#we’re already understaffed

[crazypantsjewels]

Been sick for almost a week and have missed three going on four days of work. When will this nightmare end?

[aspiringhorrorauthor]

Just read a post about how you shouldn’t trust a doctor who rushes you and like, yes I fully understand the frustration, so here’s what you can do to stop yourself being rushed:

-ask for a double appointment

-ask for a triple appointment

-fuck it ask for an hour long appointment if you think it’ll help

-be outright about what you want/need from an appointment. If you need more time to process information, say that. If you need the doctor to write out all information, say that. If you have a complex case/long history, say that!

-list all the reasons why you want to see the doctor/vet that day and please don’t sugar coat it. “Been vomiting” is a ten minute fix. “Been vomiting after every meal for the past two years” is not. It needs a double appointment and possibly a referral too.

Doctors and vets are overworked to fuck and exploited to hell. Help us out a little, please

[lesbianboyfriend]

i feel crazyyy my director is like “remember we have tuesday night rehearsal this week” that’s literally not on the syllabus whennn did this happen.

[stuckontheceiling]

I shoulda put my two weeks in ages ago

[ladydreilgard]

Cannot even begin to describe how badly I want to just. Not go to work tomorrow. This pharmacy is such a fucking joke.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 268

Fright Knight sighs, running a clawed hand through his hair in an attempt to stop the flames from flickering into being. It had been far too long since he had taken a human-ish form. His human-ish form. Ugh. He didn’t exactly care for his human form after so long as a ghost, but needs must he supposed. 

Especially with the whole, we’re going to punch a backdoor into the literal daycare part of the Infinite Realms and be surprised when literal toddlers go exploring. 

Well, at least it got him off of guard duty for a bit, which was relieving. Not that he didn’t love the darkness, but it got boring in the shadow of his sword for literal centuries with nothing else happening. He was a warrior for Realm’s sake! Borderline an Ancient in both power and age! He wasn’t meant to stay so still for so long. 

So while ghostling wrangling wasn’t exactly in his area of expertise, he could definitely gather them back up to the Realms. And deal with the curs who had decided to attack literal babies. 

The Daycare area was already understaffed due to just how large it was, and the one in charge of this section had practically sobbed to the Council (In another world they would have been put on hold for a century in line for their concerns, and then more once a Sarcophagus was opened, but they had told the other ghosts in distress, causing others to let them go up in said line) how they were almost certain they had felt at least one core form Outside the realms thanks to the breach. 

Which had understandably put everyone at an uproar. 

So here he was slipping between shadows to do reconnaissance and take stock of if any Ghostlings had left the city. And gently scruffing those he comes across in exasperation because what are you doing, ghostling? Look at the mess, what would your caretaker say? 

[mwahmimi]

I have a habbit of messing up peoples names, ive called my mom my brothers name. Sometimes ill start with someone elses name and correct myself like sara-mily or i get it early so its just the first letter like saying ch-steve

I was just thinking about bestfriends eddie x reader where reader accidentally calls eddie daddy because theyre so similar. She goes to say a d name but catches herself and says eddie. She was talking fast and didnt even catch herself saying it until eddies like "did you just call me daddy?"

Accidentally calling Eddie ‘Daddy’. Eddie Munson x female reader. Blurb. Fluff.

I hope this is okay, I’m sick at the moment so it’s kinda self indulgent but I tried to personalise it a bit for you!

The night was like any other of yours and Eddie’s movie nights. Bags of candy spilled out on the floor, blankets swallowing you both up and a blunt being passed between you. Today was tiring, work couldn’t be more stressful and of course you were understaffed. Eddie came to pick you up at closing time, he already had your cup of tea in his cup-holder. It was the small things you appreciated the most from your best friend.

You had your head on his chest, because Eddie said “it will help your migraine I promise.” You wanted to believe him but the smirk on his face just showed he wanted to look after you. Eddie held his palm to your forehead, “you’re burning up a little, I’ll get you some medicine. Wait right here.” He ushers himself out from the blankets and into the kitchen. Rooting through the cupboards as you pause the movie, he reappears holding a bottle and a medicine spoon. Pouring the contents onto the spoon, “open up darling” he smirks as he feeds you.

You wince at the taste of the bitter medicine, swiftly taking a swig of your soda to wash away the taste. Wiping your mouth you whisper, “thank you d-daddy” “e-Eddie I meant Eddie!!” Your face flushes immediately, wanting the ground to swallow you up as you blurt out your sentence. Your brain was on auto pilot and Eddie and Daddy sounded far too similar for your mouth to comprehend whilst you’re suffering so bad with your migraine.

“What was that? Did you just call me daddy?” Eddie smirks, teasing you as he pulls your hands away from your blushing face.

“I- no! The words got scrambled in my head m’sorry I’m so embarrassed, I’m sorry.” You pull away from Eddie’s touch, bringing your knees to your chest and resting your head on them. Terrified that you’ve ruined your friendship, how could Eddie not see you differently after calling him that? A word so not-inherently bad but turned kinky and shameful, he could assume you’re into that. Not that it would be a bad thing to be kinky, you just weren’t.

“Hey hey hey.” Eddie pulls at your arms, “just look at me.” His voice is like velvet, so comforting but you’re shaking. Wishing you could be ignorant and never face this issue. “Come on princess, just want to see you smile.” You can almost hear the smirk in his voice.

You stick to your guns, refusing to move and face him. “You leave me no choice then, I didn’t want to do this sweetheart. But you asked for this..” Eddie coos into your ear before teasing his fingers over your neck, ghosting over your skin and down to your sides. He pokes and prods your ribs, flailing back into Eddie’s chest, trying to swat at his hands to put an end to his ticklish assault.

“Okay! Okay!” You plead, holding on to Eddie’s wrists and looking deep into his eyes. He stills his hands, holding yours and dropping them into his lap. “I didn’t mean to say it Eddie, honestly.” Your voice stuttering as you whimpered. “It’s not a big deal. Seriously, I understand. You do that a lot with words, I’ve seen it. You’re okay. It’s okay. We’re okay.” A mischievous smile spreads over his face when he sees you let go of the breath you’ve been holding for the entire moment. Sighing, you let yourself smile, feeling safe knowing that Eddie doesn’t judge you.

“There’s that smile. Gotta hear that laugh too, you know, for daddy?” He teases before jumping on top of you and tickling you again.

[the-mandawhor1an]

Domestic God - Joel Miller x Reader drabble

Disclaimer: despite the pictures up here this can be read as gn!reader. The picture is more to invoke a vibe than a display of reader's appreance

Tags:  Safe for work. One instance of cursing and that's it. pre-outbreak (or no outbreak, We’ll never know) Joel and you are in your 30s. You’re married. No Sarah (Sorry babygirl. Your dad loves you very much but this is a universe where you don’t exist) No use of Y/N, no descriptions of reader’s body or gender, pure fluff, just Joel being an absolute meow meow teddy bear

Synopsis: Instead of spending a week off with your husband, you’re forced to endure the stress of a work week while also dealing with your husband and his newest antics. 

Words: 1.8k 

A/N: It may be painfully apparent in this that I’m European. I’m sorry. This could lead up to smut one day. I'm not promising anything yet. Unbeta'd

Mondays… Monday is the worst day of the week as is, but today is particularly nasty. What is supposed to be the first day of your week-long time off turned into a nightmare. One call from your boss to ruin it all. 

“Hey, so I know I approved your time off already but … I have to revoke that. The others have their time off planned for longer and we’re understaffed otherwise.” Oh how wonderful.

Translation: You and your one coworker are alone this week. On top of that you get grim reminders regularly that this week is supposed to be you week off. Joel, your lovely husband, better half and in general a lucky bastard, has the week off. He isn’t actively rubbing it in your face, but the sheer fact that he stayed in bed while you got ready for work was enough. 

You promptly forgot to kiss him goodbye. Maybe this was a smart move, after all. If you had walked up the stairs again to give him a kiss, he would certainly have pulled you back into bed and held you close. Seeing him slumber peacefully, his pillow hugged close to his chest, was too much to handle today. That should be you, nestled into his embrace and staying there until noon.

Joel deserves the week off, no discussion there. He works so hard, day in, day out and barely taking a break. And when he’s home, he continues working on the multiple little projects he’s got going. You practically forced him to take the week off with your incessant asking. To spend time together. Now he has all the time for himself. You know, maybe he even pulls out his guitar again. You haven’t seen him play since you got married. 

Your car stops on your driveway. Thoughts rush through your mind, how you’ll most likely spend your evening cooking dinner for you and Joel, clean the kitchen, and then take a shower and go to bed. Not something you look forward to, to be honest. Having little free time that you spend for chores, only to repeat the same tomorrow. This whole situation isn’t your husband’s fault, you don’t blame him and you’re not really mad at him either. It’s simply… unfair. He gets a whole week for himself and you have to work for 3 people. All further thoughts halt as suddenly the front door opens.  

Joel scratches the back of his head and yawns. As soon as he sees you in your car, a smile creeps up to his lips. Judging by his demeanor and his unruly hair, he has just woken up. Oh what a life you have, Miller. He approaches the car and opens the door for you, his favorite person. His greeting is the same it always is. “Hey, Sugar,” he purrs towards you. How can you be mad at that? Especially if he kisses you the way he does right now? It’s short and sweet, but it still conveys the love he has for you. He plants a second kiss on your temple. “Missed ya, Baby.” There it is: The salt in your wound. This should be your time off too, cuddling up to him and staying in bed all day.  

“Missed you too. Work was a fucking mess,” you reply with a sigh, melting into his chest as you feel his lips graze your face. The groceries wait in the trunk and you are about to get them, but Joel takes that task off of your hands. “You went grocery shopping after work? Sugar, I could’a done that.” Yeah, sure, while in bed all day? You take a deep breath. The bottled up frustration is still lingering. “Don’t worry. I needed to let off some steam and what better way to do that than fighting with a middle-aged woman over the last pack of coffee that’s on sale.” He chuckles as he carries the groceries inside. God, you love that man. 

When you enter the house, a pleasant surprise awaits you. The floor is suspiciously shiny and it smells wonderful. Apparently someone has cleaned the house. The living room looks tidy, as does the kitchen. “Wow,” you comment on the state of the house. Joel brings the groceries to the kitchen. Setting down the bags, he gives you a questioning look. You’re still in the entrance, looking around as if this is the first time entering the house. “You’ve cleaned.” “I did,” he nods. The groceries are slowly unpacked and put away by Joel, who continues. “Well, I had time. Tidied up, vacuumed and mopped the floors. The wood really needed some love. I’m making your favorite food for dinner. C'mere and tell me about your day. You want some tea?” You unload your bag, take off your shoes and shuffle over to the kitchen. “Please. But I have to ask, who are you and where is my husband?” Laughter erupts from him as you approach. You’re handed a warm cup of tea but you set it down on the counter, a little off to the side to give him space. 

“S’that so out of character for me?” he asks as you pull the cup closer. You think for a moment and play with the string on the tea bag. It’s not, Joel isn’t a lazy man at all. “Not in particular… but you waiting for me by the door is new.” He shrugs. “Heard the car, thought I’d greet you. And the look you gave me was scary, Sugar. Do you want to talk abut what happened?” He switches on the stove, but he walks behind you to wrap his arms around you for a while. He peppers soft kisses on the back of your neck. He always knows how to comfort you after a long day. With every kiss a little bit of your frustration leaves. “Ah, just work,” you explain, taking a careful sip of your tea. “It’s just two of us working and, well, after lunch break I was alone. Honestly I wanted to just call my boss and tell him that I’m going home. “ Joel rests his head on your shoulder and nuzzles into your neck. “I’m sorry, Baby. You’ve been looking forward to this more than I did. Could’a went on a vacation together.” He kisses your cheek, making you sigh softly. A vacation would’ve been so nice. Just a few days with him, maybe a road trip to one of the coasts.  

“A beach trip would be nice. It’s not warm enough yet. Maybe I’ll try to get time off in the summer so we can have some quality time.” “Sugar, we can have some quality time now. I’m taking care of the house so you can relax after work. Maybe I can even get the garden ready by the weekend.” You turn your head to face him. “You sure you’re my husband?” You share a grin before he kisses you again. The stove calls for his attention. You watch him cooking and let your gaze linger on his back, up to his broad shoulders and back down to his waist. He continues to tell you what he’s done in the home today. The whole ground level is spotless. “To be honest when I saw you open the door I thought you’d slept all day,” you confess finally. “Maybe that’s also why I was looking at you like that. Sorry, Honey.” “Don’t worry. I can handle you having a bad day.”  

Although you enjoy not moving a finger while Joel cooks, you set the table. The now empty tea cup sits in the sink, you’ll wash it later, when you’re sure you don’t want another. Dinner gets served and you ogle at the food before you. “Thank you so much, it looks great,” you tell Joel, he smiles back at you. “Of course, Sugar.” “Should I be worried that you broke something?” The jokes won’t end. But by now you realize you’re probably being a bit mean. You continue. “It’s just… you have the week off and I don’t expect you to work in the house all day just so I can relax after work. Especially not on the first day. I’m very grateful, obviously, but you should relax as well.” Sitting down, Joel sighs. “I know. It’s just that I can focus better when stuff is neat. At least anywhere besides the workshop.” He watches you take the first bite. Your face lights up and so does his. “Is it good?” “Yes. It’s wonderful.” “You’ve worked so hard leading up to this week and now you’re stuck working. Ain’t fair. And mopping the floor’s easier when no one’s home.” It makes sense, you think. To be honest the floor needed a good cleaning and you never seem to get to that.  

Joel grabs hold of your hand for a second and gently stroked over your skin with his thumb

Some of your neighbors are jealous of your relationship. You and Joel still behave like the freshly in love young adults you once were. Your love for one another has only grown since then. He really is your everything and you’re his. “What’s the plan after dinner?” you ask. Has he planned more? Not that you expect him to, but you are curious. Joel has thought about a lot today, it seems. “Your choice, Sugar. You can either take a bubble bath and read your little romance novel or I make some popcorn and we watch a movie.” With that outlook your choice is easy. “Let’s watch a movie.”

After dinner is eaten and the dishes clean, you and Joel cuddle up on the sofa. Nestled into his side, you watch the TV. The popcorn is barely touched, only Joel reaches into the bowl every now and then. All the frustration over work is gone. Only the comfort you feel in your husband’s presence remains. A fuzzy blanket covers you two, encapsulating you two in that little bubble of coziness. Your eyes are heavy, the stress of today weighing down on them. For a moment you look at Joel. 

You’re so lucky to have such a handsome husband and the thought makes a smile creep up to your lips. He notices and nudges you with his nose. “What’s up?” “I’m thinking how lucky I am to have such a sexy man by my side, that’s all. Thank you for taking care of me.” “Of course,” he kisses your forehead and gently strokes over your shoulder. “I’ll always take care of you, Sugar.” 

Spring is just around the corner in Texas. As much as you’d like to think that Joel is simply turning into a housewife on his time off and doing some spring cleaning, you suspect he does it for a different reason. He probably doesn’t even realize it, but that’s what you’re here for. He’s preparing a nest. 

You’ve talked about children before, but it always felt like you’re not ready. Maybe the time’s now. You sigh with contentedness and cuddle more into his side. He pulls you closer and you kiss. 

[modanisgf]

004. BLUE ORANGEADE (HALF WRITTEN)

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minji sighed audibly at the sight of the late group finally coming in, the five gathering around with the others.

she decided to ignore their tardiness, choosing to get on with their meeting.

“so basically as you all know, everyone on the basketball teams has been assigned this year to help the student council with prom.” minji starts, someone’s hand immediately going up.

minji recognized it to be ni-ki from the boys basketball team, mentally preparing herself for a dumb question.

“so why are we here? i thought the whole point of student council was for you guys to organize everything.” ni-ki asks, not noticing the glare he got soon after from danielle and minji.

“there’s only so many of us, planning something as big as prom can’t be done only by us especially with everything else we have to do. and this also happens every year, a random club or sports team gets selected to help plan prom so there’s more outside opinions.” minji responds, feeling at peace with the simple nod ni-ki gave her.

“and how does you guys being understaffed have to do with us?” woonhak asks, groaning soon after at the punch to his shoulder from yn.

minji swore she was about to strangle him, hanni keeping a hand on her arm just in case.

“i already explained that basically, a club or sports team gets randomly selected every year and it just happened to be yours this time around.” minji responds, smiling fakely at woonhak.

“and there’s only so many positions in student council that the school offer to us, that isn’t our choice.” danielle backs minji up.

woonhak goes to speak before being stopped by ningning, confused at the looks his friends were giving him.

“woonhak, can you not piss minji off today?” yn says, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

“you’re just saying that because she’s friends with your girlfriend. you guys never stop me, what’s wrong now?” woonhak questions, truly confused at the switch up.

“well for one we’re gonna be working with her for the next five months—“ jaehyun starts, being immediately cut off by woonhak.

“FIVE MONTHS?” he whisper yells, alarming some of the people in front of him.

“yes?! prom isn’t until june for us.” jaehyun says, frowning at the look woonhak gives him.

“well anyways the second answer is that it’s not that hard to be a decent person, they all already hate us so why make it worse the last couple months of school.” ningning says, to which yn nods.

“right, and if minji hates your guts what makes you think this is gonna be anymore enjoyable?” yn says, causing woonhak to sigh in defeat.

“fine, but next year it's back on." woonhak says, the rest of his friends rolling their eyes.

haerin couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off of you again today, her gaze making yn feel annoyed.

‘why is she always looking at me if she hates me?’ yn thinks, trying her best to ignore haerin.

yn hoped time would go by fast, she wanted nothing to do with haerin and haerin wanted nothing to do with her. the bad blood would surely start something eventually, right?

yn was taken out of her thoughts by ningning tapping her shoulder, “we need to go create ideas for theme, come on jaehyun and woonhak are waiting.” she says.

yn followed her quickly, ignoring the way haerin’s eyes stayed trained on her. this was going to be a long five months.

TAGS 🏷️ (OPEN) — @jayjj7 @saysirhc @sixflame438 @ajjilhan @amourjins @isither @sserajeans @greenniee @isabbellle @gayforalll @leeohknows @airice @yeetaberry127 @l0l44444 @inosfavgf @emphobics @edamboon @s3mz @newhairnewjeans @xen248 @nooneissheree @wintersgff @haechansbbg @gtfoiydlyj @masuowo @he------len

[callsign-muffin]

Heal Together: Chapter 5

(Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw fic)

I did it. I made the masterlist and started my playlist as well. They'll be linked at the beginning of every chapter, I'll add them to the old ones as well.

Masterlist + Playlist

Word Count: 1.9k+

You knew that you were good at your job but hearing someone not only tell you that but how you made them feel… your heart was soaring. You studied Bradley’s handsome face. You loved everything you saw, his puppy dog brown eyes, faded scars on his cheek, and a perfectly groomed mustache.

“I don’t know if you quite understand how much that means to me,” You inhaled slowly, “I see a lot of people who don’t get better.”

He squeezed your hand gently, stroking his thumb along the back, “I cannot even imagine what it’s like.”

“I don’t…” You stuttered, “... nevermind. Whatever, it’s not important.”

Bradley sat up quickly, “It is important. What you have to say is important.”

You signed, “I’m just burnt out. I thought that travel nursing, having a change of scenery every contract and the larger paychecks, would help with the feelings of overwhelming exhaustion… from caring for people who will never get better. But it hasn’t.”

“How long is your contract here?” He asked.

“Four more weeks but I’ve already been asked if I want to extend, they’re so understaffed… And I really love San Diego,” You explained, “So I’ll probably do it. But… I just don’t know how much longer I can do it.”

He nodded, selfishly so pleased that she wanted to stay here. “What about another unit? Another kind of nursing?”

You smiled weakly, “I’ve thought about it, I’ve thought maybe now would be the time to pivot towards the kind of nursing I actually want to do.”

“Which is?” He asked, tugging a little at the hand that was still in his, just beckoning for you to scoot closer.

You obliged but couldn’t look him in the eyes, “I wanna deliver babies.”

Bradley’s eyes lit up, “You would be incredible.”

Usually when you told people about your aspirations to go into labor and delivery, they’d say something like, “Isn’t that too big of a 180 from what you’re used to doing?” or “Good luck getting into that specialty.” Nobody ever unquestionably validated your desires.

“Yeah but those jobs are so hard to come by,” You shrugged, “They’ll never hire me.”

“So you’re telling me… that you… the nurse who had me extubated and breathing on my own before noon on the first day she met me, couldn’t get her dream job? Fucking nonsense.” He placed his hands on your shoulders and shook you gently.

You laughed nervously, mostly because you liked the feeling of having both his hands on you. “I mean…”

“Get up and get your laptop.” He demanded, “We’re looking for jobs.”

You blinked at him in disbelief.

He smirked, “It’s an order, Y/N.”

Bradley came back to your couch with another bottle of wine in hand, “Some liquid courage.”

You slid your glass across the coffee table towards him, “No applications are being sent under the influence, just looking.”

He sat down next to you, uncorking the bottle with ease and filled your glass, “Fine but I’m gonna be checking back in with you.”

“How?” You asked sassily, “You don’t even have my number, Bradshaw.”

“Well… I do know where you live but I’d rather be less of a fucking creep and just have you put your number in my phone.”

You held out your hand, “Cough it up, Chicken man.”

He rolled his eyes and handed you his phone, “It’s Rooster, Sassy pants.”

You started putting your information in his phone, “Should I put myself in as ‘Nurse Y/N?” 

Bradley laughed, “I mean you can, but I think we’re past the point of you just being my nurse.”

You raised your eyebrow, “Is that so?” 

“I mean… have you ever invited a patient into your apartment for a bottle of wine?” He asked. 

“I guess not,” you shifted in your seat and finished entering your info with just your name.

Bradley studied it when he took back his phone, “You might want to add a little heart in there… for good measure.” He handed the phone back and winked. Good god, he was so bold. It was so hot.

Your cheeks flushed but you did as you were told, adding a pink heart emoji next to your name.

█ ✪ █▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓█ ✪ █

“Bradley…” Y/N said softly after they had polished off their second bottle of wine.

“What’s got you worried?” Rooster asked, he could hear the concern in her voice.

“I…” she searched carefully for her words, “I’m not sure that you should drive home…”

He chuckled, “Trying to get me in bed already?”

Her cheeks flushed again, bright red. It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life. “That’s not what I was getting at, Bradshaw! Get your mind outta the gutter!”

“Uh huh, sureeeeeeee!” He teased.

“If you have to know,” she explained, “I don’t think you should drive home because we’ve been drinking a lot. And the last thing I want is your ass back in my ICU.”

Bradley loved that she cared so much and was still a little silly about it, “I don’t drink and drive. I promise you that.”

She nodded, “Good because I’d respect you a hell of a lot less.”

“Let’s do this,” he proposed, “I’ll grab an Uber home, sleep off this wine, and then when I come to get my car in the morning, I’ll take you to brunch?”

A smile spread across her face, “I really like that idea.”

Rooster had never been so excited for a hungover Sunday morning in his life. He rarely drank wine, so he woke up with quite the headache but didn’t even care. Leaving Y/N’s apartment was uneventful, in all honesty. He didn't want to kiss her until she made it clear that she desperately wanted it. Yes, they were clearly into each other. But this wasn’t the type of girl he wanted to push too far too quickly, no matter how badly he wanted to taste her sweet lips. 

After showering off the hangover and making sure he smelled fresh, he changed into his usual civilian uniform. Jeans, a white undershirt, a Hawaiian shirt on top, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. Before leaving his bungalow, he checked himself in the mirror at least 15 times. Did he have anything in his teeth? Did his hair look stupid cuz it was still a little wet?

“Get it together, Bradshaw!” He muttered to himself.

He ordered his Uber and directs it right to the parking spot where he left his car in the back of your building. He quickly got in and headed towards the front. Deciding on music felt too time consuming, he just wanted to get to Y/N’s as soon as possible. When he pulled up to the front, he saw Y/N patiently waiting on a bench. Her legs were crossed, she intently stared at her phone, but looked up as soon as she heard the purr of Rooster’s car. A bright smile spread across her face as she stood up, Bradley’s mouth went dry seeing her in a floral sundress. Holy shit.

“Long time no see!” She chirped and tucked her phone into her purse.

Bradley climbed out of his car and met her at the passenger side door, opening it like the gentleman he is, “You look… wonderful.”

“Awww thanks, Bradshaw!” She buckled herself in, “Another Hawaiian shirt, I see.”

He jogged back around the car and hopped into the driver’s seat, “You’ve seen two of the many in my collection.”

When he turned the car on, Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers started playing through the speakers.

“I love this song!” Y/N reached over and turned up the volume.

Despite having to drive, Rooster couldn’t help but intermittently look over and admire the woman sitting next to him, singing along quietly, with the wind whipping through her hair.

“Ugh!” She cried out over the music, “It’s so beautiful!”

Before he could stop himself from saying something so cheesy, he replied, “So are you.”

Y/N smiled sheepishly and didn’t know how to answer, so she started singing along with the Chili Peppers, “Blood loss in a bathroom stall, southern girl with a scarlet drawl…”

Rooster just smirked to himself and kept sneaking peeks at her, he loved leaving someone who always knew what to say speechless.

█ ✪ █▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓█ ✪ █ 

You nervously stirred your iced latte a little too intently in its very aesthetic mason jar, trying to figure out how to tell him your news.

“What’s on your mind, Y/N?” He asked, resting his chin on his fists.

You smiled, “I sent in a couple job applications this morning.”

Bradley’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, “That’s amazing! Where abouts?”

“Naval Medical Center, obviously… UCSD, Scripps, Sharp…” You listed off the names.

“All in San Diego?” He asked.

You nodded, “I really really like it here, there’s nothing better than being able to walk to the beach on my day off.”

“I try to start most of my days off with a run on the beach, I don’t even need headphones sometimes… It’s nice to just listen to the waves.” He mused.

The cute server that took your drink orders popped back to your table asking about food orders.

Your eyes widened with embarrassment, you hadn’t even looked at the menu.

Bradley took one look at you and asked for the server to come back in a few minutes.

“I hadn’t even looked at the menu…” You giggled.

“It’s okay, I always get the same thing so I wasn’t looking either.” He said.

You looked down and scanned the menu, “How stereotypically California of me would it be if I ordered avocado toast?”

He chuckled, “Almost as stereotypically California as me, always ordering the breakfast burrito.”

“Are you from here?” You asked, since this was kind of a date, now would be a good time to ask these introductory questions.

“Kinda… My dad was a naval aviator too and he spent some time here before he died. But I grew up mostly in Virginia since that’s where my mom’s family is. But she died when I was sixteen. After college, I commissioned as an officer and haven’t really had a homebase since. I just go where the navy needs me” He explained.

You reached across the table and held out your hand, “I’m so sorry, Bradley. I can’t imagine that kind of loss.”

He sighed and placed his hand on top of yours, “Some days are easier than others, most days are, actually. I don’t remember much of my dad, I get upset with myself for it if I think about it too much.”

“How old were you when he died?” You asked.

At this point, Bradley was struggling to make eye contact with you. You could tell this was a really hard topic for him, “Four.”

“You were just a little guy… basically a toddler.” You tried to comfort him and stroke the back of his hand with your thumb, just like he did to you last night, “It’s not your fault that the memories are hazy.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I guess I never really realized just how young I was when he died.”

You desperately wanted to dig deeper and to learn more about the man in front of you and the people who raised him, but it didn’t feel like the right time. “This feels like a… sacred topic of conversation. Maybe we should put a pin in it and have it another time, maybe somewhere more quiet and private… when you’re ready.”

He squeezed your hand, “I would really, really love that, Y/N.”

Tag list:

@sarah-bear706318

@dizzybee03

@that-gay-person-27

@alwayshave-faith

Please message or comment if you'd like to be added to the tag list!

[stylesuperstar]

wip. planymphia mall au. ( inspired by @riseandfallofme )

One day she just… appeared. She worked across the hall from Jane and God was she an eyesore. Highlighter yellow streaks framed her face and stood out against the dim lights and black clothes of Hot Topic. Ugh, her clothes could make eyes bleed. Black Leggings and a t-shirt of some brightly colored character paired with that same highlighter yellow in her leg warmers and fishnet gloves. At least the accessories matched her hair. As if that was on purpose, Jane thought to herself, speaking to herself in a sarcastic tone.

“You’ve been staring at this new girl for like 3 days now.” Ugh, that voice.

“Amanda! I didn’t know you were working today.” Jane whipped her head around and forced a smile, she just couldn’t contain the hatred that seeped into her words.

“Um, we’re understaffed? Both of us are here, like, every day.” Jane had already turned back around before Amanda could finish her sentence. Jane couldn’t place her finger on a good reason to not like Amanda, they’ve always clashed. Well, Jane could point fingers at the way Amanda’s foundation was the wrong shade if she wanted to match her spray tan, but…

“So… What’s your deal with Nymphia?” Jane’s attention went back to her co-worker. She didn’t even realize she was staring again until she heard that name. Amanda’s hand came into Jane’s line of sight, pointing a long finger across the hall.

“Don’t point.” Jane hissed and swatted at her hand. Especially when you have nails with no polish, she wanted to add before Amanda spoke again.

“Sorry, we don't want her to find out about her stalker.” Amanda sneered. “She used to work with Meg. Apparently she’s, like, totally insane.”

Yeah, no shit Amanda.

“What’s with the yellow?”

“No one knows.”

Weird and mysterious? Gross.

[gentaro-kinniecom]

It all started with a cup of coffee

Characters: Fareeha Amari (Pharah)/fem!reader

C/w: modern au!, you work as a barista with lena (tracer), fluff-ish, suggestive, romantic scenes, Fareeha flirts w you <3, first person pov! [Not proofread]

A/n: I love women. Muah; Im still working on those love and deepspace fics..im just so busy with college stuff pls :,( anyways enjoy 😋

The coffee shop was unusually busier today, I groaned as the sight of the huge line outside grew with each minute that passed. Why did my shift had to be during lunch hour? I passed by the line of impatient customers, some angry at me (since they thought I was a cutting customer), and opened the door, my co-worker sighed in relief as she glanced my way. It seemed we’re understaffed today..

“What took you so long?” She asked, handing me my apron adorned with cute buttons, one of them being a pride flag, which people stared at it rather than me most times. Lena was regularly energetic, but today’s demand was so exhausting to the point where her usual smile faded in the back while preparing orders.

“Traffic. Go and take a break, you’ve more than enough have earned it.” She tried to complain about it, saying how I needed help taking and doing orders, but I insisted, giving her a slight push towards the break room while flashing me a smile.

Hours passed after taking customer’s orders alongside Lena that I didn’t notice it was already 5:30pm, we usually close at 7 but since tomorrow was a free day due to a small holiday event in town, the shop owner was nice enough to change the hour until 6pm for today. I began sweeping the floor and cleaning some tables when the small bell of the shop rang suddenly

“Would you mind taking their order? I have to take out the trash and finish up in the back” Lena asked as I looked up nodding and smiling her way before standing behind the register, not noticing who was in front of me.

“I’ll take a small cappuccino and the last vanilla cupcake” The voice sounded so familiar..I finally looked up to see my crush and classmate, Fareeha Amari. Her hair was messy in an attractive way and adorned with golden accessories. She smiled while meeting my gaze, knowing I had recognized her

“Fareeha? From Calculus class? It’s been a while” I said, writing her name on the cup and starting the coffee steamer.

“I’m glad you remembered, although almost no one in college now days don’t even take the time to know their professor’s names.”-there was a pause, she fetched her phone after it rang twice, apologizing before continuing-“I’ve been meaning to talk with you for a while now” Fareeha thanked me before taking small sips in between our current conversation. While I finished up on cleaning, Fareeha sat down, scrolling through some videos or social media in general.

When it came the time to close, she wished me a goodnight and left, then I noticed. She had left behind a note, her phone number was neatly written in her lovely handwriting. I quickly dialed the number, keeping the small paper in my pocket. Lena’s girlfriend, Emily, came to pick her up, they offered me a ride home but I decided to walk, thanking them while heading towards the subway.

In the morning, I decided to finally reach out to her after a long night of debating it. It’s all fun and games until Fareeha finds out the name her contact on my phone is. Nothing fancy, just ‘Pharah’, with a heart emoji on the side. Sitting down on the countertop, I reached for my phone, sighing while typing..

“Good morning! It’s Y/n, how are you?” As I awaited a reply from her, I began to prepare breakfast while trying not to think much about the text. To my surprise, my phone pinged, ‘1 message from Pharah♡’. I unlocked my phone, my heart accelerating within the second.

“Hey~! I’m doing good, better now that you texted me..by any chance are you going to tonight’s festival?” Oh? The question caught me off guard for a moment as I finished eating. Yes, I was planning to go alone however, if she’s inviting me, I wouldn’t mind.

“I have nothing better to do honestly, I’d love to go, why? You’re inviting~?” I asked, placing my phone on the counter of the vanity while going to take a shower. As I finished, my phone began to ring; Fareeha was calling me. I sighed upon seeing it was just a normal call and not facetime

“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to pick up. And to answer your question, yes, I’m inviting you out.” I grabbed my clothes, leaving the bathroom as I replied.

“Oh~? So like a date then?” There was a small paused before Fareeha chuckled,

“You’re cute, if you want it to be a date, I wouldn’t be opposed to it” Setting down my phone on my bed now, I started to dress myself before replying to her

“Sure~! Does 5pm sound good for you?”

“It’s perfect, I’ll pick you up too, just send me your address, see you” With that, she hung up. I then texted her my location; going on about my day until the time came for her to pick me up. A sudden knock on my door made me realize it was already 4:50pm, she even arrived 10 minutes early..I got up, reaching for the door and opening it

“Hi beautiful, you ready to go?” Fareeha asked, leaning against the doorframe with one arm as I smiled, taking in how good she looked

“I’ll go grab my purse, be right back!” While gathering my stuff, the realization dawned upon me, she was flirting with me, like we’ve been doing even before yesterday. I guess I was too distracted or oblivious to notice

“Thanks for waiting~” Our hands intertwined, walking out of the apartment complex, and toward her blue McLaren, the sides had a streak of gold, it looked beautiful. Fareeha opened the door for me, though the ride wasn’t that long, in 10 to 15 minutes we had already arrived to the event. It was late enough to go back for my jacket, I would’ve never thought it would be cold tonight. Fareeha seemed to notice as she quickly handed over her own

“If you were cold, you should’ve asked for my jacket, sweetheart” I nearly melted at her words, holding her hand while grabbing her jacket as we walked. I couldn’t help but stare at her now glossy lips as she applied some lipstick while letting go of my hand, only to quickly grab it as she smiled, eyes wandering from my eyes to my lips.

“I didn’t want to bother you” My voice was but a mere whisper, still, it made Fareeha laugh softly. We soon entered one of the restaurants around the block.

“Never, in fact, I’d love for you to ask for my things. My jacket suits you well” I nod, ordering a beverage along with something to eat together as Fareeha continued to stare at me, almost lovingly. After eating with her, we walked around town. She wouldn’t let me pay for anything, even with us getting matching key chains for our phones.

“You didn’t have to..don’t tell me you have a thing for spoiling people?” I inquired half jokingly, returning home with her. Fareeha’s hand gripped the steering wheel while the other rested on my thigh

“Only to people I really like..have you gotten the hint yet, or do I have to be more..direct with my feelings?” She teasingly spoke, parking nearby my apartment as I took off my seatbelt, looking over as she tried leaving the car. I grabbed her hand, leaning towards her

“What is it that you truly desire then? Go on, I’m all ears” A cocky smile appeared on her face, making me falter my grip when suddenly, Fareeha took hold of my hands, pushing me slowly against my seat.

“You hate it when I tease you yet..you’re out here playing games with me, honey”

“Okay and~? What’re you gonna do about it? Her lips crashed onto mine like a dream. It was as if tonight everything came to light. My hands caressed her face softly, leaning more into the kiss while Fareeha grabbed my hair, gently tugging it after parting away

“What~? Don’t tell me you’re speechless now?” I chuckled, my hand in hers; soon we left her car, upon arriving to my apartment, I kissed her goodnight. I couldn’t help but think of Fareeha throughout the entire night.

Months passed by, and I can proudly sat that my relationship with her has grown. To the point of moving in together a few months after she asked me to be her girlfriend. I was currently making breakfast, looking out the window to see the sky during the early afternoon. Hands suddenly wrapped around my waist as I smiled

“Good afternoon my love, sleep well?” Fareeha nodded gently, kissing my cheek while grabbing some orange juice from the fridge.

“Mhm, I never thought my dreams of having a life with you would become real, not that I’m complaining” She smiled, taking two glasses of orange-printed cups and pouring juice. At good timing too since I was done with breakfast. We sat together in the dinning table; Fareeha read the newspaper as I scrolled through some social media

“Hey, didn’t you say you wanted to visit the botanical garden last week?” She said, breaking the comfortable silence while taking our dishes back to the kitchen

“Yes, but, don’t you have to call and reserve beforehand? It’s not like we can show up without anything” Fareeha chuckled, after washing our plates, she went towards our shared bedroom and took out an envelope. Inside were two tickets for the garden

“You didn’t think I already planned ahead, right~?” I smiled, wrapping my arms around her as a small ‘thank you’. I couldn’t help but admire her eyes, the way her hair fell down onto her face…

“You’re staring..do I have something?” She looked concerned but I just laughed, kissing her softly, almost catching her off guard. Her hands quickly traveled towards my waist

“I just like staring at you, my beautiful girlfriend”

[idontplaytrack]

Tired of all the troubles

Jos Cleary-Lopez x fem! reader

Warnings: fluff, coarse language, chronic pain, mention of a past car accident, stress

“Tired of all the troubles, they've been wasting my time. I don't wanna fight, gonna leave it behind.”

— The Middle of Starting Over, Sabrina Carpenter

After getting married, you and Jos had moved out of state getting a humble one-bedroom apartment in California. The weather there was way better for your pain from old injuries and other problems. So, when Jos brought it up, you agreed nearly immediately. Anyway, you two have been living here for close to three years now and you and Jos have made a pretty great life here together. Your own routines and traditions. Favourite places to see, places to eat at. Places to shop at, and everything else in between. On this particular morning however, despite the sunny forecast, you woke up in immense pain in the early hours of the day and fell back asleep instantly to avoid the impending problem. Well, that and the fact that it was barely 4:30 in the morning. Your plan proved successful when you peeled your eyes open and the clock showed 8:49am. Jos was stirring in her sleep next to you, but she doesn’t wake up. Instead, in her sleep— she reaches over to find you and wraps her arm around you. You groan, mentally cursing in your head.

‘Damn it! The weather’s fine, why is it acting up?’ You scolded yourself, feeling beyond annoyed.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright? You feeling sick?” Jos asks you sleepily, voice nearly a murmur.

Oh, so she was awake.

“No.” You answered curtly, exhaling forcefully through your nose.

“Do you think you’d want to sleep it off? Or should we do something?” She asks again, now more awake.

“Well, are you still tired?”

“No, I slept at like, 11 last night. You went to bed after midnight. I felt you getting into bed.” Jos answered.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” Jos scoffed playfully, turning around from her position on her back to look at you. “Do you know what could’ve triggered this flare?”

“Nope,” You huffed, “I don’t. I didn’t do anything outside of my capabilities. The weather’s been fine, so I really don’t know.”

In your junior year of college, you and Jos got into a car accident that very unfortunately left you with chronic pain. Unlike for Jos, who recovered from it completely. You disliked the reliance you needed to have on her because of it, but you knew your wife would do everything she could to help you, just because she loves you. That the vows weren’t just vows. Jos meant it all, so did you. You felt okay with it eventually, letting go off your worries and letting her take care of you when needed.

“I have work today.”

“Call in sick.”

“Can’t, we’re understaffed.” You reply, turning around to lay on your stomach. This position always alleviated the ache somewhat.

“What time? 12?”

“Yeah.” You said, cheek smushed against the pillow, “I get off at 8.”

You laid in bed for another hour or so— actually nodding off. Then, you finally got out of bed and freshened up. When you got out to the kitchen, Jos’d already made breakfast. “Have some breakfast, take a painkiller. But until you have to leave for work, try not to do anything that’ll make the pain worse.”

“That’s all I’m trying to babe, all I’m trying to do.” You sat down in a chair at the table, “Wait— didn’t you have work?”

“Yesterday, at work, they said they needed me to clear off some leave days. So I decided to take the next two days off to start.”

“Yeah, well. You haven’t had off days in awhile.” You shrug, “You deserve it. Rest up, do whatever you want.”

“I will, babe. Don’t have to worry about me, I’ll be right there to pick you up from work tonight.”

“Aw.” You chuckled, “That’s nice.”

Unlike Jos who had a full-time job, you could only hold down a part-time one given how frequently your symptoms acted up. You hated it at first but eventually grew to love it, it allowed you more freedom in your schedule and allowed you to have your shifts covered by someone else when absolutely necessary.

After breakfast, you could only lounge on the couch. But you couldn’t exactly get comfortable, and you were started to get very annoyed by the fact, and yourself. God, you wanted to scream. About half an hour later, you gave up and went to take a shower. Jos watches you closely, worried, as usual on days like today. “Gonna shower, could not get comfy.” You replied curtly.

“Okay.” She hums.

————

Jos drops you off at work later that day. Saying bye to her, she smooches you on the cheek before you got out of the car, “I’ll meet you for your break if you want. Just call or text me, okay?”

“Alright.” You nod, gripping onto the strap of your crossbody bag. Jos reaches across the front seat to pull the door shut for you. “See you soon, honey.” She flashes you a smile. Then, she was off. You pushed the glass door open and stepped into the building. A cinema situated right by a noisy, noisy arcade.

“Hey!” Someone exclaimed, squinting to focus, you spot your favourite coworker.

“Hi, Amy.” You smiled slightly, walking past her into the break room to put away your bag and clock in.

“Thought you weren’t coming in today. You’re a little later than usual— not late, of course.” She says, “Are you okay?”

“Sure?” You shrug, adjusting your name tag.

“Oh, no.” Amy sighs, “Why did you come in then?”

“Because I need money?” You laughed.

“Ah! y/n.” Shit, your boss. “Been waiting for you. Could you make us some popcorn this afternoon? Our stock’s running a bit low.”

“How about I do that, and she takes the counter?” Amy quickly interjected.

“Hey, as long as all the duties are done, I don’t care who does it.” Your boss agreed, “Very well. y/n, you…don’t look so good.”

You chuckled awkwardly, telling him, “I’m fine, Joey.”

“Alright, if you say so.” He shrugs, walking back into his office, “Amy, do four bags of the salted and five for the sweet.”

You pulled a shocked face, glancing at her. Amy couldn’t care less about it, laughing— she was happy to just be away from the counter where she had to interact with a bunch of strangers for hours. “Eight bags?” You mouthed, “Damn.”

“I love doing this.” She says, “Don’t know why I keep getting put on the box office.”

“Good for you then.” You bit back a laugh, “How about this? If we happen to work on the same shift and I get put to do the popcorn, let me know if you wanna just swap?”

“Oh, definitely.” Amy agrees.

“y/n, Amy, you two need to cover the concession stand as well, Camila’s out.”

“I want two large popcorns, two diet cokes and three hotdogs.”

‘Okay. Hello to you too.’

“Hotdogs have a two to three minute waiting time. Would that be okay with you, sir?”

“Whatever, just make me the food.”

Biting back a scoff and an eye-roll, you told him his total amount due and he made payment. Then, he went off to the side to wait. While Amy heard the order and quickly served the popcorn, you went ahead and prepared the hotdogs then the drinks while they were still cooking. Once you handed his order off to him, you slipped away to the bathroom, seeing the time on the clock as you made your way to the back: 3:44pm.

Shutting the stall door, you sat on the seat, staring into space. You took what must’ve been about two minutes to calm down, though actually unsure if it even helped. Because right when you stepped back into your work station, you heard a gasp, a scream and a smack. Some high-schooler just spilled his drink all over the floor. “It’s not my fault! They didn’t put the lid on properly!”

“You were squeezing the cup, Dean. That’s on you.” A girl with him says with a scoff.

You took in a deep breath, turning back around to grab the mop and bucket to clean up the mess. “You want me to help?”

“No. Just focus on your popcorn.”

“I’ll be fine, I’m the pro at popcorn-making here.”

“No, I got it.” You told her again, quickly mopping it up and returning the equipment back to the bathroom. Without another word, the bunch of kids left, rushing to their show. No thank you, no sorry, no nothing. ‘Why are some people like this? Whatever, it’s just a job—’

“Alright, grouchy.” Amy teased,

“Yo, they pay you to work. Not stare into space.” You hear a guy’s voice beside you. Startled, you jumped. It was Joey. “You good? I’m gonna need you to cut these sheets into card sized pieces for our refund slips.”

“Sure?”

“Why are you here then?” He asked, “Can’t have you passing out. Corporate would rather die than pay for an ambulance or deal with a workplace ‘incident’.” He was right. You knew companies usually avoided hiring people like you who would need a little more support at times. But somehow, you ran into Joey who was a few years older than you were. Someone whose mother dealt with similar issues due to the same reason. So he understood, he got that you had your bills to pay and that you didn’t want to completely rely on your partner,

“Wouldn’t want to leave Amy being the only one working this shift, huh?”

“You just answered your own question.” You said, taking the sheets of paper and locating the scissors.

“Things are slow right now, so sit down somewhere and do this if you need to.” He continues, “We have Tylenol if you need it,”

“Okay, and no thanks.”

“Alright, as long as you’re sure.” With that, he was back in his office again. While you went into the break room to bring a chair out. You sat in a corner behind the counter to carry out your task, while watching for any customers coming in.

You completed the task soon after, then Amy asked what time you wanted to go for your break. “You go first, then I’ll go.” You started, “You started your shift earlier than I did.”

“Okay.” She talks to you while wiping down the cleaned popcorn machine, “Do you want to get you your food?”

“It’s okay, thanks though.”

Once Amy was done cleaning up the machine, she leaves to go buy food leaving you in charge of just about everything here for a good forty-five minutes. Well, the upcoming showtimes were…okay. No more than a couple people per show. So, you were pretty confident you would be fine. Also, Joey came out from his office to assist once he saw customers queuing up, so you were glad you weren’t just left entirely alone. Once Amy’s break was over, it was your turn to go and eat. And since you’d already told Jos not to come down, you were on your own. While chatting with Jos on your phone. She sent you a picture of this new book she just bought, on her way home from dropping you off at work to let you know what she was up to currently. And you responded with a photo of yourself eating, then put your phone aside.

Though the aches and pains weren’t the worst you’ve experienced, you still could not wait to be home because every minor inconvenience seemed to be ticking you off.

————

Spotting Jos’ car outside waiting for you already, you quickly clocked-out and left after saying bye to Amy, not knowing where Joey was at. “Hey, babe.” She greets.

“Hi, Jos. You haven’t been waiting long, have you?”

“No, I just pulled up here like, 2 minutes ago.” She laughs. “You okay?”

“Fine, I guess. But the pain’s making me hate everything. Kids were yapping and screaming all over the place, spilling drinks and snacks, some people don’t say ‘thank you’ and I just wanted to scream, or zap them, but at least that’s over now.”

“Indeed it is.” Jos squeezes your thigh comfortingly, her hand stays there for the whole ride home. She even put on your favourite playlist.

Jos opened the door, holding it for you to enter first. “Thanks.” You told her, kicking off your shoes and taking off your socks. You then went to wash your hands and got changed into comfy clothes.

“I already made dinner so don’t worry about that, okay?” Jos poked her head in to talk, then waited for you to get dressed.

“M’kay.” You nodded softly, “Thanks for picking me up and for making dinner.” You pressed a kiss to her cheek and she smiles, kissing you back. “No problem at all.” She gives your shoulder a light squeeze then pulled out a chair for you. She made chicken and dumplings, one of your ultimate comfort foods. Which you greatly appreciated after a somewhat testing day at work.

Dinner was calm, amazing change after the chaos that was work. “You want something to drink? Wine?”

“Uh, no. I think I’m gonna take the meds so I’d better stay away from alcohol.”

“Okay, no problem.” She acknowledges, without hesitation she got up to get you the medication and a glass of water. Jos set those down in front of you then resumed eating. After dinner, you and Jos cuddled up on the couch watching some TV while you waited for the painkiller to take effect. It just felt good to have her hold you after being on your feet all day.

“You wanna head to bed? If not you can finish the movie, I’m gonna go get ready to turn in.” You ask, eyes looking up at her.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Jos agrees, turning the TV off, “C’mon.”

She helps you up off the couch and you two went to wash up. You crawled into bed first while she finished up her skincare routine.

“Babe? You wanna lay on your stomach? I could massage your back.”

“Okay.” You muttered and rolled over. You rested your head on folded arms while you allowed her to get started. Feeling her palms pressing down against the sore spots across your lower back brought you almost instant relief. Jos never fails to make it better, knowing just the right spots to work over, “Feel better?”

“Mhm.” You hummed in response, voice unclear as your eyes started to shut. “Thank you, baby.”

“No problem, honey.” She says with a smile, playfully giving your ass a squeeze, making you giggle.

“I love you.” You continued.

“I love you too, honey.” She whispered, “G’night.”

🏷️Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @ludoesartnstuffs @pda128

💭A/N:

Okay it’s finally done after a whole chunk of it got deleted earlier😮‍💨

[epithetical]

2024 UPDATE (OFFICIAL)

Hey, everyone. Longtime no talk. Despite being weirdly active on this account, I haven't really made any textposts since high school. So I've decided to fix this by giving a gigantic update post about my very busy 2023. If you're new and don't know anything about me, or knew me as a teen and are wondering what I'm up to now: buckle up.

TL;DR:

Dropped out of art school. Released an award-nominated(???) dating sim, ValiDate. Killed the Golden Girls Take Manhattan DX. Conquered Jaw Explosion Disease. Hung out with some friends. (Also, a lot of NDA shit that I can’t talk about.)

ART-SCHOOL DROPOUT

From 2021 to 2022, I was attending a prestigious and overly-expensive art school for their (brand new!) game design program. When I first graduated from high school, this college was my dream choice, and coming off the success of my early game dev career, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to polish my skills while I kept working on the side. My first commercial game was still in development, but we were feeling comfortable, and I felt like getting greedy.

Pride before the fall. Full Icarus mode. You know how it goes.

The school itself was…alright. Satellite campus, mid-pandemic, hybrid learning. Close enough to commute comfortably, classes just long enough for masks to not give me a headache, and the handful of remote courses helped keep my medical problems at bay. Problems that the school was a little unequipped to help with, though the disability office did their best. I had to drop a class because my body, at the time, couldn’t handle eight hours of classes without some Crazy Side Effects. 

(Keep in mind that every class was, minimum, four hours. And I had to take at least five a semester. Each class also saw me make an entire game from scratch. My body was already at its limit.)

If you knew me in high school, you’re probably waiting for the shoe to drop: I was, famously, the worst at academics. Never did homework, rarely finished projects, slept through first period at least once a week. Surprise, though: I was fucking great at this. My GPA doubled. Turns out that going to school for a discipline you already have a career in, and are kinda obsessed with, kinda does wonders for you. Unfortunately, I picked the worst time to care about school, since my commercial game’s release was the same exact night that my five school games were due.

TL;DR, I didn’t sleep for a week, almost fucked both up, and got burnout so bad that I couldn’t do anything for a calendar year. So I dropped out! Now, about a year of job hunting later (the game’s industry is imploding right now, and the only studios that considered me were… questionable, to say the least), the expensive art school wants me back. So badly. Turns out the whole school is so broke and understaffed right now that they’re basically chomping at the bit for that tuition money. Got a week to decide. Jury’s still out.

VALIDATE POST-MORTEM

So, if you couldn’t tell from the above section, we released a game in 2022!  I was supposed to write a post-mortem for it, but… burnout from the above, combined with general “post-release depression,” and I didn’t feel like touching it. 

Part of me still doesn’t! 

Yet I kinda think the feeling of me not wanting to talk about ValiDate is still worth discussing, so here we go:

For those of you that aren’t aware, I was a head dev on ValiDate, a dating sim that released in 2022. Volume 1 (of 3) did, anyway.

Did a lot of music, did a lot of writing, created some characters people really care about, created some characters people really want to fuck, made a couple Tweets that my boss hated, got accused of being reverse racist a few times. It was truly one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my life. And, yes, we’re still working on Vol. 2 behind the scenes. 

That’s actually the reason why it’s kinda hard to talk about Vol. 1!

It was my first commercial game, my first publicly released game, and I think there’s always gonna be a… natural embarrassment toward your first “real” project. Combine that with my natural “if you stare at me for too long, I will kill myself” tendencies, and the game’s release was a special type of torture. It’s one thing to watch people play through a game that you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into, knowing full well that they might hate it (or just misunderstand it), but shit gets so much worse when you know that you could have done better. 

It’s a very special kind of psychological torture to have creative decisions you feel were mistakes, things you half-assed because of burnout or deadlines, or things you did wrong because you just didn’t know any better! The embarrassment was overwhelming, so I just… dipped for a while. Didn’t watch gameplay or read reviews, didn’t do much of anything.

Took me a while to realize that me being embarrassed about the project isn’t because ValiDate was bad or anything. I was embarrassed because it was an incredible learning opportunity for me. The amount that I picked up on game design, community management, leadership, marketing, pitching, porting, etc. in two years is more than any school could teach you in four. Volume 1 was a game made by amateurs, still wet behind the ears, trying to build something from grassroots. 

But Volume 2 is a game-ass game. 

And having done all the work we have on Vol. 2 (which, while I can’t talk about it publicly, is a lot!), looking back at our first release feels like… revisiting your awkward middle school photos. Sometimes it’s hard to not feel contempt for who you were when your biggest struggle was becoming, but learning to choke down that shame? It taught me to feel grateful for the you of yesterday, who clawed their way through uncertainty so that you, today, can stand on sturdier ground. Growing up is embarrassing, and it turns out you keep doing it well into your twenties! Sucks. 

For the past few days, Dani and I have been watching a Twitch streamer play through Volume 1. We’ve been so deep in planning for the future that we figured, hey, may as well revisit the past. Detached from all that embarrassment of becoming, I gotta admit: we made a fun little dating sim. People like it. Hell, I like it. Sure, I know all of its flaws and shortcuts, and I have my fair share of critiques… but fact of the matter is, if I have a problem with something, I can just fix it. 

Admittedly, In the past, that attitude of mine has actually been more of a problem than a solution. “I can fix this myself!” is all fine and good when you’re a solo dev trying to throw something together, but it turns out taking on excess responsibility in a collaborative setting is a way to make shit suck for you and your team. During the Kickstarter demo era, I was literally on every team besides art. Writing, programming, music, I got my fingers in all those pies. It was fun to me, and more importantly, it was sustainable. 

Until it wasn’t.

Volume 1 coinciding with my tenure at [art school], using a (finicky and, frankly, shitty) new game engine, being much larger in scope, introducing minigames (which, surprise, I was team lead on)... I pretty much killed myself trying to get it all done. Honestly, I blame half of our day-one bugfixes on me specifically. Every single one of them was an oversight made because I was pulling the classic “I’m unmedicated so crunching is the only way I can feel alive” type shit. 

Except for the OST. That one sucked because art school sucks all the joy out of creating.

Happy to say that our workflow for Volume 2 has been much more sustainable for me, even if I’ve officially broken my “no art” rule for it. Yeah, turns out I’m finally making use of that animation major. Sucks.

Self reflection over. Except for one last note:

If you’ve followed ValiDate, played our demo, donated to the Kickstarter, replied to our Tweets, played our second demo, bought our game, or just talked about us to a friend… I am so, so grateful. Beyond what words could possibly describe. It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember become a game developer, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you guys. Vd8 wasn’t what I expected the cornerstone of my career to be, but honestly? I couldn’t have asked for a better one. We have Vriska in our game. How many people can possibly say that?

And to those of you still waiting for Volume 2:

You haven’t seen anything yet.

GAYMING AWARDS

Speaking of ValiDate… Did you hear we were nominated for some Gayming Awards last year? We were! 

Three other head Vd8 devs (Dani: Production, Alexis: Art, Cam: Code) flew out to beautiful New York City for the award show last March, which was actually our first time actually meeting up IRL. Really funny how I’ve known Dani since I was fifteen, but here we were, a decade later, finally meeting face to face. She’s so much taller in person. I’m still taller, but barely.

Meeting up with internet friends is one thing (and more on that later!), but meeting up with internet coworkers? It’s interesting. This was the first moment that ValiDate felt “real,” seeing as it was suddenly important enough to give us comp’d flights and a hotel room, but more than that: the people I’ve been working with for years exist? We’re all hanging out together? We’re wandering through Manhattan all day? We’re eating the most disgusting food at Junior’s in Times Square? We’re trying to figure out what this mystery liquid is? How much did this food cost again? (Seriously, my onion rings were 90% dough and 10% onion.)

While I won’t bore you with the minutiae—I think my friends would prefer the privacy anyway—the entire trip to NYC was fun, exhausting, and a dream-come-true.

Except for that goddamn award show. Jesus CHRIST, what a trainwreck.

No, I’m not saying that just because we lost. We did lose, though. (Personally, I was fine with it, but I also had to travel the least distance to get there. So…) I’m saying that because the entire Gayming Awards industrial complex was, uh, kinda busted this year?

So imagine, you’re us: bunch of twenty-somethings on your Sex and the City shit. Big award show tonight, formal attire. We’re talking high heels, long dresses, full suits, the whole nine yards. Now what do you do in Manhattan? Walk. Sure, we weren’t walking in formal attire the entire time, but it was still a good five blocks to the award center where—wait, what do you mean they relocated the ceremony? The hall they rented is closed for mysterious reasons? Where the hell are we doing the award show?

If you answered “the drag bar where the afterparty was supposed to take place,” congrats, here’s $20. Way further away from our hotel, which meant more walking, and also a way smaller venue with a lot less… formality, let’s say. But we’re young gay people, we don’t care about formalities, who gives a shit! As long as it can seat all of us, then—oh there’s no seating. Ohhhh. Oh! Okay.

I’ll admit, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. There were a handful of couches, VIPs only. Realizing quickly that, oh shit, we’re VIPs, we managed to snag some front-seat couches before any of the pesky old people could. (We’re young! We deserve to sit! You’ve had your entire lives to sit, established games industry people! Let the new generation have a turn!) Unfortunately, when I got up to cash in my free-drink voucher, my seat was stolen by some white lady. 

So I sat on the floor.

March 2023. You, sitting at home, have decided to tune into the Gayming Awards “live” on Twitch, curious to see what Britain’s premiere gayming magazine had to say about, uh, esports. 

This is important to you. 

Fortunately, this year you’re watching a decently shot and scripted award show filmed in a (noticeably claustrophobic) little bar, complete with charming presenters (many of whom are local drag queens) and a myriad of corporate sponsors. You can hardly tell that the entire show was uprooted and moved hours prior!

Yet, for some reason, whenever the cameras cut to the audience… There’s some large man, right in front of the crowd, slumped down on the floor as if he’s bleeding out. With every award given, his clapping grows weaker. The more the camera cuts to him, the more life drains from his body, as if his existence itself is anathema to “gayming.”

Imagine, for a moment, that this man is nominated for an award. 

Imagine that he, after a lifetime of potassium deficiency, has been teetering on the edge of a Charlie Horse Reckoning for hours.

Imagine that the microsecond that his game’s name is called as a nominee, the Reckoning begins. 

Now imagine a world where he wins that award. 

A world where he is forced to stand—from his corpse’s rightful place on the ground!—in front of his peers and superiors, pretending as if he’s not afflicted with a life-ending muscle cramp.

So, yeah. I was pretty fine with losing.

Later, we ditched the “afterparty” to drink at Applebees. (Turns out “green tea shots” don’t have any green tea in ‘em?)

EULOGY FOR THE GOLDEN GIRLS TAKE MANHATTAN DX

Big announcement! I was a team lead on The Golden Girls Take Manhattan DX, a certified Tumblr Gold™ fan-project (by the immortal Grawly) about the eponymous Gold Girls in a Persona-esque parody game! 

Slightly bigger announcement! The game got cancelled. Sorry.

Feels a little weird talking about this, since the year-ish I spent working on the game passed in the blink of an eye, and I’m not going to lie and say that I was an instrumental piece of the team or whatever. I was lucky enough to lead a very talented team, and to play with some very fun devtools, but the game was definitely more important to me than I was to it. (Grawly, if by some off-chance you’re reading this, please click off now. You can peek back in at the Jaw Explosion Disease subheader. I promise I’m very nice and respectful.)

I was in high school when I was first made aware of TGGTMDX. My friend group was very into Persona (in the pre-P5 days), and one of our favorite video subgenres was “videogame UI on top of sitcom scenes.” It didn’t take us long to stumble onto early-build footage of TGGTMDX on Tumblr, and what spawned was a years-long fascination. I’d even consider it one of my many… game dev awakenings? The idea that the only thing stopping me from making “American Persona”—one of my many white whales—was commitment to the bit. Just one of the many things that fueled my teenaged suicidal overconfidence.

Speaking of suicidal overconfidence, about a decade later, I was invited to work on the game! Coming fresh off ValiDate, I was desperate for a chance to make a real portfolio piece (visual novels, while popular, will never get you a job), and this sort of opportunity only presents itself once in a lifetime. Fulfilling a teenage dream while furthering your career? What could possibly go wrong!

That makes it seem like there was some explosive drama behind the scenes that ruined everything. Sorry to say that most game cancellations aren’t that exciting, and that this game’s death was by a thousand microscopic cuts. Most of which are not my place to talk about: this game wasn’t my baby, and cancelling it wasn’t my choice to make! Many people worked on this for much, much longer than I even knew how to code, and they deserve to have their feelings prioritized. Whenever that post mortem gets published, I’ll be the first to reblog it, trust me. 

Instead, I’d prefer to talk a little about this as being my first real “loss” as a game dev. Certainly not my first project to go under, and I’ve had my fair share of shelved prototypes, but something about this cancellation was… different. Working on your dream project is all fun and games until you feel partially responsible for it dying, y’know? It felt Sisyphean at a point, like trying to dig a hole in the sand with a pitchfork. I would work at the game, and work at the game, but nothing I did felt like it made a dent. 

Part of me knew I wasn’t giving it my all, between the school-based burnout (above), jaw explosion disease (below), and ValiDate (omnipresent), it’s not like I could’ve afforded to put more of myself into it. Besides, I was literally a team lead, half my job was telling other people what to do. But the spectre of “you’re not doing enough” was hard to shake. Even when all these other responsibilities ebbed and I could afford to give this game my all, the difference felt minimal. 

We spend a lot of time pitying Sisyphus for having to push that boulder uphill over and over, but none of us ask ourselves “could we even move that big fucking rock in the first place?” Apparently, I couldn’t.

I wasn’t the only one that felt that way, it turned out. In fact, pretty much all the friends I made on the project felt the same. If there’s any “real” reason why the project got cancelled, it’s that. No big falling out, Disney didn’t give us a cease and desist, no secret rebrand going on in the background. Just a bunch of lads getting sick of pushing a boulder. Hell, Grawly’s been doing it for a decade. Let him rest.

Not too much rest, though: we’re already working on a different game together (Date Knight: check it out if you haven’t!), and some of us ex-Golden Girls devs have some ideas for what else we can cook up. 

For money, this time.

JAW EXPLOSION DISEASE

Probably the biggest “development” of 2023 was my sudden horrible nerve pain in July, which started as a sinus infection on the left side of my face, and soon became a horrific jaw pain. Long after my sinus infection healed, the jaw pain remained, which is a pretty bad hand to draw when a considerable portion of your day is spent “talking,” or “eating.” So, for the back half of 2023, I didn’t do much of either.

Instead, I had to take a considerable amount of ibuprofen, visit one doctor, three dentists, two hospitals, and four oral surgeons to figure out what the hell is wrong with me. The dentists discovered an exposed nerve, caused by wisdom tooth removal complications (sick!), the oral surgeons went “okay, we can fix that,” got me all numbed up. But it turns out that my left jaw is immune to local anesthesia! Thinking this was an infection, they kept putting me on antibiotics over and over in the hopes that it’d suddenly work. Took a note from my childhood dentist explaining that, “no, he’s always been like this” to find a surgeon willing to put me all the way under. (And then, the first time they tried, I woke up in the middle anyway! I got a full refund on the copay, at least.) 

Ultimately, I found a very nice surgeon in December that treated me same-day, and did it perfectly, but the damage to my liver from all that ibuprofen was… bad. But it turns out that livers just… regenerate naturally? So, give it a few months, I’ll be at 100%. Hopefully.

OOMFCON

Hilariously, six months after we met up for the Gayming Awards, Dani and Alexis found their way back to NYC for a little combination meet-up/vacation we affectionately titled “Oomfcon 2023.” This time, with bonus friends! Our entire friend server, whose name I’ve been advised not to post publicly, had rented an AirBnB for anyone willing to drop everything and go to Brooklyn. 

It took about a year of planning (mostly by Alexis) to get us all out there, but Jesus Christ, it actually worked.

Admittedly I’m a bit hesitant to talk at length about “taking a vacation”—even though I’m already… from here?—but it really was the highlight of my year. First for actually happening, when most friend groups I’ve had would have written the idea off as a pipedream, but mostly for being a really good time. A lot of walking, a lot of talking, a lot of drinking, a lot of dining. (This was during Jaw Explosion Disease, so you can imagine how my body took most of that.)

To Dani, Alexis, Miles, Haven, Grim, Xtine, and Ty: thanks for coming up here! The city is a lot more boring without you guys in it. I promise to have less health issues when we do this again!

And to everyone else outside the groupchat that I met and bored with my job hunt stories: Nice meeting you guys! Sorry that fate decided every single one of you is forced to keep in touch with me. (And I didn’t even get the shitty corporate job!)

[gamerwoo]

we’ve had 4 teachers put in their 2 weeks within the last week and we’re already understaffed. please pray for my sanity and mental/physical/emotional health 🫶

[fuck-customers]

✍️ if you call a store to complain about corporate pricing, fuck you. we don’t sell essentials, if you can’t afford it or don’t want to pay the amount we raised our prices by you literally do not have to shop here. why are you tying up my phone line for 20 minutes harping on this when you ALREADY talked to corporate and they didn’t give you the answer you wanted over email so you “just wanted to talk to a real person” fuck! you! we’re understaffed and i have one million things to do! go AWAY