#and i never tell service industry professionals what to do!

[drdemonprince]

im so type A and anal retentive that when i was zoonked out on general anesthesia i remained incredibly lucid-seeming and my only tell that I was Altered was my repeated attempts to micromanage my Lyft driver in getting us home (I cant drive)

[kooyabooya]

GAMBIT

m reader x tzuyu // 9k words

The thing about risk takers, you see, is the fact that you tell them to stop multiple times - and they never do. 

At every turn of the hands on the clock, here lies Chou Tzuyu, in her most casual form imaginable. One leg on the other with an arm outward to the head of the couch cushions. She’s got her face at this inquisitive angle; pure innocence, slant lips nearing a sly grin while she’s put through an earful from her manager: 

“You’re on your last set of legs, and I hope to god that this story doesn’t break out in the ringers of the press come tomorrow morning.” 

Nothing could scrounge up the loss of professionalism, draining away from the slips in the shut door frame. Because the challenges become more complicated than the other, and this one might just be the tip of the iceberg. 

“Well then,” Tzuyu starts, and in typical Tzuyu fashion: sweetly and unbothered. “Let’s just have our fingers crossed that no one around here is willing to leak that out to the public.” 

Tzuyu’s manager glances towards your direction, matching the same eyebrow with theirs in pure confusion as to what this conversation was boiling down to. You almost feel bad, but fortunate enough to not be stuck in their position. Dealing with Tzuyu’s bullshit on a day to day basis, growing a gloomy shade in their hair that shouldn’t be there for another twenty to thirty years; luckily, that hasn’t happened to you, at least not yet. 

In the years of service that you’ve had with the agency, you’ve had the fair pleasure in confiding with different individuals amongst the growing industry, to different waves of success. Sana? A world beater that has cameras flashing everywhere she goes. Mina? An absolute angel sent from heaven, well fit into the standards of fame. Those two amongst your clients might as well be considered your favorites - and the list that follows after is a very reputable asset to have. 

But Tzuyu? That is a blank area that has still yet to be defined. 

Something about Chou Tzuyu around these doors and offices has everyone turning their heads in the other direction - because you know from experience in this industry - for someone like her that’s bound for stardom with that one of one face and the age that she’s at will be the kind of story that’s not following the script. She’s one of the most genuine, kind-hearted, and beautiful souls that everyone envies to an extent; moreso jumping over cars and off of cliffs to have a mere inkling of notice from her, a scale tipped in the balance to love or hate her persona at the same time. Every now and then she sweeps you up in that whirlwind too, but who can blame you for getting lost in her charming features?

And you find it to be amazing at how she remains so stoic. Color yourself impressed, or bewitched even, you’re also reminded why this little project of hers hasn’t been brought out to the world. 

“So remind me again,” you’re saying, settling yourself around the office, scooching your way past Tzuyu to take the open spot left vacant on the couch, “Tzu over here was caught with what?” 

The observing of Tzuyu doesn’t stop there, unfortunately, limit testing on how dire this present situation actually is - with those long, glossy locks that rest right past her shoulders and in front of her chest, beautifully so like a sculpture bust; the threaded eyebrows, and those long eyelashes. Then, there’s the dimple - and her baby blue outfit, the heels, the jewelry, snug with the curves of her body, she’s meant to be the main event, the sole person who can shift the atmosphere in just a few steps-

Tzuyu’s manager, sadly, isn’t one to play games however. 

Another quirk of the brow gets thrown, and they hit you with a crinkle from the bridge of their eyebrows, inward lips as if anything said from this point on would be held against themselves. 

So you smile, and play the cool guy vibe, mirroring Tzuyu’s seating position in the exact same way down to the wiggling foot. “Well?” 

A file gets thrown to the coffee table in the middle of you three, and a phone is up in the air - unlocked and everything when it lands in between your hands. It’s already on the photos app, and when you’re zooming in to get a closer look at all of the pictures from what you can see from the date in the top portion of the screen - from last weekend, and you’re doing the exact same expression as her manager. 

“It was supposed to be a breaker event for little ‘miss perfect’ over here,” Tzuyu’s manager starts, laser focused like he thinks you’re going to ask her yourself if the contents in the phone were actually hers - which might not make the situation better. Look, you’ve got to keep it cool and stay professional, since that’s your job - especially since Tzuyu’s also young, not by much, but it still feels all the same. Sure, you could challenge that, but why would you? Every time you look at Tzuyu, she can see that there’s not a single thought past your eyes. “I leave her with Sullyoon for thirty minutes at this event and I-” 

You turn your head towards Tzuyu again to which she gives you the side eye after looking at the phone in your hand, and somehow you just know. 

Tzuyu’s manager flips open the file, filled with a good stack of pictures. He spreads them out all over the table, much like finding a specific still from this gallery that stands out. You’re staring, closer, the photos match up in the phone too and- 

Shit. 

That’s the only word that you can think of, but the meaning and intent could be taken in either one of two ways. As for the thoughts circling around your head?

There’s hardly any. Almost nothing. 

“Okay,” you say, face still unfazed; a skill in itself that took a god awful amount of time to get down perfectly, but still, holy shit. Now you’re seeing why the agency is doing everything in their power to keep this under wraps. You can’t even believe the pictures that show Tzuyu exposed with no clothes at all, clearly tattered up in marks and scratches and ran through from whoever was the person that took the pictures in the first place. There’s her thighs stacked on top of each other with pointe feet, her abs are soaked in fresh spurts of cum, the way that her head is crestfallen to the right side as she tries to cover her face, how she smiles at the corner of her mouth; she’s made for the cameras - and you could see the literal sex that she emits from the stills, every profane term in the book or in your vocabulary culminated into one person - but this is the line of work you’ve put yourself in, as you can feel the two pairs of eyes staring at you from the both of them, waiting for an answer. 

You toss the phone off to the side, and get your fingertips on the pictures, examining them with wandering eyes. And with the calm and composed demeanor you could craft within seconds, you say: “I don’t see what’s the problem here.” 

Nothing flies with Tzuyu’s manager at this point when it comes to you. “Watch the attitude now,” he leads, overbearing. 

“What he said,” Tzuyu doubles one second after, a wisp of hair falling to the front of her face, grinning behind the thin curtain of her strands, “Watch the attitude.” 

You exchange glances between Tzuyu and her manager, clearly in shock at how they’re figuratively double-teaming against you. Tzuyu’s always had a knack for being upbeat and funny, flirty would also be a way to put it, but she’s made that her own thing, her label - the press wasn’t kidding when they said in between the lines that this woman here was going to turn the world on its head, to make anyone from anywhere fall to the ground just to have them acknowledged in her good graces - many will die when granted the opportunity - but it's one of those days that has you wondering why she’s more forward, and obvious, that equation is still getting solved by the second. 

“Done,” you say after, giving in to their demands; it’s still difficult to learn and determine what kind of tale she’s willing to write today and you’re still seeing whether it's a good idea to play along to what’s forming. “What else do we know about her and-”

“Sullyoon’s already had her discussion earlier,” Tzuyu answers right away, combing her hand through her hair, watching her fingers disappear within those coffee bean locks that’s effortlessly charming. “As for me, that’s still yet to be determined. Which also got me thinking: it can’t be that bad as it sounds the way that you’re suggesting it.”

You’re also seeing the attitude that Tzuyu’s showing through her words and how she feels about the entire situation as a whole before you and her manager could even dive into the more complicated bits within the first five minutes of walking into the room. It’s like in her case file written in parentheses: ‘known to be a hot head, and a bit self-obsessed’ - considering her arrogance at times, but her charms make up for it. She can be one or the other, or even both. It’s how she grins: simply desirable. Once she’s put her name out there for the rest of the world, and not even for the industry, the scandals won’t even touch her going forward. She’ll be untouched while you are at the bottom picking up the scraps and taking the damage. 

“The punishment for Sullyoon is a lot more lenient because of me,” says Tzuyu’s manager, but his gaze gets back on her, hand on hip in clear and utter disappointment with the shake of his head. “And Haewon’s already not having it with the incident with Bae. Now with this, it’s a complete clusterfuck of events, so I just-  ugh, it’s a lot.” 

“Sorry to hear that,” you apologize, a hand up but the look on your face shares little to no care about the manager’s pain as of this moment. “And for the record, I feel like we had this conversation before, no?” 

“You’re her advisor, dipshit.” Tzuyu’s manager grits, ball forming at the fist, “That’s the reason why I brought you on board with her in the first place. Isn’t that supposed to be your job to, y’know, advise?” 

“You’re the manager, and might I add the correction: her manager,” you shoot back retortfully, “Maybe you should keep a close monitor on our lovely, budding starlet here from the get-go?” 

Tzuyu stifles a laugh, causing both your eyes and her manager’s to do this form of joint attention on her, and hiding away in the plane of her medium-sized hand, “What?” you both say to her, and it comes off as comical. 

“Nothing,” she muses, lifting a leg up over her opposite one this time, leaning deeper into the cushions of the couch, eyebrows up in the horizon of her forehead, beaming. “I just thrive amongst the bickering you two are having over my career.” 

“See?” And Tzuyu looks away from your rolling eyes, “I put it in the file in bullet points. She’s not ready for this kind of pressure and lifestyle, and do you really want me to go through the list of the incidents she’s already put herself through to serve your memory?” 

“I would find it best for you not to remind me of everything up until now.” Tzuyu’s manager shuts down the question, spinning his phone in hand between the fingers, “Please don’t-” 

“DUI charges, social media backlash because of a vape laying in her lap in one of the pictures, smoking out late at night with Ryujin and Yuna,” You’re listing out the events anyway, because Tzuyu’s manager can easily tell that you’re the kind of person to not really give a shit about these kinds of things. It’s not you being put under the spotlight - this microscope that’s always being picked off with a pair of tweezers - how one influencer’s words could brainwash the general public into rubbing their palms with a pair of tangerines. They’ll always follow, to some extent; and for Tzuyu, that’s the kind of power she wants to have - to get people talking about her and not stop there. 

“So do you want me to keep going?” You ask again, clearly caring little to none as Tzuyu examines her personal stills, head tilted when she picks up one of the photos. “And may I remind you that she’s got a gala event to attend to in the midst of all this, so let me ask you this boss,” you say, and you can see the flared nostrils coming from Tzuyu’s manager, “How do you want to go about this?” 

Tzuyu’s manager freezes, phone vibrating in record time like crazy. He’s taking a few seconds to strategize the next move, what’s the next course of necessary action. Keeping Tzuyu here is the worst idea, because that breeds into speculation. Compounding that, there’s also the monumental effort of keeping these pictures on the table in her phone on the down low, which may be impossible at this point, given with the insiders circling around like moles in the organization. 

“The event isn’t for another hour and a half or so,” Tzuyu’s manager announces, eyes darting back and forth from the phone to you two sitting on the couch, pulling his lips upward at the exchange of messages. “Fuck this industry sometimes,” he groans, “You do things here and there and don’t expect the treatment to be - goddamit, Haewon’s calling me again about Sullyoon,” he says, phone to the side of his head when he answers. “Hey, Haewon. No, I uh- I’m here with Tzu and- yeah, I’ll come over right now to see the situation.” He pulls his phone away from his ear, button pressed on mute, “Sorry, but you know where I’m going with this here.” 

“Don’t be,” says Tzuyu. There’s some tension in the air, like a flare set off in the dead of the night - how her head turns slightly towards your direction, smile laced with a purpose - and she cocks her head off to the side as her manager starts to make his way out the room. “We’re not leaving yet as it is.” 

Her manager pauses, in between the open doorway. His phone is right back into his ear, nodding along to Haewon on the other end of the line, eyes lapping side to side and back between the two of you - because it’s his job, and he can’t get away from that fact regardless. 

“That’s still up in the air, you know,” he says towards you, clearly hurt by the tone you gave earlier; insulted might be one better word to put it, but he knows that you know better and you’re just acting like this out of spite. “Don’t know how long this will take, but pray that I’ll be back before we have to go.” 

Once the door closes - much like a kingdom raising up their drawbridge, a safe with all the locks in the world clicking into place - holding you and Tzuyu prisoner in this vacuum of space, this could be hell, or it might be heaven. Tzuyu clicks her tongue, gets it under the front portion of her bottom teeth, at a molar, studying you as if you’re a centerpiece or painting hung up on the room; this girl is clearly unreadable. 

“Tzu,” you call out to her, keeping the ambiance chill - whilst maintaining some form of lead in this hurricane of tension. It doesn’t also help that the sun is right at the ocean, kissing along the horizon towards the beach, a wonderful mixture of hues between orange and dark blue and purple clashing in the sky, the lights are on in the neighboring skyscrapers - a view that can serve as the last sight for someone before falling off fifty plus stories - and in the midst of all that calming pictures, she’s still looking at you. 

She leans over, dress wrinkling in all the right creases. Don’t look now, or else that’ll be the end of you, as she blinks dotingly, lashes fluttering and with that sugary tone of hers, she just says: “Yes?” 

“What gave you the compelling idea to have an entire album of a cock in your mouth. Not only that, but the fact that Sullyoon was also in on this too? Especially when she’s three years younger than you, her senior? Like what-” 

“You’re making it sound like I fucked up?” Tzuyu says, an eyebrow raised in curiosity, the innocence isn’t doing her any justice compared to the hard evidence found in her phone. “Of course I know what I was doing, and believe me, this would only speed up the process a little more.” 

“What process?” 

“To get me out there into the real world.” 

She giggles when the crease of your eyebrows knitting together comes back into the frame of your face, leaning over while she sinks back into the couch, hands fiddling with the red ribbon that was attached to her dress. The eerie sound of your name being recited from the proper pronunciation meshing into hums. She’s observing your posture, much like her normal act persists - staying quiet but acknowledging others when needed. You hate how much of a sweetheart she is at times, because it’s all a setup for a bleeding edge that eventually comes to life sooner or later. 

“I’ll keep it real,” you’re starting again, “You did fuck up. And you fucked up bad. It’ll be a miracle if this doesn’t get out, but I’m not holding my breath for you, and-” 

Tzuyu just keeps staring. With that gaze of hers, she’s still trying to get a read - from the hem of your jacket or at the peak of your ruffled hair, it might be easy to tell that in some way: she’s into you.

“Okay, in simple terms, you’ll live.” With that said, you shouldn’t be silently suffering with a potential breakout star of an actress, so you’ll hang strong against her glance. This was something that you enjoyed doing from the multiple meetings and screenings. “We could honestly set this up to be a hush money agreement with whoever managed to get these pictures in the first place -  your fault, might I add - but anyways, all of this should go away, if we play our cards right. No need for you to come forward to address the rumors, that’s why you have people like us to deal the damage. All you have to do here is just - uhm - well, be Tzuyu.” 

Tzuyu appears intrigued, finding a small crack in your impenetrable armor, a rarity at times but also is aware that it might be a minor slip-up. “Be Tzuyu? What do you mean by that?” 

You flash a look at her, but she’s one to double down, eyes squinting - she’s capitalizing on your mistake. “There’s a proper term for this,” she says, “and maybe um, pretty would be one to suffice?” 

“I’m not trying to sound afraid,” you say, calmly. “There’s two choices between right and wrong. Then there’s the respect, and also being sensible. You have to treat this career like it’s your life.” And you didn’t say professional, because that word is the last resort; a rescue rope only to be used in the most dire situations. 

“I want this life.” The admission, something nestling underneath the parts of her sentence, a slow-burning being soaking behind those soiled eyes. Tzuyu then scoots over, gets closer to you, tips her chin to further the examination. “I have what it takes to be professional. You’re just afraid to say it to my face.” 

“Welp, you caught me,” you say, knotting your fingers in between themselves just to keep yourself from doing anything rash, maybe walking out of the room to leave her alone would be the best move, instead of letting your thoughts get the best of you and pinning her body flat on the couch. “Seriously, doing things like this will only kill your chances of making it big even before you start.” 

Common sense appears to be dissipating out the clear windows. And now Tzuyu is the one who’s taking full advantage, bursting your personal bubble - the way that she shimmies her way across the cushions, so mindful of how she moves her body at every curve and nick in her limbs; you can hear your own heartbeat quickening, like you’re hiding in a locker and she’s about to tamper with the dial to get the door open - and she’s about face to you, hand ghosting the upper profiles of your chest where your shoulders are at. She’s not that tall from a height standpoint, but sitting down, she’s matching your build bit by bit. 

“It’ll happen, regardless,” says Tzuyu, face with a wide grin. “That’s why people like you are working hard to make sure that things like these don’t happen again. Especially in the long run.” 

“You’re really going all out today, are you?” You exclaim after closely assessing, holding our ground against her. “Might I add that you might also ruin Sullyoon’s career after yours is out of our hands?” 

“She’s a tough girl,” says Tzuyu, flatly, as if the prospect itself is something to laugh about. Tzuyu is a silent killer, shown in her signs of arrogance which shouldn’t be enticing to you, but they are, and in every way possible. “And like I told you, I’ll keep doing shit like this because I want to. You can hide away all you want, when it’s clear in your eyes that you want me just as bad as I want you.” 

“And what do you propose here?” 

“I’m telling you that the way you sound right now turns me on, genius.” 

It comes in a black flash, much like you staring down the hole of a double-barreled shotgun; or your head getting pushed into a tub of ice cold water. You can see the stars in her eyes, each and every one of them an alternate reality of their own between you and Tzuyu, sparkling with so much light. “Who’s saying that fucking a client was on the cards?” 

And Tzuyu chuckles at that, on cue like it's some cheeky sitcom. “Don’t get stupid with me,” she says, and she’s raining fire down from above. “Everyone already has said the same thing at least once or more.” 

Your eyes land on the clock hanging above the room, then they dart to the closed door. “He’s not gonna be back anytime soon, is he?” 

“Haewon’s office is at least five floors down, and the elevator apparently hasn’t been working all day..” 

“Some luck.” 

“I can make my own.” 

“I hope you know that this is a really bad path you’re going down to.” You’re deterring, but it's a lazy attempt at best, no point in shying away - because you’re not scared of Tzuyu, and you never were, mentioning the fact that she’s radioactive in her own rights. She’s equipped with an arsenal of tricks and quirks, but you’ve got your own brandished within that noggin of yours. A hand is on her thigh, trailing up to the hip, and she looks down to take the hint, scooting closer. “You’ve got some nerve, testing me like this, and you have no idea what you just signed up for.” 

“Do you have to be this serious?” Tzuyu’s hand finds yours, slipping up against the fine silk across the palm of your hand. “I’m one for keeping things simple here,” she’s telling you, watching your eyes as your fingers get rumpled over the fabric, venom lacing your nerves before you even realize it. It’ll get reactive really quick, but you stand your ground. “About the sex, don’t overcomplicate-” 

“Why would I overcomplicate something with the likes of you?” you’re asking her, and you watch as her hand finds the knot tied at the nape of her neck, unraveling it, where you see her bra. It’s no help that she’s sliding her dress down to her panties and thighs, the covers being unleashed with every inch opening up to the air. “We’re on track here, and I think I’m getting warmer here.” 

This is something serious, much like a public execution at the hands of her just strolling on by - people stopping in their tracks just to get a good look of that face, that body, so this might be some form of armageddon - but Tzuyu’s dress gets discarded somewhere in the office, to a corner where it won’t be seen on her until you’re fully done with her. Everything in your head is flowing like a whitewater river, a burning urge that gets beyond just the sexual aspect of it. So you’ll get your knees deep: 

“You know how long I’ve been waiting for this?” you ask, and examine. The sense of being normal and professional has long gone out the way. But oh. Oh, she knows what she wants, and you’ll have the fine luxury to give that to her, because it’s what you signed up for: twist the words and her body in every way that you see fit, to fill people in on what their crown jewel of a woman is up to. “Dreaming of that one day where someone will just tell you straight: I want to fuck you. Well Tzu, today’s your lucky day.” 

Tzuyu tenses, eyes appearing like glitter, holding your hand where it stays on the rise of her hip. “I’ve never seen you this talkative outside office hours.” 

“I converse like this on the regular.” You’ve got the experience, and the hours under your belt, you’re holding the other end of the rope in her burgeoning career - if she fucks up the next time, you’re also gone along with her, too. “Now, are you gonna keep talking, or are we going to talk business?” 

Tzuyu is so good for you, in more ways than one. It’s in her eyes, the way that she tilts her head off to the side, when you’ve pushed her up against the cushions as far as you could take her, hair spilling over to her covered breasts, keeping her gaze locked with yours when you’ve sunk to the bottom of the couch - the low light of the sunset makes way for the night sky, moonlight breaking through that captures her face, illuminating the fine mold of her cheekbones, her teeth break past her lips, and she smiles a bit like practice for the waves of flashes out on the red carpet - she relaxes, feels the lace of her panties slide off her thighs like nothing. Undeniably gorgeous, is one way to put it, she’s dirty, she’s every single thing; oh god, the staring, when you look up between her legs, mouth hanging low, chest puffed up in anticipation of the relieving pressure. 

“Many people have tried to test me, get rid of the fun in what I do with my manager and such,” Tzuyu says. “But I knew-” Her hands find yours, sliding up the sides of her outer thighs, holding them in place when you start to lean in. “You didn’t do anything about it, and I liked how you were with me, to set me right, without the changes of rules.” 

“Had it been anyone else,” you acclaim, mouth leaving hot and wet kisses across the inner portion of her thigh; she’s got a hand in your hair with no intention of letting you go. 

“You,” Tzuyu says the singular syllable, reduced to just very minimal words, much like she’s being scolded. But the confession let out is like a padlock finally breaking under the pressures of the wrench: “I’ve always wanted you. I promise and fuck- I’ll be good.” 

There’s actually no way she said- 

The words that spilled out her mouth flew over your head for a short second, a minor blowback in the swing of things - but then again, why are you playing it safe with Tzuyu in the first place? There’s no need, and you’ve got to make that apparent to her; you’ve got your hands on her long legs, spreading your hand out on the skin, she’s got a hand sliding down to her glistening pussy, but she reels back when you’ve beat her to it, and Tzuyu hisses, hiding a whine, “Baby…” 

You pause, hike her up on the couch higher, focus slinging to her face, and her dead-eyed stare slams right alongside yours. 

“Tzuyu,” you’re saying, when you’ve managed to say her name that’s caught in between your vocal folds - it’s a little rushed, no exhale behind it, and a bit tattered - but there’s her demeanor, the tightness swirling in the air between you two. She’s only a few years younger - and that alone could be worse - you’ve got the better position, the better wits of how things work, the implications - and maybe you were a pawn in her game all along, there’s really no telling. 

“Love it,” she exhales, voice tripping when you dip your mouth down to her other pair of lips, “when you say my name,” she’s needy, fingers curling to your head to satiate the sensation a bit longer. Legitimately, fuck, she might end your career, make you a martyr for the whole office to witness, and she could be the one to do all that. “Baby, your fucking mouth.” 

The gaze never wavers on her, hunting - her dainty fingers are gripping the cushions, fibers of muscle moving in ways much so she would be defending herself; she’s used to giving orders and due compliance, but knows where she stands in certain situations. She could be the primary catalyst of what’s happening right now, but you’ve got full control: a green light going off in the back of your mind. There’s no turning back now, foot to the floor, bases fully loaded. She won’t- She won’t last a week in this life by playing it by the rules. 

“Need me that bad?” You ask, face twisting devilishly. Some things in this line of work have taught you that people have to be selfish at times, and you’ll fall face-first into that. “Watch and learn, sweetheart. Don’t even think about getting your hands on me.” 

Tzuyu’s lip is caught between her upper teeth, rolls her eyes, nodding profusely - it’s gonna take more than that. You see her lidded eyes, spread her apart further, “We listening?” 

“No- touching,” she sighs. This girl is soaked - the refreshing taste of her cunt on the pad of your tongue, and you’ll keep indulging. You’ve got yourself in that open space between her legs, she’s sputtering out nonsense, pulling her thighs in to combat against your hands - “Please, just- please, do this one thing for me, I swear-” 

She’s waving the flag up high in the air, and of course you’re going to take this into account. This is someone who is going to make headlines wherever she goes, has people do things that would lead into major or second-hand embarrassment, so you lean down to her aching pussy - across the folds, and her clit, so slick for you, she’s sighing a lot more louder this time - and she’ll let you mold her into any shape you want her to be, let your tongue do the talking: “Right there, yes-” she’s relaxing into your hands and face, giving you the praise she’d never thought she’d say to you ever, like some act of contrition that will absolve her actions - wow, and you’re wondering of the lucky fucker who took the pictures of her and Sullyoon got the same luxury as you’re getting right now. “Fuck, oh honey-” 

You’re paying no mind to how her hips are wiggling across your face, desperate for a sense of friction, fighting every urge to not dig her nails into your hair and get your tongue even deeper where you can send it - but you keep her legs spread, and she could almost rip into the cushions on the couch, grip tight enough to choke- 

“Taste so good,” you mutter, off to the side of her leaking slit, listening as the chorus of Tzuyu’s moans crescendo a bit before dropping in silence. “Look at you, being so good for me.” 

“Shit, you’re gonna- you’re gonna make me-” 

Whether she’s able to tell you or not, you know it all the same. Her flawless face is so torn to the fine points - faltering in every aspect of perfection, that apex, you’re working her there, warmer, and warmer-

But you pull from the tops of her thighs, shove your nose right down to her clit. Stay right fucking here, and don’t even think about moving a muscle; sometimes there’s no need to say things verbally - but the implication stands - when Tzuyu finally lets go into the heat of your mouth. 

You can be lenient, maybe have her rest in the grace period, but there’s a schedule still drawn up on the board, and the sand in the hourglass is still seeping through the middle. “I’d like to keep this up,” you tell her, cleaning up the slick spread across your lips - that fine nectar, easy to say that you’re addicted, but that’s old news. “But must I remind you that you’ve got an image to protect at this gala you’ve got in an hour?” 

“Can- Can I have my turn now?” Tzuyu asks, sitting up on the couch now, hands fast to her backside, unlatching the clips of her bra, slides out of it like it’s nothing. You’ve got your jacket discarded on her manager’s desk, hands to the buckle. Tools are being laid out here amongst you two, and Tzuyu keeps her eyes trained on you, chest rising and falling - watching the noticeable bulge appearing in your boxers. “Please, I can help - just need your cock-” 

“Do you always like to rush these things?” You ask her - pushing her back as her arms just float in the air - she’s beautiful, gorgeous, and wanting; the notion alone would already be disregarded if it wasn’t for the sensible form of structure in your head. It’s in that dimple of hers, that sly grin, those eyes, she’s a personification of eye candy: you’ll keep staring for as long as she’d like you to. “No need to answer that, but,” and you laugh in between for a slight second, “You’re really pushy today.” 

“Please, baby.” That gaze, eyes trained up with her bit lip, she’s dangerous. “For me.” 

You don’t say anything, but with a simple nod, and her fingers are fast to the elastic. 

You also like how she’s willing to follow, to listen. She’s good with her hands, she’s been trained to handle PR questions with the flick of her wrist, programmed to take information and internalize it - she’s flawless enough to stand with the other clients, even when you’re the first to make the move in kissing her, capture her mouth with yours. It’s a bit cute when she’s caught off guard, sucking the air out of her, yielding to your touch.  She’s smiling against your lips, and that’s the laced venom you’ve been cautious of. 

The grip gets let go from the back of her head, retreating, panting, the taste of her lips mixed with yours. She helped clean off the remnants of her pussy on your tongue and she’s licking her lips again wanting more. “Give me some kind of feedback. A demand. Anything,” you command, fingers dancing along her chin when she looks up so innocently. “I think you’ll ask nicely, so prove it.” 

She doesn’t even think twice about it. “I want you,” she’s coming in and out of focus in her eyes, way past the point of no return, staring at you while she’s keeping you magnetized to her hands, slowly dragging along the skin of your cock, “to fuck me, put this cock inside my pretty little pussy, and use me to cum all over-” 

Her face does it for you, shattering right in front of your eyes, wanting smile, pupils blown - you snake your arms around her back, press her down to the couch - there’s a beauty behind the sneakiness of this, the thrill of being found out, the risks taken to take advantage of someone to your own liking, let the thrums of your heartbeat be the only thing to hear within yourself - but Tzuyu goes quiet, she’s so pliant and wet that doesn’t really need any words to come out of her, just the noises when- 

“Fuck.” 

When you slide your aching cock into her cunt, slowly, painstakingly strategic, and the feeling was too much to bear for her. 

“God-” 

You draw back and snap your hips into her - a statement made, an opening in the woven threads to rip a hole in -  you’ve got a hand quick to her parting mouth, hushing her, pinning her. “Go any louder,” you’re hissing, lowly, trying to not think about the fucking clench her cunt makes around you, “Go any louder, and you’re just asking to get caught. We can’t have that, can we?” This is something new, something absolutely obscene, hiding away in the office of her manager’s - keeping a secret that nobody should be able to tell, besides you two. ���Did you realize how much of a slut you are when I saw those pictures?” 

Tzuyu’s breasts wobble on the upstrokes, bouncing along while leaking all over your length. The thought of damage control is still in play, to not have her completely ruined for the red carpet in the next hour or so - but you’ll take the secrecy, construct a fake picture to ensure that will not have anyone look a second time. Nobody will know how good Tzuyu’s wrapped around you, that hot and tight cunt, a hand now wrapped around her neck, pressing down but not too much- 

A thumb is in between her lips. “Speak up.” 

“Yes- I know, fuck, it was- a mistake.” She’s choking up the words from the hand on her throat, barely enough to produce the sounds through her vocal folds, chasing for that relief that she desperately needs - “It was stupid, but,” she’s unmoving with her reasons, fervor standing strong, it’s irking - you’ve got to fuck this attitude out of her - “That doesn’t matter, please, your cock, keep fucking, right there, that’s the spot, I’ll be good, I’ll cum for you, make you not worry about-” 

“You keep talking like this and I’ll make you shut up myself.” 

She spills a line of expletives that get mixed up with the slaps of her hips with yours, but there’s one outlier - maybe two - that captures your ears. 

“I didn’t make him cum inside me, but I’ll let you do it if you want.” 

“Yeah, not happening, babe. Not like this.”

Tzuyu mewls and whimpers when you give her one good, impaling hit inside her cunt, let your cockhead rest right beneath the womb where it aches. It doesn’t help her case when she’s shaking her head in refusal, denying. You’re chuckling as she tries to shimmy out of your grasp, the sound reverberating around the room, in relief, or awe would be a way to put it. Stepping into this office was a little bit out of your way, just popping your head in to get a quick word before going on with whatever was on the agenda - until this whirlwind of events coming from her changed all that. “Please. Can you do that? I want it, I want you, so bad. I swear, nothing bad will ever happen from me again - please, if you just-” 

Luckily, everyone’s gone from the office for today - because she’s way louder than you would’ve expected - you ram your cock inside her pussy, without any care for her begging and pleading - there’s also not ruining her appearance, but you’ll pull something out of your ass or she will to cover it up. You’ve made your mark in twisting people’s words around, shifting the angles that way you’re not the one taking up the heat. Conjuring up whatever you could that might rival a con artist’s whole life. But this is also another thing: if Tzuyu’s manager walks in right now, you could prime the whole act onto her and she’ll be gone. 

“You can keep asking, begging, offering, whatever it is that you want.” It’s hard to forget that you’re on the clock, the provisos informed, lines that were drawn up from the start; you could cut it some slack, maybe for someone like her, who really knows. “I’ll keep fucking you up as long as I like, but you’re not getting me to cum up all inside you.” She tilts her head back, and you sweep down to the column of her neck, get a mark on it, not too hard. “Want it to be easy? Just keep screaming, nobody will hear you.” 

Wishing that this moment here in the room to last forever might be a tall ask. From the exchange of hitched breaths coming out of your lips and hers, to the slaps still stable in pace, bottoming her out as her ankles finally latch onto the small of your back, holding you in place - someone could walk in the room now and know without question as to what you’re doing to her - maybe with the sea of cameras at this event later will take notice as to the damage you’ve done to- 

“Inside. Please, nobody has to know. Just us.” Fuck, this girl is testing your mental tenacity, exersizing every impluse that you’ve unleashed of every dirty thought you’ve had since working with her. She could convince you with words, the magma emitting from her voice, sounding low, goes so well in tandem with her moans. “Maybe if you keep this up, I’ll let you knock me up whenever you want, wherever you want, however you want.” 

“You- Tzuyu, you- fuck-” 

“That would be so hot, you know? To use my tight pussy as your personal cumdump - shit - even the manager won’t take up on the offer, so you’re the next one in line.” 

The defiling theory alone is very, very tempting. She’s not like this when there’s a camera or journalist waiting for a slip up to pen the story - you’re still in the driver's seat, keeping it level, thinking of some substance for guidance. You’ve been in this position before, and you’ve learned. 

So: 

“I’d be honored,” you say to her, pressing a hand down her breast, grasping, pulling your cock out to do a few measly slaps along her sensitive clit to show her you’re not playing around, “So far you’ve been convincing, but you’re still new to this. A few stupid acts early on will ruin you down the line, so watch yourself.” 

In the meetings, you remember the firm tone when asked for your personal take towards a proposed plan - coming off as abrasive because that’s how gritty this industry really is without showing it - Tzuyu’s incidents have been nothing short of interesting, talking down on her for acting like a complete dumbass - but she loves the degrading, the harsh compliments. This is something that she wants, and you’d be happy to let the media eat her up alive for it. 

“It’s gonna take a lot more than that just to sway me,” you keep going, twist the knife to where it hurts: “You’re not the first one, let me tell you that, Tzuyu. And I can assure you: you certainly won’t be the last.” Hands on her hips, and you fuck in - it doesn’t get any simpler than that. “Don’t test me with that attitude, because I’ll make you change it in an instant.” 

Her entire body is like a noose, a live wire on a bomb that’s about to reach zero - she’s gripping and convulsing around your cock, you’ve got her to be this way, “Please,” pleads Tzuyu, the utterances and vowels and consonants all collapsing like some domino effect, eyes flapping shut, and the sounds of obscenity seem to get better every passing second, “You’re gonna make me- make me fucking cum, oh god-” 

She’s got so much potential to shake the industry up, not since Sana first came around and did some damage to you. Mina was also the same, and could match up with Sana if the universe allowed it. No one is ready for what Tzuyu has to offer, no fan could scream and break down crying let alone a photoshoot capture the beauty she carries with that face of hers, and that body, every part is sculpted to immaculate perfection, the flex in her abs when you thrust down, catch the arch in her back with an arm, get your forehead with hers, the scaffolding finally losing it’s last limbs of support at the ground level, hand quick to the hard bud of her nipple-

“Cum all over this cock, Tzu,” you’re sighing, leaning down to coax her with a kiss, and she’s got a hand raked through your hair again. “Cum for me. Do it. No shying away from me this time.” 

And like you’ve observed before, the mental note much like a callback, she’s so easy to comply; it's in how your mouth works over her, cunt so slippery hot in friction with your cock sliding in with no problem whatsoever, this is everything to you - and Tzuyu’s body goes limp, holding in a noise in her lungs. It’s a high-pitched ‘fuck’ followed with a murmur of your name, muddled with ‘baby, oh my god, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-’ 

You’ll leave a mark for someone else to notice, the shade with enough bite that could be covered up with a little foundation, let her ride out the peak of her high. “Breathe, Tzuyu. There we go, nice and easy, soak up my cock with that pussy of yours. Jesus.” 

Tzuyu picks up on things fast, and she’s reduced to a various spill of words. She’s a shuddering mess, sinking her hips down to get a lasting feeling of your cock when you pull out - but she’s quick to get up, hands fast to your thighs; leaning down, a swift lick up on the underside. Her makeup is a bit battered, chest slick and light pink from all the marks you put; she hollows her cheeks, has a little bit of fun, and you start to sink. 

“Tzu.” 

She gives no response, lowering her mouth past the halfway point, eyes lidded, but weighted with intent, appalled; her cheek blows up unintentionally, lathering up your cock in her spit, and your head falls back to the crown of the seat. She’s unsure with what she’s doing, you’re tensing and untensing in the lower half, but complaining is the last thing you’ll do. 

“I’ll make it up to you,” you say, gritting your teeth when Tzuyu reaches down a spot near the base, tongue grazing at a vein, where the head of your cock is staring down the hollow of her throat, a slight clench. She could care less with the curses leaving your mouth, it just tells her she’s doing something right. “Do whatever you want, and I’ll owe you next time. Fuck-” 

It does some form of numbers in your head when her eyes lock onto yours, smiling with half a cock in her mouth, quick to shut you up. 

Her mouth is amazing - and that could be an understatement. She’s holding you at the base, where the angle of your cock is tied down between her fingers. You let her take control for a bit, try to see if she can do it herself - but you’ll play the role of guidance again, because that’s what you do, help out in ways that make her have the moment - so you lean forward, hand fast to the back of her head, and you feel her jaw go slack, muffle the choking sound coming out of her open mouth- 

“Fuck, Tzuyu,” you grit, the name alone of hers is an easy impulse to keep doing; you’ve got her hair in this makeshift ponytail, out of the way when she continues to bob her head up and down the length. It was a boring day for you anyway, but at least you’ve made it up to have the prospecting breakout actress strip her clothes down and get on her knees in her manager’s office. “Just keep- yeah, okay, there we- ugh, shit-” 

She mumbles a brief phrase of a ‘mhm’, mouth wide open, salivating, nudging your cockhead down into her throat before pulling back up for another wisp of air - her index and thumb are wrapped around the bottom of your shaft, closing her eyes as the contraction literally leaves you breathless - all the way down into her throat, holding her up with her hair as much as you can- 

Yet the sound that rips from the cavity in your chest, it’s loud enough for someone to hear down the hallway, probably someone from the floor below to pick up on the commotion too. 

Tzuyu’s mouth lets out this sobbed out sound, coughing and inhaling your cock when you cum down her throat - she can’t swallow it all, you think, but you forget her ambition at times when she holds herself, eventually pulling back - eyes glossy and full of impurity, burning irises that mimic Sana’s when she also- 

“God-” you manage to choke out, fixated on the image of Tzuyu cleaning her face up with a small stream of your cum leaking out the corner of her lip. But, you’re satisfied. You’ll let her take the credit for now.

It also doesn’t help when she’s got a finger circling her slicked lips, tilting her head when she hollows her cheeks again around her fingertip. She knows she’s hot, how dirty she can get - and she’d let you do anything and everything from the fucking on the floor to railing her on the walls, because she’s got her own center of gravity with her being, that’s just how it is. 

You can’t help when you’ve pulled her back to your space, catching her lips, since that’s the only logical thing to do with her, and she’ll accept it. “Mmph. I just- you, you-”

“Yeah?” You’re saying, face in your hands when you keep kissing her. “Something to say?” 

“My mouth- you?” 

“And what about it?” 

“Your cum. You just-” 

“I overheard Sana talk to you about her story with me the other day, figured I’d just do it anyway.” 

The tone in your voice is a clear contrast to all the filthy stuff you were telling just a few minutes ago, it’s still crotchety, but a little more lighter than usual - like everything that was a worry suddenly just washed away, and all of a sudden Tzuyu’s quick to get your neck corralled with her arms, leaning for another kiss, the hums alone are delightful, pushing hysterical a bit. 

“I hate you,” she says, a chaste peck to your cheek when you’ve got her ass on top of your forearms, carrying her. She’s laying out a few suggestions, but you’re telling her that the gala could wait, to waste more time to explore her body, more and more. ‘That’s a lie, by the way, but I’m sure you knew that.” 

Shutting her up is a viable option, but she’s right on the jump with that one ahead of you - so she kisses you, why bother putting up a fight against that?

-

The car ride on the way to the gala premiere is nothing short in terms of quiet. Some chatter is being thrown around with you and the driver, since Tzuyu’s manager also had the unfortunate task of bringing some swinger that’s already made a name for herself with the company, per instructions given by Jihyo; you remember hearing it past the open door to your office, named Kim so-and-so on the files. Maybe it was Jennie or Jiwon, or was the name beginning with a letter D? 

“I think the boss man is convinced with your lobbying,” Tzuyu says under her breath. Like you, she’s managed to clean up her appearance - scent still fresh of sex, her hair still a bit rattled, but is trying to repair as much as she can. You can’t keep your gaze off of her; how the headlights from the oncoming cars illuminate through her eyes, handing you her hair band because it doesn’t match up with the look. 

“I mean, if you already asked him what you asked me, and he still refused,” chuckling when you’re looking out the window towards the sidewalk, trailing the crowd of people lining up around the venue, “That should give you enough prose to ask me, since I was next in line.” 

Tzuyu just laughs, dipping her head down - she’s infectious, without even putting effort into trying. You’re seeing why she’s bound to be a topic once she’s put herself out there, and - sure, you could draft up a file with all of that content in a heartbeat. Needless to say, you’ll be one of the many fans. 

“It was supposed to be sarcastic commentary,” Tzuyu tuts, combing her hair over to one side - at the left shoulder, turning her back towards you with the red strands of her dress untied. She peeks over before looking away, fingers fast to knot the ends for a snug fit, pat her collarbones down before tilting down to place a small kiss on her nape. “But on a serious note: do you really think you can handle my little fiasco?” 

You notice that the cars ahead start to slow down, file in line with security personnel stationed along the street, managing traffic. A whole lot of commotion going outside with the photo area, photographers getting ready with their cameras and flashes angled toward the cars, and thank God that the windows are tinted for good reason, brows furrowing in assessing the sea of different media outlets in attendance. 

Tzuyu flows her hair forward, a last minute touch up as she takes a deep breath to calm her mind. You’re playing the stand-in role of bodyguard, checking every side of the car to make sure that things are right in place, avoiding any form of fuck up that might pop up in the next few minutes or so. 

Just when a worker from the red carpet event approaches the door, a buzz vibrates on your thigh. One check later and it’s Tzuyu’s manager. With no hesitation, you answer: 

“Yeah. Oh, okay. Okay. Right, you got it.” 

“I’m trusting you with her. Please don’t fuck this up.” 

“I won’t,” you say, in a melancholic tone to which Tzuyu smirks at. “Good luck with Dahyun? I forgot her name, but it is Dahyun, is it?” 

“Don’t push your luck here, bye.” 

Once that’s gone out of the way, you move over to wave a hand to the worker, signaling a two in your hand to let them know of the delay. After touching bases. You settle back into the backseat, watch as Tzuyu observes from the window, taking in the sight of what she’s dedicated a good portion of her life towards - to thrive in the glares of publicity, get engulfed in the growing flames of fame. She can do a whole lot more than just stand still and look pretty, and you’ll help her there along the way. 

“Still think this is a lot to handle?” You ask, peering over her shoulder, causing her to twist back around to face you. “To be fair, you were pretty nervous when we brought up the incident earlier, so I’m just checking up on you.” 

Tzuyu simply stares, again. Her face may appear blank, but her eyes and the subtle quirk at the corner of her lips tell a different tale entirely. There’s also that sly dimple too, man, she’s too good for you to the point where it’s bad. So what if people already caught wind of her story, you’ve got the contingencies, the fallback if things go south; she got herself into this mess, and you know what you signed up for. 

“They all can go to hell if it comes my way,” says Tzuyu, face falling forward, leaning for a kiss. “Where’s the risk if you don’t run into a cyclone head on?” 

When she gets forward with a hand on the door handle, opening up to reveal herself to the world, you shake your head at her, because that’s another point of discovery to add to her growing list of character: she’ll be the face of this company in record time as long as she keeps acting this way, and you wouldn’t mind staying by her side for whatever is in store. 

Right before she goes any further down the capet, she twirls around on that singular heel on the sidewalk, facing you when you scan the screaming audience, landing your eyes on Tzuyu again - in all of her beauty and elegance, you’ll keep admiring no matter how far or close you are to her. 

An outreaching hand, the simplest gesture, and she asks: “So, are you ready tonight?” 

-

a/n: @co-reborn surprise! not really lol, but this fic is slightly dedicated to them. thank you taking time to read as always <3

[kikyoupdates]

Girlfriend-For-Hire ⭑˚🦋⭑ 𝟶𝟷

yandere!ocs x f!reader

yandere, reverse harem, yandere reverse harem, original characters x fem!reader, slowburn, slowburn yandere

Hoping to try something new and earn a bit of money on the side, you join an app that lets people hire you for your dating services. The idea is pretty straightforward — you pose as the client's girlfriend for a brief period of time, and in turn, you receive payment. But you didn't foresee everyone getting so attached to you, and suddenly, they're no longer satisfied with a fabricated relationship.

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“...you can do what now?”

“Hire someone to date you,” your friend, Ava, repeats. She chuckles and waves you off dismissively. “Come on, [Name]. It’s the modern age. People are always coming up with new things these days. I’m willing to bet there’s an app or website out there for practically anything.”

You blink in disbelief. Granted, there is all kinds of crazy shit going on in the world, and you’ve heard of companionship services before—like escorts or sugar baby arrangements—but to hear that something like this is trending nowadays is still undeniably a shock. 

“Here, look,” Ava gestures, pulling out her phone. “I was curious, so I downloaded the app the other day just to check out.” 

“Uh, don’t you already have a boyfriend?”

“He knows I was just browsing. I showed him too, and we scrolled through some stuff together. A lot of the profiles on here are wild,” she laughs. “It’s crazy what people advertise they’re willing to do. Get a load of this guy. He says he’s down to meet your family and make a total ass out of himself just so that he lowers your parents’ standards and the next real boyfriend you get will look way better by comparison.”

“Fucking hell,” you mutter. “I can’t tell if this is actually real, or just some new meme template.” 

“Of course it’s real! I think you’re underestimating how lonely people these days are. There’s definitely a lot of money to be made in this industry. Just look at how much people are willing to blow on their favorite streamer, even though they’ve never met them a day in their life. Dating’s gotten a lot more complicated lately, so I guess some people just want to skip past the troublesome parts and experience what it’s like to be with someone.” 

You furrow your brows. The whole thing sounds incredibly sad when you think of it that way. People would rather pay for a fabricated relationship than put in the time and effort towards building something real? Loneliness is starting to sound like an actual epidemic nowadays. 

“Well, I guess I shouldn’t judge people without understanding where they’re coming from,” you acknowledge. “It’s not like I know what they’ve been through. Times are changing and all. It sounds like this is actually starting to become pretty mainstream.” 

Ava nods chipperly. “Yep! I mean, I love my boyfriend, so I’m definitely not the target audience, but maybe it’s what some people need to gain a little boost of confidence and get back into the dating scene. I doubt everyone uses it in a romantic sense too. There are people out there that just want a bit of company every now and then. Isn’t it nice that they have someone to spend time with this way?” 

“Yeah… I guess that’s true.” 

Honestly, you’re still struggling to fully wrap your head around this. You understand the premise well enough, but you can’t really get past the part about accepting payment just to provide someone with a fabricated experience. Then again, you suppose that’s the case for most things nowadays. People are willing to spend the brunt of their earnings on in-game purchases for video games and other things that aren’t tangible in the real world, because even though they aren’t necessarily organic, it still provides them with some satisfaction. 

Long story short, it’s not up to you to decide what does or doesn’t make someone else happy, and you suppose as long as it’s executed in a professional manner, there’s nothing wrong with meeting new people this way. 

“Hey, I’ve got a great idea,” Ava suddenly perks up. “You should join this app! You’re super pretty, smart, and nice. I bet you’d have loads of guys lining up to hire you as their girlfriend!”

“Me?” You blink repeatedly, shuffling backwards the closer she leans in. “I mean, I just don’t think I’m the right person for the job. If it makes people happy, then I support it, but deep down, I worry I’d feel like I’m exploiting someone’s feelings just for a few extra bucks. Morally speaking, I’m not so sure I like the idea…” 

“It’s not exploitation,” she insists. “People know what they’re signing up for. At the end of the day, it’s a buyer-seller relationship. Someone pays for the service being advertised, and they receive it. As long as you’re not ambiguous about what you’re willing to do for the amount that you’re charging, people know what to expect. Of course, I’m sure there might be the occasional asshole here and there, but if they do anything inappropriate or violate the terms, you can report them through the app and they’ll be banned from using it.” 

You’re not quite sure how to respond to that. Some extra money would be nice. You’re a university student with all sorts of loans, so it’s not like you’ve got excess cash lying around. And it’s also true that you’ve been looking to apply for a new job lately, since your old manager was a total ass and you ended up quitting. 

Still. A girlfriend-for-hire? Someone like you? It’s just really difficult to imagine. 

“I actually think it’d be a good experience,” Ava goes on. “You’ve never really put yourself out there before. I know everyone dates at their own pace and stuff, but you shouldn’t have to be afraid. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet some cool people and want to date them for real. And even if you don’t end up going for them, you still make some money, so either way, you’ve got nothing to lose.”

You chuckle weakly. “Yeah, I just don’t know. I feel like I’m better suited for traditional jobs. But thanks for the vote of confidence. I’m glad you think people would actually be willing to pay to date me.” 

“Girl, you seriously need to believe in yourself more,” Ava sighs. “I’m telling you, you’re a catch. But at the end of the day, it’s your call. You shouldn’t force yourself into anything if you feel uncomfortable.”

You smile and nod in agreement, and sensing your discomfort, Ava decides to change the topic.

But for some reason, you feel a twinge in your chest, and it’s hard to keep your mind from wandering.

Later that same day, you’re lounging on the couch, mouth agape, having just downloaded the app on your own phone. 

“What the hell am I doing…?” 

You tell yourself that it’s just simple curiosity. Yeah. That’s all it is. Ava piqued your interest earlier, and now you just want to scroll through in more detail to get a better sense of what kind of people use this platform. 

The app is called ‘Partner For Hire’. The name isn’t particularly inspired, you have to admit, but you suppose it communicates its point rather effectively and leaves no room for ambiguity. Ultimately, this is a transactional relationship, and it’s probably for the best that clients know what to expect. 

You can use the app as either a buyer or seller. Meaning that you can create your profile and advertise your services, or simply list yourself as a prospective client and what your hobbies and interests are. In that sense, it’s kind of similar to most dating apps, since you have to take a flattering photo to go along with whatever blurb you’re providing. Of course, just because you try to solicit someone’s services doesn’t mean there’s any guarantee they’ll accept. This is an app where you can run everything yourself, and of course the company takes a cut of your profits, rather than an agency that matches you with a client regardless of whether you want to accept the job or not. 

There’s definitely a lot of flexibility, and you can easily choose who you want to pretend to date. If someone is interested in hiring you, they submit a request to be able to contact you, and once you accept, you can message them directly and establish the terms of the dating contract, such as the length and what particular services will be provided. 

You scroll through the list of boyfriends/girlfriends being advertised on the app, and honestly, it seems like there’s a decent amount of money to be made. Of course, a lot of that comes with building a good reputation and improving your ratings and visibility so more people will want to hire you, but it actually seems like a decent amount of people are able to make a living off this sort of thing. 

You bite down on your lower lip. Should you really go ahead and just do it? Like Ava said, there’s probably not much to lose. All the transactions are managed on the app, so you can easily report people who try to skip out on paying. Clients have to link their banking and personal info, so they’d be taking on a big risk by trying to scam people. You’re sure it might happen from time to time, but based on the reviews you’ve read, the company is really good at enforcing their policies and making sure everyone gets paid.

The money seems good, and it would definitely help take some pressure off your student loans, but ultimately, the biggest thing you’re struggling with is your moral compass.

People are willing to spend money for this kind of thing, and that’s entirely their choice to make, so it’s not like you’re extorting them or anything. Still… you wonder if it’s actually okay to profit off of someone else’s loneliness. You’ve never worked the kind of job that requires you to cater directly to another person’s emotions, and it kind of freaks you out.

But maybe Ava is right. There are all sorts of people in this world. Maybe some of them are just curious to try the app out. Maybe others just want to get their families off their back by pretending like they’re dating someone for a little while. There’s no way to discern everyone’s motivations, so perhaps there’s really no point in thinking about it at all. 

Most importantly, this could be a good thing for you. Life has been stagnant recently, and it’s true that you usually hesitate to put yourself out there. You’ll never learn what you do or don’t like if you keep on avoiding everything. This could be a chance to learn a lot about other people, but also, to learn more about yourself. 

Yeah. It’s time to stop overthinking for a change and just try something new. 

Thus, feeling unusually determined, you spend the rest of the day setting up your profile (finding nice selfies was the longest part of the whole ordeal), and with a resolved huff, you post it and officially go live on the app. 

You’re not really sure what you were expecting, but needless to say, there isn’t any immediate feedback. It probably takes a while for people to stumble across your profile, and even then, there’s no guarantee they’ll want to go out with you. 

I guess I was getting worked up for no reason. Certain people might find success with this kind of thing, but it’s probably not as easy as it looks. 

You scratch your cheek, suddenly sheepish over how needlessly excited you got earlier. You’re not used to stepping out of your comfort zone, so you must have gotten a bit carried away. 

For the rest of the evening, you set your phone aside and come back to reality. You get some homework done, make dinner, and by the time you’re ready for bed, you’ve pretty much forgotten about the whole thing altogether. 

That is, until you check and see that you’ve missed a notification.

“Huh? Someone viewed my profile and wants to message me?”

You’re undeniably taken aback. Not just because it’s happening a lot sooner than you expected, but also because it means that contrary to what you first thought, people are interested in you. 

Having minimal experience when it comes to dating and romance in general, you have to admit, the thought of being viewed as desirable is immensely flattering. 

Curious to see who wants to hire your services, you click on the user’s profile.

His name is Isaac, and he’s twenty-one years old, set to complete his undergraduate studies at the end of the year. He goes to a different university than yours, thankfully, because you can’t help but feel like it would be incredibly awkward to bump into him on campus after pretending to be his girlfriend. He’s studying to become a doctor, which means he’s still got a lot of school ahead of him, but you’ve always had a lot of admiration for people who are willing to commit to their goals and work hard. 

Also, even though you don’t want to sound shallow or anything… he’s really, really attractive. 

You frown. Granted, there’s more to a person than their appearance, but based on how he comes across in his profile and what his future career is, he doesn’t strike you as the type of person who would struggle to date someone.

But again, you can never know what’s going on in a stranger’s life. And there’s no real way to find out why he decided to join the app.

Apart from speaking to him directly, of course. 

[𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬?]

>>[𝐘𝐄𝐒]

After a momentary delay, the screen loads into a messaging interface, allowing you to see what Isaac sent you and respond to him directly.  

You stare at the messages without blinking, just taking it all in. So, there really are people like him out there, who use these apps for reasons other than seeking companionship. It sounds like he’s not too interested in dating for real, but his parents are putting a lot of pressure on him, so he just wants an escape. Honestly, you can’t blame him for it. Your parents were overbearing for the better portion of your life—even now, as an adult—so you can understand just how suffocating it gets at times.

All of a sudden, you don’t feel too bad about accepting the job. It doesn’t feel like exploitation in the slightest. In fact, you’d be helping someone resolve a frustration situation, while getting paid in the process. It actually sounds like it could be rather fulfilling. 

More importantly, you decided to be more confident and try something new. You refuse to back out now. 

You stare at the messages without blinking, just taking it all in. So, there really are people like him out there, who use these apps for reasons other than seeking companionship. It sounds like he’s not too interested in dating for real, but his parents are putting a lot of pressure on him, so he just wants an escape. Honestly, you can’t blame him for it. Your parents were overbearing for the better portion of your life—even now, as an adult—so you can understand just how suffocating it gets at times. 

All of a sudden, you don’t feel too bad about accepting the job. It doesn’t feel like exploitation in the slightest. In fact, you’d be helping someone resolve a frustration situation, while getting paid in the process. It actually sounds like it could be rather fulfilling. 

More importantly, you decided to be more confident and try something new. You refuse to back out now. 

[𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞]:

You’re admittedly a bit nervous, especially since you want to do a good job and avoid letting him down, but mostly, you’re feeling excited. All of this is uncharted territory for you, after all. Never in a million years would you have imagined taking on a job like this. 

And you really shouldn’t have.

You don’t know it yet, but this will be the cause of many, many regrets. 

Shit. I’m starting to have second thoughts. 

Even now, you still can’t believe you’re really going through with this. After talking to Isaac and ironing out the finer details, you agreed to join him for a family gathering and pose as his girlfriend. You expected for him to have quite a few requests, but luckily, he seems pretty laid back about the whole thing. The better portion of your conversation was spent on getting your stories straight so as not to incur any suspicion, and since you’ve always been a good student and a hard worker, you promptly memorized everything there was to know. 

And now, it’s finally time to put this plan in motion. 

“Hey,” Isaac greets. “[Name], right?”

It’s the evening, since his parents are hosting a dinner party. The event is supposed to be pretty casual, but you still dressed up semi-formal in the hopes of making a good impression. He never explicitly mentioned how strict his parents are, but since they’ve been on his case about getting a girlfriend, it never hurts to go the extra mile. 

"Hi, Isaac,” you smile. “It’s so nice to meet you.” 

“You, too,” he nods. He’s considerably taller than you, and every bit as handsome as his picture suggested. Unless his personality is god-awful (which you probably would’ve picked up on after messaging him for so long), you’ve got a good feeling that most girls would be interested in him.

Still, everyone is different. He might have really high standards, or maybe he wants to focus on his studies, or perhaps it’s just a case of having never met the right person. Whatever the reason may be, his parents shouldn’t be pressuring him to date someone, and if you have the means to help him out, you’ll happily do it. 

“You look really nice,” Isaac says. He tilts his head to the side. “I hope you didn’t feel like you had to dress up to impress anyone. The most important part is that they believe I’m seeing someone so that they finally ease up a bit.” 

“Oh, I just did this for my own peace of mind,” you reassure. “I made sure to memorize everything you told me in advance, so I’m confident I can convince them that we’re the real deal. Even though this is technically my first day on the job… I promise not to let you down.” 

You blush, feeling rather flustered. The idea of being someone’s hired girlfriend is still a lot to wrap your head around, and you certainly don’t want to make empty promises, but you have every intention of giving it your best shot. Isaac is in a stressful situation, and you’re resolved to do whatever you can to fix it. 

“Can’t wait to get this over with,” Isaac sighs. He opens the passenger door and gestures for you to step inside the car. “Don’t worry. I know you might be feeling a bit uneasy, but I promise I’m not a serial killer or anything like that. I won’t hold it against you if you have 911 ready on speed dial until we get to my parents’ house.” 

“I trust you,” you insist. “I’ve heard good things about this app, and it sounds like they take safety seriously. They’ve got your information in their system, after all. Plus, I can tell that you’re a nice guy. It’s just a gut feeling.”

“I appreciate it,” he smiles. “Anyways… I guess I’ve stalled for long enough. You can probably tell that I really don’t feel like going. But the sooner I get them off my back, the better.” 

“I’ll be the best girlfriend you can ask for,” you beam. 

It’s a promise to him, but also to yourself. You are committed to taking this new job seriously, and for the rest of the evening, you will do whatever it takes to blend into the role that’s been thrust upon you. There’s no reason to get worked up. At the end of the day, all of this is pretend. It won’t be anywhere near as complicated as a real relationship.

Right?

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🦋 main masterlist ♡ character appearances

[ratatouillewastakendammit]

HAIII :3 I absolutely loveddd the love quirk fic you wrote for Hawks and I was wondering if you could make part two but it's Hawks that gets hit this time🗣️

Enjoy 🫡

I’d never mind

Pairing: Hawks x Reader

Warnings: Language, slight smut/suggestive, Hawks gets supperrrr clingy

Word Count: 3.5k

Click click click

The keyboard chirped as your fingers glided over its surface, lowering themselves just slightly every so often on a specific key. Almost like magic, the letters appeared on the screen, each one following the other in tandem as they melded together and formed the sentences you desired. 

Click click click

You paused, eyes grazing over the screen in contemplation, your thumb slowly finding its way to your pointer finger to fidget in the short spout of reprieve.

Writing emails had never been very interesting, especially since most of them consisted of you attempting to come up with the most creatively professional ways of conveying ‘screw off.’

Although not unusual, the shady paparazzi sending in emails for a much too personal interview always left your boss annoyed. He had actually given you the go ahead to tell them to mind their own business, an opportunity that had unfortunately bothered your well-mannered temperament far too much, so you were left to do the proper tweaking. 

After years of schooling, you would have been perfectly content to avoid writing anything longer than a paragraph all together. Regardless, the unusually high pay tethered to the application for the number two’s secretary was much too alluring to pass up.

Working for Hawks had been surprisingly enjoyable, although you did have to get used to the smell of fried chicken wafting through the lobby every afternoon. 

And the quiet attraction you held for him gnawing at your conscience.

Without mentioning his level of physical appeal, which was most definitely high, he had been quite friendly and kind to you, a far cry from what you had to endure from previous employers.

Seeing as you had found yourself working predominantly in the customer service industry, though, maybe that wasn’t so impressive. 

Each flirtatious remark he shot your way left you craving more, although you were determined not to let it get to your head, especially with all the tabloids going on and on about his playboy lifestyle. 

It wasn’t like it made you important.

With a sigh, you pressed the ‘period’ key, sitting back to inspect your work with a thoughtful eye.

After taking a moment, you found yourself fairly satisfied with the contents, clicking send and slouching into your chair with another breath. 

A peaceful silence echoed through the agencies entryway, wrapping its arms around your mind and weighing down your eyelids with a gentle pull. 

It was nice, tranquil.

The doors burst open. 

You stood, fully expecting blood or a broken bone to come along with the gaggle of yelling. There had been a few times where an upcoming pro had entered through the door with battle injuries, and if this was one of those instances, you were sure it wouldn’t be the last.

Today, though, everyone seemed fine.

Hawks, along with the small group of heroes behind him, appeared to be absolutely unharmed.

Hands in his pockets, he walked backwards, words geared towards the long, white eared woman yelling from behind him. “-worries too much.”

“Uh,” you cleared your throat. “Is everything okay?”

Mirko scoffed. “Yep. I just work with an idiot.”

It hadn’t taken long to adjust to the woman’s straightforward attitude, especially since most insults weren’t directed at you. Surprisingly, the hero seemed to have taken a liking to you, something strikingly close to what you may have defined as friendship, so you were content to sit back and watch her quarrel with Hawks instead.

The man in question threw his coworker a vulgar gesture before turning around to face you, freezing as his eyes met yours.

You shuffled your feet, becoming self conscious as his full attention seemed to pierce through you.

“Are you oka-”

Pushing off the balls of his feet, Hawks shot forward, clearing the large expanse of the lobby within seconds.

The action barely registered in your mind before he reached you, hands sliding underneath your back and knees as he pulled your body into his, lifting the two of you in the air.

Instinctively, your arms wrapped around his neck, tightening as your stomach dropped.

It wasn’t until your shoes touched the marble that you loosened your grasp. The one Hawks held on you didn’t seem to waver, however, his biceps pressing you into his chest.

He pulled back enough to face you, sporting an exceedingly charming grin that had your heart thumping. “Fine, just missed you is all.”

You paused.

“Huh?”

Somewhere in the background, Mirko let out a sigh, the sound fuming with a mix of relief and pride. “I fucking called it.”

“I’m sorry?” You called, attempting to withdrawal out of Hawks’ hold, your strength doing barely anything against his.

“Nothing.” The pro lifted a hand to her mouth, concealing what you could’ve sworn was a laugh. “He got hit with a love quirk.”

“He what?”

“I’m fine.” Hawks waved her off, golden irises still locked on you.

“He was helping some civilian out of a car accident and go hit with it,” Mirko replied, itching the back of her elongated ear. “They said he should be fine by tomorrow, and since it hadn’t taken effect yet, we figured it be fine if he brought him here.”

She bent at the waist, inspecting the way you were still attempting to wriggle from his clutches before continuing. “Maybe not.”

“So… what am I supposed to do with him?”

She sighed. “Not sure. Good luck, though, I have to go write some reports.”

And with a small wave from Mirko, you were left alone, regardless of the pleas that followed her down the hall.

Surprisingly, it had taken a mere polite request from you to get Hawks to detach himself. He definitely wasn’t as compliant when you pulled a spare chair next to yours before attempting to finish your work for the day.

He watched you, face contorted in thought for a few moments before a grin fell over his features.

You hadn’t noticed what he was doing until his arms snaked under yours, lifting you up as he slid into your spot and plopped down. Next, he grabbed your waist, pulling you forward into a sitting position, thighs straddling his.

Warmth blossomed in your face as you tried to slide off, the hands pressed firmly on your hips easily denying you the escape.

“Oh, come on, sweetheart. You don’t have to be shy,” he chided, nuzzling his face into your shoulder.

“It’s just, uh…” you craned your neck to the side, trying to take a look at the front door. “Anyone could walk in, ya know?”

“So?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Whoever doesn’t know you’re mine yet is an idiot.”

You remained silent, heart jumping at his words, but continued to wait for any moment that his grip would loosen, giving you a chance to slip away.

Still, you had no doubt he would be quick enough to catch you again.

Not that you would particularly mind.

At some point you gave up, shuffling the chair around and starting your work once more, pretending to ignore the way your body fit into his, or the soft, affectionate way he was playing with a strand of your hair.

The two of you fell into a quiet lull, the sound of your fingers against the keyboard the only noise. Thankfully, the back of your chair was short enough for you to see your computer, making for a surprisingly straightforward setup.

“Do you like someone else?”

His works made you pause, hands hovering above your desk. “What?”

“I’ve liked you for months and you barely give me any attention,” Hawks huffed. “Is it that dumbass pro from the next town over?”

“No, that’s because I-” The words made you pause, words faltering as your mental gears began to turn.

Months.

That doesn’t make any sense.

The quirk made him like you, sure, but was it messing with his memories as well?

You glanced down at him, ignoring the small laugh bubbling up your stomach at how dejected he looked, a far cry from the usually cocky attitude you had come to know and enjoy.

Still, the statement led to far too many things not adding up, the dissonance boggling your train of thought until the rest of your productive workday became impossible.

“I need to go talk to Mirko." You pushed the chair away from your desk, pleasantly surprised when Hawks agreed to let you go.

Regardless, it didn’t take long for him to lace your fingers through yours, guiding the both of you to the first floor elevator.

You entertained him for the ride up, the skin of your palm tingling against his.

It was when you arrived to the doorway of Mirko’s office, however, that you had a problem.

Bringing your pointer and middle finger to your temple, you massaged the skin in exasperation. Hawks had become quite adamant on not leaving your side, despite your exasperating protests. “Can you just wait out here for a few minutes? Please?”

It took a few moments but the look of distress slowly morphed into one of wicked glee, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Alright, fine. But you have to give me something first.”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “Okay… and what would that be.”

“I think you can guess.” His eyes flicked down to your lips.

Oh shit

You swallowed, almost fearful if you opened your mouth to speak, he would hear your heart beating up through your throat.

It’s just a kiss, right? No harm done?

The words seemed useless amidst the power of your nerves, the best course of action fighting its way to the forefront of your mind.

No way no way no way no way

Lifting up your heels, you took a sharp breath, pressing your lips against his for a mere moment before pulling away, scurrying past the doors to Mirko’s office and shutting them with a slam.

The woman looked up from a stack of paperwork, eyes shining in excitement at the distraction, and probable drama you were bringing. “What can I do for ya?”

There were a few seconds of silence, those in which you used to collect yourself, before you answered. "I was wondering if the civilian, the one with the love-quirk, I mean, told you anything else about it? Besides how Hawks will be better tomorrow and stuff."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Well," you hesitated, taking a moment to remind yourself that it was alright to tell her, a woman who had become dangerously close to your friend, despite the warnings that came along with close relationships with heroes. "He said that he's liked me for months and that just doesn't make sense, especially if the quirk only really affected him a few hours ago, right?"

“I was just…” you sighed, taking a moment to compose your words before continuing. “Did you ask the quirk user if his memories would be influenced at all? Like would they be different than what’s really true?”

“Nope.” The lack of knowledge left your chest heavy, pulling your face downwards to focus on your wringing hands. “They did say that Hawks would only be affected if he looked at someone he had feelings for, though.”

Your eyes shot up. “Huh?”

Miraculously unbothered, she was now inspecting her nails, currently painted a soft gray and shaped into points that you couldn't imagine would be practical. "Uh-huh."

“And you didn’t think to say anything?”

“I figured it would be best to let him tell you himself, even though I only really had a half guess that he liked you,” she replied in amusement. “And since he technically did tell you, I’m off the hook. Figured I’d let you two weirdos work it out.”

She propped her left foot on the edge of her desk, using the momentum to push her chair backward before standing. With a wave of swagger, she made her way over to you, placing a hand on each of your shoulders before spinning your body around and prompting you towards the exit.

Squirming away didn't seem to make a difference, especially considering that her left bicep seemed to be about the size of a tree trunk.

"Wait-"

"Have fun!"

Opening the door, she pushed you out before locking her office, leaving you to glare at the foggy glass.

Are all heroes this manhandle-y?

An arm snaked around your waist, the sudden contact making you jump. "How'd it go? Figure out what you needed?"

Taking a moment to slow your heart, you turned around to face Hawks. "I, uh... yeah, I did."

Looking up at him now was an oddity you weren't sure you were ready for. You were almost sure he didn't reciprocate your feelings, the actual possibility being something you had pushed away in fear of rejection, the concept becoming foreign to you.

Now, it was hard to believe you weren't dreaming, almost as if the soft smile and longing glance he was giving you would slip through your fingers if you didn't hold on tight enough.

The thoughts infiltrating your mind had you distracted, a soft sting of embarrassment hitting you when you realized you both were dangerously close to one another in the middle of the main office floor.

Regardless, when you glanced around, you were met with a quiet destitution, a stark difference to the usual business the agency saw on a Friday afternoon.

"Um, where is everyone?"

He cocked his head to the side, a small chuckle erupting from his lips as he took your chin between two fingers and pushing it slightly toward the left. At first, you weren't sure why, but the clock sporting a 7:27 fell into your line of sight. "Only the workaholics stay this late and we don't have many of those here."

Guess I was going through emails for longer than I thought "Oh. I suppose I should be going home too, then."

"Can I come?"

You almost laughed at his question, the thought of someone of his social standing, and economic one, asking to come to the small apartment on the edge of the city you called home. "You definitely wouldn't want to."

"Then why don't you come back to my place?"

The request made you pause, drawing a feeling of unease into your system despite the lightheartedness it was delivered with. At this point, you knew he liked you, but the idea of going to his house left you anxious.

As far as you were aware, he was an individual of solitude, not even Mirko, whom you perceived to be a fairly close friend, had been to his abode.

For some odd reason, the idea made you feel icky. You sure as hell wouldn’t want to wake up surprised to someone sleeping next to you in your home, someone who you had unknowingly let in while under the effects of a quirk no less.

Seemingly able to notice your hesitation, Hawks offered you his hand. "Follow me."

He didn't exactly wait for a response, lacing your fingers through his and tugging you towards the elevator with a gentleness you wouldn't have believed to be possible with him.

With each button lit, a floor fell beneath your feet, every ding bringing you closer to what you were sure was his office.

It was quite large, the metal doors opening directly into the fully windowed room. White and gold furniture lay atop the marbled floor, polished to a shine.

The birch desk and swivel chair took of most of the space, but he had some other things laying about, such as the mini-fridge and air fryer to your right.

You were almost positive what went on there.

An ivory couch, just about the same width as a twin sized bed lay along the left wall, its creamy pillows and a lusciously looking soft blanket thrown on the side.

A moment passed before you understood what was happening. "Are you… are you sure that's even big enough for both of us?"

"Don't worry about it, songbird." He shrugged his jacket over his shoulders, grasping your arm and pulling you towards the sofa. With exhausted grace, he fell over it, tugging you with him until your body lay over his.

Fuck

With the outer layer off, the fabric of his shirt was just thin enough to feel the ripple of his muscles between your fingers. The soft heat radiating off his skin was nothing short of addictive, the warmth something you were tempted to bask in forever.

And the thing was, you were sure he would let you, if he asked.

The thought was sweet, but it didn’t take long for your mind to wander, to imagine what else he would do for you; would do to you.

"Are you turned on?"

That sure broke the peaceful daze. "What?"

He sat up, golden irises burning in excitement. "If you wanted to do something, you could've just asked."

"I'm not." The words came out exceedingly more nervous than you anticipated.

"Liar." A wicked grin laced his features. "I can tell, ya know, when you're in the mood."

Heart dropping to your stomach, you blinked up at him. "You... you what?"

"Mhm." Hawks placed a hand on your chest, fingers toying with the top of your shirt. "Your heart speeds up just so. I can hear it.”

“You’re bullshitting me.” Somehow, you suspected he wasn’t. The details of his quirk were unknown to you, but you had heard of the heightened senses tethered to those feathers he possessed.

“Ouch, so vulgar,” he waved off the assumption, using his left hand to draw gentle circles on the skin of your stomach. “But keep telling yourself that. I can be patient.”

Your brain filled in the blanks.

I'll wait until you’re begging for it

You tried desperately to ignore the thought, to quiet your frenzied mind and think of something, anything else. Curiosity, it seemed, was your saving grace, another question blossoming in your mind. "So, if you knew about... ya know, why didn't you say something.”

"Liking someone and being horny for them are two different things, gorgeous." He flashed you another grin, identical to the ones on the tabloid covers that inspired thirst tweets and tumblr stories. "Besides, I’ve heard it isn’t very hard to want me in bed, figured my sweet little receptionist wouldn’t be any different."

You snorted. "You're an idiot."

"But you don't mind, right?"

The question came across as playful, but there were wisps of insecure longing strewn amidst his tone.

"No, I definitely don't."

Your affirmation seemed to meet his standards, the man burying his face in your shoulder and pulling you back down onto the couch. Golden locks tickled your cheek, the soft hum of the air conditioner lulling your eyes to a close.

Minutes passed before the two of you fell asleep, surprising seeing that you were usually quite the night owl. Regardless, the way his wings enfolded around the both of you, blocking out the remnants of the evening sunset and any other distractions made you feel disturbingly safe. You would have been content to die here, his arms wrapped around your torso, shielded from the rest of the world within the scarlet plumage.

Chests moving in tandem, each breath undisturbed and hushed as the hours ticked by.

Upon waking, the first thought that entered your mind was how cold it was. That plush blanket you had been eyeing earlier was wrapped snugly around your form, but the fabric seemed to pale in comparison to what you had enjoyed last night.

Your eyes flickered open, straining under the sun streaking past the windowed walls. It took a moment for them to adjust under the harsh lighting, but you jumped when you glanced around to see two golden irises staring back at you.

Hawk's head was propped up on his arms, each balancing on the side of the couch, a few centimeters away from you. A smirk twitched at the corner of his lip at your reaction. "Good morning."

"What the hell are you doing?" You groaned.

An unbothered shrug tugged his shoulders upward. "You look pretty when you're sleeping."

Sitting up, you rolled your joints, stretching the rest of the tiredness away. "Hasn't anyone ever told you watching people while they sleep is creepy?"

"I've never found anyone else as good looking to feel the need to do so." He tilted his head to the side, flashing a boyish grin. "Besides, I thought you ladies liked that sort of thing. Isn't there a movie about that or something?"

You rolled your eyes, sitting up with a yawn. “So… uh, I’m guessing you’re back to normal then?”

"Yup," he replied, popping the 'p' at the end. “Why? Miss me hanging off your shoulder twenty-four seven?"

Yes.

“Shut up.”

He grinned, seemingly unaffected by your fatigued harshness. “So, are you gonna let me take you out today or what?”

“You still want to?”

“Well obviously,” Amusement laced his tone, a quiet ardor brewing among his features. “Unless you’d just like to skip all that and fuck.”

The thought had heat blooming in your cheeks, “You’re so vulgar.”

“And you love it.”

“Maybe.”

You did.

[blainesebastian]

kiss & tell

words: 3,184 ship: austin butler x reader summary: (request from @lattedreamer): “actress who finally got her big break in a film with Austin + ‘first kiss’” warnings: none notes: tweaked the request just a little, but the general concept is the same!  tag list: @killerqueenfan, @karamelcoveredolicity, @elizabethrosecresswell, @gigisworldsstuff, @stylesmendeshearted, @rairaielv​

If you’ve learned anything in the industry thus far, it’s to take advantage of opportunities that fall into your lap. Your agent would say otherwise, that the films you’ve gotten to be in are purely based on talent and word of mouth, that you’ve done your fair share of B side films to get you exactly where you are. Maybe it’s a mix, who knows. You don’t feel as if you had to compromise your character or morals to reach for something well deserved, which you know isn’t always the most typical Hollywood starlet story.

You’ve worked really hard, lost some friends along the way because of commitments you couldn’t break, a boyfriend abandoning you in the midst of filming because he was possessive and jealous and some family members doubting the paths you’ve taken to do something you love.

It has been one of the most difficult, enthralling, emotionally exhausting thing that you’ve ever done in your life.

But all of it has been worth it.

It’s how you find yourself starting a movie with Austin Butler, a rom-com at that. And while the plot is a bit predictable, you know that sometimes films can pull themselves right past that if the acting is enchanting—and how wouldn’t it be with Austin as your opposite? The guy’s success speaks for itself and admittedly you’ve seen Elvis an embarrassing amount of times. But what you’ve also learned, while at table reads and getting to know him through going to interviews together to promote the film, he’s incredibly down to earth, genuine, and a hard worker. Like yourself, he puts the craft of the movie he’s working on above all else, he dedicates himself and puts all of his energy into creating the very best character he can for whatever plot he’s immersed into.

It’s also just really nice working with someone who’s patient and supportive, who knows more of the ins and outs of the industry while you’re still learning. Austin doesn’t pretend he knows everything either, he’s humble, a lifelong learner himself but it’s nice to be able to depend on him because he’s been through it a bit more than you have.

You understand how lucky you are—not only to have the opportunity to work on a film that you could consider your big break into the industry, not something that’ll go straight to streaming services or anything like that, but that you’re working with someone who makes it so easy too.

You’re trying not to read into the fact that your agent, amongst others, have noted that there’s real chemistry between you and Austin as well. You’re a professional and so is he, both of you put every fiber of your being into the task at hand…so you would hope that’s quite obvious in your scenes together.

But you’re also well aware that you’re definitely developing somewhat of a crush on your co-star. Probably unavoidable, right? You’re not going to let it get the better of you, the last thing you want to do is cause some sort of drama on set but…this never would have happened with your B side horror films. There’s no room for chemistry there, it’s just cut and dry scary movie tropes.

Not only that? —

“There’s a kiss scene,” You hiss into your phone as you pace in your trailer, your sister on the other end of the line. She’s quiet and you can kinda sense that she’s blinking at you because,

“Uh,” She clears her throat, “You’re doing a rom-com, aren’t you? Isn’t that like the bread and butter of those films?”

You groan lightly, glancing up towards the ceiling before you take a seat on your couch. You can hear your mother’s voice in your head telling you to stop wearing down the carpet. “It’s bad enough that I have a crush on him and now I have to kiss him?”

Robin laughs, the sound ringing against your eardrum, “Oh right, I feel so sorry for you that you have to kiss Austin Butler. Literally, one of the worst things imaginable.” She teases, voice dripping in sarcasm.

You pull the phone away from your ear, glaring at the device as if it’s personally offended you, before bringing it back, “You don’t get it—”

“Does he still have the scruff on his face?” She asks, clearly an important question for her. “Like he’s not clean-shaven, right?”

Your eyebrows draw together before shaking your head, “No I mean—just a little bit of scruff.”

She hums, “I’d definitely be thinking of that mouth elsewhere then.” And oh my god, it clearly was a wrong decision to call her.

“I’m hanging up.” You state, squirming just a little with heat gathering low in your stomach and seeping between your legs.

“Wait,” She laughs, “Stop, I’m sorry.” Robin sighs and you can hear the eyeroll in her tone. “What’s going on, why are you worried?”

You open your mouth to try and explain when there’s a knock on your door with the announcement, “Hair and makeup in five!”

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath as you stand from the couch, “I gotta go, I’ll text you.”

“Hey look,” Robin squeezes in, “It’s just like riding a bike, alright?” And while you know that’s supposed to be comforting as you hang up, it doesn’t exactly help.

You kinda suck at riding bikes because you could never quite get the brakes right.

--

You tug on the turtleneck you have on, feeling a little overheated. You’re seated on the floor in front of a working fireplace in this makeshift cabin (because of course you are). For this kissing scene, your character realizes that despite losing people in her life that believe in her dream about becoming a veterinarian (her grandfather), Austin’s character is very much her person (always has been) and her family of support.

You’re already on edge because unlike some other rom-coms, this scene is emotional rather than cute. You have to work up tears in your voice but not overdo it, and the kiss is a mutual understanding, rather than Austin’s character leaning in and cutting your words off. Which would be so much easier and less for you to worry about.

Austin sits down next to you on the floor, in a dark green sweater that compliments the blue of his eyes and the dirty blonde curls in his hair. “Nice turtleneck,” He smiles, reaching out to gently tug at the fabric along your neck.

A soft huff of air leaves your lips, swatting his hand away, “I feel like I’m melting into a puddle.”

“We might, depending on how many times we have to do this scene,” He smiles, running a hand through the front part of his hair. And God, right, you haven’t even thought of that—it’s not just one kiss, one scene, one run…it’s multiple so that they have lots of takes to choose from.

Your stomach flip flops all the way into your throat.

Austin’s eyebrows draw together slightly as he looks at you, “You alright? You’re flushed.”

Swallowing over the lump in your throat, you nod, “Just…trying to get into the headspace for the scene.”

Austin nods softly, though it doesn’t seem like he completely believes you. Doesn’t matter, long as he doesn’t ask any questions.

The filming begins after a few moments of calling for silence on set and just as suspected, you’re too caught up in your thoughts for the lines to come out of your mouth organically. You mess up on the one take, the director asks you to go a different direction in the second, a third take turns into five and by the seventh time, your hands are shaking.

You can tell that the director is a tiny bit irritated but not about to take it out on you—but he’s definitely wondering what the problem is when you haven’t had any issues thus far with filming. Your eyes are twinged with tears from the scene itself, the lines, working yourself up and Austin squeezes your fingers in solid support because as the takes get more frustrating, his hand has moved to rest against yours. Which works perfectly for the scene anyways.

“You can ask for a break,” Austin says quietly as the cameras reset, a few lights are fixed.

Shaking your head, you’re feeling utterly stubborn about this, wanting to get it over with and yet stuck behind a barrier that you’ve built up inside your head. “No,” You sniffle, “I can do this.”

“I have no doubt that you can,” He rubs his thumb along your knuckles, “But I can tell you’re upset, beyond the lines you have to say. What’s goin’ on, Y/N?”

Lifting your hand up to wipe at your cheek but hopefully not rough enough to ruin your makeup, you’re suddenly feeling completely overwhelmed at the heavy emotion, your fears and this stupid turtleneck making it a hundred degrees warmer next to this fire.

You go to…say something? Anything that’ll just move this scene along but you can’t get the words out, all that leaves your lips is a small whimper of frustration.

That seems to be more than enough for Austin, who turns towards the director, “Can I take ten?”

The director glances between Austin and you before nodding, yelling out a fifteen-minute break. At that point you don’t care if they have to touch up your makeup, you wipe at your cheeks as Austin pulls himself up from the floor. He offers you a hand to take to help you up and once you’re standing, his palm settles on your lower back to lead you out of the set and towards his trailer.

He walks up the steps, tugging the door open so that you can walk in first. Once inside, you take off this stupid sweater, a sports bra underneath, feeling like you can actually breathe once the fabric is thrown onto the couch. Sniffling, you run a hand over your cheek and neck, skin warm to the touch, probably pink on your cheeks.

Austin moves to the small kitchenette, grabbing a glass to fill with water to hand you. You greedily take a few sips, your heartbeat returning to normal and no longer thrumming against your eardrums as you sit down on his couch.

Austin lets you take the time you need, moving to sit down across from you on his sturdy coffee table, his one hand resting on your knee as a point of comfort.

“You wanna tell me what’s going on?” He asks, blue eyes concerned and patient.

Not in the slightest—but you know you’re going to have to, there’s no way out of it. Especially since you have to go back to set when the break is over and work through the stress of that scene all over again. Closing your eyes for a moment, you take another sip of water before putting the glass beside Austin on the coffee table.

“I know how difficult the emotion scenes can be,” He offers, “You have to dig deep for stuff like that, make it feel as authentic as you can—but it takes a piece of you.”

You sniffle and nod, and while he’s not wrong, “It’s not that,” You say after a moment, “It’s not the script.”

Taking in a short breath, you feel embarrassment hit into your chest like a goddamn tidal wave. You can’t lie to him—not when he’s sitting there worried about you, when at this point in filming Austin can read you a bit like an open book. The last thing you want is to ruin the chemistry of the film by making things uneasy, even though this admittance is definitely the last thing you wanted to discuss with him.

“It’s the kiss,” You blurt out and Austin…draws his eyebrows together, clearly confused, because that’s not what he expected you to say.

“You—don’t want to kiss me?”

“No,” You reply far too quickly, your cheeks heating—pretty sure if you still had that turtleneck on it would have been close enough to catch on fire, “No, I mean—of course I want to kiss you.” Oh my god.

Austin smiles slowly, amusement dancing in his eyes and you’re this close to finding somewhere in this trailer to hide. You let out a groan, your head tipping back as tension slips out of your body, curls off your skin like smoke. A long breath leaves your lips, picking your hands up to cover your face for one moment.

“You’re the worst.” You mumble.

“Clearly,” Austin jokes, moving to take your hands down from your face. He squeezes your fingers. “Would completely explain why you don’t wanna kiss me.”

There’s this playful glare you give him, allowing him to keep hold of your hands as you squeeze back. “Stop,” You laugh softly, “Stop teasing me so I can explain.”

Austin straightens his shoulders and nods, not making fun of you, but conveying that he’s seriously listening to what you have to say. His thumb traces a circle along the back of your hand and with that soothing motion, you continue,

“I had a boyfriend about three years ago who dumped me because I was working too much. There was all this…other stuff about being on set and how he didn’t trust me,” A soft eyeroll, “Just utter bullshit. But what I’m trying to say is that…” You take a short breath,

“It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed anyone—I’ve been busy working and starring in B side horror films and the last thing I’m doing on those is kissing anyone because I’m running from zombies or…ax murderers. Aliens.”

A soft chuckle rumbles in Austin’s chest but he nods, this…affectionate gaze on you that makes your whole entire body buzz with warmth.

“I let it get into my head, kissing you. And how I might be bad at it.”

There was a lot more to it, about it affecting your chemistry with him, about it being obvious during playbacks that there were sparks missing, that directors and casting leads might start second guessing hiring you in the first place.

All these self-doubting, self-conscious moments wrapped up into one, topped with an overly emotional scene that already had your heart pounding in your ears.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Austin smiles and he’s far too sweet for his own good.

You crinkle your nose, “Not to make this sound like a schoolyard fight but—how would you know?”

Austin hums lightly, licking his lips and before you can throw another question his way or maybe derail this conversation entirely, he lifts his hand to cup your cheek. Your heart soars right into your throat as he leans down and captures your mouth with his own. It only takes you a half of a moment to react, tilting your head into the kiss.

It lasts a bit longer than you expect, a soft noise of pleasure leaving your throat as Austin deepens it, a little flash of tongue. It’s over before you even have time to process what’s happened, your breath catching in your chest as you look down at his mouth when he pulls away, bruised a bit pink. That reaches right into your ribcage and clenches around your heart.

“Not to sound all schoolyard back,” He says after a moment, his voice an octave lower, a bit rougher around the edges, “But ‘told you so’.”

There’s a definite eyeroll that follows that but…you can’t deny that the sentiment does make you feel better. You carry it with you when the break is called and you have to dive right back into the scene.

“Figure we’d get that out of the way so we can concentrate,” Austin teases as you settle into the scene. And…when it comes time for the kiss? It a lot more natural, soft smiles shared between you and Austin that have nothing to do with acting as you lean in and capture one another’s lips.

Both of you miss the yelling of cut! at least twice.

You feel your body heat up once again, pulse racing, but attempt to blame it all on the turtleneck you’re wearing. Once the scene is over, you leave the set with Austin, walking with him towards the food tent to grab some dinner before the late-night shooting begins. You’re definitely proud of how the scene turned out, despite being slightly emotionally exhausted at having to produce tears that feel authentic.

And you can’t stop thinking about how Austin’s lips felt against your own.

“Tired?” Austin asks as you both grab to-go containers to fill up, “You’re practically swayin’ on your feet.”

You offer a small smile, “Yeah, nothing a cat-nap and some caffeine won’t fix.” You attempt to stick to a light dinner so you don’t feel even more weighed down—a chicken salad, garlic bread because you can’t pass it up (and because there are no other kissing scenes tonight).

“I guess that’s the trade off though for a pretty heavy scene.”

Austin playfully bumps your shoulders, “Definite pay off though, you were great.”

A soft laugh even though you appreciate the compliment, you feel as if you can’t quite take it, “Right, after my three meltdowns.”

“All part of the process.” Austin grins, closing his to-go container.

You hum lightly even though you are thankful for him, for the conversation you had in his trailer. You’re not quite sure you would have gotten through the scene, or at least done it well, without talking to him about what was bothering you.

“Though I guess the moral of the story is,” Austin turns his body towards yours as you both walk out of the tent, back in the direction of the trailers, “If you’re havin’ trouble with the whole kissing thing—you know where my trailer is.”

Your eyebrows raise in amusement, the corners of your mouth pulling into a smile, “I can’t believe you said that with a straight face.”

“Oh I’m completely serious.”

“I can see that,” You laugh, your stomach doing a total somersault.

You then pause right outside your trailer, reaching out to touch his elbow to get him to stop walking. You take a step up onto the stairs, almost making your heights equal, your eyes taking in the warmth from his expression. You lean down just because you can and kiss him, something short and sweet, your noses brushing in a bunny kiss once you part.

“Thanks for the offer.”

Austin smirks, nipping at your lower lip with his own, “Sure, just lemme know if you want to take me up on it.”

You smile, watching him head back to his own trailer to eat dinner. Walking up the rest of your steps, your phone buzzes on the counter where you’ve left it, reaching to open up a text from your sister as you sit down on the couch.

Robin: well, how’d it go?

Still smiling, you text back,

Y/N: not about to kiss and tell 😉

[devilsskettle]

this has been sitting in my drafts for a while because i didn’t feel like being a hater but now i do so:

with all the talk about the glass onion and the menu and vapid “eat the rich” blockbuster movies, i did finally get around to watching some of them, and i have to say about the menu - people have said that it has nothing to say, but it actually has a very clear message! it asks its viewers point blank, “don’t you want your art to be easily consumable?” it’s this:

this is the point. why would you want something new and innovative? that’s pretentious. why can’t you just shut up and eat your fucking mcdonalds

to be fair i would totally fuck up that burger but like. it’s not about the food lol

i mean of course this isn’t about food! it isn’t about the food industry at all. there is nothing specific to that in any way. actually, nothing in the film is specific. all of the characters are just there, bodies in chairs, vague ideas of rich people you don’t like.... in theory. on principal. archetypes that are easy to hate and therefore need no development. and who do we have? a food critic who is actually a stand in for any art critic (of course, we hate art critics! so pretentious. ruining lives by doing their jobs of assessing how well other professionals in their field do their jobs. people in the film industry have no stake in making critics look bad, of course, we just hate them for.... being too verbose. yeah totally). her publisher, enabling her by publishing a magazine about food that she writes for. evil just evil. some.... guys? business guys? generic assholes. an actor? for some reason there’s an actor here. and his.... assistant? who went to college which is evil. two random old people. and a guy who is just really enthusiastic. what are we talking about!!! they don’t even know. but what they really want to say is this, not about food, but about art in general:

“you can’t sit and enjoy something AND think about it. don’t you hate those long boring pretentious intellectual films? everybody is just pretending to like them to make themselves seem smarter. you want the same big blockbuster from a big name studio that you can just turn your mind off while watching and that’s better than anyone trying to do anything different and they’d be happier if they just gave up and succumbed to simple shit with broad appeal” like please. the “let people enjoy things” attitude is so insidious. and do not come over here telling me i’m reading too much into it and it’s not about the film industry! for real, do not be that dense 

anyway. also apparently this guy was soooo much happier being a cook at a fast food place than being a successful chef with total creative control. writers really telling on themselves that they’ve never had a shitty food service job before. you think anybody wants to be there? there are problems across the board in restaurant culture, high and low brow, but come on lmao 

and the last scene..... they were trying so hard to be ready or not. you will never be ready or not 

[prettyquickpoetry]

I saw your AMA post. Do you have any tips/resources on self-publishing, or ideas of where to start looking for info?

Tips and Resources for Self-Publishing

Self publishing is amazing because you get to be in charge of literally every aspect of your book, your book’s publication, and your book’s distribution. But it’s a LOT to learn.

I'm going to put the rest of this under the break because it's a lot, but hopefully this helps anyone looking for tips and where to start!

First, I joined “Self Publishing Support Group” on Facebook where I asked way too many questions, and I also devoured YT videos by writers like: Bethany Atazadeh, Mandi Lynn, and Katie Wismer (Katesbookdate). For writing itself, I watched a ton of Abbie Emmons, Jenna Moreci, and Alexa Donne.

What you need to focus on:

The story itself. You HAVE to have a fantastic final product if you’re going to make it. The good news is you’re definitely 100% capable, but it takes diving in headfirst and absorbing everything you can. I watched a ton of videos from the above list, and read books like “Story Genius” by Lisa Cron, “Romancing the Beat” by Gwen Hayes, and “Plot & Structure” by James Scott Bell. (If you’d like more description about these books and others, please let me know!)

Editing. I’m a freelance editor, but I’m not going to lie and say you HAVE to have one to succeed. I didn’t. If you go the editorless route though, you do need to do multiple rounds of beta readers. You need other eyes on your work. If you do decide to work with an editor, consider working with me!

Formatting. Bethany Atazadeh has great videos on this. It has to look right and follow industry standards, or you’ll stick out as self-published. You’ll need to format not only the pages of your book, but also make decisions about the trim size, whether you’re doing ebook, paperback, hard cover, or a combination, as well as other options like page color and cover coating/finish, etc.

Cover design. The downfall of most self-published books in my opinion is an unprofessional cover that doesn’t follow genre expectations. If you aren’t also an artist and you aren’t confident in your skills, you should outsource this. Mandi Lynn is a cover designer and has some videos about it.

Publishing services. You need to decide what you’ll use. Amazon KDP, Ingramspark, Lulu, Book Baby, Draft2Digital, Barnes & Noble, etc. They are all different, and different ones are right for everyone. (I personally used Ingramspark, Amazon KDP, and Draft2Digital, but in the future I am only going to use Amazon KDP. I can talk about my experiences with these services more if you’d like.)

Creating an imprint. Most publishing services will offer you a free ISBN, but what they don’t tell you is that THEY’LL be listed as the publisher, not you. You can buy a pack of 10 ISBNs from Bowker.com (official distributor, ONLY for the US) for $295, and list yourself as the publisher, or create an imprint like I did. I publish with Suncat Publishing, which is named after my kitty. To shops and buyers though, it looks way more professional and doesn’t cause self-publishing suspicion.

The launch. This is huge! Set a launch date (industry standard is a Tuesday), decide how/if you’re going to use ARC readers, decide if you’ll do preorders, maybe do a cover reveal, add your book to Goodreads, plan your party… The list goes on! Thankfully most of the YouTubers I listed above talk about their launch tips and experiences.

Tips:

Never pay anyone to publish your book. They’re scammers. (Paying upload fees to sites such as Ingramspark is different.)

You probably won’t get into physical retail bookstores. Don’t get too down about it. You can still reach out directly to indie bookstores. They’ll likely do a consignment deal, but they may buy up front for a 40-55% discount.

Do as much research as you can about everything that you can. Knowledge is power, and if you research everything obsessively for months, you’ll be able to write a post like this one, which is hopefully helpful!

Publishing can get expensive. Skip whatever you want, and splurge for the things you think are important. Theoretically, you could publish on Amazon 100% free.

"Why would I want to hide that I'm self-published?" I know some of my tips make it seem like you want to appear traditionally published at all costs, but that's not true! It can just give you a better shot at being taken seriously if people can't tell your book apart from a traditional one. It's nothing to be ashamed of, though! Indie publishing is magical!

Do what you want! This is your book, and you get to do it your way. Don’t let me or anyone else tell you what to do if you don’t want to do it that way!

Please ask any other questions you have, and let me know if you'd like me to expand on any of these points!

Happy publishing!

[imaseawitch]

So. My husband has worked at this restaurant (where I also worked) for a little less than 3 years. (I only worked there 1 year. I started almost a year after he started and quit about 7 months ago. I quit because they were unfairly distributing the tip pool, but that is a different story.) Husband quit this past week. Key backstory too is that Husband's stepdad knows the owner of the restaurant and also works there. My husband and I are restaurant industry professionals with over 20 years of restaurant industry experience between the two of us. His stepdad is not a restaurant industry professional, but he got us and himself the job by knowing the owner. Stepdad very much sucks at this job.

Recently, another employee put out a tiny pride flag. Stepdad (who has history of homophobia and other bigotry) took the flag down and threw it away. Of course, I bought a pack of 115 tiny pride flags on amazon (needed that express shipping sorry). Husband and other employees were putting them up as quickly as Stepdad could take them down. Yakkety Sax plays as they chase each other around, putting up and taking down flags.

Until one day, suddenly, the one openly gay employee gets fired. Exact verbage from the manager is that "he is not a good fit for the company." It is clear that Stepdad has pulled strings with the owner to get this gay employee fired.

Stepdad starts talking shit to all employees, including my husband, his stepson, saying he will get them fired if they don't do what he says. Husband gets so mad, he literally has to walk away so he doesn't get in a physical altercation with stepdad. He immediately texts Manager and says, "This is family business getting under my skin. I can't be around Stepdad right now."

Manager says if he doesn't come back immediately, he is resigning. Husband says if 3 years of loyal service to the restaurant doesn't excuse one heated afternoon then so be it. Manager tells him not to come back.

So now they're down two employees. They were never adequately staffed to begin with. And again, Stepdad is dead fucking weight who all the other employees hate and Husband and I used to cover/make excuses for all the time because he's "family." And in the wake of all this, another (new, just started ~1 week before this nonsense began) employee quits because, obviously, this work environment fucking sucks. So now they're WAY understaffed.

Husband shoots a message to Manager. "I apologize again for letting Stepdad get the better of me and walking out. If y'all want my help, I will come back." Manager tells him that he made his decision and he can't come back.

Sooooo

Here's the tea: I, me, myself pay for Stepdad and my mother-in-law's phone service. They are on my plan.

So I decided that I don't want to pay for Stepdad's phone service any longer.

I contacted my phone service provider and got his line cancelled, effective immediately. For no change in my monthly rate, I was able to convert this line into a smartwatch line, and I got a free Galaxy Watch4. :)

I didn't even tell Husband about it until after I did it. If his mom is mad, she can be mad at me. I am a proud queer woman and I did this because fuck Stepdad's bigotry. (Also, Husband is not mad at me about this, as I knew he wouldn't be. Apparently, his mom and Stepdad have been having issues for some time now.)

So anyway. I'm proud of myself. Also, Husband already has a couple job interviews lined up, because again, he has over 10 years of industry experience. Everything's coming up us.

[dirtbag-linecook-kyloren]

I just found your diner AU? (Sorry not sure what it's called) but it's amazing. I'm invested in stressed out student Hux and grumpy line cook Ren/Ben. Please tell me is Rey is the owner who inherited the diner from Luke or Leia, are finn and poe general managers, what's phasma's roll? Is Rose their maintenance or HR person? And is there more to read? Thanks.

(The fic tag on my blog for this is Hands off Hands out, because that's what we say when we finish an order, and then when we need servers to get it out of the window. Hands off we don't say much, but it can be helpful, but Hands out is probably said seventy times an hour at lunch, because something about lunch makes servers lazy about running food, especially when no one is on window and Expo is trying to do both jobs)

HELLO I NOW WISH IT HAD BEEN A DINER

i have worked in a lot of restaurants but the first one was called broadway diner in Missouri where I went to school, dropped out, and turned to the food service industry so i didn't have to move back home. It had seven booths and a ten seat counter and I was a sassy waitress it was great. During a hippie film festival one year I rented a sailor costume from a local shop and we had a special small menu and it WAS the peak of my serving career I was so cute. I have the diner acumen I could have done this gdi

BUT, this is definitely a steak house based off the one I work at now. We have an open kitchen, because the restaurant was founded when those were cool, and the whole thing is build around a wood fire grill at one end that honestly? It's so hot but does cook a very cool burger and we get to keep a shopping cart full of wood that we 100% stole from a walmart around. (It used to be a costco cart but those are too big, it was taking up to much space. I have never asked how we got the walmart cart here, as the nearest walmart is a mile away, while we're right next to a costco)

Our line is one section, and then theres a dividing wall, and right behind it is the prep area, or true back of house, as it were. there are technically two kitchen doors, but I've deciding that clarifying which one their going through at any time would be more confusing than just trusting the reader to go with me on this journey. The dish pit is off one, as is the server alley, and the management office and back door is off of the other. The only cues will be context or something

BUT, time for the actually back story. Leia Organa is the anakin, an anthony bourdain-esque figure who was not great to his wife and died of an overdose because the industry is rife with substance problems. this likely wont be covered in the fic, but it's fun backstory. She, having learned to love the industry but also learning from her father's mistakes, started opening restaurants and not doing drugs, and she eventually hired Han Solo as a manager. They fell in love, but she's a professional, so she sold the restaurant to someone to open another, and they started dating. Eventually, they got married and opened some unnamed restaurant. They sold that, and opened this restaurant, and everything was going great. Ben is conceived and grows up in this restaurant, and also comes to love food. Then a recession hits, and business is bad. Han and Leia start fighting, argue about management and other things, eventually they divorce. Han buys out Leia's half of the restaurant, she starts doing her own thing with those funds.

Right around this time, Ben is trying to break into the industry, and he doesn't want to work for his dad, so he starts working at the restaurant that his uncle Luke manages. Doesn't own, because he thinks owning a restaurant is a seperation from truly being in it, or something dumb. This Does Not Go Well. He leaves and works a shitty, back breaking minimum wage job at a NOMA-esque restaurant run by snoke. Maybe he develops a coke habit, but there's definitely a drinking problem, because he's working fuckin 70 hour weeks and barely has enough energy to breathe let alone take care of himself. He absolutely burns out, walks out during a shift and never goes back.

After a month of moping, he comes to work at the millenium falcon, the restaurant our story takes place in. It used to be called something else, but Leia kept the naming rights to the previous restaurant, so there was a rebrand. It wasn't a petty thing, the name was incredibly sentimental to her, but idk enough about star wars to make up that name. I'm open to suggestions

Which Brings us to your actual question, which I 100% have an answer to, because I've assigned most of the main characters their staff positions.

Hux, obviously, is lead host. I doubt he has a key to the restaurant, but he's the guy who makes sure all of the servers are doing their side work and organizes the alley. In return for this work, he makes $4/hour instead of the state minimum $2.13, which isn't much but is something, and since he's 100% not claiming his cash tips, it doesn't affect him too much, come tax season.

Ben is a key holder, and mainly manages so that his dad can have some time to hang out and not be in the restaurant. You can love a place and still get tired of being there.

Han is the owner-operator. If something goes wrong, ultimately, the fault runs up to him. He hates this, wishes it was still Leia's problem, but understands her decisions. (They still talk, she comes in every once in a while. It's a cordial relationship.)

Rey is the Front of House Manager. This means a couple of things. 1) she does the ordering for things like liquor and bar cordials, and probably also glassware and flatware. She decides how sections are set out, what reservations windows look like, and which POS they're going to use. (Han doesn't care as long as it uses paper tickets. Big order screens kind of ruin the open kitchen look.) She's also the person who tries to calm a table down when their food is taking too long or someone gets too drunk, and she's Very Good At It.

Mitaka is Lead Host. If you make a reservation, you're likely talking to him. I haven't decided if the restaurant will have bussers, yet, because we don't, and if not, Mitaka will also help clear and clean tables to create a faster turnover rate.

The Knights of Ren all work various positions on the line. They exist as periphery characters because a restaurant this size needs a lot of people to function. They'll all get nicknames because they have silly star wars names and I can't handle them, honestly.

Poe is a bartender. Look that man in the eyes and tell me he's not a bartender. You can't, because he is.

Finn is a tough one for me. Right now, he's a server, because it was plot convenient for me. Originally, I had him doing togo orders, because togo is the bridge between FOH and BOH like he is between the first order and the resistance, and it made sense for me. He may end up serving as both, because we have a few people that do that.

Rose is another character that mainly exists in the background? I don't know much about her so I just have her as a server, and she may end up developing an importance but as of now, she's just rolling silverware and taking orders in the miasma of this story.

Phasma, my sweet, lovely, wonderfully tall queen, is a pantry cook. They do salads, fry, and dessert and are often one person doing the job of two. I'm a pantry cook, I'm putting a lot of love into her, because I fuckin love pantry, as I am a mad woman.

(If you were wondering Ben is competent at all of the stations but he mainly works expo or grill. Han can do all of them, but he prefers dish, because when you're on the line all the time being a dishie for a day is a fuckin vacation. It's a day where no one is yelling at you unless they need plates and everything can be solved pretty easily. my first BOH job was a dishie job at a dennys I have a soft spot for it.)

Realistically, I need a few more people to fill out the actual story, and I may just straight up borrow my coworkers bc we have some wild people.

And I'm not kidding when I say most of the major plot points are things that truly happened at my restaurant. It's been a great source of inspiration.

Also please let me know if any of my terms aren't common knowledge and need to be explained? Like I don't expect people to know a santoku by name but beyond that I'm really trying to feel out what the general knowledge base for restaurants in the regular world is. not even in a pretenious way but in like a "why would regular people need to know what a cambro is, and that while yes, cambro is a brand name, when used as a improper noun, refers to a 22 or 12 quart container like this

[coochiequeens]

Another man in a dress that wants to make it easier for other men to buy and sell women

A transgender politician in Mexico known for opposing the abolition of human trafficking is under fire for intentionally posting pornographic videos of himself on his official Twitter page while falsely claiming he was moonlighting as a “sex worker.”

Maria Clemente made headlines last year after becoming the first transgender politician ever elected to Mexico’s federal Chamber of Deputies. But Clemente’s short political career has already been marred by several incidents of impropriety, the latest being posting pornographic content of himself on his official Twitter.

Over the past two weeks, Clemente has posted uncensored videos and photos to his social media, most of which show him engaged in sex with men he refers to as “daddy.” The posts often utilize the tag #TransIsHot.

In a September 30 tweet, Clemente uploaded a pornographic video of a man’s erect penis, captioning it: “This is the first that I’m going to show you how I suck it like the popsicle that my dad bought me when I was a girl and took me to the park.”

Since then, Clemente has posted multiple other graphic videos, including those showing him performing oral sex on men. The videos received negative feedback from constituents, with many decrying the behavior as inappropriate and unbecoming of a federal politician. 

Clemente responded to critics by making a post with a short list justifying his decision to put the pornographic videos on his official account. The reasons, which included “I am a woman,” and “It’s my body, my choice,” was accompanied by a video of Clemente in lingerie blowing kisses at the camera.

On October 6, VICE World News published an article praising Clemente for uploading the content and lauding his political efforts advocating for “sex workers.” The article, titled “Mexico’s First Trans Politician is a Sex Worker Who Has No Problem Tweeting Her Own Porn,” included comment from Clemente in which he asserted that the posts were intended to bring in more clients for his side-career as a prostitute.

But the same day, Clemente’s husband issued a statement in which he claimed Clemente was lying about being a prostitute, and that the politician was actually buying sex, not selling it. 

“I’ve known you for almost six years and I can assure you that you have never done sex work,” Iván Sheridan wrote, “Not professional. Not semi-professional. Not street … Don’t forget that you met me when I was practicing [prostitution], and that I received payment for my services for a long time. A lot of people know that.” Sheridan ended his two-page letter by telling Clemente he wanted to finalize their divorce. 

According to Sheridan, Clemente has apparently only been doing “sex work” for a few days, and, despite his public persona of being a working-class sexual minority, lives in a luxurious penthouse in Mexico City’s upscale Zona Rosa. 

Clemente also earns a Deputy salary of 75,000 pesos per month — roughly $3,700 USD.

Sheridan has since deleted his original tweet, apologizing for publishing private information, but has asserted that what he wrote was true. The statement has been preserved on other Twitter accounts, which Sheridan has positively interacted with.

Clemente’s claims of being a prostitute are not new. When running for office, he often called himself a “poor woman” and had frequently claimed to have been forced to work as a prostitute before becoming a politician.

As reported by Reduxx in July, Clemente is a staunch supporter of the sex industry. That support led him to clash with human rights experts at an annual congress meant to address the issue of trafficking in Latin America and the Carribean. 

On July 6, the 7th Congreso Latinoamericano y Caribeño sobre Trata de Personas y Tráfico de Migrantes (Latinamerican and Carribean Congress on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling) was held in Mexico City, and featured a diverse panel of international academics and politicians from Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies. 

The goal of the conference was to discuss ways to tackle the serious issue of human trafficking in the region, with a particular emphasis on the ways in which women are impacted. In Mexico, 85% of human trafficking victims are female, with women and girls overrepresented in every form of the crime, including organ trafficking, forced prostitution, and labor exploitation.

But as one speaker, Spanish Sociologist Dr. Rosa María Cobo, addressed the issue of prostitution and its impact on the humanity of women, Clemente, who was in attendance, became enraged and physically aggressive.

“This is hate speech! This is criminalizing my comrades! This is hate speech paid for with Government funds!” Clemente was heard screaming over the livestream of the conference.

A female member of the audience began to speak out against Clemente, yelling back a sarcastic question: “Women were born to be whores?”

Clemente replied: “Well I am a woman, and I am a whore! It’s my job and and how my family eats! I love it!”

Following Sheridan’s statement, many Mexican feminists are voicing their outrage over Clemente’s apparent appropriation of sex-based oppression.

“All our support for Iván, husband of María Clemente who has unmasked this fanatic consumer of prostitution. The theater is over!” Tweeted Asteria Barahùnda Feminista, a sex trade abolitionist collective.

“I applaud that they exposed [him], it’s what lying people need. And this man does not represent his community, nor the Mexican people, he is the deputy of the pimps,” another user tweeted in response to Sheridan’s statement.

“In other words, Mr. Maria Clemente [lies] about being a prostitute, and lives in a flat in the Zona Rosa and thus claims realities he does not live while fighting for the rights of men,” @nastyevilwitch wrote.

Since uploading the videos to Twitter, Clemente has announced he intends to propose legislation to fully legalize and regulate prostitution in Mexico, providing prostituted women “social security and rights” as workers.

Clemente has not addressed the post made by his former partner beyond claiming it “never existed.”

By Anna Slatz Anna is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Reduxx, with a journalistic focus on covering crime, child predators, and women's rights. She lives in Canada, enjoys Opera, and kvetches in her spare time.

[con-tekconcreting]

Choosing the Right Concreter: 7 Essential Factors for a Solid Foundation

Concreting Hobart services are incomplete without a professional concreter. The project would not be possible without them because of the convenience and expertise they show. They are the ones who ensure that the concrete is quality and durable to guarantee that it passes the standards. The aesthetics of the final product are just as important, especially if you will do the concreting project on your property. If you are looking for a professional concreter but do not know where and how to start, may these factors be able to help:

Experience

The first thing you need to do is to look for the experience of the concreters. Have they been in the industry for years? What are the things they can offer that I will not see anywhere else? Is their experience enough to handle my concerns? These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself before hiring a concreter. You will know about their experiences through their website or how they present themselves. Ask them questions if that will help you learn more about them.

Reputation

There are two sides to reputation: the good and the bad. These two are always one with each other, presenting different perspectives. If you want your concrete project to be handled by trusted people, look for their reputation. You must check the ratings and reviews their former clients leave about them to see if they pass your standards. The task might take a while, but it is worth it. If they are recommended by someone you know and trust, it is another indication of a good and positive reputation. A bad reputation is already a red flag you should never overlook.

Portfolio of Past Work

The portfolio will be your guide in seeing the past projects of the company. If you do not know what design to have on your property yet, you can also use the portfolio to give you some perspective. Utilise it properly to assess their work and see if they are the experts you are looking for. If not, it is okay because there are more you can contact.

Project Quotation

Before hiring a concreter, do not forget to ask for a project quotation. This document is a detailed one because it is where you will see the inclusions of the services and how much will it cost you to get the job done. The quotation will also be the one to tell you which company has the cheapest option and if they are worth the hire. Ask for this before saying yes to anyone to avoid having regrets.

Timeframe

Discussing the timeframe of the project is necessary because it gives you an idea of how the entire project will go. If it will cost too much time and you do not want it, it is a clear indication to look for another company or concreter. The one that can provide a much shorter time to finish the project will be the one to get your yes.

Communication Skills

Can you imagine talking to someone who does not know what they are talking about? How about asking questions and getting indirect answers? For sure, you would never want to experience those. Communication skills are important, even to concreters, because they have clients and partners to talk to. If they cannot communicate clearly and effectively, then it might not be good to associate them with any of your projects.

After-Sales Service

Sadly, many companies do not care about their clients after the service is done. They do not show enthusiasm to extend their assistance and services, which makes it a red flag in so many ways. No one wants to partner with a concreter that does not perform follow-up checks and maintenance, especially when the problems start to occur early.

One search on the internet, and you will see lots of concreters offering their services. All you need to do is to choose one you can trust with your property. May these factors help you look for one that is professional enough to handle your wants and concerns. Make the concrete project worth it starting with the people who will do the job.

[athomewiththecicadas]

Life as a Senior NCO for a Head of Household that can't Provide.

External Entropy

Going over music, and how that relates to our mercenary objectives. Okay, with Law there is consequence. Where practicing Law, generates inequity, or consequence.

And if you were interested in music when you were younger, you learned to read music, and learned the correct posturing and so on.

Just to tell you how depreciated our economic system has been over the years, I ran out of money for it in Junior High, making up parts when I was sitting in Orchestra.

Well, Music also compares to PT Regulation. Which is the core values of any professional NCO, wether you are Senior or not. And so, music is still part of a diversified portfolio for NCO's to review their debts.

And merely with Classical music, I could smoke the Music Industry. It's a complete embarrassment. They could low, but it's not like we'de be buying anything different. .....A simple Viola. Imagine that.

Anyway, generating Inequity. And as inequity comes in, it goes through our regulatory commissions, and "if the economy can not facilitate minimum wage, it allows for private contract..... Which is a service."

Needless to say, there's plenty of inequity. And from my perspective, the economy is entirely too arrogant to understand that they are not going to fully facilitate minimum wage. The 4:00 mile, and 20lbs ruck is a whole lot heavier then cadets were ready to assume. So for me, Mercenary ambitions can provide reasonable returns. Even after gaining the experience from 13 years of being a Sergeant First Class.

And part of that, we found Logistics, Manufacturing, and even Energy Production.

You know, try to facilitate a Logistics Infrastructure with a host of business partners. You split up Nations into 600 mile sectors, that distribute to 150 mile sectors, and then 50 mile sectors. And this describes distribution by air and land from our Sea Ports. Mach Cargo Planes. Trucking reduced to 90 mile ranges. And 79 knot Cargo Ships.

Well, business picked up on this well. Eventually considering implementing manufacturing as part of the Integrated Logistics Support System. And this is what I refer to as "Environmental Production." And it's an account to offset environmental issues society is facing, and it blends seamlessly with Integrated Logistics Support.

Again, these are contracts to produce where inequity warrants claim for business. And so, "it's not fair" is all I do.

And part of all of these initiatives, lost in space, similar to being in jail, while your mind wanders how you are going to facilitate these regulatory inequities. My musical tastes come from Blues Jazz. Delta blues, from the Mississippi Delta. The Southern Baptist that never got it right.... And Full Dress Uniform. Where the combination of the two needs the money to come from somewhere.

And Blues Jazz was the saving grace of any kind of potential for a respectable musical career. Otherwise, I just can't see that the music industry is going to conform.

Music, turns out: "It was't for me."

At least professionally speaking. And so, there's all sorts of dooms day mechanisms to contain inequities in the economy. But for me, none of any of this was going to say it the way we as NCO's were going to say it.

And for energy production, I came up with the concept of "External Entropy." Where you would think that the economy's best chance of securing a source of energy was from an external source. And the Sun is exactly that. It just throws away all of this energy that is enough to burn your skin, within 1/2 of an hour.

The "Truth," is exactly all you need to know.

"Not a God Damn thing!"

And this is the idea of External Entropy Technologies. And just recently some of this money was secured for R&D, as if there's some kind of demand from the other side of Earth, in Japan.

And there's several types of Solar. But none of them say it the right way. There should be a "penalty" for having to develop these technologies..... and the penalty is the result of regulatory inequity."

Perfect......

"You'll never figure out how it works. And never ask again." But, "someone," is going to mention that I'm trying to do this for the money. And then you get into our "royalty system."

And so, the issue is that you are providing a "service" for a regulatory inequity. And that is not the same money as what is considered in the Music Industry.

And with my "PhD...." in defense, I know better.

And when you're talking 4000Gigawatts generated in the U.S. alone, it was Delta Blues, and Blues Jazz. But that just defaces your first impressions of Music. And so, you would find that I was only interested in the institutional values of Music, specifically avoiding any of the advertising.

But as long as I am "gaying" this. Someone would logically want to know if there was even "a smidgen of love" in any of this. And while I was dating our founder, she was a Liberty University Student. And it was Sushi. You know, formal dining, and driving her in a Honda Accord. While I was trying to secure a career with Mercenary ambitions.

I was only making 1st Sword's wage at the time. And afterwards I took her out and introduced her to the SKS. Which, as a young man, I thought that was appropriate.

Classical music, Institutional Values, and the SKS....? Liberty University, Honda Accord, Formal Dining(Sushi), the SKS... No?....

Sergeant Major Nathan Marksmith, North Wales Militia/ Joint Militia Detachment (Virginia Militia Association)

-------

(*Below, illustrations of next generation solar technologies. Personal Device, automotive, off shore power plant)

[thelistingteammiami]

Scott Lehr Agent Expressions

Tell us about your first deal in real estate?

My journey in the real estate industry began with selling timeshares and vacation packages, marking my first official real estate transaction as a licensed agent. Before this, I had been involved in property investments, including fix and flips, rehab projects, and rental properties as a property owner.

Interestingly, my inaugural venture into the world of single-family homes involved a listing opportunity. Yes, I secured a listing before working with any buyers.

The transaction went exceptionally smoothly, and it was at that moment I realized my true calling and recognized where my strengths lay.

Since my very first day in real estate, I have consistently harnessed the power of photography, video, 3D technology, and artificial intelligence for all my listings, whether they were for rent or sale, regardless of the price range. This approach has consistently delivered successful results for my clients.

Which book would you recommend the rookie you to read?

I have attached it; it's called "Never Split The Difference."

And "How to Sell Homes Fast for Top Dollar," my book.

What inspired you to get into real estate?

I am deeply enthusiastic about sharing valuable information with people, guiding them through the intricacies of home ownership, and highlighting the many advantages it offers. Homeownership not only provides stability and security but also serves as a valuable investment, allowing individuals to build equity and establish a sense of belonging within their communities. My dedication to this cause stems from the belief that well-informed individuals can make decisions that positively impact their lives and the communities they live in.

What did you do with the first commission check you received?

Upon receiving my inaugural commission check, I recognized the pivotal moment it represented in my real estate journey. I decided to take a strategic approach and reinvested that income back into my business. This financial injection was dedicated to implementing high-end marketing initiatives and meticulously crafting a robust brand identity.

I understood the significance of establishing a compelling brand and a strong market presence in the competitive real estate landscape. Therefore, I used the funds to create a comprehensive marketing strategy that included professional photography, immersive videos, 3D tours, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools. These assets not only enhanced my listings but also set me apart as an agent who offered top-tier services.

The decision to invest in high-end marketing and brand building proved to be a turning point in my career. It enabled me to attract more clients, offer them an exceptional experience, and consistently deliver outstanding results in the real estate market.

What is your favorite spot in FL?

My unwavering love for the outdoors and the abundant ocean treasures that grace the South Florida region is not just a personal preference but a way of life for me. As an avid boater, I've come to appreciate the unparalleled lifestyle that this area offers.

One of the best aspects of this lifestyle is the opportunity to reside in one of South Florida's stunning high-rise residences. These not only provide luxurious and comfortable living spaces but also grant me the privilege of being in close proximity to the water. From my vantage point, I can enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean, which has become my daily inspiration.

Living in these high-rise abodes is not just about convenience; it's a commitment to a lifestyle that revolves around the ocean, water sports, and the vibrant South Florida culture. Whether I'm navigating the waterways, exploring the coastline, or simply basking in the spectacular sunsets, these high-rise havens serve as the perfect backdrop for an outdoor enthusiast like me.

What do you enjoy most about RESF?

I became a part of RESF because I was truly captivated by its vibrant culture. Jorge and Dinorah embody the very essence of hard work, strong business ethics, and unwavering values, which deeply resonate with my own principles. Their commitment to maintaining consistency and upholding the significance of our brand aligns perfectly with my personal values.

It's not just a workplace; it's a place where dedication, integrity, and a strong sense of purpose converge. This environment fuels my enthusiasm and allows me to thrive while contributing to the greater success of our team.

[cmasociety]

Conquering Imposter Syndrome: Elevating Self-Esteem and Confidence to New Heights

Dear reader, have you ever found yourself in a situation where you're doubting yourself? Perhaps you're using harsh labels like "fraud" or "phony," worrying about your competence or qualifications. Don't worry; unfortunately, this is quite common and is known as 'Imposter Syndrome.' Approximately 1 out of 3 people suffer from it, and 70% of individuals will experience it in their lifetime. It commonly occurs when entering new situations, such as a new school, program, or job, where the pressure to succeed, combined with a lack of experience, leads to feelings of inadequacy.

Imposter Syndrome is not limited to new situations; it can also affect individuals who experience low self-efficacy, perfectionism, and neuroticism. Additionally, it may overlap with social anxiety.

If you find yourself grappling with Imposter Syndrome, there are helpful resources available. The Student Wellness Centre offers counseling services, providing support to diminish symptoms and identify the root cause. It's possible that Imposter Syndrome is linked to an underlying concern, such as anxiety or depression. Consider reaching out to professionals, including counselors or psychiatrists, to help navigate through these feelings and conquer any underlying issues. 

Visit the Student Wellness Centre counseling page to explore how you can receive the support you need. Check out additional support provided by the Student Wellness Centre:

ACT on Anxiety 

DBT: Interpersonal Effectiveness 

Managing Your Worry and Anxiety 

Mend Your Mood

Stress-Less Drop In

“Navigating the leap from Science to Humanities” - Jacqueline 

 I experienced major imposter syndrome in my first year of university when I began as a life science student. I felt like everyone was much more qualified, had everything together, and was overall smarter and more capable than I was. I struggled with these feelings for months, especially around midterm and exam seasons when I realized my passion for science wasn't as strong as I had thought (I was also at risk of failing two courses, lol!). Long story short, I was able to change my life course through a lot of introspection, seeking support from the student wellness center, and visiting the academic office. My first year was tough, and I faced numerous mental challenges with my self confidence and in the uncertainty of switching majors. Looking back, I would do it all over again if it meant being where I am today. I encourage you, readers, to have compassion for yourselves and listen to what that inner voice is telling you, remember that you are not alone in your experience! 

“Starting a New Job” - Anastasia

For me, I had major imposter syndrome when I was offered a Teaching Assistant position at Mac. While I jumped for joy at the offer, as soon as that happiness wore off, I felt like I was going to puke from the anxiety! I’d never taught anything before, nor did I think I knew the course well enough to help 25 students learn about the program I am so passionate about. I started to doubt myself, beating myself up and telling myself that I wasn’t the right fit for the position, worried that I’d scare off or impact the education of the students in my tutorial. I would go into my tutorial and reprimand myself whenever I couldn’t answer a student’s question at that moment. But, as we near the end of the semester, I realized that I loved being a TA! It was an awesome and fulfilling experience for me and it showed me to stay positive and believe in myself. Beating yourself up and staying in your head may harm your mental health, while also not allowing you to celebrate your successes! You’ve gotta let go of those negative feelings and just go for it because if you don’t start now, when will you? 

Upcoming Event: Industry Night!

Are you still trying to figure out what to do with that comms, media arts, or humanities degree? Come out to our Industry Night on January 11, 2024 where you’ll be able to network and listen to professionals in all sorts of industries. Did we mention there will also be snacks  👀 For more information visit the CMAS Instagram page. To secure your ticket, visit the CMAS linktree. 

We hope you found some insight on this month’s topic! With exams around the corner we hope you take the time to self-care, reflect, and reach out if you need to. 

Until next time reader, Jacqueline & Stass

[webzguruservices]

The Power of Trust Symbols: Boosting Conversions and Building Customer Confidence

Welcome to a world where symbols speak louder than words! In an age dominated by digital interactions, building trust and credibility has become the holy grail of successful businesses. But fear not, because we’re about to unveil the secret weapon that can make all the difference – trust symbols! These mighty little emblems hold unparalleled power in boosting conversions and instilling unwavering confidence in your customers. Whether it’s a secure payment badge or a customer review seal of approval, join us as we delve into the captivating realm of trust symbols, revealing their undeniable impact on your business growth. Get ready to unlock the key to winning hearts, minds, and wallets like never before!

What are trust symbols?

The Power of Trust Symbols: Boosting Conversions and Building Customer Confidence

If you’re not using trust symbols on your website, you could be missing out on a powerful conversion booster. Trust symbols are visual cues that tell visitors that your site is safe, reliable, and trustworthy. They can come in the form of logos, seals, or badges from well-known organizations, positive customer reviews, or security icons.

Using trust symbols can help increase conversions by building customer confidence. When potential customers see that your site is endorsed by a credible source or that others have had positive experiences with your business, they’re more likely to feel comfortable making a purchase.

If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at some of the most common trust symbols used on websites:

Logos and seals from well-known organizations: If you’re endorsed by a recognizable organization, make sure to show it off with a logo or seal front and center on your homepage. Some examples include the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Verisign, McAfee Secure, and TRUSTe. Customer reviews and testimonials: Positive customer feedback is always great social proof. Don’t just showcase a few 5-star reviews – include detailed testimonials from happy customers describing their experience with your product or service. Security icons: Many web users are concerned about online security, so adding security icons to your site can help ease their fears . Common security icons include the padlock symbol, a “https” in the URL, and an SSL certificate seal. Accreditations and awards: If you’ve won any industry awards or have been accredited by a professional organization, make sure to display those proudly on your website. This will help show potential customers that you are reliable and trustworthy.

Why are trust symbols important?

For many online shoppers, trust symbols are essential in helping them decide whether to complete a purchase. Trust symbols can give customers confidence that their personal and financial information will be safe, that they will receive what they ordered, and that they can return items if necessary.

Some of the most common trust symbols include well-known logos such as VeriSign and McAfee, which signify that a website is secure. Other trust symbols include customer testimonials, money-back guarantees, and security seals.

Including trust symbols on your website can help boost conversions by reassuring potential customers that your site is safe and trustworthy. Building customer confidence is essential for any business, but it’s especially important for businesses that operate online. By using trust symbols, you can help give your customers the peace of mind they need to make a purchase.

How do they increase conversions?

There are a few key ways that trust symbols can help to increase conversions on your website or online store. Firstly, they can help to build customer confidence in your brand and what you’re offering. This is especially important for first-time visitors or those considering making a purchase for the first time. If they see a well-recognized and trusted symbol next to your product or checkout button, it can give them the reassurance they need to go ahead with their purchase.

Secondly, trust symbols can also act as a powerful reminder of your brand and what you stand for. In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with marketing messages from all sides, it can be easy for potential customers to forget who you are and what you’re offering. Seeing a trust symbol next to your name can jog their memory and remind them why they should consider doing business with you.

Trust symbols can also help increase the perceived value of your products or services. If potential customers see that you’re endorsed by a respected third-party organization, it can make your offerings seem more credible and valuable in their eyes. This could lead them to be more likely to take the plunge and make a purchase from you.

What are the different types of trust symbols?

There are four main types of trust symbols: security seals, customer testimonials, company accreditations, and privacy policies.

Security seals are a type of trust symbol that show that a website is safe and secure. They are usually placed on the checkout page or in the footer of a website. Customer testimonials are another type of trust symbol that can be used to show potential customers that other people have had positive experiences with a company. Company accreditations are another type of trust symbol that can be used to show that a company is reputable and has been certified by an external organization. Privacy policies are the last type of trust symbol we will discuss. Privacy policies are important because they show customers that a company is committed to protecting their personal information.

How to choose the right trust symbol for your brand

When it comes to trust symbols, there are a lot of different options to choose from. But which one is right for your brand? Here are a few things to consider:

-Your audience: Who are you trying to reach with your trust symbol? Make sure the symbol resonates with them.

-Your message: What do you want your trust symbol to say about your brand? Choose a symbol that reinforces the message you’re trying to communicate.

-Your design: How does the trust symbol fit in with the overall look and feel of your website? It should be cohesive with the rest of your branding.

By taking these factors into account, you can narrow down the options and choose a trust symbol that will help boost conversions and build customer confidence.

Strategies for integrating trust symbols into a website or online store

When it comes to online shopping, customers want to be confident that they are dealing with a reputable company. One way to build trust with potential customers is to use trust symbols on your website or online store. Trust symbols can be in the form of logos, badges, or testimonials from satisfied customers.

Here are some tips for integrating trust symbols into your website or online store:

-Make sure the trust symbols you use are relevant to your business and industry. For example, if you are an ecommerce site that sells products related to health and wellness, using a trust symbol like the Better Business Bureau logo would be appropriate.

-Place trust symbols in strategic locations on your website or online store. For example, you might want to put them near the checkout page or on product pages.

-Don’t overload your website or online store with too many trust symbols. A few well-placed trust symbols will be more effective than a bunch of them scattered around randomly.

By following these tips, you can integrate trust symbols into your website or online store in a way that will boost conversions and build customer confidence.

Examples of effective use of trust symbol

When it comes to online businesses, building trust with potential customers is essential. And one of the best ways to do that is by using trust symbols.

Trust symbols are visual cues that help convey to visitors that your website is safe, reliable, and trustworthy. They can be things like security seals, customer testimonials, or even just positive reviews from third-party sources.

Using trust symbol on your website can have a big impact on your conversion rates. In fact, studies have shown that they can increase conversions by up to 34%.

So if you’re looking for a way to boost your online sales, make sure you’re using trust symbols. Here are some examples of effective use of trust symbols:

Security Seals: Security seals are a great way to show visitors that your website is safe and secure. They typically include things like SSL certificates, data encryption, and malware scanning. Adding security seals to your website can help increase visitor confidence and boost conversions.

Customer Testimonials: Customer testimonials are another great way to build trust with potential customers. Hearing first-hand accounts from happy customers can help increase confidence in your product or service. Make sure to showcase customer testimonials prominently on your website and in your marketing materials.

Positive Reviews: Positive reviews from third-party sources are also beneficial in building customer confidence. Seeing that others have had positive experiences with your business can go a long way in convincing visitors to make a purchase.

By using these trust symbols, you’ll be able to create a sense of security and trust with your customers. This will help boost your conversions and grow your online business.

Conclusion

Trust symbol can be a powerful tool in boosting conversions and building customer confidence. By creating an authentic, trustworthy experience for customers, you can increase their comfort level with your brand and help them make informed decisions about your products or services. The more trust signals you have on your website, the better chance you have of inspiring customer loyalty and long-term success. As such, investing in trust symbol is a smart move that could benefit your business for years to come.

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How to Choose Keywords for SEO in Dublin

If you’re running a business in Dublin, you already know how crucial online visibility is. But let’s face it, SEO can be a maze, especially when it comes to choosing the right SEO keywords. As someone who’s been in the web design industry for years, I can tell you that a well-designed website and a solid SEO strategy go hand in hand. So, let’s dive into how you can choose the best keywords for SEO in Dublin.

Why Keywords Matter

SEO Keywords are the backbone of your SEO strategy. They’re the phrases that potential customers type into Google when they’re looking for services like yours. Choose the right keywords, and you’re golden, choose the wrong ones, and you’re virtually invisible. I’ve seen businesses double their traffic just by tweaking their SEO keyword strategy. Yes, it’s that powerful.

Understanding Your Target Audience

Know Your Customers

Before you even think about keywords, you need to know who you’re targeting. Are they young professionals? Homeowners? Tourists in Dublin? I once had a client in the hospitality sector who thought their audience was “everyone.” After some research, we discovered that most of their customers were actually business clients. That insight changed their entire keyword strategy.

Local vs. Global Audience

If you’re a Dublin-based business, you’ll likely want to focus on local SEO. Why? Because people searching for “top SEO agency in Dublin” are more likely to visit our website than those searching for “SEO” Local SEO is a goldmine, folks. Don’t ignore it.

Types of Keywords

Short-Tail Keywords

Short-tail keywords are broad and often consist of one or two words, like “coffee” or “Breakfast Roll” While they have high search volume, they’re also highly competitive. I’ve seen businesses spend thousands only to rank on the second or third page for these keywords.

Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are your best friends. These are phrases like “best coffee shop in Dublin” or “What cafe has the best Breakfast roll in Stillorgan” They might have lower search volumes, but they’re also less competitive and more targeted. I had a client who shifted focus to long-tail keywords and saw a 50% increase in organic traffic within two months.

Branded Keywords

Branded keywords include your company name or specific products you offer. If you’re well-known in your industry, these can be low-hanging fruits. But remember, ranking for your own brand name is SEO 101. You should already be doing that.

Keyword Research Tools

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a classic and for a good reason. It gives you keyword ideas, tells you the search volume, and even estimates how competitive they are. I’ve been using it for years, and it’s never let me down.

Other Tools

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz can offer additional insights. SEMrush, for example, is excellent for competitor keyword research, but more on that later.

Competitor Analysis

Why It’s Important

Your competitors are also vying for that coveted top spot on Google. Knowing what keywords they’re targeting can give you a competitive edge.

How to Do It

You can manually search for your competitors’ keywords, but tools like SEMrush make it a breeze. Just enter your competitor’s URL, and you’ll get a list of keywords they’re ranking for. I did this for a client who was in a highly competitive niche, and we discovered several keywords their competitors were overlooking. They’re now ranking in the top 3 for those terms.

Implementing Keywords

On-Page SEO

Once you’ve chosen your keywords, it’s time to put them to work. Include them in your titles, meta descriptions, and content. But don’t overdo it, keyword stuffing is a big no-no.

Off-Page SEO

Keywords also play a role in your off-page SEO. When building backlinks, try to get links from pages that are relevant to your keywords. This tells Google that your page is a credible source for that topic.

Monitoring and Adjusting

Tracking Tools

Google Analytics and Google Search Console are your go-to tools for tracking keyword performance. Keep an eye on metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and average position.

When to Make Adjustments

SEO is not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. If you’re not seeing improvements after a few months, it might be time to revisit your keyword strategy. I had a client who was ranking well but not getting conversions. We adjusted their keywords, focusing more on transactional phrases, and their conversion rate skyrocketed.

Conclusion

Choosing the right keywords for your SEO strategy in Dublin is both an art and a science. It requires a deep understanding of your audience, a strategic approach to keyword selection, and ongoing adjustments to stay ahead of the competition.

Ready to skyrocket your website traffic in Dublin? As an experienced Dublin SEO Agency specialising in SEO, we can help you navigate the complexities and get you the results you’re after. Contact us today and let’s turn your website into a traffic magnet.

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