#Like if i get a job at the animal shelter this summer maybe i can make some savings

[allurilove]

I admire how fast you write fics lol

Can we get part two of the rejecttion of our classmates lol? Like how is the rest of the summer. I imagine us having to go back to school.

Yandere Classmate’s

For the rest of the summer, they are both pretty miserable. Yearbook guy hasn’t been rejected before, and usually he does that, so it’s a weird change for him. He would just mope around in private, being able to express his true feelings by shoving his face into his pillow. But he’s not a crier, if anything it makes him more determined to become the best man for you. He’s already got the looks, house, and all the superficial stuff to win you over, and now he just had to work on impressing you.

Your phone blows up a couple of times, and when you look over, you see an insta request from yearbook guy. And when you continue to ignore, and don’t accept within a minute, he continues to keep asking. You reluctantly accept in the end, scrolling on his feed to see a couple of pictures of him working at a dog rescue shelter- the pics already garnering quite the likes. Yearbook guy continues to volunteer, do amazing social work, and on his downtime he plays golf at his country club. And of course, he’s teaching little kids how to play sports. He gets frustrated when you don’t respond to any of his posts and stories, and he ignores the text messages from anyone else.

When school finally starts, he might just confront you about not interacting with his posts, and make you feel bad about not caring for the poor dogs or his charity work. But really, he’s hesitant to come up to you. Knowing you absolutely despise him, he doesn’t know what to do really. So he’ll leave you alone for now, maybe if he gave you space, you would realize how much you actually do like him.

Yandere classmate is definitely more stressed out. He has a bunch of these jobs he signed up for- just so he could see you, but now it was going to be awkward since you rejected him. He goes to work everyday, hoping you wouldn’t show up, and when his shift ends he has to quickly run to his next one. He’s making decent money at least, being able to buy more stuff of his favorite sanrio character. He holds his plushie tight when he goes to sleep, his eyes closing and he dreams of you that night.

It doesn’t help that his feet automatically follows you wherever you go. Your schedule is already ingrained in his head that he is at the place you would go to for fun. He sighed as he realized he walked into the same arcade you were in, and he hides in the corner to see you smile, and to see the way your eyes sparkle underneath the artificial lights. When you aren’t able to get the stuffed animal you wanted from the claw machine, he starts to fish out a couple of coins and subtly drops it your way. He keeps doing that until you were able to get the prize you wanted.

When he has to go back to school he tried to catch up on all his homework. His grades were pretty bad since he skipped a lot to see you, and now he was suffering from the consequences. And every math question seemed to lead to you. Soon enough, his paper was just scribbles of your name.

[merotwst]

CAN I GO WHERE YOU GO? ‹ . first years›

· bulleted hcs

⇝what happens to you five years after graduation?

[ n: another 135 followers celebratory post. as promised, i have now made an sfw fic in contrast to that other uh,, more sinful one i posted last night. thank u again for all ur support everyone ! ]

⑇

⑇

ace trappola ‹ heartslabyul ›

. wow, you've come this far with ace?

. you're planning your future with him? seems like only yesterday you both were bickering in front of the seven statues.

. you started dating on your second year at nrc and boy was it a wild ride.

. year one after graduation was the year you told crowley you were going to stay at twisted wonderland for good.

. it was also the year you, ace and deuce started looking for a job.

. it was a pretty rough start littered with failed interviews and long nights—but you and ace always had each other's arms to fall back into at the end of the day

. year two was the year you and ace took a very memorable trip to the scalding sands

. where he underestimated the spiciness of the curry you ordered and regretted every singe decision he's made in his life as he sat at the toilet for hours on end that night, much to your amusement

. you did warn him

. but the scenery, the people, the beautiful cultural colors embodied by the silks being sold at the market while you wafted through the busy crowd holding hands as to not lose each other

. that trip was a core memory and you both considered moving to the scalding sands at some point when life was more stable for both of you

. year three when you asked him to move in with you. why'd it take you this long to move in with each other? well, because ace was the one asking you to move in to his crappy apartment and you always refused

. he spends most of his nights at your place anyway. he was just too lazy to be the one packing boxes and cleaning up

. when he finally caved, you didn't even try to hide your fist bump and squeal of excitement earning eyerolls from your boyfriend in the process

. deuce helped you guys pack and move and you three spent the night in the living room drinking and reminiscing and just chatting away

. it felt like the sleepovers you had at ramshackle back in your nrc days

. year four was the year you passed by a newly built animal shelter on your way to visit his family one summer

. it was really just supposed to be you guys checking the place out and maybe giving donations

. but this one australian shepherd was sat in one of the cages and he was giving ace a look that he couldn't ignore

. ughhh he hated being soft. but he couldn't help but reach into the cage and give the pup a little pet on the head

. when i tell you his heart skipped a beat when it did a little happy dance as he approached, i mean it full on stopped for a full minute because of the cuteness

. so you arrive at the trappola family home with a new addition to your own little trappola family, happily seated at the backseat of your car

. year five when you and ace were laying in bed, talking about all the years you spent together

. you've never felt luckier to have him by your side through thick and thin

. you couldn't imagine wanting to be in anybody else's arms than the ones holding you right now

. a scratch at the door and you both gave each other knowing looks of amusement. ace got off the bed to open the door

. the hyperactive, large fluffy boy, no longer a puppy. no he's gone way past that he was so big now and you both adored him.

. he zoomed into the bedroom and made himself comfortable by your side—shamelessly stealing ace's spot on the bed causing his dad to get all pouty and whining about wanting his spot back next to you but the dog wasn't budging

. you laughed

. this was your life now and you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world

⑇

deuce spade ‹ heartslabyul ›

. deuce and you have only started dating after you graduated

. and everyone's huffs of ‘it's about time’ could be heard once the news reached them

. deuce desperately wanted to give you the life you deserved and you constantly reassured him that no matter what life you both would live, you would stick by his side

. especially on the first year after graduating. out of the three of you (you, ace and deuce), deuce had the hardest time finding a job that he liked and felt comfortable being in

. it was a huge adjustment and he had a hard time, but you were always there to remind him that no matter what happened, you weren't leaving. that was all he needed to keep going.

. a lot of this year was also spent getting to know his mom. at her insistence, you and deuce stayed at her home for the first year

. she was a lovely woman who treated you just like her very own child. she loved you and deuce dearly and likewise you've grown to love her as though she were your own mother

. the second year, you and deuce got an apartment and moved out.

. it took a lot of convincing for mrs. spade to finally let you two leave (she couldn't help but tear up a bit seeing as how her two lovelies were all grown up), but she finally caved

. it was a medium sized apartment in the middle of the city and not far from where ace worked so he would often come by to visit you guys or sometimes he'd crash at your place since it was closer

. you guys ended up just giving him a spare key at this point as he was so often visiting anyway

. year three was when a reunion was held at nrc. everyone you knew and were close to had come by and no words can express how much you all missed each other

. everyone gathered around chatting and catching up, deuce grabbed you hand and squeezed it three times

. you looked up at him and he gave you the most loving smile you'd ever seen. it almost even seemed like he was about to tear up. a soft whisper of ‘i love you’ escaped his lips, just for you to hear

. he's never been more grateful for anything in his life. amazing friends, a loving mom and the love of his life by his side

. year four when you got your promotion and you had to move for your job. that was another big step in your relationship.

. a long distance relationship? could you guys handle it?

. you guys had a long talk and decided that deuce would move with you. where you went, he would go.

. he left his job, you left your apartment.

. ace acted as if you both were breaking up with him. where was he supposed to crash now?

. well, that was for him to figure out.

. you and your boyfriend moved to a new place six hours away from the main city and got a new apartment, it was smaller than the last one but it was comfortable for you both.

. and this time around, deuce got a job faster than you both expected and you celebrated with the bottle of wine his mom had given you as a little congratulatory gift when you got promoted.

. everything was perfect between the two of you.

. year five was when one of deuce's cousins went on vacation and asked if his family could stay around your apartment for a day.

. you didn't mind a little company so you agreed.

. the next week, his cousin came with his wife and his two kids.

. the way you handled the children, cradling the baby in your arms and playing with the older one made him think of a future where it's more than just the two of you.

. could you be able to pull it off? would he be a good father?

. but when you turned to look at him after gently cooing at the small infant in your arms and smiled, all doubts faded in his mind.

. you both could pull anything off together and someday, hopefully, maybe even a family.

⑇

jack howl ‹ savanaclaw ›

. you and jack graduated without ever telling each other how you felt.

. so your first year after graduating was spent separately. you were with ace and deuce in queendom and he was all the way over in the northern shaftlands.

. you both looked for jobs and occasionally you both would think about each other and wonder how each of you were doing and what you were up to.

. he often thought of reaching out, but decided against it. there were too many ‘what ifs’ for his liking. plus, what was he supposed to talk to you about? no, it was too risky for him so he just opted not to do anything rash.

. the second year, he got an email notifying that he and five other alumni would be in charge of the reunion next year.

. when jack went to check who the other four he was supposed to be working with were, he wasn't expecting to see your name and his heart started racing.

. this was his chance—your email was right underneath your name. of course, it would just be for planning the next reunion and nothing more but it also wouldn't hurt to catch up...

. as he was typing out his email to you—deleting, replacing, drafting—hey, should he attach a picture of himself? would that be too much? oh boy, his thoughts were going way too fast his hands couldn't keep up.

. a notification. and email. your name. jack having a mental stroke.

. you said you were emailing because you were both in the planning committee, but asked how he was and attached a photo of yourself.

. and wow you got so much more gorgeous.

. he responded and before you both knew it, you exchanged numbers and started texting instead.

. the late night texting turned into calls and you were talking each night.

. and when the reunion finally happened on the third year, you were both so nervous to see each other again. after a year of talking on the phone, you were both physically able to touch each other and talk face to face. way too many things could happen but you knew one thing was for sure—you would tell jack how you felt.

. even though you were a working adult, it felt like you were about to confess to a middle school crush. and you couldn't even see each other as often.

. but when you both finally saw each other, you couldn't help but run into his arms in a tight embrace. you fit there perfectly, as if you were always meant to be there.

. and to your surprise, jack confessed first and butterflies fluttered in your stomach.

. the rest if that reunion was spent chatting and catching up with your old classmates and being held by jack in his arms.

. now that he has you, he's never letting go.

. year four was spent the same way as the second year. you lived apart from each other so late night video calls that lasted hours were your bonding time for a while.

. until one day, you came home and jack was in your apartment.

. the way you dropped your groceries on the floor was all caught in video by ace.

. your friends decided to surprise you by flying jack all the way from shaftlands to queendom to celebrate your birthday.

. so you blew your candles, drank a bit and talked with everyone in the room.

. when ace and deuce went home, jack and you were the only ones left.

. he pulled out a little box from one of his bags. it was a snow globe. at first you thought it was an ordinary snow globe, but upon further inspection you noticed that the two characters inside were—

. “that's you and me. i had it custom made,” jack said with a blush on his cheeks, “i know it isn't much, but that's supposed to be how you and me are gonna look like if ever you visit my hometown.”

. year five was the year you got off a plane at an airport in shaftlands. jack was there with a girl who looked similar to him.

. it was hid sister. and though you'd only seen her and talked through video calls, she hugged you as if you were a long lost friend.

. you got in jack's truck, driving north away from the city. his sister talking and asking about you. she shared many silly things about jack when they were growing up, much to jack's embarassment.

. the paved roads soon became covered in white and the temperature grew colder. suddenly, everything around you was covered in snow. it felt like a winter wonderland.

. when you arrived at the howls', you were greeted by the warmth of the fireplace in the cabin, away from the city and near the mountains.

. the embrace of his family also welcomed you. mrs. howl was delighted to finally meet the person that made her jackie so happy.

. you now call him that just to see him blush.

. one night, he took you up the mountains nearby. he didn't explain why, it was supposed to be a surprise.

. you trusted your lover. so you took his hand and he helped you navigate the roads around the woods.

. it wasn't a long walk and jack kept offering to carry you on his back if ever you got tired—which you honestly didn't. in fact, it was quite delightful talking with jack while having a little midnight climb.

. once you reached the peak, you saw the view. the stars were littered in almost every inch of the sky. it was the most beautiful sight you've ever seen.

. “get ready for the main event,” the wolf grinned, grabbing your hand, “look up.”

. and right as you did, you saw the first aurora borealis streaks form in the sky. you caught them right above you and you couldn't help but gasp, mesmerized by the sight.

. he squeezed you hand and you squeezed back.

. the week passed you by in a flash. it was a great trip. jack didn't want to let go at the airport, but you had a flight to catch.

. you went back to your daily routine of video calls, but this time, everytime you see the picture frame beside the snow globe he gave you—the picture resembled the two characters in the snow globe the exact same way.

. you couldn't help but think how you wanted to come back there and, just maybe, even stay for good.

⑇

epel felmier ‹ pomefiore ›

. similar to deuce, you and epel started dating shortly after you graduated.

. your relationship was quiet and only a few other people knew about it at first, but it didn't come as a shock to them when they found out.

. you two have always seemed close anyway. it was only a matter of time.

. the first year after graduation, he took you back to his hometown in harveston for a little visit.

. it was such a small town and most of the population were elderly, but it was quite a lovely place.

. everyone was welcoming and happy to finally see epel's significant other.

. his grandma was the most excited out of all of them. she couldn't stop going off about how beautiful you looked and how epel was lucky to have someone as intelligent as you.

. she told stories about epel when he was younger—pulled out the photo albums and all and epel was desperately trying to save himself from embarassment.

. his grandmother was having none of it and sent him to go prepare you some apple pie while she continued to talk to you.

. it was also the year you decided to extend your stay at harveston to help out at the orchards. you learned how to make apple delicacies, juice and others.

. you hadn't even realized it's been a year since you decided to stay.

. and year two was the year you decided to stay permanently in the small town.

. you quite enjoyed the quietness and simplicity of everything around you.

. epel's family adored you. from the little kids to the grandparents. it was as if you've always been part of it.

. you started working at the little flower shop in town and helped out at the apple farm as often as you could.

. it was a quiet life with epel so far and you liked it that way.

. year three, was when one of the elderly residents passed away peacefully. she had owned a cat who now needed a new home.

. so, you and your boyfriend volunteered to take her home.

. the cat didn't like epel at first, hissing at him when he got close. but you were a natural and the animal loved you and purred whenever you scratched and pet it.

. epel, however, only got growls and scratched on his arms from the fluffball.

. so you made it your mission to have your new daughter and boyfriend to get along.

. so while epel was fast asleep and your cat was also drowsily napping in your arms, you gently placed her on his stomach while he slept.

. she didn't object. in fact, she started purring against him.

. after that, she didn't seem to mind epel as much anymore. of course, she was still much closer to you, but she didn't scratch or hiss at him anymore. and occasionally, she'd even sleep beside him.

. year four was the year you and epel got yourselves magical brooms.

. you had the idea of using the brooms to pick the apples much easier and more fun.

. epel loved the idea seeing as how he was excellent at flight.

. he would zoom around the orchard and you would carry the basket on your own broom following after him as he tossed the apples into the basket.

. you were both a team, even after he got tangled in one of the tree branches and fell—injuring his arm in the process, you were there for him.

. you took over his duties and helped around the house doing his own chores for him. and he thought that was pretty sweet.

. often you'd see him in a bench with your cat as he watched you sweep at the leaves in the backyard, a content smile on his face and a ball of fur purring contentedly beside him.

. year five was when ace, deuce and jack came to visit harveston.

. it was time for one of the festivals and it had gotten quite busy. all the hustling and bustling of the small town filled you with excitement, as it did every year.

. but with your friends coming over this year, it seemed twice as exciting.

. you and epel gave them all a warm embrace after the got out of a taxi and welcomed them to the town.

. the residents greeted the men with happy smiles and warm embraces.

. you had so much fun, it felt like you were back at your nrc days again.

. and at the peak of the festivities, epel had managed to get you alone in your bedroom—well, except for your cat who was sprawled out on the bed in a starfish position.

. but you expected that. what you didn't expect was epel pulling out a ring from behind him.

. there were no fancy candles or roses. no fireworks, no orchestra. just you, him and the constant purring of your cat.

. but you didn't hesitate to say yes.

. because this was just how you wanted it to be. simple, happy, content and in love. you couldn't ask for anything better.

. when you told everyone, they all cheered adding one more occasion to the festival. the congratulations, the best wishes and the embraces from your friends.

. everything was perfect and you couldn't be happier.

⑇

sebek zigvolt ‹ diasomnia ›

. bitchless

. still holds out hope malleus would date him instead

. sorry sebek stans, but yall keep losing with this man

. only benefits u get from him are free dental checkups from his dad

. bye 👋

⑇

© merotwst 2022 · do not copy, translate or reproduce.

[sophie-looks-at-stuff]

Some random modern HotD headcanons :)

Hey y’all! So I kept thinking of some funny, and very specific headcanons for the HotD characters, so I decided to just make it a whole post. This will actually be my first “legit” post on here, lol! Anyways, this will include some headcanons about Aemond, Aegon II, Luke, Jace, Daemon, Rhaenyra, Helaena, etc. But hope y’all enjoy lol! :)

Ok, I am convinced that Aemond has a secret stash of tea hidden somewhere. He's even put them all in a very nice ornate, antique box. It's his guilty pleasure. He probably would have some Earl Gray, English Breakfast, maybe even some lavender mint for the evenings. He'd keep it secret because all the teas he's gotten are way too expensive, and special.

Luke is an avid Minecraft gamer. Like he's basically built Dragonstone, and the Red Keep in his server. He'll play sometimes with Jace, or maybe even Aegon. But he doesn't let them into that world. Aegon would probably blow it all up with TnT.

Speaking of gaming, I think some people are on the same page that Aegon would be some kind of gamer. He'd be up to date on all the new systems and gadgets. He'd be one of the firsts to have the PS5 when it came out. He probably plays a lot of Call of Duty. Maybe even some Valorant when he doesn't wanna fire up the PS. He'd definitely be cursing and yelling at the game, to the point where Alicent threatens to take it away.

While Rhaenyra watches her shows, House Wives, Rupaul's Drag Race, etc. Daemon pretends to be not interested, but really he's super invested. He'd be leaning against the couch, or the wall totally sucked in. And when Rhaenyra tells him to just sit down and watch with her, he's all like, "no no I don't even like this show". But then he'd say things like, "Well maybe if her gown was better made she wouldn't have been eliminated last episode".

Aegon gives me frat boy energy. And I know I'm not the first to say that lol. You already know he's planning all the parties, and picking the themes. I like to think he'd be very invested into picking the themes. They would be things like, dragon night, wear your fave dragon scale colors. Or something like, Dragonstone beach night, wear your swim suits and flip flops.

Alicent likes to knit. Or maybe crochet? It's her stress reliever activity after dealing with Aegon, and the rest of the boys. Helaena is always giving her new patterns or designs to try.

I think Alicent also likes to take the occasional Buzzfeed quiz. "If you were a cake flavor, here's what you'd be based on your star sign".

Helaena runs a very successful tik tok account. She'd post her outfits, and maybe some art or cool bugs she's found.

Aegon listens to a lot of Megan Thee Stallion and Kim Petras. He's blasting Kim Petras' Treat me like a Slut at least 5 times a day. He gets ready to it in the morning.

Aemond will get down to some Amy Winehouse.

Jace works at the local animal shelter as his summer job. He only got the job cause Rhaenyra said he needed to get out of the house. Plus Helaena also works there, so she helped him get hired.

Aemond would be a great bartender. Not with like actually interacting with customers, but he can make some great drinks. Like he's over here coming up with all these crazy cocktails. Although, like his tea obsession he keeps this on the low. He doesn't want Aegon asking him to make drinks all the time. Gods forbid he asks Aemond to bartend at one of the frat parties.

Helaena was a Monster High girl growing up.

Aemond has a motorcycle. It was his one rebellious purchase. Alicent hates it.

Luke can kick Aegon's ass in any game, video or otherwise. You name it, Call of Duty, UNO, Valorent, Go fish...

Rhaenyra has a bit of a sweet tooth, but she has to hide her candy stash, cause the boys will steal it in a heartbeat. Who would have thought Daemon would love lemon drops so much.

I really could go on forever, these are just too fun to write. But I'll leave it here for now lol.

[swagcoolcat]

Be More Chill kids and high school + college jobs:

Jeremy: I think Jeremy would first work at like- a mall GameStop. He started there because of the employee discount, but he’s not as into it as he originally hoped because there’s a lot of kids that come in and he gets easily overstimulated. He eventually decides to work somewhere that isn’t at the mall, and does stock somewhere that he doesn’t have to interact with as many people. By the time he’s made it to college, he finds a similar job. I think he’d eventually want to something with his English degree.

Michael: It takes Michael a little longer to find a solid job to stick with. He works at GameStop like Jeremy, then 7-11, then a pet store, but it’s just to get him through high school. He doesn’t find a more permanent job until he becomes a barista at his on campus coffee shop. I think he’d wanna freelance and be his own boss after college.

Rich: I think Rich would actually do really well in a kitchen setting. As he heals over time, he’d learn to really love cooking, and the chaos of a kitchen would really help him in enjoying his shifts. He’d start as a dishwasher, but eventually he’d stick there long enough to make it to management. He works as many hours as he can so he can move out as quickly as possible.

Jake: It takes Jake a long time to find a permanent job. His job history is a long list of places he didn’t last at longer than a couple months. Jake has just spent so much time trying to impress everyone that he still doesn’t really know who he is or what he wants, and when jobs get a bit too hard, he wants to quit. I feel like he also did lifeguarding over the summer one year and was gonna do it again until he broke his legs. He eventually finds something he really likes after high school, perhaps something relating to photography if possible, because I hc that photography is one of the only clubs Jake really enjoyed just for him.

Christine: I think Christine would try to go for something that would let her be a bit creative. I think even before she gets a job, she’d end up volunteering over the summers. After high school she tries to do as much theater as possible. It’s her passion, and she’d love to continue doing it.

Brooke: To start I could see her going for pinkberry, or another place similar to pinkberry at the mall. But honestly, I think Brooke would wlso want to work at an animal shelter, or something where she could work with animals. I feel she’d enjoy that way more, and maybe she’d want to do it forever!

Chloe: I think Chloe’s go to would be to work at the mall at one of the department stores because of an employee discount, similar to Jeremy at GameStop. She’d stick around longer, but I think eventually she’d realize it’s not really worth the discount, and she’d go somewhere else. I think she could end up doing security at the mall, but I don’t think she’d stay there either. I think Chloe would do good in finance stuff, perhaps working at a bank?

Jenna: Once again, my girl starts at the mall working at Payless Shoes, then Claire’s, then she’d leave the mall. After the mall I think she’d maybe go to Best Buy? I think she’d kinda like technology. Then after high school I’m honestly not sure. I think it’d be fun if she had a blog, but I also think it’d be good for her to realize she doesn’t need to use gossip to make friends.

If you have your own headcanons or suggestions feel free to let me know hehe

[multiverse-imagines]

Just curious! I love the fics of Vash being in our world! So I’m just wondering, what kind of job or hobbies do you think he would have? I definitely think something with plants for sure! Or maybe animals!

I’m just curious on your take cuz that would be a cute fic too! Him getting his first job! Awe 🥹

Vash's career choices on Earth

In my little world, Vash decided to be a house husband. You make enough money to live generously, and although he hates being in your debt, he makes up for it by giving you the love you didn't receive as a kid, the one that made you a workaholic and can't take a goddamn break (atting myself here). He maintains the house, loves to try new recipes he finds online, and reads from the mountains of books in your library.

He loves gardening, swimming (once he finally learns how), and researching animals, plants, and places the two of you can travel to.

Now, if Vash were to get a job, it would be one that is probably close to your house, within walking distance, or close to a bus stop. Despite the "concrete jungle," as he puts it, (even if you live in a rural area) he still can't drive worth a shit.

There's a government agency for displaced interdimensional entities such as Vash, that helps them get proper paperwork, and I won't get into that right now, but the only reason he got his damn license is that after the 5th try, he didn't miss a driving instruction. The car, however, had eaten nearly seven traffic cones. The instructor issued him the license as a "in emergencies only" kind of thing.

He doesn't want to rely on you driving him everywhere. He finds a job doing something leisury like stocking shelves at the mom & pop grocery store, working at the local library, or at the local coffee shop down the block.

He only wants part time so he can spend more time with you, but he's big into volunteer work, and usually spends most of his off days at the local community Kitchen, the animal shelter, helping the city plant trees, sorting food at the food bank, and helping with fundraiser events for local youth groups.

He makes a lot of friends, and is always beloved by those he works with. The children he works with will always stop him to say hi in public, and he's always stopping to help that little old lady across the street.

Now hobbies are a whole new ball game for Vash. With unlimited past times at his disposal, he becomes a jack of all trades quite easily. Mending clothes was always a must before, but now he can create his own clothes with an endless catalog of fabrics found at the local craft store.

He makes clothes that fit well against his prosthetic arm, and keep too many scars showing while keeping cool in the summer heat. He now also makes clothes that fit his form instead of the baggy clothes he's used to. He still makes them pretty baggy anyway to hide the occasional metal pieces holding his body together.

He likes sports like baseball, basketball, and roller skating, though he's still a little clumsy. He loves to watch anime with you, and enjoys Bleach, (because of the shared voice actor), The Way of The House Husband (because he's also a simp for his partner), and Fullmetal Alchemist (though he cries at every death in both Bleach and FMA) he plays video games that are mostly relaxing like animal crossing, pokemon, and some fighting games like Blazblue and Capcom's fighting games.

[eyeofnewtblog]

This is Noni cat, and I got her 8 years ago from the shelter. They told me she was maybe six years old when I swiped my credit card for her.

She’s been a pretty active cat for at least the last 6 years; when I was living alone with just Noni as my roommate, she would jump out of my open 3 story window down to the second story window and demand food and pets, which my neighbor was happy to provide. Luckily he only had to do this once, but I was still mortified (especially since I was living in a no pets place and passing off my adoption of a cat as “my coworker is going through a divorce and asked me to watch his cat for a few weeks so that his ex didn’t cause more trouble” and all my neighbors were single older men, and I worked in a motorcycle place with 90% male coworkers so it honestly did fly under the radar…the only reason I was able to get her at all was because I did laundry/cleaning for one of my single coworkers for a week and put his number down as my landlord and he was like “yes, she can get a kitty, she’s done a really good job of keeping things clean and being responsible, I trust her.” FYI, I was also taking his dog on play dates at the doggie park down the street from me on my days off just for my own amusement, so like. He wasn’t my actual landlord but he also wasn’t lying about my ability to take care of an animal.)

Anyway, the only reason I ever ended up with Noni was because on my second date with my now husband I said I didn’t know if I wanted to buy a cat or a gun, and he and I spent 8 hours just bumming around all the pet places and gun shops that we both knew about (and meeting my aunt and grandparents because they live just up the street from one of the best pawnshops in the area, I “have some mail I need to pick up right quick, it’s just a five minute detour” and oh my goodness…you know that feeling when you see your family immediately like the person you’re dating? Yeah.)

So after husband and I move in together but before anything is official…there is a wildly out of control feral cat population in the area his apartment was in. Noni cat was fine, because she only ever hung out in the front or back yard, but the lady two houses up would put out multiple trays of food for 30+ cats. She was very sweet but also wasn’t trapping and spaying/neutering them, and we didn’t have any central ac (so doors open and fans on, we die like men, sleep with ice packs, and scrub the mud daughter nests out with dawn dish soap), so every summer, about once a week, I’d hear typical cat fighting noises, and go charging out to the living room where some random cat had Noni cornered. I stomp and shout and chase the stay cat out, Noni cuddles me for ten minutes in gratitude before the heat is too much for both of us, we move on.

Then me and husband buy a house in 2018. We move into our new suburban paradise, but alas…Noni cat is a straight up gangster cat, right out of Commerce City.

In all the years we have lived in this house, Noni cat has left a minimum of ten bunny corpses on the front lawn. Per summer.

I love her, I really do. And I recognize that cats should be indoor pets, for environmental reasons. But I legit cried when she brought a still alive baby bunny to the door (with every intention of eating it as is on the living room floor) and she accidentally dropped it and it tried to run away and instead of doing anything productive I just went inside and cried to my husband. Who laughed at me, rightfully so.

Anyway, she’s getting older now, and there’s definitely something wrong with her. She didn’t murder any baby bunnies at all this summer, got “old cat skinny and bony” and honestly refuses to go outside at all. She was always super cuddly during winter because cats like warm things, but now she wants cuddles and attention all the time.

With me starting a new job, I don’t necessarily have the money to get her fully checked out. I want to, she isn’t just a great cat, she’s the only cat my husband has ever liked; she’s wonderful and worth every penny, but fuck are we in a tight spot with his medical stuff and me having three jobs in the last 18 months. There’s no fucking ROOM on the credit cards to take care of her.

Husband found a vet that charges a lot less, but is an hour outside of town. What we save in vet bills we spend in gas to get there.

I don’t really have a point I’m leading up to, or a critical argument or analysis…my cat is dying and it fucking sucks on so many levels, because she was so instrumental in how I got where I am.

I just wanted to tell her/my story and have it be shared with random strangers who might have an interest.

[innytoes]

uhm... 👉👈 Ray hitman AU? maybe? if you were up for it? pretty pretty please? 🙏

-For those who don't know I made a shitpost about Ray being a hitman because I looked up housing prices in Los Feliz (and how medical debt works) and SIR HOW THE HELL DO YOU AFFORD THAT HOUSE ON A PHOTOGRAPHER'S SALARY.

-It starts when one of the Petal Pushers has a very abusive, stalker ex. She had tried everything, but even with a restraining order, it isn't enough. Law enforcement just shrugs and suggests she moves (again) after 'someone' breaks into her house, ransacks it and kills her cat.

-It's not like Rose and Ray meant to kill him. But it's what happens. They manage to make it look like an accident. They never tell Violet, but deep down she knows.

-Somehow word gets around and they suddenly have a booming side hustle of taking out abusive spouses, partners, exes, stalkers, etc.

-Ray starts to take on the most of the wet work, with Rose doing the research and being his alibi.

-He's always been a great shot. He won Rose so many stuffed animals at carnival shooting games that they had to start donating them to shelters.

-They do have very strict rules on who they work with and who their targets are. Ray gets very good at stalking people with a giant long distance tele-lens. Both the people who hire them (to make sure they're telling the truth) and the targets.

-The prices they charge vary, and they even have perfected the scheme of 'take out life insurance on him and we get half of the pay out' for people who are in a bad financial situation. Those are trickier because he has to make the deaths look like an accident.

-Listen I'm not saying a few of the plants in Rose's Plant Wall in the studio are toxic. Of course they aren't, they have children running around in there.

-The ones under the grow-light in the attic though....

-He tells everyone he's a photographer but really, he only knows how to work the tele-lens. Rose jokes he could become the world's greatest paparazzi if he wanted to.

-Rarely does he get up close and personal with the targets, but he did made an exception once when 'My Ex Is An Abusive Scumbag number 87' really, really wanted Ray to know the client was right by going after his kid from his first marriage, because his favourite target (their client) wasn't there to take his rage out on.

-He starts hitting the gym after that because it was a liiiiittle too close for comfort.

-As spoken by @floating-in-the-blue: THAT'S WHY HE'S SO FIRM.

-They buy a big house and have money to send the kids to summer camp and fancy music school and the likes. When people ask he just smiles and shrugs and said he signed an NDA so he can't talk about most of his Big Photography Clients.

-Carlos and Julie think their dad is the biggest goober and he totally is. He forgets where he put his phone because he's too busy with the 700 other details of his job. He can tell if any of the parts of his work-toolbox have been moved even a millimeter.

-Just imagine Reggie like: wow Ray really does a lot of research about his photography clients, I wonder if it's like an engagement shoot or something.

-IT WAS NOT AN ENGAGEMENT SHOOT. There was a shooting, though.

-He's a little shell-shocked but still follows Ray down to where he meets the client to promise her it's done, and she cries and tells him thank you and mentions some of the awful things the guy has done or threatened to do, and then he gets it.

-They stage it to look like a break-in gone wrong. Reggie helps knock some shit over when they're distracted like: he's a ghost there are no finger prints. He stays after Ray leaves and watches the woman 'come home' and call the cops. She's either a really good actress, or the tears are just more tears of relief.

-He's really, really glad the abusive guy didn't come back as a ghost though, that would have been so awkward.

-Reggie decides that Julie can never, ever know.

[lady-ashfade]

Modern aemond targaryen HC’s

Requested by anon: hi girlie, saw you want some requests<3 if so, give us some thoughts about aemond in modern au!!

This is short so I apologize.

Taglist: @dangerousbluebirdpoetry @second-try-stevie @prettyinblack231

Warnings: Non

Aemond Targaryen was the middle child of the family.

Everyone in his family were horseback riders and everyone competed. Their family was always winning and one the bests in the world.

He how ever didn’t have a horse, no matter how hard he tried they just didn’t like him and he just wasn’t skilled enough.

The other kids in his family made fun of him for it so he constantly was putting himself down. So he focused on learning and keeping up with his school work and others interests. 

Then slowly his left eye started to lose its vision. Then he went totally blind in that eye. He hated it because it was another thing he would have to get bullied for.

Time flew by and Aemond started to get colder and quieter. The only ones he would talk to was his mother and sister, not to be confused for his older sister from a different mother.

He was very smart and went on to travel around world with his teammates for quizzes and tests. Decathlon team is one of the few things he participates in.

I see aemond doing a whole bunch of things. Like volunteering at a animal Shelter, maybe on the debate team, joining a summer baseball team. The list is endless.

Man also has a part time job as a barista- I know it’s over used but you know it’s true.

Of course Aemond is a straight A student. But don’t get it twisted he is not with “the nerds”. He’s a mix between the bad boy and the quiet kids. He doesn’t like to talk to anyone and has gotten into fights and beaten the shit out of someone more then once. 

You can disagree with me on many things. But what you will not do is think this man doesn’t wear dark academia clothing. He’s rich and had a sense of fashion- Need I say more? (Also pic at the top is what I pictured)

Vhagar. A retired race horse that his aunt laena had before she died, but he snuck in one night after losing his eye trying to find something he desperately was looking for. Vhagar was mean and didn’t trust anyone and that’s why she was almost put down before laena took her in. Now, she’s Aemonds.

Needless to say he also trains Vhagar back to being a race horse and his damn good at it.

Some small HC’s with dating modern Aemond? 

He would visit the animal shelter sometimes and only saw you there a few times, mostly coming in when you weren’t there.

He would see how loving and caring you were to the animals there but never really thought about you before one day having to work close with you.

You’d come in while he’s with a cat and he’s having a hard time trusting aemond but as soon as the cat sees you it will slowly poke it’s head out. “Hello little guy.” You looked over at aemond and gave him a wave, asking if it’s okay to be here.

He said yes and you sat down and let the cat slowly come out to you and started to make conversation with aemond. He start to notice how good looking you were and the way your gaze softed each time you looked at the cat.

Sooner or later the cat was on your lap and was purring as you pet it. “Come here.” You patted the floor next to you and he was hesitant but did it anyway. “He loves pets and you both needed a push.” Taking his hand in yours and placed it on the cat.

And to his surprise the cat leaned into his hand and you laughed softly and he couldn’t believe how lovely it sounded to him.

After that Aemond couldn’t get you out of his mind. He would ask when you worked to maybe get paired with you again and slowly you both formed a friendship.

Then he asked you out on a date. He was actually really nervous when he did and you couldn’t help but find it cute. When you got to know him better you saw he was way different and was actually really sweet.

Dating Aemond would include:

Coffee dates

Book shopping dates

Him reading to you/or you both reading the same books.

Mans romantic and will take you on a cute picnic.

Please cuddle him because he’s so touched starved.

Will hold onto your hand and waist protectively and be like a guard dog.

Him getting insecure sometimes.

Being his shoulder to cry on and him doing the same for you.

Him getting angry a lot and you calming him down.

His family loving you because they see how much happier he seems to be with you. Alicent thinks your a angel and loves you to death. 

Aegon might flirt with you and aemond getting dragged away by you to stop him from fighting his brother.

[tea-and-secrets]

so me and my ex gf of 5 years had a bad breakup last year, around the end of summer. when i moved out (we lived together, like we had an entire life and friends together) i didnt tell anyone. i waited until she was visiting family, i packed up and left while they were gone. i ended up taking her cat when i moved out of state (like FAR).

*brief reference to animal neglect, none actually occurred, but, well youll see*

ive been in this cats life for the 5 years my ex and i were dating, so its not like 😺 wasnt my baby. and ive been the one primarily taking care of him for those years (for a long time i was a stay at home or worked less than 20 hrs a week to ex's 40+ hr weeks, so it made sense). once we broke up - and there were a lot of reasons why, the biggest one being the "rescue" of a bait dog, and subsequent neglectful abuse of her in the resulting weeks. i ended up working 2 jobs at 50+ hrs a week, while taking care of an ex bait dog (who had SERIOUS behavioral issues, especially around colored men, which i am), a special needs cat, and all the house/yard chores for a 2b2b - she told me to "stay the fuck away from my 😺 and 🐶"....but would be gone for days at a time, rarely being at home for more than enough time to sleep & shower & [redacted]. suffice to say these animals would have greatly suffered, maybe even died, if not for my IMMEDIATE intervention. i was already so used to caring for 😺 anyways, and i grew up rehabing strays so im used to the bites and aggression

fast forward to when I'm about to go. the 🐶 had been rehomed properly through a shelter, and no one ever found out about ex's abhorrent neglect. i know taking her 😺 was wrong, they were together for 3 years before i came into the picture . 😺 was her ESA even! when they finally noticed 😺 was gone (5 days after id left. no idea if thats how long they were gone or if that's just how long it took to notice 😒) they said they filed a police report, but nothing ever came of it. no calls, no letters, no warrant for my arrest, nothing. but i genuinely believed it saved 😺 life.

i know i made the right decision, but i still feel so guilty about it, on top of all those icky feelings from a breakup 😞

*for those wondering 😺 is doing fantastic!! he's f i n a l l y up to weight, his ibs is 100% under control, his arthritis has been successfully accommodated & no longer bothers him, and hes reliabily getting his 3x a week intestine medicine. his fur is full and luscious, his teeth get brushed 1-3x a week, his hair is brushed everytime i brush my own, same with his nails. i also keep it fucking immaculate in my apt, unlike the very...unhygienic 🤢 environment i removed him from. which is huge, he was having a LOT of issues due to that, 😺 loves that i clean the litter box every 5-9 days (if i can smell it, if he complains, i scoop it) now

not only that, but 😺has all sorts of: toys, cat nips (theres like 6 varieties?!?!), treats (wet & dry), beds, blankets, hidey-holes, tunnels, and [human] friends who love on and help me take care of 😺 if im unable. 😺 even gets supervised outside time once or twice a week (in a backpack or on a leash), which they obvs goes fuckin nuts for!

all in all, dont worry, 😺 is very loved and cared for to the point where 😺 (10ish yrs) acts like youngin now... i just still feel guilty 😭 and had to tell someone other than my therapist

.

[invisibleraven]

Texting each other cute pictures for Rulie plz and thank you?

Julie inhaled the crisp fall air, smiling at the range of colours of the leaves, so different from the palm trees she was used to. But here she was, thousands of miles from LA and the closest beach.

Sure it was hard to be so far away from her friends and family, but the opportunity to study at one of the most prestigious schools in the country was worth it.

She still took a shot of the falling leaves, sending it to Reggie, knowing he would love it, always appreciating a good autumnal shot.

Reggie: Please tell me you're going to find a leaf pilem to jump in.

Julie: If I didn't have a class on the importance of the jazz era I totes would

Reggie: Bah, leaf pile sounds way better than a boring jazz class. Do it Julie, do it for the vine!

Julie: Vine has been gone longer than it was around sweetie

Reggie: TikTok?

Julie chuckles and sends him a kiss emoji, rushing off to class... but maybe stops and kicks up a small pile of leaves, just for the fun of it.

The next day Reggie sends her a picture of a sandcastle he presumably found while doing his lifeguarding gig, but he could have also built knowing him. She misses sand, despite it's ability to get everywhere.

This is what they do when they don't have time to video chat or even make a phone call, they send pictures back and forth. Reggie sending her bits of home, which sometimes make her homesick, but mostly warm her heart. She sends back bits of her day so everyone stops worrying so much.

The long distance thing has been hard on them, but they've made it work. Visiting whenever they can, keeping in constant communication, and as soon as Julie graduates in the spring, she's hell bent on going home.

Reggie had offered to come with her, but the band was getting big at the time, so she urged him to stay. Now they have hits on the radio, and he does jobs part time to keep busy while they aren't recording but doesn't have enough time to come to the East Coast.

Julie wonders what she's going to do with her life back home while her boyfriend gets more and more famous. Her double degree in composition and music therapy could be used wherever. Both Luke and Reggie have offered her a job as the band's song writer, with Luke even saying she's welcome to sing with them.

But Julie, while tempeted, wants to use music to help people in a different way. Sure she might help pen a tune or two, but there's a therapy centre in Los Feliz that helped her mom still make music during chemo that looks like the perfect place for her.

For now, Julie snaps a picture of the hot chocolate she has-towering pile of whipped cream that she knows will make Reggie jealous. He sends back a shot of his beer, bottle dripping condensation, the ocean in the background of his little beach front house.

A house that has all her stuff in it for when she comes back. The house she stays in every time she visits, even if her old room is there and waiting for her.

A house that she is positive has a diamond ring waiting for her, given Reggie once accidently took a picture of it and sent it to her instead of Alex. She had promised him she would act surprised, and he had promised she would be when he asked.

But Julie loved his surprises, though she warned him that if one of them was a puppy without her getting to meet it first they were having a long conversation about it.

If he had sent her pictures of his various visits to the animal shelter after that, Julie became a little bit suspicious, but she did help pick out Ellie during her visit the summer. Now she got daily shots of Ellie, and Reggie got pictures of the little toys and accessories Julie bought her.

Pictures of course weren't enough, they didn't substitute the real thing. But May was only a few short months away, and Julie could survive on them until then.

But she knew when she got home, the first thing she was doing was getting a million shots of her and Reggie, reunited at least to decorate the walls of them home with.

[gurathins]

🍊🐈⛄️hehe

YAYYYYY <3 i'm picking toby bc i am procrastinating studying chem rn haha

headcanons ask game

🧡 for a friendship-themed headcanon

Toby has, well, a really hard time getting friends?I've joked about it being a poorly socialized puppy before but the thing is that Tobias is in fact a bit badly socialized in a way that back when it was a child it basically had barely any free time and barely had anyone to hang out with (+ the whole thing of moving to another planet, stuff like that). It had people it talked to, but did it have proper friends? Not really... :(

Of course he's definitely gotten better at it after a while, but he still has some problems with it. It could have people who it knows and maybe kinda sees as friends but it's never completely sure if they see it as their friend and stuff like that. It is afraid of being the first who contacts others & sometimes (especially if it's, well, in a bad situation mental health wise) may go "ooooh i must be so annoying if i try to talk with others" and stuff like that wbdbjxkxjxj it feels very lonely sometimes.

Most of the friendships it has right now just happened accidentally and it's like, trying its best not to lose them 😭

🐈 for a pet/animal-themed headcanon

Toby's always been a cat person! It really relates to them with the whole "sleep as much as you can and do whatever you want" thing :^)

When it was working in its corpo job, it used to volunteer at a local cat shelter very often. It didn't really do it while it was in it's Florida era, but definitely got back into volunteering when it moved to Boston :)

Funny thing is, it has never had a cat until it and Klara got together bc she and Mabel had a ragdoll in their apartment and since Toby was spending time there a lot it was basically taking care of it ajdjjxjcbx 🥹 When they first moved together to a new apartment, the owners had a no pets policy so they were basically without cats for a while. Then when they moved into their second apartment, one and a half years later they found a stray kitten (Melody) and decided to keep her, and then like half a year later they got Song from their friend. :3

⛄ for a season-themed headcanon

Toby looooooves autumn, it makes it so happy. It likes the colorful trees, rain, sweater weather, things like that. It gets overly excited about it, too, and will talk abt it and wear autumn related colors a lot.

Toby doesn't really have any experiences with proper, snowy winter, not counting its early years on Mars. It likes the idea of snow but would probably get cold very quickly abdbbfbfnc

It thinks spring is an okay season but doesn't really like it due to its hay fever 😭

Tobias & summer don't really go together bc it can't wear its favorite outfits due to the heat and it's basically feeling so miserable due to the weather sjdjjxnxjfjx

[faithfromanewperspective]

does anyone just go through life watching people get more and more scared around them. and get that feeling of when it’s humid and you know it’s about to rain, even storm, and your hair gets all frizzy and you feel all sticky with the humidity and you think, it’s building up to something. it’s gonna happen soon. and you know before a big storm if you’ve got animals under your care, the first thing to do is make sure they’re all safe before the storm hits. that they’re all under shelter and with their friends who will tell them it’s okay? but some of them are trying their damnedest to just keep living their lives and you’re like. honey I wish I could leave you outside but you can go back to that tomorrow! in the meantime we got something we all gotta do

yeah that’s what interacting with christians feels like rn. picking up leadership I never asked for with a bunch of people I don’t even agree with over most things. watching them get all stressed about imaginary political threats and being like. yeah. there’s a reason those things are happening I’ve seen the way people get hurt when we have it otherwise but okay honey. have your little rant. I’m done being mad at you or trying to change you; that never addresses the fear underneath that makes you so awful. It’s not going to help anyone to ask you to act like it doesn’t exist. and it’s so much better for my mental health when I have compassion on you and I’m not angry at you anymore. I’m not scared of you. I know what to expect and I know nothing can make me compromise my beliefs.

but I am tired. it is discouraging to exist like this, when I’ve lived my whole life being told christians were better. they’re not like this. but it’s the build up isn’t it? it’s just the humidity before the storm. and I know what to do, I’ve done it a thousand times for our big summer storms and cyclones. I look out for people and I try to make sure they’re safe. physically, emotionally, however else. I make sure I keep an eye on things so I know how to keep myself safe. have somewhere I can go in a hurry. remind myself it’s uncomfortable now and it’ll be ugly later for a little while but the weather doesn’t last forever. we’ll be better for it. maybe it’s once in a millennium kind of storm, just to expose the colonialism and abuse of power for what it is, wash us clean of its lasting influence. things won’t be like this forever.

so keep yourself safe in the storm. be responsible and don’t forget self care, also don’t forget to have compassion, but in the end it’s not your job to make sure every last one of them is safe. it’s scary to be out in the storm, but so is the shower when you first try it as a child. have compassion on those who you can. there will always be those around you who need it. and you’re only a sheep. I say as I try to brainstorm how we decolonise this institution whose power would be terrifying if not for how it pales in comparison to a deity we know cares for the oppressed as much as we do. you don’t control the weather. maybe the bulk of it will happen on its own and we can trust the process. I get down from the podium. I go into the barn and try to sit with the animals who won’t bite me for saying this because holy fuck I was only supposed to be a sheep

[pinkeebwui]

15 questions for 15 tags ~

Tagged by @figthefruitfaeth, who is the only one to keep me in ask game content www (not that I can tag you without looking up my notifs rn…….)

1. Are you named after anyone?

One of my middle names is after my mom’s great-grandmother.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I don’t know specifically but probably early this month; the holidays were giving me a hard time and I was missing home a lot.

3. Do you have kids?

Who tf do you think I am?? the tumbkr population is aging but not that much!! And, in this economy??

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

My family runs on it, so yes.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Now I’m being asked about it? Idk. Probably hair or maybe scent (especially perfume/cologne - I’m sensitive to scent and don’t like them).

6. What’s your eye color?

Depends on the light, usually like, pale blue.

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings. Scary movies are too much for me, I find them unpleasant overall. And just because you have a happy ending doesn’t mean you don’t have tragedy and hardship before it, that’s what makes it worth finishing.

8. Any special talents?

I’m pretty good with animals and babies, apparently, but other than that idk. I can cross my eyes? Lol

9. Where were you born?

USA, the land of 20oz boba, real lemonade, and barbecue

10. What are you hobbies

I have a lot of them, but I haven’t been able to get to my creative ones much. I collect kpop stuff (Hinged), I draw sometimes, embroider, paint, etc. I read when I have time. I also like trying new desserts at the convenience store. And I’ve considered picking up calligraphy recently, I need to inquire about the classes though.

11. Do you have any pets

Not of my own; my family has like. A small zoo. Ten? Cats, dogs, and some budgies we ended up with because they were lost and unclaimed at the shelter and we have a little experience with birds. Oh, and am ancient, belligerent Pygmy goat.

12. Have you ever played/do you play any sports?

I swam competitively year-round when I was a kid for probably over ten years; not super talented or anything like my friends who’ve gone to trials, but because it was fun. I stopped mostly around late middle school, did a final two summer leagues, then quit for good. I also used to dance (11 years, 10 of them ballet) casually. And I had started a volleyball class right at the start of the pandemic then couldn’t finish it for obvious reasons. I’d love to pick up archery again, or kyuudo specifically.

13. How tall are you

5’7” or thereabouts, I get a different number every time a nurse who’s shorter than me measures 🤷🏼

14. Favorite subject in school

English and history, I always really enjoyed history as a kid and through high school, and then grew into my love of English later on as I grew into an interest in writing as well as reading. Monkey read, monkey do. I also really enjoyed art, particularly in high school. I took all the offered classes and then did an independent study and was kind of the one art teacher’s… mot favorite, but something close to it.

15. Dream job

I don’t know, frankly. Doing whatever I want and getting paid to do it? Like, whatever strikes my mood as I feel like it, be it writing, editing, something like library clerking and potentially programming, something creative with a more physically tangible product, teaching. The flexibility to live and also hop around. I used to think it was writing, but I don’t think I’d like writing anymore if it were my main source of income.

I’m not tagging 15 people but @willthewhompingwillow @polliniaa @taebaelee @infernalfae @something-wild-cat if you feel so inclined

[getthebutters]

Honesty and Hardwork: A 6-figure CEO’s perspective & journey

Intro

Most people who tell you about their journey to success are selling their story. I sell Butters and write blog to help people. This will be a more honest journey than you’ve probably ever experienced.

I got here by luck, struggle, and meeting the challenges as they come. Straight up. I was born with almost every non-voluntary life drawback you can have. The fatherless childhood, blackness, autism, gayness have remained, but the poor has been successfully mitigated. I’ve also had a ton of benefits like the generational wealth of stability, educators stressing the fundamentals, a strong family support system, and a parent who would pay any part of her meager salary to make sure I was set up for success.

Sure, I’ve known my whole life I would be successful, that was nothing more than a general understanding that I should be able to figure out how the world works and work it. Doing alright so far.

 The Dreams

With all my needs met, my desire is to make a difference in people’s life positively. In high school, I planned to become a sex educator with dreams of setting up a nationwide sexed requirement for grade school kids. I became a sex educator who makes lube and helps people make sense of the world, me included. My dreams are not forgotten but expanded to include my own men’s domestic violence shelter.

See, I realize my ingenuity, creativity, practicality, and reliability will end up funding the societal shifts I want. Those are rare skills today where we’re encouraged to follow only emotion, which will easily lead you astray like a child or wild animal, which has happened to me several times.

 The plans and actions

After high school, I had my plan and would go to Eastern Michigan University to study psych. But midway through the summer of 2005 I saw a commercial for Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and made the choice to get a skill I could use to pay for school and in case I chose wrong. Although it was smart and did workout, on some level I was delaying my launch into adulthood.

Thankfully this was only a 2-year diversion. I got licensed in culinary and hated it. I realized cooking with my granny and for my family was enough of that. If you really think about, how in demand are pastry chefs anyway really? Plus, I didn’t think through being 400# and working on my feet around my heroin.

I went back to school for psych at EMU since there was no sex ed major or anything close. I had to make my own minor via literally every class with sex in the title EMU offered between 2008 and 2014. Somewhere in there they did make an official human sexuality minor for me and the maybe 20 others who’d chosen a similar tract.

In college, I used Pell Grant & FAFSA money responsibly to fund my first 4 years of school fully without needing to work. Having worked at Walmart while in culinary school in Scottsdale, AZ, I now knew the value of a dollar and wouldn’t go back to work until I had to. Eventually, I did anyway when I got the opportunity to work for EMU’s school paper. I always wanted to be a journalist but them mofos is broke and I wasn’t tryna be, to the best of my ability.

In my first year of college, I had my first business venture as an adult: LTASEX.com, an adult sex ed blog. I’d always hustled a little bit; knew some basics this was intended to be a success and it was. It was never a BuzzFeed level steez, but I made part time money talking about dildoes and shit. That was pretty cool.

When that government money ran out, I got a second job on the phones at U of Michigan for $14/hr. I didn’t mention the EMU paper’s pay because it was less than the blog made but it was something extra and I loved the work/skills I gained there. You’re reading this and enjoying the graphics because of what I was paid to learn there. I’d never done anything more than clip art design before I got there. Now I could literally be a professional graphic designer if The Butters went belly up tomorrow.

College ends in 2014, kept my responsibilities light enough to drop but solid enough that I could live that way until I died or figured out my next move. I could feel the blog wave dying and spent a lot of time spiraling. Eventually I was psych medicated thanks to Obamacare and my brain started functioning somewhere near normal. I lost close to 200#. LTASEX is a real working org with people under me though income is light. I get into a relationship.

GRABBING AT OPPURTUNITIES

Normally that last part wouldn’t matter but being broke, culinary minded and a sex educator, I decided to finally make my own lube after years of complaining about the options available from major brands. That became The Butters. I used my sex ed connects to make a name for myself. Got in every blog I could think of, and people started buying.

Since I was in a relationship, we had 2 incomes which allowed me to perform badly enough at work (slacking and working on Butters) to be fired and really give it a go. Things go well - making very slow but important sales increases for a solo-run business. Before I know it, I’m at 50k in sales and living very well of that money alone.

Then a bit of luck hits in the form of a once-in-a-century worldwide pandemic that killed millions of people and sent the economy into a freefall so steep it’ll get its own name in the history books. That of course is dark humor to highlight the rarity of such a devastating event and the fact that I was able to make that event into a launching point for myself. It started with selling aloe for sanitizer by the gallon. Then stimulus money let people try Butters and get hooked.

We peaked in sales around this time, and it help establish us as a real functioning company now with me receiving about 100k net. Putting me in the top 14% of black male earners and top 6% overall. Income literally beyond my dreams. Not my wildest dreams but they were pretty outta pocket considering where I come from. Then comes the downturn.

Luckily for us, I only added as many people as we needed. I made plans but didn’t put money into them or sign anything major. I did over produce some products but that’s nothing clearance, gifts, and donations can’t fix. Things have leveled off and here we are. Unless we have some major downturn, I’m safe. In fact, I’m back on the growth curve.

FAQs

No, I didn’t know this venture would work. This was a risk. This was a vulnerability beyond anything I’d experienced. I took it slow and never invested anything more than I could bare to lose, even when it was just like $40. I would buy single ingredients on eBay for weeks to get my first couple batches.

Yes, I did have to learn how to be a CEO. I had signs up reminding me of CEO duties so I could make sure I was doing my job vs being just a worker. I’m still learning. I’ll be back in college for marketing and other skills that will make me a more valuable leader and the business more resilient.

I am not great at everything, but I know how to do everything. I’ve built a team around me who is better at their specific skills. I pay them well ($20/hr.) and treat them with respect. It took time and help to identify the type of people I needed and how to coach them. I had to learn these management skills just like being a CEO.  

I still work daily. I still fill jars and make products. I’m a heavily involved leader, which makes us unique in a world of bosses too good to get dirty. I’ll never be. I’ll do anything to keep this thing functioning – move heaven and earth. If I’m 60 and need to answer phones or ship product or drive across the country, my old ass will be here.

[thefreakymunson]

Eddie surprising you with a baby kitten that you’ve been begging to get since you moved in with each other❤️

It had been a month of pure bliss living with Eddie all alone in your own little trailer. Things were rough at first. Neither of you had any experience living outside of your parents or guardians home but you had the idea that, as soon as you both graduated, it was time to be adults.

The first trailer that came available, the two of you snagged it. It was a dump but it was a roof over your head and it was moderately cheap. What more could two broke kids fresh out of high school ask for?

“We need a pet,” you said one day day as you strolled past the animal shelter hand-in-hand with Eddie.

“Babe, we can barely afford to feed ourselves.” Eddie snorted, “Maybe when we both have jobs. Pets cost like a fuckton of money.”

“I know,” you said as you rested your head against his shoulder, “But I think when we’re finally able to make the next step, we should get a kitten.”

“A kitten?” Eddie bit back a frown, “What about a dog?”

“They’re too loud and you work nights so any time the dog would bark during the day, it’d disturb your sleep.” You said, “A kitten would be quiet.”

He had kissed you on the top of your head and that was the end of the conversation. What you didn’t know was that it had ate Eddie up inside to turn the idea down. He wanted a pet, too. The last pet he had was his uncles dog, Jessup, who he had when he first adopted Eddie. The dog lived until Eddie was thirteen years old and when he found him passed away in the front yard, Eddie was inconsolable for a month afterwards. Jessup had been his best, and only friend, for so many years.

The next time you brought up the idea of a pet was at a flea market one early Saturday morning. Eddie had walked off to look at the vinyls and you were immediately drawn to a pin in the middle of the open isle marked “Kittens”

When Eddie found you again, you were sitting in the middle as the tiny furballs walked all over you. He felt his heart clench at the smile on your face as one of the cats crawled up your arm and brushed its face against your cheek.

“Hey man,” Eddie nodded towards the attendant, “How much for the kittens?”

“Asking $150. They’ve been fixed, vetted, and are up to date on shots.” The guy said.

Eddie pulled out his wallet and counted the bit of money he had, sighing to himself when only realized he about $80 on him. Business had been slow since he graduated.

“Would you take any less?” Eddie glanced over at you and then back to the guy.

“Sorry, man.” The attendant frowned, “Price is firm.”

Eddie sighed and slid his wallet back into his back pocket. “You got a number or something I can call once I get the money together? I’ll pay you extra. Just hold that white one back for me, yeah?”

On the way back home, you couldn’t stop gushing about the tiny white kitten. You sat in the passenger seat of the van, your feet hanging out the window as the warm summer breeze filtered through.

“It was so soft, Eds.” You said with a soft smile, “And it’s tiny little kitten nose was so pink.”

“Yeah, it was cute.” Eddie nodded, “Hey...I’m going to drop you off at home, yeah?”

“Okay…” you frowned at the sudden change of tone, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” He nodded, “I’ve got some buyers lined up. Gonna go make some quick cash.”

Your brow furrowed but you didn’t say anything. Usually he took you with him and you just sat in the van but for some reason, he wanted to do this run alone. You trusted him – Eddie was never one to run around on you, but it did raise some flags why he was being so secretive. Once you arrived home, he went into the bedroom closet, grabbed his bag, kissed your lips, and was gone within five minutes.

Eddie was gone for the rest of the day. For nearly five hours. You had showered, changed into your pajamas, and was curled up on the couch with a blanket when he walked in at nearly 10 PM. He had his bag thrown over his shoulder and something else in his hand that you couldn’t quite make out through the darkness of the living room.

“Where have you been, Eds?” You asked, concern evident in your voice as you looked over at him.

“Sorry it took me so long,” Eddie sighed softly, reaching for the light switch before he walked over to you, “Close your eyes….I’ve got you something.”

“Eddie-”

“Please.” he nearly whined.

You sighed and done as he said, closing your eyes. You could tell he flicked the light on and you heard his footsteps getting closer and then you felt something warm and fluffy placed on your chest. Your eyes snapped open and you looked down to see a tiny white kitten – the white kitten you were playing with earlier, staring back up at you.

“Surprise,” Eddie snorted.

“Eddie!” You gasped, “Oh my god, you got me the kitten?”

“I did,” he smirked, sitting a plastic bag down in your lap, “And kitten necessities.”

Tears filled your eyes as you you hugged the tiny kitten to you. You hopped off the couch and wrapped your arms around Eddie’s neck, having to stand on your tiptoes.

“Thank you, Eddie. Oh my god,” you said, peppering kisses all over his face as he laughed.

He kissed your lips softly and smiled, “Anything for you, baby...man said it was a boy.”

He watched as you cradled the tiny kitten in the nook of your arm, smoothing its puffy fur backwards as it played with the pendant hanging from your necklace.

“What’s its name?” Eddie asked as he unpacked all the items. He had bought kitten food, a litter pan, toys, and a black spiked collar.

You tilted your head as you looked down at him, trying to come up with the perfect name. He was soft and casper white. But it came to you when Eddie snapped the tiny spiked collar around his neck.

“We’ll call him Gene,” you said with a soft smile.

“Gene?” He laughed, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind,“That’s a odd name for a cat.”

“The spiked collar and the white of his fur reminds me of Gene Simmons.” You said, holding him up so Eddie could see him.

“Gene it is,” Eddie snorted, kissing the side of your face.

You played with the kitten for a bit while Eddie was in the shower, watching and giggling as it chased the toys and swatted at your hair. He was such a tiny sweet furball that your heart felt like it melted in your chest every time he meowed at you or smacked you with his tiny paw.

“Ready for bed?” Eddie asked once he stepped out of the steamy bathroom.

“Yeah,” you grinned up at him, scooping the tiny kitten up on your way to follow him to the bedroom.

“Baby-” Eddie sighed, watching as you marched past him with the cat.

“I know – I know,” you said, “But it’s his first day here...he’d be lonely and scared in the living room by himself all night.” You poked your bottom lip out as you stared up at him, “Just until he’s settled in here, yeah?”

“Fine,” he sighed softly, playfully smacking your ass as he followed you into the bedroom, “But he gets evicted when we’re having sex.”

You playfully gasped and covered the kittens ears as you stared at him, “Don’t talk like that in front of our child.”

Eddie rolled his eyes as he kicked the door shut behind him and climbed into bed, exhausted from the long day. You curled against him, resting your head on his bare chest as you placed Gene on Eddie’s stomach, watching as he curled into a tiny ball and laid down to sleep.

“Thank you,” you said as you looked up at Eddie, “I know moneys tight right now...but this means everything to me…I was never allowed to have pets at my parents, ya know? They said they were too messy.”

“Yeah, well, their rules don’t apply anymore.” Eddie mumbled, gently scraping his nails through your scalp, “This is our home...our kitten.”

You smiled up at him and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his pink lips before whispering, “Love you, Eds.”

“Love you more, doll.”

[thanksfortheflaglove]

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