#so i just don't have that anymore i guess? unless i want to pay $5 again which. no

[tricoufamily]

just tried to update reshade for add ons and i think i just lost everything. i think i might actually quit over this i'm not kidding

[freezerbnuuy]

Act 5:12- Broken Silence (Page 1)

LORE | CHARACTERS | ABOUT / WARNINGS | CHAPTERS

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CONTENT WARNING: alcohol (not negative)

Daniel

We have a massive order of fish coming up - no fish in particular, just whatever we can catch. We're getting paid a fair bit of money for it, which is the only reason we took up the offer. Owen said in his order note that fish oil is a useful treatment for many conditions - rheumatism, gout, even tuberculosis.

On top of that, it's generally a good supplement to help with deficiencies in certain things that can lead to illness, at least, according to him. Even then, it's way too many fish for that. Maybe Father is right when he says not to question it so long as we get paid. 

I head to the inn for a drink to help take my mind off how exhausted I'm going to be later. It's a lot busier than usual for this time of day. There's a lot of chatter concerning an upcoming event Volpe plans to hold; there's posters all over the place. Pamphlets, too, in an attempt to recruit witchfinders. I suppose threatening teenagers' lives isn't working out for him anymore? 

The relative silence of the witches over the past few years has changed from comforting to suspicious for many people. What at first seemed like a successful attempt to drive them out has only led to fear of a quiet uprising.

I hear one man in particular talking with a certain level of excitement about it all. The simultaneous downside and upside of the inn is the way the booze loosened people's lips - my own included.

"Do you want to really know what it's like to work for Lord Volpe?"

The inn falls silent, and everyone's eyes are upon me.

"He pays well and it helps keep the witches at bay. What else matters?"

"What matters is he forces teenagers to work for him, and threatens to kill their entire families if they don't agree. The people who work for him end up soulless killers before they're thirty. How much he pays shouldn't matter."

"So it's okay for witches to be soulless killers, is it? What about them?"

"I can assure you that most of the people killed by Volpe's crew have likely not hurt anyone, let alone killed anyone. We got sent after people with hardly any proof of their magic. Witchfinders aren't defenders of the people. They'll go after anyone Volpe deems his enemy, and that could be any of you - especially you ladies."

"There's plenty of things you can do to make money that don't get people killed. When my father quit his job as a witchfinder and saved me from it, we took up fishing."

"Sir, if you don't mind, I have to serve my cust-"

"Oh, save it, will you? I know we shouldn't have trusted you the moment I saw that fancy coat! 'Give a man a fish...Teach a man to fish...' How does that work for those of us that can barely afford a rod?"

"I don't mean it like that."

I don't know how I'm supposed to get through to these people...

Unless...

I know what Gideon's like. He doesn't like having an excess of money; it reminds him too much of his witchfinding days. He isn't sure what to do with the huge sum Owen is giving us, but if these people are struggling for money, I do have an idea.

"Alright, then. If you're all struggling for money, my father and I have an enormous order of fish we need to fulfill, and the three of us can't do it ourselves. Our customer is exceedingly rich, and we'll be paid handsomely. We'll have plenty to spare. We're already being paid seven thousand Simoleons."

"Seven thousand?"

I show everyone the written receipt. Some seem to take interest, others seem to pass judgment. I guess it does sound a bit tall, but it's worth a shot.

"One moment - I feel like I've seen you around Withernham. Don't you and your father sell fish at the markets on the weekends?"

"Indeed we do."

The customers mumble amongst one another.

"How do we know you can trust you?"

"Well, think about it- who can you trust more, a fisherman or a noble?"

"And what about us women? My husband would never let me go fishing with him. He says it's a man's escape from his wife."

"You're welcome as well, of course- could be a nice escape from your husband." The lady in the russet coat giggles to herself.

"I'll tell you what - anyone who's interested, come to Courtyard Lane, Willow Creek tomorrow morning. You can help us fulfill the order. I'll put in a good word with our customer- I'm sure he'll be happy to pay you all a little extra."

"Well? What do we think?"

"Sir, if you're going to hold up my business like this, I'm going to have to ask you to leave..."

[outstandingfabulousphenomenal]

I think a big part of my adolescence was about wanting - addiction (woah, almost 5 years clean!! Epic w), sex, and, as is most relevant to the current crash out, work in politics. And maybe it's bc I have a lot of what I wanted then now, or that I realized I didn't want things as much as I think I did, or that undergrad graduation to unmitigated success in my mid 30s was a bit of a gap in my teenage plans, but I really don't know what I want these days! Like, I want to do cool things and help people. I want to travel. I want to have a long and happy future with my husband, and children. I want to do more creative hobbies. Other than this I don't really know! What gender am I? How much am I willing to sacrifice wellbeing for ambition? Would I enjoy or be good at xyz profession? Maybe this latter challenge is also caused by the fact that I've only worked in one (super generalist) field, and I guess public health and research. What I keep coming around to, though, is that while I'm not terribly enthusiastic about law it does seem to be the best fit for me. It's challenging, well-respected, useful for politics, and pays well, with the downsides being the 3 years of school (comparatively not thaaat bad and can be 33% exchange/externship), debt (less than one might think!), and the people seeming deeply boring and weirdly immature - although there seems to be a few cool folk and I have enough friends in toronto anyway.

I don't think a random masters would give me any more direction than I have now, it's equally as expensive as law school if I did it in the UK (and almost as long in the US), and unless I did something super unemployable not very interesting.

Social work is compelling but the degree is extremely easy and boring and it pays way less than law, and burnout is very high. And R says I shouldn't do it and she would know.

Planning is also low-paying and I think it wouldn't be a great use of my skills.

I'm kind of drawn to both of these, though, because they feel quite safe and a continuation of what I'm already doing - although typing it out, I feel like it might be that the grass is just greener. In either case, a law degree is better for work in public service- even municipal public service- than either of these, and also keeps more other doors open. I guess just not being able to realistically fantasize about what being a planner, or a social worker, or, heck, like a high school English teacher would be like anymore feels like quite a loss. There are fewer imaginary possibilities, and many more real ones, but the real ones come with real considerations/drawbacks.

And there are so many things I could do! I could be a crown or a defense lawyer or a labour lawyer/negotiator or a prof (and actually get employed) or a mediator and all of these things are very attractive!

[alovesongforu]

One - My Mom Finally Goes Crazy

Have you ever watched any race in your life? If your answer is 'yes', I bet you've asked yourself  "How can they run so fast and so much? Is that even humanly possible?" 

I used to ask the same question, but now, pursued by hundreds, maybe thousands of flesh-hungry monsters, I have the answer: yes. When your mind is filled with a surviving instinct, it releases a funny hormone in your blood that keeps you going on, no matter what's happening. 

It doesn't matter if your lungs burn so much they feel like combusting, it doesn't matter if every fiber in your legs is screaming for rest, it doesn't matter if you have a bite so deep in your neck that blood gushes.

It keeps you going, numbing your pain and clouding your senses with just one message: Keep going or you'll die. The name of this hormone? Adrenaline. I could continue my story from here, but I don't think you readers would understand it fully, so let's go back in the storyline.  

°°°

June 5, 2019. Brazil, São Paulo.

12:30 PM.

I hate school. Even though I have changed schools multiple times, bullying haunts me. I had no friends in Guarulhos, the only ones I managed to make turned their backs against me, I was beaten every single day. 

In São Paulo, things are not that different. People ignore me, unless they want to ridicule me. I don't get beaten anymore, no one scratches my desk with insults, telling me to kill myself, but I'm alone. Lonely. I try to console myself, saying that it's better being alone than poorly accompanied, but it still hurts.

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm so sorry! My name is Beatrice, Beatrice Sunnova D'Agostino.

I'm ten years old and I study in some fancy private school in the city of São Paulo. My mom is an artist who gained fame not long ago. As I was saying, I'm completely alone. The only friends I have are my mom and...Well, I know it sounds weird, but pigeons, bugs and rats. 

I also know what you're thinking right now. "Poor girl, she's completely nuts...", but I'm not. These animals, 'pests', they talk to me. And even if I am crazy, could you even blame me? If you, my dear reader, went through everything I've been through, I highly doubt you wouldn't think like me or be friends with them too.

I'm a person of many thoughts, so I could spend days and days just narrating all the incessant questions or stories that I create in my head to entertain myself and forget that I don't have a single friend my age, but I think I need to contextualize you from reality.

Right now, I'm having math class. I know, I know, a torture, but it's the last class of the day. Then, I'll go back home and no one will throw paper balls at me, with messages like: "you look like a pig", or "why are you still here? Nobody likes you". I'll be able to eat delicious food, wear comfortable clothes and read until it's dinner time again.

Mr. Ricardo (Yes, in Brazil we don't call our teachers by their last names.), was saying something about... to the power of, I guess? I'm not paying attention, all I can think about is how today's hell is going to end in...ten minutes, no, nine.

You must be asking yourself 'Is this school so bad? Why don't you tell everything to your mom, Beatrice?' Firstly, call me Bea, please. Secondly, my fellow: This is a true hell on earth. I hate this place with all my might. Every day, when I wake up, I pray this place has caught fire, with everyone inside, preferably. 

Now, your second question: My mother became a millionaire, I know she did. But I've only been studying here for a year and a half, and I don't want my mother to spend any more money on me, going through the trouble of buying a new uniform, transferring me to another school, and so on. On top of that, I don't have much time left at school, just six and a half years...Yeah, maybe I do, but I can handle it, I swear.

Mr. Ricardo continued to fill the board with equations, and although I copied it obediently, my ears were focused on the conversation of the clique of girls behind me. Maria Luisa, Sarah, Marina and Carla. You know that group of girls in your class that you clearly see that are nothing more than bitches with some sort of Regina George syndrome, but for some reason, everyone likes them? Yeah, that 's them.

Don't get me wrong, I love girls and I think it's silly to talk negatively about their interests because they are purely feminine, but these girls are demons. They have power over the class and, if they want to, they will make children be excluded and looked down on by the entire school for simply not agreeing with them.

"You're all going to sleep at my house this weekend, right? My parents have already bought everything." Marina said.

"Yeah, but I think I'll just show up at night."

Carla replies.

"Why?" "I have mass in the afternoon." 

"If that's the case then don't even come, Carla! You'll miss all the fun!" 

They were toxic towards each other, I know that, but deep down I wanted a friendship like that. Someone to talk to during class and keep me company during recess. Normally I stay in the school terrace, talking to my pigeon friends. I sound ungrateful right now, yes, I love my pigeon friends, I really do, but I would like to be friends with some girls my age.

With that horrible, booming siren, the bell rings, marking the end of classes. Thank God. I didn't care about my material when I put it in my backpack, I just threw it in and left the room. Nobody talks to me when I'm at the exit, but that's fine. I have my headphones and my music to distract me while my mom doesn't arrive. 

I don't live far from school, but my mom insists on driving me and picking me up every day. That 's fine by me. Even if there are other people from my school who live in the same area as me, I would just be ignored the entire way, so it's even better to get a ride. I'll finally have someone to talk to.

My headphones were blasting with 'A Little Death' by The Neighborhood, and I'm sure other people could hear it, but I couldn't care less. For as long as I can remember, music has always been everything to me. When my mom would fight with my grandfather because he called me a pest, I would just turn up the volume on my headphones and suddenly I would be in another world. 

One where my family loved me, one where I wouldn't have sucked the last drop out of my mother's beauty, one where I wasn't a money-eating parasite. Well...you can understand that music is important for my survival, right?

Even if I was distracted with the music and people passing through me, I still could see my mom's gray VW Virtus stopping in the driveway. I sighed, relieved. Today's hell was over. Now, let me make one thing clear: there are many children in the world who hate their parents for not spending time with them, but not me. I love my mom with my soul. In my eyes, she is the best woman in the world. The most beautiful, nicest, most pleasant, most talented, most perfect in existence. 

My mom is my idol, and if she wanted to touch my bones, I would open the flesh of my body with my bare hands just to satisfy her wish. I hurry to get into the car and immediately realize that there is something wrong. Her smile was forced, her eyes, always so curious and expressive, showed pain and sadness. 

"How was your day, sweetheart?" 

She asks me, but everything about her attitude was wrong. "It was... good. What about yours?"

"It was good too. What do you think about eating filet parmigiana today?"

"Yeah, sure! I'll never complain about filet parmigiana..."

°°°

Even if my mom was pretending everything was okay, we both knew there was something wrong. She couldn't keep a poker face to save her life. The ride home was silent. Not the comfortable silence type. The uncomfortable one, super uncomfortable. 

When we finally got home, I jumped out of the car in a hurry, desperate to escape that strange atmosphere. It was even worse in the elevator. Other people occupied that small cubicle, and my mom wouldn't dare say anything with other people around. I know that.

Even though I was desperate inside, I calmly opened the apartment door, dropping my backpack and taking off my shoes. It wasn't a house rule to take the shoes off to enter the house, but I liked the feeling of my bare feet on the cold floor, even in winter.

The platter with steak and parmigiana was already waiting for the two of us at the table, and my mom served it to me. I poured some juice into my glass while she tried to make conversation. 

"So...nothing funny happened today?" I forgot to mention, but I hate worrying my mom, so I lied to her for maybe the second time in my life. I said I made three friends: Luana, Pedro and Zé. It wasn't a lie, I just didn't mention that my friends were...well, pigeons. But I think it's just a trivial detail, right?

"No...you?"

"...Same..." She then began to cut the food on her plate, but didn't put anything in her mouth. I can't take it anymore. 

"Mom, what's going on?" 

She purses her lips. 

"Bea, we need to talk." 

"Yeah, I can see."

My mom takes a deep breath, she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Bea, I already  told you how I met your father, didn't I?"

"He appeared in one of the exhibitions from your college project."

I was starting to feel restless, why didn't she tell me what was happening at once?

"Yes...we started talking, he invited me for a date and...well, I'll spare you from the details-"

"Mommy, where exactly do you want to get to?"

"Bea...I fell in love with a god."

...Uh, okay? If she wants to say this to herself, it's fine, but what do I have to do with this? I probably made a face and let my emotions very clear, because she lets out a whimper, wiping away a tear. 

"Sweetie, you're a demigod."

[jove999]

Ok, I know you're probably reading this because I know your pattern. I'm saying this so I don't wanna keep thinking about this matter anymore, so It will be my last time to say anything about this. cause I know it's quite pointless to ever argue with you again.

If I Ever find out you talking about me or spreading weird rumors about me, I'm going to release your blog address, release all the conversations I screen-capped, and your ridiculous ao3 fic, (Yes, this person wrote a fic about what happened between me and them), your racist remark about me, how you described me as a predatory person, while that was all because of my clumsy English skill (and I think you knew the reason why I said in that way too while writing all that, cause I'm you know, 'stupid Asian', right) You were too much of a bully to me too for a person who worried about being getting bullied.

You accused me of being a rude artist trying to rob you of money, when in fact, you were the one who asked me for free art first. You made me seen as a predatory person in your fic, which was already released 3 days ago when I first found out, had 23 views, and you made sure anyone can guess who this artist was. (f/f shipper getting lots of likes, Asian, Remember?) So Why would I ever consider making an apology to you after this, for exposing your ID on my post, which had 15 notes, and I deleted from my blog in a matter of 5 hours? (And if I remember correctly, you did the exact same too before me, right?)

sigh. You're making me so tired.

Ok. You were telling me to say sorry

When I deleted the post that exposed your ID, and later when I read your apologies, What I regretted the most was my action was out of pure anger and spite. Because you were seen as a weird stranger, and when I, as an artist, and a wlw, got asked for free art, from a stranger who ships f/m ship...... ought to get angry. If I knew you were, you know, you, I would have just ignored it. But I didn't. sigh.

and When I read that you were autistic from your apologies, I deleted the post from my blog. I can understand the complicate situation autistic people are going through, So I deleted it. and I'm sorry for acting like this to you out of spite. At the moment, I really didn't give a shit if you're getting bad messages, because I didn't know you like that. I want to be a person who can acknowledge their wrongs, and I don't mind a aftermath that follows too. I'm sorry.

But I'm not gonna say sorry to you for saying you should pay first if you wanna have something you want. I think you're old enough to understand why I'm saying this. I hope you learn something from what I said at least.

And now, the thing is, I don't even wanna hear sorry from you anymore. from all the shit you did to me. and probably you don't wanna say sorry too, now I know you better.. I don't care. Like I said, don't say shit about me after this. If you wanna forget about this, then do it. I don't wanna waste my energy anymore too, unless you wanna start a fight again. Don't send a private message after this. If you send a message again, I'll release everything. Bro, I can be real petty.

That's it. Don't care If you block me. I said everything I wanted to say. I'm sorry. I'm sincere about this. Don't ever come to my blog, I'm sincere about this too. bye

(and I'm writing this again for your consideration, Don't send a private message after this)

[thecatamaranlad]

15 OC Questions

Jumping on @ibuprofen-exe‘s open tag, and leaving this as an open tag for whoever wants to participate (except @justeliiijah, @twillprobably and @re-alku: I'm poking you guys with a stick egging you to do the thing). Please feel free to tag me—I would love to see your answers.

I'm going to write about Sam the Motorcycle Man (check my 'raptors' tag or 'sam the motorcycle man' tag) because he's FUN.

Are you named after anyone?

���Myself.”

2. When was the last time you cried?

”When I fucked up and Carla left. Then afterwards, when I got blindingly drunk trying not to think about it (it didn't work). Wait, no, I also cried after I heard she and Tai were safe from the tornado."

3. Do you have kids?

”Not unless you count Tai. ;)”

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

”Define "a lot". But yes.”

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?

”Whether or not they have cool tattoos or piercings. Also whether or not they seem queer in some way. I'm not trying to, it's just like a *finger guns* eyyy, you're my people kind of thing.”

6. What's your eye color?

”Gray, and not in the cool color-changing way.”

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

”Happy endings, I guess, but don't tell Carla I said that.”

8. Any special talents?

”I mean, I have a PhD, so I'm at least good at crying in front of a computer screen for years on end.”

9. Where were you born?

”South Carolina. Not going back."

10. What are your hobbies?

”Motorcycles and video games. Which I pick depends on the weather.”

11. Do you have any pets?

”No, but I have a parasocial relationship with my ex-roommate's cat. She's named after a hurricane, I have to love her.”

12. What sports do you play/have you played?

”I am 5 foot four on the dot and a huge geek. I do not play sports.”

13. How tall are you?

”See above. PSA: Don't fuck with short guys. I don't play sports but I can and will kick your ass.”

14. Favorite subject in school?

”All the sciences, but especially physics and meteorology. I should probably not find climate change as cool as I do. I also used to really like art and, believe it or not, literature."

15. Dream job?

“Having a steady job would be real nice. Bonus points if it pays decent. I guess I like making forecasts for people and trying to figure out where they can go to be safe... as long as they don't lose the connection with me in the middle of a damn tornado... There's a caravan that keeps asking me to sign on with them as their weatherman, but that would mean I couldn't go where I wanted to anymore. I've gotten used to being alone.”

Thank you for reading (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

[eugenoid]

Just got tagged in a game by @happy-mokka and felt like doing it right away

1. Were you named after anyone?

Yeah kind of

2. When was the last time you cried?

Literally just now because my father was rude

3. Do you have kids?

No, and I don't want to have them

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

None. Unless you count yoga I did in high school for a while I guess. Hopefully I'll pick up a sport some time in the future, or at least some sort of physical activity so my body doesn't fall apart too early. My poor back...

5. Do you use sarcasm?

I feel like I do it less often now. These days I prefer healthy irony at expense of nobody. I try to, at least

6. What's the first thing you notice about the people?

Idk. Just faces in general?

7. What's your eye color?

Some sort of weird greenish grey

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

If I had a better stomach for all the scary movies I wanted to watch, I would've picked that. But in reality, probably happy endings.

9. Any talents?

I have perfect pitch. Music teachers loved me. I think I have a good sense of humor too. Won't call my art skills "talent" though, considering how long it's taking me to get better at art

10. Where were you born?

You're not fooling me today, mr federal agent.

11. What are your hobbies?

Videogames I guess. Singing along to music, if that counts. I'm trying to make drawing into a career so that doesn't count as hobby anymore. Does interacting with fandoms count?

12. Do you have any pets?

Yeah, a cat

13. How tall are you?

Average height. Not telling you the exact numbers. Not today, mr federal agent x2

14. Favorite subject in school?

I feel like I didn't have a favorite subject - I hated everything school-related. But I probably preferred the classes where teachers didn't care if I fell asleep to the ones where they yelled at me for it. So sleeping was my favorite subject I guess? I was just really tired all the time, tbh

15. Dream job?

Ah... a marine biologist... specializing on sharks.....

But if we're being more realistic and down to Earth - perhaps any job that's not too demanding and provides me enough to be able to live comfortably and pay my bills

Tagging @someoneyoudontreallyknow @icecreamvi @ignite-art @reitziluz in case you're interested in filling out this questionaire. No pressure though!

[hurlumerlu]

As usual, badly put together thoughts on Playboyy episode 5 under the cut :

My main thought on this episode is how heavy on melancholy it was. It was a lot less funny and dramatic and a lot more, idk. contemplative ? or at least that's how it felt to me. Also a lot more unsettling, we are definitely not playing anymore. Funnily enough, this gravitas is pretty close to what I hoped for when I started Playboyy, but now that I actually have it I feel wrongfooted and unsure. Which is great ! I've always enjoyed shows where I didn't know what I was in for before starting an episode (perhaps a little too much) and I appreciate the unease.

Related to the above : I like that the Nuth & Phop scenes are packed with tender moments (the piggyback, the very begining of the shaving scene, "haha i'm halucinating him :D/i'm right there", waking up in each other's arms) amidst the constant current of dread. It helps lay out the reasons Phop comes back (drugs aside) on an emotional level, and it also makes the peaks in tension that much stronger because you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and because it could be sweet ! it could. it's good suspense.

Honnestly the fact that Nuth has been so strongly established as suspect n°1 when we're only in episode 5 makes me really doubt that he is, for lack of a better term, our Big Bad. Which does not mean I think of him as an innocent little sweetheart (don't pay people in drugs is imo a pretty low bar and he couldn't even clear that) and he absolutely had something to do with Nant's troubles, but I feel like there is something else at play. Could be way off though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Unpopular opinion probably but I worry for him too. He does not seem well ! He also doesn't seem to have much of a support system ! If this all ends badly - if it already has, for Nant, because of him - I don't think I'll be able to shake off the feeling that it all could have been avoided.

Please don't kill Phop please don't kill Phop please don't kill Phop

Other characters I would like to not see die are Nont (very much so), Soong, and Jump. (and Puen because I play favourites) the others are fair game for me not because I don't like them but because I can see multiple narrative payoffs for their death. It all depend on how it's done. (honnestly I can also imagine narrative payoffs for Nont's death, and worse endings for him than death, but. uh. I'll be gutted for sure)

Since I mentioned Soong - I told myself I would not gripe about this but I am absolutely going to gripe about this : how did Nont convince him to drink/take drugs with him ? Did he think this was Nant ? it was all very weird and I did not get how we got for point a to point c. You could argue it doesn't matter but it's the kind of things that matters to me ! Anyway, moving on :

Soong keeps having a bad time. And I'm sure many would say he deserved it, but as I'm not generally interested in characters getting their just deserts (unless it's funny) I'm still mostly feeling kinda sad for the guy, in an awkward sort of way

I'm sorry I said Nont was not good at threatening people. turns out he's just not good at threatening people with sharp objects. He's disturbingly into it when it comes to fire though ! (but also Nont baby you're gonna burn your thumb)

Zouey & Teena were very cute. So where Zouey & First trying to investigate Soong.

You know who isn't cute ? Porche. I want to sit that boy down and have a loooong talk with him. It probably wouldn't help but someone has to try.

Anyway we knew that already but the fact that none of these rich little fuckers where willing to help Nant out when they could easily have pooled their money... with friends like these, honnestly.

This may have been a wake up call for Captain ? wait and see I guess.

Captain and Puen being on good enough terms that Captain told him everything about the fake sex tape is interesting. I'm still really interested in their dynamic !

Look. Puen was so charming (and charmed) all episode and Aob was so prickly, it's hard for me not to get into the relationship that is dangled in front of us (and I didn't try). However everytime I watch this series I think of Love Conquers All (2006) and its ironic-ass title, so I look at every single relationships promised by this show with doubt and mistrust

SPEAKING OF WHICH : lmao @Prom and his little evil smile. control your face, sir.

But I still believe he didn't know why Nant was missing, so I wonder what he was smiling evily for. Plenty of options to chose from though ! Maybe he just wants to get back at the ex-playboyys for asserting their independence, which would be bad enough, but I doubt that's all. Oh well, we'll see !

Last thought : I could have sworn I saw the bottom of a brazilian flag in one of Nuth and Poph scene but I can't find it again :(

[kritz0]

Hello,

My name is Krit.

Last year, my husband was hit in the head by a forklift at work.

He has since been seen by many doctors and specialists and received treatment. This treatment did not improve his brain injury symptoms. He just finished an 8-week program for brain injury in Edmonton. We haven't seen many improvements. We've actually seen a decline in his health.

He does not receive a lot from Workers Comp. I haven't been able to work much, as I have to attend most of his appointments because his memory is completely gone.

We have struggled to make it by, but we are at a point where we are very far behind on our bills. I've had our utility companies threaten us many times to cut us off. Rent is the only thing I've been able to consistently pay, as we don't have anywhere else to go.

I myself was hit by an SUV last year July as a pedestrian and have been dealing with the fallout from that. I was still at this point in grieving from my father passing in April.

Our combined medications and treatments equal to a lot. I personally haven't been to my physiotherapist in almost two and a half months, which has essentially led to many painful days and nights, and I have regressed in all my progress from those treatments. The woman's insurance, the one who hit me with her SUV, has been refusing to pay for my treatments, as he believes I should just be all better now. He wants to send me to his own privately funded doctor to say I'm all better, and he can officially cut off all support. I have gotten my lawyer involved.

We've also had other set backs, in February, my SUV needed a new engine, which took 2 months before it was installed due to financial issues.

I drive for work. There's a lot of money that goes into gas and maintenance. Driving also exasperates my injuries, but we have no options right now. I've been with my job for 8+ years and haven't received any follow-up from the hundreds and hundreds of jobs I've applied to within the whole province of Alberta.

I am really at a place where I can't ask people in my life for help anymore, as I've asked for help many times over the last year to help pay off minimums for our utilities, my car payments and rent.

Both my husband and I are dealing with a lot. Our whole lives were changed when he sustained his brain injury. This last year and a half has not been very good to us. If you could help us out, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

****Update****

My vehicle has now started to make a noise that I suspect is my timing chain. In the new engine I just had replaced THIS YEAR.

I drive for my job, all over Alberta. I really need a working vehicle, my little car needs a new transmission, it drives, but will stop working randomly. When it stops running, I have to go in the shoulder and restart the car. I can't do that with client in the car, I would lose my job for not having a reliable vehicle.

The sounds my vehicle was making:

https://youtube.com/shorts/4hSvpdehhlY?si=FsaNVh31ArEcjUss

https://youtu.be/nNArKhOAbcc?si=tCmWcvVw_7cuCSaA

***UPDATE as of September 16/2024**

I have added many pictures of bills owed and the final total of my vehicles repairs, that have already been done to fix my vehicle.

**Update: Sept. 29, 2024**

There were issues with the brake also, the brakes I also had replaced ***this year in February***. I guess I didn't explain it well on the past post, but my bearing on my back passenger tire seized. So I went in for repairs and they claimed I needed, new brakes completely. Brake pads, drums and rotors. Just all on both sides. So I said okay, go ahead. I have posted the invoice previously. However. According to the Nissan Dealership, this doesn't appear to be the case, unless these brakes were installed so horribly, that they have put on 5 years of wear in five months. Which isn't possible.

My husband's condition is worsening, he is unable to remember within minutes now. He'll be talking about something and forget what it is he is talking about mid sentence and then ask me what he was talking about. He is having a hard time with noise and light. My mom bought him noise cancelling headphones and polarized sunglasses that fit over his eyes. We don't know what to do from here, the doctor has prescribed some new medications, that I don't believe I can mention here, but they are also expensive for small amounts. We are working on pain management now solely. The meds they kept prescribing him for headaches were mainly ones used for other things like depression or epilepsy. They caused very abrupt and obvious changes in his moods, his tiredness throughout the day and many other after effects.

I also am not able to pay rent for the first time in a long time, due to my paycheque being very small, directly because my vehicle was in the shop for so long this September. Direct energy has sent a letter now that they will cut off my services on Oct. 2nd. The city called about my water bill this previous week, she said they will start the disconnection process at the end of September.

I'm really in a bad place and I hope someone out there can help me.

My GoFundMe Link:

https://gofund.me/9d4e74ee

[stlangels]

Yeah so you have to transfer to a university in fall 2025 so you need straight As and extracurriculars and you can't ever take a summer or winter off or you can be completely overwhelmed and get bad grades during normal semesters and you need to get a proper job and you need to your license and you won't get help either no i won't take you to the dmv that's like five miles away and if your so busy with school just do the morning shift i did when i was looking for acting jobs just go to work from 4am to 8am and be in school from 9 to 5 and also get your license over the summer while you have classes and just teach yourself to drive i guess and also get an actual job instead of freelance tutoring because you want to move out in 2 years but you don't have the money to live anywhere on your own unless you massively increase your future debt by staying in dorms as a junior. Oh and also you have to solve all my emotional problems and get your surgery before dad doesn't have his insurance anymore because he got fired and hasn't worked with the union since oh and also you will see the beginning of the end of the world in your lifetime and the no matter who you vote for or don't vote for your taxes will pay for the deaths of thousands of children and you will feel responsible and you know you cant afford to fail at the one thing you're good at again because then you will have no way to make a living to pay your taxes to build bombs and no way to pay to go to work to get paid and you have to do it with no help and you have so much work to do all the time and you've applied to hundreds of jobs and have gotten one shady contract tutoring job that gives you like 3 hours of work a mo th so maybe you'll have to invent a 25th hour in the day so you can get your license and get a car that you can live in when you transfer to your dream school that will kick you out for wearing a palestine flag and you'll pay your taxes and work above minimum wage but still never have enough money and your hard work will have done nothing for you because you are set up to fail

[timeoverload]

I got my bill paid and the lawsuit dropped and it took me less than 5 minutes. I told you I didn't need your help, anon. I also paid 3 other bills and got those out of the way. I don't think I have any other ones in collections as far as I know other than the debt that I had consolidated a few years ago. I'm getting close to having that paid off too. I need to pay the spine specialist and I need to pay for my x-ray but those bills aren't overdue yet so I'm planning on paying for those with my next paycheck. I think I am going to get back on track faster than I thought. I'm glad I don't use a credit card anymore so I don't have to worry about that too.

I just need to take a deep breath sometimes and believe in myself. I know I am a very smart and independent woman. I know I am capable of achieving my goals because I have done it so many times before. I need to try to stop letting my anxiety get the best of me.

I am going to figure out my budget sometime this weekend to see if I can afford to go to my appointment next week. I think I will be able to if I'm frugal but I want to be sure. I don't want to do it right now. I also don't know how much my car is going to cost to fix yet.

I don't think there is a problem with Harry's license either because I checked online last night and it said that he wasn't due for renewal. I know I paid for it. I think I might just be losing my mind. I guess I'm not going to worry about it unless I get anything else in the mail.

I hope no one else tries to piss me off today because I would not respond well to that. I didn't feel like I could relax at all last night so I need to try to do that today. My blood pressure has been way too high. I also woke up way earlier than I wanted to because I wanted to get shit done. I probably should avoid the internet for a little while so I can calm down. I am happy that I don't have any obligations for the rest of the day. I'm sure I will feel better later.

I apologize to everyone else for my mood. I hope you all have a great day. :) 💖💖💖

[kuuhakublank00]

Updates, I guess? (Part 2)

So well, after joining the company, I started staying at my uncle's place since they wanted us on-site and not doing work from home every single day. So the routine was to go and come back with my uncle. I also didn't like the family much (except for my cousin sister) because they were extremely right-wing and that didn't exactly sit right (heh) with me. My sister is still in school so she doesn't understand this stuff yet. Plus, our interests sort of match. I also introduced her to novels and Percy Jackson, before which she didn't ever like reading. So, that feels really good, honestly.

I also had a mini existential crisis because I found out that I don't want to be a data scientist because that is a research heavy role. But since I still like machine learning (ML) I could go for Data Engineer or ML Engineer. But these require SDE experience as well. So I had an existential crisis for about 2 days where I questioned my master's plan, talked to friends and seniors about it, questioned whether I should've gone for placements (I couldn't because the deadline to sign up for that was long gone). In the end, I decided to stick with my master's plan unless I found a good opportunity to get experience for a couple of years before going for master's.

But anyway, slowly, the routine changed to: get up at like 7:30, go to the office, work till 5:30/6 pm, come back, rest for a bit, work on college essays and the application processes till 2 am or something, sometimes 4 am if I had to meet the deadline, and then sleep. Missed 2 family trips, worked my ass off. It was really bad in Dec 15-20 because I had deadlines of like 5 colleges in that period. Dec 20 was also my project submission deadline for the internship, so that definitely didn't help things.

A few other things that happened as well during this time:

Made a new friend, my ex's best friend in fact. Wasn't really trying to hit on her, we just became friends naturally. Then she freaked out and stopped talking. Later talked about it, it was a little messy, but now we're okay.

Talked to my ex, told her how she made me feel as well back then. She apologised. But even now, since we'd decided to be friends, she doesn't really say much. I also sent a voice note to everyone that was important to me in 2023 on New Year's, and she just left a like on it. Proceeded to say "Did not know how to respond but did not want to leave you on read". Decided then that I wouldn't really keep in contact with this person anymore. We've had 2 conversations after that, pretty short ones.

Went to my college's farewell. It was nice to my friends again in person. I'd really missed them. Stayed in the hostel illegally as well lol.

Saw a post for an internship in machine learning at a startup. The company looked legit so I applied. Figured what's the worst that can happen, right? If I don't want it, I can just reject them. My uncle's company had offered me an extension after all and was even offering to start paying me. But then I got a callback for an interview, aced it, had another interview, and did good in that as well! Finally had one final interview call with the tech lead, and I got selected! I couldn't believe it! I had always wanted to get something without an influence on the hiring side. No referrals or anything. And this was my first paid internship as well. And I honestly couldn't have done it without my friends and family. Even more so, these guys hired 3 interns, and they want to convert 1-2 of them. So I hope all goes well and they convert me. This could be the opportunity that helps me gain experience before going for a master's. Plus, the funding would be really nice.

So yeah, that's been going well. I'm 2 months into this 4 month internship now. I think I'm doing well? I hope I get converted. I also moved to Bangalore because the freedom is nice, my hometown is not exactly for people my age? (it's a very slow city and I cannot for the life of me deal with that. Perhaps it would be something I would crave when I get tired of the hussle, but right now, I definitely do not like it). Trying to find friends here. That's hard.

[televisionenjoyer]

And it's not even incidentally broken "every now and then". The new gradient tool no one asked for has conflicted with artboards ever since they launched it. It's been around two years. This issue has been reported at large. To this day you still have to rasterize all gradients before exporting.

After effects crashes if you want to use generative fill. Sometimes it crashes your whole computer. Sometimes you're doing nothing and it just crashes. Sometimes it doesn't crash but playback just won't work. I run it on a 5060Ti with a Ryzen 5 9600x and 32GB of RAM there's just no way I cannot preview a 1080p video at 30fps in anything more than QUARTER resolution. But it is that way. Because it's optimized like shit.

Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator all SUCK at compression. Like sure I'll send my client a 30 gig pdf. THAT ALSO GETS BROKEN ON PREVIEW SINCE IT'S SO FUCKING HEAVY.

Premiere Pro works okay I guess unless you want to animate effects like blur and brightness on an adjustment layer. lol. not gonna happen.

Lightroom is okay. It's Lightroom. It doesn't do much.

And then you have all the shit that you don't want crammed into the CC suite to justify its outrageous price. Like Adobe Fresco. I've never met anyone who uses Adobe Fresco. Or Xd. Just use figma I guess or like. Illustrator even. ADOBE ACROBAT no one wants adobe acrobat anymore so they have to sneak it in here. All of the substance shit but not actual substance you gotta pay extra for that. No one wants substance. No one has ever wanted substance. blender is free.

It just simply cannot be that adobe charges so much for a bunch of services that don't even work.

[chaoskirin]

Watching the internet go after "major publishing houses" because they won the case against the Internet Archive is so upsetting.

I don't think people realize this, but they don't pay their authors enough to survive. Even if you're published through one of the big four, you're generally not going to earn enough to live, unless you're pumping out 6-10 books a year.

There seems to be this pervading belief that authors published with major publishers earn a LOT OF MONEY, IE that an advance might be in the range of six figures. Which leads people to the conclusion that piracy hurts no one.

In reality, your advance on a book might be in the range of $6K if you're a new author, and doesn't really go past the $20K range for established authors, unless you're really famous. They HAVE the money to pay authors. They just... don't.

I know $20K seems like a lot, but an adult living on their own needs a whole lot more to live, especially because authors in the US need to purchase health insurance. They don't get it through work.

In 2023, the living wage for a family is, at the very minimum, $80,000.

So what happens when you boycott Penguin, or Harper Collins? They aren't going to give their CEOs less. They're going to give their authors less. Because to them, authors are disposable. There are always more people willing to sell their books, until they realize they can't make a living wage off being an author. Then they stop writing.

And the CEOs keep getting yearly raises.

I really, REALLY wish I could get through to people on this. Every time I try, I'm usually slammed with one of two arguments: 1. Piracy hurts no one. Or 2. I ought to get an actual job and stop treating a hobby like a job.

Which just baffles me, because y'all are out here consuming books, but you're literally despising the authors for trying to write full time and survive. It sucks. And it's gotten progressively worse. Not even 5 years ago, the prevailing opinion was that you Do Not Pirate Books.

Honestly, it's hard to care anymore with wave after wave of instructions on how to pirate books. It's barely worth the effort to write anymore, and the desire to put the work into creating a story, editing, and then searching for a publisher just isn't there.

And that's how a lot of queer and marginalized authors feel. By pirating books, you're losing the voices you want to read, while elevating the voices who are doing real harm.

I just think you all should know that and accept that before pirating. If you're okay with that, then I guess go ahead and do it. You'll definitely be satisfied in the short term, but just understand that queer voices are FINALLY getting their stories heard. Pirating is just going to erase all that progress.

That being said, if I ever earn out 6 figures, pirate my books with my blessing. But right now, here's a picture of my March royalties:

So please, don't pirate my books.

Also, despite what the comments say, this is NOT a slippery slope toward destroying fanworks archives. The Internet Archive was literally pirating books (not purchasing them, like libraries do) then scanning them and putting them up on the internet to borrow. If the IA purchased books from authors to scan, it would be considered a library, and authors would be happy.

Fanworks like fanfiction fall under derivative work, or parody. It's a totally different ballpark.

So many organizations reached out to the Internet Archive in an attempt to come to a license agreement, and the IA did not respond.

I really hope people consider reblogging this post. My source is that I'm an author, and have been following this case very closely.

[immagrosscandy]

okay. i'm doing this.

i just finished the valentine's day event and i have a LOT to say-

so this might get a little long, so if you want to read and share your opinion about it, i'd love to hear what you have to say

first,

i'm getting reeeeally annoyed that JC treats its audience as if it's stupid. not only with sidequests like this one, but in the main story too.

"i'm talking with this character about what love means to them! so that i can win the valentine's day event and get a ride with my special someone!" everytime you finish a task mc repeats these words. EVERY single time and it's becomes annoying.

i'm sure the audience can remember what the main task is and the prize we're getting. what are they doing this anyway?

second,

the amount of 8-hour tasks. that must be completed with all 5 starts.

why. why so many.

let me guess, so that players pay real money on your game so that they can finish it more quickly instead of waiting 3 or 4 hours for the energy like i do?

(unless you're using cheats, if only i could do it but for some reason it never works xd)

please JC PLEASE. your previous quests weren't as long as this one! they were fun and entertaining, they didn't take you that much time to finish

why suddenly there's this amount of long tasks to do?

third,

everyone, literally everyone drools for MC

at first i thought it was funny, like the romantic event in 2020: it seemed like everyone were enchanted by some love potion and suddenly they were all in love with MC

but then this thing repeats again and again and again and-

No. Please JC stop with it.

Not everyone will like MC that way, maybe they just see them as friends! But everyone being in love with our characters is illogical and dumb, comically dumb.

there are certain characters that actually fancy MC in the main story, like Penny and Barnaby for example. but not everyone will be like them.

like... think about it. 8 characters being in love with the same person! what is this an otome game!? even an otome game takes its time to develop a relationship between you and ur loved one, just saying...

there's something else,

what if you spent all your romantic task with only one character? for example me, i will always choose Talbott. My MC has a history with him, so then why would other characters ask me to take them with me to a ride I haven't even won?

why won't you ask them about their opinion, they tell you about it, and done? if you never interacted with them in a romantic way, they wouldn't get all lovey dovey with you, only the person you've been dating.

and something else that annoys me is that every character is different in their own way, because they're all different people. They have diferent likes and dislikes.

maybe they don't romantically like you, they might just be cool with you, as friends.

so how about this? a sidequest where you and your loved one start getting to know eachother? maybe they doesn't see you that way and you have to work on it in order for them to like you back.

but that would require actual effort and time in your work, right JC?

something easier is "everyone loves MC", problem solved! enjoy this cheap sidequest we made for you

and then we have,

the final scene.

it's something important that we must have a cute scene with our character and their loved one holding hands, kissing or hugging. that's why we're playing the sidequest after all

the animation is cute, sometimes it's a bit chessy for my taste but i can enjoy it nonetheless.

so why do i have a problem with it? because of everything else that ruins the whole experience.

the dialogue is lazy, the game becomes tedious to play, boring to watch, you're not having fun anymore, you're just finishing a task.

and honestly? the whole sidequest just screams "we're lazy writers and we don't care about the product we're making"

it's... it really makes me angry.

now, how do we end this?

JC gets lazier and lazier everyday. they care about romantic sidequests more than the actual plot. and that's insulting.

some say that dating has ruined hogwarts mystery, and i have to agree because of this: it's nice that a company introduces dating to their game, but they have to remember that the actual plot is their priority.

Does JC have the ability to make actually good dating sidequests? Yes.

The Celestial Ball is the crown of sidequests of how naturally fits in the story of the game and the world of Harry Potter, a time to hand out with the characters, see them in cool outfits, and invite our favorite character in a romantic and non-romantic way.

The First Date is also really good, showing how awkward a first date can be. The dialogue is excelent, and we get two really good scenes with the person we wanna date. The Library scene? *chef kiss*

JC can give us good content, but they just... won't.

so yeah.

i'm mad, i'm disappointed in this game... it can be really good but the creators don't put actual work in it. at least they won't do it anymore.

i'm so sick of these dating sodequests. as someone who likes romance, i feel like things could have been done properly

why am i enduring the game? well i've been playing the game for 3 years. at least I wanna see how it ends. like its gonna be a dissappintment for sure, but i must see it with my own eyes xd

so what's my advice?

Don't play Hogwarts Mystery.

Just don't, the characters might look cool, the story might look great... but don't be fooled, it's all a lie 😭

so yeah that's all

Good night Tri-state area

[trash-monkey]

Feathers And Claws

Chapter 2

Once everyone is done we migrated to the living room after throwing away the paper plates and put the cups in the sink to wash later. I sit down on the couch and watch as the hybrids climb up onto it and the arm chair, some had to have help from the others.

"I'm (Y/N) and how did you all get into my apartment?" I questioned once everyone settled into their seats.

"We were discussing that issue before you appear and concluded that we don't know why or how we appeared in your home." The gray hair with black ends spoke, I just nod as I don't know how to feel anymore about this situation and a red haired hybrid with large brown wings speaks.

"I have a feeling we'll be stuck here for a while and how long is the while? I don't know." Once that was said another hybrid with gray hair and has what looks like cat features, he's also taller then everyone else.

"But where are we exactly?" I answer the question with one word causing all to be confused.

"America." Their eyes widen in surprise with thoughts of how they got across the world without their knowledge before someone noticed something odd.

"Wait wait wait wait!" Someone calls out causing everyone to quit down before asking a important question.

"If we're in America then why don't you have ears, tail, or wings?" The tangerine asked before the boy with black and white hair sticking up shouts out.

"YEAH! AND WHY ARE WE SO SMALL?" The boy sitting next to him pulls him down when he jumps up from his seat and tells him to use his inside voice, I shrub my shoulders at his question.

"I guess here is way bigger then your place and we don't have animal features like you." I response to two questions they throw at me.

"So we're far away from home?" The tangerine whispered to his friend and gets a nod as a response, I give a sigh when a thought of them never going home is possible.

"You guys got lucky with me and my soft heart because I'm letting you stay here as I do have the money to provide for you from my high paying at home job." They slightly peak up from that and give me thanks.

"You got names? And what..... animal are you?" They all nod and began to introduce themselves.

"Shinsuke Kita and I'm a fox." The one that poured cold water on me earlier speaks.

"Kiyoomi Sakusa, weasel." Black curls sits on his head with two moles above his right eyebrow, they continue on until there's no one left. Lev Haiba is the cat, Kentarō Kyōtani the Bull terrier, Takanobu Aone the polar bear, Hinata Shoyo and Tobio Kageyama are the crows, Kōtarō Bokuto and Keiji Akaashi are the owls, finally Satori Tendō and Wakatoshi Ushijima are the brown eagles.

"Shopping list time." I mumbled to myself as I retake my seat after getting writing material from my room and begin putting down what everyone needs, once the list is done I place it on the fridge with a magnet.

"As you know that this world isn't that different but not all that similar, so I'm going to place some rules for our safety and I know rules aren't fun but if you want to live in peace you must follow them.

1. ) No one can NOT see your animal features unless I trust them with MY life.

2. ) No one can leave the house without me or someone I trust, you don't want to be kidnapped.

3. ) When we are out in public, you must keep your animal features hidden at all times and because of your size people will think you are children so act like it when someone's attention is on you.

4. ) In public you must stay with me unless I give permission for you to stay with someone else.

5. ) No fighting: when in a argument and can't find middle ground you'll come to me to settle it and when I can't we all will have a meeting to settle it.

6. ) When someone breaks one of these rules we'll all have a meeting to decide punishment after said person explained." I told with a feeling of hate for having to do this after sitting back down on the couch and with hope that they all understand why I'm putting down these rules, I glance at the wall clock to see it's getting late in the evening and knowing that they may want to discuss their situation alone.

"Well, it getting late so I'll show you all to your room." I wait for them to get their feet on the floor before opening the door across from mine to show a guest bedroom but now it's theirs, I let them explore the room while I get blankets and pillows.

"I'll let you figure out sleeping arrangements, also I have a few pairs of children clothes from when my nephew stayed here so one or two people can come with me tomorrow and you need to figure out whose going to be in charge while we're gone. So...night." I said while placing everything on the bed before quickly leaving but I leave the door open along with the bathroom door when I put the step stool in there early. Keeping my bedroom door cracked I fall into bed and under my covers to hid from the world for the night.

_______________________________________________