#People renting a room to increase productivity

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A profoundly stupid case about video game cheating could transform adblocking into a copyright infringement

I'm coming to DEFCON! On Aug 9, I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On Aug 10, I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

Here's a weird consequence of our societal shift from capitalism (where riches come from profits) to feudalism (where riches come from rents): increasingly, your rights to your actual property (the physical stuff you own) are trumped by corporations' metaphorical "intellectual property" claims.

That's a lot to unpack! Let's start with a quick primer on profits and rents. Capitalists invest money in buying equipment, then they pay workers wages to use that equipment to produce goods and services. Profit is the sum a capitalist takes home from this arrangement: money made from paying workers to do productive things.

Now, rents: "rent" is the money a rentier makes by owning a "factor of production": something the capitalist needs in order to make profits. Capitalists risk their capital to get profits, but rents are heavily insulated from risk.

For example: a coffee shop owner buys espresso machines, hires baristas, and rents a storefront. If they do well, the landlord can raise their rent, denying them profits and increasing rents. But! If a great new cafe opens across the street and the coffee shop owner goes broke, the landlord is in great shape, because they now have a vacant storefront they can rent, and they can charge extra for a prime location across the street from the hottest new coffee shop in town.

The "moral philosophers" that today's self-described capitalists claim to worship – Adam Smith, David Ricardo – hated rents. For them, profits were the moral way to get rich, because when capitalists chase profits, they necessarily chase the production of things that people want.

When rentiers chase rents, they do so at the expense of profits. Every dollar a capitalist pays in rent – licenses for IP, rent for a building, etc – is a dollar that can't be extracted in profit, and then reinvested in the production of more goods and services that society desires.

The "free markets" of Adam Smith weren't free from regulation, they were free from rents.

The moral philosophers' hatred of rents was really a hatred of feudalism. The industrial revolution wasn't merely (or even primarily) the triumph of new machines: rather, it was the triumph of profits over rent. For the industrial revolution to succeed, the feudal arrangement had to end. Capitalism is incompatible with hereditary lords receiving guaranteed rents from hereditary serfs who are legally obliged to work for them. Capitalism triumphed over feudalism when the serfs were turned off of the land (becoming the "free labor" who went to work in the textile mills) and the land itself was given over to sheep grazing (providing the wool for those same mills).

But that doesn't mean that the industrial revolution invented profits. Profits were to be found in feudal societies, wherever a wealthy person increased their wealth by investing in machines and hiring workers to use them. The thing that made feudalism feudal was how conflicts between rents and profits cashed out. For so long as the legal system elevated the claims of rentiers over the claims of capitalists, the society was feudal. Once the legal system gave priority to profit over rent, it became capitalist.

Capitalists hate capitalism. The engine of capitalism is insecurity. The successful capitalist is like the fastest gun in the old west: there's always a young gun out there looking to "disrupt" their fortune with a new invention, product, or organizational strategy that "creatively destroys" the successful businesses of the day and replaces them with new ones:

https://locusmag.com/2024/03/cory-doctorow-capitalists-hate-capitalism/

That's a hard way to live, with your every success serving as a blinking KICK ME sign visible to every ambitious person in the world. Precarity makes people miserable and nuts:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/19/make-them-afraid/#fear-is-their-mind-killer

So capitalists universally aspire to become rentiers and investors seek out companies that have a plan to extract rent. This is why Warren Buffett is so priapatic for companies with "moats and walls" – legal privileges and market structures that protect the business from competition and disruption:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-explains-moat-principle-164442359.html

Feudal rents were mostly derived from land, but even in the feudal era, the king was known to reward loyal lickspittles with rents over ideas. The "patents royal" were the legally protected right to decide who could make or do certain things: for example, you might have a patent royal over the production of silver ribbon, and anyone who wanted to make a silver ribbon would have to pay for your permission. If you chose to grant that permission exclusively to one manufacturer, then no one else could make it, and you could charge a license fee to the manufacturer that accounted for nearly all their profit.

Today, rentiers are also interested in land. Bill Gates is the country's number one landowner, and in many towns, private equity landlords are snappinig up every single family home that hits the market and converting it to a badly maintained slum:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/22/koteswar-jay-gajavelli/#if-you-ever-go-to-houston

But the 21st Century's defining source of rent is "IP" – a controversial term that I use here to mean, "Any law or policy that allows a company to exert legal control over its competitors, critics and customers":

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

IP is in irreconcilable conflict with real property rights. Think of HP selling you a printer and wanting to decide which ink you use, or John Deere selling you a tractor and wanting to tell you who can fix it. Or, for that matter, Apple selling you a phone and dictating which software you are allowed to install on it.

Think of Unity, a company that makes tools for video-game makers, demanding a royalty from every game that is eventually sold, calling this "shared success":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/03/not-feeling-lucky/#fundamental-laws-of-economics

Every time one of these conflicts ends with IP's triumph over real property rights, that is a notch in favor of calling the world we live in now "technofeudalist" rather than "technocapitalist":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/28/cloudalists/#cloud-capital

Once you start to think of "IP" as "laws that let me control how other people use their real property," a lot of the seemingly incoherent fights over IP snap into place. This also goes a long way to explaining how otherwise sensible people can agree on expansions of IP to achieve some short-term goal, irrespective of the spillover harms from such a move. Hard cases make bad law, and hard IP cases make terrible law.

Five years ago, some anti-fascist counterdemonstrators hit on the clever idea of blaring top 40 music during neo-Nazi marches, on the theory that this would prevent Nazis from uploading videos of their marches to Youtube and other platforms, whose filters would block any footage that included copyrighted music:

https://memex.craphound.com/2019/07/23/clever-hack-that-will-end-badly-playing-copyrighted-music-during-nazis-rallies-so-they-cant-be-posted-to-youtube/

Thankfully, this didn't work, but not for lack of trying. And it might still work, if calls for beefing up video copyright filters are heeded. Cops all over the place are already blaring Taylor Swift songs and Disney tunes to prevent their interactions with the public from being uploaded:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/07/moral-hazard-of-filternets/#dmas

The same thinking that causes progressives to recklessly argue in favor of upload filters also causes them to demand that web scraping be treated as a copyright crime. They think they're creating a world where AI companies can't rip off their creation to train a model; they're actually creating a world where the Internet Archive can't capture JD Vance's embarrassing old podcast appearances or newspaper editorial boards' advocacy for positions they now recant:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/

It's not that Nazi marches are good, or that scraping can't be bad – it's just that advocating for the use of IP to address either is a cure that's not just worse than the disease – it's also not a cure.

A problem can be real, and still not be solvable with IP. I have enormous sympathy for gamers who rail against cheaters who use aftermarket hacks to improve their aim, see through buildings, or command other unfair advantages.

If you want to tell a stranger how they must configure their PC or console, IP ("any law that lets you control your competitors, critics or customers") is an obvious answer. But – as with other attempts to solve real problems with IP – this is a cure that is both worse than the disease, and also not a cure after all.

Back in 2002, Blizzard sued some hobbyists over a program called "bnetd." Bnetd was a program that provided a game-server you could connect to with the Blizzard games that you'd bought. It was created as an alternative to Battlenet, Blizzard's notoriously unreliable game-server software that left gamers frustrated and furious due to frequent outages:

https://www.eff.org/cases/blizzard-v-bnetd

To the public, Blizzard made several arguments against bnetd. They claimed that it encouraged piracy, because – unlike the official Battlenet servers – it didn't check whether the copies of Blizzard software that connected to it had a valid license key. Gamers didn't really care about that, but they did respond to another argument: that bnetd lacked the anti-cheat checking of Battlenet.

But that wasn't what Blizzard took to the court: in court, they argued that the hobbyists who made bnetd violated copyright law. Specifically, Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which bans "circumvention of access controls to copyrighted works." Basically, Blizzard argued that bnetd's authors violated the law because they used debuggers to examine the software they'd paid for, while it ran on their own computers, to figure out how to make a game server of their own.

Blizzard didn't sue bnetd's authors for pirating Blizzard software (they didn't – they'd paid for their copies). They didn't sue them for abetting other gamers' piracy. They certainly didn't sue them for making a cheat-friendly game-server.

Blizzard sued them for analyzing software they'd paid for, while it was running on their own computers.

Imagine if Walmart – one of the biggest book-retailers in America – had a policy that said that you could only shelve the books you bought at Walmart on shelves that you also bought at Walmart. Now imagine that Walmart successfully argued that measuring the books you bought from them and using those measurements to create your own compatible book-case violated their IP rights!

This is an outrageous triumph of IP rights over real property rights, and yet gamers vocally backed Blizzard in the early noughts, because gamers hate cheaters and because IP law is (correctly) understood as "the law that lets a company tell you how you can use your own real, physical property." Hard cases make bad law, hard IP cases make batshit law.

It's more than 20 years since bnetd, and cheating continues to serve as a Trojan horse to smuggle in batshit new IP laws. In Germany, Sony is suing the cheat-device maker Datel:

https://torrentfreak.com/sonys-ancient-lawsuit-vs-cheat-device-heads-in-right-direction-sonys-defeat-240705/

Sony argues that the Datel device – which rewrites the contents of a player's device's RAM, at the direction of that player – infringes copyright. Sony claims that the values that its programs write to your device's RAM chips are copyrighted works that it has created, and that altering that copyrighted work makes an unauthorized derivative work, which infringes its copyright.

Yes, this is batshit, and thankfully, Sony has been thwarted in court to date, but it is steaming ahead to the EU's highest court. If it succeeds, then it will open up every tool that modifies your computer at your direction to this kind of claim.

How bad can it be? Well, get this: the German publishing giant Axel Springer (owned by a monomaniacal Trumpist and Israel hardliner who has ordered journalists in his US news outlets to go easy on both) is suing Eyeo, makers of Adblock Plus, on the grounds that changing HTML to block an ad creates a "derivative work" of Axel Springer's web-pages:

https://torrentfreak.com/ad-blocking-infringes-copyright-ancient-sony-cheat-lawsuit-may-prove-pivotal-240729/

Axel Springer's filings cite the Sony/Datel case, using it to argue that their IP rights trump your property rights, and that you can only configure your web-browser, running on your computer, which you own, in ways that it approves of.

Axel Springer's war on browsers is a particularly pernicious maneuver, because browsers are the best example we have of internet software that serves as a "user agent." "User agent" is an old-timey engineering synonym for "browser" that reflects the browser's role: to go out onto the web on your behalf and bring back things for you, which it displays in the way you prefer:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/07/treacherous-computing/#rewilding-the-internet

Want to block flickering GIFs to forestall photosensitive epileptic servers? Ask your user agent to find and delete them. Want to shift colors into a gamut that accounts for your color-blindness? Ask your user-agent:

https://dankaminsky.com/2010/12/15/dankam/

Want to goose the font size and contrast so you can read the sadistic grey-on-white type that young designers use in the mistaken belief that black-on-white type is "hard on the eyes"? That's what Reader Mode is for:

https://frankgroeneveld.nl/2021/08/24/most-underused-browser-feature/

The foundation of any good digital relationship is a device that works for you, not for the people who own the servers you connect to. Even if they don't plan on screwing you over by directing your user agent to attack you on their behalf right now, the very existence of a facility in your technology that causes it to betray you, by design, is a moral hazard that inevitably results in your victimization:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/02/self-incrimination/#wei-bai-bai

"IP" ("a law that lets me control how you use your own property") is a tempting solution to every problem, but ultimately, IP ends up magnifying the power of the already powerful, in contests where your only hope of victory is having a user agent whose only loyalty is to you.

The monotonic, dangerous expansion of IP reflects the growing victory of rents over profits – income from owning things, rather than income from doing things. Everyday people may argue for IP in the belief that it will solve their immediate problems – with AI, or Nazis, or in-game cheats – but ultimately, the expansion of a law that limits how you can use your property (including your capital) to uses that don't threaten neofeudalists will doom you to technoserfdom.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/29/faithful-user-agents/#hard-cases-make-bad-copyright-law

[deepfivetraveller]

King Baldwin iv x Time!traveler!reader

chapter 2

Chapter 1

You get up from your bed and sit on the floor cross-legged. “System, I have the ability to by clothes from you right? Can you show me a few of the clothes available at your store?”

Sadly Miss Y/n, when I meant you can buy clothes through me, I meant you can buy the fabrics only. It showed you a plethora of fabrics, ranging from cheap cotton to colourful silk.

Now this is annoying. You might have basic skills to stitch a button and all but making an entire dress from scratch? Yeah, that’s impossible. Not to mention tailoring machines don’t even exist. Now you have no choice but to buy from traders

When you began your mission the system gave you some money as an achievement for starting the main quest, which was more than enough to rent a room at the inn. But now that you have a place to sleep for some time you should probably start thinking about how to finish that small side quest you started.

After calculating the benefits and losses of the decision you’re about to make, you snap your fingers at the thrill of discovery and lean towards the screen. “System show me the food products you have available.” Within seconds it shows you all forms of food at the online shop. You scroll down a few times and find exactly what you’re looking for. Pepper, chilli powder, chat masala and many more spices were shown and you clicked buy,buy,buy on all of them. Considering the fact that most of the spices here weren’t even discovered in this timeline you have some faith that they will blow off in the market when you sell them.

I think I know what you’re gonna do to finish the side quest miss Y/n…

Last night

“Sadly this seems to be a bad time for you and your father to set up your shop madame.” The man held a cresset lamp, which illuminated the path while his wife helped you walk across.

“Why do you say so sir?” You’re confused. He seemed a bit hesitant to say this and signs his wife to reply.

“Many people in Jerusalem have been going sick. And it’s no ordinary sickness, no, people’s legs are getting swollen, they bleed at the slightest of injuries and the gums inside their mouth become tender to the point that their teeth start to fall off. Most doctors call it ‘The Barlow's disease’ or something along those lines but most of us just call it ‘The loosener of teeth’”

Yeesh that was a gruesome description. People here have less immunity as it is and something like this ain’t gonna help them much.

“Is it really that bad?” She nods a yes. “The sick have increased to a point where the king himself has taken notice. Although he has hired physicians from other lands to cure the sick, most of the people who have the sickness don’t have the money to visit them.” She sighs in defeat.

Wait a minute…Swollen gums? Falling teeth? Barlow's disease? You’ve studies about this before in history class, it’s scurvy! It affects people with a lack of Vitamin C in their diet that is, sailors and the poor. It can be cured simply by eating food which has the vitamin. A wave of relief washes you since you definitely won't be getting it.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem anymore madame.” You smile softly while the screen shows a pop up.

Side quest unlocked! Cure all people in Jerusalem from Scurvy.

Present

The stall for your shop was quickly set up, partially because the last owner just left the shop as it is. Within some time, all the spices were neatly displayed. By looking at other shops it was easy to decorate your own and it’s safe to say, yours was the most organised. It was extravagant, but not extravagant enough to drive the common people away.

Good job Miss Y/n! I’ll help you in whatever way I can to make the mission easy for you. I’ll try my best to get a discount on the rates in my store so you won't have to spend too much money on this!

“Thank you screen, that’ll help a lot. Honestly I’m doing it mostly for the money I’ll get after completing the side quest.” You remark while the screen giggles with its emoticon mouth. “By the way, just refer to me as Y/n. Miss Y/n feels too formal. Talk to me casually! You’re the only person that connects me to my time anyway.” You dryly chuckle, looking at the containers sadly. Even now you’re mind is not able to comprehend the fact that you’re in the past. It’s still trying to convince you, you’re in a foreign rural village.

“Excuse me.” you look at the young girl standing in front of your shop. “Do you have any pepper available?” So cute! She has such chubby cheeks too!

But immediately you notice her teeth. They look like as if they are about to fall; multiple of them. Her gums are also swollen, indicating she has the disease. So that's why her cheeks are chubby! Now you feel kinda bad for thinking its cute. “Yes we do darling how much do you want?”

“About 2 Livre (pounds) please.” She waited as you wrapped it up for her. “Do you wish to pay with your money or win it for free in a contest?” She squints her eyes. “Contest?”

With a bright smile you say “Yes a contest! This contest is an eating contest that only the people with Barlow's disease can contest in.” You show her a plate filled with oranges. “If the person is able to eat these oranges before the hourglass stops the person gets whatever they wish to buy for free! Remember, the more you want to buy, the more amount of fruit you have to eat.” You point out. At first you were a bit worried whether the girl would openly admit she has the disease since it’s considered shameful to openly admit a person is sick, but considering how her mouth was watering when she looked at the oranges, it was quite easy to determine she’d do anything for free food.

“W-Well…” She lifts her skirt a bit to show her swollen legs. “I have the sickness. Can I contest? If so, will my name be revealed for having the sickness??” Oh my god her cuteness is crushing your heart! “Oh no dear, nobody’s name shall be revealed, winner or participant. Do you want to contest?”

The girl nods vigorously as you set up the hourglass. The moment you tell her to start, she shoves all the slices of oranges into her mouth, making her choke. You panic and tell her to spit it out but she ignores your pleas and swallows them all, making her oesophagus hurt from the pressure.

You shift your demeanour and hand the pepper over to her. “C-Congrats! You won the contest! You can have this for free.”

She however is in a state of shock. To get good quality food for free is a miracle, a gift from God really. 

“Did I…really win this?”

“Yes love you did! What you ate was quite a large amount too. Well done!” It wasn’t. You calculated time and time again this morning to get the orange slices proportional to the food they were buying in such a way that anyone with weak teeth could win it. You even used the son of the man and wife you met at first as a guinea pig, by making him eat them in the name of ‘A thank you gift.’ His sickness decreased drastically and his teeth became strong sometime after the meal, which was quite startling to see since you’ve never seen anyone recover that fast.

The little girl looked at you with doe eyes. “Can I contest again?”

“No love, a person gets only one chance per day. You can come tomorrow to try!”

“I will!” She squeaks. “I loved that fruit too. It’s flavour was unlike anything i’ve eaten, being sweet and tangy at the same time.” Damn it's hard to believe she was even able to taste it after seeing the way she shoved it in her mouth. “I’ll come again tomorrow to try nice lady!”

“Spread a good word for me!” You yell as she waves goodbye. It didn’t take much time for your shop to go popular.You told about this contest to anyone who entered your shop. Many were disgusted at the fact the sick have come here but others saw this as an opportunity to get free food. The sick came to you in disguise at first but within the span of four days they didn’t even hide  their sickness anymore. People started viewing your shop as a clinic at some point, an they started lining up, some even carrying family members who’ve lost their ability to walk.

It got to the point where all of this was happening at a loss, so the best course of action was to sell the oranges to other fruit traders. It not only gave you a huge profit but also made sure the cure was spread to all corners of Jerusalem. Your oranges were rumoured to be ‘The miracle cure’ so they sold out of shops within seconds. The poor still came to you for the free ones but the rich considered it a luxury product due to its high rates at shops. Funny how these were the same people who were disgusted at your idea at first.

Within one and a half months the sick decreased drastically. Your name became popular which worried you alot since you’re probably under the radar of assassins or someone more dangerous. Your quest too was finished, and the system gave you a heep of money which was enough to buy a moderately big home. While people were being cured, your anxiety surged more and more. You were certain your life was under a threat.

One faithful day while you were instructing the new employees on how to take care of the shop, the crowd became silent. They made way for a bunch of men on horses. It was the crusaders.

Everyone including you bowed slightly as they made an announcement.

“Madame Y/n, the king has noticed your efforts on eradicating the Barlow's disease. He has decided to meet you at the royal court to thank you properly. We shall be heading there NOW.” Two guards came up to you and dragged you inside a carriage like vehicle, which was poorly made.

This wasn’t an invitation to give you rewards. The KING himself has decided you’re a witch and has demanded your presence in court, to decide how to execute you.

[ramp-it-up]

Doctor and Mr. Cavill

Pairing: Henry Cavill x Veterinarian!Reader

Word Count: 5.9K 😓.

Warnings: 18+ Only, Minors DNI. RPF. SMUT, Explicit description of graphic sex. Read at your own risk. Dog in distress. Angst, pining, flirting, nerd activities, Marvel vs. DC, brat behavior, dirty talk, size kink, oral sex, raw p in v (wrap before you tap) pulling out, cum play. Not Beta’d. All errors my own.

A/N: This is in response to an ask from @notmyfault404 about Kal’s favorite Veterinarian, nerd activities and Henry. This story sucked me in. Let me know if you liked it!

I no longer have a taglist. Please follow @rampitupandread and turn on notifications to learn when I post! 😘

I Do NOT Consent to my work being reposted, translated or presented on any other blog or site other than by myself.

The film production came to town at the end of summer, buying the now defunct airport for a production studio and moving scores of staff into town. The uptick in your business was the first indication that your life was going to change. 

The production meant two years of publicity and economic prosperity for your town. It was exciting. And the fact that Henry Cavill was the lead in the production was no small news item. 

Sightings at the grocery store, on the running trails, at GNC were all everyone could talk about, but you didn’t have time for all that. You had a business to run.

You got busier, with production increasing the population of the town by over 200 people. Including the talent, Everyone was buzzing with the fact that Henry rented a house out on State Route 60, not too far from your own. 

You weren’t that pressed. Sure, he was fine as hell, but he was probably a jackass and you would probably never run into him.

You were so wrong.

One blustery late fall day, an American Akita was brought into your office by a bystander who found him caught in a bush along a greenway, dirty and covered with brambles.

He was muddy, overexposed and shaky. He was agitated and growling at everyone, until you came near. You gave him a firm command.

“Sit!”

He obeyed immediately and whined, still stressed, but calmer now. You approached him and kneeled, holding out your hand and taking his paw when he offered. You smiled, and he panted in return.

“It’s okay, buddy. Let me help you.”

20 minutes later, you had him on the table in one of your examination rooms

“Now keep still. I know it’s uncomfortable right now, but I’ve got to get you unmatted and then I’ll get you some nice soothing salve for those scratches.”

The dog whined, but stopped fidgeting and stood still, as if he understood what you’d said. 

“Good boy!”

The huge animal panted at you and looked as if he smiled, but then whined again as you started detangling and brushing again. 

Regina, your nurse, came in and microchipped him, and then turned to you with her mouth wide open when she saw what came back. 

“You’ll never believe who this dog’s owner is…”

After you found out about Kal’s parentage, you fed and watered him, cleaned and groomed him, attended to his coat and his scratches and were playing with him when Henry arrived at your office.

“Did you run away Kal? Is he a good dad?” 

You leaned over to him conspiratorially.

“I bet he’s not.”

You tutted as you worked on the last bit of matting, soothing hums falling from your lips as you applied the ointment to the lesions on his skin.

“I would take you to my house in a minute, he doesn't deserve you, does he?” 

You were concentrating on medicating his leg when you heard a response.

“You’re quite right.”

You looked up at Kal when you heard a deep British voice rumble through you. You slowly turned around and were met with the most beautiful imperfect blue eyes you’d ever seen.

“I don’t deserve him.”

You drew yourself up to your full height, which didn’t stop Henry Cavill from towering over you. Damn. 

He seemed huge, tall and burly, hair hidden under a baseball cap, but escaping out of the back into thick curls at his nape. His face was flushed, and his eyes held a look of worry and embarrassment, but held your gaze.

You felt like you were in one of those old romcoms, where the room was spinning around you. You had the urge to dive into his eyes.

“Mr. Cavill? I’m Dr. Y/LN.” 

Henry’s smile widened and he extended his hand. You looked at it as if it were a fish. You were flustered. He was even more beautiful in person.

You reached for his hand and then stopped, awkwardly.

“Gloves,” came your reply as you held up your hands.

Henry dropped his own hand, as awkwardly as you. Your stomach tumbled.

“I’m Henry. Cavill.”

“Yes,” was all you could say. You knew who he was.

“Mr. Cavill. Kal is fine, but he was exposed to the elements for quite a while.”

Henry had a stricken look on his face.

“Believe me, Dr. Y/LN. I have been distressed with worry for about 14 hours now. Kal and I went running yesterday evening and he saw and chased a squirrel. He wouldn’t respond and I couldn’t find him. I feared the worst all night…”

Henry paused, trying to compose himself. You saw his emotion and you heard his voice crack and you softened, all over. You should really stop staring. 

“That is unfortunate, but luckily someone found him and brought him in…” 

You found yourself suddenly at a loss for words. 

“Yes.” 

Henry smiled, a genuine, shy smile. 

“And it seems you are taking expert care of him.”

Kal whined and you tore your eyes away from his owner.

“Hey buddy. Yeah. I’m almost done, just gotta get this paw...”

You smiled at Kal and turned to Kal to continue your work, smiling at Henry over your shoulder.

Henry watched you with his dog and his heart melted. You were gentle, kind, and caring. And that voice. Your sultry tones were soothing, not just to Kal. You were calming Henry’s nerves.

Henry didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t you. 

Somehow he was expecting a veterinarian to be someone not quite so lovely. His heart was already racing, but when he saw you he swore that it skipped a beat. 

Henry was transfixed with you, his eyes searching for a glimpse of your body beneath your white coat. He ascertained generous curves and found himself quite pleased. 

As you turned around and caught him staring, he remembered Kal.   

“Mr. Cavill!”

Henry startled and turned red as a bashful smile graced his handsome face.

“Y-yes?”

He seemed flustered and awkward, but he was also a highly trained actor. You resisted any benevolent thoughts as you handed him a couple of tubes of salve and reminded him of the routines to make sure that Kal healed properly.

“Thank you Dr. Y/LN. Thank you for taking care of Kal …”

“No need for thanks. It’s what we do here.”

“Well…Excellent!”

Henry graced you with that beautiful smile and you wanted to melt, but you stayed strong.

You two stared at one another until Kal whined. You released him from the grooming lead and Henry prompted him to jump down from the table. 

You watched, your heart warming to the sight of Henry practically rolling on the floor with his pup. You could watch the scene forever, but you had work to do.

“Mr. Cavill.”

“Yes.”

Those bewitching blues looked up at you. You held in a gasp as Henry sat on one knee at your feet with Kal. It was quite unnerving for some reason. You cleared your throat.

“I have another patient I need to see in this room.”

Henry was deep in thought after you kicked him out of your office. He couldn’t get you out of his head. He walked slowly to his car with Kal, almost turning around and back into your office when his phone buzzed. It was his agent.

Thoughts of you were pushed aside as he answered the phone.

Two weeks later, you entered your exam room looking down at the patient chart with no other warning than a smirking Regina who handed the clipboard to you.

You were greeted by a big handsome brute.

And his dog.

“Kal!”

You were assaulted by licks and jumps when you got near him.

“Down, boy, sorry, Doc. Kal! That’s no way to behave.”

Henry took Kal’s collar in hand to get him off of you, but he was ignored while you laughed and hugged the dog. Soon, he obeyed Henry and sat down on the table, smiling at you and thumping his huge tail.

Speaking of huge, you noticed Henry’s hands. They were large, with thick fingers and pronounced veins which extended down his thick forearms. His muscles were flexing from the effort to restrain Kal, but Henry’s face was serene. 

And staring directly at you.

You cleared your throat.

“What are we here for this time?”

Your saucy raised eyebrow did things to Henry, he decided. He’d been thinking about you ever since that first time and he was intrigued by you.

“Our visit today is two-fold. Kal needs his yearly shots. We’re in the states for the next few months filming and you took such good care of him last time… well, I’d like you to be his veterinarian while we’re here.”

You grinned at Henry, and he paused, blinking at you as if in shock. He wanted to make you smile forever. You cocked your head at him. 

“And two?”

“What?”

Henry was outright flustered. You chuckled.

“What’s the second reason that you’re here?”

“Yes! Right! I want to thank you for taking care of Kal. How about I take you to lunch as a way to express my gratitude?”

You frowned and Henry’s stomach dropped as you appeared to have eaten something sour. He knew he shouldn’t have tried it.

“I’m trying to think of a reason not to…” 

You looked up at him with those big doe eyes and Henry turned to mush. Then he recovered and smiled, giving his best rake performance.

“Well, if you’re thinking anything about Dr/Patient ethics, I’m not your patient. Kal is.” 

Henry hadn’t had to pursue like this in quite a while. It was refreshing.

You finally smiled as you prepared to counter his argument.

“But in a veterinary practice, an animal’s owner is a client.”

“Dr. Y/LN, it’s just lunch. Nothing more.”

“Really?”

“Really. It’s just a thank you. No funny business.” 

Henry held his hands up so as to indicate he wouldn’t touch you. Why were you disappointed?

You avoided Henry’s eyes as you opened the door and called for Regina to set up the shots. Henry took the chance to subtly check you out again, making sure to have his eyes elsewhere when you turned back around.

“When did you want to go out to lunch, Mr. Cavill?”

Henry shook his head and chuckled.

“Henry. Call me Henry. Dr. Y/LN.”

He waited for you to offer your first name to him, although he could read it on the diploma on the wall. When you just smiled, he just shook his head again.

“I was thinking today.”

“I– I – ummmmm…”

“Your nurse, Regina is it? Regina told me you hadn’t eaten yet.”

Henry raised his eyebrow and looked at his watch. You couldn't help but notice the veins in his arm.

“It is 1:28 pm and you haven’t had anything to eat today except coffee.” He looked at you as if you were in trouble, but that would have been too familiar. Henry was quite displeased that you weren’t caring for yourself, but he didn’t dare say it. He hardly knew you. This wild urge to take care of you was unexpected.

“Regina cleared your afternoon.”

“Did she now?”

You went to the door and called for her. Regina appeared as if she were close by, with the shots prepared on a tray.

“Here are Kal’s shots, Doc. And I’ve rescheduled your appointments for your lunch date.”

You scowled at her and she smiled brightly as she pushed you back into the room by the tray. You would take care of her later.

You turned around and went to wash your hands and put on your gloves. You sighed and decided to go with the flow.

“How about Dave and Buster’s?”

Henry looked nonplussed.

“Do Buster and David serve good healthful food?”

“No,” you grinned.

An hour and a half later, after dropping Kal at Henry’s place and a lunch of ribs, wings, and nachos, you and Henry were having the time of your life playing giant electronic Connect Four. When you beat him the third time, he pulled you away and started browsing the games. 

The darkness of the arcade, and the fact that it was 3 pm on a Tuesday, made it easy for Henry to not be recognized. His ball cap was quite the disguise.

“Rampage!” Henry yelled like a kid. “No wayyyy! I used to love this. One of Midway’s best games.”

You gaped at him.

“Oh Come on. I’m a massive nerd. I love stuff like this. We have to play!”

You just laughed.

“A man after my own heart! I’ll play you, but we have to scope out the other games. You have to have a plan for your game play.”

Henry stopped when you said he was after your heart. He knew it was a figure of speech, but he decided it was not an untruth. He cleared his throat.

“Right. Seems you’re a bit of a nerd yourself, Dr. Y/LN.”

You grinned.

“You should see my comic book collection.”

Henry’s heart surged, that was so fucking sexy. You out of your doctor’s coat was also damned attractive, and he was about to say so when he saw his face on an arcade game. 

You two stood in front of Injustice, a game that had many of the DC Superheroes and Villains illustrated on it. You and Henry stared at each other.

“I dare you.”

Henry never backed down from a dare.

“Challenge accepted, Doctor.”

It was on.

—

It was basically dinner time when Henry dropped you back at the office, but you weren’t mad. You shivered at the cold and pulled your jacket around yourself. Henry wanted to pull you into his arms for warmth, but this wasn’t that kind of date.

You smiled that smile at him.

“That was a great lunch, but you lied.”

Henry looked so cute with the frown on his face.

“That was funny business. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. I had a ball.”

Henry was relieved and followed you as you turned and went to your car.

“I’m very glad. You ate something and had some fun. Splendid.”

You were trapped between Henry and your car as he beamed down at you. This feeling could not be denied, you realized with dismay. But you were going to try with all your might. Henry was only temporary. He was probably just searching for comfort near set. You needed to guard your heart.

“Well, have a good evening, Henry.”

You reached for your door handle. Henry backed up to let you open it.

You got into the driver’s seat.

“Perhaps we can do this again sometime, Doctor.”

You just smiled at him and said, “Good night, Mr. Cavill.”

Then you closed your door, started the car, and pulling away, Henry realized that he didn’t get your number as he’d planned.

“Call me Henry!” 

He shouted at your taillights.

This was getting inconvenient.

A week after your lunch, you’d taken to having nightly dreams of Henry, and it just wouldn’t do. You woke up in the middle of the night with your clit pounding and you’d worn out the batteries of your wand, knowing it would be a poor substitute for the man from Jersey.

You had to get Henry Cavill out of your head. Work. That was the answer.

You walked past Regina’s desk around 11:30 and didn’t realize she wore that smirk until you turned the doorknob to the examination room.

“Shit!” 

You cursed under your breath as you opened the door to Kal’s bark.

Henry stopped mid-pace when you did so. His eyes looked a little wild, just like the first time you’d met, but there was a difference now.

The difference was that Henry was distracted by need, not worry. He’d thought about you every waking moment, and woke up with a stiff reminder of his dreams every morning. He needed more of you, or to be in detox.

“Mr. Cavill.” 

Henry's jaw clenched at your continued insistence at the formality. Your core clenched in turn. You were in danger. You moved to pet Kal, seeking him to be your protector.

“Dr. Y/LN.”

Henry’s deep voice was gravelly and you tried not to gravitate nearer to him.

“We’re here today because it is a bit of an emergency. I’m headed to Britain for a couple of weeks this weekend, and I need boarding for Kal. Beginning Friday? Regina said that you had facilities?”

You really needed to talk to your meddling nurse. But you looked down at Kal who started to lick your face. You could not say no. You went over to your computer.

“I’ll check the boarding schedule. I’m sure we have room…” 

You opened your laptop and pulled up the schedule. Then you frowned, your eyes flicked over to Henry, then back at the screen.

You looked so adorable as you bit your lip. Then you huffed, seemingly miffed at what you saw.

What Henry saw was a little bit of the brat. And that made his cock a little stiff so that he had to shift his stance. That’s it, he decided. He needed to tame you.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Cavill. It seems we are booked up this weekend, but we will have an opening on the following Monday…”

“Please, call me Henry.” 

He was begging now. 

You took him in as your nipples got hard. His beauty was no question, his eyes, his hair. It was left out today, the curls unruly as he swiped his hand through them, thinking.

“Well, I… I’ll have to find another arrangement. My flight is commercial and leaves early Saturday morning, else I would take him with.”

Henry looked at you with sad eyes and so did Kal. 

“Could you recommend?”

Yours was the best facility within 50 miles. You sighed and couldn’t believe what you were about to say. 

“I can keep him at my home Mr… Henry. Just for the weekend. I have lots of land off of Route 60.” 

Henry’s eyebrow raised when you mentioned where you lived. He lived on Route 60. You continued.

“Kal will have lots of room. And I’ll bring him with me to work on Monday…”

Henry moved into your space impetuously. You stood your ground, however.

“Splendid!” 

You stared up at him, unconsciously biting your lip. The energy between you intensified. It seemed natural to go on tiptoe and reach up to brush the hair that fell into his eyes.

But you didn’t.

“Well, Kal is such a handsome boy, how could I say no to him?”

You looked into Kal’s eyes and petted him. The loving way you looked at his dog made Henry a little bit jealous. He surprised himself.

“Can I have…”

Henry’s voice was now impossibly a bit deeper, and needy. You sighed, and Henry wanted to claim those lips. He thought that outrageous, but this attraction between you was undeniable. 

“...Your number and address. I can bring him to your place Friday evening. My flight leaves at 5 am to New York Saturday for my long business layover. Then the red eye that evening to London. I wouldn’t want to wake you up in the middle of the night…”

Henry was thinking just the opposite as he smiled down at you. He’d love to wake you up. And you were thinking the same thing.

Your first instinct was to tell him that he could bring Kal by the office and you would take him home with you, boundaries. But you were exhausted of running from this feeling. Henry gazed at you hopefully and it was your turn to be flustered.

You held out your hand, palm up.

Henry, non-plussed, took your hand awkwardly and grinned, thrilled at the chance to touch you. You laughed, a melody to his ears, as you shook your head and said,

“Give me your phone, Henry”

Henry blushed at your gentle command, released your hand, and pulled out his phone while shaking his head at himself. His grin was the greatest thing ever, and the curls falling forward into his face were a distraction.

He handed his phone to you and you took it, concentrating as you entered your information, feeling his eyes on you. When you gave it back, he looked at your number and address like it was a newfound treasure.

“Thank you. I can’t tell you what this means to me… to us. Isn’t that right, Kal.”

You both looked over to Kal, who barked. 

“What time should I bring him by?”

You looked up and thought. You were so damn cute to Henry.

“Well, we close early on Fridays. 2 pm. You could bring him by 3?”

Henry thought for a moment. 

“Perfect.”

He was looking at your lips.

“We’ll see you then. Doctor.”

The title was beginning to feel like an endearment. You didn’t wipe the smile off your face for the rest of the day, despite Regina’s side eyes.

——

You don’t know why you were nervous. It was a simple thing really. Just Superman dropping off his dog at your house. No biggie.

You heard Henry’s car on your gravel driveway and went out on your porch

Henry marveled at your place. He got out of the car looking around appreciatively as he got Kal and his gear out of the SUV. You led him to the fence line behind the house. 

“You can take him off the leash. Back here he has room to run free.”

Henry did so and Kal immediately took off and galavanted around your animals there. He was cozying up to one of your rescued alpacas as you and Henry watched.

“This place is… there are no words.”

You flushed.

“It’s my childhood home. My dad was the town vet before me, and I think he loved animals more than I do. I grew up thinking he was Dr. Doolittle.”

You became wistful with memories. Then you looked at Henry, bowling him over. His heart was taken in that moment.

“I wanted to be just like him, even when he told me to get out of this town. But I would never leave. He was my hero, a single dad, saving animals. He was my why.”

“Wow. Thank you for sharing.”

You’d never heard Henry’s voice that low. You gave him a small smile.

“He passed away two years ago while I was still in vet school. It was hard.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Henry wanted to take you into his arms.

“Thank you.” 

You straightened your spine.

“I’m sure you’re very busy, with the trip and all..”

Henry smiled at you.

“Would you believe that I’m practically ready to go? Fully packed and all.I’m going to grab an early dinner and head to bed.”

You looked at your watch. It was 3:45.

“Can I make you some tea?”

Henry gave you that beautiful grin.

“I’d like nothing more.”

In your kitchen, Henry soon got up from his seat at your kitchen island to help you make proper British tea.

You were laughing and talking as he teased you for being American. It all felt so natural.

“Where are your teaspoons? See, this is what I mean….”

Henry was standing behind you, not looking for spoons at all, but looking at that ass in your casual at-home leggings. Good god you were hot. You shook your head and turned around quickly to find him facing you.

“They’re right- oh!”

You were deliciously in Henry’s space and as you looked up at him something happened and he leaned down to kiss you. It was a quick press of the lips but it previewed so much more.

“I- I’m sorry. That was way too forward-“

Henry was cut off by you jumping up into his arms and wrapping your legs around him as you kissed him back. His surprise turned to passion as he grunted in his throat as he claimed your mouth. 

He turned you around and sat your bottom on the island, slotting his hips between your legs, his hands on your sides. The kiss was a feral expression of pent up need that was only interrupted by the whistle of the kettle.

You stopped and laughed, and Henry pulled away to take care of the pot. When he turned back around, you were down from the island and all business again. The mood was lost.

You served the tea as if nothing had happened. 

The silence between you two as you drank was big, but thoughtful, not awkward at all. Henry was smirking down into his cup, replaying the kiss in his mind. It was more than he could ever ask for. You, however, were thinking quite the opposite.

You turned to him after you finished your tea and asked, “Want to see my comic book collection?”

10 minutes later, you were upstairs in the comic book room, amid boxes and boxes of classic comic books, the collection started by your father. There were books in every conceivable surface, so you were setting in a bean bag chair while Henry kneeled and flipped through a box of Wolverine comics. 

“Holy hell! You have the Wolverine Top Secret #50! Do you know how much this is worth?!?”

Henry was impressed, and so were you.

“Not really. But I’m intrigued that you are so into a Marvel book, i would think you would be strictly a DC alcolyte, Man of Steel—“

You gasped. 

“Holy shit! I have Superman in my comic book room.”

Henry raised his eyebrow.

“Do you want Superman in your…. nevermind...”

You gaped at him, mouth hinged open at his saucy comment, and Henry was scared that you would kick him out. But you started rolling on the floor laughing instead.

“You’re such a dork, oh my god. ‘Do you want Superman in your…’ hahahaha… that’s what she said… hahahaha…”

Henry laughed too, coming over to tickle you to extend your laughter. It was musical. You two horse played until you weren’t playing any more. You lay beneath Henry, flushed and out of breath and never more beautiful, your shirt halfway up your torso and comic books strewn around you.

He had to kiss you again.

Soon, his mouth strayed from yours to your neck, sloppily marking you up and getting you wet as he rutted against your center. His jeans and your leggings were the only barrier to you full out fucking.

His hand reached under your shirt and you pushed him away, panting as you tried to get your bearings.

Henry was wild, hair in his eyes as he nodded. 

“You’re right. Too far. Too much.”

He leaned back on his knees and your eyes raked from his thick thighs to the bulge in his pants to his dilated eyes.

You stood up, still silent and so did Henry, following you out as you straightened your clothes and your hair. You were wrapped in the last string of decorum in you.

Henry ran his hand in his own hair, looking to the side and catching sight of your bedroom. Then he watched your bottom sway in front of him.

“Just want to bite that ass.”

You heard his lewd comment and wheeled around on him on the landing of the stairs.

“What are you doing? What do you want? A fuck buddy while you’re here? Because…”

“Do shut up, Doctor..”

Henry took your head in his hands and leaned in for a kiss, pausing momentarily to look into your eyes. Then Henry destroyed that string of decorum with his kiss.

Somehow, you wound up on your bed, heavy petting like two teenagers, Henry’s hand up your shirt, teasing your nipples.

When he reached for your pants and slipped his thick fingers into your panties and felt your slick, he cursed.

“Fuck, I don’t have any condoms.”

When you arched and moaned when he breached you, and he felt your tight cunt, he licked his lips.

“No matter, won’t be necessary, just let me eat you out. Take all that off.”

You obeyed, buoyed on a cloud of lust.

“Beautiful.”

Henry gazed at you for a minute, and then you reached for his zipper. He let you pull him toward you and start to work it open.

“Ah ah ah. I'm far too hard for that. Let me.” 

Henry carefully removed his pants around his massive, hard cock, which made his dark blue boxer briefs even darker at his wet tip. You licked your lips and palmed him over his underwear while looking up at him with those eyes. He knew what you were asking.

“Hmmmmm. I’m going to have to say …no.” 

You pouted as Henry chuckled and flipped you over, pulling your hips up so you were on your knees before him. You watched over your shoulder as Henry leaned down to kiss, and then in fact bite, each of your cheeks, rubbing to soothe the sting.

“Oh. If I had more time…”

Henry shook his head and then descended to the valley between, licking a large, rude stripe up the length of you.

“Yes. My dreams, Doctor. This is better than my dreams. Taste like heaven.” 

Then he went to town, feasting on you and moaning, rubbing his nose and chin into your folds, sucking your clit, and causing you to grab his head as you came all over his beautiful face.

When you opened your eyes you were on your back, Henry above you, one hand parting your lips again, and another wrapped around the biggest uncut cock you’d ever seen. You gasped when he inserted a finger into you, not realizing how big his hand really was. It made sense now.

“So gorgeous. But, it seems I’m far too big for you. I fear I’d tear you apart.”

You arched, which elicited a moan. 

“It’s amazing what a body can do. Why don’t we try, and you could always pull out…”

Henry grunted, climbing up between your legs, led by his dick.

“I’ve decided that’s not a good idea. I’ll just use my hand to finish.”

His smirk said he was teasing, but you were mad. Your pussy clenched, seeking fulfillment, as Henry jacked his cock above it, angry red tip projected now and leaking precum on his fingers.

You whined and writhed beneath him.

“Henry... you can’t do that to me…”

Henry nodded his head, eyes ablaze.

“Yes. It would hurt you too much.”

He was stroking faster now, jaw clenching with restraint.

“No. You can’t show me that magnificent cock and not give it to me.”

Henry groaned and leaned down to kiss you, continuing stroking with his hand. His tip was at your entrance, driving you mad.

“Give it to me…Henry…”

“Such a brat.”

Henry bit your ear and you arched your back as he shoved the tip in. Just the tip.

“Henry!”

“I’m giving you what you want, Doctor…”

His voice was controlled in your ear, but you felt his cock jumping inside you.

“God you feel so….. I need to go travel this silken canal.  But you’re so, so tight…”

You rotated and locked your ankles on his back, making him stop and rest his forehead on yours. You both looked down to where you were connected.

“Stretch me out.”

Your plaintive whisper caused his reserve to snap. 

“Unnnngh. I’m not strong enough to tame you tonight. I want this.” 

Henry started moving, gliding slowly inside you, fucking you open like you’d never been before.

“Hunh, Hunh, Hunh, Hunh…”

You moaned with every inch, the pain a delicious nirvana. You bit Henry’s shoulder until he was fully seated inside.

Henry looked you in your eyes and then closed his and shook his head, as if trying to snap out of a trance.

“You are exquisite, you know that?”

He’s never seen a more beautiful sight than your face when you were full of him. When you shook your head no to his question, Henry started moving.

“We’ll, I'm going to teach you…”

Your fingernails dug into his forearms as he delivered the long strokes which served to short circuit your brain. Sparks were shooting off inside you with every pull and drag of his thick cock along your walls.

When you started moaning with pleasure was when Henry reared up on his knees, pulling your bottom up to rest on his thighs. He held your waist as he pumped inside you, not able to tear his eyes away from his cock destroying you. 

The image of a naked Henry just outright fucking you, along with the heavenly way he was delivering the dick made you start cuming. Him just looking at your clit made it start pulsing. Did he really have x-ray vision?

Henry’s mouth hung open at the way your pussy started creaming around him and when he glanced up at your face, well, it was all over for him.

“Cum with me!” he commanded.

When you screamed is when Henry pulled out, pumping his creamy cum all over your torso. The velocity of his spend, the way it sprayed all over your body and reached your open mouth, extended your orgasm and you howled, literally howled.

You licked your lips, tasting him and hummed as your body vibrated down from the clouds. You felt Henry lay down beside you and start drawing his cum around your areola. Your clit jerked your entire body and Henry raised his eyebrow.

“I’m sorry that was so…”

“Amazing, perfect?”

“…Rushed, but next time, I promise you an entire night of delights.”

You shivered at the promise and bit your lip.

“It’s time to get cleaned up.” 

Henry was admiring his handiwork all over your body. You felt his cock thicken against your thigh. You couldn’t believe it.

“You need the shower?”

“Later. Now. I’m going to tidy you up a bit.”

And Henry’s lips claimed your breast, along with the rest of your body marked by him.

—-

At midnight, after some more fun in bed and the shower and takeout and more fun and another shower, you grabbed Henry’s sweatshirt and pulled it over your head. The sight of you engulfed in it, and knowing you were naked beneath made Henry want to cancel his flight. 

“Can I borrow this?”

Henry chuckled, “Borrow. Right.” Henry grabbed your neck and brought you in for a forehead kiss.

“Let’s trade. A sweatshirt for…”

He held up your still wet panties pulled out of his pocket. You gasped.

“No deal!”

Henry held it above your head as you tried in vain to jump and retrieve your underwear. You knocked him off balance into the couch and somehow wound up straddling his crotch.

Henry grabbed your ass as he felt the heat radiating off you.

“I can’t get enough, and now I have to leave…” 

His petulant pout was everything. So you kissed it.

“I’ve reconsidered, your sweatshirt smells like you. When I wake up wet from dreams of you, I want to be enveloped in your scent.”

You were trying very hard to be still, but you felt the bulge in Henry’s jeans get bigger. He brought your panties to his nose.

“My thoughts exactly.”

You started moving on Henry’s lap, your warm wetness seeping through the stiff material to his stiff dick.

“Give me one more thing before you leave.”

Henry’s eyes were dilated, lust blown and beautiful.

“Anything.”

“Your cum down my throat.”

“Christ, Doctor…”

———

Next part: The Gentleman Returns

[the-commonplace-book]

Just a reminder to anyone who wants to get into acting or screenwriting to absolutely under no circumstances accept any offers (no matter how good) from any studio that is normally SAG-AFTRA and WGA approved until the strikes are over. Don't cross the picket line. The actors' and writers' unions are currently fighting for fair pay, fair contracts, and ethical working conditions.

Production companies within the AMPTP have started putting out casting calls and screenwriting calls to new talent to try and undermine the strikes. If you take these jobs you are actively helping them continue their unethical pay and treatment of entertainment industry workers and also, once the strikes are over (which they will eventually be), you will likely be blacklisted from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in the future which will prevent you from acting or writing for future projects. Whether for ethical, financial, or career reasons, it's not worth it.

Don't cross the picket line. Support the strikes. Support the ethical treatment of entertainment industry professionals.

Writers' rooms have been shrinking while the speed and quantity of content they're being asked to produce has been increasing at a rapid rate. They're hiring writers to workshop, then laying them off with no pay or credit for their contributions to preliminary work. In some cases they're using AI to mimic writing styles to fill in the gaps. In some cases they're using AI and just hiring writer's to touch it up. Writers aren't being paid appropriate residuals for streaming service exclusive media, meaning they're getting paid pennies to begin with and then nothing after that no matter how popular shows are (while producers rake in millions).

Actors have been subject to unethical working conditions for ages, from verbal abuse to 24-hour shoots with little to no breaks to other poor working conditions that under the current SAG-AFTRA contracts with the AMPTP are now disallowed. The AMPTP is also pushing for a contract change that would allow production companies to hire actors for a day of filming to train AI, then use their likeness in perpetuity with no compensation for the use of their voice and likeness. Many actors are underpaid and overworked, struggling to make rent, on Food Stamps, and unable to afford health insurance. The AMPTP is pushing for new contracts that would even further exploit and already exploited workforce in a multibillion dollar industry as they line their own pockets.

Stand by the strikes. Don't cross the picket line.

For those who aren't connected to the industry professionally or recreationally, be patient as new shows come to a halt. Be patient as productions get shut down. There's decades of media backlog you can watch instead. No new show is worth the unethical treatment of those who make it. Your new shows can wait. Real people matter more than fictional ones.

[mlmxreader]

update on my current housing situation

so, as many of y'all know, I was recently kicked out by father from my home and away from my animals (except my dog bc I took him w me, but unfortunately I had to leave my snakes due to the fact that I didn't have time to grab them & I didn't have space where I was staying), so here's an update now that things have settled down somewhat.

the main things:

the agreement w my father at the moment is that I am allowed to remain in the house until the end of the year; w support from people in real life (namely my grandmother), I have been able to get a fridge, a bin, cutlery, plates, food, a microwave, a toaster and, most importantly, a kettle without needing to touch the money I've raised on my gofundme for somewhere permanent.

my father is adamant that I will not be allowed to remain in the house past the end of the year, so I'm hoping I can raise the money by then; my gran, who has fought to have me home, is desperately trying to get him to cool off and to give me an extension for until I raise enough money to get a deposit and move somewhere permanently. she's doing everything that she possibly can.

on top of food, hygiene products, and other essentials, I'm still having to pay rent, which has basically meant that at the end of the week, I have more or less no money of my own after I get paid. my father won't even let me use basic shit, like the dishwasher or the bin. he's not spoken a word to me since I came back, and we're not allowed in the same room together. he's insisting that I have to pay for everything, even though he's aware that my work is seasonal and I won't be employed 247 like I am now. he's not giving me any wriggle room for this.

for now, things seem... stable-ish, although there is a persistent and constant threat that I could come home from a shift at any given point, and find that all my belongings are out on the curb. at literally any moment I could be made homeless by him, even though my gran is trying her best to keep me where I belong and to keep a roof over my and my animals' heads.

unfortunately she can't give me any monetary support, but she's trying to do everything she possibly can. hopefully things will cool off and my father will eventually give me some wriggle room so that I have until I can get enough money, but he's desperate for me to be out of the house asap, so I'm under threat of losing everything rn.

everything else

my mental health is getting worse because of this, and my CPTSD as well as my schizophrenia is being massively triggered and I'm in a worse situation NOW in terms of my mental health than I was before. my psychiatrist is doing the best he can, but unfortunately there's nothing that he can do in terms of helping me get out of dodge w my animals.

my gran and others have been absolutely wonderful with giving me support, especially emotionally. but I do still need a LOT of monetary support, unfortunately. I might need to increase my GFM goal in order to pay for essentials and rent when my work dries up, but we'll just have to see what happens because there may still be other things I can do to earn money. but I'm not 100% certain either way at the moment.

please, if you can, share this post that links my gofundme - every little scrap of money helps me to find somewhere permanent for me and my animals!

[pickalilywrites]

Marco works at Victoria's Secrets, watching the AOT ladies buying items for Valentines day coming up

apparently i had a lot to say about this prompt

god of lingerie

marco bodt. college au. 4415 words. read on ao3.

Marco has a unique ability, one that has earned him the respect of his peers and the disgust of others primarily due to their own misunderstanding of what his strange power entails. It’s not something that Marco shares proudly. In fact, he tries to keep it under wraps as much as possible due to the misconception his job brings, but word has gotten out somehow. He supposes it’s not that surprising. He works at shop in the mall after all, and it’s a popular place for students to unwind  after a week filled with frustrating group projects and three-hour long labs. If people actually took the time to talk to Marco about his job, they’d understand that it’s not all that different from an ordinary customer service position.  

As much as other people like to think otherwise, Marco had stumbled into his part-time job as a Victoria’s Secret salesperson on accident. He was a third-year college student, one that had been freshly kicked off campus to make room for incoming freshmen that needed on-campus housing more than he did. Finding housing close enough to campus was tough enough, but rent was seemingly manageable because he’d be splitting it with the rest of his friends in the short term. The problem was that in the long term Marco wouldn’t have enough income to contribute to the rent and utility bill each month. His friends were fine with covering him for a few months — Armin had his undergraduate research position, Eren and Connie worked on campus in the cafeteria, and Jean made enough money from drawing digital art for strangers online (mostly furry commissions) — but Marco wasn’t comfortable with not contributing to the rent and went out to find any job that would have him. Unfortunately, all on campus student jobs were taken up and Marco decided to search outside of the university for a job. He scoured the nearby mall for any open positions at different stores and applied to all of them. Victoria’s Secret was the first one to respond, and that’s how Marco ended up as an assistant manager at the women’s lingerie store.  

Well, that’s not exactly how Marco became an assistant manager at Victoria’s Secret.  

Marco started as a normal salesperson with sweaty palms and a nervous smile as he greeted customers, hoping that they wouldn’t find his presence in the lingerie store too disgusting and perverted. According to the manager that hired him, Traute, Victoria’s Secret doesn't discriminate against men when hiring employees but men were afraid of the way they’d be perceived if they were employed there and so Victoria’s Secret has few male applicants to choose from. Her words did little to assure Marco he’d be fully welcomed there by customers, but Traute didn’t seem to notice or care about his apprehension and assigned him to work the floor to greet customers and encouraged him to interact with them to increase sales. He only worked there a few weeks before Traute noticed Marco’s special ability and promoted him to assistant manager.  

“I’ve had multiple customers tell me that you were wonderful to work with,” Traute had told Marco when she had called him up to her office one day. It was a conversation that Marco was sure would end with him being fired for some reason or other, so the praise was completely unexpected. “Not only that, but you were able to help them find lingerie they were comfortable with and suited their preferences. Some of them admitted to be nervous about coming here to purchase our products, but you made them feel so at ease that they ended up coming back.”  

“O-oh? I’m so glad to hear that,” Marco stammered. He wasn’t sure what he was doing differently from anyone else. He was simply engaging with the customers the way Traute had instructed him to and recommending things according to what they told him.  

“You’re becoming popular, Marco. Some customers even said they headed over to this location even if it wasn’t the closest Victoria’s Secret to their house because their friends sang you such incredible praise,” Traute said, steepling her fingers and leaning over her desk. She narrowed her eyes at him. “How would you like to become an assistant manager?”  

Marco, of course, said yes. The position came with a raise, meaning he’d be paid more than minimum wage, and he found that the promotion didn’t differ very much from his previous position as a salesperson aside from managing his other coworkers. Unfortunately, his coworkers resented that a newbie hired only a few weeks ago got promoted so quickly and eyed him disdainfully whenever they saw him or at least until they found out how much of a pushover Marco was. Because Marco had a difficult time saying no and was so wonderful with customers, they pushed any customers they didn’t want to work with towards him. Sometimes they would redirect customers to Marco just because they didn’t want to do any work at all that day, and Marco would assist customers with a strained smile because his newfound authority was useless. 

It’s not as glamorous as most people think it is. His classmates seem to be under the impression that Marco gets to interact with models every day, that he gets to view women naked, that he gets to personally clothe them in lingerie, and that he has sex with customers in the dressing rooms. The truth is that Marco does none of these things. He simply greets customers, asks them if he can assist them, and then recommends products based on their needs. It’s not that different from working at any other clothing store except that this particular clothing store specializes in women’s intimates. 

With Valentine’s Day coming up, customers have been pouring into the store every day and, because his coworkers keep redirecting everyone to him for help, Marco has been overwhelmed with helping customers. At this point, his customer service smile is plastered on his face.  

“How can I help you?” Marco asks a woman so statuesque that she might as well have stepped off the runway.  

“I’ve been to three different locations. None of them had what I was looking for,” the woman says. Her blonde hair is cut in a bowl cut that would look ridiculous on anyone else but somehow makes her look even more impressive. She has such large, dark eyes that regard Marco coldly but he smiles even though his knees are shaking. She’s dressed in a silk button down shirt underneath a white pantsuit. Her outfit looks fit for a CEO.  

“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” Marco says, trying not to appear intimidated. “Maybe we’ll have what you’re looking for. Can you provide me with more details?”  

“I’m looking for something powerful, sexy, commanding,” the woman says. Her hands are tucked casually into the pockets of her trousers and she observes Marco carefully.  

“Ah,” Marco says. It’s always difficult when customers give him broad descriptions of what they’d like. It’s a higher element of guessing than he’s comfortable with, but he has to do his best anyway. He wonders if he should press for more information, but sometimes doing so agitates the customer. Instead, he takes in every detail about the woman and infers as much as possible so that he can make a recommendation. “Can I interest you in some of our bodysuits? There are a few that came in recently that I think would suit you.”  

The woman doesn’t look too impressed by his answer, but she shrugs. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.”  

“Great. Let me lead the way,” Marco says, gesturing for the woman to follow him. As he leads the customer to the new collection of bodysuits, he notices that his other coworkers are nowhere to be seen aside from those stocking shelves or managing the cash registers. He figures they’ve gone to hide in the storeroom to “check the stock.”  

Marco eventually leads the customer to the Valentine’s Day selection. There are bras and panties in red, white, pink, and black all with varying amounts of lace, faux leather, or ribbon. The more traditional sets aren’t what Marco is interested in showing the woman. He turns the woman’s attention towards the more daring lingerie: crotchless teddies with cutouts to expose nipples, backless satin rompers, and lacy corsets.  

“I think this one might suit your tastes,” Marco tells the woman and gestures at a mannequin in a bright red teddy made of lace and fishnet mesh. It’s backless with a halter neck and a cutout to expose a modest amount of cleavage. The panty is held together by more mesh and a thin ribbon of fabric in the back. It’s hardly any coverage at all, but it’s definitely sexy.  

The woman reaches out, pinching the fabric and feeling the fishnet mesh between her fingers. As she does, a smirk appears on her lips. Her dark eyes flit over towards Marco and she almost looks impressed. “The other stores didn’t show me anything nearly as provocative. I’m guessing it has something to do with my appearance,” she says.  

Marco assumes the woman is referring to her somewhat androgynous appearance. The woman is taller than average and thin, her curves small, although Marco doesn’t see why that should limit the lingerie she can wear. He tells the woman as much and his remark makes her smile.  

“I’ll be taking this,” the woman says, picking up a neatly folded teddy of the same design Marco had just shown her. She holds out a hand for Marco to shake. The woman takes a glance at Marco’s nametag.  “My name is Yelena. You’re quite the salesman. You’ll be seeing me more often, Marco.” 

“That’s wonderful to hear. I look forward to seeing you again,” Marco says. He reaches out to give Yelena’s hand a good shake and then watches as she leaves to make her purchase. Once she disappears towards the registers, he lets out a huge sigh and then turns around. When he finds a small huddle of women watching him from behind a shelf of underwear. He wonders how long they’ve been standing there. “Can I help you?”  

One of the women, a small woman with ginger hair, is nudged forward by a brunette with their hair tied up in a messy ponytail. The ginger woman glares back at the bespectacled brunette and hisses, “Hanji!” 

“Oh, come on. I don’t know why you’re being so shy,” the one named Hanji says with a laugh. They step out from behind the shelf, the rest of their companions inching out behind them. Hanji greets Marco with a smile. “Hi, my friends and I were looking for some lingerie and wondering if you could help us. Some of us aren’t quite familiar with the selection you have available here, and we’ve heard this location has an amazing salesman who has the ability to match customers up with the perfect set of lingerie.”  

Marco laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, I don’t know if I’m all that amazing. I just do the best that I can, but I’m glad to hear that so many people are happy with my recommendations.” He smiles expectantly at the other women who seem much more nervous than Hanji. “Perhaps if you can tell me what you have in mind, I can help direct you to what you’d feel comfortable with.”  

Already, Hanji is wandering around the Valentine’s Day section without Marco. They’re reaching out to feel the fabric, an amused expression on their face as they browse the available selection. One set seems to interest them more than the others and they hold one up for their friends to see. It’s a teddy that’s made entirely of straps that is meant to conceal absolutely nothing at all. It’s a network of straps with only a few features that keep it from being just a mess of pink ribbon: a halter neck held together with a heart enclosure, open cups with an underwire, and a crotchless pantie. The sight of it shocks nearly all of their friends.  

“What about this one, Petra? I’m sure Levi would appreciate it,” Hanji suggest with a grin. They don’t flinch when Petra stomps over red-faced and snatches it out of their hands. 

“Hanji, oh my god,” Petra hisses, crumpling the lingerie set in her hands.  

“You’re not putting it back, though,” Hanji points out.  

“If you’re looking for an enticing set that is a little bit less provocative, may I suggest this one?” Marco says, raising his voice a bit to catch the women’s attention. He gestures towards a similar strappy teddy but without the open cups or crotchless panty. Rather than a bright pink, it’s a fiery red with floral lace decorating the bra cups and thong panty. There’s an intricate crisscross ribbon detailing across the torso and garter belt straps.  

“Oh, that’s actually a bit...,” Petra begins, but her voice trails off. She looks as if she’s restraining herself from reaching out to take it.  

Hanji takes one of the sets and pushes it into Petra’s arms. “You don’t have to be so shy, Petra. We all know you’re not wearing granny panties to seduce Levi,” Hanji says, and Petra’s cheeks burst into flames. 

“It’s different when shopping with friends!” Petra protests, but she keeps both teddies in her arms.  

Hanji turns back to Marco, hands on their hips. “I’m looking for something exciting. I want something that will get blood pumping, you know what I mean?” Hanji says, giving Marco a cheeky wink. “You can probably tell, but I’m not shy at all.”  

“Oh, I have a feeling you aren’t,” Marco says with a laugh. He does have something in mind and ends up leading Hanji and their friends to a mannequin sporting a mesh teddy. It’s black but the fabric is sheer. The fabric is cut intricately and has red hearts pasted on the bra cups to cover the wearer’s nipples. There's one more red heart in the back of the thong panty. “What about this one? It’s rather playful.”  

Hanji’s hands are clasped together and they let out a delighted gasp. “Oh, you’re brilliant. You’re good. No wonder everyone talks about you so much.”  

Marco feels his cheeks flush. “Haha, I’m sure I’m not nearly as popular as people say.”  

“Oh, you’re underestimating yourself,” Hanji laughs. They take a teddy for themself and nudges another one of their companions, this time another small woman but one with glasses and silver blonde hair cut in a short bob. “Rico, your turn!”  

“Ugh, I don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” Rico says. She keeps her arms close to her, wrapped around her torso. Her whole body language is tense and her mouth is set in a frown as she scans the store. “Everything looks so uncomfortable.”  

“It doesn’t have to be!” Marco says. It’s always a pleasure to show new customers that lingerie doesn’t have to be uncomfortable to be sexy. He waves the group of friends over to a small corner where the silk robes, lacy babydolls, and satin slips are kept. He finds those who prefer more coverage tend to gravitate to these styles. It’s probably something that Rico might prefer. 

“Oh,” Rico says, surprised. She takes a babydoll from the shelf and unfolds it, scrutinizing the design. Unlike most of the other lingerie sets in the Valentine’s Day section, this one is a pale purple. The cups are made of a purple lace with a cutout towards the bottom to tastefully reveal the underside of the breasts. It’s lined with a thin mesh. It’s simple with just the right amount of exposure for those that don’t want to reveal everything. “You know, I might be able to find something here.”  

“Ooh, help out Lynne and Nifa, too,” Hanji says, gesturing towards a brunette with a ponytail and a petite redhead with a short, choppy haircut.  

Nifa, the redhead, looks a bit apprehensive but Lynne takes a step forward and tells Marco, “I’d also like something that’s not too showy. It’s not that I’m a prude or anything, but certain cuts of underwear or things with too much ribbon or wiring hurts for me to wear. My skin can be really sensitive.”  

Marco smiles. “No worries. Lingerie doesn’t have to be complicated to be alluring,” he assures Lynne. He leads the women to a section of robes with ruffles and feathers made of silk or mesh. He notes that Lynne takes particular interest in a white satin robe with feathers on the cuffs and hem.  

“Is a robe really enough, though?” Lynne wonders aloud. It’s a question that Marco gets from time to time, and he answer as honestly as he can. 

“Knowing that your partner is comfortable is more than enough,” Marco replies. It’s the case for him, anyway, and he’s sure any person worth sleeping with would think the same. The answer seems to satisfy Lynne who nods and takes a closer look at the robe she was intrigued by.  

“Ah, what would you recommend for me then?” Nifa asks shyly. She twirls a lock of her red hair around her finger, her gaze on the tiled floor. “I don’t actually mind lace. It’s pretty, but I’m worried it’ll be uncomfortable to wear too much of it at once.”  

“Oh, in that case, you can just wear something like this,” Marco says and he takes a garter from a nearby shelf. He holds it out to Nifa — a red garter made of lace and silk ribbons. “It’s not a bodysuit, just a garter that goes over your thigh, so it won’t be as uncomfortable being covered all over with lace. It’s also something that can help you get used to it if you want to try out lacy lingerie later. Even if seems like a small accessory, it can really elevate your bedroom wardrobe.”  

Nifa purses her lips, but she doesn’t look uninterested. She takes the garter from Marco and feels the silky material between her fingers. “I think I might take a closer look at these,” Nifa murmurs. 

Marco turns towards the last member of the group, a tall, blonde woman with a short undercut. “And can I help you with anything?”  

The woman looks momentarily surprised and then laughs. “Oh, no. I already have an idea of what I want. I just came here to help the rest of them,” Nanaba says. She gestures towards another section with slinky, black selections and winks at the rest of her friends. “I’m going to take a look over here and pick something out. Let me know when you guys are ready to check out.”  

Hanji watches in admiration as their friend goes to look at the lingerie. “Ah, Nanaba is the type of person who knows what she wants. I love that about her,” they say admiringly before turning towards Petra with a wicked grin. “Petra, do you want to add anything else to your wardrobe? I’m sure Levi wouldn’t mind if you added a few more things. He gave you his card to pay for all of this anyway.”  

“Hanji!” Petra says exasperatedly. The ginger gives Marco a polite smile. “Thank you for all your help! My friends and I really appreciate it. It’s true that you’re wonderful at what you do. I think we can handle ourselves from here, but we’ll let you know if we need anything else.”  

“That’s great, I’ll leave you to browse for yourselves then. Don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll be around,” Marco says cheerfully. He bids the group of friends goodbye and then explores the rest of the floor for lost-looking customers that he can help. He doesn’t expect to see such familiar faces peering at him through a rack of teddies.  

“Marco!” Sasha cheers and the rest of her friends sing Marco’s name in a chorus.  

He knows he shouldn’t be embarrassed about working in a lingerie store, and normally he isn’t. It’s just that being seen here by his friends is somehow more embarrassing than having the rest of the student body know that he helps women pick out lace panties to help seduce their partners in the bedroom. 

Cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, Marco asks, “Sasha, Mikasa ... what are all of you doing here?”  

Ymir throws an arm around Historia’s shoulders and smiles cheekily at Marco. “We’re here to buy underwear, of course, and to seek your advice. Word on the streets is that you’re the best in the business when it comes to finding the best panties for people,” Ymir replies. 

Mina tugs on Ymir’s sleeve. She looks almost as embarrassed as Marco feels. “Come on, Ymir. You’re making him sound like a pervert,” Mina says. 

“Oh, he knows I’m just joking, don’t you, Marco?” Ymir laughs, but she cocks an eyebrow at the measuring tape hanging around Marco’s neck. “Although, maybe he is. Do you go measuring women, Marco?” 

Marco wishes the earth would open up and swallow him whole. “It’s part of the uniform,” Marco mumbles, which is absolutely true. He’s never used it and doesn’t plan to. He sometimes gives size recommendations after a glance, but he would never dream of pulling out his measuring tape for any reason.  

“Hey, Marco’s a busy guy. Let’s just get down to business so we don’t bother him too much,” Historia says with a toss of her golden hair. She’s very to-the-point as usual. “Marco, do you have any recommendations for us? Something in the Valentine’s Day collection would be good, but it doesn’t have to be if you think there’s something better for us.”  

“If this is too weird, we can go ask another salesperson,” Mikasa offers, but Marco doesn’t want to turn them away. It might be weird, but they’re his friends after all. 

“It’s not too weird,” Marco says with a shake of his head. He clears his throat and forces a smile on his face. He hopes word doesn’t get out that he’s helping his female friends with buying lingerie. He doesn’t want people to misconstrue everything again and it’d be terrible if it somehow tarnished his friends’ reputations.  

He starts by guiding them to the Valentine’s Day section. Mikasa and Historia seem more drawn to the simpler sets, preferring silk and satin over lace and ribbon, although Historia does appreciate little details like frills and lace embellishments. Sasha is amused by many of the sets that Marco shows them, giggling at the more revealing lingerie, although she attaches herself to a cute pink teddy later. Ymir is the loudest and most crass of the group, often taking bra and pantie sets and holding them against her body and asking loudly for Marco’s opinion. She does it mostly to get a reaction out of him and puts down each one no matter what Marco says and only picks up a black lace bodysuit that Historia said actually looked quite nice on her. Mina, much shyer than the rest of her friends, was a little harder to help. She couldn’t look at many sets without blushing furiously and averting her gaze but Marco finally managed to find a fluffy robe and a garter that she seemed comfortable with.  

The girls thank him before heading to check out. Ymir is even cheeky enough to blow him a kiss that Marco pretends he doesn’t see. He’s relieved that it’s not a more complicated affair, but only Ymir had teased him and although he knows she’ll probably talk about it loudly to everyone that will listen, he knows that she’ll probably punch anyone who speaks badly about him in the face.  

Marco wipes his sweaty palms on the fabric of trousers and then sighs. He wonders if he’ll be able to disappear into the stock room and “check inventory” like many of his coworkers do when they need a break from working the floor. He’s just about to do that when he can feel people staring at him from behind. He whips his head around and sees more familiar faces trying to hide behind a shelf of folded panties and bras.  

Marco sighs and walks over to where his friends are hiding. He folds his arms against his chest but he has his customer service smile plastered on his face. “Can I help you?” he asks through gritted teeth. 

Eren, Jean, Connie, and Armin are huddled together, guilty expressions on their face as they realize they’ve been caught. They argue in whispers, shoving each other as they try to find a way to justify their presence in the women’s lingerie store. Eventually, Eren, Connie, and Armin manage to shove Jean in front of them and the brunet gives Marco a sheepish smile.  

“We were, ah, wondering if you could help us choose lingerie,” Jean says and then realizes his words haven’t come out quite right. Face flushing as he corrects himself, Jean quickly says, “I mean, help us help other people to pick out lingerie.”  

Marco narrows his eyes suspiciously at his friends. “You guys might have the wrong idea about my job. It’s not sexy at all. I don’t get to see naked women in the dressing room. This job isn’t a chick magnet. In fact, most women are repulsed when they hear that I work at Victoria’s Secret. Do you see girls flocking towards me on campus?”  

“That’s not why we want you to teach us how to pick out lingerie for people!” Eren protests indignantly, although Marco isn’t sure he believes Eren. “We’re feminists. We want to help women!”  

“Yeah!” Connie agrees, nodding his head vigorously. “We want to support women physically and spiritually like, ah, what is it that you said Armin?”  

Armin’s cheeks have turned a bright pink. “Like a push-up bra for their souls.”  

“Exactly,” Connie says with a pump of his fist and Eren nods in agreement. 

Marco isn’t sure that they understand what his job entails. He’s also not sure his friends would be able to manage a part-time job at Victoria’s Secret on top of their current jobs and studies. It would be nice to have more coworkers to rely on. At the very least, his guidance would be able to help his friends pick out lingerie for their partners. 

“Alright,” Marco sighs. He picks up a bra and holds it out for his friends to see. “Let’s start with different types of cups.”  

[ladylooch]

Letters in Your Last Name - Chapter 9

Visit the series page here.

A/N: Today is a special day!!!! Happy birthday to our main squeeze Kev! Hope you have the bestest day and get your princess cake 🥳

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: SMUT 18+ Content, swearing

Seven weeks later, Kevin is finally in town long enough to make my move in complete.

In the seven weeks since our blow up, we’ve experienced an obvious glow up- both on and off the ice. Kevin has completely transformed his game. He’s quite literally exploded on the ice and now leads the team in goals, assists and points in the last 15 games. Watching him on the ice with so much confidence and steadiness is breathtaking. He’s turned the corner and shows no signs of slowing down. With his point production, his recognition around town has increase as well. We can’t run into Target for a few things without him stopping to hand out autographs or pictures. The people of Minnesota have latched onto him and his excitement of the transition is palpable.

As for our relationship and off the ice, things just keep getting better. I’m standing at the kitchen counter in what is now our apartment and my mind wanders to last night. He returned from a three game road trip in the late hours of the night. My thoughts are consumed with Kevin’s hands, his mouth, his hips, the obsessive pleasure. The neediness of our hips pressing into each other. From the moment he entered the apartment to when he finally drifted to sleep, his lips never left my body.

“This should be the last of it.” My oldest brother, Nick, says as he enters our apartment with another U-Haul box. I jump in surprise and suck in a quick breath to clear my mind.

“Wow, you guys made quick work of that.” I applaud him, Alex, and Kevin who trail in after him. “It pays to know professional athletes.” I smirk at the two in the room. “And some dude who runs a CrossFit gym.”

“Thanks.” Nick rolls his eyes at my CrossFit comment. “I gotta go. Kids have swimming lessons.” He gives me a quick hug, Kevin and Alex a fist bump, before he jogs out of our apartment.

“I’ve gotta head out too. Enjoy unpacking.” Alex says, saluting us both.

“Welcome home.” Kevin murmurs as he gathers me into his arms. I smile and kiss his cutely puckered lips. “I’ve got your permanent key and door fob here.” He reaches behind me into the bowl, holding them up. They are connected to each other by a keychain that says I heart Kevin.

“Oh awkward… Gonna have to replace this.” I hold the keychain up jokingly.

“Hey now. You love me.” He insists, giving my sides a firm squeeze. I squeak in response and rush out of his grasp, giving him a sour look. He laughs lightly and looks at the boxes in the living room. “This should give you something to do when I’m on the road again at the end of the week.”

“Yeah, I didn’t realize how much stuff I had.” I scratch my head. “I’m not sure if there is enough space for all this.”

“I’m sure there is. If not, we can move to a different unit.” He shrugs as if that’s no big deal.

I’ve never lived in an apartment before. When I moved in with Alex, it was from my parents’ house. Although it would have been ideal to live on campus during college, I choose not to in order to save some money. I have no concept of leases or how much trouble it would be to change units within the same building. Kevin’s place has an awesome view of Minneapolis though. It would be tough to give that up even for something bigger.

“Oh, when is rent due?” I wonder as he unpacks a few things I stuffed into my purse as we were rushing out of Alex’s home earlier.

“The 1st.” Kevin says as he gathers up things for the bathroom and begins heading down the hall.

“How much do I pay?” I call to him. This is probably something I should have asked earlier, but the concept didn’t connect with me in our pre-move bliss.

“Nothing.” Kevin replies as he walks back into the kitchen.

“Um.. I can pay rent?” I inform him. “Alex pays me to watch the kids.”

“You’re not paying rent.” He shakes his head at me.

“Why not?”

“Because I make millions of dollars.” He laughs. His smile quickly fades when he sees the annoyed look on my face. “I’m not trying to insult you. It’s just ridiculous for you to pay rent when I make so much more than you.” My eyes squint and he grimaces. “That came out wrong.”

“Kevin Fiala, I’m not looking for a free ride as your arm candy.” I cross my arms over my chest and pop my hip out, daring him to question me.

“I don’t think you are.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “I just want to take care of you.”

“I don’t need you to.” I snap. He drops his gaze and looks uncomfortably in the other direction. When he looks back, his eyes are cautious. “I want to pay half.” I insist. Kevin purses his lips and nods.

“Okay.” He tells me, grabbing a pen and paper from the drawer in the island. He writes a number on it and flips the notepad closer to me. I reach for it but not before setting him in his place with my eyes again.

“Okay…Maybe a fourth.” I say, eyes widening at the amount. My mouth forms a grimace and I meet his gaze.

“Just let me pay the rent. You can buy food.” He reaches for the pad of paper from me, throwing it on the counter.

“This is ridiculous. I can pay for more than just-” Kevin grabs my face with his hand and smashes our lips together. The kiss is meant to silence me and damn does it work. His tongue devours me while his hands squeeze me to him tightly.

“Stop arguing with me and just nod your head. I know you’re not with me for the money. I know you don’t need me to take care of you. I want to.”

“Alright.” I nod my head. He kisses my swollen lips again before walking around me.

“And I’m taking you to a nice, expensive restaurant tonight. I’m going to pay for that too and you’re going to like it.” He insists, reaching for one of the boxes marked “closet”.

“Okay.” I say again, a smile twisting my lips.

“And we are going to unpack your clothes to find that little black dress that drives me crazy. You’re going to wear it. We’re going to fool around under the table. And when we get back here tonight, I’m going to touch you in all my favorite places.” He has started to walk slowly back across the living room to me.

“Anything else?” I whisper as he closes in on me.

“Yes. I love you.”

“I love you too.” I murmur just before his lips crash against mine.

_ _ _

Later that night, Kevin holds the door open for me as I walk into Mucci’s. It’s a quaint and rustic Italian restaurant in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. I’ve heard plenty of good things and judging by the smell, the people are right. Kevin and I did find the little black dress and I wore it just for him. If he keeps his word from earlier, he’ll be pleasantly surprised by the lack of underwear beneath. I paired the dress with black heels and my furry North Face Jacket. Kevin is wearing dark jeans and a black dress shirt with sleeves rolled up his forearms. I’m cold because it’s December and my legs are exposed, but it’s worth it to tease my boyfriend. Plus, I have a feeling he’ll be happy to warm me up later.

The host recognizes Kevin immediately and takes us to a booth set for two. I thank the man as he hands me a menu, glancing around the completely full restaurant. I notice a few tables looking in our direction and whispering. It seems anywhere we go recently, whispers and looks follow us. It’s taken some getting used to for me, but Kevin seems unfazed.

“Welcome!” Our waitress says brightly as she approaches our table. She looks at me, then does a double take when she glances in Kevin’s direction. “Can I bring you something to drink?” I can’t tell if she recognizes him or just finds him insanely attractive. Can’t say I really blame her either way. He looks damn fine tonight.

“I’ll have a glass of Prosecco.” I answer. Kevin orders the same and the waitress scurries off to grab our drinks.

“It smells amazing in here.” I tell Kevin, glancing down at the menu.

“It’s as good as it smells. They catered a pre-game meal for us late last year.” Kevin informs me.

“You might have to roll me out of here.” I laugh looking at the abundance of pastas and bread dishes. I love a good carb.

“Gladly.” He says.

The waitress returns with our drinks, lazily setting mine in front of me before strategically and slowly placing Kevin’s in front of him. She lingers for a moment and I realize that her shirt is definitely unbuttoned more than it was when she first came over. My lips purse in slight annoyance and amusement as she begins to rattle off the specials for the night, only at Kevin. Not once does she look over in my direction. Kevin murmurs a thanks to her and looks over at me with an awkward laugh when she disappears.

“Guess you’re not here.” He jokes and I giggle in response.

“You’re definitely the better looking one in this couple.” I take a sip of my Prosecco and wiggle my eyebrows at him.

“I disagree.” He shakes his head. His brown eyes are soft and bright with the low lighting in the restaurant. I feel light headed at the look he is giving at me. I blush and drop my gaze back to the menu. Even after months of being together, I still get overwhelmed by his attention. “Come sit by me.” Kevin tells me, moving further into his side of the booth.

“No, we are not that couple.” I snort at him.

“Why not? I am completely obsessed with you, so get over here.”

“No!” I laugh nervously at him. He continues to stare at me expectantly. “You’re going to get handsy.”

“Absolutely. Now. Get. Over. Here.” I slide out of the booth with resignation and cozy up next to him. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me tighter to his side. When I turn my face to look at him, he captures my lips in his. It’s a hot kiss that makes me sigh in response. “I can’t wait to fuck you later.” He whispers. I cringe and glance outside of the booth, wondering if anyone heard him. When I turn back to him, his eyes are black as they devour my breasts.

“Kevin.. keep it together.” I give his shoulder a nudge with mine and look back at the menu. “People know who you are here. They’ll talk if you keep this up.”

“Let them. They can get on Twitter and talk about how hot my girlfriend is.”

“People don’t even know we are together.” I roll my eyes at him. “They probably think I’m a puck bunny.” I’m joking, but Kevin doesn’t seem to like that comment.

My social media pages have been private since before we started dating. Every now and then, I get requests from people looking for pictures of my brother or his teammates. It felt safer to keep my circle tight and not having to perform on social media to any expectation. Kevin only does Instagram these days. His profile is public, but he doesn’t post much and when he does it’s focused on hockey. He’s never posted anything directly mentioning me, just pictures of coffee or food that we have eaten together.

“We better tell them.” He says to me, “Come closer.” He insists as he pulls his phone out.

“I’m practically in your lap.” I look at him incredulously. He grabs one of my legs and drapes it between his, pulling my hip tighter to him. He holds the camera up and we smile fully. Pure happiness oozes from the picture as Kevin turns and gives me a smooch on the cheek. I laugh and shake my head at him.

“I’m posting that one.” He shows me with a satisfied grin.

“Why?”I wonder to him.

“Because I want everyone to know that you’re mine.” He reaches for my neck, pulling our lips together in another sultry kiss. His thumb strokes against my cheek and I lean my breasts into his chest in response. He’s so good at making me feel loved and wanted. “Are you okay with that?” He whispers when we pull apart.

“Yes.” I tell him, because I too want everyone to know that he is mine, starting with our waitress tonight.

“Good.” He nuzzles my nose and then goes back to his phone to post our picture. I watch over his shoulder, telling him which filter looks best. He captions the photo with “My favorite place in the world is next to you” followed by a heart emoji.

“Your favorite place is on a hockey rink.” I tease him as he posts the picture to his 67,000 followers.

“Nah. It’s where you are.” He insists with such conviction that I don’t even question him further.

We decide on splitting a couple different pastas and a pizza in order to not settle for one the other. It is a celebratory night after all! We laugh and drink and chat about potential decorating ideas we would like in the apartment. We decide we definitely want to get a newer, bigger couch and maybe a new bed too. As the night goes on, I’m getting looser with each glass of Prosecco. Kevin only had one, but has been encouraging me to keep going. I know what he’s trying to do and I don’t care. The more I have, the less I worry about his wandering hands in public.

When our dessert comes, a decadent chocolate mousse cake, Kevin’s hands finally slide high enough up my thigh for him to receive his surprise. His head snaps back as he turns to look at me. I giggle into my bite of cake.

“We gotta go.” He insists, looking around for our waitress.

“I’m not done with my cake!” I argue to him.

“We will finish it in bed.” He nuzzles my neck with his nose.

“Patience.” I tell him.

“I have none when it comes to having you. Plus, you can’t be quiet when I touch you.” He challenges me, his fingers sliding back to where they were, then deeper until they’re dangerously close to stroking exactly where I want him. I swallow my cake and the moan building in my throat. The waitress comes back and asks if we want anything else. “The check.” Kevin’s eyes don’t leave mine as he answers. I slowly lick my lips just to drive him crazy and his eyes turn darker in response.

After he pays the bill, Kevin is shoving me insistently out of the booth, I can’t help but laugh loudly at how eager he is to get me home, which garners a few looks from the other patrons. I clasp my hand over my mouth as we run from the restaurant. Kevin places his hand on the small of my back. When we pass the windows of the restaurant to reach an empty storefront, he reaches his hand beneath my dress to grab my bare ass greedily. I squeal and tug my dress back down.

“Hey!” I yell at him, smacking his hand away.

“No one saw.” He insists to me with a smirk as we reach his car. He opens the door for me and I slide in. He jogs around to the driver’s side after shutting my door. When he’s in his seat, his hand instantly flips my dress up and slides between my legs. I grab his wrist, holding him there as he moves in a slow circle. He slides one finger to my opening, feeling how wet I am. “Fuck, baby.” He murmurs before pulling away to start his car. The engine roars to life and Kevin speeds off into the city.

At the next red light, he reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ear before placing his lips against the sensitive skin on my neck. A breathy moan escapes my lips and Kevin’s teeth scrape lightly against the dip in my collar bone.

“You trying to mark me as yours?” I whisper, slowly shoving him back into his seat as the light turns green. Our eyes meet as I dance my fingers down his chest then along his erection. The passion between us heats the car up another degree. He turns to watch the road again with a large smile on his face.

Soon, we are back at our building and holding hands as I follow Kevin down the hall to our apartment. When we walk in, Kevin throws his keys in the bowl as I shut the door. He turns to me and walks me back against the door, placing his hands on either side of my head. I bite my lip because I know exactly what’s coming.

“Mou lásku k tobě nelze vyjádřit slovy.” He says to me. “My love for you cannot be expressed in words.” I soften into the door as he leans in, placing his lips against mine briefly. He nips at my bottom lip, then down my throat to my chest, and my knees weaken in response. He kisses each swell of my breasts and I moan at the pleasure. He melts at that and lifts me into his arms. My arms easily lay against his shoulders as he carries me to our bedroom. He drops me onto our bed. I lay back on my elbows with heavy eyes, watching as he unbuttons his shirt. When he’s done, he stands there, looking at me through lowered lids.

“Come here, baby.” I call and he slowly crawls onto the bed, pushing me all the way back as he does. My hands run up his bare chest to his shoulders, pushing his open shirt down his arms. He shakes the shirt off his body, leaning on one hand as the other comes to cup my cheek.

“I meant what I said, Sam. Chci, aby svět věděl, že jsi můj.” His lips press to mine firmly. “I want the world to know you’re mine.” As if to prove his point, he again nibbles on my neck.

I think of the picture on Instagram now for said world to see. His lips on my cheek. My huge smile. Our shining eyes. The caption that still makes my heart swoon as I remember it now.

“Being yours is my favorite thing, Kev.”

“You’ll always be mine?” He wonders to me, pulling my dress down to expose my hard nipples to him.

“You tell me.” I gasp as his fingers slide over the aching tips of my breasts.

Kevin never responds with words.

Instead, he makes love to me until the rest of the world fades away.

[if-you-feel-lonely]

Since I'm at home today due to teachers going on strike, I want to remind people that more often than not, going on strike is justified, but the media likes to make it out that these people are toddlers throwing their toys out of the pram.

In terms of teachers, they're greatly underpaid and overworked. Actual teaching from 9am-3pm is around a quarter of the job, not even including marking, lesson planning, arranging rooms and finding sources. When calculating their hourly wages, teachers found they made less than minimum wage. One found that they were making £4 an hour. This is not a living wage, especially with the cost of living crisis.

That's not even mentioning that when teachers are given a pay rise, it comes out of the budget for student's equipment. To gain a living wage, teachers have to take money that would ordinarily be spent on what we need to learn.

And what is the government doing about this? Well I'm glad you asked, absolutely fuck all. Inflation will happen anyway, but poverty is only going to increase if the value of things is going up and wages are staying where they are. Teachers can't survive if they're making £4/hr and living in a flat with £1000 rent pcm (this is the rent of a flat in my city, which is a less than 300,000 population). It takes 250 hours to make enough money to live for a month. The average teacher hours are 12 hours, including work that is done in school hours, meaning a teacher works four hours longer than the average, which is 8 hours. This means in one working day, a teacher that makes £4/hr is making £32. In a working month, which is 19-22 working days, said teacher will make, at the maximum, £704 per month. Do we see the issue here? With a rent pcm of £1000, and a monthly salary of £704, a teacher can't pay rent, let alone buy food, medicine or hygiene products (shampoo, soap, feminine products, etc).

TL;DR: cost of living is rising, wages aren't and teachers literally can't live.

[alexmercer786]

Coworking Office Space -The growing trend of managed office spaces in Bangalore

In the past, only enterprise proprietors who can pay massive rents work from the conventional workplaces. Most small enterprise proprietors work from home as they could’t manage to pay for to pay large rents. Even even though they need to have the separation between training office space in Bangalore enterprise and private existence, there has been no right answer that comes at inexpensive rents. Coworking office space has been introduced up to address this hassle and it has even caused the revolution within the running fashion of enterprise proprietors.

Many realtors and property proprietors have realized the commercial enterprise capacity in the coworking industry ensuing inside the leasing of millions of sq.Toes’s of land in India for the coworking offices. Moreover, there may be a large upward push inside the wide variety of humans operating from those because of the kids of India moving in the direction of entrepreneurship.

There is a big increase in demand for those shared places of work because of the following factors:

1.Coworking Culture:

Coworking spaces have a completely unique way of life which differentiates them from the ordinary business office spaces in Bangalore. Especially for startups, this is a useful environment as they could get more innovative thoughts by means of interacting with numerous kinds of enterprise people.

Any enterprise owner can collaborate to thrive of their very own business. These act as a platform to learn exceptional matters from specific elderly specialists. Moreover, with many like-minded enterprise owners running around, you could improve your productivity. This tradition caused the evolution of the working style inside the current world.

Moreover, this sort of favorable running surroundings of the shared areas has even impacted the big manufacturers to remember switching their business operations from conventional to these workspaces.

2.Quality Working Furniture:

As a enterprise proprietor, you want to invest in arranging all of the fixtures operations consisting of tables, chairs, desks, and many others required in your enterprise when you lease a traditional workplace space. But whilst you be part of these workspaces, all the fixtures necessities are taken care of by means of the gap carriers.

This way you need no longer have enough money one of these fees saving your cash. Moreover, all the exact agencies offer top fine furniture for your commercial enterprise without any additional charge for the use of them.

3.Additional Facilities and Services: Many correct co-working spaces offer unique facilities which include meeting rooms, conference rooms, etc. You need to pay for these while you hire a traditional area as according to the condo agreements despite the fact that you use them very not often. But in shared spaces, you could e book one every time you want and cancel them as in keeping with your desires with the pay for use foundation saving your cash.

4. Affordable Memberships: The memberships of the co working spaces are pretty low cost relying for your needs. For example, a devoted personal cabin will certainly cost you higher than the new desk however the expenses are cheaper whilst in comparison with prices you want to incur for rents, application bills, and so forth which you want to have enough money within the case of conventional areas.

Conclusion:

Joining in a coworking space is the quality desire to your business operations at less costly prices. The subculture, centers, and versatility offered by means of those cause them to easy to hire for a brief time period basis. Moreover, each member can get get entry to to important facilities which includes the parking areas, food courts, and many others furnished for the individuals at no additional charges.

[adarshparkheightsflats]

Adarsh Park Heights | New Residential Flats

There is an apartment project called Adarsh Park Heights located in East Bangalore, which is a luxury apartment development. There are 301 square feet of apartments available in this project that range in size from 301 square feet to 1270 square feet. In terms of its design, the project is designed uniquely and intelligently designed.

This project has been strategically situated close to Krupanidhi Residential PU College, prominent companies, educational institutions, and other areas of interest. In addition to being ideally suited to your lifestyle and individual needs, it is also surrounded by notable companies, educational institutions, as well as other centers of business and commerce.

The Adarsh Park Heights is an extraordinary expression of the urban chic lifestyle that the Adarsh Group brings to us with its projects. Within its lap lie 720 elegant and simplistic Apartments, each an epitome of elegance and simplicity.

Adarsh Park Heights has a starting price of INR 96 lakhs at the moment, which is the starting price for this project. We offer two and three-bedroom apartments for sale, as well as apartments with one or two bedrooms. The price of this product is expected to increase in the coming years, however.

The student population of Bangalore is also very large, and corporate people such as these are also looking for rental properties which include a wide range of amenities to live comfortably. When you decide to purchase these homes, you will be able to rent them out as well.

In terms of its excellent connectivity, it is one of the best places to purchase a home due to its high quality of living. Varthur Road, which connects Outer Ring Road to Marathahalli, Whitefield, and Marathahalli seamlessly, makes it a good location for those looking for seamless connectivity. Thus, it is easy to reach all the major commercial areas within the vicinity.

Having a decent transport system and decent connectivity makes it easy for residents to get to these places and travel around the city easily. Every modern amenity required for a luxury lifestyle is offered at Adarsh Park Heights, such as 24 Hours Water Supply, 24 Hours Backup Electricity, Covered Car Parking, Intercom, Landscaped Garden, Lift, Rain Water Harvesting, and Security Personnel.

You spend less time on the road and more time at home when you live in Adarsh Park Heights, which is surrounded by schools, hospitals, shopping destinations, tech parks, and other civic amenities. Floors are constructed from high-quality materials, and the apartments are equipped with modern amenities.  The enclave is located in Gunjur in East Bangalore, which is part of the Bangalore Metropolitan Area.

The gated community has many amenities and is a great place to live. Besides being conveniently located and having a nice design, it is also an ideal location for those looking for earthquake-resistant housing. Over 21 acres of the residential enclave, Park Heights, offers the very best of what Adarsh Developers has to offer. Apartments in the project offer spacious 2,3 BHK layouts with luxurious amenities. While it has made significant progress in the past several years, it has not yet been able to eliminate earthquakes from the entire country.

It has been our pleasure at Adarsh Park Heights to make every effort to make even the most basic of rooms perfect in the house. The benefit of living in this apartment is that you will get your money's worth since every apartment is designed to provide excellent circulation, ventilation, and an enjoyable environment for your family. Whether you're a new resident or an old one, you'll be welcomed to Adarsh Park Heights with elegance. It won't take long for this luxurious hideaway to relieve your daily stress and lull you to sleep with its well-designed bedrooms.

With Adarsh Park Heights, Adarsh Developers is launching a new development of residential properties. This gated community has been designed and built by the developer to be visually appealing with elegant architecture. Located in a luxury development with world-class amenities, these apartments are fully equipped.

[dumpster4rentalsdus]

Find Out the Psychological Benefits of Residential Dumpster Rental in San Diego

A cluttered environment can lead to a cluttered mind. When homes are filled with unnecessary items, it can contribute to feelings of stress, anxiety, and even frustration. This is especially true in cities like San Diego, where busy lifestyles can make it difficult to maintain a clean and organized living space. However, one solution that can help homeowners gain control of their environment is Residential Dumpster Rental in San Diego. Beyond just being a practical service, dumpster rental offers psychological benefits that contribute to better mental health.

Removing Clutter Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Clutter can overwhelm the senses, making it difficult to concentrate or relax. Whether it’s old furniture, broken appliances, or piles of unused items, a cluttered home can lead to feelings of disarray. In fact, research has shown that cluttered environments can increase levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. By renting a residential dumpster in San Diego, homeowners can handle large-scale clutter removal projects and free themselves from the stress caused by accumulated junk.

The simple act of clearing out old stuff can be incredibly soothing. As people remove unwanted items from their homes, they create a more peaceful and organized space, easing the mental burden of living in a cluttered environment. With a rented dumpster on site, homeowners can efficiently dispose of large amounts of waste without worrying about making multiple trips to the landfill, making the entire process less cumbersome.

Increases Productivity and Focus

A clean and organized home not only reduces stress but also boosts productivity. It is much easier to focus and get work done, free from distractions. Clutter can constantly distract from tasks, making it difficult to focus. By renting a dumpster and removing unnecessary items, homeowners can create an environment more conducive to work, creativity, and relaxation.

For people who work from home or handle multiple responsibilities, a clutter-free space can improve mental clarity. The act of organizing can also motivate people to tackle other areas of their lives with the same dedication and attention. Renting a dumpster makes it easier to complete these projects in a single, focused effort, giving homeowners more energy and time to devote to other priorities.

Sense of Accomplishment

One of the biggest psychological benefits of residential dumpster rental is the sense of accomplishment it provides. Tackling the large project of clutter removal may seem overwhelming at first, but renting a dumpster can help homeowners complete the task efficiently and easily. The satisfaction of seeing a clean, organized space is extremely rewarding, boosting self-esteem and pride.

The process of removing things that have accumulated over the years can serve as a physical and emotional reset. It’s a way to forget the past, make room for new experiences, and feel a new sense of control over your environment. This feeling of accomplishment can last a long time, making homeowners feel more empowered and capable in other areas of their lives.

Improved Mental Health Through Better Living Spaces

A messy home can often lead to feelings of guilt or shame, especially when the mess becomes too much to handle. This can contribute to negative emotions and even depression. By renting a residential dumpster in San Diego, homeowners can take a proactive step toward improving their mental health. A clean and organized living space is associated with better mood and emotional well-being.

The process of decluttering can be especially helpful for individuals who are dealing with life changes such as moving house, downsizing or coping with the death of a loved one. Renting a dumpster provides a practical way to dispose of a large amount of items, while also helping to reduce the emotional burden that comes with sorting out personal belongings.

Promotes Mindfulness and Simplicity

In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to accumulate material possessions without much thought. Renting a dumpster for house cleaning encourages homeowners to think carefully about what they really need and value in their home. This can lead to a more minimalist lifestyle, where a person focuses on keeping only those items that bring them joy or serve a practical purpose.

The act of simplifying your home can lead to a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. By letting go of unnecessary items, homeowners create a space that reflects their true priorities and values, which in turn promotes a more thoughtful and intentional way of living.

Conclusion

Renting a residential dumpster in San Diego isn't just a convenient way to dispose of waste; it also offers important psychological benefits. By reducing stress, increasing productivity, fostering a sense of accomplishment, and improving overall mental health, a clean and organized home can have a profound impact on one's well-being. For homeowners looking to create a more peaceful and clutter-free environment, renting a dumpster is a practical and powerful solution.

[1123annu]

Coworking Office Space

Best Coworking Space in Jaipur

The concept of coworking involves the sharing of office space among individuals who work independently or collaboratively. Office equipment and amenities, such as desks and chairs, are typically provided by the owner of the space. A coworking space is a place for workers from different backgrounds to network, share expertise, and discover new ideas.

Professionals are working outside of the conventional office environment in greater numbers. Working from home is the most common alternative. Despite its many benefits, some individuals find working at home an isolated and counterproductive experience.

Who can get benefit from co-working space?

Remote Workers

One group of people who can benefit from using a co-working space is remote workers. Remote workers can often work efficiently from the comfort of their homes, but others may suffer from distractions and a sense of isolation that hamper productivity.

Freelancers

Freelancers work for many different companies or clients; they often suffer from a lack of infrastructure. Freelancers benefit from coworking spaces because they give them access to technology; meeting rooms, a professional address, and a social environment that helps them network.

People Who Are Traveling

Traveling professionals are another category of people who can benefit from a rental offices. Coworking spaces are situated in large, metropolitan cities which are the most frequent travel destinations for professionals. Another reason traveling professionals can benefit from coworking spaces is that these spaces include high-tech technology and any professional services they might require.

People Who Work in Conventional Offices

People who work in conservative office settings are the last group that can profit from using work space for rent. In coworking spaces there is no direct competition and no internal politics, so workers can shed any unnecessary work personas that might be hampering their productivity. Working in coworking spaces can facilitate the emergence of creative ideas that would not occur to professionals in their conventional office environment.

Co-Working Work Environment

There is a sense of community and collaboration, which helps ideas and connections bump into each other and bounce back and forth. The physical space is typically well designed and aesthetically pleasing to encourage creativity and productivity. Coworking spaces also provide the "third place" that we all need to take care of ourselves in addition to home and work: we come together in a common space that breaks up the day so you can rejuvenate, refuel, recharge, socialize, coordinate with others, build relationships, meet new people. But it's not just about the light bulb moments—coworking spaces also provide the tools you need for your job: fast internet speed, access to printers, scanners etc.

Different people have different lifestyles and work environments, but co-working is a fusion of those two worlds. The benefits of co-working spaces are increased collaboration, increased productivity, and less distraction.

[senatespace]

The Rise of Coworking Spaces: A New Era of Work

In recent years, coworking spaces have become an integral part of the modern work environment. What started as a niche concept has evolved into a global phenomenon, revolutionizing the way people work, collaborate, and connect. Whether you're a freelancer, a startup founder, or part of a large enterprise, coworking spaces offer a unique blend of flexibility, community, and innovation. This article delves into the factors driving the popularity of coworking spaces and how they are shaping the future of work.

The Evolution of Coworking Spaces

The concept of coworking emerged in the early 2000s, with the first official coworking space opening in San Francisco in 2005. It was a response to the growing number of freelancers, remote workers, and entrepreneurs seeking an alternative to the isolation of working from home or the rigidity of traditional office environments. These early spaces were designed to foster a sense of community and collaboration among like-minded professionals.

Over time, coworking spaces have evolved to accommodate a diverse range of professionals and businesses. Today, they are not just shared office spaces but dynamic ecosystems that offer a wide range of amenities, from high-speed internet and meeting rooms to networking events and wellness programs. The coworking model has also expanded to include niche spaces tailored to specific industries, such as tech, creative arts, and even culinary startups.

Why Coworking Spaces Are Thriving

Several factors contribute to the growing popularity of coworking spaces:

1. **Flexibility**: Traditional office leases often require long-term commitments and significant upfront costs. Coworking spaces, on the other hand, offer flexible membership plans that cater to different needs, whether it's a hot desk for a day or a private office for a year. This flexibility is particularly appealing to startups, freelancers, and remote workers who need a workspace that can adapt to their changing needs.

2. **Community and Networking**: One of the most significant advantages of coworking spaces is the sense of community they provide. Working alongside other professionals fosters collaboration and networking opportunities that might not be possible in a traditional office setting. Many coworking spaces also host events, workshops, and social gatherings, further enhancing the sense of belonging and facilitating connections.

3. **Cost-Effectiveness**: For startups and small businesses, renting a traditional office space can be prohibitively expensive. Coworking spaces offer a cost-effective alternative, with shared resources such as conference rooms, printers, and office supplies included in the membership fee. This shared economy model allows businesses to access high-quality facilities without the overhead costs associated with maintaining a private office.

4. **Work-Life Balance**: Many coworking spaces recognize the importance of work-life balance and offer amenities that support well-being, such as fitness centers, meditation rooms, and healthy snack options. The ability to work in a comfortable and supportive environment can enhance productivity and reduce stress, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling work life.

5. **Innovation and Creativity**: The diverse mix of professionals in coworking spaces often leads to cross-pollination of ideas and innovation. Being in an environment where people from different industries and backgrounds come together can spark creativity and lead to new collaborations and business opportunities.

The Future of Coworking

The coworking industry continues to grow, with new spaces opening in cities around the world. As remote work becomes more prevalent, the demand for flexible, community-driven workspaces is expected to increase. In addition, larger corporations are beginning to recognize the benefits of coworking spaces and are incorporating them into their real estate strategies. This trend is leading to the rise of "corporate coworking," where companies lease space within coworking facilities to provide employees with flexible work options.

Technology will also play a crucial role in the future of coworking. The integration of smart office technology, virtual reality, and AI-driven tools will enhance the coworking experience, making it even more efficient and personalized. Additionally, as sustainability becomes a priority for businesses, coworking spaces are likely to adopt more eco-friendly practices, such as energy-efficient design, waste reduction, and green building certifications.

Conclusion

Coworking spaces have redefined the traditional office landscape, offering a flexible, cost-effective, and community-oriented alternative. As the nature of work continues to evolve, these spaces will play an increasingly important role in supporting a diverse and dynamic workforce. Whether you're a freelancer seeking a sense of community or a company looking to provide employees with flexible work options, coworking spaces offer a compelling solution that aligns with the future of work.

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[nickgerlich]

On A Diet

They say that everything is bigger in Texas. Actually, when you look at the rest of the world, everything is bigger in the US. We live large. Ask any European, and they will tell you we are loud and brash, and they know we are American tourists long before we ever open our mouths.

But there is a movement afoot to think smaller. Maybe it’s because of inflation and high interest rates. Or maybe it’s because we have finally started to develop a conscience about these kinds of things.

Whatever the case, a growing number of products have downsized, especially in consumer packaged goods, but also accessory and other items. The new mini tote from Trader Joe’s, which reached cult popularity earlier this year and fetched as much as $500 on eBay, is just one among many items showing that once again less may indeed be more.

I know. You’re probably thinking that when it comes to things like toiletry items, we have always had them. It’s just that they were labeled Travel Size. You would be right.

Smaller sizes, though, typically carry higher per-ounce pricing than their larger counterparts, so while customers may save a little money off the top, they’re certainly not saving it at the margin.

There’s another category showing signs toward thinking small, and that is our home. US home sizes steadily grew larger over many decades. You can usually tell the age of a neighborhood by looking at how big (or small) the houses are, and whether they have one-car, two-car, or three-car garages. New home construction size peaked in 2015 when the average size was a whopping 2740 square feet. It has since declined to 2514 square feet. Oh, and get this: Concurrent with the increase in new house size, 11.1% of American households still have to rely on rented self-storage facilities to handle all of the overflow.

But with the prices of housing increasing so much in recent years, it only makes sense that we build smaller. Even before COVID, new homes cost about $200 per square foot to build in the Amarillo area, meaning that the new smaller houses are—or should be—$45,200 cheaper. Of course, they aren’t, because construction prices have escalated. Stir in the higher price of borrowing, even after the recent rate cut, and you have a massive monthly payment.

While new house sizes are shrinking a bit, there is also a trend toward the extreme, which is tiny homes. These miniature homes are on average 225 square feet. They only comprise 0.36% of all houses in the US, or about 10,000 tiny homes, but they are a category worth watching. As I look around my house, I noticed I could nearly fit three of those inside my living room.

I can’t even.

I understand why American marketers love upselling us not only on features and add-ons, but also just sheer size. When you buy a half-gallon of liquid detergent, it takes you out of the market for a while, meaning if you bought smaller containers, you would be in the market for replacement detergent a lot sooner. It is a masked form of brand loyalty. If you have ever felt like someone was manipulating you just a bit into buying far more than you could ever use in the immediate future, this is what is going on.

There’s one thing, though, that Americans continue to buy larger: vehicles. The average length of a new car is now 14.7 feet, with some four-door duallies maxing out at 24 feet. That’s a whole lot of vehicle, and my son-in-law’s standard length four-door F-150 won’t even fit in their garage. I guess we as a culture like to be king of the road.

With household sizes shrinking as well, meaning number of occupants, it only makes sense for smaller sizes. Unless you have a houseful of people, we seldom need the super pack of anything. And even if it does give us the illusion of saving money overall (as opposed to at the margin), it’s still all good, even if we have to shop more often.

Because as I have told my students as well as my kids, your belongings will always find a way to meet or exceed the available space you have. Then you pay $100 a month or more a month to store what won’t fit. Smaller really is better, and I bet you’ll find it as liberating as I have too in my efforts to downsize what I buy.

Dr “On A Product Diet” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[productiveandfree]

The Hidden Factors That Influence Your Creative Energy

Hitting a wave of creative inspiration can be deeply fulfilling. It’s easy to work when you’re in the flow state, and you’re likely to produce your best work when you feel moved by your creative purpose. In the words of Virginia Woolf, finding your “creative power” can “at once bring the whole universe to order.”

However, rediscovering your creative streak after a period of stagnation can be hard. The blank page can feel imposing when you first sit down to write, and you may feel so disconnected from your artistic projects that you fail to apply even a single brush stroke to your paintings.

Overcoming creative blocks usually involves hard work, persistence, and continued dedication to your craft — even when you don’t want to work. However, if you are in a rut for a prolonged period of time, you may want to consider utilizing the unusual habits of highly productive people to rediscover your creative spirit. Always make sure to plan, prioritize, and ask questions.

Environmental Factors

There’s no blueprint to success when trying to tap into your creative potential. However, most creative people do assert control over the environment where they produce their work. Poet Maya Angelou rented a blank hotel room to write in, while screenwriter Dalton Trumbo produced his best work while writing in the bathtub. You probably don’t have to take your laptop into the tub to find your creative energy, but you should experiment with the room you usually work in.

Start by altering the lighting in your space. You can use lighting to stimulate creativity by switching to dim lighting when searching for inspiration. Low lighting can help you enter a more meditative state to find the right creative frequency. Alternatively, if you are clear about what must be done and simply need to focus, consider opting for bulbs that emit natural light. Natural light increases your clarity of thought and can help you focus on a project for a sustained period. You can further refine your creative space by:

●     Finding a desk and chair that suits your style and supports your posture;

●     Using a room divider if you share the space with others to cut out distractions;

●     Move your desk to a new position to reset your mental state;

●     Use noise-cancelling headphones to cut out any background noise.

These steps can enhance your creativity and help you focus after a stressful day at work. However, you’ll need to follow up with a few lifestyle changes that can boost your energy and help you feel mentally fresh when you sit down to the keyboard, sketchpad, or pottery wheel.

Low Energy Lifestyle

If you’re passionate about your craft, you may be frustrated to find yourself low on energy when it's time to start working. However, this is a common experience for many creative folks who are forced to find time for photography, poetry, or painting after work. It’s only natural to feel tired if you’ve been stressed all day and haven’t been able to take care of your health and well-being due to work commitments. Other reasons you feel tired all the time may include:

●     Sleep apnea;

●     Insufficient or poor-quality sleep;

●     Iron deficiency;

●     Dehydration;

●     Poor diet;

●     Vitamin D deficiency.

Addressing these issues requires an overhaul of your lifestyle. However, investing in your health and wellness is sure to boost your creative energy and will help you rediscover your passion for your craft. For example, if you’ve noticed that you’re struggling to drift off, you may want to make some changes to your bedtime routine. Cutting out blue light and reducing the temperature can significantly improve your odds of getting a good night’s sleep and will ensure you feel rested and ready to take on your next creative project.

Finding Inspiration

Most people mistakenly believe that inspiration comes from some internal well of creative energy. While this may be true for some, the reality is that most people need to actively find inspiration rather than wait for it to come to them. This is why author Stephen King reads over 100 novels a year while highly productive musicians like Ed Sheeran regularly collaborate with singers like Shakira and Rhianna.

You don’t need to find inspiration from your medium, either. For example, if you’re an author, consider taking a trip to a local art gallery or botanical garden. Pay attention to the themes that artists and gardeners are exploring, and consider creating a short piece based on what you find. Similarly, if you’re an artist, you may find fresh inspiration in the form of a paragraph of lyrical prose or a stanza of meaningful poetry.

If you’re still struggling to find inspiration, consider copying artists that you aspire to be like. While copied work isn’t publishable, it can give you a creative jumping-off point. For example, if you aspire to write more lyrical prose, consider copying down the first few lines of work like Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude and imagine how you would continue to the story from that point. This needn’t be perfect, but it could give you the creative spark you need.

Alternatively, if you’re working on a business project, consider focusing your creative energy by highlighting things that have worked in the past. Leaning on past success is crucial, as you don’t need to recreate the wheel before every product launch. Instead, focus on your audience and draw inspiration from similar creative businesses that have found success in your industry.

Conclusion

Tapping into your creative energy can be tricky if you’ve been in a rut for some time. Rather than waiting for inspiration to come, consider making some changes to your environment and lifestyle to promote creativity. This may mean you need to actively search for inspiration when away from your work, as well-written poetry or avante guard art is sure to inspire you to take a new direction in your work. Just be sure to make time for health and wellness, too, as failing to care for yourself will only lead to burnout and frustration. 

Katie Brenneman

Katie is a passionate writer specializing in time management, marketing, and education-related content. When she isn't writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.

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[dhramshalaco]

Why Co-Working Space is in Demand Nowadays?

In today's rapidly evolving work environment, the demand for co-working spaces has surged, reflecting a significant shift in how people perceive and utilize workspaces. This change is driven by several factors, including the rise of remote work, the growing gig economy, and the increasing number of startups and freelancers. These spaces offer an innovative solution that meets the needs of modern professionals, providing a blend of flexibility, community, and cost-effectiveness that traditional office spaces often lack.

What is a Co-Working Space?

A co-working space is a shared working environment where individuals from different organizations, freelancers, remote workers, and small businesses can rent a desk or office space on a flexible basis. These spaces are typically equipped with all the necessary amenities, including high-speed internet, meeting rooms, office supplies, and sometimes even perks like coffee bars or fitness facilities. The concept behind co-working spaces is to create an environment that fosters productivity, creativity, and collaboration among its users, while also reducing the overhead costs associated with maintaining a traditional office.

Why Co-Working Spaces Are in Demand

Flexibility: One of the most significant advantages of co-working spaces is the flexibility they offer. Unlike traditional office leases, which often require long-term commitments, co-working spaces allow individuals and businesses to rent space on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This flexibility is particularly appealing to startups, freelancers, and remote workers who may not require a permanent office.

Cost-Effectiveness: Co-working spaces are generally more affordable than renting a traditional office. They allow small businesses and freelancers to access high-quality office facilities without the burden of long-term leases and high overhead costs. The ability to scale up or down quickly also makes co-working spaces an attractive option for growing businesses.

Networking and Collaboration: Co-working spaces bring together professionals from various industries, creating a vibrant community where networking and collaboration happen naturally. This environment can lead to new business opportunities, partnerships, and ideas. The diversity of people in co-working spaces often sparks creativity and innovation, making them ideal for entrepreneurs and startups.

Work-Life Balance: Many co-working spaces are designed with work-life balance in mind, offering amenities such as wellness programs, lounges, and recreational activities. These features help reduce stress and increase productivity, contributing to a healthier work environment.

Access to Resources: Co-working spaces often provide access to resources that would be costly for an individual or small business to obtain independently. This includes high-speed internet, printers, meeting rooms, and sometimes even mentoring and educational programs. These resources can be invaluable for startups and freelancers who need professional-grade tools without the expense of purchasing them.

The Appeal of Co-Working Spaces in Dharamshala

Dharamshala, nestled in the picturesque Himalayas, is becoming a popular destination for remote workers, freelancers, and digital nomads. The combination of a serene environment, affordable living costs, and a growing community of like-minded professionals makes it an ideal location for co-working spaces.

Co-Working Space Dharamshala offers a unique blend of work and relaxation. The town's natural beauty, combined with modern co-working facilities, allows professionals to work efficiently while enjoying the tranquility of the mountains. The demand for co-working spaces in Dharamshala is also driven by the growing trend of "workcations," where individuals combine work with leisure in a scenic location.

In Dharamshala, co-working spaces cater to the needs of diverse professionals, from freelancers and entrepreneurs to remote teams from larger companies. These spaces are equipped with all the necessary amenities, including high-speed internet, comfortable workstations, and meeting rooms, ensuring that professionals have everything they need to be productive.

Moreover, the community aspect of co-working spaces in Dharamshala is particularly appealing. Many professionals choose to work in Dharamshala not just for its natural beauty, but also for the opportunity to connect with others who share similar values and lifestyles. The co-working spaces here often organize events, workshops, and networking opportunities, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.

Conclusion

The demand for co-working spaces continues to rise as more professionals seek flexibility, community, and cost-effective solutions for their work environments. In locations like Dharamshala, co-working spaces offer the perfect blend of productivity and relaxation, attracting a growing number of remote workers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. As the trend of remote work and digital nomadism grows, co-working spaces in Dharamshala are likely to become even more popular, offering professionals the ideal environment to work, connect, and thrive.