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#it’s the 25+ year olds that get me the most
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You're too Sweet for Me (Grumpy!Sebastian Stan x Sunshine!OC!Assistant)
Sebastian Stan Masterlist
Chapter 1
Word Count: 1,816
Warnings: None.
A/N: I know this chapter isn't long, but I promise the upcoming chapters will be longer. Let me know what you think and what you would like to see!
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They say never meet your heroes, yet here Julie was, working for him. At only 25 years old, she decided to make the move to New York City, it was a bold move. she had known California to be her home since birth, but with her recent breakup, she felt like it was suffocating her. She needed a change a big one, so she grabbed all her shit and her dog and moved to NYC. 
Getting the job as Sebastian Stan’s assistant was just the cherry on the top, she never imagined working for the actor Ishe had a major crush on, but he wasn’t everything she saw in interviews. He spent most of his time angry or silent. Julie decided not to let his moodiness ruin her mood because she was living the dream. 
“You’re late,” Emily, Sebastian’s manager, says as Julie walks into Sebastian’s apartment. 
“I know, I know,” Julie sighed setting down her bag on the counter. “What am I dealing with today? Two cups of coffee or do you think one will do?” 
She glanced towards the office where Sebastian spent most of his time, “Make it two.” 
Julie rolled her eyes, “Jesus.” Making her way into the kitchen and began making some coffee. 
“Did you go check out that restaurant I told you about?” Emily asks, leaning against the counter. 
“Yes, I did. It still doesn’t beat the tacos back home.” 
Emily smiled. “You miss California?” 
“Yes and no.” 
A frustrated yell echoed through the apartment, Emily and Julie looked at each other. “If only the coffee machine could go any faster,” Julie said, grabbing Sebastian’s favorite mug from the cupboard. 
“I should head out, but I’ll send you more recommendations. There’s this Thai place you should try out, it’s near your apartment,” Emily said as she made her way to the door. 
“Wish me luck,” Julie sighed. 
“Good luck,” she smirked before leaving the apartment. 
Julie poured Sebastian his coffee before rushing over to his office. 
“A coffee a day keeps the grumpiness at bay,” Julie said, placing Sebastian’s mug on his desk. It was just the way he liked it, with a dash of oat milk. Julie wondered if maybe that’s why he was always such a big grump. 
“I am not grumpy.” Sebastian rolled his eyes before turning around, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 
“Sure, and I’m not bisexual. Oh, wait, Yes I am.” 
Sebastian rolled his eyes again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Remind me why I hired you again?” 
“Because I needed a job and I saw a posting about ‘Assistant needed’ and I thought, hey! I can-” 
“Alright, alright,” Sebastian sighs. “Can you just hand me that script I was talking about yesterday?” 
Julie sighed, “Please?” She mutters, handing him the script that was in his file cabinet. 
Sebastian takes in a deep breath, “please,” he mumbled. 
“Now was that so hard?” She asked as she began to walk out of the office. 
“A bit,” he muttered. 
“I heard that!” 
“Wait! Before you go.” Sebastian took a sip of his coffee as Julie quickly turned around, “You do know you were about thirty minutes late today, right?” 
“I really thought I was gonna get away with that,” she smiled. “It won’t happen again, I promise! My alarm never went off this morning.” 
Sebastian stared at Julie as she rambled on, something was different about her. Her glasses. Sebastian shook his head with the realization. “You wearing contacts today?” He asked. 
“Oh,” she let out a nervous laugh, “I uh- managed to forget my glasses at home along with my contacts.” 
Sebastian rolled his eyes, “dear lord, help me with this one.” 
“But I swear, I’ll be fine!” She turned around to walk out of the office but bumped into the wall, she let out a small groan. “I swear that wall wasn’t there a second ago.” 
Sebastian sighed, getting up from his chair. “Come on,” He said, grabbing his keys. 
“Where are we going?” She asked, rubbing her nose from the impact. 
“We’re going to your apartment,” He said walking past Julie. 
She quickly followed him out of the office, “What? Why?” 
“Because, Julie, unfortunately, you are no use to me when you’re blind as a bat,” he commented, grabbing her bag from the counter and handing it to her. 
“A-Are you sure? Because it’s like a twenty-minute walk, that’s not including having to use the L line to get to my street,” Julie began to say as she took her purse from Sebastian. 
“I would much rather have my assistant able to do her job without making any mistakes, especially today.” 
“What’s so special about today?” 
“We have that deadline remember?” 
Julie did not remember, she took out her phone, holding the screen close to her face as she looked through her calendar. “Ah, yes, I remember now.” 
Sebastian gestured for Julie to lead the way once they exited his apartment building. 
It took about thirty minutes for them to arrive at Julie’s apartment, Sebastian took in the old building in front of him. This was the first time he had been to her place and he’d be lying if he was never curious as to how she lived. He expected her to have bookshelves and maybe some plants, a cozy environment for an introverted bookworm like herself. When they got to her hallway, Julie led him to the farthest door. 
Yelling could be heard as they passed by one of the doors, “That’s Janice,” Julie commented. “She’s a bit of a yeller.” 
Once they got to Julie’s door, she rummaged through her purse. Sebastian watched as she squinted her eyes while rummaging through her purse. Her petite frame barely made a dent in the small space they occupied, he felt like a giant next to her. Her dark hair tied up in a messy bun, evidence that she was indeed in a hurry that morning. Sebastian knew her signature bun that was always perfectly pulled up with a few loose strands of hair in the front. 
Her skin had a warm, caramel hue, a testament to her latina heritage. To most girls, Julie would be envied for having the perfect tan skin. 
Julie cleared her throat, feeling Sebastian’s eyes on her. She pulled out a book and handing it to Sebastian, “Hold that, please.” 
Sebastian sighs, taking the book. “So you forget your glasses,  but you don’t forget your book.” 
“Oh, that’s my purse book,” Julie says, rummaging through her purse again. 
“Your purse book?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows.
She nodded, “It stays in my purse, in case of emergencies.” 
“What kind of emergency would there be in which you need– what book is this,” He looked at the title, “Tuesdays with Morrie? What kind of emergency would require you to read Tuesdays with Morrie?” 
“The kind in which I am trapped somewhere and in dire need to read,” She smiled, pulling out her keys from her purse. 
“Sometimes, I wonder what goes through that little head of yours.” 
“My mom always said that to me,” Julie commented, opening the door to her apartment, “maybe that’s why I had to take all those tests when I was a kid.” 
Sebastian stifled a laugh, “You know what, I’m not gonna even ask.” 
As they walked into the apartment, the sound of nails clicking against the hardwood floor echoed through the apartment hallway, it was followed by the jingle of small pieces of metal clashing together. A German shepherd came into view, wagging its tail as it went straight to Julie. 
Julie bent down and began scratching behind the dog's ear, “I know, I know, I didn’t say good morning to you this morning.” She kissed him on the head as the dog whined, “I am so sorry, Shadow.” 
“You didn’t tell me you had a dog,” Sebastian commented. 
At the sound of Sebastian’s voice, Shadow quickly reacted and began barking at him. Sebastian took a step back, “Heel, Shadow.” Shadow obeyed instantly, sitting beside her. 
“And he’s trained,” Sebastian said with an impressed look. 
“This is my baby,” she walked over to the kitchen counter, grabbing a treat from a jar. She handed it to Sebastian, “Trust me, he’s just like you. A big softie on the inside,” she said with a wink. 
Sebastian gave Julie a small glare as he took the treat from her and gave it to Shadow, “hey, Shadow.” The dog was quick to smell Sebastian and then eat the treat. Sebastian had gained his trust, for now. 
“I’ll be right back, um, you can make yourself at home.” Julie gestured towards the living room. Sebastian stepped into the living room, taking in the bookshelves that lined one of the walls, the plants that hung on the ceiling, and the ones that were left out on the patio. Some plants had long lines that draped over some of the bookshelves. It was exactly how he imagined it. A smile tugged on his lips as he scanned the books on her shelves. 
“Is most of this yours?” Sebastian scanned the coffee table, which was littered with magazines and books. He was surprised to see an ashtray. 
“The books and the plants, yes!” Julie yelled out. 
“I’m assuming the ashtray isn’t yours?” 
“Roommate,” Julie said as she walked into the living room with her glasses on. 
“There she is! Now that’s the assistant I know.” 
Julie rolled her eyes, “Let’s just go before we’re late for that deadline.” 
The way back through the L line took an unexpected turn, the line had stopped suddenly. Everyone seemed to not panic as a voice came on the speakers informing everyone they should be back on route shortly. 
Julie smiled widely as she pulled at her book from her purse, “Emergencies.” She waved the book at Sebastian. 
Sebastian couldn’t hold in his laughter as he shook his head, “You are unbelievable.” 
“You think it’s stupid, but look what just happened. Now I can entertain myself while we wait.” 
Sebastian rolled his eyes, “Whatever.” 
After a few minutes passed, Sebastian began to feel anxious waiting, his leg began bouncing as he peered over Julie’s shoulder. 
“I see you,” She whispered, a smirk playing on her face as she turned the page. 
“Wait, I wasn’t done with that page.” 
Julie glared at Sebastian, “Then maybe you should have a purse book.” 
“But I don’t carry a purse, so it won’t work out.” 
“You usually carry around a backpack, right? Hell, there are even ebooks for your phone,” she exclaimed as she put her book down.
“Why don’t you get ebooks then?”  
“Because it’s not the same,” She rolled her eyes, “now stop distracting me from my emergency.” 
Sebastian leaned back in his seat. “Alright, maybe the whole purse book wasn’t such a bad idea.” 
“Thank you,” She said in a sing-song voice. 
Taglist: @cjand10 @floralwsloki
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nanaslutt · 2 months
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saying “minors dni” while writing smut about minors is crazzyyyyyyyyyyyy
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majimassqueaktoy · 1 year
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Saejima and his prison crew still meeting up sometimes to have dinner and beers and maybe a tabletop role play is a head canon that I simply think is very cute.
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nicklukenelson · 3 days
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Can we pretty please acknowledge how creepy the logan x Kendall plotline is for a second? That is a 25 year old sleeping with a barely legal adult. Under false pretenses ! Weird as hell.
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chikoyama · 26 days
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Chiyori's experiences and opinions about the Jujutsu system (and by extent the defection of Suguru)
While attending Jujutsu High and working as a sorcerer, I think one of the more prominent observations that made a mark on Chiyori is how little support students and sorcerers received in dealing with struggles of psychological character. Because, well, they simply weren’t offered support, and as far as she’s noted, it's practically every man for himself.
Initially, Chiyori found it quite upsetting, if not surprising, how stark a contrast the lack of mental support was to the cozy, comfortable environment she originated from herself. An environment where her adoptive parents for the most part provided her the basic physical and psychological support she needed to thrive—
Because the first time Chiyori witnessed someone die before her, she was just fourteen and in her first year. No one was there to assist her through the trauma — no assistance was offered. There were several reasons for that, which Chiyori wholly ends up recognizing and acknowledging as she grows up. First being that her issues at that time were being overshadowed by the chaos that followed the defection of the special grade sorcerer Geto Suguru, her former senpai.
Second being that matters of such were heavily underprioritized, if not regarded as unimportant, and continues to be even through her adulthood. Third being that most members of the Jujutsu Community aren’t equipped to deal with these types of issues in the first place — they hardly know how to address their own emotional and mental struggles without encountering frustrations or resorting to direct violence. Because of all that, Chiyori had to deal with the trauma all by herself, which was admittedly tragic on her part, but instead of pointing fingers at others, she understood — as unfortunate as it was — the circumstances that lead to the treatment she (didn't) receive.
Chiyori got over it eventually. I’m not quite sure how. Maybe she never really did in fact, or it happened at later stages in her life, but at least her thoughts were elsewhere entirely during Suguru’s defection. Far away enough for her to not consider the ideals and principles that lead her senpai to renounce the rights of non-sorcerers. Even if she had, I doubt Chiyori would’ve agreed with him — even as a teen she would’ve found Suguru’s visions confusing, flawed and incredibly narrow-minded, if not immature, especially considering how head over heels she was for him much she admired him during her first year.
Most of all, she probably felt — and continues to feel — sad for him. Sad that his integrity shattered. Sad that his negative experiences with non-sorcerers ended up weighing heavier than the positive ones. Sad for anyone who let themselves get coloured — tainted — by the toxic grips of the Jujutsu system that continues to operate on twistingly outdated standards. Standards as well as ethics and morals that dictate how the Jujutsu system should operate internally as well as externally. (Though, if anyone were to ask sorcerer Chiyori, she’d probably say she doesn’t understand any of it. All of it too political for her, really).
It's the lack of compassion of those incumbent of the system that causes her to recoil. Their lack of empathy and by extent their lack of competency to properly reform the current laws to be on level with modern day thoughts on how things should be done that cause sorcerer Chiyori — whether she’s entirely aware of it herself of not — to retract herself from the political sphere despite her rank.
To rephrase: I don’t necessarily think Chiyori regrets the whole Geto Suguru incident. Yes, she was upset, confused and disappointed, but she got over it eventually. And after her own personal experiences with the system, (she goes through her own set of trials and tribulations), she acknowledges that it was bound to happen eventually. If not for her senpai, then perhaps for someone else entirely, because after all, Chiyori is — or grows to become — smart enough to understand that emotions are the driving force behind every human action.
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sometimes it's so fun to casually mention your age and see the eyes of the guys who have flirted with/hooked up widen, as they realize they accidentally chose the youngest person at the table
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freeforaugust · 5 months
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Communicate like an adult and get results :)
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Bee and puppycat lazy in space I love you so so much it's not even funny
#ramblings of a lunatic#decided to rewatch it again bc the toh finale has had me in a tizzy and while I'm getting better#it's definitely been hard just floating about in fandom space knowing that the show is ending and that in the scenario we do get more of it#in another form ofc#it won't be for a long time yknow?#it's saddening and back in September when i was uh. Very Sad bapc was really there for me#i was out here ardently defending the netflix series' writing bc i genuinely thought it was really good#and i still do#but more than that this show is intensely comforting in a way i can't really place/describe#it's a magical girl show. it's a workplace comedy. 99% of the cast is 25 years or older. its a coming of age story.#it's has pastel and lo-fi art direction. it's cosmic horror. the main character is so caring and yet so selfish and also autistic#and a robot#all of her romantic relationships are intensely weird and frankly are her least interesting dynamics#her most interesting dynamics are with her roomate/pet who's actually a space pirate cursed to look like a marketable plushy#and with her 8 year old landlord who's mom was childhood best friends with her dad making them family in a sense#except they're not really. also they're foils (she's an immature adult he's a kid who tries to be more responsible than he is)#it's filled with intense melancholy and multiple characters suffer from un-talked about depression#it is one of the cutest and brightest shows i have ever seen (in a non-obnoxious or technicolor way) and has an intense air of whimsy#it kinda has a fandom but not a big one despite having an undeniable impact in online animation culture and a bit on online culture overall#I'm not captivated by it in a fandom-y sense but i am obsessed with it. it's like wuthering heights to me#i love this show
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waywardsalt · 1 year
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hiiii i snapped again long rant abt totk's shit story under the cut
i hate totk's story so fucking much this was going to be a much longer post but i do not care i hate how it relies so much on the player already giving a damn and hardly does any work to make you care any more, i hate how link's sheer lack of any indication of how he feels about anything beyond basic reactions to his environment just makes him feel like a nothing character in the story, i hate how zelda was sanded down to be just perfect and inoffensive and dutiful, i hate how sonia literally existed to motivate rauru and zelda, i hate how ganondorf, despite having the most interesting animations and being the most entertaining character, had such nebulous motivations and lackluster connection to the actual world he's in, i hate how any character arc that existed was so vapid and shallow, i hate how it seemed so afraid to do literally anything complicated with its themes or characters, i hate how nothing important changed in any meaningful way, i hate how fucking insulting it feels when it's come after stories like ocarina of time, majora's mask, twilight princess, skyward sword, wind waker, pretty much any of the other fucking zelda games and is fucking $70 and yet its story and characters just feel worse than anything that came before it. i watched the scene of link and zelda meeting back up for the first time in skyward sword and the emotion from both link and zelda and the sense of history between them the dialogue manages to communicate and how it relates back to the rest of the story and while i loved it it also just made me so mad how this game's hd version came out before totk and totk just was so much fucking worse despite all of this proof that they could do otherwise
#salty talks#i am not tagging this as any game i will probably get fucking eviscerated if i make this easy for the majority of the loz fandom to find#i just- totk is the most recent zelda game! it's $70! and it just feels fucking bad when compared to other older cheaper zelda games!!!!#this story isnt meh it fucking sucks it makes me feel like a rabid fucking animal when i have to think about it what the FUCK#there are good things in this fucking game. but where it fails is just so god damn irritating bc its shit older games did well!!#and this fucking game is going to get perfect scores and the people in charge are just going to keep doing shit like this#bc it makes money who fucking cares about telling a good story or having good characters any more. fuck off#i keep saying 'i miss linebeck' as my shorthand for why this game pisses me off#i just. man people fucking hate phantom hourglass but still it managed to have an incredible character with incredible development#and emotional relevance to the story and the game worked to endear him to you and showed you little things through how he moved#totk made me worse sometimes i fucking hate how much i care about stories in games#at least if i didnt care this game wouldn't make me so genuinely angry at how its just a god damn fucking LET DOWN but everyone loves it#GOD i hate being a contrarian sometimes i hate that i can barely understand how people like this game like its the best thing ever made#ive played fucking flash games with more interesting characters and worldbuilding and emotion. fuck off#like. in a similar vein ganondorf still being fucking green pisses me off so bad bc its been 25 years since oot and they have not changed#it really seems like they dont fucking care. theyre going to keep making money even if the stories are paper thin and the old problems stic#i barely understand why this game makes me so fucking angry. ig loz has been such a big part of my life and now i feel alienated from it#something something you expect more from the things you love? idk. fuck totk.#bitching abt totk
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biboybuckley · 9 months
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i had the WEIRDEST fucking dream last night
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biromanticbookbabe · 10 months
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So I'm signed up for this online 30's speed dating event for WLW and sapphics right?
Here's the thing: It looks like they aren't even bothering to regulate it at all because I see tons of people who aren't in their 30s and even some men are listed in the people who are signed up for the event.
What's even the point of a specific event for 30 something WLW if just anyone can join it? :/
#As a 30 year old I'm not interested in 18/19 year olds and yet a bunch of them are signed up for a event for women in their 30s???#any one who is in their 30s and wants to date teenagers is a total creep#I hope they realize that because I don't think they do#18 and 19 year olds look like children to me now#if you promise an event for women in their 30s please actually deliver it :(#If I'm using a site that's for women loving women- men shouldn't be allowed? I'm not looking for a man!#now I see why the lesbians and other sapphics get angry#I'm debating whether or not this is even worth my time because I'm not confident that it will be run well at all#so many people failed to understand the prompt or purposely don't care#they are either too young or the wrong gender- if you're not a woman in her 30s it's not for you?#If a woman is in her late 20s that's different but it was a bunch of people under 25#dating is inherently exclusive- most people aren't attracted to everyone else???#A lot of people fail to realize you CAN be pro equality and still not want to date most other people- it IS possible#Now selfish people are going to ruin something that isn't even for them :/#I am the target audience for this event and they are making me not want to participate#I'm 30 and sapphic- questioning whether bi or lesbian but I belong there#Should I be surprised? I really don't know what to think honestly#I'm a little angry that they don't seem to care who attends because I paid for a ticket- not too much but still?#mychatter
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fceriestcrdst · 1 year
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my autistic ass avoided watching the x-files because i knew it would consume me....
& now here i am fully consumed even though I've only watched the first few handful of episodes of s1 (i'm regaining spoons needed for media consumption), but let me tell you w h a t!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was so excited i started crying because it combines unbridled pining, a skeptic & her believer husband partner, true crime, weird mythology, aliens (which i already knew abt obvi), unlikely besties who are prepared to square up at all times (re; scully being cold towards the agents mocking mulder & mulder being ready to fight g o d whenever anything happens to scully).
i just love the show a lot & i expected this but goddamn!!!!!! it's wormed into my spin category & now my alien spin is returning along with my 'unexplained happenings spin!!!!! i'm being consumed i tell you!!!!
#i'm excited to watch the movies as well!!!#i'm a little nervous for s10 & s11 due to the time jump etc etc#so i may not watch those--but i intend on watching 1-9 & the films#tho i'll probably watch s1 - 5 & the watch the first movie. watch s6-9 & watch the last movie#i knew i would be consumed by the autistic coded FBI agents & their ufo sightings but DAMN YALL-----i started going bonkers#on dya fuckin' one & now they're all i can think about#maybe this is to fix the void i have due to w*tcher being a mess (I'm season 3 is good--i ma just petrified dfghkjldfh)#if this end sup in tags no it doesn't <3 but also if it does---don't follow me due to this post#i post a mishmash of stuff!#kylo rambles#kylo's audhd/disability posting#<- putting this there bc it just feels right to do so <3#the reminders im getting of like--the fucked up alien shit i know & ALSO 2 OF MY FAVORITE ALIEN CENTRIC MOVIES-#(those being close encounters of the third kind & starman)#i've gotta rewatch those now & c r y because those movies remind me of watching them in my grandmother's livingroom while my mom played-#-games on her pc. they also remind me of the summer nights i'd watch them back to back for days on end#god--for a 25 year old i talk like someone who gre wup in the 80s when i--alas did not---i grew up in the 200s but my parents#showed me a lot of 80s & 90s media so i feel more at home with those films & early 2000s films then i do most things from the 2010s#i'm talking a lot in tags--if you read all this--i'm so sorry. i don't know the art of shutting the fuck up#anyways; once again--if i end up in tags no i don't & don't follow me solely due to this post because i post a lot of stuff that's unrelate#to this (also please be above 18 if you're gonna follow me <3)
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antonblastdeluxe · 2 years
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Anyways the second you come to terms that people will hate you no matter what the second you like lose. A ton of stress.
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devilfruitdyke · 2 months
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its all 'fuck the government' until you have to deconstruct yr notions of what a minor is
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youngks-smile · 3 months
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What I Want You To Know About Long COVID
Well lads, I've been suffering from Long COVID for over a year now. My life is at a complete standstill. I'm 25 years old and I'm too sick to go back to school, I can't work, I had to move back in with my parents and I'm still stuck here.
Here are just a few things I wish people knew about Long COVID, including things I didn't know myself until I got it.
COVID destroys your immune system. Yes, even if you don't have Long COVID. Are you getting sick more often now? When you get sick, does it last longer? There are many studies showing that COVID causes t cell depletion, even in mild COVID cases! T cells are how your body remembers how to fight off infections you've had before so losing those cells? Bad news.
Your initial infection can be mild and you can still get Long COVID. Right from Yale Medicine, "Most people with Long COVID had mild acute COVID." (This is also a good link for a basic Long COVID overview).
There can be a gap of time between when you "get better" from the initial COVID infection to the onset of Long COVID symptoms. Some people get sick with an initial COVID infection and never get better. Some get better and then weeks or months later start developing Long COVID symptoms. Long COVID symptoms can even fluctuate over time, can go away for months and then suddenly come back.
So many people have Long COVID and don't realize it. Do you feel more tired lately but no matter how much you sleep, nothing helps? Is it harder to concentrate at work or school? Can you just not think like you used to? You could have Long COVID and not even know it. Even mild post-COVID symptoms are still Long COVID.
COVID can do anything to your body. Long COVID has over 200 recognized symptoms and can affect basically any part or system of your body. There is no one mechanism or cause of Long COVID which unfortunately also means there's no one cure either.
The effects of COVID are cumulative. Each COVID reinfection increases your chances of developing Long COVID. COVID is also affecting your body in other ways, yes, even if you're otherwise young and healthy! "Repeat COVID-19 infections increase risk of organ failure, death".
Once you have Long COVID, repeat COVID infections will make your symptoms worse. "80% [of Long COVID patients] saw their symptoms worsen [from reinfection]. In 60% of people who were in recovery or remission from Long COVID, reinfection caused a recurrence of Long COVID."
There is a lot more I want to say about Long COVID but I want to keep this post at least somewhat manageable to read. Like how when COVID is contracted during pregnancy, those COVID-exposed fetuses have a 6.3-fold increased risk of motor developmental delays, or that another study found 50% of babies exposed to COVID in utero had developmental delays.
You need to keep caring about COVID, for others around you and also for yourself even if you're "healthy". Everyone is at risk. And don't forget 40-60% of COVID infections are asymptomatic, which is why masking even if you feel fine is crucial. The only way right now to not get Long COVID is to not get COVID in the first place. It's not too late, if you've stopped masking it's never too late to start again! I know it's easy to get distracted by things in your life that seem more real than the possibility of getting sick some time in the future, and the peer pressure to not mask can be intense. But it only feels less real or less important until your entire life is having Long COVID. Trust me.
I know this is a complicated issue, many people can't afford to stay home when sick even if they want to because of their jobs, there are disgusting policies trying to ban wearing masks, but please if you can. Keep masking. Masking works, masking saves lives.
This post got a bit longer than I wanted so below the cut is a non-exhaustive list of my Long COVID symptoms and some of my experiences as one of the "healthy young people" who got "unlucky". cw brief mention of suicidal ideation.
Welcome to the Thunderdome that is my body with Long COVID. Keep in mind these are just my experiences and symptoms, Long COVID can cause any range of symptoms at varying severities.
Dysautonomia: Exercise intolerance, Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), fatigue, and heat intolerance. What do those things mean? Here's some specific examples. Absolutely terrible circulation I am so cold all the time but also, if I get a little too warm I will pass out. Eating hot food makes my heart rate spike, I sweat, my body feels heavy. Blood pooling and pins and needles in my feet when I walk. Don't even think about exercising past walking, it's impossible. I used to work out an hour a day 4 times a week and now walking up one flight of stairs makes my heart pound and I can't breathe. Can't take even just warm showers anymore or I will pass out. Heat rashes from being in the sun for 10 minutes.
Digestive issues: Honestly too many to name but: constant bloating, extreme nausea, constipation, slow motility, lack of appetite, just so much cramping and pain. I lost 18 pounds from Long COVID, as someone who was already considered underweight their entire life, and almost had to get a shunt put into my chest to deliver nutrients because I was nearly completely unable to eat. For the first 6 months of Long COVID, if I could manage 600 calories a day, that was a good day.
Histamine intolerance: Oh boy. My worst symptoms, I don't even know where to start with it. If you know Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) it's very similar. I can only eat 19 foods. If i eat a single bite of something not on that list, it's 48 hours of absolute hell. Coughing, migraines, itchy eyes, such extreme nausea I cannot even describe it, panic/feeling of doom, racing heart rate, derealization, rash, uncontrollable muscle tremors. I only learned about histamine intolerance 5 months into having Long COVID so before that, I was experiencing these symptoms nearly every single day. Terrifying isn't even a strong enough word to describe how it felt to experience all this and have no idea what it was, how to stop it, or if it would ever stop. Really dark times.
Neurological issues: More of that derealization. Inability to concentrate. Anxiety. OCD-like symptoms such as thoughts getting "stuck" in my head, repeating 24/7 completely unable to stop them, genuinely felt like my brain had cracked open and I had lost my mind. Constant dizziness like I'm on a boat.
Sleep issues: I sleep like garbage. I have insomnia, I wake up dozens of times every night and every single time I sleep I have intensely vivid dreams. I can't sleep longer than 7 hours total no matter how exhausted I am. It is exhausting. I'm exhausted, I'm so so tired.
And finally. Just. Really intense suicidal ideation. My body, my health, my entire life has been stolen from me because someone else decided my life was worth less to them than wearing a mask or staying home if they feel sick. Before I got Long COVID, I was preparing to go to South Korea to teach English, then on to a PhD in neurolinguistics, I was supposed to meet my long distance partner and had already booked plane tickets when I got sick. All of that has been destroyed.
Most of us with Long COVID are stuck in a cycle of being extremely sick, then if you're lucky you'll slowly get better over months, just to get reinfected and go right back where you started or worse. Honestly, I'm not scared of dying from COVID. I'm scared of living for a long time, suffering from Long COVID the entire time. This isn't living.
I don't know how to end this now. I'm still fighting, I'm trying experimental treatments, I'm not giving up yet. I hope everyone reading this stays healthy and well.
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(Light spoilers for act 3 of Hardspace Shipbreaker)
The story in Hardspace Shipbreaker is focused on unions/labor rights, and I was really curious how they were going to handle the conflict of, like... in-universe, you're doing extremely dangerous work under unethical conditions to try and pull yourself out of deep debt; but as a player, the "work" is the extremely fun and satisfying gameplay. So at some point the devs have to face a game design problem: squaring the story they want to tell with not stopping the player from experiencing the fun part of the game. And I really liked how they did it! They managed to meet both goals by telling the player to just absolutely destroy a ship - giving them something fun to do, a slightly different problem to solve that (probably) wasn't something they would have done in normal gameplay, as well as being a good in-universe justification (a work slowdown, destroying profits, showing solidarity). I haven't been totally enamoured with the story in the game - I'm into the themes, but the writing is a little clunky and the scenes tend to slow down the pace of the game - and I thought they might just have the workers go on strike, which would be thematically appropriate but kind of a bummer in terms of gameplay. It was a pretty clever way to solve that conflict.
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