#I was not interviewed by the manager of the department I applied for which makes me believe he wasn’t there today idk

[primordial0riginator]

I did it…kind of 🧍🏻‍♀️

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for telling a friend about a job I know for certain is terrible?

I have a degree in a creative field of work. Years ago I applied for a job in a city out of state, for a small business. I lowballed on the expected salary because I was desperate to get the job and get established before I moved. I figured once I got my apartment squared away I could look for a better, higher paying job.

Well, I got the job, and it turns out I actually really enjoyed working there. It was a pleasant work environment, I had cool coworkers, the boss was understanding and generous. So I stayed despite the low pay. I did get yearly raises, but even with those I was still below the average salary for my position.

That all changed earlier this year, when the old boss decided to sell the business due to health reasons. The new bosses made their fortune in a completely different industry, and knew nothing about our industry. They are in way over their heads.

They don’t fill out orders correctly. They take on orders that are physically impossible and expect us to do them anyway. They buy expensive new machines, don’t train us on them, and immediately start taking huge orders for them when we haven’t ironed on the kinks. We can’t focus on any complex orders because they’re constantly making us switch gears to personal projects, or forgotten orders, or different huge rush orders. The wife has a habit of rearranging our spaces and messing them all up, sometimes when we’re still in them trying to finish projects. They switched to a new shop management system that is counterintuitive and has too many moving parts and as a result mistakes have been piling up. Did I mention I was the only person in my particular department? Because I am.

It got to the point where I was having breakdowns every day. I have reached the point of total burnout. I finally decided enough was enough and turned in my two weeks’ notice plus however long it takes to train someone new.

Well, my “two weeks plus whatever it takes to train the newbie” has turned into six weeks and counting. They didn’t realize how cheap a date I was. They’ve interviewed people, but they’re all asking for twice the salary they’re offering. Which, good for them, get that scratch, but it means I’m languishing here, still suffering.

Now here is where I feel I MBTA. I have a Facebook friend, an acquaintance I met on another creative project, asking around for any local jobs in (creative field). He also lost his job recently, so he’s pretty hard up. I told him about the position opening up. I did not give him any details why I was leaving, or the pay, or the clusterfuck environment.

I feel like I’m leading him into a trap. But I’m so desperate to leave. I don’t want to leave without a replacement in place, because I like all my coworkers and without that one department the whole business will go belly up and they’ll all be out a job.

Am I leading him into a trap? AITA?

[gassyandnasty]

Since you are writing the backstage series, can you make one of Henry Cavill?

I'd love to see him burping in his fan's face, forcing him to sniff his armpits and butt

Backstage - Henry Cavill

Oh, Henry... needless to say that he is everybody's dream, but he is very hard to find, and those big studios aren't easy to sneak on, but I had my way.

I started to hear that he was having a lot of trouble with the costume department, so they were hiring more people to take care of this problem. When I got into the studio to do an interview, a guy with teary eyes, coughing his way out approached me:

"Are you applying for the costume department?" He said between coughs.

"Yeah...I-" he didn’t let me finish.

"Take this" he handed me his credentials and said, "I can't take this any second if this anymore."

He left while I didn't question all the chaos, after all, I was going to meet Henry Cavill!

I came into his trailer and saw him getting ready to shoot. The guy who ran out of here must have been helping him, since he is standing on a pedestal trying to fit into a spandex suit.

"Might you... help me with this?" Henry requested and I froze. Was I going to finally touch all of that body?

I couldn't resist, I approached and started my amateur service, soon I saw why he needed help, that suit was really tight. His upper body was bare because his suit wouldn't pass his thighs.

"Okay... raise your arms." I commanded and he didnt question. There was no reason for this, only for admiring his hairy pits. They were sweaty from the effort of trying to put this on.

"Uhm... how much am I going to stay in this position?" Henry asked.

"Oh I'm just calculating your measures so I can try to fix..."

"No need, this suit was made for me months ago, but they asked for me to reshoot on MY vacations, I'm not skipping my barbecues and burguers for that."

"Oh... I see..." I signalize for him to put his arms down as I take advantage to measure his chest, and yeah... it was made of STEEL, but just to hide my obvious amusement, I asked:

"And how are you planning to fit in this?"

I heard Henry laughing as he stopped to pat his belly. Indeed, some fat featured his ripped muscles, which made him even more delicious.

"I'm a little bloated, so I'll have to let some out..." when he pat his belly again, it stirred something within, and he ripped a deep and gurgly belch on my face:

OOOOOOoooooooooooooUUUUUUUUUUUU888RRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPP!!

It exploded on my face, and smelt like burguers. He ripped with no shame, as his expression changed to relief.

"Aaaahh, I think I'm lighter after this." Henry laughed at my coughing fit. "Try to pull the suit up again.

I was a little shocked, but I crouched down to do what he said, at least I was not in the line of his burps again.

With all my force, I managed to pull his suit past his thighs, and now Im stuck at his ass. I think his cheeks are bigger than my head, soft yet strong, but aren't yielding even a little for the spandex.

"Oh, I wouldn't crouch down over there if I was you buddy! Haha" I could hear henry say from above. As I could feel he grabbing the back of my head even closer to his ass.

PBPBPBPBPPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBBBBBBBFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTT

He ripped a beast of a fart on my face, making it rumble and jiggle with the force of his cheeks. I fell down into another fit as he was laughing. Somebody came in.

"You are late, and what's that smell? Eww..." I could hear another assistant.

"I'm trying to deflate to fit into the suit" Henry says with a shit-eating grin as he fans behind his ass.

"We dont have time for that, stinky. Just come out that we put cgi all over it. Geez...." they left as I felt light-headed.

CGI? So I didn't have to take those bombs in the face....

[hanhonymous]

The Trainee’s workplace authenticity

One of my favorite things about workplace TV shows is when the characters actually do work. AND when the details of such work are not only relatively accurate, but also essential to how the characters relate to themselves, the world and each other. So far, "The Trainee" is giving that to me in the first two episodes.

Having interned/been an assistant at a TV production company and later moving to entertainment journalism and managing interns/junior writers there, I can appreciate both Ryan's and Jane's POVs. Here's what I liked so far:

Good Pick's pink tube slide and movie theater seats in the lobby - A lot of these entertainment-adjacent companies take a cue from Silicon Valley and have this frivolous, frat-boy design aesthetic -- bean bag chairs, foosball tables, etc. I worked in an office that had a ping-pong table. The idea is to make it fun enough that people want to stay in the office and work longer, which isn't really all that great. You stop seeing that fun stuff after a while and just want to get home. That said, I'd love to work in a company with a fire pole in it, but that would be too much of a liability.

Ryan's fluke hiring - Baimon totally hearing what he wants to hear from Ryan in that sham interview is hilarious but sadly not all that unusual. What sucks is that this is unfair to the manager who then must work with the unqualified person, and unfair to that person hired also, who isn't the best fit for the position. I've been the person saddled by the unfortunate hire and have had to make do … and sometimes you can figure it out, but often you're left doing extra work to make up for their deficits. If it's just an intern, no problem -- they'll be gone in a few months. I felt Jane's pain!

Ryan's uncertainty & silence - That said, Ryan clearly wants to do well but is out of his depth since this was not even what he was learning in school. I remember the first day as a journalist for a small company where I kind of was on my own, and nobody told me what to do. I was like, "WTF??" Part of you doesn't want to ask questions lest you expose your imposter identity, but you're also wondering just how long you can do nothing before someone notices.

The printer always breaks down -- always. You get pretty good at troubleshooting everything until resorting to calling a technician

Jane's prickly demeanor - The fact is that in any company, people who are competent can move up, but that doesn't automatically infuse them with good managerial skills. I think workshops, etc. are a must for anyone who gets promoted and suddenly have people reporting to them. Everyone can get frustrated when they're overwhelmed, so I do have some sympathy for Jane. He does have one skill that I think is essential to be a good manager: identifying and acknowledging the strengths of an employee. It really makes all the difference that he finally sees Ryan as an asset, not a hindrance.

Ryan's skills aren't that bad at all - As soon as Ryan tells his family that he's no help to anyone at work, he immediately shows five different ways how much he's relied on by his family. Yes, people who are competent, reliable and can anticipate needs (like how his sister needs to be reminded to charge the battery after using the camera) will be able to apply those skills to other situations and can go far. Ryan just needs to familiarize himself with the industry first in order to know how he can fill in the gaps. (I believe in being able to change careers and taking big pivots in life.)

The interns banding together - OMG I remember sometimes just being unsupervised while trying to get a project together, and there is a strange bond you have being the youngest and least experienced. And you do have the most stupid conversations.

Being one cog in a bigger machine - I really appreciate how they show all the different departments that have to come together to make one project work -- especially when last-minute changes need to be implemented or a persnickety client has opinions. You complain, you worry, you put in extra late hours and have to make 11th-hour fixes -- but it's so satisfying to see it all come together. Shit goes down, and you fix it.

Hiring extras - The hiring of extras at Good Pick was different from what I've experienced. I actually have been an extra, and what I'm used to is being part of a company or agency that has you in their database, and then you get picked or cast by that company and sent to your gig. But that's in Hollywood and for TV shows & movies. It's probably different for ad houses or in Thailand, but I did like how they showed that it is still a casting process. There are deliberate decisions made, and certain looks sought out. I thought it was hilarious that Ryan's first thought for hiring the salaryman was to get an uncle from the same restaurant as the auntie. If he had his way, everyone in that restaurant would be hired for some gig or another.

Ryan getting scammed by the extra - I was screaming at Ryan as soon as he offered to pay that scammer extra. Just … no, boy. You had to have known that was shady. BUT despite being duped, he was willing to think on his feet and try to solve a problem by being proactive, and that does happen. And so do mistakes. He just needs to calibrate his radar for what is OK. (I'm glad Jane saw that.) Ryan is lucky that it only cost him 1,000 baht for that lesson.

Extras must be on hand and wait - OK this is a scene in the preview for Episode 3, but I was so happy to see it: Extras in Hollywood actually cannot just spend 5 minutes or whatever to do their job, even if that's how much you see them onscreen. There's a ton of hurry up and wait on film sets, and so extras have to stay in Holding -- usually just a designated area with some chairs (sometimes you get tables) -- until you're needed. And production schedules never run on time, so it can be hours or even days. You're lucky if you're there long enough to get a meal, if the temperature is nice, if you're able to make friends with the others and if there's wifi. Sometimes you bring your own clothes for wardrobe based on what you're told, and sometimes the wardrobe department supplements your wardrobe with extra pieces to help complete a specific look. And yeah, you're not able to leave except for the bathroom, so Ryan definitely shouldn't have let that one extra wander off.

"Ryan After Work" - I like these post-credit sequences that give extra insights into the job. And while the first one was more instructional, explaining how the production house differed from an agency, the second was more about the cohort camaraderie (and hinting at Ryan's positive feelings toward Jane). I hope the romance aspect of the show doesn't overshadow the work specificity going forward!

[lemoncrushh]

Connect

Summary: Not wanting to lose their connection, Lily takes a surprise trip to see Harry.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.4k

A/N: Real Harry x OC, written in first person. This is the last of my writings from 2019 (technically the first one since I'm reposting backwards). Obviously, this was heavily based on Live on Tour. I think I was just testing the waters then after having taken a break from fics. The only thing I focused on in 2018 was a longer fic which will come later. So next, I'll be reposting the one shots from 2017.

“I miss you,” he said, his voice raspy and weary.

“I miss you, too.”

“I wish you were here with me,” said Harry. “I know you didn’t wanna be, cause it’s crazy, but-”

“I never said I didn’t wanna be,” I interrupted.

“Well, you can’t. And I get it.”

With a sigh, I rolled over onto my stomach as I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. The truth was, I wanted to be with him more than anything. I just felt like it was too soon. We’d only started dating a few months before he left for the tour. Things had been such a whirlwind then, that it was a wonder we’d managed to actually become a thing. I’d worried that we’d moved too fast, and when Harry had asked me to consider flying out for some of the shows, I’d hesitated. In the end, I’d told him I couldn’t do anything on short notice since I didn’t have vacation time yet and my job was still relatively new. But I promised I would make plans to be with him for his final show in Los Angeles. He’d said he understood, but each time we talked on the phone, he seemed to miss me more and more. It broke my heart to say the least.

“I just don’t think I can-“

“Lily,” he interrupted this time. “It’s okay. Let’s change the subject.”

That night when I went to bed, I thought about our conversation. Though the rest of it had been sweet and light-hearted, I had felt the weight of Harry’s tone. He wasn’t mad, or even upset, but I could tell he was having a hard time concealing his emotions.

Throwing the covers off of me, I hopped out of bed and grabbed my laptop. Like the word nerd I was, I googled.

Emotion. Noun. A natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

Relationship. Noun. The way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.

Harry and I were connected. I knew it from the moment we met. Not to sound cheesy, like it was some grand scene of kismet in a rom com, but I’d felt something that first day.

Literally, it had been my first day at my new job. After years of trying to be a writer and applying for any kind of position that was remotely associated with writing, taking jobs as a receptionist at a local fluff newspaper and a data entry operator in the accounting department of a publishing company, and even working behind the counter at a bookstore, I’d finally landed my dream job. Well, not so much dream as it was...how shall I put this...the bottom of the totem pole at a company I wanted to work for. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? So what if I was pouring coffee and scheduling meetings and *cough* picking up dry cleaning? I was working for an amazing magazine. No, I wasn’t writing anything yet, but I was finally getting somewhere!

The stars must have been aligned that day. Being the “new girl”, I was led around the office by my boss as she introduced me to everyone. We’d just made it past the editing department when Candace, my boss, lifted her cell to her ear with a frown.

I didn’t understand the conversation, especially with only hearing one side of it, but I certainly caught the words “Harry Styles” and “lunch interview” followed by a few expletives. My breath stilled, and I’m pretty sure my heart did too. Trying to act casual as Candace returned her phone to her pocket, I blinked several times and shifted the weight between my feet.

“Lily,” she turned to me. “I know it’s your first day and you barely know your way around here, but I need a favor.”

I nodded. “Of course.”

Her expression relaxed as she gave a gentle smile. “Congratulations. You get the opportunity no one else has ever gotten on their first day.”

I wasn’t sure why I’d agreed to it, other than the fact that I’d wanted this job more than anything, and impressing Candace was my top priority. But to say I was a nervous wreck as I rode next to her in her BMW to a restaurant so luxurious I’d only ever dreamed of dining there, was an understatement. Apparently Candace’s head writer had gotten into an accident on the freeway that morning and was unable to get to the interview on time. That meant either sending someone else to have lunch with Harry Styles or going herself. Deciding quickly on the latter, and because it was my first day as her personal assistant, I got to tag along, notebook in hand. Well, not exactly in hand. It was in my bag. But you get the idea.

I hadn’t really known what to expect, both in meeting Harry and in getting to eat lunch at this particular restaurant, but within ten minutes I got the answers. The restaurant, while swanky with a limited menu, still felt like any other restaurant I’d been to, albeit upscale. Cloth napkins, iced water in big glasses that looked like they were more for wine or brandy, and tinkly piano music to complete the ambience. And as for Harry Styles...well let’s just say, he was the coolest person I’d ever met. And I don’t mean cool as in too cool for me, or too cool for school. I mean he was so completely down-to-earth that I immediately felt at ease. Sure, my insides were a mess, my heart beating out of my chest and my stomach doing somersaults, but despite that, he didn’t come off as a “celebrity”. He was charming and funny and easy to talk to. And because I was Candace’s assistant, you would think he’d only direct his answers to her. But he looked over at me several times with a sexy, easy grin and made sure he included me in the conversation.

Once Candace got up to take another phone call, and I was left alone with Harry. Afraid I might say or do something stupid, I looked at the notes I had written down. Candace of course had recorded the conversation on her phone with Harry’s permission, so I wasn’t quite sure why she’d had me take notes too. But such is the job of an assistant, I presumed.

After a moment or two of silence, Harry said something, though it took me a second to realize he was addressing me.

“Sorry?” I looked up from my scribbles.

“Is the interview done?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Um...I don’t think so,” I stumbled.

“Then why are you looking at that? I’m right here.”

My heart plummeted to my stomach, and I thought I might vomit the salad I’d just eaten.

“Sorry,” I mumbled as I shoved my notebook into my bag, my face no doubt red from embarrassment. I wanted to crawl under the table...on the other side of the restaurant.

Suddenly Harry laughed. A good, hearty laugh. I looked up at him to see the little crinkles next to his eyes as he chuckled, dimples dipping in his cheeks.

“Loosen up, Lily,” he said.

It took me a second, and a shake of my head, to remember that he knew my name. But the fact that he’d remembered it after only learning it once briefly when Candace had introduced me was another thing entirely. And...was he teasing me?

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“I’m just giving you a hard time. You seem very nervous.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he smiled. Then he gestured toward where Candace had walked off. “Is she hard to work for?”

I relaxed, exhaling and placing my hands in front of me. “Truth?”

“Of course.”

“It’s my first day.”

A grin spread across Harry’s handsome face. Just then Candace emerged from the hallway headed back to our table. Harry quickly and simply leaned over towards me, covering my hand with his.

“You’re doing great,” he whispered.

And that’s when I knew.

Okay, it’s not when I knew we were meant to be together or would fall in love or any of that. But I felt connected. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it was something.

I hadn’t gotten another assignment quite like that one again. At least not yet. Most of my job consisted of running errands and getting coffee, although I did get to see and greet a few celebrities here and there. But when Harry’s interview was printed, I received a bouquet of flowers. Lilies.

Harry and I laughed about it for days after he called to ask me out. We both agreed it was cheesy, but he admitted he liked the cheese. I’d fallen for it, after all. Sucker.

Emotion. Noun. A natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

I stared at the screen, reciting the definition over and over. Harry and I were in a relationship. He was far away and it would be a long time before he returned. How could I not feel any emotion about it? How could I not consider his feelings as well? How could I keep pretending I didn’t miss him more than anything? How could I possibly keep this amazing relationship alive if I wasn’t willing to try to put more effort in re-establishing our connection?

Connect. Verb. Bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is established.

Indeed.

With one or two more clicks of the mouse, I found myself on an airline website. Then opening a second tab, I brought up another website and searched for Harry Styles tickets. Flipping between the two sites, I chose a concert on a Saturday and managed to find a decent price for a flight. I figured I could fly out on Friday and be back by Sunday. I wouldn’t even have to miss work. A few clicks later, and I’d made my purchases. I was going to see Harry.

It had been a while since I’d been to a concert. Despite being a huge fan of music and having my own list of favorites, I hadn’t been inside an arena in at least a few years. My ears were already ringing from the noises around me, fans eager for Harry to take the stage.

I had a seat near the B stage. I hadn’t known what that meant until I’d bought my ticket and began to watch fan videos on YouTube. During the middle of the show, Harry stepped off the main stage and walked the gauntlet so to speak, screaming fans on either side, and made his way to a second smaller stage near the back of the arena where he performed a few songs acoustically. I’d watched several videos so far, and this was probably my favorite part of the show. It seemed so intimate, like Harry was giving his audience a special little piece of himself. Sometimes he’d throw in a little banter which made me giggle and remind me why I liked him so much.

I’d also seen fans giving him flowers. I thought that might be a little presumptuous and perhaps even ridiculous, not because he didn’t deserve them, but because...what if he didn’t take them? Or what if they got crushed in all the excitement? The poor girl spent her money on a bouquet for nothing. But I reckoned I’d take my chance. And if nothing else, we’d have a laugh over it later.

No, Harry didn’t know I was coming. It was a surprise. We’d even talked on the phone the night before after I’d landed and was snug as a bug in my hotel bed. He hadn’t a clue.

When the lights went out, I immediately felt the excitement the rest of the arena did. I even laughed and hugged the girl next to me when she grabbed my arm and screamed in my ear.

Before the first song was over, one thing was certain. Watching Harry Styles on YouTube was not the same as watching him in person. You would think I wouldn’t be screaming and dancing with the rest of the crowd since I actually knew the guy personally, let alone had the privilege of dating him. But holy cow, was I a fangirl! It was like watching Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury and some cool indie rocker all rolled into one. I was so mesmerized and lost in every single song that I almost forgot about him coming to the B stage. Until it happened.

I’d laid my bouquet of lilies as gently as I could underneath my seat, hoping they didn’t get stomped on. I quickly retrieved them as soon as he took the steps down the main stage and waited for him to come closer. To be honest, up till this point, I suppose I had just assumed he would catch a glimpse of me, but I hadn’t considered anything further than that. My stomach started doing the flips as he climbed onto the small stage, and I saw him wave to the crowd. I didn’t want to make my presence obvious, but I did want him to know I was there. But his eyes grazed right over me and then he pulled his guitar strap over his head.

Disappointment ate at me as I felt my chest deflate. Nevertheless, Harry sang the first song beautifully, and it brought tears to my eyes. As he introduced the chords to the next song, teasing the audience a bit, I almost thought he saw me. But instead he tucked his guitar pick between his teeth and spread out his arms, making the crowd cheer loudly. The girl next to me began to jump up and down, making the ground tremble beneath my feet. I sort of wished she’d make enough noise for Harry to look our way, but he seemed to be taking it all in, letting the fans simmer in their excitement.

Finally, he began to sing. It was one of my favorite ballads where everyone with a cell phone brought it up to display their flashlights or bright screens. I sang along with him, wishing I could somehow channel my thoughts to him, make him look my way telepathically. Suddenly, during the breakdown after the bridge, his gaze met mine. It was kind of comical how his eyes widened as though he wasn’t sure he’d really seen me. I smiled, holding my lilies underneath my chin. Then he smiled too, one corner of his mouth sliding up further than the other. The crowd seemed to scream even louder, thinking his pause and smirk was somehow a reaction to them. I was perfectly fine with letting them think that. But I knew it was for me.

Harry finished the song, his audience singing in unison. Then he took me by surprise by setting down his guitar, walking to the edge of the stage, and reaching out. At first I wasn’t sure what was going on, but then someone nearby, a stagehand or someone from the soundboard, or maybe even Jeffrey Azoff, heck if I knew then, took the flowers from my hands and handed them to Harry. He smiled, inhaled deeply, smiled even wider, then blew me a kiss.

Everything after that happened so fast, it was a whirlwind. I think someone took the flowers back from Harry and put them somewhere. Then Harry sang one more song before heading back to the main stage. The cute girl next to me grabbed my arm again and squealed that he’d taken my flowers, and I was so freaking lucky, and that she was gonna do that next time, if she got to see him again. I giggled with her and squeezed her hand, then we watched the rest of the show in glee.

I hugged my new friend goodbye after the lights came back on, not really sure what to do next. Obviously I’d come to see Harry, not just his concert. But I didn’t know if I should stick around and wait for him, or go back to my hotel.

I opted for watching the crowd fizzle out as they sang and danced down the aisles towards the exits. I was just about to climb the steps myself and make my way to the restroom when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Where are you?

I grinned, quickly texting him back.

Still in my seat.

I’ll send someone for you.

I wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d had to wait another half hour or so before someone came to retrieve me. Working somewhat in the entertainment industry - even for a few months - I was used to a lot of waiting. But it wasn’t barely five minutes before a man with a tight smile on his face came to greet me.

“Follow me,” he said simply.

The hallway backstage was brightly lit and smelled of sweat and cologne. It reminded me of a high school gym. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting as I’d seen many movies and documentaries about bands, but for some reason it wasn’t that. Still, I followed the man down the corridor to a closed door onto which he knocked. Someone must have given him the all clear and he pushed open the door and gestured for me to enter.

Now, the fangirl in me would have kicked myself for not first noticing the shirtless Harry Styles sitting in a chair by the mirror, but instead the bouquet of lilies displayed in a vase next to him. However, the girlfriend in me was all heart-eyed and flustered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I heard him ask.

Blinking my eyes, I smiled at him, finally getting a good look at him. Weak knees. Heart palpitations. 9-1-1, people. How did I get so freaking lucky, as my new stranger friend would have said.

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” I beamed.

“Well, mission accomplished,” he chuckled.

With the grace of a gazelle, Harry rose from his chair to stand in front of me. I’d almost forgotten how tall he was. Man, it had been too long.

“Truth is…” I cleared my throat. “I missed you.”

Harry said nothing, merely nodded, his eyes glowing as they seemed to memorize every curve of my face.

“And um…” I continued as he suddenly touched my arms, his hands cupping my elbows.

I momentarily lost my train of thought as Harry lowered his head and began to breathe on my neck. I felt goosebumps all over my flesh in an instant, and I instinctively lifted my hands to touch his chest.

“There’s an and?” he said low into my ear.

“Yeah,” I sighed. “But it’s not important.”

“Of course it is. Or you wouldn’t be here.”

He lifted his head again to look straight into my eyes.

“Tell me,” he said.

“I just...didn’t want to lose our connection,” I confessed. “I think we have something great. And I hope you do, too.”

Harry nodded, a soft smile on his lips. “I do.”

“I admit, it’s hard being apart from you,” I added, looking down at my hands that had somehow landed on either side of his butterfly tattoo. “But I’d be an idiot if I didn’t let you know how I feel.”

Harry pulled me to him then, and I felt him sigh.

“And how do you feel?” he asked.

“I just said.”

Harry laughed. “No, you didn’t.”

“I feel...emotional,” I side-stepped.

“That’s a bit redundant, darling.”

I bit my lip. He was gonna make me say it, wasn’t he? As much as I was a word nerd, that was one word I couldn’t just blurt out. Even though I definitely felt it. It just wasn’t easy for me.

“Well, how do you think I feel, Harry?  I mean, I just flew out here from L.A. to surprise you.”

“Oh, I dunno,” he teased. “Could’ve been for another reason, and I just happened to be here…”

“Harry!”

He threw his head back laughing before kissing me on the forehead. Then the nose. Then the mouth. The kiss deepened, and for a minute I thought perhaps his inquiring was over and we were just lost in each other. Then he stopped suddenly and whispered against my lips.

“I love you, too, Lily.”

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[tiedyeflannels]

Adventure of a Lifetime

Kim Taehyung x reader

Epilogue | Masterlist

I sighed as I poked my key into the doorknob and unlocked the door to my apartment before stepping inside and turning on the light.

“Congratulations!”

I jumped at the loud pops of the confetti canons before my eyes fully adjusted and finally realized who was standing in the living room.

Taehyung and the other members were standing around the living room with small gift bags and a banner that read ‘Congrats’ on it. Tae placed the cake he was holding on the coffee table. I looked around, confused.

“What are you guys doing here and how did you get inside my apartment?” 

Tae smiled brightly and flashed the spare key I had given him the first day I moved to Korea.

“We’re here to congratulate you on the getting the job,” Jimin said happily. I placed my stuff down on the kitchen island and chuckled.

“How do you know I got the job? I just did an interview earlier today,” I said as they gathered around, setting the cake in front of me. 

“Well… when you work in the building someone’s applying to, word gets around quickly,” Namjoon said.

“Plus, Taehyung asked the department manager that you had the interview with, if you got the job,” Yoongi shrugged, making me look at Tae with a deadpan expression.

“You’re kidding, right,” I asked.

He just chuckled and put his arms around me from behind, leaning on me, “Well, I wanted to know if I should throw you a party.”

I sarcastically smiled, “Thanks… but next time, let’s wait on the party until after I know.” The guys chuckled as I remembered the cake on the table.

“Oh! We can have cake if you want. You’ll just need to grab the stuff,” I said, directing them to where the knives, plates, and silverware were so we could eat the cake.

After serving ourselves, we sat around the living room talking about what new things they were working on and fun stories that had happened throughout the week. As the night went on, the members started to slowly leave because of the things they had to do the next day until it was just me, Tae and Jimin. 

“I should probably get going,” Jimin said while standing up and stretching.

I got up and walked over to him, giving him a hug. “Thank you for coming!”

He happily gave one back. “Of course! Oh, and that one’s from me,” he said, pointing to a little yellow gift bag with white tissue paper, sitting on the coffee table.

I nodded and turned back to him just in time to catch the small wink he sent to Tae.

“Thank you,” I said as he opened the door and walked out.

I closed the door behind him before turning to Tae while crossing my arms.

“What was that about,” I asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

He responded with a slightly nervous chuckle then lightly clearing his throat.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

~

We walked over to a nearby lake that was lined with cherry blossom trees and street lamps casting them in a calming glow. I pulled my jacket a little closer when the cold breeze swept in.

“It’s cold! Why did you want to go on a walk anyway?” 

He stopped walking which made me stop and turn to him as he brought out a small box from his pocket.

My eyes widened, “Please tell me you’re not proposing. We haven’t even discussed marriage yet and I don’t think I’m ready-” His chuckle made me stop rambling enough so that he could talk. 

“Calm down, Y/n/n. I’m not proposing yet,” he said, opening the small box to reveal a beautiful rose gold ring with three small pink flowers on the band.

Definitely, the furthest thing from an engagement ring, but still special nonetheless.

“I know you’ve been eyeing this for a while, so I’ve been saving this for the right occasion. This is my gift to you for getting the job and…”

He drawed out as he carefully took the ring out of the box before putting it back in his pocket and gently taking hold of my right hand.

“Kind of like… a promise ring. From me to you,” he said as he slipped it onto my ring finger. 

“We don’t have to get married in the near future or in ten years, but the time we’ve spent together has been the happiest of my life and I just know that I want to be with you for as long as you’ll let me.”

A smile graced my lips as I just stared at him in adoration before I nodded, “I would love that.” 

He smiled before leaning in and placing a chaste kiss on my lips. He took my hand in his as we started to walk back to the apartment.

“You know… now that we’re basically stuck together, we should talk about getting married,” Tae said, happily swinging our joined hands.

I snorted out a laugh, “Slow down, let’s get some sleep first. We can talk about this another time, hmm?”

“I can’t wait,” he said with a loving smile.

Taglist:

@maple-leaves-in-the-wind | @eli-xar | @amaroho | @oliwiasworlds

[ameliablakesblog]

Cross The Line: Part One

You shouldn’t have done it. You should have never applied for the position. You made a mental note to remove all the alcohol from your apartment that night. There was no way you would be able to work so closely to him.

Lando Norris, the famous Formula One driver. Up until today you used to be a big fan of him, a massive fan of his driving ability and his online platform Quadrant. When you were told the role would include working closely with him you thought it was incredible news, until now.

“The only reason he hired her was because she’s fit, she’ll just be in the way all the time- get rid of her”.

Lando was stood in the conference room talking to some guy. Presuming from the way he was stood the guy was involved in the hiring process, as he stood calmly listening to Lando ranting away about you. Unbeknownst to them, you were hiding at the entrance, about to go in to informally introduce yourself to Lando, until you heard that comment. Hurt struck you. You had only just left a job because of how self-conscious the employers made you. The main reason you were drunk that night and applied for this job was because you were sick of feeling so stupid and worthless. And before he had even met you, Lando had already made an assumption which had left you feeling how you had felt before.

You cleared your throat and stepped into the room, making your presence known. Lando and the other guy turned. You noticed Lando look at you from head to toe before turning back slightly, giving you a hostile approach.

“Ah Y/N! There you are! I haven’t met you before- my name is Nick and I work within the recruitment department of Mclaren. I’ve just brought your new contract which we thought now would be a perfect time for you and Lando to go through it and establish how closely you’ll be working together over the rest of the season. Once you’ve finished, come find me in my office and we will get all your IDs sorted, okay?” 

Nick smiled warmly at you, and you returned it. At least he was nice to you. Nick faced Lando briefly as he was leaving, “It’s out of my control Lando, we want the best for this team, and she’ll help you achieve this. Be nice.”

Nick swiftly leaves the room, leaving you alone with Lando. He continues to stare at the door where Nick had left from. You stare at him and consider your options. You could either try and be nice and see if you can change his already-set opinion of you, or you could just read the document as quickly as possible to leave as quick as possible. You decide to go with the first option and put a smile on your face before walking over to him.

“Hi Lando, I’m Y/N. It’s so nice to meet you” You stretch your arm out before you for him to shake and yet he just stares at your hand as if it was foreign to him.

“Hey, let’s just get this over with” dismissing you, Lando turns to the table with the contract on and takes a seat, leaving you stood there gaping at him.

How bloody rude! You sigh and take a seat next to him, pretending to not notice Lando shift himself, so he was sitting as far away from you as possible in his seat. 

The document was a standard contract, you read through it together only making small comments when you ask questions, or he just huffs at certain phrases. By the end of it, rules have been set. To say Lando wasn’t happy about them was an understatement of the century. You looked over at him and his jaw was set, his eyes fixed on anywhere, but you and he looked ready to flee from this room at any second.

You sigh and decide to offer one last olive branch to him. “Well, I think that’s everything. I know this might not be what you want but I think we’ll work well together. I have experience which I can bring to the table and hopefully we’ll make a great team together”.

He finally looks over at you. He blinks a few times before rolling his eyes and looking at the contract.

“Alright, there’s no managers here so you can chill with the fake interview crap. Get Liam to give you my contact number, bye”.

With that he leaves. You sit there staring at the door, tears threatening to escape. Well, if that’s how he’s going to be, you will treat him the same. 

Let the games begin Lando.

[90stvqueen]

I have been contacted by multiple multi-level marketing "job opportunities" this week.

It's starting to occur to me -- and nobody really tells you this -- that unless you are looking for something specific (and probably not entry-level), Indeed is not the place to look for jobs. I was applying for jobs pretty indiscriminately on there a few days ago, and have since been contacted by what looks to be multiple multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes.

Here are some red flags I've found in these job postings that point toward a pyramid structure:

[Company] is a [PR/marketing agency/local startup] that is looking for outgoing, motivated candidates who are just out of college or looking to make a career change!

[Company] will pay for you to be trained in business and sales, so don't worry if you don't have prior experience! This is an entry-level role with HUGE opportunities for growth!

You'll have networking and travel opportunities, such as leadership development conferences and seminars!

Sounds good, right? But if you look up these companies on Glassdoor, you'll either find nothing or you'll see a mix of reviews:

positive reviews from the current employees who are incentivized to talk up the company

negative reviews from former employees that will often flat-out tell you it's an MLM

there's a lot of repetition in the phrases you'll see across the board: "a great opportunity," high turnover/burnout, manipulative management, lack of transparency, no job security, "hard work pays off," "not for everyone"

sometimes you'll find out that the company was renamed from another company, and if you look that company up, you'll find even more bad reviews explicitly calling it a pyramid scheme/MLM

If you go to the company website, you'll see a clean interface with stock photos of people looking happy, and all of the "who we are" text on the site will be utter jargon that doesn't explicitly tell you what the company does. It will tell you, however, that they're hiring now!

If you make it to the interview portion, (which, if you apply, you almost certainly will, because these companies are preying on people who are desperate for a job) you will be rushed through an initial interview, which will look something like this:

You'll be interviewed alongside another candidate or in a group.

It's a quick 10-minute getting-to-know-you call so the company can see if it's a good fit.

They will ask you to tell them (in front of the other candidates) what you would bring that makes you stand out.

They will ask you if you have reliable transportation.

They will go over the "job description" without ever making it clear what the day-to-day looks like.

They'll tell you about how you're going to be trained in different departments. The departments will have names like "Marketing & sales," "HR & PR," "Leadership development," "Logistics, numbers, and operations," and "Client relations." This is an actual example from a Zoom interview I just did less than an hour ago. These are the "departments" of this company, according to my interviewer.

They'll emphasize that expansion is the goal. Top-level customer acquisition. Their clients are looking to open to new markets, so they're looking for go-getters to quickly fill the role.

IF YOU ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER NOT TO ANSWER IT. They'll tell you that you'll have the opportunity to ask as many questions as you want if you make it to round two; they'll tell you they have another interview in 2 minutes and don't have time to answer your questions; they'll repeat that this is a preliminary getting-to-know-you call, so there's no need to get into the details just yet.

If you do manage to get a question in, they'll put as vague & positive a spin on it as they can. I asked if the company I interviewed with was a new company (because I couldn't find it on BBB or Glassdoor) and the interviewer told me yes, it's a "branch-off company" to a company that's been around for a few years. He did not tell me what that company was, and I didn't ask, because at that point I knew I wouldn't get a straightforward answer either way.

Y'all, if you find a job that raises any red flags for you, DO YOUR RESEARCH. You should be looking up any company that reaches out to you. Find their website. Read their reviews on Glassdoor and Better Business Bureau. BE SMART AND DON'T LET THESE COMPANIES PREY ON YOU.

[theygotlost]

ohhhhhh my god guys I gotta give you an update but i need to explain my entire job history for the past year first cause its a little confusing uh.

so feb-may I did this internship at this real estate digital marketing firm and I was just making social media graphics there. just instagram stories and shit. and it was boring as hell but I needed to find a job cause I was graduating, and I was hoping they would hire me but they didnt have the space for a new full time employee at the time so... that was a bust.

in june and july I was applying to jobs foreverrrrr and getting nowhere so I said fuck it i need SOMETHING to hold me over, so I started working in the print department at staples as you are all well aware. at least it would be relevant enough to put on my resume cause I do want to make print graphics right? so its something.

then like 6 weeks ago my manager from the internship reached out to me and said she wanted to take me back part time after all. so for the past month and a half I've been working 2 part time jobs, one at staples and one at this marketing office doing the exact same fuckass ig stories as before. i wont lie its been exhausting and unsustainable so I was still applying for other full time design jobs cause I had no idea how long I could keep this up.

about 3 weeks ago I got an interview for one of those jobs I applied for and they explained that they were actually looking for a senior designer which obviously im not qualified for, but they liked my portfolio enough that they wanted to consider CREATING a junior designer role for me which was CRAZYYY to hear... it's a hawaiian bbq restaurant chain and I'm definitely wayyy more interested in designing for food and beverage stuff than real estate, plus a few other aspects about the job sounded really appealing to me and the interview went great so I was really hoping to get that job. but then I didn't hear back and Im so desensitized to getting ghosted after interviews i stopped getting my hopes up a long time ago.

a week and a half ago management at my real estate job told me that they were finally ready to bring me on full time, and since it didnt seem like I had any other prospects I wasnt really in a position to turn it down, so I immediately accepted and put in my 2 weeks at staples. this saturday will hopefully be the last day i ever have to work retail forever. I didnt make any announcement here when I found out because its honestly been making me depressed thinking about doing nothing but making fuckass instagram stories for ugly real estate companies 40 hours a week and people congratulating me on it would just make me more depressed. I wasn't supposed to start full time there until the monday after thanksgiving so ive still been doing my double part time grind.

but then......

whats that....???

THE HAWAIIAN BBQ RESTAURANT ENTERS WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!!!

after weeks of no response the hr guy finally gave me a call just now to tell me I GOT THE JOB?!??! i genuinely honestly did not think they were gonna give me an offer and was just gonna move on with my life 😭 so now im gonna have to walk into my office tomorrow morning and say SIKE!!! and theyre all gonna be so mad at meeeee but this is genuinely such a better position for me I didnt think this was gonna happen for another year at least....

tldr I thought i was gonna be stuck with a job i dont like but I ended up getting the job I want!!!!!!!!

[syndesinae]

I have questions about your cheesemongering. How did you get the job/did you already have some sort of Cheese Background? And what do you hate about it?

And good luck on your interview! I hope you get to escape the cheese.

unfortunately it's less fancy than i may have accidentally led you to believe; it's just a specialty service department in a hypermarket. i got it by applying to said hypermarket and being assigned to the cheese shop by chance.

i had absolutely zero background! it was a very steep learning curve when i started. i grew up in a rural US town. you can imagine my knowledge of fancy european cheeses was limited to entirely absent. a beloved childhood snack of mine was chicken in a biskit crackers with spray cheese from a can <3

it was actually kinda fun to learn about it though. and now i will have all this cool Cheese Knowledge for the rest of my life, so that's a silver lining. i know what the rind of brie looks like under a microscope. i know how they get gouda to be sweet in taste and fudgy in texture without adding anything. i know cheddar is verb. kinda cool!

what i hate about it is that my management is a bunch of useless jack-offs who don't actually do any work but have the gall to creep out of their little air conditioned office to micromanage (or heaven forbid make small talk while i'm trying to pry open a 100lb rock hard wheel of parmigiano with like six chisels), when all they do is walk in and out of each other's offices all day to gossip and eat pizza from the little ceaser's next door.

and they absolutely love to give you your schedule the day before. they also love scheduling you to close one night then open the next morning. they also love to fuck up the schedule so that there's multiple people in the shop at one time and no one there during closing or opening hours. they also love alternating between scheduling you for 7-10 days in a row then giving you a week with only like ten hours. just the most amazing and functional scheduling manager i've ever had the pleasure of working under.

i also hate the obnoxious entitled pretentious hipsters who make up the majority of my customer base. it could be cool and interesting to just talk about fancy cheeses together, but no!!! oh no!!! Special McGenius needs to make it known they're So Smart and in fact know Even More about my job than i do.

just imagine the most insufferable "i only eat ReAl food" jackass you can picture. now imagine that person cuts you off while you're talking just to— usually incorrectly— explain a product which you had to take classes and tests and get certified to sell, back to you. imagine you have to stand there and listen while that person pulls stuff out of their ass to sound fancy and intellectual (such as making up standards or products that don't exist anywhere on planet earth). imagine there's conflicting desires from zombie hoards of pretentious hipsters. one will rip you a new asshole for not having enough local products and will wax poetic about the importance of FRESH. the next will be simply appalled by how many US products there are in what's supposed to be a high-end shop; they'll bite your head off if you suggest a product that hasn't come from the other side of the world. you cannot win.

anyway, i don't hate the cheese. i might even miss her a little bit honestly. she's taught me a lot about the culinary world i would've otherwise never bothered to learn. i will however be ecstatic to escape my useless management and the aforementioned hipster zombie hoards.

[feminisedlad]

How might one get into "reading for a living" because that's a dream job

it is not a dream job, its called publishing and i make less than 40k a year LOL.

to be less arch, im an editor, and i work in editorial which is the 'flashy' department (lmao), but it's a pretty stressful job. obviously it's one i enjoy because no one would stay in the industry unless they got some reward for it. but still. i say 'reading books' is my job but thats probably only like 40% of it. a lot of my day to day work involves nagging people for deadlines, having meetings abt whether XYZ feature will cost extra, researching marketing trends, etc. YMMV if you work as a book designer or some other dept, i know they have different rules. this isnt to bitch but i think publishing has REALLY good PR among english majors and these are things i wish someone had told me before i sunk money into a publishing degree. BTW: dont get a publishing degree. experience > MA in publishing

so like, i cant in good conscience recommend the industry -- its sort of like going to grad school except with worse pay (the phd candidate gets a stipend; the unpaid intern does not.) but if you already have prion disease and you want to go into publishing, heres what i got

publishing advice below:

first things first, you need book experience. you can get this through the obvious ways (working on ur college lit mag, unpaid internships, copyediting freelance work) but i feel like that prob goes without saying. so what ill say is: if none of those options work, you could always work at a bookstore. lots of the editors i work with actually got their start by saying in the interview, "i worked at barnes and noble and noticed that [category] sells well. i love noticing which books resonate with people" or what have you

i will say that i work in nonfiction publishing, which has some differences from like, editing queer YA fiction. one of those jobs is more competitive than the other. and the industry standards are pretty toxic (if your author misses his deadline and sends the manuscript at 6pm, tough shit, you have to work late to make sure the book doesn't miss its pub date. if you're not thinking about all your books constantly, you must not really care. etc.)

that said one of the best things i can recommend is looking into publishing jobs in different departments. most people are competing for editorial department jobs (things like acquiring and signing books, and being the main point of contact for an author.) but if your passion mostly lies in editing or making things pristine, managing editorial departments often hire production editors who still read through all the books, but their day to day work is more like proofreading, checking barcodes, and other printing related tasks.

theres also finance. finance publishing jobs are never anyones first choice, but on the plus side, you wont have to tell the author why his advance is late. thats the acquiring editor's job. and also lots of people pivot to editorial after they have some years doing finance, design, production, etc.

i will say there are way more remote publishing jobs now than ever. theyre all super competitive but you should apply anyway. if youre entry level, look for "editorial assistant" type roles. some of these actually pay really well: to give an example, harvard hires copyeditors and editorial assistants at a rate which is more than my yearly salary. i mean, its harvard. you gotta look around. but there are more options besides the big 5 publishers. academic publishing is its own field! work at your favorite journal/database! work at JSTOR or wiley!

i dont think theres anything else i would add, other than just random shit talking abt industry standards and quirks of the industry. i dont want to sound whiny because i realize im lucky to be working in my field -- but, i think people oversell publishing as one of "the only career options for english majors."

to be totally honest, most people could make double or triple my salary from being a project manager or corporate editor. so if you enjoy reading and editing, there are better options to you than trade publishing. if you enjoy the act of connecting with authors and making their vision a reality, you might enjoy publishing. or you might not. idk!

[lavender-long-stories]

Spoilers for Testing Success | Chapter 1 | Rated T

Fugaku Uchiha’s latest failed assistant brought him a stack of folders holding candidates for his replacement. Given the option of being fired or looking for his own replacement and transfer departments, he made the choice that would save his career. “These are the most qualified young candidates.” 

“Why young?” Fugaku flipped open the first folder.

“I only selected applicants with less than ten years of experience. Your eldest son suggested someone young enough to keep up with you,’ sir.” He didn’t look him in the eye as he muttered, good.

Fugaku dropped the first in the trash, then the next, then the next almost slipped out of his hand before he caught sight of the name. “Hyuga?”

“Oh! Sorry, she wasn’t qualified.” The assistant moved to snatch the folder, but Fugaku pulled it out of his reach. The assistant retracted, dipping his head. “She has a good GPA, but her school is unimpressive, and she’s only two years out of university, all temp work. She comes from a bland background, no family connections. I considered including her because she has the highest university scores out of the lot but nothing else impressive. I meant to take her out.” 

Fugaku barely heard him. He was transported to the past, just looking at her face. A woman smiled in his memory with those eyes and the roundness of her cheeks, but another memory’s cheekbones. His eyebrows furrowed at sour memories. “Bring her in.” He tossed the folder. 

His assistant scooped up the other folders. “Are you sure, sir?” Fugaku shifted his glare from up to him, and the man simply bowed and left. Fugaku knitted his fingers together. If this girl was who he thought she was. He was going to make her life a living hell.

--**--

Hinata straightened her blazer. She knew she didn’t have a chance of being selected to interview when she applied, but she applied anyway to bring up her hopes of having something better than temp jobs for the rest of her life. So when she was called, she was mortified to find she applied for the wrong position. Instead of being a manager’s assistant, Hinata applied to be the executive assistant to the company’s director.

Hinata wanted to decline and admit that it was a mistake, but something in the back of her mind told her she should at least try. If only to experience an interview in one of the hardest markets. If she was rejected at the highest level, at least she tried, right? You could only go up from that. 

Knowing the outcome didn’t take away all the nerves. Hinata needed to learn the process and find herself a good job. Hanabi shouldn’t worry about money for university, Hinata had to pay off her own college, and her father would need care eventually. 

Hinata needed a good job. Everything she had worked hard for was in service of that.

“Hyuga Hinata?” Hinata stood up straight, following the man. He took her into a conference room, which was already occupied by a man in an office chair turned away from them. 

The interview was grilling. Challenging questions, scenarios Hinata had never heard of needing to be solved. She answered to the best of her ability, asking questions only that she thought were relevant. He grilled her on schooling, why she had picked a cheap school, and why she had no extracurriculars, which were the ones she found the hardest to answer, even if the answer was simple. She was working two part-time jobs. She hadn’t had the time.

That was why Hinata didn’t understand being selected. People who got jobs high in a company’s infrastructure young were from wealthy families. People with connections. Why was she chosen when she so clearly came from a family with no connections?

“Why have you come like this today?” Her interviewer glanced down at her clothes.

Hinata looked down, feeling very self-conscious. She wore her best conservative pencil dress and a blazer. They weren’t expensive and a little too big, but surely she didn’t look that bad? “My clothes shouldn’t be the reason to hire me.”

He shook his head. “You would be representing the company poorly in that.” Hinata tried to keep a straight face. She felt thoroughly embarrassed, and she wasn’t even sure why. “I think we are done. You are excused.” 

Hinata stood, bowed politely, glancing at the back of the chair, still yet to turn around or say a word. It was rude, and she had already been insulted enough. Hinata bowed to the chair and walked out of the room, missing the surprised face of the interviewer.

--**--

A knock came on her door, making Hinata look up from her phone. Hanabi eyed her. Hinata was still dressed for the interview, minus her heels. She pulled her hair down on the bus to hide her face. “That bad?”

“I wasn’t qualified, but I wanted the experience anyway. It doesn’t make it hurt less.” Hinata set her phone down.

“You’ll get there,” Hanabi assured her. “I finished my homework. Come watch a movie with me.”

“I should get to bed. I have to be in the office tomorrow by five.” Hinata was tired. She took a bus and a long train ride to the interview and back.

“That place is awful,” Hanabi whined. “It’s 8 o’clock.”

“It’s temporary.” Hopefully, Hinata’s phone rang in her hand. “Hello?”

“Hyuga Hinata?”

“Yes?” Hinata wondered.

“I am from Uchiha Industries. You had an interview with me.” 

Hinata’s breath caught. They don’t call you for rejections. “Yes,” Hanabi dove to press her ear on the other side to listen.

“We are offering you the position. We need you tomorrow at 6 am sharp.” He told her.

“I… Yes, sir.” Hinata agreed.

“Goodnight.” He hung up. 

Hinata didn’t even take the phone from her ear until Hanabi shook her arm excitedly. “You got the job!!!” 

“How…?” Hinata wondered aloud.

“Who cares!” Hanabi hung herself over her sister. “It doesn’t matter if you keep this job for a month. Passing an interview at a big company will get you a job anywhere!” Hinata never told her what the company name was. Hanabi never asked. Hinata was too embarrassed that she put her resume into the biggest company in the city.

“Yeah,” Hinata wasn’t sure she would last a day.

Testing Success

Pairing: Sasuke x Hinata Rating: T

Description: Hinata accidentally applies for the director's assistant position at Uchiha Industries. Though surprised when she gets the job, it seems like the director has it out for her. His sons seem to be on her side, though.

Tags: Romance  |  Fluff and Angst  |  Happy Ending  |  Alternate Universe - Office  |  Alternate Universe - Modern Setting 

[alucart]

actually fuck it lmao

got hired late september. started actual work in october. started off as a seasonal worker. every day i woke up for work i was dreaded it. it was so much work. i was fatigued everyday but i still had to give it my all or else i was "lazy". if i moved too slow i was considered rude to customers. if i dont smile im rude. if i take a minute to process something then "something is wrong with me." like. Okay. lmao.

obviously when applying for jobs i dont list the fact that im bipolar. hell, i probably have adhd. but beside the point, the fact i have to act a certain way just to keep a job thats barely paying me shit was so. annoying. the fact that while working seasonal i had to put up with so much shit was ridiculous. november and december was so awful. im still mad i had to wake up at like 4am to get to work at 5am and then the store wasnt even busy until 12am. and we had to wear red and make sure everything was perfect bc the ceo was coming to the store? LMAO?

after my seasonal hours were over i thought i was free. i wasnt working for like two weeks but i at least got to spend time with my family. clean. take care of myself. i actually got back to drawing, something i havent been able to do for months. and then they called me back for a full time position. of course i took it because i wasnt finding anything else but it mightve been the worst mistake like ever.

like i must preface, that i got the job for the seasonal position in the first place without an interview, and like, yes i knew that was fishy at the start but also, ive been looking for a job for over two years so i was desperate. somehow the full time position was even worse than the seasonal position. my manager felt more annoying.

not to mention at this point they were making me do shit that i was never hired to do. why am i organizing clothes? i take returns? why are you making me cover in the handbags department? i work in returns and help people with online orders? why are you making me pack online orders? I WORK IN RETURNS, HELP PEOPLE WITH ONLINE ORDERS AND I HAVE PROCESS RETURNS FOR ORDER PICKUPS THAT WERE NEVER PICKED UP?

honestly madness. i had many breakdowns. over not wanting to go back to work. one time i had a stomach virus and had to stay home from work and was so miserable and literally panicking because i thought i could lose my job from being sick. i had a coworker that they also hired full time and she got fired because she "took too many breaks" meanwhile there was another coworker that took way more too many breaks.

while working there i saw many people get fired. like i dont know. and it was constantly understaffed. one time my manager asked me if i could work for 50 hrs one week and i told her "i'll think about it" only to find that weekend she changed my schedule without asking. (i had a breakdown that weekend).

when they had me set up my availability i had changed it so i would get mondays and tuesdays off because i realized i need two days off in a row instead of two random ass days and they didnt even. abide by that. and by the time it was like that on my schedule i already lost my job because i "violated company policy" because i accidentally scanned some fake coupons. which mind you, i never did anything wrong at the job beforehand so i shouldve really got a warning instead of being straight up fired.

but i honestly think they just wanted to get rid of me because i couldnt get enough people to sign up for a credit card, which again, i work in returns, so most people doing a return do not want to apply to a card. to expect someone in returns to have someone sign up for a fucking credit card everyday is insane. telling people that its not really a credit card is even more insane. the fact that im still stressed out over this because im fucking unemployed is. insane!!! and i dont even know if i can get unemployment. i feel like crying.

[untitled-bella]

This week has been a horrible week. At work, I've been told that I should consider redeployment into another department of the organisation, because the bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome I have will take too long to treat. That's 3-4 months of temporary reduced work until I can get it treated, and that is too long for them to keep those reasonable adjustments in place.

I do have reasonable adjustments in place for my Complex PTSD, Autism and ADHD, as well as Irlen syndrome - they know every trauma I've had, and every health issue - I could not be more communicative if I tried. But I do need other adjustments, which they are not willing to explore. For example, I have asked for three remote days, which they will not allow. Another colleague on my own team has FOUR remote days. But I can't have three because I can't have a loop phone system, and it would be "unfair on the team". I only have a work mobile. Colleague also only has a work mobile. This continues not to make sense to me. It also continues to sound like indirect discrimination.

For these reasons and many others, I have been told that I should consider being redeployed, while also acknowledging that being redeployed to a similar role will leave me with the same issues as before. In other words, they want me to leave the organisation without outright saying it.

I get the increasing feeling they don't want me there, either. My line manager has told me to email all issues to a different line manager - I seem to have a different line manager to everyone else in my own team. I emailed said different line manager to let them know of how depressed I've been since yesterday. I had no response from them whatsoever, not even an expression of sympathy or compassion. And if I go off sick with stress, I will be put to a Stage 4 and not only be more stressed out, but also at risk of losing my job.

I work for the fucking NHS.

Edit: I had an interview on Monday to get out of the NHS, and I didn't get it. People keep telling me to keep my chin up and encouraging me to keep applying. But I need to wallow, I think, because this rejection hurts like hell. I've been applying on-and-off for four and a half years, mainly for advancement within the NHS and my department, to be rejected for sometimes stupid reasons, including a male colleague of the same band as the job having 19 more years experience. I was flatly told that, had he not interviewed, the job would have been mine. And now was my time to get out of the organisation, and I was rejected again. I'm so goddamn tired of being disabled and unable to advance or get away from an ableist organisation that clearly doesn't want me. And I really am trying my hardest, even conquering fears to do it. But this is too hard. I wish so much there was a different application metric than face-to-face interviews for those of us who can't handle them. Instead, I'm stuck in a neurotypical world that is killing my soul, destroying me inside and out. I just want to not exist anymore. That is what working for the NHS has done to me. That is what privatising and defunding the NHS has done to it. I promise you, if you have voted today for any party that wants to privatise and destroy the NHS, then I don't want to know you - you are authoring my slow demise.

[whenthechickencry]

Cornelia, The New Priest

Released between EP5 and EP6.

The episode starts with listing how Cornelia's job betrayed her expectations, starting with her having more free time than she thought she would and having a "looser" atmosphere than she thought.

She then complains about her lunch break being 15 minutes more than in the books and how she is allowed to speak in normal language in the office, I am sorry Cornelia but oh my god would I hate having you as a coworker.

We dog et some background into why Cornelia is like this, though, apparently she used up any allowance money she received in order to attend weekly court language class, and her parents were poor. Certainly feels like they aren't taking seriously something she used a lot of effort to learn

Some foreshadowing for Will here, neat.

Cornelia isn't in the department she wanted, she is in General Affairs, despite top students usually getting their choice and Cornelia being top of the class. They mention it probably has to do with the interviews, which I assume they noticed she's kind of naive and probably too by the book for field stuff.

Cornelia's issue is not that she won't speak in normal language but she can't, despite very obviously speaking the same language others struggle to understand her. I can relate a little bit as someone that's bilingual but has an accent that I can't rid of, lol. Anyways, everyone kind of hates her after failing to order and considers her incompetent...

Cornelia and Gertrude meet, which fills Cornelia with newfound confidence as they both struggle to communicate, so if she can be promoted so can she. She admonishes Gertrude in her head about not speaking in court language, and Gertrude corrects her way of thinking.

Gertrude then recommends for Cornelia to submit to some projects, and that she has high hopes for her.

Cornelia I think some offices would kill you on the spot if you suggested this as a newbie.

Cornelia is struggling a lot between ideal and reality, how to make her dreams come true while still operating within what is possible. It's hard to not feel very bad for her as she goes on with this even if you don't agree with her at all.

Cornelia is pretty sharp about her flaws and about what must be done, all things considered... it's just a lot harder to apply what you know abstractly to be true when it's not what you are used to at all.

After talking with Gertrude about changing the world vs changing yourself, Gertrude resolves to first focus on becoming an adult, someone who can face the hardships of day-to-day life, before trying to change the world.

This episode is speaking surprisingly close to my heart right now. I used to feel really bad about how useless I thought I was, how little skills I had, how there was no point in even trying because I am incompetent. But internalizing that I have a lot of time to learn things, and that even if I might be a little behind compared to others that is perfectly ok, I will keep trying and I will learn the skills I want to learn, has helped me a lot.

Meanwhile, with Dlanor and Gertrude...

Dlanor's eternal youthfulness gets a bit of a recontextualization here, with the whole being naive and childish but keeping your ideals vs becoming an adult, you can see Dlanor as someone who managed to achieve both. This one was really neat, actually, I like characterization for the side characters and this story hit a lot of notes that felt were very needed to me at this moment.

[prince-liest]

i wanted to ask how you just stayed mentally strong after getting through your first round of med school rejections... i haven't gotten an interview from anywhere and it feels as if i'm just behind on the person i wanted to be and i feel a bit lost now... i just wanted some advice since i do feel sad about it all unfortunately :(

Hey, there! I'm really sorry to hear that, I know it's a really tough time to go through. I honestly don't think there was any part of medical school that's been as rough as the application cycle, and it's very understandable to feel sad and rejected.

A lot of it came to my dad's particular brand of supportiveness, which I personally found very reassuring, so I will pass on what he told me and hope that it may offer you some comfort as well:

This is not the end of the world, and there is nothing wrong with trying again. We grow up in this grade school - college - graduate school system where it feels like we have to be doing everything on a specific timeline, and if we don't, we're failures. This is very much not the case with medical school: it is standard and expected to take gap years between college and medical school, only 40% of people who apply to medical school any given cycle are accepted anywhere, and depending on where you get your statistics, anywhere from 1/3-1/2 of current medical students have applied multiple cycles. There's a guy in my class who was 41 years old when he was accepted. You have time, you can try again, and you are not behind because you are not participating in a process in which there are the same standards of "being behind" as you've been experiencing during high school and college.

What you need to do is give yourself some time to work through your feelings with your support system, and then, when you feel like you can, sit down and take a good look at your application to see what there is that can be made more competitive. Is it your grades? I was applying to post-baccs at the same time as my second cycle. Is it your MCAT? I took mine three times before I figured out how to actually study for it properly, and my second score was worse than my first. Is it your extracirriculars? Your shadowing hours? Your essay?

There is no rush, and this is one of those things where putting together a careful plan and following through on it will serve you much better than (like I did, HAH) freaking out, deciding that maybe you should just get a Master's or a PhD instead, and calling up the local state university's biochemistry department in a weird panic to get a sponsor for their graduate school program. (Thank you for talking me down, oh father mine. I don't know how I managed to get that far in like six hours.)

I am a planner at heart, and having these kinds of reassurances and plans in place helped me a lot with feeling like everything was under control. It was also really great to be supported by my family: I'm often so hard on myself that I expected them to be disappointed in me, because my dad especially is very much the, "Oh, a B? Hm... could be better..." type of immigrant parent, but both of my parents were actually incredibly supportive. Lean on your support systems, whatever they may be!

I hope this helped a little bit, anon, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors! <3 There is always a way forward! Just because it's not the same one another person took does not make it inferior!