#which is like. like. maybe that’s useful in some contexts but it’s not really the important thing here

[kiefbowl]

i made a string of really dumb financial decisions and now im in debt that might take me years to pay off, do you have any words of wisdom for me queen. like that feels bad. how do i even save up. imagine flushing a pile of money down the toilet thats what this debt it

I know how that feels, believe me. A lot of people do. I'm feeling the pain of my 9 month school loans, and credit cards I had already paid off back "on" again (one in particular is pretty high...whooooops).

Don't lose your cool, I have a couple of flexible suggestions that you take, use, and modify to your specifics:

Tithe yourself - if your job does direct deposit (which most do!), you can direct deposit your money into multiple accounts. Get it set up so your paycheck goes 90% into your checking account, 10% into your savings account so that you're not even thinking about it. You might feel the squeeze for a little bit but you'll acclimate to that "missing" 10% sooner than you think.

Ask for a raise - if you're working, ask for a raise. If you're new, or maybe not that "great", or they're penny-pinchers, or you're just nervous to ask, don't even worry about it. Ask for 3% - this is low, and most jobs will give it to you just for the convenience of getting you to stop bothering them about it (if they can't afford 3%, run run run). For context, if you make $10 an hour, a 3% raise only gives you $12.00 more each week. It's really not much, but not nothing! If you're NOT worried about asking a raise, go all in! Ask for 10%, maybe even 15%. Flex some negotiation skills. Maybe you'll walkaway with 7%, but every penny counts.

Get yourself on auto payments [at the smallest amounts you can] - if you've got credit cards, log in right now and get yourself on auto payments for the smallest amount. If you've got student loans, do the same thing. If you've got utility bills, get them on auto pay. These things take 3 minutes to set up, and there are phone numbers to call if you can't figure it out. These companies WANT you to do this, they will help you get it done.

Work off the smallest amount you owe first [aggressively] - Let's say you have a $60 parking ticket, a credit card you owe $400 on, and three student loans that are currently at $6,000 & $7,000 & $10,000. Forget the student loans right now, you've got them on autopay for the smallest amount you can get away with. First, pay off that $60 parking ticket with your next pay check before it becomes a $200 ticket and a court appearance. Now you can focus on the paying off the $400 aggressively. Your minimum payments will still go off, but every time you get a paycheck, long on and pay an additional amount to the credit card (something you can manage and will also feel good to your brain - $50 feels good when you're thinking of your debit in hundreds for example). Once you've got that paid off, now you can aggressively pay off your $6,000. Don't worry about the other two. Just focus on the smallest amount you owe. Each paycheck, payoff a chunk of your smallest debt. It'll get exciting after awhile, like yes I get paid I can make that credit card even smaller. Gamify it, whatever.

Stop worrying about how long it will all take - Only worry about the smallest amount of debt you owe and how (reasonably) fast you can get that paid off. That $400 credit card, if you can spare $100 each pay check - that's only 4 paychecks. That's not too long, right? That's the way to think of time and debt: how much can you spare each paycheck to pay off your lowest debt.

Ask for help - do not punish yourself by lying to your parents and friends. Tell your friends you can't do fancy dinners because you are paying off debt and can't afford it. Real friends will bring over a pizza to hang with you. Your parents might be willing to send you a check without you asking for it. Don't feel guilty about monetary gifts, just take it. Go to a bank and talk about their consolidation options. Bring a third party so you aren't dazzled by sales pitches. Consolidation loans aren't objectively good or bad, they can be a life saver if they have the right terms that work for you. Don't think it's over your head! Ask as many questions until you understand all your options.

Buy smart, stop suffering - this really should be like 4 different bullet points, but I'm going to be as concise as possible: you'll never get out of debt if you spend your money without purpose, and you'll never get out under the yoke of anxiety that you fucked up if you just squirrel your money away in fear. A lot of people will give you advice that you need to put yourself on a tight, punishing budget. Maybe, but I think those are doomed to fail for most people. And now you feel twice as bad. Don't do that to yourself. Learning the value of $10 is important. So it learning the value of $100, or $1,000. And the best way to learn is to practice buying and using your money - there's a cheap $1,000 and an expensive $10, and you have to learn how much value you are getting out of these amounts for these purchases. If you punish yourself all week, and then allow yourself a "little treat" on Sunday - that doesn't feel worthwhile to me. Those little treats will grow every day. Soon you're stopping at Starbucks every day for "just $10" and your Sunday treat has become a weekly blow out brunch with friends and then week to week you're scrounging to eat Top Ramen and lamenting your dreams are dying. Instead, save money by spending money on things worthwhile that make you budget for them. Go sign up for those yoga classes you want, go sign up for those guitar lessons you want, go sign up for those art lessons you want, whatever it is. Whatever brings value to your life. Your $70 a week yoga membership can now be valued against your $70 week at Starbucks, and as your pockets pinch one hopes you'll choose the yoga over the Starbucks because one hopes that the yoga is serving you better. Or maybe yoga is ass and you want to spend it on Starbucks, at least now you know. Though I recommend your local coffee shop, as Starbucks is a union busting piece of shit corporation :)

[mazzystar24]

I think we'll get a will mention but Chris will still go with the Diaz parents in the end. But only temporarily. Like they'll want to take Chris with them, saying something about how they're next in line or best suited to have him or some kind of comment that makes Eddie go "well actually, no. It's in my will that Buck gets Christopher." But Buck will give Chris the choice of what he wants to do/where he wants to go.

And I think Chris knows that if he goes with Buck, there's too much of a chance of seeing/hearing about his dad or Buck trying to make peace quicker than either of them needs, and I think Chris needs to be away from his dad (the Kim thing + general teenagerness) so he goes with his grandparents, temporarily.

And Buck is there to tell Eddie he's not a bad father, he's not a bad person, he's clearly still dealing with trauma and grief and needs to focus on himself and put himself first right now. So we end season 7 with Eddie (somewhat) isolated, working through all this, figuring some things out, and Season 8 we get fresh start Eddie 2.0

I actually think that the Diaz parents WONT be complete assholes about it but I think they’ll like be a bit confused and like pushy with why Buck is involved like they’ll be very much like this is a serious private matter why is the white boy here again? AND THEN WILL MENTION - also adding this in after I wrote the second paragraph of this so this might be out of context but that’s another way they can show their growth like sorta respond to bucks place in the Diaz family in a way that contrasts their relationship with Shannon

Like something about these two pics make me think that they’ll be really leaning into their redemption arcs and just have them be supportive and reassuring- which if they do sorta show them earning their redemption arc more I’d actually be all for, unlike the Buckley parents who they just SAY they’re redeemed while never showing us their behaviour changing

Like the second pic very much gives the same energy ramon and Eddie’s reconciliation had and maybe actually that’ll come up and ramon says something about how Eddie needs to take some time not just for Chris but for himself, to see who he is outside of being a father, maybe even talk about his own faults as a father and how Eddie’s never not had to be in dad mode cos of him

Plus I feel like the Diaz parents having more conflict with Eddie would just give too much to unpack by the time s8 comes around if that makes sense

Also totally agree they should give SOME justification for why Chris wouldn’t stay with buck instead

And totally agree with the whole last part of your ask and fingers crossed that’s what happens🤞🤞🤞

[desceros]

Could you tell us more about the dredge au? (Sorry if this is considered a request)

not at all, and i'm more than happy to go into details!! (<- is deeply, deeply unwell about this au)

first off, i will link to some things. here is the dredge steam page, and here is the dredge wiki. i can't speak highly enough of the game, and i really recommend that you pick it up if you can, or watch a good let's play if you can't. it's also on consoles if that's how you get your stuff, but obvs i can't link that from here hahaha

anyway, dredge is a game where you play as a fisherman. you catch fish, sell them, and start to notice that things are... off about the world. some fish look strange, like they're cursed. they're called aberrations by the locals and their descriptions are...

...unsettling.

for several years now, mist descends on the ocean every night and chokes out the sky, and it makes you... see things. frightening things. sea monsters that hunt you. eyes floating in the distance. tentacles rising from the deep and capsizing your boat. the less you sleep, the worse these things get, but some things can only be caught at night. your job is to hunt down these bizarre artifacts for a mysterious collector, even though it feels like a bad omen to do so.

the dredge au has you, fisherman-chan, as a fisherman in this world. you were orphaned at a young age, and the lighthouse keeper in greater marrows took you in. not really... adopting you, per se, just kind of. keeping you off the street. and you've always, always wanted to sail. the freedom, the open ocean, all of it. you want a home, but have never really felt like you had one. not until donnie shows you that maybe home isn't a place, but the people there.

donnie and the other turtles are turtle aberrations. i can't really go into details about what that means or how it happened without spoiling both the game and future fics i'm planning on writing, but basically you can think of them as mutants, still. just eldritch mutants instead of ooze mutants hahahaha

to give some context without spoiling too much, there's a superstition in the game that consuming aberrant fish gives you eternal life, or maybe it just makes you mad. there's a kind of thread where the less sanity you have, the more you See things. and the au plays with this, making it not completely transparent what's real and what isn't, having you unsure if you're experiencing things that are actually there or if you're hallucinating. also, in order to talk to donnie and lavi, you have to be a little... loopy. the closer to madness you are, the closer to the sea you are, and the closer you are to donnie.

which, oh yeah, lavi is there, because eventually donnie knocks you up because papatello is the number one tello.

if i had to describe it in other terms, i'd say the au is kind of... shape of water meets little mermaid meets lovecraft. we're still doing our thing where we mash out the details bouncing back and forth so it's not like a solid Thing just yet, but as we hash things out i imagine more fics and art will be coming hehehe

[theflyindutchwoman]

Okay so now that the season is over and the dust has settled… and also to give us all something to do over the hiatus: what are your five favorite chenford scenes/moments from season 6?

Oooh, that's a really good question, thank you for this trip down memory lane ᡣ𐭩

. 05 - The Elevator Hug (6.09) Ngl, I hesitated between this moment, the wedding dance and the birthday card… But, ultimately, I have to go with this one (for tonight ha!). Maybe it's because I just love their hugs so much - and this one is so beautiful… It mirrors their hug at the hospice perfectly, which is one of my favourite scene of theirs. Maybe it's because of the context, making this one extra special. Or maybe it's because of all the lovely details, like Tim melting into her embrace, Lucy closing her eyes after he says "I'm okay now" and squeezing him a bit more… You can feel the love and caring amidst all the hurt and heartbreak. It doesn't fix anything, it is simply a short respite for the both of them… and for us.

. 04 - Letting Lucy sleep in (6.03) It's a small scene, but the gesture is incredibly sweet. And domestic with Tim getting dressed in front of her. Of course, Primm had to ruin it with his mind games and all, but I just love this little moment where we could see Tim taking care of Lucy and letting her rest because she needed it.

. 03 - Trophy (6.03) + Radio Gift (6.05) Technically, these are two different scenes… But the idea behind it is similar. In both cases, it's Tim taking the time to make silly - but meaningful - gifts to Lucy to show her the support she deserves and how proud he is of her. It's about acknowledging her in a season where it often felt like she was isolated and alone… if not unseen. And, of course, there is the wonderful "you could never disappoint me", something she desperately needed to hear.

. 02 - Battle Couple (6.10) My favourite trope and these two do it so well… even when they're no longer a couple and things are still awkward between them. The whole sequence was so good : Lucy speeding to get to Tim, coming up with a crazy plan and giving instructions to Angela who didn't even blink an eye… that jump… and when things finally slowed down, that look between Tim and Lucy… the man was shooketh.

. 01 - Hospital scene (6.04) Hands down, my favourite scene of the season. From the way Lucy was all alone, in clear distress over the events of the day but trying to hold it together, to Tim who rushed to her side, not even taking the time to change his clothes and yet had the presence of mind to take her bag with him… To him trying to make her laugh a little, touching her to ground her in the present and reassure her (and him for that matter) and engulfing her in a hug to comfort her… And what a hug! He was trying to shield her, cradling her, his hand on her head and her hand on his chest, close to his heart as if she needed to hear his beating heart… Such a great parallel to some of their other hugs. And of course : "let's go home".

[gemsofgreece]

RE: the Anon about bad Greek representation in the game Hades 2

Hello, I answered your ask last night however I was soon notified that the link you added came from a YouTuber who, apart from the incidental valid points made in this particular video, has altogether different motives and beliefs than the ones I wish this blog to be associated with. So I deleted the ask with the link but I am giving you my original answer regarding problematic Greek representation intact. Besides, this video does not analyze why such representation in the context of Greek mythology and identity is questionable but rather disregards diversity in media just for the sake of it. So any person interested in Greek matters won’t learn much from watching it.

Like I said the basis of his points in this video makes sense. However, I don't know, I feel like all this discourse regarding the poor, agenda driven Greek representation and the appropriation of the mythology drains me and for no good reason.

Unfortunately, I have realised that the people who support such questionable treatment of the Greek cultural heritage among other things, supposedly for the sake of the greater good of inclusivity and diversity, are absolutely not open to feedback and other opinions and appear unable to entertain the possibility that they have chosen toxic, problematic and - above all - counterproductive ways to support those very important values. The same exact thing is happening with companies - say Netflix and Disney - which are left scratching their heads about what is going wrong and all their new projects are bombing so bad. It is funny how so many people around the world consider the answer obvious but the companies are still having crisis meetings to solve the impossible challenge.

There are several reasons I do not bother much with it. First of all, all this discourse and the urgency for a diverse Dodecatheon is an exclusively American concern through and through. People from Africa, Asia and South America resolutely couldn't care less and I have read in several comments that many people feel weird about how North Americans and a few West Europeans act regarding those matters. I feel disconnected from all these people both in terms of age and interests and as a Greek I also feel entirely disconnected from all these "Greek inspired" products. We all know very well that there's nothing Greek about the Hades videogame, the LO comic, Percy Jackson, Kratos and so on. Literally nothing whatsoever.

The most annoying thing about it is that these people genuinely think they "know" Greek culture. But honestly I think at some point soon they will grow out of it. Most of them are really young and act young about it, you know? At some point the companies also will either shut down or change tactics and content. Because the "piss on" trend of course doesn't affect only the Greek culture but many other fields, i.e European history, classic literature, traditional fairytales, Norse mythology etc

Because this world operates so much on money, simply not giving something your money is your most effective way to voice your opinion. Don't pay for that movie or that game or that book. And maybe leave a review phrased in the manner of constructive criticism, not an aggressive attack, because this leaves you vulnerable in front of these ahistorical people who call every mere different perspective as "fascism" (the irony XD).

I am always far more alarmed by actual historical revisionism, especially the one that is happening around us, in places next to us, waaaay more than I care about a random teen in the other side of the globe who wants an Asian Hestia girlboss or else they can't sleep easy at night. You have to realise that such a person doesn't truly think this is how a Greek is supposed to or usually looks like. Such a person actually doesn't give a shit about the Greek look or anything Greek at all. All they care is what the videogame they play looks like and how much the designers agree with them or include features they have. The fact that the character comes from Greece is entirely irrelevant and incidental. They do not care. So I now feel it's a lost cause to even try to discuss this with them. Judging from comments I have read, they downright don't understand and they are visibly unwilling to understand what we say.

And I am always way more irritated by the double standards with which the Greek civilization is studied , the very real discriminations against Modern Greeks, the toxic levels of academic classicism, the historical appropriation in the West and in the Balkans for different reasons and above all else the amazing inability of our nation to care, address the problem and at least attempt to protect our identity with dignity and confidence. Compared to these, all the whims of fanfiction readers and videogame players just pale to me. I do react some times but it's not a regular thing.

[qaraxuanzenith]

I've been saying this for a while, but finding this post on my dash has, I feel, given me more tools to express this thought about why Jews (especially in the US and American-dominated online spaces) are feeling increasingly alienated by their leftist friends. Why many Jews who otherwise lean left will vote right, much to the dismay and even revulsion of their leftist friends. Why many Jews end up feeling "safer" leaning right. Why it is not fair or reasonable to "blame" these Jews for exercising their democratic right of secret ballot in such a way.

I'm screenshotting the post because (a) it's long, and (b) most of its content is not actually the point here. I'm not trying to argue with the OP or with my acquaintance who reblogged it onto my dash. I just want to explain what I find troubling about it.

The post is, as I said, long. I'll be honest: I only skimmed it. I'm not American. So skimming past - scrolling past to see the rest of my dash - I saw a lot of things where my brain went "Oh, that looks bad," but, you know, in a vague sort of way. Bad, but doesn't impact me directly. Or bad, but not in a way I can do anything about it either way (especially since I can't vote in the US). Or bad-ish, but that's not an issue of deep importance to me personally. And then I saw this:

And suddenly I felt hostile to the OP, because oh look, they just lumped in supporting my homeland, where my family live, which is currently under attack and in dire need of support, as a "bad" thing. Suddenly I feel like OP hates me, or at least, considers my continued existence on their own list of "bad-ish, but that's not an issue of deep importance to me personally."

But you know what? I kept scrolling. It felt like such a mild lip-service anti-Israel line that I thought, "Maybe this person doesn't hate Jews and Israel so much." I reevaluated my initial hostile response and decided to give OP a second chance, to walk it back. It sickens me that I've gotten so used to racism against my people that some expressions of it just don't register anymore. But I kept scrolling, and it got worse.

So what I'm reading here is an excerpt from the document that sounds, to me as a Jewish person, eminently reasonable and reassuring. Couched in language and context from OP that wants to paint it as a bad thing that the writers of this document believe that Israel, the Jewish state and Jewish indigenous homeland, should be able to defend itself against... *checks notes* three terrorist organizations with genocide against Jews explicitly in their mandate, and one dictatorship country which has repeatedly expressed that it has the desire and is working on having the means to "wipe Israel off the map."

Perhaps OP has been living under a rock (or, like me, only really focuses on political updates that hit close to home) for the past 7 and a half months and is unaware of Hamas's horrific attack of October 7, 2023 against Israel, in which civilians were brutally slaughtered, young women raped, mutilated bodies paraded through the streets, and dozens abducted - many of whom are still in captivity to the terrorist organization which has not allowed any humanitarian visits to the hostages or even confirmed proof of life for those it still holds.

But when I read the above excerpted paragraph, I went from "I'm not American but I guess most of this sounds vaguely bad" to "I hope this party wins." "I hope that this specific part of this platform is implemented because it is offering support, protection, and safety for me and my family."

You - OP and people who share their views; you as non-Jews who do not share in our unique suffering - you have no right to blame us for choosing our own survival. I would expect you to prioritize yours, as well.

It is things like this - not this platform, but this post, lumping in support of Israel against three terrorist organizations and a genocidal dictatorship with all the other "bad" things like deforestation and nuclear weapons, that push Jews to the right, or at least away from this part of the left. It is reading things like this, that take it for granted that my family and I should not be protected, should not have a right to live in our home, that radicalize people like me.

You're right: most of the other things here are things I would deem as "bad," but if I embrace this platform with open arms at least I get to survive, to fight against the rest another day. Better than rejecting it in favour of someone who has otherwise wonderful ideals but wants me dead.

I want to be able to care about all the other "bad" things in that post, in that document, but right now, we are bleeding. If I had to vote on it right now, I would choose whoever penned this document or stands behind it, because I need to prioritize my safety and continued survival over any other platform issue, and if I am not for myself, who will be for me?

Not my friends on the left who decry support of Israel against genocidal terrorists as a bad thing, that's for sure.

[milfygerard]

but fr outside of my contracted madness i absolutely refuse to give joe alwyn gold rush like how is that song at all related to their relationship the lyrics clearly spell out a relationship that either never existed or only existed in implication and fantasies and maybe-maybe nots and its so bitter and yet desperately soft in the bridge where it almost projects a sense of envy, of wanting to be them as much as you want them. It continues an interesting oft ignored lyrical trend of taylor wanting just as much to be her lover as to have them, envying their easy charisma (you were flush with the currency of cool/i was always turning out my pockets) or quiet dignity (your integrity makes me seem small) dating back to her earliest songs (the kind of flawless i wish i could be). Theres a projected self hatred and yearning to be better that twists itself into both romantic and sexual lust for her partners thats so fascinating and speaks to how all of her songs regardless of who theyre about are also an act of self reflection on who she is and who she wishes to be.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Just curious what the average level of personal investment in these sorts of things is. Like, how much do people usually get into silly stuff like this their friends ask of them? etc. etc. Which I know, only surveying a small sample on a very specific website means I'm not getting an exact average idea lol, but.. curious nonetheless .. Maybe reblog for bigger sample size but also this is not very serious at all/not worth a call to action gbhjbhjb

[hissterical-nyaan]

Saying this for the 100th time here but some of you are so out of touch from reality when you make your "it's okay to be straight!!! It's okay to be a man!!!" posts like I get it there can be some context or exceptions to this but most of the times it's just people thinking straight people or men are somehow being oppressed cause the people they have oppressed for an eternity are speaking their truth loudly online now

And no, you don't get to take the defense that people feel bad about themselves when they read these things because the real world still fucking favours y'all. You don't have to sob in your bathroom for hours and hide your whole life away from your family from a young age. Y'all still don't care about queer kids, especially queer girls who never find any comfort anywhere except that small family they created online. I'll take you feeling bad any day over another girl feeling trapped in this society cause no matter what she does, she will always feel inferior or another queer person having to take their secret to their deathbed

Get a grip, touch some grass. You are not oppressed because a 16yr old said they hate men or made a joke about how being straight is actually awful. Y'all have said worse shit to us for centuries now. "Learn to take a joke :)"

[bancaishi]

didn't want to put this rant in the tags of that last post but honestly i feel like a lot of people hate toshiro disproportionately compared to what he actually did in-story. and if we're being real it's most likely because of racism

[fairyroses]

did you watch the Shattered/Asylum Talkville episodes? 👀

Yes I did! I'm really sorry, I've been meaning to send you all my notes/highlights from the Shattered pod ep like I promised I would, but my last semester of grad school started like 2.5 weeks ago and I've just been massively overwhelmed since then. 😭

Tbh, you could probably watch the full Shattered pod if you wanted, it was a pretty good ep for Talkville standards. The biggest highlight was probably Michael saying that the moment where Lex sees Clark use his powers for the first time is his favorite Lex moment in the series (especially in terms of his own performance)—he's clearly really proud of this episode and I think that made the pod better in general. Also Lionel gets called an evil bastard a couple of times, Tom points out how we all feel bad for Lex by the end of the episode, and Al Gough calls the Clex relationship "the focal point of the series." Other stuff happens too ofc, but I'd say those were my top moments.

The Asylum pod was... less good, IMO—like, it wasn't bad I guess, but some stuff def left me feeling kinda frustrated, so I wouldn't really recommend that you watch that one askldfsk (I could probably skim through it again and collect some highlights from it if you want, though)

[magentagalaxies]

i really want to start making a table collecting statistics on the audience demographics i'll perform my aubrey material for (like what generation most of the audience is, whether i'm performing in a predominantly queer space, etc.) and how well the jokes land bc like. i need to collect more data points before i can properly present my findings but the results so far have been fascinating

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

"je suis l'élue"

[tyrannuspitch]

i think. i should read more comics.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

i'm the first to admit i'm doing a bad job of not liveblogging, but i gotta be nogblogging

[endercasts]

jamada kisses his homies goodnight