#Budget-Friendly Hiring

[diabetickart]

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[londonsbusinesstravel]

Planning a trip to the United Kingdom Truly provides everlasting experience from glorious cities rich in history to peaceful countryside landscapes. The compact size of the country and highly efficient transportation network truly make it possible to tailor your journey.

[avianyuh]

Small World | Jeon Jungkook

Summary: After being ditched by your friends, your coworker Taehyung invites you to a weekend hang out at his apartment where you end up running into someone unexpected.

word count: 3k

I had avoided checking my phone all day. I knew the minute I’d inevitably skim through Instagram, I would be bombarded by pictures of my past friend group’s summer trip that I was seemingly “left out” of the planning for. Six years of friendship went to waste and I was left all throughout the month of June with nothing to do but sit on my couch, green with envy over everything I was missing out on. 

All I could do was focus on work, which was actually surprisingly easy to do since I had a few really great coworkers. One of which, going by the name of Taehyung. We both waited tables at a restaurant, which upon my move to the city after college was the only place willing to hire me as a fresh graduate with no job experience past some part time retail work in High School and university. We both bonded over feeling out of place in our twenties, banding together to “fuck our timelines” we had expected to be halfway done by our midtwenties. In reality, I learned that being an adult is harder than it looked and I look back and laugh at how diluted my version of adulthood was back when I was a teenager. 

I lived with a roommate I barely knew. Most of the conversations revolved around when the rent would be due. I was working a job that wasn’t aligned with my major and I was still single. Now, on top of everything else, it seemed like my friendships were falling apart all because I couldn’t afford the Europe summer trip, hence my friends thought I should be punished and be made to feel more broke than I already was. That’s why my growing friendship with Taehyung started to become more important. 

“I can’t believe that they would post all the highlights knowing you’re sitting at home looking at the pictures. That’s fucked up.” Taehyung shook his head in disapproval as we chatted in the break room, quickly trying to eat our meals before the dinner rush came in. “Out of all the things you’ve mentioned over the past year I’ve worked with you, this one takes the cake.” I let out a sigh of relief, hearing him agree that my friends were being inconsiderate, I felt less crazy and more validated. 

“I get that they want to post about the trip, but they didn’t even try to compromise with me when I asked them if we could pick a more budget-friendly location. They told me it was my fault I wasn’ working somewhere better by now.” I ranted, watching as Taehyung’s eyes went wide. 

“Fuck them” Taehyung said with a mouth full of sandwich. “Which friend was the one who told you to not wear green again?” I laughed, thinking back to the time I told him about a passive aggressive conversation I had with a friend from university. 

“Riley, she told me green made me look wide.” I said, with an emphasis on the word wide. 

“You want my honest opinion.” Taehyung asked, leaning in across the table. “I think you’re better off without them…they seem fake.” My eyes softened as I reached for his hand across the tiny break room table, giving it a tight squeeze. 

“Thanks Tae, that means a lot.” I said, grateful to have someone who actually understood me. Then we both stood up and tied on our work aprons before starting our shifts. 

After a few hours of enduring some nice people out to eat with friends, family or alone, and of course the nasty, cranky crowd, I was officially exhausted and ready to clock out. “Heading home?” I asked Taehyung who was standing behind me as I finished punching out. 

“Yeah, I’m ready to just wash my face and go to bed. My feet are killing me.” He complained as he also punched out. We always walked out together if we were working the same shift. Most of the staff had already left, but we tried to wait for each other most nights. I threw my bag over my shoulder and pulled out my metrocard as we both headed down the sidewalk toward the subway. “Oh by the way, I’m having a little get together on Saturday night if you’re interested?” Taehyung piped up as we neared the corner, getting closer to the landmark we’d usually go our separate ways. 

“Really? That sounds fun, I don’t think I’m doing anything that night so maybe I’ll come.” I answered, trying to rake through my mind on any prior engagements I may have already signed up for on Saturday. 

“Well, I hope you can make it. It’ll just be a few of my friends, a lot of those artsy types I keep telling you about.” I smiled, Taehyung was very into anything artistic, frequently blowing money meant for his savings on paintings from artists around the city. He always backed up the purchase by saying he needed to support other struggling people. Taehyung’s ultimate goal was to sustain himself off of his own art one day, and eventually stop waiting tables. I really wished that he’d sucker some rich guy into buying one of his pieces one day so he’d never have to work another day in his life. An ex boyfriend I had dated back in High School was also pretty artsy, but he took the musical route. I spent many nights in his room watching him play guitar, or sing to me while we were driving somewhere. We broke up right before graduation after he told me he was moving to LA with a few of his friends, in search of getting signed. I hadn’t heard from him in years and remembered feeling pretty hurt that he dumped me two days before graduation. I thought about him sometimes, even looking him up on Instagram, but he had stopped posting two years ago, so I wasn’t sure about his whereabouts anymore. 

Taehyung and I hugged and said goodbye and by the time I made it home, he had already sent me his address. Everyone’s coming at 7, but come over a little earlier if you want, he had texted. 

By Saturday I was sitting on Taehyung’s couch, music playing softly in the background as we laughed and talked. Taehyung gave me a run down of the people coming over. There was Julie, who had blue and purple ombre hair, who was working at a boutique downtown. Cami, a friend of Taehyung’s who worked at another restaurant who I had actually met a few times. Then there was Jimin, who most people viewed as charming, who worked as a choreographer. Taehyung said that Jimin might’ve been bringing a friend of his, but Taehyung didn’t know who. I loved meeting new people, and especially now considering my last text to my group had gone unanswered, I chose to ignore the pit of disappointment in my stomach and try to have fun. We’d just be sitting and talking, with some food and alcohol spread out on the coffee table in front of the couch. Taehyung had put in a lot of effort. We continued to sip out of our glasses and talk until the buzzer went off, signaling the first person to arrive. 

Cami was the first to show up, greeting both Taehyung and I with a warm smile. She had long, wavy hair and had appeared to have dyed it a honey blonde since the last time I had seen her. She plopped down on the seat next to me as I handed her a glass, catching up on our lives. Soon after Julie arrived, bringing her uninvited boyfriend with her who sat silently next to her most of the night. Taehyung gave Cami and I the side eye as Julie’s boyfriend glanced down at his phone, not even bothering to say hello. 45 minutes later, the buzzer rang again, and Taehyung stood up from his seat, “I wonder who that could be…” he questioned sarcastically. According to Julie, Jimin was always late, even when he promised to be on time. 

I stood up to stretch my legs and grab some more ice for my glass from the kitchen while Taehyung answered the door. I could hear the sound of the door opening and closing, as everyone jokingly cheered and yelled “Jimin!” I crept back in and to my seat, glancing over at Jimin, who was dressed in ripped jeans and a dark t-shirt. He was definitely attractive, which was probably what Taehyung meant when he said Jimin was a charmer. But what really caught my eye was the shadowy figure still standing in the hallway. He was more built than Jimin, and he had hands deep in the pockets of his jeans. I couldn’t see his face, but could make out the outlines of some of the tattoos that adorned his arms. I squinted, leaning forward, waiting for him to fully come into the light. “Who’s that behind you?” Taehyung asked, playfully shoving Jimin out of the way. I gasped, feeling my heart stop as I got a full view of him. There he was, my ex-boyfriend. The boy he dumped me, told me he couldn’t be with me, said he needed to travel, get out of our small town and go somewhere he could be a serious musician. 

“Hey, I’m Jungkook.” He said shyly, extending his hand for Taehyung to shake. But as he turned his attention away from Taehyung and stepped further into the apartment, removing his shoes by the front door, he must’ve gone through the same shock as me when his eyes met mine. It looked as if he had seen a ghost. Stunned, standing maybe 15 feet away from me. It felt as if no one else was in the room as our eyes locked, almost as if we were in a staring contest. Jimin nudged him, gesturing for him to follow his lead and sit down. I fidgeted nervously in my seat as Jungkook sat on the other side of the sectional, directly facing me. I took a sip of my drink, wishing the alcohol would calm my growing nerves. I tried to not look at him, instead half heartedly focused on whatever Cami was talking about with the rest of the group, but it was no use. I couldn’t pay attention knowing the guy who broke my heart was sitting on the other side of me. I leaned over, whispering in Taehyung’s ear that I was going to go use the bathroom. He patted my knee in acknowledgement, smiling at me as I got up and left the room. I tried to catch my breath as I walked down the hallway. I shut the bathroom door behind me, turning on the light and leaning over the sink. Not long after, there was a knock on the door, to which I didn’t respond. I knew who was on the other side of that door. 

“I’m coming in.” Jungkook said in a low voice. He shut the door behind him as he leaned his back against it. He didn’t say anything and neither did I, again just staring at each other. I scanned his body, taking in everything that had changed about him in the past few years. The tattoos that were displayed all over his arms and hands. The way his black hair was perfectly tousled, and his arms had become more muscular. He had always been very competitive and athletic, so I wasn’t surprised to see how fit he still was after all these years. I also took in the new addition of a lip piercing, which made him even more attractive. His eyes still gave off the sense of innocence, but they seemed a bit duller. Back when we had dated, everytime he talked about music or sang, his eyes were filled with hope, if that makes sense. Now his eyes seemed somewhat tired. I shifted against the bathroom counter, biting my lip. All you could hear was our breathing. Finally, I broke the silence. 

“I, uh, can’t believe we ran into each other.” I said in disbelief. 

“Small world, I guess.” Jungkook joked, crossing his arms over his chest. I looked around the tiny bathroom, thinking about what he was going to say. “I didn’t know you moved to New York City? I guess that explains why I haven’t seen you around when I go to visit my parents back home.” He said, his gaze focusing back on me. 

“Yeah, I don’t really go back home that often, it’s hard to get time off, my manager gives me a hard time.” I explained, to which he nodded in understanding. 

“Where do you work?” Jungkook questioned curiously. 

“At a restaurant, that’s how I met Taehyung.” Jungkook swallowed hard, shifting his weight, and standing up straight.

“So, is he your boyfriend?” He asked, pointing his thumb behind him outside of the bathroom. I was surprised that he would ask, assuming he wouldn’t care if I was dating Taehyung or not. But I could sense a kind of desperation in his eyes as he anxiously awaited my answer. His breathing became more shallow and he nervously tapped his pointer finger against his chin, a nervous habit he had back when I had known him years ago. 

“No, just a friend.” I shook my head. I could hear him let out a deep breath, which for some reason made me feel good. Knowing after all this time, there was still something there. I inched toward him, trying to make it seem like I was just moving in place. Maybe I shouldn’t step closer to him? I wondered in my head. “I thought you were living in LA?” I asked, looking up at him. 

“LA fell through two years ago, and I got a job playing in a band up here. I had a record deal but it fell through back in LA so I just figured it was time to move.” He shrugged, moving his hands into his pockets. 

“I kept up with you online for a few years. I really wanted everything to work out for you…” I said quietly. 

“I’m sorry about the way I ended things.” Jungkook said, moving closer towards me. “I was a stupid kid and believe me, not even trying to make it work with you has been one of my biggest regrets.” He whispered, standing right in front of me. His eyes were filled with remorse and I subconsciously found myself reaching for the free hand he had taken out of his pocket. I ran my thumb over his as I pursed my lips together. 

“Jungkook…I’ve missed you.” I murmured, “I never thought I’d see you again.” Our bodies were now firmly pressed up against each other. He scooped me up and lifted me onto the edge of the bathroom counter. I could feel his muscles tense, his skin was soft. He cupped my face, his nose against my own. 

“Can I kiss you?” he whispered, letting his thumb rub against my cheek. 

“Mhm”, I interjected before his lips crashed against mine. His lip piercing was cold upon contact. It felt as if we were 18 again, as his hands abandoned my face and crept under my shirt. His tongue entered my mouth, The only sound heard came from our kisses and the moans that left my throat. I’m sure he could taste the alcohol on my lips. My hands slip down his toned chest, resting on his belt buckle. He pulled away for a second, looking into my eyes, now with a new sort of intensity before begging to trail kisses down my neck. I tried to stifle the moans fighting to come out of me as I closed my eyes, focused on the air hitting the wet kisses he was leaving on my body. My fingers slipped through the belt, started to tug at it. 

“Y/n, I don’t think it’s appropriate to have sex in your friend’s bathroom.” He joked in between kisses. I opened my eyes and laughed as he lifted his head back up. I pressed my forehead against his own before pressing a soft kiss to his full lips. 

“You know everyone out there wondering why we’re in the bathroom together right?” I stated, trying to distract myself from the heat growing between my legs. I needed him, but I knew now wasn’t the right place. 

“Fuck em’. Let’s just leave and we can explain it tomorrow.” Jungkook said, a smile forming on his lips. 

“And what exactly am I supposed to tell Taehyung? That I left his apartment early to go have sex with my ex-boyfriend?” As I said it, I felt myself start to sober up as I started to think about my current predicament. If we had sex? What would happen after? Does that mean we’re back together? Will he want to keep in touch? I suddenly became angry at myself. How could I be so stupid, sleeping with a guy I hadn’t spoken to in years. It’s true that I frequently thought of him and I checked his accounts to see if he had posted or had moved on. But realistically, how easy would it be to pick up from where we left off years ago? Maybe I was drunk and in my feelings over my friends that I had unintentionally thrown away my better judgment. 

Jungkook kept his arms around my waist, but stepped back a bit so he could get a better view of my face. “Y/n, what do you want to tell him? What are we doing here?” He asked, which took me by surprise. I wanted to be honest with him. Being able to see him again and feeling that same chemistry after all that time apart, I knew what I wanted to say to him. 

“Jungkook, I want to try this again.” I answered, to which he moved closer again. His hand caressed my cheek as his lips molded against mine again. 

“I do too.” He said after pulling away. 

-

{A/N: OMG, guys I feel so bad, I disappeared again. Truthfully, I was suffering from a mix of writers block, finals and a shitty personal life. But this story idea popped into my mind and I knew I had to write this shit down right away and I absolutely love this story and I hope you do too! Jungkook is just one of those guys where I can see him fitting into so many different scenarios/tropes and reconnecting with a guy from your past is my favorite and something I'm manifesting for myself lol. But seriously, I hope you enjoyed this. JK is my favorite to write about besides Yuta, stories with him as a character seem to come pretty natural idk why. Also, this story will be posted on my AO3 page for those who like to read on there. As for a writing schedule, I DO plan on writing this summer, but I'm not sure if it was be posts every two weeks like I'm used to, I'm trying to not burn out, but just know I'm always trying to come up with new story ideas. As always, I love you all so so much, thank you for continuing to read my work while I've been inactive. I'm always here! Have a great day/night and mwahhhh💋💋💋💋💋💋}

[deikshen]

My feverish brain skidded into a Hualian in the SVSSS universe while Binghe is a disciple

Just hear me out: Shen Qingqiu and his little white lotus Binghe go out on a night hunt... And they meet this exceptional and strong man! He doesn't even need a sword and gets rid of the monster in a couple of blows. But, he doesn't kill it! Inherently kind, he speaks to the fact that the beast is surely a mother protecting her cubs' territory that has been invaded by curious onlookers.

Shen Qingqiu sees the strong man who doesn't need a sword, sees the sixteen-year-old Binghe who will soon fall into the Abyss, turns around and says, "Daozhang, don't you want a job at my peak?"

And the kind daozhang is called Xie Lian, he accepts the job a little surprised by the insistence, and is soon being relocated to Qing Jing Peak. Shen Qingqiu makes sure the man has comfortable rooms, clean, new clothes, and a designated monthly budget to prepare for his classes.

He's a mix between a martial arts and a hand-to-hand combat master! Shen Qingqiu had never seen techniques like his before! Besides, Xie Lian doesn't even use his qi to fight! Luo Binghe will definitely learn a lot from him.

Soon, Xie Lian wins the affection of all the young ducklings. He doesn't just tutor Luo Binghe—even though Shen Qingqiu hired him to do that—he actually tutors all of his disciples as well. Disciples say "Xie-laoshi!" with the same admiration and adoration as they say "Shizun!"

... Except for Luo Binghe.

Well, Shen Qingqiu guesses that it must be difficult for his young disciple to adapt to the changes. And the fact that his new laoshi is always correcting him and teaching him more carefully at his request!! Shen Qingqiu spends entire afternoons with his new friend Xie Lian, listening to the disciples' progress. Xie Lian likes to talk—and is interesting to listen to! Shen Qingqiu can hear from the many adventures of the immortal rogue cultivator with the same fascination as when he talks about monsters. He is a good, interesting and friendly friend!!

Luo Binghe doesn't seem to like him.

Shen Qingqiu can't do much— I mean, Xie Lian is his friend, even if he's a very harsh master to you Binghe! Behave yourself! But Luo Binghe doesn't improve his attitude, dragging his feet, putting down the trays just a little too loudly, fighting with his laoshi as if he has something personal against him. Mmm...

Well, Shen Qingqiu can see that Xie Lian is handsome. Pretty. Gorgeous. Perhaps Luo Binghe is jealous of the competition? Ha! As if anyone could be as handsome as the Protagonist! Besides, after an afternoon of drinking a little wine, Xie Lian simply says about his ascetic cultivation and... Well, Binghe, you won't have to worry about this beautiful man stealing flowers from your garden!

Shen Qingqiu is quite happy about having found an exceptional teacher for his favorite disciple. Binghe has improved by leaps and bounds! He will definitely talk about raising Xie-laoshi's salary.

... And on the other hand, Ming Fan is out on a night hunt with his Ning-shimei. However, damn! The beast has caused a nasty red rain to fall that looks like blood, and ewww. They take refuge as best they can in a small temple, paying respects for invading the territory in this way. It's only when they've lit incense and left some of the provisions at the foot of the stone statue that Ming Fan sees its face, barely illuminated by a silver butterfly perched on the stone cheek, and...

"Shimei... That's... Isn't that Xie-laoshi's face?"

Ning Yingying narrows her eyes. Then, she gasps, astonished.

"Da-shixiong is right!! His face looks just like Xie-laoshi's!! Could Xie-laoshi have been the model?"

Ming Fan wrinkles his nose.

"Didn't Shizun meet him on a night hunt? He let a beast live. I don't think Xie-laoshi be a model. Besides, as a model noble, he'd make such a great fighter?"

The rain of blood behind them stops abruptly. There are no sounds of a struggle with the beast either.

Ming Fan and Ning Yingying let the night hunt continue. They find the beast dead and soaked in blood. Well, less hunting and more paperwork. Ugh.

A silver butterfly follows them back to Cang Qiong without either of them noticing.

Shen Qingqiu (the original goods) is not used to taking outside disciples. It was the normal route: taking a child and raising him as a cultivator from infancy. And while it made sense—it was difficult for a teenager to develop the beginnings of a proper spiritual core optimal for cultivation and subsequent ascension—the new Shen Qingqiu said to himself: well, damn, I hired a teacher, I can get a new disciple!!

Because the young disciple who comes to him is... Exceptional. A teenager—perhaps Binghe's age? Sixteen, close to his seventeen?—with shrewd eyes and a sharp tongue, he demonstrates the knowledge to be welcomed into Qing Jing and the martial and spiritual skill to be welcomed into the sect. He introduces himself kindly and sweetly as Xiao Hua and when Shen Qingqiu allows him to serve him tea and accepts him as a temporary disciple until he demonstrates the totality of his knowledge by passing his exams, Xiao Hua smiles a kind of smile that would give Shen Qingqiu a bad feeling. But oh well!!! He's just another NPC, isn't he?! Why had the System been so quiet anyway?

Xiao Hua shows an impressive amount of knowledge; he is vague with his answers about where he learned it from. Yet he unfolds in music and painting as if it were as easy as breathing, handles weapons as if they were part of him. If it weren't for his disastrous handwriting (A damage to his eyes! Illegible! Chaotic! Full of energy cruel to the eyes!) Shen Qingqiu would have doubts whether the boy had run away from another sect instead of home.

His new teacher, Xie Lian, seems willing to take on the hard work of getting Xiao Hua to write. Shen Qingqiu watches them spend hours and hours practicing without Xiao Hua's calligraphy improve at all. Who would have thought Xie-laoshi would have so much patience anyway! Shen Qingqiu would have given up on that.

Also, with the arrival of Xiao Hua, Luo Binghe seems more... calm? Shen Qingqiu watches him spend a lot of time with the boy, sharing drawings and notes, even if he can't see what they are in the distance. They train together! They whisper between classes!! They sneak away to take books and gossip! Shen Qingqiu is bursting with pride. His sweet white lotus has made a best friend!!! He no longer seems wary of Xie-laoshi, even if his training classes are shorter due to the longer duration of Xiao Hua's calligraphy classes.

Still, there are days when a master just has to relax. Shen Qingqiu keeps inviting Xie Lian to his bamboo house, and they chat randomly— it's fun! Xie Lian's company is a pleasant breath of fresh air! And if Shen Qingqiu is actively ignoring the two disciples spying on them chatting in the distance, well, he assumes these two new best friends have found their own place to enjoy leisure time. And those silver butterflies that usually swarm around Xie Lian? Ah, Xie Lian considers them a pleasant blessing and allows them to linger in his hair while they talk about monsters and history.

Shen Qingqiu is glad to have a friend too! Perhaps, when he finally has to push Binghe into the Abyss... Perhaps he can count on his support, if he tells him the truth—or at least, as much of the truth as he can give.

[anexperimentallife]

If you need to get out of the US, READ THIS:

Again, if you need to get out of the states and have a location-independent source of income (because on the easiest-to-get visa you won't be able to work here--SSDI or regular social security works, but not SSI), we can help with the logistics of getting settled in the Philippines and make local introductions in Baguio. English is one of the two official languages of the Philippines, too, so although you're encouraged to learn Filipino, Tagalog, and/or Illocano, you can get by with English.

(And I hate that this needs to be said because of today's mercenary culture, but OF COURSE WE'RE NOT CHARGING ANYTHING. I'm just sorry we're not in a position to offer financial help to others.)

It's not perfect here (especially with all China's sabre-rattling), but at least for now, it's safer and freer than the US, especially if you're queer or an ethnic minority. We've been here going on seven years, and I've helped one person get out already, so I know what to do and how to do it. Also, although marriage laws have not caught up yet, queer folks are generally more accepted here than in the states.

As far as mechanics go--As a US citizen you get an automatic 29-day tourist visa on arrival, and can keep getting extensions for up to three years, at which point you board a cheap (often less than 100 dollars) round-trip flight to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, and start your three years over again. (You cannot work on a tourist visa, though, hence the need for location-independent income.) There may be other options depending on your specific situation, but ANYONE from the US can do the tourist visa thing.

The local immigration office here in Baguio is incredibly helpful and sympathetic, and went above and beyond the call of duty for us during our daughter's citizenship fiasco. Everyone there is friendly and helpful, but we'll be happy to introduce you to our contact there just for extra comfort.

I'll post some relocation tips in a day or so, but in general, a single person, or even a couple, can get by on 600 USD a month here with some budgeting and giving up some Western luxuries. 1K USD puts you (as a single person) firmly in lower middle class. You can have fresh produce from the wet market delivered to your door for about a third of what it would cost at the local supermarket, and as for eating out, you can find budget meals for around 2 dollars--some with unlimited rice--if you shop around a bit. Public transit is ubiquitous, and costs literally pennies to use, and taxis start at about 75 cents. (This is all for Baguio, a popular tourist destination city--things are even less expensive if you live out in a small town or in the country--and I've converted to US currency for better clarity.)

Birth control and plan B are available over the counter (birth control pills start at about a dollar for a month's supply), and if you need to terminate a pregnancy, Thailand is close--with no one threatening you upon your return.

Now, on this next part I can't make promises, but we'll also be looking into what it would take to open an English school here to sponsor work visas for folks who want to get out, but who don't have a portable income. (Although as indicated above, English is widely spoken here, it's not the same dialect as anywhere else in the anglosphere, so some schools hire a single qualified American, Brit, or Aussie, as a bragging point, and they focus on people here on spouse visas that allow them to work, so they won't generally sponsor work visas--so I imagine a school with ONLY US-raised instructors would do well.) The English schools here mostly serve foreigners (especially Koreans) attracted to the Philippines' lower cost of living, and there are enough who want to study here that another school would only be adding to the local economy, and not putting any locals out of work.

As for your own education, tuition for a semester at University of the Philippines Baguio campus was about 900 dollars last time I checked.

More later.

[urcoolgf]

INTRODUCING . . . CEO¡READER

ceo¡reader who . . . doesn’t take shit from anyone, but is petty enough to play along with people’s games (as long as it ends in her getting what she wants)

ceo¡reader who . . . built the business from the ground up herself, prides herself on her work ethic, && absolutely hates slackers or people who feel that everything should be handed to them

ceo¡reader who . . . went to college for business / finance (&& checks over every. single. payroll statement for errors). if you’ve messed it up one too many times, or if you’re trying to steal from her? fired. no exceptions. that’s how she built this empire—on guts && a backbone made of steel

ceo¡reader who . . . loves budgeting, but also unforgivably loves shopping, && has no problem dropping a pretty penny on herself (or her friends / family) && she loves that she can travel for work

ceo¡reader who . . . has the most sarcastic sense of humor, but only she can do it—because if you do it to her? give her attitude? good luck . . .

ceo¡reader who . . . is constantly taking calls—one of the reasons she’s never had a long-term relationship. she’s married to her work && her friends, no time for guys (but maybe a casual hook up every now && then to release some stress)

ceo¡reader who . . . has a closet full of designer—designer clothes, bags, shoes, jewelry—she’s quite a collector in that way. mainly wears blacks, greys, whites, or neutrals for a professional business look

ceo¡reader who . . . was almost a lawyer just because she’s always been one to argue—even if she knows she’s wrong (which she hardly is) && as a result she’s drawn to court tv && true crime documentaries

ceo¡reader who . . . has a hard exterior, but isn’t exactly ‘un-friendly’ && is always willing to lend a hand (or assign someone to lend a hand) to new hires

PAIRED WITH EMPLOYEE¡RAFE

CEO¡READER WORKS.ᐟ

꒰ა $ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ got her own

꒰ა $ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ cat && mouse

JOIN MY TAGLIST

© URCOOLGF. est. 2025

[carbt2]

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[tf2occontest]

The Courier VS Ágatha, the Nurse VS The Intern

(Full matchup list here)

Alright team, here's a recap: This is a contest to determine who amongst you will take the top of the leaderboards and be hired at TFI! Simply put, whoever gets the most votes gets to move on, and whoever doesn't... Well. They'll be put down swiftly and cleanly. :}

So, mann your stations, because here are your next contestants! Vote for your favorite mercenary who you want to win the TF2 OC Contest! - P

OC INFO UNDER THE CUT!

We highly encourage you to take a peek to make your decision!

The Courier

@sicc-nasti

Image credit: @/sicc-nasti

Do you like receiving your mail on time and your packages in pristine condition - untouched by curious hands and peeping eyes? Do you love when your woefully embarrassing love letters filled with poetry from your soul are delivered with the utmost care and secrecy? Does it fill you with glee when your special snacks you ordered overseas finally make its way into your hands and not a SINGLE piece is missing?

If you said yes to any of these questions then WOW do I NOT have the guy for you!!!!

Instead-

TFI presents you something you didn't know was possible OR legal - weaponized postal services!

Meet your 10th Class-

The Courier!

By intercepting and opening someone else's mail, an individual can gain access to confidential information that can be used for identity theft, fraud, or other illegal activities. And we wouldn’t want that, now would we? That's why our solution to this simple problem is bringing the mail to the battlefield! Courier is equipped with MANN CO approved disposable stackable mail crates for your climbing or shielding needs. Just think of how nice it would be to build a tower to do taunts on or have cover from that enemy Heavy's hail of bullets. Sure it's clunky but nothing shreds paper faster than a bullet - that's science tested and math approved by TFI scientists! And monkeys!

Courier is THE MANN for the job.

If that ain't enough to catch your attention, let's take a peek at the men behind the uniform.

RED’s Courier is a Puerto Rican ex-felon hailing from the greatest place on earth! New York City! With an insatiable appetite for all things fraud, deli meats, and violence - what more could you ask from a guy?

BLU's Courier is a Puerto Rican-Italian ex-con plucked from the greatest place on earth! Jersey City! With an insatiable appetite for all things smuggling, deli meats, and violence - what more could you ask from a guy?

Not enough for a vote?

Well, listen, I'm not above bribery. If you vote for them, Courier promises to not read your mail for like a week and INSTEAD- will write you up a totally not fraudulent marriage certificate to any merc you want!! Just think! Finally legally married to Heavy! Or Engie! How’s that sound for incentive, boss?

THROUGH RAIN, SHINE, BULLET HAIL OR SNOW, THEY’RE YOUR COURIER.

VOTE FOR COURIER IN THIS UPCOMING TF2 OC CONTEST

Maybe there’ll be enough in the budget for a third one!

Ágatha, the Nurse

@arts-of-gjb

Image credit: @/arts-of-gjb

Ágatha is a young brazilian girl from Salvador, Bahia (Brazil). She is very friendly and energetic, but also have a deep taste for medical experiments and doesn't mind seing blood for the most of the time, traces that were noticed and encouraged by her uncle, Medic. He started to bring her once she made 10 so he could teach her all he know. Inside the battlefields, Ágatha asumes The Nurse title, The nurse class in unable to capture control points, move payloads, grab inteligences or even cause directly cause damadge to others players, because her only objectives as part of the team are:

To assist, by curing her team. different of Medic, the nurse does not have a medigun to that, so she fulfills this task by being able to grab the medikits (or other healing iten disponible on the ground) and then give them to your teamates

To anoy, by shooting small injections on the rivals. as said before, they wont make any damadge, however, they will "stop" the player for a few secconds (the same way that when you're hit by a christmas glove from heavy, but it should make a pain animation than a laught one, and would work if hit in any body part).

Once her hp reaches 0, the nurse would enter in a "sleeping mode", where you get unable to do anything. If no one does anything with you when youre like this for a couple of seconds, then you wake up with half of your total hp, but if someone from the opposite team pick you up and leave you to a specifc location, then you are teleported to your respaw base, where you get unable to go out for a minute (be grounded time >:I )

A vote for Ágatha is a vote for Red team, Medic, Brasil and nepotism!!!!!!!

The Intern

@queensqueercourt

Image credit: @/queensqueercourt

YOU KNOW THEM! YOU LOVE THEM!! The ever so fashionable intern makes a stance once again! paired with a improv pen shiv, stapler gun and rifle, they're ready to hit the battlefield with something never seen before!

These teens accidentally stumbled on the battlefield during their job orientation, and as a reward for surviving the battle unscathed they got a brand new responsibility: fighting in the field alongside the mercs! Simcha is a fun good-hearted rapscallion from Denver, and Tirzah is rebellious punk from New York City! help them win and who knows! maybe they'll get a paycheck for this!

[j4desblurbs]

SQUID GAME RESTAURANT HCS

heyy this is literally a ripoff of @yurozo’s resident evil restaurant au but with squid game instead, hope you enjoy! go check hers out too it’s gold :)

this has got like…..every character i had even a semblance of a headcanon for LMAO (i’m sorry young mi and ji yeong fans 💔)

i am also sorry if this is inaccurate to actual restaurant roles and stuff, this is all for shits and gigs 🫶

ali abdul (player 199)

ali is a cook. he’s genuinely happy to be there all the time and never messes up a dish. everyone feels good about their days at work when ali is there because he sort of acts as everyone’s rock. he also has a stash of snacks for employees on their breaks, and remembers everyone’s birthday and gives them gifts.

cho hyun-ju (player 120)

hyun-ju is a hostess. a bit quiet but very sweet and people often leave great reviews because of her. she tends to be a little blunt when telling people about their wait times but no one’s ever complained about it.

cho sang-woo (player 218)

sang-woo is a manager. he mostly takes care of budgeting and handling vendors. rarely is seen anywhere but his office and by the back wall of the building when he’s taking his smoke breaks. he once caught su-bong with his vape back there but didn’t say anything to anyone because he was too damn tired.

choi su-bong (thanos, player 230)

su-bong is a cook. he tried to bring his vape in once and nearly got beat up by jung-bae. also tried to seize control of the speaker to play his own music and nearly got beat up by woo-seok. su-bong is surprisingly a decent cook. gi-hun definitely had his doubts about hiring him due to past…incidents, but his cooking makes up for it. he’s the best at dessert!

choi woo-seok (found the salesman in s2)

woo-seok has control of the speaker in the kitchen. he insists he can’t cook without a good track. at first he was very intense about his music, but eventually relented and let everyone but su-bong add a few songs to his playlist.

han se-mi (player 380)

se-mi is a waitress. she doesn’t make very much small talk and rarely if ever looks happy to be there but for some reason old people love her, so whoever happens to be the host on her shifts puts old people in her section. she pretends to be exasperated with this when talking to fellow employees but secretly doesn’t mind it.

hwang in-ho (frontman, player 001 s2)

in-ho owns the restaurant. he rarely comes in but when he does it's all hands on deck and everyone better be in line. even su-bong tends to shape up when in-ho's around. he's just got that kind of vibe.

hwang jun-ho (policeman)

jun-ho is the head waiter. people tend to think in-ho gave him the job just because he’s his little brother but jun-ho is genuinely good at this thing. takes no shit and will pull aside waiters who make mistakes to help/lecture them.

jang geum-ja (player 149)

geum-ja comes in every week when yong-sik is working so he can cook for her, since it’s almost always been the other way around. everyone looks forward to when she comes by because she’s basically everyone’s mom. brings everyone gifts around holidays and birthdays!

kang dae-ho (player 388)

dae-ho is the bartender. he is friendly and sweet and makes seriously good drinks. he frequently gets peoples’ numbers slipped to him on cocktail napkins because LOOK AT THE GUY. he also will make sure his marine tattoo is showing if creeps are bothering folks and will intervene if situations escalate. sometimes su-bong gets up to the bar and tries to sneak a few shots but dae-ho always turns him away. he’s serious about his job like that.

kang no-eul (guard 011)

no-eul mainly does scheduling and handles bigger parties/events at the restaurant. learned her lesson real fast after accidentally putting su-bong and nam-gyu on a shift together. almost never takes requests from employees to be scheduled with another employee because she knows that work will pile up if that happens. she hangs out with hyun-ju and gyeong-seok after work and will look after nayeon if gyeong-seok is working when she isn’t.

kang sae-byeok (player 067)

sae-byeok is a delivery driver. since she doesn’t really play well with customer service, gi-hun decides to start delivering. sae-byeok is real good at her job. she’s never been late to a drop off location; will stare at cooks who move too slow (su-bong.) until they start hauling ass and making an effort to finish cooking. often has her little brother in the backseat of the car. he’s on youtube shorts a lot.

kim jun-hee (player 222)

jun-hee is a hostess. she's one of the more quiet ones but is very particular about her job. takes into consideration every waiter's strengths + weaknesses and seats people accordingly. (except for myung-gi; i like to think she’d enjoy fucking with him). a bit more apologetic than other hosts, will seem genuinely upset if someone's got a long time to kill before they get a table.

lee myung-gi (player 333)

myung-gi is a waiter. jun-hee seats all the teenagers having nights out in his section because she thinks it’s funny. myung-gi does not think it’s funny. he thinks they’re too loud and too much and does his job as fast as he can while remaining polite to get away from them. has been reprimanded by jun-ho for checking crypto on his phone while on the job. he tries to take his breaks with jun-hee but she prefers taking them alone, much to his dismay.

nam-gyu (player 124)

nam-gyu is a dishwasher. once he and su-bong were scheduled to work the same shift and the ensuing chaos was so bad that they were never allowed to work on the same shifts ever again. since then nam-gyu is pretty quiet while working and usually has his headphones in.

park gyeong-seok (player 246)

gyeong-seok is a host. he also rakes in a ton of great reviews because he’s handsome and approachable. sometimes has nayeon with him and people loveee her. he never goes on breaks without hyun-ju or no-eul. is very meticulous with his work, never seats anyone with a waiter who wouldn’t be the best to serve them. #everyonelovesgyeongseok

park jung-bae (player 390)

jung-bae is the head chef. he runs a tight ship so orders are almost always perfect. once he had a chef under him that was so bad at his job (gyeong-su.) that he complained and complained to gi-hun until he got fed up and fired the poor guy.

(bonus: su-bong was not very happy with this and didn’t come into work for a couple days to “support his boy gyeong-su”).

park min-su (player 125)

min-su is a waiter and the newest staff member. despite being new he almost never messes up because he took training under jun-ho very seriously. he takes his breaks with se-mi and they run errands for each other/cover each other’s shifts. although he covers more for se-mi than she does for him; he rarely ever misses work.

park yong-sik (player 007)

yong-sik is a cook but sometimes does delivery driving too when sae-byeok can’t. really locks in when his mom is coming into the restaurant although he does his job well every other day of the week. as a delivery driver, he is definitely more approachable and chatty compared to sae-byeok, but he doesn’t love delivery driving because he prefers to be in the kitchen where he doesn’t have to interact with as many people.

salesman (ddjaki man, gong yoo)

the salesman always comes in at the same time, same day without fail. he orders one thing and one thing only and it’s usually black coffee or alcohol. never gets actual food. none of the waitstaff likes to deal with him because he’s almost too quiet. it’s unsettling.

seong gi-hun (player 456)

gi-hun is a manager. he’s mostly in charge of hiring, firing and dealing with customer complaints. he’s kind but gets exasperated pretty quick although he tries his best to hide it. out of the two managers he’s seen around more than sang-woo. never misses work but is interestingly not seen as much when in-ho swings by.

[yuurei20]

Hiiii!!

Okay, so question - Does Crowley give the MC any allowance? We're trying to figure out if MC has any sort of budget/need for one. I'm not sure if the cafeteria is just Lunch only (and if that's free for the students) or if it's all meals free, but then If all the school's food is free I feel like no one would use Azul's lounge nearly as much. I know in EN Chapter 2 Crowley threatens grim and MC with the cost of their living expenses - But I'm not sure if that translates to him handing them money or just a general cost of living there without tuition. If. NRC has a tuition...?

Basically - Does Crowley give MC any money regularly?

Hello hello!! Thank you for this question! :> This topic has kind of been touched upon before in response to a question about the novel prefect's allowance and NRC's tuition, but this is a great opportunity to put it all together.

In the prologue Crowley declares that Grim and the prefect are allowed to live in Ramshackle for free, but they will need to pay for their own food, clothing and incidentals. It seems the prefect has no money on them with which to do so, so Crowley hires them as janitorial staff.

(The scene above is almost identical in the novel, with the addition of, "Your wages, well, you will be compensated fairly according to the nature of your work.")

What the game is vague about is whether or not the prefect and Grim are monetarily compensated for their work, or if they are just working in exchange for meals and clothes.

But they do seem to have money from somewhere, purchasing various souvenirs for themselves and others throughout events, so it might not be impossible?

Trein has a line of, "You must be judicious with the funds the headmage gave you," but we do not technically know if they received money only for Glorious Masquerade or if he is referencing money that they receive from Crowley regularly.

The novels do answer this question, but the novels will sometimes change details from game (i.e. the retconning of Leona's introduction, the addition of multiple new scenes, etc), so while it might be ok to use them as a reference, we cannot emphatically say, "this is how it is in the novels, so the game must be the same."

The second novel begins with Yuuya, Ace and Deuce making repairs to Ramshackle, and Yuuya later compensates Ace and Deuce for their help, in cash, by buying them pastries on Bakery Day in the cafeteria:

"In response, Ace and Deuce smile as they place several white packages on the table. Here and there Yuuya can see thick slices of roast beef and vibrant green lettuce. There are round breads bursting with cream, baguettes topped with melted cheese, and more—it seems they were able to buy quite a considerable amount.

But they still have change leftover, which they pass to Yuuya, so the prices must be student friendly. It makes sense that bakery days are so popular.

Still smiling, Ace and Deuce sit across from Yuuya. 

‘Thanks for the food!’

‘Gonna dig right in!’

‘Of course. Thanks for helping with the repairs to Ramshackle.’” -Twisted Wonderland the Second Novel

So novel-prefect is being paid in cash, and seems to be budgeting accordingly. This is particularly significant because it happens in Book 2, after the prefect and Grim have transitioned from janitors to students. While their roles are different, it seems they are still being paid for repairs they make.

And this might be also happening in the game, although I don't think it is ever acknowledged aloud, with Ramshackle Dorm getting cleaned up between the Prologue and Book 5 (presumably because of the prefect and Grim working to earn their food and clothes etc.)

An argument against this theory might be Grim's line about not being a part of janitorial staff anymore in Book 2, but while novel-Grim is also no longer janitorial staff by Book 2, he is still helping with repairs, so this comment might not be applicable.

As you say, Mostro Lounge (and the school store) would probably not be as successful if they were competing with free cafeteria food, so it is possible that the other students at the school are also following the system that the prefect uses (free lodging only).

This would explain why Ruggie does things like wear Leona's clothes and eat wild plants: it is possible that he showed up without any money at all and is making things work day to day, exactly like the prefect.

Also as you point out, Crowley will occasionally threaten the prefect and Grim with how they're racking up expenses that he has never agreed to cover.

This might mean that game-prefect is living at least partially on credit, charging expenses to Crowley or the school? (Which is something we know the school store can do, at least, based on Azul charging costs for cleanup of a mess made by Jack to Leona.)

On the subject of tuition, it has also never technically been officially confirmed or disproved that scholarships or tuition are things that exist! I have seen comments that NRC is likely a private school that operates on donations and does not charge tuition, and Crowley does mention receiving donations from parents, but I do not think this has ever been stated outright in the game (or novels) and may just be conjecture at this time.

To answer the initial question: Maybe! :>

We know Novel-MC has money that they are receiving from somewhere, presumably Crowley.

And we know Game-MC is also receiving money from Crowley, but whether the cash they are being given is only for field trips or is something they are earning through repairs to Ramshackle is unconfirmed.

It is possibly one of the many things that the game is intentionally keeping vague!

(Also, I have received your follow-up question and am still hunting for info! :> Hope to answer soon!)

[stargazer-sims]

Journal Entry #9 (part one)

previous // next // story index

__________

Yuri

Hello, everyone. Yuri here.

The past few days haven’t been the easiest, and I’m not feeling well, but Victor’s home with me now and that makes everything more bearable. I’m exhausted, but I’m happy because I’m no longer on my own. It’s amazing what a difference it makes when you know you’re not alone.

A lot has happened since the last time I added anything to our journal, and It’s hard to believe that was only a little over a week ago. I suppose the most logical place to start this tale is with what happened before Victor got home. For that, I actually need to go back and explain to you about yesterday and the day before. That’s where this awful story really begins. You may be relieved to know that it does have a happier ending than beginning, but I’ll get to that.

You remember I told you that Victor’s mother is coming here? Well, Dr. Nelson telling me that she’s planning to pay us an extended visit isn’t the only unexpected announcement I’ve received, and if I thought the idea of Victor’s mother imminently landing on our doorstep was the most stressful thing I’d have to face this week, I would’ve been wrong. The events of yesterday and the day before topped that a hundredfold.

The day before yesterday, I’d just been going about my business in the evening, putting in a load of laundry and mentally weighing my options for dinner, when our landlady, Mrs. Ito, showed up. She’s not the type to make social calls, so I had no idea why she’d come over. I’d already paid our rent and given her the invoice from the repair service we’d hired to fix our oven. She had no other reason to be there as far as I knew.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one’s perspective, It didn’t take her long to come to the point. In an utterly matter of fact tone, she informed me that she’s planning to sell the house. She wants to start renovating it as soon as possible, and so Victor and I have to move out by the beginning of next month.

Needless to say, I was stunned by the news. I’ve been living in this house for four years, and it’s become more of a home to me than my family home was. It’s a modest house in a less desirable part of town and admittedly needs some repairs, but it’s cozy and it’s affordable, and I’m comfortable in it. The thought of losing the house I’d found and rented by myself with no help from my parents – the home I’ve made my own and now share with my soulmate – filled me with a mixture of heartache, trepidation and fear. Mrs. Ito must’ve seen the emotion on my face, but she didn’t seem the least bit apologetic when she said she was sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

To say I was concerned about this development would be an understatement. I panicked. I didn’t know two days ago, and I still don’t know how we’ll manage a move on such short notice or how we’re going to find somewhere else to live that we can afford. Matsumori isn’t the most budget-friendly town in our country when it comes to housing, and we’re currently a one-income household. Victor doesn’t have a full-time job at the moment. He’s going to look for one now that he’s back, but that doesn’t help us in the short term.

Why couldn’t Mrs. Ito have put this off for one more day? I wondered.

If she would’ve told us about this last night instead of Thursday night, Victor would’ve been here. To be fair, he’d probably have been panicking way more than I was, but at least we’d have heard about it together and we could’ve leaned on each other for support in the first moments after finding out.

I debated whether or not I should tell Victor about our now precarious housing arrangements during our nightly call. He’d be bursting to share everything about his last full day on Kainani Island and he'd be excited about the flight back, and I didn’t want to kill his enthusiasm by dropping something like this on him. Besides, there would be nothing he could do to help me with the situation between then and when he got home in any case, so I concluded it’d be best to wait.

After Mrs. Ito left, I sat at the kitchen table for a long time, staring at my untouched food. I hadn’t been hungry to begin with and I only had the goal of consuming a meal because I knew I was supposed to, but after Mrs. Ito’s bombshell announcement, there was no way I could make myself eat. It was too much of an effort; one I had neither the energy nor the motivation for. I covered the bowl of rice and vegetables, and put it into the fridge. Then, I made myself a mug of ginger tea and curled up with it on the sofa, hoping that the hot liquid would help settle my rebellious, painful stomach, even if it didn’t soothe my mind.

Please don’t let this be the start of a serious flare-up, I thought. Now would be the absolute worst time for me to be ill. I don’t need any extra problems.

The tea did not help. I couldn’t even finish it. I held the mug in my hands until it grew cold, wishing it had been a magical solution to everything that was bad about that day.

My mind raced with every possible worst-case scenario. I pictured us couch surfing at Takahiro and Seiji’s place, or possibly sleeping at the youth hostel for an uncomfortably long period of time. Neither of those was pleasant to contemplate, but the possibility that really frightened me was that Victor and I might be separated. I recoiled at the idea that he might have to go back to his country. If our housing situation was unstable for too long, it might have an effect on his immigration process, which was almost completed. We were so close to the point where he’d have permanent residence here, and I was already legitimately terrified that something would go wrong with it. I was certain I couldn’t bear it if he had to leave me, and the worst part was that it’d all be totally beyond our control.

Huddled on the sofa, miserable and scared, I felt completely lost and alone.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and began to dial a number from memory. My mother’s line rang several times, but she didn’t answer. It went through to voicemail instead. Just to hear the sound of her voice, I listened to the entirety of her voicemail greeting before I hung up.

Then I dialled another number.

In retrospect, I have no idea why I did it. I don’t know what I was thinking, to have even the slightest confidence that it’d be a good idea. But I suppose we all feel the pull of family in difficult times, even if our families aren’t the best source of support. Families are supposed to love us, and I expect we all live in hope, even just a little.

I regretted my actions almost instantly after my father’s line stopped ringing and I heard his voice.

“Kenji Okamoto here.” His tone was abrupt, irritated.

I fought the urge to hang up immediately, and took a steadying breath. “Papa, it’s Yuri.”

There was no greeting, no asking me how I was doing. It was just, “I’m busy, Yuri. What do you need?”

“I… don’t know,” I said, because all of a sudden I really didn’t. I might’ve been lonely and worried, but I would much rather have suffered in solitude than to face my father’s judgment. If Mama had answered her phone, I would’ve been able to tell her how I was feeling and she would’ve offered some empathy, but I wasn’t labouring under any false belief that my father would demonstrate either empathy or understanding.

Since feelings weren’t something he’d be interested in hearing about, I opted to be direct. “Victor and I have to move out of our house.”

“Why?” my father asked.

“The landlady is selling it.”

“Well,” he said. “Interesting. That might be a blessing in disguise.”

“What?” I blurted, caught off guard by his reaction. He almost seemed pleased about it.

“If you have to move out, then that man you’re living with can go back to whichever country he came from and you can come home so your mother can look after you properly.”

“That man I’m living with is my soulmate,” I said. “His name is Victor, and he looks after me.”

“I know his name. Does he have a job yet?”

“No, but—”

“Then, he’s not looking after you, is he?”

“Everything in life isn’t about money, you know,” I said. “Caring for someone isn’t all about what kind of financial contribution they make.”

My father made a derisive noise. “He’s not appropriate for you. There are plenty of acceptable people from here that you could be with. You didn’t need to take up with that foreigner, just to prove a point,” he said. “And if it’s not about money, why are you calling? If that man wasted less time on the mountain and spent more time doing something to help provide for you, I doubt you’d even be speaking to me right now.”

“I’m not asking you for money,” I told him. “And you don’t get to decide whether Victor is appropriate for me or not.“

"If you aren’t asking for money, then let me get back to my original question. What do you need?”

My composure was slipping, but I was absolutely desperate not to cry. I promised myself long ago that I would never let my father see or hear me cry again. I curled my free hand into a fist, digging the tips of my nails into the flesh of my palm and clenching my fingers so hard that they cramped. The pain helped me focus on something other than the huge knot in my stomach and the fierce burn of tears behind my eyes.

“I just needed to know that my family cares about me.” My voice was weak, even to myself. “I wanted to know that there’s someone I can rely on when I need help.”

“I care about you,” he said. He sounded offended. “I said you can come home, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but—"

"You’re more than welcome to come home and live with us, but you’re not to bring that foreigner into our house.”

That was the point at which I could no longer hold onto my self-control. “Stop referring to him like that! He has a name!”

“Fine,” said my father. “You may stay here without Victor. And I’ll thank you not to use that disrespectful tone with me in future, Yuri. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” I said. “Now, I hope you understand what I’m about to say to you. I called you because I thought, for once, you’d offer to do something to make life easier for me instead of more difficult, but I guess that was a mistake on my part, wasn’t it?”

“You know, your life wouldn’t be so difficult if you’d go about it more sensibly,” he declared.

“If I’d do everything you want me to, you mean,” I retorted.

“It’s easier to swim with the current than against it.”

“Well, maybe I don’t like the direction this particular river is flowing,” I said. “Thank you for the offer to let me come home, but I don’t want to live with you. I’m not interested in living anywhere Victor isn’t wanted, and I’m not accepting help that has conditions attached to it. I’m your son. This isn’t how it’s meant to go.”

“Yes, you are my son and I’m willing to fully support you, which is my duty as your parent. I have no obligation and no intention to support your… What did you call him? Your soulmate? Ridiculous.”

“There’s nothing ridiculous about my relationship with Victor. It’s a real relationship, and we belong together, whether you approve or not.”

“I don’t approve,” my father stated. “And I’m sorry if you feel that my refusal to provide for someone who should be providing for himself is a condition, but I see no sense in throwing my money at a lazy, freeloading foreigner. He’s already taken advantage of you. He will not be doing that to me and your mother.”

“Fine,” I said, my voice shaking with the effort to give the impression of calm. “You’ve made yourself perfectly clear. I suppose this means we’re done.”

“If you refuse to see reason, I suppose it does, but you’re free to call me again if you change your mind.”

There were a million furious replies in my brain, all competing to leave my mouth at once. I wanted to yell at my father, to act out every bit of anger and resentment and frustration he’d ever caused me to feel. But, of course I didn’t do it. There wouldn’t have been any point. It wouldn’t have made one bit of difference and the only result would’ve been that he’d say I was behaving like a spoiled child.

My father, Kenji Okamoto, isn’t the most easygoing person at the best of times. He’s an exacting man who demands nothing less than his vision of perfection from those around him. Being unable to meet his expectations is not a position anyone wants to find themselves in. Trust me. I’ve been living in that shadow for the past twenty-four years.

Of all the people in my father’s life, I think I disappoint him the most. What he wanted was a strong, capable and outgoing son who would marry a socially acceptable woman, give him grandchildren, and some day take over the leadership of our family’s internationally successful electronics company. What he got was me, a frail, introverted boy who’d rather spend time with his violin and his books than with most people, and who has no interest whatsoever in managing an organization that sells overpriced televisions and mobile phones to customers in other countries. He thinks that my job is insignificant, that my friends are irresponsible and shiftless, and that my hobbies are a waste of time. Worst of all, he despises my sweet, beautiful Victor.

Of everything my father has ever said or done to hurt me, the fact that he dislikes and disapproves of Victor hurts me most of all.

Victor makes me happy. He completes me, protects me, and treats me like I’m the most precious treasure in the world. He doesn’t see a timid, ill boy who needs constant care and supervision, like my family sees when they look at me. They think I’m weak and that I can’t manage my own life.

Victor says I’m delicate, but not to demean me in the way my father would if he said it. To Victor, delicacy isn’t the opposite of strength. He says I remind him of the maple saplings along the river in his hometown; they may look fragile and they may bend, but they rarely break even in the worst storms.

I was wretchedly unhappy before Victor came into my life. Although I had friends and a job and things I liked to do for fun, I still felt unwanted and unfulfilled. I needed the close human connection that I should’ve had with my family, and I needed to feel like I was important to somebody. My desperate wish was for someone – anyone – to look at me and tell me that I mattered. And then there was Victor, a complete stranger on the internet who saw me and found something in me that no one else ever had before.

Victor and I met four and a half years ago in an online group for snowboarding enthusiasts. Little did I suspect that a random comment on a photo would permanently alter the trajectory of my life.

I’d posted a picture of myself on the mountain that my friend Takahiro had taken, and Victor replied to it with a purple heart emoji and “You’re cute!” As you might imagine, that wasn’t the sort of response I’d expected, especially not for a weird photo of me jokingly clutching my snowboard against me like a lover, my hair sticking up crazily and my face pink from the cold. I was put off by the forwardness of it at first, but when I discovered a private message with a lengthy introduction from him the next day, I couldn’t help being intrigued.

We chatted every day after that, only through private messages on the website at first, but we quickly progressed to texts, phone calls and video chats. Then, nearly seventeen months ago, he moved here. I couldn’t possibly have been more thrilled when I understood that he intended to stay with me permanently.

I wish my father would try to understand how Victor and I care for each other, and how much our relationship means to both of us. I love Victor more than I’ve ever loved anyone, and he’s helped open up my world in ways I could never have imagined. I want my family to get to know the person I know. I want them to see the person who embraces everyone he meets as if they were never strangers, the one who isn’t afraid to try new things and encourages me to step past the barriers of my own fear, the impulsive, adventurous, affectionate and compassionate man who loves me unconditionally.

Victor has never done anything to disrespect my father or anyone else in my family. He’s tried his best to be courteous and kind, but it doesn’t seem to matter. My father can’t see past Victor’s differences from us, nor does he seem willing to overcome his prejudices. To him, Victor will always be an outsider, never belonging, a foreigner who should go back to where he came from.

I didn’t say goodbye to my father when our conversation was over. I lowered my phone and quietly pressed the ‘end call’ button.

On the verge of tears, the only other person I could think to call was Dr. Nelson, thousands of kilometres away. I didn’t know what she’d be doing or whether it’d be okay to interrupt her, but the last time we talked, she’d said I could call her if I needed anything. She may not have anticipated that I’d take her up on it so soon, but I really didn’t know who else I could turn to.

When she answered, she sounded as bright as always. “Grace Nelson speaking.”

“Dr. Nelson? It’s Yuri.”

“Hi, sweetheart,” she said. “What a surprise, getting two calls from you within a week! Everything all right?”

“No. I… I need…” But I couldn’t make it any further than that. The genuine concern and love in her voice when she asked if everything was okay was so vastly different from what I’d just experienced with my father, the emotional impact of it was too much for me. I couldn’t keep myself together any longer. Without really wanting to, but completely unable to stop myself, I started crying.

I needed to tell her why I was calling, but my attempts to get the whole story out only resulted in me stumbling over my words, gasping out incoherent sentences in the ragged breaths between sobs.

“Yuri!” Dr. Nelson’s tone was firm but kind. “I can’t understand you, sweetheart. I need you to speak English and slow down, okay? Can you do that for me?

I struggled to get my breathing evened out, which was no easy feat, but I was eventually able to reach a point where I could talk almost normally again. “I... I’m sorry.”

“Are you okay? And Victor?”

“Y-yes. Victor’s fine. He’s coming home tomorrow,” I said. “It’s something else. We need help, and my father was being completely unreasonable, and… and I don’t know what to do.”

“Tell me,” Dr. Nelson said gently. "Take your time.”

I told her the whole thing, about Mrs. Ito’s visit and about my conversation with my father, and my fears about what would happen to Victor and me. I felt awful about burdening her with it. I finished with, “With everything that’s happening, I don’t think you’ll be able to come visit us now. I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?” she said. “Of course I’m still coming. By the sound of things, the two of you are going to need me there more than ever.”

"But I don’t even know where Victor and I are going to stay after this, and I don’t want to trouble you.”

"Sweetheart, don’t you even think of worrying about that. Taking care of you and Victor isn’t any trouble to me, and I was planning to come anyway, wasn’t I? I’ll stay with you where you are right now, as long as we can, and then we’ll all stay together in your new home. Our visit might look a bit different than we’d planned, but that’s okay.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You’ve already said thank you. That’s enough. I’ll help you pack and arrange everything, and if you need a little extra money, I don’t mind helping you with that.”

Strangely, the idea of accepting money from Victor’s mother didn’t make me feel the same way my father’s offer of support had. Gratefully, I said, “I appreciate your help, and I’m sure Victor will too.”

“I’m the mom,” she said. “Helping my boys when they need me is what I do. It’s the only proper thing.”

My boys. I hadn’t missed the way Grace Nelson had included me, as if I were equal to Victor as her son. I wondered how it was possible that a woman from another country, who I’d never met face-to-face, could love me and care about me more than my own family did.

“Thank you so much,” I said, because I could think of nothing more adequate.

“When Victor gets home, give him a cuddle from me and tell him I’ll see him soon,” she said. “Try not to upset yourself too much over this. For the next little while, you’ll need all your strength.”

“Okay,” I said.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she promised. “Don't worry. Everything’ll be all right.”

[abba-disc0unt-plumbing]

[mimisempai]

You're the only light in my blurry world 1/10

Summary

After a serious motorcycle accident several years ago, Aziraphale is unable to recognize the faces of people he loves, let alone those he doesn't know. 

But when he met Crowley for the first time, he's able to see his beautiful face with absolute clarity.

Though, because of the way he keeps looking at him, Crowley thinks Aziraphale doesn't like him.

Notes

Once again, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm doing it anyway, and with conviction.

Masterpost for this fic : here

Crowley scratched the back of his head and sighed. 

He had that strange feeling again that he had had for several weeks. 

He felt watched.

"Crowley!"

He looked up at the person who had just called out to him and saw that it was Muriel, one of his new friends.

"Do you have to work later? We'd like to have dinner together so you can get to know us."

Crowley put his brush on the easel and replied with a smile, "Works for me!"

"Great."

Muriel walked away to a small group of people outside the hall door, and as soon as Muriel were gone, Crowley had the same strange feeling.

Ever since the day he'd arrived at the art class for adults, he'd felt someone watching him. The thing was, he knew who it was, but he hadn't dared bring it up yet. He was still new here and didn't want to draw more attention to himself. At least not that much.

After graduating as an astrophysicist and working several temporary jobs, Crowley had finally been hired on a permanent basis at the city's planetarium and was happy to finally settle down.

After adjusting to his new situation, he began looking for an art class, wanting to fulfill his second dream after studying stars and planets, to learn how to draw and paint.

After his father left her for another woman, it was his mother who raised him, sacrificing everything for Crowley's studies. Obviously, the family budget didn't allow for extras like an art class, and Crowley had waited patiently.

Three weeks ago he had discovered that there was an evening art class not far from his home and had applied. So far he'd enjoyed it. The art teacher knew how to make his class interesting and the group consisted of pretty nice people.

Except for...

**********

"Even though it's the middle of the year, I'm happy to welcome a new member to the class."

Crowley stepped into the middle of the group of about twenty people, all seated in front of easels, and approached the art teacher, who continued, "Anthony Crowley, you may introduce yourself, okay?"

Crowley turned to the small group and said with a friendly smile, "Hello everyone, my name is Anthony Crowley, but I prefer to be called Crowley. I started working at the planetarium a few weeks ago where I give lectures and teach classes for 8-15 year olds. I-"

He was rudely interrupted by a crash and turned his head to where the noise had come from to see that an easel had been knocked over as one of the class members had just gotten up. The first thing that struck Crowley was the slightly old-fashioned way the guy was dressed, especially the curly blond hair that formed a kind of halo around his head. 

As the other members of the class chuckled slightly, the clumsy fellow who had dropped his easel stammered, "Ah... uh... sorry, I'm sorry."

Instead of sitting down, however, he remained standing, glaring at Crowley, who wondered what the hell was wrong with him.

Probably another lunatic.

"So, Crowley, what can you tell us about yourself?"

Crowley snapped out of his thoughts and forgot about the clumsy guy as he replied, "It's a small group, everyone will know me soon enough."

The professor laughed and replied, "You're not wrong," then pointed to an empty seat two rows in front of the odd guy. 

As Crowley sat down, his seatmate asked, "Wow, your hair color is just gorgeous. Do you dye it yourself?"

Crowley smiled and shook his head before answering, "No, it's a friend who dyes my hair."

"Oh, could you give me their number?"

"I'll give you the address of her hair salon."

The person in front of him turned around and asked, "Why are you taking these classes?"

"I've always wanted to draw."

"That's cool!"

Then they turned to the one who had asked Crowley about his hair and smirked as they said, "Don't tell me you want the same hair color as Crowley?"

"Hell no!"

"I'm relieved because it wouldn't suit you at all. My little blonde darling."

"Hey!"

However, during the happy conversation, Crowley had a strange feeling.

Like he was being watched.

He turned to see the guy who'd dropped his easel staring at him again, then looking away as soon as their eyes met.

**********

The stares had not stopped since it happened three weeks ago.

As he joined his new friends, Crowley couldn't help but look back.

Eric, seeing this, put his hand on his arm and asked, "Hey, what are you looking at?"

Crowley shook his head and replied, "Nothing, I just remembered something weird." He then shook his head and continued, "So, what were you talking about?"

Muriel looked sad and replied, "It breaks my heart to know you weren't listening.

Crowley laughed and replied, "Sorry, sorry."

Still, he could feel the stare and it was beginning to annoy him a lot.

"Crowley?"

Crowley replied to his new friends, "Look, I have to do something, so I'll meet you at the restaurant, okay?"

"Ah? Okay, let's go then!"

"See ya!"

Aziraphale, packing his things into his bag, didn't see Crowley coming toward him and was startled when he called out, "Hey, mate! What's the matter, you got a problem with me?"

Aziraphale, more than a little surprised, stammered, "C-Crowley?"

The red-haired man replied in annoyance, "What? You've been watching me since I arrived in this class, but we don't know each other, do we?"

Aziraphale blushed slightly, said nothing and lowered his head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I..."

He looked up again and felt the other man's expression soften, but Crowley insisted in a more inquisitive tone, "So, there's a problem? You got something against me?"

Aziraphale shook his head quickly and replied, "No, no! Really nothing!"

"Then if it's nothing, stop looking at me like that! It makes me super uncomfortable."

Aziraphale didn't have time to react because Crowley had turned on his heel and was walking away toward the art classroom door.

Now alone, Aziraphale muttered, "I guess he hates me, and I can't even tell him why I was looking at him..."

*********

"James! I'm here!"

Aziraphale arrived in front of his lover, who tossed him a motorcycle helmet, which he grabbed.

James planted a light kiss on his lips before saying, "Put it on."

Then, after putting on his own helmet, he climbed on the motorcycle and said to Aziraphale, "Climb behind me and hold me tight."

Aziraphale, with butterflies in his stomach as he always did when he was with his lover, climbed on the bike, pressed himself against James' broad back, and wrapped his arms around his waist.

He asked, "Where are we going today?

His lover put his hands on Aziraphale's and playfully replied, "You'll know when we get there."

Aziraphale remembered the wind as the motorcycle accelerated, the sun on his face, his chest against his lover's back.

After that, all he could remember was hearing his name called out in James' voice.

A pool of blood beneath his hand.

The hard asphalt on his cheek.

And then, as his eyes closed, his last memory was the panicked face of his lover.

**********

Aziraphale sighed as he left the art classroom.

"If I had known it would be the last time I saw his face..."

The first thing he remembered when he regained consciousness after the accident three years ago was his mother's voice.

**********

"Mom?"

Then he'd felt his mother's arms wrap around his shoulders and hug him as she cried against him.

When his mother stepped back, he finally opened his eyes after a few moments and asked, "It's weird...why is everything I see blurry?"

His mother stroked his cheek and replied, "That's normal, you were hit on the head and unconscious for three days. But you'll be fine now."

She got up to call the nurse.

"Mom, wait! What about James?"

He didn't see his mother's expression as she approached the bed. She started to speak, but tiredness was the strongest, so Aziraphale couldn't fight it and closed his eyes.

**********

Aziraphale shook his head and said to himself, "There's no point in dwelling on the past."

Suddenly, the ringing of his cell phone brought him out of his thoughts for good.

He took his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had a text message from someone whose number he didn't know.

He slid his thumb across the screen, and as Aziraphale read the text, his heart leapt.

Hi Zira!

Long time no see!

I hope you haven't forgotten me!

I'm sorry about what happened. 

Are you free? I'd like to have dinner with you.

James..

Received 7:00 p.m.

Aziraphale began typing a reply.

No, I'm busy right now.

Then he deleted, retyped, and finally decided not to reply. Before putting his phone back in his pocket, he looked at James' message again.

You haven't forgotten me, I hope!

Aziraphale muttered, "How could I?"

Then, seeing the front of his bookshop in the distance, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It had been an emotional evening between the Crowley discussion and his ex contacting him after three years of silence, so he was looking forward to being home soon.

He murmured, "First thing I need is a drink."

Feeling that there were only unfriendly faces around him, Aziraphale did not really ease up until he walked through the door of his haven of peace.

As soon as he closed the front door behind him, he put his things in a corner. Then he went into the back room of the bookshop, poured himself a glass of sherry and turned on the gramophone before sinking into his old armchair.

After a sip, enjoying the burn of the alcohol in his throat, he exhaled slowly and closed his eyes.

Aziraphale tried to remember James' face, but in the end, another face appeared.

Crowley's, of course.

He ran his hand over his face, cursing his karma.

An ex-lover who seemed to want to reconnect, but whose face he couldn't remember, and for whom his heart no longer beat.

An angry potential love interest who was the only face he recognized and who made him feel things he hadn't felt in a long time.

He took another sip.

"I'm doomed."

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here 

[sirfrogsworth]

I actually looked into changing my diet to be more animal friendly. Finding food that is inexpensive, lasts a long time, easy to prepare, fits with in my budget, is high protein and low carb, tastes good enough that I won't get sick of it, and isn't horrendously unhealthy... it just wasn't going to happen.

My bestie is vegan. It takes a lot of time, energy, money, and willpower. I think people underestimate how difficult that willpower aspect is to overcome. When you are exhausted, fatigued, and depressed, managing a strict diet of any kind is very challenging.

I think we should all consume less meat. And I think we need to make it easier and cheaper for folks to be able to make that choice.

But I don't think shaming disabled people for eating eggs is going to help animals very much.

Also, does anyone find it odd that the only art they ever throw soup on cannot actually be harmed by soup? They never seem to attempt that on the myriad other art that doesn't have protection. If I can put on my tin foil hat for a second, I honestly wonder if some oil lobby is hiring kids to make climate activists look bad.

[food-donation]

Choosing the Best Interiors for Your Home

Your home’s interior reflects your personality and style. Whether you prefer modern minimalism, cozy rustic vibes, or luxurious elegance, here’s how to choose the best interiors within a budget:

1. Define Your Style

Identify your preference—contemporary, traditional, Scandinavian, or eclectic. Browse Pinterest or Instagram for inspiration.

2. Focus on Functionality

Prioritize comfort and usability. Opt for multi-functional furniture, smart storage, and durable materials.

3. Play with Colors & Textures

Neutral tones create a timeless look, while bold accents add character. Mix textures like wood, metal, and fabrics for depth.

4. Lighting Matters

Layer lighting with ambient, task, and accent lights. Natural light enhances space, so use sheer curtains or mirrors.

5. Budget-Friendly Choices

Shop during sales, explore thrift stores, or DIY decor. Small changes like new cushions or wall art can refresh a room.

6. Hire a Professional (If Needed)

For a polished look, consult an interior designer—many offer affordable packages.

With the right approach, you can create a stunning home without overspending!

#HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #BudgetFriendly #StylishLiving #DecorInspo #ModernInteriors #HomeMakeover

[screenmobile]

Can You Enclose a Screened Porch? Here’s What You Need to Know

A screened porch is great for enjoying the outdoors without dealing with pesky bugs, but what if you want more protection from the elements? Whether you’re looking to extend your living space, create a cozy sunroom, or add value to your home, enclosing a screened porch can be a game-changer. But is it a simple weekend project, or are there more factors to consider? Let’s break it down.

Why Enclose a Screened Porch?

People decide to enclose their porches for all kinds of reasons, but here are some of the most common ones:

Weather Protection – Rain, wind, and even pollen can make a screened porch less enjoyable. Enclosing it provides shelter.

Year-Round Use – Instead of only enjoying the space in mild weather, you can use it during colder months too.

Increased Home Value – A fully enclosed porch can be a major selling point for future buyers.

Better Insulation – Whether you're keeping out the cold in winter or the heat in summer, an enclosed porch can help regulate temperatures.

More Privacy – Glass or solid enclosures offer more seclusion compared to a screened space.

Extra Living Space – It can function as an extended living room, office, or even a playroom for kids and pets.

So, if you’re tired of sweeping out leaves every morning or dodging rain showers, enclosing your porch might be exactly what you need.

What Are Your Enclosure Options?

Not all porch enclosures are the same, and your choice depends on what you’re hoping to achieve.

Glass Windows (Three-Season or Four-Season Rooms)

This is a popular choice if you want to turn your screened porch into a sunroom or all-season space. You can go with single-pane windows (great for mild climates) or double-pane insulated glass if you want to keep it cozy year-round.

Pros:

Keeps out rain, wind, and pollen

Adds insulation for better temperature control

Looks sleek and modern

Cons: 

More expensive than some other options

Requires structural adjustments if adding heavy glass

Vinyl or Acrylic Panels

If glass sounds too pricey, vinyl or acrylic panels can be a more affordable alternative. They still provide protection from the elements but aren’t as heavy-duty as glass.

Pros:

Budget-friendly

Can be removed for airflow during warmer months

More durable than screens

Cons:

Scratches more easily than glass

Not as insulating

Plexiglass or Polycarbonate Panels

These materials are somewhere between glass and vinyl—lighter than traditional glass but sturdier than vinyl panels. They offer great UV protection and won’t shatter like standard glass.

Pros:

Stronger than acrylic or vinyl

Less expensive than glass

Good UV protection

Cons:

May discolor over time

Can be more expensive than basic vinyl panels

Full-Wall Enclosures (Turning Your Porch into an Extension of Your Home)

For those who want a fully enclosed space that blends seamlessly with the rest of the house, adding full walls and insulation can transform your porch into a true home addition. This approach requires more construction but gives you a permanent new room.

Pros:

Adds the most value to your home

Completely shields from outdoor elements

Can be insulated and heated/cooled

Cons:

The most expensive option

May require building permits and contractor work

What About DIY vs. Hiring a Pro?

You might be tempted to grab some materials and tackle the project yourself, but should you? It depends on the complexity of your enclosure.

When DIY Works Well

If you're adding removable vinyl panels or simple window inserts.

If you're comfortable with minor framing adjustments.

If you're replacing old screens with sturdier materials like plexiglass.

When You Should Call a Professional

If you’re converting the space into a fully insulated room.

If you need electrical or HVAC work.

If local building codes require permits for structural changes.

If you want a high-end, polished look that increases your home’s resale value.

Hiring a professional (like Screenmobile South Bend) ensures that your enclosed porch meets safety standards, looks great, and lasts for years.

Keep in mind that labor costs, permit fees, and additional upgrades (like heating, cooling, or flooring) can push the price higher.

Key Things to Consider Before Enclosing Your Porch

Before you jump in, here are some factors to think about:

1. Local Building Codes & Permits

Some cities require permits for major modifications. If you’re in South Bend, check with your local zoning office to avoid fines or headaches down the road.

2. Insulation & Heating

If you plan to use the space year-round, you’ll need insulation and possibly a heating/cooling system. A mini-split unit or space heater might do the trick.

3. Flooring Considerations

Your current flooring might not be designed for an enclosed space. If your porch is over a crawl space, you may need to add insulation or a subfloor to prevent drafts.

4. Budget & Long-Term Plans

Think about whether this is a short-term upgrade or a long-term investment. Spending more upfront for quality materials can save you from costly repairs later.

Is Enclosing Your Screened Porch Worth It?

Absolutely—if it fits your lifestyle and budget. Whether you're creating a cozy sunroom, a bug-free retreat, or an extended living space, enclosing a screened porch can bring serious benefits. Just weigh your options, plan carefully, and consider working with professionals like Screenmobile South Bend for a smooth process.

Ready to transform your porch? Get started with a consultation and bring your vision to life!