#im trying so hard to get out of retail and into something where i can at least sit and answer phones/emails and greet people

[tartigglez]

Hello tunblr user that I have NEVER spoken to before

Can I pretty please request dragon!zhongli doing dragon!Zhongli things

Like hoarding shiny things, and having a tail and hating random plants and squid 😭😭😭😭 idk I’m just hoping that something in this magically inspires your brain BUT feel free to ignore me

(I also really wanted to initiate ur ask box lol)

~ 🌷 anon <3

Why hello there tumblr user who i have also never spoken to! i hope this is uh,,, acceptable.

it was so hard to find a title for this oml

"my natural form...?"

zhongli x gn!reader

genre: fluff, pure unfiltered fluffiness, such fluff, many fluffitude

word count: 500-ish

tags: retail addict zhong bc we love to see it, possessive zhong, zhong hates fish zhong, protective zhong (hes a cutie patootie guys omgomomgomgomgogmogmHDKAJH), venti makes a cameo/reader is a traveller but not tHE traveller bc THEYRE MINORS I REFUSE TO WRITE THAT. thats kinda it

tw/cw: possessive dragon boi, it lowkey seems like lightly toxic behaviour but i think thats it

a/n: i wrote a little smol bit of this every night this week so its maybe a bit disjointed but whatever. this was fun to write ty tulip bb. zhongli is the cutest im so sOFT FOR THIS MAN AAAA. also send me asks, ples, pls, plsssssssss, pls.

dragon!zhongli who will buy pretty things without even realising that he quite literally has a retail addiction. will put things in random places in your house then get really confused when you move them. he keeps closely monitored stock of everything.

“darling, have you seen my golden vase anywhere”

“which golden vase?” 

“the one i purchased last week, at the market”

“i put flowers in it, it’s in the kitchen”

“okay, okay, good”

“you seem awfully worried about it”

“i am not, i simply… wished to know where it was… is all.”

“i see.”

dragon!zhongli who is lowkey possessive over you but refuses to admit it, also he feels that jealousy is not a good shade on him. But he’s a dragon, and you’re his most prized treasure, so it is only natural to him to protect you, right? it can��t be helped. he's got a really good sense of smell, so he can always tell who you’ve been around in the past few hours, but won’t tell you because he's afraid it’ll freak you out. 

(side note: he totally loves your scent and will compliment you on it all the time, like he’ll bury his head in your neck to calm himself down omg)

“my dear, who was with you earlier?”

“the guild had me teleport to mondstadt for a commission, why?”

“nothing my love, i simply- nevermind”

you look him in the eyes doubtfully

“tell.” 

“alright. you were with the anemo archon, yes?”

“i was. i was sent out to windrise to fight some hilichurls, i ran into him and he helped me defeat them, why?” 

“nothing, darling. the hilichurls didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“when has a hilichurl ever hurt me?”

“it is difficult to argue with that logic.”

dragon!zhongli who despite literally creating the harbour, refuses to go near the markets. he cannot stand the smell of the seafood that the merchants sell, so despite trying to “blend in” whilst in his mortal form, he will rarely be sighted outside the innermost parts of the city. 

“li’”

“yes, dear?”

“shall we take a stroll by the harbour? i have a free hour this afternoon and we should spend some time together. i haven’t spent much time with you this week, and i've missed you.”

“i have missed you too, love, however i think that-”

“you think?”

“i think that it is rather cold, down by the harbour. Shall we go to the teahouse instead?”

dragon!zhongli who is unconsciously protective of you in his sleep. he will wrap his tail around your form when cuddling, as a literal natural response. puts it around your waist and between your arms whilst spooning you so you can hug it like a teddy bear whilst he puts little kisses on your shoulders as you doze off. tells you the stories of years gone by as you sleep to vent his worries.

“li’”

“darling?”

“tell a story”

“must i?”

“yes, you must!”

“very well my dear, close your eyes.”

[neohart]

THINGS I CAN TELL YOU ALL SINCE I STARTED WORKING RETAIL (note: may vary from store to store and person to person)

Check the expiration dates on EVERYTHING, especially medicine. Depending on the store size and how many people work in the store, we may not always be able to take down any expired or close to expiring items. So please pull it off the shelf and take it to an employee :)

You are allowed to look at our screens, just ask politely because otherwise you’re getting a hard “no”

Don’t ask if we have something in the back. Most of the time the back room is a hot mess and is filled with boxes and trolleys are stacked high. So no, Sharon, I’m not going to the back and opening 50 boxes just so I can figure out if we have anymore tape or not.

There are designated truck days, which is when the a new stock comes in. If we’re out of something one day, figure out when the truck days are so you can come back then and find your item.

Again, depending on size, you can call the store ahead of time to see if there’s an item you need instead of coming yourself, looking around for 20 minutes and leaving because you couldn’t find it.

Additionally, if you can’t find something, ask an employee. Chances are it’s on the skyshelves or on a bottom shelf that you didn’t see before.

If you can’t find an employee at the register, we’re probably nearby. No need to yell or scream, just come find us and if you see someone in a uniform or stocking, that’s us.

If you’re unhappy with our service, don’t try calling the manager to get us fired. Most of the time, it ends up in a write up or a “try not to do it again” because unless it’s something serious, we’re probably not going to get fired right away.

Yes, we do remember you if you come in often enough or stand out. I’m looking at you that one family that always spends 200+ on groceries and then comes in the next day to get 30 more items that you “forgot”

Please don’t ask us if we’re alone in the store. You may be doing it out of concern, but doing it actually makes you seem like a creep (cough cough men cough cough)

Don’t hit on us :\ Pls. Some of us are either in relationships or are literally 20 years younger than you. I had a 40-some guy hit on me who knew I was 18. Just because I’m consenting age doesn’t mean shit.

If it’s broken, you don’t have to buy it. If you break it, just take it to an employee and say you found it like that. We don’t give two fucks if you broke it or not.

IF YOU DON’T WANT SOMETHING PUT IT BACK WHERE IT GOES I’M TIRED OF FINDING HOT DOGS AND ICE CREAM ON THE SHELVES

If you get thirsty or hungry, you can just eat or drink something while in the site. Just pay for it before you go.

Additionally, DO NOT DRINK OR EAT SOMETHING AND PUT IT SOMEWHERE RANDOM THAT IS ANNOYING AND IM TIRED OF DAMAGING OUT ITEMS THAT ARE LITERALLY HALF EMPTY

[hughesquinn]

Are there any fics you want to talk about in particular? Is there something you’ve been working on or haven’t started but have been thinking about that are giving you brainworms?

THANK U ANON okay so like. i actually have a lot of fic ideas i Want to write but just. absolutely have not written so im giving u a LIST

and btw all of these fics would hopefully be at LEAST 10k so I can explore them enough <3 adding a break bc I talked so much

- COLLEGE AU WITH THE DEVILS!!!! so specifically. this would be with jack because we all know im a whore for him. this would primarily focus on him in college + getting together with nico. like i would want it to be dealing with a semester in college (or an entire year) where he starts the semester and meets nico, a new foreign exchange student and then his teacher sits him at a table with nico and says he can help him

so then ofc they become friends and jack introduces him to his friends and THEN. winter break and nico cant go home for break (? strange reason id figure it our) so jack offers to bring him to his house for break

and so then how i decide what happens after this depends on whether it would be just a semester + winter break fic or year long fic bc if its just winter break fic,,, then nico shares jacks room, they do a lil flirting You Know How It Is. and then on Christmas he gives jack a gift and jack realizes then that he is actually in love with him and then they fuckin kiss under a mistletoe like the cliched bitch i am

- GIRL JACK!!!! so i Have started this fic and I think i have close to 1k for it but it is smth im obsessed with as i am also mostly a female (gender is weird LOL) but so really my plan for this is just broadly follow career from draft to now but obv. rewrite what i please and have jack be girl

and then of course. i would focus on her + brothers bc i am Like That and i would want to forcibly include some of the canucks also being like protective older brothers to her

like. I want to have a scene of jack luke nico + marino and then quinn brock elias and one other guy maybe? going out after the first hughesbowl and then some dude is creepy as hell to jack (possibly when quinn goes to restroom? and jack is at the bar? idk) but id just want to add the canucks being like older bros to her <3

but i would try to primarily also focus on how HARD it would be for her. like in this au specifically she is the first girl to join the nhl and the ONLY one and i mention how insane the pressure is since she is also #1 pick so. ya <3

- CIFFEE SHOP AU!!!

I actually have notes for one in my phone im such a whore for them <33

^ that plan is from January so likely if i do this id update it and shit but ya that is basically an au <3

- and finally (bc ive talked so much)…. RETAIL AU. like i fucking despise retail so much and id want to take it out on the devils. but imagine…. Jack and nico as coworkers…. there is mf Tension between them…. luke joins and he is cashier :]

and then also there would be a point where luke goes on his break so jack takes over the register and some guy fuckin yells at him <3 because jsck asks for id because he’s buying alcohol bc it is the law <3 and guy yells at him so much he cries (is just me venting LMAOO)

but yaya ill stop now bc ive talked so much

[joy-drops]

this mf long so don't tell me i didn't warn u

been in a rut for over a year

something something autistic burnout

idk the cause or the solution

just trying to survive each day as best i can

easier said than done when everything that brings me joy (ha) is behind a pay wall

that's capitalism baby~

found out fauna is going to the only anime convention i can attend on a reasonable budget.... but im already so broke....

I'd shell out the cash (debt) if it meant guaranteeing a spot at the meet and greet but they might not release info until too late when plane tickets are unaffordable ;_;

i wanna look forward to something because sustaining my sanity on retail therapy and getting high definitely is losing its effectiveness

brain always returns to the loneliness. i know its crippling but how much of my struggle is from that and how much is from my disability... they're both invisible which makes it hard to tell

would having a partner help that much? my gut tells me yes since ill have motivation to live if i have someone to share existence with but that feels like putting all my eggs in one basket and setting myself up for an unhealthy relationship

i like to think i won't fall down that path of toxic codependency like i have in the past tho im not crazy confident based on my track record

Which reminds me I've realized how appealing polyamory sounds to me but I'm terrible in groups I feel like I'd be overwhelmed with more than 3 (including myself) tho who knows what can happen

REGARDLESS i guess i gotta talk to people and make friends since i am incapable of socializing with the intention of dating (trust issues yippee)

i wish i had a crush at the very least. i bring this up often but i fucking miss the feeling of legitimate interest and attraction towards someone

How do I meet someone, become comfortable enough with them, and ultimately find a partnership that satisfies my insane desires???? maybe I'm putting the cart before the horse? Tackling too much at once? Something like that...

Imma be real the only reason I'm active on here is another mechanism to cope with this loneliness (akin to listening to asmr for instant happy brain juice + with the added benefit of "putting myself out there")

My strange fantasy that I'll meet people on here like I did years ago and magically hit it off

AAAAAAUGGHHHHH how did I do it back then it seemed so easy what happened to my social skills (trauma, probably)

How is it I work 2 days a week and am still drained constantly? when will I be free from sleepy bitch syndrome? it's like I've been running on fumes for the past year WHEN WILL I HAVE THE WILL TO LIVE AGAIN

i miss having someone to talk to frequently about everything

i have my besties but unfortunately knowing there's no sexual or romantic attraction there makes it hard for me to get past these barriers?? Is that weird? I wanna be able to be intimate with someone and close but for me that's intrinsically tied to sex and romance. I'm overflowing with platonic friendships to the point where I had to cut off a bunch and leave many people I care about hanging because I simply have no energy to exist anymore

I've been doing my best each day but it only gets harder

The only thing I have energy for is getting high and living inside the fantasies my brain can muster as a means to cope with how lonely I am

I dream of being hugged, of someone touching me, of being accepted for all my flaws and reassured that my existence isn't shameful. I live for the day these might become reality

Since as long far back as highschool I've yearned for intimacy

Physical intimacy specifically since the most I've done is hold hands and lil cute things like that I CRAVE SKINSHIP UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE

Anyway if anybody made it this far hi feel free to confess ur undying love 2 me

[straycalamities]

Do you have any suggestions for someone new who wants to join camp weehawken or truffula flu? I wanted to create some Onceler to join the rps, but every idea I have has been done already

you don’t have to create a onceler to join either of those! there’s plenty of ocs (deloraxed or not) that are in both of them :3

but if you rly wanna do a onceler, i think it’s okay if your gimmick matches an existing onceler, especially if the blog is no longer active. like how many oncelers themed around being monsters or curses do u think exist?? so many. countless, but they're all kewl bc what matters is how you approach the character and give it your own twist! unless it’s something super specific, i don’t think anyone would mind if another idk retail onceler existed for example (thinking of retail bc i’m at work rn abloo bloo)

if this is your first time joining, i'd definitely try to pick something you're passionate about as a theme or set of personality traits! it'll keep you going and strong at the start of it all before the ball officially gets rolling.

also idk if you plan to do art or not but dont be discouraged if you dont! or if you dont think your art "is good enough"!!! some of the biggest oncelers in the fandom (swag and gent are the immediate first to come to mind) had mods who didnt draw for their posts and they still were well received! what matters is how much the concept means to YOU and how much passion you put into it. and ultimately: what matters most is if you have fun with it! :3

so like if something isnt' fun anymore. change it! or dump it and start over! it's okay!

and if you do draw, just..draw...like idk maybe its just a me thing, but i sabotage myself hard if i focus too much on my askblog/rp art being like...good lmao. i just get it out there. what matters is im enhancing the scene/perspective/emotions of what im doing and adding to it so it can be as quick as a doodle, or something fully rendered that took me hours, what matters is that i dont get too hung up on how "good" it is and if it IS something that takes longer, that it's not making me miserable to work on it. if it is? fuck it, we doodle.

also, put yourself out there! approach people with ideas or whathaveyou. test the waters to see where the chemistry lies and if those characters' mods would wanna plot w you! or even just do one-shots to see have some fun/see where things go. the worst favor u can do urself is to sit there and like...stew in fomo and let shyness/fear/whatever hold you back. and if you dont have ideas or dont get any hits back, focus on your own plot for awhile, let ppl see your character in action, it might spur some inspo

idk if that stuff was what u were looking for but its stuff i generally recommend to anyone wanting to start rping and/or askblogging in the fandom (and everyone reading this totally should if u dont already)

[spicebowl]

i think if u tip a worker thats between u and them, they shouldnt have to tip out or report their earnings, it is a TI P. its GRATUITY theyre grateful to YOU the WORKER that HELPED THEM. i think the worker should be allowed to accept the tip, and allowed to keep the tip that they earned from that interaction.

and while im here on my soap box, wait staff in restaurants should not be so tied down to tips. if they dont get tipped well, their checks max out at like 50 dollars. thats inhumane. if tips are gratuity, what do you do when you have difficult tables who are not grateful for your service? starve? wait staff deserve to be paid fairly, just like the cooks who work on hourly in the back.

the way americans look at tipping as something you only do for wait staff in restaurants and something they never think about outside of that, is not what tipping was meant to be ever! its a silent thank you to people who do services, its the 2 dollars you slip into the retail workers hand when they find something in yhe back for you, when you get work done on your car by a guy whos super nice and so rushed for time and you hand him a ten and tell him you hope the day slows down, when the waitress doesnt id you and brings your drink out anyways, when your dog groomer can deliver on more than they promised even though you know your dog is difficult so you hand them a 20, when the lady making your appointment is getting screamed at by the patient in front of you at the doctors so you slip her a 10 and say she didnt deserve that as you leave.

tipping as gratuity in the truest sense is penalized in this country. people literally are not allowed to be rewarded for going the extra mile even when the customers can visibly see it. and half the time when you are allowed to tip, it goes to their boss's pockets or to the whole location instead of the person you were trying to tip. i dont think tips, something meant to show gratitude, should be everything a person lives off of or something theyre not allowed to have.

i think companies should pay their workers fairly and if it happens to be a tipped profession like wait staff or whatever, thats not a company's business or problem and they should fuck off. its not like companies reward hard work, and creating a culture where nobody can tip anybody just reinforces the idea of hard work=no benefit. you will not be recognized by peer or patron for your efforts because the patrons are not allowed to reward it and your peers are fighting for rewards themselves.

tldr: tipping should be way more common and way less scrutinized in this country and also i hate america

[honeylavender24]

I've been so anxious lately, and I have struggled so hard with my time management. I am trying to make time for my hobbies while make money and I'm so lost on how to balance the two. I hate my job (retail) and I want more time to pursue my hobbies and perhaps even make money from them. I love to up cycle clothes and embroider etc. But the thought of selling my stuff that I make stresses me out too because it takes so very long to finish a piece (usually) and I feel like I have to finish it as quickly as I can. It doesn't help that someone wants to share a booth with my at a indoor flea mall type place, and every time I show them some of my finished art that I worked so hard on they just want me to make more to sell. This would lead to me doing it in all my free time so I don't feel like Im "wasting time" and my other hobbies are being left behind. And then before you know it I have to go to my corporate retail job and there I DEF don't have time and its this never ending cycle. Like I just want to chill and relax and be comfortable and content but there's always something to do next and always something happening. I have a very difficult time not having a set schedule, my job is CONSTANTLY changing my schedule so it's different every single week and my brain just has a hard time getting into a groove and routine because I literally can't. I just have no idea what to do except try and delegate my time better but I just have this pit in my stomach that I'm either wasting my life and not doing enough or doing too much. I just want some consistency and permanence in my life I need it to function but it's just not possible right now and I don't know how to handle it. I feel like I could handle everything and have more energy if I had a good routine.

I want to go back to my old life 6 months ago where I knew what I wanted and what I liked and what every day would entail. That's not possible and I just quite don't know how to continue or what to do. Sorry for the rant.

[blueberry-mufffinz]

ROBLOX OCS

Okay Actually Wait Before I COntinue Okay So I Like. For One Dont Think Too Hard About The World Around Them Bc I Know Its Roblox But Also Me N My Friend Just Made Shit Up On The Spot Second I Really Like These Guys But Idk If Theyre Like. Cringe Or Whatever So Uh. If They Are Block Me Or Smthn I Guess Sorry Man Anyways This Bouta Be A Long Ass Post So Literally Everything Undercut

GITE

Okay So. Gite, Along With Their Counterpart Who I'll Take About Later, Originally Was Just. An Outfit I Made Using A Bunch Of Items I Had On Hand. Then My Friend Had Me Turn Them Into An OC Which Is Actually What Started This Entire Thing And Goodness Gracious Do I Have A Lot Of Little Guys Now>

Notes

Maasssivee Fucking Yapper. Does Not Stop Yapping Worlds Biggest Yapper

Theyre Very Headstrong And Also A Littleee Tiny Bit Obnoxious Man Oh Man I Sure Do Wonder Why(Yapper)

Gite Plays Whatever (Roblox)Games Reck Plays, Originally Played Obbies

Poor Understanding Of Personal Space, Also Thinks Reck Should Be More Friendly And Talk To People

Uses Sarcasm Somewhat Often But It Always Sounds Friendly Or Passive Aggressive

Cannot Fly With Their Wings

This Guy Dont Rlly Got Much Lore So I Wont Like Make A Dedicated Lore Second For Him But, Okay This Is Where The Like Worldbuilding Gets Confusing But Bare With Me Here Okay, Gite And Reck Are Counterparts Because They Were Like. Spawned(??) At The Same Time In Cribs Next To Each Other. As Those Little. Pill Baby Things Life In Paradise Style Yeah

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RECK

Same Thing With Gite Reck Was Originally An Outfit Then Turned Into An OC I Honestly Dont Rlly Like His Wings But Aint No Way Im Buying New Ones When I. Actually Buy The Outfit Because Genuinely I Only Own Gite's Outfit Out Of All These OCs

Notes

Far More Introverted(???) Than Gite, Doesnt Yap Nearly As Much More Of A Listener

Pretty Calm And Chill Guy Honestly, Just Vibin'

Listens To Music Literally Whenever Possible, I Would Say 24/7 But Not 24/7 Because Gite Exists

Plays A Lot Of Tycoons Usually, But Also Sometimes Jumps Around To Try And Avoid Gite(Gite Keeps Finding Them)

Also I Think Reck Has That Retail Worker Tiredness Like In General I Think Reck Works Retail

Thinks Gite Needs To Back The Fuck Off And Learn Some Personal Space

Very Firm With Their Boundries. If Theyre Unhappy Or Uncomfortable With The Things Youre Doing Theyll Let You Know.

CAN Fly With Their Wings

Gite&Reck Notes

There's Some Notes That Apply To Both Of Them So Like-

Gite And Reck Like. Dont Like Each Other. They Dont Hate Each Other But They Sure As Hell Dont Like Each Other

Theyve Never Said They Hated Each Other But Sometimes They Call Each Other Annoying

I Think Maybe Perhaps I Havent Decided Honestly That They Become Lovers At. Some Point I Dont Know When

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DRAGON LOSER/FLORAL

Okay YEAH I Know Her Name Is A Little Mean But Like. For Context Some Of These Guys Get Names Based On Experience And Like. Itll Make Sense Soon I Swear

Notes

Plays A TON Of Dragon Games, Primarily Dragons Life And Dragon Adventures

Floral Is More Like Their "Roleplay" Name So Technically Her Name Is Really Just Dragon Loser, DL For Short Btw, But Dont Worry About It

They Have A Minor Liking For Fishes, But Its Mostly Dragons(But If Something Is Like- A Fantasy Sea Dragon She Goes CRAZY Over That Stuff)

She Incredibly Friendly And Will Just Walk Up To People And Start Talking Which is Probably Why She Thrives In RP Games So Much

Her Name Doesnt Effect Her In The Slightest

Can In Fact See Despite Their Eyes Not Being Visible

The Paint Is Actually Because Their Head Is Constantly Spewing Paint And Its Actually The Reason They Have A Hat On But Yeah Wiping It Away Wont Help With Anything

Chains Are Purely Aesthetic

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SOUL WANDER

This Guy I Made Like Purely As A Rival Of Some Form For My Friend's OC, Who Ill Be Calling F Because Yeah Also Im Shortening SOUL WANDER(yes its capitalized like that every time)'s Name To SW Because There Is No Way Im Typing That Every Single Time

Notes

Mysterious Guy, Fairly Quiet And Speaks In Vague Terms. Sometimes Riddles If He Feels Like It

Also He's A Little Smug

Ghostwalker(yes the SFOTH sword) Fanboy If You Couldnt Tell By The Shirt

Fucking HATES F, Like Knife Through A Picture Of Him On A Wall Type Of Hate. Does Not Like That Guy In The Slightest

Drops The Whole Vague Thing When Talking To F For Reasons I Genuinely Have Not Figured Out

Lives Alone And Also Doesnt Friends

And He's Also Poor Barely Paying For His Apartment And Food(I Dont Even Know How He's Making Money Honestly)

Like Genuinely Sleeps In A Corner With A Single Blanket Like I Feel Kinda Bad And He's My OC

Literally He Doesnt Even Care Either We Love Poor Self Preservation/j

Practically Half-Blind Pretty Much Also Taking Off Those Bandages WILL Flashbang Him He's Had Them On For So Long

The Face Shadow Thing Is Some He Can Do Entirely At Will

Used To Own A Cat

Ngl I Forgot To Write This But He Plays SFOTH Primarily And. Yeah Thats It Honestly

Lore

Look At That First Guy To Have Actual Thought Out Lore Lets Go Wahoo When SW Was Younger He'd Participate In Like Illegal Fighting Rings Or Whatever To Make Money. Nobody Is Supposed To Die But He Accidentally Kill A Person(Who Is An OC Ill Talk About Later) Once Near When He Started Because He Went To Into A Blind Panic And Punched Them To Death. Uh. Somebody(Also An OC Ill Talk ABout Later) Close To This Person Took Revenge Against SW And Brought A Knife Into The Fight In A Attempt To Blind SW, It??? Half-Worked Because The Sight In His Covered Eye Is Really Blurry(Eye Wasnt Punctured Fully But Got Damaged). This Situation Is Also Indirectly The Cause Of The Whole Vague Thing He Does, Because The Person Who Almost Blinded Him Is Tracking Him Down And Trying To Get Information On Him And SW KNOWS That So He Speaks Very Vague Because He's Paranoid As Fuck. ALSO! He Used To Own A White Cat He Named Spirit But F Stole Spirit When He Was Drunk And Then Kept Her So Now SW Thinks Spirit Is Dead But Actually F Has Her And Renamed Her Sparkle. SW Feels Really Bad For Failing To Care For Spirit, Used To Sacrifice Eating To Feed Her. Anyways Somewhere At Some Point In The Future SW Finally Gets Tracked Down, Cause Its Guarenteed To Happen At Some Point, And Gets Like Entirely Blinded I Drew Art Of Him Actually Ill Put All The Art Of These Guys At The End I Swear Anyways Yeah Gets Fully Blinded And Also One Of His Head Wings Gets Chopped To A Nub Also He Cant Do Whatever The Hell He Was Doing To Make Money Anymore So He's Homeless Again(Forgot To Mention He Was Homeless When Younger) But Its. Significantly More Difficult Now That He's Blind. And Also The Paranoia Is Still There Because He Literally Cant See And Also He Goes Entirely Silent Stops Speaking Completely GOODNESS I YAPPED SORRY!!!

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CAUTION: HAZARD

This Is The Guy Responsible For Almost Blinding, Eventually Fully Blinding, SW. Im Callin Him C:H For Short Because Again Im Not Typing All That Shit Out. I Dont Actually Have A Lot On This Guy or His Brother So Hopefully This Is Shorter Than SW's Section

Notes

Him And His Brother Are Aggressive In Nature, Hence The Whole Caution Thing

Barbarically Aggressive

Played Like. A Bunch A Ro:Bio N Shit With His Brother

Lore

C:H Watched SW Kill His Brother In The Fighting Ring, Overheard SW Talking About How He Went Into A Blind Panic And Decided "Why Dont I Make Him Actually Blind" So Uh. Yeah. His Plan Is To Catch SW Off-Guard In An Isolated Area Which Is Difficult Because Of SW's Paranoia. Has Sent People To Try And Get Information From SW Or Get Close To SW, So SW's Still Persistent Paranoia Is Valid

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CAUTION: RADIATION

This Is The Guy That SW Accidentally Killed. Callin Him C:R Because Long Ass Name. He's Not A Ghost Or Anythin Btw But If He Was He'd Be Actively Cheering C:H On Also Dont Have Much Information With This Guy Sorry

Notes

Yeah He Played Ro:Bio With C:H

And Again Yeah Naturally Aggressive

C:R Is More Sinsterly Aggressive If That Makes Sense

The Toxic Waste On His Head IS Apart Of Him The Barrel Is Not, Barrel For Aesthetic

Toxic Fumes Naturally Eminate From His Mouth, It Doesnt Smell Like Anything But Again It Is Toxic So Mask Holds Filters It Out

He's Immune To It Though So Its Okay

Lore

Not Much Lore Honestly But Basically Like. What Happened Is He Got Punched In The Gut Rlly Hard Which Winded Him Or Whatever Like Out Of Breath And Then Punched In The Jaw So Broken Jaw And Then SW Just Kept Punching Him Til He Died He Did Not Expect, What Percieved As, The Dumb Scared Kid To Straight Up Kill Him

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ABNORMALITY/MORPHO

Okay Last One I Swear Anyways Morpho Here Is Based Of Abnormality Dancin' Girl. I Was Listening To The Song And I Had A Vision™ And Went On A Spree Making Them

Notes

Okay To Start, I Will Be Using They/Them For Them Because Theyre Good With They/Them Pronouns Yes Thats Fine But Internally They Naturally Refer To Themself With It/Its For Lore Reasons

MASSIVE People Pleaser Like REALLY REALLY Big People Pleaser Its Genuinely Detrimental To Their Mental Health

Also A Social Chameleon To The Extreme, Changes Their Personality The Way They Talk And They Way They Dress Just To Fit In With The People Theyre Talking To

Used To Play A Lot Of Simulators And Tower Defense Games. Especially Tower Defense They Were Pretty Good At Those

Lore

Morpho Doesnt Really Know Who They Are Anymore. Theyve Been Changing And People Pleasing For So Long That They Dont Even Know If Theyre A Person, Thinking Of Themself As More Of An Object On On A Stage All Of This Changing Is Literally Like Physically Tearing Them Apart The Switching And Trying To Be Someone Thats A Them They Dont Know Is Physically Destroying Them They Cant Stop Though, Theyre So Tired And Nothing Feels Good Anymore But They Just Cant Stop. Theyre A Ticking Time Bomb Waiting To Die, Waiting To Scatter Into Thousands Of Blue Butterflies Even Then Their Efforts Will End Up For Nothing. The More They Switch And People Please The More They Fall Apart, And The More They Fall Apart The More People Leave, Which Then Causes Them To Change And People Please Even More And Try Even Harder Which Makes Them Fall Apart More And Its Just A Downwards Spiral Speeding Towards Their Death. Uhh. All Of This Started From A Person(I Might Leave This Person Unknown), Who They Were Really Really Close To And Told Everything To, Ghosting Them Suddenly And Leaving Them For Someone Else

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

Art Time Yippe Hoorayy

This Is Gonna Go In Order, Also As A Note I Have Not Drawn DL, C:H, C:R, OR Morpho Yet. I Will Ebventually Just. Later.

This Next One W/ Gite And Reck Is Like A Comic Sortve I Made It Rlly Late At Night And Its A Situation That Will Happen At. Some Point Idk When. Dialogue Is Messy im Bad At Dialogue.

I Love Making Angst Of My OCs :)) Anyways Gite Yapping

I Cant Believe I Forgot To Put This Ill Just Put It Here But Reck Does Not Listen To A Word Gite Says A Majority of The Time. Gite Can Say The Most Out Of Pocket Shit Ever And Reck Will Go "Uh Huh Yeah" And Reck Wont Even Notice Until Gite Points It Out

Anyways SW Art Yayayay

Silly Little Video Of What Happened Heehoo Also Last Frame PNG Bc Yeah

Also Here's That Blinded SW Drawing I Promised

Okay Sorry For Yapping Those R All My Guys Wahoo

[ellecdc]

hello mamaa, im applying my first job soon.. (I've never applied physically or work other than remotely bfr)

can i hear ur experience in working, like what kind of ppl have u deal, what kind of job are the most comfy for u? anything.. I'd love to hear anything u've to say

or do mama have any tips to appear confident or any other tips or words mama wanna share 🥲 (as im a tad nervous and i had no idea what im supposed to be facing for as an introvert 🥲)

Aweee! Well congratulations and I wish you the best of luck! I know you’re going to find the perfect job for yourself <33

I’ve worked quite a few jobs in my days lol. I’ve worked a fair number of retail jobs, I’ve worked for a mental health hospital, I volunteered in a nursing home, I’ve worked at a dance studio, and I’ve worked at an animal shelter! And in all honesty, I think retail gets a bad rap as far as jobs go.

Granted, retail usually requires you to be on your feet all day, but generally as people are “shopping around”, they’re quite content? I worked at a furniture and home decor store, so people were usually there because they wanted to be and were looking for positive things (versus working at a grocery store where people were forced to shop there, if that makes sense). You’re always going to have to deal with crummy customers/coworkers no matter where you work or what field you’re in, but the good outweighs the bad and you have to remind yourself not to take it personally - when people are shitty with you it’s either a) they had a bad day or b) it says way more about them than it does about you! It’s also better if you can find a retail store that sells things you’re interested it: you like gaming? Is there a video game store hiring? Do you like fashion? Maybe there’s a clothing store hiring. Do you like interior design? Maybe there’s a home decor store hiring! But everyone has to start somewhere and it is always easier to find a job once you have one!

My advice is to try not to take yourself too seriously. You’re going to be new! Which means there will be a learning curve and you will make mistakes; people expect that from you too! So don’t be hard on yourself and give yourself grace. I also found if a customer asked me something and I said with a smile “that’s a great question! Now, I apologize as I’m quite new so I don’t have the answer off the top of my head, but let me go find that out for you!” And then ask someone - next time, you’ll have the answer ready!

And honestly, I’m the queen of faking it til to make it. If you want to come across as a friendly, easy going person - act like one! Eventually, you’ll begin to feel comfortable enough that it will come naturally to you.

Good luck sweetheart!!

[wystarrya]

long mental rambling into the good you know how it goes

i worry that i spent too much time after high school fucking around doing nothing and ive doomed myself to a life of it as a result

college wasnt really an option because of a few reasons (money/transport/career uncertainty) and ive been working but just retail jobs that dont leave me any real savings to show for it, its literally just to get by. so for like 6-7 years ive just. worked, vibed, slept. the times i tried to do Something like have someone teach me to drive i just got blown off after a bit

i know its not necessarily true im stuck like this forever but when I look at it all - no money, no license or car, a shitty house and housemates that don't care about it, no family i can rely on, no special education or skills to get a better more fulfilling job, etc... its hard to know where even to begin trying to improve my life, because i truly want to im just. lost. the little bit of looking ive done into finding a new town, job, house, roomies has just left me dazed and that's not even accounting for actually moving out (and the inevitable explosive confrontation that would bring with my housemates because id be "abandoning them")

my dad and brother both kinda wound up being shut-ins and my mom was a good woman but got stuck never leaving the towns she grew up in and im terrified of winding up the same way because unlike my teen self i actually wanna get out, do stuff, see the world... to wind up stuck in your hometown feels like a genuine crime when theres so many places to see

anyway that was a lot of words to say im deeply unhappy and im a mix of too scared/stupid/resigned to my fate to know where to go or what to do to improve things. therapy would definitely help if i had the means to access it but also i need Real Actual Change. you know

[writersblock0625]

So in light of MIN YUNKI & his sneaky announcements…over the weekend my older sister dropped hella job applications in our text thread…as most know I was laid off from my primary income July 2022 & have been working at a retail assist manager. I went from $18 to $14 & with retail you’re only working if you meet your stores planned sales mark for the day/week…anyways I was SUPER drained from my primary working in medical claims, constantly being told that this needed to be done & can you help them & have you gotten to your report & did you get the subpoenas faxed…im leading this somewhere stay with me (also documentation for when I speak to my therapist) for several months I had no desire to do ANYTHING. I was done trying to improve, I was done putting in hella effort & to only be let go after all my hard work & dedication…my meds ran out (anti depression & anxiety) & my psychiatrist wasn’t renewing my RX when the pharmacy called…winter season set in & everything was getting worse…I couldn’t find the motivation to do ANYTHING…it reminded me of when my father had passed & I was just null to everything…I needed work soon so I applied to some things & eventually got hired on….stay with me…when my sister texted me all these jobs I felt like a burden…not so much to her but to myself…anyways I had something click in me, much like it did when I started looking for work after my dad had passed. To just suppress whatever is going on & kick it into high gear going forward & never look back…& that’s where I’m at…I feeling something dissolving & I can’t really put my finger on it….

[ttlmt]

do it bee

alright.

there’s a few things i kept seeing confusion about, so i’ll try to clear it up the best i can with my amateur enthusiast knowledge. 

disclaimer: all of this could be completely wrong. this is just what i’ve learned from working as a bookseller in the past and taking a few classes on publishing and just generally doing a lot of personal research into it both as a reader and with interest in joining the industry. i do not know dan’s individual situation, nor am an expert by any means. i am also coming at this as a canadian, so the innerworkings of uk/us publishing are just from what ive learned here.

you will get through this book: 

bee’s possibly incorrect far too long guide to the publishing industry and how international editions and signed copies might work for daniel howell’s new book ‘you will get through this night’ available for preorder now

follow @daysuntilthisnight​​ for a countdown #shamelessselfpromo

1) the uk vs us edition

the uk cover is the one without dan’s face on it. the us cover is the one with dan’s face on it. its not uncommon to have multiple covers and putting someones face on the cover is a very american publisher thing to do, personally i really like both. the cover you get is dependent on where you/your country order the book from.

if you ordered from danandphilshop or shop.danielhowell, you will be getting the uk cover, as it is a uk business. if you ordered from the us store right when the book was announced and before the signed copies sold out, it will probably be the uk cover (more on that in the bit about signed books). after that, i’m not sure because i do not know how irlmerch’s distribution works. 

one thing to note is all books have an ISBN number which is like a universal barcode for the book at all stores and it comes from the publisher. the beginning of the isbn dictates the publisher/language/product type/etc and the end identifies the particular book. the uk edition and the us edition have different isbn numbers, as will the ebook, audiobook, etc. this is a good way to figure out which edition you are buying from your local bookstore, and you can cross reference with the isbn in uk or us stores. its usually listed at the bottom of the product page online.

if you live in a country besides the us or the uk, it depends whether the book is being distributed or published in your country. distribution is often more cost effective, and is usually the way it works. as far as i know, dan’s book is being distributed (not published) to the countries on this list with the exception of the us where it is being published (not distributed). if a book is being published in a country, it will have a different isbn and sometimes a different cover. if a book is being distributed it will have the same isbn and cover as the country it is distributed from (usually the closest publishing hub, so london or new york in this case).

to know what edition is in your country, you can compare the isbn numbers and/or the covers. you can also take a look at your other books to see whats normal in your country to get sort of an idea. im assuming europe will get the uk edition but im not sure about other countries.

here in canada for example, our books are usually distributed from the US meaning you will be getting the us cover if you order the book from a canadian store. i ordered from irlmerch when dan’s book was announced though, so i think im getting the uk edition.

1.5) covers and book design

most of the time, especially with new authors, the author has very little say in the final decisions re: book cover and book design. they usually get input, and the publisher gets final say. book design is also a very different thing then general graphic design and professionals genuinely go to school for this. thats not to say there arent bad book designs or that regular people can’t do it too, it’s just something to keep in mind. 

2) signed books vs signed editions

there are a few different ways that signed books can work. primarily, there are signed editions and signed books. both are physically signed by the author, the difference is when in the process these books are signed.

signed books is the ‘old-fashioned’ way, where the author will sit at a table and sign copies of their book. the author usually signs on the title page and for a long time, this was the only way to do it. they have already been printed by the publisher so they will have the same isbn as unsigned books. signed books are usually more limited, often they can be personalized, and if you have ever gone to a proper book signing where the author signed the book in front of you, you have a signed book. signed books are also sometimes made available at the authors local bookstore because they are able to sign them in person. as far as i know, the books that were ordered from danandphilshop or shop.danielhowell during the initial signed run will be signed books. i also believe there are/were limited signed books from uk retailers, i think those are/were signed books (not editions) where the isbn matches the normal first edition of the book. 

signed editions are a fairly new thing, and have made signed books so much more accessible which is awesome! signed editions have a different isbn then their normal edition and signed book counterparts. they are technically two different books and are listed as a separate book in stores. that is because signed editions have one (1) extra page. this allows the author to be sent boxes of pages, not books, to sign BEFORE the books are bound. the pages are then sent back to the publisher to be included in the final printed copy of the book.

signed editions help authors to sign even more copies which allows for things like signing hundreds of thousands of copies of a book in some cases. if you are familiar with john green’s books (and hank’s too), he is a large part of the reason signed editions increased in popularity. for example, his book turtles all the way down had a signed edition and a normal edition, they were the same price but the signed edition included the one more page that john had signed. this also allows authors to do fully signed first edition runs, such as john’s new book the anthropocene reviewed (which comes out the same day as dan’s book lol), where every single copy of the first edition is signed (so there is no such thing as an unsigned american first edition, this is becoming more popular for some authors to do especially if the first edition print is not very a large quantity).

if you saw dan’s ig story from today (which was almost definitely a delayed post lmao), he was signing the signed edition papers that will be bound in the signed edition copies of the book in the us. as far as i know, it is only the us publisher that has this option. as you can see on the us store books-a-million, there is a signed edition and a normal edition. they are listed seperately and there are different isbns. the signed edition will be bound with the one extra page that dan has signed. 

both types of signed books have been actually signed by dan and are so cool to have if that’s something you want and are able to get. if not, you’re not missing much.

3) book piracy and pricing

i’m not here to tell you what to do, so i won’t. i know being able to buy books is a privilege and dan is a millionaire. full stop. he doesn’t need the money and you probably do.

books are expensive. the difference between cost and price of a book can vary drastically. does your calc textbook actually cost the publisher $300? probably not, but it does cost more per copy to print less copies of something (like a textbook) then it does to print millions of copies of a nyt bestseller. does a $24 book cost that much to develop/print/distribute? maybe. 

but most of that money goes to the publisher. the fact of the matter is authors get very little from the actual sale of the book (usually only a couple dollars), which okay, not exactly convincing you against piracy but hear me out. the actual number of sales a book has lets a publisher know how successful a book is, which helps to decide how many more prints/editions are made and often dictates future opportunities for authors.

a series of books that i love is very popular on tumblr, but there was a serious problem a few years ago where copies of the book were being pirated so much, sales were down so drastically, that the publisher almost didn't continue to publish the series. in the case of smaller authors or your favourite ongoing series, buying your copy of the book could be the difference between the existence of the next book or not.  in dan’s case, i don’t know what his future plans are, idk if he plans to write more in the future, but i do know that publishers look at previous sales to decide if they are going to publish a book in the future.

ebooks are usually cheaper and more accessible if money is an issue. used books, while not helping with sales, are also a great option if you’re willing to wait and look around. you can often request your local library buy a book and read it that way, or they might even already have it. there probably even audiobooks and ebooks at your local library. stores like am*zon are usually cheaper as well. online stores of large chains like b&n and indigo will often have the books cheaper to match amazon. however if you can, support your local bookstore.

of course if the author is a horrible person do whatever tf you want. also fuck the textbook industry. 

tldr: dan worked really hard on his book with professionals to make it the best it could possibly be. i think it looks beautiful, and it will help a lot of people. the publishing industry is a mess but really cool. check the isbn of the copy you ordered if you want clarification or you can just wait for the surprise. 

[frogkitchen-the-archive]

life feels hard and unforgiving sometimes so here’s some highlights just from a single day from last week to remind anyone out there that life is still worth living and enjoying, and there are plenty of kind people :)

I stopped at the grocery store (different from where I work) to kill time waiting for my second bus. I found some jeans in the clothing section, but wanted to know how much they were, so i went to the dressing rooms where two older women working then had a friendly battle to see who could log into their scanner first to check the price, it was really fun

After the second bus, theres a short half mile walk to my work, and as i was passing by businesses on the way (it was like 9:30am), one fast food worker opened her window (the drive thru was empty) and waived for me to come over. I ran over and she said she loved my outfit and asked where I got my stuff so I told her the goodwill I go to and where the best clearance stuff I find is. It’s also been heavily raining recently so I told her where the best raincoats are in town

I’m at work doing my (retail) job, and a lady asks me for help. She starts apologizing (a lot) because she couldn’t find an exact photo of what she was looking for, and I told her she doesn’t need to apologize at all! I said if she wanted to stop reflexively apologizing all the time, she can change up the words she uses like I do. When I’m doing something and it takes a while, I say “thank you for helping me/ thank you for waiting,” and it usually works really well. It’s also my job to help people find things in the store so there’s no need to feel guilty about asking for help! In the end I found the bookshelf she wanted and she said that it was good advice that she wants to practice more

Whenever I find something broken or unusable, i bring it up to the front desk and put a sticky note on it saying what’s wrong, usually with a little frowny face. My manager saw me doing this finally and said “so its YOU who’s been leaving this stuff up here!” And i was like oh no! Do you want me to stop? And she replied “nah, honestly I think it’s funny and I like finding this stuff up here. Just wish people would stop breaking our shit.” This new note was on a open bag of chips and said “someone was eating me like a feral animal and then decided to leave the bag :( “

Sometimes when someone breaks an item, especially glass or ceramic, they feel bad and start to try to clean it up themselves. I, trying to be as friendly as possible but still firm, go “NOOO nO don’t touch it, sTOPP >:0 its sharp you need to stay safe” in the most silly way possible to try to distract from the fact that they feel bad. I call for someone to grab a broom and guard the broken pieces while looking at the customer like 👀 dont you dare touch any of the pieces this isn’t your job LOL. I know how quickly one small thing (dropping & breaking something at the store) can really hurt your mood (speaking from experience) so Im very over-the-top silly when it comes to cleaning these accidents. Dropping shit happens! Don’t feel bad lol im rushing in to clean it up >:)

While at the front of the store I was approached by an older man and he said, “I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but where is the nearest real grocery store?” And when I tell you i SNORTED and said “nah that’s not rude, I don’t get any of my meat or produce from here,” and told him the nearest store with actual fresh produce and meat was a little bit further down the street.

Whenever I’m working and friends come in, they pretend not to know me to some degree so I can put on my retail face for a moment and “help” them while they tell me briefly about their day :) and then I actually tell them wherever the stuff they’re looking for actually is located in the store lol

I get asked pretty frequently how I do my hair and how I get it to stay like that, (medium length curly hair that actually holds its curls), to the point where I made a little diagram i keep on my phone of my routine + products I use and recommend, and show it to them to take a picture of or airdrop it to them :) 

It was close to closing for the front cafe department (i am trained for multiple departments and switch during the day sometimes lol) and one of our last customers for the night was very unsure of what she wanted to drink. Since we throw out most of the tea for the night, i broke out the little sample cups and let her try allll of them so she could narrow down her choices. Halfway through trying them, she asked “do you do this all the time?” And I was like “no, usually it’s too busy, but we’re about to close and I want you to get a good experience & drink out of this” :) she laughed at that and decided on a peach tea lemonade w/ another fruit drink mixed in it.

Leaving work I went to say goodbye to a handful of my coworkers, as per my routine, and my one coworker always gives me a cup of whip cream and a fork. I never asked her to do this but she’s started it as part of her routine so I’ve accepted it into mine. I take the cup home with me and put the whip cream on a little bowl of fruit every night :)

[astralfire-xiv]

Zero shipping headcanons

Had this draft saved on my phone for the longest time and im just gonna dump it here zzzz

Will add more ""ships"" later but for now I'm only putting main ship here. They're not really ships but more... what ifs. I guess?

Zero/Chamber

- Def both bisexuals.

- Actually like to go to big parties from time to time. We’re talking big ass parties and festivals on Ibiza and St. Tropez here.

- A retail worker’s worst fear and a server’s biggest dream.

- Like to spend hours at a cafe/terrace on off days. Tip generously, as long as the server doesn’t bother them. They’ll ask if they need something.

- Probably own a wine cellar even though Zero knows little to nothing about wine. She just trusts Chamber’s expertise.

- Riding a vespa together while on holiday is actually pretty romantic who would have thought. Also Zero is, for once, not complaining and nitpicking about Chamber’s (perfectly fine) driving skills.

- Would live either in the middle of nowhere in the Provence/Ardennes in a renovated château or in a large expensive penthouse in Monaco.

- Chamber likes it when Zero wears lipstick but Zero thinks it makes her look even more pale than she already is.

- if they’re attending the same business party, others will often refer to Chamber as the man with the gold tattoos and Zero as the woman with the silver piercings.

- Sometimes they will just get cheap takeout to eat at the hotel because fancy dinners get boring after a while. Would Netflix a reality series together while eating cheap Chinese takeout.

- Zero would give up her ‘exciting’ life to live with him somewhere under the radar and she’s offered it once but has never gotten a decent answer from him so she just left it at that.

- They mostly buy ‘prank’ gifts for each other because it’s hard to buy something for someone who can just buy whatever they like. When they do finally find a present that’s unique and unexpected, it’s saved for a special occasion.

- Playing board games with these two is living hell because that’s where their competitiveness and pettiness really shines. Never let either of them be the bank in Monopoly.

- Zero is the dedicated driver purely bc Chamber gets tired of her backseat driving when he’s at the wheel. The fact that she even lets Chamber drive is an impressive feat by itself, though.

- Zero likes to sleep on Chamber’s hard ass chest. Probably because she normally sleeps on a singular flat pillow. Idk I don’t think Chamber is very muscular. He’s fit but he doesn’t have dem tiddies or extremely defined packs. Like judging from his skinny legs, he can’t be that broad tbfh.

- Zero hogs the sheets like it’s an olympic sport

- Zero would give Mirror Chamber a try and I’m pretty sure the same goes for Chamber and Mirror Zero.

- Zero treats her own mirror like she’d treat herself but if she and Chamber were an actual thing, I’m pretty sure she’d prioritize him over even her own mirror.

- Chamber likes to poke fun at Zero’s accent but he actually thinks it’s cute and attractive. Zero is very vindictive about it.

- Zero sometimes just feels like dressing the part. Sometimes you need to put emphasis on the power in power couple.

- That said, Zero likes trying on Chamber’s suits even if they’re too big on her. Zero is too skinny for suits anyway so she needs everything not just tailored but fully custom made if she ever gets one. Zero doesn’t like the style and shape of most typically female suits. Zero likes the prettiness of dresses but wouldn’t wear them to work because they’re super impractical.

- Zero tried to introduce Chamber to natural make up only to find out he already knew the tricks and she was very impressed by how open he was about it. But then she realized how vain he is and she just shrugged it off.

- Zero hates it when Chamber uses her silver shampoo but he likes it because it smells nice and because he’s too lazy to grab a new bottle when he’s already in the shower. He might be vain in more ways than one but he can be a bit lazy, too. He’s also very aware of the fact that Zero’s stuff is somewhere in the same price range as his own so it’s probably as good for his hair as his own stuff.

- It’s tradition to try to shoot something with the champagne cork. Bonus points if it breaks.

- Say they don’t smoke but smoke all the time on terraces

- Chamber is the wine drinker while Zero prefers beers and hard liquor. They always have to trade drinks at bars bc their order gets messed up or confused. Only good bartenders will remember it.

- Lunchtime is probably more important than dinner for these two. They’d skip a nice dinner but they’ll never pass on a good brunch/lunch.

- Both coffee drinkers/connaisseurs and will judge your decaf soy double espresso with whipped cream, three pumps of cinnamon syrup and chocolate chips.

- Zero and Chamber would 10/10 compete for frags so they’re rarely on missions together unless Zero is tech support.

- Chamber’s tattoos stop at an awkward place on his back and Zero stuffs her bra but they agreed to never talk about it ever in public.

- Romantically, Zero would never agree to a third party in their relationship. She’s way too possessive. When they’re together, all attention is on her and her alone and in return, she has all her attention on him.

- Chamber is much more easy going and much more likely to get involved with people (bc he wants something from them, wants to toy with them, etc). Zero knows this and agreed to it but simply doesn’t want to hear about his endeavors. He should do as he pleases but he doesn’t have to try to get Zero to care. To Zero, everyone else Chamber is getting on with is insignificant. Only her relationship matters and shouldn’t be influenced by a third party. She also doesn’t bother him with her private affairs. They respect each other enough to keep it to themselves.

- Zero is the one that likes expensive cars and barbecues and Chamber likes reality series and goes to the store to get a pack of milk and some eggs and comes home with the Last Supper.

- Zero’s philosophy when it comes to Chamber’s shenanigans is somewhat along the lines of “At the end of the world, I’ll be waiting for you. And whether that is as a lover, a friend or an enemy, that’s up to you.”

[amysubmits]

hi!! i have a question im not sure you'll be able to answer and if you can't thats okay!! i just really like how you explain things.

context: im in a d/s dynamic and me and my dom are both very busy people. im in college and work retail (as well as i am disabled+have adhd/anxiety). he is in the army and also college. we are long distance as well (he visits every few months)

question: i struggle a lot with falling out of the dynamic. when im stressed/overwhelmed following rules is really hard for me to do and every time we try to enforce them back i end up panicking and we stop again. they're basic rules too, self care related org*sm control/ask permission to play (nsfw) etc. I take out dynamic seriously like i know my place and i love his place in relation to me bur im struggling with this. its almost like theres a wall between me and submitting that i dont know how to get over, that wall being stress/life issues in general. im sorry this is so rambly, any advice would be greatly appreciated <3

-💜

Aww thanks :)

I haven't been in your shoes, and CD and I have very little experience with being physically separated. So definitely take this with a grain of salt but...

It sounds like you're having days where you're too overwhelmed to follow your rules so then you guys are stopping everything. Is that the case? If so, I wonder if trying to just request leniency from the rules, or perhaps asking to just take a break for that day, vs feeling like you have to stop for a longer period?

Another thing that come to mind would be trying to gain a deeper understanding of what is triggering that anxiety, and seeing if anything can be done to accommodate that. For example, if you were to determine that when you feel overwhelmed by submission, it is often correlated to feeling disconnected from your partner, then maybe finding ways to keep feeling connected would help, or something like that. This is just a random example, but in general I think if you can pinpoint what is triggering you to feel overwhelmed by submission, like what unmet need you have, that may help.

I also just want to say that it's understandable to struggle with D/s when you are stressed or anxious. I think it's common for subs to feel bad when submission is harder (or just plain too hard) but I don't think it's something we should feel bad about. People often talk about how it's best to wait to submit until after you have really 'discovered yourself' as a young adult because you have to understand your power before you can really give it to someone else. And I think somewhat related to that general idea, it's hard for many subs to give up power when we are feeling powerless due to our world being too stressful.

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression - Ep 44 'Guitar Center' preparing to file for bankruptcy & Urgent announcement.

On screen text:

Notice

27th Dec 2020 (Sun) 23:30~ The Freedom of Expression LIVE #3 Live broadcast.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru with this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe, Tasai, welcome. Well, I feel kinda attatched to the topic this week. Joe, please could you..?

J: Yes, its sad news, but.. America's largest musical instrument retail chain 'Guitar Center' is preparing to file for bankruptcy. According to the New York Times, its possible that the chain might go bankrupt due to business difficulties. The chain is the biggest musical instrument chain in America, and has around 300 stores nationwide. Taken over in 2007, the business struggled hard with the switch to online sales, but was pretty successful in two and a half years, and up until this February had been increasing sales for ten quarters in a row. However, because Guitar Center is dependent on in-store sales, the business took a huge hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Sales for the most recent financial year were declared to be $2.3 billion, but the chain has $1.3 billion in debt, and its credit rating was downgraded in April. According to the New York Times, the chain fell behind with interest payments of $45 million this month for the first time ever, and although they have been given 32 hours, there is a chance they will default on thier debts. According to specific sources, Guitar Center have been in contact with thier creditors, will file for bankruptcy within the month, and are considering a plan to withdraw at the start of 2021. 

K: It says within the year, right?

J: Oh, yes, sorry, within the year.

K: The first time I went to this store was about 23 or 24 years ago, when we went to America for recording. We were taken there..me and the other members, but it was so huge!

J: It is huge, yeh.

K: It was in LA, but I never relised that type of place existed.

J: Its Hollywood, right?

K: Yeh.

T: How big was it? Like how many guitars?

K: It was as big as a Japanese supermarket.

T: Ehh?

J: Its as big as a wearhouse, isn't it?

K: Well, yeh, it looks like that from outside too.

T: Was it like the instrument shops you see in Tokyo?

K: No, no, no. They normally don't have drum kits and stuff assembled in stores here, but they do there.

T: Ehh? Thats really big.

J: It is. So Kaoru, did you go there and test out the guitars?

K: I have done. But back then, I didn't really feel any preferences as for the instruments, I just got the feel of the place. I was just like, 'Wow, Im in Guitar Center!'. It was a great feeling seeing all the different instruments.

J: The Americans try out the instruments pretty enthusiastically, don't they?

K: They were really good! haha

J: Right?

K: The people playing...I gradually just stopped trying stuff out there.

J, T: Hahha.

K: But when we go on tours and the equipment breaks or something, we have been to Guitar Center to get replacements before. So if it disappears, we could be in a bit of trouble on tours.

J: Thats right.

T: Yeah.

K: Its a bit risky ordering stuff online to arrive at the venue in time.

T: Of course.

K: If you go to the store you can just get what you need and leave.

J: With 300 stores, it seems like there are quite a lot in big cities, so if anything happened on tour, you could just drop into one of the stores..

K: Yeh yeh yeh.

J: And they would have what you wanted.

T: America is amazing. It says here they worked hard with the move to online sales, but don't you need to test-play a guitar before buying? Is it ok to buy online?

K: Nah, but people buy everything online these days.

J: Yeah.

T: I kinda imagined you would go to the store, play the instrument, and then decide you want to buy it.

K: Well, yeh. But I didn't test out my first guitar before buying it.

J: Oh, is that so?

K: It was a specific model that was sold out, so I had to reserve it..

T: I see.

K: And pay for it in advance, then wait till it arrived.

J: Ehh? But you knew what type of guitar you were getting though, right?

K: Yeh, I knew what shape it would be and stuff, but its cause that was my first guitar.

T: By the way, how old were you when you bought your first guitar?

K: Around first year of high school.

T: Ahh, I see.

J: Ahh. Eh?! First year of high school when you bought your first guitar?

K: Yeh. I started playing a bit earlier than that using borrowed guitars.

T: So, you thought, 'I want one', and bought your first one, right?

J: I bought my first electric guitar when i was in Junior High school. Everyone starts a band at that age, don't they? And I thought, if Im gonna do it, then I should be on guitar, right? With drums you really need space at home to set them up, so I couldn't buy a set. I bought a kind of cheap guitar/amp set for beginners. But I couldn't play the F chord properly, it was pretty frustrating.

T: This will make me look clueless, but Kaoru, how many guitars have you actually bought?

K: I havn't really..

T: Oh, not many?

K: No, I havn't actually bought that many...Like 10? I usually have them made through contracts with ESP.

J: But by now you have signature models and stuff, right?

K: Yeah. I mean, I will buy a guitar myself if I want to play it at home or something.

J: Ahh. Well, its kinda sad seeing these musical instrument stores disappear.

K: I've always had the impression that musical instruments don't sell in large numbers anyway.

J: But..well, i've done some interviews in relation to this, and it seems like musical instruments have been selling quite well during covid. Especially in America, it seems like there was a lot of people in the countryside playing guitar at home. But as for sales, they would probably buy online, especially during covid when you couldn't go to the store in person, I think some of the stores would have been closed. So even if online sales have increased...like with Guitar Center, if you have that many stores..there will be the burden of maintenance costs, staff wages, rent, and somehow the debt will grow and grow. But if online buying continues to develop in this way, we might see an increasing trend of people who play guitar without having tested it first.

K: Hmm, yeh, they won't be trying them out first. ???*1

J, T: Yeah, thats right.

J: What are your thoughts on this, Kaoru? About the concept of a test-run disappearing?

K: I wonder whether young people will still buy guitars. I think the people buying them will be like wealthy people etc. But I don't think young people these days are that interested in buying a guitar and starting a band. If they do become interested in musical instruments, I think it will be more and more online sales.

J: I wonder how thats gonna go, with the guitar makers and musical instrument shops struggling..

K: But even if guitars sell, I wonder if there is anyone who will still buy amps?

J: Ahh, I see.

K: Young people these days don't really buy amps, do they? There are amp simulators now, so you can buy one of these machines and input the data digitally, and then just use a regular speaker.

J: And thats just enough, right?

K: Well, you can do it like that, yeh. And you can simulate lots of different types of amp, so you can get specific sounds. People probably aren't buying the real thing these days.

J: But the subtleness of the sound is different, isn't it?

K: Its totally different.

J: Right? Its completely different. So its...Well, for peope like us, we've heard the sound coming through amps at live houses, we've been hearing that kind of sound for years, but for young people, in one sense a different sound is...

K: (*Kaoru talking about amps/simulators. I don't know enough about amps to really get what he means here, sorry!*)

J: Ah, so if they start thinking there is only one choice, rather than listening to the old types and making a reasoned decision?

K: Yes. So even now, if you go to a Japanese musical instrument shop, there used to be amps all lined up, like Marshall or Fender etc. Now, there are no amps, but many types of simulator machines. You can just buy them and take them straight home. It seems like they sell well. So if you find one guitar that is easy to play, and you have one of these simulators, you can make all sorts of sounds.

J: Yeah.

T: I see.

J: Like usally, if the neck is different, the responding sound will differ, but you will be able to compensate for that with a simulator, so..

K: I don't think many people do that.

J: Oh, right.

K: But I don't know.

Kami: Um, can I ask something? Um, I've played guitar before. But I got blisters straight away, and my wrist started to hurt. Does that happen to you too, Kaoru?

T, J: Haha

T: Thats a grest question to ask a guitarist, Kami.

K: Well, during recording...or like when recording something all in one go, it does start to hurt, haha.

T: Haha

J: If you are playing non-stop? But hey, I wonder how this situation will look in 10 or 20 years?

K: There'll be no music stores like Tower Records etc by then.

J: Yeh, yeh.

T: Hmm, yeh.

J: Old guys will be sad. 

K: But even with cars and stuff, there is that kind of rental service now, isn't there?

T: Carsharing?

K: Yeah. So won't car showrooms eventually disappear?

J: I think so. And with clothes, there's a high possibility that stores will start to disappear.

K: Oh, now you mention clothes, do you remember that online thing we talked about before where they put the clothes that you like onto your photo?

J: Yeah, yeah.

K: I had thought about doing that, but the site has shut down!

J: Ah, its over?

K: Yeah, so I couldn't do it.

J: Oh, thats a shame.

T: It is.

J: So many businesses have been hit by covid, I think the view that we see before us will be a lot different by next year, or the year after. Getting aound this will have an effect on the way we live or express ourselves, I feel.

T: I lived on an island in Kagoshima when I was little. We had a Shamisen in our house, it had a kind of plastic stick to play it.

J: Can you play, Tasai?

T: No, not at all. I only ever just picked it up sometimes for fun.

J: You could show us a Kagoshima folk song to finish.

T: Haha, no no no. Why?

J: I don't know. To wrap it up?

T: No, it wouldn't wrap it up, haha. 

K: In that case, Joe, you should play guitar.

J: Lets perform together sometime!

K: No way!

T: Joe!

K: No thanks, haha.

J: I'd gain prestige by playing with Kaoru from Dir en grey. There would be no merit for you though, Kaoru.

T: I'd go numb, I wouldn't be able to play at all if I were you. haha. Playing next to a pro.

J: Well, what can I say? I have big dreams. No, but if we did play together, I'd practice, I'd give it my best.

T: Of course.

K: Well, yeh.

J: If, for example, we played together on this youtube channel next year, I'd be serious about practicing.

Kami: I'll do it too.

J: Kami too?!

K: Hahaha

J: Would you, Kami?

Kami: I would.

K: But your hands would start to hurt.

T: Right.

Kami: I'd practice.

J: You'll practice? In that case, we could have Tasai on Shamisen too, and all play together.

T: Shamisen is ok? Well, I guess its a stringed instrument like guitar.

J: Lets announce something.

*...silence...*

K: Hahahaha

J: No-ones getting on board with this?

K: hahaha

J: Oh, nevermind then! haha.

K: Well, if the opportunity arises, right?

J: Yes, if the opportunity arises.

K: Ok, we'll finish here for this week. Please subscribe. Thank you very much.

On screen text:

Notice

27th Dec 2020 (Sun) 23:30~ The Freedom of Expression LIVE #3 Live broadcast.

*1,2 Couldn't catch.

* Feel free to inform if it looks like I've misinterpreted some of the amp/simulator talk.