#i was doing a freelance job and it was a nice amount of money that would help me a LOT

[polyamorousmisanthrope]

How to Spread Out the Mental Load

In rounding out the year, my husband and I applied ourselves to a notebook that, frankly, is a big benefit to our marriage -- the Household Notebook.

The Household Notebook is not the same thing as a Bullet Journal. I do use and love mine, but the Bullet Journal is about Noël's needs/goals/responsibilities. The Household Notebook is about the home and the members therein.

I freely admit I took the idea from FlyLady and her Control Journal, but this isn't just a notebook for the Lady of the House to keep the home nice.

It started that way, mind. I never have been much of a homemaker, but I grew up in a well-run home and wanted that for my own life. Because I tended to take on Projects instead of Real Jobs, I wound up trying to create routines that would help me keep the house in order around helping my kids and still running a freelance business that would earn enough money to keep us from the paycheck to paycheck life.

While I did take the Control Journal template, I did what you're actually supposed to do and adapted it to my own household and my own needs.

For the first few years I used it, my husband knew it existed. It sat on the kitchen counter, and he would get new iterations printed and often bought me sheet protectors for it. He knew it was important to me.

He knew the house ran on a (mostly!) even keel.

But it was still that mental load.

During the early Covid lockdowns, he started getting edgy and wanted Productive Things to Do. I'd point him in the direction of the Detail Cleaning section of the household notebook and tell him to go nuts with it if he wanted.

He did.

But more than that, he started seeing the chores that tended to get done while he was at work and realized that keeping a home nice was more than just vacuuming once a week.

We wound up moving (and seriously downsizing) in the fall of 2021, and the Detail Cleaning we needed to do was severely reduced. This time, when the notebook needed an update, I sat down with him and said we needed to go over it so that we could make a household standard together.

At first, he was twitchy. I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew and I think he was worried that I'd push for a level of perfection that is unrealistic. When I told him that I wanted to treat it like a lesson plan (We're both software instructors) and that we could only devote X amount of time to cleaning, so if something got added, we needed to toss something else out.

That got him enthusiastically on board, as he realized that, no, Endless Pursuit of Perfection* was not a goal.

What my husband likes about the notebook is that:

A) It is a living document we both edit and agree on

and

B) No-one is in charge, necessarily, of seeing that the house is clean. We're all responsible and the list is RIGHT THERE. Pick something on the list and DO it and move on.

Can this sort of method be abused? Oh yeah. There is no method that'll overcome people not wanting to work together.

But wow, has it been nice for taking out the whole, "Lady of the House as the Cleaning Authority" mindset.

How can you create such a notebook?

That's a further article.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

What is something you wish more people understood about you or if you prefer about your job or hobbies?

Hey Lovely!!

Ahhh, oh gosh SO much, honestly.

So I'm a graphic designer by trade, and an illustrator and freelance designer as my side gig, and my hobbies are art-related as well.

FOR SURE, I have to say that I wish people respected designers as the creatives we are. I've GENUINELY had clients who think all I do is hit a "design ad" button and BOOM it's done, and don't think they should have to pay me because – and this is ONLY because I've been doing this for 20 years – I can finish a print ad in under an hour, and booklets under 5, not taking into account the AMOUNT OF CHANGES and STUPID things I have to talk people out of to not make them look bad.

Some other things:

Microsoft Word is not a design program. I HATED this when I worked at the Paper. Good fucking LORD the amount of times I've had to rebuild an ad because the client couldn't resize it themselves and couldn't understand why if they moved something everything fucked up is astounding.

Canva is good for mocking up design, but I'm sorry, you're NOT a designer if you learned design in Canva. I know it sounds gatekeepy and pretentious, and I am sorry about that, but even with Canva you need to know SOME principles of design to get something appealing out of it. A designer, after-all, MADE your templates you're working from. We're everywhere. We're a silent bunch that's under-appreciated. You're never going to get the precision and nuance and a proper eye that you'll get from a designer. Sure you'll get quick and dirty designs, work fine for socials, but I LOATHE when people send me shit they made in Canva that I have to, once again, rebuild because they can't figure out how to resize in Canva and complained to me that Canva isn't making it look nice when they export it (to be fair, that's a them problem, the tools ARE there for you to do that stuff)

When your designer tells you one thing and you're trying to push for another, your designer is trying to save you the embarrassment of your "vision". We know what we're doing. We spend most of our days knowing market trends and what will make eyes go to your advertisements and products.

Strokes don't fix everything.

I can't read your mind. PLEASE, if you wanted an element there from the start, you need to tell me, and not tell me I'm a fucking moron who should have guessed by the blobs you drew on a napkin as your layout.

Fuck AI; I see the benefits of it for smaller things like content aware fill to add a bit more height to a stock photo I'm using, or the smart-select to route a photo faster, but literally that's all I see useful for it.

I know there's loads more I'm missing, but I've seen SO much that I'm numb to a lot of things and tend to just "autocorrect" stuff without even thinking anymore.

I love my job though, I really do. The joke in my industry is that "I get paid to play in Photoshop all day long" and there is some truth to it after doing this for nearly 20 years. But I wish people would understand that we are trained professionals who want to make them look good, and to do that I need time and money. We are literally background characters for the main protagonists, and the pay isn't great unless you're really lucky (which I am, but it took me 12 years to finally get in where I am), and I wish people would stop saying my job is easy.

It literally is not. Think of it as retail, but you deal with the same people every single day nitpicking the tiniest things over and over again despite you telling them countless times that 6pt font is probably the smallest you should go, but no 3 pt must be on this ad.

Anyway. 🙃

My favourite though is Layout Design. I love designing the booklets and mailers we do at my job, because I get to be super creative. My boss is pretty lenient with me, since "you've been here longer than all of us, you know better than me how this works", so I get to have fun.

Thank you for this question :) And gonna promo myself here, if anyone ever needs design or layout services, I'm your gal :)

[kiwiraccoon]

What Happens In Vegas Pt.1

Yeosang x fem!reader

Description: By complete chance two people from two different worlds meet in a place where the phrase “What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas” was born. They spend their time getting to know each other and building a bond that might lead to one of them uprooting their life at the end of the trip.

Word Count: 2454

Notes: first person POV, drinking, gambling

This vacation is more needed than I initially realized, the tension in my shoulders finally releasing enough to let my mind not focus on how this dress sits against my skin. Dressing up while traveling solo seems dangerous, but my job has me doing it in places that aren’t in my home country. The only difference is this time I’m dressing up for myself only, my job doesn’t allow me to build relationships outside of acquaintances since I’m constantly moving from country to country to find the best stories. Freelance writing always made sense to me, and now as a traveling blogger, my only real focus is finding where I truly belong.  

I’m celebrating myself and my accomplishments on this trip, finally embracing the freedom I have from no longer working for anyone but myself. I plan to do that the only way I know how by experiencing the places I travel to and what they have to offer. Las Vegas has so many experiences under its glamorous look, from hidden places in casinos to well-known celebrity’s history. Of course, the only place to start is a casino, specifically the one I’m staying in.

Walking out of the elevators I can feel eyes on me, either out of curiosity, envy, or lust. I don’t blame them, I know my worth and I have the right amount of confidence that shows in my walk. My dress screams confidence too, with the black color and form-fitting design, I even stared at myself in the mirror. 

Without thinking I make my way to the counter to get my casino card and put my information in the system so I can get my earnings, hopefully. The nice woman at the counter asks me, “Are you here by yourself?”

Without missing a beat I smile and answer with a small laugh, “I’m crazy aren’t I?” We both laugh together before I make my way over to the one table I know I can win at, roulette. It seems funny to have a card when I make it to the table and see they are still using chips at the table, but I know at one point I will make my way over to the computerized game so I can use my logic while being able to see the last winning hits. 

The one good thing about my previous job was that I could make a lot of money and never have to use it. America feeds off of money, and that’s why I left. I would have never had any money to spare if I stayed here, and now I can have fun without worrying about how much I can and cannot spend.

Instantly I hand over a $100 bill to receive my chips and wait for the table worker to tell me when I can bet. It doesn’t take long for the table to fill up after I sit down, and my first bets use all of my money. 25 on black, 25, on even, 25 on the 2nd 12, and 25 on the 3rd column. I always start with these bets, never changing my strategy, it’s more likely to have a hit with these bets than not. I watch with a blank face as the ball spins, zero worries if I have one hit, all hits, or no hits.

Before I know it I’m being pat on the back and a smile makes its way onto my face, 24 was hit and it checked off every one of my bets. I make my next bets and continue to bump my winnings with either one hit or a few, by the time I decide to leave the table there is a crowd of people watching, wondering how a woman by herself in Vegas was winning roulette like it was a simple mobile game. 

“Excuse me,” I repeat many times to make my way out of the crowd holding my shoulder purse close to me as it was full of my winnings. I try to make my way back to my hotel room to drop off most of the money as I know having a lot of money on you in Vegas is probably the dumbest thing you could do. I had a few drinks by now and the buzz was working its way through my system.

Pressing the button to go up on the elevator I wait patiently, ignoring all the prying eyes of those within the casino. Checking the time on my watch I see that it’s around 2 a.m. and mentally make a note of how long I was at the table, 2 hours. The elevator doors open and I instantly walk on thinking no one would be coming down at this hour, but I was so wrong. 

My smaller frame makes contact with someone leaving the elevator and I stumble out of shock that someone would be coming down, their hands instantly grab onto my shoulders to balance my stance. “Oh god, I’m so sorry,” I say instantly and move one of my hands to push some curled hair from my face to look at the person who is still holding me steady. When my eyes meet his I realize how much this might seem like a cliche, but I can’t really care much as I do deserve to have one cute moment in my life, even if this will be the last time.

Instead of saying the simple ‘it’s okay,’ he simply chuckles at my apology and moves us to the side out of the way of the elevator as there are people behind me wanting to get to their rooms as well. The confusion builds in my mind when I realize instead of walking away he kept me at arm's length and moved us out of people's way. “I-”

“I’m not mad, I just have to talk to you more.” He admits, his hands slightly squeezing my upper arms that he still has within his grasp.

“Oh,” I pause thinking of my next words while getting lost in his eyes that draw me in. “Why is that?”

“I’m not sure, but I plan on figuring it out. I’m Yeosang by the way.” He steps back slightly dropping his hands from my arms and stretching one out in what seems like an awkward handshake. I can hear the slight foreign accent in his speech and realize he isn’t American and English definitely isn’t his first language. Although, I must admit he is pretty good at it.

I shake his hand softly, reigning in my need to show that I’m an independent woman through the interaction. “I’m y/n. You’re not from here, don’t make yourself uncomfortable on my account I hardly live in America myself.” 

“Oh, good.” There is a building awkward silence and I notice he might be slightly uncomfortable in an open setting.

“Yeosang,” I say his name as a way to test my pronunciation and he seems pleased by the way I said it. “I was heading to my room to drop off something, if you want to come with you can, or we can meet up. How long are you here for?”

“You don’t mind?” I nod at his words seeing a relief flash in his eyes that makes him look adorable in contrast to his strictly handsome features. “I’ll be here for one more day.” He makes the move to push the ‘up’ button on the elevator, showing he really does want to spend more time together. 

“So you leave tomorrow or the following day?” I ask to fill the empty space hoping to limit the awkward tense.

“Tomorrow,” he says, there is slight sadness in his voice that makes me look up into his eyes only to look right back at the elevators as I hear the doors ding. We both step onto the elevator leaving some space between us but more space between the other strangers who joined the ride. “What floor?” He asks looking at me as he is closer to the buttons.

“Oh, um, the top floor.” I avoid his eyes as I say that, realizing that I’m exposing how much I splurged on this solo trip. He lets out a small chuckle at my avoidance yet hits the button anyway and shuffles slightly closer to me. Onlookers would think we have known each other for years with how close we stand, but in reality, it's a shared comfort we have around each other that was instant and I only now realize it. I never felt a sense of anxiety when he touched me, only feeling apologetic for running into him, and I never felt unsafe in his presence which should be wrong, but it feels more than right.

Slowly people exit onto their floors eventually leaving us alone in the small space but neither of us moves to create space between us, we both enjoy it. When the elevator stops he lets me leave the space first, either out of chivalry or just so I can lead the way. We remain in silence on the short walk to my suite, embracing the comfortable silence that has built between us. It should be scandalous to bring a man to your room during the first time meeting, but nothing about this interaction feels that way. I open the door with my key card and hold it open behind me for him to enter, I quickly make my way to the living space to hurriedly put away the excess amount of money I have on me, hoping he doesn’t see. I never liked flaunting what I have, but I can’t lie, the independence of it all makes me feel confident in myself. I was able to afford this space and risk losing money all on my own, it feels nice.

“Funny, your room is the mirror image of mine.” He says, his confidence rising in the private space. It takes a moment for his words to register in my mind.

“You also have a suite?” I ask now turning to face his as my task is complete and standing up straight to watch as he works out the difference in the rooms.

He chuckles again and I can’t lie and say the sound isn’t attractive. “Yeah, my bedroom is actually on that side,” he points to the opposite side of the living space of my room, “and the couch is on that wall.”

“Guess you should know your way around then,” I let out my own laugh. “Do you mind if I change into something more comfortable? This dress is starting to feel constricting.”

I watch as his eyes trail over my body, taking in the details to remember before responding, “go ahead.”

I scamper over to the bedroom and rush to grab an oversized t-shirt and comfortable shorts, knowing I want nothing more than to just relax and I just hope he is okay with that after all I did today. As I go to leave the room after changing I notice the door was left slightly open in my rush and I only hope the mirror in the room did not let him see, but I can’t fight the excitement in me that slightly hopes he could see. Walking out into the living area I see he has made himself comfortable on the couch and is scrolling through his phone, but the second he sees my figure through his peripheral vision he puts the phone away and gives me his undivided attention. My heart speeds up at this. 

“You don’t mind just hanging out here, do you? I know you leave tomorrow, so I hope you didn’t have any plans for the night, and if you did, you can totally go do them, I’ll just hopefully get your number an-”

“Y/n.” He cuts me off. 

“I was rambling. Sorry.” We both chuckle and he pats the spot next to him on the couch silently asking me to sit near him which I don’t hesitate missing that comfortable feeling between us. 

He smiles when I sit near him, “It was cute. I have no plans, I was just going to walk around because I was bored.” 

“So you don’t mind hanging out here with me tonight?” I ask to settle my nerves that have finally been set free from the intoxication that is leaving my body.

“I want to be here, I told you I want to figure out why I stopped you.” He reminds me, and it makes a smile return to my face and slight embarrassment for how we met. 

Without second guessing I open my phone and go to create a new contact to hand to him, I don’t want to risk him leaving and us never speaking again. It shocks me, and him. Usually, I wouldn’t mind letting someone I meet become someone I met in passing, but for some reason, the thought of him becoming that sends anxiety running through my veins. He puts his number in my phone then texts himself, and when he hands me back my phone I can’t help but smile at the name he chose. It's just his name but the emojis that follow remind me of his cute laugh, the simple blushing face, and a white heart.

“How long until you leave?” I ask.

“About 4 hours.”

I look at him with a shocked expression, “why are you awake?” He laughs, genuinely laughs at my expression while covering his mouth in the process, a little action I can already feel myself adorning. 

“The travel time is more than enough time for me to sleep and readjust to the time change.” His explanation makes a lot of sense, and I understand it completely from my own travels.

“Where are you from?” The question had been bubbling in the back of my mind since I picked up on his accent, but there was just never the right time to ask. 

“South Korea, have you been?” My heart stops at the revelation.

“Oh my god, it makes sense!” The way my voice picks up intensity makes him now look at me in shock but also silently asking me to explain. “Oh, sorry,” I chuckle, “I have been to South Korea many times and fell in love with the country. I was actually going back after this trip.” He makes a noise of understanding and turns to face me more on the couch placing his arm against the back, and I don’t miss the way his fingers begin to play with the curled hair that I left down.

“You fell in love with South Korea, but do you think you could fall in love in South Korea?”

[chemicalpink]

ଘ(´•×•)⊃━☆ a (not so brief) life update

In case you've been wondering where I've been cause by now we all know I tend to just disappear.

A few days ago I felt like oversharing a bit for anyone interested, I feel like getting to this point of sharing is due and will allow me to stop this irrational fear of the internet that I have somehow developed as it tallies to my accountability on this blog.

So hang tight! Cause this is about to be a wild ride...

I'm not regressing to the very beginning cause this isn't about to be a therapy session but I will go back to the near beginnings of this account during the pandemic.

A little before lockdown as I was asked to collaborate as a customs specialist for a pop-up store (which then I found out to be BTS') so I got into them after my job was done. A bit after going down the rabbit hole I started this blog, without very much planning into it, just merely creating a safe space for the people with whom could potentially like the same things I did.

A few months into it, as a last year International Relations student on my way to law school, and with a bit of sleep deprived courage, I applied for an internship at BH online, not expecting much since I barely knew Korean and was most definitely stuck at home in a whole different continent. But things surprisingly worked out, I didn't get paid at all but it was a great learning experience. BH became HB and I got to experience that from the inside, my day went like this: school from 7am to 5 pm and work from 9pm to 3am (sometimes more)

I obviously never got to work directly with any idols, my work was merely global and very much law related. Customs, contracts, negotiations with international enterprises. When the lockdown was done with, I was asked to move and become a permanent worker of theirs, so I did. However, it involved a lot of moving around so I wasn't exactly based anywhere and living costs are quite a thing. During this time I was also profiling myself as a diplomat, so it was in all of our best interests that I became outsourced.

Which brings us to a timeline closer to the present, the person that was in charge of contacting me for the gigs that I used to do for them suddenly quit and while I'm sure they were doing whatever was best for them, left me fending for myself during may-june. I came back home with my parents during june-july and networked for a bit– at least enough to regroup my possibilities so during august-september I was allowed to staff and collaborate (on a lower level) on some big concerts/tours.

During this time however (july-september) I was mostly reliant on my parents and coincidentally, their work slowed down by a lot. The rather small amount of money I got from working here and there was spent on my medical treatment (during july my doctor let me know that I needed to get diagnosed properly for lupus and by august my treatment costs were up by a lot) I tried picking up freelance tutoring (a pain, truly) and other small hustles that didn't require me to tire myself out too much since most of my days I spent aching all over, while also caring for my mother who had to have an emergency glaucoma surgery.

Oh and I cried and felt miserable during my birthday so.

I believe that's where we are at. I can't exactly get a job since I need to apply to an unpaid internship in order to graduate law school but I can't apply for an internship because one of my teachers just suddenly decided to fail me in their class (which means I need to pass it first) so I try to get by with small, low commitment hustles and now I'm picking up more seriously my ko-fi content. Which is why, I haven't been on here.

Those damned retrogrades hit me good ngl.

I do want to say though, I am not in a state of emergency, however, I am not living comfortably, but I'm trying my best to pick myself up and be nice to myself with the decisions I make and actions I take by the minute. While also trying to save up to go visit my 17 year old sister that has just moved away to study medicine.

I am grateful for what I have and I cherish you all that have remained close to me (even in this infinite nothingness that is the internet) and I hope you've been treating yourselves kindly during this time. If you'll have me, let's navigate the rest of the year together.

If this gains a lot of traction, I'm privating it lmao. I have no issue now talking about it since I'm no longer working there but I made those NDAs myself so I know what I'm up to.

[mollieblue]

Hey #labour, you should hire me to talk at you about how to actually fix Britain:

Terfs are the enemy, Trans folx are the people.

Small businesses need support on the ground level in order to foster amazing communities.

Invest in education to the point teachers are as paid well as their private peers or dare I say as well as an MP. I would say that if an MP describes their role as being vital, integral and essential to running the country, who receives a handsome tax paid salary with expenses paid with the public purse, why is it that other public sector roles are paid relatively below minimum wage? This applies to all public sector workers; civil servants, NHS staff, and teachers of all stripes. They are just as vital, integral, and essential to running the country, if not more so, than the openly profiteering geezers in Westminster.

Why is it that the rule makers are more important than those ensuring that the rules work? Those holding up society and holding it together are so sorely underpaid in this country that they are giving their lives to you at pittance so you can be okay. The NHS is a wonderful thing, and it breaks my heart that we don't fully fund it. The same goes for education, social services, community organisations, and libraries. These currently literally keep people existing at the bare minimum, but when fully funded and staffed, they transform lives for the better.

Equal pay for Equal work 》 Equal pay for Equal Importance. Ignore the 'we can't pay them the hundreds of thousands that MPs get' elephant in the room. I want you instead to imagine a world in which all public sector workers are paid the exact same amount regardless of hierarchy or public aspect they interact with. I'm no expert, but I reckon £86,584, the basic annual salary for a UK MP in 2023, would be an absolute god send to a junior doctor on roughly £38k. My partner practically works at minimum wage for 50 hours when you account for the marking, the planning, the organisation of your entire schedule to an impromptu meeting with angry parents and worrying about ofsted. It has worn them down, mostly because we can't have a social life, spending money on the theatre, in shops, on things that make us happy and human. We can't save, and we can't afford nice things. That fucking sucks. It wears a person out and throws them out of the system that's holding up the world.

Everyone I know is feeling like the above, regardless if they're private or public, freelance or salaried. One solution to help is basic universal income. Give everyone over 16 £500 & everyone over 18 £1000 each month for a year and see how awesome it would be in a year's time. I already know how much good that would do to me and everyone I know.

So pay everyone £12,000 a year and then pay all public sector workers the base salary of £86,000 rising in step with inflation. If the private sector can, in theory, pay whatever wages it wants, having a guarantee that your basics are paid will eliminate sooooo much stress. Rich folx can donate theirs, college kids can do interesting work at college because £500 buys a lot of art supplies and travel to museums, exhibitions, and events. Youth would have means to explore the nation before university or set up in an apprenticeship. Our elderly can use it to afford end of life care provisions or enrich their retirement or hell, just keep the lights on. Working folx would undoubtedly benefit the most and would probably like their jobs much more if they know things are covered.

To foot the bill, impose a commons tax on all privately owned land that fairly compensates the commons, ie, the UK public, back.

Make the North part of your game plan, rather than a foot note.

On a serious note; nationalise the railway system and expand the network. It is hell going east to west here, up to 3 hours to go 50 miles west and just 3 to get to London from Selby in North Yorkshire. How is this acceptable?

Invest in working class politicians to bring the reality of Britain back into government. Without our views or experiences on the table, why are we surprised when the Tories fuck us over again? If you want true, enthusiastic support from the British people, do not talk at us as if we're irresponsible children and actually engage with the very liberal and progressive discussions we have daily. Especially people under 40 - the older generation that pulled us out of the EU will be gone soon - you need to court and actually help out.

[anddreadful]

i’m not big on super specific new years goals (which is why there’s no hard numbers attached to most of these) but a few ambitions for this year:

- get cast in something at a new-to-me theater

- see more local theater productions

- be consistent with my fitness/ workouts

- save at least [amount] per month (+ get my personal savings up to [amount] and then the rest in goes in the house fund)

- make more money somehow (job hop? freelance side gig? chill second job? idk)

- continue to do bougie shit, including try more nice and new-to-me bars and restaurants

- write more than I did in 2023

- make more friends 💜

[jimmyknives]

REGARDING OPEN YOWCHO ORDERS:

Howdy, I know there are still a good handful of people waiting on their orders since the shop closed. I totally understand the frustration or just eagerness to get your stuff, and I apologize for the wait. This is where I’m at: after a year + of financial hardships, dwindling sales, and general setbacks, I closed the shop in August- it was losing too much money, and as hard as I tried to save it, I just wasn’t making enough to cover the shop’s expenses or my own. I gave it an honest shot, all of my blood sweat & tears, but truthfully I’m just not very good at running a business. I probably wouldn’t be an illustrator if I was. 

The shop’s bank account is now empty, and since closing I’ve been shipping orders and issuing refunds on my own dime. Orders have been trickling out, but without the shop, I don’t have a proper stream of income. Job hunting has been tough, and I’ve been relying on freelancing to make ends meet. I’m sure many of you know what that’s like and how difficult it is to eke out enough money to get by. I’ve spent all of my savings, and at this point I can’t ship orders or process refunds until I have a proper job. Freelancing right now is barely covering what I need to survive, and more often than not lately, my bank account is overdrawn. Orders and refunds will be handled as soon as I’m able, but right now 100% of my focus is on making enough to keep my rent paid and food in my fridge. Any extra income I have is going straight to processing outstanding orders, Again, I’m sorry for the long wait times, I wish things worked out differently with the shop, but unfortunately this is just where it’s at right now, and until I’ve got some extra dough to grease the wheels, this is the only update I’m able to give you. I can’t really tell you not to file a chargeback with your bank, obviously I’d really strongly prefer you didn’t; that all comes out of my own personal money, and at the time of writing this my account balance is negative $142.07 - but I can promise you that as soon as I’m able to handle your order I will. 

I’m also not really responding to DMs about orders right now. I understand most of you are kind and understanding, but the amount of straight up harassment I’ve experienced from a minority of customers over the last year has been enough that for my own mental wellbeing, I’m just not going to expend the energy sorting through it all until I actually have the funds to get things moving again. I also do not need the unsolicited advice- whatever you have to say to me about how I ran my business is not helpful to me at this point, and I can guarantee I’ve heard it in every color of the rainbow, along with any and every name you could possibly think to call me. I’m not engaging with that kind of stuff, I don’t care if it’s well intentioned or not at this point. I’m done being berated by disgruntled customers and harangued as if I’m laughing it up on a yacht somewhere with piles of scam money, and not actually working very hard to pick up the pieces of a failed business that I poured all of my time and money into for years of my life. I apologize to all the nice & well intentioned folks who are just looking for updates - that makes up like 90% of you, but anybody who’s worked retail knows that it really just takes one bad interaction to fuck up your whole day, and until I can actually do something about outstanding orders, I’m not going to subject myself to that.

I’m very thankful for the support I’ve received over the years and for all the fans of my work who have helped me get this far. Maybe once I’ve tied up all the loose ends with the shop and gotten everything taken care of, I can start figuring out some kind of plan to start selling my work again, in a better, more streamlined way, who knows.. that probably won't be for a loooong time- - Until then, I’m going to focus on illustrating, and I’m always looking for work (illustration or otherwise) so please please please holler at me. If you live in Portland hire me, and if you’re some kind of freakish good samaritan and want to kick me a few bucks to keep the lights on while I get things sorted, you can venmo me @jimmyknives or cashapp me $jimmyknives666 . Thanks for understanding.

[clawdee]

So Willow fell in love and married werewolf Kristopher (who I used to cheat for and removed the werewolf trait before she got pregnant), they have the twins whose names I've already forgotten. Then Kristopher fell out of love with Willow. They divorced but stayed in the same house to raise the children and have two incomes (I'm doing my own personal generation challenge).

Willow then meet and fell in love with the vampire Caleb Vatore. And they got married and he moved in and she got pregnant with the second set of twins (and I think the boy twin is a vampire - I took away Caleb's trait after pregnancy - I'm sorry I fucking hate the occult Sims I hate playing them). Both sets are a boy and a girl. I don't remember the second girl's name but the second boy's name is very pretentious and white person Xzeviar or some shit like that, it was the first randomized name and it was so funny I kept it.

But anyway so now there's Willow her husband Caleb her ex-husband Kristopher and then their combined four children.

Christopher has the hole followed by death a thing so I'm kind of just hoping he falls down dead soon? Like he's a nice guy and he brings in a decent amount of money between his job as a writer and his freelancing video game making things but this house is fucking FULL. The good thing is that everybody gets along, they are all co-parenting so well and Kristopher even helps with the new babies.

Can we talk about how fucking big this family portrait picture is though? And how awkward it is like -- give us an option to zoom in or something there's so much white space.

[jjaybrown4-blog]

Medival Legacy Challenge by Sassy Simmer727

The Medieval Legacy Challenge The Basic Idea So I was looking through some challenges and came up with this idea. Each generation is a class in the Middle Ages starting with peasants and ending with royal. The classes have ways to earn money and other restrictions that are relevant to the time. Take your legacy through Medieval times in this challenge!

The Rules

No cheats unless you are fixing glitches or it says to cheat.

Follow each generations rules.

No anti-aging potions or other methods.

Satisfaction points are only to be used for traits. The traits should make since in the class and time period.

Legacy rules don't apply, so move into any lot and buy what you want with the money. The heir rules will be specified in each generation.

Money can be brought in from moving people into your household. However, you should only earn money that is reasonable for your class. Peasants shouldn't earn 100,000 from moving someone in.

The bonuses are not required but come in handy next generation. If the previous generation did good then the next will be rewarded or be better at the

Starting Out Make a sim. It can be a boy or girl. This will be generation 1. He/She should look like a peasant i.e. messy hair and clothes. Move into Newcrest and the challenge begins!

Generation 1: Peasants

Once you move into the lot, set your money to 10,000. When furnishing your house, remember that the furniture should fit the time period. Use a grill or (OR) fire pit for food. No electronic items should be purchased.

Have 5 kids.

Garden for money

Children shouldn't actively try to do good in school as peasants didn't go to school.

Only buy the worst quality things.

The house can only have three rooms, a bedroom, bathroom, and living space.

Half of the money you get from gardening must be given to the royals through taxes. Do this buy either throwing away half of the produce or using money cheats to get rid of half of the money.

The heir is the young adult with the highest level in gardening.

Bonus: Complete the Freelance Botanist aspiration.

Generation 2: Servant

Move out the heir into an empty lot and give your sim 15,000 simoleons. If you completed the bonus, the royals thank you for doing amazing at your farm by giving you extra money. Start this generation with 20,000 simoleons.

As a teen, build your skill in mixology and cooking.

Have as many kids as you want (at least one, of course).

The man should get a job in the culinary career.

Buy the second worst quality items.

The house may have four rooms of any kind.

Again, children shouldn't try to advance in school.

Once a week, invite a rich sim (this is like a noble) to go to a party at their house or a nice public place. Make the food and drink. You can attempt to get a medal but sell the reward.

The heir is the young adult with the highest cooking and mixology skill combined.

Bonus: Complete both aspirations in the "Food" category or reach level 10 in the culinary career.

Generation 3: Merchant

Move out the heir into an empty lot and give your sim 22,000 simoleons. If you are using GTW, your retail store funds will start at 20,000 and you can build one with that amount (see below).If you completed the bonus, your parents experience with catering parties helps you build friendly relationships faster. Give yourself the Gregarious trait. (Traits.equip_trait Gregarious)

As a teen, build your Charisma skill.

Have three kids, one being a man.

Earn money through an "art" skill (woodworking, painting, etc) If you have GTW, buy a retail store that sells things you made and things you can buy.

Buy the third worst quality items.

(OR) You may go on vacation but you must pick the campground site.

Children may have, at the most, a B in school.

The heir is the male young adult with the most friends. If two have equal amounts of friends, the one with the highest level in his/her parents' focus skill is the heir.

Bonus: Max two art skills/ (GTW) Have a retail store worth 30,000.

Generation 4: Knight

Move out the heir into an empty lot and give your sim 40,000 simoleons. If you completed the bonus, skip the second bullet, as your parents have taught you what you need to know.

Generation 5: Priest

Move out the heir into an empty lot and give them 80,000 simoleons. If you completed the bonus, your parents charisma and your knowledge has helped you. Build or download a library but make sure to keep in the time period.

Have parties at your house or, if you completed the bonus, the library you built. You may talk with each other or read but ignore the goals in the top-left corner it gives. After every party, add up the number of books read and friends made.

1- give your sim 500 simoleons 2-3- give your sim 1000 simoleons 4+- give your sim 1500 simoleons

Buy the second best quality items.

Find love at a party.

Marry

Quit having parties after you marry because priests may never marry.

Have lots of children.

The heir is the sim that has read the most books.

Bonus: Complete the Renassance Sim aspiration and read 10 books.

Generation 6: Noble

Move the heir into an empty lot and give them 150,000 simoleons. If you completed the bonus, your parents vast knowledge in all things makes you able to learn quicker. Give your sim the Quick Learner trait.

Join the Business career (You can use a computer but again, just pretend it's a piece of paper)

Buy the best quality stuff

The girls in the family clean and cook.

Boys study any topic.

Have a two story house.

Marry before you age up to adult.

The heir is the first born sim.

Bonus: Max out two skills, one being charisma and the other an art skill.

Generation 7: Royalty

Congratulations! You have made it to the final generation. Move the heir into an empty lot and give them 250,000 simoleons. If you completed the bonus, see below, as your parents skills make you a great leader whose subjects listen to.

Sunday is tax collecting day. Every Sunday, total up the number of friends and enemies. Multiply that by 1000 and give your sim that many simoleons. If you completed the bonus, people are willing to give you more money. Multiply the number of friends and enemies by 2000 instead.

Have at least 5 kids.

Marry before you age to adult.

Have parties at your house frequently but only invite wealthy households.

Buy the best quality items.

Have a three story house.

All members of the family work on their skills.

If you want, you can continue the legacy through. Future generations will have the first born as the heir and can apply this generations rules to them.

Complete the big happy family aspiration.

Frequently Asked Questions

If there are two children that qualify as the heir, which one do I use? You can randomize which one or pick the one that was born first.

How do I use the cheats it says to use? For money cheats do testingcheats on then type sim's.modify_funds xxx and put the money you want to add there. You can also do money xxx and put the money your sim needs there. When it says to give your sim a trait, do Traits.equip_trait xxx and type the trait you need there. If the trait is two worded, type the trait with no spaces.

Can I adopt children? No because adoption doesn't seem like a thing people did in the Middle Ages.

If there is no job listed can I get one? No because there is some other unconventional way to earn money aside from jobs.

When it says to buy the best quality items, can I buy the second or third best? Yes as long as the quality you buy is the same or below the quality listed.

That's the end of my challenge! I hope you like it and if you did, check out my other challenges. If you have any questions comment below and I will answer them within a few days. Have fun and happy simming!

[fatfemmefreaquency]

i think maybe what’s missing in this conversation is a discussion of the fact that we could all consume less, actually

one of the primary concerns in terms of AI criticism is the environmental impact—these generative AI technologies consume a huge amount of energy because they require significant computing power

like yeah—some consumption is necessary for survival. and some is necessary to thrive

but do we really need all of the digital art that we’re producing? through AI??? you need soulless art? really? examine that assumption i think

it’s also worth acknowledging that the art is still going to be somewhat soulless when it’s produced by someone being exploited for their labour

and yeah. it IS exploitation to pay people in the imperial periphery a minuscule amount—most goods cost MORE in the periphery than they do in the imperial core, not less. so paying someone a pittance and acting like they should be grateful for you sending them money at all is weird as fuck

and honestly? yeah, underpaying someone for a job is worse than not paying them at all and them therefore having the time to find other employment for which they are fairly compensated

you are not entitled to others devalued labour just because you live in the imperial core and see it as somehow magnanimous to hire people from the periphery to do work for you—and they do have fewer options for lucrative employment so this idea that theres some big difference between you exploiting them vs. a major corporation is nuts

it IS a “productive analogy” in fact to compare exploitative corporations underpaying labourers in the global south to exploitative citizens of the imperial core underpaying labourers in the global south (idk what that person further up thread was on about with that argument lol)

because these two interactions are the same thing. it’s either a private individual or an organization leveraging the disparity of access to resources between the core vs. the periphery to find ways to underpay for labour. it does not matter if it’s a sweatshop or freelancing: the material impact is the same if it’s you, individually, or if it’s a corporation

but i think what a lot of people in the imperial core forget is this: you can consume less

there is such an entitlement to the goods & services that people at the periphery produce, even among the lowest classes in the imperial core

you do not need cheaply made goods. you do not need goods or services that involve exploiting labourers

there is also an almost staggering sense of entitlement in westerners to natural resources and to energy that, frankly, should not be privately owned

like idk. why should you get to use all that computing power and electricity to produce some shitty AI art?

i don’t actually think you’re entitled to consume those resources, just as much as you’re not actually entitled to the labour of people you refuse to pay a living wage

do you need it? what’s the impact of consuming it and is the cost actually worth the quality of what you get?

i think we all deserve nice things. we all deserve enough to both survive and thrive

but AI art is not a nice thing. it doesn’t meaningfully contribute to us thriving and the cost in terms of energy use, environmental destruction, global warming/ climate change, and other harms caused by the tech industry around it is too fucking much

none of us can afford to foot the bill

go watch some tv show or consume some art that already exists. ideally do it NOT by streaming—you can still buy physical media and watching or viewing it still costs less than streaming does

you know what’s more environmentally and economically sustainable than churning out a bunch of AI Garbage OR exploiting an artist to make something sub-par (because they’re not being paid enough to do their best work)? museums. galleries. being in nature. making your own art. looking at art your family & friends make. there are beautiful and fascinating and worthwhile things to look at in many, many places

i promise it won’t kill you to not have your own personal artists at your beck and call, be they generative AI or underplayed freelancers

i love how many AI art haters will with no self awareness whatsoever ask "ummm why don't you just underpay and exploit someone (probably in the global south) instead of using the evil words machine :/"

[americanrecord]

hi kelsey! it's nice to see you back!

just had a few writing questions for you as i am really looking to writing as a future career option/aspiration. i've been writing fanfiction for the past few years almost consistently - a lot of one shots and long series written - and writing is quite honestly the love of my life. i almost always look forward to sitting down at my computer with a coffee and lana del rey and pick up where i left my story off, or planning characters and settings and plot lines. i love most of what comes with creating stories.

quite honestly, i have faith in my writing ability. it's not something i usually question but what i do question is how manageable is writing as a career? how do you get your books published? do some never get published? there are so many anxieties and worries going into something like becoming an author and it's one of the things that really makes me feel i should choose a more "realistic" career option. i'd love to write on the side! but i feel like when i pick the "realistic" option there might not be enough time for me to pursue it as a career.

sorry if i'm rambling, it's just something i'm curious about as you're obviously hoping to get your book published (and i have every faith that you will). sorry if this comes off as rude too - it wasn't intentional :)

hi, bestie! it's nice to be back!! sorry, that whole getting a job thing and actually having to go every day and for all 8 hours is a real killer. i've also been busy getting draft 3 in order! so if i'm ever dead for a long period of time, either my life has blown up or i'm deep in writing/editing something. this past time was both!

anyway, writing questions, yay! first, i think it's great that you're looking at it like a future career choice/option! you should always keep as an option even if necessity has other plans. it's so nice to hear that you've found a genuine love for it, too. as somebody who used to write a lot of fanfiction, it's still real writing, and it's an amazing place for many writers to get their start. (truthfully, if more writers started out on ao3/wattpad, we might not see booktok so infested, but that's another topic) i also know that the fanfic territory comes with a lot of struggles, either people being demanding, judgmental, inconsiderate, and or just plain un-encouraging in their silence despite their consumption, so i love to hear that it's a source of immense happiness for you. i hope it stays that way, if and when you transition to original work, if that's the type of writing you're looking to pursue!! (i can certifiably say that while the writing, drafting, and editing process is tedious, particularly in the case of the latter two, i am having so much more fun.)

i also love to hear that you have faith in yourself! more of that! but i will say that being an author is really not a career you can simply elect. take it from me, if anybody could be an author, with any level of skill or effort, i would be an author. many more people would be authors. to be a career author (in the sense that you don't need to have any other jobs to support yourself), you have to have books successfully published, and—in most cases, a good few of them. it's pretty rare for an author to become a mega-millionaire (at all), but especially based off a debut novel. again, take everything i say with a grain of salt because i quite literally am not an author, but i would never advise any aspiring author to quit their job until they are racking in the amount of money that would allow them to write unsupported.

1.) how manageable is a writing career?

depends. this is strictly speaking in regards to a novel-writing career, by the way, because there are many writing jobs on the market that quite literally pay you for your writing. probably not enough, but...still. no publishing industry, just freelance/assigned topics and vibes. on novel-writing: i'm not published, i have no money, so i work as a paralegal. that takes up all my days, monday to friday, 9-5 (7-6), so my writing time comes from 6-11 on weeknights and then i maximize my weekends. some would say that's not manageable for a writing career, and...well, it's technically not, but it is what it is. the hard truth is that most aspiring authors have to squeeze writing time between shifts, late at night, early in the morning, onto sticky notes at work, on weekends, on time off, during holidays, etc. what is required for an author to have an authoring career would be not working or working perhaps part-time and having a living arrangement where there is somebody directly supporting you financially. be that a parent, a sibling, a spouse/significant other, a really faithful friend, whatever. that is the ideal. that, however, is not an obtainable reality for many, so day jobs it is. finding time in the in-between is your best bet. for me, i make the best of it!! it's still time, and it's so much more than nothing if you use it. it's not the most encouraging thing, maybe, yes, but it's reality, and as soon as that dreadful spoonful goes down, the easier it is to pick up, reshuffle, and find a pattern/writing habits that work for you. say you write an amazing novel in those small spaces and get it published, yielding yourself a little success, then things can change. doors might open, time might free up, and you could find yourself in the middle of lots of writing time!! think of that not as an impossibility but something to work toward. many, many authors out there, even ones with name recognition, still can't afford to quit their day jobs, because books aren't always highly profitable, NYT bestsellers, even if they do well. that doesn't mean they aren't authors, it doesn't mean they can't juggle a writing career (and consider whatever else they do the side hustle), or that they won't keep writing publishable novels in their downtime. it sucks, but as i tell myself: it's life. (as long as i live in capitalist hell)

2.) how do you get your books published?

i'll let you know when it happens to me! but also, jokes aside, it's a long, long, longgggg process. the writing, drafting, and editing processes, plus the feedback cycles, are only like the first half of the journey. so you finished a manuscript, yay! it's shiny, and perfect, and at the appropriate length, and—nobody wants it. publishing a book, traditionally (as in through a publishing house, not through self-publishing, which anybody can do), has as much to do with skill as it does with luck. you sent your book off to a literary agent at the exact right time it was the type of book they were looking for and/or it was what the market was demanding. for example, though i fear the market is becoming oversaturated, what is huge right now is romantasy (romance x fantasy). many a writer are polishing up their dragon and sex books rn and sending them in and likely receiving agents because readers are devouring those voraciously. it might not even be good, it might not be as great as *yours*, but it's what the market wants, and it'll be what the market gets.

and publishing is a whole iceberg of things, but the basics of it (granted, i don't know what happens behind closed doors because i'm only just compiling the stuff i need to start sending things out. i'll no doubt be running suicide blonde through another round of edits/cuts before it goes anywhere) are that you take your manuscript and your publishing materials and send them off to agents. publishing materials, which can be researched independently because real writing instructors will break them down better than me, typically include a query letter (basically, 5 second synopsis on ur book, the word count, genre, intended audience, etc, meant to bait an agent), a synopsis (slightly longer explanation of your book and it's major plot points, including a spoiled ending), and the amount of your manuscript they're interested in reading in their first pass. i was talking about this yesterday, i believe, but they'll usually ask you to paste anything from the first 5–25 pages (i haven't seen anything more extensive than the first three chapters) of your manuscript into the email body. the agent who receives your email will then read your query letter, synopsis, and manuscript sample (sometimes, they just ask for the letter, sometimes a varying combo of things) and, if they like your stuff, they'll request the full manuscript. then, if they like that, they'll offer you representation. if they don't, you'll get a rejection. (but still promising, because your materials interested them. either there ended up being a weakness in the manuscript or it just wasn't what they were looking for.) if you never hear back about asking for a full manuscript, it's safe to say its a silent rejection. you'll usually never hear back from an agent unless they're interested. and you can find agents on online databases. there, they'll say what types of manuscripts they're looking for. never send your fantasy book to a guy looking for nonfiction unless u want an automatic negative. and, usually, don't send your stuff to more than one agent from a company at a time. and never ever send anything in that they didn't ask for. if they wanted just a query letter and five pages, do not send them a query, 2-page synopsis, and the first three chapters because "my story doesn't get good until then." you'll get an automatic rejection and the question from many authors that, if your book doesn't get good until page 24, why you didn't start your book as of page 24.

but, say you do get an offer and all those logistics sorted out, it's the agent who is then responsible for taking your manuscript to various publishing houses and trying to find the best deal possible for your novel. many agents are career-long partners and most agents, if not all, want to secure the best deal for you, because if you don't get paid, they don't get paid. they will never see a dime for your work until you do. everything else is a little hazy for me because i haven't gotten there yet, but once things get picked up by a publisher and contracts are signed, books go through edits, design, production, etc, all so it will end up on a little bookshelf and hopefully in some happy reader's hands.

3.) do some never get published?

absolutely. yep! never. some books never get an agent (and agents are typically needed if you want to get anywhere, especially the big 5 american/NY publishing houses) and therefore will never get the chance for traditional publication. and some get picked up, but die somewhere in the process, and never make it to publication. that's why it's important (and i'm in the middle of breaking these rules, so i will be panicking about suicide blonde later, partially why i'm interested in writing a shorter standalone novel rn) to sort of write a novel, particularly debut/first novels that apply to the standards of the genre. for example, if you have a straight up, trope-driven romance, it MUST categorically have a happy ending and should probably fall within 70-90k. when you're an established career author, you have soooo much more flexibility to be like, fuck that, here's my 115k romance, but...that's a pro of having sway. by that time, you've demonstrated to publishers that you can sell a book, so they're much more likely to allow you to depart from genre/publishing conventions.

but, yes, some never get published. or, or, not right away. for example, people might have written four books before one ends up getting picked up. those other three dormant ones are referred to as trunked novels. often times, publishers like the idea of trunked novels, as it shows that you're not a one-trick pony who can only write this singular story. and, often times, a writer can publish that fourth book and then pull out those other three novels, re-examine them, and possibly publish them. for many authors, their debut novel that the world sees is often not the first book they wrote.

so there are a lot of anxieties, and i understand them all. legitimately, i do. that is why i would advise that, unless you are wealthy or have somebody willing and able to support you while you pursue your novel-writing career full-time, that you should always pursue another career to bring in money to support you while you write. it doesn't mean go to law school (unless that's your jam) and be a lawyer and never write again because at least you'll be guaranteed to bring home the big bucks, it just means find something you like enough to fill your days and pay your bills and use your free time to devote to your true passion until hopeful publication happens and your circumstances witness potential changes. tiktok/booktok, as much as i bash it, has also opened up a lot of opportunity for self-published work and writers too, so that is always an option and one that absolutely shouldn't be frowned upon. the trad publishing industry is known for being oversaturated with white, straight, cis writers as it is, so many POC, LGBT+ writers often have to take routes like self-publishing. it's not a bad thing, it's not a sign that you're a lower quality writer, and it does give you complete creative control over your own novel (i just recommend forking up enough to pay for a thorough, professional edit and get good at marketing yourself.)

i would never call writing/authoring a silly/unrealistic dream, it's just one that's not immediately available for many people and one that needs to be worked toward. so while you may need to push it to the side, it doesn't mean it's not there. like i said, scores and scores of writers wrote phenomenal books in their brief, squeezed moments of downtime. i've picked a full-time job, i have no other choice, and yet i make time to write because i love and prioritize it. things like children and other commitments might compromise this, but it's not something i contend with, so it's worth keeping in mind! use the free time while you have it and see what happens. even if i never get published, i'll never stop writing simply because i love it so much. if i die with a trunk of novels, then i die with a trunk of novels, but it's a sign i did with my life what made me happy, even if not successful.

so i rambled and am too lazy to go back to check for typos, so hopefully this was helpful and transparent and helped demystify things a bit! thanks for the encouragement and faith too!! please know that i go through moments of crisis and hopelessness literally every day, but i will persevere, and so will you !! (and u did not come off rudely at all, and if you have more questions, i'm always here <3)

[scumtrout]

Things that are bruising my fruit lately:

Would it be useful to think of consciousness as an extremely convoluted classification algorithm? I've not read anything in neuroscience to support this and/or seen any actual frickin scientists suggest it, but the vast majority of my conscious thoughts involve classifying things ('this cookie dough is delicious') and finding patterns/similarities with other stuff I've classified ('this cookie dough tastes like fudge') or dissimilarities ('I am not cookie dough; I am scumtrout, an entity who is distinctly separate from the cookie dough... EVEN WHEN I EAT THE COOKIE DOUGH'.)

One side of my family has interpersonal drama occasionally, and it's like... You people have known each other for years. You should be familiar with how you behave. I have disliked some of these people since I was a kid, for fuck's sake. Yet actual adults behave exactly as expected and then fall out with each other and I'm just like [surprised Pikachu face].

I am not a perfect person but I do look at my relatives and think 'where the fuck did my emotional regulation come from? How am I not... worse?'

I had a relatively randomly drop dead recently and now I have to ruminate on such things as 'life is never ideal but you have to fight tooth and nail to find meaning because you only get one shot. Hate yourself? Cool but you only get one shot at life. Feeling ugly? Cool but you only get one shot at life. Unstable relationships? Cool but you only get one shot at life. Spent long periods of time in circumstances that are less than ideal? Cool but you only get one shot at life' etc. Also I have money, which is good, but the amount of money somehow falls into overlapping Venn circles of 'not enough to comfortably afford property or a fancy car' and 'enough money that you're fucking dumb if you don't do something with it'. Although I guess that by postponing spending it on expensive assets, I am doing something with it: I'm keeping it as Fuck You money. That money is basically my peace of mind that prevents me from living paycheck to paycheck or having to do jobs I dislike. Technically I should be using the money to GET MORE MONEY instead of spending in on assets that incur further costs like property or vehicles' but... fuck. The problem with money and jobs etc is that you only ever look at people who are doing better than you and you think 'why am I not like that >:(' instead of looking at people who are doing worse.

I spent 3 minutes today thinking about trying to get a job in Spain before God grabbed me by the shoulders and yelled, 'YOU HAVE NO DATA TO INDICATE THAT THE SPANISH ECONOMY WILL FARE ANY BETTER THAN THE UK'S DURING THE NEXT 10 YEARS. ALSO YOU CAN'T EVEN BE BOTHERED TO TRY GETTING A JOB IN SCOTLAND.'

That said, while I have some money and a body that is mostly functional, I think I should travel more to other countries, but... Again, fuck. I hate airports, and in my free time, I just want to go for a silly little walk up a silly little hill. I have a finite amount of annual leave, and the further abroad I travel, the more things there are to go wrong. Also even when things go right, sometimes you're looking at a 9 hour flight, which either has to be endured in economy (meh) or business (but then costs around 2k!!!1fuck). It'd be nice if I could reach a point where I could say 'FUCK IT, I'M GOING TO QUIT MY JOB AND JUST FUCK AROUND EUROPE FOR A YEAR' but then I'd worry about getting back into the workforce afterward. And I sort of try to develop skills that'd be useful freelance (the constraint is my energy levels after doing my day job) but there's a lot to be said with having a salaried position that includes cheaper dental/medical insurance.

I have no excuse for not going to Scotland or Ireland though. You can fucking see Ireland from parts of Cumbria. For many years English people have looked at Ireland from afar and thought, 'how can we be horrible bastards to those people over there? how can we eat all their food?'

[wonhuis]

man it fucking sucks to be me like what did I do for this year to be so awful

[albatris]

HEY today I got myself a switch finally and this is like the Most exciting thing that's happened to me for a while. I never buy expensive shit for myself ever. pressing "confirm order" was a legitimate adrenaline rush and I'm a little lightheaded

[btsgotjams27]

Sweet Tooth ~ JJK | 1

✨ title: sweet tooth (On going) ✨ pairing: vampire!jungkook x f!donor reader ✨ rating: m/18+ ✨ genre/au: fantasy au, vampire au, eventual romance, slow build, slow burn, eventual smut ✨ warnings: blood drinking, vampire bites, compulsion/mind control, mysterious jungkook | will add tags as chapters continue ✨ summary: Bills and rent are piling up, so your roommate suggests you look into a gig she stumbled upon. But it's not what you expect. OR Jungkook runs a vampire blood bank and you service clients with your blood. ✨ a/n: this is my first fantasy au, so please bear with me as i write it :) there are some elements borrowed/inspired by the vampire diaries. ✨ playlist | ✨ read on AO3 | Wattpad

[ SERIES MASTERLIST ] | next ~ the first bite

✨ chapter one ~ the mystery job | word count: 4.6k

The bills on your desk were beginning to collect dust because you could see the small specks floating into the air, as you were trying to make room for your laptop. You knew that ignoring those student loan bills were not going to pay themselves.

You had a four-year plan, a college career mapped out. Everything was in place and ready to go until you couldn't land your dream job. Who said being an adult was fun? You were completely lied to.

Preferably, you needed something that would pay well and didn't require a lot, probably non-existent, to be honest. The only thing you could think of right off the bat was selling your body, but that was out of the question.

Or maybe you could donate your eggs. You pondered it for a while before typing it into the search bar.

"How to donate your eggs."

The ads immediately popped up for 'how to be a surrogate, compensation starts at $50,000'. As you continued researching more on the topic, you realized the requirements were extreme. You read, 'willing to take injections', and immediately shook your head no. Nope, no needles.

"Well, that was a waste," you sighed, feeling defeated.

Now, onto the real job search. You typed in "graphic design jobs." Sure, you had a consistent amount of freelance jobs coming your way, but you wanted something solid. A job that would pay your bills and rent and give you some spending money for your new expensive photography hobby.

"Hmm...this one looks interesting," you think.

"Are you looking at porn?!" Ji-na, your roommate snickered as she peered over your shoulder.

You jumped back not realizing Ji-na was behind you.

"Jeez, Ji-na. No, I'm not," you scoffed as you showed her that you were looking for jobs.

"Ah, I see the hunt for the dream job continues," she said,  plopping herself and her belongings on your bed.

The plethora of shopping bags filled your bed. How the hell was she spending all this money and where was it coming from? Maybe she found a sugar daddy.

"I need money ASAP." You focused on your laptop and began bookmarking jobs that had potential.

Ji-na was rummaging through her bag for something. "Ah, here it is." She walked over and handed you a business card.

"What is this?" you asked with a curious face. So this was her sugar daddy, you guessed.

"You said you need money. Well, call this number and you'll make some good money," she smirked.

"Ji-na, I swear to god this better be a legitimate job," you huffed as you tossed it on top of your laptop, not taking another glance at it.

There's no way this was a legitimate job. She must be dreaming or way in over her head.

"It is. I promise. A little unconventional, but it's legit," she grinned devilishly as she made her way back to the bed.

You picked up the card again. It was matte black on both sides with an embossed white winking bunny. And on the back of the card, it had the initials 'JK' and a phone number. You had to admit, the design was right up your graphic designer alley. It was cute and minimal.

"How do you think I've been able to afford all these nice things and pay our rent?"

"Ji-na! "Are you a sex worker?" you whispered.

"Oh god, no. It's nothing like that. Just call the number," she said, grabbing a few items from her shopping bags to look at them.

You stared at the card again, intrigued but not that desperate. Eventually you tossed it on top of the dust collected bills.

You observed Ji-na as she was curled up on your bed in fetal position, making herself at home. What the hell was Ji-na doing, making so much money and it wasn't selling her body? Then you noticed a purple bruise on her neck.

"I-is that a hickey on your neck?" you yelled.

She quickly covered her neck with her hand and mumbled, "No."

"Oh, you're definitely doing some kinky stuff I know it. So, what's his name?"

Ji-na sat up and scooted towards the edge of the bed. She lowered her head and her eyes became dark, which scared you a little. You've never seen her look like that.

"Call the number on the card and find out. Trust me. It'll be worth it."

After two weeks of applying to several jobs and not hearing back from anyone. You weren't feeling great about yourself. You sat in front of your laptop, refreshing your email hoping something would come in from one of the jobs you applied too. You even seriously considered the 'whole donating your eggs' again, even though you hated needles with a passion.

"Someone, something, anything, please come in," you said aloud as you clicked the cursor over the refresh button repeatedly.

You opened up your resume and combed through it again, looking over anything you could add or change to spruce it up even more. But there was nothing, it was the perfect resume.

Most of your freelance work was completed. There was one last project to finish. Opening up a drawing program and then you heard a notification ding from your email. You hoped it was a job, but it was actually from the company you were finishing the project for.

"Thank you for your initial ideas for our company rebranding, but it looks like we will be going in a different direction. We will of course compensate you for your time. We appreciate everything you've done."

You groaned and curled your hands into a fist, and slammed it onto the desk. Then you glanced at the winking bunny business card. Out of curiosity, you reached for it and flipped it over, grabbed your phone, and began dialing the number listed.

It rang a few times before a low husky voice answered, "Hello?"

"Oh, um hello. I'm a friend of Ji-na and she gave me your card. She said you have a job opportunity."

"Are you available tonight around 7?" The man asked.

"7? Yes, I am. Where should I meet you?"

"I'll text you the address. I do ask that you come alone."

Alone? Not suspicious at all. Maybe you should leave Ji-na a note in case you end up dead.

You were desperate at this point. "Sure, I can do that. I'll see you tonight."

As soon as you hung up, a text message came through with an address. You immediately looked it up and it was an hour away outside of Seoul. The clock read 4:30PM, which meant you needed to get yourself ready and out of the door before 6.

You probably should have asked what the job actually entailed so that you would be ready to answer any questions they had. But you just prepped for the usual questions interviews asked. You had your resume in your hand and ready to go as you left your apartment.

On the drive, you began asking yourself questions, 'What are your greatest strengths', 'What are your weaknesses', 'How do you handle conflict'? As you were answering these questions, you realized you weren't very good at selling yourself. You knew what you're capable of but it was hard to actually put it into words.

"Oh gosh. How am I ever going to get a job if I'm not even confident in myself?"

The GPS was telling you to turn onto a gravel road, which was odd but you didn't question it and went along with it. To be honest, it was starting to creep you out a little, the location was very suspicious and this whole ordeal was so mysterious.

A ringing went off in your car and you jumped in your seat, and realized that it was Ji-na calling you. You answered on your car screen.

"Hello? Ji-na?"

"I saw your note. Are you meeting with JK?"

"Uh huh. Are you sure this is a legitimate job because I feel like this might be my last night alive."

Ji-na chuckled. "You'll be fine, I promise. Just make sure you don't freak out, or otherwise I'm going to lose this gig too."

"What do you mean, don't freak out? I'm meeting some random guy in the middle of nowhere!" you exclaimed.

"When you meet him, just be open minded, okay? That's all."

"This is definitely some kind of sex thing. I'm going to come back and haunt you as a ghost if I die tonight," you huffed.

"That's fine by me. Trust me, you won't regret meeting JK. Bye."

Click.

After what seemed like another thirty minutes on the gravel road, you finally reached a gate. You drove up to the keypad and pressed the red button.

"Yes?"

The voice speaking was not the same person on the phone earlier today. His voice was much softer and lighter.

"Hi, I'm meeting a Mr. JK at 7 tonight."

"I'll buzz you in."

You gulped as you continued driving up the now paved road. You pulled up to a giant mansion. The exterior was a stone grey with massive glass windows and wood panels to break up the monotony of the grey. It was stunning.

Parking your car, you took a big breath. You grabbed your portfolio and resume and walked up to the front door. As you arrived, a young man was already waiting there for you. He was absolutely breathtaking, almost angel-like with his coiffed blonde hair and pale skin. He looked immaculate in his black suit.

"Hello, you must be Ji-na's friend."

Word must have traveled fast. Did Ji-na tell them? Was this some kind of set up? You were definitely on guard now, but then you realized you didn't have your pepper spray on you. Great, you were really going to come back and haunt Ji-na now.

You nodded.

"I'm Jimin. Please, come in."

You hoped you looked presentable, in your blazer, black turtleneck, cropped trousers and loafers. You probably should have taken out your nose piercing, but oh well. Too late now.

Quietly, you followed behind the beautiful man, the clacking of his black Chelsea boots echoed throughout the hallway. The interior of this house was gorgeous. Everything was very meticulous and intentionally put in their place.

"So, what do you do here exactly?" You questioned.

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that," he answered vaguely as he looked back and smiled at you, which frustrated you.

You smiled sheepishly and continued to follow him to a pair of double doors.

"You can go on in. JK is expecting you."

Jimin opened one of the doors and you nervously stepped in, holding tightly onto your portfolio. The room you stepped into was vast with high vaulted ceilings, the walls were painted charcoal gray with intricate wainscoting paneling, dimly lit gold sconces, the deep and rich brown colors of the leather furniture matched perfectly with the aesthetic of the room. Then you spotted a figure who you assumed to be JK, standing next to the crackling fire with his hands in his pants pocket.

His eyes raked over you, going from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. You smiled timidly and bowed politely towards him, hoping you looked presentable. He gestured for you to sit in the chair in the middle of the room and you obliged. You observed him as he settled into the chair across from you.

Like Jimin, he was breathtaking, but his features were the opposite of Jimin's. His sharp jawline could probably cut you in half, and his big doe eyes were absolutely immaculate as if they held the whole world in them. With his clean-cut look today, you weren't expecting to see an eyebrow piercing peeking from underneath his hair and a lip piercing on someone like him. You noticed the tattoos on his hand and a few creeping out from under his shirt sleeve, supposed he wouldn't be your typical boss since this wasn't a typical job, per se.

He held out his hand to shake yours. "I'm JK," he says, a very handsome smile swept across his face.

You reciprocated the handshake. "I'm ___."

Wincing from his ice-cold touch, you quickly pulled your hand back. Seeing your reaction, he snickers.

"You are not how Ji-na described you at all," he stated.

"Oh? Is that a good thing?" What did she tell JK to make him think that? Hopefully she only told him good things about who you were.

"Very," he said, slightly amused. "Did Ji-na explain anything about what we do here?"

"Not really. I came here on a whim," you explained.

"Ah, so you're daring."

"I wouldn't describe myself as daring. I'd say I'm more determined." Honestly, you were determined to get out of debt and feeling shitty about yourself. Whatever this job was, it must be better than what you're currently doing. At least Ji-na seemed happy.

"I like that. Determined. I'm a very determined kind of person as well. I hope we'll get along then."

You chuckled nervously, "I, uh I'm not even sure what this job is. Can you explain it a little?"

"You do understand that this job requires complete confidentiality? We can't have anyone snooping around," he said firmly.

"Is this a weird 50 shades of gray thing? Cause I'm not gonna do that." That was one thing you'd never do.

He smirked with a devilish grin across his face. "I run a blood bank."

Okay, a blood bank. That seems easy enough, but how did Ji-na make so much money working here? You were still confused. Would you be a receptionist? Trained to take blood? This place didn't look like a blood bank, unless JK ran it somewhere else.

"For vampires," he said.

You looked like you had just seen a ghost. A what? Blood bank? For vampires? Were you dreaming? You raised your hand to pat your face a few times before you glanced over towards JK again. He had an amused look plastered on his face.

"You're not dreaming. You heard me correctly," he reassured.

"Vampires? They're not real," you stuttered, having trouble even saying the word. Sure you have seen your fair share of vampire shows and films but they're just stories. They can't be real. Can they?

You cleared your throat before speaking, "A-and what would I do exactly? Do I just donate blood?" Now, you were anxious. No wonder Ji-na made so much money.

"Mm yeah, something like that. I can just show you if that's easier."

Show you? Show you what exactly? Your heart began to race as he walked over to open the door. Jimin was already there waiting to come in. A young woman around your age followed closely behind him. Jimin sat down in the chair across from you, then the woman sat in between him on his legs. He whispered something to her and she nodded and softly giggled, then he pulled her wrist towards him and there it was, his face slightly contorted, his eyes looked bloodshot with veins slightly popping out against his pale cheeks, and two fangs grew out from the top row of his teeth.

Jimin grinned before taking a bite of her wrist like how someone would bite into an apple. You swore you heard a crunch and winced at the sound. The woman frowned for a second before the pain turned into pleasure.

As you were observing everything that was happening in front of you, JK was more curious about your reaction and how'd you'd take everything. Would you freak out and run away? Would you take it as is? He wanted to know what was running through your mind.

Before you knew it, Jimin stopped and licked the remaining blood running down her wrist that was escaping him. He wouldn't let anything go to waste. After he was done, he took a bite of his own wrist and let the woman suck on it. Now, you were completely baffled by this job.

You sat there hesitant as Jimin and the woman left the room, leaving you and JK alone. What if you said no to taking this job? What would they do to you? The real question was, what haven't they done to keep this a secret? Maybe you should have left a note for Ji-na because this might be your last night alive.

JK didn't say a word. He was waiting for you to answer first. You must have had a million questions for him. Straightening your posture, you cross your legs, and look him dead in the eye. "How much are you paying?

When you realized what you said out loud, you immediately wanted to take it back. Did you understand what you were getting yourself into? You were getting involved with vampires. Vampires. You didn't even know if you actually believed in this whole thing. Maybe it wasn't too late to back out.

He smirked, as if he knew you were going to say yes to him. "I'll have Jimin set you up with everything you need to know. I'll see you soon."

Jungkook left you in this grand room, and Jimin returned, gesturing for you to follow him. As you began walking through the corridor, you couldn't help but notice the beautiful artwork displayed on the wall. There were a few scenic paintings, a sunset with stunning purple, pink, and orange hues, and a mountain reflecting onto a lake. Lastly, there was a painting of a young boy with intense eyes and paint splattered on the canvas.

"These paintings are lovely, even this one." You pointed to the painting of the young boy.

"JK painted them."

"All of them?" You were surprised by his reply.

He softly chuckled at your question and answered with an, 'Mhm.'

The elegant and regal man opened the door which led to an outdoor patio. The fire pit had already been going for a while. The embers from the wood were beginning to die down but Jimin went ahead and put in another log to keep it going. You slightly shivered from the wind blowing through and Jimin quickly offered his jacket to you.

"Thank you."

He gave you a smile and quick nod before he poured out tea from the pot that was sitting on the coffee table and handed you a cup, then a folder and pen followed. You opened to see a written contract and a wax seal where JK's signature was. His full name was Jeon Jeongguk. You wondered why no one called him that, maybe he preferred it that way. You've only heard everyone called him JK up to this point.

"Um, can you tell me what I'm signing myself away to?"

He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip before responding, "This is a binding contract. If this contact is broken, you may or may not die."

His comment took you aback. Your hands were starting to become sweaty holding your cup.

Then Jimin let out a cackle. "Wow, you really are tense, huh? Relax, sweetie."

"What do you expect? I'm letting vampires suck my blood in exchange for money," you stated as you took a sip of tea.

"Well, you'll come in every two weeks for a donation. Once you are paired with a client, you can choose for them to draw blood via your wrist or your neck. If you choose your wrist, it's worth a grand, your neck is worth five. You'll be paid immediately after your session with a client," he explained.

"And will the bite marks disappear?"

"Once you're finished with a client, you'll come to Taehyung or I and we'll help you get healed up. Vampire blood heals humans quickly. And if a client ever gets handsy or violent, just let us know and we'll take care of it," he said smiling from ear to ear, as if everything he just said was completely normal.

So that's how Ji-na never came home with any kind of evidence of this whole thing. No wonder she said it was a good gig.

"How long will the vampire blood stay in my system?"

"It stays in your system for 24 hours. Just try not to die in the meantime, okay?" He lifted up the teapot asking if you wanted more, but you shook your head no.

"What do you mean, 'try not to die'? What happens if I die with vampire blood in my system?"

"You become one of us.”

Shit. This wasn't expected. You could become a vampire if you die with their blood in your system. Pondering this whole situation, you wondered if this was what you really wanted. You scanned the contract again, making sure you weren't signing your life away, but in a way, you were.

"Any other questions before you sign?" The angelic but devilish man smiled brightly, showing off his teeth, which you noticed had a small imperfection to them.

You moved your pen towards the paper but stopped. "What if I back out of this? What'll happen to me?"

"We'll erase your memories," he says casually.

Your heart was beating out of your chest and your eyes widened at his answer. "Erase my memories?"

He could see the nervousness radiating from your body. "Well, not all of your memories, just that part where you know we exist. Another vampire perk, we can compel you to do whatever we want you to do, but we trust that we don't have to do that in this case."

"I'm guessing this is a nighttime job since vampires can't go out in sunlight."

"Ding! Ding! Ding! You are such a smart little nugget. We do have overnight accommodations in case you're too tired to drive back to the city. It's the least we can do for all of your hard work," he said smiling, almost sounding like you had won a prize or something.

"Do you guys go out in the daylight?"

The smile quickly turned into a smirk, "Wouldn't you like to know? A curious cat, you are. Roar." He stood there arms crossed, eyeing you from head to toe.

This was definitely some kind of grand operation they had going on. You were keeping a running list of all the things you were going to ask Ji-na when you got back to the apartment. Like how could she keep this all a secret from you.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Just one more."

He nodded for you to proceed.

"Does it hurt?"

He wasn't sure he understood the question but quickly realized what you meant. "Ah, when we bite into you?"

You nodded as you held on tightly to the pen in your hand.

"You know that feeling you get before getting a shot? You're waiting forever in a cold doctor's office, all anxious and tense knowing they're going to inject you with a sharp needle, but when they finally do it, you feel okay and the worst part is over?"

"Uh huh."

"It's nothing like that." His eyes turn into a crescent shape when he laughs.

You chuckled nervously, unsure if he was teasing or if he really meant what he said. The only thing you could think of was the crunch sound you heard when Jimin bit into the woman. You wondered how you would endure the pain or would you find pleasure in it?

He sat down and slightly nudged you. "Lighten up, sweetie. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. You'll be fine. I promise. We'll take great care of you." He winked and let out a soft chuckle, doing his best to brighten up the sour mood you were in.

"Here goes nothing," you said as you scribbled your name onto the piece of paper.

When you arrived back at the apartment, it was close to midnight. You turned on the living room lamp to see Ji-na passed out on the couch with the Netflix screen asking if she was still watching. The blanket that was on her fell to the floor and you grabbed it, encompassing her with some warmth from the fuzzy, shaggy blanket.

A slight buzz and quiet ding came from your back pocket. You turned on your phone screen to see a text saying you were scheduled with a client this coming Friday at seven o'clock in the evening. "Wow, already? I guess they don't waste any time."

Ji-na began to stir from her sleep, still groggy, she rubbed her eyes and squinted towards you. "Hey, you're back?"

"You have some explaining to do." You told her to scoot over while you sat next to her and covered yourself in the blanket too.

"What do you wanna know?"

"Everything."

She began to tell you how she randomly met Taehyung (the man you spoke with on the phone) at a bar and at first he compelled her so she wouldn't have any recollection of what he was doing to her, but then he got bored and wanted her to remember everything. That's how she got dragged into it.

"It was hard to believe and really weird at first but then I started making good money and I couldn't resist it," she stated.

"Doesn't it hurt though?" You were really curious as to the pain or being bitten into since Jimin didn't answer your question.

"It stings at first but you get used to it and it becomes kind of...exhilarating," she grinned.

Goodness Ji-na, she's really gone down the vampire rabbit hole, hasn't she? You were beginning to wonder how long you'd do this for. It's not like you could make a career out of it.

"Has anyone ever been violent with you or has it been okay so far?"

She paused to think about it before answering. "Mm, there was one guy. I think his name was Kihyun? He was a bit rough at one point but JK doesn't take any stupid shit from anyone."

"What did they do to him?"

"JK came in and dragged the guy out by his leg. It was pretty entertaining to watch." She softly chuckled.

Even after signing the contract, your mind was still swirling behind the whole idea of vampires and giving up your own blood for money. You sat there dazed, staring off at the Netflix screen.

Ji-na slightly nudged you. "Hey, are you okay with all this? I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, but you understand why right?"

You nodded with a slight smile. "I guess I'm just a little scared, that's all."

"You have nothing to be worried about. Jimin, Taehyung, and JK will take care of us. If you know what I mean." She nudged you and winked.

You didn't think anything about what she said and then it suddenly dawned on you. "Oh my god Ji-na, are you sleeping with one of them?"

"Err, maybe...well, just Taehyung," she responded earnestly.

"But like how? Aren't they technically dead? How are they still able to...you know."

She laughed. "I don't know...they just do. Don't question it, just do it. Let me tell you, he's great in bed."

"Oh god, Ji-na, I don't want to think about you having sex with a vampire," you said, your mouth twisting in disgust.

"You're just jealous because no one has touched you in over 2 years," she said as she playfully stuck her tongue out.

You rolled your eyes. So what if it's been a while since you've been with someone. It doesn't mean you'd drop your panties for a goddamn vampire.

"Do they all sleep with their employees? If you could even call us that."

"Mm no I don't think so. I've never seen JK with anyone," she paused. "Now that I think about it, I think Jimin said he doesn't even drink directly from a person anymore."

What she said intrigued you. JK seemed like a very mysterious person. Even though your interaction with him was brief, it boggles your mind to know he had an operation like this, let alone be in charge of it. You began to wonder what his life was like as a vampire and even before then. Who was he before all of this?

✨ next chapter ~ the first bite

[robogart]

hiya, different person- that ask is super helpful!!! I'm also wondering, if you're comfortable answering, how do taxes work with a job as a freelance/independent artist? I'm considering an art career too, but government stuff always scares the shit outta me to be honest lmao, it's the biggest thing holding me back. is it filed as like, a small business or something?

Hey!! Omg I’m so glad!! I know it was so much to read, I definitely got carried away ;; w ;; (and I once again....will be writing probably too much..here we go I am so sorry 😔🙏)

But yes! So I really recommend getting quickbooks self employed - I use it to keep track of my taxes (I have it linked up through my PayPal since everything processes through there) but you can add transactions manually as well! 

But what’s nice with the quickbooks self employed is that you can set it up for quarterly tax payments (which is what I do) and pay through there! You have to get an EFTPS pin (which basically is just a government type pin that tells the IRS that you’re paying your taxes electronically)! It’s actually a pretty chill process and quickbooks sends gives you info/links how to do it! 

AND it comes with turbotax which makes it a lot easier to file taxes in April! 

I’m not sponsored hahaha but I really have enjoyed using the interface! It’s been super helpful!

And I forgot to say that it’s about $25 a month! Which I think is worth it for the amount that it does and keeps track of!

And also yes, you will probably be filing as Self-Employed (or usually it’s called Sole Proprietor on tax forms)!

So I ALSO used to get super scared about government things but I have become “Normal Amount of Paranoid” and I will tell you the two things that help me chill out A LITTLE BIT when money and government does the April Tango.

First is that you are probably not making much money (like me!), which sucks but ALSO means that the government doesn’t really care about you! These are my mother’s words and they bring me comfort!

Second, whenever I feel like the floor is spinning out the minute I have an OFFICIAL form in front of me: I just remember that it’s literally just filling in information! That’s it - you’re just answering questions! And if words don’t make sense - Google Is Your Friend! Search terms and read up! I do this every single year and I Won’t Stop! 

Anyways, lots of information again but I hope this was helpful for you! 🙏💖💖💖💖