#fast hiring solutions

[trufynd01]

Discover how TruFynd’s bulk hiring services help businesses quickly and consistently acquire top talent in high volumes. Learn how we ensure workforce readiness for sectors requiring rapid scaling and adaptability.

[sunfoxfic]

*grits teeth* Skyrim is a fun game and I'm having fun

[winxwiki]

I hope this cements that Iginio cares so little about Fate staying alive he doesn't even know who they hired for the comic art when he managed to license an official continuation of the story

[digitaltransformationsworld]

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[theobservatory]

Don't Wanna Cry Alone｡⁠.ﾟ★ ˎˊ˗

｡⁠☆Synopsis: He came home in a good mood. His day job was good, the coffee seemed to be less watered down than usual. Then he came home to you. Sobbing on the couch. What does he do now?

｡⁠☆Cw: crying, invasion of privacy, mention of sex, mention of murder

｡⁠☆CH: Damian ⁠☆ Duke ⁠☆ Tim ☆ Jason ☆ Dick

✧Dick✧

He's engulfing you in a hug. He doesn't bother to take off his shoes or coat, you're lucky he remembers to shut the door behind himself.

He's hushing you, petting your hair gently. Soft murmurs of "I'm here", "it's okay", "talk to me sweetheart", are drifting through your ears.

Whether you choose to tell him what's wrong or not doesn't matter, at least not right now. Right now he just wants to make sure you're okay. Your comfort is always his first priority.

Of course, if you're one of those people who hates being touched while you're crying (me too gurl, I hear you), he's backing off as soon as you make any indication you want to be released.

He won't be able to bring himself to stray any further than down the hall, or across the room, and heaven forbid you try to close him out of a room. But he'll try to keep his presence small, but grounding.

✧Jason✧

He freezes, lingering in the entryway.

It's not like he hasn't seen you cry before, but these gut wrenching sobs? Tears that make you cough and gag on your own anguish? This is new territory for him.

Should he touch you? Should he walk away? Should he sit with you?

... "I brought us food."

He panics a little when you cry harder.

Then he's next to you, crouched in front of where you're curled up on the couch, food on the coffee table. He has a hand on your knees, and the other gently removing the one covering your face.

"Hey, what do you need me to do?" Because seriously, he's lost. "I'll do anything you need. Lemme help."

The minute you tell him what you need he's moving. Whether you open your arms for a hug, or sob out that you want to forget, or just begin stuffing your mouth with takeout. He's following your lead.

✧Tim✧

See, this is why you should let him install something to monitor your vitals! If he had that he would've seen the moment you started crying, and could've been there immediately!

That's okay though, he can help now. He will help now. If you told him the only thing that would make you feel better is if he jumped off a cliff, he'd find the highest one and throw himself off.

He's immediately dropping all of his stuff at the door, and dropping on the couch next to you.

He's asking all types of prying questions. If you're short tempered this definitely gets annoying very fast, but he's trying to show he cares! He wants to fix it!

Tim isn't good with the whole "shoulder to cry on" thing. He's not good at listening. He's good at action. He can do anything you need, and if he can't do it, he'll hire someone who can.

The moment you express annoyance he's frowning like a kicked puppy. So he changes tactics.

What can make it better? Food? Manslaughter? Drugs? Sex? Cuddles? He's practically begging you to let him give you a solution.

And it's okay if you never told him what made you cry like that. He has cameras everywhere. Who knows if he has some planted on your person. Just chill out, he'll find out by himself.

✧Duke✧

Is giving you distractions. Food and movies are cued up in seconds.

His voice is soft and low. He touches you tenderly, and keeps the majority of his attention on you. If you can't tolerate the attention then he'll pretend to be focused on the movie.

He's talking to you about nonsense. He's talking about his college classes, or patrol, or literally anything to rope you into a conversation.

As soon as you're calm he's asking what's wrong. He fixes what he can, and helps you stop dwelling on what he can't. If you don't tell him at all, he'll get pouty, but accept it.

If this happens a second time then do not forget that he was adopted by the greatest detective in the world, he will find out if he deems it pertinent.

✧Damian✧

If anyone says he freezes outside the door, no he didn't. He will deny that he froze to the end of time.

Then he's marching has way to you. He scans you for injury before touching you in any way, and his eyes are intense enough to make a mountain lion nervous.

As soon as he deems you clear, he's placing himself next to you. He grabs you, tight enough that you can't pull away, but still more gentle than he is with anything else except his paintings.

He's checking for injuries again. His hands glide across your arms, face, legs, chest, until he's once again deemed you clear.

He's no good with emotional wounds, but he'll try his best for you.

The "Who did this?" That comes out of his mouth sounds less like a question, and more like a threat. It's hard for him to not sound angry when he's worried.

Dear God, tell him what is wrong. He doesn't like being in the dark, he doesn't like not knowing things about you. This will literally eat him alive for months if you do not tell him what's wrong.

And the moment you elaborate, have no doubt that he will be taking care of the problem with haste. He will never have moved faster in his life.

Heyy first time I've written anything for Damian (that I've posted, I mean) !! Nice !!

Someone give me a request for Jason Todd.. I wanna write something for him but I have no ideas (⁠ب��_⁠ب⁠)

｡⁠☆Requests open

[doomspoon888]

I’m ngl I’m a sucker for some of the ficlets you have abt Megatron in rut, but I can imagine pre-dating where he realizes he actually (Primus forbid) LIKES starscream bc he’s in a rut and his stupid frame only wants that stupid, sexy seeker

Megatron being in rut and not dealing with it because he doesn't 'want anyone' and you've got Soundwave in the background trying to arrange for it to be dealt with (via a Decepticon volunteer or hiring a professional sex worker) because the sooner Megatron gets it out of the system the sooner operations return to normal, but then he hears all the seekers complaining that Starscream's gone into heat out of nowhere, like a completely out of schedule, impromptu heat cycle that means everyone has to pick up extra shifts in his absence.

And Soundwave finds that EXTREMELY interesting because ruts CAN trigger heats in other mechs but only really in romantic partners, which leads Soundwave to think Starscream might have a few... unresolved feelings for Megatron too.

But HE'S not going to be responsible for providing the obvious solution to this because it would be stepping out of line, him interfering in something like that, so instead he has Rumble and Frenzy mention to Skywarp that 'Megatron's in rut you know, too bad you can't just chuck Starscream in a room with him, that'd get his heat over with real fast'

So you've got Starscream who is in deep, deep denial about why his heat's been triggered, Megatron who is so far gone he's clawing at the walls and groaning Starscream's name, and Skywarp, who wants his evenings free again

I wonder what happens

[clonetrooperjournals]

Clumsy Confessions

Summary : You've always been a little clumsy but when you start to develop feelings for a certain batcher, you become a walking hazard, good thing he thinks it's cute Pairings : TBB Echo x Fem!reader (ex bounty hunter) Warnings : fluff, slight angst, reader is a clutz, cute ending Words : 1.3k masterlist here

“You alright there y/n?”  

You look up with bright red cheeks from the marauder floor as Echo looks over you in your embarrassed state, “I-I’m fine Echo!”  

You quickly leap up and head out of the ship before he can respond, as he stands there looking confused and a little hurt. It was pathetic how frazzled and clumsy Echo makes you, to the point where Omega always keeps band-aids on her. If people seen the way you act around him, they would never believe that you used to be a bounty hunter. You typically try to avoid him as much as possible, so you don’t become a burden to everyone around you, and it’s not his fault he’s the most perfect man you’ve ever met... maybe it is? You don’t even know anymore.  

You first met Clone force 99 at Cid’s after coming back from a job. You were talking to Cid behind the bar when they all piled in coming back from their job, and you were instantly intrigued. Cid noticed your fascination and hired you with them for her next job. You all became fast friends, and you really liked hanging out with them, especially Omega. She needed another girl in her life, and you were glad you could be that for her, which is how you ended up becoming an honorary member of the batch. Going on jobs with them or staying back with Omega when the jobs were too much for her to join, it just became your life, and you finally found a group of people you could call your found family. Then you started developing feelings for Echo. 

You don’t even know when it started but, he would come over and talk to you or ask you something and you would instantly get flustered. He would watch you with Omega and you would get two left feet and trip and fall and take everything in your path down with you. You've always been a bit of a clumsy person, but this was just ridiculous, and worse the entire batch new of your “not so subtle” crush on Echo. His sweet nature, his confidence, his selflessness, and his incredible handsomeness, it chipped at you until all you could think about was how much you liked him, maybe even loved him. However, since you couldn’t even walk in a straight line in his presence, you couldn’t even think about confessing to him which caused you to start avoiding him so you could save yourself some dignity. 

Cid stood behind the bar as you entered and gave you a smug look, “what’d you break now clumsy?” 

“Tripped over my feet and face planted on the ship floor...” you sigh.  

She just laughs at you, “Honestly clumsy, if you don’t confess soon your gonna lose a limb.” 

Tech sits beside you at the bar, typing away on his data pad, “Yes that is a high probability. With the recent increase to your already remarkable clumsy nature, your chances at accidental fatal injury are at 29.2%”  

“Thank you, Tech that was exactly what I wanted to know,” you turn to him, “is there any solution in that big brain of yours to help me?”  

He stops and looks up, “I have to agree with Cid on this one occasion. A confession would put your nerves at ease lowering your rate of clumsiness significantly... or it would increase. Depends on the outcome of the confession.” 

You put your head on the bar top, “and if he doesn’t like me back?”  

“Then I suppose you can continue your failed attempts at avoiding him.” 

You sigh, “I really am pathetic, aren’t I?” 

“Yes, you are! Grow some guts! You can’t be in our line of work and be a walking hazard!” Cid scoffs.  

“I just don’t want to lose him, or you guys...”  

Tech puts his hand awkwardly on your shoulder, “We all care a great deal about you. You wouldn’t lose us over something like this.”  

You look up at Tech’s small smile before he starts to type on his data pad again a warm feeling spreading through your body, “Thanks Tech.” 

... 

“I think I upset y/n.” Echo tells Hunter while their organizing their supplies. 

Hunter grins, “what makes you think that?”  

Echo sighs, “She’s been avoiding me. She won’t even look at me...” 

“Echo,” Hunter puts a hand on his shoulder, “She likes you. It's embarrassing how much sometimes, she’s not very subtle.” 

Echo freezes, “What?”  

“You can’t tell me you didn’t know. She can’t even walk in a straight line when you're in the room,” he chuckles.  

Echo looks at him confused, “I knew she was a little clumsy but... I don’t think it's because of me.” 

Hunter closes up the crate they were organizing, “Well do you like her?”  

A slight blush covers his cheeks, “I-I mean she’s... I...” 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Just confess to her Echo before she takes the whole ship down accidentally,” Hunter grins walking away. Echo stands there flustered and confused wondering if she really does like him back... 

... 

You head back to the marauder thinking about what Tech said and wanting to believe that nothing would change if you just told Echo your feelings, but that feeling of anxiety that sat in your stomach refused to leave.  

You entered the ship to silence, forgetting that Hunter said everyone was running out to do errands. You put your bag down and start to head to the cockpit when the fresher door opens revealing a shirtless Echo.  

You both freeze and stare at each other, your cheeks instantly turning bright red, “wow... I mean, sorry I th-thought no one was... here...”  

You look down avoiding his gaze as he grins realizing that Hunter may be right, “No worries. You mind passing me my shirt?”  

“S-Sure,” you say grabbing his shirt and walking over to him, except because you weren’t paying attention in your frazzled state you tripped over your bag and went hurtling forward. You closed your eyes expecting hard metal ground but instead felt warm skin. You opened your eyes to the toned pale skin of Echo’s abs, your heart jumping into your throat.  

Echo chuckles, “You alright?” 

“Yeah I... yeah...”  

Echo pulls you up but doesn’t let go, lifting your chin to look at him for the first time in weeks, “I always thought your clumsiness was cute, but you didn’t have to literally fall for me.” 

“I fell for you a long time ago,” you say and freeze, realizing the words that left your mouth.  

Echo froze too, scanning your flustered face for any sign that it wasn’t true, but what he found was red cheeks, a fluttering heart, and wide eyes that looked at him like he hung the stars in the sky.  

“I fell for you too, I just know how to walk properly when your around me,” he says gently stroking your burning cheek. 

You close your eyes, “D-Does this mean I can ask you on a date?”  

“I’d love to go out with you y/n,” he smiles warmly, his breath fanning our face, “but I wanna do something else first.” 

You open your eyes to his closed ones leaning in and kissing you gently. You immediately kiss back, cradling his face in your hands. He smiles into the kiss, gently trailing his light kisses all over your still red face and then leans back smiling.  

You trail your gaze over his figure a small smirk on your lips as you throw his shirt behind you, “couldn’t find your shirt...”  

He laughs shaking his head, his nose bumping yours, “Oh really?” 

“Yup. Might have to... check the whole ship...” you say as you kiss him again.  

He snakes his arms around your waist, “Well I better hold onto you, so you don’t go falling again.”  

You smile, “I can’t help falling for you, Echo.”  

He smiles kissing you again, “I’ll be here to catch you, every time.”  

[specialagentartemis]

Re. your post on AI with no sources (which I'm going to reblog; but I wanted to note this outside of the tags): I work in higher ed too, in administration. As it happens, my program is having a meeting next week, required by the office for undergrad education, to talk about "what we're going to do about Grade Inflation". *SCREAMING* I've been in this job for 24 years. I've seen past attempts to deal with grade inflation! I've seen past attempts to deal with honors inflation! They haven't figured out a solution YET. But what's especially NOT a solution is pushing it down on all of the individual depts. Because all you'll get in that case is inconsistent amounts of change (if any), and all that happens then is that those depts that DO try to address the issue find their enrollments plummeting. It absolutely HAS to be an across-the-university push all at the same time, or nothing is going to work. But yeah, sure, we'll sit around a table next week and talk about how we can grade more harshly. An idea that, as things stand, is basically asking the instructors to kill their enrollments and thus kill their student evaluations, which are examined by the administration when it comes time to renew their job appointment. I do NOT know the solution to all of this. Because there's all that on the one hand, and there's the "college as commodity" issue that you mentioned on the other hand. How do we get to a point where we can get the students to focus on the learning opportunity in front of them, rather than on the distant post-graduation job market? I just don't know, because the whole mindset is so foreign to me. And I think for a lot of teachers, too (which I am not), there's this same issue of... we weren't the ones in that mindset when we were IN college, so it's very hard to understand it now. It's not hard to understand the *fear*, or the pressure. It's just hard to understand the not-caring at all. Anyway. Just wanted to say: solidarity. This is such a big problem. AI is exacerbating it, making it worse, but the problem really was already there.

oooof yeah. Good luck and I’m really sorry about that :(

as one of the reblogs of my post said: the solution to this is UBI. Unfortunately, the solution to quite a lot of things is UBI.

Because that’s the problem, right? It’s not so much that AI exists, it’s that it makes it exponentially easier to just give up and fall into the attitude that is already pervasive anyway. I’ve never had to talk about great inflation but ugh yeah. If college is a commodity, and you need a good grades, and if college is a business, you need to keep coming and paying for those good grades… you have to revamp basically the entire economy to get out of the hole that’s been dug, both by us and for us!

Like, what, we need “college does not cost thousands of dollars” AND ALSO “4-year college is not a requirement for getting a ‘respectable’ job where you can support yourself and survive comfortably” AND ALSO “community college gets respect and support” AND ALSO “professors shouldn’t be expected to teach, research, and do administrative work all at once, all the time” AND ALSO “get rid of the publish or perish model for real” AND ALSO “teaching and public outreach are institutionally valued” AND ALSO “college professors actually get taught how to teach, like get taught education theory and pedagogy” AND ALSO “not have students’ housing or scholarship depend on their grades” AND ALSO “not have a grade school culture of teaching to the test and standardized tests that instills in you for your entire childhood that grades are everything” BUT THAT WOULD MEAN “not funding grade schools/high schools based on student test scores, just actually funding them all for real” AND ALSO “hiring more teachers” BUT THAT WOULD MEAN “making teaching at a school a task that isn’t horribly thankless and burns people out real fast” BUT THAT WOULD ALSO MEAN “making school not a miserable place to be a child” WITH A SIDE OF “make sure everyone is teaching phonics again for real so from a young age, students learn how to read well and don’t struggle with reading and writing in a way that encourages them to give up and use ChatGPT” AND ALSO “generally having a culture that values learning and knowledge rather than money”… it is all SO MUCH and it will be hard to do and also expensive so nobody with the power to fix it really wants to try that hard to do so!!

and yeah, I definitely think you’re right that because all the professors and TAs are the people who liked school enough to keep doing it forever it’s just, incredibly hard to grok the students who don’t care. But the mess of a culture we’re in makes it all so hard to challenge because it feels like we need to untangle EVERYTHING to fix ANYTHING.

UBI would be a great start though.

[kangaracha]

QUEENMAKER | CHAPTER 18

---

pairing chan x reader

genre ninth member au, angst, fluff, coming of age, social media, cancel culture, anxiety, depression, forbidden love,

summary To JYPE, the solution is simple; take the sole trainee that will not debut with your brand new girl group, and use her to replace the missing vocalist in your male group that insisted on starting as nine.

Unfortunately, to the fans and the members themselves, it isn't that simple.

status ongoing

taglist OPEN

a/n thanks again for 1k followers! also, taglists are sort of working again, if you're someone that only comes here when you get a tag, you've probably missed a few chapters

previous | masterlist | next

---

The airport is a crush of bodies and phones and flashing cameras, staring you down as you follow Seungmin's back through the glass doors and try not to stutter under the weight of so many eyes on you at once.

It happens fast and yet also so very, very slow, every second dripping past so discernibly that you swear you can feel time moving around you. Every breath hitches in your lungs as you walk, every blink of your eyes blinded by the halogen lights overhead or the lense of another camera, searching for the face a manager has tried to hide for you under cap and hood and mask. The clothing is hot and stifling, the collar of your shirt suffocating where it is tucked into the black hoodie, the ends of your hair scratching at the back of your neck, but you're too scared to pull it down or to even look up, your eyes fixed on Seungmin's heels and the tails of the loose shirt he's pulled on just for this walk through the line of fire.

You'd looked for Chan when you'd gotten out of the car, gravitating naturally towards the leader (the one that had defended you online, the one that could look you in the eyes and tell you the truth and went out of his way to prove it the moment he had an opportunity), but he'd fallen back and you'd been steered towards the centre of the group, sticking to Seungmin's side instead. Seungmin was dependable too, like Changbin; unafraid of the crowds that pushed and pulled at each other and tried to lean in close as security shove their way through, and fiercely loyal when the situation called for it.

Seungmin doesn't look back though. He doesn't have time, when the hands to either side are reaching for him just as much as they do to shove you, when hired bodies keep nearly separating you as they move in circles around you, carrying out their job. You're not sure how you could feel so small and alone in such a large crowd of people, seen by so many eyes, but for a moment you do, and then-

An arm lands across the back of your neck, a hand resting casually over your shoulder, pulling you into someone's side. Felix, recogniseable by the soft blue jumper he's wearing and the blonde hair that pokes out from underneath his beanie. You have a feeling he's not supposed to do it, from the wicked gleam in his eye when he glances at you and the way that he marches onward, feet placed deliberately beside yours as if to challenge anyone to tear him away, but you can't find it in yourself to make an excuse and pull back, to walk on your own two feet. 

You were scared, after all; you are scared, even with the reassurance of the weight of his arm around your shoulders and the angle of his body blocking some of the cameras that angle and click and glare at you like if they stare hard enough, you might freely divulge your secrets. You've never seen a crowd like this before, so close and so...mob-like, uncontrolled and ready to roll over each other if it means getting their two seconds of fame, their photo that's unlike any other.

"I get scared too sometimes," Felix says, close enough to your ear that you can hear him over the mayhem. "Just keep walking. The faster we get there, the quicker it'll be over."

"Thanks, Felix," you say in return, but you don't think he can hear you over the crowd. 

TAGLIST

@kokinu09 @rainfallingfromthesky @lixie-phoria @mysweethannie @chlodavids

@hanniemylovelyquokka @tfshouldidohere @lauraliisa @puppysmileseungmin @kalopsian-thoughts

@puppy-minnie @readerofallthingss @dvbkie099 @kthstrawberryshortcake-main @acker-night

@d-chagi @lynlyndoll @borahae-reads @ihrtlix @yienmarkk

@minhwa @i2innie @jinnie-ret @conwunder @amesification

@starssongs98 @weirdhumanbeinglol @morinuu @the-weird-mold-in-the-sink @bokkiesplace

@amyyscorner @jiisungllvr @skzstaykatsy @blackhairandbangs @jungkookies1002

@hyuuukais @imsiriuslyreal @thatonedemigodfromseoul @gini143 @mercurywritesstuff

@splat00z @filmbypsh @palindrome969 @crabrangoongirl25 @enzos-shit

@jabmastersupriseee @kayleefriedchicken @hynjinswrld @duhgurl @cheshireshiya

@keepswingin

[freakspectors]

HELUVAKINKTOBER: DAY 4 - PROSTITUTION.

A Dazai Osamu | BSD x Gender-Neutral Smut Fanfic.

warnings ; smut , reader is a prostitute , rough sex, dacryphilia , hair pulling , doggy style , spanking?? maybe?? , begging , etc .

author's note ; don't worry. daddy's home. HIHI EVERYONE!!! im so many days behind but shh we dont talk about that. i got grounded and i have so much going on but remember what i said on the masterlist? fuck it, WE BALL!!!! anyways this seems really mediocre but i need to catch up really fast so... enjoy what you can ^^

heluvakinktober 2023 m.list .

Nights get desolate when the Ex-Mafia member isn’t attempting suicide. Tonight, Dazai seemed to be particularly lonely — he was yearning for another. No, not for a double suicide — get the idea of suicide out of your head, goddamn it. What the detective needed was someone to fornicate with, naturally. But a trail of broken hearts follows his path in life; all of said hearts being his own.. But hearts nonetheless.

His hands just wouldn’t do it for him this time around. No matter how fast he stroked, what he fantasized about, anything at all — he couldn’t get himself off. So, what was this renowned agent of the Armed Detective Agency doing in solution to his predicament?

He hired a prostitute.

He hired you.

Dazai’s cock drilled into your cum-stuffed hole, his shaft sliding in and out with ease. Moist sounds of skin against skin fill the room each time he bottoms out. The hefty headboard slams against the wall, its sound resembling objects falling during an earthquake. You bury your head into his pillow, moans unmuffling after each harsh thrust. 

You’ve serviced many needy men throughout your career, yes, but there’s something.. different about Dazai. Perhaps it was his odd sense of charm? His concerning amount of bandages? Perhaps even the fact he’s fucking you like it’s the baby boom all over again. You couldn’t even fathom how good he felt inside of you, much unlike your older clients.

A smack on your ass brings you out of your daze. You wince at the sting, looking back at the brunette pistoning himself inside you with a broad smile on his face. His other hand rests on your hair, gripping onto you as he rails you into oblivion.

“What is it, bella? Did I hurt you too much?” Dazai pouts, gently caressing the red mark. You bob your head, eyes glossy as the young man laughs in your face. “Awe, poor baby. Do you want me to slow down?”

Before you could even muster up an answer, Dazai slowed his hips until he eventually came to a stop. You never thought you’d see yourself begging for any of your clients, but tonight seemed to be a night where everything went off course.

Fat tear droplets ran down your cheeks as loud pleas left your throat, your voice becoming hoarse. The detective rolled his eyes, a spiel of boredom in his voice when he spoke. “Oh, come on. Do you really feel that good? For all I know, you may be trying to get more money from me like the whore you are.”

             You feverishly shake your head no. He wasn’t exactly wrong — nor right, actually. You’ve pretended to cum more times than you can even count; but he was the first customer you have ever been this needy for.

“P-Please, keep going, I’ll even make this session free — I just need to.. Please, Dazai,” you cry, the lump in your throat feeling worse the more you hic and sob. Dazai stares at you, speechless with a shit-eating grin. After a moment of silence, Dazai bursts out laughing at you. Feeling humiliated, you sighed and silently cried into the pillow once more. It wasn’t long before a hard thrust went into you, ripping a moan from your throat.

“Suck it up, won’t you? I never said I was stopping for good.”

@ HELUVAKU 2023 . do not share or repost .

[bish-plz-haha]

Do you ever have those fanfics that consume every tab in your brain? And you can't stop thinking about them?

Let me share some of my favourite ones (not in any particular order):

Ps. A lot of these are by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels. Not sorry!

PPS. Some are restricted. So... I'll mention which.

PPPS. Probably will be adding to this list as I read more. 🤷‍♂️

(fics below cut)

• Your Fingerprints Smeared on My Heart (Lead Me Back to You) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Restricted)

- In 1880, Evan Buckley of the arriviste set is sent out west to oversee his family's railroad and recover from a broken heart - and meets Eddie Diaz, cowboy. When fate tears them apart, they make a promise: find each other again. In 2018, Buck walks into his fire station in Los Angeles - and meets Eddie Diaz, new recruit.

• What's love got to do with it? by ColorMeParanoid

- After Buck’s and Eddie’s dates both end with disasters – proving once again that maybe dating just wasn’t meant for them – they decide to simply settle for each other. If there was one person in the world they'd ever trust with their hearts, it was each other. And who was a better person to date other than your very own best friend?

• A little nudge or a giant shove by Never_x_Better

- Chris gets involved in Eddie's dating life. What follows is a story of them falling deeper in love, and maybe finally realising it

• Held Up a Lightning Rod (Wonder Why I'm Struck) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Restricted)

- When Eddie Diaz stumbles his way into money, he finds himself one of the most eligible bachelors in Los Angeles - to his dismay. He needs a way to get people off his back without confessing his messy marital situation, and Shannon's still not answering his calls, so he caves to a friend's suggestion: hire someone to pretend to be his partner.

Enter Evan "Buck" Buckley: sugar baby, fire fighter, and the man about to turn Eddie's world upside down.

• Courtship Behaviors of the Southern Coastal Husbro by Mad_Lori

- Buck and Eddie decide to become platonic domestic partners and co-parents. They are 100% super normal about it and absolutely nothing is awakened in them, except a mutual annoyance at being referred to as "husbros."

• Stuck on Fast Forward (Throw Away the Blueprint) by extasiswings (Restricted)

- Frank gives Eddie therapy homework, Eddie misunderstands the assignment, and Buck is just a really supportive friend...right?

• Leading with the Left by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Restricted)

- When Buck said he was a "bartender" in "South America" what he actually meant was "stripper" in "Mexico."

And when Eddie said, "What's your problem?" what he actually meant was, "Is this about the time you gave me a lap dance?"

In other words, there's a few things the 118 doesn't know about Buck. Or Eddie. Or Buck and Eddie's relationship.

• The Best Lie is a Truth (My Best Mask is My Face) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Restricted)

- The Buckley's are celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and Maddie and Buck are both expected to come. To take the heat off Maddie, Buck impulsively blurts out that he's seeing someone new.

Obviously, there's only one solution: bring Eddie as his fake boyfriend, pretend to be in love with him, and survive the weekend with minimal bloodshed. No problem, except for the, uh. "Pretend" part.

Oops.

• come love, by colonoscopys

- Broody, arrogant, and rude, Evan Buckley has made a name for himself at Buckley Enterprises—as the grandson of the founders and one of the most powerful businessmen in the country. He's determined to be at the top and stay at the top, even if certain distractions get in the way.

Enter distraction: Strong-willed, charming, and brilliant, Eddie Diaz has been hired to protect Evan Buckley from the threats made against him—although the biggest threat seems to be himself. He's determined to do his job, even if his gorgeous, snobby boss is deadset against it.

Can the two of them get what they want without getting in each other's way?

• Tread Lightly by an_alternate_world

- Healing after a truck bombing, breakup, pulmonary embolism, tsunami and lawsuit is a slow process when you're afraid to talk to your team when it feels like the world is crumbling in on you. Finding your way out of the crippling darkness is a lonely process when you're afraid you'll get benched again for something beyond your control. Learning to love again is a terrifying process when you're not sure your best friend will ever truly forgive you.

• I Hit the Accelerator (But the Car was in Reverse) by extasiswings, letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Restricted)

- When Buck is forced to confront the truth about his breakup with Abby, having casual sex with his hot new coworker seems like the best rebound idea.

Unfortunately, that hot new coworker turns into his best friend. But best friends can keep having sex with each other, right?

There's no way this could possibly go wrong.

• you can tell everybody this is your song (series) by

woodchoc_magnum

- Story of Eddie and Buck and how their relationship progresses over time

• the dream you wish will come true by woodchoc_magnum

- In which Christopher Diaz cannot understand why his father would want to date his former teacher when Evan Buckley is right there.

• I hope i can see you again (so I can finally kiss u) by KilledbyKarlJacobs

- On a mission gone wrong, Buck finds himself in captivity together with someone named Eddie Diaz? What happends if they get seperated and only meet again years later?

• Drowning in Dreams (You're My Raft) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Restricted)

- In which Buck sleeps his way into a relationship with Eddie, but not in the way you'd think.

• Speak Now by datleggy

- Fake Dating AU idea from a tumblr post that got out of hand the minute I started writing.

Eddie lies to Shannon about being in a serious relationship when she wants to re-enter his and Christopher's lives, and of course the person he asks to be his pretend significant other is none other than Evan Buckley, because what are bros for?

• I Didn't Know I Was Lonely 'Til I Saw Your Face by HMSLusitania 

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

OR

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

• Those Two Firefighters by DarkFairytale

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

• translate the magic (show me) by extasiswings (Restricted)

- “I think I might be bad in bed.”

Eddie rolls that thought around in his head, trying to decide the best way to respond, weighing the options of what Buck needs to hear versus how to say it. It’s not a conversation he wants to be having, is part of the problem. Thinking about Buck desperately seeking connection through fleeting sexual encounters with strangers already makes him swallow back a wave of petty jealousy and possessiveness. But there’s an added level of insult to injury to the idea that Buck wasn’t even having good sex. Which maybe explains why despite his initial commitment to delicacy and tact, what comes out of Eddie’s mouth is—

“You probably were. Bad at it.”

Buck’s eyes widen, a strangled noise sounding from his throat.

“Don’t pull any punches,” he shoots back as he hunches in the chair and drains the last dregs of his beer.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

[Or: the one where Buck has a crisis and Eddie teaches him what good sex really is]

• Bonds of Respect and Joy by Bythia

- After the tsunami, Eddie has to deal with his parents, who for some reason think he and Buck are responsible for a natural disaster and Christopher being caught up in that. Buck, meanwhile, has to deal with Maddie's overbearing worry about him that has only been amplified by the tsunami. Along the way, Buck, Eddie, and Christopher start to become a family without even noticing

[is-this-fascism]

convenience stores and fast food restaraunts are probably the nastiest places you can get food. it's truly a testament to the human immune system that there aren't more law suits.

not only do companies skirt the line around health regulations constantly, but the health regulations themselves are bare minimum.

the regulation at a place i worked at for 2 years permitted a total of 2 houseflies in the kitchen. i'd think 1 is too many. the cutting boards were deeply scratched and only replaced once the whole time i worked there. the dishwasher was good, at least, but employees were lax with the procedure causing residue to be left behind pretty much every day.

the drink fountains? yes, they were typically 'cleaned' daily, and i always did my best to do it thoroughly. but that was just the front of the machine, the nozzles and grates. the meters long plastic tubes that ran along the ceiling to the back room where literal bags of liquid sugar were fed into them? never cleaned the entire 2 years i worked there. that's a process that requires you to close the machine for at least an hour (they'd tell you to get it done in 30 minutes), unplug it, disconnect the 2 dozen or so syrup bags, remove all the product from the tubes and waste it (fountain drinks are the most upcharged item in most places that offer them. very profitable, liquid gold), and send cleaning solution through the tubes. it's actually pretty easy, but not as quick as just not doing that at all, so i suspect most places that have a drink fountain very rarely do this if at all.

the health inspector (hired by the company, not government affiliated) never checked those tubes. it was VERY important to her that my ponytail be neat and slung behind my shoulder though.

[juuuulez]

📝 | hate-fuck.

rewatching THAT scene with syd and richie….and wow am i just 😍😍😍 (for both of them fyi! but alas that is not the point today)

imagine being one of the new hires, someone blunt and confident and maybe a little rude which irritates richie because it reminds him of, well….himself.

fighting in the kitchen, where you’ll purposely piss him off to prove a point, arguing with noses touching and curses grumbled in a low, intimidating tone (eventually carmy yells at you both).

one particularly heated night richie follows you to your car, swearing and yelling about some comment you made earlier during service, unable to let it go.

not wanting to cause a scene you hiss for him to “get the fuck in,” and it’s only when you’re both in the close confines of your car that richie realises the perfect solution!

fucking the attitude out of you.

it’s hard and fast and despite all the anger and hate he finds himself enamoured with the sheer control it grants him, something he doesn’t hold over you in any other situation, whilst doubling as a pretty good stress reliever.

it becomes routine after that: in the car, in an alleyway, in the office room when everyone’s gone home. anywhere (but never either of your houses, of course. the fuck do i look like, sweetheart? your friend?)

[poraphia]

"Lead Singers Love The Attention."

clingy!wilbur x singer!reader pronouns: not specified! 998 words || 8.8.23 My first ever request from @ax-y10 ! I am currently taking requests, so don't be shy to drop some for me :))

He just can't get enough of you, even when you're about to go on stage.

♡♡♡

Picture this.

Your boyfriend, after months of touring the world with his up-and-coming band, has finally come home, but without even a week of quiet time together, you have to pack your things and kiss him goodbye because guess what? now you have to go on tour!

So, what’s the best solution to this predicament?

Well, bringing him along with you of course!

At first, I was reluctant. Throughout the late night facetimes and after-concert texts, he complained time and time again that he missed home and our friends. So, imagine my surprise as I looked up from my phone after some time scrolling away on the couch to see the tall man with a freshly packed suitcase and a determined look on his face.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Will–”

“I want to come with you!” He whined.

Admittedly, what he missed the most was spending time together.

We didn’t make any sort of public announcement that Will would be coming with me to perform besides an ominous tweet Wilbur decided to post on his private account. 

While we were waiting for our plane to be called, I was making phone calls to dismiss the hired guitarist and to let my tour manager know that Wilbur would be taking the role. My eyes happened to drift onto Wilbur’s screen, which read the simple text of “lol plane go brr” before posting it for his thousands of fans to see. With ecstatic eyes, he looked up at me. Eyes that read, “We’re going to have so much fun. I’m happy to be with you again.” It took a couple of times calling my name through the speaker before I snapped back from what spell he put on me. 

Fast forward, we were now in Brooklyn, New York, performing my first concert of the tour. Maybe it was the adrenaline of being back on stage in front of thousands of people or the double-shot espresso in Will’s morning coffee, but he was exhilarated.

Immediately after soundcheck, I found his arms constantly around me. Whether it would be his grip slithering around my waist and pulling me in like a snake lovingly squeezing its prey, to towering behind me with limbs draped over my shoulders and his steady heartbeat pressed against my back. It didn’t matter if I was by myself, talking to my manager, or on stage directing the crew on some small adjustments.

With the charming man that he is, I found nothing but comfort in his warm embrace. Every time I tensed up from stress or anxiety, he would bury himself in my hair as if he was quietly telling me, “I’m here, don’t worry.” And soon enough I would lean back in his touch, feeling his hands moving me closer and his heartbeat’s pace picking up. 

But now, it was time for my, or rather, our, first performance of the tour.

I stood on the side of the stage. The curtains were still closed to prevent anyone from getting a sneak peek of the set. Wilbur stood next to me, letting me use his hand as stress relief as I open and closed my grip on his fingers. My manager, looking at me from the other side of the stage, gave me a thumbs up, letting me know that the curtains will be drawing back soon.

“You ready, darling?” He asked, rubbing my knuckles with his thumb. With a deep sigh, I looked at him and smiled.

“More than ever.” 

His excitement pulled on the corners of his lips as he leaned down, holding a kiss right onto mine. I cupped his face with both of my hands, fluttering my eyes closed as anxious moths turned into fluttering butterflies in my stomach. Wilbur’s hand held tightly onto his guitar’s neck, careful to not let it bump into me, while his other hand rested on my shoulder.

Soon enough the stage countdown started playing in my ear monitor, meaning that the curtains were being drawn back. In an act of confidence, I slowly began walking backward onto the stage, but Wilbur was determined to keep his lips on mine.

Soon enough the sound of screaming fans flooded both of our ears as I felt the smile on Will’s face widen. I could feel thousands of eyes on us, but he was firm in his position. We were under beaming stage lights with my name shining in LED behind us, but even if there was an ecstatic crowd of thousands in front of us, only his loving touch can make me feel like we were in our own world. Like we were out past midnight on the sidewalk with only the streetlight putting us in the spotlight.

I pulled away to finally greet my crowd, but Will trailed after me, sneaking little pecks on the lips as I giggled. After what felt like a hundred more kisses for a six-foot walk, I grabbed the microphone off of the stand.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, Brooklyn.” I chuckled. Wilbur leaned over my shoulder, almost dividing half of his height to get his mouth near the microphone.

“You know how a lead singer loves the attention, (y/n).” He said charmingly, causing another abrupt cheer from the crowd. Wilbur turned to look at me now. “Now let’s get this thing started, shall we?” He pressed one final kiss on my temple before placing himself in his designated stage spot. The other musicians I hired followed suit, and once it looked like everything was ready, I placed the mic back onto the stand while still keeping both hands wrapped around the handle.

“Welcome to the tour, Brooklyn!” I exclaimed. “I want to see you singing along, jumping, and most of all, having fun!” With one deep inhale I took in that concert energy that all these people embodied to cheer me on. There was nothing going to be in my way to give it all back to them.

“ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!”

♡♡♡

love my writing? more wilbur soot here!!

a / n ~ tysm for reading if u enjoyed i'd appreciate reblogs n likes :)) thank u for being such a kind community so far!!

[geluckgk]

Okay it is time for me to talk about rpz characters !

Small explanation on what is rpZ : a gta rp server that was created by Zeraror made to last 2 weeks exactly. It was the first introduction to rp for a lot of French streamers. It was full rp and almost everything was impro. The only big event really organized was elections for the mayor (won by a dog who gives free cocaine btw)

All of our french qsmp stremears (expect Kameto) participated.

ANTOINE CROUTE (he/him)

Baghera character

He is 16 years old, youngest of the server, often misgender because of his high-pitched voice. He spent the full two weeks with his cousin Daniel Croute (play on words with Antoine Daniel), so we can't speak about one without speaking about the other two they are basically soulmate. At first we think they both have parents and we don't see them because they are on holidays, but towards the end given the fact that they confess that there parents don't give news and the fact that they live on the street we understand they have been abandoned.

Antoine often says he is the muscle and Daniel the brain but they both aren't that smart and very naive and get themself into a lot of troubles. They are looking for an internship but always inevitably get fired because of their numerous mistacke. They will finaly found a job at Montazac(Antoine characters)'s vineyard even after a few incident in the end Donatien de Montazac permently hire them, makes them heir then adopt them.

Links with q!Baghera :

The obvious one is their need for a family and habit to get attached quickly to anyone who start to respond to their need. Baghera did it with philza and Antoine with Donatien and Doc Maison(a mentor of his). The fact that they don't have a "real" familly hurt their selfestem

Then more funny(?) is their relationship with death. Or if we want to be precise the temporary kind of death (because of the coma dynamic in gta and respawn in Minecraft ). If you are familiar with q!Baghera she as a tendency to die a lot but also to encourage other to do so, saying they should die more, have more fun with death in general. She steps on mine, drown herself, jump of clif, for fun and giggle a lot. In the spawn of two weeks Antoine had 48 coma, the record of the server (compilation of all his coma). Antoine keeps on dying dumb way and never learn his lesson as doctors will anyway always come to help him

Their compassion and the way they always go out of their way to help. q!Baghera in a way that she always tries to find the best solution to help their friends and resolve situations and Antoine just throws himself into dangerous situation to help his loved one.

In the first week of the qsmp, Baghera told the adventures of the Croute cousins to Pomme as a bed time story. The moral was that even when adversity kept making their life difficult they kept hoping for their happy ending with they got.

DONATIEN DE MONTAZAC (he/him)

Antoine's character. He is a winery owner, very rich, and has for motivation getting even richer. We understand quite fast that he doesn't care for no one except him and his money(but his characters evolve during the weeks). He is taken ostage at least 4 times and somwhat always manage to escape the situation harmless and with more money than before. He isn't violent but is in an relashionship with the Vagos (local mafia) to protect his domain. He presented himself to the election and had a lot of votes, he was quite pised to lost against a dog.

For multiple reason (he snitched on him to the cops) he is hated by doctor Cox, a dangerous ex psychologist with a love for revenge. Cox will try to manipulate antoine into betraying Donatien without sucees. The last day he will kidnapepd both Croute cousins and will force Donatien to choose one to kill, he will refuse to but will instead forced to beat them up. They will be ultimatly be saved by the fact that Cox henchman don't want kids to be hurt in the conflict and called the police. After the incident he will confess that for them he would have been capable of paying any ransom (wich is a lot coming from him)

Links with q!Antoine :

I think q!antoine is really different from Donatien but one thing they do have in common is their selfishness. Not in a particularly mean way but they both put their own interests as an all top priority and won't go out of their way to help other if it doesn't benefices them.

But also both character soften their way for they kids, Donatien for Antoine and Daniel and Antoine for Pomme. In both case it is a slow warming to them and then love with a powerful want to protect(less shown with Donatien because Antoine is already almost an adult and can take care of himself)

He reference his character out of rp : During qsmp 2024 anytime he was winning a lot of money he would jokingly said he was in a "Donatien arc". During the elections arc, he said that he gave enough before and don't want to try to lose to the dumb mascot again (Gegg in qsmp, the dog in rpz)

PATRICK PAGNOLESS (he/him)

Aypierre's character.

(Okay, so I didn't watch his pov. This is more what I know from wiki fandom/clips/seeing him in other pov)

He is the owner of the Pagnoless brother with his brother Jackyyy (played by JimmyBoyyy which you might have seen during purgatory 2). It is the richest enterprise as well as the one with more depts. He is from the south of France and left to escape the Corse mafia.

Link to q!Aypierre :

Obviously his love for capitalism and troling (wich is more a Cc!Aypieree thing)

RAYOU WHITE (he/him)

Etoiles's character.

Not much to say since because of scheduling conflict and difficulties with rp Etoiles didn't play much. He was basically a bald doctor with depression. He is really passive aggressive and hates his job.

ANYWAY, that was not short at all but I cut a lot of things and tried to make it still understandable.I maybe forgotten things, rpz were a pretty eventful 2 weeks.

If you have questions drop them in my askbox ! Also if you don't agree or want to add someting to my analysis please feel free I'm very interested !

[thegameartist03]

so about that in-depth post i owe ya

this is about the hlvrai undead au, so warning for major injuries, death, and body horror ahead! i wanted to go into more detail about how each cast member does (or doesn’t) die.

imagine, for a moment, that you are Gordon Freeman.

you’ve just arrived late to work on the day of the big experiment. you run through the halls as fast as you can to the locker room to get your HEV suit on. at the gate, you’re stopped by a random security guard who asks for your passport and hassles you about not being allowed in. you finally get past him, and then run into a fellow scientist that you’ve seen around. he introduces himself as Tommy and mentions something about soda. he seems upset about something, but that’s none of your business. you reach the locker room, and there you find Dr. Coomer- a clone of Dr. Coomer, to be exact, one of hundreds- and you politely address him, though he seems a little scatterbrained, then get suited up and head out. you’re almost there when you pass a commotion. looks like some of the scientists are manhandling an old guy in a hospital gown while he screeches at them about tubes and free will. that’s none of your business, and you’re way behind on schedule, so you continue on. you reach the test chamber, enter, and start setting up the experiment. Tommy, the employee you ran into earlier, is up in the observation room giving you instructions with a couple other scientists. you get to the point that you’re starting to push the crystal into the beam when something catches your eye.

up on one of the walkways is a skeleton.

that’s not possible, skeletons don’t just walk around without bodies, but it makes you pause for a moment before the scientists above loudly announce for you to continue with the experiment. it must just be stress making you see things, that’s all.

you push the crystal into the beam, and everything goes terribly, terribly wrong.

the machine overloads. a beam of green energy blasts through the window of the observation room, and the last you hear of the shutdown efforts is a collective scream. in your panic, you trip and your helmet falls off. now you’re absorbing god-knows-how-much radiation, but it doesn’t end there. a ball of brilliant verdant light builds in the center of the machine, shaking the room and lifting you off your feet, giving you a moment to watch in horror as you recognize the theoretical disaster that is a Resonance Cascade, before a massive shockwave throws you like a ragdoll against the wall of the chamber hard enough to crack your skull. arcs of plasma prickle across your exposed face, and you die.

except you don’t.

you could’ve sworn that you died, it really felt like you should’ve, but you wake up in the test chamber with a raging headache and a strange feeling in your chest. it’s not clear how much time has passed, but you know one thing for certain: you need to get out of Black Mesa.

long before the Resonance Cascade where everything went horribly wrong, a few crucial events occurred that inevitably lead to these unforeseen consequences.

a decade or so ago, Black Mesa and Aperture Science got into a legal battle that resulted in an exchange of leadership between the two companies. a direct consequence of this was harsh cutbacks on safety regulations in the Black Mesa facility, leading to a high employee turnaround and an even higher death record. management needed a solution for their dwindling population, so instead of robots or fewer OSHA violations, they created the Longevity Department. this department was responsible for finding any means to defy death and hopefully a way to reliably revive the heaps of lost staff so they wouldn’t have to hire new employees. there were many attempts made at simulating immortality, but none were particularly successful. eventually, they started dealing with a mysterious entity known as the G-man who provided the company with crystals from Xen, a dimension that existed outside of the concepts of life and death. but these crystals were meant to be used as a power source to solve Black Mesa’s growing power shortages, and they weren’t a main factor in the Longevity Department’s goals.

so what happened to the other members of the Science Team?

Benrey was your average security guard, a normal human who liked playing video games on his off time. his best friend was Tommy, one of the scientists that was hired a few years back and a bit of a quirky guy but nonetheless fun to hang with. Tommy’s been acting weird and sad though, and Benrey doesn’t know what’s up. on the day of the fateful test, the main man who was supposed to put the thing in the thing was late, so when he showed up Benrey decided to tease him a bit. when he finally let the guy go, Benrey was called to report elsewhere and help with a disturbance. he decided to take the rickety definitely unsafe elevator that didn’t have safety railings with some other employees. he and some other guards had a running competition for who could jump from the highest point on this particular elevator on the way down, so Benrey decided to show off to the boring scientists and hopped off early. in dnd terms, he rolled for athletics with disadvantage and no proficiency bonus and hit two nat ones. in a moment of tragic absurdity, Benrey hit the ground at such a bad angle he managed to break his neck. he was dead by the time the elevator stopped a few seconds later, and the scientists sighed about yet another security guard down and called for a cleanup crew.

Dr. Coomer was not the first Dr. Coomer, and he expected he would not be the last. the original Dr. Coomer was a great scientist who sadly contracted a terminal disease (completely unrelated to unprotected exposure to vats of green goop) and was ‘volunteered’ for the Longevity Department’s cloning experiments. cloning is not a perfect process, and many of the Coomers that are produced have serious health issues that kill them almost immediately. the ones that survive have to be augmented with various cybernetics to continue living, and due to the quality of parts every clone has about a 50/50 shot of their bodies rejecting the implants and dying anyway. the particular Dr. Coomer in the locker room that greeted Dr. Freeman was not only on the cusp of organ failure, but the implants in his brain had caused a fatal amount of swelling. he was supposed to be under observation, but he had managed to wander away from the other scientists and to the locker he was sure was his. shortly after Dr. Freeman left the locker room, he was found by the scientists from the cloning department. they tried to convince him to come back with them, to which he agreed, walked violently into a wall, and died on the spot.

Bubby was born in a test tube and he did not want to die in a test tube. creating test tube babies was an imperfect science, and the ‘experiments’ were subjected to accelerated aging, short lifespans, and a plethora of health issues. Bubby hadn’t spent years stuck breathing fluid then years more in physical therapy running tests to see if he could survive outside just for his body to betray him and get him thrown back in the darn tube at the end. thanks to an old friend, he managed to sneak out amidst all the hubbub surrounding some new fancy power source test. unfortunately, his body was no longer able to sustain itself outside of suspension, and his organs began to collapse on themselves under the weight of gravity. Bubby was caught halfway across the facility when his legs were too weak to run and his lungs didn’t want to cooperate anymore. he put up as best a fight as he could- his greatest wish was to see the outside before he kicked it, but failing that he absolutely refused to die in that tube- and a final bit of luck blessed him that his struggling overloaded his failing body. he fell unconscious before they could get the proper equipment, and within minutes, was dead.

and then there’s Tommy. due to his nature as a psychopomp, Tommy has a certain instinct for when someone is about to die. he was aware that Bubby wouldn’t make it and there would soon be another Coomer clone for the biohazard bin, but what upset him the most was his best friend Benrey. Tommy’s dad had warned him about getting attached to people in this line of work, but Tommy couldn’t help it. He was young (by supernatural standards) and he still had a lot to learn. He couldn’t tell Benrey what was going to happen of course, even if he did, it wouldn’t change his fate. So, as a way to say goodbye, he spent some extra time playing video games with his buddy before the day he was fated to die. this also happened to be the day Tommy was supposed to observe one of Black Mesa’s tests using a Xen crystal G-man had procured as part of his deal with the company. nothing major, just a simple experiment that would be over in less than an hour. Gordon Freeman would be the scientist handling the machinery, and Tommy already had a vague idea of when his time would be up. the man had a terrible habit of not double checking the seal on his helmet, and one day enough radiation would seep in to be fatal.

on the day of the test, everything went off as expected. Tommy felt it when Coomer, Bubby, and Benrey each fell, and though he was upset he planned on collecting their souls to guide them after the test. Gordon entered the chamber, Tommy and the other scientists instructed him step by step, and then-

well, for a being who has a sixth sense for life and death, the Resonance Cascade’s disruption of that balance, the outcry of every soul in the facility at once, and the screaming sensation that everything was wrong got to Tommy the moment things started going badly. he opened a door to the void and disappeared moments before the beam of energy struck the observation room. thus, he survived unscathed. returning to the destroyed facility was an overstimulating experience, but it was even more of a shock to find three people that should have absolutely been dead and gone running around and dodging newly created hazards.

far from the epicenter in the defunded Cybernetics Department, Darnold manages to survive the waves of Xenergy and holes himself up in his lab so the zombies and the US military can’t get him.

Joshua also exists in this! he’s the one character that is actually an ai. Gordon is constantly chosen for the HEV suit grunt work instead of being able to do the science behind the experiments, so to combat his frustration and boredom he messed around with artificial intelligence in his spare time. this led to the accidental creation of an actually sentient AI in his work computer that he named Joshua and labeled his son. he knows it would be very, very bad if Black Mesa found out about Joshua, so he keeps him a secret and has asked one of the much more stable Coomer clones to watch over him while he’s away. when the Rescas hits, Coomer is still watching Joshua, and when it becomes clear that things have suddenly gotten very bad, Coomer takes Joshua with him to try and find Gordon. the two have a series of misadventures in the facility while the Science Team are having their journey until eventually Tommy sends Sunkist to find Gordon’s son. from there, Sunkist takes Joshua and reunites him with his dad at Chuck E Cheese after the Benrey fight.