#which frees up a lot of food budget

[creacherkeeper]

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

[seat-safety-switch]

Everyone has a strong opinion about how to make the best steak. Do you reverse-sear it? Do you kiss it against a pan? Butter braise? My neighbour down the street hires a group of Hawaiian dancers to rhythmically stomp on his striploin until it is cooked entirely through the waste heat produced by the repetitive impact. Expensive, certainly, but you can't put a price on fine cuisine.

Me? I eat most of my meals courtesy of the 7-Eleven We're Throwing This Out Soon® anti-food-waste program. Sometimes it's pizza. Most of the time it's hot dogs. Every time it's delicious, even though my doctor has noted with some concern the fact that my poop no longer resembles that of an ordinary human being. We're not talking about that right now, though. We're talking about how I prepare steak.

The most important part is getting a good steak. Lots of folks just roll up to the grocery store and hand over like a hundred fucking dollars for whatever Superstore's butcher says is good. Me, I get that very same steak for free when he's forced to throw it out after a few days because of "food safety regulations." Sealed in a bag and everything, dumpster slime washes right off. Still fries up real nice, which is where we come to our next part.

Preparation is also key. You'll see professional chefs salting the shit out of the steak and then throwing it in the fridge for most of the day to let it think about what it's done. This dries out the steak (from crying) and then you can get an extra-nice crisp on it when you finally do get around to introducing it to a heat source. Me, I don't have that kind of time. Or a working refrigerator. What I do have is positively frigid Canadian winters, and a bunch of holes in the floor of my car. The heavily salted roads take care of the rest of it, if you get my drift. Protects the underside and makes a pleasant aroma inside the car when the exhaust leaks on it. I'd keep dumpster meat tied to the underside of my car all winter long, if it weren't for the coyotes and wolverines.

Finally, it's time to cook that steak. Throw that shit right on top of the exhaust manifold, right in that nook over there, and go for a quick rip. Hold your shifts a little bit longer than usual, to really get those headers glowing. Just make sure you don't get into a chase with the police, because they can go for a really long time these days (with all the budget hikes) and you'll end up with an inedible hockey puck at the end when they finally do PIT you into the ditch. We're talking strictly backroads and other places the cops don't go, like the location of active crimes.

If you've followed all these tips, you have an excellent steak on your hands. What about sides, you ask? We'll cover that in the next episode of Cooking With Switch, brought to you by this very same public-access television station the next time I can shoulder-surf the door code off one of the interns.

[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)

[helloyellowsunflower]

♤⊰•˚₊‧. 𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕔𝕖 𝕩 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤.‧₊˚•⊱♠︎

!!Possible Spoilers for White Rabbit Fest!!!

Confession:

It takes a while before he gathers the courage to confess. You are a very dear friend of his and he doesn’t want to lose you. However, he can’t stand having to pretend that he doesn’t have any feelings for you either. 

And so, fueled by his determination (and eager to prove Ace that he is not, in fact, a chicken),he decides to ask you out. 

Needless to say, it doesn’t go as planned. 

At first it looks like he wants to run away, but he reminds himself that he has to do this. And so, he starts talking:

At first it looks like he’s reciting a text by heart while he’s looking straight into your eyes, which, let’s face it; is a bit awkward! But by the half of it, he’s lost all of his bravado and begins stuttering and tumbling over his words only to finish bowing and saying: “...So please go out with me!”

Poor man is a tomato, standing there fidgeting while he waits for your answer. Oh Sevens, please say yes

When you agree to go out with him it’s like someone told him he wouldn’t need to go to Crewel’s classes anymore. My god he looks so happy. If the look of sheer adoration in his eyes is anything to go by, I’d say you just made him the happiest man in all Twisted Wonderland. 

First date:

You know Deuce strives to be a model student, a better version of himself; so he wants your first date to be perfect. Or as perfect as it’s going to get. 

Since his budget is limited, you’ll probably go to the town’s library or to a free access art exhibition; or if you prefer to do something outdoors, you’ll probably go for a picnic in a nice park (with food made with the help of Trey and Cater, who did not trust Deuce around the kitchen or Ace and Riddle to help) or walk around town window shopping. 

If you do end up in town, he’ll probably use this as an opportunity to show you to his favourite blastcycle shop, showing off his knowledge of the various models and characteristics. If only his ability for memorising history events and dates was as good as this. 

He’s sorry he can’t take you anywhere fancy, but he swears that when he’s saved up enough he’ll take you to the cinema or to a nice restaurant; and if you’d like to, he’ll give you flowers.

Anniversary + Love languages:

Cater told him that forgetting your anniversary was the equivalent of saying you wanted to break up, so Deuce made sure he marked down in his calendar the day of your first date to celebrate the following year. It gives him something to look forward to, celebrating one year together. Plus, having it written down acts like a little reminder of why he’s improving himself (along with this mother’s birthday and the day he was told he was accepted at Night Raven College). 

He takes your anniversary very seriously, and he’ll spend weeks saving up so he can get something nice for you; even if you tell him he doesn’t need to give you anything. 

Deuce strikes me as someone who expresses his affection with acts of service and gifts because he finds it easier to show his appreciation for others that way since words evade him sometimes. He might not be very good at giving others compliments, but if you need a helping hand, he’ll always be there for you; and if he knows you want something, he’ll do his best so that you can have it. 

As for him, I think he would enjoy quality time and words of affirmation over anything else. He won’t say no to a hug or a small present, but he values greatly when others set some time aside for him since he knows that most around him are very busy people. He also knows that he’s not perfect,that he makes a lot of mistakes, so when someone tells him he’s doing great or even good he feels all fuzzy inside. Please keep complimenting him when he gets something right, he loves feeling like he’s made progress from how he was before. 

Arguments

Unfortunately, your views and personality can clash sometimes, leading to disagreements that have escalated once or twice. 

Arguments between you two are not very common though since you do your best to communicate your feelings and your reasons for doing things a certain way so even if you don’t always end up agreeing on what you’re doing you both learn to compromise. However, due to Deuce’s hot headed nature and impulsiveness, things can get a bit out of control. 

On those rare occasions, you both decide to spend some time apart to cool off and try to think things rationally. Deuce spends that time reflecting on his actions and what has caused him to act the way he has. Again, he is trying his best to be better, so he has done a bit of research on how to de-escalate arguments as well as keeping his anger under control, finding better outlets you know?

It is possible that during that time you see him venting his anger by aggressively painting all Heartstabyul roses red. 

Going to the White Rabbit fest

You’ve already gone together when you went with Silver and Epel to visit Deuce’s hometown to help out his mom, but this year’s the first you’ll be going together. Which, come to think of it, doesn’t make that much of a difference, oh well. 

I mean, the only difference will be that Deuce’s mom will tease the hell out of his son (she loves him to bits) and use this as an opportunity to dig out every photo album she has to show you; Deuce’s first White Rabbit fest, his looks when he still had his hair dyed… 

She insists on taking your picture, wanting to commemorate the moment and while she won’t refuse you helping her out at her stall like last year, she wants you to have fun and enjoy your time at the festival; maybe get a nice clock or a watch or something if you didn’t get to last year.

[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.

[tachiharastanacc]

Tachihara gift exchange headcanons

Port Mafia-

Mori (and Elise):

-Tachihara probably gets him a nice pen or something

-Elise gets a coloring book and a set of colored pencils and she thinks it’s way cooler than Mori’s stupid lame pen (he also gets roped into letting her put bows in his hair. Again)

- Mori gives him like a bonus or something idk I really don’t like when they interact

- Elise draws him a picture of him and Hirtosu and gin

Kouyou:

- they’re not close so he wasn’t expecting anything, but Kouyou makes little gifts for everyone every year and he didn’t have anything to give back so he made a little flower out of metal for her

Chuuya:

- wanted to get him wine but doesn’t actually know anything about alcohol. Refused to ask Hirotsu, but he ended up getting carded and having to ask anyway

- ended up with some vintage wine that chuuya had mentioned to Hirotsu from both of them

- I feel like chuuya didn’t super know what to get him so he invited him out to go drinking and hang out instead

Verlaine:

- doesn’t know him. Didn’t interact at all. A single cupcake appears on his counter one day with a note just signed ‘~v’

Akutagawa:

- Tachihara got (read: spent way to long figuring out how to make) a dessert with figs for him

- Akutagawa got him a vase of hyacinths since gin mentioned that they were his favorites

Higuchi:

- tachi got her a basket of chocolate and a bunch of rom coms and agrees to suffer through watching them with her

- Higuchi knits him a scarf and it’s kind of janky but it’s addressed to her favorite little brother and he never takes it off ever

Hirotsu:

- Tachihara and gin get him a really nice lighter that’s engraved

- Hirotsu gets Tachihara a new coat (except he low key just drags him shopping because he goes on about how important it is for him to keep warm (cuz y’know coats are important in bsd)

Gin:

- gets him the set of pencils he’s been eying every time they walk by. And a box of bandaids

- he makes them a tiny knife they can slip under a dress for missions

Q:

- most people forgot about them but he ventured down to the basement with some sweets and his old fnaf books because you can rip fnaf kid Q from my cold dead hands

- Q gives him a really ugly mug they painted with the kit chuuya gave them. It’s definitely not food safe, but he keeps pencils in it

Kajii:

- Tachihara very distantly slides him a card with a gift card for a hardware store

- Kajii gives him a gun that allegedly shoots lemon bombs except it’s bright yellow and Tachihara doesn’t know what to do with it

Hunting Dogs-

Fukuchi:

- tachi stresses over what to get him until jouno smacks him and says the captain just enjoys spending time with them (this is canon btw, he says one of his happiest memories is when all 5 of them were together)

- Fukuchi also stresses over what to get tachi bc he feels like it should be practical but doesn’t know what he’d want and low key does he even deserve to give him a gift

- Tecchou tells him Tachihara is also worried and wants to impress him

- Fukuchi takes Tachihara out to do some father-son activities and they both have a good time

Teruko:

- most of Tachihara’s budget goes to getting things for teruko (she gave the hunting dogs a Christmas list in the group chat)

- it ends up being a lot of stuffed animals and weapons from all of them

- plus a coupon for a free piggy back ride

- teruko bitches to the others because Tachihara never actually asks for anything

- she ends up getting him a new holster and tools for cleaning his guns because it’s all he fessed up to wanting (he’s very happy with it, even if teruko calls him boring)

Jouno:

- Tachihara gets him a couple records (I feel like Jouno owns a record player, sue me)

- Jouno gets him a set of ceramic dish ware because he complains Tachihara has a bunch of cheap stuff like some college freshman (to which Tachihara points out that he’s a 19 yr old middle school dropout)

- the stuffed animal Tachihara originally refused also shows up on his bed and he keeps it this time

Tecchou:

- Tecchou gets Tachihara a new sword because the grip on his was getting worn down and trains with him

- Tachihara gets Tecchou a new yoga mat and set of weights

Bonus-

- ango and Tachihara exchange respectful Christmas cards

- Yosano gets a dead fish wrapped in newspaper on her doorstep, but it’s preserved in the snow and she assumes that it was from Kenji and takes it as a gift

- a bouquet of purple flowers is laid on a lone grave. The cold wind blows, and it almost feels like someone ruffling his hair

[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!

[gouraminnow]

Not Even a Challenge

Ace & gn reader

Goofy drabble! Ace ends up crashing with reader and their roommates bc Striker needs repairs. They rope him into an eating contest so they can all win free food. No real romance just shenanigans ig? This gets away from me but I still had fun lol

Warnings: uh none. Not proofread or edited all that much ig? Ends kind of abruptly, keep messing up past/present tense lmao

-

Ace hadn't known you long at all, meeting you on a small island while exploring on his own. Striker had been damaged during a storm, and you and your two friends had let him crash at your place while he worked on the small ship. It was a little cramped, as he was intruding on what was already a roommate situation- but it didn't bother him. He was used to bunking with crewmates, after all. Taking a couch in the living room didn't phase the young man.

It wasn't a large town, but it was big enough. He helped out here and there, did odd jobs to afford supplies for striker and... food, once you and your buddies realized just how much he ate.

It was a lazy Saturday morning when he woke up, sprawled on the soft couch, gangly limbs tangled in the knit blanket you'd given him. He sits up to see you and your roommates whispering conspiratorially around the coffee pot, a hush falling over you all when you notice him looking. "Uh... whatcha whisperin' about over there?" He drawls, voice still groggy. You share mischievous looks with your friends, before sauntering up to the couch with a grin. You lean over the back of it, one arm folded on the cushions while the other shoves his hat onto his head.

"I am so glad you asked, Ace," you tell him, barely able to contain your glee. He lifts the brim of his hat, taking in the infectiously jubilant look on your face, that little twinkle in your eyes. "So. You... kinda eat a lot, and we don't have the biggest budget," you started. His brows furrowed- he was about to say something apologetic, but you held out your hand. "Ah ah ah! Lemme finish, I'm not mad!" You steeple your fingers together. "Charlie reminded us that there's a spot in town with a real... interesting meal deal. And we all agree you might just be the perfect man for it." Oh now he was interested.

"... Meal deal, huh?" He says, lazy grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. "What kinda deal are we talking?"

Charlie ran up behind you, throwing an arm around you tightly which earns a strange, strangled noise as you're awkwardly shoved against the back of the couch, no doubt feeling the wooden frame against your diaphragm. "Eating contest!" they shout, wearing a grin of their own. "There's a diner that has this thing- if you beat the last person's record, you and whoever you bring get to eat for free! You can pick a dish from the options provided and whatever drink you want! Last guy's record is 24 plates!"

Ace's eyes widened. He suddenly felt very awake, stretching his legs out and rolling forward onto his feet in one smooth motion. "And you JUST remembered?! What the fuck, that's just my kind of deal! If I didn't know better, I'd say y'all were holding out on me!"

You'd finally wriggled your way out of Charlie's grip, dramatically smacking a hand over your chest, "WHAT! We would NEVER! How could you even SUGGEST such a thing?!" you shouted, feigning hurt.

Imani makes her way to a now-standing Ace next, curly hair still in her satin sleeping bonnet. She handed him a mug of coffee. "Well, we're telling you now, aren't we? Think you can handle 25 plates of... well, whatever you order? The current record holder chose hashbrowns, I think," she mused, eyes crinkled with mirth.

"Where have you BEEN?" Charlie shouted before he could open his mouth. "Of course he can!"

"Of course I can!" Parroted Ace. "You dare question my abilities?!"

-

It isn't long before Ace finds himself in a popular brunch spot by a busy pier. It was a two-story building with some balcony seating, plain wood with some white siding. He didn't get to examine it all that much, because you had enthusiastically pulled him along by the hand- both of you flanked by Charlie and Imani. His three hosts practically buzzed in excitement, the idea of winning free food from their guest's gluttony too exciting to pass up. He couldn't deny his enthusiasm either, laughing as you yanked him after you.

The booth is comfy, he thought as he sank into the cushions. All of you huddled together over a menu, Charlie and Imani to his right and you to his left with his arm over your shoulders. Charlie was practically laying on Imani's back, face peaking over from the crook of her neck. "Okay, so the popular options for the challenge are hashbrowns, pancakes, and biscuits and gravy. I think eggs benedict is an option too..." You muse from under Ace's arm.

"Ooh..." He exclaims, brows rising. "D'you think I can pick more than one?" He asks, lifting the menu closer. "Or like, some bacon on the side, maybe..."

He doesn't miss the grins you and your friends shoot each other. "I don't think they'd refuse something that would make the challenge harder," Imani reasons, resting her face on her hand. "We can certainly ask."

"They always say you gotta foot the bill if you fail the challenge, but I like our odds," Charlie quips, hugging Imani a little tighter.

The server approached the table, brows raised at everyone's giggling. Ace cracks his knuckles with an almost sinister smile. "I could have us all eating for free for days. It's showtime, baby!"

-

"ACE! ACE! ACE! ACE! ACE!"

"C'mon man, you got this!"

"TEAR THOSE BISCUITS UP, DUDE!"

"Ten more plates! You're already more than half-way there!"

His new friends are cheering him on, and a decently sized crowd had formed around their table. He wasn't sure how long it had been. Twenty or so minutes, maybe? Imani had been right in that he had been allowed to add more to the challenge- the server saying it was their budget on the line with a smug look. The guy wasn't quite sweating yet, but Ace had time. The rest of the staff were an equal mix of troubled and giddy, taking detours on their ways to other tables to see if this ravenous stranger was still going.

And he was- burning through dense piles of biscuits and pancakes, greasy strips of bacon and even licking plates clean of sauce like it was nothing.

He was going strong, halfway through plate 21 (A massive stack of pancakes) when he started to feel it: the tell-tale wisps of drowsiness, the darkened corners of his vision... Fuck, he thinks, right before face planting right into his food.

Gasps sound out from the onlookers. Charlie swears. "Is- is he dead?" A waitress asks, voice thin and reedy.

"No, no, it's fine- he's fine he just does this sometimes!" You say, trying to placate the muttering crowd before turning to Ace, gently shaking his shoulder. "Hey man, c'mon- you gotta rally. C'mon man wake up, please! You're our meal ticket, get it together!" You whisper-shouted into the young man's ear.

He didn't stir. Shit. Shit, shit, shit- the four of you are getting close to time. He needs to win this, you believe in him, he's just gotta-

Ace shot upward, resuming his meal like nothing had happened, just as you and your friends knew he would.

"YES! RISE! RIIIISE!" Cries Charlie, pumping their fist in the air as the onlookers gasp. Ace doesn't waste any time on explanations or platitudes, instead doubling his efforts to finish his heaps of food. A few of the staff are staring in abject horror by now, but Ace slows for nothing.

Plate 21 is shoved to the side, and he starts on 22.

Then 23.

Then 24, the same number of the previous record holder, but he wasn't slowing down. Charlie and Imani have both started laughing incredulously, now, and you're cheering his name again.

He finishes 25- a platter of biscuits stacked on top of each other, and he reflexively reached for the next, nonexistent plate before he's startled by Charlie's jarring bellow of "FUCK YEEEEEAAAAAAAH!!!" followed by the rest of his little party all whooping and hollering like their lives depended on it. Ace joined in, of course- after a solid five second burp that had you laughing your ass off.

A shell-shocked waiter took the orders of you and your roommates, and once that's over... "And can I get the shakshouka and two of those little bacon quiches?" Ace pipes up again, hand raised politely. There was a beat of silence- your massive grin and the giddy, shocked faces of your friends all staring at him, before the waiter himself finally broke.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

-

You all ended up going back to that spot for the next three consecutive days- Ace eating just one more plate every time. The crowd grew as well, of course, creating an increasingly boisterous environment until finally, on the fourth day, Ace and his new friends arrive in front of the restaurant to find a crudely drawn portrait of him along with bold red letters that read "!!!BANNED!!!"

"... Aw," Ace muttered, shoulders slumping in disappointment. He had really started looking forward to those little quiches.

"What the hell? What a bunch of sore losers!" You exclaim, hands on your hips.

"I dunno... We have been bringing him here to repeatedly eat plate after plate for free," Charlie reasoned, and Imani nods along in agreement.

"We keep unleashing the beast upon them. It was bound to happen eventually," she shrugged breezily. "The best things in this world are the most fleeting."

You snort. "Okay Socrates. Where do we eat, then?"

"Do you think they'd let you bring me takeout..?" Ace piped up hopefully, looking back over his shoulder at you three before he turned back at the cartoon depiction of him with a huff. The way they drew him with a... pronounced stomach really made him look like Luffy. "... This better not end up on any on my wanted posters," he grumbled.

You end up buying him a quiche, opting to fill up properly on street food.

-

A month later, Ace has long since made it back to the Moby. He's found himself missing you all- part of him wishing you were the types for piracy... but you lot seemed pretty happy where you were.

"Aaaace~!" He hears the familiar voice of Thatch. "Hey hey, you've got a letter from someone!" Ace quirks a brow, turning from where he'd been leaning against the taffrail. "Er... someones, plural, actually. Three names on this!" The cook saunters over, handing over the large envelop with a grin.

"Is it..?" He takes it from his brother, looking at the names on the envelop. "Oh shit, it's them! Remember those three I told you about? The three I crashed with back when Striker broke down?"

Thatch settles next to him, leaning his back against the rail, legs crossed as he looks over the younger man's shoulder. "Ohoh. The food scheme trio?" He asks, leaning in closer as Ace tears open his mail.

"Eyup," He confirms, fishing the contents out. The first picture is of a small black kitten- fast asleep on a plate of pasta. On the white borders of the printing paper, he reads: We named her after you! It's like you never left!

"Awww," Thatch coos, and Ace can practically hear the taller man's teasing grin, even if he isn't facing him. He... almost feels choked up, but he reigns himself in. It is a cute cat, though... ignoring his brother, he pulls the picture away, shuffling it behind the others. The second picture is of you, lifting cat Ace by the scruff as her little front paws desperately wrap around a half-eaten burrito, face buried in the open end. Your mouth is open, eyes wide in incredulity, probably in the middle of playfully scolding the tiny beast. Him and Thatch chuckle over the picture, Ace moving onto the third- a picture of the kitten cradled in Imani's manicured hands, little eyes contentedly shut with a little orange hat perched on top of her tiny head. "Oh my god, Ace!" Thatch cries, snatching the photograph out of his hands. "That's absolutely adorable, look at the little-" he's cut short when the fourth picture is revealed to them both.

A copy of the crudely drawn "!!!BANNED!!!" poster the diner had put up.

Ace sputters, and Thatch wheezes with laughter, snatching the drawing up too before Ace can react. "H-HEY!" He shouts, but the Chef has already bounded away, calling for the attention of the others. "HEY, GIVE THAT BACK, YOU ASS!" He shouts, rushing after his brother.

"Why don't you make me?" He taunts, holding the questionable rendition of his likeness just out of the shorter man's reach. "Aw, are you mad? What's wrong? I just wanna show the family this stunning portrait of our beloved baby brother!" Ace redoubles his efforts to jump for it, memories of doing the same thing to Luffy as kids flashing through his mind- before he got the hang of his rubber powers, of course.

"IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE ME!" Ace yells, leaping upward, hand outstretched-

-and Vista swipes it from Thatch's hand instead, laughing heartily. "The hat and the tattoo beg to differ," he points out before handing it off to Izou, who just smirks- quirking an immaculately plucked brow as he glances between the drawing and Ace's real-life grimace.

"What a flattering picture," he teases. "They even got your freckles."

"Oh, come ON!" Ace practically whines, lunging for Izou who just steps out of the way. He steadies himself, turning to see that Marco has it now. Damned bird. "Marco." He says sternly, reaching a hand out as his body literally begins smoking. "Give me that, damnit."

"What's the problem?" He asks, lazily grinning. "I think it's a wonderful picture. Are you sure Luffy's the one with the rubber-rubber fruit?" He asks, no doubt referring to the massive, caricature-ish belly he's been drawn with.

"Shut UUUP," he groans, yanking his hat down over his face- growing redder at the playful teasing of his brothers. It all devolves into a massive game of keep-away, his siblings passing it around while running interference. He has just broken free from Thatch's headlock when he spots Banshee's sly, half-lidded smirk as she hands it off to a giggling nurse. His stomach drops. "NO!" He cries, lunging once again with an outstretched hand- only to be tackled full force by a cackling Haruta. "Get offa me, you shit!"

"Hell no! Where's the fun in that?!" He shoots back, gangly arms shoving Ace's face against the hardwood floor, wrenching a grunt from him. His own arm shoots behind him, yanking a fistful of Haruta's hair- but then he hears it.

Oyaji's distinct, booming laughter, all the way from his cabin. He lets go, slumping face down against the deck with a groan. It's over. Damn you, damn Charlie, Damn Imani- and damn his wretched siblings. Haruta slides off of his back with a snicker, rubbing his head where Ace had yanked his hair. "Don't be a sore loser, Ace," he quips, only to immediately end up in a headlock.

When all is said and done, he keeps the pictures of cat Ace- the others teasing him about when he'll take them to meet his niece. And that sea-forsaken poster? Thatch has it framed and hung up in the Galley.

[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?