#i get the 5% bonus that all other employees get instead of the 15% bonus managers get'

[clamorybus]

i love how whenever my mom mentions how awful her job is, it immediately turns into the rest of the family trying to convince her to unionize

[skemford]

Decided to refresh my knowledge of bendy protagonists personalities/quirks and i can say that i forget how distant canon Audrey is from fanon one sometimes

Here's relatively short list with Audrey character analysis+random tibbits (environmental/gameplay/voice lines)

(I'll appreciate if someone will interact+most of it is under the cut!)

1. Her workplace is an unorganized mess

On the right side: a couple of empty teacups, empty paper sheets, unopened envelope, books/notebooks, a toy ball and keys in the middle of the desk, storyboards that are UNRELATED to what she was working on;

On the left side: donut that she kept close to her elbow & storyboards while she was drawing + to-do list for a day

There's no WAY she'll be able to keep anything tidy. If you hc her and Bendy to have a familiar bond post game, she'll be as messy if not messier. Her home might be a wreck.

2. She easily distracts

- Audrey is working overtime and claims that she has "only eight hundred more frames to go" until the next deadline

But was she actually *actively* working?

She has unrelated items on her desk (listed above) and jumps on the first opportunity to get a coffee.

If she really did wanted to have a drink, she literally has a soda machine close to her office doors.

Some brands of soda do have caffeine in them, right? Getting a coffee looks more like an excuse for a walk.

Bonus point: if you'll stay in her office without getting up (for 15 minutes), she'll acknowledge that she has no time to waste and will return to work instead.

- "Well, the coffee's good and all. But this work's gotta get done"

Worth to acknowledge: this girl has "employee of the month" award and some kind of animation award (boris statue) in her office .

Does she stays overtime everyday to finish something? Or other Archgate employees are even worse at their jobs, somehow?

3. She uses dry sarcasm or makes jokes a lot

Honestly, it happens really often and should be brought up in fan content more imo.

Due to the images limit i can't put a lot of examples with screnshoots but I'll quote some of them.

- "i think you and i have very different definitions of alright" (toward Allison)

- "Looks like he's having a bad day" (about dead lost one with the gent pipe)

- "Ok! Yeah! And that totally makes sense" (reaction to an easter egg)

- "That's one leap of faith i definitely won't make" (about the pit in animation alley)

4. Audrey gets defensive when someone starts to talk over her or when she feels overwhelmed

Audrey either will deny what was said or will acknowledge it by being sarcastic

Prominent example of this is her reaction to Memory!Joey at the hotel:

- "Oh,now you knew my father. Well, newsflash! I didn't even knew my father...or my mother. Or anyone else in my family" (after Joey says that she has "adventurous spirit of her father")

- "What? Are you crazy?... Who do you think you are?" (after the reveal of her being created by the ink machine)

+ Similar behaviour can be seen in her short interaction with Twisted Alice (Susie).

Audrey prefers to keep conversation equal between both sides and when it fails to work, she'll either stay silent or will express frustration (which can be seen with her replying "no" to Twisted Alice and not saying anything afterwards)

5. She seems to trust Allison enough to be vulnerable around her

After leaving the spider lair, she'll try to reach to Allison through the speakers

- "Alice? Are... you there?... Alice!"

She'll acknowledge that she feels scared and after Allison won't sound reassuring enough, Audrey's hand will be visibly shaking.

Allison is the only character Audrey has opened to; you'll never see her being that vulnerable with anyone else

(She is honest with Henry but not on this level)

It makes me wish they had more interactions; Allison for sure was really important in early development of the game.

6. She's blunt

Through the game Audrey is a type of person who says whatever is on her mind without hiding her intentions too much.

She's emotional and rarely thinks twice (most of her decisions are impulsive or sometimes irrational) which reflects on the way she talks.

It's often slips out through sarcasm when she gets defensive/tries to cope but it's also happens in relatively safe environment (for example, when she talks with Betty):

- "Are you...very old?" (Wilson's mansion, bedroom)

This one liner is the most random question you can say to a stranger; I doubt it was very well thought out from her side

7. Audrey easily trusts people which makes her easy to manipulate

I couldn't skip this one.

When Wilson has created a story about his "poor lost father" as a bait and Audrey did believed in this, there are multiple reasons for "why"

This either could come from her being "goodhearted" or the circumstances being used against her

- She went through whole "father trauma" in one day without being able to process anything & get proper answers:

An idea of "saving" another father (Nathan Arch) who she could've knew more than her own father (Nathan says in one tape that he meet young animators at least once) could've hit her really close to home

- Audrey never actually got a real answer on how to leave the cycle, teaming up with Wilson (who was able to enter and leave) could've looked like the only one way back

(I do acknowledge that writing in DR could've been better at places but if you do think about it in this way,it makes sense)

7.1. She is empathetic

I think that this part says everything for itself and it doesn't need to be explained. Thought, she's the one who decide if someone deserves it.

- She felt bad for hurting Bendy on accident & apologized when she was able to

- When she met Allison for the last time, she "gave" her this name, remembering that she doesn't like to be called 'Alice'

- At the end of the game she wants to try to make the cycle better for everyone.

Twisted Alice (Susie) was included which means that Audrey doesn't hold grudges against her (even with the latest one wanting to kill her previously)

8. Audrey puts her arm through an ink container without hesitation or any side thoughts

IT IS a game mechanic and lore wise you can relate it to her being an ink creature

But honestly? It's in character for Audrey.

We're talking about someone who decided to go to great lengths to catch an aquarium fish (that's kept as a pet) and wanted to use it...for a recipe.

8.1. She doesn't mind eating out of trashcans

If you think that wanting to use someone's pet for a recipe is too weird, you're actually wrong. But eating out of trashcan (when you have other options) may be.

Thought, she drives a line on a food that has flies or other insects on it (like "chocolate cake")...i guess in other cases, it's fine to her.

~~~~~~~

Trivial things:

- Bendy seems to be her favourite cartoon character.

She calls him "little guy" in prologue and keeps close to her storyboards where he's the main character:

In the cycle, she acts joyful when she first stumbles upon the real deal.

- She loves chocolate donuts

- Audrey uses dark eyeshadows (can be seen only in prologue custscene. It's hard to notice at first)

- Her breakfast from to-do list are toasts

- She has abstract Bendy painting in her office

- It can be speculated that she's uncomfortable with being touched (or with someone being physically close), unless, she's the one who initiates it

~~~~~~~~~

[bblgumbbgirl]

pt . 5 costume inspiration - costume alternatives ! ◥(*`꒳´* )◤

hi friends ! im happy you made it to the last installment of my costume inspiration mini - blog ! thank you for being here (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡ i hope i could add a little spice to your fall holidays !

parts

pt 1 . character costumes

pt 2 . simple DIYs

pt 3 . profession costumes

pt 4 . matching costumes

pt 5 . costume alternatives

costume alternatives

🕸ꜝ⌗✧･ﾟ🎃 𝗯𝗈𝗼 ! ◥(*`꒳´* )◤ 🧙‍♂️ .⠂🔮꒷꒦ﾟ･✧⌗ꜝ🕸

costume alternatives are an amazing option for halloween ! there are many affordable alternatives and each one will give you a new experience . it's also a good opportunity to try new things !

🎃 onesies : you can find hundreds of onesies online for under $25 ! they're a good investment . not only will they give you warmth and a costume , most onesies also make good PJs ( unless they have a lot of accessories connected to them . ) onesies may also aid in pet regression ! here are a few cheap options i found (~$18-$20) : one , two , three , four , five

🕸️ try face paint instead : you can buy face paint individually from a halloween store at an affordable amount , or you can find a kit which usually includes multiple colors of paint , a few different types of brushes + sponges , stencils , stickers , glitter , tattoos , and a guidebook for designs . here's one with just that for $13

🎃 dress babie : dressing as your regressed age or in a comfortable style for your small self may feel very fun and fulfilling for your little self ! halloween is the perfect opportunity and i end up feeling cute in my babie clothes anyway !

🕸️ try a disney bound outfit : disneybounding is a method of styling that takes inspiration after a specific character using " average " clothing ( this strategy is used to dress up in disney parks without using costumes or cosmetics )

🎃 try out new fashion : if you have been waiting to try a new style or aesthetic but haven't yet for whatever reason , now is the time . im telling you ! now . is . the . time ! go for it ! dress however you want !

🕸️ monochrome outfit : these are so fun and easy ! just dress all in one color . it doesn't have to be the same shade . bonus points for additional monochrome accessories (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

🎃 swap clothes with a friend : this will definitely feel like dressing up if you have different styles than your friends. you guys can actually be each other for halloween if you want , but you don't have to of course !

🕸️ wear clothes you dont/cant usually wear : i have a big blue ball gown that i wore for a ball that i was invited to in highschool ! i never expected to own a ball gown and there are never many reasons to wear it so finding an excuse like halloween is fun for me and it gets my moneys worth out of the gown . you could wear a wedding dress , super formal clothes , skydiving gear , platform shoes , or anything else you don't get to wear on a regular basis

🎃 spontaneous thrift haul : go to the thrift store ! set yourself a budget if you need to . you can most likely find an outfit you will like for under $15 ( our thrift stores are getting expensive here but hopefully you can find it for $5 or less like i used to be able to do ) - or you can close your eyes and pick some random stuff ! it's fun to wear mismatched clothes or you can be a mismatched clown ! ( ask about weekly / monthly / occasional sales or discounts ! there may be military , student , first responder , healthcare , or teacher discount - coming from a former thrift store employee ! )

🕸ꜝ⌗✧･ﾟ🎃 𝗯𝗈𝗼 ! ◥(*`꒳´* )◤ 🧙‍♂️ .⠂🔮꒷꒦ﾟ･✧⌗ꜝ🕸

don't forget to dress for the weather ! thank you guys again for being here . if you need any extra help or inspiration my asks are always open ! everyone be safe out there (⁠✿⁠ ⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠)

[saganandkatelynindc]

MLK, The National Cathedral, The Senate Train, The Capitol and the Library of Congress and a fabulous report!

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

We played today's agenda like a symphony!

The morning broke with thundershowers and heavy rain - but by 8:45 there was no rain although the humidity was absurdly high. We walked out of out hotel to get our Uber and my glasses steamed up and within a couple of minutes the sweat was running down my back. BUT it was all worth it when we reached the amazing MLK Jr. Memorial on the Tidal Basin and found the number of tourists there was 4!

I have quite a worksheet of thought for this memorial, but we decided to leave the notebooks behind and use cameras to capture the info needed to fill out the pages later in the dry air-conditioned comfort of our condo. It was the right decision.

This statue is surrounded by a semi-circle wall covered by quotes from Dr. MLK Jr. The man was a wordsmith and each quote had the potential of pushing the kids to think deeper and harder. I LOVED it!

I asked the kids WHY they thought the artist had not presented a fully finished statue of MLK Jr and they quickly replied because the work of this "hope" is NOT done yet. I wonder how many people consider that when they visit this amazing spot.

Much later in the early evening - the kids worked together to do their MLK pages. Their discussion was music to my ears!

Back to the progression of the day...

After about 25 minutes of the having the MLK Jr. Memorial to ourselves, we Uber-ed to a Metro Station and then headed toward the National Cathedral.

The bonus gift was the ridiculously long escalator at the end of the Metro trip. The kids were very impressed and while we awaited our next mode of transportation, Katelyn ran down and UP the escalator - not once but twice. PHEW!!!

Then we headed to the cathedral. Wow!!

If you look really closely you will find the grotesque of Darth Vader.

We did - with the help of an employee and the monocular Grampa INSISTED that we take with us. It was so much better than the one I had originally packed. Thanks Grampa! And ta-da!

Do not confuse these with with the gargoyles all over the cathedrals - because gargoyles are part of the gutter/drain system. The grotesques deflect rainwater by bouncing it off the tops of their heads and away from the stone walls.

Try as you might you just can't get a good pic of the cathedral - it is just too big. So we are going to the Internet for this:

It is massive - inside and out! We "heard" it was the 4th largest cathedral in the world - but not even close. It is in the top 25 though. Katelyn was awed, with the size but Sagan said "I've seen bigger - a LOT bigger like St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican." He is right - it is the biggest in the world and almost twice the size of this one but THIS is still spectacular

There are amazing stained glass windows including my personal favorite - the Space Window complete with a moon rock.

The Rose Window is extraordinary too!

We explored the Cathedral and discovered chapel after chapel - and it turns out there are NINE! And that has nothing to do with the main sanctuary. Below Katelyn is trying on on the chapels we discovered.

When we explored the crypt, we discovered this:

We saw Woodrow Wilson's tomb and a lot of other people we didn't know - but they must have been someone BIG to be buried there. We did see a small prayer chapel donated by Paul Mellow in honor of his father Andrew W. Mellon. We found hallway after hallway that were simply art.

Sagan sent this picture to his Papa with the caption - I like big buttresses and I cannot lie."

That was hilarious!

We walked a block and a half to a Mexican restaurant and had a great lunch, then took an Uber to Senator Stabenow's office. There was a little hiccup here because traffic was much more congested than I expected when I put together this timeline and instead of arriving 15 minutes early - it looked like we would be arriving 5 minutes late. But, nothing to worry about.

They were awaiting our arrival and as promised had a wheelchair for Sagan IF he wanted. He wanted. And we were off! First to the Senate Train that takes us under the street...

.and into the Capitol Building.

The kids react very differently to things - as is to be expected. Katelyn gets so excited, I think she might explode. Sagan engages but if you try and take he picture, he acts like he is a victim of torture. So instead of saying "Cheese" when I take a pic I say "act like you are NOT being tortured, please." That usually gets a smile and I think Daphne said something similar for this pic.

Anyway - Sagan got the rest he needed and we got to cut the lines. I'm calling it a WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN!!

We saw some places the average tourist doesn't because our friend from Senator Stabenow's office didn't know exactly where she was going. She finally got us to the right area and we saw a great movie and then hooked up with a tour and our guide was quite terrific. He had lots of stories to tell and we got a few minutes to snap a few pics. The dome - or it actually is a dome inside a doom - is magnificent.

After our tour we headed to the Senate Balcony - and to our joy, the Senate was in session. I did fear Katelyn was going to burst! OF COURSE you can take no photos and you can't even have you purse or a phone - they even made me take off my Fitbit - if you can believe it. But we did see Senator Stabenow and Senators Klobuchar, Murkowski, Tina Smith, Sinema, Kelly and Whitehouse. There were plenty more, but I was having a hard time identifying them from the back. FUN!!

But no time to dawdle - we had an appt at the Library of Congress - with Sagan still enjoying the respite of a wheelchair, we headed down the tunnel into the Library of Congress. Again with the skipping the lines and into the beauty that is that building.

And the jewel in the crown... The Thomas Jefferson Library (and two cousins!)

We took the Metro home after that and we all took a rest. After all it was a pretty full day.

The kids worked on their books and I updated our calendar and worked on this blog. We had dinner from leftovers once again and as we have needed to modify a few things, decided that Katelyn should give her report now. She was IN!

Another A++++ piece of work!! And now we know all about the man for gave us the National Gallery of Art. Thank you. Andrew W. Mellon! You can watch the entire report here:

And the crowd went wild!!!!!

By 8:50 I had had it - and I was ready for bed and it turns out so was everyone else. I'm not sure what time everyone went to sleep - but it wasn't long.

Big day tomorrow too!

Stay tuned.

[shout-out-to-fallout]

Here’s a long post (sorry)

For those who may be struggling to find work during this pandemic, I'd like to offer some advice from the perspective of a hiring manager.

1. Please please please go to the actual company website to apply for a job instead of using Indeed’s quick apply, or Monster, or any other job website with mass postings. Sites like Indeed pull job postings from all over the internet without including the full application process, with or without the employers knowledge (hence missing the full process). Can you do this with some jobs? Absolutely, but nothing will beat going directly to the company website’s career section if they have one.  It may grab a few questions from the actual application but it may not be complete. We've had to skip over so many applications because they're not completed since Indeed only asks the applicant part 1 of our questions, but not part 2.

2. If you miss a call from a company inquiring about an interview, do not be afraid to call back and don't feel bad for missing the call. We WANT you to call us back, that's why we leave a voicemail. We understand you may not be able to answer the second we call, but appreciate a response back.  This is especially true for jobs that have a lot of positions to fill (cashiers, waitresses, stockers, etc.)  Honestly, we just want to fill them quickly and more likely than not, if you call back and come in for an interview you’ll get hired on the spot.  If you need to reschedule or something comes up, give us a call to reschedule.  We’d rather that than you no show for an interview.

3. May be a no brainer, but please make sure your voicemail is set up/able to receive messages. We've skipped over many qualified applicants because we either get the “This person has a mailbox that is not set up” or just can't get ahold of them and after a few tries (or one, depends on how discouraged we are), we stop.  It shows us if it’s this hard to get ahold of you already, how can we count on you in the future?

4. If at any point you decide the job is not for you or maybe you’d like to pursue another one at that moment, just give us a quick call or email to say “thank you for the consideration, but I’ve decided to pursue another offer at this time.”  And that’s it, you don’t need anymore explanation than that.  More likely than not, that company will consider you for employment in the future should you decide to apply again.  Remember, don’t burn bridges, it could always come back to get you when you need it.

5.  If you have had any criminal background in the past please don’t hide it in your application if asked.  We’ve had a few great people become ineligible for hire because they forgot or were too scared to include some small misdemeanors from like 5 years ago.  If the company does background checks, they’ll find it anyway.  Example, my company would hire someone if they disclosed a minor drug charge on the application.  That same person would become ineligible for hire if they chose not to disclose it for fear of not getting the job, thus making it so they can’t get a job in the ENTIRE company.  Theft is often the iffy charge that is hard to get around if you are going into any place that requires cash handling, but it doesn’t make you 100% not eligible for hire.  We recently employed someone with a small theft charge in a financial position because she had great experience and was an overall fantastic person, so we went above policy and made her eligible.  You never know unless you try.

6.  Please don’t just go down the line and apply for every single job we have available, especially ones that require a certification you don’t have.  It shows us you most likely aren’t even looking at the job description or requirements and are just looking to see what’s the first job that you can get hired for and are probably not at all qualified.  Be at least a little selective.

7.  The old “Dress for the job you want” slogan is right.  If you’re going to an interview for a place where the dress code is black pants and a black shirt, try to match that for the interview.  Employers are weird and it helps us visualize you as an employee better, plus adds a bonus of we already know you have at least half the uniform required.

8.  If you currently do drugs, lay off of it while you search for a job.  We don’t care if you do them (as long as you can do the job and don’t come in smelling like you’ve been sprayed by 15 skunks, we’ve all smelled that one guy), but we need you to pass a drug test.  I’ve added a quick link to a page with different time frames for different methods of testing for weed since that’s the most common.  Do a little research on your particular drug as well as the companies you are applying for to see what type of drug test they use.  You can make a free account on glassdoor.com and see the reviews for companies from employees and often there’s an answered question about drug tests.  If you’re really worried you may not pass, maybe try out one of those drug kits on amazon, though I can’t personally vouch for their accuracy.

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-weed-stay-in-your-system#metabolization-time

9.  Despite what high school teachers said, we don’t want a thank you letter/call/email for the interview.  We just don’t.  Unless you’re going for a real big important job, don’t bother.  A simple thank you at the end is enough (best not to handshake during Covid).

Hopefully at least some of it will help if you are searching for a job right now.  Of course not every company is the same, this is just what my company tends to follow and we are a fairly large company (1500+ employees) that includes office, call center, restaurant, and retail workers in one building.

[philcoulsonisdad]

Philinda turned into 4, 5 years olds and the team has to take them Mcdonald (the ones with ball pit and tunnel slides) please Funny/fluff, no romance I would love to see philinda take over the playground and be chaotic

Omg I forgot McDonald’s had a play area, they hardly exist around here anymore and the last time I went to one must’ve been at least 15 years ago😂

I’m 100% going to make this into a lil fic eventually (I have such a long list rip)

Phil kept begging Daisy to let them go to McDonald’s and she eventually gave in. He’s very persistent.

He just wanted chicken nuggets (and the avengers happy meal toy)

Poor Daisy had no idea what she’d gotten herself into.

May would be straight in the ball pit and throwing balls at all the other kids to assert her dominance.

Then she’d fill her pockets and move to the slides where she’d continue throwing her ‘ammunition’ at those who tried to step foot in her territory.

Meanwhile, Mack takes Coulson into the restaurant with Elena. (Daisy went to the cafe next door so she could get some peace and quiet. The journey there was bad enough for her and she couldn’t take any more.)

“Mack, what are chicken nuggets made from?”

“Chickens...”

Phil cries over this new discovery and needless to say, he doesn’t want his nuggets any more.

But that’s fine because all he really wanted was the toy.

Well, he wanted the Captain America toy, not the Thor one.

And just as things couldn’t get any worse, the employee wouldn’t swap his Thor out for Cap because they’d sold out :(

When I say Phil screamed, he SCREAMED. How dare they not provide Steve Rogers’ biggest fan with a Captain America happy meal toy???

Mack and Elena are stunned. Coulson is always on his best behaviour and they’ve never seen him like this before.

Coulson runs to the play area and cries to May. She hates seeing him sad so she makes it her mission to get him the Cap toy.

May gets some kid to agree to a trade: the whole ball pit area in exchange for the toy.

She’s kind of bummed that she no longer ‘owns’ the play area but she’s happy that Phil is happy.

Phil gives her his chicken nuggets and she says ‘no thanks, I know what chicken nuggets are made from.’

They both end up sharing his fries instead and Elena decides to take the nuggets home for Deke he doesn’t even know what McDonald’s is. Then they meet back up with Daisy (who had a nice quiet drink next door) and go home.

Bonus:

Philinda take a nap on the journey back bc they’re tired babies🥺

[lavishedinjimin]

a little bit of sugar, daddy [3]

↳ Pairing: taehyung x reader

↳ genre: sugardaddy!au, ceo!au 

↳ rating: 18+    

↳ word count: 4.2k

↳ warnings: ceo!taehyung, sugardaddy!taehyung, lots of implied smut, lots of dirty talk, BDE taehyung lol

— synopsis: Taehyung - a sugardaddy and a businessman, a man who derives his life from sex, pleasure, and money. Y/n - a girl working at a small cafe, whose sex life is as dry as the weekly delivered coffee beans. Will Y/n adjust to the new lifestyle she agreed to, and keep up with all of the dirty antics with Taehyung?

a/n: go and check out my masterlist located at my bio to see the next chapter of this story!

"Congratulations Miss Y/n. You're at the top of the class again, it seems like you really love this course." Your biology professor, Mr. Chun, stated as he brought you in front of the auditorium after class. "Oh, well thank you, sir. I do try my hardest.” You smiled kindly at him. He nodded once, “I expect a lot from you. If you need anything from me, I’m gladly here to help you. You can count on me, y/l/n.” 

~

“Don’t you know you’re the luckiest girl on earth, y/n?” Olivia said as you walked side by side together around campus. You gripped the strap of your bag as you chuckled, “Maybe, maybe not.” 

“Look, I still don’t know what to do with this sugar daddy thing. I don’t even know if I’ll like it if I said yes.” 

“Isn’t that the point of trying? Y/n, don’t be so worried, this can make your life fun!” 

“It can, but it can also probably make me miserable and unfocused. Mr. Chun already complimented me that I’m doing so well in my studies. I’m just afraid that this will change my life, you know?” 

Olivia stepped in front of you, stopping your tracks. She smiled, making your heart warm. “I understand, Y/n. But I know you’re in need of money to pay bills and all and he can give it to you.” 

“But the sex--” 

“Don’t worry about that!” she pats your shoulders a couple of times, “I know you’re a little virgin but he can help you with it.” 

“I’m not a virgin.” 

“Well, you act like one,” somehow her words didn’t hurt you, “I’m sure that he knows what to do to you.” She winks right after, followed by a laugh making you scrunch your nose. 

“Because girl, if you don’t accept this offer, I’ll gladly take your place.” 

You rolled your eyes playfully, “Whatever, Olivia. I’m going to the cafe, see you.” 

~

The cafe was only a walking distance from the campus which was a bonus, you didn’t want to call a cab every time. As you were enjoying your little stroll, you felt your phone vibrate against your jeans. You pulled it out and your eyes widened. It was a text from Taehyung. 

Taehyung [3:03 PM] - Good afternoon, angel.

It was almost embarrassing how you blushed in public because of that simple nickname. It was also embarrassing how fast you replied. 

You [3:03 PM] - Good afternoon to you too.

Right after you pressed send, you thought that the fact that you added a period at the end of the sentence made it look too strict and formal that it worried you. Immediately, you added a smiley face. 

You [3:03 PM] - :) 

“Wait…that seems more awkward.” You grunted and decided to just shrug it off, hoping that Taehyung wouldn’t react to this in any way. 

Taehyung [3:04 PM] - Cute

Fuck. 

Taehyung [3:04 PM] - Where are you? Are you off school? 

It was a miracle that you didn’t bump at anyone whilst you texted. You looked up for a moment and saw that the cafe was near and you hurriedly ran to get inside. “Hey, Y/n. Thank god you’re here.” Yuqi, another part-time employee greeted you. "Why? Did something happen?"

"That girl right there –” she pointed at a familiar face, making your eyebrows crease to try to remember her, "has been looking for a man named Taehyung for how many minutes now." Your eyes widened in shock, gasping. She was the girl Taehyung was with yesterday.

Yuqi looked at you with her eyebrows furrowed, "Why? Do you know who Taehyung is?"

"I do." You bravely said, and you didn't know why. "I'll talk to her."

You heard Yuqi murmuring a 'good luck' under her breath as you walked towards the woman. She was the one who Taehyung spanked, right in front of your fucking eyes.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"What?!" She harshly turned her head to you, her straightened hair whipping because of the action. She was talking to an employee who – as you can tell by the look in their eyes – was frightened to death. You nodded, signaling for her to go. "No man named Taehyung is here. If you could just leave –”

"No! I texted him that he should be here! Where the fuck is he?!"

"Maybe he didn't arrive. Now would you please leave this cafe alone and go scream for his name outside?" You gritted your teeth, pointing at the door. You didn't know why you were this pissed, something in her attitude, probably? Or the fact that she was looking for Taehyung made you jealous. He didn't tell you who this girl was, and you had no idea what they were talking about in this shop the other day. 

The lady scoffed bitterly and rolled her eyes, “Yeah, whatever fuck this.” She stormed out of the shop and the whole atmosphere was finally back to normal. Yuqi let out a sigh behind you, “Thank Jesus that you’re here,” she smiled, “if it weren’t for you she’d probably go as far as breaking stuff in this café.”

She turned to the few customers, “Everyone, please continue your business! The hell lady is finally gone.” You laughed and smacked her arms, “Shut up, Yuqi.”

“Oh please, she probably just wanted the attention.”

You walked around and behind the counter where Yuqi previously was and placed your bag on the floor. She leaned over, resting her forearms on the surface and looked at you with one of her eyebrows up, “Who was this Taehyung dude anyway? You said you know him?”

“Well,” you didn’t want to say who he really was. You gulped, trying to find excuses on what he can be, “I think I met him at school, he was some sort of one of my colleague’s brother? I don’t exactly know if he’s the right Taehyung I’m thinking about, though.”

Yuqi looked to the side, shrugging her shoulders, “Okay then,” she made a thumbs up followed by a click of her tongue, “gotta go.”

You let out a deep breath right after she stepped foot outside the shop. Suddenly, your eyes widened as you remembered that you didn’t reply to Taehyung’s text. You hurriedly grabbed your phone out of your pocket and saw 4 new messages from him. Shit.

Taehyung [3:05 PM] – Y/n?

Taehyung [3:06 PM] – Hey, are you there?

Taehyung [3:10 PM] – alright where the fuck are you

Taehyung [3:15 PM] – you’re at the café, aren’t you? picking you up at 5:50.

You shoot out a bunch of replies, saying sorry and that you had to handle something at the café. But you agreed to his request. You wanted to ask him who that lady was, though. You were dying to know.

~

“Can I have two black coffee please?” the customer said, followed by kissing her boyfriend on the cheek, “one for me and my boyfriend.”

You fought the urge to try not to gag. Instead, you scrunched your nose and punched her order. “T-that would be 3 bucks.”

The boy looked down at the girl, giving her a smirk as he rummaged through his pockets, “I’ll pay, babe.” The girl giggled beside him as he gave you the exact amount. “We’ll have it to go, please.”

Thank god. 

You handed him the receipt, “Thank you, please have a seat and we’ll give you your order,” you faked a smile for the hundredth time this day.

“Okay, what the hell was that,” You turned to look at Matt, who was patiently waiting for you on the other side of the counter, waiting for your shift to be over so he can take place. He scoffs, “Look, at least they love each other.”

“Yeah, wished they didn’t rub it on my face.” You rolled your eyes and taking two cups from the shelves, preparing the couple’s order. He laughs and pats your head, a genuine smile creeping up on your face. “You’re probably just jealous of them and wonder why you don’t have a boyfriend yet.”

With your eyebrows raised, you smirk at him, “Just ‘cause you have a girlfriend doesn’t mean that I’m the ugly loser here.” He laughs and runs a hand through his hair. His hair was blond and it was a little bit wavy. You can admit that he was sort of handsome, but he wasn’t your type.

You pressed the black coffee option on one of the machines and waited for the second cup to fill up. Turning your head, you saw the couple on one of the booths, laughing and kissing each other. You shrugged your shoulders – more to yourself. If they’re happy then let them be, you shouldn’t be the one to judge.

You placed the cups on a paper bag and made your way to their booth, attending to them with a smile. “Here is your order, I hope you have a wonderful day.” 

The boy smiled at you, “Thank you, we’re new to this place and we already love it. We love that everyone’s so kind.”

Oh. You were frankly surprised at his acclaim, but it made your heart warm either way. “Well, thank you! We all hope you come back soon.”

You bid farewell to the couple and watched them step out of the shop. You collected two dollars from the table which you thought was a tip and gladly took it with a little giggle. “Hah! You are mine, two dollars.”

You walked your way back to the counter which Matt already took place in. “I see you’ve been given two bucks.” He smirks, handing you your bag from the ground. You grasped one of the straps and swung it over your shoulder, “Mhmm, and a little compliment too. They said everyone here is so kind.”

Matt laughs, “Well, wait ‘till they see Yuqi.”

“Don’t…disrespect my queen like that.” You pointed a finger at him jokingly, rendering a laugh to emit from the both of you.

You said your goodbyes to Matt, waving at him and he did the same. You looked at your watch and it was exactly 5:55 PM. ‘Wait,’ you thought, ‘isn’t Taehyung gonna –’ You looked up and saw Taehyung, in his usual black suit, leaning against his black BMW with his hands on his pocket. He was staring directly at you, a smirk slowly creeping his face. Your breath hitched, gripping the strap of your bag tightly.

Making your way outside of the shop, he pulled the glass door open for you without saying a word. You gulped, really not knowing what to do. Taehyung locked eyes with you for a mere second then taking your bag away from you. Your eyebrows were furrowed as you watch him open the passenger’s seat. Tilting his head to the direction of the seat, he signaled for you to go inside. 

“In.” 

You obeyed, sitting on the leather seat as he gave you your bag back. His car smelled just like him and his expensive scent, almost making you dizzy – but it a good way. He made his way to his seat and started the engine.

The ride was awfully awkward, he wasn’t saying anything and you didn’t know where he was taking you. Before you can even ask, he was faster than you.

“It seemed like you were having a good time at the shop today.”

You looked at him, confused. His gaze was directly on the road but you can see how he clenches his jaw. “I – uh, I did. Yeah, a little.” Your voice was small, not really sure about where he was going in this conversation. “Who was the guy?”

You found yourself difficult to breathe, and you didn’t know why. What he said was just a simple question but you had trouble spitting out the answer. “O-oh, his name is Matt. He’s a co-worker.”

He turned his head to look at you for a moment, then back to the road. You can tell that he’s a little bit pissed but also amused because of the sudden smirk that crept back to his face. What was wrong with him? “Taehyung, he’s just one of my friends and, well – he has a girlfriend.”

Suddenly, he placed his right hand on top of your knee, making you jump a little at the sudden action. He chuckles, “Don’t worry, Y/n, I’m playingg with you. I know him.”

Your eyes widened, “You do?!”

“Mhmm. He once worked for me. He’s a nice dude, Y/n. Glad to know that he has found a job now.”

Your mouth was slightly agape, shocked by the whole situation. He looks at you and lifts his hand up to your chin, shutting your mouth with his index finger by applying a little pressure to it. “Close your mouth, baby. Before something goes inside.”

“Matt worked for me as an intern once. He did a great job and all and I always kept an eye on him. I thought he’d be more, well...” he started to find the right words, “lucrative, career-wise.” After that sentence, you narrowed your eyes at him, “Hey, don’t say that.” 

He laughs at you, shaking his head, “I know, baby. Don’t worry. I don’t discriminate.” 

“He never liked me that much, to be honest. But who didn’t? Everyone thinks I’m too bossy.”

You snorted, “Well, isn’t that the point of running a whole company? To control people?”

“That’s right, angel,” he looked at you and chuckled, “having control is my forte.”

~

“Where are you taking me, anyway?” You asked a minute later, and his hand was still resting on your knee. You were praying that he won’t move that hand up any further. “To my home. You owe me an answer, don’t you?”

Oh, right.

“Oh, right.”

He laughs quietly, stroking your knee. “Don’t be too afraid, Y/n. I’ll understand whatever decision you make.”

After a while in the car ride, you suddenly got used to his touch. It was a good thing that he abided your desire of not moving it up to your thighs anymore. You liked his touch, even if it was the simplest thing he can ever give to you. All of a sudden, the thought of the lady that was looking for him came up in your mind. You gasped from the abrupt remembrance. “You good there, angel?”

“There was a lady earlier in the shop, and – uh, she was looking for you.”

Taehyung scoffed in his seat as he rolled his eyes. You furrowed your eyebrows at him, “Who is she?”

“Her name’s Crissy. One of my submissives at the time.” He looked at you, “You saw her the first time inside the café too at the time, right?”

You remembered the time, that fucking moment where he slapped her ass right in front of your eyes. You sighed and nodded, somehow feeling resentful all of a sudden.  “A submissive?”

“Yes.” He simply stated. Little did you know you were already at his place as he opened his door, walking over to your side as he opened yours. You were still confused as hell, but you followed him inside his building. You stepped inside the familiar home, the kitchen was the first place you see and the memories of yesterday flooded your mind, making you blush.

He made you sit on one of the stools as he sat across from you. “I brought Crissy to the shop because I wanted to talk to her about some business shit. She was working for me at that time, plus she was a submissive. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted to so I cut her off.” The fact that he said those sentences so simply with his deep, monotone voice made something ignite in you. “We made a condition, that whatever happens between us will only stay between us.”

He runs his hand through his hair in frustration, “She didn’t listen, and decides to tell her friends about us.” He looked deep into your eyes, “Obviously, the talk had gone all throughout other employees.”

“So they know…they know what you do now?” You stuttered, voice quiet. He smirks and lowers his head. He arises from his seat and goes around the island to stand behind you. He places his hands on the counter, trapping you in his arms. You can feel his breath right on your neck, making you tense. 

He chuckles behind you, “Only a few, but don’t worry, baby.” He presses his cheek closer to your neck, trying his hardest to hold back and try not to kiss your exposed shoulders. “I made sure that none of them will spill anything, ‘cause if they did,” he held your chin and firmly made you look at him, smirking, “they’d be gone in a flash.”

You widen your eyes, gulping. He notices this and laughs, shaking his head on how cute your reaction was.

“Taehyung, I really wanna do this, I really do,” you looked down, tucking a strand of hair back behind your ear, “b-but I’m just not sure enough.” Worried on what his expression might be, you didn’t look at him. Taehyung, on the other hand, smiled – as if he was expecting this.

He took your hand and pulled you away from your seat. He led you to his office, sitting down on the leather chair. He sat across from you and removed his blazer, placing it behind him. You can see that he has three buttons undone on his dress shirt, exposing the skin on his chest. You tried your hardest not to stare too much 

He opened a drawer below him and brought out a white folder, sliding it across to you. “Open it.”

You did as you were told and you were greeted with a page full on encoded words. The bold, capitalized title catching your eyes first.

‘CONTRACT’

Are you kidding me?

You looked up at him, his face was expressionless. “A contract?”

You never actually presumed that these were real, you only ever saw them in movies or in risky books, but never imagined that it was factual. He tilted his head to the side, leaning in closer to you as he rests his forearms on the table. His face was only inches away, taking your breath away. “Mhmm. We can’t do this without your full consent. Trust me on this.”

You only nodded and continued reading.

The following terms are the connecting contract between the Dominant and the Submissive.

1.    The central purpose of this contract is to allow the Submissive to explore her limits and her sensuality without harm with all due respect, and to take account of her needs.

2.    The Dominant shall not at any time demand, allow, or require the Submissive to participate in any activity that seems to be unsafe. The Dominant will not permit to be undertaken any action which could cause serious injuries or risk to the Submissive’s life.

“R-risk to…what?” You widen your eyes at him, confused and also scared at the same time. He caressed your cheek carefully, but it didn’t help your petrified state. He carefully smiled at you, looking deep into your big eyes that always made him crazy. “As it states there, angel, we won’t do anything that you do not consent to. I’m not about forcing anyone to do things that they’re not comfortable with, yeah?” Taking a deep breath, you replied, “Okay.”

3.    The Dominant will control, dominate, discipline, and accept his Submissive as his own during the term. The Dominant will use the Submissive’s body at any agreed times in any manner.

4.    The Dominant will provide the Submissive with all necessary guidance and training to properly oblige the Dominant’s needs.

5.    The Dominant may discipline the Submissive as necessary to fully appreciate her subservience to the Dominant and to discourage unacceptable conduct.

You weren’t even halfway into reading and you found yourself holding a breath. Taehyung was deeply looking at you, examining your expressions every time. He noticed how you sometimes gulp, how your eyebrows furrow, and how you shift on your seat. He bit his lip, trying to control himself.

You were twenty, and he was twenty-seven. You were like the freshest flower to him – the last one to bloom. He didn’t even know himself that he would choose a girl like you, so serene and delicate. You were so careful in everything, so pure. Something always fueled inside of him whenever he’s with you, and he liked this new experience. You don’t know what you do to him, but he was also feeling all these sparks inside of him, just like you do.

Sexual kinks/fetishes that the Dominant settles on:

‘Sir’ kink – the Submissive must call her Dominant ‘sir’ whenever they are accommodating in sexual activities.

Impact play – spanking, flogging, paddling, whips.

Light bondage and blindfolds

Sex toys

Choking

Begging

Establishing ownership

Orgasm control

Overstimulation

Voyeurism

- And others that can be indicated prior to or during the act of sexual intercourse.

You bite your lip as you read those words from the paper. All of it made you feel nervous but also turned on. Looking up at him, you saw how his eyes dilated as his gaze was fixed on yours. He took a deep breath, loving the effect all of this had on you. His thoughts became dark, but he knew how to contain himself. Right now – at least.

“You alright, angel?” he softly asked as he pressed his tongue on the corners of his cheek. He examined your body, checking you out up and down. You suddenly felt small, intimidated by his scrutiny. Feeling timid, you looked down on the floor. You wanted to try these all of these things with him, but you really don’t know how. Sudden questions popped up in your mind, asking that what if you wouldn’t do well enough, or what if you wouldn’t satisfy him as he deserves?

“Look at me, y/n.”

You tried, you really did. But at this point, you were too embarrassed. You gulped as you nervously played with your hands.

“I said look at me, baby girl.”

The sudden harshness and strictness in his voice accompanied by that pet name made you instantly obey and looked up at him. “I know you’re nervous, y/n. This is all new for you and I get where you’re coming from.” He grabbed your hands and encaptured them in his. “Tell me, have you ever had any intercourse?”

You sighed, wanting to look down but you knew that he wouldn't allow it. Licking your lips, you answered, “Yes. But that was only about a year ago and I haven’t gotten any ever since.” Your voice was small as you carefully read his expression. He raised one of his brows, biting his lip for a second. “How many?”

“Like how many times?”

He chuckles, “Yes, angel.”

“T-that was my first time. It wasn’t that good.”

A fire ignited in Taehyung’s stomach. He wanted to know more.

“Have you ever touched yourself?” He leaned even closer, faces now centimeters away. You can feel his hot breath tickling your lips, making you shiver. Taehyung wanted to touch you and kiss you so bad at this moment, but he prevents himself.

You shook your head, “No.”

The man in front of you sighs, pulling himself away and leaning back on his chair as he threw his head back. “Shit, Y/n. You're gonna make me insane.”

He stands up, walking around the desk to stand in front of you. He pulled your hand, commanding you to stand up as he made you sit on his desk. With his big hands, he parted your knees away from each other as he stood in between them. He held your waist tightly and firmly, making you lose your breath. Everything happened so quickly in a split second. He pulled your body closer to him, slightly pressing his hips on your own.

“Do you even know what you do to me, baby?” he held your jaw with one of his hands, making you look at his dark irises, “huh?”

Taehyung wanted to fuck you so bad, he wanted to take you on his desk, wanting to claim you as his. He never felt anything like this with his past submissives, his nerves were on fire. He wanted to do everything that the contract had, but he knew that now was not the time.

Taehyung closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as he removed the hold he had on you. “Sorry, angel.” He stepped back, running a hand through his hair. “I-I didn’t know what I was doing. I lost my control and I know you didn’t –”

“Taehyung,” you called out his name, forcing a kind smile to plaster on your face. “It’s okay.” You giggled, pulling him back to you. He was stunned for a moment but smiled as well.

“Yes.”

He creased his brows, not sure where that ‘yes’ came from. ‘It couldn’t be…’

“I wanna,” you paused for a moment, wanting to think this through properly. But the way how he touched you lingered in your body and in your mind, and you wanted to feel that sensation more often. 

Fuck it. 

“I wanna be with you, Taehyung. Wanna be yours, wanna be your girl.”

Taehyung couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had his mouth slightly agape, shocked with your answer. “A-are you sure, Y/n?”

You smiled genuinely, “Yes I am, very much.”

Biting his lip, he smirked at you. God, how much you liked that smirk of his. “You’re saying yes to me, baby girl?”

A sudden idea popped into your mind, and now you’re the one smirking. Without even thinking about it twice, you spoke, “Yes, sir.”

[starfleetdoesntfirefirst]

Sunday, March 15 COVID-19 updates: TL;DR this is worse than we thought, people without symptoms can be carriers and infect others, and millions of people’s lives are at risk, but that also means that every act of hygiene + social isolation is both more important and more powerful in flattening the curve and saving lives.

Each source dated; because this situation is changing so quickly, I tried to use sources only from the last few days. (Somewhat, but not entirely, U.S.-centric as I live + am tapped into organizing networks here.)

[id: CNN article headline, March 14: Infected people without symptoms might be driving the spread of coronavirus more than we realized.]

“Several experts interviewed by CNN said while it's unclear exactly what percentage of the transmission in the outbreak is fueled by people who are obviously sick versus those who have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, it's become clear that transmission by people who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic is responsible for more transmission than previously thought.

"We now know that asymptomatic transmission likely [plays] an important role in spreading this virus," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Osterholm added that it's "absolutely clear" that asymptomatic infection "surely can fuel a pandemic like this in a way that's going to make it very difficult to control."

+ “Coronavirus is most contagious before and during the first week of symptoms”

In other words, instead of thinking in terms of avoiding getting sick, we need to think in terms of avoiding getting others sick. There’s a real and ever-increasing chance that, without necessarily knowing it, you could be a carrier.

[id: NPR article headline, March 13: Flattening A Pandemic’s Curve: Why Staying Home Now Can Save Lives. Image is of a chart with Number of Cases on the vertical axis and Time Since First Case on the horizontal axis. There’s a straight dotted line labelled Health Care System Capacity running horizontally through the chart. An orange curve labelled Without Protective Measures rises steeply at the beginning of the time axis, showing the number of cases bursting over the Health Care System Capacity line, while a blue curve marked With Protective Measures is spread out over time and and is less steep, staying under the Health Care System Capacity line.]

“As the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S., more and more businesses are sending employees off to work from home. Public schools are closing, universities are holding classes online, major events are getting canceled, and cultural institutions are shutting their doors. Even Disney World and Disneyland are set to close. The disruption of daily life for many Americans is real and significant — but so are the potential life-saving benefits.

“It's all part of an effort to do what epidemiologists call flattening the curve of the pandemic. The idea is to increase social distancing in order to slow the spread of the virus, so that you don't get a huge spike in the number of people getting sick all at once. If that were to happen, there wouldn't be enough hospital beds or mechanical ventilators for everyone who needs them, and the U.S. hospital system would be overwhelmed. That's already happening in Italy.”

Flattening the curve with hygiene and social distancing isn’t just about the coronavirus. An intensive-care bed is an intensive-care bed, and as people catching a new virus that no one is immune to overwhelm the capacity of the healthcare system, more people are going to die more from all causes--heart attacks, tuberculosis, HIV, the flu, pregnancy complications, injuries from car crashes—because the system won’t have intensive-care capacity for them. Flattening the curve is about keeping coronavirus cases under the dotted line of what the healthcare system--and the rest of our infrastructure--can handle.

[id: Tweet by Don Moynihan @donmoyn (verified), Mar 15: Real-time evidence of flattening the curve. Lodi had the first Covid-19 case in Italy, and implemented a shutdown on Feb 23. Bergamo waited until March 8. Look at the difference. Incredible research by @drjenndowd, @melindacmills & co-authors. Image is a graph of daily total number of positive cases over time in the two cities, with Bergamo’s rising extremely steeply (approaching 1,000 on March 7 and 2,500 on March 13) and Lodi’s leveling off (approaching 1,000 on March 7 but at barely over 1,000 on March 13). Link in tweet. end id.]

[id: Tweet by cuddly but deadly! @HikeoftheMenrys, Mar 12: I keep thinking about South Korea’s Patient 31. South Korea was effectively managing the epidemic, and then one person – Patient 31 – infected over 1,000 people over the course of a few days, and caused a national pandemic in that country. Link to article in tweet. end id.]

People are currently using #ShutItDown to encourage U.S. event/bar/restaurant closures, and #StayTheFHome to encourage social distancing.

Stay The Fuck Home website (has many languages, and a SFW “Stay The F--- Home” option): staythefuckhome.com

[id: Tweet by Andy Slavitt @ASlavitt (verified), Mar 15: COVID-19 March 15Prep update: Every day brings vital new developments and I talked to leading epidemiologists, public health experts about what is happening & coming & what we should be doing. I learned a bunch. 1/ end id.]

Full Twitter thread here—lots of good info, including on the phenomenon of people taking preparation less seriously in a few weeks if the virus takes longer to hit our communities, and an endorsement of #StayHome/#StayTheFHome

[id: Tweet by Amanda Mull @amandamull (verified), Mar 12: i think the impulse for many people is to look at things closing down or events cancelling right now as a sign of doom, but for the most part i think it's cause for optimism—someone in charge of something is taking this seriously, and doing what they can to limit interactions. end id.]

BONUS ROUND: RESOURCES AND STUFF YOU CAN DO TO HELP OTHERS/RESOURCES TO USE IF YOU NEED ‘EM

- Donate to COVID-19 funds, and to the individual fundraisers of people trying to make it through the pandemic.

- Check in with your friends; offer emotional support if you have the capacity to; offer financial help if you have the capacity to. Can you offer to PayPal/Venmo your friends $5, or $20, or the equivalent of their daily or weekly pay so they can take time off? (If it feels awkward, I’ve found a simple acknowledgement “I hope this doesn’t feel awkward, but” can do wonders to allow awkward-feeling conversations to actually happen! I had the capacity to make one of these offers (hint: not the pricey one) to a friend, and he was not remotely offended.)

(And conversely, don’t be hesitant to ask for or accept others’ support! Text/call your friends if you need to talk to someone! In a time of physical isolation, we’ll get through this by staying emotionally connected.)

- Help others find accurate info. Struggling to talk to the older and/or Fox News-watching folks in your life? Buzzfeed has got ya covered.

- There’s organizing by medical schools and other groups to look out for of elderly, isolated and vulnerable people in many communities; check for (or begin) efforts in your own.

- In the U.S. (and UK and other countries, though again I’m only tapped into things here so this part is U.S.-centric, I’m sorry), there is a large population of people who can’t use hygiene or social distancing: people in immigration detention or incarcerated in jails and prisons.

Many people in ICE detention are already sick from medical neglect and hunger strikes, and many people in prisons and jails (which often overlap with ICE detention--there are county jails and other facilities being used as immigration detention centers in every state in the U.S.--are over the age of 60 and are disabled or have serious mental and physical health issues.

Coronavirus inevitable in prison-like US immigration centers, doctors say

Coronavirus: call to release UK immigration centre detainees

Explainer: Prisons And Jails Are Particularly Vulnerable to COVID-19 Outbreaks

Now is a very good time to donate to bail funds, and to look for and support (or begin) national efforts and grassroots efforts in your community to release people from prisons, jails, and immigration detention. “Iran temporarily released 54,000 people from prison in the wake of this global pandemic. The United States must also consider releasing as many people as possible, among other measures, including decreasing the numbers of people being sent into jails and prisons in the first place.” (Slate)

More asks, actions and links to efforts/mutual aid re: incarceration and the pandemic

The Justice Collaborative has a page and the beginnings of a tracker sheet of efforts to help incarcerated people and other vulnerable populations.

[id: Tweet by Kimberly Corban @Kimberly_Corban (verified), Mar 12: All joking aside, for those who are worried about quarantining during #COVID19 in a home where they do not feel safe, live help is available from the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7/365 at @ndvh by chat or by calling their hotline at 1-800-799-7233. end id.]

[id: Tweet by Joanne Starer @JoanneStarer, Mar 9: If you're not plugged into disability twitter, you may not realize that the hoarding of hand sanitizer, wipes, masks is keeping many immunosuppressed people from getting supplies they need. If you have extras, check in with your community to see if anyone could use them. end id.]

[id: Tweet by Clint Smith @ClintSmithIII (verified), Mar 9: A reminder that if public schools shut down, millions of children will lose their access to some of the only meals they receive each day. Food banks will become more important, and I've learned the best way to help is not to donate your spare canned goods, it's to donate money. end id.]

[mamapeach7]

Daeul

Preview / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / bonus

Chapter 17

-

She herself didn’t know what to identify as when it came to Hyuk.

Their vacation in Tahiti had ended a month prior with the New Year following, having spent time with each other, friends of course Minji. Daeul was to turn three years-old in two and a half weeks which meant that his grandparents were thinking of him once more.

Standing at the doorfront with his son in his arms and Hanji by his side, he smiled at the woman next to him before turning his gaze to his parents once more.

“This is Oh Hanji…”.

She clenched tightly onto the sleeve of his arm as she smiled tightly at the elder couple in front of her.

They smiled vaguely to her -- a kind of warm yet soft smile that let you know that because they had already accepted her. Whether it was because they were aging by the day or because they knew that their son and grandchild needed someone else in their lives, regardless of whether she was grateful.

Hyuk seemed to have noticed as well since he quickly glanced down to her and smiled before placing a hand on top of hers.

They were certainly more domestic than their son -- insisting on making dinner themselves and ensuring that everyone had food on their plate at all times. Daeul sat between them -- Hanji to his right as always and his dad on his left.

“So Hanji…”, Hyuk’s older mother began, making the said female tense up a little.

“May I ask what you’ve studied?”

Hanji cleared her throat and wiped her hands with the napkin on her right before speaking softly.

“Well, I-I actually took history -- c-classical civilizations and monarchies.”

“Oh, that’s great! History was my favourite in junior high.”, Hyuk’s father piped in with a wide smile on his face, making Hanji feel a little more relaxed.

“Really! I uh, I actually taught ancient history for a year after I graduated.”

“A-Any plans for later on?”

She averted her eyes from the pair and focused on the silverware in front of her, thinking about her recent application to the museum in Manchester which Minji had told her about. She certainly did send them her best essays written in university and her teaching experience.

The one thing she hadn’t told Hyuk was that she had been accepted to begin work in England effective in three weeks.

“W-Well I...I’ve actually been granted a curating position in...in England.”

Hearing the scraping of Hyuk’s butter knife on his plate mid-way slicing up a piece of broccoli for Daeul, she immediately knew he came to a halt.

Hanji turned her head slightly to find his eyes on her before he quickly ripped them away and continued to feed his son.

“England! S-So then just mainly English history or..?”

“Well perhaps for the most part b-but of course I-I’ll get the chance to feature other areas…”

“You know, I had a friend in my second year…”

The voices around her had drifted off as she averted her attention to Hyuk who continued to eat in silence, occasionally turning to Daeul and feeding him some of his own food.

He finally managed to meet her gaze, fixating his eyes on her as they held a kind of sorrow that would linger in her mind for days to come.

~

“...That was mom -- she said she can’t wait to see you again for Daeul’s birthday.”

Hyuk sat in his bed, which he now shared with Hanji since they had decided that she was no longer considered as an employee under his roof, placing his phone down on the nightstand.

“Aw, that makes me feel so giddy.”, Hanji gleed as she gently sat next to him.

And as it became a habit, they shared a long stare of admiration in silence -- sharing the peace and quiet of the now sleeping house.

“A-Are you going to Manchester?”

Sighing heavily and avoiding his gaze, she instead grabbed hold of his fingers and resided in front of her on the soft gray sheets.

“It’s um...It’s actually been something that I’ve been planning e-even before we met.”, she whispered.

Now sitting up straight to properly face her, Hyuk crossed his legs as he leaned in closer. “H-How long will you be gone?”

“A while.”, was all she could say with a jutted lip which turned into a sorrowful smile.

He was silent momentarily, still playing with her fingers noticing her mauve-painted nails. She could sense that there was a slight worry in him -- perhaps even fear. There was something in him which whispered that like Daeul’s birthmom, Oh Hanji could leave him too.

That she could leave and promise to come back but would actually never.

“I-I’m leaving the week after Daeul’s birthday.”, she whispered before bringing both her hands to cup his cheeks and raising his head to face hers.

“Say something, Hyuk.”

It took him seconds to finally face her, bringing his head up mere centimeters in front of her. She didn’t miss the quick glances back and forth her eyes and lips, letting her know what he may have wanted.

“Y-You’ll come back, won’t you?”, he asked with his brows curled.

Do you even have to ask?

“Well, I have one very good reason to.”, Hanji spoke softly before pulling him close into a firm kiss, running her hands down his neck and over his plum blossom tattoo which was dedicated to his mother.

Hyuk rested his hands on her waist before slowly laying her down and hovering overtop of her, deepening their kiss as the dim yellow light in their room surrounded them warmly.

~

She knew she would miss a whole year and perhaps even more of Daeul’s life, so she hugged him tightly like she always did whenever she held him in her arms.

His small body would be bigger a year from now so she savoured every last second as she inhaled the familiar scent of baby powder and vanilla.

“Don’t grow up -- stay small forever.”, she joked as she swayed with him side by side as they continued to hug.

The boy could only manage to embrace her without a single thought or idea of what was going on and gave her a short peck when they pulled apart.

Thankfully the airport wasn’t too crowded -- Minji had come along to of course bid her sister farewell and to help unload the baggage. She was saved as second on the ‘to-hug’ list which Hanji kept quick as to keep herself from bursting into tears.

“To all those math kids who made fun of us social science students.”, Minji encouraged, making her younger sister laugh in glee.

And then there was Kwon Hyuk, whom she had hugged plenty the night prior and refrained from doing so again so as to not make her departure even more miserable.

“I hate goodbyes.”, he said as he held her hand, swinging it with his.

“It’s not -- it’s not goodbye.”, she reassured.

“Oh! H-Here’s my address in Manchester.”, Hanji pulled out a small piece of paper from the pocket of her jacket. “So if we can’t call every day for some reason, you can at least write to me or you know...send me something.”

She joked lightly with a smile, making him chuckle.

He stared longingly at her one last time before gently grabbing her by the back of her head and pulling her into a kiss, making her eyes water as she had promised herself she wouldn’t hug him right before she leaves.

“If you ever feel lonely -- look for the moon.”, he whispered into her ear.

“And especially when it’s full, you’ll know I’m with you.”

Her flight had landed her around seven o’clock in the evening. She stepped out into the crisp February air, her luggage resting on each of her sides as she waved a hand in the air for a cab to drive her to her accommodation.

As one pulled over and she began to place her bags in the truck, she caught a glimpse of the night sky -- the stars dancing in pitch black with a large moon hovering them all.

Just then she heard the ringtone of her phone go off and when she checked that it was from Hyuk, she furrowed her eyes as to how he was able to text her so quickly considering it was long-distance.

However, when she read that the only thing he had sent her was a simple icon of a crescent moon, all the fears and worries she had been holding slowly faded.

END

[prorevenge]

Getting rid of employees can be costly.

Well, I had sort of forgotten about this but was reminded by an old colleague last week. It involved me (ME), Old Senior Vice President (OldSVP), new Senior Vice President (NewSVP) and a ton of HR people.

I was working at a tech company about 8 years ago. At the time, I had put in about 6 years of service and was pretty happy with it. The company was (and still is) pretty leading in it's field, but not terribly large - under 2000 employees. It was one of these places often seen as a great place to work, good work/life balance etc. I had held a few technical roles but when this story happened, I was heading up a project management group. Pretty tightly knit team, 5-6 guys, all very nice and capable. Most of them I had employed myself or was instrumental in hiring. The company had a pretty big project upcoming, and I was horizontally promoted to assistant VP, basically being the right hand guy for the OldSVP. (We had like 6 SVP's in the company, so that was sort of a big job, only second to the CEO).

I was running the big project, working closely with the OldSVP whom I had known for several years and we worked together great. I was making pretty good money at the time - around 120k/year which for that position was very good. The big project completed, and I was given some bonuses and career recognition, which was nice, but not really a big deal for me. Then it happened - one of the SVP's who had been working in the states as a lead regional director was moving back home and needed a new position. The OldSVP was degraded (various reasons, but he was originally hired by another CEO, so it was the usual corporate BS political stuff).

OldSVP was pretty upset and quit after a few months. No worries. Now, as my big project had completed, I had been gone from my department for 12 months - half way through I was asked if I wanted to continue in that capacity when I was ready, or if I wanted to be "degraded" to being a regular PM, but with same pay/contract. I preferred working as a PM, and put up one of my colleagues as department head. He was a nice guy, 15 years older than me, not a great PM, but a good people person and manager - and had run a similar department prior to working with us. He was super happy to get the job and everything was good.

Now, NewSVP who had been working abroad for 5-6 years returned and took over the reigns. I had met him several times, and liked his no BS management style, so I expected us to hit it off. For various reasons, I quickly discovered that he was on a major power trip. The sort of guy who is super nice and flexible when around the other SVP's and CEO but as soon as you had him alone in a room he was bloody nuts. He had unreasonable demands in every way possible. Unrealistic targets, management by fear and so forth. A full blown psycho. I, and several colleagues were shocked. But we were making good money, and most people directly in contact with him, were 5-10 years in the company and had broad respect in the management level - so we just did our best and tried to avoid his wrath.

As I had been involved in most large projects and been doing a lot of PA stuff for the OldSVP, I quickly ended up working a lot with NewSVP. In the beginning it was okay, but he became more and more enraged with minor problems and issues, and quickly started firing people left and right. One of our group managers was fired by email on the day after christmas - with over 90 staff on CC, because NewSVP didn't know how to use outlook. It was crazy.

HR department was bewildered and had weekly meeting (shouting meetings) with newSVP. Well, after a while he cooled towards me and sent me back in my old department (under my old employee/group lead) which was fine. A few of the PM's got stressed out and one quit, so we were very busy. I ended up running way too many projects. One of our last big clashes was his unreasonable requirements for me to fly to far away places (10-15 hour flights) to attend simple meeting we'd usually handle over the phone. After 3 weeks of travelling, he demanded me doing another 2 weeks on another continent, and I refused. His rage grew even bigger when he found out I was on a old contract - old contract guys flew business class or first. So I was racking up tens of thousands of dollars on airfare and hotels, while other PM's had to fly cattle class. NewSVP had no idea, and his power play had backfired. He was pissed.

Now while this was happening, my wife was expecting our second child, now, In my country this is a pretty big deal, as parents can take 12 months (by law) leave - and the company pays the first 3 months - and the state pays you like 50% of full salary the last 9 months. Usually dad takes like a month, and mom takes 11. That was "common" back then. However, my wife was not working, so I could theoretically take 12 months - but had requested just 3 months, at the time. I sent the request to my team manager. Now, NewSVP had an alliance with another department head and they began creating static as to my performance. Honestly, I was doing everything right, but not walking the extra mile -as our relationship was so poor now. I was just "sticking to the rules". In all regards, reporting, timesheets, vacation time etc etc.

This alliance to undermine me, of course worked and my team manager called me to a meeting and complained about all of these "complaints" put towards me. They were of course all from newSVP and this one other manager (his friend). However these complaints were never filed in writing and I was never given any formal warnings.

Just a few weeks before my wife is to give birth, it dawns on newSVP that I'm going on leave for 3 months. He is raving mad a bout this, as it will mess up some of the projects i'm running. (I was running at 120% capacity already). I had given notice to this like 6 months earlier but for some reason it had escaped his attention. I had done everything right with HR and team lead. He was pissed. We had a meeting where he basically said he did not want me to come back. But didn't fire me. (Firing someone during leave, is like the biggest no-no in employer law in our country. The fines are huge and the courts always side with employees on this stuff).

So here comes the pro-revenge. Just prior to starting leave, I file a request with HR to extend the leave to 12 months instead of three. I made the cutoff by like 5 days. They emailed me back (none the wiser to the bigger picture). I go on leave. During the first month, I get a million emails and calls about all sorts of extra things I was handling (outside my actual job description) and I helped colleagues and generally ignored managers. They had no right to contact me, but I was nice about it. 2 months in, i'm called to a meeting with HR. I go to the meeting. NewSVP is in his office, sees me come in, looks self-content and I go to meet the very new and naive HR girl. HR girl opens up at me - NewSVP has this huge list of stuff I had supposedly done wrong - as soon as my leave ends they want me gone. Leave ends in 1 month, so they will give me 3 months severance- fuck me. I laugh. I don't tear into her, I just politely make a few points - leave is ending in 10 months - not one - as per my request (I had the emails printed out etc). I'm on old contract so severance is 6 months, i'm on the old stock programme, so I get bonuses etc. She freezes. Then freaks out - "YOU HAVE 12 MONTHS LEAVE AND NEWSVP SENT ME TO FIRE YOU 2 MONTHS IN????!" She knows they are toast. I'm like, yeah, so see you in court. She scurries away, gets the HR SVP, whom I by chance know quite well, and she says - lets do a new meeting. We'll get back to you.

Then I begin the scheduling game. They have no technical right to contact while i'm on leave - so I drag meeting planning out for months. Oh, i'm sick, yes, I have time 2 months from now, bla bla. **The trick is, NewSVP can't hire someone new, until i'm off the books. Company policy.**

And hiring someone for my job, while i'm on leave, is the SECOND biggest no no in my countrys employer laws. Eventually HR director calls me up and is like "ok, what do you want". Well, I ended up with 12 months full pay, fully vested stock options, full company bonus, full department performance bonus, free phone and internet for a year, two free laptops, a free phone and full insurance etc for a year. Altogether more than 150k usd. And I was free to work again while they were paying my 1 year salary. I took the jump and opened my own consulting company, and i'm happier than ever.

After this mess, colleagues were shocked at what had happened, so I took it upon myself to help one of my headhunter friends poach their key employees. After 3 months NEWSVP was moved to a smaller position and after a year, fired. His career never recovered and he is now doing halfassed management consulting from his home office, making less in a year than I do in a month. Not bad. Oh, twice He applied to jobs in companies I was working at as a freelancer. I can't say I was instrumental in him not getting those jobs.....

(source) (story by qwerty_2100)

[dungeonqueering]

This is just the raw text from the images of my last post. I don’t know how to post a document to Tumblr, so this is the next best thing. This is the Resources and Downtime guide. The Carousing table is on page 128 of the DMG.

Resources:

An abstraction of different forms of assets usable during various Downtime activities including construction of new locations, rooms, structures, etc.

Resources are as follows

Goods - These are the physical goods and materials used in construction etc. For example, if you are constructing a tavern, this is the wood, stone, and brick that the building is made from, as well as the tables, chairs, bartop, etc inside.

Labor - This is a representation of workers physically putting your resources to use. If you are constructing a tavern, the building is made of Goods, but Labor is what puts it together. If you use Labor, you don’t have to pay workers.

Wealth - An abstraction of money. One unit of wealth is roughly equivalent to the value of one Rare magic item (500-5000gp). If you can find a seller (or you build a buisiness that can buy them) you can change Rare magic items directly for Wealth. You can use Wealth to purchase other resources you don’t have (at a one-to-one rate), or to pay your employees. Magic- An abstraction of magical resources. If you wanted a permanent teleportation circle, you could use units of Magic instead of casting the spell every day for a year. If you were constructing a wizards tower or a unique magical structure in town, you may include Magic. Certain Wizards are able to disenchant magic items, resulting into units of Magic.

Favors - This represents an abstraction of someone owing you a favor. This favor can be used to represent any other Resource (or another favor of your choosing up to the GM’s discretion). There are two rules, however: First, you must describe who you helped and how you helped them to earn a favor from them. Second, you can only have a total number of Favors equal to your Charisma bonus with a minimum of one.

Spending Resources:

You may spend resources on many tasks primarily including construction, magic item crafting, and more.

Here is a short list of buildings you may want to construct. You may build things not on this list, these merely serve as examples. Note that these are the basic versions of these structures, and you may need to upgrade or reconstruct them later at a higher cost for a more advanced version of the building, depending on the needs of the town.

Apothecary - 2 Goods, 1 Labor

Arena Pit - 1 Goods, 1 Labor

Bank - 5 Wealth, 3 Goods, 2 Labor

Black Market - 3 Favors, 2 Goods, 2 Labor

Brewery - 2 Goods, 2 Labor

Cathedral - 3 Goods, 3 Labor Optional: 1-2 Magic

Smithy - 2 Goods, 2 Labor

Guildhall - 3 Goods, 1 Labor

House - 1 Goods, 1 Labor

Library - 2 Goods, 1 Labor

Street Lamps - 1 Goods, 1 Labor Optional: 1 Magic

Fountain - 1 Goods, 1 Labor

Statue -1 Goods, 1 Labor

Mill - 2 Goods, 1 Labor

Tavern - 2 Goods, 2 Labor

Watchtower - 1 Goods, 1 Labor

Downtime Statistics:

PCs will have extra stats to monitor that apply exclusively to downtime activities. They are as follows

Morale - The town’s morale meter is primarily used when trying to rally individual members or large portions of the town to action. Scale goes 1-100. When trying to convince someone to undertake an action, the DM may call for a Morale check instead of a Charisma (Persuasion) Check. A Morale Check is a d% check, where you try to roll UNDER the Morale score of the town. Morale deteriorates slowly over time, but can be increased by you undertaking actions to improve the town’s infrastructure, aesthetic appeal, safety, etc.

Renown - A numeric value starting at 0 ranging up to 50. It represents how known (and liked) you are in an organization, town, or other group. You can have different Renown scores for different groups or locations. You can take downtime intentionally improving renown in an organization. 

Loyalty - A score that the DM tracks secretly. This score only applies to close allies or those you work with frequently. It goes from 0 to 20, and the maximum is equal to the highest Charisma score of anyone in the party. It determines how much danger or inconvenience is willing to undertake for you.

Downtime

Downtime will represent a broad range of activities undertaken when not actively adventuring. This will not be a full representation of all possible activities, just a broad range of examples. We can collaboratively come up with other activities not represented here. In general, a downtime activity will involve you making a roll of some kind, followed by a description of what happens, and you receiving the rewards for what you do. Each downtime activity represents one full week of time spent (typically 8 hours a day for 5 days) unless otherwise noted.. Because of this, roleplaying activities may happen during your free time on work days, or on any days off, and can happen concurrently with a downtime activity. Downtime activities may accrue complications up to the DM’s discretion.

Downtime occurs in three phases: Phase 1 - Upkeep

You pay any upkeep costs (in gp or resources) associated with any businesses or other ongoing costs you may have.

Phase 2 - Activity

You take your week’s activity.

Phase 3 - Income

You gain any benefits of your activities, as well as any ongoing benefits you have such as income from a business.

Suggested Downtime Activities:

Carouse - You party, drink, gamble, etc. Spend money as if living a wealthy lifestyle.  Roll 1d% and add your level on the Carousing table. This WILL change as the town becomes larger.

Work - This will vary wildly based on what type of work you do, and you may gain money or resources depending on who you work for and what you do. You will earn according to GM discretion.

Craft - You will need special resources and tools to craft magic items, but this is a goal you can work towards. For crafting mundane items, you may do so with the appropriate tools. Divide the desired item’s sale price by 50. This is the number of weeks it will take to craft, and you will pay one third of the regular cost (in raw materials). If multiple people are working on the same item, divide the number of weeks it will take by the number of crafters.

Focus on New Abilities - When Leveling, you are required to spend a number of weeks equal to your level focusing on your new abilities and training before these abilities take effect. You are capable of doing other things at the same time. For example, a Ranger could go into the woods to hunt and gather, thereby gaining food and so on at the same time that they practice their new skills.

Crime - This represents some time spent casing a place before actually comitting the robbery. Roll Dex (Stealth), Dex + Thieves Tools, and Int (Investigation). The DC is chosen by the player according to the targeted goal for aquisition. DC 10 yields 50 gp, DC 15 yields 100gp, DC 20 yields 200 gp, DC 25 yields 1,000gp. One success means you gain no money, but you escape unharmed and are not made. Two means you get half the possible wealth. Three means you get it all.

Gambling - The player may gamble any amount of money from 10 gp to 1,000 gp (or more at the GM’s discretion. You must roll Wis (Insight), Cha (Deception), and Sex (Sleight of Hand). If you are proficient in a gaming set, that proficiency may replace any one of these skills. The DC for each check is 5+2d10 (rolled by the DM). All failures means you not only lose your money, but accrue an equal debt. One success and you lose half your money. Two successes and you win back what you bet, plus half. Three sucesses and you double your money.

Relaxation - You spend a week relaxing. You gain advantage on saving throws against ongoing effects, as well as being able to, at the end of the week, choose to end one ongoing effect that prevents you from restoring HP or reduces Ability Scores.

Religious Service - To perform a sermon, roll either Intelligence (Religion) or Charisma (Persuasion). You may accrue resource benefits, contacts, improve morale, or other effects. This represents a week of prep followed by a service. 

Research - This requires a library or some other source of information appropriate to the piece of lore you are attempting to find. This represents a week of research and grants you advantage on a knowledge roll to uncover some piece of information. On a 1- 5 You fail. 6- 10 You learn one piece of lore.11 - 20 You learn two pieces of lore. 21+ You learn three pieces of lore.

Sow Rumors - Sowing rumors takes a one week for a small town, two for a moderately sized one, and three for a large one. You spend 7gp per week, and roll Charisma (Persuasion) at DC 15. If you succeed, you may sow one rumor, changing the community’s attitude towards one person, place, concept, religion, etc.

Training (Proficiencies, Languages, Tools) - You can spend 36 weeks (at seven gold pieces per week for a total of 252 gp) training a new language, tool proficiency, etc. You must have an instructor. The training doesn’t have to be consecutive, but must not be broken up by more than 6 weeks.

Exploration/Scouting - You make a check (determined by the DM) appropriate to the location you are scouting. For example, The wilds may require Survival. Your DM will determine a DC and passing it may reveal resources, allies, encounters, or other possible rewards.

[jalikacherie]

With Christmas around the corner, kids are begging their parents for pets. Some of the little ones know the breed they want. It’s crazy to see these kids giving the specifics. I already have a dog who is my Emotional Support Animal, so my son thinks we should get another dog for him.

Although it’s not happening, it makes me wonder what it is that makes these kids want a dog. Is it for companionship or do they just think it’s because they’re cute? Is it because of all of the holiday commercials with dogs and cats? Maybe you should adopt a pet for the holidays! (Shameless plug for the animal shelters!)

In any case, purchasing a pet can be super expensive. There are expenses such as: buying your pet, shots, licenses, first vet visit, food, leashes, and all the other little necessary accessories. If you got it, you got it but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should spend it. Here are a few reasons why you should adopt a pet instead of purchasing one from a local pet store or breeder.

1. You’re Saving A Life

This is one of the biggest reasons why you should adopt a pet. There are a lot of kill shelters that are still around. If dogs do not get adopted, they will eventually be put down. Some dogs are deemed unadoptable and it’s not always because they have bitten someone. Some may gain that title by sitting in the pound for a while and being looked over, some may look ratty or undesirable, some are mutts, others may just be taking up space that another more desirable dog could fill.

2. You Save Money

When you purchase from a breeder or a pet store, they will charge you hundreds and thousands of dollars for animals. If you go to an animal shelter, you can get the same breed of dog for a fraction of the price. For example, here in Houston, the BARC center is running a special with the following prices:

Waggy Wednesday – $10 for Dogs adoption fees every Wednesday in December!

Feline Friday – $5 for Cat & Kitten adoption fees every Wednesday in December!

And SPCA Houston has (let’s say) dogs, for the following prices:

$95 for Small Dogs, $195 for Puppies & Purebreds, $45 for Seniors (7 years and older)

$55 for Large Dogs, $95 for Puppies & Purebreds, $25 for Seniors (7 years and older)

$25 for Cats, $75 for Kittens, $15 for Seniors (7 years and older)

There are so many other animals and pricing. You can see the rest of the pricing by clicking on BARC and/or SPCA Houston.

  3. Shots Are Included

Some, if not all shelters will give the animals shots when they receive them. This is to ensure the health of the animal. After that, your animal will need their annual shots.

4. Spay and Neuter Services Are Included

This prevents more animals from ending up in shelters. It is a way to control the animal population and prevent people from breeding.

5. Every Animal Needs Love

Yes, there may be a lot of mixed breeds in shelters or animals that dog look beautiful but you know what? They deserve to be loved just as much as the full bred. Besides, if you’re lucky, you may even get your hands on a full-bred right there at the animal shelter.

6. Making Room For Others Strays

When you adopt a pet, that leaves room for other animals to be housed while they wait for adoption. There are periods when there is no room for new intake and you know what happens to those animals? Some are sent to kill shelters to be euthanized. Sad huh?

7. You’re Doing A Good Deed

I know some people feel like they shouldn’t do anything good for others unless they get attention for it. Well, rescuing a dog for a shelter is a good deed so eat your heart out and show off how you rescued your poor sweet animal *eye roll*

8. You’re Helping Shelters Remain Open

When your shelter receives donations and business, it helps them remain open so that they can continue to rescue animals. The funds they receive go to food, housing, and pay for employees.

9. You’re Giving These Animals Another Chance

Not all animals in the shelter were picked up off of the street. There are a bunch of them that have been surrendered by their owners. If a good person adopts these animals, you can save them for those who would force them to fight each other. Of course, this does not apply to cats.

10. It Puts Bad Breeders Out Of Business

Did you know that many breeders breed these animals and keep them housed in terrible conditions? Did you know that they force these animals to have babies nonstop so that they could keep making money off of the puppies? Once the parents are deemed useless, they are killed and discarded. You may think that you’re getting a puppy without any behavioral problems but tell me, how does a breeder keep a close eye on all of those puppies and train them and love them? Exactly! That’s not to say that all breeders are bad, but most are. The ones that are is what we call puppy mills.

****Bonus****

Imagine adopting an animal that has never been loved or taken care of properly! They’ll love you like no other and that will make you happy. Pets are good for the soul. They make you happy, he’ll keep you in shape, and they are good companions.

I will always be an advocate for pet shelters. That’s where I got my Princess from. I only paid $50 and she had her shots, license, and was spayed. Then, I took her to see a vet at Banfield Pet Hospital, which is inside of Pet Smart. I used a coupon that made it free since it was a first-time visit. So, I only ended up paying about $18 and that was for flea prevention. So all in all, I would say that I did well in the money-saving department. I love getting more bang for my buck. I’m always looking for coupons and deals to save money when I shop.

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My Princey Princess!

She’s hugging me!

She’s hugging me!

Her other bestie!

Sleepy!

Sleepy!

Just chilling!

Here’s a collection of my little Princess who is my Emotional Support Animal. I adopted her last year in June. When I first got her she was super shy and didn’t want people in her face but she laid in my arms and turned away from everyone else who tried to touch her. That’s how I knew she was the doggy for me!

Buying your child’s new pet does not have to break the bank. Adopt a pet and Save Millions of animals’ lives. Go to your local animal shelter as find your child’s companion, today. If you don’t know where one is located, you may locate one by using the adopt a pet website. You may do so by clicking here.

Check out my previous holiday post. I’m sure many of you will enjoy my Holiday Survival Guide! If you haven’t already, sign up for my email list and follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

With Christmas around the corner, kids are begging their parents for pets. purchasing a pet can be super expensive. Here are a few reasons why you should adopt a pet instead of purchasing one from a local pet store or breeder. With Christmas around the corner, kids are begging their parents for pets. Some of the little ones know the breed they want.

[rgr-pop]

@histaria omg in that thread a lot of people immediately started talking about “gifts” from employers to employees. i am pretty sure the original tweet was more about middle class people giving things to their kids’ teachers or their mail carriers, but i can see that it’s more ambiguous. it’s pretty interesting that people thought about gift “bonuses” from employers first, though, and there’s a problem there that gets to the heart of the problem itself and my problem with the whole conversation: these kinds of “bonuses” are transparently not gifts, they’re just a way to make a spectacle of generosity in place of a “traditional” bonus, when bonuses were historically a way to make a spectacle in place of cost of living increases etc: if gift card gifts fill in for the bonus, the bonus filled in for redistribution of profit. i have read a few things on this but i can’t remember which, i went looking and i found this citation of viviana zelizer, which is interesting, i don’t think i was thinking of her, but her son and daughter in law are two of the biggest figures in u.s political history. the historical line she offers there is interesting, but i’m not sure i would agree that the bonus emerged to “replace” “traditional” gifts as much as they used christmas opportunistically, imo. here:

Most employers, however, continued to want to treat the bonus as a discretionary gift; after all, this custom of “remembering the workers” served them well to oversee and regulate workers’ productivity as well as assuring their loyalty. Indeed, it is reported that Woolworth’s first Christmas cash bonus to employees in 1899 ($5 for each year of service, with a limit of $25) was meant to match competitors’ higher wages and avoid a salesgirls’ strike. It was probably also a cheaper way to pay overtime. Around 1910, a 25-year-old saleswoman working in a New York department store told a National Consumers’ League investigator that in the week before Christmas “she worked standing over fourteen hours every day… so painful to the feet becomes the act of standing for these long periods that some of the girls forgo eating at noon in order to give themselves ..a foot-bath.” For this overtime the store gave her $20 “presented to her, not as payment, but as a Christmas gift.”

i think that’s really important, and it was concerning to me that someone was talking about ostensible actual gifts between actual people and other people folded seasonal employment perks into it. but then i considered that maybe that’s the problem itself: christmas gifts to teachers and service workers are not gifts. what are they? a display of power? are people not giving cash to service workers because it’s “impersonal” really? (setting aside the obvious, which is more important than people on there seem to think it is: it’s a fantasy to think that someone can afford even gifting $20 just because they gave you a Thing. it’s hilarious to me that people think they are spending $20 on the random shit they gave you, even beside the probable case of someone else gave them that damn candle and now they are giving it to you, like, talk about the labor of christmas, people are MYSTIFIED about how housewives can afford all that lotion and candles) (that part just reinforces my belief that christmas gifting is about the work of finding ways for money to do impossible things, which moms and middle class housewives are experts at, sorry) the truth is that that housewife paid, like, at most $5 for that tea and mug for you, because that’s the unfortunate reality of mass production. the problem is that you don’t want the mug and tea probably, and most importantly  you don’t like the demonstration of the gift. a gift like this is that power imbalance made physical, right, it’s a refusal to give you cash. but it is also true that $3-5, the value of that gift probably, in a card, would be insulting (and would not do the work of demonstrating generosity). it’s both. 

given all that, a gift card is most evil (although i allow that these people are acquiring them through...i dunno, credit card points? are there still credit card points? are there still credit cards?*) (gonna assume that businesses are gifted gift cards from other businesses, at annual secret meetings, for this plot specifically) because it says “i could have given you $15-25 but instead i’m giving you the gift of limiting control over your own life” “i could have given you $15-25 but instead i’m giving target $15-25,” which is much worse than some tea or a candle, and anybody who thinks otherwise is a paid target sponsor.

*i mean, in seriousness, people do get gift cards through various means that disguise themselves as consumer or employment benefits! why doesn’t antimlm care about the great mlm that is gift cards 

[nathanjhill]

Do you deserve a break?

Scripture: Nehemiah 13:15-22

On Wednesday night, I was sitting in a church meeting at our regional office. It was late. Past 9 PM. It had been a long day with a ton of stuff on my plate. So I tweeted out a mild complaint - “I’m stuck in a church meeting - someone get me out of here.” And one of my friends on Twitter, Jason Poon, replied:

"Someone preach the theology of Sabbath to these people!!!"

Like many of you, I live a hectic life. As your pastor, my schedule is crowded with meetings and demands. Sometimes, I stay late into the night here at the church in vital conversation with you about the future of our church and how our ministry can bring Christ’s compassion to our community. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it and believe in the mission God has given us - but I am the first to admit that sometimes it wears me out. Sometimes, I get tired.

Our church is made up of full-time students, federal employees, Uber drivers, teachers, contractors, consultants, and professionals of all kinds - each of you who knows this struggle - doing something that pays the bills and brings you joy but also wears you down. And even for our retirees in our church, some of you are busier after you retired than when you were working full-time.

Work is a gift - but friends, on this Labor Day weekend when we reflect on the gift of getting things done and enjoy a long weekend, I want to ask a practical but theological question -

Do you deserve a break?

In our capitalistic culture, we are taught and encouraged to work hard from a young age.

However, when we talk about vacation and rest in our culture, too often we treat them as luxuries, something that you must earn. Not everyone deserves a day off. Vacation is accrued. We call them benefits. We’ll pay you to work here, and as a bonus we’ll let you take a couple of days off every so often. Of course, those higher up on the food chain tend to have all the benefits they desire.

Too many struggling families have to make life or death choices over what they dare risk missing work for. Too many individuals could use a day off to deal with trauma and pain in their lives but cannot afford to do so. Too many bosses see a worker taking a day off as an annoyance rather than the best thing they can provide.

The word I want to focus on in my question at the core of this sermon is “deserve”.

Do we deserve time away from the hard work and stress of life?

Do we deserve the dignity of being able to recharge and refresh ourselves?

Do we deserve opportunities for self-care and self-love?

Do we deserve a chance to free our bodies from catering to the demands of others and instead experience being with God?

Whether or not you deserve a break is a question and a value that God is adamantly concerned about throughout scripture.

In our reading this morning, we pick up in the middle of the memoirs of Nehemiah, a Jewish leader and reformer who was tasked with helping his people return from exile and rebuild Jerusalem and their beloved temple. Jerusalem and its temple were at the center of Jewish religious and political life. This was a monumental task to be undertaken with great care and hard work.

Stone by stone, gate by gate, building by building, Nehemiah helped the people begin to put back the pieces of their homeland, torn apart by conquering armies years before.

In the midst of their efforts, Nehemiah’s people discover a scroll hidden away behind a wall in the temple, stashed there for safekeeping when the invaders toppled the walls and pillaged their capital. The scroll is a book of law, containing instructions for how to live according to God’s way. When Nehemiah himself hears these words, he tears his clothes out of grief for how much the people had forgotten how to live as their Creator asked.

Among those ways of God that the people had let drift from being central to their lives was Sabbath.

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 reads:

Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.

The Sabbath day was meant to be holy, but as human beings do, we find loopholes in our rules and regulations. Some ancient Jews no doubt asked, “Work is prohibited on the Sabbath, but can’t I go shopping? Shopping isn’t work.” Or, “If we Jews aren’t doing the physical labor, isn’t it okay to assign the work to those foreigners over there?” In Jerusalem, Nehemiah discovered that on Sabbath the gates of the city were left open so that those foreign merchants, who maybe didn’t have to follow the rules like the Jews did, could come in with their food trucks, credit card offers, same day delivery, and fine boutiques to the delight of the residents.

Nehemiah in his effort to restore the glory of his beloved city knew that rebuilding the walls would be useless if the people did not rebuild their care for the life-giving ways of God - if they did not restore the respect for the holiness and sacredness of their lives. Sabbath was intended to be a distinctive practice that shaped the people apart from the ways of the world. Sabbath challenged them to worship God rather than money, consumption, and stuff.

So Nehemiah commanded the gates to be shut, shutting out the marketing, so that on Sabbath, his people might rest and take a day off from moneymaking and wealth generation and buying and selling and improving their status and filling their closets.

For one day a week, shut the gates, so that all people might join Creation in rest.

Sabbath was not just for human beings - but for everything:

In God’s Sabbath, even the livestock that provide us with meat and milk and eggs deserve a break.

In God’s Sabbath, even those who aren’t like you or those lower on the economic ladder - even those who were “slaves” of ancient Israel - and those who are victims of modern day slavery - or stuck in minimum wage jobs - even they deserve the dignity of a day of rest.

Sabbath speaks directly to the reality that human beings too often treat each other as livestock. We treat fellow human beings no different or worse than we treat the animals. We treat each other as animals of burden to help us achieve what we want, creatures to be loaded up and worked to the bone until we can replace them with the next low-skilled laborer in line.

Sabbath is resistance to that - Sabbath affirms the value of all human beings and the value of all living things in Creation.

And when we begin to practice Sabbath, we might begin to imagine a world where there is no more slavery and economic ladders and rat race and debt.

The good news of God is that we all deserve a break, a day off, a time to relax, refresh ourselves, and feed our souls.

Nehemiah shut the gates of the city to create that possibility for the people of Jerusalem -

Will we shut the gates in our lives so that we may return to a cycle of rest with God and all of Creation?

What are some ways we can do this?

We can take a break from success. Our society teaches us to crave success. If we aren’t climbing the ladder, then we are going nowhere. Success is wonderful, but God is far more interested in our faithfulness. We must shut the gate to the idea that we are only worth what we do and achieve in life. We are more than our accomplishments and our failures. We are God’s beloved, and that is enough for today.

We can receive mental health care. All of us will experience times in our lives when it is life-giving and sacred to get help to deal with the stress, anxiety, and pain we carry. I am always happy to meet with you as your pastor and do my best to listen and pray together, but a trained licensed professional can help any of us sort through the burdens we carry so that our bodies, minds, and souls may rest. It is never a shameful thing to seek help. And if you don’t need it, maybe you will encounter someone this week who does. Here are two numbers to remember - National Suicide Hotline - 1-800-273-8255, UMD Counseling Center - (301) 314-7651

We deserve to be with our people. This may be family, this may be a circle of friends, this may be people who know your journey best and can understand you better than anyone else. Sometimes, this is your church family - but sometimes, even your church family can’t be this for you. We all deserve space where we don’t have to perform for each other. Where we can be who we are just as we are. Where we can shut our walls and be who God created us to be. Do you have people like that in your life? Do you have space like this in your life? If not, you truly deserve it.

We deserve no more church meetings that go past 9 PM. (Haha)

Black feminist author Audrey Lorde wrote, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Our Sabbath practice as Christians is resistance to a world and society that often seeks to devalue and degrade our human dignity - some more than others. In God, our humanity and our bodies are celebrated as temples where God’s Spirit dwells.

Yes, we deserve a break.

May we work for a world where all living things experience rest. May we care for ourselves and each other. May we take a break along with Creation

[thedandeliondays-blog]

• sometimes you just need a few bad-ass females to perk up your day. •

1. WILD A biographical book-turned-film based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed. A recent divorcée with no prior hiking experience, Cheryl embarks on a motivational, inspirational journey of self-discovery and healing - hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

2. Colonia Also known as ‘The Colony’ -  stars Emma Watson (Hello, ultimate feminist Queen!!) as Lena, one half of the young German couple who the film is based around. During the 1973 Chilean coup d'état her boyfriend Daniel is abducted by the secret service after getting caught up in a military operation where supporters of the President Salvador Allende are being rounded up by the military. Lena tracks him to a secret organisation ‘Colonia Dignidad’ which presents itself as a charitable mission run by a preacher. She joins the organisation in hopes to find a way to Daniel, only to then realise that it is actually a cult which no one has ever left alive.

3. Bend it like Beckham A romantic comedy based in London, telling the story of Jess, an 18 year old girl who breaks the mould. Raised in a family of Punjabi Sikhs her family expect her to go on to university, secure a high-end job and become a model housewife for her Sikh husband, but Jess has other plans. Jess has a love and remarkable skill in football, her family’s worst nightmare as ‘girls don’t play football.’ She secretly joins a local girls team, meeting her best friend Jules (Kiera Knightley) and eventually falling for her coach Joe. It all seems like the perfect secret, a double life until the all important final is scheduled for the day of her sisters wedding!

4. Memoirs of a Geisha A Japanese-American epic drama based on a novel by the same name. Chiyo, born to a poverty-stricken family is sold along with her sister into a life of servitude. Satsu, her older sister is sent to a brothel while Chiyo is bought by the ‘Mother’ of a geisha house in Kyoto. Chiyo strives to become a world-renowned geisha with a lot of troubles and setbacks on her way, mostly from the cruel and jealous rival she has in older geisha Hatsumomo from the same okiya. A story of love, strength and self-worth - I recommend both the film and the book.

5. Matilda Although it’s a film aimed at the younger generation, Matilda addresses some major subject matters such as sexism, child neglect and personal identity. Matilda is a gifted child from a broken home, constantly put down by her slob parents and favoured less than her older brother. She teaches herself to read by visiting the library when her parents leave her home alone as a young child (the film and book imply that she is around four or five), her parents do not value education but she begs them to let her go to school. At Crunchem Hall elementary Matilda meets the tyrannical headmistress Agatha Trunchbull who abuses her position to bully the children in her care. Along with the help of her kind teacher Miss Honey, Matilda rids the school of Trunchbull and eventually is adopted into a loving home with Miss Honey. 

6. The Help An insight into the world of African-American women forced to work in White households in Mississippi during the 1960′s. Skeeter, an aspiring writer from a White family who has been raised by her beloved Constantine, a maid who brought her up and then was cruelly dismissed by her Mother when Skeeter was away at university - works in secret with the housemaids around Jackson, collecting stories and insights from those who have experienced life as “The Help” - some accounts describe generous and loving households while others reveal the cruel, brutal lives they have faced as employees of White families. This book adaptation is not just a pivotal movement for women, but especially for people of colour too. 

7. Cadet Kelly You may have come across this one if you watched Disney Channel during the early 00′s. Starring Hilary Duff, Cadet Kelly is the story of an 8th grade girl sent to military school by her Stepfather who is a commandant of the George Washington Military Academy, where she initially has trouble fitting in, especially with her Cadet Captain who dislikes her instantly. It’s a story of growth and acceptance, resulting in a happy ending - like all Disney’s! 

8. Carrie A classic film with many remakes, Carrie tells the story of a troubled girl - neglected by her overly religious Mother who frequently locks her in a cupboard to pray for repentance. Carrie is bullied at school, one of the most cruel attacks being when she begins her period in the school showers, something which her Mother hadn’t warned her about - and thinks she is bleeding to death, causing a hysterical reaction which the other girls find hilarious, cruelly chanting at her and banging the doors to the showers until a kind PE teacher rescues her. Carrie experiences unexplained powers which she regards at first as miracles, but then researches Telekinesis and  realises that she has a gift. She uses the gift to fight back against her Mother, determined to go to prom which her Mother declares a sin. The prom is a disaster after the school bully rigs the voting of prom Queen so Carrie is up on stage in time for a bucket of pigs blood to drench her, the bucket knocking her date unconscious. Full of rage Carrie releases uncontrollable powers that kill all but 11 of her school peers, setting the gymnasium on fire and causing carnage throughout the town. 

9. Mulan A classic Disney movie based on the true story of Hua Mulan, it tells the story of a female warrior from the Han Dynasty in China. Conscription means one male from each family must join to fight against the Huns, Mulan’s father is an elderly war veteran who wouldn’t be strong enough to make it home from war, so Mulan cuts her hair and dresses in his armor so she can pass herself off as a man eligible to enlist. Mulan fights against the Huns, falling in love with her Captain but of course she can’t reveal her true identity or she faces being killed for her deception. 

10. Tracks Based the memoir of the same name by Robyn Davidson, tracks chronicles her nine-month journey on camels across the Australian desert, documented by a National Geographic photographer. The cinematography is exceptional in this film. 

11. Erin Brockovich A dramatisation of the true story of Erin Brockovich who fought against the  ‘Pacific gas and electric company’. Starring Julia Roberts, Erin is an unemployed single mother of three children who has recently been in a traffic accident and is suing her doctor. She loses the case and after a lot of persuasion her lawyer feels sorry for her and gives her a job. She begins researching the case notes in the files she’s employed to file away, eventually finding a loophole in a case against the PG&E, she takes them to court - resulting in $333 Million for the victims of the case. Erin herself receives a $2 Million bonus, enough to set her and her children up for life. 

12. Belle Both empowering for women and also for people of colour, especially those who are mixed race. Belle is inspired by the 1799 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate, mixed-race great-niece of the 1st Earl of Mansfield. She is found living in poverty by her father and entrusted to the care of Mansfield and his wife. The fictional film centres on Dido's relationship with an aspiring lawyer; it is set at a time of legal significance, as a court case is heard on what became known as the Zong massacre, when slaves were thrown overboard from a slave ship and the owner filed with his insurance company for the losses. Lord Mansfield rules on this case in England's Court of King's Bench in 1786, in a decision seen to contribute to the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.

13. 10 Things I Hate about you So much more than a 90′s chick-flick! 10 things is a modernisation of Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the Shrew’ - revolving around Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) who plays a headstrong, feminist with no interest in social hierarchy or boys. Her sister is forbidden to date boys until Kat does, spurring off the beginning of Patrick’s (Heath Ledger) interest in her. Paid to date her by the popular boy who wants her sister, Patrick eventually falls for her and she him but this is so much more than a love story. We get to watch witty Kat verbally destroy sexist classmates, high school norms and social status, making this one of the best girl power movies of the 90′s. 

14. Pocahontas Another Disney classic based on a true story, Pocahontas is the adapted version of the life of Matoaka (later nicknamed Pocahontas) the daughter of Chief Powhatan, also the name of their tribe in North America. A free spirit, she fears being married off to Kocoum, a brave yet serious warrior from her tribe. She visits Grandmother Willow, a talking willow tree for advice - who alerts her to the Englishmen arriving in the new world. Though historically inaccurate in significant parts, Pocahontas became the first Native American Disney Princess and first woman of colour in a leading role in any Disney film. 

15. The Craft A film showcasing female empowerment and sexuality, also showing dramatic examples of what can happen when women tear each other down instead of building them up. The craft tells the story of a coven of modern-day witches, using witchcraft and black magic for their own gain, and the negative repercussions they encounter.