#i want a simple job where i feel useful and can use my organizing skills to help and do art on the side

[marzzrocks]

i’m really considering dropping out of college and taking a boat out to sea

[furiousgoldfish]

To all of you who are feeling behind on survival skills, worried you won't be able to succeed in life because you're not allowed to learn/not able to learn, I want you to know that some basics are extremely easy to get once you're able to try it on your own, or even just have one person explain it to you.

When I ran away from home, I didn't know how to cook, I wasn't allowed to learn, and first month or so, I was preoccupied with just learning how to cook. What I learned was that it was far more easy than my parents ever made it seem. If you're trying to cook just for proper nutrition and not make some fancy meals, most of what you have to do is heat the groceries, and salt them. If you cut up some vegetables and put them in water an add salt, you will have a soup. If you lay them on a tray and put them in the oven, you've made food. You can put stuff in a pan with some oil and stir it on heat and you have a meal. For basic eating, it can be really that simple. I also was able to pick stuff up just from my roommates, who would happily answer my questions, and a lot of people out there will happily explain to you how they make a certain food, and of course, there's video tutorials for specific meals, if you want to make something more complex. Once you have absolute freedom in the kitchen, you will pick this up rapidly.

I have never used a washing machine prior to running away, and then one person showed me once how to use one, and that was that. I was washing-machine certified after that. I gained extra knowledge about cleaning it on the internet, and some people randomly had tips for me about it. I learned to handwash later as well, and that works good too.

I've struggled at the beginning, to find easy and cheap ways to get stuff; the most common way to get things is to go to the store, but I didn't have a lot of money, and buying things was too expensive for me. I've since discovered just where to find the second-hand markets, how to get people to give me their old clothing so I never have to buy any, how to temper with stuff I have so I wouldn't have to buy anything, at this point I even know how to fix shoes and sew my own stuff. I've fixed blinds on almost every window in here, without even knowing how, I just dismantled everything and figured it out. I've put together closets and lamps. I've learned to open up my own laptop and change the parts inside, I've even changed the screen on my own, by watching a video on how it's done. I've learned how to repaint walls, how to tend to plants, how to maintain a living space. Often I'd see someone else who is able to do these things, and just ask. People who are not parents have no reason to gatekeep this information, and they proudly told me how they do it.

I've learned to organize my stuff to the point where I'm able to easily clean a big mess, and I don't get overwhelmed with things anymore. I've had to do some reading on the internet to figure out the situation with finances and economy, and I also asked some people, got wildly different answers from every person. When I have the opportunity to chat with someone who has a specific job, I ask them about what they do, and have them describe to me how that field of work functions. It gave me insight into a lot of inner workings of society that were previously a mystery to me.

I was able to figure this all out while having zero faith in myself; I believed I was stupid, incapable of survival, honestly thought I would be dead within few months. I was reading army survival guides so I could survive in the wild if I ever got homeless. I was learning even without believing that all of this would help me, it's only now looking back at everything that I understand how much knowledge I gained just from trying it and doing it in every possible way until it clicked.

The most complex for me, were the social skills, since I'm still easily scared of people. But I am slowly making progress on that and finding better ways to deal with people's behaviours. Being curious works well because people love when someone is curious about them and shows interest in what they do. It's been a revelation that outside of my home, I really can just ask any question I am interested about, and will usually get some kind of an answer, and not 'how do you not know this already'. Outside of abusive homes, you're not expected to know everything, without ever being told.

While survival skills and independence are deeply forbidden in an abusive situation, being out of one will practically guarantee you that you'll get them. Sometimes you'll be forced to learn some stuff like cleaning and cooking and you'll have no choice but to learn, and it will become easier the more you do it. But nobody will make you feel bad for not doing it right the first time, there will be no punishment, no berating, you're free mess it up any amount of times, without any consequences. I would say that maybe you wasted some time and effort, but no time or effort is truly wasted when you're learning something; rather it takes that time and effort to learn. But it's not painful, it's not shameful, it's not forbidden anymore. You can learn a lot of things at your own ease and convenience, without worrying about someone's opinion on what you're doing. You can also learn dumb things and never be criticized or called out on it, you can do absolutely ridiculous stuff that brings you joy and no harm is done.

I know feeling behind sucks, and it feels shameful and horrible, but the good news is that you can catch up very quickly, and not only that. If you really want to have a lot of survival skills under your belt, and you keep learning, you will soon know more than most people do. You can out-do any person out there if you have a passion for it. I had people who were telling me how to do basic stuff, surprised at me knowing more than they knew, just months later. It's a great feeling!

[codingquill]

Why is landing an Internship as a Computer Engineering/Computer Science Student so hard ?

Hey there, dear coders!

I apologize for my long absence—life caught me off guard with a lot of work and projects. Now that I finally have some time, I wanted to make a post to connect with you all. Thank you so much for 1,000 subscribers! I know maintaining a community requires consistent posting, and I feel like many of you might have forgotten about me. But I promise to make something big out of this. I've been thinking about starting a newsletter where you can receive weekly emails from me, discussing something I learned that week or anything that intrigued me and I felt like sharing.

Now, back to our question: Is it really hard to land an internship as a computer science student? The answer is yes, and as a computer engineering student myself, I can attest to this.

I've often wondered why it's so difficult. After some observations, I discovered that almost every computer science student's resume looks the same. The portfolios are nearly identical, lacking uniqueness. If you've studied at the same school as your friends, what would make a recruiter choose you over them?

This is where uniqueness and a sense of self come in. Your portfolio or website should reflect exactly who you are as a person and highlight your strengths.

The second crucial factor is dedication. I've had classmates who are extremely dedicated. They might not have any special skills, but they show immense interest in what they want to do. This drive is palpable, and recruiters can sense it too.

Sometimes, the resume isn't even the most important aspect. For big companies like Oracle, what you say and know during the interview and technical tests matters more. The resume is just the very first step.

So, what I've learned along the way can be summed up in two words: uniqueness and dedication.

Now how to Create the Perfect Resume to Land an Internship as a Student ?

1. Keep the design simple:

Avoid extra designs or too many colors. While uniqueness is important, recruiters generally do not favor overly designed resumes.

2. Structure your resume properly:

- The Resume Header

Contact Information:

Full name and title: List your first and last name. Use the title of the role you want instead of your current title.

Professional email address: Use a clean format like firstname.lastname@gmail.com.

Phone number: Choose the number you check most frequently. Record a professional voicemail greeting if yours is too casual.

Address: List only your city and state. Let recruiters know if you're willing to relocate if applicable.

LinkedIn or other professional social media: Include your LinkedIn profile if it's active and relevant. List any portfolios or computer engineering-related sites.

- The Resume Summary

A paragraph where you describe yourself by answering these questions:

What is your professional style? (Use one or two descriptive words such as patient, critical thinker, consensus builder, excellent designer.)

What is your greatest engineering strength?

What will you add to this particular team?

What is your process for building and maintaining computer networks?

What are you proudest of in your career?

Example:

Motivated computer engineering student with a strong foundation in software development and solid analytical and problem-solving skills. Looking for an opportunity to enhance my skills in a challenging professional environment.

- The Employment History Section

Be specific about how you contributed to each position and the impact you made.

List the job title, organization name, dates of employment, and 3–6 bullet points showcasing your achievements.

Start each bullet point with a strong action verb like collaborated or designed.

Highlight significant achievements rather than just listing responsibilities.

If you have no experience, include a projects section. This will act as your experience. Highlight how you worked on each project and your passion for it.

- The Skills Section

Combine hard and soft skills. The skills section is often the first place recruiters look to ensure you have the key abilities they're seeking. Your entire resume should support the skills you list here.

- The Education and Certifications Section

List your education, including any relevant courses or special achievements during your degree. Also, mention any certifications you have, whether from freeCodeCamp, Google, Coursera, etc.

By following these tips, you can create a resume that stands out and showcases your unique strengths and dedication. Good luck with your internship search, and remember to stay true to yourself!

[tropigar]

Hey millie! Do you have any advice or tips on someone who has no idea where to even begin getting commissions? I love seeing all your stream art on my dash n thought you might have some ideas

Hi! I have a few pointers. And thank you, that is very kind :)

You'll need a payment processor. Paypal is pretty defacto in the art community. I always send invoices and it helps the transaction go smoother and gives you some control over the details and is better for recordkeeping purposes. You'll also need a platform to advertise your commissions on. Ideally this is just the same place you post your art and you have established yourself with a decent amount of art and some time on the platform to build an audience. There are artist-for-hire forums and the like where commissioners can seek out artists but I find the ratio of artists to commissioners tends to be astronomical so getting commissions on there can be difficult (I've never used them for that reason, if anyone has and wants to chime in it'd be appreciated!)

You'll need some way to advertise your commissions and organize the information. I use trello, I love that I can have my prices, TOS, examples, queue and finished pieces all in one spot. When you advertise your commissions an image that leads potential customers to your information helps. Some people make an image sheet with their examples and prices and TOS all included but honestly I've found that's more work than it's worth. The less digging customers have to do to find your commissions, the better.

You'll need to know what sort of commissions you want to offer. I see a lot of artists newer to offering commissions offer options for sketched, lined, colored, and shaded pieces that are also split by headshot, half-body, and full-body, so that's already 12 potential commission options, and then throw on options for backgrounds and props and such... less is more. Excessive options can be overwhelming and generally people will gravitate to one end (sketches if they're low on funds) or the other (fully rendered if they really like your work and have the cash). I try to keep it simple, I had my sketch headshots at $10 and lined fullbodies at $50-$70. Finding a "niche" is great! I did psychedelic portrait commissions and that was my best selling commission option for awhile.

As far as pricing goes that is a personal decision with a lot of variables. With digital art material costs are hardly a consideration but time spent making the piece, your skill level, and demand all are. I always start with an estimation of how long it takes me to complete a piece and go from there, I start at $20 an hour because that's how much I need at a full-time job to get by. If I think something will take me about 3 hours that's a $60 commission. Sometimes that does bite me in the butt and I end up spending something like... 16 hours on what I estimated would take me 8. Personally I always just eat the difference because I care more about providing a good experience for my commissioners than getting every penny :P I also charge up-front so it would feel unprofessional to go back and ask for more. Your commission prices should really be more of a rough estimate than a guaranteed quote, subjects can vary greatly in complexity, you don't want to charge the same $50 for a fullbody if some characters can be drawn in 2 hours and others take 6. Personal advice... if you are struggling to sell your art for say at minimum $10 an hour, it is either your skill level or your marketing / visibility. If it's the former, I really recommend stepping away from taking commissions for the time and spending a couple months or so working on developing your art skills. You will thank yourself later!

It's also important to know where your strengths and weaknesses lie. If you struggle with drawing backgrounds it's better to find that out in practice rather than on a commission while you're suffering through trying to figure out how to make rocks look like rocks or incorporate lighting and that sort of thing not that I would know what that's like, haha no wayyy.

You'll need a terms of service and there's a lot of considerations that go into that:

will draw / won't draw (can you draw xyz species? backgrounds? technology? etc)

turnaround time, queues (how long will it take to finish, a week or two months at most? do you finish commissions in a certain order?)

slot limits (how many outstanding commissions will you take at a time? it's important not to bite off more than you can chew)

payment options (how will they send you the money? also, when? up front, 50 now, 50 later?)

refunds (how will you refund if you can't complete a commission? do you offer refunds if requested by the buyer and at what time? if so, are they partial refunds determined by progress completion?)

work in progress images and revisions (do you offer WIPs? at what stages? how many revisions will you make? do you charge for additional revisions?)

usage rights (what will you do with completed commissions? just use as portfolio pieces? what can the buyer do with commissions? can they draw over them, crop and color filter, use as icons, print off, use commercially? if commercial applications is a considerations you need additional terms on that)

contact methods (email, discord, the same platform as posted, etc. how often will you reach out to them?)

anything else you can think of that would be relevant.

Having a public queue is good so people can see how much work you've done on their commission and/or where in line they are.

When working with commissioners it's important to be clear on what they're looking for. Have a character reference if applicable, know a bit about their personality and maybe how they want them depicted. Also things like time frames and resolution might be important.

And social skills is an obvious one. Be corteous and all that. Not much advice I can offer in that area. Be transparent, don't be rude, and you'll probably be fine lol. Overtime, you get practice with some less obvious things like commissioner personality types and vision and are better able to tailor your approach to what works best for the client. Some people just want to see their character in your style, others have a specific vision in mind, that sort of thing.

There are a few other things I can think of like, I really recommend you give yourself a month minimum turnaround time as breathing room for commissions (and if you finish it faster, hooray!), also I generally recommend charging 100% upfront (or something like 50/50 on larger commissions), I could go off on a few different things but that's more personal advice and opinions and this is getting to be a long post already :)

Also, take a look at a few different artists that offer commissions and what their process looks like and go from there!

If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask and I'd be happy to help ^^

[mochibdsm]

age-appropriate chores list (from 2 to 10)

You can build independence and a sense of responsibility in your kids—from toddlers to tweens—by assigning them age-appropriate chores. 

It’s my four-year-old’s job to put the cutlery away every morning when we empty the dishwasher. Believe it or not, it’s actually been one of her family jobs since she was two. The forks and spoons didn’t always end up where they were supposed to, but now she knows exactly where everything belongs and she feels proud to be contributing to the family’s workload (and we’re grateful for the help!).

Chores not only help children develop essential life skills but also foster a sense of teamwork and contribution to the family. It may seem strange to assign your two-year-old tasks, but we actually do our kids a disservice by not trusting them to contribute. Taking responsibility for family chores makes kids feel like they’re part of an ecosystem that works together to keep everything running smoothly.

And, naturally, when children do chores, they’re moving and expending energy. And most chores help them develop movement skills like manipulation and balance. Check the lists below for some ideas of age-appropriate chores for your child. 

Toddler chores (ages 2 to 3)

Toddlers are probably the most eager when it comes to chores. (“I get to use the vacuum!?”) And this is a good time to lay the groundwork for future expectations. At this age, chores are more about creating routine and consistency, but you may find that your toddler is actually helpful. Have them try one of these options to start:

Matching up socks

Throwing used diaper in the pail

Putting toys in bins

Setting the table

Sorting cutlery

Sweeping with a child-sized broom

Preschooler chores (ages 3 to 5)

When it comes to chores, preschoolers genuinely just want to be part of the family unit and mimic what their parents are doing. Some options include:

Feeding pets

Clearing the table

Filling water cups for everyone at dinner time

Tidying toys

Sorting their laundry into a pile and putting it away in their closet (note: it probably won’t be perfectly folded, and that’s not the goal!)

Middle-schooler chores (ages 6 to 10)

As children grow older, they can take on more substantial responsibilities. School-age kids can handle chores that require a bit more attention to detail. These are just some ideas, but there are many more options, especially ones that are unique to your own family (like washing sports equipment, for example).

Making their beds (this is a skill they’ll have to practice, and again the goal is not perfection)

Vacuuming or sweeping under the table when crumbs accumulate (especially helpful if you don’t have a dog)

If you do have a dog, kids can be in charge of walking them (if the dog is trained) and picking up waste

Emptying trash cans and replacing the bag or liner

Organizing laundry. In our house, we rarely fold clothing. Instead, all three kids are given the basket of clean laundry and told to find their clothes and put them away (folding is optional and done by preference of each kid) and they’re all equally responsible for folding sheets and towels and putting the household items away.

Watering indoor plants and weeding the garden outdoors

Making a grocery list and helping with the shopping

Loading the dishwasher

Peeling vegetables for dinner

Changing the toilet paper roll and cleaning the toilet

Making a simple dinner (like eggs and toast)

Emptying their own backpacks and lunch bags and putting everything in its appropriate place

Family chore mindset

When you first institute chores, there might be some (or a lot) of pushback from your kids. It’s important to approach chores as a family activity that you embark upon together. Kids often don’t know how to clean their room or load the dishwasher if they’ve never done it. Always start a new chore by teaching them and working alongside them before they attempt to do it by themselves.

To bribe or not to bribe? 

There’s a big difference between saying, “If you don’t clean that up, no screen time for a week!” and saying, “Once we’re all done putting these things away, we’re going to enjoy a relaxing family movie night together.” One is a threat, the other is incentive. We all enjoy the rewards of our hard work, and there’s nothing wrong with a little motivation. 

Weekly chore charts can also help with this. For every chore your child completes on their weekly chore chart, they get a sticker. Once the chart is full, they get a reward of your choice, whether it’s a movie night, a fun outing, or a book they’ve been wanting.

Beginning a family chore routine isn’t always easy, and for our family, it’s still not always seamless, but it feels so good to work together as a family to get things done so we can effectively function in our space. The most important thing to remember is that chores should never be about perfection or attaining some unrealistic aesthetic. The goal of chores is to make sure our space is cared for—so the people in it feel cared for too.

[lunarsprites]

16.5.24

Two days of notice. Lack of clear communication and preparation.

"You're not working, you have nothing better to do."

"Six-month anniversary? That's nothing!"

"You would be helping me a lot."

"Also it's Mother's Day."

"I'll give you the $300 I was going to pay the sitter."

I feel unseen in this situation. It's a recurring theme, pattern, that I've had struggles with in our relationship dynamic since I was a child. I am not resentful, I am not angry. I am feeling suffocated, and frustrated, and a bit sad.

I feel as though I have to choose words carefully when writing with concerns to my feelings, because certain terms are considered inflammatory and you may take it the wrong way, but I am not coming from a place of attack. I am trying to showcase my experience, my emotions, so you have a better understanding of why situations like these can be harmful to our relationship, and how these things trigger me.

Firstly, your use of guilt tripping in order to get me to go with the tone of voice you used when asking me to go with you and I had showed initial resistance and reluctancy and the phrases you used as well. I ended up saying yes to avoid conflict and to avoid disappointing you, once again; because we've been doing pretty well, and things have been pretty okay for a while now. I pushed away my deep discomfort of last minute plans and change of schedule in order to make you happy.

Routine is so important to me now. I have my routine in my safe space, I have a home. I like to have things scheduled ahead of time and prepare now. I've become organized with everything I do in life, because lack of structure and instability were two demons that crippled my life for so long, and I worked so hard to get to where I am now.

Not only that, but those two demons are symptoms of my ADHD, that also subsided considerably partially due to my Autism Disorder being unmasked more often. In which, I realized I feel safe when there is a consistent and predictable routine in place. I get overwhelmed when there is a lack of structure, or routines suddenly change. Inconsistency causes anxiety and frustration, which is often expressed in what you may see as "challenging behaviour".

I sacrificed my 6 month anniversary celebration, I compromised because I was under the impression it was only going to be 6 days away and I'd be back in time for the weekend and have my celebrations then. You may think 6 months is nothing, but to me, in my relationship, we take even small milestones seriously and celebrate them just as much. Because we value each other so much. So, something that to you seems "insignificant", to me, means a lot. I prepared three weeks in advance for this. I sacrificed that to go with you because being a few days late wouldn't bother my partner, and I could work around it, and I knew you'd appreciate me coming along.

To you, because I am not at a regular job, it's as though I "have nothing better to do". I have my set up at home, I an working to improve my skills and try to start a business by myself, even if it's going a little slower (because I don't want to rush things. I always rush, crash, and then burn). I started this journey and just dove into it with no knowledge, and for once I like this challenge I gave myself, it makes me feel like I'm in charge of my life and the only person I need to please is myself. I have my routine with what I am doing, and so to minimize what I do with my time like this, it feels really hurtful. I feel unseen when you make these comments.

"You can just bring your things here." To you, it may seem easy to just bring some things and I can do it anywhere. However, it really isn't as simple as you think it is. "Just get your boyfriend to ship the things here."

It's the principle of the matter. Taking my things whilst travelling would mean I need to pack a whole lot of fragile stuff, lug it all with me (when I say there is a lot of equipment and extras, I mean it). There is so much hassle in that alone. Then comes the discomfort of being in a place I am not comfortable in, that I do not know very well, and having to have an adequate area for me to work. There is the fact that the dog is around and his fur is everywhere, or he could ingest something accidentaly that's fallen on the floor. Then I have to pack it all and take it back and reset up everything that I already had spent hours on setting up and putting things in order. There are so many things that bring me discomfort.

Furthermore when you brush my discomfort aside, when you say I could deifinitely take things with me and it isn't that hard, or I just make it hard. It's like I'm expected to just scrap my sense of safety in order to do things because you would do it that way, or in order to please you. Safety in terms of stability, of being in an environment I know, permanency, etc. These are things that are important to me. Things I lacked so much of in my life and have finally begun to acquire.

I, in no way, want to use my diagnosis as a crutch or an excuse. It's extremely hard to navigate, because if I say things or try to explain how my autism or adhd impact my behavior, I fear you may see it as me excusing things. But I can't just dismiss them, because I have two neurological disorders that don't have cure. Yes, there is therapy, but therapy is to manage things, and I already do SO much, so much to mitigate and to control things, to assimilate to people who don't struggle with what I struggle with.

All I want is to be understood, validated, and seen. So please, try to understand where I am coming from, and see that all I'm trying to do is feel a little more seen. I'm not trying to make you the bad guy. I understand your intentions, it's the execution of things and the aforementioned points that made me feel the way it did.

[mrdevelopmentguy]

The Basics

Someone once asked me, “What’s the secret to successful fundraising? What’s the special sauce, the secret ingredient? Where’s the hidden treasure trove of long-forgotten fundraising wisdom?” The questions made me smile and I thought of several Yoda-esque replies I could give to make the profession sound even more mysterious and opaque to the uninitiated.

Instead, I just told them the truth: there is no secret to fundraising. It just takes time, effort, and some skills. Needless to say, the person who asked me the question looked disappointed at my truthful but lack-luster answer as if they expected me to pull out a moldy old tome, gingerly thumb through the crinkled parchment pages to the one containing my favorite fundraising spell, wildly gesticulate, and shout “Dinero appearum!”

Yeah, no.

Development professionals know the truth about the discipline. There is no special sauce, no secret ingredient, no long forgotten wisdom, that can magically transform a real estate agent, flight attendant, actuary, or circus clown into an experienced development professional. It takes work. Years of work.

However, it’s not rocket science. You don’t need an advanced degree, professional licenses, or certifications to be a successful fundraiser. Of course, degrees and certifications help establish your credibility. Fancy diplomas and shiny plaques on the wall behind your desk are nice office decorations, but they are not predictors of fundraising success. At its core, the profession of development is all about what you do and how you do it. You might be surprised to learn that the “what” and the “how” are quite elementary, my dear Watson!

Being a successful fundraiser requires a mastery of some very basic (S)KILLS that when applied over (T)IME will produce (R)ESULTS. Think of it as a math problem:

S + T = R

Simple, right? Well, yes, it is a simple equation and when applied in the field of philanthropy, charitable gifts will appear. But, contrary to popular belief, it’s not magic. It’s work.

So, what are the skills that every development professional should master?

First and foremost, be responsive.

When a prospect or donor contacts you, get back to them right away. Respond as quickly as possible. This tells them that they are important to you. Donors like to feel that they are valued by you and your organization. If a donor calls you with a question and you are otherwise occupied and cannot take their call, reply as soon as possible. If the answer to their question requires that you do some research or speak with colleagues, call them back (or reply to their e-mail message) letting them know you received their question and you are working on getting them the answer. It’s all about building good communication habits because you never know when you will pick up that phone and the donor on the other end has decided to give your organization a seven-figure gift. You don’t EVER want to miss a call like that.

Talk less, listen more

Discovering what motivates a prospect or donor is a critical component in the process of building a relationship with them. Most people don’t have their wants, needs, and desires written on a card that’s taped to their forehead. As a development professional, it’s part of your job to discover those motivators. A very wise person once said, “You can’t talk and listen at the same time.” So, when meeting with prospects and donors, choose the latter and use the former in small amounts. And, when you do talk, finish with a question. Always.

Develop empathy

Simply put, empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes — to see what they see, feel what they feel, believe what they believe — even when those shoes may be very different from your own. This is different from sympathy. Sympathy is sharing a feeling with another person because you have both experienced the same emotional catalyst. For a development professional, empathy trumps sympathy because donors come in all shapes and sizes. You will always be working with prospects and donors who have distinctly different and varied life experiences than your own. So, having the ability to make an empathic connection with a prospect or donor can make the difference between securing the gift and being told no. Now, just to be clear, this is not the Vulcan mind-meld. You’re not attempting to probe a donor’s innermost awkward thoughts and embarrassing memories. Empathy, and the emotional intelligence required to develop it, is a skill you can use to help you understand a donor’s motivations for considering a gift — without having to relive the memory of the drunk high school prom date vomiting all over their new shoes before the night’s first dance.

Practice patience and gratitude

Development professionals are driven by goals — Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that set out benchmarks to reach like total amount of gifts closed, number of face-to-face visits made, and solicitations made, just to name a few. Balancing the drive to achieve those goals with the patience it takes to move a prospect through the cultivation and solicitation process can be challenging. I have said this in other articles I have written: you cannot force a donor to give a gift. They will give when they are ready. There is a time, place, motivation, and amount for every gift. Sometimes, it can seem like it’s taking forever for a prospect come to the gift-giving moment. As fundraisers, we must exercise the patience required to guide the prospect to that moment. Then, when the moment occurs, we must use copious amounts of gratitude to ensure that the donor knows they are valued and appreciated. Think of it as positively reinforcing desired behavior. Well done! Here’s a cookie.

Keep your promises

Keep the promises you make to donors and don’t make promises to donors you can’t keep. The second part of this axiom predicates the first and both parts depend on your understanding of what you and your organization can do. In essence, know your boundaries and be aware of them throughout the relationship-building process. Next to responsiveness, this is one of the most effective ways to make a donor feel that they are important to you and the charity you represent. Failure to do this is the surest way to damage a donor relationship (or lose it entirely). But, as with expectations — which can sometimes be unrealistic both on the donor’s side as well as the charity’s — manage your promise-making with a healthy dose of realism.

Write everything down

As development professionals, we stand on the shoulders of giants. We benefit from the work of fundraisers that came before us and those who follow us will benefit from the work we do. That’s why it is critical to keep detailed records of your interactions with prospects and donors (and anyone else you come in contact with who may become a prospect or donor in the future). Cultivating a donor and escorting them to the step of making a major gift to the charity you represent can take months or years. And, with the average length of stay of a development professional at a charity being a paltry 16 months, chances are that when you come onto the job, you’ll be continuing the cultivation of prospects started by your predecessor. Chances are also very good that when you leave that charity, the development professional that comes after you will continue your cultivation efforts. So, become a fastidious note-taker. If your organization has a donor CRM system, use it to capture any and all information you can glean from your prospects and donors through your interactions with them. It is important to remember that the people you come in contact with and engage with the charity you represent, are not “your prospects” or “your donors.” They don’t belong to you. You are merely the conduit through which they connect with your charity. Treat them as your charity’s most valuable asset and manage them and their information responsibly.

Be real

Nobody likes a poser, a faker, a sheister, a doppelgänger. Prospects and donors have a particularly keen sense of authenticity and can spot disingenuous behavior right away. So, be yourself, be real, be honest. As development professionals, in our relationship building efforts, we walk a thin and not-so-clearly-marked line between professional distance and personal entanglement. In our careers, we have all strayed too far over that line on one side or the other. Our nature is to be helpful, to support the prospects and donors we meet, and assist them with achieving their philanthropic objectives. That’s why we do what we do. This can mean attending a family wedding or memorial service, visiting with them while they are on vacation, being at their bedside when they are ill. It is sad to say that sometimes these rather innocuous demonstrations of basic human compassion for them and their well-being go far beyond those of their family and friends. The social contract that governed our interpersonal behavior over the past three decades has been declared null and void by today’s civil (and impersonal) society. Phone calls have been replaced by text messages. Visits have been replaced by Zoom sessions. Handwritten letters and thank you notes have all but disappeared. Once-common courtesies like giving up your seat on the bus to an elderly person are no more. So, now as never before, there is no easy, simple answer to the question of “how close is too close?” in development work. Philanthropy can be a strange and emotionally messy affair. But, never let the pursuit of the gift cloud your judgement so that the steps you are taking lead you into an emotional abyss from which you cannot climb back out. Be real, be yourself, be caring, be compassionate, be honest, be human. And, most importantly, be true to yourself and ever-mindful of the professional and personal boundaries we set for ourselves. Your donors will recognize and appreciate you for the genuine, caring, human professional you are.

Master these skills and apply them consistently over time to the prospects and donors with whom you interact and the charity you represent will reap the philanthropic benefits today, tomorrow, and for years to come. This is the essence of being a successful fundraiser. Recognize that what you do is important, a critical function in the non-profit world, and refine your professional practice so that the charities you serve and the people with whom you work come to understand that philanthropy is the result of hard work, not magic.

______________

Mr. Development Guy is Aaron Hanson, a third-generation fundraising executive, teacher, and mentor with three decades of experience in all areas of philanthropic work, helping charities build dynamic, diversified, and sustainable development programs. In his career, he has raised money for schools, colleges, and universities, hospitals and medical centers, children’s charities, social services and Veterans organizations, and charities of all shapes and sizes.

Got a question? You can e-mail it to:

Mr.development.guy@gmail.com

[quarterlifecenter]

4 Ways You Can Be Happier At Work

Do you complain about your job, feel irritable with coworkers, and/or dread going into work? It’s not unusual to get down about your job once in awhile, but chronic, every-day dissatisfaction demands a closer look. Maybe it’s time to find out what is going on!

My 4 tips for helping you be happier in your work are below—and they can help anyone.

But first, it’s helpful to take time to figure out exactly what is going on. One of the most common symptoms of a quarter life crisis is job dissatisfaction. For example, it is common for people in their 20s and 30s to begin wondering if they are in the right job, even though it is one that they used to enjoy. It is also common to start having irrational doubts about your competency. Regardless of the reasons, there are things you can do to help.

Before you start planning your exit strategy, explore these 4 ways to help you be happier in your work.

1. Tune into what you LIKE about the work you do.

Remember what it was that you liked about this job and why you took it in the first place. Has something changed? If so, figure out whether it is in your control to make your role more similar to what you initially envisioned (even if it is just your attitude). If not, or if you never really liked this job, it’s probably time to move on. Life is too short to spend your working hours miserable.

2. Advocate for yourself to get the appreciation you need.

Let’s admit it – we all need to feel appreciated. Unfortunately, managers often forget to verbalize their appreciation, which can lead you to doubt whether you’re valued and if your work is good enough. In addition to a lack of verbal feedback, like a simple “thank you,” there are other things that cause employees to feel unappreciated.

Some of the most commonly reported reasons that people feel unappreciated at at work are:

Being underpaid

Not getting a raise in a while

Not getting a promotion

Not being recognized for work on a project

Being denied a request for time off

Supervisors not making time for employee reviews

If any of this resonates with you, think about what you can do to remedy it. What needs to change? Is it time to ask for a raise? Would it be helpful to speak with your boss about your concerns? Are there changes you can make in your work that would get you a promotion? I cannot tell you exactly what to do because everyone’s circumstances are different. What I can tell you is to not be passive and don’t accept the status quo. Start small, seeking feedback in a way that bolsters your self-confidence and also highlights an accomplishment. Doing so may open a regular dialogue by showing that you are interested in feedback and are proactive about contributing to the mission of the organization.

3. Know your path.

Your path is your career journey that leads to the fulfilment of your vision. Sounds corny, right? But it’s so incredibly important. You have to know where you want to go, your current job has to be on the path leading there, AND you have to be figuratively moving. In other words, are you growing and is there potential for future growth?

When starting a new job, people usually feel like they’re growing because they’re adapting to a new job description, new work culture, new systems and procedures, and new personalities. After you settle into a job, the growth slows down or may completely stop. If you’re not aware that this is happening, it’s easy to become stagnant. This stagnation leads to boredom and burn out.

If you conclude that you are in a job on YOUR path and that there is opportunity for growth, identify ways in which you can be more challenged and stimulated. Perhaps, there are new skills you’d like to develop. Maybe there’s a new project or team you’d like to join or even lead. Be proactive.

4. Create work-life balance.

People think that “work-life balance” means working less. It doesn’t. Yes, there are those that work too much and simply do not make enough time for family, friends, and other pursuits. Those people don’t need me to tell them to work less—they know. There is something that can help everyone else who feels unfulfilled in their personal and work life: self-care.

Caring for yourself and your relationships outside of work can reduce job burnout.

How do you spend the time you are not at work, and is it fulfilling? If you are not taking care of yourself and your relationships, you can spend 90% of your time at the office, or only 20%, and still be equally dissatisfied with both work and life outside of work. On the flip side, if you take care of yourself and your relationships, you can work a lot and still be happy and satisfied, because the time you are spending outside of work is enriching and rejuvenating.

While it’s common, and necessary sometimes, to focus much of your attention on work when starting a new job, this can lead to burnout over time. It’s not a good long-term strategy if it’s interfering with your ability to take care of yourself (i.e., get enough sleep, exercise, eat well, socialize, and relax) and your relationships. A lot of people struggle with figuring out what enriches them, but it is so very important to do if one is to be happy at work and outside of work.

If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment or you’d like more information, please contact us.

[jerryantiques]

Hoarding Estate Cleanout Services Los Angeles Deceased Estate Cleanout

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[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

Corruption & Trust

Stormbringer and bsd spoilers in general ahead so read at your own risk!!

So in this post I will be listing all the times Chuuya used corruption and all the times Dazai was there to stop it. I will also go into depth as to why Chuuya trusts Dazai when it comes to having to use corruption and I will also emphazise on Dazai's care and how he takes corruption seriously.

1. First time using corruption: Stormbringer

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 16 yrs old

"Isn't it an unpleasant sight, Chuuya."

It was a young boy. This young boy casually caught hold of Chuuya's arm and lifted it up. With this movement, the gravitational field which had occured around them disappered immediatly. As well as Chuuya’s agony.

"Y...You..."

"You can't even die gracefully can you?" the young boy said in a raspy voice as he heaved Chuuya on his shoulders. He set off to walk.

Alright so this was the first time Chuuya's corruption was ever activated, after Dazai nullifies it and carries Chuuya on his back, he drops him off outside the bar were Chuuya's friends lay dead. He took him there instead of taking him directly to the port mafia quarters.

Why did he do that exactly? If Dazai doesn't care for Chuuya, then why did he give Chuuya the opportunity to pay farewell to his dying friends?

It's actually sort of funny because I don't really think Dazai really realizes or accepts that he feels a certain connection with Chuuya and therefore looks after him.

2. Second time using Corruption: Stormbringer

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 16 yrs old (obviously, its still the same light novel lol)

After losing his strength, Chuuya drifted in the air for a few seconds, then lost the black wings on his back and slowly fell.

Dazai caught his body.

From the spot where Dazai touched, the nulification skill was activated.

The self-contradictory skill that supports the energy of the singular point receded, and the output of the singular point decreased. Eventually, it converged and the "gate" closed. The red imprints disappeared from Chuya's whole body. Eventually, the gravitational field disappeared and the complete silence was restored.

“Good job, Chuuya." Dazai chuckled, looking at Chuuya he was holding in his arms. "I forgot to bring my ink pen, so I'll spare you from having your face scribbled."

As much as it looks like this is from a fanfiction, I can assure you that it's an actual passage from stormbringer.

I can't really say much except the fact that Dazai is being extremely soft here.

And this was the conversation Dazai and Chuuya shared beforehand:

"There is one problem." Dazai cut off his sentence hesitantly. "It has nothing to do with the sucess rate of the plan. It is a matter we have to overcome in the end but... It may require some time to decide."

"What's with you?" Chuuya raised his eyebrows at Dazai. "Stop dramatizing it. Just hurry up and say it."

"I said earlier about this control spell to open the 'gate' that is used to reset the command inside Chuuya, right?" Dazai spoke with a strangely restrained voice. "If we use that, the logs of the command formula that were written in the past will be erased. That means...even if the memory erasure was used on Chuuya in the past, the traces of that will be erased as well."

"What?"

"I told you before right? the memory erasure command. The only way we can confirm if Chuuya is human or not is to check the history to see if the memory erasure command was ever used. It means..." Dazai looked at Chuuya with eyes that he had never looked at him before. Those eyes were serious. "If we use that control spell, the method to confirm if Chuuya is an artificial personality created by a string of code, or just a normal human being, will be lost. For good."

The time had stopped.

Chuuya opened his eyes and looked towards Dazai but his eyes were not seeing anything. The wind blew between the two of them. Even so, Chuuya did not blink.

"Verlaine became like that because he was tormented by the curse that he was not human. That only is enough of a big problem. The matter of being human or not." Dazai looked at his pocket watch, gave it a glance and continued. "I can delay the time until the plan starts for about two minutes. I will send an order for my men to wait... You can think about it alone for a while. Cuz I guess its hard for you to collect your thoughts with me around."

Having said so, Dazai turned away and walked down the stairs, leaving Chuuya alone.

Dazai fixated in his pocket watch. Two more minutes. Too short for a life decision. But he couldn't afford more than that.

Inside Dazai's head, he was planning a procedure to swith to an alternative plan in case Chuuya refused, at a tremendous speed.

After this exchange, Chuuya does decide on using corruption. I have talked about this section on a previous post of mine, and I just love it so much. For starters, I think this conversation that these two shared is very important to their characters.

For Chuuya, it shows us how undeniably selfless he is. He would rather save the people of Yokahama instead of finding out something that meant a lot to him. He sacrificed his own desires to save the people he cares about.

For Dazai its a completely different story, in this exchange Dazai was able to openly express genuine concern for his partner. He also understands the gravity of the decision Chuuya has to take and therefore leaves the decision up to him.

Third time using corruption: Dragon's Head Conflict

Chuuya and Dazai' s age: 16 yrs old

During this one, Chuuya demands to know where his friends are, and Shibusawa says all six of them killed themselves after being caught. Enraged, Chuuya activates Corruption which ultimatley ended the 88 day conflict.

There isn't much to say about Dazai and Chuuya here since there isn't really an aftermath on this occasion but I bealive this picture is enough.

Before reading the DA manga, I genuienly thought that the only time Chuuya ever rested on Dazai's lap was when they were 22 but this proved me wrong.

I mean this is a minimal thing to point out but if Dazai disregarded Chuuya he would've just left him there, right? But instead he remained with Chuuya and allowed him to rest on his lap, in the picture you can also see he is putting Chuuya's hat back on. It's such a simple gesture but it shows us how caring Dazai can be when it comes to Chuuya using corruption.

Fourth time using corruption: Lovecraft Battle, Double Black reunion

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 22 yrs old

This is personally one of my favorite times in which Chuuya uses corruption. The fact that these two had not been working together for 4 years yet they still managed to not only accomplish their mission, but mantain their trust for one another.

I find what Chuuya says here extremely ironic because if anything, the choice has always been up to him. Dazai always uses corruption as a last-resort trick and its always Chuuya who makes the final decision of using it or not, even in a life or death situation Dazai won't take it upon himself to force Chuuya to make the decision if they will be using it or not, and hes always willing to come up with an alternative plan in case Chuuya refuses. (an example of this is when Chuuya used corruption for the 2nd time in SB).

I think the reason as to why Dazai takes corruption extremely seriously is because during stormbringer he was the first person to even see Chuuya use corruption and also the person who understood how corruption will always be sort of like a burden to Chuuya, since it was thanks to corruption that his "am I human?" question stayed unanswered.

He knows how it feels to struggle with your own humanity and he doesn't want for Chuuya (who he literally sees as human), to hold that inner conflict with himself because of corruption.

Anyways, Chuuya decides to go through corruption trusting that Dazai will be there to nullify it.

And of course, Dazai does nullify it.

And after Dazai nullifies corruption, we get this very touching moment between both of them.

This is the first time Chuuya openly admits to trusting Dazai, although it was always evident that he trusts him, I just love how open he is being here.

Also the light punch he gives to Dazai's chest is such a sweet gesture, I see it as a silent way for Chuuya to say "I trust you because after all this time I still see you as my partner."

Dazai's smile in that small pannel is one of the most genuine expression we have gotten out of him. What he says is also a very sweet, I love that he calls him partner. The fact that these two are literally in rival organizations yet Dazai still calls him partner, it shows us that even after all these years he still can't help but see him the same way as he has always done.

Actually in Japanese he calls him "Aibou" and from my understanding, when you use the term Aibou it's for someone who you consider yourself to be close with. It means "partner" like in english but it holds a deeper meaning. If Dazai used the word "nakama" it would have been a very diffrent story since it means partner as well but it isn't used for someone you share a significant connection with. Asagiri's play with words here says a lot.

Fifth time using corruption: Dead Apple

Chuuya and Dazai's age: 22yrs old.

Of course I have to talk about one of the most iconic moments in the history of Soukoku.

Chuuya uses corruption to save Dazai, even if Ango says that he's dead for sure. Something I find very intresting here though is that Chuuya screams for Dazai while he is on corruption, he is obviously not supposed to be self concious about the whole situation, while on Corruption clearly he is not supposed to be in sane state of mind, as we all here know, Chuuya loses control and does not have the track of reality while under his own ability but this time, while using corruption, the one and only thing that was on his mind was "Dazai."

It wasn't only Chuuya who entrusted his life to Dazai, Dazai too entrusted his life in Chuuya's hands. When Dazai came up with this plan, he was more than certain that Chuuya was going to save him. And I think a tumblr blog pointed this out but when Chuuya uses curroption, he cannot control his strength, but when he had to punch Dazai he did it lightly, which is strange considering he was using curroption and it would've made a lot more sence if Dazai ended up decapitated due to being punched by a literal god. Dazai had to have faith in the fact that Chuuya will somehow be able to control corruption, even if its just a little bit.

Afterwards when Chuuya manages to rescue Dazai, Dazai gently touches his cheek to nullify corruption and greets him with, "You used Corruption believing in me? I am so touched I could cry." Chuuya groans, and replies that yes he did, that he believed in his disgusting vitality and craftiness.

When they both fall to the ground, Dazai forces Chuuya to rest in his lap because he didn't want to have to protect him from this situation since the fog is still up and Chuuya himself is all worn out and wouldn't be able to fight. But heres the thing, both Chuuya and Dazai's abilities can't be seperated by the fog. I mean Dazai's ability is nulification so it basically cancels out, and Chuuya hosts a literal god inside him so it isn't really an ability if you know what I mean.

So in reality, Dazai just wanted Chuuya to rest. Dazai could've literally just left Chuuya in the fog if he was only using him for his goals, but he was genuienly appreciating Chuuya's trust in him. The way Dazai's hand is resting on Chuuya's hair is a nice gesture too, he is greatful for him and he is moved that someone trusts him, it is shown throughout the Fifthteen and SB light novel that no one trusted Dazai and how most were afraid to even approach him. And in the ADA, everyone is somewhat warry around him (excluding Atsushi ofc). But Chuuya literally puts his life on the line trusting that Dazai will always be there to save him. He trusts him greatly and Dazai knows that, and I think its pretty clear to us that he would never want to break that trust.

The fact that Chuuya trusts Dazai even after he left the Port Mafia without an explanation or goodbye shows us how strong their bond is. Chuuya most likely trusts Dazai because deep down he knows that he isn't using Chuuya's ability out of his own selifshness, a part of him is aware that Dazai uses corruption as a last resort but he just doesn't want to admit it, and I feel like he also trusts him subconciously because of how gentle Dazai is after Chuuya uses corruption.

I really hope we get to see more of these "corruption moments" because in all honesty, these moments are the ones that bring out the most vulenrability for both characters. The moment corruption is used, we see the inmeasurable amount of trust and care these two have for each other that they won't show in other situations. During these times it always shines a very open and bittersweet light on their bond and I love it so much.

[roselyn-writing]

Hi! Everyone, Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! I have a theory to tell today!, Today i’m going to talk about Subzeros (both Subzeros). Actually its about their mother and sister. As stated by John tobias himself Sub bros had a sister. Before their father kidnapped them to LK.

Lets start! First thing first what happened to Subzeros mom and their sister. I maybe right maybe wrong! after all its just theories i came up with.

I’m going to tell 3 different theories. So read real carefully!

First one is, after the mother knew that their father kidnapped her two sons. She took what left of her family and that is the girl. She goes to another country or state so that she forgets or run away from their father if he knew that she is still alive. And maybe he will target her for assassination.

There she starts a new life, raising her daughter alone as she Silently weeps for her two kidnapped sons.

Time goes by and her daughter grows up. Not only her age but her power, her Cryomancy.

She told her mother, her mother is scared and shocked. She told her to hide her power and to repressed it. To never show it to anyone.

The daughter is tired mentally and physically. As she reached 12 years old. She had enough of this. She got into a fight with her mother and accidentally freeze her mother and she end up dead.

The girl is shocked and scared, she cursed her power for this. Its brings her nothing but pain and misery. She ran away from her home. Fled the crime scene unknown to where to go.

She lived her life by stealing from rich couples and people. She did anything to survive. After reaching 18 she decided to test herself and goes to fight in a cage/ring fight.

And giving herself the name “Frost” to know and remember the feeling she felt after killing her mother. This name is a reminder of her misery and pain. This name is a curse of a tragedy that she will always remember. Her skills and her powers made her a survivor in this disgusting place. She fought and finished alot of Fighters. She’s even known of how many times she did fatalities and brutalities to her enemies. She is the ice cold Queen of this ring.

Yes .. we’re talking about Frost. And again this just a theory! My first guess is Frost is the lost sister of sub-zero bros! Its a theory!. My only evidance to this theory is that Frost a cryomancer and she killed her own mother. Thats all and again that is just a theory!

Second theory is.

After the mother survived the attack by her husband, she realised that he kidnapped both of her sons. But atleast he didn’t take the girl too.

She left to a new place to have a fresh start and escape her husband if he knew that she survived. That he will target her for assassination. She left to another country/state to live and forget about what happend because what she can do? She is a human while he is a Cryomancer.

She worked to provide for herself and her daughter. Her daughter grows up as her powers too. But since her mother is a loving one. Her mother lovingly advised to hide her powers so no secret organization kidnaps her and use her powers like it did to her two brothers.

The girl is calm and she learnt how to use her powers and controls them. With a help of a yoga and a monk too.

She still goes to school then she finished and goes to college. Then she Graduated then she got hired to the job she always wanted and such

The daughter and her mother are happy. Living together and always being together. Unlike her brothers who one is dead and other is a cyborg.

This is the second theory. She and her mother live as a happy people.

And lastly the 3 theory of what happend to them.

The theory is plain and simple. Her husband Bi-han and Kuai-Liang Father’s, he killed their mother and daughter, then he buried them somewhere unknown. And that they died forgotten and Alone. As the mother spirit cry for the gods for justice and pray deeply for her sons.

And thats all the theories i can come up with. What happend to Mother and the sister of the Subzeros bros. Hope you enjoy it. And if you want more theories just tell me! 🤍

Ohh! I will start a theories series called (unlock the mystery)

@lorabeyc @dumbgaming @saito-mitsuko @lisadelise @Soul-s @loryeen @Monamorn @Luxees @fanaticforgames @subzero-simp

[coconutshvings]

Mafia ATZ Imagine: The Wounded Ones ➖ JG. Y.

Group✖️ Ateez

Genre ✖️ Slight Angst/ Fluff

Description ✖️ A scenario in which the saying ‘All in a day’s work’ is always a risk in the life and profession of Jeong Yunho, Highest in command for his ‘organization’s’ weapons and combat skill team. There’s not many people Yunho considers when doing his job however there is one major exception, you. You knew much of what Yunho did was more life risking than not of what he could tell you and that made it even less easy anytime he left to handle business because anytime he came back scarred Or bruised it hurt your heart and Yunho hurt more emotionally than physically in those times.

Warnings ✖️ Mentions of blood and bruising

Requested: ✅ - “hey!! can I request a scenario with yunho? it's going to be weirdly specific firstly sorry for that kvpbpfps but it is a scenario that yunho is a mafia or something like that and he comes home injured. his s/o helps him with his wounds and then she feels hurt and sorry for him and they start to kiss and that night she falls asleep on his bare chest feeling his warmth, softness and heartbeat like feeling secure in his existence. that's all. hope it's not confusing and restricting for you 😭😭 thank you!! 💕”

❌⭕️❌⭕️

Don’t be gone too long my dear

_

The air was masked with a mild mist and The roads only became lighter with the headlights at the front of Yunho’s car that was camouflage under the heavily dark sky masked with a few stars. He was on his way home but it wasn’t an easy ride because he’d only been in a previously hostile situation less than an hour ago.

Things went left with a trade on weapons and when the other end of the deal tried to run out with not only the weapons being traded but the ones Yunho provided on behalf of his own facility as well, things went way past south than he had intended and carnage was done . Of course Victory and over all success of a deal came with a few scars in his field of work but it didn’t make it easier to come home. See if Yunho was his old self with only himself to consider and care about he’d just patch himself with some hissing alcohol and a few wrap bandages and call it a day though it wasn’t that simple anymore.

Yunho has other feelings to consider when he came home bruised now , yours , his significant other and the one who he knew cared about him more than anyone else in his life outside of his team. His mind was thumping with anticipation of how you’d respond to his current bodily state. Turning the steering wheel too hard when he hit a curve in the road made him groan due to the large slightly opened wound he’d gotten from coming into contact with a sharp blade handled by a wild armed assailant that brushed him quite good in his opinion but- still couldn’t bring him down.

His knuckles burned with scrapes from blocking weapons and using his hands as one and gripping the steering wheel too tightly made them uncomfortable but he’d find himself doing so often because his nerves were getting to him.

What would you say to him?

He’d find out soon enough as the roads became more familiar and he had now entered his secluded privately gated community where you two shared a home. Pulling into his driveway after confirming his identity to the guarded security. He shut off the car pursing his lips together and inhaling deeply before releasing it and pulling himself out of the vehicle with struggle due to his injuries. He had a mild limp going on as well but managed to get to the door and successfully let himself into your shared home. He sat his keys in the little bowl sitting on the shelf by the door and rolled his shoulders back trying to release some tension from his muscles , he’d been through it tonight.

Just then he’d seen the light coming from the living room area become shaded by a shadow in the hall that was just before you entered that area of your home and he knew it was you right away.

He was stiffened in his movement not wanting to meet your eyes but he had to allow himself to meet them because even if they showed disappointment and disapproval they still were his favorite set of orbs he’d ever come across. Low and behold they showed something but it wasn’t what he’d initially expected no, your eyes held concern and anxiousness as you steadily studied his body , the red and purple bruising under his eye , the bruised knuckles , swollen jaw and it was all so much. It hurt to see.

You only had to see it and he had to endure it oh your poor baby. Your feet carried you over to him faster than your mind really registered and Yunho was ready for a scolding from you. You didn’t give one however you just carefully touched his puffed out jaw, he leaned into your touch as much as he could with out pain and gave a side ways smile. You brought him so much contentment.

“Why do you torture yourself like this?” You mumbled softly but with a voice filled with concern. Yunho let out a silent chuckle at your question. “Put myself through torture or you, I know you hate seeing me like this.” You gave him a deflated look dropping your hand from his face giving away the feeling of warmth and soothing that Yunho had once felt moments ago.

You walked away knowing he’d follow you as you went and sat on the couch. “You know it’s what I do.” He shrugged used to all the grime that came with his profession. “Well can you do it with less violence?” You knew very well that he couldn’t but questions like this you couldn’t help but ask sometimes because you loved him so much. Yunho sighed as he sat beside you with a hiss following , he put a shielding hand over his side slouching to the side slightly from the zip of pain he felt . You scooted closer to him rubbing his shoulder putting an aiding hand over his own that was on his wound.

“Baby, The people I deal with daily are not the kind of people you can do things Cordially with and without harm. Some are shady” Yunho said matter of factly. You just rolled your eyes at your boyfriend helping him take off his jacket and lifting up his shirt to reveal his badly shaped side you inhaled sharply at the sight , You bit your lip trying not to pout at what you were looking at. Seeing him like this all bruised was never easy and it wouldn’t get easier to see. You’d grown to be able to hide it better though like now.

“Get that first aid kit from out the drawer next to the couch please.” You said eyeing his bruise , Yunho appreciated your attentiveness to him and how you no longer said much when he came home this way but he wasn’t blind he knew exactly how you were feeling , that it pained you to see him like this and you in any pain at all whether it be mentally, physically or emotionally he didn’t like you in pain , he was sorry that he put you through this but it was what he’d done for a while now and he’d grown in power and a loyal team that was now family because of it, he wouldn’t leave it behind and in order to keep you both he made sure that he stayed dedicated to both by doing his part for his team and by making it home to you at the end of it all.

He hadn’t noticed you were done patching him up until you gently patted the now numb wound. “All better now.” Yunho could now fully turn to face you without any pain , he grabbed your hands in his realizing that you had patched his knuckles up too, you ghosted over those scratches without a notice to him you’d become his personal nurse. He smiled to himself before looking in your eyes and seeing they now were calm and just relieved with happiness that he was all better as a opposed to before.

“I love you so much , thank you for sticking with me with all these bumps and bruises,” With every word the proximity between the two of you had become closer and you hadn’t noticed right away but not an inch Of you minded at all. You wrapped your arms around the back of his neck caressing a bit of his hair. “It’s no problem” you whispered before bringing the Gap to a close for both your sets of lips to meet in a sweet harmonious kiss before pulling away.

”Besides I’d like to think you take most of the bumps and bruising in this relationship.” You joked causing Yunho’s smile to grow bigger “You definitely take some too dealing with me.”

“They’re worth it. It’s alright Yunho I manage because I love you.” You assured “We’ll ice that eye down tomorrow c’mon , let’s head to bed” you said getting up from your seat and reaching for Yunho’s hand gently lifting him to his feet you noticed his blooded stained shirt. That was already over one of his shoulders.

“Might as well take it off and throw it in the hamper , tomorrow is wash day.” You pointed to his shirt causing Yunho to look at himself and see what you were talking about. “Right, can’t go to bed bloody, I think I’ll shower first too.”

“Better be glad those are water proof bandages.” You playfully scolded. Yunho grinned giving you a kiss on your crown. “I love you so much. Head to bed and I’ll be there soon.” He sweetly said turning you to the hall where your shared bedroom resided. “Hurry up.”

_\_\_

You were dozing off when you felt the bed sink and the familiar presence of Yunho giving more warmth as he laid next to you. You turned to him getting comfortable while laying your head on his chest that was now bare after his shower giving off his signature scent with his body wash. You let your arm rest over his torso and his rested underneath your neck and around your shoulder rubbing soft circles on it as it was silent knowing the day was finally over now that you both were in bed.

Nothing was needed to be said both of your eyes were closed lifting into a nice sleep in one another’s embrace as your chests gently rose and fell. It was a hard day but so were many others for Yunho with what he did but they literally couldn’t hold a candle to the release of tension he felt when he came home to you.

🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

Thank you so much for the request @yunhom i really hope you like it , I’m a little rusty with the mafia stuff , requests again if you like ❣️ -Le🦋

Request are open guys 💁🏾‍♀️ pinned post shows what groups I write for, pick one of the groups or a member and send me something , no smut but pretty much everything else goes ✨

[kimthwariru]

Another Day

Jungkook x Reader

Mafia au

📍This chapter includes mature content

Page 16. A quick talk

“Just so you know, I think this is a terrible idea” Jungkook took a big sip out of his beer.

It was now around 3am and most people had already left the party. After the secret meeting between you Jin and Namjoon the members reached the decision of taking you up for the job. It was not such a big deal, they just needed you to translate some voice recordings. They said the less you knew the better it was for you.

You still can’t bare the thought that these guys were in the underworld. but the scariest thing was… you still liked them. The fact that they were literally criminals did not phase you anymore. The last thing you remember was you and May dancing before Jungkook pulled you to the side, telling you he wanted to explain more about this whole thing, and now here you are, on the small balcony in front of jungkook’s room, with a man who you learned was in an organized mafia clan just a few hours ago.

“Jungkook, if you brought me all the way up here in hopes to get me to back down from this, you’re wasting your time” It was true, no matter what Jungkook was willing to tell you, you had no intentions of not getting May that 10k.

Jungkook shook his head “We’re way passed that. There in no backing down from this now anyway…” he looked at you “Y/n, you do realize what we are, right?How big this whole thing is?”

“I’m still… processing it” you sight “ gotta admit, a bit cooler than ordinary delivery men” you chuckle

Jungkook laughed “I can’t believe you’re making jokes right now”

“Better than freaking out and calling the police, right?”

“God, much much better!” he paused “You know, I was so afraid that if you ever found out what we do you’d…” Jungkook suddenly had a bleak expression on his face

“You were afraid I’d leave?”

“Yeah…” he simply said

“Don’t worry Jeon, you ain’t getting rid of me that easy” you both chuckled. It was after a minute that you realized Jungkook was literally starting at you, like it was the first time he had seen you in a while. “Everything alright?” You question his sudden silence. You don’t want to misunderstand anything, especially when it came to Jungkook. But the way he was looking at you right now made you feel something in the pit of your stomach.

“I’m sorry-I just-“ he shook his head “You’re… stunning.”

You freeze. You don’t know if you can trust your ears or not. Where was Jungkook going with all of this? “I don’t get it” you shake your head “One minute you’re making fun of me and question everything I like, and the other you’re saying things like this…”

You thought he was like this to every girl he’d met. You’ve heard how flirty he is when it comes to women he wants to get. You always thought that whenever he was getting too flirty with you, he didn’t think much of it himself. But now, this whole thing felt a bit too personal.

“Both situations is me being honest” he suddenly grabbed your waist “And the truth is, I wanna kiss you so bad right now” he leaned in, his face centimeters away from yours. You could smell the alcohol in his breath. You hated the fact that you felt your knees go week.

Was all this because he was drunk? Was he playing a game like he has done with others a million times before?

“Jungkook, you reek of alcohol…” you turn your head to the side to break eye contact.

“No no no don’t give me that” his voice low, he turned your face towards him again and you thought you’d faint if you had to look at his Greek god-like features so up close for another minute.

Especially his fucking lips.

You wanted to taste them so badly. God, you finally admit it to yourself, as much as it terrifies you, you have something for him. You’re not sure what it is yet, but there is something… and the way he was looking down at your lips made you want to bite them down so hard.

“You have no idea how hard it was sometimes”he said suddenly, his gaze shifting from your lips to your eyes again.“Doing things-things that made me feel like a fucking monster. I used to look in the mirror and not be able to recognize my reflection.” He sighted and closed his eyes for a second.

You genuinely felt bad, It’s the first time you’re seeing him so venerable. You couldn’t possibly imagine the things he had to go through at such a young age.

“I thought I could just put a mask on and be ok, but I wasn’t. Even though the mask was damn heavy, I put it on anyways. I didn’t have a choice” He opened his eyes again and looked at you. “I threw away the mask when I met you…When I was with you I felt like I was myself again. Seeing you heals me.”

You swear your heart wasn’t even beating right now. You never imagined that the simple things mattered so much to him. Sure, sometimes he was an annoying know-it-all asshole but in reality, Jungkook was the most interesting person you had ever met and you were never going to tell him, but you sort of admired him. “You deserve good things Jungkook, and I want to be one of them”

Jungkook’s lips curled up into a smile before moving one hand from your waist to the back of your head, pulling you in for a soft kiss. He didn’t use tongue at first, but he was being passionate. You felt his palm caressing your back. God, this felt right. For a moment you forget even your name, the only thing you knew were his lips and his scent.

Judging from his skills, it’s clear to you that Jungkook had a ton of experience in this field. As the kiss started becoming more heated Jungkook suddenly stopped and jerked his head back. His prominent Adam’s apple and his neck muscles were your view. “I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself.”

He leaned back down and rested his forehead on yours. You knew Jungkook was more than turned on, you had be feeling the growing bulge in his pants for a while now. “Control is overrated” you smile

He quickly grabs the back of your neck and pulls you in for a completely different kiss. This time, you felt his tongue caressing yours. It was when he squeezed your inner thigh that you realized you wanted more, a lot more. “Should we go inside?” You hint and by the way he smirked at you it was clear that he understood immediately what you meant by that.

Jungkook closed the curtains behind him and threw you on the bed carefully. When he leaned on top of you, you see him grin “God, you look like you were made to be on top of my bed…”

Hearing those words made your head spin like no amount of alcohol could. He started kissing you, his erect member rubbing against your slit. Each stroke making you more light headed “Fuck” you moan in between rough kisses “I wanna suck you so bad” you surprise even yourself by saying that, but it was true, you were too aroused, and you wanted to taste him.

“On your knees then” he panted

You did as he said and watched him as his pale, long fingers worked at his jeans. You scooted down until you were face to face with his thick erection. You wrap one hand around him and started stroking him slowly “Fuck, it’s so big” you moan before licking it from ball to tip.

Jungkook couldn’t articulate anything other than loud groans. You sucked him enthusiastically, matching him noise for noise. You paid special attention not only to his arousal, but to all that lay below as well.

“You like sucking my dick?” He basically growled the words. You could feel your panties getting wetter by the minute.

“I love it.” You try to suck it all in but it was so big it made you gag. “See? I take it all like a little slut” Dirty talking wasn’t really something you did normally, but Jungkook made your insides stir up. All you could think was his dick and how good it would feel inside of you.

“You dirty little thing” he moaned and grabbed your hair into a ponytail, making you go deeper each time. You were surprised at his self control; most guys would have already come and you would have had to start all over again to get what you really wanted. “Show me how wet you are”

You put to fingers inside of you and softly pull them out again, bringing them up to show Jungkook your juices.

He shook his head “Naughty girl, what am I going to do with you?” He leaned down “I can’t have you dripping all over my new carpet” he bit your bottom lip while you were still giving his member subtle strokes. “How about you sit on my face instead?”

His words caught you by surprise. To be honest, no one has ever offered to pleasure you this way before. You were trembling even at the idea of Jungkook’s tongue touching you down there…

“Yes..” you tried your best to keep your voice steady, but you did a poor job. Jungkook noticed

“What’s up y/n? Am I making you too excited?” A cocky expression painted all over his face. Jungkook liked having you like this. He liked having control over you. You knew it.

“Maybe…” You get up as he lays down. “I’ve never tried this before…” you admit. To be honest, your experience with sex was limited. You could count the times you had sex with one hand. Sure, you had a little more experience with foreplay, but that’s it. You were sure Jungkook was much more experienced than you, but he was making you feel comfortable. That’s what mattered.

“Just sit on my face, let me do the rest”

You do as he says, and the moment his tongue touched your clit you knew you’d have to try not to come. “Fuck” you moan unintentionally. This felt too good. As he was massaging your slit with his tongue, he started squeezing your ass cheeks hard.

At this point, you felt yourself dripping on top of him. You’ve never felt so turned on in your life before. It almost scared you how needy you were for him.

You slowly get up and lay down next to him. Jungkook stretched himself over so he could climb back on top of you. His hips hovered above yours now as he held himself out. You could feel his balls slightly touching your tummy "Damn y/n, you’re driving me crazy” He whispered, the room suddenly feeling cold as his voice sent shivers down your back.

He leaned in, giving you a soft kiss as he played with your hair. His tone quickly becoming more aggressive by the minute, when he had you pinned down completely, he took a deep breath and slowly guided himself into you…pausing for a moment, and then he pushed in, groaning against your chest.

Your breath caught in your throat as you felt his thick member fill you up entirely. His dick was so hard and it felt so freaking good. You respond by digging your fingers into his back, shrieking in enjoyment. For a moment you wandered if your nails would leave marks. You pondered if those marks would be seen by other girls as well…

“Fuck y/n, you’re so tight” he exhaled. His strokes long and steady as you were still adjusting to his size.

“Can you feel how wet I am for you?” You sputtered, wincing as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders.

Jungkook met your lips with another kiss. "I could have you like this all day” He moaned loudly as he shallowly rocked his hips against your own. You gripped one-another with every fiber willingness, panting as Jungkook pushed in deeper, skin scraping on skin. He began to move, at first only in short, shallow thrusts, gasping against your lips as he did so. Jungkook was enjoying this as much as you did, you could tell because he could not contain his loud and impassionate moans that surfaced each time he met your hips with his in a steady rhythm.

He broke away from your lips again, this time hitching one leg up over his shoulders to push himself deeper into you and the ensuing pleasure that followed was almost enough for you to completely loose all of your other senses. You swear that if somebody had asked for your name, you wouldn’t remember it. You kept moaning as Jungkook continued to drive into you. You could feel every inch of his cock inside of you and it felt great.

You forcefully bit down on the inside of your cheek to keep from crying out when Jungkook entered you all the way...”I think I’m going to come”

Jungkook leaned down again, a smirk painted all over his face “of course you are..”

God, you hate the fact that you couldn’t even argue with him. This dude was good, if he deserved to be cocky about one thing, that was definitely sex.

As he shoved his dick deeper and deeper every time, you felt the tension inside your tummy build up. You couldn’t help it anymore. You can feel your toes curl as your walls started clenching around his dick. Fuck, that felt a hundred times better than you had excepted.

You could see it on his face that he felt you coming all over for him. “What a good girl…” he gradually stopped moving and gave you another quick kiss. “My turn… where do you want me to cum?”

Fuck this dude was hot. “My mouth, please?” you quickly place your face in front of his hard dick.

Jungkook took a good look at you before stroking his cock proudly. “Are you going to swallow it like a good little slut?” He tried to say without moaning but he failed miserably.

“Every single drop of it…” you tease, still not braking eye contact. You couldn’t possibly describe how hot Jungkook looked right now. His handsome face looking down at you as he stroked his dick with his tattooed veiny hand.

“Open your mouth then” he orders and you quickly follow, sticking your tongue out. “God you look so fucking hot like this” he barely manages to say as he jerked his head back and made a loud moan, followed by his cum flying to your mouth.

You give yourself a minute before you lay back down on his bed and he does the same, laying down next to you. A silence in the room. It felt…weird. Both you and Jungkook were just laying there, naked and sweaty after having felt each other like that.

You remembered what he had told you. ‘I don’t do relationships, I just fuck’. You kind of resented yourself for allowing you to be just another one of his ‘fucks’.

Jungkook seemed to notice your enigmatic expression “What are you thinking about?” He scooted even closer to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders

“Nothing…” you simply say without looking at him.

“Y/n” he suddenly says “I know I’m a different person to different people. Annoying to one. Talented to another. Interesting to a few. Unknown to a lot…” he paused and you took a second to look at him, his hair messy and his lips slightly stained by your lipstick. “But who am I, to you?”

His question caught you by surprise. “To me?” You repeat. “I don’t think you’re just one thing. I don’t think anyone is just one thing.”

You see him smile “Adjectives are a joke anyways…”

“Adjectives are not so bad. Without them you wouldn’t be able to describe anything.”

“You do have a point…” his chuckle slowly fading “Hey y/n, I have a question” he said all of a sudden

“What is it?”

“Have you and Tae ever… you know?”

You shake your head as a response to how ridiculous that question seemed to you “God. No. Not even close. We’re just… friends”

Jungkook closed his eyes “Thank god.” he exhaled

“Why?”

“I don’t like people touching what’s mine” he simply said leaving you speechless.

[thechekhov]

Hi Chekhov! Really enjoying your white diamond au! I had a quick art question: How do you start comissions? I've been improving my drawing skills and thinking about drawing for others after having fun in artfight, but I don't know where to start? How much to charge, how to get paid, etc. Do you have any tips? Hope you're doing well! :)

Alright, since a few people have asked, I’ve decided to put together a few things about how to get started on commissions - what you need, what you should make, and how to keep things organized. 

This will get a little long, so I’ll divide it into 4 main sections:

1) Draw Art - Getting started

2) Get Commissioned - Making a commission sheet, Advertising

3) ??? - Communicating, Setting Limits, Running the Business

4) Profit - Pricing Yourself and Getting Paid

* Disclaimer: I’m an artist, so this How-To will be illustration-focused. I’m sure many of these tips can apply to ANY types of commissions, but I will be focusing on the type I know best. If you are proficient in other types of commissions for other types of art - music commissions, photography, etc - feel free to chime in and leave a comment or make your own tutorial!

1) Draw Art

I think this is probably the most obvious part, but it needs to be said:

Before you start making art for other people, you must first be comfortable making art in general.

I’m not saying your art has to be Disney-quality, or industry-level! Not at all. 

BUT! You must be comfortable creating what you sell. If you try to sell something you have little confidence in, you will stress yourself out and possibly end up losing time AND money.

Don’t shoot for the moon if you haven’t landed on it even once. Sell what you know you’re good at. Your commissions don’t HAVE to include full-body illustrations if you don’t know how to draw feet/solid stances. Limit yourself to what you can do.

Things you need to should probably have before starting commissions:

1. Access to art materials or a fully downloaded art program

DO NOT - Use a free tutorial version that will expire in a month and leave you without a way to draw! If you are having trouble finding a program, try free ones like MediBang Paint Pro. 

2. Free time to complete the amount of commissions you want to take.

DO NOT - Take on or offer commissions if you KNOW you’re going to be overwhelmed with school or personal life for the next 2+ months. Pace yourself, otherwise you’ll burn out, get stressed, and get discouraged.

3. A reliable way to communicate with your customers like a commissions-only email 

DO NOT - Use your friend/family/college email. It’s hard to keep track of things as it is, and creating new emails is easy and free. And keep it professional if you can! Not many people will reach out to dong-wiggles20434 to ask for a design. Ideally, your email should be close to your brand - however you want to brand yourself. Usernames are fine!)

DO NOT - Use Instagram/Twitter/Tumblr to collect commission info unless you are ready to do the organizing yourself. Some people make it work, but in my experience, if you use these SNS sites to communicate with friends and network... you’re going to be losing commission inquiries right and left and accidentally ignoring people. Email is much easier to organize and sort into folders.

4. A portfolio or at least 2-3 pieces of each type of art you’re planning to sell. 

DO NOT - Advertise commissions without having any examples of the art you plan to sell. People will find it difficult to trust you if you can’t even give them a vague idea of what sort of drawing they’ll be getting. 

Disclaimer: These are not hard ‘do not’s. If you have had a different experience, I respect that. I’m simplifying for the sake of streamlining this advice. 

.

2) Get Commissioned

So - you have your art, you have your art program, and you’ve got all the time in the world. That means.... that’s right! It’s time to let the world know you’re taking commissions.

One of the most common ways artists signal to their audience that they can do commissions is by creating a commissions sheet. There are MANY ways to make this - and they range from simple and doodly ones to VERY complex designs. For example, here’s mine! 

There are many ways to organize a commission sheet. At its core, a commission sheet should display the types of art you WANT to be commissioned to make. Let’s go over a few ways they can be done!

#1.... Body Portion Dividers!

This sheet is most common with those who want to capitalize on drawing people and characters. If you want to draw lots of characters, this is a great way to offer several tiers of pricing based on how much of their character your customers want to see. 

#2... Complexity Scale

If you’re open to drawing many things but want to base your pricing off of how complex something is, you can split your tiers into done-ness. This type of commission is popular with those that draw characters AND animals, furries, etc.

#3....  Style and Type

If you’re more on the design side of things, or if you have various niche art styles that you can’t quite lump together, display a variety of your skills alongside each other! It helps if all the ones you have can be organized under a common customer - like those looking to advance their own business and get logos, websites, or mascots made for them!

.

3) ???

You got your first commission... what happens now???

Well, ideally you have the time, tools and motivation to make things happen! Now all you have to do is... sit down and... draw.......

I’m going to say something that may be a little controversial: 

Commissions aren’t fun. 

No, no, hear me out: I have fun doing commissions! I genuinely enjoy drawing characters and coming up with designs. But even with all that said, commissions are, first and foremost: WORK

I’m not saying this to discourage you, I’m saying this to keep things realistic. When I first began commissions, I thought it would be just like any other type of drawing. I would sit down, imagine a thing, draw it... it would be fun! 

But then I realized that I couldn’t just draw what I wanted - another person had an idea in mind and had asked me to do it. I stressed over getting the design correct from descriptions. I stressed over not having the right reference for the pose the commissioner wanted. I stressed over not being able to draw the leg right in the way I had promised I would do. I stressed about billing. I stressed about digital money transfers. It was difficult, and time-consuming, and I did not enjoy it. At all. 

And a part of that is definitely on the commissioner - we, as artists, NEED to demand proper references or descriptions. We, as artists, NEED to limit the amount of changes we’re going to make at the flick of a finger. We NEED to demand clear instructions and set boundaries. That’s also super important. 

But also - don’t be discouraged if you find yourself exhausted drawing your first commission. MANY artists go through this. Adjust your rules, fix up your limits, practice putting your foot down on finicky commissioners who expect you to read their mind! It does get easier, but you have to communicate and put in the effort and act as your own manager AND your own customer service AND your own accountant. That’s what you’re looking at. 

Good limits and boundaries to set: 

Limit the amount of changes a person can ask to make. “I want blue hair.” Next email: “No wait, yeah, make it red.” Next email: “Actually I changed my mind, can I get the blue but like, lighter?” Next email: “No, not that light.” ... At some point, we have to stop. I personally allow 2-3 changes on the final stages of a commission before I start refusing or start asking for extra money.

Demand clear instructions and/or references. If something isn’t described, you have to take artistic liberty and design it, but that’s difficult! And if the customer is not happy with it but can’t tell you more? That’s not your problem - the burden of reference is on THEM. You cannot read their mind, and that’s not your fault.

Get at least half the payment up front! This is a good balance between the ‘pay before art’ and the ‘pay after art’ conundrum that will limit the amount of woes between artist and customer. (I’ll touch upon this a little more in the Profit section.)

Organization:

Where possible, create good habits! Tag your emails and organize your folders. I have a tag on my emails for active and finished commissions. I also keep my emails on Unread until I have time to sit down and properly look at/reply to them.

My Commissions in the folder are also organized chronologically and I mark down which ones are paid and which ones are not.

(I understand not everyone can do this, but if you want to give it a try, it does make things easier in the long run. Again, this advice is just what I have found personally helps.)

One last thing - I do not want to shame ANYONE for taking their time with commissions! Commissions are complex, and they take time and work. You can draw in 8 hours, but some things take research, materials, etc. Some illustrations realistically take up to half a year, or, depending on what’s involved, several years!!

THAT BEING SAID - it’s good manners to be upfront with your customers about how long you expect the commission to take. If you think you’re busy, just say that! Explain that you have a lot going on, and you will probably take (insert time period here).

And if your commissioners are worried, work out a system to keep them updated! I send my commissioners updates when I finish the lineart/flat colors/etc and I try to be clear about how long everything will take. I try to estimate with a +3-5 days buffer to give myself extra time... and recently I’ve been using it. Always say a bigger number than you think you’ll need. 

If someone wants a rushed commission... make them pay more. If ANYONE wants a commission done ‘by the end of the week’ - that’s an automatic rush-job for me because I’m juggling an irl job and several commissions at once. I WILL charge a rush fee and I won’t feel bad about it. 

If someone wants a commission within 24 hours...... Well, they better be paying you 3x your normal amount, or more. And remember - you CAN refuse! It’s perfectly reasonable to say ‘No, sorry, that sort of turnaround time is not realistic for me.’

Food For Thought - Invoicing

Many artists I’ve commissioned in the past have not used Invoicing, but I’ve recently begun to fill out invoices and file them in my Commissions folder just to keep track of things. It’s not necessary until you start getting into the Small Business side of Freelancing, but it’s not a bad idea to get into the habit early in case you might need to do it later for tax purposes. 

Here’s what my Invoice looks like, for example. 

I’ve optimized it to help me remember who, what, and how much is involved! It also contains important info for my customers like where to send the money.

Which brings us to...

.

4) Profit

One of the hardest things for artists is pricing themselves. I’m not going to tell you which way is BEST - there is no BEST way, only the best way for YOU. 

One of the options available to you is pricing by the hour. It includes averaging out how long it takes you to draw a specific type of art (whatever you’re offering as a commission) and multiplying that by an hourly wage you’ve decided on.

When you do this, I stress - do NOT price yourself below minimum wage if you can help it. When you first start out, aim for the $15/hour mark and adjust accordingly. 

Other ways to price your art:

- Per complexity: Portraits vs full body should be scaled based on how difficult you find one vs. the other. You can also easily decide on a price for a sketch and double it for lineart, triple it for full color, etc.

- Per type: Look up for industry prices for website design and logo design. They may surprise you! You don’t have to charge that much, but it helps to keep things in perspective. 

It’s okay to change your prices! Keep your commission sheet image handy so you can update the amounts as you grow. :)

Payment up front or after completion?

Some artist take full payment up front. Some only demand payment after they’ve finished and sent out the piece. I personally think these are both risky for everyone involved. 

I recommend doing at least HALF of the payment BEFORE you start the commission. Calculate your full price and ask for half before you start working on it in earnest, to make sure the person can actually pay you. Then, when they receive the full piece and are satisfied, they can complete the payment. 

I personally work in this structure:

> Someone emails me with their idea/reference

> I send back a rough draft sketch that shows the idea/pose (only takes me 10-20 minutes so not a huge loss if they ghost) and quote them a price

> They can pay the full thing upfront OR pay half

> I finish the commission and send updates when I do the lineart/colors to double check anything so they have multiple chances to spot any errors

> If the person paid only half on completion, I send them a low-res version of the finished thing, they finish up their payment and THEN I send them the full-res version plus any other filetypes/CYMK proofs, etc. 

Many of the people who commission me pay me up front even though I offer they pay half - and I’m really flattered that they trust me that much! Because of that, I feel encouraged to update them frequently and ask for their input as I work, so they have the peace of mind knowing I’m actually doing their commission. 

Great, but how do I get PAID????

There are NUMEROUS ways - these days money is relatively easy to transfer over digital means, and you have a few options. 

Paypal is perhaps one of the oldest digital wallets and is geared towards businesses. By setting up a PayPal and connecting it to your debit card of bank account, you can tunnel a pathway from your online business directly into your hands in a matter of days. 

Paypal also offers Invoicing - you make an invoice, price it and send it to the person’s email and they can pay whatever way they need! (It also allows partial payments.)

Pros: transfers from PayPal to bank account are free, and take a couple of business days. It also has no upper limit to the amount of money you can move in/out each month. It can force refunds due to the nature of its business-oriented payment system.

Cons: Because it’s used by businesses for larger transactions, PayPal may demand a more rigorous proof of your identity. It may also take longer to set up and be harder to get used to. I’ve also heard that they can be a hassle when it comes to closing your account. 

Venmo is another type of digital wallet that acts much like paypal, except for a few key differences - it is NOT made for businesses (so depending on whether you’re officially registered as a freelancer, you may not be able to use it). I personally don’t use venmo, so I cannot speak to its usefulness, but I know a few people that use it for casual transactions. It’s easy and quick! :) 

Keep in mind that you cannot force a refund over venmo! The transactions are final.

There’s also CashApp, GooglePay (which could load gift cards but also allows peer-to-peer transactions) and I’ve heard good things about Due, though I’ve never personally used it.

Other ways to pay: I’ve had people pay me over Patreon by upping their pledge, and I’ve had people pay me over Ko-Fi by donating a specific amount. 

Many people even use Etsy - the website specialized for independent small businesses selling art - by listing their commission sheet and offering up several ‘slots’ of commissions, which allows you to track taxes AND allows your clients to pay using whatever they feel comfortable with.

If you’re in Canada, you can even pay by emailing money directly from bank account to bank account - check whether your country offers this type of service! There’s no shortage of ways to move money in the digital world.

Just like everything else, there’s no singular ‘Best’ way. It just depends on what works for you.

I think that just about wraps it up! I can’t quite think of what else to put here - but I’m sure other artists will chime in with their own advice. :) I’m very sorry this became so long but I hope it was helpful! 

Obligatory Disclaimer: I’m not qualified to give legal or accounting counsel. Please double-check the laws in your own country/state in regards to taxation of freelancing work and do your own research. If you are underage, DEFINITELY get an adult’s permission before you start doing commissions, and have the adult help you through the process.   

. . . . . . . . . . . . 

OTHER POSTS YOU MAY FIND USEFUL:

An Extended Post on Pricing Yourself for Commissions

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome/Feeling ‘Not Good Enough’

Growing Your Audience

Advice for Starting Digital Art

[lovesomehate]

MovieStar-Laura & Bodyguard Travis pt2

✨They're officially a month or so into this relationship. Laura has sort of warmed up to Travis, but she wants him to relax and talk normally to her more. He's still calling her Mrs. KearneyTravis is still very formal and straightforward with his job. Though they still have moments where he will sit down and have an actual meal with her. Including not only take out, but one of them cooking.

"I'm surprised that you actually know how to cook," Travis said waiting at the countertop while Laura is putting food on the plate.

It was the first time she had cooked since Travis moved in. Just before her new roommate she had been mostly trying to clear out leftovers.

"You're just easy to surprise." She turns and sets down a plate of spaghetti and a beer. She was excited to see that he would drink more than coffee and water.

******

✨She needles him into an agreement of 21 10 questions at least every other day or else Travis' patience tanks significantly.

"I thought bodyguards were supposed to have better people skills?" She starts the game at random once more.

"I thought young movie stars are supposed to be pleasant most of the time?" He shoots back looking at her in the rear view mirror.

"I'm very pleasant thank you very much." She gives a small and wink, and Travis actually finds it cute. "Did you do anything before being a bodyguard?"

"I was a cop for a while, but a few things happened back at home so I had to quit and move. Trying to transfer to a new department just sort of rubbed me the wrong way. A friend I had joked about me being a bodyguard at some point, but honestly, it sounded solid enough." He finished and Laura was caught off guard. That's the most she ever got out of him during a single question. "And you? Did you always want to be an actress?"

"No," She looks a little upset. "I actually wanted to be a vet for a while." She caught Travis' clear confusion in the mirror. "I was having some money trouble and I had this friend named Emma, who was actually in acting school. She told me about some commercials, people, where filming. She pulled some strings and asked some favors to get me into a few. Some industry people liked the way I looked and acted so I got pulled into more commercials, then into little background roles in shows, bigger roles in the shows, a lead role, and then into movies. I sort of got swept up and away from my goal."

"Oh, so that explains the donations to all the animal organizations." Laura smiled and nodded her head in response. "I'm surprised you don't have a pet."

"I did, but they passed away almost half a year ago. I'm still not really over it."

"Sorry." Travis said softly feeling bad for bringing the mood down. "So..." He struggled for a question, he'd normally just mirror the question she asked. "When's your birthday?"

"January 10, long past. Yours?"

"July 7th."

"July...Shit Travis that's passed already."

He merely shrugs.

Laura peers out the window at where they are and the various stores.

"Travis pull over there." She pulls herself between the front and back row to point, though Travis pushes her back some.

"Why? What happened to getting to the premiere as soon as possible?"

"It can wait for a little just pull over."

Thankfully the parking lot for the building is huge enough for him to not need to pull a u-turn. The building, a shopping center was even bigger. He helps her out of the car.

"What are we doing here?" He asks as they enter the doors.

"What do you like?" Using her question as an answer.

"What?"

"What do you like?" Laura repeated slowly."

It took a moment for Travis to understand.

"You're not getting me a gift."

"Yes, I am."

"The days come and gone."

"Only by like for days. I thought that stick was at least partially out of your ass. Let me buy you a gift."

It's more back and forth, passing by the storefronts, and stopping for a snack before finally a gift was decided. A simple bottle of cologne and Laura got him a birthday card.

******

✨The premiere goes well. Travis hasn't protected someone this publicly high profile, its his first time so the constant flushing cameras and voices and people meshing close to the guard ropes makes him on edge. He has to stand by the wall in the auditorium away from Laura. She looks over and waves once or twice to him.

******

✨Travis starts to know Laura's friends more as he takes her to several get-togethers, to their houses or they come to their house. They joke about having to be checked every time he sees them and others that they are with.

One of them once again makes a comment on his looks saying he looks and behaves all creepy. Laura is a bit miffed by that.

"He's just doing his job. And he doesn't even look creepy. Just a bit unconventionally attractive. You can at least give him that he's kind of cute."

No one expected Travis, especially so as he looks at Laura like she's joking, but she gives him a small, but genuine smile.

******

✨Almost towards the end of the year is when two developments happen. First is the fact that Laura starts receiving letters and signs of someone threatening her. She doesn't want to let on that it scares her as much as she does.

When she goes out to a club with her friends she ends up getting plastered and tried leaving to go somewhere despite Travis trying to get her home.

✨The second development is a result of the former. When trying to get away and arguing the whole time, Laura falls and hurts her ankle. Travis gets on the ground to examine her. Despite being so intoxicated she's able to fully take note of how large his hands are and that they're callused, but also how gently he's handling her and that this is the first time he's directly touched her skin.

Her ankle isn't too bad. He picks her up and she's surprised by how strong he is, despite how he looks. He carries her to the car and when they get home he carries her into her apartment.

"Look at you carrying me into my home like I'm a bride." She slurs.

And then he carries her into his room. He sort of hovers around to make sure she doesn't vomit, he gets her some water and eventually, she falls asleep.

She apologizes for her behavior the next day.

She suffered a slight sprain so he helps her out a bit more for the week.

******

✨One day Laura has spent a significant amount of time in her room and Travis assumes she's asleep and he goes to grab someone on the counter he forgot.

Laura exits her room intending to get a snack when he spots Travis, shirtless with his pants (sans belt) catching just on his hips and she has a little brain-to-mouth failure.

"Fuck me." It's a comment of amazement that slips out and when it does she covers her mouth and Travis whips around looking like a deer in the headlights.

It's pretty funny the way he zips past to get back to the room, allowing Laura to admire his back as well.

"Sorry about that Ms. Kearney." He comes back out of the room with a simple gray shirt.

She's a little disappointed on two fronts. One of the now she can't admire her body more. The other is that she knows its pretty much one of his sleep shirts and he'll be back in his white shirt and jacket soon enough.

"No big deal." She waves it off and trying her best not to smile so hard. "Explains how strong you are."

"Thank you." Travis says it uneasily not sure what he was supposed to say.

Its awkward. Travis is just refusing to make contact.

"7 questions." Laura starts.

"Huh?"

"7 questions. That's about how many scars I saw. What's it from? That's the question for all 7. I'll ask the last 3 later."

Travis stands a bit more relaxed and follows Laura over to her couch and chair set up. For the next several minutes he indicates each scar and gives the story about them. Larua spends the time feeling awed, sad, and a bit angry. It really sinks in what he completely does.

______________________________________________________________

There will be more. Will be getting into the real meat next post

I LOVE IT. I WANNA SMOOCH YOUR FACE FOR WRITING MORE OF THIS.

Thank you 😭💙💙💙

[that-one-weeb-but-starwars]

My Love| Echo pt 3

Note: i'll edit this later, my mouth hurts from wisdom teeth removal but wanted to get it out for you.

Warnings: No real warnings, but there is a semi spicey scene and mentions of nudity towards the end, but doesnt go into too far of detail. And Echo's legs are cannoned a bit lower than tcw meaning yes Echos got an ass, but his legs and thighs stuff like that are still metal so

Reader: Male

Part: 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 5 | 6

Master list

Y/n watched the boys try there food. They're faces lighting up as the room became silent, people busy digging into there food.

Y/n ate his own, his hand on Echo's thigh under the table, Echo's leg touching Y/n's.

"Ma'm this is way way! Better than rations!" Wrecker cheered.

"Im glad you like it so much, so tell me boys. What brought you over here?" Margie asked.

Hunter swallowed his food, "well we wanted to meet Echo's boyfriend Ma'm, we had no idea they had been dating for so long."

It was lucky for the group that talked they stayed together, near the head of the table where Margie sat, a small kid or two down from her.

"Echo's been nothing but a delight. To both my son and my family." Margie praised, "he's a good kid, Im assuming he gets it from his older brothers?"

"Oh...uh." Hunter spoke.

"He's older than us." Crosshair responded for the group.

"Oh?" She smiled, "you learn something new every day."

She looked at Y/n who nodded and smiled, "Yep."

"So where are you boys staying?" She asked.

Oh shit. Was the only thing Echo could think of. His brothers? Staying here?

"Oh we have our own place." Tech responded, "We live in a building complex called the Marauder."

Well that was a lie.

"Wait. Isn't that the name-" Y/n was cut off when Hunter kicked him.

"Ow.."

"Sorry. Foot must've slipped." Hunter responded his head slightly jolting towards the side, Echo was lost in his food, eating small spoon fulls, he was listening inteny even though he tried to cover his easedropping up.

"Oh! Yeah!" Y/n chuckled, Echo's frame slightly picking up.

"Oh. Nice place then?" Margie spoke.

"Oh..uh yeah. Decent..just a bit cramped but we don't mine." Hunter told, "we do alot of delivering off world too, so we work a decent amount...Echo! Echo here works the hardest. He may not be the strongest but he sure knows how to uh-"

"Pack a crate! And log the ports data. He's also a skilled mechanic!" Wrecker joined in.

What were they doing? Fake Prasing him? Why?

She smiled, "You boys seem like you like your jobs."

The boy's nodded, Y/n watched as Tech, Hunter and Wrecker hyped up Echo. The boy's trying to support Echo, "and you? Crosshair was it?"

Crosshair stopped from putting a spoonful in his mouth, "Oh. I.-" he looked at Echo infront of him, "I have a long way to go, a lot to learn."

"The youngest then?" She questioned.

"Yeah..." Crosshair responded bringing the food to his mouth.

"That's a sweet little bussniess you all have then," she congratulated, "We'd have to work with you one day, we have a business of our own."

"What's the bussniess if I may ask?" Tech questioned.

"Well our main bussniess is a food bussniess, you know selling buying, producing, but recently we've started a non-profit organization for battle droids."

"For battle droids? Clankers?" Wrecker asked.

"Thats what them clone boys call them," She smiled, "we basically rehab them, and send them back into the world, most as servants, translators. Small things."

"That's uh well..."

"I know I know. But here we believe that everything stands a chance." She contuined, "Echo has helped us alot on efficent repairs."

Echo nodded as he put a spoonful in his mouth.

"We have one that takes care of the animals in the small barn." Margie told, "Y/n! Have you showed them the animals dear?"

"No ma. This is only the second room they been in." Y/n informed.

"How dare you not give them a tour!" His mother spoke fake harshly, Y/n chuckling his mom soon following after.

"Oh mommy dearest I ask your humble apologies even though I don't deserve it. I suppose I'll sleep outside in the barn."

The two laughed as they smiled at one another.

"I'll show them around afterwords. Prepaired for your world to be rocked." He told the boys infront of him.

"Well I welcome you to the family boys. Its always a pleasure to have another few join the bunch!" She cheered.

"Thank you." Hunter spoke.

She smiled for a final time return to her food as did the others, small talk. Kids started asking to be excused, when excused they took there dishes and walked into the kitchen to clean there dishes and put them on the drying racks.

Echo finished before Y/n asking to be excused he got up with his dishes and went to clean them. Wrecker asked next, he being excused as he grabbed his own things and left.

Echo was along cleaning his dishes, his plate flat in the sink as he scrubbed the plate with one hand.

"Wanna hand?"

Echo turned his head, "oh. No. Im good."

Echo turned back towards his plates.

"Echo. Im. Im sorry." Wrecker apologized, "he's better than any lady you could date."

"Oh. Uh." Echo spoke, "thanks..."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Wrecker told him.

Echo frowned, "I. I know Wrecker. I shouldn't of yelled at you."

"We've should of waited for you to explain."

Putting his dishes on the drying rack he turned to Wrecker who stood next to him, Wrecker's dishes sat on the counter patiently waiting for his turn.

"It's. Okay." Echo responded, "I, I forgive you, at the end of the day. I'm the only one dating him. Right?"

Wrecker smiled, "So. We're okay?"

Echo nodded, quickly being picked up in a hug as he chuckled, patting Wrecker's shoulder.

"Now do your dishes before Y/n's mom cuts your head off." Echo joked waving smally to him.

Echo walked back out, going down the hall and too the living room, the room filled with silence as he collected the cups from eariler.

Bent over setting all the cups down accordingly there was a whistle, a soft one, not loud enough for anyone to hear if they weren't in the room.

"Would you look at that ass." Y/n spoke, Echo standing straight as he turned around, "aren't you a gifted fellow?"

Echo chuckled, "You should be careful what you say in here."

It was Y/n's turn to chuckle.

"Why's that?"

"Why do you think?" Echo questioned as he watched Y/n walk forward, grabbing his hips and pulling Echo closer.

"All I do is tell the truth," Y/n smiled.

Echo's arms drapped on Y/n's shoulder's, Y/n holding his hips.

"Now this is something we shouldn't be doing in here." Y/n teased.

Echo smiled, "One kiss never hurt anyone?"

"Oh?"

Y/n smiled, leaning down kissing Echo. His hand running through Y/n's hair, Y/n pulled away from Echo, foreheads resting on one another.

"I love you." Y/n told him.

"I love you too." Echo smiled.

Y/n pulled him into a short kiss, "You wanna sit on my lap again baby?"

"Gladly-" Echo was cut off again with a kiss, a chuckle filling his mouth from Y/n.

"Get a damn room!"

Y/n pulled away, glaring at the teen.

"Well Enzo. I am in a room! So get out of it!" Y/n argued, Echo's head in Y/n's shoulder.

"Well mom wants you to give those guys a tour." Enzo responded.

"Alright." Y/n spoke, turning back to Echo, "Later baby."

Echo was give a kiss on the lips, Y/n grabbed the tray.

"I can do that," Echo spoke stopping Y/n.

"How about you can do this one day, when we have our own home." Y/n spoke, "you know when we're married and have a little farm."

Echo flushed deeply, a farm? With him and Y/n all by themselves? Sounded...sounded. amazing.

Y/n pulled away from him tray in hand, "come on let's give that tour."

Echo followed Y/n dropping off the tray and then taking the boys around, introducing them to all the kids, big, medium small to twilek, zabrack, human to torguata. All of diffrent personalities. Some reading on there bed, some working out, some listening to music, others playing with dolls and action figures.

And then there was his room, nothing special, Echo and his favorite record in sitting still as the song had finished, a box of records tucked under the small table the record player sat on. The sheets a dark purple his pillow cases a matching dark blue a window at the far end.

"Please come in." Y/n responded offering them to come in and look around.

They filed in, the room fitting all them comfortably.

"It's quiet simple," Tech explained, "Your personality is a bit more bubbly so I was expecting something wild."

"Like that?" Crosshair questioned.

"Like what?" Tech responded turning around to face the wall behind them.

The wall was filled with photos, drawings and dried flowers, a vintage theme, branching off into its sub groups.

"There it is." Tech repsonded adjusting his glasses.

"Please feel free to look around." Y/n responded.

Crosshair stood next to Wrecker as they looked at the photos.

"Hey! It's Echo! Look!" Wrecker cheered as Crosshair peered over, the photo of Echo asleep on the couch, kids knocked out with him, "and Kamino!"

"How's you get a picture of Kamino?" Hunter questioned now also looking at the photos.

"Echo here got it for me." Y/n smiled as Echo rubbed the back of his head, "Its not just my memories up there- Hey! Lets get our own photo up there!"

Y/n got up going over to his desk as he lifted the top up pulling the old porloroid out.

"Echo." Crosshair spoke as the clone came over, "wanna explain this one?"

Echo looked at the photo, he clearly knocked out in Y/n's bed, his back bare hinting towards what had happened before hand, the blanket covering to his mid back and down, his arms tucked under a pillow permentatly fluffing it up as his cheek was baired into it.

"Not bad." Crosshair spoke nudging his brother, he was trying.

"Here is is new film and all." Y/n smiled going towards the group, "Come on! Gather around."

Y/n smiled as the group akwardly grouped together infront of the window. Looking at the group he rushed over, pushing them closer together.

"It'll be on a timer so I only have a few seconds." Y/n told them walking back over, "ready?"

"Uh sure?"

Y/n quickly pushed the button rushing over to the group, he quickly stood next to Echo. There was a click as Y/n rushed back over. The photo coming out the bottom as Tech rushed over intrested.

"Oh nice its comin through already." Y/n smiled, soon waving the square around as he walked over to his desk picking out a red and black thumb tack.

"Hmm..." y/n spoke rushing over to the wall looking around, "hah! Echo come here! Help me put this up."

Echo walked over as the boys watched him hand Echo the image and tack.

"See right there." Y/n pointed a spot above the door, dead center towards the ceiling.

"We'll move this one." Y/n said pulling up an old photo besides the light switch "up there."

Handing Echo the old photo they swapped Y/n pinning the new one with the group with a smile.

"Ready?"

"Yeah-"

Echo was grabbed by the legs, Y/n picking him up as Y/n grabbed the back off his thighs.

"A bit higher." Echo spoke as Y/n pulled his arms back, tight on Echo's thighs he pushed the clone upward, his thighs now trapping Y/n's face as Y/n's hands vanished behind Echo's kama skirt.

"Got it?" Y/n asked his chin resting at Echo's belt.

"Yeah." Echo spoke, his face red as he cleared his throat.

"Ready?'

"No- Y/n-" He spoke as Y/n laughed walking towards his bed, "Y/n! Y/n! I'll kill you don't- Ah!-"

Y/n tossed the trooper on the bed he bouncing as he let out a grunt, Y/n only chuckled turning back towards the boys, "come on i'll show you that barn they were talking about."

Y/n lead the boys along to the backyard, showing them the small barn his father worked on fixing a small animals leg, waving a B-1 droid showed up in a happy matter the others ready to fight.

"Master Y/n!"

"Please Y/n is fine B." Y/n smiled, "Boys this is B. He helps with the animals."

With an akward introduction the batchers kept there distance, but with the end of the small barn came the end of the tour. It now late in the hours of the day as the boys made there way our. Excusing themselves for the night.

"You'll have to come back." Y/n smiled.

"If its okay with Echo and your mother. " Hunter spoke, "and you of course."

"We'd be delighted to have you again." Y/n smiled, "Please. Come anytime with Echo. Or by yourselves. We're open doors."

Hunter nodded, the batch saying there goodbyes and thanks once more. They started there way away from the home, Tech staying back, "I suppose not all regs are regular after all. And that's good."

With his last comment Tech rushed to join the others.

Echo stayed behind with Y/n who smiled as the boys vanished.

"Now. That we're. Alone." Y/n teased.

"Alone? Really in this house?" Echo teased back.

Y/n chuckled, "as alone as we can be."

Echo smiled as Y/n closed the door.

"I'll go make some more milk and honey, you. Go get ready to cuddle." Y/n ordered playfully.

"Thats something I can do."

Him and Y/n unfortunately went separate ways, Y/n cleaning the cups and pot setting them to dry as one of the old B-1 droids would put the mass of dishes away during the night.

He pulled out another pot, putting it on the stove filled with the sweet liquid he wipped the tray clean, putting a fresh set of cookies on a small plate and two cups. Just in time as the pot started to whistle, pulling it off the stove he turned the gas off and went to his room.

Holding the tray in one hand he opened his door, "hey hope you didn't miss me too..."

Y/n's frame filling the door way, but froze seeing Echo's bare back facing him, a blanket sat high waisted on him as Y/n quickly stepped in, quiet with his steps he locked the door behind him, Echo now standing up and facing Y/n the blanket still around his waist.

"I uh..." Echo responded with a flush, "thought...you might like this first..."

Y/n flushed as Echo dropped the blanket, setting the tray on the nearest surface big enough, the floor flush against the wall besides the door, he walked over, kicking his shoes off in the process.

"Baby you have no idea how much I like this." Y/n told him, Echo's gaze away.

Maker. Y/n took his thumb to Echo's chin, Y/n's soft skin lightly tapping up Echo's chin to look up at him. Holding Echo's chin in place with his thumb and index finger Y/n smiled smally, his eyes filled with love for the pale male infront of him.

"Y/n. I..." Echo trailed off.

"Shh..." Y/n hushed softly, his thumb running down Echo's lip and back to his chin, "You don't have to say anything..."

Echo raised on his toes, leaning up to kiss Y/n, Y/n leaned down, the first kiss was almost shy, there lips only pressing together in sweet presence of one another. The small kiss leaving Echo breathless. They pulled away shortly. Another one soon be initiated, Y/n nudging Echo to sit down softly, he following Echo's movements, Y/n sitting besides him, the kissing barely any more intense, Echo swinging a leg over Y/n's straddling the taller male.

Y/n held the small of Echo's back, the two's makeout session growing in heat as Y/n's hands running down Echo's back and to his ass, where he gladly let his hands rest of Echo's warm skin while they kissed.

It was soon for breathe they pulled away, Y/n attaching himself to Echo's neck. Echo's hand through Y/n's hair as he hummed against Echo's pale skin, earing a soft mewel.

"Y/n...take me...take me away..." Echo whispered, Y/n laying Echo down on his back, his lips never movinv from Echo's shoulder.

"Take me away...Y/n..." Echo meweled softly, the words spilling from Echo's vocal cords once again.

Y/n stopped momentarily to lean up into Echo's ear, "only if I can come along baby..."

The night was filled with passion, hair being pulled in pleasure, moans dripping off each others lips, ripped from there vocal cords in call for the other one. Pleads drawn from the bottom as Echo left a few new scratch marks on Y/n's back, along with a line of hickeys following Y/n's collar blade to sholder. Y/n did the same, leaving hickies along Echo's body, where skin met metal.

Echo laid flat on his stomach now, his head turned towards Y/n. Y/n held a stupid large smile on his face, his finger's interlaced with Echo's.

"That was somethin else babe." Y/n told him softly, "Parched after the time of your life?"

Echo chuckled as Y/n pulled himself up, and out of bed. Echo receiving a pleasent veiw of Y/n's behind with one side having present marks, they currently defined and fresh, marks both darker and lighter spotted Y/n's back, mostly towards his shoulder and nape of his neck.

Echo watched Y/n pick up the tray and make his way back to the bed setting it on the nightstand, climbing back in the covers as Echo nuzzle up to Y/n.

"Clingy now are we? Let me pour you a cup atleast." Y/n chuckled.

Pouring them both cups Echo was handed one cold cup, "Thanks."

"Mhmm," Y/n acknowledged the two cuddled up, "shame its cold. Must sat for too long, needy thing arent you?"

Echo flustered, but took a risk himself, "Could still be longer."

"Oh? And what are you gonna do that I haven't done to you?" Y/n teased, Echo took a heavy drink, hoping it would bring him energy later taking Y/n's he sat it on the nightstand next to his own side of the bed.

Echo pushed Y/n onto the bed flat, the covers still hiding Y/n's lower half.

"I haven't rode you." Echo told boldly.

Y/n smirked up at him, "You're right you haven't,"

Echo's leg's swinging over Y/n, "Think you can handle me?" Echo questioned.

Y/n chuckled, "Baby you have no idea what I'd endure for you." Y/n sat up, holding Echo's face with a hand.

"Lets see then." Echo responded Y/n biting his lip as he pushed the covers down with a foot.

Y/n was pulled into a kiss, his hands running up and down Echo's back as Echo pushed him to the bed, the kiss never breaking.

Read the Next Part here if you like smut or stay generally sfw here