#and when I have a job in september I'll have more money I can use to go to the cinema <3 but less time and energy :(

[liebelesbe]

teeheehee going to the cinema later <3

[messenger-of-babel]

Alive In Memory

Summary: Even after everything he endured, the memory of you kept him alive. Even if that meant losing you forever. (Leon S Kennedy x fem!reader)

Word Count: 2.5K

Notes: Two Leon's coming up in a row wowwwww. This was written earlier but completely just me forgetting to post since I had an event on tonight. A little OOC I believe but I'm trying to pull it back in. I'll hammer out the fanon aspects that swirl around and re-engage with the canon like I normally would, but I have SH2 now so resi replays are gonna need to chill for a bit. Much love!

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Leon often thought about September 30th, 1998.

It was the day his life changed forever, entering as the bright eyed, kind-spirited rookie and leaving with all of that stripped away from him. His hands became stained, and he'd seen more death than ever before, coating his skin with the ashes. The years passed and he was forced to recount the story over and over, like a toy responding when it's string was pulled. He'd speak of the horrors he saw that night, the tragedy that was Umbrella, the destruction that littered the city. Yet he also remembered the night for another reason, a reason that he kept tucked away in the corners of his memory, just for him.

It was the day he lost you.

You and Leon had been dating well before he left for Raccoon City. You had shown up to every cadet function he had; arm linked with his when you went to get drinks. You got along well with his friends, you patched him up when he got bruised from falling off obstacle courses, you came to pick him up some days and you'd go get a treat down by the pier. Even after all these years he could still see your face, all rugged up and cup of tea in your hands, crook of your knees thrown over the edge of the couch. You'd stay there while he studied, a soft presence behind him while he studied, head in his hands. You were there for him always, and that included when he graduated. He had sought your eyes out first thing, seeing you in the crowd wearing an ear-to-ear grin, eyes sparkling. His chest had puffed out in pride, beaming back down at you.

That was supposed to be the start of your new life together.

The life you had both decided to build. He was planning to get a job, start off as a desk cop rookie and move his way to detective. He'd save up all his money so he could get a plane ticket to fly to your folks’ place and ask to speak to your parents about something important. He was going to save up all of his bonuses so he could buy you a pretty ring, with enough left over that you could have anything you wanted at the wedding should you choose to say yes. He loved your parents, the way they treated him like a second son. He loved you. So that's why he had no hesitance in heading to Raccoon that night. The sooner he started, the sooner that dream could come true.

"I'll be back." he said softly, kissing you on the cheek as he got into the driver’s seat. "I'll head in and see what's happening. I'll phone you."

Despite his reassurance you still frown, fingers curling around the door so he can't close it. "Didn't they call and tell you not to come?" you ask, eyebrows furrowed. "In that case shouldn't you be staying here?"

He shakes his head. "They won't respond when I ask. I think it'll be faster if I go and ask myself. I'm sure it's just a mistake. The movers are still scheduled this week to pick us up and move us in. If I get time I might get the keys to the apartment early, and we can go see it together." he smiles softly. He can see the way your jaw clenches thoughts racing around in your mind. "Hey," he says, placing his hand over yours on the door. "I'll be fine. It's not like I'm a SWAT team or S.T.A.R.S." he chuckles.

"S.T.A.R.S?" you inquire, and he waves his hand.

"They're a special task force in the RPD. Way above me." he says. He sighs, seeing you're not convinced. "Honey, I swear I'll be okay."

You fiddle before sighing yourself. "How about I pack a bag too, I'll stay at a hotel while you’re working and figure it all out. That way there's somewhere for you to sleep too if they say you've got another start date. I don't want you to drive back tired."

"And miss your big presentation tomorrow?" he raises his eyebrows. "That's super important to you. You could get promoted for that, and you've been working hard on that for weeks." he says, recalling the sleepless nights you had sacrificed. "I'll be fine." he muttered, swinging his legs out the car and standing up briefly just so he could kiss you again. You melted under the contact, fingers loosening against the door.

"I'll be fine." he soothed you for the millionth time, offering you his boyish grin before sitting back in the car and buckling himself in. "Go get some rest."

"Love you." you say quietly, hand coming through the window to grip his shoulder as he turned the engine over. He smiles, hand coming off the wheel to cover yours and give it a squeeze.

"I love you too."

And then he was gone, pulling out of the driveway while your eyes chased his taillights into the darkness. Little did you know that he had kept his eyes trained on the tears staining your cheeks and the bridge of your nose, heart panging as he saw you on the rearview mirror shrink smaller and smaller.

No, he hadn't lost you, you had lost him.

he had survived Raccoon with the desperateness to go back to you, your parents, his family. He cursed himself constantly. He shouldn’t have come, he should have listened to you, he should have thought about it a bit more. Yet if he could go back, he'd make the same mistake again and again, unable to stop the thoughts that there could be someone in trouble if he had never come. He just thanked every god above that he hadn't caved when you had asked to come with, his heart settling knowing that you were safe (albeit worried) back in your home. When he had finally gotten out of Raccoon, all he wanted was a cold shower and to go back to your shared place. To take a break and scrub his brain of everything he had seen. His hands shook when he wiped his face of the grime, uniform biting into his skin and making him feel like he was suffocating.

he wondered if you would be angry at him when he told you he wanted to quit the force after a single day.

Yet he never got a chance.

They had been intercepted almost immediately after the city was destroyed. At first he felt relief, he thought he had been rescued. That it would all be over soon, and you were closer than ever. However, it turned out to be quite the opposite. He was locked in a room with some agents for the better half of a day, wearing him down till he agreed to work with them. he was unable to return to his old life, everyone and everything that had made him who he weas before Raccoon.

 He could no longer go to you.

They redacted his files, pulled his documents and ID. He sat there with dull eyes seeing his digital footprint be wiped from the map, all the photos of you together being deleted off his media before his account was shut all together. He had managed to keep that flame of himself alive all through the city ordeal, but with each deleted image it flickered more and more until eventually, it was extinguished with a defeated breath.

They had put him almost immediately in the army training, all of their communication monitored. Every day he still thought of you, writing you letters you'd never get. He knew they were burning them, the way he'd drop it in the collection box for soldiers knowing that would be the lasty time he saw them. He liked to imagine differently, that instead of being sent to the burner they made their way back to you. You would know that he was still alive and hadn’t been caught in the explosion. That he loved you, and he wished more than anything that he could go home. He imagined the letters decorating your mantle or filling up in a shoebox while you waited for him to come home, instead of his handwriting curling with tongues of flame until his words never existed.

As the years past they broke him in more and more, until he was an agent with the DSO, no longer a flight risk and allowed to be unclipped from his leash. It was nearly a year after he had gone to Spain and rescued Ashley that he found himself in a bar in some big city, hunched over the whisky he knocked back. He kept himself holed up in the corner, obscured in the shadows and scowling at anyone that came too close, leaving the booth free to himself.

He spent a lot of nights like this now, fiddling with the callouses on his fingertips while he counted the grains in the wood table. Until a laugh makes him pause, head rising. With the chiming of the bar door, a group of women all walk in. He watches as they settle at a reserved table near the bar, and when the sea of dresses part his heart stops in his chest.

 It was you. Older and more mature, but you nonetheless. It didn’t matter that you had worn your hair differently, he could still point out the way it framed your face so nicely, eyes the same sparkling colour he remembered. The lines of your face, the arch of your nose, the dip of your lips, he had committed all of it to memory in those long nights alone. He studied your face like a saint, the image permanently etched in his mind’s eye.

His fingers twitched with the urge to go to you, to see if you remembered him. If you could still tell it was him under all the scars and bruises, and the way his lips always sat in a frown now. If you could still see that his eyes were the same shade as always, even if they had dulled a little. If you would still tell his hands were the same when they interlocked with yours, even if they were calloused and rough now. He pushes his drink to the side, standing up slightly before he gets a look at what you are wearing and slowly lowers himself back down.

The hope that was in his chest sputters out, and he bites back the bitter taste of reality. Of course, just because his life before Raccoon got frozen, doesn't mean that yours was. To you, he had died in a horrific incident and was a number among the thousands of deaths. You still had to dry your tears and go to work the next day and the next and the next, knowing he wasn't going to be coming home. You had pursued your career undoubtedly, winding up in the big city, and now you were in this bar seven years later wearing a white sash printed 'BRIDE' in gold lettering. He calmed the shake in his hands with a trained breath, hanging his head.

He was happy for you. He was happy, knowing that him leaving hadn't destroyed your life. The question of what you were doing now, that he thought about every single night, was finally answered. You were alive. you were happy. You were getting married, just like he had always wanted to.

 He slips a hand into his shirt, fingers toying with the worn silver chain. He tugs it to look at the silver engagement band lying there. It had always been fruitless, and honestly quite selfish of him. However, Leon couldn't find it in his to scold his past self, still a lovesick puppy who had been kicked in the ribs by life. He couldn't scold the young man who had taken a walk down the main street the day he got his very first pay check working as an agent. Sure, there were still a few eyes on him, he could see them trailing him, but he couldn’t care less. The pay was good, exceptionally so, which allowed him to push open the glass doors of the jewellers and pick out a ring. It was your favourite stone and your favourite cut, things he had asked your parents before he had left. he knew it wouldn't ever reach you, but it soothed the young man at night when he was restless and tormented by nightmares.

He rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, watching at how it still had a spark of light despite how worn it had become from missions and late nights alike. He tucked it back inside, closing his eyes to recall the face of you like he remembered, looking at him as he shut that car door.

He never should have left.

he then opened them and looked up, taking a mental snapshot of what you looked like now, the way you smiled and the way you laughed.

he needed to leave.

Silently he slips from the bar, a few bills left under his half-drunk glass. He casts one last glance at you, smiling softly. He has to pry the fingers of his rookie self off of his chest, his young love making his heart beat faster. Eventually the internal war ends, the young cop backing off and slipping back into the corner of his mind that Leon had shoved him into. When your eyes meet, he's already leaving, controlling the clench in his fists.

You were happy. You were safe now.

 Your girlfriends are giggling and drinking around you, chatting with each other as you celebrate your bachelorette. The night has been fun, attention focused wholly on your future. However, the ringing of the bar bell manages to steal your attention for a moment, making you look up from your drink. You catch the eye of a man as he walks out the door, a jolt of lightning running down your spine and hair raising on your arms. His eyes that were so deeply familiar yet foreign to you, then they were gone. You see a glimmer in the eyes of a stranger that leaves the bar. It might’ve just been the alcohol or melancholic speeches your entourage has been reciting all night, recalling the ‘good old days’. That’s what logic dictated to you.

But when you listened to your heart for a split second, a barely tangible moment, you saw a glimpse of a young police academy graduate you knew years ago, a glimmer of a young boy you once loved but now struggled to recall the name of.

[roosterforme]

The Intern Part 1 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: After you try to delay the inevitable, you begin your job search. At least that way you'll be able to get out of your father's house and away from everyone who acts like you're incapable of doing anything on your own. When Bradley pursues you, in part to bolster his own agenda, he's pretty convinced you're more capable than most.

Warnings: Language, reader's dad has a name (eventually 18+)

Length: 3700 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Find the Prologue here.

The Intern masterlist. Check out my masterlist for more. Banner by @mak-32

Your father wasted no time over the breakfast that his chef made. You were still in your pajamas which consisted of a white silk camisole and shorts set, but he was already in a charcoal suit and tie, ready to seize the day. Or at the very least, your freedom.

"You need an internship," he said firmly as he smeared jelly on a piece of toast. "You need to complete a professional internship to show everyone that you are clever and talented and can think on your feet. You need to show them in person that your last name has nothing to do with it."

This was going to be a lot more involved than you originally thought. You carefully cut into your poached egg and asked, "So I can't just intern with you?"

He sighed and gave you a bland look. "I would love to have you with me all day and show you the ropes at Avio Technologies, but you already know that's not possible. You need to find a different department or a different company altogether." 

You chewed your food and shot him a bland look of your own. It was almost amusing that he thought he could outwit you when he was the one who taught you how to play all of his games. "Maybe we could talk about this tomorrow?"

"You already got an extra day out of me, Sweetheart. My generosity has been all used up." 

He looked almost amused now, so you knew you were skating on thin ice as you said, "I think an internship that starts in September would be the way to go."

When he set his knife down and bit into his toast, you straightened your back while he chewed. He took his time responding, and when he did, he asked, "And what exactly would you do during June, July and August?"

"There's a lot to be said for a little relaxation, Daddy," you told him in your most professional voice. "I've spent the last six years working nearly every day."

"And I've spent the last thirty five years working nearly every day. Please, get to your point."

You folded your hands in front of yourself and said, "I would be a better intern if I were well rested."

He wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood, taking one last sip of his coffee. If you or he wanted more to eat, his chef would make it. And you could see his housekeeper standing in the kitchen doorway ready to run in and clean up after him as soon as he left the dining room. All of it made you want to scream. You weren't even sure you wanted this lifestyle. 

"Are you aware of the stipulations on your trust fund?" your father asked you in a voice laced with more than warning. You could feel the blood rush from your face. You'd been waiting your entire life for that money, and not because you wanted to use it the same way he did. 

"Yes."

He nodded at you before he kissed your forehead. "Then make your decisions accordingly. I'll be back in a few hours."

As soon as he was out of the dining room, his housekeeper had her hands on his empty plate and coffee cup, and you abandoned the rest of your food for the relative solace of your bedroom. It wasn't even nine o'clock yet, but it was close to lunchtime on the east coast. Maybe you could call one of your friends from school, but they were probably starting internships of their own this week. You glanced out your windows at the pool, but the landscaping crew was out there with leaf blowers, so you just flopped down onto your bed.

What did you want out of an internship? You wanted it to be like school. You had no problem with hard work, but you preferred it to come with a hefty side of fun. Cocktails, dancing, late night dinners, boys, shopping. You weren't too picky about how that fun was served up, but you were absolutely certain there was more to life than working nonstop. And nobody in their right mind needed as much money as your father had.

You reached for your computer and rolled onto your stomach. The last place you wanted to intern was at Avio Technologies where your supervisor would report every detail of your work back to him. Even if you found a department that had nothing to do with what he was working on, you'd be screwed. Your dad knew everyone. He'd find out if you forgot to cover your mouth when you coughed or yawned too loudly. No, you needed to find something without your dad's help.

After you update your résumé and your LinkedIn profile, you thought about contacting that hot recruiter you met in grad school. You were pretty sure you still had his number in your phone contacts. Maybe you should make a to-do list. Or maybe you should go back to bed now that your dad was gone. You ended up lounging around for so long that your stomach was growling because of your unfinished breakfast. 

"Fuck it," you murmured, strolling out of your room still in your silk pajamas. If the groundskeepers saw you as you walked past the French doors, then it was their own fault. And honestly, you were more covered up now than you were when you were wearing your bathing suit anyway.

The fact that you had to sneak into the kitchen so nobody tried to help you toast a slice of bread was beyond annoying, but you tiptoed through the house anyway. You ended up walking around as you ate the toast, probably leaving a trail of crumbs, but at least this way the housekeeper would be entertained again. You wondered what the staff did all day long when it was only your dad here. He could literally take care of himself if he tried, but why try when you're worth billions?

You popped the last bite into your mouth and started dancing through the foyer to the song that was stuck in your head. You did a few spins and pirouettes, and then you started making up an actual routine as you hummed. When you heard the front door open, you tried to freeze, but your foot caught on the marble floor, and you stumbled awkwardly. Just when you braced yourself for a lecture from your father, you were greeted by deep laughter and amused brown eyes instead.

"Oh," you said, pressing your palm to your chest as you regained your footing. "It's just you."

"Just me," Bradley Bradshaw replied with a shrug. He surveyed your body, and you could tell he was trying his best not to react to your outfit. Or lack thereof.

You crossed your arms over your chest. "Yes. I'm still in my pajamas."

"I didn't say a word about it," he replied immediately, those brown eyes suddenly feigning innocence. 

You knew your shorts left nothing to the imagination. You were also very aware that your nipples were probably peaked against your silk top, but you kept reminding yourself you were wearing less than this yesterday in the pool. Bradley however was wearing another designer suit that hugged him in all the right places, and his tie was once again a little too loose for you to take him completely seriously. His hair was a bit mussed today, too. Maybe his wife or girlfriend had run her fingers through it, but if that was the case, then he shouldn't be looking at you this way.

"What are you doing here?" you asked him. 

His hands were back on his narrow hips as he replied, "Supposed to have lunch with your father."

"At least the chef and housekeeper will have something to do," you muttered to yourself. Then a little louder you said, "My dad's not back yet, and I hope you don't expect me to entertain you."

He chuckled. "Of course not. You look busy as hell dancing around. I definitely wouldn't want to interrupt that."

"Correct," you replied, tipping your chin in the air. "I've got no time for nonsense. Unless... did you bring your Armani swim trunks? It's a little early in the day for skinny dipping." You took a step closer to him. You couldn't pinpoint exactly why it was so fun to tease him, but he looked down at the floor and blushed a little bit before he replied which made you feel even bolder. 

He met your eyes and said, "How embarrassing. I'm too early for lunch, and I'm too early for skinny dipping." His voice was a little softer now and you bit your lip, which drew his gaze to your mouth.

"You could always come back later."

His amused smile from yesterday was back as he said, "You really are a bit of a brat."

Then your father was right there, closing the front door behind him with a flourish as you took a step away from Bradley. He hadn't moved an inch, and his eyes were still on yours even as your father said his name.

"Sir," Bradley replied, turning toward him and holding out his hand. Your father shook it before patting him on the shoulder. 

"We've been over this before, Bradley. You can call me Ted. We've been working together for a while."

"Ted," Bradley repeated, and you could tell that your father was secretly pleased by this show of respect. You wanted to roll your eyes, and then you realized that you were standing in the foyer in your pajama set at noon, and that was going to be a problem. 

When your father turned toward you, his gaze was unamused. "Have you done anything today?"

"It's only lunchtime, Daddy," you replied. "But I updated my résumé."

"You have something better than a résumé," he snapped. "You have connections. Use them. I want you to have solidified an internship by the end of the week."

"But-"

He cut you right off, and you could feel the heat rising to your face as Bradley looked at you a little sympathetically. 

"I don't generally deal with people who force me to repeat myself," your father said. "And I think you'll find I'm not the only one."

Now you were getting a little angry. He was talking to you like you just tanked a business deal for him. "I'm not some random person from your company."

But you could tell he wasn't listening now. He wouldn't really listen again until you had a job. "Once you find yourself an internship, I think you'll see that whomever you're working under won't take kindly to that sort of attitude. Now go get dressed," he said, dismissing you as he nodded toward the dining room and started walking. 

You were left standing there with your hands on your silk covered hips and your bottom lip held firmly between your teeth. Bradley was giving you a curious look as he started to follow your father. "I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," you replied, barely meeting his eyes. Your dad embarrassed you in front of him. And sure, maybe you should have been dressed for the day, but you just got back to California. You wanted a chance to catch your breath. But now you were standing there watching both of their retreating forms with a bad taste in your mouth.

----------------------------

After an uneventful lunch with Ted, Bradley walked slowly back through his house. It was really more of a mansion or an estate, something that Bradley supposed he himself could afford now if he so desired, but he was used to his condo in Mission Hills. And he just couldn't picture having staff living with him. 

He found that his head was on a swivel, peeking out the French doors to check the pool area and glancing up the main stairs to see if you were still around. A smile always crept to his lips whenever he thought about you, and it was obvious why. You were clearly a bit of a handful. Definitely a touch bratty. Old enough to know better, but young enough to not give too much of a damn. And you always made Bradley laugh. 

At Christmastime, you were tipsy and tried to get him to drink a bottle of wine with you. He spent the rest of the night wondering what would have happened if he actually followed you into your father's kitchen, just the two of you. If anyone else happened upon that scene, he figured it would have gotten back to Ted. It was probably for the best that someone else had interrupted that. 

But now his mind was swirling with information. You needed an internship. Bradley was headed off to Europe and could use an extra hand with work all summer. There would be endless meetings and constant schmoozing about the proprietary missile guiding software that Avio Technologies was currently peddling to the US Navy. Bradley was silently dreading doing it alone. 

You might also serve as a useful source of information. If anyone knew what exactly was going on at Avio regarding the misuse of funds that he was certain he'd stumbled upon, Bradley was sure it would be Ted. Your father knew everyone. He had his hands in the research end of things where Bradley worked as well as the sales end of things where his old friend Jake Seresin was currently dabbling. 

This is why Bradley was spending so much of his time here now; he was looking for information. And also for Ted's daughter. If he could appeal to your tastes as far as a job went, maybe he could get you to join him for the summer. 

"Once again, I'm sorry about my daughter," Ted said with a sigh as he walked Bradley across the foyer. "She's stubborn. Headstrong. She wants to have her own agenda. She'll make an exceptional CFO someday."

Bradley couldn't help but chuckle. "Something tells me you're right."

"She just has a lot to learn about staying in your pajamas until noon and working your connections to your benefit, but she'll get there," he replied with a wave of his hand. 

Bradley glanced up the stairs one more time, hoping for a glimpse of white silk and your pretty face, but you had tucked yourself away somewhere out of sight. "Thanks for lunch," Bradley said, holding out his hand for Ted to shake. "I always appreciate when you let me pick your brain, sir."

He chuckled and clapped Bradley on the back again. "How many times do I have to tell you to use my first name?"

"Always one more, I guess," Bradley replied, heading toward the front door with a smile. "See you at the office later this week."

Once he was outside in the sunlight, he slipped on his favorite pair of aviators he'd had since he first started flying F/A-18s and headed for his SUV. He walked past an assortment of sports cars in the circular drive before he got to his more modest black Range Rover Velar. As he drove back into the city to the office, he already started to formulate a plan. He just hoped you'd be around when he showed up again tomorrow. You were already integral to his agenda. 

When his phone rang, he took it in the car as he wove through traffic. He didn't even check the number since only a handful of people had it. "Bradshaw," he said as he pulled up to a red light. "Bradley, it's Judy." He sighed and relaxed back against the seat; his receptionist was exceptional. She could take a pile of bullshit and whittle it down to the bare minimum of necessary information for him. He needed to give her another raise. "I have a few résumés here, and some of them were dropped off by hand. You know... a few Vice Presidents are trying to get their kids jobs in the software development lab. There are also some who are hoping for professional internships. Want to look at them, or should I toss them?"

Bradley ran his hand over his mouth before he said, "I'm on my way back to the office now. I'll take a look at them, but I'm hoping I found an alternative solution to a professional intern that might just be perfect."

------------------------

The following morning, you stood in your closet and held up your white bikini. You looked at it longingly, ran your fingers along the cute triangles that made up the top and wrapped the ties around your fingers before tossing it aside. Instead, you changed out of your pink nightie into an outfit that your father would probably refer to as 'smart casual' as soon as he saw you.

But you were alone for breakfast, because he was already gone for the day. When his chef asked you what you wanted to eat, she looked annoyed when you said cereal and fruit and told her you could get it yourself. The refrigerator was completely stocked, and you loved that your dad had removed cherries from his shopping lists since you found out you were allergic. 

You swiped a peach and some berries onto the counter and started cutting them up, and now the chef looked like she was about to faint. You added them to the top of your cereal bowl and smiled pleasantly at her before you headed into the dining room with your coffee and breakfast. You'd have to contact some potential employers today. You already knew that. But you found yourself lingering over your meal until the cereal was soggy, trying to put off the inevitable a little longer. 

You bargained with yourself. If you spent the morning looking for an internship, then you could lounge by the pool for the afternoon. "Excellent bargaining. You're so smart," you told yourself as you returned your dirty dishes to the kitchen while the housekeeper bounced on her feet nervously. She met you at the sink and snagged everything out of your hands. 

With your computer on your lap, you sat on the couch and made a list of companies in San Diego that might fit the bill. The problem was, Avio was at the top of the list, simply because of the sheer number of different departments housed in the main office downtown. When you clicked on the Research and Development header, you saw a smug looking photo of Bradley Bradshaw and started to laugh. 

"Clearly you know you're handsome," you muttered, reading about him in his short bio. Department Lead for Research and Development at Avio Technologies. Fifteen years as a US Naval aviator. Retired with medals of honor and a rank of Lieutenant Commander. Leading Avio in cutting edge research for naval aircraft software. "Impressive."

You scrolled through a few other departments and made a separate list of people to ask your father to introduce you to. When your stomach started growling, you realized it was already noon. "Time flies when you're not having fun," you murmured as you dashed upstairs, your bikini calling to you like a siren song. 

Only because it would be convenient, you decided to ask the chef to make you lunch so you could eat it outside by the pool. You were just tying your sheer beach cover up over your bathing suit and leaving your room when you heard your dad's voice along with some others. As silently as you could, you tiptoed barefoot down the main stairs, looked both ways and dashed to the left toward the French doors. And then you slammed directly into someone.

"Shit," you whispered, grabbing onto an Armani suit while hands came up to your back to steady you. Then you looked up into those same pretty brown eyes as the big hands tightened around your waist. "It's you again."

Bradley was laughing, and the deep rumble had you pressing yourself against him. "Me again."

You tried not to laugh as you whispered, "If you come with me, you can ditch the rest of the suits." For some reason, you wanted him to join you on the patio, just like he had the other day. He'd ditched everyone else for your company then, and you wanted him to do precisely that again.

You tugged him toward the doors, but he just shook his head. "It's too early for skinny dipping, remember?" A rather inappropriate retort was poised and ready to go, just sitting on the tip of your tongue, but he added, "But I actually was looking for you."

Now your heart fluttered. "You were?"

"Mmhmm," he hummed, releasing his hold on you. Your initial instinct was to whine until he touched you again, and you had to bite your lip to prevent another embarrassing moment. "I couldn't help but overhear yesterday that you're looking for a professional internship."

When he paused, you said, "I am. Go on."

He smirked, and he looked so much like his photo on the Avio Technologies website, you almost started laughing again. "I think I have something that could be exactly what you're looking for. Are you free tomorrow?"

"I could be. As long as it doesn't interfere with my sunbathing," you told him, and you watched his Adam's apple bob as his gaze dipped briefly to your chest. 

Your breath caught in your throat as that pretty pink color flooded his cheeks. He reached into his pocket without taking his eyes off your face and then held a business card between his index and middle fingers right in front of your lips. "Call my office this afternoon. Judy will set something up for tomorrow." He paused again. "If you're interested."

You plucked the card from his grasp, and he smiled as he turned to his left and headed for your father's conference room. As you studied the tidy font, you wondered what he was looking for in an intern. You wondered what he could offer you. After a quick detour to grab your phone, you went outside to make a call.

You were interested. 

------------------------

Interested is an understatement for me. Offer her a job, Bradley! And pack you swim shorts, baby boy. Thank you @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 2

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

@chassy21

@solacestyles

@daisyhollyxox

@wintercap89

@blog-name6996

@bcon24

@chaoticassidy

@avada-kedavra-bitch-187

@katiebby04

@marantha

@averyhotchner

@abaker74

@heli991113

@k-k0129

@noz4a2

@tallyovie

@shanimallina87

@little-wiseone

@ccbb2222

@lilyevanswhore

@xoxabs88xox

@thedroneranger

@bradshawsbitch

@cherrycola27

@fanboyswhore9

@xomrsalliej4787xo

@desert-fern

@sylviebell

@wkndwlff

@horseslovers2016

@gennyanydots

@mattyskies

@hookslove1592

@blahehblah

@sadpetalsstuff

@local-spidey

@schoollover

@lex-winchester

@magicalmorg

@nicole01-23

@jessicab1991

@happyrebelruins

@samsgoddess

@ughthisisntright

@bellaireland1981

@sagittarius-flowerchild

[jenny-in-a-jar]

🩷🩵🤍 5 Days Until my Surgery 🤍🩵🩷

(Picture taken September 1, 2022)

I'm very very excited for my surgery (it's my second gender affirming surgery but this one is more significant to me since it'll be top and bottom surgery) and I'm obviously counting the days until it and I thought some people might be interested in my trans journey 🏳️‍⚧️ So see part 6 below the cut.

Part 1 here

Me and my partner got back together and got a place together and we still live in this apartment together 🥰 I also worked at worked at a local amusement park over the summer that had some fun but mostly was horrible due to angry customers that kept misgendering me and kids making fun of me 🙃 But also I'll say I had one of my most euphoric moment when this little girl pointed to her winged eyeliner and said "you're just like me!" Bc I also had winged eyeliner at the time 🥰

(Picture taken June 6th, 2022)

Also, if the last Era was the peak of my egirl era on twitter than this was the fall of my egirl era 📉

I remember reaching 10k followers and thinking "ok I have enough of a following to try to make money off this." It's what a lot of egirls on there did and as I stated above, I hated my job. I thought briefly about streaming and YouTube but I don't really have the personality for streaming and was too self-conscious of my voice to do YouTube. And there were a lot of sex workers on twitter that I knew, followed, and admired. And there was quite the market for trans sexual content. Also I wanted to basically be paid to look pretty all day 🤷‍♀️ So, I made a OnlyFans account and started promoting it.

(Picture taken May 9th, 2022)

And I quickly got shadow banned for it 😂 And frankly, I wasn't really meant for sex work. I'm not really a sexual person. I do enjoy sexual acts but doing them for money killed my drive for it. I made a few hundred dollars but I didn't make enough content for it to keep it up.

Also, the shadow banned revealed how unhealthy my relationship with Twitter was. My self worth would be highly dependent on how well my posts did that day (I was still posting pictures daily). And I was hypercritical of my picture quality and my physical features. And developed a bad habit of comparing myself to girls I considered prettier than me. And with the constant misgendering from work, I was at a big low 🥲

(Picture taken September 17th, 2022)

I remember this was when there was first talk about Elon buying Twitter and I was looking for an alternative and well... ended up here.

(Picture taken June 2nd, 2022)

I remember the idea between this pic was clothes and accessories that weren't explicitly queer but gave queer vibes.

Also talking about queerness, I also participated in a Drag Show! I played a mushroom fairy!

(Picture taken August 13th, 2022)

It was organized by this local queer nonprofit that did a lot in the community and was already a big part of my life but would become a bigger part of my life.

Also this was when I was done with the curly girl method. And I like how my hair looks like this and it's easier 🤷‍♀️

(Picture taken September 4th, 2022)

Also love how often I get used out of this mushroom beret 😁🍄😁 (which is why I have 2 pics with it on this post lol)

Also an update on my love life at this time. I at one point had 4 partners very briefly and was part of a polycule over over 22 people. I remember one of my metamours made a chart showing all the relationships and it was complicated 😅 Also it was mostly online. Like 2 of my partners were long distance relationships.

(Picture taken Oct 2nd, 2022)

Around my 23rd birthday, I decided to do what was best for my mental health and quit twitter. But I had two last pictures because I got them from some followers who bought me things from my Amazon wishlist I made for my birthday.

(Picture taken October 29, 2022)

This one would be useful for the next era. And you can see a small part of my large collection of plushies (which I have a project in mind for 👀)

(Picture taken on November 8th, 2022)

And this was the last picture I posted on Twitter before quitting at 36k followers. I had already stopped posting on it for awhile so you can imagine my surprise when I got a big pink teddy bear 😱 And for all the work I put into that account, I consider this a pretty good prize 🧸💕

I consider Tumblr my last attempt with having a healthy relationship with social media. If this account goes away, I'll probably be done with Social Media 🤷‍♀️ I think I'm getting better at breaking those bad habits I developed on Twitter while still trying to enjoy the art of dressing up and taking selfies. But, I don't know if I'll ever have the drive for it like I did during my twitter days.

With my summer job ending and twitter as a way to make a living out of the window you may be concerned with how I recovered but I got really lucky and I'll go into detail on that tomorrow 😁

[aphrodeiities]

i've returned to post about a particular subject i've been fighting to or not to post, because i used to consider this person the closest person in my life and i even considered her as a best friend and a sister.

and we have fallen out and apologised to each other many times, but perhaps whenever we argued it was life telling me that she is not supposed to be in my circle. and you could be wondering why am i bringing this up and telling tumblr this but im telling tumblr this to be aware of @couerardent and her scamming behaviour.

couerardent also known as MYSTIICWINTER OR MYSTICWIINTER.

talk about WORSE SERVICE I HAVE EVER GOTTEN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

[other people have come to me and spoke about how bad her services were, but i tried to overlook it because i really cared for her, lessoned learn]

i have always been empathetic towards ardent and her money situation, but there are moments when excuses turn into reasons to not do something. on august, i sent alex money because she needed it, but she also said in return she will give me 4 packs she usually gives her clients and she told me she would give me my money back.

first pack is "tell me your story."

second and other packs she hadnt told me what they were but she informed me that i'll be receiving them weekly since august, and now its november.

at first i was empathetic, since i used to be close to ardent, i knew she went through a lot of stuff at home, so i was patient. until august turned into september, and september turned into october and then october turned into novemeber.

and slowly i became annoyed, [as i should] because her services arent even long or good, as someone who gives chart readings to other people that consists more than fourteen pages, the effort to write that would take long, but ardent doesnt even give five pages for her services, three at most, so why is it taking her so long?

previously, she has joked to me about scamming other people, but would put the blame on them and not want to take accountability until they start using threats to expose her, i think she deleted the making fun of scamming them but here is some of it:

and when i would message her for updates about my reading because it'll take months, she would ignore me and even change her pfp on tumblr or discord, until i reach out to her on more platforms to get her attention.

and what would annoy me even more is that she would talk about how she never has something to do or would focus on other stuff knowing she needs to get my reading done lmao and this would be like 1-2 months after i was supposed to receive any of it lol.

worrying about the layout for almost 3 months PLEASE.

i have received 1/4 readings, and that was now almost 2-3 weeks ago, we should've been on my 2nd or 3rd reading by now, the only reason i have received 1 reading is because i did threaten to expose her if she didnt send the money or reading my way, because even i had some issues because living in london has gotten really difficult and i have been trying to support my family as much as i can, but im doing better right now.

its all about the principle. and she has none of that. and even attempted to victimise herself and behave like she was in distress whenever she got called out about her behaviour.

she lost track of time, the time being 3-4 months lol.

and when i was speaking to her she ignored me for a bit again ha, it was almost comedic. for almost two weeks she didnt try and check what i was speaking about.

she has gotten ill, but this was still months after.

and i have remembered, she has used much of her earned money to fund for her nose job but also uni, but during the moments it was best to pay me back was at the job she said paid her well, she informed me that when she gets paid by her job she'll pay me back, and she never did and ended up quitting the job.

[the unfairness i was speaking about is how uni her country dont do student finances, she's from romania, because they do in the uk it was just a surprise].

i asked her recently on how i was supposed to receive a reading but she didnt reply but change her pfp on whatsapp and discord, again.

if there is any confused people comment please because i did this half asleep lmao

[kimmiessimmies]

Personal post

This will probably be the most non-Sims related post I've put on this blog ever. I'll put most of it under a cut, so you can choose whether or not to read it. The thing is, I could use some advice. And asking strangers from all over the world advice on something important might be weird, but you are also my community, so I value your opinions. Don't worry, this isn't a "Kim being depressed" kinda post. 😉 It's a work thing.

Upfront: This post is about me being unhappy in my current well-paid job and my search for something that makes me happy. It might come across sounding a bit entitled, since I know there are many people who would be happy to have any job, just so they can pay their bills. I'm sorry if this post triggers that, and I know I'm privileged to even be in this situation. ❤️

TL/DR: Do I stay in a well-paid, secure job that doesn't bring happiness and actually negatively affects my mental health because of it? Or: Do I take the plunge into the unknown and give up the securities I have now for something that could potentially (but not guaranteed) not only make me happy but bring me opportunities as well?

Okay, here's the deal. Currently, I work in education. I've been teaching for 19 years, and for the last 3 years, I've held the position that best translates to special needs coordinator at the school where I've been all of my working life. In short, my job entails making sure the teachers have the tools they need to help all kids in their classes with special educational needs, to make sure each child ends up in the right form of education fitting their needs and dealing a lot with difficult or even alarming home situations. My job can be rewarding at times, and challenging at others. Aside from this, I've been part of the management team at my school for almost 8 years. I work at a big school. It wasn't big when I started there, but it's big now. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education, and that's also the age group I've always dealt with. It's the age group I've always taught, and it's the age group currently under my supervision in the position I'm now.

This past year, I've struggled with my mental health, as I've mentioned before, and have not been at work fully for a while. My therapist and I established that while work is "okay", it's also not bringing me joy anymore while my job was once the happiest and most passionate thing I did. Right now, it's blah. This position is not one that really suits me, yet I don't want to go back to teaching either. I've been there, done that. Add to that the fact that, come September, my boss requires me to change my position slightly. I'd be doing the same thing I do now, but for an older age group. This has given me a lot of stomach aches, because the thing that still drives me to do my job now is the fact that I'm doing it geared towards the youngest kids in school.

All in all, the job is not bringing me happiness in the slightest anymore. Having said that, I know a lot of people do jobs that don't make them happy, but it pays the bills, so let's suck it up and just do it. Which is fine, I can do that too, except my mental health suffers...

However, there are a few good things about this job too:

The pay is really good

I have lovely colleagues

I have a lot of credits here because I've been here for so long. They know my worth

I have a very understanding boss who's been nothing short of wonderful during my depression

(If you're still with me, thank you for reading this essay all the way, it's appreciated 💗)

My therapist asked me, "If money weren't a factor, what would you be doing?" My answer was "write." More specifically, I just want to stay home all day and work on ATOH, but no one is going to pay me for that. 😄 So, write, or do a job in which writing plays a role. So, she advised me to start looking for jobs that fit that description. It was a rather depressing search. Most jobs that came close to what I'd like to do require degrees or diplomas I don't have.

And then I suddenly stumbled upon something: Assistent Project Manager at a small, but well established company that creates educational projects (usually based on children's books), books and materials geared towards early childhood education in particular, and currently expanding to do the same for education to older kids as well.

I felt like I had found the holy grail. This is writing, this is editing, this is being creative, this is working with authors, but it's also closely related to early childhood education, the thing I know so well. Despite still being semi depressed, I felt like I needed to at least give this a shot. So, I wrote a letter, enclosed my resume, and waited. I didn't have to wait long, because a few days later I got an invite for an interview.

I went for the interview and was welcomed at a small and very homely office space (with an office cat!). We had a good talk and I left happy. They invited me to do a "trial day" with them, which is what I'll be doing today. They've had a lot of applicants for this position, but from the contact we've had since, it seems like I stand a good chance.

Sounds like a no-brainer? Perhaps, unless you have my brain... Because there are doubts:

Pay. This job pays quite a bit less than my current one. I'm a single parent and therefore sole breadwinner in my household. Currently, I make quite good money because I've been in this job for a long time and hold a relatively high position in the organisation. We can pay the bills, go on holidays, and even splurge occasionally (for example, the very pricey laptop I bought a few months ago). With this job, I would still make enough to pay the bills and go on holidays, but I will need to keep an eye on the money, and there won't be splurging for a while. I do know this sounds like a luxury problem to some.

Job security. In my current job, I'm under a fixed contract. Basically, unless I royally fuck up, I can't be fired. With this job I'd start on a year contract. After that year, they can either decide to give me another year or let me go. This won't just be if I mess up, but also if they decide I'm not the best person for the job after all, or if I don't fit in with their small, close-knit team. Worst case scenario; they let me go, and I'll have to go back to education and probably teach again.

These doubts are few, but strong. So, basically, like I already said above: do I stay in a well-paid, secure job that doesn't bring happiness and actually negatively affects my mental health because of it? Or: do I take the plunge into the unknown and give up the securities I have now for something that could potentially (but not guaranteed) not only make me happy but bring me opportunities as well (since it's publishing)?

I don't need anyone to actually answer those questions, but those are the wonderings on my mind I wanted to write down. Thanks for reading. ❤️

[satancopilotsmytardis]

Welcome to the Drabble-A-Thon!

What is it?

From September 6th to September 15th, I will be offering 1,000-word drabble commissions for $5 through Ko-Fi!

Why is this a thing?

My job pushed back my start date by a month and a half, and I've noticed that my 3-year-old phone's screen is starting to burn out (my last phone lasted 5 years and I am incredibly salty about this). I want to take the week I'm off to try and get some outside work to start saving up to replace it and stay ahead on bills despite the delay. 

How does it work?

If you make a donation of $5 on Ko-Fi, and give a 1-2 sentence description of your drabble idea in the donation note, I will write a 1,000 word* story! The story will be posted publicly on Ko-Fi, and cross-posted to Tumblr as well**. These will be done on a first-come first-serve basis, and I will keep a post on Ko-Fi and Tumblr updated on what number submission I am on. Because I don't know how many prompts will be given, I can't give a firm estimate on when the pieces will be delivered, so the queue will be the best way to see when your request is being worked on! 

*The finished drabble will be a minimum of 1,000 words, if I go over by a bit, that is on me, and just a fun bonus for you! 

**Ko-fi has strict guidelines for NSFW material, and anything rated "Explicit" will only be able to be posted to Tumblr. If you would like a PDF copy as well, please provide an email address to send it to in your message!

Are there any rules I should know about?

First and foremost, please make sure that you read my general commission guide which can be found here. Keep in mind I do not write Sub!/Bottom!Tomura or Dom!/Top!Dabi. If you have a question about your concept that is not answered by the guidelines, please feel free to DM me on Tumblr before donating! 

In addition, please note that 1k isn't a lot of words, so try to keep concepts simple enough to be executed within that amount of story! 

These drabbles also cannot be add-ons to other existing stories. For example, no drabble prompt can be for a story set after the end of Changing Currents, or an exploration of Dabi's time on the streets before Tomura adopted him in A Cat by Any Other Name. These are for stand-alone pieces in order to keep things simple and not conflict with the canon of my existing works! 

Can I donate more than $5 to get a longer story?

No. This is a drabble-a-thon! While you are welcome to donate however much you would like, every $5 only gets one 1k word story. If you would like to donate $10, then you are welcome to put two drabble prompts in your donation note which will then both enter the queue and be posted! Every multiple of 5 is eligible for a new prompt! 

If you would still like a longer story from me, then you can always DM me about setting up a full commission! 

I want to participate, but I want to remain anonymous/I want to be tagged by a name other than the name used for the donation.

No problem! If you want to remain anonymous, simply put your name as "Anonymous" in for your name/nickname, and you can then type your prompt in the message box. You can send this message privately, and only I should be able to read your prompt! 

If you want to be tagged by your Tumblr username, then you can also add that in your message and I will tag you appropriately when your prompt is posted! 

I want to participate but I don't have any idea what to ask for!

Coming up with story prompts can be hard! You can send in 1-2 sentences of your idea, or you can simply send in a kind of AU, a rating, or a kink (or a few of them 👀), and let me take it from there! If you really, really can't think of anything at all, then just send in "Free Style", and I'll come up with something to fill the drabble! This is meant to be fun, please don't feel any pressure!

I want to participate, but I don't have any money!

That's absolutely okay! Please do not feel any pressure to participate! Money is tight for a lot of people right now and your needs, safety, and comfort come first! 

My question wasn't answered here! 

Please feel free to DM me or send an ask on Tumblr! I'll do my best to answer! 

Thank you so much to anyone who chooses to participate! I can't wait to see what stories we're able to bring to life! 

[gothmessi]

EVIDENCE

you can see they both have one side of their face who has been affected, my grandpa had a stroke and only has vision in one eye, the one he can open the most, he's paralyzed in one side of the body and can't walk or do his necesites without help, that's why I'm there, I clean after him, help him take some steps, wash his hands and face, my uncle comes home sometimes to bathe him. and my grandma has eyesight problems as well, she has one side of her face that has been affected for bad meds that she took when she couldn't afford new ones, I help her walk and cook, she has to feed 3 young girls who live with them because their father left them (I won't post their faces since they are underage), so I wash their clothes and try to keep them in good shape but we can't afford some stuff, the government gifts us 8 liters of milk every month and since they are both older than 65 the government also gives them money than can barely cover electricity and running water, sometimes they get free meds, sometimes they don't, ofc we can't afford physiotherapy for any of them but they need it very badly.

yes it's true I used the donation money to that wheelchair you see folded there, it was 2,600 mxn bc we can't afford a new one, on the table you can see lotions that they need, they were also bought with the donation money. and that's where my grandma of 81 years sleeps, my grandpa sleeps in the bed because he needs more space to move and that chair you see is where I sleep there when I take care of them, you can even see my blankets, I'm always waiting for something to happen, I wake up every hour to see if they need to go to the bathroom or take water.

that´s the bathroom, as you can see we only have 3 toilet paper, some shampoo and toothpaste, that's all they have until next month. I don't want to post their kitchen cause they have so many pots but so little food, all they have is rice, beans, some cereal and tortillas.

here is my bank account, I have 9 mxn to my name and I have the movements when I retired the 2,600 mxn to buy the wheelchair, they didn't gave us a receipt because we bought it from the son of an old woman who passed away in the neighborhood. it also shows the last movement, 5 dollars I received from a donation on paypal, I have received another 40 dollars but they won't show on my account at least for another 4-5 days.

and yes I used the donation money for college, here are the receipts, I covered some information for my own safety, you can see how the amounts are the same because that was paid, I got the payment receipt on august 14th, that covers august and september. the rest of the donation money was used to buy food and bus tickets in those two months, I really appreciate everyone who donated cause you all kept me alive for more than 2 months.

and this is why I keep asking for help, because I don't want my grandpa to be sad, hungry or in pain in his last days, that´s why I can't get a job and G-d knows I want one and need one, I don't want them to die alone, I´m a very good worker, I cleaned houses, sold clothes on the street, cleaned the poop of cows, cleaned stables, washed the clothes of other people, worked in construction, I'll do anything, clean anything, just can't right now and I have to pay my college tuition. they keep sending me emails about giving me a last chance at paying $1840 for january and also the same amount for february, etc. so yeah I think this is about it, ofc I don't want people to think I'm a scam cause I really need the help and I feel ashamed to ask for help but I feel like I won't make it out alone. thank you for reading, might delete some pics cause I also feel weird about posting my grandparents, their house and my uni things but I understand if some people need to see that to believe me and donate.

[jamdoughnutmagician]

A Cut Above The Rest

Mechanic!Eddie x Fem!Hairdresser!Reader

The Daily Grind (Part 4)

Summary:After a heavy night of drinking, Robin assures you that she knows the perfect cure for a hangover. Things also start looking up for you as a new client comes your way. (sorry I suck at summaries!)

Word Count:1,216 (sorry it's a short one this time.)

<- Previous Part Next Part ->

Masterlist Series Masterlist

You wake up on Saturday morning with your head a little worse for wear as you stumble into the living room where Robin is already dropping two Alka-Seltzers into a tall glass of water and sliding it towards you.

"Remind me again why I let you talk me into doing shots?" You cringe, sipping on the fizzy water.

"I told you that you needed to let loose." She smiled, finishing off her own glass of water. "Come on! Drink up and get dressed. I know the actual cure for a hangover, and it's a piping hot coffee and pastry from Steamy Beans.

You down the last of your water, and make your way to your room to get changed, whilst  Robin patiently waits for you in the living room.

You make your way out of your room, deciding on a pair of jeans and a warm sweater to avoid the chill of the late September air.

Grabbing your purse you both begin making your way out of the apartment towards the café. 

Sure enough there it is, the café’s logo painted on the front window, and a red neon welcome sign hangs above the door.

Walking in you’re immediately hit with the inviting aromatic scent of freshly ground coffee beans and sweet sugary pastries.

“Morning Stevie!” Robin shouts brightly to the man behind the counter, causing the few people who were already here, assumedly trying to enjoy their morning coffee in peace, to turn their heads her way.  

“Good morning to you too, Robin.” the man sighs with a smile. 

Steve, or Stevie, which you’re assuming is Robin’s affectionate pet name for him as your eyes catch his name printed on the little pin-badge that’s pinned to his light brown apron, smiles your way as he introduces himself. He runs a large hand through his mousey brown hair, brushing back the strands that seem to flop in front of his face with a quiet huff.

You introduce yourself to him, smiling as you give him a 'good morning' of your own.

“We used to work together back in the day.” Robin smiles with a playful nudge of her elbow in your arm.

“Yeah, nothing bonds two people more than scooping ice-cream all summer.” Steve laughs sarcastically. “So what’ll it be for you ladies this morning?”

“I’ll take my usual cappuccino and a cinnamon roll when you're ready, Steve." Robin says handing him the money.

Your eyes pour over the sweet treats on display for a moment before you make your decision.

"And I think I'll have a latte and a blueberry muffin please!" You smile handing him over  your money too.

"Okay! Coming right up! Take a seat and I'll bring it right over to you in a moment."

You and Robin take a seat by the window, watching as the daily comings and goings of Hawkins push through their morning.

"Have you had any luck with the job advertisement?" Robin asks.

"No, not yet." You slouch in your seat. It seemed as though no one in Hawkins needed their hair cut, or styled for that matter. "..But I'm trying to remain hopeful." 

"There you go, one cappuccino and a cinnamon roll for you.." Steve says, unloading his tray and placing Robin's order down on the table in front of her. '..and one latte and blueberry muffin for you." he says, placing your order down in front of you. “Enjoy!” He flashes you a friendly smile before he turns around to get back to work.

Robin quickly snaps her neck around before Steve can leave. Her eyes widen and her eyebrows raise up, you were already well aware of the look that was currently gracing your best friend’s face. She’d had an idea.

“Hey! Dingus! Come back here for a minute!” Robin shouts out to Steve.

“What’s up, Rob?” Steve nods for Robin to continue.

“Weren’t you telling me how you were in a desperate need of a haircut?” 

“Yeah..” he drags out, not following where she was going with her line of questioning.

“Well, look no further, Stevie!” Robin exclaimed, as she gestured towards you. “What? You said you were taking on new clients? What better head of hair to get back to work with than this glorious mane right here!”

"Wait, you do haircuts? Like professionally?"

“Yup!” you say, popping the p as you nod. "Have done for a few years but I moved back here and all my clients are back in Chicago, so I'm looking to build up a new client base."

“Please I’m actually desperate at this point.” he pleads.

“Well I can come by your place on Monday if you like?” you offer.

“Thank you so much! You’re an absolute life-saver! The woman at the salon who I usually trust to do my hair moved away a few months back, and I tried going to the barbers on 7th Street but then I backed out when they came at me with the clippers. Never again.” he explained as he recounted his memory with a shudder, seemingly it had been quite the traumatic experience for him.

“Steve’s very protective over his hair. I mean so much so that it became part of his nickname.” Robin explains with a laugh at her friend’s expense. “Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington.” Robin snorts with laughter with her fingers sarcastically doing air-quotes.

“IT’S MY BEST FEATURE, ROBIN.” Steve defends vehemently.

“Well I promise you’re in safe hands with me, Steve. No clippers will be coming your way I can assure you."

"Thanks again! I should be going, I've got customers to serve!" and with that Steve dashes off back to work.

"Well there's your first client to get the ball rolling!" Robin said, mumbling as she took a bite of her cinnamon roll. “Now what’s happening with you and Eddie tomorrow, huh? Isn’t he supposed to be taking you on some big fancy date?”

“It’s just two people hanging out, casually, having some fun together. Nothing serious.” you explained. You downplayed it, but you were actually really excited. Getting to hang-out with Eddie like this was something that you were looking forward to, and you could only hope that he was as excited about it as you were.

“Sounds a lot like a date if you ask me” Robin scoffs as she rolls her eyes, sipping her coffee. “Remind me where he’s taking you?”

“He texted me again last night saying he was going to pick me up from your place tomorrow at five. Said he’s taking me to a fall festival.” you say, picking a few bites from your muffin

“That’s cute! What are you going to wear?” 

“I hadn’t thought about that, probably something really casual. It’s not like we’re going to a fancy restaurant or anything” You truly hadn’t given much thought to what you were going to wear. What was the appropriate thing to even wear to a fall festival you muse as you drink the final few sips of your coffee.

Robin finishes up her drink and gathers her things before she starts to leave.

“Wait! Where are you off too?” you ask, twisting around in your seat to look at your friend.

“We are going shopping to find you an outfit, because you, my dear friend, have a date tomorrow.”

@sunflowerdaydreamer @xxhellfiregirlxx @penguinsandpotterheads @munsonology @seatnights @avalon-wolf @jesssssmaybankk @ali-r3n

[ferindencadash]

The world's most entitled fucking old white man is in my office and the fact that I haven't set him on fire yet should be applauded.

Long rant incoming:

This old and crusty white British dude has been living in the Bahamas for the last 30 years and now he's moving here to Canada. He had his stuff shipped in crates. He called back in September to let us know that he "took the liberty" of putting our office as the ship-to destination. Without asking us.

Okay. Whatever. So he says these crates will arrive "sometime" and that we should contact him when they do to arrange delivery to his new house. We have no agreement with him, there's no inventory list, no date of delivery, no home address, nothing. He hasn't even asked our rates (so I'm assuming money is not an issue 🙄).

I hear nothing from him again until this week.

Suddenly he's in my office, and the crates will be here "tomorrow or the next day" and he's barking instructions on "exactly how this is going to be done" and freaking out when we offer ANY alternative ideas (because his ideas are dumb as fuck).

Okay. WHATEVER. We'll do what he says cause he's paying for it. 🙄

So now at least I have a weight for the crates. Over 3500 fucking pounds. So I ask, are the delivery guys going to unload these crates into the warehouse? Cause we don't have a forklift. "I have no idea what the delivery men have!! Why would I know that??"

😑😑😑

Okay well. If they don't, we can't fuckin help you and maybe you should have checked BEFORE SENDING YOUR SHIT HERE.

Anyway. Using the weight as a guide, I put together an estimate for how long it's going to take to break down these crates and move all his shit. I send him this estimate and he calls SCREAMING "what the hell is this charge?? I'm not paying that! You said there was an hourly rate!"

Yes, an hourly rate, and this is an *estimate* at how many hours this job will take. If it takes less time, you'll be charged less. If it takes more time, you'll be charged more.

"I'M NOT PAYING THIS! REMOVE THIS CHARGE IMMEDIATELY!"

It's not a charge sir... it's an estimate.

"YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME! SEND ME A BILL WITH THE HOURLY RATE! DO YOU WANT MY BUSINESS OR NOT??"

No, not really. But of course my boss says yes. So I send him a new estimate, with the minimum charge listed, and a huge note saying "this is only the minimum charge, we charge BY THE HOUR and this job WILL TAKE LONGER THAN THIS and cost more than what is listed here."

He accepts it. I GUARANTEE he's going to be a total cunt when he gets the bill and it's more than the minimum. But whatever, boss man's the one losing money when this asshole won't pay, not me.

This morning he calls the office. The "idiot" driver "didn't do what he was supposed to do" and now his shit is stuck at customs. So he's emailing me a bunch of customs paperwork for me to print out for him?? Hello?? We are not a fucking Staples sir. Print your own shit.

Of course I do it, because it's my job to kiss old people's asses all day. 😑

He comes in and I give him the stack of papers. He looks through them and, while standing in my office, calls the customs agent and starts yelling at *her* because he's stupid and confused and doesn't understand the paperwork (which was a very straightforward inventory of his items that he just needed to sign). So now I'm trying to do my job and deal with other customers while this stupid asshole is standing 3 feet away yelling at customs ON SPEAKERPHONE.

Finally he gets off the phone and is like, I have to take these to the border (which is not far, this city is right on the us/can border) to get them stamped, then I'm coming back here and you're going to scan and email them for me.

😑

Yeah. Okay. Whatever gets you out of my fucking office. Sure I'll be your personal secretary. 🖕🖕🖕

Oh. And then he mentions that the customs agent he was just screaming at IS HIS SON'S GIRLFRIEND. I'm sure she loves family gatherings... 😑

So now these crates probably won't be delivered today after all. Which means I have to reschedule this stupid move. And we have NO availability til next Saturday, we are *swamped* next week. Which means he's gonna have to pay for storage if he wants to keep his crap here. I'm sure *that* will go over well. 🙄

So that's where we're at in the customer service drama for now. I'm *certain* there will be more. 😮‍💨

Also, I'm still recovering from my infection and feel like shit and probably shouldn't even be around people (I've been masking like a good boy, at least).

Also also, this fucker called me "young lady" about 30 fucking times and I swear to fucking god my blood pressure is off the charts. Gender shit aside (I've accepted being misgendered as a requirement of getting paid, for now) I AM ALMOST 40 FUCKING YEARS OLD. This guy is gonna get a boot to the fuckin head.

Rant over.

😮‍💨

[ghostofasecretary]

ok, let's keep this quick

- so like. i haven't had a day with No Obligations since the 18th. that's 10 days. tomorrow and the day after i'm working. i need A Break because i am Tired

- aaaaaaaah grad schools why do people keep telling me i'm cool and promising and they're enthusiastic about me and then i DON'T GET MONEY (or. well. i turned a place that gave me money down because of a potential supervisor leaving)

- i have so many loose threads. emails unanswered for months. i spent a fuckload of money on some stuff with the intent to make it back and Have Not Taken Steps to do that which is crappy, actually!! feels REALLY BAD! all the time bad! bad for months!

- i fucking hate letting things fester and my whole day except for poetry and a text convo has been festering

- which feels like a microcosm of my fucking life. which is unfair, probably, but. ya rab

- i straight up just? dissociated almost all the time between 6:30 and 10am??? that's not great!

- my job is getting me money, yay, but it's part time and also i keep going wildly between "i am winning" and "i'm so miserably bad at this and probably no one wants to work with me i keep fucking up i hate myself" and "hey now stop beating yourself up" and boredom and misgendering and "Holy Shit Man I Hate Your Politics So Much but i do care about you as a person! so! guess some of the Christianity stuck!!! hahahahahaha fuck my life"

- i don't know if i can a) get a job and b) move in time to maintain the illusion that grad school worked out for me but 1) i need to move yesterday, i haven't hugged a friend since fucking January, and 2) i was really hoping August would work out and i don't want to work longer. my whole year has been "well maybe i'll get answers and know what i'm doing next month!" and by year i mean. since. like. december 2023. although Applying To Grad School sure ate all of my energy for a long fucking time. so i'd LIKE to get a job and move in late August/early September. but also holy shit man

- i feel some duty to myself to still apply for more grad school jobs but i haven't had a spare afternoon with emotional support since. like. the first weekend of June. (i have had mornings with emotional support (thanks babe)) but i have been mostly using those for homework (and fugue states of misery (sorry.)) so, like. aaaaaa??????

- i'm so mad and scared and also, like, i don't have TIME to be mad and scared, i'm behind on things and also this is my short and precious life! there's people to talk to and good food to eat and nice clothes to wear and fiction to read! i don't want to waste it being upset! i've been upset since 2022, basically, and i'm really fucking tired of it!!!

- what if nothing ever works out and i'm broke forever and rely on my parents like my sister does and am an even worse resource drain and they don't get to retire and I DON'T MEET MY SELF IMPOSED DEADLINE FOR. LITERALLY 40 MINUTES FROM NOW.

- and tomorrow i have/want to be fucking chipper at people! because goddamn it, i actually genuinely want people to have their days be a bit more pleasant from interacting with me and i like running a smooth ship! when i'm not making mistakes, which i make more of when i'm tired and upset!! gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

so. that's a lot of self-loathing and fear and frustration. uh. i don't know that this. resolved anything, aside from me saying the crazy out loud (and yes, i DO KNOW where the crazy is, but going "well don't be crazy" to myself is deeply unhelpful since it turns into another beating stick so. alas)

but i guess now i'll. work on my goals????

[aurum-stultus]

Also just a picture from my baby's wake and the tattoo I got for him

I haven't been posting much here for obvious reasons. The past week has involved my 10 year old cat dying, a cat I viewed like my baby more than I did a pet, a cat I trained and spoiled rotten and couldn't walk past without saying hi, petting, hugging or kissing, a cat that would wait for me to get home from work every night, a cat who didn't like anyone but me, a cat who should have lived longer and was supposed to live longer. My entire family is blaming my dad for it, days later it's still hard for us to even talk to him and he's turned all of us against him, including my mother. Then I almost lost my job, my manager got fired, I got my job back, but I have no money for the two weeks I went in limbo. Then I'm still working on panel prep despite not having the motivation, energy or money bc its a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would be letting both myself and my panelists down if I canceled. Especially since this con's panel selection was very difficult to get into this year.

Needless to say, it's been a pretty shitty month. Oreo's birthday was also in September and he didn't even properly make it to see 10. And every time people message me "We know how much you loved him, I'm so sorry" it makes me angrier. I treated that cat like he was my own flesh and blood and like every single action I took mattered to him mentally, emotionally and physically. He died in my arms. It's a comfort that he died with but something I'll have to live with forever. Everyone messaging me condolences is messaging me like I lost a normal pet. I lost my baby. My other cat lost his little brother. I hate getting condolence messages. So naturally my mood and moral keeps plummeting every time someone hears way too late down the grapevine that he passed and messages me days later "Hey just a reminder that he's dead, I'm so sorry!"

Things will get back to normalcy when people stop reminding me. I can remind myself and only my immediate family could possibly understand how much I loved him. We still have a shrine to him in our living room and I still say I love my boyS.

On the upside, we took Colt to the vet after Oreo passed and he has a clean bill of health. My mom and I have taken complete control over Colt's health, food and vet bills, my dad has no more involvement. He made Oreo a martyr and we hate him for it.

[ask-duotale-b2fc]

Its been days... WHERE ARE YOU!?!?!?! TwT

[Stands awkwardly at the alter looking at the ask]

We've been busy. Here is a list lol

☆Marriage(which isn't over yet bc it's Visa based so now we need to save up for the greencard part)

(Look at the rings!)

☆Anniversary Art. I know yall saw how big that thing was. It took two weeks ALONE to do it lol

☆Commissions, which is our job. We need $1000 a month at LEAST for bills alone, which is at the LEAST 15 unique art pieces, some of which are comic pages. These take 2 to 3 days to do, so as you can guess, unless we literally have NO SLEEP, that's the whole month gone to just work. So yeah, unless money is thrown at us, it'll most likely not be done until we have time.

☆At least 8 fully shaded comic pages a month. And keep in mind, we AREN'T getting paid to do as them they are passion projects, so they're lower priority hence why its been buffered. Asks are short and don't take much time, so we can do those in between work, so we can accept those lol. Bills are our main focus bc I like to have a house and food, sorry 😭

So yeah.

Yeah, we barely have any free time compared to when we started lol. We aren't 18 anymore and times got tough.

So yeah I guess sorry for that lmao. Luckily we only need like $200 more to survive September. So HOPEFULLY the end of the month will be a free week to work on just the blog. We shall see. This is what the Schedule lookin like. And for context, the 'D's and 'P's are the only personal projects here, one of which is Duotale. I'll post this every month if it gives some comfort that we're doing stuff tbh. I used to, but ban them no one cared when we disappeared so I stopped xD

[inappropriate-aunt]

I'm so burnt out.

My work took away our remote days "temporarily for training" at the beginning of June. It's August now and we're not getting them back until September. Maybe. We didn't even do any training.

I also haven't been allowed to use any of my PTO for this time. Seriously. Not even a day. Over three months. In office every day. I keep asking and keep getting no. Even when we're not busy.

Every noise is too loud. I'm sore and achey and I keep having stomach issues and nausea. When people come near me I flinch and my inner monologue is just like "Don't talk to me, don't talk to me, please don't talk to me, don't fucking talk to me." I'm tired all the time and I haven't been able to exercise a lot due to an infection that ate up all of my July. I'm better now but there's alternating heat waves and severe storms so I haven't been able to run outside. And I don't have a gym membership right now because money is tight. There are too many distractions at home for me to exercise there. Or really relax. Too much demanding my attention.

I'd love to disappear to somewhere quiet and calm for a while. Instead I'm eating too many carbs and sleeping too much or not enough. I pack my weekends full of fun activities to try to make up for all the lost time during the week, but then I have no chores done to get me ready for the next week. No clean work clothes, no lunches, no clean organized areas where I can easily find things. Then I'm frantically trying to get caught up all week and I'm run down. I keep finding myself suddenly realizing that I'm dehydrated or haven't eaten all day.

I'm quitting this job as soon as I can. I hate this so much. They act like it's no big deal, like PTO and work from home days are a special treat and not a guaranteed thing. But it's part of our compensation and you pay us like shit so, pay me more or let me use my PTO. Until then I'll bitterly kill time whenever I can and only do my essential job responsibilities. But time reclamation won't help with the burnout.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Note to self: do not stitch in every ditch when there are so many ditches to stitch.

It took nearly 11 hours to machine quilt June's Joy, and today shall be spent binding it. Then pics to see a before and after washing because the effect is always fascinating. I rarely prewash fabrics because we use a laundromat, and it will cost more money to get it done. When we have a working washing machine (ideally a Speed Queen because they make the laundromat machines), there will always be a prewash. This means less shrinkage, yes, but it also means the risks of fabric bleeding will be greatly diminished. Toss in some salt, a couple color catchers, and wash with like colors. Can't really do "with like colors" for a finished quilt.

After the binding, I'm likely to read my Dragon Age comics again, while typing out notes. I'm a HUGE DA fan, and intend will be preordering the game as soon as that comes available. I may not be able to play it when it arrives due ot the lack of a necessary console (XBox Series X), but I will have a copy of the game...and blacklist all things Dragon Age until I can play. Just in case I do get to play when it's released, I'll be giving my hands necessary rest so using my controller won't cause me problems or worsen current ones.

This means commissions will be for short quick things, and nothing larger than a table runner. It'll be coasters, mug rugs, placemats, and table runners when I open commissions in September. These will all be machine quilted. Commissions will close November 1st, and likely not reopen until next Spring. I'm seriously considering not offering commissions larger than 50x50 inches, simply because of time and the effect on my hands.

If, however, I'm diagnosed with EDS and fitted for and acquire splint rings for my fingers and thumbs, things will be very different. My joints will be stable and I'll be in less pain. I've got several friends and followers here who has suspected I have EDS because of how my hands move, and the other joint issues I have. My kneecaps like to slide out and dislocated, an issue I've had since early childhood, my thighs pop out with little effort and have been doing this for the last five or six years, and my legs collapse accordion style when I try sprinting. Then there's the orthopedic folks I saw for my wrist who told me my elbows, shoulders, wrist, and fingers aren't supposed to bend the way they do. I honestly didn't think it was odd that when I give a thumbs up, my thumb bends back to form a C at an almost 90 degrees backwards. It also appears my bruising like an overripe peach is also a symptom, so that's been interesting to learn. I'm being evaluated on July 5th. Honestly, I'm hoping for the EDS diagnosis. It'd explain sooooo much of why my joints are the way they are, and I can make accommodations for it. Like getting the quilting frame I want/need. Handquilting with the ring splints will also make a HUGE difference.

The ring splints may also result in the controller being easier to hold...after an adjustment period.

A couple physical therapists here told me to get the exercise equipment I have on my wishlist seeing as strengthening my muscles will help keep my joints stable. The muscles will work like natural splints kind of thing. The stuff I want/need, an air walker and squat assist, are relatively inexpensive, but right now we can barely afford groceries and our bills. My husband has a job interview for a dishwasher job today, so let's hope he gets it and it pays a decent amount. Minimum wage in Oregon is I think...$12/hour in our area. Not great, but better than nothing. He wants a relatively mindless job so he isn't so stressed and can focus on things that matter, like painting his miniatures. Stress does not mix well with diabetes nor hypertension after all.

I'm gonna finish my lunch and get back to sewing. When the June's Joy is done and in the laundry, I'm taking another five day break for my hands. It's gonna be boring, but I'll find things to do that won't be so taxing.

[crmsnmth]

September Sky Chapter One, Part 6

I smiled to myself. I didn't know the bar at all, but I also knew all but jack shit about Walker's Point. Hell, I was still learning things about my own neighborhood. It didn't really matter though. I'd get to hang out with my friend. It'd been about two months since the last time we hung out physically. And it'd be kind of cool to see Alana again too. We use to hang on the edges of the same circles in high school, and I had a massive crush on her for a really long time. But I wasn't a very smart teenager, and resorted to the childish way of telling a girl you liked them. I mocked her relentlessly. I was in the first grade again, pulling the hair of the girl I liked.

ME: Yeah, I should be to get a Saturday night off. I never do, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll probably have to go in Sunday to do the numbers and stuff but fuck it. It'll be worth it. It'll be a good time. I haven't seen Alana in fucking years.

It was Tuesday, and I always had Tuesday's off. My schedule was pretty routine, and it rarely changed in any way. I really could go in pretty much whenever I wanted, and just because I dressed and thought in that punk rebellion feeling, didn't mean that I didn't take huge pride in my job. I had worked my way up from a dishwasher back in Oconomowoc. And now I was the kitchen manager and lead line in Milwaukee. I liked the work. And the workplace is where I've made the few friends I have in Milwaukee. I couldn't make real friends on the campus because nothing forces me to talk another human being. Work does. Plus, the money was ok. I didn't worry about much. My bills were paid and if I really wanted something, I got it. I was comfortable.

It was 3:35. Time to make my way back across the bridge and up to the campus. I left, and about fifteen minutes later I was sitting on a table in the campus cafeteria. I won't lie, I hurried here. I could have slowly walked and still would have had time, but for once, I wanted to be somewhere. I had my headphones and was listening to Green Day's Kerplunk! album. I sat there, mumbling along to '2000 Light Years Away" and letting my eyes scan the cafeteria. I didn't really expect her to show. So I hoped for the best, and prepared for the worst.

It was running on 4:30 when I decided she had done the sensible thing. It sucked, quite a lot actually, and I was bummed about it. I couldn't really be upset with her though. It was the smarter choice. I sighed heavily, and stood up. Only for my iPod to fall to the floor, yanking my headphones off and under the table. I bent down to pick them up and head back home.

"So, are you always dropping something?" A perfect voice asked from behind me. I grabbed my stuff and jerked back up.

"What can I say? You can find some pretty rad stuff on the floor," I shot back. I was only half joking. My mouth moves faster than my brain a lot of the time, and because of it, I can come off as a horrible insufferable sarcastic smart-ass.

"I bet," she laughed. I could listen to that laugh forever.

"So coffee or?" I asked. Dammit, gain control of your words, stupid.

"Would mind something a little stronger? It's been a rough day, and I could use a drink." She looked at me with her bright shining eyes. It was only then I noticed the tired look. The dead and waiting look of a college student. A college student who actually cares about school.

"No, that's cool. Whatever you want to do. Where did you want to go?" I asked. I knew a few bars around Riverwest. I may not like people, but I do like music, and there's a lot of live music in the bars of Riverwest. And I liked a drink, like anyone else. Maybe a little more. It knocked out the anxiety. I preferred to smoke weed though. No hangover. And it makes me eat. Another thing I just never really do.