#which frees up a lot of food budget

[creacherkeeper]

you really cant get a meal anymore without it bein 20 dollars huh

[dotster001]

Those are the Eyes...

Summary: Jack Howl x gn! Reader. Jack discovers a new magic that will finally free you from those who wish to use you. (It's not that serious. He's just being Jack)

CW: Crowley is an ass, but what else is new, silly fic, nothing serious

This fic was sponsored, for the Fics for Gaza Project! Find out how you can sponsor a fic here.

Jack was sick of you getting pulled into terrible situations by your other friends. When the two of you had started dating, he had hoped he would have a little more sway when it came to your decisions of whether to listen to an ADeuce idea or not, but he had had no such luck so far. 

And it wasn't just them. You were too kind to everyone in this school often at the expense of your own well being.

"Y/N! We haaaave to add more money to the tuna budget."

You looked exasperated. "Grim, I've already told you, we've put all the money we can into the tuna budget."

Grim pouted and crossed his arms. "Do we really need to fix the stairwell this month? I think it's fine the way it is."

It wasn't. Honestly, Ramshackle should have been condemned in the shape it was in.

"Yes, Grim, we really do," you sighed.

Grim suddenly held a paw to his forehead. "Oh! The Great Grim feels faint!" He fell backwards and whimpered. "I'm starving because of my cruel Hench human. I may die right here."

"You're not starving Grim, your tuna budget is fine," Jack finally cut in. But when he looked over at you, he could see that you were going to cave.

And then it happened. It came from deep down inside of him, like a second unique magic. His pupils expanded, his eyebrows rose ever so slightly, and his bottom lip stuck out in a little pout.

Suddenly, the look on your face changed. You looked at him with concern.

"Aw, c'mon Jack, don't give me those puppy dog eyes!"

But his face held his expression, and now his tail was drooping for good measure. "It would just tear me up inside if you weren't able to live in a safe environment, Y/N."

That did it for you. You placed your hands on his cheeks and hastily exclaimed, "If it means that much to you, I won't change the tuna budget." You hugged him and nuzzled into his chest whispering a "sorry". Which was fine, because it meant you didn't see his tail wagging up a storm.

He had thought maybe it was a fluke. But after running a few experiments, he realized you were weak for what you called his "puppy dog eyes". No longer could Ace get you to paint the roses for him. No longer could Ruggie get you to give him some of your lunch for nothing. No longer could Grim guilt you into buying more tuna than you needed. Finally, the two of you didn't have to play parents to everyone and you could spend time together.

But with great power comes great responsibility.

He was sitting in Azul's office, sizing him up across the desk.

"What did you want from me?" He asked finally.

Azul gestured dramatically. "There's a rumor going around that you can make a certain prefect do whatever you want."

He snapped his fingers and Jade pulled out a contract.

"I am prepared to offer you…."

But before he could even finish the offer, Jack was leaving the room.

It wasn't a one off thing.

"Ay, Jack!" Ruggie sidled up next to him on the way to class. "You think you can do me a solid? See, I have a lot of chores to do for Leona, and I was hoping you could ask Y/N to…"

And Jack was gone again.

The headmage had summoned Jack to his office. He placed a plate of delicious food in front of him, and was staring at him with a serene smile on his face.

Jack did not trust that one bit.

The headmage leaned back in his chair, simply watching Jack. Jack stared back, not touching his plate.

“Mr. Howl, I was hoping you could help me with a situation. I, and the entirety of the student body, will be eternally grateful.”

Jack said nothing, continuing to stare. Normally, he would assist the headmage in any way, his sense of honor always looking for a way to help the school. But, with the recent attempts to use his new ability for selfish ends, he was extremely suspicious.

“I have called the prefect in for a meeting. You see, it's the time of year where the dark mirror provides us a list of names for potential incoming students. I need a secretary, who will write down the list of names, compile the addresses, send out the acceptance letters, etc. etc. You understand, surely.”

Crowley leaned in conspiratorially, a sly grin on his face.

“You will help me convince them to take on this task, for the sake of our esteemed university, won't you?”

Jack stood angrily, slamming his hands on the table as he leaned into Crowley's face.

“This power I have been given is strong. And if I waste it on things that are to the detriment of my partner, then I do not deserve to even be with them.”

Crowley's smirk turned down right sinister.

“A shame, truly. Too bad. Because they are already here.”

A knock rang from the door, and Jack's head whipped over in time to see you walk in. Your eyes lit up when you saw him, and Jack had to fight off the embarrassment of not having anywhere to hide his wagging tail.

“Perfect, welcome! Have a seat!” Crowley said, and Jack felt a guilty sense of pride as the light left your eyes upon hearing his voice.

You walked to the empty seat next to where Jack was standing, taking it. You raised a brow expectantly.

“What do you want, headmage?” You asked tiredly.

And Jack knew he couldn't simply be a witness. If he couldn't protect you from one crow, then what was his new magic ability for?

“I need you to be my full time secretary until the end of the school year-”

“Am I getting paid?” You asked, bluntly.

“No, but-”

“Then no.”

At that moment, Jack realized he was not the only one with a secondary unique magic that was capable of manipulating you. Crowley's expression shifted into one of a cruel, terrifying, debt collector.

“Night Raven College is an esteemed university, one that is exclusive to only the best mages. And yet we have provided you with a home, and an invaluable education. All for free. The least repayment you can give is selflessly serving our university.”

He watched as you deflated. The truth was, you'd become invaluable to NRC. There was no reason Crowley would logically kick you out, especially for a job he had done alone for years before you had popped into this world. He was bluffing.

But the move was working. You were opening your mouth to accept the job, when Jack knelt before you, placing his hands on your leg to get your attention. Then he activated his power.

Your mouth instantly closed, your expression shifting to one of distracted adoration at his “puppy dog eyes”. 

“The budget we would need to hire a secretary will, unfortunately, have to come out of the renovation budget for Ramshackle.”

Your face immediately flicked back up to Crowley. Jack had underestimated how strong Crowley's powers were. The crow had had years to grow his abilities, while Jack had only had a few months.

Jack pawed at your leg, forcing his ears to droop as he intensified his “magic”.  Your look of dejection melted, your lips parting in a silent “aw”. 

“We may even have to get rid of an extra student. Providing for two of you is an unnecessary expense, to the board.”

You whipped back to Crowley, but Jack knew that was his last card. But if he smiled smugly now, he would lose. So he dug deep within himself, pulling at an inner supply of strength.

His pupils expanded even further, glitter and hearts filled the air, and he watched your face split into a dopey grin, your hand moving on it's own to scratch behind his ears.

“Sorry headmage, I don't think I can,” you said, your voice sounding loopy and lovesick.

The headmage scowled, but Jack held firm, the sparkles and hearts floating in the air twirling for good measure.

“Fine. You win this round Howl. But, next time, I'll be prepared for you! Mark my words!” Crowley shouted.

Luckily, you were too caught in Jack's spell to even hear his words, as he escorted you from the room.

You were halfway to the mirror chamber to return to Ramshackle, when you turned to him, cupping his cheeks, and exclaiming,

“Sevens! You just look so cute!” Then you kissed the tip of his nose.

His embarrassment caused him to drop the puppy eyes spell. He looked away, rubbing his neck for something to distract himself. When he looked up, you were blinking in confusion.

“Where am I? I thought I was in Crowley's office. How did I get out here?”

Now he was more embarrassed. He'd gone too hard, too quickly, with his magic.

He was about to apologize, when you smiled at him sweetly.

“Wait, it was my perfect, handsome wolf who protected me, right?”

Oh.

Oh no.

He wasn't the only one with magic to make someone lovesick.

....

Tag list- @eccedentesiast-sapphic @leoll @strawberrystepmom

Lemme know if you want to be added to my regular tag list. I lost my original list, so this is just the one I could find.

[anipgarden]

Adding To or Starting a Garden

AKA, the beginning of the Plants-Related section of this series.

This is my third post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 

Got an area of lawn you’d like to convert to a wildlife haven? An area you can stick some hanging baskets in? Want to know how your garden of tomatoes and zucchinis is already putting in a lot of work? This is the section for you!

It would be dumb of me to not acknowledge that the act of gardening can come with a lot of costs. Buying seeds, buying plants, buying soil, raised bed materials, mulch, etc. … it can all get a bit daunting, let’s be honest! But there’s quite a few ways to get seeds and plants for free or extremely cheap, which I’ll be addressing in this section! The next section will be all about addressing the other Costs in gardening and how to mitigate or eliminate them entirely.

Also, do keep in mind; there’s no need to try and convert a whole area from lawn to garden or unused to garden at once. In fact, it could actually be extremely beneficial to do it a little at a time--maybe four or five square feet to start out.

Front Lawn (or Managing Principles)

If you live in a place where you’re required to have a grass turf lawn (HOA’s come to mind…), try replacing it with native grasses instead! You could even possibly use a low-growing ground cover plant like clover to a similar effect! Reseeding/replacing an entire lawn can be a big upfront cost, but even just letting the lawn be a little messy and tall helps. If the lawn gets patchy, leave the bare spots for a little while and something different will likely pop up! Pioneer species will fill the gaps and provide benefits to other plants around them, support animals, and more! If you want to take the guesswork out of it, you could always research what the pioneer species are in your area and plant the ones you like most. 

Obtaining Seeds for Cheap or Free

The cheapest way to start a garden is by far via seeds. However, seeds can be a bit complicated to grow, and some sources make them… way overpriced. Fortunately there are ways to get seeds for little to no cost! 

Some places sell seeds for as low as a dollar, 50 cents, or 25 cents! The packets may not have a lot of seeds, but it’s definitely a good start for a low budget! I’ve personally bought cheap seed packets at Walmart--the Ferry-Morse and Burpee brands are not what we’re looking for here. Typically the cheaper ones I’ve found are American Seed (which is owned by Green Garden Products, which also owns Ferry-Morse, Livingston Seed, McKenzie Seed, and Seeds of Change. Do with that information what you will), but they’re rarely stocked near the Ferry-Morse ones in the Formal Gardening Section. I’ve most often found them on end caps near the gardening section, so you may have to weave through a few aisles to find them, but once you do there’s an array of flower and vegetable seeds to select from! Alternatively, I’ve found seeds at Dollar Tree sold 2 or 4 for a dollar in Spring as part of their seasonal product; however, when they’re out of stock, they’re typically out of stock for the year. Try to check them out early in the year!

Otherwise, other seed companies like Urban Farmer or Botanical Interests will often have semi-frequent sales in spring and fall, when people are stocking up on seeds--joining their email lists can help you be the first to know when a good sale is going on!

Some foods from grocery stores will provide seeds that you can use in the garden as well. I’ve had the most luck with store-bought bagged beans, peppers, and tomatoes. Some people have had luck with watermelons, apples, citrus, squash, and more. Do keep in mind that you likely won’t get the same variety of fruit/vegetable as the one you bought--the resulting plant may look different and taste different.

Give it a shot! Pick some beans you like--if they don't grow well, at least you can eat the rest!

If you live in the US, food-producing live plants, bare roots, and seeds can often be purchased with SNAP benefits. But what does growing fruits, veggies, and herbs have to do with boosting biodiversity? While food crops aren’t typically native, they still provide valuable shelter for native insects. Some plants even have intricate relationships with native fauna--like the squash bee, a solitary bee which exclusively pollinates cucurbits like pumpkins, squash, and zucchini. And we get to benefit more directly as well! If you’re planting a diverse range of foods in your garden (as opposed to the swaths of single-plant farms that typically produce what’s sent to grocery stores), you’re supporting high levels of biodiversity by providing a variety of plants for creatures to live and hunt around.

Most of the time, when we think of boosting biodiversity with a garden, we think of a colorful flower garden teeming with pollinator species. However, if we’re striving to use native species, it can be a bit difficult to find some species in stores. I can say from experience that trying to find any wildflower seeds other than butterfly weed, purple coneflowers, and black-eyed-susans is… challenging, if you limit yourself to stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. You might occasionally get lucky with an ACE Hardware or a local nursery, but even then sometimes it can be hard to track down who in your area is selling what--let alone if you live in an area where no one really is selling native plants or their seeds. Not to mention, even once you find a local or online store selling the seeds you want, they can sometimes cost a pretty penny. So what do you do?

If you have the option to, consider gathering native seeds yourself! Get good at identifying the native flora and fauna--or at least, a few target plants and their lookalikes--and get ready to go! Learn where they tend to grow, when they’ll be seeding, etc. Try to identify the plant before it goes to seed (for most plants, it's easiest to identify when flowering), then check back regularly to gather seeds. Typically, if I want to learn how to collect seed from a specific plant, I just search it on Google or YouTube--oftentimes, I'm lead to the GrowItBuildIt Youtube page, so it may be a helpful resource for you as well! Of course, make sure to leave plenty of seed behind so the wild population can repopulate, and seed can feed other creatures in the area. A good rule of thumb is to take no more than 1/3rd of what's available.

Buying seed in bulk is an option if you can afford the upfront cost. Try teaming up with a few friends to buy some bulk seeds and split them amongst yourselves--you’ll get tons of seed! Prairie Moon is a popular site that'll sell seeds by the pound if you can afford the price--though they're in the US, and I believe they focus on Midwest and East Coast natives.

If you want to cheat the system, don’t buy bulk sunflower seeds--buy bags of sunflower seeds being sold as birdseed. They’re typically all black oil sunflower seeds, but they’ll sprout, and they’re fairly cheap for the amount you get!

However, beware generic wildflower seed mixes! Many brands like to sell wildflower seed mixes in big box stores like Home Depot, Target, or even Dollar Tree, but they’ll often include flowers that aren’t native or possibly even invasive in your region! Before you make any purchases, double check to make sure the contained seeds won’t do more harm than good! A quality source of native seeds will provide English and Latin names for all seeds included, and will be native to the region or at least non-invasive. 

See this? I don't trust this.

There’s a good handful of programs online that’ll send you free seeds if you’re planning to start a native habitat project! Poke around online and see what you can find; you might get lucky! The best time to start looking for these is fall and winter, I find--by early spring, many of them are either done or beginning to wind down... though some also start up in spring. Ultimately--just check regularly! You never know what you can find!

Other Ways to Get Plants

Don’t want to start from seed? That’s fair! You can try cuttings! Just be sure not to take too much of the plant while you do so. Make sure you’ve gotten a few leaf nodes on your cutting, and cut any flowers you may have gotten. Make sure to leave some blooms and foliage on the original plant for the creatures in the current habitat--you don’t want to destroy one habitat to make another in your garden. There’s tons of methods of rooting cuttings, many of which have different efficacy rates for different plants, but that’s a topic for another post.

If you find seedlings growing in a place where they won’t be able to sustain themselves long-term, or are in danger of being destroyed, consider relocating them! You may be able to gently dig up and transplant the seedling to your garden. Don’t do this if they’re in a place where they can easily survive--ideally, you’ll be taking plants from sidewalk cracks, heavily maintained public gardens, roadsides, etc. Do be careful while doing this--ensure your safety first!  

You’re totally allowed to join gardening communities like clubs, facebook groups, and more before you’ve even put a trowel to the dirt. These are great places to learn information and advice! Many gardeners are more than happy to help out a new gardener, and will eagerly provide seeds, cuttings, or even baby plants! Talk to some people about your gardening journey and what you’re hoping to do, and you just might find some kindred spirits--or at least get more people interested in the topic! 

Seed and plant giveaways and trades happen all the time in gardening clubs, as well as online! Just poke around and see what you can find! Some are explicitly trades, meaning you’re expected to send something in return, but once you get your feet on the ground with some plant knowledge you’ll be stellar! You may be able to explain you’re just starting out, and someone may send you seeds without expecting a trade, but I’d suggest trying giveaways first. 

Poke around online and see if there’s a local chapter of your state’s native plant society. From there, you’ll likely be able to find a calendar of events--many of them will host plant sales in the spring, with a bunch of native plant seedlings ripe for the pickings if you can make it out and have some money to spare! Fair warning, though, you’ll want to get there early if you can. If they say they’re starting at 10, try to get there by 9:45. Year after year, there’s always record turnout, and they sell out of plants faster than ever. Just trust me on this. I’ve been let down; hopefully you won’t have to be.

Some libraries are beginning to host seed libraries! Check around and see if your library has one! Ideally, the system works best if you also have seeds to contribute in return, but if you’re just starting out I’m sure they won’t mind you taking some seeds! Just consider saving some seeds to contribute in the future and pay it forward. If your library doesn’t have a seed library? Consider asking if they’d be willing to start one! Community interest is a great way to get the ball rolling on projects like these, but they’ll only know the community is interested if the community tells them they’re interested!

Volunteer to Garden for/with Someone Else

Maybe someone in your area wants to garden, but is struggling to find the time/energy. Many elderly people who used to garden simply can’t anymore but still would like a garden. Other people may love to have a helping hand in their garden. You might even find a few people in your area interested in renting and sharing a community garden plot with others, so they don't have to handle it all on their own! They may be interested in increasing biodiversity right now, or may be willing to if it’s brought up to them. You might be just the kind of person someone needs! Since it won't be your garden, you’ll likely need a bit of permission and collaboration to get anything in particular going, but it’s worth a shot and a way to maybe even make friends! 

Again, your mileage may vary with some of these. You may not know where there's a bunch of wildflowers growing in your area, or maybe your local library doesn't have a free seed library. That's okay! Do what you're able to, find what you can find, get what you can get! And there's never any shame with starting small--in fact, starting small can make the project easier to manage and expand when you're able!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to start growing plants cheaply--low cost seed starting set ups, essentially. There's a lot of good options, many of which I've used myself even! Until then, I hope this advice is helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

[wasabi-gumdrop]

thinking about modern au Kabru

ivy league college student, probably studying law and political science on a full scholarship. first time living away from Milsiril so he has to promise her, yes mom i’ll call you at least four times a week, no mom i don’t need your amex black card, yes mom the normal credit card is fine i need to learn how to budget like a Normal Person (it has a limit of $20k — that’s not normal Kabru).

Milsiril insists for a long time that she’ll just get him a house off campus so he can have his own space (aka a place she can drop by anytime and possibly live a few months out of the year just to be close to him) but Kabru puts his foot down and tells her the best way he’s gonna make friends is by living with other students (bye mom).

his floor in the coed dorms is the party floor and he always makes sure to invite everybody (his nightmare is accidentally leaving anyone out and having them think that he doesn’t like them). somehow it’s always a good time, everyone leaves with more friends than they came with, it never gets totally out of control, and plenty of girls who are interested in him (and a lot of guys too tbh) bring tons of baked treats so there’s always free food. Kabru is the RA’s favourite person to have in the building (even though Kabru himself is messy but most of the people he’s friends with are nice and clean up after themselves).

he has a porsche (Milsiril gift for his 16th bday) but he’s adamant about not driving it unless he absolutely has to (because he doesn’t wanna look like a douche). BUT he never says no when his friends ask for rides (so he ends up driving all the time anyway). he actually contemplates selling the porsche and going for a more practical car but Mickbell is like ‘dude you are not taking this away from me.’ Kabru sighs and decides to keep it because his friends (Mickbell) like being chauffeured around in a fancy convertible (Rin, Holm, and Dia don’t care, they’re just glad they don’t have to walk to the grocery store).

he’s probably on a casual texting basis with most of his professors and you know he’s going to all their office hours, grabbing beer with them just to keep chatting about life outside of school. and that’s how he winds up in some super secret faculty group chat where he’s now privy to all the college administration gossip.

Kabru is elected for student council during his freshman year and he’s probably the favourite to be sc president one day.

he doesn’t really date (gets too in his head about how he doesn’t wanna ruin any friendships) but he does hang out one on one with a lot of girls and treats them all really well. he probably goes so far out of his way to be platonic that he flies a little too close to the ‘Just Like One of the Girlies’ sun, he kinda forgets that most people interpret it as flirting coming from him. which leads to a few awkward conversations. people feeling led on, a few angry jealous boyfriends, scathing dms about him being a girl stealing homewrecker.

it’s such a nightmare for him and he needs it to end right now. so he begs Rin to ‘date’ him for a week or two and then publicly dump him just so the entire student body gets the message that he is Just A Friend.

Rin stares at him for a few seconds. then she laughs. she laughs and laughs. she laughs for a crazy long time. and then eventually she goes, ‘wow you’re an asshole, Kabru. no i won’t be your fake girlfriend. you’re gonna suffer and i’m going to enjoy it.’

and that’s when Kabru has a moment of enlightenment. ok yeah. asking for that is probably really selfish and mean. maybe he needs to think about girls’ feelings more and that’s maybe more important than his deep seated need to be liked, and when has Rin ever been wrong about anything.

he apologizes. and so begins one of the more serious talks he’s ever had with Rin about being okay with not being liked.

he thinks he can really turn over a new leaf. the whole ‘not worrying about what other people think’ thing goes pretty well — up until Kabru meets the aloof professor for his Monsters and Myths class who keeps forgetting and mispronouncing his name.

Kabru has never needed someone to like him So Bad, he needs Prof. Touden to like him as a matter of life and death, and he’s willing to look stupid for it (fails a midterm on purpose to justify begging for one on one tutoring)

[heavenlycloud]

y/n and her *inability* to say no to kazuha~ a compilation 

a/n: i’ve seen a lot of these compilation type fics circulating plus my youtube recommended always has at least one random compilation of something like this so i thought i’d give it a go here! 

i tried my best to format this to be like one of those youtube videos. the bold text means it's a caption in the video.

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ⤹˚˖♬୭ ♡

y/n and her *inability* to say no to kazuha

────────🦋────────

↻          ◁     ||     ▷           ↺

----˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹----✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧

intro: *automated voice* 

hello everyone~ this is heavenlycloud. i just wanted to start off the video with saying that this is for joking purposes only, and i am not making assumptions about y/n and kazuha’s relationship. so please don’t doxx me or leave hate. okay lets get on with the video :)

*tv glitch screen*

clip one~ 🦊{when y/n went all the way back home to bring kazuha food even though she had plans}

“okay so i just have a lesson this morning and then i think i’m gonna go shopping? it’s my first free-ish day in weeks so i think i’m just gonna enjoy today alone.” you spoke to the video camera in english as you walked out of your dorm building. a loud buzz from your pocket grabbed your attention and you showed your phone to the camera, “zuha is calling me.” 

you put the phone to your ear, “hello?” kazuha talked on the other line and you hummed along as she spoke before finishing, “unnie will get it for you zuha-yah. alright i’ll be there soon.” you both hummed before hanging up then you told the camera, “change in plans. zuha forgot she had a photoshoot today, and ordered food to pick up. but she’s getting ready and she won’t have time to get it. so now i’m gonna pick it up, and take it back to her�� technically i think kkura unnie could have done it, but oh well.”

you continued filming until you got her food, then back to the dorm where she was waiting for you. the younger girl beamed as you handed her a bag with multiple small containers, “here you go. have a good day today. you’re beautiful! nakamura kazuha number one stunner!” you shouted out the last sentence in english prompting a laugh from the younger girl. she thanked you before you had to rush back outside to head to the company building.

clip two~ 🦢{y/n dropping $6k on kazuha just bc}

DAYOFF season 4 was in full swing since you and your members had worked tirelessly for the past few months. stadium concerts, award show performances, and a months worth of comeback promotions had you and the girls spent. thankfully, you all were given another opportunity for a mini vacation with filming another season of DAYOFF. technically speaking, you all were still working since it was youtube content, but you all were free to do as you pleased. for this season you all were in singapore, staying in a 5 star hotel with a stunning view of the city down below. 

kazuha had mentioned she wanted to explore, and you’d suggested shopping which is how you all ended up in a seven floor shopping mall in the city. kazuha had entered with the mission of finding a new wallet, just something small and inexpensive that did it’s job. meanwhile, you were looking for a new handbag just because you’d grown tired of the same neutral colored bags you had. the two of you briefly looked in the Gucci and Dior stores but nothing caught your eye or kazuha’s. to be fair, she didn’t pay much attention to the bags the fashion advisor showed you since everything was out of her budget…by a long shot. 

the last store you entered for yourself was Prada in hopes that they’d have a piece you’d actually like. you immediately found a line that caught your eye, and asked an associate to show you the options available currently. much to your surprise, kazuha was engaged with the entire interaction, marveling at the alabaster pink handbag and wallet you requested to see. the younger woman’s gaze lingered on a powder blue version of the wallet you were holding, so you told the associate to also bring it over too. kazuha gasped, “it’s so pretty, i like this style a lot too.” there was a teasing tone as kazuha joked, “you should get this for me.” this only intended to be a playful comment she usually made when shopping with yunjin when the two found something impractical, unsightly, or outrageously expensive compared to their budget. when you pulled the associate’s attention once more, kazuha sneakily peeked at the price tag, on the wallet in hopes that maybe on some off chance she could buy it. yet, you noticed how kazuha’s eyes widened when she saw the $750 price tag. 

me seeing they raised prices by $0.25 at the dollar tree 

kazuha mumbled something about going to find the Daiso store on the mall directory outside when lightly pulled her back by her hand. you motioned for the associate to hold when you asked kazuha, “did you like this one, princess?” kazuha nodded and said, “it’s classic and not too flashy. it suits you really well i think.” you sighed and asked once more, “i meant for yourself.” her face fell and she murmured nervously while eying the associate, “yeah, i like this shade of blue…sky blue.”you turned back to the associate and told him in english, “all four items please, and separate bags. the blue is for her, and the pink for myself.” 

beside you kazuha quickly rushed out in a panicked tone, “no no no no no- unnie, i can’t afford to pay you for this kind of thing. i’ll lose it.” you let out a small laugh and said, “you’re right, you do lose stuff a lot…” for a moment you remained silent until asking the associate, “can you add the AirTag holder for the blue set please?” the associate smiled and quickly went to grab one to add to your transaction. while the associate was retrieving your last items, kazuha told you in a confused tone, “i don’t have AirTags?” the associate came back and rang all of your items up, “two Small Prada Galleria Saffiano leather bags, one in Alabaster Pink and one in Light Blue. two small Saffiano and leather wallet, one Alabaster Pink, one Light Blue. one Saffiano AirTag holder in Light Blue. which brings your total to $10, 971.” you shuffled through your four different credit cards and answered without sparing kazuha a glance, “i’ll buy you some.” you checked twice before choosing the right card, and tapping it on the screen reader. 

RICH GIRL Y/N (no actually wtf cuz how does she have a black card at 23?)

*bonus*~ {y/n dropping $6k on kazuha pt. 2}

“hello this is le sserafim’s kazuha. today i am going to introduce the items i have in my handbag.” the japanese idol held up the light blue handbag and pointed out, “this is the Prada Saffino leather bag, on the outside here i have AirTag in the matching holder.” she unclipped the holder and said, “i have 4 of these and they’re engraved with カズハ on the back. they’re very helpful with making sure i don’t lose my things.” 

y/n bought and engraved *FOUR* AirTags for Zuha

clip three~ 🦊{zuha and y/n studio choom mix & max}

when kazuha was told that she was requested to perform for studio choom apart from her members, she was beyond excited. for the first time in her idol career she had full creative control over her performance with plenty of ideas to match. however, within a week of the three week long preparation period, she realized something was still lacking. kazuha lost sleep for days trying to figure out what the issue was, until she had a spontanous shared practice with you. 

although you were presently known as the main rapper of your group, it was very well known that prior to being an idol you were a dancer. classical ballet training along with some contemporary and lyrical dance made up nearly eighteen years of your life. you’d never completely left that part of you behind even after becoming an idol. since debuting, your focus wasn’t solely on classical training anymore, that had become a ‘glorified hobby’ as your choreographer called it. nevertheless, you found yourself dancing alongside kazuha during early mornings or late nights when the two of you missed your past a little more than usual. dancing alongside kazuha, you felt like that missing piece was filled as you both complemented one another so effortlessly. 

kazuha pulled out the filming camera to capture more moments of her behind the scenes process to her new project. you sat on the floor with one foot in your foot stretcher when kazuha nudged you, “unnie…can you help me with this project?” you looked up from your phone and set it aside, turning all of your attention to your member, “yeah, what’s wrong?” kazuha pouted and you poked her cheek until she admitted, “i really really want you to perform with me. can you?” immediately your face fell and your stomach sank at the thought since you haven’t performed ballet, contemporary, or lyrical in years. kazuha could see your hesitance and she explained, “i’m dancing to young and beautiful by lana del rey. it’s all choreography that you’ve done before i’m sure. i just know i’m missing something and it doesn’t feel right alone, but i can if it’s too much. i know you don’t really perform like that anymore so….” you shook your head and assured her, “no it’s fine. of course i’ll perform with you, zuha.” she beamed and let out an excited squeal before leaning over and throwing herself into your arms. 

the entire preparation process was a lot more intense than you thought it would be. although you had still continued dancing, doing a full scale performance required a lot more technique than practicing alone for fun. additionally, kazuha was also getting in her own head especially when it came to lifts and holds. if her hesitance continues then you’d have to get rid of the moves because she’d then be posing a risk to her own safety, and yours.

kazuha had been practicing with you for nearly three hours and you were still struggling to pull the performance together. you sat on the floor with your elbows on your knees and palms against your temples. letting out a deep breath you told her, “this isn’t working.” the younger woman reached for the camera that was still recording you both but you stopped her, “leave it on. it’s going to be fine.” you pressed your back against the wall and kazuha sat back down beside you with her head down. carefully nudging her, you motioned for her to sit between your legs, her back against your front. she obliged and you began running your hands through her hair, “relax.”  

your other arm wrapped around kazuha’s torso and you rested your cheek against her bare shoulder, moving her tank top strap away from your face. she let out a breath and you could feel that she was going to cry from stress. ever so gently, you kissed her shoulder and assured, “shhhh we’ll be fine. just relax for a minute, okay?” your fingers grazed her bicep lightly as you just kept your eyes closed for a moment. 

they’re so soft for one another i can’t do this anymore

kazuha lifted her head from your shoulder and stretched her legs from the folded position they were in. you opened your eyes and told her, “you have to trust me. i got you, i’m not gonna drop you or let you fall. i’m not gonna let anything happen okay?” kazuha nodded against your shoulder and you smiled, squeezing her side making her yelp in surprise. you gently pushed for her to stand up, “alright let’s do this.” 

and if you haven’t seen their performance go watch it NOW because they worked so hard

clip four 🦢~ {members making kazuha ask for things because it’s the only way y/n agrees}

“we could be the winx club fairies!” 

“no”

“we could be the disney princesses!”

“no.” 

“what about the avengers?” 

“no because you’re all gonna try to make me the hulk.” 

“the friends characters?” 

“absolutely not.” 

“harry potter characters!” 

“Wait…never mind i’m just kidding. no.” 

you had turned down every suggestion yunjin and eunchae threw your way regarding a group costume for the HYBE halloween party this year. honestly, the suggestions weren’t bad but you just weren’t big on the holiday. yunjin and chaewon thought they were setting you up to say yes by having a livestream on, so you’d be inclined to agree to look like a nice unnie for your members. but, you knew their game which is exactly why you didn’t agree even though you liked yunjin’s first suggestion. 

eunchae read the comments and gave more suggestions that you continued to refuse until kazuha entered the room and distracted the youngest member. you beamed with a wide smile, “my zuha!” your other two members pretended to cry and dramatically said, “see she loves zuha more than us!” you rolled your eyes and denied with a smug grin, “no i love my members equally.” the comments flooded with fans jokingly calling bullshit, just because they knew you had a very small inclination to lean in favor of kazuha. 

you patted kazuha’s thigh for her to stand up and you murmured for only them to hear, “i’ll be right back.” when you left the room and closed the door, yunjin and eunchae immediately explained to kazuha, “we need halloween costumes and y/n won’t agree on anything so we need you to pick from our list and ask.” eunchae added on, “she’ll say yes if it’s you.” kazuha looked at the list on yunjin’s phone and quickly looked through online searches to pick her favorite one. when you came back and sat down, kazuha stood up before sitting back on your lap and playing with your fingers that rested against her leg. she shot a small smile to the camera and proposed, “fearnot are saying you all were talking about halloween costumes. did you guys pick one yet?” you shook your head and said, “no, do you have any ideas?” 

kazuha shrugged and said, “i don’t know some of the ones people are suggesting. i think they’re from american shows or something?” yunjin played along, secretly loving the way you were already starting to fall for their trap. she leaned over and showed kazuha a few of them just to make it seem like they weren’t setting you up. eunchae made small comments about the ones she liked until kazuha had yunjin stop on one internet tab. the japanese girl showed you yunjin’s phone and asked, “can we do this one?” she paused and then said in her best american accent, “monster high.” you looked over the screen and smiled sweetly, “yeah sure who do you wanna be?” immediately eunchae and yunjin’s jaws hit the floor as they sat in disbelief that you actually agreed after refusing both of them when they asked. kazuha let out a laugh and you did the same while the comments flooded with fans calling you out for your obvious favoritism. when you stopped laughing you looked at the camera and admitted, “everyone i was going to say yes to their costume suggestions later on, i swear. it’s just funny to see their reaction like this! i love my girls, don’t misunderstand okayyyyy?” 

sure y/n…whatever you say ;)

clip five 🦊~  {y/n who’s afraid of water agreeing to swim with kazuha}

“what is something we don’t know about you?” you read the question aloud as it appeared on the screen in front of you. for the first time in weeks you had finally found time to have a solo livestream for fearnot after practice one evening. for a moment you thought and mused, “something you all don’t know… hmm.” suddenly you remembered the word, and said, “i have aquaphobia.”immediately you responded, “i’m not afraid of drinking water or showering. i’m scared of swimming pools, oceans, lakes, seas, and stuff like that.” 

you stopped for a moment and saw comments asking why so you explained, “when i was little my mom put me into swimming lessons. i think i was about five years old international age at the time, and my brother, was 13 or 14 but i can’t exactly remember?  at the end of the lessons we got out of the pool and went to find our parents in the lobby area. usually i got out of the pool and walked to find my older brother on the other side because he was on the swimming team, and they practiced while i was in lessons. this one day i decided i was going to walk through the pool to the other side because i saw another girl do it, and walking outside always made me cold. so, i jumped into the other pool and started walking towards my older brother. but i didn’t know this pool got deeper because the one they teach little kids in was all 1 meter deep. the water went from 1 meter to 1.5 quickly and i started to drown because all i knew how to do back then was hold my breath. i just remember i screamed a lot and i got water in my nose, mouth, ears, and eyes. my brother was the one that saved me because the lifeguards were with the other kids and parents, but heard me all the way across the pool and he was the one who got me. but after that i didn’t take lessons again until i was eight years old because i was too scared.” you skimmed the comments from fans and most of them said they also had a similar experience or said something else supportive.  upon noticing a comment regarding your brother you added, “yeah my brother is a good older brother. after that day he picked me up from lessons every time after that. he taught me how to float too in case i ever fell in again but even though i can swim now i don’t like getting in water anymore.” 

“unnie come to the pool with me!” eunchae insisted as she ran around the large house that your company rented for a new episode of a show you all were filming. you slipped on your flip flops and followed her so you could sit on the pool side and dip your feet in while she played. the rest of your members were in the kitchen cooking something for dinner, and had everything under control. eunchae jumped into the pool and you snapped a few pictures of her while telling her how cute she was. you heard footsteps behind you and kazuha sat beside you after taking off her slippers. eunchae waved the japanese girl over and kazuha slipped into the water and joined eunchae in her games. 

you simply watched the two of the girls as they enjoyed the water and shot each other with water guns and pool toys. eunchae ended up getting out after a while because she was tired of the water, but kazuha was still full of energy. she looked over at you and asked, “don’t you wanna get in? the wait’s really warm.” you thought about it and sighed, hesitantly taking off your mic pack and setting it aside. slowly you lowered yourself into the water, standing against the pool wall as the water stopped just below your neck. eventually you were chasing kazuha around in the pool and it was like you were never scared of water in the first place. the younger girl jumped on your back and wrapped her legs around your waist with her arms around your neck. she beamed, “thank you unnie!” you bent backwards a little and dipped her into the water before laughing, “anything for you, zuha.” 

[justalittlesolarpunk]

hi! i love your blog :D do you have any advice to implement low waste and solarpunk aspects into everyday life with a tight budget? keep doing what you do!

Hi!

Thanks for asking - I’ve had this question before and it’s definitely a real problem. Organic, plastic free food is expensive. So is handmade durable clothing, and train fares these days. It can feel like only the rich can be solarpunks, which is pretty counterintuitive given its anticapitalist ideology. But! I’m here to tell you there’s lots you can do to bring solarpunk into your life in a cost-effective way.

To start with, lots of solarpunk spaces are free or cheap. Get a library card and you can borrow as many books and DVDs and other resources as you like. Look up to see if there’s a library of things in your neighbourhood, and join a buy nothing or stuff for free group online. Download TooGoodToGo, which lets you access food from local cafes and restaurants which would otherwise go to waste. See if there’s a repair cafe that operates near you - I managed to get a pair of trousers mended at one of these for free, and I had been thinking I would need to pay a tailor (which is fine if you can afford it! Skilled labour deserves fair wages!). In some places plant-based food is cheaper, so when it is, choose it. But in others it will cost more than animal products so you have to decide on a case by case basis whether saving money or a particular diet is more important to you.

There’s lots else you can do for minimal spending or that actually saves you money. Walking to work or school avoids the expenditure in the petrol for a drive or a bus fare. If you’re within walking distance and able to do so, I’d recommend it. Joining your local chapter of Extinction Rebellion, Friends of The Earth, Greenpeace, The A22 network or any other active climate group in your area is almost always free and just involves a small weekly time commitment. This will introduce you to activists and inform you about protests and public meetings you can attend.

If you have the time in your week and the physical ability, which I acknowledge many people don’t, you can also join some sort of volunteer group looking after a nature reserve or tending a community garden (which might also give you access to free or discounted food). Learning to forage is also a good skill as that really is free food!

Depending on where you are, a green electricity tariff *can* also be less expensive. If this is the case and you have control over your provider, it’s worth switching to it. Buying books and clothes secondhand will also be better for the environment and your bank balance. Teaching yourself about the climate and the natural world with podcasts, YouTube, online free articles and other resources is also free and the knowledge will help you keep solarpunk at the front of your mind. Read good news stories online whenever you can, to remind you that good things are happening already.

If you’re employed, you can also try to influence green policy at your workplace or in your trade union. If you’re at school or university, joining (or setting up!) the environmental society and/or lobbying for change at the SU are both good ideas and shouldn’t necessarily cost you anything. If you can - and I know this is inaccessible for a big swathe of the population - put a very small amount of money aside whenever possible, because the more you save the more you can afford to buy better products, donate to causes, help out the needy in your community, travel in a greener way, and other more expensive choices. It’s all about that dual power.

Hope this helps get you started!

[qqueenofhades]

One of my biggest annoyances is leftists and communists beinging up Biden’s tweets during the 2020 campaign of things he said he would do, and being like “see?? he didn’t deliver on anything and this is why you shouldn’t vote for the Dems again” Like, for all the understanding they seem to have of communist or marxist or whatever theory, the idea that the President is not a king and can’t do whatever he wants without Congress’s approval is lost on them?? He still believes in those things but if Congress won’t pass the legislation what is he supposed to do? EOs won’t solve all our problems.

Yeah. Not even to mention, the claim that "Biden hasn't done/delivered anything!!!" is a big fat lie, as people keep pointing out the things he has done, with a razor-thin House majority (until 2022) and two "Democratic" senators who torpedoed everything and one of whom has now literally left the party (Manchin and Sinema). So while Online Leftists obviously don't understand the difference between "achieving all of his campaign goals" and "achieving some," for the last frikkin time, Biden has done a lot of good things in very bad circumstances!!!!!! Using "he didn't do everything!!!!" as an excuse to not vote and so enable the open and unrepentant fascists is the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard!!!!

Like. Take the debt deal. As in other things, Biden clearly learned from Obama's mistake (which was believing that the Republicans would ever negotiate in good faith about anything, and/or would reciprocate in kind if Biden made concessions). McCarthy whined for WEEKS that Biden wasn't listening and wasn't talking to him and wasn't entertaining his ridiculous proposals (22% cuts in ALL discretionary/non-military spending, including Social Security, Medicare, etc etc, while preserving the giant Trump tax cuts for the rich.) No matter that a full one-quarter of the national debt ($7.8 trillion of $31 trillion) was racked up under Trump and the debt ceiling involves paying bills that have already been spent. No sir, those Damn Free-Spending Democrats wanted to use your money on icky things like ~social welfare!! It was mean and it was hypocritical and it was blindingly obvious, and Biden just completely ignored it. He didn't try to negotiate in good faith with that, because there was no way it would work. He just let them whine.

Then, when it came down to it, Biden went in and got a deal that preserves pretty much all of the Democrats' major legislative priorities and expansions from the last two years. The only real change is raising the work requirement age for childless adults on SNAP food assistance from 49 to 54, but this has also been accompanied by a corresponding expansion of the definition "homeless" to make more people eligible, some for the first time ever. There's not going to be any major new spending for the next two years, but that wasn't happening anyway since the GOP controls the House and wouldn't agree to anything Biden put in the budget (and plus, none of the money that has already been allocated through the American Rescue Plan and other federal assistance is getting taken away). But more importantly, it raises the debt ceiling for the next TWO years and it won't come up again until after 2024. That is HUGE: the GOP really, REALLY wanted to hold the economy hostage again prior to the next presidential election. But Biden basically went in and told McCarthy to stfu and got what he wanted. Qevin was even forced, after months of "Sleepy Joe" GOP propaganda, to call Biden "very smart and very tough" in the negotiations. Soooo.

Anyway, this is what I mean: this isn't as sexy and/or as utterly fucking useless as spouting lukewarm rebaked "Marxist" propaganda on the Twittermachine about how Biden hasn't done anything, but it's the actual nitty-gritty work of government and flat-out beating the Republicans. They got absolutely shit-all that they wanted, because Biden didn't fall for their same old, same old dirty tricks and disingenuous squealing. He went in, got the job done, and will get way less credit for it than he deserves, from anyone. Dunno about you, but I like that guy. I plan to vote for him again.

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday! Happy Labor Day to those of us in the US, and a shout out to all the union organizers and labor supporters who made this day possible.

Ways to Give:

Anon linked to a fundraiser for Rick, who recently lost his home, including heirlooms and many of his paintings, to a fire; he is raising funds for alternate housing and supplies while he recovers from this incident. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

gdbatbitch is an artist who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October, and since then she has been dealing with expenses from loss of work and eventually loss of job entirely; she is raising funds to cover bills and other necessaries after being seriously ill for the last few weeks in particular. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

pumpariah is currently fundraising via both donations and commissions to help keep themselves and their family afloat during the Venezuelan economic and political crisis, and in the longer run to help their father emigrate; you can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

waywren linked to a fundraiser for tini-ballerini, who along with their niece is trying to save up for a down payment on a house so that they and their pets can get into a better living situation. They need to close before the end of the year on their ideal place, but they don't have time to save up the down payment amount before the date while still paying their current rent. You can read more and reblog here or support the fundraiser here.

Danielle is raising funds to cover bills as she recovers from emergency gallbladder surgery; you can read more and find giving information here.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for mickeym, who is dealing with an array of financial issues including recent veterinary bills and dealing with a flea infestation; you can read more and find giving information here.

Stephanie is raising funds to cover a $1000 vet bill after her cat was diagnosed with asthma and her pet insurance has denied her claim; you can read more and support the fundraiser here.

memprime linked to a fundraiser for a friend, virtualalternative, who needs help with cat vet bills after their cat had several blockages; you can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

maplerosekisses linked to a fundraiser for Mona, a cat who was rescued from a school parking lot in the fall of 2023; he was kept isolated and eventually tested positive for FeLV and had to be rehomed to protect his rescuer's other cats. Mona now has FIP, which is fatal without treatment and complicated by FeLV; while Meg, his mom, has taken on a second job to pay for his treatment, they can only do so much. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

Recurring Needs:

loversdoom has recently been diagnosed with PCOS and needs help to afford the prescribed birth control pills on top of living expenses; you can read more, reblog, and find giving information here or give via paypal here.

onedollopofsourcream is fundraising to help support a large family including young children during a difficult time; they particularly need funds for needed medication, and hopefully eventually to get out of an abusive living situation. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

chingaderita is raising funds to help their family get back on their feet after a house fire that left them in an unsafe living situation with black mold; their partner has also recently had oral surgery and many family members are unemployed, and they need funds for clean water, food, and cleaning until the mold can be taken care of. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

thegeeksqueaks's school district has shorted her on her summer teacher's budget; she can't afford currently to stock her classroom for back-to-school. She's raising funds to get food and hygiene tools for underserved kids as well as various aids for neurodivergent kids. You can read more and reblog here, give via DonorsChoose here or via paypal here, or purchase from an Amazon wishlist here.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

[respectthepetty]

I recently entered asian qls, and I've been hearing a lot about gmmtv in thai bl. what's the deal with that? do they make good bls or something?

What's the deal with GMMTV?

I (and a few other people) have given GMMTV the nickname of Disney BL because

It has the budget

It has stylish shows

Most are plot-by-numbers (meaning formula style plots that are predictable)

And it's all about branding

Good and bad are subjective, so does GMMTV make "good" BLs is not a question that can be answered, especially by me, but GMMTV does make BLs. A lot of BLs.

In 2022 and 2023, half of its shows were BLs. And a few others were BL-lite (Midnight Museum and Home School, I'm looking at you). Out of the 16 shows announced in GMMTV 2024 Part 1 (Part 2 is coming tomorrow), 10 of those shows were BLs/GLs/QLs. Over half of their shows are focused on queer relationships. [Photos from Boys Love Hub]

So regardless if I think they are good or not, the company is doing some heavy lifting in regards to queer representation since all of their shows have 1) a queer character, 2) a queer director, or 3) a queer producer.

As much shit as I want to give GMMTV, and DO, the company makes being queer palatable for mass distribution, and that's mainly because of its branding and reach since all shows, at one point, were free on YouTube for most countries.

Take right now for example, BrightWin fans are up in arms because Bright has a girlfriend. BrightWin haven't had a series since 2021's 2gether movie. THREE YEARS AND PEOPLE STILL SHIP 'EM! *eye roll* And that's because GMMTV doesn't just make BLs. It makes a brand of each and every one of its actors. If an actor is put into a pair, there will be a mascot, fanclubs, fan meets, tours, light sticks, y todo.

Someone wrote a good post, which I cannot find now, about the idolifacation of GMMTV actors, and it's accurate. These aren't only actors. They must sing. They must dance. They must host Live House. They must participate in Safe House. They must have a vlog and do live streams every week. They must go on GMMTV's little outing events and have a spin-off show where they travel around with their paired partner and eat food or drink some cocktail or do something because Lord forbid these people do nothing.

And this isn't just a GMMTV thing, but only GMMTV does it on this scale, so what's the deal with GMMTV is that it is a company doing company stuff.

I'm sure others can chime in and give more in-depth points, but I'm exhausted even thinking about it!

[romanarose]

He Didn't Have to Be

Will Miller x Single Mom!reader

Summary: You and Will hit it off immediately, but being a single mom but a past, you didn't think that he'd be interested in you. You were wrong, and Will asks you on the sweetest date you could imagine.

A/N: Will Miller brain rot is so real rn. Titled after the Brad Paisley song, bc it's what inspired this fic.

Warnings: Referenced past abuse, referenced past child abuse

*******************

Many guys ran for the hills at the idea of a woman with a kid. Some only wanted you for sex, insisting you get a babysitter or god forbid leave your son at home, insisting “it’s only for an hour” even though he was four. Some gave it a shot, only to get angry when they realized Jonah came first. It’s not that you didn’t try to make time for dates, but you had a young child, and you wanted to make the best of his childhood. They didn’t get why you were busy working on letters and numbers with him, asking “isn’t that what his preschool is for?” or why you spent time trying to plan and cook nutritious food on a budget, or why you wouldn't just drop him off with your sister to fuck or why they couldn't come over when he was napping.

So, you simply gave up dating, figuring the right guy would come along at some point, when the time better.

And the right guy did.

You were lucky enough to land a job as a receptionist at a physical therapy office, your friend’s husband, Frankie being kind enough to send the job your way when his friend said they were hiring. You were waitressing at this point and although you were getting by, it was just barely, living in a studio apartment with you and Jonah (another reason dating didn’t work) was hard. This job would offer not only financial security, but a better schedule, with Jonah at the free preschool during most of the day so this meant paying for only two or three hours at daycare after. The handsome physical therapist was a perk too.

Will Miller was one of four physical therapists in the office, but by far your favorite. He always said hello and goodbye to you every single morning and evening, and even when you first started he was making easy chit chat. The small talk turned into full conversations, Will often being found leaning over your counter, strong arms blunging out of the sleeves of his black t-shirt as you tried not to stare. It wasn’t that hard; his blue eyes were compelling enough to keep your interest. You familiarized yourself with the features of his face while he talked, and one of the other workers comments how they'd never seen Will so talkative. When you asked what they meant, they said that Will was always polite, nice but never very open. She didn’t even know he had a brother until she heard him mention Ben to you, and she’d known Will a year. It made you happy to know he felt comfortable with you like that. It took you an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out that he was the friend Frankie knew, the one that had mentioned the job opening, but once you did, you grew closer sharing stories of Frankie and Jessica drunk.

He also let you talk about your son, which was exciting. People don’t really care a lot about a kid that isn’t their family besides a few pictures, but you mentioned a cute video, and Will actually asked to see it, endearing you to him more and more. Still, you didn’t get your hopes up. Your last relationship, Jonah’s father, messed you up pretty bad, and you were certain someone like Will wouldn’t want someone like you. Will was successful, put together, tall, handsome and charming with a very well paying job. Why would he want to take a single mom living in a shitty studio apartment with a ton of baggage? He could get any woman he wanted, not some woman he probably thought just wanted him for his money.

When he approached you that Friday as you were packing up for the weekend, he seemed oddly stiff, not leaning casually over your counter like the Jim to your Pam. Instead he stood awkwardly, hands clasped behind his back as if he was reverting back to his military days and you were his drill sargent.

 He greeted you by name, and promptly began stuttering, the composed, cool headed man you knew seemed long gone. “I was, um, well I was wondering if maybe you were doing anything this weekend? If you-you wanted to do something with me, maybe? I understand if you’re busy, it’s completely okay theres no pressure or anything, it won't have any effect on your working relationship but if you wanted too-”

“Will?”

“Hm?” His pail English skin turned pink.

“Are you asking me on a date?” 

The blush grew, but he nodded. “Yeah, if you’d like that, of course. No pressure at all, we can continue being friends either way.” The way he repeated ‘no pressure’ made your heart warm.

You smiled at him, equally nervous. The idea of going on a date for the first time in a year was nerve wracking, there was a solid chance of getting your heart broken… but he was so fucking handsome, how could you say no? “Yeah, yeah that would be great.” You laugh nervously. “I’m open all weekend, I just gotta see when I can get a babysitter.”

“Actually, I was thinking, and we don’t have to, it’s completely up to you-”

He’s so cute when he’s nervous, isn’t he? “Yes, Will?” You encourage him on.

“I thought maybe Jonah could come with us? I know maybe you don’t want to bring a strange man you don’t know around your son, but if you wanted to, I’d like to take Jonah to Chuck E. Cheese?”

You were stunned. No man has ever cared to meet Jonah, let alone spend time with him like that. 

“You want to go to Chuck E. Cheese for a first date?” You ask softly.

He seemed to get the wrong idea, and began to backtrack. “Right, not very romantic is it, sorry, I’d love to take you somewhere nice, I just thought it would be easier and I’d want to get to know Jonah because he’s a part of you-”

“I’d love that” You smile up at him. “Are you sure? It’s kinda an expensive first date?” You didn’t want him to invest a bunch of money on a date when you already knew you wouldn’t be sleeping together that day.

Will seemed to relax, smiling at the idea of the date. He shook his head. “I want to.  Besides, it’ll be fun. I haven't played ski ball in years, when else do I get a chance to be a kid?”

You could not wait to see what the 6’2 giant of a man looked like pretending to be a kid.

Will offered to pick you up but said if you prefer to meet there, that was okay too. Normally, you’d meet there, you didn’t like random men knowing your address, but Will… Will was different. The way Will was cognizant of your comfort made you just trust him. You still would be careful, of course, after what happened with Jonah’s dad you were protective of your precious preschooler. Jonah was ecstatic when you picked him up and told him you’d be going to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. You explained he’d be meeting a friend of moms, keeping it vague, but it seemed very much uninterested in that aspect as the idea of the arcade filled his adorable little head. You kept it simple, a nice romper that would be acceptable to play in but looked cute on you, at least you thought so. You didn’t give your apartment number, for safety reasons but also you were a bit embarrassed at your small studio. You hoped soon to get a one bedroom with this nice new job, but wanted to have a good savings in case of emergencies. Jonah was small enough now that it was okay, it was working, but you wanted him to have some space of his own in a few years. Still, you did the best you could.

Will was waiting outside the apartment complex door, his eyes lighting up when he saw you.

“Hi. You look great.” He said with a genuine smile that you returned. Will wore a blue shirt and black pants, fitting the casual but pleasant outfit you had gone for, the blue bringing out his eyes. You were disappointed he didn't greet you with a kiss on the cheek or a hug, but he seemed nervous, so you didn’t think much of it at first. Will bent down, crouching to get to Jonah’s level. “Hey little guy, you must be Jonah.”

“Yeah, I’m this many” He held up four fingers. 

You held up all five “Honey, you’re this many”

“Oh” he giggled. “Yeah” He was embarrassed to have gotten his age wrong. “Sowwy”

You turn to Will, about to explain that Jonah just had a birthday, but Will was way ahead of you. 

“That’s okay, you had a birthday week, right? Mine was last month too and I still forget.”

Not only was he good with Jonah, but he even remembered his birthday. You began to let yourself get more and more attached to William Miller.

It was fun to see Will let loose. Not that he was tightly wound at work by any means, but he was professional. This was a side of him you could easily fall in love with.

You had tried to pay for the tokens for the arcade games, insisting that Will could pay for the food like he would for a normal date, and you’d cover the part for your son, but he wouldn’t let you. It wasn’t in a ‘I have more money than you’ way, but in a way that was just the kindness of his big, soft heart. And he got along great with Jonah, that was clear, and something very important to you. He asked you before picking Jonah up and putting him on a ride when Jonah begged him for help, gave him high fives and encouraged him when he didn’t get something on a game. He was everything you could ask for. He must've been a good big brother, you just knew it.

You and him were already past the small talk point, so there was no ‘tell me about yourself’, but conversation flowed easily, with you laughing and giggling along to his stories of his brother, remarking that Jonah reminded him a lot of when Ben was little. Still, he didn’t kiss you, was hesitant to touch you, and you began to worry that maybe he didn’t enjoy your company outside of work as much as maybe he thought he would. Still, it was a fun evening and you loved spending time with Will.

When the pizza came, Will noticed they forgot to bring the breadsticks. “I’ll go grab them, be right back.”

“Thank you” You smiled at him, and pulled out the wipes for Jonah’s hands and cleaned him off front he germs before turning to the table to plate up pizza for everyone. 

When you turn back, Jonah was gone. You tried not to panic. “Jonah?” You couldn’t see him anywhere. “Jonah!” Now you’re shouting, and in a flash Will is by your side, settling the garlic bread down. 

You don’t even have to explain what happened when he has a plan. “I’ll check the front, he can’t leave without one of us so he’s in here. I’ll talk to the employees, you just start searching, he’ll come to your voice easier than mine.”

You’re tearing up, looking around for your baby, trying too hard not to go into a pancik. “I swear, I turned around for just a second, and, and, and he-he”

Will grabbed you shoulders, forcing you to look up at him. He was calm, assured, clear headed in an emergency and that transferred to you. “I know, it’s gonna be okay, just go look for him and I’ll start getting a parameter.” Military man indeed. 

You nod, trusting Will to make things right, help you find him. You, Will and Jonah had numbers stamped onto your hand from the employee at the front, so you knew he couldn’t leave without you or Will, but you didn’t want him alone with all these strange people. You begin looking calling out to him and you could see Will talking to and directing the employees and a few concerned parents who volunteered to help, instructing them to clear different areas and guard them, slowly narrowing down a ‘parameter’ just as he said while you looked for him.

You were trying to keep calm, but 1000 worst case scenarios ran through your head. You needed to be strong for him.

You hear your name called from the indoor play structure and you look up to see Will and Jonah in a clear plastic bubble waving to you. Jonah was safe, Will found him, even going up in a play structure you knew he could barely fit in to do it. You began to cry, so fucking relieved to see your baby, and informed the worker that everything was okay. Will slid down the large slide (how he didn’t get struck, you didn’t know. The man was broad as hell.) and when he and your son popped out the other end, Jonah was apparently none the wiser of how much stress he put you through. You tearfully talk to him about not wondering off, then take him back to get food. The rest of the evening went wonderfully, and you didn’t take your eyes off Jonah the rest of the night. 

You watch Jonah dance and sing with the Chucky mascot when it came out, the ugly thing handing out tickets to the kids. You turn to Will. "Ever played 5 Nights at Freddy's?"

The giant of a man burst into boisterous laughing, the sound ringing out and filling your heart with so much joy. "I didn't wanna be the one to say it!" He heaves over from laughing so hard. "freaking fuck'n rat, used to scare the shit outta my brother as a child, I tried to fight it once because it made Ben cry"

You couldn't imagine the polite, composed man fighting a giant rat, but given how he talked about his brother, you knew he was defensive. "Oh? And what happened?"

"Turns out Chuck will put you on your ass when you kick him in the crotch."

When Will pulled into the parking lot, Jonah was fast sleep in his booster seat and you unbuckle him, turning to Will. It was the end of the date, and you knew what he might be expecting. “Listen, I had a wonderful time, and I’d like to go out again, but I can’t… I can’t exactly invite you to stay over.”

Will was quick to assure you he had no expectations, but you continue to clarify; you didn't want him to think you didn't want him. “It’s embarrassing, but we live in a studio apartment right now.”

“A studio isn’t embarrassing, trust me, I’ve slept in some interesting places and I don’t expect anything on the first date. And I especially wouldn’t expect a mom to invite me to stay the night where her kid lives this early on.”

You, however, weren’t ready for the evening to end. It was still early. “Listen, Jonah is out cold” After running around all day and eating a ton of pizza, he was in a food coma. “I have a balcony. I would love it if you came up and had a drink.”

Will lit up, teeth showing just a bit as he smiled. “I’d love to, if you’re comfortable.”

Will helped hold Jonah while you attempted to brush his little teeth and politely excused himself to the balcony while you changed him into his pj’s. Will didn’t seem put off at all by the Baby Yoda toddler bed between your twin mattress and the small kitchen table.

When you came outside, Will was sitting on one of the cheap lawn chairs. You brought out a throw blanket and two mugs of hot chocolate with just a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream and pulled the second lawn chair up next to him. Gathered under one blanket, you were thrilled to spend some alone time. You adored your son, and you adored how Will wanted to all be together, but it was nice to be with Will away from work, just you and him. 

“Can I hold your hand?” Will asks sweetly, his soft, bearded face welcoming you in. 

Like a silly teenager, you blush at the innocence. “Yeah” He takes your hand and you feel so connected, so safe, so secure in his firm but comforting grip. “I was wondering when you’d make a move.” You gently tease, and you see Will blush as he smiles and glances away. “For the record, I wanted to make a move earlier, but I didn’t know what was appropriate with Jonah around. Didn’t wanna confuse him or noth’n.”

The way he always thought about you and Jonah first… it never failed to make your heart sore.

You rest your head on Will’s shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around you, making you feel more warm than the blanket ever could.

“Thank you for today, William.” You whisper.

“I had a great time, honey. I hope I can take you out again sometime.”

“I’d love that.” You look up at him, the moonlight illuminating his skin oh-so beautifully. “And thank you for going into action so fast when Jonah was missing.”

“Of course. Jonah is important to you, so he’s important to me. Plus, any kid that goes missing needs immediate action.”

That’s what you loved about Will. He didn’t just do it because it was Jonah, you know damn well he’d do the same for a stranger’s kid if needed. 

“How come you wanted to go out with Jonah too? I’ve never had a guy do that after a few dates, nonetheless the first one.”

He held you closer. “Well, I don’t wanna be presumptuous, but I don’t date casually, and it seems you don’t either… if we are gonna be together long term or even…” he trailed off, but you knew what he was about to say. “Well, I’d wanna be a family. Not that I’m tryna replace his dad!” Will quickly adds.

“Jonah’s dad isn't allowed near him.” You say. When Will doesn’t respond, merely nods, you knew he was keeping the conversation to talk more if you wanted to, so you continued. “He was an asshole. Roughed me up a bit.” A bit was putting nicely, but it was a bit early for pouring your heart out.

You could feel his grip tighten ever so slightly on your shoulder as he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry”

“It’s okay” You said softly. It’d been a few years since you’d left. “I put up with a lot, but when he hit Jonah, that was it. I left right after that, spent a few months in a shelter, now we're here.”

“Bastard.” He mumbled under his breath, and you knew his anger for you and your boy was genuine. 

“I have a restraining order against him, so he’s not in the picture. I wish Jonah had his dad, but I won’t let him get hurt again.”

“I know, you’re a good mom.” Will assures you, “He’s a happy kid.”

You can’t help but smile at that. “I wish I could give him more… but I’m trying.”

“Hey now” his voice was soft and comforting, his hand gently, so gently guiding you to look at him. “He’s happy, he’s got food, a bed, lots of toys and I saw the worksheets you got laid out, I know you’re working hard on his learn’n. He’s a good kid, says please and thank you, you've given him a good life, princess.” 

“Thank you, Will. I appreciate that. Are you doing anything Sunday morning? I’d love to cook you lunch.” 

When Will left that evening, he waited at your doorway, holding both hands, looking nervous again. “I’d like to kiss you, if that’s okay.”

They he always asked you, leaving so much room to say no. When he asked you on the date in the first place he was adamant about making sure you felt no obligation even though he was technically your superior, to something as innocent and pure as hold your hand… you knew he was different from Jonah’s dad, he was so, so much better. Was it possible to fall in love this fast?

Still holding his hand, as he nervously looked down at you awaiting an answer, you went up on you tippy toes, planting a loving, chaste kiss on his pink lips. He kissed you back, lips moving against yours before he pulled away. “I’ll see you both Sunday?” 

Both.

“Yeah, Sunday” You hugged him goodbye, resting your head on Will’s firm, strong chest. You didn’t want him to leave, but you knew now was not the time for him to stay over. You’d move slowly, you and Will, going at a pace comfortable for both of you until you were ready. Something felt right, so damn right about him.

Yeah, you’d take things slowly, but something in your gut told you… Will would be a part of your little family.

********************

This got me pretty good ngl ;-; my baby fever is so high these days lolololol

If you'd like to see a part two, lmk! I'm happy to write more drabbles with this. Not like, a series bc I don't have a full story plan but a few one shots.

I love Will so much and it makes me sad he doesn't get much attention in this fandom :(

(Dolli that princess was especially for you. I feel like Will is a 'princess' kinda man, but wouldn't use it right away. but when he felt comfortable enough....)

also funfact i usd to work at chuck e. cheese and yes i was the giant rat. Yes I have gotten tackled to the floor and yes i did want to punt some kids but didnt. flipped off some teenagers though.

tagging a few people who might be interested/expressed interest in the discord server.

@missdictatorme @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @campingwiththecharmings @ahookedheroespureheart @jake-g-lockley @littlenosoul @welcometostayingawake @miraclesabound

[dexnola]

How to cut costs on a gluten-free diet

Actually several of these principles work on anyone's diet, or another type of allergen diet, but gluten free is what I know and what I serve.

My household consists of me and my partner; she's gluten intolerant and I am not. Our grocery budget is $120 a week (including standard household consumables like soap, paper towels, etc. that I also buy at the grocery store) and we could actually tighten that up more if we worked even a little harder at it. I do most of the cooking and shopping for our household so I thought I would share what it is I'm doing.

Eat as many "regular" items as possible

If there is a gluten free version of an item and a "regular" one that contains wheat, normally the gluten free version is twice the price. So one simple way to cut costs is to buy fewer of them. Some examples are packaged GF cookies and crackers, frozen prepared dinners, canned soups that say gluten free in big letters... basically anything that is marketed as GLUTEN FREE and says GLUTEN FREE in great big letters on the front of the package.

There are lots of items that are labeled "gluten free" but aren't marketed as such. Ketchup is often labeled gluten free somewhere on the package, but there's no such thing as "regular" ketchup that normally contains gluten. Those are fine to buy.

The worst offenders are bread and baked goods in general. Gluten free bread is very expensive. Don't buy things like frozen prepared cakes; gluten free cake mix or brownie mix is the better buy.

Here are some "regular"/inexpensive foods that are naturally gluten free:

rice; avoid pre-seasoned rice mix things

potatoes [regular and sweet potatoes]

corn tortillas (plain corn taco shells and tortilla chips are also easy to get GF)

all manner of fruits and vegetables [fresh, canned, frozen w/o sauce/other extras]

peanut butter

milk and dairy products in general

beans; dry or in cans

meat, especially plain fresh or frozen meat without extra marinades, seasoning, or obviously breading

fish [frozen and canned are least expensive]

I still buy special gluten-free stuff, but

it isn't the bulk of our diet

when reasonable, I let my partner eat them and I eat the regular version (e.g. I still buy wheat sandwich bread for myself)

i put in extra work to find the lowest price; comparing different stores, couponing, stocking up when I find a deal, etc.

Speaking of which,

Figure out what stores are the cheapest near you

A key part of this sentence is "near you." I do most of my grocery shopping at two stores that are 10 or 15 minutes away from my house. They are on the same street and in close proximity of each other. As you compare prices, keep in mind which places are realistically convenient enough to shop at based on where you live, work, and spend time.

I prefer a data driven approach and so have a spreadsheet with the prices of lots of items I buy. Doing it this way, you find that while no store has the lowest price on everything, it's easy to find a store that has an overall lower price on most items.

When comparing prices, remember to compare based on the cost per ounce or cost per pound or similar, not just the package.

In my experience, shopping at more than one store is the easiest way to balance many factors including price, selection, convenience, and quality. Most weeks I go to these two stores:

Wegmans: huge selection of items, low prices on some things, but higher to middling on others; lots of choices for GF items and things like special spices or vegetables that I need just once in a while

Aldi: smaller selection, but easily the least expensive on most regular groceries

I used to live near Publix, which is expensive overall but had a big selection and lots of BOGO sales where they would sell certain items at a loss. I would stalk the sale paper online every week and if they had something I ate at a low cost, I would go to Publix just to buy those items in quantity and then leave to go get the rest of my groceries at Aldi or somewhere else cheaper.

Use sales to stock up on stuff you eat when it's cheaper

For example, If I read the sale paper for the Aldi and I notice butter is $3/lb or less, when it's usually more like $4, I'm buying at least two if not three or four packages and putting some in the freezer, even if we're not low on butter.

This goes double and triple for any special gluten free item. Stock up.

Don't stock beyond your means. Start small as you study your household's patterns of consumption. Start with items that are not perishable: things in cans and boxes, already-frozen items. Also, only stock up on stuff that you know your family already likes.

When you are planning meals to eat, choose based on what you have stocked; shop your house first! Then go to the store to fill in the gaps.

Be prepared to eat at home on days you don't want to cook.

There are always going to be some days when you can't or don't want to cook. You get sick, you're too tired, whatever.

Eating restaurant food (takeout, delivery, or dine in) is extremely expensive and comes with a lot of risks regarding gluten. This is best avoided. Eating out will kill your budget faster than anything else you could do.

This is one time when I don't mind buying a specialty GF item, because while they do cost more than the meals I normally make, they are cheaper than eating out and also safer from a gluten standpoint. I don't mind spending an extra dollar at the store to insulate me from spending ten dollars later.

Some ideas for solving this problem:

naturally GF convenience food that can be tossed in the oven or microwave (at Aldi I have found GF frozen shepherd's pie, sometimes can get frozen tamales, instant mashed potatoes, canned soup etc.)

build a repertoire of meals that are made from "ingredients" but are less work than whatever you normally do; what this means is up to you, for some people it's a dump-in-instant-pot type meal, or maybe a microwaved baked potato and a bag of frozen veggies... at my place I make nachos once a week because they're extra easy.

special GF convenience items like frozen pizza or lasagna

Cheapest of all: make a lot of something on purpose and freeze meal-size portions for later. Soups, stews, and casseroles are all top choices. You can also do things like brown a lot of ground beef and then freeze it; later, you can make something like spaghetti sauce or sloppy joes and skip that first step. (Note that some people do ALL their cooking with this in mind and cook just once or twice a week, or even just once or twice per month, and eat out of the freezer the rest of the time.)

Keep a growth mindset. It might be that right now you are eating out a lot and your skills in the kitchen aren't great. Buying more convenience foods and assembling them at home still saves a lot of money. Once that's comfortable and you're used to the routine of getting food from the store then you can expand your repertoire of simple meals from normal ingredients, which builds your confidence so you can try making more things from scratch. Eating is complicated and eating with allergies/intolerances doesn't help. But it's doable. It can be done.

If I wanted to cut costs in my own household and reduce that $120 budget, I would...

buy fewer sodas and drinks in general.

set strict limits on GF bread. (like I'll only buy 1 loaf a month or something) work with partner to make sure she always has food for lunch and therefore doesn't care to make a sandwich.

Try reducing partner's cereal consumption; make other equally easy breakfast choices available; cereal is expensive

cook and freeze more homemade food and buy less convenience food.

prioritize cheaper fruits and vegetables. Decide on a price per lb limit that I want to stay within and stop buying stuff that is more than that (or buy them very infrequently). Things like apples, carrots, onions, bananas, cabbage, and broccoli tend to be cheaper

do the same thing for meat and also eat significantly less meat.

Hope I helped :)

[purplesaline]

Morning cuddles with the boys.

Also just a reminder that Parker is an exceptional service dog candidate who doesn't have his forever home yet. Since we hadn't found him a placement at 8 weeks my plan was to raise him until he was one year and do some foundation training on him. For the right person he can go home any time between 6 months and a year.

We also ship anywhere in the world.

His cost will be

the initial purchase price ($1900 CAD) which was cost recovery only and includes his first set of shots.

Vet fees for his second and third round of shots ($365 CAD)

Food ($50-$100/mth. He gets the good stuff and he deserves it, so between $500-$1000 CAD by April)

Training: I'm not charging anything at all for my time but we do have a trainer helping us out because of my physical limitations. She charges $80/hr for 1-2 hours a week. By April we'd likely be looking at $2000 CAD

Any incidental costs that pop up between now and then, fingers crossed we won't see any

This would put the total for a 1 year old service dog candidate, specifically bred for service work (5th generation), with foundation training at approximately $5000 CAD, not including shipping. Which is so ridiculously cheap it should raise red flags as to whether you would actually be getting what you're being promised. You would be and I can prove it. The price is that low because everyone involved is more concerned with helping disabled folks get access to service dog candidates that are set up for success than we are with making money.

In fact we're so concerned that the right person gets Parker and Parker gets the right person that cost doesn't even need to be paid all at once! We know that it can be harder for disabled folks to save but it can be a lot easier to manage a monthly payment, so payment plans are an option we can talk about. And if that's still out of the budget the trainer is willing to negotiate on her pricing as well, despite also being disabled and on a limited budget.

Basically we'd be giving this pups away if we could afford to.

Parker's brother, Bentley, was also a service dog candidate from this litter and is living in North Carolina with his handler learning to be a cardiac alert and mobility dog. He's doing SUCH a good job and is already consistently alerting to two different types of scent during training sessions.

Parker has the potential to be an amazing servuce dog doing mobility, psych/PTSD, diabetes alert, allergy alert, or cardiac/POTS alert. If it's not on the list here he'd probably still be good at it, I'm just less familiar with the training that goes into the other types.

He is a soft, sensitive little lad who likes to test boundaries to see just how much he's allowed to get away with so he'll need someone who is a soft handler but consistent with enforcing the rules because this boy will find every single loophole that exists and exploit it fully otherwise.

He's gonna be a BIG boy. 65-75lbs at least. Genetically one of the healthiest dogs you'll ever see, his mom is completely clear for all genetic issues common to collies and his dad has also been DNA tested for health. Parker was DNA tested as well, though not as completely as his mom or dad as he won't be breeding. You can see Merry's (mom) test at LestWeForget Collies and Levi's (dad) test at High Country Collies

And if Parker isn't right for you but you're still interested in a service dog candidate puppy from us don't worry! We'll be having more litters and even plan to do a repeat of this last litter with Merry and Levi. I can't guarantee we'll have any older pups available but if you can't start with a puppy but are able to cover the costs of raising we can definitely work something out.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns!

[nametoshort]

I can't stop thinking about the whole watcher fiasco because its just such an obviously terrible idea that you have to wonder who came up with it and how nobody shot it down. Like different content works on different platforms. You don't go to twitter expecting the same content and interactions as instagram. What works on Youtube is never going to translate to streaming because it will always have that "amateur" feel to it because its a platform that allows anyone with a half good internet connection and a camera to post, whereas streamers like Netflix have a minimum quality expectation.

If they are having money troubles (which I honestly doubt given all their sponsors and views) they could:

Expand their Patreon to include more price points. Currently the lowest tier costs $5 but they could include $2-$3 tiers which would be more affordable, and they could move shows like the debrief and food files onto there. A lot more people would be willing to pay for that content and at a lower price

Advertise their patreon more. Even if they don't want to include options for lower prices they can just let more people know about it

Drop some of the series that aren't performing well, and focus on stuff thats cheeper to produce. The main draw to the channel was the chemistry between Ryan and Shane so making more shows centring that won't be difficult or expensive

Spend less money. Its fucking obvious, but reuse old equipment, don't hire new people for the time being, downsize the office, stay in cheaper hotels when traveling etc. its literally budgeting 101, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of that happening, especially since they posted about taking on two new people, something no company trying to keep afloat does

Basically anything other than create a streaming service for stuff that was previously free

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Wibta for asking a long distance friend if she even wants to be friends anymore?

My friend and I have been friends since uni and lived together for two of those years. Since uni finished over a decade ago, we both moved back to our hometowns but stayed in touch via our phones and, what used to be, annual meet ups.

The first summer after uni, she came down to stay with me for five days. But for the next few years, I travelled to visit her for five days each year (including travel days) because I was earning more and had a more stable job, so it was easier for me to take longer off (to accommodate the travel days and pay for actually travelling).

In 2018, I didn't have a lot of leave left, so I asked her to come visit me and comprised that I would pay for her travel costs.

In 2019, I suggested that we go on holiday together, promising to make it a cheap one. (It came to £300 including flights, accommodation, food, and spending money. I know because I paid for it all and she paid me back.)

Then, we had plans to go away in 2020 and I would pay for flights and hotel because it was her 30th. Obviously, covid scrapped our plans until 2022, but we did get away.

None of this is a problem. I don't mind paying for things and having her pay me back (or not, if I've offered it as a gift). I don't mind making things a lower budget, like just me going to hers or her coming to mine. I think always have a great time together.

But I feel like now, it's very hard to get her to meet up with me at all and it's really hurting my feelings. A couple of times when restrictions eased in the UK, I suggested that I could come up to see her, but she said that there's not a bed in the spare room anymore (I have an airbed, I could bring).

I asked her last year, when I was going through a pretty depressive spell, if I could come up and see her, but she said that the only time I could come was during a three day period when her parents were away, which was the only time she'd have a free bed. I asked if her parents were only away for three days and she said yes.

(I thought this to be odd because they don't usually go away for such a short time, and she later admitted, likely because she forgot I asked, that her parents were away for a week.)

I said that I couldn't travel 7 hours on the Monday to travel 7 hours back on the Wednesday because that wouldn't really be a break.

I recently asked if she would come down for a week in about six months time and she said she would have to see closer to the time.

Also, just for reference, work is no longer a concern for her because she's on disability benefits, so it's not like she can't get the time off work. She doesn't have kids or any dependents.

And, I would understand if her mobility prevented her from travelling, but she's gone to stay in a caravan with her other friends recently. She's going to stay in a cottage holiday with family next month. And, I could always come to her, if she would just let me.

And, as for money, I would again pay for her travel costs, because I know money is tight for her. And I've always paid for my own food at hers, so it's not like she would have to pay more for for if I was there.

In addition, and my reason for being so upset tonight, we are supposed to have a weekly night where we watch TV together and text about it. But there have been multiple occasions where she has cancelled last minute and it hasn't been an emergency. (Think... My aunt is coming round, I have to go drop a birthday present off). She did it twice this weekend... Once, moving it to Sunday and then cancelling on Sunday about 40 minutes before we were supposed to start.

Last minute cancellations really bother me because it's really disrespectful of my time. Yes, this weekend I didn't have anything on but that's because I have it in my calandar and plan my other events around it.

But I feel like I might be the ah (at least because of the meeting up thing) because I have the privilege of being able-bodied and well-off, so travelling isn't a big deal to me.

It just feels like she doesn't care as much about maintaining the friendship and I'm bending over backwards to make accommodations.

What are these acronyms?

[conkreetmonkey]

Looking at blackout curtains to replace my current thin-ass regular curtains, hastily purchased at Walmart when we converted what was previously not a bedroom into my bedroom. My comfort would greatly benefit, as the sun shines directly through my southeast-facing window for most of the day, and the way my desk is set up I'm facing it when I'm using my computer, so I have to constantly avert my eyes (as I'm doing right now, lol). At night, there's a streetlight that doesn't shine through as much but still does, and would make sleep impossible if I had no curtains at all.

I'm working on making my bedroom an actual nice place to be, because the other day I came to the harrowing realization that I'm content to wallow in a foul neckbeard nest due to a complete lack of self-respect. For the reasons previously mentioned, I feel like good-quality blackout curtains would be a natural first step.

NOW, I'm conflicted between two options I have come across. One is a cheaper pair from Home Depot, costing $40 with free shipping, that I think should fit my window well (I still have to measure) without any trimming required.

However, I'm not huge on the drab colours, plain fabric and complete lack of patterned options. They're functional, inoffensively coloured and will probably fit my window, but that's about it.

THEN there's a pair from Ikea, certainly much larger than I need in length but available in a pattern I think would look great, with nicer-looking fabric (both are just polyester, though).

Now, the Ikea pair costs $99 before shipping, well over twice the price of the Home Depot set. I'd definitely have to trim them, and this is the only size they come in, so I'd be paying for fabric I don't need and would just be stowing away in the scrap bin. I'm not the best at sewing, either, so the hem would likely be ugly af. Still, despite all this, they are quite alluring... my brain says Home Depot, but my heart says Ikea...

I'm having a hard time choosing. Which do YOU think I should get? I have several hundred bucks in the bank rn and I haven't made a for-fun purchase since last spring at the latest aside from 2 or 3 <$15 Steam sale games, only eating out when the alternative is skipping a meal and not buying any clothes aside from neccesary socks and undies, so maybe the Ikea curtains could be justified? They're the price of, what, 4-6 fast food combo meals? My basement boy bills (only phone and pet food) are about $75 a month, give or take, which I easily overshoot with my part-time job. Still, it's a LOT of money in my world... asking for advice here. Should I stick with the budget option, or splurge on something prettier?

[biolizardboils]

so heads up! im popping a LOT of Prime Season 3 posts into the queue--they'll start coming out one week from now, on January 22nd! if you can see this post and haven't watched it yet, here's some tags to block: #prime spoilers, #sonic prime spoilers, #sonic prime s3 spoilers, #sonic prime season 3 spoilers.

got all that? great! here's my final unorganized little rambles about the show:

shoutout to Rusty Rose's Birdie, who only appears in the very first and very last eps for some reason 😭 her speech about it not being her power source came outta nowhere too, but i loved the message behind it

when everyone arrives at the Grim, just before the ep ends, Nine starts breathing heavily and it. instantly reminded me of Movie!Tails when the bar was calling them freaks. fuck. its a nice reminder of where Nine's coming from

speaking of Nine his poses getting more unhinged over time!! hell yeah

i love that the final fight(s) felt like a kid smashing 3 different Lego sets together, real Robot Pirate Island shit

i laughed a little too hard when the Grim's dome started closing in cus Nine's citadel-thing already reminded me of a thing that happened in Fortnite once, but hell naw they had to add The Storm too sdfghj

METAL BIG DESTROYED ME LJKHGFDV im SO glad i wasnt spoiled about it!!! a while in i started finding it creepy instead of funny, which is an added bonus

i was spoiled about the Advance flashback and its clashing sprites though. the utter whiplash of seeing that without warning mightve made me choke on my hot cheeto puffs. someone's already remade it btw, check it out

i fistpumped at the small reprise of "me beauty" gfhjk ill miss you so much Dread

we're four years into the 2020's and Sonic has nearly died an agonizingly slow death 3 times in 3 different continuities! and dare i say it was delicious every time >:)

unless Word of God says otherwise I'm gonna assume that the giant shadow at the end was The Return Of Metal Big lpoihgfds

So... Twitter, huh? My spoiler filters there had some leaks, and I saw some discussion out of context that... actually made me kinda scared to finish the show. But then I did, and had fun with it just like the other two seasons, and I remembered that Twitter gets high-strung about things that don't matter so much, and that giving it sway over how much I enjoy things is silly lol.

Yes, I think the last season could've been paced differently so it wasn't 5 episodes of the same Final Boss Fight. Yes, I think the writing switches jarringly between gearing for a young new audience and for a seasoned old one. Yes, I think the 2D flashbacks look and move worse than what fans constantly make for free. Yes, I think the final episode doesn't do nearly as much housekeeping as it should (does the Shatterverse still exist or not??). Yes, I think declaring the show is canon to the games or whatever they said probably wasn't the best idea. And yes, I think Black Rose should've had a shoulder-parrot!Birdie to match the other Amys. All valid critiques! All sensible things to think when you've been around the Sonic bush!

But I swear to god, people on Twitter act like these things spoil the whole package. Where's the nuance? Why does every opinion there become an absolute worth tearing others down for? Is it the character limit? I bet it's the character limit.

There's so much I love about this show that were infeasible for the Sonic brand just 3-4 years ago. Externalizing the characters' facets to explore them in-depth. Said exploration spanning multiple episodes instead of being one-and-done. The sheer amount of genuine Sonadow food (and I don't actively do shipping, so me adding it here should hold a lot of weight). The snappy, playful, yet blistering fight scenes that, dare I say, feel like a successful TV-budget Spider-Verse. It was all so much fun!

But I guess stuff like Green Hill being the gang's "home" is a big deal-breaker?? Like?? I thought that was silly too, but not worth ratio'ing people with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse over? Get well soon, I guess??

Rambling over, shout-out to the entire country of Canada for giving me the most fun I've had with a Sonic show since X! I'm gonna go figure out how to address all this as The End lol