#messaged someone about a show we both love made me smile 😊

[thesimplicityofchance]

I love having more friends now. Because there is so many things that I see while doing something and think of them. And it's just fun to message them after like. Oo I saw a thing and you showed up in my head.

[writingwithciara]

For The Cameras ~Matt Sturniolo~

summary: a kiss cam produces unexpected results

word count: 1.9k (not as long as normal but a decent length imo)

pairing: matt sturniolo x reader

note: got a sweet message from @lolasturniolo and i loved the prompt. hope you don’t mind that i made it a sorta friends-to-lovers fic 😊

masterlist

“so who are we taking to the game tonight? we have 1 extra ticket and 3 options.” nick looked at his brothers.

"i vote to bring justin." matt said without looking up from his phone.

"really? i say nate." chris looked around the room.

"so you guys bring me back to boston and i'm not even an option for you?" y/n threw her hands up and shook her head.

"if it helps, i was going to pick you." nick smiled.

"if we each choose a different person, we're just right back where we started." matt set his phone down.

"we could always put their names in a hat and pick randomly." chris suggested.

"or, we think about this. both justin and nate have been to a hockey game and y/n has never been to one. plus, we did drag her all the way here. do we really want to be leaving her alone?"

"well, as good of a point as it is, i'm keeping my vote for justin. we don't spend a lot of time with him and i think it'd be nice to bring him to a game while we're here." matt smiled.

"i'm changing my vote to y/n. she deserves to have some fun on this trip." chris looked at his friend and smiled.

"that's two-to-one." nick looked at matt. "so you're overruled no matter what."

"okay fine. but justin gets to go with us to the next one." matt stood up and went to his room to get ready. chris did the same, leaving nick and y/n in nick's room.

"nick, i don't have anything to wear to represent the team."

"don't worry about it. we can buy you something when we get there. don't forget to dress warm. i'll wait for you to get changed then we can go."

"yes sir." y/n began to dig through her bag for something to wear. she pulled out her favorite ransom shirt and a hoodie she borrowed from chris nearly 3 years ago. after she changed into her favorite pair of jeans, nick came back into the room to change.

once everyone was changed, they met out at the car.

the drive to the arena was short and the car was filled with nothing but silence.

when they arrived, nick went to take y/n to get something to represent the team but matt pulled a boston jersey from the car and handed it to her.

"figured you wouldn't have anything to show your pride in the team so i grabbed an extra jersey."

"wow. you're so thoughtful for someone who didn't even want me to come to the game with you guys."

"i never said i didn't want you to come. i just said we barely spend time with justin and he would've loved it."

"i'm messing with you matt. i don't care that you didn't want me to be here."

"i didn't....whatever." matt walked away with nick. y/n pulled the jersey over her head and looked at chris.

"how do i look?"

"you look..really good." chris smiled and the two of them jogged to catch up to matt and nick.

the group looked at their tickets and went to their seats. matt was between y/n and nick, while chris was on the other side of y/n. he made eye contact with y/n as they sat down and he rolled his eyes.

he didn't hate her, nor did he dislike having her around. in fact, he loved having her around all the time.

to him, she was perfect. and his brothers knew it. they were always trying to push them together but y/n would never show interest in him & had only referred to him as a friend. and so born was his hatred towards her.

as the game went on, y/n cheered at the right moments and matt couldn't help but admire her every feature, hoping he wouldn't get caught.

unfortunately for him, chris and nick were in the bathroom when the kiss cam came around. he was still admiring y/n when the camera pointed at them. she noticed the stupid grin on his face and looked over at him.

"i think you should look at the screen, matt."

"huh?" he snapped out of his daze to glance at the screen. the large words KISS CAM flashed in red and his cheeks darkened. he knew he had been caught. he looked at the camera and shooed them away.

y/n stared at him with both shock and awe on her face. part of her wanted to kiss him but the other part of her didn't want to make him uncomfortable. so she just went back to watching the players skate around.

a few minutes later, the kiss cam returned to them and once again, matt declined. this time though, the fans around them booed. it nearly embarrassed matt but as he looked down at his feet, y/n grabbed his hand, almost immediately calming him down.

"thanks." he leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"not a problem." she smiled sweetly at him and returned her attention back to the players. her hand didn't move from matt's grip but neither of them seemed to mind.

at the end of the 2nd period, the kiss cam returned. no matter how many times matt asked them to leave, they kept coming back. y/n felt matt's grip tighten on her hand so she placed a gentle kiss to his cheek, hoping it would satisfy everyone.

it did not.

the camera continued to point at the duo and all eyes, even the players, were on them.

"i'm sorry about this." y/n whispered to matt before turning his head and kissing him. the crowd finally cheered and the camera crew went away.

but y/n and matt were too wrapped up in each other to notice.

his hand detached from hers and he placed them on her cheeks. y/n smiled into the kiss.

when they both finally stopped kissing each other, the smile on their faces was permanent.

"i hope that wasn't too embarrassing or awkward for you." y/n smiled and went back o squeezing his hand. matt didn't say anything. his earlier focus on the game was long gone and replaced with y/n.

when the game was finally over, y/n stood up and stretched.

"oh my goodness. that was amazing."

"yeah it really was." nick smiled and began heading out.

"it was good but i think matt really enjoyed it." chris smirked, earning a punch to both of his arms by his brothers and best friend. "ouch."

"anyone have to use the bathroom before we head out?" nick stopped outside the bathroom and looked at everyone.

"yeah. i promise i'll be quick." y/n walked into the bathroom and matt felt his brothers staring at him.

"what?"

"so, that kiss was certainly something, huh?"

"it didn't mean anything. it was just to get the kiss cam people off our backs."

"i don't think that was the only reason you guys kissed." chris raised an eyebrow.

"yeah. it looked pretty intense from an outside point of view."

"what do you mean?"

"you guys kissed for like 10 seconds after the camera crew left. you can't tell me that your feelings for her aren't returned."

"please can we change the topic?"

"what are you dorks talking about now?" y/n asked as she walked out of the bathroom.

"the hockey game." matt quickly covered up before the awkward tension got too high.

"it was so good. and oh my god. jeremy swayman is so hot. wow." y/n swooned and began to walk ahead of the boys.

when they got to the car, chris got in the back, allowing y/n to sit up front with matt. the drive home wasn't as quiet as the first drive but the air felt different. like there was something that needed to be said but nobody wanted to say it.

matt put the car in park and everyone got back.

"well, i'm beat. think im gonna go to bed. good night." chris yawned and headed up to his room. y/n followed nick to his room and flopped down on the bed.

"hey, do you have feelings for matt?"

"why do you ask?"

"that kiss tonight seemed very electric. the chemistry between you two was already really intense and if you don't have feelings for him, you need to let him know. because he's been crushing on you for years and the way you kissed him looked like you might have the same feelings."

"god, nick. of course i like matt. what's not to like? he's incredibly thoughtful and he's so cute. he doesn't judge me for my taste." she shot her best friend a look. "he's just perfect in every aspect of the word and...." she paused and sat up. 'are you sure he likes me?"

"when have i ever lied to you, sweetheart?"

"every day since you learned to talk."

"only when it saved your ass." he looked at her as she walked to the door. "but i promise you that i am not lying about this. matt really does have feelings for you."

"okay. if this is some sort of cruel joke, i will never speak to you again."

"and why would i risk that?"

"good point. wish me luck then." y/n took a deep breath and opened the door.

matt was leaning against the counter and when he heard the bedroom door close, he looked up.

"hey."

"hi." y/n stood awkwardly just outside the bedroom. matt put his phone in his pocket and crossed his arms.

"can i ask you something?"

"of course, matt." y/n's composure returned to normal when she heard the worriedness lining matt's voice.

"why does this have to be weird between us?"

"what do you mean?"

"we kissed and now, the air around us has changed drastically. did you....did you not like it or something?"

"of course i liked it, matt. but it's not how i pictured our first kiss happening."

"really?" he finally looked at her face. "h-how did you picture it happening?"

"this is going to sound really cheesy and cliche. are you sure you want to hear it?"

"oh, absolutely." his interested piqued and he found himself moving closer.

"well, when i pictured kissing you for the first time, i always used to think it would happen after you stood up for me somehow. like a knight in shining armor. and then i would run up to you and kiss you. you would be shocked at first but you would kiss back and you would put so much emotions into it."

"how did the kiss cam kiss measure up to what you pictured?"

"it was incredible, sure. but it didn't meet my expectations." y/n smirked. matt took an extra second to understand what she was hinting at but when he got it, he returned the smirk.

"didn't meet your expectations, huh?" he inched closer. "maybe i should change that. i-if you want me to."

"just kiss me, please."

matt wasted no time at all. he quickly grabbed her face and kissed her. all the feelings they had both been building up for years was being poured out into the kiss.

matt pulled her closer and made sure she felt what he was feeling. and when they pulled away, they both couldn't stop smiling.

"how was that?"

"better than expected, for sure. and something i think i want to keep doing."

"i can totally deal with that." matt smiled before pulling her back in for another kiss.

taglist: @worldlxvlys @lolasturniolo @carolinalikesthings @ciarasturn1 @fearfam69691

[ciaossu-imagines]

Of course, as I mentioned in our dms, you and Kusakabe are very adorable and I do ship it very much, but I also can’t help but ship you with Shamal as well. I think you guys would make a very good pair, and you’re someone Shamal could let his guard and persona down for for once.

And although my brain is still stuck on khr brain rot at the moment, I can’t help but also think of Class of the Titans and I do think you and Odie work well together too.

If I remember correctly these are characters you mentioned as fictional others before (not too sure about Odie as I have bad memory sorry!) so if you’re feeling up for it I would love to know any headcanons you have for your relationship with them! But if not that’s okay! Just know in my mind these are who I ship you with ❤️

- R

Okay, but these are too cute and sweet and everything about your message, my dear R, really touches my heart! Thank you so much for sending in something to cheer me up! I really do love all of the characters you sent in and I’m really flattered that you see me working with all of these lovely guys, especially since you are right in that I do love them all and do have them all as sometimes self-ships! Not sure if they would actually like me, but I ship with all of them, and it made my heart smile to have someone else think they would 😊 Thank you for also giving me the chance to talk about some self-shipping headcanons for them all!

Kusakabe/Dee headcanons

Kusakabe is always, always my comfort ship. While I think Shamal makes me open up more, Kusakabe just makes me comfortable. He never pushes me to open up, he never makes me tell him more. He’s okay knowing that I’m scared and he treats me, at first, like the little skittish animal I am around new people. Once he’s decided he likes me, Tetsuya is so incredibly loyal that even when I feel like I’m showing him nothing but my worst, he’s still there for me and reassures me that I’m not too much. He tells me he’s proud of me and makes me want to be a better person.

Thing that gets said a lot between us, especially on video calls since we’d both unfortunately become so busy at times that we’d have periods of long distance – “Wanna see the stupid shit I bought?” The answer is always yes and sometimes both of us are showing stupid shit we bought for the other one. He’s completely into my little collections and buys me stuff to add to them and I buy him shot glasses since he has a collection of those and we’re both always trying to one up each other in the weirdest or funniest of gifts. Like, he once gets me a stuffed gonorrhea plushie while I’ll get him a shot glass shaped like a penis sort of thing.

I think that, while he doesn’t always understand it, Kusakabe would be incredibly supportive of this blog and my writing. He’s always willing to listen to all my story ideas and he’s good about giving his honest opinion on them, as well as encouraging me when I get writer’s block or aren’t sure about a scene.

Shamal/Dee headcanons

Okay, but you saying I could make Shamal drop that mask and that guard amuses me a lot, because I really feel like it would be the reverse. I have a lot of walls, in real life, that I put up with people because life has taught me not to trust so easy. Shamal’s so fucked up as a person that I feel a kinship with that…we’re two broken people just doing our best, surviving everything and continuing on and because of that, I don’t have that fear that I have, even with some of my other self-ships, that he’d judge me when I couldn’t pretend or keep up the mask and slipped up, letting my mental illness or my quirks or just how weird my life has been show. I feel like he’s probably seen just as bad and he’d take my stories, soothe me about them, and share his own. He’d go slow, make me comfortable until he could strip me naked emotionally and mentally just as much as he’d want to strip me naked physically.

Me and Shamal work because we’re both okay with poly relationships. As long as there’s open communication and respect and we’re each other’s top priorities and first partners, we’re open to sleep with other people and even date other people. We’re just not allowed to make that other person more important than our bond with each other and we’re not allowed to discuss each other’s secrets.

Because Shamal is a doctor, and I’m currently studying up to take an extra course through work when it becomes available this summer, a sort of internship that would allow me to boost my skills and the duties I can perform, I’ve been picturing Shamal a lot lately, actually. With my studying, I love picturing talking to him about all these things, him helping me and encouraging me. We work on mnemonics together, make up ways for me to remember all the different controlled substances and what control schedule they fall under, to remember all the carcinogenics, stuff like that. He quizzes me and I get kisses whenever I succeed.

Odie/Dee headcanons

Okay, but the one thing I can say about me is that I truly do find intelligence to be one of the sexiest things in a person, right alongside a good sense of humour. Odie has both and that’s part of what really draws me to him. I’m not someone who shies away from talking about the big, heavy stuff and I really do sometimes just picture us chilling on the couch, cuddling, and debating with each other. He makes valid points, as do I, and we both come away feeling like we’ve learned something, not only about the topic but also about each other.

I’m not great at games myself. I play visual novels a lot and a lot of nostalgic gaming like Super Mario. I love imagining this game loving dork as the Luigi to my Mario, playing coop together on Super Marios Bros. 1 & 3, seeing how fast we can speedrun it. I also get to, after long days at work, come home and relax on the couch, curled up in his lap with his arms around me, holding the controller a bit further away from him than he would normally be comfy with but it’s something he puts up with for me, and getting to watch him play all these games that I am so interested in, but just am not good enough at games to play myself.

I like picturing us taking long rides on his scooter, just tooling around the town, and stopping in at any places that look fun. I think that Odie would be just as into comic shops, board game cafes, and places like that as I am. I also think he’d be fond enough of me and open-minded enough to be willing to check out places that he normally wouldn’t with me because I love them, like all my mysticism shops where I buy altar supplies, candles, and crystals.

[redmeanslove]

i just woke up so i’m a few hours late ajaksjs but i’m coming to enable u (if you’d still like) with 81, “you were so cute when you were little” :D

Thank you Sunny!! I just barely managed to keep this at a reasonable word count and I am not entirely sure where this came from but I hope you enjoy it! 💕

Seb looked away from his phone and over to his boyfriend.

"Stop laughing!" he complained.

Now Carlos giggled even more.

"You were so cute when you were little, Honey!" he said and pointed to one of the pictures.

"Cute?!" Seb gasped in offence. "That was not a 'you look cute' laugh. That was a 'you had a terrible haircut' laugh!"

Carlos just smiled as he flipped to the next page in the photo album.

"Can't it be both?"

Seb glared at him but he just shrugged.

"Besides, I don't know why you are complaining, you were the one who allowed me to look at your baby pictures."

"Yes," Seb agreed. "Because I knew one day this would happen anyway and I'd rather have it like this," he gestured between him sitting against the headboard of his bed and Carlos laying on his stomach beside him, "than with my mother, or even worse, my whole family around."

"I guess that's fair," Carlos agreed and turned his attention back to the photo album, flipping to the next page.

Seb watched how his facial expression changed as he moved from one photo to the next, studying each one carefully but lingering a little longer on the rare ones that only had Seb in them without any of his siblings.

A ping signalled a new message and Seb quickly picked up his phone again.

sorry nini, had to stop carlos from laughing at my baby pictures.

you are showing him your baby pictures? that's so cute!! 😍

is it really tho? it's kind of embarrassing.

maybe this helps: because me and ricky were basically glued together since kindergarten there are only so many photos which don't have the both of us in it so if you're looking at one, you can never really enjoy the cuteness of the other person because you're too busy being embarrassed at yourself.

okay, i will give you that one.

also nini i am sure you were very cute when you were little!! 😊

thank you, i am sure so were you ✨

Seb smiled. At least someone thought that.

speaking of cute boyfriends

have you told him…you know what yet?

Seb instantly blushed and looked up from his phone and over to Carlos who was still focused on the album he was flipping through, dangling his legs in the air while he was doing so.

He seemed unaware of the rush of nervousness that overcame Seb at Nini's question – that overcame him a lot lately because of that warm feeling he got in his stomach even at simple things like just watching Carlos or listening to him talk - and at the thought of saying that feelings part out loud.

no, i haven't. but i really want to.

Nini`s reply was instant.

sebby!!! you said you were ready!!

i am! i think about it all the time, i just...how do you even tell someone you love them?

well, we both know how i did that and it backfired, so definitely not like me.

just do it whenever it feels right i guess? trust your gut!

Before Seb could reply – trust your gut seemed about as helpful as when Miss Jenn told them they just had to trust the process, he never exactly understood what exactly she meant with that - Carlos suddenly rolled onto his back on the bed and flopped down with his head in Seb's lap.

“Hi!” he said, smiling up at him, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

“Hi,” Seb answered, lifting an amused eyebrow. “Are you done looking at my most embarrassing pictures?”

"Oh, you know, young Seb is cute." Carlos smiled up at him. "But I like my Seb better."

Seb felt a warm feeling pool in his stomach. “Your Seb, huh?”

"Yes. Just mine," Carlos poked his cheek. "And whomever you are messaging with, apparently."

"Oh, it's just Nini," Seb said quickly and locked his phone, placing it on the bed beside him.

"Nini!" Carlos smiled. “How is she? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing serious," Seb made a dismissive gesture, praying that his boyfriend didn't notice the blush on his cheeks when he thought about what they had been discussing.

But that was clearly a lost case since Carlos raised his eyebrows and smirked.

“Are you talking about meee?” he asked, dragging the last word out teasingly and poking Seb's side.

Seb blushed even more. “Maybe?”

“Aw, that's cute.” Carlos shifted slightly, making himself comfortable. “Just don't spill my darkest secrets,” he joked and closed his eyes like he was about to take a nap.

Seb shook his head and started combing his fingers through Carlos' hair.

“I wouldn't dare.”

Carlos didn't answer, he just smiled softly like he knew he could trust him.

And the thing was, Seb definitely trusted him too.

And this did feel right.

So, he took a deep breath.

"Carlos?"

"Hmm?" He kept his eyes closed as Seb was running his hand through his dark hair.

"I love you."

Carlos opened his eyes in surprise and Seb looked right into their deep brown warmth when he added "And you don't have to say it back right now if you don't want to, but I do, and I've been wanting to say it for a while, so. Yeah. There it is.”

Carlos smiled.

“I love you too.”

Seb felt relief wash over him.

“You do?”

Carlos nodded.

“Of course I do. I've been wanting to say it too, you just beat me to it. You are a lot braver than me,” he admitted and leaned up to press a kiss to Seb`s cheek.

“Only because you make me brave,” Seb instantly answered with a smile, because it was true.

“You make me feel brave too.”

They smiled at each other in silent understanding for a moment before Carlos grabbed the photo album again.

"Now let's see what other adventures little you got up to.”

Seb rolled his eyes fondly. Then he patted the mattress next to him.

“Okay, but get up here so we can look at them together,” he said with a smile.

Carlos happily did as he was told and sat up next to him, cuddling into his side with the photo album in his hands. He flipped it open.

“So, what was happening when your mum took this picture?”

[lilliththegreat]

That day when my daughter and I had a conversation she asked about N so much.

Regular questions.

Do you have a picture of him?

Where is he from?

Which country?

What is his name?

.....( I don't know exactly is my answer )

How did you know that he loves you?

Who conveyed the love first?

I can't believe you loved someone, I thought you hated men even thought you maybe lesbian.

I don't know when I started loving him, maybe in the middle.

We don't talk like that.

I can say that he is someone who showed me who I am, made me this person who you are looking at now.

Hm..

What did he say when you say I love you?

He didn't say anything 😊.

Is that means that he accepted that?

Maybe.

He is always sweet 😊.

Have he seen you?

Yes.

He even heard my voice and told me your voice is sweet.

When did he say I love you to you?

He didn't .

Then how did you know?

I know, we were talking for almost two years so I know ☺.

How can you say that strongly?

He blocked me and now he posts all the love posts there.

Even I didn't know he has this much love.

He asked me to do a ritual I didn't do, it must be the reason...

Hm...

(I read a quote from that blog)

See..

Did you listen?

Yes, your love is more mature, I get it 🙂.

(Today we talked about her boyfriend kind of her lover now.

He avoids meeting her as he studies a lot.)

She said," he is a scholar"

Hm..

So you people don't talk.

No not like that he does message me.

But you are blocked ( she chuckled)

Han... it's alright, happens, he will come back :)

( we both smiled)

He values his freedom if it seems like a threat, he will not go for it.

He knows, he is unpredictable at times.

[ageloire]

Emoji Meanings: How to Interpret and Use 17 Common (& Confusing) Emojis

An emoji is one of the most useful shorthand communication tools of the 21st century.

An emoji can be used to express personality in your email campaigns, or on social media. In fact, nearly half of all comments and captions on Instagram contain an emoji, and using an emoji on Twitter can result in 25.4% more engagement.

Ultimately, a properly-used emoji can make your audience smile and feel better connected to your brand.

For instance, take a look at this email I found in my inbox on Cyber Monday, from Influenster, a product review site:

Or this one, from CB Insights, a machine intelligence platform:

As you can see, emojis can take your messaging to the next level and allow you to stand out in a crowded inbox. Additionally, you can use them as a substitute for generic and overused words like "money", making your content both fresh and enticing.

But emojis can be confusing, and it's often difficult to discern the difference in meaning -- like between a "🙄" and a "😳" face (trust me, there is one).

To ensure you use emojis to properly engage and delight your audience, we've compiled a list of the most common (and confusing) emojis, with examples of how to use them for any of your marketing purposes. At the end, we'll also explain which emojis your business should likely avoid. 

Sound good 👍?

Emoji Faces

To start, let's take a look at some of the faces you might use to convey certain emotions, along with examples of how you might use each in your own marketing content.

1. Heart Eyes Emoji 😍

You might consider using a heart eye emoji to show your love for something, whether it be a new product or a blog article you want to promote on social.

For instance, SoulCycle uses a heart eye emoji in their email subject line, to convey their approval and love for the brands they're now selling online:

2. Side Eye Emoji 😏

This side eye emoji is most commonly used to express a smirk after someone makes a sarcastic or ambiguous joke that could seem serious, out of context. Ultimately, it's a good emoji to use if you want to demonstrate a playful side to your brand, or if you're making a joke and aren't sure whether your audience will know you're kidding. 

For instance, you might playfully insinuate you understand most of your readers will be offline over the weekend, by saying in an email, "While we understand you're probably dying to do more work over the weekend 😏, we've put together a guide with suggestions for creating better work-life balance. Check it out here."

3. Eyes Emoji 👀

The eyes emoji is a simple and fun way to draw attention to a link or image you want to share with an audience. Instead of saying "Look at this", you might consider using the eyes as a silly substitute.

For instance, take a look at how GREATS, a footwear brand, uses the eye emoji to elicit excitement and suspense over an upcoming release:

In this case, the eye emoji playfully suggests to the audience, "Keep an eye out -- something new is coming soon".

4. Embarrassed/Flushed Face Emoji 😊

The flushed face emoji is a fantastic opportunity for your brand to demonstrate humility or gratitude for an achievement or award.

For instance, you might show the flushed face if you're sharing an article that lists you as a top company in your industry. Perhaps you'll tweet, "So grateful to have made it on Company A's list of Best Workplace Culture of 2018 😊 Thank you!"

Alternatively, the flushed face emoji is often simply used to express happiness or joy.

5. Thinking Emoji 🤔

The thinking emoji is often used to demonstrate someone deep in thought, or pondering the validity of something. It can be used to express a level of doubt, like "Hmm … not sure about that", in regards to a controversial issue.

For instance, take a look at how Monday.com responded with integrity to a Facebook user who questioned whether Monday.com bought fake social media likes:

Rather than fighting with the user, Monday.com took the high road and used the thinking emoji to express a level of doubt over the accuracy of the user's statement.

Alternatively, you might use the thinking emoji after a question or poll on social media, simply to create a visual that indicates you want your audience to think about something.

6. Sweat Emoji 😅

The smiling emoji with a sweat droplet is typically used to express a close call -- while the sweat depicts a level of discomfort, the smile alludes to someone who's thinking, "Phew! That could've been bad."

For instance, if your coworker emails you moments before a meeting with an urgent, "Wait, where's the most recent reporting deck with all our statistics?" You might send the deck back with a "Don't worry -- got it, right here 😅" response, alluding to the satisfaction you both feel over averting an issue.

7. Hand Up Emoji 🙋‍

Typically, businesses use the hand up emoji to suggest a level of enthusiasm or participation, like "Sign me up!" For internal purposes, you might use the hands up emoji to get a headcount of people willing to help out.

For instance, if you see your team leader is asking for volunteers to pass out microphones during the next company meeting, you might send back a simple "🙋‍" as your response.

Alternatively, you might use the hand up emoji to ask whether your social media audience agrees with you. For instance, you could post on Twitter, "Who thinks skittles are better than m&m's? Give me a 🙋‍if you agree!" 

8. The Laughing Emoji 😂

Allegedly 2017's most popular emoji in the U.S., the laughing emoji is one of the easiest ways to express humor or amusement. Oftentimes, when a coworker makes a joke in a slack channel, I'll use the " 😂" emoji as an alternative to "haha" or "lol".

Additionally, the laughing emoji is an effective opportunity to demonstrate your brand's sense of humor. For instance, Honest, Jessica Alba's company that creates safe and natural products for the household, uses the laughing emoji in this Instagram post:

In this instance, Honest demonstrates an ability to laugh at themselves and their own cheesiness (with their attempt to re-define BYOB's acronym meaning) -- and makes them seem more human, as a result.

Emoji Symbols or Objects

Along with faces, emojis offer your business the opportunity to use objects or symbols to express meaning, such as the heart symbol (❤️), a check mark (✔️), or a taco (🌮).

Here are some symbols or objects you might consider using in your marketing content:

9. Monkey Emoji 🙈

The hiding monkey face emoji is a cute opportunity to express a level of shyness or embarrassment. For instance, your brand might use the monkey emoji after making a mistake, like this -- "Hope you enjoyed our tool, even though it didn't work the first time 🙈."

Alternatively, you might use the hiding monkey face emoji to suggest you wish you hadn't seen something. This can be humorous, particularly if you share a funny prank video with a "Yikes, that was rough 🙈" caption.

10. Nail Polish Emoji 💅

As you might've guessed, the nail polish emoji can be used to demonstrate a level of casualness or indifference. Some people believe it means "I'm prettier than you", or an expression of arrogance or confidence, but typically, it isn't used for any other reason than to articulate nonchalance or relaxation.

For instance, I might use the nail polish emoji to engage an audience, by writing -- "This weekend is all about rest and relaxation 💅😊 What are your weekend plans? Leave them in the comment section, below."

11. Hand Emojis 👌👏👈🏿

HubSpot often uses various hand emojis to express emotion simply and effectively. For instance, the 👌 expresses the same message as it does in real life -- "that's a-okay," or "fine by me".

The clapping hands (👏) can be used to express congratulations or excitement, such as "Congrats to @CForsey on winning our giveaway contest👏!".

Finally, the "👈🏿" pointing finger emoji is effective for pointing at a link. Particularly when there's a word limit, it's a good idea to use the pointing finger instead of writing, "Check out this link".

12. Waving Emoji 👋

The waving emoji is a playful yet simple way to say "Hello" or "Goodbye". Consider incorporating it into your welcome email to display a level of warmth to your new subscriber.

Alternatively, you might use the 👋 emoji to playfully introduce your audience to a new product or service. For instance, Drop uses the 👋 in their email subject line to introduce its email subscriber's to Drop's new app:

13. Thumbs up emoji 👍🏾

The thumbs up is relatively universal, making it a classic emoji to use to either express your business's approval, or to ask for quick audience engagement.

For instance, you might write on Instagram, "What do you think of our new company logo? Give us a 👍🏾or 👎🏾". This allows your audience to engage with your brand with very minimal effort on their part.

Emojis to Avoid for Business Use

I spoke with Krystal Wu, HubSpot’s Social Media Community Manager, about her stance on emojis for marketing purposes, specifically on social media. She suggested businesses use emojis to express a level of authenticity, and choose emojis they feel align well with the tone of their brand.

However, Krystal advises businesses be wary of using strong emotional emojis, like the kissy face. She told me those types of emojis might express emotions too intense for a business's audience.

Here are a few emojis to be wary of using for business purposes, and the meaning behind them:

14. Kissy Face Emoji 😘

A kissy face emoji is slightly different than a heart eye emoji. While a heart eye emoji shows your love for something, a kissy face emoji demonstrates your love for someone.

Typically, a kissy face should be reserved for one-on-one conversations, such as a texting conversation between you and your friend in which you say, "Great job at open-mic last night! You killed it 😘".

A kissy face, despite its innocent nature, is likely too emotionally-charged for your business to use with your audience, unless you truly believe it aligns well with the tone of your brand.

15. Angry Face Emoji 😠

While the angry face is undoubtedly a popular emoji to use with friends and family, it's likely one you should avoid for business purposes. It is typically used to express strong disapproval or dislike for something, which is probably a negative emotion you want to avoid directing at your audience.

You should probably only use the angry face when communicating with a friend, one-on-one. For instance, you might text your friend, "Oh no! The movie is sold out 😠so mad!"

16. Bunny Emoji 👯

Dictionary.com defines the people with bunny ears as emojis used to express "a fun, party-loving spirit ... [and used to] communicate festive and friendly sentiments".

Ultimately, due to the ambiguous and party-loving nature of the bunny emoji, it's likely one you should avoid for your marketing campaigns.

17. Hair Flip Emoji 💁

Until recently, I thought this was an image of a woman flipping her hair. But Emojipedia.org describes her differently, as an "Information Desk Woman" who is holding out her hand, asking how she might help.

Despite the innocent intent, the hair flipping girl is often used to demonstrate sassiness, sarcasm, or even to express disrespect for someone or something (at least, in the U.S.). To avoid any risk of offending or confusing your audience, you want to avoid it in your marketing emails and on social media.

from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/emoji-meanings