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yuri-for-businesswomen · 7 months

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if i tell you you are not ready for this interview.

my translation. my commentary is highlighted.

interviewee: ilan stephani who has her own website describing her as a “best selling author”. she worked as a prostitute for 2 years in a brothel and successfully finished her college education. she is a “body coach” now.

„Men are doing terrible sexually”

Ilan Stephani worked in a Berlin brothel for two years. She describes her experiences in her new book.

Miss Stephani, you walked to the prostitution organization Hydra with some friends for a consultation: You wanted to become a prostitute. What did you hope for with this profession?

IS: I didn’t want to become a boring college student. I wanted intense contact. I didn’t have good experiences: My first boyfriend cheated on me with such self-confidence it made me feel the question of power in sex. I wanted to gain social and sexual sovereignty. As a daughter from a good home, I learned how to fluently deal with different people. Those are qualities that were suddenly honored in prostitution. That totally flashed me.

she was emotionally traumatized from her cheating ex-partner and thought prostitution was a fun new adventure. this gave her some wicked sense of control. you can hear the classism from this privileged and educated woman when she calls herself a “daughter from a good home”. off to a good start.

Is that a hunger for life?

IS: Yes. And this is the thing for all men who go to a brothel: I’m hungry for life. And they think a man needs sex for that, which is of course bullshit. Men just learn that they have to experience life like this now. But contact with a smiling person is what enlivens us.

yes girl im sure these men come to you for your smile and because they are “hungry for life” and not because they want to get off in a woman. be for real.

Even though it’s a paid and fake smile?

IS: Yes, people can ignore that really easily.

she admits here that sex buyers know any joy and enthusiasm is fake and simply ignore it to proceed with sex acts. and yet she feels sorry for them.

And that you have sex with men who you don’t desire at all, that didn’t make you hesitate?

IS: It did. But you often have sex in a loving relationship without loving or wanting the other in that moment. That’s more about a feeling of obligation. There is a smaller difference to prostitution than you think. I’ve been working as a body therapist with women for seven years, and they all basically did for free what I was paid for. I had already experimented with anonymous sex. I went to a swinger club and already knew this normalcy and openness. And I was excited for this new social challenge.

so the two options for women are to have sex out of obligation or for payment? girl. also you are generally attracted to your partner, just don't want sex sometimes. in a healthy relationship you would not feel obligated. this was an experiment to her – she is making a mockery out of women who are in prostitution out of financial necessity. i wish she had just stuck to anonymous sex in swinger clubs.

What social challenge do you mean?

IS: All this performance art: For example, you take the money very discreetly, so nobody realizes that a payment has been made. I play that I have to moan exactly now and at the same time I take care that the towel doesn’t move from underneath me. And randomly, after half an hour, our wonderful encounter takes a natural end – and maybe the people also told me some secrets. They talk to prostitutes as if we signed a non-disclosure agreement. I had control the whole time. And usually, the world does not wait for little female students. But these men waited for me.

very normal for a supposed service to pay secretly to keep up an illusion of not actually being a service. it’s true, playing sexual pleasure is a challenge. not something that should be expected of women but okay i guess we’re admitting that prostitution is reproducing misogyny. the last two sentences make it very obvious that her self-esteem is completely dependent on men. another thing i noticed is that she says “people” when in the rest she talks about men. this is a common tactic to obfuscate the reality that prostitution is mostly women serving men.

You worked in a small, female-led brothel, with excellent working conditions. Still: You told the boys they are amazing at satisfying women, even when many can’t really. If I’m being strict here, you supported phallic culture.

calling sex buyers “boys”. nice infantilization to make them seem harmless. otherwise good question that makes it clear that prostitution is inherently anti-feminist.

IS: Yes. Prostitution stabilizes this culture. But as a prostitute, I don’t participate in the patriarchal elevation of the erection. Men fail in phallic culture, that is their problem. They are supposed to have an erect penis, and then it’s flaccid. What do you think, how nervous they often are, when they think they have to bring it now. I hear: “Please release me from the pressure to have to meet these standards.” And I say: “It doesn’t matter whether you have an erection or not. It’s not important. You are alright.” But of course in the end you are right: Women have always validated men under patriarchy and made them feel good.

“yes prostitution supports the patriarchy but -” not interested in what you have to say. take the L. the way she extends so much empathy to sex buyers. i guarantee you they don’t give a fuck and don't think about women and especially prostituted women any further than how fuckable we are. way to reproduce traditional gender roles: the woman as caring, empathetic, taking men’s feelings into account and defending them whatever they do. women telling men they are good enough when they really aren’t. women putting their own desires aside to help and teach men. and yet they will go home and still not know how to satisfy a woman because they pay you to lie to them. but hey she is sooooo self-aware.

That didn’t bother you?

IS: Little. I felt sorry for them. Men are doing terrible sexually in this society. Worse than women, because unlike women they don’t know what they lack. If cumming in women who pretend for them is the highlight of their sex life – how sad is that? The brothel is just one symptom of this poor sex we have.

men are doing so terribly sexually that they can legally buy sex. what is this woman on. this is almost bordering on men’s rights activism. poor men who have orgasms all the time while women have to pretend. maybe the sex wouldn’t be “poor” if men didn’t see women as a means to an end, their own orgasm. but sure you can frame it like her i guess.

What is poor sex – and what is rich sex?

IS: The poverty is that we desperately yearn to touch each other and make each other happy. And we don’t succeed. Women fake orgasms, that is not just a funny topic for the boulevard press. That is a failed communication every time. And men say: The things you like are so boring they make me fall asleep, I need something better. There are so many false expectations. The penis has to enter the vagina, that is such a strict idea about sexuality. And all this in a romantic relationship between two people. Hollywood and the porn industry have commercialized this. And these false pictures cause sexual abuse, sexual trauma for women. And that’s all the fault of the sex we have.

wow, they managed to talk about poverty – but not the impoverished women who are the majority in prostitution and don’t have the privilege to make intellectual considerations about poor little sex buyer meow meows because they have to deal with the abuse. men yearn to make women happy? i have to laugh. and prostitution is helping here how? by teaching men healthy boundaries and communication? again, i have to laugh. she extends no empathy to women or these men’s partners, only to the men who probably cheated on them with her – most sex buyers are not single. and “the penis has to enter the vagina” is literally 90% of prostitution. again, what is she on. so hollywood and the porn industry are evil but prostitution is not? god, please let brains fall from the sky. some people need them.

Now you could say: Kismet [destiny], our sex has become like this, now we have to work through it. You think something else is possible. What would that be?

IS: Good sex has to be freed from definitions that stress us. Thoughts like “sex is only good with an erection”, that’s stressful. We don’t know how to protect our sexuality from these definitions. For example, I discovered slow sex. We laid together for hours, a relaxed and unerected penis in a relaxed vagina. Nothing happened for a long time – except my leg went numb and my boyfriend’s back hurt. But after a few tries, something happened, and it was better than anything we ever experienced. We sensitized our genitalia again. I had my first vaginal orgasm. Yes, dear previous sex partners, the first!

not her talking about “protecting our sexuality”. i don’t even know what to say anymore. prostitution is all about penetration and defining sex to make it a service. she experiments with her partner but sex buyers can’t do that? and she proudly proclaims that none of her sexual partners had made her cum before (at least vaginally). this is such a mess. and now this banger:

Was that the point where you exited prostitution?

IS: Yes. I got bored before that though. And then I went to a workshop, where a group of women was supposed to find our G spot. I was pretty numb vaginally. At first it was funny because we were fingering around in each other with latex gloves, at some point your fingers start to cramp. Well, in the end we found it, and it was such a fluent and ecstatic experience! After that I stayed in the brothel for three weeks. And then I opened my eyes one day and thought: I’m not going there anymore. I was finished with it.

she never even experienced an orgasm before entering prostitution... literally completely unexperienced. and when she realized she could actually feel pleasure and wasn’t merely there to satisfy men she used her privilege to exit prostitution. and because she got “bored”. again, this is a fucking mess. and now she is some sort of body therapist for other women and profits from having been prostituted because everyone fucking loves these stories no matter what the background is. these narratives are extremely harmful to marginalized women in prostitution and play right into men’s hands. why are we not talking more about how a vaginally numb and sexually repressed woman whose partners never bothered enough to make her orgasm entered prostitution and how this is not a good thing? i fucking hate this newspaper because they are so uncritical.

Your bad experiences did not play a role?

IS: Not directly. I only realized later on that prostitution traumatized me. I had one customer who violently had sex with me. He was a smart sadist. A polite, friendly man. But then suddenly he just did what he wanted, touched me brutally and fucked me violently. He didn’t want consent. It was rape, even though it was not rape legally, because I did not say no. He showed me how I’m not able to set boundaries, because I was not prepared for something like this. I think that no woman is prepared for that because we are raised to be these smiling, nice girls.

how is she so aware but so wilfully ignorant at the same time. the cognitive dissonance is insane.

The infamous “she didn’t defend herself”.

IS: Yes. I work a lot with women who say: No, that was not rape, it was in my relationship and I didn’t say no. And I know exactly why she didn’t say no.

Why?

IS: Because we are the smiling girls. Because we are cuter when we cry silently than when we are angry. Our instinct that could prevent traumatization is repressed. The protective instinct: Set boundaries, say no, defend your boundaries. And there is no Yes if you are not able to say No. If we taught girls to say no, before we teach them to wear G-strings, we would reach sexual paradise. Because men would have to progress.

no words.

Don’t we try already?

Do we? I see women who are extremely scared. They’re scared that they won’t have sex anymore if they say no. That the man leaves. And they think, their only turn-on is to be “fucked hard”, to be a vessel. Women don’t know their own strength. Women’s bodies are not inferior to men’s bodies. That is a patriarchal lie. I’m pro sexual feminism. And that’s why I don’t work in prostitution anymore. I can do a lot better things with my sexual power than to say: “I’m your vessel today”.

the only thing that i can get behind in this whole mess. she is not even wrong about some things but the way she frames everything completely releases men from any accountability and she doesn't attack the system prostitution at all, she says the brothel is a symptom of boring sex and not like, woman-hate. and these are the voices that are the loudest in the german debate on prostitution.

#i will do more of these to show what narratives are dominating the german debate #and thereby influence legislation #anti prostitution #germany

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sneezingfetishftw-fics · 29 days

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Insufferable (2/7)

Chapter 2 is up! The next part was taking a while to write, so please enjoy this quick lil interlude with Velvette (and a bit of plot at the end), I promise we’ll get back to poor sick Vox next chapter lol.

Previous chapter: 1

Next chapters: 3 4 5 6 7

Wavs: 1 3

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Velvette walked out the door, ready for action. Vox was always going on about how she could stand to learn some more professionalism, this was her chance! As she traversed the hallways, she realized there were a few other bits of bookkeeping to handle. She sent a text out to Val’s main assistant. “Filming for today is cancelled. Val currently unavailable, consider me as your point of contact for today (and probably also tomorrow.)” She pulled up Vox’s notes, grateful the man was so meticulous. Ok, plenty of talking points here, but what were all these markings? Oh. Those were the spots where Vox was planning to use his hypnotic eye, for the facts that were a harder sell (or maybe just straight up lies?) Velvette didn’t exactly have that option, she would have to rely on the skills she learned in social media to help her spin the story.

Velvette walked into the studio and all conversation stopped, everyone’s eyes on her. She reminded herself they weren’t just admiring her outfit. She had a job to do. “Vox is unavailable. I’ll be doing the interview in his place.” Several eyebrow raises, but then a sigh of relief as they realized they wouldn’t have to deal with Vox’s insufferable attitude. “Oh, and you can turn the temperature back to the default. It’s freezing in here!” Another collective sigh of relief. “How’s the equipment, everything working now?” The employee over by the AC nodded. “Good. I suppose you’re not so terrible at your job after all. Oh, and let’s turn the lights back up, it looks a bit gloomy in here.”

Another employee came up to Velvet. “We’re ready for the sound check, Ma’am.”

“Ma’am? I’m not a fossil! Try that again.”

Awkward throat clearing. “We’re ready for the sound check, Miss Velvette.”

Velvette suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It was a little bit better of a title, she supposed. She sat down at the desk, watching with amusement as the employee lowered the mic. She took a sip from the water bottle at the desk. “Testing, testing, I’m Vox and I’m a stubborn, whiny little bastard who had to be forced to take a fucking break for once!” That’s what she wanted to say, but that wouldn’t exactly be a good way to show she could handle the responsibility. She settled for the more boring standard, and the setup was a breeze.

“I suppose we should start by addressing the elephant in the room,” the interviewer began.

“Yeah, you could stand to lose a few pounds,” Velvette thought, but she held her tongue.

“This interview was supposed to be with Vox, CEO of VoxTech.”

Velvette had thought for a while about how to answer this question. Would his illness come across as weakness, a sign that this was a good time for enemies to attack? Or would a cover-up be even more suspicious? She responded with the answer she’d prepared, with just the right level of adjacency to the truth. “Val is sick. Nothing major, but as someone who cares so much about his business partners, Vox thought it best to take it upon himself to make sure Val is well taken care of. He’ll be working from home the next few days but felt that the interview was best conducted in person, thus he sent me.” The CEO being sick was too much weakness to expose, but without a compelling reason Vox would look inconsiderate for skipping the interview. Taking care of Val had a level of believability and, Velvette was hoping, would humanize Vox a bit and enhance his likability. The interviewer seemed unimpressed. Fine, extra details then. “Vox knows that for such a big product like this there will be many questions. I’m here to handle the initial facts, and then after you’ve had a week to collect your thoughts, Vox will conduct another interview to answer those more in-depth, burning questions. We could, of course, get a different interviewer if you don’t appreciate his methods.” She flashed a toothy grin.

“No, no, that won’t be necessary,” the interviewer responded quickly. “I look forward to interviewing Vox next week.” He shuffled his papers awkwardly. “Right, then. Let’s get started.”

The interview itself passed without too much trouble. There were definitely a few moments where she had to pull something out of her arse, but the interviewer seemed to have bought it. Eventually, it was finally over. Ugh, these people were so boring.

When Velvette returned to their residence, the place was eerily quiet. No sound but the constant whirring of Vox’s fans, which could be heard even from the entryway. Velvette popped into the bedroom to see what was up. She found a mostly naked Vox (ew!), asleep and a (thankfully still clothed, also asleep) Val. A second glance at Vox revealed that he seemed to have some kind of screensaver, a little DVD icon bouncing from wall to wall of the screen. Was that normal? She couldn’t remember, she wasn’t exactly in the habit of watching him sleep. Never mind, better to let them both get some rest.

Velvette decided to continue her self-assigned responsibility of Vox’s affairs. She had just claimed the man was working from home, after all. Thankfully, his computer seemed to still be functioning. First step was checking his calendar. There was some big meeting scheduled for tomorrow. She seriously doubted Vox would be healthy enough by then. She did a quick scan of his sent messages to get a feel for the right tone, and then she sent out an update to all the participants. “Meeting rescheduled - it has come to my attention that some of you still aren’t prepared. I’m giving you until next week to figure it out. Don’t disappoint me.”

As she closed the email window and considered her next move, something caught her attention - a folder on the desktop labeled “Fuck Alastor”. Their rivalry wasn’t exactly a secret, but still she wondered just what was in there. She clicked it open and took a look. Inside were millions of photos, all of the same subject: Alastor. Captured by security cameras, perhaps? There’s no way the radio demon would willingly let Vox take so many photos of him. She stopped looking at the photos and went back to looking at the list of files in general. The most recent one was from this morning. And its file size was significantly smaller than the other files. Velvette took a look at the file details. Hidden extension? But it already had an extension - .vxc, for a raw photo from a VoxTech camera (presumably kept in original form for the sharpest image quality?). She unchecked the checkbox to reveal the actual extension: .exe. Oh. Velvette may not know computers as thoroughly as Vox, but she knew enough to know that was a bad sign. She sighed. This might be about to get a whole lot worse.

#my snezfic #snezbin hotel #I wanted to write more of the interview but then when I tried I realized I wasn’t feeling it lol I’m too impatient #could def have written vel ruder here but she’s trying to be on her best behavior #soon it will be time to make this man suffer again #also the title has grown on me so that’s nice #also if you didn’t already know or figure out form context clues - exe is an executable which is a common file type for viruses lol #based on my quick google search it seems that viruses are actually smaller than photos? who woulda guessed lol

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brighter-by-the-daly · 1 year

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Rachel Daly x Reader

Part One - Nobody Says No to That!

Posted: 11/03/23 Edited: 18/07/23

As the final whistle blew you threw your hands in the air cheering and jumping around hugging your friends. England just won 2-1 against USA at Wembley Stadium in front of a sell out crowd! You and your two besties couldn’t be happier! Turning your attention to the pitch and clapping your team who were celebrating with each other, a huge smile spread over your face while glancing around the stadium soaking up the atmosphere. It felt so good to see your team back here after the EUROS in front of so many fans. Continuing the celebrations you watched the players form a circle and congratulate each other then they broke out and started their lap of honour, walking around to thank the fans.

Your eyes followed them around the stadium when you spotted one of the players heading straight towards you, it was none other than Rachel Daly!! Your favourite player and not just for her amazing skills but also your biggest crush! Your heart started beating faster while trying to not seem overly excited. She was jogging over with her shirt in hand, held it out towards you and asked “would you like this?” You were trying to remain cool, calm and collected, reaching out to take it and saying “I bet nobody says no to that, do they!” with a smirk. Rachel simply shook her head with a goofy smile on her face. Your friends were gobsmacked; eyes wide and jaws dropped, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing! Tens of thousands of fans in the stadium, a lot with signs that said “Daly can I have your shirt” but she chose little ole you with no sign, just a huge smile. “Could you sign it for me please?” you asked hopefully. Rachel looked behind her in a cautious manner “I’ve just gotta do some interviews and I’ll be back, do you have a pen?” Shaking your head as you weren’t expecting to get anyones autographs today, Rachel gave a thumbs up and jogged away.

Slowly turning toward your friends whose eyes were still wide and letting out a silent scream - “oh.my.god… I can’t believe it!!” you exclaimed joyfully. “Neither can we!” your bffs said seemingly just as happy for you, holding the shirt up to admire it. Then one of your friends spoke up “you know after the whistle blew Rapinoe asked for Rachel’s shirt, she must have said no to give it to you!”

Your mind wandered off trying to think of how you had stood out to her in front of all of these people, when you remembered… Just before the end of the first half, the ball flew off the pitch and into the stands. You’d thrown it back in and Rachel caught it, you’d shared a little smile before play continued. You wondered if this was the reason she gave you her shirt… but throw ins happen at every game, they’re nothing special. Maybe she was just being kind, who knows. ‘Hopefully she’ll remember to come back to me’, you thought, dreaming of those beautiful blue eyes once more as you skimmed the pitch until you spotted her in front of a camera being interviewed by Sky Sports. By this time the fans had all trickled down and you three were the only ones there. “I think we should go (y/n/n), she’s probably forgotten about you” joked your friend. “Hey! Don’t ruin my daydream like that, who do you think you are?” you laughed and gently slapped your friend. It was at that moment you spotted Rachel look towards you in a way to check you were still there and told your friends you’re not leaving unless she goes back into the tunnel. They carried on the conversation but your mind was elsewhere, eyes firmly set on Rachel willing her to come running back to you.

To pass the time you began to flick through Insta Stories seeing the players repost the team photos from the day. Later looking up to see the striker jogging towards you waving something above her head with the biggest smile on her face… it was a sharpie! “I’m so glad you’re still here, sorry that took a lot longer than I thought it would”, “that’s okay, was starting to think you were taking ages hoping we would leave!” you laughed cautiously hoping that wasn’t the real reason. “Of course not! I wouldn’t have said I’d come back if I didn’t mean it!” she said reassuringly. Your friends asked if you could have a photo and as you opened the camera on your phone Rachel leaned her head in for a closer look “is that me and Millie?!” she asked surprised to see her picture as your background, “yeah after you won the euros, it makes me happy” trying to play it cool. She snapped a few photos of you all and passed your phone back, “tell you what, to say sorry for keeping you waiting how about I give you a behind the scenes tour?” she asked. “Well I know nobody has ever said no to that!” you chuckled nervously, “I’ve never invited someone on a tour before” she smiled “so you better not say no!” You both giggled at each other but when you asked if your friends could come, Rachel’s facial expression changed - “there’s actually only room for one, I could still get in trouble for that”. Your friends shook your shoulders and insisted you go, they both gave you a look that said ‘have the best fucking time and tell us EVERYTHING when you get out!’ You told them that you’ll call them after to find out where to meet back up as Rachel took your hand and lead you to the hatch onto the pitch. “Look after her!” your bff shouted “of course I will!” Rachel shouted back in her northern accent that made you want to melt.

Rachel lead you across the pitch towards the dugouts as she was telling you about the different stands and where her family sit on game day. Once in the tunnel, the blonde stopped and took her shirt out of your hand “you can put this on if you want” she said with a half smile/half smirk. “I’d look a bit fangirly don’t you think” you joked. “Nothing wrong with that!” she replied while elbowing you in the ribs lightly. Looking around to make sure no one else was watching you lifted your England top above your head to show off your new bra before pulling on the number 9 shirt. ‘Thank god I decided to wear the sexy underwear today’, you thought to yourself. You knew her eyes were on you the entire time and you couldn’t resist the attention. “Does it suit me?” you asked while spinning round to show off her name on your back. Rachel pouted her lips and nodded with a suggestive look on her face “you know there were toilets over there but I’m not complaining” coyly biting her bottom lip and holding your gaze for a moment. “Come on I’ll show you the changing room”, Rachel pushed a door open forcefully while shouting “GIRLS, are you decent?!” A cluster of different voices came from the other side, but one stood out - Millie Bright “you don’t usually care Rach!” she cackled. “Well today’s different, EVERYONE! I’d like to introduce you to my biggest fan!” strutting inside and making you do a twirl in front of the team. Feeling firmly embarrassed you quipped up “so that’s why you made me put this on before coming in here, so you can prance me around like your prized cow!” Millie almost spat out her drink and the other girls laughed at your comment making you feel more at ease.

“Oh like that is it” piped up Beth Mead, as you shot her a puzzled look “Rachel only gives her shirts to sick kids or girls she thinks are hot” she explained. A smile spread across your face as you turned your head towards Rachel with a raised eyebrow. “Well I’m not sick” your smirk remained firm as Rachel looked flustered, her cover blown making your confidence sky rocket. “So I am your prized cow” you joked, “I think you’re more of a goat” she said cautiously holding back laughter.

That’s when Alessia Russo came wandering in “Rach, physio wants you… who’s this?” she asked as she noticed a stranger standing in the middle of the changing room. “Rachel’s prize goat” Millie snorted into her drink. Lessi looked puzzled but introduced herself and sat down with the others. “Okay I’ll pop to physio, I won’t be long. Girls can you make her feel at home, oh and sign her England shirt yeah - don’t touch mine!” she grazed the small of your back as she ran out of the room and down a corridor.

Millie was the first to approach you and ask your name as she took your England shirt out of your hand. “(Y/n)” you replied with a smile while holding it taught so she could sign it. “Nice to meet you (y/n), Rachel’s a nutter but she’ll take care of you” she said passing your shirt around to the others. “Did you enjoy the game?” gesturing for you to sit next to her on the bench. You explained how it was your first England game and thought it was incredible and how it made you feel so happy. “I can’t believe I’m back here with all of you, I’m going to wake up in a minute and it was all a dream!” Beth walked over and pinched you shout out in discomfort, “see, we’re real! We’re just normal people!”

Suddenly Mary Earps appeared from nowhere and caught you off guard “OMG MEARPS!” fangirling a little bit in front of the goalie before going in for a hug “you’re fucking amazing!” “Yes, yes I am aren’t I” she said with cockiness as she flicked her hair over her shoulder - exactly how you imagined she’d react. “Girls I’ve found a new tiktok dance who wants to do it?” The usual culprits - Millie and Beth expressed their enthusiasm before realising they were down a member. “Do you know how to dance?” Mary asked, “I’m probably worse than Rachel tbh!” laughing nervously over what you were about to get dragged into. “That’s impossible!” she said enthusiastically, taking your arm and dragging you to the other side of the room to show you all what the trend was. The other girls fizzled out of the room saying their goodbyes, you thanked them for making you feel welcome and for signing your shirt. It was just you four left in the room, Millie taking lead being the dance teacher trying to get you all up to standard before recording.

“Right we better head off, we have an early one tomorrow!” they said as they started packing up their belongings. Asking what was happening and they told you they have training for the next friendly against Brazil in the morning. “Can you remind Rachel please, she’s so forgetful!” Millie said while giving you a big tight squeeze, you said you’ll try as you’re also forgetful and it’s not everyday you meet your idols. Millie then pecked your forehead which made your heart miss a beat as you gazed up at her big blue eyes, your knees felt weak and you wondered who you could possible be crushing harder on. Remembering that sadly Millie is straight you went back to thinking of Rachel. “Hope to see you tomorrow!” Beth called out as they all left together.

With that, you were left alone in the changing room wondering what happens next, ‘where’s Rachel? Am I just meant to wait here for her to come back? Have I overstayed my welcome and should just disappear?’ You decided to FaceTime your friends and tell them about what’s happened, they wanted all the details - the shirt, the tiktok, the Millie kiss, and now you’re alone wondering what to do. You showed them around the room and pointed out everyone’s shirts that were left on hooks and all the boots on the floor. Suddenly your conversation was interrupted by a man walking in. He looked at you weird and asked who you were; telling him you’re a friend of Rachel’s and waiting for her to get back from physio. He looked at you questionably while picking up the dirty kits then left. “Friend of Rachel’s are ya?” your friends piped up, you forgot you were on the phone to them during that awkward encounter. You bragged how Beth said she hoped to see you tomorrow then stuck your tongue out and hung up, looking around the room wondering what to do next. You edged towards the corridor you saw Rachel leave through earlier and decided to call out for her. “Rachel?” “Yeah?” “Erm.. I think I’m gonna go” “what?! You have to leave?” the disappointment in her voice obvious, “well.. no but everyone’s gone and a man came in and looked at me like I’m a stalker” “oh that’s Gary don’t mind him! I’m down here, come join me!”

Part Two - The Night That Changed Everything 🔞

#Rachel daly x reader #Rachel daly #Millie bright #Beth mead #lionesses #woso #woso x reader #lucy bronze #jordan nobbs

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tiikerikani · 12 days

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"I feel that it is time for me to pursue another opportunity that is more aligned with my career goals and values"

I’m 100% quitting my job if they require us to use Gen AI

They did, so I quit. I gave my one months' notice today and will start New Job near the end of next month. Of course I have to credit random Recruiter Guy for showing up in my life at exactly the right time; I wouldn't have left without an exit plan.

I try to be a principled person and there aren't always opportunities to safely stay true to those principles.

-----

When Recruiter Guy messaged me on LI last month, I was intrigued that it actually seemed like he'd read my profile (unlike the spammy messages I usually get). I've never worked with a recruiter before, so it was interesting having a sort of agent pitching you to the company and liaising with them instead of having to be persuasive and do all the arrangements on your own.

Since the technical writer role is a new position in this company, I figured that it would mean they would be open to ideas on how to do things and wouldn't be forcing me to use AI things.

When Recruiter Guy asked for my salary expectations, I gave him a number in the middle of the range that was in the job description. The entire salary range is a significant increase over what I'm earning now[1], so I had literally nothing to lose and everything to gain trying for this. He said he'd ask for a bit more than my figure. (And that's what I'll be getting.)

The role would be a massive step up in responsibility for me and I know it's going to be a challenge; as the in-house writer I'd be responsible for maintaining the entire documentation library[2]. In-house writer is actually the role that many technical writers aspire to. You get to work closely with and really know the products you write about, and you can give feedback during the product development process.

I would have asked about it anyway, but the interviewer wanted my thoughts about using AI, and I said something along the lines of "I know people who do, but I do not because I trust my writing skills and good writing that gets taken seriously needs to have a touch that only a human writer can provide." She agreed that AI text sounds really obviously fake, so I took this as a good sign.

There was a small sample task that I had to do on my own time (given a list of specs, write a brief product description). Not a huge fan of copywriting but a product description is still very factual and not usually trying to sell stuff to people who don't want it. I returned the assignment along with a thank you note for the interview.

The interviewer wanted to speak with one of my references, so I directed her to talk to my master's thesis supervisor. He made such a good impression that she wanted to read my thesis (which IS, in the end, the only formal writing sample I can provide because I can't divulge who I've done work for) and set up a chat for me with their HR person. Whom I spoke to on Good Friday because it wasn't a public holiday in their country and I didn't have big plans for the Easter weekend anyway and I just really wanted to move the process forward as quickly as possible. They were also extremely impressed and went back to Recruiter Guy right away, who then called me that afternoon. I'm sure he would not have done this if he wasn't optimistic about my application since he was very well aware that it was a public holiday for me.

So yeah, I got the offer email just as I was about to leave for the concert last Thursday, and I wrote back immediately to accept it. Recruiter Guy called me as I was getting out of the metro and I really hate talking on the phone in public, but THIS WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH for an exception. We discussed the start date and agreed that I could have a gap week in between to just...catch my breath and rest a bit.

New Job is a hybrid workplace and they expect people to come to the office at least a couple of times a week, so I hope some social life and networking can actually happen??? Their products include hardware devices so it also makes sense that I need to physically be there to examine the things to document them properly.

__________

[1] With the amount of experience I have now, with a job that requires a university degree and specialized language skills, and living in the Helsinki area, I should NOT be earning BELOW the national median wage!!!

[2] A recurring theme in my art and what I try to do with it is wanting to be seen, so it would mean a lot to me to be able to point to my work and say "I did this," rather than writing anonymously as a contractor.

#work #moral of the story is that some linkedin headhunters are legit #I can't guarantee it'll be a dream job before I start #but it's OUT OF GENERATIVE AI HELL

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classicslesbianopinions · 1 year

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how do you even go to grad school, i have two years of undergrad left and i'm already so scared. i have this fear that they will see that i passed all my exams not because i know stuff but because my writing is good enough and they will all laugh at my poor little collection of credits i got from my poor little college lmaoo

well my college closed and a global pandemic hit partway through my degree and my final transcript is from a college that straight-up does not offer latin or greek and i've been recommended for admission at a phd program so. anything's possible really.

anyway first of all if your writing is good enough to pass your exams, 1. that's a sign that you do know stuff, because it's really hard to write well without knowledge to back it up and also 2. writing is a huge part of academia and good writing is something programs will be looking for. like good writing is a selling point in its own right, completely separate from your knowledge.

secondly like... i had a lot of the same worries when i was applying, i graduated in december 2020 and it took until december 2022 for me to actually get any applications in. because i went to a tiny liberal arts college that closed, and because i spent my last semester working almost entirely independently at a school that did not offer anything in my field, i was worried my degree and coursework wouldn't be enough, and that i didn't know enough to get through. i applied to one masters and two phd programs and have been rejected from one phd program and recommended to the dean for admission (but not officially offered admission yet, i'm still waiting to hear) at the other (the masters had a later deadline and i haven't heard officially but i did have an interview). i thought basically if i didn't get into the phd program i could do the masters for a stronger foundation, which is still my plan, but i was also told by my current greek instructor that my language background looked strong enough without it (i have four years of high school and two years of university-level latin, and four-ish years of greek) and i would be a competitive candidate. i still don't necessarily feel like a competitive candidate, but honestly this field just breeds so much impostor syndrome that at a certain point you've just got to assume you're underestimating yourself.

but like... no one has laughed at the poor collection of credits i got from my now-defunct college, both programs i interviewed with took me seriously as a candidate and an academic, and also like... if it doesn't work out for me this year for whatever reason, i'll probably just work on my application and apply again next year 🤷‍♂️ there's no shame in applying multiple times, it can be a bit random where and when you actually get accepted.

also to answer the practical question of "how does this work": you pick out programs you would like to apply to-- i just went through this list of graduate programs in north america from the society for classical studies, although if you don't want programs in north america you will have to look elsewhere (and probably ask someone else. i live in the us and applied solely to schools in the us, and i know it works differently elsewhere). decide if you're applying to masters or phd programs or both. a phd program will include a masters as part of the program. masters programs are shorter and might prepare you to get into a phd program or to do other work in the field, and phd programs of course take a long time and qualify you to be a college professor and also let you put "doctor" in front of your name, which kind of rules. i picked programs by size and location (i do best in small communities), and i also was told to make sure that when applying to phds i could see faculty in the program that i could see myself working with, and to mention a faculty member's work in my statement of purpose for the school. so i actually might've applied to more phd programs if i had found more faculty whose work interested me, but honestly i pretty much knew where i wanted to go from the start and it's very likely that that's where i'll be next year.

check to see if the programs you want require the gre, mine were gre optional but i sent the scores anyway because i'm really good at standardized tests. but also taking the gre was a very dehumanizing experience, so like if it's not required and you don't test well, just skip it. and make sure to ask faculty for letters of recommendation a few months in advance. (they might also want to look at drafts of your application material, so i would recommend having that pretty far in advance.) every program i applied to asked for a statement of purpose to say "this is what i want to do and why i want to go to your school" and a recent writing sample (which was hard for me to find because of the haphazard nature of my last two semesters). i also attached my cv because i've done a lot of stuff outside of school in the last two years, and i held a lot of leadership positions when i was in college. also purdue owl has a page about applying to graduate programs, which was really helpful to me and might be to you!

if you're still in undergrad, also, you probably have faculty you can ask for advice etc-- part of my problem was that i was a year out of college when i tried to apply the first time, and the second time it was two years after i graduated. and i didn't have any way to contact any of my past classics professors. so if you have an advisor or just any professors you like and get along with, you should talk to them about this as you start researching programs and planning out your applications! you'll need their recommendation letters anyway, but also a lot of the time people are really glad to help. anytime i've asked for help i've been met with support. (and remember that it's pretty normal for professors to be asked to help with this sort of thing! it's something you're doing for the first time but they've almost definitely helped tons of people with it, in addition to doing it themselves.)

anyway i don't know how much help this is, but just know that you are almost definitely way more qualified and competent than you think you are, and grad school applications are super intimidating but incredibly possible.

#mod felix #wow. imagine answering an ask without a whole wall of text. couldn't be me.#resources

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temple-of-truth · 17 days

Text

Temple of Truth Episode 4#8 Transcript

Monday, August 6th, 2063

Transcript:

Hello, Truthers. Thanks for tuning in. We’re going to skip our usual introductory report because we have something really, really big to share. After years of making this show, this is probably the most important episode we’ve ever made. Truthers, we found the Deltas. Me, Ohm, and some co-investigators tracked down exactly who and where the Deltas have been coming from. And guys, it’s so much bigger than we ever imagined. Almost every corp is involved in this. I don’t even know how to start, so let’s start at the beginning.

Thanks to some tips on our forum from Truthers yewandthefoe and tardigrant, our team decided to check out a place called Disco Days. It’s a nightclub in the Combat Zone owned by Councilmember Nyx Nasir. There’ve been rumors of people going missing after visiting the club. Some people have popped up again weeks later, but they’ve seemed different. Yeah, exactly like a Delta would. On our first visit, we definitely noticed that something strange was going on. The floor of the bathroom sounded hollow, like there was another room below it. But we couldn’t stay long enough to figure anything else out.

For our next visit, we took an extra precaution: we brought weapons with us, and we all wore trackers in case one of us went missing. And sure enough, our friend Mindy Nox disappeared almost as soon as we got there. Her tracker led us into the sewers, until the signal went dark. We followed some strange signs in the sewers until we reached a door. And you’ll never guess what the code to the door was: Danger Gal.

We entered the door and found a warehouse. There, we had to fight one of the Danger Gals, until they ran away into the sewers. We found Mindy locked up and drugged, as well as one of the people working with Danger Gal. But it gets even worse. We found records with the names of people who had gone missing and which corp Danger Gal had sold them to. There were surgery tables for cyberware installations. After looking around and later interviewing the person we caught in the warehouse, we learned the truth: Danger Gal has been kidnapping people, reprogramming them, chroming them up, and selling them to corps for the last 15 years. Danger Gal has been making the Deltas. They’re the ones who took our friend and countless other people.

But it doesn’t end with them. They were using Disco Days because Nyx Nasir was in on the operation—and profiting greatly from it. Danger Gal has largely been targeting middle managers at corps who can give trade secrets to competitors, so they’ve sold to corps like Continental Foods, Petrochem, and Zeratech. They’ve also made people into soldiers for Militech and Lazarus. This is what I meant earlier when I said this is bigger than any of us imagined: it’s not just Danger Gal making the Deltas; all these corps are participating in it. They’re turning regular people into mindless clones for the sake of their own profits. Before all this, Ohm and I had thought that the Deltas were being made by just one of the corps, or two at most. This goes way beyond that. More than ever, all you Truthers listening need to be vigilant. If you know anyone who works at these corporations or has been to Disco Days, they could be in danger—or they could already be compromised. It’s possible this was only one part of a larger operation, so Danger Gal—or anyone else they were working with—could still be snatching people. Follow the safety tips for dealing with Deltas that we’ve given you guys in the past: keep quiet, keep away, and get out of there if things start going south.

But there is good news. For the first time, the authorities are actually taking the risk of Deltas seriously. I’m sure many of you all listening know that cops never listen when Truthers try to tip them off about these things. In this case, though, the warehouse was so full of evidence, including someone actually making Deltas, that the cops couldn’t ignore it. They’re working on a case against Danger Gal right now, and hopefully Nyx Nasir and the client corps will be next. This is a huge step for actually taking action against the Deltas. Also, this case is pretty high-profile, so now more Night City residents will learn about the Deltas. All those distrusting neighbors and judgmental family members that you guys have mentioned on our forums will finally understand the dangers that we’ve been trying to warn them about.

We now know more about the Deltas than ever before. For years, Ohm and I—along with you all listening at home—have been trying to figure out not just who is doing this, but why. We’ve had a lot of theories, but we now have a clear answer. Danger Gal was making the Deltas to support the cannibalizing greed of the corps in Night City. Of course, we still need to figure out how this figures into the larger picture. How do the Gammas relate to this? Are they the ones calling the shots and putting this whole operation in motion? Had the Sisters been warning us about this all along, but we missed the signs? As always, if you have any theories at home, post them on our forum online. It’s thanks to Truthers on our forum that we got this lead in the first place. Ohm and I wouldn’t be able to do this without you guys, or without our friends like Mindy and our co-investigators.

That’s all I think we can get through today. We’ll definitely keep unpacking the details and implications of this discovery for the next few episodes to come. We’ve learned a lot, but we’ve also learned what we have to fear. Good night for now, and remember to look out for each other. It’s the only defense we’ve got.

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mortgageinc · 3 months

Text

Mortgage inc.

Mortgage Inc.

The root of the recession

(based on a true story)

By - Andrew Seidel

Act 1

Setting- Towson, Maryland ( A Suburb of Baltimore)

Spring 2005

This novel opens with a busy sales floor. Everyone is on headsets trying to sell the client. The scene is bustling.

There's a person on a bit of an elevated podium, in the front of every desk clump. These are the sales managers. Each has a team of 8-10 loan officers right beneath them, that is their team that they are responsible for. Apparently there on a small platform to see their whole team easier; in my opinion it was to help fuel their egos.

You also see a bunch of closed offices in the sides of the sales floor. Those are for management, directly C suits and underwriters.

Then to the left of the room there is a desk clump of about 10 people. At first you are told, don't ever bother these people. Basically saying if you do, your probably getting fired. These are the processors. The ones responsible for putting everything together to make sure it passes through underwriting.

Same rule applied to the underwriting staff. Never bother them.

Chapter 1-

The interview

Billy Goldstein gets out of his Toyota

4runner. He walks through a packed parking lot. He looks up and sees the sign on the building. It says American Home Loans. He begins to walk into the office building. He sees a stairway and an elevator. To the right of the elevator it says American Home Loans- Suit 203

He gets in the elevator and begins to think to himself- I'm going to crush this shit. I know they've never met someone like me. This should be awesome.

As he walks out of the elevator he thinks- It begins

Billy opens the door to American Home loans, it's not as nice as he thought it would be. Still decent , but he thinks to himself, "it's B-grade office space, but still should work just fine"

He sees a chick sitting behind the front desk. Somewhat hot brunette chick. Great body, somewhere around an 8 he thinks to himself.

Billy says "Hi, I'm Billy Goldstein. I have a 1PM appointment with Josh Ryan."

The woman gives him a huge smile and says, "nice to meet you. I'm Kelly. I'l let Josh know your here. Have a seat and he'll be right with you.

She then says, can I get you anything? "

Billy responds back- " no, thank you Kelly. I'm all good."

Billy then sits on the small couch. He grabs his phone from his pocket. A Verizon voyager. One of the first Verizon touch screen phones. He goes to check his email, as it's loading a guy around his age (23) walks out and says, "hi I'm Josh, great to see you again. Glad you made it in today."

"Follow me to the conference room". He opens the door to the left of the reception desk and sees a gigantic room with over a 100 people in it , and small cubicles everywhere. Billy hears 100 different conversations going on at once. Everyone on their headsets, It was explosive.

Josh says- "we're right over here", and opens up the door to the conference room.

. He sits down at the head of a beautiful mahogany table. He then says, did you bring your resume?

Billy says in response "of course". And hands Josh a perfectly written resume.

Josh asks him- refresh me on your experience.

Billy responds - " I may only be 19, but I've got a ton of marketing experience at my Dad's law firm; and also some marketing and promotional experience for small record companies and night clubs.

It's what Im Good at good at Josh.

Josh replies-" o.k. I see that here( while looking at his resume ) but what makes you different from everyone else that has applied.?

Billy reponds- " Well sir, they tell me I can sell ice to an escamo"

Josh says- "really? Prove it.

Pretend I'm an escamo."

Billy smiles at him and says- "so I hear you have been using the same ice, day in , day out. The same satisfactory ice. Ever day. Is that true?

Josh respond- "yeah, I guess so."

Billy replies- what if I was to tell you I've got something better. Something greater. Ice that you will love. Is that something you might be interested in?

Josh smiles and says - "Indeed I would be interested in that. Sold."

Josh then says- "you just sold ice to an escamo my friend. "

"Your hired. You start Monday . Welcome to American Home Loans!

Chapter 2-

The house

Billy rolls up to his house. He's currently staying in the inlaw suite in the basement of his mom's house.

He goes through the back gate, walks all the way to the separate entrance to the apartment in his mom's house.

As he's walking through the door, he thinks to himself - "mom's going to be so happy I got the job. Who know's, I may be able to afford my own place soon ".

He puts down his Kenneth Cole briefcase on his couch .

He goes into his room and grabs a bag of weed from the top left of his closet. It was in-between some folded clothing.

He then goes to his kitchen, and reaches under the sink for his pipe. This particular pipe is called a bubbler; sometimes called a Sherlock. He named his piece- Holms. He puts some fresh water into the bottom of the pipe.

He then sits the pipe on the coffee table, and sits down on the couch. He grabs a nug from the bag and smells it. It smells amazing. He then smiles. And then he breaks a small piece from the nugget, and crumbles the piece of into very small bits and packs it into his pipe. He then smokes for a few minutes.

While smoking Billy starts thinking how much money he can potentially make, as a Mortgage Banker (or as a loan officer as it's often called).

He starts to imagine buying a beautiful mansion on the beach somewhere in L.A.

This was his dream for many years. And he starts to think that he may get a little closer to it with this Job.

He then thinks about the upcoming weekend. It's Friday afternoon. So Friday night is club one, in downtown Baltimore. Then tomorrow night is Saturday night at Club Trust, downtown Baltimore as well. He thinks to himself-

I've got promotional business to handle at both locations this weekend. Really looking forward to tomorrow night at Trust. That place is always badass.

Billy then thinks, "oh shit, I forgot to tell my mom I got the job. She's going to be thrilled.

Billy then puts the pipe back under the sink. Grabs the bag of weed from the table and puts it back in the top of the closet.

He then goes to the inside door that leads to his mom's part of the house. The lock is on his side of the apartment. So no one can get in unless Billy lets them in. A key can open the other side though, in case of emergencies

He walks through the door, and hangs a left to go up the stairs.

The stairs lead to the right of the den. Billy's mom comes from 6 generations of successful Jews. And all were very involved in the Baltimore community.

So she has allot of antiques all throughout the house. All from her family, collected over 150-200 years.

As he's walking through the house towards the kitchen he says in a loud voice- "hi Mom." He then hears his mom reply- "Hi sweetie, how are you".

She's sitting in the living room watching something on t.v.

He gives her a kiss and says, "I'm doing well, thanks."

Billy's mother is named Ruth .

Ruth then says- " how'd it go earlier. Did you get the job?

Billy responds - "yes I did. I crushed it. I start on Monday"

Ruth says- "That's Amazing. I'm so proud of you."

She then asks- "how much does it pay?"

He responds- "that's the only drawback. Its commission only. Which means if I sell, I can make a fortune. The commission structure is insane. But if I don't , then I make nothing.

Ruth responds- "Well, I guess your going to have to sell then, aren't you."

Billy replies back - "No doubt"

"Anyway, I got to run. Talk to you later mom."

Ruth replies - "O.k. , I know your a busy guy. Talk soon"

Billy says- "Bye. Love you mom."

He then walks back down stairs and into his apartment.

He sees his laptop on his coffee table and thinks to himself - I should probably do some quick research on the mortgage company before I start on Monday.

He brings up Google on his laptop. (He has a dell Inspiron). He then types in American Home loans into the search bar .

It brings back first their webpage. He checks it out. He thinks, not too bad. Great design, info is good. He sees bios on the management team. He scrolls to see Josh Ryan's bio (the guy that recruited him); it looks very impressive. 23 year old VP and director of operations. Heavy sales experience. Looks good.

Ok. Time time to kick it before I start making some calls, and seeing who's rolling with to the club tonight.

Andrew grabs an Aerosmith CD and pops it into the DVD player.

He goes to get his bubbler again, grabs the herb, and chills for a few.

Then a few minutes later his phone rings. Its Bryan Goldberg. One of Billy's close friends.

Billy answers the phone and says whatup homie. Bryan says- "nothing bro, just chilling. You?

Billy says- "same shit"

Bryan says- "where you at?"

Billy responds - At my place.

Bryan says-"is it cool if I swing by?"

Billy says- "yea sure"

Bryan says- "cool. I'll be there in 20".

Billy says- "word. See ya in a bit"

Bryan says- "peace" then hangs up

After the phone call from Bryan, Billy opens up his laptop and the Operating system loads. He then clicks on the iTunes icon. He scrolls through the list of artists. He clicks on a Green Day track. He starts to build a playlist named chill tracks. He adds a couple Red hot chilli peppers songs as well, and then presses play

About 30 seconds later he hears a funky knock on his door. He goes to open it. It's his friend Bryan.

Bryan says- "What up homie" . and gives him 5 as he walks through the door.

They both walk over to Billy's living room. And sit down.

Bryan says- so what are you up to?

Billy responds- "Just playing some tracks on iTunes "

Bryan says- "nice. So what's the deal for tonight?*

Billy says- "it's Friday night, so we're going to hit up Club One."

Bryan says- "nice. Last time we went I swear one of those chicks we were talking with was into me"

A little FYI- Bryan is not the ladies man. He does try though. Sometimes chicks find his humor a bit off-putting . Over all though, he's good people; and those people that know him know he's good people.

Billy responds"awesome. That's what's up. Who knows, maybe she'll be there tonight"

Bryan says- "yeah maybe"

Bryan then throws a Philly cigar on the table and says "boom" let's light it up playa".

Billy then says - "got herb?"

Bryan says- "dude I thought you had some dank. What the fuck."

Billy says- "I'm just fucking with you. Of course I got the badankadank".

Bryan says- nice.

Billy then goes and grabs the herb. He sits down, cracks the blunt and begins to start rolling one.

Billy starts to talk to Bryan while he's rolling the blunt. He says- So hears the deal with promo for Club one. Right now I'm getting 2$ per person that I bring in. And every now and then a bar tab up to 50$/night

I'm going to try to talk them into upping the tab to 60$/night and 3$ per person that I bring in.

Bryan says- "nah man. Just keep what you got going on already. You don't want to rock the boat.

Billy responds - "Dude, negotiation is an Integral part of Business. Any business man basically expects it, at the very least still respects it."

So they start smoking. And Billy says "so I got the gig with the mortgage company."

Bryan says- "that's what's up, congrats" "what are you going to be doing there?"

Billy says- "I'm going to be their newest Mortgage Banker. The position also is called a Loan officer".

Bryan then respond- "I ask again, what are you going to be doing there?"

Billy smiles, and responds "basically selling loans to people". Mainly refinances I think. "

"The position has some serious potential to make Bank. I mean real money homie."

Bryan responds- "Nice, man. So are we going to be grabbing some food before the club?"

Billy says-" yeah, I was thinking Berthas in Fells point. Get some muscles".

Bryan says- "no doubt. I love Bertha's muscles. Am I paying again, or do you have loot today?"

Billy Says - Dude, I start working on Monday, so when I get my first paycheck I got you. You choose the place. I'll spare no expense.

"But I do need you to spot me tonight. Although I got you at the club "

Bryan says- "it's all good. You know I don't mind. Just don't order too much".

Here's a little back story on Bryan Goldberg. His family owns a very successful Janitorial Business. Basically selling Janitorial supplies ( cleaners, cleaning chemicals. Etc. ) One of their biggest sellers is toilet paper. They sell it by the truckload to Large businesses and such.

Bryan has worked for his family's company since he was young. His Dad has already started grooming him to take over when he retires. So Bryan is doing very well paycheck wise.

Thus why Billy doesn't mind having Bryan pick up the check sometimes . Although Everytime he does, it still is a hit to his ego.

Nonetheless, Billy says to Bryan . "You ready to roll?"

Bryan says- "yeah, let's go"

Billy then says "give me a minute, I've got to change my shirt. Club attire has to be on point".

Bryan says- "no doubt " I'll roll one up for the ride

Billy says- "sounds good. I'll be right back"

Billy then goes into his room. Changes his shirt to a black button up. But keeps on his jeans.

He then goes back out to the living room and say- "let's dip".

As they're walking out the door Bryan says- "do you want me to drive, or do you want to?"

Bryan says- "actually"I'll drive, I know downtown better".

Billy responds back- "cool"

Chapter 3-

Night at the club

They dip in Bryan's Acura SUV , on to the highway. Listening to 92 Q (FM) in the background.

Billy says "Should be spark it up?"

Bryan says- "nah man. Let's wait til after dinner, before we hit the club

Billy responds- "I've got a counter proposal for you. How about we smoke now, and before we roll up to the club. Is that something you might be interested in?"

Bryan Says- Sold.

Both guys laugh, and they spark up the blunt in the car.

As they're smoking Bryan says- "Dude, I've got a serious question for you. Have you thought about going back to Villa Julli? Finishing your undergrad? Could be a good move. Then get your MBA like you originally planned.

Billy gives him a bit of a dirty look. And then says "bro, one thing I learned in college is that I don't need college. I don't need to spend years just to get a piece of paper to validate me.

I found my niche. Something I'm good at. Something I love doing. I sell. It's what I do, whether it's a nightclub exec or soon to be borrower looking for a feasible loan.

Feel me?"

Bryan responds back- I feel ya homie. It was just something to think about.

Look man, your a salesman. That's your gift. So use it, and make that paper homie

Billy says- "Word."

Suddenly Billy gets a call.

He answers his phone- "Hello this is Billy" . The guy says Hi Billy; it's Shawn the owner of Trust. How are you?

Billy responds- Doing well my friend, how are you?"

Shawn replies - "All good here man, just getting ready for the night". The main reason I'm calling is that I know you wanted to meet to discuss some club business. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Can you swing by tonight?

Billy replies-" well I was planning on handling some things at Club one tonight; but if you have time to chat tonight then I'll be there

Shawn says - " Sounds good I'll be available from 7 PM til around 10:30. Just tell the staff your meeting with me and they'll find me. Oh, and just in case you get there later in the night- your name is on the list as always; plus 4.

Billy replies - "Sounds good Shawn. See you soon".

After Billy hangs up. Bryan says- "So no dinner? It's already 7:20. If we get food now you may miss Shawn. Billy says- "true". Although remember they have the sushi bar open on the main floor. So we can just eat there

Bryan says- "no doubt". I was looking forward to club one. But Trust should be dope.

What's you commission structure there?

Billy replies - " Club Trust or Club One?

Bryan replies - "At Trust"

Billy replies - "Same as club One."

2/per person that I bring in, and 50$ bar tab.

One of the reasons I'm meeting with Sean is because I want to raise my pay structure to 3$/ person, and a 60$ bar tab.

I think it's a feasible ask.

Bryan says- "Agreed. Remember these guys make insane money on when people drink.".

Billy says- "Correct. I think most of their profits are in how many drinks they serve".

Bryan says- "true shit".

Bryan says - "So it looks like we're going to tear up the Sushi bar before things get popping at the club".

Billy says- "no doubt"

Bryan says- "Don't worry about the tab on the Sushi, I got you."

Billy says - "thanks bro"

Billy and Bryan roll up to redwood Street in downtown Baltimore. That's where the club Trust; also called Redwood Trust is located.

Bryan says- "look for the closest garage. I know valet is free, but I'd rather park in a garage.

Billy laughs a bit and say "Dude, I think theirs a garage on Calvert street. About a block up.

Bryan says- "cool. That works"

They rolling the garage. And get out of the car. Bryan says if either of us get lucky one one of us has to take a cab home.

Billy smiles and says - "Don't worry , it'll work out just fine".

The walk a block up to the corner of Redwood and Calvert street. That's where you see a huge building. A few stories tall. It looks like a Bank from the 19 twenties on the outside. (funny enough it actually was a Bank once upon a time and then bought and renovated into a form of a gorgeous Mega-Club).

It's only 7:43 PM

So a couple of bouncers are outside and they've got the velvet rope up as well; but no one's there yet. Most people don't get to the club before 9:30- 10 pm

Billy walks up to one bouncer that he's met a few times. I think his name is Thomas. For some reason Billy is usually pretty cool with the bouncers and bartenders as well. Not just management.

Billy says- "what up Thomas, how've you been man?"

Thomas says - "Oh shit, Billy's in the house". Wuddup playboy" Things good?

Billy says - "No doubt playa"

Thomas says-"Well come on in gentlemen"

Yo Billy who's your friend?

This is my boy Bryan. Yo Bryan this is Thomas

Bryan says- nice to meet you bro.

Thomas says likewise.

Billy says- "yo Thomas, when any hotties roll in send them to Bryan. Tell them he owns all the air rights in chekeslavakia. And only the low, he's the great grandson of the last Russian tzar, Tzar Nicolas.

Theyll love that shit

Thomas laughs and says, "no doubt. I got you". Roll in guys, I think Shawn is waiting for you.

Billy says - "cool cool. See ya Thomas". Billy and Bryan give Thomas high 5 and walk into the club.

As they walk into the club they see everyone setting up for the night.

The DJ is getting set up on the mini stage. All the bar tenders and cocktail waitresses are all running around getting things ready for the night. Brian lioks over to the left side of the club and spots the Sushi bar.

Brian says to Billy- Yo Billy, i’m going to be at the sushi bar. Do your thing, and then meet me over there when your done.

He notices it’s a hot chick making the sushi instead of the stereotypical asian sushi chef. He go over to her and says- Hey hun, i’m Brian, what’s your name?

She says- I’m Brook, I have a boyfriend and i’m a lesbian. what can I get for you?

Brian says- Umm, ok. I’ll have a Heineken and 3 shrimp tempura rolls.

Brook replies- No problem. I’ll put that in right now.

Brian says - Thanks. So i’m a friend of Billy’s. Do I get any type of discount?

Brook Replies- Billy, the promoter Billy?

Brian says- yeah, one in the same.

Brook says- No doubt. I can give you guys the employee discount. 50% off everything but alcohol. And 10% off all liquor.

How’s that sound?

Bryan says- Sounds good hun, thanks.

After Billy walks away from Bryan to find and talk with the owner of Trust; first he stops by the main bar on the 1st floor.

He sees this girl he’s been into for a few months, behind the Bar.

He goes up to the Bar to talk to her. He says, “hey Sam”. She replies “who are you again? He replies back Really? Cmon.”

She starts to laugh and says- oh yeah, your the guy who was supposed to call me last weekend”.

Billy says- “my bad. Things got crazy last week. But i’ll make it up to you.

Samantha replies back- I hope so. Give me a shout later.

Billy says- Definitely. And on a different note, where’s Shawn? I’m supposed to meet with him.

She replies- He’s in his office as usual.

Billy says- which office? upstairs or down stairs?

Sam replies back- Downstairs.

Billy says- Cool. i’ve got to go. Talk soon?

She gives him a smile and says- definitely

The club is a huge building. It’s got 2 levels upstairs and 1 level downstairs. It’s kind of cool what they do regarding music on the weekends. They usually have 2 different DJs playing 2 different kinds of music. One on the main level usually playing Dance music; and another down stairs that usually is playing a form of techno music, called house music.

Billy leaves the main bar in search for Shawn. He hangs a left, goes down the stairwell and heads over to the office downstairs where Sam said he could find Shawn.

He walks to the office in the back corner down stairs. The office door is closed. Billy knocks twice. He hears Shawn’s voice say “Enter”

As he walks into the office he always notices the random tanning bed in there. He asked Shawn about it one time and he said he spends so much time in the office, it just made sense.

After Billy walked in the door he says “Wuddup Pimpin” to Shawn as he half shake/high fives him.. Shawn says “not much playa”

A little backstory about Shawn. He’s around 30 some years old, and has become one of the most powerful and successful club owners in Baltimore; possibly the northeast. He owns the club outright and has a serous vested interest in the realestate it sits in as well.

Word on the street about Shawn, he went to law school, dropped out to start his first marketing company . Became uber successful, and started buying up businesses and some properties around Baltimore as well. And then had the opportunity to buy the club (Redwood trust), did that, and now spends most of his time (60 some hour weeks) doing what he loves- running Trust.

Shawn then says to Billy “So what’s up? What do I owe the honor of this visit to?” He’s saying this while he’s multitasking . Signing papers on his desk, while talking to Billy.

Billy responds - Well, I wanted to chat with you about hyper inflation”

Shawn laughs a bit and says “go on”

Billy says- as you know in our country inflation is very real. Interest rates are rising, and things are getting more expensive.”

Shawn says- o.k. Do continue.

Billy says- “With all that being said, we need to renegotiate my deal with Trust”.

Shawn says- I’m not against that. You are one of my top promoters, and I rely on you.

What did you have in mind?

Billy says- Currently i’m getting 2$/person that I bring in, with a 50$ bar tab as well.

Just know, i’ve been very thankful of this. But I think it’s time to step it up.

Shawn says- What’d you have in mind?

Billy says- i’m not asking for anything crazy like profit sharing on alcohol sales. Just a bit of a bump.

How does 3$/person brought in . Plus a 60$ bar tab sound?

Shawn smiles and then says- I think that’s fair. Your one of my top earners, so keep earning and i’ll keep honoring this deal. But if you start to slack off, then we’re going to have a another renegotiation.

Billy says - Sounds good sir. Thank you.

I got to get back to things. So thanks again, and we’ll talk again soon.

Shawn says- No doubt. And btw, as always you’ll still keep your VIP privileges as well. You and all your people are always welcome in the VIP area.

Shawn grins and says-

Try quantifying that .

Billy says as he’s walking out- It definitely helps offset inflation.

And smiles.

He gives Shawn a high 5 handshake and says later brotha.

Shawn says- oh btw, we’ve got to hit the driving range again soon.

Billy Says- No doubt . See ya soon bro.

Shawn says- Peace.

Billy walks out of the office and thinks to himself- That went well.

He walks back upstairs. And it’s not as empty as it was when they walked in. It’s starting to fill up a bit.

He thinks to himself- Nice. And the night begins.

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thesoupson · 1 year

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In honor of the most adorable cinnamon roll in pro wrestling signing his official contract with AEW, how about a mini fact post? Not so much random facts as a little glimpse into who he is outside the ring, and why he's so loveable.

(First, as a side note, some people have asked me about pronouncing his name. He prefers his nickname, Take. You pronounce the vowels the Japanese way. That means you say it "Tah-keh," not the English "take" like "take a nap." Fans from his Japanese days knowhim as Take-chan, "chan" being an honorific said after the name of someone.)

The best thing about Take-chan is how positive he is. You will rarely see him angry, even in a feud. Even in his feud with Endo (his main rival and former partner) you will see Take acting nonchalant and sometimes even friendly to Endo, and Endo getting annoyed by it. A classic was Take offering a fist bump and Endo putting his middle finger in Take's face.

Next, there's just how unselfish he is. Now, I'm going to use wrestling lingo, hope everyone is up on that.

You will notice, in every match, Take is just as concerned with making his opponent look good as he is with himself. Although he has an air of confidence about him, he never comes out all conceited and squashes the other guy. In every match, he sells for the other guy and makes absolutely sure his opponent gets crowd reactions, too. He's also fine with taking an L to help someone get over.

In the indies, you'll usually see him shaking his opponent's hand and raising it after the match, and hyping them to the crowd, even if they lost.

He builds people up. He never tears them down.

Next, how he is with friends.

I swear to you, after watching him for years, I think he's more concerned with his friend's wellbeing than his own.

Kojima is probably the most obvious example. Take jumps at every chance to build Kojima up. He honestly behaves like an extremely proud big brother. He hypes him up, mentors him, encourages him... A while back, 37kamiina was on a popular show in Japan, and Kojima was trending on Japanese Twitter. Take was happier about it than Kojima was!

Chris Brookes told the story of when they met. They were on the DDT bus, and Chris had gotten a cold when he came to Japan. Take-chan suggested a cold medicine, then when they stopped, Take just bought it for him. (My personal guess is Take probably realized that Chris, new to Japan, couldn't read all the packaging and decided to help him out, but they've never said that.)

Another time, on stream, they were drinking and Take mixed them both his favorite drink. Chris took a sip and was shocked how strong it was. Take poured some of it in his cup and watered Chris's down a bit, taking the harder drink himself to go easy on Chris.

I honestly couldn't even begin to list all the times he grabbed the mic after a match to say nice things to the person he just had a match with. He knows nothing about being hateful or starting drama.

I said last night he helped get Eddie Kingston and Akiyama together. Akiyama said in an interview that Takeshita kept showing him pics of them together and talking about him. He also dropped hints (in character) that Take was going to sign with AEW in the same interview. That was back in August. Take's been bugging him that long to give his buddy a match! 😄

His friend Yuki Ueno is another good story. They were high school classmates. Osaka was a long way from most of the DDT shows, so Take had to travel a lot for them and Ueno didn't see him wrestle until they did an Osaka show. Take said the first time Ueno cheered him like crazy! He was so loud, Shunma (new to DDT back then) said he thought "Maybe Takeshita's boyfriend?" 😆

After seeing that show, Yuki decided he wanted to be a pro wrestler, too. Takeshita trained him and brought him into DDT. Now, Ueno is one of their top guys.

I'll wrap this post up for now, though I'll probably post more like it. There are sooo many examples of him trying to help build people up, like helping Andrew the Giant get his DDT debut, his constant hyping his friends up, taking care of them...

He has a heart of gold and this is why long-time fans absolutely love him.

Over time, I hope the US audience gets a chance to know him the way long-time fans do.❤

#konosuke takeshita #ddt #ddtpro #aew #all elite wrestling #wrestling #cinnabae

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gvftea · 1 year

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So I was just watching some Hannah Wicklund interviews, and I think I finally connected some dots in regards to her career:

Hannah, as some of us know, has been trying to pursue a career in the music industry since she was a child. Her dad is a musician himself, he's also a tech guy/sound engineer and he was the one who got her into music in the first place + helped her build her set up and all that stuff.

For the longest time, Hannah thought she could handle all aspects of her career all by herself. She made her own merch, worked her own merch tables, she was her own publicist, she recorded her stuff at home and released it independently (she used to have a SoundCloud). She ran all her social media platforms, she also played small gigs every night at bars and hotels while still attending highschool. She was basically a one woman show and was doing the work of an entire crew. I'm pretty sure this is the reason why her career was stuck for such a long time. Doing everything yourself grants you full control but it's also not efficient.

She graduated highschool at 16 and continued to pursue music full time, but seeing as she was having a hard time affording touring expenses, she began selling her art.

On 2018, she created her own record label, which goes by the name Strawberry Moon Records. Other small artists have released their albums under her label.

People who say that Hannah and Greta Van Fleet are signed to the same record label and that's how she and Sam met are wrong. To this day, Hannah is still using her own record label Strawberry Moon to release her music. She has also partened with Audiotree, which is an independent record label from Chicago. GVF on the other hand, signed a deal with Lava/Republic Records in 2017, those two labels derive from the same parent company, Universal Music Group.

So to put things in perspective, Hannah was pretty much an indie musician in 2018 when she created her own label, while the boys had already been signed to one of the biggest music companies of the world (along with Sony and Warner, according to wikipedia) for a year.

Eventually (either by choice or because they reached out to her) she began to be represented by Atlas Agency. This is when stuff started looking up for her.

Then, on march 11th 2021, she posted an instagram pic with the following caption: "We moved back to Nashville, y’all! We went to California and the day we got there some really exciting stuff started happening behind the scenes with music, which is what brought us back to Tennessee."

When she says we, she's referring to her ex boyfriend (and ex drummer) Graham. They had been together for years at that point, I wanna say they began dating somewhere between 2017-2018 maybe, as he was in a different band prior to being in her band-- but apparently (from what I gather from peeping through his instagram) he had already lived in Nashville for a hot minute, so my guess is that maybe she moved in with him or something.

So my guess here, is that this "music-related stuff that began happening for her", was her getting involved with Marcus King, whom she toured with shortly after. And since Marcus and GVF are good friends, I'm assuming this is when she officially met them. I say officially, because we already know she had been following Sam for a while, and posting thirsty comments on his stuff while having a fiancé. The boys do have an Audiotree session from 2017-18 so I'm wondering if maybe that's when she found out who they were.

I don't actually remember the date of when she and Sam were seen together for the first time, but on April-May she went from getting 193 likes on a picture to getting 724 likes on the next one. Then on October-September she went from getting 800 likes to getting 1,900, so I'm assuming it happened somewhere in 2021.

Eventually she broke off her engagement with Graham, who then went to pursue a relationship with a Greta stan. And Hannah went to pursue... Whatever it is that she's pursuing lol.

Then on March 2022 she announced she was touring with GVF, this took her from 1,900 likes to 4,000. This is also the moment where she went from playing smaller gigs, to playing huge ass festivals with, like, Jack White and Pearl Jam as the headliners. And this is also when she started geting endorsed by brand she had literally been tagging on pics for ages.

So, in the span of one year, she:

•Went from being a small musician who self-released her own music and struggled to afford touring expenses to playing big festivals with huge music legends like, again, jack freaking white. but she also:

•Dumped her fiancé and began dating the bassist of a band that's signed to Universal.

#greta van fleet #gvf #josh gvf #sam gvf #jake gvf #josh kiszka #danny wagner #danny gvf #jake kiszka #sam kiskza #hannah wicklund

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iampikachuhearmeroar · 2 years

Text

just thinking about how my weird obsession with sex in high school- like joking that i’d become a hooker and stripper in my 20s just so i could meet & fuck my fave emo band dudes while they toured australia (like honey. for the love of god. just buy a fucking meet & greet ticket to meet them. and also. now a whole ass decade later it’s coming out that a good bulk of these men were/are actually trash to their young teen female fans (and it’s also in their past interviews for some of them but you chose to ignore it) so i dodged many a bullet dick if you will)….. and then me pretending to be a hooker/stripper from vegas on omegle and like scarring some of the girls in my year 9 drama class at catholic school in 2010 all bc i decided to write some really graphic (for a 14/15yo) sexting stuff on omegle during one particular lesson…….

moreover, being obsessed with tv show characters like barney stinson from himym and samantha jones from sex and the city…. and all the other jokes (e.g. “we all know i’ll be a dominatrix when im older 😉!”- this was literally one of them) i’ve talked about before in an infinite amount of personal posts on here over the years….. has turned me into such an incredibly anxious mess around sex and relationships in my late 20s; that i need to get to therapy about it.

because i very obvs kinda drank up the hyper sexualisation of teen girls and women in media so much in my teens. like i thought i’d be a complete “slut” in my 20s. i thought i’d move to LA and be a super famous and hot actress who’d get to fuck/sleep with all of her fave emo band dudes so they’d write songs about her sleeping around (take a hint girl. they didn’t like those women!!!!!! 90% of the songs you were listening to at that time were bitter breakup songs!!!!) in hollywood and being the home wrecking whore and ruining their bands bc they’d all slept with me. which i thought was a great badge to wear; to tear down the self esteem and mental health of those men. like it honestly was so fucking bizarre.

but now in my late 20s….. i can barely sext at all. i run out of things to write in like the first 2 seconds in. when i try to sext… like say i’m crushing on someone whose a long distance from me (like did with one of my followers on here that lives in a city which is 3hrs north of me i’m australia last year)….. i get into it for like maybe an hour and then give up; while they keep going. i don’t want to flirt. i find it impossible to find smart quippy flirt lines and that’s why i can’t stand the idea of dating apps. also i’ve always hated dating apps in general anyway due to my past dealings with them (ie the fb adding me to zoosk dating when i signed up in 2009 at 13/14 incident) but i also fucking hate how you have to almost “sell” yourself again in quippy lines and like 150 words of a bio. to make yourself almost as digestible and marketable as a biteable tweet on twitter. i fucking hate it. i don’t have any energy for it. i used up all my sexting ideas in my teens, when i was far too young to be doing it… and then there’s also the tumblr sexting publicly with anons in 2013… who turned out to be two (possibly) 28yo men…… and i was 17.

i was so desperate to be a “slut”, a “vixen”, a “whore” in my formative years (which we all know never actually happened anyway) that i never seriously sat down to realise- not that a teenager would actually do it; let’s be real here- how damaging it’d really be in my 20s. like i don’t know how to function in the early stages of any relationships where you’re supposed to be almost endlessly lustful of your partner- all bc i had that bizarre intense fixation on sex and being labelled a whore so early on. and now i don’t even want to be called “whore” or a “slut” in sexting. but that’s the default thing that you see on tumblr and everywhere else.

there’s obvs the thing i’ve referenced in other posts too; where i was obsessed with the labels of “sexy” etc as well; and i longed in my teens to be called sexy and other labels like that, by boys my age. but since i never got it from them, i then wanted it from older guys. but once that girl in year 11 at public school kept trying to set me up with guys aged anywhere from 20 to 30…. and they were calling me “sexy”/ “hot” and everything else…. it just felt gross??? and most especially when considering the large age difference of the men who were 30 and me at 16/17. now when men call me sexy or hot or whatever, i just get weirdly uncomfortable and my default response is “awww stop”; when i actually feel weird about it.

i found it super unsettling and insulting when a follower on here (mr adelaide fuckboy/MAF) kept suggesting to me to become a camgirl bc he thought i’d make a lot of money bc “you’re so hot and sexy and you just don’t know it!” or whatever the fuck he told me back in like 2016, after he’d ignored me for like 3+ years. it was even more unsettling when he seemed to get more agitated by my disagreement and hesitation with his so called “great suggestion” every time he brought it up. bc no. i will not use onlyfans. i will not be a camgirl since i don’t want creeps like you, brayden, telling me what the fuck to shove up my coochie for your/their pleasure and not particularly mine. and i just personally know that i don’t have the mental space or confidence to be a sex worker. i always give props to the women who do.

and it also felt awful when it came out the mouth of my high school stalker/creeper from years 11/12, any time i showed ANY emotion other than “innocent doe eyed fuck doll of a girl that needs to be somehow saved from herself and her own naivety” by some dipshit who thinks the whole world is actually porn; bc that’s how he learnt how to talk to girls…. that i just learnt to shut down any type of sexual relationship really fast.

the word “hot”, felt odd too, when it came out of the mouth of one my other early tumblr followers who was from sydney, and he paired it with wanting to meet up and to “give you (me) a tour of bondi and you can make us cookies in the hotel room i’ll get for us”. like yes. we were 17/18. but for some random stranger that you barely know from the wilds of the internet offers to get you both a hotel room…. like thanks for the weird insinuation that i’ll sleep with you laiken, when we’ve literally talked about twice in the last year (2013). just because you follow me on tumblr and you inboxed me twice, it doesn’t that mean i want your dick anywhere near me. and then when i said i’d bring a friend, he got weird with “third wheeling” as if us following each other and possibly fucking when or if we met up in bondi, instantly made us into a couple. no. we are not a couple. and you’re blocked, laiken. end of story.

there was also a time when i confused “people pleaser” as a euphemism for group sex. so that when it came to some sexual fantasies i had with certain emo band guys- i wanted to have orgies basically. i wanted group sex. but honey. you’re literally a child. you do NOT want or need to pleasure 4 men at once, let alone an individual man. now in my late 20s, i can’t even picture myself fucking one man. let alone 3 to 4 at once. you’re NOT a people pleaser in the bedroom, when you don’t even have the energy to go seek someone out to have some meaningful sex with. not just empty “no strings attached” bullshit. but again, this side is also somewhere in other posts i’ve made on here about relationships- that i wanted far more advanced relationships and sex with older men (ie just even an 18/19 year old guy when i was 14/15…. or a couple of years later at 17 i wanted a 20 something year old man to find me sexy and fuck me etc)… that i won’t speak about it more here.

but yeah. there’s a lot here and i have no idea where this post was supposed to go. but yeah. my main point is that weird obsession with sex in my teens (when i actually had zero (0) sex at all in my teens) has turned me into an anxious mess because now i think of sex as a huge performance and elaborate thing….. like a big part of it, i guess, is that….. i have a fear of dudes rating my moans and being like “it’s not horny enough” or “you don’t sound right”- well tyler. how about you cut the fuck down on your porn consumption then???!!! bc i am NOT fake porn moaning “oooooh myyyy gooooodd it’s soooooo biiiiig” and “ooooh myyyy goood iiiimmm sooooo weeet!!! goooo deeper!!!”…. or whatever the fuck…. when both your dick game and your sex skills are piss weak at best…. and you refuse to take ANY constructive feedback about YOUR performance and moans….. so it’s almost like stage fright lmao. but for sex. and there’s also me still joking that although im no longer loud in public; “i’ll be loud in the bedroom 😉” when like. will i actually be??? who knows??? if i never bother to do anything with this.

and then there’s me being over critical of my body when i take nudes…. and also trying to light everything right to look- idek- appealing/appetising- since when it comes to my snootch, it’s meant to served up like a delicacy. lmao. on a platter. bc you’re meant to “eat it, lap it up/slurp that pussy like a slurpee” ok. you can tell i don’t flirt. but you get the point. it’s always referred to in food imagery. and then i take one look at a guys dick and i’m like “that’s going NOWHERE near my mouth. i can tell you that” and “your cum will NEVER be a meal, dude” unlike my 🐈 . so it’s tied up in so much bullshit; that it’s healthier for me to just not engage in sexting and relationships at all. the appetising thing is also tied up in sex positions- like who the fuck wants to see me with my legs in the air, at THAT angle in missionary???? or like who wants to see me in the weird sex positions that used to be in cosmo mag to “hit your g spot” and “spice up your sex life with these 10 amazing moves!”???? when i’ll probably look awful- esp if it’s in front of a mirror. and that’s also tied to facial expressions too. it’s just an awful tangle of what the actual fuck fuckery.

just yeah. my constant fixation on sex in my teens really fucked up my engagement with relationships in my 20s because i followed the hyper-sexualised version of a teen girl on tween/teen shows. then i got angry at myself during my teens bc i wasn’t “hot” i wasn’t “sexy”. i was just so blatantly and horribly average that how on earth would that ever be attractive to anyone???? man. why am i even writing this on here. i remember the inner anger and jealousy i harboured from my best friend bc she lost her virginity when we finished year 12 in 2013 (drunken teen mistake) and i hadn’t done anything yet…. when i was meant to be the samantha jones “wild sex bitch” of our little group. i was meant to do it first bc i’d read all the cosmo bullshit. i remember how bitterly jealous i was she she got her boyfriend that she’s been with since 2016. when was my time even for just a boyfriend??? just any fucking person who’d just somehow minorly “settle” for me. aside from all the “wild, kinky sex freak with an even wilder mouth” persona bullshit that i’d built up for myself.

but instead all i got was intensely controlling and incredibly rude so-called “men”; where i could detect their red flags in the first 20 minutes to an hour of meeting them. so it just ended up being so deflating and not worth bothering with. so i had to end up settling for vibrators. i guess that’s the only upside to this whole shebang. i had to learn how to detect creeps and very problematic negative traits in the first hour of either meeting someone in person, or through a message on fb or another social media platform… so that i could learn to leave at the first sign of anything where they think that they instantly have power over me bc i apparently know less about being a “real person” than they do.

bc no. you don’t have power over me solely bc you have a penis and have fucked a woman before- notice the sole use of “fuck”- never something kinder or more intimate- it’s quick, it’s soulless and devoid of all emotion. you don’t have power over me bc you think that sticking your useless shit dick in me will apparently make me into a “real woman who’ll finally know real dick”.

because, no. the real dick here is you, jeremy. ironically sans dick. because your cock (to go with his “everything is porn” vibe) was not needed to prove to me that i can be discerning and have good judgement without a shitty dude to tell me what to do. leave me the fuck alone. i will not be taking your fucked up offer of sex lessons in the back of your car to pay for driving lessons that you think will “fix” me. which is your blatantly god-awfully terrible excuse and disguise for probable sexual assault. get the fuck away from me, you literal walking, talking goddamned alarm bell. you deserved to be blocked for life.

anyway back to my original rant.

finally, don’t even get me started on me labelling other girls that i didn’t like at school as “sluts” and “whores”- so i was against them bc they were confident with boys- but somehow it was utterly fine for me to be a supposed rampantly sexual being instead bc i was being idek “real” about it???? when in reality when i did get shown any sliver of attention (usually not from the people i wanted) it was negative and i ran from it bc it made me feel unstable.

#life #about me #shut up ilona #relationships i guess #ilona whines about her non existent live life to her followers lol

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mickgaydolenz · 1 year

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ASIA I HAVE MORE THINGS TO ADD ONTO THIS! AXS just posted an interview clip with Micky on their twitter, and the interviewer asks some actually REALLY good questions because what i got in return was total enlightenment in response. lo’ Saturn Pisces, thank ye for thy assistance!

first off, i’ve forgotten something very important when talking about his emotional needs towards his career and that’s from when i heard him say “i’ve been blessed to have been a part of it [the monkees]” and that had me reeling back the times i’ve heard him say that over & over, and then i realized, and correct me if i’m wrong …he doesn’t talk about the process of that. he’s happy to have experienced the rewards that came to him, yes, but not the actual work does he ever speak up on. it’s SO subtle that you could miss it.

moreover, the mainline element between all three earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) is their enjoyment of work -- earth signs are productive folks who live to work, basically. so to differentiate them i explain it like this: Taurus enjoys the building process of its work, Virgo enjoys the routine of its work, and Capricorn enjoys the rewards of its work.

so with his natal Moon in 10H Capricorn, there’s an added emotional fulfillment in reaping the rewards of his hard efforts, even if it wasn’t something he necessarily enjoyed doing within the moment. i mean with how raybert treated them all i really don’t blame him. Obviously you would know, asia, thee keeper of Micky knowledge; i know for sure he’s talked about the work process in his autobio.

this is not the end of this ask, per se. during more digging i've discovered something really grim soooooo. up to you if you want me to share that and maybe ruin your day. i'll spare you from the impact and just leave it at this, because i love and care about you + everyone who reads these and god forbid i put y'all in a frantic panic 👍💕 peace and love on planet earth !!

KALE NO YOU ARE LITERALLY SO RIGHT ABOUT THIS!!! so okay micky very rarely gets into the details of the actual work process, and especially his part of it. that ties back to the whole modest or downplaying of achievements he does where he tends to brush over things that edge into too personal territory, so uh yeah this tracks so fucking hard. he talks about the rewards of having the experience, but not so much the details of said experience. the most i’ve ever heard him get into it was 1. on the head commentary where he talks about how he struggled with acting in the movie and felt very self conscious of his performance, 2. the little bits of information he talked about when it came to filming the frodis caper and 33 1/3 revolutions per monkee on the commentaries, 3. the very small bits he talks about in his book (which are really….not a lot), 4. this candid interview he did where he kind of got more into working as a director and coming back to work in the u.s for the 80’s tour, and 5. the two episodes he was on of gilbert gottfried’s podcast where he touches a bit on head and also talks about how as a director in england he kind of got a reputation for being very quick when it came to shooting which actually wasn’t as good a thing as people thought (with the implication being he felt like the quality of his work suffered). i know in the 80’s and even into the 90’s he was very almost defensive? i would say of his career post monkees, but even then he was saying it more as a selling point (and probably as a way to soothe his ego) and less as an avenue to open up. so yeah again it’s the being open without being open, valuing his work but still downplaying his achievements or brushing past the details. ALSO dude fucking hit me with the grim discovery, i want to suffer 💖🙏😭

#KALE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DUUUUUDDDEEEE #rhubarb asks #micky dolenz #SORRY THIS IS JUST A BRICK WALL OF TEXT

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casspurrjoybell-17 · 2 years

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HEART'S PRICE - CHAPTER 19

*Warning: Adult Content*

"I'm sorry. I think there's been a mistake," Noah Hunter says, uncertainly.

"I don't have an appointment or anything. I just saw the sign in the window..." he gestured behind him, across the labyrinth of bookshelves towards the unseen door.

"That is what makes you the one I am waiting for," Shanti replies.

"It can be very difficult to find the right person these days, you know. So instead, I have the right person find me. It's a simple spell of selection and attraction. Only someone with the qualities I'm looking for is able to see that sign at all."

"Oh, r-really?"

Noah is not sure whether he should be flattered or alarmed.

"And what, exactly, are you looking for?"

Shanti moves around the desk and comes to stand in front of Noah.

She's a few inches taller than he is, though her long black dress covers her feet and he can't tell how much of her height might be heels.

Noah gets the impression that she's quite beautiful but it's hard to see details in the dim, orange-tinted lights that hang on little strings from the ceiling above.

There's also a faint, strange odor about her like incense with an undertone of fish.

"Someone special," she says, smiling.

"Someone with a sharp mind and a strong spirit. Someone with a good heart. Most of all, someone who needs this place as much as I do."

"This p-place?"

"Yes, this shop. It is not the usual kind of shop, as you can see."

She gestured with her hand, a sweeping motion that invites his eyes to travel the entire, chaotic space.

"It was my papa's shop before it was mine," she says.

"Though then it was in London and it was his papa's shop before that, though then it was in Bangalore. Now it is my shop and it is here."

"I see," Noah says, although he’s not entirely sure he does.

"Your family is in the business of books, then."

"In the business of knowledge," she corrects.

"Which is often found in books."

"Occult books?"

She nods, wide eyes widening further still.

"People think 'occult' means black magic, witchcraft, things like that. What it really means is 'hidden' or 'unseen' secret, that is all. The knowledge is here for those who seek it, those who need it, to find. Just like this shop."

"So what kind of help do you need?" Noah asks, intrigued despite his unease.

"Help selling the books, of course," she answers, wandering past him and going to a nearby shelf, where books of every size are crammed unevenly and trails her fingers over the ridges of their spines.

"People find the shop when they need to but they often confuse what they need for what they want and that is where they run into trouble. They will find what they need but it may not be what they want and then they won't recognize it. All you have to do is help them see what they are looking for."

Noah looks around at the labyrinth of shelves and the pandemonium upon them and wonder if it's actually possible for anyone to find anything in here.

Seeming to read his mind, Shanti interrupts my thoughts.

"It is not difficult. You will see."

She returns to the desk and beckons me over.

"What hours do you prefer to work?" she asks, leaning over the open book with the script Noah can't read and picks up her pen.

"Oh... um... but aren't you going to interview me first?"

She looks up at him.

"Do you want me to?"

"Um... well, isn't that... the usual way?"

"Very well."

Shanti straightens with a sigh.

"What is your full name?"

“Noah Hunter.”

"Do you wish to work in my shop?"

Noah hesitates.

There's no denying the nerd in him is already in love and he’s sure there are books about dragons in here somewhere.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"B-Because I need a job, and I like b-books," Noah stammers.

"Good. You are hired. When can you start?"

"Er... Tomorrow?"

"Wonderful. Come tomorrow then. Here—"

Shanti hands him a slip of paper.

"Write down the hours and days you want to work and how much you would like to be paid."

Noah blink at her.

He’s only had a few jobs in his life but his impression has always been that it's the employer who decides these things.

Shanti wags the pen at him impatiently and he takes it, then write down five morning shifts and a reasonable hourly wage and hand it and the paper back to her.

She slips it into a drawer without even looking at it.

"Excellent."

When she straightens again, she holds out her hand for Noah to shake.

He takes it and feels Shanti’s cool, slender fingers close around his.

She smiles.

"Welcome, Noah. I think you will be happy here."

Noah Hunter don't see Ambrose Thorne until dinner but when he comes downstairs and joins him, he looks much improved, back to his usual self-satisfied smirks and secret amusements.

He has a double shift at the animal hospital later and is dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a cream-colored cotton shirt, open at the throat.

All traces of illness or weakness are gone and he looks as effortlessly attractive as he did when Noah first saw him.

On the one hand, Noah’s glad he's recovered.

On the other, it's almost like whatever passed between them before, the vulnerability he'd shown, never happened.

In fact, he's more aloof and distant than ever and Noah wonders if Ambrose regrets having let him see that other side of him.

They eat in the dining room, with its wall of high windows looking out on the brambly garden, now lost beneath the evening gloom and Noah finds it's not unpleasant to share a meal like this.

As they eat, Ambrose compliments Noah’s cooking, expresses mild interest in his new job and asks him a bit about himself.

Noah tell hims the bare minimum, that he studied and taught linguistics at a small college and that he had left that life behind to come here.

What he doesn't seem keen to discuss is himself, his family or the thefts.

At last, when Ambrose has finished eating and has poured himself a second drink, Noah decides to breach the topic.

"Dane says there are only two of your living relatives on that list who haven't yet been robbed," Noah says.

"Aileen Reed and August Turnbridge. According to the note you gave me, Aileen and August or Augustus, are your father's brother and sister, so...”

"Aengus Thorne was not my father," Ambrose snaps, with such sudden vehemence that Noah drops his fork in surprise.

"He knew I was not his child and he never treated me as such. With the exception of Jack and possibly my mother, the Oakfields and Thornes are a thoroughly rotten lot and as far as I'm concerned they've gotten exactly what they deserve." He stops, thin nostrils flared, and his eyes flash bright before dimming back to their usual red-brown.

"You can pass that on to your detective friend, too," he adds, still with a hard edge to his tone and an equally hard light in his eyes.

"I'm sure he's already moved my name to the top of his list of suspects, anyway, if he has any sense at all."

Noah is not sure what to say, so he stays quiet for a moment.

"Why did they all come here? The two families? And why did you come here, if you hate them so much?" Noah asks.

Ambrose looks at him so intensely it's almost a glare and Noah wills himself not to squirm beneath his gaze.

"I came here because I was curious, little wolf," he says, in a quieter voice than before.

"Rowan Oakfield, dead at last and all his earthly possessions willed to me of all people, whom he hated most? And then the rest of them starting to drop like flies and their gift-relics stolen? Of course I was curious. Because it has to be one of the nine, doesn't it? Who else would know? And yet now, as you say, only Augustus and Aileen remain and neither of them have the brains for something like this," he pauses and sips his drink but keeps his eyes on Noah.

"As for why they all moved here, of all places... Well, the two families are 'thick as thieves' as they say, in this case quite literally so. They were run out of Scotland by better and more skilled sorcerers after some of their less-savory dealings came to light. They needed a new home, new hunting grounds and Spring Lakes seems to attract such things, things that want to stay hidden."

Noah digests Ambrose’s words for a moment, thinking.

Finally, he decides to try the direct approach.

"Do you know who it is?"

Ambrose looks at him askance, swirling the last of his drink and making the ice clink against the glass.

"I don't," he says.

"Do you believe me?"

Again, Noah pauses.

"I don't know," he says at last.

"But I think I'd like to."

Noah expects Ambrose to smirk or laugh but instead he looks unusually grave as he pushes back his chair and stands.

"I'd like you to, as well," he says.

"And I'll tell you something else, little wolf, out of everything I've said to you, since the moment we met, only one thing wasn't true. I won't tell you which but I will tell you this, don't ask questions that you don't want to hear the answers to because I won't lie to you again. I like you too much for that."

Ambrose leaves Noah then, alone with the dishes and his thoughts and a sudden ache in his chest.

Noah cleans up and then heads for the stairs.

He’s just reached the bottom when Ambrose appears at the top.

Noah waits as he descends, caught in a little snare of awkwardness and unsure where to look.

Ambrose stops when he's level with Noah and in the silence the young man scrambles for something to say but the handsome vet speaks first.

"Thank you for dinner," he says evenly.

"It was delightful."

Ambrose’s eyes are on Noah’s mouth when he says this and he touches his fingers to his lips, thinking he must have a fleck of food there.

Strangely, a flush of color rises to Ambrose’s face and when he lifts his eyes to Noah’s they flare with a dark fire.

"You're welcome," Noah says, though it sounds a little strained.

"I'll make it up to you, your kindness and your hard work. You deserve to be appreciated properly."

"Um... thank you," Noah replies, willing the words not to stick in his throat.

"But you don't owe me anything."

"Oh, but I do," Ambrose says, his smirk playing at the edge of his mouth.

"Breakfast at the very least, tomorrow. Until then, good night."

Ambrose moves past Noah, headed for the door and the young man starts up the stairs.

"Oh. By the way, there is one more thing you ought to know," Ambrose calls as an afterthought, making Noah stop and turn.

"The next time I kiss you, little wolf, will be because you have asked me to. And believe me, you will ask me to."

Ambrose throws him a final wink, a little flash of embers and then he's gone, leaving Noah with a tangle of confused feelings to pick through.

And one thread among the many, Noah Hunter notes with a hint of dread, feels an awful lot like hope.

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waffliesinyoface · 6 days

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Re: that ask game post i just reblogged

under a readmore because it's gonna be long. it's about Hasami, obviously.

1: she does have a big one, but she can only sleep with it at home, because, you know. you can't really bring a big stuffed wolf plushie on a mission. (Yes, it's a wolf. She didn't buy it herself, it was a present when she was younger, because giving wolf-related items as presents to an inuzuka is just like. The thing to do. Obviously the wolf-clan girl likes dogs.)

2: plant: no. pet: yes, but only because most childhood chores were some variation of "go take care of puppies". child: absolutely not. please do not attempt to make her hold a baby.

3: this isn't a problem until she's been working as a ninja for several years but one day she realizes that the majority of her friends are incredibly strong, lethal women who are occasionally covered in sweat and blood, and now she has to be. normal. about this.

4: does red facepaint/magical seal tattoos count? if so, yes. if not... maybe? I'm not sure.

5: she's not exactly prone to giving speeches but also. she's based on me and I have exactly zero issues with public speaking, so. She could do it? It's just not exactly the kind of thing that comes up.

6: I'm not sure about who she'd take advice from, because like. It depends on the subject. But if her first impression of you is that you're annoying, she will probably never listen to anything you say, ever. If someone else comes along and agrees with them, she might listen. To them. But she won't be happy about it.

7: im not doing this one because i am incapable of being concise :)

8: Frustrate. She is. She can be smart. But also. She is mostly built for stabbing things. She tried to ask Tenten about fuinjutsu one (1) time to save money on exploding seals and the barest simplest most stripped down fuinjutsu felt like trying to do trigonometry without a calculator. Please do not give this girl a puzzle that cannot be solved with some form of violence.

9: Yes, because I do too. But it's not such a big deal to her because there's more important things, like not dying.

10: She's just fine at the age she is now.

11: Save most of it, but like. Maybe a couple impulse purchases. (Does konoha even HAVE a lottery? Also how would she win, she wouldn't buy a ticket.)

12: Give her a few years.

13: She gets taught lots of life skills, because Ninja Mom. But maybe the most important thing she learned is the fact that sometimes very scary things will just happen and it will be awful and people will lie to you and everyone will just treat it as completely normal!! Thanks!!

14: She would, but also, I haven't thought of any she has. Hrm.

15: Hates cleaning things because they're just going to get dirty again ANYWAYS.

16: I'm going to assume this is for like. Fancy occasion type stuff. Because ninja wear the cost is less important than "will this be a hindrance in a fight y/n". So for NON-mission related clothes. She would like to wear an extremely fancy layered kimono at some point.

17: She IS a children, but even so: not really!! Kids konohamaru's age and younger are mentally classified as "annoying brats"

18: Give her a few years.

19: Studying is hard but if you get good points on the practical that makes up for it!! Also what is a "job interview" she signed up to be a child soldier at age six, and as such never has to worry about them. Because she is already a tool of the state.

20: At some point on a C-rank her team is going to eat at a restaurant that sells food which is like. The naruto-equivalent of western food. Hasami is the ONLY person who likes it, and is SO ANNOYED that she can't get any in konoha. I would say something cheese-based, but I'm not sure if that's common in the elemental nations or not. I know they have cows. But I don't know if cheese is popular.

21: please stop asking about dating questions she is twelve and an idiot

22: no, they're LAME

23: Stability. Novelty is nice but she gets a lot of that in just normal missions. "Stability" is good, when your chosen profession is violence. Unfortunately she lives in konoha, and *looks at orochimaru. and pein. and obito.* uh oh!!!

24: Honesty. Yes she knows there's lots of lies involved in ninja society, but that does not mean she has to Like It.

25: She would probably prefer safety for some stuff, but also: sometimes it is literally not on the table. Unfortunately you do have to take risks as a ninja. A lot. All the time.

26: They are not mutually exclusive even talented people have to put in effort and even people who have to work hard are better at some things than others.

27: Vengeance : )

28: please stop asking about dating questions she is twelve and an idiot

29: She very occasionally dreams about non-narutoland stuff and it is frustrating because that's not her life anymore. Especially annoying when she dreams about traffic because not only should she not have to deal with that anymore, but: she can't even complain about it to other people.

30: The only people who she would care enough to want forgiveness from she wouldn't want to do anything bad to them. She would feel guilty!!! But also, like, she could kill an enemy ninja and Not Really Care because, uh. That's life!! She reincarnated just fine so really if death is the end for you thats a skill issue. Also edo tensei exists so there is SOME form of ninja heaven, clearly.

#inuzuka sioc fanfic #naruto

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reversedout-blog · 7 months

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Is Starting A Podcast Good For My Business?

In this day and age, there is a podcast for everything. From the best ways to wash your face and make it look like you have clear skin, to how to survive in an apocalypse, they are available at the tip of your fingers. However, some people still ask the question: Is starting a podcast good for my business?

The answer is yes! Starting a podcast can help you connect with your target audience, build trust and authority within your industry, and even grow your business.

There are a lot of benefits to starting a podcast.

These benefits include:

Podcasts can be used to build your brand. As a business owner, you have the opportunity to share your expertise in the form of valuable content with potential clients or partners.

Podcasts can also help you establish trust with your audience. If people know that you know what you’re talking about, they will be more likely to buy from you!

Podcasts make it easy for people who need help finding solutions for specific problems like: How do I start my own business? How do I scale my company? What are some tips for getting work done in an open office space?

You can establish yourself as a thought leader.

In the podcasting world, this is what we call “getting on the radar” of your target audience. Once you’re there, people will begin to see you as an authority figure and respect your opinion. They will also be more likely to buy from you because they trust that you know what you’re talking about (because after all, it’s hard for someone to be an expert at something if they lack credibility).

You can use it to educate your customers.

You can use your podcast to educate your customers. Provide them with useful information, help them learn about your product or service, show them how to use it, give them tips for using it, and educate them about the benefits of using your product or service. For example:

If you’re selling a fitness tracker that helps people lose weight by tracking their activity levels and helping them set goals for exercise and diet changes, have a podcast where you interview experts in the field of health and fitness. They can share their insights on topics like working out more efficiently, or eating healthier foods in order to lose weight faster (or maintain a healthy weight).

If you sell software development tools that are used by programmers around the world but aren’t readily available outside of Europe and America due to legal restrictions, record episodes teaching listeners how they can download these tools from other sources—or even better yet, offer an affiliate program where users who sign up through certain links on social media sites will receive free access to those programs when they buy something else from you!

You create great content for social media marketing.

You can use podcasts to create content for social media marketing. By uploading your podcast onto all applicable social media platforms, you’re not only boosting traffic to your podcast but generating leads as well. It’s a win-win! 🙂

You can use it to give updates to clients or partners.

One of the benefits of starting a podcast is that it can be used to keep clients and partners informed about the progress your business is making. A podcast can provide updates on what’s happening at your company, from shifts in strategy to new hires.

If you have a service-based business, like consulting or coaching, then this is especially useful because you can use podcasts as a way to build relationships with clients by keeping them updated on how they’re doing with their goals.

You can also use podcasts as an effective way to build a community around your brand and get people involved in the work that you do by inviting guests to the show who will share their expertise and experience with listeners.

It takes time and effort, though.

Starting a podcast can be a great way to boost your business, but you need to consider the time and effort required.

Time-consuming: It will take planning, preparation, and recording time to get your podcast off the ground. You might also need some editing help before you publish it.

Promotion required: Once you’re done with all that, however, don’t expect people to rush over and subscribe right away—you have more work ahead of you! You’re going to have to promote your podcast using social media accounts like Facebook or Twitter (or both), as well as through email marketing campaigns. If you want even more exposure for your show, try contacting local radio stations in your area so they can feature segments from it on airwaves across town.

There can be upfront costs, but they don’t need to be high.

Microphone: There are a number of microphones to choose from, but some of them can be pretty expensive—if you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on one, there’s always the option of using a headset mic and getting good results.

Computer: You’ll need something with enough processing power and storage space to run the software you want and record your podcast. If that means more than one computer, it’s better to use two separate ones than try to glue them together in some Frankensteinian fashion.

Internet: This is obviously essential! If you’re going through a wireless connection via your phone or another device, ensure there’s enough coverage where you’ll be recording so that it doesn’t cut out when it starts getting busy on the network.

Software: There are several options for audio editing software (Audacity is free), but whatever program(s) you choose should be able to handle everything from basic recording, all the way up through post-production work like adding music or sound effects (if necessary). Some programs will even give voice enhancements like echo cancellation or noise reduction; others may let users add things like music tracks directly into their recordings instead of creating them separately beforehand as MP3 files.

Podcasting is partly an art form — you might need some practice before you get good at it.

There are some podcasts that are so good, they’re like listening to an audiobook. Some podcasts are so bad, you’d rather listen to static. In between these two extremes is a wide range of quality — and all it takes is practice to get better at recording your own podcast.

You may want a friend or family member nearby during your first few episodes to give some support and to calm the nerves of first starting out!

The more you record and upload, the easier it will become — just know there’s no fast track here: It takes time for people’s ears (and brains) to adjust themselves into accepting what comes out of your mouth as “not all that bad.”

Starting a podcast could be a great investment of your time and money; just make sure you go into it with realistic expectations about the work involved and the results you’re likely to see.

If you’re interested in starting a podcast, here are some things to keep in mind:

First, realize that starting a podcast is not as easy as it seems. You’ll have to learn how to record, edit, and produce audio content before you can even think about publishing your first episode. And then there’s the matter of creating an audience through social media promotion and guest appearances on other podcasts.

Second, know that it will take time for you to see results from your efforts. Even if you’ve got 10,000 followers on Twitter, those people might not be listening every day when your new episodes come out—and even if they do listen regularly, they may not love what they hear enough to share it with their friends or write glowing reviews online (unless they work for one of those weird companies where everyone gets paid in “likes”).

Third, consider what benefits there are for starting a podcast explicitly related to your business goals (e.g., increasing sales). If this seems like something worth pursuing but still seems like too much work—or if those benefits just aren’t worth all the effort involved—don’t sweat it! There are lots of other things out there that could help improve your business without requiring so much time or energy from yourself or others within the organization. However, you may never know until you give it a shot!

Conclusion

As with any business venture, it’s important to do your research and have realistic expectations. If you’re looking for a way to differentiate yourself from competitors or build stronger relationships with customers, then starting a podcast might be right for you. Just make sure that you don’t expect too much too soon — the process of creating good content takes time!

If you are looking for help with your marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Reversed Out Creative.

At Reversed Out Creative, we understand the challenges and opportunities presented by AI disruption. Our team of experts specializes in web design, SEO, graphic design, and digital marketing services. Reach out to us through our contact form to learn more about navigating the evolving job market and embracing the potential of AI. Together, let’s shape a future that combines human ingenuity with the power of AI.

#Podcast Marketing in Cincinnati #Business Podcasting Marketing #Cincinnati Small Business Podcast #Digital Marketing Agency Cincinnati

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