#and that's why you get these kind of sudden moments of outreach or affection

[wellnoe]

VERY interesting for me to consider that one of the times jean seems most comfortable w rachel maybe being her daughter is when she frames it as: she and scott could have kids soon, and that could be rachel. like it is interesting to me bc in my mind its like jean retroactively trying to make being rachel’s parent something that is her choice and she has control over. like yeah rachel can be her kid, but only after she has decided to have (a different!!) child who could theoretically be rachel but definitely isn’t the rachel she’s talking to. anyway i am obsessed w how wildly uncomfortable jean is w rachel.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Pawn: Three

Bucky looked at you across the table. You looked sleek. Smart. Every inch the barracuda lawyer that had been keeping Tony’s legal affairs in order. And he tried his most charming smile. Anything to try and lessen the tension at the table. 

You were it. Aside from Rhodes standing discreetly near by sipping coffee. Bucky wasn’t sure if he was there to spy or act as a body guard. Bucky supposed it could be both. But now that he was here, staring you in the face, somehow he wasn’t sure what to say. 

He didn’t need to be charming. You’d already agreed to marry him. And even if you hadn’t, you didn’t look like you could be charmed. You look immune. And he curses himself for cutting his own balls off. He feels like he backed himself into a corner. And it rankles. 

“You had quite a list for your step dad and I,” Bucky started, taking a sip of his coffee. 

You shrug, almost carelessly, “If we’re doing some medieval nonsense I figure I may as well get something out of it.”

“Diamonds though?”

“A time honored tradition,” you snort. “When men hold the purse strings.”

Bucky nodded, considering that for a moment. He supposed that he knew that. His ma had told him something to that affect once. That it was important to have a back up plan and Jewelry could be pawned for quick cash. He could respect that. And it told him a little more about you. You liked to have plans. A strategy. Bucky could bet you were a killer Scrabble player. And that you probably hated when people made rash decisions. 

“That contract was air tight,” he mused, “Houdini couldn’t get out of those terms.”

“Thank you,” you answer, smiling a little over your mug.

“I’m not sure that that’s a compliment,” he snorted. “You had me by the short hairs from the jump… why expend the effort?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” you sigh, shrugging again. “I have a career to think about. I’m giving up a life of my own to protect criminal empires. Sure, we can be friends. We can get along. But you and I both know that I’m just a pawn in all this and you don’t see me as much of an asset.”

Bucky quirked an eyebrow. “What about love?” You didn’t mention it. And it still took him by surprise that you didn’t seem to want it. 

“What about it?” you counter. 

“That’s not a part of the plan?” He tried not to sound incredulous but he couldn’t tell if you were being intentionally dense or what… he hated that he couldn’t read you. He could read everyone. 

“It never was before,” you shrug, “I never even planned to get married.”

“No big white wedding with your dad walking you down the aisle?” he pressed. 

“Not my dad, no,” you answer shrugging. You know what he’s doing. That he’s digging. Trying to feel out the things that Tony had meticulously kept out of public view. For years Tony had worked double time since you were six to protect you. To make sure that no one could use you to get to him. And part of that had meant not being openly affectionate. In public, at least. He’d be kind, sure. But he was distant. Even occasionally visibly impatient. And even that was better than what your biological father had done. 

Bucky felt his eyes narrow. You weren’t really giving him anything. Volunteering nothing. Answering in only the barest terms. He didn’t expect you to swoon, sure. But it would be nice to get SOMETHING. Anything aside from being held at arms length.

“The wedding happening at all is mostly for my mom,” you tell him shrugging. 

Bucky nodded, “It’s hell being the oldest, huh?”

You smile a little, “Not really. I was out of the house when Morgan was born. And by the time Morgan gets married mom’ll have had some time to mellow out. She just loves an excuse to plan parties… And with all the legal things I’ve been doing she’s been taking over the party planning things for my charity projects.”

“Your projects?”

“She told Tony that some outreach work would probably help cops look the other way when it came to his low level guys doing some dumb shit,” Rhodey chimed in. 

Bucky blinked. He’d wondered what the fuck Stark was doing. And he wasn’t sure what to say to that. It was Machiavellian. It was brilliant. Across the board, Stark had lower levels of busts. And a TON of positive press. He looked like an upstanding citizen. A business man. Bucky knew that that had irritated his dad. It had irritated him too. And he had no diea that it wasn’t even his doing, not really. 

“How-”

You shrug, “I wanted to know if it would work and Tony gave me a little money to play with. Then sent me to school to learn not for profit management and law.” You shoot Rhodes a look and he shrugs. He wants Bucky to know what he’s getting. To know that your degree was earned, not bought. That any opportunity Tony had given you, you’d capitalized on. He hated watching Bucky look at you like he was looking at you. Like a stupid girl. Like an obligatory thing. And he hated that you were treating this like what it was. A business transaction. You were better than this. Better than what you were given right now. He knew it. Tony knew it. Barnes needed to know it. You were doing a all of them a favor. 

____________

“How’d it go?” Tony asked, lighting a cigar. 

“He’s in over his head. She’s keeping her hand in and playing it close to the chest,” Rhodes said. “Full barracuda mode.”

Tony snorted. He’d wondered before if he should have put you in therapy. He and Pepper had talked about it after everything your dad had done. But now? He was glad he hadn’t. Sure, you were going to have to be vulnerable at some point but Bucky was going to have to earn it. 

Rhodes shook his head and laced his fingers behind his neck. “This is a  mess, Tony,” he said, watching his friend. 

“Don’t I know it,” Tony huffed, rolling his eyes. “Pepper’s on my ass, Morgan’s on my ass. The only person that doesn’t think I’m some awful tyrant is the person I’m marrying off.”

“Y/N’s got bigger balls than any of us, swear.”

And Tony chuckled, “Bless her little heart… Now I gotta figure out how to tell her that her dad is kicking up a fuss.”

“About what?” Rhodey said, sitting up. It was a knee jerk reaction. One that had long been instilled in him. The one person that had ever kidnapped you had been Jesse. 

“The wedding, what else?” he scoffed. “He seems to think he gets a say.”

“Bullshit. Doesn’t he have like… a whole new family that doesn’t even know about her?”

“Two of ‘em.”

Rhodey looked towards the mantle. There was a picture of you and Morgan. You were At the park sitting on a swing. Morgan was on your lap, face sticky with blue cotton candy and beaming at the camera as you kissed the side of her head. “Does she know?”

“Not yet,” Tony said flinching. “Pep’s trying to get her alone and talk to her about it… He’s planning on brining everyone.”

“That’s gross.”

“Tell me about it,” Tony sighed. “I don’t get what the sudden interest is. He made it pretty clear that she was a “youthful mistake” and she wasn’t supposed to contact him.”

“She wasn’t a hot shot lawyer when she was 8,” Rhodey said bitterly.

[lon3lynation]

A Clexa AU Story that includes a soul searching road trip, long distance friendship to relationship, phone conversations and Clarke demanding her car back from a thieving dick Lexa. Oh, and a lot of internal Lexa thoughts.

Prologue: Dogs Days Are Over

"Happiness, hit her like a train on a track Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back She hid around corners and she hid under beds She killed it with kisses and from it she fled With every bubble she sank with a drink And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over The dog days are done The horses are coming so you better run

Run fast for your mother run fast for your father Run for your children for your sisters and brothers Leave all your love and your longing behind you Can't carry it with you if you want to survive"

Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

Lexa purchased her first bus ticket at the age of 16 with only a backpack hanging off her shoulders. She could no longer tolerate her total lack of control over her own life while in the foster system. It had been too many years of false hopes, disappointment, and feeling like she wasn't meant to be truly loved by anyone.

There had been moments where she felt loved but it never seems to last for long.

Those moments were the most painful to deal with. It left her crushed and with the feeling of never being enough.

Half a year ago was when it completely broke her.

For four years, she actually grew to believe that she was, in fact, enough because she had found the perfect foster family. Her foster parents were kind, loving, and always did their best to make each day feel special.

They hadn't tried to force her to act a certain way or mold her into being someone else. She could finally rediscover who she was as a person. It had been so long feeling lost. They hadn't emotionally or physically harmed her. She had received the warmest hugs and praises. There were even talks about officially adopting her.

She even got to have a best friend.

Costia.

She lived right across the street from her. At first, they only exchanged shy waves and smiles during the summer. She would finally learn her name and speak to her on her first day of school. Costia chose to plop down next to her on the school bus and introduced herself.

“This is way overdue. My name's Costia.” She had smiled brightly at her. “Your eyes are even prettier up close.”

Lexa had swallowed nervously, not understanding why her heart began to race. She didn't know how to respond to compliments yet but it made her feel really nice.

“Lexa is mine.”

She quietly introduced herself in return with a small crooked smile. She hadn't known that Costia was going to turn out to be the second best thing that ever happened to her.

It was four blissful years with her parents and a best friend that would be her first love before it all went to hell.

It was simply cruel to have been given all that love, hope, and then it was all unexpectedly torn away from her because of one single decision that was made by her parents.

It left her in a deep depressive state for months. She felt utterly destroyed. Whoever Lexa had been when she was with them, she was lost forever now. Gone.

It took her longer than she wanted to put her plan in motion again. It would have to be revised to include only her going off on her own. All alone on the open roads.

That was fine with her. She could do it alone. It was the only option she had felt would finally give her back a sense of control and find freedom.

Freedom to choose how she wanted to live her life. A chance to heal and discover who she truly was now after all she had suffered. She could finally break free from the foster system and decisions that were not her own that would drastically affect her and her life for the worse.

It was a much desired fresh start for her.

Before she was taken to a new foster family, her parents had insisted on her to keep the money that they put into her account. She initially didn't want anything to do with it. Everything felt tainted.

However, she was glad to have it once she realized that it was enough to get her out of the state of Maine. It was blissful weeks of traveling from town to town by bus before realizing she needed to do something about her rapidly depleting cash. It was a regret that she hadn't taken any of her new foster family's money or any items to pawn off. She didn't want them to feel extra motivated to search for her or have police looking to arrest her. She just needed to get far away enough. Nonetheless, Lexa needed to think of how to proceed with this new wandering lifestyle of hers.

She had settled into a small unknown town and checked into a cheap motel in search of work. After a few months of working, she would quit her odd jobs and ride a bus to a new location. It went on like that for several more months until she was left relying solely on the income she was making. When payment for her motel rooms began coming up short, she wrestled with her pride and began staying at a shelter.

It wasn’t the life she had envisioned when she dreamt about running away but she had stubbornly kept at it for a good year because honest work had to pay off. She had to prove to herself that she hadn’t made a mistake to leave. She couldn’t deal with being a failure. She had to make it work no matter what.

That didn’t stop the creeping doubts and unhappiness she felt about her living conditions but those thoughts had to be pushed aside for her to continue forward.

Her 17th birthday had come and gone. There was no cause for celebration as she was constantly working at her waitressing job trying to save up money. She felt stuck in place. She wanted to pick up and travel to the next destination but she’d been struggling to get the amount of cash she needed.

Her wanderlust wanted to steer her back toward the east coast of the country. However, prices were steadily rising and the minimum wage was still minimum wage.

Finding people willing to pay her under the table had been difficult because she was obviously a stranger staying in a close-knit small town where everybody knew everyone. It was the longest time she had been forced to stay in one place. She wanted to get back into visiting new cities, seeing new sights and creating memorable moments. She just needed to figure out how to improve this new life of hers and to find a much happier balance.

She never would have thought that her new life would lead her down a criminal path.

It was after she had just finished her shift waitressing at the diner one day. She was walking down the sidewalk heading toward the shelter when someone had suddenly bumped into her back and made her stumble.

Her patience had been worn thin that day and she would love nothing more to punch someone in the face with her clenched fists. Instead, she shoved her hands into her pockets and glared at the rude man that was in an apparent rush. Then a sudden realization hit her.

Her wallet was missing from her pocket.

“Hey, get back here!” She yelled without a thought. “Stop!”

The woman that she believed stole her wallet glanced back alarmed before taking off into a run. She cursed under her breath as she ran after the pickpocketer, weaving in and out between startled people to close the distance between them. Her heart was matching the pounding of her feet against concrete. Her eyes were still locked onto the fleeing woman's blonde head, seeing her shoving another person out of her way before turning a corner.

She pushed herself to run faster, not wanting to lose her from her sight and quickly turned the corner to see the thief running across the street and nearly getting clipped by a car. She wasn’t going to let some thieving punk get away stealing what little she had made from her shift. Maybe it was foolish and dangerous, but those things did not enter her mind. It definitely should have entered her mind when she crossed the street to follow the woman into an alleyway.

“Give me my wallet back,” she demanded. “Stop right there!”

To her surprise, the woman actually slowed down to a stop, barely looking out of breath, and holding tight to her wallet.

“I am almost impressed.” the robber commented with her back still facing Lexa.

She stopped a few feet away, taking in the pickpocketer with her dark blonde hair and lean form. She frowned at seeing her glance back at her with a look of annoyance.

“Give me back what you stole,” she held a hand out to receive her wallet back.

“Stop chasing me,” the thief suggested before fully turning around to face her. “Rarely anyone is stupid enough to try to chase me.”

Lexa found her fist clenching again at her side.

“I will if you just hand over my wallet and we can pretend this whole thing didn’t happen,” she stated, her hand still outreached and waiting. “No, what are you doing?”

The pickpocketer had opened her wallet and was looking at the contents inside.

“No way,” she scoffed. “I ran and just managed to avoid getting hit by a car because some girl didn't know better to not chase after a criminal?” she shook her head in disappointment before tossing her wallet back to her.

Lexa caught the wallet and took a quick peek inside to make sure nothing was missing.

“You stole from me. I wasn't going to just stand idly by,” she shoved her wallet back inside her pocket and pointed firmly back to the person responsible for the whole incident.

She waved her off and gave a slight nod. “Most usually don't do what you just did. Normally the fear of not knowing if I'm unarmed or not stops them in their tracks. You didn’t stop. It had me thinking I pocketed gold but no,” shaking her head in disbelief, the robber chuckled. “No. You chased me to get a measly $12 and change back.”

“Are you crazy?” she questioned Lexa.

She had no idea how she found herself in this situation. What backward world did she accidentally stumble into? How was it that the person that robbed her was now laughing at her misfortune and asking if she was crazy? Maybe she was but she’s pretty sure this isn't how an expected situation between a thief and their victim would go.

The urge to punch was still very much there.

“You just failed to rob me because I could keep up with you. What makes you think you have any right to judge me? You have no clue what my life is Iike.”

The failed pickpocketer raised her hands in an attempt to ward off the growing tension.

“I meant no offense. Well,” she shrugged with a small smirk. “Maybe just a little. I found myself intrigued by you. It's what made me decide that you'd be my target. You're not from around here, are you?”

Suddenly she felt herself being scrutinized by the stranger before her. Feeling exposed was not a feeling she enjoyed. Certainly not by some criminal trying to charm her or whatever she was attempting to do.

“I think you should know that I am very close to ending this conversation by punching you in the mouth.”

It was very tempting to release every ounce of stress and frustration out on this blonde woman. It's been a while since she's been in a fistfight. She missed it as an outlet for her emotions and the rush it gave her.

It surprised her to see a smirk in response to her threat.

“It's been a long time since I've had a challenge. I think you're starting to remind me a little of myself.” Her smirk soon dropped. “Wait, don't go yet.”

Lexa had turned away ready to leave the whole situation behind and not wanting to hear how they're anything alike. However, she was pulled to a stop with a hand gripping her arm.

She twisted around in the grip and swung a left hook at the thief's head. Nothing but air as the woman effortlessly ducked beneath her punch. She attempted a knee next but it was blocked.

“Whoa, there, kiddo.”

“Shut up!” Lexa shouted, rushing forward to tackle the woman but instead they're both left wrestling for control. Before she knew it, a leg hooked behind her knee causing her to fall down on her back with her hands pinned on the concrete.

“Get off of me!” she snarled while struggling to free her hands.

“Hear me out first and then I will let you go.”

She gritted her teeth, wishing to toss the woman off of her but her wrists were in too strong of a grip to break loose. With no other choice but to listen, she tilted her chin up and stared at the criminal in the eyes.

“I was homeless. Long story short, I got mixed up in a bad crowd and did drugs when I was younger. Because of that, I lost everyone that I even remotely cared for because they didn't want me around anymore. They did the right thing.”

Lexa breathed out slowly as she watched the subtle changes to the woman's face.

“It took me a while to distance myself from all the bad. I slept in alleyways like this one and sometimes in shelters when there was space. I tried to turn my life around but people would take one look at me, see a homeless bum and wouldn't hire me for a job. You'd think the fact I was seeking work would have clued them in that I was trying to change that.”

Hearing that had finally made her stop resisting the hold. It was a startling reminder that she had been lucky enough to find space in the local shelter so far. It hadn't even crossed her mind that eventually there would be days where shelters would be full.

She couldn't imagine having to sleep outside in dirty alleyways or on a park bench. It became an even scarier thought because she was a young woman which unfortunately left her more vulnerable to the dangers of being sexually assaulted or worse.

“It all changed for me one night. I was starving and it was getting colder. I probably wouldn't have survived the winter if I hadn't been so desperate to survive. It took this well off looking asshole that basically told me to get a job when I asked for a few bucks to get myself a meal.

I… snapped. It's not a moment I'm proud of but after scuffing his fancy suit up, I took his wallet. I got my necessities and got the hell out of that city. I don't have to worry about my needs anymore. I can focus on enjoying life and not only on survival.”

It was unfortunate that it took having to rob someone all for the sake of survival and fulfilling your needs. However, she couldn't even be upset at her for having done that. If that had been her…

“If I had been in your shoes at that moment, I think I would've done the same thing.” She admitted, feeling torn about the morality of stealing from people, even from assholes that kind of deserved it.

“I see you're kind of conflicted about it. I get it and that's a good thing. I've not let myself forget that morally, it is wrong. Life isn't black and white though. It's all different shades of grey and people are usually a contradictory mess.”

Her wrists were let loose as the thief removed herself from her position on top of her and stood up. A hand is offered to help her back to her feet. She takes it and is pulled to her feet.

“This is not the life you want for yourself. I can see it. You're unhappy and you're unable to move forward. Don't you want to have the freedom to seek what you're looking for without things like money holding you back?”

That hit a little too close to home. She was right. She just wanted to be free and discover what this life can truly offer her. To travel far and wide, creating new experiences that she'll hopefully cherish forever. This was not what she envisioned when she ran away. But could she really pick up this certain lifestyle and fight her morals so she could live a more comfortable life?

“So, how about it? Are you ready to pursue the life you truly wanted? We both know that this is not it. I can show you how. I'll even teach you how to finesse your fighting skills. You show promise.”

The woman smiled warmly and offered her hand to her to shake.

“I'm Anya.”

It was suddenly a major life-changing decision. She could just walk away or take her hand into hers and take a leap. All she wanted was to be in charge of her life. It was her decision once again to decide if she wanted to further change her life.

“My name is Lexa…”

Having made the decision, she shook Anya's hand, someone who would soon turn into being her mentor and a trustworthy friend.

[xialing-gf]

there are two things i’m passionate about: this club and you (peter parker x reader)

wc: 2112

summary: you’re a little too passionate about your club but at least peter parker decides to share that passion in his own little way

“Hi there! I’m Y/N from the Opportunities For Kids club. We’re going to have our first meeting tomorrow in the Johnson Wing, Room A145,” You cheerfully greeted a boy who was absentmindedly sipping his coffee. He seemed to be awoken by your peppiness and received the flier you handed to him with a sort of unspoken reluctance. “We’re a community service club dedicated to helping kids in need.”

“Oh, um, I’m not interested, sorry,” The boy sheepishly handed by the flyer back to you, causing the situation to become a lot more awkward. Your mouth almost fell open as you felt more than just slightly insulted that this guy was not even going to pretend to be interested.

“You’re in my biology class right? Your name is Peter Parker, right? Well listen up Peter, as we are speaking, hundreds of kids are living in poverty, dying of malnutrition, being robbed of proper education, and walking miles and miles just to get a bucket of water as we are talking. Do you want to help those poor kids or do you want to keep drinking your cup of Starbucks coffee? Take the flier and consider joining, okay?” You smiled through gritted teeth, satiated when he took the flier. As you turned around and walked away to pester another student, little did you know that he was watching you with an affectionate smile on his face.

-

“Hi everybody! Welcome to the Opportunities For Kids club. We’re a community service club that helps create opportunities for kids in need. Thank you so much for joining us today and if you’re here because I shoved a flier in your face, you can thank me later,” This statement earned you a couple of chuckles among students and you smiled as the vice president of the club, Thalia began introducing the club.

“As Y/N just said, we’re so glad to have you guys here!” Thalia went on to introduce a couple plans and projects you guys planned to complete this year. Many students seemed to be intrigued and with every name scribbled excitedly on the sign-up sheet your grin grew a couple inches wider. A certain boy in the corner of your eye caused you to direct his attention to him to gauge his familiarity. He was extremely engrossed in Thalia’s talk about the club’s projects and suddenly you realized it was Peter Parker.

Admittedly, you were a little harsh with your introduction of the club to him and felt the need to apologize so after you and Thalia finished properly introducing the club to the members, you hurried to his side. “Hey, sorry about yesterday. I was a little rude and I just wanted to apologize and say I’m really sorry.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it! After that presentation, I can see why you’re so passionate about this club. I’m really glad that you forced me to take that flier. Sorry if I seemed a little rude as well,” Peter offered an apologetic smile. You smiled back, feeling unfamiliar emotion washing over your body. Now that you weren’t sitting three thousand feet away from him in biology class or angrily shoving a flier into his hands, you noticed how vibrant the gleam in his eyes was. His entire being seemed to be radiating a strange sense of positive energy.

Your staring probably was more obvious than you intended it to be and when you finally realized you were staring at Peter intensely (luckily, he was also kind of staring back so it made your behavior slightly more excusable), you awkwardly excused yourself from the long-concluded conversation to go talk with other club members. He shyly waved and told you that he hoped to see you around often before leaving. As you and Thalia were cleaning up after everybody left the club, Thalia gave you a knowing glance.

“Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say-” You rolled your eyes as Thalia began to do the exact action you told her not to do moments earlier.

“Y/n, are you finally falling for somebody? It’s been forever since I’ve seen you look at somebody with such intense heart eyes! He likes you back, I bet. Did you see how adorable you both were? You both looked like kids in elementary school who have crushes on each other but don’t know anything about love,” Thalia excitedly quipped as you pushed a desk into place, trying to zone out her chatter. She knew you better than you wanted her to and this resulted in her pestering being quite accurate.

“Even better, you can see him every week at this club! You don’t have an excuse for avoiding him like you did with all those other people!” Thalia pushed a chair behind a desk, laughing as she watched you blush an intense shade of red, the embarrassment finally getting to you.

“Thalia, calm yourself. I just met him properly yesterday. I don’t even know if yesterday could be considered proper. I was too busy trying to get him to accept the flier to introduce myself like a normal human,” You sighed exasperatedly, trying to seem annoyed at Thalia’s matchmaking logic even if she did cause a sense of sisterly affection in you.

“Well, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself! I gotta blast, Ria’s waiting for me,” Thalia offered a quick wave before darting out the door, leaving you in an empty, silent room with some interesting thoughts to fill that space.

~

The next few weeks flew by and you got to meet and talk with Peter Parker at each club meeting. This year, the club had the most members so you decided to initiate the canned-food drive to start the club off strong. Of course, planning the logistics of the event was stressful but coffee, Peter Parker, and Thalia helped you through. You worked day and night to organize the canned-food including printing and designing flyers, creating sign-up spreadsheets, finding locations on the campus and times to host the event, and how to get the food to the intended location.

Peter was strangely helpful and you appreciated his company and support. He helped you print out and stick flyers around the campus. In addition, he also helped you with biology work and you were amazed at how he was able to balance school and his side-job (an internship). Peter definitely helped you organize your schedule and Thalia would not leave how much he helped you alone.

She kept bothering you about asking him on a date before the canned-food drive but you kept insisting that it was only a friendship, even if you really did like him more than you wanted to. Thalia felt bad that she was occupied with Ria and couldn’t help with the canned-food drive as much as she wanted so she made up for it by taking over one club meeting so you could take that time to relax and catch up on homework.

During the first shift, there weren’t many people who stopped by the booth and the goal of 150 cans seemed impossible to reach. Peter noticed how anxious you were so he tried to comfort you, “Hey, don’t worry, more people will come! You chose a great spot and an equally convenient time.”

“I hope. I just put a lot of work into this and I really want it to work. We’re just such a small club compared to everybody else so it’s difficult to get a large outreach,” You sighed, glancing over at Thalia who was instructing a new club member, Lola, on how to stack the cans and where to put the boxes.

“I’ll be right back. I have to use the bathroom,” Peter quickly excused himself, looking preoccupied as he walked away. You tried to ignore all your doubts and focused on maintaining a friendly smile on your face. Seemingly out of nowhere, a person dressed in red and blue swung down and landed in front of the booth. People’s interest peaked as more students began to gather around this mysterious figure, their phones out and recording this sudden occurrence.

“Spider-man?” Thalia stood up, alert as her eyes widened, recognizing this person. The gathering crowd excitedly began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering why this hero would come to such a small college event.

“Yep, that’s me. And I just wanted to encourage everybody to donate to this wonderful canned-food drive! You can all help out kids in need. Do a little good when you can, all right?” Spider-man exclaimed to the people gathering around the booth, flashing a couple finger-guns to stunned fangirls. People were about to start shouting questions when he speedily shot a web at a building and swung away just as quickly as he came.

The students who were gathered around Spider-man now began to crowd the table, clamoring over each other to donate money. There was an overwhelming amount of hands offering money and you helped Thalia with accepting the donations.

“What did I miss?” Peter asked as he made his way to his spot behind the table and began to help Lola stack the incoming cans in the bin properly. Your smile was so wide as you hugged him out of joy, a stack of cash still in your hand.

“Spider-man miraculously decided to show up! He attracted so many people by coming here and now people are donating money and canned food! We already passed our goal!” You squealed, pulling away to watch his reaction. Peter seemed just as awed and shocked as you were. You hurried back to your position to help Thalia with donations and didn’t stop smiling for the next few days.

Everybody was probably tired of hearing you fawn over the heroic Spider-man and the success of the canned-food drive, especially Peter. He seemed to be taking Thalia’s spot in your life as Thalia had been busy with helping her girlfriend, Ria with some personal issues. You would stay up at night talking with him and one day, you decided to pay him a visit at one in the early morning.

All the other students (or most of the students who weren’t partying) were asleep so the campus was dead silent as you walked to Peter’s dorm. You normally wouldn’t spontaneously show up at his dorm but you desperately needed his help in order to pass the next biology test on DNA.

The sight of a person crawling on the building of Peter’s dorm scared the breath out of you and you almost dropped your biology notebook. When your eyes properly adjusted to the darkness, you recognized the red and blue on the suit of the person and realized that Spider-man was steadily climbing into Peter’s window.

This prompted you to sprint towards the dorms, the fear that Peter was in danger overcoming any worry about making minimal noise. As you raced up the flights of stairs, your heart beat loudly in your ears and you knocked on the door of Peter’s dorm. There was no response so you twisted the doorknob, surprised to find that the door was already unlocked.

You burst into Peter’s room and gasped in surprise when you Spider-man turn around and take off his mask to reveal the face of the boy you thought you knew. In fact, you were so shocked at this reveal you actually dropped your biology notebook on your poor toes, “Peter? You’re Spi-”

Peter rushed over to you, clapping a gloved hand over your mouth, looking at the open window worriedly. “Shh, keep your voice down.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed I was gushing about you… to you!” Your face was probably burning at this point and Peter stifled an amused giggle. “Nobody can know about my hidden identity. This is my internship I told you about. I’m sorry if I scared you but please don’t tell anybody,” Peter begged, tossing his mask onto his bed and attempting to sort through his messed curls.

“You’re a complete idiot. I hate you,” Unable to resist the urge, you kissed Peter on the lips, catching himself and yourself off guard. When you pulled away, your blush spread from your face to his.

“Are you only kissing me because I’m Spider-man?” Peter asked timidly, biting his bottom lip. Surprised at his assumption, you quickly responded, “No! Of course not. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. That’s why I’m doing this.”

Luckily, that shut him up for a decent amount of time and you were the only person who wasn’t confused as to why Spider-man started showing up to fundraising events.

~

check out my marvel page for more peter parker x reader fics! dm me if you want my peter parker x reader masterlist :)

(tumblr won’t let me post anything with links sorry)

[baxarts]

Education and Opportunity: Interns share their stories

April 2019 Maya Gonzalez

Throughout the year, BAX hires two interns to work in the Education Department: a Community Outreach/YouthWorks Intern, hired to help facilitate our YouthWorks Festival & Teen Arts Conference and assist with our public school partners/teachers in residence as part of our Arts in Education programming, and an Education Intern, chosen to work closely within our walls and with our teachers and students on a day-to-day, internal basis, assisting with classes, student concerts and the like.

BAX strives to bring people who are transparently moving through the world in socially equitable ways into the community. This mirrors BAX’s work with organizations like the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB) and Race Forward. Our staff members attend meetings, seminars, and workshops dedicated to developing and improving upon racial and social equity within organizations, especially through the lens of serving the arts community.

Two of our interns for the 2018-19 Education season are Brooke Rucker (Education Intern) and Charlie Fischetti (Community Outreach/YouthWorks Intern). At this point in our season, Brooke has left after being here from August through January, and Charlie has just extended his stay with us to continue working with BAX until this summer. The two had a slight overlap, however did not work side-by-side on a lot of the same projects, as they have had different timelines here.

Above: Charlie Fischetti, Community Outreach/YouthWorks Intern. 

Below (L to R): Roxy Gordon, Education Assistant/Birthday Party Coordinator, and Brooke Rucker, former Education Intern.

Charlie, Brooke and I recently sat down for a quick sip at a café nearby BAX. On a sunny day, we had a joyful little reunion (as neither Charlie or I had seen much of Brooke since January).  We settled in for a moment, grabbed some coffees, and got into it.

What was your general experience throughout the season working at BAX?

BR: BAX’s principles of racial equity and gender equality were already aligned with what I was interested in. [And] then being with the Education Department, I was really able to start practicing these things, especially with children, because they’re already so young, and still so impressionable…I began to really start to notice the language I was using with children through that lens. When I entered [this position] at BAX those were the conversations we just kept having: how are we engaging with these kids, and how are we engaging with these parents?

CF: Yeah, I had the same sort of experience. All of my admin work became informed by those values and I kept kind of going back to them, in things that are beyond, like, strict data entry.

We got into discussing the differences between having these kinds of conversations with kids and adults. Something we’ve all started to notice when working with or around children is that they are often much more intuitive about these things than we might have expected them to be. And yet along with that, we’ve all witnessed or heard about moments where their learned social conventions are challenged and we see a glimpse of curiosity, or are met with questions rather than confirmations. It’s quite eye-opening to think about this comparatively between conversations we’ve had with adults and with children.

BR: I feel like it’s so engrained in us…like we don’t even realize how deeply our gender roles live in us…I remember reading [a teacher]’s post, and they were talking about how they were trying to introduce themselves to their students: you can call me, you know, Ms., Mr., Mx., it’s like those little things you don’t even think about, like when introducing yourself; what do the kids, you know, call you?

CF: And the teachers have really good insight into those things… gender is something that affects everybody, and race also affects everybody, but people often only think about those things affecting people who are marginalized by gender and by race. But it really is a part of everybody’s experiences, and I think [it’s important] if you have privileges or disadvantages, to bring those up; that [privilege] doesn’t mean you can’t talk about it and that it doesn’t affect you.

I find these conversations easier to have with kids [than adults].

We began recalling moments we’ve encountered where kids say things or respond to prompts in a conventionally gendered manner. For example, asking kids to assume a character and noticing that all the girls chose feminine archetypes, like princesses or fairies, and all the boys chose more masculine archetypes, like superheroes. How do we approach and respond to these moments?

CF: It’s not like you can’t be princesses, but think about the other options!

BR: I feel like it’s more like, opening their awareness; like its ok if you wanna be this, but you can also be this too, it is acceptable.

CF: I think especially in creative things, especially with kids, it really reveals a lot about things that kids are learning and are exposed to at early ages. And it’s never too early to talk about those issues, because they’re already being exposed to it… Yeah I mentioned something, about having a boyfriend once; this kid was like “my hair is purple,” and I was like, “oh yeah that’s my boyfriend’s hair color,” and a lot of the kids were like, alright that’s fun, but then there were a few who kind of challenged me on it, or would say, “that’s weird,” and I said, “why is it weird?”

What as individual people did you bring to the table in your position?

BR: For me, it’s definitely being a black woman. I feel like anywhere I go, when I’m entering a space, bringing that, is like bringing everything. I think it was great for kids to get to see that in the space; black kids and white kids, because I feel like we are always “oh the black people, you know cater to the black kids and they’re their role models, but it’s also important for the white kids to be able to see that black people are in these positions [and spaces].

CF: I’ve brought more video and photo knowledge, and I think that has extended beyond education, which has been really fun. I’m working towards making changes in how…especially in education, like opening up documentation conversations with young kids, like there’s no correct answer but I think having sort of base line, ethical rules is a good place to start, ‘cause it can get, complicated and voyeuristic and seem like taking advantage when that’s obviously the opposite of what we’re trying to do.

And also as a trans person, I’ve been enjoying navigating that, especially since this is my first work experience where I don’t have to—people will gender me correctly if I don’t say anything, so it’s interesting, now I have the option to bring it up. I’ve not always been in spaces like that. And I think there’s also a balance between wanting to be a representation for kids but then also knowing that my experience is still a slim representation of the trans experience, so I think having other trans and gender non-conforming people in the space has been great, because I’ve always been like, the trans person in the space.

What were some challenges/questions you came up against?          

BR: I think for me, my only challenge, per se, was that I didn’t know how to advocate or ask for more, ‘cause there were some times where I felt like I wanted to take on more or I wanted to learn more in the admin world. Everyone is super busy, and you don’t always have time to just sit down and teach someone things, but looking back at it now, I wish that I would have. Because that’s what the internship is for, like for you to learn from this organization. I don’t know if it’s necessarily categorized as a challenge, but just looking back it’s something that I wish that I would have done more of.

CF: Yeah, I think the fact that my internship has been extended now, going in I wanted to be more involved with marketing, and that is happening now, which is really great. Cross-departmental collaboration and things like this [are some things] I think a lot of organizations struggle with.

I didn’t really have any experience with kids before, so I think that was one of my biggest—I don’t know if challenge is even the right word, it was just new for me. There’s no like, if this situation happens, here’s what to do, you just, gotta roll with it…sometimes kids come up with things and I’m [not sure] how to respond.

Highlights, favorite part of your job, any moments that stood out?

BR: I do have this one moment. For [two of our After School Pick Up students, we’ll call them Ella and Jake for these purposes], their parent personally spoke to me when I first started picking them up and requested that I hold their hands, when we cross the street. So [Ella] like, always would hold my hand, like she loved holding hands but you know, [Jake] wasn’t really about it. [Laughs] So anyway one day we were walking back and I had Ella’s hand and all of a sudden, I felt this hand, reaching for mine, while we were crossing the street, and it was [Jake]; he had just put his hand in mine and I was like, my heart right now! [Chuckles] I was like, “don’t say anything Brooke, just keep walking.” [Laughs]

CF: In YouthWorks, there were these two kids waiting for their dress rehearsal, it was maybe a day before the show, and this one girl was really panicking like, “oh no I don’t know my lines, I don’t know the positions…” and I just leaned down and sat with her and was just said like, “Well, what can I do to make you more comfortable?” I really didn’t try to impose; I just said, “Communicate to me your needs,” which I think is an important practice for kids. We kind of talked through what her actual worries were; because sometimes kids will say something but they actually mean something else, but they don’t know that they mean something else. We worked through communicating her actual needs.

Pieces of advice for the next person stepping into your position?

BR: I told Aviya [our current Education Intern] to take agency in the position, to make it her own. Go in there to help, but also to take. Take everything that you can, and don’t feel bad about really showing that you’re hungry and you’re really doing this to feed yourself.

CF: I think both of our positions, there are definitely tasks that you have to do throughout, but don’t be afraid to go beyond those, and bring your experiences, your passions…everything is valuable, and being honest about what you need is important, whether that is being underwhelmed or overwhelmed. I’ve always felt like if there is too much on my plate, [at BAX] I feel comfortable going to somebody and asking for that, asking for prioritizing certain things which has always been an issue for me, I’m usually just like, “well I’m just gonna handle it on my own and try to do all of it. But that’s unhealthy…it’s a point of growth.

BR: it was a really great internship. And it came exactly when I needed it. I had just moved to New York, and I was just looking for something to grab a hold of, and it popped up; and I met so many people through it who have now become my community.

CF: BAX really is the intersection of a lot of organizations.

Brooke is currently working as Visioning Partner Assistant for Urban Bush Women, and writes for her blog, (Brooke)lynn. Check out her work on her website: brookerucker.com.

Charlie will be joining us as a Lead Counselor for our Summer Arts Program. This year, he was an Assistant Cameraperson for "Overstigmatized 2: The Stigma Stops Here," a feature-length thriller produced by Global Action Project about the role of criminalization and police violence towards trans womxn of color. (see the trailer HERE). This summer he will also be resuming production as a cinematographer for a film directed by his friend Ashley Turzio. It's the story of a single immigrant mother who leaves her child behind and moves to New York to give her child a chance at a better life.

Brooke and Charlie are pictured here on the right, along with BAX’s Education Director, Lucia Scheckner, Education Manager, Ashley Renee Thaxton-Stevenson, and current Education Intern, Aviya Hernstadt. 

[allanamayer]

A few years ago I wrote a summary of why and how library and culture workers should pursue freelance writing - not an economic impetus so much as the need to basically do professional outreach - to explain ourselves in more than just puff pieces.

Now that we’re in a global crisis, I know a lot precarious workers (a large portion of our workforce) are hurting and stuck for what to do. I also know that a lot of publications are tightening their budgets for paying for freelance pieces (due to lost advertising revenue, because nobody’s buying anything anyways so why would you run ads?) so it’s not exactly a great time to be competing with experienced journalists and freelancers for the slim pickens of writing assignments. But that doesn’t mean your voice isn’t important and that you can’t provide a perspective nobody else can - it just means you have to be extra crafty about it.

Please note: Apparently in Canada the crisis benefit is only for people who have absolutely no income, unlike Employment Insurance, which is prorated based on your other income each week. So, if you’re getting the CERB because of lost work, maybe don’t try to scrape together a few more hundred bucks a week in freelance writing. If you’re in the US, honestly, godspeed to you, because nothing I say can help you.

I wrote out the following in response to a few people who asked me about freelance writing. It’s somewhat a restatement of that post from 2016, because it may be useful to you.

---

There are great feeds that share opportunities for writing. There are a bunch on Twitter, and there are probably more wherever you get your social media. They share full-time and part-time jobs too, but also a lot of calls for pitches.

Here is what a call for submissions looks like:

https://twitter.com/saruhli/status/1246234314959921154

Versus what a call for pitches looks like:

https://twitter.com/ModelViewMedia/status/1244670667418730497

https://twitter.com/DavideMastracci/status/1244627615861952515

A call for submissions often means they want the whole thing right away, which is almost always the case for short stories, poems, artwork, photography. A call for pitches means they want you to sell them on an idea or topic first and not submit the whole thing right off the bat. That’s almost always the case for any reporting, review, analysis, personal essay, interview.

There are lots of reasons to want to approve an idea in advance for these, rather than get a piece in draft. Depending on what you like to write, you may not need to learn how to pitch at all. If so, here’s some advice on pitching.

---

I find pitching articles to publications is like a muscle. You have to build it from nothing and then if you don't use it it will atrophy and you have to build it back.

Read a lot of invitations for pitches and wait for your brain to really get into the pitching mindset - you won't have any ideas at first, and then you'll have a few, and then you'll have lots, and then you'll have maybe too many.

Be slow and cautious at first because you don't want to overcommit yourself when you don't have a lot of practice at the rolling deadlines and the sudden intensive editorial overhauls.

---

A good pitch is one paragraph of semi-writing and one paragraph of a work plan.

By "semi-writing" I mean you want to basically draft some of what you plan to contribute. It should be snappy and show off the tone of the eventual piece, it should get them interested enough to want to hear more, and it shouldn't give away the ending even though it should include the thesis. ("In recent years libraries have become _________. But how does this affect ________ / play out in _____ communities / reflect the changing nature of _____? One library is ______, and another has taken on ______." is probably a fine pitch.)

The work plan should be professional, and shorter, like maybe just one sentence, that says how many words you plan and a bit of the structure (like "In 2000 words I'll introduce the context, discuss a few complicating factors, walk the reader through two or three clever solutions currently in practice, and end with suggestions for more.") It's just meant to show you mean business.

Get a byline (two sentences) + links to your work ready. Only share two or three links with each pitch, the most relevant ones, or those similar in length or tone.

And always read their website of course. Most submissions guides will ask for these kinds of things, but some will vary and be more specific.

So, for the example above, Model View Culture (who I have written for, and who are great) will have a page on their website:

https://modelviewculture.com/contribute

Not every publication will tell you what they pay, but people are getting better about asking, so if you see a call, you will most likely find the relevant information in the comments:

https://twitter.com/ModelViewMedia/status/1244672115263049728

ALWAYS spend a half-hour on the publication’s website reading what kind of stuff they like to publish. Always search to see if someone’s written something similar to what you want to do. Always find a new angle to analyse, if so. Always reference pieces they’ve published if you want to build off them - publications LOVE it if you link, in your own piece, to older pieces of theirs. And it helps show them, right in the pitch, that you’re aligned with what they do. You have an advantage if you’re already a regular reader of said publication, but it’s not too hard to do some research here.

Think of it like a job application: you wouldn’t apply without spending at least some time on their website or searching around to figure out what it’s like to work there. 

---

There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling the story of someone very close to you, with their permission. Many a great article has been a decent writer basically recounting their sister’s difficult pregnancy, their parents’ love story, their coworker’s breakup, their child’s developing mind. Find a story you think needs to be told because it’s a microcosmic reflection of some societal issue. I mean, do split the payment.

I would start with less people-intensive pitches to start, until you get the process down and know how you work. Personal essays, reviews, history-ish work, pop culture stuff is great to start with.

I imagine right now is a great time to do something thought-provoking / deep-dive-y on streaming shows and movies. It sounds a bit hokey but you can always bring a crit lens to just about anything, problematic faves being what they are. Lots of places are looking for "new hobbies to do from home" articles. Crafts? Wikipedia editing? Cooking? Lots of fodder there.

LOTS of publications right now are looking for political predictions or analyses about a post-pandemic world. It’s a heavy topic but do consider pitching something answering “What will libraries look like?” or “What is an essential service, really?” or “Why don’t we protect frontline workers better?” or “Why we should all unionize.” I know you have thoughts.

---

I like to write a draft of what I'm thinking right away. Even if it's just point form or the first half or the snappy conclusion. Then I don't have to try to recreate my inspiration weeks or months later when they finally get back to me. And it builds my confidence to have most of it written before I even pitch it, so I'm less worried about deadlines. You can always reuse this material for other publications so it's not wasted effort. Put it in Google Drive, honestly. It’s so easy to search for things you’ve already drafted if it’s all in one place. I’m always writing ideas down even if I’m too busy to even consider pitching. Here’s a glimpse.

---

So they will write back and say "Nope, not for us" or "Yes, we love it" or "Maybe can you do this specific thing instead." They will give you a deadline (or a total timeline), a word count, and a price. If not, ask for those right away.

Okay, now to write the thing.

If you already have a draft or some notes in a document, you're off to the races.

If you've pitched an article where you interview people, you should probably have reached out to those people gauge their interest before you make the pitch in the first place (unless you have 10+ people in mind, then you'll probably be fine).

I really can’t help you with the writing part too much, but I can tell you that the more I wrote the moment I had the idea, the easier it is to finish it later. Make sure you do research! No matter what level of brow the article is at, you want to link to and cite similar pieces from around the web. You’re not being any less original and meaningful by pointing out that others have contributed to your thoughts, and it’s simply a nice thing to do, and who knows, you may get some attention that leads to future writing opportunities. There are almost no web publications out there that won’t let you put links in your work (though, as I said, they will prefer links to their own stuff).

You may wish to ask, upon their acceptance of your pitch, for a pro bono subscription to access their back catalogue if one is needed. They will almost always have a writers-level login for you to use. It may be time-limited or it may be not worth their time to monitor, so congratulations, you just got a free subscription!

---

They will always, always, always return it with edits for your approval. This is where you start creating a relationship with an editor, one-on-one, and also learning about the editorial process for these types of publications writ large. Some editors will basically only do a copyedit; some will change whole sentence structures; some will slash and burn hundreds of words out; some will do an excellent job tightening up repetition and emphasizing the important bits; some will just confuse you. Some editors will put in jokes that you would never in a million years write.

You can decide which hills you want to die on, or you may wish to meekly accept whatevs for your first few articles. I have stood up for myself when an edit created a voice that was distinctly not my own, or perhaps cut out a clarification  I thought was necessary (e.g. something having to do with intersectional axes, or that ended up feeling gender-essentialist or tonedeaf in some other way). Otherwise I generally let the editors go with what they think is best.

It could be one round of quick edit approvals or several rounds of embarrassing grinding. It could make you absolutely miserable. I have pulled pieces I thought were good but upon multiple editing rounds turned out not to have a point, or not the point I thought they did. I have pulled pieces that I ran out of time to make good or couldn’t quite grasp what the editor was working toward (and they couldn’t quite grasp how to tell me). And I have had pieces fall into a purgatory of nobody-knows-what-to-do-with-it, where they ended up paying me in full (or paying me a “kill fee”) and not publishing it. It happens. Don’t worry too much about it.

---

And finally, paperwork.

They may wait until you have a draft they like before doing any paperwork (or even a publication date and a final version), or they may do the paperwork first.

Online publications pay less than paper ones - 5 to 10 cents a word, versus 10-50 cents a word for paper. Most will say on their pitching guidelines if they do a flat rate (like "$200 for 1500-2000 word essays").

Reviews are paid less but can be good experience-builders. Anything that verges on reporting (interviews with professionals, ATIPs, travel) will be much higher rates but I have no experience with that and I imagine you're not gonna aim for that anytime soon.

Most will pay on publication, which can be months from now; others will pay when they get a final draft ready. Some will pay monthly based on one of those dates. Many will pay automatically, and some will require you to invoice.

You can make an invoice really easily in Word or Google Drive, there are lots of templates. They may mail you a paper cheque, they may e-transfer, they may wire, they may PayPal. Put all those instructions on your invoice so they have no excuse later.

If it's an American publication, they may require you to sign a W8 or a W8BEN or some similar form that just says "The US has a tax agreement with this person's country; the money will be taxed as income in their country." That's why it's good to put "_________ is a Canadian living in Toronto" or whatever in your email byline right off the bat - you want them to make you aware of their requirements for paying you.

They may also have other contracts for you to sign such as giving away your copyright. I'm not too precious about this - every publication I write for is readable online without a subscription, so it’s mostly moot - but you can always ask about a CC license or something. You will want to use an online document signing tool like HelloSign if you don't want to print, sign, scan, and email each contract.

---

You will need to count up all of your "self employment income" for your taxes. Once you get your very first acceptance, start a spreadsheet. (I have all my information in an Airtable database, and yes, that is a referral link, because they are great and also free.) I also keep track of places I pitched and what their response was so I don't double-send, and so I can follow up if they have promised to do so but have not (but of course, don’t be annoying about it).

You just need to know your total earnings for tax-time, not too complicated, and be able to list the website you wrote for. Depending on how much you earn you may be able to claim deductions from this income for business-use-of-home (usually a percentage of your workweek throughout the year, so, probably quite low unless you really make a go of it).

[minnievirizarry]

5 Top Secrets to Maintain Healthy Work-Life Balance

People with tight schedules and time-consuming jobs experience the lack of work-life balance every once in awhile.

More than 90% of working respondents that participated in a survey conducted by Harvard Business School reported working more than 50 hours a week, which is far from ideal.

Although you may find yourself at the point where it seems impossible to maintain healthy work-life balance, several strategies can help you in this process.

What should you do if you want to change your routine to your advantage?

Read on and find out.

#1. Define Priorities Following Your Needs And Wishes

Are you stuck in the process of finding a balance between your job and personal life?

Maybe you have numerous ideas and goals in front of you, which is amazing.

However, you should ask yourself which one of them is the most important to you.

Do you want to focus on your career or would you rather spend more time with your family?

Once you take this step and make up your mind, the whole process will become less complicated.

Provided that you have realized what your top priority is, you should think about your main goals.

No matter what you are focusing on, you should be able to make goals for both professional and personal timeline.

Making the Professional Goals List

When it comes to your career, you should ask yourself: “Are you satisfied with it?”

If it is only a source of frustration and you don't like it, you may want to consider changing it.

Maybe you should start your own business? Even if you are comfortable at your current job position, you may not want to work there in the long term.

It is more than okay if you are thinking about promotion, too. You just have to be aware of your preferences.

Even if you are comfortable at your current position, you may not want to work there in the long term.

It is more than okay if you are thinking about promotion. You just have to be aware of your preferences.

All these could be good reasons for you to start listening to your inner voice.

If you are not happy with your work, your dissatisfaction can easily affect your personal life. And that's exactly what you want to avoid.

For instance, if your long-term business goal is to pursue a different career, think about short-term steps to reach that goal.

These steps can be monthly or weekly plans with precise actions that will get you where you want to be.

Creating the Personal Life Goals List

If you are willing to wisely spend your free time, you should think about your personal goals.

What do you want to achieve on the personal level? Maybe you want to get married, strengthen your friendships, or change your diet.

Once you take the necessary steps to improve your lifestyle and personal life, your career may improve, as well.

The healthier and more organized daily routine you have, the more focused and productive you’ll be at work.

Finally, remember that the key to a good balance between professional and personal life is finding a balance within each of them.

#2. Plan Your Life Thoroughly to Make the Most of It

If you are willing to give your daily routine a greater purpose, you should take care of two important things.

1. Organize Your Time in Detail.

To organize your time does not only mean to plan your working time.

Organizing your personal life can be equally painstaking, especially if you have to balance between your friends, family, hobbies, etc.

The busier you are, the less free time you will have. That's why it's important to introduce to-do lists both for your personal and professional life.

First of all, make sure to define priorities for each day or week and stay consistent.

Perform the tasks that you consider the most important first thing in the morning.

That way, you will be more inspired to do whatever you want during the day.

To keep yourself motivated, you may want to keep a journal of the tasks you have successfully finished, and go through everything you've done during the day before you go to sleep.

This way, you'll feel more productive.

2. Precisely Define Your Working Hours and Keep the Work at the Office

Even though it may sound difficult, this is the most valuable advice you will ever get.

Once you come home, forget about the business issues. Chances are you won’t be paid for obsessing over your business during family time.

That's why, in the first place, you should spend quality time with your family or do something that you enjoy.

If you really have to work from home, you still have room for fixing things.

You can do so by precisely defining your working hours at home.

Otherwise, you may get stuck between your family and your work, which is definitely not the most productive solution.

Creating a home office can be a good option but make sure not to spend too much time in there.

#3. Simplify Your Work Procedure

You may wonder what your work methods have to do with a healthy work-life balance.

There is an important thing to consider: If you don't organize your work hours properly, you may end up thinking about unfinished tasks at home.

This is what happens when you create too complex tasks or procrastinate.

Unless you are ready to give up on your personal life because of your job, you should be more organized at work.

The use of simple project management software can be a helpful way of keeping things in your office under control.

One of the simple yet useful tools of this kind developed by ProProfs lets you organize both your own and your entire team's work by making it easier for you to:

Track the project’s tasks and performances

Share files and discuss relevant issues with other team members

The use of reliable software and tasks simplification will improve your organization and increase productivity.

Hence, you will be able to keep professional worries within the working hours, away from personal life.

#4. Use Your Time Out of Work to Your Advantage

Once you've successfully organized your work, you should thoroughly think about your life out of the office.

Bad lifestyle affects productivity, and that's why it is important to take care of yourself, both mentally and physically.

In addition to this, your priority list should include:

Healthy food

No, you don't have to go fully vegan all of a sudden.

However, it would be good if you had a better eating plan than grabbing a burger.

Maybe you could plan and prepare meals in advance, to make sure you always have a healthy eating option.

Regular workouts

You don't have to act like a professional athlete, but you can be active a couple of times a week.

You can swim, run, or just take a long walk. It could be enough for you to keep your mind clear and get healthier at the same time.

Good quality sleep

It is vitally important for you to sleep enough and take time for yourself.

The more stressful your job is, the more quality sleep you are going to need.

To keep your productivity and efficiency at the optimal level, you should sleep about eight hours every night.

#5. Create Your Own Rules and Stick to Them

Once you have precisely defined your goals and ways to achieve them, you should be consistent.

If you are not capable of respecting the schedule you've made, then you're doing something wrong.

Nobody says it is an easy process, but if you are passionate about the goals, you will be able to stick to your schedule.

Moreover, you will find a way to follow it even if it seems impossible.

Yes, distractions will be waiting for you at every corner, but you should remember the bigger picture.

If you can't keep your focus, nobody will do it for you.

It's especially important not to forget this when work or personal life seem to overwhelm you.

In moments like these, you should be ready to defend your own time and decisions.

Learn how to say "no" to endless workloads instead of letting them affect you personally.

One of the best ways to do so is to forget about your cell phone, laptop, and boss when you spend quality time with your family or on your own.

When you're not at work, don't check your email for more than two times a day because you may end up stuck replying to them the whole day.

Here's the Key to Creating a Perfect Work-Life Balance

Long story short, believe it or not, there is a magic recipe for a perfect work-life balance.

It includes a clear mind, well-set goals, determination, and tools that will make it easier for you to maintain it.

Some of the tools you should consider are:

Personal and work diaries

Simple project management software and other practical tools

Motivational cards, educational podcasts, etc.

Are you already aware of what matters to you?

Do you realize that you should get the most of every minute, every hour, every day?

If your answer is yes, you are already on the right path to the healthy work-life balance!

David is a technical writer. His works are regularly published in various papers and top-notch portals. His rich experience in the project management domain helps him offer the latest and freshest perspective on improved efficiency in workflows across organizations. His work on the subject can also be found on ProProfs Project.

The post 5 Top Secrets to Maintain Healthy Work-Life Balance appeared first on Ninja Outreach.

from SM Tips By Minnie https://ninjaoutreach.com/work-life-balance/