#I'm GOOD at my job kids and coworkers tell me all the time. and also I know it independently. so fuck you

[trans-xianxian]

my old boss who unceremoniously fired me over text message a week and a half before I was supposed to go back to that job is simply ghosting my request for an open letter of recommendation and has apparently told the kids that I quit. kill yourself

[incorrectbatfam]

Why did the batfam get turned down for a job?

Interviewer: How much experience do you have with kids?

Dick: *flashbacks to prying Tim and Damian apart while Jason eggs them on*

Dick: A good amount.

———————

Interviewer: Can you pass a criminal background check?

Jason: No.

———————

Interviewer: We got a reference from your old coworker, Alvin Draper.

Tim: Oh, that was fast.

Interviewer: He says you suck.

Tim: Pfft, yeah. Some old workplace beef. You think he'd be over it by now.

———————

Interviewer: Do you have a valid driver's license?

Damian: Tt. Age limit this, driver's license that. If this was truly a free country I can get by without one.

Interviewer: Normally I'd agree with you, but we're a traveling petting zoo.

———————

Interviewer: Tell me about—

Killer Croc: *throws a car outside the window*

Duke: Um... gotta use the restroom. Be right back.

[10 minutes later]

Duke: *slides into his chair*

Duke: Where were we?

Interviewer: I was asking you about—

Scarecrow: *plants a fear gas bomb across the street*

Duke: I think my phone's ringing. One moment please.

———————

Interviewer: It says here you were fired from the movie theater. Can you tell me why?

Cullen: I spoiled the end credit scenes of Marvel movies.

Interviewer: And how can we be sure it won't happen here?

Cullen: This is Hot Topic, right?

———————

Stephanie: —long story short, I decided "to heck with it" and went to prom with an inflatable Riddler clone named Fernando. I'm sorry, what was your question again?

Interviewer: ...How are you?

———————

Cassandra: *shows up*

Interviewer: For the last time, we're not hiring!

———————

Barbara: There's a typo in your job posting. I also found that your LinkedIn page needs to be updated. Here is my full analysis with all my suggestions. And of course, assuming your application portal is up to date, you can see that I meet all of the qualifications.

Interviewer: Except you must be 35 to run for president.

———————

Interviewer: Why do you want this job?

Harper: Money.

Interviewer: Other than that.

Harper: *thinks for a second*

Harper: No that's it.

———————

Interviewer: What's your greatest strength?

Carrie: I'm double-jointed. I can bend my fingers like this. See?

———————

Interviewer: Please explain this gap in your resumé.

Kate: Don't tell me what to do.

———————

Interviewer: Have you ever stolen from your workplace?

Selina: Never.

*interviewer's wallet falls from Selina's pant leg*

———————

Interviewer: And why should Wayne Enterprises hire you?

Bruce: My name is literally on the building.

———————

Interviewer: We're sorry, Mr. Pennyworth, I don't think you'll be a good fit for us. I heard the Waynes are hiring next door, though.

Alfred: This is preposterous.

Alfred: *leaves*

Alfred: *goes next door*

Alfred: Good afternoon, I am here for—

Martha: Oh thank heavens, he's here.

Thomas: We're late for our conference. Keys are under the mat, the bed still needs to be made, and the baby took a huge crap just now.

Martha: *hands over baby Bruce*

Alfred: I supposed I'm hired then?

Baby Bruce: *blows a snot bubble*

Alfred, chuckling: At your service, young master.

[dcmainlybillythoughts]

Consider if you will: Billy gets hit by some spell that sort of shows the gods who are in his head All the Time. Not exactly though, mote like misty gray human shapped blobs. Like someone took the Smooth tool in photo shop to them to erase all the details and faces. They still have different body shapes, postures, and voices though. Everyone can see all seven- wait seven?

Everyone there, especially those who don't normally have bodies of their own are Very excited to be there with Sort Of Bodies. Mercury immediately jumped on the table and started to sing while doing the Freestyle Dance Teacher dance. Atlas and Zues are brawling in the back and Hercules cheers. Achilles talking to Billy who is Not Responding while trying to figure out how to copy the dances Mercury is doing on the table. Solomon is simply giving some long winded lecture that Billy is already tuning out as he introduces each of his patrons to his coworkers and says, "and yes. They are always Like This. 24/7. Actually I'm surprised Hercules isn't trying to over power Mercury's singing with his own."

Hal points to the 7th and final figure who is yet to be introduced, A very small and skinny figure tucked between Marvel's cape and his legs, face to blurred and smooth to know but clearly glaring and body language frightening, and asks who this one is and what power they give. Thinking fast and maybe with a touch of help from Solomon sending a bit of extra power, Marvel says, "oh this? He's shy and doesn't like his name being given out. And he may not be the strongest or the bravest or the fastest, but he is undoubtedly one of the most important blessings I have. The Heart and Mind of a child. He keeps me honest and nags me about doing the right thing simply because it's The Right Thing. He also reminds me of the beauty and wonder in the world in small and simple ways. Like the time he got so excited about finding a 5 leaf clover that he made me preserve it and keep it in my pocket because the 5th leaf *clearly* means it's *extra* lucky. Or he'll point out things like how pretty the sun set is or how nice ice cream is on a hot day and just. All the little things that remind me of why I fight in the first place. He's a good kid, even if he didn't get to be a kid for very long." Billy feels a bit awkward patting his own(?) Head but he's got to sell the illusion.

Everyone is awwing almost enough to not notice when Murcury starts singing "FROM THE WINDOW, TO THE WALL!" And gets the the shit smacked our of him by Achilles before he can finish the next verse.

This is so cute. Imagine that when Cap was introducing Billy he put emphasis on his job by telling them "He is the only difference between me and Black Adam" because that is why Shazam picked him.

Also I am living for the chaos the gods are bringing to the table, or on the table if you're Mercury.

[chrisbitchtree]

But I Realized That I Need You

It may be my birthday today, but per my now annual tradition, I'm gifting you guys with Harringrove fic!

2.2k - T

***

Steve knew that he should just feel lucky that he’d had the amazing summer that he’d had. It was a million years away from what he’d imagined as he waited to be called to accept his diploma at graduation, which was scooping ice cream for bratty kids at the mall by day and sitting alone in his room counting down the weeks, days, hours until his dad forced him to grow up and join his company, put on a suit, tie around his neck like a noose, and get a real job.

Finally, his name was called, and the principal gave him a firm handshake and a rolled-up piece of paper, which he’d managed to earn only by the skin of his teeth, and with a lot of late nights spent studying with the reluctant help of Billy Hargrove, who’d turned out to be just as good an English tutor as Steve’s teacher had promised he would be.

He’d helped Steve understand the book he had to read for his exam, and in exchange Steve had handed him a hefty cheque from his father, which Billy had pocketed with a sneer, and Steve thought that would be the last time they’d have to interact, if he was lucky. It’s not like they’d be running in the same circles once Steve fled Hawkins High for good.

But of course, Steve hadn’t accounted for the possibility that his new coworker, Robin, would have secretly landed one of the hottest girls in school, Heather Holloway, or that when Steve got back from the fancy steakhouse graduation dinner that his parents had insisted on dragging him to, Robin would call him and ask him to hang out with her and Heather, or that when he’d get to Robin’s house, Billy, Heather’s new coworker at the pool, would be there too, changing the course of his entire summer.

Things hadn’t gone well that first night, both Steve and Billy trying to leave before Heather had told them to stop acting like children, sit their asses down, and watch the movie. They’d bickered through the first half of it, at which point Heather paused the movie and tried to force them to both leave, but Steve was stubborn and so was Billy, so they’d shut their mouths and sat in silence until it ended.

Neither had stayed very long after, but the ice started to thaw between them the more they all hung out, as Steve realized that if he wanted to hang out with Robin, which he did, he’d have to deal with Billy being there too, so he might as well try to make the best of it.

He’d say that it was Billy’s turn to pick the movie when it wasn’t or let him pick the third topping on their shared pizza, and he’d compliment Billy’s rings or his hair. Slowly, Billy started to reciprocate. He’d grab Steve a beer when he was getting another for himself, or he’d offer him the last hit off the joint, and when he’d come into Scoops with Heather, he’d not only pay for his ice cream, but he’d also leave Steve a tip.

Then, one night, while they were hanging out at Steve’s house, Robin and Heather went off to find a room for some alone time, leaving Billy and Steve out at the pool. One minute, they were engaging in their ongoing debate about whether Steve should be able to play Madonna on his own stereo system while he had guests over, and the next, Billy was kissing him.

It wasn’t a particularly nice kiss, given that Steve was blindsided by it and didn’t even have time to react before Billy was pushing away and running for the gate from the backyard to the front. Steve sat stunned for a minute before he realized that if Billy was headed for the driveway, he was most likely going to drive drunk, so he hopped up and followed him.

He finally caught up to him just as Billy was opening the door to his car. “Billy, wait,” Steve said, placing a hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “You don’t need to go, it’s ok. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Won’t tell anyone what?,” Billy replied. “That you tried to kiss me?”

Steve sighed. Oh great, so that’s how this was going to go. Whatever, he’d agree to almost anything if it meant that Billy wasn’t going to drive right after having six beers. “Sure, yeah, if you just come back with me and sober up, I won’t tell anyone that I tried to kiss you.”

Billy nodded. “Ok then, yeah.” He closed the car door and followed Steve back into the backyard. Steve went into the house and grabbed a tall glass of water and a bag of chips, and they sat in silence while Billy drank and ate.

Neither of them mentioned what had happened, but just three days later, they kissed again, this time in Heather’s basement while Heather was out picking up Robin from work. Neither of them had really initiated it that time, both just meeting in the middle. They didn’t even notice that they had company, as wrapped up in each other as they were, making out like their lives depended on it on the loveseat until Robin flashed the lights, telling them to get a room, and Heather congratulated them on finally getting their shit together.

Their faces flushed, hair a mess, and their lips kiss swollen, they reluctantly pulled apart, and Steve willed his dick to go down, thinking of his elderly math teacher, Ms. Cotes, and the smelly garbage he had to take out when he got home. Finally decent, they sat up, a pizza was ordered, and a movie put on the tv, and the night went on like usual. The only difference was how close Billy sat to Steve, practically in his lap.

It wasn’t something that was really discussed amongst the four of them, but now that Robin and Heather could trust that Billy and Steve could be left alone together for over an hour without trying to kill each other, the nights they all hung out were clearly divided into two parts.

Either they’d swim or watch a movie and have dinner or snacks, and then separate into pairs to find empty rooms, or they’d do the opposite, none of them willing to wait to be alone with their significant other.

Over the next couple months, Steve got to know Billy in ways that he never thought he would. He mapped every inch of his body with his hands and lips and tongue and got to experience the incredible pleasure of being inside Billy and having Billy inside him.

He also told Billy about his broken relationship with his parents, and about his fear for his directionless future, how he was scared that he’d die never having amounted to anything, and he listened as Billy told him about the pain of losing his mother, and the horrific abuse from his father, and how it felt like no one in this world truly loved him. Steve wasn’t brave enough to say it, but he knew that couldn’t be true because he loved Billy so much it hurt.

Late one night, in the heat of the moment, they’d made the decision to become an official couple. Steve had a boyfriend, and his boyfriend was Billy Hargrove. He still couldn’t believe it, and he couldn’t be happier.

Which was why it was so painful to think that he’d now have to break things off with Billy, but Steve knew it was the right thing to do. Billy was about to start his senior year of high school, he was almost certainly going to be the captain of the basketball team, and he was going to be applying to colleges, and he’d need to keep his grades up so that he could get scholarships to help pay for school. Plus, he’d probably want to spend his weekends at parties and was picking up a part time job at a garage now that the pool would be closing for the year. He didn’t need a hopeless loser like Steve hanging around and fucking things up for him, dragging him down.

Steve had tried to delay the inevitable as long as possible, but the evenings were getting chillier, the sun setting earlier, so Steve knew it was time. Not wanting to cause a scene in front of Robin and Heather, Steve had asked Billy to come over to his house so they could hang out just the two of them. Hearing the doorbell ring, Steve took a deep breath and stood to rip off the band aid.

“Hey, pretty boy,” Billy greeted Steve, a smile as bright as the sun on his face. Fuck, of course he had to look so happy. That was only going to make things harder.

“Hey,” Steve replied, closing the door behind Billy as he stepped inside. “Can we talk?”

“Sure,” Billy said, a frown replacing his smile as he took in Steve’s tone.

They sat down in the living room and Steve decided to just spit it out. “I’m sorry Billy, but I think we need to break up.” He continued on with his list of reasons for ending things and finished by saying he’d always be happy for the summer that they shared. He couldn’t keep the tears from his eyes by the end.

He braced himself for Billy to yell or storm out, but to Steve’s surprise, the other boy started laughing. He squinted through his tears, failing to understand what could possibly be funny about this. “Did you hear me, Billy?” he asked. Billy just laughed harder. Yeah, maybe that was it. Maybe Billy had misunderstood what Steve was telling him. Oh god, he was going to have to go through it all again.

“Billy, I’m breaking up with you.” He said it slower this time, hoping Billy would catch on.

“I know, princess, I heard you the first time,” Billy smiled, taking Steve’s shaking hands in his own. “I’m not accepting the breakup though. You say that this is what’s best for us, but did you ever ask me what I wanted? If I thought this was the best thing for me?”

Steve shook his head, more tears falling.

“Exactly,” Billy continued. “You never once asked me, and if you had, I would have told you that that’s definitely not what’s best. I hate that you’re making me get all emotional, but did you know that since dating you, it’s the first time I’ve felt a real sense of hope about things since my mom died? I can’t help smiling every time I think about you. It’s disgusting.

I can’t imagine a future without you, Steve. I was going to ask you to move to California with me next year. Well, I’m still going to ask, actually. Since you know, you’re still my boyfriend. And if you’re my boyfriend, I think it stands to reason that I’m still yours. You’re gonna look pretty fucking stupid when you’re out at the bar trying to pick up chicks with your boyfriend hanging off your arm, don’t you think? And imagine moving in with some girl, getting married, starting a family, and there’s your boyfriend in the room down the hall. Are you gonna tell her goodnight, then come cuddle with me? I don’t think that’s going to fly with anyone, so I think it might just be best to stick with me, ok?”

Steve shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, I know what you’re saying, but trust me, it’s better this way. Just go.”

Billy stood, walked to the door, and slipped on his shoes. “Alright then, if you’re really sure, I’ll go.”

“I’m sure,” Steve said. “Just go.”

Without another word, Billy left.

Steve stood in the silence, his weeping echoing in the cavernous room. For a minute, he was able to tell himself that he’d done the right thing. He’d done Billy a favour. Then he realized what a fucking idiot he was and went sprinting for the door, hoping he could catch Billy before he was gone. He ran out to the driveway only to find Billy sitting in his car, watching the door, a small smile on his face.

He stepped back out when he saw Steve and walked back up to the house.

“Thought I told you to go,” Steve grumbled, even though he couldn’t be happier to see Billy right now.

“I know, but I figured I should wait around for a bit. I had a funny feeling you might make your way out here eventually, and I wanted to be here when you did. Like I said before, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me. I’m not breaking up with you.”

Steve nodded, too shocked to say anything as he let Billy wrap him in a hug.

After a minute, he steered Steve back into the house, where he got him a tissue then they sat on the couch as he rubbed soothing circles on Steve’s back. “Next time you decide to make a decision for both of us, consult me, ok, pretty boy?”

“Yeah,” Steve choked out, laughing through what were now tears of joy as he held Billy closer, tighter, vowing to never try to let him go again. “Yeah, ok, I’ll ask my boyfriend next time. I promise.”

[lonepantheress]

♡ txt as summer jobs

pairing: ot5!txt

genre: crack

warnings: completely unserious.

a/n: my inspiration? work has been kicking my ass and i thought it'd be funny if a shitty summer job kicked their ass too! will be updating with a REAL FIC so soon

Yeonjun

Works everywhere and is somehow always broke

It starts to freak you out

Like you see him as your cashier getting ice cream

And then he’s stocking shelves at the store and you’re like, “Oh, that’s weird..”

And then he’s your waiter at a restaurant

And you’re like, “?????”

He’s all cute and nice and hates his job(s) and is like, “I’m saving for a car!”

But he can blow through a paycheck in like a week. 

If he’s your coworker omg I could imagine him being the coolest person ever.

Willing to pick up shifts, is fun to talk to when it isn’t busy, and gets shit done when it is.

I don’t see him being like the manager type, but the type that all the managers love even when he’s being super lazy just because he’s charming.

Soobin

Really sweet barista at Starbucks 

The type that you run and tell your friends about after you see him because he’s so attractive and so nice

He hates his job though.

I could see him not being a manager but instead being a “team leader” which is basically a manager in training wheels.

Always stressed. Always saying, “I think I’m going to quit soon”

His ass is NOT quitting soon

Like- if he quit, his coworkers would probably cry

Constantly cleaning because he’s constantly knocking things over.

Any embarrassing customer experience? He can safely say he’s had it

Really good at saving his money well

Like… suspiciously good.

Beomgyu

Works at like Forever 21 or something

And using “work” here loosely because he never shows up

How he isn’t fired a month in? Who knows.

A stickler for his job title too

“Oh, so you’re like a cashier at-”

“I’m actually a style consultant.”

He’s just a cashier with a fancy name.

He will hide in between clothing racks and play on his phone or chit-chat with someone else

And if he’s on register, he’s really not paying attention to his surroundings

“Hi, are you able to check me out?”

“What..”

“Like, can I pay here?”

“OH, YES, RIGHT! I WORK HERE!”

Will tell customers all the workarounds and codes and coupons they can stack without them even having to ask.

His giving out company secrets will probably get him fired before him never doing his job.

Taehyun

Works at some fast food spot and wins management over in like a week.

So efficient, so smart, so practical, he gets promoted in record time

the embodiment of this meme I'm sorry

He’s genuinely very good at his job and not necessarily proud of it, just good at it.

And he’s only so good because he uses common sense.

The old ladies that come in love him and are like, “You remind me of someone I knew when I was in high school!”

Will not cover any shifts for the LIFE of him, he would actually prefer you call out before asking him to cover your shift for you

He’d also be so annoying to couponers. It’d basically become a battle of who knows the company policy better

GOD at saving money. Has a 401k and retirement and college fund.

Kai

Game stop employee

Like if you’re buying a game that he knows, you’re stuck for another half hour listening to him talk about it

He gets in trouble for stashing away things that get sold out quickly for himself

He’s actually so sweet to the nerdy little kids in the store

But he also would tell their parents, “This game has a lot of violence and gore btw!!!!!” before they buy it for their kid

As a coworker would have the most fucked up inconsistent schedule

Shows up every day for 2 weeks in a row

And then disappears

And then shows up every day again and you’re like “hello???”

Would initiate the oddest small talk ever while the store is empty

“Do you ever wonder if a little pebble in your shoe is actually your toe rolling around?”

“No….”

“Yeah, me neither.”

[system-of-a-feather]

Man, I think it's really insane what I get to do for work right now and just genuinely that its both something I'm EXTREMELY good and a natural at in a way that is really just honestly undeniable to anyone looking and also just something that no one is even trying to deny.

For those not caught up, I was assisting in the re-opening of a youth mental health crisis center and we have recently soft opened for like two weeks ago with a cap limit of like 4 kids at a time and like the two weeks before opening, it was really apparent that the really unbothered and radical acceptance and just positive redirection skills I got from ALL the fucking therapy and processing and communication I've had to do to heal from trauma, DID, and just live a good life was SUPER essential to keeping the team from having a collective mental breakdown and falling apart

But now that we actually have kids, I'm honestly immediately getting a SUPER reputation as one of the best at building rapport, creating not only a safe but fun and motivating environment, and just really all together creating a space where kids are EXCITED to do things and are EXCITED to try things when they go back home (as we only do short term inpatient care)

And unironically all of the five kids that we've had so far have all actively communicated to my coworkers and peers that they really liked me, asking to have me in to support on CPS visits and just finding themselves specifically comfortable with sharing a lot of hard and vulnerable topics with me and just?

I'm really just being me. Like I'm really just engaging with people I would have engaged with in general online for free and curating a positive, hope providing, and kinda fun environment for people who are going through a long and hard but necessary journey has just always been just... kind of my thing?

And honestly I'm getting paid pretty well to just really be a supportive adult role model / support / aid for kids who are in crisis, had an attempt mere like VERY recently, and just help them regain a sense of stable and - if I can - uplift them to have something to look forward to while assisting the therapists in giving them skills to apply to help navigate returning home and man.

A lot of the time I leave work feeling like I just left a like... fun summer camp counseling day or hanging out with lil mentees and I really don't genuinely feel like this is real work? XD

It's so fucking insane and the fact that I genuinely think literally everyone at my work likes me? Like a lot? and even the boss that was a little toxic in early opening due to stress seems to really like me??? And I'm just like???

I'm an outstanding employee and yet I'm just out here straight VIBING man.

But like literally today, some of the other staff were just side eyeing (positively) since I was sitting in for the ACT and Meditation / Mindfulness therapy session to support since we only had one client and we were just like XD laughing and having a ball with the therapist and client despite ALSO talking about some really heavy personal topics and navigating some potentially triggering sitautions that the client themselves asked for me and the therapist to roleplay and discuss and its just?

Man like, job statisfaction 100 right now and its insane

Cause I was having an AWFUL Tuesday (refused to let it STAY awful cause I don't believe in forfeiting my day to be a "bad day" without a fight) and I was even telling my therapist, one of the things in the week I'm looking forward to is ACTUALLY going into work and part of me was like "Yeah yeah, tell yourself that, theres no way work is GENUINELY something you want to do"

But like? Genuinely? It absolutely was a great break and not even in the "something to distract myself" but just because its a structured environment where the whole task and game is to create a calm, stable, safe, supportive, and - where appropriate - fun environment.

And honestly, these kids really honestly sometimes really seem as though they've really just not had someone look at them in a while and be genuinely interested in who they are and what they are doing because like? Dude some of these kids are literally the coolest and most amazing kids around and in these two weeks alone I've been taught a lot of really awesome things during our downtimes.

It's honestly such an honor and a pleasure to be able to just sit in during a brief period of these kiddos life. Like damn.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not telling my coworker I'm trying to leave my job?

So I (30sF) work as a second tier support in a tech company, and I hate my current employer. I'm a millennial, I have no shame about ditching a company that treats me badly, I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to do so. Here's what I'm worried about. A new coworker (20sF) started at my company 4ish months ago as a first tier support. My company is absolutely garbage about training/onboarding new employees, and it basically becomes a contest of "who can the new kid find who will actually answer their questions" every day as a new hire. (I went through this myself, it's one of many problems with this company). I'm really sympathetic towards new hires because this experience was so traumatic for me, so I kind of took her under my wing whenever she had questions, even if it was for situations/customers/issues outside of my realm of expertise or coverage. We end up getting along really well. I genuinely think of her as a friend at this point, and because of the age/experience gap, we kind of have a mentor/mentee situation developing as well, which I am also totally fine with. She's smart and has strong career potential, and I want to see her go as far as she can.

This whole time I've been looking for other jobs, though not super aggressively, so nothing really had come of it. At the same time, I and this coworker wind up getting paired up together on some issues for one of the company's most problematic customers. Tl:dr; we kind of end up crushing it; she's more customer-facing as level 1 support, I'm more tech-problem solving as a level 2 support, and we honestly make an incredible team. Even better, she's really thrilled about this success, and I can tell she's finally starting to feel confident about her ability to do this job, which is a huge hurdle to overcome. It's really great to see her coming into her own like this. She doesn't really need much more of my support at all at this point. And she's also started talking more about how good of a team we are. There's rumors of us being put on another project together, and she's excited about that too because we like working together.

And, well, wouldn't you know it, a real dream opportunity at a different company just fell into my lap.

It's nothing definite, I'm not through the interview process so I'm absolutely not saying anything to anyone except for a couple close non-work friends. But if I get an offer for this job, it would be a genuinely amazing opportunity. Like, potentially 100% life changing. It's a level up for my career, a better company overall, and the benefits would also be a lot better. I'm really excited about it.

And while I'm not stupid enough to say ANYTHING to my current company about this at all until I have a signed incoming offer, I'm starting to feel really guilty about not even mentioning to my coworker, or at least warn her that I might not be around for long, let alone for this upcoming project. Nothing's definite, so I don't want to jinx myself, and while I definitely don't think she'd do anything to screw me over on purpose, she's also very chatty with other people on our team and I'm really worried she might let something slip accidentally. But at the same time, every time she refers to us doing something together as a future plan, I feel real real bad about not saying anything.

So tumblr, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[doberbutts]

I think it's also wild the way people assume the stealth experience is roses and butterflies. I went stealth+DL about being gay for about 2 years at work in order to be able to work in a trade where people generally skew extremely homophobic/transphobic/misogynistic. I had been on T long enough to pass reliably so I thought, ok, cool, this is where my life as a Normal Guy kicks in, this is where I get to flex the old Male Privilege and work in an industry culture that is toxic to everyone but cishet men.

and I mean yeah, materially? I did okay in my profession, I was good at what I did. People were pretty chill to me because my only major flaw to them was being the New Kid, a problem that eased with time. I did have a female coworker who I learned dealt with some hazing that I didn't. I will say, in that particular situation, I had some privilege over her since my sexist coworkers never said anything to me the way they said shit to her.

but here's the thing - I still heard all of it. The gross misogynistic things they were saying were not meant to be about me, but they sure as hell were anyway.

but oh, boo hoo, I had to hear remarks, but you know, I didn't face any actual barriers or opposition right? yeah, okay, I guess not, and I'm not saying it would have been better to be out in this scenario, or to be a woman, but there's a reason I ended up leaving that field. walking into work and feeling like - no, knowing - you have to lie to all your coworkers and your boss every single day or else they'll hate you and treat you like shit is not a great feeling. you never have a truly good day when that is always at the back of your mind no matter what. you never develop genuine friendships or connections at work if they're all built on lies.

I ended up getting so burned out. it was a good job, a union job, and I was making a good income. I had a path upwards to make *great* income if I had stuck with it long-term. but I ended up leaving it for a non-union job at a younger company, with a more "hip" HR culture that seemed like maybe I would be in a better place emotionally. I took a pay cut to do that too. but a lot of my new coworkers had the same attitudes as my old ones - the first week I was there, one of the other employees went around the shop asking each person, "if Kylie Jenner was trans, as in, used to be a man, would you still fuck her?" and most people, including the fucking foreman, said "fuck no." I ended up saying something like "it makes no difference to me, sure, fine, she's not my type anyway" (having to not reveal I was trans and also not reveal that I prefer men), and right in that moment I realized this wouldn't be a place I could be open either, and it would feel the same as the old place.

so the burnout for that job came much quicker. I quit after only a couple of months. I did actually end up telling the HR manager why, given that this company actually had one, but she was the only person at the job who ever knew I was trans (since she saw it on my background check anyway).

so yeah like, being stealth at work? it's not a privilege. it's a defense mechanism, and it feels like shit. you feel every transphobic and misogynistic barb even if it's not meant for you. one could argue that I would have never even been able to get those jobs if I were out, and yeah, maybe, that's possible, but I had female coworkers at both places. And yeah, one could also argue that, in terms of pay, I was likely doing better than my female coworkers. And you might be right about that if I hadn't gotten burnt out and quit before having a chance to build up any kind of seniority. But instead I took pay cut after pay cut until I finally decided to put my life in full reverse and go back to college - where I had struggled severely due to mental illness, and still do - since trades were clearly not the place for me.

I'm just really sick of people who have never actually lived what it's like to have that "male privilege" of being a stealth trans man deciding it's just the great, most ideal way you can exist as a trans person. I'm sure there are some stealth trans men who were able to adapt to that environment that I wasn't. but at what fucking cost?

I have a friend who worked a military job training the bomb dogs. He is 100% stealth to the point where even people who know, who have seen him naked and even had sex with him, often forget that he's transgender and why he has that barrier of access to some things if he wants to remain stealth.

The type of shit that people would just. Say to him. And he was always having to balance saying something or keeping quiet so as not to draw too much attention to his status as transgender. He was provided room and board by his job and thus lived with 5-6 similarly aged cis men in the same house and the amount of dodging them and biting his tongue he had to do to just to survive... And the job wouldn't be chill if they found out, the talk he'd heard made it very clear that he was at all times operating with a noose around his neck ready to tighten at the very first infraction.

Anyway that's what passing privilege is. Is your life somewhat better because you pass well enough that no one questions you? I mean I guess technically. But what happens in the mean time to your mental health? Having to hide large aspects of yourself and constantly worrying and looking over your shoulder to make sure no one is looking too hard at your hips or your hands or your chest. My friend is post-op. He's "done", so to speak, outside of taking testosterone. And yet this was still something he had to keep in mind.

He ended up leaving that job due to some Stupid Workplace Bullshit unrelated to his gender status but he told me that honestly it was also a huge sigh of relief. The money he got was great but it was corroding his soul to stay. He ended up taking a pay cut and working elsewhere that he is still stealth but no longer feels like he's got an axe to his neck in every interaction.

[diagonal-queen]

Hello there! It’s me Jack, back again, but with a request this time! How about, Kunikida with an outgoing, friendly fem!reader?

🫶

Jack!! it's good to see you again my love! i've been waiting for a kunikida ask dkjdkdjjkdjksjssjd i just love that dork. also lowkey he's really hot but imma stop talking rreal quick

Two of Two Kinds

♡ pairing: Doppo Kunikida x fem!Reader

♡ synopsis: You and Kunikida are just hangin' out honestly.

♡ wc: 1.1k

♡ cw: None!

note: This took too long to write I'm ( ；へ ：) I'm sorry Jack ily <3 Kunikida is surprisingly difficult to write for me, which is mean because I gave him my heart and this is what I get in return?? smh. Apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

"Hey, sorry! I'm back," you panted with a grin, as you latched back onto Kunikida's arm. Such a statement was definitely within your top recurring dialogue whenever you left the office to complete a job, very often running into somebody that you knew or were friends with. You'd pause what you were doing, tell whoever you were with (usually Kunikida, considering you two paired quite well in every way) to wait a moment, before scurrying off to greet whomever it was you'd noticed.

Kunikida always kept count of how often this happened. Today, you'd done it twice. That was unusually low.

Kunikida slightly stiffened when you grabbed onto him, but quickly you felt him relax. Back when you'd first started dating, he seemed uncomfortable when you were physically affectionate in public, but by now he was well used to it.

"Who was that?" He asked.

"An old friend I recognised from school. She began attending in our second year, and we worked on a couple projects together," you explained. "We didn't speak much outside of that, but I don't think she minded my presence while we were there."

If he had to guess, Kunikida would have confidently made the assumption that you were on good terms with everybody you went to high school with, including your teachers.

"You could rival Kenji with how popular you are around here." He remarked.

"Please- that kid's just too sweet. I could never be as well-liked as him," you answered, with a smile still on your face.

"That's something I've noticed about you, Y/N. You're too humble," he replied. "The people won't trust a detective who doesn't believe in their own abilities."

"Hey, I never said I wasn't a good detective!" You turned to Kunikida, folding your arms. "All I said was that I'm not as popular as Kenji. Do you think I'm a bad detective?"

"Of course not. You know what I'm saying."

"Clearly I don't if I'm asking!"

"You asked because you wanted to hear me say that you were a good detective, didn't you?" Kunikida raised an eyebrow at you. Not wanting to admit such a thing, you glanced to one side. "You are a good detective, and people enjoy your company. There's no need to be self-effacing, and it's pointless when you're alone with me especially." You furrowed your eyebrows, and he rolled his eyes. "There's no use in doing so when I'm already your partner, is what I'm saying."

"Ah, you're always so serious, Doppo," you heaved in exasperation. "But it's cute sometimes, makes me feel smart and it makes sure I don't have to do much overtime, so I can forgive you." The tall man let out a sigh.

"You should start trying to regulate your work time on your own. It won't help you in the future if you keep relying on me."

"But I can't help it! I can't help talking to my coworkers when I'm in the office! Though, I suppose it'd be nice to have Ranpo off my back occasionally..." You mused, before interlacing your fingers with his and giving his hand a squeeze.

"He is a stickler for the rules, yes," he agreed, with a nod.

You pursed your lips. "Actually, never mind. Talking to you and Dazai both at once is super fun. Besides, I know you secretly like helping me manage things, don't you?"

"Are you trying to make fun of me?" Kunikida asked, frowning at you.

"Is it working?" You gave him a mischievous grin, and he just bowed his head in defeat. Unlike Dazai, he didn't really mind when you teased him, because it never hindered his work. In fact, you only ever seemed interested in affecting your own schedule by having fun and using any excuse to spend time with your friends. Plus, he would seldom say it, but he found it much more endearing than he'd have liked to admit.

"I'm sure that the two of you are taking years off my life," he told you. Kunikida's stern tone may have fooled a stranger, but by now you knew when he was and wasn't being serious. He simply wanted to maintain a public image was all; not that he could do so very effectively with you clinging to him.

"C'mon, now, don't be like that!" You grinned, taking his hand. "I'm just messing with you. Surely you're used to it by now?"

"You'd think that, but usually I expect you to be more well-behaved." He replied, his tone blunt, though you could sense the irony with which he spoke.

You tutted, and nudged him. Kunikida let out a small chuckle.

"You're so mean sometimes, Doppo..." You whined, jokingly. "Sometimes I wonder if you love me at all."

"Hm? Of course I do, darling," he replied, leaning over and placing a kiss on the crown of your head. "If you're going to ignore anything I say, don't let it be that."

"Aw, that's adorable, babe," you said, cheeks red due to surprise from the sudden display of affection. "Hey, you know what? Since we're already out here, let's go get lunch. We haven't been out to eat together in a while. And you're being so cute now that I can't help but wanna go on a date."

"We only have fifteen minutes before we're supposed to be back at the office," he replied, glancing at his watch.

"So we'll make it quick! In and out. Okay?" You asked, eagerly.

Kunikida wanted to object to that, but he didn't. He'd gotten used to adapting his schedule to fit your spontaneity into his day. Most of all, like everyone else, he simply couldn't refuse that smile.

"...alright. Fine, but on the condition that you don't mention this to anyone," he answered, his voice taut. You glanced at him with a naughty smile.

"I'm gonna tell literally everybody about this."

Kunikida looked at you, mischief glimmering in your eyes, and let out another exhale.

"Oh, but if we're free on the weekend or something, can we go on an actual date? One that lasts longer than fifteen minutes?" You asked.

"If you have a friend who owns a restaurant in Yokohama and you can get us a discount, that'd be helpful." You giggled at his reply, before considering the suggestion.

"...actually, I think I might." Kunikida gave you an amused smile.

"That doesn't surprise me at all."

stop the original ver. of this got so dark so quick for absolutely no reason and i just couldn't have that now could i?? no.

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fedyushka, @flower-of-darkness

and of course tagging @jackofanon who requested this piece!

[sunny-ssunset]

Tweek x reader coworkers au?? Maybe college age as well?? (Also tysm you for all of your content:))

Y/n's coffee catastrophe!

Tweek Tweak x GN! Coworker!College Au! Reader

Divider by some random website on google 😭

Masterlist!

Y/n's first day on the job! I mean how could it possibly go wrong?

♡Thank you so much!!!! My works are usually aged up to any age over 18 and you can imagine whatever makes you comfortable (except highschool au, and they are 18 year old seniors anyways) I'll try to incorporate college into it lol. I've tried writing this in a different perspective than i usually do, Idk if it will work but please let me know, If you imagined something a bit different let me know and i can write something else lol

First day on the job!!! My first proper job!! I hope i'm good, i mean i cant remember the last time i made a coffee. Actually i dont think i have ever made a coffee. Wait come to think of it why did they hire me? Maybe Its because all i have to do is make coffee, how hard can that be pfft-

"Are you the new kid? We could use you over here. Tweek show them what to do." Said a tall brunette dude, he must be the manager i guess??? or maybe that blonde guy is the manager? or his he too youn- "H-Hey! New guy!" Oh shit the twitchy blonde guy called me over, He must be tweek!

"Hiiii!!!! I'm Y/n" I think I sounded a bit to enthusiastic ew... "GAH!! U-Uhm- I'm tweek" He avoids eye contact alot. "Do you h-have experience working in a place like this before???" Oh shit. Maybe he is the manager? Is this my interview or- "Y-Y/n?"

"Oh god sorry!! I havent had my morning coffee!!" Pun intended. "Not in a work environment but i loveee coffee and I make it everyyy morning so i guess???" That was a lie. I hate coffee. "I-I like coffee too" AWWW his smile was so cute when he said that!!!!

"Uhm so you grab a cup, t-take it to this machine here and then press these buttons" He demonstrates, i mean how hard can it be right?

SPOILER ALERT!!! ITS SO HARD!!!! THESE PEOPLE WANT SO MUCH FROM ME I'M JUST A SIMPLE SOUL TRYING TO EARN SOME CASH TO PAY OFF MY COLLEGE TUITION!!! WHY DID TWEEK LEAVE WHAT AM I MEANT TO DOO!!!! AHHH SINCE WHEN DID THE QUE GET SO BIG!!!

"Hello? I ordered a flat white ages ago???" AHHH WHAT EVEN IS A FLAT WHITE. THESE CUSTOMERS ARE SO DEMANDING!! I NEED TO FIND LIKE A LIST OR SOMETHING THAT TELLS ME WHAT THESE COFFEE COMBINATIONS ARE!!!

"Y-Y/n? Gah-! Your worse than me when I first started! Scrambling around like that!" Tweek chuckled, It's sweet he's trying to make light of the situation, WAIT! I think he has gotten a bit more confident with me!!!

"Tweek help what is a flat white!!!"

"So you g-get a shot of espresso and froff some milk, add them together and it makes a flat white" WAIT TWEEKS STOPPED STUTTERING AS MUCH AROUND ME YAY!!

The rest of the day Tweek helped me bring down the que. I think he feels a bit guilty for leaving me. Also I think he has realised I dont know anything about coffee! At least he didnt snitch! And I guess making coffee isnt actually that hard once you get the hang of it!!!

"Hey tweek, Thank you for helping me today, I think i underestimated the job a little bit!!" I giggled. "I-its okay I mean trust me, I have seen worse" He laughs back, awww he's blushing!! You know what i might aswell shoot my shot! "Hey tweek, wanna go grab a coffee sometime?" "GAHH- TOO MUCH!!!" He scribbled something down on a left over recipt, handing it to me as he ran off. WAIT HE LEFT ME HIS NUMBER WOO!!!

I guess i'll send him the details later haha!!

Dividers by @k1ssyoursister

[skywalking-through-life]

Much delayed, but for the truth-or-dare ask game: 🍓🥑🥤🧃 (🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷)

My friend! 💙💙💙💙💙

These are such good ones, omg. Sorry in advance for the word vomit, lolol

🍓 - How did you get into writing fanfiction?

Okay, so I've kind of been writing fic in my head (and sometimes in notebooks/random word documents) since I was about 8 years old, and I first realized that 'writing stories' was 1) a thing ANYONE could do, and also, sometimes, 2) a job that required refined skills, lol. When you're a kid you're told (if you're lucky) that you can do anything that you put your mind to, and little Sky loved stories more than most other things, so I couldn't imagine doing something with the rest of my life that didn't involve them! So I started practicing. The first fanfic I ever wrote was in a journal, and it was only a few pages long because I did not have great penmanship and was impatient with own slowness, lol. I'm fairly certain I was embarrassed by my efforts and threw them out. For a long time I wrote elaborate stories in my head instead, and didn't start actually doing the (MUCH harder) work of putting them on paper until high school. But I was also having a complex at that point in my life around acceptability/popularity and anxiety around being perceived as a nerd, so I was way too terrified to tell anyone I was writing it. And then I was so disillusioned by the meanness that I saw in online fandom spaces that it still took years before I got up the courage to post any of it publicly! I've had an ao3 account for the past decade, and was a lurker for a good five years before that, but I didn't start posting my own work until just under two years ago. That ought to say something, I think. 💀

🥑 - you accidentally killed someone, which mutal(s) do you text for help?

LOL, heaven forbid I ever find myself in this situation, but if so...honestly probably you, lmao, and some other folks on here that I don't think have ever been involved in crimes, but are otherwise competent, functioning adults who don't shy away from difficult/grey situations - at least in fiction, lol. @60sec400 @darkmagyk @phykios @deerlie-main , I hope you are not insulted by this. 💀

🥤- recommend an author or fanfic you love

I just did this the other week - and apparently y'all really needed recs, wow! - so I'm kind of wracking my brain here to rec something I haven't already recommended recently...there are a LOT of good options to choose from! I guess I'll go with 'percy jackson and the scrutiny of his coworkers', which is an absolutely BRILLIANT outsider pov fic by pqrker on ao3. It's popular for a reason, and the reason being that it is perfect. 🥹

🧃- share some personal lore you've never posted about before

Ooooo, hmm, what to pick, what to pick...hmm, okay, I'll go with this. A segue from my first answer, lol. I was nominated for Homecoming Queen in high school, and was the first runner up, so - hilariously - became the Homecoming Princess. It was my teen movie Cinderella-story moment, because I had always been the shy nerd in the back of the classroom, but then all of a sudden was in a fancy dress on the football field getting a crown and wondering what parallel universe and/or Taylor Swift song I'd just fallen into. And weirdly enough, knowing that I hadn't done anything special to be nominated - that people had just liked me - went a long way towards me being able to accept myself more holistically. Maybe if they liked me enough for that, I could like me enough to try and see what they saw, you know? It was years ago now, but it is a fond and bizarre memory, and was very helpful to a confused and anxious 17 year old! 😅

You may have gotten more than you planned with this ask, lol, but thank you for asking, my friend. 💙

[thebestbooksaround]

okay, first of all, thank you for your service! your recs are amazing

i just wanted to ask if you could rec as many rewrite fics as possible? episode rewrites, season rewrites that kind of thing? and if people could keep adding on itd be great?

theyre my fav genre tbh but they can be so hard to find :(

thank you so much!!

Oh boy, I sure can Anon!

I'm going to assume you mean 9-1-1, if you meant another fandom, let me know and I'll search for those. Some of these are rewrites by proxy? As in all the events happen but some are text fics so you only hear about them. If anyone has some to add, please do!

Without further ado...

We All Fall Down by kristen999 (@thekristen999)

He’d done this before. Inside the well. Trapped forty feet underground instead of in a tin can, rising water the constant threat.

Eddie stared at the radio, knowing this time there’d be someone on the other end to hear him if he needed to say something. If his time his second chances had finally run out.

He wouldn’t die alone. Not really. His team would be there. Just inches away. He could tell them, tell Buck….

*

glue by ProsperDemeter

“It’s just…” Connor shrugged. “No offense, man, but… you’re twenty-five. Do you really want to be spending so much time falling for a guy with a kid?”

“I’m not falling for him.”

--

A month away from graduating the LAFD Academy, Evan Buckley gets introduced to new recruit Eddie Diaz and things certainly change for both of them after that.

This author is also writing a s2 rewrite!

*

Firefighter Buckley's Unauthorized Ride-Along by slipperywordcrimes

Buck spends most of his probationary year with a bun in the oven, and doesn't realize it.

*

One Wrong Number by calinaannehart (@calinaannehart)

When Evan Buckley meets a man in a bar and gets his number, he couldn't possibly imagine how one wrong digit could lead him to his fate. Because sometimes wrong numbers are the right numbers.

bro·ken by kristen999 (@thekristen999)

Forced to take shady side jobs to pay his bills, Evan Buckley doesn’t think he’s ever seen such rock bottom. Until he meets Eddie Diaz, a man even more desperate and alone. Season 3 AU.

*

if it weren’t for second chances by alasse (@alasse9)

When Buck doesn’t save Daniel, the Buckleys put him in foster care. Seventeen years later, Bobby meets a tall, lanky kid who can’t stop eating his pancakes at a church breakfast, and he gives him a phone number and an unconditional offer of help.

A story about how Buck finds a chosen family, and with a few twists and turns, eventually gets to the 118, meets Eddie Diaz, and maybe finds himself a second and a third (or, an Evan Nash story).

*

Our story's been heartache and wonder by Tails89 (@tails89)

Fuck.

Buck scrubs a hand down his face. He’s got no idea what he’s supposed to do here.

He knows what his parents are like. He has his own childhood to draw from, and Isaac doesn't deserve that. He deserves to grow up surrounded by love, and if nothing else, Buck can give him that.

But Buck is also a twenty-six year old probationary firefighter, living in his girlfriend’s apartment while she travels the world. He’s not exactly in a position to look after a kid.

“Okay.” It comes out in a rush of air. “I’m gonna come get you."

*

no one quite like you by hammersmiths (@henswilsons)

Hen has added +1 213 555 to Firehouse 118

Hen: This is Eddie!

Eddie: Hey everyone :)

Buck: Why would she add him to our private groupchat

Chimney: I’m literally sitting right next to you

or, Buck and Eddie’s progression through texts.

*

Tighten Up by ok_thanks

It’s probably considered getting off on the wrong foot when you have sex with your coworker before they start their new job, right?

Buck would think it’s probably not a good thing, and definitely something that shouldn’t be repeated. Especially when he becomes best friends with them. That’d be particularly stupid.

*

Close My Eyes and Stumble (Right Into Your Love) by HMSLusitania (@hmslusitania)

Eddie's PTSD is just that little bit worse and when he moves to Los Angeles, instead of joining the LAFD, he joins dispatch.

Which is all good and fine, except for this one firefighter he keeps ending up talking to.

*

we were born with nothing by chromatophorica (@chromatophorica)

Until the 118, Evan had never had a family.

---

Evan saves Daniel when he's a baby; he still manages to find his way to the 118, forging a family there despite being given up by his biological parents.

*

I Didn't Know I Was Lonely 'Til I Saw Your Face by HMSLusitania (@hmslusitania)

After the ladder truck and the blood clot and the tsunami, Bobby makes Buck go to therapy before he does something stupid(like sue the city). Buck's not totally comfortable being alone with a therapist, but fortunately he makes a friend and ally who's willing to help him out - Eddie Diaz from the 136 who's just been caught in an illegal fight club.

OR

Total strangers Buck and Eddie go to couple's therapy together to get out of the therapy requirements their captains have placed on them.

*

i want your midnights by allyasavedtheday (@littlespoonevan)

Eddie grins. “Yeah I get that. So can I ask why you applied for the room? No offence but you’re not exactly the kind of candidate I expected.”

Buck laughs, ducking his head. That’s probably true.

“I, uh, I’ve been staying at my girlfriend’s place while she’s travelling but um, my sister moved to LA recently and sort of made the point that I could be overstaying my welcome? Or, well- actually she tried to tell me my girlfriend’s cheating on me and I need to get over it and move out of her place.” Buck shakes his head, eyes widening at what he just implied. “She’s not! Cheating, I mean. She’s just- trying to find herself after losing her mom. She just needs a little space, y’know?”

At least, that’s the excuse Buck’s giving Abby for why she hasn’t called him in over two weeks.

Eddie nods with a vague sort of expression on his face like he hadn’t expected him to overshare that much. Which, oops.

In which Eddie decides to rent out his spare room to help with mortgage repayments right around the time Buck decides to move out of Abby's place after some not so gentle prodding from Maddie. It's a coincidence. Or serendipity. Or maybe just really good timing.

*and of course we can't forget:

Those Two Firefighters by DarkFairytale

#thosetwofirefighters starts to gather a following on social media, as everyone tries to figure out if those two cute firefighters from the 118 in LA are a thing or not.

[andromedasummer]

Over a third of the way through The Whispering Skull heres my current thoughts

- If I were Lockwood and Lucy I would be a little bit mad about George missing the whole "area theyre searching was an execution ground for criminals" thing but also I feel like it's the first clear sign we get that something is off with George. Like hes burnt out. Hes tired. Hes just a teenager. They all are and theyre working adult jobs and literally dont have the capacity or past experience to communicate with one another. Very realistic for teenagers.

- I love Kipps so much I love how full of himself he is I love how pathetic he comes across even when he gets the upper hand I cannot wait to see him and his team get cut down to size.

- That being said I would have thrown down then and there had I been struck with a Mag Flare like that. better ways to go about ghosts, its dangerous as shit, badly damaged L&C's clothes and perfectly shows that the Fitts agency arent really trained in a people-first way. The way they put pressure on their teams to secure a source above all and encourage hostility towards other agents.... Super telling about management and an early warning sign to me. Esp with what we know happens to Ned Shaw (which i'll have a lot to say about later when it happens) and Kat, Bobby and Kipps v trauma.

- I liked Joplin a lot when I read the books as a kid + my reread 2 years back but now... idk. Too reckless, esp with how he treats ghosts when in the company of teenagers and children. Hate how comfortable all the adults in this world are about putting children at risk. They really treat them as a resource or rather than anything else.

- The skull is such a fucking shit stirrer which again makes so much damn sense when you learn hes a teenager whose been stuck with no one to talk to in a jar for like a hundred+ years. Of course you're trying to push apart Lockwood and Lucy. You are a fucked up ex-cultist teenage boy who finally found someone to talk to and are perpetually stuck in your teenage brain and hormones. You are So Jealous.

- Lucy, George and Lockwoods argument about the Georges recklessness and then The Skull seeding distrust again drives home my point about communication but also Christ these kids need more friends. Their entire childhood and teen years are stripped from them. They have no family to talk to or guide them. No non-work friends their age to vent to. Immense trauma and no one to help them through it.

- Jonathan Stroud give me a follow up series following the team in their mid twenties coping with having their lives dedicated to a job they literally cannot do anymore and the repercussions of no education and no safety nets for agents once they reach adulthood. What do they do? Where do they work? Where do they go? How do they afford to live? What happens to agents who only built relationships with coworkers they cant even face because of trauma? Agents disconnected with their families? Nightwatch kids whose education was ruined because their days were spent recovering from their shifts? I need to know.

- Okay back to the book the ghost cult stuff hits so much harder in a post-covid world. I was there getting harassed by anti vaxxers when they invaded parliament for a month and it ended in violence. of course in times of fear people become vulnerable to misinformation. You Are Not Immune To Cults. Or Propaganda. Again, spin-off following the people who try to fight those who profit off of peoples fear and build wealth and followings off of it. Theres so much interesting stuff in this world I want to explore.

- Kipps and Lockwoods teams having to work together bcos of Barnes is so good. I love Kipps team so much I love seeing them

- Kat Godwin is autistic and I know this. Because I am Autistic. Also she comes off as someone who has shut down to everything around her because, again. trauma of her work. at 16 theres no way she hasnt been through something similar to Lucy or Lockwood. I'm sad we see less of her after book three. same with Bobby.

- Now I want to write a hyper empathetic autistic lucy/low empathy autistic kat fic where they both realize they have a lot in common with their Talents and work and bond it doesnt even have to be romantic i just want to see more of Kat

- A LSO i need lucy to have more female friends for the love of god i understand this is your pick me phase of your teens but it makes me so sad to see your internalized misogyny even though it ABSOLUTELY makes sense for her character and is so common for teen girls like her but the way she talks about sensitives and every other female operative she meets. girl. who are you trying to impress rn. you dont need to.

- Ned Shaw getting the shit kicked out of him by Lockwood DESERVED.

- I love this little nightwatch boy who helps the team with all my heart. what is his name. my son. hes such a little cunt.

- FLO TIME FLO TIME i am so excited to see Flo you people DO NOT UNDERSTAND shes so fucking cool mudlarkers are so fucking cool fuck you if you hate flo this is a flo bones appreciation zone

- obligatory "i miss holly" comment even though. she hasnt been introduced yet and wont be until the next book. i love gay people okay.

- Anyway I'm enjoying this a lot I said TWS isnt my fav book (mostly the stuff later on in the book isn't as compelling to me) but this stuff at the start rules. I didn't expect to write so much. Im having so much fun.

[charbies]

been having a tough time.. stuff about it under the cut

writing a stream of consciousness about the past few months. I've been really depressed. I kept getting burned out from my job almost monthly, but could bounce back when I took a little time off. Then midway through the summer, it's like I just got stuck and couldn't get.. unstuck. by fall I had a full blown depressive episode; in september I could admit I was depressed, in october I went on medication for it, and by the time november came around it felt like there was no end in sight. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I felt like I was in a fugue state and missed it because I barely existed.

the ways this showed up in my body are unlike anything I ever experienced in my life before and that was terrifying. my head and body ached like I was coming home from war every day. I was falling asleep at the wheel, and it was a recurring pattern; my body was shutting itself off when the thought of what I'd have to deal with at work was becoming too much. I burst into tears whenever I saw my friends post pics hanging out and wished I could live closer and see them more. I felt so overwhelmed and empty, I needed everything to stop and I wanted to disappear.

my job is fucking hard. I try not to talk about it on here, but I work with people who are hurting and traumatized. I regularly have to tell them when I believe the choices they're making are going to wind up killing them. I have to tell them the last things they want to hear and still hope they trust me. The average burnout rate at my job is 2 years, I've been there for 16 months. I'm 24 and the youngest one there by a long shot. I know I'm good at what I do, but still feel way in over my head, I feel like I don't get to be my age. I've thought about quitting but I don't think I have it in me to leave and start over somewhere new just yet, not now. I feel trapped because as hard as the work is, I get way better amenities there than at most other places; this place is basically as good as it gets where I live and it's still killing me.

even tho I know how severe things were getting, I feel so guilty for ways I fell off the face of the earth. I stopped talking to friends, family, coworkers, pretty much everyone. I bailed on linktober and a bunch of other art projects I lined up and thought I had the energy to pull off. In general I just feel like a failure even though I know that isn't true.

I broke down hard and took a leave of absence, I get a few weeks off from my job. I've been off for 10 days and as badly as I've wanted to draw the idea also makes me want to jump out of my skin. So I'm taking time and hoping it comes back while I pull myself together.

I could use some advice or wisdom from anyone who has been through this in any capacity. Even silly stuff in my inbox would make my day. Tumblr was my comfort place when I was a kid and I think it will do me good to be able to look back on this post after I've worked through this and I'm doing better. Thanks for reading all of this if you did, it means a lot <3

[uter-us]

service worker radfem ramble - "karen"

i don't care if there are 100 snippy women or "karens" at work because every single man that is a bad customer is SCARY. I can be annoyed w a rude or bossy female/woman customer, but only a grown ass middle aged man will yell at some tiny 16yr old girl at 9:56pm on a tuesday in the dark outside for closing the boba shop 4 minutes early. (this was a real experience. fyi my manager was inside and was the one who told me to lock the door! i was following my manager's orders!!!)

im 17 and just quit my restaraunt job, and I noticed there are a lot more pissy irritable female customers than male ones, but you know what else I noticed? who was holding the baby? who ordered for the kids? who was on the phone managing plans?

even outside of the restaraunt, time and time again we see women carrying the family (figuratively and literally), doing the domestic labor, juggling schedules, even carrying the emotional load of her husband. women have it HARD, so honestly I'm going to be patient, because I have to consider all of the invisible labor women do, and if a woman is tired and irritable and pissy after all of that (every damn day) then who am I to judge her?? she can be mad her food had onions she didn't ask for, or she only got two sauce packets instead of three. women's lives are laborious, and if at the end of the day they are worn out and impolite, im literally not gonna cry about it

also side note but at my restaraunt job every day one of my male coworkers (he was in his 50s probably) would touch and hug and wrap his arm around me and make weird jokes to the customers about me and constantly tell me and my other coworkers that I was sosoososo pretty and polite and such a "good girl"-- literally I will take an annoying female customer over THAT creep any day. (that gross grown man was part of the reason i left!) at my job before that at the boba shop, I had a p0rnsick coworker who would insert weird k1nk references and call me and my other female coworker bitches and cunts, and then in the next breath talk about how he's into degrading women during sex. me and the other girl my age would sit and talk on our shifts together about how we wondered if he thought about calling us those names when he m4sturb4ted. YUCK!

i understand that it's the norm to have "karens" and annoying customers that are women, but let's be real yall, we can simultaneously know its important to be kind to service workers AND recognize that those women aren't doing nearly the damage the harassment and intimidation (sexual and otherwise) men do to women. I will take a "karen" over any of those men any day

[thebaddesbit]

You’re my grotesquerie

Chapter 1 - Reminiscing

(Dr Charlie x Lois) 2,072 words

Peeking into one of the rooms, the woman in the bed slept peacefully. Charlie approached her, caressing her face. "Hey Lois, I see your flowers are a little dehydrated" he spoke as if she could hear him.

The only sounds that could be heard in the room was the beeping noise of the heart monitor, a good sign that Lois was still with them.

cracking open the water bottle, he poured half of it into the vase. "I have got to get you some new ones. I know how much you hate peonies. It's sad how much your own husband doesn't know about you"

There were countless amount of times Lois had stumbled into the hospital, drunk and in the worst conditions. She told him that she worked the best drunk, he rolled his eyes upon hearing that. Charlie made sure that he treated every cut, bruise, and gouge on her body as delicately as he could manage.

He also always made sure to give her a little lolipop for her cooperation once they were done, knowing how much she disliked being treated like a child by her doctors. Charlie loved seeing her roll her eyes once he pulled a sucker out of the little jar that he kept on his desk for the little kids, it puts a smile on his face.

"You know you don't have too, im not a child" She still took the candy with a 'thank you', giving him a side hug. He inhaled her sweet scent. A cold, empty feeling, consumed him as she walked out of his office.

(Lois smells like into the night from b&bw btw)

During those times Lois was seeing him, they developed a small bond of some sort, with her telling him a lot of stuff about her self and her personal life.

For one he knows that Lois's favorite flowers were carnations, she hated peonies because they brought back bad memories. He looked at those sad, withering peonies sitting in its vase. He should toss those in the trash, it's not like she would really want them anyway.

She told him about how she truly felt about her husband. she couldn't really stand him all that much after her daughter, Merritt was born.

"His true colors showed after that, he met this chick at one of his lectures ~ name was Redd, Did I tell you he was a professor?" Charlie shook his head no. "He taught Psychology, philosophy, something like that."

"Well shit, the only thing he ever taught me was to never let my guard down too easily. All he had to do was take me out once or twice after we met and that was it, I was in 'love'." Lois made air quotes using her fingers.

"We spent 20 years together, had a beautiful baby girl, and bought a house. Now the only thing that goes on inside that house is arguing and keeping secrets in places where love and comfort used to be".

Charlie grabbed a cloth and some rubbing alcohol, pouring some on the cloth. "now this might hurt, but I need to disinfect it" he warned her before pressing it on the bad cut Lois had on her side, she hissed at the burning sensation. "Can you tell me how you got this?" He asked, applying pressure to it.

"The perp got me while I was investigating a scene, the motherfucker came out of nowhere ~ Shit!" Lois's voice was strained, She gripped his free hand, he rubbed circles on her palm with his thumb to calm her down, Like he did with other patients might he add!

"And you wanna know the worst part about it!?"

"Yea amuse me"

"my coworker, Megan, you met her Im pretty sure, the girl with the straight honey blonde hair? Anyways, she saw him cut me and just stood there, in shock. How are you supposed to call yourself a detective when you can't even properly react in a situation like that. That's something you're supposed to be prepared for before you even get the job!" She started panicking, the pain went from a 0 to an 100 real fast,

"Oh my gosh! I gotta sit down Charlie, I feel like I'm gonna pass out" He stopped what he was doing and helped her onto the-

( mat bed thingy? Idk what those things are called yall get it tho😭😭)

"There you go Lois, you're doing great" she gave him a really? Look

"You make me feel like a child, you know that?" She replied, holding the cloth on her side while Charlie went over to his desk.

"Wouldn't have it any other way" Charlie opened a pack of clean needles, and grabbed some thread from out one of the drawers "Gonna stitch you up real quick. Now this part is really gonna hurt, but im certain you can handle it"

Lois chuckled "I barely handled the last part"

"you did way better than anyone else that came in here to get stitches, I remember getting bit really bad the last time"

"Really now?"

"Yea I contemplated handing in my badge and walking out right then and there" he put the thread in the needle

"I know that child got their ass whooped when they got home, I know I would've"

"Oh no, it was a grown woman. Now I usually like getting bit, but not that hard, I almost had to get stitches myself"

"You like getting biiiitt? Can I bite you?" Lois said flirtatiously.

"Maybe"

"Ok don't move, Im gonna try to do this as quick as possible" he added, getting on his knees so he could access the cut a little better.

He pierced her with the needle which made her jump, he almost fucked up and ripped her skin. "Lois you gotta stay still, umm tell me something else about yourself"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, I usually rely on you to start the conversation, you're very intriguing"

"You mean Im very strange and dramatic" she corrected him.

"Strange in a good way."

"Well thank you. I don't know what to talk about...

She paused to think and take a sip of her drink, he tried to get her to put it down numerous of times, telling her that she couldn't have alcohol in here and reminding her that alcohol was the reason she was in here in the first place. Alcohol made her clumsy and she knew it, but instead of putting the flask down, she took another sip.

"If alcohol's a one way ticket to see you again, so be it" She tilted the flask towards him him when she said that. Charlie rasied his eyebrows in shock, almost "A-are you flirting with me?" He paused mid stitching.

"Nah Im just playing with you. You're a little too young for me, sweetie." He hummed in acknowledgment, a little disappointed.

"Oh did I tell you about my daughter, Merritt?" Her voice strained again, he rubbed those little circles onto her other thigh which got her to settle down a bit.

"Probably"

"So her husband, Ed and I, One night- and I still feel terrible about it to this day, one night we were up drinking, and got a bit carried away. A-and we screwed to say the least.

Oh....

"Did she ever find out?"

"Yea she came home to me, you know.... giving it to him, and thats when I found out they were together. She resents me for that and another thing. Merritt wants to gain weight, right?, there's nothing wrong with that. But 170 something pounds in just 3 months was very concerning, it disgusted me at first, and I told her how I felt."

"Well-

"Now before you get to judging, I didn't know Ed and her were dating until after that night, and I also want to say that what I said about her weight gain is eating me alive to this day, both of those things are, really"

"you know, Im not the one you need to convince, right?"

"I know, I know. Im just asking you not to judge me for that, I've apologized countless times and Im giving her space." She said. He nodded, making the last stitch, softly so it wouldn't cause her as much pain.

Charlie couldn't bring himself to judge Lois for something like that, after all, he wasn't exactly a goody two shoes himself. Yea what Lois did was bad. but frankly he did worse. He was a murderer and in some instances a cannibal, which was much more terrible than something as simple as adultry.

"I could never judge you, Lois" He said, finally closing the cut.

"alright all done" Charlie helped her up, carefully so she didn't pop her stitches. She held onto his shoulder for dear life, her leg was killing her and she was just ready to go to bed. She walked.. well waddled towards the door.

"Oh wait" he stopped her before she could get to the door. Reaching in the candy jar. She rolled her eyes, a smirk formed on her face as she took the green Sucker from his hand, her favorite flavor. "Almost forgot" he smiled.

"Thanks Charlie" she gave him another side hug, him taking in her sweet scent once again, her hugs made him feel warm inside. "You're welcome, see you later Lois". It was always a later, no matter how careful Lois was when at these crime scenes, or really anywhere. She would always end up back in Dr Charlie's office with something wrong with her.. something he needed to fix.

"Alright now, you take care" Lois said before she walked out, grabbing her purse off the counter before she left, the familiar empty feeling returned. and he longed for her, even if she was just a few steps away...

Sad that was the last time he would be able to see her, the last time she spoke to him for a while.

(The patient waiting for Charlie to stop fucking reminiscing:💀)

"Sleep tight Lois" Charlie turned off the lights in the room, waking out to find his patient that he ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT!

he opened the door to room 104, a Young blonde girl laid in the bed, also in a coma. A small red spot could be spotted on the covers, he pulled it back to reveal a large puddle of blood coming from the girls... regions.

Fuckkk just another thing to deal with. He groaned, going to grab some clean bedding, gloves, wipes, and a diaper...

whilst he was searching for those items, he saw the light to Lois's room on. Someone was obviously in there.. part of him wanted to take a quick peek, but he shook that urge off and grabbed the stuff he needed. He'll check on her later.

Charlie was in a rush today so he immediately got to work cleaning the girl up after changing her sheets. He saw what looked like a small tear in her regional area. "Damm, what happened there" He opened her up a little bit more so he could see better, "it's just a small one, should heal in a couple days" Charlie thought as he reached into the drawer next to the bed, feeling around until he found what he needed, a small tube of ointment that should help the healing process.

After slathering that all over the tear, he put a diaper on her, and tossed the bloodied gloves into the nearby trash. Turning the lights out before he left the room.

He needed to go into his office and get some stuff done before his new patient arrived for their appointment.

"What the hell!?" Charlie heard some commotion going on in Lois's room and rushed to her door. Two people were arguing about something he couldn't pick up on.

"NO YOU'RE NOT, STOP!" her daughter, Merritt yelled at her father. Tears starting to bubble at the corner of her eyes.

"Is everything alright in here!?" He interrupted, Lois's husband, Marshall turned to him, a furious look on his face.

"I WANT TO SIGN THE PAPER WORK TO HAVE HER UNPLUGGED!" he pointed to Lois...

WHAT!?.....