#The home depot one is my personal fave

[bluevelvetea]

Florida Beika Man reloaded pt. 1

(trying a new format here, pt. 2 is queued for tomorrow)

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 16

welcome the the sixteenth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.  

1. home depot catalogue by @moonguilt

“No, really, he’d love to,” Lance said into the phone, just as Keith pressed the button for the kettle to start heating up.

Those words were enough to raise Keith’s suspicions just a tad. He shot Lance an inquisitive glance while opening the cabinet to retrieve his box of morning tea, but his husband was the picture of innocence, flipping casually through a Home Depot catalog they had received in the mail yesterday.

“Oh, definitely. If you need someone to paint your insides white, Keith’s your man.”

Keith dropped his box on the counter, tea bags spilling out onto the granite.

-----

Keith is having a normal, relaxing morning. Lance throws him a curveball.

this one made me LAUGH. out LOUD. it’s domestic and fluffy and FUNNY dear god, like it’s such a lance thing to do and such an objectively funny prank that i just!! literally just typing this makes the urge to reread it too great my hand has been forced.

2. kindling by @moonguilt

Lance struggles with his attraction to Keith during training, and it all comes to a head when Keith corners him afterwards to ask why he was off his game today.

Prompt from tumblr: Angry Kiss.

one of my fave vld tropes EVER is lance being whipped and then equally as furious that he’s attracted to keith at all. it’s endlessly funny to me. and then keith being the eyebrows raised, not surprised one??? gets me every time. also keith is a massive sweetheart in this fic and i love him

3. chocolate granola bars by @moonguilt

“A pillow fort sleepover!” Lance cried out, leaping up with such alacrity that Pidge had to grab her laptop to prevent it from sliding to the floor.

“No way, we're not—” Pidge stopped and blinked, exchanging a glance with Hunk, then looking back at Lance again. “... Oh.” She evidently had not been expecting such a tame suggestion. “Okay.”

-------------

Or, Lance is bored out of his mind and decides to organize a sleepover with the squad. Nonsense ensues, and Lance works through some confusing emotions—particularly those involving a certain mullet-haired team leader.

okay there are too many good things about this fic i cannot choose which to highlight, and so i will mention them all. ahem: a) lance is a ray of sunshine who regularly uses his power of cuteness to his advantage, b) adorable team bonding, c) shiro is a dorky nerd, d) HEALTHY LANCE AND ALLURA COMMUNICATION, e) krolia and romelle have actual characters, f) lance has allergies which isn’t rly important but he gives me a vibe that he’s allergic to several things and it’s very validating to see it in fic, g) lance validation and feeling expression for the piece of shit game show episode, h) observant lance!! and i) literally the most painful and necessary and well-written klance fight i’ve read in a while! hurt badly but was resolved wonderfully 10/10

4. Terminal Velocity by @speakswords [GORE WARNING]

The only fate worse than being tortured to death is watching, helpless, while the person you love most takes your place.

this is one of my fave vld fics of all time. although fair warning it is very violent for a good chunk of time. the story is EXCELLENT, the entire thing will have u biting ur nails in terrified anticipation and i mean that literally. whole time i was gagged. at the edge of my seat. AND i have several specific lines screenshotted bc the pure fucking devotion and care knocked me out of the water

5. you and me are cosmic dust by Yuu_chi

Knowing that your team loves and trust you no matter what and believing it are two very different things.

i LOVE keith angst. i know this fandom is very langst heavy and honestly i am too but sometimes keith angst is so so good. and this fic is one of them!! excellent read and features observant lance as well. OH and there’s a little sprinkling of suave keith in here too lol

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!    

[mvshortcut]

Ranking every time the Ten Men get taken down by how cringe fail they are (Part 2)

Warning: this post contains major spoilers for Riddle of Ages!

We're back again already, folks. Part 1 is here; now it's time for round 2 of some good old pointing and laughing.

Book 4: The Riddle of Ages

first appearance of my problematic faves the Katz brothers! There's always gotta be one cowardly goon in the lot, and the Scaredy Katz fulfill their role admirably. This knockout isn't too cringe-worthy, although the dramatic "Now!" [immediately gets knocked out] is quite comical, as well as the image of him trying to run on his knees. 3/10

And here we have Garrotte being painfully average once again. Although this one is made more interesting by the fact that he and Sharpe apparently jumped some random businessmen on the street and stole their completely normal briefcases, then had the audacity to be surprised when said completely normal briefcases didn’t hold up well in a combat scenario. It’s almost as if they’re designed to hold paperwork, not fend off a flurry of tranquilizer darts. Who would’ve thunk. Also. You could literally walk into any Home Depot and find dozens of items more suited for this purpose, which the Ten Men easily could’ve done if they weren’t so darn committed to the stonks bit. 

Also, “Most unfair! Such shoddy materials!” is the funniest possible thing you could say upon getting knocked out. It’s giving “trust fund kindergartener encounters Crayola crayons during art class for the first time ever.” Please just say “god damn it” like a normal person. 4/10

See this one is so funny to me. You're telling me that the infamous shock watches, which have terrorized several of our beloved characters over the course of the series, can be defeated simply by doing simple gymnastics? it's giving "show Sticky doing long division in his head to defeat Curtain's infamous Happiness brainwashing." Also, you're telling me you can knock out people simply by throwing darts at them? wild. anyways. I love Katz getting knocked out mid-threatening leap. 5/10

diversity win! Milligan won't kill you but he isn't above shooting you in the ass! 7/10

sorry this is so long but we need the full context to appreciate how cringe this is. imagine you brought five (5) of your best men to locate SQ Pedalian, a young adult not particularly skilled in combat, and also to fight a teenage girl. And now it's gone so sideways that you're literally the last one left standing. Standing, on top of an ice cream truck that you pushed on top of your opponent, who is now trapped beneath and yet has his hands casually laced behind his head as if he's tanning on the beach. And you got tricked into standing there, pinned by an empty gun, and simply watching while he loads darts into the (previously empty) gun. And now he's just shooting a bunch of empty darts at you, one after another, while you have to stand there and wait for him to finally knock you out. I think I would disintegrate on the spot. Also "You wouldn't shoot me in the face. That's not your style" bestie you just watched him shoot Sharpe in the ass. Would you prefer that instead? 9/10

This one might take the cake. First of all, they all fell for the trap, so now they're stuck in jail again like 3 days after escaping. And then, the teenage girl you've been terrorizing for years finally turns your stupid condescending pet names right back on you before a nine year old uses her mind powers to make you knock yourself out with your own weapon. 🫵 CRINGE. 10/10

Still very cringe, though less so than McCracken. It's kinda funny that Constance made them use their shockwatches instead of the (less painful) handkerchiefs. 6/10

Y'know, given the Katz brother's astounding loser energy, I'm amazed that they might actually have the least cringe take down. Taking the coward's way out. I respect it. Love them staring out the window. sad tigger gif here. Bonus points for ratting out Crawlings for being awful. 1/10 and two gold star stickers for them both

And, finally, for the grand finale, our favorite cringe boy is back:

Crawlings is making up for having fewer appearances in this book by making his COUNT. and YIKES. I literally have to step away every time I read this. From the supervillain monologue, to everyone groaning at him and then simply ignoring him (knowing what's about to happen), to Crawlings immediately poisoning and temporarily paralyzing himself the SECOND he gets a chance to be the Final Girl. And then he gets thrown back into jail. Plus the fact that he's on the floor about to pass out still wondering when the "Genius Serum" will kick in. uhhh. y'know, Crawlings, I might not be a genius either, but I have the slightest inkling that all may not be going according to plan. 11/10

And there we have it folks! The final rankings are:

Hertz: 6

The Katz Brothers: 9

Garrotte: 14

Sharpe: 22

McCracken: 35

And, in first place, with 36 points, our beloved Crawlings.

In conclusion,

[didnt-want-to-be-a-halfblood]

kayla knowles?

1: sexuality headcanon: Not Straight. Lesbian? Maybe. Dyed short hair seems pretty gay. Bow and arrows? Gay as hell. I think maybe she'd just label as Queer and call it a day. She knows sexuality is fluid, she likes who she likes and that's that.

2: otp: I don't really have one for her? If I had to pick I think Lou Ellen and Kayla would be an interesting pairing. I think they'd complement each other with their powers and appearance.

3: brotp: uh obviously her actual brothers- Will and Austin. Especially Austin though because they're closer in age and I feel like they arrived at camp at the same time for some reason. They're like super different in terms of the kind of things they like and yet they go together like pb&j

4: notp: lol ummmmm Nico? Or her siblings or her dads or... I don't actually know anyone who ships pairings like that when it comes to Kayla but eh

5: first headcanon that pops into my head: she's, like, a super physical hands-on kind of person. She's more likely to try and fix something herself first than hire someone else to do it. Like, she's taught about stuff like cars and camping and fishing and fighting and getting her hands dirty. She believes in hard work. I 100% picture her in a Home Depot or Lowes, gathering tools to make her own archery supplies. And I 100% believe she can make from scratch a bow with arrows

6: favorite line from this character: probably when she asks Apollo if she's just gonna *poof* up and disappear now that he's mortal. Like this poor girl was really afraid if she had just magically been created by Apollo that she could just as easily be destroyed and my heart 😭

7: one way in which I relate to this character: the hair. Literally my hair was green and orange when I first saw a description of her I was like !!! SAME

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: well she is from Canada so

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave? Cinnamon roll!!!

[bluupxels]

i was going to do franca but that's so long so let's do R U T H fof the questions please 👀

omg. ok this got long bc i cant shut UP so i put it under a read more skfjdskf

Honesty Hour

R - For me to tell 10 of my curiosities.

not me googling ‘curiosities’ bc i didnt know how to answer it.... its just weird things? ... ok. this was harder than i thought even tho i have an endless trove of weird shit but being on the spot is very hard

not quite weird or strange, but ppl dont expect it but i’m super super into paleontology. not at like a baseline level like “i like dinosaurs” but like the actual science. when i was a kid i could name just about any dinosaur you put in front of me. i made a whole magazine about it for school, my favorite documentary is a late 90s BBC dinosaur/prehistoric beast one and i watch it once a month. they’re neat :)

 i have hyper-extended elbows

i keep the boxes of just about every nice thing i own, so i just have a bunch of electronics boxes in my closet and scattered around. i can’t throw them away idk whY...my switch box is on display like its an art piece like its just a BOX

i have a little dinosaur led lamp i impulse bought at home depot and now i can only sleep when its red, everything else is too bright but without it its too dark

oh! there’s been a momma raccoon that comes into our yard and my mom has been essentially making it a charcuterie board every night. so now we’re feeding a feral cat colony and a raccoon family

when i was a kid i got chased by a rooster who i dubbed “the bad rooster” and now im scared of roosters. not chickens tho, we have those, only roosters.

i convinced myself that my cat is my familiar bc she only likes me but refuses to come in my room so the vibes must be bad dont worry i have a psychiatrist appt in a month

both of my jobs have been at ice cream shops i dont count st*rbucks i got fired after like 4 months. so im an ice cream expert

i HATE being barefoot, walking on hard floors barefoot gives me the ick

when i was a kid i used to play with my toys in complete silence and say everything in my head

U - How many texts I send daily.

not many... i am notoriously awful at texting and no one ever texts me. but when the groupchat’s active im sending like 20 a second and they’re all incoherent

T - 5 things I love unconditionally.

animals, yeah all of them

my best friend

my mom and little brother, even tho i want to punt kick him like 90% of the time

literally any of my fave video games, i mean im still playing ts4 like come on now

paramore <3

these are so h im literally a robot

H - The last person I hugged.

probably my little brother, my family arent very affectionate people

[budgetroute57-blog]

Are Vision Blinds Power Outage? ... Are They A Good Option For My Bed Room?

Just How To Clean Mobile Shades.

#toc background: #f9f9f9;border: 1px solid #aaa;display: table;margin-bottom: 1em;padding: 1em;width: 350px; .toctitle font-weight: 700;text-align: center;

Content

Blinds Direct.

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There are also several designs of wireless motorised blinds to pick from so you are bound to locate one that suits your house. From Zonwering and cost-savings point of view, automated blinds play well with wise light bulbs as the illumination of the light bulbs can be readjusted based upon the sunshine coming into the room.

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Get Specialist Style Recommendations Today.

An additional method to maintain the sun from filtering system right into your home is to put up shutters on your home windows. These solid, frequently plastic or timber, shutters can be wonderful as a durable alternative to fabrics or slats. Cellular shades can look a horrible great deal like pleated shades, but these alternatives have a honeycomb shape that holds on to caught air and also aids protect the window. They are generally made with a comparable soft and slim textile to that of the pleated shades.

Are motorized shades worth it?

Battery powered motorized blinds are the simplest option. Rather than being connected to a string, motorized blinds have a tube installed up top that lifts the shade up. The battery fits above that and connects to a motor for power. Lithium batteries have a significantly longer life.

[lady-divine-writes]

Klaine Advent Day 2: “A Real Christmas” (Rated PG13)

Blaine is about to break his neck to make sure that his newly adopted daughter has a real Christmas. But aside from being a doting new parent, Kurt is beginning to think there's something else behind Blaine's sudden obsessive holiday behaviour. (2281 words)

Notes: Written for the Klaine Advent Drabble Challenge Day 2 prompts bury/cinnamon. I stole a little inspiration from two of my fave movies - "Where the Heart Is" and "City Slickers" XD

Read on AO3.

“Explain to me why we’re doing this again,” Kurt asks, fighting against the immense cold and the overwhelming darkness to hide the terror roiling in his stomach at the sight of his husband climbing up what has to be the tallest oak tree he’s ever seen in his life without any protective gear of any kind. Kurt had tried to use his cell phone flashlight to give his husband some light, but it didn’t work, the beam of white light doing little to break through the black. So he opted to save his battery instead, in case of an emergency.

“This is … mmph … Tracy’s first Christmas (grunt), and I (ow … shoot!) want it to be a (Fuck fuck fuck! Splinter!) real Christmas. Nothing artificial. That means a real tree, real mistletoe …”

“Real broken limbs …”

“Have a little faith in me, will you?” Blaine calls down – a bit snappishly, but Kurt attributes that to the wind whipping mercilessly around them. “We may have graduated high school over a decade ago, but I’m still the athlete I was back then, if I do say so myself.”

“True, but even back then you weren’t climbing trees!”

“You don’t know. I had a life outside of you.”

“You do know that it’s completely acceptable to purchase mistletoe,” Kurt says, hoping his voice carries high enough for Blaine to hear. “Nurseries have real mistletoe. Home Depot, Lowe’s, even 7-11. It’s right there at the counter! There’s a 7-11 off the highway. We can swing by, buy a sprig, and go back to our nice, safe, warm home.” Kurt watches Blaine scurry up the trunk like a squirrel when he reaches a bare patch, holding his breath till he finally makes it to the next branch and grabs hold. “I’ll make hot chocolate – real hot chocolate - with real whipped cream and real cinnamon.” Blaine doesn’t answer, and a lump grows in Kurt’s throat. If Blaine can’t hear Kurt, then Kurt might not be able to hear Blaine. What if he gets himself in trouble? What if his foot slips? What if loses a hand hold?

What if he gets attacked by a raccoon?

Then again, what did Blaine expect Kurt to do if any of that did happen!? Kurt doesn’t climb trees! He never has, and now would not be the best time to learn. Plus, if Blaine starts falling down, Kurt climbing up won’t do anyone any good. They should have brought climbing gear. Or a ladder. Or a trampoline!

“I’ll put in some mini marshmallows,” Kurt continues, unwilling to give up. “You---you know they’re your favorites.”

With a lurch, Blaine finally reaches the branch he’s been aiming for. He repositions himself on his stomach and starts shimmying across.

And that’s when Kurt’s heart officially stops beating.

From down below, the branch looks like a sturdy one. But another harder wind blows in an effort to prove Kurt wrong, shaking Blaine until he has to stop and curl around the branch to keep from falling off.

“Blaine!” Kurt yells, jumping up and down, holding out his arms in preparation for that branch to break and his husband to plummet. After sixty long seconds, the wind dies down, and Blaine’s bobbing on the branch stops.

“I’m … I’m alright,” Blaine says, swallowing down his fear loud enough that Kurt hears it. “It’s … it’s only a few feet, and then I’ve got it.”

The mistletoe! The fucking mistletoe! Kurt was so scared for his husband’s life that he almost forgot.

Kurt glares angrily at the insipid ball of vampire fungus Blaine is trying to get, wondering why in the hell it had to be so far off the frickin’ ground! There are plenty of branches within standing reach for that thing to suck the life out of. But no, this particular ball of mistletoe – the perfect ball, in Blaine’s opinion – had to grow twenty flippin’ feet in the air!

“Blaine,” Kurt begins, not above begging if that’s what it takes to get his husband out of that damned tree, “you realize that, at that height, if you fall, we’ll have to bury you under this tree.” Kurt’s being morbid, but he prays that the thought of Blaine’s probable death will make his husband rethink this ludicrous decision. “I won’t even have to dig a hole. The pressure will drive you into the ground.”

“Ha-ha,” Blaine says humorlessly, scooting across the branch to Kurt’s dismay.

“Then I’ll have to bring Tracy here every Christmas,” Kurt adds, his voice rising in both volume and pitch, “to build a little snowman memorial to her father!”

“Kurt …” Blaine’s body sags against the branch, physically and emotionally exhausted. “I’m … I’m sorry. I’m sorry I dragged you out here in the middle of the night, and I’m sorry that I’m up in this stupid tree. But this is important to me. Okay?”

“O-okay.” Kurt nods, though he knows there’s no way Blaine can see, and watches silently as his husband hacks away at the portion of the branch that’s connected to the mistletoe. Blaine starts off with even sawing motions, but eventually degrades into random, angry stabs when the mistletoe won’t break free. He pauses momentarily to wipe the back of his hand across his forehead.

No. Not across his forehead. Across his cheek. Like he might be crying. Kurt can’t see him clearly, but he doesn’t think Blaine is hurt. If he could just get his husband out of that tree, then they could talk about this face to face.

And Kurt could understand.

“Blaine? Sweetheart?” Kurt says, thankful that the wind has quieted down for now. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“No.” Blaine sniffs, returning to his cutting. But he slows down. Then he stops. “Maybe. Yes.”

“Real tree, real mistletoe, real Santa Claus we had to drive two hours in a blizzard to see …” Kurt checks off as he tries to figure this out. Usually Kurt is the one in charge of their holiday schedule, but the second they discovered that Tracy’s adoption had been approved and she would be home with them for Christmas, Blaine asked to take over this once.

Then all of this began.

“Well, he looked the most authentic,” Blaine defends in a wobbly voice.

“Blaine …” The pieces finally line up in Kurt’s head. He walks around the trunk of the tree to try and catch Blaine’s eyes “… are you doing this because … you’re afraid our family isn’t real?”

Blaine stops cutting altogether. He folds his hands underneath his chin, and Kurt knows he’s hit the nail on the head. Kurt had forgotten all about it after it happened, because it was one of those lame, thoughtless remarks people make when they think they’re never wrong. That’s the kind of person Blaine’s grandmother is. Older than old and set in her ways, not willing to entertain for one second that any of her outdated beliefs may contribute to dividing the family she’s cultivated. ‘I’ve always been a far-right conservative’ she’ll say unapologetically with a shrug and a smirk after making an unforgivable declaration in front of her gay grandson and his husband about the need for conversion therapy in middle and high schools, how it’s God’s will, and should be obeyed by all.

‘Because we’re a Christian nation. Says so right in the Constitution.’

It didn’t matter how many credible sources Blaine and Kurt cited to the contrary. There was no making her see reason.

Which is why Blaine and Kurt decided after they met Tracy, before they planned on adopting her, that Blaine’s grandmother would no longer be a part of their lives.

That doesn’t mean she didn’t hear about Tracy through the family grapevine. That doesn’t mean she didn’t have an opinion.

That doesn’t mean her opinion – that it’s a shame Tracy won’t have a real family because her mom doesn’t want to be in the picture; how she’ll be cheated out of the institution that God wants for all of his children – though vile, unnecessary, and untrue, didn’t break Blaine’s heart. Because her opinion isn’t unique. A lot of people in their lives - people who swore to support them no matter what, who wore rainbow flag pins and marched beside them in parades – have that opinion about real families. To some people, a real family means a father and a mother, and that opinion may never change.

But their opinion doesn’t need to affect Kurt and Blaine. As long as they love one another, and for as long as they believe in that love, nothing can touch them.

Except this wind, Kurt thinks as another gust swirls through, nearly pushing him to the ground. But this one’s low. It doesn’t rustle the leaves where Blaine lays.

“Blaine …” Kurt perches up on his toes so his husband can hear him “… we are a real family. You, me, and Tracy are a real family, no matter what anyone else thinks. And no religion or law can change that. You know that, don’t you?”

“I---I know.” Blaine gazes at his husband with melancholy eyes. “And I know that some people will never change. But you think your family will, that they’re going to love you and support you no matter what. We used to spend every Christmas at my grandmother’s house. We spent two weeks out of the summer there. She knits me sweaters for my birthday. She taught me how to bake bread. I thought she’d be that for my children someday. It’s hard remembering who she was while seeing her the way she is now, especially since she was probably always this way.”

“I know, baby. And I think that, in your grandma’s own way, she does still love you. But that doesn’t mean she’s a healthy person to be around.” Kurt sighs when he sees the impact his words have on his husband. He wishes he could hold him, that Blaine wasn’t up a tree while he says this to him. “You have to cut toxic people out of your life, because if you don’t, they’re going to poison you and poison you until you start questioning everything you believe. But you know what’s just as important as the family you have no say in?”

“What?”

“The family you choose. And you have an amazing family, Blaine, filled with people who would do anything for you. And if your biological family doesn’t want to support your decisions or how you live your life, then your chosen family are the people you need to cling to. Those are the people you need to live for!”

Blaine chuckles at Kurt’s emphasis. His husband may be a lot of things, but subtle isn’t one of those. In the end, Blaine has to admit, this probably wasn’t one of his smarter ideas, but he felt like, if he could pull it off, he might have accomplished something. Then the people in his life who don’t agree with him, like his grandmother, would see how far he’s willing to go, how hard he’s willing to work to be the best father he can be, and that might change their minds.

But up in this tree, with nothing but the black void and his husband beneath him, he realizes how shortsighted he was.

He was working too hard to impress the wrong people.

“You’re right,” Blaine says. “I know you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right! So, please! Leave the parasitic fungus where it is and let’s go! Let’s go home and spend the evening with our adorable daughter, with your limbs intact!”

Blaine looks at his husband, then at the mistletoe in front of him. Kurt is right, this is dangerous, but he’s so close. Ludicrous or not, Blaine has to give it a shot.

“Hold on one second …” Blaine says, sawing away at the branch with all his might. “I think I can still do this!”

“Blaine!” Kurt yelps in disbelief. “Blaine Devon Ander-Hummel! Didn’t we just …? Didn’t we decide …? What are you …?” The wind picks up with a vengeance, cutting off the ends of Kurt’s sentences. It works its way up the tree like a cyclone, shaking Blaine so violently, he flails both arms and legs, windmilling before he can clamp back on to his branch. Kurt, desperate to save him but with no idea how, hugs the tree trunk to keep it steady. He can barely watch as Blaine grabs hold of his mistletoe and backs down the tree using only one arm, but he does his best, figuring someone should witness Blaine if he drops like a rock and breaks his neck. Under different circumstances, Kurt might find Blaine barreling down the trunk of tree Tarzan-style sexy, but it’s hard for him to think that way when he’s mentally plotting the fastest route to the closest E.R. But quicker than it took him to climb up, Blaine hops down from the tree, grinning like an idiot and holding his prize aloft. “See?” he pants, his warm breath sending tiny clouds loose into the frigid air. “I t---told you I could do it!”

“Yes, you did.” Kurt peers at his husband in the non-existent light and frowns. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, switches on the light, and takes a closer look. There’s a finality in his expression that Blaine can’t interpret. Kurt sees something on Blaine’s face that makes his frown deepen, and he shakes his head. “But I’m still going to have to take you to a hospital.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I think you’re real allergic to mistletoe.”

[samanthassandcastle]

13 Tips For Making Your Semester Just a bit Easier

Why hello there. I'm a graduate, which is super scary to say. I also am a perpetual student and as someone with mental illnesses, school can be hard. I mean, it's hard for a lot of reasons, lets be real. It can also be a wonderful experience. Below, I've listed 13 of my personal methods of helping my year be just a bit easier. Will they work for you? Maybe. I can't possibly know that, only you can. Bear that in mind. If you know something wouldn't work for you, ignore it. There's no harm in that. :)

Read the effing syllabus

No lie. Every single class I had at my last university had a quiz on the syllabus during the first week. They’re incredibly important because they typically have a calendar of assignments, tell you when you’re going to be doing things, give you policy information, have a grading breakdown, and have all of the required materials, not to mention your class and professor information.

Plan your semester

After you get all your syllabi, make a master calendar. I got one of the monthly calendars from the target dollar spot, or really anywhere like amazon, staples, office depot, etsy, target, etc. I personally used bullet journaling and created my own planner. I went over the top and color coded the classes, but you can simply put the class and the assignment on the date it’s due. This helps make sure you always know what’s coming and aren’t blind sighted when it comes due. You don’t even have to do it in a paper planner. One of my classmates scheduled reminders on her iPhone on the due dates. She said it took forever, but she liked it.

seek out accommodations

This may not be as obvious, but is tremendously important. my second semester I was taking six classes in the same department and just all happened to have projects due around the same time. I was having an incredibly hard time keeping up because I have severe anxiety and would become overwhelmed incredibly easily. I couldn’t take any less classes because my major courses were on cycles and that was the only time they were offered and I had a specific time frame to finish, so don’t start with that. My point is that when I realized that it was becoming an issue, I spoke to my school’s disability services and received accommodations from my professors. It’s contractual, and they cannot ask what the disability is, and they’re required to uphold whatever you and they agree on. I was allowed more free absences than the “unpenalized” ones, and a leniency with due dates, provided I let the prof know what was going on, generally. I always said that I was having a “flare up” because that’s not violating my privacy, but still allowed the prof to understand that I was having an issue. Most schools don’t require formal documentation from a doctor, but I had it, so I provided it. Some even are very lenient, and will have the on campus health services help you out too. 

don’t be afraid of being less than perfect

I went into school telling myself that I was going to be on the deans list, have a 4.0, and have all of the regalia when I graduated. That didn’t happen. What did happen was that I had 95 units in five semesters. Yes, that averages 19 a semester, but the way I did it was hell. First semester I had 5 classes- 18 units, second semester I had 5 classes, band, and lessons - 21 units, the six week summer I had 4 classes, one of which was a one on one which I will talk about later - 15 units, my last fall semester was 6 classes and band - 23 units, and my final semester was 5 classes and band - 18 units. Needless to say there was no way I was getting that 4.0. What did happen was I joined an honor society, was on the editing staff for the literary journal, got two articles published in the school paper, was on the executive board for a national club, and commuted 45 minutes each way, every day and sometimes weekends, for two and a half years, and ended up with a 3.2. Not only that but I had regalia for my honor society and my club, and I set a precedent for future students and got an award at the end of year honor’s banquet. I don’t think that I did too shabby, and I don’t regret not getting that 4.0.

apparel matters but not how you think

We all know that the brain is weird. For instance, if I throw on leggings and a tee immediately when I wake up, my brain is in chill mode. This is why I rarely wore loungy clothes to school. I even dressed up on Fridays, calling it fancy Friday because I love alliterations. This tactic might help you stay in the correct brain space, or not. I don’t know how your brain works. I do know that someone looked into the relationship between clothes and mood, so it can't all be rubbish.

go to office hours

So many times I heard people complain because they don’t understand something, or that the prof is being too hard on them or other things, but there’s one thing that can help with that. Go to office hours. Your profs set them up for a reason. That’s where you can get help with assignments, clarification on things, or help in other academic things. They won’t bite you I promise. You may even grow an amazing academic relationship with them. My advisor was one of my profs. She is a very intimidating woman in the classroom but a completely different prof in her office. In speaking to her about my graduation plans and needs and such she did the amazing thing of teaching me a one on one, honors, independent study, of one of the classes that she teaches that was out of cycle, so that I would be able to graduate on time. Granted, cramming an entire semester of books to read into six weeks of once a week sessions was INSANE, but it was one of my favorite classes, and an amazing thing that she did for me.

take advantage of free things

Free things are literally the best, amirite? Go to the events because they typically have free food. My school, around midterms and finals had free test taking kits with pencils and test booklets. I believe that there were a ton of free events and things for residents, but I lived off campus and commuted a long time, so I rarely did things. I did however, get a free shirt at nearly every event I went to, and got a sweet tumbler just before I graduated.

seek out associations and clubs

I am a(n inactive) member of the Phi Alpha Theta honor society because of my grades in my history courses and an alumnae of the Kappa Phi Club which is a national Christian sisterhood similar to traditional Greek life, but founded on different ideals and values. -I could go on and on about Kappa Phi, so don't get me started. :)- Both of these organizations can be started at your school if they aren't already available. By seeking out associations and clubs and the like, there are innumerable opportunities for you. As a member of PAT I have scholarship opportunities for grad school and Kappa Phi has given me amazing friendships to women across the country and will grant me leadership opportunities in the future.

don't be afraid to talk to professors like they’re real people

News flash: they are. They have feelings. I adopted a kitten from one of my profs, and I’ve babysat his children. I formed a close enough friendship with a different prof to be able to write his end of semester evaluation in emojis, which ended up in his tenure package. With forming relationships with your profs, they are able to know more about who you are and will be able to write you amazing letters of recommendation in the future.

mental health days are important

As part of my accommodations, I was given a leniency with attendance and I was able to take mental health days. I didn’t take a lot, maybe on average three a semester, but they helped me so much that if I hadn’t taken them, I would have fallen behind in my work. Your mental health is so important in school. Please don’t mentally drain yourself so that you can achieve “perfection.”

do more early on in the semester

This may seem like a silly thing, but it helps in the long run. After you go through your syllabus, take a look at things that look like they’re easy to do, or wouldn’t take long and do them the first couple weeks. Sometimes, if it’s an online submission, you can even submit it early and not have to deal with it. I did that for one of my senior projects and was incredibly happy that I did. While all of my classmates were struggling or hadn’t even started the couple weeks before it was due, I had mine finished and was just waiting to turn it in. That took the load from 5 senior projects to do to 4, and with them all due the same week it was a tremendous help.

be aware of your spending

$4 here and there at the coffee shop or quick mart on your campus may seem like nothing, but it adds up. I realized one semester that I had spent nearly $100 in one month just on coffee, which I could easily make at home, so that’s what I did. I made coffee at home and sometimes lunch and was able to keep better track on my spending.

noms are important

Sometimes it’s hard to make the cafeteria hours for meals, especially if you’re an athlete with practice during the meal times. This is why snacks are super important, or quick meals that you can make at home or in your dorm. During the summer my class started before the coffee shop opened so I couldn’t grab food there, so I started making overnight oats. I took a mason jar and filled it about half way with dry quick oatmeal, put other things (my fave was peanut butter and jelly) inside it and filled it the rest of the way with almond milk or soy milk because ya girl can’t have dairy, then put the lid on and popped it in the fridge before bed, and in the morning I had breakfast to eat in class.

There you have it. Easy peasy, right? Duh. I hope something here helped you, and if it did, let me know. If you have any to add, also let me know. I wish you the best of luck with your semester and the rest of your year! 

xoxo s

[souppbox]

A to Z asks

I was tagged byyy... *drum roll* @yeontansstrongbrows !!!! Thank you ily

If i tag you, you don’t have to do this lmao

A- Age: I’m currently 17.

B- Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina. The only place I’ll ever consider home.

C- Current time: 1:37 AM. NO SLEEPING

D- Drink you last had: Uh. water

E- Easiest person to talk to: My six-year long distance friend. We’ve been through thick and thin together and she’ll always be my fave. ALWAYS.

F- Favorite song: Why is this always a question asked. It’s impossible to have a single favorite song.

G- Grossest Memory: That I can think of right this moment? In 7th grade, my friend pulled a long ass bogger from his carton of chocolate milk right after he opened it at school.

H- Horror yes or no?: I live for horror, seriously I breathe that shit. I'm a bad bitch you can’t kill me.

I- In love: No. but I get crushes easily :/

J- Jealous of other people: Sometimes. but I’m good at telling myself that I’m lucky to have what I have and to appreciate that.

L- Love at first sight, or should I walk by again?: No, I try to not judge people at first look. You might look like the most beautiful person on earth but if you have a shitty personality you're kinda scum to me.

M- Middle name: Perhaps the most common middle name among American folk. Nicole.

N- Number of siblings: A brother and a half-brother. 

O- One wish: It’s far-fetched but I wish everyone wouldn’t hate each other so much.

P- Person you called last: My momma

Q- Question you are always asked: How do you spell your last name????

R- Reason to smile: I love Min Yoongi

S- Song you last sang: Full on sang? That would be uhhh. This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GPNJ_h-6NI 

T- Time you woke up: Pretty early today, around 10:30 but I lied in bed until 12.

U- Underwear color: Blue

V- Vacation Destination: Japan :(

W- Worst habit: Picking at my acne on my face.

X- X-rays: None except my teeth for the dentist.

Y- Your favorite food: Dark chocolate. I’ll be your friend forever if you give me that shit.

Z- Zodiac Sign: Libra. I'm a fake bitch who doesn’t know what the word ‘no’ means.

I tag @maryarty , @depotted-cactus , @reiraikiri , @bubblyyoongii and thats about it because im alone and don’t have many people I talk to.

[hella-free-space]

Hi I’m in college and thinking about getting a betta. I was wondering what youd recommend me getting or give me like a list of what all I need. I plan on using tank about 2.5 gallons.

hey there @merelivia​ :D sorry it took me so long to reply this post is a great starting point! :) there are probably a few things missing from the supplies list i included in that post (i really gotta update that post), so here’s a more accurate one!- 2.5+ gallon tank (the bigger the better tho! a 5.5 gallon is a good minimum to start with imo…and it’s easier to keep a stable cycle with!)  you can buy an all-in-one tank like the fluval spec or the top fin glass tank, a starter kit (usually 5 gallon kits don’t come with heaters, but some 10 gallon kits do), or buy all of the items separately.- filter (after having HOBs, built-in filters, and sponge filters…sponge filters are my fave .-. but built-in filters like the fluval spec’s and top fin glass tank’s are 2nd fave). if you get a hob, you may need a baffle! if you get a tank with a built-in filter, you may need to buy a sponge to slip over the out-spout.– How sponge filters work + how to set them up– Pros + cons of sponge filters -heater (76-82F) i have three of these heaters and they’re great! the cords are really short tho, thats the big downside :T this post has a ton of other heater suggestions!-thermometer glass ones are my personal fave, and way more accurate than the sticker kind. i think theyre 1-2$ at walmart!- 1+ hide (caves, terra cotta pots, an ornament, just a place where they can hide out or chill in)- decor (lots of decor ideas listed below!)- silk/live plants (plastic isn’t the best idea since plastic plants can tear a betta’s delicate fins)– craft mesh “betta beds”– dollar store flowers (remove wire, soak to make sure they don’t bleed)- pvc, terra cotta pot, mug, glass, jar hides (your cabinet, goodwill, dollar store)– dollar store betta tanks– diy decor– craiglist, facebook marketplace, offerup, letgo, etc. BE HUNTIN!– petco’s plants are bogo rn (i thought they were buy one get one free, but my receipt tells me they’re buy one get one 50% off…either way its a win~)– petco and petsmart usually have plants and supplies for sale on their website but not in the store. if you show the cashier the online price, they’ll match it at the checkout so make sure to do some online window shopping before you go! – hobby lobby and micahaels have a ton of their floral stuffs on sale right now as well!- quality food i like new life spectrum thera +a pellets (long name, i know, but i know u can buy them at petco!) or omega one pellets or the betta buffet flakes. frozen foods like blood worms and shrimp are also good additions to a betta’s diet :)- test kit this kit is my favorite! the value is faaaantastic and the tests give more specific readings than the strips :p- lid bettas can be jumpers so lids are recommended. if your tank doesn’t come with a lid or is an odd shape and you can’t buy one, then craft mesh may be good option! it’s really cheap at walmart or craft stores and you can cut it with regular scissors. it’s basically plastic mesh…you can weigh it down or create a frame for it since it’s pretty light ^-^- light if you don’t buy a kit that comes with a hood+light combo, or any light at all…you’ll probably need one! leds are a good choice :) i just bought 2 of these nicrew lights and they work amazingly! definitely bright enough for at least medium light plants and super white~ you can also buy clip-on LED with a gooseneck like this one (tho i’d be sure to check the measurements on lights as cheap as these!) or even a light from home depot~ for a tank that small, you could also use a desk lamp. with a desk lamp you could probably grow low-light plants like anacharis and anubias. when i had a little planted vase on my desk, i just went to goodwill and got one for $3 ^-^”- water change bucket it’ll make water changes so much easier. one of the best $3 investments i’ve ever made. you can get 5.5 gallon buckets at walmart and home depot :p- aquarium siphon (also called a gravel vac) helps remove water during a water change and can suck up gunk from the substrate- water conditioner i love seachem prime!If you’ve never had fish before, these posts might also be helpful!General Fishkeeping + Equipment:Fishkeeping 101“Seeding” a tank Why do we do water changes? How much water do I change?Invest in a waterchange bucketAquarium siphoning + vaccuumingBaffling a filter Everything I’ve learned about filters and filter media

Decor + DIY:DIY Aquarium DecorAn ask that lists some easy aquarium plants How to superglue plants to stuffTidbits for Planted Tanks

Care Guides:A betta care guide: All about bettas!I bought a betta, now what do i do!? (fish-in cycling included!)

Other handy dandy posts (written by other awesome tumblrs):Fishless Cycling MasterpostThere are a few different ways to cycle a tank and this post is insanely informative!How to do the thing (cycling)Cycle your tank! Handy Articles Master PostGetting the most out of aquarium plantsPlants melt and that’s okayBig list of aquarium plantsList of low-light aquarium plantsPlanted Tanks for Beginners and So Can YouComprehensive Planted Tank Guide Dollar Store Fish Tank“Cleaner Fish” Why They Don’t Exist & Your Aquarium Doesn’t Need One By Ren Brooks

//if anyone has any info to add, please do!

[mothdogs]

For the butch ask meme: 25 11 14!

11. Do you like any butch musicians? Which ones? / As far as musicians go, I only really routinely listen to K.D. Lang (whom I would die for tbh.) But I have a whole Pandora station of lesbian comedians, and Tig Notaro and Rhea Butcher are my personal faves.

14. Share a positive butch experience! / I can’t think of one particular moment, but I work at a home improvement store (The Homo Depot, ) and I always love when I get to interact with a butch customer. There’s usually a sense of ease and an immediate, even if shallow, connection– “You’re butch? I’m butch!” etc. Those women always get genuine smiles from me, even if it’s been an otherwise shitty workday.

25. What do you love about being butch? / I love that I don’t exist to look nice for men. I love being visibly gay and catching the eye of other gay girls. 

[kinetic-elaboration]

December 10: Thoughts on 1x08 Day Trip

Wow it’s been a long time since the last installment of my re-watch. That’s okay. I’m continuing now with Day Trip; here are some notes:

This is something I should have realized ages ago but Clarke actually says in her voice over that the Ark has kept them alive for “three generations.” So in other words they (JRoth et al) know, explicitly, that their timeline doesn’t make sense!!! Three generations means Clarke’s grandparents were Grounders. How tf did they get so many people so motherfucking fast?? Generation 1 must have had 15 kids each.

Netflix subtitles suck: “Earth is survival. Mankind if going home.” Thanks Jaha, that’s helpful.

The dual sides of Miller: breaking bad news to parents, then down for some murder. I wish we knew what made him turn around re: Grounders during the S2-S3 hiatus. Did he and Lincoln became buds?

Also speaking of Miller, before S3 I didn’t like him much, tbqh, and even now that he’s a low-key fave I still laughed when Lincoln head-butted him and he went down. Because I mean he really goes down, it’s hilarious.

So for some reason I remember reading that S1 is supposed to be roughly October and S2 is roughly November. And I live just a tad south of where the show takes place so I know something of VA winters (or as I like to call them “winters”) and, yeah, October IS probably when people who don’t know what seasons are should start worrying about the cold. So this episode’s story line makes sense in and of itself. But my question is: why was winter never actually a problem??? Like there’s been snow in the background on occasion but literally no one has ever been cold? It’s such a bizarre problem to just jump up front and center in ONE EPISODE and then, without being remotely solved, just disappear entirely from view. This has bugged me for years and will continue bugging me forever. [Actually ETA everyone forgets about winter about a third of the way through the ep so literally it’s not even an issue for a full 40 minutes.]

Kane: look at this supply depot I learned about from “civil defense plans from before the war.” First, later retconning says there was no war so what’s that about? And second and more importantly I get giddy whenever I hear “civil defense plans” because whoah-boy do I have a whole cache of trivia about those!!

“The 100 would die from exposure before help arrives.” They are really assuming exposure-death is going to happen like NOW aren’t they? That’s unrealistic, October is not that cold. (Fuck, October this year was like 80 degrees.) Also, again, no one is ever chilly, not in this episode or any subsequent episode. Please explain.

I had a semi-theory about Bellarke and leadership and here’s another data point for when/if I put that together: Clarke is seen as the leader from the POV of the Ark leadership, going all the way back to their first contact. This is somewhat understandable, given that Bellamy, still a fugitive, can’t be having one-on-one chats with the Chancellor. Plus, Clarke’s lineage makes her an obvious point person. So here we see the different spheres of leadership further dividing: Clarke still isn’t (I don’t think) really a leader to the kids but she IS a leader from the point of view of the adults. This paves the way for Bellamy to be side-lined in S2 when the Ark comes down, because he was never a leader in their understanding.

They’re even breaking up ice from the dropship seats--that’s an early frost right there. A frost we never see again!

I love the socialist delinquent collective. We needed more of this, everyone working together and shit. Could have sustained like 4 seasons on that.

ALSO THERE ARE JASPER AND MONTY I LOVE THEM.

As far as I know, Dax is the only delinquent with an actual violent past. And of course he doesn’t last long. Also interesting for my purposes how Shumway manipulates him: with favors, including a “choice assignment.” Fits my theory that one’s job is one’s life.

It’s been a long time since I watched a S1 ep but apparently Bellarke are still pretending they don’t like each other. Interesting. Man to follow the twists of this relationship requires watching more than one episode every six months. I’m just going to say this here but there is no way that it would make sense to have “I don’t want to be around anyone I actually like,” even said not-entirely-seriously, coincide with “Clarke run away with me” all within one 40 minute episode. Like honestly cutting that dialogue was SUCH a good idea.

Jasper and Monty are the best everyone else GO HOME RIGHT NOW. Here we see Monty having literally no idea how to actually cheer Jasper up because Jasper is legitimately terrified of the future and Monty survives on dry wit and nihilism. I do appreciate how that bit of disconnect grows and grows over the course of the next four seasons.

#Awkward love triangle alert. Honestly I don’t hate it as much as other people but the worst of it is that it puts Raven in this position where she just doesn’t shine as bright as we all know she can.

Miller is really not a great guard. Just wanders away from Lincoln and lets Octavia in to set him free. That’s the opposite of “guarding.”

Octavia’s like a totally different person in current-canon. She doesn’t even have the same voice anymore.

I don’t know if this is a fair criticism given that current-canon Octavia is hardly what anyone would call mentally stable but in a certain sense I wish she’d been...more explicitly fucked up? Like I can’t always tell if the ridiculous things she thinks are meant to be read as ridiculous. For example, “I’m sorry I freaked out when you kidnapped me, it’s because of my childhood” is deeply ironic. It IS because of her childhood--her childhood makes her incapable of understanding that kidnapping is wrong. But that’s not what she thinks she’s saying. But, like, is that what the writers think she’s saying? I’m not really sure. Are they on the same page as Octavia, or are they like me, on a plane above? Maybe I should have more trust in them, but did you see S4? Mmmmm hard to trust after that.

Speaking of O being fucked up, this story line would make somewhat more sense if Lincoln were actually a bad guy. It’s hard to reconcile the Stockholm Syndrome-y elements of their love story with him being, from like 1x08 on, basically a stand up fellow in every respect. Not that I don’t love Lincoln as is. It’s just that I kind of have to throw out whole episodes of characterization to make him make sense.

“I want you to remember me after I’m dead.... This only ends one way” could have been long-term foreshadowing except that we all know why Lincoln was really killed off. Plus there are too many twists and turns along the way.

Miller thinks he can give Lincoln a beating when Lincoln literally felled him with his hands tied, I mean, wow, glad you have some self-confidence at least.

Nothing will ever beat the aesthetic of Bellarke at the depot site. Also Clarke is so convinced that Jaha will be lenient on Bellamy when if she just thought about the events of her father’s death with some degree of care she’d realize that perhaps (and don’t get me wrong I love Jaha, but just maaaybe) he’s not someone to count on for forgiveness or rule-breaking. Possibly. He’s just too unpredictable. Also what is Clarke carrying, and where tf are they supposed to be? There’s like a...Colosseum there??

I think that by S3 Raven has a crush on Octavia but I also think that this Octaven scene is evidence that they were never actually friends and that Octavia, in particular, really honestly likes almost no one except Bellamy (partially out of obligation because that is NOT a healthy relationship), Jasper, Monty, and Lincoln.

Do they have furs??

Raven is so beautiful. She is the most beautiful.

Clarke has some kind of knitted thing on her ankle. The costuming on this show is A+. Wow.

I’m not sure what I think this “supply depot” is supposed to be. Why didn’t they just call it what it really is: a “bunker”? It looks sort of official (”Supply depot #22″) and it’s on the civil defense plans so it’s obviously a government site. But was it intended for government relocation (conceivable, Mt. Weather and Raven Rock are the big ones but there are others on the East Coast) or for civilians? My understanding is that the civilian shelters were mostly above ground. They were for re-location post-blast, away from the major cities. I’m also semi-confused as to why it’s in such bad shape. They built good bunkers during the Cold War, and that’s true in this universe too: Mt. Weather survived, and so did Murphy’s lighthouse bunker. Why is this one such shit?

Bellamy Blake/Guns: The true OTP. I know we all gush over Bellarke but has he ever smiled at Clarke the way he smiled at that firearm? I’m afraid not.

Jasper’s first words while high are “Earth is scary” and yet the jobi nuts are what he wants to ingest for fun during his last days on Earth. Not realistic.

“You’re acting weird.” / “I’m feeling weird, but in a good way.” WINK. BRING DEVON BACK FOR A FLASHBACK EPISODE THAT IS JUST JONTY ON SPACE WEED FOR FORTY MINUTES.

He says “Earth is scary” before he sees the Grounder hallucination so what prompted that observation?? Is that just his unfiltered thought all the time? Poor Jasper, so sad all the time.

The Jasper & Octavia friendship was so meaningful, and so beautiful, and I miss it. (Sidenote: Octavia does know how to sew, and sewing is one of her jobs in the camp, fits with my other theories, good.) I love that Jasper’s the sort of person who wants “I love you” to be the last words he says to someone before his certain death.

....Well I just realized something. FUCK EVERYTHING. We’re not gonna think about that.

(This is why I don’t want to watch S5, because I’m afraid it will distort even more my otherwise pleasant experiences watching the show’s first two actually-good seasons.)

“Here buddy, take this.” I know I point out this line every time I watch this ep but BUDDY. He’s the little brother of the group I don’t make the rules. Also of importance: “You’re bombed.”

I love sneaky-Octavia and frankly I don’t think she gets enough credit for being sly. I wish they hadn’t played up her great warrior prowess as much because it’s totally unrealistic, but that she has a natural head for low-level treachery is reasonable. Also she and Clarke could have teamed up for some Slytherin-y evil-plan fun times.

READY TO BE A BADASS CLARKE.

This learning-to-shoot scene, in all its cliche flirty glory, is officially the moment Bellarke became endgame, jsyk. They’re hot, he’s obviously attracted to her, they snark at each other, there’s touching involved, they’re bonding over a (newly) common interest....

Clarke at least obviously perceives them as co-leaders (following the “for now we make the rules” Charlotte story); she wants to talk about how they’re going to deal with the guns in camp. Those questions interest me a lot and, hey, do we ever find out how they DO deal with them, like what the rules for access to weaponry are? All that government-building stuff is of interest to me but w/e. Meanwhile, Bellamy sees Clarke as the obvious (sole) leader in his absence (he tells her to keep Miller close).

Bellamy’s experience with the glitter berries is ALSO negative, yet he also chooses to use them as a party drug. Maybe I just don’t have enough experience with drugs but is that not odd??

Jaha would definitely refer to the victims of the culling as “320 souls” who were “sacrificed” but is this also how Bellamy thinks of them? As SOULS? Or is he just really good at keeping his hallucinations IC?

Clarke playing with the bendy gun is the second most hilarious thing in this episode, second only to Lincoln knocking Miller out using his head. Clarke’s a riot. She would be so fun when drunk.

My entire Miller-is-a-drama-nerd headcanon comes from a post someone made about that 2-second moment he’s standing there talking to himself while high and I have NO REGRETS. It’s canon.

“Finn, babe, I know you’re grievously injured and need to stay lying down but the whole camp’s nutter-butter for some unknown reason so get your butt out here to enjoy the hilarity. This is priority one.”

Shame on everyone who doesn’t properly appreciate Stoner!Monty. SHAME.

Clarke is so efficient she uses her state of intoxication to do some problem solving.

She’s obviously a Daddy’s Girl. The excessive use of the word ‘kiddo’ alone basically confirms.

“Forgiveness isn’t about what people deserve” is a criminally underrated line. Especially given the running thread of forgiveness and absolution through the whole show. I agree with that meta from back in the day that Bellarke’s view of forgiveness in the first two seasons is shallow, that it’s harder than just “if you want forgiveness, I’ll give it to you” but I still think there’s something there in Clarke’s initial glitter-berry-fueled realization.

You know what I had always previously assumed that Raven was high when she said “You are the most beautiful broom in a broom closet of brooms” and I wondered, you know, why she chose to eat the nuts AFTER she saw the full effects of them, but now I think she was sober and that was her way of taking care of Connor (?). Because she doesn’t sound space-y when she says it, and at the same time Finn is dumping nuts into the fire and then he says “I got this one,” about another delinquent who is high, which makes it seem a lot more like they’re wrangling their wasted compatriots rather than getting wasted themselves. Which brings up the inevitable question: how did Raven and Connor get to talking about brooms??

Bellamy has explicit suicidal urges but also sees suicide, or death, as something he doesn’t really deserve. Which is fucked up but also...I wish that had come up more explicitly in S4 when so many other characters, including characters he interacts with, start talking about ending their lives. He tells himself (I’m assuming this is him and not Dax speaking through Jaha) that “life is a struggle.” Here he frames it as ‘the struggle of life is what you deserve as punishment for your sins,’ which is interesting enough though bleak, but perhaps he could find some slightly-less-bleak framing of it a (canon-verse) year later?

Bellamy’s confused face when he realizes his gun is a hallucination is the third most hilarious part of this episode.

The Bellarke story line in this episode (both in the sense of the Bellarke-relationship and the Bellamy and Clarke intersecting story lines) IS SO GOOD. Hot damn.

This scene by the tree is also why I still haven’t forgiven Clarke, like 10 years later, for walking away in 2x16. Because Bellamy didn’t run! She asked him to stay and he stayed! She offered him forgiveness and he knew, I’m sure, on some level, that it wasn’t that simple but he still came back! And she couldn’t do that for him.

“All I think about is how to keep everyone alive. But we don’t have a choice.” Already she’s seeing their leadership as pre-ordained (I think in part to alleviate her guilt for all of the things she’s already had to do as a leader, which we see in her convo with her dad weigh on her heavily), and this is the weakness Lxa exploits in S2. The hero/martyr complex.

Bellamy and Clarke walking into camp with the guns = the reason I’m bi.

Bellarke are so smart in this convo with Jaha: Clarke gives her speech first, and then Bellamy’s like “I see that doesn’t convince you, how about some of the coin of the Ark-realm: we make a deal. You live, I live. Everyone wins!”

Lol @ Finn thinking he’s a part of the leadership team.

I feel like one way of summarizing S1 was “how the first people back on Earth after the nuclear apocalypse set themselves up for another apocalypse” but then the show kind of...didn’t go there? Like they make their Oppenheimer references and there’s tons of stuff about accidental escalation and accidental war (a big fear during the Cold War irl btw), and Finn even lays it out here in this conversation with Clarke: bringing in guns is a first step down a dangerous road; this is how it starts. What happened to that whole theme?

I know I talk shit about this show a lot (probably more outside of tumblr than on, actually) but I really do honestly love it, at least in its first two seasons. Like this episode...that was some good shit.

[inkbrusher]

Get to Know You Ask Meme

Rules | Answer the 20 questions and tag 20 amazing followers you’d like to get to know better!

tagged by nicc @funkadacious

Name: kathleen/kat!

Nicknames: kat is technically my main nickname. a few friends have called my katty-bow as a derivative of katribou which is cute too

Zodiac Sign: aries

Height: 5′6″ shortest in the family :’I

Orientation: i think im bi/gray-ace tbqh

Nationality: américaine

Favorite Fruit: pineabble mmmmm

Favorite Season: AUTUMN cuz its AESTHETIC AF

Favorite Book: life of pi and the art of racing in the rain. both so lovely

Favorite Flower: lotuses are super aestheticc too

Favorite Scent: i love the smell of pine and fresh wood holy fricc i could snort a home depot

Favorite Color: TURQUOISE

Favorite animal: fuck. i love so many. i never think of seals when i think fave animals but i think they low key are my favs

Coffee, tea, or hot cocoa: cocoa would always be my go-to but tea is a close second. coffee can go die

Average sleep hours: Never Enough (on average 7 hours)

Cat or dog person: cats nyahh every dog is good tho

Favorite fictional character: i have many and lack conviction but i love lisa lisa bc she’s an actually tolerable woman character who also shares my oddly specific long hair, scarf and shades fashion

Number of blankets you sleep with: a sheet, a throw, and a comforter i need to be coze

Dream trip: need to visit asia at some point for the chinese blood in me. i’d love to visit hong kong where my mom’s from!

Blog created: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i know i first joined tumbl in like 2011 but i deleted that blog and started my current one

Number of followers: takes 10 shots... too many ...on my main anyway

Tagging: @oikuwah (is dead), @zlnkling, and other mutuals if y’all want!

[cynosurecosplay]

Tagged by: @heal-the-broken-hearts ❤️ Thanks my dear 😙

Rules: Answer the questions in a new post and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better.

A - Age: 23 B - Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland C - Current Time: 7:30 pm (when I started xD) D - Drink You Last Had: Mountain Dew: Dew-S-A E - Easiest Person To Talk To: My sister, honestly F - Favourite Song: my faves change so often XD right now the one that comes to mind is G - Grossest Memory: uhh… Anytime I get sick is gross I guess xD H - Horror Yes or Horror No: Horror absolutely!! Give me good horror! I - In Love?: Yup. 😘 J - Jealous of People?: Only because I’m human lol but otherwise, not really lol K - Killed Someone?: Lol I mean, not IRL L - Love At First Sight Or Should I Walk By Again: I believe people could have an instant connection that is more than superficial. Not sure if I went through that, but I don’t care. Lol I’m happy M - Middle Name: Christina N - Number of Siblings: 1 O - One Wish: For people to just stop the hate. P - Person You Called Last: Customer service for my card. And A Home Depot in California. Q - Question You Are Always Asked: “Why are you here?” Not as deep as it sounds, I joke with people at work all the time 😂😂 it’s the ones I see constantly.  R - Reason to Smile: I don’t have a reason not to. I’m happy, I have a good life, wonderful family, lovely friends, and someone who loves me. ❤️ S - Song You Sang Last: The Horror of our Love–Ludo. They rose and fell so quick, but man I love their Love Me Dead album ❤️❤️❤️ T - Time You Woke Up: 6AM today for work U - Underwear Colour: a color 😏 V - Vacation Destination: somewhere fun W - Worst Habit: bouncing my leg and panicking over tiny things xD X - X-rays: had some for my jaw before I had my root canal. That was awful 😥  Y - Your favourite food: macaroni and cheese Z - Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Tag: @vinsmoke03 @ginacartoon @the-ass-assin (and anyone else honestly!)

[mikoshrimp]

Neocaridina Shrimp: Tank set up for a Beginner on a budget!

Hey all its mikoshrimp with a guide on setting up tanks for neocaridina shrimp such as cherry shrimp, goldenback yellow, blue dream, and lots more! Let’s get started!

TANK SIZE is important! Recommended for all shrimp, a 10 gallon tank. 10 gallon leaves plenty of room for water stability and space for your colony to reach easily in the 100s (300-500 shrimp). However, many people have small nano tanks like 5 gallons, 2.5 gallons, even planted vase aquariums(will not be covering vase aquariums). Of course the cardinal rule to keeping aquatic species is to cycle the tank. Two ways, fishless cycle, or fish cycle. I prefer fish cycle because it’s more consistent and produces more ammonia for beneficial bacteria to eat. (You will need a light, dechlorinator, and fish, sponge filter, substrate)

For a 10G, 3 fish are recommended. recommended fish to cycle: adult guppies, zebra danios(they’re really hardy and have nice appetites), neon tetras. Cycle for about 4-5 weeks doing 10-15% water changes twice a week. If you’re using tap water to cycle, make sure it is dechlorinated as chlorine will destroy the bacteria and harm your fish. I recommend SEACHEM PRIME to treat tap water. 

It removes excess ammonia levels as it cycles too. Now for 5 gallons and less, it leaves less stability and is prone to ammonia spikes and quickly rising nitrates unless you do it right. Expert shrimp breeders using 7G or less cycle the tanks for at least 2-3 months to ensure excess amounts of beneficial bacteria that eat ammonia and create plenty of biofilm for baby shrimp to eat. If you see a lot of algae appearing on your glass, that’s a good thing! And when you see time skinny white wiggly worms swimming in the water, it’s a sign of good water quality and cycled/almost completely cycled tank.

yum! (Algae growing on the sides) 

SUBSTRATE for neocaridina can be active or inert. We will focus on budgeting and inert substrate. I recommend play sand or pull filter sand from Home Depot. 50lb bag is around $6. Rinse thoroughly because it is quite dusty but when complete, looks a lot like beach sand or river sand for a great natural look.(not to mention it’ll look great for any color neo)

(ghost shrimp eating a blood worm on rinsed play sand)

FILTRATION: I recommend sponge filters with an air pump like tetra whisper. Not only is it inexpensive to find sponge filters on eBay, but it’s not going to suck up baby shrimp and will provide surface area for your shrimp to feed on.

Heaters: not recommended unless your area gets very cold 40s and below. Heaters cause shrimp to metabolize faster and pretty much live faster causing them to die sooner. I live in California so it’s not needed, unless you wish to keep them breeding in the winter, then by all means make it artificial spring for them. I don’t like heaters because you’ll have to ask around for a stable brand. If it malfunctions. Your shrimp will either get cooked or die from extreme temperature fluctuation. Make sure the brand you have is stable.

After your tank finishes cycling, do a major water change and remineralizer your water, even if it’s tap. Recommended remineralizer: salty shrimp, or my personal fave, SL Aqua Blue Wizard. Make sure your tds is in the area you’d like for neos 150-300. If it’s tap, it’s okay to be out of that parameter, just remember tds isn’t as super important than stability in water quality. Temperature, ph, gh, kh are more important.

Before adding your shrimp, drip acclimate with an airline tube for at minimum 1-2 hours at one drop/second. Then scoop out the shrimp with a net and add them to your tank.

Extra add on to your tank: cholla wood, provides hiding places for shrimp and baby shrimp, live plants like moss, Anubis, buce, hair grass, are all great for sucking up nitrates and shrimp love natural live plants which mimic their natural environment. Tannins from leaf litter like Indian almond leaf, guava leaf, magnolia leaf, which are beneficial health wise for your shrimp. Lava rocks provide porosity and more surface area for beneficial Bacteria to grow( recommended for nano tanks) manzanita driftwood, dragon stones, unbleached and unglazed terra cotta pots as caves.

Teddy Bear Cholla wood

Porous Lava Rocks *crushed*

Shrimp Caves, Cholla wood log with moss, and Indian Almond Leaf litter.

Anubia Nana

Two Cherry shrimps on peacock moss. (left is male, right is saddled female *see the orange by the head are unfertilized eggs*)

ENJOY, If you have any more questions let me know! If I left something out let me know too so I can add on! :)  

PS: the only safe fish to keep with shrimp is an Oto. Everyone has stories saying their tetras and rasboras are peaceful and do not disturb them but no one is able to stare at their fish 24/7. Babies will be gobbled if they can fit. Even Celestial Pearl Danio, and the Least Killifish(smallest livebearer) target shrimp. So if you dont mind your shrimp colony growing slow, go for it! Otherwise, Otos and ramshorn snails are great tankmates.

[greg38mcall]

Just Three Things & Some Link Love: 06 | 15 | 17

It's that time of year again! The kids are home from school for the summer and we are trying to figure out schedules and daily activities and boundaries and sanity savers. We have already made a trip to the craft store to load up on supplies, picked up a couple books from the library and Amazon, enrolled the boys in a few summer classes and tuned up their bikes for hours of cruising the neighborhood. We had a rocky start just trying to get everyone adjusted to the freedoms of summer, but I think we are finally finding a good groove that we all enjoy (fingers crossed). I am always looking for ways to keep the boys busy doing fun things that don't include a lot of tech time; they are each working on summer journals and have picked up a few fun hobbies to try and learn and also just spend a lot of hours playing with friends and being typical boys. But I always enjoy (and appreciate) chatting with fellow friends and families to add some additional summer sanity savers to our list. Maybe I should dedicate a post just to that since I could totally keep this conversation going for multiple paragraphs... O N E // I have said it a thousand times, but sometimes the best organizing solutions are the simplest, most obvious ones.

I am completely ready and dreaming of a true full-size built-in closet system, but until then I am making the most of my personal armoire. This last winter I realized that I own and utilize more sweaters than summer/swim items, so it only made sense to create easier sweater storage in the main area of my armoire and move my seasonal swim items to the less accessed canvas boxes I made. And who are we kidding, I am always so cold that I wear sweaters year round. In fact, I just pulled one from my pile yesterday. #freezebaby

I have forever wanted to try these wire shelf dividers but was skeptical that they would be flimsy and that I could DIY something better. Why do I let myself believe that I need to try and make everything?! I don't! So I finally just bought a couple of dividers, popped them on my shelf and fell in love with this little area of my closet.

I am happy to report they are very sturdy! The dividers do not stick out too far to shut the cabinet doors (but if they would have I would have just shaved a 1/4" off of the back of the shelf), and they do exactly their job of keeping my piles stacked and separate. Now, if I pull out a sweater out the rest remain in place. They are so much easier to see and use on display this way, and considering I wear them so frequently, this makes my happy every day! I still love my DIY sweater boxes, but they now hold swimsuits, coverups, and other seasonal accessories. Moral of the story? You don't need to DIY everything. Don't avoid simple solutions. Easy changes make a big difference. Rethink your spaces from time to time. Nicely folded and stacked things are always going to make me smile. And I can't wait to use these in more closets. T W O // I have a thing for pretty hardware for a few reasons but basically, I appreciate that it can take anything and make it look shiny and new. Good hardware elevates cabinets and furniture and also can instantly change the entire look and feel of a piece or even a room. That said, good hardware can be expensive. I have been sourcing bar pulls for a few projects and the majority of my faves were running from about $20-$50 for anything over 8" long.

I wish that I could report that I found the most stunning hardware on the planet for under $5, but I did find these at Home Depot for a really great price considering their quality, scale, weight, and finish. They are really so good in person. I was so heart-eyed when I opened them, I decided to end my search, order a couple more for the other projects and share their prettiness with you. T H R E E // I continue to contribute to Redbook magazine each month, which is always such a rewarding and fun experience! It is really important for us to collaborate on projects and spaces that are accommodating to busy families, won't take a lot of time, effort or money, don't have to be perfect to be functional, and ideas that are completely no-nonsense/approachable! That last one is especially important!

A few of the spaces we have covered recently are the pantry, junk drawers (using my tried and true method as well as a new one), and this summer cabinet which is currently on newsstands.

We have two summer stations in our garage; a cabinet that holds all of our picnicking items and beach supplies and another for our outdoor toys. I also especially love this bin for transporting items to and from the beach and parks because it is lightweight, durable and holds quite a bit. Having these two areas has been essential in getting out the door quickly and easily when traveling to the ball field, park or lake. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to setup an easy-to-access summer cabinet.

__________

L O V E  L I S T

July 11th and 12th I will be speaking at my third Bloom Workshop! I can't wait to go back because this workshop is done so beautifully and thoughtfully. There is something for everyone and it is especially amazing for those in the creative industry with small businesses. We focus on photography, styling, design, branding, social media, blogging, florals and growing a variety of additional creative skills. This time I will be heading to Chicago and I would absolutely love to meet you there! IHeart Organizing readers can receive 10% off their ticket with the code IHEART at checkout.

This mini blush and gold binder is calling my name! I love these for organizing receipts and notes in my handbag.

I do my best to stay away from Target but I have found a couple of good items lately! These gold sandals have been on my feet for a month straight and my son loves his new super-soft and super-cute Pillowfort sheets. The one thing I have somehow resisted, although I have gone back to it a few different times, is this super chic file box. I don't need another file box, but am trying to come up with another use for it!

I will be the first to admit that I have made quite a few mistakes while working on our home. With that, I have learned some things over the years; if you don't try you won't learn, nothing is permanent, and some of the best results come from taking risks. I also feel like making mistakes comes from rushing something or acting on creative impulse, and at times those mistakes can make us feel a little defeated, discouraged and deflated. Emily Henderson recently shared some mistakes she has made in her new home, and I found it to be really humbling to hear from someone with a lot of experience that this is OK and normal. In this Pinterest pretty blog world paired with the Instagram highlight reel that we look at daily, I think it is really important to share and talk about the good, bad and the ugly.

These gold wall pockets are stunning and I am considering a couple for stylishly stashing away small accessories.

I recently made these "no"jitos for a lunch gathering and they were delightful!

20 Weekend Projects Under $20! I spy one familiar project, but I have 19 more to add to my list!

__________ I should know by now that I am too chatty to limit these posts to just three things or just some links. I think we need to have more frequent chat sessions, would you be interested in that? I always think that I have nothing left to blog about, and then I sit down and start typing and you can't shut me up. This week I have been working on a really great pantry project for a friend, I can't wait to finish it up and share soon! from IHeart Organizing http://www.iheartorganizing.com/2017/06/just-three-things-some-link-love-06-15.html