#me now with 1000+ in my bank account

[the-lavender-clown]

I’m never going to financially recover from this (I need to buy 4 pairs of pants)

[dunmertwink]

.

[weaseltotheface]

ugh i have to start paying my student loans again in September

[costis]

going from only receiving money at my birthday or holidays occasionally or if I was well enough to do SW directly to having an entire two and a half thousand dollars for me every month has been. Such an experience

[charmre]

Oh, oh!! Every day I have to spend money!! 😖

So much for my lucky year...

[smartichokes]

*fighting back tears emailing my academic advisor about my GPA* do it scared do it scared do it scared

[puppygirlclick]

Help Two Disabled Trans Women Get Back On Their Feet

My federal income tax withheld wasn't properly updated by my employer on account of their bookkeeping which means I owe $1000 to the IRS by the end of July. I also had to go through intensive surgery at the end of February to fix a hernia which had caught my left testicle up in it, with a good portion of the left side of my abdomen being covered with a hernia mesh. Despite having been supposed to be healed up after 8 weeks, I have surpassed my employers 180 day limit for a leave of absence of which I wasn't informed of. Being terminated from my job leaves me with no health insurance and no way to continue paying for my doctor's appointments and treatments, all this as I am still paying $270 a month for my car and am possibly at risk of losing because I don't have a reliable way to pay for anything. On top of this, my girlfriend (@stcecilia) has recently moved in after being kicked out by a transphobic landlord and is dealing with worsening undiagnosed pain and sickness which has left her unable to work. Unfortunately she was relying on me getting better which isn't happening right now, and she's having to take care of me instead because of the condition I was left in with severe nerve pain the past few months leaving me stuck in a chair. We are both living with my parents and I can't even begin to put into words how much this is affecting both my girlfriend and I's mental health and physical well being along with everything else, with the way the house is always dirty, my step-mother constantly starting arguments with anyone who comes near her and constantly vitriolic and everyone else arguing and fighting with each other because of this.

It's hard to set a precise goal without it being subject to change for what we need as of right now but at least $1800 would help to pay my federal taxes and keep my car for the next two months and keep us on our feet for the time being.

Any amount helps towards paying off what we owe and moving closer to getting out of this house and into a better living situation and making sure we're properly cared for.

$0/1800

C*sh*pp $StSeeSee (@stcecilia's account) P*yp*l @debtanddeerteeth (Friend's account i can't get into mine without phone# and cici has no bank account rn) Ask for V*nmo (Not listing here because of my deadname) DO NOT TAG

[sciencetynan]

If I made a gofundme or something similar to help me pay for Laser Hair Removal (I'm a Trans Femme/Trans Woman) would anyone support that?

I'm going to be starting soon, and just to remove the hair on my face, legs and arms, will cost me about $1000 a month, and right now my only employment is self employment, and I'll be lucky if I make $400-600 a month.

I also am restricting my hair removal to just these 3 areas, because I won't be able to afford removing the hair on my chest, stomach, feet, etc, so any help would really help me out to be able to do those as well.

I have enough money in my bank account to last a little while, but within a few months if I don't make money to replace it, I'll run out of money then.

I really don't like asking for money, but this will really slow my transition down if I can't pay for these treatments, and I'm not sure what to do longterm.

[jellophoid]

Hello dears ! I am asking you to support my campaign to help me to reach my goal. I am now in bad need to your support to help me stay alive and safe. Gaza is a very dangerous place either on the level of livelihood or on the level of souls. I need your monetary support to ensble me to get the basic needs for my family till Rafah crossing point reopens to move my family to safety and peace.Pleasd help a family be alive through your small donations or througn your shares to others.Thank you so much for your stand beside people in need .

Hello everyone !! To help donations for this family move forward faster, I am opening $3 Ko-Fi doodles ! Send just 3 dollars and I will draw you anything you want !!

I've seen this tactic work across tik tok and I am crediting creator Yuval with the idea so I ask:

If you have less than $1000 in your bank account, send JUST $3 to my ko-fi and I will draw you anything you want. If you have over $1000, please send a direct donation of JUST $5 to this family and dm me a screenshot- I will send you a coloured doodle of anything you want.

In addition to this, I am opening icon/chibi commissions for lower prices than ever !! 20% of the money I receive will also be going to this family.

This entire family has 6 people that need to escape and they are so close to reaching $3000 for their entire goal of $50,000. The family's physical and mental health is rapidly deteriorating and they have two of the most beautiful baby twins I have ever seen. I myself am excited to welcome my new baby sister, and she will be able to have the support of her entire family. Let’s help these children so they are able to safely have the support of their family !!

[redgoldsparks]

August Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Heavyweight: A Family Story of Holocaust, Empire and Memory by Solomon J Brager After listening to this excellent interview with the author on the Gender Reveal podcast, I was very excited to pick up Solomon Brager's hefty nonfiction comic about family history, Jewish identity, the Holocaust, and empire. This is an incredibly well researched and thoughtful book. The author grew up with outsized family stories of a Jewish boxing champion great-grandfather from Essen who punched Nazis, and a great-grandmother who carried her children across countries and mountains to escape to the US. But these stories became much more complicated when the author started digging for receipts. One factor is the immense financial privilege of the family which already had bank accounts and significant savings in New York. Another factor is the layers of violence and empire that build up the power of the countries fighting on both sides of WWII. The author's quest to research the family story is a major thread in the story itself and I am absolutely awed by the amount of work that went into uncovering and shaping this story.

My Dearest Patrolman vol 1 by Niyama As a delinquent teen, Shin was mentored and protected by a friendly patrolman, Seiji. Having one supportive adult in his life completely turned Shin's life around and he also decided to become a patrolman. Years later, Shin and Seiji meet again, and Shin decides to confess the feelings he's been nursing for a decade. Lighthearted dating hijinks ensue! Strikes a nice balance between silly, sweet, and spicy.

Go For It, Nakamura! by Syundei An extremely silly and cute high school rom-com. Shy Nakamura has a massive crush on his classmate Hirose. Despite the fact that they see each other every day, Nakamura has never introduced himself. What will it take to get him to finally speak up and try to befriend his crush??

Something Not Nothing by Sarah Leavitt In 2020, Sarah Leavitt's partner of more than 20 years, Domino, died with medical assistance after years of severe chronic pain and a rapid decline at the end of her life. Leavitt, a cartoonist and writer, tried to make sense of this decision through comics and abstract watercolor paintings. The result is a gorgeous, heart wrenching, deeply human meditation on love and loss. There were pages that lifted my spirits and pages that pierced me to my core. I sobbed through the majority of reading it, but couldn't put it down. Leavitt's mapmaking of the landscape of grief is a gift to us all.

Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb read by Elliot Hill What can I even say about this, the final novel of a 16 book fantasy series, which I have been reading and re-reading now for twenty years, other than holy shit??? I can't believe I've reached the end of Fitz's journey at last. This book is SO long (nearly 1000 pages) and much of it is brutal to read; characters we love are beaten, abused, tortured, and left in pretty hopeless situations for much of the novel. I think Hobb's insistence on revisiting almost every single character from the Rain Wilds and Live Ship sub-series expanded the first third of the book more than needed; had I been editing it, it would have been shorter. And yet! And yet! I was riveted by this too-long book, devouring it in big gulps, scream-texting about it to several friends who were reading the series along with me. The ending hit SO HARD. Its PERFECT, TERRIBLE, WRETCHED, one of the cruelest endings for several beloved characters and while also giving them a kind of grace and eternity I did not see coming, but should have. This book fulfills the themes of the entire series so well, completing repeated patterns, showing cycles that ripple through three generations, while also leaving a door open for the future that I'm already daydreaming about. Literally how did Robin Hobb come up with all of this. Its flawed but its perfect. I am in awe.

BL Metamorphosis vol 1 by Kaori Tsurutani translated by Jocelyne Allen An older woman picks up a BL manga by chance at a bookstore and discovers a new fandom late in life. She ends up befriending a shy high school girl who works at the bookstore and also loves BL, but has no one to talk to about it. This is such a freaking cute premise and I love the loose sketchy art style!

BL Metamorphosis vol 2 by Kaori Tsurutani translated by Jocelyne Allen Unlikely friends Urara, a shy high schooler, and Ichinoi, a widowed calligraphy teacher, bonded over their love of a BL manga series. Now they're heading to a doujinshi event to try and meet their favorite author. This brought me right back to my early days of visiting cons and meeting authors for the first time!

BL Metamorphosis vol 3 by Kaori Tsurutani translated by Jocelyne Allen Urara has been reading and loving BL manga years, but it takes a push from her older friend Ichinoi before Urara considers the idea of possibly drawing her own. Can she find the time to write and draw a story around her cram school schedule? This series PERFECTLY captures the BL reader to BL writer pipeline, I'm so charmed.

BL Metamorphosis vol 4 by Kaori Tsurutani translated by Jocelyne Allen Urara applies for a table at a comics festival, so now she has a deadline for her first original comic. Can she get it done in time? Ichinoi is there to cheer lead and support in every way she can (finding a printer, sewing a table cloth, agreeing to work the table, packing their lunches) but only Urara can get the comic done. This book contained one of my very favorite exchanges of the whole series, when Ichinoi asked "Is it fun to draw manga?" and Urara responded honestly, "No. It's hard to look at my own art for so long. But it feels like I'm doing what I should be doing."

BL Metamorphosis vol 5 by Kaori Tsurutani translated by Jocelyne Allen Urara and Ichinoi struggle through a long, slow day of trying to sell an original comic at their first ever comic event. Unbeknownst to them, their favorite author is there as an attendee. This book felt like one of the most relatable portrayals of the early days of a comics career I've ever seen. I'm obsessed with this series and definitely want to watch the live action movie adaptation!

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez This complex fantasy novel weaves together a multi-strand narrative of violence, love, and the end of empire in an original world of old gods and talking animals. In the main thread, two warriors carry the corpse of an almost-dead goddess across the country in a five day dash from the mountains to the sea. The goddess was once the Moon, torn out of the sky by her own desire for immortality. Her children became the despotic Moon Throne, a cruel dynasty which has repressed and punished the people and elements. The Moon Thrones' heirs, three brothers with extraordinary powers, chase the warriors and hunger for the last dregs of the fallen Moon's power. In another thread, an unnamed protagonist watches this drama unfold as a play being performed in a dreamy underwater sleep realm, while recalling the stories their lola told of the old country before the war. This novel is often compared with NK Jemisin's The Fifth Season in terms of scope, literary prose, and ambition and I can see why. This novel employs some very creative and unusual writing choices that make it more rewarding to read in print than to experience in audio. I had a content warning for gore and cannibalism going in, so I was prepared for the violence of the middle section. I really enjoyed this novel and I can tell I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks read by James Fouhey, Lisa Flanagan, Graham Halstead, Katherine Littrell, Michael Obiora This book follows multiple different story lines, some of which captured me much more than others. In Kentucky in 1850, an enslaved black boy watches a new thoroughbred racing colt's birth and begins a lifelong relationship with the horse, who will go on to be one of the most well-known champions in the history of American horse racing. In New York City in the 1950s, a gallery owner known for her modern tastes falls for an equestrian portrait of the great Kentucky race horse, Lexington. And in 2019, in Washington DC, a Nigerian-American art history student and a Smithsonian scientist dig into the mystery of an unlabelled horse skeleton in the museum's collection- and its possible connection with several paintings by a Civil War era equestrian artist. I admired the amount of research that went into this novel, and the way the paintings of Lexington tied the different timelines together. However, I really struggled with how the interior emotional lives of several of the Black male characters in this book were portrayed by this author. When Jarret, the enslaved Black groom, is separated from Lexington and forced into plantation labor temporarily, Brooks writes of him gaining a depth of spirit and understanding for the human condition from this experience. This felt deeply weird to read from a white author! I'm not really the right reader to say whether Brooks did a good job or not, but it put me on edge. When the final climatic moment of the novel read like a heavy-handed lesson in how Black men are still at risk of police violence even in 2019, I wondered who exactly that point was supposed to be for, and if Brooks is the one who needed to make it. So, I felt very mixed as I finished this book. There's a lot to admire craft-wise, and I can understand why so many readers were impressed by it. But I honestly I don't recommend it, unless you want to read it in a book club setting and have a nuanced discussion about what works and what doesn't in this novel.

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson A young girl named Sophie spends her summers on an island of the coast of Finland with her very present grandmother and her rather absent father. Each chapter tells of an incident experienced through the eyes of the very young and the very old- the growth of mosses and wildflowers on the island stones; boxes and bottles of flotsam and jetsam washing to shore; a great storm; an adventure in trespassing; an unexpected visitor; a night spent outside sleeping in a tent. Without much of an overarching plot this book is still a moving picture of living very close to and in tune with the seasons and elements in a very specific part of the world. It's brief and open ended but I really enjoyed it!

Delicious in Dungeon vol 14 by Ryoko Kui As the smoke clears after the explosive ending of the previous penultimate volume, our heroes gather themselves, check on the survivors, and set out on the most collaborative challenge: cooking and eating an entire chimera body. This is a satisfying and in some ways gentler ending than I expected from this series, but I really enjoyed it!

Notes from an Island by Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä translated by Thomas Teal  In the autumn of 1963, Tove Jansson, her partner Tuulikki 'Tooti' Pietilä, and their taciturn friend Brunström set about trying to finish a small cabin on a tiny Finnish island before the onset of winter (and possible legal delays of building permits). Tove and Tooti spent their summers on the island for the next 3o years. This book contains excerpts of journal and introspective writing on the nature of the island, the sea, the changeable weather, the futility of human efforts to shift the natural environment. These writings are paired with delicate prints Tooti made of water, stones, and ocean views. I read this directly after The Summer Book and after listening to a short biography of Jansson- this made a good companion to those other texts, but might have been a bit spare on its own.

[meep-moops-stuff]

Safe and Sound - Sidney Crosby x Reader

Y/n stepped out the lecture hall feeling a lot lighter than the previous night. She had finally completed her exam, and now she could focus on other projects for school. She walked to her car, the breeze heavy for an autumn day in Pittsburgh, with no sun and clouds. She turned her phone back on and got all the messages; some from her friends, some from a group chat, but there was on from Sidney.

“Good luck on your exam! Text me afterwards, I want to know how it went :)”

Y/n smiled as she stared at his text, not knowing how to reply.

She had never been asked these kinds of questions before, maybe from some past classmates after a cruel exam, but never from someone like Sidney.

She sat in her car, setting her backpack down on her passenger seat and shutting her car door.

Her fingers hovered over the letters, trying to think of what to say back.

“It’s over. I thought I did pretty well, thanks for asking”

She hit send and started her car, cranking the heat up.

Her phone buzzed.

“I’m glad it’s over! You studied so hard I bet you are going to get a good grade. We can talk on the phone later? I have some exciting news as well :)”

Y/n froze. Exciting news? From Sidney Crosby?

She started to panic. She put her phone away and pulled out of her parking spot.

Her mind was racing, a million different thoughts running through her brain. Ever since she met Sidney and he has taken her under his wing, his version of exciting news is different than hers.

To her, exciting news was getting a bonus on her paycheck or realizing she had enough money for gas in her bank account when she thought she did not.

To Sidney, exciting news was getting his 500th goal or getting to 1000 points, or getting a new suite made for his pregame walk into the arena.

Her thoughts consumed her entire drive back to her apartment. She pulled into her parking lot, grabbing her bag and shutting her car door shut.

Y/n unlocked her door, walking into the warmth and vanilla scented sanctuary.

She placed her bag down on the ground and within seconds, her phone was ringing.

It was him.

She took a deep breath and answered.

“How’s my girl doing?” Sidney said warmly.

Y/n’s heart fluttered at the nickname; his girl.

“Hi Sidney” she mumbled, playing with her sleeves.

“You finished the exam? How did it go?”

Y/n smiled as she moved into her kitchen.

“It was long and not as hard. I’m glad I studied and…”

She trailed off, searching for the right words.

“…I’m glad you had me take the break last night, I really appreciate it.” She murmured.

“I’m glad the break worked. You deserved it” Sidney said.

There was silence on the phone and y/n broke it.

“So you had some good news?”

Sidney cleared his throat, “yes! I do. Remember how I mentioned the night of assists last night? Well the schedule is set and it’s the beginning of February, and I’m bringing you along”

Silence. Y/n froze in place, putting her glass of water down.

“Me? The charity event? I thought that was for significant others and not random people-“

“Y/n. Stop it. You are not a random person in my life. You are family now. And, they changed the rules this year. We are able to bring family members that are not significant others. So I’m bringing you.”

Y/n sighed out, not in a frustrated way but more in a nervous way.

“I know it’s early and only December, but I wanted to let you know ahead of time so you can think about it. It is ok if you do not want to come, but I would love to have you there. I know Geno and you need to catch up on making fun of me, and you and Tanger need to catch up on the ridiculous reality tv shows that you watch.”

Y/n giggled. She moved to her bedroom and sat on her bed.

“I do want to come I’m just nervous is all. I don’t even know what to wear or what to-“

“Sweetheart, you have nothing to be nervous about. I’ll arrange to have a stylist choose your outfit so you have nothing to worry about.”

A stylist??? She didn’t have the money for that.

“Sid I don’t have the money for a stylist..”

Sidney chuckled on the other end, but it was a soft one.

“Oh baby girl you don’t have to pay for it. It’s on me.”

Y/n sighed, “Oh ok I’m sorry I just thought…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, y/n. I think it’s so cute you were worried about having to pay for it, but it’s on me and you do not have to worry about a thing for this, ok? Let me take care of you.”

She picked at the loose thread on her blanket, and nodded.

“Ok, Sidney. I’ll let you handle it. Thank you” she said shyly.

“I’m glad that is settled. I’ll send you information on the stylist later this week. I gotta go to practice now, ok? I’ll text you afterwards.”

Y/n smiled as she continued to play with the loose thread.

“Ok. Have fun at practice.” She said.

“I will. But if you need anything, call or text me. If I don’t answer, call Tanger.”

She chuckled, “I don’t even have his phone num-“

She was cut off by a buzz, and Sidney had sent her his contact, labeled “Tanger”

“Now you do” Sidney said cheekily.

Y/n rolled her eyes and they said their goodbyes and hung up.

She placed her phone beside her on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest.

This was completely crazy; the she was invited to the Night of Assists with the Pittsburgh Penguins and would be going with Sidney Crosby.

[romana-after-dark]

Roman's 1000 follower fundraiser game!

Hello friends!!!

I am so happy to see I have 1200 followers! Thank you so much everyone who got me here, old followers from when I first wrote The Wrong Way, to new followers with my Logan Howlett era, to everyone that know me from my main and followed me to dark fics! Words cannot express how much yall mean to me and how much the support I've gotten through the hard things means.

I want to do a celebration, but something that won't overwhelm me. I'm switching work stuff around, however, so I should have more time and be less exhausted and sad.

So I’m doing a fundraiser game!

The charity: I will be donating to my favorite charity, Smile Train. when I was 6, I saw an add for Smile Train and asked my mom if I could donate. My mom said we didn't have enough money to both donate, and do the yearly church fair, so I had to choose. Of course, I was 6 so I chose going to the fair. And I felt bad about that every since. So, my go to has always been Smile Train for charities ever since. When I was in middle school I saved every allowance for a year and did some extra chores to save enough for a whole surgery! Now, I'm not that ambitious this time bc I am in fact, poor. But I can set aside some for the needy. I considered doing Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, but I found out Smile Train actually partners with them so it works!

How it works: So, As y'all've probably noticed, I love music so much, that almost every title of a fic is either a song title or a song lyric. Sometimes I say it, sometimes I don't.

THROUGHOUT THE END OF NOVEMBER!

Look though my masterlist here or on my main, @romanarose. Find at least one fic titled after a song.

Send an ask with UP TO 5 Song title/fic title connections. No More. This is to allow everyone a chance, and to no overwhelm me.

One title = 100 words. You find 3 song titles? you get a 300 word blurb. find 5? 500! 500 is the limit.

If you send a fic title that has already been pointed out in an ask from another person, sorry, it'd not counted! (Unless I'm really feeling the writing). Send 4 titles but 2 have been used already? You get 200 words!

Send me what you want. it doesn't have to be dark! I'll make an exception. Characters I'll write for bellow!

For every fic title/ song reference, I will donate $1 to Smile Train! The more songs we can find, the more money they get (without overdoing my bank account. However Nov has extra friday which means more pay for me.) Questions you may have: "What if someone else said the fic title, but it was published and I didn't see it, or it's still sitting in your asks because you are always super fucking slow at doing these ROMAN" Yeah you're right I'm always slow at these. I guess you're SOL, buddy. If it's already sitting in my asks, I won't commit to adding it to your word count. BUT if my creative juices are flowing, I may have mercy

"What if all of my song titles I found have been used already?"

Well, frankly, I'll probably write you something still! I'm not mean.

"What if you didn't use a song title, but we find a song with it anyway?"

Well, that's up to my discretion. If it's a song I know that may have influenced the title subliminally I might count it! But if it wasn't in intentional thing, no guarantees. But Again, I'll be flexible.

"How are we supposed to know what goes on in your weird little old man head."

Uhhhhhhhhh bestie I dont even know what's happening in there!!!! Just have fun with it. See if you recognize songs or lines. It's okay

"What about chapters?"

Great Q, voice in my head! Since most fics I don't have chapter titles, I'll allow it! If I have a bonus chapter, or a chapter i just wanted to title and its a song, go ahead! Only exception is Rooms on Fire. Sorry, but i'm pretty clear those are intentionally all songs. It's too easy.

"$1 is per fic title is awful cheap."

Bestie my checkings over drafted today!!! I got it covered and figured out, this is just a little something I wanna do with LITTLE extra money but I still have debt I gotta work on it's tough out here!!!

Any more questions send them in! YOU HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 1ST WHICH IS WHEN DEAD DOVE DECEMBER STARTS AGAIN!

Logan Howlett

any Triple Frontier boys sans Tom

Moon Boys

Wade Wilson

Kylo Ren

Scott Summers

Remy Lebeau (but not dark for him I can't see it. Will allow dark reader though!)

Tommy Miller

Javier Pena

Han Solo (no non con, maybe dub con)

Steve Murphy

And yes, I've said I'm done with Joel but I will allow for Joel this time because it's for charity and he pulls people in.

and although I've never written them, I'll write for the Bikeriders Cal, Benny, or Johnny but no non con. I'll play wit dub con, and dark reader

I will also write canon character x canon character, so if you want some Scogan or Johnny x Benny or FishBen, Im in! If a pairing is something I feel just doesn't lend itself to the scenario you give me, I might tweek it. Everything is up to my discretion!

I will also write crossovers!

And I will write any of my oc's and anything in universe. So fen, if you wanna read you and Lorenzo go crazy! If you want a blurb shipping Scott and Dolly in OGS, just ask!

Open to it all

This is my little celebration my rules and discretion, but I want this to be overall fun!!! Just a good ole time! Don't take it too seriously, and we'll raise money in the mean time!

[honeybeeofficial]

okay I know your post was about how annoying it is when people make comments about selling your craft and while I certainly can’t speak for other people I would spend mmmmh I’d say $450 on horseshoe crab bag. I have $450 in my bank account right now and would use it to buy a horseshoe crab shaped bag.

This illustrates another piece of the issue that maybe I didn't fully spell out in my post about how badly people underestimate the cost of handmade goods– which is that even when a non-crafter hears "handmade crafts are expensive," they still often don't really grasp the scale we're talking about.

When the same friend I mentioned in the original post found out that I handmade the journal I carry around, he asked if he could pay me to make him one. He said he would happily pay $15–20 for a good journal. I laughed and told him that the labor involved would make it a lot more expensive than that, and he went "oh, like… 30–40? Yeah, that might be more than I'd want to spend." …The actual cost for that journal would likely be around $80–100.

What makes me think you didn't fully comprehend my original post is that in that post, I gave a rough estimated overview of what the cost would be. I said that if I'm charging what my labor is actually worth, $615 is the bare minimum for that item, and that it would likely be more.

After updating my math and factoring in things like packaging + shipping, the "fair price" for a horseshoe crab bag comes out to $780 USD. That's with me charging $25/hr, which is less than I make at my actual job even though leatherworking is more physically taxing. I made a post about how commissions would work if anyone actually wanted to spend that much.

I'm not mad at you, anon (nor am I mad at the friend I've mentioned), but it's clear to me that the original point about how expensive handmade goods are didn't really click for you. Fast fashion and mass industrial production have really degraded our sense of how much things are actually worth, because you can get just about anything almost instantly for a tiny fraction of what it would take an individual to produce.

For the same reason, I've ruled out ever taking my graphic design career in a freelance direction– anytime I've taken a freelance project, or considered it, I get to the point where I calculate what to charge and I just wince and shy away from the project entirely… because I have a gut feeling that something like a logo "should" cost around $100–200… but when I do the math for my time, I would actually have to charge $600–1000 (for a logo! Just a logo!), and I'm just mentally incapable of enforcing that for myself day in and day out to make a living wage.

If you have 5–10 minutes, I'd recommend this exercise to anyone:

Think of a project or task you've done lately. Pick something with measurable start and end points, such as an art project, folding laundry, washing the dishes, writing an essay, etc.

How much do you think you would pay someone else to do that task for you? Write that down. This is "A."

How long did that task take you to do? Write that down (in # of hours). This is "B." Approximate number is fine.

Did that task require any special tools? What about materials? Even basic things like sponges, paint, etc. Roughly estimate the cost of all the tools and materials you used. Because you'd likely get multiple uses out of most tools/materials, divide that number by 5. Write down the new number; this is "C."

What do you think is a fair minimum wage for your area? Many people have been fighting for $15/hr for a long time, but arguably this is still too low. If you're not sure, use $15/hr as a baseline. Write that down. This is "D."

Multiply B by D. Add C. This new number is "E."

How close is E to A? I'd be willing to bet that E is quite a bit higher than A. Remember, the hourly wage you used to calculate this might not even reflect what this work is actually worth. Does this give you a better idea of what you would actually need to pay someone to do that task for you?

Not all work is quantifiable in this way, and modern technology does allow for processes to be combined and optimized in ways that won't be reflected in your process. For example, buying a single bagel would not cost $60, because a bagel shop can make lots of bagels at the same time, using the same materials and equipment. But this absolutely does apply to things like hiring someone to clean your house, do your homework, or– of course– create handmade crafts.

[nauticalfools]

hey!! i saw your post about moving to ireland and that is definitely in my plan for the next few years! i’m in college and i’m studying abroad there hopefully next spring. would you be able to just tell me some of the basics of what it’s like to live there? like transportation, expenses, housing demand, etc! thanks in advance 🫶

Hey, thanks for reaching out!

Yes, of course I can. I'll talk about the basics here but if you'd like to go into details that would suit your situation more (for example, if you're planning to work or not etc) feel free to pm me 😊

Transportation

Transportation depends on the city you'd want to live in, I can only speak for Dublin right now so that's what I'll go into. When it comes to public transportation the standard ticket is valid for 90 minutes on all transport, including switching between different bus lines and trams. It's €2 if you have a leap card. Leap card is a plastic card you'll have to buy when you arrive (for €5 euro) either at the airport or at one of the special spots in the city center. Once you have it you can charge it through the app, at spar shops or at ticket machines and tap in or out at buses, trams (called luas here) and trains (dart). There is also student card options for cheaper. You can find more information here:

Unfortunately, the buses are not very reliable so if you're planning to use public transport the safest bet would be to find housing near either of the luas lines. (There is a green and red line. Green one is considered safer but I never had any trouble on either, that's just what I've been told by the locals).

Lots of people bike around or drive. I can't drive but I had a couple of friends with US drivers licence who had no problem getting an irish drivers licence in a sensible amount of time.

Expenses

Dublin is bit expensive to live in. I would say I spend around 280-300 euro a month on groceries. If you move around the city 5 days a week it costs around 80-100 euro a month on public transport. Rent averages 650-1000 a month on shared housing and so far my bills came down to 60-80€ a month but I haven't been here for the winter yet and I would assume it all depends on your housing situation. Minumum wage currently is 12.70€/h and is said to be rised next year but will likely be rised to around 13 euro.

Housing

Currently there is a housing crisis but it is possible to find a room. It just takes longer time to find anything decent for rational pricing. To find a place to live you will need to do viewings in person, so if you won't do student halls etc I would recommend getting an airbnb first or subleting a room from somebody for at least 2 weeks, even a month and spend that time on viewing as many places as possible. (Subletting is usually a lot cheaper and you can use the adress to set up a bank account if you are living there long enough to recieve a letter from the bank. It is important to get premission from the owner of the house to do that. They usually don't mind, people here are super helpful and friendly. The letter from the bank usually takes a week to get to you but can take longer). Both regular rental housing and subletting is posted on daft.ie.

To secure a flat/room they usually want you to show a job offer or last two paychecks. It can be different for work visa holders. It's good to save up 3 months rent in advance + deposit (which is usually equivalent to one months worth of rent) and use it as a negotiation leverage, offering to pay in advance once you secure the room.

Don't try finding anything on Facebook and never pay a deposit before viewing. There is a lot of scams around.

Necessities to function legally

Get an Irish phone number!!!

People rarely respond when you add foreign number as your contact information. It is especially important to secure flat viewings and job interviews. Your best bet is to visit Ireland before you move (maybe when/if you'd want to visit collages or unis for open days) and buy a sim card with a phone number. You can get one with a phone plan of monthly payment of 15-20 euro. Once you have it, activate the card and use that phone number for everything.

PPSN

Another important thing is PPS Number. Its kind of like a social security number. It is given to you by the government so you can pay taxes and be registered for social services like healthcare. I think you can apply for it on a different basis when you have a visa but I am not sure. Otherwise, you'd need to have a job offer or letter of employment to apply for it. Sometimes when you're applying for renting they can ask for this number too. You can read more here:

Irish bank account

Try to get an irish bank account as soon as possible. You will need a permanent adress in Ireland to apply for it. You will need a bank account to apply for most of the jobs but once again it may be different for visa holders.

It is a bit of a tricky loophole situation at the beginning with setting yourself up legaly so I would say securing the phone number and an adress is the most important at first. You can handle anything else after. You've got this! 😊

TL;DR you will need:

Leap card

Irish phone number

Irish adress

Irish bank account

(Job)

PPS Number

If anybody has any questions or would like to discuss their situation in more detail feel free to send asks or pm me. I'll try my best to help out. Stay strong lovelies! 💕

[the12thnightproject]

Title: Help Wanted

Event: Mayday Heyday OC Exchange 2024 organized by @lorei-writes and @olivermorningstar

Giftee: @fighting-and-drawing

OC/Fandom: Thai Bulan / Ikemen Sengoku

Genre: Urban Fantasy AU

Warnings: Very Large Spider, some violence (involving said arachnid)

Word Count: 1500

See notes/dedications at end

As the sun sunk, building shadows elongated, creating patches of darkness on narrow, meandering streets. Parts of the city had been planned; every road numbered and set out in a precise grid. This was not one of those parts. If anyone planned out the Echigo district, they had done so by tossing noodles onto a map and putting the streets where they landed.

Thai was following their progress on a phone app, and wondered if his driver actually knew where to go. At least once the Uber doubled back, taking a longer, indirect route. As a precaution, Thai made an obvious show of texting the driver’s information to “a friend” (his own cloud account).

In truth, there were no friends to wonder or worry if he disappeared into a void, never to return.

Too many things had disappeared for him this year, the most pressing being a promised job, the one he had uprooted his life for. He’d travelled over 1000 miles, only to discover the job no longer existed. The entire company no longer existed – it had fallen victim to a takeover by Oda International, then dismantled. All previous employees were fired, all pending job offers rescinded.

Now trapped in a new country, with unpaid moving expenses, a dwindling bank account, and no solution for either, he was desperate for work… any kind. Having burned his bridges back home, in fact, having firebombed those bridges, he –

Screech!

The Uber slammed to a stop in the middle of the street, nearly garroting Thai with his own seatbelt. “Get out.” The driver flicked the automatic locks. “Now.”

He checked his phone. “We’re nowhere near-“

“Get out, or ride back to the city with me, but this car goes no further. Not here. Not after sunset.” The driver pulled a thick cudgel out from under the seat. “Yokai. It’s not worth my life to drive through the district.”

No use arguing with superstition. Grumbling to himself, Thai climbed out, then leaped for the gutter as the car zoomed away. He was surprised it hadn’t taken his leg off with it when it sped into the night.

The lights and press of the city’s humanity were far behind. Here in this strange neighborhood, the sounds were alien. No traffic hum or buzz of neon, just a steady drip drip drip of thick liquid onto pavement. The road was gritty, he could feel tiny grains of gravel and dirt slipping under his feet. A stench of rotting garbage hung in the air, dense, motionless, as if not even the wind would dare come to this place. Even the graffiti was different: its colors sharper, appearing bioluminescent, glowing talismans against evil.

Or warnings.

No… he was being fanciful. The driver’s obvious fear had gotten into his head. He wasn’t a big man, but he moved with strength and purpose. He wasn’t worth attacking, was not, even in his best interview outfit, dressed in a way that would not suggest wealth. Because there was no wealth. Even less now that most of his remaining funds had just sped away with the Uber. He’d have to walk the rest of the way.

At least he was within walking distance, as confirmed by his smartphone’s GPS. The voice of the AI (“Alex,” programmed with a soothing attractive Australian accent) told him to continue along this road another 500 meters.

Good thing I’m still within view of a satellite.

Plonk.

Something wet dripped on him and he squinted up at the tangle of ivy that covered the wall of a warehouse. Ivy? In the middle of the city? No time to investigate, he was already late for the interview. Besides… there was something sinister about that mass of ivy, as if it hid watching eyes.

When, as Alex directed, he turned left at a street so narrow he’d have hesitated to call it a street at all, something skittered past his leg, something furry and malevolent.

Yokai…

It had been a cat. Or… a very large rat (not that that possibility was reassuring).

Still, with Alex giving him updated directions he felt almost comforted. As if the AI was his friend, a non-judgmental friend who would help him navigate the worst of life’s bumps. If only Alex had told him, “Stay in college. Don’t move to a foreign country, don’t break up with -.”

Crash! Thud. Ooof!

“You have arrived, mate.” The AI went silent.

Arrived where?

The noises were coming from the bar on his left. With late summer humidity streaking the window, he’d missed the sign. Kasugayama. Through the fogged glass, he could see two shapes locked in battle.

Anyone might have been forgiven if they’d performed a 500 meter sprint back to relative safety. But acting on instinct, an instinct that he cursed a moment later, Thai ran into the bar. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting. Expectations and instincts did not generally go together. Still, one might have expected a simple bar fight, or a less simple robbery. And not… a spider the size of a pony.

Yokai…

There was probably a more proper name for a spider demon, but Thai’s language skills temporarily deserted him.

Of all the gin joints…

Spiders… why did it have to be spiders?

Why am I thinking in movie quotations?

Fighting the spider was a man who wielded a pool cue as expertly as a spear. But the spider had a six arm advantage and…

Sproing!!!

Holy fuck… it can jump!

That damn instinct took over again and Thai grabbed a chair and threw it at the spider. This had the stunning effect of breaking the chair and getting the thing’s attention. It charged toward him, then screeched when the other man drove the pool cue into its butt.

Now it’s just pissed off.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Thai flipped himself over the bar top, grabbed a bottle from the speed rail, and smashed it on the edge of the sink. The scent of fermented rice mixed with the aromas of spider goo and blood. The blood belonged to a rather nasty looking slash on the man’s leg. The spider goo was … well, obvious.

At the sound of the breaking glass, the spider scuttled toward him again, a glare of uncanny intelligence in its red eyes. Thai slashed furiously with his improvised weapon, drawing more goo from the spider, and dammit, there was a paring knife right there on the garnish station.

The spider jumped to the bar top, stretching out a spindly leg (arm?) toward him. Thai switched the bottle to his other hand, grabbed the knife, and slammed it down on the arm/leg, severing it at a joint. The limb snapped off with a sickening crunch and slid halfway across the room. The spider emitted a high-pitched shriek, then the other man drove the pool cue through its head.

It twitched three times, then went still.

In the sudden silence, Thai could hear himself and the other man breathing.

Later, he might think back and take in details – the man’s warm brown eyes, the feel of the sticky floor under his feet and the flicker and hum of fluorescent lights. But the instinct that drove him into this place took over again. While the other man retrieved a well-used first aid kit and treated the slash on his leg, Thai soothed his jangled, spider-hating nerves with the ritual of cleaning. Wipe down the bar top. Sterilize the knife. Sweep up the glass…

Noticing the pool cue samurai was eyeing a bottle of iichiko Shochu, Thai poured him a glass, adding blood orange juice, tonic water and ice when prompted.

Finally the other guy spoke. “No idea why you came crashing in like a wild boar, but… thanks.” The blunt speech was softened with a wry smile.

“Job interview? Advertisement for a barback?” Thai unearthed his phone, getting ready to pull up the confirmation email. “I’m Thai Bulan.”

“Oh, shit.” The other man raked his hands through a mop of sweat-soaked brown hair. “It completely went out of my head. Sanada Yukimura.” He bowed. “Any chance you still want the job?”

It had been listed as minimum salary, but it did come with the mention of a studio apartment above the bar. “Um.” Thai indicated the spider. “Is that what happened to the previous barback?”

“No. This… was new. Never seen one those in here before.” Yukimura took a deep breath. “The last guy quit. Kasugayama’s owner is a bit… unique.”

Then, with what might have been called perfect timing, the front door opened and a man with heterochromatic eyes entered and surveyed the scene. He eyed the dead spider. “Good. I was in the mood for takeout.”

He pulled a sword out of the scabbard on his waist and cleanly sliced off a limb. Then, gnawing on it like it was a turkey leg and he was some medieval king, he disappeared into a back office.

Thai took the job.

Thank you @lorei-writes and @olivermorningstar for organizing this event (and it was super organized with check ins and google docs and everything I could ask for. If they ever do another event, jump at the chance to join).

To @fighting-and-drawing , I really hope I have done Thai justice. Heart of The Warrior has been one of my favorite Ikemen Sengoku fanfics (I've read it more than once), and I was thrilled when I learned you were the giftee. I'm not nearly as confident writing fight scenes though, so I hope it made sense. And yes, I was the anon who asked you what Yukimura might order in a modern bar (and then had to figure out whether he would still drink a sweet cocktail after killing a giant spider).

To anyone else reading this, I encourage anyone interested in reading a fantastically well written, well researched Ikesen longfic to read Heart of The Warrior either here or here

[princess-viola]

HELP A TRANS FEMME ENBY WHO NEEDS A BIT OF MONEY FOR TOMORROW

hey y'all, my grandpa died back on the 4th and someone told the credit union that he passed and they froze his account

the problem, of course, is that said account is literally how i pay for everything right now: bills, food, rides (i can't drive), etc. so with his account being frozen, i cannot pay for jack and shit

this is a problem because while he did have me as the beneficiary on the account, he didn't put me as a joint account holder which means i legally have no access to the money until i go to the credit union with the death certificate and get this all straightened out and hopefully get access to what should be my money (and this is money that will 1000% help me out since i'm currently unemployed and, per his most recent statement from last month, he had ~$13,000 in savings, ~$27,000 in checking, and ~$75,000 in a 12 month certificate - even if i don't touch the certificate until it matures next year, the money he had in savings and checking is enough to cover like 20 months worth of my average monthly expenses)

but i need to pick up the death certificates tomorrow from the funeral home so i can then go to the credit union and hopefully get this all straightened out

but i very much cannot do that since my grandpa's bank account has been frozen and that means my credit card (which was on his account) has been cancelled too.

i need to go to the funeral home, the cemetery (they're relatively close to each other, unfortunately not close enough to make walking from the funeral home to the cemetery a viable option, we're talking like 45 minutes of walking here), the credit union, and then back home tomorrow

idk how much this will all cost exactly when i do it (cuz traffic and shit does play a factor in the cost for these rides) but i imagine $100 will be more than enough

if any of y'all can donate even a little bit so i can get this shit done tomorrow, i would 100% appreciate it

venmo: princess-viola