One Shots and Shorts

The "Misc" section...

House Wife.

May, 2014

The front door opens, a breeze blows through, down the hallway and into the kitchen, wrapping around her ankles and making her smile warmly. She looks to the kitchen doorway and sure enough he comes right in to see her. He looks tired. He works long hours and gets small breaks, why wouldn’t he look tired? She turns the heat down on the pans and approaches him, takes his briefcase from him and then walks around him to help take his jacket off his tired shoulders.

“Welcome home, darling.” She says warmly as she turns to hang his jacket on the dining room chair, shooing the cat away to avoid getting hair on it - despite it being the weekend and knowing she’ll need to wash it anyway.

He sighs heavily, and steps out of his shoes, using his free hands to rub at his temples.

“How was work?” She asks, though she can tell the answer. It would be the same as every Friday. By the end of the week his stress levels are up again and he can only answer with; “Work was hell.” before he leaves the kitchen, enters the living room, slumps down into his favourite armchair and shoves his feet into the novelty fluffy cow slippers she bought him for Christmas.

He’s her husband. She loves him with all her heart. He provides for her, keeps her safe and makes her feel loved like a woman should be loved - inside and outside the bedroom. So she grabs him a cold beer from the fridge, brings it to him, and places a soft kiss on the top of his head as he pulls at his tie and pops open the top three buttons of his shirt.

“Thank you, dearest.” He always manages to say. She can appreciate that as much as any gesture. It’s the little things that count the most, she feels.

Her timing now is impeccable and his dinner is ready in only a few more minutes. His new favourite, and their Friday night tradition; traditional British recipe fish and chips with garden peas, a lemon wedge and tartar sauce. It makes him smile. Makes him feel as appreciated as he is. That’s all she wants. For him to be happy. She loves him deeply.

He joins her at the dining room table to eat. Then cleans up their plates after. He even helps her do the dishes. She has admitted once or twice she’s not the best cleaner and that’s why she wanted the dishwasher. But he understands, and he enjoys simply spending the extra time with her. Her company spoils him, he says. She feels the love in those words and lets her eyes linger on him just a moment longer, appreciating what they have; what they share.

While the dishes sit drying on the draining board they put on a movie, one of the many favourites they share, and cuddle up on the corner sofa. They’ve seen it a million times. They know every line. So half an hour in, when her head and hand are rested on his gently rising and falling chest, she doesn’t mind that his hand strokes down her side and squeezes her ass. She’s a little surprised it’s taken that long, but she doesn’t mind. She smiles and lifts her hips against his touch to silently show her appreciation.

She can’t see his face, but she doesn’t have to, to know that he’s smiling. Not the warm smile he gives her when she brings him a hot meal; it’s a cheeky grin, mischievous. He lifts his other hand to rest on hers, stroking over her wrist to her elbow as he squeezes her ass again. Neither of them are looking at the screen now. He strokes his hand to her shoulder and pulls her up, towards his lips and kisses her hungrily, yet tenderly. She loves him. She wants him to be happy, always. His kiss lights a fire within her. His touch and his hunger are what she aches for. She reaches to unfasten his shirt. She strokes her hand across his chest, down his stomach. She flicks open his belt with a now practiced skill. She loosens his trousers and he shudders slightly when her hand caresses his hunger. It isn’t long until he guides her gently to the floor, undressing her gently, worshipping her with his touch.

They make love, right there on the floor. It’s not the first time, although it may feel like it. Every time feels like the first again. There’s a perfect connection that takes place when their bodies join. It’s not just a physical connection, but also a spiritual one. He knows her and she knows him. They whisper to each other throughout; sweet nothings and dirty somethings between lustful, passionate, possessive yet still tender kisses.

Even when they’re both spent they don’t want to let go. He wants to stay joined, stay close to her. He never wants to let her go and she never wants him to. They’ve been together years now. Still they hold their traditions close to their hearts. Their routines and their little activities that make the most of the short time they have together. He carries her upstairs when they part. He lays her gently on the bed and lays beside her, holding her close before pulling the blankets around them both. He has to protect her. He made a vow to cherish her, love her, care for her, provide for her and protect her, as she does for him in so many ways.

And, like every night, before they drift off into a peaceful slumber, he whispers against her neck, “I love you, my wife.”

She smiles and squeezes his hand, “I love you, my husband.”

Nostalgia

2016

As a 24 year old female human I can honestly say that I miss school. And I mean like first school. High school at a push because I met some of my best friends there, but mostly first school.

I miss the beginning of the year when we'd get clean new exercise books that felt so silky and perfect.

I miss spending probably near 10 minutes writing my name and the subject title on the front because it had to be neat and perfect.

I miss the pens we used in the later years of first school - the ones that used ink cartridges and had changable parts so we'd sit and swap the lids or clips or ends so all our pens were different and just the way we liked them.

At the time I really hated assembly but I can think of nothing better than sitting in the hall and singing with my classmates for half an hour on a morning - I still remember singing a hymn that had a more sombre note and one of my friends being afraid when I sang it in a deep voice. Same kid who thought my thin, long pinky nails were so creepy he couldn't look at them. They are kinda strangely thin though. But at the time those things were so normal I couldn't comprehend any different.

That's what I miss most of all. I miss how small my life was, yet how big it seemed; the most important thing in the world was getting home in time to watch my favourite cartoons on TV. I miss the dreams I had; one that stands out in particular was of 3 giant cartoon spiders on a bouncy castle who were all wearing 'lipstick' - one wore jam, one butter and the other I think had actual lipstick on. I think they had wellies on too. The details are still rather clear though I must have only been 6 or 7. Perhaps younger.

Nowadays I can comprehend differences, and how big life actually is. I know how my actions back then effected every moment of my existence - and sometimes how they affected others, even into their adulthood. I realise the magnitude of it all... and it's terrifying. I do try to focus on my own life, my own responsibilities in order to minimise my world and therefore my worries and stress... but I'm engaged now. My life directly reflects onto someone else and that weight alone is sometimes a lot to bear. I have a job, I'm a secretary. I support psychologists who are helping people cope with brain injuries and rehabilitation. There are a lot of aspects in my job where a patient could become very stressed if I don't do my job - although there's often a great amount of satisfaction when I hear stress leave their voice because I've gotten their appointment sorted out.

It sounds petty when said outloud. Or written, in this case.

#Perhaps it just needed to be written. #Things I'll Never Say

Put Raiding on Your CV

Be honest – do you fret about putting “World of Warcraft” as a hobby on your CV when applying for a new job? Do your work mates maybe not know that you’re missing the next office night out because Wednesday night is RAID NIGHT (and who goes out on a bloody Wednesday anyway)? Well, now it’s time to put that behind you and be proud of the life skills you can develop in gaming.

Those of us who are avid gamers know all about the negativity that is often associated with video gaming. We all remember #GamerGate, we’ve likely all had a parent, sibling, grandparent, friend, someone close to you asking why you spend so much time wrapped up in a game world, accusing us of being antisocial, addicted or obsessed. What do they know? They're not gamers themselves, they can't wrap their head around the wonderful, intricate, complex, expansive world of video gaming.

Gaming isn’t just escapism – it’s teaching us valuable skills without us even realising. I’m sure you’ve already heard that gamers are better problem solvers, right? At its base form, gaming also teaches us perseverance. What happens when your game character fails a mission or dies? You respawn and start over.

But let’s get to what you’re here for; why you should put raiding, specifically raiding on World of Warcraft, on your CV. I’m using World of Warcraft as the example because it is arguably the most popular game worldwide which features raiding and because I myself am a WoW raider (twice a week!). I’d imagine there are games which use similar team building and mechanics you can apply these points to, I just don’t know of them personally.

Anyway!

Raiding can be compared directly to every day workloads and each raiding role has a corresponding role in the workplace.

Raid Leaders; Management material

You have the ability to organise complex arrangements of 10-30 people (staff), point them toward a shared goal and motivate to beat targets and overcome obstacles. You can be firm but fair in managing raids, and we know you do research into boss mechanics and tactics to make sure your team knows what to do, and you know what each member of your team is capable of doing and you’re not afraid to give constructive criticism!

A Raid Leader knows how to organise, motivate and bring a team together to get the job done. These are skills you definitely want your employer aware of.

Though maybe turn down the swearing when dealing with your staff in the workplace… Come on, all our RL’s swear. Some maybe more than others, but still.

Tanks; Stamina and focus

This might be a little more metaphoric to tank characters than players but bear with me.

A tanking role in raiding is usually synergising with a 2nd tank and taking care of the biggest threat so the rest of their team aren’t overwhelmed/can carry out their roles. This means you can take on a large task with a weight of responsibility and work closely with another person to get it done.

DPS; Chipping away at the workload

DPS is the every day. It’s working in a team, taking instruction from the leaders, supporting the tanks, making sure you’re carrying your weight so the whole team can collectively reach the target. This may sound like an anti-climax after the comments on leaders and tanks but carrying your weight is equally as important. If you slack, someone else has to pick it up. You know this well, because you’re a raider and you’re part of an integral team.

Healers; Support, patience, tolerance, a willingness to help

Healers get a raw deal. Even the best healers will admit that they've been blamed over the tank for a wipe when tank was under geared/didn't know tactics. Healers literally keep us fighting. They'll continue to support the team, no matter how many times we stand in the fire, or run into that 1-shot mechanic. For a more straight forward role, healers pick up the slack, motivate the team to revitalize their motivation, pick us up, dust us off, and get us back on track. Workplace healers may find themselves leaning toward roles such as union reps, motivational speakers, or smaller, more supportive roles such as something of a go-between for covering absences, holidays etc.

They may not like the role but their supportive and caring nature puts others' needs before their own, often despite colleagues/team members telling them to take care of themselves more.

It could be that you’ve read through this and think I’m horribly naïve and under some illusion that all raid teams are well oiled machines. GOOD raid teams are machines. They’re effective teams. They complement and support one another to reach a shared target and that’s all an employer wants.

If you can't find your place in any of these scenarios, don't fret. If you understand everything that's been said, and can drop it into discussion at an interview, and debate your case, any employer would be impressed that you can break down any team into roles and understand what each role contributes.