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lemonsandstrawberries · 5 years

Text

Double Trouble Reunion, part 12.5.2

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), Avengers,

universe: Double Trouble universe (Steve and Tony, T2 and S2)

summary: S1 and S2 noticed that, due to recent events, Tony lost some weight and make it their mission to help him go back to his usual, rounder self. T2 happily tags along.

length: 5 460

warnings: this part goes in tune with my body acceptance fics, more known as chubby!Tony fics, so Tony putting on a bit of weight and indulging in food and he and Steve enjoying the process if you don’t like this idea, feel free to skip this part! (but if you like it, remember to send me feedback!)

a/n: so, this is a very me kind of fic... and this is the first time we are exploring this theme in DTR (slightly mentioned in DT), so I am exciteeed what you think! comments, reblogs and likes are appreciated and needed! also, for those of you who missed the info, next week I will post a Halloween inspired chapter of DTR!

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Double Trouble Reunion, part 12.5.2

Having a double definitely had its perks. There was finally someone who could keep up with his train of thoughts, who he could bounce off ideas with and come up with new solutions and new inventions. All this creative process was great. Just that with the good stuff came the bad stuff too.

Tony never before realized that he rambled. He heard some complaints, but never gave too much thought about it. And, boy, did he ramble, and a lot, spewing out the most random ideas, that when still in his brain seemed like the greatest things ever, but when said out loud sounded absurd and unreal. And it was being said gently.

"Okay, no, no," Tony suddenly stopped, letting still talking T2 go ahead of him, the chatter continuing. "You can't be serious about this," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Of course I am serious!" T2 yelled out, that crazy scientist sparkle so visible in his eyes. Once that would be over Tony had some profound apology to say to Steve, who had to listen to his ramble too often and Tony finally understand what that eye-rolling meant. Some of the ideas could be… too weird. "We need to be always prepared!"

"Oh my God," Tony rubbed his forehead, not believing that he was having this conversation. Not with anyone and it was even weirder to have it with himself. "T2, that's definitely crossing the line!"

"Crossing the line? Look me in the eyes, and tell me that you never thought about installing an Iron Man connected system to the flusher in the toilet."

Yes, that was what Tony was thinking each time he sat on the toilet. How to get suited up while doing number two.

"Of course not!" Tony snapped.

"Then I say you are extremely unprepared," T2 raised his eyebrows, not believing that his counterpart could be that careless.

"No one is going to attack us in the toilet!" Tony tried reasoning, raising his voice up.

"It doesn't have to be a direct attack! What if there is an emergency?" T2 tried to defend his idea.

"Then I am sure I can find like five seconds to get in the suit!"

"I could save you those five seconds. Seriously, let's order a toilet set and I will get right to work and -"

Someone needed less coffee and more sleep.

"T2, enough!" Tony ordered, trying to get the other him to listen and cease the chatter. "Enough, okay? This… This is too much and you are acting paranoid I don't want to hear about it. Ah ah ah, zip it!" he reminded seeing his counterpart opening his mouth, and making a pouty face later on. "Besides, we can always - wait. Do you smell it?" Tony asked, some scent tingling his nostrils. And not in a bad, toilet-related way.

Putting his nose high in the air, T2 took some deep breaths through his nose. "Mhhhhm. Smells like chocolate," he smiled dreamily.

"Smells like a trap," Tony narrowed his eyes.

"What?" T2 laughed looking at the other him and laughing more at the way Tony's whole body tensed. "What are you talking about?"

"I tell you, this is some sort of trick!" Tony argued.

"And who is paranoid now," T2 giggled. He walked behind Tony and put hands on his arm, pushing him forward and following the smell.

"Hey, about time! It's almost ready," Steve smiled happily seeing both of his boys, closing the oven, a strong smell of chocolate filling the room.

"What's ready?" Tony asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He watched T2 skipping to his Steve and kissing him on the cheek, next he placed a kiss on Steve's already puffed out cheek.

And then Tony realized the truth.

It was a triple trap.

"So, that toilet talk was just a distraction?" Tony looked at T2, not liking the way the other him was smiling. Too pleased with himself.

"Dunno what you mean, other me," T2 laughed, although Steves exchanged intrigued looks. Toilet?

"Cookie?" S2 dropped the topic for the time being and presented to Tony a plate of delicate puff pastries with swirls of chocolate. Gold and crisp and tasty. "Brownies need to cool down a little first," and the source of the strong smell of chocolate was revealed.

Definitely a trap.

"Okay, what's going on?" Tony asked, crossing arms and looking defensive. It wasn't rare that they ate sweets together, even if Steve grumbled that Tony's habit of replacing a proper meal with a box of donuts was unacceptable and the same thing applied to T2.

"Babe, we just wanted to do something nice for you," Steve said gently, trying to soothe his boyfriend.

Ah, so that's what it was. Guilt. Good that they made it clear and the tension left Tony's body. He was very spoiled by his three lovers in the last days, who tried to make up to him for the last, kinda failed tickle session, and Tony received only loving care from all of them. It was nice, very nice, but maybe the time has come for it all to be toned down a little because as much as Tony liked to be pampered, he missed the roughhousing.

"And something else…"

Tony didn't move, waiting for the continuation.

"Ummm… Me and S2… Uh, we - " Steve rambled, not finding the proper words, his voice getting lost. He looked at S2, silently asking for help.

S2 seemed a lot more comfortable speaking his mind. "To put it short - you became too skinny, we don't like it, we want to fatten you up a bit," he recited, sounding almost blunt.

"What?" Tony burst, his voice rising in pitch a bit. After S2's explanation, Steve looked away at the ceiling, clearly embarrassed, S2 blinked innocently, and T2 smiled sunnily and Tony just stood there. Truth to be told, he did notice the change in his body lately. His belly and hips became a bit smaller in the last days since he had neglected eating in favor of working, but there was also another factor that contributed to his loss of weight. When someone did as much laughing as he did lately, some calorie burning was bound to happen. Overall, it couldn't be much, maybe five pounds at most, but Steve's skilled hands could obviously feel the difference.

"How about him?" Tony asked, pointing at his counterpart. "Why he can't gain weight instead?"

"It is not about gaining weight. We just want you to go back to your usual size," S2 explained more.

Ah, to his slightly chubby size. Muffin top and all.

"What if I like my new size?" Tony asked, suspicion growing in him again. He knew that Steve always enjoyed him more when he had more meat on his bones and the affection didn't change no matter his weight.

"Then we will like it too," S2 said warmly, meaning what he said. They all loved Tony for so much more than just his cute, round belly and curved hips and sticking out butt. Tony was a delicious morsel at any size. "It is up to you."

That was reassuring to hear. Tony didn't mind gaining a little bit of weight, just enough to fill in his pants the way he used too. And gaining weight, meant eating and Tony was a big fan of that. Yet, he didn't want to look as if he was looking forward to it all, because that might give his lovers a wrong impression. He had to play it all his own way. Slowly, Tony started to grin.

"Mhhhhhm. I will think about it," Tony decided, feeling that the roles reversed and he had an upper hand. That could be a very interesting experience if done right on his part.

"Sure, take your time," S2 smiled, speaking on the behalf of the whole group. "But first," he started, and Tony saw a brownies pan being placed in the middle of the table on a heat resistant mat, four spoons following. "Maybe you want a slice?"

Tony looked at the brownies. Still warm, fudgy and chewy inside, with a crispy layer on top. It looked really, really good. And smelled beyond amazing.

Okay, maybe just a bite…

"I agree," Tony said, one huge portion of brownies later, which they all had shared, eating directly from the pan. He licked the spoon and put it in his mouth, savoring the last taste of chocolate. "We can do it, but on my terms. Meaning, I am gonna decide what I am gonna eat and in what amount," he bargained, needing to have some control over their mini-project.

"Sure thing," S2 agreed, and Steve and T2 nodded to his words, smiling at him. Tony sunk into the chair, some delicious warm still present in his belly from the warm brownies. He definitely needed something to cut the rich chocolate.

"So, ice cream now?" Tony asked, smiling back at his lovers. Their project just started.

***

"I noticed you were awfully quiet today."

Steve's startled eyes meet with Tony's analyzing ones. Before he could answer or react in any way, Tony pushed him back into the bathroom and closed the door, locking it so no one would interrupt them.

"Well?" Tony reminded, waiting for an explanation.

Steve glanced at the door, before back at Tony. "Did you wait for me outside?" he asked instead. It was too much of a coincidence for his boyfriend just to casually pass the bathroom.

"Don't change the subject," Tony didn't find it relevant to answer. Maybe it was childish to corner Steve in the bathroom, but since the deal, they all had made in the kitchen, Tony had an unpleasant feeling that Steve avoided him. He didn't talk much, looked at Tony only when he wasn't looking back. It all weirded Tony out. They needed some privacy to talk. "Why are you ignoring me?"

Steve looked down at his feet, once again avoiding Tony's gaze. "I am not ignoring you."

"Then look at me when you are talking to me."

Steve did. Somehow Tony would prefer if Steve kept looking down because the mix of feelings reflected in the blue eyes was alarming. Uncertainty. Guilt. Embarrassment.

That was too confusing.

"Would you prefer if I didn't agree?" Tony asked, not understanding what was happening. Steve was involved in the scheme that took place in the early afternoon but currently looked pretty much like regretting it.

"No, it is not that," Steve sighed, doing a step back and sitting at the edge of the bathtub.

"Then what is it?" Tony continued asking, his voice becoming gentler when he realized how uncomfortable his boyfriend was. "You can tell me," he tried soothing, standing in front of Steve and running his hands through the blond hair when Steve leaned forward and put his forehead against Tony's stomach.

Steve sighed again, wrapping arms around Tony's waist, holding him closer. There were many ways he had to learn to share Tony with T2 and S2. And the whole idea of spoiling his boyfriend was great and initially Steve was all up for it, but then doubt set in, doubt changing into some other feeling.

He didn't feel jealous for some time but couldn't help it anymore.

"It is hard for me to share you, you know," Steve finally spoke, muttering the words, "and this is another way I have to share you."

"Hmm," Tony understood what Steve meant. They both let the other dimension couple very deep into their world. Maybe even too deep. They were sharing their kinks, their private life, practically the most intimate aspects of their relationship were there in the open for S2 and T2 to explore and learn. Not that it was bad, and Tony knew that Steve was enjoying this situation as much as he did, but slowly, there was nothing more left for just the two of them. During the time T2 had appeared for the first time, they had left some things out on purpose. Back then, Tony's slightly higher weight in comparison to T2's weight was a source of playful jokes and humor, and T2 remained oblivious of the more sensual side to it. The times Steve cooked something delicious just to watch Tony eat with appetite. The way Tony murmured and licked his fingers on purpose, teasing Steve. And the breaking point, when after all teasing during a shared meal, Steve couldn't last any longer and ripped clothes off of his boyfriend, his lips and tongue and fingers exploring the curved belly and teasing and tasting and savoring him, just as much as Tony savored delicious food. It was theirs, but, like many things, it was supposed to become a shared thing.

"It is hard for me to share you too," Tony smiled gently, scrubbing Steve's scalp affectionately. It wasn't easy when it all started when he had to share Steve with T2, and it didn't become much easier when Steve and S2 used to lock themselves away. In those moments, he kept repeating to himself that Steve was enjoying their unique foursome situation and it was all that mattered, and in the meantime, Tony had T2 to keep him company. "But it will be fine, Steve. I sill love you the most," he added on teasing note, hoping to ease the tension.

Big, sad blue eyes looked on him. "Promise?" Steve asked.

"Promise," Tony chuckled, leaning his head down and kissed the top of Steve's head. Steve returned the kiss, but kissed Tony's stomach instead, making his boyfriend twitch and smile.

"God, you are skinny. I neglected you," Steve said, and Tony was sure he wasn't talking to him, but to his belly. "I will make it up to you. We all will."

"It didn't change that much," Tony smiled, his tummy quivering a bit when Steve's nose traced over the cotton of his shirt. "You still can't see my ribs or anything," he tried joking.

"That reminds me," Steve hummed, rolling Tony's shirt up, and Tony glanced down curiously at what was happening when he felt the movement. The embrace on his hips suddenly tightened. "I better take some careful measurements of you. Just to make sure that we are making progress."

Tony shrieked and burst into squeaky giggling when soft lips nibbled on his belly. Down the sides, sucking the skin on his lower belly and a tongue following the curve, until the tip found his outie belly button, wiggling over the small nub. Already teasing and testing and Tony's eyelids fluttered in delight, laughter mixing with pleased moans while his belly button was getting all this lovely attention.

It was a great start and Tony couldn't wait for more.

***

"Pf. They think they are so covert."

T2 and S2 looked at each other with a smile, when the water started running, drawing out a bit the laughter and moans on the other side of the door leading to the bathroom. T2 didn't know what was the bigger offense - the waste of water or S1 and T1 underestimating them.

"I kinda want to burst there and ruin their fun. Don't you?" T2 asked his boyfriend. He didn't mind the other couple sneaking out and having a private moment with each other, but they could just tell them that they had a need. Not suddenly disappear.

"Why?" S2 asked, taking his boyfriend's hand and pulling him close. "I have everything I need on this side of the door," he said, looking with love at the brunet in his arms.

T2 smiled back. "That's cute, but I saw how you were looking at T1 when he agreed on putting on weight. I admit I felt threatened for a moment there."

"Threatened?" S2 chuckled, urging his boyfriend to jump up so he could carry him, and T2 did, wrapping legs around blond's hips, S2 hands holding him below the butt. "You didn't realize it yet, huh?" he asked with a smile, walking away from the bathroom door, letting S1 and T1 make out in peace.

"Realize what?"

S2's smile became a little sharper. He adjusted his hands and pinned fingers into his boyfriend's round butt and T2 gasped and shivered. With a puzzled expression on his face, he looked at his boyfriend, but except the hungry smile, he didn't get much of an answer.

Since T2 came back from his first trip from the dimension they were currently in, S2 noticed that his boyfriend seemed a little bigger in size. His face became a little more rounder, some weight stayed on his belly and hips and butt, giving him a lovely figure. Unexpectedly, S2 grew to love those changes, exploring the new curves with gentle touches of fingers and greedy bites of teeth.

S2 loved his curvy boyfriend with all his heart, and he intended to keep him that way, and their little project would be a great help. Before that would start, it seemed they had the rest of the afternoon only to themselves and even if S2 just had dessert, his appetite for delicious things was insatiable and T2 was easily the most delectable thing he could think of.

***

The project 'put the donk back in Tony's badonkadonk' was going smoothly and Tony felt great. He kept coming up with more and more dishes, and whatever he wished for, Steves delivered. Tony enjoyed this kind of control and even more enjoyed the lustful looks he was getting from both Steves whenever he was eating and the grabby hands groping him so often to check if he was filling up nicely. T2 was getting the same kind of attention and soon Tony involved T2 a bit more, knowing that they both could benefit from this situation and let his counterpart make some decisions.

"I wanna go out," T2 said suddenly when he and Tony were finishing bowls of creamy seafood chowder. A little spicy, with heavy cream to tone it down, bits of octopus, mussels, shrimps, and fish submerged in the aromatic broth. What was not to love.

"Out where?" Tony asked, spooning mussels into his mouth. Soft and tender.

"Maybe some restaurant," T2 smiled, "maybe a double date."

"You know they won't agree on a double date," Tony finished his soup and leaned back in the seat, patting his belly. It was good to feel full.

"They will if you play it right. You didn't believe they would agree to bake a cheesecake with a cherry pie inside," T2 grinned, remembering the cake from a few days ago that didn't have the right to work, but somehow Steves did it and it was delicious. No matter what, seemingly, impossible food combinations he and T2 came up with, Steves cooked it, just to keep them satiated.

Tony laughed. Maybe it was worth a shot. And going to some nice restaurant with candles and formal clothes did sound like a nice idea.

"Finished with the soup?"

Tonys smiled dreamily seeing both their boyfriends walking into the living room. While Tonys were finishing the first course, Steves were preparing another dish and this time Tonys asked for something simple, meaning pizza rolls, just to have some sort of snack during the day.

"Yeah, it was great, thank you," Tony handed over his empty bowl, T2 giving his bowl to S2.

Steve put the bowl out of the way and sat on the couch next to Tony, urging him to lay on his back. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, doing some small circles with his palm over Tony's belly, soothing him. He had a thing for Tony enjoying food and liked his soft belly, but he didn't want to cross the line when it was too much and caused discomfort.

"Yeah," Tony closed his eyes, enjoying the belly rub and feeling warmth spreading all over his body. It was a nice, soothing feeling. "Yeah, I am good."

"You look good too."

It was a sentence said in a timid voice and Tony opened his eyes, just in time to catch the disappearing blush from Steve's face, but the dark, lustful look lingered in his eyes for longer. Tony grinned sharply. It seemed that T2 was right and he really had the Steves in a hold.

S2 decided to be less subtle than S1.

"Show me."

There was a giggle, and Tony glanced over at the other couple and saw T2 lifting his shirt up, showing his rounder belly to S2.

"Very good," S2 praised, lightly kneading the soft layer on T2's stomach, making his boyfriend shiver and lips twist in a smile. His thumb brushed over the innie belly button and poked inside experimentally, T2 bucking up with a laugh at the sensation.

"Steheheve," T2 giggle whimpered, watching nervously as his boyfriend climbed over him, and leaned down, mouth getting lower and lower. Tony couldn't see what was happening, S2's back blocking the view, but basing on the loud, shrieked out laughter, he could guess that S2 wriggled his tongue into T2's belly button, teasing and tasting his skin. The sight got even further blocked, when he had his own super soldier climbing over him, Steve's cheeks heated and lips parted as he slowly rolled Tony's shirt up and Tony kept still and smiled encouragingly, stretching out and putting his hands over his head for a more comfortable position. Some opened mouth, slow kisses on his belly made him sigh delightfully and tremble, but it was the firm licks on his sticking out belly button that drove him absolutely insane with pleasure and laughter.

There was still some time before pizza rolls would be done and Steve had their own meal planned.

***

"What?!"

Of course, there was going to be a protest. Tony was expecting it.

"I and T2 want to go out for dinner and have a double date," Tony repeated patiently, keeping a pleasant smile on and lasting Steve's scolding look. The four of them were in the kitchen, sitting at the table and it seemed a good time to bring that topic up after the very nice moments shared on the couch in the living room.

By the look on Steve's face, it showed that there was no good time for such a conversation. That was too dangerous. Too risky. They somehow made it the last time when he had taken Tonys out on a date, but with four of them, it was -

"That's not an option."

"Sure."

Tony's mouth opened before he smiled in triumph. T2 turned on his chair and stared at his boyfriend, who was near the counter, placing hot pizza rolls on a plate. Steve just thinned his lips angrily. Did S2 just agree?

"Can I have a word with you? In private?" Steve asked in a harsh tone, looking at his counterpart's back. When S2 turned around, he was smiling broadly.

"Nah, I rather not have private conversations with you, when you clench your jaws like that," S2 answered in humor and put the pizza rolls on the table. Tony noticed that Steve tried to relax his face, but the stubborn look didn't leave his eyes.

"I don't think you understand the risk here," Steve said, turning directly to S2, while Tonys reached for the rolls. Snacks and a show.

"I think you think too much about risks," S2 turned the sentence around. "What's wrong with all four of us going out?"

"Uh, plenty!" Steve pointed out the obvious. "You are just all carefree about this because whatever will happen me and Tony will have to deal with the consequences!"

That didn't seem to convince S2. "Then we just have to make sure that nothing will happen," he continued to smile. "Right, guys?"

T2 nodded, mouth full of bread, cheese and tomato sauce. Tony showed his agreement by giving thumbs up.

"In such moments, I don't believe any of you," Steve said flatly, warily eyeing each of his lovers. He didn't like those quiet moments of unison between the three of them.

"Let me rephrase that," Tony tried again, brushing the crumbs off his mouth and sucking his fingers. That already send a nice shiver down Steves spine, but this time the gesture was only for his Steve. "If you want to keep playing with this," he patted his belly gently, "take us all out for a dinner date."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Steve narrowed eyes at his boyfriend, knowing that Tony could play dirty but never suspecting he would do so against him and in front of the other couple.

"I call it negotiating," Tony sucked the tomato sauce off his finger, his voice light and carefree.

There was some tension in the air forming, Tony and Steve looking deeply into each other eyes. A sudden clanking sound brought them back, the source being S2 who yanked the plate with pizza rolls and held it away.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked.

"Oh, you just looked like wanting to throw T1 on the table and take him right here and right now," S2 grinned. There was something about T1 and S2 encounters that just screamed sexual tension and it was one of those moments. "Needed to save pizza rolls if that happened."

"Feel free to continue," T2 encouraged, waving his hand at them.

The heavy atmosphere was gone, and Tony laughed at the ridiculous situation, while Steve curled and hid face in his hands. They all just loved to make him uncomfortable and watch him squirm.

"Steve, listen, I and T2 thought it all through -"

"We will go to one of those fancy restaurants, where everyone is too stuck up to pay attention to anyone-"

"- candlelight instead of regular light, and we will get the most secluded table -"

" - food, Steve! Think of the food!"

"Alright, alright," Steve stopped the chatter, needing a moment to think. It still sounded too risky in his head. But having someone else prepare dinner, did start to sound like a nice option. Tonys kept looking hopefully at him, and S2 smiled, silently asking him to agree. Maybe it could work…

"Fine, I agree, but!" Steve added before general happiness could take over them all, "we are going to do it only if you two will be good and our project will be a success. Then we can go out and celebrate," Steve negotiated and took a pizza roll between his fingers, putting it closer to Tony. In simpler words, if Tonys kept eating, they would get their dinner date.

Tony smiled hungrily and leaned closer, taking the whole roll out from Steve's hand in one big chomp, gently biting on blond's finger in the process. That was a kind of negotiating Tony could definitely agree on.

***

The week was ending and Tonys kept their part of the bargain. Steve had no leverage to cut the deal off, and Tony put in some extra effort in making sure that Steve would not try to back out, most of his attempts involving slow hips movements and a bottle of chocolate sauce and Steve's mind blanked too much in such moments.

The restaurant seemed perfect for them. It opened a while ago, and was pretty crowded, letting them blend in with other men in expensive suits and women in cocktail dresses. The light was subtle and the dining hall was appropriately dimmed, bringing attention to the food and people sharing tables, but not the other guests. Despite all of that, Steve couldn't shake off the nervous feeling.

"Ready?"

A hand slipped under his arm, and Steve saw Tony next to him, elegant as always in a dark suit and pristine white shirt underneath. Whenever Tony wore an evening suit it was like magic happened.

"Yeah," Steve nodded, hooking his arm with Tony's as they walked to the maitre d', because, of course, this place was available only by reservation. Just to not raise suspicions, T2 and S2 were supposed to come a few minutes after them.

"You look very elegant," Tony said in a velvety voice, praising Steve's choice of clothes. At the beginning of their relationship, Tony always chose the suits for his boyfriend, but with time, Steve developed a taste of his own. Italian made suits, ones that accentuated his long legs and broad shoulders, were always a great option for him.

"Learnt from the best," Steve returned the compliment, remembering all the tips Tony had given him when it came to choosing the right suit and Tony smiled at him. "Reservation for four on James Barnes," he said to the maitre d', and the man checked the name on the list and asked them to follow him to the table.

So far so good.

***

Shamefully, Steve had to admit that it got even better. Just as they wished, their table was in a secluded part of the restaurant, tucked in a private, intimate corner. Tony took care of the ordering, choosing wine and hors d'oeuvres for a start before they moved to the main course. The serves were moving swiftly and almost unnoticeable and they were free to chat and enjoy each other's company.

There was something incredibly enticing about watching Tonys in an elegant setting, delicately treating every morsel of food and taking languid sips of wine. S2 seemed mesmerized too, but Steve also noticed that the other him presented himself incredibly well in a three-piece, steel grey suit. He also saw the slight discomfort in his counterpart and knew that he looked the same, never finding himself in such formal settings, even if Tonys seemed to thrive in them. After all, it was a more familiar situation for their boyfriends and both Steves agreed on a date in this restaurant just for them.

"Steve, you need to try this," Tony turned to his boyfriend, smiling at him and holding a fork with twirled pasta on it, his hand placed below to catch the dripping sauce. "It really is good."

Steve leaned in and took the bite. Springy pasta, a bit spicy tomato sauce and garlic oil, some saltiness from the capers and olives. He could easily make the same thing at home and pay half of the price just for the ingredients.

"It is good," Steve agreed, enjoying Tony's smile. The food was good, maybe even great, but seeing Tony slowing down and enjoying himself was even greater. Before Tony could move away, Steve took his hand, the one with some droplets of the sauce and pressed to his lips in a kiss, tasting the sauce again. "Tastes even better like this," he hummed, and Tony looked down, a little bit flustered at the tender gesture. Back home, he would smile and laugh it off, but here it seemed such a bold move, even bolder when he thought about how nervous Steve was with taking them all out. He had to admit, he liked this daring side of Steve.

"Well, aren't you resourceful," Tony tried to joke, looking subtly around if anyone noticed the gesture, but the nearest people were T2 and S2 and they seemed pretty busy sharing a black pepper crusted wagyu steak S2 had ordered and T2's cheese ravioli, basically feeding each other.

Seeing how great it all was going, maybe they could go a step further.

"You know," Steve said, going back to his portion of duck confit served with creamy mashed potatoes and red cabbage braised with apples in red wine. He tore a piece of the dark meat and put it on his fork together with a bit of cabbage and potatoes. "I think I saw some hotel on our way here. Maybe we could extend this evening. What do you think?" he asked, turning to T2 and S2, who looked at first a little shocked at the proposition, but then smiled.

"Sounds good," S2 confirmed on his and T2's behalf, and T2 nodded.

"You would be fine with this?" Steve looked at Tony, holding his fork up, offering Tony his bite.

Tony looked surprised before a delighted smile showed on his face. That already told Steve the answer, and if he had doubts, the way Tony took the offered food, biting on the fork cautiously enough to not damage his teeth, but with enough force to let Steve feel the tug, was a clear answer.

They all ordered desserts to go, already having in mind how they would eat the slices of heavy chocolate cake dripping with sauce and profiteroles with delicate freshly whipped cream. And no forks or plates were needed.

Besides, Steve still had to check if his favorite belly achieved the goal he had set for this week and he needed only his tongue to do that.

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<– previous part // next part —>

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while you’re here, remember to read a bonus DTR chapter - The Ending that won’t happen - what would happen if Thanos showed in DTR world? here is your answer!

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art to DTR done by @steve-sketchbooks! send the artist love!

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OPENING A TAG LIST FOR DTR! If you want to be noted about updates for this series, leave a comment below or send me an ask!

tag list

@princess-evans-addict , @ticklishwallflower, @happileestark

#stony #SUPERHUSBANDS #tony stark #Steve Rogers #tony stark is ticklish #double trouble #double trouble fic #double trouble reunion #double trouble reunion fic #belly tickling #upperbody tickling #chubby!tony #weight acceptance #body acceptance #tickling #tickle fic #fanfic #fanfiction

18 notes · View notes

lizzybeth1986 · 5 years

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Quick Thoughts on TRH Book 1 Chapter 5

• Now that we are five chapters into this story, now seems like a good time to get the masterlist of this series out! 😁 Which I will be doing shortly after this QT is up. If you've missed the other chapters, you'll be more easily able to find them all there! I'll also be reblogging my TRR series masterlist sometime this week, since my TRR Book 1 Chapter 5 chapter is close to getting finished as well.

• I'm hoping to get this one out early, it's an extremely light chapter for the most part. It's practically filler, filled with little vignettes between the characters here and there and mostly diamond scenes. The heavy stuff inevitably seems to be left for the actual Walker Ranch (sigh).

• Here are the tags to block if you don't want my QTs to clog up your dash: #long post, #trh quick thoughts, #trh qts, #trh qt reblogs. For now a friend of mine is helping get the read-mores on the main posts, until Tumblr actually does something to make them work on a phone again.

• TW: Brief mentions of the Dr Ramirez scene in Hana's playthrough, and infertility.

• Screenshot Credits:

Hana - @pixieferry

Maxwell - Abhirio's YouTube channel

Drake - @thefirstcourtesan

Liam - Well, me

• Besides being mostly filler stuff, this chapter had a lot of diamond scenes. Two outfit changes (one OOTD and one lingerie for the LI), a group scene and the book's first character scene (Liam).

• A few people I know have been asking me about the differences between "character scenes" and "LI scenes" (and indeed a lot of people were confused by my use of these terms in my Book 3 QTs). So once I get to my general thoughts section, I'll elaborate on those.

• Title: The Open Road

Alternative Title: Enjoy The Fillers, Dear Fans, Coz You Got A Walker-Storm Comin'!

• We're now on our way to the States, barely days after we got back to our own estate. The Council is looking after stuff in exactly the way they have since we left for our honeymoon, except that now it's lost all its core group members besides Olivia. Her, Hana and Kiara must probably share whatever few brain cells exist in that Council between each other.

• If you've unlocked the "casual clothing" scenes for the LIs in Book 2 (Liam's t-shirt, Hana's crop top, Drake's Henley and Maxwell's muscle shirt and Bubbles necklace), that's what they'll be wearing on their journey this chapter.

• Maxwell is now the self-appointed Royal Entertainment Committee.

• Bertrand WOULD be freaking out about spoons.

• Our OOTD today is an off-shoulder crop top with floral designs, and ripped shorts - paired with a blue and pink statement necklace and a few bracelets. Esther DuPont and literally every other MC is more confident about pulling this outfit off than I will ever be.

• Maxwell suggests the outfit in the Liam, Drake and Hana playthroughs, and Hana suggests it in Maxwell's.

• First Stop: Our old workplace in NY! Our manager is no longer around (probably got fired lol) but Daniel is! Or as I still like to call him, Not-Henney 😂

• Hana is so cutely excited about visiting the place where it all begin, a place she must have till now only heard about in the other LIs' stories. Sigh. Wish we'd brought her here earlier.

• Not-Henney has issues with how little attention Maxwell gave to the MC's origins. @callmetippytumbles points out that there's not much you can expect from an author who put his face on the cover of a book about you. Cmon, Not-Henney.

• Told you "Things are Great" would become a meme.

• He now asks what the experience of being an actual Queen/Duchess is like. You can go for the funny route (glam parties that'll make Beyonce jealous. Oh idk, does Beyonce like an overabundance of apples?), the realistic route (speaking about everyone's expectations weighing on you), and the romantic route, which brings out some cute responses in both Not-Henney and the LIs, ranging from delight to awkwardness.

• Oh snap. The paps are here.

• We make a run for it (in two options, with Daniel's help), and keep driving. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, the MC mentions a motorcycle when speaking about Drake, which makes me wonder in we will end up having a motorcycle scene in Texas itself. I mean, the writers did mention being excited about a scene featuring one in their livestream.

• Maxwell picks the next stop, and it's that engagement barn we built for Liam, apparently. Or the house of Robert, Steve Tennyson's (PM) dad. Where he has found the "biggest ball of string". Only Joy and Hope, my corgis, seem even remotely happy about this.

•

...Okay Maxwell.

Hana needs to roast people more. Roast EVERYONE in that friend group and EVERYONE in that court!

• Fun Fact: This chapter was released on the 50th anniversary of the historic 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing 😁

• As proven from this scene, the few brain cells this group collectively has, all belong to Hana.

• It's now time to check out what the group brought as provisions:

MC: Nothing, she's only here to ask what everyone else brought

Drake: Jerky

Maxwell: Tequila (!!)

Liam: IDK Esther I thought a four-course meal would just fall upon our laps from the heavens

Hana: ME! Bring cookies that I've NOT warmed by the fires wrought from the bowels of the deepest hells??? BLASPHEMY.

As always Hana saves everyone's ass this fine day. I actually quite like this bit with Hana, because it veers a tiny bit more towards "perfectionist" than just simply "perfect". Hana would be the kind of person to worry excessively over being a good hostess, since that's something she's been learning since she was a little girl (remember the tea scene in the flashback).

• We now stop by at Washington DC - Hana's suggestion - because she wanted to look at the cherry blossoms. I was quite chuffed about this when I found out coz I always used to have her down as more of a "plum blossom" girl, and this is pretty close 😁

• That little bit in DC where speaks of the area as "a marvel of both nature and civic engineering" is a nice touch, since Liam has always been associated with monuments and national legends.

• THE PAPS?? AGAIN????

• ...If my spouse and I have to spend ALL our time answering questions about babymaking, where are we going to find the time to babymake, mediapeople? Ever thought of that? Huh? Huh??

• This option is hands down the best fucking option in this chapter lol:

YOU'RE ALL SUCH DORKS ISTG

• We're now in a small town where Liam wants to mingle and be one with the locals. He's not been very successful in doing this in Cordonia (where people can literally look at his face and figure out who he is), but because it's the US and not many people might recognize him here, his chances of not being caught are better.

• This is the first character scene in the new series. It's pretty alright, not a lot of insights or anything, just a simple scene where Liam gets to not worry about acting like a royal, occasionally acknowledge his privilege, be charmingly naive, order milkshakes, and listen to the MC's insights on how she will bring up her/their kid. He does mention it opens some new perspectives on understanding his people, but I'm not sure we'll get to see much of what learnings he will put into action because, yknow, Cordonian commoners are practically invisible.

• This scene is also proof that you can take Liam out of the court but you can't take the court out of Liam.

• It begins with what the MC calls "a sidewalk hello", where she can either guide or massively troll him. The first two options are awkward as hell (I did like the bowing one though lolol coz she tells him he's probably made someone's day with his "courtly manners"), and the third is for Liam to simply ignore the other person and stare at his phone.

• Next scene involves getting Liam to buy groceries...coz he's never brought groceries. Why would he Esther he has a staff.

• They have a choice between fruit, nachos with everything on them (and they weren't kidding about "everything") and chocolates. I chose fruit.

• You also get some cute tidbits about Liam's life growing up in the palace. Here are the important ones:

- Constantine and Eleanor agreed they wanted Liam to be self-sufficient but "disagreed on how far to take that principle" (given what Liam says about her in one of the other options, I'm guessing Eleanor wanted to take it a lot more further).

- Liam can make spaghetti carbonara!!!

- Laundry: So there was this one time Leo and Liam played tag close to a champagne tower at an event, and it fell down. Eleanor insisted they "clean up the mess [they] made. A reasonable lesson in decorum and consequences". I kinda like this little crumb of info considering there is so little we know about her.

- Eating leftovers: Liam used to have sleepovers at Jackson and Bianca's quarters, and he tells us he was "proud to help Drake's mother microwave the leftovers" coz to his little mind he thought that was cooking 😁 I know, I know, I believed my mom when she put a tiny bit of coffee powder in my milk and told me it was actual coffee haha.

- Doesn't know how to do dishes. He knows soap and water is involved lol.

• The final part of the scene involves Liam treating himself at a diner with (what else!) a milkshake, while casually chatting with the MC about how she feels about the simplicity of her past life, and the way she plans to bring up her (or their) own child.

• Liam not immediately understanding that utensils are self-serve reminds me of Hana's confusion at the idea of a McDermots not having wait-staff.

• The MC has options for how to respond to Liam's question about bringing up a child - 1. I'd like my child to be practical and aware of their role, they don't need to learn how to fold a bed sheet or do dishes. 2. I want my child to have a bit of both worlds so that they're more flexible in their approach. 3. My child should be acutely aware of what the common person in Cordonia goes through if they're going to have to rule fairly over them. These three options in some way allow you to imagine what the MC would be like as a mother, and what upbringing this 'heir' might have.

•

I've never actually seen YOU make much of an effort to find out in Cordonia.

• There's also a tiny bit about Regina that follows this optional dialogue if you're married to him, which I really like: Liam states to Esther that those are "wise words from the wisest queen I know", following which she points out that he's lucky Regina hasn't heard it. Liam's response to that is: "after all this time, I think she'd agree with me". Regina's kinda grown on me over the series, and I do hope we see her again!

• Overall the scene's alright. It's there, it's cute, it's filler like the rest of the chapter. Only time will tell if it will actually result in anything in the future, which kind of leads me to wonder what Character Scenes are going to look like going forward (now that the LI scenes mostly perform the function for both characterization and romance). But the biggest takeaway right now for me is what Liam has to say about his parents, and optionally about his mother. I think that may point towards something later on.

• LMAO @ the random stranger in the diner optionally thinking Liam's brother might be Thor. Leo would be pleased 😂 Also a nice touch to see her recognize us again at the lingerie store if we buy both scenes!

• We now have a scene featuring the couples in their hotel bedroom, where the LI and MC have either had a bit of a wild night, or where the MC has just finished her at-home fertilization procedure (if the LI is Hana). There's a little chit-chat here and there about the moments they have now and about privacy, but it's different in the case of Hana.

• You finally get the chance to ask about how she feels, and this is the response:

• That's it then, I guess 😒 I'm honestly not surprised, given how much in a hurry they were to have Hana concentrate on the MC in the doctor's office itself. I'll expand more on this later.

LIAM. YOU FOOL. I'M WEARING IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

• Honestly I don't see the point in having the MC suggest the lingerie in Liam's playthrough (the others basically make the suggestion instead, and they say "well, you're wearing that", instead, implying that they're talking about what she has on already) if they're not going to code it properly.

• The actual lingerie scenes are pretty cute! And fun! And comes with cool dialogues options, and this:

• NOW I know why Hana's lingerie was head and shoulders above the rest. SHE WAS THE ONE WHO CHOSE IT.

• So here's a rundown of all four LI scenes:

- Liam: The clerk from the store (who was also the girl who noticed Liam in the Incognito Scene if you bought that) recognizes Liam and the MC, freaks out and closes the store so they can shop in full privacy. The rest of it is cute playful banter, like expressing surprise at this being Liam's first time at a lingerie store. She then chooses black silk boxers with a golden baroque design. LMAO trust the MC to get him a Versace. 😂

- Drake - Tells the MC he likes it when she takes the lead. The MC then gets to ask him whether he would be down to wearing handcuffs or pink feathers. To the second option, Drake claims that he would "wear a tutu and crown if you told me you had a thing for the sugar fairy". LMAO they really are desperate to show us how much they learned from the "pink cake" fiasco. Pity how they couldn't teach themselves to treat their one female LI with respect. Anyway, the MC chooses red silk boxers with polka dots (!!)

- Maxwell - This scene is a fever dream from start to finish. Maxwell is happy and excited and SUPER SUPER enthusiastic, asking the MC to drop a beat so he can break into a dance at the store. The MC chooses blue silk boxers with squid designs on them. EVEN MAXWELL CANNOT CONTAIN HIS SHOCK. (PS: This scene marks the third appearance of "release the kraken!" 😄).

- Hana - Hana has apparently seen shops like these from the outside but has never been to one (same sis same). She speaks of how she never had anyone to do it for, which is why she is so happy about it now coz she can do it for the MC. A sweet, simple conversation. The difference here is that Hana knows what she wants, and chooses the lingerie herself: a beautiful lace and fishnet number with garter belt and stockings. She looks amazing and part of that is because unlike her friends, she realizes that her wife has deplorable fashion sense.

• It's now the next day, and Drake tries really hard to hoodwink everyone into making his "next stop" the Walker ranch, but the Royal Entertainment Committee threatens him with an "intimidating interpretive dance performed by me" (is he going to jump out the car and sing Kiki Do You Love Me too?). It's enough to scare Drake into picking a nicer stop.

• It's now time to listen to some tunes!! Everyone squabbles a little over what music to choose and the MC gets to pick either of them:

- Hana's Choice: A piano concerto that Liam loves, makes Drake cry and Maxwell go all happy-sleepy.

- Liam's Choice: Chartbusters. "Top 40s". Drake is surprised coz the last time they drove together, Liam made him listen to 52 versions of a single Bach sonata, to which Liam cheekily responds that doing so made him figure out which one was Drake's favourite.

- Maxwell's Choice: Some song that Maxwell did a deejay mix to, and apparently Liam (and presumably Drake) lent backing vocals to. Going by Liam's advance apology it must be pretty fucking terrible.

- Drake's Choice: Classic rock tunes that he can do air-guitar to. Liam concedes it has rhythm, Drake responds that it has rhythm and attitude. He tries to do air guitar in the car but Hana, panicking, reminds him that he's the one driving.

- What Would Have Been Bertrand's Choice/We Shall Drive In Silence!: Apparently when the MC says this, Maxwell says that she channeled Bertrand so hard "he flashed before my eyes". The MC reasons that if no one wants to listen to anyone else's music they might as well be quiet. Maxwell tries to bring up other alternatives such as playing his kazoo-tar, at which point EVERYONE agrees that silence is golden.

• This bit is one of my favourites in the chapter. Probably the second after "say cheese" haha.

• It's Hana's turn to drive and Maxwell is helping her by asking she carve that path from her heart. Which she does, even though she has mentally memorized the next twelve steps she needs to take.

• Liam drives, explaining when the MC asks that Drake was his first driving instructor (Drake had his licence already and they may have used a royal golf course or two for practice runs).

• Maxwell finds a new waypoint: Thrilltown. His reasoning is quite poignant (everything is changing, the MC and LI - in some cases him - will be having a child soon and everyone will be busy in their respective roles, when will everyone be together like this again?). The rest of the group comfort and reassure him, stating that they will probably see more of each other now. In any case...perhaps to Maxwell this is like a last hurrah to the carefree life he used to have.

• We start with choosing rides. Maxwell and Drake choose The Accelerator, which Maxwell describes as "fast. furious. and it uses gravity at speeds that Thrilltown can't legally release to the public!". Hana and Liam choose the "gentler" option - the carousel - which has you ride unicorns, griffins, dragons and other fantastical beings.

• I'm surprised the writers don't have him react even a little to the carousel, considering one of his scariest experiences took place on one (Book 1 Chapter 16). Just show him say "yeah...I'll pass" or show some emotion or other. It's like that armoury scene in his playthrough of Book 3 Chapter 11 where Madeleine could mock Liam about his feelings for the MC and Maxwell is pretty much sitting there not reacting. It's so lazy. I can't.

• Carousel with Liam and Hana: I loved this one, very cute. The carousel has fantasy elements and mythical animals, things that both Liam and Hana love. The MC gets to sit on a phoenix (like her optional Valtoria sigil!), Liam on a dragon (like the royal family's old crest! Dom would be proud) and Hana on a unicorn (which suits her particular style of whimsy). It's cute and fun and sounds exactly like the kind of thing Liam and Hana would enjoy.

The Accelerator with Maxwell and Drake: They call it EXTREME, and it lives up to its name. Maxwell is ecstatic obviously because he's a thrill-seeker and a ride like this is completely in his wheelhouse. Drake gets caught red-handed handed actually enjoying the ride.

• We try out something called The Vortex of Terror, where Liam challenges his friends to not scream up until the end of the ride. Ironically he's the first one to cave 🤣🤣

• "I accept your terms, Liam...as long as you're prepared to lose". Badass enough to challenge the king of the country xD (considering the way that ride goes, I think she was right haha).

• I need more Competitive, Sarcastic Hana outside of cute group scenes.

• One of two people can win this challenge: either the MC or Hana. If the MC wins, she gets to hoist herself on the LI's shoulders towards the next ride. If Hana wins, she perches herself on top of Drake's because he's pretty damn tall.

• Our last ride is called "Lover's Leap" and it's pretty much the romantic portion of the group scene, really.

At the end of it, the LI brings you a green candy drink, and then lets you know how this trip to Thrilltown is representative of their journey together and the change the MC has brought to their lives.

• Both Hana and I have no freaking clue what Liam means when he says "I call shotgun" before they head out.

• Lol @ Cordonia having its own version of "Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall". And of course it's going to feature Cordonian Rubies 🤣

• We now reach the ranch, where those of us who didn't marry Drake meet his mother Bianca for the very first time (in every other playthrough she is called "The Rider" and in Drake's her sprite is addressed by name).

• There ends the chapter, on a 'suspicious' note, the kind that seems to sound like things are suspicious but they're probably not. Bertrand's head must be exploding from the lack of spoons.

General Thoughts:

• It's a good thing this filler chapter exists, even if it's mostly inconsequential fluff, because at least that's one chapter less to deal with BertVannah and Drake and his family.

• It's also pretty expensive because the writers knew their crowd by now and know that that crowd is willing to spend.

• The scenes were in keeping with the mood of the chapter - light and fluffy, lots of friendship and some amount of romance. I ended up liking the free short scenes more than any of the diamond ones this chapter honestly.

• So...on the outset, it seems good that the MC is able to check on Hana, post the visit to Dr Ramirez. Hearing Hana's answer, however, brought back every issue I've ever had with the way they've written Hana.

I mean, sure, not everyone reacts the same way to such painful news. I understand that. But here the writers are basically using Hana to minimize what she's going through. They use her to dismiss her own pain with "oh that's okay, I'm just happy that at least you can carry that baby". All that proves is that the female LIs' experiences and pain mean nothing in front the MC's needs.

I've spoken before about the numerous times Hana's pain had been brushed aside or her space eaten into, to favour particular characters, and this just happens to be a repeat of the same formula. This is especially bad because it proves that the only reason they put Hana through this kind of hell in the first place is so that only the MC can carry the child. Her condition isn't allowed to be anything else other than a plot convenience: not an opportunity to open a conversation on this, nor to help develop her as a character. It's merely a narrative device meant to make coding easier. It's dismissive, lazy and reeks of a deplorable lack of care. And again I have to ask, why put her through this if you're so desperate to ignore it afterwards??

• The other big problem is that considering the gravity of that situation, why is checking on her an option rather than actual default dialogue?? If you choose the option to continue talking about playlists instead, the topic just never emerges again. Again I have to ask, what the hell kind of wife is the MC? I mean even before they got the news, the MC was pretty much doing nothing. She wasn't planning for Hana, she wasn't thinking much in terms of what to do for her, everything seems to just revolve around her even in a scenario where either one could have been a mother.

• The lingerie scene seems to me to have elements of a type of diamond scene in the flagship series - the ones where we could buy new casual clothing for our LIs in NY. The LI requires a new look, the MC suggests for a change and often picks out something that she thinks would work (some of her choices - like Liam's pants or Drake's sunglasses are...questionable 😅), and from then on this would be their option for ultra-casual occasions. The one casualwear scene that is different from all these is Maxwell's: he gets his sleeveless shirt and Bubbles necklace at a shop in Coney Island, during the group scene (I think part of this was that they were attempting a step-by-step LI-upgrade because they were a new couple at that point...which was why his first 30 diamond scene was during the Gala, after they'd been together for a little while. Still doesn't excuse all the ways they ignored his background and history though).

The main difference between the casualwear scenes and the lingerie ones is that the first dealt put the MC and LI in different situations and dealt with different issues (therefore was a scene of its own) and the second really just revolved around the lingerie. Perhaps the lingerie scene would be what you'd call an 'extended outfit option'? As opposed to something that's a scene all on its own?

• I was actually quite surprised we got a character scene in this series. Given how much they'd drastically cut down on them in favour of beefing up their LI scenes more, I was fully expecting not to see them. I do prefer them to the LI scenes sometimes, because my LI is not the only one I want to be keeping tabs on, and I do want to know what's happening in their lives.

• What is the difference between the two? I hear some of you ask. Well, good question because I'm about to launch into one of my long-winded explanations again.

• Diamond Scenes in TRR/H: I've been holding off on writing about these, since I believed that the series probably had done away with character scenes and preferred to use LI scenes for both romance and development. With this chapter, I now understand that's not the case.

• So...simply put, the difference between an Character Scene and an LI scene, is that the first focuses on the same character in all playthroughs (eg. no matter who you are romancing, if you buy these scenes it's Hana who will play Snow Angels with you, or Drake who will go fishing with you), and the second focuses on who you are engaged/married to (eg. If I'm romancing Hana, I will not be going to the movies with Liam. If I'm romancing Maxwell, I will not be having a cake testing session with Drake).

During Books 1 and 2, when the MC wasn't altogether exclusive with any LI as such, each character would have their own specific scene which expanded further on their characterization and gave the MC a chance to learn more about them. Most of the romance in these scenes were by choice, with the exception of a few lines here and there. The writers tried to continue this way of formatting diamond scenes even beyond Liam's proposal, but the amount of backlash from the portions of the scenes that involved the MC cheating on her confirmed LI...kind of made them backtrack on this plan quite a bit.

Book 3 switched the format up a little. It was similarish in a lot of ways to RoE, except that unlike that book (where the other two would disappear once you got engaged to one), we were also friends with the other LIs. Besides outfits and plot development scenes (such as the one in the Nevrakis replica armory with Olivia and Gladys) and group scenes, the book also offered two types of scenes for the reader to connect with the characters they liked:

1. LI Scenes: These scenes are meant for the LI the MC is marrying, and are coded differently based on that. This kind of scene was first used in the series in the first chapter of Book 3, where the MC and LI could comfort each other in the safe house. The initial chapters had a similar approach to the scenes as RoE Book 3 (where Mr Sloan, Leo and Dean all ended up sounding like each other), in that the dialogues sounded pretty cut-and-paste, with little to no actual variations beyond a few things (an example of this was how - in the Book 3 Chapter 6 Spa Scene in Applewood - all the LIs spoke of being "dumb in love" with the MC - which suited certain LIs, but sounded extremely jarring on others.

During Book 3, a high number of complaints about the series revolved around this copy-paste routine for the LIs, mostly because the characters were so different from each other, and wouldn't speak the same or even have the same experiences. Around Book 3 Chapter 8, major shifts began to happen in the way these scenes were written, starting with the Movie-going Scene in Castelserraillian. Post that chapter, and the hiatus, there was a significant decrease in the number of individual character scenes, and an increase in both number and quality of the LI scenes. It is very possible that they found juggling both stressful and dialed back on one to personalize the other further.

2. Character Development Scenes: These were scenes with the LI that you got regardless of whether you were marrying them or not. This scene would be viewed over all playthroughs, with differences based on whether you were marrying them or not. If you were not marrying them, these scenes would appear neutral and the romantic options would simply not be there, or be replaced by more neutral ones. Examples of such scenes include Drake's Cordonian Waltz Scene in Fydelia (Book 3 Chapter 3), Liam's Gastrodiplomacy Scene in Castelserraillian (Book 3 Chapter 7), Hana's Polo Scene in Portavira (Book 3 Chapter 5) and Maxwell's Armoury Scene in Lythikos (Book 3 Chapter 11).

The most important thing to remember is that these scenes are expected to be coded differently (according to your relationship with said LI), not only by adding romantic options for the MC to choose, but also in the actions of the characters by default. For instance, the Fydelia Cordonian Waltz scene in Drake's playthrough incorporates - by default - all the sensuality you should be finding in this waltz, while his friendly playthrough is merely the MC teaching him the basics so they have an edge over Neville. By default, if you buy the Gastrodiplomacy scene as Liam's fiancée, the chocolate souffle you sampled with him would feature at your wedding reception.

I say the scenes were expected to be coded differently, because very often they were not. In a lot of cases the only proof you'd have in those scenes that the LI and MC were even together were from the MC's actions. For instance, even though Hana was going to be a duchess on marriage to the MC, the same as Drake - only Drake got to speak in detail about it. This opportunity came for Hana very briefly only by Chapter 14, well past the midpoint of Book 3.

• So when Book 3 began the formula was mostly "leave the character scenes for developing the LI's issues or getting them to teach something, and concentrate on nothing else but the romance for your LI scenes". However this wasn't exactly workable given how different each LI was and therefore how odd some of their dialogue sounded. The dial back is understandable (though, as someone who has looked through various playthroughs in this book, I can tell you the imbalances found across character scenes were on a whole different level).

• Why I've elaborated on this is to give context to a question I now have about the narrative: what are the Character Scenes going to look like from here on out? Post the hiatus, they would vary - they could be mostly plot-driven, or fun and light but not much depth or variation, or fun and light, and also opening up diverging conversations based on your relationship. Now that they seemed to have locked down some format in this book at least, what's it going to sound like?

The Liam Character Scene today was fun, light, had default differences based on whether you were marrying him or not, but ultimately had very little to give to the story other than a few facts about Liam's home life and (in a way that expands on what we already know about her and her dynamic with Constantine) his mother. What exactly does he learn? What new insights is he getting as a King who self-admittedly exists and operates in a "statesman's bubble"?

It also remains to be seen whether buying this scene will have any effect of future events - like Liam's Applewood Tour Scene, where his retelling of King Fabian's story had an impact on our conversation with Kiara's mother Joelle. I'm probably going to keep track on how these character scenes are being written in this series, considering that we already have a pretty good idea of how their LI scenes are done.

• Twice I've seen Eleanor associated with pasta. In Book 1 Liam mentions simple tomato pasta as a childhood dish that reminded of his mother, and here shortly after he speaks about his parents he mentions knowing to cook spaghetti carbonara. IDK what that's supposed to mean but I'm bringing it up anyway. I'm mean, what if it's a part of Auvernese cuisine 😂

• I guess that's it for this week! Time for me to scram and finish my Book 1 Chapter 5 QT too before the next chapter drops!

#long post #the royal heir #anti the royal heir #trh quick thoughts #trh qts #infertility tw

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thevoidandiarefriends · 5 years

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WRITING COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN

Hey sweet lovely beans!!!

I don’t talk a lot about me on this blog, but I’ve had very little voice for the past two weeks (nasty bout of laryngitis that seems intent on lingering) and I’m starting to get worried about financial stuff

(this post got longer than I anticipated, so there's a TL;DR in bold at the bottom if you want to skip the life stuff and go straight to the commission info)

For those of you who don’t know me IRL, about a month or two ago, I dropped out of college, a few weeks into my sophomore year. I’d been struggling a LOT with my mental health and came to the realization that this school wasn’t a place I could continue to grow without being sucked backwards as well. Lots of reasons, gets a lil complicated, not the point of this story.

Since then, I’ve moved back home and I’m living with my parents and 3 younger siblings. I’m doing a lot better!!

However, my home holds a lot of bad memories and current tensions which often cause my depression and anxiety to flare up. I’m going to counseling and trying to find a medication that works to get me to a more steady place emotionally, but right now I don’t have the daily spoons to hold down a consistent job, which leaves me entirely dependent on my parents.

They’ve been very supportive of my coming back home and pursuing my interests (voice acting, art, handmade upcycle-y stuff, and writing), but I’m constantly suppressing the desperate itch to have my own place where I can have some space from my family. I’ve been considering future options for housing, and talking with friends about sharing rent next year, but that takes money. And with the aforementioned lack-of-job, money is something I don’t have a lot of.

I’ve been doing scattered voice acting projects and watching reddit, craigslist, and various facebook and discord groups I’m in like a hawk for opportunities, as well as working hard on the release of my upcoming poetry book and the promotion of my last, but those bring in very little income, and with the MIA status of my voice, I’m unable to audition for any more gigs until it comes back.

TL;DR: Taking a break from college, struggling with tensions at home, trying to save up money to afford rent so I can get a place with friends but my voice has been MIA for weeks and I can’t audition for voiceover work until it comes back.

With all that said, I’m opening writing and editing commissions to earn some money on the side while I try and regain my voice.

I’ve been writing on and off for the last 7 years, and focusing seriously on honing my craft in the last 3 of those. I’ve self published one book of poetry (it’d also be super helpful if you would consider buying a copy of that!) and been featured in an anthology with a humorous short story. I have a ko-fi here, an instagram here, and a website here!

My favorites genres to write are anything that fall under the umbrella of “speculative fiction” (magical realism, fantasy, sci-fi, AUs, etc) but I’m open to trying my hand at anything! Well, anything except erotica or straight up porn. I love fluff, but I am VERY ace and not only will it make me WILDLY uncomfortable, I can guarantee you won’t be satisfied with the results. So do us both a favor and go find another talented writer to write your nsfw stuff <3

MOVING ON -- PRICING:

Anything UNDER 2k words (about 4 pages)

$1.50/100 words (rounded up to the closest 100)

Anything OVER 2k words (5+ pages)

$9/500 words (rounded up to the closest 100)

Any poetry

$1 per poem

Scriptwriting or dialogue

$1 per page

I’ll write from a prompt, an emotion, a dream you had when you were seven and have kept locked away for a day like this when it could be brought to life-- anything! Do you have an idea that you’ve fleshed out every detail for, but lack the skills to bring about? Those are my favorite! Don’t be shy to reach out!

It’s also worth noting that I do editing!! Again, I won’t read anything nsfw or explicitly gory or violent (just not my style), but anything else is fair game!

EDITING PRICING GUIDE

$5 gets you a thorough critique of 1-5 prose pages

$15 and I’ll critique up to 10 prose pages

(dm me to discuss the pricing anything longer or shorter than those, as well as anything in poetry or script format)

DM me or use the contact form on my website if you’re interested in commissioning me or reading samples! I’ll also be posting some original writing soon with the tag #sparrow writes .

Thank you so much for reading if you’ve stuck around this long, or reblogging or passing along! It means a ton to me :) <3

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theliqht · 4 years

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Why You Should Spend More Time Thinking About best portable keyboard

How are they undertaking this?

They're accessing MOOCs, or Massive Open On the internet Courses. Although platforms have been readily available from elite colleges like MIT and Stanford for nearly ten years, open up-source classes keep on to expand in number and popularity. Now, even some local community colleges like Wake Technical School,Positioned outside Raleigh, NC, gives MOOCs to a world viewers. This increasing availability usually means You can find now an incredible a number of programs accessible to any individual with an Connection to the internet, regardless of spot.

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Joyful MOOCing!

"Millennials," "Era Y," "The Peter Pan Technology" - they go by many names and had been born roughly between 1980 and 2000.They can be the technology that grew up with smartphones, rear-dealing with cameras, internet etc. They had been at a tender and vulnerable age when Harry Potter to start with took his traveling classes on his magical broom, if they witnessed the great fall of the dual Towers of Globe Trade Centre in Ny city on 9/11. The millennials grew up during the period of mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic mail, text-messaging, mp3 gamers, handheld movie game products, WhatsApp, Facebook/Instagram, YouTube Films, web browsing and what not.

A person this kind of millennial who knocked my socks off was this young girl named Anushka, a teenager in her early twenties. Her white t-shirt with "MILLENNIAL" in large, black, Daring letters just caught our speedy interest and we couldn't halt thinking of her Special Expertise Presentation, below at Nirmiti Academy. The Do-it-yourself (Do It Oneself) Craft was her one of a kind talent. She represented a young confront of the millennials. Additionally, it was her presentation that spoke extra of her like a millennial. She was a real go-getter when it came to current her exceptional talent in a singular way. We could see her beaming with delight and happiness to showcase her exceptional talent to Other people. She was so thrilled that she was talking a mile a minute. She had a great deal to mention about this and she could go on and on and retain us glued to her presentation. The millennials like Anushka and a lot of Many others are enthusiastic to work on points which desire them. Concurrently, I could also see her remaining not able to smile and present herself Fortunately. Long gone will be the times for your millennials wherever they come to feel present and luxuriate in their surroundings. These are the technology who experience the regular need for virtual notice which potential customers them to overshare their life and moments on social websites or go inward in deep conscience to find themselves. This leaves them unconnected Using the Bodily entire world about them.

Millennials really are a highly praised and confident technology. These are a hugely optimistic era. They may have a increased will need to possess life encounters in lieu of to accumulate substance wealth, Regardless that they do like to obtain things which can help them to take pleasure in those ordeals. Millennials are the most educated era. Since the value tag of education and learning is now so higher and continuing to climb each and every year, Millennials have grown to be extremely savvy about their academic options. Unlike prior generations who noticed education being a ritual and an investment decision inside their long run, millennials check out training as an price, Until it is going to empower them in an effort to be an even better personal. They hope schooling to help them get ready for The brand new possibilities and challenges of this age, rather then supporting them by providing truth-based data/knowledge. The millennials wish to be challenged by serious about the longer term And exactly how they could add to developing a better Culture and environment. They do not feel the need to come to be "textbook good / reserve worms".

They are aware that points is usually effortlessly located on the internet by way of their very own unbiased action. They can be the technology that offers and prosper on information at finger "click on". In a very planet of open up usage of understanding, it can make little feeling to depend on the classroom being a Discussion board for that transfer of knowledge.

Rather, the students Considerably choose to understand from your stories and experiences of Other people. These shared tales and encounters aid them to enhance their own individual expertise by Studying within the success and issues of Some others. This assists them steer clear of building exactly the same mistakes as their influencers. That's why, they like to invest extra of their time and money on such systems which assistance them to create several techniques that they may include into their thoughts and decision-earning process, therefore developing a new skill set.

We are unable to dismiss The reality that millennials may also be a generation of uncertainties and fluctuations. They may be the technology who likes to maintain switching their gizmos. They grew up with technological know-how in which every thing was at their fingertips. It will become frustrating for them to not get what they need every time they want it. Most of the factors are handed to them over a silver spoon. This helps make them really feel entitled to obtain what they want without Placing in Substantially exertion.

Though These are the foremost workforce of the companies currently, they don't believe in lifelong employment. Lifelong determination is often a fairy tale for that millennials. They always jump from on work to a different as they are constantly in search of some thing new and superior. These large expectations grow to be their downfall and tends to make them significantly less economically stable than their dad and mom.

youtube

Millennials are listed here to stay! They're younger, bright and energetic and they ARE the longer term. They are great property which the world will have to harness and use. They are the generation which is revolutionizing the world. They may be the budding leaders of tomorrow. They undertake know-how and stimulus in precisely the same breadth. This technology can also be a collaborative and social era that features a focus on knowledge and building their information as a result of numerous sorts of medium to find out the answers. It can be for that educator like us to deliver an arena for engagement and discovery together with become a content expert and mentor. It is actually for Mastering System providers like Nirmiti Academy to offer an explorative and experiential experience and bring out their genuine opportunity in life and at work. It is this transformational journey that we at Nirmiti Academy sit up for each day to understand, unlearn and relearn with these youthful and magical technology - the Millennials!

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thedivergentdreamer · 5 years

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Allies and Tone Policing

In a previous post, I wrote about civility and bigotry. I still believe in what I wrote, to an extent -- mainly that we should try to assume a person is just ignorant, not malicious.

Some background on what prompted me to write that article...

A liberal Facebook page I liked shared a Tweet aimed at trans allies, saying that we were promoting lies by saying things like “gender and sex are not the same thing.” I was confused because, well, gender and sex aren’t the same thing. (Are they?) Several of us followers asked for clarification. Why was this wrong? If it really is wrong, then what is correct instead?

But rather than helping us understand our mistake (I still don’t think there was one), the page owner and several of their rabid followers accused us of being bigots. We were baffled. We tried to explain that no, we are not at all anti-trans, we’re allies trying to understand so we don’t inadvertently do harm.

The OP had suggested reading/following trans authors. We were asking how to find them. You can find the autistic community by searching for #actuallyautistic. Was there a trans equivalent?

The response was nothing but mockery and derision. “We’re not going to hold your hand, figure it out yourself,” and “Oh look, this one wants a cookie for being such a good ally.”

I unfollowed that page. I felt very confused and frustrated.

Meanwhile, a discussion about allyship was happening in a Facebook group for librarians. The group had tens of thousands of members and was very liberal. I figured if I could get reliable information anywhere, it’d be here.

So, in a discussion about allyship, I asked for a starting point to hear the authentic voice of trans folks, so I could be a better ally. I was shocked to get even more vicious dogpiling response than I had gotten from the other page.

I couldn’t believe the bullying I was seeing. I would never treat a sincere ally this way. If someone asked, “Where can I read things written by autistic people?” I would be thrilled to tell them about the #actuallyautistic tag, not mock and insult them for daring to ask!

I expressed this to the group. I told them I’m also LGBTQ+, disabled, and autistic. It made zero positive difference. If anything, they used it as fodder for further attacks. A group admin even joined in on the attacks and punished me by removing the Conversation Starter badge I had earned.

Sometimes Google is just too broad and you want to make sure you’re not getting bad info, but... what do you do? About a year later, I still don’t know how to find #ownvoices for trans people. And I am too afraid to ask anywhere.

So yes, I still stand behind my previous post about this. Sometimes allies do get bullied. This is an ugly truth we need to stop pretending doesn’t happen.

After the above situation, I saw people in other groups educating allies about self-education. They explained that marginalized folks are already exhausted from the daily battles they face in life (don’t I know it!) and that having to educate every single person they meet is further exhausting. They wished allies would attempt some research of their own first, and then ask for clarification if needed, rather than expecting the marginalized person to do all the heavy work for them.

That made complete sense to me and was certainly more helpful than “lol ally wants a cookie”! I understand that it takes a lot of emotional energy to educate, but the ROI is much better than mocking and insulting your allies.

My personal policy

If someone is being blatantly bigoted and hateful, I report the comment as hate speech and then keep scrolling. Trolls are not worth my precious limited energy.

However, what if someone seems to be ignorant or misguided but well-intentioned rather than hateful?

If I have enough energy, I educate them.

If I have less energy, I ask for help from others to educate them (e.g., “I don’t have the spoons for this right now, can someone please explain to this person?”).

If I have zero energy, I just keep scrolling without responding in any way at all. Because it’s not my job to educate the world. My primary job is to take care of my own health. Someone else can take on the burden for today.

That’s the beauty of a healthy community and allyship. We help each other. It’s a relay race, not a single-person marathon. If you don’t have the ability to control your emotions or educate people today, that’s fine! Walk away and take care of yourself. Not everything requires a response.

Having been on both sides of the matter, I really believe it’s better to give no response than to give a nasty one.

Now, on the flip side...

There are times when marginalized people are not bullying their allies, and yet are accused of doing that -- when the marginalized person’s justified distress is used as an excuse for allies not to listen to them.

That’s where tone policing comes in. I found this comic strip to be fantastically informative. I hope you find it helpful, too. (If it’s too small to read, try this link. Tumblr doesn’t seem to play nice with these image dimensions.)

#actuallyautistic #tone policing #ownvoices

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marculees · 5 years

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Happy International Epilepsy Day to all of my followers and fellow epileptics!

For those who don’t know, epilepsy is a neurological condition which affects the brain and is most commonly attributed to seizures though holds other effects such as chronic loss of energy, memory, motor and cognition errors. There are different types of seizures and depending on which form of epilepsy someone may have, their seizures can be different or non-existent. I myself suffer from photosensitive epilepsy but there are more types out there and I wanted to make this post to share a little bit of info and help make others more aware of the condition and what to do in the case of someone having a seizure, as well as to be made aware of some triggers. More than 50,000,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy across the globe and it is a condition which is not spoken of enough in schools, communities, and other aspects and institutions in our lives. I encourage any people who suffer from epilepsy to share their own tips and experiences for both those experiencing it for themselves and to educate others on how to care for a loved one with epilepsy. This is a really short and mostly personal post so I’d love to see it grow!

Some types of epilepsy

Photosensitive epilepsy: This is the type I suffer from! It is triggered by flashing images and other types of stimuli which f*ck with our heads (think of those weird optical illusions or hypnosis things). These send “KJASGLDKJVGLKSJVGSJ” signals to our brains and can cause us to have seizures. You ever wonder why some (and I wish more did) TV shows or other forms of visual media put a flashing warning at the start of their programme? Its for things like this! This is just a very personal trigger but for some weird reason playing the Wii makes me have seizures?? Something to do with the speed patterns of the game? Don’t ever deliberately flicker lights on and off or show a photosensitive epileptic a flashing video/gif, or else I’ll personally hunt you down... :) *cough*please tag flashing gifs with trigger warnings*cough* do not use #epilepsy because that tag has been ruined for the epilepsy community and we had to make up our own since that was just a spam of triggers rather than actual support and fellow epileptics thank you*cough*

*I’m not confident in describing other types so if any other epileptics would like to describe their own then that would be great! Photosensitive epilepsy affects only roughly 3-5% of all epileptics so there are definitely more common types to be explained >.<

Some types of seizures

There are more than 40 different types of seizures but these are some of the most common. Some are easier to spot than others and everyone’s case is different. Some seizures can involve a mix of different types so it is important to know how each affects the individual. It is always best to ask the person you know for what type they have most often, but keep in mind that while they may look fully conscious during a seizure, they are not and so they won’t remember the actual act itself but rather the before and afters!

Absence seizures: These seizures can often go unnoticed, as the person appears to space out. However, they are rarely a once-off incident and have a tendency to happen multiple times a day which can lead to confusion, loss of time and information absorbing, and general feelings of unsteadiness. In settings like schools or meetings where attention is crucial, a person who experiences these types of seizures is at a disadvantage because their loss of consciousness can lead them to losing out on valuable information and disrupt their work. While these seizures do usually last a few seconds, they can be worrying for the person because afterwards they are aware they have just have just had a seizure and yet since it is not very visible, it can be hard to share their worries with others. They are not just people daydreaming or having their minds wander, they are seriously spacing out of consciousness and should not be ignored or dismissed for the lack of visible symptoms >.<

Grand mal/tonic-clonic seizures: A more frightening sight, tonic-clonic seizures are the ones often dramatised by media and stereotypes alike. These are the types of seizures where a person will suddenly collapse, followed by stiff and jerky movements which can last up to a minute or few. In simple terms (and because I hate science lol), the brain is being overloaded with signals and can’t keep up! These are the types of seizures I experience and while I can’t speak for everyone, I usually show some warning signs before I have one; I’ve been told I go very very pale (and I’m a ghost already), my lips will also go white and my pupils will dilate while staring into space before I collapse. My limbs tighten and stiffen up (the tonic phase) and I’ve been told I have a very strong grip! Then my arms in particular will begin jerking (clonic) and while I might look like I’m having a little breakdance, the last thing I want to do is break/hurt something. These seizures involve a LOT of energy and afterwards, the person will usually fall asleep because their muscles and brain have been working at 100000% and are very sore and tired, especially if they have injured themselves during it. I had one at a sleepover while getting up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night and I ended up falling against the tiled wall in the bathroom and my head and jaw were in pain for days after :(

*There are others such as auras/partial seizures, but I’d rather let someone more experienced and knowledgeable explain them!

How to help someone having a seizure

While it is instinct to jump in and help, you should NEVER try to stop a seizure. You should let the person seize, but if it lasts for more than five minutes then you should definitely call an ambulance! The best thing to do is to make the environment as safe as possible so that the person does not injure themselves while seizing. This can include moving away furniture (e.g. tables) which may cause injury if they hit off them, placing something soft under their head (e.g. pillow, coat), turn them onto their side (especially if they are vomiting too), and what I think is most important is to stay with them till the end. I’ve had nightmares of people laughing and recording me having a seizure, so if possible, try to get other people to give some respect and privacy and leave the epileptic and attendant in peace. The tonic-clonic seizures are very embarrassing for the person and can involve more than just jerking movements but full-on loss of control over bodily functions too. It sounds yuck but when I first started having seizures, I’d lose control of EVERYWHERE and would somehow manage to both piss and shit myself while vomiting at the same time (weird flex, but okay). The epileptic is totally unaware of any of this until they wake up later and have someone explain to them, so try to also remember how long the seizure lasts and note their signs before and what then happened. It helps a lot when we then go to visit our neurologist and also for future reference to educating others on our own personal cases! There is a weird urban legend that you should put a spoon in the person’s mouth while they have a seizure but DO NOT do this, in fact don’t try to touch their mouth at all. Just give them space and give them comfort and reassurance afterwards, because not only is frightening to watch, but its also frightening to not know what happened at all. Let them lie down and rest because its very likely that their head and entire body will be sore after moving so much and so tightly too, so save a hug for later <3

Prevention, treatment and hope?

Fortunately, a lot of people grow out of their seizures as they get older! While there is no telling of what causes the condition, you’ll be happy to know that it may not haunt you or your loved one forever. I had my first seizure when I was eight years old and now I’m almost twenty and have been seizure-free for four years! While the condition never fully leaves, the seizures can become less common and sometimes stop altogether. How we measure this? Tests and scans such as an E.E.G are used to identify the brain’s responses to triggers and how strong or weak they are. E.E.Gs are like visiting a really shitty hair stylist who sticks a load of wires on your head and then proceeds to make you stare at a flashing light lmao the weird glue they use is so gross and I immediately want to wash it out after. Those who suffer from epilepsy will take medication (usually pills though medicinal c*nnabis has become popular) to lower their risks of having a seizure, but it is important to note that these medications never imply prevention or cure. Just because someone is taking medication does not mean they won’t have a seizure, they are just less likely than without! In some extreme cases, surgery can be an option and part of the brain may be removed.

Sadly though, not everyone is lucky enough to grow out of their seizures. Those with a chronic condition can have up to multiple seizures a day and never find peace. There is no definitive cure yet but the best thing to give to these people is hope and support. Let them know that you care for them because in a world that suddenly becomes non-existent to them for those few seconds or minutes, its nice to know that someone exists and loves them regardless of their condition.

Epilepsy affects everyone differently and not only are there medical implications, but social also. Some people will be less vocal about their condition to employers and fear losing employment opportunities, for example. As a young person, I rarely go on a night out and actively avoid nightclubs (which I don’t like the idea of anyway) but it can lead to a feeling of exclusion and isolation from friends and peers, along with dating. Its small things that unless you have to worry about, others don’t really notice. From my own experience, I now try to avoid going on drives on sunny days because I have had seizures from the sun flickering through trees or bouncing off windows and shiny surfaces. In Ireland anyway, as long as I’m seizure-free for one year then I am allowed to drive but I would still be fearful and find it hard to ever travel alone. There are many things I can think of but these come to mind first because they affect my daily life a lot; I’m a student who commutes to college every day and back, and the town is known for its nightlife and partying. Some people have other ‘habits’, such as taking showers over baths in case they seize and you know, drown themselves. We all take preventive measures but there is no cure or safety belt. Like I said, it affects everyone differently so always consult the person you know. It lets them know you care and it helps you to help them too!

There are several great epilepsy-centered blogs on Tumblr and I’m too shy to tag them here... However just know that a whole supportive community is behind the ‘#actually epileptic’ tag and that you are not alone in your condition, or that if you have any further interest or questions then there are others out there who can help share their knowledge and experience with you. Thank you for reading all of this and I wish you a happy and seizure-free day <3

#actually epileptic #epilepsy #international epilepsy day #signal boost #international epilepsy day 2019 #illness #important #its really late rn and i'm exhausted so this post is very short #please add on your own knowledge and help spread awareness and advice!#or share with your followers and maybe learn something new~#<3

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wileds · 5 years

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Do you have any advice for rping a fandom OC? I feel like no one pays attention to mine.

yes!! these are my personal recommendations, not a fix-all. i am not sure which fandom you are in although i assume rw.by? and opinions will differ on how to effectively promote your blog!

firstly, having a bio / about page / dossier / whatever you want to call it is crucial for an oc so your followers and people checking out your blog can learn who your oc is. if you have one already, make that sucker as detailed as you can. leaving it bare means less information to skim. you may know your own oc intimately & love them to death but your reader does not, and your rp partners are not responsible for developing your muse for you. stay within the limits of the information you feel comfortable sharing about your oc (you don’t need to spoil backstory, worldbuilding, etc if you don’t want to!), but be descriptive & thorough when you can. a lot of people only visit an about page once before deciding whether or not to follow! reel em in boy. but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to update your about page(s) as you develop your oc more over time!

that said, make a headcanon tag if you can. it’s good for personal organization and allows others to search your headcanons too!

straight up reminders or announcements that you’ve added something to your oc’s about page is a good way of engaging your dash too, especially if they only checked out your blog once before following. for example, i’ve said something like “hey pals i added stuff to love’s family page if you wanna check it out!” and linked it for easy access. people may not click it but y’know, you’re showing that you’re workin on your baby.

which i think is very important as a fandom oc. if you can’t rp or can’t find rp partners, do not just stop posting and try to avoid copious negative posts. no!! feel like shit? say how much you love your oc. still feel like shit a week later? make a headcanon post about what your muse does when they feel like shit. crank out them headcanon posts from the simplest thing like what they eat for breakfast (if they eat breakfast!) or what their ootd is (love is from shade “no uniforms!” academy and his wardrobe is bomb ok). reblog musings and aesthetic posts, reblog your face claim if you have one, draw your oc if you draw, post random tidbits about your character, play dash games like doll makers or bu.zzfeed quizzes & shindan maker stuff, find a headcanon meme and just fill it out & post it yourself without waiting for someone to send an ask in. these can spend less creative energy & time than threading, but still provide relevant activity. good for when irl makes you busy or when you’re depressed af! there are memes specially geared towards ocs out there like this one & this one which can get you thinking and writing, even if it’s ooc. you need to post to make potential rp partners interested, period! it is easy to be discouraged but trust me when i say, even though i rp an oc, i have found it hard to engage with other ocs if i just don’t know anything about them & have no spoons to chat up the mun through ims or di.scord. i have felt like i’ve been expected to engage with a blog even though i knew shit about their character / didn’t see them rping and so couldn’t summon up much enthusiasm. share the legwork my dude, and communicate, communicate, communicate when needed.

all of this is up to your own comfort levels! don’t feel like you have to promo yourself though. mun likability & popularity has become Hot on tumblr rp but at the end of the day, if all of that stresses you out then you can totally step back and have your blog just be about your muse and writing!

and again, your rp partners are not responsible for developing your muse for you nor are they obliged to rp with you. i’m not saying this to make roleplaying seem super harsh or anything lol. but if you’re not particularly close to anyone in your rpc or are feeling left out this is even more of a thing, to be able to enjoy your own content. finding someone / a friend group to brainstorm with is always fun & helpful, but iunno, being able to stay self-motivated and independently interested in your own blog regardless of fluctuating activity in my experience has made for better longevity. assuming your rpc is not dead or super clique-y of course.

oh and make a promo if you haven’t? make a new one every now and then with all the necessary tags (main two in rw.by are just #.rw.by rp and #.rw.by rol.eplay, though you can also throw in oc rp, anime rp, manga rp for the hashtag Exposure). posting a new promo after you’ve been particularly active is a smart play. the promo doesn’t have to be graphics heavy. there are promo templates out there but i’ve never used one?a text post works just as well, you can quickly introduce your character. this is my main promo currently. that one is graphics heavy but it includes info like my oc’s name, my name, that i’m an indie and selective blog, and then a quote that i find fitting for love. i’ve had old promos with more typical zinger blurbs like:

HEYA FRIENDS ! can you like or reblog this if you’re up for roleplaying with a rwby oc based off a canon design ? pages are still a wip but here’s a quick bio : attends shade academy, from a notable merchant family in vacuo. his name is LOVE CLARKIA – no that’s not a joke, yes his parents really named him that. riveting story if you’re willing to lend an ear.

and

HEY FAM!! my dash is a lil dead so i’m here to fling myself into the abyss. give this post a LIKE or REBLOG if you’re interested in a sweet oc named LOVE CLARKIA who believes he’s fated, believes in the goodness of the world, is full of charm & good-humor & an aspiration to live up to his namesake ( even as he’s liable to succumb to his blood affinity’s bloodlust which we don’t really talk about, because having a problematic relationship with one’s own power really isn’t very fun ) … was that a mouthful of an introduction? just wait until he starts talking.

that first quote was my first promo and as you can see my blog was still a literal gigantic wip, which is fine. the second quote is longer & i included more of love’s personality cuz i’d become comfortable rping him by then!

umm … that is all that i can think of at the moment. my followers can chime in if they want?? hope this helped and that you actually see it cuz this was sitting in my inbox for a bit!!

#Anonymous

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skammovistarplus · 5 years

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Culture and Translation - S01 E06

This is a bit of a weird episode, in that it feels like not much happened. Because Skam España switched a few things around, it seems like episode 6 shouldn’t be the episode in which to hang out with the characters for a while before shit goes down. But one thing that got me hooked to Skam almost straight away was the way you got to “hang out” with the characters even in small, drama-free moments, and this episode has a couple of clips I really like.

CLIP 1: Monday blues

Es que le metiste un corte (You were razor sharp with him): “Meter un corte” is really hard to translate. It basically means to be really cutting with someone when they aren’t expecting it, in a way that shuts the conversation for good. Which Amira did, over and over, but the dude wasn’t getting the hint.

I do think Nora feels a little bad for the guy, but only because Nora is extremely empathetic with everyone in the world, to the point where it’s surprising when she’s not empathetic.

Viri is a great liar. We will come to find out much of what she says in this scene is a lie, but she has no tells. This is why I think the Selena Gomez shoe line thing was Viri teasing the girls, because she broke character almost immediately. If Viri wanted the girls to believe it, we can see here that she would’ve managed.

Nora’s shirt says, “No means no.” ‘No es no’ was first a slogan for an awareness campaign, promoted by several Spanish city halls, which aimed to curtail sexual abuse and rape during local festivals, such as Sanfermines. There’s also an Axel, Soledad song. And it has of course been slapped on all sorts of merchandise. Like shirts!

The sides of the mirror are tagged with graffiti, by the way.

And also, Eva and Nora are late for first period! They end up skipping it entirely.

CLIP 2: Lucas has feels; Eva’s are stronger

Eva and Lucas are listening to Molly Svrcina’s Fallen Angel. I think the point of the song was lost in how incredibly random the song is. This is a song Lucas recommends Eva listen to. It’s about Lucas, not Eva. Lucas is trying to give a hint to Eva about himself, but Eva’s too focused on the Jorge drama.

While this clip dropped during recess, Eva skipped school. Not sure if Lucas did as well, though.

It’s Viri who shares a birthday with Paris Jackson, as I already wrote in the post for last episode.

Alejandro Reina does a nice bit of acting with his eyes at the 5:22 mark. Lol, Lucas is so fucking tired of the Eva/Jorge drama carousel.

Y tú me caes de puta madre (“And I think you’re fucking great”): Lucas is not just saying that he thinks Eva’s great. He’s saying he really fucking likes Eva (as a friend, that is!).

Es que sigo enfadada (“‘Cause I’m still upset”): This is a sentiment that will be expressed often this week by Eva, Jorge and Lucas. I’ve seen subs that translate it “enfadada” as “angry” and it’s not wrong, but I feel Eva and Jorge are both more upset than angry during this week. Your mileage may vary, though!

CLIP 3: Ship wars

Cullera: Cullera is a beach city in the Valencia region that has been taken over by tourists (or guiris, if you will!). There are some nice sights, but people visit for the beaches. Many Spanish familes own some sort of apartment by the beach, but Cullera is a step up from the usual, which is Torremolinos. A hint about Inés’ parents’ economic status! Cullera means “spoon” in Valencian language, by the way.

Easter break: The 2019 Easter break runs from the 12th of April to the 22th. Coincidentally, there are some rumors that s2 will premiere after Easter break 2019.

Tú no te líes, que el viaje importante es el de Mallorca, ¿eh? (Okay, but don’t lose sight of the important trip, the Majorca trip, huh?): A closer translation would be: “Don’t get sidetracked, the important trip is the Majorca trip, okay?” Which is actually a shorter line, so we should maybe change that, lol.

Que parezcamos ahí dos lapas como estas parejitas que están por ahí (For us to look like two barnacles like those couples you see everywhere): The literal translation would be, “for us to look like two barnacles like those couples that are around,” but that sounded like shade towards Eva and Jorge, who are also broken up this week. It’s not meant as shade, and in fact Eva has no reaction to it, so I reworked it.

Viri’s economic background is hinted through her confusion with job titles. In Spanish, she doesn’t remember if Alejandro’s father is a “director” (which could be translated as director, manager, and even principal, but also CEO) and “directivo” (executive or CEO). I settled for initials salad.

There is a bit of dialogue at the end that was cut from the episode version. The girls present their final arguments in the Viriandro vs Aleviri debate… which ironically, foreshadowed the Norandro vs Alenora shipname wars. It appears as if most of the fandom has settled on Norandro, at last.

Viri: It’s that, it’s like a Greek god.

Cris: What are you, Voldemort or something?

Viri: It’s like, it’s funny because it’s like a Greek god, like Viriandro is a Greek god sort of name. Yeah, it’s super neat.

Cris: It’s a gladiator name, dude!

Almost totally off topic linguistics note: The girls use the English loanword “ship” in the fandom sense. The verb had obviously crossed language lines in fandom spaces years ago, but it became part of mainstream Spanish culture (yes, really) when Operación Triunfo became big last year, and everyone was shipping couples from the show. The interesting part is that Spanish speakers came up with two declensions for the Spanish form of the verb: “yo lo shippeo” (I ship it) and “yo lo shippo” (again, I ship it). People who had been in fandom longer leaned towards “shippeo” (and so do I!), so I find it aesthetically pleasing that the girls favor that declension.

CLIP 4: Eva shoots his shot. It doesn’t go well.

I was certain Jorge’s secret would have to do with one or both his parents being unemployed, so at the time I made note of the fact that one of the apartments he walks by is up for sale. It’s the reddish orange sign at the 10:06 mark.

The song that plays at the end of the clip is Zahara’s El Frío, but it has been edited. These are the lyrics that have made it to the clip: “I didn’t expect that the one who started all the fires would also be the one to put them out. How did you let the cold inside you, it has destroyed everything.”

CLIP 5: Speederman

This has to be a change from my high school years. I did the Cooper test in 3º ESO (the equivalent of 9th grade in the US) and never had to do it again through high school.

More info on the Cooper test, in case you care. Not only was I not tested on a standard 400 m tartan track, but we were also not trained to perform it properly. Ah, high school PE!

Venom premiered in Spain the 5th of October. This clip dropped the 19th of October.

Yes, that is actually how we pronounce Spiderman in Spain.

I love that Nora is into Viri saying she loves anything that has to do with saving the world. Nora is so earnest, lol.

¿O qué vas a hacer, tía? ¿Quedarte en casa llorando? (“Or what do you have in mind, dude? Staying at home, crying?”): Another translation could be, “Or what are you going to do, dude? Stay at home and cry?” but I went with the line in the subs because I thought it flowed better.

Cómo jode que te dejen, ¿eh? (It sucks to be dumped, doesn’t it?): “Sucks” is a lot less charged than “joder,” which is the word Inés actually uses. I guess you’d have to say “fucking sucks” to get the intensity across. You’ll have to make do with Inés’ line delivery.

CLIP 6: Ride of the Valkyries

As it turns out, Alba Planas is also a fan of og Skam, so I’m going to pretend Eva’s string of sorries is also an homage to Tarjei’s delivery.

This scene was shot right outside of Cine Paz.

Pero no me seáis pavas (“But don’t be silly”): Viri says “pavas,” which is hard to translate. Essentially, Viri’s afraid the girls are going to embarrass her in front of Alejandro, either unintentionally or (not unlikely given this group) intentionally. I.e. they’re not going to behave maturely in front of him.

Madre mía (Good heavens): Okay, so I already talked in the post for episode 5 about the way Amira uses interjections that aren’t swear words, and this is an example of it. “Madre mía” literally means “mother of mine” and it’s basically meaningless as an interjection. What matters is the tone you add to it. In this case, Amira’s impatient that the girls are getting distracted chatting about whatever, instead of going into the theater. I don’t love “good heavens” as it has Christian connotations. On the other hand, “geez” feels too short for how impatient Amira sounds.

It took me a while to realize this, but this clip actually has an og equivalent. This would be the clip where Vilde notices William and Sara hooking up, and looks devastated. Skam España chooses to go about it in a totally different way, with the girls backing Viri up as they walk in.

CLIP 7: Tout le monde veut devenir un cat

Sí, hija, sí (“Yeah, girl, yeah”): Jorge actually calls Eva “daughter,” lol. Much like with tío and tía, we might call anyone “son” or “daughter.” I’ve even caught myself using it on my own parents! If I have the right info, this is also common in Latin American countries, except they use “mijo” and “mija,” instead. “Hijo” or “hija” is more affectionate than “tío” or “tía,” although, much like with “madre mía,” it’s used to express a variety of emotions. Here, Jorge is dismayed that his chocolate romance went awry.

Pretty sure those are knockoff peanut M&Ms. Most likely from the Spanish grocery chain Mercadona.

The song that plays at the end of the clip and through the credits is Bely Basarte’s Mariposas. You can find a translation here.

Tomás Aguilera, who plays Jorge, has managed to be almost impossible to find online. However, his instagram bio makes reference to the French version of the Aristocats song Everybody wants to be a cat. It’s adorable.

Social media:

The girls talk about the Zaorejas random again, Cris notes that he looked young enough as to be in ESO, or MSE, Mandatory Secondary Education. MSE runs through the equivalents of 7th to 10th grade in the US.

#culture and translation #skam españa #skam spain #skames #skamesp

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serpent-jugheadjones · 6 years

Text

Crispy Edges

Pairing: Jughead Jones x Reader

Description: Y/N found out the secret ingredient to winning Jughead’s heart.

Warnings: None I can think of.

Word count: 907

A/N: Happy New Year! This year I grew the courage to start sharing my fics and you guys have been making this an amazing experience for me. Every single one of your likes and reblogs means a lot to me and your comments always bring me joy and motivation to keep doing it :) I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing! Here’s to a 2018 full of art and love ❤

Tag: @southsidejuggie @ju-gg @lostnliterature @eternally-infinitely

Y/N knew about Jughead’s living conditions before anyone - not that he told her. She was never allowed in the projection room because he claimed it was against company policy, Jug never needed a ride home after the last showing, and he was always at the Drive-In. It wasn’t hard to piece things together with all that info. Anyways, she couldn’t do much about the Twilight being shut down, but she wasn’t going to let her friend be homeless. Jug didn’t need her help, though. He told her he’d be going back to his dad’s place and that put her worries to rest.

It came as a shock when Archie told Y/N that Juggie had been staying in a closet at school that whole time. Saying she was pissed is an understatement, since she repeatedly offered her guest bedroom for him to stay. The girl even cleared with her parents first (Not that they would deny. They love Jug.). However, Arch eased her anger by revealing Jughead would be living with him from that moment on. Mr. Andrews even said she could come by anytime. And she did.

The first time Y/N stopped by was to do science homework. She couldn’t help but notice the empty cardboard pizza boxes and Pop’s takeout bags piled in the trashcan. Without Mrs. Andrews, Y/N didn’t know the last time they had eaten real food. But, as their study nights usually end up, they spent the time watching cult movies rather than finishing homework. She left just as Fred was arriving with dinner - a few chock’lit shakes and a bag with a burger for each of them. He invited her to stay over, but she politely declined. It doesn’t take a genius to know that things at Andrews Construction weren’t going well and having another mouth to feed wasn’t exactly helping. Either way, Y/N knew Juggie needed at least 2 burgers to be satisfied.

With that in mind, next time Y/N showed up was with two paper bags full of cooking ingredients. Jug looked overwhelmed by it and the girl didn’t think he ever cooked before. She told him to dice the tomatoes and they almost had blood on the sauce since he almost cut his thumb out. Y/N made sure he was ok before kindly asking him to make the juice instead, while waiting for the water to boil, she prepared the sauce with fresh seasoning and garlic. As the pasta cooked, Jug stole some of the tomato sauce from the pot with a spoon, claiming it was quality control. She playfully shoved him out of the kitchen so she could fry the meatballs (To me they are vegan, but to each their own) without any thieving.

Everything was finished just as Archie arrived from football practice and Fred from work. Jug had already laid out the table, so they just helped themselves to the food. It was visible on all their faces that they hadn’t had a homemade meal in a long while. As they served their second plate, Mr. Andrews thanked her for the food once again. “Jug, if you don’t marry her, I will.”, Archie said playfully in between chewing. Y/N choked on her juice and covered a blush behind a napkin. “In your dreams, Archibald.”, Jug retorted a little too serious.

That became a Friday tradition, since Mr. Andrews wouldn’t let Y/N do it every night like she wanted to. She’d buy the ingredients to an easy recipe and cook at their house with Juggie tasting everything to make sure it was good. Whenever Y/N would sleep over, she’d wake up early and make pancakes for breakfast. The boys would always say she didn’t have to (Except for Jug, he can’t turn down food, ever.). But deep down Y/N loved taking care of them.

That specific Friday, Jug had been more helpful than playful, and Y/N found that odd. But what truly confused her was if it was Archie’s fake threat of getting her first or just the amount of food she’d been providing him, but for whatever reason, Jughead kissed her. As their lips connected heatedly and her back slammed against the kitchen cabinets, the lasagna in the oven was forgotten. Only until the smell of burning cheese made them let go of each other. Thankfully it was just the edges.

Fred confessed that the crispy edges were his favorite part. Y/N had to keep a giggle in, because she was sure that if he knew the reason behind the crunchy lasagna he wouldn’t enjoy it so much. Jug just kept his head down to avoid contact with the man fostering him. Archie picked up on the sexual tension in the room quickly and simply smirked at the couple.

If Y/N knew that all it took to be Jughead’s girlfriend was food, she would’ve cooked for him earlier. He denied that was what gave him the motivation to kiss her, though. In the end, the girl was just thankful for whatever fired the boy with the enthusiasm to do it. After all, them being best friends all their lives and having the failed relationship between Archie/Betty as an example didn’t exactly give Y/N the courage to confess her ever-growing feelings towards the broody writer. Losing his friendship wouldn’t be worth it, until his lips touched hers.

#Jughead Jones #Jughead Jones x Reader #Riverdale #Jughead Jones Imagine #Jughead Jones III #Riverdale Imagine #Forsythe Pendleton Jones III #Jughead Jones Imagines #Riverdale Imagines #fanfic #imagine #Juggie Jones #Happy New Year #I swear Part 8 for The Partner Revealed is coming soon

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iceicewifey · 3 years

Text

𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 & 𝗻𝗮𝘃.

my carrd ༝ commissions info ༝ blog tags ༝ side blogs ༝ toyhou.se ༝ ko-fi

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳.

『 Spanky / Spankz / KiKi / etc. ༝ she/xe 』

This is an OC x Canon blog, not a fandom blog! You don't have to be a ship blog to follow me but if you cannot be polite, you can leave. My main F/Os are Vanilla Ice & Terence T. D'Arby so you'll see me post about them a lot. Please note that I am uncomfortable with doubles/sharing. I tend to struggle with social spoons so I can be a bit slow to reply at times, but my inbox is always open for asks, chatting, and everything in between!

𝗼𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼.

Clicking or tapping their names will take you to their respective toyhou.se pages — I tend to update those faster than I post their info here.

𝗗. 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗬 ⁞ #𝚘𝚌 𝚍. 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚢 #𝚘𝚌 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚝 ↳ about ༝ design ༝ stand ༝ voice claim ༝ vanishay

𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘 ⁞ #𝚘𝚌 𝚐𝚒𝚐𝚒 #𝚘𝚌 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚎𝚙𝚑𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚜 ↳ about ༝ design ༝ stand ༝ voice claim ༝ teregi

#.⊹˚₊⟡˙⋆ 🖇️ pinned #please be sure to read my byf & dnf — located in my carrd ᡣ𐭩 #updated :: 5/17/24

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yournewapartment · 7 years

Note

So I'm a Canadian who will be moving to Scotland later this month for university and I'm wondering: Do you have any tips for getting settled in a new country? This will be the first time I'm buying my own groceries and not using student loans so budgeting advice is also welcome.

This ask has been sitting in my inbox for like at least a month... I’m so sorry! Some posts take more time to write then others. I actually have about four asks that are all essentially this same question, so I’m going to just combine them all into one post.

As for budgeting... here’s my two cents, in terms of Minimum Wage.

Budgeting on Minimum Wage

Overview

The average minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hr. Even working full time at 40 hours a week, that’s only a profit of $290 before taxes. This is not a fair living wage! You are worth way more than this amount! I strongly encourage you to start looking for another job that pays better, look for something around the $10-$15 range.

While $7.25 is atrocious, thousands of people around the world support families on much less. If they can do it while supporting children, so can you! To live off a minimum wage budget you need to declare yourself independent. If your parents are still claiming you as a dependent YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THIS. I also recommend that you have the highest amount possible taken out of your taxes so that you get money back from your state at the end of the year, instead of being in debt to them.

What I’ve done is come up with a budgeting plan based off some made up factors and my own personal experience.

Housing

1. City life. Forget about the city! Apartments located in cities can be three times as expensive as apartments in small towns or villages. On top of the extra expense, they’re much smaller and have less amenities included. I’d much rather live in a one bedroom apartment with a dishwasher and a conveniently located Laundromat, than a literal closet with no windows on a fifth floor walkup. Look for apartments twenty minutes to a half hour outside of your closest city. Now you have the close conveniences of a city, with none of those pesky city prices that your budget can’t handle.

2. College towns. Shop around and look at apartments by local colleges. Large colleges with have apartment complexes within walking distance of the school grounds. Landlords know that college students have less money (you might even be a college student yourself) and adjust their prices accordingly. Even apartments next to ivy league schools are priced this way, so don’t be discouraged by the institution’s “prestige”.

3. Locale. Your safety is more important than your bank account. It doesn’t matter if you live in Section 8 housing or in an affluent suburb. Some apartment complexes and neighborhoods are just safer than others. I live in a heavily populated and upper middle class suburb, and the first year I moved in, a drunk woman tried to throw a beer bottle at my car. Thankfully this is the only time this happened to me, but it made me feel unsafe in my environment. Before signing a lease, walk or drive around your prospective home’s neighborhood at night. Take in the atmosphere, and make sure it’s one where you could comfortably run to the local supermarket at 10:30pm and pick up toilet paper.

4. Roommates. Living on minimum wage requires that you find one or two roommates to help split the rent. The more the better! Get together with your more responsible friends, so at least you’re living with people whose company you enjoy. There are lots of “roommate wanted” forums and message boards for you to browse on the internet, but always bring a responsible adult with you before meeting a stranger. Please. Bring your mom if you have too.

Food

1. Low-spoon food. I created this post a few months ago which offers lots of suggestions about cooking and shopping on a budget.

2. Online recipes. Here are some of my favorite online Tumblr cookbook resources.

- College Student Cookbook. Click here.

- Meals On The Go. Click here. (Not a cookbook, but super helpful)

- Broke College Kid Masterpost. Click here.

- Cooking on A Bootstrap. Click here.

- Good and Cheap. Click here.

- Budget Bytes. Click here.

3. I also regularly update my cooking on a budget tag.

Misc Expenses

1. Gas. Shop around and find the cheapest gas in your area. Avoid gas stations next to colleges, highways, and in touristy areas. Look into getting as gas rewards card from your favorite supermarket. I get 10 cents off a gallon with Stop & Shop every time I do a big shop.

2. Dollar store. Get to know your local dollar and bargain stores. You can buy everything from pots and pans to bed sheets there. These stores often sell bulk ramen for $1 and large cans of crushed tomatoes for 75 cents. That’s enough food for you to live off of for several days. When shopping, I make three grocery store stops to ensure that I spend the least amount possible on my pantry needs. I go Dollar Store, Stop and Shop, and then to my local organic grocery store. I’m going to make a list of things that I buy at Dollar Stores and things that I don’t buy at Dollar Stores soon!

3. Cable. We are living in the digital age- you don’t need cable television. Use Netflix or Hulu or whatever. It will save you tons of $$.

4. Internet. As far as internet speed goes, if you’re living with roommates you will probably need a higher speed. Living by yourself, choose a lower one. Most internet companies offer large discounts to new subscribers. These typically only last a year, but will save you serious money. Make sure to take note of when this discount expires, and contact the company before it does. If you don’t, they’ll begin charging you the full amount without notice.

5. Verizon. I just want to take a moment to talk about how much I love Verizon because they have literally saved me so much money in the three years I’ve been with them. After you sign a contract with a new internet company, they charge you a bunch of ridiculous fees like “activation fees” and “installation fees”. I called Verizon and was like “I’m a poor college student, I can’t afford this” and they were like “don’t worry, we’ll waive the fee”. I signed a two year contract with them that saved me $80 on a high-speed internet bill per month (my price being only 50.99 a month). After the contract expired I call them and they put me on a month to month, keeping the price absolutely the same. TLDR- get Verizon if you can.

6. Utility. Get on a monthly budget with whatever utility company services your new apartment. Although it may seem like the cheaper option, paying the actual amount of electricity you spend per month is the more expensive. It’s also unpredictable, and a minimum wage budget won’t allow for it. See this for more info.

7. Amazon. I buy a lot of my beauty, cleaning, and cat products online. Amazon offers Prime shipping free for a year with a student email address, and then offers it at a greatly reduced price after the year. If you are a student, snap up that free deal ASAP. If it’s in your budget, I’d greatly recommend investing in Amazon Prime.

8. Saving money. It’s so important to attempt to break way from the “paycheck to paycheck” vicious cycle. Living this way does not allow for emergency expense money, and trust me, sometime soon you will need emergency expense money. Your cat might get sick or your car may die, whatever it is, it’s always smart to have at least $500 squirreled away. I’m gonna level with you, things have been tight for my budget and I haven’t been able to save anything for the past three months. But this month I will!

Example Budgets

Full Time

Working with the $7.25/hr and 40hr/week model, here’s an example budget for living on minimum wage. That’s $1,160 a month without taxes.

Housing: Let’s say you’re sharing an apartment with two close friends, the rent being $1,500 without any amenities. That rent split three ways is $500 each.

Gas I commute twenty minutes every day, and I drop about $20-$25 a week on gas. That’s $100 on gas a month.

Food: I do one big shopping a month with my boyfriend. We drop around $180 and that’s including toiletries and soap and stuff. So maybe you’ll spend about $100 a month on all your shopping needs.

Cable/internet: Hopefully you took my advice and skipped cable. Let’s say you’re paying around $50 per month for internet. Split three ways that’s $17 each.

Laundry: Hopefully you’re not like me and are only spending around $20 on laundry per month.

Random expenses: Because there always are some. Let’s just tack on another $100.

With everything added up, you still have around $290 left before taxes! That money can go into a savings account, and after several months, you’ll have that $500 worth of emergency money saved.

Part Time

Working with the $7.25/hr and 25hr/week model, here’s an example budget for living on minimum wage. That’s $725 without taxes.

Housing: In this case, you need to look for apartments in the $800-900 range. In my area, one bedroom apartments go for around $1000, so you may need to get creative with your roommate (I don’t think you could have more than one roommate in this situation). Buy dividers to split the bedroom or studio in half! Let’s say your rent is $850 with nothing included, that’s $425 each.

Gas You’re still looking at a large gas bill per month, so it may be more inexpensive to ride a bike or use public transportation. Let’s say you use public transportation, and spend around $50 a month on that. Or maybe you and your roommate can split gas expenses and share a car?

Food: Pinch those pennies! Use some of those budget cookbooks I linked above to help you cook healthy and delicious meals for under $4 each. See if you can only spend $80 a month on groceries.

Cable/internet: Hopefully you took my advice and skipped cable. Let’s say you’re paying around $50 per month for internet. Split two ways is $25 each.

Laundry: Hopefully you’re not like me and are only spending around $20 on laundry per month.

Random expenses: Because there always are some. Let’s just tack on another $100.

That leaves you $25 to put in your bank account, if that. This is a paycheck to paycheck situation, and you will probably need to get another source of income to feel secure. But you can still do it!

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