#they were like this one's expired so we can't sell it to you

[dalishthunder]

Committed a social faux pas today and I hate it

[alex-thegiraffeboyy]

✮⋆˙A place we could call home

Summary: Little stories of you and Vi moving in together and enjoying this new life.

Modern Au! Professional boxer and trainer boxer gf ! Vi x reader

Wlw Mens DNI

Words: 4.9k

Warnings: Nothing, much love, a bit suggestives but nothing serious. Reader (And Vi--) have a cat named Titi.

Titi's Backpack

Color's that Vi and reader choses

🏡Vi and you have been dating for about two years when you decide to move in together. Your apartment leases are about to expire anyway, and after the first year Vi was spending more time in your apartment than hers, so....

Yes, they decide to move in together.

It takes them a while to find a place that suits their needs (physical and financial), but they finally find a place they both agree on.

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

The day after you and Vi sign the lease for the apartment, you both take two days to clean and paint the space.

The first day you sweep and mop the rooms. You bring a speaker and Vi plays a playlist from her phone with songs you both like, making the apartment come alive with the two of you singing (more you, tbh) and acting out the songs. Laughter and melodies fill the space, you both feel happiness coursing through every inch of your bodies, and Vi can't help but stop every now and then to watch you dance and sing while you clean up.

This is something she has wanted for a long time, a place you both can share, where you both feel comfortable and don't have to worry about things like her roomie, your homophobic neighbors, or how little space there was in your apartment. A space where you can be yourselves, where you can love each other in your own way. A place where you can make it your safe place.

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡The day you and Vi go out to buy some paints to paint the walls you're not sure what color you want, but you both know that an all-white house is not your thing. You spend a few hours going through the colors and thinking about how they would look on the walls of the apartment. They finally decide on a bucket of warm orange and a bucket of light blue. But while they both wait for their colors to finish mixing, Vi looks at all the items the store sells, picking out some rollers and a couple of brushes that will come in handy later while you look at the cardboard with the color palettes of the paints. But there's one color in the blue section that catches your eye. A color you'd recognize anywhere.

"Hey Vi."

"Yes, babe?"

"Did you know your eyes color is the name of your sister?"

"Huh?"

You locate the color on the blue shelf and pick up one of the swatches before moving forward to your girlfriend and placing the cardboard next to one of her eyes. You smile with satisfaction as you see that you did, in fact, get the color right.

"What do you mean?" Vi's face is a grimace of confusion with an amused smile, she's feeling quite out of place at the moment, but she doesn't stop you, but rather waits for you to finish whatever it is you're doing with her and the piece of cardboard in your hand.

"That's right, honey" you reply with a fond chuckle, pulling the swatch away from her face and extending it towards her for her to take it "You have Powder blue eyes".

And she is very tempted to take a picture of it and send it to Jinx, but she knows she would become unbearable with that information, so she just keeps the sample in her cell phone case and tells herself that she will think about the pros and cons of sending it (in the end she will do it because she is too excited and she loves her little sister too much not).

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡 The day they both decide to paint the apartment everything is a mess. There are newspapers strewn all over the apartment (courtesy of Vander and Silco, who had years of newspapers stored in their garage at home) full of stains and paint splatters. And making an even bigger mess are the two of you running around the apartment like little kids.

It all started as a joke. You were both painting the walls when suddenly you had an idea. Vi had her back to you so it was perfect. You filled your left hand with paint and slowly approached her, hugging her with your right arm, resting your chin on her shoulder. And despite your intentions you can't help but enjoy this contact with her, you can feel Vi startle at the sudden contact, which makes you let out a giggle, nuzzling her neck with your own face.

"Everything okay?" you can hear her smile in her voice, her cheek resting against your head as you both sway from one foot to the other.

"Mmhm, just happy" and you can only sigh quietly because it's true, doing all these things with her fills you with overwhelming warmth and happiness, so much so that you almost forget the real motive you were there for "Besides, I like seeing you like this."

"Yeah ?"

"Mmhm..." And God knows it's true. Seeing Violet painting walls in a tank top and shorts, exposing her toned arms and thighs makes your mouth water. The way her tattoos show on her muscles with every move. The way you can see chunks of her lower back every time she raises her arms and the tank top rises.... Either way- - - - - "But you know how you'd look better?"

Violet just makes a questioning hum at your question, turning her head with a smirk, taking a second to look at your lips before turning back to your eyes, and she can watch in slow motion as your expression turns into a macabre smile before your left hand enters her field of vision, too late for her to react, paint smeared haphazardly across her cheeks and the tip of her nose. And for a second she can't react, until she feels you walk away and hears your thunderous laughter echoing in the empty apartment.

"I'm sorry-" you manage to say between guffaws and ragged breaths, holding your stomach tightly "I couldn't help it, I'm-" but she don't let you time to finish.

Because Vi smeared some of your face with paint too.

"You're gonna pay for that, princess."

And that's how they both ended up running around the apartment, trying to smear paint on each other and running away to get free, the walls forgotten. Only to end up both on the floor laughing, cheeks strained and stomachs aching, sharing sweet paint-flavored kisses while whispering teases and sweet nothings to each other.

At some point in this cute intimacy, when the paint on your hands is dry, you pick up your phone and take several pictures of you both cuddling on the floor. They're hair is a messy, paint-streaked mess. They're clothes are wrinkled and at this point, they're more paint than fabric (luckily they wore clothes that knew they're wouldn't mind getting stained), and, evidently, you're both going to need a good shower after this.

And even though the apartment is only half-painted that day, you don't mind going an extra day to finish the job. You couldn't have done it any other way.

Needless to say, one of the photos is now your wallpaper.

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡The day before the move is a disaster.

You and Vi hardly see each other after painting the apartment, both very busy trying to get everything in order for the move. You throw things away, others put them in boxes and bags, clean, rearrange, etc. From time to time they send each other pictures showing their progress, others are just selfies to motivate the other, always leaving cute messages or motivational words under the picture.

Violet <3

"I miss you, baby :("

"Me too :("

"But tomorrow we're moving

in together!!! 🥳"

"💕"

So that night they each sleep in their own apartment for the last time. The move will come early, so you need to be there to greet them and expedite things.

It feels weird not having Violet there, you're so used to them spending the day together that the silence in the apartment is almost overwhelming. So you try to leave some music or video playing in the background.

When it's already dark and you've finished packing and leaving all your stuff in the living room (except for a couple of things you'll put in a small backpack tomorrow) you take a bath and lie down on your bed to check your phone notifications. It doesn't take long for your cat to follow you and lie down next to you.

Most of the messages are from your family and friends asking how the move was going and how you were feeling (although there are also several videos and shitpost's that Powder has been sending you -and you take the time to answer one by one-). It takes you a while to answer them all, but it makes you happy to be able to chat with them for a while.

Your body feels tired and ready to rest after a long day of getting everything ready for the big move, yet part of you is so excited and restless that you feel unable to rest. So you watch tiktoks for a while and exchange videos with Powder and some other friends. Or at least until the messages from your girlfriend start coming in.

Violet <3

"Baaaaaaabeeee"

"Babe :("

"miss you"

"miss you sooooooooo much 😿"

"Come back Violet, the kid

miss you :(( (and so do I)"

"It feels weird not having you here"

"I knooow"

"Btw, I miss Titi too :(("

"Are you done packing your things?"

"Yup. Ready for tomorrow ^^"

"How about you, baby?"

Vi's text reply never comes, instead, you get a video call from your girlfriend. You arrange your phone so she can see you. You're lying on your side, your right cheek resting on the pillow while your cat is curled up next to your ribs. Once you answer, a soft smile creeps across your lips instinctively, you feel yourself relax at the sight of your girlfriend, also lying on her side with a soft, sleepy look on her face. She too is smiling at you and her eyes seem to light up a little as she sees you through her screen. "Hey Sun" her voice is just a sleepy murmur laden with affection, you see her stretch a little, and you realize that she is, in fact, not wearing anything on her torso. You let out a soft chuckle as your cat follows in her footsteps, stretching before lifting her little head towards your girlfriend's voice. You find the comparison quite amusing.

"Hey sweetheart. How you feeling?" you whisper in a soft voice, and you don't realize all the affection and love that seeps through your gaze, but Violet does, which makes her feel a warmth in her chest. It makes her feel loved. Meanwhile you watch her yawn before settling back on her bed, her eyes more clouded than before, the tiredness affecting her a little more and more.

"Tired" her raspy, slightly gravelly voice sounds over the speaker of your phone. You're about to say something else to her when your cat gets up and lets out a small meow, approaching your phone screen as she recognizes your girlfriend's voice. You giggle at the sight of your cat sniffing your phone, you hear Vi laugh, and even though you can't see her you know she has an even bigger smile than she had before "Hi Titii. Hi baby" you hear her speak to your pet in the cutest, gooey voice she has reserved just for her.

Your cat meows a couple of times as she purrs loudly, rubbing her furry little face on your phone screen "Looks like I'm not the only one who misses you" your voice amused as you watch the interaction of the two of you over the phone. You hear her laughter through the speakers, which only causes your smile to get a little bigger. You rearrange yourself on the bed to move the phone away from your cat's face so the camera can focus on the two of you "We miss you so much, Vi. We both wish you were here."

Vi lets out a long frustrated moan. You watch her roll onto her side, burying her face in the pillow and can't help but let out a giggle at the sight. "You enjoy watching me suffer?" she murmurs, her voice coming out opaque from the pillow pressed against her face.

"Me? Honey, neveeeer. What gave you that impression on me?" you reply with an affectionate mockery. You watch her shoulders shake, and very quietly hear her giggle.

"Fuck" she mutters before lifting her head, resting her chin on the pillow. A soft expression greets you from the other side of the screen. Caring smile and affectionate eyes, you soon find yourself mimicking her expression "I really wish I could be with you now" a hint of frustration and melancholy seeps into her soft expression.

How you wish you could hold her right now and shower her with kisses, caresses and cuddles "I know" your own expression turns somewhat sad, your smile is a small grimace, and you know that if she were with you right now you would probably be playing with her hair, gently brushing it away from her face, combing it with gentle caresses "Just a couple more hours, love. A couple more hours and we'll be together in our apartment."

Our apartment.

It's strange to say, but not in a bad way. They're both excited about it. A place they're both going to make their home.

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

Needless to say, you slept very little that night. After finishing the call with Vi the excitement ran through your entire body, the night seemed torturously long.

So the next morning, when your alarm went off, it was easier to wake up. At first you didn't want to get up, staying in your bed for a while longer and cuddling Titi (who spent the night with you, helping you fill in a little of your girlfriend's absence) while she just stretched out, snuggling against your stomach and purring loudly. But just the thought of what today had in store for you made the smile on your face grow bigger with excitement. So you sat up carefully and picked up your phone to text Violet.

Sunshine❤️

"Moorning love❤️"

"Excited for the day?"

" 'Cause I am <3"

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡The move was pretty quick. You weren't taking a lot of stuff with you, just some furniture and boxes with items that would be hard to carry on public transportation.

Once you make sure everything is in the truck you send a message to Vi, who is already in the new apartment with her stuff (She is carrying quite a bit less stuff than you since she was sharing an apartment with someone else), letting her know that your stuff is already on its way and that you and Titi will take a while longer to arrive because you still have to wait for the owner of your now ex-apartment to give it to her along with the keys.

You turn off your phone after you see the message is delivered, you take a moment to look around your (former) empty apartment. It feels strange, reminding you of when you first arrived a few years ago. You feel nostalgic about leaving the place, knowing that this is where many of your most important moments happened here (many of them having to do with Vi), yet you leave here calmly, knowing that this is the beginning of a new facet of your relationship.

Violet <3

"Ok honey."

"I'm waiting for you here, my girls <3"

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡Titi was not used to leave the apartment. So you could be sure she wasn't having a good time at the moment.

After delivering everything you took Titi's backpack, hanging it on your chest before taking the bag with your things and walking to the public transport stop. Once there you exchange some messages with Violet, you also send her some pictures of your cat, who seemed very stressed looking at everything from inside the backpack. You had put her in there with her favorite toy and blanket, trying to give her some comfort, which helped her cope a little better with the trip.

Although the drive to the apartment is a bit long, and you have to split your time between talking to Vi to get an update on the situation with the move, seeing the road, and reassuring your pet. But you finally arrive at your stop, and it only takes you a few blocks before you get there.

By the time you get to the new apartment it's half past eleven in the morning, you open the door and walk in, leaving your things by the door before announcing your arrival. Vi doesn't take long to appear, coming towards you at a brisk pace (almost running) with an excited smile on her lips. She makes her way through the pile of stuff in the move and you meet her halfway, hugging her and laughing at the excitement of the moment. You could say you have officially moved in together.

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡Ordering things in your new apartment is another story.

"Babe what do we think?" your girlfriend asks from the small living-dining room of her apartment. You stick your head out through the empty wall space that divides the kitchen from the place where Vi is sitting, who has her hands on her hips and rotates her gaze between looking at the furniture and watching you, waiting for your reaction.

There is a long sofa and another one for a person you brought from your previous apartment, in the middle of it all there is a coffee table that Vi used to have in her room. Titi is sitting next to the couch, across from Vi, watching everything critically the way your girlfriend has arranged the furniture.

"Sure, babe. It looks amazing."

"Yeah?"

"Yu, it looks pretty cool. In fact, I like the way you've arranged all the furniture" which is completely true, in fact, you've just learned that your girlfriend has a very good ability to arrange furniture so that it looks aesthetically pleasing. Behind the sofas is a rectangular table with four chairs, and the TV you've had since before you moved out of your parents' house is in a corner, waiting to be installed on the wall.

Vi nods, more confident at your words as she observes the way she arranged things, her gaze moving from one to one until it stops on your (though she says it's also hers) cat, who is still watching everything critically as she wags her furry tail from side to side.

"Mmm, I don't know. You what do you say, Titi?" her voice turns honeyed and you can't do anything but smile, and she, upon hearing her name, looks at your girlfriend before diverting her attention to her surroundings once more, as if she's really thinking Vi's question over before returning her attention to her, responding with her own meow, raising her little head and blinking slowly at Vi.

"Mmhm, she definitely approves."

"Then that's it" Vi replies with a satisfied smile, bending down to pet the kitten, who promptly begins to purr at her caresses "Titi has given the final verdict."

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡 You and Vi like to bathe together. Before you rarely did, only when it was planned for Vi to spend the night (which rarely happened) or when she had clean clothes that she left in your apartment (though mostly it was after you both have sex). Either way, bathing together is an activity you enjoy from time to time since you moved in. You like to pamper her, and she loves to let you do it.

You like to wash her hair, you like to run your fingers through the pink locks and massage her scalp, feel the short hair on the left side of her head, only to go down to her shoulders and massage her, and of course, Vi will return the favor later.

They usually like to bathe together at night, they like to be able to spend this quiet time together before they cuddle up in bed to go to sleep, feeling relaxed after a really good hot bath.

Sometimes you read for a while after that, something about keeping up your reading habit, you usually tell Vi. And she doesn't mind, sometimes she asks you to read out loud to her, sometimes she just hugs you, resting her face on your hip or collarbone (depending on whether you decide to read sitting or lying down) and will close her eyes and probably fall asleep, or she might get distracted on her cell phone while you finish. But it's when you refuse to sleep, even as your eyes close and your head begins to give way to its own weight, that Vi intervenes.

"Baby, you're falling asleep," she says to you softly, her voice a little hoarse and a chuckle creeps in at the end of the sentence. Her eyes narrow with exhaustion and a loving look. She sits on the bed, hugging you around the waist to pull you closer to her, and as usual, your body molds to hers, leaning against her muscular body, resting your head on her shoulder without taking your eyes off the book (even though your eyes are more closed than open).

"No, you're falling asleep" Your voice is almost unintelligible, sleep taking its toll on you, as if you've had alcohol and are now drunk.

And Vi can't help a giggle at your response "Aaaaww come on" her right hand goes up your side until it reaches your shoulder, caressing the full length of your arm, trying to coddle you to convince you "It can wait until tomorrow, you're falling over."

"I just want to finish this chapter."

And she knows you couldn't give in that easy, it wouldn't be you if you didn't put up some resistance, so she uses the best card she has, the one she knows always works.

"Okay, love. Listen" she pulls your body away from hers, and a whimper automatically leaves your lips, looking at your girlfriend with a little pout at the loss of warmth, but that only causes Vi to laugh softly "How about this? You give me the book and I'll read you what's left of the chapter while you lie in bed with me. Sound good?"

And you're no fool, you know that the moment you accept her proposal your sleep sentence is signed. But you love falling asleep with Vi's voice reading to you in the background. So you let her.

"Fine"

You both lie down and get comfortable. Vi puts her arm under your head and you wrap your arms around her waist, your head resting on her chest as one of your legs intertwines with hers. Vi pulls the sheets up and settles in, taking the book in her right hand "Are you comfortable?" she gets a murmur as affirmation, and she leaves a kiss on the crown of your head before she can turn her attention to the pages of the book "Good. So, where you stay?"

"In these walls..."

Vi repeats the phrase under her breath over and over like a mantra. Her eyes searching for the phrase between paragraphs, stopping when she finally finds it "There you are."

Her soft voice fills the space between you, the yellow light from the nightstand illuminating the room slightly, making you even sleepier.

And there's something about the way Violet reads. She does it so passionately and full of emotion, but without losing the softness of her voice, that it always relaxes you (it's a skill she developed after years of reading stories to Powder). You love listening to her, you could do it for hours and hours and never get tired of it. But now, with tiredness on your shoulders and the voice and warmth of your beloved girlfriend, you just want to sleep cuddled up next to her. So you do.

It isn't long before Vi realizes that you have indeed, as usual, fallen asleep, so she puts the book down on the nightstand and carefully turns off the lamp light so as not to wake you, snuggling back in once she's finished.

"Good night, Sunshine."

༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･

🏡The mornings between you are usually quite hectic. Usually in the mornings, Vi has boxing training with her team, other times she teaches boxing classes to some people who frequent at gym. And even though your activities are usually at home or later, you get up with her to speed things up.

Vi gets up at 5 a.m. to take a shower, and you follow her a few minutes later. You get up and walk to the kitchen to prepare something for the two of you, while you're at it you'll also make something for Vi to take to the gym. A while later your girlfriend will appear in the kitchen with wet hair and a towel on her shoulders, already wearing her clothes to go workout.

"Morning baby" her arms always find their way to your waist hugging you against her and leaving kisses on your crown and cheek before walking through the kitchen, preparing her bottle with water and other things she usually takes to the gym while she tells you about what her routine will be today.

Once you both finish breakfast Vi runs to brush her teeth and then checks that everything is in her bag and quickly passes by Titi (who is comfortably lying on the couch) to give her a few quick cuddles before saying goodbye to you and leaving the apartment, leaving you alone until the afternoon.

But there are days like today, days when you both coincide on a day off, or your schedules magically manage to stay clear in the mornings, that you both enjoy each other's company. And their hectic, hectic mornings turn into soft, cuddly mornings. Vi would be the first to wake up due to her usual schedule, but would quickly return to rest after a few kisses and cuddles that gradually persuade her to return to sleep in your arms.

The second time you would be the first to wake up. You like to watch her sleep, it's a sight you rarely get to enjoy. You brush some pink locks off her face and chuckle softly at the small trace of drool on her chin as you listen to her low snores. And even when you see her like this, so vulnerable and somehow so messily tender, you wonder what you did to get so lucky. Because, fuck, even then she's so pretty.

And Violet doesn't take her long to wake up.

"Enjoying the view?" her voice is low and husky, still tinged with flecks of sleep and tiredness "A picture would last longer, honey."

And you can't help but laugh, your hands find their way to her freckled cheeks, cupping them "I like seeing you in person better" drawing her to you to give her soft kisses all over her face. And she would be lying if she said she didn't like this domesticity. She likes spending quiet mornings by your side, she likes letting you love her, as much as she likes you letting her love you. So her own hands pull you to her by your waist, keeping you as close as possible. Hugging you and reciprocating your sweet kisses.

And they spend the morning like that, spoiling each other, whispering sweet nothings to each other. Embarrassed giggles, funny laughs and many more fill the space, creating a warm and loving atmosphere. And if they are in the mood, sometimes they even end up making love in the morning.

And at some point in her affectionate morning, Vi manages to convince you to let her make you breakfast. It takes her a while, as you insist on doing it with her, not wanting to part with her.

"You always make breakfast for me. Let me do it for you this time" that and a few when kisses is all she needs to convince you to stay in bed to wait for her to bring breakfast.

And a while later, as you turn on your computer to watch something with your girlfriend while you have breakfast in bed, your cat shows up in your shared room, happy after being fed by Violet, climbing into your bed, rubbing up against you before lying down next to you, keeping you company.

When Vi returns with two plates of food the laughter is instantaneous.

"Hey, that's my spot, furball" and as if the cat could understand her, she doesn't move an inch, just whines quietly, as if trying to make light of Vi's comment, who gives you your plate and leaves hers on the nightstand so she can carry Titi and get her out of the room, knowing that if she doesn't do it later she'll give them trouble while they eat "Sorry, buddy. You have her every day, it's my turn."

And as Vi closes the door to the room and continues talking to your cat (who responds to her with indignant meows) you can't help but think again how lucky you are.

And they're still trying. You are trying to find balance in this new shared life, but you love finding happiness in this domesticity. You love this home you are both creating.

[houseofbrat]

https://x.com/60mins/status/1892459097188127221?s=46

Lol, how many more stupid decisions Lee will need to take in order to be fired by W? Kp will never take the leaking accusations away by ‘ok-eying’ former staff taking about how Great W is, what kind of amazing king he is destined to be. And this is definitely approved by Lee and William, people who think otherwise are fools.

Last week they were basically confirming that they are behind many articles by admitting that Lee went to the press behind K’s back to say the stuff about Kate’s clothes, now this.

I came with the the conclusion that because W doesn’t have any work ethic, zero projects that are actually helping UK people (not his environmental stuff who isn’t helping the average Joe not his empty promises to end homelessness), zero talents, etc…. The only thing his PR has to ‘sell’ him is as the ‘most down to the earth guy, who will have lots of connection with people’ (so down to the earth that he is in second vacation and so willing to create connection with people by doing 150 engagements and only connected with environment and mental health other people with other interests aren’t on his agenda to create connections with them). Also, I don’t know who was the one that one day said that W just wanted to see ‘change’ for the sake to feel himself useful even if that means that he is clueless or is a bad decision, but Knauf’s words (which are agreed by KP) confirmed that, he wants to reinvent the wheel, just because he feels the people out there are different and are demanding it, and because his ancestors changed things too 🤡

Just HOW BAD are things behind closed doors at KP when the comms team reaches out to do a puff piece for 60 Minutes Australia?

Is William even preparing? Are they going to address that he does not do the basics of his job, and other people much older than him have to pick up the slack? William could have gone to the Dresden 80th, but instead he chose to fly off to Mustique the day before, leaving the NINETY-YEAR-OLD Duke of Kent to do the job.

I can't wait to see how they sidestep how William hasn't done a major funeral yet, even though opportunities such as Jimmy Carter's funeral were available. I'm sure KP comms team worked to keep that tidbit out of the puff piece.

"What you see is what you get." ~ Jason Knauf

Oh, really? That sounds like a famous last words statement if I've ever heard one. Jason wouldn't need to be sitting down for an interview like this for his boss if William wasn't hiding something from the public. There is literally no need for a puff piece to remind everyone that William is going to be king one day. Everyone already knows that. Unless... Unless peeps at KP are worried something might happen to jeopardize William's place in the line of succession.

"It's very difficult to have this stuff play out in the public eye." ~ Jason Knauf

Yes, and what is IT that you're worried about being "play[ed] out in the public eye." Shouldn't this piece be about how Kate has recovered, and how Will & Kate are going to be doing more as royals? You know, do their actual jobs?! Interesting how this preview is centered around reminding people that William is going to be king. What kind of "stuff" is KP worried about being "play[ed] out in the public eye?"

And then there's the obligatory "what about Harry?" card. Well, Harry's going to be initiating a divorce this year/spring, so he's going to be coming back home to the UK, regardless of whether people like it or not.

But, yes, this is 1,000,000% KP-sponsored, puff piece. All royal employees have signed NDAs for their employment. NDAs do not have magic expiration dates. We learned that when Valentine Low was writing about the blistering effect Harry's current wife had on the people who worked for her. For Jason to be speaking on camera like this means that he is doing so solely at the behest of Kensington Palace.

And let's not forget that Jason Knauf is still indirectly employed by Kensington Palace. Jason is an active director for The Earthshot Prize. Can't wait to see if they mention Jason is still in the employment of KP or describe him solely as a "former employee."

So what is it that has the Kensington Palace comms team so spooked that they're arranging puff pieces to ensure William will remain the heir to the throne? Is "it" the proper pronoun? I suspect "it" is not.

No wonder KP comms team keeps looking at my blog. (Allegedly) They're not going to get any decent ideas on how to prepare for their upcoming scandal by looking at the Wales fandom's constant, fantasyland hagiographies. I told you guys to get new jobs while you still could. Sucks to be you!

Is it still six more weeks of winter or are we down to four weeks yet? Asking for a friend...

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

Just a totally normal headline for a society that's "back to normal" after "beating a pandemic" :)

By Jennifer Yoon

Montreal pharmacist Aleck Brodeur just got a shipment of COVID-19 rapid tests. Ever since the temperature has been dropping, more people have wanted to buy them, he says.

"They go out so fast. We always have to order some every day, and we keep increasing the supply that we order, but they're still all going," he said.

He expects this shipment — 13 kits in total — to be gone by the end of the day. In Quebec, there were 3,882 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 between Sept. 15 and Sept. 21.

Unlike last fall, Brodeur doesn't have free rapid tests to hand out. The federal government stopped providing free COVID rapid tests to provinces and territories in May.

In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Health Canada said it is no longer procuring rapid tests en-masse. The agency also says there are no plans to replenish the federal inventory after it is depleted.

That means pharmacies have been purchasing the tests from suppliers and selling them, like any other over-the-counter merchandise. Pharmacists say the supply is sometimes thin.

"We kind of hunt them down and make sure they're Health Canada approved," said Kyro Maseh, a Toronto-area pharmacist.

Artron Laboratories Inc., which manufactures COVID test kits, said in an email it has increased test production in the past few months, and is expecting to ramp it up even more for the upcoming winter season.

Where can you get your hands on COVID tests? You might need to visit several pharmacies before you're able to find one that carries rapid tests — free or for sale.

While some pharmacies in Quebec and Ontario have run out of free tests, the situation is different elsewhere. Alberta public health says they're still handing out free tests from the federal stockpile at participating pharmacies until the supply runs out.

While Quebec pharmacies may not have any more free rapid tests, the province is handing out free rapid tests at certain clinics or service centres.

PCR testing is also available in some provinces for those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The results just take a bit longer to come in: at least 24 hours.

If you have expired tests, experts say most work for a few months after the expiry date, but they also warn false negatives are a risk: if you test negative on an expired test, but you're still experiencing symptoms, it's possible you may still have COVID — even if the expired test didn't detect it.

"If it's positive, you're definitely positive. If it's negative with symptoms, that's when you need to worry about using expired tests," said Dr. Dawn Bowdish, a professor of immunology at McMaster University and the executive director at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, in Hamilton.

Should we even be testing for COVID anymore? If you're otherwise healthy and young, chances are, whether you test positive for COVID or you have the common cold, you'll be given the same advice: don't go to work or school, stay at home.

But for those who are more vulnerable to severe illness, an early positive test can change the treatment options — and possibly, health outcomes.

"Older adults and the immunocompromised who are at high risk of hospitalization should get antiviral drugs within a day or no more than two of becoming ill," Bowdish said.

"If they don't know they have COVID, they can't get the drugs that might keep them out of hospital."

Latest numbers from select public health and hospital laboratories across Canada suggest COVID-19 levels are holding steady nation-wide, but Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at the McGill University Health Centre, thinks the numbers don't reflect what's actually going on in the community.

"What we know is that this is an underestimate of what's going on," he said.

There's no doubt in his mind about whether widespread testing is still worthwhile. COVID, he says, can have serious impacts on vulnerable populations — and there are also treatments available.

"Instead of saying, well, we're four years out, do we still need tests for SARS-CoV-2? I would say we, in fact, should be having broad availability of tests for pathogens which have high impact in high-risk populations and for which we can give therapy," said Vinh.

In the U.S., the federal government has re-opened a program that allows any household to receive up to four free COVID test kits by mail. American public health authorities are urging the public to take a quick test before visiting with friends and family during the holiday season.

Bowdish, the immunologist, says she would like to see something similar in Canada.

"People do change their behaviours and decisions if they know they have an infection that might cause an older adult or someone who's vulnerable to get seriously ill."

[coimbrabertone]

Cautiously Optimistic - Liberty Media Buying MotoGP

So, Liberty Media, owners of Formula One, are officially trying to buy MotoGP. This has been rumored for the last few months, with Dorna Sports - the parent company of MotoGP and World Superbike - had spent the last few years making the kind of moves you'd make before a big sale. The launch of sprint races in MotoGP, appointing a new CCO in the form of Dan Rossomondo, and expanding the calendar with new races in new markets.

Nevertheless, there were always question marks over whether Liberty Media could own both MotoGP and Formula One, because precedent suggested they could not. As Simon Patterson reported for the Race, in 2006, CVC Capital Partners acquired Formula One and thus European regulators ordered them to sell off MotoGP. Thus, MotoGP was sold to another private equity firm, Bridgepoint. Bridgepoint would then acquire World Superbike in 2013, and evidently owning the two premier global motorcycle racing series didn't seem to bother any regulators at that point.

I can't help but combine that with a quote from Dan Rossomondo made at some point while being the Chief Commercial Officer of MotoGP. Rossomondo said, essentially, that MotoGP doesn't just compete with other racing series, it competes with going out for a walk, listening to music, and all the other things you could do on a Sunday instead of sitting down and watching a motorcycle race.

Was that more than just an innocuous quote? Maybe it's a hint of how Dorna and Liberty will make their case to various regulatory bodies to justify this merger.

Whether or not that's true, Liberty Media seems confident that they're going to pass regulatory approval. How exactly that'll happen remains to be seen - some have suggested that World Superbike will be sold off as a sort of sacrificial lamb to allow this to happen - but it now seems like MotoGP and F1 will very likely end up under the same ownership.

So...what does that mean for MotoGP?

Well, it means that the company that turned F1 into this trendy giant of a series is going to give some of that marketing love to MotoGP. That can only be a good thing - MotoGP is fantastic racing and it deserves more attention.

Will MotoGP see a move from historic venues to chase new markets? I would argue that it already has. Dorna has already been chasing emerging markets and a simple look at the calendar will show that - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, etc, etc. Not only that, but that's arguably a necessary decision for MotoGP because, quite frankly, those are the countries that are buying motorcycles these days. 1000cc sport bikes? Not necessarily, but quite frankly, KTM doesn't even make a 1000cc sport bike, so MotoGP has become more of a showcase of the motorcycle industry rather than a marketing tool for a particular type of motorcycle.

Will this result in MotoGP chasing street circuits like F1 did? Well, Liberty Media has already said no, and as much as the word of giant corporations is worthless in 2024, simple safety concerns make it unfeasible. MotoGP needs a ton of space and big gravel traps to stop the bikes - and more importantly, the riders - in the kind of dramatic crashes that can happen in this sport.

What do I think will happen? Well, in the short term, not much, but come 2026, 2027 when circuit contracts start expiring, I suspect we'll lose a few existing venues - having four races in Spain presents an obvious opportunity for some trimming - and probably gain another race in the US (likely that Flatrock track in Tennessee) and if I had to guess, another one in East Asia, most likely China.

Maybe India will pave the way towards MotoGP reviving old, disused F1 tracks, and we could see the likes of South Korea and Istanbul Park added to the MotoGP calendar. If not MotoGP, then WSBK with a Turkish star in the form of Toprak Razgatlioglu really ought to consider it.

Anyway, the way I see it, the legitimate criticisms that F1 fans have with Liberty Media - being greedy, chasing new venues at the expense of historic ones, pushing the teams hard by constantly expanding the schedule - is all stuff that Dorna has already been doing. Even the complaints about the Drive to Survive drama, Dorna has tried two different DTS clones and neither one moved the needle. If you're going to be doing these things anyway, you might as well do them with the company that has at least been successful with it.

For now though, I have MotoGP coverage through Max and TruTV in the US, commercial free, and that's a dramatic improvement over how I had to watch the series last year. Dan Rossomondo's team has made MotoGP far more accessible and pleasant to watch already, and if that can continue under Liberty Media's ownership, then I hope this series that I've fallen in love with over the last year and a half can grow.

Thus, the overall verdict is...I'm cautiously optimistic.

[dollsonmain]

So do you all remember

me mentioning finding TONS of expired stuff all around the store? And how Manager had ordered way too many rolls and not enough buns?

I really haven't had the time to deal with it because I'm the only one on the register in the morning and the breads are in the cooler (I can't hear the door or customers from in there), but I did finally manage to get through EVERYTHING at least once (though I am aware that I've forgotten a shelf by the ice cream that has probably expired jelly...) and also finally got through the bread stash and yep.

All expired. It's kept refrigerated so they're willing to keep it 2 more weeks after expiration but some was moldy and some expired in May, so now there's like.

No bread.

Because she thought we had tons of bread and didn't order any.

We're out of buns because I used them all at the beginning of the week and she never orders enough. I've also gone through most of the buns that were on the shelf to sell.

I'm just....

I don't want to make sandwiches anymore. You could go to Walmart and get a whole pack of Land o Frost lunchmeat for the cost of one sandwich with 3 slices on it.

I also don't like that she reuses the tubs the "salads" come in so the expiration date is meaningless. That's such a risk... If a sandwich makes someone sick and an inspector sees the exp date on the tub is 5 months ago, that's a problem.

[aladaylessecondblog]

Red Mountain Waffle House, pt. 24

Author's Note: Bonus chapter!

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

you want to explain what you just did?

Vehk I have other problems right now. Other very pressing problems. So I'm going to tell you what I told Seht and Ayem.

And what's that?

Support my next move, and I'll keep my mouth shut about foul murder.

You can't possibly mean that. You're sleeping with the Sharmat. You've all but joined the Sixth House - why should I believe you?

Because if I wanted to get rid of you I'd already have made the attempt. Voryn's got a lot of good weapons up here. A Sixth House bellhammer would do the job admirably, don't you think? Now are you going to cooperate?

I hate you. What's your plan, exactly?

I'll tell you later. I've got something else I need to get to right now. But I've got it all figured out.

That's what you said at Red Mountain

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

"Are you feeling well?"

Sadara, the instant they were in the back of the silt strider, had almost instantly fallen asleep on Nerevar's shoulder, veil and all. She looked up a few hours later, rubbing her bleary eyes, and yawned.

"Well enough...I didn't...I didn't know that you'd get there in time. D--Voryn said you would, but..."

"But you didn't think I would?"

"I didn't think you'd get there in time. Helseth was..." Sadara swallowed slightly. "...well...it doesn't matter now...thank you."

She was still a bit sleepy, and leaned against him again, once she'd taken off and folded up the veil.

"I know it was hard, especially there at the end, but - you're out now. Everything's going to be fixed."

"You didn't just stop at stealing me, huh?" she asked, "What else are you up to?"

"Making sure our dear Voryn's in possession of all his faculties, for one," Nerevar replied, "As much as we might enjoy his affection, he's unusual at the best of times."

"Any man who goes walking about in a loincloth in public is probably...well..." She shook her head. "Is there anything to eat? I didn't exactly have a big breakfast."

"Yeah, let me find something." Nerevar was reluctant to get up but he did so, fetching some rations from one of the crates. "It's food they'd sell to the buoyant armigers, keeps well but it's not very tasty."

"I've eaten expired kwama cuttle, nothing can taste worse than that." Sadara took the ration he offered her gladly and absolutely devoured it. "Bad times, you know."

"Yes..." Nerevar looked a bit distant for a moment, "I know those times well. Things really only got better for me once I met Voryn. Caravan guards made decent money back then. And then, well...what happened to you happened to me."

"The sham wedding?"

"Gilvoth," Nerevar said bitterly, "Had he not sent me off, saying I wasn't wanted there, I might have married Voryn instead of Ayem. He regretted it later, once I became King...but all I could have then was..."

He gestured vaguely.

"How about we don't talk about the past. The past sucks." Sadara, now full and feeling a little more like herself - seeming to Nerevar to be almost giddy--was much chattier.

"Alright, future then." Nerevar gave a grin. "Voryn's told me you were open to...being the third person in our little..."

"Polycule," Sadara said, "That's what they call it these days."

"I thought it was--well, my point is, is he right?"

"Sort of? It's...not something I've ever thought about. I've always been really careful about getting close to people...except for Jiub, I mean, but he doesn't count like this. When he's not being culty Voryn's adorable, and as for you, bear-evar--"

"Bearevar isn't my name..." Nerevar was confused.

"It's a joke because you're big and hairy, men like you are called bears," Sadara explained quickly, "It's not an insult, don't worry."

"And you like bears, do you?"

"I like anyone that treats me decently," she said, shrugging. "I don't...really know what I like outside of that considering all the shit I've gotten up to. I've never had any more than a one-night stand here and there, never anything lasting."

"I remember that from Greg's party," Nerevar said, "You were thinking that you wanted to get some dick and you didn't really care who it was from."

Sadara laughed - what he was sure was the first real one she'd given in weeks. "And this is the woman you want as part of your polycule! Someone who grew up struggling for every scrap, someone who gets into trouble as if it were a shirt tugged on..."

"As Vehk's priests would say, you preach to the choir," Nerevar replied. "I was born into that kind of a life, and if Voryn doesn't fully understand, I do."

"I've never been anything but rude to you. I don't understand--"

"I'd be rude too, if someone showed up and started talking in my head!" It was Nerevar's turn to laugh. "Oh, I was bitter at first, and a little excitable when I figured out the wonder of porn, but..."

"But?"

"I couldn't help but...admire you. No matter what happened to knock you over, you'd get up and keep going. Things breaking in the apartment, you'd take your stuff to work and leave it there...and so on. You're strong, like I was. Like I had to be."

"And you liked that, did you?"

"We both did." Nerevar gave a shyer smile now. There was even a blush on his face. "And before you protest...yes, I know. You think it's just that Voryn thought of you as my incarnate, and that's the only reason he wanted you."

Sadara looked away for a moment.

"I'm not going to lie and say it didn't factor into things. But it wasn't the only reason he looked your way. It was...what got you in the door. And then - he saw in you the same things he saw in me. You could say that you're his type."

"And you? Am I your type?"

Nerevar's blush deepened.

Sadara leaned against him once more. A few minutes passed before she spoke again.

"This is nice, but I wish I had something to change into. You got everything of mine except my clothes."

"The spy I had in the palace didn't have time," he replied, "Helseth had eyes everywhere, and he had to act quickly."

"This thing is hideous," she protested, holding the skirts of her gown up just slightly, "Look at it!"

"Gaudy, as Vehk might say," Nerevar agreed. "I'm guessing you didn't choose it?"

"No, of course not. I'd...well, I've never really thought seriously about my wedding gown." Sadara shifted a little awkwardly. "I'll be glad to get rid of it. It should sell well."

Then a pause as Sadara looked briefly up.

"Nerevar?"

"Yes?"

"Is...that a collar around your neck?"

He stiffened, and tried to duck his head a bit. "No."

"It IS!" she said, "Nerevar, you're--oh! Right! That reminds me!"

"Reminds you of what?" He felt a slight swell of panic at the piercing eagerness of her tone.

"Voryn said when you got me out to tell you something."

"What's that?"

She leaned up to speak quietly, directly against his ear. "Good boy."

(Nerevar was glad she wasn't sitting on his lap, for his reaction to those words would have been all too obvious.)

[solarishashernoseinabook]

Could you expand on what you said in a post about libraries about the big 5 publishers screwing over libraries in terms of digital lending rights?? I’ve not heard of that at *all* and im generally pretty caught up on publisher news, so I think theres a pretty big library-shaped hole in my sources lol

All righty, a couple disclaimers here. One, this is from a Canadian library perspective, so idk how well it applies to the US. Two, I don't work in the collections department at my library, so I'm basing this off what I remember from class years ago

(also clarifying that I'll be referring to ebooks and audiobooks collectively as digital books just to make it easier)

But in short, the Big Five publishers only very reluctantly put up with libraries having physical books, and one of the reasons they do that is because only one person can have a physical book at a time. Digital books, though? Why, if a library has a copy of one of those, hundreds of people could read it at a time! That's profits they're losing! How terrible!

But, well, selling to libraries is still a sale, so the companies sell to them but restrict it as much as possible. One, libraries pay much more for digital books than your average consumer. I don't have the exact number, but it's significantly higher. Two, unlike a physical book, which a library can have rebound if it's popular but hard to find, and which could conceivably last years if it's hardcover or paperback binding, digital books have severe limits on them. Maybe the library can only buy one "copy" of a digital book - i.e., only one patron can use it at a time. That digital copy artificially expires after 20 loans or 2 years, whichever comes first. Got a waitlist of 50 people waiting to read the latest Alexander McCall Smith book? Too bad! 30 of them are gonna have to go without! Do you have a moderately popular book by Danielle Steel, which gets borrowed every couple of months? Sorry! You've had it for two years, so it's gone now! Better buy a new copy!

Now, this is the case on digital platforms like Libby/Overdrive. Each digital book acts the same as a physical book, except that most of them go away after a certain amount of time. Certain public domain books might be a one-time buy for libraries, but for the most part, every loan, every week that goes by is chipping away at a digital book's life. Certain digital platforms - Hoopla, for example - have what's called "simultaneous use" policies - maybe you only have one ebook copy of a book by Agatha Christie, but every library patron can read it at once. The trade-off for this is that my library has to pay a certain amount for every person currently reading or listening to a book on Hoopla. We have a daily budget that can't be exceeded. Every week we field calls from people who, one afternoon, wanted to open up Hoopla, but were told they couldn't take out any books - because too many of my library's 40 000 active patrons had also decided to enjoy a book that day. And not every publisher even allows simultaneous use licenses, or they don't allow it on all of their titles

A final reminder to this very long post: please do not boycott Libby or Hoopla over this, I beg of you. Your libraries are pouring a lot of money into them because they're being used. Instead, put pressure on the big five publishers to make their digital books accessible, and vote in your municipal elections to get libraries more funding so we have more budget to put into those items. An easy way to increase your library's funding is just to spend a bit of time a week in there. Hang out with your friend for a few hours, just walk in and look at the shelves, or sit there and use their free wifi to play games on your phone. Digital books are here to stay, and libraries are important for getting those books into people's hands

[bakedbakermom]

making a hard decision today

so before momlife, i was the owner of a small business making silicone mermaid tails. here's one of my favorites, modeled by the client who commissioned it.

it was fun, fulfilling, creative work that i mostly loved (outside of a few really hard clients).

then child came. these tails were labor-intensive, as you can imagine, and there were some processes that lasted 4+ hours with no way to take much of a break in between - not exactly a schedule conducive to momming an infant. plus some of the chemicals i use really should not be in any kind of contact with a baby, and no matter how carefully i ppe and wash up after i just didn't feel safe. daycare was more expensive than what i made selling tails, so husband and i decided that i would stay-at-home mom for a few years and put the tail business on hold.

we started kiddo in daycare right around the time she turned 3, because she needed the social development and i needed to be more than a mom. i started cleaning up my studio (spare room in the basement), making some new sculpts, prepared to reopen...

then covid. preschool shut down. no one has money for tails. fuck.

since then i have tried several times to get my business back up and running. each time there's been an illness or an injury that set things back. facebook and instagram, where i used to post religiously to try and catch clients, have devolved into a nightmare that i just do not have the energy to navigate, not to mention the skin-crawling ick factor of that horrid corporation using my and my clients' hard work to create ai to drive real humans out of business. the mermaid community has changed as well, with everyone trying to be the next big name, and i am lost in a sea (pun intended) of other micro-makers and can't get traction.

my studio has become a graveyard of half-finished moulds, accessories that never sold, expired supplies purchased for a comeback that never came back. it bums me out every time i go in there, and the prospect of starting again does things to my insides that i should probably listen to.

i need creativity in my life to stay sane, but i have learned in the intervening years that creating for money sucks the joy out of it.

i think... i think it's time to quit for real. every august i get a letter from the small business arm of the secretary of state to renew my llc and i'm sitting here staring at it and thinking, why. why should i pay $100 a year to renew a license for a business that hasn't made a single sale in 8 years. why should i go back to something that sucks up all my time and energy that gives me nothing back anymore. why should i have an entire room in my house that i can't go into or even think about too hard because it makes me weep to feel like a failure? (i know i'm not a failure, but no one said feelings were rational okay.)

i made beautiful things. i met wonderful people. i had fun. but i think it's time to let go.

[dungeonegg]

Kust wanted to give you all a quick little update about how things have been going. This is gonna be a bit long so I'll do the cut thing here.

A couple weeks ago, my mom asks me if we can afford car payments to go up because she wants to trade in the leased car for a new car. I tell her if it's really what she wants, we'll figure it out. So the dealership orders in a new car for her. Then three days ago, she shows me the back of her phone because she noticed an issue with it.

Not sure if the photo will post but if not, the glass over her camera on the back if somehow perfectly shattered over one of the lenses and a bit in a few other spots too. Major safety issue. She did end up getting glass feom it in her finger at one point. So on top of a new car, new phone needed. So off to the provider we go the next day to get a new phone. During that process, mom decides we're updating mine as well since neither of us have updated in like five years or so. Because it was late when we got there, they couldn't activate or transfer things same day so we get an appointment to come back the next day to do that.

So yesterday was the appointment. I let my coworkers know that hey, need to leave pretty much right when we close to go to this appointment as it's like a 30 minute drive to get there. Around 230 or so my one coworker comes back from lunch with a thing of canned air to clean his station which is right next to mine. He then decides to experiment with it by holding it upside down and spraying coins. Not a big deal. Next thing j know, he's frozen his pen.

Apparently the combined smell of chemically frozen ink and way too much canned air in a sort of small space was too much for me. So I start coughing. Trying to help someone cash their check and I keep having to stop to cough. But get that done and go to the other room to put away cash. Bear in mind, at this stage I've already told coworker he's never allowed canned air again and he's apologized several times. Can't stop coughing. Go to break room to sit for a moment and get something to drink, help with the cough. One of my other coworkers is there and just kinda staring at me like "dude, wtf" so I tell him what happened. He immediately gets worried and tells me to sit and do I want him to kick first coworker, because he will. Give mom a call to let her know what happened. During the call, start trying to clear my throat. By this point, I'm coughing, hacking, and gagging. Apparently I can give the exorcist a run for their money, according to my coworker and it sounds like I'm possessed by the devil. Nearly throw up. Mom tells me to stop outside so I can get some fresh air, which helped a bit so I go back inside to sort money and sell to vault.

Continue coughing. So I go make some tea and send possibly the most British texts (my mother is 1/2 British, 1/2 Irish) I have ever sent in my life: 'making tea. Coworker is never allowed canned air again'. Normally when I make tea, there's milk and sugar in it but since the only milk there is expired by three months, I threw out the milk and just added a TON of honey with the sugar. Not my favorite taste but not bad and it seriously helped so much. My poor coworker who'd brought the canned air kept apologizing. Later, I was telling my boss what happened only to wind up explaining that you're not supposed to shake canned air, which apparently she has done every time she uses it.

Anyway, get out of work, go to phone appointment, that takes about an hour, then off to dealership so we can get the new car. We were there for a couple hours to get paperwork and everything finished up. Luckily there wasn't too much because mom had been earlier and done a bunch of it but car wasn't ready then which is why we had to go back. Have been sporadically coughing the entire time.

Did manage to get a bit of progress on a little drabble thing for Dungeon Egg that I'm using as a way to get a better grasp of some of the characters. Honestly it deals with a bit of a spoiler for one of them so probably won't be releasing it for a while still but I will release it eventually.

I promise, I'm still working on the demo! Not entirely sure when I'll have it up hut hoping to do so within the next couple weeks or so. No promises other than you guys will know as soon as it's available!

[myfckingnameisnuwanda]

CH.2 Money Doesn’t Fall From the Trees

November 21, day 15.

Hey, mom.

I’m sorry to say we are no closer to finding out how to go back than in my first letter.

It’s been two weeks now, and Sam is getting out of his dissociative state. He now interacts more with Other Mia. I think he wants to make her his girlfriend after her and Sammy’s terrible break up. I know he doesn’t want to hear it, but Jake, Felix and I know it’s not going to work. He also avoids his Other Family like the plague.

Not that I fault him. I don’t think interacting with our Other Families is doing any good to the rest of us. Seeing them makes me miss you all even more. And Felix seems almost obsessed with Oscar. Jake is starting to avoid his Other Parents, too. I think he fears his Other Mother may put a restraining order on him.

I think I also should get away from my Other Family.

I’m trying to be objective here.

They are not my family.

They don’t owe me anything. And they have done plenty enough to help already. We are not their responsibility, and we can’t expect them to take care of all of us much longer.

To be honest, I may never have put myself in their shoes in the first place if it wasn’t because I found Other Nai Nai’s account book yesterday. They are losing a lot of money on us. Feeding us and clothing us. Not even helping them out in the restaurant will help, since they have the regular workers too.

We also can’t keep eating exclusively chinese food every day, I’m going to get sick. I’m grateful, but, also, I very much can't keep eating it anymore. I want mac and cheese so bad.

And that’s without mentioning dumpster food. The last donut Jake ate left him stuck in our bathroom for ours. Or at least I suspect it was the donut. It may have been the carbonara sauce (it was just the sauce, mom. A packet of 250mg of expired carbonara sauce) but Sam also ate that and he was fine. Though, Sam’s stomach could be an object of research for scientists.

What I'm trying to get at is; we should start looking for jobs.

I talked to the boys about this last night. They agreed with me after I explained my reasoning behind it.

Jake says he will look for a job at the convenience store, since he can probably get away with taking all the recently expired food to the cabin. He is out right now, talking with the manager. He should get it, after all, they always have that big job advertisement in the window besides the door.

Felix said he would look in the records store, or the library, but he seemed unconfident about getting the job, for some reason. Maybe he fears he won’t get a job because of his appearance?

I just got to the cabin after visiting Other Nai Nai with the news that we were looking for jobs, and she offered me one, as a waiter or a delivery guy. I rejected her offer, but asked her if she would accept Felix or Sam for the job. She looked at me like she knew exactly why I rejected her, and accepted.

But it can’t be on delivery, because we don’t have any form of transport or licence to use one, and Sam’s stolen skate isn’t something Other Nai Nai accepts to deliver food. Too unsafe, she said.

But, anyways, these days, when I’m not in town or with the boys, I walk down the stream of the river besides the cabin more often than not. And in the past week, I have been meeting this old man that spends his afternoons fishing. He talks about fishes, and rows, and bait, and I listen and nod.

It’s interesting, and I’ve never felt this close to nature. I’m sure you would be against it, but I’m going to ask the man for a job.

He sells bait and fishing rows, and rents boats out to other fishermen. He also owns a dock in the widest part of the river, where he keeps his rentable boats.

He doesn’t sell fish, though. He says that’s for him and his family.

He gave me a fish three days ago, but I have no idea what to do with a fish that’s not even descaled at the very least. I asked the guys if they knew how to prepare it, but it was futile. We had to let the fish go in the river.

I will ask him to teach me, when I ask him for a job tomorrow.

We will be okay, I believe.

I miss you so so much. I love you, mom.

Tired of chinese food,

Andy.

<- Ch.1-Ch.2 In Betweens

Ch.2-Ch.3 In Betweens ->

Summary

[valeriele3]

Everything I've compiled into my brain so far (Not properly arranged & I might have missed a lot)

All the other au's are connected and there is a space where you can see the different aus with little decorations/knick knacks that matches the world

CH au has a loop

CB's world is basically a self-aware au gone wrong

Noir flowers bloom from noir hearts of hundreds of faes and is a very potent poison to light faes

Purified noir flowers can grant you a wish and the wish doesn't expire a.k.a if you can't think of a wish at the moment you can use it in the future

Normal people/fae cannot enter the forest. The only exceptions are if you have a pure heart or part of both dark and light fae

If you enter a noir will crystalize and the forest will eat you alive and turn you into fertilizer for the flowers

MC and Wataru are very long longgg distanced cousins

MC only exists rn because of the wish of the old faes and it is said that the core fae is the solution to surviving the "catastrophe"

MC's parents didn't want their child to be used as a tool and want to save MC, MC is then put to sleep in a forest(The forest full of noir flowers) made to protect them until the time comes for MC to wake up. (Aira is the one who woke MC up)

When Aira woke MC up MDD Aira was in control/possessed CH Aira

Even though asleep, MC can somewhat interact with the world. MC is the invisible audience that leaves daises or letters for Wataru a.k.a Wataru's first fan is MC

When MC/the invisible audience suddenly disappeared Wataru decided to search for them and found Aira coming out of the forbidden forest with MC

It was here that Wataru decided to "adopt" MC and made MC his cousin

1st and 2nd core fae had a ability of time and space. MC the third core fae has both

Before Kohaku and MC even met, he had a dream of saving someone from falling. We see this happening when MC got sent to the human world and Kohaku catches MC

Wayyy before MC was sent to the human world to collect crystal hearts MC made a ton of candies/sweets for Aira which caused Aira to ask his online friends if they want it. There was so much in fact that his friends started thinking he was selling drugs from how often he asked

Aira then delivered most the candies to Kohaku since Kohaku likes/loves sweets. Over time Kohaku started falling for this mysterious friend(MC) his friend(Aira) had.

Since this is getting too long and all imma cut it off after a few more numbers

The oracles the old fae got is from a dream

In Distorted Party, we see two guys arrive in certain location, admiring an old city, an ancient place. The two guys are Aira and Kohaku and I'm guessing the old city is where the old fae used to live/stay

We see a line "We still have to enter some old fools dreamy-dream". Old fools = Old fae. And the enter some old fools dreamy dream..Could that mean that they'll enter the old faes dream quite literally? Or they could mean the "oracle" since the old faes got the oracle from a dream

If we were to go back near the start (I think chapter 6?) we'll see a static/glitched out post. There are 3 in total and the one talking is most likely Aira

Aira has different nicknames. Ai-Ai for normal Aira and Air-pyon for MDD Aira since MDD Aira would sometimes astral dream(?) into CH au

In Distorted Party Picture/banner there's an alt text. I'm guessing the "Self destruction Left nothing but pain Wish upon a flower Nothing is gain" Is referring to MC trying/wanting to self destruct to save everyone. "Left nothing but pain" might be referring to MC wanting to self destruct again orrr the result of CB's destruction. CB left nothing but pain in his wake. "Wish upon a flower" is referring to when MC made Aira a flower crown made out of purified noir flowers which allows you to make a wish. "nothing is gain" im not that sure about this one

"Shall we form this distorted party and change what is written" Does that mean that they want to rewrite fate? To change the future that has been set for them?

[nochiquinn]

Hey! I added this to the pinned post already, but the company we buy needles through, Pip, is doing gift cards now! These are what we were getting through Amazon before they stopped letting us ship to our address*, and both Kiddo and David say they prefer them over the Relion needles we usually get otherwise. (They also tend to have the correct gauge in stock, which the pharmacy doesn't always.) Pip also sells stuff like alcohol swabs and lancets, and it'd just be really handy to be able to have stuff delivered again instead of having to rely on being able to get to the pharmacy - not always a given since we're all some level of disabled or can't drive.

If this is something you'd like to do to help us out (and it'd be a big help), the gift cards are sold here. At checkout, for "contact email" use nquinngift AT gmail DOT com, and it'll send the gift card automatically. I already accidentally bought one trying to make sure I knew how it worked, so I can confirm it is basically instantaneous, and they don't expire! As always, thank you for any help you give, it all takes just a little bit of weight off our shoulders. 💙

(* it's just needles, it's all needles, I don't know why, I literally ordered a box of needles one day and when I looked the next day there was a "cannot ship to your address" in the info box. I'd had a regular delivery set up for months at that point. I've even called amazon CS and sat there while we went through every. single. brand. and made sure there wasn't a single one I could have delivered. there's no black mark on my account or a new shipping law in my state or anything, it just. broke. highly frustrating.)

[fuzziekins]

As a retail worker, i've seen people bring their non-service dogs into the store A LOT. some will have their dog sitting in the wagon (one dog, who used to come in a lot and i'd make conversation with his owner, nice guy and curious puppy who would always be quiet when i'd talk to them but every once in a while you could just hear him barking from the other side of the store. doggy may have known me and recognized me hence his quiet nature around me, but around other customers? he did not know them, therefore he bark.). some will have their dog in their bag or a carrier. i've seen a few people just outright walk their dog on a leash. i love dogs, have one of my own, but it takes a LOT not to get distracted by them and wanting to go over and say hi to the dog and pet them (although one customer who i helped shop once, after we were done and he was loading the final bag into his car he did say i could pet and talk to his service dog. i proceeded to scratch his head quickly and thank him for letting me shop with him and his owner. and ONLY because i was given permission. otherwise DO NOT DO THIS). Surprisingly, i'm not at work to have fun; i'm there to work. And as adorable as the doggies are, they don't help. I would MUCH rather pet and play with and talk to doggies instead of work.

That being said, i have not only seen dogs in the store. I've seen plenty of people come in with cats as well (which is just as distracting to me and just as difficult to attempt to ignore because adorable fluffy animal so yes, i would love to say hi to adorable fluffy animal and pet it if it will let me). There are only two differences between the cat and dog owners: 1, cats don't make a noise at the other customers, they'll typically be pretty quiet and don't necessarily react to other customers. and 2, 99% of the time they'll be in a carrier unlike the doggies chilling in the actual wagon or walking on their leashes. (the one recent time i've seen otherwise with a cat, a customer came in to buy like 3 things and had her cat in her jacket. literally, her jacket was zippered up and the kitty was sticking its head out from it.)

There was also one time a younger customer who was shopping with their parent, they had a backpack that was really some kinda cage/containment/holder with a couple of baby birds in it but that was one instance and the birds were surprisingly quiet.

I wish we could outright say to all these customers who bring their pets in that, unless they are service animals, they're not allowed in. especially because of all the food we sell. not to mention, the pets that are in the wagons? people put food in those wagons after. these wagons don't get cleaned. so if someone with say, an allergy to dog (or cat) hair used a wagon afterwards? they're in trouble. and so would the store, because it happened on our watch and we didn't do a damn thing about it. but we're not allowed to tell customers "no" (outside of say, "i'm sorry but you can't use this coupon because it expired" or "i'm sorry but we don't have the item you're looking for").

My point is, it's not just dog owners that bring their pets into areas that pets [excluding service pets] are not allowed. It's just that, 9 times out of 10, the dogs will be out in the open and not in a carrier as opposed to, say, cats, and will also verbally react to the other people in the store. Regardless of the type of pet, any animal should not be in a store unless it's a trained and certified service animal.

We gotta do something about the way dog owners behave. No other pet owner is just bringin the pet wherever the fuck they go all the time but for some reason with dog owners they think its fine if they bring their dog to the gym and taco bell and whatever. And you invite a dog owner to your house where youve got your own pets youve got your dog and your cats and whatever it is you have and this dog owner shows up at your door like "oh i brought my dog i hope thats okay hes so sweet youll love him" and it is always the most untrained poorly behaved agressive animal that has ever lived. And we all have to pretend like its acceptable behaviour well im sick of it

[nathank77]

9/15/24

11:44 a.m

The cramping stopped, I've had a sandwich with each pill of my antibiotics. I feel like a fat ass.

For all I know it was brief food poisoning. All I know is I'd rather be a fatty for another 5 days than risk having such extremely painful cramping.. I can lose whatever I gain.

I've been getting a slight pulsating above my left ear today. I've also been having some popping in my ears but not a lot.

My tsh being normal is a good thing, it means I can celebrate the weight loss if the scale was correct that is... but I mean inevitably eating another sandwich a day for a week solid will raise the scale. I'd rather that than having that cramping. I feel bad for women who get extreme cramps for their period cause holy fuck it hurts. I will be off the antibiotic by Thursday and be able to go back to my regular diet.

I'm terrified of going to the eye Dr this week it's far away and idk what she's going to do. I'm worried she will want to poke my eyes......... also I'm prob going to have to do a standard eye exam. I'm wondering if my script went up. I can't afford it. Idk if they will do that but I think it's likely.

Idk what to think about these extract white mulberries as I play a game with less dialogue I believe they aren't as powerful.

Then i think about weed for example- a gram of weed has 30% thc in it. When you buy a vape it has let's say 3.5 grams thc extracted into it to make 80% thc in the vape. But the weed and extracts are regulated by the government... but extracts are a thing....

I'm back on the other brand feeling like its ineffective. Idk....

Then I think of synaptic pruning. And it takes years. It happens when children are growing but happens over life too. So Maybe one day my neurons will return to normal but I doubt it.

I took a little more last night to make sure my circadian rhythm is back to 10:30... I hope tonight I fall asleep easily bc otherwise we are smoking weed..... unfortunately... expired vape weed.... that I want nothing to do with.

I'm lonely. I'm playing silent hill and having a red bull day bc I deserve it but I'm sick of being alone and fighting so hard for this life.

I'm trying alternative ways to bypass hdcp but idk if its possible we will see. As I really want to play shattered memories and silent hill 1.

Idk I'm just feeling unfulfilled....

I did sleep well but I always do on more....I had strange dreams. Katie came back to me. She knew I was her soulmate. I kept thinking what if Elise shows up for me I don't think Katie is my soulmate...

In the dream I was taking care of Nala and keeki.

Beyond that 3 girls were in love with me and moved in, I forgot who they were. They stole all my silent hill games. I kept looking for them.

I dream a lot of my car being destroyed. That didn't happen in my dream. But the most valuable things I own are my car and those silent hill games.

When I die my sister will sell those games never having played them. Instead of cherishing them for what they are some of my most sentimental memories. If I was to die, I'd want them buried with me or given to my children and I'd want them passed down the line. In 200 years they'll be worth millions.... rather than the Hundreds they are worth now... and beyond that they are one of the only things that bring me true joy.

I want my car passed down too. But I have no one to give it to that won't sell it.

All I know is I'm sick of living in a virtual world. I want a real life.

[dollsonmain]

Got up at 3:30 on a day off just to breathe.

Here comes Son. I need alone time. Trying not to cry.

Anyway. Long, long rambly about food storage and handling.

Still EXTREMELY frustrated by the food handling and storage situation at the gas station, like it takes up space in my head when I'm not at work, and trying to remember what made it so efficient at Wegman's. I've probably already been over this I just can't remember. I'm also just like CAN I say anything? Would that go over well or be annoying? I don't know.

They've owned the place since 2020 and have been doing things this way the whole time as far as I know, and also afaik haven't been tracking expiration dates well at all so likely have no idea how much food/money they're wasting or how much expired food they're feeding customers.

I can't tell if Manager has had the food handler's training and is certified. It could be that she is certified but doesn't really care and it's not a place that a health inspector is likely to wander into and catch them.

Granted Wegman's is a food selling place so would care more about food handling and storage than a gas station, and turns pretty big profits so has more to spend on food handling and storage.

Though proper storage would save money over time and likely increase sales because customers would be able to trust they're going to get something "good" every time. Consistency is important to building a good reputation.

-

Storage

The first thing is a place for everything, everything in it's place.

If we were out of cheddar, for example, there would be an empty shelf in the big walk-in cooler. You could see with a glance that we were out of cheddar or that we had 5 blocks left and it was time to order more.

In the gas station, right now, there are 3 boxes of chicken patties. One in the primary freezer, one in the ice cream freezer, and one in the cooler, thawed and moldy. They should all be in the same place. They should all be frozen.

I wouldn't know there were three if I hadn't happened to stumble upon them myself.

The second is clear containers and washable labels.

Cheddar would arrive in cardboard boxes with each 40lb block in it's own plastic bag and each bag had a printed label on it. Cardboard boxes were discarded and the bags stacked on the shelf. This worked because a block of cheddar was a rectangle.

For things that don't stack easily, like olives which arrived in little plastic kegs, when it was time to open a keg they would be dumped out into large, clear, plastic food storage bins and labeled with what it was and it's expiration date. Once that date hit, regardless of what container it was in, it was discarded.

These food storage bins all had lids designed for stacking and it was very efficient to store because you could just stack everything neatly, see the labels, and see what was inside, it's status, and how much there was. If it got moldy or was running low, you could see.

Some for hummus, it came in large bags and was dumped into steel bins to be put onto the olive bar. The detriment to this is that being spread out into a steel bar bin means more surface area, so in the case of the gas station, keeping the sandwich salads in their original, plastic tubs works just as well in the mini fridge as transferring them to bins would. Less surface area in the containers and the round tubs take up about the same amount of space as the rectangular, stacked bins would. However, getting things in and out would be easier with stacked, rectangular bins.

The places where plastic bins would help the most at the gas station are the freezers and the cooler, though usually we don't have any deli stuff in the cooler other than bread. Right now there's lots of meat in there, too.

Don't get me started on how that's being stored. tl:dr it's wrong.

The dirty shipping boxes are put into the freezer as is, then opened, a hole ripped in the bag inside, and we just stick our [gloved] hand into the open bags to get stuff out. It is not ideal. If the box is up on it's end I can't see the label without taking the box out, if the box is lifted out of the freezer the wrong way the product all falls out, and you can't see how much is left without pulling out the whole box and looking inside. Knowing when to reorder is difficult because everything has to be dumped out to see how much is left.

And, since the bags are just open in there, everything gets frostbitten.

The cooler stays at 35F which is actually a bit low for food storage but is ok. One of the fridges (has factory-made sandwiches, lunchables, and small snack cheeses) gets up to 45-48F now and then long enough to be able to feel the change if I stick my arm in, and that's not acceptable, but I can't do anything about it. That fridge's compressor rattles something awful, too. It'll break soon I think.

-

Expiration dates

We get tubs of sandwich salads pre-made and Manager doesn't seem to understand how expiration dates work.

When we make the sandwiches, she wants the ones made with refrigerated ingredients marked for disposal after 7 days (it should be 4), and with frozen ingredients marked for 9 days (it should also be 4 because those ingredients are thawed as they sit in the cooler) (as a matter of fact the tubs should also be discarded 4 days after they're opened).

That's regardless of the expiration date on the pre-made salads or ingredients. Which is wrong.

For example, we had egg and tuna salads that expired on Oct 3 and were still making sandwiches with them on Oct7 because she decided they're still ok because of when they arrived.

Arrival date has no effect on expiration date, it's manufacture date and the expiration date of any individual ingredients when it's manufactured that affect the expiration date.

Anyway, those sandwiches were still being marked for 7 days out.

We got in a new tub of chicken salad but it expires on the 16th. Every sandwich with that chicken salad, regardless of when it's made, should have a disposal date no later than the 16th, but we're still marking them for 7 days out from when they're assembled.

A new-new tub of chicken salad arrived Thursday that expires on the 17th. Anything made with that tub should have a disposal date no later than the 17th. I guarantee they'll be marked 7 days out regardless of when they're assembled.

-

And like, if I were officially put in charge of these things I would implement these changes and put in a request for food bins immediately but I'm not in charge.

I already solved one minor problem. When I first started she would tell me to make as many sandwiches as there was bread in the bag because she hates trying to keep the bread fresh in the cooler.

Buns are in big, long, weirdly shaped bags for restaurants I guess, and they're difficult to close once you've ripped a hole in the middle to get to the bread.

I open the bags on a corner and tie the bags shut when I'm done.

... That was it. I just tie the bags shut, and the bread keeps longer.

Like.....

I'm so frustrated. Just let me fix it......