Sade Olutola
blake kathryn
i don't do bad sauce passes
cherry valley forever
Andulka
will byers stan first human second
tannertan36
Discoholic 🪩
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
NASA
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
Mike Driver
Janaina Medeiros
trying on a metaphor
@theartofmadeline
DEAR READER
titsay
dirt enthusiast
noise dept.
Three Goblin Art
seen from T1
seen from Germany
seen from India
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from T1
seen from Belarus
seen from Australia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Poland
seen from Kuwait
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from United States
@michinmari
I’m on my mom’s walking pad for the first time because I can’t go swimming (bad weather). I’m 30 minutes in on speed 6 (and I hate walking and running because of my joints) while listening to the Heated Rivalry playlist WHILE rereading my favorite Heated Rivalry fan fiction on AO3. For my health.
If I loved Heated Rivalry Less...
In Jane Austen's Emma, Mr. Knightley tells the eponymous heroine, "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."
That's exactly how I feel about Heated Rivalry.
If I loved it even just a little less than I actually do, I would be able to talk or write about it more.
But I am a writer. Or I was in a previous life. And I would like to be again. So here goes.
I LOVE Heated Rivalry. That's it.
I love the book. I can't choose between Heated Rivalry and The Long Game because I love them for different reasons.
I love Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander in equal measure.
And as for the series, well...
I was so excited for it that I even told my mom about it.
You see, I usually avoid prosletyzing to my mom when I'm super into something because... see the first line.
And it may seem like I'm contradicting myself because I did end up talking to her about it. I'm trying not to parse that contradiction. Also, yes, she's watched all six episodes and read all six books.
But like what Shane said in The Cottage, "I need you to know that I did really try. I tried really hard, but I just can't help it."
Sometimes, I just want to keep the things that I love close to the vest.
It's not out of shame -- I don't believe in guilty pleasure. So long as it's not ethically wrong, I think everyone is entitled to indulge.
It's more... I have a tendency to overexplain what I love.
Not to justify, but because I NEED to talk about this thing that has had a chokehold on me for months on end. I need to obsess over my obsessions, but at the same time HATE for others to know about said obsessions.
Because I know -- I KNOW -- the people I'm sharing this with don't or won't love it as much or the same way as I do. And when that inevitably happens, I will never see these people the same way again.
It's stupid. I know that, too. I pride myself on being a highly logical person. Just... not about this.
But maybe I'll mention in passing how I enjoy Connor Storrie's accent because it's astoundingly impressive.
Maybe I'll say how talented I think Hudson Williams is for knowing how to act with such restraint but still with so much feeling.
I will not, however, demonstrate the fact that I can recite Ilya's monologue in my best Russian accent (took a course in college a million years ago). That I practiced it by reading it in Cyrillic just because I can.
Or that I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity to bust out, "Wow. Genetic."
Maybe loving Heated Rivalry the way I do speaks to whatever remains undiagnosed about me.
I'm sure it speaks to my memories of having had several gay friends come out to me. I remember being confused the first few times because I didn't think they had to state the obvious. I have been assured that I reacted better the next few instances because I remembered to pat them on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for telling me." I also have it on good authority that I practiced the correct hugging protocol: that if you're the huggee, you don't disengage first.
But to simplify things, I believe Heated Rivalry is so loved because it's at its heart a joyful, romantic love story. It's also queer. It's also very, very steamy. And ultimately, so well done.
With that said, Jacob Tierney, please release the Making Of or Behind the Scenes. It will go a long way to tide me (and so many others) over the wait for the second season.
i know its the mets, but this is the coolest shit i’ve ever seen a human being do
Smoove with it too
This is the kind of shit you see in anime that shows that a certain character is stronger than other characters.
“Pathetic. You can’t even hold the bat you dare step to the plate? Have you no respect for the sport?”
reminds me of this gif
Baseball players are to be feared
Reblogging for the last one
^Same for me
They just kept getting progressively more “woah”
much woah
Oh my god this is a lucky universe
every time this post comes around, my favorite part is the “I know it’s the Mets” qualifier at the beginning lmao like how baseball that this zillion note posts starts with “sorry for putting this hellteam on your dash, bUT”
Y’all have no idea how hard I was trying not to laugh in class at that poor bird
They…they just blew up a fucking bird…
Ball’s dead. Bird’s dead. I’m dead
World Heritage Post
personally my favorite thing about Mr. Bird Evaporator is this imagine being the poor fool tryna rob this man’s house only to be instantly transported to the same dimension as that bird
He does photography now, and I guess just in case you’re booking him wondering “is it that Randy Johnson?” … here’s his logo:
Coming into a fandom late
Coming into a fandom early and watching it become an angry clusterfuck
Being in a dormant fandom that suddenly comes alive again after a new book/movie
Don’t forget about those who come in the midst of a fandom war.
Accuracy at its best
Being in a fandom and not even knowing there’s a war going on…
all of this shit…lol
When You’re Not In The Fandom But You’re Nosy AF
When you get into a fandom only to discover it’s dead
This gets better every time I see it.
@fuboos-mess
Being in a dead fandom…
Or being in such a tiny fandom that it feels like youre the only one
The accuracy hurts.
Being in a fandom that had a shit ending.
When you’ve been fangirling long enough, you’ve experienced all of the above.
Being in a fandom meant for kids.
This just gets better..
@mi-kleos
When you realize that joining the fandom has ruined you
Fandom hell in general
Yes.
This^^^ just… ALL OF THIS.
Being in so many fandoms that you don’t even know what’s going on
THIS IS THE SKULDUGGERY FUCKING PLEASANT FANDOM IN ONE POST!!
Trying to recruit people to your fandom
Annnnnnndddd it’s back
Being in a fandom which has so many antis
I’ve probably reblogged this before, but that was before these great additions.
Being in a fandom that actually works together
Why is this so true? All of it.
being in a fanbase but all your mutuals suddenly turn into Kpop blogs
I always enjoy it when a good post comes around again and has been improved by the reblogs like the years for a fine wine.
Being in a fandom when shit goes down and everyone has different opinions
When you are in a fandom and don’t care for others people opinion…..even if they are right…(believe me, I have met several of those)
Being in a fandom you never meant to join
I love this. and it’s gotten better
After abandoning a fandom you’re still a little bit emotionally invested in….
All of these are me. Lol
Being in a fandom on Tumblr
World Heritage Post
When your fandom has a shit ending, but you’ve elected to stay in the tower era 2012 forever.
Tequila (a short comic)
This looks so good.
this is for a part-time job as a barista
Anyone who says it's a job hunter's market today is a liar.
Why does this shoot give me Boybander going solo releasing his first r&b leaning pop album teas. #1 & #2 being the cover and #3 being the back cover.
…. Don’t fear me baby, it’s just Justin Henry
GUYS I DID IT!
This is so accurate. When the show was on air, they did say that Henry VIII was THE rock star of his time, which is why they cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers because he looked like a rock star.
Finally! A hardcover version of my favorite @neil-gaiman and Terry Pratchett book.
I was rewatching Staged and have to ask: Was "That's the tits" improvised by you, or written for "Staged Neil Gaiman"? The delivery was glorious
And what was the process like acting with Michael and David after working with them for so long?
That was me, as were most of the "Noir" plots. Simon Evans was happy for me to have too much fun.
This is one of my most favorite videos of @neil-gaiman, and I didn't even care that it was, as you say, Staged. Brilliant!
my own way
Me about everything in my life.
Guess who actually has his autograph
This is such a flex. Someday I will have such a flex.
do you pronounce "wolf" with the "L" or more like "woof"? i always thought it was an interesting regional discrepancy
i pronounce it with the L. Like Wool but with an F at the end.
i'm curious how popular the different pronunciations are
how do you say wolf?
wool-f
woof
other secret way (tags)
wool-f is popular where i live but i've known a few people who say woof
I had to say this word out loud so many times. I've come to the conclusion that my inner voice is also pretentious because I honestly say it as WULF.
Job hunting past 40
This is the first time I've ever been without a job since I joined the workforce when I was 21. I've always just resigned, but did the responsible thing by already having a job lined up BEFORE tendering my resignation.
So imagine my surprise (sort of, but I could already see the writing on the wall) when I got called in for a quick meeting BEFORE my shift started and was told that due to the restructuring that the company was doing, my position has now been made redundant.
Was I angry? No. Like I said, writing on the wall and all that. Was I resentful? Not at all.
And you know what made me not feel all of that? Certainly not because I'm an emotionally mature person. Because while I may have been a legal adult for much longer than I have been a child, emotional maturity was never my forte. But that's a different topic for a different post.
Going back: It was because immediately after they told me I was going to lose my job, they also told me just how much I was going to receive for my severance pay.
Typically, at least in the Philippines, a severance pay consists of a month's pay for every year of service. If, at the time of your leaving your job through reasons that entitle you to a severance, you've been in service for 1 year and 6 months, then they'll count your service as 2 years therefore you are entitled to 2 months of severance pay.
I was with the company for 9 years and 2 months, so I should have received 9 months' worth of my salary. However, my company decided to give me my entire year's salary. And since the separation was through no fault of my own and was beyond my control, it's non-taxable. They also gave me what would have been my bonus for next year. I expected it to be pro-rated since I'd only worked until July 7, but they paid me the full bonus for the entire year, as well as my 13th month pay -- that was pro-rated.
They also gave me the cash amount of the medical insurance that they had already paid for me. And as the cherry on top of the icing, I was told that my last day would be June 7, the Friday of the week I was told. However, my official termination date was on July 7. And that I would still be paid for the entire month -- that I did not work. A month's vacation -- paid!
I'm not saying all of that to brag. I'm saying that to maybe underscore why I'm not upset that I'm jobless for the first time at 41.
But I'm also low-level terrified. I'm not good with change. And this is a BIG change. A lot of things have... well, CHANGED since that last time I went job hunting. A lot of the jobs I'm seeing now are social media related. I don't know how to do that -- for other people. My social media activity over the last 3 years consists of lurking on TikTok while saving videos I like. I understand the words "analytics" but have never used it in practice.
So now I'm job hunting. The only saving grace I have is that I'm not on panic mode because A) I have money -- I have not gone insane with the spending and I'm quite proud of myself that I didn't blow through the entire thing -- and B) I've moved back home with my mom. Rent's pretty low here in Dumaguete and she told me I don't have to pay for anything but myself. So I pay my own bills and indulgences, and sometimes I pay for groceries. I've only been here less than two months, but I think our set up is working.
That's the other thing I was kind of apprehensive about -- living with my mother full time. You see, I went to university in Manila and only came home for the holidays. Sometimes I would stay in Manila for summer to either take summer classes or just go on vacation with my friends -- with parents' blessing and a bit of pocket money. So that meant that from age 17 to up until September 2023, I essentially lived alone.
Also, I'm an only child. I'm used to being alone. I LOVE being alone. I used to say that I have no gene for loneliness. I honestly don't know what being lonely feels like.
So now it's going to be a bit of an adjustment. But for now, it's all good.
Going back to what this is supposed to be about: job hunting at 41. It's been... challenging. Mostly because I no longer want to go back to an office set up. And through luck, my ability to really shine during interviews (it's a superpower) and a bit of smarts, I have reached a certain salary band that isn't exactly welcomed by employers here in the Philippines.
Before you say "Then find remote jobs based in the States!" You mean freelancing? Nothing against it, but I want the trappings of insurance, tax payments and all that other stuff done by another department. I don't want to have to DIY it. I can do it with arts & crafts, but not when it comes to money.
So here I am, pecking away at my keyboard, still job hunting and possibly lowering my salary expectations. I've been jobless for more than two months now, and I'm getting antsy. So antsy that I may have overextended myself by signing up for 3 language classes back to back on a Saturday and 2 graduate-level classes -- all online.
And that's where I currently am.
Or was. I started this post last year and after I put this draft away, I got a job — two months after I applied for it. The pay is HALF of what I used to receive, but I'm okay with that. It's enough for my bills (and the ones I volunteered to pay at my mom's house: electricity, water, internet and grocery twice a month) and my occasional online shopping.
It's also the kind of job I thought I would be good at and would never stress about: writing.
You see, my undergraduate degree was in Comparative Literature. I know, I know. Not a degree that guarantees employment, but I knew I wouldn't be miserable. In fact, it was the one thing I knew I'd excel at: reading and writing about what I read.
You'd think this job would be a no-brainer for me. And most days, it is. Until you consider the fact that I write for an audience. This was never something I had to factor in when I used to write in school. I didn't even factor in what my thesis advisor thought.
But in the age of social media, the audience is key. And I don't think I'm getting through. I'm not very good with click-baity headlines — which I know are necessary to hook some readers' attention.
And I'm struggling. Not drowning, but just struggling.
This is a new feeling for me. I was in a management position for 9 years. The only thing I struggled with were people and meetings with people. But I quickly developed a work-around. And it was easy because I was the manager. All I needed to do was make sure people understood the expectations of the job, that we were all on the same page, they had the training to do the job and then get out of their way. I made sure they knew they could come to me if they had any questions.
Luckily, I hired very competent people. They only really asked for meetings when it comes to PTOs (paid time off). And as for meetings? There are also ways around that. If you ever worked a corporate job and had to attend meetings that really should have been emails, you know what those work-arounds are.
And I was paid really well. I had health insurance — which, luckily I never used for myself. My parents, though? My mother had two back-to-back surgeries that would have cost her about PhP1 million. Her out-of-pocket expenses? Almost zero, thanks to my insurance.
Now, that's gone. This is the first time I get nervous whenever I hear my mother complain about an ailment. Because I know I can't help much.
But we're straying way too far when it comes to the point that I originally was trying to make: job hunting in your 40s.
It's hard. There. That's it.
It's hard because you have the experience, but the positions and the salaries just don't match your expectations.
If you REALLY want a job, it's not a problem if you just get one that you know how to do just so you can have something to do and an income.
That's what I did. I didn't want a huge gap between the day I left my company and a new job.
Even though I have an okay-paying job now, I still apply on job portals every day. I mean that: every single day.
I've had a handful of interviews. Some have ghosted me — my first ever experience of that. Some have gotten back to me with such a low offer that it wasn't even worth pursuing any more.
Anyway, I'm just writing here with advice — if you want it.
First, try not to fall into a pit of despair. It won't be easy because as my friend Luis pointed out to me, I had made my job and my position (and my salary) a big part of my identity. It's hard not to do that since I had all that for 9 years.
Second, start dusting off your resume and log back in to all the job portals you can find.
Third, start searching. Then start applying.
Fourth, companies take their time now. Even if they do say "urgent hiring," there's still a lot of steps. Learn how to be patient.
Fifth, decide whether you want a job — any job just to tide you over — or a job you want. If you're lucky, like I was, you have a financial buffer. If you don't, then you have to decide whether the one being offered is worth it (financially or otherwise) or if you think you can wait for a better one to come.
I'm sorry if that's not helpful. But it's a difficult job market. If you're like me — in your 40s and stayed so long in one company and one position, and never bothered to learn new things like social media marketing (which is all the rage now), it's going to be even more difficult.
The job market has changed so drastically now, especially after the pandemic. Some companies seem to want you to audition — complete with a video introducing yourself and why you want the job you're applying for.
At first that appealed to the delusional wanna-be celebrity in me. After, it was just exhausting. Before I left my previous job, I'd been working from home and never really wore make up and dressed up any more.
Now I had to make sure the lighting was right and that my script wasn't too formal nor too informal. It's like creating a YouTube video — which I tried, but only for personal stuff.
You'll need to learn how to do all these new things now. And don't get me started on AI. That's a whole 'nother topic.
BUT... there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I promise you. You WILL find a job. You WILL get a job.
Like I said, it's a matter of choice. Do you want a job? Any job that pays the bills? Or do you want a job you want?
The second one's trickier because you'll need to be financially secure because that's going to be quite a wait.
Right now, I'm still at my writing job. I enjoy it most days — especially if I don't think about the audience. Or my now-frequent use of the word 'bonkers.'
But I'm still applying. I get interviews once every two weeks. None have panned out yet. But I'm still hopeful.
If there really is a Red, White & Royal Blue Part 2, I want Rafael Luna. Seriously.
Mine is “Deliverance.”
I feel good about 2021
Exorcist 3 😂
Back to the future 2??
Pale Rider
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas .... Um ... good news?
Mine's E.T. ... so we should be good, right?
M.
