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

[thegoldencontracts]

Is it just me, or is Azul's whole character arc contain some really good commentary on modern society (Particularly the hyperindividualistic grind/self improvement/hustle culture)?

I know this seems like a curtains are just blue moment but hear me out-

A man of a minority race in his country, bullied for not being conventionally attractive, for not being athletic, for his race, really, his- everything. And how does he react to it?

He grinds to improve himself. He chases after increasing numbers—more money, more talents, more, more, more. He becomes skinny. He becomes a human. He becomes talented and powerful.

But is this really the best way for him to react? Hell no! If everything was right, he would've been given a place to find solace, a therapist, a healthy outlet for his emotions. But no such place exists. All he can do to find comfort is furiously chase after self improvement, more and more until he can't even be sure if it's really improvement anymore.

I've seen this kind of thing. Online, and in real life. People—particularly men, but I've also seen it happen to women—who are treated poorly by their peers, who aren't given a safe place to recover and share their emotions, who end up learning hard into self improvement.

And so Azul, like these people. becomes fit and talented and human. But... is he happy?

Well, he's on the verge of overblot by the time we meet him, and he has heavily disordered eating patterns, so that question answers itself. He seems happy to an undiscerning eye, maybe. Successful, a teenage owner of a successful business. But he is certainly not happy.

And Jade and Floyd, though they're his friends, certainly, don't act like it. They struggle to admit they care, straight up calling themselves "business parters." Isn't that a thing in a lot of men's friendships nowadays? Where unabashed affection is seen as "cringey" or "lame"? They're concerned for him and his issues, clearly, but they still make insensitive jokes about it at times (I'm looking at you and the fat jokes, Jade Leech).

Azul is miserable. But still, even though he has friends, he has no healthy outlet for it. What does he do instead? Grind for more. And in the process, he hurts other people, too. He is, in his current state, not the best person. Because of his trauma, he's hurt others, taking their talents and even forcing them into servitude.

A lot of people stuck in hustle culture do absolutely shitty things. And like with Azul... there's no excuse for it. Seriously. I love Azul, but I will be the first to admit, he's not a good person.

But then the overblot happens. He loses his life's work. But is that really so bad when his life's work was a collection of times he'd hurt other people? Yes, a particularly shrewd individual could say "Well, he earned those talents, fair and square. He always delivers on his end of the bargain." But we don't know that for sure. Especially since we've seen him use the fact that a magicless sixteen year old is having access to food and shelter held over their head by the supposed "responsible adult" in order to take their home. Yes, this was likely his worst moment. Still— him losing the contracts wasn't so bad. I think it was a wake up call for him.

Unfortunately, though, because of all the turmoil he was already dealing with, unresolved trauma, and just general assholery Leona was partaking in, he snaps. And he, again, hurts people.

Azul isn't sent to jail, or fined beyond belief, or turned into a disgrace, or anything. He is told, forthright, especially in the manga, that though what he was doing was unequivocally wrong, he still has the work ethic he's built. He sees that, in their own way, Jade and Floyd will be there for him.

Because he's done bad things, and lost himself quite a bit, but he's still young. He can improve, and though he definitely doesn't seem to, a good observer can notice quite a few things. Him being forthright with Riddle in Book Six. Eating treats in the Glorious Masquerade. Book Six especially shows his own weird kindness, I would say, with how he helps save the world—"but only for the stock market", of course. And especially with him and Riddle's interactions.

In our society, so many of the things people grind for, hurt others for, likes, follows, status, wealth—these things can vanish in an instant. If you're even falsely accused of a crime after years of hard work, there is a good chance you won't have a job by the time the issue is resolved. A single scandal or controversy can all but wipe our your follower count. These things, though we can't always see it, just like Azul couldn't, are as fragile as the paper of the golden contracts.

But you still have yourself. Azul still had his work ethic. Those contracts are never coming back. Maybe that's for the better. But even at Rock Bottom, Azul persisted. His life probably seemed like it was over. He overblotted in his own restaurant, he'd lost his own life's work, and people saw him at his most vulnerable.

And for a lot of people, these kinds of things happen, and they, too, must persist. Though I don't want to go into details about it because it's a bit personal, I had a moment like this too. But after a long, long time, and a lot of work, things got better, and I found a new normal.

Do I think that all stories end with relative happiness like Azul's, or even mine did? No. Definitely not. I'm not even trying to say this is about the value of persistence. But Azul's story really does remind me of a lot of people, particularly young men, who get roped into hustle culture. Who do and say shitty things for their own gain.

It's just an interesting thing, honestly. Kinda makes me wanna write a fic where he gets talked down by an activist who tells him his ideals are the product of a toxic capitalistic society that shuns talk of feelings and anybody that isn't seen as productive enough because holy shit he reminds me of at least three people I know and they all need a therapist

[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.

[stellae-de-baphometis]

Important Announcement: Art/Writing Commissions, Ko-fi Subscription Tiers, Possible Etsy Store Reopening, & More

⚠️ THIS POST IS URGENT AND IMPORTANT. I KNOW IT'S A LONG POST, BUT PLEASE READ TO THE END IF YOU CAN. ⚠️

Hello everyone. So I'm aware that I've barely been active here lately, and while I've wanted to be more active here, I've had a lot of stuff going on.

So if you've been following my Ko-fi page, you probably saw my periodical status updates a while back saying that the book I'm currently writing (Beyond The Goetia) is almost finished. Unfortunately, I found that a bunch of the English translated content I had included was copywritten, so I legally wasn't able to publish it in its finished form. As a result, I have had to rewrite the book and start making my own translations of the original manuscripts, which has been very tedious and is taking an extremely long time to do lol. Nonetheless, I am still making progress on it, and I'm really hoping it will be finished by the end of the year.

With that being said, my partner and I are having a very hard time finding work and are currently struggling financially, so it would really mean a lot if you could help us out in any way possible. My partner's apartment lease ends soon and we don't really have anywhere else to stay long-term, so we need all the extra help we can get. We make barely enough money from our social security pensions to get by, and it's been extremely difficult for us to find employment.

We need to save up our money fast so we can afford to both find and move into another place to stay before the lease is up, but we're practically living from pay check to pay check, so I want to try and earn some extra money through other means so we have a little more financial security; even if it's minuscule, it's better than nothing at all.

I am still looking for work and trying to get a mainstream job, but in the meantime, I'm also going to be opening up art/drawing (both traditional and digital) & writing/literature commissions over on my @vampydemonartz blog; I accept both SFW and NSFW commissions. I will be making an advertisement post for commissions over on my art blog soon.

For those who are interested in books/zines on demonology, spirituality, and all things occult, you can follow and even subscribe to me on my Ko-fi page. I have set up monthly memberships, and each tier gives you different benefits:

Lunar Tier ($2 AUD) - One month early access to zines/books

Solar Tier ($5 AUD) - One month early access to zines/books + Name listed in acknowledgements section of zines/books

Galaxy Tier ($10 AUD) - One month early access to zines/books + Name listed in acknowledgements section of zines/books + Access to exclusive Ko-fi store items (e.g. handbound zines/books, custom handmade prayer beads, etc.)

Please Note: Galaxy Tier is not available as of right now, since I haven't set up the exclusive store items yet; but I will be sorting it out soon and making it available in the near future.

I'm also thinking about potentially opening back up my Etsy store, where I used to sell daemon sigil candles back in 2023. In addition to selling the candles again, I also want to eventually design and sell my own tarot deck, as well as sell my books/zines and maybe art prints of my drawings there too. I'm still sorting out the Etsy stuff though, so it's not definitive that I'll be opening the store back up; but feel free to follow my store in case I do open it again.

Additionally, my partner streams on Twitch from time to time (I also sometimes make an appearance on their streams too lol) and is working towards becoming a Twitch affiliate so they can eventually monetise their channel. If you could follow them over on Twitch, it would mean the world to both them and myself.

Now, obviously I understand that financial support is a lot to ask for right now, given the current state of the economy and the cost-of-living crisis; so please don't commission or donate if you can't afford to or are not in a financially stable situation yourself to do so. Honestly, reblogging this post and/or sharing it in other ways is more than enough help if you cannot afford to commission or donate.

If you do donate, please don't feel pressured to give more than what you can afford or want to give. Even if it's a small amount, it still goes a long way and helps us out a lot. Either way, I will still be eternally grateful for your support. 🖤

I am working hard to get my book finished and, even though I am publishing the ebook on Ko-fi at a price of pay-what-you-want with the option to download it for free, it would mean a lot if you could purchase it for a few dollars if you are able to do so. Additionally, I will also be self-publishing physical copies (as well as the ebook) through Lulu, so it would mean a lot if you could also purchase it through that avenue. But again, no pressure. Xx

That's pretty much all I wanted to say in this post. Again, please don't feel pressured to donate or commission if you can't afford to or simply don't want to. A reblog and/or share is honestly more than enough help if you can't help out financially. 🖤

Thank you so much for your support. Please know that I am eternally grateful for your help. Xx

~ ~ ~

⋆｡°☆. Commission Me Here

⋆｡°☆. Support Me On Ko-fi

⋆｡°☆. Check Out My Etsy Store

~ ~ ~

+ . . . Divider Credit . . . +

[fireangel]

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*

[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.

[pxpecxdy]

Do you ever wanted to move abroad and i am always interested in that as not american, do you enjoy living in America?

I think about moving abroad a lot! At one point I was very serious about moving to Canada and then last year I was planning on moving to Germany but I didn't look into it as much. I've never left the country and it's something I want to do desperately just because I love exploring other cultures.

I will say the one thing that truly scares me about moving abroad is the lack of Mexican food outside of the Americas. I'm lucky enough to live in Chicago and have access to fresh El Milagro tortillas iykyk.

There are things I enjoy about living in America, I like the diversity and blending of cultures, climate is generally great (at least here in the Midwest, I'd hate to live in the Gulf area where it gets humid), politically there are things I know I take for granted but there are also a lot of issues here as well (namely gun control, women's rights, immigration, healthcare, budgeting, and cost of education). I truly do believe that these are all things we the people of the United States can change, the issue is rallying the majority together to push for it.

I do enjoy living here but there is nothing tying me down here except for the cost of living. It's very hard to save up money and there's a statistic I can't find at the moment so take this with a grain of salt, majority of Americans do not have enough savings to survive on if they were to lose their job for more than 2 months.

There are a lot of scary facts about the US that get spread in the news and are often spread internationally as well but one of the main things to remember is our news organizations are for profit, scary things get clicks, clicks get money.

I could go on about this forever so if you have any more questions let me know! I was planning to go into public policy in college but never made it to college unfortunately, however, I participate in every way I can

[ace-of-hugs]

*sidles up to you* *drops an updated oc introduction post* *runs off to hide in my gremlin cave*

yeah these are the same guys from my other oc post except now they’re older, all women-adjacent and have a private detective agency

WINTER “WINNIE” RICHMOND (she/her)

our beloved main character. was kicked out of her home at fifteen for coming out as a lesbian and came to London at eighteen with her best friend and her best friend’s girlfriend to have a fresh start. she was the one who suggested that they start the agency in the first place, because she was struggling to access any jobs and she desperately needed money. she’s saving up so she can pay to go to university for forensic psychology. she’s a sweetheart and always see the best in people, even at her own detriment. she adores animals and her biggest dream in life is to have a cat. the only thing she loves more than animals is puzzles.

EMBER GOLD (she/her)

the new girl on the block. she moves into the building the other three live in at the very beginning and brings a case with her that’s bigger than any other that the trio has dealt with before. she’s grumpy all the time and attempts to drive people away with her sarcasm and cynicism. she’s a chronic overthinker and is the type of person to take ages to do a logic puzzle because she’s made it so much more complicated than it actually is. she wants to be a musician, but it’s hard to find work for an artist these days, so being a detective will do.

IRIS MAY (she/her)

the tech girl of the gang. she stalks people’s social media and chats shit with her friend and girlfriend over the phone while the two of them are on stakeouts for a living. she becomes more of a main part of the investigations over time as they take on harder cases and more running and physical talent is needed. she is the most athletic of them all. she’s fun, bouncy and loveable. she also has a flair for the dramatic.

ELIZABETH “EL” ROSE (they/them)

they’re the shortest of the group and also the angriest. they're a bit of a wildcard, but an incredibly loyal friend. they're fiery and passionate, but also chill and has a tendency to call their best friend “babe” or “baby” while calling their girlfriend by just her name. they co-owns The Rose-Richmond Detective Agency with Winnie and helps her solve cases in between doing online art commissions and shifts at the local garden centre. they love exotic pets and plans on moving somewhere bigger place just so they can get a snake. they have stabbed a guy once and will wave that fact in the face of men who bother them, but no one except Winnie knows the full story.

once again here is the link to the picrew that I used because I draw like a three year old and can’t be arsed to get better:

[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.

[finsterhund]

Talking about Labubu I guess (god help me)

So I'm the type of boy who primarily lives under a rock. But I'm also a stuffed animal fiend and toy collector. I've had many things to say about beanie babies and their craze in the past, so I imagine there's some interest to hear my thoughts on these guys.

First off, shut up about how they're "just stuffed animals" because stuffed animals are cool as shit and there's losers who blow all their money gambling or recreationally consuming rotting sugar in this species so I think stuffed animals are comparatively fine.

Second off. The UK incident with the knives. Y'all have really gotta stop blaming whatever trend or situation is involved when it comes to the UK and knives. It's a shithole with a government so hellbent on shoving violence under the rug wherever possible but doing jack fucking shit about the systemic issues causing the violence that you should EXPECT that no matter the situation there's some fuckshit with a knife. Think American gun violence. It's the culture of violence not whatever scapegoat the governing powers that be want to shift the blame to because they're too lazy to actually do anything. That's just the UK it has nothing to do with whatever trend is "to blame" like Pop Mart or whatever.

Now these guys are interesting. Little keychain monsters. There's a blind box/gambling aspect (because of course there fucking is) but they're a very solid product.

Personally though I don't see myself getting into them because while there's a lot of things I like about them, they just don't appeal to me in an art style/species biology perspective. They're too much like little humanoid dolls in the face area and I find the ear style boring af. I'm honestly more excited that this toyline seems to be bringing back the 1950s plastic face trend that many people find "creepy" these days with a new light.

And I think this is why I differ from Labubu fans. Because I don't inherently find the old rubber face style "creepy" but rather find the Labubu face style generic "cutesy" and not that interesting.

The plastic face of an otherwise furry stuffed creature is very compelling to me. From both a customization standpoint and a general appeal. I've been hoping the plastic face style would make a resurgence due to the increasing accessibility of 3D printing, with the ability to create molds and cast things in plastic, resin, etc. injection molding is hard to do as an individual but resin is comparatively way easier. I've seen some smaller artists do custom work where they cut up a thrifted toy and give them an air-dry clay face, but I'm not the most excited about that for a whole variety of reasons. Mostly is that these cannot be washed and like all fragile materials can easily break. I've been hoping for the "art doll" culture to expand more into the main toy market if this makes sense. More accessible products for those of us who bring out friends all over the planet alongside us. Like these little keychain monsters!!!

Anyways...

I kinda wish I did find the Labubu more compelling but unfortunately I am a picky little fuck. And I think on this case it's the art style.

What I'm really hoping for, is knockoffs with different face designs. Maybe give them actual snouts or more detailed monstery eyes or something. And more interesting ears than just generic rabbit. Horns, spikes, fins, etc. lean into the monster part.

In short I'm disappointed in the over reliance on the gambling aspect (which in turn drives the scalping and exploitative secondary markets) and wish that this trend pushes more into handmade and customizable alternatives.

The body shape and hug feel of these guys from what I can see is incredible. I just wish they weren't so, idk what's he word, milktoast? Wider appeal? Idk how to say it.

In short though, stop acting like a toy getting popular is some sort of moral failing. We're a social creature and 90% of the population can't responsibly afford to raise children so this is something that should be expected. We pack bond with literally anything and everything.

[the-lost-and-found-king]

I find that most people aren't good or bad per say, but most fall within shades of grey: Good people can still lie, and bad people can help an injured pokèmon, ya feel?

Perspective also helps, but humans are complex, unfortunately..Although I find people who claim they're good and preach for the greater good are usually bad. But that's from my own experience, yours could be completely different from mine, and that's fine!

I'm not trying to alter your way of thinking or anything, just giving you something to think about.

( @wanderer-willow )

That

That makes sense.

It reminds me of what Grimsley told me a while ago.

When he was a kid, people used to act really nice to him all the time. But it turned out to be a trick! They didn't want to be his friend - they just wanted easy access to his parents' money!

He also said that it can be hard to know who to trust, because people are really complicated - especially adults - but with time he found people he can rely on, people he calls friends, and even found a partner in Colress!

I'm

I'm not really sure if I completely trust everything father says anymore. Some things are true, I'm sure, but it's hard to tell what's a lie and what's not. I don't have much experience with people. They frighten me. Most of them, anyway. So it's hard for me to trust people.

But I trust Colress and Grimsley, and Grimsley’s friend Shauntal (and maybe his best friend Burgh; he's really weird but his Pokémon say he's nice), and they've never lied to me. And they always say if they've got anything wrong and apologise if they make a mistake.

Father's never done that.

. . .

I-

. . .

I need to

Need to think about this.

It's confusing, but it kind of makes sense. In a way.

[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!! ^^