#just. going to enjoy my constant applications to internships | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hansolmates · 5 years ago

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one more time (m)

pairing; (former) popular!jk x (former) normie!reader summary; it’s been two years since you’ve seen your former tryst jeon jungkook. you didn’t expect him to be applying for the internship you’re currently running, along with the rate your heart is running at the sight of him in a black suit. genre/warnings; self-deprecating language, your typical (future) co-workers!au, jungkook is a piner and so is oc, a lil bit of sneaking around, adulting, a mutual understanding of feelings (finally!!) smut in the form of—soft n’ dirty baybee, unprotected, cockwarming, overstimulation, minor praise and possession kink, cumplay, &you know that they gon have heart eyes the entire time w.c; 7.3k a/n; darn why am i so... emotional over this??? it started out as a meaningless drabble series but with all my lovely readers and moots it’s grown into such a fun, introspective series. thank u for loving this and joining me on this journey. for those of u who are new to this series feel free to read popular-ish first or as a standalone! [popular-ish masterlist]

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“A mess, I’m a mess,” you sing-song to yourself, organizing the manuals on the clear glass by subject and size. The applications of all your new interns are alphabetized, not a form out of place. Everything’s perfect. “Alright Jessica, all twenty of the interns are accounted for.”

“Actually, there’s twenty-three,” Jessica quips, and you let your shoulders slump. Being part of the recruiting team of your company has been simultaneously exciting and stressful. Stressful because of the constant travel, but otherwise exciting because you loved your internship at your current company. You remember how nervous you were two years ago, and how much support and help you got from your recruiters. Applying to this team was a natural turn of events.

“A-are you sure, Jess?” you look through all the applications, count the amount of nametags, triple check the chairs. You’re sweating through your blazer, wondering where you went wrong.

The head of your recruiting team glues one hand to her hip, while the other hand is holding her iPad, scrolling with her thumb. You swallow, intimidated by Jessica’s golden wavy locks and her black-trimmed white Chanel pantsuit.

“Yep, but don’t be too hard on yourself. I just added three more recruits last night. I’ll get the chairs and the apps are being printed. No worries,” Jessica assures, gesturing for you to hurry up and get outside, “Call the babies in!” your team leader waves her finger around like a magic wand, commanding you to the front lines.

Krystal puts a hand on her shoulder, as always looking impeccable. She has virtually nothing to worry about. She’s a woman who has connections, courtesy of her team leader. “Let’s go, newbie,” she teases, pulling you through the door.

The recruits in the lobby are wide-eyed and vibrant, and you feel a little nostalgic as you watch them line up in front of you and Krystal as you sign them in. You would dwell on the feeling more if it wasn’t for your exhaustion, so you decide you’ll get a chance to take a road down memory lane when you get to the hotel.

“Name?”

“Xu Minghao.”

“Congrats Minghao, here’s your nametag and I’ll see you inside,” with a firm handshake, one recruiter is free to go.

“Name?”

“Chou Tzuyu.”

“Congrats Tzuyu, here’s your name tag and I’ll see you inside,” she doesn’t go in straight away, and moves to the side of the door. “Actually,” you pause mid-handshake with another recruit, staring at the woman in curiosity, “my boyfriend just got a call last night that he was accepted in this year’s batch. Do you have his name?”

“Yes, three more recruits were added,” you chirp, as if you totally did not hear that bit of information five minutes ago, “What’s his name—Jungkook?”

The both of you blink at each other. One hand on Tzuyu’s shoulder, eyes wide and mirroring yours. Your heart falls straight to your stomach, wanting to be eaten by acids and bacteria so you can stop any possibility of feeling any lingering affection for the boy you fooled around with in undergrad. Everything about him screams professional. He’s clean cut, a pinstripe black suit you never thought he’d own, and his hair is neatly trimmed and pulled behind his ears. His shoulders look tall and broad under the slight padding, his biceps comfortably stretching against the dark fabric. The golden complexion remains the same however, from the honest brown eyes to the coral pink lips that would always smile at you.

“Oh, so you do have his name!” Tzuyu clasps her hands together, delighted. He has a girlfriend, too. It’s then you realize you’ll be stuck with not just him, but her for the week. “You guys are so efficient. C’mon Kookie, let’s find some seats!”

“I still gotta get my nametag,” he replies goodnaturedly, gesturing to you, “save us some seats in the front?”

Tzuyu thinks nothing of it, squeezing his bicep before skipping off to the front row. Your eyes linger on her form, and it’s only then you realize how tall and intimidatingly pretty she looks in that plaid teddy bear brown skirt suit. You did not look that good when you were a budding undergrad.

By this time, Krystal has taken all your other recruits from your line, regarding you with a raised brow. She’s fast with her attendance, so you know you don’t have much time.

“I applied last minute,” Jungkook says, scratching his head, “was running out of options before graduation. I didn’t know you’d be one of my recruiters, though. Lucky me.”

Jungkook and you never ended up keeping in contact, at least as of recent. A check-in message a few months in, a happy birthday or holiday greeting late at night. But two years later and those messages are automatic, with no feeling or personality. You never thought you’d see him again, no less in the city.

“You just graduated with your masters, congrats,” you smile at Jungkook, although you’re sure the feigned emotion fails to reach your eyes, “IT Management, right?”

“You remembered,” Jungkook brightens, reaching over to squeeze your shoulder, “you look good.”

“Oh please—” you laugh to yourself, shaking your head, “I just got off a flight and I ran over in a two-day old suit, I don’t even have makeup on,” you didn’t feel this way in the morning, you just rushed to do the bare minimum to be enough and ran over to the convention hall. But now in the presence of Jungkook who looks so handsome and clean-cut, you can’t help but feel a little slighted at the sudden reunion.

“You’re always beautiful,” Jungkook exhales, and you clutch your clipboard closer to your chest.

You cough, an excuse for him to stop touching your shoulder, “You should go inside, it’s gonna start soon. We can catch up later.”

“Wait—” you make a scrunched up face that Jungkook can’t catch, but right in Krystal’s view. You can tell she’s laughing at you internally with her devious grin. “I just wanted to say, Tzuyu isn’t my girlfriend. We’re just…”

“Fooling around?” you didn’t mean for it to sound so sharp, but you wanted this conversation over. You have a job to do and Jungkook is your emotional barrier.

You and Jungkook used to fool around.

Jungkook winces, looking younger in his monkey suit. “I mean if you give me a chance to explain later—”

“Nametag, let’s go newbie.” Krystal slaps on the sticker herself, a little too hard if she asked. She doesn’t even bother to write his full name, just a bright green Jeon JK, IT Management tacked on his breast pocket, clashing with the gold pocket square.

“Sorry,” Jungkook tucks his tail in for now, bowing at you and Krystal as he scurries inside.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. Krystal doesn’t bother to comfort you or ask what’s up—not that you want her to, even though you do want a breather before you have to go up on that stage and explain the itinerary for a week. The only thing you can do is smooth out your skirt, brush away the flyaways on your hairstyle and plaster a company-paid smile on your face.

The autopilot switch is on throughout the rest of the morning. Not just because Jungkook’s around, but the new position has got you on livewire. You’re glad that you’re not wearing base makeup because you are absolutely melting with all the high beam lights all up in your face as you talk through the week’s activities.

You could swear Jungkook clapped a little harder than most once you stopped talking, but maybe it’s because you’re not used to seeing Jungkook in the very front of a lecture. In fact, he was a very hard middle person, preferring not to show off his intelligence and let other people lead the discussion. Then again, it’s been two years, you don’t know how much he’s changed.

Jessica caps off the seminar with a great kick-off, the happy hour. The recruitment team picks a four star restaurant under their hotel so the recruits can enjoy themselves before going off to the training facility for a week.

And by training facility, you also mean yet another four-star hotel. You knew you made the right decision by joining this company because the benefits are impeccable, and value personal enjoyment just as much as they value work ethic. In the morning you and the recruits will be driving uptown to a private resort where there would be classes in the morning, and recoup in the evening. You’re very much looking forward to the infinity pool on the roof.

The recruits are ushered out as soon as you’re done, and that’s when you step out of the shadows to clean up the chairs and the brochures left behind. Thankfully Jungkook is probably following the norm and going back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. Once the room is completely empty, you rip off your blazer and let yourself relax.

It’s going to be a long week.

Jeon: where u @?

You: hotel room

Jeon: why? Thought we were all gonna have dinner together

You: nahhh, this night is for the recruits! You’ll be tired of our faces by the end of the week, enjoy it while you can 😉 have a good night

You sigh in contentment, relaxing further into the silk sheets. You just finished your skincare routine, letting some mindless drama play as the essences and serums sink into your skin. All you want is one Jungkook-free night. Tomorrow you’ll be stuck training him and Tzuyu for the week and you want to take tonight to emotionally prepare yourself.

Your phone rings once more.

Big Baddie Jessica Jung: krystal and i ordered takeout in the restaurant downstairs. Can u bring it to our room? Plsssssss

Little Baddie Krystal Jung: it’ll be faster if you do it, we even got u a lil somethin🍰🍰🍰

Taking in your outfit, you grimace. You’re dressed for bed, a large nightie with your hair pulled back and a little pink bunny tie headband on top. Can’t they get room service to send it up? You admire your boss but you don’t understand why she needs to display her power over and over, she already knows you’ll follow her to the ends of the earth.

Quickly slipping into a pair of sneakers you run down the expanse of the hotel. It’s easy to spot where the recruits are, livin’ it up in the large restaurant that takes up half the space of the ground floor. Most of them are pretty drunk, hoping to sleep off the hangover on the four-hour bus ride. You have absolutely no judgement, two years ago you were in the same position.

Thankfully you don’t have to go far into the restaurant, as the hostess immediately knows Jessica’s order. While you wait for her to go into the kitchen and get it you drum your fingers against the counter, hoping no one notices you. It’s akin to when you’re a teacher in a mall, hoping none of your students gawk at you in the middle of Victoria’s Secret.

“Ah, well Jungkook and I aren’t official yet—but very soon.”

Your ears perk up at the sweet voice. Tzuyu is leaning across the open bar next to the counter, sipping on a mango mojito. She’s dumped the blazer for the night, showing off her soft skin and slender arms with a sleeveless cream blouse.

“Then where is he?” another recruiter asks, gesturing to the expanse of the lobby.

“He’s not much of a party person,” Tzuyu shrugs, tipping back her drink.

You scoff, plastering on a smile to the hostess as you grab your bags and walk as fast as you can out of the lobby. You’ve never felt more like an old hag until now. Sure, most of the recruits are younger than you, but seeing Tzuyu talk so freely about her relationship with Jungkook has you in a bit of a spiral. The day of graduation, you told Jungkook not to wait for you. Heck, you’re only interested in the idea of what you could’ve had with Jungkook.

These thoughts only cloud you further as you jab the elevator buttons all the way up to the suites where you and the Jungs reside. You relax a little when you see a strawberry cheesecake sitting prettily on the top of their order, your name written on the label with a little heart. Hanging their bag on the door handle of their room, you make your way back to your suite.

You freeze when you see a floppy-haired Jungkook roaming the hallway, looking like a clueless child hobbling around in slippers and wide eyes at any sparkly item that decorates the area. It doesn’t even look like he tried attending the happy hour tonight, dressed in an impossibly big heather grey sweatsuit that swallows his form.

“Are you lost?” you ask tentatively, as if you’re talking to a toddler lost at the mall.

Jungkook relaxes considerably at the sound of your voice, and he replies, “Was tryna find your room since you didn’t reply to my texts.”

“So… you decided to check all the rooms?”

“Yep,” he pops the p with a smack of his lips, “I figured the recruiters would be far away from the party so I started at the top. Thankfully I got to Jessica’s room first. Didn’t have to knock on too many doors. Only one old man got annoyed at me.”

“You’re crazy,” you chuckle, slipping in your keycard to let Jungkook in.

“Fuck, this room all to yourself?”

Jungkook doesn’t hesitate to kick his slides to a corner of the wall, flopping atop your bed and clutching your baby blue koala plush in his arms. The king sized bed is enough for his legs to stretch comfortably without falling off the edge, and he eagerly pads his feet against the soft fabric.

It warms you to think that Jungkook is comfy enough to lay on your bed and hug your stuffed animals, a semblance of friends that you’ve missed for such a long time. Last year the team you worked for was great, you loved the people and even now you consider some of them friends. This year the team is a little smaller, and since your two other co-workers are sisters, it’s a little harder to nudge yourself in the direction of friendship.

As soon as you sit down against the headboard, Jungkook’s eyes soften. Everything feels so different and the same. The threadbare pajamas that either of you haven’t had the heart to throw away since they’re so damn comfy, yet your bodies are a little more worn and your eyes a little more droopier than usual.

“So,” Jungkook bites his lip, not in the sexy way, but the nervous way, “about Tzuyu—”

“Jungkook, you don’t have to explain yourself,” you slump on your corner of the bed, regarding Jungkook with guilty eyes. “I really shouldn’t be feeling the way I’m feeling. It isn’t fair and I don’t want to jeopardize your internship.”

“And… what are you feeling?”

“Dumb things.”

“Your feelings aren’t dumb.”

“This time they are.”

“I’ve always shared my feelings, it’s unfair that you never want to share yours,” Jungkook sits up, criss-cross applesauce, pensive. “Maybe it’s my fault for not making you feel comfortable enough to share, but I feel like the reason why we never worked out was because we never tried hard enough to have a proper conversation.”

How could you have missed all the indicators, all the good words, all the kindness Jungkook has given you that last semester? “You’re absolutely right,” you let your insecurities, your apprehensiveness, get in the way. You think in two years you’d do better to eradicate this kind of behavior, but lately you haven’t had many friends to express your feelings to. “Tell you what, I’ll work harder to express how I feel. No exchanges, no nothings. I owe you this.”

“You owe me nothing,” Jungkook smiles, “I just think it would be nice to y’know, talk. As friends.”

“Right, friends.”

“So, will you hear me out about Tzuyu?”

“Let me open my cake,” you pull out your bag with the cheesecake, which thankfully has two spoons, “it seems like we’ll be having that kind of conversation.”

Everyone is more amicable because of food. According to Jungkook, Tzuyu has a hardcore, ten-year plan for her twenties. After a couple of dates with Jungkook, Tzuyu whips him into the plan. Mentions that she’s well-bred and has a family reputation to uphold. Says IT Management is something completely desirable in a partner, that he’s sensible and wonderful and would like to be committed full-time.

“And she talked to her parents about me and said that I’m a good prospect for marriage. Like I’m another pillar in her plan!” Jungkook cries, taking a monstrously sized bite of your cheesecake, wallowing away.

This is akin to sleepovers you’ve always wanted to have in high school, down to the food gorging. You can’t help but be fascinated, “So are you wrapped up in an engagement? Is this a scary rendition of Crazy Rich Asians?”

“You just can’t turn a one-eighty like that on a fifth date,” Jungkook shakes his head, reeling at the emotional whiplash, “she’s really nice. Really organized, really perfect. It really intimidates me.”

“Is she what you reaaaally want?” you can’t help but ask, rolling your eyes at the excessive use of the word, and tamp down the pain in your stomach by eating a forkful of creamy cheesecake.

“I don’t know!” Jungkook replies exasperatedly, “Obviously I’m worried since she wants to put a ring on it. I told her she needs to back off. Right after the seminar I said she had no right telling other people we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. She didn’t say much, just frowned and walked away.”

You roll your eyes, scraping the leftover graham cracker crust from the edge of the plastic plate. “According to her, I heard you two are planning to make it official very soon.”

His eyes widen, “I really bring girl trouble wherever I go, don’t I?”

“Since I’ve known you,” you half-joke, putting away the plastic cutlery on the nightstand.

You two sit in silence for a few moments, letting the television fill the room with mindless static about some sappy Hallmark movie. Tentatively, you land a hand on Jungkook’s knee. He looks down at your tiny fingers, giving his skin an experimental squeeze of comfort.

“I don’t want her,” he finally says.

“Okay,” you reply, “you won’t even have to talk to her if you don’t want to. I can arrange the groups this week so you don’t have to be around—”

“Give me one week,” his eyes flash to yours, dark and sharp.

“Jungkook. You have your determined face on,” it makes you sweat.

“Because I’m determined to win you over, once and for all,” you eyes widen, and Jungkook visibly freezes, “was that too much? I’m kind of on an emotional high today. I didn’t expect to see you today and it kind of threw me into a loop. I thought I might be running into you once I started my internship but I didn’t think you’d be my recruiter. And then you went on that stage all bad-ass talking about work and you looked so gorgeous in your suit and I was so proud knowing you made it and IrealizedhowmuchImissedyou—”

“Jungkook, slower,” you’re feeling a little woozy as well, equally overwhelmed. “You’re just saying this because you didn’t expect to see me—”

“You’re deflecting, again.”

“I’m scared, okay?” you blurt, throwing your hands in the air. “You’re right, this is all so sudden. So can’t we just start being friends and see if it takes us somewhere? You don’t have to win me over, just support me like I’ll support you.”

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook moves up the bed, so he’s leaning against the headboard as well. His long legs stretch farther than yours, and it feels oddly domestic as you talk it out and stare at the television screen. “I’m just, worried I’m running out of time.”

“I'm not going anywhere this time.”

“I know,” Jungkook shakes his head, ridding himself of his torrid thoughts. Conceding, he gestures to the television, pulling out the remote under your pillow, “wanna watch television, or catch up?”

You last about an hour until you knock out. However, Jungkook keeps you entertained up until that moment, as you exchange your lives and stresses. Everything meshes together, you’re not sure if it’s the charm that comes with late night talks, but you feel like you can talk to Jungkook about anything if given the time. You melt when he strokes your hair till the last minute, wishing you a goodnight and a promise of more.

“Okay, I’ve gone over most of the work ethics in the manual,” you smile nervously when you see your glazed over recruits, nearly falling off their chairs. Even Krystal is bored out of her mind, discreetly playing with her phone in the back under her manual. Of course you’d get stuck with teaching the boring classes. “Any last minute questions before we head off for dinner?”

Tzuyu shoots her hand up, “Are romantic relationships allowed in the workplace?”

Jungkook promptly chokes on his water bottle. He looks up at you, panicked. Ignoring his terror, you paint on a thin smile towards the young woman, “Like I mentioned earlier, romantic relationships between employees are not frowned upon, so long as you’re not working under or over someone in the same department.”

“Right, just wanted to make sure,” Tzuyu is all chipper smiles as she thanks you.

If you were still twenty-one, you’d gag at the pointed look she sends Jungkook. They’re sitting diagonal from each other, and Jungkook makes a point to pretend to be interested in your lecture until the very end.

You’re halfway done with recruitment week, and while you’re not shocked at how fast the week has gone by, you’re fairly disappointed that Jungkook and you haven’t had time to meet up in private. So far it’s been easy enough to keep your friendship (and past sexual relationship) a secret, but something dark and eager tells you how much you want more. The recruiters are eager to leave, all twenty-three of them grouping off and talking about what they want to eat for dinner. Everyone except a certain dark-haired fellow, who’s hair is currently bouncing off it’s styled coiff, wanting to return to it’s normal non-gelled self.

“Kookie,” you raise a brow at the interaction, Tzuyu leaning over her chair to Jungkook’s, “wanna get dinner tonight?”

Jungkook’s taking an excruciatingly long time to pack his things, raising a brow at her, “I’ve told you already, I don’t want to be involved in whatever plans you have.”

“Oh-kay,” Tzuyu rocks back and forth on her oxford heels, pursing her magenta pink lips, “then why don’t we at least walk back to the hotel together? I really want to talk about some things that might change your mind.”

“Nothing will change my mind,” Jungkook’s determined face has been staying strong for the week, from the way he makes sure he’s first in your class to the simple “good morning” and “good night” texts you exchange. “Besides, I have a date tonight. And I really want to talk to the recruiters about a personal work matter, so can you please leave?”

You try not to snort at how blatant Jungkook was being. You pretend to organize your folders, throwing whatever random notes you have in your bag for later.

“A date,” she twitches, “with who?”

“Someone that doesn’t treat me like a stepping stone in her career path,” Jungkook deadpans, and that’s all it takes for Tzuyu to huff and walk away from the hall.

You think Tzuyu is like a bug, relatively harmless, but someone who gets on your nerves.

“A date, huh?” Krystal quotes, finally looking up from her phone. Her sharp, cat-eyes linger at the door, wondering if Tzuyu is going to pop out and try to drag Jungkook by the reins. Finally, she plants her stare between you and Jungkook. “So, you two fucking?”

“Former fucking,” Jungkook supplies helpfully, and you jump off your podium to elbow him in the ribs, “ow—what?”

“You just don’t tell Krystal we’re fucking!”

“Former fucking,” he chastises, but the eyes he sends you are a little sultry, and you wonder if he’s thinking of fucking in the future. You reel yourself back, focusing on the third party.

But you anticipate that Krystal couldn’t care less, and you’re grateful for that. While a smaller work team means a smaller possibility of close work relationships, you do like the drama-free environment. “Like you said,” Krystal shrugs, slinging her briefcase over her shoulder, “romantic relationships in the workplace are not frowned upon.”

You wring your hands between your bag when Krystal finally makes her getaway, and you look up at Jungkook. “So,” you smile wryly, “you have a date tonight, huh?”

“With a pretty working woman,” he sighs dramatically, putting a hand over his chest, “that is, if she’ll have me.”

“Consider yourself taken.”

Jungkook and you sneak away to your suite once again. To your surprise, the suite is decorated in rose petals and a bottle of champagne sits in an ice bath on your bedside. A large pizza pie sits beautifully on your coffee table, and the television is playing lo-fi hip-hop.

You feed Jungkook champagne-dipped strawberries as you gorge on the joy that is baked bread and cheese.

And when he kisses you, it’s slow and sweet, like you have all the time in the world.

It’s the last day of recruitment week, and all classes ended at noon so the interns can use all the resort’s amenities to the fullest. Many of the interns, including yourself, Jessica and Krystal, are on the rooftop celebrating a successful workweek. Staff and interns alike are buzzing around, eager to top off their weekend with some relaxation and sun.

Jungkook is with his new team, conversing with other IT employees. You try not to stare too hard at your reignited flame, tipping back a cutely decorated glass of fruit. His arms ripple as he tips back the liquid. He’s wearing a tank top and you could swear his biceps have gotten meatier. Unfortunately you hold yourself back, after all the internship isn’t quite over and you still are a professional.

At the end of the weekend you really have nothing to worry about, you know that.

But Tzuyu? She irritating.

“I just don’t understand,” Tzuyu suspects nothing of your budding relationship with Jungkook. You’re thankful for that because towards the end of the week, it was getting harder and harder to be subtle when you two send each other heart eyes from three meters away.

Tzuyu sounds like she’s talking to herself, the way she stares into the infinity pool, despite the fact that her friends are surrounding her with rapt attention. You’re a cabana away from her, sipping languidly at your drink while Jessica and Krystal nap next to you. Even though you can’t see Tzuyu, you can practically feel her pout emanating through the fabric that separates you two. Despite the fact that she’s been offered a great intern position given her degree and experience, she’s still upset. For her, is that not the most important part of this whole week?

“Jungkook’s really not that great if he’s going to turn me down like that,” Tzuyu seethes. You should write up her nonsense in a book and publish it, really. “Why waste time when he has the whole package right in front of him?”

It’s then you realize why you’ve been so torn, so strung up and wound tight all these years. Just like college, all shy and hesitant to take a step forward while Jungkook was ten steps ahead, you were worried. You let other people’s thoughts stop you from making the leap, girls like Tzuyu that never meant to intimidate you, but you let their presence get up in your head and control the nonexistent hierarchy.

But two years later, and that doesn’t matter. It never mattered. Jungkook is no longer the all-star lacrosse player, but what remains is his heart, full and willing.

Everything Tzuyu just said was… wrong. Irrevocably, inexplicably messed up. But the idea of “wasting time” does strike a chord within you. Are you wasting time? At this point, your feelings of each other are pretty clear. What are you two waiting for, again?

You thought Krystal was sleeping, considering her sunhat sitting atop her face, but once she hears you packing away your bag she whistles, “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Sending a quick text to Jungkook, you make a beeline for your destination. You don’t even bother looking for him in the crowd.

You: meet me by the elevator at the very end of the lobby.

Not a minute passes by when Jungkook joins you at said elevator. He has two glasses of champagne in his hands, and offers one to you, “tired of the party?” he asks.

You clink drinks, easily tipping yours back. “It’s not our thing,” you declare with a small smile. Jungkook's eyes soften, glancing back and forth between your face and the soft pleats of your marigold sundress. His hair is pushed back, sticky from sweat and chlorine, dark bangs hanging over the shaved sides of his head. You turn your head slightly as you wait for the elevator, biting your lip as you're sorely reminded of how sexy Jungkook looked at the dive pool half an hour ago.

The elevator dings, and it’s wide enough for you to slip in at the same time. You put your champagne glass in the corner of the elevator for now, hoping you don’t accidentally step on it. In closed quarters, you can smell the slight tang of chlorine coming from Jungkook, combined with his own brand of musk.

Jungkook looks younger tonight, happier. Having just finished graduate school and working towards a full-time gig, another chapter in his life has started. His hair is no longer in that tight-whipped coiff he struggled all week to maintain, loosened in its natural wave due to the pool water and heat. His cheeks are a little ruddied and plump, a sign he’s been enjoying the food this week.

The door barely closes when you get it out, pulling at his hand to face you.

“Jungkook, I like you,” you blurt, and his eyes bug out considerably. Out of reflex, his hand sharply squeezes yours. “You don’t have to say anything, because you’ve been saying everything for the majority of our relationship. I really like you, I really liked you back then too. You’re still so sweet, and loving, and smart and I’ve just been too dumb and insecure to—”

Jungkook seals your confession away with a desperate kiss, and you turn into a pile of mush at the contact. Relief seeps into your bones, sings into your system. When he pulls away, he looks serious. He doesn’t let you get far, and clutches your face between his two hands so you can’t turn your head. Your soft cheeks fill between his fingers, warm and cradled.

“Never call yourself that,” Jungkook exhales, regarding you with firm eyes, “you’re beautiful, and intelligent, and the person I want.”

“I don’t wanna take it slow anymore,” you mumble against his lips, leaning in so that you can barely nip at the pink skin. “Want you now, need you now.”

“You have me now,” Jungkook agrees, and as soon as the elevator dings open to your floor, he scoops you up into his arms.

By all means it’s not graceful, he’s clutching you like a baby with his hands over your butt as he jiggles you all the way to your front door. Clinging onto him like a koala, you press kisses to his cheeks as he leads you to your room. You laugh and giggle like teenagers, as he fumbles between your breast to grab the card key that’s nestled between your bra. It’s warm in his hand as he swipes it through the reader, pushing you inside.

“Is it bad that I’m kinda turned on by the fact you got my key out of my boob?” you joke, although the contact of his rough fingers against your breast is a feeling well missed.

“Is it bad that I’m always turned on when you lecture in seminars?” Jungkook retorts, kicking the door closed with his slipper-clad foot as he walks you to the bed. “Fuck, I can hear you talk about insurance benefits all day.”

“Didn’t know my sex appeal extended that way—oh fuck—”

Your vibrant marigold sundresses provides easy access to Jungkook as he throws you onto the mattress, your skirt billowing over your waist as he makes quick work to expose more of your skin.

“No more talking, more loving,” he’s crazed, doesn’t hesitate to move your bikini bottoms to the side as he rubs lovingly at your long-lost bud, “need to fuck you, now. It’s been so fucking long.”

“Kook,” his breath is warm against your already sopping cunt, and you lift your hand to run through the strands of his messy hair. It only takes one firm tug and you’re able to pull him up by the root of his hair, cranberry juice tinted lips with a faint sheen because he couldn’t help himself to have a little taste of you. “Baby, let me touch you. Let me show you how much I want you," you coo with a pout, hands trailing over the drawstrings of his trunks.

You can see how much Jungkook wants to say yes. His eyes glow with the possibility, bright and wanting in the afternoon sunlight. The image of him shoving his cock deep into your throat, so far that you can taste it in every crevice of your mouth. Your nails gripping into his ass as you go deeper, tears pricking your eyes as cum seeps out of your pretty lips.

But he firmly shakes his head, fingers doing the devil’s work as he eases a digit in you. A little noise of protest bubbles in your throat, but it soon dies out as soon as he finds the right spot to reduce you to mush.

“Next time,” he exhales against the juncture between your thigh and pelvis, picking up the pace and adding another finger, “if you touch me, I’ll cum right then n’there. This is enough for me, you’re enough.”

So you let him have what he wants. You’ll make it up to him in the morning, and the day after, and the day after. You shed your clothes, the sundress extra forgiving as it slides off your body, revealing a swimsuit that hasn’t even touched the pool. You feel a little self-conscious as he drinks you in after so long, but he quickly shucks off his clothes to match your state of nakedness.

You remember how you tiptoed around your first night with Jungkook, taking great care to make sure it was fleeting, how dark the room was as you let your pleasure take over your senses. Two years later and the sun is setting, gold bleeding through your sheets and illuminating the room. There's no need to hide.

“I must say, we’ve both kept it tight,” Jungkook teases with a wink, squeezing your hips so he can change positions.

You silently agree, your fingers slipping across the washboard of his waist.

“Mm, and still so fuckin’ cute,” Jungkook marvels as he pulls you up on his lap. Your whole body is flushed with want, one hand squeezing your breasts while the other plays with the curls of hair that lead to your sopping wetness. You glide your core over Jungkook’s stomach, sighing as you take note of the abs that clench under your heat and his hot member that rubs between your ass.

It’s a tight fit when you finally sink down on him, but the burn only fuels your desire as he stretches you wide. His grip is helpful as he guides you through the motions. It’s been awhile since you’ve been this physical with someone, and it’s almost comical when you both sigh in contentment at the contact.

“I’ve missed this,” you mumble, biting into his shoulder as he thrusts up.

“Mm, it feels different, right?” Jungkook hums, keeping a slow pace. The drag is wonderful, and you know that he’s trying to prolong the moment. He reaches for your head, presses his forehead to yours as he speaks, “you’re mine now, right? For real.”

“I’m all yours, Jungkook,” you press kisses everywhere. No need to hide anymore. You bleed love into every kiss, to his jawline, the little freckles across his chin, his lips. “This is romantic and all, but I really want you to dick me down. Which is why you need to go a little faster, you sap.”

Jungkook scoffs, “A pillow princess is what you are.”

He stops moving, and you two sink further into the mattress without its springs bringing you back up. The both of you are acutely aware of how wet you both are, your combined arousals seeping between your seams and dripping onto Jungkook’s thighs. But the young man simply relaxes against the headboard, baiting you.

“Kook,” you whine, clenching against his member. Your hot walls have a mind of their own, unable to stifle their desire. Sweat lines Jungkook’s brow as he tries his hardest not to move, just simply be.

“Tell me how much you want me, princess,” the pet name has you clenching harder, and you pout.

“Baby,” you whine, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. There’s no one in the room, and you’re sure no one is on this floor because everyone’s on the rooftop, but the words you’re about to say are for Jungkook and Jungkook only, “please, I want you to pound me into this mattress until I can’t walk anymore. I want to cry out your name so everyone can hear I’m yours. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” you nip at his lobe, and let your thumb nick at the simple silver rings that adorn his ear. You hear a click of his teeth, indicating the clench of his jaw as his muscles flex around your body, "I want you to fill me with your cum until I’m eating it, and—and—oh Kook!”

Your words aren’t enough to distract you from his large dick sitting prettily between your folds, and you’re suddenly cumming, all by the mere thought of what’s to happen. You’re shuddering in his arms, and Jungkook soothes you by running his fingers over the spine of your back, distracting you from the utter mess you’re making on the sheets.

“Such a good girl,” Jungkook coddles you, stroking your hair, “can my good girl take it?”

“Y-yes, Kook,” you nod eagerly, fighting the overstimulation as he nudges you off his lap. You’re pliable, as Jungkook sets up the pillows for you to rest comfortably as you get on your elbows and knees, “your good girl.”

You shudder as your bare pussy starts to feel cold, immediately missing the warmth Jungkook can provide. You can practically feel his hot gaze burning in your back, his large palm squeezing your ass as he marvels at how ready and eager you are for him.

“It’s so easy to slip inside,” Jungkook rubs your nectar across the head of his cock, swirling around your engorged skin as he slips right inside. You both moan at the stretch, “Finally, my adorable baby, you like this? You like getting pounded like the dirty girl you really are?”

“Mm, yes!” you squeal, clutching onto the feather down pillows for dear life as Jungkook displays his strength, one hand gripping your hips as the other weaves itself into your hair. It’s a delicious mix of pleasure and pain, and the lewd sounds of each other’s juices and his balls against your ass echoing in the room.

“Y-yeah,” despite his power, his thrusts are sloppy, and you know he’s almost at the edge, “and I like you, so so much. I want to make you cum everyday, make you happy and—mph—” he gives up on talking, focusing entirely on his destination.

“Cum, baby,” you urge, melting when his one hand comes to thread with your own, “fill me up with you.”

He flips you on your back, and you finally see how desperate Jungkook is to cum. His eyes are glassy, filled with emotion as he strokes himself to completion. Your hand reaches up to cup his damp face, and that’s when you feel him loosen. Hot, pearly strings cling to your pussy, decorating your skin in his essence. Your fingers immediately reach down to swirl the cum between your folds, and Jungkook groans at the picture, immediately throwing your hands to the side to kiss you senseless.

There’s so much pouring between the two of you, affection, the feeling of being cherished, so much that you can feel the whole world reducing to the two of you.

“All mine,” he whispers to himself, as if he still can’t believe it. And then, he puts up a poker face as he leans into you, resting his head gently on your breasts, “I knew I only needed a week.”

You narrow your eyes, flicking lightly at his forehead. You’re sticky, sweaty, and covered in cum and while you’re exhausted, the built in jacuzzi in your washroom looks very enticing right now. “Jungkook, this happened naturally. I said we would try as friends first and we did. We just so happened to escalate pretty fast.”

“I don’t think it was that fast,” Jungkook nuzzles his face into your skin, “it’s been two years since college. Being popular did do a number on our relationship, but we caught up."

“You were popular-ish,” you roll your eyes, teasing him. His face falls, and you can’t help yourself. Your hands reach over to cup his cheeks, and you happily squish the supple, pouty flesh. He’s adorable. “Kim Taehyung though? Park Jimin? Absolute heartthrobs I couldn’t stand to be near them—ah!”

Jungkook seems to read your mind, lifting you bridal style to drag you over to the bathroom where the marble jacuzzi sits tauntingly. The stone is ice cold as he brings you both inside, immediately turning on the nozzles to fill it with steaming hot water. You find the tiny bottle of lavender suds, spilling the soap in an arc. His legs slip over yours, cradling you so that your back is pressed against Jungkook’s chest.

“Being popular never mattered,” Jungkook shakes his head, pressing a kiss to your jaw, “I realized the only person who I really needed to notice me was you.”

bonus.

You wake Jungkook up the next morning with your lips wrapped around his cock, fresh cherry balm rubbing down the thick veins until he's cumming down your throat.

"Wow," Jungkook whistles, licking his lips at the sight of you sucking the arousal from your thumb. He huffs against the pillow, eyes darting to the open organza window, letting in the early morning light. The rooftop of a multi-star hotel, white Egyptian cotton seats, a full time job on the way and waking up in the most blissful way possible.

"I have a proposal," you crawl on top of him like a koala, hooking your thighs between his blanket clad body.

"I do," he replies instantly, looking straight at you with droopy puppy eyes.

"Not that kind," you slap his chest, "where are you living once orientation is over?"

"Mm, there's a boarding house near a local translation. It's probably an hour commute? Not too bad."

"So, I just leased a townhouse last month," you bite your lip, tucking your head between his neck to hide your embarrassment, "I was gonna rent out the spare room and put an advert in the paper but…"

"I do."

"I said it isn't a marriage proposal."

"Asking you to live with me is basically a marriage proposal."

"There will be no benefits," you sit up, wagging a finger in his face, "you'll be paying rent and half the utilities. And you will be doing all the laundry."

"Sure," Jungkook replies loftily, squeezing your ass, "you're benefit enough."

#jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #btswritingcafe #btsghostie #kwritersworldnet #goldenclosetnet #jungkook fic #jungkook scenario #bts fic

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liitlesunshiine · 5 years ago

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Little Sidekick

(Bakugo x Reader)

Warnings: Cursing, sfw

Prompt: Y/N takes up an internship at the Ground Zero agency. With her luck, she ends up a sidekick to the Pro hero himself- Bakugo.

Prelude: While this chapter is smutty free I can guarantee you the future ones wont be ;) Now I haven’t written anything in a FAT minute so forgive ya girl for the grammar errors you see. I’m a marketing major not a literature one. Just horny and motivated enough to write a full-blown fic on a fictional character, that I am currently obsessing over. Hope ya sluts enjoy :*

Y/LN= Your Last Name

| Chapter 1

In a desperate last-minute attempt to leave your toxic home, you took up a hero exchange program in Japan that you found online. While this wasn’t exactly the smartest thing you’ve done, it definitely didn’t stop you from applying to a sidekick position in an agency called “Ground Zero,” not aware that you’re getting more than what you had originally bargained for; you secretly packed a bag with a few necessities and slipped out of the prison you called home.

“Good morning Ms. Y/LN, to start you off we’re going to be putting you in a training simulation to better analyze your quirk and combat skills. This is to see which hero you’d be most compatible with as a sidekick.”

It was your second day at the agency. You spent a week settling in the apartment that the agency offered you for the internship program. It was a humble setting, nothing flashy which you had preferred anyways. You finally step foot in the agency yesterday mainly going over the basics and signing paperwork, today you assumed was going to be a bit more hands on.

You were used to this type of routine, being top class in your high school years meant a lot of colleges were constantly throwing themselves at you. Which in turn led to a lot of situations with you in training and battling on other heroes. Especially with your father owning and running multiple agencies, you were constantly being forced to get stronger, it was practically expected of you to become a high-ranking hero in America and take over his business. Something you honestly didn’t care much for. Maybe it was the constant pressure being put on your shoulders to become a hero but after so many years of being subjected to that, you’ve come to secretly dislike the hero industry in your own twisted way. You only took this internship program because you were unknown here, there were no expectations of you, no one constantly breathing down your shoulder; here you were nothing but a nameless sidekick and that thought alone brought you some peace.

You stepped into the training simulation. It was an all-white room but seemed endless. On one wall there was a glass window where you supposed they watched you from but couldn’t see through from your side. You were wearing a one-piece track suit with lines running all throughout the outfit. The suit was ingrained with tech that would monitor your breathing and usage of your quirk.

“Hello Y/LN” you heard through the speaker phone “if the training gets too intense for you or if you want to take a break just yell out STOP and we will immediately halt everything. I also forgot to ask since I didn’t see it on your application: what is your hero name?”

That question lingered in your head for a minute or so. In America you were forced into living a persona behind the title of a false name. Everything in the hero industry was so theatrical, from the costumes, to even the name you represented yourself with. It was all so scripted and fake. You refused to take any part in that this time, here in Japan you’re starting with a clean slate. So, with that in mind you sternly responded:

‘Y/N. it’s just Y/N.” and thus the training began.

About 15 minutes went by with no trouble or fuss. Your air quirk allowed you to move fast and efficiently. You’ve dodged every attack thrown at you by the fake automated dummies and even destroyed a handful with such ease and precision. You were taught a variety of attack and defense forms, all with and without the use of your quirk. You also knew how to dual sword fight; but since the training has been so pathetically easy you haven’t even found the need to use your swords yet. Picking up on this attitude, the speaker came on once again.

“It seems like the simulation is a bit too easy on you Y/N, were going to be skipping up a few levels and see how you do on level 7: which is where most of the pro heroes train at.

You only responded with a nod. A smirk slowly creeping in your face. About time they got serious. You were hoping for a challenge, you couldn’t deny the bit of pride you felt effortlessly blowing through this training. With that, more mindless dummies appeared, all in different shapes and sizes this time, some even carrying weapons and shields. There was one dummy in particular that caught your attention. It had four arms all holding a sword. You immediately drew your swords out and instantly ran over to it; all while you smoothly cut and sliced through all the others in your way.

Once you reached the four handed dummy, it instantly became a dance among swords hashing and daggering at one other. Even though you were outnumbered by two swords you kept the upper hand by being faster. But with every given slice the dummy was beginning to match your pace and speed, it was becoming slightly more difficult to stop every single hit; so, you cartwheeled back to give yourself some space.

You jumped to one of the corners of the walls staying off the ground to think of plan. You figured if you kept going back and forth with the dummy it would get you nowhere and eventually just tire you out. Frustrated by how the dummy was able to match your speed you prioritized cutting off two of its arms. That way it be more manageable than trying to defend yourself against four swords attacking you simultaneously. You instantly retreated back once you had given your failed plan an attempt. Back on the corner of the wall, you were losing more patience.

Maybe I should wait for an opening and cut its head off, maybe with my quirk I can push it back and have it fall, you thought to yourself. Maybe I’m just overthinking this, it’s a fucking lifeless dummy.

With that you activated your quirk and blew air towards the dummy with such force it rolled back. You took this opportunity to jump on it, but it immediately drew out one of its swords to defend itself; it forced you to quickly rotate midair and land it behind it. This gave you about 3 seconds to rack your sword across its neck before it was able to even register you were behind it. Its lifeless head fell onto to the floor and about a minute or so its body just disappeared altogether. The room was slowly returning to its white appearance and all the evidence of a battle scene was replaced shiny tiles. The lady walked through the door “wow Y/N that was great! You don’t even seem to be worn out. I’m sure you could’ve even reached level 8 easily but we gathered enough data already. Why don’t you come into my office so we can go over the details of who you’ll be paired up with”

You’ve trained tirelessly for years on end, of course this simulation was going to be a breeze. At least compared to what you’ve faced in the past. You shuttered at the thought, quickly trying to think of something else. You thoughtlessly followed her as she led the way, you looked around the impressive building with curiosity; it wasn’t the fanciest one you’ve seen but it must have been one of the biggest. After heading up in an elevator and making a few more turns you ended up in the speaker’s office taking a seat across her. A bit of guilt creeping up since you had completely forgotten her name.

She pulled out some papers giving you more things to sign and fill out. She briefly reminded you of the benefits that the agency was going to be offering you: an apartment complex 5 minutes away from here, a flexible schedule and fixed meet up times, and a small allowance for food and necessities.

“Do remember this program is for a year, while we can’t guarantee you a permanent position after that, if you do show promising resolve, we can offer you a contract making you an official member of the agency. This program is highly competitive though, we have about 8 other exchange heroes that we will be working with this year. And out of the 8 only one or possibly two, candidates will be accepted.”

“yeah that’s fine,” you casually responded.

You weren’t planning on staying here forever, regardless you were hoping by the end of the year you would land a spot in Shoto’s agency. You’ve always secretly admired the half and half hero after watching an interview of him speaking about his father. You couldn’t help but relate to him and what he felt; on top of it he seemed like a genuine and down to earth person. The opposite of what you’ve usually seen among heroes. You were absolutely intrigued and fascinated by the icyhot hero-

You were pulled away from your thoughts when the door behind you was slammed open. You jumped slightly from the noise and sharply turned with an irritated look on your face to see which asshole would just barge in like that. When you did, your eyes met with a pair of red curious ones. The man who barged in had spiky blonde hair protruding out in every angle, that would’ve been his most noticeable feature if it weren’t for the fact that he was fucking huge. His presence alone held such intimidation and power and that tight black shirt with a red X on it did little to no job in hiding every curve and muscle from his body. From the sharp V line on his lower abdomen, to his biceps which made your head look small in comparison, you were certainly caught off guard but pulled back into reality when the woman broke the silence.

“Y/N, this is Bakugo, Katsuki, also known as Ground Zero. You will be his sidekick from this moment forth.”

There was a moment or so of awkward silence that made the air around you feel heavy.

“tsk. Like hell I need a sidekick. I don’t need dead weight on my fucking shoulders, set her up with shitty hair, or dunce face.”

“Now, now Bakugo. We discussed this with the PR team already, don’t be difficult. We need to bring up your ratings. Having a pretty sidekick can distract the audience from that explosive personality of yours. We’re already in a rough spot from your last meltdown.” Speaker lady said with the calmest tone you’ve heard her use since you’ve met her.

“I was in the middle of a fucking battle how else would you have liked for me to get the public out of the way eh?”

“threating them with an explosion and cursing them off definitely wouldn’t have been my first choice.”

“tsk. Whatever. I’ll have to train her then. Wouldn’t want a liability on my hands now.” He looked over to you “Ya heard me freakshow?”

You bit your inner lip, drawing a tiny ounce of blood. There was a lot of information to digest here but fuck this, you thought. You ignored him for a few seconds, unraveling everything you’ve just heard. The balls on this guy. Who the hell did he think he was? Last thing you needed was to deal with some asshole trying to down talk you. You stood up and pushed your chair back. You looked up at him with unsettling coldness. You weren’t having any of this shit today.

“My name is fucking Y/N.”

His mouth slightly gaped, it almost looked like he wanted to respond but couldn’t form any words. You assumed he wasn’t used to people talking back? You could careless at the moment, you took his delayed reaction to walk out and slam the door closed. You felt offended and belittled. So, they partnered me up with that punk not based off of my skill or anything but because I’m simply a pretty face that can distract the crowd from his unhinged personality? The fuck. A wind whirl of emotions went through you. Wasn’t this in some way demeaning, maybe even sexist? I’m being reduced to my looks now; this was definitely a first for you. His words rang in your head “dead weight” “liability,” “shitty hair,” “dunce face;” he not only spat on you but on his coworkers as well? Man, if that’s how he talks about his peers you could only imagine what he had in store for you, seems like “freakshow” was your new nickname already. A chill ran down your spine, maybe coming here was a bad idea.

No. no. no. You quickly stopped your train of thought. I’m not going to have this wannabe scare me off on the first day. I left America for a reason, I can deal with this, I can deal with him-

Your thoughts were interrupted once again.

“Oi, I wasn’t finished talking!” he stomped his way behind you and pulled your arm back, forcing you to face him.

“well I am.” You responded sharply with an attitude rolling off your tongue.

“Like hell you are.” He growled, gripping your arm tighter this time, tugging you closer to him. The muscles on his biceps becoming veiny from how tight his grip was. The air stiffened and everyone outside the office walked slowly pretending not to notice you both. This time with more courage and vigor you pushed his shoulder, which to your embarrassment did little to nothing considering he didn’t even move an inch.

“What’s your problem?” you asked genuinely confused from why he was acting out, the pain on your arm becoming harder to ignore. He held an intense gaze with you, it was now registering how small you were in comparison to him. With his free hand he pushed the hair on your shoulder to the side gently, throwing you off completely. He leaned into you, insanely and uncomfortably close with his hot breath hitting your ear. Chills were running all throughout your body and you couldn’t bring yourself to move way this time. It was if you were completely frozen.

“Don’t go thinking you’re hot shit just cause you reached level 7. I’d hate to put you in your place so soon on your first week here little sidekick.” The pet name rolling off his tongue. You practically choked on air, not sure with what to respond with, still frozen. Slightly terrified, now slightly turned on; you made a feeble attempt in creating some space only to be pulled in closer. Now he had both of your arms pinned to the side.

“Not so brave now eh?” He pushed his body onto you, you practically felt like you were sinking into him. A light unintentional blush crept in on your face and he smirked at the sight. He pulled your chin up forcing you to meet his eyes, glaring down at you with a smug look on his face. He was taunting you.

“Our training sessions will be every Thursday and Friday after 4. Make sure you’re on time little sidekick, I’d hate to have to go look for you and trust me, the last thing you’d want is to play a game of hide and seek with me.”

With that he let go of you and shoved you off to the side. You regained your balance by grabbing on to the table near you, trying to register what the fuck just happened. Everyone was looking at you. While Bakugo walked out of the room, you stood there absolutely floored. It was until a tap on the shoulder brought you back to your senses.

“You good? I wouldn’t worry much about Bakubro, he’s just like that.” A rather handsome red head stood in front of you. He was slightly bigger than Bakugo but around the same height. There was this energy radiating off of him that felt really comforting and soothing. He smiled at you and you caught sight of his sharp teeth, but gentle look on his eyes.

“I’m Kirishima. Welcome to the agency.”

#bakugo smut #bakugou katsuki #bakugou smut #bakugo x reader #bnha #bakugo #my hero academia #bnha boys #bnha smut #pro hero bakugou #ground zero #katsuki bakugo x reader #mha fanfiction #mha bakugou #mha boys #mha kirishima #mha bakusquad #kirishima

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nikstersss · 4 years ago

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Not How To Pass The PLE

Before I go into the main gist of this post, let me give you a small background story. I was a mid-year post-graduate intern in Manila who started in January 2021. I lived alone in our condo unit near the hospital I went to. My usual routine was to get up early, prep, take a short walk to the trike station where I’d take a tricycle to the hospital, go on duty, insert a coffee or carioca break in between, walk all the way home at the end of the day, then maybe have a short study session with a couple friends after dinner or just chill at home. It was a pretty good setup. But then COVID happened. Suddenly, I was a pandemic e-ntern stuck at home listening to Zoom endorsements and lectures all day. At first I was hopeful that things would somehow go back to normal and maybe I wouldn’t be spending the rest of my internship in front of a screen, but we all know how that turned out.

I finished the first half of my internship with the regular year PGIs online. While they were prepping for their boards, I was on my second half with the new batch of interns (that’s probably you, dear reader)—still online. Now you might think that it would have been wise of me to use all that “free” time to start early with my own boards prep and you would be correct. I thought the exact same thing. And trust me, I tried. And failed. Countless times. I won’t even try to justify it. Admittedly, I still think it was a wasted opportunity to read more and make notes, but then again, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Besides, while it would have been nice and probably less stressful, I still survived without it. Which means that you can, too. So if you’re one of those who’s berating himself because you “didn’t make the most out of your time”, cut it out. You’ll be fine.

Towards the end of my internship, I enrolled in a review center. Despite the asynchronous setup, the review schedule was super tight and the sessions already started while I was still in the middle of final reports and exams. Needless to say, I was already behind on that before it even began. In fact, I didn’t even get to focus on reviewing itself until maybe around early February because of clearance, paperwork, and application stuff. So if you were to ask me how long I really reviewed for the March 2021 boards, I’d say just a little over a month. Kasalanan ko. Wag po tularan. Stressful siya. Nakakaloka.

And even when I did get to really buckle down and do some intense reading, I didn’t follow the program anymore. I tried to catch up at first, but I was already way behind. But I am grateful for all the summarized material because that meant I didn’t have to pore over the mother books anymore. What I will say, though, is that because I didn’t exactly follow the recommended study hours etcetera, I was able to enjoy the whole process because I did it at my own pace. Sure, there was still that dread that maybe I wasn’t on the same level as the others, but I learned to tune those thoughts out eventually. And that’s where goal-setting and discipline comes in, I guess.

The most common question I’ve been getting is what was my day like during the PLE review season. Honestly, I’d like to say I had a routine I followed, but that’s only half-true. While I did have a structure for my day, I rarely followed it exactly. Nevertheless, allow me to share what it would have been like if I did:

Ideally, I’d wake up at 5:00 A.M. then do my morning routine which included prayer and meditation, making my bed, taking a shower, and brewing coffee. And because I’m the type of person who enjoys these mundane activities and slow mornings, I also took this opportunity to get myself in the zone before all the studying that’s to come. I’d plan out my study goals and outline (something you can do the night before, actually) then maybe have breakfast while watching some videos (could be review-related, or those self-motivational vids, or maybe even Korean street food). I’d do whatever I wanted to wake my brain up without stressing it out too much until around 6:30 A.M. By this time, I’d work on backlogs for about an hour and study until about 10 or 11 A.M.—it depends how in the zone I am. I’d prep and cook lunch and then eat while watching Netflix maybe or even play a bit of Fortnite or Paladins until about 1:00 P.M. At this point, I’m pretty certain to be quite sleepy so it’s either I make coffee or tea, or maybe even go out to study at a coffee shop, and then it’s study all the way until 7 P.M. I then take a break to get some exercise, take a shower, have a light dinner, and if I feel like I deserve it, nap for a little bit. At around 8:30, my family usually calls and then we pray the rosary together. After this, I study again, but more of a recall and review session for the day’s progress until about 11:30. I then have my night self-care routine and then go to sleep around midnight.

The main takeaway from the previous paragraph? “Ideally.”

During the first few days of setting up my schedule or routine, following it was already challenging, but still doable. But then the backlogs started piling up and no matter how much I tried to streamline the whole study process, I just couldn’t keep up. I did what I could to follow study habits and schedules, but the setup was falling apart. And you know what? That was okay.

Normally, my type A self would have been so frustrated already with how poorly I was handling my review season. Admittedly, there were a few meltdowns and anxiety attacks as the exam drew nearer, but for the most part, I just let things happen as they did. I still adjusted, sure, but I wasn’t hard on myself for always having to. I kept changing goals when I didn’t meet them (which was probably 80% of the time). There were even instances where I’d finish a handout and then I’d say that okay, I’ll watch an episode for a reward, but that episode became the entire season. While I considered myself to be the most chill reviewee, I also thought I was the worst because I refused to give up any of my wants for my needs. I resisted, of course, but then they’d bug me the entire time I was studying so instead of staying productive, I’d just annoy the hell out of myself. I was probably just lazy and stubborn. LOL. Long story, short, it was a constant battle.

There were times when I felt confident enough to power through the whole thing. I enjoyed the whole process of studying, actually. Making notes and my own ways of memorizing things was fun. I made use of different study strategies, self-checks, and motivational boosters (more on these on a different post). Aside from these, having review-mates who were just a chat away made things bearable. Breakdown session muna tas aral na ulit. And how could I forget all my sweet friends who would send over coffee ayuda every now and then? To me, passing the boards, while mainly should be for oneself and one’s self-actualization, is also about not letting down these people who have been with you throughout your journey.

But it wasn’t always a hyped-90s-movie-transformation-montage kind of environment. Other times, I was just worn out and dejected by my lack of progress. In the already meager time I had to study, I still had plenty of off-days. Concepts just wouldn’t stick and it was disappointing how I’d already forgotten what I just read a couple days ago. It got really tiring even if I was staying indoors all the time. I missed the comfort of coffee shops and the company of study buddies. I missed my family. I wanted to hug our dog. There were days when I couldn’t even bring myself to make coffee and open my notes. I even reached a point where I was sure that I wouldn’t finish reading all the material. (I kid you not, I have handouts I never got to open.)

Yet here I am. Here I am writing about how I survived all that and got those two letters attached to my name. I am not a good example, obviously. There are hundreds better than me and you probably should be taking advice from them instead. I’m simply writing this to tell you that you don’t have to worry. This is all just to ease your anxieties about the PLE. I’m not saying it’s an easy feat that you can just achieve just like that. While I seemed rather complacent, I still put in the work, after all. Admittedly, I know I could have done more, but again, I’m not going to dwell on that anymore. It’s done.

My goal in writing this is to let you know, my dear future doctor, that you’re going to be just fine. Here’s someone who understands the huge disconnect that stemmed from being a pandemic e-ntern. Here’s someone who’s always been doubtful and full of anxieties about the PLE even before she filed her application at the PRC. Here’s someone who constantly prayed that the PLE be moved even for just a month (or kahit two weeks lang masaya na ako nun) up to the week before the exam along with a rising number of cases. Here’s someone who barely has the capability to maintain focus for more than an hour. Here’s someone whose reading pace was literally at 10 minutes per page (yes, I actually timed it and IDK if that’s slow or really slow). Here’s someone who still allowed herself to study at coffee shops and even have samgyup (with proper health protocols, of course) even if she knew she was drowning in backlogs.

My point is that if I managed to pass despite all that, you can, too. My close friends know that I developed a rather funny mentality to ease the jitters as the boards drew nearer. I knew and claimed it for myself that I would already pass. I viewed the whole PLE as just a “formality”--a means for His plans of me becoming a doctor to manifest in this realm. I believed it so much to the point that I thought that no matter what bloopers and slip-ups I have during the test, I’d still see my name on the list of board passers. I’m not saying you should totally ease up and just have a come-what-may attitude. Again, I’m not the model student you should be following here. What I’m saying is to have faith in yourself, your capabilities, and in God. So chin up, Doc. Just a little more ‘til you get to legally practice with that MD at the end of your name.

#nikstersss #PLE

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nyfacurrent · 5 years ago

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Business of Art | The Arts Administrator’s Creed: 5 Guiding Principles for Your Arts Admin Career

Empowering advice from arts administrators nationwide on how to define and achieve success in your life and work.

Arts administrators work behind-the-scenes on behalf of artists and creatives everywhere, providing resources, support, and structure for their projects and practices. Often, these types of jobs combine a passion for the arts with business, management, education, programming, fundraising, or communications expertise. The work can be highly-rewarding yet also challenging in terms of budget, time, and staff constraints. To help you navigate, we’ve asked leaders in the field for their tips on how to succeed and thrive as an arts administrator.

Manage Your Time

It’s hard not to get stuck in the day-to-day and to lose perspective on the bigger picture. Avoid burnout and fatigue by recognizing that you can’t accomplish everything overnight (or by yourself!) and that there are tools and systems that can help you stay organized.

Many of the arts administrators that we spoke with make lists and use project management and time management apps to keep them on top of their workloads and priorities. Deana Haggag, President and CEO of United States Artists, writes a to-do list every Monday morning and tackles it throughout the week. “On Fridays, I audit what didn't get done and why, so I can resolve it the following week. For reference, we use several project management apps at work—Asana, Airtable, Lattice, Slack, etc—and they're all very helpful but nothing compares to my handwritten list. It's the holy grail of my work week.” Haggag also schedules a few hours each day or week to respond to emails, using a ‘VIP’ inbox to filter through priority contacts so she sees those immediately.

Ben Hartley, Executive Director of The National Arts Club, keeps organization top-of-mind. “Every day, I list my priority projects and make sure they are sitting in front of me at all times. However, sometimes this can be overwhelming, so I also keep on hand a one-page overview of the big things I have to achieve this year. It’s easy to get subsumed by day-to-day detail, but if you’re not stepping back and looking at the big picture once in a while, you risk losing perspective,” he says.

Hunter O’Hanian, Executive Director and CEO of Stonewall National Museum and Archives, relies on two time management techniques: first, he prepares things well in advance and second he is a life-long list-maker who feels a strong sense of accomplishment when crossing off his “to-dos.”

“Figure out what works for you and stick with it,” advises Heather Pontonio, Senior Program Director at Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. “I’ve tried lots of online note/task apps, but learned that I remember best when I’ve written it down — so my trusty journal notebook comes everywhere with me. I use my calendar app religiously and in addition to appointments, I include scheduled work time when there are projects that require focused attention,” she added.

Adriana Rios, Director of Programs at NALAC, takes five minutes out of every hour to stretch, breathe, or hydrate. “A tool I love using to help keep me accountable is the Focus app, which uses the Pomodoro method. In short, you set a time period (usually in increments of 25 or 55 minutes) around a certain task such as checking emails. For that time period, you focus only on that task. At the end of the allotted time, you have a five-minute break where you can do what you like. Personally, it’s helped me structure my day better and reduce distractions. It has also helped me start structuring my overall time by helping me better understand when it’s time to work and when it’s time to rest.”

Practice Self-Care

You’ll do your best work when you feel good about yourself and the value that you bring to your organization.

A lot of what Rachel Adams, Chief Curator and Director of Programs at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and her curator friends say (especially as so many are now parents) is "we are not saving the world." She explains: “This is not to say our jobs are not important, but it is important to give yourself a little life/work balance. Even if it is to take a quick walk around the block for some fresh air. Or, turn off the computer and go see that show before it closes. Read something non-work related for 20 minutes a day. Building that into your calendar really helps. Block off that time, and you’ll be happier and also can focus better on the tasks at hand when you need to.”

For Pontonio, self-care isn’t just about yoga and eating healthy, it’s about holding time for what makes you happy. “My first job was with an off-Broadway theater that led to taking an additional house management job at another off-Broadway theater to make rent. I justified the 80 hours a week because I was working in a field I was passionate about. My schedule left little time to actually enjoy theatre and on a night off it was not how I wanted to spend my time.”

Jacque Donaldson and Mara Vlatkovic, co-directors and founders of New York-based networking organization Young Professionals in the Arts (YPA), reiterate the importance of keeping your passion for the arts close and not losing sight of it. “We find it vital to remind ourselves time and again why we work in our field. Go see that concert, exhibition, theater piece, or dance performance that will reignite that spark that made you choose your profession in the first place. Knowing that we all contribute to the art world and are helping creatives achieve their potential can be one of the most rewarding jobs!”

For Ricardo Maldonado, Managing Director of Unterberg Poetry Center at the 92nd Street Y, a demanding job goes beyond the 9-to-5. “Admin gigs require one to find a space—between rooms, between tasks—for the kind of creative thinking that eventually nurtures your own creative practices. For example, before I sat down to answer these questions and after spending a good two hours processing submissions for a poetry contest I run, I gifted myself five minutes to think in response to a screen-shot of a poem I read last week and write, for an additional five, my own response. I collect screenshots and lines that I shape into the body of a poem. As a poet and translator, I am constantly surprised at how the language of work—a move toward that language, and against it—has informed the spirit of/behind (and the ethics of) my poems.”

Stay Curious

Making things work better, identifying and tackling challenges, and being interested in the work that you do and the world around you are key to feeling satisfied in your job. “Always find opportunities to learn. We owe it to ourselves to be lifelong students. We owe it to the next generations to pass down our knowledge,” says Quanice Floyd, Founder and Director of the Arts Administrators of Color Network.

Rajshree Solanki, Chief Registrar for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Atelier 4’s first-ever Registrar of the Year, is interested in learning techniques on building and strengthening teams within her organization and providing others with the opportunities she was given earlier in her career (note: she donated her $5,000 award to the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Fellowships and Internships’ Minority Internship program, which gave Solanki her start). “I tend to read business management books specifically on project management, communications, and team-building. I particularly recommend books such as Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, Kim Scott’s Radical Candor: Be Kickass Boss without Losing Your Humanity, and Dan Coyle’s The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups.”

Pontonio stays curious by proactively keeping up with conference offerings in the field that align with her work. “If there’s something of great interest and I am not attending that conference, I will reach out to the presenter afterwards to schedule a meeting about their presentation and top takeaways.”

Adams recommends inexpensive classes from Node Center for Curatorial Studies or travel scholarships for conferences like Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC), College Art Association (CAA), and Common Field. “It’s best to get on all the email lists, specifically I like Call for Curators,” she added.

Yeiry Guevara, Grants Manager at Houston Arts Alliance, says her secret for staying up-to-date is newsletters. She recommends joining the mailing lists of Grantmakers in the Arts, NALAC, Americans for the Arts, and other cultural affairs offices, where she can learn from their layout, messaging, and content, in addition to getting relevant information from the field.

JiaJia Fei, Consulting Director of Digital at The Jewish Museum, makes staying informed a priority since success in the digital world means always keeping your eyes open and asking questions. She begins every team meeting with two agenda items to stay informed about industry changes and advancements: 1) Digital Landscape: sharing an outside project or news item from within the field and its application to the work they do and 2) Digital Cross-Fit: asking another colleague on the team a question about something they’re working on or training on a tactical skill, to encourage cross-training and collaboration. “As an added bonus, we have the privilege of working inside an art museum, which makes us all naturally curious and lifelong learners across everything we do,” says Fei.

Hartley suggests a more organic approach, and encourages you to allow serendipity and chance to play a role in your constant learning: “Sign up for LinkedIn groups, newsletters, and news-feeds that don't relate to your work, but may provide sparks for new ideas; be a source, not a drain, if you see an interesting article, piece of research or video, share it with a friend or colleague and tell them why you found it interesting. Ask them what they're looking at these days that's challenging, informative or exciting.”

Donaldson and Vlatkovic also recommend looking beyond the industry to learn from others, citing resources such as The Muse, Harvard Business Review, Inc, and The New York Times’ “Smarter Living” and “Entrepreneurship” sections to find out recent trends. They then suggest learning how to apply and adapt your discoveries and learnings to the arts.

Artist Sharon Louden, who wears many hats in the arts including serving as the Artistic Director of the Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution, believes that being curious means being open. She also dedicates time each day with a number of sources to explore what’s happening in the industry. “I love taking about 15-30 minutes a day to peruse online publications, blogs, social media to read about what people are sharing, etc. to not only follow the work of colleagues I know personally but also to see the road maps of their lives, which ultimately leads me to unexpected paths of discovery.”

This practice is also highly beneficial to Louden’s work as an artist: “Following a lot of artists' lives tells me a lot about community, how artists sustain their own lives and ideas for opportunities for myself to grow my own practice. That kind of organic research enables me to build more of my community by reaching out to those I discover, perhaps offering to collaborate, and definitely creating spaces and opportunities for others to share as much as possible."

Create Meaningful Relationships

We’re all in this together, so why not establish lasting ties with peers and mentors at your own and other arts and culture organizations? These relationships are mutually beneficial, and can help you chart and map your career path in ways you may not expect.

“A tip that has served me well,” says Maldonado, is “try to learn as much as you can from as many people as you can; if I’m being generous, in most of my tasks, I often remind myself that I am working with/within a language that needs to be tended to. That impulse to learn affects every curatorial decision I had made since the day I started working and pushes me to move beyond the boundaries of what's expected. And has made me a more attentive (and kinder, I would think) administrator.”

It can also be helpful to re-frame the concept of networking. To that end, Donaldson and Vlatkovic wish “we had known at the beginning of our arts admin careers that networking simply means making connections with other people. From volunteering for organizations you believe in, going to industry events, participating in professional development workshops, or even your small friends group that meets monthly over drinks, all that engagement counts as networking! All those connections are incredibly important and will provide support throughout your career, whether it’s friends looking at your resume, acquaintances recommending you for jobs, or former colleagues sending useful articles.”

Adams suggests a proactive outreach strategy, and encourages arts administrators to reach out to people who are inspiring to you. “See if you can buy them a cup of coffee or have a phone call. Mentorship is important and establishing these relationships (whether it’s a cold call/email or through a friend of a friend) will help propel you.”

It’s important to forge meaningful relationships with both your co-workers and with others in the field. “Your team is there to support you in this work, and if not in your immediate workplace there are other arts administrators out there that want to connect. Reach out!” encourages Rios. Guevara concurs: “I am able to succeed because of the immense support of my team and my current leadership. Their sage insight helps ground me,” she says.

Ashley Walden Davis, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Alternate ROOTS, encourages peer-to-peer relationship building. “Your careers will grow together and one day, you will be those executive leaders and the next generation of future leaders. Having relationships with your peers across the field will make it easier to execute the work of organizational partnerships, fundraise, and execute day-to-day operations which by and large takes place in middle management. Furthermore, you will develop lasting friendships with other arts leaders who can help you troubleshoot, talk through ideas, or just share a laugh about drafting an artistic grant narrative about a project three years away. Having a strong accountability and support system is key to a long, healthy, and sustaining career in the arts.”

Guevara is emphatic that peers make the best mentors because “we’re all figuring it out together. The transparency in learning about each other’s process is very validating.”

Be Confident in Your Abilities and Have Fun!

In any industry, self-doubt can creep in. Don’t let it get the best of you by learning to recognize the unique voice and vision that you bring to your work. Says Guevara: “The first step of owning your value is being able to see or acknowledge your strengths,” and suggests that having mentorship can help you reflect on your strengths especially if you may not be cognizant of them.

Louden has affirming advice for artists who are arts administrators: “We as artists have the ability to bounce back from failure like no other in any other field; we can easily create things from nothing and we can problem solve outside of our studio in much the same way as we do when we make things. The way artists think and just naturally do things in the world is unique from people in every other occupation. There is often a disconnect between artists making their work and applying those skills and talents elsewhere in their lives. Since I see artists valued beyond making their work, perhaps the real challenge is for them—us!—to recognize and apply our natural creative talents on a daily basis."

O’Hanian adds: “People often don’t understand their professional values because in many cases we think we should be doing something else such as paint, sing, write or dance—things we really want to do. However, most people I’ve worked with have been very good at their jobs, whether they know it or not.”

Haggag highly recommends that everyone follow Picard Tips on Twitter. “Wow! I stumbled on them a few months ago and had no idea how badly I needed Star Trek's retired admiral Jean-Luc Picard's management tweets in my life. He recently tweeted 'No one can relax around Dr. Jekyll after they have met Mr. Hyde.' In my management experience, has that been true? Absolutely. Or 'Once all their basic needs are taken care of, crew members are motivated by the meaningfulness of their work.' Like, yes! Gospel!”

In Closing

Kristy Edmunds, Executive and Artistic Director for UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) and the inaugural recipient of United States Artists’ Berresford Prize, provided us with inspiring words to illustrate her belief in arts administrators as change-makers. We’re closing things out with a stanza that we hope propels you forward in your day and in your career:

“Press on, press on, press on! Our cultural charge isn’t fleeting, of this we are certain indeed. Your hand on the wheel is impressive and furtive persistence is key. Press on through the standard of measures. Press on through the spreadsheets and sing! Press on (oh press on) we are counting on you…to care for the cause thus imbued.”

-Amy Aronoff, Senior Communications Officer

Arts administrators in the five boroughs of New York City and surrounding metropolitan area are encouraged to apply to participate in our Emerging Leaders Program 2020. Free of charge to selected participants, the initiative provides leadership training for arts administrators over nine months. Our core objective is to help arts administrators discover, identify, and develop their personal motivation and individual competencies as leaders while exploring the attributes and themes of arts leadership.

This post was inspired by “The Artist’s Creed: 10 Guiding Principles for Your Arts Career.” Published in 2019, it provided empowering advice for artists, distilled from people we admire.

Images: Jenny Kemp (Fellow in Painting ’15), Breach, 2015, gouache on paper; Christie Neptune (Fellow in Interdisciplinary Work ’18), Pulling At My Labels, 2016, single-channel video; and Paul DeMuro (Fellow in Painting ’15), Nailz, 2013, oil on canvas

#business of art #businessofart #professional development #profdev #arts administration #artsadministration #arts administrators #artsadministrators #amy aronoff #amyaronoff #instagram #career advice #careeradvice #announcements

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warmheartworldwide · 6 years ago

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A Busy Gap Year - seeing through children’s eyes

The following blog comes from Rex Lin who is completing a six-week stay at Warm Heart:

I graduated from high school earlier this year and decided to take a gap year. Although I was a good student, I wanted to do something more than just studying all the time. I am not a typical Taiwanese teenager. My family lives in Homei township, in central Taiwan, and both my parents work in factories. My mother is ethnic Vietnamese and, like many others from southeast Asia, married my father and emigrated to Taiwan in the 1990s. She was very brave to leave her home in search of a better future and she encourages and inspires me a lot. I think that she has influenced me to become a more empathetic person.

I first got involved in activism in high school. There is a nearby chemical factory with 1000 workers which was still using three older power plants which emitted toxic gases. Some of my classmates campaigned for a month and succeeded in getting those plants shut down. None of the workers lost their jobs because the factory has newer power plants that are up to code but which are more expensive to operate.

Initially my parents were surprised about my gap year decision but after I told them about my plans, they supported me wholeheartedly. I first became aware of children’s rights in the eleventh grade when I was the leader of our student association. I looked into any matter involving students and advocated for their rights. Then I was chosen to represent Taiwan and speak at a review conference of national reports on the rights of children. After that I studied the subject more thoroughly and spoke at the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

I consider myself to be quite outgoing. Since I was 10, I have seriously studied English and use it whenever I can at international events where I can meet and make foreign friends. Since I enjoy public speaking, my first gap year activity was to organize a two-month lecture tour targeting 50 engagements all over Taiwan. Most of the lectures were staged at schools, NGOs or other institutions. On average, about 30 people came to each lecture. Mostly I talked about student and children’s rights and how to protect them. I got a lot of support and feedback from the students and teachers who attended. Since I am not from a wealthy family, I think my story inspired some people and made them realize that they can also change their lives.

After my lecture tour, I realized there are still so many things that need changing, both in Taiwan and the rest of the world, and that’s what I want to work for. I understand that change might come slowly and only in gradual steps. I also realized that I am a good listener and always ready to learn more about people and their lives.

In Taiwan, students try to show in their college applications that they have previous volunteer experience both at home and abroad. I had never volunteered before so when a friend told me about Warm Heart and its involvement with children’s education, I decided to apply. I liked Warm Heart’s grassroot approach and its “helping people to help themselves” philosophy. I thought that working more closely with the Thai people would allow me to truly understand their problems. At the same time, I was also worried about Warm Heart’s location in the countryside, in the middle of nowhere.

During the interview process with Evelind, when she asked me about my plan for my stay, I panicked. I had just graduated from high school and had no special skills, so how could I really help? Whatever I had learned about children’s rights during my past experiences in Taiwan, how could I transfer the knowledge if I didn’t speak Thai? Luckily Evelind said that we would find out what I could do after I got here. I was quite relieved because I really wanted to come.

My parents wondered why I didn’t choose to volunteer in Vietnam but I had already been there several times to visit my mother’s family and wanted to discover a new place. I managed to get a government subsidy which covered about half my expenses. The Taiwanese government is quite generous with students who require financial assistance for higher education and I will also be getting grants to cover my university education. My last activity before coming here was at the 7th Global Trend Youth Forum which was hosted this year by Taiwan and where I served as a youth pilot.

After getting here, I began by observing everything and trying to understand how Warm Heart works and everyone’s role. I saw how great the burden of constant fundraising is. I joined visits to the elderly and disabled in our community. One visit was to a grandfather who did not seem to be disabled. He had a wife and sons and his home was in good condition. At first I didn’t understand why he needed help. But after more visits, I realized our goal was to establish a good relationship, one of trust. Even though I needed to go with Noina, Warm Heart’s public health staff member, who translated for me, the residents really appreciate our visits and getting the attention.

Fellow volunteer Malory says goodbye to local resident when she finishes her time at Warm Heart

Many of the elderly feel neglected because their family members are too busy working and unable to spend much time with them. Lying all day in bed by themselves, just watching television, without enough human interaction, they can get overcome with stress and other negative emotions. We pretend to be their sons and daughters for a short time. We ask them simple questions like “Did you sleep well last night?” or “Do you have enough blankets to keep you warm?” We show that we actually care.

Every project at Warm Heart is aimed at improving the welfare of the residents in the surrounding communities. At the same time, it is important to always respect the residents. I wondered how they perceive Warm Heart, an NGO set up by foreigners that uses foreign volunteers. Maybe they don’t really need us. But then I think that our role is to help them see the different possibilities of ways to improve their lives. If we can build up their trust in us, they will gradually accept us and the obstacles and walls will break down. So maybe sometimes we need to slow things down and work more on building the trust.

Biochar stand with other volunteers at Citylife Garden Fair in Chiang Mai

The most valuable lesson I´ve learned at Warm Heart is how to see the world through the eyes of children. Most of Warm Heart’s kids have had a difficult start. Some have parents who take drugs or risk imprisonment; others have dysfunctional families and have been neglected. I asked myself, what do these children really need? Do they really need more dull classroom lectures? In Taiwan, many people think that children from poor families just need to study hard to improve their lives. But there is a big difference between the opportunities for children who are supported by their families who have resources and those who are not.

Warm Heart kids share their photos with volunteer John (left)

I think the Warm Heart kids all know that education is important if they want to find meaningful work. Warm Heart cooperates with several hotels, restaurants and tourist agencies to involve the older kids who are interested in internships or apprenticeships leading towards decent jobs. But the kids lack creative activity that teaches them something about the world and themselves. With this in mind, I organized several activities during my stay. In Taiwan, kids welcome the coming of the winter solstice by making sweet rice balls. My goal was for the kids to feel a sense of achievement when eating the rice balls they had made themselves. Seeing their smiling faces when they tasted the rice balls for the first time, I knew that our bonds were closer.

Warm Heart kids make sweet rice balls

Warm Heart has been in operation for over a decade. It takes a long time to build the trust which is needed to effect true change. As the Warm Heart kids grow up to be pillars of that trust, going into higher education and creating good lives for themselves and their families, we will gradually see the fruits of our hard work.

I now regard myself as a budding social anthropologist. Observing and learning more about everyone’s social and family contexts, their customs and living habits, helps me help them. As for working with children, I just want them to be able to evolve happily and in a carefree way. Our task is to provide a positive environment with sustainable economic support and stable educational resources. Without obstruction, hopefully each child will then be able to find their own path.

My busy gap year will continue after I leave Warm Heart. Before resuming my studies in sociology at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, I have a short-term paid contract with the Taiwan Alliance for the Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare, a large NGO. In collaboration with the Scottish children’s and youth parliaments, our committee will be creating a model children’s parliament to show the Taiwanese government how it works. There are many children’s parliaments across Europe but, as far as I know, there aren’t any yet in Asia. We will build the structure and encourage students and children to join and empower them accordingly. It's a tough task but I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Mali, Wonhui, Malory (front), John and me (back)

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victimofthemusic · 6 years ago

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Five Times Tony Stark Was a Good Dad (And One Time He Wasn’t) Pt. 4

Hello my loves! I know its been well over a year since I’ve been active on here and I’m so sorry for that. A lot of things have happened to me in the last year, some good and some bad and I’ve been so busy trying to keep up with my life and everyone in it. I lost my urge to write along the way and I’m trying so hard to get it back. I’ve had this in my documents for a while and it’s taken me over a year to write it, off and on and I’m unsure with how I feel about it, but with End Game coming out, I’m really trying to get this finished this year. I hope I still have some people out there that enjoy this story and if you’ve stuck around this long, thank you so much! Now, on with a new chapter! :)

If you’re new to the story, you can read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 here!

~~~~~

Liz is so pretty

Chin resting in the palm of his hand, Peter gazed dreamily at her from across the cafeteria, watching as she hung up a banner advertising the homecoming dance, along the cafeteria wall. She was stretched up on her tippy-toes, straining to reach the hook and Peter had a momentary flash of panic at the thought of her falling, but she managed to reach it safely and without incident and Peter could breathe again.

And then Liz caught his eye and smiled and suddenly, breathing was a problem again. He gave her a sheepish smile back, not expecting to get caught staring and he could feel his cheeks heat in a blush.

“—Peter? Did you hear me?”

Peter jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, shooting a glare at an amused Ned, “Dude!”

“What? Was Liz wearing a new top or something?” Ned asked, glancing over at Liz’s lunch table, where she was laughing and chatting away with her friends.

“No, she’s worn the sweater before but never with uh, with the skirt—look, what were you talking about?” Peter demanded, desperate for a subject change. Anything, really, to wipe the knowing look off of Ned’s face.

“I was saying,” Ned repeated with a pointed look, “Do you wanna come over this weekend? There’s a StarWars marathon on HBO Saturday.”

“Yeah, dude sounds awesome.” Peter said with genuine enthusiasm. With his nightly activities as Spider-Man, homework and spending time with Tony, Peter hadn't really had a chance to hangout with Ned like he used to.

“Great! So I was thinking—“

Peter was trying to listen, he really was, but he saw Liz laugh at something Betty Brant said and he couldn't help but notice the way her nose crinkled in that adorable way when she was amused by something, her dark brown eyes shining in the mid afternoon sun—

“Dude!”

Peter startled, shooting Ned a sheepish look, “Sorry.”

Ned just rolled his eyes, chancing a glance at Liz before looking back at Peter, “You should just ask her out.”

Peter gaped at him, a very un-dude like squawk leaving his lips, “Are you kidding? Liz is a senior, a senior, and popular. Two things that I am most definitely not. What could she possibly want with someone like me?”

Ned deflated a little at that, “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“Hey!”

Ned ignored him, his face brightening, “But hey! Maybe Spider-Man could put in a good word for you! I heard Liz is having another party this weekend, maybe we could—“

“NO!” Peter said loudly, cutting Ned off and getting a few looks in the process. He lowered his voice, “Do you not remember what happened last time? Tony was so angry with me and he threatened to take my suit away if he ever found out about me going to another party. Not to mention the puke I had to clean off of the suit with a toothbrush—“

“You puked on the Iron Man suit?!”

Peter shot Ned a look that clearly said so not the point and continued, “There’s no way I’m ever disappointing Tony like that ever again.”

Ned sighed, “Okay, good point,” he casted a glance at Liz’s table and Peter followed his gaze, “well, at least she’ll be graduating soon and you’ll be able to move on to someone more attainable.”

Peter groaned, laying his head on the table and Ned patted his shoulder comfortingly.

~~~~~

“Mr. Parker is on his way up, sir.”

Tony looked up from his StarkPad when he heard F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice, just in time to see the elevator doors open and the welcoming grin slid off of his face when he noticed the rather dejected teenager step into the penthouse. He watched as Peter walked right past him, not even muttering his usual Hey Tony!, making his way into the kitchen to grab a snack

Ever since Peter had started coming over more, Tony made sure to keep the kitchen well stocked with food and drinks—of the non-alcoholic variety, even though hadn't had a drink since Peter’s party escapade a few weeks ago—knowing the kid was in a constant state of hunger due to his high metabolism. The kid could eat, reminding Tony a lot of Steve. He made sure Peter knew he could help himself as much as he wanted, as long as it was mostly healthy and didn’t spoil his dinner.

Peter grabbed an apple juice out of the fridge and a few granola bars from the cabinet over the sink, scarfing two of them down in one go.

“As much as I enjoy having you come over and watch you eat me out of house and home,” Tony began, making the kid jump and look up rom the bottle of apple juice he’d been studying like he just realized Tony had been standing there the whole time, “I think the polite thing to do is to actually greet someone before you start raiding their kitchen.”

Peter flushed, “Sorry, Tony, I guess I was a bit distracted.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, “Care to share?”

He didn’t know it was possible, but the red hue on the kid’s cheeks deepened until it was almost a dark shade of purple. He furrowed his eyebrows, concern making his chest feel tight.

“Seriously, kid, what gives? Did something happen at school today?” Tony asked, frown deepening, “is that lame Flash kid giving you problems again? Because if so, I won’t hesitate to have a one on one conversation with your principal and if that doesn't do the trick, F.R.I.D.A.Y. will have no issues hacking into the school’s database and erase that kid’s academic record from existence—“

“It’s not Flash.” Peter interrupted, look back down at the half eaten granola bar in his hand.

“Oh,” Tony said, deflating a little bit. Whether it was from being wrong or losing his chance to finally put that punk Flash kid in his place, he wasn’t sure. A mixture of both, maybe. Tony didn’t like to be wrong and that Flash kid irked him to no end. Seriously, the fact that kid had the nerve to apply for an internship at SI after treating Peter like his verbal punching bag didn’t sit right with Tony and he made sure that particular application never crossed Pepper’s desk, let alone any of his competitors—

“It’s a girl.” Peter continued, breaking Tony out of his thoughts.

“Pete, if you’re telling me you’re getting bullied by a girl, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Girls can be mean and intimidating. Have you met Pepper? Woman scares the shi—crap out of me on a good day. Seriously, the offer to hack into the school database still stands, regardless of gender, I don’t discriminate—“

Peter made a frustrated noise, cutting Tony of, “I’m not getting bullied by a girl!” He paused, considering, “well, there is Michelle, but I think that’s her way of saying we’re friends but—“ the kid flushed again and suddenly, a light bulb went off over Tony’s head.

“—her name’s Liz. She’s a senior and popular and captain of the decathlon team and I, well—I—I like her.” Peter admitted, biting his lip and glancing back down at the marble counter.

The name rang a bell in Tony’s brain and after a second thinking, he understood, “Is this the same Liz that threw the party? The same party that, you felt the need to drink at in order to work up the nerve to talk to her? The same party that you thought would be the perfect time to introduce your pal Spider-Man to all your classmates? The same party that I had to give up my Saturday night for in order to fly into the suburbs to stop you from making what could possibly be the biggest game of your young life and your way of thanking me was to puke on my multi-million dollar suit? And all of this was to impress this girl?”

Peter, despite the flush dominating his features, shot Tony an annoyed glare, “First of all, Ned said you got there in under ten minutes, so your Saturday night couldn't of been that busy. Second of all, I said I was sorry for getting drunk and puking on your suit, which, I cleaned—with a toothbrush, might I add—and I promised that I would never do it again, didn’t I? And third of all, it’s not like I actually succeeded in putting on my suit, so everyone still thinks I’m still lying about knowing Spider-Man and I’m still this giant loser—“

“Whoa, hey kid, take a breath.” Tony said, holding his hands up and Peter snapped his mouth shut, “okay, first of all,” Tony began, mimicking Peter, who flushed, giving Tony a sheepish smile, “cool it with the sass, you’re starting to take after me and that’s never a good sign.”

“Sorry,” Peter murmured, giving Tony a small, apologetic smile.

Tony waved him off, “But more importantly, Pete,” Tony continued, walking around the counter and resting his hands on Peter’s shoulders, who looked up at him with such a dejected look, Tony’s heart gave a painful twinge in his chest, “you missed my point. I know you made a mistake, you’ve more than made up for it and I have no doubt that you’ll hold true to your promise.”

Peter’s shoulder relaxed under his hands and Tony smiled, “What I meant by all of that was, you shouldn’t feel like you have to change yourself or become something you’re not in order to get someone to like you. Spider-Man isn't a party trick or something you can use to get your foot in the door with someone. Take it from someone who knows, kid. Don’t ever use who you are or who you know as a way of getting someone’s attention. Those people don’t want you for you, they only want to use you. For connections, money, power or blackmail or bragging rights. And while you may care about them, they don’t give a damn about you. I learned that the hard way and trust me, Pete, it’s not a good feeling, being used.”

Tony gave Peter a sad smile that turned genuine at the overwhelming sympathy in the kid’s big brown eyes, “Peter, you are possibly the kindest, and smartest person I’ve ever come across in my life-time. You have a big heart and you care about everyone that you come in contact with. You’re a great kid and I have no doubt that you’ll do great things one day with that big heart and big brain of yours and if this Liz girl can’t see that, then she doesn't deserve you.”

Peter gave Tony a bright smile, “Thanks, Tony.”

Tony gave his shoulders a light squeeze, ruffling Peter’s unruly hair, “Don’t mention it, kid.”

As quick as Peter’s smile came, it faded, a worried crease appearing between his eyebrows, “So, how do I ask her out?”

Tony chuckled, tossing an arm around Peter’s shoulders, leading him in the direction of the lab.

“Just be yourself, kid. If you try too hard, you’re sure to screw it up. Just let it happen naturally, talk to her like a normal person, because she is just a normal person.”

Peter nodded, but Tony could tell there was something else bothering him.

“What’s going on in that big brain of yours?”

Peter bit his lip, staring down at his ratty sneakers. Tony made a mental note to buy him new ones.

“What if—what if she says no?” Peter said finally, glancing up at Tony with big eyes.

Then I sic my AI on her and all her hopes and dreams of getting into a good four year college no longer exist, Tony thought.

Out loud, he said, “That’s always a possibility, unfortunately. But you can’t take it personally, Peter. If she’s not interested, she not interested. Be a gentlemen about it and understand that it was nothing to do with you or who you are as a person. There’s nothing wrong with you, she just doesn't return your feelings. But hey,” Tony said, pausing in his stride to look at Peter in the eye, “you at least tried and now you know where you stand and now you’re one step closer to finding someone who will return your feelings.”

He clapped Peter on the shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile and Peter returned his smile, looking much lighter than when he first came to the Tower.

“Now, I have some idea’s for web fluid and I was thinking—oof.”

Tony suddenly had a side full of teenager as Peter wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist in a hug. Tony tensed, Peter’s open displays of affection always taking him off guard, but he relaxed, wrapping his arms around Peter in a quick hug.

“Thanks for listening, Tony,” Peter said softly, “I would normally go to May about this, but she’d just make a big deal about it and it’d be ten times more embarrassing and I uh, just, thanks.” Peter finished lamely, cheeks flushed.

“No need to thank me, kid,” Tony said with a smile, but it turned unsure and he debated what to say next, but decided to go for broke, “I know I’m not always the greatest at this…stuff,” he said with a wave of his hand, “but I’m trying, kid. And I hope you know that you can come to me for anything, whether it’s just to talk or if you need help with homework or girls or even if you just want to hangout, this tower, well, you’re always welcome. I just want you to know that.”

Tony was not blushing, he absolutely was not, but the blinding smile Peter gave him was worth any embarrassment Tony had to endure during that entire stuttered speech.

~~~~~

“Okay Peter, you can do this, you can do this,” Peter mumbled to himself at his locker, brushing his hair out of his eyes and wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans.

Liz was standing at her locker, reading her notes for their shared English class and Peter felt his stomach fill with nerves at the sight of her.

“You can do this, it’s just like Tony said, she’s just a normal person, you can do it.” Peter said, taking a deep breath. He slammed his locker shut, straightened his shoulders and headed down the hallway to Liz’s locker, where she was still reading her notes with a wrinkled brow.

You can do this, Peter thought to himself.

Liz looked up when he approached, smiling brightly at him and Peter was momentarily struck dumb by just how beautiful she was.

“Hey, Peter! Have you read the assigned reading for Hamlet? Betty told me that we have a pop quiz today and I’m freaking out.” Liz said, biting her lip nervously as she flipped through her binder.

Peter swallowed, “Uh, I did and it wasn't that bad. Ned told me the quiz wasn't that hard.”

C’mon Peter, just ask her out already

“Oh thank god, I only got through half of it. Between Homecoming and prepping for Decathlon practice, I fell asleep last night before I could finish—“

The bell rang, cutting Liz off and Peter closed his eyes in defeat.

Dammit

“Well, I’ll see you in English.” Liz said with a smile, shutting her locker and turning to walk down the hallway.

No no no no no no no no no

C’mon Peter, this is your chance, don’t waste it!

Peter sucked in a breath and summoned all of his courage—

“Liz, wait!” Peter said loudly, running to catch up with her.

She paused in the hallway, raising a delicate eyebrow, “Peter, I’m sorry, but I’m gonna be late—“

“Willyougotohomecomingwithme?”

She furrowed her eyebrows, confused, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t understand a word you just said.”

Peter took a deep breath, “Look, I realize I might be a little late and you might already have a date, but,” Peter swallowed nervously, glancing up at Liz with hopeful eyes, “I was wondering if you would, uh, you know, go to the dance, with, uh, me?”

“Actually, Peter—“

Peter winced, already sensing the rejection. He wanted a refund on his powers, his Spidey senses should warn a guy when he’s about to get his heart ripped out of his chest—

“—so busy planning the dance that I never really got around to the whole date part—“

Wait, what?

Peter looked up and saw Liz giving him a shy smile, “I’d love to go to the dance with you.

Peter gaped, “Wait, really?”

Liz giggled, her cheeks flushed a delicate rose, “Yeah Peter, I really like you.” she said shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear, looking up at him from underneath her long lashes.

Peter blushed, “I really like you, too.”

The warning bell rang and Liz’s eyes widened, “Oh well I better—“ she nodded her head in the general direction of the English classroom, giving him an apologetic smile.

“—yeah, I’ll uh, see you in English?” Peter asked, giving her a smile.

She nodded, smiling back, “Sure thing, Peter.”

She hesitated, unsure, but she stepped up on her tippy toes and—there’s no way, no way she’s about to—

Her soft lips landed on his blushing cheek and Peter was sure his heart was about to beat right out of his chest.

Holy shit

“Bye, Peter.” She whispered, flashing him a smile before she scurried off down the hallway, dark hair swaying about her shoulders as she ducked into the English classroom just as the final bell rang.

Peter ignored it, pressing his hand to his cheek in utter disbelief.

Liz Allan just said she’d go with him to homecoming

Liz Allan just said she really liked him.

Liz FREAKING Allan just kissed him on the cheek

Him, lowly sophomore, geeky Peter Parker.

HOLY SHIT

“Mr. Parker, is there reason why you’re not in class?”

Whoops

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Stark, you can’t be seriously asking me to pardon war criminals—who, not only broke the laws that you signed, but broke out of a maximum security prison, which I still think you have something to do with—“

“Now, Ross, you’re a smart man and I know you can do simple math. There’s three Avengers remaining, one who’s currently still upstate going through physical therapy to get the use of his legs back and Vision is afraid of his own power and then that leaves me. I can’t fight everything on my own, I need back up, I need—“

My family back, Tony thought suddenly. It caught him off guard, how badly he wanted that back. The team, the camaraderie, the family—

“Mr. Stark?” Ross prompted impatiently,

Tony shook himself out of his thoughts, clearing his throat, “This country needs the Avengers back. The world needs the Avengers back, with only me as the active Avenger left, we’re leaving the world vulnerable to outside attacks—

“—And how many casualties has the Avengers caused by inflicting their will on other countries—“

The door to his office opened and Tony took his eyes off the hologram in front of him, just in time to see a panicked looking Peter come bolting into his office at a break neck speed.

“Tony—“ Peter panted, eyes bright and hair disheveled.

“Kid, I’m a little busy here—“

“—are you even listening to me, Stark?” Ross’s angry voice demanded from behind him.

Tony ignored him, “Look, Pete, I’m in the middle of something here, how’d you even get into my office—“

“—Stark!—”

“—she said yes!” Peter said, cutting Tony off and it took a minute for Tony to switch gears and understand what Peter was talking about, but when he did—

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., end call.”

“Stark, don’t you dare hang up—“

Ross’s angry voice faded and Tony tried not to think about the wrath he would have to face later or how much farther back that sent him with progress he was making with the Accords.

But all of that faded when he took in Peter’s elated expression and Tony decided none of that mattered at the moment. His kid deserved his undivided attention, something Tony’s own father had never given him. Peter deserved better than that.

“Sorry about that, kid, Ross gets angry when things don’t go his way—“

“I interrupted something important, didn’t I?” Peter asked, looking up at Tony with guilty eyes.

Tony waved a hand, “Don’t worry about it, kid.”

Peter still looked doubtful, but Tony nodded to the elaborate chair opposite his side of the desk and Peter sat down hesitantly, while Tony chose to stand and lean against the desk.

“Now, tell me everything.” Tony said, a warm smile gracing his lips when Peter launched into detailed play by play of the most glorious ten minutes of his life, as he put it.

“And she kissed me on the cheek! Kissed me, Tony and she’s going with me to Homecoming—“

~~~~~~~~

Tony choked down some of May Parker’s date loaf in their tiny Queens apartment, watching as May fluttered around her nephew—fixing a stray curl, plucking lint off the suit Tony had made and tailored specifically for Peter—and he couldn’t help but feel grateful that Peter had wanted him here.

“Tony? Can you—“ Peter gestured down to his still yet to be tied tie and flushed, “I don’t know how to tie this.”

Tony sat his date loaf down on the coffee table and made his way over to the anxious teen. He grabbed the tie, tucking it underneath the collar of Peter’s crisp white button down and with expert fingers, he looped the tie into the perfect windsor knot, making sure it was straight before stepping away, admiring his handy work.

An odd sensation welled up in Tony’s throat as he took in the nervous teen in front of him, decked out in a custom Armani suit and the all black Chuck Taylor’s—something Peter insisted on because the suit is enough Tony, seriously. He might of gone a little overboard, he’s willing to admit that, but there was nothing in the world that Peter deserved more than one night as a normal teenager. The world expected too much out of this kid and Tony wanted ensure that Peter had all the experiences a normal teenager should, despite the fact that Peter was anything but normal.

His phone beeped and glancing down at it, he saw the text from Happy telling him that he was here and waiting in one of Tony’s flashier cars that he was loaning to Peter for the occasion.

“Alright kid, show time.” Tony said, glancing back up at the fidgeting teen.

May squealed, “Okay! Don’t forget the corsage and remember—“

“—tell her she looks nice, but not too much because that’s creepy—“

“—don’t be creepy—“

“—and when I dance with her, I keep my hands on her hips.” Peter recited dutifully and May smiled, opening her arms for a hug.

Tony glanced away, feeling like he was an intruding on an intimate moment between Peter and his aunt, especially when he heard May murmur, “Ben would be so proud of you, Peter.”

“Thanks, May.” Peter replied softly, pulling away and fixing his suit, but Tony saw him wipe discreetly at his face.

Peter glanced up at him and Tony smiled, “Knock ‘em dead, kid. Happy will pick you up after the dance and drop you off at home. Stay away from the punch, trust me, the whole ‘spike the punch bowl’ isn’t a myth. If you need anything, let me or your aunt know and make sure you get Liz home at decent hour, makes a good impression on the parents,” Tony squeezed Peter’s shoulder, “got it?”

Peter nodded, “I think so.”

Tony clapped his shoulder, “Have fun, kid. I’ve got everything covered for tonight.”

Peter gave him a grateful smile, “Thanks, Tony.”

“Don’t mention it, kid. Now scadaddle, Happy isn't a patient man.” Tony said, nodding to the door.

Peter gulped, grabbing the corsage sitting on the kitchen table and with a wave over his shoulder, he was gone.

Silence settled over the apartment and Tony could see May studying him with an intensity that made him decidedly uncomfortable

Tony cleared his throat awkwardly, checking his watch, “Well, I better—“

“Actually, Mr. Stark, do mind sitting down for a minute? I’d like to talk to you.” May asked and Tony gulped.

May Parker reminded him a lot of Pepper, fierce and no nonsense, especially when it came to someone she loved. And if there was one thing in this world that Tony was sure of, it was that May Parker loved her nephew and she’d kill a man dead if it meant that Peter would be safe and happy.

And Tony would be a dead man if May Parker ever found out that he was not only encouraging Peter’s after school activities as a superhero by handing him a multi-million dollar suit, but he was also responsible for putting her nephew in the same battle field as a super soldier and an ex-HYDRA assassin with a chip on his shoulder in the shape of a prosthetic arm.

Tony (wisely) took his seat silently in an arm chair angled across from the couch and eyed May warily as she sank down into the worn cushions.

“I won’t lie and say that I like you. To be honest with you, I don’t really agree with a lot of things you’ve done and I’m still not sure how I feel about you spending so much time in Peter’s life,” May said bluntly, folding her hands in her lap and Tony swallowed heavily.

“But something is going on with him,” she continued, “I’m not sure what it is, but I know you’ve got something to do with it.”

Shit

Tony kept his face blank, while he scrambled to think of some way out of this that, not only kept Peter’s other identity safe, but also kept him safe in case May turned out to be a hitter. He knew better than to lie, because he was already dangling precariously on the edge of May’s trust and if she caught him in a lie, not only would this little “internship” with Peter end, he would put the kid in tough spot. He was already lying to his aunt about a lot of things, he didn’t want to be another thing added to that list.

And Tony knew, deep down, that if Peter was forced to choose between him and his aunt, Peter would choose his aunt over Tony any day. And as much as Tony had bitched and moaned about taking on the full responsibility of monitoring the kid and looking after him, Peter had become an important part of Tony’s life and he wasn't willing to risk losing the relationship he had built with him by lying to the one person that Tony knew had Peter’s best interest at heart.

So he went for broke.

“Mrs. Parker,” Tony began, taking off his sunglasses and folding them neatly into his breast pocket, “I’ll admit, when I first stumbled across Peter, I knew that he would be a very valuable asset to me and my company once he graduated high school. He’s a bright kid with talent that I’ve only seen in myself and a handful of highly educated people that I’ve worked with. He’s passionate, he’s smart and he’s got an endless amount of ideas that would make some companies very very rich, mine included, if Peter wishes to continue working for my company when he graduates from college.”

May didn’t look impressed and Tony could feel his brow begin to sweat a bit. This is why Pepper always wrote the speeches, he was never good at this…talking thing. Selling his products, his visions, his ideas. That he could do in his sleep. But when he tried to sell himself—his intentions, his personality, who he was as a person—that he struggled with.

“Peter…he’s special. And I don’t mean just because of his brain, of his gifts or abilities. He’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever come across, he cares so deeply about the people and the world around him. And he’s persistent, too persistent for his own good, sometimes.”

May snorted and Tony relaxed a bit, “I care about Peter, a lot. I know that I may not be the best role model for the kid, but he’s going through things that he’s trusted me with, that I can help him with. I know I’m asking a lot of you, but you have to trust me when I say that will do everything in my power to ensure that nothing ever happens to Peter. I’ll make sure he’ll learn from my mistakes and he won’t follow in my footsteps. He’s already doing a hell of a lot better than I was at his age.”

“You can say that again,” May muttered, but Tony could tell that there was no heat behind it.

Tony chuckled, “Like I said, I’m well aware that I shouldn't be anyone’s role model, that’s why I never had kids, but Peter,” Tony swallowed, suddenly feeling like he was revealing too much about himself. He was used to playing his cards close to the chest, never revealing too much, never giving away the game early. But his guilt at essentially helping a fifteen year old lie to his guardian about his extracurricular activities did weird things to the soul and Tony’s guilt complex wanted May to know that he had the kid, had his back and his best interests at heart and would lay down his life if it meant Peter got to live another minute of his.

Something, Tony was sure, his father never would have done for him.

“Basically, if I had to choose what I would want my kid to turn out like, Peter would be the embodiment of it. I love that kid like he’s my own and I would never let any harm come to him as long as I’m alive.”

If May was shocked by this turn of events, she didn’t show it, instead, she regarded him thoughtfully and he could see a grudging respect in her eyes. But behind the respect, he could see the fatigue. Of raising a precocious fifteen year old with in a single income household, in one of the most expensive cities in the world, eight months after her husband was killed.

Maybe Peter was right. Maybe they should hold off telling May about anything involving his spidey alter ego.

May sighed, leaning forward in her chair and steepling her hands together under chin, “Peter’s been through a lot of tragedies. His parents, Ben,” she trailed off and Tony offered her his handkerchief when he noticed the wet state of her eyes. She took it with a shaky hand and dabbed at her eyes with the red silk, “Peter was there the night Ben died and if I could've afforded therapy, I would've sent him to one. But things have been so tight since Ben died and Peter just wanted to try his best to move on and I—I just worry.” May bit her lip and looked down at her lap.

“However, as much as it pains me to admit it, I have noticed a change in Peter ever since he’s started working with you on your internship and spending one on one time with you. He seems more like his old self, his grades have gotten better, he’s spending more time with his friends and he’s become more involved in school again. So whatever it is that he’s dealing with, if you feel like you have it handled and Peter trusts you with it, then I guess I can learn to live with it.”

Tony blinked. And then blinked again. And again.

“But, if even one hair on his head gets injured while he’s in your care…”

Tony had an active imagination and didn’t need her to finish her threat. But what May didn’t know, was that if any harm came to Peter while he was with Tony, she wouldn't have to kill him herself. Tony would never be able to live with himself if anything happened to Peter, not on his watch.

~~~~~~~~~~

Happy had returned from dropping Peter off and was waiting in front of the car when Tony came out of Peter’s building. He jumped to attention when he noticed Tony, running to the passenger door to open it for him, waving him into the idling vehicle.

“Where to, bossman?” Happy asked.

Tony ignored his question, “Did the kid get there okay?”

He ignored Happy’s curling lip at the mention of Peter, “Yes, he did. After thanking me profusely for the first fifteen minutes, he proceeded to chat my ear off for the rest of the ride. I feel sorry for the kid’s date—“

Once again ignoring Happy entirely, he clapped him on the shoulder, “That’s great Hap, be sure to pick him up when the dance is over. I told him to text you when they were ready to go and you’ll take them wherever else they'd like to go. I’ve got some business to attend to.” Tony said, distractedly tapping at his watch.

With a whoosh of smoke and thrusters, the Mark 34.5, Tony’s latest prototype of the suit, appeared and with a final wave, Tony hopped into the awaiting armor.

“And Hap, lose the attitude. Tonight’s a big deal for the kid, let’s make it special, alright?”

The snap of the faceplate drowned out Happy’s grumbling.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y? On a scale of one to ten, how embarrassing is it for parents to show up to school dances to spy on their kid and their date?” Tony asked, testing out the the thrusters as he flew himself into the sky.

“According to my findings, an average rating to that question is about a 9.6 in the level of embarrassment of teenagers and their parents unexpected arrival at a school dance.”

“Well, I guess we’re just gonna have to test out the new stealth mode. Give me the fastest route to Midtown Tech, I need to make sure the whole ‘spike the punch bowl’ isn't a thing anymore. We don’t need a replay of the roof fiasco we had a few weeks ago.”

“Would you like me to hack the security cameras?”

Tony grinned, “Yes, yes F.R.I.D.A.Y., that’s a fantastic idea.”

Just as F.R.I.D.A.Y successfully hacked into the security cameras and Tony was outside the school gym, his phone began to ring, Pepper’s face popping up on the screen, interrupting the live stream of the dance .

Shit

“Not now, F.R.I.D.A.Y, ignore call, ignore call, ignor—“

“Tony?”

“Sorry, Pep, I’m busy testing something out on the new suit—“

“—please tell me why you’re currently hovering over Mid-Town Tech’s Gym—“

“How do you—“

“You forgot to use stealth mode—“

Double shit.

“F.R.I.D.AY—“

“You never gave me a direct order, Sir.”

“Tony? Are you—are you using the suit spy on Peter?! Tony—!“

Triple shit.

~~~~~

Once again, thank you guys so much for the love and continued support of this story! I hope you guys liked it and as always, feel free to let me know what you think or any ideas for any fics/future chapters!

@jadepc @autumnhunter1 @randommemewithadream @rebbie444@abaikgirl @fantabulousshipperfromcamelot @afittingdistraction@letsallsleepoverwork @pepperr-pottss @help-i-need-a-cool-username@onedaysomedaytoday @ileavechaosinmywake @bloop-da-loop @rachhhhhl@anniejglee @hiccup-is-left-handed @spid3rboy @bonza-bear @claraangi ghost-apples blanketburritothoughts daughterheir

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tangerinesmoke · 6 years ago

Text

Day 2: Passion

@sannamiweek 2019

The Proposal

Same AU with this one but has a totally different scenario and the dark past is only briefly mentioned. Hope you enjoy. ^^

Note: A small part of this fic is very slightly NSFW.

The wedding ring box weighed heavily in his pocket. It has always been with him since he bought it some weeks ago, already a constant companion whenever he got stressed over proposing to Nami. It became a habit of his to take it with him to work for safekeeping, and touch the box whenever the thought of proposing came to him. Although he’s sure that Nami loves him, there was a nagging feeling that something might come up, considering everything they went through together. So he kept delaying it. He would wait for the perfect timing, he told himself.

And Sanji decided to stop making excuses and just go on with it on their second anniversary as a couple. Tonight, he prepared dinner for two, a bed of roses, the numerous gifts that he wrapped by himself, and his proclamation of love. Nami messaged him that she would get home earlier than usual because she asked for an early leave for their celebration.

She came home together with the news.

Nami was practically chirping when she arrived.

"Sanji-kun!" She ran toward Sanji and gave him a back hug as he was cooking. He flinched at the contact. This is it.

"Whoa, careful. Apron’s’a bit messy. I don’t want you getting your hands dirty.” He turned the stove off and removed the apron to hug his beloved properly.

“Happy second anniversary, Nami-san!" Sanji tried to make his voice as cheery as possible but it's already betraying him. He was nervous as heck. If Nami noticed, she didn't comment on it.

"Mhmm. Happy second anniversary, Sanji-kun! I am so grateful to Conis for the early leave. This is the best day ever." Nami put her bag on the couch and turned to Sanji to kiss him full on the lips.

He kissed her back. This is a good sign, the cook thought. She is totally in a good mood, and that made him ease up a little bit. "You're that excited? My heart is full! I'm happy, Nami-san." His hearty eyes were starting to appear.

"I swear I could smell the aroma from the door!" She peeked over Sanji's shoulder and saw a bouquet of pink and red roses, wine, and some of the dishes he prepared. "And that's not just what we're celebrating for. I have something to tell you and I'm sure you will like it."

His heart thumped. Good news? Could it be... a proposal from Nami-san?! Wait, what if she’s pregnant? Is that why she had to leave the library early? To have her checked by the doctor? Is he going to be a dad? His thoughts already drowning him in the daydream realm.

"Do you remember the university I applied for? I got accepted as a scholar! I can finally fulfill my dreams! I thought my application went straight to their waste bin, I mean, I've been waiting for five months...But today, a letter came at Conis' Library. Let me show you, Sanji-kun." Nami took her bag and excitedly looked for the letter.

He didn't expect this news. Nami has always been passionate in becoming a climatologist. Going to university means the marriage is going to be put aside. He placed a hand into his pocket and held the box. Sorry, you'll have to stay there for the meantime.

"Sanji-kun? Sanji-kun?"

"Ah! Sorry, Nami-san. You were saying?"

"Nothing, really...I was showing you the letter. Are you okay?"

Sanji nodded, "Yes, I'm okay."

Nami slowly withdrew the letter and gave him a sad expression. "You don't seem too happy about it..."

Sanji waved his hands frantically. "No, no. I'm happy for you Nami-san! This is good news! It's just that..." Quick, find an alibi! "It might be... too far and you'll have to move out."

Nami giggled, seemingly pleased with his response. "Silly, it's just six stations away from here. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. And if I ever did, I’ll drag you wherever with me."

Nami’s words slightly relieved him as he kissed her forehead. "I’m happy that you’re happy. That’s all I want.” Except that maybe, he wanted Nami to include him in her future dreams too as her husband.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun. Oh, my forehead is kind of sweaty." Nami clapped her hands together and went her way to the bathroom. "Shower first! Will be over in a jiffy. Join me?" Nami winked slyly.

Sanji gulped. "As much as I want to, Nami-san, we'll make the food wait for too long."

"Fair enough. If you change your mind though, I won't leave the door locked." She winked at him again.

The cooked laughed heartily. His girlfriend was indeed in a good mood. As Nami closed the door, Sanji took the letter and read it. Nami only finished high school, and couldn't get into uni anymore ever since her big sister Nojiko and the orphans got involved in the affairs of yakuza. She went through the ordeal for two years until they met and he and their friends helped her with it. It's only now that she started pulling her life together. Maybe marriage is too soon, but then again...maybe- he needs to continue preparing the dishes and light the candles a little later.

Throughout dinner, Nami happily recalled the application process, and she said the referral letter from Conis’ father greatly helped as he was a retired professor from the said university. She was already dreaming about getting an internship at the weather bureau. He happily obliged listening to Nami’s bright voice and he also gave praises from time to time, but the box in his pocket still lingered. The only time she didn’t talk about her acceptance into university was when it was her turn to give Sanji her anniversary gift: a simple anklet that he could wear around his foot, even while he’s cooking at Baratie. She knew that he could not wear any visible jewelry while he’s on the job. Sanji was truly grateful for the thoughtful gesture.

Then the dessert came as soon as they went to bed. Nami was all over him, proving that her good mood didn’t just stop by the dinner table.

“Let’s take this off.” Nami pulled Sanji’s shirt up and tossed it wherever. She kissed and licked his neck, the soft noises working like a switch on Sanji.

“This too, off you go~” Nami lowered his pants; she can already see him turned on. The redhead peppered kisses on his stomach, down his navel to lick it and--

“Your hand has been in here the entire time, you think I didn’t notice?” Nami, like the smooth thief she once was, her hand already making its way to the pocket of Sanji’s pants. “What’s in here?” Nami was about to rummage but Sanji was also quick to hold her hand to stop it.

“Wait, don’t!”

Thankfully, she did stop.

“You’ve been acting really weird, Sanji-kun.”

“Nami-sa-”

“I caught you smoking three cigarettes at once while waiting for me to finish bath.”

“Nami-sa-”

“You were kind of mentally absent at dinner.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“Strange...”

“Please, Nami-san...” Sanji’s voice was almost pained.

.“Please, what?” Nami smirked and stroked it.

“Ah...” The pleasure was there, but also the stress.

Well, the cook already decided that it would be today, so he would do it today. But for now, he would--

"Sanji-kun?" He didn’t answer, but his forearm covering his eyes already answered it for Nami. “Why are you crying?”

He hiccuped from tears.

"D-did it hurt you this time? I'm sorry, Sanji-kun! I'll be gentle next time!"

Sanji almost wanted to laugh at Nami's words but his tears overpowered it.

"It should be enough that you're by my side. Sorry that I'm so greedy, Nn-nami-san."

Nami got off him for the meantime and urged him to remove the arm covering his eyes. "I'm worried. Tell me what's going on."

He hugged her all of a sudden and buried his head on the crook of her neck.

"I love you so much, Nami-san.”

Nami put her arms around him. “I love you too, Sanji-kun.”

“I want you to reach your dreams and be the greatest climate scientist in the country. But I also want you to be my wife. Does that make any sense?"

Nami’s eyes widened.“Eh? Are you...”

"It might be too early for you, but I promise I won’t hinder your dreams. If you let me take care of you for the rest of my life, I will be the happiest man alive.” He took the box from his pocket and gave it to Nami.

“But...I will respect your decision, whatever it may be...”

Nami opened the box and it revealed a beautiful ring, its gold band and the heart set in silver stone shimmered in the dim light. Nami’s features softened and it was her turn to tear up. "Yes, I'll marry you, Sanji-kun."

Sanji brightened up.“Really?!”

Nami nodded eagerly.

Tears welled up from the cook’s eyes. “Thank you, Nami-san.”

“I know you won’t stop me from my dreams. I’m sorry you thought that way. The degree means so much to me. But you mean the world to me, too...”

They hugged each other for a long while, crying together.

“I hope I didn’t ruin the night.” Sanji finally spoke.

Nami sniffed. "No, but I admit the sudden crying was a bit anticlimactic...I was about to get to the good part. " Nami pouted. “So it was not a sex toy in that pocket after all, huh?”

“Eh?! Eh?!” Sanji blushed profusely.

The redhead shrugged. “Can you blame me? It’s our sexy night and you’ve been nervous the whole time!”

“N-Nami san! So fierce!” Sanji’s hearty eyes eventually showed. He is back.

"Can we start all over again?"

"Of course, my love." Sanji pulled his future wife close to him.

-end-

#sannami #sanji x nami #sannami week 2019 #sanji #nami #fanfic #sannami week

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jeremystrele · 5 years ago

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Creating Captivating Content With The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney’s Digital Marketing And Media Coordinator, Victoria Ngu

Dream Job

Sasha Gattermayr

This has got to be one of the most picturesque offices in the world! Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

28-year-old Victoria Ngu, Digital Marketing and Media Coordinator at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

The Gardens span scientific, educational and cultural fields as well as the obvious – horticultural! Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

The Sydney skyline can be seen peeping above the gardens, which were established in 1816. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Victoria manages a team of content producers across the Gardens’ team, but she always makes a point to eat lunch outside! Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

The succulents garden is her location of choice for taking her lunch break. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Imagine having this kind of botanical energy at work every day? Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

‘I love learning plant names and traditional uses of plants by the Cadigal people, the traditional owners of the land of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney,’ says Victoria. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Never not content creating! Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

‘Some people might not be aware that our Gardens comprise Australia’s oldest living scientific institution, and there is so much to learn about the important work often done behind the scenes by our scientists,’ says Victoria. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

‘I love how diverse my role can be. In 2019, I put together the Garden’s first-ever Lunar New Year program to celebrate the year of the Pig.’ Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Suffering the classic high school graduate uncertainty, Victoria Ngu approached her tertiary education by applying for the uni course that would give her the most breadth in job choices later down the track: a Bachelor of Business. Here is a case for hedging your bets! She ended up majoring in marketing and law, and graduated knowing two things for sure: 1) she had zero interest in finance, 2) the diversity of communications and creative campaigns was totally her jam!

While she performed the classic study/retail work juggle during her undergraduate years, Victoria also completed a slew of internships on the side. It’s this variety of experiences that led her first to The Sydney Opera House and then to Bangarra Dance Theatre as her first jobs out of uni. This string of incredible opportunities eventually wound up at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, where she has held the role of digital marketing and media coordinator since 2017.

Victoria’s position is hugely multifaceted, and spans the broad range of fields that fall under the Gardens’ umbrella. From horticulture to education to venue management to events, she is in constant liaison with various different stakeholders at all times. Not to mention keeping the company’s public-facing image pristine!

The most important verb in the get-your-dream-job lexicon is…

Apply! It sounds absurd, but I almost didn’t apply for this job because I assumed I wouldn’t have a chance. My partner convinced me to just go for it and now, looking back, it seems ridiculous that I wouldn’t even try. If I had succumbed to my insecurities, I wouldn’t be where I am today!

I landed this job by…

Putting all my energy into my application. Once I ran out of reasons to not apply, I began to update my resume and write a cover letter. The application involved a series of written tasks for different digital channels and I carefully crafted responses I was happy with. I was genuinely surprised to get the call up for an interview and discovered I would also need to prepare a 10-minute presentation on top of the interview itself.

Work for me in 2020 has been…

Surreal. I’ve been working remotely since March and, while I do enjoy the improved focus that working from home allows, I do miss the Gardens themselves. Ordinarily I am based in the office at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and work a few days from the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden in Mount Tomah every few weeks, so working from home full-time has been a huge adjustment.

The work itself also pivoted from selling tickets to public programs and events, to focusing on promoting our at-home gardening series, being a source for inspiring content for our global audience, and a reliable outlet for gorgeous imagery. It’s been quite a mentality shift, which required flexibility and patience to navigate this new and uncertain world.

A typical day for me involves…

Moderating the Gardens’ social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn) is a big part of the job, especially now when we have engagement from all over the world. The three Gardens are public green spaces with millions of visitors every year, so we receive feedback, general questions and a myriad of plant-related questions that our Horticulture team help to answer.

A big part of my day is writing and editing blogs, web copy and social media captions that I schedule for the week ahead. We have so many content producers in Education, Horticulture and Science – it’s a huge number of images, videos and news to translate into engaging digital content. I also produce and analyse reports on the performance of digital channels to inform future campaigns.

The most rewarding part of my job is…

Learning about plants. It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve learned something new about plants, horticulture or science every day I’ve been in this role. I love learning plant names and traditional uses of plants by the Cadigal people, the traditional owners of the land of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Some people might not be aware that our Gardens comprise Australia’s oldest living scientific institution, and there is so much to learn about the important work often done behind the scenes by our scientists.

I also love how diverse my role can be. In 2019, I put together the Garden’s first-ever Lunar New Year program to celebrate the year of the Pig. It was fulfilling for me to try my hand at programming and to work on the events side, as well as the marketing and communications side of a campaign, and a special way for me to connect to my Chinese heritage.

On the other hand, the most challenging aspect is…

Competing priorities. Marketing and communications support many teams in our organisation including science, education, horticulture, major events, venue services and more, and between the three Gardens, there are numerous events, projects, and stakeholders to support. My team is always busy and multi-tasking.

Something I thrive off at work is…

Spending time in nature. I go for a walk every day, aiming to explore different pockets of the Garden throughout the week. One spot I return to daily is the Succulent Garden.

A piece of advice/a lesson I’ve found useful is…

Where possible, eat lunch outside. Too often I find myself eating lunch at my desk on busy days. I find that by taking a break from my laptop and going outside, even if it’s a short break, I will have a more productive afternoon.

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1vet2another · 8 years ago

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1vet2another: Interview - Principal Cloud Solutions Architect - IT

Name: John Wildes

Job Title: Principal Cloud Solutions Architect

Career Field: IT Engineering / Operations

Industry: Currently DoD / FedGov, previously Fortune 500, Fortune 1000

Military Branch: US Navy (Currently Reserves, 15 years)

Military Occupation: Chief Petty Officer / Senior Enlisted Leader NCAGS Chicago

How did your military background help your career so far?

Later on, in my career the leadership development I gained from paygrade E5 to CPO paid off a lot. Technical skills I picked up in my civilian careers helped on the military side with being able to do things that just weren’t taught in my career field. So it’s been a bit of benefit on both sides. I’ve been able to successfully move in and out of leadership roles easily when looking for other jobs simply because of my experience in the Navy

What advice or steps would you recommend for veterans preparing to enter your career field?

Entering the IT field specifically requires constant technical growth. Gone are the days that you could learn one skillset, one hardware platform, and be successful for an entire career. You need to always be learning. There’s plenty of focus on the transitioning veteran to the IT field. Microsoft, Amazon both have huge Veteran recruitment divisions, and they have training pipelines to give you entry level to mid-level skills coming out of the military.

What do you enjoy the most about your career field?

I like technology and seeing how it changes over the years, and trying to forecast where things will go next. It’s been an amazing 20 years so far. It’ll be a more amazing next 20 years!

What do you like least about your career field?

There is a lot of churn. To move up in any org you really have to jump around a lot, maybe leave and come back. Staying in one role is a sure fire way to stay in that role, and possibly never advance.

What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in this career field?

Skills are always adaptable, so learn things that will help in your daily work and learn what is next. Personal attributes I see in more successful people these days is developing a personal brand, and talking about it. Something I think that older military folks might have a hard time doing, because of a lot of things we’ve been taught. PERSEC, OPSEC, all of that I think keeps people from sharing the work that they do publicly but that is exactly what will help you in your IT career or just about any career lately. Also, the ability to network with individuals is key, and I think that military veterans do that pretty well. We have had to work with many units, commands, leadership levels, I think all of us have huge contact lists of people we can call when we need assistance. That is even more true in the civilian world.

Is there something you wish you’d known or a skill you wish you’d had starting out in this career field?

Don’t be afraid to take risks. One thing that the military taught me is that you can endure pretty much anything, and what matters is your personal mindset. If you fail to take calculated risks because of fear of failure or being set back, you never really get anywhere. Take those leaps, learn and keep moving forward.

How do most people get into this career field? What are common entry-level jobs?

Common entry level jobs are technicians who keep the infrastructure running, help desk support professionals, and developers who write business applications. Internships are huge at larger organizations, and I believe that networking works best for small to medium sized organizations. Temporary staffing also works in certain cases where you have no experience and need work, also “gig” work is common as well. If you’re good at what you do, 1099 yourself to an organization and make money that way.

How did you find and apply for this job role?

My current role was through networking. A group of people I worked with in the past had an opportunity and specifically reached out to me for it.

What made you stand out as a candidate for this job role?

It was a new business for this organization, and I have 20+ years working in the Microsoft space, from software sales, to how partnership works, to implementation and support.

What kind of education, training or experiences does your job role require?

Because I’m in a more senior role a lot of the work is based on previous experience and being able to help develop more junior people. So, it’s less day to day tactical work in IT and more management of individuals. However, to get here you do have to pick a career focus and become an expert in it. This requires mostly certifications, and practical project experience. In some of the more specialized areas a computer science degree is mandatory, and even further specialization requires masters level education the further you progress in your career.

What are the major components of your job role on a daily basis?

Forming relationships with various subcontractors and within Microsoft community of people. I do a lot of pre-sales motions for the organization which requires me to be at about a 100/200 level expertise in some the technology we’re selling, as well as be able to relate how that technology can solve the customer’s business challenges. It does require that I have technical knowledge enough to demonstrate key concepts of the software or services in question, and possibly help direct an implementation. In general, I have to be a mile wide and inch deep on just about everything in my space. I strive to be 300/400 level in a few key areas to maintain my “brand” but other than that I it’s difficult to keep up with everything in IT these days 😉

What do you like about your industry?

I like that there is a lot of opportunity. You will never be out of work in the technology space, if you can adapt to the needs of employers, and keep learning. Pay is competitive as well.

How do you see your industry changing in the next 10 years?

It’s going to be crazy the next 10 years, AI is a big thing right now, I think you’ll see less and less of the infrastructure careers as hardware becomes more powerful and less complex to implement. I think you’ll see a centralization of infrastructure technicians into several cloud brokers, as more organizations realize that maintaining their own IT divisions are expensive. The real value in technology is being able to make it do things for your organization that humans simply cannot. There will still be human operators, but it is at that intersection point of human operation and technology processing that will prove crucial for tomorrows IT workers. Developing the next business application, applying the newest software technology will never go out need, unless of course we write AI that does coding…then…Skynet 😉

#interviews #veterans #marines #usmc #army #soldier #navy #airforce #coastguard #military #iavenjqasdf #wearesva #americanlegion #vfw #studentvets #career #mattmedhat #1vet2another

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amidalc · 8 years ago

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ST THEED’S ACADEMY ; ; GOSSIP GIRL && BOARDING SCHOOL GROUP VERSE

Welcome to St. Theed’s Academy, the most prestigious school in all of the UK with a reputable alumni which includes many of the elite worldwide. Here students after their years of study often end up in Cambridge, Oxford, Sorbonne, Ivy Leagues, etc. St. Theed’s Academy is located in the East Kent countryside not a far drive away from the town of Canterbury, allowing the students to enjoy the fresh air and tranquillity of the countryside. Here at ST. Theed’s we have students && staff from every corner of the world; both fee-paying && on scholarship programs, making St. Theed’s not only an academia of excellence && great promise, but also one of diversity && inclusion. To give the students the best of the best we offer them extra curricular activities, summer internships, class trips abroad, their own dorm-rooms shared with a roommate ( all same-sex of course ) .

Though there have been disturbing rumours of drugs && secret parties && raves, rest assure those are naught but media fabrications all constructed by the new blog Gossip Girl anonymously posting pictures && rumours trying to stir up drama && conflicts where there isn’t any, truly, rest assure we have new staff && a new head in place who is here to investigate these claims. Will the students to resist the new head’s extensive measures in applying discipline && show them how things are done ??? Or will the new head revolutionise && alter the school to make sure the inside is just as perfect as the outside ???

Here at St. Theed’s we only pick the crème de la crème, the best of the best(or those who can pay), for today’s youths will be tomorrow’s elite.

RULES

This verse is loosely inspired bt The CW’s Gossip Girl TV show && of Cecily Von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl novel series && the IT-Girl novel series. However you don’t need extensive knowledge of the show or novels, the plot is based on the verse summary && we’ll develop it further amongst ourselves !!!

The AU is a modern verse, and set in England, but your muse does not need to be English to join the AU.

The role of Gossip Girl is that they post pictures && blogposts regarding gossip && rumours regarding the students, posts are not always true or fully true.

The role of Gossip Girl will have a sideblog which is their fictional blog account, where users can send in anonymous ( or non-anonymous ) rumous, tips, etc !!! If anyone wishes for their muse to be Gossip Girl just hmu ♥

No faceclaim duplicates unless you want to do a twin thing, then you need to tell me beforehand c:

Years freshman to senior will have a head girl or boy each, if you wish to have your muse as a head do tell me !!! But make sure that the position isn’t taken && also make sure that your muse is suitable for the role; good grades, good relations with staff, good behaviour on the outside, etc etc.

There will be mature content such as drugs, sex, drinking, etc. Please tag your mature content thanks.

I will prioritise mutuals before non-mutuals, however, I won’t exclude non-mutuals wholly && i won’t make it difficult for any non-mutuals to join.

St. Theed’s Academy is an elite poshsnob school, so basically there are five different types of students; trustfund wealthy students with a legacy, newly rich students with celebrity parents. students who aren’t from a wealthy background but who have a parents working in the school i.e. they attend for free, students on an academic scholarship && students on an athletic scholarship, the latter two who come from families that are not wealthy, whether they’re middle-class or poor is up to you.

Though drugs && partying is a regular occurrence that the school tends to hush up in public to maintain a clean facade.

IC drama ;; yes please! !!! Bring it all on cliques, drama, betrayal, etc. But no ooc drama thank, such notions mean immediate banning from the verse.

I will have a maximum of two teachers && two assistant teachers for each subject, one coach && two assistant coaches for each extracurricular.

Staff can teach /// train a maximum of two subjects/curriculars.

Staff may also have one subject && one curricular.

Cut your posts please.

Constant activity is not required.

Though my muse is from the Star Wars series && the group name comes from a city in the series, this verse has nothing to do with Star Wars. I only might use names here && there from the series for fun.

You can request dormmates for you muse with a specific muse, otherwise dormmates will be selected at random.

Classes go from Year 5 to Year 8 ( 9-14 years old ) && then there’s Secondary school years; Freshman ( 14-15 years old ), Sophomore ( 15-16 years old ), Junior ( 16-17 years old ) && Senior ( 17-18 years old ). Each grade will have a head girl && head boy. I know the UK doesn’t use this latter system, but it’s far easier to organise this way.

You can apply as a student, teacher, assistant teacher, coach/leaders/trainer of a specific extracurricular activity && headmaster/mistress.

Though if you want the role as headmaster/mistress people im me, because I have a specific bio in mind.

Double are allowed in twin verses, but just tell me beforehand.

NO GODMODDING!

Track the verse V; THEED ELITE

There will be a Group AU Discord server, when accept I’ll im you the link ♥

Send applications to the admin @amidalc

HOW TO APPLY(UNDER THE CUT)

STUDENT APPLICATIONS

CHARACTER NAME: AGE: HOMETOWN: Town/city/etc + country. GRADE: EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Examples, archery, horseback-riding, debate, cheerleading, chess, etc. (max 3 activities &&you can of course come up with one of your own) WHAT SORT OF STUDENT IS YOUR MUSE; ON SCHOLARSHIP(IF SO WHICH KIND?), THE CHILD OF A STAFFMEMBER, LEGACY STUDENT/TRUSTFUND KID?: FACECLAIM: MUN’S NAME: ADDITIONAL INFO: Nothing obligatory, but can include requests of dormmates, wish to be a headgirl/boy, etc.

STAFF APPLICATIONS

CHARACTER NAME: AGE: HOMETOWN: Town/city/etc + country. OCCUPATION: Teacher, assistant teacher, leader/coach/trainer for extracurricular activities SUBJECT TAUGHT/WHICH ACTIVITIES DO THEY LEAD: Examples, horseback-riding, debate, cheerleading, chess, etc. FACECLAIM: MUN’S NAME: ADDITIONAL INFO: Nothing obligatory, but just in case you have any special requests!

MEMBERS

staff:

girls:

GIRLS DORM ROOM ONE:

GIRLS DORM ROOM TWO:

GIRLS DORM ROOM THREE:

boys:

BOYS DORM ROOM ONE:

#❝ ; ▓ ( ᵉˣʰᵃᵘˢᵗᵉᵈ ᵃˢᶤᵃᶰ ʰᵒᵇᵇᶤᵗ ) » ooc posts #THEED ELITE #idk if anyone will apply #but hey here it is #ily all

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doorsclosingslowly · 8 years ago

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Lithops (1/4)

aka “I just want someone to wrap Savage in a blanket after Witches of the Mist, wait why does Maul have a wookiee padawan now??” Still fiddling with the wording and I’ve written drafts for all parts apart from the scene I made this AU up for (wow I suck) and I’ve gotten used to the luxury of rewriting all parts simultaneously into a coherent whole instead of doing a WIP, so I’m probably gonna change stuff, but. First draft done.

thx @sl-walker for saying it’s not bad fanfic when i made fun of myself for making up this AU!!!!

The comm system flashes insistently, just when Scimitar is about to begin her slow long dive over nightly Kooriva. An uncommon enough sight in and of itself, the incoming calls signal, but it’s especially worrying now, when Maul was just about to disable every system apart from life support in order to drift down undetected. Being contacted shouldn’t happen. It doesn’t figure into the plan. It shouldn’t even be possible, really, after the myriad precautions they’ve taken, including a complete scrubbing of Scimitar’s telecommunications facilities.

The mission’s delicate: Padawan Gwyolduhbeccu has secured an unpaid internship in the Trade Federation’s local office, and Maul himself is infiltrating Senator Passel Argente’s home staff and investigating possible Sith ties, without drawing any attention. Without notifying him—notifying the traitor Dooku, notifying the Galactic Senate—of the Jedi Order’s suspicions.

It’s dangerous, and more than slightly illegal. It requires extreme discretion.

That’s why they sent Maul, after all.

(His infiltrations may be called dark, by those who value looking pure over Jedi lives, but Maul knows better. The Council knows better. The good of the many outweighs a Knight’s image.)

This mission is delicate. No-one has this frequency. No-one, apart from select members of the Council.

Padawan Becs is just as unnerved, apparently. She moans in agitation. Her claw pauses over the console, and waits to poke it until Maul has given his permission.

Maul glances at the chronometer and sighs. This is unwise. The Trade Federation could be scanning the space around Kooriva for any type of signal. They certainly have the credits for data mining centers with sophisticated algorithms and an army of sentient overseers; the collection of ridiculously large quantities of irrelevant data should provide no deterrence. However, weighing the slightly increased risk of discovery against the certainty of lecturing, when they return home after the scheduled month of communications blackout… The consequences are nowhere near comparable, but he truly does not enjoy being accused of not taking the Council seriously. He authorizes the call and says, “Good afternoon, Master Windu.”

“Re-route immediately.” No time for politeness, then. Just as well.

“I apologize, Master Windu, but this current mission is extremely time-critical and above all, requires stealth,” Maul says, even while he brings the engines back online. Three months of intel gathering, weeks of prep, the soft Koorivan inflections they’ve trained into their accents. The internship application, with its carefully calibrated set of competences and loyalties and naiveté, and the pitiful story of a wookiee orphan, so far from Kashyyyk, just yearning for a chance to prove herself. The complete overhaul and ghastly repainting of Scimitar. All for nothing.

He pulls the ship around and guns the engines.

Carefully, Maul breathes out his irritation before he adds, “Flying this close to Kooriva could possibly alert Senator Argente—”

“Re-route. I’m sending the exact coordinates now.”

“But, Master, that’s just… empty space?” Gwyolduhbeccu asks when she’s set the navcomputer.

Maul repeats the question in Basic.

Master Windu shakes his head. “It’s the location of a Separatist frigate. The projected location, based on realspace travel at constant speed without altering its trajectory. It should be accurate for at least half an hour, so hurry. Master Kenobi and Skywalker have tracked Savage Opress there, Dooku’s new apprentice. He’s murdered the Toydarian king and abducted the corpse.”

“So, this is a reinforcement?” Maul remembers meeting Dooku in person, dimly, when he was a new Padawan and Dooku hadn’t yet turned traitor. He was an impressive swordsman, and cold. Maybe he just didn’t like Master Windu.

He’s never met the new Sith—his own modus operandum is infiltration and plausible deniability in service of all beings that live in the galaxy, not sudden mindless carnage, and so their paths are not likely to cross—but he has heard of Devaron’s fate. Of the slaughter of the Jedi there. Increasing their numbers on the frigate is prudent, regardless of Obi-Wan and Skywalker’s undeniable skill.

It’s flattering that Master Windu has recognized Maul as a match for the Sith’s apparent brutal strength, but… “Was it necessary to terminate my mission? Surely there are other adept fighters in the vicinity.”

“There are no zabraks in close proximity.”

Maul’s glove creaks. “Master—”

“Dathomiri hybrids are a very tribal people,” Master Windu says, as if Maul didn’t know this, hadn’t researched and rejected the planet that spat him out. As if he hadn’t been watched like a farlus hawk as a baby, after the desperate Nightsister that may have been his mother had chanced upon a travelling Jedi and handed him over, her parting gift nothing but life and the markings that wind around his body and stink of dark magic. Nightbrothers are tribal, Master Windu says, as if it was new information. As if Maul hadn’t been watched, not just for the darkness of his blood but for the so-called inborn need for affection.

The meticulous research he did on the Sith until Master Nu tossed him out of the library, the way he studied the pitfalls of the dark side that he was going to avoid—luminous beings are we, it is his choice alone and biology is nothing—it’s always been taken as a marker of something indelibly sinister.

The missions he takes provoke whispers of a congenital darkside taint he cannot escape, when they truly are nothing but evidence of his utter dedication to the Jedi Order. His reluctance to order his Padawan into battle is not prudence, apparently. It isn’t even classed as ambition, although training a youngling to knighthood and therefore receiving the rank of Master is certainly easier if the Padawan isn’t shot dead. No. It’s being tribal.

He pointedly does not seethe. It’s hard.

“He will recognize you. Opress has murdered many of our most capable Knights and Masters, but he’s still a nightbrother. I do not believe he would attack his own kin the same way.”

This is too much. Maul loses his grip on serenity. “You’re terminating my mission because of my biological species.”

Master Windu sighs. “Knight Maul—”

“I am one of the only Jedi who could challenge this new Sith on my own and win, and you know this. I am disciplined. I am powerful. I have completed every mission you have ever sent me on.” Every mission, apart from Kooriva, now. Blast it all.

“Maul—”

“Few Jedi have mastered Vaapad, and I am one of them. You trained me yourself. You trained me. You were proud of me, you said. And now, you are sending me into this fight because both me and the Sith happen to have horns.”

“I did not say that.”

Really? Maul raises a single contemptuous eyebrow. He makes sure his left hand is in full view of the holocom lens before he waggles index and middle finger and enunciates, “Opress ‘would not attack his own kin’ is how I believe you phrased it.”

The miniature blue Master Windu looks at him, completely unimpressed.

Kriff. And in front of Gwyolduhbeccu, too. “I apologize, Master,” Maul says. Not, ‘I don’t know what came over me.’ That would be a lie, and he’s been enough of a bad example today. Not, ‘I was wrong.’ Still, he shouldn’t have complained.

“Accepted.” Master Windu’s face comes closer. He’s bending over the holocom, now, for some reason. It’s as if he’s whispering a secret. Maul doesn’t want to be more curious than angry, but he is. “I am not just sending you because you are born of Dathomir, Maul. This is a shatterpoint. I have felt it. Somehow, this fight with Savage Opress will matter. I trust you will treat this situation with the gravity it deserves. Do not listen to your pride. Listen to the force.”

“ETA five minutes for the rendezvous with the frigate, Master. May the force be with you,” Maul says, and switches off the holocomm.

Becs grins.

“It is beyond me why you’re so elated, Padawan. We’re flying into an active war zone. This is a code esk mission, now, and you’re going to keep your feet in the ship, your eyes on the comm and the engines hot, in case Kenobi and Skywalker need sudden evac when I find them. You may gun down any approaching droids.”

“Don’t be grumpy, Master,” Gwyolduhbeccu moans. “Master Windu loves you too.”

Maul shakes his head in mock despair, and then he stretches out his arms as well as he can behind the steering wheel. There’s no time or room for proper meditation, but still, it is better than nothing, and he should be calm. He should be loose-limbed, not cramped from hours of flight and bad news and the conversations about Dathomir he cannot seem to escape.

Savage Opress is not to be underestimated. Their unfortunate biological connection has reawakened criticisms Maul thought were laid to rest long ago.

This fight will matter.

Kinda unsure about making Maul this angry because on the one hand, this is Not the Jedi ideal, but otoh he has Reasons

#dimtraces makes things #silly wishfulfillment AU #now with some Themes because why not #& with zero fulfillment of the Wish in this part because I tried to make it semi not nonsensical #also I tried v hard not to slip back into Savage's narrative voice so I hope this reads differently!

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streetsolo · 8 years ago

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A Flare in the Dark (Chapter 1)

I honestly can’t believe that exactly one year ago today, I first posted A Flare in the Dark, a Kylo Ren x Reader that somehow turned into a trilogy over a million words long. It was my first time writing a reader insert, and the first time writing for the Star Wars fandom, but you guys were amazing and I’m so happy to have made literally dozens of friends from all over the world.

In honor of its one-year anniversary, I’m going to be reposting a chapter a night to Tumblr, in case anyone wants to read it again. The story is completed in its entirety on ao3, so you can go at your own pace and read ahead if you’d like. For new friends, I hope you enjoy it, and for those of you reading it again, I hope you’ll still enjoy it just as much the second time around. Cheers!!

When you are asked to be an interpreter for an alien species aboard the Starkiller Base for a six month internship, you agree, even without being told the full specifications of your assignment. Assured that you are being told as little as possible for your own safety, you begin to wonder if such a thing is even possible, especially when you learn that you've captured the special attention of a certain man aboard the ship, who stalks about in black and hides behind a mask.

Click here to read the first chapter on ao3 or

“Isn’t this just the best?”

Your friend Sadie peers at you from the doorway. You are sitting on the floor, surrounded on all sides by stacks of boxes higher than your head. “Have you finished unpacking already?”

“Mostly,” she says with a roll of her shoulders. “I didn’t pack much, just some clothes and books and things. You look like you packed your entire room.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know what I’d need,” you say.

“We’re only going to be here for six months,” she reminds you.

“But we’re on Starkiller base,” you argue. “How am I supposed to know what to bring on a military installation?”

She furrows her brow. “It is kind of creepy, don’t you think? Like, I get why we’re here but I just don’t get-“

“-why we’re here?” She nods in silent agreement.

You have just moved with your good friend, Sadie, and four other interpreters onto the Starkiller base for a six-month internship. Both you and Sadie, and you presumed the others as well, had graduated with a degree in linguistics. Fortunately, your little planet hadn’t been ravaged by the wars and skirmishes of the galaxy, letting you study your academic pursuits in peace, and you had taken the time to be fascinated by other planets, other peoples, other cultures, and other languages. You wished you could learn them all, every language ever spoken or signed or communicated in the entire galaxy, but you knew it to be an impossible task. So you took it upon yourself to study only what fascinated you, and to excel in those areas. For instance, you had a special affinity for non-verbal languages, especially languages that relied on hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate. You were never truly quite sure why this was, but it had always just seemed to come naturally to you.

One of your professors, B, was the one who had initially offered you the internship position. B was from a planet that devalued individuality, even down to their names, which is probably what made him such an excellent interpreter. Interpreters, you knew, were very hard to find in a galaxy that was ravaged by constant battles, as people were constantly forced to choose sides in order to avoid destruction. But interpreters had to force themselves to remain neutral, no matter what the task at hand was, even if they were interpreting the destruction of their planet and all that they held dear to them. You had never been in an example quite that extreme, but it was that kind of blind insistence on neutrality that was valued in this trade. It was this kind of detached devotion to the craft that instilled B with excellent interpreting skills, something that he sought to pass on to a younger generation. For you, it wasn’t really a struggle of moral conscience. Things were just easier when you didn’t have to worry about right and wrong. You let others wallow in their tribulations and their struggles; all you had to do was pass on the message. The only thinking required was to analyze the content for its message, dissect it down to its most basic form, and then recode it in another language for the recipient and do it over and over again between the two parties. It was a daunting intellectual task, and could by physically demanding as well, there was no doubt about that, but your morality was never, and could never, be called into question. It was implicit that whatever coded message left your mouth or your hands wasn’t yours, and so you couldn’t own to it. As B liked to say, even if you are interpreting a conversation between two conspirators to kill your brother, you must interpret the message unequivocally and honestly. That was the role of an interpreter, nothing more, nothing less.

The other pesky problem with interpreting was the confidentiality; you, of course, would be privy to all sorts of matters of confidential information and the secret affairs of people’s lives, but you had a sworn duty to never retain the information uttered in your presence. This was impossible, of course, there was always a bit of secret gossip or a useful tidbit of knowledge that you tucked away in your mental stores, but it got easier as time went on to simply blur the strings of messages that you encountered together until it ran through your head like one mangled line of matted text, one syllable indistinguishable from another. It wasn’t like you really cared about this either; secret affairs of other people were none of your business, and you had no intention of making it so. Incidental information, such as learning secret inside tricks to a hobby or trade were always a delight, but again, hardly ever retained in the mass jumble of words that constantly swam through your mind on a daily basis.

It was probably why B had recommended you the internship position in the first place. You had never really seemed to care for the matters and going-ons of others; in fact, it was just the opposite. You shied away from gossip and instead focused on your favorite part of the job: the language. You loved languages, pure and simple. Each letter, each syllable, or each hand gesture had its own little meaning, its own little secret. You could scratch the back of your head to show humility on one planet and show fear in another. The traditions and the culture and the lore behind each symbolic gesture and word were sometimes so specific and nuanced that they varied not just from planet to planet, but sometimes even on the same planet as well. But that was why you loved it. It was like a secret riddle ready to be decoded.

On this specific assignment, B had informed you that you would be interpreting between an alien species who used a non-verbal mode of communication and the First Order. He had warned you that many considered the First Order to be evil. He had waited and assessed you then, and it pleased him when it made absolutely no difference to you. Evil was a matter of perception, you knew that by now. Everyone had their own goals and ambitions, and that was fine, more or less, but when you got them into groups and watched them divide by ideologies, you could cluster them up in neat little groups and label one the good guys and the other the bad guys. Of course, the labels could easily be switched depending on perception, which is why it didn’t interest you. You had never been the product of war, never been truly involved. You had heard stories, but that’s all they were, stories, of places way back in history or on the other side of the galaxy. Soldiers in blue killed the soldiers in red, and soldiers in red killed the soldiers in blue. Blood was spilled on both sides, neither was totally innocent. The whole thing hardly affected the comings and goings of your daily life, and you weren’t about to let it stop you from doing this job.

Or from collecting your paycheck, which was atypically large for an interpreter’s small salary. It was enough to get by on, a sustaining wage at least, but nothing to boast about. It was done more for the love of the job, or in your case, the love of the language, the love of being thrown into a new situation with new variables and ever-changing riddles.

You suspected that it was the money that also prompted this whole arrangement in the first place, as the First Order had apparently struck a deal with the Tortutaru from the planetoid Totackan, not too far from the planet that held your academia. You were well-versed in their language, Tortuarune, mostly in part due to their culture. They were extremely social, yet nosey beings, completely the opposite of you in that regard. They wanted to know everyone’s business, know what secrets they had lurking in the corners of their minds. It is why, you suspected, that they had two brains: one to dwell upon their own thoughts, and one to focus on the minds of others. You knew that the Tortutaru used telepathy in addition to their non-verbal signals, and you remember reading somewhere that the second brain was actually used to keep a constant mental shield up at all times, to keep others from reading their thoughts. It was an interesting notion, but you were no neurologist. How their minds worked didn’t really concern you, so long as they weren’t reading your mind, and you were well-assured that they wouldn’t.

Even though you knew the two parties that you would be interpreting for, you didn’t really have any specifics of the assignment. That was not completely unusual; you were there to transmit information from one party to the other, nothing more, pre-study need not be applicable aside from the subtle nuances and culture chasms that separated the two parties. You knew you were here with your friend, Sadie, who you had convinced to come on this expedition with you when almost everyone else in your class had dropped out (although you didn’t specifically care that you would be working directly with the First Order, a great many people opted not to be involved), your professor, B, his partner Cassius, whom you referred to only as C, and two other boys, Ladson and Shayne.

You knew that due to the delicate nature of war, that B and C would be interpreting morning debriefings, and whatever other top secret information they only trusted to professors with many more years of tenured experience. There would only be four Tortutaru in all, and so each of them would be assigned an interpreter for their own social use on the base, as well as for whatever additional duties they needed to perform. These additional duties, again, you were told, were no business of yours, and you did not ask for any more information than you needed to. You simply had to know the language and culture of each species well enough to interpret any information quickly, accurately, efficiently, and without prejudice or bias. You felt certain you could handle the task.

“All right, gather ‘round,” B calls from out in the living room. You were not quite sure what to make of the living quarters before you arrived, but you actually found them quite accommodating once you were here. The apartment that you shared with your fellow interpreters was actually similar in shape to a five pointed star. Each person had their own private room and bathroom in one point of the star, with a door to both the outside and to the inside, the center of the star, where it came together to form a recreational common room and kitchen to be shared amongst all five units. There was one room for each of you, and B and C shared a room together at the apex of the star.

“Coming,” you call quickly. You jump to your feet too fast and nearly topple over a box of books, but Sadie catches it just in time. She puts it back down quickly and waggles her fingers out, palms down, imitating the water leading to and slipping off of the edge of a waterfall. It’s the Tortutarune sign for excess, or overflowing, and you knew what she meant to say in this case. Too. Much. Stuff.

B sighs your name as he watches you stumble and trip your way out of your room. “I told you that you were packing too much stuff,” he tells you.

“Well, I wanted to be prepared,” you huff, crossing your arms over your chest.

He shakes his head. “Anyway, you will have plenty of time to unpack later. I know I told you that the Tortutaru would be getting in tomorrow, but they are actually arriving today.” C leans forward to whisper something in his ear. “Or, they may have actually already arrived.” The four of us let out an appreciative giggle. The nature of your work was very fickle; people were always demanding that you adhered to strict schedules, although those schedules were never, ever followed. One party was always irredeemably late, and the interpreters were always, always the last to know.

“In any case…” His eyes settle on you. “I need you to get ready soon. In addition to me and C, you and Ladson will also be the escorts to the introduction this afternoon.”

“Escorts?” Sadie exclaims. “That sounds cool. Why don’t I get to go to that?”

B sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. That was why. It made sense that Ladson would go; out of the four of you underlings, he was the oldest and had the most experience.

“Ladson is second to me and C in experience, and we felt that it would only be proper to…” he gestures towards you with his hand.

“Bring a woman around to even out the numbers?” you ask, raising your eyebrows.

“Precisely,” he says. “Please do remember that the Tortutaru are very patriarchal in nature. They believe that the males should go out and work, while the females stay behind and attend to any offspring. However, they still consider women to be their equals, so we felt your presence this afternoon would be appropriate, especially considering you and Sadie will be working with them on an ongoing basis throughout this assignment.”

“I suppose it would be appropriate,” you reply coolly. “Remember that they do consider women to be the artisans of language and conversation.” You roll your eyes over towards Sadie. “You know, because they assume we just sit around gabbing all day.”

“Sexism at its finest,” Sadie agrees. You throw your right hand over your shoulder and she smacks your fingers lightly in a seamless high-five. Ladson smiles good-naturedly, his curly blonde locks tumbling over his forehead as he shakes his head. Shayne just sits in the background, looking bored by the whole affair. You had never seen him before, but you guessed that his stoic nature and his impassive face made him the perfect specimen for neutrality.

“Yes, yes,” B continues. “And, of course, you clearly exhibit a firm grasp on their cultural and social cues.” He hesitates, and if he means to elaborate on this, before changing his mind. “Although I have been informed that they would like you to follow the traditional archaic communication model over the bi-bi approach we initially discussed.”

You tilt your head to the side. “They?” Ladson asks, echoing your confusion. You’re glad that someone else had the good sense to ask that question. Sometimes people who worked with interpreters before insisted that they knew what they were doing and would throw your own language back in your faces, as if to assume that they knew your process and your methods. Simply put, the communication model meant that you interpreted things strictly word for word, with no cultural information. The bi-bi model, which was short for bilingual-bicultural, basically gave the interpreter room to adjust their behavior in order to incorporate the social cues and cultural nuances that the other parties may not have been aware of. In other words, “they” were asking you to be a socially awkward machine, spitting out words and signs like a translating robot. You could do it, and had been asked to do it on numerous occasions, but that didn’t mean that you liked it. For example, it was harder to say that it was raining cats and dogs, rather than just to express that it was raining heavily. There was always a chance the other party wouldn’t understand the idiom or expression, which could of course lead to disastrous results. You had seen it before, although you preferred not to call that horrid affair to your mind just now.

“The First Order,” B elaborates. “Of course, we will speak to the Tortutaru about it this afternoon and let them address our concerns. I can understand the traditional communication model for private meetings, but considering that you four were asked here in order to help address their social needs and the customs and practices they are not familiar with…” His voice trails off, as if he’s not sure how to finish his sentence.

“We are sure they will be amendable to our concerns,” C says quickly, and B nods.

“Yes, thank you,” he says quickly. “Now, we will be making introductions with the Tortutaru first, and then we shall follow their lead for the duration of the assignment. You are guests here, but please make no mistake: this is a military installment, and they are at a time of war. Tensions are high, so please do not go anywhere on this ship alone. Do not try to make any friends. Do not tell anyone your purpose here unless explicitly asked: people will see you around with your partner over the next few months. They will soon realize who you are and why your presence is required on board.”

“To provide access to quick, equivalent communication,” C adds. “Nothing more. Please remember that not everyone thinks of interpreters as essential to the process, and some will think that you merely get in the way. Just do what you think is right, and we will regroup and assess your concerns nightly to make sure they are addressed in an expeditious manner.”

“I have a question,” Shayne says suddenly, throwing one arm up in the air as if he was still a student in a classroom. “Can we ask what exactly are they doing here? As you just said, professor, this is a military installation. What possible good will come of bringing a bunch of telepathic lifeforms on board and getting them involved in the affairs of Storm Troopers? What is the First Order hoping to accomplish? I have a few theories myself, but I am interested to hear your take.”

B purses his lips shut for a moment, studying him seriously. “I wish you had brought these theories to me before we had brought you on board,” he says through gritted teeth. “These are exactly the kinds of questions the First Order does not want you to be asking. You are here for one purpose and one purpose only. You will provide communication between whatever Tortutaru gets assigned to you and whoever they happen to be speaking to. That is your role here. Do that for six months, receive your pay, and then do us both a favor and never speak to me again. I cannot and will not be liable for any punishments that the First Order deems necessary to carry out against you if they believe you are acting against their interests. And that goes for any of you. Do I make myself clear?”

You look down and nod your head quickly, pretending to study the floor beneath your feet with increasing interest. Shayne opens his mouth to say something, but then thinks better of it.

“Do you know their names?” Ladson asks as a way to distill the tension. Names of the Tortutaru? Names of the upper command here so we know how to properly address them?”

B just rubs at his forehead and sighs as he shakes his head and turns away. “I’m sure that information will be made known to you in time,” C says quickly as B steps back inside of his room. “In the meantime, please, you two, get dressed. I think it would be best for all involved if we got down there to meet the Tortutaru as soon as possible so we can figure out how to proceed.”

“Yes sir,” you say quickly as you get to your feet. You nod in Ladson’s direction and then disappear inside your room. Sadie quickly appears behind you.

“Need any help finding your things?” she asks. You look around at the various boxes scattered about the room and sigh.

“Yes, please.”

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onlythreelines · 5 years ago

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Hard Times

One of the things I’m trying to debate with myself is dropping something, making life a little less stressful for myself. First I’m going to list off what courses I have left.

Spring 2020

Analysis of Algorithms - 3 Credits

Programming Languages - 3 Credits

Operating Systems - 3 Credits

Machine Learning - 3 Credits

Fall 2020

Computer Organization - 3 Credits

Computer Organization Lab - 1 Credits

Computer Architecture - 3 Credits

Incident Detection & Incident Response - 3 Credits

Artificial Intelligence - 3 Credits

Okay, I’m literally in the home stretch and can’t give up now. I feel like in order for me to cut the stress off myself, something needs to be done. Let’s see what I’m currently doing this semester

Systems Programming + Lab - 4 Credits

Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science - 3 Credits

Network Security - 3 Credits

Cybersecurity Data science - CLASS ON SATURDAYS 2 HOURS 3 Credits (Master Level Course)

Application Programming - 3 Credits

So in total I’m taking sixteen hours of coursework, okay I was able to do seventeen last semester and still work, not a biggie. Now let’s list what I’m part of and commitments.

Fraternity - Treasurer - Weekly Monday Meetings

CompTIA - Recruitment Chair - Weekly Saturday Meetings

Undergraduate Researcher - Weekly Wednesday Night Meetings

Internship - Ten hours a week.

Yeah, I’ve got my red solo cup filled to the brim, slightly spilling over sometimes. Analytically, I know I could take on a student loan and be set for the rest of the year, just as Dr. Xu told me the student loans have low interest rates comparable to that of all other types of loans. On the other hand, I know form Kavon’s teaching and my personal guilt on taking more in loans will lead me to cause mental detriment continuing onward to graduate school. On a side note, thank god I don’t have to take that GRE, I’d would have jumped ship already. Also, I’ve promised I’d help Aaron in regards to the technical writeup for Greenlight and I can’t go back on my word. Yet, I’m constricted by when Brandon told me, “Sometimes you need to do what’s best for you in the moment, even if others don't like it.”, and I do agree with him but it makes my dilemma obfuscated in that sense if I apply his teaching. Let’s keep the internship as 1. It keeps a steady income. 2. Experience if I want to go into industry or hate my PhD. 3. Like Urban said, “It’s best to not burn bridges as you might not know when you will be back.”, words which speak truth to my mind.

In regards to the Undergraduate Researcher, I’m pretty much not doing anything and attend the meetings to acquire new knowledge and support my fellow colleagues. However, last meeting I was exhausted if I’m going to be honest with myself I used to enjoy them but this excessive course load and schedule has my mental state ill (it already is but in regards to be drained) which is not normal for myself. So we can’t even decide on this, therefore we must stay with this as no undergraduate research is occurring and we can move on from this circumstance.

I’m supporting Chandler and his club, but its taking a tole on me with Saturday meetings as I don’t want to talk to him and his club. Also the constant trivial tasks he assigns me are not worth my time. For this, I can definitely drop. Question is, having to quit this position will it cause me any relief?

My fraternity is something else, a social outlet I need. I feel and now if I just drop (which I can since I wouldn’t care), that social outlet would not be there. We can negate this option as we will have to stay.

Maybe my problem is prioritizing things. As I know the battle with LA Fitness has been nonstop, I still need to submit my forms for a name change and I’m behind on reading my book for Systems Programming. My room is yet a disaster again for what? I still need to give my car an oil change, bleed the brakes, swap the rotors and pads on all four of the axles. Plus I need grocery money, and my mother still owes me for the I don't know how many time. Also need to GET GROCERIES.

If that’s the case then I ordered myself a planner which should be arriving this Saturday. I literally need to take a day for myself and just get the things I need to have done completed. I’ll talk to my psychologist tomorrow about it, for now I’m going to head to bed.

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dorothydelgadillo · 8 years ago

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What Makes a Coder?

We’ve all seen the stereotypes: that coders look exactly one way—and it’s not exactly the most inclusive description. (In fact, there’s a pretty high chance that if you’re reading this, you don’t look like the coders we see on TV, in movies, and in the media.) But that’s simply not an accurate representation of the tech world—which is growing more diverse as people find ways to join the industry that don’t involve slogging their way through Silicon Valley. This is the first installment of What Makes a Coder?—a monthly column that will spotlight two people with tech skills and the diversity of their careers. Some might work at giant tech companies, some might be freelancers, or others might not work in the tech industry at all—they simply use their tech skills in another field. These programmers are all over the world and have different backgrounds, education levels, ages, genders—we could go on and on. We’ll get to know each coder with a series of questions about their career trajectories, how they got their coding start, and what they do outside of work. In the process, we hope to make clear that there is no one specific persona or path in tech: Tech is for everyone, and it can be a winding road to get there.

Jing Pei, twenty-something, San Francisco

What do you do and where do you work? I do front end development at a mid-size tech company.

Did you start out your career as a coder? Nope, I didn’t start out coding! I ended up getting my first job as a supply chain allocator for a large retailer in New York through one of those New Grad programs.

It involved working with a lot of Excel spreadsheets. To populate the data in the spreadsheets we used, we would click a button and all the latest data would get pulled into the spreadsheet. I became obsessed with understanding how this process worked and found myself learning to write VBA macros to automate my job.

How did you learn to code? I have a very, very long journey with learning to code.

I made tons of personal websites tinkering with HTML during high school and chose to major in Computer Science in college. It seemed like the perfect major at the time just because I loved computers! I got a pretty rude awakening when I realized that coding was not the same as copy/pasting markup. College Computer Science was a really brutal struggle to understand computer science theory, complex algorithms, and even basic concepts like object oriented programming. The major really lacked the practical element I was hoping for, and my advisor eventually convinced me to drop out of the major.

I ended up with only a minor in Computer Science but had no practical implementation knowledge. After non-coding jobs and internships, I ended up returning to coding by learning to write VBA during work (more on that later). I ultimately knew I still wanted to learn web development, but I didn’t really know how. I had three friends who had gone through a coding bootcamp and recommended it to me. Even though it meant quitting my job and moving across the country, I ended up applying and getting accepted to the three-month immersive web development course. Their curriculum covered computer science fundamentals and modern day web frameworks: that practical deep dive I think I had been missing.

Tell us about a favorite project you’ve worked on. My favorite project I’ve worked on has still got to be my thesis project from my bootcamp days. it’s a fun and whimsical little web app called Dateworthy. It was a group project with my closest peers and I’ve never experienced a better team dynamic than the one we had working on the project.

Were you always interested in tech? What sparked your interest? I’d like to think I’ve always had a knack for technical things, but at the heart of it, I just really enjoy making things. It helps that I’m curious about a lot of things and the way they work—it was that curiosity that caused me to stumble over website source code in the first place! I’ve loved websites since I was in middle school (early 2000s), and I first got started “coding” HTML and markup from copying and pasting the source code of websites I liked and trying to replicate them.

Do you have any advice for people who are considering learning to code and might have some apprehension? Just do it. Go at your own pace. Don’t judge yourself for being slower than someone else you know. It’s not a race! It took me seven years to get to a place where I actually felt like I knew enough to “deserve” to feel like I knew what was going on, and I realized all of that was just in my own head.

What do you do outside of work? I’m very interested in financial literacy and run a blog about personal finance. There’s something very human about how we think about money and livelihood, and I love exploring that. I’ve also gotten really into rock climbing in the past couple years. It’s technical yet requires grace and movement. It’s a constant confrontation of you and your limitations. I just love it—it’s a really beautiful sport, and a really great non-traditional way of working out!

How would you describe your work/life balance? I feel really lucky that my company values work/life balance! My job is pretty flexible with hours and I generally come in around 9:30 a.m. and leave between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Sydney Shackelford, age 47, Northern, New Jersey

What do you do and where do you work? My wife and I have a small software company where we both write custom software for small businesses.

How did you learn to code? I initially self-taught in BASIC at age 12 and then later learned more advanced programming in college at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I started in Electrical Computer Engineering with Fortran then switched to Computer Science where I learned Pascal, C, C++ and LISP. I learned database programming while working at the College of Education on Campus maintaining the inventory of audio visual equipment. Interestingly, the database software I wrote there in 1989 is still in use today! I’m always learning new languages—which is easy once you understand core programming.

Did you start out your career as a coder? I did start out as a coder. During my summers in college, I learned about logistics and the information technology working for my stepfather’s trucking company, and eventually wrote some simple helper applications in a FileMaker database that his mainframe system at the time couldn’t do.

My career started first in databases but then mostly in multimedia and what was called “edutainment” in the 1990’s. These were products like “Learn To Speak Spanish” and Berlitz software for learning a foreign language.

Now, I find myself combining technologies like Java and PHP/MySQL with FileMaker, and I feel like what I do is a combination of my database, logistics, and multimedia experience.

Tell us about a favorite project you’ve worked on. I’ve had a lot of favorites—from the “Learn To Speak” series I worked on at The Learning Company to a interactive multimedia safety project I worked on with CSX Railroad, but my current favorite is our logistics application that my wife and I wrote. It’s called LMX (Logistics Management eXchange) and it’s constantly growing and getting better as time goes on.

Were you always interested in tech? What sparked your interest? I’ve always been interested in tech. I’ve always wanted to know how things work. At eight years old I took apart a cassette player to figure out how it worked and put it back together again. (Surprisingly, it still worked afterwards.)

I was especially interested in anything electronic or electrical. When I discovered computers in the 6th grade on an Apple II+, I was hooked.

Do you have any advice for people who are considering learning to code and might have some apprehension? The best way to learn to dig in and play. There are wonderful online courses and videos on Youtube that are great for getting started. These resources online can help you learn PHP, JAVA, and MySQL, which are all open source software that is free but extremely powerful. Downloading and installing any flavor of Linux (also open source) is a great way to start to understand how things work under the hood.

What do you do outside of work? I’m a transgender advocate and participate on several committees advocating transgender health. I enjoy spending time with my wife and our two cats and recently have been doing some acting on the side. I also enjoy movies, cooking and shopping.

How would you describe your work/life balance? I tend to work a lot even on weekends, but I integrate some work with things I enjoy, like building a computer or putting in a VoiP phone system in to home/office. Just last week I hacked the in-dash stereo unit on my car that runs Android and put Waze on it so that I don’t have to plug my phone it to use Navigation. (Plus, I prefer Waze over Apple Maps.)

from Web Developers World https://skillcrush.com/2017/12/28/what-does-a-coder-look-like-jing-peng-sydney-shackelford/

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