#also I’m tired of working customer service jobs and really really really want to go into marine bio

[glassballdinosaurs]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[kyufessions]

customer service

synopsis: you get into a small argument with your boyfriend over facetime

pairings: idol, boyfriend! jaemin x g.n. reader

genre: angst w/ a happy ending, drabble(?)

word count: 1.1k

general taglist: @jwnghyuns @eaudenana @soobin-chois

jaemin smiles to himself as he listens to you telling him about your day at work, the corner of his lips turning downward as you tell him about a rude customer you encountered today.

“you didn’t deserve that baby, i’m sorry.” he responded, propping his phone up against the extra pillow on his hotel bed as he laid against the other.

on the screen you dismissed his apology, chuckling at it, even. “don’t apologize, it’s not your fault people can’t respect customer service workers.” he watches you smile as you take a sip of your hot chocolate, taking note of the colorful marshmallows you used that he specifically filled up in the cupboard before he left home three weeks ago. “how’s tour? are you taking care of yourself? please say yes.”

nodding, he adjusts himself on the bed so his elbow is propping up his head to properly face the phone. as he lays on his side, he hates how you’re on a screen and not directly across from him or better yet: next to him. “tour is good, i just wish you were with me to experience it with me.”

you knew where this conversation was headed. you’ve had this same exact argument many times before that ultimately led nowhere but into space, never to be heard of again until months or weeks later. “jaemin-“

he grips some of his hair in his fist, not tightly but enough to grab onto it to feel a little something. as he sighs, he sits up a little more to come across more serious. “i don’t know why you don’t just quit your job.” he starts talking with his hands as he speaks, the phone moving as he continues to speak. you put down your mug on the coaster and hug a pillow to your chest to brace yourself for the same exact talk you’ve had before. “you don’t exactly love your job, you complain about it a lot. you don’t even make a lot yet you still stay there.” he lets out a deep sigh before continuing on, both of his hands taking a quick break to run through his locks and landing on top of his pillow. “i make enough for the both of us to live comfortably. lavishly even, if we wanted. you wouldn’t have to work, just stay home and do whatever you want. i don’t get-“

“because jaemin, how would that look if i just stayed home all day not contributing to the household at all while you do all the work and bring in all the money?” he stares at you blankly through the screen, waiting for you to continue. “lazy, jaemin. it would make me look lazy. and spoiled. and look like a good-for-nothing partner that doesn’t do anything but clean around the house, cook, look pretty and use their hard earned boyfriend's money. i’m not going to be that person.”

“but that’s not how you’d look!” he protests, rolling his eyes before continuing to speak. “i want you to live comfortably doing whatever you want to do-“

“then let me work, jaemin! i’m tired of having to work a stupid retail job, yes. but i also enjoy this stupid retail job, it’s annoying but it’s the same type of annoying that your job is.” you begin slouching deeper into the couch with a huff, your bottom lip pursing out slightly. “plus my job has good benefits. i don’t mind working. if you want me to cut back on my hours, fine. just say that, use your words; we’re both adults. but stop pestering me to leave my job.”

“i just want to take care of you without worry, that’s all. i don’t want you to have to worry about a roof over your head, about your next meal or clothes or-“

“as much as i appreciate that jaemin, and i really do, trust me, i feel a sense of accomplishment when i have a job. if i did not have a job, i would feel lost and out of control. and spending your money would make me feel bad because it’s your hard earned money, not mine. besides, my compact has great insurance and my coworkers are wonderful to work with- it’s a fun environment. just- please stop asking me about it, okay? i’m sick and tired of the same old discussion.”

jaemin nods, taking everything you say with consideration. you’ve told him every time how much you enjoy your job despite the complaints, but he never believed you- or maybe just refused to believe you. jaemin was a firm believer in doing things that made you happy, and if you weren’t happy then find something that did. so that’s all he was trying to do- but he sees now that he was wrong about that. he didn’t take into consideration the amount of time you’d have to spend alone while he was at practice, out at schedules, or even touring if you didn’t have a job. if all you did was stay home, at first he thought you would love the idea until he realized that that isn’t the type of person you are. you’ve been working since you were a teenager and have loved it ever since. so who was he to think your stop now?

he lays his head on the pillow, his eyes never leaving yours from the phone screen. “i’m sorry, baby. i just want the best for you, and only you know what’s best for you. so i’m sorry my baby.” you start to reassure him how it’s fine until he says it’s not. “you’re a hard worker and i love you for that, okay? i love that so much, and so much more. im sorry. i’ll make it up to you when we get back.”

you just laugh at how soft he’s become, picking back up your mug and holding it in your hands for warmth as it gets colder during the ungodly hour. “thank you for apologizing jaem, i appreciate it.” you pause for a brief moment, smiling at him. you admire the look on his face. the way his eyes are looking at you through the screen, the corner of his lips, and the way his skin is glowing so effortlessly. and all he’s doing is just laying there, freshly woken up and ready to take on the day in another random city. “i love you.”

the words bring butterflies to his stomach, the joy hard to hide as he refuses to disguise itself behind a tired facade. “i love you more, my royalty.”

“you’re a liar.” ensues an argument that goes on for another fifteen minutes before jaemin has to leave for schedules. but not before allowing you to win the ‘i love you’ game you two always play.

[tgmsunmontue]

The Roost

Hangster AU MeetCute. 2k. (Teen for swearing but more General). Complete. The Dagger Squadron have put Jake in charge of organizing a cake for Mav's 60th birthday and retirement celebration. Little does he know he's just asked Mav's son to make it.

                “What…?”

                “Fucks sake Jake! Pay attention! You can organize the cake. You can’t fuck that up. Find someone good, ask them to make it and deliver it, and then that’s you done. Think you can manage that Bagman?”

                “Yeah yeah, I can manage a fucking cake.”

…            …            …

                He walks into The Roost, a small boutique café and bakery which has nothing but five star ratings and looks around. It’s homey out front, squishy armchairs, low tables and nothing matches. He can see a gleaming commercial kitchen through a small window though and he heads toward the counter. There’s a young woman pressing a key repeatedly on a retro-looking till and he approaches and smiles. She doesn’t smile back, just looks bored and he feels a little unsettled.

                “Hi, I was wondering who I could talk to about ordering a cake…?”

                “When do you need it?”

                Jake names the date and she frowns, looking at an iPad.

                “I’m going to have to ask the boss. He’s got that day blocked out. One sec.”

                “BRADLEY!”

                There’s some clattering out the back and then a guy comes through the door to the kitchen and he’s wearing chef whites, head covered in one of those little hats and he’s looking a little stressed out. He’s kind of hot though, Jake wouldn’t say no to a 3D special (drink, dinner and dick).

                “You know, you could walk out the back and tell me someone needs to talk to me, rather than yell…”

                “I could. But I won’t. Why change the habit of a lifetime? He wants to order a cake. Same day you have blocked out in three weeks…”

                “Sorry about her, family you know…”

                “You wish I was… I don’t get paid to be here.”

                “Sorry again, our parents are friends. It’s a long story. What are you after?”

                “Uh, just something for maybe seventy people? It’s a surprise birthday and retirement celebration thing…”

                For some reason that gets a sharp look, narrow eyes and Jake wonders what he said wrong.

                “Who is this for?”

                “Uh, does it matter?”

                “Humor me?”

                “Captain Peter Mitchell. He’s my most recent CO.”

                “You’re ordering a cake for a surprise birthday party for Captain Mitchell,” Bradley says, and his expression is flat and Jake wonders what the hell his problem is. This is awful fucking customer service, how has this guy gotten nothing but five stars? Given them all blow jobs?

                “Did anyone send you here?” The guy asks, like he’s suddenly suspicious about Jake’s cake ordering habits.

                “No. I just looked up the place with the best reviews…”

                “Huh. Okay. I can make this work. Do you have any idea of what you want?”

                “Uh. No. I was just put in charge of organizing the cake.”

                “Do you know his favorite flavor?”

                “No. I’m not in the habit of canvassing my commanding officers opinions on cake flavors.”

                “You’re a naval aviator as well.”

                Jake frowns, because the tone of voice is tired, but also isn’t phrased at a question at all, more like a statement and he really wants to know what he did that pissed this guy off. And actually, now that he thinks about it he never mentioned Maverick being a pilot, let alone himself.

                “How did you know I was a naval aviator?”

                “Lucky guess. And I’ll wing it in terms of flavors and decorations… You can trust me.”

                Jake’s not sure he fucking can, and Trace will have his balls in a vice if he fucks this up, but then he’s filling in a form, giving over his credit card details and arranging a pickup time so okay, that seems like the guy actually knows his shit and will come through, despite the paper forms and old-looking till with broken buttons.

…            …            …

                He’s been advised to bring someone to help him with the cake and he’s not sure why he needs help until he sees it, a stunning three-tier in navy and gold, a glittering sixty on the top with gold frosting looking like it’s dripping down the sides of each tier. Carefully placed in delicate looking piles are small piles of chocolates and macarons. It looks amazing and he’s glad he followed through with getting it from here, the reviews were clearly not lying.

                “Is that the cake?’ Phoenix asks, looking at it and Jake nods slowly, because there’s no other cakes awaiting pick-up. The cabinet is also almost empty, and there’s a sign up reminding people that the shop is closed for the entire weekend as well as the following Monday and Tuesday. Whatever big event that Bradley had blocked out, which reminds him that he’s probably done Jake a huge favor by adding this cake to his workload.

                “I – yeah. I think so. Holy shit…”

                He sees Bradley coming out.

                “Hi, you like it?”

                “Yeah. It’s amazing. Thank you… uh. How much more do I owe you?” Jake asks, because he’d paid a hundred dollar deposit and then stupidly not asked how much more it might be, but it’s got to be a couple more at least.

                “I’m glad you like it. And there’s nothing owing.”

                “What? That’s… not enough for all this.”

                “Call it a friends and family discount,” Bradley says, looking amused.

                Phoenix’s eyebrows are up, looking between the two of them and Jake cannot believe the guy just said that.

                “I hope you enjoy the party tomorrow.”

                “I… thanks.”

                “Did you want to come? To the party?”

                Jake stares at her incredulously. because she can’t just invite random people to Mav’s birthday and retirement party.

                “Thanks, but I already have plans. Some other time though…” he says, catching Jake’s eye and oh, holy shit, that’s an open invitation right there. Okay then.

                “Yeah, I know where you work.”

                “I’ll be seeing you then.”

                “You sure will.”

…            …            …

                Somehow the cake fits in perfectly with all the decorations of the party and he keeps getting complements on his good taste, and he just smiles and nods, because he has no idea how the fuck this worked out so well. There are gold balloons and streamers, the restaurant is outfitted with navy tablecloths and it’s like the cake frosting has been color matched. He’ll have to find a way of thanking Bradley for making him look good, even it was a complete coincidence.

                There’s far too much brass here for Jake’s liking, but no one is in uniform, everyone more or less relaxed, and everyone here long before the time when Mav is meant to arrive with his family. A family that Jake’s only recently learnt existed, but maybe a man he’s recently gotten engaged to and a grown son. At least those are the rumors, and they’re rumors because Maverick has refused to answer any questions when asked. They only know about the engagement being real because they’d heard Admiral Simpson begrudgingly congratulate Mav several months ago, not long after they’d returned safely and the Dagger Squadron had been permanently formalized by Admiral Kazansky.

                “Okay! Everyone quiet, lights off, they’re two minutes away!”

                The room is plunged into almost darkness, the little golden lights on the tables and hanging from the ceiling offering some ambient light. Everyone falls quiet, Admiral Simpson having given quite firm instructions on what was expected and how the whole thing is meant to operate. He can hear voices approaching, one of the waitstaff, and then the light is being flicked on:

                “SURPRISE!”

                “Fucking hell!”

                Laughter around the room at Mav’s shout back, but then there’s laughter coming from Mav as well as he takes in the assembled friends and colleagues, and Jake’s pretty sure some of the people present are purely there to ensure Maverick is actually definitely retiring. What draws his eye though are the men standing beside Mav, because one is Admiral Kazansky, which is a shock, and a little voice in his head yells surprise! Then he looks at the other man, and he’s not in chef whites, instead dressed almost purely in black, is Bradley. Baker of birthday cake Bradley.

                Maverick’s son Bradley?

                Almost as if he said his name Bradley is meeting his eye and then winking at him and fuck, that’s why he’d known Mav was a naval aviator. Why he’d said he already had plans tonight. Why he probably knew the fucking color scheme… The family and friends discount. He finds himself laughing and Bradley gives him a big grin, bending down to say something into Mav’s ear.

                “Is that the guy we picked the cake up from yesterday?” Phoenix asks, appearing suddenly at his side.

                “Yep.”

                “Huh, no wonder he was asking me all those questions about the colors, I thought he was trying to coordinate himself to the decorations, not the cake.”

                Jake laughs again, can see Maverick and Bradley making their way over, the Admiral following in their wake, bemused smile on his face and Jake steels himself for the upcoming conversation, not sure which way it might go. He’d consider Mav a friend, someone he’s grown to respect deeply. Admiral Kazansky is the COMPACFLT although his term is coming to an end, so maybe he won’t have to navigate that particular mental hurdle if… he looks at Bradley and yeah, if he’s going to try dating Mav’s son then yeah, there are going to be some mental hurdles.

                “Hangman! My godson Bradley.”

                “We’ve met, nice to make the connection.”

                “And my ex-boyfriend Tom!”

                “You’re not funny,” Admiral Kazansky says, looking resigned.

                “It’s because he’s my fiancé now,” Mav says, grinning widely and Jake doesn’t think he’s ever seen him quite this happy, even when they’d survived their mission it had been edged with hysterical relief of not being dead. This is pure joy and he finds he’s genuinely happy for him.

                “Yeah, I got it. Congratulations. And happy birthday.”

                “So you made the cake?” Mav asks, turning to Bradley and he nods, winks at Jake again. “You just had to put my age on it didn’t you?”

                “Mav, it’s like you don’t know me at all…”

                “Just be glad he didn’t make you sixty-five or seventy…” Admiral Kazansky says, and he draws Mav away, glancing between Jake and Bradley with a small smile.

                “So… Hi again.”

                “Yeah. Hi. Why didn’t you say anything?”

                “Well, I considered turning it down, but then I’d have to have dealt with eating cake made by someone else. And then I realized that this was just kind of funny… Gotta get my kicks where I can. Had to turn down a hot date to be here and everything.”

                “You did huh?”

                “Yep. And I’ve spent all day decorating another cake for tomorrow. There is going to be so much left-over cake. It’s going to be ridiculous.”

                “Cake for breakfast…?” Jake suggests, because he’s just realized he actually has no idea what flavor the cake is, but he knows whatever it is Mav will at least like it.

                “Actually… What are you doing tomorrow?”

                “Uh, probably recovering from tonight. Why? Wait. I want to change my answer. I have a hot date.”

                Bradley throws his head back and laughs so loud that a few people glance over and look at them, but then he’s wrapping an arm around Jake’s waist and he has no cares in the world.

                “I’m holding you to that. You just committed yourself to coming as my plus one to another party tomorrow.”

                “Is he seriously having another birthday party tomorrow?”

                “Not exactly. But there will be more cake. A lot more cake.”

                “Yeah, you mentioned already.”

                Then Bradley is leaning in close, his lips brushing Jake’s ear, warm damp air making a shiver travel through his body.

                “Let’s just say Ice organized this surprise and Mav got wind of it. They like trying to get one over on each other and tomorrow Mav has organized a marriage celebrant, and he’s going around right now and organizing an after party for the Hard Deck… He’s been planning this for months.”

                “Oh shit…”

                “Yep. So… want to stay relatively sober with me tonight so we’re not hungover tomorrow and can really party it up tomorrow?”

                Jake grins, his head ducking before he meets Bradley’s gaze and nods.

                “Yeah. Sounds good. Guess we’re starting that date early huh?”

                “We sure are.”

[slash-me-please]

I am sure your tired of writing for Amanda by now but your the only person I could find that’s willing to write for her and is actually good at it 😭 spare me i’m desperate and don’t know how too request but could you do a imagine with Dom!Amanda and shes really protective over reader to the point where it’s kind of toxic, she finds out who readers shitty ex girlfriend is and does anything and everything to show the said ex that reader is hers now like: showing up at her place of work with reader, making out in front of her, really touchy, whispering dirty stuff so the ex can hear, etc. Just some examples. You can pick whether reader is fem or gender neutral it doesn’t matter to me :)

On another note: Thank you for your service🫡 I love your writing so much.

you said dom!Amanda therefore you are getting smut i am so sorry to force this on you. :) not really love u.

A/N: Sorry about the wait!! I got caught up on bills today and have been working full time and also doing schoolwork. Luckily I paid my rent + electric so i have some free time!!!

Warnings: Revenge sex trope, voyeurism/exhibitionism, bondage/shibari, fighting, jealousy, dub!con, reader being an absolute asshole, murder, use of vibrator.

Pressing your fingers against the loose fabric of a dress, your lips held in a thin line. The needle pressed through the fabric, and back again. You were focused on your work, a nice sheer fabric for a nightdress you had been working on for a while. You were a tailor for a small business which made custom handmade dresses, one of the best tailors of the six of you.

The office you worked at was small, just like the business. The six of you crowded into a medium sized room. Your boss had created you a small section to yourself, as she insisted on making you employee of the month. So you pressed your hands against the fabric, the slow push and pull of your hands against the machine kept you in a trance. You had loved your job once, and while you enjoyed what you did- there was one downside.

Her. The problem. The reason you got into fights with your girlfriend every night this week.

As you pieced together your nightdress, across from you your ex watched- eyes wide and focused on your hands. You wanted to say something, you wanted to complain. Anything. But you never did, instead opting to do your job.

"L/N!" You flinched, hand jerking forward and pinching your finger in the machine. You yelped, pulling backwards and cradling your finger against your chest. "Look what you did!" The familiar voice of your lover rang through your ears, and you felt yourself turning to look. She was barreling towards you, eyes focused on your boss, who had yelled your last name. She seemed angry, reaching foward to hold you against her stomach.

Amanda placed a brown paper bag on your table, freeing her hands to examine your finger under her "Professional" gaze. She seemed almost content for a moment, eyes narrowed in on yours. "It's just a nick, but i'll fucking murder that ratty-bastard if you want." Your head shook back and forth, eyes widened with shock. "I'm not sure that's necessary!" You whispered, turning away from her to move back to your dress. "What are you doing here Amanda?" She sighed, the back of her hand hitting the paper bag. "I brought you lunch,"

"I might be too busy eating out Jenny to get to that, sorry." You snapped, turning your head away from her. "Fucking look at her, she's fucking you with her eyes. I don't know why you're acting like you can't see that." Amanda snapped back, her arms crossing against her chest. "It doesn't matter what she thinks about me. I told you I only want you! Why does it matter if she's looking at me?" Amanda released a sigh again. "It's about respect, I don't understand why you allow her to do that." You felt your face begin to heat up, beyond aggravated with the entire situation. "She's just not even worth the fucking air! I'm sorry you're too insecure to let it go!"

You only began to feel bad when her face fell and she turned on her heel and out towards the parking lot, but you didn't dare follow her.

You can end here, or read this fucked up smut.

Vision static and dizzy, you wobbled in the chair you were tied to. The last thing you remember was getting home and your lover reaching her hand around your mouth and nose to suffocate you with a damp rag. Your throat felt dry and sore, as if you'd been yelling but you knew that you hadn't. Amanda got like this sometimes, but you knew this time was your fault.

It looked like you were in an abandoned garage, the lights were cool and flickering. You were propped on a chair, both legs tied with a spiral futomomo tie and kept apart with a spreader. You were entirely naked, and bare to the garage.

And your ex.

There sat Jenny, her eyes wide as she stared at your bare form with an underlying lust beneath that fear. Her mouth was ducktaped shut and she was chained to the chair by her ankles and wrists. You squirmed beneath her gaze, whining out for Amanda. A few moments later she made her entrance, yanking off the worn pigs mask. She glared at you with an anger you'd only seen a few times. Goosebumps erupted onto your skin.

"I'm sorry, can you let me out?" You plead, and she frowns. "Don't act like you don't deserve what you're going to get."

She made her way behind you, and you heard her shuffling a few items around. You thought for a moment that maybe she had a table back behind you, but she left you no time to dwell when you felt a cold hand grasp your shoulder.

"Tell me, Love." Amanda took a deep, shuddering breath. "Do you like her eyes on you?" You whined, head craning back to look at her and deny the accusation. "I only want you baby, I promised!" Your pleading did not phase her, she only reached into your hair and yanked your head forward. Your eyes made contact with Jenny's and she watched as Amanda's hand flicked on a vibrator and licked it.

"I want you to watch, let me show you what's fucking mine."

And with those words, she hunched over you and placed the vibrator over your clit. Your head threw back, and you yelped. "Goddammit!" Your legs shuddered against your restraints, pulling against them with a pain. "Please!" Amanda laughed, her eyes trained downwards as she watched your sex shudder against the silicone head of her vibrator. "Good girl..." She whispered into your cheek, placing a cruel kiss on your skin. Your voice wobbled, back arching as you pressed yourself impossibly closer to the source of your pleasure.

Across from you, Jenny watched, cheeks flushed and eyes dilated. Her legs rubbed together as she watched Amanda rub the toy against your clit. She treated you generously, her other hand snaking down to your throat to give it a squeeze as she upped the setting on her toy. You keened loudly, hands balling into fists as you chanted her name.

"You like this? All I had to do was force you to show her who you belonged to?" She sneered, pushing the vibrator lower. She let it sink into your hole, and she began to lightly thrust it inside of you. "God!" You cried, mouth hanging open as your climax ran up to you. "I'm so close!"

Amanda snickered, glancing up to watch Jenny stare between your legs.

Her mouth twisted into something angry, her other hand reaching down to rub your clit in circles. You flailed against her ministrations, mouth open in a wail which could not be contained. Finally, you came against her hands, legs quivering as you soaked her hands and the toy, the rest of your cum wetting the concrete floor beneath you. With that, she flicked the vibrator off and placed it back on the table, grabbing something sharper.

"Did you enjoy the show, Jenny?" You heard her breathe. You heard her walk back behind you, her hand yanking your head backwards. "Love you..." You gasped, picking your head up to give her a kiss. She nodded, fingers releasing your hair. That is when she walked past you, flipping a hunting knife around in her hand. "It'll be the last one you'll ever see."

Jenny began to push against her restraints, shaking her head no and yelling pleas. None of which appealed to Amanda, instead the smooth twist of her wrist pushing the blade into her abdomen and then actively gutting her appealed way more.

You watched the life leave her eyes and you sighed, making eye contact with Amanda and biting your lip.

"Are you done?"

She dropped to her knees, crawling forward to attach her lips to your cunt.

[kairiscorner]

Ok ok I just read your NoirXFlorist and I am so in love. A personal HC I have is that Noir’s giving love language is acts of service and so ⬇️

-Imagine Noir being colorblind, but he wants to help at your shop and since the easiest way to differentiate between flowers is color he learns other ways to tell the difference- scent, texture, size, shape, or just memorizing where a certain type of flower is most often stored, because he wants to help. -Also, if any heavy lifting needs to be done, he rushes to do it before you even get the chance, even if it’s just a box. “No, no, I got it, doll.” “A lady of mine shall not do any heavy work, not while I’m here.”

anon are you trying to kill me with cuteness and fluff.

BC IT'S WORKING OMGGGGG YEAH, NO, I WANNA MAKE A FIC OF THIS, THANK YOU FOR THE IDEA AND FOR SHARING :>

(i wish i could credit you anon, you and your big beautiful brain 😭😭😭🫂🫂 also reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <;:D)

(part 1)

so imagine:

it was a real hectic, busy day at your floral shop; people came flooding into your place more frequently, and while it was good for business, you were completely and utterly overwhelmed.

you managed a small establishment, and business was going well recently, but you were the only one working there, of course a pair of hands and a couple of fast feet can only do so much work.

peter'd have come in all chipper and point out the long line of people coming in, and then he'd see your tired, overworked face still smiling and wrapping up bouquets so darn fast.

he'd be in awe, of course, and fall in love with your hardworking and capable self, but he'd be super concerned as well for you so he'd pull you to the side as the influx of people died down for a bit and ask you with a concerned smile if you were okay.

"dear, you good? looks like you had to run several laps back there." he joked lightheartedly as he put his hands on your shoulders. "i know i'm not exactly the most helpful guy out there for this job, but if it gives you any comfort, i can help. i'm around you and the flowers all the time, i... i kinda got everything down about them." he said in a slightly cocky tone, but of course, it was to impress you with his new confidence since you first met him as a bumbling fool who was head over heels in love with you the moment you showed him just what kind of hidden beauty was lying in wait for him to discover.

you hesitated telling him you were okay and that he didn't have to bother himself to help you, because you were seriously considering getting some help at the very last minute to complete your clients' requests. "well... i'm actually kind of drowning over here, pete. i'm worried i can't do this on my own." you admitted.

peter smiled as he put his hand to your cheek. "don't you worry about a thing, i've got you. i meant it when i said i know everything there is know about the flowers here. i may not be able to tell which flowers are what color, but you of all people know a flower's color isn't the only thing worth nothing." he said with a small wink at you. yes, he'd been practicing that wink, he waited for the right occasion to use it on you.

it made you smile widely as peter agreed to help, and you had a lot of faith in him that he'd be able to ease your burden. you had shown peter the ropes before after work hours, it was another option for a date between you two. you loved how fast he picked up at tying the bouquets together, ringing up change, and memorizing the descriptions of the flowers; it really warmed your heart that he took interest in these things and was determined to show you he could do these things for you if you needed him to.

he got to work immediately, hoping that him having to interact with the customers would come as natural and easy as learning everything there is to know about the flowers; but humans are no flowers, they're significantly much harder to please, so that thought kind of scared him. but you were counting on him, that was all he could think about--you counting on him, you needing him right then and there.

you couldn't believe how different peter seemed when he was talking to the customers, helping them out as you tied up the bouquets. he appeared like a door to door salesman, and you meant that in the nicest way possible.

he seemed more upbeat, cheery, and... you dare say, a lot more charming. you two soon switched shifts, he was on tying and ringing up the bouquets, and you were the one helping out the customers pick flowers.

you were a little worried because you knew peter didn't do so well when having other people wait for him, it sort of intimidated him. you never taught him everything he now knows during work hours, it was just you two--and as pleasant as it was for both of you, you were still concerned how he'd be doing applying that practice in a real scenario.

but lo and behold, peter did it all in a jiffy. he didn't even need to use a calculator or do the math on paper, the minute he saw the flowers, counted them, and took note of other things--he could instantly give them their total, with tax. he was extraordinarily fast, too; he was extremely agile yet delicate with handling the bouquets, they were flowers, after all; they needed room to breathe, a single mistake can end in them being crushed, so of course, he was mindful of that, too.

soon, the day was ending; the sky had red, orange, pink, and purple strewn out over the horizon as the sun set. you and peter just finished up the last round of orders, and the floral shop was nearly empty by the time you were finished.

you both breathed out a breath you both didn't realize you were both holding in this entire time. the two of you laughed since you did it at the exact same time. "thank you for helping, peter. really, i... i don't know what i'd've done without you." you said as you went over behind the counter and stood next to him.

now this is when the shy, flustered peter parker comes back to you. he smiled at you widely and blushed profusely; leading all the way up to the tips of his ears, an innocent and pleasing mix of red and pink dancing on his cheeks.

"it's no biggie." he muttered, trying to sound as confident as he was earlier, but his defenses broke down when he caught you leaning closer to his face, your nose mere inches away from his own. he chuckled. "well... maybe it is kind of a biggie." he said as he put his hands on your arms and rubbed them lightly.

"well, thank you, again, pete." you repeated as you put your hand on the back of his. soon, peter noticed a truck coming by and a man coming down the truck with a clipboard in his hand, a few other men bringing boxes about and laying them by the door of your floral shop.

"oh, wait right here, pete." you said as you went over to talk to the man. peter watched as you signed the papers on the man's clipboard, thanked him, and... they left without helping you carry those boxes!

peter was enraged just the slightest bit as he watched you, your poor, overworked self, carry them into the floral shop without contempt for those men who didn't even bother to help. immediately, peter rushed to your aid, flung the door open, and took the box you were trying to carry away from you and into his arms.

"peter--!" you exclaimed as he took the box with ease. "i've got it, don't worry, really! i've already asked for your help today, this... i got this." you tried telling him, but he refused to listen and took box after box into the floral shop.

he smiled up at you and adjusted his glasses with one hand, carrying a box in his other hand. "no, no, i got it, doll. don't you worry about a thing, a lady of mine shall not do any heavy work, not while i'm here." he said as he flashed you another wink, he was getting better at it, you had to admit.

you blushed at his gallantry and general altruism towards you. you decided to reward him for all his hard work afterwards. he finished carrying the boxes and putting them aside. he turned to look at you as you walked into the floral shop, blushing a bit as you kept admiring how sweet he was towards you and for all his help.

"i really can't thank you enough for today, peter. it's far beyond what i originally asked you to do." you said as you took his hands into your own, and he blushed yet again. "of course. anything for you, my darling." he murmured, still admiring how soft and warm your hands were. you giggled. you opened a box to unveil a flurry of flowers of every kind in it, and you placed a flower behind his ear yet again.

he chuckled. "my, you never get tired of doing that, don't you?" he asks. you shake your head playfully. "it looks beautiful." you remarked. "it does?" he asked, a little joyful at that compliment. "well..." he said as he took a flower from the box that he thought was the prettiest and tucked it behind your ear, too. "i've always wanted to do that. and now... oh goodness, you're a complete and total beauty on your own, and now... oh, call an ambulance, love, i'm having a heart attack!" he said as he leaned over to brush his nose against yours, smiling and chuckling to himself all the while as his eyes stared intently into your own big, beautiful ones.

"i truly, truly love you, dear." he tells you as his lips are just centimeters away from your own. "and i love you, truly, pete." you reply as you close the distance between you two, kissing him as the sun sank down into the horizon--you two greeting the night with a loving kiss shared between you two.

maybe he should come out to help you more often, after all, such is to be done when you're planning to become one's husband, no?

a/n: BUIREBFIUBEVIUBHIUFEHIFIRFRBVIURBVBRVR I LOVED WRITING THIS SM AAAAAA TY AGAIN ANON HOPE YOU LIKE ITTTTT <33

tags !! @thecoolerdor @miguelswifey04 @fictarian @pixqlsin

[space-mermaid-writing]

Ironstrange - they meet pre-ironman and stick with each other through it all/sarcasm all the way pointing out each others flaws and working on it together.

This is a lot of ground to cover, so I offer you snippets :) Also, this somehow became a songfic halfway through. 'Through the years' by Kenny Rogers, because the lyrics are so very fitting.

Ko-fi | Masterlist | Word count: 0.8k (plus the song lyrics)

I can't remember when you weren't there When I didn't care for anyone but you I swear, we've been through everything there is Can't imagine anything we've missed Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do

The first time they met was at a medical conference. Stephen was there to give a speech. Tony was there to donate money and to party, and because Pepper had forced him to make an appearance. It was good press for SI or something like that.

For once he had decided to listen because he remembered medical students to be big party animals.

Well, it turned out that changed after they graduated college and worked real jobs. It wasn’t the worst party he had ever been to but he was still very bored.

That was until a young doctor approached him at the bar and flirted with him bluntly. Tony was flattered – still he didn’t intend to make it too easy for the man. No matter how handsome he was.

“So you’re some kind of surgeon prodigy? That don’t impress me much.”

“Shania Twain, 1997. Although loosely interpreted.”

Tony didn’t indicate with any reaction if he had actually planned to make it sound like those lyrics. But he did gesture to the barkeeper to bring a drink for Strange; and that had to mean something.

It gave Strange a boost of confidence. “I will have you impressed by the end of the night.” It wasn’t a question, just a simple statement. He had wanted to pick apart Tony Stark’s brain ever since he specialized in neurology. And now he had the chance.

Through the years, you've never let me down You've turned my life around The sweetest days I've found, I've found with you Through the year, I've never been afraid I've loved the life we've made And I'm so glad I've stayed right here with you Through the years

“Why do you have to go to Afghanistan for that demonstration?” Stephen asked – again. “Rhodey said it would be perfectly fine to do it in Nevada.”

Of course Rhodey – that traitor – had told him that. The two had joined forces against him on this issue.

“Because I can,” he replied – again. “It’s called customer service.”

Stephen looked away. “I think it’s the worst idea you ever had and that you are an idiot for doing this.”

Tony saw it in Stephen's face that he wasn’t happy about his answer. They had already argued so much about this, and Tony was tired of it.

What Stephen and he had wasn’t a relationship. Not really. Both had agreed on that. And this was part of why.

“Thanks for establishing that. You’re welcome to leave anytime.” Like everyone else did who was fed up with Tony. There always came the point when people no longer tolerated his bullshit.

Stephen’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t move. “Yeah, no. I’m not letting you go that easily.” He was neither impressed by his words nor his behavior.

Tony let out a breath he didn’t realize he had held. He preferred arguing to Stephen walking out of him.

I can't remember what I used to do Who I trusted, whom I listened to before I swear, you've taught me everything I know Can't imagine needing someone so But through the years it seems to me I need you more and more

Tony was standing in Stephen's apartment. It felt familiar yet odd. Things were still in the same place as before he had left, but something seemed to have changed. He was exhausted by the past month he had lived in that hidden cave.

It took Tony far too long to realize what that was: there was no trace of him in the apartment anymore. Before there had been small items scattered all around: a book, tablets, clothes… it was all gone. And Tony didn’t know what that meant. He had been gone for months and he didn’t know if Stephen had moved on in the meantime.

Tony felt vulnerable because maybe for the first time in his life he didn’t know what to say. He couldn't predict Stephen's reaction.

“So you got kidnapped in Afghanistan. That don’t impress me much,” Stephen finally said in his best ‘I told you not to go’ voice.

Tony smiled, still tired, as a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Through the years, through all the good and bad I knew how much we had I've always been so glad to be with you Through the years, it's better every day You've kissed my tears away As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you Through the years

“It’s going to be alright.”

Tony meant it, but for Stephen it was a lie. He didn’t see how he could ever be alright again. He was ruined. He had lost his hands – the single most important part of him.

“Spare your breath,” he hissed coldly. He didn’t want to hear Tony’s words of comfort. They meant nothing to Stephen.

Tony sighed, his eyes on the golden ring on the table next to his husband's hospital bed. Stephen wasn’t able to wear it, his hands were still bandaged. Maybe he would never be able to wear it again. Even without the promise Tony had made on the day he had given the ring to Stephen, he wouldn’t waltz out just like that.

“Nice try. But I won’t let you go that easily.”

Through the years, when everything went wrong Together we were strong I know that I belonged right here with you Through the years, I never had a doubt We'd always work things out I've learned what love's about, by loving you Through the years

Tony took in his husband's appearance; the goatee, the blue robes, and the subtle muscles under them. He looked good – far better than the day Stephen had run away to Nepal on a whim. It seemed like he found what he had been looking for and Tony was glad to see him in a better place.

Still, it didn’t hurt to grill him a little more; just as a revenge for the radio silence.

Tony crossed his arms. “So you’re a wizard now? That don’t impress me much.”

Through the years, you've never let me down You've turned my life around The sweetest days I've found, I've found with you Through the years, it's better every day You've kissed my tears away As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you Through the years

They were on Titan and their chances to win looked rather slim. Still, there was hope; as long as they stuck together through it.

Tony stepped next to Stephen as they watched together Thanos arrival on that vast planet.

“So you’re that purple grape that gave me nightmares for years?” His nano-sunglasses were back on his nose for the sole purpose to look over their rim judgmentally. “That don’t impress me much.”

He heard Stephen roll his eyes.

[vargskelegore]

new person, same old mistakes. || scotty x black!fem!reader ♡

author’s note: back from my break + a new fic that isn’t shuri! however it still is a letitia character LMFAO. this time i’m writing about her role as scotty in the mini series cucumber & banana! me and @erensslut​ watched it together, had a blast, nd now i’m writing about this crazy lil girl. please watch the episode before reading this fic because it’ll make more sense.

this is dedicated to the black girls who felt weird about scotty going after someone that was..... yknow. LMFAOOOOO. also, reader wears wigs!! it’ll be useful info later on.

originally this was in my drafts for a very long time because of the tiktok discourse surrounding letitia fanfictions. now that the drama has died down, i feel more comfortable to post this. warnings are stated for a reason. enjoy!

warnings: stalking. scotty is a stalker, if you couldn’t tell from the episode. don’t like it, don’t read. i’m not gonna sugarcoat it LOL.

plot: even after moving on from yvonne burgess, seemingly becoming a different and changed person, scotty seems to find another girl to latch onto. this time a vans employee in the mall.

word count: 2.1k

taglist (I FINALLY MADE IT, YALL. also some people i unfortunately couldn’t tag?? it wouldn’t let me ://): @lovelyaliengirl  @szalipcombo ​ @anonymous-platypus1 @randomhoex @axailslink @yvesredhair @marssmorales @thesecretwriterblog @gialove11 @demie90s @skimm0nzz @mlmilani​ @skimm0nzz​ @cloudyydr3ams @natsgirlfriend​ @verachii​ ​

the mall. it was a wonderful place to be. kinda. malls were beginning to become a dying breed, and they tended to only spike when it came to holiday season. annoying kids running around, adults frantically trying to find gifts to buy people last second, and so much more.

well, it was holiday season, and all of those things listed above were happening at that very moment for you. see, you work at vans. it’s not much money, but it is some money. you definitely don’t get paid enough to have kids running around the store all the time, or people trying to steal, but you couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it.

it was a busy day, of course, and so helping people out was never an issue since it was your job. “excuse me, ma’am? i’m trying to find shoes for my son-- he skates.” a short, older lady came up to you and you smiled back at her and nodded. “oh, of course. come, show me what type you were looking for?” you used your customer service voice as you waited for her to lead the way.

as you two were walking, you couldn’t help but to think about how things were going lately. lately it had felt like you were being watched. it was a weird instinct, but a possible, truthful claim. you had told your co-workers about this before, but they laughed it off. to them it wasn’t serious. just a practical joke.

you could feel that feeling of being watched again. in the background, you could faintly hear someone calling for you.

“hello? miss? i have the shoes.”

it took you a moment before you focused again, shaking your head and sighing, you pretended to be tired. “oh, gosh, i’m so sorry. i’ve been working since this morning so i’m very tired! back to what we were doing.. what size did you want these shoes in, so i can check the back--?”

“a size eight, please.” you smiled and nodded, before making your way to the back to grab the shoes. about six minutes passed, and you were back with the shoes for the customer. you led her to the front of the store to check out, and you turned your head to look through the display window, where your displayed shoes sat. then, all of a sudden, your stomach did flips.

your instinct was right. you were being watched.

in the very distance-- where the food court lies- there was a girl. she couldn’t be too old. short, straight hair. she was tiny to say the least, like she really couldn’t hurt a fly, and she was interested in you. really interested in you.

it all started two weeks ago, when she tagged along with her friends to go to the mall. nothing serious, she just came with since they invited her. there wasn’t much she could buy in the mall, so window shopping was her best option.

and that’s when she saw you.

you were incredibly gorgeous. the way you smiled at people that walked inside of the store, how attentive you were, the way you walked around.. and all you were doing was your job. you work in retail, so everything that seemed normal to you, was perfect to her.

you were completely oblivious to this girl and her behavior, until you weren’t. see, for the first week, everything felt normal. you went about your job and duties normally. but on the second week, you were really starting to feel watched. you weren’t sure if it was because of you watching horror movies recently, but now everything felt off.

meanwhile, here was scotty. trying to get as much information on you as possible because she was so interested in you. she’d ask her friends to go to the mall practically every weekend just so she could see you, but she realized you weren’t always there when she was there.

it only clicked with her some time later that you definitely have a work schedule. which only meant she had to start coming on weekdays now, no biggie.. for her. not for you, though. that was when your weird stalking feeling started to come in- when she started coming on weekdays.

there were so many times when scotty wanted to come into your store; but she never knew what to say. ask for assistance, maybe? nah. vans were so expensive, why would she even bother asking for something she knew damn well she couldn’t afford?

regardless, she admired you from a distance. she managed to pick up a few facts about you whenever you walked out of the store on your break, walking and talking with your coworkers.

“ma’am, i’ve been standing here waiting for assistance and you haven’t even rung me up.” the lady you were helping earlier scoffed, and you snapped out of your slightly terrified demeanor. the girl you saw earlier was no longer there. she must’ve ran away the moment you two made eye contact.

“i am so so sorry, don’t know what’s up with me.” you awkwardly laughed, lying. you knew exactly what was wrong but you didn’t even want to think about it.

you continued to ring the lady up, but your heart was pounding, and your mind was going crazy. you handed the lady her bag, and she snatched it, looking at you like you were crazy. honestly, you felt like you were going crazy. maybe you were just seeing things from the lack of sleep. it was all a blur.

you sighed, leaning on the counter as you looked back out the display window.

“hey, y/n?” you slightly jumped, looking at your manager with a slight embarrassed look.

“sorry for frightening you-- i think you should go on break. you seem so out of it. i’ll cover for you, just go get something to eat or drink.” your manager explained, and you sighed, nodding and grabbing your bag.

you walked out of the store, slightly shaking. ‘why on earth did you leave the store? you now have a higher chance of being hurt!’ you told yourself in your head, but you simultaneously ignored your own words at the same time.

you stood outside the store, looking around frantically before pulling your phone out and looking down at it. you opened the weather app, hoping to god you looked busy.

meanwhile, in the bathroom, there was scotty, panting like crazy as she stood in a stall, slightly shaking. you were never meant to see her. she was only supposed to be admiring you from a distance, not calling the store’s phone number or anything-- or that’s what her coworkers told her to do. be less creepy. that plan absolutely backfired.

just as scotty was about to exit the stall, someone entered the bathroom. it was you. she looked up from the floor to see you, and you turned your head to see her. just as you were about to holler out, she put a finger to her own lips and motioned to the other people in the bathroom.

you looked at her like she was crazy. because other people were in the bathroom, she was about to motion for you to leave the bathroom with her- but immediately decided against it because she realized how that would even look.

you two awkwardly stared at each other before a lady exited the other stall, looking weirdly at the two of you as she washed her hands. scotty looked down at the floor again, and you looked back at your phone, trying to seem like you were just chilling on your break.

the silence was.. terrible to say the least. that woman took her sweet time washing her hands, and she used the hand dryer instead of paper towel. after about five minutes, the lady walked out of the bathroom, looking back at the two of you weirdly, before turning back around and leaving.

out of your peripheral vision, you watched the woman leave. once you were certain that she was gone, you sighed, and looked back up at scotty, who was still staring at the floor.

“i can explain, really i can. i’m sorry.” her voice was incredibly soft-- timid. you weren’t expecting it. in fact, you were taken aback. you couldn’t speak for a moment.

she slowly looked back up, looking at you with a face that was genuinely sorry. you sighed and nodded. “you can explain yourself-- but not here. and not in an entirely closed off area. i’m keeping my phone with me in case you--”

“i understand, and i would never do anything like that. honestly. we can go to the front of the mall if you feel safer.” she was quick to respond, and the attentiveness made you less scared.

nodding again, you walked out of the bathroom and she followed behind. you two made your way out of the mall, and you texted your boss to let him know you’d need a minute, and he responded happily.

as you two were making your way outside, scotty was incredibly terrified. this happened before and she didn’t want you to respond so negatively.

you sat down on a bench that was near the entrance, and she sat next to you, keeping her distance out of respect.

“explain.” you simply said.

“i know how bad this looks,” she began, and you scoffed, nodding as she looked down at her hands. “and i’m sorry. this isn’t.. the first time this has happened.” you looked at her, an expression that was mentally asking her if she was crazy.

“um. i saw you about two weeks ago.. doing your job. i thought you were really beautiful, but i was too afraid to say anything so i.. just kinda watched you from a distance.” her voice got small at the end. you didn’t say anything, feeling as if she wasn’t done talking.

“i understand how bad this looks, so if you’d like for me to avoid coming to the mall when you work, i understand.” she was silent after that, giving you the floor to talk.

“i guess i’m just trying to figure out.. why? like, why me?” this question was a gateway for scotty to go into a monologue, but she tried to keep it as short as possible.

“you’re beautiful. you’re always so nice to customers and it’s comforting to know that if i walked into that store and.. i guess, you saw me in there, you’d be nice to me too. your hair color always matches your shoes-- i think it’s so unique. you have a new makeup look everyday too. you just put so much effort into your appearance and i admire it. even if you wore no makeup, you’d still look perfect.” she rambled.

your heart was racing and you didn’t even realize it. you had it all wrong about this girl. she didn’t mean any harm but it definitely came off that way. it took you a moment to say anything.

“you don’t have to say anything either, i’m happy to just leave you alone and--”

“what’s your name?”

scotty looked at you, furrowing her eyebrows. “uh-- my name is scotty. scotty.. well-- it’s actually vivienne scott, but everyone calls me scotty.” she sputtered, fidgeting with her hands.

you nodded. “well, scotty. i’m gonna assume you know my name already; but just incase, it’s y/n. i’m really flattered by.. what you noticed about me. and the compliments, too. and i’d love to get to know you better, but just.. don’t do this anymore, please? you had me paranoid for like an entire week.” scotty was quick to nod and agree.

“of course, i’m so sorry.”

“apology.. accepted. i’m willing to be your friend.” scotty’s heart slightly fluttered-- friend was not the title she wanted, of course, but she was willing to work her way up to more than the title of friend. she smiled. “i’m really happy to hear that.”

“are you up for meeting with me on my lunch break tomorrow?” you asked, and scotty, slightly shocked you even asked her that, nodded. “oh, i’d.. love that, actually.”

“great. my lunch is at 11:00, and it ends at 12:00. it was nice having an actual convo, scotty.” you softly smiled before getting up and walking back inside the mall.

“oh yeah, definitely. thank you for the information.. bye, y/n.” scotty stayed seated at the bench, and watched as you walked back inside, the way your hips naturally had a slight sway as you walked.

but scotty already knew when your lunch break was and when it ended.

[pagerspages]

Professionalism and Neurodiversity

I’ve been working since I was 15 years old. I worked a summer job at a cherry processing factory the summer between my sophomore and junior years, the summer between my junior and senior years, and the summer after I graduated high school. I went straight from working at the factory to my first full-time job working at a gas station. I worked at the gas station for four years. I then moved to a big box retail store working in their automotive department doing oil changes and tire work. I worked then as a service writer/adviser at the same shop, and then I moved inside the store to work as a sales associate.  

All of these times I have had ‘problems’ with my brain. I had severe anxiety when I first started working at the gas station. I almost quit a week into it because working with money stressed me out. I also got a talking to from my boss for not being personable with the customers and at least greeting them. The customers really didn't want to talk to me either but that's neither here nor there. I did not know the extent of my Neurodiversity until way after this. 

I thought it would be just a silly funny thing to do if I took the RAADs Autism assessment. (I will at no time during this post claim I have autism because I have not been officially diagnosed.) This funny silly little thing to do really sent me down a rabbit hole when I scored 140. To put that in perspective no Neurotypical would score above a 64. I’ve shared this with friends and they haven’t been very surprised? I guess I haven’t always masked as well as I thought I have.

Anyways working while being Neurodivergent sucks. I consider myself lucky because I can work. I even enjoy working sometimes. Other times I just need to leave and I can’t. There have been times where I’ve literally had to tell a customer on the phone to hold so I could just close my eyes and ears and block out all the noises. The phone is right next to the window out to the shop as well as the register. There are times where my coworkers are ringing someone up and talking to them, the techs are making loud noises and there’s an announcement going on the PA system all while the customer is trying to get me to give them a price on tires and I just can’t fucking handle it. 

I am a people pleaser. I don’t like to tell people no. I think this has a lot to do with my anxiety thinking that people won’t like me anymore if I tell them no and I’m no longer useful to them. I think it’s also become part of my mask. My mask is this really helpful guy that knows what he’s talking about, does his job well and will help others do their job and whatever is asked of them with minimal complaining. And yes I see my mask as a male even though I now consider myself nonbinary, idk why. 

I’ve been asked before what career I want. No one likes it when I say I don’t want one. Like literally my only big goal in life is to be happy. I stupidly said this during a job interview once and unsurprisingly didn’t get the job. I don’t want my whole life to revolve around trying to get a better and better job and unfortunately for me in this stupid ass economy that really doesn’t work.  

I’m not sure what this post was supposed to be tbh. Maybe I just want to rant. Maybe I want someone to find this and read it and relate to it so we both know that we aren’t alone in how we feel. Maybe I just want validation from strangers on the internet. Who knows why I do anything at this point. I sure as hell don’t. 

[bodgei]

Do I keep trying for accessibility?

I know this isn’t gonna go anyplace, I don’t really have followers here and although I follow people here, since there is no way for me to read my dashboard I don’t think anyone will read this. I started trying to use this site again about a year ago, but there is no way to make it readable for me. I can’t read posts. Something about the site coding means I have to restart a screen reader for each line brake. 

like this

and this

I have been asking for and suggesting reasonable accommodations since March - with not much in the was of response from the staff - depending on how you count it early March, second attempt first week of September, and the last update was 11-9 (basically ‘give us what phone you are using and we will see what we can do about the app. I gave them the info and they haven’t said anything to me since) I posted to humans asking how long I should wait to hear back - nothing, I tried to blaze it (hoping a mod would look at it and reach out, I didn’t expect them to actually let it blaze. Them letting something less than positive out there? LOL) also nothing. 

So here is the thing, accessibility is hard. It takes time and money, and the staff is overburdened with everyone coming here. But here’s the thing, if they had starting addressing it in March this wouldn’t be an issue at this point. They could have been working on it for months before we got here. 

Here are my suggestions as someone who is working on accessibility at her job: 

Accessibility NEEDS to be part of your FAQs and a choice for your service tickets. I searched the FAQ and could only turn up a short thing about alt text - for tickets there is “Customize your blog” and “something else” 

 on the app serif fonts should be an option, with both light and dark           background.

 look into a accessible fonts there are tons of them out there (I know sans have been sold as more accessible and for some they are, but not for everyone. 

There needs to be a way to make your dashboard have a dark serif font on a light background. I can make my blog look like that - so I can post but I can’t read my dashboard (guess what 4th person to touch my service ticket, low contrast doesn't have a serif font, so the wait for that answer was not productive) 

Also, from my reading of the case law around websites, you need to be offering different sized fonts.  

Twitter is going away, so basically I’ll be out there looking for a place that, or without social. I guess I will have a ton of spare time.    

The TOG fandom is here, so I will never really be a part of it. Once twitter is gone I will have some affinity groups on discord - but the over arching fandom? So much of it comes back to this site and without pulling whole posts off into Word to change the font I can’t even know if it is something I want to read (also I use likes to denote the posts I want to try to read and culturally this site is super shitty about that) 

One last thing - every bit of accessibility added helps non disabled people as well. 

For my fandom friends from twitter and discord, how many of you had issues when dark mode was taken away? Think about how you would feel if the staff response was “you never needed that, you just need to try harder” and then they ghost you. And then every time you try harder your fellow fans are talking about how shitty it is for people to do the only thing that, ironically, is allowing you to read that post. 

Do I care enough about this site to fight to make it better? Because I think that is what the staff isn’t understanding - I am trying to help them make this site better.

OK this really is the last thing, have some song lyrics: (from Working In A Coal Mine by  Lee Dorsey)

workin' in a coal mine Goin' down, down, down Workin' in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin' in a coal mine Goin' down, down, down Workin' in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down'Course I make a little money Haulin' coal by the ton But when Saturday rolls around I'm too tired for havin' funToo tired for havin' I'm just workin' in a coal mine Goin' down, down, down Workin' in a coal mine Oops, about to slip down Workin' in a coal mine Goin' down, down, down Workin' in a coal mine Oops, about to slip downLord, I'm so tired   

[harmonizewithechoes]

Today was day 3 of working at the store down the block from me and I know I said I never wanted to work with customers again but honestly I don’t think I mind it! It’s been 6 years since my last customer service job and I’ve come to appreciate the adult interaction more than I did before 😅 I’ve just come off of 4 years of being a stay at home mom and it’s quite nice to be able to have a nice little walk to work, stock some shelves in the quiet in the morning, help customers in the afternoon, and I really like my coworkers! I’ve actually known 3 of them for most of my life so I get to catch up with old friends 🥰 and at least if customers get annoyed about something it’s something that makes more sense than they got the wrong color of bowl for their cereal. I’m a different kind of tired after a shift there than I am after a day with my children.

I have loved my time staying home with the kids but we really need the money and also I need to feel like a human person outside of them. Hopefully this time with their dad in charge while I’m gone can help curb some separation anxiety for them because it’s gotten kind of intense for one of my girls and she needs the time to start establishing herself as a human apart from mom. I’m not sure how she’ll ever go to school otherwise.

[cognitiveleague]

Truly one of the more frustrating recurring experiences of trying to navigate life as a grown-ass person with ADHD is that like… it’s so goddamn hard to keep my brain (which is, y’know, diagnosably deficient in Reward Self for Accomplishing Task juice) motivated to put forward the effort to take care of chores and errands and shit, because I have so many unpleasant memories of failing at that sort of thing and I feel so little sense of reward (or even relief) when I do get things done that it’s this huge effort to not just… ignore tasks until they develop into a Bullshit Avalanche that I can no longer ignore? And when I do force myself to Do Something, running into obstacles can make me feel so frustrated and embarrassed that it’s almost as if I’m being punished for trying to accomplish the task and it would have been better not to try in the first place

Like today I noticed that I’d worked about an extra hour over the last few days, and instead of doing overtime I was like “ok, it’s payday and the ‘get your oil changed, bitch’ light has been on for a while, let’s clock out at the 40 hour mark and go do that before it’s time to pick my wife up from work so I don’t have to try to make that happen this weekend”

Which meant not just the actual task of taking the car to the oil change place, but also sheepishly explaining to the folks there that a) I did not have the financial means to be upsold on anything that was not likely to be a life or death issue before tax refunds come in so please don’t bother unless you are literally afraid for my life if I don’t get the additional service, and b) I actually already know about the headlight that’s out and the old-ass air filter but please don’t replace them, I have the replacements in the car and just keep forgetting to install them myself and only remembering about it when I don’t have time or the engine is too hot for me to go feeling around for where the fucking headlight bulb goes

And to add insult to that injury, they finish up and I’m like, oh. Right.

I lost my debit card like 2-3 weeks ago (yay, absolute garbage perception of time) and KNOW it’s on the floor of the car or maybe in my apartment somewhere so I haven’t reported it lost to get a replacement I just need to find it but the car’s a huge mess and I keep always being too tired or busy when I think about it. And also it’s hard to not be underemployed when I don’t have the spoons to look for a better paying job on top of holding down the job I have, and my wife has similar issues, and the cost of living these days, guys, am I right?? And we’ve got a little windfall coming soon that will help us pay off our debts, but crucially. That is still ‘soon’ and hasn’t happened yet. Anyway so the credit card is apparently maxed out from us having to use it to get around not being paid a living wage the last couple of years :))))))) And the “emergency use only because the bill goes to my parents’ house and I don’t want to abuse the privilege of having parents who can afford to and are willing to help financially when I really need it or to keep being a burden on them, and also they WILL judge me if anything unnecessary is on there” card in my wallet is expired and the new one is somewhere in the kitchen (or living room?) mess at home so I can’t use that right now either

So I had to explain in front of the other customers that I just straight up forgot that the only functioning card in my wallet was maxed out and like, stand there while she looked at records to confirm I was a regular client who’d never pulled shit like this before and also put a note on my file so they could like, know about it and refuse service in the future if I didn’t make good on my promise to come back and pay once I pick my wife (and their debit card) up from work in an hour and a half

And the embarrassment of all of that so thoroughly outweighs whatever minuscule satisfaction my brain can derive from “but I got the task done!” that it feels like I didn’t accomplish anything and also like I put myself through a shitty awkward experience for (what feels like) nothing. And it’s that, but with like…. every fucking thing that I have to deal with when I get home from work and I’m tired and my meds have worn off. So I just have to keep powering my way through a wall of experiences telling me “you will have all of the suffering and experience none of the reward, OR you could not bother and do something that does make you feel nice instead because wow fuck that” for EVERY GODDAMN LITTLE THING.

Anyway I love my brain for so many things, but goddamn it would be great if the “positive reinforcement machine broken” issue impaired me as little as ableists seem to think it should

[threadsun]

I freaking love wings man, they’re just so pretty and cute and thinking of the little habits Nick and Berry have with their wings makes me happy so I’m going to tell you about them. I’ll be talking about both of their preening habits and molting behavior, now let’s go!

Nick is very used to preening due to his old job. He had to look good for his clients and after a night with a client he spent a good few hours getting his feathers back in order. Once you’re his owner he doesn’t preen in front of you for a long time, but once you two have gotten close he doesn’t bother to hide it any more. Once he fully trusts you he’ll even let you help if you’d like, though he doesn’t see why you would. That’s not to say he doesn’t like it! He fucking loves how your fingers feel gently brushing through his feathers, he just doesn’t see what you get out of it

Berry is a different story. He used to bind his wings for 8-12 hour work days and would sometimes sleep like that because he was so tired once he got home. He’s not used to preening anymore and will spend days without doing it which is insane by bird standards. Nick is actually the one to bring this up to him, saying he’d probably be more comfortable if he didn’t always have his feathers in a twist. Berry also doesn’t like preening because it only shows him how many feathers he’s lost and how his wings have deformed. He hates his wings, both because they mean he’s a hybrid which means he can never have his dream job, and because of how “common” and “ugly” they are. Berry needs time and love to accept his wings, because even after his molt they’ll never fully heal

Speaking of molting

Both of them get really tired and grumpy when they’re going through their molt. A molt for birds is kinda like a yearly/bi yearly period so they both fucking hate it. Berry looks like he’s handling it better but he’s just used to working customer service so he’s very used to hiding his anger and pain behind his smile

Nick, not so much. He never snaps at anyone but he’s very quiet and has a bad case of resting bitch face. They’ll both spend most of their time in their rooms due to how vulnerable and gross they feel with most of their feathers gone. They both come out to grab food though, which thank god because these boys need protein if they want their new feathers to be any good

If they trust you enough they’ll let you help with their molt a bit but they still want to be left alone most of the time. Honestly it’s probably for the best that they stay in their rooms because of how many feathers they’re dropping through their molt and how protective they are of those feathers. Nick doesn’t care as much but Berry hordes all of his feathers and makes a nest in the corner of his room with them

“What? Your hoodie went missing? Come on master, you know how that mutt likes to steal your scent, go bother him instead” Cut to Berry cuddling up with your hoodie in his nest wishing he could just make his stubborn brain let him ask you to actually be in there with him

Oughhhh I love this!!! Barry deserves to be gently preened and loved and helped to accept his wings 🥺 even if he is a cute little hoodie thief :3c

And Nick not understanding why someone would want to preen him I'm !!! he deserves so much selfless love!!!

[princessrainbowpastel]

Happy New Year(‘s Eve)!!!

Just wanna say thank you to @the-weasel-king and @toasty-self-shipping for tagging me in your New Years posts! I love you guys so much!!! 🥰💕

I also wanna say thanks for all the support and love from my mutuals and followers on this blog as well as my side blogs!!! You all have been so kind to me and I’m so thankful to have you all as my friends even if we hardly speak or have never met irl. I don’t have any real friends to hang out with irl, so it’s really nice to have fellow weirdos (I mean that in a good way lol) interact with my posts and even chat with and befriend me!!! It makes me feel less lonely to know there are people out there that are like me and like the same things I do and enjoy the content I make! 🥰 Also please don’t be scared to reach out to me if any of you ever want to chat!!! I’ve made a lot of new friends through tumblr this year and it’s been an absolute joy to get to know you guys and chat with you about fandoms and characters and more! ☺️

I also just want to admit that it’s been a rough year for me personally and my family and I have been through a lot of crap (and we still are dealing with a lot of crap), but tumblr has been my safe space to help me escape from all that which is nice. I’m sorry if I’ve been slow on replies, asks, or even my works lately on my blogs (specifically @persephoneflowerpetals because I’ve been inactive on my tf2 blog lately lol, also planning on updating/revamping that blog at some point). Like I said, I’ve been dealing with a lot at home and we’re now understaffed at work, so I’ve been very drained because of the holidays and everything going on. I also work in customer service so I have a very emotionally, mentally, and most times physically (because I work in a busy pet store with lots of heavy items I have to lift and I’m always running around the store or chasing loose dogs) draining job, so I’ve just been way too tired to work on my stuff recently. All I want to do is eat and sleep when I get home from my shifts and if I’m not doing that I’m just watching YouTube or playing video games to relax because I have so many video games I haven’t had the time to play because of work lol. Of course, I’m not saying all this to make anyone feel sorry for me or anything like that, I just wanted to mention that because like I said, tumblr has been an outlet for me to escape my real life challenges for a moment and just be happy, but also real life crap has kept me from working on the content I enjoy making. Hopefully, once we get to next year things will be better and I’ll have the energy and time to write and do the things I want lol.

But yeah, there’s so many people on here I could tag and thank for everything, so I can’t tag ya all, so if you are a mutual or follower I hope you’re able to see this and know that I’m so so so greatful to have you interact with me and I love you all with my whole heart!!! I hope you all have a wonderful new year and that 2024 will be a good year for everyone ☺️💕

[fair-fae]

Lil real life update~ mostly just incoherent rambles

I’m starting a new job in January. It’s been in the works a crazy long time now but I didn’t mention anything sooner, which I’m glad for because it has taken actually forever and anything that could possibly happen to delay the process did happen :’) But it finally paid off. I’m quitting my current job in December because it’s the only way I’ll be able to get time off to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in years (since it’s “forbidden” for us to request time off October - early January at my current job). It caused some drama with my in-laws who I guess pre-emptively assumed we were doing “Christmas” in January because “that’s what we always do” (yeah because I can’t get any other time off, not for funsies or our personal preference lol????) but whatever, that’s a whole other thing. I have finally escaped the service industry! As someone with no degree and no “marketable skills,” that’s huge lol. And I am very excited. I am little nervous since I don’t know a lot about the job or what to expect. The hours apparently vary wildly--some times of the years we are off, some times will be slow, some it will be super busy and I’ll be working a lot of hours. I’m not really sure how it will go. I don’t really have the spoons to keep up with overtime let alone fulltime work. But like? I already work 30 hours a week at an emotionally, physically, and mentally draining job. I lose two entire days every week of my life to double-shifts that leave me no time for anything but sleep and hygeine. I feel so busy and so drained I can’t even enjoy my time off or do anything with it. So like, could it really be any worse than that? It also involves some travel which I am really excited for! I do kinda wanna scream because things are going to shit with my husband’s job and he’s talking about us moving back to DC/noVA because that’s where the most job opportunities for him are now that I’ve finally got this job that I sunk a year of waiting and endless hours of paperwork into and I am so tired of moving :))))) But w/e we’ll see how things go. I am ignoring that possibility for now and just going to let myself feel excited that I can finally quit this shit job LOL I know I haven’t talked about my real job a lot here. I’m a hostess at a fine dining restaurant which is one of the nicest places in this combination tourist trap + retirement community I have the misfortune of currently residing in. Along with all the usual fun of working in the service industry, most of our regular customers are rich, entitled old people, and then we get a lot of people coming to celebrate special occasions and expecting everything to be ~*perfect*~ and business people having business meals and thinking they are more important than everyone else in the restaurant. It’s kinda horrible and to top it all off, my boss may actually be one of the worst people I have ever met. I know most people hate their bosses and like yeah, I’ve had bad bosses before, but no, this is beyond the stereotype. She incompetent. She is lazy, won’t do shit, only comes in for two “shifts” a week (by which I mean she shows up like three hours into an actual shift) but then tries to micromanage and do nothing but lecture people and refuse to help solve any actual problems or talk with customers wanting to speak with her. Her shitty attitude toward us is not even a “the customer is always right” thing; she is actively horrible to both her employees and even the customers, like almost actively malicious toward our customers who give her their money LOL. We get bad reviews about her and she upsets so many of our customers. She’s a spiteful, racist, xenophobic, Fox-news obsessed piece of MAGA shit who goes on about her shitty political views at the work place to us and bewildered customers alike. She won’t let anyone request time off for anything but she’ll take multiple vacations a year + time off for plastic surgeries and not even have someone available to cover for her in her absence. Oh and she loves to party and drink with her employees who are younger than her own children, get mixed up in all their drama, and bring her relationship drama about who is cheating on who in her marriage (well, former marriage now lol) into the workplace and like. If it weren’t for everyone else still there, I would love to see this entire business blow up in her face, but oh well. Anywho, I’m excited for the new job but definitely nervous. Even if it doesn’t work out, I’m just so relieved I can quit my current job before I actually snap. I’m really looking forward to the future now. Even if that means potentially moving yet again.

[persephoneunderground]

i quit my job and...holy fuck.

I turned in my two-week notice to my job last week. It was long overdue--I have a four year degree and I’ve been working steadily for nearly 20 years, and they even said in the interview that I was vastly overqualified before offering me...$10.50 an hour. Which, you might notice, isn’t a fucking livable wage ANYWHERE if you’re a single adult.

I took the position because I was desperate, and because I got to work with my friends (there were four of us from my friend group there, myself included, and I even got to work with my partner, which was a total delight). The job ended up being a lot more physical than described. Like, a LOT. I wasn’t prepared for how labor intensive this work was, especially when it seemed like more of a front desk/assistant position. I adapted, though. I always do. My body suffered for it every day for the last eight months, but I got the job done, and I did it well.

And THEN I found out that my friend/co-worker made $4/hr. more than both myself and my girlfriend (despite being hired after my gf, and having equal experience to her in this field). That, combined with the physical and emotional stress of the work environment, made me melt down completely. I stopped sleeping, I stopped eating, and I cried at a moment’s notice. I felt like a bundle of nerves, and every single nerve was on fire. I got up the nerve to ask for more money, and they wouldn’t negotiate.

So...I quit. And they promptly gave my girlfriend a $2/hr raise to keep her. Which is great, and I’m happy for her. But it also made it abundantly clear that, despite their effusive praise, they didn’t give a shit about me staying on. I made the right decision by leaving.

Still, I quit without a safety net or a backup plan, or even any money in savings (mostly because my rent alone takes up two whole weekly paychecks, plus a small portion of the third--and that’s before utilities, food, personal care, etc!). And holy FUCK, I am terrified. There aren’t many jobs here with a decent pay rate, unless you’re willing to do factory work, and I have too many medical problems to handle that level of physical stress. I can’t go back. I don’t know how to go forward toward something better. I’m so scared that this time I may actually have ruined my future. I’m scared that I don’t HAVE a future.

I have an English degree that’s collecting dust. I have a lot of experience in sales and customer service and reception work, and I am so fucking tired of that life--it’s very little pay, compared to the demands of the positions, and frankly? I am sick of having to spend eight hours of my day, five days a week, being berated by total strangers for no damn reason.

I want to write. I want to make my jewelry full-time. I want to edit. I want to create. I just don’t know how I can do everything I dream of and not end up evicted.

So yeah...if you have any tips, any advice, any job leads, ANYTHING you want to share with me, I’m all ears. 

Please help. I feel like I’m drowning, and I could really use a life preserver right about now. 

[babycatlix]

hello friends 💖

i know i don't owe anyone an explanation or a reason, but i want to, bc tbh i am so fucking tired. i haven't made any new content, consistently (like i've wanted to) the last few weeks bc i haven't had 2 days off, a proper weekend, in 3 weeks. i have had 1 day weekends the last 2 weeks and no day off this week. by friday, 10/7, i'll have worked 14 days in a row but, bc it's spread out over 2 separate jobs, it isn't illegal...

i can't even begin to explain how tired i am, both physically and mentally. my chronic back pain is horrible right now, especially with the hurricane weather, constant rain and fluctuating temperatures. and since i haven't had time to just rest and time to myself, i've been getting migraines, again... i actually woke up with one this morning. and that isn't even all of it, but my chronic pain and migraines are the basis of why i'm so tired...

and i'm so unmotivated to do anything. i don't even want to shower, that's how exhausted i am. what i want to do is make new gif sets and catch up on the content i missed from the tour. "well stop complaining and just do it!" if it was that easy, i would believe me. but also piss off if that's your response to someone who is tired in general, you have no idea what they could be going through. it isn't that i don't want to, i do! i want to catch up! but i'm just so tired that it's easier to just edit old content, bc mentally, that's what i can take right now. hopefully i get a proper weekend after this work weekend and i can rest without worrying that i have to be up and put on my customer service face again bc it’s exhausting to always be on when i’m unmotivated and my introvert battery has been drained for weeks. "then just quit your job!" also piss off, i LIKE my jobs, just bc i've had a few rough weeks isn't a solid reason to quit. i'm not being mistreated, i'm just being scheduled weird. i have inventory at my second job to blame for that. this should be my last weekend working and then i should go back to having a 2-day weekend every other week.

anyway, i'm just venting. i don't want any advice, but i did want to tell you why i haven't made any new content and why i might seem a little distant. please don’t worry, i still love you all, i’m just really tired at the moment. 

i hope you are having a good day/night 💖 stay hydrated my friends!