#i spent like $300 of my year savings on this one guy

[metaphorically-saltire]

Highlight quotes from when my class watched 92sies today (it was hilarious)

When Les earned that quarter from drinking the beer: "DRUNKIEEE!!" "WAIT ISN'T HE LIKE 5 ??"

When KONY: "WAIT HE CAN SPIN SO FAST"

When Newsies vs The World pt. 1 (aka Crutchie's gone :( ) : "I love violence!! Tanks for choosing this Salt! :D"

When Jack stole one of the DeLancey brother's hats (yes i forgot which one it was lmao): "YOOOO RUN"

When Les feel asleep after Medda's how: "Drunkie had another shot"

Fun day :]

[heartman]

Guys I need advice with this one

Ugh I'm so frustrated idk what to do because I bought a ticket for a con this week all the way back in February and with it I bought some photo ops and the ticket rules say you need both the photo op code and the convention badge you purchased it with to prove/get in to the event inside the con you signed up for

My friend was single at the time we bought tickets cuz we were gonna go together but now she's dating someone. Which is fine but she was not dating him when we made these plans and bought our tickets. More on that later.

For the con I ended up getting some volunteer work cuz my cousin asked for help to run her booth Friday and Saturday so I said yes since I was gonna be there already with my own ticket. With the volunteer work I would be given an exhibitor pass for both days. My original ticket I purchased was only for Saturday.

I tell my friend hey, I'm volunteering Friday and Saturday, but since the con is all day, we still have plenty of time to walk around and hang out during the convention. She gets annoyed and is like oh so I'm basically going alone ugh and I say no that's not what I said I'm only working Saturday in the morning which is the day we both have tickets for- my cousin said since I already have a Saturday pass I didn't have to work the booth the entire day, just for the first two hours after we confirmed it wouldn't interfere with what I signed up to do at the con. Once that's made clear my friend calms down

This is where the boyfriend comes in. She says since I'll be getting the exhibitor pass to get in eith the volunteer worker/my cousin's booth, I should be able to use it for both Saturday and Sunday to get in right? I say I don't know it's a pass they're lending me for work purposes I don't think I get to keep it. She then said you should check because then if you can use it to get in both days you can give your Saturday pass to my boyfriend so he can get in for free cuz we don't want to pay

Mind you I bought my pass back in February. The base pass price is 67 dollars. With the photo ops and events I purchased and signed up for in the convention center, that ends up at 300 dollars (expensive I know but I wanted to treat myself after the shit year I've been having but anyway). And the rule for these events is that you need your original convention badge that you purchased with the qr code/receipt of the events you signed up for because everything gets attached to your convention center badge.

This means that since she asked me yesterday, she is expecting me to give up a badge that I basically paid 367 dollars for so a guy I met exactly twice in my life can go for free. Because she doesn't want to buy him a badge at the door. Which I know is expensive and I understand wanting to save money but again the original plan was just us when we bought the passes. She was not dating him at the time and I have events that I need my original badge that I purchased to get into. The exhibitor badge my cousin is lending me to get in with her for volunteer work those days will not let me into those events because that badge does not have the sign ups or codes connected to it, as it was not a badge I originally purchased.

But since she asked, she has been calling me and texting me about giving her boyfriend my badge this weekend because "you can just use the work badge to get in both days! I don't wanna walk around the center by myself and I don't even want to go the full day anyway so we can just give it back to you before we leave!"

After she said that I was thinking in my brain if I give you the badge for Saturday, how do I know you're going to remember to give it back to me before my scheduled events I signed up for happen? How do I know if you won't lose or misplace it and then I can't do the things I spent 300 dollars on because you were not paying attention to where it was? Would you or your boyfriend be willing to pay me back the 67 dollar badge price at the very least? Would you or your boyfriend be willing to compensate me 300 dollars if you lost my badge or went home with it by accident thus rendering me unable to do the events and photo ops I signed up for? I know she doesn't have a job right now which sucks but even with that knowledge and how she is eith money I doubt she would reimburse me the money in the hypothetical case that he or she lose my badge should I lend it to them. And obviously the events are all on tight schedules so they're not going to wait for you to give me back my badge, they're just not going to let me in at the scheduled time because there's no way of knowing if you would remember to give me back my badge in time.

It's just so frustrating because I also don't know what she told him, like I don't know if he knows she's trying to give my badge to him or if she told him I definitely would give the badge to him because I have a work badge on loan for two days for VOLUNTEER WORK PURPOSES or if she thought it would be cute to surprise him eith a free badge as a date idea (when no one else in our group is bringing a significant other because we all bought our badges at the same time). I don't know anything on their end at all and she keeps asking about the badge.

She literally called me four times at 1am the first night she asked. I ignored all of them cuz it was one fucking am. She called me the other day WHILE I WAS ACTING AS A BRIDESMAID AT A WEDDING. I WAS LITERALLY HELPING SOMEONE GET MARRIED AND DESPITE KNOWING I WAS NOT REACHABLE SHE KEPT CALLING AND TEXTING TO ASK. Literally tonight I went to the movies with other friends and she sent me three texts and enough phone calls that I had to leave the theater to tell her I would call her back because I was busy.

The convention is literally this weekend. We have three days. Why she's expecting me to give up my badge for her boyfriend when she knows I need it for myself is beyond me and I don't know how to tell her she's being inconsiderate and rude without her getting upset but it's such a bad position she put me in because I feel like she's going to get mad if I start the convo by asking if she would repay me the 367 dollars in the event her boyfriend loses my badge or fails to give it back to me in time for things I purchased and signed up for in advance but i feel like if I start with that question it might kick her butt in gear to realize what she's been hounding me about for the past two days.

I even told her I'm not keeping the badge my cousin is lending me for volunteer work, I need to give it back to her thus I need my original badge anyway, so maybe she could buy her boyfriend a badge at the door but she didn't want to do that because "buying at the door is expensive it would be so great and mean a lot to me if he could get in for free with us this weekend." Reminder, I've met this guy exactly twice. And again with everything I had purchased for the day attached to my badge costs me 300 dollars. That I am not confident they would be willing to reimburse me for in any way should they lose it if I were to give it to them.

Again, we made these purchases back in February. She was single. I'm currently working two jobs and had to take time off work from both jobs for this event. She doesn't have a job right now at all so she has plenty of time to do things and often complains that me and her don't hang out as much as we used to but again, I have two jobs, I don'thave the time or energy to drop everything to go to the arcade until 2 in the morning like she wants to do all the time. For me to drop 300 dollars for a two day event, I had to pick up extra shifts and save up a lot of money as well as moving shifts around to even get those two days off for thr convention this weekend. I know eventually I'm going to make it all back but that's still a large amount and I wanted to treat myself after nothing but bad news after bad news currently in my life. The main thing I bought was the Critical Role photo op with the cast and if I were to give her boyfriend my pass, and they were to forget to give it back to me, I would be beyond pissed if I missed an opportunity like this because she forgot or lost the pass I needed to do the Critical Role photo op and other things I saved up for. And she knows Critical Role is something I was looking forward to at the convention since they were announced to be there (they weren't announced yet when we bought our tickets.)

Idk guys I really need advice I don't know what to do and I'm exhausted seeing her text or call me knowing what she's going to ask before i even pick up the phone. I'm going in circles trying to figure out what to say and we only have three days until the con

[orchidyoonkook]

rant

just did a budget for february. to track my spending to see if i can actually save my goal amount for europe in time. (june ideally)

guys. i alone spent $550 on groceries. just me. not including the times when my partner footed the bill. One of which i know was $164. so like. $700 on groceries. in the shortest month of the year

and I am not an outrageous over spender. I get the same things over and over and over. but food is just so goddamn expensive here i'm spending almost a weeks paycheque on food apparently.

needless to say that will absolutely not be happening again at all. ever. My budget for food for the month of march is $150. so is my partners. so $300. that should be enough. It has to be. I dont want to spend anymore than that on food. I shouldnt have too. it shouldnt be like this.

meanwhile i'll be looking into additional forms of income cuz right now i have only $400 of wiggle room. and 150 0f that is food, another 150 is debt.

being an adult sucks sometimes. literally how do any of you do this.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I started reading FOI again during the power outage, huddled up next to a lantern like in the olden days of yore. Anyway, I still fucking love it. So much drama, so much angst (are we really going to pretend like we don't enjoy that shit?) and so much action. I fucking love the drug heist. This book feeds my delusions further into think that Eddie's going to come back as a vampire to either get revenge OR save the assholes who wronged him and make them guilty for the rest of their lives for treating him like shit. Anyway, here are my notes because I took notes of why I love it so fucking much and some of the mistakes can easily be explained away. These are just some more thoughts I had while re-reading it. It's kind of long. Oops. The notes:

The trailer thing: some of Eddie's stuff is probably at Wayne's because over the years he probably did live on and off there over the years but he always made sure to go back to the house on Philadelphia. He probably kept his guitar there every so often so he could show off his music to Wayne, so yeah, his guitar would still be in the Upside Down as well as some of his stuff. Wayne made sure that Eddie had a room at his trailer, all set up. Said so in the book and everything.

Officer Moore probably had an affair with Eddie's dad, and it ended badly. That's what I think anyway.

At first, I was neutral about Paige, but now I like her, and I do like the fact that she looked at Eddie like an actual person. I still don't like that she encouraged him to make it without his band, but she was trying to make it just as much as Eddie was. They both had their head in the clouds, and she did appreciate Eddie for who he is and what he liked.

I still 100% believe that there are two Tommy Hs, and Tommy Hagan was not the guy pinning Gareth up against the locker. Also, Tommy Hayes has a sister, Jennifer, and she cried at Will's funeral.

I still absolutely love FOI, and I do absolutely think that people are absolutely childish about hating it. I also believe that with my whole heart that Eddie is bisexual, there's a definite attraction there. The fact that he recognized Chrissy, not based on looks, but on personality also leads me to believe that he's pansexual as well as bisexual. That's just me, though.

And the Charlie Greene drug heist thing has potential for a good Steddie story, too. Like maybe Al once again fucks up and pins it all on Eddie, not knowing Eddie's dead. Charlie doesn't believe he's dead though so he has guys watching the grave. Everyday Steve comes by to talk, leading them to believe that Steve meant something to Eddie so they kidnap Steve. It draws Eddie out alright and it's revealed he's now a vampire. He saves Steve. . .  Steve thanks him generously and all is well.

Wayne definitely went to jail because of one of Al's schemes. Like uncle, like nephew. Eddie thinks he's like his dad, but his huge heart comes from his uncle, and he's a dreamer just like his mama.

HIGGINS IS STILL A CUNT. SO IS TOMMY HAYES (not to be confused with Tommy Hagan) AND JASON CARVER AND ALSO that other dude who's Eddie not sure what his name might be.

Paige is risking so much to make other people see Eddie the way that she does. She's been hanging onto that since the Talent Show. That girl has had a crush on him since middle school.  Can you blame her? She's risking her entire career for this guy, and all the while, her grandmother just died. And she spent 300 dollars on this boy that she wholeheartedly believed in. Maybe she was just as naive as Eddie into thinking this could work.

Sometimes in your life when you get knocked down so many times, sometimes you have to choose the selfish route, and I totally get why Eddie wanted to leave his friends behind. Sometimes, when you watch someone walk out the door and away from you, it's hard not to walk out the door too. (Do I like it? No. Do I understand it? Yes.) It's hard to stay in a place where so many people hate you. He just doesn't want to be an asshole like his father, but he tries so hard not to be that he ends up becoming like him anyway. Sometimes in life you are an asshole or a bitch and that goes for everyone including Eddie. Trust me, I was trying so hard not to be like my mom but I ended up almost becoming like her until my dad gave me a metaphorical bump on the head. I still struggle with that sometimes so I definitely relate to that.

While I do think Al loves Eddie and he loves Wayne in his own shitty way, and he also loved Elizabeth, he definitely uses not just his own love but their love for him as well to manipulate them into getting what he wants, to get himself out of trouble. That's the fucked up thing about Al Munson and at the end of the day, it's going to cause him to die alone. He burned all his bridges. Wonder if the regrets will hit him like a freight train when he hears about his son.

Ugh, whatever you do don't think about the fact that Wayne's probably been working his ass off to pay his own bills and the bills on Al's house so that Eddie could have a place to live. Like, how else could Eddie still live there if his dad was always gone?

He totally White Fanged Ronnie, pushed her away so she wouldn't get hurt by people's hatred of him. Ugh. So much angst. And it would be just like Eddie to push people away so they don't get hurt. There's so many fanfictions where he does that and they are so good. As good as this.

I love Ronnie. She's either aromantic or asexual but I think she could be both. I love her friendship with Eddie and the fact that she was his first friend. There are so many things that Eddie and Steve could bond over. The love of their platonic soulmates are one of them.

Also, in the book, Eddie implies that there is more than one bar in town, so yeah, the Hideout is a different bar from the Hideaway.

Although I do wish that they had mentioned his tattoos but maybe he didn't get them until after he started to work for Reefer Rick.

Paige asked him to move in with her. Don't tell me that girl is not in love with him. She looked at Eddie and said, "Yeah, I want to spend more time with him." I don't care what anyone says. I didn't care at first about Paige, but the more I reread it, I like her and feel sorry for her because she more than likely ruined her career for Eddie. I love Eddie, but it wasn't all Higgins' fault that he's a third time senior. He had to make mistakes himself like his grades, for instance. He's only human, and like the myth of Icarus, he flew too close to the sun. Sometimes, you break hearts, and sometimes your heart gets broken yourself.

The sad thing is that Paige wasn't trying to get him to be someone other than himself, Eddie decided that he needed to be someone else. I fucking love this book. Angst!

You know, Lucas didn't tell the other jocks that he was in Hellfire like Eddie told Paige's parents that he didn't mess with that stuff. Lucas was trying to fit in, to escape being bullied the same way Eddie was trying to escape the name Junior. They both denied a part of themselves so they wouldn't be hurt. The parallel. . . Maybe it's just me.

Wayne Munson likes to garden and collect coffee mugs and hats. . .he's adorable.

Eddie's angry at Wayne for caring like a dad should, knowing full well that really he's mad at his dad for not making more of an effort like his uncle.

I can sympathize with Wayne. I know what it's like to have a sibling who breaks your heart, and I've got two who do that. I can relate so much to both Wayne and Eddie in this book. I have siblings who break my heart and a parent, my mom, who has no interest in being a part of my life. Another reason why I love this book so much, I relate to them so much. And Eddie. . .just refusing to run away like his dad does. It's so much harder to think about him feeling guilty about running away from Chrissy's body because he thinks he's being like his dad.

And even after all the things Eddie said to her and even after she risked her career for him, she still used her own money to bail him out of jail. Yeah, this second go around, I fucking love Paige. She still loves Eddie and she sees him as she's always seen him. . .a person. Not his father, not a fuckup, not Junior. . . Just Eddie. Ever since the Talent Show, he's always been Eddie to her and she's seen what we've seen in Eddie. Something real.

The fucking scene with Will.  .  . I'm so glad that's when Eddie started to be like Eddie again. "Jonathan looks too appalled for someone with that haircut" Fucking still kills me. Eddie's such a bitch and I love him.

Do I still not like how he treated Lucas? No, but I do understand that when he looked at Lucas, he saw himself abandoning the party like he did for greener, safer pastures, and that scared him. I still don't like it, but I get it.

God, I still fucking love the book. He's still so undeniably Eddie. He's a nerd, he plays D&D, he named one of his songs fucking "Fire Shroud", he went on about Tolkien Politics, and he had dreams of making it big even if he let it cloud who he was. He just let what people thought of him get to him so much and that's such a hard thing to let go of. I felt for Eddie and he realized that he was becoming what everyone thought of him. I'm glad it was Wayne who pushed him on the road to not giving a fuck and Ronnie, who showed him the way of looking after their lost sheep. Anyways, still love it.

[foxydivaxx]

Zosan: Look What You Made Me Do Chapter 6

Sanji POV

I began to observe something about myself, something that I had been denying for years. I am not so different from Nami. I want the finer things in life. I want to be loved,I want to be free. That was why I became a Strawhat in the first place. But my approach to life is different. 

Nami is Miss Independent, driven by a traumatic experience no thanks to a certain smelly fishhead. I on the other hand am driven by grief, neglect and sorrow. I lost the only support I had who happened to be my mother. Sure, I had Reiju but she could barely do much. I still love her though.

I was bullied, tortured and ridiculed for years. I was brought down to nothing for showing my emotions, for displaying what was seen as a weakness in the eyes of my brothers and fathers. As far as they were concerned, I was never a real man. I was a mistake.

All that time I spent all alone in that dungeon wearing that mask,I was begging for death. I never gave myself the chance to be selfish. I was always acting in service to others but ignored myself because as far as I was concerned, someone as messy as I was deserved none of that good shit.

So imagine my surprise when the others came to rescue me from the wedding plot. Like Luffy has saved everyone else so why me? I am just a mere cook. Well according to Luffy, no food equals no life. 

No one has ever given me respect for jackshit or love. At times I wish I did become evil and destroyed the world and everyone else around me. Maybe that is why Zoro is with me now. Could be that the others have been sensing whatever dark energy that lay dormant within me and may be trying to distract and protect me from myself?

But why bother? I can barely keep myself together. One minute I am as sweet as sugar and the next I snap like a fucking fire breathing dragon. I act as though there are two people with me. No one knows what that’s about just yet. But there is a part of me that fears that whatever evil demon that is inside me is about to go on a rampage. 

I have days when I am fine but there are days I lose my mind. Like I would wake up in the middle of the night and just start screaming. My heart begins to pound as I pant heavily. I look around and realize that I was back on the ship. Meaning that we have left that island a long time ago. A sharp pain hits me in the chest and then I remembered why we had to leave.

A couple hours ago, we were attacked on Greenville Island by none other than my father and the Germa army. Turns out Akuma placed a tracker on me during one of our sexual rendez-vous. Hmm…well played.  Either way, Zoro destroyed that tracker once he found out and went feral almost immediately.

Either way, they attacked us and I immediately jumped into action and went to fight my father head on despite Marimo warning me not to do so. Perhaps I should have listened because once again, I was up short. I could not stand a chance against that bastard. Oh and he proceeded to stab me and slash my chest with that stupid sword of his, leading to me losing a lot of blood. How cute. Definite winner of the Father of the Year Grand prize. Pfft…yeah right. 

I lost consciousness after that and we all fled the island. It seems my stunt with Akuma rattled the old fool and so now he is after us and wants us dead. Well, me more so than the others because I was the one that killed that old oaf’s guy. 

I find it hilarious that the motherfucker would care about Akuma like that. Like Akuma was meant to be a means to an end. So why care about him? Unless my little theory about their relationship is true. 

Now, I never met Akuma prior to our sexual relationship. But I also cannot help but suspect that father dearest might have been a closeted bisexual and only married mum because he needed heirs to his now tainted throne.

Germa has a very bloody history that spawns 300 years of bloodshed, slavery and racism which was why I stopped referring to myself as a Vinsmoke even though the world refers to me as such. 

I guess Marimo is on watch duty today because he is nowhere to be seen in this room. I try to get up but thanks to the sharp pain, I decide to lay back down. All this time I have been trying to run away from my past, to discard parts of me that I thought never made sense because the world I found myself in never supported or accepted certain aspects of my personality.

Like me showing kindness to others for instance. Or my love for cooking. Or even me being attracted to guys. My deep internal turmoil is so great that I literally cry myself to sleep almost everyday because who would understand my pain?

“You okay Sanji?”

I look up to see my beloved captain Luffy sitting next to him, a caring smile on his face. I still cannot believe that this guy right here still cares for me and was willing to protect me back there. Him and the entire crew. I cannot believe that some people actually love me and are willing to help me regardless of my flaws.

“I…” I could not put m feelings into words because how could I? I just started sobbing. For the first time in a while, I felt like the little boy that was trapped in that dungeon. The kid Judge disowned and pronounced dead to the world because I was not good enough for him.

Luffy just pulls me into a gentle hug and does not say a word. It is almost as though he understands my pain. It was then that I feel another soul outside feeling worried about me. Marimo. Marimo and I have always had this strange emotional link with each other. Whenever one was endangered or was feeling blue, the other would know and would try and send as much caring energy to the other.

Marimo listened to my heart and understood my fears and worries and was trying to reassure me in his own way. Luffy probably felt it from wherever he was and came down here just to check on me.

“It’s okay Sanji. You are gonna be fine. You’ve got us.” says Luffy. I just nod and sob and pout. I do not have enough strength to face the old man now. But I will need to gather strength as soon as possible. 

“That reminds me. Nami got in contact with Law. He said that we should go to the next neighbouring island and stop there. I believe there is something that could help you there. Who knows?”

I hope so because I need a lot of power to take down that old bastard and destroy him for good. I am sick of being hunted down by that bastard. I want him wiped off the face of this Earth. After spending Lord knows how many hours in tears, I eventually sleep off in Luffy’s arms.

[pauldouglaslovell]

Toscana Italy

Just had a week away. A mini break to Italy. I’m so fortunate to live thirty minutes or so from France and Germany, and it takes less than four hours to drive to the Italian border, so it’s handy for short trips, especially if you take the dog. We don’t drive more than six hours in one day. With a couple of pee-stops, mostly for us, we book in for a one night stay, half way to Toscana, our destination. 

Our holidays are generally themed around doing nothing. For M, it is a time to rest. Me? Well doing nothing is my normal daily routine, so it’s mostly me doing what I normally do, only in a different setting. 

One night we spent in a converted farm. 300 years it has been in the same family, the old man proudly told us. The room was rustic though garden was highly pimped. Paisley liked it, we played with the football there and she met the owner’s dogs. 

Next day, after vomiting five times due to the sat-nav taking us the wavy route, we reached our friends house in Toscana, that’s Tuscany to you English speakers. 

There’s no better way to holiday than to stay in someone’s home, especially if they can cook.  Meat being way cheaper in Italy meant we ate flesh. Cooked inside the house, in their fireplace, barbecue style. A little bit too bloody for me but I don’t like to come across uncultured so I ate it all without grimacing. I also don’t like to appear fussy/spoilt. I save my moans for garlic, our hosts know of my aversion, so my food was delicious.

With no phone connection, not that I have one, a drive to civilisation for coffee and connection was done daily. I watched those so called, non-dependent, anti-tech, above that kind of thing people, shoot-up on screen time whilst I daydreamed taking in the Italian ambience.

I did take my Kindle and my old Cyber Shot digital camera, which sounds way more impressive than the photos it produces BUT it is trusted to work okay even after 20 years.

My host thought he was rather witty, telling the lovely waiter how un-Italian, the freaky Brit was not liking Garlic. And I laughed when the waiter turned around and said he hated garlic too. We instantly bonded and he offered to get the chef to prepare me something special. I declined and asked for a ‘real’ Italian Pizza, a margarita. A highlight of the trip. 

We walked, I read Tom Hardy, played with the dog, and we visited a huge outdoor market in Grossetto, where I bought 3 pkts of incense sticks for 5 euros. 

We had another stopover halfway home, this hotel was so impressive for the price. Booked in advance we paid roughly £78 for the 3 of us including breakfast. I’ll add the photos. I saw a couple of Brits there, I think they may, though probably not, have thought I spoke very good English for a Swiss guy. Just hope my diluted Black Country accent didn’t give me away.

We left the hotel at 9am was back home on my sofa by 2. I’m alway happy to be home.  Now the hot summer can come if it wants, I’m going nowhere.  

middle of nowhere

every shade of green -

wet summer

[strohller27]

Man. Last year was wild (memories and musings under the cut).

One memory from last year that I probably wont be over anytime soon is when I was working a retail popup on the waterfront for the cruise ship guests.

A bit of context: At this point of last year, I was painfully homeless and when I wasn’t spending $2200 a month airbnb-hopping, I was living out of a tent at a campground to save money. My access to showers and potable drinking water was iffy at best (the showers on the campground were $2 for five minutes, and the closest water spout that worked well enough to fill bottles with was the literal bathroom sink. I’m surprised the water didn’t make me sick. The water from there often left a really weird taste/cottony sensation in the back of my throat that took days to get rid of, unless I boiled it first, and that was *if* I had access to a power outlet and an electric kettle. Also one of the airbnbs I stayed at got the water shut off for almost 28 hours because the host wasn’t paying his goddamn bills. But that’s a story I tell elsewhere). I had no reliable access to refrigeration, whether I was at an airbnb or the campground, so everything I bought to eat had to be non-perishable. For a while there, I was skipping breakfast to save enough money to buy myself loaves of bread, peanut butter, protein bars, and ramen packets.

If I wanted a hot meal, the best thing I could get was Tim Horton’s (and when I did, I was mostly using a credit card). Sometimes the only reason I could afford to both eat and have a place to stay was because I had built up Tim’s rewards points.

Thank goodness it was still mostly summer and I wasn’t also freezing cold at night.

And then I had to go to work and there were so many customers at that waterfront popup telling me I should give them discounts because “Well, I’m broke, I spent all of my money on a cruise!”

Oh? Oh??? I’m so sorry, you poor, unfortunate little soul???? Does the poow wittle bwoke babykins need a wittle discount??

First off, friendo, you keep asking me if the price is in ‘american’ because you forgot that you’re in a literal different country right now. Second, you’re complaining to a minimum wage worker about how, ‘everything is so expensive here! Oh my god you have to pay that much in taxes? What do you mean I have to pay taxes on purchases, too’. You have main character syndrome and you have the absolute goddamned gall to think you deserve $300 off a $500 handmade, HAND EMBROIDERED woollen cape that you probably won’t even wear because you live in texas????

OH, YOU “““CAN’T AFFORD””” TO BUY THAT 30 DOLLAR SCARF BECAUSE YOU *CHECKS NOTES* HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO GO ON A LITERAL INTERNATIONAL FUCKING CRUISE, BETSY-ANN??

CRY ME A FUCKING RIVER.

But the one that gets me the worst was when a guy was there with his daughter. She was probably 12 or 13. And she wanted to buy a little Canadian flag to commemorate her visit. It was literally priced at. Two. Dollars. Ninety five. Cents.

And he said to her, “Oh, come on. What good is buying this going to do? Who is it supporting.”

I was so done by that point I literally raised my hand and yelled.

“ME IT WILL SUPPORT ME IT WILL HELP ME DO FUN LITTLE THINGS LIKE BUY GROCERIES. AND EAT.”

The daughter bought the flag.

I spent so much of last year worrying about where I was going to live. Worrying about how precarious my situation was. My mother was on the phone with me almost begging me to “come home”. To give up on my dreams because it was too hard. Several people suggested that, including my academic advisor. But I wasn’t going to let it go. I let spite get me here and goddamned if I wasn’t going to let spite keep me hanging on.

And now I’m living in a place that has mostly everything I need. I don’t have to crawl under a desk to get to my bed. I don’t have to ask for permission or worry about who it will affect when I want to do something nice for myself. I’m able to make my own decisions about my living space. I get to set my own schedule. I get to do things at my own pace. I get to eat what I want to eat (and my landlady keeps feeding me, too). Now that I’m not hemorrhaging funds, I’ve been able to save up some money. I’m regularly showering and brushing my teeth. I finally have the energy make my goddamned bed every day. I’m taking care of myself in ways that seemed insurmountable last year.

I’m not saying it’s perfect, and there are still things I have to address (like the weird numb spots on the tips of both my big toes that I noticed when I was still living at the campground; like staying on a consistent schedule with my medications; like taking too many hours at work because I’m worried about affording things). And I’m aware that I completely lucked out that I speak enough Russian to be able to understand my landlord/lady. But this is so much better than I could have hoped for.

And the rest of it wasn’t all bad either. Airbnb-hopping was expensive, but staying in different areas helped me learn the city. And now I’m working at a place that I don’t hate with a passion like I did when I was working food service in the states. I actually really like my coworkers (and funny enough, the small business I work for really does feel like a family). I get to wear my kilts to work. I have the necessary knowledge to be a perfect fit for the job, and I was apparently ‘an answer to a prayer’.

The misty mornings on the campground were more magical than any other mornings I’ve ever experienced in my life. I walked around the campground and saw its little lake beach and river. I made friends with the spiders. I named most of them. Every time I heard the squirrels and chipmunks get into an argument I would giggle to myself and think ‘the girls are fightinng!’ I drove to the beach, and I saw a little boy hold up a crab he’d found with the biggest smile on his face when he asked if I wanted to pet it. I felt an almost uncontrollable urge to pick up the seaweed and eat it. I met interesting people. I made some friends. I went to a famous lighthouse. I rode the ferry to work and watched massive cruise ships docking, feeling as much awe as I did when I first saw Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I watched the sun both rise and set over the harbour. And I fell in love with this place despite all of the challenges that were in my path.

Perfect or not, I needed this. I needed to be self-sufficient and live my own life. I needed to see beauty and wonder and touch sand that was on a beach instead of on my bedroom floor. And I’m so sad that the only two times in my life I’ve really been able to do things like this and live the life I want were when I left the US. And because of that, I’m really not planning on going back to live there.

Funny that I had to leave the “land of the free” to really feel/be free, eh? Whatever the case, now I’m a maritimer by choice.

Here’s to 2024. May I learn from all that 2023 taught me (If shit sucks, hit da bricks. Leave. Do it scared. Do it alone and scared. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Find beauty in the mundane. Advocate for yourself and your skills. Make decisions that will provide for your future so that you can take the steps you want to take, even if people think something like learning Russian isn’t going to be useful. Take those steps you want to take to follow your dreams, even if your dream seems flimsy like a cardboard façade to you. Even if those are the hardest steps you ever have to take. Today can be ‘someday’, if you let it. The greatest adventure is what lies ahead, today and tomorrow are yet to be said). May 2024 be a year for more steps forward than steps back.

[curiooftheheart]

Could you please explain this MTG comic? https://www.tumblr.com/flork-of-cows-unofficially/725206874077724672 Specifically why it’s Alpha Set? Thank you

I can. I'll start with the why Alpha: Alpha is the very first run of the first Magic set. Seeing as it is now 30 years old, has a major impact as the start of the game, and many of those cards are now on something called the Reserve List so Wizard of the Coast can't reprint them (it's a whole thing but I'll summarize it as imagine if when the collectible comic market crashed, the comics collectors were able to strong-arm DC into making anything printed before like 1950 unable to be reissued in any way except like putting the cover as a wallpaper or phone protector). So it's quite expensive and hard to collect so having an entire set in paper is quite impressive. Ever here about the half a million dollar Magic card? That's a specifically Alpha printing of the infamous Black Lotus.

There's also a few other jokes here that may not've been intentional as it def seems like the money is the joke. Commander is supposed to be 100 card singleton (the only cards you're allowed to have more than one copy of are specific ones with rules for having extras regardless of normal limits) led by a Legendary Creature. There's not 600 cards in Alpha. There's less than 300. So either they're doubling up or the "Includes all of Alpha" is even more showing off as the theme is not "Every alpha card" but just a shitton of cards that adds up into the hundreds of thousands in value. Also most of them are so bad that having them in makes the deck worse, while others are broken to the point that 17 are banned in commander actually (some are because it was a 90s fantasy project so they were racist and WotC finally brought the hammer down to ban them but most are power). And there's no Legendary Creatures in Alpha itself. Plus having 600 cards is such a problem for your consistency that it could be made of the most broken cards ever and still prob be a bit shit.

In addition to mocking the major amount of cash spent, there's a double joke of mocking extreme rule 0 in Commander and anti proxy people.

Rule 0 is MEANT to be like "Hey guys what power level/type of game are we aiming for?" Maybe a few like "I'm using this Un-card because it's fun, is that fine?" But some people turn it up to like "I'm just gonna make a deck without any limits then pressure people into still letting me at the table." I've even seen some people with like "I have a hypertax unfun out the ass deck that will make the worst games ever if people don't want to allow my fun deck." And these people are a toxic bane, if someone pulls that at your table you instantly ban them.

Proxying is printing a copy of a card instead of buying a real copy. This is only a thing in commander as most other formats have like real tournaments with rules that require proper printings and trying to enter with proxies would probably get you banned outright. It's a bit of a contentious topic since it's...not real cards. Others see it as cutting out the money problem inherent to playing a trading card game. I won't delve into my honestly fairly mixed feelings on it but it's mocking people who spend like $800 on a couple cards and don't get how that makes it hard on people not willing to use their kid's college savings on a deck.

[oodlyenough]

I posted 9,148 times in 2022

349 posts created (4%)

8,799 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@annalyticall

@szczypawice

@vimesbootstheory

@professorspork

@gamingladies

I tagged 6,890 of my posts in 2022

Only 25% of my posts had no tags

#fanart - 2,883 posts

#arcane - 2,465 posts

#doctor who - 621 posts

#our hextech dream - 512 posts

#the pursuit of great - 487 posts

#get worse on purpose - 252 posts

#life is strange - 202 posts

#borderlands - 192 posts

#you still block with your face - 162 posts

#psychonauts - 151 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#a dw ep having a bad title is nothing noteworthy but it is funny if they spent forever trying to decide and chose the blandest thing possib

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

i dunno how long dracula is as a real novel but it definitely feels like i spent six months reading about 50 pages of it and the past week reading 300 pages of it

383 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

#4

jayce using "partner" like twice an episode vs viktor never saying it once

458 notes - Posted January 12, 2022

#3

viktor at the council meeting in ep 9 is so funny because jayce is doing his best to be like "look I consulted with the Common Man and this is what the undercity needs" but his sample size is a guy who tried to kill himself thirty minutes ago and has two months to live and is therefore probably not in any mental or emotional condition to advise on public policy right now

679 notes - Posted January 21, 2022

#2

so many companions at that support group except the one yaz needed to talk to most, martha jones,

910 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

apparently I'm the only person for whom that article link loaded, so here is the text -- mostly press fluff:

https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/david-tennant-catherine-tate-return

They're back! David Tennant and Catherine Tate return to Doctor Who One of the most loved pairings in Doctor Who’s history have reunited and are filming scenes that are due to air in 2023 to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

The Doctor and Donna parted ways when the Doctor had to wipe Donna's memory, making her forget him, in order to save her life. He left her family with a warning: if ever she remembers, she will die. But with the two coming face to face once more, the big question is, just what brings the Doctor and Donna back together?  Russell T Davies, Showrunner says: “They're back! And it looks impossible - first, we announce a new Doctor, and then an old Doctor, along with the wonderful Donna, what on earth is happening?  Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback. The only thing I can confirm is that it’s going to be spectacular, as two of our greatest stars reunite for the battle of a lifetime.”

See the full post

1,787 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[just-another-frender-blog]

I posted 627 times in 2022

That's 627 more posts than 2021!

142 posts created (23%)

485 posts reblogged (77%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hippiesolitude

@winningcombination

@redandfranticfeelings

@when-orange-met-metal

@thesoftboiledegg

I tagged 517 of my posts in 2022

Only 18% of my posts had no tags

#futurama - 277 posts

#frender - 166 posts

#philip j fry - 44 posts

#bender - 39 posts

#my writing - 33 posts

#freeler - 31 posts

#fry - 29 posts

#bender bending rodriguez - 27 posts

#freela - 26 posts

#update - 23 posts

Longest Tag: 101 characters

#it’s like the dog episode from fma all over again but that one was more upsetting for obvious reasons

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship.

158 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

#4

Do you ever think about how Bender was so depressed and lonely that he was going to kill himself, and then he immediately changed his mind when Fry called him his friend? Because I think about this all the time, especially that they had this exchange the first time they met. Fry saved Bender’s life and he doesn’t know it because he’s a good person.

Fry was the first person to treat Bender like a regular human being with feelings, which is something that gets dismissed by quite a few characters throughout the show. No wonder Fry is the only human that's on Bender’s “don’t kill” list (at first, I’m certain it gets longer later). Bender may be a complete asshole, but deep down, he just wants to be loved. And Fry was the one to give him that. 

189 notes - Posted October 13, 2022

#3

I always try to think about the worst things Bender did during Futurama, which is hard because his moral compass is insane. This guy goes from pick-pocketing people to enslaving an entire planet to stroke his ego, inCLUDING FRY AND LEELA, WHO LOVE HIM SO MUCH—

And then Bender throws Fry’s fossilized puppy into lava because he wanted Fry to only love him. He flushes Nibbler down the toilet because he got more attention than Bender for maybe a single day. And the crazy thing is that he doesn’t do this out of pure malice, he does it out of jealousy because he wants the people he cares about (Fry and Leela) to be 100% focused on him.

Bender was the original gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss, and no one else could ever top his level of pettiness.

189 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

#2

Okay one thing I really love about Fry is that before I started watching the show, I thought for sure he would be a somewhat dull everyman. And he was supposed to be the normal guy compared to all the whacky characters living in the future. But oh boy, this show really pulled a fast one with that, because Fry’s weird as hell. 

He’s the type of guy who would gladly eat an egg salad sandwich he found in the men’s bathroom of a gas station. He spent $300 on 100 cups of coffee because of a throwaway comment his coworker made. He spent an entire fortune on a can of anchovies to share with his friends. When his dog licks him, HE LICKS HIS DOG BACK. And who can forget that he bedazzles his own underpants. 

It’s really charming because when he comes to the future, he doesn’t care about any societal constructs. He doesn’t care that Leela’s a cyclops, to him, she’s just a badass lady who’s really pretty. And he doesn’t care that Bender’s a robot; he just wants to be friends with a robot because that’s been his dream since he was six. Fry doesn’t care that Leela and Bender are different from him, he just thinks they’re really cool and wants to be their friend. 

Of course, Fry’s still relatable, but he’s also batshit insane, fitting right in with the rest of the weird cast. The show tricks you into thinking he’s normal, but he’s really not. That’s some mighty fine character building right there.

296 notes - Posted August 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

These two would have gay sex in the Garfield dark ride

626 notes - Posted June 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

Genuinely proud of the gay sex Garfield one and that one was also one of the first posts I made for this blog. Ah, memories.

[life-things-everyday-thoughts]

12th of September 2024

So my 33rd Birthday in August was as thrilling as my life gets now I don't go anywhere much anymore that is not work and I am over it. But that is the way life just is now.

Did my first bit of halloween shopping this week and did a lot of bras N things shopping probably spent way to much money in that shop to be honest I would say close to $300 not that anyone is ever going to get too see it though. Now I just have to make everything fit me again finding the will to actually workout now days is another thing though like I just don't want to do anything.... It's like if I actually could go out I probably would not at this point......

Don't seem to have any local friends anyway so that's a factor not that I would have the time to hangout with anyone anyway as it seems all I do now days is stay at home and clean up after my mother because as she put it today the only thing she is capable of doing anymore is this washing and cooking dinner and that is really it so someone has to so all the other cleaning of the house. To put It plain i am a little over it already.... I wouldn't mind if I got a thanks for it every once in a while but nothing ever gets said and I have had enough. Just have a lonely feeling little life I have been on and off tinder and its just a joke its just a hook up website and when that is so not what you do or want in life what is the point of being on it.

Then I have been told more then once by more then one guy that no one wants to date someone like me so again what is the point I have had enough of trying maybe I am really just meant to be alone... That is just one of many things I need to work on for next year I guess ill just tack it on the list...

One other thing that has been bugging me lately is why the people that are mean or nasty human beings keep finding there legs like say they make a huge seen and quit there job..... They alway seem to find another job and an another job in the same work place setting none the less.... And how come the people that are trying so hard to be nice people seem to have the worst luck in life.. That's little backwards no?

My Life Plans for the next little while though get healthy and head down and work and save for things I really want to do... Time to get off here anyways and go do more chores I guess....

[nathank77]

4/7/24

6:13 a.m

It had occurred to me that I spend all day on my tumblr writing... all fucking day and if Elise is here, she must love me to read every word. Cause I write a book every single day.... and atm all about my glasses. She prob thinks I'm a fucking nerd.

Anyways my comfy beau frames do leave a mark!

What the fuck ever they don't touch my cheek and the marks are smaller than the rimless.

This is why I'm pissed but one pair at lens crafters really is close to 300$........ I can't do it this year.

And having 3 pairs is required... I'm not being snobby it's like replacing your eyeballs every year... and just the focal point being off makes your vision less clear...

So yea... next year maybe I'll get one pair at lens crafters and buy face squeezers at eyebuy one or two pairs a few months later cause 300$ is really going to put me out.

I chipped my old glasses last year and idk how i didn't even drop them. Thankfully the chip was off to the side of my vision bc they were already uncomfortable but I could still see it.

I just want comfortable eye wear. And I want my eyeballs to be accurate so I can see clearly.. tbh I'm not going to lie yes wearing my glasses does infact improve my vision significantly but someone like Elise, or anyone with 20/20 if my glasses were their script and it changed in a day and they wore my glasses they would be like ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

This isn't right. This isn't clear or what I can see everyday....

That's okay though. Being a poor guy and not having money is just part of not getting quality anything especially not glasses with clarity... hopefully I can get more refunded....

Part of me is like I should call and ask for beau instead of emerge my refund will be much more significant....unless they charge me for higher quality lenses which they might... I know they did for the emerge...

Idk. I spent less this year than last. And I'm getting 3 designer frames.

Tbh two pairs would be nice. I'd settle one half frame, one thick black full frames that just fit my face please...

I dread the day I need Progressives... that's going to be hell if I don't get fitted at lens crafters..

I'm truly considering not wearing glasses anymore. I've got a list of good reasons..

People don't find me attractive on dating sites, my focal point is fucked in every pair, they leave marks on my head or are head squeezers. My comfy beau dont feel like head squeezers..... but they do leave marks. But they are the most comfortable pair I've ever owned..... they might as well not be on... that's how comfortable they are in comparison to everything else I've owned.

With that being said my Ray-Bans are comfortable until I smile or laugh...

Everything is saying NATHAN THROW AWAY YOUR GLASSES. EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM IS ALL WRONG AND YOU'RE FUCKING UP YOUR SIGHT MORE MAKING YOURSELF ADJUST TO THE FOCAL POINTS BEING WRONG.

How do I proceed?? I need to get like another 37$ back, cut my losses and return a few and then save up for one pair of lens crafters glasses......

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Fluffy AU's Masterlist

chasing rubies (ao3) - cyberpunknct luke/ashton T, 32k

Summary: What’s Ashton supposed to do if he ends up sharing the cabin with a cute counselor?

Coffee Boy (ao3) - Jay_isnotokay michael/calum, luke/ashton M, 12k

Summary: Calum Hood has a crush on a barista, plenty of coffee making ensues.

Daydreams (ao3) - cornflowerblue (daydadahlias) michael/ashton T, 6k

Summary: It's not Michael's fault the owner of Fletcher's Flowers is so good-looking. And no one—Luke—should be able to blame him for wanting to come to the shop and admire the pretty buff man with large delicate hands as he assembles bouquets or pets his cat.

go for miles (ao3) - strxngersagain luke/calum, michael/ashton G, 11k

Summary: When Calum had bought tickets to Glastonbury Festival with his ex nearly a full year ago, he never imagined he would have ended up going alone. The very messy breakup of a nearly-three-year relationship pushed any and all thoughts of future-plans to the back of his mind. He had almost entirely forgotten about the tickets tucked into an envelope, if he was being honest with himself. It wasn’t until an email dropped into his inbox with the subject: 'We can’t wait to see you!', reminding him that oh shit, they had bought tickets together and oh shit, that’s in like two weeks.

He spent the better part of the afternoon sitting on the living room floor trying to figure out what to do with his ticket. It was too late for him to transfer it to someone else, he couldn’t sell it because it had his name printed on it, and he didn’t really want to lose out on the £300 he spent on the damn thing by just not going. So, he decided then and there that he would go alone. Ex-boyfriend be damned, he’d have a great time even if he was by himself.

If I'm Lame Then You're Beautiful (ao3) - ashsparagus michael/luke N/R, 4k

Summary: Luke doesn't think cheesy stuff can be cute. Michael takes that bet. They never thought they could fall deeper in love.

I hope you like superheroes (ao3) - brokenstereotype luke/ashton T, 20k

Summary: Luke doesn't see the appeal of a guy dressing up in spandex to save the city from nonexistent troubles. It may just be the fact that Michael has made a huge hype about this masked man in tights, but he's just not impressed - until he's on the recieving end of the saving.

It's Such a Shame That We Play Strangers (ao3) - velvethood (orphan_account) michael/calum/ashton T, 14k

Summary: “Well, when my favourite customer disappears I’m going to be worried.” Ashton reiterates, hands Michael his drink and a plate full of three types of cake like he knew Michael was coming. “You have a lot of food to catch up on. I’ve been on the cake wagon lately, haven’t I Cal?”

This is the first time Ashton’s addressed Calum in front of him which isn’t surprising because they’ve never been in this situation before, but Michael’s unsure of what to do with himself. They haven’t even been introduced each other.

No Chance (ao3) - iCheeseYou (EHook) michael/luke, calum/ashton T, 72k

Summary: So Ashton's going on a road trip with his friend, Calum, and he invited me to tag along. Being the adventurous shit I am, I said yes, but I wouldn't have if I knew that Luke Hemmings was going as well. God, I hate that guy, and the feeling's mutual. Why does that annoying brat have to come along? And Ashton and Calum expect us to be friends? Yeah, right. There's no chance that Luke Hemmings and I, Michael Clifford, are ever going to get along.

Oh Christmas Lights, Keep Shining On (ao3) - allsassnoclass (brightblackholes) michael/ashton, luke/calum T, 3k

Summary: Michael and Ashton have won their town's Winter Decoration Competition for the past two years. This year, their new neighbors are going to give them a run for their money.

Puppies, Pastries, and Other Sweet Things (ao3) - LyricalPary (hoseoky) luke/ashton, mentioned michael/calum G, 16k

Summary: When Ashton heard someone scratching on his front door in the middle of the night, he expected it to be a burglar, maybe even extraterrestrial beings who planned to take him to another planet. However, the last thing that he expected to find was a lost puppy who simply wanted shelter from the rain.

Say It With Your Hands (ao3) - GirlTheyCallAllie michael/calum, luke/ashton N/R, 3k

Summary: Meeting your soulmate was pretty easy in this world. You had a timer on your wrist which counted down to the moment you hear their voice for the first time. Until then all you had to do was wait.

Except for Luke and Ashton it wasn't that easy.

(So I'll Sit Here) Waiting (ao3) - dafeedil luke/calum T, 2k

Summary: Normally, Luke wouldn't think twice about it, because quite a few people went jogging in his neighborhood, but the guy was shirtless, and he looked damn good.

It became a bit of a habit after that, part of Luke's morning routine. Wake up, make coffee, turn on the news, watch the hot shirtless neighbor running by instead of the news.

stick to the status quo (ao3) - cliffakitten luke/ashton, michael/calum M, 29k

Summary: It's weird. Luke knows it's weird. He's very much aware of the degree of weirdness that he is being right now. Very, painfully aware. Which is why he's wearing a black beanie and sunglasses inside in the middle of spring. Inside the school theatre to be exact, sure to anyone else it wasn't exactly a place which requires a friggin disguise to be in. But Luke was a football player, by the ancient and all knowing laws of high school he shouldn't even know where the theatre is, never mind sneaking in through the lighting booth to stand in the back of it. ~ Or, the one where Luke is on the football team but has a mahooosive crush on this kid in the theatre club with the big hazel eyes and emo fringe.

storms of fabled foreign tongues (ao3) - fermentedpotato luke/ashton G, 5k

Summary: Literature class gets cancelled due to a lack of interest and Ashton gets stuck in creative writing. It's definitely going to suck.

superlatives (ao3) - dazedlight (opinionoutpost) calum/ashton, michael/luke G, 2k

Summary: '“We're not even dating,” Calum says, exasperated, ignoring his friends as he raises his head once more and throws his hands in the air. “Shouldn't the Best Couple actually be a couple?”'

Or, Calum and Ashton win the award for Best Couple in their school yearbook even though they are not, in fact, a couple.

What I (don't) like about you (ao3) - truly_madly_deeply michael/luke, calum/ashton, minor harry/louis, minor niall/liam E, 70k

Summary: Michael hates Luke, Luke hates Michael. When Luke’s older brother Ashton starts dating Michael’s best friend Calum out of all people, the two arch enemies are suddenly forced to spend way too much time together. Which they don’t like at all, but hey, shit happens, and so does love.

Or the one where Luke gets his lip pierced and Michael finds it very distracting.

Where the Heart Is (ao3) - LyricalPary (hoseoky) luke/ashton, side michael/calum E, 86k

Summary: By the time that Ashton Irwin is twenty-seven years old, he's already a widower and a father of three. After his third nanny quits on him, he comes to the conclusion that life in general doesn't seem to like him very much—that is, until his luck turns around when he discovers a particular nanny by the name of Luke H.

The question now is, can a twenty-two year old man with mile-long legs and a smile made of gold really be the super nanny that Ashton needs?

Perhaps so.

Your Love Will Take Me Home (ao3) - GirlTheyCallAllie luke/ashton, michael/calum N/R, 4k

Summary: The concept is simple. From the moment you turn 15 until the day you meet, you will be able to hear your soulmate's voice inside your head.

[takeeachdayonebookatatime]

Why did you elbow me? 178

Achilles Castle part 80

Lemonade and lies PART 23

Liv: pov Jet says so Kate you worked with Elliot on the same case as Liv back in the day. Because the other day it seemed like you didn't know each other. No he was actually injured during that case and no Dana Lewis was not involved. Muncy and Jet ask who Dana Lewis is. You really don't want to know she used to be FBI before she got sent to jail for murder.

Jet: pov she went to jail for murder no way. Liv says yes. And every time she was around Elliot got injured. Usually it was her accidentally shooting him and one time it was a bomb that injured him. That woman sounds insane, Liv says she was and she was my friend. Kate mentions a psychic one time mentioned to her that an Alexander would save her life. This was before her shooting and guess what Castle's real name is Richard Alexander Rodgers and he tried to shove her out of the way. The food arrives and Kate pays for it and Liv helps her carry it to the dining room table.

Kate: pov as Liv opens her food I notice it has mushrooms on it I can't pass up a good mushroom pun/joke. Hey Liv can you even have mushrooms wouldn't want you talking all crazy about the fungi. Jet then asks if Liv is allergic to mushrooms making the situation even more awkward. Liv says no, Muncy says didn't you say once that you got poisoned by some mushrooms the guy was cooking them on the stove or something and you started talking crazy. Liv says yes Muncy thanks for bringing it up, i actually don't remember much of it since i fainted during that Case.

Muncy: pov have you ever had a case that triggered your PTSD Kate says yes it was a sniper case a few weeks after I was shot before i was diagnosed. Woman was shot in the chest and she died instantly. There were 3 victims in total. I made a stupid choice to go out and get a bottle of alcohol knowing my dad was an alcoholic and I couldn't drink with my meds and heart issues but I didn't care, the case was becoming too much for me. I got home and poured some alcohol and started drinking, I heard a noise outside and started to freak out. Closing the curtains and everything. In my panic state I was having some bad flashbacks and palpitations. I knocked over the bottle of alcohol and broke the glass all over the floor. In my panic I cut my right arm on the glass. Thankfully Castle was knocking at my door checking to see if I was okay, he used the spare key I gave him for emergencies. He saw me on the floor bleeding and hyperventilating. He found my meds and injected them in me and cleaned my cut and bandaged it. After talking He helped me to my bed and spent the night on my couch. I learned my lesson and haven't drank since.

Jet: pov why did you buy the alcohol that night. Kate says I have no idea, but when you hit bottom the only way is up. I got diagnosed with PTSD after that day and it started to make sense all of the symptoms I had that night fit. I’m glad you are doing better. Muncy wants to know if Liv or Kate have made any mistakes on the job. Liv says in 2004 I interrogated a man for 9 hours after Fin and Munch talked to the guy trying to get a confession out of him. He eventually confessed to using the green scarf in the crime, poured acid in the victim's eyes, tied her up, cut and assaulted her, which the file mentioned. The victim ID him, he had her credit cards on him and 6 people saw him in the bar. He wound up getting I think 300 years in prison for the crime.

Liv: pov a few years later in 2012 we got a case with a similar motive. But Omar Pena was in jail so we thought it was possibly a copycat. We were getting nowhere on the case so Cragen told me to re-interview the original victim and she said she would never wear red again because of what happened to her. Her mother gave her that red scarf as a gift.

Muncy: pov hold up I thought the scarf was green, you said green earlier. Jet agrees with me that Liv said green. Liv says so did me, Fin and Munch turns out it was red the guy who bagged it was color blind early symptoms of ms. No way so the wrong man sat in prison for 8 years. Jet is also shocked by this.

Liv: pov yep and I felt very guilty. Muncy ordered the orange chicken with vegetable rice and egg rolls, Jet ordered the teriyaki stick white rice and dumplings. Kate ordered some healthy chicken with brown rice and vegetables. I ordered my usual lo mein noodles, sweet and sour chicken with stir fry vegetables on the side. We chat some more while we eat. Plus I almost lost my job because of my half brother, Muncy says didn't you say once you had the same father different mothers yep.

Jet: pov so Kate what Is your favorite Taylor swift song. Kate says actually Alexis is the fan. I know a few of her songs but I'm more into Duran Duran and Celine dion. Liv says well I guess we need to play some Taylor swift to get you ready for tonight. Our bracelets are coming out so cute.

Kate: pov after putting the dirty dishes in the sink I get back to the bracelet making. I tell Muncy and Jet where the bathroom is so they can change. I think It would be weird for them to change in front of Liv who is their boss. Me and Kate are friends and both have scars so we have no problem changing in front of each other. Castle made me a custom shirt, Liv is going to wear her 1989 shirt. Muncy and Jet are both wearing cute dresses.

Muncy: pov hey Jet what if we curl our hair. Kate what do you use to get your hair so curly Kate replies with nothing. I have curly hair. I just straighten It when I want to. To be continued. ……….

[lgbtlunaverse]

I don't think i'm ever gonna write endeavor-centric fic because i care about all of his kids way more than i care about him, and most of my thoughts about him just relate back to his kids again. But like... man wouldn't it have been great if instead of that weirdly timed completely unhinted at backstory reveal and what basically amounts to an arc regression presented as development, we could have had Enji defeated on the ground, and have his *kids* and his *atonement* be the reason he gts backup. He can't die here, he hasn't seen Touya yet, he hasn't done enough to help his family heal from the hurt he caused yet.

How great would it have been if we got a callback to THIS?

"I don't wanna die, I still haven't shown him anything"

Touya hasn't gotten to see ANY of Enji's attempts at atonement. The boy who ran home desperately after 3 years in a come because he thought something *must* have changed, and was crushed when it wasn't. It's finally happened and he was the only one who didn't get to see it.

If redemption is the way the todofam arc is going, then THAT'S what Enji nees to do. Show Touya he's changed. That should be his main priority right now. Yes he needs to beat afo to save the world in-universe but this is a story and we as readers are automatically going to care more about the arcs of the characters we've spent over 300 chapters with. Having Enji get up because he wants to get back *to his children* and be the kind of father they deserve is more satisfying than just having the good guy punch the bag guy because that's his job. We almost got there with him thinking about Shouto and Touya and hoping they were safe but we could've gotten a lot more.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Haven Gray

CW: Abducted whumpee, description of missing person, captivity, BBU/WRU

Where Is Haven Gray?

r/FindTheMissing

•Posted by u/bananasare2appealing

3 days ago

In the summer of 20XX, 21-year-old Haven Gray texted family and friends to let them know a second job interview they’d just finished had gone well, and they expected to be offered the job.

They made plans to have dinner with a couple of friends to celebrate, but never showed up to the restaurant. They were reported missing by their parents later that night and have never been seen again.

Hey, everyone, this is my first attempt at a post like this, so I hope you’ll go easy on me! Haven Gray is a kind of a personal case to me, I went to the same high school a few years behind them and there was still a lot of talk about what could have happened and like, their picture is in a memorial frame in the hallway by the principal’s office. It’s just a really important case to me and I hope they figure out what happened to Haven one day.

Haven Gray was the oldest of three children born to Matthew and Maria Gray in the small town of Trenton, Indiana. Tall, with long wavy red hair and gray eyes, they stood out in a crowd in more ways than one.

Haven set records for their high school’s cross-country track team, played well on the school basketball team, and maintained a 3.5 GPA alongside plenty of extracurriculars and an active social life.

They then spent two years attending Trenton Community College, looking to finish out their degree at Indiana State University and go into the human resources field. They kept up a part-time job on the side, but during the summer before they would move to ISU, they decided to look for full-time work to help save up some money.

Haven’s mother Maria was interviewed after their disappearance by local news station INNW as saying that Haven was very excited about finishing up their degree and moving into their first real apartment. 

Haven had seen an ad on a job-hunting website for a receptionist for a temp agency that specialized in placing HR professionals in nearby companies. Seeing a way to get some relevant experience before they finished up their degree, they applied and were contacted for a job interview.

Here’s where things get just a little weird, before they get even weirder.

Haven texted a photo of the strip mall where the job interview was, and noted that the company was not located in a well-maintained place, which made Haven very nervous. The signage also seemed brand new, which conflicted with information on the company website suggesting they’d been in that location for years. 

They waited in their car and called the company phone. Only when someone came out to greet them did Haven go inside for the interview. 

The first interview went smoothly, and Haven excitedly called their friends and family to say a second interview was already scheduled with the owner of the small company. It turned out, they explained, that the creepy location was no longer the company’s main location, and their second interview would be at a different address in a much nicer part of town.

They did not give any explanation, if any was given to them, about the reason for brand new signage if the business was in the process of leaving that address. On the day of the second interview, one week later, Haven’s mother saw them leaving in a deep blue top with satin detailing at the neck and gray slacks. 

They exchanged goodbyes, and Haven reminded their mother they would be meeting friends tonight, either to celebrate a good interview or commiserate over a bad one.

“My comfort,” Maria Gray said in her interview with INNW, “is that I said goodbye and I love you. I have that, at least. So many don’t get that final chance. I just wish I had known it was the last time. I would have looked at them a little longer.”

From here, Haven is seen on camera at their ‘regular’ Starbucks a few moments later, ordering a large (venti) iced latte. An automatic speed-checker camera next to the highway captured their car with license plate clearly visible driving in the direction of the interstate a few minutes later.

Two hours after this sighting, they called a friend, Natalie Morales, to tell her that the interview had gone well and they believed they would be offered the job. Dinner that night, Haven said, would definitely be a celebration. 

They texted three other friends, Maria, and Matthew - as well as a younger sibling. These are the last direct communications anyone had with Haven Gray.

“They didn’t sound scared,” Natalie said in her own interview with True Crime Podcast Now You See Them, Now You Don’t. "Not at all. I’ve thought about it over and over again, trying to ask myself, was there fear there? Had something already happened? And I just don’t think so. I think whatever happened, happened after they hung up the phone. They were excited, said the pay rate was way more than they expected for a receptionist job. The only thing is that they said the guy who interviewed them kind of... gave them the, you know. Made the hair on their arms stand up. You know what I mean? And I thought of that first, when they never... but he has an alibi.”

The man in question is Ladd Prescott, the stated owner of the temp agency Haven applied to. Ladd gave multiple interviews, off-camera and to law enforcement, but he did not leave the office and is seen on in-office security cameras and he is not considered a person of interest in the case.

The final image of Haven’s whereabouts that day comes from the CCTV camera at an ATM for Haven’s bank one hour after the final text message sent to their father Matthew. They are seen pulling up in their car to the drive-thru ATM, where they withdrew $300. 

Notable about this footage is three things:

1. Haven appears to look directly at the camera twice, deliberately holding their gaze maybe

2. Their hair, carefully styled when they left for the interview according to Maria, is noticeably in disarray, and they do not appear to be wearing the same shirt they had on when they left (the footage is super grainy, so this is hard to tell exactly, but if you check here you can see that they appear to be wearing a white t-shirt). 

3. A shadow just behind them moves independently of Haven, gestures a few times, and it appears - and police believe - that someone else is in the car with Haven Gray directing their movements.

Haven never arrived at the restaurant. When their friends attempted to contact them, the phone went directly to voicemail. This was very out of the ordinary for Haven, so friends called Maria and Matthew, who became immediately worried and contacted the police.

Haven Gray officially was listed as a missing person the next day.

Four days later, their car - with IDs, debit and credit card, a book they were reading, and their resume and list of questions from the interview all inside - was located at a nearby riverfront, abandoned. The only thing missing was the $300 in cash Haven had taken out of the ATM, and Haven themself. 

A witness came forward later stating they had seen a man with ashy blond hair who appeared to be in his 40′s or 50′s smoking next to the car the day Haven was last seen. This man has never come forward or been located and his connection to Haven’s disappearance, if any, is unknown.

Law enforcement believes that Haven was abducted within half an hour of finishing their interview by someone who forced their way into the car, and likely directed to the ATM to take cash out and then met someone else or moved into a different car after parking Haven’s at the riverfront. 

Weirdly, the riverfront was checked the day after Haven was declared missing, which suggests someone came back and moved the car after the witness saw the smoking man, then moved it back into place after the initial search of the area was over with.

Cell towers picked up pings from Haven’s phone for four hours afterward, heading due east. The nearest big city would have been Cincinnati, so it’s possible the abductor headed that direction. If they did, though, they took a winding route and Haven’s phone was turned off or discarded before reaching the city. 

Look, I know this is a big conspiracy theory and there’s absolutely no proof, but I think Haven was abducted by WRU. 

Why?

Three weeks prior to their disappearance, Haven attended a bar’s “singles night”. They mentioned to friends later that they connected with a man who worked for WRU as a handler, but then decided they couldn’t handle the reality of what he did and cut off contact before they could have their first real date.

(The handler in question has been cleared during the investigation, but I still have my suspicions)

I know this seems like the flimsiest reason, but Haven’s friends all say that the man was very upset by Haven’s discomfort with his job, tried to keep contacting them for days. I think the job interview is a red herring and it’s this handler guy who is behind it somehow - maybe him, or his friends.

Also, there’s a WRU Training Facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, only a few hours away... and law enforcement never even tried to get a warrant to search there. Easy way to get rid of someone if you did something to them, right?

(I know, I know, WRU has standards and does checks and all that, but seriously. Think about it.)

A year later, improbably, a farmer working to mow the ditch next to his fields found Haven’s cell phone in a ziploc inside a second plastic bag. The phone had been wiped to factory settings and no new useful information was found.

So, where is Haven Gray? 

Were they murdered? Abducted? Will we find their body in a field one day? Were they just dumped in the river next to their abandoned car? Are they part of the WRU system now? No one seems to know, and reported sightings of them in Los Angeles, New York City, and even one mention from Sydney, Australia, seem hard to believe.

Haven’s mother Maria says they have no plans to declare Haven legally dead, and they intend to keep looking “as long as it takes”.

What Are Your Thoughts?

-

WRU NEW ACQUISITION INTAKE FORM FACILITY 005

SUBJECT: 549065

DATE OF ACQUISITION: 06.06.20XX

TIME OF ACQUISITION: 1:45 PM

LOCATION ASSIGNED: FACILITY 005, CINCINNATI, OHIO

PREVIOUS ALIAS: Haven Finley Gray

AGE: 21

DATE OF BIRTH: 07.19.20XX

HAIR: Red

EYES: Gray

HEIGHT: 6′0″

WEIGHT: 153 lbs 

SEXUALITY: Pansexual 

DESIGNATION: Romantic

KNOWN SKILLS: Subject in school for business-related major, excellent with typing, record-keeping, work with Excel spreadsheets, etc. Subject reports regular workouts primarily consisting of long-distance cardio. Subject refused to provide details on sex life but is known to have been active in the dating scene of local area. Subject is known to be gregarious and social.

HOBBIES: Subject mentioned reading as a hobby, with primary interest in fantasy and science fiction. Three books located in subject’s car at time of acquisition. 

KNOWN CONCERNS: Subject is showing some irregularities in heartrate, likely due to fear. No other known concerns. 

KNOWN IMMEDIATE FAMILY: Matthew and Maria Gray, both living, location Trenton, Indiana. Grandparents are deceased.

SIBLINGS: Two younger siblings: Mark, brother, two years younger, and Penny, sister, four years younger. 

METHOD OF ACQUISITION: Involuntary. 

ACQUISITION DETAILS: Access to subject provided by local business. Subject was apprehended without incident by Handler Benjamin Ralford. Subject was given an injection of sedative and transferred to WRU company vehicle at 3:15 pm. The rest of the acquisition proceeded without incident.

ASSIGNED HANDLERS: 

CONTRACT SIGNED: 06.09.20XX 5:55 PM

           PRIMARY: Benjamin Ralford, per request, acting as primary. Handler and Processor, Romantic Division.

           SECONDARY: Melissa Striker, Senior Handler and Processor, Romantic Division

SIGNATURE PROVIDED VOLUNTARILY, SUBJECT NOT SEDATED FOR SIGNING. SUBJECT SHOWED NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF INJURY AT TIME OF SIGNING. SUBJECT REPORTED FEELINGS OF FEAR AND CONFUSION COMMON TO NEW RECRUITS.  

CONTRACT SIGNATURE: Haven Gray, aka 549065

PRESENT AT TIME OF SIGNING: Handler Benjamin Ralford, Badge #3345, WRU Attorney Ryan Alderson. 

ESTIMATED COST FOR TRAINING: $125,000 USD

COMPENSATION TO BE PAID BY PROSPECTIVE:  $500,000 USD 

CURRENT LOCATION: Romantic Division Room #12, post-signing contract

TRAINING PLAN: ALL Positions 1-35, Flexibility, Sensitivity, Endurance, Dance, Socialization

COMMENTS:

I’m going to take every fucking thing out of that head and put back in only what I want to be there. I think they’ll fall in line once the Drip is really working on them. My professional recommendation is total illiteracy should be emphasized before moving on to other training. They’ll do better with focus and commitment on the skills we want to impart that way. I am also recommending absolutely no scarring unless there is no other option. - Benjamin Ralford, Primary Handler

Scribbled at the bottom of the paper and not put in to WRU’s digitized records system is a note in Ralford’s handwriting:

Should’ve gone on that fucking date, asshole

-

@astrobly @burtlederp @finder-of-rings @whump-tr0pes @raigash @orchidscript @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @eatyourdamnpears @boxboysandotherwhump @vickytokio @whumpfigure @outofangband @downriver914 @justabitofwhump @thehopelessopus @butwhatifyouwrite @yet-another-heathen @nonsensical-whump