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esoteric-chaos · 1 month

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Disability-Friendly Prosperity Magic

So let's face it, those who are disabled have a hard time with money in general, either from being unable to work or not having a steady, strong source of income. Sometimes we can monetize our hobbies, admittedly at a limited capacity (some less or more than others).

From our relationship with money, money mindsets, and income streams, it's hard. That's not to shame anyone, either. Some overspend to cope, while others are incredibly frugal.

In this post, I will review some resources, tips, and tricks for the struggling disabled witch.

The Mundane Before Magical

Step one is to make a budget and track your expenses. I'm serious. Sit down, look at where your money is going, and decide on a budget that you can realistically stick to. I use the 50/30/20 rule as a budget, which is 50% Needs, 30% Wants, and 20% Savings. However, I recently switched wants and savings around so I can save for a trip.

Now I do not want you to worry about a big fancy budget method. I don't want you to overthink it. Here is a resource (Canada, but it can be used in the USA) to start one. Focus on your needs like housing, utilities, basic clothing, food, etc. Then go into wants and entertainment, and finally, savings. I suggest you put any debt payoff into the needs category if you have any debt. You do not want a blow to your credit report.

Now do you have any financial goals? Going back to school? Debt payoff? A trip? Even a big medical trip coming up? Here is a resource (Canada, but it can be used in the USA) that can help you create a goal and a plan to pay this off.

Savings, please, your SAVINGS. It is vital to have an emergency fund. Job loss? Death? Vet bills? Children? Dentist? You better believe that piles up. It is recommended if you are single to have at least 3 months of income saved up, with a child and single at least 6 months. Married on two incomes, the same amount. Married with one income, it is recommended without children at least 6 months saved up and with children 9 months. It is vital you have the means to take care of yourself if an emergency strikes. It is never recommended that money be stopped from being put into these accounts.

If you are in debt, look at your debt relief options. Sometimes there are services out there that can advocate for you regarding debt. They will help you develop a plan, understand the relief options, sign documents with you, and develop a credit rebuilding program. These services are out there; even if they are paid, they can help you pay off some of your debt, especially credit card debt.

Educate yourself on investing, basic investing, and financial literacy, in stock markets and everything beyond. Know what kind of accounts you can hold and what could help you in your situation.

Need help applying for disability? Here's a resource for the USA (a lot can also be used for Canada).

The Magical

Upkeep a prosperity altar. Work with the spirit of money like you would any other spirit. Honour it, talk to it, venerate it. Money loves to be valued, moved, not wasted, and used in charity. Most importantly, money takes time. Money takes time to grow and build a relationship with.

This is the most important thing I've learned about money. It wants to be worked with. It's sitting there. It wants to help and aid you in ways that you need.

Work with this altar on Thursdays, incorporating the spirit of Jupiter. Jupiter rules over finances. Long steady finances, not quick finances. Jupiter rules over business, legal and all things finances. Jupiter is a slower-moving planet.

You can also incorporate the spirit of Mercury on Wednesdays along with your Jupiter workings. Mercury is a fast-moving planet, a planet for fast-moving money. However, you must build a long, steady form of finances over quick, easy cash (but sometimes you do need it right now).

You can create a money bowl and work with it on this altar, a Jupiter cashbox (I will make a future post on this), or a manifestation mirror box filled with petitions, sigils and your investment/banking information.

Fill your altar with greens and gold, imagery for wealth and abundance, pocket change, and anything else that symbolizes wealth.

Do not forget to leave offerings for your money altar. A simple glass of water can do but try to do more if you can.

Road opener workings or petition with an offering for the cross-road spirits who can unblock blockages in your way.

Final Take Away

I know this might not help everyone, but I sincerely hope this helps somebody. Financial literacy was not taught to everyone, nor were proper budgeting tips. I wanted to share what I've learned over the years as I believe it is vital information for some of the information I have collected.

Blessings

#witchcraft #witch #spoonie magic #spoonie witch #prosperity magic #prosperity spell #prosperity #witchblr #spoonie withcraft #money manifestation #money management #money magic #money spell #prosperity altar

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leportraitducadavre · 2 years

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Help a Pakistani friend

Hello everyone, I am returning to Tumblr because a dearest friend of mine and @dushman-e-jaan needs urgent help in order to escape an abusive situation she (and her family) is living through. We've decided to use our platforms (and also, in the case of Dushman-e-jaan, her Ko-fi user, as our friend doesn't have access to such a website due to her country of origin) to spread her request for help. We beg you to help or at least share her message:

Given my dire present circumstances, it’d be wise of me to ask for donations in regard to my future—and that of my mum and sister. I’m a woman from Pakistan, and I require urgent aid. The reason is my father: he’s unimaginably abusive (he nearly sold me off at the tender age of 10 to a fellow collogue in the military, something which I didn’t even know was wrong till much later in life as he’s seldom let me out of the house; I’ve spent nearly my entire life indoors, save for the time that I used to go out for receiving education; and he used to sexually abuse me as a child, along with the terrifying physical, emotional, and psychological abuse that he’s put me through); he’s cut off most of our finances, keeps us in a posh area for his own reputation, but gives us a pittance (95% of the house we live in is practically empty; and what is there is from my mother’s dowry); and to top it off, he’s sexually harassing us now. I spent my days locked in my room when he comes to the house (he comes and goes as he pleases, really; sometimes, he doesn’t come for weeks, and sometimes, he stays for few months straight); and my mum has seen him masturbating to my younger sister often. She’s in grave danger because of it. Last time, he called her to pick her up from a shop; it was night, and when she reached there, he ran after her (he’d covered his mouth with a cloth). My sister ran from him, weeping. It was when he gathered attention from others that he stopped and told my sister that he was joking; but I know better …

You might ask as to why I haven’t registered a complain, then … well, I live in Pakistan; and my father runs a madrassa (a religious school); and he used to serve as an officer in the army. His reputation is iron-clad, and there are many people who’d vouch for his character whilst me, my mum, and sister are the women “he puts up with”. He rejected good proposals that came for me and my sister. Every single one. Without ever asking us. (In Pakistan, it’s the parents that decide this, not the children, especially not women.) I’m in my thirties now (practically long past the expiration date for marriage in my country); and that’s exactly what my father wanted. Why? I can’t say. It’s just one of the many methods he’s used to abuse us. That brings me to the main point: I can’t stay in this country; I want out; and I want to get out fast with my family (my mum and sister; I’ve got a brother, too, but he’s a complete bum, and he’s made our lives even more miserable). My father is well-off, influential, and dangerous. We’re not safe here, and any attempt to sell the property (what little my mum has) is met with extreme antagonism from my father that I fear for her life at this point. (He already forged my mum’s signatures, sold her pension, and other furniture which was from her dowry; and he invested all of that in his own business venture; he owns a gas station, in which my mum has no share, whilst we struggle to make ends meet.) He’s isolated us from everyone. Last time when my mum stood up for me, he tied her dupatta around her neck and dragged her across the room (he told her that he’d create an example out of her; that was about a decade

I’ve got … so many of these incidents to share, but I can’t keep listing them without a reason. I require solid financial support. (I haven’t decided the amount, but 3000 ought to be fine? I don’t know) $ to be precise, so that I can apply for education in a better country, leave here, and make way for my mum and sister. I’m aware that it’s a lot to ask (maybe too much); but I don’t know how to put this any other way. The sooner we get out of here, the better. I’m disabled and the universities here are hostile to people like me. My sister struggles with her internship job. She can’t keep supporting me forever. My mum’s ill. I want to help them, too. Please, I implore you all to donate as much as you can afford to donate. Any amount would help. I need this—my family needs this! I thank you all for your compassion and generosity.

#help #pakistan #pakistani woman #help needed #kofi #help a friend escape an abusive situation #abuse #trigger warning #emotional abuse #physical abuse #abuse survivor #signal boost

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queer-advice-hotline · 4 months

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Hello! Soooo long story incoming...

CW For homophobia and religion

So, for context, I am a 20 y.o autistic lesbian living in a small conservative and religious town, and I live with my parents and my teenage sister. My mom is very religious and homophobic. The type of homophobe to say that they would never hurt a gay person, but still thinks being gay is unnatural. She already knows I'm gay, but refuses to accept it. My dad just doesn't give a fuck about either helping me or being against me, so he is just very neutral.

Recently I was planning on leaving my home town to study on college, maybe in another state or at least in the capital city in my state. Partly because I want more oportunities but also because I want to leave my home, have my own space, and a little bit of privacy, without my mom's watchful eye judging me all the time. I didn't tell my parents about that last part tho, I just told them I wanted to go to college to certain places and they were trying to support me.

But my mom started to catch up to my plan and asked me if I just wanted to leave the town, and I was honest and I said yes. She asked me if it was because of my sexuality and I also said yes. She started to try to convince me that bad people from the internet made me go to the "wrong path" and that I just had to meet the right man. I was already so tired because we had these types of conversations for a 100 times already. I barely even argued with her because I didn't know what to say anymore.

The she started to cry, saying that she was suffering too much, how she probably did something wrong and this was all a punishment from God. When she started to realized I did not want to change and give a chance to men, no matter how much she tried to convince me, she started crying really hard and left. It was almost as if I died. Apparently not marrying a man and not wanting to have kids is that devastating to my mom to the point where I am basically dead for her. I feel guilty and horrible. I feel like I'm a mistake.

I just locked myself in the bathroom and cried. I had no idea what to do. I only have my girlfriend who lives in another state (who is trying to help me as much as she can, dispite not being able to do much outside of giving emotional support), only a single friend from high school and a few mutuals.

My mom will definitely not let me go to college somewhere else after this, or at least she won't help me financially. I am basically alone and also broke. I don't know how much longer I will be able to live in this house without becoming completely insane, so I still wanted to leave, but I am not sure if it's a good idea.

I am not sure what options I have... I would like to get help from more experienced queer people on that matter.

(Also, for more context, I don't live in the US, so I need general advice that doesn't apply only to people from the US)

If you’re comfortable lying, you can always try and go back on what you said, just so she will financially help you to move out.

I’m not sure what the options are in your country, but you could look into scholarships and other forms of financial aid from the university you want to go to. They may offer assistance with housing and payment so you can still go. You can also look into other universities that may offer that sort of thing.

You can see if any friends of yours are willing or able to help in any way. If you can stay with them temporarily while you find work to support yourself, that could at least get you out of the house.

#queer advice hotline #1-800-queer #advice calls #sexuality calls #queer #lesbian #long distance calls

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demonfox38 · 1 year

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Completed - Super Mario Bros.

Yeah, I know. You know what "Super Mario Bros." is. If you want to know about my failings as a person and how beating this game was a way for me to address them, click below.

Video games have never not been a part of my life. At least, as far as I can remember. The first console I had any experience with was, as it was for a lot of Millennial U.S. kids, a Nintendo Entertainment System. It was a Christmas gift from my mother to my father, a little sliver of luxury in the post-80s agricultural bust that plagued the Midwest's economy. From 1990 to 1998, this was the only console we had in the house. If I'm overly sentimental and sweet on it, it's because it was not only a link between my parents, but my parents, my sister (younger than this system!) and me.

Except for "Super Mario Bros."

Here's a funny thing. Young children? Not always the most coordinated. Me, at age 4? I definitely didn't have the concept of gravity down. I was proud enough just to figure out how to cross the first pit in 1-1. I tried to show my dad this, but he wasn't in the room at the time. So, I waited for him. And the game's timer ran out. And Mario died. And I thought to myself, "Oh. I guess I'm not good at this game."

And then I didn't touch it for THIRTY FUCKING YEARS.

Here's another funny thing. Okay, funny in a mildly traumatic way. I was not given a lot of room to screw up as a kid. Certainly, not academically. When it's drilled in your head that "your schoolwork is your job", you take it seriously. When you are applying to universities and colleges and your advisors keep encouraging you to take the ACTs repeatedly to get better scores and more financial aid, you do that. When you get a scholarship to a college that obliterates your tuition debt if you keep your GPA up, you damn well keep that GPA up. When you graduate post one of the greatest recessions in U.S. economic history, you will take whatever job you have and knock out the rest of your debts. Again, and again, and again, I was not allowed room for failure.

The only reprieve from this perfectionist demand was in video games. Even then, I had to grow a thicker skin to accept my flaws and defeat. It was hard to do, particularly with shrieking Simon electronic games and rotting Apple IIs and whoever thought it was socially acceptable to pair reflex gaming with mental mathematics. (There's a reason "Oregon Trail" is brought up as nostalgia positive and not "Super Munchers.") Honestly, it wasn't until I played "Star Fox 64" that I had the feeling of "Man, I suck at this game, but I want to try again!" That wasn't quite a 1985 to 1997 jump. More like a 1992 to 2000 jump. But goddamn. It took me a long time not to loathe failure, particularly with noisy, mocking electronics.

So, I'm thirty-four, at the moment. Not for all that much longer. I've learned how to handle debt, my pets, my health, the demands of my job, housekeeping, family relations, and generally what most people would expect out of an average adult. I replace old appliances to keep my house up to code and date. I haven't missed a single vaccination in a decade, despite loathing needles. I've replaced two toilet floats, one of my brake lights, and exchanged various console parts to keep my video game collection up and going for as long as possible. Hell, I've even got my video game collection registered with my home insurance provider. Weird? Maybe. Childish? Biblically, I suppose. The point is, I do things that are painful, annoying, or even frightening to keep me and my loved ones in a happy, stable environment. God knows I couldn't make it in this world without facing my fears.

And as small and petty as this goal was, I damn well didn't want to live my life being afraid of sucking at "Super Mario Bros."

It's stupid, right? Who gets their back up about "Super Mario Bros."? This is one of the most recommended games for newbies and kids! You run, and you get the mushrooms and flowers, and you spit fire and jump on shit, and problems get solved. It's just 32 levels, and really, you only need to do 8 of them. But, hell. Phobias and fears aren't always a logical thing, especially when the machinations of a child's mind are involved.

I'd still recommend "Pokémon Red/Blue" or "Dragon Warrior" before this one. I mean, yeah, you have to know how to read. Maybe having a basic comprehension of logic and budgeting doesn't hurt, either. I was doing better at those things when I was 4 than running through gymnastic death traps.

Okay. So. "Super Mario Bros." might be about jumping and collecting junk and sniping enemies with fireballs. Maybe saving a princess and seven of her idiot court members. We all get that. Even with simple, easy-to-understand mechanics, "Super Mario Bros." is no walk in the park. It's basically everyone's video game grandpa, if that grandpa was also Charles Bronson or Jack Palance. And goddamn, will Grandpa kick your ass the first chance he gets.

While I feared this game for a long, long time, I certainly didn't hate it. It's vivid, colorful one moment and ominous the next. The story is simple, but the character and monster design is diverse, both in the game and the industry at large. (I mean, how many plumbers are out there fighting turtles and dragons, anyway?) The music is driven and upbeat. It's no wonder that the "Super Mario" universe remains so globally popular. It's unique and over-the-top. Hard for a kid to ignore, at the very least!

The game is a marvel in ways that modern audiences may not always understand. It comes from an era where something as simple as scrolling screens was borderline wizardly. Yes, the lava is water and the clouds are bushes and many things are things in different colors. The amount of data compression going on here is impressive. Having duplicate levels with minor gameplay tweaks helps, sure, but it's neat how much this game puts out for just having 32 kilobytes to work with. I've got a few YouTube videos for your perusal, should you be interested in seeing how these levels are coded and assembled:

"NES Scrolling Basics Featuring Super Mario Bros. – Behind the Code" from Displaced Gamers

"Super Mario Bros. Glitch Levels Explained" from Retro Game Mechanics Explained

Honestly, think about how many video games prior to "Super Mario Bros." are in the collective consciousness for good reasons. Like, games your parents could name. You'd probably get a list with titles like "Donkey Kong," "Pac-Man," "Frogger," "Breakout," "Space Invaders," "Pitfall," or maybe "Pong," if they were rich and old enough for that. (Okay, maybe "Dragon's Lair" or "Sinistar" if your parents were really cool.) The best versions of these games were available to Americans in arcades. It was up to the shop owners as to what people got to play. Some games might have had decent console conversions, if developing companies weren't beating their staff like mules or bickering over copyrights with feuding studios. Maybe, if people had enough money, they could have invested in something like a Commodore 64 or an Apple II and gotten something more complex, along with practical software. "Super Mario Bros." was an equalizer in terms of quality and affordability, particularly to people like my parents—people with full-time jobs, no arcade access, and a tight budget.

Man. Do you ever think about how a significant chunk of the console wars can be explained by a family's income and geographic location?

Okay. You know the Mario. You may be able to "Do the Mario." But, how did I get even a semblance of competency in this game, if I sucked so much at it?

Practice! Obviously. The least fun answer in the world! However, I took specific steps to improve my memorization and understanding of the game. First, I limited myself to a World a night in terms of practice. That is, a -1, -2, -3, and -4, each played all the way through without save stating. My usual gaming time per night is around 2 hours, breaking when my dogs need my attention. So, that would be about 30 minutes per level, right? Well, not quite. If I got through a level without losing lives or power, I didn't dwell on it. But, if I got injured or killed? That was when the grind locked in.

I had to pass a level 5 times before I allowed myself to check it off. Not consecutively, but in the best case, it would be. See, when I was in high school, I had a band instructor that taught me this particular semi-consecutive method for learning bassoon drills. If I played a set of measures right once? +1 to my score. If I screwed it up? -1. So, the greatest success would be a string of five +1s. But, if I screwed up, it took away one of my successes, resetting finally at 0.

That wasn't enough, either. For each level, I wrote down a series of notes on how to progress through it. I also gave myself a confidence rating in each level, which broke down like this:

S: Confidence Achieved

A: Can Beat Consistently in Fire Mario Form

B: Can Beat Consistently in Small/Super Mario Form

C: Have Beaten at least Once

D: Have Not Beaten

And you might ask, "What's the difference between an S and an A?" Just my feeling, dude. Because, hell. I might have been regimented about this, but I still had intuition and doubt to evaluate alongside actual data.

This weird behavior started coming out as I was running "Super Mario Bros." drills. I wasn't so much interested in avoiding danger as I was trying to figure out what I could get away with. Yes, it's common knowledge about how Goombas and green Koopa Troopas have no self-preservation when it comes to edges. But, what determined when a Piranha plant was comfortable in emerging from its pipe? Why did Bullet Bill launchers stop shooting when I was face-to-face with them? Did projectiles come in one or two shots? Were gray Cheep-Cheeps slower than red ones? How big was a Blooper's hitbox, and how much was it really following me? I can't say I mastered all A.I. behavior—certainly, not when it came to hammer-throwing enemies—but I had some surprising events when it came to stage and enemy manipulation.

There was a real turning point when I managed to dodge three Bullet Bills—two coming from the right, one from the left—and I laughed at my own survival. Like one short, ugly, mocking laugh! I could have never imagined myself doing that before! Not when I was terrified of this game's pinpoint perfect demands!

Reaching and defeating 8-4—the final level—was a particularly strange experience. I mean, we all know how "Super Mario Bros." ends, right? Even if we're not capable of reaching that ending ourselves. Like, when I beat "The Legend of Zelda", there was this feeling of contentment and peace. "Ah, Zelda! Nice to see you." Reaching Princess Toadstool? There was happiness, but I barely even registered her being on screen. It felt like, "I didn't do this for you, honey. I did this for me." And man, that was a weird feeling. Particularly, since she's one of my Smash mains.

Also, it bothered me as a kid when she went from redheaded to blonde in the Mario games. Like, I get the palette limitations of the NES were a factor in why she was a redhead, but it still felt weird and off when she went SNES blonde.

Am I good at "Super Mario Bros." now? Can I cold-perform a complete playthrough like "Star Fox 64"? Well, I feel confident enough to say that I can at least make it to 8-2 using a series of warps. And honestly, I'd probably choke and do something stupid in 4-1 first. And man, I really only got that 1UP Koopa shell jump trick to work a couple of times. But, the feeling is no longer, "Oh, no! I suck at platformers, so I can't ever possibly beat this game!" It's more like, "If I'm not being sloppy and remember how to recover from a bad situation, I've got a decent chance of doing this." I think that's pretty good progress, especially for just a week of practice!

If it helps, I can give you a list of things I wish I knew about "Super Mario Bros." way sooner:

You can continue from the first level of the last world you died on by holding A, then hitting Start.

You'll only get close on time on level 8-1. And by that, I mean you'll probably have 80-90 tics left on the timer. Don't get anxious about time, and don't be impatient.

Bullet Bill launchers and Piranha Plants will stop coming out if you are standing directly by their respective pipes.

Blooper hitboxes are smaller than you'd think. Their head is more dangerous than their tentacles.

Hanging out at the bottom of a water level is usually pretty safe, barring the 8-4 fire bars and some random Cheep-Cheep spawns. Assuming you're not in a pit, anyway.

Fire bars start in a fixed position and can be manipulated via controlling your speed and the loading edge of a level.

You're probably better off ignoring Lakitu. Unless you want 8-2 revenge on him, I guess. He is right there, after all.

Mario starts with three lives. Mario dies at 0 lives. But, as long as you keep trying, Mario has infinite lives.

#post game evaluation #super mario bros.#I still want to improve my capabilities in this game #But I figured I could at least talk about my experiences

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tuttycc · 2 years

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tutty's modified 100 baby challenge

no need to link back to this post if you use! please at least call it a modified 100 baby challenge. all credit goes to snarky-sims-witch for the challenge!

Getting Started

Create a young adult Sim to start out with. We’ll call her the matriarch. For the sake of clarity, the matriarch will be referenced with female pronouns in the rules but your matriarch may have any gender customisations you wish, as long as she can get pregnant. She may have any traits, aspiration, appearance, walk style, and voice you like.

You may use the in-game personality quiz to determine your matriarch’s careers, traits, skills, and starting funds if you like. You may also opt out of this option if you prefer.

Move your matriarch into any lot she can afford with her starting funds. You may move as many times as you want during the challenge as long as you can afford it without cheating.

Find a Sim to impregnate your matriarch. For the sake of clarity, these Sims will be called donors and referenced with male pronouns in the rules, but your matriarch may have children with non-binary Sims as well.

Continue having children in this manner while following the rest of the challenge rules.

Base Rules

These rules apply to everyone, regardless of which packs you own. If you don’t own any add-on packs, you can just use these rules and disregard the other sections.

You must play with aging on and set to a short/normal lifespan. Auto-Aging for NPCs is encouraged to ensure the game keeps generating donors for your matriarch.

mods are allowed BESIDES anything that gives you a money advantage, such as child support! in fact, things like harder bills and 25 person household from MCCC are ENCOURAGED

cheats ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE, but those such as reset sim, moveobjects and cas.fulleditmode are allowed and encouraged! (i just don't recommend changing up your child's genetics, i wouldn't allow it)

you may pick the lot traits for your lot, but they must STAY THAT WAY PERMANENTLY unless you move.

All in-game rewards from completing aspirations and social events may be used except ones that prolong your Sim’s lifespan or save them from death.

Babies can immediately be aged up into toddlers

Toddlers can be aged up when they reach level 3 in all toddler skills.

Children and teenagers can be aged up when they get an A in school.

Young adults can be moved out of the house to make room for more children but they cannot be moved back in after.

When your matriarch becomes an elder and can no longer bear children, her youngest daughter takes over as the next matriarch. You may move out your elderly matriarch only if her youngest daughter has become of child-bearing age (teen or young adult)

You cannot make more room in the house faster by killing off underage Sims or letting babies, toddlers or children be taken by social services. Raise your children to adulthood. Simple.

your matriarch cannot have a rabbit hole job or a get-to-work style job where you do it yourself! only odd jobs, crafting, writing, etc. freelancer is allowed!

Teenagers may hold part-time jobs to help support the family and bring in extra income.

Your matriarch may leave her home lot freely. She does not have to bring all her children with her whenever she leaves the lot.

Your matriarch may not get married while she is of child-bearing age. She may get married as an elder but she must move out of the home with her spouse. They can’t move into the active household.

Your matriarch may not get pregnant by the same donor twice. Once he has impregnated your Sim once, he cannot be used again for more children.

Donors may not contribute to the household in any way. They may not move in, help look after the children or provide any financial aid to the household. Your matriarch is responsible for supporting all her children by herself (unless the sims autonomously come over and help with the kids while they're visiting, but DO NOT say yes to any prompts to go on dates or anything!)

Your matriarch may not influence the gender of her children. Avoid strawberries, carrots, pop music, and alternative music to avoid influencing the gender of unborn babies.

randomize in-game traits as your sims age up, your matriarch can have traits you chose!

do NOT hire any services besides food delivery and selling pets!

DO NOT CREATE PUPPIES TO SELL FOR EXTRA MONEY. ALL PETS MUST HAVE BEEN ADOPTED THROUGH THE GAME

If you have add-on packs installed, there may be added rules or exceptions to the base rules. Continue to the add-on rules to see any additions.

Add-On Rules

The following rules apply to players who have add-on packs installed. Disregard any rules for packs you don’t have.

Your matriarch may NOT run a retail business, restaurant, or vet clinic

Your matriarch may have a work from home job but she must always choose the work from home option.

Your matriarch may join and create clubs as long as the club activities do not violate any challenge rules.

Your matriarch may have pets but keep in mind pets take up space in the household.

You may participate in holidays and create your own holidays as long as none of the traditions violate challenge rules. Feel free to edit existing holiday traditions to comply with the rules.

Your matriarch may become famous and build reputation through any means that don’t involve careers.

Your matriarch may go on vacation but she must bring her entire household with her. No vacations without all of the children, if you have babies age them up or don't go.

Your matriarch cannot be an occult member. She may use vampires as donors but any female vampire children are ineligible to take over as the next matriarch. You may cure a female vampire child to make her eligible again.

Your matriarch may use the wishing well but she cannot wish for a child.

Optional Occult Rules

Disregard this section if you do not want to play with occults. This is just for players who enjoy a more supernatural play style.

Occult Incentive

Your matriarch must be human.

Each occult born to your human matriarch adds two to your total child count, so one occult child is worth the equivalent of two human children.

dag dag and good luck!

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tyson-333 · 1 year

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Chapter 10 Fieldwork

I would like to include a brief explanation of each hypothesis as a useful reminder.

Martin Marx The bourgeoisie, often known as the capitalist class, is one of only two social classes. These folks are essentially the owners and bosses of all production equipment. The proletariat, commonly referred to as the working class, is the second class. Due to their lack of ownership of any land, resources, or "capital," this class of people performs all of the labor and is entirely dependent on the work they produce. Any labor surplus results in a capital surplus, which supports the laborers' way of life.

Maximum Weber Weber added to Marx's theory by stating that "power and prestige" are important factors to consider when determining a person's place in society, noting that "reputation, influence, and deference" were accorded to those in power because of their "membership" within particular social circles. Weber thought that persons from the same social class had the same "life chances" and potential for the same possibilities, but he also thought that this wasn't just a coincidence because the state was controlling things in a biased way. Jacques Bourdieu Your social standing is something that you control.

Yale News writes on "infrastructure inequality" and how it "prevents sustainable urbanization" in an article from April 14, 2022. The essay begins by examining the distribution of infrastructures inside "South Africa and India" and how those countries' "high levels of urbanization and socioeconomic disparities" correspond to those infrastructures. With cases like India in particular, where the social class consists of a sizable working class to capitalist class ratio with very little representation of any in between, I think this immediately aligns nicely with Karl Marx's thesis. Following that, the essay studies many necessities like "tap water, sanitation, housing, and electricity," as well as light pollution because many high-level infrastructure areas have lights (street lights, house lights, building lights, etc.). The article continues by stating that areas lacking these fundamental criteria are vulnerable to bias, which results in a lack of focus on those areas. The author uses the example of a cup where one cup is fully filled and all the other cups are empty to illustrate how filling the other cups would require a modest amount of liquid from the fully filled cup rather than taking "much longer" to fill all the other cups completely. Marx's theory that without putting in, you gain nothing but in the sense that the people can only rely on the greater cup to empty out and fill their own cups from its own rather than merely filling this SCREAMS Marx to me. fill the cups with their personal water. This is a reference to the fact that capital for laborers exclusively comes from capitalists.

There may be income caps for the FAFSA, according to a Fox News report from March 8, 2022 (which has no association with Fox News OR their opinions, political agendas, or motivations). For those who may not be aware, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is a document that individuals who wish to continue their education must complete in order to apply to various educational institutions (such as colleges, universities, cosmetology schools, etc.). This form "helps determine whether you qualify for federal financial aid" by notifying the school of your household's details, including household income, household dependents, tax returns, etc. The article claims that "there are no FAFSA income limits" and that fafsa provides a wide range of possibilities, including grants, scholarships, work-study programs, need-based aid, and merit-based aid. However, individually, from one person with no money to another (and anyone else reading), Fafsa also provides loans. What on God's lush, voluble Earth do I seem to be taking out a loan for? When do I not have any money? It Makes no sense at all. Not at all. They catch you that way. In any case, this is very relevant to Max Weber since, despite the fact that FAFSA does not appear to have an income cap, many students whose parents may make a specific amount as a household receive less money or nothing at all, other than the promise of a loan. Let's assume that my parents both expect to earn $50,000 apiece. That puts our household at 100k which shows to the Gov. that, according to the Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/25/is-100000-middle-class-in-america/ we stand to be middle class, even pushing upper middle class.However, I have three siblings, healthcare expenses that my parents are covering, any outstanding school loan debt, and two different car loans. I'm not a mathematician, but the average annual expense of a college in the United States can be between $27,000 and $35,000. https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/average-college-tuition and that's already 70% of a parent's income (play the Friday lawn chair clip for the same reason). Not to add that the middle class starts at $53,000. Making $50,000, you MIGHT be able to afford a house. https://themortgagereports.com/22502/how-to-buy-a-home-50000-per-year-income but only if the homes cost between 180,000 and 300,000 dollars. Unfortunately for you, the average price of single-family homes in the United States is presently 363,800 dollars (as of FEB 2022). https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HSFMEDUSM052N). In other words, unless your circumstances are ideal, you CANNOT afford a home. These are all ideal instances of people in their respective groups being available to comparable chances but the state exerting control over the outcomes of those opportunities.

The disparity in education within the English public system is covered in this article. The educational system claims that nearly every child receives a fair and equitable education, yet this is untrue. It examines how students who attend public schools, where the majority are typically from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds, do not have access to the same opportunities as students who attend private or higher-level public schools. Most of those are kids from a higher social level. Their grasp of what they are taught is expanded and deepened, and even the teachers' enthusiasm is different. Higher social class pupils are more likely to have instructors who actually care about their students' learning and comprehension of the subject. This supports Bourdieu's theory because he talks about the connection between class and power and how maintaining the status quo in terms of education for people in higher social classes will result in the transmission of class position from one generation to the next.

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riggswhittaker18 · 1 year

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Smart For Good Cookie Diet Review

Whole foods are foods that have not been processed or happen to minimally processed to include all elements of the grain. Fruits, vegetables and grains that appear mainly because they would by nature are merchandise. For example an entire banana, orange, broccoli, squash, spinach, berries, un-milled, and unprocessed grains such as brown rice, etc standard good involving whole meal items. ColonBroom are rich in nutrients and minerals, and tend to be more filling than their refined furnishings. Think of brown rice against. white rice. They keep you satisfied for much longer. They retain safety in your your vigor on a good keel. Grapefruit is rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium and Beta-carotene. Additionally, minerals and vitamins pectin which acts a great antioxidant instrument. 100 grams of grapefruit yields 49 calories. Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain that aids digestion and would act for "anti-aging agent". 100 grams of pineapple yields 66 calories. Dieting is simple to follow and leads to very fast weight loss. In order to have a slimmer body, you have to burn fats and calories through apply. You are not only limited to doing these activities every single day for short time because unique some exercises in standard activities. Utilizing the stairs rather than the elevator and walking as opposed to driving is not able to develop many muscles but discovered that surely help to burn fat fast. Makeup: Favor to look as good as I will just as the next girls. But I'd be lying fundamentally said we never left the house or spent a day without skin care. In fact, I attempt to enjoy 1 or 2 days per week without it if in any way possible. Certain go to without my "war paint," but perhaps I will want to - specially when I am working with someone with beauty and the body image issues, just in order to become a good role item. Get an eclectic array of food- if you did not tried eating vegetables also as fruits or even whole grains, it is that you simply should now try to provide these forms of foods on the diet. 80 percent of Americans are overweight, and live paycheck to paycheck or are pennyless. They gain weight and remain fat this is because they can't manage to stay slim. People well off financially don't a smaller waist because they've got more self-discipline or willpower. They weigh less because can easily afford a personal fitness trainer and chef to come their homes, and are able to to much more to remain thin than you made last 12 month. This retail environment significantly you require to eat 3500 more than your body burns to help keep 1lb of fat weight, or burn 3500 longer than you eat to lose 1lb of fat strength. In terms of food, 3500 calories is dependant on 9 king-size mars bars, or 6 bottles of wine, or 4 large pizzas. Delicious! In terms of physical activity, it would take about 4 hours of non-stop running shed off 1lb of fat, which related to running a marathon. Few yummy.

#ColonBroom Review

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wright88abrahamsen · 2 years

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8 Keys To Surviving Football Season

In professional football, official NFL helmets are designed to protect the head of football players. These helmets protect the skull from impact. It is made out of non-breakable plastic with a foam interior and a face guard in front. The mouth piece, which is part the head gear, forms into the player's mouth when he or she bites on it. It protects the player?s teeth and mouth. The helmet's lining also has jaw pads that protect the jaw from any sharp hits, which can lead to dislocation. To prevent it falling off, the chin-strap is held securely to the helmet. Research the schools/programs that interest you. football player game If you can, begin step one before your junior year in highschool.That way, you'll be able to go through this process without feeling rushed. The lively atmosphere keeps the audience upbeat. It is common for people to dress them up in wild styles, laughing, crying and yelling at their will. click here is always taken as a big plaza where the audience can release their true feelings and set their souls free without constraints. They show their love for what they like and their disapproval for what they dislike. Grand green pitches have the unique magic to stimulate everyone, unlike badminton and table tennis gyms. A coach loves to see you make progress. If you can show your progress to them early, they might be impressed with the progress you have made in your senior year. He says that he provides financial aid for some marginal players who aren?t high-quality recruits and that he uses that to sell them to collegiate schools. When you train your football players, they have to practice running in hurdles and poles. This will help them run away from their opponents when the ball is in their hands. This likewise trains their agility that they can always apply during a game. These equipments will help build their bodies strong. My mistake was not to terminate the teams' enrollment. The problem was that this team practiced directly across from Omaha's largest housing development. The kids couldn't find a place to play football in walking distance. After our football practice was over, more children started to show up in the neighborhood, begging for a place on the team. I'm not great at turning away children in dire need, but these kids needed the program far more than we could provide, so I took them all. I had three teams the next year and we had all the coaches we needed for team sizes of 25. Even if you do not get a football scholarship you can still improve your grades and test score to increase your chances of landing an academic-based scholarship.

#pragmatic online adalah

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tarotwitchy · 3 years

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{pick-a-card readings}

💟 ALL CREDITS BELONG TO THE CREATORS OF THESE IMAGES!

I want to rebrand my PAC readings so that this blog can gain uniformity somehow. I know I've been so inactive these past few weeks. And I honestly have no other excuse; I'm really just stuck in a rut, and I feel uninspired. My spirit is quite exhausted. 🥲 But this one is for my followers, and the tarot community. I hope this resonates!

Please remember that this is a general reading, and may/may not apply to you or your situation.

❌ Please do not plagiarize my work, or post it elsewhere without my permission and credits. Thank you! ❌

Pile 1 - Black

The Hanged Man • 4 of Swords • Knight of Wands • Page of Swords • King of Pentacles • Wheel of Fortune • Man & Ship

With this pile, I sense a feeling of frustrated postponement. You are in the stage of life wherein you're trying to start a new chapter of your life, regardless if you've been through a bad situation or not. You want to consciously make the decision of proactive change in your life — this could be in the form of your daily routine, your job, your living situations, where you live, your friends, etc. This isn't to say that your current situation is in a negative place right now. Perhaps, you really just want to clean new slate to refresh your outlook in life. Or maybe, you truly want to get away and cut off people and aspects that no longer serve you. And that's perfectly fine! However, you're also in the situation of dealing with the nitty-gritty details of this process. Change is a messy ordeal, and that's okay. There's no "one size fits all" primer when it comes to developing oneself.

Enter your Future Spouse! I really sense that for the majority of you, you'd meet them at a time of movement or while you're transitioning from one place to another. It could be that you're actually moving houses, or changing jobs, or improving your health by going to the gym/yoga centers. It's all relative and subjective to your situation. And when this happens, there is a resistance coming from your side. You're not going ti immediately give in to this person's offers of partnership. You're probably going to think you're not ready for a relationship by then because you're so busy and preoccupied by your personal self-development. And this person is truly going to notice your efforts and motivation to improve yourself, they'll be amazed and will respect you during this time. They will be playful with you in a teasing way, and some of you will get annoyed at them! 😂 But please bear in mind that they're just trying to make things a bit more lighthearted.

You're not going to immediately be their partner. But they will keep on sticking with you and blending in the background, coming to your aid when you least expect them. They have the resources to proving for you, and they'll think to themselves, "why not give them assistance when I can afford to do so?" Their generosity at the messiest, confusing, and stressful time of your life is what's going to attract you to them in the long run.

Pile 2 - Beige

King of Pentacles • Knight of Cups • Queen of Pentacles • The Hanged Man • 4 of Pentacles • The Fool • Woman & Sun

I saw intense, challenging yet playful eyes from this pile. Both of you will be at the time of financial stability and career promotions when you meet each other. You and your Future Spouse are both very ambitious and would take no crap when it comes to money-making. There's a scenario that popped in my mind when looking at this pile's spread. Maybe, there's a business deal that has to be made between the two of you. And since both of you are in the business of making negotiations, no one is backing down from each other's offers! 😂 The aura and energies of this pile are screaming confidence and assertion.

But instead of negativity and tenseness, both of you would confidently rise up to the challenge of meeting in the middle when it comes to this business deal. You'd be amazed at how both of you can think of the same thing and ideas at the same time, and they'll be at awe with your ability to think quick on your feet. They probably have never met someone like you — who is self-assured and confident — in this field of work. Where most people fold or lose their heads over negotiations, you are able to go head-to-head in a calm yet convicted way against their deals. They admire this quality from you immediately.

Aside from this, both of you are in the stages of life when you're at your prime; career-wise, and maturity level as well. At first, your Future Spouse might be reserved from you to try and test the waters with you. But they know that you know what they're trying to do! They know that you can see through their charade. And this amazes them to the point of further falling in love and respect you. You are your own boss, and they won't even attempt to try and control or undermine you because you know your worth at this time of your life. You've probably learned this lesson in the past and have worked hard in developing your character and self-confidence. Where they were able to goad and manipulate other people to do their bidding before meeting you, they know they won't even think about doing it. The respect they have for you is immense. And this goes both ways as well. You admire the sound head on their shoulders. Both of you will be that couple that builds an empire together.

Pile 3 - Purple

The Empress • King of Cups • 9 of Swords • 7 of Swords • 2 of Cups • Queen of Cups • Anchor & Tree

[Oh, how beautiful this pile is. 🥲 By far, this is my favorite amongst all the other piles — and I don't usually play favorites! Side note: "I Hear a Symphony" by Cody Fry started playing from my song library, and I swear you all should listen to this song while reading this pile.]

You will meet your Future Spouse at a time in your life wherein your mental health is at it's healthiest! 😭 This is such a healing, emotionally calm, validating, and just... loving energy I'm picking up. It's like, you want to bask in this energy forever. I could cry tears of joy for people who picked this pile.

You've found your forever-person at your best. Regardless of financial stability, or material possessions, or any tangible measurements of "success" society has placed on us, you are already completely secure and calm. You've been through the ringer, Pile 3. 😢 Past relationships that have been traumatic for you, childhood traumas, and constant internal turmoil that you have been dealing with all these years, you have truly healed from all of this and embraced your journey to recovery. Your resilience is astoundingly amazing. It wasn't an easy road to fulfill a healthy mindset, and to heal from past traumas. And you understand other's journeys to recovery as well. Still being able to stand on your feet after life tried to kick you down time and time again is something you are very proud of.

This would be one of the reasons why your Future Spouse was drawn to you. Your calming and emotionally mature aura is seeping through your skin like body shimmer. Everybody around you can feel the strong person behind the tranquil and peaceful face you project. And your Future Spouse wants to bask in this positive energy you emit. I really sense that people go to you for comfort and understanding when life gets tough, and your Future Spouse is no exception. Perhaps, you were volunteering somewhere, and their eyes just landed on you while working with people — and they sense the genuineness behind your intentions to actually help people. And they fall in love with you, just like that! This is such a beautiful picture I see in my mind. I'm really, really happy for those who chose this pile because you deserve to be happy and to be loved. 💛

Pile 4 - Red

King of Pentacles • 10 of Cups • 10 of Pentacles • 2 of Pentacles • 5 of Swords • 2 of Cups • Rider & Clover

Truth be told, I can't really pinpoint a specific "time" or moment when you'll be able to meet your Future Spouse. I'm just not sensing an exact situation or point in life when you're going to encounter each other. But I can say this; you will just... know. You'll know this person is the right one regardless of circumstances. With the Rider together with the Clover Lenormand cards, I got the feeling that both of you have been anticipating and are actually proactive in your searches for partners to settle down with. So, in a sense, this is a long-time-coming type of situation.

[This portion gets a bit steamy, so a generous 18+ warning is given here.]

For some of you, you'll be meeting through a sexual encounter. Or perhaps, it would lead to a situation that gets sexual at the end of the day or night. If you're not feeling very comfortable with "one night stands" and casual hook-ups, I have a feeling this person would be the one that'll make you feel very assured that they aren't expecting anything sexual from you. They will follow your lead and your level of comfort; and for some of you, you'd actually be the ones to initial this encounter. That's how much you feel safe with this person. And to extend that thought, this is when you realize they're your Future Spouse. The chemistry between the two of you are so palpable that people around you may have the tendency to tease you guys about it. They'd probably tell you to "get a room" because of steamy glances, flirtatious advances with each other, and just the general feeling of being so confidently attracted with each other that people will say "finally!" when the two of you get married.

All of this points to one thing; the two of you found each other at the right time and situation you'd almost believe there was some sort of Divine Intervention that happened. You'd be the couple wherein your children will make disgusted faces and noises because you're still very much in love and sexually attracted to each other even after all the years of being together. There's no sense of getting tired of one another. You and your Future Spouse are very much made for each other, and both of you are seen as the model couple that most people aspire to become.

{masterlist}

[Don't repost, copy, or reword]

#pick a card #pick a card reading #pick a pile #pick a pile reading #pac #pac reading #pac readings #tarot #tarot reading #tarot readings #future spouse reading #future spouse readings #pick a card future spouse #pick a pile future spouse #divination #cartomancy #astrology #TarotWitchy

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silentauroriamthereal · 3 years

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So, last week was a Week.

This is going to be long and I'm sorry. No worries at all if you want to just start scrolling on by right now, lol.

So, I'm poor. I've always been poor. My parents have always been poor, and I didn't have any help with university. I went to school in Canada (aka my country), at least, so my tuition was much lower than in the US, say, but I was still all on my own for it, living expenses, all of it, so obviously I had to get student loans, along with work my butt off for bursuries, etc. I did my masters in opera, which is a HIGHLY competitive field, including at the grad school level, and the short version is, there's no money for sopranos - they give it all to men. So: limited financial aid, too. Aka: loans. One of the major reasons that I left the opera field was that I'm just too poor. You have to pay for everything yourself - every pianist for every audition, all of your performance clothes, audition clothes, recordings for demos, travel expenses, agent fees (if you get far enough to have one of those), new headshots every six months, etc. It only works for singers with rich parents or a partner who's earning a lot and supporting them. My parents are dirt poor and I'm single, so: screwed. Now, my museum job is full-time, but it pays only just above minimum wage. My city is one where people typically live at home until they're 35, then buy a house and get married. There are very few apartments compared to most cities I've lived in, so rents are high. My rent is easily a good 75-80% of my income, and whatever I have left is how I pay the bills. Every six months I have to reapply to defer student loan payments, with proof of my measly income, and every time, huge stress though it is, I get approved. Except last time. Last time, apparently I was approved, but only to pay a lower amount than what they would have charged, aka $450 or so/month, which I obviously don't have to spare. This time, they approved me for a LOWER amount, not nothing, which had been the case every other time. I didn't see it. I just saw that I was approved. So now, six months later, it's time to reapply but I couldn't, because I was six months late on all of these lower amounts, and had to pay it all at once. The next problem? The money I had to use for that is the money I was going to pay my income taxes with. That's a whole other nightmare - the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency, may their name and entire institution be cursed), somehow conflated my account with my mother's about a year ago when she applied for benefits due to being laid off because of the pandemic. She applied for and received benefits to the tune of $4,000. The T4E's for those benefits are somehow on my account. I spent over 10 hours on the phone with these jackasses last week and it's still not sorted out. I ended up filing without acknowledging my mother's benefits, with a lengthy explanatory note, and then had to borrow money from my (again, dirt poor) parents, and somehow also make May 1st rent for the next day. It's so gross. I made my rent, but I'm up the creek now, because I have nothing left over to pay my bills. As it is, I'm generally reliant on those you AMAZING human beings who support me on Patreon - I usually have to wait until that comes in before I can pay my bills. This time around, because of the rest of it, I don't have a way to make ends meet. I hate, hate, HATE asking, especially because I've asked before, but if there's any way at all that you think you can help, any amount would be seriously amazing. PLEASE don't if you already have before, if you already support me on Patreon, or if you don't have it to spare. I mean it. This is just a last little plea I'm putting out there into the universe, just on the off chance.

The best way would be via PayPal - I use my fandom account, [email protected]. If you're in any way ticked off by this post, I'm sorry, I really, really am. I find this massively embarrassing and this entire post comes with a heaping serving of cringe on my part.

That said, the best way I know of to repay the incredible kindness and generosity that this fandom has shown me over and over again, from reading my fics to liking my posts to supporting me financially and emotionally and in all the other ways, I'm going to put in a solid chunk of work on the current fic, starting right now. It's over 37,400 words in and the end is in sight!

#personal #financial woes

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luci-in-trenchcoats · 3 years

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By Your Doorstep (Part 4)

Summary: The reader and Dean celebrate Tessa’s birthday with a big surprise before making a drastic change to their relationship...

Pairing: Doctor/Neighbor!Dean x reader

Masterlist

Word Count: 4,100ish

Warnings: language, angst, mentioned past sexual assault (not graphic)

A/N: Parts of this series are told from two different POV’s. Dean’s POV are written from limited third person. Reader’s POV are second person (like a typical reader insert). Enjoy!…

_________

Dean’s POV

Two Weeks Later

“Oh fuck yeah!” said Dean, jumping up and down in the driveway as he read over the letter in his hands.

“Dr. Dean that’s a bad word,” said Emily, the five year old three houses down. Dean slapped a hand over his face as she rode past on her bike, her father laughing to himself.

“Hope it’s good news, Dean,” said Chris.

“Very. Sorry about that,” said Dean, Chris waving him off as Dean jogged back inside. He read over the letter again and looked through the packet. “Alright. As long as you keep a B average or above you’re golden kiddo. You get straight A’s anyways so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Dean smiled and gathered up all of the documents, getting them together with Tessa’s birthday present. Y/N had tried to tell him that giving away his old iPhone was too much but all it did was sit in a drawer now when it worked perfectly fine. He was pretty sure she wasn’t going to be thinking about the phone at all once she found out about the grant.

He looked back at the bag on the table and frowned. Maybe she’d take it the wrong way, like he was trying to save her sister or their family or something like that. He could have given them the application and had them fill it out. They would have probably gotten it still. Dean knew his letter he’d included didn’t hurt but he didn’t want to be that guy. He was already a doctor, already helped Y/N with a job, already paid for dates and things. It was no issue for him at all and he knew she didn’t care about the money but he didn’t want to rub it in her face that he could help more than she could.

Dean grabbed his phone and called Cas, Sam stuck in some network client thing all night he’d told him. It rang a few times before it picked up, the echo in the background telling him he was on speaker.

“Deano!” said Benny. “Gonna make it over tonight after all?”

“Hey guys,” said Dean, sitting down on his couch. “You got the crew together?”

“Nah, just us and the girls. They’re still out shopping. What’s up?” asked Cas.

“You know Y/N?” asked Dean.

“The girl you’re clearly in love with? Yes we know her,” laughed Benny. Dean was quiet and heard them shift on the other end.

“Everything okay?” asked Cas.

“I think I fucked it up. I think I’m going too far too fast.”

“What do you mean?” asked Benny.

“Tessa, her little sister, she’s in high school and I applied for a grant on her behalf for her college and she got it,” said Dean.

“That’s a problem how?” asked Cas.

“I don’t want it to come off as me trying to save them or anything. I’m nervous she’s gonna get mad at me,” said Dean. His friends were quiet and knew a teasing comment wouldn’t come. “Guys.”

“Tell her you applied on a long shot and a grant is what helped you with school. You’re not saving the day, just sharing a benefit you got,” said Benny. “Shit I wish I’d had someone do that for me.”

“What’s going on Dean? You’re normally the last person to freak over shit,” said Cas. Dean sat back and stared up at the ceiling.

“Talk to us bud,” said Benny.

“I like this girl and it’s been years and years since I had a girlfriend. You guys know I’m not good for more than a fuck,” said Dean.

“Lisa was a super bitch and you know that’s not true,” said Benny.

“I am in my thirties and I’ve never had a real relationship. I don’t even know how. I’m gonna fuck this up so bad. I know it.”

“Contrary to how often I call you a dick, you are one of the best people I’ve ever met,” said Cas.

“I agree and you know all our friends and especially Sammy would say the same thing. Brother you gotta relax. This girl from what you’ve said and everybody else says, well we ain’t never seen you so happy so stop freaking, go get ready for your date tonight and put some faith in this girl that she’s not gonna hurt you back,” said Benny.

“I didn’t say-”

“Dean, we’ve known you forever. We know when you’re scared. I know most people in your life end up hurting you but take it from us, not everyone will. I got a good vibe from her,” said Cas.

“Me too,” said Dean quietly.

“You doing okay?” asked Benny. “In general you know.”

“Yeah. Most of the time I’m great now. The past few weeks have been awesome. I think maybe that’s why I keep freaking out over this girl. It’s like, fucking finally, I understand what a good relationship can be.”

“You been to Ketch lately?” asked Cas.

“No, not as a patient. I’m okay.”

“Well still go for a tag up every once in a while for us,” said Benny.

“I know. Never would have gone without you assholes getting on my back in the first place.”

“That’s what friends are for,” said Cas, Benny chuckling. “So where you guys going tonight?”

“Monico’s.”

“Fancy,” they both said and Dean rolled his eyes, smiling to himself.

“Goodbye assholes,” said Dean, hearing them laugh before he hung up. He sat up and took a deep breath. “Alright. Shower. Shave and fingers crossed tonight goes well.”

Reader’s POV

“Okay, presents before or after dinner?” you asked as you carried in a bag to Tessa’s room.

“Before, obviously,” she said.

“Alright, well I know you wanted something really badly this year,” you said. “Why don’t you open the green one first?”

“This feels like an iPhone box…” she said with a big smile. She tore off the paper and grinned. “Awesome! What one is it?”

“It’s a ten. It’s used but in really good condition. I got you a case and extra charger too,” you said. “We can swing to the store and activate it tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Y/N, really,” she said. She grabbed the card next and her eyes went wide when she saw the cash inside. “Y/N.”

“It’s your money you gave me. It’s yours. Buy whatever you want, okay?” you said. She nodded and unwrapped a few more small things, a book she’d been talking about, some make up you knew she’d use, a new pair of her nike running shorts that’d been on sale thankfully. You smirked when she picked up the last two presents in the bag. “Alright. I hope these are...suitable for you.”

She tore off the wrapping on one and started to laugh.

“It’s hot pink,” she giggled. “Why is it hot pink?”

“Cause vibrators come in a variety of colors,” you said with a laugh. “I will let you read through the charging instructions on your own and same for the other box. There is toy cleaner because yes you need to wash these things properly and I got some water based lube. Go with water based. It dries up faster but it works better to me. Oh and wash everything like five times before it goes anywhere near anything, okay?”

“Okay,” she laughed. “I can’t believe you actually bought me this stuff.”

“Can’t get pregnant off a toy,” you said.

“Definitely can’t do that,” said Dean, Tessa wide eyed as he popped his head into the doorway. She shoved the boxes back into the bag and he laughed. “I’m a doctor. Sex doesn’t bother me and I think your sister has a point.”

“Oh my God, I forgot he was here,” she said, running her hands over her face.

“I was wondering where you two ran off to,” he said. He stepped inside and pulled out a box from behind his back. “Happy birthday, Tessa.”

“Thanks,” she blushed. She undid the bow and paper, smiling as she opened the box. There was an envelope inside but she picked up the headphones and shook her head. “Dean I can’t accept this. It’s too much. I already know the iPhone must have been yours.”

“You are smarter than you look,” he said. “But I can’t accept your refusal of my present. I have new ones and those never get used and I’m bigger than you so you’re gonna lose this argument one way or the other.”

“I’d listen to him, Tessa. He gets his way when he wants it,” you said. She rolled her eyes but smiled.

“Thank you. People haven’t been nice to us the past couple years,” she said. You glanced down to the floor, Dean leaving his arm wrapped around your waist.

“People weren’t all that nice to me either for a long time,” he said with a nod. “Someday when you’re able, you help somebody else out, understand?”

“Yeah,” she said with a nod.

“Open the envelope. This one’s a present to you both,” he said. You cocked your head as she tore it open, reading for a long time before she pulled out a paper and handed it to you.

“Dean,” you said, sitting down on her bed after you’d read it a few times. “Dean this…”

“It’s a grant. It’s very similar to a scholarship. I’m an alumni of Elmdale and the medical school there. Tessa you qualify and so I applied on your behalf a few weeks ago and you were accepted. The grant will cover half of four years of tuition,” he said.

“What does that mean?” asked Tessa.

“It means we will have to pay very little with financial aid,” you said. She was beaming and you shook your head. “You applied weeks ago?”

“After I met you two. This house seemed familiar to me for some reason until I remembered. Y/N I told you someone helped me when I was eighteen?”

“Yeah?”

“I think his picture is hanging in the hall,” he said.

“Our dad?” asked Tessa.

“He got me a job and helped me pay for part of my school. I came here once when I needed his help. Your father was a very good man and it’s clear his daughters are the same. Neither one of you deserves to go through all the pain I did. I don’t want you to. It was no trouble at all to do, I swear.”

“Tessa, I work at Dean’s office as a lab tech,” you said. She turned her head and you saw Dean nod. “I lost my job before. We were scraping by. Barely. We’re okay now but without this grant...it would have wiped out our inheritance. That was for weddings and down payments for houses. We can keep it now...we can keep the house now.”

“You hate this house though,” she said. “I hate this house.”

“Tessa-”

“We can downsize,” she said. “Y/N, every night you stare down at their bedroom door. It’s like we live with ghosts or something. It doesn’t have to be so tight. Do we really need a five bedroom house?”

“It’s not as tight anymore. We’ll talk about it. Let’s go celebrate all the good news,” you said. “I’ve been dying for a Monico’s steak.”

“She seemed pretty happy tonight,” said Dean as you sat on the front porch a few hours later. You hummed and rocked in your seat beside him, resting your head on his shoulder. “Did I overstep?”

“No. You were the boy in the mailroom, weren’t you. Dad used to talk about you sometimes. Mostly when I didn’t want to do something. He told me some people my age have it so much harder.”

“True. But you can’t compare one person’s struggles to another’s. It’s not fair to either one.”

“Would you sell this house if you were me?” you asked.

“I like that you live close by. I’d miss that. But it’s a lotta house for the two of you and it sounds like a change might be a good thing. You could downsize to somewhere else in the neighborhood and probably bank a good chunk of money for later on.”

“We could.” Dean was quiet, gears turning in his head. “What are you thinking of?”

“My house is a five bedroom too.”

“Yours is also newer,” you said. “And bigger.”

“Tell me if I’m crossing a line but...you guys...could stay there if you decided to sell this place. Temporarily. Or not temporarily,” he said. You stared up at him and he looked away. “Like I said, I’m sorry, I know it’s...I should go.”

“Hey. I’m not afraid of you.” His head turned back towards you and he swallowed thickly. “Tell me another secret and I’ll you one.”

“I think I I’m falling in love with you and I’m afraid I’m going too fast and that you think I’m creepy or weird deep down and I’m up to something when all I really see is me and my brother in you and your sisters places and I know how much it sucks and how much it hurts and I know you protect her from stuff she doesn’t even know about. I’m sorry for saying that about the house just now. I’d still like to see you though if that’s okay.”

“I think this is fast too but I also think that part of me fell for you the day you carried her home. You don’t want anything from us. Just to help and it’s not because you pity us or anything like that. If I’ve learned anything yet in life it’s that you don’t know when it’s gonna stop and there’s no use in wasting time.”

“What are you saying?”

“You willing to put up with a teenager, a service dog and someone who has not had a moment to themselves in two years?”

“As long as you don’t snore,” he smiled. You laughed and kissed his cheek. “Are you serious?”

“I don’t like this house anymore. If she doesn’t want it, I don’t want it. Maybe we can do some test runs, stay over for a weekend or two, see if we want to make it a not temporary thing.”

“That sounds great,” he smiled. “We’ll figure it out, sweetheart.”

Two Months Later

“I’m home,” you said on the way back from the store. You’d been staying at Dean’s for two weeks now after a nice couple closed on your old house. So far it’d been great and you were perfectly happy to stay there with him and Tessa for the foreseeable future. “I picked up some-”

“He is not my dad. I am eighteen,” said Tessa as she stormed over to the foyer. You glanced back to where Dean was over in the kitchen and sighed. “I want to go to Paulie’s tonight.”

“Who is Paulie?” you asked as you kicked off your boots.

“A friend,” she said.

“You’ve literally never mentioned him before,” you said, carrying some groceries through the family room and to the kitchen.

“That’s what I said,” said Dean as he peeled a potato at the island.

“I thought I said you’re not my dad so you can shut the fuck up.”

“Hey!” you shouted, Tessa freezing up. “Apologize to Dean.”

“He-”

“We are stable for the first time ever because of him. I trust Dean to make decisions for you when I’m not home. If he said no, then the answer is no. Go to your room,” you said. She grumbled and pounded her feet upstairs. You washed up and gripped the countertop. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe she said that to you.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be the bad guy,” he said as he picked up another potato. “Paulie what’s his face doesn’t sound like he wants anything other than in her pants so she can swear all she likes at me.”

“What’d she say exactly?”

“She wants to go over to Paulie’s tonight to hang out with some friends but I overheard her and Hailey talking earlier this week about a party and I don’t need a medical degree to put it together.”

“If she sneaks out I’ll kill her,” you said. You glanced down to Toast’s dog bowl and paused. “Dean what would happen if she drank on her medication.”

“She can’t drink alcohol on that stuff,” he said.

“What would happen if she did.”

“She could have a seizure,” he said.

“Tessa!” you shouted. You jogged upstairs and found her bedroom empty. “Tessa!”

The house was quiet and you put your hands on your head.

“Toast!” you shouted, the dog trotting out from Dean’s bedroom. You immediately ran inside, Dean already upstairs and you saw her sitting out on the balcony in a chair, her face in her knees.

“Can I…” said Dean and you nodded. You followed him outside, Dean walking over and squatting by her seat. “Tessa, what are you doing out here?”

“I wish I was normal, didn’t have a fucked up head.”

“I got one too,” he said.

“Do you have to take medicine for seizures? No?” she said.

“No but my dad used to beat me up,” he said. She turned and he nodded. “He would try to beat up my little brother too sometimes but I would take the hits when I could. Tessa, you can’t drink when you’re on your medicine. You just can’t.”

“I know that,” she said.

“You can’t sneak out and leave Toast behind either. It’s not safe.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Y/N and I get scared too is all.”

“You just pretend to like me cause you fuck my sister.”

“For the record, I don’t fuck your sister. Relationships are complicated. You might not realize this but I care about you for you. If I didn’t I would not want you in my house, in our house, and I wouldn’t get scared about you going to parties with guys that just want to use you for sex. I give a shit about you Tessa whether you believe me or not.”

“You don’t care,” she scoffed. “You feel sorry for us. Nobody on earth would ask two strangers to move in unless you-”

“Tessa you can think whatever you want about me. I’m not your father and I’ll never try to be him. But I sure as shit know how to be an older brother. So be pissed off and be rude and whatever else you want to. I’ve done this before with my own brother. You don’t scare me. The only thing that does is you getting taken advantage of or you getting hurt and Toast isn’t there to help. Someday you’ll get it through that thick skull of yours what the truth is but until then, I’ll be the asshole who doesn’t let you go to parties you’ll get hurt at.”

“You pity us.”

“I’m jealous of you.” She stared at him and you swallowed in the doorway. “Your parents loved you. Mine didn’t. You want to talk about being fucked up? I’m here anytime.”

She nodded and he sat up on the bench with her. You went inside and finished preparing the potatoes, mashing them up and saving them for later. It was nearly ten by the time you heard the stairs creak and Dean walked down them.

“Y/N,” said Tessa. You got up from the couch and walked to the bottom of the stairs, Tessa glancing down. “I’m sorry for how I’ve acted today and treated Dean lately. I was…”

“It’s okay,” he said quietly as he rubbed her back.

“I was scared when we moved in here a few weeks ago. I don’t want to lose you too and Dean takes up time that it used to be just us and I know the accident wasn’t my fault but I feel guilty still sometimes and I know your life is different because of it too and I want you guys to be happy, I do. I just get scared you’ll forget about me. I don’t wanna be alone. I’m not ready.”

“You don’t ever have to be alone, Tessa,” you said. She nodded and looked up at Dean.

“I know. I was silly. But I’m better now,” she said.

“It wasn’t your fault,” you said.

“I know,” she said.

“Why don’t you head to bed, Tess. Tomorrow I can come to your session with you like we talked about,” said Dean. She nodded and walked upstairs, Toast trotting into her room. You walked upstairs and into your bedroom with Dean, shutting the door after yourselves. “I should have...change is difficult on kids with PTSD. I should have realized that’s why she’s been so snippy. I thought it was just hormones.”

“Probably both,” you said, climbing onto the bed. He lay down next to you, staring up at the ceiling. “You care for her.”

“You two are a package deal, sweetheart,” he said with a light chuckle. “Can’t love one without loving the other.”

“Like you and Sam,” you smiled. “I can’t wait to meet him in person.”

“Me too.”

“Is Tessa okay? You guys talked a really long time.”

“She was afraid I would replace her, push her out. Granted I do like spending alone time with you and everything but she needs you and I’m not here to take you away from her. I think she understands that now.”

“Dean why haven’t we had sex?” you asked. He sat up and you shrugged. “We’ve dated nearly three months and you don’t even try to cop a feel. For how fast certain things are between us, that one feels a little slow. I just want to understand. I don’t...I’m not saying it’s a problem I just want to know.”

“You asked me on our first date, or you made a comment, that I don’t seem like the shy around women type.”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t use to be. A smidge, especially if they were the one that seemed to be controlling the situation but it was always good. I had some girlfriends, had some hookups. More than my fair share of hookups. The girlfriends…”

“The bitch one?” you said, getting a chuckle out of him.

“I stopped thinking I was relationship material for a while. So I did hookups for a long time and that was good. Until about two years ago. I haven’t had sex since.”

“Did someone hurt you?”

“No. I just...I asked her to stop and she didn’t.”

“Dean she hurt you.”

“It’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay?” he said. He put his back to you and you took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I know we sleep in the same bed and…”

“And I don’t need to have sex with you. Would I like it? Sure. But my sister and I aren’t the only ones in this house that need to be taken care of. You’ve done a really good job of that lately and I’d like to start pulling my weight in that department. When you’re ready for sex, you tell me, otherwise, I will just cuddle you real hard until then, okay?”

“Alright,” he said quietly. He reached behind himself and wrapped your arms around him. You kissed the back of his neck, Dean taking slow breaths. “I don’t really know how to let someone take care of me though.”

“We’ll take it slow,” you said. “Like maybe with you being little spoon tonight.”

“Alright. I can try, sweetheart.”

_______

A/N: Read Part 5 here!

#supernatural #spn #dean x reader #doctor!dean #au!dean x reader #dean winchester #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #spn reader insert #supernatural reader insert #dean #winchester #dean spn

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vampirepunks · 3 years

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any idea on where to start on leaving jws? do i just save up money and leave?

I've got a few pointers. First, I'm gonna preface this by saying that it's a different situation for everyone. Things like age, employment status, who you live with, personal relationships, etc. all come into play when planning to leave. If you're living with JW family, parents or otherwise, it can be especially tough. If you're under 18, then it gets even harder, because you have to worry about the legality of moving out, signing a lease, and so forth. It's hard for me to give advice without knowing any specifics.

Personally, I left at 17 years old. My parents allowed me to move out without too much of a fuss, since several months before that, I had come out of the closet months and made it known that I no longer wanted to be a JW. I moved in with my boyfriend at the time and he's now my husband. Here's what I learned:

1. Your three most important concerns are reliable transportation, secure housing, and stable income.

So, if you're living with JW family and want to become independent, yes, you'll need to save money for housing and (potentially) transportation. Planning these things takes time, energy, and building a basic knowledge of what to expect. For example, you'll want to learn about local rental rates, job openings, and what kind of transportation options your area has. College is always a great option, too, especially if you're eligible for financial aid and apply for scholarships. Colleges can help a lot if you utilize the resources available to students, such as housing options, work-study, and paid internships.

2. Build a support system.

This applies to everyone leaving the JWs. For almost all ex-JWs, leaving means losing most, if not all, of your family and friends. Breaking free is hard and you shouldn't do it alone. Make friends and build relationships with dependable people that you can trust. You'll need them when things get tough. Plus, that opens up the possibility of sharing housing costs and/or transportation with roommates. This brings me to my next point.

3. Don't leap without looking.

Before you move out or make any major lifestyle change, be certain. Get all of the facts, assess your resources and life skills, and make contingency plans. For example, don't move in with anyone unless you're 100% certain they're trustworthy, honest, and dependable.

4. Decide how you want to leave.

There are many ways to leave the JWs. It's a personal choice, and the process depends on whether or not you're baptized. I left via disfellowshipping, but that's because my parents knew everything and thus forced me to meet with a judicial committee. You can also disassociate yourself, typically by writing a letter addressed to the elders at your local kingdom hall, stating that you no longer wish to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Both of these options do mean you'll be immediately shunned by family and friends, without a doubt. Another option is "fading." With this, you simply stop attending meetings, going out in field ministry (though that doesn't apply as much during the pandemic), and spending time with other JWs. The drawback here is, the local elders will typically label you inactive and take steps to try and pull you back in. They'll call, or write letters and send literature, or attempt to visit. It can be tough to dodge these attempts unless they have no way of finding your number and new address. (My aunt actually faded by leaving the country altogether, haha.) If you choose to fade or are not baptized in the first place, there is the advantage that as far as the JWs are concerned, the issue is more nuanced. This means you may at times get to talk to your JW family, who would likely shun you outright with disfellowshipping or disassociation. To them, you'll simply be a "bad association." It all depends on how strong your relationships to them are.

5. Once you're out, adjust to the culture shock.

This especially applies if you were raised JW. Stepping out into the world is one hell of a mixed bag, lemme tell you. It's beautiful, scary, joyous, and intimidating. As soon as you're out, the world seems a whole lot bigger. Suddenly, it feels like you can do whatever you want. And like everyone else is doing whatever they want. For me, it felt like crash landing on an alien planet; like I was this strange outsider who spoke a different language. Nothing can quite prepare you for this. Just take your time relearning how the world works, be patient with yourself and others, and enjoy life as it comes. And don't hesitate to reach out to other ex-JWs! All of our stories are different, but ultimately, we're all survivors of the same war. Sometimes, you'll just need someone who understands where you've been and what you've lost.

Leaving the JWs is a long, tough process, even after you're out, but trust me when I say you won't regret it. I wish you the sincerest of luck. I hope this helps.

And hey, don't be afraid to message me or drop another ask if you have more questions/need to talk!

#logan answers #ex jw #jehovahs witnesses #anon

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carotidartistry · 4 years

Text

COVID and the Arts

The existence of algorithm-driven, non-chronological "timelines" is very bizarre right now. On my Facebook feed, I see posts from March 10 talking about starting the second week of previews or celebrating good box office returns. On March 12, my job ceased to exist, as did the jobs of hundreds upon hundreds of people as an entire industry shuttered over the course of one day.

The cancellations and closing of events and arts/entertainment venues, while important for public health, have left many people (who earn on a gig basis rather than salary) very suddenly and entirely without expected income. There is no work-from-home option, just their job disappearing entirely. Some people will be able to collect unemployment insurance, but many won't even get that, as they work as independent contractors who are paid a fee for work delivered or vend their goods directly to customers at such events.

This is a tough time for arts/events organizations and those who work them (which includes not just artists but all of the ushers, custodians, etc. whose work is tied to the event itself). I'm compiling ways to support those who have been impacted (pass-the-hats for donating to individuals, funds that are accepting donations, ways to purchase people's goods/services, etc.) and resources for those who have been impacted. The industry community is coming together in a heartening way right now, but it would mean a great deal to me if those not in the industry could take a moment to glance through and maybe even to share this information. Even if you can't make any sort of donation yourself, it means something to have this hardship be seen and acknowledged.

Additionally, if you have tickets to events that have been canceled and don't immediately need your funds returned, I encourage you to wait a bit before reaching out to the theater/venue/etc.. Box office workers have been overwhelmed. And particularly if it was a ticket for a non-profit or grassroots organization, if it's possible, I'd encourage people to consider donating the cost of their ticket rather than demanding a refund.

While I'm aware that there are many people in many sectors taking a hit right now, I am putting my focus on where I am and would like to keep that the focus here. Please share any relevant updates, additional resources, etc..

Support Those Who Have Been Impacted

A general pass-the-hat for individual theatre workers (updated daily): I Lost My Theatre Gigs

“The Indie Theater Fund is launching this fundraising campaign to provide direct support and emergency relief to independent theaters and artists in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” https://www.facebook.com/donate/509591526599992/509604039932074/

NYC Low-Income Artist/Freelancer Relief Fund: "We seek to provide support for low-income, BIPOC, trans/GNC/NB/Queer artists and freelancers whose livelihoods are being effected by this pandemic in NYC. Whether it's from cancelled gigs, lost jobs, or a lack of business due to coronavirus scares, we hope to orchestrate an egalitarian approach to crowdsourcing." [Note: their funding applications are currently closed as they make sure that they have enough resources to cover the 500 people who have already applied.] https://www.gofundme.com/f/nyc-lowincome-artistfreelancer-relief-fund

"The Philadelphia Performing Artists' Emergency Fund was created amid the COVID-19 outbreak to assist performing artists whose income has been impacted by show cancellations, slowing ticket sales, and/or low turnout during this pandemic." https://www.gofundme.com/f/philly-performance-artist-fund

"The Boston Artist Relief Fund will award grants of $500 and $1,000 to individual artists who live in Boston whose creative practices and incomes are being adversely impacted by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)." https://www.boston.gov/artistrelief

Boston Music Maker Relief Fund: "Small grants of up to $200 will be paid rapidly on a first come, first served basis to affected artists and groups. Please see grant guidelines below. Donations will be accepted from individuals and corporations in order to replenish the fund and continue making payments to eligible music makers in the queue. The Record Co. is covering all admin/processing costs so 100% of every donation goes directly to music makers in the community. Please consider donating using the form below or contact [email protected] to get involved.": https://www.therecordco.org/relief

Durham Artist Relief Fund: "Funds donated here go directly to artists and arts presenters in Durham who have been financially impacted by cancellations due to COVID-19, with priority given to to BIPOC artists, transgender & nonbinary artists, and disabled artists": https://www.northstardurham.com/artistrelief

Emergency Relief Fund for Artists During COVID-19 (Minnesota): https://www.givemn.org/story/Epf3ag

Opera San José Artists and Musicians Relief Fund: “This emergency cash reserve will allow us to provide support to the musicians, singers, carpenters, stitchers, designers and other hourly company members that make our productions possible and who will be deeply affected by COVID-19.”: https://operasj.secure.force.com/donate/?dfId=a0nf400000QZ7hKAAT

A pass the hat for individual SXSW workers: "Update 3/10: We have received over 400 submissions - thank you! We are working diligently to verify each submission and get them posted. As of today, the total amount of reported income lost is $2,108,835. Your stories are heartbreaking but we know them all too well. We appreciate you, we see you, and we love you, Austin. Hang in there." https://www.ilostmygig.com/

2020 ECCC Artists Alley: An unofficial compilation of Eccc2020 artist alley online shops. Browse the goods of artists who won't have the opportunity to sell directly to their anticipated customers: https://ecccartistalley.tumblr.com/

Artists Alley Online: A directory for some of the artists who would have been at Emerald City Comic Con (March 12-15, 2020) had it not been moved due to the corona virus. https://artistalleyonline.com/

Shoutout to the theaters who have suspended performances but are still paying their artists in the interim. These have been reported to include: Ars Nova (https://arsnovanyc.com/), Geffen Playhouse (https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/), WP Theater (https://wptheater.org/), Soho Rep (https://sohorep.org/), Playwrights Realm (https://www.playwrightsrealm.org/), New York Theatre Workshop (https://www.nytw.org/), Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (https://www.rattlestick.org/), the McCarter Theatre (https://www.mccarter.org/), Parity Productions (https://www.parityproductions.org/), and Second Stage Theater (https://2st.com/). (sources: https://twitter.com/diepthought/status/1238194781437734912?s=19, direct email from Second Stage)

More who have been named are the Public Theater (https://publictheater.org/), Transport Group (http://transportgroup.org/), Vineyard Theatre (https://www.vineyardtheatre.org/), and Lincoln Center Theater (https://www.lct.org/). (source: https://twitter.com/westratenick/status/1238847988262453248)

Please consider giving those organizations (and any others who are doing similarly) your support if/when you're able to.

Resources for Impacted Arts/Entertainment/Events Workers

Freelancers & Community Resources 2020: Resources centered for artists and those impacted by gigs being canceled/postponed: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xt1QZlGsyga_HrXagubV9O0rebV5dx4DuMOd2sWvWwc/edit

COVID-19 & Freelance Artist Resources: https://covid19freelanceartistresource.wordpress.com/

NYFA Emergency Resources: "Artists who experience personal hardship or who are impacted by a large-scale disaster, or who need funding for a last-minute opportunity can find critical resources in NYFA's Emergency Resources Directory.": https://www.nyfa.org/Content/Show/Emergency%20Resources

The Indie Theater Fund: "Rapid relief grants of up to $500 will be awarded to support our community, prioritizing the consortium of companies, venues, and individuals working in NYC independent theater (Off-Off-Broadway in theater houses of 99 seats or less), operating with budgets under $250,000. We will award grants on an on-going basis until our funds run out. Grants can be requested via a simple online application and will be reviewed on a first come first serve basis.” https://forms.gle/pLm7bLhKQE8AbpDn6

Send your information to "I Lost My Theatre Gigs": https://ilostmytheatregigs.squarespace.com/

Philadelphia Performing Artists' Emergency Fund: Emergency Funds can be requested by any Cabaret, Drag, Burlesque, Theater, or performance artists facing a financial hardship caused by COVID-19. Performance artists who need aid can apply here: https://forms.gle/SwsMERPM1CTivFyc7

Boston Artist Relief Fund application: https://cityofbostonartsandculture.submittable.com/submit/af2153eb-2d87-4e9d-9ebc-5861eb135999/boston-artist-relief-fund

Boston Music Maker Relief Fund application: https://therecordco.typeform.com/to/w6wTkF

Durham Artist Relief Fund application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEJKTP91h5e7MuUITHj96J6eKWeZjgVLZjLG4Wp-WMhyQ4mg/viewform

SXSW workers send your information to "I Lost My Gig" here: https://www.ilostmygig.com/

#theater #theatre #off broadway #opera #sxsw #eccc #eccconline #freelance artist #freelance artists #nyc #boston #philadelphia #durham #covid-19 #coronavirus #covid 19

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collegecoward · 4 years

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Hey, so I graduated this past May and since then I've just been working 40 hours a week. I feel like I need to go to college to do something with my life but I feel like theres so much in my way and I havent done anything to even start and I dont have a clue what I'd want to do. I'm so unsure on how to do anything regarding financial aid or even applying to colleges. I'm also worried that it wouldn't work with my schedule for my job. I work 5 days with 2 off days and I'm on evenings so I feel like I wouldn't be able to balance work and school, but I would have to bc I'm my only financial support. Sorry for the dumping my problems, but any advice?

How To Do College 101

Congratulations on your graduation! Working a full-time job after graduation (during a freaking pandemic, no less) is no small feat either, and I applaud you for that, too. Once upon a time, I was like you: I didn’t know anything about college except that I wanted to go, and now I run a blog telling people how to go to college. College might be strange and unfamiliar now, but in time, you will learn how to do it!

This might be my longest post, so strap in for a fun ride!! My answer comes to you in three parts:

How To Do Community College

How To Do University

How To Do Financial Aid

P.S. I’m going to say this only once, but feel free to ask why: Do not attend a for-profit college. Okay, now onto the basics!

How To Do Community College

I encourage you to read my Ode to Community College. Community colleges are real colleges designed for people who are low on funds, are working or have other responsibilities, don’t know what they want to study yet, and/or don’t know how college works yet.

Step 1: Applying

Community colleges accept anyone who applies, and the application is usually just like filling out a job application, but you will also need to send in your high school transcript, and I recommend sending any test scores. Your college may have you take a placement test to see if you’re ready for college. If you’re not quite ready, they may have you take some pre-college courses in English or math before you officially start a degree program.

Step 2: Choosing a Degree Program

Among other things, community colleges award associate’s degrees, which are essentially the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university. You’ll take introductory classes like English, math, science, and social sciences, as well as electives (i.e. fun classes). Here’s a list of programs that might be offered at your community college.

Step 3: Taking the Right Classes

Make sure you stick to your college’s degree plan so that you take classes that 1) count toward your associate’s degree and 2) will transfer to a university. Most classes you take for an associate’s degree (AA, AS, or AFA) should transfer to a bachelor’s degree (BA, BS, or BFA) easily enough, but sometimes universities aren’t very transfer-friendly. The best option is to transfer to a university that has a partnership with your community college, which is information you should be able to find on your community college’s website. If your community college doesn’t have any partners, you’ll want to research the transfer policies at the universities you’re interested in and follow their guidelines on what classes to take.

Step 4: Transferring

In your last year of community college, you will apply to a four-year college or university for your bachelor’s degree. You’ll need to pick a major when you apply because for the next two years, that’s what you will be studying. Make sure you tour the university before you attend and get acclimated before your first day!

How To Do University

Whether or not you attend community college for the first two years or enroll directly into a four-year college or university, you’ll want to understand how to navigate the basics as early as possible.

Step 1: Exploring Your Options

Use my Self-Reflection Toolkit and this quiz from Marquette University to explore potential majors. These are just meant to get you thinking and guide you as you learn more about yourself and your interests. This process will take time to research and figure out, and if you enroll directly into a four-year college you can change your major after you apply. As I mentioned, the first two years are mostly basics and figuring stuff out, so either way you have time.

I was very bad at choosing colleges to apply to and applied almost at random. I learned a lot from those mistakes, and on my FAQ page you’ll see me trying to impart that wisdom on others. I recommend doing your research, going on virtual tours, and getting used to just looking at college websites, even if you don’t know what you want yet. Start by window shopping for colleges in your state and see what they have to offer you. College Board also has tools for finding a college that fits your needs. It’s worth starting as early as possible, and I know that you can do it. Like I said, I was really bad at it and I still made it through.

Step 2: Applying

Applying to a four-year college will take more steps than a community college application. Many colleges require letters of recommendation, essays, and application fees (look on their websites for fee waivers). More information is on my FAQ page, of course, but be prepared to complete these steps before application deadlines. Each college sets its own deadline, but if you want to go next year, you’ll likely need to apply by January or February. Applying can be daunting, but you will need to do it at some point, even if you go to community college first.

Step 3: Finding Resources

Access any and all resources your university offers, which will include advising, counseling, career services, and more. The same is true at a community college, but I would argue it’s even more true at a university. You might find out about internships, research opportunities, fun events, and all that stuff that excited you when you saw it on your university’s website! Even if you don’t feel like you need resources, you’re paying for them, so you might as well use them! Often people won’t know how to help you unless you tell them you’re struggling, like how you told me what you’re going through and I wrote a post that’s turning into a short novel! (I’ll be done soon, I promise.)

Step 4: Taking The Right Classes

Just like at a community college, you want to make sure you’re taking classes that count toward your degree and interest you. Make sure you’re following the prescribed degree plan on your university’s website and communicated by your advisor. If you find that you’ve chosen a major that doesn’t fit your interests, make sure you speak with your professors, your advisor, and anyone else whose opinion you trust.

How To Do Financial Aid

Step 1: Understanding The Basics

There are three major types of financial aid: loans (money you have to pay back after you graduate), grants (government money you’re awarded based on your financial need that you don’t have to pay back), and scholarships (money from a college or other source that is awarded for any reason that you don’t have to pay back). Loans might come from the government, your college, or a bank. I recommend borrowing from the federal government because the interest is so low (basically, it’s cheaper to pay off than a bank loan).

Step 2: Filling Out FAFSA

If you want to go to college next fall, or if you just want to do a practice round, fill out FAFSA now. I’m assuming you’re under 24, so you will need your parents’ tax information even if they’re not going to help you pay for college. Filling out FAFSA will never, not ever ever ever require you or your parents to take out any loans. Rather, FAFSA gives you access to any need-based financial aid you might be eligible for, whether that aid comes from the government or not. Loans agreements are a totally separate form, and you can take some loans without your parents’ help. If you’re not eligible for FAFSA, check whether your state or college has its own FAFSA alternative.

Step 3: Reading Your Award Letter

After a college sends an acceptance letter, they will also send a financial aid award letter. The letter will show you how much you’ve been awarded in scholarships and grants and how much you can take out in loans from the federal government or the college itself. You should compare your financial aid amount to the total cost of attendance, will you can find on the college’s financial aid webpage. The total cost of attendance is how much it costs to pay for tuition, fees, housing, and a rough estimate of your other living expenses. Basically, it’s how much it costs to be a student for one year.

As you said, I wouldn’t expect you to be able to work 40 hours while maintaining good grades, so may need to be frugal and creative to fill in any gaps financial aid didn’t cover. Private colleges tend to have a really big “sticker price,” but may offer generous scholarships as discounts, whereas public colleges tend to be cheaper and may have (large and small) scholarships to help you pay.

Step 4: Applying

In addition to the scholarships that you may be automatically awarded if you meet certain criteria, your colleges may also have scholarships that you have to apply for by yourself. This information will be located on a college’s financial aid webpage. There are also scholarships from nonprofit organizations and businesses. Visit my resources page for info, ask people you know if they’re aware of any scholarships, ask your boss and coworkers, and ask Google for “scholarships in [your town].”

Okay, I threw a lot at you, but those are the basics as I see them! You can totally do this. It’s going to be a big learning curve, but the payoffs will be big. And you can always come back here for more advice and reassurance. I’m proud of you already for thinking of your future and doing what you can to support yourself and your learning.

#application #apply #appblr #major #community college #transfer #financial aid #student loans #scholarships

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likeshipsonthesea · 4 years

Text

names

all this talk about names has got me feeling the things yaknow so here ya go. some good old fashioned dex rambling. warning for homophobia

there are about seven different william poindexters in his town and surrounding area so dex is no stranger to nicknames. his parents call him will, billy if they’re around the extended family. his older brother calls him willy when he wants to make dex’s ears go red. at school he goes by will, until he starts peewee hockey.

dex doesn’t know who calls him it first, but by the end of the first practice even the coach is calling him dex. it’s not that it fits exactly, more than any of his other names, but he got onto the ice and the coach looked at him -- smaller, younger, than all the other players-- and suggested he play forward, but within minutes coach told him to switch with another kid who’d been playing defense because the way dex threw his body around, all skinny limbs and too fast for how uncoordinated he was, it was obvious he was a d-man

and there’s no checking in peewee but dex knows how to protect his team and it’s this instinct, this perfect thing he doesn’t have to think about, and he’s breathing so hard he can taste his lungs and so much of him is cold and achey from falling onto the ice but it feels like accomplishment, like helping ma with the chores or helping dad carry in the groceries, it’s this feeling like i did a good thing that he chases more than anything else and his teammates look at him and grin and call him dex and he learns to tie this wonderful feeling to that name and it’s awesome

and then dex messes up. he calls a boy pretty to his face and the whole town seems to know the next morning. his teammates, they still like him, and they trust him to protect them on the ice, but they stop saying his name. he doesn’t notice at first, too hung up on all the new things -- the bruises and scrapes -- rather than the lack, but he slowly realizes that they don’t say his name, on the ice or off, and it’s not that he isn’t dex anymore and if someone called out the name dex he’d answer in a heartbeat, but he goes day in and day out being called will and that’s fine, it’s his name, but will isn’t--

will is ma’s good quiet boy who doesn’t mind doing laundry or washing dishes, he’s the kid who doesn’t ask for something he sees at the store because he knows money is tight and he doesn’t want to give his parents something else to feel guilty over, will is the one who doesn’t start fights even when the names they call him cut at his skin, will is who his parents need him to be, who he needs to be in this town, and that’s. different. than being dex.

and then freshman year of high school arrives and with it a new team, a new captain. luke rossi is probably the brightest thing dex has ever looked at and he throws an arm over dex’s shoulder and seems to say i got you and when he says dex’s name it sounds like salvation and how could he ever say no to that?

(he doesn’t, ever, say no to luke. it isn’t that he can’t it’s just that he doesn’t want to, and so dex isn’t who the town needs him to be, he’s who luke needs him to be, on the ice and off and in his car on a beach in the middle of the night and when luke hisses dex with his palm covering dex’s mouth it’s something like that old feeling of i did a good thing, even if it’s twisted when he gets home and ma asks him how studying went and he says fine and it isn’t a lie, not really, because it’s all fine)

but luke rossi is a senior, and when the year ends dex is left with teammates who make jokes that draw blood in the locker room, and somehow-- dex thinks, with an ache he doesn’t know how to name, that luke had something to do with it-- somehow, dex is voted team captain and that is who he becomes.

cap. it’s a hard name, starts and ends with biting sounds, final. “dex” had never felt soft until he started responding to cap without hesitation. he knows how to protect his team, always has, and so it isn’t hard to become cap, become someone the underclassmen look up to, someone his peers look to for leadership. he knows the plays, knows how to rally his team, knows how to keep the puck out of his side of the rink, and it’s easy, really, to stay there. stay in his spot, his role, be who his team needs him to be.

easy, except for all the times it’s not. when an underclassman makes a joke that makes dex itch inside of his skin. when he keeps his eyes on the floor of the locker room no matter what, because rumors don’t wash off, not even in the glow of luke rossi’s pristine reputation. when a guy on the other team slams him into the board and hisses a slur against his ear and none of his teammates bat an eye.

cap is the kind of guy that things don’t get to. cap is the guy who knows how to take a joke. cap is the kind of guy who has to.

and he’s dex still, sometimes, when luke rossi visits from college or one of the guys on the team who was there when he was a freshman wants to tease him, and sometimes, the best times, when dex isn’t thinking about anything except hockey and his body knows what to do without him directing it and they win a game and the team slams into him and they’re yelling and sweating and so fucking happy, in those moments, dex feels the i did a good thing feeling like it’s eaten up his whole body and in those moments, he thinks dex and nothing else.

he applies to samwell, along with a handful of state schools, for a million reasons he doesn’t name. “they have a great computer science program,” he tells his extended family. “they offer really good financial aid packages,” he tells his parents. “they’ve got jack zimmermann,” he tells his teammates.

he doesn’t tell anyone about the picture he’d seen on their website, of two boys on the quad leaning into one another as they studied. he doesn’t tell anyone about the nifty little rhyme he finds on a college forum page. he doesn’t tell anyone about the pride parade they hold on campus every year, or the rainbow merch he finds in their store, or the blurb on the hockey page from a freshman that says this place is home, for any and everyone.

he doesn’t tell anyone, but his brother seems to know. one of the first people who found out all those years ago when dex messed up. jay comes over for dinner one night around the time when colleges are sending out decision letters and their parents retire early as dex cleans up the dining room and jay watches him, quiet, and dex pretends it doesn’t annoy him, because will doesn’t get in fights with his brother, especially not about this.

will very politely asks his brother if he’d like dessert.

jay says, “i hope you get into that fancy one. the rich school.”

will huffs. he knows jay knows the name. “yeah?” he scrubs a plate. “and why’s that?”

and jay says, plain as anything, “you deserve it.”

and will turns and jay’s still looking at him-- won’t stop looking at him-- and he’s got this not-quite-a-smile on his face, this look in his eyes, and something about it makes will think i did a good thing and he’s never felt like dex, not in his own house, his own kitchen, and for a second it’s dizzying before he can rein it it.

“thanks, jay,” dex says, and jay huffs and tells him not to be such a girl about it and makes dex get him a piece of pie but dex remembers that moment in the kitchen when he gets his acceptance letter, when he drives down to massachusetts for the tour that will decide if he really goes or not, when the smiley kid with the braces who hasn’t stopped bouncing since they stepped onto campus sticks out his hand and says, “i’m chris. what’s your name?”

and dex hesitates a moment, thinking about all the things that college means and all the people he could be here, away from his home town and all the people he had to be there, and he doesn’t know if he wants to be will, who’s quiet and good, or cap, who’s strong and silent, or-- or dex, who is so many different things but, at the very start of it, was someone who just did a good thing.

maybe, dex thinks, as he takes chris’ hand, maybe he can start there.

“dex,” he says, and if he didn’t think he said the right thing, chris’ responding grin solidifies it right then.

#dex #william poindexter #check please #my writing #sort of fic #headcanon #homophobia #wow i love emotions #i missed this kind of rambling #:)

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