#oops that is a really long one

[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! 💕

[applestruda]

Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter

(Aka hermit ladys as mucha's four seasons for week 3 of the design challenge)

[prettyupsetnerd]

what are the odds that the day I would finally finish this very niche and self-indulgent dndads comic would also be my birthday! 🎂

anyway- Scary Marlowe is the character of all time and I wanted her to go through the uncommon but life-changing experience of bonding with your friend's parents during a sleepover (also I think she would genuinely like the Barbie movie, even if she really wanted to hate it)

[thatqueerbat]

achievement unlocked: watch all intrepid heros seasons of d20

new achievement available: Finally Get To Watch Time Quangle

[courfee]

prompt #46 "Sirius is showing Regulus’ baby pictures to James and Reg is MORTIFIED" for the @marauderswithpalestineproject !! 🍉

thank you @kat-m-toast for the donation (and the prompt, which was just SO up my alley, i loved it) and also thanks to everyone else who donated and participted! 💕

and as a bonus a little closer look at those baby pictures :)

[artofalyksandr]

Continuing my streak of drawing Jacob Drawfee characters

[sesamenom]

co-high kings galadriel & celeborn

since elrond doesn't want the kingship, galadriel & celeborn are the eldest in middle-earth of the lines of Olwe and Elmo respectively. olwe is older but hes the king of the teleri not specifically doriath sindar so there might be some dispute between which line the sindarin high kingship jumps to, but they very conveniently happen to already be married and so can skip all that and just be twice the headache for sauron

[crystalmagpie447]

ooughgGGHAJUIOKIJHHAHWWAAAAAWAAGRGGRRRRRGRRRGHJUEKISJUHGRYBHERBGVEBHUJSIKAOIJEUHRYGBGR

@bubbiethesaur

YOU

GRGRGRHGUJIAHRG

cries wails

this scene

was running around in my brain this morning

explodes

ok thats it

egrgyhusnjbevdrjsoiubvygf

everyone should go read long road ahead i think

[esperastra]

random avalance gifs [12|∞]

[robbie-lee-zombie]

mini ficlet I got inspired to do ( @fluffymary )

When the gang of smiling critters have a sleepover, you better believe they go big or go home.

Kickin was the first to pass out after the movie, hanging halfway off the couch at the start, but eventually slumped to the floor at an odd angle and still hadn't stirred. Crafty and Bearhug aren't far behind as they both yawn, drifting off on the far left of the couch, holding onto one another. Hoppy, Bubba and Piggy were huddled in their own pile on the other end, looking uncomfortable to anyone else but snoring all the while.

What about our final two?

One of our sweet little friends was having a horrible dream. Horrible enough to leave him panting when he awoke, checking around the living room frantically for any monsters that might still be lurking in the dark. Dogday knew he was being silly, but it still got to him, he just knew something was coming for him! Something waiting to come out and grab him, something to steal him away and no one would ever find him again-

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Look at me. Just keep your eyes on me, okay, pup?"

One, a night owl, someone who sleeps in the day because he guards the night. He protects his family, his friends, while they're vulnerable, so they have nothing to fear. Right now, his closest friend - his partner - had something to fear. Catnap couldn't have that.

"I couldn't run away- it hurt so much, Catnap-"

"Shh, shshh I know sunspot, you don't have to explain. I'm here. You're safe here."

A few beats of silence pass. Then, Catnap got an idea.

"I got it." Catnap lifts Dogday's chin to look him in the eyes more clearly. Smiling, sweetly, he whispers. "You want to hear a lullaby?"

Immediately Dogday's face starts to feel hot and he's pulling on his right ear, twirling and picking at the fur in a nervous fidget. His tail starts thumping behind him. "You- What if- You don't have to, I'll be-" Dogday whines a little. Embarrassed. Excited. Eager.

"Let me try that again."

Dogday's sputtering was immediately halted by Catnap's purring. He could feel it in his touch, in his paws any time he held Dogday's cheeks in his hands, it was a soft rumbling under the skin. It was soothing. "May I sing you a lullaby, sweet pup?"

Dogday willed his tail to stop wagging for a moment to respond seriously. He nodded. "Yes. Please."

Their positions are shifted to have Dogday leaning on Catnap's chest, slouching comfortably in case he were to fall asleep sooner than anticipated, which Cat had already dubbed in his mind would be no time at all. Dogday's tail wags without his permission, but neither of them mention it.

Catnap's claws make quick work of Dogday's ears, scratching at the base. Enough to tickle, enough to squirm and smile so wide Dogday's cheeks start to hurt, but not enough to laugh. Meanwhile, Catnap's tail traces along each of Dogday's toes that are tucked under the blankets. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star~"

Dogday knew what lullaby this was. It's kept between them purely for Dogday's dignity and from dying of embarrassment. Not because they'd tickle the life out of him.

"How I wonder what you are~"

But because of how well it works. Plus, Catnap isn't the first one to go around bragging about his own singing voice as it is, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky~"

"Wahahait!!"

"Dogday, you made me mess up the song, now I'll have to start over..."

"No! Nonononohoho don't stahahart over, please-" "Well, maybe I won't have to start over... If you can tell me where my tail left off?"

"Y-Your tahahail?"

"Yes, giggle pup, I need to know where my tail was on the last verse, so I can pick up where it left off. I can't recall..."

As Catnap whispers aloud, his tail sweeps up and down Dogday's soles. Dogday throws his head side to side, trying his best to keep his giggling to a minimum, but the faster that appendage swipes, the more restless Dogday gets.

"Was it along your soles, those bright suns on your feet? While we said "Up above the world" or was it-" His tail switches to sliding between his toes. "Between your poor little toes, as we said "Like a diamond in the sky"?"

Catnap knows this. Catnap loves this.

Dogday could hardly pay attention as Catnap's tail was sawing between his toes. Before he was even aware of his own actions, Dogday was squeezing one of Catnap's hands in his own, bracing himself on whatever willpower he had to not fight Catnap's attack. The other hand was frantic, pawing at the ground, his own torso in a self hug, hiding his face, he couldn't decide what made it better worse.

"Dihihiamond!! You were on diamohohohond!!!"

"Ah, that's right! Thank you so much, my little tickle pup, I knew I could count on you~"

As much as the lullaby felt like it droned on for hours, it really was helping. It was quiet enough between the two of them that this moment never had to be seen by anyone else, it was a special time that let them hold onto one another, to laugh away the nightmares. Catnap's song was eventually interjected with his red smoke - with Dogday's consent being the agreement to the lullaby in the first place, they established that ages ago.

That's what really knocks Dogday out, but Catnap likes to wait as long as he can to use it, just to savor in Dogday's bright smile and pink face just a little while longer.

"A pretty orange and pink sunrise, just for me alone."

As the sun rises in the windows through the curtains, Catnap finally falls asleep.

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

If I could be arsed to learn how to edit videos and had some kind of mic, I would 110% make a two part video essay series on the politics of Jurassic World because MY GOD, there's so much to dissect.

The first part would be about how the park is the epitome of neoliberal futurism for techbros, including the way the park so easily falls apart though I doubt that aspect is purposeful. Everything is aesthetic first and function second, and we can't possibly use any of the reliable infrastructure we've already come up with because a train is not gonna get us to Mars, but a monorail might.

And the second would be about the buckwild terrible gender politics going on. The movie is deeply unsympathetic to Claire seemingly because she's a woman who prioritised her career as it's both centre to her character arc and also an inciting event of one of the plots. Not to mention the whole Zara thing or the Owen and Claire thing or the stupid "him, I meant him, line. The movie is rife with misogyny, but it feels like that specific misogyny was isekaied over from backlash to second wave feminism.

I could talk about it all for so long because in a way, it feels like a perfect time capsule for 2015. Back when people took Claire running in heels to be this feminist statement to be made fun of and not just a deeply misogynistic movie trying to sell you feminism. And back when Elon Musk managed to get away with his "I'm the real life Iron Man" shit, and people believed he was smart and all his plans would come to fruition. 2015 was a great time to be a tech bro in Silicon Valley with people just throwing money at all your fake promises.

Yeah. See. This is what I mean when I say I could talk about it forever.

[can-of-slorgs]

The other researchers are also here! (magical edition!)

[moeblob]

Conversations with Paul never go Right's way.

[the1trueanon]

HEHEHEHE AND HERE'S THE REST OF THE VAMPIRE AU DOODLES i meant it when i said i got obsessed XD there's 5 pages of these, going on 6 lmao

I love this idea so much hehehe they have moved into my brain and built a lil manor in there for Home to possess XD Also FLUFFY BAT WALLY AAAAA I LOVE I WANT HOLD HE LOOK SO SOFT AND WHISPYYY!! I love the idea of Frank and Wally going on flights during nights when Wally has to hunt :D Wally also uses all the sweet rose/flower nicknames he can come up with for Rosemary -w- I'm 100% open to doodle ideas for this btw!! Though maybe I should give my hand a break XD

Vampire Wally belongs to @nonomives!! <3 And there are also captions for the speech in these images too, just in case :D

ALSO I ALMOST FORGOR I HAVE THIS COMIC HEHEHE

:3

[the-first-spinjitzu-master]

It’s the first time I’ve used watercolor in years!! I thought I’d practice on my favorite character of all time <3

[renabe4life]

No. Not again.

Don’t just watch her walk away. Don’t-

"I'm sorry!" The words leap out, louder than intended. Desperate. Sharp. Afraid, to fumble any longer to find the right words. If there are any.

Yang nearly loses hold of the doorknob, having jumped at the sudden outburst. She adjusts, grips it tightly. A lifeline should she need it.

"I'm," Qrow tries again, softer this time, "so sorry. For so many things that I. I’m not sure where to start."

Metal digits loosen, release their hold. Yang inhales a shuddering breath. Lets it out more steadily. And turns around. "For starters, you can apologise for being a coward."

~~

Chapter 17 of Take Root is out. Hoo boy it's finally happening, I'm not readyyyyyyyy. Hope y'all are >w>