#...now you're basically understaffing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

oppopotamus · 7 months

Text

Shoe riding

gojo satoru x top male reader

Warning: nsfw, gojo has a pussy, shoe riding, face slapping (like once), name calling (slut, baby, sweetheart etc), face riding, face sitting, sending nudes, kind of mean reader??

Satoru had always been a little shit, that much was known but nobody knew how much of a tease he was.

Satoru had one of his very few 'free days' where he can take time off of work, it was very rare for Satoru to ever get any sort of break.

Usually you take time off of work to spend it with Satoru since you don't get to see him that much.

Though unfortunately, you were called into work late as it was understaffed and many we're sick and you were the last resort basically.

Satoru begged you to stay, saying he'd do absolutely anything. Whether that be paying you for the next week until you got your next paycheck, or by doing something a little bit more... Scandalous.

You were extremely tempted to take that offer but your boss had threatened you that you'd lose your job if you took yet another day off.

So, you had no choice but to go in.

Satoru was feeling grumpy as he walked around your shared house, he just wanted to lounge around in bed all day with you!

I mean, he's plently rich enough to pay for both of you but you insisted that you didn't want him paying for everything.

Satoru finally had an amazing idea. Well, amazing to him atleast.

Satoru stood infront of the full length mirror that stood in your bedroom. He was wearing nothing but the pretty white lingerie you had brought him a while back which he never really got to wear, thought today he was going to show you how much he loved the gift.

Satoru got his phone camera ready and started taking pictures, many, many pictures. He posed in ways he knew would get your attention and posed in ways he didn't even know how he did!

Just to show you how flexible he was, of course.

Satoru selected the pictures he had thought were the best, all in the lingerie he hadn't taken any nude selfies. Not yet atleast.

He finally sended them to you, he didn't know if you would reply or even if you would see the message.

When you get a text on your phone from the one and only Satoru Gojo you think it's important enough to open.

Once you open them your calm demeanor disappears and you cough to avoid suspicion.

"Are you quite alright, (Name)?" One of your coworkers asks, "Yes, perfectly fine. Just got a bit of a cough."

"Don't you think you should head home then?" Another nosy coworker asks after listening in on your conversation as per usual with them. All your coworkers were very nosy people.

"Ah, boss wouldn't let me head home even if I asked." You said sadly, the photos would not get out of your head. Gojo in all those pretty poses, just begging for you to take him.

You try and shake the thoughts out of your head and attempt to think of something different in hopes your red face would disappear.

"Your face is burning up! (Name), you should really head home. If the boss doesn't let you leave I'll give him a piece of my mind!" The lady you we're just talking to before says.

"Ah, thank you very much but there's no need. I'm sure I'll be fine." You say, before you get another text from Gojo.

This time he's posed so he's sitting on the ground with his legs spread and facing the mirror so you can see everything through the thin fabric of the lingerie.

The photo had been sent with a text below it simply saying, 'come take it off for me?'

Oh god, you were in trouble. You could feel your pants start to get tighter. You don't know how you can even attempt to keep your cool now.

As if on que, your boss comes strolling in asking you where you've been and that you need to report to his office at once to approve some documents.

You're about to follow before a coworker pipes up saying, "He is much to sick, sir! (Name) can absolutely not work in these conditions!"

"I second that! If you don't excuse (Name) from work I'll take it to the higher ups and report you for not letting a sick employee go home." Another coworker says firmly.

You can almost see veins popping out of his head in anger so your boss decided it would just be easier to send you home than having to deal with the higher ups.

"Fine! (Name)... You're free to go home." Your boss says, you can sense the anger coming from him so you quickly pack up your things, saying a small 'thank you' to your coworkers who helped you out.

You're just getting into your car as you get another message from Gojo with yet another photo.

This time the image is of him still with he legs spread except he has moved the lingerie so it shows off his pretty pussy.

Fuck. This man is going to be the death of you.

You send him a message saying 'I'm coming home now. You've been bad, Satoru. Get ready.'

You can practically see Satorus scared face through the screen.

You start your car and head back home, once there you park the car and head to open the door.

You stop in the front entrance and take off your blazer and hang it on the coat rack.

You head up to the bedroom door and open it. "I'm home, Satoru-" You don't finish your sentence before you stop and stare in wonder of how pretty Satoru is.

Satoru's sitting down on the bed, patiently waiting there with his knees under him.

You walk over to him, standing above the bed with your tall height towering over him. You bring a hand out to cup his chin and raise it so he's staring right at you.

"Such a pretty boy. Aren't you, 'toru?" You ask, though you get no answer back. "So very pretty. Too bad you're such a brat." You spit out the last words and raise a hand across his cheek, slapping him. Not enough to really hurt but enough to make him gasp from shock.

Gojo whimpers as you drag him forward, he has to put his hands out to stabilise himself so he doesn't fall off the bed.

"Just a slut, aren't you? Can't even wait a few hours for me to come home. You just had to interfere with my work."

"M'sorry.." Gojo says in response, he's not really sorry at all. He loves the way you act when you get this way.

He'd do it all over again and you know he will, whenever that may be. He's just too much of a slut.

"On your knees." You say gesturing to the side of the bed where you currently stand.

You turn around and sit down on the bed as Gojo scrambles to sit down infront of you.

Once he's sitting on his knees infront of you, you gesture for him to move forward. He does so he's awkwardly sitting there between you legs, he begins reaching out to your crotch before you stop him.

"No, sweetheart. I want you to ride my shoe. I'm not helping you get off today, you've already interrupted my day enough."

Satoru gulps at that and hesitates before he sits atop one of your shoes.

"Like this?" Satoru asks, "Yeah, just like that, baby. Good job." You smile down at him and Gojo suddenly feels proud, as if he's such a good boy, just for you.

Satoru finally starts moving, moaning out as his clit comes in contact with your shoe. He moves forwards and back again, it's not nearly as pleasurable as when you touch him.

He has no idea whether this will make him cum or not. He feels good but it doesn't feel quite enough.

"P..Please.. Need- Ah!" Satoru moans out as he ruts back and forth on your shoe, getting it dirty with his wetness.

"Hm? Tell me what it is you need." You say down at him as you play with his hair while he moves faster and faster against your shoe.

"C-can't." He says shaking his head side to side fastly while he shuts his eyes tightly so he can't see you looking down at him. You know that he will get a headache if he keeps doing that so you grab his chin and force him to look up at you.

"Look at me and tell me what it is you need, baby." You command. He finally cracks his eyes open and looks up at you.

"Need you..." He says, "I'm right here, sweetheart. Tell me what you want me to do okay?" You say while smiling down at him.

"P-please.. Want you to touch me."

"But I'm already touching you, baby. See? You're humping my foot like some dog."

"No.. I mean-" You cut Satoru off and grab his chin tighter, causing him to squeak in surprise.

"You've been such a little slut today, you know? I don't think you deserve to have your way. I think you should just sit there and do what I say. Understood?" Satoru whined at the harsh words but nods anyways, continuing to grind on your shoe.

He lets out groans and whimpers but he soon realizes that just humping your shoe is not nearly enough to get him off.

He wants you touching him, with your hands or for you to have his cock inside him, stretching him open till he cries from pleasure and pain.

Though apparently that's not going to happen today and it makes him whine.

He pleads and begs you, he doesn't even know what he's saying anymore, he's just spewing out words.

You reach down and yank his hair back, he yelps in pain and grips your leg tightly.

"Please!" He whines out, moving faster trying to chase that release he so desperately wants.

You sigh, "Fine, come up here." You say moving back on the bed and lay down.

He crawls up with a dazed smile on his face, and straddles you.

"C'mere baby." You say grabbing his hips and pulling him up to sit on your face. Satoru hesitates for a moment before lowering himself down.

"Ah!" He moans out as you move your tongue inside him. He grinds down on your face, you feel his juices spreading across your face as he moves back and forth.

Satoru moans out as he feels his release finally creeping up.

He's not going to last long, he knows he's going to cum any second. Riding your shoe made him get so close but not nearly far enough.

He repeats your name over and over, getting so close to his release. His clit rubs over your nose while you tongue at his hole.

You're starting to get slightly light headed with him on your face but you know it's not going to be much longer until he cums so you're not worried.

"(Name)! I'm gonna- Oh god-" Just before he finishes his sentence he's squirting all over your face, wetting it.

He sits and breathes heavily for a moment until he calms down and rises off of your face.

"Haah.. Thank you.." He says, looking down at you with a dumb smile on his face.

#male reader smut #amab reader #male reader #dom male reader #top male reader #jjk x male reader #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru x male reader #jjk gojo #gojo satoru

1K notes · View notes

bettyfrommars · 4 months

Note

thinking about falling for your divorce lawyer one mr steve harrington 😘

Oh, you little sneaky 🥹

I'm envisioning him as someone who did not want to go into that profession, not at all, but he felt pressured by his mostly absent father, and so he learned the basics, enough to get by. He ends up loving the work and diving into it wholeheartedly once he realizes he can help people, but he never charges enough, if anything, so he often struggles financially.

You wanted to settle everything amicably, but now your soon-to-be ex-husband has a fancy lawyer (his parents are loaded) and you're shuffling down the sidewalk in tears, trying to figure out what to do, when you see Steve's face on a bench at the bus stop. The sight of his easy grin makes you feel light for the first time in days, and you see that he specializes in "affordable" services.

His office is in shambles, not because he's a messy person, but he's over-worked and understaffed. His best friend Robin is his secretary, and she's on the phone when you enter, while the three other lines blink for the callers who are on hold. Robin looks ecstatic to see you, motioning for you to take a seat in one of the four orange, plastic chairs against the wall.

The door with the frosted window across from her desk bursts open, making some papers fly off the desk, and Steve yanks down the necktie that hangs loose around his neck. Shirt sleeves rolled up to expose some forearm tattoos, scalp glistening in sweat, and his hair is imprinted with the lines of his fingers from running a hand through it all day.

You get to your feet, but Steve doesn't see you. Robin puts the receiver to her chest to hear what he has to say, but her eyes keep darting to you.

"My cupboards are stocked with Ramen noodles in case you want a movie night this weekend," he stretches his arms wide with a hearty yawn. The next part he says in a whisper, "unless you're still dating what-her-face with the hyena laugh from the Estee Lauder counter at the mall."

Robin puts the phone back to her ear and says a cordial goodbye to whoever was on the other line, and then she hangs up and tries to gesture in your direction.

"I will say, I like her better than the grumpy one you had a crush on at---"

"Steve!" Robin cuts him off, and he rests his hip against the desk to cross his foot over his ankle. "Your 4:00 is here."

You notice him visibly stiffen, head snapping in your direction, but then his face softens, a sincere smile warming all the way to his eyes. A few more swipes of his hand through his hair for good luck.

You hug your coat tighter and introduce yourself.

Steve's cheeks flush pink from embarrassment, and he extends his arm for a firm, comforting handshake. He notices that your eyes are puffy, most likely from crying and lack of sleep, mascara smudged at the corners.

He leans in with a soft pat to your arm. "Now, let's give your husband something to cry about."

(I'm not very good at writing/imagining white collar Steve, but damn I really giggled and got excited about this ask. Thank you, whoever you are 😘)

#Steve Harrington #lawyer!steve #Anon ❤️

71 notes · View notes

undreaming-fanfiction · 2 years

Text

The Adventures of Kas/Eddie and Vecna

Guess who's not working/preparing for exams...we had a wonderful crack brainstorming session with @stevesbipanic and we agreed on a few things we'd like to see as a Stranger Things spinoff...please see our mix of ideas below. Thank you B for the wonderful ridiculousness.

A workplace comedy with Vecna and Kas/Eddie in the Upside Down

Eddie sitting in front of Vecna, nibbling on a demobat snack (the menu in the Upside Down is kinda poor) and complaining about the working conditions while Vecna looks pointedly at the camera, dead inside. A demogorgon sneaks by once or twice and pats Vecna on the back reassuringly.

Eddie: "Okay, you brought me back to life, but as that was a necessary qualification for the job, I just consider it basic training. So don't pull that card on me again. Let's talk benefits and vacation days, insurance maybe?"

Eddie: "Do I get dental? I've got these fangs now, wanna make sure they're pearly white" Vecna: "Do I look like I get dental?" Eddie: "You should."

Eddie being really, really, REALLY bored in the Upside Down. He can't really go back to Hawkins so he settles for annoying Vecna as a hobby and he's good at it.

Eddie would lecture Vecna on the importance of a good moisturizer because hello, have you met Steve Harrington? Eddie: "The squelching sounds absolutely don't mean your skin is moisturized, boss. We have an image to maintain!" Eddie: "Have you seen Steve's skin it's so smooth I wanna kiss his cheeks....'cause it's soft, not for any other reasons"

Eddie sees Vecna the way he is and quickly checks his pants: "Oh good mine is still there"

He'd also be very concerned about keeping his hair. Eddie: "I don't care if I have to drink blood, if I grow wings or whatever, but if you make me go bald I quit." Vecna: "You can't just quit, I made you!" Eddie: "Just watch me walk through that portal and then you can terrorize Hawkins on your own, don't create toxic workplace conditions when you're understaffed!"

Eddie would be very invested in creating a good working environment. He would absolutely start a petition for workplace t-shirts. Doesn't matter if he's the only one who can write in the Upside Down, he'd just dip demobats in ink and slap them on the paper. "It's the closest they can get to a signature".

When it comes to the t-shirt design, he's modest. He shows Vecna his torn up Hellfire shirt: "I'm thinking we keep the devil icon of course, who am I kidding, we can call ourselves the Hellfire club too, it fits." Vecna is too tired to argue with Eddie at this point and shows up to the big fight in a Hellfire t-shirt. There is much confusion.

Vecna finds a new hobby and his own style

Eddie is so bored in the Upside Down (demobats don't talk much) that he starts teaching Vecna Dungeons and Dragons and Vecna suddenly realizes that he can just live in other worlds without destroying the normal one, so days, weeks go by and he doesn't invade Hawkins again. When the usual party barges into the remains of the Creel house, they find Eddie dramatically describing a wounded child rescue from behind an improvised DM screen to a very invested Vecna and when Nancy points her shotgun at him, he shushes her and says "not now, I'm trying to figure out how my alignment would work here!"

Vecna finds out about the Cult of Vecna campaign. Vecna: "You guys named me after this guy? But he's so evilllll, not cool Eddie." Eddie: "Hey man may I remind you your bats ate my bat tattoo?" Vecna: "I brought you back though." Eddie: "My tattoo Henry!" Vecna looks sadly in the distance. Vecna: "I thought...you wouldn't want it. I hated my tattoo. I didn't know they could be a good thing." Eddie: "Oh shit man, I'm sorry. We can cover it up with something cool though. Would you like a D20 or something instead of that number?" This is the night Vecna returns to Hawkins. Except the only reason for that is better lighting for Eddie to work on his tattoo.

Vecna finding out about normal tattoos and coming back covered in tattoos from Eddie: Eddie: "No-one is gonna tell you look like meatloaf with this sleeve!"

Eddie also introducing Vecna to metal/rock fashion. Eddie: "You'd look way more badass in leather, boss!" Vecna wears clothes again after nearly a decade and he's...happy? Who can tell with that face.

Vecna defends Hellfire

Eddie mentions that people in the town thought his beautiful club was a cult. And Vecna is OUTRAGED. He drags the remaining members of Jason's mob to the Upside Down. Vecna: "There was a time I hoped to have you by my side, but now I just want you to watch." And he forces the jocks to sit through a 6 hours long campaign. Eddie is delighted.

#st crack #stranger things #strangerthings #stranger things crack #kas eddie #vecna #henry creel #stranger things one #eddie munson #steddie #hellfire club #stevesbipanic

249 notes · View notes

epithetical · 4 months

Text

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!)

#save.#this is a lot longer than i wanted it to be; but i had a lot to say.#turns out i actually have a lot of tumblr followers. so. time to actually engage with them.

19 notes · View notes

seventeenlovesthree · 9 months

Text

So I just finished Good Omens season 2 and while I obviously share the sense of longing that left most of the fandom devastated at the end, I must say... As a 32 year old woman who just started a new job after having been stuck in a profession that made her feel mentally unwell and stuck for the past 5 years, all I want to say is that this season left me with a huge appreciation for the silliness of life as a whole.

"Wait and see" is actually the best advice I'd want to give to anybody, whether they are kids, teenagers, young adults at the beginning of figuring out their lives - but also to people much, much older than me, wiser, more experienced, basically to everybody who, like me, felt lost and in despair due to the state of the world, their own lives, their purpose, whatever it may be. There may be spoilers ahead now, but I simply feel the need to summarize my feelings in regard to what I saw:

Life can be incredibly unfair. You may be seeking that promotion at work, aiming to get the recognition or the salary you feel you deserve - or maybe you just want to make a difference, make a change for things to get better. You know how difficult that can be, y'all are terribly understaffed after all, people have developed a certain sense of resignation, there is snark and sarcasm, some are doing the bare minimum, others are simply trying their best and remain positive, dealing with either imposter syndrome or have been thrown into positions they may not even be suited for. Heck, even the higher-ups may not be suitable for the positions they have ended up at...

There are times when you're asking yourself what's the use in all of this. You don't know if karma or fate have been betting against you, a lot of unpleasant things have happened and there have been many times you just wanted to give up. Feeling inept, not enough, never enough, unlovable even. It's all so frustrating and unfair. So what really is the point of all of this?

I'm telling you what it is: Sometimes you really just have to "wait and see". It may not fix everything right away, and some things may actually never change for the better, but... Chances are you may encounter something, someone that will make it all worth it.

You just need to open your eyes and mind - and stop taking things personally. Or even seriously. Humans are such silly little creatures, the older you get, the more you realize that interpersonal interactions are not exactly what we were taught they would be. There is no handbook that can give you every answer you are looking for, because people just are inherently weird. They are quirky and silly and difficult and fun and that is perfectly okay. There may also be people that have (and will) hurt you, so deeply that you think you can never trust anyone ever again - but you need to learn that not everyone is out there to get you. Because people also tend to be so focused on themselves and their own issues that they may actually not be paying attention to you. We may misunderstand each other, we may not be able to get each other, some people are incompatible and others just fit together in ways that are literally ineffable. Love comes in so many shapes, so many ways, so many colours, affection, fondness, relatability, friendship, comradeship, romance, you name it - and that's why it's so important that you actually go for the things that make life worthwhile.

Sometimes you have to dance that silly little dance, either on your own or with a person you cherish.

Sometimes you have to get that terribly over-priced coffee, because it warms your heart and soul - and without taking that moment to enjoy it, you may not even have noticed that the sound of the pouring is so much nicer to listen to than grumbling over it "ruining your day".

Sometimes you have to ramble about that weird, obscure hobby you have, because it makes you happy and, even without realizing it, listening to you may make other people happy too.

Go read that silly little book, go listen to your favourite song, go learn about a skill you've been fascinated about in a while, even if people may roll their eyes at you.

Sometimes we need to take the time to heal from the wounds we already obtained. Not everybody will remain by our side forever, some may not understand why we do the things we do. The love we feel for one person may not be enough to make them understand our ways and sometimes, separation is the only solution for the time being - to take a step back, to think, to evaluate, to process. Because it simply wasn't the right time, the right moment, no matter how long (or little) we have waited already. There will be change - because not everything will last forever. But that doesn't mean that things cannot change for the better either.

If we wait and see.

#good omens #good omens season 2 #good omens s2 spoilers #good omens s2 #my two cents #personal #good omens spoilers

19 notes · View notes

fuck-customers · 2 years

Note

Do old people want us to work or not because this old man basically just shamed me for being at my current fast food job for a year. Was trying to be nice and make small talk with him since he insisted in waiting for his food RIGHT at the counter close to where I was working and when he made a comment about how fast I was (his tone indicating he thought this was a BAD thing) I tried to make a light joke about it about how when you're here for as long as I am you tend to get pretty quick. He asks how long I've been here and I tell him a little over a year. His face scrunches up and he's like "That's a long time for a fast food job" and from his attitude you'd think I was his child who he was disappointed in.

Anyways without my being here we'd be too understaffed to be open right now so you're welcome, asshole.

104 notes · View notes

aphrodite-would-be-proud · 2 years

Text

Rivals with cadet Erwin pt.3

{ pt.1 | pt.2 | pt.3 | pt.4 }

{Erwin x Reader | tw: military, tw: almost fighting someone | romantic comedy, enemies to lovers, slow burn | canonverse}

{"The wedding morning" by Konstantin Johannes Franz Cretius, 1814-1901}

"Aren't you going to back me up on this?" You pleaded, hoping your mutual friend would be the voice of reason.

"You know he's on my side here right?" Erwin interjected, raising an eyebrow as he too eyed the tall figure sprawled on the bed across the both of you.

Despite the intense negotiations that have been going on here for the past 2 hours, Miche barely added anything of value to the conversation and he was adamant on keeping it that way.

Sparing the both of you a mere glance from behind the book he's reading, a shrug was all you got before he adjusted his grip on the leather cover, flipping the page.

"You know that coming here would give the impression that you'd add something to the conversation, Miche." Eriwn said, fingers rubbing his temple to get rid of the aching feeling of the upcoming headache following this.

"He's right" you crossed your arms, only to follow it with "for once." for good measures.

Knowing that ignoring two of the most stubborn people he has met in his life would only bring him more pestering, Miche begrudgingly set his book.

"First of all" he glared, "the 'here' that i came to, is my room."

"Our room." Erwin interrupted.

"My side of the room." Miche shot back, pointing to the invisible line that the two men must have agreed on years ago.

Without giving Erwin any more attention, Miche continued, "second of all. The two of you made the deal, therefore you deal with it yourselves"

"Well maybe if someone actually could understand basic words, then he'd know that a favour doesn't cover for what he's asking." You were getting more frustrated by having to go back and forth on this subject, aimlessly running in circles.

"You're blowing this out of proportion" Erwin 'gaslights you to your own face' Smith replied, " I simply asked you to…consider it and give it a lot of thought."

"And I did." You repeat yourself for the fifth time, "the answer is no."

"Then consider it again." He says with a straight face.

You're talking to a wall, a brick wall that calls itself Erwin and walks on two legs. "No means no, just how many times do i have to rethink about it."

"Till the answer becomes yes."

Feeling fed up, you lean closer to his annoying face as you stare him directly in the eye.

For a second, you actually see a glimpse of hope in them when your mouth opens.

"I'm not joining the scouts, Erwin."

And all hope vanishes.

"Then which branch do you plan on joining?" He's still determined he can get through to you.

The only thing keeping you from telling him to shove it and getting as humanly possible away from him right now, is his petty blackmail that he holds over you.

Big enough to get you to agree to have this talk with him right now as your owed favour, but not big enough that you'd risk your life over some horse theft accusation.

You lean back, the hard wood of the bed frame feeling rough against your back. "I don't know." You truly don't.

"Then let's go through them together." And when he says that with his all familiar smug smile, it hits you.

Oh god he's going to use one of his weird logic manipulation tactics on you again.

You swallow down.

"The most common choice for a cadet is usually the Garrison." He pretends to think as he pauses, like he didn't rehearse this whole conversation with an unwilling Miche hours before you came.

While yeah you're being forced into having this conversation, you still keep true to your word and actually put some effort into considering this.

Picturing yourself wearing the bi-roses jacket, being part of the largest military division which means you'll never be understaffed.

Maybe it's not so bad, they get holidays and are generalist in nature. You'd get the best of both worlds, being able to keep in touch with society while still walking the edge of danger when maintaining the outer walls.

"But then again, you'd be akin to a youth pastor without all the church health care benefits. Telling kids off when they try to draw on the wall, town people coming to you to find their missing pets, said kids or to solve some petty theft issue." He slowly begins to shatter your rose colored view on the Garrison.

And he goes on, listing how 90% of the people currently employed are completely unprepared and unqualified to face an actual titan wall breach, how it's all a bunch of drunks with wasted potential. You know just completely disregarding their complex lives as humans with struggles and judging them the same way a farmer would to livestock.

Yet still, he held some sense to his words, making a valid point through his long lecture of why the Garrison is a waste of resources 101.

"Alright I get it." You stop him before he could finish why the Survey corps should be getting the Garrison share of the government funding. "I'm not joining the Garrison."

With a satisfied smile, he says "Good." Like a fly to a spider, you fall right into his web. "If not the Garrison and not the Survey corps then…maybe the military police brigade?"

You already made it to the top ten so why not?

"Maybe" you reply, a part of you realises how little thought you've actually put into deciding what to join.

You've been so focused on your current position as a cadet and how to succeed in it that…you completely forgot it was temporary.

All the rankings, all the tests and all the friendships you've made would just be gone like it never existed the second you step outside this training facility with your belongings.

"They actually get good pay, you know, not to mention the noble reputation that comes with it." Maybe listening to Nile's ramblings on the many benefits he'd get once he graduates wasn't a huge waste of your time.

If he wasn't expecting you to actually show interest in joining the military police, he didn't show it at the start.

But instead of going into another lecture, he only said "Is that all you want?"

"Huh?" You didn't get to fully process what he said before he continued on.

"A good pay and a decent reputation is all you aspire to? You've put in so much effort so far and you're just going to throw it away to live comfortably as a glorified decor for the rich?"

Why was he taking this so personally?

"They protect the king, they're the closest thing to the noble knights the history books mention." You argue.

"Because a single person definitely needs hundreds of guards to protect him. Like I said," he looks you up and down, " a decor for the rich."

Turning towards Miche, your eyes dig into his back, "are you hearing this?"

Not bothering to turn around from his position, he replies, "you shouldn't be ashamed if that's what you want." He doesn't hide his yawn, "although maybe you should've considered marrying into aristocracy instead, definitely easier than being a soldier."

You were done with both of them, "you know what maybe i should've, Miche. Thanks for your thoughtful input." You couldn't have made your tone more sarcastic if you tried.

"You're welcome." And with that he stretches his arms, "it's getting late, unless you want to spend the weekend with the instructor cleaning equipment, you should get back to your own cabinet."

True to his words it is really dark outside, the moon illuminating the sky as the candlelights fade from the windows of each surrounding building.

A sense of relief fills you at the fact the day has finally ended, you've successfully fulfilled your end of the bargain and showed up here to listen to Eriwn's proposal like you promised.

No longer being obligated to stay, you don't waste a second to leave. "Well nice chat, how about we never do it again." You get up from where you've been sitting on Erwin's bed, feeling your legs waking up after sitting down in one position for so long.

Exiting the dreadful room quickly, you take a breath of fresh air, letting the cold night breeze surround you for a good minute.

And then you hear the wooden door open from behind you.

You regret not sprinting back to your room when you had the chance.

"Let me walk you back" Erwin says, "it still falls under the deal we made, you promised the whole night didn't you?"

You stare at him with an annoyed expression, "you're not planning on sharing my bed till sunrise as you repeat your argument, are you?"

"You have my word, I won't step a foot inside." He makes a crossing heart gesture.

Accepting your fate, you reason with yourself that It's just a 10 minutes walk, what's the worst that can happen.

Despite the lovely night and clear sky with each star rivalling the other, the walk is just tense and awkward with a suffocating slimy thick silence.

Maybe you should say something, it will help make this 10 minutes shorter.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting a comfortable life you know." Why on earth would you say that? You're just begging him to start the argument again at this point.

"Is that so?" He doesn't take the bait thankfully.

Still you feel a weird need to justify yourself to him, you've never cared about what he thinks about you but something about saying you're wasting all your efforts just hit a nerve.

"A lot of people would give everything to qualify to join" those words feel strange in your mouth, like they're not your own but you've heard people say them so many times it became a latching thought.

Not to mention a lot of people were actually giving their all in training, some even more hardworking than you. Yet for things they can't control, their best efforts couldn't surpass what came naturally to the people at the top rankings.

They had their skills and talents, but none that the world you live in would deem valuable.

Not hearing his steps beside you anymore, you turned back to look at him.

A shiver ran down your spine at the drastic change in his expression from just seconds ago, he looked absolutely pissed.

He started walking again, towards you this time.

Suppressing the fight or flight urges that have been trained in you, you try to deescalate the situation by taking slow steps back since you know he isn't the type of person to start a fight.

Not to mention is he really going to actually fight you over this?

As your back hits a wall, you tell yourself that you won't hesitate to break his arm if your gut feeling is actually right.

But he stops just before he gets close enough that you could justify shoving him away, almost like he knows exactly where your limits are and how far he could push the line before it snaps.

Still, it is close enough that he almost has you cornered, leaving a space you could escape from any second you want.

And yet you stay, he tests the waters and steps even closer. Gambling away his jaw remaining intact with each step you allow him to take.

"It's my own fault for thinking you were different from the rest." Betrayal and disappointment is crystal clear in his voice, eyes burning into you as if you've personally stabbed him in the back.

"I'm not going to apologise for ruining your imaginary image of me." You're not sure why he's making this a big deal, but you're not going to let him take out his personal issues on you.

Seeing your reflection in his eyes, the same twings of vulnerability shows itself just like that other day in the tavern.

He can tell that you can tell that he's desperate.

At any point you can just walk away, you don't have to listen to him just because he's in a sorry state right now.

Yet you remain still, not out of pity.

"What if…" he clears his throat, like he knows what he's going to say isn't going to be convincing, " what if we get married."

You blink.

He blinks back.

"Pardon?"

He looks away, "we're of legal age, i know a priest that will agree for a price and i can get us a respectable church with enough time and-"

Maybe he's actually lost it.

"Don't no, just…" you stop him as confusion fills you, what do you even say?

After giving him enough seconds so he would admit his poor attempt at humour and stop this joke, you're only met with anticipation filled eyes and nothing more.

"Why?"

He has the audacity to look confused at your question.

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

You almost choke, since when!?

"No?"

"Yes?" He replies, "You want a comfortable life, I could provide that eventually and exchange…"

His voice is right next to your ear, now more confident in the argument he's making. "I get you. I get your skills, your opinions and evaluations."

"You want me to unofficially work under you? By getting married as a front?" You're not sure that you're following his train of thought.

"More or less if you put it harshly that way." He gives you a bit of space, "the way i see it, is that you'll be getting your comfortable lifestyle whilst not wasting your skills and efforts, of course i will reward you for your consultation and only ask you to help with the on base operations once a week."

Only he can make a marriage proposal sound like a government job application.

For all the praise people and teachers throw his way for being exceptionally smart, you realise how big of a moron he is.

"You think you can bribe me into unofficially joining the survey corps by marriage."

"Yes, How is it any different from joining the military police? At least you'd help humanity more in this scenario and I assure you I'm not as pretentious as the people you'd be dealing with there, especially since I would be your husband after all."

"Do you even understand what marriage is? What makes you think I'd just agree to marrying the first person that offers a bit of luxury?"

He questions if you're messing with him, "you seemed disappointed that you didn't marry an aristocrat just a few minutes ago with Miche, I'm giving you another chance at your dream, so why aren't you taking it?"

"That…" you place a hand on his shoulder, "was sarcasm."

...

"Oh." He stares at you, embarrassment slowly creeping into his features as he avoids eye contact.

You would laugh if you didn't actually feel a bit sorry for him.

Clearing his throat, he says "so…you wouldn't marry for a comfortable life?" He seems keen on dying on this hill.

"No."

"Hm…" with a completely serious expression he continues, "i must have misunderstood. I thought my plan this time was foolproof."

The silliness of the situation is starting to down on you as the silence fills the air except for the chirping of a night cricket that could be heard nearby.

Maybe it's the leftover adrenaline from the fight or flight nearly activating or maybe you're just sleep deprived but you feel a smile creeping up your lips.

God this is just so silly to happen over a misunderstanding.

"What kind of person do you think I am?" You ask rhetorically, thinking of how this could've been avoided if he picked on your sarcasm.

Seeming relieved over the fact you're not angry, he doesn't care that he just embarrassed himself enough to last a lifetime, as he smiles back at you.

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

You snort, nudging his arm away as you get your personal space back.

"God you're just…something."

It's his turn to chuckle, "amazing choice of words, I've never been called something before."

The light verbal teasing continues as both of you head towards your original direction, it's been a really long day for everyone involved.

Till you finally arrive at your door, voices lowering into hushed tones to not wake up your sleeping roommates inside.

"Hey, I made sure to groom the horse every now and then… I think." No you didn't.

"Uh huh, you really thought the mud would magically disappear from him each morning?" He could see through your lies.

You shrugged, "maybe he's just a really smart horse? How could I have known you were taking care of him like some sneaky tooth fairy that cleans horses instead."

He covers his mouth to stop himself from laughing, steadying himself before removing it. " A horse cleaning fairy?"

"Shut up."

You walk up the small steps carefully so they wouldn't creak, listening closely to the door as you only hear soft snoring inside.

Bless your roommate's heavy sleeping.

"Hey uh…" Erwin whispers loud enough to get your attention. "I just wanted to say that…I'm sorry, for all of this."

This is the first time you've heard him apologise to you, at least sincerely.

"Well I don't forgive you." You reply, " but I appreciate the gesture."

He's smiled this night alone more than you've seen him do for all the years you've known him.

"Thank you." He looks sincere, "sleep well."

With that, he begins walking away.

You watch him from the door.

The light mood you've just had begins to sour, a melancholic feeling taking its place.

You've asked people around this morning before having this talk with him, only a handful is even considering joining the scouts.

The only people that actually had their join requests already written and sent waiting approval, were him and Miche.

Stepping inside, you tiptoe towards your bed, your sleeping roommate none the wiser.

As you lay under the covers that night, you begin to wonder what it is you actually want.

While the occasional indulgence in comfort is refreshing, you know deep down you're already too used to the military lifestyle to go back to the civilian one, it'd be like taking a bird's wings away just as it got used to flying.

Your eyelids become too heavy as you start dozing off.

The look of pure desperation in his eyes is the last image your brain conjures.

Taglist : @rapsgoddess

#Erwin🕯️#aot x reader #aot x y/n #fluff #snk x reader #erwin smith x reader #erwin x you #erwin x reader #romantic comedy #enemies to lovers #slow burn

62 notes · View notes

thecherrygod · 1 year

Text

PRECINCT 41'S PRINTER AND COPY MACHINE - You stand next to the precincts printer, putting paper sheets on it as if you were giving hay to a horse, slowly, stalling to actually operate the frightening machine

1- how do you operate the machine?

2- can't someone else do it for you?

3- interfacing (challenging godly) use the machine.

4- fuck this, I'm not dealing with this shit .

LOGIC - To use this machine, you need to know what you need it for first. While you are using it to photocopy some case files, you can also use it to print documents from a radio computer.

You've already done the basic copying steps, as you've put sheets of white paper in it, now you need to put the files you want to copy on the scanner, facedown, and then press the button "photocopy" it will stop copying once 15 seconds happen after you take your last page and the scanner stops sensing any new pages being put on it.

1- how do you operate the machine?

2- can't someone else do it for you?

3- interfacing (challenging godly) use the machine.

4- fuck this, I'm not dealing with this shit .

YOU - I'm a lieutenant, I have other things i should be doing, can't i really not ask someone else to do this?

ESPRIT DE CORPS - You are well aware C wing is understaffed, and that all the officers are equally as busy as you.

EMPATHY - Or taking their well deserved break. Just do this yourself

1- how do you operate the machine?

2- can't someone else do it for you?

3- interfacing (challenging godly) use the machine.

4- fuck this, I'm not dealing with this shit .

INTERFACING (CHALLENGING GODLY)- check failed.

PRECINCT 41'S PRINTER AND COPY MACHINE - You press the "photocopy" button on the machine and begin putting on your pages, one after the other with the skill of someone who's purely relying on muscle memory.

Once you're done, you look at your copies, but there's... Something wrong

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) (SUCCESS) - Look! Over there, in that page. Some of the letters and words didn't print right.

YOU - What?! I didn't do anything wrong!

INTERFACING - that's true. The issue is the machine.

YOU - Whats wrong with it?

INLAND EMPIRE - Too many things to begin listing, this machine is like you, but...

YOU - But?

INLAND EMPIRE - But if i had to say one specific thing, is that this machine hates you. It wants you to go to hell. Not just you, but all mankind.

YOU - Great, now i also have to deal with a fucked up evil machine

HALF LIGHT - all of them are. Using them is always a fight

DRAMA - you're always at their mercy, sire, you can't ever do anything that will purposefully let you win.

YOU - okay but what do I do now?

LOGIC - You could try to print the case file again, or you could try filling in the empty spaces yourself with a pen

VISUAL CALCULUS (FAILURE) - you have no idea which one would be faster, as you cannot predict how many trials it would take to get a proper print out of the files.

INLAND EMPIRE - I wouldn't recommend attempting it again, this machine wants to see you burn.

YOU - you leave the evil machine by itself, already wondering where you left your pen... And thinking about investing in some carbon paper, if only to ensure that your encounters with that thing will remain minimum.

#my posts #disco elysium #for organization #its almost 3am i just wrote this on my phone #based on my relationship with my printer tbh #i really just thought 'my printer wants to see me in hell"#and i went 'oh hdb would think that bc of inland empire'#idek if i should tag it properly bc im almoat not posting it #bc i can barely see and idk if i made any sense and bc my perception (sight) is failing me currently bc of the time lmao #also i just hope i did the skills right but first km tired second ive only played thus game once #ok I'll post it just like this is fine enough maybe. this is just so i could get the idea out of my mind and sleep sltstm

19 notes · View notes

i-just-like-goats · 2 years

Text

Diluc x Female Reader

Summary: basically just enemies to lovers, but they don't really end up together, it's up to you to decide, or I could write a part 2 lol

Warnings: some fighting, mentions of alcohol, some drunkenness

WC: 1.8k

Main Masterlist

"You're not very good at this are you?"

You stared at Diluc's blank face.

"I'm surprised you're addressing me directly,"

"How so?"

"Usually it's: 'the Knights of Favonius, always so inefficient',"

"True, but it's your incompetency I'm seeing right now in front of me,"

Heat rose to your cheeks in shame and anger.

"Can you at least help me up?"

He begrudgingly offered his hand for you to take. You stood next to him with your clothes wet as more hilichurls started running and swinging their bats in your direction.

You unsheathed your sword ready to fight, but Diluc held an arm in front of you. With a scoff from you, Diluc ran forward and swung his claymore, killing the small group.

"I could've helped,"

"You would've been in my way,"

"Whatever. I'm going back to the city. This Dark Knight Hero has got everyone buzzing and I'm curious as to why,"

Diluc gave no reply, so you set off away from the ruins.

"Y/N!"

"Hi Amber,"

"I caught a glimpse of the Dark Knight hero last night. They got rid of three abyss mages in ten seconds. It was amazing!"

"Did you see their face?"

"No,"

"I see, well I've got to patrol,"

"See you!"

As you walked around Mondstadt, whispers of the Dark Knight surrounded you. It was all everyone was talking about. At this point, all you could feel was awe for this unknown hero as you heard more and more about their heroic acts.

"Y/N, care to join me at Angel's Share?" Kaeya asked.

"Sure, my patrol just finished,"

"Excellent,"

You took a seat at the bar as Kayea took the seat on your right. Diluc stared you and Kaeya down, but neither of you paid him any mind.

"This Dark Knight's got the whole city buzzing,"

"It seems he has. I'm curious about why he chooses to hide his identity," Kaeya mused.

"Perhaps he knows he's so good looking that he doesn't want the ladies swarming him whenever he carries out his job,"

"Perhaps you're right,"

"Of course I am,"

A scoff made you smile tightly before you locked eyes with Diluc.

"Good evening Diluc,"

"It was, until you showed up,"

"Now how can you say that to a customer? You wound me,"

"I apologise your excellently," He replied dryly, "What'll it be?"

"Grape juice,"

"No wine for you?" Kaeya asked.

"I've grown to dislike the taste,"

"Well I haven't. I'll have dandelion wine Diluc,"

Diluc made no reply and prepared your drinks. He set them in front of you as you paid for yours and Kaeya's drinks with some protest on Kaeya's part.

You paused slightly outside of Angel's Share wishing to catch even a glimpse of the Dark Knight. But, no commotion.

Whisperings of the Dark Knight seemed to follow you wherever you went. Your curiosity only grew for who they really were, yet none of the whispers had seemed to speak of their identity.

"Diluc,"

"Y/N,"

"Shouldn't you be out patrolling?"

"Shouldn't you be overseeing your winery? And I'm on break right now,"

"My winery can run perfectly fine without me breathing down everyone's necks,"

"I see, well my break's over, see you,"

You were getting ready to get up, but something yanked you back down. With a huff you turned to whatever was tugging your clothes.

"New outfit,"

"Old outfit actually,"

"I haven't seen you wearing this,"

"I haven't worn it around you,"

You glared at him as you picked up one of the chains attached to your shirt.

"Chains. Really?"

He huffed in reply and started carefully undoing the tangle of chains. Neither of you bade farewell and simply went your separate directions.

You stifled a yawn while you stretched your unstimulated body. The only reason the Knights were so inefficient was because the Knights were so understaffed, yet somehow, there was never enough challenging work. Always the same boring work of helping around the city, patrolling around the city. Nothing exciting ever happened during your days.

Warbled voices could be heard near Angel's Share. You flattened yourself against a wall and peered your head around the corner ever so slightly. An abyss mage with a few hilichurls and slimes. What were they doing in the city?

You took a step out of the shadows to confront them as you readied your weapon, but retracted almost immediately when flames started to envelope some of the hilichurls.

Footsteps started running towards the abyss mage. The dark knight? You looked around the corner and could only watch in awe as every single monster was reduced to ashes.

Your expression soured slightly. That familiar red attire, that ponytail, those chains. It couldn't be.

The dark knight turned their head slightly to check for any other threats. Diluc! How could someone so admirable actually be someone so detestable?

Diluc? The winery owner? Diluc who hated the Knights of Favonius? It couldn't be.

Though, you did suppose that he did seem to care a lot about the city and its people and that he was formerly part of the Knights. It only made sense that Diluc was the Dark Knight and didn't want to reveal himself.

You walked into Angel's Share once he left. Kaeya greeted you as you took a seat next to him.

"Tired?"

"No, just a bit amazed,"

"By what?"

"Nothing important,"

"I see. Well I need you to do something for me tomorrow night,"

"And what will it be?"

"Keep an eye on Diluc for me will you? I know you hate him, but I trust you,"

"I'll see it done,"

"Excellent. Ah, speak of the devil and he shall appear,"

"Good evening Diluc,"

"Good evening Y/N," He replied after a moment's pause.

You said nothing and instead sipped on your grape juice. Diluc eyed you curiously but was soon occupied with running the bar.

"No banter with Diluc tonight?" Kaeya asked as you walked home with him.

"I don't have the energy is all,"

"I've seen an overworked you give better insults than a fully thinking you,"

“There’s nothing to it,”

“Alright,”

You took a seat at the bar and ordered dandelion wine, soon you began to sway. From beside you, you heard Paimon attempting to order drinks.

“Paimon! Traveller! It’s nice seeing you here!”

Paimon and the traveller turned their heads slowly towards you in shock. You narrowed your eyes.

“You don’t look happy to see me.” You pouted.

“No no no, it’s not that! We didn’t know that Huffman would be here,” Paimon rushed out.

Huffman? Did Kaeya not trust you?

“Ignore Huffman!”

You hugged Paimon tightly into your arms.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Diluc’s little secret is safe with me,”

“Y/N?”

“Diluc!”

“You reek of dandelion wine,”

“What? I can’t enjoy myself a little from time to time?”

“Slimes!”

A knight burst into the tavern. You looked into Diluc’s eyes but smiled goofily to keep up the act.

“Shouldn’t you go and deal with that?”

“On it!”

With a giggle, you stood up shakily and started swaying from side to side. Huffman rushed to your side and looked at you in concern.

“Diluc please look after her while I go deal with the slimes,”

“I can do it!”

“I’m afraid you aren’t fit enough to handle this,”

With that, Huffman left the tavern and your smile dropped. You looked at Diluc expectantly.

“Well, don’t you have some things to take care of?”

“You sobered up quickly,”

“Wasn’t drunk in the first place. Now go,”

Diluc nodded at you and left with the traveller. From your peripheral, you glimpsed some dark blue hair sitting in the shadows. You sighed.

The traveller and Diluc stepped into the Tavern, with Huffman coming in shortly after. You resumed your act of drunkenness. Once Huffman left, the cavalry captain stepped out of the shadows.

“I’m offended that you don’t trust me enough to handle this myself. Come on, Huffman and you?”

“Let’s just say that I wanted to witness this for myself as well as me sensing a change in your attitude,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Shouldn’t you be ratting me out right now? You know the Dark Knight’s identity now,”

“It’s not my style,” Kaeya replied coolly.

You watched Kaeya exit the tavern as Diluc converses with the traveller. The traveller and Paimon exit shortly after leaving you and Diluc with his employees. Diluc clears his throat and everyone leaves but you.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why the whole act?”

“I found out that you were the Dark Knight a week ago, when Kaeya told me to keep an eye on you, I had to formulate a plan that kept your identity a secret. So, I did as I was asked, but faked drunkenness so that you would think it was alright if you left me because I’d be too drunk to notice, I could then relay to Kaeya that you were at Angel’s Share the whole night,”

“Why were you so determined to keep my secret?”

“Let’s just say, as insufferable as you can be, I care about this city and I agree with some of your views,”

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

You looked up from the table with widened eyes. Pink dusted Diluc’s cheeks.

“Are you embarrassed?”

“No,”

With a laugh, you took a real sip from your dandelion wine. You grimaced.

“I still prefer grape juice over this,”

"That's one reason why I like you,"

"Hm? What was that?"

"Nothing,"

"Sounded like someone likes me. I am right in front of you, in an empty tavern after all,"

"So you can hear perfectly fine, I see no need to repeat myself,"

"I thought you disliked me,"

"I don't. I just don't like the Knights of Favonius, and I'm not particularly fond of Kaeya either, and you're closely related to both,"

"So you let whatever resentment for what and who I'm affiliated with affect your judgement of me? Wow Diluc, didn't know you were so petty,"

He shifted and focused on cleaning a glass cup. Diluc set the cup down and looked into your eyes earnestly.

"I actually quite like you. I like your personality, you're a hard worker and you stick to your values,"

"To be honest, I really wanted to be your friend when I heard about you from Kaeya, but you were cold so I deemed you unapproachable and I never tried to reach out. Seeing you as the Dark Knight made me remember what it was that I admired about you and it was your love for the city and your humbleness,"

"I didn't know you felt that way,"

"I didn't know you felt that way either, so what do you say? Shall we start anew as friends?"

Diluc nodded and shook your hand firmly.

"Hi Diluc, I'm Y/N, nice to meet you,"

A/N: Whoa I wrote something that wasn't a request? Haha sorry for disappearing, but I'm back and I'll start working on those requests.

#diluc x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact x you #genshin x reader #genshin x y/n #genshin impact x y/n #diluc x fem!reader #diluc ragnivindr x reader #diluc ragnivindr x you #diluc ragnvindr x you #diluc x y/n #diluc x you

48 notes · View notes

soup-mother · 4 months

Note

Hey, genuine question, what’s wrong with small businesses?

Exploitation of workers for profit! ppl confuse small business with like self employed artisans (like if one person was selling on etsy or selling knitting or whatever) but a small business has employees, and businesses make profit from not paying workers as much as they should. also you get a lot of issues that come with the company being small and understaffed like not having HR to report mistreatment to, union busting, harassment, pressure to do unpaid work "because we can't afford to hire anyone to do it right now", not being paid on time if at all and a lot of similar stuff.

basically all the issues any business can have but with the extra issue of it being tiny and way less regulated/prone to inspections and stuff and sometimes your boss can't afford to/doesn't pay you and if you're angry about that you hate small business, which ppl see as like the most ethical form of capitalism or even anticapitalist for some reason, just because they're not like a massive corporation.

also at least where i live, small business owners form government lobbying groups and get mad about proposed public holidays and stuff "because we couldn't afford the lost profits. I hope that makes sense! the exploitation of workers doesn't go away just because it's a smaller company, 'cus the exploitation is like one of the key elements of capitalism.

#asks #hope this is helpful #politics

4 notes · View notes

the-new-kiddo-on-the-block · 1 year

Text

A Detailed Report on Hawthorn Suites in Henderson, Nevada

(from a former Employee)

----------

Okay so as it's my last day at this miserable goddamn shithole of a job, so, in accordance with my leaving, I just want to make a cautionary remark to anyone in Vegas/Henderson who wants to work here:

DO NOT APPLY TO THESE ASSHOLES FOR SHIT. Don't even stayover.

Lemme explain-

Ok so, it seems nice, right? I mean, sure, it looks so nice, don't it? And the pay seems fair, and it sounds like pretty simple work.

It looks so spacious and clean and pristine-

Unfortunately, the truth lies within the poor reviews on Google, Expedia, Booking.com and Priceline.

These pictures? Hardly how the actual place looks, save the lobby and exterior photos.

The flooring is old. The walls are so thin that it's hard to get a good night's rest. Rooms have been put out of order, and they even have a condemned room on the third floor. Transients and all manner of folk come into the hotel, and as much I hate to say it, the managers on duty do not give as much of a shit as they say they do; they basically talk out of their asses.

Maintenance issues are a problem daily- from the elevator being down to the pool being cleaned, to tvs and baths and washing machines not working, to even leaks weeping from the floors above- and the place is severely understaffed. Everyone is working themselves stupid while the hiring manager stays home and barely comes in unless necessary; and is, suffice to say, an absolute weasel.

Think of Fawlty Towers with Basil, except nothing's fucking funny about anything happening there.

Now, some younger peeps and people who don't watch British television might not get that reference, but for those that do, you're the real ones.. and you know what I mean when I say this place is a heaping dung pile they try to shine up for hiring candidates.

They don't tell you upon hiring that they have several security cameras out, no door locks to the front or back entrances, several problems with their luggage carts, etc. They don't tell you that they run in with awful folk who will very likely threaten you, the company, and the job you have. They also won't tell you, probably until you're hired, that the elevator has major issues and, as I'm writing this, has been shut down already for over two months.

Did I mention that door locks often don't work and often need to be replaced in guests rooms, and god forbid it happen on swing shift? Cuz it's the front desk's responsibility, at night, to handle all guests needs.

Oh yeah, there's some fine print for ya. You have to work four different jobs at once.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Now, I could just be saying all this, I could just be blowing hot steam at a job I have worked half a year for--

HERE ARE SOME ACTUAL GODDAMN REVIEWS ON THE PLACE IN THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS:

Y e a h.

And this is from more recent and unhappy customers.

Past coworkers have even reached out to me after only working a few shifts to tell me their horror stories and why they ended up quitting. Or even intending to quit.

Employees are overworked and underpaid. $13 an hour to be exact, starting. If you have some experience, they might bump you up for a dollar more before deciding if they want you as a manager or not. Then again, they already have three working managers as of this year, so they don't need someone to be in charge-

They need sheeple to do what they say and ask without question, cuz they think they'll get productivity out of it.

And if you don't believe me? Talk with some of the long-standing guests over there, who have had to put up with bullshit from this hotel. They can tell you just how fucked the place is.

The managers only care about themselves. They don't care who they drag under, just to look like the better person, but they're greedy cheapskates. Overcharging their guests, who just want a nice place to stay away from the Strip. Getting stuff as cheaply as they can afford just to make guests times at the hotel a little easier.

And by cheap I mean they literally will order stuff from China and Costco, just to get it at cheap prices.

It gets worse. I don't know how, but it does.

The turnover for employees is incredibly bad. Like, employees have quit within days or weeks of starting. Some have lasted a few months, some only a day. I have only been there since August, and the place is just run foul and falling apart.

And if you're still considering working here? Good luck. This place will burn out so much hope and good out of you.

If you're considering staying here as a guest? Don't. You can do better. You really can. Seriously. Check out anywhere else on Boulder Highway or Henderson, and book ahead of time.

Oh yeah, the prices are off too. Rooms are anywhere between $99-150 on weekdays, and on weekends that shit doubles and possibly triples, depending on events and holidays. And if you have a pet? You would be better off leaving it or finding it a pet hotel, because they will charge you $27.09 for a pet every single day of your trip, as long as it's under 50 pounds. And there's a max of two pets per room. And emotional support animals aren't bypassed by the Hotel, so, they're getting charged. They have to be full-on service dog to stay for free. Period.

Oh, and the security deposit they mention online? $100. One fucking Benjamin. And locals have to pay that deposit in cash.

Yeah, you'd be better off elsewhere. Whether it's for a new job or staying over, just go somewhere else. Not worth it. The only good that came out of my working there was that I gained a shit-ton of confidence and know how a hotel fucking runs. And I have a deeper respect for all goddamn people who work at a hotel.

So, thank you Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, Henderson, Nevada-- for being such a shit job and teaching me resilience.

#hotels #henderson nevada #las vegas #Henderson #hotel review #job review #do not work here #do not stay here #the place is a joke #shut up kido #spread the word

5 notes · View notes

thessalian · 2 years

Conversation

Thess vs Economic Meltdown

UK Population: So the only real surprise about today's budget--

Tory Government: It is NOT A BUDGET. It is a financial *event*. Or a mini-budget. Nothing that requires scrutiny from ... you know ... nay-sayers.

UK Population: You mean independent experts.

Tory Government: Tomayto, tomahto. Anyway. NOT-BUDGET.

UK Population: Whatever you want to call it, the only real surprise was the abolition of the 45% rate of tax over £150k.

Tory Government: Oh, come on! It's only going to cost £2bn!

UK Population: Well, even though you weren't obliged to seek independent scrutiny or post actual numbers, independent experts did look at the numbers you *did* see fit to show us. And they reckon you got that number way wrong. Reducing the rate of tax above £150k to 40% actually costs £6.6bn.

Tory Government: Nooooooo no no no no. See, if we reduce the rate of tax for the rich, they won't avoid as much of it, so in the end they'll really pay *more*! So we calculated our numbers based on what we believe the wealthy will do!

UK Population: As opposed to what they've actually *done*?

Tory Government: ...I'm prepared to be unpopular.

UK Population: Well, I should hope so, because you're definitely going to be. Nothing in this entire bud--

Tory Government: Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!

UK Population: *siiiiiiiiiiiigh* Nothing in this so-called 'fiscal event' is even remotely helping the people who need it most, and it disproportionately rewards the already wealthy.

Tory Government: Well, they deserve it more!

UK Population: Wut.

Tory Government: And we're trying to get people to invest in the UK!

UK Population: Byyyyyyyy ... tanking the pound? GBP is almost at parity with USD now; you know how bad that is, right?

Tory Government: It'll encourage more people to BUY BRITISH!

UK Population: What, you mean British as in 'tiny island whose exports are more or less nil, and who now lack the people to pick crops, butcher livestock, pluck chickens, and drive delivery lorries because of Brexit'? With a side order of 'a lot of our previous trading partners won't deal with us at all anymore because of Brexit'?

Tory Government: Ah! We have a solution for that! AND it'll help the poor get more money!

UK Population: Really. Okay, fine. How?

Tory Government: We're putting sanctions on Universal Credit so that people who only work part-time will have to seek full-time employment or they'll get their benefits cut!

UK Population: So ... *everyone* who only works part-time. Including the disabled, the elderly, and people who are caring for the disabled and elderly, and literally can't work full-time without suffering?

Tory Government: Yep! Lazy workshy scroungers, all the low-wage plebs. We're going to fix that!

UK Population: Oh for fuck's sake...

Tory Government: Oh! Also! We came up with a solution to NHS understaffing!

UK Population: I am afraid to ask.

Tory Government: We'll just do what we did during the Covid pandemic!

UK Population: The one that's still technically going on?

Tory Government: We're pretending it *isn't*, because if we ignore it, it'll go away eventually!

UK Population: Oh for-- wait. Doesn't "what you did during the worst of the Covid crisis" basically mean "ask for volunteers from other departments and retired people, preferably without pay"?

Tory Government: Yep!

UK Population: *EPIC FACEPALM*

Tory Government: Oh, and we expect Scotland to do all this too, and stop trying for any kind of pay equality!

Scottish Government: FUCK. OFF.

Tory Government: They just don't get it. This is what going for growth looks like!

UK Population: No, this is what slash-and-burn economics looks like. This is what disaster capitalism looks like. This is what "We're going to lose the next election anyway so let's take what little we still can and run for the hills, and leave the mess for Labour to pick up because they won't manage it and we'll look like the better option when they fail" looks like.

Tory Government: ...You love us really.

UK Population: The polls are saying different, sunshine. And what happened to "We're prepared to be unpopular"?

Tory Government: Okay, the people who *matter* love us, really. Now shut up or we really will bring back the workhouses.

#Thess on economics #Thess on politics #dialogue post

5 notes · View notes