#it’s not that I don’t love being part of the workday facetimes! it’s just that you are all so annoying godbless

[micamicster]

I love so many deeply annoying people -_-

[blxckchxrrybxby]

FaceTime: The Promotion

summary: It’s drawing nearer to the end of a particularly stressful workday, however, you’re interrupted by an incoming FaceTime call from your girlfriend(s).

pairing: Wilhemina Venable x Billie Dean Howard x Reader

warning(s): foul language.

a/n: Does Mina have separation anxiety? Yes. Does she throw tantrums? Absolutely. Do you or Billie love her any less? Impossible.

“How long until you’re home?” Mina questioned as soon as the call was accepted. You could see her shuffling around the living room; unable to not be the busybody she naturally was.

“Not that long. I’ve got a few hours left.” Sliding off your glasses and leaning back against the office chair, you continued, “If I can get through the rest of these claims by the end of the hour, I should be able to shave off some time. Hopefully, traffic isn’t a shitshow by the time I’m out.” You let your eyes close for a moment, massaging the bridge of your nose with the pads of your fingertips.

After twelve grueling hours of office work, you were beyond ready to return home to your girlfriends. All of the day’s stressors had gifted you with a throbbing headache. You could never understand how Wilhemina worked long hours without losing her mind. Being HR was a nightmare. The only person who wasn’t bound to the misery of handling imbeciles was Billie. Then again, being bound to the anguish of the dead was worse in your opinion.

Wilhemina hummed, taking in your answer, and pulling you away from your thoughts. “It’ll still be about two hours before you come home.” She stated, mostly to herself.

You opened your fatigued eyes and sulked, “Unfortunately. What made you ask?”

“No reason. Curious, I suppose.”

A sly smirk replaced your previous expression. “Oh… so you don’t miss me?” Your chin laid against the palm of your hand as you propped your phone up alongside one of the monitors. You stared at the redhead innocently. At first, you weren’t sure if she had heard you. It wasn’t until those dark brown eyes met yours (through the screen) that you recognized a hint of longing concealed beneath each twinkling iris.

She not only missed you… she needed you.

Suddenly, it dawned on you that the only woman used to spending time away from you had been Billie (due to filming and whatnot). Wilhemina, on the other hand, had never experienced a day off without you. She was used to starting the day with you curled against her side, but today you were out the door before she had a chance to brush her teeth. She was used to coming home in the midst of you and Billie’s antics after a long workday, but today she had no work. Not even an email to follow up on.

Her gaze lingered for a moment as if she was trying to memorize every feature adorning your face. If you weren’t used to the subtlety of her expressions, you’d have missed the slight downturn of her lips or the brisk furrow of her eyebrows. She took a moment to moisten her lips, busying her gaze elsewhere, before speaking.

“You could say my day has grown a bit… dim without you here, little one.”

You felt your heart break from her confession. You hadn’t realized just how devastating accepting this promotion would be. Wilhemina had encouraged you to go for it—and to be honest—you figured becoming a part of HR would make not only you but the older woman proud as well. So upon accepting it, the three of you celebrated and spent the weekend preparing for the influx in work hours and schedule shifts.

What you didn’t prepare for was this.

“Oh, Mina. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have gone home for lunch. Or you and Billie could have sat in the office with me—”

“No, that wouldn’t have been necessary…” She muttered, slightly clenching her jaw out of habit. Though, It was something she’d do when she was in pain, whether it be physically or emotionally, as well. You sat up to fix your posture, focusing solely on her, while hearing the distant sound of the whistling kettle over the phone. “It would have taken far too long for you to drive from there and back.”

You knew she was right. It was a 45-minute drive to headquarters now that you had been promoted, but you were willing to break a few rules if it meant spending more time with your girls. The screen shifted a bit as she made her way to the kitchen; cane tapping with every other step she took.

For a moment, you were transfixed on her appearance; taking in her sharp jaw from a lower angle. The lips you loved to kiss were lined with a deeper purple than her lipstick of choice; which happened to be named Pandemonium. You knew the shade by heart. It seemed rather mauve to you at first. However, after months of watching it oxidize against the redhead’s lips every morning… it was indeed not mauve. To be honest, you weren’t quite sure what the hell it was. Not that it mattered.

“-Besides, Billie has been drowning in calls all day, and… well, my back has been far from merciful.”

You blinked, not realizing how far you had slipped into your admiration of her. Taking a moment to clear your throat, you reentered the conversation. “I was wondering where our Medium went off to.” Chuckling then pausing for a second, you spoke with caution “… I’m going to ask you something and I know you won’t like it but… Have you taken your medication today?” It was a simple question. One she despised, terribly, but you had to ask.

The tapping of her heels and cane came to a halt, as you listened to her inhale deeply and then exhale. You held your breath, knowing she was set to snap at any moment. After a second, she replied monotonously. “Obviously.”

“I was only checking-” She quickly slammed the phone down onto the counter; providing you with a nice view of the underside of the cabinets. You quickly halted your speech, knowing she would talk over you if you decided to do otherwise.

“I’m not incapable of taking simple medication, y/n. I’m not some incompetent child. They just won’t fucking work!” Her hand slammed against the counter, causing your body to flinch; startled by the sudden noise.

You felt bad, knowing she was only snapping due to the pain she was experiencing. You felt even worse knowing you couldn’t take the discomfort away from her and exchange it for ease. It was known that during times like this, you had to be calm and collected with her.

“I know that, baby. I just-”

“You just what? Think because I have this fucking deformity that I can’t take care of myself?”

You let out a sigh, deciding to pick up this conversation from a different perspective. You were far too tired to bicker, especially knowing that it would do no good. “Does Billie know you’re in pain, Mina?”

She paused, most likely trying to regain her composure. The older woman frowned; face displaying nothing but displeasure—not that you could see. As the silence continued, your face softened, hearing the clinking of a spoon against a mug. You figured she was probably fixing herself some tea; busying herself enough to ignore the pain shooting throughout her back.

“Be a dear and pour me a cup won’t you, Venny?” You arched an eyebrow hearing the Medium call out from another room. It was obvious Billie had no idea about her girlfriend’s current mood or pain.

Wilhemina rolled her eyes, grumbling, “Be a dear and pour it yourself.”

A pair of heels echoed throughout the kitchen before the blonde popped up over the phone; curls dangling gloriously as she gazed down at you. “Hello there, babydoll. Do you see what I’ve been putting up with? Let me tell you. She hates me somethin’ extra today.”

You chuckled, “Billie, you know that’s not true-”

“It’s very true.” Wilhemina interrupted, causing the blonde to pout. Billie’s gaze stayed on Wilhemina as those charming gears in her head began to turn. She slowly smirked, propping the phone up for you to see.

“That wasn’t very nice of Mistress, now was it, kitten?” Billie asked, directing her question to you.

You blushed softly at the nickname, lowering your voice and volume. Office or not, you were pretty paranoid of someone overhearing. “No-” Wilhemina squinted at you, causing an immediate change in your answer, “Yes. I mean, yes.”

Billie opened her mouth, beginning to speak, before shaking her head at your inability to be more submissive to her than Wilhemina. Though, she couldn’t blame you. The woman in purple could dominate you both at the same time without uttering a word.

“Thanks for the help, kitten.”

All you could do was smile sheepishly. Billie returned her attention back to Mina as her fingers carefully smoothed red stray hairs back into place. For a moment, you could’ve sworn you saw a shiver run through the older woman at the expense of Billie’s experienced fingers. Wilhemina’s deep-set eyes closed, most likely allowing herself to momentarily relish in the only pleasure she’s felt all day.

Billie hummed softly to herself, enjoying the effect she had on Wilhemina. It was rare for the woman to relax, but when she did the world stood still. You allowed your own body to ease comfortably back into your chair; using this moment to help ground yourself. It had been a long day indeed, but you were glad you could experience the softness of this moment with your lovers. Even if it was over a video call.

“How about we take this upstairs, hm?” Billie suggested, nearly purring into Mina’s ear. You watched as she nuzzled the tip of her nose along Wilhemina’s freckled neck. “We haven’t spent any time together all day. Isn’t that just terrible?” Her manicured nails dragged softly down the hemline of Mina’s blouse while her lips planted soft kisses under the redhead’s right ear. Wilhemina’s chest rose and fell with anticipation as Billie charmed her way in.

You watched those same dark eyes reopen, settling a heavy gaze onto the blonde. One might assume the gaze was lustful, but in reality, it was simply Wilhemina. Intimidating in every way. In an attempt at keeping her walls up, she stepped away from Billie.

“You reek of cigarettes. Spare my nose the poison.”

Billie threw a playful pout her way, keeping up with every step her lover took. Refusing to remove her fingers from Wilhemina’s mane; a few strands of red hair twirled around each acrylic nail. “I apologize,” Billie whispered, holding eye contact. “On the contrary…” Her hands pulled Wilhemina closer, allowing the Medium to lean her nose back against the redhead’s neck, “You smell divine.” After a moment of trying to tame the obviously pained woman, Billie stared at her lovingly, letting her hip rest against the counter. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in pain, hm?” Her hands softly cupped Mina’s face.

The redhead peered, jaw clinching significantly. Through gritted teeth, she nearly snarled, “I’m fine and I don’t need your pity-”

“Oh, hush. Wilhemina Venable, you must think I’m a fool.” Billie’s voice grew stern, but somehow still soft. Her eyebrows furrowed, taking a moment to try and understand why the older woman wouldn’t have come to her for help. “You should have told me, Mina. I don’t care if I’m shooting an episode or on three-way with the ghosts from the Cortez. You come to me. Do you understand?” The blonde’s thumbs moved tenderly against the soft skin beneath them. Billie could feel the warm tears colliding with her flesh.

Wilhemina’s gaze broke away from Billie’s, falling swiftly to the floor. You frowned taking in your lover’s disheveled appearance. If the pain in her back didn’t break her, the emotions trying to claw their way out surely would. Meanwhile, you chewed anxiously on your bottom lip, pondering on if you should leave immediately or wait it out. You grabbed the phone, spinning around to face the window. The city was bustling beneath you, and you were stuck in an office nearly an hour away from the two women you loved.

“Come.” Billie’s voice instructed Wilhemina over the phone. Her finger curled in a ‘come here’ motion as she moved and made her way towards the staircase. Mina’s hand gripped the phone firmly as she tried to figure out how to balance holding you and her mug. Since one hand was occupied by the cane, she settled on sliding the phone into her pocket and diligently holding the tea instead.

“Just a moment, little one.” She cleared her throat, trying to stabilize and rid her voice of emotion. “Allow me to place you in my pocket.”

You nodded, not saying much; too lovestruck and focused on the view to process any of what she had said. Ascending the staircase, her cane echoed through the call. You took this as an opportunity to grab your things and pack away your work laptop. You needed to go home.

…

Speeding down the highway, you conversed with your two lovers; listening intently as the two bickered about Mina taking more medication.

“For the last time, I’ve already taken more and it didn’t help.” Wilhemina stated, completely exasperated by her lover.

“Perhaps you waited too long to take it and the previous dose wore off?” Billie tried, stroking the older woman’s hair as if she were a feral cat needing to be tamed. Wilhemina opened her eyes and glanced at Billie.

“Do you have a death wish for me?”

Billie scoffed, “Don’t be dramatic. Taking more won’t kill you.” The Medium shrugged, “Besides, even if that did happen, you’re so grumpy I doubt you’d make it to the light.” Mina glared as the blonde flipped her hair.

Once you made your way onto the main roads, you stopped at a red light; stealing a glance at the phone. Billie held it up as Mina’s breathing began to steady itself. You smiled, knowing her pain was easing up. Either that or it was so excruciating that she had no choice but to sleep. Before her soft snores could be heard, the redhead slowly lifted her hand, grabbing the phone from Billie. With eyes still closed, she spoke.

“…Little one?”

You smiled to yourself, admiring her raspy voice. However, on the inside, you were gushing at how small and vulnerable she sounded. “Yes, Mina?”

“Will you… be here soon?”

You nodded, not caring if her eyes were closed or not. “Yes, Mina. I’m almost home.”

She inhaled then exhaled deeply, melting more into the mattress and Billie’s arms. “May I ask something of you?”

You smirked at her softness, slightly tilting your head. “Anything for you, love.”

Her face flushed softly, and you could tell by the hesitance of her speech that she was fighting against her own vulnerability. “Stay on the phone with me. Until I… fall asleep?”

Billie playfully pouted at the sweet question, taken off guard by the contrast of Wilhemina’s emotions. You bit your lip, trying to hold back the grin wanting to reside on your face as you made your way into the neighborhood.

“By the time I hang up, my arms will already be around you.”

[thestraggletag]

Creature Comforts, a Dragon!Rumbelle Sequel

Summary: The morning after the storm. Sequel to Creature Instincts.

Rating: PG-13

He woke up some time during the night, disoriented from having fallen asleep somewhere other than his bed. He noticed idly that there was light coming from the kitchen, which meant the power was back. But the heating would take time warming up the house, big and old as it was, so he tried to disentangle himself from Belle to tend to the fire. 

“Let me, I’m closer.”

Belle rose, unselfconscious of her nudity, and pecked him on the cheek before reaching out to the neat stack of firewood and tossing a couple of logs into the dying embers of the fire. He watched in fascination as she reared back, taking a deep breath before blowing a steady blue plume of fire, setting the wood aflame. He noticed her eyes shone greater as she breathed fire. He had noticed his do the same. He marvelled at how small she was, how dainty and fragile-looking, and yet how it was all a ruse, well-crafted lie. She was a creature of power, with more strength and stamina that a human could ever hope to have.

‘A perfect match for us.’ The creature inside him was curled up, still seemingly satisfied by their recent rough coupling. It had never felt so before after sex, quite the contrary. It disliked being constrained and limited, being told to hold back, to be softer, or gentler or altogether less. He hadn’t had to hold back with Belle, with her thick skin and brute force. His muscles ached in a way they never had before. She had given him as good as she got and it felt wonderful, to be so tired, so spent.

“You look at me like I’m unreal, it’s very flattering, but strange. Haven’t you met any of our kind before?”

Belle shifted till she was draped over him, arms folded on his chest and chin propped up over them, peering at him curiously with sleepy eyes. She felt soft and loose above him, not an ounce of tension in her body. 

‘We tucked her out. How lovely.’ The creature purred, pressing against the edges of his consciousness. ‘Let’s do it again.’

It was possibly giddy, like a child, and it made him giddy too. He shook his head, telling her his only encounters with those of his kind were from far away and long ago, people in passing that had smelt a bit like him from a distance. 

“I’ve heard tales, and tracked down stories. I have come across antiques that were obviously once part of another dragon’s hoard, by the smell and feel of them. But that’s about as close as I’ve gotten.” He stroked her back, loving the sleek texture of her scales, and how warm she was. A furnace, just like him. “What about you?”

“Mom died when I was little, but her family kept in touch, helped me growing up. Introduced me to a small community of dragons in Australia. Mostly male dragons, I think everyone was hoping for a bit of matchmaking since females are rare, or so I’m told. Didn’t quite work out. I wanted… love. Settling for ‘someone of my own species’ felt like short-changing myself. Gave in to my urge to see the world partly to get away from a persistent jerk who didn’t know the meaning of the word no.” She wrinkled her nose, which he found adorable. Vaguely he tried to make himself adopt a less dopey expression, but his face would not budge.  

Suddenly she frowned, as if a new, puzzling thought had crossed her mind.

“Did you even know I was like you?”

He shook his head, seeing no point in lying, as much as it embarrassed him that he had not put the clues together before. Her eyes softened even more, a dreamy expression in them.

“I thought for sure you knew. That it was why you first paid attention to me, why you enjoyed sparring with me. It’s a very traditional courting practice amongst our kind, and it was the first time I found myself wanting to participate. I found our fights… stimulating.” The heated look in her eyes, coupled with her words, sent a jolt of sudden, scorching pleasure down his spine.

“Oh, it is safe to say I enjoyed them as well. I just didn’t know how much. My son and my daughter-in-law, I’m afraid to say, cottoned on to my interest in you before I did. The creature in me always knew, though, tried to tell me. I wasn’t listening. We… we don’t always get along.”

It was an understatement. Growing up inhuman had been difficult. He had been alone in a world full of people. He had had to figure everything out on his own, about what he was, and what it meant. How to survive. How to live around people without hurting them, and without them hurting him in return. He had never quite figured that part out, truthfully. It had been hard, and painful, and… lonely. So, so lonely.

“I’ve seen it looking at me.” Belle smiled, reaching out to pet his hair. “I would be fighting with you over extra funds to expand the selection of Latin American authors at the library and it would flash across your eyes. It always thrilled me.”

The creature preened, clearly not immune to flattery. It was strange but pleasant to feel in sync with it, it happened so rarely. Her look darkened, her own pupils becoming slits as her eyes shone unnaturally blue. He had but a moment to brace himself before she pounced on him, her inhuman strength still taking him by surprise in spite of it all, thrilling him as if it was a new discovery. They were rougher with each other, more comfortable now that they knew without a shadow of a doubt that they could not hurt each other easily. It was the sort of uninhibited, passionate coupling he had always restrained himself from and it felt wonderful. She had certainly ruined him for other women. And he hoped that her loud moans and her many orgasms meant he had had a similar impact on her.

When they woke up again it was close to eleven o’clock, a shockingly late hour to be waking up. Reluctantly they left the comfort of their improvised nest and donned their clothes, if only to keep themselves in check long enough to eat something. It was Saturday, as rent-day always fell on a Friday, and though he usually opened his shop for a half workday he always took off Saturdays after rent-day, usually to recover enough to don his human facade again. It was a day he usually enjoyed, with a hearty breakfast and, if the weather permitted, some time outside lazing in the sun, or if not taking care of his treasures, and browsing antique websites to see what caught his fancy.

It was strange not to feel a frisson of excitement at the prospect of growing his hoard, but he reasoned that greater biological impulses were at play. Instincts he had never had a chance to explore. 

‘And given how she’s looking at us we’re not the only ones with a one-track mind.’

The creature thrilled happily, its unbridled joy mixing with his own as they both stared at Belle, who was idly whisking a few egg-whites into a merengue and shooting covert looks their way. In the light of the morning her silver skin took a soft pink undertone, barely perceptible. He was fascinated by it, by the sleek feel of her scales and their warmth. She was so tiny, and so kind, and so gentle. He had seen her interact with children, soothe irritated elderly library patrons who could not find the book they were looking for, and evade the advances of slimy men like Keith Nott a couple of times at Granny’s. And yet there was this whole other part of her, a part she didn’t show others, could never show. He alone would know her, all of her, and the possessiveness he felt at the prospect was heady.

‘Ours. Mate.’

The creature rumbled, clearly pleased, and nudged Rowan forward, telling him that surely food could wait for later. He was about to reach out and snag the librarian about the waist, her smell letting him know she would not shoo him away, when he caught the sound of his Facetime ringer. Bae sometimes called on Saturday mornings to check on him, if rent-day had seemed like it had worn him out a bit much, and there was a chance he might have heard about the blackout from Emma’s foster sister, who lived in Storybrooke. He whispered against her lips that he would be quick and moved the tablet to face away from where Belle was, swiping to take the call with the practiced ease of someone used to manipulating touch technology with claws.

“Hey, Bae. How’s everyone?”

“Hi, pops! Emma is still asleep, she came home only a few hours ago. Little Henry is watching The Dragon Prince on her tablet. Keeps him quiet.”

It seemed to amuse Bae a little bit too much that Henry’s favourite TV shows usually were about dragons, as before he had been obsessed with Jake Long and Dragon Booster before that. Rowan had learned to pretend he didn’t notice, though he had to admit that it did please him a bit. He was hoping to let Emma in on his secret so it would be easier to tell Henry, when the time came.

“I heard about the blackout from Emma, and wanted to check in. The storm yesterday was pretty bad, and that old Queen Anne gets cold really fast without electricity.”

He couldn’t help but be warmed by Bae’s worry, even and he cursed his timing. He assured him that he was alright, having spent the night by the fire in the living-room, and that the power was back on and the house was properly heated once more.

“I’m glad, pop. Hope your favourite librarian is okay too. Perhaps you could go over to her house with a bottle of wine and check up on her.”

He waggled his eyebrows, which Rowan was glad Belle could not see. She could, however, hear everything, made all the more evident by the amused smile on her face, and her raised eyebrows. Fucking Baden.

“Let’s not start this again, I-”

“No, pops, come on. You’re gaga over that woman. You talk about her so much I sometimes feel like I know her more than I know my own wife. Emma agrees. Hell, even little Henry could name at least three of her favourite outfits. Including her heels, which I gotta tell you gives me a glimpse into you that I would rather not have.”

He was too busy turning an almost orangey shade of gold out of embarrassment to register at first that Belle had broken into peals of laughter, which she tried in vain to suppress. Bae, however, heard right away, his eyes turning round and panicky on the screen.

“Oh my God, pops, is someone there?! Is Belle there?! Do you know that you’re-I mean, that you look-”

Bae had gone through a terrified phase in adolescence after he had become acutely aware of the danger his father faced if his nature was exposed. It had broken his heart to see it, but he had thankfully grown out of it once it had become clear that it was unlikely to happen. Clearly, though, he wasn’t as unbothered by the notion as he seemed. He was trying to figure out how to reassure him when Belle took a few steps towards him, pausing to give him a significant look. At his surprised nod she crossed the remaining distance until she was snuggling against his side, smiling shyly and looking distinctly non-human.

“Hi, I’m Belle. Rowan has told me so much about you. Can I call you Bae?”

From inside the tablet his son let out a surprised “eep” that his sensitive ears objected to loudly. He looked at Belle, clearly taking in her silver skin and glowing eyes, and then at his papa, going back and forth with an air of shock and surprise that was almost insulting. Then, slowly, a lopsided smile formed across his unshaven face.

“Pop, you lucky dog!” He started slow-clapping, which made him wish the earth would open up and swallow him whole. “I mean, what are to odds! And the implications. I wanna know everything. Well, not everything. Definitely not everything. Like, please, no. But still, I have questions. So many questions.”

Rowan eyed the end call button, trying to imagine just how mad Bae would be if he pressed it.

“Buuuuuut I can see I interrupted something so I’m just gonna get Henry dressed and go with him to the park. You know, give you two crazy kids some time.” Okay, perhaps Bae was not the worst son ever. “But I will be expecting a call later. And for you to send Emma a message confirming the relationship so she’s forced to fork over the fifty bucks she lost. Don’t forget about that, pops, love you, talk to you soon!”

He was gone a second later, leaving him feeling Belle trembling with laughter against him. He marvelled at how at ease she felt, even though he knew exposing one’s true nature to someone was a huge thing. A sign of trust, of intimacy, of-

Commitment. 

‘Yes. Ours. Always.’

The creature said it matter of factly, as if he was stating the obvious to a particularly thick-headed individual. He shushed it, though half-heartedly, and pressed a kiss against Belle’s hair, whispering a quick “thank you” before going over to where his French press was, determined to make a mockery out of Granny’s lattes. The sooner Belle saw the benefits of breakfasting at his house the better.

[fanfictionsavant]

Perfect Miracle pt 3 - Steve Rogers

this is the LONGEST single part of a fanfic I’ve ever done. Enjoy.

Wattpad / AO3

Two weeks ago, you had begun to feel under the weather but had brushed it off as a stomach virus. You kiss Steve on the cheek as he opens the front door, ready to leave on a month-long mission.

“You sure you’re okay? I won’t go if you don’t feel good.”

You roll your eyes, “I’m fine Steve. I promise I can take care of myself.

He stares at you intently, “If it gets worse, you need to update me.”

“No, I do not Captain and no I will not. If I do, you will abandon ship and Tony will blame me.”

“He won’t! I need to be here to take care of you.”

*One Week Later*

You, in fact, did not feel fine, but you’d be damned to tell Steve that. You had only been sort of kidding when you said he’d come running back to you if you mentioned still feeling sick. You knew Steve Rogers and you knew he would find a way to come home.

You play with your necklace, trying to fight yet another wave of nausea. You look down at Steve’s wedding ring on the golden chain. He never took his ring on any of his missions, which bothered you at first.

**

“What if some HYRDA woman comes onto you?” You had argued back, “How is she supposed to know you’re taken?”

Steve had laughed, “I don’t think that’ll happ—”

“Have you seen yourself recently? Ever? What do you mean ‘that won’t happen’?” So maybe you had been a bit crazy over him not taking the ring, but you had felt a bit insecure with him so far away at times.

“I promise it will be fine. Plus, what if I broke it?” You hadn’t thought of that. “Or lost it. It’s safer here with my girl.”

“Your wife,” you had said still a tinge annoyed.

**

You laugh at the memory, twirling the ring around your index finger.

Suddenly your phone lights up. *Steven would like FaceTime* You slide the green bar over, and he pops up on your screen.

“Hey you,” you look at yourself in the smaller box on the screen. You don’t look too hot.

“Hey how’s it holding up?” he asks.

“I’m good,” you lie, “Do you have a cut on your forehead?” you squint at the screen.

“It won’t scar,” he says defensively.

“I don’t care about that,” you roll your eyes, “You’re safe, right?”

“As safe as I can be,” he grins back at you. “I can’t wait to be back home with you.”

“There’s so much room in the bed without you…” you tease.

“Is that so?”

“Mhm… so much room. You can’t even imagine.”

“I’ll just have to sleep pressed up against—"

“There is a time and place for everything and right now is not that time.” Sam chimes in from somewhere in the room.

“Wait Sam’s in the room with you?” You feel your cheeks heat up. You know exactly where that conversation was leading.

“I thought he was sleeping,” he shrugs.

“Steven Grant Rogers,” you laugh, “I have corrupted you.”

He chuckles. “Have you?” his voice is husky again.

“THERE’S A TIME AND PLACE STEVE!” Sam yells again.

You laugh. Another wave of nausea washes over you.

“Are you okay (y/n)?” Steve asks concerned as you take a couple deep breathes.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.” The room feels like it’s spinning slowly.

“You look sick.”

“I’m just tired,” you lie again, “Missed you. I’m glad you called.”

He smiles, not looking all too convinced, “I should let you rest then. Don’t push yourself too hard (y/n), especially if you’re tired.”

“I won’t. You know I like working. I’m fine.”

Again, he doesn’t look convinced by your words, “Okay. I’ll be home probably in a week or two.”

“That early?” You’re surprised. Originally Tony had felt the mission would take at least a month, so a month is what you had expected.

“The team’s been able to follow some accurate leads. I think we’ve almost got them.”

“That’s good…” the nausea becomes unbearable, “I’ve gotta go. Love you, bye.”

“Wa—” You end the call before he can fully answer, running towards the bathroom.

*a few days later*

A whole week and a half have gone by since Steve left. You can tell he’s getting suspicious that you’re actually not fine by the multiple FaceTime calls you’ve had.

You sit at lunch with your co-worker and friend (y/f/n).

“You’ve really been sick this long?”

“A few weeks before actually. Maybe two weeks before? Do you think I’m dying?” You look worried.

She laughs, “I wouldn’t say dying.”

“What do you think it is? That stomach bug that’s been going around?”

“I’d say you’re pregnant.”

You laugh, “No, no, no. There’s no way. I have a stomach bug (y/f/n).”

She holds her hands up in defeat, “You could just take a test to be sure. Maybe you really do only have that bug.”

The thought sticks with you the rest of the workday. You keep brushing it off, shaking your head. There’s no way! It’s not possible! But then the thought pops up and you wonder about that one time… that one time you two weren’t as safe as you could’ve been. Plus, condoms weren’t always 100% reliable. You had seen Friends enough to have received that message.

Despite you telling yourself there’s no possible way you could be pregnant, you rush to your neighborhoods drugstore and buy ten just in case.

Rushing home, you throw your bag and keys on the table, rushing to your bathroom for a different reason for once in almost four weeks. You take all ten of the tests, leaving them on the counter before plopping down on the couch in the living-room. You set an alarm on your phone and try to relax.

This is no big deal. They will all be negative, and life will go on as normal. Truthfully you didn’t want to give up your life right now. What you and Steve have had these past couple of months was good. You wanted at least a couple more years of just you and him before you added another person into the mix.

The alarm goes off startling you. You stare down at your phone, click ‘stop’ and get up off the couch. You flip over the first pregnancy test in the row. Pregnant.

“It could be a false positive…” you mutter, before picking up the second. Pregnant. You continue down the line, each one the same as the previous.

“Shit…” You sit down on the bathroom floor, opening your phone up. Your finger hovers above the ‘call’ button by Steve’s name. You stop yourself, clicking out of Steve’s contact and scrolling to Bruce’s.

“Hey (y/n)—”

“I’m pregnant.” You blurt out.

“I—What?”

“I’m pregnant… and Steve’s not here right now. I don’t know what to do Bruce.”

Silence consumes the call, “Do you want to come to the tower?”

“Not really…”

More silence, “Okay I’ll come to you then.”

**

“Are you sure? Like 100% sure you—you’re pregnant?” he asks for the billionth time.

“Yes. I took like one hundred tests. I don’t know how this happened!”

“Well—”

“I know how,” you roll your eyes, “I don’t know how it happened because it’s not like we weren’t—”

“You don’t have to give me details (y/n).”

“You’re a doctor. You shouldn’t be so squeamish with this sort of stuff.”

“I’m not an OB/GYN!”

“Well, then be a friend and listen to me complain about how my husband knocked me up!”

Bruce buries his head in his hands, “I won’t be able to look at Cap without thinking about this conversation from now on you know.”

You laugh, “I don’t know what to do Bruce. If I tell him over FaceTime he will insist on coming home and they’re almost done with the mission… but I also don’t want to keep this from him.”

“Don’t tell him yet (y/n). That’s exactly what he’ll do.”

“I know and I don’t need another big fight to start up between Steve and Tony because of me!”

“They’ll all be back in about a week. It’s better for everyone if you just wait.”

You nod, “I think so too.”

*A week later*

You had actually become sort of fond of the idea of this baby as you kept it a secret. Your brain is always in the clouds wondering about the baby. You had even had the time to think of a creative way to tell Steve the news. Might as well, it’s a surprise.

*Baby Daddy would like FaceTime*

“Hey!” you smile at him through the camera.

“Hey. We’re landing soon, so I’ll be home soon.”

You feel butterflies in your stomach, “Okay I’ll start dinner. How’d the mission go?”

“Successful. One less HYDRA base in the world.”

“That’s good. Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

“Love you, bye.”

“Bye.”

You hang up with a big grin on your face.

“Okay… I’ll make something simple I can stomach,” you say to yourself. You boil spaghetti and heat up spaghetti sauce in a saucepan. That sounds acceptable for your stomach. Your nose certainly isn’t objecting.

You turn off the burner and set the table. Then you get to the fun stuff. You place the handmade card and one of the pregnancy tests on the bathroom counter. You know Steve will insist on showering the moment he steps into the house, and he’ll be met with hopefully good news.

“(y/n)?” he calls from the front door.

You grin running towards him. Nothing is better than being in his arms, “Welcome back!”

He pulls you into a long kiss. “I missed you,” he mutters.

“I have dinner ready,” you whisper back grinning, knowing what he’ll say next.

“I’m going to take a quick shower first.” Perfect.

“Okay, I’ll be waiting…”

He grins, walking towards the master-bath.

You hear the door shut. A quick pause and a confused, “What?”

“Wait what… (y/n)?” The door opens and Steve walks towards the kitchen, holding the card and the test. You smile before turning around.

Steve opens and closes his mouth a few times, “You—you’re pregnant?”

You smile again, nodding.

“This isn’t… a prank?”

“Nope!” you walk towards him, “Surprise.”

“When… did you find out?” he asks, still in shock.

“A week ago,”

“A week ago? We’ve FaceTimed at least five times this last week. Why didn’t you tell me then?”

“Because I knew you’d abandon the mission and plus this was more fun. I got to shock Captain America into silence,” you grin as you wrap yourself in his embrace.

“What did you do when you found out?” he asks.

“I called Bruce.”

“You told Bruce before you told me.”

“You were on a mission. I had to talk to someone! Bruce doesn’t mind.”

“We’re having a baby… and you thought you were sick! I knew something was up!”

You laugh looking up at him, “I could tell you were suspicious.” He grabs his phone from his pocket.

“What are you doing?” you look at him quizzically.

“I’m calling Tony. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon (y/n). Now you really need me.”

You roll your eyes, “You don’t have—”

“It’s final. I’m not going to miss anything.”

You roll your eyes, relaxing back into his embrace as Steve argues with Tony over the phone. You don’t think you’ll mind having Steve take care of you, just this once.

Tags: @bloodyproudpotterhead

[5tornhomos]

Always Your Advocate - Chapter 4

Story Summary:  After five years of being in one of the most successful boy bands in the world, Harry Styles is about to embark on his solo career. While at Columbia, he meets Bethany Russo, who’s just been assigned to work with him.  As much as she wants to remain professional, she just can’t keep away from him.

Chapter Summary: After their night together, Harry and Beth discuss where they stand.

If you missed the first chapter , you can read it here.  I also post on Wattpad and AO3.

When Beth woke up that next morning, she had an instant smile on her face. As she remembered the night before, she couldn’t think of the last time she had so much fun with anyone, let alone another guy. And once they got back to her apartment, Harry was everything that she could’ve imagined. He was intensely passionate, yet gentle and caring. Throughout the night, he constantly made sure that she was comfortable.

  She rolled over in her bed, expecting to see Harry lying there next to her. She was a bit disappointed to see that the other half of her bed was empty. Regardless of what happened next, Beth was grateful for the night the two had shared. She felt lucky that she was able to spend any amount of time with him. Beth figured that Harry got up and left late last night, or early in the morning. She assumed that he wouldn’t want the added pressure of being in her bed in the morning. Maybe that would make things too complicated. Maybe he left after he got what he wanted.

Beth pulled herself out of bed and headed to the kitchen.  She was a bit taken aback to see Harry standing at her stove, wearing nothing but his underwear.

“Good morning, love. Did I wake you? I was hoping to surprise you,” Harry said, as he stood as the stove, flipping pancakes.

“You’re making breakfast?” she asked, still feeling surprised. She started to wonder if she was still dreaming. She was also starting to feel guilty for assuming that he left.

“I’m sorry, is that weird? This is your place. I shouldn’t have gone through and used all your things,” he said.

“No, of course not. Don’t be silly. This is really sweet of you,” she said, which caused Harry to smile.

“Do you like chocolate chips in your pancakes?” he asked.

“I LOVE chocolate chips in my pancakes,” she told him.

“Great, I’m almost finished. Why don’t you sit down?” he asked, as he made the final batch of pancakes.

Although she had just been with him the night before, she couldn’t help but stare at his shirtless body. She tried to shake away those thoughts. She didn’t want him to feel like she was only interested in his body. No matter how physically attractive Harry was, his appearance wasn’t the only thing that she was drawn too. She wouldn’t have been able to spend the last two days with him if her attraction was only about his body.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Harry said, caring a large stack of pancakes.  

“Starving.”

“So, tell me. Did you sleep well?”

“I did. You certainly tired me out,” she told him.

“Was it too much? Do you regret last night?” he asked.

“Never.”

“Speaking of which, I should probably put some clothes on,” he mentioned.

“Not necessary. You’re welcome to wear as much or as little clothing as you’d like,” Beth said. She was perfectly happing to see him in minimal clothing.

“Do you like your pancakes?” he asked.

“They’re delicious. Thank you for making breakfast.”

“You seemed surprised that I can handle the kitchen. I used to work in a bakery you know…”

“I thought you were just the cashier,” she joked.

“Did I tell you that or did you hear that from an interview?” he asked.

“Honestly, I can’t keep track anymore,” she admitted.

They both laughed, but Beth knew that she had to bring up something more serious.

“Not to ruin this beautiful moment, but I think there’s something that we have to talk about,” she said, hesitantly. As much as she wanted this bliss to continue, she knew that they eventually had to talk about reality.

“What is it? You can talk to me about anything.”

“How are we going to continue what’s going on between us? I think that whatever we are, needs to stay between us. I don’t even know what my bosses would do if they found out about us,” Beth said.

As much as she wanted to imagine a perfect scenario with Harry where they could date normally, she knew that wasn’t the reality. But they also couldn’t just go on and act like nothing happened. It’s not like they were never going to see each other again, because she was going to be working on the promotion for his album. They both knew that they had to be careful about how they continued their relationship.

“Well, as you know, I’ve never been a fan of sharing much about my personal life. When the public finds out, things just become more complicated.”

“So, we’re on the same page? We’re keeping this between us?” Beth asked, wanting to clarify.

“Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you. I’ve really enjoyed our time together. I’d still like to call you personally, not just to talk about the business. But only if you’re okay with that,” Harry said.

“I would love that.”

After spending their Sunday morning together, Harry needed to get back to his hotel so he could leave for his flight. He needed to go back home to London so he could continue to work on his album. But he promised to call when he got home. He was very clear that he wanted to keep the personal relationship going between the two of them.

The next morning, Harry sent Beth a text as soon as he landed. He couldn’t wait to talk to her again.

“Good morning, love. I hope I didn’t wake you. I know it’s still early over there. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed our weekend together. I really appreciated you showing me around your city. I’m looking forward to the next time I can see you. I’m hoping you can come to London, and I’ll return the favor. Talk to you soon,” the text read.

“I had a great time with you too. I’m heading off to work now, but can I call you later tonight?” she asked.

“I prefer FaceTime so I can see your beautiful face.”

After spending the weekend with Harry, Beth felt like she was on cloud nine. She got so wrapped up in their time together, that she almost forgot that she was supposed to be working for him. But when she spent time with Harry, his persona faded away. When they were together, he wasn’t a globally successful superstar. He was just Harry. A kind, gentle, soul with a huge heart.

Once Beth got back to reality, she started to worry about how her relationship with Harry would affect her work. She wondered if it would make her job more complicated. Would she still be able to do her job effectively, now that she was involved with Harry? This was her first big client, and she didn’t want her bosses to doubt her. That’s why she knew that the two of them had to keep their relationship a secret for a while. Luckily, Harry was happy to keep things private, since he’s had enough people digging into his personal life.

Despite her worries, Beth remained hopeful that she would still be able to do her job as expected. In fact, she hoped that she could deliver beyond anyone’s expectations. Now that she got to know Harry, she wanted to push even harder to make sure that his album succeeded. Beth was willing to do everything in her power to help Harry become the most successful artist that he could be. He deserved the world, and she wanted to help give it to him. However, she also understood that Harry deserved to be treated like a human being, and she didn’t want to push him beyond his own limits.

 When she removed the personal side of it, Beth was beginning to realize how difficult it was going to be to promote Harry. She thought that it might even be more difficult than promoting a new artist. If you have a new artist, it’s like a blank canvas, and the artist can create whatever image they want. But with Harry, he already had an established image and reputation. Whether that image was good or bad, people already had their preconceived notions about him. Obviously, there would be people that knew him from One Direction. But there would also be people hearing his voice for the first time. In a way, the goal was to reinvent Harry, while remaining true to who he is as an artist. But in the same sense, you also don’t want to alienate his existing fanbase. It was a lot to balance.

She walked into the office Monday morning, passing Ron’s office.

“Good morning Beth. How was your weekend?” he asked.

“Boring. I didn’t do much. Just your average weekend,” she lied.

“By the way, I just want to make sure I was clear the other day. We are expecting big things from Harry Styles. I want you to be completely focused on him,” Ron said.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be thinking about him 24/7,” she assured him. That part was true.

After what felt like the longest workday of her life, Beth was excited to get home so she could talk to Harry again. When Beth arrived home from work, there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on the steps of her apartment. The card read, “Had a lovely weekend with you. Hope to see you again very soon. – H.”

She sent Harry a quick text to let him know that she was home. Within seconds, she received a Facetime call from him. It’s almost as if he was sitting there, staring at his phone, waiting for her.

“Harry! I was just about to call you. Thank you so much for the flowers. You didn’t have to do that. But they are gorgeous,” she said.

“Not nearly as gorgeous as you.”

“Oh stop…You’re not too bad to look at either.”

“So how was work today?” he asked.

“Well, I go to work, and I talk about you all day. Then I come home, I talk to you. IT’S TOO MUCH HARRY,” she joked.

“Well, maybe they should assign you to a different artist. Or maybe I should just hang up the phone then…”

“You know I’m kidding. I could talk about you all day.”

“So, what were they talking about today? What should I be expecting?” Harry asked.

“Today some of us were having a lovely discussion trying to predict if you’ll be the next Justin Timberlake.”

“And what was your stance on that debate?” he wondered.

“I don’t think you’re going to be Justin Timberlake,” she stated firmly.

“Ouch. That one hurt.”

“I just think you’re going to be so much better than Justin Timberlake. And I don’t think it’s fair to compare you to anyone else. You shouldn’t strive to be like anyone else. I think you should strive to be the best possible version of Harry Styles,” she explained.

“You told them that?”

“I did.”

“Well, I appreciate that.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile. She could tell that he was flattered. Harry had been in the music industry since he was 16 years old. He had been taken advantage of in the past. But after getting a few years of experience, it was easier for him to identify the people that he could trust. Harry felt relieved knowing that he had someone working for him that was always there to support him. Having her support helped ease some of his worries about the start of his solo career.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I received a little package today, from a special someone,” he said, holding up a small box.

“I wonder what it could be…”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” he said.

“You’re not the only one who can send gifts. And it’s not much anyway. It’s not nearly as nice as the flowers you sent me,” she said, starting to feel a bit guilty that her gift wasn’t good enough.

Harry opened the package to find a colorful assortment of different nail polishes.

“Is this a joke? Are you mocking me for wearing nail polish?” he asked.

“NO! Absolutely not,” she quickly said. She wasn’t sure if he was joking or if he was actually offended. “I just saw them online and I thought of you. I know that people make fun of you for wearing nail polish. But I was my little way of saying that I support you. I love that you don’t care what other people think,” she explained.

The night she got home after their first date, she couldn’t sleep. She was up all night thinking about Harry. She thought about sending Harry a little something, when an ad for nail polish came up on her social media page. So, she ordered a bunch of bottles for Harry, having them shipped overnight.  She bought this gift before she got the beautiful, extravagant flowers, so her gift was feeling a bit silly and underwhelming.

“I love them,” he said, with his face lighting up.

“Really?”

“I’m going to paint my nails tonight. Which one should I use first? I think I like this purple one… I’m so excited,” he said, as he looked through all the colorful options.

The two continued chatting for a few hours, with the conversation easily flowing between them. Although Beth was worried about where they stood in their relationship, she was enjoying the moment for now. The least she knew that it wasn’t just a hookup or a one-night stand, because they haven’t stopped communicating since they met.

[lynnearlington]

31 and/or 34 with supercorp for the thing obviously

31) Who is more affectionate?

Lena remembers hearing once that the purest form of affection is a mother’s love.

She never knows what to think about that. Not really. Not when the only version of a mother’s love she knows involves a constantly overbearing pressure to succeed coupled with an ever present reminder that she’ll never be good enough.  

Kara Danvers, Lena thinks, must have had a really good mom.

“Hi,” Kara is saying, grinning from where she stands on the other side of Lena’s desk.

“Hi,” Lena parrots, eying the brown paper bag in her girlfriend’s hands. “What’s that?”

“Oh!” Kara startles as if she just remembered she was holding something. “I brought you lunch.”

Lena’s brows come together even as she smiles, a small laugh coming out as she takes the bag suddenly thrusted towards her. “Lunch?” She can’t imagine what kind of greasy high caloric meal her girlfriend considers lunch.

Kara nods enthusiastically, still smiling. “I went to that deli you mentioned liking the other night. The one with the salmon salads.”

Lena’s eyebrows raise. “The one in Metropolis?”

“Yeah,” Kara says, grining like this is a normal conversation.

“You went all the way to Metropolis to get me lunch?”

Kara shrugs. “I had some extra time this morning.”

When she opens the bag she sees a takeout that is indeed from her favorite lunch spot in Metropolis, but she only spots the one box. “Did you not get something for yourself?”

“Oh,” Kara says with a dismissive wave and a quick laugh. “I already ate and I’ve got some leftovers at work. I’ll be fine.” Lena looks at her skeptically because she’s seen Kara eat at least three meals in one sitting and she can count on one hand the amount of times she’s seen her girlfriend say no to food.

Kara laughs again. “Really,” she says, adjusting the glasses on her face. “I just wanted to stop by and drop this off for you.”

“So you’re not staying?” Lena hates the disappointed tone her voice takes, but she can’t hold it back. She’s also struggling to process the part of this conversation that means Kara flew across the country for the express and sole reason of bringing Lena lunch.

“Sorry,” Kara says, rounding Lena’s desk to press a quick, but warm kiss to her cheek. It leaves her skin tingling even as Kara steps away. “I’ve got to get back to work, but rain check.”

Just as Kara’s at her office door, Lena stops her with a quiet, “Kara?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Kara grins at her. “Anytime. I love you.”

Lena doesn’t have time to repeat the sentiment back before Kara is out the door and she’s left alone in the silence of her office with the smells of her favorite meal emanating from a brown paper bag on her desk.

When she pulls the styrofoam box out of the bag she notices the loopy handwriting of her girlfriend across the white surface. Hope you have a great day at work! xoxo K

--

Lena mentions in passing that she keeps forgetting to call for her dry cleaning service and that she’s worried she’s going to end up with only one clean blouse and skirt pretty soon. A day later when she walks into her closet her dry cleaning is hanging off a hook, all her work outfits in plastic coverings, clean and pressed and ready to go.

All she can do is stare at it for a while, blinking in disbelief as she tries to remember if maybe she blacked out and ran errands or something.

Kara walks into the closet (presumably because Lena’s been in there for way longer than normal) and laughs, her palm pressing at the small of Lena’s back. “You okay?”

“Did you do my dry cleaning?” Lena asks, turning slightly widened eyes towards her girlfriend.

Kara shrugs, looks at the object in question. “You kept forgetting.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Lena says, soft and uncertain. She resists the urge to ask what are you looking to get in exchange because she’s trying to accept that Kara just does things with this uniquely foolhardy sincerity and looks for nothing in return.

“I know,” Kara says, kissing Lena softly on the cheek and rubbing a soothing hand up her spine. “But I wanted to.”

Lena feels idiotic for being overwhelmed by dry cleaning of all things and she has to turn away from Kara, biting the inside of her cheek at the sudden heat in her eyes. She steps away and back out into the bedroom, headed towards the kitchen. “What do you want for dinner?”

Mercifully, Kara allows her retreat, just follows along behind listing off takeout options.

Hours later, when they’re snuggled under the warm covers of her bed, Lena finally lets out a soft, “Thanks.”

Kara’s brow contracts for a moment before her face relaxes. “For the dry cleaning?”

Lena shakes her head, but her throat closes on the words she wants to say. Thanks for loving me.

Kara seems to understand the dilemma even in the darkness of the bedroom. Her hand reaches out to cup at Lena’s cheek. “Don’t thank me for something I love doing.”

--

After a particularly long workday in which Lena can feel the stress of it aching her bones, she comes home to soft acoustic music playing throughout her apartment, the smell of something delicious and a glass of red wine already poured on her kitchen counter.

“Kara?” Her eyes stay on the glass of wine as she calls out for her girlfriend and sets her bag and jacket on a nearby barstool. Unless her apartment has suddenly been possessed by an overly considerate poltergeist, there’s only one possible person responsible for this.

“Hey,” Kara says, coming around the corner with a bright smile. She walks straight up to Lena and presses a warm welcoming kiss to her lips. “Welcome home.”

Lena smiles into it, unbidden and swipes what must be flour off of Kara’s cheek. “What’s all this?”

Kara just shrugs, her arms wrapping around Lena’s waist. “I made dinner. And dessert.”

“I smell that.”

“And I poured you some wine and now you’re going to go to the bedroom and put on your comfiest clothes and we are going to relax for the rest of the night.”

It’s a sinful proposition and Lena can already feel some of the tension of the day seep out of her body. “Don’t you have to-”

“Not tonight,” Kara interrupts with a smile. “Alex gave me the night off!”

Lena knows that Kara doesn’t ever really get the night off, but she lets herself sink into the idea of a lazy evening with her girlfriend on the couch.

“So come on,” Kara says, spinning Lena around by the shoulders and marching her handily towards the bedroom.

Later, when Lena’s stomach is full of a delicious dinner (I got the recipe from James who got it from Clark who got it from Martha and she had to Facetime me through it because I burned it twice), she curls up with Kara on the couch, both of them in sweatpants and oversized socks and Lena curls her hands warmly around a cup of hot chocolate - the smell of which is practically lulling her to sleep.

“I needed tonight,” Lena confesses, leaning her head on Kara’s shoulder for a moment.

Kara rearranges a blanket so it covers both of them. “I know,” she answers and Lena picks her head up to look at her girlfriend.

“How did you know?”

“I stopped by your office over lunch,” she says and Lena’s eyebrows raise in surprise. Was she really so out of it that she blacked out her girlfriend’s visit?

Kara laughs at the expression. “As soon as I saw the almost crazed look in Jess’s eyes I knew you were having a long day so I turned around and went back to work,” Kara says, rubbing her thumb over the crease in Lena’s brow.

“You should have told me you stopped by.”

“If I had you would have felt obligated to hang out with me and then gotten home even later and with more stress.”

“You’re not an obligation, Kara,” she protests, hating that she missed out on an opportunity to see her girlfriend in the middle of her admittedly crazy day.

“You know what I mean.” 

“You still should have said something,” Lena says and hates the way her mouth almost forms a pout against her will.” 

It makes Kara laugh. “Well I hope I made up for it,” her girlfriend jokes. 

Lena just stares at her. “More than. You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Lena tells her, failing to add the not for me that her head does. 

Kara purses her lips, cards her fingers through Lena’s hair. “I just wanted to make you feel better.”

Lena feels the sentiment deep inside her, it warms her gut and travels over her skin and she feels enveloped in a kind of love she didn’t think she’d ever find in her lifetime. She wonders if someone taught Kara how to love or if it was just something she was born with.

“You’re too good to me,” Lena says softly, feeling like she can never adequately repay Kara for the gentle way she takes care of her.

Kara looks almost bewildered, a playful smile on her lips. “There’s no such thing.”

Lena kisses her then because she doesn’t know what else to say.

[delhi-architect2]

Journal - 6 Predictions About Post-Pandemic Office Design — And Why They’re Mostly Wrong

James Woolum is Interior Architecture Partner at ZGF. With a career in architecture spanning 29 years, Woolum has significant experience designing corporate, healthcare, research, and institutional environments. His design approach leads to honest, authentic, and user-focused solutions deeply rooted in the unique culture, process, and community of each client.

I’ve always loved science fiction movies, particularly those that offer a glimpse of the (near or distant) future without trying to completely re-invent the world from scratch. Think of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marin Civic Center in Gattaca, the Bradbury Building and Wright’s textile block Ennis House in Blade Runner, and yes, even London’s baroque-revival Royal Opera House in The Fifth Element.

Cut to today. The crisis-casting regarding the future of workplace in the post-quarantine era has been rampant, but now that the return to the office looks imminent, the rubber is about to meet the road for task forces assigned to create smart staffing plans and safe workplace programming. The assumptions, predictions and recommendations to date have ranged from flat-out falsehoods to some viable suggestions, but a lot of them have relied on the basic premise that the future of workplace is going to look something like the past. In the absence of real-world precedents, I couldn’t help but wonder, are we relying too much on convenient fiction to calm our collective concerns?

As designers, we have a duty to observe without bias or preconception, and a responsibility to approach issues new and old with sensitivity and optimism. Now, more than ever, we in the design community must remain open-minded, agile and committed to being part of the solution — whatever form it may take. So, what is the future of workplace design? The simple truth is that we just don’t know yet. What we do know is that humans tend to overreact to the short-term ramifications of change (or social upheaval) but underestimate its long-term effects.

If we have learned anything from this global pandemic, it is that variables are changing at the speed of light — we can only truly solve for right now but must be prepared to adapt and evolve day to day, week to week and month to month as observations, experience and science emerge. It’s way too early in the game for hard and fast answers. For now, let’s cast aside the fears and take a look at the facts and fictions of workplace predictions in this moment. In the immortal words of Princess Leia, “if you only believe in the sun when you can see it, you’ll never make it through the night.”

The Claim: It’s the End of the Office

The Verdict: Definitely Fiction

ZGF Architects LLP, Los Angeles Office Renovation; image © Garrett Rowland

We’ve proven we can Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams with one another in between emails, texts, FaceTime, and chasing kids, pets and significant others away from our home desks. If you’re so inclined, there’s even Goat-to-Meeting. It’s no surprise that we quickly adapted our professional (and social) lives to revolve entirely around technology; we were already so tied to our phones and to the digital realm that the jump to WFH was less like hyperspace and more like a slight side-shuffle.

But it’s important to remember that even before the quarantine, many people were feeling lonely and isolated and, dare I say, socially distanced. For a lot of us, the office is the last remaining outlet for daily face to face social interaction.

The business and personal well-being benefits of being in a shared work environment, able to engage IRL with colleagues and clients, cannot be denied and aren’t going anywhere. Similarly, our newfound success with virtual connectivity won’t be going anywhere either. Between phased return plans and groups who simply can’t return due to childcare or health implications, it will be more important than ever for us to be vigilant in maintaining social and professional bonds among colleagues by any means necessary.

Perhaps safer to say that this is the beginning of the end of proximity bias and that employers will have a much higher comfort level with employees working from wherever they need to, whenever they need to, for any reason. With a greater focus on health and hygiene, wellbeing and safety, we may actually see the workplace of the future evolve into a more thoughtful and meaningful experience.

The Claim: More Space, Fewer Desks

The Verdict: Partly Fiction

Publishers Clearing House, Corporate Headquarters; Image © Garrett Rowland

We’ve been reading and hearing a lot of chatter about de-densification of workspace, increasing spacing between workstations, fewer desks in a given area, etc. The economic realities of the workplace market did not support this approach before COVID-19 and are even less likely to do so after the quarantine is lifted.

The fact is that we’re going to be in recovery mode for some time, both health-wise and financially-speaking, and the idea of ‘doing less with more’ flies in the face of the realities that both people and organizations will be navigating. It is imperative that we take this time now, as well as what will no doubt be a measured return to public life, to observe and analyze how we can sensitively, strategically, and safely design workplaces that actually do more with the same and in some cases less than before.

The Claim: Staggered Seating / The Shift to Shifts

The Verdict: Yes, True. But It’ll Take Work to Make it Work

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 6500 Wilshire Boulevard, 20th Floor, FPDC Relocation; Image © Garrett Rowland

Creating a staggered attendance plan — effectively bringing shift work to the corporate workplace — coupled with zig-zagged seating arrangements in open work areas is a logical solution that has started popping up in a lot of return to office strategies. Many companies, including ours have pushed surveys to gauge the willingness and ability of workers to come back; an important first step in understanding the scale of the problem. Initial responses across the board seem to indicate that 30% of workers are unable to return to office based on childcare needs, personal health issues, or other circumstances.

The good news is that reduced census means fewer people to accommodate back in the office but there’s still quite a bit of detailed thinking to be done about how to disaggregate those who are able/choose to return, even when they are working on the same team. There’s no one-size fits all solution.

We are considering alternate workdays for different teams, skip-stop seating to allow more social distancing, and amended protocols for use of shared spaces, including assigning enclosed spaces to those who may normally sit in the open plan. We call them “flex offices” for a reason!

The Claim: Anti-Infection Design Is the New Must-Have

The Verdict: Old Facts with a Fresh Coat of Paint

The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Medical Research Laboratory 1 © Connie Zhou

I would argue that major changes in — and expectations of — hygiene and behavior in shared environments will take a front seat, in the end influencing the degree to which more physical interventions are necessary. But let’s break down what we’ve been hearing thus far…

Will we see a return to 8×8 workstations with higher panels or the addition of Plexi-Glass divider screens — essentially “breath barriers,” which one might argue some needed even before the global outbreak? It could happen, but we’ll just be debating their effectiveness for years in the same way we’ve debated high vs low panels for acoustical isolation. We’d be paying a premium for the choice, too. Anecdotal evidence suggests the cost of Plexiglas as a raw material has gone up 25% in the last two weeks alone! While there is definitive science to suggest the current virus is airborne, there is not yet definitive science that higher dividers are guaranteed deterrents to infection.

Will touchless technology for doors, elevators, coffee makers, and more become the new norm when we specify products for workplace environments? I’d say yes, but that was all coming our way regardless; the COVID crisis will have only sped those choices to market.

Will new technologies for fabrics and surfaces allow for more frequent, aggressive, or high-powered cleaning methods? Sure, but we’ve been doing that for years in healthcare environments so it’s simply time for the corporate workplace to catch up.

Will new materials and products saturate the market in response to infection control concerns? My expectation is yes, however, I would encourage caution. Many products are likely to be heavily marketed as “anti-bacterial;” however, even one of the leading anti-microbial formulators has issued a statement that their technology is not proven to have anti-viral Current anti-microbials are also considered worst-in-class for pollution, bioaccumulation in the food chain, and for harm to those who work with the products in factories.

The Claim: Distance Markers Will Become the Norm

The Verdict: I’m For It, But the Details Will Matter

Seattle Children’s 818; Image © Doug J Scott, All Rights Reserved

We’ve all seen blue tape or chalk lines cropping up in grocery stores, banks, and restaurants to help us keep appropriate social distance, but those temporary measures aren’t going to cut it for the long haul. In corporate environments, no matter how casual or creative, even the most functional, informational, and instructive of elements still need to be treated with design savvy. Design, whether it’s through architecture or graphics and wayfinding, is about experience and behavior — sometimes, like following a pandemic, it’s about changing behavior.

To effectively encourage behavioral change, companies will have to demonstrate not only that new hygiene and safety precautions have been implemented, but that they have been recognized as essential measures and embraced as part of the evolving post-pandemic culture. But in times of uncertainty, humans crave consistency and reassurance, so it’s going to be important that interventions such as distance markers or signage indicating expectations for handwashing, wearing of masks, or other social behaviors be fully integrated and treated as an extension of the organization’s branding and identity.

The Claim: One-Way Hallways Should Become Common

The Verdict: Not a Bad Idea, in Theory

Google, Spruce Goose; Image © Connie Zhou

We’ve seen it in airports for years. I saw it over the weekend getting takeout from my favorite Italian restaurant. To get from point A to point B, you must follow a specific route. The idea of creating one-way primary circulation paths in the workplace is a hot topic for many return to office strategies. The goal is to prevent potentially infectious collisions, especially at pinch points or bottlenecks.

Signs are likely to point people in certain directions, even if that means taking the long way to your desk or the bathroom. While it will be a huge learning curve in the corporate workplace, this kind of traffic approach is already very common (and has proven successful) in hospitals to avoid the spread of pathogens. Here, again, we may find that the physical adaptions are much less impactful than the behavioral adaptations.

Overall, will the harsh realities of the post-COVID world alter time hewn preferences and behaviors of the workforce? Absolutely, but only time will tell how drastic or enduring those changes will be.

Architects: Showcase your next project through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.

Top image: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 6500 Wilshire Boulevard, 20th Floor, FPDC Relocation; Image © Garrett Rowland

The post 6 Predictions About Post-Pandemic Office Design — And Why They’re Mostly Wrong appeared first on Journal.

from Journal https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/stories/predictions-post-pandemic-office-design/ Originally published on ARCHITIZER RSS Feed: https://architizer.com/blog

[jessicakehoe]

Self-Isolation Diary: A Day in the Life of Maria Qamar aka Hatecopy

As people around the country wind down their seventh week of self-isolation, FASHION is reaching out to some of our favourite Canadians to get a peek into how they’re living their lives in lockdown (remember: #StayHomeSaveLives). Each week, keep an eye out for new self-isolation diaries from actors, designers, athletes and artists who are riding this uncertain time out with us.

Maria Qamar, artist

The “pandemic panic” set in a few weeks into our national isolation when I lost one of my heroes in the same week that celebrities began to get strangely tone-deaf on social media. I decided it was time to log off.

Best decision ever.

Even before the virus, I would spend months in front of my monitor or my canvas tinkering away at things that may or may not make it out of the studio, with no co-workers, no boss and no one to shake me awake when my ten-minute mid-day nap turned into four hours. My friends and family live out of town, so I was typically never motivated to leave my apartment. Once I had completed a large project during the isolation period, I would take a deep breath and finally step outside. Often, I would travel to the other side of the world to get away from the feeling of work for a few months. Then I’d come right back to the studio and isolate again. This has been my cycle for the past half decade.

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dheere dheere 📸 @eokstudio

A post shared by Maria (@hatecopy) on Mar 14, 2020 at 3:27pm PDT

This year, it all managed to change and yet remain the same. I still wake up when the sunlight hits my face. I still answer all emails and take all conference calls from inside my blanket burrito. I still bother my mother for recipes during lunch. I still spend half the day without pants. I still work around the clock and yell at my Google Home to play TikTok songs. I am still trying to understand how to manage a small business from my bedroom and whether I should install fake grass on my balcony. Only now, there is a looming feeling that this loop might not see an end.

Being an artist is a pretty lonely profession. There are countless memes circulating about introverts thriving under lockdown conditions but truthfully, I’ve never been more social in my life. I managed to dedicate workdays to reaching out and connecting manufacturers to healthcare professionals so they could have reliable access to PPE. I spend my free time alternating between Warzone and Animal Crossing, FaceTiming my partner in Tokyo, leaving personalised Thank You notes in every order from my store, and exploring Club Quarantine with my friends from different parts of the world. The silver lining is that I get to tell everyone I love them every day.

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Pictured above: a candid of my mother in her lab circa 1979. I don't talk much about my family on here but I just wish to acknowledge and say thanks to them and every single person working tirelessly to save the world. My parents have been dedicated to the field of medicine for nearly forty years, developing and testing all the things that keep us alive. alongside them, my brother, his partner and their family; who are currently battling this nightmare from their clinics as we speak. Let's all do our part to help them succeed. Please follow the rules and stay inside so we can begin to heal and rebuild. Love, M

A post shared by Maria (@hatecopy) on Mar 25, 2020 at 9:49am PDT

The world will not come out of this the same as it once was, that is for certain. But the actions we take today can make a huge impact on the wellbeing of marginalized communities facing harsher circumstances as a result of this pandemic. Give back if you can, stay informed, stay inside, take care of your mental health and for the love of God do not blast music from your patio.

The post Self-Isolation Diary: A Day in the Life of Maria Qamar aka Hatecopy appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Self-Isolation Diary: A Day in the Life of Maria Qamar aka Hatecopy published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[jobsearchtips02]

What it’s like to shelter in place in San Francisco.

The order directs me and an estimated 6.7 million residents to stay inside, turning our apartments into our homes, offices, gyms, and schools.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

The San Francisco Bay Area’s estimated 6.7 million residents have been ordered to remain at home as much as possible until April 7 to contain the coronavirus disease.

Known as a shelter-in-place order, the directive has shuttered businesses, offices, and has caused the city’s daily rhythm to come to a screeching halt.

I live in San Francisco and have spent four days under the order.

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I had a routine prior to March 9. 

I woke up at 6 a.m. for a brisk walk to work through the still-sleeping city into the office near the Financial District of San Francisco. I had my route nailed down perfectly, up one street and down another to spot the cats in the bay windows of their owners’ apartments. One had flattened ears, the other would meow at me. I was always glum when I walked by and they weren’t there.

That came to halt, as it needed to, in early March, as the coronavirus disease began to pose a bigger threat to San Francisco. On March 5, the first two confirmed cases were found, with authorities warning that the disease was likely already being transmitted in the city. Now there are 76.

The coronavirus pandemic has perforated the lives of millions, either directly or indirectly, as it has spread across the globe. The number of confirmed cases sits at 240,000. Some know people who have it, or have a friend of a friend who does. Regardless, we all feel the effects of the measures being taken to quell the spread of the virus.

On February 25, Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in San Francisco, my home of two years. Since then, offices have steadily shuttered one by one. The big names of the tech city — Twitter, Google, LinkedIn — began implementing work-from-home orders. Employees increasingly began adapting to carving out workspaces in their homes. Then the city took it a step further.

The estimated 6.7 million residents in the San Francisco Bay Area were ordered to shelter in place, or to stay at home, in an effort to create space amongst the region’s occupants and decrease the risk of spreading the virus, which is transmissible by respiratory droplets.

The order lasts until April 7 but could get extended, San Francisco Mayor London Breed told my colleague, Troy Wolverton, on Thursday.

It’s Friday, and we are on Day 4. Here’s what it’s been like.

Tuesday, Day 1: I work East Coast hours since my managers are in New York, so I wake up at 6: 15 am.

My desk.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

 I’ve gotten into the habit of lighting a candle when I log on for work. A quick “Morning!” and a wave emoji thrown into Slack, and then the workday begins.

My officemates and I in Business Insider’s West Coast bureau started working from home on March 9. So this is Week 2 for us.

There are many more across the world and in the city that cannot do their jobs from home.

Arizmendi Bakery in San Francisco on March 17 before it closed.

Stephen Lam/Reuters

In the Bay Area, these are people providing essential services and who are exempt from the shelter-in-place order. It’s the restaurant workers who are providing takeout food only since dining in is banned. It’s the owners of hardware stores, the bus operators, the first responders, the postal workers. There are also the most vulnerable residents, the estimated 28,200 living on the streets with nowhere to remain indoors.

Restaurant workers are already being laid off as their employers struggle beneath the crushing lack of business.

I’m an office worker, only sometimes needing to be on the ground to do my job.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

Across the region, from the heart of Silicon Valley to San Francisco to Contra Costa County to the east, many of us are adapting to signing on for work at home. The lines between our professional and home lives are blurred, our desks mere feet from our beds for some. For working parents, the challenge is even greater with school districts having shut down.

There are a few different schools of thought on the ins-and-outs of how to work from home.

Slippers are a must for me.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

Ever since remote work has been more of a focus in light of the virus, reams of advice have cropped up on how to work from home most efficiently. Sweatpants or jeans and a button-down? Shower in the morning or after work? I’ve been oscillating between both.

After a few hours into Day 1, something seems missing from the usual environment on my street. I realize that it’s quiet.

California Street, usually filled with cable cars, is seen empty in San Francisco on March 18.

JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images

A cable car line usually runs down the street from my place, and I’d gotten used to the sound of it trudging by. It had even become soothing. But in an effort to protect the operators from contracting the virus, the city shut the cable cars down for the shelter-in-place order.

The absence of it is deafening. In their place are Muni buses, with “Cable Car” running across the marquees. It feels strange to look out my window as I’m working to see a bus roll by instead of the open-air cable car.

The bus system hadn’t been shut down since a closed cab separates operators from riders. Cable cars didn’t have that.

At 10: 30 a.m., the WiFi stopped working, prompting a nervous meltdown on my end.

My desk setup.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

I have two roommates, and all of us are now on it for nine hours each day. I have an ethernet cord and insist on running it from the router in my roommate’s room, through the hall, and under my door into my room.

Later on, an Amazon package is delivered.

I ordered a yoga mat and a foot rest for my desk.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

I’m lucky enough to live 1.2 miles from my office. I usually walk the 30-minute trip both ways, and I quickly realize the lost hour of round-trip cardio will likely start to take a toll. I ordered a yoga mat a few days prior and a 25-pound kettlebell, in addition to the two 8-pound dumbbells I already owned.

I leave the mat and equipment out so that I’m more inclined to stop and move/stretch/work my body for at least 15 minutes after working my brain all day. I can’t afford a sophisticated workout system like Tonal, a $3,000 at-home strength training machine that you mount to the wall. The San Francisco-based company has seen sales triple just in the past week.

At 3: 45 p.m., I log off to shower and then was in need of a grocery store run.

A Trader Joe’s in San Francisco on March 17.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

At the time, and even now, the mechanics of the shelter-in-place order seemed ambiguous.

The order isn’t a full lockdown, like in Italy — we don’t need government permission to leave our apartments.

We’re allowed to go outside, but should we? What will the grocery store look like, will my fellow shoppers and I have enough space to social distance? If I accidentally walk within six feet of someone on the sidewalk and a police officer sees me do it, do I get fined? The uncertainty of the lengths to which I should go to fulfill my social responsibility is paralyzing.

When I go to Trader Joe’s, most of the shelves are wiped clean. No one was putting six feet between themselves, including me just by default — the aisles are narrow. I got in and out quickly. 

Things outside my apartment seemed normal but with an uneasy sense that things were, of course, not.

Wednesday, Day 2: It ironically rained most of the day.

The sun poked through at times, though.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

Dishes also began to pile up seemingly out of nowhere as my desk, in my room, became where I ate my meals — if I remembered to eat anything.

It’s almost 11: 30 a.m. when I glance at the clock.

One of my two windows.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

I notice the light fading from the room and check the clock again to see that it’s dinnertime. One of the many tips included in work-from-home how-to articles is to set an alarm at the end of the workday to remind yourself to log off. I promptly do this.

Another tip to keep your wits about you is to occupy your free time with FaceTime conversations with loved ones.

They’re the highlight of my day.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

Calls made to relatives back home in Texas are starting to take up a hefty amount of my time. I’m painfully aware that they’re all older, part of an age demographic that is more susceptible to contracting the virus and experiencing severe symptoms.

They live in Texas, where the virus and the accompanying panic hadn’t yet spread as badly as elsewhere.

This week, however, also brought stricter measures for Texans as it did for us in California. Gov. Greg Abbott estimated that the number of confirmed cases will be in the tens of thousands in the next two weeks, according to the Texas Tribune. Bars, restaurants, and schools have been closed, and many are working from home if they are lucky enough to do so. Gatherings exceeding 10 people are prohibited.

Shelter-in-place orders are not yet implemented in Texas.

After work, I start a group text chat with my sister, parents, and grandparents with the sole purpose of swapping Netflix recommendations as an incentive for all of us to stay indoors.

“Pandemic” and “Outbreak” are on Netflix.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

I recommend “The Movies That Made Us.” My sister dryly suggests “Outbreak,” “Contagion,” and “Pandemic.”

Thursday, Day 3: It really sinks in that the new normal for at least the next few weeks may be exactly this.

My workout area.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

My room has become my bedroom, gym, and office, and that’s likely to not change anytime soon.

It’s the third Thursday of the month, which means my office usually meets for happy hour drinks.

The days start to blur together.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

The event is still on our calendar, and we had toyed with the idea of doing it virtually. That’s a trend sprouting up in the age of minimal human interaction in light of the infectious virus. The New York Times reported on how we’re taking advantage of video conferencing platform Zoom to do more than just work virtually with colleagues. People are using it for karaoke parties, birthday festivities, and church services. The Information reported on how users are turning to Zoom for virtual dinner parties.

Zoom saw a surge in the stock market in late February as investors bet early on that customers would take to the virtual world since the physical one isn’t safe at the moment.

We decide to push back our virtual happy hour to next week, and I have a beer by myself.

Friday, Day 4: There’s a bit more routine as far as the working-from-home goes.

I have two windows that face a courtyard.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

But I’m hyper-aware of the fact that I haven’t stepped outside in 60 hours. I open both of my windows for some airflow.

The day before, Thursday, also brought more statewide changes as health experts emphasized the urgency to contain the virus across the country if we were going to have a chance to fight it efficiently. There’s a small window for the US to lock down its cities and enforce social distancing to “flatten the curve,” meaning to stunt the spread of the coronavirus so the healthcare system is not overwhelmed.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all residents in the state to remain inside their homes as of Thursday night. He said 56% of people in California could be infected by the virus, though measures like the shelter-in-place order aren’t taken into account in that projection. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday that all nonessential businesses will be ordered to keep workers home starting Sunday evening, excluding pharmacies, grocery stores, and the like. The directive is not a shelter-in-place order but calls for nonessential gatherings of any size for any reason to be canceled or postponed. Several other states are implementing similar restrictions.

Come Friday night, the usual outings won’t be happening, for good reason — the bars in my neighborhood and across the city are closed, and my friends, my fellow residents, and I are advised to stay indoors.

Harrington’s Bar and Grill in San Francisco on March 16.

Katie Canales/Business Insider

The only restaurants that are open are those that can offer orders for pickup or delivery.

We’re required to stay indoors as much as possible, but for local businesses that offer takeout, they’re also hanging on by a thread as business plummets with the shut-down.

I’m uncertain about how much to go out in public, but I’m also compelled to support my go-to spots.

I plan on venturing into the community and ordering takeout for pickup from my favorite neighborhood sushi place and from my favorite local brewery, both of which are like my second homes. It’ll be a little sense of familiarity in a time when it feels like there is none.

More:

Features San Francisco San Francisco Bay Area coronavirus

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/what-its-like-to-shelter-in-place-in-san-francisco/

[dorothydelgadillo]

What’s It’s Like to Work in Tech Without a Tech Background

I’m a Junior Editor here at Skillcrush—my job is to work with our editorial team to edit this website you’re reading at this very moment. When you picture editing, you probably think about someone staring at long blocks of text on a computer and making cuts or even marking up a manuscript with a big red pen. And you’re not wrong—a lot of editing does look like that. It can be super low-tech and there are certainly editing jobs that don’t require any tech skills. But those are becoming fewer and farther between, and as someone who doesn’t come from a tech background, it was clear that my career wasn’t moving in any positive direction taking the analog approach. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the changing media landscape if I were only to rely on my red pen. I never expected this, but if I wanted to keep editing with any type of job security, I’d need to start applying my tech skills—and up skill—to my career as an editor.

When I started at Skillcrush, I had just the basics of HTML under my belt and a solid background in tech skills like video production and sound editing. There was still a learning curve with the amount of skills I needed to gain to be a digital editor, but luckily, picking up things on the fly is kind of my favorite thing, and learning tech skills isn’t exactly a huge time investment.

In addition to more job security, moving from media to tech gives me flexibility I couldn’t have imagined—especially in the form of remote work. Since I began this position seven months ago, I’ve logged in everywhere from Ohio, to Chicago, to Dallas, to Martha’s Vineyard! A typical day for me is filled with equal parts chatting with coworkers, organizing marketing strategies, adding to my growing tech skills, and of course, a lot of writing! Here’s a breakdown of how I spend my time.

7:30 a.m. On a good day, I like to get up, start the coffee, and prioritize my to-do list before jumping on the computer. I’m currently based in Brooklyn and live with roommates—three human, one feline—who all work outside the home (except aforementioned feline, who is my daily co-worker). Mornings can be quite busy at our place, with people vying for bathroom and kitchen space. I like to avoid the cluster and sip my coffee while plotting out the day or catching up on reading for one of my book clubs. (Right now, I’m very behind in three of the book clubs, but doing okay in one. Making a mental note to carve out some extra reading time this week.) Taking time to assess what I need and want to get done for the day has been critical while adjusting to my position with Skillcrush. I also have a background in the arts, and enjoy having several side projects going in addition to my day job, so its vital that I create at least two—usually three—daily to-do lists to address the separate needs of each facet of my life.

9:00 a.m. Time to log on! Depending on the day of the week and what projects I’m helping facilitate, I may get on a little earlier to make sure things are running smoothly. Skillcrush was my introduction to many tech tools, but the one that has most dramatically reshaped my thinking is SCRUM.

My day runs on the principles of SCRUM—a project management strategy that began in the software industry and is now widely used to track projects and help keep team members connected. We use a program called JIRA to track our SCRUM progress, which allows us to break projects down into smaller tasks and move them from To Do, to In Progress, to Done. I love this system because—as I mentioned above—I love checklists! SCRUM also bakes in time to check in daily, to have hard and fast deadlines, and to spend time looking back over the last working period (these are called sprints) to see what went well and what needs to change. In fact, I’ve just finished implementing SCRUM to every facet of my personal, creative, and professional lives and use free online tools to manage my own projects. (Airtable and Trello, I love you.) I’ve been SCRUM-ing my life for about a month now, and I’m already seeing improved results. So first thing in the morning, I’m likely looking at our JIRA dashboard to see what tasks I need to do today, see if there’s anything I need to run by my co-workers, and make a plan for what I hope to move to the Done column by the end of the day.

Oftentimes, the first thing on my agenda is to build posts in our content management system, WordPress. Sometimes I think of WordPress as the coworker with whom I spend the most time. WordPress is a staple for any editor—tech or otherwise—since so many sites run on the platform. Every story that appears on our site has to be formatted and scheduled through WordPress, which requires some HTML know-how. One of my big goals right now is to dive deeper into HTML and to finish learning PHP, the coding language associated with WordPress.

In the last minutes before I start our big meeting blog, I spend a few minutes every morning checking in on our social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This ends up being one the most fulfilling aspects of my day, since the Skillcrush community is so active, funny, and supportive. Getting to celebrate goals with students, check out the work they’re posting, and laugh at the latest corgi gif being passed around is a pretty perfect way to start the day.

11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. The Marketing Team works across several time zones, and 11 a.m. is our sweet spot for daily check-ins, planning, weekly reviews, and the hottest gossip about everything from goat yoga to paragliding. We use Google Hangouts to connect with each other, as well as the chat program HipChat to talk throughout the day. Though it was weird only connecting on video at first, I now absolutely love the balance between facetime and digital chatting. Having focused meeting time makes it easier to concentrate on hitting goals, and makes my workday way more efficient—and we use this time for my favorite thing: SCRUM! Every day we have a 15 minute daily check in where we provide updates, resolve blockers, or ask for support, and then we either have a planning session for our next sprint, a presentation of the sprint that’s just ended, or a review of how we think the sprint went. There’s also one-on-one meetings with my boss or worksessions with other coworkers where we collaborate on projects.

1:00 p.m.—2:00 p.m. Lunchtime! Stepping away from the computer for a bit helps me to refocus after a block of meetings, so I try to force myself to take this break. It can be tempting to just keep going, but I need the down time so that I can shift into writing or editing—which for me requires more uninterrupted concentration.

Since I have chronic back pain and often have trouble sitting for long periods, I also use my lunch break to do yoga or go to a class at a local studio around the corner from my apartment. I feel super strongly about how the flexibility of remote work helps me to accommodate my physical needs—which change day to day—and have often been difficult to work around at other jobs. Although this daily exercise may seem insignificant, it has radically improved my physical and mental well-being.

3:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m. The second half of my day is reserved for writing and editing, since it’s usually not as meeting-filled as the morning. I start by checking in with the Editorial team about what stories we’re working on, what stage my teammates are in, and what we need to plan for in the coming weeks. Then it’s knocking out edits, fact checking, telling our writers what changes I need from their articles, marking the stories as done and ready to be built in WordPress the following morning. I also write a fair amount of articles for the site, so that means researching, interviewing experts, and then—of course—the actual writing. My favorite editorial task is interviewing Skillcrushers—both current students and alumni—for articles we run about learning to code, remote life, or their winding career paths. I’ve picked up so many new tips and tricks just from having to do research for this position, everything from how to timebox my day like a pro, to what houseplants I almost certainly can’t kill.

6:00 p.m.—10:00 p.m. After work I like to cook dinner, look at my personal and creative to-do lists, and start knocking some things out before I have to hit the hay. In a perfect world I get to roll into bed around ten, read for a bit, and the turn out the lights. But living in Brooklyn, there always seem to be events, creative meet-ups, dinners, or other fun things to attend, that often keep me out later—what a great problem to have! Depending on what kinds of artistic projects I’m working on that are most pressing, I’ll look for events that sound like they’ll help me network or will add to my skill set. Often, I’m working on deadline and am stuck drawing or editing right up till bedtime, but the satisfaction of finishing something I love is totally worth the late nights. And, having a packed schedule forces me to be more conscious of my time and more organized at the beginning of every day. So whether I’m logging in from my house or the highway, I know what I need to do and how long it should take me. In another seven months, I’ll be moving onto new coding languages, video calling in from even crazier places, and still touting the magic of SCRUM—watch out.

from Web Developers World https://skillcrush.com/2018/02/01/working-in-tech-without-a-tech-background/