#Personal Real Estate Corporation

[hbdttg]

“Hold the elevator!”

The elevator doors are mere inches from closing, but Steve dutifully shoots a hand out to stop them. They slide back open, revealing a flustered-looking man about Steve’s age on the other side.

He’s dressed head to toe in black, decked out in a simple black pullover with a modest V-neck, snug black jeans, and all-black leather Chucks with a messenger bag slung across his chest. The messenger bag is, unsurprisingly, also black, but covered in a collection of tough-looking patches and pins in varying shades of—well, it’s mostly red, dark red, white, and some yellows, but the pops of color still stand out against his otherwise monochrome ensemble.

His dark, curly hair reaches a little past his shoulders and he’s got this frankly outdated fringe that, despite its very 80’s vibe, frames his face perfectly. His eyes are large and expressive, and he’s got this frantic energy about him that reminds Steve of a live wire. He’s nothing like the buttoned-up suits Steve usually shares his elevator rides with each morning, and it’s a refreshing change of pace.

The man gives Steve a thankful look before stepping into the elevator and leaning against the side wall. “Thanks,” he says, a little distractedly. He’s got a pair big of headphones on and Steve realizes he’s in the middle of a phone call when he adds, “No, not you, Gare, I was thanking the guy who held the elevator for me. Yeah, this building’s crazy. There’s a whole-ass sixtieth floor—guess I’m kind of a big deal now.” He lets out a small, self-deprecating chuckle, reaching for the panel beside him.

As the doors close and the elevator starts to slowly ascend, Steve notices the man pressed the button for the floor above his. Both the fifty-second and fifty-third floor buttons are lit in a halo of green.

“You know I didn’t want to leave you guys,” the man continues, a bit more quietly now that he and Steve are sharing the same small space, “but shit, I couldn’t turn down the pay.” He scoffs. “Ugh, listen to me, just another cog in the capitalist machine. Man, if high school me could see me now. High school Eddie used to talk big about forced conformity and rising up against the man, and now here I am—”

Steve tries not to listen to the one-sided conversation going on beside him, but it’s difficult when a moment later, he hears his own name.

“—clocking in for my first day at fuckin’ Harrington Hargrove Hagan. The pretentious bastards can’t even shorten it to an acronym or something. God forbid they have to miss out on the sound of their own names.”

Steve manages to hold in the obnoxious snort that threatens to escape him. He’s starting to think he might like this guy—Eddie, his mind supplies helpfully—but Eddie’s next words have him freezing in place.

“And it’s nepo baby central. Yeah, pretty sure all the H kiddies are hotshot brokers with the company. All the biggest accounts—gee, I wonder why.”

Steve can feel the back of his neck burning hot with a mixture of annoyance and shame as Eddie cracks a caustic joke about silver spoons and trust funds.

“You’re kidding, one of them works at this branch? Damn, I guess I’ll just keep an eye out for the guy who most looks like he’s got a giant stick up his ass.”

This is quickly becoming the longest elevator ride of Steve’s life. He grits his teeth and stares fixedly at the floor display panel above the elevator doors, watching the numbers climb higher and higher. Thirty-seven. Thirty-eight.

“Listen, I should go, but let’s grab a drink at the Hideout later. Cool, see you then. Bye.”

Forty-one. Forty-two.

Eddie removes his headphones and shoves them into his bag, angling slightly toward Steve. “Sorry about that, man.”

“You’re good,” Steve says shortly, not looking away from the changing numbers. They reach the forty-seventh floor, and all the while, he feels Eddie’s gaze on him.

It’s not like he’s openly staring, but there’s a certain weight to his furtive glances that completely counteracts his attempts at subtlety. It’s the type of gaze Steve’s familiar with, one that he’s been on the receiving end of since his sophomore year of high school when he hit a growth spurt and actually learned how to style his hair. Assessing. Appreciative. Interested.

And in any other situation, Steve would gladly engage. He’d turn on the charm, quirk the corner of his lip up in that way Robin always rolls her eyes at but reluctantly acknowledges as ‘passably effective’, and maybe even make up an excuse to sidle a bit closer.

But he’s not giving this guy his A-game.

Instead, Steve waits in stifling silence until the fifty-second floor is announced and the doors slide open. He steps forward to exit, but at the very last moment stops in the doorway.

He initially wasn’t going to say anything—though, a past version of himself would have definitely spat something biting and bitchy to Eddie about his snark, would have snootily told him to take his little assumptions and shove them where the sun don’t shine—but sooner or later Eddie’s going to realize he and Steve are colleagues, and he’s going to remember shit-talking him in an elevator on his first day of work, and it’s going to be awkward and uncomfortable.

Steve’s just speeding up the timeline, pushing for the sooner rather than the later, when he decides to spin around and fully face Eddie.

“I think you pressed the wrong button,” he says, all sweet and helpful like he’s talking to Dustin’s mom over a sink full of soapy dishes. “Couldn’t help but overhear that you work at Harrington Hargrove Hagan. It’s on the fifty-second floor, not the fifty-third.” Then he takes a small step backward, moving out into the carpeted hallway.

“Oh.” Eddie scrambles for his phone, unlocking it and scrolling quickly until he finds something that has him straightening up and smiling gratefully at Steve. “I guess I remembered it wrong. Thank you.” He pushes away from the wall, takes a step forward to follow Steve out, but then stops dead in his tracks.

Steve gleefully notes the line of Eddie’s gaze, how it lingers at the breast pocket of his shirt, where, clipped to a retractable badge reel, his building keycard hangs. Eddie evidently hadn’t noticed it during the elevator ride up, but he’s certainly fixated on it now.

Perhaps on the abstract yet easily recognizable Harrington Hargrove Hagan logo in the top right corner.

But more likely, based on the positively mortified look growing on Eddie’s face, on the name clearly printed underneath Steve’s photo in bold, black lettering: STEVE HARRINGTON.

Slowly, Eddie drags his eyes back up to Steve’s face. He stares in silence, eyes bugging nearly out of his head, face turning a concerning shade of pink, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, and his reaction is extreme enough that a small part of Steve is almost inclined to take pity on the guy and laugh it all off.

Unfortunately for Eddie, a bigger part of Steve thinks Eddie looks kind of cute all red-faced and embarrassed like this. So he glances down at himself thoughtfully before turning his attention back on Eddie. “Wow,” he says with exaggerated astonishment, “now that you mention it, I guess I do look like I’ve got a giant stick up my ass.”

As if on cue, the elevator chimes in warning. The doors begin to close, but Eddie just remains rooted in place with that same wide-eyed, horrified expression.

When it becomes clear he has no intentions of actually exiting the elevator, Steve chuckles and wiggles his fingers in a cheeky little wave. “Welcome to the team,” he says airily, before Eddie’s still-blushing face disappears behind the elevator doors.

/ Now with a Part 2!

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[agathokleousneophytou]

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[r4vn]

–LATE BLOSSOM

farleıgh x reader 【1/3】

w.c: 2,183

disclaimers: sensual tension, dilf!farleigh, secretary!reader, beginning of the good stuff be patient please!, oliver is a good person (*gasp*), companyAU!, cutesy, intro, pls dont bored im cooking guys *_*

—synopsis: you went to work expecting a normal day, when suddenly your boss tells you that you have been moved under new management in a new building. you now work right under the man who owns the company, and nearly a year in, he is still full of surprises.

a/n: hello! i was inspired by @girlboybug to write a fic on dilf!farleigh. this is the beginning but i hope you stay with me till the end! please be patient with me my summer has been (fortunately) real busy! ty so much for the support!

– part ²: here.

「divider by @/ cafekitsune」

you sort of always considered that you got a late start in life. never in academics and such, but in adulthood. you had your first kiss way later than everyone else, at 18. you got your driver license late at 20, due to your fear of driving, and you got your first flat around 22 years of age. you were now 26 and living a very, well, uneventful life. you worked at a real estate corporation for the last 3 years of your life. you worked, sometimes went to the gym afterwards, and went home.

everyone you knew were beginning their lives, getting married, having kids, or simply just moving in with their significant others. you lived in a shared apartment, with no kids, and certainly no lover. your last known boyfriend was back when you were 20. the guy was a major narcissist, who nearly liked to kiss himself in the mirror and never really treated you well. it lasted for about 6 months before you were done with him.

you would occasionally go out with your roommate, oliver. whenever the two of you had the evening off. oliver is relatively a nice guy, who had a small wild side. whenever the two of you would go out he would always outdrink you and you never could catch up with his tolerance. you loved challenging him even if you could never beat him. other than hanging out with oliver, work was practically your life.

who you worked for, was a little more interesting. about six months ago, you switched buildings under different management. it was rather very abrupt in the day. you walked into your job and sat down at your desk outside your boss's room before your then boss asked you why you were here. you were confused, before she explained that you were moved under a different building and why. that morning you quickly drove to your new workplace and practically ran through the cubicles. you finally made it to the elevator and press floor 60, the top floor, and ran down the hall in your black mary janes and short pencil skirt.

you cursed to yourself for wearing such a skirt on this day. why did this have to happen to you of all people? a sudden job switch was not on the list this morning. you finally arrived at office room 636 quickly checked the time. you were exactly 5 minutes early.

oh thank god. i can breathe..

you began to slow your breathing. suddenly, you noticed how this particular office door was auburn brown instead of black like all the other doors. your brows narrowed before finding the nameplate on the door.

" farleigh start

saltburn estates, CEO "

you gulped, darting your head to each end of the ironically empty hallway. you've only worked under general managers and supervisors, never a CEO. why were you even hired for this job? your hand grabbed the door and you pushed it open, knocking simultaneously. you wore a mostly confident smile as you finally faced your new boss.

"good morning, sir." you greeted. the male brunette looked up from his laptop and his brows immediately furrowed.

"who're you?" he asked, clearly perplexed.

"i'm– [y/n, l/n] ..your new secretary. i uh ..i was moved from a different building to fill your last one's spot after she left." you explained. farleigh subtly looked you up and down that morning before smiling gently at you.

"well hello [y/n], wonderful to meet you." your cheeks warmed, nodding at him. he seemed charming for sure.

"same to you." you looked down at your shoes, smiling to yourself. you thought he was pretty, gorgeous even. his curls were tight and defined. he had shiniest brown eyes with the longest lashes and god, his cheekbones fit him so well. the lined-up scruffiness that occupied his jaw and chin made him more intimidating. not in a bad way, but more of a mysterious and intriguing one. he wore his black on black suit very well. you dont think you've seen a more handsome man in your life.

"you like croissants?" he suddenly asked. you were taken back at the sudden random question but immediately nodded. he snapped, and pointed a finger gun at you, smiling.

"fantastic, can you grab us some croissants from the cafe block down? doesn't matter what kind you get. use the company card." you nodded and shuffled your way to the door to exit his office. you couldn't help but smile, getting a feeling that this job may be more eventful than your last.

fast forward 9 months, life ironically got just a little brighter after switching job positions. working for farleigh was the same work, essentially but somehow it felt different. you were looking forward to working nearly every shift now. farleigh's various food requests left you on the craziest goose chases around the city. from getting thai food on the west side of london to vietnamese or very specific macarons on the east.

what made these adventures more fun was due to farleigh texting you throughout your walks or drives through the city. he wanted your number to make sure you updated him on your way there, and for your safety. you never texted him outside of work, you were too afraid he would turn you down in a way, and that would be super embarrassing.

"and so you saw two pigeons break dancing on the sidewalk?" farleigh asked with a grin. you laughed, nodding in response to his question. you placed the 16-count box of assorted macarons on mr.start's desk, smiling.

"well, they sure were not playing rock-paper-scissors. so i went with the realistic decision that they were break-dancing." you grinned. a chuckle slipped past farleighs lips, causing your chest to feel warmer.

"right, [y/n]. because pigeons fighting wasn't another good answer." the brunette playfully deadpanned before laughing one last time. he eagerly opened the box of fresh macarons, grabbing a coffee flavored one. he took a bite and immediately closed his eyes in contentment. you made a mental note he always saved most of the coffee macarons for last. whether it be 2 or 6 in the 16-count, he made sure he ate one first and another last.

"talk to me about today, [y/n]." farleigh mentions. you snap out of your mental folder on your boss and open your laptop up for today's schedule.

"you have a 10:30am call with finance, a 12:00pm call with crisis management, a 2:00pm meeting with advertisement, and a 4:00pm team meeting with floor supervisors." farleigh grabs another macaron, raspberry flavored while listening.

"hmm ..let's reschedule my 2:00pm with the advertisement team tomorrow, that way i won't be completely bored with my one meeting tomorrow with janet." he suggested. janet was the chief operating officer, the COO.

"yes sir." you nod and began rescheduling the preferred meeting. he thanked you, eating the rest of the macaron in his hand. your eyes then glanced over, watching as his thumb wiped the corner of his mouth. he licked his lips, causing you to immediately look away. you felt a little flustered in the face, because anything that man did was attractive to you.

"i think for the brunch meeting on friday i move it to monday ..and ...so i can.." you vaguely listened to farleigh ramble. your boss always rambled out of anxiousness yet he did everything so calmly and smoothly. how he did it was so attractive to you. he wasn't a boy with a high position, but a man with a well-deserving job. the way he carried himself simply lured you in. you blinked away your thoughts of your boss and cleared your throat.

"siiir," you start with a singy-songy tone. "you have 10 minutes to speak to finance. floor 59." you add, chuckling as farleigh caught himself rambling. he pursed his lips together trying to both shut up and not smile. he held up his index finger to signal you to give him a a moment and then rigorously typed away at his computer. a moment passed, and the tall male slowly began standing up out of his chair as he typed.

"sir.." you press on, giggling. he playfully hushed you, finally stopped typing and closed the laptop. farleigh grabbed his blazer off the back of his chair to exit.

being mr.start's secretary has allowed you to learn to relax at work. maybe it's because you never knew the word around your last job, but farleigh would catch you stressing out before telling you to take a breather. he wasn't the most extroverted person you knew but the minimal talking you two did, you cherished. you recapped your day in your mind every evening before bed. if you didn't know any better, you'd say he was your work crush. but of course, you'd never admit that even to yourself. the two of you walk out the office together, side by side.

°°°

it was early evening and many employees were wrapping up their shift. it was a rather smooth day of talking business and building contracts.

"its getting late in the day, you sure you want to stay until i leave?" farleigh questioned, groaning as he sat back down in his own personal office chair. he was drained from speaking to several people today, but glad he could enjoy another few macarons now.

"why not? i don't have anything better to do." you shrugged and laughed sheepishly. farleigh had raised a brow, eating a vanilla macaron.

"you don't go out?" you open your mouth to answer farleighs question and close it, thinking of a way to explain your social status. there was nothing to fully elaborate on really but you really didn't want to look like a loner to mr.start.

"well," you began. "i go out with my roommate occasionally, but other than that my schedule consists of work, the gym, and home." farleigh hums in response. he grabbed another coffee macaron and held it up towards you, offering it. you got up and happily accepted the sweet pastry from the mams slender digits.

"i understand, i'd like to say i'm the same way. but this weekend i am going to a business event. it's not the greece or new zealand but atleast im out of this damned building." the two of you share a laugh at his words. his phone digs, and his brown eyes divert to the notification appearing on his phone.

"oh nonono.." you hear your boss mumble, making you perk up.

"whats wrong, sir?" you ask. he sighed loudly and flipped his phone over, rubbing his scruffy jaw with his hand.

"i uh– my babysitter just canceled on me the day of the business event." babysitter? you tilt your head, trying to keep your shock suppressed but slowly fail.

"you have a child?" you ask, clearly bewildered while farleigh looked up at you chuckling. his pearly whites nearly mesmerized you.

"yes, [y/n] i have a child. a son." you swallow thickly at his words. your mind couldn't help but wander. how have you worked for the ceo of one of england's biggest real estate companies for nearly a year now and never knew he had a son?

"i didn't know that. what's his name if i may ask?" you continued. you didn't want to pry, but this was the type of news that needed questions to be asked. it made you wonder if farleigh was married now.

"his name benjamin. i didn't expect you to know that i have a son. i keep my personal life very separate from work. behind the scenes as such." farleigh explains, picking up his phone to respond to the text.

"and your babysitter just canceled?" you repeat, trying to quickly piece together an image of farleigh with a miniature version of him.

"yes, unfortunately. it's so last minute considering it is thursday and the event is saturday." farleigh sets his phone back down and opens just computer again, sighing. a mildly comfortable silence laid over the room, yet you were still tense. your mind gears kept generating the same idea and you kept silently denying it until–

"i could babysit for you." you blurted out. farleighs fingers stopped typing at the keys and he looked your way. he raised a brow with inquisitiveness, scanning your face to see if you were serious. you were.

"you, would babysit my son?" he asks. you cleared your throat awkwardly, nodding.

"w-why not? i mean– i am your secretary, the closest person to you in his building." farleigh tried his damndest to keep his smile to a minimum as he gazed at you and you watched at the corners of his lips twitched. "be at my place at 1:30pm. i'll send my address the morning of."

you finally smiled, nodding before going back to your work on your laptop till the end of your shift. admittedly, you were excited to meet benjamin, and a little more excited to see mr.start's home.

© r4vn ²⁰²⁴, do not repost my work

stay tuned! ♡

[capitalism-and-analytics]

Some highlights from the proposed bill for those interested:

Highest Personal Income Tax Rate Since 1986 (combined Federal Tax rate of 45%)

Highest Capital Gains Tax Since 1978. A rate over twice as high as China’s capital gains tax rate.(nearly doubles rate from 20% to 39%)

Corporate Tax Rate Higher than Communist China. (A 31% increase, from 21% to 28%)

Unconstitutional Wealth Tax on Unrealized Gains

Quadrupled Tax on Stock Buybacks. This tax will hit every American with a 401K or IRA or union pension.

$31 Billion Tax on American Energy

32% Increase to Medicare Taxes

Carried Interest Tax on Capital Gains

$23 Billion Retirement Tax

$24 Billion Cryptocurrency Tax

Real Estate Tax Hike (wants to end 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges)

Doubles the Global Minimum Tax (Global Intangible Low-Tax Income (GILTI) from on U.S. multinational corporations from 10.5 to 21 percent, which after the disallowance of foreign tax credits would provide a top rate of 26.25 percent)

[tomwambsmilk]

Also in love with Jesse Armstrong for choosing this season to come out and say. By the way. In case you missed it somehow. Yeah this is a show about capitalism. The product launch is kind of a work of genuis in that respect. We're taking a dystopian hellscape straight out of Black Mirror where a corporation controls every aspect of your existence and we're rebranding it as something positive. Not to mention all the talk about being "crime-free", which, sure, maybe Kendall has not personally thought through the implications of how that's going to happen, and there are several options, but all are bad. Is it "crime-free" in the commonly used euphemistic sense of being a mostly white community? Is it crime free because any crime is punished with expulsion and possible homelessness? Is it crime free because they're psychologically screening people going in and eliminating anyone who has a "risky" psychology? All of the above? And that doesn't even get into the dystopia of the few priviledged people who get to live in this hellscape having first access to medical care which might improve quality and longevity of life, something which is openly included in the pitch, or the fact that you'll only have access to ATN/Waystar news and entertainment. The dystopia is staggering and the worst part is that it was almost real!!!! This is a real thing Walt Disney tried to do!!!!! This is not as fictional as one would hope!!!!!! Absolutely insanity (affectionate) to incorporate that. And no one seems to clock how fucked up it is, aside from Matsson's holocaust joke, which is rich coming from the head of the "NASDAQ master race". He has no real moral objection, it's just a play. No one realizes how crazy it is, or maybe they don't care how crazy it is - to them it's just the natural conclusion of what they've been doing. It's cruises on land. It's real estate. It's entertainment. It's hell on earth and they can't fucking see it

[a-d-nox]

lenormand cards: key phrases and an example of a card combo (part 2)

this is just a beginners guide to the lenormand. these are key phrases that come to mind when i think of the cards - NOT how they should be directly applied. they needs to be thought about situationally - the card / when it is in specific combos can change or alter its meaning in a reading.

child: innocence, nativity, spontaneity, seeing only the good in people, carefree attitude, an actually child, smallness, newness, beginnings, playing, immaturity, etc.

child + heart = young love, blind devotion, puberty, just happy to be around others, small joys in life, parallel play, nostalgia, an olive branch, etc.

fox: plotting, protection, security, stealth, deviousness, treachery, manipulation, deception, trickery, loyalty, work, routine, obligation, responsibility, duty, cons, etc.

fox + child = white lies, feigning ignorance/innocence, impulsive actions based on opportunity, pretending to be better than you are, avoiding responsibilities, etc.

bear: defensive, fierceness, resourcefulness, power, strength, courage, protection, maturity/matriarchy, stability, security, management, finances, investments, income, possessions, diet, food, etc.

bear + fox = protective yourself, a fierce loyalty, seven of swords energy, white collar crime, savings account, etc.

stars: peacefulness, tranquility, guidance, direction, happiness, hope, encouragement, perseverance, confidence, etc.

stars + bear = protecting your peace, the power of ones mindset, seeing a way out of the red / debt, etc.

stork: esteem, admiration, respect, babies, fertility, fruitfulness, productivity, birth, renewal, change, movement, new job, new home, new person in your life, extra money, improvements, pregnancy, adoption, new activity, new projects, progress, advancement, renovations, evolution, etc.

stork + stars = good self-esteem, becoming pregnant soon, encouragement from the universe to get a new job, don't lose hope in a project/task, etc.

dog: best friend, companionship, protection, loyalty, fidelity, guidance, sincerity, partnership, acquaintanceship, therapist, boyfriend/girlfriend, an affair, advisor, doctor, reliability, etc.

dog + stork = your best friend is pregnant, meeting a new friend, renewal of vows, a reliable new source of income, real estate agent, taking things to the next level in a relationship, etc.

tower: shelter, protection, confinement, imprisonment, government, corporation, judicial system, military, guarding, ego, ambition, isolation, guidance, schools, law, hospitals, high self-esteem, condos, movie theaters, office building, mall, airports, chain businesses, legal matters, bureaucracy, etc.

tower + dog = a sheltered friend, a friend you protect, roommate, an egotistical friend, water cooler encounters at the workplace, needing to visit the doctor for testing, etc.

garden: courting, public gatherings, harmony, beauty, relaxation, birthday parties, concert, play, movies, restaurants, public/private occasions, reunions, conferences, seminars, meetings, crowds, audiences, celebrations, abundance, etc.

garden + tower = little to no dating experience, solitude, hotel stay, movie theater, cafeteria, airport reunions, a convention, etc. 

mountain: immobility, resistance, standing still, endurance, blockage, obstacles, what must be overcame, challenges, delays, interruptions, burdens, postponement, procrastination, remoteness, faraway retreats, etc.

mountain + garden = stage fright, an enduring relationship, social anxiety, social burden, secrets, a rain date for an event, etc.

crossroads: options, choices, free will, multiple directions, doubts, hesitation, double lives, cheating, etc.

crossroads + mountain = analysis paralysis, the many ways to overcome an obstacle, challenges within a relationship ("where do we go from here"), etc.

mice: sickness, fast, smart, group work, damage, reproduction, stress, worry, restlessness, agitation, palpitations, anxiety, nervousness, apprehension, tension, fatigue, lost items, small problems, tediousness, repetitiveness, excitement, eagerness, agitation, etc.

mice + crossroads = options of treatment, anxiety, paranoia, worrying about doing the wrong thing or picking the wrong choice, decision fatigue, etc.

heart: love, passion, devotion, affection, emotions, connections with others, appreciation of others, happiness, joy, contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment, gratification, peace, harmony, delight, pleasure, enjoyment, kindness, charity, generosity, hospitality, feelings, desires, fondness, intentions, fidelity, etc.

heart + mice = heart break, a wave of emotions, instant gratification, manifesting, etc.

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my "suggest a post topic" button if you want to see a specific pac/pile next. if you'd like my input on how i read a specific card or what i like to ask my deck, lenormand combos centered on specific card, etc. feel free to use the ask button for that as well.

click here for the masterlist

click here for more lenormard related posts

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© a-d-nox 2024 all rights reserved

[blackstarmylove]

Jobs (HC)

Fandom: Blackstar Theater Starless

Pairing: No pairing.

Warning: None

Prompt: What if they had 'normal' lives where Starless never existed, and neither did the sketchy organizations behind the scenes? What non-sketchy careers would they pursue?

A/N: Assume older age for the younger characters; they're not in school/college anymore.

———————————————

Kei

Celebrity - Actor/Singer/Model (of course, lol)

CEO & Founder of a Corporation

Owner of a Movie Production House

Sotestu

Stockmarket Investor

Professional Poker Player

Detective/Private Investigator

Yakou

Scientist

Reporter

Professor (his class 99% female students, lol)

Yoshino

Chess Player

Owner of a small business (inn or restaurant - girls flock there just to see his cuteness)

Freelancer

Ginsei

Celebrity (Model/Actor)

General Manager in a big company

Scriptwriter

Gui

Parkourist

Skateboarder or Snowboarder

In short, Athlete

Kokuyou

Boxer

Captain in the military

Personal Trainer (A LOT of the women want him to train them)

Akira

Boyband Member

Bartender

Model

Sin

Author

CEO of a big company

Head of a Secret Service Agency

Takami

Detective

Politician

Businessman

Taiga

Streamer

Programmer/Developer

Runs a computer repair shop

Rindou

Model

PCP/Family Doctor

Pediatrician (all the moms loooove going to him because he takes care of their kids really well...yeah, let's go with that.)

Maica

CEO of a company

Fashion Blogger

Music Composer/Singer

Menou

Professional Mattress Tester

Applier for every clinical sleep study possible

Real Estate Agent

Sinju

Working for a non-profit

Caretaker in an elderly home (the grandmas and grandpas love him to death)

Freelancer

Nekome

Surgeon (would you trust him? XD)

Politician

Police Officer

Mokuren

Professional Food Taster

Dancer/Dance Teacher

Food Critic

Qu

Beauty Pageant/Model Trainer

Professional Makeup Artist

Fashion Designer

Zakuro

Controversial YouTuber

Politician

Therapist (would you trust him?)

Hari

Software Engineer

Founder of a business

Researcher at a large institute

Kasumi

Secret Agent for the government

Martial Art Instructor

Physical Therapist

Aogiri

Fashion Designer

Nurse Practitioner

Yoga Instructor (his calmness makes me think this😂)

Mizuki

Food Taster

Skateboarder

Bad Cop

Kongou

Professional Chef

Gym Trainer/Bodybuilder

Wrestler (of course lol)

Heath

Florist

Underground Rapper

Environmentalist

Ran

Skateboarder

Dog Trainer

Idol

Rico

Model

Personal Fashion Designer

Casting Director

Hinata

Basketball Player

Tattoo Artist

Gym Instructor

Unei

9 to 5 Office Employee

Manager in a small company

———————————————

➣ BlackStar Theater Starless Masterlists [1][2][3][4]

➣ Main Masterlist

[oliversrarebooks]

General Masterlist

Here are all my stories not directly related to the Rare Bookseller series:

fuck you, I'm a goddamn menace

The story of a half-redeemed villain and the hero team determined to protect him.

part one

part two

the truth is...

passengers

A world where alien parasites take excellent care of their hypnotized human hosts.

chemical imbalance - A passenger struggling to control their human host visits a doctor for answers.

corporate retreat

An anxious IT person working for an underground supervillainy organization gets sent to their brainwashing department for a mental readjustment.

masterlist

human resistance

The story of some of the last humans on Earth in the face of an unstoppable force -- aliens that use their own weaknesses to turn them into mindless slaves and pets.

masterlist

a good grade in being brainwashed

Stuffy, stressed out corporate lawyer Vinay, lonely and anxious, decides to buy a pet for a companion. He isn't expecting to find his old college roommate, frenemy, and secret crush, now wiped of his memories and most of his personality.

masterlist

one-offs

Whumpy one-offs, primarily featuring hypnosis, drugging and psychological whump.

lay down on the operating table (sedation whump)

listen to my Voice, hero (mind control villain)

the defiant princess (princess hypnotized by her advisor)

walk home late at night (classic vampire kidnapping)

get lost (a hapless wanderer and the fairy who collects them)

we'll make great pets (an owner of a human pet finds the tables turned)

simple word problems (hypoxia)

test tube fairy (sedated fairy captured in a test tube and drained of magic)

chloroform rag (winner of the sedation vending machine poll)

challenges

Augusnippets Masterlist

cyoa

Whumpy choose your own adventure stories

brainwashing chair

the fairy king and his real estate agent

The story of Benjamin, disillusioned and unhappy real estate agent, and how he becomes the consort to an egotistical, annoying fairy king.

Smartphone

fanfic

Falsely Persuaded (for whumpsday's Kane & Jim)

My ask box is open as well, if you'd like to ask the characters anything or talk about whump tropes.

[agathokleousneophytou]

5 posts!

[cupidastrology]

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 ༺♥༻

please do not repost or copy my work.

the 3rd house is known as the communication house; the ability and skill to connect with others, the self, and within things mentally and communicatively. the use of words, body language, and the way of communicative expression is shown here.

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

sun in the 3rd house 𐐪𐑂 you're bright in the acquirement of knowledge, you're endlessly reading, and the navigator for others when it comes to understanding words from the dictionary. you will excel in areas that have to do with research and conducting/hosting discussions with others on tough or controversial topics.

moon in the 3rd house ♡ your emotions are able to be spoken or thoroughly focused on with this position. you can express yourself clearly to others but it can also cause conversations becoming muddled if your emotions become overwhelming. you may read books just because you feel like it, not because you need to. there is a desire to create comforting conversations.

mercury in the 3rd house 𐐪𐑂 the most highly strung positions when it comes to communication and creation of the mind. you're able to communicate to others simply from the way the world moves. ability or skills in writing; you may have created wonderful stories or essays in your youth. any topic on any situation is intriguing, having the skills to read through someone's words. very technical.

venus in the 3rd house ♡ you can see the love in a person's eyes, amazing skill set with writing love or sex letters to loved ones, you can entice others to want you with the way that you speak. writing or creating music may be important in your life. you can't speak ill or someone but jealousy can be a strong front. a desire to surround yourself by love and seduction, down to what you read.

mars in the 3rd house 𐐪𐑂 aggressive way of speaking and writing, you read more about the fights between big corporations and injustices than the norm. you may indulge into sports, wrestling, or become a sort of commentator for sports. getting involved in fights by the words of others may happen in your youth, crude way of words or cussing often. body mannerisms are sudden and impulsive.

jupiter in the 3rd house ♡ you find lots of opportunities when you seek your mind and thoughts, what you read and invest in conversational wise may help you to understand your environment better. luck is on your side when it comes to conjuring up new ideas if you plan to become a blogger, content creator, or publicist with this position. you may do well with speaking on a podcast.

saturn in the 3rd house 𐐪𐑂 having trouble speaking or simply expressing yourself in words, needing to constantly prove yourself or having to deal with inconsolable thoughts about what you write/create. you may deal with contracts or deals with others that are highly skilled, professional, and kept restricted from the rest of the world. isolated and hard set in routine.

uranus in the 3rd house ♡ you may have sudden or disruptive thoughts when it comes to making choices for yourself, for others, or when it comes to creating new ideas. location and architecture are important to how you conjure up ideas in your daily life, writing and graphic skills may be on your resume. getting involved typography or real estate is big here.

neptune in the 3rd house 𐐪𐑂 daydreaming about living or having a home ontop or near the water is common with this position. you may live near the ocean or want to handle areas involving sea life, visiting lots of aquariums or indulging into the unknown. looking into controversies or discussing subjects about the human civilization (mainly its roots) with others. its best to constantly discern and listen to your intuition here.

pluto in the 3rd house ♡ your words impact others, controlling or dominating body mannerisms or actions in the way you write. discussions and topics may be about the future, worries or strong events about environment written down in a journal. the way you write, express your thoughts in creative forms, or even at a honest front brings people to feel strongly or think more seriously.

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

[transmutationisms]

i get what this person is trying to convey but i still think people don't really get the relationship "gentrification" posits between the working class and the property-owning capitalist class (the etymological root here being the gentry) (no this doesn't map onto "mom & pop shop vs big corporation") and more to the point i don't think that scarcity resulting from the physical constraints of a physical real estate market maps neatly onto cyber 'space' and a lot of the way we talk about the internet is confused because it tries to directly import discourses from liberal political economy as though 'online' is a place necessarily also governed by and replicating capitalist expansion, land exploitation, and so forth. like, the reasons for very large conglomerates' socmed sites succeeding over rinkydink individuals' html pages are numerous and complex but to simply assert that it came down to a process of removing the working class and installing in their place the wealthy property-controlling class in a process of land/housing transferral (bc this is what gentrification is) strikes me as both incorrect and very confused about fundamental mechanisms of how online 'space' works, what property is, and why resource distribution and exploitation matter

[fancyfanfiction]

A Semi-Perfect Halloween

Hey friends, new fic! I came across the show Ghosts this year and I really love it, so I had an idea.

Summary:

Isaac turned to Sam, “But, you’re saying that we could have at least a semi-return to life?” His curiosity turned to excitement, “You can give all of us a semi?!” "Maybe we can find a, um, different descriptor from that?" What happens when Sam finds a ritual on the internet that could potentially partially resurrect our favorite post-living housemates? Will it even work?

Cross posted to: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56327503/chapters/143111143

The crisp chill of autumn had settled over Woodstone Manor and the promise of Halloween grew with the orange and red carpet of fallen leaves that spread across the vast grounds of the estate. Sam sat by the library window scrolling on her phone, hoping that some time away from the laptop screen would help bust through her writer’s block. That afternoon saw the ghosts attending to their various hobbies, leaving Sam a rare moment of silence.

              “Hey Jay, listen to this:” She called out and thumbed back to the top of the page, “that website I got the séance instructions from, it looks like they have some sort of ritual they’re claiming can give a ghost its body back!”

              “You’re kidding. That would be so cool!” Jay rushed in, beaming. “I could finally get to hang out for real with my man Pete; shoot some hoops, play some D n’ D.” He peered over Sam’s shoulder at the phone browser. “I could teach the ghosts how to play x-box!” he said. “Do we need physical items that belonged to the ghosts or that they had with them when they died or anything?”

              “Nope. It looks like we just need whoever’s getting their body back to be a part of the circle. And y’know the candles and incense and stuff it lists here.” Sam showed him said list and crossed to the library door. “Guys come in here, I found something really exciting!”

              The eight ghost friends gathered quickly, each echoing their own variation of “what is it?”

              Sam repeated the discovery, finishing with, “And so the day before Halloween, we can do this ritual and you guys would get 3 whole days to be corporeal again.” 

              “Jiminy! That sounds almost too good to be true.” Pete ran a hand through his hair, mouth still agape.

              “Pete’s right,” Alberta nodded. “There’s gotta be a catch. One thing I learned working in showbiz is you don’t ever get something for nothing.” She put her hands on her hips.

              “And what I learned working in the stock market,” Trevor cut in, “is ‘no risk, no reward.’” He turned to the rest of the group. “Guys, we could be alive again!”

              “Well, sorta.” Sam hated to burst the bubble.

              “I knew it.” Alberta declared. Bending the rules of the universe couldn’t be as easy as all that.

              “It looks like there are some restrictions,” Sam continued, looking at each of her friends. “You still can’t leave the property, for one. And like I said, it lasts 3 days and that’s it. Probably some other stuff, too. The person who wrote this says they didn't want to test the limits."

              Hetty sunk down onto the sofa. “So then, how do we know that this will work?”

              “Well, the séance the other year did bring back Molly,” offered Sasappis as he took the seat next to her. “So, at least one of their things works.”

              “Thor like the idea. Even if only for short time. It will be good to eat cod again.”

              Jay made a mental note to stop by the fishmonger tomorrow.

��             “How does this website holder person even know how to go about all these ghost things?” Hetty asked. The efficacy of the séance seemed more a fluke to her, dumb luck for some internet conman.

              “Maybe there’s someone like me out there who’s had more time to get used to their powers and learn about all the ghost lore.” Sam hoped there really was at least one other person out there who knew what it was like.

              “It sounds like a win-win situation to me” Flower perched herself on the arm of the couch. “If it does work, we get to be kinda-sorta human again for a little bit. And I can finally pet that butterfly!”

              “Flower, I don’t think that’s what a win-win situation is.” Albert said, placing her hand on the other ghost’s shoulder. “It’s more like just a single win. And besides, there will still be living things we can’t do.”

Isaac turned to Sam, “But, you’re saying that we could have at least a semi-return to life?” His curiosity melted to excitement, “You can give all of us a semi?”

Trevor hissed a stifled laugh and turned away.

 “Well…” Sam searched for a diplomatic way to address the new ghost term, “maybe we can find a, um, different descriptor than that.” She trailed off.

“Ooohhh! We could call them quasimorts like in The Chronicles of Riddick!” Jay interjected, proud of how his powers of inference had grown over the years of ghostly shenanigans.

“Eugh,” Isaac made a face, “’ half dead’ just sounds wrong.”

Sam looked blankly at her husband.

“Oh right, you fell asleep through that movie.” Jay shrugged. “Never mind.”

Sam returned her attention to the invisible group. “Obviously, none of you have to do this if you don’t want to. Like Hetty said, it may not even work, but if there’s a chance—”

“I’m in, Sam.” Sass stood.

“Yes, if we cannot be sucked off, at least we all can get a semi.” Hetty added.

The other ghosts nodded and voiced their agreement. If nothing else, it was something to do for a few hours in eternity.

The items for the ritual had been easy to source over the next few days thanks to the miracles of Deal Mart and Amazon Prime. Incense and tealights burned, the faint orange glow was the only light source across the whole manor. It reflected off the smoke that trailed around the room, carrying the light in an almost supernatural way. Sam and Jay had placed one of each just in front of where each ghost now stood in the circle and took care to cover any mirrors in the room just as the anonymous internet medium had instructed. In the center sat a pile of seemingly random junk, from candied orange peels to a VHS of the movie Ghost.

“Alexa,” Sam activated the device, “How long until moon rise?”

It dinged in recognition of the question, “The moon will rise at 8:42 pm.”

“Thank you, Alexa.” Sam replied and she rolled her shoulders for at least the fifth time in the past 15 minutes.

Jay raised an eyebrow, glancing at his wife.

“What?”

“Trying to appease our future robot overlords?” Jay joked. He knew how anxious Sam was for this to actually work.

She smiled and the tension in her shoulders dropped. Somehow Jay always knew what she needed in the moment. He really was the best husband she could ever ask for, even if he did polish off the brand-new party-sized bag of chips she’d just bought that morning.

“Now, we all join hands.” Sam took Jay’s hand and held out her other for Flower to hold to the best of her ability. “Repeat after me: “Spirts, spirts, welcome in.” The voices of her friends echoed around her. “May you be restored as the veil grows thin. May your bones and flesh return during this Halloween sojourn." She squeezed her eyes closed. Please, please let this work, she thought.

The ground rumbled as a gust whooshed through the room extinguishing all the candles and incense leaving them all bathed in darkness.

“So,” Flower dropped Sam’s hand, “Did it work?”

“Who said that?” Jay looked around hoping for some bit of moonlight peeking through a window, “Sam?”. There was no way.

“Jay, that was Flower!” Sam could’ve cried. “If Jay heard Flower, that means—"

Sam sprinted over to the light switch and gasped as her friends were illuminated. Something had changed about them. Even though she, obviously, could see them, the ghosts all seemed somehow more solid, now.

“Oh my God! It actually worked! Sam, I can see them too!” Joy lit Jay’s face as he ran over to hug Pete.

Trevor was doubled over, hands on his knees. “Holy shit. I feel like I just sprinted a mile.” Trevor choked out.

Sam’s eyes widened. She surveyed the other ghosts quickly. Most of them seemed fine, but others…

“Oh! Oh no!" Sam grabbed a small canister from her purse. "Here, Trevor, use my inhaler.” She shook it and handed it to the still pants-less, well he wasn’t really technically a ghost anymore. Who would’ve guessed that her asthma would ever come in handy?

Isaac rushed to the water closet behind the check-in desk.

“Make sure you wash your hands,” Sass called after him.

Jay added some Pepto-Bismol and Gatorade to his mental shopping list, too. “I guess you guys can still be effected by your cause of death.”

Alberta slumped onto the couch, a wave of exhaustion crashing over her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired.”

Hetty and Isaac took places on either side of her to at least try tend to their friend.

“It looks like the stuff that killed us just got, I dunno, dialed back, or something.” Flower touched her shoulder where the gashes from her bear attack still shimmered red but didn’t gush like they should’ve.

Sam didn’t think she’d ever seen Flower look this clear-eyed, even in her moments of lucidity.

 “Huh. It looks like those of us who died from external forces aren’t that effected.” Pete rubbed each side of his neck, only feeling small wounds on either side, “Guess that’s good for you, Big Guy.” He patted Thorfinn’s shoulder.

 “Yes. Thor very glad to not be hit by lightning again.” He crossed to a slightly askew painting hanging on the opposite wall and straightened it. “Been bothering me for years.” He explained “This is great! We should do every Halloween.”

“I think that’s a no-go, buddy. Full moons only happen on Halloween once every 20-ish years, or there about.” Pete gazed thoughtfully up at the aforementioned celestial body now peaking through the window, just above the tree line.

“Hey,” Trevor’s gasping for air had thankfully slowed to almost normal breathing, “Y’know, that inhaler thing could count as an indirect kiss.” Trevor offered a weak smile.

“Trevor!” Sam objected.

“Joking. Joking.”  He put up his hands in mock surrender.

“Man, what did you even take that would do that to you?” Jay crossed to them.

“Hell, if I know. That was supposed to be the fun part.”

“Well, how ‘bout we get you some pants, No-Pants.” Jay clapped a hand on Trevor’s shoulder. “You look like you’re about my size.”

 “Really?” Trevor was touched by the offer. “Thanks, man.” Jay may have been a nerd, but at least he was a cool nerd.

“I’ll even throw in some clean boxers.”

“You, Jay, are truly a bro.”

Isaac wandered in from his bathroom prison. "Could I trouble any of you for some water?"

"I've got ya, buddy." Pete dipped into the kitchen. His eyes welled as he appreciated the grain of the cabinet door against his fingers, the smoothness of the glass and its coolness as it filled with water. Touch was such an underrated sense. "Here you go." He handed to glass to Isaac, wiping away the tears that had threatened underneath his glasses.

"Thank you." Isaac downed the glass in nearly one gulp. The first thing he was able to ingest in centuries and water had never tasted so good. "Oh, Samantha, the water is very good here. You can't even taste any dirt," He declared.

"Water filtration is a great invention." Sass commented.

Hetty bustled over to Sam, satisfied that Alberta had regained some strength. “Samantha, if Trevor is getting to remedy his, shall we say, under-dressed state, may I too trouble you to borrow some less restrictive clothing?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, leaning close to Sam, "I have been in this corset for the past hundred and thirty years. You've talked about removing your brassiere after a long day. Can you possibly imagine keeping one on for over a century?”

 “Hetty? Are you saying you want to free the nipple?” Flower was amused and astonished.

“Oh heavens, no!” Disgust dripped from her voice at the very notion. I thought Samantha would have some sort of longer frock.” Hetty tried to illustrate a swooshing skirt with her hand. Though, she had to admit she hadn't considered how that undergarment situation would work.

 Sam looked up at Hetty, as it finally hit her: at least for 3 days she had all her best friends with her, in the flesh. Sam enveloped her great-great-great-grand aunt in the tightest hug she could muster. “You can borrow any clothes you want. All of you.”

 And for the first time in 130 years, Henrietta Woodstone was able to put her arms around a member of her family and return that gesture. The rest of the room joined, some voicing their thanks to Sam, others letting the hug do the talking.