says when i get this notification that somebody else in the prison is trying to contact me. Freakier part: I recognized the name. I didn't accept this, obviously. I'm only talking to the person i trust who's there. Apparently why he couldn't call last night was because he was getting his dorm changed because of This Guy. I asked him about the name through a message earlier because it was just concerning me. And as soon as i answer the phone earlier after the greeting was "First thing, Do NOT accept that. That's the piece of shit i had to move away from and I must have accidentally forgot the note with your number on it." Then proceeds to further emphasize how big of a piece of shit this guy is and how much I should not accept that. And again, obviously I wasn't going to. I think I'm more curious about what happened between those two now. I want the tea there. That was an aggressively protective set of statements and he cut off me asking about how the court date went (bc that's what i wanted to hear about) just to say all of that. But it was bad enough that he got shifted around just for the two weeks that he'll be there.

Either way, if that system does approve him, I honestly think there is a chance and it's not as chaotically unhealthy as I've been afraid of. I know he tries. I know it's a hard thing to get past. He does want to do good. Last week, i ended up giving him a whole talk because he was going on about how he felt like he failed everybody he cared about. I told him that he can make it up to me by actually trying and succeeding. Then because the biggest one is his daughter, i point out that she's 5. I don't remember anything before 8. He still has a chance to not fail her if he gets his shit together Now. He took that statement and ran with it. Just knowing that she is still young enough to not even know about this stuff. He's just gone for a month this time around. A month at 5 may feel like forever, but in the long term, she's not going to remember that. Anyways, a very strong motivation for getting sober again and staying that way. I really do think it might just work. Just a bit of a positive statement every once and a while when the thoughts go dark and focus on the negative.

(As you can see, that quickly back to positive. Even after rereading a lot of those previous words. I swear to god he better get approved. He's got a chance.)