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#turn off main water
713-4th-ward-g · 9 months
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#ooof#i may be a jack of all trades of something lmao#hopefully i can fix my cousins leaking shower faucet#im guessing its the cartridge since the knob cant turn it off anymore maybe the rubber gasket finally wore out#going to need to buy soem waterproof silicone grease for the o rings to lubricate the new cartridges o rings before installing#got me the core puller since i dont want to break the inner part of the old cartridge#then wed need a real professional LMAO with the tools to take the broken stem out#so hopefully im able to take out the old stem safely#and then go to home Depot and find the same cartridge#installing it is the easy part taking it out is the hard part#turn off main water#pop off the top of the handle unscrew it from the stem#pop off the handle#then the metal tube#take out the tab holding the cartridge in place#then safely and slowly use the core puller to take out the old cartridge#after taking it out inspect for brand or any numbers if none go to home Depot and look through there catalog#then simply push the new cartridge in making sure to keep the moon side down so the water is off and not on the on position#then turn the water on before or after putting on the handle to see if the cartridge is facing the right way#so the water comes out cold then hot#hopefully it goes well and i fix there water#they spent 600 dollars on water cause of the leaking tub#im definitely going to have to get paid for this one if im able to fix it LMAO the parts are not cheap#knowing my cousins they'll probably just buy me something to eat and try to play it off as payment but not today 😂#will see on Friday when the core puller comes and ill just go to the plumbers store for the water proof grease/lubricant#ill update My Internet diary on Saturday LMAO 🤣#i honestly need yo start writing in my journal again im so inconsistent its my worst traits rn
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try-set-me-on-fire · 4 months
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Tagged by @daffi-990 for wip Wednesday! I have already begun one of the going water follow ups…
Buck is already in the kitchen when Bobby wanders up for a cup of coffee, eyes starting to burn from too long staring at paperwork in the quiet station night. It’s only around eleven, but the action’s been pretty non stop all day, Bobby thought everyone had hit the bunks while they had the chance.
“Not sleeping?”
Buck looks up, the rectangle of light from his phone acting as a spotlight on his stubble, his unstyled hair, the dark shadows under his eyes. It turns the question into an uncomfortable statement. “There’s coffee in the pot,” Buck says, even his voice a touch rougher than usual. He looks quickly back down at his phone, eyes darting back and forth to read a text. “I, uh…” he glances up apologetically before replying, quietly typing away as Bobby fills his mug and pours in the correct amount of cream and sugar. Buck’s cup looks a little darker than usual, Bobby should make sure to add his favored oat milk to the grocery list. Though maybe he’s just trying to ingest the maximum amount of caffeine he can. Bobby is sitting at a stool contemplating something quick he could whip them up for a midnight snack by the time Buck sets his phone down with a sigh. “Sorry. It’s, uh… it was a rough day yesterday. Just- just making sure everything’s going okay.”
Bobby nods, taking a sip of his drink. Only four weeks since the cruise went down, and barely two since Buck came back to work. Bobby had advocated for more time off, but Buck had wanted to save his sick days and vacation time for further into Eddie’s recovery. They’ve all been through enough serious injuries to anticipate the doctors appointments, bad therapy days, need for support during PT, but he knows it’s been rough on both of them, needing to be apart. Bobby remembers the feeling from after Athena was attacked. Hell, he feels it now: when they’re on their separate shifts he can’t help but think about being trapped in that sinking room and having no idea where his wife was, or if she was even still alive.
Tagging @iinryer @shitouttabuck @eddiebabygirldiaz @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @gaybitcheddiediaz @bigfootsmom @chronicowboy
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Since the Neighborhood are adventurers, I'd like to imagine they travel by sea a fair amount of times too! A nice boat trip while occasionally breaking out into a sea shanty, eh? (And for gits and shiggles, to keep up with the whole.. Eddie in water joke, I imagine the poor guy is clumsy enough to go overboard. He may not be unconscious during it, but it wouldn't make it any less funny with the group desperately trying to pull him back aboard-)
OH OH OH allow to ramble at length about this!!! what an idea!!! i fucking love boats & the ocean & being on the water so this ask is checking all my boxes rn
first i imagine that the length of their trips varies wildly, along with the quality due to the glorious variation in weather & bodies of water. and i'm choosing to believe this universe uses tall ships instead of like... fantasy steam ships. because i fucking love tall ships. the sails, the rigging, the elegance... an absolute bitch to maintain and maneuver <3
i imagine that depending on the ship, captain, and size of the crew, the Neighborhood may be required to help out to earn their keep. especially since they're a crew of nine eight, and some ships are woefully understaffed!
I'd imagine that Poppy sometimes takes the cook's job if the crew is currently lacking one (or if the cook wants a fucking break, jeebus it's a demanding job. there's a reason ship cooks in moves/tv are always stern & serious). Barnaby can probably charm his way into doing nothing but provide music/entertainment (much to Sally's aggravation). everyone else are plain deckhands
of course i imagine that that doesn't always happen! plenty of ships are probably content to just take their coin and tranport them. some of them (Eddie, Poppy) may still wheedle their way into helping out though. they strike me as characters that can't Not help
who i imagine loves their little water journeys: Barnaby, Wally, Sally, Wormie
neutral: Frank, Julie
hates it: Poppy, Howdy, Eddie
allow me to provide reasoning!!
Barnaby's impeccable balance probably means that he's stable as a rock even in choppy waters, and i'm reasoning that he doesn't get seasick either. his vestibular system is as solid as his sea legs! he probably finds the whole experience relaxing as anything. He gets to just recline on the bowsprit's base or wherever he isn't in the way & smoke/play his accordion/nap.
Wally just has such a love of life and new things, so why wouldn't he love being on the water? it's different! it's new every time! there are ample things to learn about and do! Home probably keeps his systems stable so that he doesn't have to deal with seasickness. though it probably takes him a little bit to find his sea legs... catch him stumbling around like a lil newborn lamb. sometimes he is facedown on the deck <3 i imagine he'd enjoy going aloft!
Sally would probably love the inherent romanticism and adventure of it all. Who knows what dangers and glory they may face! I bet she writes up a storm during this time - plenty of story material! food for the imagination! what does Anne say... Scope for the imagination, i believe! i bet she also loves having a captive audience. Literally. they're stuck on this ship with her <3
so many lines for Wormie to climb... so many little places to crawl into... new people to trick into giving her treats... down time where the Neighborhood is relaxing in one place. abundant time for affection!
Frank probably doesn't have strong feelings about it. It's a boring ship with no bugs or things to do. Except when he manages to rope crew members into having a lil impromptu fight club. Or when the Neighborhood is put to work - i wonder if he'd find the maintenance soothing or pleasant... or if he'd relish in the hard work of pulling lines
Julie is likely in a similar boat (ha) as Frank. once the initial "wow! whoah!" wears off, it can get boring! and games are limited - there's only so much you can do on a ship (depending on the size of the ship of course), and there might be strict rules to keep passengers out of the crew's way and to lower risk. She probably entertains herself by "bothering" her friends and the crew & cloudgazing.
Poppy... do i need to explain? wooden ship on the ocean, which i understand can be terrifying. who knows what lurks below the waters? if the weather will change on a dime? if one of the flammable things on board catches fire? if the ship hits something? etc. I imagine it's impossible to get her to go above decks. They have to literally push her statue-frozen body onto the ship when they first board
Howdy! honestly i just think it'd be really fucking funny if he gets Violently seasick! like, curled into a ball in his bunk & involuntarily making agonized noises. he sounds like a ghost w/ all the pained moaning. his sea legs suck unless he stances all four at the right distance to anchor himself in place. he's a weak, sickly, fragile little thing, take mercy on him... he doesn't even have the strength left to swindle or sell...
Eddie. now we get to the point of anon's ask - his sea legs would be nonexistent. he's staggering and stumbling all over the place. the ship just barely tilts and he's smacking into a mast or careening across the deck. and of course, hitting the guardrails at precisely the right speed/angle to allow him to tumble overboard. i bet this happens enough that every time the Neighborhood is so much as on a dock, there is at least one person either holding his arm or acting as a barrier between him and the water. as soon as they get on any ship, he's immediately sent below decks. any attempt he makes to come up is instantly blocked.
there's a lot of both comedic and angst potential there. small ship, calm waters? comedic. some neighbors are playing cards, there's on off-screen splash & Frank immediately sighs and gets up all "god damn it, Eddie-". lmao im imagining him floating there and rapid-fire blabbering in fear 'cause there's a shark (it's not a shark. it's a dolphin. everyone on board is so unimpressed.) he's sobbing in fear as they pull him in <3
but angst? imagine there's a storm. imagine it's an all-hands-on-deck situation, every available hand is needed, and Eddie is strong as fuck - he'd be a monster at pulling lines. probably wouldn't even need to sweat them. but a violently rocking ship, slick decks, maybe even waves splashing over the deck... oof i can so easily imagine Eddie slipping & sliding right over the side. maybe while the others watch. maybe they try to grab him, but they're too late. and in such a horrible storm, there's not much they can do - it's dark, the water is incredibly turbulent, the ship can't turn around easily, there's torrential rain. a high stress situation! i'm imagining Frank grabbing a lifebuoy, firmly fastening it to a pin, and then throwing himself overboard after Eddie. something to think about! (i'm imagining that after the storm clears up enough, everyone rushes to the side to check. Eddie & Frank are trailing after the boat, lashed to the buoy and exhausted. maybe a little banged up, but overall fine!)
and then yeah.... oh the shanties Barnaby could lead... the whole ship sings! and then them all in their bunks (or in their hammocks!) in the [insert term for living quarters here, it can vary] when its sleepytime. y'all would not believe the shenanigans that can occur in the fo'c'sle (or the main hold, basically wherever the ship's sleeping quarters are), especially before actual sleep occurs. peak silly time.
there's a lot of potential here, thank you anon!
like now i'm thinking - what about sea monsters? or jobs that Require them to go on the water, as in the job takes place on a ship? ocean battles! ocean searches!
#since eddie is pretty much banished to the holds no matter what#i imagine he & poppy are the main neighbors looking after howdy in his frail sickly state#im imagining eddie sitting on the bunk with howdy in his lap#howdy feels someone petting his hair and blearily cracks his eyes open to be all '...barn...?'#barnaby: *is actually eddie*#howdy: *groans & squeezes his eyes shut* oh god not You...#eddie: *mildly offended* hey now...#im also having a lot of fun imagining frank & eddie after they get reeled in after the storm debacle#they'd just flop onto the deck. exhausted. waterlogged. still holding hands though#they'd probably end up with colds... snifflin and sippin tea while cuddled up in a bunk under the same blanket...#everyone hovering nervously because for quite a while there they actually thought they Lost them both for good....#SO MUCH POTENTIAL#i imagine that howdy actively avoids jobs where he knows they'll have to take a boat#oh his dismay and horror on the times he comes along and they have to unexpectedly go on the water....#even if its just a short trip across a river you know howdy is bent over the stern & feeding the fishes#LMAO WAIT#im imagining wally going over too but in a really funny way. he's standing normally but when the ship tilts too hard#he just slides across the deck and right off the ship. not even blinking or moving. he just goes 'oh! im sliding now'#and everyone turns just in time to watch him vanish over the side w/ perfectly posture#i think this is a situation where barnaby would toss his hat to the side and jump right in after him lmao#but in a funny way! the waters are Calm! the ship is Slow! he climbs right back on with wally (perfectly fine) slung over his shoulder#home lectures wally the best they can w/ the language barrier <3 and barn resolves to teach wally how to swim#because apparently that's not in his skillset! he just falls in the water and Sinks! well. he floats for a minute until he inevitably sinks#& he does not react to it at all. he's exact opposite of eddie on the 'how they handle being in water' scale#eddie: lowkey panics. swims for safety#wally: lets it happen <3
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Just found out electric eels a) technically aren't eels, they're just fish that look like eels and b) swim in a special way that make them extremely fast swimmers (with average speeds of 62 mph)
So anyway, merperson au where the speedsters are electric eels
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themanwhowouldbefruit · 2 months
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guy who survived a water heater voice. well i guess it's time for me to learn how to take apart the mixer valve inside the shower wall.
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aniseandspearmint · 5 months
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OKAY it's my area's turn for a hellish temperature drop so I've been washing all my stacked up dishes and gathering up stuff and prepping for the cold drop since I got up at 6AM.
All that's left is waiting for the Guy I'm Buying my House From to swing by and shut my water off at the main for tonight. It may be overkill, but I do NOT want a repeat of what happened last year (every. single. pipe. under my house and IN my house broke. all of them. and two faucets.)
He's also bringing me tacks because my little tin of them has apparently gone walkies and I need to tack blankets up over my windows and the air conditioner.
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medinaquirin · 1 year
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I would like it very much if my apartment complex would stop shutting off the fucking water with zero prior notice.
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glacierfront · 9 months
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the shower knob, it has to go around once, then twice, and then it finds the hot water.
Julie eyes him with much skepticism.
Then she eyes the shower with much skepticism.
Both of these things take up a minute or perhaps more, and when she looks at him again, she says: "That seems. Broken. Why twice? Why not, just, like. One way is hot and one way is cold, and it stops at cold so that the water —"
She evaluates her shower, real quick, even though she doesn't necessarily use it conventionally these days.
"—Is that, like? Normal?" A beat. "Do you fucking — I thought you were like, a handyman. A fixer of things. A problem solver. This seems like a fucking problem, and yet." Another. "Why haven't you fixed it."
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marcmorrigan · 1 year
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i havent drawn in 25 days and i finally broke... playing around w no pen pressure to take some strain off my hand. sometimes ur babygirl is a spree killer who still dresses like its 2005 and thinks hes joan of arc (2!!!)
OC, any pronouns for raphael 🥰🔪🩸
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punkcherries · 1 year
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watched elemental . pixar treads water ‼
#cherryz txt#i watched one a them camrips with the slots ads plastered on them which was funny#disney aint gettin a penny outta me .#anyhow its like funny as fuck how elemental is just zootopia if zootopia wished it could be turning red.#does this make sense. JNGFKJSNGDF#when they aint doin sequels theyre just ripping themselves off#its not like a Bad Film that u should Never Watch its just like . whatever#ohhh its a kids movie...... sure but like idk . kids deserve more variety i think#also that bit near the end where waterguy calls firegirl a coward is like . wat lol .#absolutely dissonant with everything about waterguy up to that point . itd make more sense for him to be like#'ive been trying to do everything i can to show u how u can be free and honest to urself but u have to take that initiative too'#or something to that affect instead of like . some boring generic schlock dialogue u know??#but then again i feel like most of the movie was generic schlock dialogue JHFKJDSNGDSLG#also the character designs were whatever . yadda yadda i hate u hyperrealism being expected of 3d animation etc etc#BUT i feel like even outside of that aspect the designs of the main 2 are just like. so first draft yk ?#i think a lot of secondary and incedental designs were more interesting but even then its like#again . treading water . someone said hey draw some fire people and water people and stuff#took the first color drafts and ran with em yk ?#i think a unique visual style wouldve helped to a degree but like . really coulda used moer time in the oven overall#ALSO. disneys first nonbinary character? on screen for 1 scene . and i swear to g-d i heard them get called her????#(obvs ppl can use any pronouns they want forever irl but like . make a big show of nonbinary character and then????)#(couldve just been camrip quality take this w a grain of salt)#(either way disney vaguely gesturing at queerness to sell rainbow pins for 20 dollars grrrrrrrrr)#capitalism kills creativity <3
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themichaelvan · 1 year
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litcherally me.at the beach
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kimuramasaya · 2 years
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what's the point of living in the southern us if it's still gonna freeze in the winter 😡🥶
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genderfluid-druid · 2 years
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This $5 Chianti does not in fact pair with this microwave mac-n-cheese with single cheddar bratwurst. But I'm tired and it's the best thing I've ever tasted
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thecosmicsleep · 3 months
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the way my main pawn has separation anxiety
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buckaroosboogara · 5 months
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Hi! Just wanna raise some awareness here because South America is on fucking fire and I need to see more people talking about this.
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Source: RSOE EDIS x
Im just going to talk about the ones i'm closest to, but if you know about these fires, feel free to add in the reblogs!
Chile
In Chile there's (up to Feb 5) 160 wild fires, of which 40 are still trying to be controlled by authorities. The president, Gabriel Boric, has declared State of Emergency in the whole country, and theres a Red Alert Code in most part of the country.
Isla de Chiloé, Southern Chile (900 km away from Santiago de Chile)
This is a (recently controlled) fire that lasted a week, but many neighborhoods were burnt to the ground.
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The whole South is in red alert for constant sudden fires that spread quickly due to the lack of rain and the elevated temperatues in the zone. Just today, two fires had to be controlled in the main land next to this island, and more are being reported in the Los Lagos region. This is added to the "controlled" intentional fires that farmers make to clean their fields of old crops along the Central-South parts of the country, mostly surrunding the main route, Ruta 5, that connects the whole country, thus making it hard to see and breathe because of the smoke. (flashnews, most of them get out of control quickly.)
Valparaiso/Viña del Mar, Central Chile (100 km away from Santiago de Chile)
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A fire that started on Friday 2nd and grew exponentially because of the wind and the dry, hot climate. More than 100 people are dead, with 70 unrecognized bodies and other 400 that have dissapeared. At least 30000 people that have lost everything to the fire.
There's massive evacuations from this and the neighboring city, Viña Del Mar.
This is said to be the second most deadly fire in the century, surpased by Australia in 2009.
45000+ hectares that include land and neighborhoods have been burnt down.
I could go on about this one, so more info here and here
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Argentina
Parque Los Alerces (Esquel), Chubut
The fire strarted on the 25th January, and the climate has made it hard to contain. 3000 hectares of native forest have been burnt to teh ground. It is now growing in the direction of the nearest city, Esquel. Theres been evacuations between yesterday and today (4 and 5th Febuary)
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Parque Nahuel Huapi (Bariloche), Río Negro
The reason why im writing this. The city woke up today covered in smoke after a wildfire developed yesterday during the night. The reason? A fireplace that was not turned off in a place where people cannot disembark and can only be reached via boats.
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As of now, there's not much information about the fire but hopefully the firefighters will be able to contain it before it reaches Tronador Mountain, where an ancient glaciar is.
...which leads me to the other point i wanted to talk about.
Firefighters
They volunteer to do this job.
In Argentina and Chile, firefighting is not rewarded with a salary, and most of the times they dont even have full firehouses to stay in. These people are at their houses, ready to jump into action and run to the station the second the alarm goes off.
They are neighbors, people that risk their lives and run into danger willingly, just because they want to help the community.
I felt the need to give a shout-out to these people and say:
Don't be a fucking dick, don't start fires in the woods unless it's an approved place, and if you do, TURN IT OFF.
Pour abundant water on it, and do not stop when you don't see any more flames.
Keep pouring water until the ashes don't burn/feel like room temperature in your hand if you put it 10 cm away from it, and even then, pour some more just to be sure.
No heat and no smoke mean a safely extinguished fire.
Save lives and forests.
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yandere-sins · 10 months
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Imagine getting isekai’ed into otome game as a background character, watching the main character going down routes as you live your peaceful, mundane life, but you’ve unknowingly been going down a route as well, a route for a hidden character that you didn’t discover during your time playing the game.
That character being the reason the game has a dark content warning.
Gosh anon, that idea is so good!!!! I didn't know it would tickle all the right places in my brain, but when I started I couldn't stop lol. Love it, thank you for sending it in ♥
If this had one of these super long titles that are tmi it would be:
I got Isekai'ed into an Otome Game as a Background Character and now I Have to Finish It with the Secret Yandere Love Interest!!
»»———————— ♡ ————————««     
A serene smile spread over your lips as you watched the two lovebirds in the corner of your coffee shop.
Swirling the milk into a cup, it created a little white heart surrounded by foamy coffee, its aroma drifting into your nose. Had someone told you that the little things like a cup of coffee made with love and care were enough to give you the peace of mind you always wanted in your previous life, you would have laughed at them. For you, it had always been the hustle, the making money, finding a partner, and creating a family. Make everyone proud while being successful, whether it costs you nights of sleep or days without proper meals. But looking at yourself now, it all seemed so far away now, and you let out a content sigh before setting down the cup in front of the customer at the bar. 
"You seem happy today," your regular at the counter noted, picking up the cup and taking a moment to appreciate the aroma just like you had. A smile sneaked onto their lips, too, after they took a sip, and you couldn't help but feel your heart swell with pride and happiness when they gave you a satisfied nod. 
"I am! I'm really getting accustomed to my new life here, it's... been a while since I've been so content."
The truth behind everything that happened to you was something you couldn't speak about lightly. Not when it turned the life you knew upside down, leaving you to start over completely. One day you were an employee of a well-known company, responsible for sales and reports and everything stressful. And the next, you were in your favorite, cozy video game, running the coffee shop the main character liked to visit with all the romance options in the game.
Isekai was the genre that came to mind when you thought about your situation. Luckily you were spared the memories of your death in the real world, the circumstances blurry as you barely remembered going home late from work, only to wake up in this very different universe. Perhaps you were just comatose, and this was a dream. Still, by now, you had managed to slip into your role as the barista of the small coffee shop, a barely mentioned background character, just fine.
Your eyes jumped back to the couple in the corner, giggling and teasing each other over a group project, and you felt an immense relief you weren't reincarnated as the main protagonist and had to go through the years of studying and trying to establish connections with the love interests again. You already did that in your old life, and it wasn't as romantic and fun as the game made it out to be. You only played it because it got your mind off things, the art was pretty, and it had the exact amount of cozy time management you needed to relax. But living as the main character in it? No, thank you!
"Jealous?" your regular teased, and you chuckled, shaking your head. They tapped their—now empty—cup, and you took it from them, replacing it with some water until you had the next cup of coffee ready for them.
"I just think it's cute. I never had someone so interested in me they'd take me out for coffee and share their cake with me when I was younger."
Your words tasted a little bitter on your tongue. Still, you genuinely couldn't wish for anything but the main character's happiness. It was just the feeling of being loved, desired, and wanted that you missed, even though your new life was more than satisfactory despite you feeling a little lonely sometimes.
"Well, it's never too late to start," they chuckled, taking up their fork and cutting off the tip of their strawberry shortcake, including the big chunk of strawberry on top, picking it up and holding it out towards you. 
"Oh, I wouldn't dare--"
"I insist! As thanks for the amazing coffee every time I come here."
Nudging your lips with their fork, you let out an awkward chuckle. It was okay, right? They wouldn't sue you for eating the cake they paid for, would they? This was just a silly little game. What could go wrong with you accepting their kindness?
Opening your lips, you let them feed you the cake, taking a moment to let the sweet and fruity notes mix with the fluffy whip cream before you were sent straight to heaven. Not to toot your own horn, but your baking skills had improved so much since you started working at the shop. Who knew you had that in you?
Occupied with the moment of bliss as you let the cake flavor mix in your mouth, you hummed happily before devoting yourself back to making the coffee with a smile on your face. Unaware of your regular fixating on the fork you had just eaten from, staring at it like it was some strange artifact. Your phone dinged softly in its drawer, and you checked it briefly to see the notification pinging up, saying, "Achievement unlocked: Cake-Master - Provide the most delicious cake to your customers."
"Excuse me!" the main character called out to you, stepping up to the counter, and you directed your attention to her, ignoring the little game notification you've been receiving since starting your new life here, the love interest not far away before the two began fighting over who was going to pay the bill this time lovingly. Of course, the love interest won, but you wouldn't have expected it any other way. Seeing the blush on the main character's face after her romance option told her he'd "always take care" of her made you grin like a little fan, and you cheered them on in your head. 
By the time you returned to your regular, their knuckles had gone white with how hard they were gripping the fork in their hand, their eyes following the couple who was about to leave. For a moment, it made you wonder if they had a crush on either of them, their sweet interaction surely uncomfortable if that was the case. But you didn't remember there being a jealousy scene in the game. You'd know, almost playing it 100% before your death. There apparently was a secret route you never got but were trying your hardest to achieve. Now you were left to wonder what it entailed.
But the second you returned, they looked up at you, expression softening and the tension disappearing, and you chalked it up to having witnessed a cringe moment that they had gotten so awkward. "Thank you for the cake, that was really nice of you! Do you want another fork?" you asked and were met with a headshake and a smile. 
They quickly began eating their cake and complimenting your baking skills, stroking your growing ego when they rubbed their belly. 
"I never had a cake that good!" they proclaimed, and you laughed out loud, overjoyed that you had made them so happy. 
"Say..." they suddenly spoke up again, leaning on the counter and watching you with gentle eyes. Your heart set out for a second, tension rising as you didn't know what they were going to ask. Ever since you opened the coffee shop, the main character, love interests, and this regular had come by constantly. If you were honest, you enjoyed their visits more and more. Their presence felt like it belonged here with you, and you were a part of something bigger after all, washing away the small, lonely part of you. 
And maybe... just maybe... this was how your happy end would play out.
"Are you this nice to every customer?"
Halting your movements, you set aside the brew head that you used on the espresso machine, despite having to clean it, thinking about your answer for a moment. It was a strange question to ask someone who worked in customer service. Still, you appreciated your regular, so you didn't want to give them a snarky answer.
"Uhm, well, I am just trying to make everyone feel welcome! But of course, it's a bit different with my regulars! After all, they come here often, like a second family. So I guess I'm a bit nicer because you really get to know and appreciate these people that stay to chat and tell stories."
"I see," they muttered. "Family, huh..."
After that, you suddenly were swamped with sudden orders, excusing yourself to fulfill them, chatting and laughing with even the people that were just passing by. Maybe you really were just nice? Perhaps this new environment had made you more relaxed and gentle than the harsh world you lived in, and it was showing? But their question was shoved into the back of your mind as you kept fulfilling orders and earning your keep.
Once the rush was over, you returned to your regular, only to find their seat empty. Strange, you thought. You could have sworn that you felt their eyes on you the whole time you were away, but luckily, they didn't walk out on their tab, leaving the money and a folded-up napkin beneath their empty cup for you to find. You quickly stored away the bills, trusting your regular with knowing what they had to pay after so many weeks of the same order.
You were about to throw away their napkin when you noticed some red marks on them, unwrapping the paper to find a note scribbled in what you had to assume was ink. 
"You're so beautiful when you laugh."
The surprise wore off quite fast, and you smiled, thinking nothing of it but that it was a nice compliment from your regular. Still, you ended up throwing the napkin away—not knowing if it was dirty, after all—taking the coffee cup and plate to the sink to clean them, overseeing the red tip on the fork that was too dark to be from the strawberry.
The rest of your day was uneventful, and by the time you were closing, you were tired and ready to tug in for the night, wrapping up your business at the shop quickly before walking home. You didn't have a chance to look at your phone since you glanced at the achievement notification, so you took it out, startled when you saw a dozen new messages. 
Achievement unlocked: Happy new life - Be content with your new life
Achievement unlocked: A fork for two! - Share a fork with someone special
Achievement unlocked: Jealousy - Make someone special jealous
Achievement unlocked: Soothing - Calm someone special down with your presence
Achievement unlocked: Family - Have someone be moved by your words
Achievement unlocked: The nicest person in town - Be beloved by all, but especially by someone special
Achievement unlocked: Blood in the cup - Have someone hurt themselves at your coffee shop
Achievement unlocked: Wonder-Barista - Complete twenty orders in less than thirty minutes
Achievement unlocked: Strange compliment - Receive a compliment through unusual means
Achievement unlocked: Blooming infatuation - Have someone special fall in love with you
Achievement unlocked: Shop-Pro! - Close the shop twenty times after making a profit from your work
Achievement unlocked: Tired - Hard workers deserve to relax
You blinked a few times, surprised by what you were reading and a little weirded out by some of these achievements. They gave you some extra coins in your shop till and reputation with the townspeople, so you usually didn't mind them. But to say some of their descriptions were weird was an understatement. You couldn't even remember someone getting hurt at your workplace that day.
By the time you reached your apartment, you decided to ignore the strange notifications and just let the day come to an end with a hot bath and your favorite show. But you were startled when your phone suddenly began ringing loudly, even though you had turned off the sound back at the coffee shop after the first notification. The first messages that appeared before you were more achievements, and you stopped turning the key in your door as you read them.
Achievement unlocked: Follower - Have someone special follow you home
Achievement unlocked: Welcome home! - Arrive at home, not alone
Achievement unlocked: Wherever you go, I'll be watching you - Ɨ ΔΜ ΔŁŴΔ¥Ş ŴΔŦĆĦƗŇǤ ¥ØỮ
Lifting your head, you looked around you, glancing over your shoulder and into the courtyard below. No one was out; everyone was at home eating dinner and occupied with their lives. Confused, you swiped all the notifications away before another pop-up appeared.
ALERT! You're about to enter X's route. Do you want to continue?
> Yes > No
Panicked at this point, you pressed "No," but nothing happened. You kept tapping it repeatedly, not understanding what was happening with your phone. But nothing changed, the notification staying in place. The sound of something breaking inside your apartment tore your focus away from your phone, startling you. 
You must have finally managed to close it, the pop-up disappearing just as you unlocked the door to your apartment, still having held on to the key when you were surprised by the sound. Darkness and silence greeted you from inside, everything seemingly normal.
Majorly confused, you shook your head, slowly entering the hallway leading inside. "Hello?" you called out, reaching for the light switch. The light flickered on, and... there was no one. Holding your breath, no sound reached your ears, and you groaned, realizing you got freaked out about... nothing. 
This wasn't some kind of horror game, and the story never had a murder-solving subplot. True, the ratings for it were kind of strange—it being rated as 18+ on the website—but seriously, what should happen in a cozy little city like the one the game played in? You didn't even think they had a police station here.
Pushing off your shoes as you shrugged off the weird feeling from before, you walked up the hallway to your living room, turning on the light before coming to an abrupt halt. There were broken pieces of glass underneath your living room window, but what really freaked you out came into view only when you lifted your head. You could look into the mirror of your cabinet door from your position, red marker dripping from it as if someone had hastily scribbled on it just seconds ago. You weren't sure it was a pen anymore, judging by its deep red color and the fluidity of it.
"𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺"
Your phone pinged.
Achievement unlocked: 
On the Highway to Hell - Unlock the secret route
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