xmagnet-o:

trauma-mouse:

spacedogprincess:

jerseyfiredragon20:

thewhaleridingvulcan:

crystalsoulslayer:

I always hate it when people are all “so do you go to school, or are
you working, or” and I either have to

• make up some lie, or
• eventually get
  around to “I am not working because of depression/anxiety,” and
  subsequently have to deal with whatever bullshit-riddled and completely
  unsolicited opinions on mental illness this stranger feels obligated to
  share with me.

So my therapist was like, “You don’t have to do either.
You can just say you haven’t worked in a while because you’re recovering
from an illness.”

I tried it when the home inspector was here today, and it fucking worked.
He was like, “oh, I’m sorry, are you doing better now,” and I’m like
yeah, and don’t worry, it’s not contagious, awkward laugh, and we moved
on.

MY THERAPIST. IS A GENIUS. Because it is an
illness, so it’s not a lie to say that, and it’s also none of his
business to know specifically what it is, and I clearly don’t want to
give more details, so we should move on from this topic. MY THERAPIST IS A GODDAMN GENIUS.

Dude I needed this. I never know what to say when people ask if I work because I’m severely disabled and don’t work.

REBLOG TO SAVE A LIFE HOLY SHIT

To add, this works on job interviews too.  I once had to answer the ‘so whats up with this gap of 8 months in your resume where you were unemployed?” and I just said I had suffered an illness and I needed time to recover.

It’s easy enough, not a lie, and puts them on edge enough that they usually don’t go digging.

WHAT YES IM USING THIS

I neeed this. Thanks so much

writingmyselfintoanearlygrave:

ATTENTION WRITERS

Google BetaBooks. Do it now. It’s the best damn thing EVER.

You just upload your manuscript, write out some questions for your beta readers to answer in each chapter, and invite readers to check out your book!

It’s SO easy!

You can even track your readers! It tells you when they last read, and what chapter they read!

Your beta readers can even highlight and react to the text!!!

There’s also this thing where you can search the website for available readers best suited for YOUR book!

Seriously guys, BetaBooks is the most useful website in the whole world when it comes to beta reading, and… IT’S FREE.

helpfulharrie:

so the balloon tool in csp lets u create speech bubbles v easily. by default, its grouped w the text tool? but personally ive moved the text tool out of the group

anyway, it’s a neat tool bc it uses the same settings as the brush tool so you can match your settings & have it match your strokes

like, try 2 guess which bubbles the brush tool n which ones the balloon pen!

the first one’s the balloon tool & the second one’s the brush tool.

bc its a vector, u can manually adjust the shape of the bubble

for that you want to switch to the correct line tool,

pinch vector line is the best fr making adjustments

with the control point tool you can make adjustments to the stroke

it also groups yr text with the bubble so if you want to move the bubble it’ll also move the text

gristol:

random photoshop tips:

* if you want, you can always give smart sharpen a try, rather than just using sharpen. you can control the amount and how it’ll affect the surrounding area, rather than just an overall application of sharpness.

* photo filters are also a neat thing and can help unify colors of a piece or even set a mood. there are cool and warm filters, along with colors (red, orange, blue, purple, etc)

* i tend to do a separate layer filled with grey (7f7f7f), then noise > add noise > gaussian at around 3-5%, then set that layer to overlay. it adds noise to your picture and helps break up the color of your image and adds a neat effect!

* having trouble with a particular curve of your lineart? use path (pen) tool. trace out the shape that you want and then loop it back around to the origin point. go path > make selection, right click the selection, then use stroke. after that you can just erase any of the line that you do not want.

* if you want a straight line with your brush, click the starting point on the canvas, hold shift and press another point. viola! straight line. 

* if your image looks a bit flat, i find that adding a new curve layer and setting it to ‘linear curve’ helps immensely. 

uhh there’s a lot more but that’s all that comes to mind atm. hopefully this helps some of you!

queerenbian:

fivewrites:

fivewrites:

xeno-lalia:

resumespeak:

Leveraged an inventory of established fictional character and setting elements to generate a disruptive custom-curated narrative entertainment asset.

I worked in HR, handling applications and interviews, and if someone turned in that string of techno babble nonsense, I would have rejected them out of hand.

A resume doesn’t need to sound fancy or overly technical, it needs to tell us why we should hire you.

“Independent novelist/writer” is more than sufficient here. If you want to express the skills that fan fiction taught you, something like, “creative writing, editing, and publication,” will get you a lot further than… Whatever that just was.

A resume should be tailored to the position, if you can afford the time and energy for that. But if not, then just think about what writing got fandom taught you. How to respond to criticism, how to present a professional pubic face, how to correct punished mistakes, creative thinking, project planning, persuasion via emotional leverage, html formatting, office suite fluency.

There are a lot of actual, marketable skills that go into fan fiction.

How to put “I was in a zine” on your resume

Writer:

• Published short fiction stories for anthology collection
• Able to write short fiction within a designated word count for layout purposes (900-1500 words, 1500-2000, 3000-5000)
• Wrote short articles for independent publication
• Assisted with editing short stories for publication
• Able to reduce or expand written content based on layout needs
• Able to check for basic spelling, grammar and syntax
• Familiar with Microsoft Office and Google docs

Artist:

• Produced full-colour digital illustration for independent magazine
• Able to produce digital illustrations optimized for both online and print display
• Produced full-colour 2-page spread for art anthology
• Published 4-page short comic in anthology collection for charity
• Able to transfer traditional art to digital illustration
• Illustrated the cover (always brag if you’re on the cover) of an independent art publication
• Familiar with professional illustration tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint and stylus tablet

Merch artist / graphic designer:

• Designed 2″ clear decorative double-sided keychain charm as bonus sale item
• Designed 5″ x 6″ sheet of graphic stickers included in art anthology
• Able to design bold graphics that are measured for laser cutting production
• Designed layouts for 65-page art and writing magazine, focusing on (art placement, text layout, etc)
• Able to keep layout design simple and in accordance with the project director’s chosen theme
• Created promotional art, icons and banners tailored for social media sites like Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc
• Familiar with professional layout and design software such as Adobe Illustrator and InDesign

Running a zine

• Produced an independent art and writing collection for sale / for charity
• Managed (10, 20, 30) independent artists and writers out of over 500 applicants to create a short-run independent magazine
• Worked in online sales and social media promotion selling an independent comics anthology
• If it’s really spectacular you can brag about specific numbers
• Our book raised over $4,000 for charity in under six months of production
• We sold over 750 copies in two weeks of online sales
• Produced a digital PDF and printed version of anthology, mailing to recipients all over the world
• Communicated with printers and manufacturers of plastic accessories and paper goods, assembling professional packages of our merchandise for mailing.
• Built a custom digital storefront and navigated professional market and payment systems including Paypal and Tictail / Bigcartel / Wix etc
• Created promotional events to boost sales, including raffles and giveaways over social media
• Organized participants through mass emails and use of social media posts on tumblr and twitter
• Familiar with organizational software such as Microsoft Excel, Google spreadsheets and Trello

Added some more

@punkwithoutacause

nerdgul:

70slsbn:

70slsbn:

the greatest skill a woman can learn for herself is self reliance

to clarify … so many strong women in my life rely on men. that dependence is dangerous. ladies here are some good ref resources I’ve found helpful on my journey towards self reliance

automobile

• changing coolant
• changing oil
• changing tire
• jumping a car

plumbing

• toilet running
• basement flooding
• replace a faucet
• clogged drain

electrical

• replacing light switches
• blew a fuse
• installing overhead light
• earth vs. neutral vs. live wires

home

• patching drywall
• finding studs

this list is in no way comprehensive feel free to add on

a lot of ‘man things’ are a lot easier than you think they are. especially considering the fact that most of these things when buying the parts come with directions on the packaging that men usually don’t even look at (and often end up doing it wrong because they were taught by fathers who also did not look at the packaging). 

like i recently had to change my car battery and freaked out cause i thought id electrocute myself but turns out new batteries come with directions and its the easiest shit in the world so long as you can lift the damn thing. 

so yeah, ladies dont ever feel like a man is a necessity for life, you can do this shit on your own its easier than you think!  

sunreon:

shrineart:

yournewapartment:

buckleupbones:

kedreeva:

redbirdblogs:

janothar:

mehofkirkwall:

janothar:

mehofkirkwall:

pitbullmabari:

janothar:

pitbullmabari:

rose-in-a-fisted-glove:

naturepunk:

I think I left the teller at the bank genuinely disturbed when I told him that “If I can’t afford it, I just don’t buy it.” 
“What about a car? Do you drive a car?” he inquired, his voice toning on the edge of fear.  
I told him, “Yeah, I have a vehicle. I bought it used for under $3,000.” 
He looked physically pained. “What about if you want to buy some kind of new appliance? Or furniture?” he persisted.
I stared at him blankly. “My couch was $5.00 at Goodwill. Like…I just buy shit cheap or I don’t buy it at all. The only thing in my life that I make payments on is my house, my bills, and my insurance, and that’s split five ways because I have housemates.” 
The young man looked horrified? Appalled? And somehow also awed? 
This guy couldn’t have been much older than me. But it seemed that he’d never even considered the option before of saving up for something to purchase it outright instead of using a credit card.
Am I the only person in my general age group (just turned 26) who’s never owned a credit card, and who has forgone basic comforts in order to save up for items so you don’t owe money to anyone, like, ever? 

If you’re living in the US without a credit card at 26, you’re playing with danger.

No credit is viewed as the same as bad credit. Which means you could be denied if you ever do need to rent an apartment or a car. Hospitals and clinics are also less likely to allow payment plan programs for people without good credit.

The best thing you could do at this point is apply for a credit card you’re eligible for and pay a few things (I do gas and groceries myself) with it each month. As long as you keep it to zero balance each month there is no interest and there will be proof of you not having debt (instead of just the absence of debt).

what.

This is legit how it works.  The system requires records on you, or else.  So you need a credit card and worse, you need to have a record of using it, even if you pay it off every single month.  Unfortunately, the formulas used to determine credit score are secret, so we also have people suggesting that your credit rating is helped if every so often you do pay a bit of interest.  The whole thing is a complete mess.  If you don’t have a credit rating/history, then any loans you manage to get will be at extremely high interest and will require much more effort than they really should.

what

yeaah let me just go get a card that i can’t pay off because capitalism is shit, even if i literally only buy a pack of gum
that’d go well

If you pay it off in full every month there is no interest.  Do what OP is doing but put some of that on your credit card and pay it off every month, and soon you will have a very good credit rating.

you skipped right the fuck over the “can’t pay it off” part huh

like credit cards are just not a viable thing if you’re poor and have shit income

And I’m saying to literally not put anything on it if you can’t buy it in cash. And I’m aware that they fuck over poor people, but yeah, that’s the system that’s in place. This is advice for navigating it, which is how to obtain good credit which helps a lot.

Right like don’t make minimum payments, put your gas on your credit card then that same day pay the credit card company online then don’t worry about it for another month. It’s an absolutely shit system, but in the event of an emergency it’s good to have.

I have had to explain this to a lot of people in my life, but it’s true- no credit is the same as bad credit. What having (and using) the card actually shows is that you are capable of (and actually follow through on) making regular payments: ie, it is proof of having a steady income (even if you do not actually have a steady income). It is showing you reliably can pay for things you purchase, which is what your credit score is all about.

Think of it this way. You have a credit card, which is your credit tracking device. You use the card to tell someone “I will pay for this thing with borrowed money.” They agree to allow you to pay with borrowed money. You then turn around to your credit card company and say “Thank you for allowing me to borrow your money, I will now pay you back with my own money.” (which, if you repay them promptly enough, you can repay them the exact same amount you borrowed, rather than paying them more than you borrowed [which is what interest is])

The credit card company then recognizes that you successfully borrowed their money AND returned it safely, and they pass that information along to credit tracking companies. Each time you do this, you gain credibility. If you do this enough times, you are considered a credible borrower of money, so that if you ever are in a situation where you need to borrow a large sum of money (for example, a mortgage or a car or a hospital bill or whatever), companies with money will look at how well you have returned money in the past, and say Ah yes, this person repays their debts well, so we can lend them our money this time.

So like, do what the above folks are recommending. Get a credit card and use to to reasonably purchase things you already have to buy- put a batch of groceries on the card. Go home (or wherever you can use the interne), pay it off as if you had paid cash in the store for it. There is no extra fee or interest for doing this, and you are leveling up your credibility in case of emergency later on in life.

Ok, here’s a guide for the easiest way to do this.

1. get your first baby credit card with the bank that you already bank with. If it has cashback rewards, even better (that’ll be free money later).

2. set that shit up so it pays the full amount, automatically, every month. you don’t have to remember to go home and pay it off, or worry about it at all. You won’t pay interest.

Your first card, especially if you have no credit, is going to have a small limit. Like $500. This is important: credit companies want you to use a certain percentage of the card every month. This is 1-9%. I usually just go straight 5%. If you use too much, you look like a wild card (even if you pay it off every month) and if you use nothing than you’re not proving to them you can be trusted.

So your first card has a $500 limit. 5% of 500 is $25.

Your goal is to use $25/month.

This is about a tank of gas for me. So once a month, I would fill up with this card, and then put it in the back of my wallet until next month. The payment was made automatically by my bank from one account (debit) to the other (credit). Rinse and repeat. I did this for a year.

Then after a year, my credit had skyrocketed (because I had nothing before, and added this good habit for a year). So I called up my bank and asked for them to increase my limit based on my new credit. I had shown them I was good at borrowing a good amount of money and paying it back on time every time.

The bank increased my limit to $5,500. Like holy shit, at the time I was definitely not expecting that.

So new math. 5% of 5500 is $225. So now instead of gas, I put my cell phone bill ($50), my car insurance ($130), and my dog food automatic order ($40) on it.

The best part is everything is automatic. I keep this card in the back of my wallet permanently; all these bills and the automatic payments are, well, automatic. My credit goes up, I rack up cash back rewards, there’s nothing to it.

And, if I ever get in an emergency, like a vet bill for one of my dogs, I can use that card to pay the $3,000 emergency bill without worrying about whether the place will take my dog if I have no money. I can then go home, change the settings from “pay in full every month” to “pay $X every month” (more than the minimum!) until it’s paid off, and then go back to just my bills. My credit might take a little dip during that time, but will bounce back pretty quickly.

There’s several other factors to credit (hit me up if you want more info) but this was literally the only measure I took for my first year, and my credit went from 525 to 700 in a year. Another year later, I’m now at 753, have a mortgage with a great rate, and can get a monster ass loan if I really need it in case an emergency or hard times fall.

It’s a shitty system of hoops to jump through, but knowing you can use these measures if it comes to it is a good feeling.

Okay but literally read this entire post please!

Take it from someone who was taught that credit cards are evil, you NEED to build up some credit. 

I’m 32 and only JUST NOW able to get a card because my fiance helped me do so. I could not get approved before because I didn’t have any credit.

Things you can’t just get because “I’ll just pay cash”:

• Passing that rental application and actually being on the lease
• An emergency loan that isn’t from a known predatory industry (payday loans)
• Possibly even That Job (there are places that check credit scores)
• Medical payment plans

Student loans and utilities go on your credit record, so those can build your score, but only if those utilities are actually in your name. And rental history doesn’t accrue if someone else is the official name on the lease.

It’s a predatory trap on purpose but following the advice in this post is a necessary path to get things you can really benefit from.

melissatreglia:

whatsnew-lgbtq:

Platonic love is real love and shouldnt be treated like less becuase it isnt romantic. Defining love as only romantic is a terrible concept. You should be able to love people in a platonic way as much as romantic way and not be seen as less

The Greeks were so much wiser than us modern folk, when talking about love. They believed it existed in eight different forms:

1. Eros (erotic love). This is, simply put, the sexual attraction you feel towards someone. In its best form, passion can be transformative… but it can also become destructive if not kept under control.

2. Philos (friendship). This is the love we treat as lesser in the modern world. Ironically, the Greeks considered it superior to eros as philos was considered a love between two equals and free of the animalistic pull of sexual desire. Philos is the kind of love two warriors who’ve shared a foxhole feel for one another.

3. Storge (familial love). This is the love and pride we take in our kinsmen and lifelong friends. For those who are deeply attached to their family name, who remember family members who pass on with great fondness… This is the name the Greeks, a culture based very much on accruing honour to one’s name and descendants, bestowed on this form of love, as it was so very important to them.

4. Ludus (playful love). The affection between young lovers, this is what we modern folk call “puppy love.” The flirting, teasing and childlike euphoria at being in a new relationship is all part and parcel of this form of love. The Greeks felt that love should have a sense of fun and play; it need not be serious 100% of the time.

5. Mania (obsessive love). This is what happens when love gets scary, and is the purview of stalkers and the most deluded among us. The Greeks believed that this occurs when there’s an imbalance between the presence of ludus and eros in one’s psyche. Those who experience this form of love also become codependent, and may be perpetrators of abuse of their loved ones.

6. Pragma (enduring love). This is a mature form of love, having aged like fine wine with time. It’s commonly seen in couples who have been married for decades, and is something we all secretly yearn for – the companionship that looks beyond our limitations, yet loves us for our frail humanity. A love where we are accepted unconditionally and will never stray from us. It’s hard to find, and takes a lot of time and patience to cultivate.

7. Philautia (self-love). This is where having a “positive mental attitude” and engaging in self-care comes in. The Greeks understood that, in order to care for others, we must first tend to ourselves. This is not a sense of vanity, but an awareness and acceptance of who you really are, showing yourself compassion in darker times.

8. Agape (brotherhood). This is the greatest form of love there is, and the hardest to aspire to. It demands nothing less than feeling love for all human beings, compassion for all creatures, an acceptance and forgiveness of the flaws of humanity, and the desire to ease the pain of those who suffer. To see in the eyes of every human being your brother, your sister – when humanity, in your mind, becomes your extended family. It’s not about paying lip service to religions that preach compassion, it’s about showing love for others in every word and deed.

So, if you thought romantic love (eros) was all there is to knowing and feeling love? You thought wrong. Let’s learn to love love in all its forms.