#bullet earn profits | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-magicians-blue · 2 years

Note

Ohhhh what would Micah do if his angel got caught up in a sticky situation?

Like they're hanging out with some work friends and things so go south? Maybe they got drunk or someone got mad and something bad starts happening?and he finds out because they were calling him so he overhears a little bit of the problem starting and then the call drops?

(I figured it could be anything you want. Like maybe a fight starts or someone starts harassing them. Whatever you think would be most angsty)

… I hope you know you’ve now summoned “might be a little crazy” Micah. This man would flip a city upside down if anything ever happened to you.

Warning: kidnapping and mentions of tr*fficking

6:21am

Was he overreacting? Maybe. Did he care? No. Someone threatened your safety, they had to suffer the consequences. It was their fault for messing with the partner of one of the best hackers in the world.

You had went out for drink with some of your college friends and things were going well. You being drunk and missing Micah, you decided to call him. He couldn’t help but giggle at how cute you we’re being, slurring all over your words.

“Oh angel, you’re wasted aren’t you?”

“Whaaaaa? I don’t know what you’rrere talking about I am perfectly fine!”

“Suurrre.”

You kept Micah on the phone with you as you and your friends waited outside for the ride you ordered. The conversation was fine until he suddenly heard one of your friends started fussing at the driver about going the wrong way. He the heard a car door open, a scream, some struggling and then nothing.

“Angel? Y/N!” The call dropped. Micah began to panic. However that panic quickly turned into anger and determination. He immediately started to ping your phone and noticed the phone was still moving. Whoever had you left your phone in the car like an idiot. It didn’t take long for him to hack into the riding services system to find the phone of the person who picked you up. He now knew exactly where you were, and where you were headed. All he needed now was an extraction plan.

When you had awoke after being knocked out you were tied up in a living room with two of your other friends. The place looked like a apartment in the more expensive part of town. Whoever took you had to be someone with money. There were two men looking at the three of you conversing amongst themselves.

“How much you think we’ll get for them?”

“I think we’ll get a good profit off of ‘em. They’re pretty decent looking… especially that one.” The man was eyeing you up and down and you couldn’t help but shudder in disgust. Suddenly a very familiar voice rang throughout the entire room. Not only was it coming from the phones of the two kidnappers, but from the computer on the desk off in the corner, and the bluetooth speaker they were previously blasting music from to cover any screams.

“Sorry boys, but you won’t be earning anything tonight.” It was Micah, though you weren’t be surprised he managed to find you, you surprised he did it that quickly. The two men were suddenly on edge quickly looking around them.

“Now here’s how this is going to go. You two are going to return any items you took from these lovely people and you are going to let them go downstairs to the car that is waiting downstairs to take them home.” The men started laughing at him.

“Oh? And what makes you think we’ll do that?” After a few seconds of silence the two mens’ shirts were suddenly littered with little red lights.

“Well unless you’d like to repaint the walls in that apartment with your blood I think it’ll be in your best interest to cooperate.” The calm, calculated tone Micah was using was intimidating to say the least.

One of the men scoffed. “Oh please, h-he’s bluffing!” Moments later on of the windows shatter as a bullet flies through, shooting one of the men in the foot.

“Think I’m bluffing now, asshole?” The second man scrambled to untie you and your friends as the other was on the floor, wailing in pain as he held his foot. The man quickly gave you back your phones and wallets

“See now wasn’t that easy? Now my friends are gonna keep an eye on you two until the police arrive. I’ve already sent them all the files of the people you’ve taken. If you’re gonna sell stuff on the black market your should really use a more secure sever ya know. Oh and Good luck trying to afford a lawyer! All of your money has been split up and given to these three lovely people as compensation for your little stunt.”

Micah started laughing as the computer screen behind the men come to life. You could see their bank accounts getting emptied and the police already in route to the building. You and your friends quickly left the apartment and just as promised there was a car that took you all home. The whole car ride your friends were talking about who could’ve possibly saved them. You knew exactly who it was but you really didn’t wanna explain how your boyfriend manage to not only find you but find gunmen for his little plan in roughly two hours.

The next day Micah was at your front door, still extremely worried about your safety. He he wanted to confirm with his own eyes that you were ok and just video calling wasn’t gonna be enough. Honestly you were relieved to see him. After everything that happened you felt most safe with Micah here with you. But, the was just one question that had been nagging you that whole night.

“Micah… where did all those gun men come from?” Micah looked at you for a second before answering

“Trust me angel, you don’t wanna know.”

#error143 #micah yujin #please play error143!#micah yujin x reader #micah x reader

575 notes · View notes

little-miss-dilf-lover · 8 months

Note

Ooo I’ve missed you!!! This idea just came to me if it’s okay!!

Can I please request a Big brothers!Tangerine and Lemon x Younger sister!reader where when they’re on the Bullet Train, things of theirs keep disappearing, the case, their phones, wallets, etc… Turns out Y/n, a 15 year old girl had been pickpocketing the both of them, and she’s so good at it that the two expert assassins didn’t even notice until she took something bigger lol, the case hshs. Anyways, after they deal with the Prince, they come in guns blazing expecting the thief to be another assassin, not just a kid. They take her under their wing?

Y/n reminds them of a younger them? (Also she’s a foster kid like they were)

hii!! ive missed you !! and yes, ofc, always! love it, I did change the age to 17, hope that’s okay, just so it’s closer to be an adult (as I only really write adult readers) thank you for requesting, hope you like it💌

…

sneaky findings

tangerine x fem!reader x lemon (platonic)

word count: 740

✧.┊ MASTERLIST

You haven't been dealt a good hand in life, so you've had to supplement it in other ways. Your ways just so happened to be dipping into the pockets of others- literally.

Because you were a child in the foster system, you moved around a lot. You regularly met new kids, and so you'd pick up on tips and tricks from the others- granted, most of them were illegal, but better yet, they were tricks that became a habit and what would later become the reason for your survival.

And this brings you to today: sitting patiently on the bullet train at Tokyo station with your ticket and last 200 yen. You were in desperate need of a little extra cash, so you were hoping and counting on some good finds on your trip to Kyoto.

When the train left the station, you got up as inconspicuously as possible, avoiding attention as you sneaked down the aisles, slipping your hand into the passenger's pockets and swiftly back into your own. When you were in the connecting carriage area and safe, you would assess your findings.

Usually, you were pretty lucky: new makes of phones, fancy watches and sometimes genuine gold bangles. So far, it wasn't so good, just a couple packs of gum and mostly empty wallets.

You try your luck in the next carriage, immediately spotting a couple of Englishmen in designer suits up ahead. They weren't your typical target, but you had a solid feeling about these two- they were bound to have some expensive things for you to pocket and sell.

You slowly walk down the aisle, a brochure in hand as you pretend to read through it, skimming over the page to create the illusion. Once you are sure they're busy with the other guy at the table, you slip your hand into their pockets, pulling out their wallets and phones.

You reach the end of the carriage and stop once more to assess your findings before spotting something in the luggage area, the silver briefcase you overheard. Grabbing it as quickly as possible, you hide it in your bag, covering it with the scarf you stole from earlier today.

After a few more snatchings, you stroll to the lounge and instantly slump into the comfy seats, kicking your feet up on the opposite chair. The area was empty, so you could finally add up your profits from today in peace. You did a lot better than you thought, especially with that promising silver case. You just had to get in there first to calculate your total earnings.

—

"Oi, you!" a voice calls out from behind, startling you.

You sink lower in your chair, hiding the exposed back of your head.

"I can still see you."

"That’s the girl?" another one says. "She's a kid?" his voice getting closer.

"You stole all our shit," the first says, walking towards you. "Think it's funny?" He snarks, pushing your feet away to sit on the opposing seat.

"No," you shrug, pulling your findings closer to you.

"Take it easy, mate. She's only a kid."

"A kid? Lem, she stole all our shit."

"It's pretty impressive if you think about it."

"My stop is coming up," you lie, adjusting yourself to stand.

"Hm, yeah, I don't think so," the first guy shakes his head, holding his hand up. "You're gonna tell us how you knicked our stuff, then give us our shit back."

The other guy stands beside him, crossing his arms, staring you down as if to intimate you. "Nah, I'm just kidding," he laughs. "Just tryna scare you, but didn't work," he grins, nodding to his partner as he mouths something, then turning back to you. "Lemon, and this is my brother, Tangerine."

"Like the fruit? I like it."

"That's the first," Tangerine scoffs, shaking his head. "You're a bit young to be travelling alone, aren't ya?" He asks, glancing around the empty carriage.

"No," you shrug.

"How old are ya?" Lemon asks.

"Seventeen,"

"One sec," he says, pulling his brother aside. "We really could use the extra hands. Could you imagine how well we'd do? ... she sorta reminds me of us."

"I can hear you," you interrupt. "Not being very quiet and assassiny."

"Zip it," Tangerine says over his shoulder.

"What'd ya say? That a yeah?"

"Yeah, fine," Tangerine sighs, walking over to you and snatching back his phone and wallet.

"Wanna join us?"

— — — — — — — — — — ☆ — — — — — — — — — —

tan taglist: @tangerinesgf @kpopgirlbtssvt @angel-of-new-orleans @earth-elemental18 @ashlynhasmanyhyperfixations @idontknowwhattohaveasmyuser @thewinterv @navs-bhat @ilovetangerinewithallmyheart @theredvelvetbitch @randomawesomeperson102 @lov3lypeaches7 @princess-pebbles-things @astermath @dynamitehacke @boldlyimportantface @charmedkim @fruitlovertangerine @psiiconic @bubblezuku @sporadiccherryblossom @landryslove @daenerys-supremacy @dontknownameauthor @honestly-who-even-is-this

#tangerine #tangerine bullet train #tangerine x reader #tangerine fanfiction #tangerine and lemon #lemon x sister reader #lemon bullet train #tangerine x sister reader #lemon and tangerine

118 notes · View notes

handmadehazefromtheheart · 7 days

Text

The Re-Opening Of Handmade Hearts

It’s been an icy hot minute since I wrote a proper update, but I won’t complicate this one. The update series started with the presence of a workspace and the first shop opening; the second post was about the progress and success so far; the third was almost a year later because so much had happened, and I’d moved, and the store was on standby, and I was getting married, usw.

I’ve since not only moved countries, but I’ve also moved my main storefront from Ko-Fi to the Artisans Cooperative. (But you’ll still find patterns on Ko-Fi.) Like I have from the start, I do the math and show my work in the description of each item listing in a breakdown of the price: In bullet list form, I state the material costs, the platform fees, the time I’ve estimate I could most efficiently take to complete one of each item (which will almost always be less time than it actually took), and the wage per hour that I’m paying myself. If you add it all up, it’ll equal the price in the listing — minus a tax based on your area that the marketplace adds automatically.

There are six fixed shipping prices based on size and location, with the least expensive being within Germany and the most expensive being anywhere outside the EU. I’ve got two different sizes of box, but I really should get me some envelopes and offer a cheaper no-tracking alternative for certain (very small, mostly not-yet-existing) items.

Here are the listings so far!

(Photography by @ablondpanda)

I’ve done the math, and I have made just shy of 370€ in earnings in the time I’ve had Handmade Hearts open. I haven’t been able to work since 2019, so that’s 370€ in earnings within the last five years.

Ouch…

Ouch…?

Well, I have chronic depression, but I’ve managed to carve myself into an optimist; I’ve not had the chance to really grow yet as an indie seller, so having earned anything — not operated at a loss (at least within business expenses; general life expenses is another beast) — is a bright shining star to me.

My parter and I are waiting on job applications and government assistence. In the meantime, I’m hoping to gain more eyes and start making at least one sale every month in the middle and/or latter half of 2024.

I’ve yet to sell anything through the new storefront, so I’m trying to get more eyes on it. I’m considering opening a secondary storefront with Products With Love, a Germany-specific handmade marketplace, to get more eyes that won’t have to pay more than seven euros on shipping for any given thing.

Shipping is, unfortunately, not something I can do for free. To take a moment for personal politics: I really think mail should be one of those things governments work together to pay for and make free on the most basic level, like public infrustructure, roads and such. It shouldn’t cost $24 for me to send you a snake shaped neck pillow if you’re in the US.

That said, it does cost me 23€ (which is $24.53 as of writing this) to send you a snake shaped neck pillow right now. I want to emphasize that because it’s so common when shopping online to find something “underpriced” whose shipping is blown way up for profits, and I think sometimes it’s become habitual to assume that’s the case when shipping is over what Amazon would consider normal.

Another thing people do is including the shipping price within the price of the item to artificially remove shipping costs. That’s something I don’t do because A) I like transparency, and B) that would increase the platform fees you have to pay, increasing the overall price for no reason.

Ultimately, I hope that the way I do things helps people be more mindful of why things cost what they do.

To close out...

In preparation for posting this update, I’ve uploaded my tenth listing on the Artisans Cooperative marketplace. For my trans siblings, and for the pedants who have noticed that none of my wares have hearts on them:

#trans pride #actually autistic #ko-fi #artisans cooperative #crochetblr #crocheting #small business #shop small #disabled #disabled artisans #blog post

9 notes · View notes

eretzyisrael · 8 months

Text

by Daniel Greenfield

Last year, Biden met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and boasted that, “I reversed the policies of my predecessor and resumed aid to the Palestinians — more than a half a billion dollars in 2021.”

Batsheva Nigri, a preschool teacher, was riding in a car with her twelve-year-old daughter when Islamic terrorists from the Palestinian Authority’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade cut them off and riddled the car with 22 bullets. Batsheva’s twelve-year-old daughter watched her mother die.

The Palestinian Authority’s terror group hailed the murder of a 42-year-old preschool teacher as a “natural response to the crimes of the occupation” and as revenge for Denis Michael Rohan, a non-Jewish Australian tourist, starting a fire in the Al-Aqsa occupation mosque in 1969.

Those who knew the preschool teacher described her as a woman with a “heart of gold” to whom “all the children were like her children.” Hamas and Islamic Jihad however claimed that her murder glorifies Allah.

Last Monday’s murder comes after an Israeli father and son were shot to death on the Sabbath. They’re among a growing list of terror victims this year ranging in age from a 6-year-old boy purposely run down on a Jerusalem street to an 82-year-old woman who was killed while trying to get her disabled husband to safety when a rocket hit their building.

The twenty-six terror victims are a sharp increase from the only 3 deaths in 2020 when the Trump administration’s cutoff of aid to the terrorists occupying parts of Israel took effect.

The number of terror victims fell every year Trump was in office, from 15 in 2017, to 12 in 2018, 10 in 2019 and then only 3 in 2020.

And the number of terror victims shot up every year Biden was in office from 17 in 2021, to 31 in 2022, and there is every sign that 2023 will top that.

Twice as many Israelis were killed in one month of Biden than in one year of Trump.

It’s only August and already 26 Israelis have been killed by Islamic terrorists. Last year at this time 18 Israelis had been killed by terrorists making for a 40% increase in 2023.

What made all the difference? As Rep. Ilhan Omar once said, “It’s all about the ‘benjamins’”.

In 2018, Congress passed the Taylor Force Act, named after an Iraq War veteran who was stabbed to death by a terrorist in Jerusalem, which cut off most aid to the Palestinian Authority. In 2019, President Trump went even further with a nearly total cutoff of aid to the Palestinian Authority. Biden not only restored aid, he sharply increased the flow of cash to the terrorists.

Biden’s half a billion dollars helped fuel a massive surge in Islamic terrorism. While the money is officially listed as humanitarian aid, injecting money into terror zones funds terrorism.

The Palestinian Authority maintains a ‘pay-to-slay’ program which pays salaries to terrorists based on the lengths of their prison sentences. That means successful killers can earn $3,000 a month in a part of the world where the average salary is around $700 a month. It’s five times more profitable to be a terrorist than a teacher.

That’s the price of Batsheva’s life and that is what the Biden administration has been paying for.

The Biden administration is well aware that the Palestinian Authority funds terrorism. While Biden and Secretary of State Blinken refused to raise the issue with terror leader Mahmoud Abbas, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf claimed, “we are working to bring pay-to-slay to an end.” Instead the United States is funding pay-to-slay.

And worse.

Recent documents reveal that the State Department applied for an OFAC license which exempts it from Global Terrorist Sanctions Regulations in order to provide foreign aid.

A government sanctions exemption document warned that, “we assess there is a high risk Hamas could potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S. assistance to Gaza. There is less but still some risk U.S. assistance would benefit other designated groups.”

The Biden administration knows that it’s funding terrorism. It is not only aware of it but it actually applied for an exemption in order to be able to continue funding terrorists… including Hamas.

Batsheva’s murder, like that of the 74 terror victims killed under Biden, was paid for directly and indirectly through foreign aid to terrorists and sanctions relief on Iran’s terror regime. These policies were not undertaken in ignorance, the OFAC documents provide clear evidence that the Biden administration had been warned that it was funding terrorism and that people would die.

That’s why the number of Israelis continues to climb every year that Biden has been in office.

After 7 Israelis, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed in a Sabbath terrorist attack outside a synagogue in January 2023, Secretary of State Blinken met with Mahmoud Abbas and promised another $50 million to UNRWA which acts as the employment agency for Hamas. Earlier that same month, the Biden administration warned Israel to turn over $39 million in tax revenues to terrorists rather than providing that money to help terror victims rebuild their lives.

In August, with 4 Israelis already murdered, the Biden administration demanded that Republicans stop blocking $75 million in “humanitarian aid” to the UN agency. Sen. Jim Risch and Rep. Michael McCaul are determined to block that aid until Secretary of State Blinken certifies that UNRWA “is not affiliated with U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations”. And yet the Biden administration can’t seem to even manage to clear that lowest of legal bars.

In Batsheva’s kindergarten in Efrat, which the Biden administration considers an “illegal settlement” despite being referenced numerous times in the bible, the children have lost a teacher and a friend.

The murdered preschool teacher had been on the way to “prepare the kindergarten for the start of the year.” A woman who worked with her described how “every time I entered the kindergarten, she welcomed me with a beaming smile that always accompanied her. The children were everything to her, she always hugged them and gave what she could to the children, the staff, the parents.”

Batsheva did not have to die. None of the 26 already killed this year did. The 3 dead in 2020 show what’s possible. The Biden administration is knowingly funding the murder of the innocent.

#batshiva nigri #joe biden #biden administration #aid to palestinians

24 notes · View notes

nochd · 6 months

Note

Kia ora! I followed you before even realising you were from Aotearoa. ^_^ Ko Ngāti Whakaue te hapu. Nō Ōtautahi me Pōneke au. Kei Ōtepoti tōku kāinga ināianei. Just sending a request for elaboration if you care to on your pretty fantastic point from the post re: insulating ourselves from right-wing viewpoints.

"Capitalism promotes selfishness and greed."

"Value is created by labour. Profit is theft."

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

"Reducing all value to monetary value is soulless and shallow."

"You can't earn a billion dollars."

At the very least, leftists need to become aware of the neoliberal answers to these, and start coming up with better counter-arguments.

Kia ora, e hoa. He Pākehā au. Kei Ōtepoti tōku kāinga hoki -- te hia te oruatanga!

I'm probably going to have to spread this out over a bunch of reblogs, but it's going to go quicker if I start by explaining neoliberal economic theory once to begin with, rather than going point by point.

The first premise is that value is subjective. Different things are valued differently by different people, and no-one is wrong about their own valuation of something.

This subjectivity is the foundation of all economic transactions. Economic value is created by the differential between two different people's valuation of a good or service.

Let's say you buy a coffee for $5, and let's say you do so freely. You wouldn't do that if that coffee was worth less than $5 to you. But the sale also wouldn't happen if the coffee was worth more than $5 to the seller.

Just for the sake of argument, let's say that if that coffee had cost $6 you would still have bought it, but if it had cost over $7 you would have gone elsewhere. Then that coffee is worth $7 to you.

Meanwhile, the seller would (hypothetically) be willing to lower their price if they weren't getting enough customers, but let's say only down to $2 a coffee. So the coffee is worth $2 to the seller.

In this scenario, you've paid only $5 for something that's actually worth $7 to you. You've gained value equal to $7 - $5 = $2. The seller, meanwhile, has been paid $5 for something that's only worth $2 to them. They've gained value equal to $5 - $2 = $3. You're both richer, in terms of total value enjoyed, than you were before you bought the coffee. A total of $5 in surplus value has been created out of nowhere, simply by the act of buying and selling.

I've described this transaction in terms of a dollar price, because that's an easy way to talk about value, but it's important to note that the logic works just the same if you're exchanging goods and services directly for other goods and services. If you don't have $5 but you're willing to wash dishes for half an hour in exchange for your coffee, then by definition that coffee is worth more to you than that half-hour of your time.

That, by the way, already illustrates another foundational principle: value is measured by what people are willing to exchange for it. People can talk all they like about what they want and what's important to them, but if they're not willing to put anything on the line, then it's just talk.

What we've seen so far already gives you the neoliberal answer to a couple of our bullet-points:

"Reducing all value to monetary value is soulless and shallow." -- the neoliberal economist would answer, if you're not willing to pay for something, if you're not willing to give anything up for it, then it is your claim to still "value" it in some sense that is shallow.

"Value is created by labour. Profit is theft." -- to unpack that a little, the difference between the sale price of a good and the production cost to make that good is created by the worker's contribution. The economist will answer, no it's not; it's created by the fact that the buyer values the good more than the maker does.

Workers willingly come in to work and exchange their labour for the wage they're offered; their acceptance demonstrates, by definition, how much their time and energy is truly worth to them. Selling labour to an employer is exactly the same as selling goods to a customer; once sold, the customer owns the goods and is free to do what they like with them, including sell them at a higher price.

(I imagine you can already see at least one of the major problems with this theory; but I'm going to leave counter-arguments for a later reblog.)

Also: "You can't earn a billion dollars." -- the economist would answer that if people are willing to pay you that much money, then by definition whatever you do for them is worth that much money. Provided, of course, that they're fully aware of what they're buying when they agree to buy it.

But if value is subjective, you might be asking, why do economists talk so often as if things had a "true" value or a "correct" price? That's where the market comes in.

Leftists love to use "market" as a word of scorn, but to neoliberals "the market" is simply -- people.

Let's go back to that $5 coffee. If you're only willing to part with $1 for a coffee, you're out of luck. The seller is not willing to sell at that price and the coffee will go to someone else, someone who is willing to pay $5. Contrariwise, if the seller asks for $8, they're not going to get many customers, and people will go buy someone else's cheaper coffee.

If the price is too high, some sellers won't find buyers; the coffee will go unsold, and it will be wasted. If it's too low, some buyers won't find sellers; the coffee will all be snapped up by the first lot of customers to get there, regardless of whether they're the ones who valued the coffee highest, and there will be a shortage. Either way, some surplus value which could have been created, won't be.

But in a free market, customers can choose whose goods to buy, and sellers can choose what price to sell their goods at. Mathematically, the price which will generate the most profit for the sellers is also the price which creates the most total surplus value for sellers and buyers alike, thus minimizing both waste and shortage. That's what's called the market price.

Remember, surplus value -- in neoliberal theory -- is basically people getting what they want. The ideal situation is for the greatest possible number of people to get the greatest possible amount of what they want. That's the same thing as creating the greatest possible surplus value across the economy.

I've already pointed out one of the problems with this aspect of the theory in a reblog of the earlier post. But again, I'll come back to counter-arguments at a later time.

In fact I think I'll wrap up here for now, because this post is already getting megabig. I haven't covered everything yet, but I'm going to save it for next time.

However, this is an ideology which is sincerely and seriously believed by people some of whom are very intelligent. Which means it's important not to underestimate its allure. So to counter that, I do want to impress upon you that according to this ideology, the best possible outcome for any situation is by definition that which is determined by the market, human consequences be damned.

If the market deems that climate disaster is better than cutting back on fossil fuels, then climate disaster is better than cutting back on fossil fuels. If the market deems that millions dying of Covid is better than lockdowns and mask mandates, then millions dying of Covid is better than lockdowns and mask mandates.

Just bear that in mind.

#nochd answers #economics #capitalism #neoliberalism #politics

5 notes · View notes

thatone-churro · 7 months

Text

suffocation

within an environment i barely control

the only thing between me

and an environment i don’t belong in

if i could i’d still shy away

i don’t want to know the world

i don’t want to see the world

i don’t want to need the world

lock me back in that claustrophobic metal box

and let me pretend that i don’t

***

you’re telling me so many truths

it makes me want to cry

bathe me in your golden light

and i think that i could die

***

i’m passing my fifth billboard

plastered with a face of some man

who profits off something going wrong

and i wonder if they ever think

that someone might cause an accident

while trying to read the signs

about how they’ll defend you in one

and i half wonder if that’s the point

and i hope that if that’s how it goes

that i go up in smoke

marred by the metal

dead with the battery

because that’s easier for me to deal with

i’d rather follow it haunting the wreath

placed on the side of the road

***

your voice sings with such feeling

it makes me shiver

whispers through an eager grin

who knew so much sunlight would make me quiver

***

the road knows so much

the road’s seen sadness

the road’s seen love

the road’s seen anger

the road’s probably witnessed tears

the road’s probably witnessed sex

the road’s probably witnessed guns and bullets and blood

the road probably knows too much

***

intertwine my fingers with yours

and you make my stomach churn

delicate delicacy, the gentlest of sensations

a tender passion i have yet to earn

***

another billboard yells at me to repent

and another tells me he loves me

and another tells me he forgives me

and another tells me to choose him

and another tells me i can be born again

and they wonder why i hate this state’s highways

i didn’t mind it once

and now i do

and i half wonder where i’d go sometimes

but i don’t want them to place a cross by the road

leave something, if you must

but the cross over my head

was never a choice of mine

it only devastated a 12-year-old’s brain

i might attempt to visit him tonight

just to see what happens to people like me

***

press your forehead into mine

you make my skin, my face burn

a phantom touch, words without a voice

a world in mind, when will i learn?

***

i do not scream as much as i should

i do not scream as much as i deserve too

always too scared to disturb the world

my anguish was never pretty enough to show

always bottled inside

tears disguised by the shower

wet spots on the pillow

pain poured into poetry

tear stains on the leather seats now

i never deserved a thing i’ve ever had

but all in the same

i never deserved the things i never got

i’m always drowned out

no one hears through the glass

no one hears over every other car in the world

all passing by

all doing better

i won’t even let the radio hear it

i don’t cry as much as i deserve to

— how did that line about ghosts in “hang me like jesus” go?

#i can never take this one seriously because it only exists because i was already on the verge of a breakdown #and decided to put on music to cheer up and then hang me like jesus started playing and at that point it was over for me lmao #also hey the queue lines this one up w/ the release of wyctmf i swear i didn’t intend that at all lmao #this has been waiting to go up since before we knew the release date i swear 😭#the patron saint of asexual poets #poetry #poem #poems #original poetry #original poem #writing #original writing #creative writing

6 notes · View notes

redwoodwv-hq · 3 months

Text

Name: Catherine Bisset Age: 40 Town Occupation: Hunter Previous Occupation: Scavenger Redwood Resident Length: Newly Arrived Faceclaim: Sofia Boutella

Bullet Points:

She's never apologized for her so-called crimes - for doing what the adults in the Family were too weak to do. For being strong.

Brother Sparrow didn't believe in therapy, and was far more concerned about what the girl may have said to authorities after away from his indoctrination for so long. Catherine's brief return to her parents was near round-the-clock effort to reprogram her and arrange an appropriate marriage for the teen as quickly as possible.

Cat earned a GED and studied college level courses while imprisoned. Never chased a career with any of it, however.

The Bisset family desperately wanted Harmony in their lives as some last echo of Nora. They were miserably disappointed in the weird, angry young woman they found, instead.

@fleetsummers was in the movie based on her life.

Quiet by nature, Cat needs time to warm up to real conversation. Mostly she sticks to as few words as possible, and feels perfectly content coexisting near someone in silence.

Catherine didn't befriend any of the other Reavers, unimpressed by their political games when it was beyond pointless. Everyone was screwed, it was just a matter of degree.

From a practicality standpoint she understood why they wanted her gone the day the Farm was invaded.

Still doesn't quite understand all the letters she'd been sent over the years. Why people felt she should be the receptacle for their stories and traumas - let alone the marriage proposals.

Vacillates between feeling misanthropic about society and desperately, instinctively longing to be accepted by it.

Much of her misanthropy is informed by cult indoctrination, which inclined her to interpret things in an antisocial way. She's never put sincere effort into combating that thinking.

Biography:

~Before the Virus~

If you paid attention to the news 25 years ago, you may remember the story of brave little Harmony Sparrow. After going missing for 8 years, Harmony emerged, having escaped her abductor. Unfortunately, the reward for her escape was to be sent back to a family more in line with Koresh than Brady.

The press went absolutely mad for her second escape the following year.

She got her siblings out and ensured Brother Sparrow wouldn't hurt anyone ever again - the prison time supremely worth such results. Having been tried as an adult, her sentence spanned years, losing all siblings to the foster care system. But strangers often visited - for various reasons - from curiosity to adoration. Harmony was sent books to read, money for the inmate commissary, cards and gifts at the holidays. And letters - so many letters.

After several visits from her maternal grandparents, Catherine Bisset was born in some lingering hope for normalcy. Unfortunately, she brought all of Harmony's anger, brainwashing and trauma with her.

Many urged Catherine to turn her story into an empowering (and profitable) tale. The world was crazy for true crime stories, for "heroic survivor" tales. Catherine played along for a time; taking interviews, giving motivational speeches, and seeing more of the world than she ever thought possible. For better and worse.

The movie was barely based on a true story, but Jenny Ortega did an alright job.

People kept telling her the world was a good place, that she'd see that in time, but Catherine never did. She only saw the meat grinder named Capitalism. Even her horrors had been turned into profit. Humanity was a series of cruelties running down an inevitable clock.

Since the people in power were only looking out for themselves, Cat learned to do the same. All the while alienating the many people who'd expected her to be a sweet and repentant survivor who had killed out of desperation. A palatable broken girl seeking the light of redemption. Nobody liked the real Catherine. Which was fine; she didn't like them, either.

~After the Virus~

The clock ran down, the virus broke out. Zombies were an absolutely fantastic outlet for Catherine - who knew? It was therapy of the most physical variety. What combat skills she'd learned were suddenly very handy - so-called paranoia paying off.

The Reavers were stumbled on entirely by accident in those early days. They didn't play coy. They took people in unpredictable blitz attacks - to join or to serve - without pretense of some noble mission to rebuild society. They reinforced her feelings about humankind, sure, but it also helped to have someone watching Catherine's back when she was able to sleep.

By the time Isaac joined, Catherine had truly come to see the Reavers as representative of all society. The weak were used and discarded, the strong petty and scheming. Something seemed so familiar about Isaac's behavior, however - familiar enough to make Catherine nervous for the first time in years.

She kept an eye on him, circling like a skittish cat. He kept talking to her, trying to engage and not giving up in the wake of her silence. Her first attempts at conversing were closer to blurted interrogations, but it was a start.

By the time they decided to invade the farm, Catherine was unwilling to let him go without her. For the first time in her life, someone appeared to enjoy her macabre company; appreciating her without demands for conformity.

When he turned against the Reavers in 2040, Catherine had chosen her side. Isaac believed in Redwood, and she believed in Isaac. The Reavers, alas, didn't believe in either of them. The day of the invasion, Catherine was ambushed and taken deep into the mountains by a few particularly resentful Reavers.

It took a while to escape this time, but Catherine had survived worse.

#redwood.characters

3 notes · View notes

tempest-toss · 3 months

Text

tw: death, temporary child kidnapping

Visible to anons, and visible to muses (I have a strange feeling though that some will take this moment to rag on the characters)

~~~~~

The birth had been laborious, but Shuichi did it. Now he sleepily looked out at Fenrir, who was cuddling a bundle of purple fur with fox ears, Fenrir soothing the child like he's done many times prior.

Shuichi's gaze drifted to the door as the nurse entered. Shuichi hated her with a passion. The way she described the baby and the way she described him made him wonder whether or not she wanted to steal Luca from him.

His fears came to fruition as she pulled out a syringe and jabbed it into the distracted Fenrir, and she swiftly pulled the baby out of his grasp as he came crashing down. With an evil smirk she began to leave, prompting a tired Shuichi to reach out."

"Please...I want to hold...my baby..." The nurse turned to look at him, smirked, and walked out, leaving Shuichi to succumb to the drugs in his system for the birthing process.

````````````````

As the nurse walked out with the baby, she sped through the hallways, ultimately being halted by a rare figure.

"What are you doing with a baby outside the patient's room?" Came the flat command of Overseer One.

"The parents are resting, and I wanted the little one to pick a toy so he won't cry while his parents rest!" This lie was met with a raised brow by the archivist before she took a drink from her coffee mug.

"I won't impede the happiness of a baby," One mumbled as she continued on her way down. The nurse breathed a sigh of relief and made her way past the storage room and made her way to the elevator, taking it straight to the car lot.

Partway through the elevator stuttered, the shaking and the nurse's banging on the panel stirring Luca and causing him to cry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The nurse hurried to her car, scolding the baby kitsune, who began to wail even louder. As she starts her car, and preps to look behind her to reverse she hears the click of the key. Turning back the key was switched out of the ignition, and every time she turned it it would switch back. After holding it in place she went for the stick, only for a hand made out of the stick shift wrapping her hand, sharply stabbing her wrists.

"You...stole!... our baby" the radio moaned as it was turned on by itself, the dials turning, tuning to different channels. "You...will pay!"

As soon as the nurse muttered "That fucking ghost", a hand came from behind her and slit her throat. Her free hand clasped her throat as her other hand was released. The sound of Luca being removed from the car could be heard as the nurse stumbled out. As she stood up she had to squint as a green laser went into her eye. Without getting a chance to process it, a bullet shot through her skull, and she crumpled dead.

O5-13 lowered her titular sniper, a smile on her face as she mumbled a soft, "still got it." Victor Jekyll emerged from the car, ceasing his possession of it, while the half-cat man and SnapDragon Smuggler Nikos walked to the both of them, a giggling Luca in his hands.

"Thank goodness Overseer One called us about this. I would shuddder the thought of a new life being whisked away for nefarious reasons, especially my beloved's child!"

"Well, that's all over. And if no one will object, I could sell up the remains for a nice profit." Nikos speaks as he hands the baby to Victor. Nikos begins to bag the body, eager to sell the bones, flesh, hair, and eyes for the Snapdragon Smugglers to earn a profit. Then, he'll play with the new son.

~~~~~

Shuichi and Fenrir are hugging, tears caked on Shuichi's eye tracts. His eyes light up as Thirteen arrives and hands him back his baby. Shuichi begins to cry anew as he finally gets to hold his baby. His healthy fox baby. He allowed himself this moment to let all deception and lies down. No Foundation, No Council. Just a moment with the family.

#narrator's pov #Two #Thirteen #Four #werewolf #the trickster #Sniper #Another muse #Nikos #Victor Jekyll #One #Archivist

2 notes · View notes

msilwrites · 11 months

Text

Sequel to: ASCENT - Defying Desire (ODD WOMEN Series) a 3AM update - SIX

A/N: Some dry humor, surprising revelations, and a deeper look into Henry's manipulative and tactical nature.

Face Claim Cast:

Auryn Sorenson - Matthias Shoenaerts (A/N: I actually chose him to play the younger brother because he bears a resemblance to Mads)

Defying Desire

SIX

"So you were professionally-zoned," Charles remarks, unable to contain his frustration as he brings up Sage, his father's recent date that he met a week ago when he dropped by their old home.

Kieran's face reddens slightly as he tries to find the right words. "Well... you see, I couldn't just let that app slip through my fingers, and I..."

Vi interrupts with an exasperated sigh, her voice filled with both seriousness and humor. "Da, seriously? You couldn't resist talking business with someone you were interested in? You should have been whispering sweet nothings, not analyzing profit margins!"

Auryn, trying to make sense of the situation, raises an eyebrow and looks at his older brother. "Wait, hold on. Are you telling me you actually started dating someone? And this is how it went down?"

Vi, still frustrated with her father's tendency to mix business with romance, seizes the opportunity to remind him of a past dating blunder. Her voice carries a mischievous tone as she says, "And what about Ms. Ingrid Hawkes, Da? Remember how you let her slip through your fingers? It was the same story. Instead of wooing her, you were too busy talking shop. You've got a thing for these clever, capable women, but can't seem to close the deal!"

The table erupts into laughter, the tension dissipating with each chuckle. Kieran, his face still slightly flushed, joins in the mirth, realizing the comical predicament he found himself in.

Vi's voice turned serious, "Da, I have to wonder, are you intentionally seeking out girlfriends who have a tendency to shoot you? Is it some sort of bizarre criteria you have for a successful relationship? 'Must be capable of wielding a firearm and willing to use it if things go wrong.' Is that what you're looking for?" She paused for a moment, "Maybe you should consider revising your dating checklist, just a thought."

Charles and Auryn erupted into laughter, their shoulders shaking as they recalled the infamous incident of Kieran getting shot during his time as the Section Chief at an government intelligence agency. While it had been a frightening and serious ordeal back then, the passage of time had allowed the family to find humor in the situation. Now, they couldn't resist teasing Kieran about it, sharing exaggerated versions of the story and playfully imitating his shocked expression. It had become a lighthearted inside joke within the family.

Kieran raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, Vi, I suppose I have a unique taste in women. After all, nothing says 'relationship material' like someone who's willing to shoot me in the name of love." He shrugged, a wry smile playing on his lips.

Vi raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Dad, I think it's time you give up on finding a girlfriend who's like your ex. Let's aim for someone who designs beautiful things instead of designing dangerous missions. Trust me, it'll save us from any unexpected explosions during family dinners," she quipped, earning a round of laughter from her brother and uncle.

Kieran chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Vi, my darling, I've had my Let's just say I've learned my lesson. From now on, I'm on the lookout for someone who is more 'designer dress' than 'secret agent attire.' No more bullets, just beauty!" He grinned, adding a wink for dramatic effect.

The family burst into laughter, their amusement echoing through the restaurant. Vi couldn't help but roll her eyes playfully at her father's quip. Charles erupted into uncontrollable giggles, almost causing him to spill his drink. Even Auryn, typically composed, couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head

Charles chimed in with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Da, don't give up just yet, You can still break free from the professional-zone. Take her on a romantic date, show her a side of you that's not all business. It's time to switch gears and make your move!"

Auryn, with his dark blond hair catching the light, leaned forward inquisitively. "So, Kieran, spill the beans. What's the deal with this app and the woman you're into? I'm dying to know what's got you so hooked."

Charles, always tech-savvy, grabbed his phone and began furiously typing. "Alright, let me do some detective work here. Give me a sec... Ah, got it!" He paused for a moment, his eyes widening in recognition. "Hold on a second. This is that community app everyone's been raving about, right? It's got a huge following and people seem to love it."

The rest of the family leaned in, their curiosity getting the better of them. They exchanged glances, excitement brewing as they realized the significance of the app and its connection to Kieran's romantic interest. The conversation veered off into a lively discussion about the app's practicality and the woman who brought it to life.

Auryn's curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Kieran, do you have a picture of her? I'm dying to see what she looks like."

Kieran shrugged, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. "Actually, I don't have a picture of her. We've been so engrossed in conversations and getting to know each other that we haven't really taken any pictures together."

Auryn's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, you're interested in her, and you don't even have a picture? How can you not have a picture, Kieran? That's like, the first thing you do!"

Vi chimed in, playfully scolding her father. "Honestly, Da, I thought you were better than this. How can you be interested in someone and not have a single picture to show? You're slacking, my friend."

Meanwhile, Charles, ever the resourceful one, simply tapped away on his phone, his fingers dancing across the screen. "No worries, guys. I've got this. Let me just work my magic and find out everything there is to know about her."

As Charles delved deeper into his online search, his eyes widened with excitement. He discovered Sage's designer profile, showcasing an artsy black and white photo of her. The image portrayed her beauty and creativity in an enchanting way. Without wasting a second, Charles eagerly showed the photo to his sister and uncle.

Vi's jaw dropped in awe as she admired Sage's stunning image. "Wow, she's gorgeous! Da, you really know how to pick 'em!"

Auryn, on the other hand, had a different reaction. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized Sage. "Wait! That's Sage Lennox," he exclaimed, unable to contain his astonishment.

Kieran looked at his younger brother in confusion. "How do you know her, Auryn?"

Auryn's eyes widen, and he fumbles for words before finally admitting, "Well, we actually had a certificate class together at UAL." His voice trails off, and there's a hint of nostalgia in his tone, suggesting a deeper connection.

Vi, sensing her uncle's hidden feelings, grins mischievously. "Oh, Uncle Auryn had a secret crush, didn't you?"

Auryn's cheeks turn a shade of pink as he tries to deflect the attention. "It was just a passing fancy. We were both focused on our studies, and nothing more."

But his frustration quickly surfaces, and he adds with a hint of annoyance, "Although, I have to say, it was frustrating to see how Sage was being treated back then. I witnessed a few heated arguments between her and that Henry Havel,” (A/N: I actually changed their surnames a bit)

Vi, always quick to pick up on the dynamics, teases him with a mischievous smile. "Oh, Uncle Auryn, your jealousy is showing!"

Charles, intrigued by the mention of Henry Havel, asks curiously, "Who is this Henry Havel?" His tone carries a hint of skepticism "What does this man even have that would make a beautiful woman like Sage put up with him?"

Kieran, being a non-executive director at the same company Henry works in, answers with a knowing smile. "Henry Havel is one of the executive directors for Havel Group, a conglomerate in the industry. I've crossed paths with him a few times during my work there. He is actually from the branch family of the Havels. While his grandfather founded Havel Group, he is not the heir to the conglomerate. But he holds a significant position as an executive director in the company." Charles raises an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. "So, he's not the main heir, but he still has influence within the family business. I wonder what qualities or connections he possesses to capture Sage's attention."

Kieran, who is familiar with Henry's reputation, chuckles and nudges his son playfully. "Well, Henry is a capable guy, but why don't you go find out for yourself? Look up Henry Havel and see what you can dig up. I have a feeling you might be surprised."

Vi, unable to resist her curiosity, leans over to take a peek at the screen. However, instead of a mischievous grin, her expression softens with a hint of sadness. "Yep, he looks like trouble! No wonder Sage fell for him."

As Vi's words hang in the air, Auryn's eyes narrow slightly, and a trace of jealousy tugs at his heart. He clears his throat, trying to mask his emotions. "Well, I'm sure Sage saw something in him that others didn't. People can be drawn to different qualities, after all.

Kieran, adds. "It's not uncommon for people to be attracted to charm and charisma, my dear. Unfortunately, Henry is a looker too. The good news is, she is no longer in that relationship" Auryn nods sadly, agreeing with what his brother said. "Yes, and you just had to be the one to capture her attention. I can't believe you let her slip away." scolding his brother.

Vi notices her uncle's wistful look and pokes him playfully. "Oh, come on, Uncle Auryn! You're an award-winning designer with those gorgeous blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. You've got your own set of qualities that can make hearts flutter."

Charles joins in, teasingly nudging his uncle. "That's right, Uncle. Don't underestimate yourself. You're quite the catch."

Auryn looks at his nieces and nephew, a mix of amusement and mock seriousness on his face. " Are you suggesting that I should become your father's arch-nemesis in matters of the heart? But sorry, my dear ones, I prefer to maintain my position as the beloved and oh-so-cool uncle.”

Kieran joins in the teasing with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oh, Auryn, don't worry. I'm not threatened by you becoming my romantic rival. I think I can handle a little friendly competition."

Auryn chuckles, shaking his head. "You're quite confident, aren't you? But remember, if you don't make a move to win her back soon, I’ll really go after her myself”

Vi and Charles exchange mischievous glances, sensing the playful rivalry between their father and uncle. They raise their fists in the air and cheer, "Fight, fight, fight! Da vs Uncle!!"

Auryn raises an eyebrow, feigning offense. He rolls his eyes at their antics but can't help but smile. "Alright, alright, settle down, you two. Let's not turn this into a full-blown competition. I was just teasing your father." "

Kieran joins in the banter, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Indeed, let the best man win, may the odds be ever in your favor, Auryn."

Auryn raises an eyebrow, his expression a mix of disbelief and amusement. "You too, Kieran? Seriously? I can't believe I'm being challenged by my own brother. This is getting out of hand."

Auryn's initial surprise quickly turns into laughter as he joins his brother Kieran in their shared amusement. They both chuckle, their laughter echoing in the room.

----------

Henry sat in his private office, engrossed in the stack of documents spread out on his desk. The room was filled with an air of focused determination as he meticulously reviewed each page. Suddenly, he sensed a presence and looked up, finding his secretary standing in the doorway.

The secretary, a young woman with a professional demeanor, couldn't help but steal a quick glance at Henry. His striking looks and undeniable charm were hard to ignore. Henry, accustomed to the effect he had on people, simply offered her a polite smile before returning his attention to the documents. Despite his reputation as a charmer, when it came to work, Henry made sure to maintain a focused and professional environment.

Unfazed by his good looks, the secretary maintained her composure and approached Henry's desk. She held a file in her hands, ready to assist him with any tasks he required. Her admiration for his appearance didn't overshadow her focus on her job.

Henry looked up, meeting her gaze, and nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Lydia. Please place those documents on my desk. I'll review them shortly."

Lydia, displaying a level of professionalism that matched her poise, smoothly placed the file on Henry's desk. She stood confidently, ready to address any further instructions or inquiries.

As Henry skimmed through the documents, his eyes widened with surprise. Among the papers, he noticed a file bearing the logo of Sage's app. Memories of their past and the recent encounter with Sage and Kieran resurfaced in his mind. “Lydia? can you tell me more about this?”

Lydia, maintaining her professional demeanor, nodded and spoke in a composed tone. "Certainly, Mr. Havel. The app in question has been recently acquired by one of our non-executive directors, Kieran Sorenson. He saw potential in it and decided to make the acquisition for his own company."

A week ago, outside the lounge bar, Henry had caught sight of Sage and Kieran together, their easy camaraderie and connection evident. It had stirred a mix of surprise, jealousy, and regret within him. Now, with the knowledge that Kieran had acquired Sage's app, a sense of rivalry ignited within Henry.

The knowledge that Kieran had acquired Sage's app further intensified Henry's drive to prove himself superior, both in business and in matters of the heart. He couldn't let Kieran's success with the app go unchallenged.

Realizing the importance of the matter, Henry knew he had to bring it to the attention of the board. With a cold smile, Henry looked up at Lydia. "Lydia, inform me immediately when the next board meeting is scheduled. I have an important matter to discuss with the directors."

Lydia, sensing the shift in Henry's demeanor, nodded briskly. "Of course, Mr. Henry. I will ensure you are promptly informed of the board meeting arrangements."

With a calculated glint in his eyes, Henry turned his attention back to the file. He would seize this opportunity to outmaneuver Kieran and bring the app into the hands of Havel Group. He saw the acquisition of the app as a strategic move to bring Sage back into his life. With careful planning, he intended to smoothly transition the app to Havel Group, using the opportunity to reconnect with Sage on both professional and personal levels. Henry's calculated approach as an executive director would allow him to leverage his charm and unwavering pursuit, ensuring a chance to rewrite their story together.

----------

Kieran, dressed in a sharp dark blue suit, entered the meeting room with a file in hand. As he stepped inside, he found the executives and directors engaged in casual conversation, setting a relaxed atmosphere before the formal meeting.

With a friendly smile, Kieran greeted his colleagues one by one, exchanging pleasantries and brief updates. The room buzzed with anticipation, knowing that an important discussion was about to take place.

"Good morning, everyone," Kieran said, his voice carrying a confident yet warm tone. "I hope you all had a productive morning so far."

The executives reciprocated the greeting, some nodding in acknowledgment, while others engaged in small talk.

As the room quieted down, Simon, the esteemed leader of the Havel Group, stood up and addressed the gathered executives.

"Good morning, everyone," Simon began, his voice carrying authority and respect. "Today, we have an important topic to discuss: the recent acquisition made by our non-executive director, Kieran Sorenson."

All eyes turned to Kieran, who sat confidently, ready to present his case.

Simon continued, "Kieran, we appreciate your entrepreneurial endeavors and your role as a non-executive director. While this acquisition was made for your own company, it is important for us to understand the nature of the app and its potential impact on the market."

Kieran nodded, understanding the purpose of the meeting and the need to provide transparency regarding the app acquisition. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and then began to present a comprehensive overview of the app, highlighting its potential benefits, market opportunities, and how it could contribute to the growth of his own company.

As Kieran spoke, Henry, with a calculated glint in his eyes, listened intently. He saw the potential of the app as not just a standalone venture but as a means to undermine Kieran and regain his connection with Sage, his ex-girlfriend and the app's designer.

With every passing slide, Henry's mind raced, devising a plan to outmaneuver Kieran and bring the app into the hands of Havel Group. He saw the acquisition of the app as a strategic move to assert dominance and challenge Kieran.

Henry, leaned back in his chair, a subtle smile playing on his lips. As Kieran confidently presented the app's features and market potential, Henry's mind raced with thoughts of how he could undermine his rival.

"Thank you, Kieran, for the overview. It's evident that your acquisition holds promise," Henry began, his tone calculated and deliberate. "However, I couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between your app's features and our own successful online retail division."

An undercurrent of concern rippled through the room as Henry continued, pointing out the potential conflicts of interest that such an acquisition might bring. He emphasized the importance of safeguarding their existing operations and partnerships.

Kieran maintained his composure, though a flicker of worry crossed his eyes. He understood that Henry had a valid point.

Undeterred, Henry pressed on, his voice carrying an air of authority. "Before making any decisions, I propose that we thoroughly evaluate the strategic alignment and potential synergies. We must prioritize the growth and stability of the Havel Group above all else."

The board members exchanged wary glances, recognizing the weight of Henry's words. His calculated attack had successfully cast a shadow of doubt over Kieran's acquisition.

With a self-satisfied expression, Henry leaned forward, locking eyes with Kieran. "I trust that you understand the implications of your decision, Kieran. It is imperative that we proceed with caution and prioritize the best interests of the Havel Group."

Kieran, determined to address Henry's concerns, responded with measured words. "Henry, I understand your perspective, but let me clarify that the app is not a direct competition to our online retail division. It functions as a community platform, enabling individuals to sell their used items, offer services, and connect with potential buyers. It fosters a sense of community and facilitates peer-to-peer transactions."

Henry's confidence remained unwavering. "Kieran, I acknowledge your perspective, but let's not underestimate the impact this app can have on our online retail division. While it may not be a direct competitor, it still poses a threat. People turning to this app for buying and selling their used items means they won't be turning to our online platform."

Kieran held his ground, recognizing the need to defend his position. "Henry, we have an opportunity here to tap into a different market segment. This app is about community engagement and convenience. It can bring new customers and work alongside our existing operations."

Henry leaned back in his chair, skepticism etched on his face. "I appreciate your optimism, Kieran, but let's not overlook the potential risks. We must consider the possibility of resource diversion, customer overlap, and the need to allocate our efforts wisely."

Taking a deep breath, Kieran sought common ground. "Henry, I propose that we conduct a thorough analysis of the app's potential impact and explore ways to collaborate rather than compete. We can establish guidelines to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the app and our online retail division."

Henry listened intently, his mind already devising a cunning plan. Leaning forward, he sported a calculated smile on his lips.

"Kieran, I understand the potential value of this app, and I appreciate your entrepreneurial spirit," Henry began, his tone measured. "Instead of viewing this as a competition, why don't we explore a partnership? Havel Group has the resources, market reach, and expertise to help scale this app to new heights."

Kieran raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Henry's proposition. "A partnership? How would that work?"

Henry glanced at Simon, his elder brother and the leader of the Havel Group, who had been quietly observing the discussion. Sensing the strategic potential in Henry's suggestion, Simon spoke up.

"Kieran, Henry's proposal is worth considering," Simon interjected, his voice carrying a weight of authority. "The collaboration between our companies could lead to a synergy where the app can thrive while aligning with our broader business objectives."

Kieran turned his attention to Simon, his curiosity piqued. "Simon, I appreciate your perspective. But how can we ensure that the app's unique community-focused approach remains intact within the partnership?"

Simon nodded, understanding Kieran's concerns. "Kieran, we value the app's core values and its connection with its user base. We can establish a joint committee consisting of representatives from both our companies to oversee the partnership. This committee will work together to define and safeguard the app's unique identity while leveraging the resources and expertise that Havel Group brings to the table."

Kieran contemplated the proposal, weighing the potential benefits against his initial reservations. "If we can find common ground and maintain the app's integrity, then a partnership could be a viable path forward."

Simon extended his hand towards Kieran, signifying their agreement. "Let's explore this further, Kieran. I believe there is immense potential in joining forces and charting a new course together."

As Kieran shook Simon's hand, Henry observed with a mixture of satisfaction and anticipation. The board's support for his proposition indicated that his calculated approach was paying off. The path to a strategic partnership was now open, and Henry's plan to bring the app into the hands of Havel Group and reconnect with Sage seemed within reach.

A/N: In this chapter, we witness the extent of Henry's capabilities and cunning nature as he strategically navigates the boardroom discussion and manipulates the situation to his advantage. Do share your thoughts and opinions on Henry's character and actions. Do you find his tactics impressive, or do they border on the line of being creepy or obsessive? Let us know your perspective in the comments below. Enjoy the chapter, and I'll be making some minor edits for clarity and flow.

10 notes · View notes

deathfavor · 9 months

Text

@barrenstars said: her job for the legion was another success, which meant the pay would once again be exceptional. it's oddly not what she thinks about as she sits against a large container, supporting a few injuries from her recent job. her amused gaze focuses on earl as he chats away to another member of the legion, discussing bai yi's great success and how much zoya had stated she was owed for it. when earl comes her way, she meets him halfway, rising to her feet with a slight unstable wobble and trudging over with a wide grin. he speaks and of course, she listens, stopping him mid-sentence with a single question. ❝ are you single? ❞ earl was quite handsome - in fact, 'quite' was an understatement. earl was attractive, there was absolutely no questioning it. ignoring the way the legion members tense and shift their positions as the woman reaches out to run her finger along the man's coat, she circles him, not perceiving the sharp pain in her side, inflicted by a bullet. ❝ you're such a hard worker, and very loyal. that's an extremely attractive trait in men, although quite rare nowadays, you know? ❞

For as troublesome as the reputation of Bai Yi could be, she was good at what she did when she applied herself. The bond between Legion and Whitestone Industries was strong an profitable for them both. Earl didn’t trust something as simple as good relations based on leaders - he was a cautious and cunning man an kept fierce watch. As long as both sides could profit, he would have faith to some degree in the bond. If that faltered though, Earl would be the first to notice and quick to react. The advisor of Legion was well known for his abilities as an advisor after all. But that aside, Bai Yi deserved acknowledgement both formally from the Legion for her assistance, as well as a rare gem of praise that Earl was willing to offer. He knew talent and skill, and she had plenty of both.

That does not mean he doesn’t notice nor that he would disregard her wobble that could be missed with her smile. It’s only the fact she interrupts before he can comment (after due praise) the delays what he will inevitably point out. (He will not forget it the way others probably would.) Is he single? If Earl is shocked by the question, it doesn’t show on his face beyond a slight lift of his eyebrows. Maybe the action is because of being interrupted, maybe it is because of the question. He quiets for a moment, the interruption a rarity that he allows in this instance.

“ ....I am. “ Which is not particularly surprising when one thinks about it. His grim and dangerous aura kept plenty away even without knowing who he was. And if someone DID know who he was? The reputation was another barrier. He was guarded and distrustful, and focused on the mission of Legion first and foremost. Not what most people chose to look at for anything casual OR serious.

Tension spikes from the Legion soldiers when she’s brave or insane enough to reach out towards him. A snap of a finger or a cant of the head would be enough to let the soldiers loose like a pack of starving animals. But Earl merely stands still, steady and unwavering. A fox knows when to move and not waste unnecessary energy. Neither he nor Legion are under threat or risk. He lifts his chin slightly an the soldiers that had been watching relax, even if they do shift a bit uneasily. Instead, her movement draws his eyes down to her changed movement, muscles shifting and weight adjusting to make up for injuries. She might not notice it. He does.

“ This world we live in is full of mutts ready to rip each other apart for a few coins. “ He snorts. He’d quite literally seen people kill for a few tossed coins or a hot meal. He’s sure everyone in Syndicate has at some point or another. People would turn traitor in a heartbeat. Not Earl. Even when he disagreed with a plan, he never turned his back on Zoya or the Legion. “ Loyalty from anyone or anything is a hard-won trait in a hell-hole like this. “ Though, once earned, it was unshakable lest the other person choose to destroy it.

“ You’re injured. “ Earl remarks, his ever-observing gaze focused on her side when he speaks before it lifts towards her face when he steps forward. “ I’ll send for a medic for you. Free of charge naturally. “ It was an injury gained for the sake of the Legion’s mission - it was the least that could be done on top of the agreed upon payment as far as Earl was concerned.

#barrenstars #HFJSDFG he handled this so much better than i ever could #the fact he actually answers #sb actually gives earl the acknowledgement that he deserves #not that he minds #he really does work sO HARD though #dedicated & loyal & hot #what more could one want #icb this man is single (i can but sTILL)#᛭ — [IC] raven wings guiding the wolves [EARL]

5 notes · View notes

aeoki · 6 months

Text

Sandstorm - Pointless Death Game: Chapter 2

Location: Desert Characters: Hinata & Kaoru

Hinata: Oh~ Crazy:B’s rising in popularity, huh. We’re in the same agency so I hear about them a lot.

They caused so much trouble in summer, though. Everyone forgot all about that and they’re just spoiling them.

I guess you could say it’s because our vice president extinguished the flames and did a good job handling the aftermath. It was all pretty shocking. You know what they say, once on shore and we pray no more blah blah blah.

Kaoru: A win is a win in this industry~ In fact, it’s like that generally in society. I think it’s all based on the truth that ill weeds grow apace.

Even if you’re a good kid who doesn’t stand out, the system that has been established won’t allow you to succeed with just those things. It’s sad to admit but that’s the reality of it all.

Hinata: Then, we’re–

Kaoru: But well, we’re not meant to be “bad kids”, so there’s no need to pretend to be bad. I’m tired of that and acting like a delinquent isn’t fun at all – In fact, it’s just exhausting.

Since that’s the case, it’s better to just do your best earnestly, little by little, right?

That fits me a lot better. I can’t say for the rest of the members in “UNDEAD”, though~

Besides, succeeding using Crazy:B’s way of doing things is normally something that’s really hard to pull off.

They succeeded by repeatedly doing risky gambles and winning.

But all it takes is one loss and they’ll be walking on thin ice. If they have someone they want to protect – someone they care about – then, they shouldn’t live like that.

They should just be salarymen; work earnestly little by little and get a salary at the end of every month. What’s wrong with doing that?

People might say they’re amazing if they make it big and land the jackpot at the casino.

But that’s definitely lower than the possibility of earning enough to keep on playing for the rest of their lives. Crazy:B got lucky but it’s not like everyone can be like them.

But anyone can be an idol. If you’re loved by someone, then that means you’re already an idol, right?

Hinata: …………

Kaoru: If you become that kind of idol, then anyone can make a profit. They’re trying to make a system that will make that happen…

This system of Tenshouin-kun’s – of ES’ – is something I think that’s worth praising and supporting.

If this “SS” is something that will stabilise and help ES grow, then I’d be happy to help however I can.

I think everyone else must think similarly.

So even though they’ve realised that this year’s “SS” is a bit strange, they’re trying to not go against them and are instead cooperating in the meantime.

Anyone would be overjoyed to see their agency flourishing.

Hinata: That’s true but there will be people sacrificed, so you can’t call it justice.

Kaoru: Yeah. There are plenty of units who don’t like that idea. And people who simply dislike the fact that Tenshouin-kun is the one leading it all.

But ES is most definitely improving our positions as idols and they’re providing us with a stable source of income.

There are a lot of people who are saved by ES – by their systems.

As long as that truth stands, ES still counts as one definition of justice. Then, that justice collides with other kinds of justice and the justice that’s left standing will be the true justice.

We’re just in the middle of comparing the different kinds of justice. “SS” is probably that sort of war.

Hinata: It feels like there’s been a war going on since forever at Yumenosaki and ES~

Kaoru: It probably started when we were cavemen, but we’ve just changed our methods and used different things, right?

But fortunately, humanity has gained experience and evolved. Right now, there is a war by the name of “SS” that’s going on in this country…

But unlike the wars of the past, which involved the firing of bullets, people won’t die here and blood won’t be spilt. We’re making people happy with our singing and dancing.

It’s a very peaceful war – it does sound contradictory, though.

I’m happy to support such a war. No, I acted like I didn’t care during the War, but this time, I want to do something.

There’s not much I can do but if there was something that I could’ve done back then during the War, then…

Maybe I could have protected Rei-kun, Kouga-kun, Kanata-kun, Souma-kun or someone else. That might have been impossible, but maybe I could’ve lessened the damage and healed their wounds.

…Just maybe, you know? I don’t want to grow old just by regretting it and thinking I could’ve done something but didn’t.

I’ve been forcibly involved in the war anyway, so I don’t want to run away crying and acting like a victim – I want to do something too.

Currently, all I can do is wander in this desert, though.

But I’ll do my best wandering at the very least. I’ll do what I can. Maybe I’m being made to dance in someone’s palm, maybe I’ll end up regretting it someday.

I don’t want to choose to “do nothing” anymore. Hinata: …………

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂ Next Chapter →

#sandstorm

2 notes · View notes

soulseerzine · 9 months

Note

quick question: would you explain your reasoning for not providing contributors with the bare minimum of a physical copy? i know for a fact this is keeping a lot of potential artists from even applying.

Hi, thank you for asking this! Please prepare yourself for an extremely nitty-gritty response. xD For anyone else also following along, the bullet point in question here from our info doc is this:

All contributors will receive a gratis package that includes, at the very least, the digital zine and any other digital items. The gratis package will expand to include the printed zine and/or some lower-tier merchandise items depending on item costs and sales. In no case will the value of the items gifted to our contributors exceed the amount donated to our charity.

As we all know, printed merchandise like books cost money. When contributors receive gratis items, the items are given to them for free but they are not free to produce; the money to produce them comes out of the zine’s budget.

Ideally, that budget will cover all of the zine’s expenses and then some. That additional “some”—the profit that is leftover at the end of the project, after all the project expenses are deducted—is the amount that gets donated to charity.

a.k.a.,

budget = expenses + profit

profit = amount of money donated to charity

budget - expenses = amount of money donated to charity

Expenses, of course, are costs that must be paid in order to run the project. This includes the printing and manufacturing of the books and merchandise, the costs to ship those items from the printers/manufacturers to the mods, shipping and packaging materials such as bubble mailers and tape, any transaction fees that need to be paid to storefront merchants such as Etsy, taxes, and some other incidentals (unanticipated but necessary expenses).

So then you have contributor gratis packages, which are items from the project that are gifted to contributors at no cost to them. If we consider this a fixed expense—something rigid that MUST be accounted for before counting any profits—then it means we are paying ourselves before we pay any money to charity. How much will this expense of free gifts for ourselves come to? A book for every contributor? A book and a set of acrylic items for every contributor? A book, acrylic items, and possibly a more expensive item like a tote bag or dakimakura (note: we don’t know what our merch items will be yet, since we’re still accepting applications!) for every contributor? Is shipping weighty items from Boston to Australia included in the amount of money we’re treating ourselves with before we donate anything to charity?

Rather than simply answering yes to those questions and using customer money to buy ourselves free merch before a cent gets donated to charity, we prefer to scale the gratis packages we’re promising to our contributors according to the zine budget that we end up having to work with after all the income from preorders is accounted for.

In the best case scenario, the zine earns oodles of money and we have more than enough to treat our contributors with very nice gratis packages that barely makes a dent in the thousands of dollars that we get to donate to charity!! 🎉 Hythlodaeus himself descends from the heavens to compliment everyone on what a good job they’ve done, and everyone wins all the loot they want for the rest of forever.

In the worst case scenario?? We get two customers and head mod Ravy dips into their personal savings account to cover the costs of bubble mailers and MOQs for 100 acrylic keychains that never sold while crying themself to sleep (but comforted with 98 acrylic keychains I guess). 😭

Most likely, the outcome will be somewhere between those two extremes, and we need to decide at which points along that spectrum a book for everyone is in the budget, at which point a book + keychains for everyone is in the budget, etc. The most straightforward answer to your question as it was asked is that we choose not to set that point at “we absolutely have to fit buying all contributors a physical copy of the book into our fixed expenses, before we start counting any money we can donate to charity”—mostly because we feel it would be unethical to run a “charity project” and tell customers we intend to send all profits to charity, but then end up using more of the money on ourselves than we ever send to charity. So we instead set the threshold at “we get goodies that cost money from the zine budget only at the point at which the money we will have remaining to donate to charity is equal or greater to the amount spent on contributors.” That point will probably be low and easily reached, but we don't want to be disingenuous and say it’s absolutely 100% guaranteed even in the worst case scenarios of not generating enough profits to feasibly or ethically cover doing so.

For anyone who is on the fence about applying to the zine and getting a free book or not will make or break your desire to participate, I do want to assure you that we intend to look out for our contributors and compensate them for their time and talents as fairly as would be ethical for a charity fandom project. We also have to consider that we could be dealing with a large-budget project or a small-budget project, will not know the financial success of the project until probably the middle to end of the preorders period, and have a responsibility to scale the project accordingly whether we have hundreds of dollars to work with or thousands. Of course, the more talented and creative folks in our fine fandom who apply to the zine, the better the zine will be, and the larger the budget is likely to be. But we do hope that the primary appeal of that is more beautiful fanwork for the whole fandom to enjoy and more funds raised for charity, with better rewards for the contributors being a secondary perk.

As for which charity will receive these funds, we have decided to determine that after we assemble our contributor team in order to let the contributors offer suggestions, feedback, and generally be part of the decision. We would like to select a charity that focuses on aiding the transgender community, whether globally or in an area in which they have been under particular recent legislative attack, and welcome suggestions from contributors and non-contributors alike!

#hythlodaeus #fanzine #soulseerzine #ask answered #asks

2 notes · View notes

drgmissioncontrol · 1 year

Text

I have some downtime, and I’d like to regale you all with a quick tale of ingenuity. Those of you affiliated with Deep Rock are surely aware that many of our company-issued weapons don’t use bullets. Why is this, you may ask? Futurism? More effective on Hoxxes? Cheaper? The answer is far more entertaining.

Taxes.

See, following some galactic wars, steep taxes were placed on exporting bullets to ensure that it’d be incredibly difficult to raise such a force again. Rather than sell out to give that money to space-faring organizations, R&D designed a simpler solution- non-bullet weapons. Plasmatic canisters are tax- and scrutiny-free due to their various industrial uses, so naturally we created plasma based weapons such as the Drak. Missiles? Well, those are weapons of war, so they are in fact taxed, but explosive mining compounds and metal self-propelled shells are not taxed. Arrows are taxed, but long bolts for structural integrity are not. Who are we to say that these bolts might or might not accidentally find their way into a Boltshark. Industrial acid isn’t taxed, nor is simple electromagnetic wave equipment. By developing these workarounds early in our maiden years, Deep Rock was able to maximize profit and put a thumb in the eye of anyone trying to earn money off of us.

#deep rock galactic #no one can use predatory profit maximizing systems except us

12 notes · View notes

girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 2 years

Text

tuesday again 9/27/22

pretty bad fatigue week! fewer in depth breakdowns of media, more naps

listening Faster Gun by Little Big Town, found through chase @pasta-pardner 's incredible bounty-hunters-to-lovers playlist. this is. hm. what is this. bluesier than is currently fashionable country? not meant as a dunk on the song, which i have had on loop for days, there's a very early twenty teens quality about the mix. what the fuck do i mean by that? fuck if i know!

youtube

honorary shoutout to the line "Put another bullet in the chamber with your smile" bc that's gotta be like twenty fic titles. if not i have a new mission.

reading pinging off a lotta stuff, which is not the fault of any of the works and more that i am unable to settle and concentrate on any one singular thing for longer than about four minutes.

luckily, i have read this article, which details the practice of sending your local boutique owner a bunch of links to the shit you want and then she places the shein order for you and you go pick it up at the store.

this is absolutely fucking fascinating to me. it is not detailed very well how/why/if they handle the infamously gnarly returns process as well? i also wish the article went into more depth about Why this is so successful, other than "uhhhhh online sales in Mexico are low for uhhhhhh...cash? reasons? haveyouthoughtaboutinvestinginalastmiledeliverycompany"

Both Sandon and the Précomas’ boutiques offer the same prices that users might find on the official app. The way they make a profit is by making the most out of the gamified discount system Shein offers its online customers. “The more items you buy on Shein, the better discounts you get and the more points you earn to exchange for other discounts,” Guarneros said.

we do gotta hand it to them and i do fully support these women leveraging their network of friends from previous pyramid schemes like avon and tupperware in order to make bank by gaming the fuck out of predatory gamified discount systems

watching the unbearable weight of massive talent (2022, dir Gormican)

now, is this movie sucking itself off a lot? yes, almost constantly. however, i had fun watching it. i feel like nick cage The Guy is probably pretty chill and has a good sense of humor in order to agree to do this movie

i like pedro pascal The Guy very much and as an actor (one of the rare actors where i'm like "that's a hot guy! also, i'm extremely horny for him!" as opposed to a lot of actors that i do think are pretty [daniel craig, etc] but don't necessarily want to fuck) anyway it feels like pascal had a ton of fun making this. are we slowly returning to the tight ninety-minute movie???? i would have watched ninety minutes of cage and pascal riffing off each other. the plot in this thing was superfluous tbh

playing fallow week

making stock! i have two batches actually bc i inherited a bunch of stock fixins from the good roommate, who properly roasted the bones and saved the skin and everything so the first batch is really gorgeous and dark and glittering with fat. i skimmed some of the fat off but not all, bc the stuff i make never requires perfect crystal clear broth and i like fat. i did do the cheesecloth straining thing tho.

also feat. a whole bunch of my landlady's herbs (which have not had a very good time this summer) and an entire four-year-old bottle of bay leaves. can't hurt yanno. plus a parmesan rind from the aforementioned roommate. all items pictured here before transformation into stock

the second batch is still on the stove as i write this, with somewhat fewer herbs and no bay leaf, but smells just as good. tastes slightly less good so i think roasting the cleaned bones or whatever the fuck she did to them really does make a difference, bc i fully just plopped a chicken carcass in the freezer after i finished getting most of the meat off it and gave it no more effort than that. HATE having to do more work to get a better quality final product!!!

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem #Youtube

19 notes · View notes

caffeinejournalist23 · 11 months

Text

Suburban Nightmare The Scariest Part About Moving to the Suburbs is the Fear of Having to Move Back to the Hood

I grew up in the "hood" of Northwest Ohio and throughout my childhood I was repeatedly told by teachers and social workers "you have to have a college degree." To survive, to live a good life, or to go on vacation once a year, they never specified why we needed to have one - the adults just told us this from the third grade onward in a tone that was serious and haunted us as we clawed our way to high school graduation. Well I moved to the suburbs to pursue a college education, received my Bachelor of Arts, but then wound up jobless for the first 2.5 months after graduating, fearing that I may have to return to the life I thought I left behind in the hood.

This is what it was like.

Part 1/3: Restless

The first few days were not too bad.

I finished school on a Tuesday and had the graduation ceremony the following Saturday. Though I was anxious to begin working full time again after taking almost a month off to focus on school, I forced myself to appreciate having a few days to catch my breath after completing the toughest semester of my undergrad career - under the assumption that my boss would call me back to give me my schedule as promised.

But they never called me back.

I texted. I called. I emailed. Nothing.

I reached a supervisor in my department who promised they would make sure my employer called me once they returned from vacation, but the supervisor also warned me "if you get a new opportunity, take it, because I'm not sure what [they] are planning with you."

I texted. I called. I emailed - for weeks.

Still nothing.

Feeling scorned, neglected as an employee, and painfully confused, I knew I shouldn't go back; not only was I completely ghosted, but this happened on top of several occasions prior when I was not paid on time, not paid the proper amount, and even scammed by a company hacker. And I knew I didn't deserve the shame of going back to a place begging for employment where I had already been so mistreated.

So the job search began.

Part time. Part-time remote. Entry level. Entry level temporary. Full-time summer. Freelance. Temporary full-time summer.

The amount of key terms I came up with to expand my search for jobs ought to have earned me a certificate in SEO optimization. Within a matter of weeks I had easily applied for hundreds of jobs; some remote, some on-site, some part-time, some full-time, some freelance, some temporary.

Job applications had just one line to mention my education - school, degree, and major; I have a degree in English and Digital Media Studies. I could generalize my degree to a Bachelor's in digital communications. I minored in criminal and social justice. I took a digital photography class. I've completed course service-learning hours and internships with a variety of non-profits. I took an HTML coding class. I wrote a parody of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I graduated with a 3.6 GPA. I got an A+ in a digital journalism class. I wrote a 20+ page essay for my capstone that I plan to expand into a book. My second capstone was a documentary I could submit to a film festival. These extra points of academic accomplishment were bullet-listed in applications where there was a degree description space, otherwise these were only recognized and respected in my LinkedIn profile.

There wasn't enough space in the education history line to explain all of the challenges I surpassed or all of the awesome awards and accomplishments I earned while getting the degree to write in my education history. I started a student org focused on newscasting. I was the VP of our Black Student Union for 2 years and spoke on behalf of the union at a peaceful protest following the death of George Floyd. I won recognition for Student Org of the Year - twice in a row. I became the student manager of the student engagement department. I was an active member of the Latino Student Union for over 3 years. I petitioned for a town-hall meeting for students and faculty to better our DEI awareness across campus. I was invited to a one-on-one meeting with the university president. I advocated for PRISM and LGBTQ+ acceptance across our campus. I hosted and evaluated numerous surveys to better serve our campus community. I participated in a plethora of volunteer opportunities and campus events. I was an orientation leader. I was an RA. I served as a mentor to underclassmen. My name consistently appeared on the Dean's List.

Suddenly it seemed like my degree did not carry much value. Few job postings prioritized candidates with my degree type - "digital communications but a degree in marketing preferred." It's like they wanted the skills earned from my degree as part of the job description, not the qualifications. Most job postings didn't seem to value my degree at all: "remote communications strategist - degree in journalism or other related field a plus, not a requirement." I had slaved for four years; four years of 18 - 21 credit hour semesters while spear-heading a student org and working anywhere from 2 to 4 jobs at a time, and some trauma healing/family drama because the Universe likes to keep herself entertained I guess. I was the first in my family for over 4 generations to earn a college degree. I took out tens of thousands in student loans. I went to an exam on 4 hours of sleep. I closed work at 1am and went to class the next morning at 8. I had nervous breakdowns and still got my 8-page essays turned in by 11:59pm.

But none of that seemed to matter. In the eyes of employers, overcoming all of those obstacles and challenges did not reflect how I was a good candidate for their position.

The only thing employers seemed to really take into consideration was previous work experience; that shouldn't have been a problem for me, as my resume was rich with experience by having to work to pay for school anyway. I'm a previous graphic designer. I was an intern for a local newspaper. I was a full-time social media manager for one summer. I have various experience mentoring kids/students ages 14 through 19. I was a shift leader at Family Video before the pandemic made us close all our stores. I was a remote political journalist during the 2022 midterms. I've been a coffee barista and was promoted to opening shift leader after my first 30 days. I coordinated a friend's wedding. I became a freelance state manager for a remote election reporting company. I managed the student engagement department and adapted our traditional events to a virtual medium. I've filed parking permits and incident reports. I've painted yard signs. I've hosted people to their dining seats. I've supervised. I've lead. I've delegated. I've supported. I've created. And I've always worked so so hard because in any and every job I could not sleep at night unless I did my best.

The few jobs I did hear back from said they chose "a better candidate" - aka someone with more experience. Either places are preferring to hire older people who have had the chance to garner more experience after college, or getting a college degree is redundant - and that notion of my hard work, discipline, and financial sacrifices from the past four years amounting to arbitrary value was what really started to freak me out.

The college dorm I was escaping homelessness in started looking like a haunted house; the frustration and hopelessness was written in the walls. My life started getting scary. Had my hopes and dreams been built on a lie? Was college just a deferment of the demise set for me by being born and raised in poverty?

The vacancy of my roommate's absence was soon followed by my own absence of income, food, and purpose. No meal plan. No job. No savings. No fail safe. No side hustle.

And no idea what to do next.

#suburbannightmare #mundane photography #amatuer photography #photoblog #photography #poverty #inequality #hood #suburbs #psychthriller #aesthetic #series #photo series #caffeinejournalist

5 notes · View notes