#which is more than my monthly paycheck

[katelfiredemon]

Trying not to panic over the fact that even with a combined income with my partner in the future we still won’t be able to afford more than like a one or two bedroom townhouse even with both of us working full time

[gothamcityneedsme]

my dad emailed me b/c my parents are actually going to help with some loan repayment...they've approved of helping me entirely pay off the highest interest loan i have, which will be AMAZING

[twinklelilstarkey]

Tutor: Long Overdue

Words: 3k+ Type: Some angst, but fluff Summary: The days after the argument. Warnings: Rafe is the softest boyfriend in the world. Y/N has some problems with overthinking and anxiety here. Mentions of alcohol. Mentions of narcissist friends. A filler chapter for you to take a breath in the middle of the angst.

Tutor Masterlist

I do NOT give you permission to repost my work. If you’d like to read my stories on other platforms, you can find them on my Wattpad and AO3.

You wish you could say that everything went by smoothly after that conversation. But you would be lying if you said so.

When you got out of that car, your hands were visibly shaking. It was out of your control. It was a mix of all your emotions just building up inside you and wanting to come out all at once. It was the frustration, the anger, the disappointment, and the sadness. You hated every single second of that conversation. How helpless you felt at times. The way your supposed friends looked at you as you spoke. It was as if you had gone insane.

Thankfully, when inside the house, Wheezie had run upstairs for a quick shower before your tutoring class, or else she would’ve seen you cry your eyes out in front of her brother. You felt weak for doing so, but you still did it. You cried the entire time you told Rafe everything about what had happened. You noticed how he had no idea what to say or what to do for you, other than give you comfort. And you let him do it, as that felt like what you needed too.

When Wheezie had come back downstairs with her things - since she wanted to study outside this time - you had already wiped your tears clean and didn’t feel like you would cry at every sentence that left your lips. To your luck, your eyes didn’t appear too puffy when she laid her eyes on you, which spared you from many questions.

By the time you were helping her study, Rafe still kept a close eye on you. He would never disappear from your view for too long, always either sitting on his phone on the porch or coming out to the table near the pool, where the two of you were. He made you and Wheezie laugh from time to time.

It lifted your mood ever so slightly, but deep down you still were filled with worry and hurt. How far could this go? Could the girls go further than this? Maybe by telling other people, or simply talking to their other friends about this. Was there a possibility this could get to your parents before you even had the chance of finishing high school as you had planned?

All these questions, they made worry bubble in your blood at the most random of times during that afternoon. By the end of it, Ward and Rose eventually came home. Rafe was by the island of the kitchen when Rose stepped out of the kitchen to get you your monthly paycheck, and Sarah Cameron stood in that kitchen for a single second, and the first thing she said to you was: “Are you okay? You look… down.”

If that did anything to you was to force yourself to put on a better act. You were just about to go home as Ward had asked for Rafe to drive you. You didn’t want your parents to see you and ask the same things. It would be harder to lie to them than to Sarah.

You two sat in the car in silence for a bit, and you could feel Rafe’s eyes on you. Silence only gave you the excuse to want to cry more, even when you still felt ridiculous for it. You tried to hold it back, but whenever a tear would slip, Rafe was there. He calmed you down and held your hand or sometimes said something that would make your heart hurt less.

At home, you forced yourself to make conversation with your parents - knowing that if you didn’t, they would’ve followed you to your room to find a reason behind your silence. All of it was forced and unnatural small talk, but your parents didn’t seem to notice. Your mom was too focused on making a new recipe for dinner, and your dad was too focused on his reading to look up from the book in his hands.

The rest of the day wasn’t any easier. Rafe asked if you wanted to come over, but you know that it wouldn’t make anything easy. It would simply make your feelings go temporarily numb. You didn’t need that. You needed to just face it for what it is: a stupid confrontation that you saw coming from a mile away because it had to happen eventually. It just came sooner than you expected.

Sleep didn’t come easy either. By the time you finally fell asleep, there weren’t many hours of rest before having to get up for class. You hid whatever hints of your exhaustion with make-up, as well as put on a happier expression just so you could make your way through the house and to school without any questions coming from your parents.

Breakfast was uneventful, just like dinner the day before. And your dad drove you to school just as you had planned beforehand.

In class, if you were used to the girls' looks before, this day had been another level of staring. And given the fact that you share every class with each of them, your sadness and worry quickly turned into anger by lunch hour. They didn’t try to speak to you or even ambush you all at once again. They just sat there at their little tables watching you as if you were some experiment about to go wrong.

Kristy wasn’t in school. She missed every single one of her classes. And all that made you think was how thankful you were for the lack of her staring too.

By the time you were done with classes for the day and inside Rafe’s car, you were still in your depressing bubble but more annoyed than anything else. And that is when a call from Patty came in. There was going to be a party tonight.

You're not ashamed to admit you didn’t even think twice before answering her. You wanted to go to that party. And you did.

Not that you remember much from it now that you lay on Rafe’s bed, silently contemplating your life choices, but you like to think that you had fun.

You remember how you got to the party with Rafe, and quickly found Patty, who made sure to give you as many drinks as you wished to have.

Rafe stepped away to find Topper and Kelce only after he made sure that Patty was going to actually stay by your side the whole night and entertain you enough.

You drank cup after cup of different concoctions made by Patty herself. Some were actually good, others… she just told you to drink it all in one gulp.

You were able to disconnect from reality while sitting in that kitchen with her, drinking and listening to her talk you through the process of making another drink. You two talked for a long time, or at least for enough time until the both of you weren’t exactly speaking in obvious and comprehensible sentences but in slurred words filled with giggles.

And you remember that you went off to find Rafe at some point. You remember that he was very much sober at that time. You remember flashes of sitting on that couch with him and his friends. Patty would eventually join you on the couch and start a conversation that would make a lot more sense than any of the guys' around the table. You also remember that it was way funnier at the time than now.

Also, at one point into the night, you decided that playing, or better, patting Rafe’s buzzed head was the best idea you could ever have. Your drunk mind must have been blown to realize how weird it felt to touch his short hair and feel it prickle your palm. Rafe didn’t seem to mind it too much - even though he must have told you to stop at one point because you remember being dramatically hurt by something he said to you.

Maybe you had exaggerated by deciding to numb your thoughts with alcohol when you know that hanging out with these people would simply do the job. You didn’t need to get that drunk. But you still felt like it was the best time to do it, as well as with the best people.

Hanging out with people like Patty and Topper is nice. They were never your type of crowd, but even when drunk or high, last night, they did listen to you when you talked about what happened. It happened when some of you decided to step outside for some air, while others, like Rafe, decided to stay back. You told them everything, and they listened. And they also offered to help, in any way possible.

That memory alone made your heart squeeze in your chest. Maybe, yes, this is how real friends are supposed to be if they are able to. But it still felt good when they told you that if you ever needed to run away from life’s problems for a bit, they would be there for you, along with Rafe.

And to think that conversations like these resulted only from you choosing to date someone with a bad reputation. 

Since the beginning, you had a feeling that you would need to talk to someone about it - you and Rafe. Simply to let them know before they find out from someone else, and everything turns shitty. And, now, all you can do is acknowledge that you missed your opportunity and everything is indeed shitty. 

Your friends found out before you could even warm the waters with some information or subtle hints first. Maybe you could've told them about all the times Rafe hadn’t been like the awful cookie-cutter shape they all seem to find him fitting in at all times. You could’ve told them about how he is not bad and how he is indeed good. But you missed the opportunity to do so. You let them find out by themselves, and now they think you are in bed with a psychopath only for the thrill of it. Not with your boyfriend, who has never done a bad thing to you and is always putting you first.

Yet, even in the ocean of guilt, you can’t help but feel the anger that has begun to rise by itself. Yes, you had missed your opportunity, but your friends had also failed. They failed to speak to you in a civilized way. Failed to be there for you as they believed you were in a manipulating and abusive relationship. Failed to understand you. And failed at being your friends at the end of the day. They didn’t seem to care about your feelings that day, and they didn’t seem to care about anything but their fury toward you this week. They failed, even if you did so too.

And, as much as you hate it, there is still fear inside you. It has been pushed deep into you, hiding in a corner of your brain, stored away with other worries on top of it so it isn’t noticed by you any time soon. And that fear has a shape and name. Your parents. Because if your friends had their suspicions and found the truth, where does that put your parents?

They are a pair that believes in every word from the neighbors, as well as any word on the streets. If someone were to whisper about Rafe murdering a crocodile in the middle of the street, they would believe it - even when there aren’t any crocodiles near any roads in the OBX. They would believe it, every word of it. Maybe make theories of their own too. Imagine Rafe as this cartoonish supervillain, now wearing the skin of his victims as new shoes. It is ridiculous but absolutely believable to them.

How would they react? What would they do to you? You are of age, but still a student and living under their roof. What would they even think of you?

“Scoot over, you’re taking up the whole damn bed,” Rafe says while standing beside his bed.

You snap out of your horrible thoughts - with your mind still trying to envelop your heart with its dark and painful realities - and throw the pillow closest to you at him, hitting him in the chest. He doesn’t respond. He throws the pillow away and makes you move with a hand on your shoulder and another on your leg, pushing you further into the bed.

The coldness of the sheets under you make your body react in an uncomfortable wave of shivers, and you turn to face Rafe, who is lying on his back beside you now. On the bedside beside him, you can see that it is still early in the morning, meaning you still have a few hours before being dropped off at your house and then at school. And also, everyone in Rafe’s home is still very much asleep.

“Looking at the time won’t make it go by faster,” Rafe says, making you look at him.

“I want it to go slower, not faster.”

Rafe meets your gaze, and he holds it for a bit. A slight bit of a headache hits you right in the temple, and you try not to react by snuggling closer to the pillow under your head. Seems like you were never truly someone blessed with no headaches while hungover, just lucky on that one time.

“What’s wrong?”

“Headache.” You groan into the pillow, closing your eyes to escape his gaze for only a bit.

It takes a few seconds before he talks again.

“What else?” His tone is soft and worrisome. When hearing his question, you don’t move; not even an inch. You just lay there for a bit, listening to your own heartbeat with your ear buried in the pillow. You let some heartbeats go by in your silence, but Rafe waits for you. Never pushes you. He just waits.

“I’m… worried, I think.” You whisper so softly, you almost don’t hear yourself.

“About your friends?”

“That too,” You open your eyes as you talk, “But more about my parents.”

��Why?”

“They’re strict. Very strict,” You explain, even though you know that Rafe already knows that, or else he hadn’t been climbing your window and whispering in your room for months. “They always reacted badly to dating. And they never liked you or your family.”

“Many don’t,” he says with a small curve on his lips.

“It’s different,” you try to explain in as few words as you can, “They’re worse than Kristy or any of the girls would be.”

Rafe simply looks at you, silent. You look at him and let out a breath. 

“I don’t know what they’re going to do when they find out...” You tell him, sincerely. “I just want it all to be after graduation.”

He still doesn’t say anything, so, he simply lets you talk.

“I think that’s what I’m so scared of… The fact that I don’t know what to expect from their reaction.” You sigh, “And that is why I wanted it to be later. So I can- I don’t know, run away before they get to do anything.”

“What’s the worst thing they can do?”

“I’m not sure…” You whisper, your eyes meeting his again. “Kick me out, probably. Never speak to me again,” You try to say it with a positive tone, one that doesn’t seem to consider those options to be true, when, in reality, nothing ever felt more possible than this.

Rafe makes a face that doesn’t seem like he’s convinced.

“I can’t be that bad.” And that earns him a smack.

Rafe’s laughter fills the room, and a small involuntary smile appears on your lips.

“Be serious,” You tell him, turning around to lay on your stomach and prop yourself up on your elbows. You groan with the slight headache pounding on your head, and Rafe’s hand soon lays over your head, trying to soothe the pain away.

“I’m sorry,” He says.

“I’ll think about it,” You say while meeting his eyes. Some sort of humor comes out with your words, and Rafe notices it. He grins and simply looks at you for a moment.

You two stay quiet for a little longer before you start letting more words out, explaining your worries to Rafe while he simply listens. He just lays there and nods, giving you his utmost attention.

And, as expected, you two talk for so long that time does the opposite of what you want it to. It just speeds past you two, and everyone in the house begins to get up and get ready for the day. 

While listening to the doors opening and closing around the house, as well as some screaming about breakfast from one floor to the other, you two lay in Rafe’s bed in silence. Rafe’s hand is on your pillow, fallen from your hair, and now under your cheek, softly caressing it with his thumb while you lay there, hugging your pillow with your eyes closed.

Rafe stares at you for a bit. There would be no way of you catching him doing it, with your eyes closed and body ready to go back to sleep. You are laying on his bed, lacking clothes, and with only a soft white duvet over your legs all the way up to your waist. Your back is uncovered, and your hair is a mess, but the scenery is perfect. Rafe’s heart tightens at the memory of the tears you’ve spilled in the last few days. He can’t help but feel guilty over it, even when you remind him that he has nothing to feel guilty about. 

You’ve told him time and time again. Whatever has happened has nothing to do with him. It has to do with control. Control that some of these people want to have over you or have had for so long - even when that control was disguised as love and worry of you ever getting hurt. Truthfully, it would’ve been indeed love if they wished to speak to you calmly and got to know Rafe. But your friends never dared to.

And Rafe knows how much you wish your parents to be different. Even when you teared up while saying it just now, Rafe listened as your tone was thick with hope - the hope of your parents to be on your side when all of it comes out. And still, all he can do is be there for you until all this ends, whenever that will be.

Rafe leans over and pulls you closer to him, which you let him with no hesitation. Your head lays over his shoulder, and your arms go around him. Rafe hugs your body close to him and kisses the top of your head, cherishing the small breath you let out as he does it.

“I love you,” you whisper to him, your breath warm against his skin.

Rafe leans his head in closer to yours and kisses your hair. There is no surprise for either of you to say it. No fear of the love not being reciprocated. No fear of rejection because all of it is obvious, even in the midst of all this mess. Those words were long overdue.

“I love you too,” He whispers, making you lean in closer to his warmth.

- - - - - -

*Giggles in 'shit is about to hit the fan but I am making y'all suffer in anticipation'*

[maximumsunshine]

I’ll keep this brief. I’m a newly single mother of 4 kids with complex needs. I’m also recovering from cancer, and I am currently battling liver failure brought on by said cancer. I’m working my ass off to make ends meet while trying to take care of all my kids, but it’s just not enough. My eldest is trying to get a job to help with funds, so it’s not just me working, and we're in the process of getting my 14yo on SSI, but until then, we need help. A lot of help.

Realistically, I need to make $10,000 to keep from losing our home by the end of the year. I have a GoFundMe set up for this amount (Here is the link to my ongoing GoFundMe). I know this is a lot and likely unattainable, so I am breaking it down into monthly goals.

Right now, I need to stretch 2 paychecks I’m getting on December 8th and 23rd by about $900 each, which is more than usual due to missed work for surgery and now surgery recovery complications.  And I need to figure out January rent which is $1468.

My goal for December is $3300.  My PayPal is here.   Please ignore my deadname.

An end to this is in sight. I just need to make it a little further. My 23yo will be bringing in money soon thanks to school and we're about at a point of a decision on the SSI. We're so close! I just need help to keep a warm roof over our heads and food in our bellies a little longer. Good things are coming!

Please reblog.

Edit: It's December not November. I uh shouldn't write these on ER given pain meds. But I was in an ER going oh shit more missed work.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I raised my brother's "rent"?

Longer version: I (30ish) might be losing my current paycheck in the next couple months with no idea when I'd be able to get another job, and am contemplating asking my brother (30ish) for a bit more than he currently pays me so I can manage to pay the mortgage with less worries.

6 years ago I managed to scrape together enough to buy the apartment we were renting at the time- my brother had no job, credit, or savings really at the time so everything is fully in my name and he just pays me what his half of the rent was when we were renting. Since the monthly mortgage + HOA dues is less than what we were paying for rent, with both of us contributing the same amount as we did then it covers the payments great and I am able to put a bit extra towards it each month.

But now 6 years later- due to health problems I took 3 months off end of last year (unpaid- which cut into my savings) and even though I am back at work now, I'm guessing due to continuing health issues I will have to fully quit in the next few months. Plus, I have several thousand in medical bills (after the hospital finishes fighting with insurance) coming my way soon. On the other side, my brother now has a full time job which while the pay isn't anything fantastic is enough for him to live comfortably on. While I have enough savings to live on for a bit and keep paying what I was towards the mortgage, just in case things go on longer I'm planning on dropping down to the minimum mortgage payment to try and stretch my money as much as possible. This leads to my dilemma- minimum payment wouldn't fully be covered by my brother's informal "rent", and I would still be paying towards it either way, but an extra $50 a month from him would make a significant impact.

Why I might be the asshole- raising my brother's expenses (when I leave my job) for basically personal reasons, when technically I could still get by on savings for several months.

Why I might not be the asshole- in 6 years his payment (and mine) has gone up once a very small amount due to increased HOA dues, other than that this would be the first time it goes up which is unusual for the area. Plus, even with the increase it is still roughly $250 cheaper than he would be able to find housing anywhere else in town right now.

What are these acronyms?

[sapphicromanoffxo]

With You Always | n.r x w.m

pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff

wc: 1.5k+

Warnings: slight angst, comfort, fluff (look at me writing something that is not smut 🫣)

summary: Wanda grapples with financial stress and struggling to cope with it. When Natasha's support breaks through Wanda's defenses, they made a decision on how to move forward together.

A/N: one thing could happen right after I have a breakdown. it's either I'm gonna be productive, or succumb even further to my own thoughts. Guess what I chose! 😀

╰┈➤ Masterlist

Every week, Wanda followed the same routine. She woke up early, went to work, and returned home tired. Her job paid the bills and put food on the table, but lately, it felt like she was stuck in a never-ending cycle. Despite her love for her job, the monotony was starting to take its toll.

What really weighed on Wanda's mind were her finances. Each paycheck seemed to disappear as quickly as it came. After paying rent, utilities, and transportation expenses, there was barely enough left for groceries and other essentials. And then there was the money she sent to her family every month, which added to her financial stress.

As the days passed, Wanda couldn't shake off the feeling of exhaustion and anxiety. She longed for a change, something to break the cycle and give her a sense of relief. But for now, she continued to push through, hoping that things would eventually get better.

Natasha couldn't ignore the signs of exhaustion that Wanda was trying so hard to hide. During their monthly Sunday lunches, the only day that Wanda has her day off, Natasha noticed how Wanda would drift off, her mind seemingly elsewhere. Sometimes, Wanda would ask Natasha to repeat herself, her focus scattered and distant.

These subtle changes in Wanda's behavior troubled Natasha. She cherished their time together and didn't want anything to come between them, especially not Wanda's troubles. Natasha had a hunch about what might be bothering Wanda, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Instead, she hoped Wanda would confide in her when the time was right.

As they sat together, sharing their meal in Wanda's little apartment, Natasha couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. She wanted to reach out to Wanda, to coax her into opening up about whatever was weighing on her mind. But she knew she had to be patient, to wait for Wanda to feel comfortable enough to share her burden. However, she also knew that sometimes Wanda needs a little push, and a gentle reminder that she's there for her, and is willing to lend a shoulder to lean on, no matter how heavy Wanda is carrying.

"Detka?" Natasha's voice was soft, filled with concern as she reached out to Wanda.

Wanda's mind snapped back to the present at the sound of Natasha's voice. "Huh?" she mumbled, her thoughts still swirling in a haze.

Natasha's gaze was steady, searching Wanda's face for any signs of distress. "Is there something troubling you?" she asked gently. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Wanda hesitated, her words tinged with uncertainty. "I'm sorry. I've just been tired lately," she admitted, but her voice lacked conviction, even to her own ears.

Natasha's brow furrowed with worry. "There's something more than just tiredness, isn't there?" she pressed gently. "I can see it in your eyes. Tell me, please?"

Wanda swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Natasha's concern. "I... I don't know," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I feel like I'm drowning in responsibilities, like I can't keep up with everything. And I don't want to burden you with it."

Natasha reached across the table, taking Wanda's hand in hers. "You're not a burden, Wanda. We're in this together," she reassured her, squeezing her hand gently. "What's troubling you?"

Wanda sat there motionless, struggling with her emotions, she knew that honesty was the only path forward. Natasha's unwavering gaze filled with concern made it impossible for Wanda to keep her struggles hidden any longer.

Taking a deep breath, Wanda finally spoke, her voice thick with emotion. "I've been.. I've been having financial problems," she admitted, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She couldn't bear to look Natasha in the eye as she revealed her inner turmoil.

Natasha reached out, gently wiping away Wanda's tears, her heart breaking at the sight of her girlfriend in pain. Wanda's words tugged at Natasha's heartstrings, stirring up a mix of empathy and determination to help her through this tough time.

Wanda continued, her voice trembling with vulnerability. "I sent almost half of my bi-monthly paycheck to my mom. After paying rent, I don't know how I'll make it to the end of the month," she confessed, her words heavy with the weight of her financial issue.

Despite her fears of judgement, Wanda felt a sense of relief wash over her as she opened up to Natasha. She knew Natasha came from a privileged background, and the stark contrast with her own struggles made her hesitate to share her troubles. But Natasha's kind and understanding nature reassured Wanda that she was in a safe space.

Natasha listened attentively, her heart aching for Wanda. She had offered countless times for Wanda to move in with her, to ease the financial strain and offer support, but Wanda had always hesitated, determined to stand on her own two feet especially after she ran away from her family, to escape the toxicity that suffocates her everyday.

But now, faced with Wanda's raw vulnerability, Natasha renewed her offer with even more conviction. "Wanda, you don't have to go through this alone," she said softly, her voice filled with sincerity. "I'm here for you, in every way I can be. Let me help you, please."

Wanda laid her head on Natasha's shoulder, her tears soaking into the fabric of Natasha's shirt as she released the pent-up pain she had been carrying for far too long. Natasha's offer weighed heavily on her mind, tempting her with the promise of relief, yet she couldn't shake the nagging feeling of guilt inside of her.

"Natty," Wanda murmured, her voice muffled against Natasha's shoulder, "you know I can't just accept your offer like that. I appreciate it more than words can say, but I need to be able to stand on my own two feet. I'm an adult, and I need to figure this out for myself."

Natasha held Wanda closer, her heart aching at the sight of her girlfriend's struggle. "I understand, baby," she replied gently, stroking Wanda's hair in a soothing gesture. "But you don't have to carry this burden alone. Let me help you. Your strength and independence are admirable, but there's no shame in accepting support when you need it most."

Wanda lifted her head, meeting Natasha's gaze with tear-filled eyes. "It's just... I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of your generosity," she admitted, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Natasha cupped Wanda's face in her hands, her expression sincere. "You're not taking advantage of anything, Wanda," she insisted. "I'm willingly offering this to you. We're partners, in every sense of the word. Let me be there for you, just as you've been there for me countless times."

Wanda wiped off her tears and attempted to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a playful jab, her lips curling into a small smile. "Yeah, remember all those times I saved you from wrinkled work clothes because you couldn't handle the iron?" she teased, hoping to redirect how serious their conversation is.

Natasha chuckled, playing along with Wanda's jest. "Oh, and let's not forget about the countless mornings you sacrificed your own coffee flask so I could carry around your precious brew," she countered, her eyes twinkling with affection.

Despite the weight of their discussion, the exchange brought a brief moment of laughter between them, a reminder of the bond they shared and the little ways they supported each other through life's challenges. In that moment, Wanda felt a glimmer of hope knowing that no matter what obstacles lay ahead, they would face them together.

Wanda's heart raced as she processed Natasha's offer once again. "Do you mean it? You want me to move in with you?" she asked, needing reassurance that she wouldn't be imposing on Natasha's life.

Natasha's smile was warm and genuine as she nodded. "Absolutely," she affirmed, her eyes shining with sincerity. "Just imagine us waking up together, bickering over who gets to shower first, and deciding what delicious breakfast we'll whip up together. You'll be under my wing, well taken care of."

Taking a deep breath, Wanda finally relented, a sense of relief flooding over her. "Okay," she agreed, her voice filled with gratitude. "But on one condition: I'll take charge of our food expenses and groceries. I know you can't cook to save your life, Natasha."

Natasha chuckled at Wanda's condition, her laughter echoing in the room. "That's a deal. But hey, I'm still alive, aren't I?" she teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Wanda rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, thanks to my cooking and your obsession with takeout," she retorted, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

With the moving plans settled and Wanda's last month's rent sorted out, Natasha couldn't resist making a lighthearted remark. "You know," she joked with a playful glint in her eyes, "moving in together is like the true test of any lesbian relationship. Next on the agenda: adopting a cat."

Wanda laughed at Natasha's comment, feeling a sense of warmth and excitement at the thought of their future together. "Oh, definitely," she replied, her voice filled with amusement. "A cat would complete the picture perfectly."

As they bantered back and forth about potential cat names and the logistics of pet ownership, Wanda felt a surge of happiness knowing that they were embarking on this new chapter of their relationship together. With Natasha by her side, and perhaps a furry feline companion in the near future, Wanda knew that their home would be filled with love, laughter, and endless silly little adventures.

Yeah, I know. I took a little break from smut 'cause I need comfort in my life. 🥺 I hope you still like this one.

Divider from @cafekitsune 🫶

[robertreich]

The Biggest Economic Lies We’re Told

In America, it’s expensive just to be alive.

And with inflation being driven by price gouging corporations, it’s only getting more expensive for regular Americans who don’t have any more money to spend.

Just look at how Big Oil is raking it in while you pay through the nose at the pump.

That’s on top of the average price of a new non-luxury car — which is now over $44,000. Even accounting for inflation, this is way higher than the average cost when I bought my first car — it’s probably in a museum by now.

Even worse, the median price for a house is now over $440,000. Compare that to 1972, when it was under $200,000.

Work a full-time minimum wage job? You won’t be able to afford rent on a one-bedroom apartment just about anywhere in the U.S.

And when you get back after a long day of work, you’ll likely be met with bills up the wazoo for doctor visits, student loans, and utilities.

So what’s left of a paycheck after basic living expenses? Not much.

You can only reduce spending on food, housing, and other basic necessities so much. Want to try covering the rest of your monthly costs with a credit card? Well now that’s more expensive too, with the Fed continuing to hike interest rates.

All of this comes back to how we measure a successful economy.

What good are more jobs if those jobs barely pay enough to live on?

Over one-third of full time jobs don’t pay enough to cover a basic family budget.

And what good are lots of jobs if they cause so much stress and take up so much time that our lives are miserable?

And don’t tell me a good economy is measured by a roaring stock market if the richest 10 percent of Americans own more than 80 percent of it.

And what good is a large Gross Domestic Product if more and more of the total economy is going to the richest one-tenth of one percent?  

What good is economic growth if the way we grow depends on fossil fuels that cause a climate crisis?

These standard measures – jobs, the stock market, the GDP – don’t show how our economy is really doing, who is doing well, or the quality of our lives.

People who sit at their kitchen tables at night wondering how they’re going to pay the bills don’t say to themselves

“Well, at least corporate profits are at record levels.”

In fact, corporations have record profits and CEOs are paid so much because they’re squeezing more output from workers but paying lower wages. Over the past 40 years, productivity has grown 3.5x as fast as hourly pay.

At the same time, corporations are driving up the costs of everyday items people need.

Because corporations are monopolizing their markets, they don’t have to worry about competitors. A few giant corporations can easily coordinate price hikes and enjoy bigger profits.

Just four firms control 85% of all beef, 66% of all pork, and 54% of all poultry production.

Firms like Tyson have seen their profit margins skyrocket as they jack up prices higher than their costs — forcing consumers who are already stretched thin to pay even more.

It’s not just meat. Weak antitrust enforcement has allowed companies to become powerful enough to raise their prices across the entire food industry.

It’s the same story with household goods. Giant companies like Procter & Gamble blame their price hikes on increased costs – but their profit margins have soared to 25%. Hello? They care more about their bottom line than your bottom, that’s for sure.

Meanwhile, parents – and even grandparents like me – are STILL struggling to feed their babies because of a national formula shortage. Why? Largely because the three companies who control the entire formula industry would rather pump money into stock buybacks than quality control at their factories.

Traditionally, our economy’s health is measured by the unemployment rate. Job growth. The stock market. Overall economic growth. But these don’t reflect the everyday, “kitchen table economics” that affect our lives the most.

These measures don’t show the real economy.

Instead of looking just at the number of jobs, we need to look at the income earned from those jobs. And not the average income.

People at the top always bring up the average.

If Jeff Bezos walked into a bar with 140 other people, the average wealth of each person would be over a billion dollars.

No, look at the median income – half above, half below.

And make sure it accounts for inflation – real purchasing power.

Over the last few decades, the real median income has barely budged. This isn’t economic success.

It's economic failure, with a capital F.

And instead of looking at the stock market or the GDP we need to look at who owns what – where the wealth really is.

Over the last forty years, wealth has concentrated more and more at the very top. Look at this;

This is a problem, folks. Because with wealth comes political power.

Forget trickle-down economics. It’s trickle on.

And instead of looking just at economic growth, we also need to look at what that growth is costing us – subtract the costs of the climate crisis, the costs of bad health, the costs of no paid leave, and all the stresses on our lives that economic growth is demanding.

We need to look at the quality of our lives – all our lives. How many of us are adequately housed and clothed and fed. How many of our kids are getting a good education. How many of us live in safety – or in fear.

You want to measure economic success? Go to the kitchen tables of America.

[ambrosalovesyou]

Just a thought (I am not confident enough w my writing to write this out like as a whole fanfic so…)

- imagine you are a siren, and you work under Azul as a sort of trap for the boys of NRC so that Azul can get more contracts.

- as a siren, you’re naturally alluring, and you amped it up considerably ever since you signed a contract w Azul. You get paid by the amount of people who pay him / sign a contract with him.

- let’s say the way this works is generally simple: you find a man, your target, and flirt with him. Your melodic voice lured him in, and your touches were so fleeting to him. You tell him you love a man who is open about his feelings, so he tells you about his sorrows. You tell him that Azul can fix these problems. (Or, if you’re really cold, you tell him that you can’t be with him because he isn’t pretty enough, causing him to go to Azul to fix that).

- No matter the method, you are very good at luring them in. All for the expense of your love and affections, or that they genuinely believe that Azul can help them because why would someone as beautiful and sweet as you lie to him?

- When the day is done, you make a trip to Azul’s office and collect your payment. You’re so valuable that weekly or monthly paychecks aren’t enough - you’re an expensive siren, and you need the best to keep up your appearance!

- Of course, Azul obliges. Ever since you showed up, business has been booming! You kiss him on the cheek everytime, you were a sort of dog on a leash for him. (And honestly you didn’t really mind, the idea of you with a chain around your neck with Azul holding the other end and smirking down at you is pleasant imagery. You’re a siren! You’re born to be promiscuous!)

- You were easy to maintain compared to the twins, you found it fun to trick people, to see men grovel and weep for you, about their issues, and for them to inevitably not fulfil their contracts and have to work for Azul for however long.

- However, Azul was… changing. He’s been giving you some excuses for you to see him whenever possible, he believed that maybe if you saw him more in his office, you’d leave him with a new kiss mark each time. But no - you’d only ever do it if you’re collecting your paycheck.

- sometimes he would ramble about his business and you’d go “aw, wow, I’m happy for you! Good job, darling~” and his stomach would do flips but he would reprimand you with a blushing face.

- Jade and Floyd are catching on, you can hear them chuckling or Floyd going “hey hey, Azul, you got a thing for the siren now~?” Or “gross… PDA, keep that to yourself!”

- and what doesnt help at all is the fact you have been going online putting yourself on the line. The boys you send in always go “I want (Y/N) to be mine! You can’t keep them here against their will!”

- have you been telling people that you’re kept here against your will? Azul suspects it’s just to make them scared and have a sense of urgency to protect you or to save you like a ‘woe is me damsel/dude in distress’ sort of thing, but what if it’s true?? Do you hate him?

- Contracts have become even more stressful than usual now too. Of course with you on the line, Floyd and Jade have to make sure that the contract fails each time, so that you don’t get taken from him.

- and then you laugh when he tells you off and just blow him a kiss? Like! The nerve! Seriously, listen to him, will you?

- one day, when you came to pick up your check after a week of this ‘I’ll save (Y/N)’ nonsense, you got the check from his desk and walked out WITHOUT giving him a kiss on the cheek.

- “aren’t you forgetting something?” He asked, and you turned around with a smirk. “Oh, did I?” He felt his skin turn red with embarrassment, like a tomato. He always thought he had you on a leash, but it turns out it was the other way around. He’d been waiting all day, like a dog waiting for its owner, for its treat - your affection, your kisses, and your kiss marks which he kept on until the next morning where he HAD to take them off for school.

- you gave him two kiss marks to make up for the fact that you’ve been such a pain the last week, and you know it because he’s been looking more stressed out and crazier than usual.

- “please stop telling people you’ll be with them if it weren’t for me..” “why?” “Because, well, you’re a valuable asset and you made a contract with me, and you have to fulfill it. Besides, you don’t actually hate me that much.. yes? Right?” He asked, clearly seeking for reassurance.

- You shook your head and put a hand on his cheek, and gave him a kiss. He literally nearly jolted like he got shocked from Jade or something when you did. You pulled back and giggled while walking out of the room.

- great seven, why did he have to feel this way about *you*? A siren? This is surely more trouble than it’s worth, and what would pining after you do for Monstro Lounge?

- … well, for once, he might care about something more than the lounge. And it was you; his very own employed siren.

So trash ik but I can’t use it for an oc so someone else pls make this better for me if u can write PLEASE PLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPSLSLL

[moxfirefly]

Greetings and salutations, this has been a work in progress that originally I wanted to throw out during October but alas, life, and other things got in the way. So this is brought to you by a headcanon that my bestie @ray-jaykub has with Don. So please enjoy!

Rated Explicit (18+only)

“And baby you can have whatever you like”

To truly comprehend where this incisive desire came from is quite hard to do so. Because there isn’t a moment in time Donatello can pin point it. If anything it sort of manifest one evening while talking to you (or so he likes to tell himself).

For the most part he just does it.

You see, you had been lamenting about an outfit you needed for a work event. There had been a beautiful knitted sweater you wanted, hand crafted and costly. New boots to go with it that also reached the triple digits and a heavy replenishing of many of your makeup products. A paycheck could’ve easily been dumped on it but naturally that was too irresponsible on your end.

So as you pouted and eliminated the items from the online cart, Donnie had simply taken it upon himself to buy the aforementioned products. Sure it had been a pretty penny but Donatello was anything if due diligent with the money he made.

To better put it, he had it, he could spend it, all would still be well. Groceries would still come in.

If he had to make a cliff note of what exactly made him stir a little more than the usual, it had to be your excited squeals.

When the package had arrived at your doorstep with an added note in which he had stated he got you a little something something you had video called him clutching the goodies. He felt a pleasant somersault in his stomach as you thanked him profusely and announced that he should remain on the call so you could model the outfit for him.

That had to be it, right?

It must’ve been as you undressed, tossing your clothes off camera and putting on an outfit he had gotten just for you.

Maybe both those things?

Either way, he had been hard the entire video call.

Ever the man of science he was, questions like this required a bit more research. So on his own he had scoured the internet for yet another outfit but this one plainly of his own choosing. Donnie had a good eye already for your style, he may have taken a liberty or two on color but nevertheless he had purchased yet another full outfit and mailed it to your apartment.

And much to his surprise this time you didn’t call, you simply showed up at the lair in your new outfit.

Now that…

That had really done something in his body. Made one too many of those good chemicals boil. So it hadn’t been too out of character when he had locked the lab and had bent you over his desk.

Over time it started to become a habit. You had glanced at your nails, mentioned how they needed a manicure desperately. Donnie had wasted no time, he sent the cash through Venmo to you, threw in an extra hundred for the pedicure and facial. You had asked if that was alright, the gift giving hadn’t gone unnoticed but this was too much money. He had insisted with a smile, as for a compromise you asked him to pick out the color at the very least.

And that had made him feel that familiar tickling in the pit of his stomach. He had asked for a pretty dark purple.

In a matter of months your closet had been rebranded, the old articles had been donated, and in came the majority of outfits Don had bought for you. Low on your night routine products, he had set up an Amazon subscription to replenish it monthly. Wanted to treat yourself to a nice lunch on the good side of town? The cash was sent before your stomach could grumble.

Donnie found something he wanted to see you in and then promptly take it off with his teeth? Picked, bought, sent, ready to wear.

You couldn’t contain your grin one day whilst chatting with April about some pretty dress pants you saw at some bougie store. Donnie had been pouring himself a cup of coffee when he overheard. Mug to his lips and a hand down his pocket he had walked over, honest to god pulled several hundred dollar bills and handed it over to you.

Between his smile and April’s raised brow, you had to stifle a giggle.

It wasn’t to say that it was odd, most partners would want to treat their significant other to whatever materialistic desire they might have. The sort of odd specificity of it all that Donnie want some human man with some CEO entry level job. Nevertheless Donnie did make good bank with whatever he remotely did and was quite smart with his finances.

He could splurge when it came to you.

And he quickly found out that he actively enjoyed spending on whatever your heart desired.

As Halloween approached you wondered what might be delivered onto you. Donnie had been investigating with some subtle questions on what you’d enjoy trying out as a costume. The subject had landed on your love for the villain Shego from Kim Possible. You’d mentioned how you’d never had the guts to try it out, it was a skin tight suit and your nerves always won over.

The proverbial lightbulb had lit up in Donnie’s brain. Some investigating and hastily pricey purchase later, the replica costume had been delivered.

Donnie tracked the package as if he were tracking any bad guy. He wanted it to arrive on Halloween and he had already planned an entire evening just the two of you.

How things had escalated this much was still beyond you. How this had unlocked something hidden beneath the surface for the both of you wasn’t too beyond thought.

You were observing yourself in front of your bathroom in full costume. You had gone so far as to fluff up your locks to add a little extra volume, make up was done just exactly. By all means you looked just like your precious Shego.

But damn was this costume skin tight. Each curve accentuated leading to your mind to make you self conscious once more. This was the usual hurdle you could never pass by whenever you had contemplated getting the costume for past Halloween nights.

Donnie’s voice slipped into your quiet breakdown.

“Are you alright?” He had a knowing smile as he spoke whilst leaning against the door. The image of you in skin tight spandex had been distracting him for days. He did also know your self conscious mindset would kick in but he wasn’t about to let that win.

“I look silly” You called from the door, the echo in your bathroom highlight the slight tremble of your words.

“Impossible, you only look silly in the morning” That jerk, he was right though. Your hair had a mind of its own whenever you woke up from a deep slumber.

“I’d like to see you” He spoke again, voice unwavering even thought his pulse was betraying it.

As the doorknob moved and the lock was clicked off, Donnie felt his throat go as dry as sandpaper. You opened the door tentatively, your body the picture of nerves but adorned in an outfit that had simply left him lost for words. He hadn’t expected the hair and make up, truthfully he’d forgotten that in his usual instructions note.

Donnie looked, he allowed his eyes to take it all in and some memory of him seeing that show when he was young all those years ago and crushing over Shego just went off in his brain.

“I look silly don’t I? This is stu-“ Your words were muffled by lips and your body being pushed up against the very bathroom door you had exited not even a few handful of minutes ago. The momentum of his movements had found you being lifted by your thighs. It was a messy kiss, the kind of ones where it hurt so good to feel so wanted. There was a whimper when those large hands of his gripped your rear just to further press himself closer to you. With that very momentum he backed up with you and walked the few steps to the bed. Somewhere between a nip to your lower lip and a gutural moan escaping him you felt fabric tear. Donnie’s fingers dug into your rear, stretched the sides of the material and it gave way with a pleasant sound.

You were lucky he had a hold on you because your knees felt severely checked out by that.

With that very energy he placed you on the bed, gripped your waist and flipped you onto your stomach.

He buried his face, felt how ridiculously wet you were and almost lost it. You wanted to find words, wanted something coherent to seductively throw back at him but the jittering mumble of moans was all that tumbled out. Donnie was possessed for lack of a better term, pure instinct taking over as he licked and ate with earnest. He could stay there for days if he could, if you let him.

The last final stripe he licked made your toes curl and your eyes twitch. He pushed you upwards, further to the middle of the bed. The creak of the bed alerting you he too was now fully on it.

“You. Look. So. Fucking. Beautiful.” You heard each word punctuated by something being taken off, the straps of his suspenders, the buckle of his belt, the slide of a zipper. When your lustful fog cleared enough for you to throw a glance over your shoulder, it must’ve done something to him. Because those pupils were blown, his hands clutched your hips and pressed you against himself.

You felt the stiff hard outline of his cock, it rubbed just so against your wet folds and the anticipation alone made your arms buckle. “Fuck, Don-please” Finally words, you felt proud.

“I’m going to” He grunted, rubbing your wetness along his cock.

That first breach never seized to leave you gasping. The stretch too palpable, the ache that hit that slowly subsided to pleasure. The familiar song and dance of these things. “God, you’re so tight and hot” He could almost don from it, the overwhelming notion that all this was brought on by him, that he could rile you up and possess every inch of your skin.

The arch of your spine, the way your fingers dug into the sheets, the green of the costume.

The smeared make up, the black lipstick smudged.

Donnie wrapped an arm around your waist and lifted you against his plastron. Soon enough you felt another tear to the costume, right at your chest, exposing his other favorite spot of yours. His hands greedily cupped just as he thrusted.

A hand rubbed at your chest whilst the other slipped into the tear of the suit to find your swollen neglected clit. The circles he drew there had your thighs shaking and lips parting to moan.

“Don’t s-stop! There-there-there!” You shouted just as he found the right rhythm with his hips and fingers.

And who was he to deny you this? Every the giving one, he simply had to commit to pushing you off that precipice.

So he did, so much so, so many times that by the time that you felt like a limp noodle in his arms and you mumbled out your shared safe word you didn’t know what day it was.

When your cheek felt the soft fabric of the sheets you could register Donnie taking himself in hand, frantically fisting until warmth hit the back of your thighs with a low moan.

Then his lips found your neck, the gentle kisses bringing you down back to earth. The sensitivity behind each peck made your heart swell. He maneuvered himself next to you, pushing you against himself as he continued to rub soothing circles on your back. He whispered his usual questions, if you were alright, if he had been too rough. All to which you had lazily shaken your head no to.

“I’m going to clean you up, I’ll be-“ Your hand landed on his cheek, you shook your head no again. “Not yet, stay here” Sleep and exhaustion we’re starting to take over, the slurred connection of your words giving you away. Donnie had to smile as he settled back on the bed, loving even more how you scooted closer to him.

His hand rubbed the exposed skin, the straps and ribbons of torn fabric looked beautiful on you. He wondered if you would agree to something like this again, the possibility of it already making his stomach do flips.

For now though, he had to take care of you.

And admire how beautiful you looked in his arms.

[nevermoreconfessions]

I feel like the comic would benefit from a monthly publish schedule - take pressure of from webtoon’s demands, allow longer episodes with same art quality (which is very great quality) and help with pacing issues

Hm.

I guess it goes on a per-person basis for this type of opinion, but I actually think this would be harder than a weekly schedule. Then again, I'm a major procrastinator.

The Webtoon standard is once a week; it's usually the best method to keep everyone's interest going. It's the Webtoon business model. And they're right. Personally, I'd forget easily about a webtoon that published only once a month rather than one that publishes weekly.

Plus, Red and Flynn need to pay the bills. Monthly submissions aren't fantastic for paychecks.

Recently, could the pacing be better? Sure! But, Red and Flynn have been working long hours — they don't have a buffer anymore. The slight rush of the pacing is pretty understandable, in my opinion, because Red and Flynn themselves are rushed. They're at the end of the tunnel for Season 1.

Between me and you? The art style is still beautiful, even when Red and Flynn are under immense pressure. The pacing might be a little fast, and the episodes are short, but they're still hard at work! It's the nasty give-and-take of the Webtoon artist world.

If someone with more knowledge of how the Webtoon company does business, I'd love the extra insight!

[sgiandubh]

Hola de nuevo, soy el anon rebelde con el traductor.

Nueva foto de Cait en Getty, de momento sola. Tony ya hizo su aparición mensual para justificar el cheque.

Si entiendes algo de lenguaje corporal observarás como la sonrisa de Cait es mas relajada con las chicas que con su lo que sea, porque aparecer con el creo que le produce alguna alergia cutánea que se refleja en su visible incomodidad. 💯

Dear (returning) Anon Rebelde (me parece mejor que Dumber Anon, así que cambiamos),

De antemano, la traducción:

'Hello again, I am the Anon struggling with Google Translate.

New pic of C available on Getty, for the moment all by herself. Tony already made his monthly apparition, justifying his paycheck.

If you understand anything about body language, you'd notice how her smile is more relaxed with those women than when she's with her whatever he is, because being spotted in public with him probably triggers some rash or skin reaction which comes across as her being visibly uneasy.'

Anon, I think you mean this lovely pic, taken today in London by the same photographer (Dave Bennett), on behalf of Netflix, at a lunch for Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, hosted by Charles Finch, to celebrate 'Maestro' (hahahahaha - ok, I'll stop). A movie she has nothing to do with:

The venue, Maison Assouline at Piccadilly, is one of those sophisticated bookshop-cum-bar-cum-function rooms affairs. Typical C. - she was there in her element and it shows.

I wish and pray all the Greek Gods she would ditch that madre superiora of the Ursulines accoutrement. It makes her look way older and way more austere than she really is. But as I already told @arakanui1 in the comments thread of another post, I suppose she finds this champagne socialist look (' oh, I am reading Uzbek novels of destitution and loss and I am eating only on unbleached banana leaves') very telling and representative of herself as a Serious Actress. I still idiotically hope that funny and bubbly girl hasn't been killed by this matronly, forbidding public persona.

I agree with all the rest. And since you've mentioned a movie currently on Netflix, may I recommend the best Greek series ever made, also on Netflix? It's called Maestro in Blue, is absolutely flawless and features the still very bankable (and totally my type) Christoforos Papakaliatis being 🧨with the much younger and angelic blonde Klelia Andriolatou, somewhere on a beach on the magical island of Paxos.

Oh, and it's been renewed for a second season, I think they shot already most of it in Corfu.

Drop by anytime, Anon Rebelde! Thank you!

[arthropodboy]

Help save the adorable Miss Margles

A friend of mine from High School is trying to save his new senior kitties life, but he doesn't have the funds. I thought I'd try sharing this here because Tumblr is the only place I have even a little bit of reach.

Donations and/or reblogs would be greatly appreciated

"Hello! My name is Jay and I recently adopted Margles back in the beginning of July. This senior girlie was found wandering around downtown Tacoma in really horrible condition. When she was found, she was severely underweight, dehydrated, and seemed to be ill - it was very clear that someone had dumped her, or maybe everything went wrong and she ended up alone long enough to deteriorate on the street. My homie MJ fostered her for a while until I was able to adopt her!

Despite her condition, she is one of the most affectionate and trusting cats I've met in a long time, and after bringing her home she loved hopping into bed with me in the morning and licking my face to wake me up to feed her. She also absolutely loves getting brushed/groomed. She has quickly become good buddies with Tommy as well (our other senior kitty) who had been showing signs of wanting a companion before we got her.

This past month has been a lot of back and forth to the emergency vet clinic and our primary vet clinic as we've tried to figure out what's going on with her. She has been having bloody vaginal discharge, been unable to get comfortable, urinating inappropriately, vomiting daily, has had a steadily declining appetite, and could never seem to get enough water. We treated her for a UTI, however her symptoms returned as soon as her course of antibiotics finished.

However, we finally were able to figure out what's going on with her!! She has a severe urinary tract infection with two different types of bacteria that require a longer course of special antibiotics. Miss Margles was also diagnosed with kidney disease, pancreatitis, low potassium, and low phosphate. She is also severely underweight at 4.5lbs (but has been steadily gaining weight since coming to us). Thankfully, all of these conditions are easily manageable through treatment, medication, and supplements, and Meegles should be able to recover and live out her golden years in comfort with Tommy after we get her balanced out.

Although, as someone who is currently working paycheck to paycheck at minimum wage, the bills are quickly becoming more than I can handle.

With appointments averaging around $650, recurring medications about half of that, starting a specialized kidney diet, and the costs of supplements + daily fluid therapy (and of course urine + vomit cleaning spray...) I've reached a point where I've decided to seek out financial support in mutual aid. I am very hopeful that she will make a recovery from her current condition, but I fear that if these bills become too much I will have to try to find her a new home, which is already hard enough for senior kitties, let alone a high medical needs senior cat. I don't want to have to put her through a whole life transition again; especially since I have veterinary assistant experience and work in the animal care field, and am confident with giving her specialized care in my daily routine.

I am currently giving her 4 medications a day + 2 supplements, and subcutaneous fluid therapy once or twice daily. She is also getting monthly Solensia injections for her severe arthritis due to having very low muscle/fat content. Due to the sedative effects of some of these medications, Margles is experiencing extreme muscle weakness and needs assistance getting to the litterbox in time, grooming herself after eating or peeing/pooping, and will only eat via spoon feeding for now. Its quickly become a labor of love, and I know that Margles would be better off remaining in my care as she rides out her golden years.

Any financial support for her medical needs to ensure that she gets to remain in my care would be greatly appreciated! Even like $5 goes a long way. The goal amount is based on what I've spent so far and am estimated to be spending on the next follow up appointment. I will return to working at a vet clinic soon (I am currently working with zoo animals) and should hopefully get some discounts for her lifelong fluid therapy, arthritis injections, kidney disease management, and senior wellness exams in the future, so this is just to help us through the next few visits. Times are rough for us all right now, if you aren't able to donate please boost if you can!

Thanks for taking the time to read ‍⬛ I will post updates as they come

- Jay"

[sukunastoy]

I got an interview with a place that’s right by my apartment 😭 I’m still trying to get a remote job, but at least this place will be much better than what I currently deal with. IF I get hired. I just need something that doesn’t blatantly treat all its employees like shit..

Like my current job doesn’t even try to hide it that they want us to suffer. They’re just straight up slave drivers at this point. And corporate comes in and tries to cut our hours even more while increasing our work load and they even took away the opportunity for two weeks worth of vacation from everyone. They said it was voted for. Voted for by who!? Corporate asshats that make 6 figures a year and never actually have to do any of the work? Fuck them.

My company used to do company cookouts, raffles for tickets to sports games, gift cards, take the company to an amusement park that they would rent out etc. then it became just holiday dinners provided by the company with high quality meals, and managers got bonuses. Then it became just store brand bought food that you heat up in microwave. Then it became the occasional pizza party. Then it’s stale/out of date donuts from our bakery and “damaged” sandwich platters. (Which these would normally be thrown away.) Then one time they tried to pay our paychecks in a gift card to our own company! That can’t pay our bills wtf?? Now it’s like…nothing. Even this past year, they took away all manager bonuses. All while they boast about making record profits. Last week we all had to do a company photo while holding two awards for “record week of sales” and I even asked “what do we get for this?”

“These awards.”

I said “yeah cause that helps pay our bills. 🙄”

Our sales have gone from $50-$60K each week in one department alone, to well over $100k a week in that department. Our store does over $1 Million PROFIT monthly. That’s after paying their bills and all payroll. Each month they make our sales goals slightly hire than the month prior and we still manage to beat the goal, and we are beyond short staffed. A couple months ago they told us that our store alone helped 7 other failing stores financially cause our store makes THAT much money.

Yet they said “we still need better/higher sales.”

“Can we get more help?!”

“No.”

“Can we then work overtime?”

“No. Get 16 hours of work done in only 8 hours. Just work harder.”

And good luck getting a raise if you become a manager. They offer pocket change with a fuck ton more work. Then they transfer you from location to location to location without asking or giving any notice. They’ll come in on a Friday afternoon, and tell someone “btw you’re going to this other location starting Monday.”

“That’s a much farther drive? Do I get a little raise to compensate for the additional drive time that I’m not asking for?”

“Nope.”

Fuck this place. I’m so over it..it’s just gotten worse and worse each passing year. 10 years down the fucking drain.

[aita-polls]

AITA for spending 1/3 of my paycheck on a Friday the 13 flash tattoo

**I am not the OP and do not claim the statements below to be my own** [Link to Reddit Post]

Okay so my husband (34m) is pissed at me (33f) for spending about 1/3 of my paycheck on a tattoo. So backstory to start. I have been unemployed for the last year, to focus on college work and my mental health, and I recently started a new job. When I got the job my husband and I agreed that I would give him 25% of each paycheck to help with bills. He also agreed that this arrangement would take effect on my second paycheck and that the first was mine to spend as I wish. Great, love that for me. Here lies the issue. My paycheck was around $350, I immediately put $50 into my savings. I have been wanting a Friday the 13th tattoo for years but I have never found one that jumped out at me until this year. A local artist put out a flash sheet and I fell in love with this really cool piece. So I booked an appointment and got the tattoo. It was $100. My husband has been lecturing me about how stupid and impulsive it was and how I shouldn't have spent 1/3 of my paycheck on something as stupid as a tattoo when I have a credit card bill to pay. He is barely speaking to me now and it's making me feel like shit. I'm so happy with the tattoo and I still have plenty of money to pay my bills and sustain me until my next paycheck, but he keeps bringing it up and telling me it was stupid. So AITA for spending 1/3 of my paycheck on a tattoo?

(More information from OP’s comments below the cut)

(INFO: Will you doing this require him to bail you out financially? Is he going to have to spend money he's earned to pay your bills, feed you, etc because you decided you wanted a tattoo? Or are you able to pay all your bill, food, rent, etc with the remaining $200?) Nope! I took in to account the bills and everything else I needed to pay before deciding to do it. My total personal monthly bills are less that $150. Everything else we spilt the cost of, and that is what my 25% will go towards. We own our house, my gas bill is less that $10 a month (I drive a moped) and my phone bill is $80 a month. I budgetd 150 for "bills and misc expenses"

(How is it possible that your half of all shared monthly bills comes out to $88?) It's doesn't. My PERSONAL bills are about 100. 25% of my income will go to my husband to put toward bills and the rest will be for my own bills, savings, and whatever else. 30% of my husband's income goes toward our shared bills like the mortgage, utilities, groceries etc. Thay 30% also includes his personal bills like gas and credit cards.

(Did you still pay your CC bill?) I did still pay my cc bill (I didn't even use the cc before I started at the new job once it was initially paid off so I wouldn't have a bill to pay while unemployed) I also put money into savings even though he told me I didn't need to since this first check was less than half of what I will normally be making. He made almost 3 times what I make and even though I will be giving him 25% of my pay (honestly I will likely give him more than that) I know that he will likely just put it in a savings account instead of using it for bills.

The credit card bill was less than $80. I used it sparingly because I knew I didn't have the money. IT was mainly for gas and medical co-pays and medicine. {(If your credit card bill was less than $80 then you should have paid it off)} I paid it off right after I booked the tattoo appointment

(That doesn't make sense, you say he makes 3 times what you do. If you get 350 a week, that's 1400 a month. That would mean he makes 4200. So how does he have 5k left over ?) The 350 was less than half of what a normal paycheck will be. Which is one of the reasons we agreed that I didn't need to give him the 25%

[inkofamethyst]

March 3, 2024

It's so weird to already know what instrument I'm going to learn next (and also to have purposefully selected a time to learn it). Like, I didn't know I was going to want to teach myself the saxophone in high school, it just kind of happened (though these days I do lowkey wish I had gone for alto rather than tenor (will not make the same mistake with the bass, will prob go for a short scale)). Same with the uke--I was just bored one summer. But knowing that the bass is coming up (but that I'll be waiting over a year for it still (not a bad thing, as I'll be able to use this summer to learn more about my community at large)) makes me a bit antsy to just start playing. I'll be listening to music and will have to make a mental note of a cool baseline I'd like to learn (the "Life Will Change" bridge !!!!!!!!! (though I'll prob have to learn something like "Mask" from P5 before that if I want to play while singing (supposedly notoriously difficult on bass which is lovely)--slower, more repetitive)) but like, that's over a year away. I mean the wait gives me time to save and plan, sure, but I also just want to play something sometimes.

Speaking of planning, when I get to that fateful day next May of picking a bass (not sure if I want to go the cheap route and grab something used online or the Main Character route and have some hot guy in a guitar shop help me pick one out based on his expertise and then offer to give me lessons and then we fall in love (can you tell that Hadestown has pushed the dial right back over to R??) (though the guitar shop plan makes more sense for my first one (of one? of many? who knows) since I don't know any bassists and I don't know what I'm doing (yet))), I'm also going to have to decide whether I want to go for lessons. Honestly? I'm considering it. I know my whole deal is like "hur hur hur im a self taught multi-instrumentalist" (!!!! I'm a multi-instrumentalist !!!!!) but also if I can't find good videos on/am unsure about technique, might as well talk to a professional.

God I'm so excited to learn that instrument. Can you tell?

Speaking of saving, one thing about my savings goals notion page is that I wish it was more.. dynamic. In that, sometimes I save extra towards a goal one month, and it'd be nice if the suggested monthly savings amount went down to reflect the new minimum needed to reach that goal by the desired date. Or alternatively, change the end date based on the amount saved if the minimum payment stayed the same. I don't know how to code either of those, but they'd be a nice touch.

Though, kind of on a similar note, saving so aggressively in January and February has meant that, after typical spending habits, I've been left with basically nothing at the end of the month lol. Everything else taken into account, I've got ~$200 for random discretionary purchases monthly. That's been perfectly fine (aka just enough) but it also feels a little tight? Idk. I suppose I can rationalize it by the fact that it will keep me from overspending and will allow me to reach other goals quicker but it still feels like I'm livin paycheck to paycheck hehe. But this will only last as long as my ultra-aggressive saving strats do, so for about another year, then I start letting up (if all goes to plan).

Also, went ahead and did the per-day calculations because I've always heard that it's cheaper to make your own food than to buy it, and I am actually saving so much by making my own meals every day*. Like, so much. Now, at my uni, getting breakfast or lunch a la carte isn't terribly expensive, but it certainly can and likely would add up.

*Granted, I do benefit from the occasional free lunch or dinner.

Can you tell I'm rationalizing anxiety with over-strategizing? I truly do not make enough money to be so focused (rationalization: start good habits early). The moneydiaries subreddit has fried my brain I think.

Thinking about putting on some fake tattoos at the end of spring break. Partly because they make me immensely, unreasonably happy, partly because I'm curious if anyone would ask about them hehe. The last time I did a full sleeve and met up with some friends (years ago) they were a lil shook.

Today I'm thankful for.. a lazy weekend. And nighttime rain storms.

[diogenescynic2288]

Gender Stuff and Hobbies

In fifth or sixth grade I was interested in the Babysitter's Club novel advertised in the monthly Scholastic Books advertisement catalog pamphlet thing. The description of the plot sounded like something that would be amusing to see on a sitcom. A girl classmate saw me circle it and teased me for being a boy that wanted to read a girl book. Also, my parents didn't end up ordering that one.

I don't have the experience some trans women have of: "I was always more into pink and dresses and Barbie than blue and trousers and GI Joe". I'm kind of neutral on colors*, I haven't tried wearing a dress yet, and I enjoyed playing with my GI Joe, He-Man, Thundercats, and Transformers action figures as a child.

I also did enjoy watching the GI Joe and He-Man and similar boys' action figure advertisement cartoon shows but the selection of things to watch was narrow enough that I also liked My Little Pony and Care Bears and She-Ra Princess of Power, which I think were more for the girls' marketing demographic.

I did own one She-Ra action figure that may have been a thrift store or garage sale find.

Somewhere I found out that one of the enjoyable things to read, for me, is books in the intersection of chick-lit and YA marketing demographics segments. Things like The Princess Diaries. Or everything Ally Carter writes.

Somewhere else I spent time on the internet and started learning that gender is a spectrum and that things like nonbinary and genderqueer identities exist, and had some realizations.

Recently I picked up the first of the graphic novel adaptations of the Babysitters' Club books and enjoyed reading it.

Most recently I had a good paycheck and felt like disposing of my disposable income in some specific ways I picked up the core rulebook for the Transformers RPG and another Babysitters' Club graphic novel, which seems to be second in the series: The Truth about Stacey.

I took that picture when I had both books with me. I finished reading the graphic novel in one long sitting at a restaurant. I'm still working on the Transformers. I'm about a hundred pages in, which is around a third of the way.

I was thinking of just posting that picture and a short text caption like "Enby's reading list", but it felt too reductive, and even though I am an enby and that is my reading list it sounded in my head too close to old people claiming schools have to put in cat boxes for catgender students. Don't ask me why.

*I do wear a bit more pink now as a deliberate FU to gender norms. In fact, I think when I get dressed and go out today I will wear my pink t-shirt with Wonder Woman circled by a rainbow.

Thank you to @thewizardofsass of enduring an early draft of this.