#dude i can eat really nice for a month with that money

[adr1025]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN DRAGONS DOGMA IS 70 USD NOOO

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

DPXDC prompt: Dead on main. No trick only treat.

~~Сhildhood friends and deals~~

The Justice League has to summon a ghost from another dimension to address the threat. They don’t know what price the Ghost King will take but there’s little time to bargain. Another spirit threatening them has already seized all the computers on their base. John doesn’t know what else to offer. A summoned ghost starts to look bored. Gold, jewelry? A favor from a member of the League? Like the Ruler of All Dead needs it. No one dares to make another offer, and the King is in no hurry to set out his demands. Maybe try to pull off a soul sale scam?

Suddenly, Red Hood breaks into the hall, walks up to Phantom and shakes his shoulder vigorously. Red Hood: You, get Technus out of here right now. I need access to the files and fast. Phantom: That’s rude, dude. Where did you grow up? in the cave? No "hello, no how are you, Danny", really? Red Hood: I’ll pay the usual price. Phantom: Deal.

What is the price? John sees Batman and gets in his way. The usual price, his guy said. Means Jay was already out of the deal alive and well. This hyperprotective bat would only piss off the ruler if he interfered.

The King quickly deals with his subordinate using a thermos and remains to watch working Hood. Red Hood: What do you want? I’m busy. Danny: You and I have a contract~ Red Hood: All right, all right. Jay throws M&Ms right in the face of the ghost. But king doesn’t look angry. He opens the package and starts sorting the candies by color. Phantom quickly eats up all the green ones and passes the red ones to Hood. Jason takes them without any questions.

Strange. John has never seen a summoned creature share its reward with a human. And the son of a bat looks too comfortable with it. Wait, since when do super-powered beings think that candy is a decent wage?John makes one of the most likely deductions using his experience. Constantine: Batsy, how long has your son been sleeping with the King of Ghosts? Batman: He…what?!

~~~~~~~

Dick *knocking at the door*: Little Wing, you hate ectoplasm and everything what is neon green, so why? He’s dangerous! Jason who turned on the music to not listen to his crazy family: ~He’s poison but tasty~

Dick: NoOOoo

~~~~~~

Jason: And now everyone thinks that I sold my virginity to you for a bargain or something, because interdimensional creatures like you aren’t supposed to help for nothing. Like you’re playing favorites. I’m gonna fucking kill John. Danny: Well, I wouldn’t say no to that. Jason: What? Danny: I mean, to k-kill John, yeah. How dare he.. Jason: Omg, you’re still so terrible liar, Fenton.

Danny: Sorry :(

Jason: No. Say it again.

~~~~Twelve years ago~~~~ Maddie wasn’t thrilled to learn that Danny was trying to make friends with Todd’s son. Their neighbor was terrible. And his son was definitely a street rat and probably a juvenile delinquent. Maddie: Danny, honey, there’s got to be a reason this boy is talking to you. Even kids from the crime alley are always looking for a bargain they can make or a fool they can fool. Danny: But Jason is so cool! He knows so much about books and alleys and.. Maddie: But you don’t want to be a fool, do you? Danny: Okay, Mom, I get it.

So, if Danny wants a cool friend, he’s got to offer a bargain.

He didn’t have a lot of pocket money for every month but Jason needed it more anyway. And his lunch that Jack was picking for him was big enough for two and only bitten on Tuesdays. Nice. Jason: Do I understand correctly? You will pay me and give me food, and I, what? Protect you from bullies? Danny: No! I’m not weak, I don’t need to be protected. Just..maybe we could sit together at lunch and walk each other home sometimes? Jason: Nay Danny: But why? You want something else? Jason: Money’s fine but your homemade food is…strange. Danny: I can bring sweets if you want. Jason: Deal. 3 pop tarts for a joint lunch, a party size bag of M&Ms if you waste my time out of school.

~~~~

Sometimes they share sweets when they hang out but more often Jayson takes them home to save in case his parents have money problems. Sweets have a long shelf life stored and he may not be afraid to poison himself. Over time, candy becomes their currency and a secret language for all occasions. Need help without unnecessary questions? M&Ms. Problems with learning? Skittles. The question is about family? Snickers. There will be a serious conversation? Pop Tarts.

Jason: One snickers and a pack of gum. Danny: Yeah, Jason? What do you want? Jason: My mom wants to meet my friend. Come to lunch on Sunday. Danny: Okay, you managed to pay for my expensive services. Jason:…and you just lost the gum from the deal.

~~~~~~

Jason threw a package at Danny: Three pop tarts. We need to talk. Danny: All right? Jason: Why are you avoiding me all week?! Danny: Well, it’s just..you’re Wayne now. Jason. Still Todd. And what about that? Danny: You can hang out with the cooler guys now, I didn’t want to embarrass you. Jason: Bullshit! I’m still the street rat, and you’re trying to avoid our contract. me. And I don’t even need money from you anymore. What the hell? I thought you are my friend. Danny: And I am!

~~~~~~

Robin: What’s a schoolboy doing in an alley at night? Danny: Um, I…nothing? Don’t tell my parents, Mr. Robin sir. Robin: It will cost you so many Chunky Bars, you have no idea. Danny:...Jason? Jason: N-no. Danny: Damn yes. What are you doing in green shorts on the street at night?! Jason: Cosplay. Danny: Oh yeah? Then I’m just your hallucination. Don’t hesitate to ghost me. I’m going home, Disgrace In Pixie Boots, bye. Jason: fu%&c$#u

[littlepuppers]

A thought to add to that fantasy:

The owners end up having to go on a trip again a month or two later, and seeing as you did such a good job last time, they ask if you can watch him again for two weeks. Even though you really don't want to, they pay really well and you could really use the money, so you end up in their living room as they hand you the keys and head off on their trip, his snout pushing between your thighs before their even out of the driveway...

mmmm yesss i mean unfortunately i need the money and they pay so much bc he’s a big dog and eats a lottt so i have to keep dog sitting him.

as we’re in the driveway, i push his snout away from me and walk inside. i pour food in his bowl and get myself a snack. i remember not to bend over or lean down too much bc of what happened last time. and i wore that stupid skirt again. why?? because i have to be presentable for the owners, they know my parents and will report back or get someone else if i seem like i’m a slacker. anyway, i literally can’t ignore the fact that his huge dick is just out bruh like have some courtesy.

i’m there for a couple hours watching movies and chilling on the couch while he’s on the floor. I fall asleep to the peaceful sound of gunshots from an action movie.

OW WHAT THE FUCK. i wake up in a panicked state feeling claws scraping my thighs. i look down and this damn fuckin dog has his head under my skirt and is nuzzling my pussy rn, licking it way too harshly. wondered why i had such an intense wet dream. ewww disgusting i push his head away but he’s not budging, he muzzles deeper and is tongue goes inside me. it goes in wayyy too easily bc im fucking soaked. WTF buddy get out please..i feel his huge tongue lapping at my walls and my legs start shaking. fuck i’m like about to cum in a dogs mouth this is so sick. my thighs start tightening around his head, then he stops.

dude. what. there’s no way this dog just edged me. fuck off.

he gets up to leave but then bites onto my skirt and drags it up all the way to my face. i playfully bite onto it, taking it from him and giggle. but all of a sudden his paws pin down both of my arms and i realize what position we’re in. oh my god no no no no no NO.

his hips go down and he starts bucking them trying to find my parts. so gross please don’t, not again. i squirm trying to dodge his scary MASSIVE doggy cock. he then lays his upper body down on me, putting all his weight on and pushes harshly into me. FUCK. god what the fuck. he ruts into me in and out so fast and hard, it hurts. i think his cock is getting bigger…oh shit. noooooo no no. please don’t. i try to push his paws off my arms and he snaps at my face, i flinch away and tears start running. he licks them off my face while still pounding me. the squelching sound and my whimpers fill the room it sounds so fucking inappropriate. i feel his knot trying to get in “NO BUD GET OFF!” he pops it in and finally stops thrusting. the feeling is overwhelming and i cum immediately as it goes in. buddy whines and barks in my face. i feel his liquid flood me. fucking disgusting. im still sniffling from earlier but i take deep breathes while his knot goes down. he continues to lick my face till im ok. that’s kinda nice. but not nice bc he knotted me without permission. “no treats later buddy” i say and then he starts shifting his hips, i gasp as he slips it out of me. i hear the liquid drip onto the floor and feel it gush out of me. sweaty and panting, im still laid out on the couch, legs spread, and there’s a disgusting doggy cum mess all over my pussy.

fuck…i look down and see it left his huge puddle on the couch. great, now i have to clean it all up. i get up carefully and start walking when my legs give out. i collapse on the floor, my legs are too shaky to walk. buddy walks over to me and is sniffing me, especially down there. he whines. i think he feels bad and wants to clean me up. i slowly and carefully spread my legs and he puts his head down, licking up my thighs and on my pussy. fuck it’s sore and feels really overstimulated, but um, kinda good ig. his head comes up and he licks my face, spreading his cum on me GROSS. i push him away and he trots away, growing another hard on. i roll my eyes, glad that didn’t go anywhere. i get up, less shaky now, and go to get the cleaning stuff.

i clean up the mess and forgot about his cum, now crusted, on my cheek. gross. i wash it off and sit back on the couch, exhausted even more now. i refuse to sleep near him again. what a gross horny dog. what is his deal seriously. he lays on the ground near me and stares at me, panting, his red cock out on the ground as well. god, can’t believe i have three more days of bullshit.

IM SO WET WRITING THIS

[lgbtlunaverse]

Fandom is so nice to Jiang Cheng's inferiority complex because in reality every single thing he gets accused of is something Wei Wuxian is better at than him.

Jiang Cheng killed Wei Wuxian? Nope. Didn't even get close. Wei Wuxian's own spirits tore him apart before jc could even get there. wwx:1 jc:0

Jiang Cheng tortures people? We get two and a half rumours and a mention from jin ling that jc has 'captured' demonic cultivators before, but who is also apparently confident that just letting wwx run off will kill the issue even though those earlier rumours said ~no one who sandu shengshou captured was ever seen again~

The word jiang cheng uses when he tries to talk big game about 'beating the truth' out of Wei Wuxian's is a word that carries the context of pestering someone to do their homework. Doesn't exactly strike fear into my heart.

Wei Wuxian? Excellent at torture. A prodigy. Did you fucking see what he did to Wen Chao? Dude didn't have fingers anymore because wei wuxian made him eat them. He ripped out his hair, burned his skin off, and then stalked him for several days just to prolong the pain. He forced Wang Lingjiao to bite Wen Chao's dick off and then made her shove a stool leg down her own throat! 10/10, no notes. Absolutely horrifying.

Meanwhile Jiang Cheng's idea of torture is getting a dog to bark at Wei Wuxian for a few seconds. Weak, unoriginal, I bet fairy was literally wagging her tail the whole time. 2-0

Jiang Cheng made the entire cultivation world believe Wei Wuxian was up to no good on the burial mounds and ultimately orchestrated his downfall? lol. lmao, even

It's a big thing in certain corners of the fandom to really zoom in one one particular phrase at the end of chapter 73, where after wwx and jc have their staged duel to make the world believe they hate each other jiang cheng tells everyone wwx has defected and become "a public enemy'' or "an enemy to the cultivation world" or whatever the translation you're familiar with decided upon.

(As an aside, something I really like about this line is that the last half of it is almost exactly the same, like verbatim, as what wwx told him to say. like, the chapter is really hammering home just how much jc is speaking from a script here. wwx tells jc to say "今后魏无羡无论做出什么事，都与云梦江氏无关." and jc says "今后无论此人有何动作，一概与云梦江氏无关" the only meaningful difference is that he says 'this person' instead of wwx's name)

I've seen it said that this bit, the use of 'enemy' was said without wei wuxian's approval, that jc deviated from the script just to hurt his ex-shixiong for leaving him. And that this is what caused all the other clans to turn against wei wuxian. Regardless of if this is what jc and wwx discussed, or if jc had malicious motivations for it (considering my conclusions above, you can guess where i fall) it doesn't really matter, because the novel tells us when the clans completely freak out and become convinced wei wuxian is out to get them (though of course they've been wringing their hands about it since the literal day wwx ran off with the wen, months before jiang cheng visited) very neatly in chapter 75!

It's when they find out about Wen Ning.

And how do they find out about Wen Ning?

Because Wei Wuxian took him on nighthunts! And they kicked ass!

...Wei Wuxian, my man, why are you on nighthunts??? Why are you showing off your incredibly cool sentient fierce corpse buddy, who is way better and stronger than all the other fierce corpses, in front of the whole cultivation world??

Whatever his motivations (extra money, maybe?? they were strapped for crash) I can only draw the conclusion wwx had already given up on appearing calm or non-threatening and didn't care if the clans thought he was a threat, because they'd believe whatever they wanted anyway. Which he seems to clearly be aware of the whole time.

Regardless, we know that this is what created the myth of the Yiling patriarch. It's literally when the title first shows up!

Even if you really believe jc was secretly plotting against wwx in chapter 73, he's clearly doing a shit job of it because nothing he said made anywhere near as big an impact as this. Flopped!

The other point people use to argue Jiang Cheng caused wei wuxian's downfall is Jin Guangyao's speech in Guanyin temple about how jiang cheng could have saved wei wuxian if only he stood by him. Setting aside that jin guangyao is trying to get into jiang cheng's head here, and isn't necessarily saying what he really believes (though it very well might be! who knows with a character like jgy. assuming he's always lying is just as misleading as assuming he's always saying the truth) the fact is, if you read the speech closely, what he's talking about is not the 'public enemy' line, he's talking about the bond between them. The fact that people wanted wei wuxian out of yunmeng jiang, because the two were too powerful together.

He's talking about that one time Jiang Cheng very publically kicked wei wuxian out of the sect!

Which, unbeknownst to Jin Guangyao, was in fact Wei Wuxian's idea the whole time.

final score: 3 for you wei wuxian, you go wei wuxian! And nothing for Jiang Cheng bye.

[ameliesopp]

Hunting grounds - Dean Winchester x fem!oc

Warnings: english isn’t my first language. fluff//semi-smut but not really.

—

"This fucking place...I don't think we'll get a table here", Dean said as they entered the fully packed bar.

"Maybe we'll have to share a booth", Sam answered.

Dean scanned the room and then his face lit up. He grinned and pointed at one with a lone woman, maybe a little younger than him, pretty face, wavy dark hair, sipping a beer.

"How about that one?"

Sam sighed defeated.

"Dean..."

His brother was already gone, got himself a beer from the bar and then casually walked up to the booth.

"Hey. Mind if we sit?", Dean asked with his most charming smile and the woman looked up.

"Not at all, please."

"Thanks."

Dean sat across from her.

"I'll get us something to eat", Sam said and vanished towards the bar.

"What brings you guys here?", she asked curiously.

"Oh, uh...hunting trip", Dean said.

"Wendigos or deer?"

Dean almost choked on his beer.

"Come on. I can smell a fellow hunter from a mile away", she said snickering and he snickered, too.

"Well, then. I'm Dean Winchester, the big guy at the bar is my little brother Sam."

"Nice to meet you, Dean. May Cartwright."

"May. Cute name", he said and she made a face.

"Eh. My sister's called June, if we had a third sister she probably would have been July, so. Not exactly creative.”

He grinned and she chuckled.

"So. Wendigo?"

"Actually we were just passing through but, if you know something.."

"There's been three attacks this month. Bears, they say. Idiots."

"Huh."

"Where were you headed?"

"Downstate. But it's nothing that can't wait a day or two."

"What can wait a day or two", Sam said as he sat next to his brother, placing a burger and fries in front of him.

"There's a wendigo here, apparently", Dean informed him.

"Sam, this is May. May, Sam."

"Hey", she said smiling and he smiled back.

"Fellow hunter?"

"Yup, there's been three attacks, but they think it's bears", May informed him.

"Because they're all idiots", Dean added.

"Right", May nodded grinned, before emptying her beer.

"Want some help?", he offered and May nodded.

"Please. If you're not too busy. Wendigos aren't exactly my favorite, especially not alone."

"Sure. You got it", Dean said.

Sam shot him a look.

"We...were on our way to-"

"Dude. There's a lady in dire need of our help, here. It can wait a day", Dean insisted and May snickered.

"Well, I appreciate it, guys."

Sam turned his head.

"Do you know that guy over there? Second table on the left."

"Nope. Why?"

"He's been staring at you."

"Since I got here. Which is part of the reason I'm still here, I had hoped he'd leave", she sighed, stroking a dark brown strand of hair out of her face.

"Where are you staying?"

"Motel. Other side of town."

"Got a car?"

"At the motel."

"All right, no problem. I'll drop Sam at our Motel and then you at yours. Make sure you get there safely", Dean said chewing. Sam shot him a look that said "I know exactly what you are doing".

And May did, too. But she didn't mind. Dean was really cute. Beautiful green eyes. Pretty smile. And she wouldn't have minded blowing off some steam.

"That would be amazing", she said with a smile and Dean winked at her.

She stole a fry off his plate and winked back, making him grin even more, fry caught between his lips.

Oh yeah, she had him right where she wanted him.

Same let out a little sigh. He was used to his brother's constant flirting. And the flirting back.

Dean finished his burger.

"All right, sweetheart, let's get this show on the road."

They got up and he threw some money on the table before following her outside.

"Whoa. Nice car!", May said impressed.

"Thanks. It's a sixty-"

"-seven Impala. I know", she said and got into the backseat.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"I think I'm in love with her", Dean said and Sam grinned as they got into the car.

Ten minutes later they had dropped off Sam at the motel and were headed towards hers, chatting about their lives.

"So. How did you get into hunting?", Dean asked when they stopped at a red light.

"Born and raised", she said chuckling.

"My dad was a hunter."

"Yeah, mine, too", Dean said and she had to smile.

"He still alive?", he asked and she nodded.

"Retired. After a vamp almost got him. Now I'm taking over. My sister never wanted this life but...I don't think there was any point in running away for me. I would have ended up here one way or the other."

"Yeah, me, too. It's a calling."

"Yeah, exactly."

"Is he a good dad?", Dean asked and she had to smile.

"He was a great dad growing up. Sure, he was on the road a lot, but... Taught us everything. When we said there was a monster in the closet he did something about it. He'd check under the bed, ridle in his hand, like it wasn't a game. I think he needed it as much as we did. Showed us how to protect our rooms, so we would feel safe. Taught me how to shoot, sent me to martial arts and self defense classes - but he also bought me my first lipstick and my first princess dress. He always said balance is the most importsnt thing in life."

She snickered at the memory and Dean had to smile.

"Well, sounds like you had a good childhood."

"Yeah. I really did."

"That's great. Happy for you."

"You didn't?"

"No, I mean...it sure as hell wasn't perfect. Mom got killed when I was a kid. Sam was still a baby. My dad never was the same after that. Taught us most things we know, but...I don't know. Don't get me wrong, he was not a bad father. Certainly could have done better, though. He did what he thought was right. Even when it broke us."

He swallowed and May tilted her head knowingly.

"Let me guess. Veteran?"

"Got it in one. Marines."

"My grandpa, too. They all come back a little messed up. Even if it's just from training."

They were silent for a second.

"Sounds like he meant a lot to you, though", she eventually noted.

"Yeah. He...kind of sacrificed himself for me, so...I know we meant a lot to him, too."

"Of course you did, you're his children. What father wouldn't die for his children?"

"Yeah, fair point, I guess."

He pulled into the parking lot of the motel and she pointed at one of the rooms.

"Over there."

Dean pulled into one of the parking spots in front of her room.

"Hey, uhm...thanks", May said. "For taking me home. And also...for not trying to hit on me now that I'm in your car and can't get away", she said with a little wink and he grinned as he turned off the ignition.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, it is hard."

"Oh, I bet it is", she said, looking him directly in the eyes.

That was definitely a dirty joke. A tease, almost a challenge. He saw it in her brown eyes, her dilated pupils. What are you gonna do now, Dean Winchester?

He leaned slightly forward, licking his lips.

"It really is."

"Do you maybe wanna...come in for... a nightcap?", May asked innocently and Dean grinned.

"Hell yeah."

She smirked as she got the room key out of the pocket of her worn out leather jacket to open the door.

"Make yourself comfortable, I guess", she grinned and he sat on the kingsize bed.

"Nice. Nicer than ours."

"Yeah well, I actually let people pay me if I get rid of the ghost in their house", she snickered.

"Huh. That's not a bad idea."

She giggled and dropped her jacket onto a chair. She was wearing a tight tanktop and tight jeans and it was messing with his head a little. Especially as she leaned down to grab two beer cans from the mini bar.

Then she sat next to him, both leaning against the wall behind the bed, and she placed her legs over his lap.

Dean just chuckled as he placed a hand on her thigh.

He had big, strong, warm hands. And she kind of wanted them all over her body.

But instead they just sat there, talking, drinking beer and eating chips as they watched TV.

"What's your favorite way to kill a Wendigo?", he asked.

"Flamethrower", she said chewing.

"Are you the coolest chick I've ever met?"

"Probably, yeah", she giggled and he laughed a little.

"Well, we killed one with those emergency flare things."

"Resourceful", she noted and he grinned again.

"Yeeah, we made it work. Hiking out in biker boots and jeans."

"Well, who wears shorts in the woods?! You're gonna get ticks."

"I so fucking wanna kiss you right now, wow."

May had to laugh and then sat up to climb onto his lap. "Then do it, coward. Thought you Winchester's weren't scared of anything."

"Oh, nobody calls me a coward, sweetheart", he said, grabbed her face and pressed his lips onto hers.

One of his hands rested on her waist, the other gripped her hair, her hands running through his hair and down his neck.

He pulled her top up and over her head, then took off his shirt.

She had a bunch of tattoos, but he didn't have time to take a closer look at them, because she wasted no time taking off her bra, too.

Dean attached his lips to her collarbone as he pushed her onto her back, her legs wrapped around his hips.

His lips left a trail of kisses down her chest and stomach, along one of her tattoos, then he opened the button on her jeans and she helped him shuffle it off.

He bit his lip at her Calvin Klein underwear and she grabbed the back of his neck to pull him up for another kiss, at the same time getting busy with opening his belt.

It landed on the floor, his jeans followed soon.

May flipped him onto his back to kiss him, her necklace dangling down against his chest, his hands running up her back into her hair, and then he pulled her head back to kiss down her throat.

A soft moan escaped her lips, which in turn made him growl softly as he pushed her onto her back again, hurrying to finally undress her completely.

May bit her lip as his mouth wandered down her upper body and when he reached his destination a deep sigh followed by a hum of pleasure came from her lips, her legs over his shoulders, her hands running through his hair and her eyes flew shut as her brain shut off.

Dean woke up with his arm over her hip, her back against his chest, he pulled her a little closer and kissed her on the cheek as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey", she said softly and turned onto her back.

"Hey."

"You okay?"

"I'm doing fantastic, sweetheart. You good?"

"Yeah. Last night was fucking amazing."

"Oh yeah? Glad to hear that", he grinned and bowed over her again.

"Mmh. You did so well", she told him, making him bite his lip before he kissed her again, when his phone rang and interrupted their moment.

"Oh shit. It's Sam."

He answered the call.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm still with May...yeah, we'll be over soon."

He hung up and rubbed his face.

"Shit. Okay. We need to hurry."

"We definitely both need a shower. So...might be quicker if we do it together", she said and he nodded as he rubbed his face.

"Yeeah, sounds like a plan. Where even are my clothes?"

"Somewhere on the floor."

She got up and he watched her naked figure disappear in the bathroom, where he soon followed her.

"I thought you wanted this to be quicker", he said when she pulled him into the shower and kissed him.

May made a face.

"I obviously lied, Dean."

Dean grinned.

"I like you, you know that?"

"Mh. You should."

And then she kissed him again.

Forty-five minutes later they stopped in front of the motel, Sam was already waiting for them, looking more than a little annoyed.

"Seriously, Dean?"

"What? She started it!", he defended himself.

"I did start it", she nodded and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Are you guys gonna be able to do this without it being awkward?"

"Why would it be awkward? We're adults, we can handle this", she said as she opened the door to the backseat and threw her backpack into the car.

Dean nodded very seriously, hands in his pockets, and his little brother raised a brow.

"You just had to do this, hm."

"Have you seen her? Uh, yeah, I had to do this", Dean said with a smirk and got into the car, too. "Don't be jealous."

"I'm not jealous!"

Sam followed him and Dean started the car with a grin.

"Nice. AC/DC", May noted when the music started.

"Oh, you like rock?", Dean asked.

"Sure. My dad raised me on Mötley Crüe, AC/DC and Stones."

"Good taste. You like Zeppelin?"

"Sure."

Dean exchanged a look with Sam that said "see I had to" and skipped to the next song.

After about half an hour of driving through the sleepy town and the outskirts of it they arrived at the edge of the nearby forest.

"This couldn't have waited until afterwards?", Sam hissed when he saw Dean check out May's ass.

"Nope. Absolutely not. It was...god, Sammy, I can't even begin to describe it."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"You need to get laid, little brother", Dean told him with a grin and May leaned against the car, also grinning.

"I know someone."

"See? She knows someone", Dean said, nodding at Sam.

"Shut up. Both of you."

"Or what?", May asked laughing.

"I'll feed you to the Wendigo", Sam said, playfully shoving her shoulder and she laughed.

"Not if I feed you to him first!"

"Oh, that I'd like to see!", he replied grinning and they continued their banter as they walked into the woods.

Dean had to grin as he shouldered his backpack to follow them.

Sammy liked her. Good.

Because if he was being honest with himself he didn't want this to be a one time thing. He was crushing hard on her already, maybe he could talk Sam into keeping her close for a little while.

Especially because he definitely wanted to get his hands on her again.

She had felt like she was made for him, he had never felt that with a girl before. Not even with Lisa.

May was different, special. He wanted more, couldn't get enough of her.

It had started to snow the night before, and so the path they were following was covered in blinding white.

The frost-laden forest was eerily silent as May adjusted the strap of her crossbow. The biting wind swirled through the trees, carrying with it the faint metallic tang of danger. Dean, who had caught up to them, now walked just ahead of her, his shotgun at the ready, and his signature leather jacket did little to block the cold.

"Next time we're taking a case in Miami," Dean muttered, shooting May a look over his shoulder.

She smirked, tucking a loose strand of chestnut hair into her beanie. "Oh, come on. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Back in the Impala with the heater on full blast," he shot back, though the glint in his eyes betrayed his enjoyment of their banter.

"Need me to warm you up, Winchester?", May offered grinning.

"Careful, I might just take you up on that."

"Stop flirting", Sam said, "and focus on the task at hand, please."

May placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Tracks," she whispered, pointing to the ground. Deep impressions marred the snow, leading deeper into the forest.

Dean crouched beside her, studying the marks. "Fresh. It's close."

His tone was all serious now, fully focused, but May caught the way his hand hovered near hers as he rose, just for a second, but obvious none the less.

As they moved forward, the forest seemed to close in around them, the shadows growing longer. May's heart pounded in anticipation, her fingers tightening around her crossbow.

A sudden rustle to their left made all three of them spin. Dean raised his shotgun, but it was only a rabbit darting away.

"Jumpy much?" May teased, though her own nerves were fraying, heart racing.

"Don't act like your heart isn't pounding, I can hear it from here", Dean just said grunpily and she giggled softly.

Sam gently nudged her shoulder and now she heard it, too. A low, guttural growl. It shifted to the left, then behind them, like a predator circling its prey, and they all spun around, following the noises.

"Incoming", Dean warned, and they all readied their weapons as the Wendigo burst through the woods with a sudden jump.

May flinched, immediately firing a dart at it. It hit its target, penertating the Wendigo's chest.

The monster let out a screech as it but it didn't stop. It launched towards her.

Dean immediately pushed her out of the way, both rolling over the cold, hard forest earth.

Dean turned onto his back, shooting at the monster still coming at them, and then Sam fired at flare at the Wendigo.

It burst into flames, screeching and howling as it collapsed into a pile of ashes.

Dean and May were both panting as they looked up.

"Nice shot. Both of yoh", Dean said.

"Thanks."

Sam held his hand out for him, helping him up, then Dean helped May up.

She made a face, rubbing her shoulder.

"Thanks for tackling me out of the way, but that hurt."

"Sorry, sweetheart, but that thing eating you would've hurt a lot more."

He gently fixed her beanie.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

She shouldered her crossbow and Dean placed a hand on her back as he lead her back towards Baby.

"I want to keep her around", Dean told Sam softly.

"What? Why?"

"Because I like her, okay? You had your chance with...Amelia and whatever their names were, this might be my chance at something real. I don't wanna miss out on that. Don't ruin it for me."

"I'm not ruining anything. I like her and she seems capable. If you think dragging her along is a good idea, fine. Be my guest. But be sure she's ready for that. You know we don't do casual, Dean."

"I know."

He got into the car, where May was already getting comfortable in the backseat.

"Hey, so, uh...Sam is cool with you sticking around for a while. Hunt with us and stuff", Dean said and May raised a brow.

"So you asked him before you asked me if I even wanted that?"

Dean furrowed his brows, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uuh..."

May snickered as she shook her head.

"That's kinda cute, not gonna lie. Yeah. I'd be happy to stick around for a while."

"Great. Welcome aboard, then."

[lefaystrent]

Friendly Neighborhood Criminals

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Pairings: platonic Patton/Dark Sides

Summary: Sweet, adorable, mild-tempered Patton who's just beginning to come out of his shell and learn that the world maybe does not in fact hate him for being born... has now been taken under the wings of some well-meaning criminals.

-------------------------------------------------------

Patton can't quite figure out how he ended up here.

Well, he knows he's in his apartment. He had saved up for months just to afford the deposit. And the landlord had been so sweet to take a chance on him with his credit, or lack thereof. Now he has a space of his own, a one bedroom with hardwood floors he can slip and slide on socked feet. He can go to the fridge when he wants and not be yelled at for eating the food or drinking the water.

And sometimes! Sometimes a black and white kitty cat roams the front steps. Patton's fairly certain it belongs to one of the neighbors, and she wears a collar. He's not supposed to pet cats because of his allergies, but he likes to let her rub her sides against his pants leg while he talks to her. It's nice because she doesn't tell him to shut up or tell him he's stupid or call him ungrateful.

This apartment is his new chance at life. A slice of freedom. And he's proud of it.

But then one night, three men break into his apartment. They probably think he isn't there because there is no vehicle parked in his one assigned spot. Owning a car seems light-years away in terms of money. It's not like he really needs one either! He has a bus pass and two legs to walk on!

Regardless, the three men break into his apartment, picking the locked front door, and they come in uninvited to see his apartment that he is very proud of.

His apartment that has no furniture.

"What the fuck?" Patton hears one of them say. As soon as he heard them picking the lock, he panicked and cowered behind the bedroom door. He huddles now on the other side, peeking out the crack and scared that closing it will make too much noise.

"Is this one empty?" another asks. They walk into the center of the small living area. It's an open space that melds into the kitchen, separated only by a short island counter.

"No, I've seen a guy coming in and out. Someone's been living here."

"Maybe they just moved out?"

"No, I just saw him earlier today. There haven't been any moving vans."

"Uh, bedroom then?"

"Oh God," Patton shudders in fright. He knows he's not supposed to think the worst in people, but these guys came in without permission with clearly bad intentions. What if they are looking for him? What if they want to hurt him? Or kidnap him? They had obviously been watching him for some time.

"Maybe. Let's check it out."

Terror slams into him. He throws himself away from the door and spins in the middle of the bedroom, searching for any place to hide. But there isn't one. There are no curtains, no bed to crawl under. There is a blanket on the floor with a pillow. He's been saving up for an air mattress as his next goal. He's been looking forward to sleeping on something somewhat soft.

The tiny closet has no room to hold him, and the window jams up nine times out of ten. They'll hear him if he attempts pushing the pane up and–

The door creaks as it sways open. Three men stare at a scattered-brain mess.

"Oh shit, he's here!"

"I thought you said he left!"

"I thought he did!"

Patton can't take it anymore. He throws up his hands and screams, "Please don't kill me! I can give you my wallet. There's not much in there, I'm sorry. Just please don't kill me!"

"Dude, is that where you sleep?" one of them gestures to the blanket pile on the floor.

Sniffling back tears, Patton responds, "Do you want my blankets? You can have them."

"Do you seriously live here, or are you squatting?" another says. He's wearing a hat. It's a very nice hat and Patton would tell him so if he wasn't about to pee his pants.

"I live here....it's my apartment."

"There's no shame if you're squatting. We won't tell anyone. Do what you gotta do."

A hysterical giggle tumbles out his lips. Patton shakes his head hard enough to give himself whiplash. "No, it's my place, I pay for it, I swear."

"You mean you live like this?" This one wears a dark hooded jacket, hood up.

"Y-yeah?" Patton stammers. He can't understand why they're so hung up on where he lives.

"This is..." the third one strokes his mustache, "Yeah, I can't even make fun of this. This is just sad."

"Do you have food in your fridge?" the hat guy demands. "Please tell me you at least have food in your fridge."

"Uh....uh... yes? Are you hungry?"

In answer, the hat guy strides with angry purpose into the kitchen. Patton can't see him from this angle anymore, but he hears the fridge open.

"There's literally only spaghetti in here!"

"It's...it's cheap to make." Patton doesn't know why he's explaining himself. Had he known that three men were going to break into his apartment, should he have prepared better meals for them?

"Can I have some?" the guy with the mustache asks, only to be cuffed by the hoodie guy.

"Dude, not the issue here."

"Why is there only pasta?!! Why don't you have any tables or TVs or a fucking bed?!!!"

The hat guy had gone past the boiling point. He hollers and slams cabinet doors like no tomorrow. Patton flinches and remembers too vividly of the atmosphere before the apartment. Before he was safe.

"I'm sorry," Patton defaults to how he's supposed to respond. He has been bad and he has to make amends. The tears overflow now and he can't get his shaking hands to wipe the wet streaks away. "I'm so sorry!"

"Oh shit, he's breaking. Virge, do something?"

"What the hell am I supposed to do?! I am not mentally equipped for this!"

"Janny!!"

The hat guy comes whirling back with all the fury of a storm. His shoulders heave. A gloved finger points straight at Patton.

"You!" he roars. Well, it's more like a hiss, but it sounds like a roar to Patton's sensitive ears.

"I'm sorry!"

"You have nothing to apologize for! Obviously, society has let you down. This is unforgivable. Deplorable! You deserve better than this."

"I do?" Patton questions, glasses askew and eyes wide.

"Yes. Come boys, we're leaving."

"Wait, why? Where?" Virge exclaims, waving his hands back and forth at everything and nothing at all. "What are we doing? This isn't the plan."

"New plan! Operation Do-It-Ourselves commences now."

And that is how Patton finds himself standing outside his apartment the next morning watching the three theives from last night moving furniture into his apartment.

He doesn't question if the furniture is stolen. He doesn't ask why they're going through so much trouble. He doesn't ever call the police.

He watches them bicker as they wedge a sofa through the door. He mumbles an answer when they politely ask him which wall he wants it pushed against. He eats the breakfast sandwiches that they brought him, and he feels like he's having an out of body experience.

Janus, the hat guy, directs the other two with confident authority. Virgil, the hoodie-clad one, fills up the fridge with groceries. Remus, the man with the mustache, shoves a mattress into the bedroom.

"What's happening?" Patton mutters to himself later. He thinks he's being quiet enough, but Remus hears him and throws an arm over his shoulder.

"Janus has adopted you. This is how it starts. It's best to just go with it."

Sweet, adorable, mild-tempered Patton who's just beginning to come out of his shell and learn that the world maybe does not in fact hate him for being born... has now been taken under the wings of some well-meaning criminals.

[brightlight-dazzlingeyes]

between the lines | interlude

rúben dias x original female character [+18]

synopsis: isabella is a sports journalist covering the premier league. she has sworn to never get involved with a football player. that is, until she meets a handsome portuguese defender. warnings: incorrect journalism references; timeline of events are not faithful to real life; i have never been to england; mutual pining; romantic comedy;  minors dni.

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

Interlude

“I think she wants you to sing to her!” Carlos exasperatedly requests me a lullaby. I’m sitting down on the floor in front of my floor length mirror, trying to do something nice with my hair. I'm getting ready for my first day back at work after a short lived summer break. My brother is on facetime, showing me my niece. “I swear, she was saying ‘tía’ a lot. I think she’s asking for the song.”

It’s August and I just got back to England. Getting drunk on Pinot Noir on as many Spanish islands as my money could afford was a goal I gracefully achieved over the break. Okay, maybe ‘gracefully’ is not the best word to describe my alcohol driven antics. But here I am, all pieces glued together, ready for another season.

This time last year I was a rookie in this League and by the end of the season I was having dinner dates with a Prem superstar.

None of that this time, tough. I've grown a year older since my birthday last week, and that means I’m only focusing on my career. For real this time. No more relapses, no more calls in the middle of the night.

So I sing Lucía a song and then I go to work.

“New year, new me, huh?” I point out as Melissa hugs me, she has a new hair color and is rocking a new makeup style.

“Isabella, it’s August.” Mel doesn't share my enthusiasm. “Also, I hate covering pre-season. I always end up making stupid decisions like going blonde or something.”

“What? You didn’t have fun in the US?” I’m still hugging her when I ask.

“Oh, shut up. Your insta stories didn’t help me either, you know?” Mel puts both hands on my shoulders and looks deep into my eyes. “But you had fun, right? You’re feeling good?”

“Yeah, of course. Feeling good. I feel great.” I nod, mostly to myself. “I feel amazing…” 

She agrees and continues to walk.

“I swear I wish I had forgotten most of these dudes' names.” She bites her lips looking menacingly into the horizon. I giggle, ashamed.

“I share the feeling.”

At lunch Mel ordered Japanese food and I just stared at the package for a full minute before deciding to eat.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” It’s the fourth or sixth time she said that to me, ever since she noticed something was off a couple months ago.

It was a Japanese restaurant but I almost didn’t notice at first, being too focused on something else. He wore a button up shirt and I felt like dying.

I remember saying something like:

“I don’t really like Portuguese food. Too many eggs. You guys put eggs in everything. Egg on the entrance, egg on the fish, for desert? Egg flavored cake. Francesinha is a sandwich with egg on top of it. That’s not where the egg is supposed to go, Rúben.”

And he laughed, he laughed at every joke I said. At the end of the night my jaw was hurting from how I smiled at him and I wondered if he felt the same.

It’s a double-edge sword, this whole falling in love thing. Even being the one saying goodbye, I still hurt like I was dumped by my first boyfriend at 16 all over again.

At first it was easy, everything can be a distraction if you try hard enough. But with time the thing I was trying so hard to hide became bigger and louder in my mind. The sound of the laughter, the clicking of the cutlery.

The realization that I chose this, standing outside of Wembley with a microphone in hand; over whatever that was.

This is fine, I’m great.

“How are you feeling about this season?” I question a random City fan outside the stadium.

“Good, yeah.” The lad shrugs.

“You guys already won everything, do you think the players-” I start, but he stops me.

“Nah, we didn’t win everything. There’s always more to win. We only got 3 out of 4 last season.” When he says that, I realize that around 20 meters away from me, in the distance, is the Manchester City bus. I walk faster.

The sound of wanting gets drowned out by a crowded pub and suddenly it's easier to breathe again and everything really is fine.

“Rice, rice, baby!” It’s Victor’s voice that gets a genuine laugh out of me. “I fucking love Wembley!”

We’re all meeting at the pub after the Community Shield game and the atmosphere is exactly like the first day back to school, but with a lot more beer involved.

“Please don’t tell me you have money on Arsenal winning the league.” Seb is sitting next to me, pointing his green bottle to Victor.

“I do. Yes, go ahead, laugh all you want.” Victor raises his voice, looking offended. “I’m not even being optimistic, mate, it’s just the plain truth.”

The entire table laughs and we almost can't hear when he continues. “They’re stronger this year, guys, hear me out.”

“You’re right to be confident, but personally I’m not putting money on Mikel.” Mel says.

I bite my tongue when they ask my opinion.

“I’m being a hundred percent professional this year, no betting, no guessing, just straight analyzing.” The table booed me and I raised my hands in the air, in surrender. “Hey, I didn’t even want to be here. I wish I was in Australia right now.”

“Don't remind me!” Mel sighs and lightly slaps me. “We’re literally the only women not covering the World Cup right now.”

“No whining! Come on, let’s toast.” Seb raises his bottle once again, but this time we all follow. “To a busy and long season!”

And we all repeat: “To a busy and long season!”

[sideeffectsofhavingnolife]

IPKKND S:1 EP-5

Thinking of doing a sprint instead of one each day.

Let me grab some tea and churn these out

Me, when high on chai.

Fifth Episode of Iss pyar ko kya naam doon, hoping for progression.

Her being surrounded by men, is just an uncomfortable feeling.

Stop it with the overreaction guys. It's clearly an accidental fall. They are acting like she had a sex tape released.

Oh! Hey Mom, who just came around Khushi after 4 episodes of sulking. Ready to be disappointed once again?

Look at Arnav watching their video, quite fondly, if I may say.

"Meri bezatti karni ki himmat na aaj tak kisi ne ki hai, na ab koi karega." 🙄 He is such a fussy kid!

I just saw Tees Maar Khan's poster behind them. A bit sad that fewer people went to that movie because they were busy watching Khushi's video. Khushi's got Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif beat. Nice going girl!

Oh there we go! The catcallers are here. Why are they always in a group of three though? It was the same in Ishqbaaz.

I doubt you all got even a penny in your pockets.

What the fuck is this acting! Lol!

Damn! The mother is very coy. I'd expect her to get in at least one slap.

A group of hooligans disrespecting women. Tick.

The sleazy dupatta pulling. Tick.

Pushing an elderly man off. Tick.

No interference from the crowd. Tick

Setting the stage so a younger man can magically appear and save the day. Tick

This is an every 2000s and 10s bollywood movie scene ever.

And our savior's got the iconic Salman Khan bracelet.

Could you walk a little slower dude? This way you might actually reach in time.

Why are there people just standing around. Like they are not even hesitantly walking by. They are full-on standing and watching as if that's what they stepped out for.

Yo! What kind of acupuncture pressure point did this man hit for the goon's hand to be shaking that much?

"Kaun hai be tu?" Honestly, I have the same question.

Holy Shit, He just made a 'I fucked you mom' comeback.

Not the shawty eating the watermelon.

More people just entered.

Did the bat just break after coming in contact with his arm?! Is this man unbreakable?

I think they forgot to put the snapping neck effect.

Not him instantly falling in love with our girl. Or does he know her from before?

Stop looking at her, my guy. She wouldn't want a man looking at her for the entire next month.

Also they don't know each other at all. This is an entirely new interaction. I need to prepare my second lead syndrome heart. Why are the second leads always the better choice?

Aghh! Bua ji please shut the fuck up! Why don't you visit the ganga ji yourself, perhaps in a kalash?

Ooh, they are going to delhi? Nice, develop the plot.

But does she really think that Delhi is the place to learn 'sanskaar'?

Ab Bua ji ko bahut problem ho rahi hai.

Oh his sister's still here.

It's the divorce you alll.

Nah! This man is really such a child. Isn't it embarrassing to talk such emo shit in front of his employee.

"Di relax, please." He got so triggered.

She saw the news? But didn't she see it live, I am pretty sure she was there.

I know Khushi feels bad but Payal literally has nothing to do with any of this, yet she is trying her best to cope with it.

"Soch ke hi to kiya hai." This bastard is so turned on by this stuff.

"Aapka pati kaha hai?" Lol.

He is gone, boy, they are divorcing.

I am kinda digging this dynamic more.

No! Tease him more. I can just tell she is gonna be a big shipper of Arnav and Khushi in the future.

Khushi! Girl! I love your spirit but please don't make this worse. This isn't as bad, you should learn to be less dependent on your parents. It's about time.

Yeah! sure this makes you so much less suspicious.

Wow! they really pulled up to the news station.

Does she think that they would have even an iota of regret about it.

At this point she would have to take it to the court which she is likely to lose because well, money.

Dubey ji and Chaubey ji. Right, Not at all fictional.

"Uske liye to aapko Delhi jaana padega!" So it's Arnav then.

Oh, so now they feel bad.

"Hum galat the" Well, that was easy.

Now she knows!

Not that she could do much about it anyways! But atleast she can hate him more viscerally now. And that's what we want!

Okay Byeeee!!

Onto the next one, I go!

[polyamorouspunk]

Heyheyhey!!! How’s yr day been? Mine’s been ight, i’m going to another country in a week and i’m super nervous. I don’t travel much ;-;

I think it’s gonna be fun tho!! Do you travel much? Have any tips for the flight n stuff? Have a good day dude!! Oh n how’s the kitten? Osiris? They still around?

Osiris’s new hobby is hissing and growling which is entertaining because she’s still small enough to scoop up with one hand without much thought or effort.

I do have experience traveling a lot!

Sometimes people have trouble popping their ears during altitude, so bringing gum or something chewy like starburst or something can be helpful, even just as a backup.

Planes are VERY loud, I usually pre-download podcasts before my flight and just jack up the volume while I’m on my flight.

If you flight at night they usually turn the lights to dim so people can sleep. Water/ice is usually free, everything else usually costs money. It generally more worth it to just bring your own snacks.

The airports I’ve been to recently don’t have you take out liquids or meds or electronics or anything anymore which is nice, just shoes and jackets, phones, and jewelry.

It gets boring if you follow the whole “2 hours early” thing, so be careful of not draining your phone battery before your flight. Eating is a good way to pass the time, but food cost money obviously.

I’ve traveled by plane twice within the past 4 months, and I’m about to fly out again at the end of July.

My day has been pretty good all things considered. I’m keeping busy at work on tasks that I’m enjoying. When I get home I’m probably going to schedule some time to have a small/short depressive episode because I sent a… not like a “risky” text but like one of those texts where you say something and you’re 99% sure you’re not going to hear back what you actually want to hear, so like gotta build in some time to mope before I go to sleep so hopefully I don’t go to bed depressed but I’m not checking it here so I have to mope around work depressed either. Really gotta think this shit out.

I hope you have a lot of fun on your trip. Since I’ve started traveling by myself I’ve loved it, but my mom and I always traveled together growing up as well. It’s been especially helpful to feel like I can escape my problems here, even just for a short while. Turn my brain off from work and interpersonal relationships that aren’t going well and keeping up with chores and just… live in the moment, truly. Especially with my best friends.

[rottenfleshnbones]

uhhhh vent ahead so im putting a keep reading in case yall dont wanna see it

im so fkn sick of my mother. so fkn sick. she put this dude inside our house whos an alcoholic n turned her into one too lmfao its old shit yk they keep going back n forth for almost 6 years now and let me tell you i only relapsed sh n eventually got an ed bcuz of that. she kicked him out and it was nice while it lasted bcuz last month she put him back there w the excuse of "nooo he has covid n cant pass it to his aunt" cuz hes fucking BROKE n spends all his money on alcohol, got no house got no car got no NOTHING. hes the worst human being ive ever met. n she does NOTHING abt it. my mother owns the apartment n pays every single bill (water, electricity, cable, wifi, etc) so ???? he lives there RENT FREE so the least thing he should do is share w her the grocery ticket he got n bc of that he kept saying he was feeding me, that my father does nothing to me, always fighting w me, yk the drill. mind you im only alive cuz of my father otherwise i wouldve tried to kms again already. its so freaking tiring, yk? cuz hes there all the time and always looking up to see if im gonna eat anything (i literally refuse to, that's why i started starving) so he can shit on me. i hate this fucking life. i know i'm a sinner, god is disgusted at me, but do i really deserve all that? idk. i feel like i need something to escape this prison n sh is all i can think of, cuz its there immediately (unlike starving), and i'm afraid i'll end up an alcoholic like both of them. i like drugs but i dont wanna be just like them :(((

[thessalian]

Thess vs Stripping to the Bone

I was doing a brief Facebook check and found a thing that probably amazes me more than it should.

One of the groups I follow is a Critical Role fan group where they mostly show / sell CR-related crafts but also lately have been selling just general CR merch they happen to have (which is kind of indicative of how stretched some people's budgets are getting). Anyway, one post on my feed was someone selling the original Tal'dorei Campaign Setting Guide by Green Ronin, plus some TLOVM merch, for $90 plus shipping. Eyebrow-raising enough on its own, but more so when someone else fairly active in that group flagging up that the Tal'dorei Campaign Setting Guide just by itself had gone for $125+ on recent eBay auctions.

I mean, I knew that book is a part of CR history and all that, and that now it's a rarity because it's out of print (probably because of some legal issues with Green Ronin when CR became its own company), but I guess I never really thought of it all that much in terms of its financial worth. Or at least I never put a number to it. And that's ... I mean, that's a number. For a lot of people, that's a number that can help them eat for the month, or help pay a sudden vet bill, and it makes me very sad that people need to sell things they cherish just to live. I mean, not only can people not afford nice things half the time, but desperation ends up obliging them to sell the few nice things they already have.

And then I look over at my sourcebook shelves, where I have a copy of that signed by the entire cast, and there's a minor intellectual curiosity about what that would go for at auction. I mean, given what I went through to get those autographs, and how many wonderful memories I have of that day despite the pain it caused, I would never give that up unless it was absolutely desperate, and am privileged not to be in that position. But... I was going to say it was an idle thought, but ... I guess it isn't, really, because I know that positions change and privilege of that type can be lost.

I've had to think of what things I cherish I could bear to sell so I could have the money to eat before. It was a long time ago, and I didn't even have all that much I cherished back then. Now, though? Now I look at Sunak talking about really wanting to strip disability benefits to the bone because "Everyone should work and we should reward the people who are working with income tax cuts, not reward people who are abusing our benefits system because I cannot believe we're so much sicker now than we were a decade ago!" (Which ... dude, long Covid is a thing, and a lot of it is your fucking fault for that Eat Out To Help Out that you were happy for people to die over, so yes, we are, and it's YOUR FAULT! But never mind.) I recognise how lucky I am that I can afford to only work part-time, and have a roof over my head without the exorbitant rents we're expected to pay in this country, and still be able to eat and to have nice things. But even with the safety nets that I recognise I have (and recognise how fortunate I have to have them), things in this country are bad enough that I sometimes have to consider what I could afford to lose if I had to; what I would sell to be able to eat.

It's stupid that that book is one of the last things that would go ... or maybe it isn't. Just about anything else I could replace when / if things got better, but ... it's that punchline of that one John Mulaney sketch - "It's the one thing you can't replace".

This is insanely depressing to think about. I hate that we live in a world where we have to.

[purplesurveys]

1660

Do you have a reason to smile right now? Sure. I like that it’s Monday yet it’s a holiday, so I don’t have to work. Then again it’s the last day of our 5-day long weekend and I’m feeling a bit bummed, but I’m trying to stay on the positive my dudes. Stressing on my last free day can’t possibly bring anything good. Do you start the shower water before or after you get in? Depends on the weather. These days I stand directly under the shower as soon as I turn it on because it’s HOT AS FUCK and the cold water feels refreshing anyway. Most of the time though I’d start it before.

True or false: You’re not sitting on a chair to use the computer right now. That’s true. I’m sitting up on a folded-out sleeping bag.

Do you regret any of your past relationships? I regret many, many parts of it but like, I wouldn’t invalidate the happiness I knew I felt then. I just feel bad that that happiness was misdirected.

How many times have you been to a museum? Too many times than I can count. I went to a museum for the first time in Grade 1 as part of a field trip and was immediately hooked, and since then it’s been tradition for me to visit at least a handful of museums every year.

How has this past week been for you? So fucking relaxing. It was a break I really needed. We had five days off due to the Holy Week and because of another national holiday also happening at the same time, and even though I told myself I was gonna use the extra time to catch up on work...I didn’t, lol. I just let myself enjoy the days going by and caught up on Wrestlemania instead. I haven’t watched this much wrestling since 2014.

Is anything going to happen next month that makes you happy? My dad will be coming home then.

Are you going to be getting any new pets soon? My mom has been saying she wants a Pomeranian but I think we’re good with the two dogs for now.

Do you like the rain? I love the rain; the only time I don’t is when it’s nighttime and I’m stuck driving and in traffic.

Do you like it when stores have sales? I don’t actively hunt down sales cos it just means 45794749 other people would be all over it hahaha, but I mean it’s always nice when I encounter something I like and it happens to be like 60%, 70% off its original price.

Would you rather be a Panda or Grizzly bear? Panda.

Do you have any of your Easter candy left over? I don’t celebrate Easter. Easter candy also isn’t much of a thing here...egg hunts and decorating events are organized for kids, but most of the time the eggs contain money and not candy.

Is there someone on your mind that shouldn’t be? Nah.

Does your ex make you mad? It’s a very passive resentment. She doesn’t make me like, actively seethe with anger lol but I don’t necessarily hold positive feelings towards her.

Will you talk to someone on the phone tonight? Nope.

Do you like BBQ sauce? I love barbecue sauce and enjoy it the most on my pizza.

Do the stairs in your house have carpet? No.

What were you doing at 9 AM this morning? In bed, waking up. I was going through my Twitter I think.

Can you do a twirl like a ballerina? No. I did take ballet but didn’t stay in it long enough to learn how to do a proper spin.

Would you rather eat 12 hot dogs or 6 hamburgers? I’d go with the hotdogs even though I prefer burgers. It just seems a tad easier to take down 12 of them hahahaha.

What color is the door to your basement? We don’t even have a basement.

Was your favorite class science because of the experiments? My favorite was history because of the far more interesting stories and lessons I got out of it. 

Do you like citrus pop or any drinks? I wouldn’t say so, no.

Last time you wore the opposite sex’s clothing? Over a month ago.

What’s the last board game you played? Can’t even remember.

What laundry detergent do you use? Tide.

Do you trust people too easily? I trust a fair amount.

Are you currently fighting with someone? I’m not.

Do you hang out with your siblings friends? Nah. I’d be the cool older sister that can shoot the shit with them, but my sister’s friends like to keep to themselves hahaha so it’s alright. As for my brother, I’m not even sure if he has friends. He’s never asked permission to go out for a hangout sesh and has never had any friends over.

Last time you had butterflies in your stomach? Last Wednesday when we were anxiously awaiting the Thai ticketing website to let us in from the online queue we were painstakingly waiting in.

Have you ever kept anything wild as a pet? Nope.

Do you set good examples for little kids? If I’m around kids then yeah, but that doesn’t happen often anyway.

Does your favorite song mention a famous person’s name in it? It doesn’t.

Are you counting down the days to anything? Jin’s enlistment release and the day we’re seeing Yoongi.

Does your house have a pool? Nope.

If you broke your computer, would you be able to fix it by yourself? Nah, I’d take it to a repair center immediately.

On a scale 1-10, how much does the opposite sex confuse you? Not nearly as much as they used to, so 0. I get enough interactions with Hans and guys at work these days.

When you party, do you get wild? Depends on the vibe of the party and how fun the crowd is. These days I grow bored quite easily and leave places without so much as a buzz, haha.

If you found a wallet full of money, what would you do? Check for an ID and try to hunt the person down if they have any social media I can reach out to. If no ID, I’d post on social media anyway to see if there’s anyone who’d know the person who left the wallet behind. I don’t really trust police.

Do you do cheers often? Like...toasts? Not really, no. Do you enjoy fishing? I’ve never tried it and it doesn’t sound interesting to me.

Was your first job babysitting? No, I’ve always been in PR. Did you wear a hoodie today? No, and I don’t think I’ll need to wear a hoodie again until like December lol.

Are you embarrassed to talk about stuff with your dad? I wouldn’t open to him 100% but between him and my mom, I’m definitely more comfortable talking about things with him. He’s more open-minded.

Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood? Neither.

--

10 How’s

How did you get one of your scars? Cooper got too playful and also happened to have longer nails than usual at the time, so he managed to get a deep gash into my right thigh. I knew the second it bled the way it did that it was going to leave a souvenir, haha.

How did you celebrate your last birthday? I stayed at home for the most part til I brought out my family for dinner; then that weekend I took my friends to the beach. My next birthday’s a little over a week away and it’s going to be drastically different as I’ve since shut down all plans for it; am on full budget lockdown mode in preparation for my Thailand trip in June.

How are you feeling at this moment? A little sleepy, a little antsy because I’m back to work tomorrow. Just trying to enjoy my last few hours of freedom.

How did your night go last night? As chill as it gets. I just stayed in my room watching wrestling. OH but I did put a bit of work in and drafted an entire press release to get some tasks out of way for tomorrow.

How did you do in high school? I was miserable the first couple of years; didn’t have a group of friends and was doing terrible in a few subjects. I seemed to find my footing when I reached junior year where I was able to improve my grades and find my place in a group, and also get invited to stuff outside of school. All in all the positives outweigh the bad and generally I’m able to look back at high school with good feelings.

How did you get the shirt you’re wearing? Idk, my mom got it from somewhere and I called dibs on it.

How often do you see your best friend? With Angela, at least once a month. I see Andi a lot less frequently – maybe once every 5-6 months? We typically only get together when there’s a local wrestling show happening nearby, or when they need help studying for a test.

How much money did you spend last month? A little over ₱12,000 – just the total bill for my dog bites. Extremely frustrating how my HMO didn’t cover it so ever since then I went on spending lockdown. Haven’t spent on literally anything since then other than my Agust D ticket.

How old do you want to be when you get married? I used to want to get married in my late 20s, but by the looks of things marriage isn’t in the cards anymore.

How old will you be at your next birthday? I’ll be 25!

9 What’s

What is the most important part of your life? Right now, it would be my personal life and just trying to stay happy. Family’s health is just as important to me, too. I’ve stopped placing my career as top priority.

What did you do last weekend? I caught up on the newest Wrestlemania and a bunch of recent WWE storylines by watching compilations and segments/promos. Literally I have not watched this much wrestling since 2014; it’s super refreshing, and yet I feel right at home. Which is what wrestling has always made me feel, anyway.

We also finally settled our Yoongi concert dilemma – all 4 of us are seeing him in Bangkok. :)

What did you last cry over? Listening to Agust D’s People earlier.

What are you worried about? Catching up on work starting tomorrow because I’m sure there’ll be a fuckload of it waiting to crash down on me. I’m not mega mega anxious because I did do some preliminary work last night and tonight (ily self thanks for powering through despite it being a long weekend), but STILL.

What is your mother’s name? Abby.

What always makes you feel better when you’re upset? Petting my dogs, YouTube videos, BTS.

What would you rather be doing? Anything but mentally bracing myself for work.

What’s the most important thing you look for in a significant other? I’m not looking, but I’d appreciate anyone who wouldn’t gaslight, I guess...and someone who doesn’t think they’re always right, and someone who is actually capable of apologizing when necessary.

What did you have for breakfast? Spicy chicken tenders with rice.

EIGHT Have You’s

Have you ever done something outrageously dumb? At this point, haven’t we all at least once?

Have you ever had sex on the beach? No, I haven’t.

Have you ever been backstabbed by a friend? Sure.

Have you ever been out of the country? I have a few times, yeah.

Have you ever dated someone younger than you? The gap was literally a month and half lol but if we were being technical and strict about this question then yeah.

Have you ever liked someone who already had somebody? Nope.

Have you ever been brokenhearted? Yeah.

Have you ever read an entire book in one day? Mostly when I was in my teenage years.

SEVEN Who’s:

Who is the last person you saw? My mom briefly opened my door a couple of hours ago to say goodnight.

Who is the last person that you texted? Some media person who texted me earlier. During the long weekend. Pissed me off ngl hahaha but I still replied to get it over with.

Who called you last? Angela.

Who is the last person you hung out with? Angela, Hans, and Angela’s coworkers; we watched an open night. Who did you hug last? I think it may have been Marla. It’s weird; we’ve never actually directly worked together much, but for some reason we’ve developed some sort of mutual fondness? Hahaha like if we happen to be at the office at the same time we’d literally run to one another and hug. Must be the solidarity that comes with being a corporate slave or something like that lol. 

Who is the last person that texted you? The said media person who texted me first earlier today.

Who was the last person you said “I love you” to? Andi.

SIX Where’s:

Where does your best friend live? A good 20-minute drive away; it’s one of the cities next door but you don’t need to know which one it is.

Where is your favorite place to be? Some spot with good nightlife makes me the happiest and most content.

Where did you sleep last night? The foldout sleeping bags I keep under my loft bed. It’s just not possible to sleep on my actual bed this summer; it’s a big hassle to keep bringing my electric fan up and down the stairs, and it’s not like I keep my AC on all night – I turn it off just before I go to bed and within an hour or so I would 100% start sweating through my clothes unless I have the fan pointed towards me.

Long explanation but anyway that’s the room situation for the next few months: Go with my sleeping bags on the ‘ground’ level, where I can conveniently have the fan pointed at me.

Where did you last hang out? The bar where the aforementioned comedy night was happening.

Where do/did you go to school? I went to UP for college but that’s as much as I’m able to share.

Where did you last adventure to? Just around BGC. I had an event that day but nevertheless the whole experience still felt like an adventure. It’s always nice and freeing to be in BGC.

FIVE Do’s/Does:

Do you ever wish you were someone else? Every now and then, but it’s not a thought that actively consumes me.

Do you think anyone despises you? Idk man. Even if someone does, I wouldn’t want to entertain the thought.

Do you like someone right now? Nopes.

Does the future scare you? I try not to be. It’s healthier to stay in the present.

Do you have any secret powers? Um, let’s go with no.

FOUR Why’s:

Why are you best friends with your best friend(s)? Our humors and personalities have clicked for the last 18 years, and we never abandoned one another when we needed our friendship the most.

Why did your parents give you the name you have? They thought it sounded nice. Also was a little nod to the Swedish singer with the same name.

Why did you get a myspace? I got one forever ago because I assumed everyone was on it...to which I quickly realized it was largely an American audience, and Filipinos were actually largely on Friendster and Multiply instead hahaha.

Why are you doing this survey? I��m just trying to finish up the backlog I’ve racked up on my liked surveys tab. I will say I know I’ve taken this one before, but the format is really interesting so I didn’t have a problem retaking it now.

THREE If’s:

If you could have one super power what would it be? Wealth. Or, if we’re speaking to Work Perfectionist Robyn, the ability to think of award-winning campaigns all the time.

If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you? Not a thing.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Korea.

Two Would-you-ever’s:

Would you ever shave your head to save someone you love? Sure.

Would you ever get back together with any of your exes if they asked you? No.

Last one:

Are you happy with how your life has turned out? Yes.

[haiocyn]

I will put my two cents here, and I will avoid using harsh words as much as I can.

Respectfully, you guys do not produce the shows that are more well received and popular as often as it should be to demand people to pay $6 a month.

Personally I only watched puppet history, ghost files and mystery files.

Ghost files are barely produced and however whenever I watch the video, my attention spans couldn’t stay on the video because of how over edited and corporate style it is. It got boring and become a video where I put on for background noises, which is bad because I only do it for commentaries. The audience that follows you are the same audience who’s content to just watch you commenting on the story and do some bickering and bantering. You travel too much for Ghost Files, you’re shooting for the star when your audience is happy with your presence and enthusiasm for your creations. For example, in Buzzfeed supernatural, you don’t even have to venture far and only have to talk about the interesting cases and you still have a massive audience watching you. Learn to budget your production please, it seems like you guys are struggling because of that.

Bigger team DOES NOT mean Success. This is one of the misconception I’m annoyed at, I had a group exercise where everyone insisted to be part of the group work when it’s so easier for a few people to do. It takes longer, and bigger efforts to work in a big group. Instead of hiring new people, focus on efficiency because you guys are NOT efficient enough to demand fans to pay for $6 a month with no contents.

Please just take a step back and look at the problem for your production. It’s true that your contents used to be free and everyone should be getting paid. But you have paterons with thousands of fan willing to support you. However, fans also have said about you not fulfilling your promises on patreon, how do you expect people to trust you to produce efficiently on another third party website?

Like everyone trying to insists it’s okay for their move to did this and it’s “a better move”, I can see the understanding perspective. However, there’s another truth to this, they are a YouTube channel. Their show can be produced in another channel. It feels mean to say this, but their shows aren’t really special, they just succeed to gain audience on it. However, there will be new YouTubers who will take advantage to this and do a better formulated show. I wouldn’t remember Watcher exists until notification told me so (even then I don’t even check notification) or YouTube recommending me to their videos. Instead of watching two dudes messing around in the creepy place, I’m watching another ghost haunting show on T.V. If I want to see that, I will go to watch on TV or YouTube where it’s free and massively produced. They can’t even compete with that so why are we paying for ‘T.V. prices’?

You think it’s unfair for fans to criticize the show but personally I feel like it’s fair when they basically said if you have been with us for a long time but can’t afford it, then it’s nice knowing you. It goes both way, if I can’t see or support you then good riddance. I’ll unsubscribe and unfollow. Out of sight, out of mind.

Another thing I would like to point out, it’s every tone deaf for creators for shaming you for not paying them to make contents of them eating caviars, gold leafs and overly expensive food for ‘contents’ or visiting countries. Idk if an individual YouTuber could film vlog and going to places by themselves on iPhone or one camera, then they can too. And the answers to “is it worth it to buy really expensive foods?” Is always a no to me. I don’t see values in spending so much money on food that are just decorated with gold leaves and caviars.

Another criticism I have is that they don’t focus on being more efficient on a show that were massively received well, but they focus on creating new shows. They have so many creative plans, ideas and projects and I admire them for that, but they have to be realistic about it. Cut yourself some slack and take it slow. Your channel is still new. It’s only been two years since you created the channel.

Also I dislike how $___ makes it sound like it’s however the fans’ fault or they are so selfish and entitled for wanting free contents. You didn’t read any criticism and upsetting comment that it’s not even about free content but how they can’t even deliver their promises and slap patreon fans in the face by not even give them free access to the show when they have been supporting them before they even decided to go to a third party streaming service. You expects fans to be loyal to you, however, YOU aren’t LOYAL to the fans. You forget that it goes both way, and spitting on the fans’ face and shitting on them for not being able to afford it AND THEN guilt trip them for it, are YOUR shitty move. You’re the shitty person.

It’s YOU as a creator and friend of the creator being DISRESPECTFUL and you lost our respects because of your tone deaf comments.

Regardless, good luck! I don’t think I will be able to follow you there.

We’re Leaving YouTube

[cloudsthruthewindow]

Today was bad. It didn’t start that way, work was actually nice. Somehow the nice days always feel worse though. They’re so out of place. My apartment is filled with flies. It’s the peak of summer and I don’t have AC, and i don’t have the energy to clean all the food waste. I can’t remember the last time I took my trash out. There’s no groceries in my fridge, all i have is expired chocolate milk and some ramen. I gambled away 175 dollars today, more than i spend on groceries in a month. I can’t really bring myself to buy food anymore. It doesn’t feel worth it. I just eat it, and it goes away, and in right back where i started. Atleast gambling brings me joy sometimes, food just feels like a chore. I didn’t have any joy today though. I felt so stupid after. I know better. Im supposed to be saving money, im reapplying to college and my laptop is still broken. I need to get it fixed or maybe even replaced. It just stopped working one day, it wasn’t even my fault. I wish it had been my fault so I had someone to blame. The application deadline for school is in two hours. I don’t have any of my shit together, i need to mail back to my high school for my transcript. Maybe it’s not a good look to already be asking for extensions on assignments lol. My dad is going to ask why i missed this application deadline, and the only honest answer is that I didn’t try hard enough. I’m sorry dad, you didn’t raise a winner. It’s not your fault im broken.

I haven’t smoked weed in five days. Its felt like so much longer, but i got one of those apps that counts how long ive been free from it, and yeah. Five. Fucking nothing. I smoked every day for five years. How can i be proud of five days without it. Plus im vaping again, whatever. It’s not that serious. Maybe my problems arent so bad. Maybe a dude who smokes weed and vapes and gambles all day is a cool dude. I don’t feel fucking cool. I feel like im drowning. Life feels so paper thin

[big-fi-little-re]

My story

I'll use this post to outline the general profile of who I am and how that has shaped my general approach to FIRE. Everyone is different, but sometimes in these circles it seems as though there is homogeneity amongst the people participating. I think this can be discouraging for people who don't fit that mold, whether it be for who they themselves are or their job history and savings.

Everyone is different. Everyone's journey in life (and in their approach to FIRE) is going to be different, so I'd like to add my own voice to the pile.

More below

Me:

31, white, cis woman, aroace

Grew up poor to later middle class

Grew up in very blue state

Never broke 6 figures in salary

Why does this matter?

FIRE communities are full of mostly men. This isn't meant to be a "men bad" thing, just that a lot of men who are drawn to the idea of independent living have loud opinions that they stubbornly defend, but that are often based around their one singular experience of life. Loudmouth people of any kind or creed aren't great at empathizing (in my experience). A lot of the advice that gets thrown around, particularly in terms of moving to LCOL areas or geographic arbitrage, is simply not very safe for people who look a certain way.

I made a post on Reddit many, many years ago discouraging marginalized people from following the "move to a blue dot in a red sea" advice. I warned people state level policies can absolutely impact them even if they live in a progressive city. This resonated with a lot of people, and conversely, this irritated a few dudes in their 40s. Well, less than 3 years later Roe v Wade was overturned.

I actually got a DM from one naysayer who apologized.

On sexuality & gender identity:

This is to demonstrate that I will not have the income of a partner to rely on. I will also not have kids. At some point in my life, it will be just me, with my singular expenses and my singular income.

This is also why my FIRE plan revolves around dying with zero. I will have no one to leave anything to, besides whoever the beneficiaries on my accounts are should I pass prematurely.

A lot of FIRE advice is built around having a partner, planning around a partner's lifestyle or expenses, or finding a partner who is on board with the lifestyle. It also involves planning for the long term expenses of children and of leaving some amount behind for your then adult children to inherit.

Growing up:

We were not well off growing up. Eventually, we had a middle class lifestyle based around living in a multi-generational household up through my early high school years.

I am frugal by nature because that is simply how life is for me: it's my baseline. I don't feel like I've ever gone without. But when I compare my upbringing and the things we had and did as a child compared to peers who came from upper-middle to upper class backgrounds, there is definitely a disparity.

Sometimes when I look at the budgets people are shooting for with FIRE, I really can't even begin to comprehend how they spend that much money. I still don't. It's not a judgment call: it's just not something I could ever want to do even if I had the means.

From my perspective, my lifestyle has been comfortable. I have a lot of hobbies I enjoy and some nice things I enjoy owning. I like to order takeout on Fridays and I try to go to a restaurant once every other month with friends & family. Eating out was always a luxury for us and I still feel that way today: I like it to feel special.

Where I'm from and where I've been:

My family is from a very blue area. I've lived here the vast majority of my life, as has my family.

I took some time to travel the USA for a few years. I lived in blue dots in red states. They were all very nice. I (mostly) never really felt unsafe, but also, I am white and the spaces I lived in were very white.

But I would never settle down in any of those areas. They were nice to live in on the short term. I met a lot of great people! I was very much interpreted as a traveler, an outsider. The way people approach you is different when you're a guest vs being a permanent settler. There's also the fact that while these were lovely areas to visit and have some fun and enjoy my comparatively high remote salary in, they were not going to be the best places for all varieties of people.

I also timed things to where I was in these zones between late 2021 - late 2023. I didn't want to be out there during a presidential election year after some aggressive arguments I overheard more than a few times.

Don't get me wrong: blue states aren't perfect. People are fucking racist and sexist and generally assholes everywhere.

But I don't need to worry about what medical procedures I can get. I don't need to worry about physical access to healthcare - there's hospitals abound! The schools are great. If I fall, the state I have paid many taxes to will help me get back up. There are lots of job opportunities. The crime is low, even in my higher-than-state-average city. I have access to so many different grocery stores, small businesses, and small local restaurants.

I mean damn, almost everything out there was some kind of chain.

My job(s):

I work in tech. My degree was in a related field, but I struggled a lot with finding a job in my degree after college. I ultimately never succeeded.

I was very much held back by bigotry for a long time (and I know it because they taunted me to my face about it) and then from pursuing lower-paid, mission-driven work. Which is to say that I totally fell for the bullshit and made some execs very wealthy in exchange for empathy burnout.

My average salary was around $50 - 65k for most of my career. I have only recently earned above $80k. I'm still underpaid compared to the industry, but I settled for it due to my job being relatively easy and low stress until recently.

I want to show that you don't need to be pulling down $100k straight out of college to pursue this. Making more money definitely helps you get there faster. It's what you spend, not what you make... to a realistic degree. Some expenses are expensive and can't go away. But some expenses are expensive and are very much not requirements to enjoying life.

College and debt:

I have no debts.

I bought all my cars used off of Craigslist for less than $3k. I've only put what I can pay off at the end of the month on credit cards. I keep 2 years of expenses on hand as a cash buffer and emergency fund. When it dips, I prioritize replenishing my cash before investments. I don't know if that's the best move in terms of min-maxing your net worth, but it's what makes me feel the most secure.

I went to community college for 2 years and transferred to a 4 year state university. A state law guaranteed all of my credits would transfer and I received reduced tuition for a high GPA. The reduced tuition was only good for a couple hundred bucks a semester, but better than nothing.

My community college gave me a scholarship. With that scholarship and years of savings, I was able to pay for all of community college in cash. I also made the mistake of buying new, current edition textbooks for my first semester only.

I started working part time when I transferred to the 4 year university. I was a commuter student and lived at home during college. I worked retail and a campus job, eventually quitting the retail job 1 week shy of a year to take more campus hours. I was paid $10 an hour for my campus job in 2014 compared to $8.75 an hour for my retail job. I was psyched!

One of my professors helped me receive payments from the school to cover research assisting. That was $3000 secured. I thank him profusely to this day. I took on various other small contracts from professors, the university, and affiliates, but many of those never paid out or paid out years after the fact for only a few hundred dollars.

I'm the only person in my family to go to college. My parents valued education and took an equity line of credit on our home to pay for my federal loans. That was about $20k. I paid for my private loan myself: that was $8k. I didn't know you could take FAFSA on years when you weren't using it to pay for classes, so I missed out on the money from my first 2 years of college when I used the scholarship. We paid off my federal loan and my private loan the last day of my classes to prevent accruing interest at those insane rates. I have paid back all of the money on the equity line since then and part of my parent's mortgage.

I recognize that I was very privileged to be able to avoid high interest rates and to have my parents acting as the bank: if I missed a payment due to being out of work or not having enough money, my credit wouldn't be destroyed. I could make up for it later.

My family:

Here's the big one: I've lived with my family most of my life.

No, no it wasn't for free. I've been paying rent since college. $700 per month and later $900 per month. I now pay only for food.

Why? We're in a VHCOL area. One of the most expensive in the world. Again, even in our undesirable city on the outskirts of the desirable city things are expensive.

Moving out with friends didn't work out because our jobs were so dispersed. My family also couldn't have comfortably survived without additional income from me and my sibling. We also had various other family members and friends living with us on and off for my entire life.

I haven't always had a great relationship with my family. Living at home, to me, was always a sacrifice I made towards FIRE or simply the reality of circumstances. If I wanted to live in my home state and work in my home state, I needed to live at home.

Once I secured a remote position, I left to MCOL areas. I had initially intended on renting for a while in LCOL - MCOL areas and eventually buying a home in a MCOL area of the region I'm from.

I recently moved back in with my family in 2023. My parents are old and my father has cancer.

For many reasons, I wasn't keen on moving back after I had left a few years ago. But once he was diagnosed, I understood, truly, that my parents are old. They need help. We don't have much time left together.

Part of my FIRE journey is in maximizing this time I have.

[noturaverageceleste]

Writing Class Thoughts

Really had to listen to poems about sports. This class is too long. I want food. I've been so mindlessly hungry lately. I think I'm just bored. I need to channel this energy into getting job interviews. The scheduling has me fucked up though. I'm going home in less than a week. But just to visit. I do have my class schedule planned out for next semester so I guess I could apply for that scedule and wait for a job next semester. I think that would do. I gotta ask my parents about it. I'm out of money now. I only have a month and a half left for this semester but I have no income and my bank acounts are pretty much dry. I need to find another way to make it through this next month and a half before going home for the holidays and working for 3 weeks. So much on my mind. I'm having issues being present recently. It's just not fun right now. I'm glad I got everything out of the way and don't have much work left here. But damn, I just eating my boredom away and just playing sims. I am acting like I'm on break but i'm not. I need to get back to reality.

My god this class is bleak. These poems are so boring. sorry to the class but these poems don't make sense. So far, only one was great but I couldn't say anything cause I would just be repeating everyone else. It was that good!

This bitch is such an INCEL! Asexual queen I guess. This school need more expereince. How did I end up n a school full of socially awkward horny nerds? Was this my energy in high school? the way i was out here hooking up with dudes in the basement of the school says otherwise. wtf?

I LOVE THIS KID! HE'S SO THEATRICAL! Go off king! read ya own poem to the class! I know he knows he ate! He should voice the new hunger games film good lord! Voice acting skills on point! Read me to sleep on audible king! Only nerdy kid at this school i respect! not true. I respect them all. But still! Go off king!

The way my professor didn't know what his poem was about bahahahahaha. Man poured his heart out in this damn poem and he says "yea i had to google that" bahahahahahaha I love this class.

THIS MAN ON HIS WEEB SHIT IM DEAD! THIS SHIT ABOUT A DAMN VIDEO GAME! GO OFF KING! I SEE YOU!

I can't focus on this shit. Like I really can't. I think this class is just not working for me. These people annoy me. Not even everyone just a select view. Their energy is so low vibrational. These people need healing.

Interesting how asexual people exist. But there is a difference etween asexual and a-romantic. It's funny how people tend to put the two together. I think that asexual people can have romantic love but just don't know how to have that because society makes us think that all romance is sexual. It's not. Love is love and can be expressed in so many ways. I hope that girl in my class finds that. Someone she can love romantically but not have to be sexual with. That's almost every girls dream I feel. Not mine though. Give me the sexual experience!

"Sexual heallinnggg"

Is this about someone on their period??

Bitch you are a body huh? I bet a man wrote this.

This actually a good poem. damn. I spoke too soon. That's the thing with poetry. I need to read it multiple times in a row in order to get it.

I think I know who's poem this is. She over there smiling and twirling her hair. She's nice. Despite how annoying she is, she's very smart and bright and has a sharp mind. She notices more than she says too. I just know it. Very introspective. But damn she can talk ya ear off and be hella annoying. Oversharing queen.

wow! leaving class early once again. This class chill. I take back all my negative thoughts. Sike! All feelings are valid!

I fucking knew it was her!

Damn did this asexual bitch take a nap somewhere? good lord! these kids just out here sleeping in the library. Ghetto! go shower queen.

Wow I need to chill. Bout to get my free bread tho heheheheh

yea, this poem was cool. She should do more art. She's way better at it than she thinks. She said she get's told she's a great writer and then she says 'yea i know" go off bitch! Excited to see her presentation tomorrow in our other class.

I always gotta pee the most in these bodycon dresses. Gotta get naked just to pee like why?