I’ve recently quit smoking and against the best interest of my bank account, have supplemented my addiction for nicotine into the lovely world of fragrance.
Here are my (a mentally ill 22 year old whose opinion you should definitely NOT listen to’s) thoughts on what i’ve tried so far this year.

Would definitely buy again:

Initio Rehab: - Smells like a piece of licorice that’s snuck into the Met Gala, is wearing a givenchy gown, and is far hotter than everyone. except Rihanna….
PDM Herod: - This is the fragrance of a one night stand. don’t know his name, don’t care.
Nishane Ani: - Ginger and Vanilla getting it on in the dimly lit corner of a sex shop. AGHHHGGHH. I want to bathe in this scent
MFK GFG: - Smells like a luxury hotel that would forcibly remove me from the premises for being too intoxicated. Jokes on those assholes, I stole their bathroom mints.
Montale Intense Cafe: - Jammy rose latte, smells like if Marie Antoinette said Let Them Eat Cake! and they beheaded her at a starbucks
Xerjoff 1888: - I imagine this is what Hilary Clinton smelled like after she heard the tea with Monica Lewinsky. Spray my coffin with this please.
TF Black Orchid: - This embodies the scent of halloween for me. i wanna scare children for my amusement when i wear it.
VC & Arpels Orchidee Vanille: - YES!!!!! Smells like a mature orange creamsicle that lathered itself in baby power and vanilla extract. Need a full bottle ASAP

Wouldn’t buy another bottle:

Dior Homme Intense: - Spicy lipstick, but classy?? i imagine a man named dean trying to pick up women at an arcade pinball machine wearing this.
Xerjoff Italica: - The united nations should classify this as a chemical warfare hazard. Holy Shit. hated the opening but was a huge fan of the dry-down ( 11 hours after the initial spray… )
Xerjoff Naxos: - Idc. smells like a candle store attached to a nursing home with a hint of trust fund baby. i see the appeal.
PDM Pegasus: - expensive hairspray that an mlm salesperson would try to sell me for $44.99
Dior Hypnotic Poison: - Verbatim smells like the bubble gum smelly pencils i wrote with exclusively in 5th grade. Only to have my teacher take them away because she thought i was huffing them like paint. Screw u Mrs. Daniels. 🖕🏼
MFK GFS: - Gin and tonic, who would wear this you might ask? A man in his 30’s trying to mansplain economics to you at a bar after you jokingly said we should just print more money.
Xerjoff Alexandria II: - If you’ve ever cleaned cat piss off of a rug with harsh chemicals you’ve already smelt this scent. Weirdly nostalgic. 6.3/10
MFK Baccarat Rouge: - Smells like a blonde woman who mispronounces the word charcuterie to be funny.
MFK Grand Soir: - Nuclear? Yes…. Delicious? Yes…. Sugar daddy in his late 60’s that you met on seeking arrangements?? also yes…
Initio Absolute Aphrodisiac: - Smells like you spilt a vanilla milkshake onto a copy of fifty shades of gray.. weirdly sexual? idk
Tom Ford Bitter Peach: - Rich dude in a suit who drank way too much peach schnapps and is telling you about his job at his daddy’s investment firm.

No. just no.

Initio Side Effect: - ABSOLUTELY not. Smells like a hooker traversing through the amazon doused in extra strength bug repellent. I verbally gagged.
Guerlain S Double Vanille: - This is not it. it smells like you described the smell of vanilla to an alien and then had him piss in a jar and compare notes.
JHAG Vanilla Vibes: - smells like a clean diaper soaked in spf 30 that was left on the coastline of california. not for me.
Xerjoff Ebra Pura: - Juicy fruit gum that was scraped out of a sewer pipe. Sponsoring a bill that will ban this monstrosity in all 50 US States.
TF Soleil Blanc: - Smells like the walk from a cheap vegas hotel room to the pool that a bunch of kids have pissed in.
TF F***Ing Fabulous: - Burnt Plastic, Floral, Car Exhaust. F***ing terrible
that’s all folks. <3

Here are the MLMs Shanann was known to have participated in.

1. Amway - she started selling Amway shortly after high school. Her social media showed photos from her at Amway training events and conventions. Amway is one of the oldest MLMs and sells a variety of household dry goods. It has some of the worst cult-like practices and legal muscle to go after people who speak out against the predatory practices.
   
2. 31 Bags - she was selling these when they first moved to CO. Photos from her social media confirm this, and Cindy Watts has discussed it as well. This MLM's product line includes handbags, tote bags, fabric storage cubes, and similar goods. They are known for nickel and diming customers and for the products being poor quality. I.e., your bag tears after 3 months of light use, and the "warranty" is no good because you didn't buy a separate liner.
   
3. Younique - also confirmed by her social media. Younique encourages their huns to set up social media "groups" for their products. Shanann's called hers Bella's Younique Boutique. CW also mentions this in the police body cam video. The products are makeup and skincare. They are known for being barely drugstore quality and are sold for prestige prices (their mascara is known for looking like spider legs). Their huns are not trained makeup artists and for whatever reason like to pose in social media posts with the products in their mouths.
   
4. Origami Owl - confirmed by CW in the police video. The product line includes shadow box style jewelry where you buy individual charms to put inside. Products get very expensive and heavy to wear. I can't find any social media from SW on these or evidence of her wearing Origami Owl items.
   
5. Le-vel - the products are under the Thrive name. She was in this MLM at the time of her murder.
   

It's possible she also was in It Works!, Usborne Books, and LuLaRoe. She bought Monat hair products and posted about looking for a Doterra hun to buy items from. This would follow longtime hun behavior of purchasing MLM products they don't sell as part of an agreement with other huns - you buy shampoo from me, and I'll buy candles from you.
MLMs are known to target mothers of young children, particularly women who have quit their jobs to be SAHMs or to follow their spouses (like military wives). They may miss having a career, or miss contributing financially to their household, or simply miss working. Some, like Amway, also target recent high school graduates, which might explain why SW was in Amway as a teenager. But given that SW was in MLMs for 10 years prior to becoming a mother, I don't see her as their target victim.
As far as MLMs go, Le-vel still sucks but may suck less than the others. Shanann even discusses this in a video, saying she's been in "direct sales" or "the business" for years and that Le-vel is so much better than others. Le-vel, to the best of my knowledge, does not charge a fee to sign up, a monthly fee to stay active, or a website fee. It's unclear but if there is a minimum product purchase quota, it's not a big one. Other MLMs require the previously mentioned fees, which discourages people from signing up just for the "discount" or for current huns trying to recruit someone in name only for purposes of maintaining rank or car bonus. Essential oil and candle/home fragrance MLMs are known for being bad about this.
The product, Thrive, is also arguably more usable and has potential for auto-shipping. If you wind up with inventory you can't sell, you can use it or give it away (yes, the stuff expires eventually but you can make a less dumb purchase to fill your quota, like shake mix that you use several times a day instead of pills you take once a day), unlike makeup, clothing, and jewelry which either lasts a long time or doesn't lend itself to repeat customers. The products are also cheaper and more likely to result in pity purchases. I.e., someone is unlikely to spend $100 for a month's supply of shampoo but might buy a $3 caffeine sticker or protein bar from you just to get you to go away.
Le-vel also did not have the market saturation, at least when Shanann was in it, that most MLMs have. There was still potential for her to get help and support from her upline, who would still actively be creating one, instead of established MLMs who have plenty of 1% huns who don't do support or team building. She would have had the artificial friendships of her upline, and the artificial fangirls of her downline. Huns with an established downline, even if they are in the 1%, are never going to get to the millionaire status because of market saturation. You have to be one of the first to sign up to get to the point where you make $500K per month for doing nothing. Huns are known for jumping ship to sign up for newly launched MLMs and bring their downlines with them.
At least from what I've learned about the case, Shanann seems to have intentionally sought out MLMs instead of working on her employable status. She would have been in MLMs for nearly 15 years and would have learned how to manipulate them and which ones might have potential to turn a profit. Le-vel is often seen as one of the contributing factors in the failure of the Watts' marriage and financial status, but I think it was more Shanann's inclination towards MLMs rather than Le-vel specifically. What are your thoughts?

There's a children's play place in my town that recently rolled out a loaded tea menu to their Cafe area. Posted pics look exactly like the herbalife teas. I commented on a fb post asking if it was herbalife, and the owner stated that they are not and she gets them (individual drink packets) from a small local business . Quick search of the business appears to be herbalife front but I don't see any confirmation unfortunately. For reference, the business also has "candle" in the title🤣 so definitely sounds like a mlm.

Craftovator have posted in their Facebook group that they will return under new ownership. Their intellectual property has been purchased by the founders of Imperial Candles. Of course, I am skeptical of putting any trust in this brand due to the actions of the previous company.
Has anyone heard of Imperial Candles? I just watched a snippet from their dragon's den appearance.

• on companies house Imperial Candles says "dissolved" in 2020. What does this mean?
• did they actually get their investment from Dragon's Den? It sounded like they'd be in trouble without it.
• there is a section on their website about "ambassadors", which sounds like an MLM?

(Hi mods I actually finished it now. Sorry about that.)
This is a little aside from my main literary analysis, but I got sidetracked into a history of wisteria and found it intriguing.
Taylor mentions wisteria in the lakes, the deluxe track from folklore.

I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet,
'cause I haven't moved in years.

​
There are four species of wisteria plants, one native to the southeastern United States, two to Japan, and one to China. We have a lot of them in the UK, where they're technically invasive but also considered a standard of stately homes and old cottages alike. Some parts of the plants are poisonous, while others are edible if prepared in certain ways - a real duality. The flowers range across white, pink and purple, but are most commonly and most famously lilac or lavender in colour.
One of the most famous is the Sierra Madre Wisteria Vine, known as the "Lavender Lady".
Potential queer link one: lavender
​
The plants were named Wisteria by botanist Thomas Nuttall (don't google this name too blindly, there's now a male porn star with the same name) who named them either after American scientist Caspar Wistar or perhaps after Nuttall's "close friend" Charles Jones Wister Sr. Charles Wister was married twice and had several children, and doesn't seem to be a very public figure. Nuttall, however, is better known - he never married, doesn't seem to be linked with any women, and though I can't find anything specific about him I get vibes. (Maybe he was aroace, maybe mlm.) Folks of his time called him "queer", but in those days it would have meant "strange". He was devoted to botany, and discovered, described and identified hundreds of species. (Yes, in many cases native peoples of the land already knew about the flowers, but Nuttall at times identified separate species where nobody, colonist or indigenous, had previously done so, and also studied plants from outside the north americas.
Potential queer link two: A confirmed bachelor named it for his close male friend but in a subtle way.
​
Since two of four plants are native to Japan, Japan seems to have the most folklore about them. They are linked to 藤娘, Fuji Musume, or The Wisteria Maiden, which is now best known as a classic kabuki dance often considered the pinnacle of kabuki performance. In the story, a painting of a woman falls in love with a man who views her portrait and comes to life, but even as she expresses her love for him he either does not hear or does not reply, until the pain of her unrequited love becomes too much and she returns to being a painting. It is still often performed today, for example this 2022 Japan National Theatre production.
Potential queer link three: This female role was made famous by a male performer.
Some places describe this as not just an unrequited love, but a socially forbidden or disallowed love. I don't speak enough Japanese to look deep into this, but even coming across this interpretation is interesting.
Potential queer link four: Forbidden love.
Beside the queer links, it's very interesting comparing Taylor, who has extensively contrasted her social/public front and her real self, to a painting that comes to life because of love only to retreat to being an image when rejected.
​
Wisteria is known for being extremely long-lived; some plants are confirmed to be nearly 150 years old at this time. The plant is also extremely resilient, with rough treatment and clipping or damage that would kill many other plants leading the wisteria to instead grow back stronger and more beautiful. ("I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time, I rose up from the dead" would like a word.)
Some places link wisteria directly to LGBTQ+ history, as Alice Austen House which included it in its Queer Ecologies Garden Project which challenges binary concepts of sex and gender. Alice Austen was herself a groundbreaking queer photographer who lived from 1866 to 1952.
Potential queer link five: We love us some purple flowers, and so does this queer garden maintained by a queer horticulturalist in the residence of a queer photographer.
​
The word "wisteria" also pops up in another quite famous British canon - that of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge", by Arthur Conan Doyle, was originally two separate stories - "The Singular Experience of John Scott Eccles" and "The Tiger of San Pedro". The former of these (Wikipedia summary, or read legally for free online) is the important one - it is a murder mystery full of secrets and lies, particularly in the form of secret identities. However, what is not outright stated, but is very strongly and deliberately implied that John Scott Eccles was gay and that he and Garcia were lovers. It has even been pointed out that Mr David Sherlock and Mr Hugh Holmes were the barristers defending two gay men accused of sodomy in the 1884 Dublin Castle Scandals.
Potential queer link six: Wisteria is in the title of Arthur Conan Doyle's story with the most overt gay subplot.
​
And it's still used today! For example, Wisteria Magazine is an online zine that prioritises the voices of LGBTQ+ and POC individuals.

I’m kind of just thinking out loud here, so I’m okay with it if I’m wrong. But I’m starting to feel as if these workshops/classes that keeping popping up in entrepreneur groups are the modern version of MLMs.
Rather than selling many products (e.g. candles, makeup, purses, cookware), they are selling a training. They are selling a class/workshop that claims to train other people (mostly women as the key demographic) to be this kind of coach (life coach, empowerment coach, fitness coach, finance coach—there’s a “coach” for every noun these days). So they pay thousands of dollars for this training, and now they can advertise themselves as a coach and teach other people to be coaches.
Of course, there are plenty of legitimate online trainings taught by qualified experts in their respective fields. I’m not discounting those. But there seems to be a particular marketing trend of websites that advertise a class without being clear what the class is going to teach, an introduction video that says a whole lot of nothing, and then a sales pitch for the training class to be whatever kind of coach.
Has anyone else noticed this trend, and is this the new MLM?

Maybe this is just a me problem but seeing higher up MLM Huns create legit businesses using the money they “earned” off the backs of their downline pisses me off so much. The rest of us have to scrimp and save to pursue our dreams but it’s like they skip all the growing pains by having the funds and the built in customer base from their devoted MLM downline girls who will just blindly spend their money with the upline’s business.
When these MLMs fold, these girls are going to ride off into the sunset with their jewelry, candle, backdrop, balloon, etc. businesses while all the women they duped sit in debt.
Again, probably just a me problem aka a rant from a small business owner trying to make it in this day and age. Maybe someone else can relate to this minor frustration 😅

Hi, all! I’m doing a Money Diaries Project where I write a money diary every day for a full year. I will just include a one-week sample in this monthly recap, but the rest will be posted on my profile when this throwaway account gets enough karma. This month is a little longer bc I’d like to provide background information.
Why?
I am doing this project because I want to be able to develop good financial habits before I live on a frighteningly low grad school stipend. Currently, I don’t keep track of my spending, and I feel that doing this will help me make my finances better.
Additionally, I have bipolar I disorder. Spending habits usually indicate my mood; I spend little while depressed, and TONS while manic. I feel that keeping a time-stamped diary will help me keep track of my fluctuating mood phases instead of being sucked into a depressive, nebulous haze (or a hot-electric manic one) with no clue how I got there.
Last time I did a money diary for myself, I realized that I spent a bunch of money on a stupid night out. I then realized I was manic. Other times too: twenty cases of La Croix in the back of my car for months, an antique rolltop desk I didn’t have space for. I hope this Truman-Show-esque look at my life will help me keep track of my manic spending and keep a better handle on my moods.
I inquired about interest in longer-form money diaries about a month back and am following the format advice I received on that post. I will post each week of money diaries on my Reddit profile. These money diaries are time-stamped and formatted like an R29 money diary. Every month, I will post a monthly recap that includes the total amount spent across eight categories: food, entertainment, home, beauty, health, social obligations, charity, and other. I will include one sample week per month in the diary, as suggested by some Redditors. I’ll track net worth variations month by month and include a section reflecting on my life and spending habits.
At the end of the year, we’ll zoom out for a yearly aggregate of my total spending. We’ll compare my spending to the cost of living in my area and reflect on whether I reached my spending/saving/investment goals.
I’m not sure how interesting my own spending habits will seem—but I wanted to try out this longer format. I’ve already seen some more year-long diaries starting, and it’s been really exciting.
Background:
There aren’t a lot of interesting things about me, but. for background, I WFH in the insurance industry, live in the Deep South (LCOL area) with my parents, have bipolar disorder, have been diagnosed with autism, and have a girlfriend that I plan to live with six months from now as I get my Master’s in English. I have a brother. My parents are extremely homophobic. I really like fragrances and am deeply involved in fandom. I try to dress like Ms. Frizzle.
Beginning of the Year Goals:
I want to save up 50k across all accounts by the time my grad school begins in late August. Additionally, I am going to move out with my girlfriend Moss in late July, and I want to develop a budget that will be sustainable on our low grad school stipends.
Work-wise, my main goal is to start developing a freelance writing gig on the side. I am going to leave my job to pursue an English master’s degree, and I want to be able to make some money while being able to set my hours. Freelancing seems like a good gig for someone with bipolar disorder, since my mood/motivation ebbs and flows episodically.
My personal goals are to treasure and value my girlfriend and friends, read and write all the time, and stay mentally stable. I also want to get started on a *novel* and submit some pieces to publications.
January Assets and Debt; (measured at the end of the month)
Assets: Checking ($128.39) Savings ($1,346.12), HYSA ($21,646.95), Liquid Investment in primarily the S&P 500 ($7460.54), 401k ($11,626.05), Mutual Fund ($500)
Debt: $62.35 on one CC (paid monthly)
Assets minus debt: $42,645.70
Retirement Contributions: I contribute 6 percent of my pretax income into my 401k with employer match and 10 percent of my post-tax income into my Roth.
Income after taxes/401k contribution: $2,242
Monthly Fixed Expenses:
Patreon: $4.35
Fragrancenet subscription: $10 (yearly subscription divided)
Charity (fixed monthly donations): $200
Rent + Car insurance + phone + the ability to poach parents’ food (paid to parents): $700
Monthly Total: $914
Goals for Monthly Savings:
Transfer to Investment Account: $400
Savings Contribution: Anything that’s left
Monthly Discretionary Spending Totals for January:
Entertainment: $62.15
Health: $140
Eating Out: $237.22
Groceries: $137.08
Discretionary Charitable spending: $175
Education: $94.08
Transportation: $30.69
Beauty/Clothes $79.41
Home: $0
Work Obligations: $17.43
Monthly Discretionary Total: $973.06
Total Fixed and Discretionary Spend: $1887.06 (+$354.94 to savings)
Biggest Single Purchase? The $115 I sent to one of my friends
Here’s the sample week:
Day 1 12am: New Year’s Day! I celebrate at the pond in my neighborhood. The pond is scummy and surrounded by straw. At 12am, my girlfriend cups my face and kisses me, promises that we will spend every New Year’s together. Ever since we’ve started dating, I’ve been more thankful for the things I have and more afraid of losing them.
2am: Go to sleep.
10am I wake up, play Cookie Clicker, my favorite anti-capitalist idle clicking game. I eat some Doritos and Little Debbie’s Valentine’s cakes for breakfast and drink some Diet Coke. Junk food in January feels weird. This is the first year my New Year’s resolution isn’t “lose weight”.
11am: I put on some Cosrx Aloe Soothing Sunscreen—it is inexpensive and has a nice texture and smell. Then, I go out to walk around my neighborhood and get on a call with my best friend Wayne. We talk about reporting their former employer for some pretty egregious OSHA violations.
12:30pm I walk about a mile to meet up with my girlfriend Moss. Moss and I walk back to my neighborhood and then drive to Wendy’s to get the Pretzel Baconator, drinks, and two Frosty’s key tags (it’s a 3 dollar deal where you can get unlimited Frosty’s for a whole year) I pay for both of us ($30.56) We go to Walmart to pick up gf’s birth control.
2:00pm Moss and I get back home and snuggle while watching videos. Then, Moss takes a nap, and I work on some grad school stuff and buy some stuff on Amazon: a portable door lock, a Maybelline Vinyl Matte Lip in the shade “Royal” (holy grail), and The Collected Schizophrenias by Esme Weijun Wang ($41.95).
4:45pm Moss and I snuggle while watching Succession. Kendall Roy is the stupidest man alive.
6:30pm I eat the rest of my pretzel baconator and leftover fries. Work more on grad school stuff.
8pm Call my friends Jagger, Alex, and Cake. Eat some more Little Debbie Cakes.
12:15am Go to bed.
Daily Total: $72.51
Day 2
8:00am Wake up, log in to work, and attend a meeting about the game plan for today. We’re doing a system conversion today, so everything is down. My manager strongly hinted that we can rest on our laurels today because the next couple of weeks are going to be BUSY. That’s what I’m going to do.
I watch my email in case something pops up, but it never does, so I just write and read a little.
12:00pm I eat some leftover pulled pork and green beans.
1pm I go to my psychiatrist appointment. This takes a grand total of ten minutes. I tell him that my antipsychotic is causing extrapyramidal symptoms (a side effect where you restlessly move your arms and legs because of the medication). It sucks. I wish I could meet with a psychiatrist for like, an hour or more, to really discuss things because all my medications have severe side effects.
2:00pm I call my friend Jagger; we talk. I work on some recently assigned security trainings. After hanging up, I read some of The Collected Schizophrenias. I couldn’t bear to wait for it to arrive from amazon, so I just read a PDF online. It’s really good.
4:30pm Off work! Moss calls me, I talk to them for about 30 minutes.
6:00pm I eat some baked ziti and salad and work some on a personal essay.
9:00pm I call my bff Wayne, who has reviewed and critiqued my personal essay. Their feedback is really good.
Daily Total: $0
Day 3
7:36am Wake up. Shit. I’ve woken up about 30 minutes late. I zombie over to the bathroom and get ready for work. Today my work is transitioning all of their data to a new software, so we’ll see how that goes.
8:00am Arrive at work on time, somehow. I open up the new software, and it’s a bit of a mess—we’ll see if it becomes messier. My boss orders us breakfast from a local cafe.
10am The new system is malfunctioning. It’s like I’m the audience of a play, and the curtain parts to reveal everything being consumed by the flames of hell. I keep getting locked out of my account. Systems are down. Work is piling up.
11am My boss calls my team lead a stupid fuck behind his back.
11:30am Lunch! I eat a bag of Doritos and drink a Dr. Pepper Strawberries and Cream. Call my gf, write some emails to professors.
12:30pm I work the rest of the day, get a total of two (2) things done.
4:30pm Work goes to dinner at Chili’s. I get a very sirloin steak with a very gummy texture. My sides are asparagus and broccoli. ($17.43)
6:30 I get home and contemplate ordering candles and a discount advent calendar, but I don’t. I work on an essay I’m writing about my bipolar disorder. I think the general public’s knowledge about bipolar disorder is pretty lacking, and I want to help fill that gap with my own (terrible) personal experiences.
9:00 Call Moss.
11pm: Go to bed.
Daily Total: $17.43
Day 4:
7:30am Wake up, put on an 80s sweater I got from the Goodwill bins. Wear a Rom&nd lip stain (K beauty). The lipstain is excellent and smells like a strange, yet wonderful and otherworldly take on berry.
8:00am Arrive at the office. There is a backlog of work in our shared queue. I stress eat two bags of Doritos.
12:00pm Check out for lunch. Call my best friend Wayne, talk about grad stuff, and walk around a nearby shopping center.
1:00pm Check back into work. Continue to work in the new system. I have lots of questions.
4:30pm Check out. Buy some batteries for my car keys ($10.69)
5:00pm I eat dinner, which is baked ziti and pizza. Work on my personal essay about my bipolar disorder
7:00pm Pick up girlfriend, hang out, watch Succession. Kendall is so fuckable in this episode. I’m sorry. I deeply apologize—I know he has no morals, but the heart wants what the heart wants. My girlfriend Moss massages my pained back.
10:30pm I go to bed.
Daily Total: $10.69
Day 5:
8am Excruciating pain searing down my back is the thing wakes me up, not my alarm clock. My mattress has a laughably deep indent in the middle. It’s time for an upgrade, but I know I’ll probably be too lazy to make a positive choice for myself. Clock into work.
9am I have a meeting that could have been twenty minutes, but is instead an hour and a half.
11:45pm Clock out, take a shower, eat a Southwest frozen quinoa bowl from Aldi’s that I bought a long time ago (tastewise it’s 5/10)
12:45am Clock in. Stress order some athletic clothes on Thredup: two spandex workout shirts, two workout skirts, and shitty Lularoe leggings I got for ironic camp value. (it’s not immoral to buy MLM leggings if you buy secondhand) ($32.34)
3:30pm Start organizing my clothes into a donate pile before clocking out.
4:30pm Try desperately to work on my writing, but I can’t.
6:00pm Get picked up by my gf to go judge a high school debate tournament Eat free lasagna and salad at the debate tournament, alongside some cream puffs which explode in my palms when I try to bite them.
7:30pm I judge a congressional debate preliminary round, which lasts 2.5 hours. The kids are good, albeit a little overconfident and informal. I sit next to a high school theatre teacher, who talks to me like an adult, and I realize that I AM an adult, just like my former teachers. What a mindfuck.
9:30 I return home only to discover I have a jury summons for later this month (wooooooo! I get off work and still get paid!). It’s one of my friends’ birthdays, so I get on a call with everyone and watch some Youtube videos.
12:00am Go to bed
Daily Total: $32.34
Day 6:
8:30am Wake up to more searing pain in my back. I think I need to replace my mattress. Clean up a little bit before my best friend Wayne comes over from out of town.
9:45am Wayne comes in, we get cookies from a local grocery store. My card declines because the chip was damaged at a Waffle House visit (I spilled syrup on it, and even after washing it off, it never recovered). Venmo Wayne ($8.07.) Guess it’s time to pay for everything in cash!
11:00am We exchange presents!!!!!! Wayne got me a dress, custom postcards from my favorite show, an antique perfume bottle, a poetry book, and they wrote me a fanfiction for my favorite show of all time!!!! (yes, I love fanfiction and Ao3, and regularly buy commissions. I got Wayne a custom wall clock themed after their favorite show, a headscarf with toucans on it, a shirt, and a decant of a Christmas perfume! It was an awesome Christmas!
12:45pm We go to a local Japanese all-you-can eat place. I gobble down like 9 shrimp shumai and a sushi roll. Venmo K ($25). Then, we go to a local tea shop, and I get some tea, paying entirely in cash because of the sticky card situation. Venmo Wayne ($8)
1:30pm We go to a local thrift store that’s very thoughtfully curated! And the prices are great! And my debit card works this time! I get a skirt, a heart-shaped brooch, blue lingerie, and a garfield button. I got another button (my favorite button). It says “Love isn’t love until you give it away.” ($17.82) The sentiment of this button sticks with me. I gnaw on it the whole way home, and, even after Wayne leaves, I consider what constitutes love.
4:00pm Get coffee with a friend. They are in a depressive episode, but are doing better since I last saw them.
7:00pm Moss drives me to a punk show for Palestine. I donate 20 dollars to the charity the concert is supporting. We listen to some Palestinian poems. The poetry is really beautiful. I pray for peace. ($20).
9:00pm Moss and I get dinner at Olive Garden. I get a glass of hypersweet red wine and a creamy mushroom pasta. I get pretty drunk (meds make me a lightweight). I try to convince Moss that we can scam Olive Garden by starving for days and then binging on the unlimited soup and salads. ($30) On the way home, I spend $10 on a case of beer that tastes like melted hair (yuck!) ($10)
11:00pm Watch videos with Jagger and Alex on call. After I get off the call, I give Moss kisses.
12:30am I go to sleep.
Daily Total: $110.89
Day 7: 8:30am: Wake up. Work on grad school emails and my CV before going to church.
10:00am Go to church. I’m not religious, but going to church is a condition of staying in my parents’ house. The pastor talks Jesus’ love—love somehow doesn’t extend to gay folk like me.
I scribble on the church bulletin. I feel kind of like a kid.
12:00pm Eat lunch at my grandma’s house (spaghetti casserole, salad, brussel sprouts, a tart from a bakery nearby). Chill with my grandma a little bit.
2pm: Work on this Money Diary and some grad school stuff.
3:30pm Go to Homegoods with my friends for Alex’s birthday. We look at all the cute decor before going to a local pizza place and splitting a pizza four ways. I venmo Moss $12 to cover my share plus tip. ($12)
6:00pm Go back to Alex’s house; cuddle her dog—-a cavalier poodle mix who licks me on the face. Alex’s dog has a pumpkin toy she carries in her mouth because, as Alex says, “her feelings are too big for her body.” I understand that.
8:00pm Moss drives me back to my house, and we call with the whole gang (Alex, Jagger, Phineas, and Moss)----Jagger lives in West Virginia, so we migrated from in-person hanging out to call so we could include him.
9:30pm I start falling asleep during the call, so I go to bed.
Daily Total: $12
Weekly Total: $255.66
Monthly Notes:
This was a pretty boring month for me overall. But for people with bipolar, boring is GOOD—it means that the meds are working. I feel like I spent a lot on stuff I didn’t need, especially fast food. Mood-wise, I began the month at the tail end of hypomania, but now I feel like I’m slipping into a bit of a depression. It’s not too intense. I spent a large portion of this month working on grad school stuff. I feel as though I’m in a weird liminal, in-between space in my life, like I’m living in the backrooms or something. I spend days and days without leaving the house, and it’s not even a clean house—there’s toothpaste in the sink and clutter scattered all over the ground.
My girlfriend and friends make my heart fuller than I could have ever imagined, but it’s not enough. I feel, like, this constant yearning, but nothing I do makes it better. I spend probably 10 hours a day looking at various screens, being inundated with bright lights. Every night before I go to bed, I don’t feel tired; I just feel done. I feel like I spend to take away this feeling—as if buying things that make my day more efficient or productive would satisfy me.
It’s time for more therapy and more meds, guys.
Reflections & Questions: This has been a pretty okay month, I guess. I’m going to do 12 of these total, so just let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to add or subtract for the next one :). Also, any tips on reducing screentime?

I can’t find a photo to reference, but I distinctly remember my great aunt having a ton of candles (mostly fruit-scented) with red checkered lids, kind of similar to a Bonne Maman jar. There’s a possibility these were from an MLM company. Anyway, let me know if you have any idea! I just randomly thought about them and have no idea who made them. My great aunt lived in Tennessee, fwiw, maybe a regional thing? This was in the early 2000s.

Alex Youtuber PrettyPastelPlease ~700k subscribers ~100M views, known for aesthetic pastel kawaii overconsumption hauls with Parrot Archie, Husband Dan, and best friend Sam ... shifts during pandemic with mental health issues, medication issues, nose job issues, drinking and boob job ... abandons it all on holiday in Tasmania to discheveled life rescuing pigeons, while lying and blasting everyone online for not supporting her happiest she's been and lowest points.
Archie 'The bird stays' parrot is happy and healthy living with a positive reinforcement bird trainer. Alex in 18+ months has yet to apply for easy to get permit required in Tasmania to own a parrot, to get Archie back.
--3 SIDES TO EVERY SEPARATION SUMMARY--
Polite side - A summary is Alex and Dan decided to separate/divorce after 8+ years together, as Alex is mentally, physically, and financially happier in Tasmania AND Dan is mentally, physically, and financially happier in Sydney
Alex's side - 'A summary is my husband abandoned me in the middle of an interstate move lol' - comment Jul31 2023 on Divorce Q&A Youtube 'My entire friendship group abandoned me because my ex husband fed them lies and they cut me off without even trying to ask me my version of events' Jan12 2024 TikTok
Alex Social Medias Combined side - A summary is Alex abandoned entire life while on holiday in Tasmania, but says everyone abandoned her

• Alex alone decided to move to Tasmania [Oct 27] to build a bird rescue with gofundme money [Oct 28] and live mortgage free and start a family soon or in five years, both listed on her own posts.
• Dan did agree to move BUT immediately changed his mind multiple times in just 1 week, agreed [Nov 8 2022], but blacked out [Nov 11], apologized [Nov 11], put in a house offer and threw work shirt in bin [Nov 12] and backed out again [Nov 12 + a few days] asked for separation [Dec 10] asked for divorce [Dec 13 2022] and went no reply at house closing and asset division signing [Apr 8 2023].
• Dan seemed concerned not with just being mortgage free, but debt free, with Dan salary decreasing in TAZ, Alex's salary decreasing with lack of posting content and meeting sponsorships, Alex's spending increasing [expensive equipment, airbnb rentals, home rentals, home shopping, car rentals, car shopping, flights, 8 employees, bird rescue, etc], and eventually having a family. Dan wanted to wait to move atleast 6 months for his 10 year work service leave of 2 months paid holiday [Jun 2023].
• Alex's friends did stop talking to Alex, BUT not sure of any lies Dan ever told to them, however friends and Alex herself has provided proof of lies Alex told.

Note Australian Divorce cannot be filed until 1 year after separation, is a no-fault system where infidelity does not have a legal impact, for those with no kids the majority is settled with financial asset and property division split agreement before divorce.
--PEOPLE ACCUSATIONS AND REPLIES SUMMARY--
Cailtyn

• Alex accused former friend Caitlyn of sleeping with Dan [because of some joke comment]
• Caityln - 'yes, I'm vague posting no, l'm not happy about it I'm trying to be mature and careful and I don't want to air out dirty laundry over the whole internet. Where it will live forever. It's tacky and petty and harmful feel free to talk about your woes offline all you like. You gotta talk through it to get through it but for the love of all that is good could you stop thinking the absolute worst of everyone else and take some accountability for you're own life and your own choices you're doomed to have history repeat if you don't and even don't want that for you. shows' over kids sorry for being such a downer'

Lucy

• Alex asked former friend/peeemploee Lucy not to talk to Dan, since Alex thought Dan had a crush on Lucy [because of some joke comment]
• Alex accused former friend/peeemployee Lucy of only pretending to be Alex's friend to get paid and Alex help start Lucy's career [Lucy did youtube first and worked for her pay]
• Lucy - 'getting jump scared about your own personal information being shared in quite a vindictive fashion it was kind of like oh is that what the truth is how interesting I don't remember it being that way, but sure it's giving lies ... the latest drop that implies some very interesting things about your character and your relationships or ... a new personal information drop that implies things about your professional character with messages that are creatively cropped and lacking context ... that treatment is not okay was not okay I felt that it wasn't right for me to be treated that way it felt really unempathetic it was really hurtful and it was quite awful and bad'

Dan

• Dan has made no response himself, but Sam did to Alex, and Alex read it during posted Divorce Q&A. Sam - 'The last straw for me was the 10 part series you put up on Instagram' ...'said putting this out in front of 100k on Instagram is a dick move, but you went so far as to blame Dan for everything' [beginning of response]
• Alex claims in 10 part instagram story Dan chose to end pregnancy in youth [except Sam said it was Alex], Dan not wanting kids immediately [except Alex said she wanted to wait at least 5 years], Alex claims Mortage Free Priority [except Alex had $1.2M house, tons of renovations, tons of spending, and barely working], Alex claims Dan neglected the animals [except Alex is the one who left animals for Tasmania], Alex claims Dan lied to friends [except still not shown lies], Alex claims Financial Abuse of Stuff [except Dan was left alone to sell house, had house professionally staged, Alex's overconsumption hyperfixation stuff put in storage, and once Alex came back to Sydney and signed asset division and storage lease gave her access, which Alex has basically done nothing with in a year], Alex claims Financial Abuse of Money [except Alex was in new home within days of old home closing and signed asset division before posting story], Alex claimed Dan was terrible [Except Alex said Dan only yelled at her once in 8+ years, changed his mind about moving in less than 1 week multiple times after Alex had decided alone to move, and only proof Alex shown Dan broke promise is that he would always love her and belived in their future]

Sam

• Alex called former bestfriend Sam a shitty friend for not coming to TAZ to support her [Sam was supporting Dan]
• Sam - 'Really, I think the reason everyone here is ignoring you might be due to the fact that we've seen how much of an manipulative liar you are and likely have always been.' ... 'Either you truly believe everything you say and you're ignorant beyond salvation, or you're fully aware of your lies and you just don't care. Either way, it's not worth my time.'
• Sam - 'my opinion that I [Sam] and many others have been gaslit by Alex for years. My [Sam] regret is not realizing it earlier'

Alex

• Alex reads question 'Do you feel guilty about anything you said to your friends and Dan' Alex answers 'No, I don't think I did anything wrong [....] I stand by anything I've done'

--LIST SUMMARY--
Alex Pastel Clothes/ Kawaii/ Sydney/ Giant Home/ Japan/ Parrot Archie/ Husband Dan/ Best Friends Sam, Michelle, Caitlyn, Lucy, etc/ Fast Fashion/ Luxury Brands/ Themed Thrifting/ Overconsumption/ Youtube aesthetic posts

• via Covid afraid to leave house for two years,
• Botched Nose Job, Botched Nose Job Revision, Successful Boob Job,
• Mental Health Diagnosis (Neurodivergent with OCD, ADHD, CPTSD, Anxiety Discorder), self diagnosing (ex Autism),
• Medication Issues, binge drinking, mixing meds and booze, changing her med doses, extreme vitamin taking, only eating protein cookies,
• Alex could barely get out of bed or basic hygiene,
• struggled to work aka make content or meet sponsorship deadlines,
• so started hair dying saga and online thrifting hundreds of items,
• going from 1 bird Archie became agressively hormonal to Alex due to petting beyond head,
• to adding a few chickens to over 25 birds that she let live, fly, and poop all over her house
• while cuddling in bed with favorite chicken or pigeon who would let her
• in messy house full of hoarded hyperfixations from excessive spending

to Alex Black Clothes/ Goth/ Graphic Tees/ Tasmania/ 1880s Cottage/ 50 Pigeons/ 50 Chickens/ 23 Ducks/ 4 Guinea Fowl/ 3 Dogs/ Archie Rehomed/ Dan Divorcing/ Friends went no reply/ Sydney goods in Storage Unit/ Single Straight Monogamous Ace/ 24-7 with Friend Claye/ Mental Health Struggles/ Snark Posting/ Contradicting Postings/ Thrifting Lacking Style/ Disheveled posts

• including acting like Tasmania will solve everything because can live mortgage free on large land with over 100 birds,
• yet spending excessively on WRX car, Hobart most expensive home rental, 8 new employees, 1880s cottage, renovations, tiny home
• rehomed Archie with bird trainer still not applying for easy to get permit to get him back,
• not prioritizing needed 3rd nose job for breathing,
• setup Gofundme to create Bird Sanctuary with no certification and changing it to just pay to support current birds and then deleting,
• driving with birds loose in car, driving holding camera, speeding,
• doxxing Friends/own license plates, doxxing Friends Front of Homes, doxxing Friends Private Messages, doxxing Friends mental health conditions,
• vague posting, controdicting posting, posting others work without crediting,
• continuously making insensitive jokes about mania, animal abuse, cults, poly, sydney, bullying autism,
• reading, trolling, and attacking gossip forums
• possibly involved in banned troll accounts on multiple gossip forums
• not being safe home demolition,
• continuously with friend Claye including posting in lingerie, in bed, leg on top of him, moving across Tasmania with, and in the middle of Claye's own relationship breakup,
• posting even less content, while promising even more content that never happens,
• abandoning everything and every problem in Sydney including husband and friends,
• husband asked for divorce to stay in Sydney,
• very upset that various old friends abandoning her in December,
• made so many claims publically against husband and friends,
• feeling prosecuted without being able to defend herself,
• victim no accountability main character mentality, etc

--SUMMARY KEY CONTENT SHOWING CHANGE--
Alex Prettypastelplease Youtube 723k Jul 2022 to 696k Feb 2023 https://www.youtube.com/@PrettyPastelPlease/videos * [I spent X Thousands of Dollars at Y - The Bird Stays - Japan Kawaii Pastel - Bought months ago copying mannequin - Thriftmas - Designer - Promise another video that will not happen - Wait for the reveal - Looks a bit messy - To Tasmania - Abandons Everything - Happiest I've ever been - Lowest point - 100 Birds NOT Archie - Promises Content - Barely Posts - Low Quality - Completely Different Aesthetic] * OCT12 2022 - Alex self diagnosing - Youtube - PrettyPastelSideQuest - autism- Posted Oct 12 2022 * OCT27 2022 - Alex decides by herself to move to Tasmania - Youtube - PrettyPastelSideQuest - the day that changed my life forever - Posted Dec 7 2022 * DEC08 2002 - Alex 'I can pinpoint the last time I genuinely felt happy in my own skin and it was back in 2011' - Instagram story - lolcow and gossipguru * APR21 2023 - Alex 10 page instagram story - lolcow and tattlelife and gossipguru * JUN03 2023 - Alex 'when your haters say that you're alone ... but have uncountable amount of pigeons' - Instagram Story - Instagram - Highlights - 2023 - 2023-06-03 * JUL18 2023 - Youtube - PrettyPastelPlease - addressing my divorce & other rumours (Q&A) - Posted JUL 18 2023
--SUMMARY DETAILED--
Pre 2020 (Thanks to Silent-Grocery-Lul) Alex promised second parts or new videos but she never posted them. Also mentioned constantly already recorded content, but still no uploads. Incomplete info about the products she was reviewing, basically she knew next to nothing about what she got and mainky got it for the aesthetic. Also she would send back products that weren't pastel enough. Weird hyperfocus on negative comments, where the begining of many videos featured negative comments and she defended herself A LOT. Her UPS 'The bird stays' [the bird in fact didn't stay] was a response to the comments about Archie (Parrot) being loud and annoying. Also sitting on piles of haul clothes that were to be returned, calling her out for being unsanitary. Over consumerism. Just too much for one person. Kept a lot of poor quality clothes for IG pictures.
2020 to 2021 (Thanks to Silent-Grocery-Lul) The Australia fires inspired her to make a lot of charity work and actually got a good amount of money in donations [about 60K AUD], sells and brand PR. However it took her A LOT OF TIME to show receipts of her giving the money away to the charities. Coincidentaly, she had a trip to Japan almost at the same time so there was a lot of speculation that she used the charity money to fun her trip instead. Eventually she showed proof of donation. She got a nose job which unfortunately went wrong. She couldn't get it fixed because of Covid, which eventually led to a second nose job, and Alex still needs another nose job. Promised videos about both experiences are missing still. When Covid sent everyone to quarantine, she went to her IG stories to call out EVERYONE who didn't stayed inside, she hyperfocused on the numbers and honestly was really afraid of go outside. Recriminated anyone who went out (even if restrictions were lifted) and here's where her MH went spiralling quicker. Didn't see her parents, Sam (ex boyfriend and best friend) or any other friend. Started the Hair Saga, dying, homebleaching, cutting, trimming and repeat her hair. I swear one of her firends cut her hair with gardening scissors. Fans started to show concern for her well being but she always shut them up and called out for not 'letting her have fun'. Hair was completely damaged at the end of thriftmas. The reasoning behind the dying? Her mother didn't allowed her to change her hair when she was growing up. When restrictions were completly lifted, she finally met with her friends, she began Thriftmas I, hyperfocused on glass and plants. Got her friends to help her with her newest shinniest project: Gardening. Not even halfway Thriftmas her garden was dead lmao. Remember Archie? Yeah me neither and honestly probably neither does Alex, Archie stopped appearing in videos. Aparently he was hormonal and saw Alex as his partner. [Basically every video with Archie shows Alex touching him beyond his head and feet, which can cause hormonal issues] Also her camera. He went to horny jail (his cage). I remember in one video with Sam and Dan (boyfriend/husband at the time) where Sam made a comment about Freud. Alex was Archie's mom and he was humping her head and getting aggresive and frustrated. After Thriftmas I, she stopped uploading as frequently. When she got back from one of her many hiatus, now with her friends. A lot of the concepts of her vids now involved more people. She started getting chickens too. Her friends were down to almost everything, Caitlyn being one of them. She works and lived an hour or more away from Alex Sydney's house. On one video (SHEIN tryon) Alex told Caitlyn that they were going to watch Loki after Caitlyn get out of work, instead she made her film said video. Some comments on GG were about how Alex kept refering to Caitlyn as 'Plus sized' and kinda body cheking herself. She got into luxury/designer brands, Lucy being also a fan and they made reviews together. In one of Alex's IG post she says that Lucy (aka Lucy Livin in YT too) inspired her to make pastel content and fashion thingy Personal petty complaint (irrelevant and petty, feel free to skip): Alex is a fashion CC, right? Tell me WHY her styling consisted in either stripping manequins and copying product photos, like common. Was it too hard to try? In one of the videos with Lucy both had to style Alex with a prompt. One of Alex outfits WAS A COPY OF THE WEBSITE'S PRODUCT STYLING. Anyways. Thriftmas II happened. Not really related to thrifting anymore. Her excuse being 'well, I'm wearing a thrifted outfit so' while dying her hair. She discovered online local thrift shopping, mainly getting things because they were X or Y brand.
2022 to Sep 2022 Alex opened up about mental health and everything Alex could barely get out of bed or basic hygiene or struggled to work aka make content, binge drinking, mixing meds and booze, changing her med doses, extreme vitamin taking, only eating protein cookies, self diagnosing (ex Autism), hair dying saga, going from 1 bird to adding a few chickens to over 25 birds that she let live, fly, and poop all over her house. To warn Alex can be an unreliable narrator, during this time Alex is hiding a new dog from videos, as making a year long idea teaching dog to talk with buttons and wants a big reveal. May 2022 Alex seemed fine in thousands and thousands of dollars of luxury clothes at AUS Sydney fashion week. Sep 2022 Alex disclosed mental health diagnosis (Neurodivergent with OCD, ADHD, CPTSD, Anxiety Discorder) and started low edit videos by daily vlogging 100 packages in 100 days, a discord, and a trip to Tasmania with Dan, Lucy, and Lucy's boyfriend Max, who on the record was his idea it was to go to Tasmania Alex struggles to make and do daily task list of brush teeth, shower, get dressed, deodorant, skin care, feed pets, make bed, tidy, stretch, take medication, take vitamins, hydrate, eat breakfast. Struggles to do daily themed alliteration motivation list Mental Health Mondays, Tidy up Tuesday, Work out Wednesday, Tidy up Thursday, Friday Funday, Skin Care Spontaneous Saturday, Sunday Funday.
Oct 2022 to Nov 2022 In Sydney Sam build Aviary, friends built backyard garden, and Lucy cleans up filming room and office. Alex went on holiday to Tasmania again with Grace, did a discord fan meet up who she calls NPCs, abandons discord, showed peaks in energy and emotions, by herself Alex decided to move to Tasmania and abandons Sydney, abandons Aviary, Garden, overconsumption Stuff, abandons vlogs 100 packages in 100 days, setup Gofundme to set up bird rescue, later changed to bird rehoming then abandons Gofundme and eventually refunded, AI fanfic about husband and ex boyfriend, hiring NPCs as staff, spending a lot of time with Claye who seemed replacement of husband Dan / best friend Sam. Alex made many comments about wanting to be mortgage free, yet previously showed excessive shopping including luxury brands, then Alex bought a new car for Dan in Taz, looking at over $1M houses, hiring 8 people in Taz, renting Hobarts most expensive rental of 4 bedroom for just her. Alex videos filmed at this time showed driving with birds free in car, driving with cellphone in hand recording, speeding, parking tickets, illegal and dangerous. Alex videos included Friends/own License Plates, Friends Front of Homes, Friends/own Medical Details. A lot of Alex videos repeating, disintrest, bad editing, bad light, bad sound, disrespect of friends, disrespect for brands, disrespect of viewers.
Dec 2022 to Mar 2023 Alex flew to Sydney with Claye, picked up her BRZ car and 25 birds. Immediately left Sydney to drive to Ferry back to Tasmania. Same day Alex gets back to Tasmania, is no longer following friends on instagram. Next day is sad posting, turns out Dan decided to not to move to Tasmania and to separate. Alex posts Nicole Kidman Divorce Celebration photos and people immediately wonder if Alex in Tasmania and Dan in Sydney are getting divorced. Very quickly after Alex got evicted for breaking lease, having birds outside cages, Alex stayed in Tasmania, abandons Youtube, abandons thriftmas vlogs videos, trying to keep separation secret for months while vague troll posting happiest shes ever been, manic jokes, hoe era. So gossip sites started speculating based on Alex posts and were proven often correct with evidence from Alex posts, but a few trolls did exist, lie nasty, and get banned from sites. Alex abandons instagram to avoid hate, then abandons new instagram to avoid hate, then etc. Alex says she is working on bird book with no updates in a year, so abandons bird book
Apr 2023 to Jun 2023 Alex goes to Sydney for first time since November, to close on Sydney house and get the money for her Tasmania cottage. Alex has to sell off her Louis Vuitton collection to split Assets as part of separation settlement. Alex confessed to separation with complex story including falsely proven by other posts accused Dan of contolling baby timing / controlling wedding timing / animal abuse / financial abuse / post seperation abuse, had accused friend Caitlyn of sleeping with Dan, had told friend Lucy not to talk to Dan since she thought he had feelings for her, had called friend Sam shitty for not coming to visit her and support her through it. Alex posting personal texts with various old friends due to them abandoning her in December and feeling prosecuted without being able to defend herself, etc. All while sitting in her quaint old cottage with Claye, 100 pets, a BRZ car, a WRX car, a tiny house, a giant renovation, and a storage unit of abandoned items including expensive luxury in Sydney.
Jul 2023 Alex started Twitch, Twitch Discord, and did a Q&A about divorce which she posted to Youtube. Overall Alex seems much better on twitch stream, but still posting vague insults on instagram and comments. Alex reads exbest friend Sam's text to her ends with 'Really, I think the reason everyone here is ignoring you might be due to the fact that we've seen how much of an manipulative liar you are and likely have always been.' ... 'Either you truly believe everything you say and you're ignorant beyond salvation, or you're fully aware of your lies and you just don't care. Either way, it's not worth my time.' - Sam
Aug 2023 to Oct 2003 Alex abandons Twitch, abandons Twitch discord, each week saying she will be back the next week, the each month, but does not. Alex turned 30 and survived first wedding anniversary after seperation. Alex says she is moving to another home and renting out the cottage. Alex says she is going on dates with a woman. Alex posts photo of NOT her kitchen saying renovation reveal coming soon, as photographer should not be posting without giving credit to photographer and works.
Nov 2023 to Dec 2023 Alex starts vlogging 61 packages in 61 days and abandons vlogging after 12. Alex posts a low quality PPP video from Gucci second hand goods bought from Japan 18 months earlier, promising a part 2 in a few days, and abandons PPP. Alex appears to still in in cottage, meaning never moved. Alex visits Melbourne and Sydney, believe jointly files divorce papers. Alex posts a tiktok about low point in her life when Dan asked for divorce and she was in BRZ in Taz and a guy friend came to get her, believe Dec 13 2022.
Jan 2024 to Feb 2024 on Alex streams Jan 1 and promises 4 PPP videos in January, mostly sponsorships, to the additional probably 50 promised videos at this point, but nope abandons PPP again. Alex pops up in Claye's twitch streams 4 times in January and February, but abandons her Twitch again. Alex tiktok reposts 'My entire friendship group abandoned me because my ex husband fed them lies and they cut me off without even trying to ask me my version of events' and 'Theres nothing louder than the silence between two people who were in love but stopped because one of them couldn't get their priorities straight which forced the other one to choose themself even though they didn't want to leave.' Lucy posts addressing the drama of having personal and professional life blasted and lied about and her boyfriend Max on the record was his idea to go to TAZ Sep 2022.
*Mar 2024 to Apr 2024 * Alex says depression hit so hard after the divorce. Alex hates fn internet starting gossip like Mar24 2023 photo, 'oh my God she's in bed with a man that's not her husband, this is my dog [dog who didn't live in Tasmania then and dog with not long curly hair]. End of Mar visited Sydney 'Mar23 Sydney bound and not feeling stressed, scared, anxious or terrified of my visit. which is a welcome change. I feel like I'm genuinely healing', then posts multiple Tasmania is better, friends suck, husbands suck, etc ... but did appear to go out about a meal a day. Alex spent many many hours with Claye on his twitch stream, but only went on her own twitch for 1 session Apr15 2024.
--DIAGNOSIS--
Diagnosis stated by Alex with Doctors include Neurodivergent with OCD, ADHD, CPTSD, Anxiety Discorder, psych thought may have bipolar, Hyponatremia, Serotonin Syndrome, Broke Nose 5 times as kid, Nose job 1: Rhinoplasty and Septoplasty, Staph Infection, Nose job 2: Revision Septoplasty, Boob job implants, Forehead Botox, Lockjaw Botox, Lip Filler, Galbladder issues, undisclosed previous surgery, different undisclosed surgery, Kidney failure, colonoscopy, endoscopy, in hospital for physical reasons about once a year, posted multiple during first year in Taz, Needing dental work, needing to save for sponsorship Braun Korea another nose surgery needed revision to breath properly, etc
Diagnosis stated by Alex herself include Eating issues, Drinking issues, Medication issues, Vitamin issues, homeopathic/alternative medicine issues, Dysgraphia, Celiac only as a kid, panic attacks, Fatigue, anemic, poor personal Hygiene, Unkempt living conditions, decontamination ocd, never washes own clothes, Hoarding, obsessed with collections, Needs animals for comfort, hates sound of chewing and licking, flavomouth sensibility, sleeping issues, songs stuck in head, freaks out if someone touches her mess, tore at herself 'accidently sh', destroys nails, executive dysfunction, lack of motivation, damaged metabolism, body dysmorphia, Generational Trauma, Depression, Low Point Ideation, Hoarding, Shopping addiction, Hyperfixations, Loses Track of Time, Always Late, Can't Prioritize, Easily Distracted, Forgetful, If thinks about something too much can't do it, Cry all the Time, Likes to Talk, Constantly uses Alliteration, Finding signs in things, Notices numbers, counting things, Assumes everyone thinks the way she thinks, Overpromises because likes Challenge, Tiktok social media addiction, Self diagnosing Autism, POTS [Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome] and EDS [Ehlers-Danlos syndrome], NOT Manic
Note Alex stated on mental health medication, but no longer has psychiatrist, and is NOT having like therapy as far as like a psychologist.
Alex has stated multiple low point ideation, and medications from First battled with Ritalin, Dexamphetamine, Concerta and Vyvanse then Luvox Fluvoxamine (did not like Movox), Dexamphetamine, and Valium (diazepam) then Alex confirmed although stopped Fluvaxamine, trailed with Prozac, then with Zoloft, however confirmed stopped taking Strattera for ADHD. Later confirmed does not have a psych now, does not have an active adhd script, 20mg Prozac for OCD, never therapy.
Note Alex stated her medications should not be combined with alchohol, but states herself heavy drinking in Sydney, drank during multiple Twitch streams in TAZ, and continuously post alchohol on instagram. As well Alex stated should not have caffeine with Anxiety, but shown coffee many times.
--KNOWN LIES--
Note Alex has been caught lying with things like hair in TAZ bed supposedly being dog when dog lived in SYD, like blue jacket in lingerie photo was hers when 2 days after posting Claye was wearing jacket, like saying she was wearing Clayes clothes the day SYD house sold because she couldnt afford her own clothes when already showed many many outfits including lingerie in TAZ, like so many posts about Dan moving to TAZ that were actually post separation, like saying moving to Launceston area to be near her in laws Jan 2023 when Dan's parents near SYD and Claye's parents near Launceston before announcing seperation in Apr 2023, like saying she spent her entire savings on nose job in video posted the same month she bought downpayment mortgage $1.2M SYD house, 'hiding' nose job, 'hiding' boob job, 'hiding' lip filler, 'hiding' drastic weight loss in early uni, 'hiding' dog, 'hiding' Claye, 'hiding' seperation from Dan, like posting photo of kitchen when it wasn't her kitchen or her photo and photo was just posted online so it was also not her inspiration, like saying she wouldn't throw around a word like manic and continuously make manic jokes, like saying she was working a job in TAZ when streaming all the time Jul Aug 2023, like saying twitch viewers made her second discord when it was Claye, like saying she never films without permission and showing she does, like saying Jul 2023 now at peace with divorce does not want to bring it up again and bringing it up constantly, like saying she only left SYD house 6 times in 2 years of covid for doctors appointments when PPP videos show otherwise, like sayings it ok she drives with birds free in the car because she knows birds when Nov 2022 she had just picked up rescue birds she didnt know and had only had pigeons who she says act very differently for a few weeks, like saying her landlord must have entered the property Dec 2022 to find birds flying free when Alex had previously posted it on instagram, like the over 18 months of Archie moving back to her soon and only with trainer at the moment 15 months, like the over the year her cat is not actually living with her, like saying Dan fed all of her friends lies with no proof, like changing her go fund me wording from land for a bird rescue a few weeks later to rehabilitate and rehome her birds, like saying tons of times she moved Oct 2023 when Apr 2024 she said she never moved, like saying doctor said she shouldn't drink alchohol while many times drinking alchohol, like posting happiest she's ever been and later saying same time was lowest point period of immense grief, like saying I defintelty added fuel to the fire by posting some troll stories to confuse the conspiracy theorists, like constantly self diagnosing as fact, like she will post/stream soon, like PPP was just a personna, etc
--NOTES--
Note Alex did User Generated Content / Reposts for Liquid Luxury everlasting rose, Candy Lipz pouty lip, Talona watches, Brillant Smile opalescence go, Body Shop #spaathome, Swatch #yourmove, etc.
Note Alex did Sponsored / Gifted / Affiliate Linked / Content Exchange for Hello Fresh, Honey, Audible, Skillshare, YesStyle, White Fox Boutique, Princess Polly, Cider, Buyee, FromJapan, Boohoo, Cupshe, Honeybum, Lamoda Shoes, Yoins, AliExpress, Dolls kill, Lupsona, Romwe, Youvimi, Unzzy, Zaful, Meshki, Casetify, Function of Beauty, Depop, Sam Marcel, Bake a Cake Game, Google, Hair Salon Nalu, Express Vpn, Mac cosmetics, guerlain, moonnami.shop, nail_by_cindy, colour pop cosmetics, grafea, the 5th, koi footwear etc.
Note Alex stated used to work as coffee barista, candle maker to sell at markets, makeup/skin care mlm, at camera shop, wedding photography, portraiture (headshots for actors, portfolio shots for models, baby photos, family photos etc) food photos for cafes and restaurants, landscape photos, at Yahoo in Marketing, user generated content, and of course Youtuber. Alex stated working in Tasmania, not sure doing what or when.
Note Alex as Teen into goth, rock, emo, punk, birds, photography, modeling, makeup, singing, Japan. Note Alex stated visted Japan several times [2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020], Scotland, England, Israel, New Zealand, Hawaii.
Note Alex is a Virgo. Alex 16 personalities type is A Mediator (INFP) is someone who possesses the Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Prospecting personality traits. These rare personality types tend to be quiet, open-minded, and imaginative, and they apply a caring and creative approach to everything they do ... inventing all sorts of stories and conversations in their mind ... have profound emotional responses ... long for deep, soulful relationship.
Note Alex stated she is Ace Straight Monogamous with only 3 previous boyfriends: Aaron in high school, Sam late high school into college, and Dan late college through 20s. Alex stated NOT dating Claye Jul 2023, but did have at least 2 dates with a woman Oct 2023.
--CONTENT PROMISED--
Youtube sponsorships abandoned include HelloFresh, YesStyle, Native, Function of Beauty SkinCare, Depop, PrincessPolly, Halara, WhiteFox, BlackMilk
Youtube content abandoned includes boob job part 2, nose job 2 revision, thrifting unboxing, Temu cursed item unboxing, Jaclyn Hill Contained Lipstick lab results, Bushfire fundraiser event, House Huntsman Spider, 10 Step Korean Hair Routine, Trying Different Red Hair Dyes, Mixing 16 Blue hair dyes together, Curly Girl Hair Routine, 500 dollar Face Care Moisturizer, Buyee Gucci Part 2, How to use Buyee, How to authenticate Luxury bags, Cottage Renovation, Decorating with facebook marketplace items, 2023 61 packages in 61 days, 2022 vlogmas, 2022 rest of 100+ Parsels Series, Jan 2022 not everyday daily vlogs, rest of Archive Japan 2019, Best Places to Visit in Tasmania, Taste of Tasmania Series, Thrifting Tour of Tasmania, Tip shop tour of Tasmania Series, Archie Bird Training Videos Series with Nellie, Bird Training with BirdTricks Youtube, Vegan food of Tasmania, Favorite Chicken Breed video, Dog Talking With Buttons video, Olaplex, Glow Recipe skin products, Taking Brad Mondos hair advice, My husband packs my holiday bag, Yesstyle advent calendar skin care, building ikea wardrobe, wish items years later, wish gardening part 2, I.Am.Gia haul, Zara haul, Thrifting designer, going through tabs on phone, going through notes app on phone, wish tent into aviary, kitchen remodel Sydney, making over Dan's office, guest bedroom makeover again, yesstyle haul with Bek, flies friend group to Japan, Another Arden video, other 2 Closet Clean outs, bibia shoes, shop for someone on discord showpo haul, Wig Part 2, Wig Part 3, Wearing shoes from Wish for a week, 10 pieces from each decade vintage video series, Hair Regrowth Journey, Goth Haul, Fairy Core Haul, Mermaid Core Haul, Vintage/Retro Haul, Y2K Haul, Outfit based on early 2000s magazine, Comments recommend outfits to thrift, Teaching Photography, ADHD Helpers, Mental Diagnosis Journey, recreate some content from well known daily/family vloggers, whatever not listed above in already filmed 30 to 35 archive videos
Other content abandoned includes Twitch, Moving Twitch VODs to Youtube channel, Instagram, Tiktok, Discord, Depop, Redbubble, Bird Photography Book, Bird Sanctuary, etc, etc, etc
--KNOWN CONTENT DELETED--
Any videos before oldest public Dec 23 2017, as channel created Feb 24 2008 * Oct 21 2022 Youtube PrettyPastelPlease body double with me while I clean my room ADHD & OCD [filmed ~Oct 19] * Oct 25 2022 Youtube PrettyPastelSideQuest they made me cry (100 thrifted parcels in 100 days: day 38) [Hobart Fan Meetup filmed ~Oct 24] * Dec 1 2022 Youtube PrettyPastelPlease I went to a cat themed thrift shop!Thriftmas 2022: Day 1 [filmed ~Dec 1] * Dec 3 2022 Youtube PrettyPastelPlease I spent $50 on a vintage sewing machine (and now my life is chaos) [filmed ~Dec 2] * Dec 5 2022 Youtube PrettyPastelPlease very sexy thrifted clothing haul 2022 (deleted) [Lingerie in front of Hobart fans including male filmed ~Dec 4] * Dec 6 2022 Youtube PrettyPastelPlease Foot Pedal [filmed ~Dec 5] * Dec 9 2022 Youtube PrettyPastelSideQuest Asking an AI to write [erotic] fanfic about my ex boyfriend [Sam] and my husband [Dan] [filmed ~Dec 8] * Jan 16 2023 Youtube PrettyPastelPlease $500 PASTEL GOTH YESSTYLE HAUL AND TRY ON!!! CHEAP KOREAN FASHION: [completely disrespectful to brand sponsored vide filmed ~Dec early]
--SUMMARY EVERYONE IS THEIR OWN CHARACTER--
Alex / Pretty Pastel Please / Main Character / Sydney to Tasmania

• Dan / Ex-husband Ex-roomate/ Ex-friend / Offline / Sydney
• Sam / Ex-boyfriend Ex-bestfriend Ex-Roommate / Rare Instagram Comments / Sydney
• Michelle / Ex-friend Ex-roomate Ex-fan / Sam's partner / Only Likes / Sydney
• Caitlyn / Ex-friend / Rare Instagram Only / Sydney
• LucyLivin / Ex-peer Ex-friend Ex-employee / Youtube / Brisbane to Sydney
• Alex's Parents / Parents / Offline / Sydney
• Tash / Childhood Friend / Instagram / Melbourne
• ClayePigeon / New Bestfriend / Twitch and Youtube / Tasmania
• Nellie / New Friend Bird Expert / Instagram / Tasmania
• Arden / Claye's Ex-Fiance / Alex Ex-Fan / No comment / Tasmania
• Zeke / Claye's Ex-Partner / Alex Ex-Fan / Instagram hints / Tasmania
• [Mainland Australia previous friends no longer mentioned and do not comment include Tiasha, Millie, Grace, Max, etc]
• [Tasmania new and previous friends no longer mentioned or comment include Jenny, Hannah, etc]
• Alex pets now with other people include Archie the parrot [due to going psycho towards Alex], Ted the ragdoll cat [never lived at cottage?], Charlie the Galah Cockatoo [due to going psycho towards Alex], Lola the rooster [due to Sydney guidelines], Holly the ringtailed dove [due to Tasmania guidelines] etc.
• Alex pets include 50+ pigeons, 50+ chickens, 23+ ducks, 3 guinea fowl, 3 dogs, 1 pet of 3 meters [cow?] etc.

--LINKS--
Website

• prettypastelplease.com
• theright.fit/creatopretty-pastel-please

Youtube Main

• Pretty Pastel Please Main
• Pretty Pastel Side Quest Vlog

Instagram

• PrettyPastelPlease
• PrettyPastelPigeons
• PrettyPastelProjects
• PrettyPastelPhotography
• PrettyPastelPlants
• ArchieEclectus
• GothGirlRaven.ttv
• CabinPressure13??? [Trolled GG PPP]
• dummy account(s)

Twitch

• prettypastelplease
• gothgirlraven

Tiktok

• prettypastelpls
• gamergothgirl??

Twitter

• prettypastelplease

Reddit

• prettypastelplease
• ComfortableAthlete53??? [Trolled Reddit PPP]

GG

• 69beastar69??? [Trolled GG PPP]

Facebook

• prettypastelplease
• dummy account(s)

Depop

• Prettypastelplease

Ebay

• dummy account(s)

Redbubble

• prettypastelplease
• dummy account(s)

DeviantArt

• prettypastelplease
• dummy account(s)

Blogspot/Blogger

• dummy account(s)

Pinterest

• dummy account(s)
• dummy account(s)

Etsy

• Sold Out Pins

Discord

• PrettyPastelSideQuest Discord Closed
• Twitch Discord

Gofundme

• Bird Rescue - Frozen and Refunded
• Bushfire Fundraiser - Closed and Donated

Thanks ALL POSTERS information merged together, derived mostly from Alex's own posts. Please excuse any mistakes due to timezone, Alex jumping around time with posts, trolling, happiest she has ever been and low point of life, also what Alex says is one side of story.

Hiii. New to this sub but it found me somehow. I wanted to share my MLM journey as a former supporter. Like many people here I was a captivated listener of The Dream podcast by Jane Marie. It was my first education that MLMs are not only dangerous but as Jane Marie or one of her guests (Sry I can’t recall) so eloquently stated—the antiMLM cause could be considered one of the essential parts of the modern feminism movement. Sry I’m probably bungling that reference but that’s what I recall.
After The Dream, I went from an enthusiastic willing participant to MLMs, to throwing away *nearly every single MLM product. I also vowed to never purchase from an MLM ever again which I have been able to stay true to. The two products I’ve kept you may wonder…Usborne books my kids haven’t outgrown yet —I’m ashamed to say I hosted a party once and earned a ton of books! 🫣🫣 and two Stella and Dot weekender bags—I’m finally ready to let them go though and I’m on the hunt for a special weekend bag. 🤗
I have a lot of MLM stories that are pretty cringe but I’d like to share a favorite if you can call it that. I’m calling it—The Longest Pitch:
It’s 2012 and I’m freshly engaged and on a flight to FL with my fiancé to to attend a wedding in which I am the MOH. We end up seated next to what I now know to dub a Scentsy hun. I’m in the middle seat—fiancée had the window. Before we even took off she had struck up a conversation and quickly found out we were newly engaged. She spent the entire six hour flight promoting her “business”. Her pitch was we should incorporate Scentsy warmers into our wedding. “Your wedding will smell amazing!” I can still hear her say.
She pulled out what had to have been her own consultants binder and had me look through it with her. Unfortunately for her I’m not much of a candle girl—she was undeterred. Well warmers are sooooooo much better and safer. They’re non-toxic she said over and over. I’m also not much of a scent person either—my mom is very sensitive to fragrances and we had essentially a fragrance-free home in the 90s before that was even a thing (or maybe it was??). Anyhow, again—completely undeterred by my engrained personal barriers I had shared with her. I think that’s why she really pushed the wedding scentcing (🥁😉) I wasn’t the type of customer to buy this for my home.
Even though it’s been nearly 14 years, her Scentsy pitch to me as I was held captive next to her in an airplane is as clear as day—how could it not be—did I mention it was a six hour flight?! 😭😭
What was your longest MLM pitch? 🫣

Hey everyone. I am a straight up junkie when it comes to cults and MLMs (Why the unnecessary distinction, I know). Anyway, my sister has been talking about getting into Scentsy (sp) and I've been fervently talking her out of it for a year. Anyway, she just became an "associate" or whatever perverse term they're twisting this week and she said, "Don't freak out or yell at me." But the problem is that I don't really know too much about Scentsy. I know it's an MLM that hocks nice smelling candles with licensed holders, etc. But I don't know more. Anyone want to lay it all on me?

My grandparents are both retired within the last few years and I live on the opposite side of the country from them so I'm not there to really keep in touch with them other than texting a couple times a month. AFAIK she has never fallen for any scams before. I don't know their financial situation very well but they are both working class with some minor health issues, it seems like they're going to have a comfortable retirement and my dad makes from what I understand decent money at his blue-collar job and lives with them full time so their income is supported by his. But I'm well aware of how predatory MLMs are.
My grandma invited me to an online scentsy party and I asked if it required her to put any money down to have the party and she said she was just getting free stuff from it. But I know that is how they hook you. I don't mind supporting her (I don't really see the danger in buying from MLMs if you like the product and want to support a friend of family member if this is just a way for her to get free product, it's not like wax melts from scentsy are significantly more expensive than walmart, yankee candle, etc.) so she gets the free stuff but I'm on the fence about warning her because we just reconnected this year after 6 years of no contact with them due to my dad.
I don't want to make things tense again because of this, especially if it ends up being a one and done thing. My sister's dad falls for stupid scams like this all the time but he has hundreds of thousands of dollars to blow on bullshit so when it doesn't go anywhere it's no loss to him. But with my grandparents it's not like that, so I am a little more concerned and don't really know what the best way to approach her with this, how much worse it would be if I did just spend like $50 to show her support so she could get some free stuff.
Should I just let her know to be careful in case they ask her to start investing in inventory on her own? I've never had to talk someone out of a MLM before.

I have a sensitive nose: 1 drop of swiss pine (the only EO I bought so far) on a cotton pad is enough for my yoga, and can detect someone smoking from 20m and a candle blown out next room. I'd like to experiment with home fragrancing by nebulizing DIY EO blends + creating some massage oil for after sports, cold feet, and scalp. There is a quality over quantity approach: I'd regret ending up not using something more than the cost. I'm a guy that aims for a masculine and relaxing overall ambiance. I found a non-MLM distillery called Florihana (I'm in the EU) and did my homework by reading many of the top-rated threads here + conversing with GPT-4 for days about the topic. My first order would be this:
Citrus:

• Lemon
• Sweet Orange
• 1 store blend of Sweet orange, Lemon, Lime, and Bergamot

Floral:

• Wild Lavender
• Ylang Ylang Complete

Herbaceous:

• Rosemary Cineol
• Basil Exotic

Resinous:

• Frankincense
• Copaiba
• Elemi

Spicy:

• Black Pepper

Woody:

• Cedarwood Atlas
• Sandalwood (Santalum Austrocaledonicum)

Minty:

• I don't like it but I have some eucalyptus already.

Carriers:

• Jojoba
• Sweet Almond
• Avocado

Plus their Microparticles Diffuser (waterless) that is custom enough not to have found its OEM on Ali, but with a timer (I need very minimal intermittent diffusion).
I'm on the verge about:

• Cassia (mainstream cinnamon) because I've seen the horror stories and is too easy to mishandle (dangerous and a bit controversial) (probably not "Cinnabon in a bottle")

I've postponed the "coniferous experiment" to the winter season (until I research foresterjohn's blends) (also because they are too much from 1 group):

• Scots Pine, Balsam Fir, Black Spruce, Douglas Fir, Pine Needle, Common Spruce, Silver Fir

Others I've considered, but maybe later:

• Iary, Myrrh, Ginger, Clove

I'd like to start with a universal, hard-to-go-wrong-with list that gives me options for blending, but is not restrictive to the cheapest and most abundant (my blends should have a twist or depth). Most of all, I want to satisfy my curiosity never having smelled some of these individually before. Am I missing something obvious, would you make changes?