#and it was during covid time where everything was drive through only
Photo
paps is the type of person who would use loopholes to get discounts
Bonus - Blue’s tired of him:
#cashier - you two are the only skeletons underground and we've known you for decades#paps - actually theres three--#and then blue suplexes him into the recycling bin#because recycling is good for the environment!#undertale#underswap#sans#papyrus#nice cream guy#shitpost#arci doodles#comic#this is actually based on what my dad did to me#we went to get some tacos and we got two coupons for buy one get one free#and it was during covid time where everything was drive through only#driving in we noticed a sign saying one coupon per family#a lady taking order walks up to his car window and we give her our orders#then my dad points to me and says#we're not immediate family#she's my auntie#AND THE LADY STARES AT ME WHILE I PUT MY HEAD IN MY HANDS#AND THEN MY DAD TAKES OUT BOTH COUPONS AND HES LIKE#yeah so can we use separate coupons#WE STILL TALK ABOUT THIS MOMENT TIL THIS VERY DAY#dad i love you but oh my god it pains me
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mic'd up
katie mccabe x reader
+ summary: reader, still on the acl squad, has been approached by the arsenal media staff asking if she'd go mic'd up in the stands for one of arsenal's games.
+ warnings: ACL injury mentions right off the bat. swearing. made up game (arsenal v tottenham). reader really embracing the WAG life.
a/n: i came across a video of katie during one of the covid matches, and due to the empty stadium you could hear everything she said— and that's where i got this idea :) my first post, hope you enjoy!
like any other football player, you hated the dreaded three letters that would take whoever was the unlucky soul out of the game for a long while.
of course it had always been a fear in the back of your mind, you just never thought it would actually happen to you.
that day you went down on the pitch had been one of the worst. not just for you, but for katie as well as the rest of your arsenal team.
everything had been fine. arsenal was up by two, and half time had just ended. it was around the 52nd minute, when a purposely bad tackle from a chelsea player left you on the ground, clutching your knee as you attempted to keep the tears at bay. (only to fail).
some time later you were holed up in one of the physio rooms of the stadium, when katie came in, the look on your face confirming her worst fear.
honestly, it was getting quite scary how many arsenal players were getting ACL injuries.
she had been by your side for all of it, constantly making sure you were comfortable and had everything you needed, as well as driving you to and from appointments.
the downside meant you weren't able to travel with the team for away games, forcing yourself to be holed up in your flat you shared with katie— often inviting the rest of the ACL squad over to watch the game together, knowing you'd be insufferable on your own.
luckily for you, today was a home game. you woke up before katie that morning, hobbling down the stairs on your good leg, (and nearly eating shit in the process), you'd prepared her a proper breakfast, consisting of pancakes, bacon, & eggs.
the brunette soon appeared in the kitchen behind your unsuspecting frame, an adoring smile crossing her face at the sight of you lightly nodding your head to whatever song came from the speaker on the marble counter.
nearly jumping out of your skin at the feeling of two strong arms wrapping around your waist, your body relaxed as you registered the familiar feeling of katie, her arms clad in her arsenal training jacket.
you leaned into her touch as you finished up with the bacon, her thick irish accent rang through your ears as her nose brushed against your neck gently. "you should not be on your feet,"
rolling your eyes fondly, you forced yourself to suppress a smile. ever since your injury, katie had been treating you as if you were a porcelain doll— going to break at the slightest touch.
while sometimes it became a little overbearing, it warmed your heart for her to be this protecting with you, and you wouldn't trade it for the world.
"i was cleared to walk without my crutches, katie," your giggled, relishing in the ticklish feeling of her light breathing against the back of your neck.
"still. ya should have waited for me." she murmured. "i could have carried you down here."
you rolled your eyes once again.
for the first few weeks/months of your injury, she had insisted on carrying you everywhere. from the bed to downstairs, from the front door to the car. no matter where it was— she wanted to carry you. wether it was bridal style, your legs wrapped around her waist, or giving you a piggy back, she didn't care.
after breakfast was finished, you rushed back up to change. you settled on one of katie's hoodie's, along with her jersey which you threw on top, and a pair of her sweatpants. nearly everything you wore was hers.
when you'd returned downstairs, she grinned widely at the sight of you dressed in her attire, and couldn't restrain herself from letting her hands roam your body as you shoved your feet into some sneakers.
"oi hands off, mccabe."
the ireland captain chuckled, tapping your rear end before you stood back up, sending you a cheeky wink when you glared at her.
arriving at the emirates with your personal chauffeur, the two of you made your way through the grounds, greeting any staff members you'd passed by and waving to the media staff as you each made your way toward your separate destinations.
you had a brief session with a physio to assure everything was still fine and dandy with your knee, whereas katie was heading off toward the locker room with the others.
as you left your meeting 15-ish minutes later, you had been wandering the halls when you were stopped by one of the media staff, claiming they had a task for you.
since you were going to be in the stands again, they had asked if you would go mic'd up, thinking it'd be a fun video idea for arsenal's youtube channel.
you agreed quickly, thrilled at the idea. they had informed you that there would be a camera a little ways away from you, to capture your reactions in both your voice as well as your actions.
one of the members clipped a small square microphone device to the collar of your (katie's) jersey, as another member held a camera and recorded your actions.
Youtube
Y/N L/N MIC'D UP • ARSENAL V TOTTENHAM
Arsenal 578K views 6:38
0:00
[Camera fades in from black to show you, stood in one of the many corridors of the Emirates Stadium.]
grinning, you gripped your shirt and pulled it closer, "we've got mccabe! katie mccabe! can you hear me?" you asked, looking into the camera that was recording you.
[Laughter is heard around you before the scene cuts and fades into a brief black screen. When it returns, the camera is unfocused, going in an out before focusing on you, looking at the camera as you don't realize it's recording.]
"is it going?" you asked with a dopey smile, the cameraman behind you nodding. "right. hi, i'm y/n l/n and today i'll be mic'd up as i watch tonight's game." you giggle, pointing at the microphone clipped to your shirt before you make your way toward your seat.
[Camera follows you down the hall before cutting to you sat with Beth, Viv, and Leah, the former two sat in the row below you. You pull a small, barely noticeable box out of your pocket. The camera zooms in on your hand, revealing the box is actually a miniature uno deck.]
"i know how we can pass the time," you grin micheviously.
0:45
[Camera cuts to the four of you playing uno, Beth and Viv swiveled in their seats to face you and Leah above them. It catches Leah attempting to peek at your cards before you shove her head away, the scene then switching to a new clip of the four women arguing.]
"absolutely not, beth cheated!" leah yells, hands dropping dramatically onto her thighs with a loud smack.
"you fucking wish! you just suck williamson!"
[Viv is seen trying to keep the peace as you laugh loudly, the four of you gaining looks from surrounding match watchers— only for them to look away at the sight of four of arsenal's own. Your laughter becomes louder as Leah slams her tiny cards aggressively onto your thigh, folding her arms and leaning back in her chair with a pout.]
"oh, cheer up captain," you pout mockingly, reaching to pinch her cheeks between your fingers.
1:02
[Camera cuts to the teams walkout, briefly showing Katie McCabe before turning back to you, a large grin on your face, never failing to leave.]
"that's my girl!" you shout, hands cupped around your mouth to make yourself louder. "let's go number fifteen!"
1:39
[Cuts to you leaned back in your seat with your arms folded. An amused look is on your face as you shake your head. Camera pans to the big screen as Katie's name is shown, a yellow card next to it.]
"it's been like thirty minutes and she already has a card," you giggle to yourself before sighing fondly, a gentle smile on your face. "that's my girl."
2:06
[Different camera shows Katie sliding her foot in front of a Tottenham player, successfully and cleanly retrieving the ball from her feet before panning to you with your elbows propped up on your knees, head resting in your hands.]
"oh my god, she's so hot." you sighed absentmindedly, momentarily forgetting about those surrounding you and the microphone attached to your collar.
[Beside you, Leah bursts out laughing, the sound picking up through your mic as the blonde discretely turning to the cameraman who has now directed it toward her, pointing at you before fake wretching.]
3:21
[Camera shows you jumping up out of your seat, annoyance clear on your face as your hands are perched on your hips.]
"oh, come the fuck on! that's so clearly a foul!"
4:38
[During halftime, the camera follows as the four of you briefly leave your seats to join the girls in the locker room. The cameraman does not enter, only filming the door, however you can be heard from inside.]
"north london is what?!"
"north london is red!" an irish voice answers you.
"hell yeah it is!" you reply, then followed by the sound of palms smacking against each other.
another voice cuts in, "alright, simmer down you two!"
"oi! put her down, she's fragile!"
4:50
[Camera cuts to you stood with your hands on Katie's shoulders, giving her your usual half time pep talk, brushing stray fly-aways out of her face as she smiles at you. The sound is cut off, so the viewers can only see the motion of both players' lips moving as you speak to each other, the final thing being Katie moving toward you, scenes changing just before any PDA is shown.]
5:47
[Camera pans from Katie running around the pitch celebrating, arms in the air and then back to you, the four Arsenal players chanting together, you being the loudest and most enthusiastic of the four.]
"we've got mccabe! katie mccabe! i just don't think you understand! she plays out on the wing! she hits it with a zing! we've got katie mccabe!"
6:25
[Video closes out with you and Katie stood outside of the stadium, her arm wrapped around your shoulder as you do the outro.]
"that was me mic'd up, i hope i was entertaining enough for you all. thanks for watching." you grin shyly, waving with both hands. "leave a comment if you think katie should get mic'd up next."
[Katie laughs before kissing your cheek affectionately, the brunette waving bye with her free hand before the video fades to black.]
Instagram Posts
ynln
Liked by victoriapelova and 51,094 others
ynln Watch me go Mic'd Up as I watch Arsenal Women's recent match against Tottenham!
Video is out now on the Arsenal Youtube Channel and the Arsenal Instagram Account!
— view all comments
katie_mccabe11 It's a good one 😉
⤿ bethmead_ We know why you think that 🙄
username petition to get yn mic'd up again, sign here
⤿ username signed
⤿ username signed
⤿ ynln signed
leahwilliamson Alternate title, YN thirsting over Katie for 6 minutes straight 🤢
⤿ katie_mccabe11 Jealous are we, Williamson?
Twitter/X
ynsmccabe that new video arsenal posted of y/n l/n is now my favorite thing
⤿ the clip of her and katie in the hall OMG
⤿ mccardlover no because they literally the only couple ever
⤿ meadema99 leah getting upset over beth cheating in uno after she literally tried to look at y/n's cards 😭😭
username pls the amount of bleeps they had to add to this video because of yn 😭
⤿ username never heard someone curse so many times in 6 minutes
katiespelova oh i need more mic'd up videos with the rest of the team now
username if my relationship isn't like katie's and yn's i don't want it
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youtube
Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc
The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!
#ACLA24#ACLA24HighSchoolStudents#youtube#youtube video#climate leaders#climate solutions#climate action#climate and environment#climate#climate change#climate and health#climate blog#climate justice#climate news#weather and climate#environmental news#environment#environmental awareness#environment and health#environmental#environmental issues#environmental education#environmental justice#environmental protection#environmental health#high school students#high school#youth#youth of america#school
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pluto in aquarius: a prediction of what's to come
this is a huge astrological event, pluto is moving into aquarius for the first time since the late 1700s. last time pluto was in aquarius america fought for independence from britain, uranus was discovered, the french revolution began, the bill of rights was ratified, etc.
so for day one, i want to create predictions of what is to come!
some house matters!!!
TWO PLUTO RETROGRADES WILL OCCUR - june 11th - jan 20th, 2024 is the first so we won't see too much wildness just yet as pluto will return into capricorn during this time and THE FINAL RETROGRADE BACK INTO CAPRICORN will be september 1st, 2024 - november 19th, 2024. then we are full steam ahead with pluto in aquarius until march 9th, 2043.
i personally am NOT a witch or anything wild, everything i am saying is purely theoretical - it is not fated to happen just because i am saying it. i am simply socially aware. i know what's up generally in the world today and what was up in world in the 1700s - "history typically repeats itself."
i live in the usa so my post likely will be slightly more focused there examples wise so i apologize in advance! feel free to comment, dm, or reblog with other examples from your country based on my prediction key phrases.
i am going to start light and get darker so mentally prepare yourself for that (tw: STI/STD outbreaks, war, 9/11, COVID-19, and other abrasive topics that may make people uncomfortable depending on where they are currently reading from) - but we are talking about pluto so... expect the unexpected?!
let's do this.
renewable energy sources
aquarius is electricity, light, inventions, electronics, telephones, televisions, etc while pluto can be change! i recently bought a new tv and the back of the remote has a solar panel instead of a battery pack. i do believe we will see more evolution with technology; perhaps we will see solar changed phones! otherwise pluto is also pollution and natural disasters - the climate is in crisis mode perhaps we will see more responsibility and thus changes in our sourcing of energy! example: recently i read that japan has a great source of geothermal energy. currently the conversion to using this source (instead of coal, gas, and nuclear energy) is being held up by a higher up in the hot spring business who claims switching to a new energy system "threatens centuries-old traditions" (bang - a capricorn term - tradition - so perhaps after the retrogrades are through we will see a major shift in energy sourcing).
general technological advancements/inventions
last time pluto was in aquarius the cotton gin was invented; which aided in quicker production of goods and higher demand for american cotton. i strongly believe this is a general indicator that AI is going to become an even bigger part of day to day life. i have seen AI already replace those who take orders in the panera drive thru, there is a higher demand for philosophy/english grads to help teach AI, etc. aquarius is also new teachers/occupations so AI could become the new teachers OR new careers could be coming in the area of interacting with AI generally so it gains more consciousness. so it could be AI or it could be something else that is only just a dream in the back of someone's mind at this moment in time.
altruistic extremists
we may see utopian dreamers rise up! they are likely to advocate for the deconstruction of pre-existing political institutions in favor of either self governance or egalitarian policies. they will likely do whatever it takes to make this statement; we may see more protests / political statements similar to wynn bruce's.
fanatical/extremist announcers radio/tv
we already have biased stations and channels (fox, abc, cnn, nbc, etc). we are likely to see a further rise in politically biased newscasters and announcers.
demonization of astrology
astrology is aquarian in nature but pluto is fanatics, evil, demonics, etc. the community has been saying about the next world war for a while now. we are moving out of conservative pluto in capricorn, so we may find that those of deep belief systems accusing us [astrologers] of conspiring with the devil if/when something militant arises (similar to how the tarot community gets told constantly by christians that they must be satanists).
something with birds
i don't have this nailed down yet specifically, but both aquarius and pluto are rulers of birds. aquarius is large birds while pluto is wading/swamp birds and/or flesh eating birds. no one freak out and start thinking that i am indicating something like the 1963 horror film the birds. if anything i can see more bird-spread illness and/or parasites. OR pluto can be archaeology! there may be a bird related discovery or something to do with the distant relative of the bird - aka the raptor (dinosaur related).
a new STI/STD discovery/outbreak
aquarius represents the distribution of bodily fluids while pluto is often representative of sexual activity. this could either be an outbreak because pluto can be death, extremes, catastrophes, and/or casualties OR pluto can be ph balance in the body (possible new discoveries for feminine sexual health), kidneys (perhaps a discovery will be linked to the diminished functionality associated with syphilis, hiv, etc and how to combat more symptomatic issues), and even purification (aka a cure perhaps to help viral carriers to no longer pass the sti/std to sexual partners).
collapse of congress / house of commons/representatives
i mean it only stands to reason that the bill of rights was created/approved last time pluto was in aquarius that either those rights will disappear (pluto also represents dictators) OR simply the people rise up and demolish the institution as it stands: "...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government..."
airplane catastrophes
aquarius rules over planes and pluto can represent accomplices, catastrophes, casualties, b0mbs, and t3rr0r!sm. we may experience another event similar to 9/11 OR we may see air strikes in a potential world war 3 scenario.
societal change: crime, war, leadership, and more
world war 3 is on the horizon so say pluto in aquarius (probably in the wake of election year in the US - when the final retrograde into capricorn concludes). but this could also just be governmental restructuring - this could be seen as rebellions (similar to the French Revolution), the rise of organized crime if good become more scarce, religious shifts (pluto is the antichrist, aquarius is freewill (first amendment), and capricorn is the old church (christian schools of thought)), etc.
aquarian terms i can't think of change in but seem important to note / keep in mind: freethinkers, hamburg germany, heart weakness (biden - perhaps the early death of a president in office?), motion picture (already changing as more theaters close), photography, psychology (we are already starting to care more about everyone's mental health), science (general scientific discoveries?), social affairs (there is always something going on - the question is how big will this be?), society, sweden, syria, and xray.
plutonian terms i can't think of change in but seem important to note / keep in mind: abductions (aliens - ufo sights?), aliases, alibis (governmental riffing similar to how no plan was in place when for COVID-19), assass!nat!0n (hopefully not), betrayal, bootlegging (bootleg tiktok if america bans it?), cemeteries (removal of that method if too many are dying at any giving time - mass graves?), convicts (prison release due to overcrowding? the mega-prison of el salvador?), corruption (governmental likely?), demolitions, earthquakes (more environmental issues?), electrocution, executions (war?), fanatic, extremes, floods (environmental? emigration - society is aquarius after all?), liars, massacres (the rise of crime?), murder, nihilism (the rise of philosophy at the time of war?), ransom (war?), satire (rise of political satire?), stolen goods, and taxes (trump-esque no?).
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#astrology#astro community#astro chart#astro placements#natal chart#pluto#pluto in capricorn#pluto in aquarius#astrology transits#retrograde#pluto retrograde
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trailer reunion (pedro pascal x gn/m!reader)
a/n: same vague universe as “marked," as always. this one skews a little more m! and a little less gn!, apologies if that puts anyone off.
thanks, as always, for everything.
summary: 5 weeks is a long, long time.
——————————————————————————
Your leg won’t stop bouncing. It’s not your fault, really— it’s the Edmonton Airport’s, for having such a conveniently located Tim Hortons, right outside the baggage claim. After the 7-hour red eye from JFK, with the connection through Toronto, the coffee was necessary.
The caffeine isn’t entirely to blame, though. If the taxi wouldn’t stop going so fucking slow, maybe you’d settle down. But the traffic is unyielding, so the 20 minute drive to your heartfelt reunion is looking more like 45. Apparently, shutting part of the city down to film a TV show really screws up peoples’ commutes. You’d waited long enough (a month and six days, but who’s counting?), surely an extra half-hour won’t kill you. But in the taxi, the minutes seem to stretch into years.
The filming schedule for The Last of Us has been brutal. From what Pedro has told you, there was apparently a strain to film both the first and second episode back-to-back; something about using the same locations and exterior shots. For him, it has meant a marathon of shooting… the only downside to being the star of the show.
SNL’s new season was in full swing anyways, so you’d had plenty to keep you busy. Spent enough late nights at 30 Rock, after many a panicked call to the dog walker, that you barely had to inhabit his otherwise vacant condo. You talked every night, usually Facetiming before bed, but the distance was wearing on you both.
Now, the only thing in between you and your man is this fucking traffic jam.
Though this wasn’t a surprise visit— you’d booked the flight as soon as you’d realized the SNL hiatus week lined up with The Last of Us breaking to change locations for the next episode— you did have one trick up your sleeve. Or, more accurately, under your mask.
You’d been attempting to grow facial hair well before meeting Pedro, but it had been a sparse and largely unsuccessful endeavor until very recently. Your jawline had filled in between your sideburn and chin, albeit slightly patchy. You’d been hiding it over Facetime, opting for regular calls a bit more and hoping he wouldn’t notice. Not the craziest surprise, but still, your heart thrums at the prospect of finally sharing it with him.
Of course, once you arrive to set, the obstacles multiply.
Some college kid in a neon yellow vest stops you before you’ve even managed to remove your duffle from the trunk of the cab.
“Covid testing is this way, please follow me,” he insists tersely. Self-consciously, you adjust the KN95 strap around your ear.
The kid leads you to a tent, where two people in full white hazmat suits, complete with gloves and face shields, ask your name and instruct you to pull down your mask. (There’s a joke in there somewhere, about infection at a show about infected, but you get the sense it might be inappropriate to fool around here.)
Once swabbed and registered, you move to leave, scanning the exit for anyone who might be able to help you navigate onto set. But you are immediately blocked by a hazmat woman.
“You need to wait for the rapid to clear,” she insists, pointing to a row of folding chairs. “Fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes, after 5 weeks. Just fifteen minutes. You resign yourself to a seat by the door.
It’s 4pm. You were supposed to have arrived during a stop down between shots— timed so that Pedro would be in his trailer, and accessible, when you arrived. It feels like that window is physically, tangibly closing as you watch the second-hand tick slowly.
Initially, you’d been hesitant to join him on set at all, but he’d insisted you come meet his “second family.” You’d met several of his colleagues via Facetime, when he’d called you from his trailer. Bella, in particular, you’ve taken a liking to— they pepper you with whispered questions about transitioning and gripes about the gender binary when Pedro has been forced to hand over the phone.
You check your phone. Nothing from Pedro, although his little blue dot looks stationary when you pull up FindMyFriends. The clock ticks. There is a burning sting each time you blink— that third cup of coffee is wearing off, and the 5am wake-up this morning is starting to catch up to you. Really, all you want to do is go back to your partner’s hotel room, said partner in tow, curl up on the king-sized and fall asleep watching some West Wing rerun. (Maybe also shower together, and then some. You can keep yourself awake for that.)
Finally, finally, finally, the hazmat woman returns. “You’re clear,” she announces, handing you a green sticker to adhere on your jacket. You make it through the tent flap, heart in your throat with anticipation—
But you have no fucking idea where to go.
A sea of white tents lays before you, stations with people doing things of varying levels of importance. A neon slip of paper points you towards set, but that’s not where you’re headed. Finally, past a corralled group of extras in some really disgusting mushroom prosthetics, and a tent full of picked-over lunch offerings, you spot some trailers in the distance.
And apparently, a stranger with a duffle bag walking quickly towards actors’ trailers, yields a quick security intervention.
In their defense, you definitely look like a crazy person.
“Do you have a clearance list, or anything?” You beg, discretely craning your neck to see over the guard’s neck. The trailers are right there. There are only a few, it shouldn’t take any time at all to find Pedro. He’s within arm’s reach and yet he couldn’t possibly feel further away as the guard talks code into a very official-looking walkie talkie.
“Roger.” He looks down at you. “Listen, you gotta go man. It’s a clearance-only set, and they’ve got strict covid rules, so—”
The green sticker may or may not get shoved in the man’s face. There may or may not be angry tears threatening to ruin your cool. “I got covid tested! I’m clean, they let me through. They had me on their list. I’m—”
From behind you, a familiar voice cuts you off. “With me, Robbie.”
You whip around.
Jaw? On the floor.
Pedro looks… really fucking old. His hair has been sprayed gray, wily and wind-swept; the beard, too, is much grayer than normal. It’s all part of a dirty-looking, artificially stained, mostly denim-based costume. You file away for later, how attracted you are to seeing him like this. Jesus Christ.
He looks old, but he is here, and he is grinning at you, and he’s here.
“Aw, shit.” The guard talks into the radio again. “86. Sorry about that.”
Easy to ignore him, though, as you’re preoccupied with staring at your man.
Before you can move to pounce on him, close the final four feet of distance between you, a well-manicure hand splays menacingly out at you.
“Don’t even think about it,” Coco warns. “We have fifteen minutes for touch-ups and I do not have time to fix everything.”
Pedro’s nose twitches, frowning at you. You reach down to hold his hand, but it is… apparently also covered in make-up, looking red, nasty and broken.
Sorry, he mouths dejectedly.
The inside of his trailer is familiar, though it looks a little smaller in-person than it appears on Facetime. A mirror and counter, a decently sized couch, a bathroom, a desk in the corner. Pedro settles in the make-up chair, smiling backwards at you in the mirror.
“Drop your stuff,” he insists.
Little touches of your life together pepper the room in a way that grips your heart a little. A framed picture on the desk, which you recognize from last summer; a particularly nice day in Prospect Park with the dogs, captured in a Polaroid snapped candid by a total stranger. You’d declined it, at first, assuming it was a weird fan thing. But they had insisted, leaving the picture behind and walking away. It was too lovely to leave.
The sweatshirt draped over the arm of the sofa is yours— an old NYU hoodie Pedro usually travels with. He claims it’s a ‘security blanket,’ and honestly, he might only be half-joking. A note you’d recently sent in a package (he’d accidentally left his whole box of contacts at home), taped up on the mirror, alongside a photo strip with Sarah from some gala a couple years back.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Pedro says quietly, watching you look around. “Take your mask off, baby, I’m assuming you cleared testing if you made it through the front.”
In your excitement to reunite, you almost forgot the little surprise. His jaw drops, into an awed smile. With the un-fake-injured hand, he reaches up to palm your cheek. Runs a hand up and down your jaw, scratching lightly along the new hair.
You turn enough to plant a kiss on the pulse point of Pedro’s wrist. Capture his hand with yours, against your face, to feel him for the first time in over a month.
“Oh! The oil is working,” Coco has paused, midway through spraying something silvery and chemical-smelling to Pedro’s temples. She had suggested it surreptitiously a few months back, off-handedly, and you’d been religiously using it since. The woman knows her shit.
Pedro continues to thumb at the new scruff, transfixed. His jaw muscle twitches.
“I’ve uh—” He stalls out. “Uh. Sorry. Dinner. Craig—”
You step backwards, pulling your hand down to hold in his lap, instead. He huffs.
“Craig wants to go to dinner tonight, since we’re wrapping in Edmonton. I guess there’s this restaurant he is insisting we have to try, it’s a whole thing. Big group. I didn’t give him an answer, in case you’re tired and wanna just head back to the hotel? But we can go, either way it’s fine, I figured…”
“Pedge,” you interrupt. “It’s all good. I’d be happy to go, it sounds fun.”
He exhales. “Thank god, because it’s like a spouse-thing, Neil and Craig’s wives are here.”
Your eyebrow quirks. “Spouse?”
Just to get a blush out of the man. You’d discussed it, of course, but had yet to make moves. Being marked soothed any sense of urgency— you were committed by flesh and blood, and that was ultimately more binding than a ring or ceremony. But, still.
“Joking, love." Despite the coffee, a yawn sneaks up on you. "I might crash on the couch for a bit, when you go back."
He glances at his phone. "We only have one more shot to get alts on. Neil swears we have a hard-out in an hour. Close your eyes, and I'll be right back."
— — —
You didn't mean to actually fall asleep. Just lay there on your phone and zone out for a bit. But suddenly, you're waking up, to the feeling of a mouth on your own.
A familiar mouth. Warm, scruffy around the edges, a little pepperminty.
"We're done," Pedro whispers. "Coco says I can fuck up my makeup now."
When you open your eyes, he is hovering above you, grinning like a wolf. He's still in costume, though the denim overshirt is already half-unbuttoned.
"Are you done being gross?"
Sitting up, you find Bella in the doorway. They waste no time flinging themselves at the couch.
"In the flesh!" You both laugh.
"Shorter in person, huh?" Pedro is rewarded by a hearty shove from his costar, as he scrubs a makeup wipe across his face.
Wiping sleep from your eyes, you can tell it's gotten dark outside in the time that you've been asleep. "Craig still insisting on dinner?"
"Mm. It's like fancy Mediterranean, I think."
"Fetaaaaa," Bella pumps the air. "Nice."
The evening stretches out before you— a few more obstacles between you and the hotel bed. But Pedro is here, in the flesh, and he's smiling at you in a way that forms the little crinkles beside his eyes, and you think maybe you can sit through a few hours of fancy dinner and small talk.
You've waited this long, anyways.
#pedro pascal#pedro pascal imagine#pedro pascal one shot#pedro pascal rpf#pedro pascal x male reader#pedro pascal x reader#pedro pascal x you#pedro pascal fanfiction#pedro pascal fluff#the last of us#joel miller x reader#din djarin x reader#din djarin#joel miller#joel miller fluff#bella ramsey#bella ramsey and pedro pascal
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Let Me In
Female reader x Brock Faber
Warning: against, fluff, toxic parent, unwanted, trust issues, bully parents, mention of covid
word count: 2.7k
Reader doesn't have a good relationship with her parents, If this triggers you in someway i suggest not reading!
let me know what you guys think🤍
She's broken, she grew up with parent's who didn't care about her. She couldn't talk to them when something was wrong, they just told her to go away. They would make fun of her if she ever talked to a guy or did certain things, if she did something embarrassing, they wouldn't help her they would laugh or ground her if other people told them she did something that would embarrass them. They could care less about her all they cared about was themselves. They always told her they didn't want her, the only person in her life who really cared about her is her grandpa. When she was 5 years old, he put her in hockey, she fell in love with the game. Hockey became her safe space, when she couldn't stand being with her parents she would go to the rink and play hockey.
When I was 18 years old, still in high school I got recruited to commit to Minnesota university to play hockey. I was born in Larchmont New York, so when I got the opportunity to commit at a university that was around a 10-hour drive away, I took it, it meant I was going to be far away from my parents and that was exactly what I wanted.
The only person who meant the world to me was my grandpa, he was always there for me when my parents weren't, he was a big hockey fan he used to play when he was a kid, he tried teaching my dad, but he never wanted to play, so when my parents had me, he thought me.
My grandpa and I always bonded about hockey, when I got the chance to commit a small part of me didn't want to because I would be leaving my him, but he was so proud, he wanted me to think of myself and what I wanted, not about him, he wanted me to follow my dream, told me he'd visit every chance he got, so I did.
Once I graduated high school and moved to Minnesota my parents didn't even say goodbye to me, they were happy I was leaving because they didn't have to see me anymore. My Grandpa had a lot of money, he had his own real estate business, so when I moved to Minnesota, he helped me find an apartment so I wouldn't have to live in a dorm.
The apartment was close to campus, which was great, I have a car which I drove down when I first moved. There was a chance I wouldn't be going back to New York during the summer except for when I wanted to visit my grandpa. The last thing my parents told me before I left was that they hoped I'd stay in Minnesota.
Because of everything with my parents, I have trust issues, when I started at Minnesota, I made myself a promise that I wouldn't tell anyone about my past, the only friends I had back home were my teammates on my high school hockey team. I didn't want anyone to think any different of me because of what I went through with my parents.
I was friends with the girls on my team, but we weren't best friends where we tell each other everything. I got invited to parties which were a lot of fun, I even became friends with some of the guys on the men's hockey team.
The summer after my freshman year I went back to New York to spend some time with my grandpa before coming back to Minnesota.
After my sophomore, I started living in Minnesota full time only going back to visit my grandpa, he was glad I was finally happy.
Senior year
Today there was a party at the sophomore's house on the men's hockey team. Everyone on campus was invited, since I was friends with the boys, I thought I'd go. The only guy I didn't really like on the team was Brock Faber, he was staying for his senior year instead of going to the NHL.
Brock had always tried to get to know more about me, but I didn't want him to know about my past which is why I can't stand him. He never leaves me alone, always tries to get me to talk about my life back home. I never told anyone, the other boys on the team don't pry, I think they know I might have gone through something so they didn't want to ask me about it in case it might be something bad, they tried to get to know more but when they realise, I didn't want to say anything they let It go except for Brock.
The boys are great, and I can tell they care about me, I care about them too. I like Brock. I've always had a crush on him since the minute we first got introduced by his Teammate Jaxon Nelson. Jaxon and I had a class together when I was a freshman, so we became friends. I just really wish he wouldn't try and dig into my life.
I got to the sophomore's house with one of my friends Allison, she's also a sophomore, we both play on the women's hockey team. I've been captain since Junior year, when she was a freshman, so I took her in when we first started playing together. She was a sweet girl.
As soon as we walked in, we made our way to the kitchen to get drinks. Logan Cooley saw me, he's a sophomore, he's sweet. He smiled at me and made his way over.
"There's are favourite girl" he said happily before throwing his arm around me
"Wow feel the love Logan" Allison scoffed
"Oh, don't worry Alli, I know a guy who is going to be really happy to see you" he replied smirking, which made me chuckle.
It was obvious that Ryan Chesley has a crush on her, and she had one on him.
"Shut up Logan" she said before going to grab a drink, leaving me alone with Logan.
"So are we planning on getting drunk to the point we don't remember the next morning? Or drunk where we still remember tomorrow?" I ask him
"Drunk where we still remember tomorrow, I don't think we need a repeat of what happened with briss last year" he replied making me throw my head back laughing
"Good point" I replied still chuckling
"let's go get you a drink" he said dragging me to the fridge. He grabbed a white claw and give it to me.
"Here you go, drink up" he said
"Thank you" you replied before taking a big drink
we continued talking, a few other boys joined us, after a while all the boys left except Brock. I hate being alone with him because I know he's going to try and ask me question about my past.
"So, what was so bad about you're past that you never want to talk about it?" he ask smirking
"I don't want to talk about it Brock, leave it alone" I said trying to walk away but he grabbed my hand to stop me
"I just want to know more about you"
"Well just stop okay!" I said snapped getting out of his grip and going somewhere else where he wouldn't bother me.
I saw Allison talking with Ryan making me smile. I made my way over to her to tell her I was heading out, I didn't want to have to deal with Brock again tonight.
"Hey, I'm going to head home I am starting to get tired" she looked at me curiously
"I can come with" she said
"No don't worry about it, stay I can tell you're having fun" I said winking
She gave me a hug before I headed home.
Once I got home, I change into some shorts and a hoodie and sat down in the living room to watch some tv.
About 30 minutes later there was a knock on a door.
I opened the door only to find Brock.
"Seriously Brock, I don't want to talk to you right now"
"Can I just come in and talk to you? Please" he pleaded
I opened the door wider so he could come in.
I made my way to the kitchen with him following me. If I must listen to him again, I need something strong. I grabbed the bottle of tequila I had in the cabinet and took a drink out of the bottle.
"Seriously I can't talk to you sober?" he asked in disbelief
"If you're going to ask me about my past again or why I am the way I am, I need the tequila" I said making him scoff
"My god Y/n, what is going on with you, we all care about you, yet you keep secrets from us, you never tell any of us anything!" he said losing his patience
"It's not keeping secrets when it's my personal life. God what is so wrong with wanting to keep some personal things to myself without having everyone know!" I argue before taking another drink of tequila
"Because we care...we can all tell there is something wrong, you never share anything. You like to keep to yourself, it's like we barely know you"
"You know what I want you guys to know, some things I like to keep to myself, you're the only one who kept bothering me about this, everyone else let it go, so you need too if you can't then we just won't be friends anymore." I said softly
"Fine then I guess we are not friends anymore." He said before storming out with the door slamming behind him.
I let out a quiet sob before sinking to the floor crying. Why did my parents have to ruin me from trusting someone.
I really like Brock, he was my favourite on the men's team. I have a crush on him, I just wish he wouldn't ask me about my past.
I decided to call my grandpa because I knew he would listen and give me advice, and I really need that right now.
The phone rang once before he answered.
"hey sweetheart is everything okay? You don't usually call this late." He ask me worriedly
"No, Grandpa why can't I open up to anyone other than you?" I said crying
"Oh y/n you can't let what your parent's did to you ruin you're friendships, What they did to you wasn't right in so many ways, not everyone is going to be like them. You might get hurt, but that's a part of growing up. You never know what opening up to someone what do. But you can't live in fear of not knowing if something good will come from it"
"Thank you, gramps, I really needed that"
"that's what I'm here for, I love you kid"
"I love you too gramps"
"try and open up to someone kid, you never know where it will lead you"
With that we both hung up.
I wiped away my tears and went to the bathroom to see how I looked. I looked like a mess, but I didn't care I needed to talk to Brock. It now close to midnight and I didn't know if Brock went back to the party or if he went home, so I thought I'd try and call him, but he didn't answer.
I decided to leave it for now and go to bed.
The next morning, I woke up with a headache I didn't know if it was from the tequila or because of all the crying.
I made myself some breakfast and when I was finish I got a shower and got ready for the day.
Once I was done there was a knock on the door, I opened it to find Logan, Matthew and Jimmy.
"What can I help you sophomores with?" I asked
"Well we heard about last night" Logan said
"so we wanted to know if you were okay" Matthew said
"Don't worry boys, I'm okay. I was planning on going to talk to him today so I could apologies" I told them as they made their way in my apartment.
"oh okay that's good" Jimmy said
"you don't seem to sure about that" I ask him curious
"Logan why don't you tell her" Matthew said, pushing Logan forward. Making me look at him raising my eyebrow
"Brock's pretty pissed off at you, I don't know if talking to him is a good idea" Logan said
"Which is why I want to apologies, I shouldn't have talked to him the way I did"
"Fine just if you go talk to him, can you let us know how it goes, or If you need anything?" Jimmy asked
"I promise I will"
They nodded and headed out.
I started crying again, I felt bad I didn't want to piss him off last night.
After I wiped my tears away I grabbed my purse and keys and made my way to Brock's place. He got his own place this year instead of living with more teammates.
When I got there I knocked on the door, I was hoping he was there, I didn't know if he had plans or not today.
He opened the door groaning when he saw me.
"seriously why are you here? You made it pretty clear last night" he said angrily
"can I come in?"
He took a few minutes before he let me walk in.
"so what do you want know?"
"I want to apologies, I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did last night"
"But you did, and you made it clear that you didn't want to be friends anymore! Now you can go" he snapped pointing to the door
"I have trust issues okay!" I snapped back at him, he was shocked I snapped back at him.
"so 4 years of knowing you and you still don't trust me, or the boys?"
"You have no idea what I went through Brock" I said softly with tears forming in my eyes. He started coming closer to me.
"Which is why I wanted to know more about you, I never did anything for you not to trust me" he calmly said
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and made my way to his couch to sit. I wiped a tear that fell. He came and sat down next to me
"the one thing I heard daily when I was a kid was that they didn't want me... that they didn't care what happened to me" I said before looking at him. He was looking at me confused
"what do you mean? Who said that?"
"the two people who should love you no matter what... my parents"
It took him by surprise, you could tell that was the last thing he expected. Which made me continue, why stop now.
"Everything I did was a disappointment to them, like a girl playing hockey... When I got my first boyfriend, they literally embarrassed me in front of him, which made him broke up with me. When I was 16 one of my dad had some business partners at the house, my dad had left his shoes in the hallway and I tripped spraining my ankle, you want to know what my parent's did that night after they left? They grounded me for 2 weeks, they said I embarrassed them" I said crying
Brock got closer to me and wiped away my tears.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, no one deserves what you went through. But the boys and I aren't like your parents, I am not like you're parents. I care about you Y/n...fuck y/n I love you, you mean everything to me, I would never make you feel like you aren't worth it, because you are worth everything" he said softly to me
"You love me?"
"I've loved you since the minute Jaxon introduced us"
"I love you too Brock... I'm sorry I pushed you away, I never should have talked to you like that"
"I get it Y/n, but you have to know not everyone is going to hurt you"
"Thank you"
"Can I kiss you?" he asked me
"yes"
He leaned in a kissed you softly
After a minute, you both pulled away breathing heavy
"Any chance I could take you out sometime?" he asks chuckling nervously
"I'd love that" I replied
"good" he said before kissing me again.
#nhl fanfiction#NHL Hockey#NHL fic#nolan moyle#Hockey Fanfiction#hockey fic#hockey#brock faber#brock faber imagine#brock faber blurb#brock faber fic#Gophers#logan cooley#matthew knies#jimmy snuggerud
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Feeling very down right now, just want to vent...
(Treating this like my old Livejournal since I don't really have anywhere else I can complain LMAO)
I've been out of work since August after completely running out of FMLA.
Between getting severe COVID in February and being out recovering for 6 weeks -- and then with Long COVID making the chronic fatigue and migraines I already had even worse -- I ended up missing so much work that I used all the time FMLA allowed before the year was even half over.
I'm living with my parents now and don't really have income except my savings; honestly most days I don't have the physical or mental spoons to even contemplate applying for even a part-time remote position yet. Thankfully I also have a retirement fund I am slowly cashing in, even if that also isn't really sustainable long-term. (But me losing my insurance will definitely be an issue soon when I run out of refills for my prescription meds...)
I'm aware that I've been pretty isolated since August; I've gotten maybe like two texts from former co-workers. I'm mostly asleep during the daytime and don't drive, so going out is hard. The person I consider my BFF is out of state and is busy with their own life. The only people I talk to most days are my Mom and Dad. (Admittedly, I am also pretty terrible about calling or texting people!) Tumblr has thus been the majority of my social interaction, for good or ill.
On top of all that, my birthday is this Friday and I always find myself depressed anyway this time of year. Like, it's probably half Seasonal Affective Disorder, and half a reminder that I'm a year older and having mixed feelings about where I am in life, IDK... But the current situation of *gestures vaguely at everything* isn't helping. So I am very blergh in general.
My parents and I had made vague plans a couple weeks ago that we could all go out for dinner on my actual birthday; nothing fancy, maybe the nearest sit-down Mexican restaurant. I was kinda looking forward to it. Mom just informed me that she is now unavailable after 5pm on my b-day itself since she offered to babysit kids for someone in their church that evening and night. We can't do it tomorrow night either, because Mom & Dad will be at a craft show from 4pm to 10pm.
And... it's fine, I guess. I'm disappointed but I'm an adult. I'm not gonna throw a tantrum or yell and cry or try to guilt her about it. She brought me flowers from the grocery store as a sort of peace offering and says we can still have cake or whatever. We'll probably do something on Saturday instead.
But EVERY YEAR, it's something. Last year, it was the cheesecake I asked for as a birthday cake getting dropped on the way into the house from the car; over half of it was smushed and then Dad stole the best remaining slice for himself. The two years before that, it was during the worst of the pandemic so I just had mediocre delivery food. I literally cannot remember the last birthday I really enjoyed in over a decade and half.
Another big source of anxiety right now -- we found out have 60 days to move since the leasing company is selling this house. So we have to find a new place, be packed and then move by January. Meanwhile home inspectors, realty agents and potential buyers are walking through while we're still living here, and it's super stressful. Words can't express how much I hate strangers being here any and all days of the week.
I guess I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself. I'm not trying to be whiny or woe-is-me, but my mental health right now is uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Not Great (tm) 😅. I do try hard to be positive but it just takes so much energy and I'm stressed and a little numb.
Not really sure how to end this. I just really needed to put it all in writing as a journal-type situation so that I don't end up crying in real life LOL.
Current Mood: burnt-out 😑
Current Music: HGTV playing in the background
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youtube
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RANT ABOUT THAT THERE OC YOU HAVE AQUIRED!!! :D I invite thee to gremlin in my direction!
WELL info on THAT oc is- [CONFIDENTIAL]
BUT I CAN RAMBLE ABOUT ANOTHER OC I HAVE! He is... a tad similar in concept to the oc I was talking about :3
SO! This guy has been with me for.. many a year atp, went through a lot of redesigns and his story has been rewritten more times than I can count jcjf he's never seen the light of day til now so- yea haha
Say hi to Chroma!
How evident is it that I redesigned him during covid?
Chroma is a Sans from my undertale au, ChainTale! Or... well one of them. He is Chain!Sans 1.0 Something effed up in his au and it got deleted with Chroma surviving only because of his funky magical structure, basically weird chain!monster anatomy and magic n stuff nfncn
Chroma's code isn't compatible with any universe anymore, not ever ChainTale 2.0, so he just sorta glitches from place to place with no choice of where or when or for how long.
There are tells of when another glitch out is getting close. The longer Chroma stays in a certain au, the glitchier he gets.
The first few times he got glitched out (doodle of that cuz it's funny)
He attempted to figure out why everything's so different around him. He even tried to get to know a few people. That however- those friendships never lasted him long as he always ended up being ripped away from the friends he'd made.
Over time he stopped trying to connect with people, as it did him nothing but make him feel even more miserable. He chose to hide his face to avoid being recognized as a Sans, cuz- obviously an au would have its own version of the guy (Or not, in which case it would be sus to see a random unknown or dead person)
ChainTale Sanses are also rather tall for a Sans. Standing at 5'7
Chroma can summon and hide his 'chains' at will.
Chroma's bones have gained a gray hue sort of coloring on his fingers and hands. Marking him as a glitch in the system (if the glitches and binary chains weren't telling enough)
I had some notes on his particular brand of chain magic but I don't remember what it was haha. All I know is that it's different from Chain's (ChainTale 2.0 Sans)
SPEAKING OF CHAIN! Might as well shove this on here (have a ref for him as well.. maybe I thought it was finished but what I found I have saved is just a wip)
Lil tartar loving guy
He also doesn't wear shoes. Yes he still lives in Snowdin, yes there's still snow in Snowdin. Yes the wet trail he leaves behind drives Rust (ChainTale Papyrus) up a wall.
Anyway lil comic doodle, how this dumbass got into the Omega Timeline? Good question.
Okay turned into a ramble about two of my oc's but it's FIIIIIIIINE
Not what ya asked about, but I couldn't let a chance to ramble about my guys pass me by
#answered asks#cheetochild989#undertale au#wowza a lotta rambling in this one haha#chain also has to have a lotta iron in his diet#due to his chains#rust sprinkles on actual rust on his spaghetti#idk if I will revive this au#just saw an opportunity to ramble and i took it#all the drawings are from 2021 I believe so.. rather old nfjfjf
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Hey so I can’t remember if it’s ever been talked about, but how did mad love!Michael’s first meeting with his in-laws go? I’d imagine he’d be very nervous to meet readers family, and very worried they wouldn’t like him 🥺 obviously though they love him, and then he ends up getting teased by his wife because he was all worried for nothing lol
OKAY I started writing something like this last year where you brought him home for Christmas and that was the first time he met your family, but then I got covid and by the time I recovered it was just too far past the holiday season. So when you're reading this, keep in mind that this is why this snippet references Christmas.
Also, a part that I didn't get the chance but really want to write is Michael holding a baby for the first time when he meets your niece OR cousin (I haven't decided if I want to go kinda OOC and give you siblings, which is why I'm waffling back and forth)
ANYWAYS here's what I wrote during Christmas last year!
The plane flies high above the clouds, the light shining through to create a stunning painting for anybody lucky enough to have a window seat. Though you have a window seat, it’s impossible to focus on anything other than the ball of dread currently sitting in the pit of your stomach and has been since you realized you’re less than an hour away from your parents meeting Michael. Now, that’s all that you can think about.
“There’s no reason to be nervous,” you repeat yet again, squeezing Michael’s hand. “It’s gonna be fine!”
Michael looks at you from the seat next to you. You had insisted on flying home for the holidays, explaining to Michael that it would be near-impossible for you to come up with a good reason as to why you didn’t fly or drive home, and transmutation was not a good reason. So you booked two tickets for you and Michael, though Michael managed to change them to first class tickets when you had definitely purchased the economy tickets. Oh well, you weren’t complaining about the ample legroom. “I’m not nervous,” Michael reassures you.
You laugh incredulously. “But I am.”
“Y/n, it’s going to be okay. Parents love me!”
“...have you ever even met anybody who’s a parent?”
“My grandma, though she killed herself to get away from me. My mother, who tried to kill me. Oh, Ben Harmon! He told me he never wanted to see me again, though.”
The man in the row ahead turns around in concern, and you smile reassuringly at him. “He’s joking, don’t worry.” Your fellow traveler begrudgingly goes back to whatever he was doing, though you can tell by the way that he doesn’t turn the pages of his book that he’s trying to eavesdrop.
“Sorry,” Michael mutters in your ear.
“I’m sorry. I just really want this week to go well.”
“And it’s going to.”
“I know,” you sigh heavily.
Michael laughs, but you can hear the endearment behind it. “Besides, if it starts going south, I have a quick escape plan that’s guaranteed to work.”
You disembark the plane with the knowledge that Michael can transmute you both away if need be, though that doesn’t make you feel too much better considering the need for transmutation would mean that everything has gone horribly wrong. After grabbing your bags from baggage claim, you and Michael set out to find your parents. As you descend the escalator, you see them before they see you, and you break out into a grin. Even though you’re an adult now, your parents still have the ability to make any fear or anxiety disappear almost instantly.
Your mom notices you first–you can see the way her big eyes grow impossibly wider and how she starts to hit your dad’s arm so that he pulls his attention away from the arrivals and departures board. Despite being in a very crowded place and dragging your husband/boyfriend (you had both kind of decided to just be boyfriend and girlfriend, since you were only married in the eyes of the Church of Satan and not legally) behind you, you can feel your eyes pricking with tears. You haven’t seen them in months now, and just being in the same area as them is already making you a little emotional.
It’s a good thing Michael’s right next to you, because you almost throw the bags at him when you step off the escalator so you can sprint to your parents. Your arms go around them at the same time that they envelop you in their own arms. In a split second, you’re home.
“Hi,” you say against your mom’s shoulder, taking a moment to enjoy how familiar and comfortable her shirt smells.
“Hi, baby.” Your mom rubs your back before pulling away so that she can actually look at you. “We’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you guys too.” Your dad kisses the top of your head, making you look up in a grin as he pulls you into another hug. Your dad’s not a man who shows much emotion, so for him to initiate a hug is pretty big. “Hi, dad.”
He smiles at you before his eyes land over your shoulder. “Did you forget about–”
“Oh!” Maybe you did. Sheepishly, you turn around and gesture for Michael to come over. He had been standing back to let you have your moment with your parents, trying to look very interested in the people walking around and not like he’s out of place. “Mom, Dad, this is Michael Langdon. My boyfriend,” you tack on as an afterthought, even though they both already know that Michael’s your boyfriend.
Michael steps forward, a charming smile on his face, and shakes their hands. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you both. Thank you for being kind enough to host me in your home for Christmas.”
“Don’t be silly, we weren’t about to let you spend Christmas by yourself,” your mom says. Yet again, you had found yourself half-lying to someone about the circumstances of Michael’s life. You had only lied by omission though; your mom knew that Michael’s family had largely abandoned him and that he only had his dad, who was never around. Due to Michael’s upbringing “in the system”, he had never experienced Christmas. So not a lie, but you’re leaving a lot of stuff out.
“Still,” Michael says, “I greatly appreciate it.”
“Are we just going to stand here all day, or can we get going?” Your dad says gruffly. You sigh under your breath, knowing he’s going to be the hardest to crack this week.
“Yeah, lead the way,” you respond, grabbing your bag and Michael’s hand before following your parents to the parking lot.
“That went well,” Michael whispers in your ear.
You grimace. “...Sure.”
“You’re being a bit dramatic.”
“No, I’m simply prepared.”
Luckily for your anxious heart, your mom gets a work call the moment that you reach the car. Your dad isn’t very talkative, which means that you get to just breathe for a moment and point out different landmarks from your childhood to Michael, who splits his time between gazing out of the window and looking at you when you talk.
“That was my high school, which I thankfully have not been back to since the day I graduated.”
“You didn’t like high school?”
“Drama, strict schedules, and being a teenager in general? No, I didn’t really like it.”
Michael ponders that. “Hmm, our schooling experiences weren’t so different, then.”
“Really, the matching uniforms and bowties didn’t make everybody besties?”
“You’re never going to let me live down the picture I showed you of me in my school uniform.” It’s not a question–he knows the answer.
“Absolutely not.”
Somehow, the sight of the neighborhood where your family lives leaves Michael more awestruck than anything that he had seen today, and you realize that he probably hasn’t seen just a normal neighborhood before. After all, it’s impossible to ask the kids next door to come ride their bikes when;
You’re not allowed out of the house; and
The kids next door are dead
These streets, the houses all decorated with lights that will be twinkling as soon as dusk falls and smiling snowmen waving at passersby from some of the yards, are all things that Michael hasn’t experienced before. Michael has to tear himself away from the window to ask, “This is where you grew up?”
You nod. “Most of my friends’ families still live in the area too.”
Your dad pulls the car into the familiar driveway that you, yourself, have pulled into so many times before. Your family’s house is much smaller than the manor that you and Michael call home, and you almost feel a little embarrassed at the size before remembering that this is a different Michael from the one who looked over your apartment with disdain and told you that your taste in clothes could be so much better. This Michael almost has to be pushed along by you as you enter the house, so wrapped up in the domesticity of a home that an actual family lives in and makes their home is he.
Before you can get to your room to unpack, the telltale sound of claws scrabbling across the floor makes you grin. Michael looks up in alarm as the sound of barking gets closer, but you squeal when the golden retriever rounds the corner. “Bauer!”
“Bauer?” Michael repeats, watching you fall to your knees to embrace the dog.
“Oh my goodness, hello sweet boy,” you coo to the smiling dog, his tail wagging up a storm. “Did you miss me? I missed you!”
“You have a dog?” Michael asks.
You frown. “I’ve definitely shown you pictures of Bauer before.”
“I thought it was just a random dog, not yours.” Michael stares at Bauer apprehensively, as though he’s going to bite his hand the second you turn away.
“Michael, sweetheart,” your mom calls, and Michael’s eyes widen in what you’re worried is fear at the motherly tone in her voice, “he’s not going to hurt you.”
“I–I know.” He doesn’t know. In fact, you don’t think Michael’s ever actually interacted with a dog before.
“Bauer!” your dad calls before whistling for him, and Bauer goes running across the living room towards him. “Y/N, why don’t you show Michael to the guest room.” Your dad looks at Michael sharply. “Where he’ll be staying. In a different room than yours.”
“C’mon.” You grab Michael’s hand and walk with him down the hall. “This is my room,” you point to yours before moving your finger in the direction of the door next to yours, “and here’s the guest room. We’re right next to each other, don’t worry.”
Michael pulls you into the guest room, silently shutting the door behind you. “Your father definitely hates me.”
“Hmm, and here I thought I was being dramatic,” you remind Michael of his earlier words, and he grimaces. “Michael, Dad doesn’t hate you. He’s just trying to scare you by intimidating you. He did the exact same thing to my brother-in-law the first time he visited, too.”
Michael simply groans before dropping his head onto your shoulder, and you laugh while embracing him.
“And here I thought the Antichrist wasn’t scared of anything.”
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30, 31, 36 :)
30. favourite tv show(s)
Impossible to answer. But the top few I've been obsessed with through the years are...
Ghost Whisperer (started watching when I was in middle school and was a hardcore fan the entire time it was on air - the first show I ever wrote fanfic for when I was about 12)
Alias (found it towards the end of its run, but watched and rewatched religiously for many, many years - I can still recite the season 1 opening monologue)
Grey's Anatomy (there's a huge gap of time between my obsessions here, as I binged through various genres of shows for a few years before being forced into Greys at 17 - my first ever episode was Song Beneath the Song and then I inhaled all of it in its entirety a couple of times... this was the first show I was involved in the fanfic corner of fandom for and began posting my own work online)
Orphan Black (this is just really, really solid Canadian-made sci-fi, but it ended a few years ago and I still haven't been able to watch the last two episodes which is embarrassing... can't get over that one death)
Gilmore Girls (who doesn't watch this show on loop every once in a while? fell into it in 2017 and found the best companion fanfic ever written that I've never been able to locate again... a truly iconic time in my life)
The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor/literally anything Mike Flanagan touches (I'm a sucker for good horror, especially if there are queer women involved... I've watched most of Mike Flanagan's work a few times and Bly makes me cry every time)
Covert Affairs (I loved this one when it was on air, but I binged it again at the start of COVID lockdowns and was reminded how comforting I find a spy drama, especially when all the locations they shot at are within driving distance of where I live)
Station 19 (if I hover in that happy space of season 4 Maya x Carina moments, this is the best place to exist... struggling greatly with over-analyzing it because of what I'm studying in school, though, so I'm like a season and a half behind on episodes)
And then, of course, there is a vast collection of shows I enjoyed greatly during the period of my life where I binged everything I possibly could from specific genres to "study the story arcs and writing development". There are too many to name, but if it was on TV before 2010, I've probably seen it.
31. 3 random facts
I have a "rare" disease/condition called Chiari Malformation that basically means part of my cerebellum doesn't fit inside my skull and is instead in my neck. When I was first diagnosed, my doctor pulled Gray's Anatomy off her bookshelf and read the section on CM to me, as she'd never heard of it before.
For much of my childhood, the mere sight of a giraffe would make me cry (out of pure excitement). Everyone took this to mean I needed to be gifted anything and everything giraffe-related for the rest of my life.
I often wake up with songs stuck in my head. Occasionally, they are songs that I haven't heard in my waking-life for several years. I think I must dream about music.
36. 3 dreams you want to fulfill
Oh, man... It feels like there is so much, but most of my genuine wishes are relatively small and simple.
I'd love to see The Script perform in Dublin, Ireland. (There's something about the recordings of their hometown shows that just get me choked up every single time.)
I'd like to climb a mountain at least once in my life. Standing on a peak is incredible and I can only imagine how amazing it must feel to reach one as the result of your own physical determination. (There's a group called 29029 that does an event where you scale a mountain over and over again a certain number of times in 36 hours until you achieve the altitude of Everest and... that. I wanna do that one day.)
I'd like to pack up and separate myself completely from all the familiar securities I've always known, just to see what I'm really capable of. I think it'd be a perfect opportunity to travel and experience the world without the blinders of my life thus far.
question game
#thank you!#I always love answering these things... if you can't tell by the novels I write in response#mayasdeluca#question game#janelle's asks
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Tuesday
Covid Crisis
Heather had been feeling a bit ‘fluey’ for a couple of days and yesterday morning, she did a RAT test. Disaster! She was positive! All our plans are in jeopardy. Numerous emails back and forth with our fabulous travel agent, Bev Edwards, and our not-particularly-helpful insurer, NIB, resulted in us continuing on, but exploring what options we had if she was still positive when we needed to board the ship - we would not be allowed on!
Today, I also tested positive (surprise, surprise, locked together all day in a car, what else could we expect if I didn’t already have it). More disarray!
Our insurer said we had to get a formal certificate that we really had Covid before they would consider a claim so we headed a couple of doors up the road to a clinic where we were subjected to another pretty rough RAT, but at least we now have some proof - at a bit over $AU100 each.
Heather is still sniffly and coughing and has some muscle pain. I have very muffled hearing - makes It very difficult to communicate - and some mild muscle pain has developed during the day. We both have a vile taste in our mouths, but Heather’s is starting to abate. Despite this, we really aren’t too bad.
We simply don’t know what happens now. It is unlikely that we will be allowed to board, but there are a couple of landings along the expedition and we may be able to join the expedition somewhere along the route - if/when we both test negative.
We really don’t know when that might be and what we might do in the meantime, but we are pretty confident that we will be fine for the Greenland expedition even if the Iceland one falls over completely. Either way, it is likely that Covid is going to prove very costly. We think we probably caught it on the plane from Bergen.
We are feeling a little lost at present, not knowing what we will be doing over the next two weeks, but we will persevere. We feel almost dirty, like pariahs, avoiding even remote contact with other people, despite the fact that we have done everything in our power to avoid the plague. We took every precaution, we have had four vaccinations, we wear masks, we avoid contact with others wherever possible. Nothing was our fault, but it feels that way anyway.
(Wednesday morning update!) Neither of us are any worse this morning (although Heather’s horrible taste is back again) so hopefully, we will recover quickly. We are taking some heavy antiviral tablets our fabulous GP (Justin) gave us before we left – just in case we caught the virus. They are supposed to relieve the symptoms and avoid the more serious consequences of the virus and they seem to be working pretty well at present.
We have been advised that we can’t join the expedition part-way through so we either test negative by the morning of 2 August or we will miss the expedition – but should be good for the next one to Greenland. And NIB’s travel insurance is very limited. (Even then, we can expect them to deny and dispute anything we claim - but that is the way with all insurers. They grab your money and weave enough weasel words into the contract to ensure they don’t have to pay out. Not that I am a cynic! It is more that I have experienced this a few times before.)
Tuesday
Today was mostly just driving. We went to the Holmavik clinic at 9am and were out of there with our pieces of paper, but short $200-odd, by about 9.45. It was then basically a 432-kilometre drive to our digs for tonight and tomorrow night - the Laxa Hotel in the middle of nowhere but overlooking a lake that is renowned for its bird species, particularly ducks. We have seen thousands of ducks along the way, but always a long way away. The only two we have really identified here are the Eiders and the Mallards. I am sure we have seen numerous others, but it is quite impossible to stop for a closer look or a photo when we see birds because the roads don’t allow for it. The roads are 2.2 metres wide (max) if sealed, with maybe 300 mm verges when you are lucky - one lane either way. When you have a bus or big truck approaching, there is not a lot of room to move over, particularly onto the fatal verge - and if you do, there is that 3- (or 100-) metre drop from whence the road has been elevated. Or maybe straight into a solid rock cliff. A tad hairy on occasions, but 1200 clicks down the road and we are still alive. Max speed limit is 90, average practical speed closer to 70, and you have a headache after a couple of hours simply from concentrating on the 50 metres ahead. My eyes sting and start to blur as the day wears on simply from concentrating on the road immediately in front of us. I do sneak the occasional peek at the splendour around us, but it has to be a very quick peek if there are other vehicles around.
All of this limits your opportunities to take photos. It is often 20 kilometres or more between places you can actually get off the road safely. Oops, the birds I wanted to photograph are now 18 clicks behind me.
Despite this, the views are truly spectacular. On the one hand is the majesty of the mountains, the snow, the waterfalls, the raging rivers, the cliffs and the scree, the pasture and the lava, all simply magnificent, almost breath-taking. On the other hand is the quaint, the novel, the unexpected, the twee even – sweet little farms hidden in crevasses in the valleys, painted in brilliant eye-catching colour, with farm buildings huddled close, maybe an antique tractor or two and sheep dotting the surrounding ground, often barely visible in the sheep-high grass. The sheep are never sheep-coloured as we see them in Australia. They are much paler and range from pale cream through the entire spectrum of browns to solid jet black.
The skies have been mainly grey, but not threatening. We have had numerous showers, all light and gone within ten minutes, and it is a delight to see a patch of snow or a farmhouse or a freshly-mown paddock highlighted occasionally by bright sunshine. Mowing is obviously an important source of stockfeed or income from the sale of fodder because we have seen tens of thousands (at least) of plastic-sealed sheep lunch-boxes in white, black or yellow – I wonder if the colour of the plastic denotes anything, maybe the type of grass or moisture content? More likely the owner’s aesthetic sensibilities or the price per tonne of plastic covers.
We stop quite often when the occasional pull-off allows and we visited Godafoss just off the road toward the end of our long and tiring drive. It is a spectacular waterfall, huge and very loud. Foss means waterfall and you can probably guess what God means. It is said that in the year 1000, the king had to decide if Iceland was to become a Christian country and when he made his decision, he gathered up all his idols and related paraphernalia and threw them into the waterfall – hence Godafoss. Strange, we heard the same story at a different waterfall when we were here 3 years ago.
Sadly, despite careful scrutiny, we have not seen any trolls yet. I have looked under several bridges to no avail and we keep our eyes peeled just in case some try to slink across the road in front of us. Some people here really believe in them and we have heard that most people are unwilling/afraid to misbelieve in them. If a road is being built through an area or past a tree where trolls are suspected of living, the road is diverted to avoid the risk of invoking their wrath. There are lots of similar examples – but until we see one………!
We ate in the hotel restaurant that night. We felt we deserved it after such a long and sometimes stressful drive. We both ordered fish, ling and cod, but the highlight of the meal was probably the bread. It was a nice crusty bread, but was endowed with a light sprinkling of salt on top. Nothing comes with salt here apart from the brekky bacon (when it is on the menu) and we were really hanging out for something more savoury – and the bread hit the spot. Nearly everything has a slight sweetness about it and we are not much into sweet things. At breakfast next day, Heather tried some beetroot juice with fresh ginger and loved it but I missed out on that one.
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youtube
Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc
The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!
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Driving in Colorado Park (1981) [2020]
Just for context . We were going throughout a national epidemic to a global pandemic . And when it touched France some months later , they decided to close all frontiers and probably for the first time in history of France , installing a national lockdown but also the longest one they ever did. So when it hit Reunion Island (where I live) , we go in lockdown for five months straight . And since I am still at school , they lock all schools . So for most of the adults that went through this lockdown , it was not easy cause they had job that requires to go out of their homes . But the problem is that some companies paid you even if you where at home not working , and some don’t paid you so you were struggling finding a single dime . But for students , this was a dream come true. Not coming to school for straight up five months was a luxury. And for us (students) it was a satisfying moment to just thinking tomorrow was supposed to have school but we are in lockdown so we stay at home . And me I was experiencing this phase of what is to really free . To never be under someone law , to have full freedom . To have a peace of mind and never have to worry about tomorrow . It’s like living in The Shining hotel which is from this movie I based this drawing . But to crash this fantasy… virtual classes… yep virtual classes. They are so freaking annoying , the teachers count the absences , the work you give them they rate them like if are in a real class this is a little bit the goal of a virtual class. But at some point the National Education decided to put kids at school again and arranged that they are never gonna closed the schools again in case of a epidemic . And the scientists were sure that kids would not have any symptoms of Covid if they got , and with this said , they decided to send us to school .But the problem is that that young people that never had symptoms still have the Covid and so the older people that lives under the same roof however did not handle Covid well . Most of the elderly people died during this pandemic and we still send kids at school carrying Covid in them and not even paying attention they got it . So they decided to reopen school , I did not go , cause that was way out of hand to go out and earn something that you did not ask for . The only times I did go to school was for giving back books that we bought for studying (which I have a pretty little story to tell about one of those books but i keep that for later) and the other was for diploma regarding road safety certificate. At the time I did not know what was having Covid was really like. It took me two years later to know what having Covid is like . I got the fever symptoms an nausea. But looking back at it , it was a pretty nostalgic time and knowing that it will certainly never happen again , makes me realizing that every moment deserves to looking back one two time . But as far as today , I learned that not everything is infinite and whenever something was impactful in life either positive or negative, we have to move on in life , going forward and trying to forget the negatives ones and keep focusing on the good ones and trying to find a lesson out of these.
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Jokowi’s Action: The OSS System, The New Indonesia
Made by Michelle, Ariel, Clarissa, Sienna 9M
Introduction
The global pandemic of covid-19 has undeniably changed the world, particularly when it comes to the economic state of countries. Despite this, Indonesia is able to make a quick economic recovery. How did this happen? Did you know that during the early days of 2020, international trade halted almost overnight? Countries closed their borders, factories shut down, and the purchase of international products became scarce (cnb.com, no date). The former president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (or better known to his people as Jokowi) was elected as part of the Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan or Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle in the year 2014 and had administered and brought the people of Indonesia to bounce back from the pandemic from the moment it started (oss.go.id, 2020). This system could allow Indonesia to be exposed to accessibility to more products, create more money through said businesses and improve the economy. Other than the benefit of the formation of businesses, Joko Widodo stated that his goal was also to create more job opportunities and reduce the rates of unemployment due to the impact of the pandemic (setkab.co.id, 2021). We believe that this system has given immense help in Indonesia. This article focuses on the explanation of the OSS system developed and established by Jokowi in recent years that has given much aid to Indonesia’s economy. This article will also analyze positive effects that came from the OSS system. Lastly, we will also show why this system should continue to be implemented throughout the upcoming years and why businesses should start using it more often.
Section 1 - Sienna
The BKPM, or Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, plays a pivotal role in driving investment initiatives within Indonesia. BPKM actively promotes Indonesia as an investment destination, and conducts research to identify key investment opportunities. It implements policies to attract and retain investors. One of its notable functions is overseeing the Online Single Submission (OSS) system, a digital platform aimed at streamlining the investment process by providing a one-stop service for business licensing and permits (bkpm.go.id, no date). Through its strategic initiatives and coordination efforts, BPKM seeks to foster a conducive environment for sustainable economic growth and development in Indonesia.
Originally, the creation of the OSS system was due to Indonesia’s EoDP rating being relatively low and needing improvement. However, over time, its purpose was to also help Indonesia bounce back from the pandemic, allowing businesses to start forming and unemployment rates to reduce. This system was created based on the Government Regulation no. 24 in 2018 (Mujiono, 2023). It is an online platform that facilitates the licensing of both legal and business entities in Indonesia, such as civil partnerships. Not only does this increase the amount of businesses in Indonesia, but it also helps with the reduction of things such as corruption and business difficulty. Jokowi stated: “I refuse to hear that business people still face difficulty. I do not want to hear about bribes anymore. Everything must be carried out openly and transparently to facilitate business people. If there are government apparatus that are not clean, that try to (corrupt), report them to me (setkab.co.id, 2021).”
These are 2 methods where this system is applied:
Digital Streamlining: The OSS system merges government licensing processes into one online platform, making applications faster and paperwork-free.
Training Programs: The system offers training to help people understand how to use it, making it easier for businesses to get licenses and boost the economy.
Section 2 - Ariel
In the many forms of advantages that come with the implementation of the Online Single Submission system into Indonesia’s business environment, one of the most quantifiable ways we can truly see its effect on Indonesia is by observing Indonesia’s GDP. Consistent data cannot be shown as well as if it was implemented earlier, as we have to keep in mind different factors that come into play with new systems, like learning curves in creating a new habit or breaking an old one. Furthermore, the economic state the entire world was going through because of the recent outbreak of the pandemic, likely undermined progress on global poverty and each country’s GDP rates.
This graph shows us the foreign direct investment GDP, net inflows of Indonesia in a means of percentage, and we can immediately see some of the biggest fluctuations happening in between the years 2016 and 2017. We can also see that there has been a drop in foreign direct investment GDP in the years of 2019 to 2020, making sense because of the global pandemic that had just started around those years. However, notice how in the 2021, when the OSS system had just finished completely developing the percentage raised even by just slightly showing its steady yet significant impact in Indonesia’s economy. Not just by looking at the country’s GDP propelled by foreign direct investment, but the GDP of the country as a whole can also show us its true nature, shown from the data taken from the year 2019 by macrotrends.net.
Notice the decline in Indonesia’s economy because of the global pandemic occurring at the time, and look again at the growth between the years 2021 to 2022, when the OSS system was first fully developed by Jokowi to help boost our economic state. The growth is slight but still shows a good sign, especially taking into account the previous graph that showed Indonesia’s GDP from foreign direct investment.
The labor force of workers per year in Indonesia is approximately 2.9 million. However, because of the global pandemic, data from the Ministry of Manpower of Indonesia shows that 3.5 million workers have been laid off. The government aims to open at least 15 million total employment opportunities, and as such, the head of BPKM Bahlil Lahadalia says that the government has been taking action to do so, one of which is the opening of the OSS system.
"The more investment that comes in, the greater the job opportunities that are open to the community," said Bahlil. MSME’s (medium and small enterprises) make up about 60% of Indonesia’s economic growth, providing about 120 million jobs of the 130 million workforce, showing its distinct contribution and need of investments crucial for the economic growth of Indonesia.
Section 3 - Michelle
A research project done by Rinto Mujiono, analyzes people which includes business actors or permit applicants who have been assisted in acquiring permits by North Sumatra Province's Investment Service and One-Stop Integrated Licensing Services on an average of 180 permit applicants per month and permit management data from 2021. In the report, it is stated that the OSS system has reached an increased value of 65.8 percent. Furthermore, when analyzing the implementation of OSS, the part of this project with the most positive impacts are the communication and bureaucratic structure. The bureaucratic structures are routine and methodical operational specifications through written rules and regulations, functional job grouping, centralized authority, specialization, and decision-making control spans that follow the chain of command. Through this, we may conclude that the system has made an overall positive impact towards Indonesia, following the goal (Mujiono, 2023).
Despite its positive impacts and current success, the OSS system has had a lot of challenges with creating it throughout the years. In the first few years of implementing the OSS system (2019-2020), challenges regarding the regulations, systems and procedures about the licensing system resulted in OSS to not have been effective and successful. When OSS was first made, business owners only needed to manually enter corporate data into the system. However, by the end of 2018, the OSS system requires company data to be retrieved from the AHU system, which was unsuitable and incomplete. Furthermore, there are limitations of business actors who do not know of the government policies, especially facilities with the OSS system. This creates a lot of business actors who do not have basic legality such as NIB and other permits (bepartners.co.id, 2020). Specifically business actors in North Sumatra, a lot of those businesses do not have any interest to legalize their business licenses directly to the Investment Service as well as Online Licensing Applications (Mujiono, 2023).
The OSS system was created during 2018 before the spread of covid-19 to Indonesia, but it has made a bunch of changes:
During the beginning of the OSS system, it was implemented and supervised by the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy of the Republic of Indonesia. After 6-8 months of the system’s existence, it was given to BPKM. This change was made due to the authority of the BPKM being similar to that of the OSS system, allowing better supervision. This creates an initial entry point for investors (bepartners.co.id, 2020).
Formerly known as OSS 1.0, the system was upgraded to OSS 1.1 before the end of 2019. This is a new system that has a completely different layout than how it was before. In addition, the most recent systems have more features that were not in the OSS 1.0 system previously. Many business owners are obliged to execute data migration from the old OSS 1.0 system to the new OSS 1.1 system due to differences in features and systems. For instance, the OSS 1.1 contained different sections for business licensing than the previous 1.0: Data legality, business identification number, business licenses, and operational or commercial licenses. The original version consisted: Notary deed, data completeness, business licenses, business and commercial license commitments and output. For business owners, this migration is a difficulty in and of itself because the platform is quite different from the old system (bepartners.co.id, 2020).
Section 4 - Caca
Comparing Indonesia's OSS system with similar policies implemented in other countries or during different periods in indonesia's history provides valuable insight into the outcomes and effectiveness of such systems, Singapore's BizFile system, an online registration and filing system has been highly successful, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with starting a business. Indonesia's OSS aims for similar efficiency but faces greater challenges due to diverse regional disparities and a more complex regulatory environment.
Estonia’s e-government initiative is renowned for its efficiency, transparency, and ease of use. Covering a broad spectrum of services beyond business licensing, including e-residency, Estonia's system benefits from advanced digital infrastructure, robust cybersecurity measures, and high public trust. While Indonesia’s OSS shares the goal of digital transformation, it is still in a more nascent stage with significant room for infrastructure and security enhancements.
Indonesia has made various attempts to streamline business processes, such as the One-Stop Service Centers (PTSP) at the regional level. These efforts often faced issues like bureaucratic resistance and lack of integration. The OSS system represents a more centralized and integrated approach, aiming to overcome past inefficiencies.
These comparisons highlight the importance of robust and reliable technical infrastructure for the success of digital systems. Providing comprehensive training and support to users is essential for widespread adoption and effective use of the system as well as implementing extensive training programs and user support services from the outset would help businesses better navigate the OSS system.
Implications for future economic policies in Indonesia include prioritizing the development of digital infrastructure to support e-governance initiatives, ensuring reliable and widespread internet access. Collaborating with the private sector can bring in expertise and resources to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of digital systems like the OSS. Ensuring that regulations across different regions and sectors are harmonized will reduce complexity and enhance the coherence of national digital initiatives. Continuous capacity building for both government officials and the business community is crucial to adapt to new digital systems and processes. Policies should ensure that digital systems are inclusive and accessible to all businesses, regardless of their size or location, to promote equitable economic growth. Designing systems that are scalable and sustainable in the long term will help accommodate future growth and technological advancements.
Overall, the OSS System is a good system that is implemented in Indonesia. It shows us the benefits of the system towards the economy, and teaches us ways to create businesses much more easily as well as ways to improve a country’s economic issues with the increase of job opportunities. The OSS System is done really well because of its simplicity to create licensing and having features that can help make a business in a matter of hours. Some improvements that could be done for the system is opening up feedback towards individuals. Recently, there have been new problems and complaints regarding version 1.1, and the existence of a feedback system could allow the government to further improve OSS and create a system wanted by all. This should be implemented in future economic policies.
Conclusion
The Online Single Submission promises to give a series of opportunities and a better future in its opening of job opportunities and easier access for foreigners to invest in MSME’s, which can only boost our economy. After the drop in Indonesia’s GDP during the outbreak of the global pandemic, covid-19, it has managed to bring the numbers up for Indonesia according to the head directors of Investment Coordinating Board (BPKM). The OSS still has its challenges, such as its implementation and infrastructure throughout the country, the implications of its contradictory statements behind the existing laws despite it being made into a new one, as well as its inconvenient reliability on the previous AHU system. However, we must keep in mind that applying a new system to an entire country will always be difficult and require a learning curve, but once adapted, help with the opening of new job opportunities and higher amounts of applications received from foreign investors, mentioned throughout the entirety of this article. However, in order to receive a more smooth transition in adopting this system, OSS could use feedback systems in order for all users, especially foreigners, to have a voice in what they think of the system and how it can be improved. With this feedback system, the OSS could be further improved with regular audits to clean up the system along with what the general public has to say about it. Trend analysis can also be put forth in order to actually see how the system has impacted the public, and if the results show well, can attract more people towards the system. However, it is highly commendable that the very same people who have created the OSS system have also taken steps to improve it such as additional supervision from the BKPM, and new features that created the OSS 1.1. we know today. The OSS seeks promise in a better economy for Indonesia within its development and accessible system.
Statement of Inquiry (CRITERION D) and Call To Action
What are you waiting for? We should help now! Not a lot of businesses know the existence of the OSS System, and a lot of businesses do not want to contribute to the OSS System. We should provide more information so that businesses can form and further improve Indonesia’s country quality through workforce development and economic growth. Not only does Indonesia being able to sell products worldwide increase the economy, but it also reduces the chances of poverty and a lot of worldly issues (starvation, homelessness, etc).
The implications that come with the implementation of OSS does add to the existing laws regarding job opportunities and investments, all of which will heavily affect the economy and create more job opportunities, according to Bahlil from BPKM. We can already see its growth within our GDP despite its recent opening and has been implemented (with few challenges) towards the rest of the world.
By improving on the OSS system through adding feedback to see what individuals have to say about it and how to make it easier, as well as see how it has truly impacted the economy, the OSS System being implemented would help increase the economic state of Indonesia, helping achieve multiple SDGs which include: SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), and SDG 1 (No poverty). Previous data of the OSS System directly proves its positive effect towards Indonesia’s overall economy and employment. This in the future would help Decent Work and Economic Growth, creating a better country for future generations. As previously stated, we can already see its results in the country’s GDP despite its recent beginning, and can potentially reduce inflation within the economy. The OSS System will also help achieve No Poverty with the existence of more businesses, resulting in much more job opportunities within MSMEs, thus increasing employment opportunities for the entire population, distincting its significance especially to those who have lost their jobs at the cost of the pandemic. MSMEs will develop with new investors, and can create a country with promising companies that may attract a global audience in the future for Indonesia’s tourism rates, thus investing in the country’s development as a whole, even outside of our economy.
Resources
“OSS - Sistem Perizinan Berusaha Terintegrasi Secara Elektronik.” Oss.go.id, 12 June 2021, oss.go.id/en/informasi/artikel/sustainable-path-to-economic-recovery. Accessed 16 May 2024.
“How Covid-19 Changed International Business.” City National Bank, www.cnb.com/business-banking/media/looking-forward/covid-19-impacts-international-business.html#:~:text=In%20early%202020%2C%20when%20the. Accessed 16 May 2024.
Mujiono, Rinto, et al. “The Impact from the Implementation of Online Single Submission (OSS) towards the Ease of Business Licensing for Business Actors in North Sumatera Province.” The Impact from the Implementation of Online Single Submission (OSS) towards the Ease of Business Licensing for Business Actors in North Sumatera Province, 28 Jan. 2023, https://doi.org/10.38035/dijefa.v3i6. Accessed 17 May 2024.
“The Two Years of OSS: An Honest Review | Bagus Enrico & Partners.” Www.bepartners.co.id, 12 Oct. 2020, www.bepartners.co.id/news/the-two-years-of-oss--an-honest-review. Accessed 17 May 2024.
“Operational Support System Functions and Benefits | Spiceworks.” Spiceworks, 10 July 2023, www.spiceworks.com/tech/networking/articles/what-is-oss/. Accessed 16 May 2024.
Translation, Office of Assistant to Deputy Cabinet Secretary for State Documents &. “President
Jokowi: Risk-Based OSS System Does Not Diminish Regional Authority.” Sekretariat Kabinet
Republik Indonesia, 9 Aug. 2021,
setkab.go.id/en/president-jokowi-risk-based-oss-system-does-not-diminish-regional-authority/.
Accessed 17 May 2024.
BKPM (2021) Sistem Perizinan Berusaha terintegrasi Secara Elektronik, OSS - Online Single Submission (BKPM) . Available at: https://ujicoba-stg.oss.go.id/en/informasi/artikel/job-creation-law:-encourage-investment,-create-jobs (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
MacroTrends (2022) Indonesia GDP growth rate 1960-2024, MacroTrends. Available at: https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/IDN/indonesia/gdp-growth-rate#:~:text=Indonesia%20gdp%20growth%20rate%20for,a%200.15%25%20decline%20from%202018. (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
International Monetary Fund et al. (no date) Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) - Indonesia, World Bank Open Data. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.KLT.DINV.WD.GD.ZS?end=2022&locations=ID&start=2006 (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
Estonia - we have built a Digital Society & We Can Show You How (2024) e-estonia.com. Available at: https://e-estonia.com/ (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
iLibrary , O. (2019) Chapter 13. Case Study 8: Estonia e-government and the creation of a comprehensive data infrastructure for public services and agriculture policies implementation, Case Study 8: Estonia e-government and the creation of a comprehensive data infrastructure for public services and agriculture policies implementation | Digital Opportunities for Better Agricultural Policies | OECD iLibrary. Available at: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/510a82b5-en/index.html?itemId=%2Fcontent%2Fcomponent%2F510a82b5-en (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
BizFile (2021) heysara.sg. Available at: https://heysara.sg/business-encyclopedia/bizfile/ (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
Ada (2024) Overview of bizfile+, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority . Available at: https://www.acra.gov.sg/about-bizfile (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
IT , A. (2023) Pelayanan terpadu Satu Pintu (PTSP). Available at: https://www.pa-marabahan.go.id/en/layanan-publik/pelayanan-terpadu-satu-pintu-ptsp.html (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
Finaka , A.W. (2018) PTSP Percepat Izin Usaha Dan Investasi: Indonesia Baik, indonesiabaik. Available at: https://indonesiabaik.id/infografis/ptsp-percepat-izin-usaha-dan-investasi (Accessed: 18 May 2024).
“Kementerian Investasi/BKPM - Profil Lembaga.” Www.bkpm.go.id, www.bkpm.go.id/id/tentang-bkpm/profil-lembaga#. Accessed 18 May 2024.
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The dream I had last night:
Zombie apocalypse. Most zombies can't see because the eyes rot first so staying quiet is of upmost importance. These aren't just "bite you and be done with it" zombies, these are tear you apart alive zombies.
My family barricaded themselves in a house and large fenced in yard. It was not their house because in an argument with my little brother about safe use of lights at night I pointed out that my room has only two windows that point towards the fenced in yard and not out into unsafe woods but my room irl only has one window and it isn't on that side of the house. (perhaps it was a mix of the house we lived at when I was like 6 and the one they live at now)
Eventually we secured the front yard as well, killing any zombies there and setting up a fence (chicken wire, babyyy)
While I was having the argument with my little brother in the room with the TV, my watch and the lights suddenly went out. We came to the immediate and obvious (/J) conclusion of an EMP and ran to warn the rest of the family. (idk how realistic that is but it's a dream, I'm not going to question it)
Anyway, lots of fighting off looters with guns (AMERICA🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🏈🇺🇸) it was clear they were not going to win but the lead guy (who might have been Giancarlo Esposito?) had something to prove and made it to the front door. I stabbed him three times in the chest with my pocket knife (I fucking hate killing people in my dreams idk why it always feels so realistic)
We recover and fix up the fence. We realize that we are starting to run low on supplies and will need to expand our safe zone to neighboring houses to get them and also to have more space to spread out (holy shit if I thought quarentine was bad, at least during covid you could still take a walk if family was driving you crazy)
Anyway, cut to the dog's pov (also weird because we have a dog but that was not our dog, this was some white poodle mix thing) who escapes and manages to open the fence to the neighbor's yard across the street (where we are planning on going) dog goes in through the open back door to find a child in a high seat at a kitchen table, 2 cats, and a dunken mother on the couch talking to herself. The dog spends some time chasing cats around.
Cut back to my family, we have dug a tunnel under the road because that was deemed safer than going above ground where everything would be very open. We get to the house, find the baby and the lady in the house. Bad vibes from the place. We send my dad and my little brother back through the tunnel to guard the house (there is a gate in the tunnel, just in case) and start to look around to figure out what we are working with, we decide to bring the lady and the child to our house because she did not seem to be taking care of them very well at all. The dog walks in the back door and that suprises us. We are hit with the realization that there is an open gate on the property, an open door, a loud child, and quickly approaching zombies. The zombies start to break in, I have the kid and my mom (the more I think about it the more I don't recognize her, I don't think she was my mom) is trying to get the lady to move her ass to the tunnel. Zombies start lunging through the back door and I wake up.
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Do you have any idea what it took for me to walk away from him? Do you have any idea what I put up with from him for love? He was my Heathcliff.
I think we were assigned to read Wuthering Heights during my sophomore year? But I'm fairly certain I had already read it at least twice by then.
In Wuthering Heights, Catherine Earnshaw says, "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."
I took this quote from Cathy to heart. I did not see the tragedy of the story. Only the love. I spent my life looking for my Heathcliff. He was my Heathcliff.
Except now I'm the one listening for him, looking for any sign that he's with me.
“Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!”
And I do feel him with me. I do see signs. Maybe it's coincidence. A book I brought home from storage: The Roots of Coincidence by Arthur Koestler, which I got because of a Red Dwarf episode, and presented it to him to have the first crack at reading it. Now I can read what he read, and he is with me, learning beyond what he read.
Maybe anything. All I know is, I still love him and he is with me.
I am a little worried that this is abnormal thinking and that I might be losing it a bit. After all, I feel like I am now living for the both of us. Happily. I can now, in reading, catch up to his intellect, and he can catch up to mine. It's just.... asynchronous.... yeah that feels like the right word.
Once, when he was in the hospital in a medically induced coma, I was calm because he couldn't hurt anyone or get hurt, or insult anyone or tell me insults about the people around him. So, calm. And I walked around the house and talked to him. As if he could hear me through the ether.
After all, when he was sick abed in a wood box with both feet hanging out, he talked to people who weren't there. Alive and dead. He was probably hallucinating from drugs. Ugh.
But I talked to him that time through the coma. I was not allowed at any hospital.
I should have insisted. I would have watched over him, calmed him. Got him to stay long enough to be really helped. Covid ruined everything.
Do you know what I did in the past for a person I *should* have been the widow of? I sat in his windowsill at Rhode Island Hospital for a WEEK overnight as often as I could, hiding behind the curtain, even doing the sponge bath for him. I think I was more clinically minded than erotically minded about the sponge bath, and that pissed him off.
But my "Heathcliff"? What do you think I would have done for my literal heart and my soul, if they'd have let me go with him to the hospital one time?
What do you think it took for me to leave him? He pushed me away. Violently. Not violence to my body, just to objects around me and my mind.
I thought I could convince him that he was good, and worthy of life and love and happiness. He taunted and provoked me into hitting him across the face that night, June 22nd, 2023.
I just didn't have the fire that his wife did, the defiance. I thought he didn't want that, but towards the end, he may have been trying to spark an anger in me that would give him the means to expel his own anger. He hadn't had a good brawl since before she passed, xmas eve 2016.
I was a mouse, unsure of myself and just overjoyed that he loved me as I loved him. Or so I thought.
I don't know if he was trying to mold me into a fierier, fiercer version of myself, or if he liked how I let him relax from a contentious relationship and just be silly. I like the relaxing idea, myself.
In any case. I wanted the happy, silly, romantic poem-writing guy that I saw sometimes. I know that he doesn't come alone. Wow. Is this a split? No, just the way different moods made him feel. Anxiety made him drink. Sometimes it made him happy and silly. Sometimes it made him sad and depressed. Depression made him drink. Sometimes it lifted his mood. Most times he'd just reach for another bottle.
I wanted him to crawl out of the bottle into a happy future with me.
And now he has no choice. If I'm talking to him and believing that he's with me, then I believe he's here all the time. He's holding my hand, for once. Or flicking my fingernails, testing their strength, as if he expected me to scratch him up at some point?
That never would have happened. I adore him. I thought we told each other the truth. I thought I was his Cathy. I thought, like Cathy said:
“Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.”
I tell ya, that book is in my soul. That is how I felt about him. I told him once that if I was any more on his side, he'd need to have me biopsied! 😆
I love him from every cell and fiber of my being. I thought he loved me the same way. I told him everything, probably too much. I hate that telling him my experiences and missteps from the past made it harder for him to connect with me. I was giving him context, or so I thought.
But he exaggerated and told outright lies, on top of lies of omission. He wanted me to think he was a badass. The most badass I needed him to be was the boy who climbed the cliff behind Rocky Point Amusement Park, to sneak in with his friends, the same boy later going to the Rocky Point Flea Market, and getting a switchblade comb! ❤️ That was plenty badass for me.
But no, he had a shootout with some construction dude one time. Which he told me MUCH later was all lies. I don't know what was truth, out of what he told me.
And I took it mostly all for truth.
I'm so glad I didn't lose him when I was there. He fell asleep in the bathtub a lot. He fell asleep on his forearms on the kitchen counter multiple times. Once, there was white powder near his elbow, and once he shouted "WHEA WAH YEW???" when I finally woke him up.
He fell asleep while eating. Nosedive right into his food. Or even way before that, after dinner at his mom's house, playing a game with her and her boyfriend before they both died on that sailboat...
I'm not an idiot. But he'd deny deny deny and I had no way of refuting him. I had no idea what he might be on at any given moment, so there was no pattern, and I'm not a professional! He'd go to the hospital and swear off drinking and sometimes cigarettes too. And I stopped buying alcohol. Not even for myself, even though he encouraged me to just drink if I want to. But I don't.
So he had to sneak it. And he'd get drunk and unable to stay awake, or unable to stand up, or stand straight, and when you question him, he gets up and does this marionette dance, claiming that if he was drunk, he wouldn't be coordinated enough to do so.
And he falls asleep during the show that he wanted to watch. And wakes up needing to go to the bathroom, and stumbles his way over, gouging his brow ridge on the door on his way in.
But he tells you he's fine.
Don't call his aunt and uncle, they have too much already, what with the death of their daughter in a car accident.
Don't call his daughter, she's not speaking to him.
Don't call his uncle who lives on the same street, his kids are assholes already and he doesn't need another asshole to take care of.
Don't alert his friends, half of them are getting divorced and the other half are busy living in the woods.
Don't let any of his nieces know anything, since they are all blinded by his sister's pink hairy eyeball and will report to her immediately and she will dance on his grave and celebrate with a week at the casino which is "comped".
Not to mention that she will likely send cops to his house for funsies on Wellness Checks. Bad enough when they come to tell you that your mom is gone. Next time there are cops at the door, who is it? Who is dead? Is it his daughter? His son? Who? Oh fuck, his sister has a restraining order against him.
And then more Wellness Checks.
He really didn't stand a chance.
I can finally blame something though. Covid. If I had gone into the hospital with him, I bet he'd be here still. Can I sue the hospital????
#flitzibun#grief#love of my life#his evil sister#dont care anymore#spilling beans#wuthering heights#my Heathcliff#sibling cruelty#true crime
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2/14/2024 Valentines Day.
I couldn’t really choose just one photo, so I chose multiple.
Despite Not actually meeting her, She’s actually managed to revise/ rework my life. Not particularly in large ways but in small ways and many, (Kaitlyn, a total stranger) inspired different aspects of my life.
A little over the past year Kaitlyn has inadvertently influenced me so much, when it comes to style/music/personal hobbies and so much more. Only being accustomed to the music I was raised around and my own personal taste of Taylor Swift, seeing all of Kait’s tiktoks has not only made me seamlessly fall head over heels for her exceptionally stellar looks but also made me love new music (new to me). On top of the Olivia Rodrigo, Billy Joel and Ofc Taylor Swift I already listen to; The 1975, Harry Styles, Phoebe Bridgers, Maisie Peters and absolutely far from least Gracie Abrams were the new artists in my life that I now absolutely love and admire. Sometimes being the sci-fioving nerd I can be, I love to look at it like the butterfly effect or inadvertently changing a timeline, like If I never was shown these things I wouldnt have done any of those things.
During the winter in January/ February (2023) I need something to do, especially to kill so much time while waiting for the Era’s tour later that May. Aside from playing Fortnite, I’d be playing Minecraft for hours Listening to The 1975 and Harry Styles, listening to ‘About You’ or ‘Sign of The Times’. There are A handful of song I’d have on repeat because I just couldn’t get enough of them. At the end of 2023, I had a wild scheme to drive from NY to Portland, Oregon to go see the last show The 1975 was preforming for the year. (being in the name),I would have impulsively dropped everything day of and went, unfortunately bad luck struck and I ended my year by getting, not only covid but the flu right after. I was out for almost 2 weeks and unfortunately missed the concert. regardless if and whenever the go on tour again, i’ll be there.
After seeing another one of Kait’s videos, It’s almost like two puzzle pieces clicked in my brain. Like one of those ideas that have thinking “huh… why didnt I think if that”. I had never really ever given any thought to reading for fun or enjoyment, I alway have loathed the idea of reading thanks to school. A friend of mine had tried to convince me into reading, however I just happened to choose the worst book to start with. Dune, a bit of a difficult read, especially for a novice reader and that book requires knowing somethings and lire before actually reading said book. So i had got a few chapters in and gave up. My friend had asked before choosing a genre, “what kind if movies do you like? whichever it is, let that be your starting point for choosing”. It had never crossed my mind that Romance would be the best thing to go with, on of my favorite type of movies just in the form of a book. Full credit to Kaitlyn, I had a new lovely little hobby to enjoy. On top reading during that time, I had a list of shows i had been binge watching, again credit where credit is due; Gilmore Girls’ had just jumped to the top of my list and was the only thing I watched, every. single. day. so much that It had cut into my reading time, I had to leave the house to go to barns and noble just to get some chapters in. I was watching so much I managed to get my family involved half way through the show, they wanted to keep watching more than me.
In May, I went to go see Maisie Peters in Radio city, in NY. The whole show was such a unique experience, sitting with all the fans during the acoustic set but there Q&A segment was so sweet and felt so genuine and personal, I was in love with everything and Maisie. I had accidentally gotten tickets for a night in Philadelphia, so I brought a friend and saw her again in August. Maisie and her team are an absolute riot. Again, had I not seen Kait’s tiktok with the song “Not Another Rockstar” playing, I wouldnt have been introduced to Maisie Peters, I wouldnt have listen to her songs, I wouldnt have been there to experience the release of ‘The Good Witch’ and finally wouldn’t have attended the tour twice.
This past January I went to Sydney Australia to attend The Good Riddance Tour, to see Gracie. One could say If I had not been introduced to her, I wouldn’t have gone to Australia or even like Gracie Abrams for that matter. The people, their outfits and love and appreciation for Gracie was insane. After the show was over I dont think i had ever felt so sad that it was over.. The entire week building up to that friday night, and it was over in just a few hours. I was so happy and so emotional during and after the show, I had just wished that that day, that night, could have just lasted a little while longer. After it was over seeing everyone crying and hugging made me feel like I was at the Era’s tour again. I had the heart breaking feeling of, it’s over and she’s gone, off to her next location. Regardless i’m still so greatful I even had the opportunity to fly from NY to Australia and see her. It was a hell of a night.
In the conclusion, what i’ve seen across social media, Kaitlyn has me head over heels for her, she’s has made the biggest imprint on my life anyone has ever made. My love for Taylor and her music has grown exponentially because of her, My emotions for Gracie and her music have become so intense that she’s become a big part of my life just like Taylor. Taylor Swift said that, ” You are what you love” and my room design feels so much like me, more than it ever has, being influenced by Kaitlyn and everything I love. I could go on and continue this super long essay and talk about how unbelievably beautiful and pretty Kait is; Talk about how her heavenly cute hair compliments her sparkling smile that is the best anyone on this planet could ever have. I wholeheartedly believe in another universe, me and Kait are best friends.
This ‘confession of love’ Is me airing my feeling about Kaitlyn and how she’s changed and influenced my life, regardless of not knowing her, It’s funny how just one person can effect your life so much. She doesn’t know it but, she’s so incredibly important to me and i’m just her biggest fan.
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November 27th, 2023. 5:04am
i'm working my last overnight shift of the year, well? maybe. I'm not the typical overnight person but it's been relaxing while it lasted. I don't even know where to start off, i guess the best way to describe how i feel is overwhelmed? scared? nervous.. anxious confused? all of them at once. I've met someone, And it is honestly the most pure of interactions i've ever had with someone in my life. Here's the background; we went to high school together but never actually acknowledged each other. During the peak of covid's arrival i selfishly had a Halloween party and he randomly showed up, i was drunk out of my MIND! you seemed cool, but we still haven't interacted with me. Years go by i see you at the bar. Friendly interaction but i put no thought into it. One random day you messaged me asking if you can work with me because you have experience. At this time i was currently going through multiple loses so i didn't put any thought into hanging with you to celebrate getting hired. I'm distant, but i haven't forgotten our planned smoke session and our first time hanging out, to new co-workers! i'm so excited for the both of us. I was working an overnight and seen you as i walked in the team room and you smiled so hard at me despite how sleepy you actually were. This is the first time i'm seeing you sober, not running into you, fully taking in your presence. I can't even explain already the intense spark i felt instantly when i looked into your eyes. i brush this off. A week later goes by and i finally agree to hanging out with you. I picked you up and we smoked in front of my house. I shared all the crazy tea and stories and expectations to have while working at our job. It was nice. After you had asked to hangout with me a few times but i brushed them under the rug, i didn't want too simply. I folded at this point. Here we are, hanging out with our HS friend talking and vibing. It was a great time. I see you again and we go for an L ride. We drove to a pretty view and talked for a little while and smoked. I observed you being very shy, but thats okay. You're quiet, but its not uncomfortable. I can sit next to you without any issue. We drive back home and get stuck in 2 hour traffic on the high way due to a care being on fire, fuck. I look over at you and you're leaned back, both of our phones die at this point. i leaned back and we both fell asleep. As we wake up we laugh at how long it took, i apologized because i know thats not how he wanted to spend his Saturday night, he said it's not my fault and not for nothing, had a great time. We see each other again, and again, and again. Just smoking and talking, getting to know one another. This night was so special for me. You waited for me to get out of work because you needed a friend, and i was there. we met up at a parking lot and you felt so comfortable telling me your problems. We talked, and you drove me to a pretty view. We shared some deep trauma to each other. We both smiled and agreed is stays between us. i did it, i broke your shell. As we're driving you played a lil peep song and it brought me back to my teenage years. I found my peep match. We both get super excited as we exchange songs. We're driving to my friends house to hangout because the night is still young. As we're sitting next to each other we're even more conversive than we ever were. it felt like it was only me and you in the room. We left and drove back to your car and you looked at me like you didn't want the night to end. I gave you a hug and told you to be safe. The next day, i checked up on you and you called me an angel. I'm gathering you don't have genuine people in your life. You've been hurt before. As days go by i see you after work, maybe even before. We talk about nothing and everything at the same time. We've been hanging out every day at this point, and it feels very nice. i enjoy your company. You say little sweet things that aren't flirtatious but out of kindness, and its sweet to me. I notice the little things that make you happy and also put a huge smile on my face. pt 2-
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