#awesome electrician

[3gremlins]

omg this younger person from my undergrad college contacted me for tips on having an art career* and i'm just like okay but you're not going to like what i have to say, "it's very feast/famine, start small and do it on the side to start" and every email back they're like "so i should quit my day job, right?" and i'm like NO YOU SWEET SUMMER CHILD, YOU NEED TO EAT AND HAVE HEALTHCARE. JUST DO ART ALSO AND YOU WILL BE AN ARTIST DOING ART THINGS.

*it feels like it springs from those horrible exit interview colleges do where they're like "you owe us SO MUCH MONEY, good luck paying it back suckers, we sure didn't teach you any life skillz here, maybe ask some alums, okay buh-bye!!" as they push you out into the cold cruel world so i really feel for them** **also haha younger people asking me for advice omg T.T i'm still muddling through too (i guess i can advise you not to make the same mistakes as me but it might not be avoidable)

[johnnydany]

World's Okayest Electrician T-Shirt

Get yours now: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/39703347-worlds-okayest-electrician

[llanonelson]

I would hire this guy in a heartbeat!

[infinite-hearts-333]

After so many sleepless nights and so much anxiety, Thorn turns to having a midnight drink. A certain dragon finds them.

“A little late to be out drinking, don’t you think?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah I guess. Couldn’t sleep.”

“I can tell. May I?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m Ouřa Thorn, by the way.”

“North Heat. Leader of the Rangers. And you?”

“I’m the janitor. And the electrician right now.”

“Really? You look like you’d make a good space rider.”

“Ha-! Yeah- well, with my history, and my powers- I’m more of a ticking time bomb than a ‘good space rider’ but, thanks I guess.”

“History..? Problems with powers hmm? We have a few programs for that if you’d like me to help you get into one-?”

“No, no.. to risky. *sighs* What do you do when you know a part of you is a big danger?”

“I’m not scared of you,”

“Well you SHOULD be. You wouldn’t know, no one but a few do, and most of them are cultist that scream every time they see me…”

“Try me.”

“What?”

“Try me- I can take your power, I’m sure of it.”

“No, no you couldn’t, don’t be stupid.”

“I’m sure I can- try me Oura Thorn, I’m not scared of you.”

“YOU, HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DAMAGE IT CAN CAUSE- YOU-”

*aggressive huffing, tears welling up*

“Take a breath Thorn, it’s okay. You look like shit, man.”

“Haha… It comes with the territory of lack of sleep..”

“Well let’s start there, then. Come on, wheres your house.”

*mumbling* “The storage room….”

“….. Seriously??? Nope, alright, we’re going to my crews place then. Merrit made a some lavender tea last week, so you’re gonna crash on our couch for tonight.”

“Are you sure..? I don’t want to interfere..”

“You don’t have a choice here, if I’m honest.”

The next morning:

FINALLY ITS DONE

*disintegrates*

Wuff that took SO long, but I’m so proud of it damn. Good job me *pats back*

I just hope that it’s up to the beans expectations! Those who saw it seemed very excited and I’m berry grateful <3333333

North heat belongs to the awesome: @north-heats-stronghold

Zane in the last panel belongs to: @moonspiritleaf

And the au (space riders!) belongs to: @onyxonline

[alvisthefox]

Name: Alvis Winter

Nicknames: Al (gose by Al mostly) 113 (called by eggman when he was in his controle)

Language: default is English (He is Polyglot so he can speak any language)

D.O.B: Unknown but was born in The War to Take Back the Planet (Sonic Forces) but guessed to be in November

Species: Fox (Genetically modified)

Age: 13 (depends on when story is, some could be him in 20s but looks mostly the same)

Gender: Male

Hight: 106cm

Alignment: True Neutral / Chaotic Neutral

Abilitys: Teleportation, electricity (He's resistant to electricity. Just cant control it. But can direct thru his gauntlets) (more but not gonna say)

Skills: Smart, Good fighting (hand to hand and weapons), Engineer/Electrician, Tech, Baking, musical instruments, Mimic voices, Parkour/Gymnastics/Brake dance

Team: Team Sonic. But work alone and with others to help. Has worked with G.U.N and other Teams

Info: Alvis (Al) use to be known as 113 was once pronounced as a missing child presumed dead before a altercation as 113 with Sonic reviling the hold time he was in Eggmans captivity. Since Eggman let him go and was found 3 months later in the mountains living out a crashed G.U.N cargo plane. He's slowly getting a somewhat normal life with team sonic. Giving inside of working for Robotnic, why he is purple ect but keeps something still to himself. Like birthdays and why he tenses up around the mayor's wife. Almost like he is holding back anger. Alvis most open with Miles "Tails" Prower. Being when was he was 5 they did meet and found out he was a HUGE and still is a Tails fan. But Tails has mentioned how he was in Eggmans position in the first place was he was sold. But is keeping alot secrate. What els dose Alvis know. What els, he has the memories of the 4 who's DNA was used to chnage Als DNA and give powers?

Edit: That last thing. Yes. Said he had identity problem and even others saying for example "Sonic" Alvis would react like you said his name, and was mentioned he hallucinates seeing one of the 4 or all 4 at the same time. Can feel how it Felt being super in space, How the space ark food tasted, How lonly it is on angel island and how it feels to bullied to then find someone who accepts you and treats u like a brother

(This is a AU.)

Yet a nother awesome peace from @catragemiau they did a amazing job with my Sonic OC and got a charicter sheet.

I cant stress anuff that @catragemiau is worth every penny! If you want art at grate quality! @catragemiau is the one!

(Pls leave a slot for me to get art tho 🥺)

I can just go on for days about this! This is my 2nd art from them. And just like last time. So happy.

((Should mention. These are all versions. I'm kinda just re using the look of past versions of Al in my AU))

V1 (first ever alvis back in 06)(IRL 06)

V2 (pre experimented Alvis)

V3 (half way thru fur changing colour)

V4

Sonic Prime AU

--Carbine-- --Captain Iceberg-- --Savage--

Sonic Riders

Sonic Boom AU

[thatbadadvice]

Help! The Ungrateful Youths of Today Don't Appreciate the Value of Anything, and by 'Anything' I Mean the Worthless Shit I Am Trying to Sell Them

Ask A Manager, 12 May 2023:

Several years ago I was frustrated with the way people went about looking for jobs. I’m a small business owner and even before running my own company, I always networked. Through networking I’ve managed to do so much. Today I run six networking groups. Again, several years ago I created a t-shirt designed to network for you. It lists various fields, each with a checkbox by it, and comes with a small sharpie so you can check off the type of job or career you desire. By wearing the t-shirt everywhere you go, it starts the job seeking conversation. I marketed them inexpensively to college grads. I went to colleges, job fairs, and even graduations. Not one t-shirt sold. I was so angry. I was on popular talk shows and in the paper and still nothing. Today I sit with every size t-shirt in my garage. Many ask why I don’t still pursue this idea. They are the ones who got the idea and believe in it. Perhaps I was ahead of my time. I marketed towards college grads who texted as a main form of communication. However, today communication is even worse. Young adults can barely look someone in the eye. Please tell me what your opinion is of my t-shirts. I hoped people would wear them daily and maybe while filling their gas tank this would start a conversation that would change their lives forever. Networking will always be the way to get what you need. Referrals, physicians, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, housekeepers, financial advisors, accountants, babysitters, trainers, real estate agents, tutors, and whatever I have missed. Am I wrong? Would my product help those unable to network?

There is one reason and one reason only that your revolutionary clothing business has failed to see the success it so clearly deserves: young people today are appallingly poor communicators who, for reasons that likely include video games and participation trophies, are actively unwilling to appreciate the awesome one-on-one human connections that can only be made by going about life wearing a t-shirt and hoping someone reads it and decides to enter into a business relationship as a result. Yes indeed, it is specifically and only the modern youths who have refused to purchase your t-shirts who are very, very poor at understanding how to build valuable and meaningful relationships with other humans. There is definitely not anybody else here who is bad at communicating.

Every single person on planet earth who is under the age of, say, 25, lacks the foresight and vision to appreciate the radically lucrative possibilities of wearing the same t-shirt every day every single place they go. Every single person who didn't buy one of your shirts did so because they are young and stupid and don't know a life-changing idea when they see one. But you do! Because you are old and smart, which are the same thing.

After all, you are great at networking and have managed to do incredible things as a result of your great networking skills, such as running six networking groups. If that's not proof positive that networking works, what is?

The only way to know for sure whether your shirts will help poor communicators understand exactly how bad they are at connecting with others may be to try your product out for yourself.

[madangel19]

Mushy May Day 7: Stupid Jokes

We got another banger of a prompt from @forlorn-crows list!

Summary: Swiss tests out some pick-up lines on Phantom :3

Pairing: Swiss/Phantom

Rating: Teen, lots of suggestive stuff in this one, but nothing too dirty lol

Word Count: 649

“Hey, Buggy! Come over here! I got something to tell ya!” Swiss called out from across the room.

Phantom perked up at the mention of his nickname and he looked over at Swiss who had just walked into the ghoul den. There was a playful smirk on his lips and he could sense the excitement emanating from the multi ghoul.

“What’s up, Swiss?” Phantom asked, walking over to Swiss. 

“I was thinking of some pick-up lines for Aurora and wanted to test them on you. You wanna listen?” The multi ghoul asked.

Pick-up lines? Phantom had never heard of such a thing, but he was eager to learn.

“What’s a pick-up line?” He questioned.

Swiss’s eyes went wide with shock before that playful smile returned. He then took Phantom by the hand and led him to one of the bigger couches in the den.

“If you want to really win over a potential mate or want to get your current mates in the mood, you have to woo them with a line that will get their attention. It can either be really forward, cheesy, or fucking hilarious. I like to use a variety of pick-up lines with my mates,” Swiss crowed, looking proud as he sat down. 

That certainly got Phantom’s interest. He had to learn more.

“Tell me some of them,” he chimed. 

Swiss chuckled darkly and reached into his pocket, pulling out a lighter.

“I’m no electrician, but I can light up your day,” he said, igniting the lighter. He then touched it and it glowed a light purple to Phantom’s delight.

“That sounds perfect for Dewdrop,” the younger ghoul said.

“I’ve used that one on him several times and it always works,” Swiss chuckled, putting the light out and the lighter back in his pocket.

“You got some more?” Phantom asked.

“Of course! Do you watch Star Wars? Because Yoda only one for me,” Swiss said while imitating swinging a sword around while making strange buzzing sounds. Phantom cocked his head, chittering in confusion at such a strange line.

“What’s a Star Wars?” He asked.

Swiss topped mid-swing, staring at him in shock before faking a nervous cough as he lowered his hands.

“Just a bunch of awesome movies. I guess that won’t work on Rory if you don’t know about it,” he murmured, stroking his chin for a moment before his excitement returned.

“What do you have next?” Phantom asked.

“Spell ‘Me’, Buggy.”

“Oh, that’s easy. M. E.”

“You forgot the D, Buggy.”

Phantom paused, thinking hard about the spelling. He knew how to spell even the simplest words and that was super easy. What was Swiss planning with this?

“Swiss…There’s no D in Me,” Phantom said, feeling all the more confused.

Swiss’s smile became devious as he wrapped an arm around Phantom’s shoulders, pulling him closer and leaning closer to his ear.

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you the D later,” he purred in his ear.

Phantom gasped, his cheeks growing warm as he chirped softly. The multi ghoul chuckled darkly before pecking him on the cheek.

“Oh, that’s…really good. Rory is gonna love it,” Phantom said, his face getting all the more hot. 

“Looks like you really like it, Buggy. How about I give you that D now?” Swiss suggested, blowing a sweet smelling purple heart-shaped cloud at him. Phantom breathed it in with a dopey smile before leaning in to nuzzle his neck. He then thought of the perfect line to use on Swiss.

“If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together with the D,” Phantom cooed.

“That’s perfect, Buggy! You’re a natural at this!” Swiss laughed, helping him to his feet.

“Swiss, do you like bagels? Because you’re bae goals,” Phantom said, hugging him around his middle.

“Fuck that’s a good one, Buggy. I’m gonna have to write that down,” Swiss said while guiding Phantom to his room. 

[notasapleasure]

Wild hopes for Andor S2:

Oh, apparently blorbo *might* be in the trailer? Riding a speeder on Dantooine you say? Aughhhh don't toy with my emotions like this!!

So for posterity, before anything about s2 does actually become clear, my vague hopes/'if I got to write their story' headcanons for my Ferrix badasses are a jumble of the following:

I don't see them immediately going back to Ferrix, they're recognisable (Bix is known to the Empire, Wilmon will be known by association with Salman, Bee is known as Maarva's droid, they had an eye on Brasso as 'the big guy' even before he fucked shit up with the funerary brick...and I can't remember Jezzi doing anything specific but she'll have been seen round Maarva's home and funeral), and riot or not, I'd say the Empire will be in the mood to make an example of Ferrix rather than to go 'oops our bad we'll leave you in peace'. So it seems a bad idea for the fugitives to return there for their rebellion as soon as they've left.

On that ship we know there's a skilled electrician (Wilmon) and mechanic (Bix), and I've always presumed Brasso must know his way around a ship well enough to be able to take it apart, and that Jezzi has some similarly Ferrixian industrial skill. I thought it would be very sexy if they all got involved in making/repurposing tech for the rebellion. In my heart of hearts they're patching together the first fleet of X-Wings.

Orange. Ferrix orange (Brasso's felt jacket orange) and rebel pilot orange. And there's the shot of Cassian in an orange pilot's suit in the trailer. I just. I just have hopes. And dreams. And colour was so significant in Rogue One (the red of the force/rebellion...there was an awesome post on here pointing out way more examples than I'd noticed, but I always think of the lining of Jyn's vest). Maybe it's reclaiming Narkina orange, even? But the look of the Ferrix clothes reminds me so much of the OT aesthetic, I think that's got to be the more likely connection.

Bee? Kay? Do they meet? ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ trying to suppress the thought 'what if Bee helps to make Kay possible?' but the thought has been thunk. (ETA: NOT into the theory that they're the same person that's not what I mean. I'm talking hardware donation. Wires and chips. Not personality)

Dantooine. Dantooine base. After all this time!!!! What Legends book did I first read about the base on Dantooine in?? idek but if I'd ever written the epic angsty plot follow-up to that one fic (only ever just one night) it would have involved the Ferrix gang making X-Wings work on Dantooine :') I have feelings about Brasso the wrecker learning to make things instead :))

It should go without saying that I want to see Bix channel her healing into getting stuff done and fucking up the Empire.

I guess my feeling is that if we're time-skipping over a five year period in a, what, 12 episode season? There's not time for a huge arc for all the Ferrix characters alongside everything else the show needs to cover. My cautious assumption is that this either means a load of them get killed off/sidelined early, or they're kept together in the same setting so their stories are interlinked, but presumably with focus remaining on Bix (and Bee). Dantooine/wherever the rebel base is beforehand/the move to Yavin struck me as a good place for this, where they can still be brought in and out of episodes through whatever time-skips happen because it's a place the title character is going to be coming and going from regularly, like Ferrix is in S1. Naturally it is a selfish thought to want to recreate the S1 dynamic :)) because I want my blorbo(s) to get to be relevant and a part of Cassian's life still, but if that suggestion about Brasso on a speeder on Dantooine in the trailer is remotely accurate then I will cry happy tears.

Who knows, if they get to survive, maybe all those heart-pulverising fics and fanarts about Cassian's (glass) stone being laid on Ferrix will find a place at the end of the series?

[kickthecan-revolution]

I’m reading a book for the first time in years. This was such a good one to start with.

I slept for almost 8h, let Buddy out to do whatever she does out here in the morning and then fell back to sleep for another 2h. This is becoming a pattern, I’ve never slept so much in my life.

It seems like COVID has reduced itself to a morning coughing fit that sounds like I have late-stage emphysema but I’ll take it.

I am going to see Van Morrison tonight with a friend who also knows none of the songs, so I’m not quite sure why we’re going? But it’s fine, she’s excited and it will be good to go do something fun.

A link came up to buy next year’s BottleRock tickets, so I went for it. I’m so excited for it even though it’s months away.

I want to get this radiation moving. It sounds kind of terrible but so has everything else, and I was able to do it. I just want it over with, it locks me in to this daily trip to the radiation place which is going to suck. It would take me about an hour and 20m to walk there one way so I might try that in the beginning, just to save money on driving all the way across town. Plus health-wise it would be so good. If I can get it started the first week of November, I could be done by Christmas and then be FREE. I’m going to ask them to schedule it as soon as they can. I think it means I can’t be in Seattle for Thanksgiving which makes me so sad but I’ll be there for Christmas.

My sister is heading down to Alki this week to meet with the electrician to get what we need for the sauna sorted, and then clean out the garage for the new tenants which is awesome. She’s cautioning me not to give too much h stuff away in the event I want to someday rent the upper unit furnished and she’s right. I just want it all done and I’m relieved her ankle is better so she can do it.

My day’s schedule includes putting shoes on, walking to the store for lettuce, garlic and ketchup and sealing a crack in the wall to keep the ants out. And then the concert. And a shower somewhere in-between. Who is this person? I’m not sure but I like her.

[ryp3004]

So @hssprimefan asked about Ryanne's bio dad so I decided to put it here instead of reblogging that one post!

Michael was an okay guy. He was an athlete, he had good grades, his dad was an electrician and his mom was a secretary. Michael was the 6th kid of 7. His older siblings were awesome. 1 is a doctor, 2 works with dad, 3 is a dentist, 4 is a pilot, 5 is a lawyer, and 7 is some kind of genius. Michael doesn't know, he tries to keep his head down. Stay focused on the now. But he catches his Dad looking at him sometimes. Hears him when they think he's not listening. "The boy has no direction. No discipline. He's so different from the other kids... I just don't know where we went wrong."

Oh.

He... He didn't know they thought about him like that. That... That explains a lot.

Well, how is he supposed to live up to the others?

They've all got big fancy houses, drive nice fancy cars, have their own fancy families and still find time to send money home.

What's the point of trying?

When he's 15 he meets this girl, Becca. Becca's awesome. She doesn't give a shit what people think of her. She tells Michael that she's gonna direct movies. Like Stanley Kubric. Becca has a clockwork orange tattoo on her hip. "It's my favorite movie." Becca tells him with sparkling eyes. "The storyline, the camera angles, the sound mixing... It's all amazing! I want to make people feel like that one day... Pure awe!" And Michael believes her because Becca is incredible. She's so incredible, it was only a matter of time before he fell for her.

They've been together for a year when Becca sits him down.

"I'm pregnant."

...

Oh...

"I took the test earlier. I'm not sure how far along I am... I haven't told my parents yet."

Lucille and Adam Prince are going to kill him. Right after his parents kill him. Maybe before his siblings kill him., but Michael's not to sure.

"are you sure?" He asks softly, disbelieving. Becca nods and hands him four positive tests.

His parents already have grandchildren. 9, if he remembers right. This won't be as bad as he thinks... They'll tell him everything will be okay and that this is just one of those things, right?

They gave him an ultimatum.

Either break up with Becca and go to college and forget all about this or he's getting kicked out and cut off.

"God, Michael, I can't believe you! How could you be so irresponsible!?" His dad screams at him, shoving him out the door. "Go fix this, or you're out!" He can hear his mom pleading with his Dad, telling him that he's just a boy, he didn't know any better, they can fix this!

And Michael is scared. This is the first time in a long time Michael has been terrified. This wasn't what his life was supposed to be, he was supposed to go to college, get a good job, meet a nice girl, and settle down in a suburban neighborhood. Not... Becca. Not... Whatever's in her stomach.

So he makes his choice. Becca curses him out, slaps him so hard he can feel where her rings cut his cheek. But that's fine. He promises her he'll send her money to help out, but that's it. He doesn't want to know any more than that. And Becca tells him to go fuck himself as he gets in his car.

It'll be okay... Becca's strong, her parents are strong, her family will be fine.

Eight months later he gets a letter in the mail while he's packing up to go to University of Michigan. It's a photograph of a baby girl. HIS baby girl. Ryanne... He tests the name on his tongue and he can't stop saying it. That's his baby, he should be there with Becca, he needs to go to... Where? Becca said she doesn't want to see him... Said that he was nothing to her. This was just a courtesy. It should be just a blip in his radar.

Next year he gets another post card. Ryanne has his curls. She has his eyes. His mole. He puts the picture on his desk and when his roommate asks he says it's his little sister.

Every year he gets another post card. He graduates when Ryanne is 4. He gets a job at an architectural firm when she's 6. He starts getting his buildings built when she's 7. She's 10 when he finally decides to write her a letter. He tells her who he is. He tells her that he's sorry. He tells her that he's so proud of who she's become. He tells her to say hi to becca for him. He tells her that she doesn't have to respond.

But she does.

She writes him a letter.

She says she's not sure about Dad, but Mike seems nice enough and that she'd like to get to write him sometimes if that's okay.

She sends him a picture she took with a pumpkin she carved.

Michael gets 5 copies of the photo to put everywhere. One on his desk, one in his office, one in his car, one in his wallet, and one in his hallway.

He tells people that's his pumpkin when they ask.

That's his daughter, Ryanne.

She tells him about Becca and her new husband Tom. And Michael is so happy for her. So happy that she found someone who could do what he couldn't.

When Ryanne is 11 she invites him to her birthday party. It's just gonna be mom and dad, but it'd be cool if Mike was there, too :).

Michael takes off the weekend and buys her every flavor cupcake in the bakery.

Ryanne liked the ones that had pumpkins on the wrapper.

Becca took a picture of them together.

Michael makes as many copies as he can. One for every desk he owns. Every room in his house. Every wallet he buys or will buy.

When Ryanne gets a phone they start texting every so often.

He takes her on a week long vacation every summer.

He loves his daughter, and even though Ryanne doesn't call him Dad, he's happy to be Mike.

[handweavers]

if i didn't have the physical capacity of an 80 year old who needs an afternoon nap to get through the day and stubbornly argues with their grandchildren because they won't use a cane even though they probably should.. i would LOVE doing like. construction work or some kind of trade like that. transit worker. electrician. like having that as my primary job/way of paying bills would be awesome. and it would be unionized, so good benefits, decent pay. if i were physically able to do that kind of work it would be an ideal situation tbh

[tinkabelle24]

To Build a Home

Chapter 3: Conflicted

TW! No trigger warnings.

Masterlist / Chapter 2

---

(One month later...)

"I wish you'd have let us take you out for your birthday," Molly whined as she poured each of her and Val another glass of rosé. "That way you can just sit there, eat food, get drunk, and not have to worry about clean-up afterward."

Val snatched her glass away to suck up the rogue bubbles before they spilt out. "But I like cooking," she countered. "And I promised to treat you guys once I got settled in, remember?"

"She did say that." Molly's boyfriend, Andrew, called from the bathroom. Val shot her friend a triumphant smirk as she took a proper sip.

"Not on her birthday, though," Molly argued. "And for God's sake, don't stink up her new apartment!"

Molly had the typical ‘goth girl’ look: dark clothes, dark hair, dark makeup, dark everything. Contrary to her ‘intimidating’ appearance, she was an incredibly bubbly and outspoken person, with a penchant for risqué jokes; a trait she and Val shared.

She's also an amazing artist – she'd have to be, considering she tattoos for a living. She proudly exhibits her intricately detailed watercolour art all over her body, head to toe.

She and Molly met when the former moved to Brooklyn from Philadelphia and started attending the latter’s high school.

Growing up the way she did, Val did – and unfortunately still does – agonise over what others genuinely think of her. She kept to herself the first few weeks of school, until Molly caught her leaving the counsellor's office in tears one day.

Molly's the most honest person Val's ever met. Molly tells it the way she sees it, while also being considerate of other’s feelings. Val's never needed to worry about what her best friend thought of her, which was a breath of fresh air for her.

Meanwhile, she'd been lying to her face.

"Mol," Val insisted, reaching over the counter to give her hand a gentle squeeze. "Chill, alright? It's all good. I wanted to show you what I've done to the place, anyway."

They had time; they were just waiting on the curry that was still simmering away on the stove. Val proceeded directing her friend's attention to the now crisp, white, tobacco- stain-free walls.

She'd dedicated almost an entire day scraping off the excess tobacco, then scrubbing away whatever was left with sugar soap and water, and a shit-tonne of elbow grease. Her body ached for days afterwards.

The apartment clearly hadn't been thoroughly cleaned in a long time. There was dust, mould and grime everywhere. She realised she could've compelled her landlord to fulfil their obligations, but she ultimately decided it'd be a good distraction for her. So, she did it all herself.

Molly gave her an earfull about being a pushover, but she simply didn't have the headspace at the time to deal with more drama.

"It looks awesome, Val," Molly complimented. "And it smells so much better, too!"

"Just so you know, Val, I noticed the difference as soon as I walked through the door." The women turned to find Andrew had finally finished up in the bathroom; he was courteous enough to have shut the door.

Molly scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes. "Brown-noser."

Molly and Andrew met at the former's workplace; he wanted a sleeve done in memory of his late grandfather, so they had plenty of time to develop a good rapport. For months, she would not shut up about her cute client with the adorable accent. When the job was finally complete, she asked him out. They've been going strong for nearly four years now.

Andrew was a tall, scruffy-looking man with a kind face, dark eyes, and dark hair. He didn't have nearly as many tattoos as his girlfriend, but he boasted a few on his arms and chest. Andrew works as an electrician – sorry, a ‘sparky’ (he relocated here from Sydney, Australia) - and works long hours, but he always appeared to have something to smile about.

He may be a little oblivious at times, curses like a sailor, and regularly blurts out lingo that makes zero sense (like ‘grouse’, ‘hoon’, and ‘dole-bludger’), but he treats Molly well and she him, so Val was happy for them.

“We’ll bring over some WD-40 next time,” Andrew declared, jabbing a thumb behind him toward the bathroom door. “Your hinges are squeaky as fuck.”

Val shot him a mischievous grin, “like your bed?”

Molly spat her drink.

The trio spent the last few minutes chatting about the layout of the apartment. Andrew kept going on about how he could help ‘maximise the space’ with hooks and shelves; Val had to remind him that she was merely a tenant, unlike them. Lucky bastards...

“You can just use some of those Command Hooks,” Andrew countered. “Or one of those thingies that hang over the door.”

“She’ll figure it out, babe,” Molly assured him with a nudge.

Dinner was finally ready. Val served the curry with rice and the rest of the sad storebought cilantro she failed to regrow in her rooftop planter box. She'd devoted quite a bit of time up there recently, trying to replace the negative memories with positive ones...

...And to keep an eye out for any sign of the mysterious turtle men.

She had reservations about utilising the business card Mikey gave her; she didn't want to just insert herself into their lives without their consent.

Mikey was keen, but that didn't change the fact that the others seemed less than enthused by her involvement. She could be wrong, but she didn't want to assume otherwise and inadvertently make things worse.

When she could finally read said card, she found it was to a local antique dealership called Second Time Around, run by April O'neil – the woman Mikey mentioned. She did some sleuthing and discovered the shop was about a ten-minute detour from the café to her apartment. So, like a creepy stalker, she stopped by on her way home from her shift one day.

Val was warmly greeted by a ginger-haired, green-eyed woman she later identified as April (by her name tag). They didn't converse much, as she needed to process payment for another customer, but Val often found her glancing her way.

Could she have known who I was?

“Val?” Molly’s voice snapped Val out of her thoughts. She looked up from her plate. “I said – how’s your hand?”

“Oh, yeah, much better,” the brunette answered quickly, straightening up in her seat. She showed her best friend her now uninjured hand, finally free of the Godawful splint.

She kept the true cause of her broken fingers a secret, instead blaming it on a misadventure in the kitchen.

Her story was that while she was using a chair to reach the highest shelf, she lost her balance and erroneously used her hands to break her fall. Molly did not seem entirely convinced but didn't question it. Val could not blame her, considering every other sketchy thing she'd been up to.

As promised, Val also didn't disclose to anyone about her encounters with the turtles. If they indeed had enemies, she wanted to avoid drawing attention to them or herself.

She did think of them often, though, especially of Raph, and how he was doing. It had been a month. Hopefully, he'd recovered by now. Did he remember anything from that night? Did he remember her?

“And your mom?”

“She sent me a happy birthday, darling text earlier today, along with a quote about blood being thicker than water...” Val scoffed softy as she took another sip from her glass. “But other than that, nothing. Liv says she has a new boyfriend.”

Her best friend grimaced. “Really?” She groaned. Val simply shrugged; she was used to men floating in and out of her and her sibling’s lives.

Speaking of her siblings...

“Liv got suspended from school the other day.”

“What for??”

“Noah told me she punched a boy in the face.”

Molly's eyes darn near burst from their sockets. “What the fuck?!”

Val nodded. What the fuck, indeed.

“Did she tell you why?”

“She said he’d been giving her grief about her weight for weeks, calling her all sorts of names. The school knows, apparently, but won’t do anything.”

Val has always been more concerned about her sister over her brother. Olivia was old enough to remember her dad - Val’s ex(?) stepfather (she wasn't sure what title to give him; he and mom weren't together, but never divorced) - before he was no longer in her life, but Noah was only little – two, maybe? Val couldn't remember; he was absent for most of her brother’s short life.

Despite this guy's many, many (to put it politely) misgivings, Olivia still thought the sun shone out of his ass. She truly was a daddy’s girl, and she was heartbroken when mom abruptly packed them up and left town.

Olivia always had a difficult time with her temper, like her dad. No matter the severity, any and every inconvenience or slight would bring forth an eruption of emotions that would often take hours to fizzle out. Her paediatrician suspects she's neurodivergent, but nothing's been formalized as of yet.

It's exhausting for her little sister. She often resorts to emotional eating to cope with everything, which has only compounded the problem. Now, she's being bullied for both her short-fuse and her weight. She is only thirteen, for God’s sake...

“Shit’s fucked,” Andrew mused, shaking his head.

“I’m gonna call the school and see what I can do from my end,” Val sighed. “This needed to be nipped in the bud, like, yesterday.”

The trio finished their dinner and a few more drinks, then Molly and Andrew helped with the dishes while Val cleared the table. She lit the new candle the couple gifted her, chuckling at the quote plastered on the front of it:

'My Last Fuck: Oh, Look! It’s on Fire'.

She carefully placed it in the centre of the table.

“You like it, then?” Molly asked as she shut the refrigerator door.

“It’s awesome. I love it, thank you.”

Her friends left shortly after, leaving nothing left for Val to do than shower, drink the leftover wine, then go to bed. Sleep was recommended as she had to work early in the morning, but she didn't want to sleep - she wanted to drag her fold-out chair up onto the roof and wait. For him.

No, Valerie. Stop it.

It’s time for bed. Go.

As Val opened the refrigerator to refill her glass, she discovered an unopened block of her favourite dark chocolate on the top shelf. No way, this can’t be. She sent a quick text to Molly.

[I love you.]

[Enjoy! Xx]

The brunette emptied the bottle into her glass, snapped off a row (or two, or three...) of chocolate, then headed for the shower.

Dressed in her mismatched chequered pink pyjama pants and oversized black Metallica shirt, Val finally exited the bathroom to wash and put away her glass. However, something caught her eye, and she stopped dead in her tracks, almost dropping her glass.

A yellow post-it note had been stuck to her window, from the outside.

Setting her glass aside, she rushed toward the window. The scribbled note read: Look down. Her gaze snapped toward the floor of her fire escape and, sure enough, there was something there. A parcel. A red parcel. She pushed the window open, reached out and snatched it.

The parcel felt soft, like wool. As she unravelled it, she quickly realised she was holding a scarf. A brand-new, handmade scarf. She gently traced the braided detail with her fingertips. It was beautiful.

As she unravelled it, a hard thud caused her to yelp in surprise. She looked down – a pocketknife? Then she realised: all the items she'd lost that night had been returned to her.

Holy shit.

---

Raph and Mikey cased the building earlier that night, at the beginning of patrol, to ensure they had the correct window.

They finally located Val’s apartment on the top floor, high enough for them to sit and observe from the building across the street. She was not alone at that moment; she had friends over, and they were laughing over drinks.

It took Raph longer than anticipated to identify her, as she looked and behaved differently to when they last met.

Good different.

Her hair was longer, long enough now to be twisted into a loose updo. Every item of clothing, save for the slightly loose floral blouse, was form-hugging, accentuating the curves that were previously hidden beneath oversized clothing, or obscured by darkness. Moreover, she carried herself less like a scared child and more like a confident young woman. She seemed happier and healthier this time around. It was nice to see.

When they circled back, it appeared she was now alone. Her hair had been let down, and she'd changed into something a little more familiar. They watched as she carefully inspected the scarf, at which point Mikey attempted teasing his older brother for having such a ‘dainty' skill. But the red-banded terrapin was too anxious to respond.

His gaze was fixed on her reaction to his handiwork. He'd spent the better part of a month on it whilst bedridden. The project provided him a much-needed challenge for his insanely bored brain, and gentle exercise for his underutilized muscles. He hoped she liked it, because he couldn't bring himself to return her old one, which had been stained and stretched to buggery.

"Oof," Mikey winced when she dropped the pocketknife, that had been hidden inside the scarf. "I hope that wasn't her foot."

"She's alright, I think..." Raph replied distractedly, assuming she'd simply kneel and pick it up. But she didn't. She just stared down. Then, after what felt like forever, her head snapped toward the window, and he had to remind himself that she couldn't see them.

He felt sick.

"You should go say hi-"

"No."

"No??" Mikey spluttered. "Why not?"

"Cos I can't."

"I didn't realise that word was in your vocabulary."

The red-banded terrapin stared at him incredulously. "Don't act like we haven't literally just come outta lockdown."

It was all over the news:

'slain store owner discovered by employee; second man found dead in nearby alleyway. Local gang involvement considered.'

As Raph managed to let that other Purple Motherfucker get away, the pests were out for blood. To avoid drawing any more attention to themselves, the Turtles were forced to lay low for a while, until the excitement wore off.

Whenever any of them complained about feeling stir-crazy, or expressed concern for April, Casey, and their son, Leo was more than happy to remind them of who was responsible for their situation.

“Ask Raph,” he'd sneer. “I’m also curious to know what his thought process was.”

Aside from these snarky remarks, the eldest brothers barely acknowledged or spoke to one another.

"I'm not," Mikey argued. "I'm just saying that you guys obviously need to talk, and you're throwing away this golden opportunity."

Raph let out an exasperated sigh. He understood what his younger brother was saying but, unfortunately, this situation was more complicated than that.

Yes, he wanted to see her, but he also felt she'd been through enough already. He didn't know what led her to that rooftop that night but, whatever it was, she absolutely didn't need any more of his own drama mixed in with it.

"Wait!" Mikey exclaimed, with an elbow to the plastron so sharp it just about knocked the wind out of his brother. "She's leaving-"

"Will ya stop!" Raph shoved him away. "I ain't blind. I can see what you're seein'."

Val had indeed left her apartment, leaving her door wide open in the process. The brothers watched as she burst onto the roof, eyes darting in every direction to find them. Raph steeled himself.

"Dude, she clearly wants to see you," Mikey argued. Raph kept his eyes forward, silent. After a minute of being ignored, the youngest brother finally snapped. "What are you afraid of?"

That struck a nerve. Raph finally turned on his brother. "I ain't afraid," he protested, but the delivery was so pathetic even he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"Bullshit." The youngest brother drew closer, baby blues narrowed in suspicion. "You're hiding something," he accused. "What is it? ... Have you met her before?"

Silence.

"What happened?"

"I can't tell ya."

"Can't, or won't?"

"Both."

"Why?"

"Not my business."

"That makes no sense."

"Look, Mikey," Raph sighed. "All ya need to know is that she doesn't need us in her life. My only goal here is to return her stuff, then leave. I don't wanna see her. I don't wanna get to know her. Alright?"

Mikey scoffed softly, shaking his head. "Be like that, then." The orange-banded terrapin stole one last glance across the street before, to Raph's surprise, getting up and leaving.

"What the hell, Mikey?! ... Mikey!"

"I'm not about to sit here and watch that. Let me know when you're done." With that, Mikey disappeared over the ledge, leaving Raph alone.

---

C'mon...

Val had scoured the skyline what seemed like a hundred times now and... nothing. Not a single fucking soul.

She hoped she was wrong, but she couldn't help but wonder whether this was his way of saying he wanted nothing else to do with her. It hurt something fierce, but she was going to have to be okay with it. She had no other choice.

The brunette sighed, disheartened. She could't stay out here much longer. Stupidly, she left without any warm gear. No jacket, no socks, no shoes...

The icy wind had been whipping at her damp skin and hair for several minutes now, and she could no longer feel her face. She'd wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to retain what body heat she had left, but it was no use. She was freezing.

Forced to admit defeat, Val trudged back downstairs to her apartment.

Little did she know there was someone waiting for her...

---

Masterlist / Chapter 4

[survivorsfm]

               all  our  pages  have  been  updated  once  more !   and  i  come  bearing  a  uhh,  small  summary  of  our  most  wanted  positions,  a  post  i  had  to  make  yesterday  but  i  didn’t  because  i’m  a  disaster,  and  i  have  issues  with  mister  time.   but  here  it  is !   and  you  can  find  it  under  the  cut  along  with  a  small  description  of  every  job.   if  any  of  them  wakes  your  interest  up,  you  know  where  to  find  me !   *tries  to  wink.  fails  miserably*

our  projectionist.     —     in  charge  of  preparing  and  projecting  the  movies  during  movie  evenings / nights.   since  movie  projections  don’t  happen  every  day,  this  is  a  part - time  job.

solar  engineers.     —    they’re  the  ones  responsible  for  the  idea  of  using  solar  panels  to  give  power  to  the  entire  campus,  and  to  this  day  they’re  in  charge  of  maintaining  and  improving  it,  which  makes  them  a  pretty  rad  group  imho.

our  electrician     —    speaks  for  itself,  i  think !  but  if  you  need  prompts,  hmu,  i  have  Ideas™

our  comms  tower  maintainer.     —     every  time  there’s  a  technical  problem  in  the  communications  tower,  this  is  the  person  radio  operators  call.  they  can  or  cannot  have  previous  studies / training  in  the  field,  but  they  have  to  possess  some  kind  of  knowledge  about  it.

cooks.     —     we  lit  lost  both  our  cooks  in  the  same  week  and  we’re  starving  :/   that  …  was  a  terrible  joke,  i’m  sorry.   these  are  the  ones  in  charge  of  the  kitchen !   the  only  ones  who  don’t  have  to  work  as  servers  or  volunteer  at  the  farm.   that  sounds  very  tempting,  isn’t  it ?

our  carpenter / construction  workers.     —     yeah,  i’d  love  to  see  more  hands - on  types  of  people  around,  they’re  very  vital  to  the  community  and  we  could  have  awesome  plot  drops / events  involving  them.

our  medical  chief.     —     reopened  today,  it  is  a  highly  wanted  position  for  the  same  reason  our  carpenter  and  construction  workers  are !   if  they  double  as  a  surgeon  and / or  an  original  even  better.

farmhands.     —     i’d  say  the  farm  is  the  heart  of  the  uc’s  sanctuary  and  we’re  currently  lacking  farmhands  in  a  painful  amount  *sad  reacts  only*.  the  role  is  pretty  open,  so  it  lit  can  be  anyone,  with  any  background,  even  someone  who  doesn’t  know  a  thing  about  farms  but  compensates  it  with  their  scorching  enthusiasm !  

blacksmiths.     —     a  very  important  job,  even  more  so  in  these  frightening,  uncertain  times  for  the  sanctuary.  we  need  people  who  make  our  guns  and  weapons !!!

our  scouts  &  scavengers  trainer.     —     mostly  for  fun,  i’d  love  to  see  some  sparring  on  the  dash,  sweaty  people,  tough  scoutvengers  being  bossed  around,  you  know,  that  kind  of  stuff  …  oh,  it  would  be  heaven ! 

and  that'd  be  all  for  now,  me  thinks !   i’d  really,  really  love  to  see  any  of  these  positions  taken,  and  if  you  mix  them  with  a  wanted  connection  or  an  original,  i’d  love  you  ‘til  the  end  of  time.  no  joke.

[atlas-the-idiot-2]

Family: oh wow im so happy you're into electrical work because theirs so little female electricians!!!! That's so awesome!!

Little do they moment the moment i step into collage or wtv I'm planning on possibly getting on testrone and maybe growing a damn beard and getting BUFF!!

[homesweetgoodneighbor]

You know what I want? Night owl professionals. I don't want all of them to be night owls, just like one of each type.

See, my natural state is nocturnal, but unfortunately, the world is mostly day people. However, I can find any number of places to shop at night, either 24 hrs or they stay open late. Or just order stuff online. (Sometimes living in the future is awesome.) Restaurants and other luxuries are usually open until late. I can even hit the library until like 8 pm here. Hell, we have a 24 hour animal hospital that takes appts until like 8 pm. After that it's for emergencies, but still there are options.

Like, the only thing I cannot get is a plumber or electrician at night. When my insomnia inevitably causes my sleep to go back to days, I end up having to fight to get my sleep to "normal" at least long enough so I can have house stuff fixed.

Granted, in this town, there's probably not enough night people that warrant anyone having a night owl repair business, but gods, I wish. I mean, you have students, but they are broke and do not require repair services other than from asshole landlords.

Wouldn't mind a night owl doctor, too. Just a regular doc, not emergency room. Night owl dentist.

Where are the professionals for us bats?

[proxylynn]

"How to make a woman happy: a man has to be like a friend; a father; a brother, a chef; an electrician; mechanical; a masseur; a photographer; a stylist; a great listener; nice; athletic; sensitive; sincere; attentive; creative; generous; intelligent; strong; passionate; funny; thoughtful; makes surprises; gallant; send love messages; makes compliments; eat what what she cooks; don't look other girls; and never forget birthdays, anniversaries and valentine's day."What the boys thinks about this?

Mal: Hey, luv. What ya think about this?

Lynn: *grabs this list and a pencil, crossing stuff out*

Liu: What's it say now?

Lynn: *clears throat* How to make a woman happy: a man has to be a friend; sincere; and funny.

Charlie: You crossed out like 90%.

Lynn: Yeah. Because all that other junk falls into being sincere and a good friend. Besides, who wants a Mr. Perfect or a boyfriend that makes you think of your dad or brother? That's weird. I just want an equal. I think any girl or guy or nonbio wants that.

Douglas: That. That is why you're awesome, sweet thing.