#it’s barely worth the price as it is

[fictionadventurer]

I went into Ruth expecting a dreary read. How could a Victorian "fallen woman" story be anything other than dark and depressing? So I was shocked right from the beginning to find a sweet, gentle, romantic story. The dressmaker's apprentice who sits in the coldest, darkest part of the workroom because that's where there's a panel painted with flowers that remind her of her country home? How could I not adopt her as a favorite character? Ruth's innocent, romantic outlook on life gave us some beautiful descriptions of the scenery of both city and countryside, and my imagination went on overdrive to create very vivid images of the story. Even the love story, which we know is going to go very wrong, starts out sweet, with a kind, charming love interest who only shows flashes of just how wrong his character is going to go.

Even after Ruth's fall, the story is so gentle, putting Ruth among kind people who are willing to risk and sacrifice a lot to help her. And then the story gets almost too gentle--after some initial struggles with depression, Ruth resolves to bear her troubles patiently and work toward virtue, and her sweet, too-innocent character gets flattened out into someone who's just Good. Life just goes on, with things generally going well, and every potential turn toward drama results in someone deciding to be reasonable, which can make the story drag.

But, in a story like this, the lack of drama becomes the plot twist! It is refreshing to see characters who don't always jump to the worst conclusion or take the worst action, who pause and consider the whole story and act like decent human beings.

And in the places when the drama does kick in, it's good drama. Painful drama. It's also (especially in the last section of the story) melodrama. There were sections of the book where I was rolling my eyes at the cookie-cutter Victorian path the story was taking--but then there'd be one line or one moment that would just stab me in the chest because of how beautifully specific it was to this story. Just enough to elevate it from something bland to something unique and fascinating.

I often had the thought that this book could be about a third of its length without losing anything--yet it should also be just as long as it was. If the story cut all its repetitive musings about Ruth's regret, and used that space to develop the side characters and and show the plot instead of telling us about it, it would be a much deeper story. I found myself wishing Gaskell had reworked this one later in her career--the way that North and South was a more skillful reworking of the issues explored in Mary Barton. In a way, she sort of did in Wives and Daughters, with the story of Molly the quiet innocent getting tangled up in the intrigues surrounding her headstrong, flirtatious stepsister Cynthia serving as a more layered, personality-flipped version of the story where headstrong, sheltered Jemima gets tangled in the story of quiet, sweet Ruth and her past romantic intrigues. (The doctor at the end of the story also feels like a proto-Mr. Gibson).

Yet I'm still fascinated by the themes specific to this story. Contrary to expectation, this "fallen woman" story isn't about sex, or gender, or how unfairly women are treated (though it does touch on that in the end). It's about sin. It's not questioning why Ruth's behavior is considered a sin or looking to dismantle the society saying that it's a sin. It comes from the Christian perspective of saying that sin is real and harms people--so how are we going to deal with that?

The story shows lots of people struggling with temptation, failing, and dealing with the consequences (or harming others with the consequences). Sin is always a case of either not caring enough to do the more difficult, good thing, or a case of "the ends justify the means", where people rationalize their bad behavior as something necessary in this specific case. It always leads to harm, but some people--and some sins--suffer greater consequences in the eyes of the world, whether or not they deserve it. I wish the story had developed and resolved this theme better in places, but the raw material there is fascinating food for thought.

This book is Gaskell at her preachiest, but also Gaskell at her kindest. It explores deep, difficult issues in a very loving way. As a story, there are ways it could be better, but I'm very glad I read it. Perhaps I'm making a point to be kinder to it because I know it's the type of story that today's readers tend to judge harshly. But amid my issues with the story, there are some lovely images, some great messages, and some wonderful characters that going to be living in my heart for a long time.

#elizabeth gaskell #ruth #(i should find out if there's a subtitle for this book because it'd be nice to have a less-generic tag for it) #this should have been like four separate posts #but i spent long enough rambling through this so i'm leaving it as is #as a book i'd say it just barely makes four stars #it's a story that i like better when i'm not reading #because there is a lot of food for thought #the story itself has a lot of great points when you're not trudging through the latest chapter of 'an entire year passed' #the imagination can distill it into the best parts and there's a lot that's vivid #also the pro-life thing! #how did i forget that? #the moment that mr. benson said 'you're confusing the sin with the consequences' i'm like 'slap that on a pro-life sticker! #the fact that the baby is always treated as a good! #that alone is worth the price of admission

[ferronickel]

I am begging artists to charge more for their commissions. Pleading. If you are charging anything less than $20/hour you are undercutting the market and making it harder for working artists to earn a livable wage. (And really, truly, you should be aiming at something like $50/hour). Why would anyone want to pay artists what they're worth when there are artists out there asking for pennies for the same thing?

I understand that it's difficult finding commissioners willing to pay higher prices (because they've seen artists charging nothing for art, that's why), but that's something we can fix together if we normalize charging what our work is actually worth!

#i just saw an artist doing emergency commissions trying to get $200 #and their prices maxed out at $50 for fully rendered paintings #and their art is incredible!! #they should be charging at least $200 for something like that! #and then they could do one single commission and not (at least) four #it makes me lose my mind #i get that it's an incredibly tough market #i get wanting to make art affordable #but low prices are so damaging to the community as a whole #every working artist I know is just barely scraping by #and until we can convince people that unique custom-made art is worth more than a cup of coffee #this will always be a problem #please charge more for your commissions please please please #if youre a commissioner: #please tip your artist a lot #pay them way more than theyre asking for #nickel for my thoughts

[britneyshakespeare]

barnes and noble has been raising the prices of everything and further pushing for their premium membership option (which they raised the price of by 60 percent this year!) and then when they have big sales events, they're less than what they used to be.

last year at this time you could get one of their leather-bound book annex tomes for $12.50 (without a member discount) because of the 50 percent off all hardcover sales. but they raised the price of those tomes from 25 bucks to 30, and they decreased the sale from 50 percent off all hardcovers to 1/3rd off. so that same book that was $12.50 at last year's end-of-year sale is now 20 bucks. and that's supposed to be savings enough to induce me to walk into one of their stores this week?

i'm sorry but b&n has just gotten so greedy, even though their business has only been doing better and better in previous years. they do not have to be raising prices like they have been, and they can damn well afford to have the same savings events they used to. if you went to one of those hardcover sales a year or two ago, even if you lived in a less populated area like i do, you had never seen a b&n so busy in your life. things were flying off the shelves. they WERE making bank.

and as a company they've only been growing and growing (as much as the publishing industry has been, in recent years). but there are so many other ways to buy books. CHEAPER ways to buy books. MORE SUSTAINABLE ways to buy books. and since books and booksellers are doing really well right now, i don't see why barnes and noble is getting so greedy when they don't have to be. i dont like new shiny books that much. people buy books for the content, ultimately. sometimes we as consumers might make the choice that a new shiny book is worth paying a bit more for, but not that much. barnes and noble has just been demanding more and more of their customers' money for less and less benefit.

#kaily and i shared a membership account for several years but she cancelled it over the summer #bc of them raising it from 25 dollars per year to 40. i'm sorry but we just were not spending enough to make that worth it #the benefits for a member used to be 10 percent off everything in-store and free shipping online. #now it's 10 percent off everything in-store AND online with free shipping. which sounds good enough #but not for a 60 percent pricehike. and a bunch of other supposed benefits no one would ask for #like a free tote (geez. thanks. yeah i really need a free tote every year) and like. a free treat at a cafe on your kids' birthday? #i dont have a kid. #between the two of us. we were not buying 400 dollars worth of stuff at b&n every year #oh and it's also 10 percent off the in-store starbucks. but im pretty sure that USED to be a benefit they had #years ago?? like i SWEAR ive gotten money off at the b&n starbucks so i guess they got RID of that at some point #and gave it BACK when they HIKED UP THE PRICE TO 40 BUCKS A YEAR #text post #barnes and noble #it's a shame bc where i live. barnes and noble is the only like fancy bookstore #and i live in an area that my barnes and noble... is like. what a boston barnes and noble eats for breakfast. #it's two floors. there are plenty of books that it doesn't have. plenty of sections that are very small #like the poetry section is just pathetic. i look at it every time i go and it just makes me sad. #i guess a lot of the book annex stuff contains poetry but still that's not really enough to entertain a rich interest in the genre for long #i outgrew the limited selection at my own local b&n poetry section by the time i was twenty. i was like i already know everything here. #which isn't to say i'm an expert in poetry. it's to say that the poetry section is barely bigger than a shelf #in fact ive never thought about it before but I OWN more poetry books than you'll find in the poetry section #at my local b&n. lol #i have a lot of nostalgia for b&n even though it is a big company that does not love me. i have very few books i bought new #that are not from barnes and noble. i got so many books that changed my life from them #i guess it's like a childhood/teenage attachment at this point bc ive had more mixed feelings abt the direction theyve been taking #for several years at this point. #and no i dont mean that theyve been expanding to selling more toys/games etc. theyve literally always done that in my lifetime. who cares. #they still have books #as an adult ive been more capable of seeing how limited their book selection is and how i have so many problems w that. #and it ultimately comes down to them being a big greedy company

[arlo-venn]

I made a little amazon wishlist for some of the things I need to help with the broken toe and MRSA things. My hands are already in pain from these crutches, so if anybody would like to buy these cushions for me, I would appreciate it so much. I could draw you your favorite flowers or something in return :•)

#there are just three things on the list #the crutch cushions #antiseptic body wash to prevent MRSA— need to acquire prior to surgery #and to prevent infection beforehand too #and then also Curamin bc it helps me enough with pain to be worth the price #except I do not have the funds with which to purchase it rn #would love to add it to the Percocet and ibuprofen and toradol regimen :’) #no pressure guys I will survive without these things #but my hands on the crutches do feel like I’m leaning directly on bare bone 😭 #also if you want me to draw you your favorite flowers or animal bones or gravestones or brains or something I can make you something for- #between $10-$50 depending on your request #and then mail it to you :) #I’ll make a separate post about that later with photos of my drawing style #I need so many things rn esp an oil change sl #I must find a way to earn some money #I can’t draw all things so we would have to have a conversation about any requests besides the things I listed #to make sure I’m actually capable of doing it well #dogblr #ratblr #catblr

[excaive]

I'm so normal today I promise

#cai.txt #im blinded by my desire to become oc #that i barely batted an eye at 70$ shipping #that's over 2 times the price of the item. #:)))) #It'll be so worth if everything goes smoothly

[deadguy6667]

LOOK HIM???? LOOK HIM NOW

#drunk posting in the club #i get ZERO bitches immmmgonna find someone in here that look like him cmon bbygrl #EDITING HETALIA ON NOOOO #hws russia #hetalia #thank god for auto tags #im tryyyna sober upp so the bar staff dont kick me out #come pick me up i dont wanna pay uber prices i brought an entire bottle worth of alc and it EXPENSIVE #COST OF LIVING CRISIS I CANT EVEN GO BACK TO MY HOMELAND BECAUSE OF WAR #FUCK #HELP #daddy come pick me up vanya plzzzzzzzzzzzz im drinkin MAD UKNO #BIRMINGHAM RUSSIANS REPRESENT #i can barely speak England rn #hetalia russia #owo #i should stop imma regret this in the mornin #ИИИИВАН РАРА #👹👹👹👹

[katnissgirlsmakedo]

you’ll ask your sister who liked the hunger games in middle school if she wants to go see the new hunger games movie during thanksgiving break and she’ll be like yeah sure and then suddenly it’s thanksgiving break and she’s decided that actually she doesn’t want to because she’s just soooo popular and has a packed social calendar and actually YOU’RE the loser freak for even asking god why can’t you go to the movies with one of your friends beth? and like. well ok i could have seen this movie without u several days ago sorry for thinking you’d enjoy seeing it… but goddamn guess i’ll go fucking kill myself i guess 🙄

#and why do you need to go to friendsgiving with your high school band friend group you barely talk to anymore. #and why are you acting like it’s impossible to go to an evening showing #there’s genuinely like a one dollar price difference at this stupid theater between afternoon and night showings #like it’s so insignificant it’s not even worth it trying to save money #beth.txt #i might go with my mom on saturday tho #but she doesn’t like. know a lot about the franchise so. #i know she likes it she keeps talking about how much she enjoyed listening to the hunger games audiobook #and if none of this works out guess i’m going alone next tuesday #which is annoying like. i wanted to see it THIS week :/ #and i THOUGHT. we had PLANS. to do so. sorry for assuming that someone saying they wanted to do something meant they wanted to do it

[1eos]

and on the flip side the success of the switch has doomed gaming a bit...................................................................................not even getting into the way theres a new half finished pokemon game every year but soooooo many switch games drop unfinished with patches/dlc that come out years later giving content that shouldve been in the fucking game originally. the drift con problem...the prioritization of graphics over fucking content....nintendo are possibly the biggest company rn and the more insidious shit they get away with the more it gets normalized...

#and i say this as someone who owns a switch...if they had a better handheld system i'd drop this shit in a heartbeat #and i def wont be getting the next gen #these games are $60 worth half of that #animal crossing was so bare bones i couldnt believe it tbh #the harvest moon switch game was gutted #the only game worth full price to me was smtv but even then it was the weakest in the series

[pencil-merchant]

So sick of it being left to the employees to come in sick because we are understaffed. Like RIP to the store but I'm not gonna show up a coughing mess and push myself.

Maybe, just maybe the boss should hire more than the absolute Minimum amount of people to keep things running in case that someone gets sick but what do I know

#rant #im sick and im cranky and other my coworkers are pushing themselves to work despite also being sick #like what the actual fuck #i am not paying the price of my health for smth barely above minimum wage #fuck that #im staying home fuck the job #its not worth it #penciltalks

[otterandterrier]

I don’t like to use the word trauma lightly, but sometimes I think that living through the Argentinian economy can be traumatic tbh

#the constant whiplash of price surges #not knowing what the real value of things is #wondering if something is expensive or if it's the inflation #knowing that your savings will be worth nothing soon if you don't invest #thinking you're saving for something big but oops now the government says you're rich if you can afford that #so now you can't #feeling like you need to have five jobs in order to feel secure with your income #AND that's coming from someone with a relatively good and steady income #i know my frustrations are nothing compared to people who barely have enough to eat #but... nothing ever changes none of these things ever mean that less people will go hungry #it just means more people are struggling while a few get richer #my posts #personal #/don't reblog #the argentina tag

[synthaphone]

someone asking to buy my G1 dragon on flight rising that i just hatched and i’m like uhhhhhhhhh (never sells dragons for anything other than fodder prices) and accidentally gave them too high of a price. well. whoopsie

#if they had tossed me a way lower price i would have probably just went for it because i don't know what these things are actually worth!!! #good thing i barely care about playing flight rising like an actual petsite with other people on it #i'm basically in my own little corner over there clicking my familiars every day and that's it #flight rising #i need a text post tag

[dreamyprinx]

imagine if I actually do reopen commissions in the new year

#whimsy whispers #idk how likely that is #like I probs will eventually I just have been putting off making a new commission sheet #because firstly I hate every one ive ever made they are all so bad #and two I’m just eternally burnt out of art and I want to like make actually good art #plus I gotta like figure out what my present art is worth #and if I’ll be doing backgrounds and how to go about pricing that #much to consider ya know? #I’ve barely done any art in months #not for lack of trying just Can’t #or when I do try I hate it #I’m very tired you see

[itsanit]

My first LOL Surprise doll!

She was $12.99 at Ross!

#ive been wanting to get into lol surprise #but the only ones i wanted were the collector millennial dolls and theyre price wasn't worth it for me #i almost got a goregonizer draculaura at another store but while i was in line i figured she wasn't worth the price #the doll is beautiful but the set she comes with is pretty bare bones to me #esp since i have literally no use for it #hairs too thick to use the hair accessories and i rarely wear makeup #so ill wait until shes on sale #my collection #my posts

[fitzrove]

Listening to the new Musikaalimatkassa podcast ep by @fyeahfinnishmusicaltheatre, about musical ticket prices (it’s really good), and I’m just flabbergasted at how expensive it is to see shows in Finnish city theatres in comparison to other countries... :D Some thoughts in English (and my own experiences) under the cut.

So, shows I’ve seen this year and the prices I got tickets for are:

Cabaret at Theater Hof (Germany), small-ish municipal theatre production directed by (and starring) Uwe Kröger. One adult 'Orchestersitze’ (rows 1-5) ticket: 31 EUR. Balcony seats available for around 24 EUR (5 EUR on the same day).

Elisabeth at Festival Bruxellons (Belgium), fully staged summer open air theatre festival production. One adult premium ticket (middle seating with more room and the best visibility): 47,50 EUR, normal-price tickets were around 37,50 EUR if I recall correctly.

Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre (UK), commercial theatre that has been running the original West End production of the show for 16 years next week. Last minute rush tickets (fourth row on the dress circle/balcony): £30.

This autumn in my native Finland, tickets for productions of international shows I would consider seeing range from 46 EUR (category 4, limited visibility) to 85 EUR for Anastasia, 45 EUR for all adult tickets to Evita, 89 EUR for all tickets to Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (except those for seats with limited visibility). And many theatres (like the one doing Evita) don’t offer multiple categories of tickets - everything from front row to the very back is the same price!

Of course, it’s not like the state supported Finnish theatres are the most expensive place to see musicals in the world - premium tickets to big commercial theatre productions abroad can cost upwards of 100 euros which I did pay to see Tanz in Stuttgart last year because getting robbed by Stage Entertainment is a musical fan rite of passage I guess. And I could probably get student discounts for some of the Finnish shows, bringing down the price a bit, but not enough to make them more affordable than student tickets abroad (which are generally around 5-10 euros less than adult tickets). AND some of the Finnish shows probably have same day ticket options similar to what made it possible for me to see Wicked in London, but in general, the same day ticket system is not at all as well-developed here as it is in the West End.

But still, on average, the price range for these Finnish productions is considerably higher than what it is for many other European municipal theatres. If you add travel costs (I have to take the train in Finland for most productions, and they end so late that overnight accommodation might also have to be considered), it’s actually a relevant question for me to think about whether I want to see a musical I know I’ll like in Europe & do other tourist things in a new city vs. see a show I might enjoy in Finland with a much heftier ticket price and less choice in regards to where I’ll sit.

#the podcast ep really thoroughly explored why it is like this #also i lost it at the fiddler on the roof jokes skhfisj #but idk from a fan point of view its just :// like i get why the ticket prices are high but - plz better shows for less price i beg #ALSO the uwe cabaret was just??? it was soooo goood and it was a tiny prod where the sets barely moved and most of the actors literally sat #on stage whenever they weren't playing #and there were minimal costume changes #except for uwe putting on a customs officer suit or a pink miniskirt (the 15cm heels stayed on the entire time tho) #idk man theater hof is broke and yet it was more fun than i bet anyone ever had at the 120pound+ london cabaret at the kit kat club #musicals #theatre #suomi #tldr: to me its not really worth seeing stuff here other than original finnish shows #which also tend to be cheaper if they're small prods #also seconding the podcasters' wish for small productions of broadway shows #AND seconding the wish for a streaming service similar to what the opera has

[moodyyehudi-sideblog]

https://www.babylist.com/gp/uppababy-vista-v2-stroller/23220/1052595

I’m considering this……..

It transports up to 3 kids with attachments (sold separately LMAO. Bye bye money.)

What’s really attracting me to it is the bassinet attachment. Newborn can nap while I take the toddler out & about.

#the price is wild but #last time I had a newborn I barely left the house #and it wasn’t great for my mental health #so if this would truly help me get out. it might be worth it. #2 under 2

[cheekblush]

i know i'm speaking as a complete stranger with quite some privilege...but if there's anything that i have learned so far, it's that your mental health is most important and that money will somehow arrive later on. i hate to see you feel like this and i'm wishing you so much love, happiness and luck<3 if no one told you it's okay to quit, as someone who has done that multiple times, it's okay

thank you so much for your concern and your support! it honestly means the world to me and i wholeheartedly appreciate it 🫶🏻 it's nice to hear advice from someone who has experience with quitting as this is my first full-time job. however i don't think it would be wise of me to just quit without having something else lined up already. i wouldn't be eligible for unemployment benefits if i just quit myself either. i definitely don't agree with my mom though that just because i'm new i have to push through everything, accept poor treatment and not have any demands. it's clear that she's from another generation where people thought if they always work hard, persevere through all adversities and never open their mouths it will pay off eventually. but it doesn't because employers don't have your best interest at heart and just want cheap workforce. and there still are people who never open their mouths and just accept poor treatment but i don't want to be one of them. i already mentioned that i'm dissatisfied with the current distribution of saturdays but the response wasn't positive at all from management. unfortunately i have to work there another year bc i received a scholarship. but if nothing changes within this year (and currently things are just getting worse) i will not be staying there. of course i could pay back the scholarship money bc like you said money will come back eventually but i don't want to spend all my savings on that. i'm currently looking into the job offer i found recently and i'm gonna stay on the lookout bc i definitely won't tolerate being taken advantage of just bc i'm the new one. not to sound conceited but i know they need me more than i need them bc it's really hard to find people for this profession and i know i do my work well. your message definitely made me less afraid of quitting in the future but i just want to be sure i have something secure lined up first. thank you so much once again, i'm wishing you only the very best on all your endeavors 💗🫂💫🌱💌🥠✨

#thank you for worrying about me that's very sweet of you 🥹💘 #i will try to not let the things at work get to me anymore #i was just very overwhelmed the other day and couldn't help but crying but honestly this job is not worth my tears #i know i'm a smart capable person and if my contributions are not appreciated there i will gladly walk out once the year is up #i will just keep doing my job and yes i will persevere for this one year but if nothing changes i'm out 🏃🏼‍♀️ #my mom keeps saying that's it's inappropriate of me to have so many demands since i just started working there #but what's inappropriate about wanting to be treated with respect and have fair work distribution??? #she was also like 'no one wants to work anymore' how about no one wants to be treaded like shit anymore while barely making any money #going grocery shopping nowadays is truly horrifying everything is so expensive like my heart sinks seeing some of these prices #we bought strawberries for 7€ today... it was a kilo but still..... #anyways i'm rambling but bottom line is i hate capitalism! #i know i should be grateful i have a job at all and i am bc the job market is brutal but that doesn't mean i have to tolerate everything #especially bc my pay isn't great either #replies #when sad #anonymous