#unfortunately I have no money and also things are hard to find or access or are expensive

[cr0wc0rpse]

I should be given a monthly allowance so I can buy dolls

[deathbxnny]

hello hello! platonic blade, aventurine and dr ratio with a severely chronically ill teen!reader? like they are prone to passing out and vomiting, and are often bedridden

Sorry for taking so long for this, anon, and thank you for the request!! I hope you'll like this!!<33

Content: Mentions of an unnamed chronical illness, non-descriptive vomiting, blood, angst, teen reader, platonic relationships, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!!

((Not fully proofread))

》DR. VERITAS RATIO

Ratio tries his best to be strong and stern in the face of the inevitable and progressing sickness that was destroying your young body unfairly. It drove him near insane that he couldn't find a long-term cure for it, despite his high intelligence. And so, he simply focused on your comfort instead.

He tries to make your life as easy and accessible as possible. Ratio knows how important it is for you to still be able to do some kid things whilst you still can and therefore attempts to give you those possibilities whenever he can. He's glad that he can use his intelligence to create solutions for anything you want to do but may not be able to on your own.

Despite not looking like it, he doesn't mind staying up with you whenever your sickness is truly killing you on bad days. He has a hard time looking at you when you're suffering, but does his best to be reassuring and calming, even when he finds that difficult. He's used to simply giving solutions and facts to problems. But even so, he'll be right there for you when you need him, no matter how bad things get.

》AVENTURINE

Your suffering kills him on the inside. It really does. He can't bear knowing that you were suffering so immensely without him being able to do anything about it. And despite how much it destroyed him emotionally, he never let his smile slip around you. He knew how important it was that you knew you could rely on him fully without being afraid or ashamed.

Aventurine is glad that he has all the money needed to take care of you perfectly on his own. He spoils you greatly. No matter what it is you want or need, he'll give it to you with no further questions as long as it makes you smile. He sees himself in you in a way and wants to make sure that you have a much happier childhood than he ever did, despite your unfortunate circumstances.

He also practically hires every doctor in the universe to see if there is a way to find a cure anyway. He won't give up on you and could easily bet his life on the fact that he WILL find one. It doesn't matter how much it takes or how long and hard he'll have to work for it. You will lead a healthy and happy life even if he suffers for it.

》BLADE

Despite what people may think, he understands and respects your chronical illness due to Firefly. And whilst your sickness isn't necessarily the same, the pain and suffering you both go through was alike. This made it easier for him to handle it, especially as he didn't let the discomfort he felt during your harder days ever show on him. He doesn't mind if you have to depend on him fully for most things, even if he'll never say it outloud. His actions say enough.

With that said, he does his best to keep you out of the Stellaron Hunters business whenever you can barely stand. The job is challenging as it is for a kid your age, and he therefore will not so rudely tell you to stay in bed and rest. Kafka teases him for caring so much for you, which he denies and simply states that you were needed for the team... but he, too, knew it was a lie. It was clear when he brought you small trinkets or food that he thought you may like. It may not be much, but it's enough for you to smile even on bad days.

His condition is also seemingly incurable, so perhaps he relates to you in some ways, which makes you two bond greatly over it. And whilst there may be no cure for him except for death, he'll attempt to find you one so you can continue living on for him. He considers that fair.

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

Random thoughts:

#notaneconomist (although I do thoroughly enjoy strategy) These are just my own personal observations and conclusions

For some reason my mind has wandered over to the state of the US economy, not hard to understand why given the times

It's the circular nature of the US military being the backbone of US financial stability that has for some reason taken the attention of my wandering mind

This is what has occurred to me:

The backbone of the United States economy is of course its military spending

The US military has a budget larger than the five following countries with the highest spends comparatively combined

We should find it unsurprising given that the majority of what is not internal spending is spent on development in terms of building military vehicles, weapons, firearms etc etc and that the majority of this is done within the private sector

For example: OshKosh builds trucks to transport tanks and also many different types of logistic vehicles, Pokémon Go helping to build a massive global spatial map, Angry Birds data being used to help build a surveillance network, Swarovski making riflescopes etc etc

Anyway, things get contracted out to be built right?

Given that most major corporations operate under much larger umbrellas it would make sense that these companies would have an invested interest and whether or not the US government actively keeps military funding high enough for everyone to get a piece of the pie

Given that internal spending on a product usually requires a profit markup I would imagine that the US government in terms of its military spending is not exactly getting bang for its buck.....(And lord knows they aren't spending it on their veterans).....so of course the business lobby wants to help ensure that they keep getting these high priced contracts to keep their profit margins high while having some sort of other, well I guess a front; like kids toys, or a gaming app, or jewelry to help disguise where it is they're getting a lot more of their companies earnings from

The other thing is that the US government needs to justify to the public the monstrosity of a budget for the military, and in order to do that you need to maintain a level of insecurity; not only in their own country by keeping weapons accessible but in other foreign nations by staging military coups, covertly funding terrorist organisations, staging a proxy war etc etc which of course we all know by now that the CIA helps ensure happens in order to "protect American interests"

So to summarise all of that the backbone of the US economy is basically a giant money laundering scheme run through its military in order to fund its business lobby and as long as the rest of the economy underperforms they were always be able to justify having an intensive military spend in order to prop it up

The worst thing that could happen to its economy is the US actually becoming a peaceful state; it seems to me that the recent events over the past couple of years have alerted the working class to the extent of which they are being squeezed in order to fund this business lobby

Unfortunately, this bubble that they have created around themselves will eventually burst

Even the Baby Boomers are starting to feel the pinch of the water in expense of living in this economy that the Millennials and Gen X have been living through; even the conservative working class are starting to turn on the system that they have been living in

The United Healthcare shooting is a prime example of it

It would seem that the ruling class has squeezed a little too hard and inadvertently started the class war they never wanted all under their own gusto

*slow clap*

[bfpnola]

I am not Palestinian nor am I Jewish. Be that as it may, I hate settler colonialism, even more so as a brown, bi, genderqueer ‘Afab’ person. I just wanted to say. 1) your post on the topic is more empathetic and insightful than I’ve seen a lot of people be about this over my entire life and I���ve asked questions of both sides, I tend to stay out of the fray cause I don’t feel it my place to speak over Palestinians and Jews (who are critical of Israel). But, do you have any advice for being a better ally to Palestinians and combating anti-semitism and anti Jewish racism in the everyday?

hey sweetheart! thank you for your commitment to the movement and your earnestness. i am not Palestinian or Jewish either, so i did what is always considered best: i asked those who are! that's exactly why our Advocacy Committee within BFP exists :)

from one of our Palestinian youth volunteers:

if you have the money to do so, donate to the cause! the unfortunate truth is that to gain access to various resources, things cost money. more specifically, donate to humanitarian aid funds you've done the research for and are sure are doing work on the ground. even better if you can donate directly to those being affected! this includes Palestinians on the ground but also within the diaspora who need self care items, especially for all the work they've been doing educating others. for example, this is an organization this member volunteers with and trusts:

and these are two amazon lists of Palestinian youth within the diaspora:

share posts by Palestinians! the big thing is really just getting the word out, sharing their perspective. Zionist propaganda is hard to penetrate so the least we can do is uplift their voices by sharing!

from one of our Jewish youth volunteers:

understand that not all Jewish people are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jewish. saying the two are equivalent is not only antisemitic but ignores the blatant statistics, like the growing number of anti-Zionist Jewish young adults in the united states for example, or the fact that the biggest supporters of israel are actually evangelicals.

to that same point, know that israel has been purposefully trying to conflate the two in order to then label anyone who does critique the state as automatically antisemitic. it is a tool.

additionally, be careful with the rhetoric you choose to spread & subscribe to (i.e., watch how they describe israel. do they refer to the people as Jews or Zionists? it can tell you a lot about how educated they are and their vague stance on the matter)

my own additions as a longstanding ally and friend of those involved:

learn your history! there is a clear attempt to distort the history of Palestine. learn what Palestine was like before israel's occupation. learn about the way pioneering Zionists openly called Zionism "colonialism" and didn't even try to hide it. learn about how discussions of the Zionist project were discussed roughly 80 years before the Holocaust ever happened. this does not mean that some Jews did not, in fact, move to Palestine in response to such a horrific event, but in the words of a Jewish mutual of mine, israel's rhetoric literally weaponizes Jewish trauma by conflating these two dates in history.

BDS movement! stands for boycott, divestment, and sanctions!

when possible, actually speak to people of Palestinian descent. like seriously. posts are great, but actually speaking to people who are knowledgeable in real time can be so helpful for getting your questions addressed, so long as you are respectful, of course. a great place to do this, not even to advertise, is actually our Discord server linked in our bio @bfpnola

know that language matters, as inconsequential as it may seem. in the words of my Palestinian, Kashmiri, and Artsakhi friends and/or mutuals, when speaking of occupations, we capitalize the occupied people's country (ex. Palestine) while not doing so for the occupier's (ex. israel) to delegitimize them.

learn about Hamas and its history/purpose. here are my notes on two podcast episodes let by Palestinians:

thank you for your ask! im sure i may think of other things later but these are my answers for now.

-- reaux (she/they)

[socstudies]

Hi, as someone who is going to be in their first year of college this fall, I'm curious about the note taking part

Is physical or digital note taking easier?

Is spending money on a laptop nessesary?

What is something you wish you would've done differently during your first year?

Do you have any advice?

If by any chance you see this, your blog and your aesthetic are amazing!

I'm wishing you a wonderful day/night.

If you do decide to reply, thank you in advance <3

helloo! sorry for the late reply & thank u for the ask! :)

ive tried both and i think i prefer handwritten notes, however they both have their pros and cons:

handwritten pros

proven to be better for retaining information

can't get distracted by other tabs

lighter to carry

costs less than a laptop

i've had some classes where we weren't allowed to use laptops so it's good to already be used to taking notes this way

cons:

much slower. sometimes i find im missing stuff and i have to go back to it at the end

have to print out diagrams etc if u want to include them

could possibly lose them, spill something etc

not enough space on desk for both laptop and notebook so u can't get slides up or google something

digital pros:

much quicker

easier to organise & pull up different notes at any time - u don't need to carry around or find older notebooks to be able to study or refer back to past classes

some people make notes directly onto the slides which u would have to print out if u wanted to do by hand

can also use for research and writing essays which u will need a computer for at some point so might as well do everything in one place

cons:

expensive

more stressful if u lose or break it

if u forget to charge it and u don't have paper .......

this upcoming year, im using a combination. most of the time i'll handwrite my notes, but for classes where they talk too quickly i'll type them (it's not worth the stress & extra time having to go back to recordings after). my notes for readings will be annotated straight onto the pdf. i'll be taking pictures of notes to put them all together.

---

unfortunately, i think it is because you'll need computer access to research and write ur essays, as well as to find course information etc. HOWEVER some universities (most?) have laptops that u can borrow and computers in the library, so if u know that you'll be motivated enough to get up and do all of ur work on campus, you could save this cost - bare in mind when u move off campus after first year it might be even harder. definitely look into this if cost is an issue for you! it doesn't need to be a fancy one if u do buy a laptop though, just remember u'll be carrying it around so don't get a super heavy one!

---

as for something i wish i'd done differently: as a sociology student, none of my classes have exams where i have to memorise things, instead it's all essay based. this led me to not 'study' i guess ??? like the stuff that i wrote my essays on, i knew like the back of my hand, but everything else i couldn't remember well. so if ur taking an essay based subject, remember that u still need to study a little & remember these things !! i was so overwhelmed tbh that i forgot about this oopsie!

---

extra advice:

when people say that after u skip one class, u'll skip the rest THEY. MEAN. IT. literally try so hard not to miss class bc you will never go again if u do. my classes would start off with not enough seats for everybody and end up with just a handful of us by the end of term.....

make time for urself !! it can become all consuming, especially if u live on campus, but pls make some dedicated time away from studying !!

u will find ur friends eventually. pls remember that it won't last or be that fun if u stick with friends who u don't have that much in common with just bc they were the first u met. tell me why i was going to bars and clubs with people in first term bc that;s what they wanted to do ????? it's ok to move onto different people bc u will eventually get tired of doing these things u don't like just to be able to hang out with people !! now i go to bookstores and cafes with my new friends and i love it!! don't settle !!

[xxlady-lunaxx]

im bored so uhm have this sngy AU im brainstorming (jk i forgot about, i wrote this like 2 weeks ago yet only remembered when scrolling thru my writing) btw its just like the plot or whatever cuz most of it is supposed to be developing their relationship but i like being vague about that when writing the overall summary 😃 also i wrote this with the intention of only me seeing it so if there’s anything silly no you didnt — im kinda trying to incorporate the regular AU into this AU (which i do often lmfao) so some things are jsut me flailing around trying to make it pass off as natural

so like a song turned on when i was in the car today (2 weeks ago) and then i got this whole ass idea from it 😭

So! SaneGiyuu, modern AU.

Sanemi’s hometown was struck by a sickness that spread like a plague (ok it kinda was). Most of his family got it, except Genya and Sanemi. Wanting the two to have a chance, Shizu (the shinazugawa mother) gave Sanemi instructions and access to her bank account then sent him and Genya off to find a small apartment until hopefully the others recovered. Around this time, Sanemi had recently turned 18 (so it was winter when the family fell sick) and Genya was 13. Unfortunately, of course, the other Shinazugawa’s didn’t make it and Sanemi got a letter from some of the other villagers about this. Following the tragedy, Genya and Sanemi had to make a life for themselves. Obviously it was going to be hard and they were barely going off of what money they had left from Shizu. Sanemi ended up having to quit school so he could find a job, but he encouraged Genya to keep going, promising to help him along the way. Sanemi found a pretty solid job eventually, but as summer rolled by and Genya was out of school, he needed someone to care for him. Which is where Giyuu comes into the story!

Giyuu was living with Sabito—his childhood best friend—half renting half just being a roommate, struggling between university and trying to find a job. He (and Sanemi) were 20 by now. Tsutako had moved away some time ago with her husband and Giyuu wasn’t able to support their apartment by himself, so he had moved in with Sabito (who had assured Tsutako he would ‘take care of Giyuu’). Sabito also went to uni with Giyuu but, of course, had his own life. Giyuu was having trouble finding a job but he came across Sanemi one day, who spoke of needing someone to care for his younger brother while he was out working. Giyuu offered immediately to help and Sanemi was ever the grateful for it, hiring him as a babysitter. As it turned out, all Giyuu needed to do was be there and make sure Genya didn’t do anything stupid because Genya wasn’t of age yet and needed caring for. So Giyuu went on with school/finding small jobs here and there.

As time flew on, he became closer to the Shinazugawa’s. At one point he had fallen asleep doing some of his schoolwork while watching over Genya. Next thing he knew, Sanemi was shaking him awake. Sanemi was very forgiving about him falling asleep ‘on the job,’ and said Genya behaved anyway. Then he pointed out the homework Giyuu had been doing. As it turned out, Sanemi wasn’t going to school and had dropped out to support himself and Genya. Of course, if he had any other choice he would’ve stayed in school. So he requested Giyuu to give him some lessons—like tutoring—just so he could learn more. He promised to pay Giyuu double what he was already paying him so, of course, Giyuu accepted—rushing home and asking Sabito how to teach someone later.

Giyuu and Sanemi’s relationship progressed and they started referring to themselves as friends, even inviting each other over just for idle talk when they found the time. Sanemi probably started catching feelings first, touched by Giyuu’s willingness to help (whether or not it was for the money), and just finding it refreshing to have a friend. After leaving his village, Sanemi would’ve left his friends as well (Masachika?) and then he wouldn’t have anytime for things he deemed unimportant like friendship—though he did everything he could to make sure Genya had all the friends and freedom he wanted. So having someone just being there for him and actually helping him so much, both as a sort of job and just because he could? Sanemi definitely found himself drawn towards Giyuu, and it was more than just his lack of social life.

Giyuu took a little longer to come to terms with his feelings, which could be interpreted as falling for Sanemi a while after in one light. Most likely he had thought Sanemi as a ‘compelling individual’ but nothing more than a friend—at least consciously. He hadn’t thought about feeling romantic feelings towards Sanemi, simply because he had never come to terms with the fact that he was gay. In most of his life, Giyuu had tried forcing female love interests onto himself, confused about why he never seemed to like anyone. Tsutako had never been homophobic, of course, she was probably bisexual anyway, but the topic had never surfaced and therefore Giyuu was mostly sheltered from anything more than male/female couples. He never understood crushes so, expectedly, when he gained feelings for Sanemi, he ignored all the signs and called it close friendship.

However. Sanemi confessed to Giyuu almost a year after they had met. It would be summer, now, and the two had aged another year (both 21 and Genya at 16.) Giyuu was stunned silent but this is what got the little silly cogs working in his brain and he began the quick ascent towards coming to realizing that he actually liked Sanemi. Given that he’d never known he’d liked anyone before, Giyuu was obviously reluctant to get in a relationship now. But Sanemi was so sweet and forgiving with him that he wanted to try it out and then confessed to Sanemi, hoping the feelings were still reciprocated (and they were!)

And uh pretty much the end. Happy ever after ✨ (and sabito like: wtf are you getting a job or boyfriend.)

little extra! sabito and giyuu met through Urokodaki who was a daycare teacher and had adopted Sabito. The two had been practically inseparable since then.

[literarynecromancy]

𝒢𝓇𝒾𝓂𝑜𝒾𝓇𝑒 ❤ He/They/She ❤ Main Blog (Re)Introduction

Quick Overview

Heyo - My name is Grim(oire) and I'm a writer trying to get back into the habit of things! This is just where I'm going to store writing tidbits and maybe even post some of my original stuff on occasion.

(I'm also hoping to make a writing buddy or two so we can bounce ideas and hype each other up - but I'm almost effectively a social hermit so that is rather....hard. 😅)

I'm big on:

Fantasy, Mystery, & Romance as genres to both read & write

Worldbuilding waaay too in-depth

Tropes like Became Their Own Antithesis, Dark Magical Girl, & Jerk w/ a Heart of Gold

Many different fandoms (I grew up in a cinephile household) & their stories

❤️Quick Access to my pieces❤️

--Works In Progress & Tagging System Under Cut--

(Edited 05/23/2024)

All Things Concerning Chaos

An unimaginable evil once sealed away is unleashed upon the world due to the fuck-up of one man and his band of thieves. To make the situation worse, he drags the name of his ex down with him and get her and her daughter into just as much trouble by naming them as conspirators. Given prison collars and a time frame of three years they are tasked with finding this evil and resealing it before their time is up and the collars take their lives. ○Steampunk cities, trains, cults, and witches. All set in a world that takes place post an apocalypse. ○Diverse cast of over 12 notable characters! ○Told over the course of three different novels.

Death Rattle

Business partners Roswell and Necro work on cases involving feral Cryptalters that would take the Law & Order branch ages to figure out. With one of them being a Cryptalter himself and the other using a drug called Witchblood to gain Cryptalter-like powers: they make for a good one-two punch out of problems. But things are starting to heat up in the city. A known gang has gained a new head and working with outsiders to make life hell for the average Cryptalter and Ros and Necro are dragged into all of it fairly quickly. Especially when it seems like family is getting involved. ○Urban fantasy in a world that's trying to change with the times. ○Features characters that have lived rent-free in my and my partner's brains for over a decade. ○First book in a potential series!

The SKC Project (Working Title)

Murderers Will Foreman and Tina Greene meet due to playing the same underground game in which you get points for killing. The winner of this game takes home a disgusting amount of money and there are only two rules: 1) Do not harm other players 2) Do not get caught Unfortunately for them, they are having trouble with both of these rules. ○Will be released for free via AO3 or some other similar way ○Bad people doing very bad things ○Love letter to the early 2000s

Aesthetic Tag - For inspiration or general aesthetic things Haha Tag - For the funnies Resource Tag - for resources Advice Tag - for advice Askbox Games - to send some asks for me That Hopeful Thread - inspirational things to help keep me going Other Writers: Intro - Other writeblr's introductions Other Writers: Writing - Other's writing pieces Other Writers: Cool Shit - Other cool shit about other's projects ATCC: Funny - funny things about or reminding me of ATCC ATCC: About - Things about ATCC ATCC: Helpful - Helpful things for me to use for ATCC

Death Rattle: About - Things about Death Rattle and the world

[homosociallyyours]

This is a post for one of my best friends who's been going through a lot for the past few years. I'll go into more details below, but here's the heart of the matter: My friend has a serious auto-immune condition resulting from the long term after effects of cancer treatments (worsened now by the addition of long COVID to her long list of diagnoses). Over the past few years, she's gotten sicker and sicker and has been forced to change her diet from a vegetarian anti-cancer diet (she's a breast cancer survivor, and fought HARD for her health) to one that's become more and more limited as her body becomes allergic to every food one by one. She's now reached a point where one of the last 2 foods that she was able to eat safely, chicken, is causing an allergic reaction; she has to eat it anyway to survive, so is now very sick all the time.

What can you do?

One of the last hopes that she has to turn things around is something called a fecal microbiome transplant, which has worked miracles for other people with similar issues, but cannot currently be accessed through medical channels in the US for any but one (unrelated) condition. It's really easy to do as a DIY treatment though, it's just hard to find a donor: so we are putting it out there to see if one of you might be able and willing to be that person, or know someone who could do it.

Here is what she has to say about the ask:

Finding the right person to do this is difficult, but actually doing the helping is extremely easy and quick if someone was that person! If you live in the continental US and are fortunate enough to have both physical and mental good health (or know someone or have a child who fit the criteria) and are willing, you might be able to change my life! Please consider clicking through to read more and maybe even come aboard...  (For clarity: this isn't a medical procedure or anything, it is literally just donating poop, there are a few specifics but it is very much from the comfort of your home on your own time.)

You can click here to fill out a google form to see if you might be able to be a donor. The questionaire is detailed: fecal transplant is a bizarre and magical thing in which the patient sometimes can even end up acquiring personal preferences from the donor- the gut microbiome (sometimes called the second brain) is incredible! But this means that any illness, chronic issues, or risk factors you carry may also be transferred to the recipient so while it may feel invasive, getting detailed info in very necessary; I am just too sick already to take on any more problems.

A note- yes, it is possible to buy screened and processed treatments even in the US: unfortunately the cost (~$2k per round of treatment) is way outside my reach, particularly given that it isn't really any better than just getting poop directly from a good candidate (proven via studies), and that often it takes trying a couple donors/ rounds to find a match that gets results. If anyone wants to just buy me that stuff, I sure wouldn't say no to that, but given the severity of my situation (medical and financial; I cannot work due to disability) it is likely I will need to do medical fundraising at some point and I am trying to save that for an even worse point. Also if you have that kind of money to help out honestly it would be better spent on specialists or my astronomical food costs. I will cover all costs associated with this process if I find someone though, of course!

Thank you for reading/boosting/etc, please consider sending the link to possible healthy friends or family who might be a fit, or consider whether you have a child fitting the bill you might be willing to enlist- young microbiomes are the best ones, as children's systems have had less time to be ravaged by the effects of the modern world or the simple deterioration of age.

[mr2swap]

the Great shift:hell called "Chuck"

-Chuck, are you serious?- At any other time I wouldn't mind my fat old stepdad scratching his balls in public, but now that we've swapped bodies things have changed for both of us.

Unfortunately thanks to the Great shift I landed in my stepfather's shitty body and since then I have lived as an obese old man with a gray unkempt beard, oversized soccer jerseys, and this terrible old man scent coming from my whole body, at first I thought it was Chuck's horrible natural scent but now that I have his body deodorant seems to not affect this 60-year-old man's body.

And while I have to live in this hell called "Chuck" he has taken over my life, I quit my job, he broke up with my girlfriend, he took over my friends! I have nothing left that is only mine! Since I got into this body I haven't seen any of my bros in the gym or the girl I was dating and I'm pretty sure Chuck hasn't told anyone that we were affected by the big change and I feel humiliated all the time for Chuck and his new and fit body.

-oh... I'm sorry boy, it's that I shaved my balls last night and it itches like hell...- Since my stepfather has my body he does nothing but get angry, at first it was torture, he kept massaging his muscles, smelling them, and kissing them in front of me every time we were in the same room and walking around the house showing off my huge cock like it was a trophy.

While I have to make do with the dick I now have hidden under this hairy belly and I still can't believe my mother married this fat bastard, although at least she doesn't have to see what her "husband" does to her "stepson"

I've been living like an obese old man for 3 months, and it doesn't seem like the government or anyone knows how to fix this, maybe I should just get used to this…for me and my health.

-Hey boy!, I completely forgot I'll use the car tonight so I'll just change my sweaty clothes and go with some friends for some drinks so don't wait up for me…-

It sounds more and more tempting to reveal the truth to my old friends, none of them know that they are actually partying with my elderly stepfather instead of me. But… Jesus!, I'm so embarrassed that anyone finds out about this that I'd rather they all continue to believe I'm old-fashioned, overweight Chuck.

-Oh! and if you want you can go to the motel next door you know why If the noises bother you I plan to bring someone in the evening and I would not like you to disturb us in the middle of the action-

But that's not the worst, I can't believe that even though I have my stepdad's pathetic dick now, he's hard all the time! And Chuck seems to take advantage of the fact that he knows I'm gay and that he has my extremely hot body.

-But if you promise not to make any noise, maybe I could leave the door a little open for you "Chuck"… of course, as long as our secret remains standing.-

At least "Trevor" seems used to my body and my life. I just wish he would stop being a jerk and stop using my body to get rich at the gay club in town, he's not even gay! He only uses my reputation in the club to bring drunk guys to our house, let them suck my old dick and take the money from their wallets.

Hey! You can support me to continue creating stories, see similar stories on my patreon, you can also join my discord if you are interested in role-playing about bodyswap, possession and transformation, m2m!

[wings-of-ink]

If you're still looking for thoughts on Patreon: I haven't subscribed to many Patreons before, but so far it's been for extras + early access. Unfortunately I don't have enough money to subscribe to everyone I want to or for long periods of time, so I normally dip in for 1 or 2 months when something is released, cancel my subscription, and resubscribe at a later date.

It seems like people are willing to pay more for RO content (like side stories & RO POVs), nsfw content, + early access. So those might be ideal to place at higher tiers? I've also seen some creators do tiered early access. Like the highest tier will get the demo update 1 month early, then the next tier 3 weeks early, etc. with the lowest 1 week before it's released to the public. That might make the higher tiers worth it over the lower tiers, instead of giving them all the same amount of early access.

One concern is that some creators get burnout from having to create all the extra content for Patreon. I think a lot of people underestimate how much time & effort it takes and it may not be worth the payoff (depending on how successful the patreon is). I'd also be concerned that with Patreon extra content + multiple new WIPs there won't be much time left for the main game and it's likely progress will slow down. I've seen this happen many times before, even without Patreon it seems like most creators who have multiple WIPs don't end up finishing any of them.

Absolutely, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, I appreciate that a lot.

The feedback I've had has given me some ideas on how to streamline what I would do. When I've done Patreon for others, I've rotated support between the projects that resonate with me the most as well. There's so many to pick from, I can't blame anyone for popping in once every so often instead of staying subbed. If you have the ability to afford it, more power to you, but most of us just don't.

Those key benefits are really what I'm wanting to focus on. I do like the idea of a tiered early-access too especially for peeps who just want that.

Patreon burnout is something I want to work hard to avoid; I've seen other creators struggle and stop enjoying their arts too. I want to do this in a way that I can produce things for you to enjoy in a way that is still enjoyable for me too. This is my passion and I don't want to turn it into "work."

I have the benefit of probably being less busy than most others who do this, at least as far as I can tell. I'm married with no children and no plans for any either. I'm older, out of college and settled in the drudges of a career. I've been at my job long enough I could do it in my sleep and it doesn't cause me a ton of stress at this point. When I work on the IF or on Tumblr, it's because I want to and it drives me - it's a form of entertainment for me as well. I'd rather do this than watch TV or scroll mindlessly. Even before I started the IF, I'd get comfy and just write something all evening, lol.

I do also have a tendency to take too much on because I get excited, so I'm using the info I've gathered to help me roll things back and keep myself realistic. So, I've determined that anything I do will be reserved to just a few tiers. We can always grow bigger later. I still do plan to rotate up to 3 projects. The second is to keep me from burnout on GC, and the 3rd is simply an outlet for me that I think others will find entertaining as well.

I have some solid time available coming up in October for me to hammer things out more definitely, so I'll be posting more around then about it. ^_^

Thanks again, my dear!

[mrhaitch]

Hello there again,

(X-files anon)

My partner is also a full-time teacher that works almost exclusively in supported learning, but he leans more towards physical and intellectual disabilities rather than behavioural concerns (though he has experience).

My question is, do you experience compassion fatigue and burn out? If you do, how do you handle it?

My partner tends to take on all of the weight from work and it hangs over him pretty bad, he can’t seem to shake it. Especially as it gets closer to the end of the year.

Would you also have any advice for me about providing better assistance at home when he’s feeling like this?

I feel as though i’m there physically for him, cooking and cleaning among other things, but emotionally it’s a little tricky as I am also studying two degrees simultaneously and we’re both utterly exhausted by the end of the day.

Thanks.

Sometimes - especially where individual cases are overwhelmingly bad and it feels like there's no seam to grab onto. Every student will have some crack in their armour, or something solid and stable to hang onto even if everything else is shit.

Unfortunately, for a lot of my students this isn't the case. Some of them are in care, some of them are estranged from an abusive or violent or neglectful parent. Some of them are in the orbit of gangs or have previously been involved with gangs. Some have substance abuse issues, others have cripplingly bad mental health issues and it's a coin toss whether they can hear you when you try to reach out to them.

In a single class I had a student confess they were homeless, that their dad is violent, their mum is taking money from their account, and a whole myriad of stuff.

You do get tired, at the end of the day. Especially when you've spent that whole time being calm while a bunch of kids with conduct disorder are yelling at you because you've decided today's the day they need to work on their spelling when they just want to be plumbers or electricians or mechanics.

Fundamentally what helped me was setting a boundary: I can't help them from home. I don't have access to our safeguarding systems, I can't talk to them, etc. outside of my working hours. From the start of the school day to the end - that is my window to make a difference. In the time between school days I need to take care of myself. I need to go to the gym, read books, work on my novel, spend time with my wife - do anything I can to make myself whole again so I'm ready to be there for them when they need me.

Of course, you'll still find yourself thinking about those students during your downtime and it's important not to beat yourself up for it - but also to keep things practical. Nudge the thoughts towards actions: what am I going to do? What can I do? Rather than going round and round thinking about how shit things are for them.

How to support someone who has to deal with that? The little things. A touch, a cup of coffee with a smile, making two minutes to talk to them about how they're feeling. Those little comforts can really help you step out of your head and remember you're not facing those challenges alone, in the same way that those things make all the difference to students with a difficult life. In a few weeks I've managed to take a bunch of unmanageable students and get them working and progressing just by being calm, praising them when they dig in and work hard, and not browbeating them for being themselves.

They'll be okay.

[coinandcandle]

Toss a Coin to Your...Coin?

Howdy! You know me as Coin from coinandcandle, but what you might not know is that I'm a college student in his mid-twenties who works part-time at a library and as a DJ assistant.

I spend a lot of time and energy putting together my informational posts and resources for folks to use. None of this involves my day job nor my major in school--I do it because I love researching and I remember when I started out it was so hard to find beginner-friendly easily-understandable posts about topics other than the basics.

This means I'm spending my personal free time researching, writing, and curating the content to make it easily digestible.

In our capitalistic hellscape, "time is money" which is unfortunately true. You've probably seen a reduction in content due to my having to work overtime to support myself.

So, if you like my content and would like to support me, please consider leaving me a tip, or sharing my ko-fi page (where you get access to things like early access content, exclusive content, and more).

On ko-fi you can tip me as little or as much as you like, anything helps and everything is appreciated. You can also become a monthly supporter and gain access to even more content!

You can also check out my ko-fi shop where I sell deity deep dive requests, custom sigil commissions, and cartomancy readings.

That said, if you don't have the money please don't feel pressured, you need to take care of yourself first. Please consider reblogging this post instead <:

BUT if you have a little extra money and would like to help support your local witchy researcher, maybe toss a coin to your friendly Coinandcandle. ;D

[nokkiart]

I’m so glad that you had a lovely time in Tokyo!! Bring me in your suitcase next time? /j <3

What’s your advice for travelling on your own???

This is probably going to be a long one, so I apologize in advance 😅 Here's some advice that has helped me on my solo trips to Korea and Japan:

• Do research on where you're going. See what's allowed in the country (especially if you're bringing medications). Read up on other people's travel experiences in that country. Know what kind of transportation you'll need to use there and how to access it (trains, buses, taxis, rental cars). Make sure you have a bit of an idea of what to expect when you get there, so culture shock won't hit you hard.

• Have foreign currency *before* you leave. Chances are you'll need it as soon as you land at your destination.

• Make sure you have a power adapter/wall charger in case they have different outlets. A back up phone charger and pocket wifi is also a must!

• Find points of interest that you might enjoy visiting and make a private Google map with all those places marked. Then if you're in an area that happens to have a lot of your interests in it, you can tackle them all at once. This was my map for Tokyo! I made two separate lists; one for places I wanted to visit, and one for restaurants I wanted to try.

Unfortunately I didn't get to visit all of these because my trip was only 5 days. But it gave me a good idea of areas I could go to hit multiple points of interest!

• Make sure all your legal documents are valid. Passports, visas, licenses, etc. Make sure you know what documents you need to enter that country. Also bring a photocopy of those documents just in case something happens to the original.

• Get travel insurance. It's cheap and easy to get. And if something goes wrong, you'll be completely covered to be flown back home.

• Do what you can to keep yourself safe. You can buy personal safety items or read up on self defensive measures to take while traveling. I have this little siren doorstop, so if anyone tries to come into my hotel room, it not only blocks the door from opening but also emits a 120db siren to scare anyone off.

And it works *very well*. I nearly deafened myself when testing it XD

• Always be alert and aware of your surroundings. Tourists are easy targets for pickpockets because we're so distracted by everything (especially in big, tourist heavy cities).

• Never tell anyone that you're traveling alone. Book your hotel room for 2 people (its the same price as single rooms anyway). And give your hotel info to someone back home that you trust so they can know where you'll be.

• Trust your gut instinct too. If you're getting bad vibes off someone, just walk away and distance yourself from them.

• Don't be afraid to try new things! New foods, music, dancing, shows, festivals, etc. Just get out there and see things you've never seen before!

• This is kinda a personal preference one, but *avoid* tourist spots. So many people line up to take the same pics in the same tourist trap locations, waiting hours just for nothing. Instead, speak to locals and do things they recommend! Or just wander around and see what you stumble across. Touristy areas tend to have more expensive prices for everything anyway, so you'll save money going elsewhere! XD

• Allow your plans to change based on what you personally feel like doing in that moment. Don't force yourself to stick to a travel itinerary.

• Bring snacks just in case your tum craves something familiar. I usually stick to granola bars or Biscoffs since they last a while.

• If you're going somewhere that has a different language, learn the basics in that language. Knowing how to say "hello", "yes", "no", and "thank you" will help you so much! And locals tend to love seeing tourists put an effort into trying to communicate with them in their language.

• Also be patient. There will be times when there will be confusion between you and other people. That's just what happens when two different cultures meet. But don't get mad. Try calmly working thru the confusion and see if you can figure something out.

• On that same note, BE KIND. You are a guest in someone else's home. You have no right to demand things to be a specific way. Respect their rules, even if it doesn't make sense to you. Be grateful that you have this amazing opportunity that so many others may never have.

Solo traveling can be pretty intimidating. But if you plan and prepare everything well before you leave, your trip will be so much more enjoyable!

Let me know if you have any other questions about solo traveling! I want you guys to have safe and fun trips too!! ^^

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Hey Ralph! I was wondering if you have any advice on dealing with the new year coming. I often get really anxious around the new year bc of all the productivity, must be better, must level up, must change yourself tremendously, must learn new things and try new hobbies and don’t quit kind of atmosphere that comes around this time of year. I hate it but fall for it every year and just feel bad about myself. I always with resolutions with things I genuinely want to do, but it always feels so daunting. I always feel such immense pressure to be better but never actually stick to it anyway so I feel like a failure. I feel like there’s something wrong with me. But I can’t accept that there are other perspectives. I also get a lot of pressure from family to get a new job, make more money, read self help books, etc. all throughout the year and it just ramps up during this time. I hate it but still feel the pressure to follow these ideas. Have you ever experienced something like this and if so how do you deal with this?

Oh anon - I'm so sorry your brain and people around you are fucking you up in this way. Sending heaps of love. Sorry this is too late to help with the specific new year's resolution question - but I hope it's helpful.

I definitely have had feelings like this, particularly this time of year. I remember a couple of years where I started feeling like things were going well and then when I hit any obstacle it felt like the entire year was ruined

You're feeling anxiety. And the thing about anxiety is that it's very easy to think that if we just do what it wants - it'll go away. But it doesn't - it asks for more. But at the same time if you fight anxiety it also gets worse. It's very easy to be anxious about something and go "I shouldn't be anxious" and be off in an anxious loop.

The goal, unfortunately, can't be to eliminate those thoughts, but to accept them and therefore minimising their power. It's really hard, and super annoying, but I do think it's the main way through.

A few bits of practical advice:

If at all possible stay away from the worst bits of social media for the next week or so (keep to tumblr where the only new year content I've seen is Virginia Wolf's New Year's Resolutions which were very wholesome). Not in a commitment to improve yourself - but just to stay away from media that reinforces your brainweasels while it's at its worst.

Create space away from your family. What this looks like will depend on what your life looks like. But their pressure will

I really enjoy Oliver Burkeman for this (this is a good sample - there are heaps of his columns at the Guardian and his book 4,000 weeks should be accessible on libby). He's a reformed productivity geek and he's providing an alternative perspective - while acknowledging their power. He has a new year podcast.

If you're thinking about New Year's resolutions next year - maybe think specifically about how to make things easier at this time of year (could you resolve to minimise your exposure to New Year content?)

I hope this help - but the important thing to remember is that you will find your way through this. It might be hard and feel hard today - being a person is often hard. But however this new year's goes, or next, you will learn how to make things work for you a little bit more.

[triviareads]

Any good marriage for convenience romance books?

I actually had a hard time with this one because there are so many historicals where the marriage is convenient for one party, or like, convenient in that otherwise she'll be "ruined" or she's possibly pregnant. But here are some of the ones where both parties agree to marry without any (or much) external pressure:

Historical:

Convergence of Desire by Felicity Niven: Harry wants to devote her energies to proving Fermat's Theorem (which I now know way too much about) rather than being out in society, and Thomas needs a rich wife, so they decide to marry and Harry even says he can sleep with whoever after they marry..... unfortunately this man is only able to get it up for her soon enough.

Fiona and the Enigmatic Earl by Grace Callaway: Fiona wants to be free to continue her work as a member of an investigative agency, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels, and Hawk wants to marry but without any emotional entanglements and to continue his spy work, so they agree to a marriage of convenience where neither party will hinder the other.

How the Wallflower was Won by Eva Leigh: After fucking up his sister and best friend's (DOM MFING KILBURN) marriage, Finn needs to marry or he'll be cut off, and Tabitha wants to join an influential intellectual society that only admits married women, and so marriage it is.

The Scot of Mine by Sophie Jordan: Kind of a marriage of convenience? Except the terms aren't laid out super clearly beforehand and Clara's brother does have a hand in the marriage, but this one is too funny to not include. Clara lies about being pregnant to escape marriage to an asshole, but when she's sent to Scotland, she meets Hunt, a laird who has a generational curse on him which means he will die before his heir is born. So Hunt decides to marry her because she's pregnant with someone else's baby so obviously, he won't die!

Except, well, it's a lie, and he finishes inside her multiple times after they're married so........

The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard: Astrid proposes marriage to Thane, a scarred misanthrope duke, so that her sister can escape marriage to the man who ruined Astrid's reputation. Thane eventually agrees because he's intensely attracted to her but has no intention of falling in love with her.

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare: Another scarred duke, this time in want of a wife that won't faint when she sees him so he can begat heirs; Emma is the seamstress who made his former fiancée's wedding dress and shows up for payment, but Ashbury decides she'll do just fine as a wife.

Worth Any Price Lisa Kleypas: The only male virgin in Kleypas-verse (well at least in the beginning), Nick Gentry is tasked with finding Charlotte on behalf of her family and fiancé, but it turns out the fiancé is, among other things, deffo a groomer so he agrees to marry her to protect her.

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas: You know the deal with this one; St. Vincent needs to marry a rich heiress since he's about to be cut off and his attempted kidnapping of Lillian failed miserably, and Evie needs to escape her abusive relatives, so off to Gretna Green it is.

Contemporary:

Lush Money by Angelina M Lopez: Prince Mateo agrees to marry billionaire Roxanne and have sex with her three nights a month so she can have a kid in exchange for money for his impoverished country. The resentment in this man is real, not that it stops him from calling her mi mujer and jumping her every 10 seconds. Basically, the only wife guy I condone.

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey: Natalie and August agree to marry so Natalie can access start-up capital and August can improve his shoddy vineyards. I really loved August's (objectively dumb) no-PiV-sex-until-she-won't-regret-it rule because it actually made the wedding night kinda great, and it also drew out tension until they had no choice but to admit their feelings for one another.

The Harlequin fave Jackie Ashenden very helpfully made a page on her website devoted to all her marriage of convenience books, and yes, I recommend all of them.

Crowning His Lost Princess by Caitlin Crews: Warlord touches down in a Kansas (?) field and announces that this farmer gal was switched at birth, is actually a princess, and that they must marry for political reasons.

Trust Fund Fiancé by Naima Simone: Reagan needs access to her inheritance and proposes a marriage of convenience to her friend Zeke in order to gain access. This one is also technically friends-to-lovers but a really well done one.

*tbh your best bet in terms of modern marriages of conveniences might be harlequins because the stakes feel somewhat high and the tension is real, unlike a lot of contemporary romances which have people marrying to like, inherit a family ski resort or something.

[ahti-the-janitor]

I am a Canadian that is very interested in Finland and Finnish culture. Would you be willing to explain what you mean when you say you're not happy with where your country is headed?

Love the Finnish shitposting!

Hi!! Of course, it's no problem! And if you're interested in anything else and wanna ask something else, feel free to DM me or send more asks and I'll answer the best I can! And I'm glad you're enjoying the Finnish shitposting haha!

This will be a long post, so I'm very sorry haha. And sorry for the somewhat late reply.

So, my country. In Europe in general we have been seeing the rise of the far-right and I find it concerning, and the same is unfortunately true in Finland. Our goverment/parliament is more on the right than it has been in years. The biggest party in our Parliament is a center-right Kokoomus which basically is a party for wealthy people, only cares about money, and wants to make things easier for rich people. The second largest party is Perussuomalaiset (PS)... a party that is very far right-wing, conservative party. They are a party with extremely racist, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ ideals. For example, a member of their party is our finance minister. She has made comments on wanting to beat up immigrant children (she used racial slurs to describe them) and wanting to shoot immigrants on the train. Along with many other things. She initially refused to apologize for the comments, but eventually did. But she has not changed and her being a Perussuomalaiset member is a testament to that. Upholding racism is the core part of their ideals, so it is not a "one bad apple ruins the bunch" case.

And she is not the only one. One recent example is from the 6th, our Independence Day. A member of the Parliament (a Perussuomalaiset member), Teemu Keskisarja (who has had numerous other controversies as well) took part and gave a speech in a march. It is a far-right, nationalist (they are fascists and neo-nazis, let's be real. Even if some claim otherwise) torch march 612, held on Indepence Day. Riikka Purra defended him.

There are so many horrid people in charge of our country. They are also NOT keeping the promises they gave when running for parliament. They made promises they wouldn't make cuts to certain things yet they have.

Finland has been a welfare state that takes care of its people but that is being torn apart.

There have been cuts made to our healthcare. There is a new system set up that will bring a lot of people trouble and make it harder to get access to healthcare faster. Wealthy people can get faster treatment since they have money to go to private clinics. There are cuts made to other parts welfare protection and education. Finland used to take care of people who had trouble, now we are going into another direction. Some might call it Americanization. There are decisions being made that benefit the wealthy while the poor are becoming poorer and more disadvantaged. Disabled people are facing cuts too, and other marginalized groups as well.

Yet Finland is supporting fur farming and big companies monetarily. They are making cuts to the funding of the field of culture despite it employing more people than the fur industry. Museums are being shut down. Very little value is put on culture and other things that people don't see immediate monetary gain from. Finland has had one of the best education in the world for a long time but it has been going worse.

Finnish well-being in general is in decline. Mental health issues are a huge problem and getting treatment is hard, at least from what I have experienced and seen around me.

There are also big problems with gendered violence. A recent study showed that every 4th man under 35 think women can deserve the violence she faces. Of every man it is every 5th who believes so. Of course this is not a recent issue but those numbers are harrowing and proved just how bad it is. There has been quite a lot of violence lately -- especially violence amidst of young people is on the rise. We had a school shooting this year where the shooter was only 12 years old. Other threats have been made in schools.Far-right movements are on the rise too.

There are honestly SO many things and this is only scratching the surface. I could write a whole book on this. I might have forgotten something really important too since there are a lot of things. Also, if things are said in a vague way or not worded well, my apologies! Sometimes explaining things like this in depth in English is a bit tough haha.

I also acknowledge that I am still in a privileged position and things are way worse in many countries. But Finland has been so proud of taking care of people who need it, of our level of education, of things like that, only for that to be ripped apart. I love this country and it is terrible to see the foundation of it being torn apart and what makes me proud being destroyed. I know it has not been perfect in the past either but things are going downhill VERY rapidly.

Extremely long story short: the welfare state system is being torn apart. Far-right parties are in power. Promises are being broken and more and more people are struggling.