#( we all get paid the exact same amount here )

[clochanamarc]

i need to vent in the tags abt the housemate, and i need to find a new word for this person bc "mate" is much too friendly rn.

[cheriladycl01]

Billion Dollar Baby - Grid x Billionare! Reader x Lewis Hamilton (Rom) Part 1

Plot: Girlie loves Formula One, but she also loved Chaos and Drama so she offers the FIA/ the F1 Teams 300 million to do a race … for her under her rules!

Credit to ladygagasource

As a billionaire with a net worth of over 90 billion pounds to your name and your name alone and having multiple stable corporations and investments in loads of different sectors and having donated overly generous amounts to charity, you couldn't help but start to find more interesting ways to invest your money.

You had 7 homes, all around the world completely paid off with about double the amount of cars, whether they were super cars, vintage cars or personalized cars. A private jet, 3 vacation homes and an island.

You lived a lavish life but you worked extremely hard for it, there wasn't really a moment you weren't working.

But you had your hobbies, the theatre (specifically WestEnd), travelling (when you had time away from work) you'd been really getting into sport.

Particularly F1 was an interest of yours. You'd put forward money into McLaren and given them upgrades from your various companies both tech wise and team wear wise.

But you were so intrigued with the sport and the difference from F2.

In F2, the cars were pretty much all the same and it was fully on driver capability. Whereas in F1 you could be a cracking driver but depending on the team you were in you were in a shit box car.

And that's why you were now currently stood in the paddock at Silverstone.

You'd proposed ... to the FIA a race, where you'd pay for driver - team switches that you could choose and run it as a charity event so any tickets sold went to charities chosen by the drivers.

And everyone loved it. I mean why wouldn't they. It wasn't like the teams were loosing out on money because you were paying them to build another car and for the drivers it was just a bit of fun to experience another car.

So here you were, in front of 20 drivers, 10 team principles, some CEO's of the teams, some FIA representatives and some media personal.

"Hello everyone!" you smile awkwardly. Even though you'd done presentations in front of many many people this felt really daunting to you.

A chorus of mumbles and hello's back to you occurred before you stand there awkwardly. Someone was supposed to introduce you, that's what you were told when you first got here but no-one was attempting to come up on stage to help you so you just laugh.

"So apparently no one is coming up to introduce me... so erm if you don't know who i am I'm Y/N Y/L/N and I've proposed money to each of your teams and the FIA to create a charity race where I switch drivers into different cars... Formula 1 really intrigues me to see how you all are naturally talented drivers and that the car really does matter... and i think it will be really interesting for the fans. It's a great opportunity for the teams and drivers to make special merch and special helmets and I just think as drivers it will be a really great experience for all of you!" you grin and there was mumbles questions thrown at you till you PR manager came up next to you to calm everyone down.

"One at a time please!" he says in his gruff masculine voice.

"Are you choosing which teams we go to?" Lando asks first, and you nodded.

"Are teams making a different car? Or?" he asks and you shake you head.

"Teams will rebuild the exact car that they have now. It will just be other drivers inside the car. Do you guys want to hear where you'll be?" you ask and a chorus of agreement flows through the room.

"Okay, so first up our two Red Bull Drivers. Current Champions of both Constructor and Drivers. Max Verstappen, you will be going to Williams. And Sergio Perez you will be going to Haas!" you start and gasps surround.

"So we aren't staying with our current team mate?" Lewis asks looking over to George.

"Okay, as for the current Ferrari Drivers, Charles you will be going to McLaren and Carlos after your announcement of joining Nico in Sauber for 2025 i thought it would be fun to give you a ... test run so you are going to Sauber!" you cheer and they both nod.

"Okay then for my McLaren boys I got Oscar to Ferrari and Lando to ... Red Bull!" you grin and Lando looks down with a laugh and shake of his head. Being a McLaren sponsor meant you spent a lot of time around the paddock with the pair of them.

"Next our Mercedes men, Lewis will be joining Max in Williams" you smirk making Lewis shake his head, you'd always liked teasing Lewis having had a relationship at one point and ending on good terms due to work stresses and struggles.

"And George will be in Aston Martin!" you smile and he nods.

"As for Aston Martin, Fernando you'll be driving alongside Carlos as a Spanish Duo in Sauber and Lance well your dad offered me money to put you in Red Bull but thought that wasn't the spirt of the charity event so Alpine for you!" you grin and you can tell some of the drivers, including Lance are trying not to laugh.

"Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, fuck me that's a mouthful erm Dani Ric you my friend are going to ... Aston Martin nice one and my favrioute driver ... sorry Lando and Oscar but he's literally my son ... Yuki my love you'll be in Red Bull with Lando!" you smile and he fits the air happily before nodding at you in thanks.

"Nico, Kevin Haas hasn't actually been all that bad for you guys this year. You've had great drivers however ... Kevin to Mercedes and Nico to RB!" you smile.

"Williams duo. You guys will be moving up. Logan i think you'll really really suit Ferrari red and Alex you better like Papaya coz you'll be joining Charles in McLaren!" you smile and Logan's face lights up being in a top team. This was really his opportunity to prove himself and that he was a great driver.

"Alpine ... not been an easy season for you guys unfortunately ... Pierre you'll be joining Mercedes and Esteban you'll drive for Haas"

"And finally our Stake Sauber whatever your team name is called will be moving ... Zhou to Alpine and Valtteri to Racing Bulls!"

"I hope this interests you all and you are all excited for the race in two months!" you say and you stay behind talking to some of the drivers until one is left.

"Hey baby" you smirk at Lewis as he leans against the door frame.

"I don't think I'll ever get over you calling me baby" he smiles softly and you smile back.

"Of course you wont ... baby" you grin.

"I'm excited for this race but I can't believe you .. put me in a Williams!" he exclaims and you just laugh before flattening out the lapels of his blazer before looking up at him.

"Cant make it easy for you, I wanna see you fight. You've lost your spark Lew!" you sigh looking over him.

Yours and Lewis relationship came to and end in 2021, just after he'd lost the championship. Said he needed to be more focused on his career. Baring in mind you'd been dating for 5 years before that.

"I-I know, it's not been the same since ..." he trails off and you nod.

"Since Max won... I know!" he smile at him, rubbing his shoulder, but after hearing you he takes a step back.

"No, since we ended things!" he sighs and you look over him in confusion.

"Lew..." you start and he shakes his head.

"I know it was mutual, but you were it for me. You ... you still are Y/N. I want you back and I know you aren't ready right now but you are the one thing i will and always will continue to fight for, fuck another championship ... fuck even another race win. I want you back though and I promise you i'll prove it!" he says looking over you, tears filling in your eyes as he pulls you into his chest, hugging you while stroking your hair.

"Ohhhh Lewis, what are you doing to me..." you laugh, because if you don't you'll cry.

"I'll see you in two months Lew!" you smile and walk out the door. He looks a little gutted your leaving but you need him to prove that he'll try.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @daemyratwst @lauralarsen @the-untamed-soul @thewulf @itsjustkhaos @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @summissss @gulphulp @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhhhh @georgeparisole @youcannotcancelquidditch @tallbrownhairsarcastic @ourteenagetragedy @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @dark-night-sky-99 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @laneyspaulding19 @malynn @viennakarma @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @yourbane @teamnovalak @nikfigueiredo @fionaschicken @0picels0 @tinydeskwriter @ironmaiden1313 @splaterparty0-0 @formula1mount

[neverchecking]

hello! would it be possible to request yandere sage to a reader who got split from the chain but has a switch with them?

I adore your headcanons for him and I honestly would just love to see some more of him, perhaps he's trying to figure out if they're yiga or not since y'know only they see him as link without zelda and they just show it off reluctantly?

SAGE SAGE SAGE SAGE SAGE SAGE-YOU ABSOLUTELY FUCKING CAN.

Ahem. Yes, you very much can request my precious baby boy.

For those of you who don't know, Sage is the Hero of the Zonai, A.K.A. The Link from Tears of the Kingdom-- if we go down the route that he's a different guy from Wild. So TotK spoilers.

Anyway, look whose got his own banner! SAGE DOES-

CW: Talk of death, but nothing happens (Bc Sage won't let it happen)

He was very...unsure of you, to put it lightly.

Which was rare in and of itself since he knew most things. He knew how the Gloom hands would react should he hit them with a Dazzlefruit. He knew the exact force he would have to throw a splash fruit for it to burst in a splash of water. He knew the exact amount of force required to bend a Yiga's arm before it snaps a lot.

But he didn't know anything about you. Which put him on edge.

You came out of this weird...void thingy that he had never seen before and you dressed weirdly. You had began to call out desperately for names the second you had collected yourself (He had no clue who Wild or Twilight or Wind were, but whoever named those poor fools needed to be fired. Those names were awful.) . He watched you stumble like a newborn fawn, full of naive innocence and blind trust in the world around you.

What a fool you were.

Still, he couldn't look away. He didn't move from his place perched in a particularly tall tree, but he didn't let his attention wander from you. He couldn't. It was like you were...magnetic, drawing him in to your orbit just to keep him there.

Somewhere above him, the light dragon let out a warble. His ears flickered in that general direction, but otherwise he paid it no mind, clicking the claws on Rauru's hand against the bark of the tree.

You seemed so hopelessly lost, wandering about. It certainly didn't seem like you were the traveling type, so why you were out here, he had no idea. You would killed before long. He wondered how you would die. Something fast and quick? An electric arrow from a Lizalfos? (They had been getting unexplainably stronger now that he thought about it.) Maybe one swift hit from a Horriblin? Or maybe it would be something long and drawn out. Maybe a Frost Gleeok would freeze you so badly Hypothermia took over your limbs before freezing your lungs. Or maybe a Fire Gleeok would roast you alive before you even had the chance to register they were there. Perhaps the King himself would do both before shocking your battered form to hell and back. Or maybe the Gloom hands would grab at your flailing arms and legs, holding you still while they drained the life force right out of you.

Something full of anger lit up in his gut at just the thought of you getting hurt. He had no reason to get so livid at even a scratch on your form, but for some reason it had him snarling to himself, as if daring the universe to test him.

He wouldn't put it past Hylia at this point, that vengeful bitch.

It seemed she took his challenge to heart anyway, just as you slipped out some strange device about the same size as his Purah pad. You were so immersed in the damned thing that you didn't even hear one of the trees moving around behind you. Which was beyond him since they weren't quiet.

You didn't even look up until the shadow was looming over you and he was jumping from his tree. Riju's power sparked to life as he pulled out his bow, stunning the tree with enough power it fell with a pull of purple smoke. Something began leaking out of the discarded log, black and viscous, as it always seemed to do these days. It didn't make any difference to him, they all died the same anyway.

You had fallen onto your ass as he approached, watching him like prey would watch the predator. Nothing but wide eyes leaking with fear as he loped upon you. It made his gut swing with something foreign as he eyed you. He wasn't stupid. He knew the Yiga would go to some, frankly, extraordinary lengths to have his head on a stick. Whose to say they wouldn't set up some form of act where they attacked each other just to garner his attention?

He held out his weapon towards you, the Lynel horn glinting in the light as it prodded against your neck. You vulnerable and fragile little neck. You looked like you were about to cry at the action.

Unrelated, he pulled back just a bit. His snarl remained just the same. "Who are you?" He barked, daring you to avoid his question. Your...device was discarded at your side, which you quickly grappled onto as some form of protection. He'd have to remain weary of that. If it was anything like his Purah pad, it would be of an annoyance. Especially if you were a Yiga. They were able to replicate the Thunder Helm for Din's sake. (That was a mess and a half to retrieve.)

You swallowed hard, wincing away from him before fighting the urge to look up at him. His heart stuttered at the positively broken look you showed. You were so scared and so frightened.

He was supposed to be a hero.

(A part of him argued that he was the hero. Had been the hero. And look where it got him? Right back at the start. Fighting for his life once more. Fighting for someone who wouldn't do the same for him. Fighting for a Goddess who only used him as a pawn only to discard him when he was done.)

There was no way you were Yiga. You couldn't have been. None of them would've ever looked up at him like that. Nor could you have been a puppet of Ganon. Puppets and Yiga would burst out into an offensive attack the second they caught sight of him.

You didn't pose a threat.

But that didn't clear your name. "I asked you a question. I expect an answer." He allowed ultrahand to light up Rauru's arm in a warning red.

You blinked before shakily swallowing, holding your device to your chest. "...Y/N."

So that was your name. It was a nice name. Suited your features well and rolled off the tongue. Each syllable seemed built for your very being. He repeated it, using the tip of his weapon to tilt your chin up to face him again. That same, Goddess damned, look was sprawled on your features as he looked over you. You didn't seem injured outside of a bandaged wrap around your lower neck and left shoulder.

You had been hurt. Perhaps it was under that Wild's watch, whoever they were. They were unfit to care for you it seemed. He would happily take over if it meant you didn't get hurt any longer.

"You're...Link, right?"

He blinked, weapon staggering for a second. How did you know who he was? No one knew who he was anymore. Not without that wretched Zelda beside him, giving him a title he felt disgraced his very being. The swordsman. it was all Mineru called him and it burned something bitter in him.

He pushed the weapon further against your skin, watching it turn a harsh red before flashing to white. "What's it to you?" His teeth were bared as you tried to pull away, if only to breath just a little. He didn't let you. While it made his gut rot and knot at the thought of hurting you, he couldn't risk his own life. Not when he had a duty, Not when he had a vengeance. A vendetta.

"I can explain!" You hurriedly called, making him pull back once again.

"I would do so quickly."

You shook in your spot as your showed him the device. It seemed to have a selection of boxes, each holding a different picture. The one you hovered over read something in a language he couldn't read, but there was a picture of him. Right there. This was your explanation? It was pitiful. He almost did away with you, if only to move on, but you spoke before he could.

"You're Link. The wielder of the Master Sword. I- I'm from some other world. I, along with a group of others, are travelling to fight a dark magic that has been effecting many Hyrules across time. It's evidently effected yours." You gestured to the log, which now had an inky puddle beneath it. "We're here to help."

He pulled the weapon away, but didn't raise his glare from your form. "I don't need help."

"I never said you did." You let out a sigh full of relief. "But sometimes having someone watch your back is nice. I know you haven't had that person for you, which breaks my heart. This adventure is your second, third if we count...Ya'know..." You trailed off as his eyes narrowed. Were you talking about the Calamity? The Calamity he fell to? "You haven't had help, which I can only imagine as exhausting."

You were speaking nonsense. Nonsense that made him bubble with understanding of a sort. It was a clumsy attempt, but you were trying to offer support to him. Support he had never had previously.

He could kick his past (Three minutes ago) self for ever dreaming of hurting you, even if it was for his own personal safety. The thought of having someone offer just a tad bit of help to his battered and broken from, riddled with gloom, had him feeling a bit lighter.

He wouldn't trust you right away, he had gotten burned one too many times from doing that, but he would get you to a stable. Ensure you were safe from infection and whatever else before he made a decision regarding you and him in any sort of capacity.

Maybe take you to your group if only to see if those filth were worthy of your presence.

He would ensure you were safe in his, nevertheless. If he had to do away with the others, then so be it.

If he wanted to keep something, he would need to cling to it.

And this was just the start of his grip on you. Whether you knew it yet, or not.

[genericpuff]

The Kiss Bet Episode 172 - Hot Pot and Venting About How I Want My 70 Cents Back

Okay, look, this isn't a post I was expecting to make today but it's something that just happened and I have to fucking talk about, so let me preface this with some context.

I had to buy coins recently and because I switched to using my iPad for reading comics on, I got a "new reader" type deal from Webtoons for a coin bundle that got me like 100 coins for $5; because technically it was a 'new account' as Webtoons operates their in-game currency model on apps, not on actual emails (meaning if you use the app on an Android phone and then switch to an Apple iOS device, they're technically two separate accounts which you sync the reading data between via the account info linked via the email, therefore they have two separate coin wallets).

So with more coins than I knew what to do with, I decided to start FastPassing The Kiss Bet again, which I had recently stopped FP'ing around the S3 mark, as it's recently devolved back into the "will they won't they" trope, but instead of between Sara-Lin and Joe, it's between Sara-Lin and Joe's younger brother (the "true endgame") Oliver.

Now I don't mind the ship in essence. Joe was definitely not gonna be endgame, it was always gonna be Oliver, anyone who's read any amount of romance before - especially high school romances - knows how this shit tends to go, and The Kiss Bet isn't exactly trying to be groundbreaking or subversive in any way, it knows exactly what it's about and what it's trying to accomplish.

But it's almost become a little too good at this. Because in playing the "will they won't they" game for so long with a character that we know is endgame, it's basically been weeks and weeks and weeks of-

That said, after I caught up on the recent FP episodes, it seemed like stuff was finally moving a little bit. We were finally meeting Oliver's mom and his stepdad who he has a fractured relationship with, Joe was finally getting with his true endgame girl, Vicky (who's totally not an exact genderbent version of Joe lmao) and Sara-Lin was finally realizing she had feelings for Oliver.

And then the newest episode came out, Episode 172 - Hot Pot and Venting.

CAUTION: FASTPASS SPOILERS FOR THE KISS BET OFFICIALLY BEGIN HERE!

Already I was a little petty over the title like "lmao ok clunky title but whatever". I swept it off as not a genuine criticism, just me being a nitpicking asshole over what's essentially Fluff: The Comic.

The episode cost 7 coins, which is about roughly 70 cents, albeit closer to a dollar for Canadian readers (here's something they don't tell you about Canada - our Monopoly game currency is just as fucked as it looks) and that's where I'm gonna get into my second disclaimer that I need to be perfectly clear about (and it'll be what we get more into later on in this post).

I understand the principle of paying for art. I understand fully that many of these webtoons are being produced on tight deadlines by creators who often can only afford 1-2 assistants, if any at all. I understand and fully agree that creators deserve to be paid for their skills, time, and efforts, not just as creators working on the hellsite that is Webtoons, but as artists in general who deserve to make a living the same as anyone else. Anyone who follows my stuff here knows I'm an artist myself so I would never debate the ethical necessity of paying artists for their work.

However.

I can say that, and also agree with the people who have stated in discussion circles such as on /r/webtoons that a lot of the comics that have started charging 7 coins have been suspiciously delivering less comic since. And it's not even so much in the literal panel count, the liquid volume of these comics have remained the same, but the calorie count has dropped significantly. Food metaphors aside, what I mean is that despite many of these comics maintaining their 40-60 minimum panel count requirement, they have in fact reduced the actual amount of content that happens in them, and The Kiss Bet's newest episode is a stark example of what I mean.

I am going to start by posting only post three panels - three panels that literally sum up the entirety of Episode 172 and what it chooses to spend its time on.

That is it. That is literally all that's established in this episode. I'd tell you to go read it yourself, but honestly, this is genuinely one of those rare times I can honestly say that a 40+ panel episode is not worth 70 cents and you'd be better off, and that's saying a LOT when these episodes are only priced at the cost of a gumball. At least Lore Olympus has entertainment in how bad it is most of the time, Episode 172 of The Kiss Bet is just nothing. You will literally get more substance and flavor from an actual gumball.

Literally every other panel in this episode is either repeating the same dialogue (Sara-Lin saying the same thing multiple different times to express how Oliver is holding her hand or how his stepdad is a dick) and then Sara-Lin and Oliver staring at each other. Over. And over. Again.

I am not joking. I did not cut anything out in that sequence. That is where the episode ends. Complete nothingburger, seemingly cut off right as it was just getting started like Cait Corrain's career.

Out of the entire episode, there were 45 panels. So I can safely assume Ingrid's minimum panel requirement is at least 40 per episode, that's me assuming the best that she didn't exactly meet her panel minimum at 45 panels on the dot.

Out of those 45 panels, there were:

Two actual unique backgrounds that weren't gradients or just a single piece of furniture

4 separate panels of Sara-Lin freaking out over Oliver holding her hand and wondering if he even noticed

10 panels of Sara-Lin staring at Oliver either dumbfounded or asking him to repeat himself (or apologizing over nothing)

5 panels of the characters saying nothing

11 panels of Sara-Lin repeating information in different ways that could have been accomplished in half that time

Two separate occasions of Oliver getting Sara's attention from off-panel, literally formatted the exact same way both times (and both followed by reaction panels of Sara-Lin staring at him dumbfounded)

Way too many panels of Sara-Lin blushing in response to Oliver being an asshole tbh like literally this guy's a douchebag, Joe may have been the "out of her league" love interest but at least he was nice and didn't treat Sara-Lin like someone who just bought a Husky as a "starter pet" ???

Again, I don't usually like being a dick about the coin costs, and I definitely don't like being a hypocrite in telling people they should pay artists for their work while simultaneously posting their paywalled content like this, but I think there does come a point where it feels more irresponsible for people to not be aware of what they're about to pay for and how little they're going to be getting. This episode is literally one of the best - and worst - examples of how far the romance genre has fallen on the platform - when it's not being overtaken and oversaturated by problematic series that romanticize abuse and sexual assault, it's being dragged to death with the most boring executions of tropes that everyone has seen before and is only exciting for anyone who's never read a book or watched a romance movie, period.

And here's the thing where I do approach a bit more "hot take" territory, but every time I see this argument come up about episodes not being worth the coin cost, I see others who rightfully argue that 70 cents isn't that much to pay for what you're getting - weekly episodes of work that are usually always delivered on time, with more panels than you would ever typically see in a free to read comic.

But here's where I take issue with that argument, as much as the principle of it is sound, it misses the overall point: readers are paying for entertainment first and foremost, so can anyone who's actually paying for regular refills on their app currency step away from this and truly call it "entertainment"? Nothing was gained. The comic had 45 panels to say something, anything, and managed to not even squeak out so much of a word. Even the silent moments have no substance, they just reiterate information that we already know.

Do we really need another panel of Sara-Lin blushing at Oliver? We've known for weeks now that she has a crush on him. Do we really need another panel of Oliver getting Sara-Lin's attention? What is this actually showing of their chemistry? What is being shown here that hasn't been shown numerous times - with and without dialogue - for weeks now? What does the comic have to show for itself after four seasons?

Another point of the "it's just 70 cents, don't be an asshole" argument that people seem to miss is it's not 70 cents. It's $1. Because if you want to buy a single episode of the Kiss Bet, you can't just pay for the individual episode in isolation, you have to pay for the coins first, and $1 is the absolute bare minimum you have to pay to get 10 coins, which will only pay for one episode of a 7 coin series - of which there are many now, basically any series that's 40 panels or more will cost 7 coins and, shocker, those are the series that WT will tend to promote most, you'll rarely see the 5 coins series in the banner ads, and that's not even getting into how there are more and more series cropping up that have 5+ episodes behind FP rather than the traditional three.

So if you're someone who's (almost definitely) keeping up with more than one series? You can't just pay the $1, you have to pay at least $5 for 50 coins, and that will NOT go far anymore or cut as evenly as it used to when just about every series is now 7 coins. Webtoons knows fully well what kind of game they're playing by making the new coin cost an uneven number while still offering increments of 5/10 in their coin bundles. They undoubtedly want you to be left with an uneven number so that you'll be easily lured into buying more coins so you don't 'waste' the uneven amount you have left that isn't enough to buy the episodes for the series you want to read. Obviously this is more speculation and not fact, but it's a common business model and with the series that have adopted the 7 coin count model (rather than starting off with 7 coins outright) such as The Kiss Bet and Lore Olympus, it's becoming abundantly clear that either the creators or the platform itself is encouraging these series to meet their panel minimums with as little content as possible in order to get more money out of readers who are barely even being drip fed actual entertainment and narrative progression, let alone spoon fed.

And then there's the waiting. The goddamn waiting. So many of these series guilty of siphoning their content off through a hose that they're deliberately standing on are designed intentionally with the most egregious cliffhangers in mind to keep their audience hooked so they'll undoubtedly FP next week. Do you know what that amount of waiting does to a comic? To its readers? First off, it artificially extends the actual pacing of the comic to make it feel longer than it is, when in reality, many of these plotlines are happening in a vacuum of very short bursts of time. Case in point, Lore Olympus is commonly confused for having a plotline that takes place over the course of months, when actually when laid end to end in order of cause and effect, many of its subplots - including the romance of Hades and Persephone - takes place over the course of days. This over-inflates the plotline's actual depth and, even worse so, it makes it harder for readers to keep up with information that's being delivered, as it often takes weeks for that information to actually go anywhere - so by the time it does, many readers have straight up forgotten about it.

It's absolutely not okay that so many of these kinds of series are normalizing literal slow burning for an audience who's paying to be entertained. It's not a "slow burn". It's just slow, and deliberately so. It's absolutely NOT FUN to follow a comic that does not go anywhere week after week. It's frustrating. And before long, it starts to feel like gambler's fallacy, where readers have to essentially gaslight themselves into paying into it more and more convinced that it has to pay off eventually, based on a promise that was never actually made, only assumed in good faith. And readers should not have to fill in the bulk of the content that isn't happening with their own imaginations, which is something that happens a LOT in these series that spend so much time on the characters just staring at each other and saying nothing. It's not 'plot' to just draw characters blushing and have your audience fill in the rest of it entirely on their own. This is certainly a technique in writing, but in the case of The Kiss Bet and other comics like it, it's much less of a valid technique and more just flat out manipulating your audience into falling so hard into the sunk cost fallacy trap that they don't notice they're being robbed blind by the plot that hasn't actually happened - and they've been paying for that financial and emotional robbery out of their own pockets and brains every step of the way.

Again, I do not care about the coin cost in and of itself, seventy cents IS still an incredibly cheap price for weekly updates of a series that has to put out so many panels each week. But as a reader and a customer, I should not be leaving these updates with less information than what I started with. And I'm someone who's incredibly old school by webcomic standards, there are comics that I follow that have updated 1-2 pages a week for over a decade that manage to do more with their limited pages than Lore Olympus and The Kiss Bet manage to do after entire hiatuses filled with pre-production time.

Why does this page of Alfie manage to move both the intrinsic plot of the titular character as well as the external plot that's going on around her in one page made up of 5 panels better than what The Kiss Bet can do in 45?

Why does this page of Tamberlane manage to convey more information about the world's lore and the people in it in a way that's emotionally driven and clearly affecting the characters without outright info-dumping than what Lore Olympus has managed to spit out onto its plate since S3 started over a year ago?

How does Tales from Alderwood manage to be more entertaining and convey more meaningful storytelling through its characters in a single page consisting of zero dialogue than what The Kiss Bet can convey in its silent panels of staring, blushing, and repetitive stuttering?

Why are the creators who are relying entirely on their own efforts, resources, and ability to generate income through community interaction and support putting out better work with less panels and on slower schedules for FREE than what we're seeing from professional creators on a professional publishing platform who are being paid to do this as their job?

There's this saying in the tattooing industry: good work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't good.

At this point, 70 cents is not a 'bargain' as many people like to argue in defense of the creators. And while I do want to have good faith in the creators who don't pull this shit, the creators who clearly go above and beyond to do what they do in the pursuit of storytelling and polishing their craft to be the best piece of work that it can be - the comics that are worth paying 70 cents and beyond for - are not the comics that Webtoons is promoting to people. The creators of the works that genuinely deserve more than 70 cents per update are being left to fend for themselves without support from the platform, while those that aren't worth the price of even a flavorless gumball are consistently winning the Wonka Golden Ticket lottery.

The cost of 70 cents is relative. For some works it's a genuine bargain. For others like the The Kiss Bet and Lore Olympus, 70 cents is not a "bargain", it's not a "good deal", it's exactly the value of what you're paying for - cheap work that isn't good.

[rusmii]

𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠!

> famous!chuuya

╰ back to navi

NOT proofread

"and you guys will never guess who we managed to have appeared on the fimmy jallon show!!! DRUM ROLL PLEASE??? — THERE HE IS!!!-"

famous!chuuya, who's so famous, he appears on every reality tv show/broadcast/magazine/etc. you name it, he's mentioned somewhere there. every agency/company is always trying to recruit him. "thank you for having me here!" he repeats every time, or, "sorry, maybe next year? my schedule is kind of full at the moment." well which ever one that happens, he's the IT person for any advertising/marketing.

famous!chuuya, who's so gorgeous, has raised the standard for modeling. he gets paid in high numbers just to take some pictures for a brand, you'd have to book him a year prior to be able to have him avaliable for you. "like this?" he asks; always asking for opinions on his poses and strikes. he's always the one to edit his pictures, for some reason he's so good at editing but no one's complaining when it turns out perfect.

famous!chuuya who sits in his seat, vip seat to be exact— at any place or event, there is always a special spot reserved for people like him. chuuya always making sure to secure special tickets for his closest friends that weren't normally allowed with him. usually having to go to another event straight after the one before, he barely has any time to spare.

"oh my god!! chuuya posted!!!"

"he did??!"

"just a second ago!!!"

famous!chuuya, who's not just treated as a famous celebrity in real life, but also online. as soon as he posts a picture, his fans are quick to secure a screenshot and commenting all sorts of loving things. chuuya, back then used to read every comment who supported him when he was first starting out, he memorized his very first supporters and usually replies to their comments first with a quick "thanks!<3".

famous!chuuya who has a very large following count, into the millions close to hitting a billion. no matter what platform he makes an account on, he always garnishes millions of followers that following day/night. despite his large social contacts, he only follows a small number of people; his friends. he doesn't follow other celebs unless they manage to befriend him, so even if you're a nobody to the world- chuuya will still follow you nevertheless.

famous!chuuya who never accepts friends requests from other people in games, he only ever strictly plays with his friends only. the only exception to this rule is if he's hosting some kind of tournament to win something; probably a personal fan meeting with him in person or a large amount of cash.

"ugh! why won't he accept my tinder match?!"

despite his life, famous!chuuya won't let it hinder his intimate life. he has dating apps open for one night stands/hookies, the people he fucks usually come out with a review of 5 stars. telling others that he's a good fuck if you want someone to absolutely dominate and take care of you at the same time. chuuya has a preference for brats, he likes taming them but he also would want them to be emotionally mature.

famous!chuuya who doesn't settle for less, his partners need to be able to keep with him. whether if it's in the bedroom or in the workforce, chuuya is always quick on his feet and you would need to be to if you don't want him to drop you. sure he's loyal, but his partners usually aren't there for his love now are they? he'd be able to distinguish true love and a minor inconvenience pretty easily given his past. sure he's dated a few times around but none of them last; every single fight about him not being able to spend time with them, leading to the other to cheat on/leave him.

"new song just dropped, stream it!"

famous!chuuya who always held the title as prince of rock. his little gig of making music starting to take off quickly, and soon he was also making music for other people. it evolved to him composing music for multiple other people at once, until people knew who he was today. you could say that he probably is a celebrity instead of just a really famous person but he doesn't want to forget his origins and how he started out; he's humble like that.

famous!chuuya who never left his band members behind even after he got famous, everywhere he went, they went with them. you could say they were like his personal bodyguards. always protecting him whenever they arrive from or to an airport; they do one hell of a job at it. chuuya insists on paying them a wage but they don't take that offer up; an immense trust in chuuya to not leave them behind like how other famous people leave their friends.

"why is chuuya following this random person??"

"what? who?"

" 'dunno, look "y/n" is in their bio, probably their name?"

and lastly, famous!chuuya who doesn't forget who you are. his very first supporter and follower on his platform where he started posting his bands music. he remembered how you promoted his music, streamed his music, and attended every single one of his concerts held at your hometown. every now and then chuuya clicks on your profile to check how you're doing. viewing and liking your stories ; tapping on your recent post and liking it, you've earned the jealousy of many.

°° ©churuai ; don't repost my works to other sites, copy/plagiarize my works, or translate my works into a different language without my permission. if you intend to use most of my ideas from a post of mine, please don't forget to credit ♡

rbs and comments appreciated <3<3

[trashideas]

Spoilers for Kim Dokja’s backstory!

Kim Dokja is the average 28-year-old salaryman. He does his job, gets paid almost nothing for it, and barely survives off convenience store products. Except, that would be the case if he were in an ordinary world.

Kim Dokja lives in a world filled to the brim with magic. His mother and father were both middle-tier mages born with high amounts of mana but not a lot of power. Their child, Kim Dokja, was assumed to be a high-tier mage from the amount of mana he possessed.

Except, Dokja can't use magic.

Well... That's a lie. He can use magic, it just hurts him. A lot.

You see, Dokja has a condition. Nearly all the people of this world are born with magic resistance. Dokja does not have this resistance. At a young age, he was constantly getting sick from magic overdoses, which is common for Rankers that fight often.

But Dokja is a child.

It took a long while... 13 years to be exact, to figure out just what was wrong with him.

In that time, Dokja was mercilessly bullied by his peers. His father abused him and his mother for being useless. His father died. His mother was put in prison.

Dokja was diagnosed in the hospital.

“It seems you have a major case of what we call Intramana Acirculation. Which is a fancy way of saying that your body can't handle the amount of mana it produces.”

They prescribed him a series of pills that would hopefully block off the organs that produced mana.

This, however, landed him in the hospital again. This time, because his body was deteriorating. His skin was quite literally decomposing right off his body.

He was taken off the meds.

At the age of 16, Dokja finally was able to make his own solution. He used his own mana to block off the production of mana.

He got the idea while reading a novel. A novel that has now saved his life twice. Probably countless more times.

The main character needed to use their power to seal away their demonic heart, but the heart kept leaking demonic aura, so they set up a healing barrier to purify the aura before it could harm himself.

Of course, Dokja is not a main character, so it didn't work as well for him.

It took a lot of effort to keep the barrier up and it was a constant mental drain. It took a lot of time and effort, but somehow Dokja managed to turn the active skill into a passive one.

With that change, came another.

It helped Dokja regulate his emotions... To an extent.

....

Now 28, Dokja needs to go to the Ranker Testing Center, known as a RTC, to offload his excess mana.

As he grew, so did his mana supply. Dokja can't let this amount of mana leak around him, otherwise it might hurt people. So he has to conceal it within himself. It hurts. A lot. But Dokja’s Fourth Wall keeps the mana regulating rather than sitting in one spot till it explodes.

Going to the RTC costs a lot of money, so Dokja only goes when his body starts to decompose on itself. Usually it's just a toe or two that get miscolored, but sometimes it's a finger. Those are the times when he has to rush to make an appointment.

Thankfully, this time is like the other ones. While it hurts to walk, Dokja can handle the pain.

What he can't handle, is the fact that a bunch of newbie Rankers are here and have been able to skip all reservations to get into the Training Facility first.

Normally this wouldn't be a problem. Normally they would at least allow one or two people who reserved a time slot into the room as well.

But apparently some large guild bought out all the time slots and the RTC overbooked.

And Guilds get priority.

So Dokja is left to sit out in the waiting room’s couch as he waits for the Guild training to get done.

Dokja mindlessly reads over a chapter. He has been reading the same paragraph for too long. His brain is too muddled to think.

All he can feel is the slow pulsing of his foot.

“Hello!” a pleasant voice says. Dokja looks up to see a tall woman waving at him from a short distance away. “I'm Uriel, part of the Olympus Guild.”

“Kim Dokja,” he answers robotically.

“I heard about the overbooking.”

Dokja nods, not really one for conversation as of now.

“Well we have a slot in a room open. You'd have to share, but we figured you wouldn't mind.”

Dokja resists the urge to sigh. As a large Guild, they think their mere presence is a blessing upon people. To them, Dokja is just some guy. He isn't a Ranker, nor is he a registered Awakened. Therefore, the only reason he could be here is to take the Awakened Exam.

All Dokja needed to do was drop all his stored mana into a container and leave.

At least it wouldn’t take too long.

“I wouldn't mind,” he finally answers. Uriel nods and turns away to lead him to the room. Dokja takes this time to gingerly stand up. He tests his weight on his foot. It hurts like a bitch, but at least he hasn't collapsed.

He follows her without complaint.

They finally get to the room. It's a lot farther than the usual rooms Dokja has used. He hopes the crystal this room has is strong enough. He doesn't want another incident of breaking one.

Uriel gives him a strange look when she sees his partial limp. Shit. He hadn't meant for her to see it.

“Rock in my shoe.”

Uriel doesn't seem to believe him, but also doesn't make a comment.

“Uh, well... This is the room. The other man in here, Yoo Joonghyuk doesn't have the best behavior but he also won't comment on anything. He isn't one to start rumors.”

Okay..?

Dokja couldn't hide the sudden confusion on his face. “What?”

“You're here to take the exam, right?”

“Uh... No.”

There are a few moments of silence.

“Oh dear, I may have misunderstood.”

“It's fine, as long as this crystal can hold and consume mana.”

Uriel lightens up, “Yes! This crystal can handle that. Then will you be alright?”

Dokja nods, desperate to just leave. This was his day off and he already spent a few hours in here.

Uriel leaves and Dokja is finally able to enter the room.

The first thing he notices is just how dim it is in the room. The only light source is the light bleeding in from the hallway and the massive mana crystal in the middle of the room.

It's one of the biggest crystals he has ever seen. It takes a lot of mana to make one light up as bright as this one is.

In the soft haze of gold, Dokja can barely make out a figure sitting crossed-legged in front of the crystal.

The light from the crystal suddenly cuts off and the room is left in complete darkness. Golden eyes turn to Dokja and send a chill down his spine.

All he can think is how they look like a predator. Like a tiger’s eyes in the light of the moon.

Dokja’s fear is quickly replaced with annoyance. This man could never hurt him in a way that matters. Because Dokja has already done it all.

“Why the fuck do you have the lights off like a gremlin?” Dokja doesn't let the door close behind him. With this lightning angle, the man wouldn't be able to see his face. The playing grounds are even.

“This is a private room,” the man *growls* as if he is some sort of dog.

“That I was led to,” Dokja says as he finally lets the door shut, enclosing them in complete darkness. “Now move, the faster I get this done, the faster I can leave and you can get back to whatever cultist shit you were doing.”

“You can't-”

Dokja doesn't bother to listen to whatever he says. Dokja’s foot is *throbbing* after standing for so long and he needs to sit down before his knees buckle. He walked right next to those golden eyes and sat down a ways away from the other man.

Dokja hit the floor a little too harshly, but he pays no mind to it. His eyes have adjusted to the point where he can see basic shapes so he can see the man’s head follow his movements.

“What-” the man starts but Dokja shushes him.

Dokja finally is able to finally release all the stored mana and he is not about to let this man distract him for any longer. He places his hands against the warm crystal. Huh. This man’s magic was warm. Dokja relishes the gentle warmth against his freezing hands for a moment. It helps him organize his thoughts to clearly focus on his task.

Slowly, he parts a hole in Fourth Wall’s barrier. Without the block, his mana freely starts to flow out of his body and down his arms in a controlled stream. Even with this small part of Fourth Wall gone, the mana has started to rebel against him. His skin crawls as excited sparks of mana race across his skin in small bursts of light.

Like the flow of electricity, the stray mana follows the current into the crystal with minimal detours across his skin.

Dokja can see the clearness of the crystal starting to disappear, filled with clouds of inky black and blue that are quickly expanding to encase the entirety of the crystal. Dokja closes his eyes and focuses on just ridding his body of the polluted mana rather than looking at it.

Dokja can feel the other man’s burning stare on him. Judging his disgusting mana. It's like an oil spill in the clear ocean. Polluted. Dangerous. Dokja wouldn't be surprised if the man got up and left, leaving him alone in the darkness, surrounded by his vile mana.

For some reason, Dokja’s precise grip of Fourth Wall slips. It only takes a split second for the wall to crash and shatter against the pressure of his mana pool. Like a dam breaking, surges of uncontrolled mana bursts from Dokja’s body and towards the crystal with angry sparks of white. Crackles and hisses of mana fills his ears and a trickle of liquid down his arms catches his attention.

Even with his eyes closed, Dokja’s vision is darkening further. He shudders out a pained breath. The air in his lungs are more eager to leave than usual, and he needs to take a few calculated breaths to properly fill his lungs.

The crushing weight of his mana is slowly leaving him, allowing him to finally breathe easily after a month of struggling against the weight of his own power. The emptiness leaves him hollow and cold. He has never lost control of Fourth Wall like this and he would never like to repeat this experience.

His breaths feel like too much. The chilling air sends racking shivers through his body. His only solace is the warm liquid dripping down his arms.

Wait.

The smell of copper invades his senses. There is also a warmth around both of his wrists. It's different than that of the blood. It's a solid presence. Like someone is gently holding his wrists and is helping guide the mana safely.

Dokja doesn't notice that his mana has stopped sparking, nor does he remember the seemingly stone-cold man that was sitting next to him.

What he does notice, is that his mana is draining at an alarming rate. The burn of his mana moving inside him is replaced with chilling emptiness.

As the last drops drain into the crystal, Dokja can't keep himself awake any longer. He slumps forward, unconscious before he can register the pain of hitting anything.

...

Joonghyuk steadies the irritating man before he can slam head-first into the mana crystal. He can't help but stare at the unconscious, maybe dead, man.

To say he is confused is the understatement of the century. Was this the true part of the training session? A “What would you do if a random man walked into your room and passed out next to you?” type scenario.

Because how could this not be staged? Joonghyuk swears he saw Uriel leave the man there, which had to mean that this was staged.

This was staged. Right?

Joonghyuk can't help but stare into the massive crystal. The color has completely changed in a way that he has never seen nor read about. It's color was a deep black with hints of blue and purple. Not only that, but constant sparks of mana made white bursts of light in the ocean of black. Each burst flickered for a few moments before being recycled back into the evershifting tides of color.

It was as if someone had bottled up a piece of the night sky and left it to sit in this room. It was... Joonghyuk didn't want to say beautiful, but it was definitely stunning.

As if the different colors weren't strange enough, the mana in the crystal was staying live. It acted as its own shifting ecosystem of producing and taking power.

Mana, akin to electricity, is powerful. But that power requires a power source to drain from. A person acts as the outlet for mana, without someone actively pushing their own power to control the mana, it will turn off as quickly as someone pulling the plug to an electrical device.

Mana was supposed to be put out like a match drenched with water when someone wasn't dutifully controlling it. To be unconscious and still have the mana linger... Joonghyuk looks at the petite man in his arms. How could someone like this be so powerful?

This man looked half-dead. Like he hasn't eaten a proper meal in weeks and hasn't been outside for more than 30 minutes in his lifetime.

Joonghyuk grimaced.

He dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Uriel’s number. It rang only once before she picked up.

“He passed out,” he says before Uriel could even greet him with her overly sweet tone.

“Pardon?”

“The man you brought in.”

There's a series of frantic sounds in the background, “He *what*?”

“Passed out.”

“Oh my god, Yoo Joonghyuk you can't just overload people with your mana when you want to be left alone. Hold on, I'm on my way.” There is more sounds and a shout of: “He did *what* to a civilian!?” from someone that sounded suspiciously like Jung Heewon.

Joonghyuk felt the need to defend himself, “I didn't-” he starts.

“Hush, you can explain when I'm not on the line for paramedics.”

Joonghyuk huffed, but otherwise held his tongue. He was here to show that Guilds could in fact collaborate with each other despite this proving that they shouldn't try to collaborate for anything other than brand deals.

The only reason he hasn't left is because if got into any more trouble his master would have his head. Joonghyuk still had Mia to look after, so he couldn't die just yet.

And besides, Joonghyuk’s gaze wandered back up to the crystal containing the night sky, his curiosity has been peaked.

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan]

Ableism in the Pricing of Higher Education

I have one more semester of college left, god permitting. Because of the ways my disabilities (ADHD, Autism, and Bipolar Disorder) impede my learning and my productivity, I have had to work so hard to get even mediocre results in college. And I've had to take on so much more debt. Despite it all, I'm going to make it through, and I'm damn PROUD of it. But let's talk about it, because this system is fucking broken and I'm fucking angry about it.

This gets pretty long after the cut, so TL;DR:

Universal public college tuition and student loan debt forgiveness are not just economic issues. They are disability issues, and we need to fight for them like it.

The pricing scheme at my university functions probably not unlike most higher education institutions. Any student who takes three or fewer courses a semester pays à la carte. A set amount for each class. Any student who takes four or more courses a semester pays the same flat rate. The more courses you take, the farther your money goes.

This is broken and it's insane that this is the standard. Of the eight semesters I've completed, I only tried taking the "standard" five courses twice. Both times, I had to withdraw from at least one of them because the workload was too heavy. My brain just isn't wired in a way that can handle that much work and mental bandwidth. My attention span only goes so far, and it gets even worse if my meds aren't just right.

So every other semester, I've taken four courses. The minimum to be considered a full-time student and to pay the flat rate. Each semester, I've raked in a maximum of 12 credits. I say maximum because there have even been four-course semesters that I've had to withdraw from one just to pass the other three. Meanwhile, the assumption is that neurotypical people take five courses a semester.

My university, like pretty much every one in the US, requires 120 credits to graduate with a Bachelor's degree. At 3 credits per course (generally), that's 40 courses. A neurotypical person taking 5 each semester can graduate in 8 semesters, or 4 years. At that same pace, that sets someone like me at graduating in 5 years. Now I'm an laden with an extra year's worth of debt compared to them.

That all assumes I pass all my classes every time, which sometimes, I just fucking can't because my brain is crosswired for what they want it to do. I'm hopefully going to manage to graduate in 9 semesters. How? Well I went into college with 15 credits from dual enrollment in high school (that we paid for out of pocket). That gave me the wiggle room to only take 4 courses each semester. But with my performance, there are still gaps.

I've needed to take two summer courses, which each cost me about $1,300. I'm currently earning 3 credits doing study abroad, which I do admit is an expensive way of going about getting credits, but the program alone (without airfare and living expenses) was about $5,000. Without these "extra" credits, I wouldn't nearly be able to graduate when I will be.

All the while, some neurotypical people are out here taking five or even six classes and paying the exact same rate that I am. They're graduating earlier and not going into as much debt, what, because they happen to have the brains that this pricing scheme favors?

This isn't even considering jobs. Other students are able to balance having a job and taking a full course load. Graduating faster, paying less, and actively earning money to offset the cost more. I'm not going to pretend it's easy for all of them. No way. That's a stressful way to live, but the point is that they can live that way. I can't. I just can't.

I'm going to name my privilege because it's a big one here. My family is decently wealthy. As long as I can remember, we've been able to live comfortably. Financial aid agreed, apparently, because even after the loans I'm allowed, we still pay about $9,000 out of pocket every semester. Put that up against someone in my same financial situation but with a brain that works the way the college thinks it should. That's another $18,000 my family is on the hook for compared to them, all for the same degree. It's bullshit.

But if someone with a brain like mine isn't as fortunate financially as I am, where the fuck are they gonna get that extra money? My family paid for my summer courses and study abroad out of pocket. Where is that less privileged student getting that fucking money? A job? Yeah right, they can barely stay off academic probation from poor grades, like me. What part of this is fair? It's not fair to me, and it's certainly not fair to anyone less wealthy than me.

The short term solution is so obvious it hurts. Create a separate pricing plan that costs the same, but just takes longer. Have me pay less per semester than someone taking 5 courses, and in exchange, prohibit me from taking more than 4. They are using more resources than me, so in the capitalist mindset, they ought to pay more than me.

Fuck the capitalist mindset, though. Fuck everything about college costing money. What the hell? I go to a public, state-funded university and I'm still tens of thousands of dollars in debt? And my parents have just that much less money in their retirement accounts? Financially at least, I have it fucking easy. My family can tank the costs. We can take out a home equity loan because we can afford our own house in this economy. Not everyone can.

Fuck it. This is inhumane. Education is a society's greatest asset. When people are allowed to achieve their ambitions and succeed in life, the economy performs better. Standards of living go up. Democracies become healthier. Most importantly, the people are happier. Because what's more important than being happy and healthy?

So when education is locked behind a fucking paywall, who wins? Not the students, and not society. Taking financial privilege out of it, the worst losers are people like me. People whose minds just can't work in a way that lets us take 5 courses and a part time job at the same time. We are fucking losing. We are losing money and we are losing time in our lives. All this debt sets back our savings, our investments, our stability to start our own families.

Universal public college tuition and student loan debt forgiveness are not just economic issues. They are disability issues. People like me are paying a price that neurotypical people don't have to, and it doesn't have to be that way. There are ways that we can make it better for us, and there are ways that we can make it better for everyone. So let's fucking do them, alright?

That means voting for the people that will put those policies in place. That means protesting when they don't. That means walking out of class and protesting ableist school administrations. That means being an active citizen in our democracy. If we need to fight to get the things that we need to thrive, then we are gonna have to give one hell of a fight.

[fuck-customers]

Pls tell me someone else has been through something similar.

TL;DR: Paid for a strangers groceries. Got asked out by him through his friend. Denied coz Idk why he did that & uh... he was deff not femme presenting so not my preference (& I still feel bad about it lmao). 🥲 #rip

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

I don't hate this customer, but I constantly wonder if anyone has had a shared experience like this so if you have, PLEASE leave it in the comments (or reblogs).

(*Shared experience as in... a stranger/customer asking you out for something you did for them while on the clock or something you showed them at work that's a work perk.)

When I was a cashier at the american grocery store "English en Español", I was in a low income area. I constantly had cis men hitting on me for no valid reason, as I'm not the socially accepted aesthetic for "attractive" (probably because it was a small town so there wasn't much selection & I live in cities so I dressed/acted differently than most? Idk. I'm a transman, pre-t & pre-surgery, but present as femme for safety reasons, espec in small towns). I often didn't notice until coworkers told me after they had left or until the man, himself, told me straight up. It was common enough that we had a signal bc apparently I suck at picking up on people hitting on me. NO ONE working that night signaled for this one, despite several of my coworkers seeing this.

So needless to say, I did NOT see this coming.

There was a guy with two girls checking out their groceries at my register. It was late at night, close to closing. When it came to the guys portion of the groceries, he split things up to afford everything. (I feel that lol.) His card declined on the last part. He was maybe $25ish(?) short (idr exact amount). He asked to take off a few things & I was like "Wait, wait." & jumped around & slid my own card & paid for his stuff. At that time (about a decade ago) my finances were mostly stable. I was doing what I could for anyone who needed it. It wasn't abnormal for me to pay for people whose groceries got declined by under $50 if I had it that month. I was stuck at a grocery store all day & people quite literally need food. It's the *least* I could do while financially stable, yknow? He wasn't someone I singled out... just someone else I managed to have the privilege of helping.

But this guy looked like he was both a) about to cry & b) incredibly embarrassed. He barely whispered thank you to me before grabbing everything & RUNNING out the door. His two friends thanked me profusely & followed him out *normally*. Lol.

I didn't have anyone else to check out coz it was almost 10pm at that point, so I was just vibing at my register. Maybe 5 whole minutes later (yes, THAT LONG) one of the girls the guy was with comes back in & runs up to my register.

I didn't say anything coz I was confused. Why is everyone running? Why does everyone have so much energy? Jeeze. 💀

She said, quickly & excitedly, "Remember the guy you just saw that you paid for his groceries?"

Me: "👁👄👁... yeah?"

Her: "Well, he wanted to know if you wanted to go out with him. Like, on a date."

Me, confused, not knowing what to say, stalling: "Uhhhhhhm."

In my mind, I'm thinking: 'Why would he want that? Because I paid for his groceries? Does he think I'm one of those dommes that gives money to their subs? Oh no. I'm a sub, not a dom! Maybe he just thinks I'm nice? Oh god, he's gonna find out I'm NOT nice if we date... but I really only like femme presenting people. How tf do I say that in a small town where I don't want that to get out? I don't know what's happening here, but-"

Me, without hesitation: "Sorry, but ...I like women?"

Her: "👁👄👁... Was that a question?"

Me: "...No?"

Her: "... 👁👄👁 ...Okay, I'll tell him. Thanks!"

Again, with the running. Running out the door. To the car. They looked about the same age as me. Early 20s. Like... where are they getting this ENERGY??? 😭

He NEVER came into the location I worked at again while I was there for 3 years lmao. The two girls did. Ik he lived in the area. This was before the time of grocery delivery. So uh... I feel awful lol.

I also feel awful because I never really say no to anyone in that context or break up with anyone. I always force *them* to say no or break up with me so that I don't have to do it. 😅 I'd never in a million years lead anyone on coz that's completely unfair, but I really just need the other person to do it & I couldn't in that situation so it still sits in the back of my mind like, "oh my god what have I done" kind of catastrophic thoughts spiraling from there. Meanwhile, he probably doesn't even remember I exist. 💀

So rip to me, I guess.

Please tell me someone else has had some kind of interaction where a stranger/customer has asked you out or tried to get with you based on something you did (or did for them) on the clock or a work perk you showed them/they saw. 😭 Pls make me feel less alone in this lmao.

Also make sure to give the follow up tea! Did you go out? Did it work? Are you married? ☕️ 🦊

When I was 19 I gave a lady a coupon for money off (I'm 50 I forget how much it was for.) and this lady tried to hook me up with her 13yo daughter. I dunno if that counts.

-Rodney

[b0njourbeach]

Could I ask ur thoughts on cater? Rants or HCs are fine. (Coconuts are the ambrosia of the gods).

There's something unique about Cater: He's one of the very few people where I can use a single word to express my feelings about said person:

Masquerade.

He's a Masquerade on his own, so many faces, so many hidden masks, so many personalities, so many thoughts - Only to hide the shallow being underneath. I'm not saying that he has no personality but I'm quite convinced of one thing:

He has lost himself in the roles he pretended to be - To the point where not even he knows who he really is. The masks he was wearing on a daily, the ones he kept changing to suit whoever he was talking to, they became of what he is now, layers over layers. Even if you were to take some of them away, you'd be faced with more layers. What would be left if you'd peel them all away? Not even Cater knows and I believe he's afraid of getting to know whatever lies underneath it all. There's also another thing I genuinely believe he's terrified of:

To be confronted with his inner child. To "look" at little Cater, to see his wounds, his tears, the pain in this child. And hell knows how hard he's fighting to silence the young him. He knows it's wrong but he's convinced that if he tries to heal, it would just go horrendously wrong. So he ignores it, bottles it up and locks it away for no one to see. And what is most effective to hide all the pain?

A bright smile and a bubbly personality.

Yet, he can't stop longing for the positive attention, for the support, for the praise, for the feeling of being *wanted*. He knows that his connection to his phone is far beyond unhealthy but the simple serotonin created by positive reactions about his posts keeps the depression at bay (Though it has its negative impact as well: If a post doesn't hit the hoped attention, it can quickly mess with his mind.)

He's a boy who wants to be loved and cherished, who wants to be *wanted* - But he's also a boy who has trust issues, who has commitment issues. (Honestly, the best proof about this is literally Caters Wish during the 'Wish Upon a Star' Event.)

I have noticed something to "prove" my statement of Cater being a Masquerade on his own and I'd like to point out something about the Heartslabyul Unique Magics (Not Riddle and, obviously, Ace):

Deuce: "Beat the Limit", After taking damage, he can cause the exact amount of damage to the other person. Nothing too wild, right? Wrong. We know about Deuce's Delinquent Past - A person who would often get in fights. Deuce still gets paid back with the things he has done in the past to others even though he tries his hardest to become an honor student. You see what I'm trying to point out?

Moving on to Trey: "Paint the Roses"/"Doodle Suit", giving him the ability to change the characteristics of things (Scent, color, taste, etc). 'Why would you point it out? It's just some changes', is it, though? Trey, the oldest brother AND vice Housewarden. Both positions where you take quite the responsibility (whether you want or not) and you've gotta cover up quite some messes - Especially if you're supposed to be in charge of your younger siblings but they refuse to listen to you. Can you follow me on here?

Now to the person we were talking about: Cater.

"Split Card", magic that gives him the possibility to create copies of himself. Multiple Caters, multiple people yet the same face. The same body, the same hair, the same eyes, the same voice - But just a tad bit different after all. Do I have to say more?

I'm tired of people only seeing his social media addiction. Yes, he's concerningly good at hiding pretty much anything behind Silence or lies (I mean, if you remember Book 1: He didn't even have the courage to admit that he despises sweets. If Trey hadn't noticed the "coincidences" of Caters' helpless attempts to avoid sweets, probably no one would've done so). I can also see him have quite the rejection sensitivity which pairs up "nicely" (<- meant in a sarcastic way) with his inner insecurities to the point of severe overthinking. An endless circle that keeps on going in his mind.

Have I said everything about my boy? I think so. Moving on to certain HCs!

He definitely has ADHD (medicated). Idk how to explain it, I saw someone having that HC and it just made sense, so I adopted it.

(Mention of SH/Scars, skip this paragraph if it triggers you.)

I can't explain this either, but I feel like he has definitely played some.. offline fruit ninja iykyk. Not on noticeable spots (I could imagine him going for thighs or hips). He'd also get "accidentally" injured (dropping a glass "on accident" and "accidentally" cuts himself on the pieces as he tries to pick them up etc).

He has a specific playlist that breaks him mentally whenever he listens to it (Songs such as "Daddy Issues", "Mama's boy", "Stressed out", to give a few examples) - He plays it when he's 100% sure he's alone, so he can have a mental breakdown on his own. In a way, it's his way to make sure he'd never have a breakdown in public or in front of anyone at all. A means to keep up the happy face, in a way.

His "loss of individuality" started when he first entered elementary school bc he wanted to have many friends. It just got worse the older he got until he fully lost himself during puberty.

Ever since Trey found out that Cater dislikes sweets, he always made sure to not give him any sweets (and if he had no choice but to give him a tart, for example, he'd secretly use his UM on the slice).

Jamils favorite white person to cook for because he doesn't have to hold back on the spices (In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that Jamil is actually concerned whenever Cater adds more spice than there already is).

He talks a lot that makes him seem very opened up but in reality, he talks a lot to hide even more. (This is an actual psychological phenomenon btw.)

Cater never/barely makes decisions on his own. He always asks his friends or even just his classmates (this one seems almost Canon, given Book- 6? Was it Book 6 when the third years had to fill out their orientation stuff?)

Co-dependency with his family. He wants to leave them all behind for good but guilt would be his daily friend.

After facing two overblots (Riddles and Leonas), he did some digging on what can cause said OB - Cater is full aware of his high possibility of OBing himself and has caught himself day"dreaming" about it.

(He was also definitely a child that would wish ill upon himself - Having an injury so bad that he has to stay at the hospital just to get genuine attention for once.)

[buckysgrace]

Chapter Twenty Four

Previous Chapter

“What do you think about this?” Addi held the scandalous material up towards her chest. Kim gulped, rubbing her arms as she glanced around the store again to make sure that no one was watching them. She would be horrified if anyone caught her in here. Kim thought the pale blue matched against her darker skin as she nodded towards her friend.

“It’s pretty,” When Addi had suggested they go shopping she hadn’t expected this. She had never been in a lingerie store before and still hadn’t warmed up to the idea of being in here. She was partly worried she would be caught, even though there was no way Susan or Neil would be off of work at this hour, “I like the blue a lot.” Addi grinned at her.

“You should try this,” Addi handed her a soft pink material. Kim took it in her hands nervously as she looked at it. The lace material felt different from anything else that she owned, “I think the color matches you.” Kim felt her face flushing as she looked towards her friend.

“What’s this piece?” She asked as she held it up. Addi laughed as she began to dig through the drawer of bras again. She held it in her hands awkwardly, unsure of how she would even put it on. 

“It’s called a garter belt,” Addi started as she pulled out a bright red see through bra and examined it, “You need to find the stockings to match it.” Kim felt like her face couldn’t get any redder as she imagined herself in it. She was almost horrified. If she did get anything here, she’d surely have to hide it. This would be the exact thing that Neil would look for as he was snooping through her room. She’d be grounded forever. 

“Why?” Kim resisted the urge to rest her cool hands against her face to keep the burning down. Addi laughed as she watched her, leaning up against the display table. Kim wasn’t sure how her friend was so casual about this. They had been having sex for roughly the same amount of time, but she seemed to be shameless by all of this. 

“So you have the full set. You should try it on.” Addi suggested but Kim shook her head quickly, too mortified with the idea still. Addi nodded at her encouragingly, heading to a different rack as she searched through the stockings. Kim could feel her face falling in defeat as she watched her friend.

“Should we even be in here?” Kim was nervous as she fiddled with her hands, trying hard not to shove the material in a bin and walk as far away from this store as possible.She didn’t know why she felt so scandalous in here when she was sure that Billy had shown and done worse things to her. She tried to convince herself that it was just underwear.

“Yes, it’s fine you’re just overthinking.” Addi reasoned as she squeezed Kim’s hand tightly. Kim groaned dramatically but smiled at the girl as she nodded. She felt like there were a lot of people telling her that recently. 

“Okay, fine,” She watched as Addi placed the pink stockings on top of the other materials, “I really don’t think I should get anything though.” They had just been paid but Kim could still feel the large gap in her wallet after sending the money to her father. She wondered when he would get it and if he would call her afterwards. She tried to reason with herself that he was just busy and hadn’t had the time to return any of the calls she had made. She also didn’t dismiss the idea that Neil or her mother were hiding that he was calling. She hoped it was more of that than anything.

“Yes, if you’re worried about the cost then I’ll buy it. What about that guy you’re seeing? He would love to see you in this little number, I promise.” As if her face couldn’t get any redder, she could feel the burning sensation trickling down her neck and onto her collarbone. 

Would Billy really like seeing this on her? She didn’t need another second before she knew that yes, Billy would love more than anything to see her in something like this. It was simple but delicate. She traced her fingers over the lace material, feeling herself give in. She shouldn’t let it excite her this much, but it did. She felt like she was back on good footing with Billy. Yesterday had left her feeling like she had wings. She had only wished he had still been there when she awoke, instead, he had awoken her by blaring his music and beginning to work out. She took that as her hint to leave.

“Fine,” She grumbled as her friend cheered, linking their arms together as she pulled her to the changing rooms, “If I hate this it’s all your fault.” Kim muttered as the other girl grinned while pushing her into a dressing room. Kim locked the door, feeling her hands shake as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked as nervous as she felt. She took a shaky breath as she slid her purple dress over her head. She tried not to focus on how her body moved as she undressed. She held the pink material up unsure as she began to slide into it, worrying she was putting it on wrong as she messed with the straps.

She stared at herself in the mirror, not quite recognizing who was staring back as she looked over the curve of her body. The color was so soft and airy that it felt as if she was wearing nothing at all. She liked the way it emphasized her breasts and her legs, making her appear even taller than before.

“What do you think?” She could hear Addi’s excitement in the stall next door as she finished getting dressed. She laughed, trying to hide her smile as she felt her own excitement building inside of her. She wondered what Billy would do if he saw her in this, how he would react to how it showed off her best curves.

“I like it,” She admitted, and she could feel her own joy seeping through her voice, “What about yours?” She began to undress again, knowing there was no way that she would leave without buying this. She hastily redressed herself in her former outfit, stepping outside to wait for her friend to join her.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Addi spoke almost hushed as she stepped out, looking prouder than ever as she gripped a handful of lingerie in her arms. Kim laughed, “It’s so exciting, isn’t it?” Kim couldn’t help but agree with her statement. It was exciting. 

“Are you getting all of that?” Kim giggled as she pulled her own material close to her, hiding it as a couple passed by them. She watched as they entered the dressing room, mirroring Addi’s reaction as they both hastily moved away.

“Uh yeah, I’m getting all of this.” Addi grinned triumphantly as they walked towards the checkout counter. Kim smiled brightly, glad that her friend was happy in her relationship. Even if it was fairly new, she hoped that it would all work out in the way she wanted it to. 

“Eddie’s going to have a good time,” Kim teased her as she paid for her outfit. She felt more excited than ever when the discreet bag was pushed in her direction and she lifted it from the table, “Things are still going well?” She asked as they headed out of the store and back into the busy mall. Addi nodded enthusiastically.

“He’s really sweet actually and a lot nerdier than what I thought,” Addi began to speak as they headed up towards the railing, “Really nerdy actually. I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about half the time.” Kim laughed, expecting nothing less from her friend. 

“I can give you some facts about The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings if that helps any?” She offered playfully as they looked down at the people mingling around. She was still too focused on Billy and what he would say once he realized what she had.

“I usually just kiss him to get him to shut up,” Addi teased playfully, “Also, I’m just saying that I did not expect for dicks to look, I don’t know, the way that they do.” Kim looked at her startled, watching as a mother glared at the two girls and put her hands over their small child's ears. Addi made an apologetic face.

“Like kind of weird but pretty at the same time” Kim admitted, feeling bashful as she spoke, “It’s really weird how it’s hard but soft at the same time.” She didn’t know if she was making any sense in what she was saying but Addi nodded along all the same, looking like she agreed. They headed down the stairs and Kim kept to the far side, standing as far away from the Scoops Ahoy building as she could.

“Stop, you’re gonna make me start drooling.” Kim giggled while Addi pretended to wipe her mouth. She honestly didn’t think they would finish the summers and not be virgins. Sure, they had planned it all out well enough but Kim also knew they both had lacked the confidence to do it. It almost felt like a miracle.

Then again, Addi was in a relationship like they had planned while Kim was only learning about sex. She thought she felt a small bit of resentment, but she ignored it, happy for her friend regardless of her own situation.

“Is there anywhere else you want to look at?” Kim asked as they sat down at a table. She thought they were too close to the ice cream shop for her liking but only hoped that Steve nor Robin were working today. She hadn’t thought about it until now, but she did feel slightly guilty for leaving Robin and not coming back to see her. 

“No, I mean I just wanted all of this,” Addi shook her bag dramatically, “Ice cream kind of sounds good though, do you think?” Kim tried not to wrinkle her face up, feeling terribly awkward about the idea of walking in there. 

“No, I think I’m fine,” Kim mumbled as she tucked her hair behind her ear again. She looked up at the table to see dark brown eyes staring down at her down, “What?”

“I just don’t think Steve is a bad guy. I mean, I know he said all of those things but what if he’s just afraid of Billy? He did get his ass beat by him, I mean it makes sense.” Addi tried to reason with Kim. She exhaled, blowing her lips out dramatically as she let the words sink into her. 

“I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I mean it’s not his fault he doesn’t like me,” Kim mumbled as she began to fidget with her hands in front of her, “It just sucks, you know? I don’t want to embarrass myself anymore. It was so easy for you to get with Eddie. I just, Steve isn’t interested and I’m tired of trying.” Kim hoped she made sense. She wasn’t going to mention that she wasn’t technically allowed to see Steve either. At the moment, it was fine with her. She had barely thought of him with Billy keeping her so busy all the time. Yet, she wondered what she would do if she was alone with him? Would she still have feelings for him?

“I understand that completely, I’m just saying if you really like him you shouldn’t give up. You shouldn’t let Billy ruin that for you.” Kim’s eyes snapped up towards her, her breath freezing in her chest and her eyes widening as she wondered if she had said something wrong.

“What does Billy have to do with this?” Kim questioned, laughing nervously as her hands froze against the table. Addi looked at her confused.

“We were just talking about how he beat Steve up,” Kim laughed for real this time, pretending to cover her confusion with being absentminded, “I just think that’s why Steve doesn't want to be with you. It’s the Billy problem.” Kim smiled as she shook her head, liking the idea of the Billy Problem. 

“Sorry, my mind is a bit scattered at the moment. I guess that’s true, but my answer still stands. He knows where to find me if he’s ever interested.” Kim responded playfully. She pondered what it would be like to be with the two boys, immediately feeling a thrill growing in her stomach and a rush dropping between her legs.

“Fine,” Addi sighed dramatically as she looked towards the redheaded girl, “I accept your answer.” Kim smiled in relief, feeling a bit better to get rid of the Steve topic. She smiled gratefully.

“Thank you.” Addi nodded, watching her for a second before speaking up again.

“Can I ask you something though? I don’t want to offend you.” Kim winced when she heard the last part of the sentence, trying to calm her nerves as she nodded again. Her fingers moved without her control as she waited for the other girl to talk, “Why get with a guy who doesn’t want to be in a relationship? I mean, what’s the point in that?” Kim blinked, not expecting the question at all.

“Oh, well I mean he doesn’t want to be in a relationship and I guess I just wanted to get it over with,” Kim laughed nervously, afraid to give away the whole details. She didn’t want to expose anything about her or Billy. She would never admit the tension that had been building between them days before they got together, “I just wanted to learn I guess. It’s not that bad.” She tried to defend herself and not make herself look bad. 

“I’m not judging, honestly. I’m just curious more than anything.” Addi responded as she rested her chin on her hands. Kim bit her lip, still feeling judged even if her friend was promising that she wasn’t doing so.

“It’s not bad or anything. I mean it’s fun, cool,” She repeated her words, feeling like this was the only way she could describe Billy and her, “I mean we have sex and that’s it.” She couldn’t admit that she wasn’t allowed to be seen with him. No matter how close they were, Kim knew what it would be like if Addi ever found out about her relationship with Billy.

“I just, I didn’t think you’d want just sex. I just didn’t picture you having the ability to do that,” Addi looked at her quickly, “Not in a bad way. I just thought you’d like to do cute things like going on dates and stuff.” She added quickly. Kim nodded at her, not in the slight bit offended by her words.

“I mean I did, I do. I just haven’t found someone that wants to do those things with me.” Kim admitted slowly, twirling the ring around her finger as she spoke. Billy and her relationship was something that she didn’t quite understand at all. She didn’t know what the outcome was, other than sex. 

“Are you sure it’s worth it then?” Addi spoke hesitantly, acting like she wasn’t sure how she should phrase it, “Aren’t you worried about getting hurt?” The question weighed heavily between them as Kim thought about it.

Billy was a lot of things, but he wasn’t her lover. They may act like lovers in the dark but she knew their truth. They could never be together in that way, there was no possible way for them to be together without someone finding out the truth. Kim wasn’t even sure if she wanted him in that way. She was content with their relationship at the moment. She agreed with him, they didn’t need feelings to complicate things. 

She had always pictured her future husband as someone funny, kind and loyal. Someone who didn’t lash out and go to anger so quickly. He would be attracted to her and only her. Billy didn’t seem to fit into any of those boxes. He was more angry than not, had small moments of kindness and had seen him throw away more girls than stick to any of them. 

“It’s fun,” Kim finally spoke up after she thought about it, “I’m not going to get feelings for this guy in that way. Trust me, it’s not worth all of that. It’s just sex and well- fun.” She repeated as she furrowed her eyebrows together, not sure what else she could add to their conversation. Addi nodded at her but didn’t look like she quite understood what she meant.

Maybe Kim seemed too desperate and maybe she was. She would easily give away her sanity just as long as it meant one more night with Billy. Still, she couldn’t see herself loving him in the same way she couldn’t picture him loving her. They were too different to ever truly be with each other in that way.

“Fun,” Addi nodded her head softly, “Okay, but I’ll still kill him if he hurts you.” Addi laughed. Kim laughed along but still felt a pit of knowledge in her chest. Billy had most likely done this before many different times. She had never experienced any of this at all. She would be the one to get hurt. She hadn’t quite prepared herself for that yet. 

“Hey, sorry I hope I’m not too late,” Eddie jogged over, his long hair flying behind his shoulders as he stepped towards them. Kim smiled kindly as Addi hid her bag under the table, “I got caught up in a campaign.” He bent over to press a kiss about Addi’s lips and Kim did find herself resenting it a bit. She did want a boyfriend, no matter how badly she denied one because of her relationship with Billy.

“It’s fine, we were just chatting. Do you want to look at what movies are playing?” Addi asked, beginning to stand up. Kim felt herself biting back a laugh at how badly she was hiding what her shopping bag contained. Eddie had been nice enough to take the two girls to the mall and to drop them back off at home. Addi had mentioned that they would be seeing a movie later.

“Sure,” Eddie smiled brightly at the shorter girl. He waved towards Kim, “Nice to see you again. I saw your brother the other night.” Kim forced a smile as she looked at him awkwardly.

“Oh he’s not my brother.” She added quickly, trying to make herself feel better about their relationship. She knew he was referencing Billy buying the drugs that night with his friends. Kim was still creeped out over Jason, hating thinking about what had happened that night.

“They’re step siblings,” Addi added as she took Eddie’s pale hand in hers and walked over to the theater, “Her mom married his dad.” Eddie glanced back at Kim confused, like he didn’t understand what the difference was. 

“That’s the same difference, isn’t it?” Kim felt like defending herself, mentioning that they weren’t related by blood but it didn’t seem to matter as Eddie quickly faced away from her. She didn’t know how to defend her stance without making herself seem like a bitch or speaking about her secret relationship with Billy. There was a huge difference between actually being related and just being forced to live together because their parents got married. 

She nodded kindly, feeling like a third wheel as she followed the two towards the movie posters. She felt awkward, standing behind them as they spoke. She knew it was her own fault though, if she did listen to her friend and continue after Steve maybe they could be having a double date at the moment. 

She amused herself with the thought of showing up with Billy as she looked at the posters and the times that were playing later. None really seemed to catch her eye, but Billy had said that he’d like to see a movie together. She thought of the skating rink, how nice it was to do something with him that was outside of the bedroom. This wasn’t something that involved drugs or alcohol either, it would be a nice change for the two of them. 

Excitement buzzed inside of her as she glanced back at the posters, trying to decide which ones Billy would prefer more. She knew she couldn’t do the romcom, there was no way Billy would stay through a movie like that without having something else happening at the same time. She knew there was no way they could make out in the back row of the theater without being caught. 

LIfeForce. It wasn’t something she would go out of her way to watch or even risk seeing but she thought that maybe it was something that Billy would be interested in watching. He liked horror and this seemed pretty scary to her. She glanced over at Eddie who had wrapped his arm around Addi.

“Hey, do you think you could do something for me?”

////////////////

Kim stared in her mirror, turning to make sure her stockings hadn’t fallen down on her thighs again. She felt lucky enough that she had a white dress with flowers on it that matched the same pink material on her legs. She didn’t think it was obvious what she was wearing underneath and she hoped that Billy wouldn’t be able to see that either. 

She made sure that her pink makeup hadn’t rubbed off anywhere and that none of her lip gloss had spread to her teeth. She felt very mature as she rubbed her hands down her sides, even more excited for him to eventually see what she had on underneath. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction.

She was still debating her decision. Was it too much for them to go to a movie together? It wasn’t a date. She just wanted to have some fun with him that didn’t involve sex, of course, she hoped that’s where it was going to end anyways. She fiddled with her hair again, making sure that her curls had stuck.

She knew she was wasting time as she took a deep breath, searching for her confidence as she pulled away from the mirror. Her feet pattered on the floor as she stepped out of her room, walking next door and placing her hand on the doorknob. He had been in his room since he got back from the pool. The only time she had seen him leave was to shower and even then it was brisk and he was locked up again. The cold doorknob sent some relief through her clammy hands as she twisted it and pushed the door open.

She was greeted by loud music as she drank in the sight of Billy smoking while he sprayed some hairspray in his blonde curls. She felt her eyes widening, unsure if having a lit cigarette while he did that was the safest thing. He didn’t seem bothered by it. She looked over the features on his face, only some light bruising around his cheekbone remained. She popped her knuckles as she took one small step into the room, waiting for him to notice her.

“Where are you going?” Kim leaned against Billy’s doorway watching as he rubbed his cologne into the crook of his neck. She almost wasn’t sure if he could hear her over his loud music. Her eyes trailed down looking at his opened red shirt and the tight jeans he was wearing. They almost looked like a match as she stood there in her white, flowy dress and pink stockings. She gulped hard, watching as his eyes drifted from his reflection and towards her.

His blue eyes widened, lingering a few moments too long as he took her in. She could feel her cheeks reddening as he examined her, following the way his eyes traced from her face, to her chest and torso, to her legs and then back up towards her face again. They stood in silence for a moment, her heart racing harshly as she waited for his answer.

“Wow, you look-,” Billy exhaled loudly as he spoke over his loud music, something grew in his eyes that she couldn’t read, “You look beautiful.” His compliment fanned over her and spread throughout her body like wildfire. She could feel her heart swelling, her pulse racing and her lips curling into a smile as she held onto his doorway for support. It felt so nice coming from his mouth when it wasn’t inherently sexual. 

She found her confidence as she moved her feet towards him, wondering if he could see right through her as she walked up towards him and held her hands behind her back. She fiddled with her fingers, keeping them secure behind her so that she could fight the urge to reach out and grab a hold of him. He looked so handsome she feared that she may grab a hold of him and throw herself at him. She wondered if he knew what she was hiding underneath her dress.

“Thank you,” She exhaled softly, holding in the deep breath that had been stuck in her chest, “You look good too.” She bit her lip, thinking of the movie tickets she had stuffed in her purse. She willed herself to say something else, watching as he turned back towards his mirror. She felt like she was losing her courage and began to open her mouth to speak again when he spoke over her. 

“Where are you going?” His voice sounded a little gruff and she bit her lip hard, trying not to smirk at how she could clearly hear the jealousy in his voice. She bounced on the heels of her feet, moving a bit behind him so she could see him in the mirror. She watched as he looked at her, furrowing his eyebrows together at her gleeful expression.

“I thought we could go see a movie?” She shifted her balance on her feet, trying to not look overly eager as she tried to watch his reaction. He shifted his gaze down from the mirror quickly, turning to put his cigarette out so she couldn’t prepare herself for what he was thinking. She had thought things had gone well so far and convinced herself that there was no reason to be worried, she could easily brush this event off as not being romantic. It wasn’t romantic. 

“A movie?” His head was still bent over as he fiddled with something at his side table. She felt her nerves beginning to gnaw at her as she couldn’t gauge his tone. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking, what he was planning. She felt her smile fade when he turned to face her, looking less than thrilled as his eyes raked over her face. 

“Just as,” She paused for a moment, unsure of what to call them, “Fun. It would be fun and nothing romantic.” She concluded, digging her nails into her palms as she kept them hidden from him. She was worried she would begin shaking under his intense gaze. 

“I can’t,” He sounded awkward as he spoke. He looked down and began to button his shirt off halfway, “I have something to do tonight.” He spoke vaguely as he tucked his shirt into his jeans. She tried not to stare at the skin that showed on his body. She felt her eyebrows furrowing.

“Oh, are you going to see your friends again?” She asked softly. She understood why he wouldn’t want her to go again, she had no issue with that. Especially if it meant Jason was going to be there, which she hoped he wasn’t going to willingly see him. She was just slightly hoping he could reschedule at least for a few hours so she could have him to herself. His eyes didn’t stay focused on her as he glanced across the room, brushing his hand over his chin. The pieces started to click together as she took a step away from him.

“I actually have a date,” He mumbled gruffly as he kept his eyes away from her expression, “I promised Tina and well I seem to have run out of lies.” He laughed softly after he spoke but it felt more forced than anything. His words went directly to her heart, twisting and turning until she felt defeated. She knew she shouldn’t get upset, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to complain, to tell him that he shouldn’t be going out with someone who tried to take advantage of him. She didn’t like that at all.

“Oh,” She felt as if it was forced as she spoke, “That’s nice.” She nodded her head quickly, trying to smile but failing. Billy rested his hands on his hips, sighing as he looked anywhere but at her. It was tense and not in the way that she was used to around him. She thought of the best way to mention that Tina wasn’t the best girl to go out with. She obviously didn’t care about him too much if she would’ve taken him to her place when he was absolutely hammered. 

“Kim,” He began to speak, “I told you. This is just sex. There’s nothing else between us, okay? Yesterday was a bit much, I admit it. That was my fault and I’m sorry if I put thoughts in your head. If this is getting to be too much, maybe we should stop.” She snapped her head towards him, almost feeling horrified in his suggestion. She was adamant that he hadn’t put any thoughts in her mind. She didn’t think of him in any romantic way. She opened her mouth and then shut it again as she felt a burning begin to grow in the back of her throat.

“I know,” She forced the words out harshly to get over the lump growing in her throat, “I wasn’t doing this for a date or anything. I just thought it would be fun to go do something together.” He didn’t look convinced and she felt her heart dropping even further into the pit of her stomach. She was sure she looked pathetic right now, all dressed up for the outing she thought she would surprise him with. He was confusing to her. One day he acted all sweet and laid with her and the next he was back to acting like this. It was frustrating, she wasn’t sure how else she could tell him that she didn’t feel for him in that way. She wondered if he was projecting onto her but quickly dismissed that thought. She would be the last person Billy settled for. 

“Kim.” He didn’t add anything else to his sentence, looking completely unconvinced as he peered down at her. She felt herself straightening up in defense as she stared right back at him. She didn’t like how he was looking at her. Like she was the problem here when she hadn’t done anything wrong. 

“It wasn’t meant that way,” She spoke harder as she ignored the burning that was growing throughout her chest. She would not give into tears because she knew that would do nothing but prove his point, “Do you want to stop doing this?”  She asked suddenly, trying to force the conversation off of her. 

“No, but I’m unsure if we should keep doing it if you’re getting attached.” He sounded reasonable but all it did was fuel her anger. She wanted to ask him how this meant getting attached but all of the gentle touches and kisses and kind words he said to her meant that he wasn’t attached to her. All she wanted to do was see some dumb movie with him. Apparently he’d only allow that if it was porn. 

“I’m not attached,” She tried to reason with him, “You can go on your date, that’s fine. I’ll just find someone else to take me to the movies.” She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling dumb for taking so much time and effort into tonight when all he had been planning to do was fuck someone else. He laughed and she stared at him.

“Who are you going to go to a movie with? Pretty sure your only friend is probably out with her boyfriend.” She felt her eyes beginning to tear up with how mean his words were. She hated how true they were. She bit her lip to keep it from shaking, raising her eyes to meet his. She watched his features change and she could tell he was beginning to regret what he snapped out of anger. The damage was done for her, however. 

“I think you’re right,” She uttered slowly to keep her voice from shaking, “I don’t think we should do this anymore.” She pushed past him, not wanting to see or hear anything from him again. She pushed her door back open, grabbing her purse off of the back of her table hastily. She stomped down the hallway as she slid on her black Mary Janes. She sniffled hard, fearing that her tears would pour out any second but she wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. She heard Billy following her down, looking at her confused.

“Where are you going?” She shot him a glare, afraid to look at him too long in case she broke down in tears. She straightened up, feeling utterly foolish in her outfit but too determined in herself at the same time. She didn’t want him to believe that she would give up so easily and cry in her room the rest of the night. She was better than that, stronger than that, “Come on, let’s talk about it. I didn’t mean-” He sighed, stopping his sentence as she pulled the front door open with haste. 

“I’m going to see a movie and I don’t want to talk to you.” She huffed out, slamming the door behind her as she stepped over the unstable concrete and made her way to the sidewalk. She heard him yell her name after her but completely dismissed it, too focused on her own resentment to care that she shouldn’t be walking that far in heels or alone this late. She wouldn’t even give him the satisfaction of looking over her shoulder to see him one last time. Damn him. She’d have her own fun tonight without him, regardless if she had anyone else or not. 

She didn’t need him. She didn’t need anyone other than herself.

Next Chapter

[aminocamino]

Day 24 - 4 May Calzadilla de los Hermanillos 17.9km

This was the day that changed everything. We set off at just before 7 for a quick cup of coffee at the local albergue and we said our goodbyes to all our Camino family. It would be a long day for us and we had sent our packs on ahead.

But very soon a niggling pain in my ankle became much worse. With hindsight when I stopped to put some gel on I should have turned back and ordered a taxi but hindsight is great.

We walked with Jenny and Mel and they were great company. Really kept things upbeat. The road we are walking on is the longest stretch of Roman road in Spain - so we are following in the footsteps of Emperor Augustus. The road is flat and straight of course. Good old Romans.

We passed some very cute calfs.

Along the way we saw these weird structures. Carrie wondered if they were wine cellars but apparently people live in them - they are underground houses.

But I was limping badly and the relief at seeing the sign for Reliegos! I sat outside a closed cafe on a chair while Carrie went to find something open. Eventually we found an Albergue and he ordered us a taxi. We waited half an hour for it - I was literally dozing off waiting for having dosed up on ibuprofen and paracetamol! I had decided realising how bad it was to seek medical advice and the nearest centre was Leon.

The taxi duly arrived - lady driver who had her young daughter with her in the front. She was wonderful. Took us to pick up our backpacks at the Albergue in Mansilla Mayor then onward to Leon.

On the way I managed to book a room for Carrie and I for the night. We got to Leon, dropped our bags off at the hotel and went to the local pharmacy.

The interior of the pharmacy was amazing - it was obviously a really old building. The chap who served me was useless - sold me some tablets to reduce the inflammation and told me to ice it. When I asked about strapping it he tried to sell me some bandages. Not being a first aid nurse I declined.

He did write down the name of the local ‘private’ medical centre - turned out to be a 3 minute walk from our hotel. I left Carrie to walk over there. The centre really catered for foreigners - the receptionist rang for an interpreter. I paid a set amount - but when she realised I was a pilgrim I got a massive discount! Eventually got to see a doctor/x ray etc and a prescription for anti-inflammatories and a super strength gel. Angel Carrie went off to get the drugs while I stayed in the hotel.

Carrie sourced some ice - she has been super nurse/mum!

We had pasta at a very busy restaurant right on the Cathedral square and it was excellent.

So here we are - poor Carrie is coming down with a cold and I am limping. Feels very strange - its almost the exact stage Jane tore her ligament last year and I am sure its the same clinic she went to.

So the plan for me is to rest up. I have cancelled our booking for accommodation on Tuesday at Villar de Mazarife and booked my original apartment for 3 nights rather than two. Fingers crossed.

[thebuttsmcgee]

Okay! I've missed out on talking about the past few episodes but the show quite literally finished today as far as we know so it's a good as time as any I suppose to talk!

So yep. Spoilers for The Ghost and Molly Mcgee's possible series finale below!

So! To start off, Jinx vs the human world!

It was alright! Had good moments, bit of a lacking song near the end but the VILLAIN SONG? pretty damn good! Rob Cantor knows how to make a villain song and make them GOOD good. The rest wasn't bad, I liked Molly gaining her power from any kinda positivity, which is boosted by good talk of her forever friend, the Chen family scenes (well, besides that kinda. strange. scene about Mrs Chen asking ollie about kids but disregarding that) were really good!

There had been some light speculation about Geoff being the one who spooked Ruben as a kid but it was mostly in humor, so that ending up being true was neat! Definitely funny but also neat. It was also nice to see more of the Chen family coming to terms with actual ghost stuff and Ruben learning to chill with the ghost hate.

Jinx was a fun villain! Her VA did an amazing job as always! She stole the show in nearly every scene she was in and it was cool to see a ghost actually try to go up against the human world, as the title would suggest. She did go out in a pretty cheesey way but eh I don't really think it was bad, the show's based on friendship anyway.

The overall plot wasn't bad, it took Molly outta the picture for most of it but ya know I guess I do get why. At least it was in an actually reasonable way, by the villain actually being competent. It was cool to see how Ghosts are kinda invincible, but especially with the Chairman's robe, the og Chairman was a good showcase of that terrifying power but was cut short, meanwhile Scratch wasn't really all that a good showcase cause it's just Scratch, who iiiiis lazy lol.

It all felt kinda. Safe. If that makes sense. Like there wasn't really a moment where I felt in suspense. It was still enjoyable mostly, but I didn't really feel myself getting too worried about what could happen.

So yea, like a 6 or 7 outta 10 from me 👍.

Now! For the finale!!! WOO

THAT WAS AN 8 OR 9 BABEY!

I'll be honest, a good amount of S2 hasn't been as good as S1 for me. When S2 is good, it's REALLY good like 100% Molly or All in the Mind or Faint of Art. It's just that S1 was just SO good, some of S2 falls flat to me.

That said, The End felt like a season 1 episode to me cause THAT was sooooo good.

I felt actual stuff with most of the scenes, I was actually getting worried while Moll called Adia, I did wanna shed a tear when the truth hit Scratch and they used the exact same line read in Episode 1 when Moll had called Scratch to come back when he ran away MAN IT WAS ALL SO GOOD.

And the songs. MAN. The first one was good, a banger but nothing too extravagant, even if it's about being extravagant. Scratch's song tho? THAT SONG? ABSOLUTELY LOVE. That fucking hit me so hard, I legitimately wanted to cry a bit cause the lyrics, the delivery, the instrumentals, it was all so damn good! And the ending credits song being something that calls back to the usual end credits' theme, man that was so fucking good.

Here comes the heavy truth!

So the most popular theory ended up being true. Scratch is indeed, the Wraith of Todd, the background character who had small resemblances to Scratch.

Honestly I'm not too sure how to feel about it. It wasn't exactly shoved in our faces and wasn't quite hinted at, all that much unless you reaaaally paid attention to certain things. It wasn't completely outta nowhere, but also it did feel a bit, ehhh. The execution of it all was just superb tho, the voice deliveries, the animation, all of it was so well done. So I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it right now, other than the fact they executed it really well.

The whole scene with Moll and Scratch talking about what could happen when Todd is alive again, man. That hit. It hit good. That actually made me feel more nervousness than most of the previous episodes. Man what can I say. They just nailed it.

And the ultimate ending, with Todd having the personality of Scratch and his little quirks, yet supposedly not retaining his memories from when he wasn't in his human body. I say supposedly, cause tbh? His callbacks felt a bit on the nose, almost exactly like how Scratch would be when he was messing with Molly. He is a trickster at heart after all.

Can't say for sure if he doesn't or does remember cause who knows! Maybe he doesn't, maybe he does. For now tho, it seems as tho he doesn't.

And tbh, I still enjoy it.

Is it bittersweet? Yes. Extremely melancholic? YES. But it's done so well. It didn't feel underwhelming, it felt sad yet done so in the right way.

Everyone trying their best to get him to remember got me ngl lol that was. That was sad man.

Also I saw the Bill and Bob's ok adventure book I see yall tgamm crew.

Todd leaves to see the world and see Adia. Leaving Brighton, and Scratch's new family behind. Again, really bittersweet but done right. Todd is happy to live, and so is everyone else for him.

What a good ending. Bittersweet to a T.

Yes. Yes indeed a 9 for me!

Now as most of us know S3 might not happen. Who knows due to what, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't cause of fan demand, cause I'm p sure there was a lotta that for this show. And this was a fairly good way to send off the show! It had a pretty good run and it was usually up there with BCG, TOH and amphibia when discussing disney channel shows thatve come these past years, and for good reason.

I'll be honest. I'm kinda already missing it. I remember fondly of watching it for the first time and the next episodes, especially when it had aired near my nephews birthday and I had been wrapping his presents. I still enjoy listening to the few podcast talks and whatnot the crew have done for the show. It feels so. Sad. To know we'll probably never get a continuation of anything from this show. Not even a book. But all good things as they say.

If they do continue it tho, I wonder how it'd go. Probably trying to convince Todd to remember who he is and was, his time as a Wraith and as a Mcgee.

But who knows! All I can say is, thank you The Ghost and Molly Mcgee. It's been great. Really. Thank you all.

Love yall ❤️✌️

[apomaro-mellow]

alright, i'm going to go ahead and made a rant post about this car situation just so i can get it out and put it to bed. I don't mind if yall wanna comment or whatever but after this I'm just done.

So we need to go back almost a year. My car at the time seemed to be on its last legs. There was a repair it needed that was going to cost like $1200 and I had already paid close to that amount just a few months prior for another repair. I didn't want to pay that again but was willing to save up until it was suggested that I start looking for another car.

I will give my dad props for this one and only thing. He held my hand during this process bc it was my first time. Every other car I had, had been gifted by my grandparents. This was my first time shopping for one. Now it gets interesting bc instead of just getting rid of my old car, my grandparents were going to foot the $1200 bill anyway so that my brother could get it.

I felt iffy about that situation but figured it was for the best since I'd be getting a vehicle with no problems. The problem came about when he decided to drive it around and rack up tickets while MY name was still on the title (this cause my insurance premium to shoot thru the roof but thankfully i got it fixed). I literally had to escort my brother to the DMV to sort out all the paperwork and even THEN he took forever to actually change the plates so I was STILL getting tickets on my record and I had to be the one to go and take what were still my license plates off the car.

This could have potentially been an asshole move, bc I had no idea where his new plates were, but that's not my responsibility. Lucky for him, the new plates were where? In the car, bc he never did anything with them after our DMV appointment. This all occurred in summer/fall 2023.

Then in December, he starts having problems with that car. It even stops on him a couple of times. There is talks of him getting another one. Just like me, all of his (many) previous cars were gifts from our grandparents. I should have probably said earlier but these are all USED cars. We're not getting brand new ones, but still, good condition that we've never had to pay a cent for.

It's also worth mentioning that in the like....six months my brother has had my old car he got hundreds of dollars worth of tickets. Not a single one he paid on his own. Either I took care of it bc they were in my name and he's literally gone to court for not paying, or my dad has paid. But I feel like I'm digressing.

About last week, he curses out my mom because she asks him to *checks notes* receive his infant child when his baby mama drops her off. Apparently that was disagreeable and he cursed her out on the phone, then later to her face when she got home. The part that stuck out in his rant to me was that no one in our family had ever done anything for him. I think just from what I've stated above, it's pretty obvious to see that's false.

So whyyyyyyy

Why why why

After that breakdown, my dad and grandparents thought "Let's just give him another car"?

It is exhausting to see the same thing happen again and again. But this time kind of burned me bad because he got the exact same car that I have. The one I had to shop for. The one I had to visit sellers for. The one I am currently on the hook for a $10,000 loan with like 15% interest. My mother told me this was the case but I didn't actually see the car until this morning.

Here's where I give my dad the benefit of the doubt a single time: It's a common car, dealers have a ton of them, it's probably still an attractive price range. And that's the end of it.

But what I see, is that I can do everything I was told to do: do well in school, get a degree, get a job, start building my career. And it gets me virtually the same as if I did none of those things and on top of it disrespected my parents to their faces.

Like really, why am I working so hard? If doing what I do gets me the same as a foul mouthed, lazy ass, ungrateful son who's shackin up with the most frustrating baby mama in the world then what the hell is this all for anyway?

[fanfictiongreenirises]

re: ur tags in that $10 food poll, why does the ethnicity of someone factor in to if you'll ask for reimbursement...???

this got really long lmao but in my defence the tl;dr version of it is literally "different cultures have different norms of how paying for food works regardless of amount" but if you're asking why ethnicity is a factor then i'd rather give more detail than leave it there

mmkay so first thing you need to know about me is im bengali, and culturally, there are many things that go into who pays when you're buying food and how reimbursement works. (second thing i'd like for you to know as a disclaimer is i'm 1.5 gen immigrant so my norms with paying might not necessarily reflect the current norms in bangladesh)

so if i'm out with another bengali or south asian person and they're younger than me, i'm paying for the food regardless of cost and absolutely not asking for reimbursement. if they're my age and we're friends and we're not paying for our own food for whatever reason, then we're going to fight about it and whoever loses will fight harder the next time we go out or reimburse in another way (e.g. buying other food, paying for smth else if we're shopping together - rly depends on the relationship, but it doesn't have to be a 1:1 reimbursement), but even if there is no next time and you both know it, there'll still be no "here have the exact amount back via cash/bank transfer" reimbursement over it bc you just wouldn't ask for the money back. if they're older than me, it'll take a pretty unique situation for me to be the one paying but depending on how much older, they'll likely repay me by buying something else, or paying next time. best example of this is my gujarati colleague who's about double my age - the first time we went to grab coffee together at work, it was spontaneous and she didn't have her wallet on her so i paid and refused to give her my bank details, and the next time we went for coffee she paid and specifically was like 'you paid last time' so i'd fight her less on it; every time after that we paid for our own even though she still tried to pay for mine (but fought significantly less, because the initial social dance was over).

however!! the norms in white australian culture (that i've experienced) are different!! if i pay and insist a little too strongly that they don't need to pay me back, then white australians get weird about it - because i'm not following the norms. (they'll either go to Lengths to pay me back, or they'll be like 'cool thx' and move on lmao there's no in between.) so i'll be like 'no you don't need to pay me back it's just $10' once (if at all) and then give in and accept monetary reimbursement. i don't believe anyone when they say i don't need to pay them back, unless i've known them for a v long time, so i'll still find a way to slip them money (or if i have friends who go to Lengths to pay me back, then i'll do the same for them, because that'll be their norm/expectation) (i've seen bengalis try to do this to other bengalis and the reaction ranges from being super offended to really confused/surprised lmaoo)

obviously, this is a super broad explanation and generalisation, and doesn't really take into consideration things like how my personal relationship with people also impacts this, or how different circles will have different norms within those circles that'd override other social and cultural cues that might exist, or how specific people will have preferences for paying you back that you'll respect and often mirror. and obligatory disclaimer: cultures aren't homogeneous and other people will have had different experiences with the ones i've mentioned that won't align with mine; and none of these norms are good/bad or right/wrong, they're just different norms and expectations and ways of doing things

[captaindibbzy]

The thing about working from home is it's an accessibility thing. It means workers have more time to themselves, and they can better manage work life balance. It means they can better manage child care, or any care. It means disabled people have more options for how they can look after themselves. It cuts the working day by a significant amount.

By working from home I don't have to mask. On days when I am tired I can get up late with just 15 minutes to get to my computer, and I can go to sleep bang on 5 if I so desire. If I am having an Autistic Time I can stew in pajamas all day. I can surround myself with soft toys. I get more work done because I am comfortable. I save money on travel and food. I don't have to go to bed before 9pm and get up before 6.

For my direct boss it means she can do her job and manage her disabled kid, without having to pay for extra hours at nursery or begging her family to take the kid while she's in the office. If her kid has a problem she can manage that instantly rather than getting updates at a distance. If her kid is sick she's right there at home already.

For my friend it means he can start work at the buttcrack of dawn, and finish at 3pm, then he has a whole afternoon. He can look after his dogs, and do more with his day. He saves money on his car, and someone is always home. And really he just enjoys it more not having to be social, as do I.

But here's the thing. These save us money, time, and labour. People at the top would rather we be put in a position where we have to buy those rather than save them. Buy those extra hours of child care. Buy those train tickets. Buy that petrol. Train times don't line up? Well you're in the office already might as well start early. You're not getting paid for it, but might as well. Don't line up at the end? Well it's wet outside, just stay a little longer. Buy the food at the cantine cause you wanted 15 minutes extra in bed rather than making lunch ahead. Offices in well connected places become so much more valuable when they are in demand. If disabled people can't keep up with the culture they will have to do less hours, get paid less. They're practically doing the same amount of work ultimately, cause people get the same amount of work done in 5 hours as 8. But now you can pay them less cause they're not there as much as everyone else. Why should they get preferential treatment after all? Buy convenience food instead of cooking cause who has the energy to cook and clean and decompress? Buy, or better, rent closer to your work. Buy back that little bit of time.

It is ultimately more valuable to those who rely on stolen labour to maintain their wealth and position to drive people in to the ground with the burden of existing.

Working from home is not free of this. The very first thing the top has done with Work From Home is make a two tier pay system. Sure you can work from home doing litterally the exact same work, but we'll pay you more to come on to the office. Why should people at home get paid the same? They don't have to do all this extra labour of coming in.

I think it's a lawsuit waiting to happen tbh. Disability discrimination and hours exceeding the 48 hour work week. If you work 40 hours a week, commute one hour each way, that's 50 hours. If you are paying people who commute more you are saying either that the person who works at home does less work, or the commute is part of the job. If they have the same job title then they should be paid the same amount. I know equal pay for equal work is about gender, but I think it's a good phrase for this too, and also child care particularly affects women more than men. Disability is genderless but proving discrimination with that is a shit show.

But as with all things such ideas must be tested by someone in the correct position in a court of law, and there is always a chance that you can lose. Cause the law is not always correct.

And that's what's annoying me this evening.

[ansbobcar]

EP 16. A letter of concern

WORD COUNT. 1220

Link to overview

_ _ _ _ _

Dear Mother,

I will be staying at the Northern Estate for the week of the Winter Ball instead of Wirth. I’m sure there is much that needs to be discussed alongside Father. Additionally, please make room for my companion.

Your son,

Orter

“That’s surprising,” she uttered, overlooking the trees yellowing in their garden before rereading the letter in her hand. “What’s so surprising?”

With some scepticism, she iterated, “Orter wants to come over during the winter.”

_ _ _

It’s been a week since she was replaced by Orter to accompany the Flame Cane in overseeing the possible candidates for the Final Divine Visionary Exam. Within that week, she was completely booked with meetings.

A meeting with the Bless Minister, the director, team B, the Magical Items department, and the list went on and on. Orter’s sudden disappearance changed the schedule drastically. But he had already done the schedule changes himself… somehow.

That man wasn’t the type to take any days off work even if he had a given amount of paid-leave days. 3 weeks worth to be exact. So it was rather perplexing. 

It wasn’t like he picked up her calls either, she paced around the room waiting for her candidate's arrival. ‘No explanation, only a schedule change and notice of absence. Family matters perhaps?’ As she saw the clear skies and the greenery still. 

Did his parents lose it when they were seen together?

“Inky Droopy Looney Rinka,” Renatus sang with a mix of boredom, annoyance and curiosity. “You’re walking too much. I can’t sleep.”

“I’ll dampen the footsteps if you need me—”

“What a pain,” he muttered before a yawn crawled out of him with a stretch. “Wasn't Orter supposed to do the interview instead of you?”

“That was for last year only, you know we make the newest Divine Visionary follow Kaldo for an interview now,” she briefly reminded him. Yeah no need to explain that. “Plus I usually handle the non department specific duties more than him.”

“Is it time yet?” Ignoring her extended response.

“Soon,” as she checked the clock on the wall. 2 minutes left before they had to leave the room.

“How soon?”

“That lullaby Agito sings to Hippo-tan long.”

He stumbled out of his seat without further instruction. “Let’s get this over with.”

_ _ _

With little green smoke, the ginger brunette had stepped foot into the interview’s hall. ‘Is this to prevent any external interference?’ she thought to herself. ‘But Auntie said that blind guy calls the shots regardless of what another interviewer chooses,’ taking a look around the empty hall.

Darren Randel is no stranger to Divine Visionaries. They’ve interfered with her life as much as those pests who leeched and pulled the rug under her. Who the hell was inter… her eyes landed onto the blonde woman clad in a dark 3 piece suit metres away from her feet. “Ah. It’s you.”

“You said you had no interest in the position a year ago,” she echoed. Displeased by her appearance. Which made sense. It was a usual reaction to her existence.

The brunette shrugged her shoulders, after all, “I’m a teenager, we can change our minds.”

Out of all these celebrities, Rinka Ontarin is a person who can be reasoned with. That’s what she knows. “You were incredibly adamant about it even before the interrogation. Do you need me to find the recording, Ms. Randel?” Of course, there’s only so much trust she has in this troublemaker.

“That won’t be necessary.” But it’s true, many teenagers are still rather directionless regarding what they want to do in the future. “I just said that because I genuinely would never commit foul play for a mere position. Please understand me.” She just need to pass this interview.

“Then what brings you here?” It’s already strange for a girl whose strengths hold merit to not want to have such a position. It’s even weirder if that same girl with the same opinion decided to participate and passed the initial exam to get ahold of such a position. “Your honesty would be preferred.”

‘I guess it’s useless to hide it,’ letting out a sigh before she averted her eyes. “I’m here to guarantee victory to my friend, Rayne Ames.” This is more embarrassing to say out loud than she practised. “And to piss off the Walkis losers. They wanted me to participate before I transferred anyways.” She definitely made it worse, squeamish to see the older woman’s reaction.

Silence snared the two for a brief yet eternal moment.

“It’s a st--”

“But what happens if you win instead of Mr. Ames?” She questioned her.

The girl immediately responded with: “I’ll surrender the title to him of course.”

‘Sounds like some book Sophie gushed about 2 years ago,’ the brunette’s eyes still looked away from her own. ‘Where a girl does everything in her power for the guy she likes… but the guy betrayed her after achieving his goal.’

“Sounds pretty flimsy,” Rinka critiqued her reasoning. “But I’m serious! Believe me, Aunt-Ms. Ontarin!”

“You’re not skilled with words,” tilting her head. Barely dodging a bladed projectile aimed at her. 

“Are you challenging me?” Voice raised higher than usual, her hand reached into her robe. Ready to break into a duel. 

This is more like Darren, holding up her hands free of a wand. “Just convince me, and I won’t fail you.”

_ _ _

“You pass,” Kaldo waved off Rayne Ames. “Feel free to stay in the lounge up ahead. Mr. Wahlberg will return you to campus in 15 more minutes.” With a simple bow, the two left each other’s presence and with little effort. He returned to his quaint office in time and dialed a number on his rabbiphone.

“How was it?” He asked after getting the call through. “Why? It’s simple. Your message was sent through. Wanna hear it?”

“We both can’t have the same person can we? You’ve barely known her for a year compared to me. You will return her to me,” he repeated the words in the letter. “By the way, did you enjoy my gift?”

His face of intrigue was lost with a frown as the response. “Her assistant was the gift? And Renatus said someone did the job already.” It’s more than just delusional entitlement, it’s obsessive and insane as he continued listening. Further furrowing his brows at his theory. “That doesn’t add up. Her only encounter with the organisation was after he went missing as bait.”

_ _ _

Thrashing on the floor, helplessly was Rinka, unable to muster any strength to tear away the hands strangling her. She underestimated the extent of this brat’s magic. “I thought it… wasonlydispellin… g’dammit…” At this rate she might actually have to use it, tears welled up uncontrollably.

“fine… FINE!” her voice croaked out. “You pass!” 

“Really!?” Darren exclaimed, smacking back her strengths in like a sledgehammer. “Yay! Where do I go now? Or can I just go back on my own?”

Slowly, the older woman pointed forward, “there’s a lounge there. You should be whisked back in a few more minutes…”

“Thanks, Miss!”

‘What the hell!’ She cursed to herself as she watched the teen skip towards the other door. ‘She’s even more dangerous than Alexa.’

‘I can’t make the same mistake again.’

_ _ _ _ _

Can't wait for the next chapter to be released, it's nice. As of the writing of this, I'm still working on Ep 20 (probably repeated this a few times already lol).