#for the last sessions the biggest advice I got was : go and join some activities and workshops

[psychedelic-ink]

I'm so conflicted because, on one hand, I want to see my therapist and just talk without having the feeling that I need to shut up and not talk about what I'm feeling

On the other hand, it's so expensive and I feel like seeing her isn't really helping me anymore

[blackstonesandtrapnest]

NANA Characters in Quarantine

I was inspired to write this since I had to go under quarantine earlier this month due to coming in close contact with a co-worker who tested positive for COVID. I returned to work this week and I’m doing just fine! If you wish for me to do this with one of the fandoms on my list, then feel free to request it!

~~Nana Osaki~~

Does NOT handle quarantine well at first. Being unable to sing makes her jittery and cranky! Will literally rant and rave to anyone who listens and she’ll do that for hours!

But once she gets all of the frustration out of her system, Nana will come up with ways to make the best of the lockdown. Surprise, surprise, they’re mostly music based!

Will use this opportunity to come up with new material and has video calls every night with the band to discuss it. They’re not gonna sit around and be lazy when they could be getting creative as far as she’s concerned!

If she’s with her S/O or Ren during the quarantine, then it’ll make things much better for Nana since she’ll have someone always around to talk to and just share company with! Cuddles! Lots of cuddles! Just don’t tell anyone though.

If Nana is alone during lockdown, then her anxiety will definitely spike and she’ll have panic attacks more often. When that happens, she’ll usually call or text someone while using the paper bag method to keep herself calm.

~~Nana Komatsu~~

Is pretty bummed about the lockdown but doesn’t want to complain and prefers to make the best of it instead. Will definitely be talking Nana down and off the ledge when she gets too annoyed.

Decides to make BLAST and Trapnest masks to sell online which become extremely popular much to her delight. Yes the bands approve and yes Hachi is making masks for them!

Is the most likely to gain weight during lockdown. Will look up recipes online and try them out which is the cause of said weight gain. Hachi loves food after all!

You can definitely expect to see Hachi on social media a lot and it’ll be her main way of keeping in contact with her friends and family. Livestreaming and making cooking videos will definitely keep Hachi occupied alongside her mask business!

If Hachi is with her S/O, she’ll definitely be doing many things with them and trying to make them a part of her videos which will be very cute and adorable! Awwwww!

~~Nobu Terashima~~

Takes the lockdown quite well. He’s pretty introverted so being alone and isolated for a while doesn’t affect him as much as others.  

Uses the free time to write songs and new material just like Nana and they call every day with new pieces and ideas.

Spends a lot of time on social media and donates to a lot of humanitarian causes, persuading fans of BLAST to do the same which always succeeds.

Will gladly fight anyone who thinks the pandemic is a hoax, is an anti-masker, or just don’t wanna obey guidelines. You’re not gonna get other people sick on Nobu’s watch!

Likes to livestream and play music for his fans whether it be covers or original material. Hachi is one of his mods and his biggest supporter.

~~Shinichi Okazaki~~

The lockdown affects his living as a gigolo (if he still does it by then) so you’re damn right Shin doesn’t like it! He hates being restricted and you can expect long-winded debates between him and Nobu on how the pandemic should be handled.

If Shin has an S/O and is with them during lockdown, they can expect a lot of sex and overall intimacy! No one is surprised if Shin ends up getting said S/O pregnant. If he’s gonna be cooped up in the house for a while, then he could at least get some action out of it!

Is lazy AF during lockdown and isn’t interested in music or social media. In fact, don’t expect to hear from Shin during quarantine at all. Everyone has to initiate contact with him first and yes it pisses them off.

The only way to get Shin to do something productive is if his S/O threatens to cut him off sexually and goes through with it. He’ll do anything to get some WAP! Speaking of which, expect to see Shin dancing to music and expect to hear it playing a lot.

The only social media posts Shin will be making is photos of him and his S/O as well as getting on Nobu’s nerves. Shin gets tons of followers because of his looks but his heart is for his S/O only and he proudly displays that!

~~Yasu Takagi~~

Anticipated the lockdown and went shopping beforehand. He’s always prepared.

With an S/O, Yasu will use this opportunity to get closer to them and have deep conversations that can last for hours. Also lots of cuddles and affection! Yasu’s S/O will definitely be spoiled!

Yasu will be working from home so expect to see him on his laptop a lot. He will be doing video calls frequently with BLAST and upper management at Gaia as well as his law firm if he’s still a lawyer.

Likes to binge-watch YouTube videos and browse on Reddit. He likes to interact with his favorite YouTubers and give advice on Reddit like the kind person he is. Yasu will also donate to humanitarian causes like Nobu does.

Acts as the peacemaker during arguments between Nobu and Shin. Will also calm Nana down if her anxiety flares up. Got any problems? Call Yasu! He’s always available!

~~Ren Honjo~~

Gives no shits about the lockdown and is zen AF. He has to stay inside for a while? Ok!

Is mostly gonna spend the days in bed with his S/O (if they’re with him) and just wants to be close to them. Sleeping is Ren’s best friend!

If Ren is still using drugs, then he’s gonna be unbearable to be around since this means he’ll have to go through withdrawal and will have no way to get the drugs.

Will be unreachable during lockdown if he’s with his S/O. They come first as far as he’s concerned and he wants to make up for lost time with them as much as possible.

Will play music just to brush up on his guitar skills. May join Nobu on one of his livestreams every now and then and play with him as well as chat with fans.

~~Reira Serizawa~~

Has the same reaction as Nana when it comes to the lockdown and has bitching sessions with her about it too. Everyone is annoyed (except Shin) and if anyone tries to interrupt, they get bombarded by Reira and Nana to the point of not being able to get a word in.

Is bored AF and literally doesn’t know what to do with her time. Calls everyone and annoys the hell out of them to the point where they block her number. Reira just wants some company! 🙁

Spends the most time on social media out of everyone and mostly sings songs for her fans. Yes she takes requests and yes she gets a lot of them. Joins Nobu on his livestream whenever Ren is present and provides the vocals for their music. It instantly goes viral as one would expect.

If Reira has an S/O, they can definitely expect her to be clingy and trying to always have their attention. If they’re working from home and have to do video chats, Reira will definitely be in the background and will bring you things if you ask. She may or may not be appropriately dressed.

Loves to listen to other musicians on Spotify and will shout them out and uplift them. If anyone sings a cover of one of Trapnest’s songs, Reira will cry with joy and happiness!

~~Takumi Ichinose~~

Takes the lockdown in stride surprisingly enough. He doesn’t want to risk getting sick nor does he want his bandmates getting sick.

Decides to relax more instead of working which shocks most people. If Takumi has an S/O, he’ll want them to stay with him but if they can’t, he’ll settle for calls and texts.  

Sex, sex, and more sex! His S/O will definitely be worn out unless they have a high sex drive and if they get pregnant, Takumi will be happy and expects it to happen unless you use birth control.

Likes to try new challenges and will have a YouTube channel dedicated to that. Such content includes eating a Carolina Reaper pepper, drinking very strong cocktails, and gaming-related challenges. Yes Takumi is a gamer and his rage is legendary.

Does weekly video calls with the band to make sure they’re taking care of themselves and staying safe. No one’s getting sick on his watch!

~~Naoki Fujieda~~

Hates the restrictions and whines about being stuck in the house all day, everyday. He wants to have fun damn it!

Will do anything and everything to keep himself busy and if he has an S/O with him, they’ll be dragged into it too! Naoki doesn’t want you to be bored!

Will do challenges with Takumi and plays video games a lot whether it’s by himself, with his S/O, or with Takumi. His livestreams are a riot and there’s plenty of laughter to be had, especially if Takumi is present.

Likes to upload skits and rants that become quite popular due to how funny and true they are. Also gives advice to people which actually works and makes their lives better.

Always makes sure his appearance is on point and likes to promotes fashion brands, ideas, and trends. Naoki loves beautiful things so expect to see a lot of pics of just that!

~~Junko and Kyosuke~~

Kyosuke takes the lockdown in stride while Junko panics. Junko ends up furloughed (she’s a salesperson) so she worries about finances.

Kyosuke comes up the idea of doing art commissions for money and it becomes a huge success. Junko decides to join in and also makes and sells masks with Hachi.

Their sex life becomes much more active during lockdown and it’s quite noticeable with how relaxed Junko is. Teasing them about this will just make Junko act like a tsundere and Kyosuke act smug.

They network with other artists worldwide and become quite involved, especially in the black community.

Kyosuke watches various livestreams while Junko sticks to services like Netflix and Hulu. Kyosuke is a mod for Hachi’s livestreams and Junko catches up on her favorite shows while live-tweeting with fellow fans of said shows and having discussions.

[winetae]

wall to wall (m.) 02

— female reader x hoseok

— smut, porn star!au

— sex work, insecurity, jealousy, slut shaming/objectification, role played scenario that includes: d/s dynamics - dom!hoseok, anal sex, sex toys, face fucking, double penetration, erotic massages, humiliation, degradation, porn star type dirty talk, squirting, creampie, lots of cum (and oil!)

— 19.7k 

… 

Temporary popularity is the biggest threat to your career right now. Without a solid core fan base you’re doomed to be forgotten. If not now, then in a month or two, and if not then, surely by the end of the year. That’s how quickly the adult film industry cycles through their actors, especially when you’re a woman. 

Your agent comes forward with a proposition to help put you back on the map.

↳  or, my contribution to the lights, camera, action! collab : )

part 01 | part 02 | part 03

author’s note | part 2 is finally here ! ! ty to jordan who has encouraged me literally every step of the way and to ella for supplying a never ending amount of hoseok gifs and pics when i most needed it :’) i’m sorry again for cutting the chapter into two parts but seeing as this entire chunk only amounted to 1/3 of my outline for part two it’s safe to say i would have never finished this fic otherwise ;;

(!) if you are particularly sensitive to humiliation/ degradation then maybe u should skip the smut scene bc jdjffjkfkddkd cries in tears of heaux 

SCENE 03 - PULP FRICTION. TAKE 02. ROLL A.

.

.

.

It’s hard to guess how a project will be perceived by the general public. Sometimes a xxx feature film everyone believed would do well sells less than expected, and with online pirating becoming such a rampant and common occurrence, it’s harder to measure the impact of your work. Views and numbers are no longer a reliable indicator of one’s popularity. You’re lucky that you’re signed under such a big talent agency because at least you’re guaranteed regular paychecks, regardless of how well you perform. But to survive in this industry you’re conscious that you need more than that.

According to Seokjin and his expert advice, fans are the ones who will keep an adult entertainer’s career afloat for longer than the average six months. It doesn’t matter how good-looking or well endowed an actor is; if fans aren’t interested and invested, there’s a slim chance that they’ll pay money from their own pockets to view your work. And in order to build such a strong and dedicated fan base, you need one of several things: regular content and an active social media account.

It’s a careful line to tread; not enough online interaction can make people lose interest, but so can overexposure.

You’re patiently waiting for what Seokjin baptizes “The Big Breakthrough” - the decisive project that will propel you into superstardom. None of your videos have ever garnered that type of traction, however, and you’ve been stuck repeating the same old recycled scenarios of plumbers/pizza delivery boys coming over to get the fuck of their life.

When your latest video is uploaded online, you do your best to steer clear from social media. As much as you want to see what people think of your performance, it’s too nerve-wracking to deal with on an empty stomach. You know that if you begin scrolling through the comments, you’ll spend all day glued to your phone, constantly refreshing the page to check for feedback.

And while you aren’t the type of person who lets negative opinions affect your morale, you are nonetheless worried that your time in the industry is about to run out. Lately, the thought lingers ominously in the corners of your mind.

In times like these, exercise is one of the best distractions, second to maybe sex.

Pia, the yoga instructor, walks you through several routines, bending your body this way and that, until your head feels pleasantly blank, devoid for once of any stress and self-doubt. The hour long hot yoga class puts your overthinking mind to rest. In that moment even the notion of time ceases to matter.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

The instructor turns off his meditation playlist while the room empties out, soft chattering replacing the chirping of birds and the sound of cascading water. Slowly, mind still fuzzy around the edges, you gather your belongings and head straight to the vending machine to get a much needed dose of caffeine.

As you dig around the contents of your purse for spare change, someone comes up from behind and taps your shoulder.

“Eep!” You catch your bag before it can slip from your grasp. “What—”

“Shit, sorry!”

When you spin around, hands clutched protectively over your chest to keep your heart rate steady, you don’t expect to come face to face with Hoseok, of all people.

He grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t mean to give you a scare. I, um, recognized you from afar and thought I’d come say hi.”

Now that the initial shock has faded, you’re free to admire the sight in front of you without any distractions.

As handsome as Hoseok looks under the bright studio lights with his hair styled and make-up applied, there’s something undeniably appealing about the way he appears now - with his hair mussed up and sweatpants riding dangerously low on his hips. While you normally prefer someone who puts more effort into their appearance, there’s something attractive and unpretentious about his casual demeanor that intrigues you.

Heat surges to the apple of your cheeks when you realize that you’re being too blatant with your ogling. Your eyes settle on his face - a safe zone, one that won’t cause any misunderstandings. It’s a nice sight to look at. Hoseok’s face is pretty, the absence of powder and contour not taking away from his handsomeness in the least. His skin glows in a way that can only be achieved post-workout or after an intense orgasm.

This train of thought brings you down a slippery slope. All too soon, your mind supplies images of his long cock filling you up over and over and over again, his lips whispering praise and filth in the same breath. Your gaze flits to his mouth as you recall how red and swollen they’d been after kissing you senseless, how sticky and wet they’d felt against your own, the taste of your own succulence bleeding into your mouth as your breaths intermingled.

“You’re - yes.” You clear your throat, embarrassed by the way you’d quickly let your thoughts spiral out of control. “It’s fine, you just - caught me off guard. How’ve you been?”

Since you last dicked me down, goes unsaid.

“Just finished teaching a class a few minutes ago. I’ve got a 30 minute break before the next one starts.” He checks his watch. “Well, eleven minutes now.”

“You teach here?” You raise your brows, taken aback by his revelation.  

Not that it isn’t uncommon for adult entertainers to work two jobs - or more. You’ve run into a variety of cases since joining the industry. Some do porn on the side, as a hobby or as a way to make a quick buck. They quit the moment porn becomes tedious or when they’ve made enough money to pay back their loans. For you, however, it’s not like that. What started off as amateur cam work has now become your whole life. You can’t imagine doing anything else, even if it means going against your family members’ wishes. They could go suck on a rancid cock, for all you cared.

“Yep, sure do. I teach the morning Pilates class on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Funny how I’ve never run into you before, huh?”

He takes a few coins out of his left pocket and inserts them into the vending machine. “Here, get whatever you want.”

“You don’t—”

“My treat.”

You want to argue but Hoseok’s too beguiling for his own good. It doesn’t take much for you to be won over; Hoseok’s smile widens and you’re a goner.

It’s that easy.

You’re not sure if it’s because you’ve seen each other naked before or if the earlier yoga session has successfully weakened your defenses, but you’re not as wary as you usually would be around people you don’t know well. Distrust runs in your veins yet something about Hoseok has you lowering your guard.  

Based on your observations, there’s nothing calculated behind his gestures and mannerisms. The blinding grin, the jokes, the way people easily get pulled into his magnetic field - it’s not a facade or an act or a fluke. It’s just the way he is.

Hoseok leans against the vending machine and watches you press in the numbers for your order. From the corner of your eye, you see him studying your profile with a degree of intensity that makes you self-conscious. You swallow down the urge to fidget.

And it’s - silly. He’s seen you bare and at your most exposed, has kissed and touched the entirety of your body from head to toe, but this quiet moment feels strangely intimate, more so than when he’d slid his cock inside of you for the first time. Perhaps it’s due to the absence of cameras and prying eyes or the knowledge that right now you’re both real people, stripped of your porn star persona exterior.

Your eyes meet.

There’s nothing predatory or hungry about his gaze. The passion and the love he’d expressed so naturally during your filmed scenes are no longer detectable. Right now he’s Jung Hoseok, not a character with a role to play. This is all him - the dark circles, the relaxed smile, the slight slouch in his shoulders.

“About—” He clears his throat. “About the other day. The guy that was with you...”

You know without needing clarification who and what he’s talking about. You run your tongue across your row of teeth, wiping away the cheap coffee’s aftertaste, and nod for him to continue.

“He give you a hard time?” Hoseok’s eyes don’t stray from yours. He looks concerned. Serious. “Afterwards I - I regretted leaving so soon. I didn’t want to - I wasn’t sure. But, regardless, I should have made sure you were okay before leaving you alone with him.”

“Oh.”

Realization sinks in. Your eyes widen and you splutter, flustered. “No, no. It’s nothing like that. Jimin - he’s my boyfriend.”

It’s hard to appreciate the concern when all you feel is shocked that someone could misinterpret your relationship for a perverted staff member preying on an unsuspecting porn actress. Although it’s unfortunately common practice in the industry, it’s so far removed from what you share with Jimin that you’re at a loss for words.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” Hoseok immediately rubs his face in embarrassment. “I thought - sorry. I’m a dumbass. Ignore me.”

“It’s -”  You shake your head. “It’s fine.”

An awkward silence ensues.

You occupy the void by sipping on the bitter vending machine coffee, your eyes glued to your toenails peeking out the top of your sandals. Any other time, you’d fret over the chipping nail polish and rush to schedule an appointment at the nail salon, but your thoughts are so jumbled up that you can barely string a coherent sentence together.

Jimin - he isn’t anything like what Hoseok’s implying. Implied. You know this. But the fact that someone could mistake him as such doesn’t sit right with you. You want to defend him but at the same time you don’t know what to say.

“I just,” he sighs, breaking the silence. “I’ve seen it happen before. I’m sorry I assumed the worst. I guess I’m too paranoid for my own good. I hope I didn’t offend you too much. Or him.”

“No - I’m - I understand.” You give him a small smile to let him know you don’t harbor any ill feelings over the mistake. Hoseok seems so genuinely sorry about the entire situation that it’s impossible to hold it against him.

It’s possible, you think. To misinterpret your relationship with Jimin. The situation back then had been so tense - you remember that better than anyone. Given the context, Hoseok had every right to be mistrustful, especially when no one had bothered to set the record straight.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

“There’s no harm done.” You hesitate before continuing, “I’m that way too, you know. I tend to think the worst of people when I probably shouldn’t. I thought - I was worried about you at first, too. When we met. Not because - it wasn’t anything against you personally. I’m just distrustful. But I’m glad - that it was you and not someone else.”

His posture relaxes. “Thank you. I’m glad that it was you, too. And that I was able to prove you wrong about me. With the shit you hear and see happening on set… I don’t blame you for being on your guard.”

“Yeah. Maybe we’ll - oh. I think someone’s calling you.”

Hoseok follows your line of sight to where a small group of his students are huddled behind the glass panel separating the Pilates classroom from the hallway leading down to the changing rooms. They’re all female and look around your age, maybe younger. The one who had been waving her arms wilts under the attention of her teacher, blush high on her cheeks, while her group of friends dissolve into a fit of giggles.

“Ah. That’s my cue.” Hoseok sighs in apology, the corner of his lips tugged downwards into a pout. “Sorry. Would’ve loved to get coffee and catch up but alas. Duty calls.”

“Next time.”

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll hold you up to that. And it’ll be proper coffee next time! Promise.”

“Okay, deal,” you agree easily. “I’ll buy.”

He looks somewhat offended. “What - no, that’s not what I meant.”

“It’s only fair.” You gesture at the half-empty plastic coffee cup still warm against your palm.

Hoseok opens his mouth to object but a short-haired woman pokes his head out the open door. “Yo, teach! Wasn’t class supposed to start five minutes ago?”

“I’m coming!” Hoseok shouts back, waving his student back inside. “Arrogant brat.”

“Go, go!” You urge, holding yourself from physically pushing him towards the classroom. His group of students look like they’re willing to jump you if you keep hogging his attention.

“We’ll Rock Paper Scissors it!” He says while jogging backwards. “Gotta run but see you around, yeah?”

Your lips pull into an amused smile as you watch him retreat back to his classroom. Through the glass panel, you can see the horde of girls flock around him, each vying for his attention in different ways. You’re especially impressed by how one almost succeeds in drowning Hoseok in her generous cleavage.

The sight of Hoseok dealing with thirsty college girls is so ridiculous you can’t help but giggle. You’re tempted to attend one of his classes just to watch them all trip over each other in an attempt to seduce him. Maybe you could even learn a thing or two.

With that thought in mind, you leave the gym center in high spirits, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to tackle on whatever hurdles the day decides to throw your way. You hum along to a top 40 hit they constantly play on the radio and decide to stop by your favorite restaurant to get take-out before heading home.

As you get into your car, you turn on your phone you’d disregarded all morning and are immediately notified of five missed calls and several unread text messages. More than half are - unsurprisingly - from your agent. You’re tempted to ignore him for an hour or two longer but you know how he gets once his patience runs thin.

“Don’t tell me you were out with Jimmy again,” Seokjin groans once you decide to call him back.

“I was with Hoseok, actually.”

“Hoseok?” Seokjin instantly perks up on the other side of the line. “As in, Jung Hoseok? J-Hope? Your baby daddy? That Hoseok?”

You contemplate ending the call.

Begrudgingly you concur, “Yes. That one.”

“Oooooh. Do tell,” he eggs, the smugness in his tone so thick that you can visualize it.

“It wasn’t - whatever scandalous thought you’re thinking. He works at the gym I go to. What are the chances, right?”

“What are the chances indeed.” Despite the lack of juicy gossip, he sounds pleased. “The news I rang you for earlier involves him.”

“How so?”

“Your video with Hoseok has been the number 1 trending video on Bang Gang’s home page since this morning!” He squeals, enthusiasm making the volume of his voice raise by a notch. “People are eating that romantic insemination stuff for breakfast and lunch. The views on this are insane! We haven’t gotten such a big reaction since the Agust D teacher-student role play and that was ages ago.”

“Wh- Are you serious?!”

Unable to contain the elation that surges through your chest, your face breaks out into a giant grin.

You’re admittedly the first to say that the number of views doesn’t equate to one’s talent or prowess in bed, but you also can’t completely disregard what this particular achievement implies...

While belonging to a reputable agency has its perks, it also entails continuous competition with big names. Your coworkers are also your competitors. Every month the most successful porn stars are rewarded and praised, whilst the ones who rake in the least amount of views are cast aside and are fated to fade into anonymity.

As much as you hate to acknowledge it, you’ve never had the support or interest it takes to contend for 1st place on any popularity polls or rankings of the sort. On Wednesdays, it so happens that the number one trending video spot is usually occupied by a popular femdom porn star who’s been in the game long enough to have secured a loyal fanbase.

Seokjin understands and empathizes with your excitement more than anybody.

“Yes, I’m serious! I think this is It, you know? Your Big Breakthrough, the moment we’ve been waiting for. You’ve been doing well so far but I think we’ll be able to go mainstream with this,” he chatters on, excitement building with every word. “Director Ryu said he’d personally call you up later to congratulate you, so don’t turn off your phone and ignore your calls, okay? I think he wants to ask you to film in his next movie but he didn’t discuss the details with me. Whatever it is - please say yes. I know the guy is a little pompous old fart but he really has an eye for this sort of thing. Casting you and Hoseok in the same film was the work of God. The chemistry between the two of you is unreal, no wonder people are jacking off to this at 10 am while they eat their cereal.”

You think it’s too early to rejoice in the success of your video considering the majority of the viewers are sleeping or busy at work - but when THE SPERMINATOR retains its number one ranking for the remainder of the week, you know your achievement deserves to be properly celebrated.

True to Seokjin’s word, Director Ryu does end up calling you. He wants to work with you and Hoseok again for a new film - and possibly more.

“A multi-film contract? You want to sign one with me?”

“How could I not? You’re both naturals and work well together. More importantly, the camera loves you. And people are on board with the pairing already! I think it’s a good idea to capitalize on their interest, don’t you think?”

It doesn’t take much more to convince you — not that you need any convincing at this point.

You refuse to be a flash-in-the-pan star. Although you admittedly had your reservations at first, the unexpected success of the last film is all Ryu needs to persuade you.

And - you like Hoseok. It goes without saying that there are far worse people to be partnered up with. Besides, it’s easier to work with co-stars you’ve starred in movies with previously for multiple reasons. Your acting is much more likely to come off as natural if you’re already acquainted with the dick that’s about to split you open - at least, that’s what you tell yourself.

When you mention the possibility of working again with Hoseok, your boyfriend doesn’t seem to share your enthusiasm.

“So it’s not a one time thing?” He’s not looking at you directly, his attention fixed instead on the freshly brewed coffee he nurses in his hands.  

“I mean—” You smile tentatively. “Director Ryu hasn’t said for how long he’ll keep hiring us for his projects. Maybe - maybe he’ll keep the format and hire different actors in the future? He - he didn’t really say. I don’t think he has much of an idea himself. He’s very...peculiar.”

You force out a laugh, but your attempt to lighten up the atmosphere falls flat.

“I see.” Jimin brings the coffee cup to his mouth to hide his grimace.

You don’t need to see his dejected expression to know that he isn’t pleased with this development.

“Do you - is there something wrong with Hoseok?” You hesitate, unsure of how he’ll reply.

Jimin’s never insisted you step down from a project before or expressed his dissatisfaction with any of your ‘artistic choices’, although you always imagined that someday, somewhere down the line, he might. Compared to your past dalliances, Jimin is understanding and empathetic. You don’t expect him to be perfect, however, especially when you yourself are far from that. Everyone must have their own personal limits, right? It’s unfair to ask Jimin to be accepting all the time.

It’s just that...the timing is bad.

You want to take his feelings into consideration, but you’re also aware that this might be your last opportunity to get your name out there once and for all. Your previous works have never tanked, so to speak, but they’d mostly gone by unnoticed. While you’ve managed to make ends meet in the past, such anonymity cannot go on for much longer if you want to remain in this line of work.

Your lipstick wears off as you bite your lower lip. Silence hangs heavy in the air.

Jimin sets down his cup of coffee and averts his gaze.

“No. No, there’s nothing wrong with him.”

You breathe out in relief, only now realizing you’d been holding in your breath as you awaited his answer.  

“It’s a bit difficult,” he admits after a pause. “Watching both of you together... Not because it’s bad! You did really good last time. You always do, but - saying ‘I love you’, that kind of stuff, it’s - I don’t know. It’s not your fault, though! I just need some time to adjust. Next time shouldn’t be as strange - since I know what to expect...”

You blink slowly as your brain registers the confession. His words echo in your ears and a strong feeling of déjà-vu washes over you. He’d said something along those lines before, hadn’t he?

Jimin shrugs like it’s no big deal before continuing, “As for Hoseok... He seems like a good person, I guess. I don’t think he’s the problem. Whether it’s him or another guy...” He sighs. “I think I just need to work this out on my own. It’s not like I can ask you to turn down a job offer because of me, right?”

Guilt makes your stomach turn. He’s right. As much as you want to respect his feelings, you can’t bring yourself to turn down the job for his sake. Does that make you selfish? Does he think less of you for it?

“Alright...” When you reach out to take his hand in yours, his skin is surprisingly cold to the touch. “You’ll tell me if it ever bothers you, okay? Filming this - or anything else. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable with what I do...”

You’re not sure what you’ll do if that moment ever comes to pass. Work is your number one priority in life. Many of your relationships haven’t worked out because of that very reason but your past lovers’ dissatisfaction hadn’t been enough to change your mindset. After all, work is what helps put money on the table, not love. You shake your head, as if the action will help you get rid of your stressful thoughts.  

Jimin nods as he interlaces his fingers with yours. On normal days, holding hands together puts your mind at rest. You love the way his hand fits in yours, the different skin tones blending into one.

Right now, his pale hand feels unnaturally cold against your own. It feels like winter itself is embracing you and you repress a shiver.

Maybe as his girlfriend it’s not the right choice to make, but — you can’t falter now. It physically pains you to admit it but Seokjin’s worrying isn’t unfounded. Your career is stagnant, your projects predictable and boring. You’re not bad at your job, but you don’t stand out amidst the sea of pretty girls hoping to make a name for themselves.

There’s no guarantee that Director Ryu’s new project will be as successful as the first. You’re no stranger to false hopes; there’s a chance that Seokjin’s wishful thinking might never amount to anything. Even so, you want to give it a shot. Not trying feels too much like giving up and giving up is not an option you’re willing to consider, not when you’ve already put so much on the line.

You’re not a quitter. Seokjin had warned you from day one that it wouldn’t be easy and you’d taken his lessons and warnings to heart. You’d become an adult entertainer fully aware of the trials and tribulations you’d have to face and had been prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in order to achieve your goals.

But are the risks truly worth it? Looking at Jimin’s dejected expression, you’re not so sure anymore.

.

.

.

They’ve really gone all out this time, you muse as you cast a cursory glance at your surroundings. A small, electric waterfall fountain sits in the far right corner and crimson colored scented candles are dispersed all around the elaborate massage parlor set-up, dousing the room in a cosy, amber glow. It’s a surprising sight because porn sets are famous for never focusing on the details. Viewers are here for the sex, not the generic backdrop of a rented room or hotel suite.

Director Ryu vehemently protests.

“That’s precisely what sets apart my works from your average pornography film. I want the viewer to be completely immersed in the movie they’re watching. Porn is too constricting and underwhelming a word. What I’m creating is a feast for the eyes, one that leaves a lasting impression after consumption.”

“Ah... Yes.” You try (and fail) to sound impressed.  

“People want to believe the sex is real, even if it’s just for an hour.” He sighs deeply, sounding pained, like explicating such a simple fact isn’t worthy of his time. “They need the escape and it’s our job to make it happen. A few extra candles might not make a colossal difference at first glance. But that’s where you’re wrong! It’s never been about the candles. It’s about the ambiance! The visual experience!”

It’s a pity the new budget doesn’t extend to your wardrobe, you remark internally as your gaze drops to observe the stylists’ pick of the day.

For the upcoming scene, you’ve been instructed to squeeze into a tight, baby pink shirt that stretches obscenely over your bust like something straight out of a frat boy’s wet dream. Inwardly, you congratulate yourself for hitting the gym religiously because your clothes—or lack thereof—put everything on display. The cotton material of your shirt is so thin, you’re surprised the stitches haven’t popped out, while the denim bottoms you sport are so tiny that you could hardly qualify them as shorts. Although—you suppose that there isn’t any use debating over semantics. It’s not as if they’ll stay on long enough for it to matter.

The scenario that you’ll be acting out today is pretty straight-forward. You stop by the parlor to cash in a voucher gifted by a generous and thoughtful friend. Hoseok, who plays the role of an erotic masseuse, gives you a deep tissue body massage worthy of a five star review on Yelp.

Director Ryu is extremely proud of the pitch. His spectacles glint as he pushes them up the bridge of his long nose.

“We’re gonna call it My Bare Lady. Haha, get it?” He gloats. “It’ll be different from our last shoot - the both of you aren’t supposed to be acquainted with each other at all. In fact, there won’t be any romance. We’re aiming for something new because as artists, it’s our duty to reinvent ourselves every day. Complacency is the enemy of creativity.”

At the mention of Hoseok, your gaze flits over in his direction.

His brown hair, two shades lighter than the last time you’d run into him, is swept to the side, giving him a professional and tidy appearance. He’s swapped his workout attire for beige scrub pants and a matching shirt. The color compliments the glow of his tan and the cut of the uniform is flattering to his figure. Diretor Ryu’s speech continues despite your wavering focus.

“—visual stimulation. That’s why one shouldn’t underestimate the proper use of props. A believable setting sets the tone for the rest of the scene. If you don’t believe the role you’ve been given, then why should the audience?”

“Mhm,” you nod here and there but you’ve long stopped paying attention to his one-sided speech.

Your eyes linger on Hoseok’s arms and the dimples that appear every time he laughs. You’re not the only one who stares. A small group of admirers flock to him like bees swarming around a rare and exotic flower.

You’d noticed it before but today confirms it; Hoseok’s presence is riveting. It’s not the first time today your gaze has strayed his way. More than once, you find your eyes drawn to him like a moth to a flame only to quickly avert your gaze whenever your eyes meet. Each time, the right side of his mouth quirks into a half-smile, the beginning of a question forming on his lips.

It’s embarrassing to be caught red-handed gawking but, in your defense, you aren’t the only one who ogles him—and many of them are far less discreet than you try to be, some gazes curious, others downright lecherous.

It bothers you. What exactly do you and everyone else find so fascinating about his character? He’s good-looking, sure—but you’re no stranger to handsome and pretty co-stars with nicely shaped dicks. You can’t put a finger on what sets him apart from the rest.

The gaffer comes over and momentarily interrupts the flow of Director Ryu’s monologue with a personal inquiry. Thank God. You use the opportunity to slip away, grateful that someone has put an end to your misery. As thankful as you are to the director for the career opportunity, you could do without his long-winded speeches that never seem to end.  

“Hey, Hoseok.”

His smile widens, the corners dimpling the moment he spots you. “Hey! It’s been a while. Who would’ve thought we’d get to work again so soon, huh?”

“I didn’t think our last movie would do so well, honestly.”

Without its success, who knows what kind of movie you’d be participating in right now? Another re-hashed version of ‘BABYSITTER GETS CREAMED’ type scenario, most probably.

“I guess that’s a testament to your acting skills, right?”

You smile back, sheepish but nevertheless pleased. It always feels nice to be complimented, especially on days like today when you’re feeling less confident than usual.

“You changed up your hair.”

“Yeah! I thought I needed a change.” He threads his fingers through his locks self-consciously. “It looks fine, right?”

“It does!” you agree with an enthusiastic nod.

Jimin, who had insisted to be present on set today, hovers on the edge of your periphery. In the back of your mind you know he means well—that his presence is meant to be a source of support and security. On a typical day, you’re relieved that someone you trust is close by in case the situation escalates. While you’ve never had any horrific experiences, there have been the occasional uncomfortable encounters behind the scenes. Thankfully, Seokjin or Jimin have always stepped in before whichever entitled asshat could get too handsy.

But for the first time, his presence doesn’t comfort you the way it usually does.

Your smile becomes stiff.

The last thing you want is for Jimin to misunderstand the situation... Despite his claims of not having any problems with you shooting again with Hoseok, you can’t forget the stony expression on your boyfriend’s face as he had stared your co-star down, his grip around your waist strong and possessive.

“Are you okay?” Hoseok inquires, noticing your change in attitude. Worry creases his brow. He takes a step forward as if to check up on you.

“I’m okay!” You wave your hands around in the air, if only to maintain the distance separating your figures.

Despite your energetic reassurances, Hoseok looks unconvinced. He tilts his head to the side, his eyes narrowing in concern.

You wrack your head for an acceptable excuse. “Maybe I have pre-performance jitters? It’s nothing serious, though!”

It’s not too far from the truth, either. You feel more nervous than usual... Maybe because you’re aware that today’s shoot will most likely make or break your career. If the results prove to be disappointing, you don’t want to imagine what that means for your future.

You shake your head, refusing to accept any talks of early retirement.

But what other choice will you have, your inner voice argues. If no one is interested in viewing your works, no production company will want to book you for their movies. Even if you’re able to shoot half a dozen films after this failed attempt, the interest and support from viewers and higher-ups will soon dry up.

Hoseok’s features soften.

“Look, I know we don’t know each other that well yet, but if my opinion means anything... I think you’re really amazing.” His deep brown eyes reflect sincerity. “I haven’t had this much fun performing with anyone before and it’s not just ‘cos you’re fucking hot.” He laughs to cover up his embarrassment. “Maybe it’s a bit of a reach to compare the two, but porn is a bit like dancing in a way. There’s a choreography to follow, a certain rhythm and mood you have to get into. But the most important part is the chemistry and trust between you and your partner. And you - when I perform with you, it doesn’t feel like I’m acting at all. Not many people have that ability. For what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty special.”

“T-thanks,” you stutter in reply, taken aback by his candor. “I appreciate that.”

You’re not the only one caught off-guard by Hoseok’s frankness. He rubs the back of his neck and chuckles to fill up the momentary lapse in conversation. A bashful smile inches its way across his face, but surprisingly he doesn’t break eye contact.

You quickly change subjects, unwilling to acknowledge the slight fluttering in your stomach.

“...So, you dance?”

It’s not the smoothest transition, but Hoseok’s face instantly lights up.

“Yes! I mean,” he pauses and clears his throat. “Not professionally. I minored in dance. But it’s something I definitely enjoy, you know, to blow off some steam. Ah, wait a sec—”

He takes out his phone to show you short video clips of his dancing. He pulls up his instagram account and scrolls through an eclectic mix of mirror selfies showcasing his bold fashion choices, dog pics, and videos of him working out and dancing.

“Here’s a recent one.”

You don’t know much about dance but in spite of your little knowledge in the subject, your eyes stay transfixed on the screen in front of you. “Whoa...”

The way he moves is enthralling, for lack of a better word. You know from experience that his body is flexible and agile, lithe and strong, but seeing it in action like this leaves you speechless, momentarily robbed of coherency. You can’t even describe it. His execution of the choreography is sharp and powerful, yet his body doesn’t look rigid. On the contrary, his movements are surprisingly fluid and he never misses a single beat. You watch in astonishment as he pushes himself off of his knees after bending backwards in one fell swoop.

“Eh? Is it even possible to move your body that way?” Surely if you try to mimic him, you’ll look like a flailing chicken. “That can’t be safe...”

Hoseok laughs at your shocked expression. “It takes a lot of practice. You should come to a workshop one day! My friend teaches beginners. He’d be glad if you could join. The more the merrier, right? You don’t need to know any of the basics... And if you’re worried about people poking fun—don’t. Dancing isn’t a competition or anything.”

“I dunno.” You hand him back his phone after watching the video loop back for a second time. “I think my back would crack if I attempted any of that.”

“I think you would do really well! You’re pretty flexible and I don’t think you need to worry about stamina. Your core muscles are also really well developed. Based on what I’ve seen, you have a good sense of balance and beat awareness, so even if you’ve never danced before, you have the body and disposition for it.”

“Well... I guess I—”

“Hey.” Jimin interrupts, plump lips curved into a polite smile. You try not to let your surprise show; you hadn’t even noticed him approaching. He kisses your cheek and slides his hand into yours, clasping it between his own. “Sorry to interrupt, doll. Seokjin wanted to have a word with you before the shoot.”

“Oh.” You blink, your eyes darting back and forth between Jimin and Hoseok. “Um...if you don’t mind?”

“That’s straight,” Hoseok steps back, shoving his hands down his pockets. He shoots you a tentative smile. “I’ll catch you later.”

You feel bad for ditching him mid-conversation after he’d been so nice, but you know how annoying your agent can get when ignored for too long.

Jimin’s fingers tighten around yours. When you look up, he’s pouting, his lips pursed and brows drawn together.

“Is something on your mind?”

You can see the hesitation flicker across his face. When he finally meets your gaze, his expression is troubled.

“It’s nothing...” He looks away again and the grip he has on your hand loosens.

“Hm.” You swallow down any further inquiries, worried you’ll upset him.

“What was that about, anyway?” he asks casually, trying his best to look uninterested. “You and Hoseok look like you’re getting along well.”

“Yeah.” The memory of your previous conversation makes you smile softly despite yourself. “He’s a nice guy.”

“I can imagine.” Jimin mutters under his breath. Before you have time to question him again, he straightens his spine, his features twisting into an apologetic expression. “Look, I gotta help setting up the cameras. I’ll see you after the shoot.”

“Ah... Alright.” You fight to keep the disappointment of your face. Since you only have a few minutes before filming begins, you’d been hoping to spend it with him.

As if reading your mind, Jimin leans in and kisses you, his plush lips soft and familiar against your own. You expect him to pull away after a few seconds but his left hand slots itself behind your neck, bringing you in closer to deepen the kiss. His other hand angles your head to the side, giving him more access, and he doesn’t waste any time before brushing his tongue against the roof of your mouth.

You respond to the kiss as if on auto-pilot, but your thoughts are all jumbled in your head. Jimin’s always been a good kisser but he’s rarely kissed you quite like this. His style is more of a slow-burn, the kind that slowly creeps up on you and leaves your whole body numb with pleasure. Every press of his lips feels like a silent prayer of worship and each swipe of his tongue tastes like adoration. You like that he takes his time, like you’re not just a quick meal to curb his hunger but a delicacy worthy of being savored.

Right now, this kiss feels unfamiliar. Urgency replaces devotion. Perhaps it’s because he’s short on time, but his touch is hurried and sloppy. He bites your lower lip, hard enough for it to hurt, and licks into your mouth when you mewl out a gasp of surprise.

“I wish I could just mark you up,” he pants against your parted lips. They feel tender when you smack them closed.

“The makeup artist is going to strangle you for messing up my lipstick.” You fake a scowl. You’re not half-wrong, though. Once she sees how swollen they’ve become she’s bound to take out her frustration on the closest available victim. “If you marked me for real, she’d probably kill you. Don’t tempt her.”

He chuckles and pulls back, letting his hands fall to his side. His eyes dart to somewhere behind your shoulder, his smile curving into a smirk.

“You’re right.” He sighs, looking back at you. “But that’s easier said than done. You’re hard to resist... Anyone would agree.”

Something dark clouds his eyes but whatever it is, it’s gone in the next blink.

You laugh, pleased nonetheless by his flattery. “Didn’t you say you had to help set up? You’re going to end up in trouble because of me…”

Jimin snorts but backs up all the same. “Don’t worry about me. Besides, you’re worth getting in trouble for.”

Someone behind you gags dramatically. “Absolutely sickening.”

When you whirl around, your agent shoots you a disgusted glare. “I was wondering what was taking you so long but I should’ve known you two were out here fabricating babies. Have you no shame?”

“I’ll see you after the shoot!” Jimin says quickly, eager to get away from Seokjin and his sharp tongue.

“See you.” You smile sweetly, ignoring Seokjin’s grumbling. You feel a pang of jealousy as you watch him scurry out of sight. If only you could avoid Seokjin’s pre-performance motivational speeches...

“Anyways.” Seokjin looks noticeably less irritated once Jimin is gone. “I wanted to check up on you before filming could begin. How’s your ass doing?”

You don’t bother hiding your grimace. “Squeaky clean and stretched.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He sounds proud. “Don’t make that face. It’s your first anal scene after all. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared, right?”

By ‘be prepared’ he means following a strict diet prior to shooting, waking up at the ass crack of dawn to get a colonic, stretching out your asshole for a good thirty minutes using a fuck ton of lube, and constantly rehydrating yourself throughout the day to the point where you’d gone to the bathroom more times than you could count on one hand.

You’re never this thorough with prep before having anal but apparently that’s the difference between fucking in the privacy of your own home and on camera.

“There’s a reason why cleanliness is one of the fundamentals of anal sex, especially when shooting porn. It’s a pain...in the ass...but this way, no one sees something they’d rather not see,” had explained Seokjin after giving you a non-exhaustive list of detailed steps to follow. You suppose there’s logic behind his reasoning. Due to the magic of 4k-quality videos, viewers can now easily see everything, down to the sweat droplets dotting your hairline and any makeup-covered skin imperfections, so you don’t want to imagine what they’ll notice once the camera zooms in on your back entrance.

“Eventually you’ll get used to squeezing water out your bum on the regular.” He shrugs. “You’ll also start to avoid certain foods on your own. The dietary restrictions aren’t that bad, all things considered, and your body will thank you for eating more spinach than you’re used to. Greens are good for your health even if they taste like yuck.”

Athough his suggestions are well-intended, you don’t need another 25 minute speech on all the know-hows of filming anal sex. The first time had been more than enough.

“Thanks for the advice!” you interject right as he opens his mouth to continue his counseling. “That reminds me I need to get this butt plug out of my ass before we start shooting.”

Seokjin sighs. “That would be preferable, yes.”

He doesn’t need to know that you’ve taken out the butt plug in the bathroom half an hour ago. Any excuse will do, as long as you’re spared from listening to his passionate discourse on the benefits of high-fibre food diets and his long list of enema tutorial video recommendations.

The fussing, you think, is unnecessary. You’re not worried about the upcoming sex scene, even if it will be the first time someone other than your partner sees you in that position. No, what troubles you is the possibility of the audience growing tired of seeing you onscreen now that they’ve witnessed you take it up the ass. Boredom is the reason why so many of your peers are forced to end their careers prematurely, after all. Why else is Seokjin so adamant about you pacing yourself and not filming everything there is to film right off the bat? You’ve always held off shooting anal, double penetration and the likes, for that very reason. Although you have no qualms with the act itself, you’re worried that you’re now one step closer to retirement.

The thoughts sit on your shoulders like a heavy weight as you get ready for the scene to come. You listen to Director Ryu’s instructions as he describes the scenario’s key points, your character’s motives, and what sex positions you should include before the scene comes to an end.

“The rest is up to you,” he says with an encouraging nod. “I want the words to come from the heart! Let yourself be a vessel, a way for your character to express their innermost desires.”

“Leave it up to us.” Hoseok’s smile radiates confidence.

“I like your enthusiasm!” Director Ryu approves, clapping his hands together. He misses the way his two leading actors exchange exasperated glances over his shoulder. “Good, then we’re all set? Remember where the cameras are positioned, please, or else we’ll have to reshoot to get the right angles.”

“Got it.” You nod, eager to get this show on the road. Between him and Seokjin, your ears are about to fall off from the incessant chattering. Even the camera men are starting to grow restless.

Speaking of... You meet Jimin’s gaze, the sides of your mouth upturning the moment you spot him. As usual, he looks slightly out of place standing between the other crew members, his white, ironed dress shirt neatly tucked into his black pants providing a stark contrast with his co-workers’ unkempt appearance.  

Jimin mirrors your smile and your shoulders immediately relax. A lot of people may not understand why you’d allow your boyfriend on set while you’re fucking someone else, but his presence brings you a strange sense of comfort that’s hard to put into words.

The sound of your name being called pulls you from your line of thought.

“Can you scoot over to the right? Just a little.” Director Ryu orders while glancing at the monitor. “Yes, that’s much better. And can we fix the lighting, please? My shadow’s getting picked up by the camera.”

Now that the start of the shoot is right around the corner, your stomach cramps up with a nervous kind of anticipation. Your tongue feels like cotton in your mouth and even when you swallow, the unpleasant feeling doesn’t go away.

You clasp your hands together in your lap to hide the minute trembling of your fingers. It’s strange, you think. Ever since you started working with Hoseok, you always get too wrapped in your thoughts. Not necessarily in a bad way, at least not all the time, but --

“You all good?” Hoseok asks, low enough that the mics won’t be able to pick up his questioning. “Do you need some water?”

You shake your head. “I’m good, thanks.”

He hesitates but doesn’t push. “I just wanna run this with you one last time. I know we already signed the consent forms but I’d feel better talking with you about the scene directly.”

“Oh.” You remember he’d done something similar last time, too. “Sure.”

“Anal aside, are you okay with the use of degrading names during the scene?” His eyes never leave yours, like he wants you to know how serious he is.

“I’m okay with you calling me a whore.” Your shoulders loosen up. It’s easy to relax when you’re on familiar territory. Working in this industry requires complete transparency. There’s no shame in discussing your kinks just like there’s no shame in admitting the acts you’re not comfortable performing. “As long as I can call you a slut.”

“That’s fine.” His lips quirk up, but not in a mocking or dismissing way. “I don’t really have any hard limits myself, except for what you’ve already seen on paper. Degradation is fine with me. Call my dick tiny all you want, I won’t take it to heart.”

You laugh, forgetting to keep the volume down. “I’ll keep that in mind…”

“So degradation is fine. Is humiliation okay as well? Situational and verbal?”

“I like that.” You bite your lower lip as you remember your encounter with Min Yoongi a month or so ago, how turned on you’d been from his words alone. “I’ll admit I haven’t dabbled too much in BDSM on the porn scene, but I enjoyed what I’ve done so far.”

“That’s good to know.” He raises his brow. “Ever since we received the pitch for today’s movie I’ve been trying to think of ways to make it, uh, more interesting. So to speak. But I didn’t want to take any initiatives if they made you uncomfortable. Oh, also I meant to ask if there was anything you wanted to include in the scene aside from anal sex.”

Somehow you’re not surprised he’s put thought into this. Last time you’d worked with him, he’d been overflowing with suggestions as well. Maybe because the previous filming formats aren’t as flexible, but it’s not often you meet someone so willing to exchange ideas before filming.

The change is more than welcome. For the first time, it feels like your opinion actually matters. The two of you quietly go back and forth discussing different possibilities while the filming crew finish setting up the set the way Director Ryu wants it.

“Alright,” Ryu calls, settling into the director’s chair. Somewhere in the background, the gaffer wipes off his brow. “Everyone ready to rooooollll?”

Hoseok takes a few steps back and reaches for a nearby clipboard.

Miraculously, you note distantly, the swarming of butterflies in your stomach is now gone. Your palms are no longer clammy and cold with perspiration. When you swallow, there’s no lump of nerves stuck in your throat.

Hoseok sends an encouraging smile your way right before Director Ryu yells “ACTION!” and he schools his features into a more polite, appropriate expression.

He doesn’t speak up right away, just walks over to where you’re sitting on the massage table in a leisurely manner. You open your mouth to fill the silence but he beats you to it.

“Welcome to Happy Ending Clinic, where we ensure every client leaves feeling 100% satisfied. We guarantee high quality services personally adapted to suit the needs of our every client,” Hoseok says in lieu of greeting, the lilt in his voice smooth and practiced, like he’s used to repeating this introduction multiple times throughout the day. “My name is J-Hope and today you will be in my care.”

“Nice to meet you.” You’re careful to keep your back ramrod straight, hoping the stiffness in your body will be picked up by the cameras.

The role you’re playing today is more reserved and awkward than the usual unabashed and bold characters you’re used to acting. And while it’s not your first time pretending to be coy and shy for the cameras, such behavior isn’t second nature.

His smile, whilst professional, radiates warmth. You suppose it’s meant to be reassuring.

“I will do my best to make this session unforgettable.”  

His gaze sweeps over the clipboard sitting in his hands.

“Hmmm... ______, is it?” When you nod in affirmation, he continues. “It says here it’s your first time visiting our establishment.”

You’re surprised at how naturally he adapts to the role he’s been assigned to. The words that roll off his tongue sound like his own.

“Yes... Honestly, I - I didn’t think it was necessary, but my friend insisted - I mean, she recommended I visit this place...said it would do me some good.”

You wring your hands in your lap. You’re lucky the character you’re playing today is supposed to be a little shy and rigid. Otherwise, you’re not sure Director Ryu would have let your awkward stuttering slide.

“That’s not a problem.” The lines of Hoseok’s mouth bend into a reassuring smile. “Let’s see... It says you’ve booked an hour-long session?”

“Yep.”

“Then with your permission, I’d like to take fifteen supplementary minutes to find out which massage course is best suited for a novice like you. It’ll be free of charge, of course.”

You nod, eager to get the show on the road. Given your character’s disposition, maybe you should have pretended to mull over the proposal for a few seconds more - if only for appearance’s sake - but you’re tired of all this talking. Impatience gets the best of you.

“Oh! Yes, that sounds fine.”

He pulls out several colorful mock pamphlets and hands them over for you to peruse their contents. You try not to let your astonishment show.

It’s the first time you’ve seen a prop team this devoted to their task. Although the insides of the brochures remain blank, you still can’t believe someone actually took the time to print out fake brochure covers. You appreciate the effort, even if the covers do look like they’ve been made by someone who’s looking to major in ‘graphic design is my passion.’

You hold one up at random and pretend to read through it, hoping that whoever will watch the movie later will ignore the ugly block font that spells out ‘NAUGHTY MASSAGE : FOUR HANDS EDITION.’

“Inside, you’ll find a detailed explanation on the various vegan, cruelty-free products we use. All of our treatments are oil-based and you can choose the scent of your choice. If your skin is particularly sensitive, we have essential oil-infused body butters that work just as effectively and leave the skin silky smooth to the touch. Depending on your skin type, you might be interested in testing—” He takes out several jars all while explaining the different health benefits of ylang ylang essential oil.

Once again, you’re caught off guard by his convincing performance. Even though you’ve been given several pointers by the director before filming, Hoseok is the one who ultimately calls the shots. Inwardly, you wonder how he manages to come up with such original lines on the spot. Despite not being a professional actor, Hoseok’s intuitive choices are beyond your expectations.  

The thoroughness of his explanation makes your head spin. Cruelty-free products? Body butter? You have no way of knowing whether his statements are fabricated for the sake of the vague storyline - but you suppose the credibility of his words doesn’t really matter in the end. It’s the small details he sprinkles here and there that help you immerse in the scene.  

His proficiency in acting makes all of your worries melt away. It’s hard to believe he’s only a rookie, just starting off his career, and not an acting veteran with dozens of movies under his belt.

Not wanting to be entirely overshadowed by your co-star, you furrow your eyebrows, determination set into your features.

“I’m sorry... I’ve never done this before. They all look the same to me.”

“Ah.” Still, Hoseok’s smile stays amiable and professional. “Well, let’s go about it this way - why do you think your friend insisted you visit our establishment?”

You catch your bottom lip between your teeth, your gaze dropping to the floor in order to avert his probing stare. “I - um. I haven’t had - I mean, I guess I’ve been stressed lately. More pent up than usual. I’ve tried exercising and meditating and mas- uh...well everything, honestly. But nothing seems to work. I’m snappy all the time and...frustrated.”

Today, the character you’re playing is a bit more bashful, too timid to voice her desires into spoken words. “It’s all about the tension! The build-up!” Director’s Ryu’s voice echoes in your mind as a reminder.

“I see,” Hoseok nods, taking your comments into consideration. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the quality of your sleep?”

“A five...” you say after a moment’s hesitation. “I don’t wake up during the night, but it takes me a long time to fall asleep.”

“Do you feel any pain anywhere?”

“Pain? No, not really.” You roll your shoulders back, conscious of the way your perky chest juts out, nipples prominent through the cheap fabric. “My neck does feel sore from time to time but I think it’s because I work an office job. They say staying hunched over in front of a computer all day is bad for your health.”

His gaze roams your figure, quietly assessing. “It is.”

“May I?” he asks, taking a tentative step closer. “I think I’ll need to gauge your level of sensitivity for myself. We’ll adjust the intensity of the massage depending on how much pressure you can withstand and how your body reacts to different types of stimuli.”

Your brows lift. “Oh. Sure, why not.”

“Move back a little. A bit more.” You obey his instructions without second thoughts. “That’s perfect, thank you.”

Your legs dangle awkwardly over the edge of the massage table. You can probably close them if you wanted to, but you don’t miss an opportunity to expose yourself in front of the cameras. The shorts you’re wearing are more like tiny scraps of denim put together with the help of a few stitches. You’re certain that if someone were to really look, they’d see the outline of your pussy lips.

Hoseok walks around the table to stand behind you. The sensation is somewhat familiar—right away, you’re reminded of the first encounter with Hoseok, the one where he’d wrapped his arms around you and whispered words of love into your ear. You close your eyes and let the images flash by in quick succession. The memories all come rushing in at once—an artist’s lips painting your skin like a brush would canvas, a potter’s agile fingers molding your body from clay, a lyricist’s tongue composing sonnets into your weeping, open cunt. Your body remembers it all.

When he finally touches you, his hands radiate warmth the shadow of his memory does not.

A shudder runs down your spine.

Oblivious to your inner thoughts, Hoseok carefully gathers your hair into a ponytail and moves it out of the way. His mobility no longer restricted, he lets his slender digits travel down the slope of your neck, the pads of his fingers digging into the meat of your shoulders.

“You’re unusually tense here.” Concern colors his voice as he increases the pressure.

Suddenly the discomfort you’re to convey to the audience is no longer feigned. “Ow!”

The wince that mars your face is authentic. You try to wiggle out of his grasp to relieve the sharp ache in your shoulders. Hoseok’s grip is strong, however, and he keeps you exactly where he thinks you ought to be.

“Hmm...”

He massages your arms one by one. The circular movements he traces across your skin are a lot more gentle this time around, and you allow yourself to slowly relax under his touch. He manipulates your body like one would a rag doll, pulling your arm over your head.

“Can you reach behind, towards your neck? How about a little lower? You should feel a stretch here.” He taps at an arm muscle.

“Yeah… I can definitely feel it.”

You suspect that Hoseok’s stunt as a Pilates instructor is what’s helping him sound so experienced and natural.

“Good.” He lets out a pleased hum. “Hold the position for as long as you can.”

His hands reach around your body to squeeze your perky breasts. You gasp at the rather rough way he handles your tits. Perhaps it’s because you’ve been told to forgo a bra, but you’re much more conscious of his every action - from the way his fingers splay out, cupping the fullness of your breasts between them, to the way he kneads your mounds with his entire palm as he gropes you from behind.

“How often do you masturbate?” he asks in an almost offhand manner, his tone is more clinical than casual. The question is crude and direct enough to distract you from the way his fingers encircle your nipples through the cotton fabric of your shirt.

You recall Ryu’s earlier directions: unlike your first movie together, this tryst is not romantic in nature. The scenario that you’re acting out this time doesn’t involve sweet kisses and whispered declarations of love. Feelings aren’t on the table.

You pretend like the bitter taste you swallow down isn’t disappointment.

“Um.” You struggle to remember the initial question. Luckily, your mental buffering comes off as bashful and true to the character you’re playing. “I, uh, I guess masturbate often?”

“But it isn’t enough, is it?”

His question comes off as slightly patronizing. Before you can formulate a suitable answer, Hoseok’s fingers tweak your hardened nipples and your back bows under the pressure. You oscillate between the desire to thrust your chest out in offering, and the pressing need to flee the sharp sensations his skilled hands provoke.

“I - um!” You squirm helplessly as he continues playing with your breasts. “It isn’t!”

“Just as I thought.” He pinches both of your nipples and pulls at them until you cry out in half-pain, half-pleasure. The thin material of your shirt doesn’t dull the ache; if anything, the cotton scratches your skin, rubbing the nubs raw.

Despite your very visible discomfort, Hoseok doesn’t let go. You can only sit there obediently while he has his fun, knowing that if you wiggle too much it’ll only worsen the pain.

“Ah!”

Only then does he release them. You fight against the urge to cover your sore nipples. Your flimsy shirt hadn’t provided any protection against his rough onslaught, none at all.

“You’re quite sensitive,” he observes, giving your breasts one last squeeze.

Finished with his appraisal, he steps away and picks his clipboard up. He makes his way around the massage table, coming back into view, and scribbles something onto the paper with a ballpoint pen. He looks so absorbed in his work that you almost fall for the act.  

You worry your bottom lip, crossing your arms over your chest self-consciously. Without a bra, your hardened nipples are clearly visible through the thin shirt. They jut out in a distracting way; Hoseok’s eyes drop down for a split-second in appreciation before flickering back to the clipboard in his hands.

“Your body is wound up. It’s tense in places it shouldn’t be.”

“Is that...a bad thing?”

“No. Your case is not abnormal.” He shakes his head and offers you a reassuring smile. “Although... Hm. When was the last time you achieved an an orgasm?”

You look away, mumbling your answer in an embarrassed voice. “Last night.”

More scribbling. He taps the end of the pen against his chin, pretending to be lost in thought.

His eyes glint when he asks, “How many times did you cum?”

It’s not real - none of this is - and yet you can feel warmth spreading from your cheeks down to your chest. It’s a strange sensation, stuck somewhere between humiliation and arousal, and it makes your entire body heat up from the inside out.

“Just - Just once…”

“Look at me.”

Your eyes snap towards his on command. He looks relaxed, unbothered, like he’s discussing the weather forecast and not your masturbation habits. You want to look away but something in his stare pins you in place.

“You’re telling me the truth, right?”

“Yes! I’m not - I wouldn’t lie.”

“Good.” He smiles pleasantly, nodding to himself. “So. You came once. Did you use your fingers? Or, perhaps, a toy?”

He’s still staring at you, forcing you to look him straight in the eyes while you confess your sins. Your thighs clench together and you struggle to focus on the conversation at hand.

“F-fingers.” Your breathing becomes ragged as you imagine Hoseok’s fingers replacing your imaginary ones. They’d fill you up nicely, too. Compared to your own, they’re longer, capable of reaching places yours can’t. All you’d have to do is hook your arms under your knees and keep your legs spread wide open. He doesn’t even need to take your clothes off; he could pull the seam of your shorts and underwear to the side and fuck you just like that. “I only used my fingers.”

He raises an eyebrow like he doesn’t quite believe you. Somehow, that makes the fire between your legs burn hotter. It’s like - he knows you’re too cockhungry to settle for just fingers. And if a mere stranger can tell how desperate you are to get fucked, what about the rest?

“Interesting.” Hoseok’s eyes darken by the minute. “And do you prefer clitoral stimulation to penetration?”

“I-” You pause and struggle to formulate your response. Your ears feel hot. In fact - your entire face feels like it’s on fire.

The embarrassment you feel doesn’t make sense - you’ve never had any qualms discussing sex. You can talk candidly about any topic for hours on end, from the condom brands you prefer to advice on how to maintain a rash-free pussy, to the point where some people might think you’re over-sharing or being too crass. Discussing intimate topics shouldn’t be a problem.

It’s not even a real dialogue anyway, so why do you -

“Yes?” Hoseok leans forward, interrupting your train of thought. The corner of his mouth is upturned, like he can’t help but be amused by your discomfiture.

“I like, um.” You close your eyes, hoping that it’ll somehow make the admission easier. It doesn’t. The darkness makes you feel even more exposed, like all your secrets are laid bare for him to see. Your voice quivers when you answer. “I - I touch - I mean, sometimes I’ll - my fingers aren’t long enough. So just rubbing the outside is - fine.”

“Ah. You like being stuffed full, I take it?” Hoseok’s vulgar vocabulary makes your eyes snap open in shock. He smirks, not expecting you to answer. “Poor girl.”

You shake your head, your reply dying in your throat. With every word he utters, your thoughts become fuzzy, muddled.

“What did you imagine last night while you were getting off? A stranger fucking your face? Big men taking turns using your cunt? Tell me. In detail, preferably.”

“I don’t see how-” The sharp look in his eyes makes you swallow down any protest. Still. You can’t get your mouth to work correctly and you look back at him helplessly.

“Is there a reason why you can’t tell me?” He tilts his head to the side, the smirk on his face growing, canines flashing. “Oh. I see.”

You flinch, your face impossibly hot.

“Were you thinking of today’s session?” He chuckles, delighted. “That’s quite naughty of you. Although, I can’t blame you, can I? We are known to deliver the best orgasma. It’s only natural to imagine what would happen.”

That’s right, you think. You’d spent all night fantasizing about a faceless, nameless stranger’s hands all over your naked body. How long had it been since you’d felt someone’s touch? Their tongue buried deep in your cunt, fucking you until your thighs trembled? Even your best dildo couldn’t hold a candle to a hot-blooded, throbbing cock.

Hoseok taps the pen against the clipboard, the staccato sound filling the silence.

“One last question.” He makes sure he has your undivided attention before continuing. “No need to look so worried. I won’t ask you what lewd thoughts you get off to, although maybe in future sessions I’ll expect that of you.”

You don’t linger on the implication there - that you’ll undoubtedly come back for seconds - and nod your assent for him to go on.

“Did you cum hard while thinking of getting fucked by me today?”

You inhale sharply, struggling to hold his stare. “I… The sheets were so wet afterwards, I had to change them.”

“I see.” He jots something down on his clipboard but his reaction doesn’t give anything away. Nervously, you pull on a loose string hanging from the hem of your short. “Hm…”

After a few seconds of silence he speaks up again, done with his assessment.

“Well, normally for first timers such as yourself we’d recommend starting with a more soothing body massage. But I think in your case a more thorough massage is needed. It’s not a cause for concern!” He adds quickly, as if to assuage any growing fears. “But in my professional opinion, I think the massage I have in mind for you might be more beneficial than the beginner level massage.”

“Um, what does this massage entail exactly?”

“We call it the full treatment. In other words - it’s a deep tissue penetration massage,” Hoseok explains calmly. “It includes an internal massage. We’ll use a variety of methods but rest assured - all techniques are tried and tested! You’ll be in safe hands.”

You pretend to mull it over.

Hoseok waits for your nod of confirmation before instructing, “There are towels at your disposal.” He motions to the pile of fluffy white towels folded neatly on the bench. “Feel free to use them. While you change into a...less restricting outfit, I’ll go retrieve the rest of the massage equipment. See you in a bit!”

And with that he’s gone. The privacy he grants you is, of course, just an illusion. Even without looking in their direction, you know that the cameras’ lenses are all focused on you, waiting to capture the impending striptease. You’d forgotten about them but Hoseok’s absence reminds you of their presence.

Per Director Ryu’s earlier instructions, you make a show of taking off your clothes. Teasing the camera comes naturally to you thanks to your prior experience as a cam girl; you know exactly which angles are the most flattering and which ones, on the other hand, emphasize your flaws.

Your back arches as you peel off your shirt, drawing attention to the swell of your breasts and the curve of your waist. Not long after do you shimmy out of your shorts, exaggerating the swing of your hips for the audience’s viewing pleasure. You try not to show your surprise when the dampness of your crotch sticks to your folds as you pull them down your legs - you hadn’t expected how much a simple tit massage and few exchanged words would rile you up.

The denim pools around your ankles and when you bend over to retrieve the useless item of clothing, you’re acutely aware of how your wet, waxed pussy peeks out from between your thighs. You stay in position, giving the camera ample time to zoom in, and while the stretch isn’t painful (thanks to your yoga lessons!), it is a rather awkward position to maintain.

Once you straighten up, you take a few seconds to fold up the shirt and itty bitty shorts before setting them aside. Normally, you’d leave your discarded clothing strewn about but you can’t imagine your character behaving in such an uncouth way.

With that thought in mind, you wrap yourself with a short towel. Rather than covering your intimate bits, it’s so short that it emphasizes your nakedness. When you go to sit on the massage table, the towel rides up, leaving you exposed and you have to fold your hands in your lap to preserve a semblance of modesty.

It’s easy to convey nervousness while you wait for Hoseok’s return. While you’ve never attended any drama school, you have watched plenty enough Netflix dramas to know which physical cues are more or less effective - constant fidgeting, shifty eyes, audible gulping. Since it’s your first time putting your knowledge into practice, you’re not certain how convincing your acting is, but hey, isn’t it the effort that counts? You’re not here to audition for the starring role in Hollywood’s next summer blockbuster, after all.

Hoseok knocks twice before entering, stopping your self-depreciation in its tracks. He’s abandoned the earlier clipboard for a large, nondescript, white cardboard box that rattles with every step he takes. It sounds more ominous than it actually is.

If Director Ryu is truly aiming for realism, he wouldn’t make Hoseok carry back the items in a fucking box, you think privately. Who even does that? Although you suppose realism isn’t the be-all end-all, no matter how much the director insists. Sometimes viewers like to be metaphorically edged and endlessly teased, and all this guessing only adds to the build-up, making the climax more than worth it. They could, of course, fast-forward to get to the juicy sex scenes, the crux of the matter, but you’d like to believe all this extra effort is worth it.

You blink curiously back at Hoseok, feigning ignorance.

“Oh good.” He beams in your direction, his eyes drinking in your scantily-clad figure. “Now that you’re more comfortable, please lie down for me.”

He sets the box to the side, opens the lid, and takes out a bottle of oil while you settle down on your stomach and carefully rearrange your towel so that it covers your bum.

“I’ve chosen bergamot essential oil for today’s massage. It’s a nice, citrus-like scent that’s not too overwhelming because it’s been mixed in with sweet almond oil. Its many virtues include, but are not limited to, increasing the body’s energy flow and enhancing feelings of joy and freshness.”

“That sounds lovely.” You sigh dreamily. Getting massaged and getting dicked down in one go? Hell yeah. That one is a no-brainer for sure.

There’s a shadow of a smirk on Hoseok’s face when he rounds on you, like he’s somehow privy to your thoughts. That, or your eagerness is too transparent. You’re betting on the latter.

His voice lowers an octave, the low timber making shivers run down your back.

“Shall we begin?”

He moves your hair to the side, leaving your neck and back exposed. He then pulls down your towel so that it uncovers the expanse of your back and covers more of your bottom half instead.

“Is this alright?” he inquires. As if testing the waters, his fingers trace down the line of your spine, stopping right before your lower back dips into a curve.

You moan your assent. “More than.”

Hoseok takes the bottle of oil and drizzles its contents over your skin like a painter splattering ink onto a blank canvas. He spreads the lubricant all over your back, rubbing your skin in circular motions until you’re coated with it. You let out a few pleased sounds here and there that are not entirely faked or exaggerated. He definitely knows what he’s doing with his hands.

Honestly, you feel sorry towards your co-star who’s stuck doing most of the work while you’re splayed out like a starfish. It feels a bit unfair that you’re getting paid more than him when he’s the one putting in most of the effort. Had you any shame, you’d give him half of your pay for his services. Alas.

“Tell me if it hurts anywhere,” he warns, not unkindly.

Your back stiffens. You expect Hoseok to replicate the rough treatment he’d inflicted to your breasts, but contrary to your expectations, he kneads your body gently, almost tenderly. The contrast between this touch and his earlier ministrations messes with your head. When his hands outline your flank, his fingers prodding the sides of your breasts, you swallow a hopeful sigh as you wait for him to envelop your soft mounds and roll your sensitive nipples between his skilled fingers.

Betrayal brews in your gut when he fails to indulge your fantasies. You’re tempted to grab his wrist and guide his hand to where you need it the most but you miraculously hold yourself back. Since the scene doesn’t call for that much impatience and desperation on your part, you’d hate to be the reason why Director Ryu asks for a re-take.

Thankfully, he soon puts you out of your misery. Hoseok retreats, done teasing the sides of your breasts for the time being. You’re not sure it’s relief or disappointment that swims in your lower belly, but Hoseok doesn’t give you time to dwell on the question. Almost as soon as he retracts his hands from your back, he redirects his attention to your legs. His hands, warm and slick from the oil, glide over the back of your calves and thighs with ease. His thumbs rub circular shapes into your flesh as he slowly works his way up, the pleasant sensations leaving your whole body boneless.

“You loosen up well.”

Hoseok’s fingers skirt the hem of the towel. Your breath gets caught in your throat as he toys with the fabric.

“Will you open up for me, pretty? You look tense right here.” He flips the towel up, revealing your bare lower half. He wastes no time before gripping the meat of your ass cheeks, fingers digging into the supple flesh. He spreads your cheeks apart, cool air blowing against your exposed holes, and lets them jiggle back into place after giving the camera ample time to capture the view. “Hm. Looks like you haven’t been properly stretched out in a long time... We’ll fix that today.”

Bolts of pleasure run through your body. The whole situation is ludicrous and yet, for whatever reason you cannot pinpoint, moisture gathers between your thighs with every passing second, adding to the mess dripping from your folds.

“Um, like this?” You part your legs open slightly, as if unsure. In situations like these, the biggest challenge is to act diffident and coy when all you want is for your co-star to blow your back out.

He tsks, the sound sharp and reproving. It goes straight to your core and makes your belly clench with unspeakable need.

“How am I supposed to fuck your holes open in that position?” He has the audacity to sound impatient. “Work with me here.”

He grabs your ankles and separates them himself, ignoring your yelp of surprise. Unaccustomed to the stretch, the muscles in your thighs strain with the effort to hold the position.

A whine slips out your mouth. He’s so mean.

While you expect Hoseok to act somewhat distant and objective because of the role he’s playing, his fluctuating behavior gives you nothing but whiplash. One moment he’s cordial and friendly, the epitome of what a  professional should be, the next he’s treating you like you’re his plaything, not his client.

His grip around your ankles is firm and unyielding. He’s got you spread impossibly wide, your legs dangling dangerously off the edge of the table with your waxed holes exposed for inspection.

“That’s good, just like that.” His hands let go of your ankles when he’s sure you won’t move from the position he’s steered you into. He strokes up your legs, the touch feather-light and fleeting. “Keep your legs spread wide. I want to see your cute little holes on display.”

His crude remarks make your body flush with heat.

Even if this is the sort of place that offers sexual gratification, Hoseok’s wording toes several lines. As his client, he should be focused on giving you pleasure, so why do his comments make it sound like you’re here for his entertainment instead?

Despite your character being fully aware of what type of establishment she’s visiting, you reckon Hoseok’s words are enough to make her squirm in embarrassment. There’s something filthy about the way he orders you around and bends you to his will. Even you’re not indifferent to the impersonal way he handles your body like a doll. Flickers of arousal lick up your spine, and with your legs extended so far apart, it’s not difficult for Hoseok to notice how much you’re wound up.

The position is far from proper. Hot streaks of humiliation burn through you when you imagine how easy and slutty you must seem to whoever is watching. You don’t dare move from the pose he’s maneuvered you into, not because you’re scared of the consequences, but because his presence demands obedience. Even without explicitly saying so, he’s made it clear that for the next hour or so, you’re his to toy with.

“Good girl. You open up so nicely.” Hoseok purrs, satisfied with your compliance. “Now let me see what I’m working with here.”

He swipes his index finger through your glossy folds, the action forcing you to stifle a startled gasp. It’s nothing like the erotic oil massage you’d experienced minutes prior. The touch is inquisitive, clinical, assessing. Like he’s testing out a new product before purchase.

You want to stay still but you’re so wound up from his incessant teasing. The slightest caress makes the hairs on the back of your nape stand straight. Hoseok is all too aware of this fact. The tip of his pointer finger comes in contact with your clit, the touch more delicate than a feather's caress. Hoseok watches with thinly veiled amusement as you jerk against the table.

“You really are sensitive,” he all but coos. “What a treat. Don’t need any oil when you’re leaking all over the table like a faucet. How long has it been since someone touched you here, hm?”

The teasing lilt in his voice borders on condescending. Heat simmers under the surface of your skin as you struggle to collect your thoughts.

“Eight months,” you squeak just as two of his fingers dip into your slicked up entrance.

“No wonder you’re all worked up.” He slides his digits right up to the knuckle, the glide so easy it’s embarrassing. “Needy holes like yours should be used more often.”

He fucks his fingers into your pussy one, two, three times, before pulling away, chuckling under his breath when your hips push back, greedy and desperate for more. Using the same hand he’d used to test out your cunt Hoseok slaps your ass once, the sharp sting making you still at once.

The damp mark on your ass is a testament to how fucking soaked you are. You can’t imagine what kind of mess the cameras are picking up on - but maybe you don’t have to.

Hoseok wipes his fingers off on you, using you to clean himself off. Although you can’t see anything because of the way you’re laying down, everything feels wet and filthy. He rubs your own juices onto your skin, reminding you of the intensity of your need.

And just when you don’t think his mouth can get any filthier, he proves you wrong.

“I can tell you haven’t been stretched recently,” he sighs, almost disappointed. “You’re just gagging for a pounding, aren’t you? It’s a shame your fuck-hole is too tight to take a big cock or I would have given it to you right away.”

Your lower body clenches as his words wash over you.

The idea sounds downright delicious. Hoseok is right. Even if it’s just for the sake of the storyline, there’s nothing more you want right now than a good, hard fucking. It would take him less than ten seconds for him to pull his hard cock out from his scrubs and make a home for himself between your thighs. Images flash through your mind of Hoseok’s hands on your breasts, in your hair, around your throat. You want him to cover you, smother you, as he forces you down against the table and takes his fill. You want his lips on your skin, hot and possessive, as he uses you like the cocksleeve he needs you to be.

God, you want that. You want to be used hard, to be fucked full until you break. You need this - your character needs this.

You whimper, high-pitched and needy. “Please. Please, I want it. I want - I want your cock.”

“I’m sure you do.” Hoseok all but scoffs. “Why don’t you just sit still and relax for me? I’m going to massage you until you’re nice and loose, alright? First-timers like you could get hurt if they’re not prepped properly but I’ll get you ready, don’t worry. By the end of this, you’ll be able to take big cocks in all your holes like a pro.”

“Shit.”

You bite back a moan, startled at how much you’re turned on.

Porn dialogue is rarely arousing. You’re the first to tune out your partner whenever they talk for longer than a minute. It’s because you hear the same exact shitty lines repeated so often that you’re half-convinced there’s a porn acting for dummies handbook being circulated around.

Although… Maybe if Hoseok’s lines had been delivered by someone else, they wouldn’t have the same effect on you. That’s the difference, you think to yourself. Hoseok’s delivery. The cockiness that infuses his every word, the way he confidently carries himself… He does it all so convincingly - nothing like the wooden and awkward memorized performances you’ve witnessed from fellow actors.

While you’re lost in thought, Hoseok rummages inside the cardboard box. Without his touch or words to distract you, it’s harder to ignore the building arousal between your legs. As the seconds tick by, your shameful desire only worsens.

Before you can crane your neck or voice your confusion, Hoseok returns, humming under his breath.

“We’re gonna try a different massage technique now. This method will help with lubrication,” he explains evenly. “I’ll use a special vibrating tool that will massage hard to reach areas.”

“Um…” You swallow, blinking rapidly. “Okay.”

“It’s not as scary as it sounds. We’ll start off slow and I’ll gradually up the intensity once I deem you ready for the next stage. How does that sound?”

A click, followed by a low buzzing, fills the room.

You gasp when the vibrating object comes in contact with the back of your knee. Hoseok’s free hand settles on your leg - a nonverbal reminder to keep your legs wide open for him as well as the cameras.

“See? Nice and easy. Nothing to be scared of.”

He rotates the tool in slow, even circles. You force yourself to relax and accept the foreign massage, disregarding how strange it feels to have small vibrations travel up and down your leg. After a few minutes of him repeating the same motions on your other leg, he slowly makes his way up your thighs, the rounded tip of the tool dangerously close to your drenched pussy.

A pleading whine reverberates in your chest. The electric whirring of the vibrator is not enough to soothe the burning between your thighs. If anything, it makes it worse. You need more, you think urgently.

Hoseok moves to the side of the table so that the cameras can get an unobstructed view of your clenching hole. It’s the first time you’ve seen his face since he made you lie down. From his voice alone, it’s impossible to tell how affected he is. More than once you’d caught yourself wondering… Does he like what he sees? Is he enjoying himself?

A dark streak of satisfaction crosses over you when you notice the hunger in his gaze, his pupils blown so wide his brown eyes look black. Drool pools in your mouth when you spot the sizable tent in his scrubs.

The fact that you’re at the perfect height to suck his dick doesn’t slip by you. He could flip you over onto your back, your head hanging off the table, and use your mouth to his heart’s content. You whimper at the thought of him fucking your face, your mouth reduced to a fleshlight for him to get off. You could probably cum like that - his cock buried deep in your throat, his fingers pressed against the side of your neck to you struggle around his length, while his other hand reaches down to grab at your breast, using it as an anchor to fuck into you harder.

“Shit, you’re really making a mess of my work table.”

Hoseok’s gaze is trained between your legs. He wets his lips and adjusts his hold on the vibrator. The sudden movement changes the angle, positioning the tool right over your dripping entrance, closer than ever to your swollen clit. The vibrations suddenly feel louder and stronger than before. If this keeps up, you reckon that it won’t be long before you’re hurtling towards the edge of a precipice.

A moan slips past your parted lips, loud and wanton. Embarrassed by the sheer need that colors your voice, you quickly shut your mouth closed, hoping that your desperation goes by unnoticed.

Hoseok chuckles, the sound sharp and mean. He comments on your obscene behavior, how you’re acting so slutty it’s a wonder you’d kept this side of you locked away for this long without people suspecting your love for cock. Every word infiltrates your mind, leaves no corners untainted, until all you can think and breathe and smell is him.

“Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of sluts parade in here and pay for my time,” he says, his dulcet tone making the degradation sweeter. You hang onto each and every word, letting yourself fall deeper into a haze of arousal and submission. “But it’s been a while since someone like you showed up. Just look at this… Your little fuck-hole can’t even take a bit of teasing without getting me dirty.”

The buzzing between your thighs switches back and forth between strong pulses and rapid, little vibrations. You keen, shaking from head to toe in pleasure. Your thighs are wet, sticky with your juices, and your clit is hard and aching for attention.

You don’t even want to know what state your sopping pussy is in. Every time your body jerks and trembles, you feel the pool of arousal that’s gathered underneath you. It’s - embarrassing. That you’re this soaked and close to cumming when he hasn’t even touched your clit or fucked you with his cock.  

In the midst of your pleasure-induced haze, your eyes meet his. The lines of his face are drawn into a smug expression, his gaze smoldering. Embers of arousal light up his dark eyes, and you can only stare back at him, clit throbbing, as he ups the intensity of the vibrations.

“Fuck! Oh God, oh I’m-” Your legs thrash, hips lifting off the table in an effort to escape the shocks of pleasure zapping throughout your body. Mercifully - or not, depending on how you looked at it - Hoseok brought the vibrations down a few settings, until the whirring had quieted down to a low thrum.

“Feeling good, huh?” The grin he sends your way is positively wicked. “I think you’re ready to take more.”

More? you think weakly. Any more and you’ll explode, like popcorn kernels in a microwave.

For a second you think he’ll bring the vibrator up to your clit. Maybe even slide the long, phallic-shaped vibrator inside your pussy so that it’ll stretch you out like he’d promised. What you don’t expect is for him to bring it down to your other hole, the powerful vibrations rattling you to the core.

Your surprised gasp is so loud, not even the buzzing of the toy drowns it out. Hoseok places his available hand on your left hip and pins you to the table, the gentle weight keeping you steady.

“That’s right,” he soothes, voice smooth like silk. It sounds patronizing, almost like he’s calming down a dog startled by thunder or explaining right from wrong to a small child.

“Um.” You let trepidation inch its way into your voice. “You - what are you doing? That’s not - that’s dirty.”

“What is?”

“My,” you pause, humiliation coiling tightly around your spine. Hoseok presses the toy harder around your rim, its coat of arousal making the tip slide over your sensitive skin. You’re tempted not to answer but you know Hoseok wants you to voice the dirty words. “My asshole. It’s - dirty. Please - I… I don’t think you should touch it. It’s not right.”

You mumble the end of your sentence like you’re embarrassed to say such a scandalous thing out loud.

Hoseok laughs, sounding both mocking and endeared. “Oh, sweetheart. Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? I’m going to loosen up all your holes. Because that’s what you’ve always wanted deep down, isn’t it? To service cock. Even if it means letting me play with this dirty hole of yours.”

The vibrations intensify with the click of a button. Your whole body spasms, limbs flailing pathetically as the sensations run down your back all the way to the tip of your toes.

You bite down a whimper. How does he know? How can he tell? All you want right now is a nice, hard cock buried inside of you - and at this point you don’t care which orifice he sticks in it. You’re just so - empty. So empty it physically aches.

Hoseok dials down the intensity of the vibrator and with his free hand, squeezes a copious amount of oil onto the toy, slicking it up.

Surprisingly he doesn’t bother prepping you with his fingers before easing the toy into your back entrance. From your position, you can’t tell if Director Ryu signaled to hurry things along or if his own impatience played a part. Either way, your sharp intake of breath is genuine.

You try your best to relax your muscles but the toy is thicker than expected, its sides bumpy and ribbed. Even though you’d stretched yourself out beforehand with a sizable dildo, the girth of the toy still makes your breath hitch. Your bottom lip hurts as you scrape your teeth over it.

“Relax for me. That’s it.” Hoseok whispers soft words of encouragement. “You’re doing such a good job.”

Finally, after what seems like light years, the toy is fully inserted, only the base of it peeking out from between your parted cheeks. You feel full, deliciously so. It’s only now with the weight of the toy inside of you that you realize how much you’d missed being stuffed to the brim.

“There you go.” Hoseok smacks your right ass cheek hard enough for the sting to go straight to your clit. “How does that feel?”

“Full.” You smack your lips together. Eloquence is not your strongest suit in the present moment and your lack of coherency only humiliates you further. It’s like he’s rendered you cock-dumb. Reduced you to a lust-driven creature that only has dick on the brain. “I feel good.”

“Of course you’d enjoy that.” The cockiness in his voice is undeniable, like he’s drunk off the power he has over you. “Needy sluts like you only care about getting filled up, huh?”

It sounds like a rhetorical question but you answer it anyway, just in case he wanted an answer.

“Yes! I’m a needy slut. Please - could you…?” You wriggle your hips, trying to entice him into action. The rocking motion jostles the toy nestled inside of you, causing you to choke out a moan. “Hng! Use my pussy this time, please?”

Hoseok clucks his tongue and slaps your ass again to keep you still. It moves the lodged vibrator, knocking it against a spot inside of you that makes you gush. Your pussy clenches up in an imitation of an orgasm - but you know from experience that you haven’t cum just yet.

Fuck. You’re so fucked and he hasn’t even given you his cock.

Your head thumps down against the table as you take in deep, steadying breaths. You can’t think straight; every thought seems clouded by a dense smog of lust. Your body feels like a live wire, all your nerve endings crackling with electricity. How much more can you endure before you shatter beyond repair?

Hoseok takes pity on you. “The vibrating massage should have helped your muscles relax. Your tight cunt should be able to fit this in by now.”

He slides another silicone toy into your pussy, this one wider and longer than the first. Your hands grapple for purchase as your body accommodates both toys, one in each hole. You’re so wet that there’s no resistance despite its impressive size and you suck in a breath as Hoseok keeps pushing it in, inch by interminable inch.

If you thought you felt full before, it’s nothing compared to how stretched you feel now. The wall separating the two toys is stretched thin and when you tense your abdomen, you can feel both of them nudge against one another. Your stomach feels - bloated. As if there’s a bulge where the toys are nestled deep inside of you.

It’s quite frankly obscene.

You’ve never felt more turned on.

“Whoa.” He grips both of your legs and widens them even further, displaying your stuffed holes for the cameras. “Your hungry cunt ate up my biggest dildo like it was nothing.”

The fact that he admitted it was a dildo - and not some vibrating tool - just adds to your mortification.

“Okay. Two holes down, one to go.”

He releases his hold on your legs and raises a brow at you. The smirk is back on his face and that, paired with the ravenous look in his eyes, makes you want to run and hide. He looks like he’s two seconds away from devouring you whole for dinner. “Why don’t you turn around for me? It wouldn’t be a full body massage if I didn’t rub down the other side, right?”

His chuckle spurs you into action. It’s not that you’re not embarrassed by the idea of baring yourself completely for him like some sort of cult offering, but the need to get dicked down trumps all.

Your mind feels fuzzy and your body sluggish. There’s a fire inside of you that not even double penetration has managed to extinguish and it roars to life as you manœuvre into the position he’s ordered you to get into. The toys jostle inside of you, reminding you of the depraved lengths you’d go to because you’re starving for cock.

He’s right about you, you think as you settle onto your back. You’re a needy slut. All you want is for your holes to be filled. And when they’re empty, your body aches with the need to fill them back up again. Toys will do but they’re a poor substitute for what you really want.

Thankfully, Hoseok’s own patience is running out. You’ve barely gotten into a comfortable position when he’s fishing out his cock from his scrubs, not even bothering to remove his clothes.

Drool pools into your mouth at the sight. He’s just as long as you remembered him to be. Not too thick or veiny, but prettily flushed and glistening with translucent precum. How long has he been hard? The erection looks painful. Distantly, you’re comforted by the knowledge that you haven’t been the only one suffering from this prolonged foreplay. God is fair, you rejoice internally. 

Your mouth opens of its own accord and your tongue lolls out, hungry.

Hoseok doesn’t comment on your pathetic state -  a testament to how worked up he probably is. He guides his cock into your waiting mouth with barely repressed urgency.

His cock is heavy on your tongue, the perfect weight. He pushes in until he can’t go any further, the position you’re in giving him better access to your throat. You fucking love it.

When you swallow around his length, he hisses between his teeth. “Shit.”

He gives you little time to adjust. As soon as he’s certain you can take it, he starts to thrust his hips. His cock drags across the rough surface of your tongue as it’s pushed and pulled out of your mouth at a rapid pace. Each thrust of his hips makes you gag, drool running down the sides of your face, and the obscene sounds of your choking echo in your ears.

The rough treatment should revolt you, make you squirm or shy away, but you’ve never felt more alive. Your mind feels pleasantly blank - like your sole purpose in life is to be a glorified cum bucket, a receptacle for his cock and cum. Even when he buries himself all the way to the hilt, so far down your throat it feels like he’s reached your stomach, you’re eager for more. Logically speaking you don’t even know if you can handle more, don’t have the mental faculty to figure out if more is physically possible, but your body knows that it’ll never be sated, not fully, not until he cums inside you.

“Greedy girl,” he rasps between heavy breaths. “Look at you… I’ve plugged up three of your holes but you’re still gagging for it, aren’t you? Filthy slut.”

His words are meant to degrade and humiliate you. Instead of disgust, you can hear the admiration ring in his voice. His awe satisfies you and you hollow your cheeks, suctioning around his girth just to hear him curse under his breath. You live for the way his hips stutter and how his deep breathing is interspersed by the occasional grunt or moan. It feels good to know that you’re bringing him pleasure, that your hole is satisfactory.

Hoseok reaches over your body and grabs something from the discarded cardboard box you can’t see. You soon find out what it is though - the oil is drizzled over your torso and chest, liquid spilling down the sides of your body. He throws the bottle to the side, more interested in spreading the lubricant over your tits until they’re slick and shiny.

It soon becomes clear that he’s abandoned his earlier massage techniques in favor of a more rushed treatment. Gone is the slow build-up. He rubs your breasts, grabbing and squeezing them like stress balls, and pinches your hard nipples tightly between his fingers, pulling them out until your back arches.

The next time he slams his erect length into your mouth, your breasts bounce from the force of the thrust. Hoseok’s eyes remain transfixed on the lewd way your breasts jiggle; because he keeps your nipples clamped tightly between his fingers, your tits have no other choice but to swing around every time he rocks his hips back and forth.

Every time you gag and choke on his cock, tears prickling your eyes, you feel the fire between your legs grow stronger. Shame and arousal course through you, your head dizzy with lust. You can’t move, can’t scream, all of your moans of pleasure muffled by the cock buried in your throat.

He laughs derisively, pulling out after a particularly hard thrust. A string of saliva connects your mouth to his cock and your eyes zero in on it, finding it impossible to look away.

“You slut.”

He makes a disapproving noise low in his throat before slapping you across the face with his cock.

It doesn’t hurt anywhere as much as a real slap but it’s so unexpected you gasp, your jaw throbbing in pain. The imprint of his cock is wet and dirty against your cheek. He keeps his cock hanging a few centimeters above your face. It taunts you, beckons you closer. The seam of your mouth stays wide open, your appetite evidently knowing no limits.  

“Heh. You’re really something… Never seen a whore so cock-hungry in my life. And trust me when I say I’ve seen plenty.” He sneers, walking away.

For a long second, you fear he’s gone and left you high and dry and that the scene will end like that. Except - no. He’s positioned himself at the other side of the massage table. You shudder as you realize that can only mean one thing : he’s going to grant you the fucking your body craves. 

Hoseok’s lips twitch into a knowing half-smile. He grips his stiff cock in one hand, the length of it soaked with your spit and precum.

You gulp, suddenly intimidated. Perhaps it’s the angle, but he looks taller than you remember him to be, bigger, his shoulders slightly broader. His cock looks more imposing, too. Despite just having choked on it, it’s long; his hand sits loosely at the base of his cock, leaving a few good inches poking out of his fist. Your mouth goes dry, your insatiable hunger reawakened. 

The impatience marring your features is probably disgustingly obvious because Hoseok makes another comment about how desperate and pathetic you look once you’re deprived of cock.

Using his left hand, he slowly removes the toy from your ass. The slide is painful because you’re clenching so hard down on it, unwilling for your hole to become empty once again.

A whimper escapes your parted lips. Hoseok laughs at the betrayed look that crosses your face at the loss of the thick dildo.

“So fuckin’ greedy.” He slaps your entrance with his cock, his grin wolfish as you wail in reply. “Stay still if you want my cock.”

Immediately you freeze, taking his words to heart. Deep down, you know that he won’t be that cruel but you’re so exhausted from the never-ending teasing, that you’re not willing to take any chances.

Hoseok holds up one of your legs and pushes it over his shoulder.

“Good girl.” He breaches your ass, both of you moaning as his cock works its way inside of you. It’s a tight fit; you can feel his cock bump into the vibrating dildo in your pussy, the feeling overwhelming you. He grunts, fingertips bruising your skin as he hold back from cumming too quickly. 

His hips work up a steady rhythm, the both of you already so close to finishing. You know that a lesser man would have cum ages ago, but Hoseok troops on, eyebrows creased in concentration. He looks - hot. Ridiculously hot, even in that dumb fake masseuse uniform.

His once perfectly combed hair is now disheveled, strands of hair falling over his eyes and dripping brow. There’s something about all of it - the wild glint in his eyes, the rough way he’s fucking you, the domineering aura that he exudes - that makes you absolutely lose it.

You clench up on his cock without warning, your insides squeezing around him even more tightly because of the toy still lodged in your dripping cunt. The orgasm rips through you, fast and hard, leaving your thighs soaking. Hoseok fucks you through it, his cock relentless, drawing your pleasure out until your body goes limp. 

It’s the kind of orgasm that on a normal day you could only hope to achieve.

Except Hoseok doesn’t stop to let you rest or take a breather. He brings your other leg over his shoulder, testing the limits of your flexibility, and uses the new angle to plow into you with renewed force.

“Ah - ah fuck wait!” You cry out, overwhelmed by the onslaught of sensations traveling through your body. “Oh my God, oh shit! You’re so fucking deep, ah!”

Hoseok chooses that moment to turn on the vibrating dildo. He doesn’t even start at the lowest setting, sets it straight to one of the higher level ones, and your whole body jumps. Both of you moan as the toy comes to life. The vibrations rattle your insides - and that, coupled with the fat cock that’s splitting you open relentlessly, threaten to rearrange your insides.

Arousal builds again quickly inside of you, pulsing steadily alongside your heartbeat.

You feel so fucking full you think it’s possible you’ll burst. Before, when you had both toys buried inside of you, the stretch and the fullness had been pleasant. You had even been able to tune it out for the most part once you’d got used to it.

But with the way Hoseok is now fucking into you with reckless abandon, it’s impossible not to be reminded of how stuffed your holes are. Every thrust of his cock in your ass bumps against the vibrator, pushing it harder against your bundle of nerves. 

“I knew the minute I saw you,” he growls, his pace punishing. “No bra, pussy ripe for the picking. Whores like you could never be satisfied with the beginner massage. No, I knew exactly what you needed.”

He adjusts his grip on your ankles and the change in angle keeps the vibrator pressed directly the sensitive bundle of nerves inside of you.

“Fuck! Oh God, there there! Please, keep going. It’s so good. Fuck me!” You chant, out of your mind with pleasure.Your words are raw, unrefined, and in any other circumstance, you’d laugh at how ridiculous you sound.

“You’re so fucking loud,” he hisses between grunts of pleasure. “Why don’t you go ahead and cum for me. Make yourself useful and tighten up this hole of yours so I can feel good.”

He reaches down between your legs and fiddles with the switch.

You scream. Your eyes roll back and your entire body locks up. Intense pleasure that you’ve never experienced before thunders through your body. If your previous orgasm was like a building wave crashing to the shore at long last, this one is a fucking tornado determined to rip you to pieces.

Maybe you might’ve passed out. You don’t know. But when you regain consciousness, Hoseok’s cock is pulsing jet after jet of hot cum inside of your pussy. You feel it spurt inside of you, coating your already slick walls with his essence. 

He pulls out quickly so that the camera can zoom in on the way the cum oozes out of you in thick globs. Instinctively you clench your walls to keep more from leaking out, but it only pushes more of the mess out, painting your inner thighs white.

When you glance up at him you notice his shirt is soaked. There’s a huge dark spot that starts from his chest to his pants. He doesn’t seem to mind the stain.

“You came so hard you passed out,” he informs you while tucking his spent cock back inside his scrubs. “I came inside of you while you were out of it but I figured you wouldn’t mind. That’s what you came here for, right?”

The smile he shoots your way looks more like a smirk. You bite your lip. He must’ve taken out the dildo - or it might’ve gotten pushed out during your orgasm, you don’t know - and you feel your holes gape a little after being stretched and used for so long. You’re tempted to snap your legs shut but you know the cameras need to record your debauchery.

“I’ll let you change. You can meet me out front to schedule your next appointment. Hm let’s see… Considering how well you reacted during this session I think we’ll have to take more, hm, drastic measures next time. I’m curious to see how far your greedy cunt is able to stretch with enough incentive. I’m positive that with you anything is possible. We’ll try fitting two cocks insides for starters and maybe - ah. I’m getting carried away.” He chuckles. “Anyways, meet me at the counter in ten minutes and we can go over the details then.”

“I…” You wet your lips. “I’d like that.”

A silence ensues and for a second you think your acting was bad or you’d said the wrong thing.

“CUT! And that, my friends, is what you call art!” yells Director Ryu, clapping his hands like a seal.

You breathe out a sigh of relief and sit up despite your muscles protesting loudly. God, your ass feels sore. Hoseok had really done a number on you.

“Hey, are you all good?” He asks, drawing closer to you in concern. He must have seen your grimace.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for asking. It’s just - it was kind of intense. In a good way! I’ll probably be sore later but that’s because I’m not used to these kind of scenes yet.”

“You were really hot. I couldn’t tell this was your first anal scene at all.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Really.” Hoseok sighs dreamily. “I think I saw Jesus when I came.”

“What?” You bring a hand to your mouth to muffle your laughter. “It was a good nut, I take it?”

“The best.” He looks over at you, dimples on his cheek as he returns your smile. “I blacked out for a second and went to heaven.”

You bask in the afterglow for a few minutes longer than you usually would. Hoseok makes no move to leave either, even if logic dictates that you’re both better off washing up instead of letting the mixture of sweat, cum, and oil dry on your skin. You know from experience that it’s hard as fuck to clean up once it hardens - not to mention it stinks.

“Babe!”

You’re roused from your peaceful state of mind as your boyfriend approaches. He’s smiling but one side of his mouth looks stiff. He hands you a towel, eyes trailing down your figure, and suddenly you feel self-conscious. You hurriedly wrap the fluffy material around you, eager to hide the cum still dripping out of your swollen cunt and the red marks littered over your body from Hoseok’s rough treatment.

It’s not - you’re not ashamed. You never are. It’s just - you don’t want to hurt Jimin. Even if it does come with the job, it can’t be easy for him to see his girlfriend getting fucked by someone else.

“That was so good! You did great. The camera really loves you. I can’t wait to see how the final cut turns out,” Jimin compliments and you preen despite yourself, conditioned to suck up praise. “Are you hungry?”

Just on cue your stomach lets out a grumble.

Jimin’s eyes crease into crescents as he smiles. “I knew it. You’re always famished after a scene. It’s a good thing I booked a reservation at our favorite restaurant, right?”

You nod, thankful yet again that you have such a caring and thoughtful boyfriend. “I’m famished now that you mention it.”

Hoseok observes the exchange silently and his presence makes you embarrassed for some reason. Maybe not embarrassed but - something. You can’t put a name to the emotion.

“Um, I’ll see you around?” You say as you gather to your feet. Jimin is instantly by your side, his hand wrapping around yours tightly. “It was nice working with you again! Thank you for your hard work.”

Hoseok’s lips quirk into a half-smile. He’s still eyeing the both of you in a strange, intense kind of way and the scrutiny makes you fidgety. You try not to make your desire to flee the scene too transparent.

“It’s always a pleasure. I look forward to working with you again.”

The words he utters are tactful and diplomatic - nothing like the carefree familiarity he’d showcased minutes prior. You don’t blame him, given the circumstances.

You shoot him an apologetic look as you turn away to leave. To your relief, Hoseok doesn’t appear dejected or offended. Just - curious, maybe? Pensive? Like he’s in the middle of solving a complicated and intricate puzzle and that puzzle involves you.

The idea scares you. Mostly because you yourself don’t know what he’ll find.

As soon as you’ve rounded the corner, Jimin excuses himself. “I have to finish helping the guys. There’s still some equipment to put away. But we’ll meet out in the back like last time?”

“Sure.”

He kisses your cheek and scampers away.

Seokjin is waiting for you in the next room over. He’s holding a water bottle, your favorite silk robe, and a dark chocolate energy bar. You’re so sweaty that it feels silly to wear the robe but you shrug it on anyway, knowing that Jimin will feel better if you’re not parading around the set naked.

Your stomach rumbles loudly and it’s only then that you realize the extent of how fucking hungry you are. Non-stop sex sure is tiring, you note while ripping open the energy bar with your teeth. Seokjin calls you a savage under his breath but those types of comments are so commonplace that it’s easy to tune him out.

“God, I could kiss you right now,” you say after swallowing down a mouthful of granola. After eating spinach exclusively for the past three days, the sweetness on your tongue tastes like a slice of heaven.

“Not with that mouth, you won’t.” Seokjin narrows his eyes. “I know where it’s been.”

Still high from your mind-shattering orgasm, you giggle and pretend to kiss him just to watch him squirm. It’s not until much later, after you’d washed up as best you could with the help of baby wipes, that you check your phone. You respond to a text or two before finally checking your social media page out of habit more so than anything else.

.

(2) new notifications

JHOPE94 has followed you!

JHOPE94 has mentioned you in their story.

.

It’s the same account Hoseok had shown you earlier in the day. You follow him without much thought, grinning to yourself when you read his bio “hope on streets and in the sheets ;)”, and click on his Instagram story.

You’re surprised to learn he’s one of those people who uploads multiple pictures about just about anything - his Starbucks’ coffee cup with JAY written in black sharpie, several mirror selfies, a snapshot of his shoes, pictures of the film crew setting up the scene. You click through the pictures, a little flummoxed by the random collage, and pause when you get to the picture you’d been tagged in.

It’s you. Squinting, you realize that he must have taken the candid picture in passing. You’re sitting in the hair and makeup chair, the makeup artist applying a layer of gloss on your lips. The row of lights that border all around the vanity mirror give your figure a halo spotlight effect.

JHOPE94 : not in heaven but i saw an angel today :))

.

.

[prettywordsyouleft]

MonX Hospital | Hyungwon

Pairing: Chae Hyungwon x reader

Genre: dietitian – hospital au / romance / fluff

Warnings: medical and nutrition terms, a little hint of enemies to lovers but not really enough to label it as that

Word count: 3719

Index: Shownu | Wonho | Minhyuk | Kihyun | Hyungwon | Jooheon | Changkyun

“Holly,” Seungwoo called out and the registered nurse turned around to your group standing there, a bright smile crossing her lips. “Can you give us a hint?”

“Let me guess,” she started, pointing at the four of you with a playful smirk. “Mentoring season?”

“Who’s the best doctor to be assigned to?” Soyou asked earnestly and Jeongmin beside you nodded.

“Give us your expertise from working alongside them all.”

The nurse approached the group of students, folding her arms across her chest. “Well, that would be Doctor Coffee.”

“Doctor who?” Seungwoo questioned, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead. “Ah, don’t mess with us, Holly!”

“I’m serious, tell me who you all got?” the nurse instructed and then once you were all done, you listing over Doctor Chae as your assigned registrar, she looked at you smiling a little more. “Doctor Coffee is the best to learn from, I stand by it.”

“Why is he called that?” you wondered and she patted you on the shoulder, departing your little group with ease.

“You’ll find out!”

You weren’t sure what to expect from Holly’s recommendation, especially since she was referring to a dietitian. Maybe, it was just a fun nickname, and Doctor Chae was known to have a cup of coffee each morning. That didn’t stand out as something to refer to him as, over your several years studying a Bachelor of Science and now wrapping up your Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics, you had become accustomed to coffee as a vice for yourself, and the majority of students and health professionals you crossed paths with regularly. Coffee seemed to be the staple brew in the health industry.

In fact, as you headed towards Doctor Chae’s clinical room the following morning, you were carrying a takeout cup along with your assorted learning tools. Knocking once on his door, you smiled brightly when he called out for you to enter.

“Hello, I’m Y/N,” you greeted, placing your things down so you could wipe off your hand and hold it out to the doctor. He peered at you disinterestedly, barely gripping onto your hand before returning his gaze to the screen. Trying not to be offended, you watched him silently, one hand swishing an iced Americano around whilst the other scrolled over a patient’s file.

Finally, the doctor spoke. “How long are you joining my clinic for?”

“A month.”

“Okay,” he simply replied, going back to his notes.

Waiting for direction, you glanced awkwardly around the room. “Where should I set up?”

“Somewhere that suits your needs best and doesn’t interfere with the patient consultations.”

Was Holly right that learning from such a prickly doctor would be best? You grumbled inwardly knowing the others were no doubt assigned to more approachable staff.

Once the remnants of his cold beverage were finished, you were surprised by the change in activity out of the man. He threw the cup in the trash, stood up and stretched a little, ready for his first patient. The mood in the entire office improved tremendously, as if the last drop of coffee had to be consumed before the doctor kicked into gear.

You perked up by this, sitting up at your little station more eagerly.

And then it was go time.

You were immediately thrown into the issues various patients were having, writing down both your own notes and anything Doctor Chae asked of you. He was incredibly engaging with each session, both with the patient and with you. It was as if you were in a different office than the one you first stepped into.

The young doctor was brimming with knowledge and helpful tips to both you and his clients. He identified issues in their lifestyle and eating plans and explained everything in a way that was informative without sounding too jargon-loaded.

You almost had to wipe your chin for drool at one point; it had hung open in awe for far too long.

The first week of your practical module went by in a blur that it wasn’t until you were starting your next week in Doctor Chae’s office that you picked up on some observations of your mentor.

You had already become accustomed to his indifference in the morning before his first caffeine hit for the day, and there were several other instances where he returned with another cup within his hand from a meeting or lunch, and had even asked when you went to buy yourself a juice if you could get him a coffee whilst at the cafe last Friday. It hadn’t stood out to you as a problem until he sat down with a man in his early 40s who was facing several dietary concerns.

“How many cups of coffee are you drinking throughout the day?”

The man rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “About four to six, depending on the workload.”

“That’s a lot of coffee,” Doctor Chae mentioned and before you could hold it in, a snort left you. Both men within the room glanced at you as you flushed red, apologising quietly and then repositioned your laptop in attempts to deflect the attention away from you. The doctor cleared his throat a little before continuing with his questions for the patient. Once he was done with his diagnostics, he listed off various ways to help the man recover from burnout, lower his stress and support all this with a balanced diet – one in which didn’t include as much caffeine.

And once the patient left the room, Doctor Chae shut the door behind his farewell and turned towards you. “What was that?”

“Huh?”

“The snort within my consultation.”

You smiled guiltily. “Sorry.”

“No, tell me why you snorted exactly.”

“Well,” you started, feeling as if you were balancing on a dangerous edge with how intense Doctor Chae’s gaze was upon you. Still, you decided to use facts. “You had five cups of coffee yesterday.”

“And in your clinical impression of me so far, Y/N, are you mocking me?”

“I just found it interesting that your patient was drinking too much caffeine and as someone who is highly regarded as a nutrition expert, you know how bad it is for you and still do the same.”

“Interesting findings,” he responded curtly, returning to his desk. “What are your recommendations?”

“I uh, I don’t-”

“It was an observation you made over me, and I want to know if you were the doctor and I were the patient, what you would recommend.”

You panicked. “I’m not sure.”

“The right response is to lower caffeine intake slowly, ensure that I’m sleeping well and to look for alternatives to help with energy and any other reasons for why we take in too much caffeine as humans.” The doctor looked back at you questioningly. “Correct?”

“Yes.”

“So what would you recommend for me to drink this afternoon, Y/N?”

“More water, for one.”

“Can you go get me the biggest bottle you can find in this complex then?” he instructed, holding out his card. You stood up and took it with a quick nod, dashing out of the office and started your trek across the building to the café at the entrance.

Bumping into Jeongmin halfway, you let out an exasperated wail. He chuckled. “That bad with Doctor Coffee?”

“I have just made my working environment sour,” you lamented and the fellow student looked at you for further information. “Doctor Coffee doesn’t like being called out for not doing as he preaches. I accidentally snorted during clinical hours at a comment he made about caffeine intake and now he’s tasked me with getting him the biggest bottle of water I can find.”

“Rather you than me. Working with Doctor Laing has been a breeze. She’s so laidback.”

“Shut up,” you grumbled and Jeongmin nudged you playfully. You glowered at the path ahead. “I take back all I said about how much I was enjoying learning under him. He’s a narcissist.”

“Some doctors just don’t know how to take their own advice. Maybe he’s embarrassed that you called him out. I bet not many people have.”

You pondered the option and shrugged. “He could be. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Who knows, you might be good for one another. Him with all his expertise and you with your inability to keep quiet when you find fault.”

“Jeongmin!” you growled as your friend departed your side with a skip in his step. “Just you wait until I next see you!”

“Looking forward to it!” he called out across at the atrium with a fond wave. “Until then, may the water guide you towards clarity and peace!”

You huffed indignantly. Today was going to be a long day.

Doctor Chae did decrease his caffeine intake, at least for the remainder of that week. And whilst you tried really hard to keep your opinions to yourself, given he was prickly towards you for an entire day thereafter, you couldn’t help but find more fault with the dietitian's wellbeing.

He didn’t eat nearly enough, the coffee he did religiously still drink simply sloshing around in an almost empty stomach. He was also incredibly picky for someone who boasted to his patients to try and eat a wide range of food types where applicable.

For a successful dietitian, he was seemingly incapable of taking on his own advice.

“Y/N,” the doctor called out and you blinked out of your thoughts, smiling up at the man standing before you. “Are you going to share your observations?”

“The patient was too focused on weight loss-”

“Not those observations, the ones you’re basically sitting on top of your hands so you don’t spill out.”

“I’d rather, not Doctor Chae.”

“Hm, it must be an authoritative thing,” he muttered and then smiled at you. “Please, refer to me as Hyungwon when it’s just us. There. Now you can tell me.”

You laughed a little. “A name doesn’t take away our roles, Doctor Chae.”

“Hyungwon, please,” he repeated and then sat down on the bed beside your station. “Isn’t it annoying to withhold that information?”

“I’d like to keep working with you.”

“It’s that bad?” he guessed with a sigh, rubbing at his face. “I’ve tried with the coffee thing-”

“You barely eat. And what you do pick up is usually processed and only going to give your sugars a sharp boost and then fall rapidly, causing you to reach for the caffeine again. You don’t seem aware of how unbalanced your diet is, at least within this office and I don’t know if you’re tackling underlying medical conditions or live by a specific diet trend, which you and I both know don’t work for the majority of people and leads to unhealthy eating and medical conditions if overused.”

Hyungwon didn’t say anything for a moment, his arms merely remaining folded across his front. And then he broke into a bashful grin. “Feel better?”

“Oh, you have no idea how much,” you breathed and then blinked, your mouth falling agape. “Doctor Chae, I-”

“It’s easier to focus on others and what they eat,” he announced and you bit back the remainder of your apology. He didn’t seem mad this time, in fact, he was visibly flustered and you wondered if Jeongmin had been right the other week. Hyungwon cleared his throat and continued. “I much prefer making sure others are eating well.”

“Who is going to look out for you then?” you questioned and he became thoughtful before shrugging.

“I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Well, its lunchtime right now,” you mentioned, looking at the clock to confirm you were right for his scheduled lunch break. “How about we eat together?”

“Why would you do that? Don’t you meet up with your fellow student friends on break?”

You smiled brightly as you collected your bag. “Today, I’d much rather have lunch with you.”

The doctor was surprisingly out of his element as you dragged him across the road to an eatery, pointing out the different options before settling on a sandwich bar. You insisted that he add more than just meat and cheese to the roll, his uncomfortable expression causing you to giggle when you were seated across from him. “Doctor?”

“It’s very healthy.”

“It should be. A nice balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats. This will keep you going nicely for the rest of the afternoon, don’t you agree?”

“I don’t know if I like you or not, Y/N.”

“Well, I thought the same about you, admittedly,” you confessed, picking up your filled roll with a smile, thinking back to all the times you had worried over your placement in his office. Glancing at the man again, you merely grinned. “But I think I like you now.”

“Huh.”

There was a comfortable silence between you as you ate and when you both headed back across the road to the hospital, you felt lighter than you had all week long. Swinging your arms at your sides, Hyungwon watched you before smirking. “You’re like a kid.”

“Excuse me?”

“We’re in a place of work, and you’re too elated.”

“Should I come to this place grumbling and see it as a ten-hour sentence each day?” you wondered and Hyungwon smiled, loosening up his body a little more. You nodded eagerly. “Look at that, you’re more carefree as well!”

“Only until we have patients. Then the game face goes back on,” he instructed and you nodded, giggling as Hyungwon skipped across the atrium towards the Dietetics department.

The next day, you came armed with supplies. You guessed right that the coffee Hyungwon sluggishly made his way through was the only thing he had in the morning and placed a container of porridge in front of him, along with another snack-size pottle containing some fruit. “Y/N, I-”

Giving the doctor a reproachful stare, he groaned at you before eating the entire thing. You noticed he didn’t leave for his mid-morning coffee, and by lunch, he seemed more alert than his usual. Holding up another packed bag of food, you shook it gently. “I made us lunch. It’s nice outside, so shall we go on a picnic?”

“You know, Y/N, anyone would think you’re enjoying yourself right now,” he commented with a pout as you handed over his share of the meal you had made last night to bring today.

“I am.”

“I must admit, you know how to cook well.”

“Is that half the problem? Are you any good in the kitchen?” you asked and Hyungwon grew bashful. “I thought as much.”

“I never prioritised learning how to cook.”

“I bet your grocery list consists of pre-packaged meals.”

“I’m still in charge of you right now, Miss L/N,” he warned with a playful glint in his eye. “Stop calling me out like this.”

“You need to eat better.”

“Do I?”

“I’ll make sure you do!” you proclaimed and the man smiled to himself.

“You’re certainly making a point about it. Though next week is your last with me,” he mentioned carefully and you shrugged.

“My studies are held within this hospital, Hyungwon. It won’t be hard for me to continue this.”

“The bigger question is, why are you wanting to?” he asked boldly, staring at you with that intense gaze of his. You blinked a couple of times before smiling.

“I want to help you look after yourself. You do such an amazing job for others, someone should help you.”

“This won’t get you brownie points on my final assessment for you.”

You gasped noisily as he chuckled. “I was never aiming for that!”

“I suppose it does make sense for a dietitian to practice what he preaches.”

“Precisely,” you agreed smugly, holding up your bottle of water to clink with his. Laughing together, you finished your lunch before heading back in to work on the afternoon clinic.

As promised, even when your time in Hyungwon’s office came to an end, you still made a point of checking in with him. You couldn’t do the breakfast run but the doctor had taken to sending you pictures to make sure you left him alone about eating first thing in the morning.

And he had sent you one this morning which had you leaving your study session in annoyance, marching over to the outpatients sector of the hospital and towards the Dietetics department. Checking with the reception whether Doctor Chae was with or without a patient, you waited outside for him to wrap up with the patient inside before you barged through him when he went to shut the door after they left.

“Y-Y/N!” he exclaimed hastily, darting in front of you. Glancing around the office, you then glared at the man before you.

“Would you like me to tell you of my findings, doctor?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You see, I noticed that the lighting in today’s photo didn’t quite match the brightness of the world outside. Yesterday was overcast but today is not. And upon inspection, I see a coffee cup and no red and white spotted container. Funny, isn’t it? Because I’m sure you sent me a photo of your breakfast today.”

“I was in a rush.”

“Not that much of a rush that you couldn’t stop for coffee, Hyungwon.”

“You came all the way over here from class to tell me off for sending you the same photo twice? Come on Y/N!” he pointed out with a forced laugh, though you didn’t join him. Hyungwon gulped. “Fine, I’ll take you out for lunch.”

“You better.”

“I promise, now can I get back to seeing my patients?”

“I feel like you’ve become my patient,” you mentioned with a scowl, turning on your heel as you headed back to the university level of the hospital.

Breakfast and lunches together soon morphed into dinners as well. You hadn’t realised it, but you spent an awful lot of time together now. Standing in Hyungwon’s kitchen using his brand new cooking equipment, since he hadn’t really owned any before, you were almost done with dinner when Hyungwon appeared post-shower.

It should have dawned on you a whole lot sooner than now just how things had changed between you and the doctor.

You were unnaturally quiet over dinner and Hyungwon watched you carefully, putting down his utensils midway. “You figured out I didn’t eat breakfast again, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“I slept through my alarm. But this time I did get a blueberry muffin along with the coffee,” he continued, though when you didn’t praise his efforts, Hyungwon paused, narrowing his gaze. “What’s wrong with you?”

“N-Nothing.”

“Are you not happy with dinner? I thought you had done a good job,” he attempted, looking at his plate and then back to your face, still perturbed. “Y/N, you’re going to have to tell me so I can-”

“I think I’m in love with you,” you blurted out and Hyungwon rocked back in his chair, unmoving once the force of his action settled the seat again. You clamped your eyes shut. “I never realised just how much we’ve been acting like this for.”

“Acting like what?”

“Me coming into your world and making you eat each day. It was never my place.”

“No, but I’ve appreciated it. My health hasn’t been this good in years.”

“I stopped eating with my friends because I wanted to eat with you. And I’ve had fun doing so. We’ve been eating together for almost a year now.”

“Have we?” Hyungwon thought for a moment and then nodded. “So we have.”

“I’m guessing you don’t feel the same way,” you commented, pushing back your seat and standing up. “I should go.”

“Wait, Y/N!” he called as he came after you, taking a hold of your wrist and pulling you around. “I’m just confused about how you came to blurt out that you might love me when all you’ve done is talk about eating together.”

Looking up into his eyes as you tried to hold back your emotions from the sudden realisation, you inhaled a deep breath. “I could get used to doing more than just eating with you.”

“Last night we watched a movie together,” he pointed out and you nodded.

“See, we’re basically like a couple. You’re always helping me when I have problems too.”

Hyungwon smiled then, pushing your hair out of your face. “Can I tell you something?”

“Please, I feel like I’m going mad with how calm you are right now.”

“I thought we were already a couple,” he confessed and you merely stared back at him.

“What?”

“From when you were still being mentored by me. That last couple of weeks together, you insisted we ate together and treated me as if I was someone special to you. I knew back then I liked being around you. I mean, you were the first to point out just how easily I was forgetting myself. Your attention on me made me crave it more often.”

“Then why haven’t we made it official?”

Hyungwon shrugged sheepishly. “I didn’t think we needed to. I liked being with you and you seemed to like it too.”

“I do,” you agreed softly. “Why didn’t I connect what I felt for you was like I would of a partner until I saw you drying off your hair?”

“Did it feel highly domestic? You cooking dinner whilst I showered away my long day?” he offered and you reached up to place your hands on his shoulders.

“Can you continue that scene?”

“Hm, maybe I should thank the chef for her amazing meal.”

“That would be nice.”

Leaning in towards your lips, you closed your eyes and waited for impact. Instead, you felt the breath he expelled fall across your face, along with two words. “Thank you.”

“I think I’m going to kill you now,” you responded, snapping your eyes open right when Hyungwon pressed himself into you, kissing away your annoyance at his playful approach. Your eyes fluttered shut again and you fell within the kiss, humming in delight when he finally pulled away.

Hyungwon smiled at you affectionately. “Should we go finish dinner?”

“And watch a movie?”

“Then fall asleep against one another because it’s gotten late?”

You smiled, side-hugging the man as he moved you back towards the table in his apartment. “And eat breakfast together for the first time?”

“I really like the sound of that.”

_________________

Next: Jooheon

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[MONSTA X Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[yourdreamscenarios]

In A Heartbeat I Part 1

Characters: Jungkook / OC Genre: High school AU Word count: 2,951

“It was good, but if you want to break your own record we’ll have to spice up your trainings.Three times a week instead of twice, more intense, more cardio. The competition is nearing fast, we don’t have time to wait and see.” Your coach said, causing you to pull a face at her.  Winter time was coming, if there was one thing you weren’t up for it was freezing outside for so many times a week. There was of course truth in her words, but at this moment, and most moments, you were unable to hear it or unwilling to listen to it. You weren’t an easy one to deal with. “So, I’ll see you back on Wednesday, now get to class before you’re late.” She said, as she had moved past the point of trying to be friendly with you for today. 

She stove off, leaving you by yourself in the dressing room. You didn’t understand why you had to train three times a week, while you knew your team mates only had two training sessions. Each week you had one individual training, where your coach could focus on every single one of you personally and give you the right advice. You usually hated them, because then she always found the chance to go down on you and tell you about all your flaws. When the other were around she had many things going on in her mind and she usually left you alone. Heaving a deep sigh you hoisted your bag on your shoulder, feeling the strap cut into your skin. It had been a long day, and it still had to start. Your muscles were burning, lactic acid building up inside of them after your intense work out. 

Since you had been a child your parents had decided that you should be an active part of the community. They would motivate you to join as many groups as you could and you had had many different hobbies over the years. Until the time had come that you’d started to develop yourself and you had stuck to one thing, running. You’d never thought of yourself as an athlete and you didn’t have any goals to become a big person in the industry. Honestly, there was a big chance you would stop sporting next year, as you went off to college. It seemed impossible to combine all of that stuff together. But so far you’d found yourself a passion in it, placing one foot in front of the other, the route mapped out, making as much speed as you could. You enjoyed the feeling of pure exhaustion after you’d run five miles without stopping a single time, the way the air would burn your lungs. 

Except for that you had also made a few great friends, who were with you every step of the way. Your parents were your biggest fans, cheering for you each time you had a game going on, or within a few weeks, when the competition would start. Sport teams from different school would face each other, trying to give their best, trying to beat each other. It was like playing football, but to you, it was much more interesting. Your school was very active in the sport world, you had a soccer team, a football team, basketball team, swimming team, volleyball team, and then there was you. It wasn’t like that was the reason you had picked out this high school, but it did play a very big part in it. This way you didn’t have to join different sport clubs to do what you loved doing most. You barely had time left to do your homework, leave alone do other stuff. 

As soon as you got outside you hugged your jacket a little closer around you, trying to shield yourself from the icy wind. The summer had been great, days had been smoking hot, nights had been pleasantly cool and it had lasted for so long. Now, autumn was closing in on you and soon enough winter would be there, so slowly the days were turning colder, daylight was getting pourer and the nights were lasting longer. You hated winter the most out of all seasons, you hated the cold. Walking across the sport field you watched as students ran into the main building, all trying to prevent they would be late in class. You knew you didn’t have to hurry, since your teacher would mostly tolerate it if you’d be late by a few minutes. They knew you had trainings in the morning and that sometimes they would run late, they usually let you in without mocking you, knowing you had a proper excuse. 

Yet, you still managed to get your speed up as you sprinted up the stairs, walking into the hallway. The amount of students was already lacking as you raced over towards your locker and gave in your code. “Personal training?” Elena asked, her voice coming from behind you. You turned your head to see her fiddling with her own locker, clearly stressed out because she was late. Your teachers did tolerate you, on days they knew you had a reason to be late, on the days you didn’t, they would scold you never the less. “Yeah, don’t laugh to hard. You’ll have your own fair share tomorrow.” You reminded her, and you heard her chuckle behind you. Saying goodbye you ran through the hall, stopping in front of the door of your class room for this period and gave it a soft knock. 

“Come in.” The teacher’s voice resounded through the wood of the door and as soon as you opened the door and pushed your head around the corner, his stern expression softened slightly. “Miss _____________, please join us and take your seat.” Mister Kim muttered softly and you slipped inside quietly while your eyes rested on the unfamiliar boy who was standing beside him. His gaze drilled into yours, even though the unreadable expression on his face didn’t change. Though, there was something about his eyes that made it almost unable for you to look away. Quickly you walked towards your table, almost knocking over someone’s bag pack, causing you to mutter a soft apology before you finally slipped into your seat. You were quick to notice that today the only empty chair seemed to be the one next to yours. 

“So, I was introducing our newest student. Jeon Jungkook will be joining you for chemistry classes from now on and I’m sure some of you will have different classes with him as well. I expect you to treat him well, show him around and make sure that if he has any questions to answer them. You’re very welcome here Jungkook, I hope you’ll feel at home soon.” Mister Kim said, shooting him a friendly smile. You tugged up your eyebrows, remarking that the man was barely as nice to the most of you. He sent the new boy in your direction and he skillfully avoided your stare and he slipped behind the desk beside you. Most of the girls stared at him, their gazes locked on him because no one could deny, he was handsome. Most of them were already claiming him as their next boyfriend. 

Mostly, you weren’t someone who let yourself get fooled by good looks and a bad boy charisma. You’d had your own experience with that after dating your ex boyfriend for a few months. He’d seemed all great and amazing, swooping you off of your feet and as soon as he’d had the chance he’d gone around your back and he had found himself someone else. Yet, you noticed the way he easily grabbed his note book, ignoring all of them as he looked down on the paper as if no one else was present inside of the room. The aura around him told you that he definitely didn’t want you to talk to him. So you didn’t and you simply focussed yourself back on the teacher in the front of the room, because it seemed as if he wasn’t done yet. Still, the strange cologne made its way into your nose, making you feel uncomfortable. 

“Okay, it’s time for group projects. I want you all to pair up with the person who’s sitting next to you for the next few weeks and you’re going to work out a formula and you’re going to write a paper about it. This will be your final work for this year, so there’s a lot depending on it. In other words, don’t screw this up.” Mister Kim continued and you quickly turned your head to the left, praying to god that the person on your left side was still available. But Taehyung had already turned himself towards Amanda, who was sitting beside him. Your heart dropped into your stomach at the sight and you tried not to look hurt. Your teammate shrugged your shoulders at you before starting a conversation with her new partner. Your shoulders tensed as soon as the thought hit you, the new student was sitting next to you. Inwardly you groaned. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to work with him, it was just obvious that he didn’t want to work with anyone. Also, it was easier for you to work with someone who was aware of your busy schedule. 

Taking a deep breath you turned towards Jungkook, who was already looking at you. His glare was dark enough to make all of the hairs on your arms stand on edge. “Alright, since you all found yourself a companion you can sit together and then I’ll give all of you an assignment. You can read through it together, in SILENCE.” Mister Kim raised his voice as two guys in the front already started to make a fuss. Though, you were too busy debating if you should ask your teacher for a new partner or man up and give Jungkook a chance, to notice. He didn’t want to work with you, that much was for sure. In the end you sniffed, no one had the chance to decide who they were working with, so he didn’t have the right to stare you down like this. He didn’t know you, and in case he was interested, you were actually quite good at these kinds of things. 

When all of this was over he’d be grateful that he was partnered with you and not someone who sucked at this course. Telling yourself that this wouldn’t work if you wouldn’t try you tried not to let him see how intimidated you felt by him and you let a smile appear on your face. “Hi, I’m ______________.” You mumbled, keeping your voice down as you waited for a response. A deep frown appeared in between his eyebrows and for a second you weren’t afraid he didn’t speak your language, he looked as if he had no idea what you were saying. “How’s your first day going so far?” You asked, trying again. He was probably just nervous, after all a first day could be stressful. This time he sniffed and rolled his eyes at you, and you were taken aback by his hostile reaction. “Like you care.” He grumbled before crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against his chair, not even looking at you. 

What the hell was wrong with this guy? You were trying to be friendly, and what was he doing? He was being rude as fuck. You really tried to fight it, but in the end your head turned red out of embarrassment and anger. Not knowing what else to say you waited for the teacher to near your table with the assignment. You couldn’t get to know him better if he wouldn’t let you talk to him. Was he always like this? How were you every supposed to finish this project if you had to work with such an ass? Was it because you had interrupted him when he’d been introducing himself this morning? You hadn’t wanted to be rude. Your thoughts were running in circles as you pulled your hoodie straight, feeling the need to tug the cap over your head and hide. There weren’t many people who were able to make you feel that way. And you knew that it was wrong for you to let him, because he had no idea who you were and he didn’t have the right to treat you like this. 

This was nothing you could blame yourself for, and he was the one who had to apologize for being so mean to you. Still, you couldn’t help but try to find another reason behind it. It was his first day, everything was new for him, maybe he was just overwhelmed? Mister Kim walked up to your desks, standing in front of it quietly, letting his gaze linger between the two of you, as if he knew something was happening but he wasn’t sure what it was. “This is your assignment.” He said, putting a paper down on each of your tables, and you looked down on the paper reading it before waiting for him to continue. “Jungkook, I’ve checked your grades, and I’m sure the two of you won’t have a problem putting this together. As long as you can work your way past the busy training schedules, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” He said, sending you a stern look before disappearing towards the next couple. 

A deep sigh left your lips as you got reminded of that. It wasn’t easy to combine all of this together, especially since these kinds of things usually had to happen after class. You’d have to hope that your coach would try to understand that maybe you should stick with two trainings a week until this was over. Noticing Jungkook’s eyes pointing on you, you turned your head towards him and demanded yourself to smile. You weren’t going to let him force you into being cruel as well, he might be, but you weren’t lowering yourself to his level. You weren’t going to give him an actual reason to hate you. “I’m in the sport team.” You explained to him, in case he didn’t know what the teacher had meant with all of that. You swore you could feel your blood boiling inside of your veins because of his mocking tone when he spoke up. “Sure you are.” He muttered, grabbing the paper and looking down on it. 

Staring at the side of his face while he ignored you, you felt like screaming at him. No one was aware of the distressed state you were in as they were all busy trying to figure out how to handle this assignment. The two of you should be doing the same thing, instead, you were ready to pull your hair from your skull. Making sure no one could hear you above the whispers you made sure to speak softly to him. If he thought you would let him get away with this he was wrong, you weren’t going to let him walk over you like this. “Listen, mister grumpy face. I don’t care if you want to be a brad, you go on if you wish. But I’m not planning on failing this course because of you. I don’t want you to treat me like we’re best friends, I don’t have to know your deepest thoughts and feelings. But I’m not taking this kind of bullshit.” You whispered rigorously, and even though his expression didn’t change, you could see the surprise written inside of his eyes as he stared back at you. 

If he hadn’t acted the way he had, you were sure you could have gotten lost inside of those dark brown oceans. Out of all the things he had expected he clearly hadn’t thought that you would speak up against him. Unlike everyone you weren’t planning on flattering him and if he wanted to hate you than that was fine, but you could hate him just as much. It was clear he was thinking about your words as his eyes turned into slits. He was so antagonistic, it didn’t fit with his looks at all. “Fine….” He eventually muttered, the tension slowly slipped out of his shoulders and for the first time since you had entered the classroom he didn’t look as if he would run out of it any second. You didn’t know anything about this guy and his past, you didn’t know why he had changed schools in the middle of the year and you weren’t planning on asking him. 

But you tried to keep in mind that whatever had happened, it might be the cause of his behavior and maybe you’d be able to understand if you would know about his situation. But you weren’t going to let him take it out on you. “Let’s meet up in the library, or at one of our places after school. If we work on this thing for a few days a week then I’m sure we’ll get it finished long before the deadline.” You suggested, realizing that there wasn’t coming much leadership or action from him. This partnership was already tiring you and it had barely started. He was not going to be an easy person to work with, seeing how he seemed to hate everyone around him. He shrugged his shoulders, rolling his pen in between his fingers. 

His mind seemed to be elsewhere as you brushed your hands down your face and tried not to scold him again. “You can meet me at the sport field at five tonight, we’ll get going from there.” When the bell rang it felt like a gift and you didn’t take the effort to bid him goodbye as you got up from your seat and grabbed your bag, trying to get a break from Jeon Jungkook for as long as you could before you had to see him again. 

Part 2

BTS Masterlist

[smilingformoney]

America’s Most Eligible 2 Diamond Scene: Strategize with Mackenzie and Jen

You: Come on, Mackenzie. I think talking strategy might do you some good. Mackenzie: If you’re offering… I guess it can’t hurt. Jen: I know the perfect place for a strategy session.

Jen leads you and Mackenzie up to the roof, where you find seats across from her. Jen leans forward and looks at Mackenzie intently. Jen: I’m not going to sugarcoat this, Mackenzie… Vince is good at finding your pressure points. Particularly in public, in front of the cameras… Mackenzie: Yeah, you’re telling me… Jen: But if you keep rising to the bait, it’s only going to give him an edge. You: And it’ll make you look bad in the process. Mackenzie crosses her arms. From where you’re sitting, you can see her clenching her jaw. Mackenzie: So the what am I supposed to do about it?

You: I think Jen is saying… -You should find his weak points and fight back!

Mackenzie: That’s what I’ve been trying to get at. I need to give that jackass a taste of his own medicine! Jen: Actually, that’s not what I had in mind… Jen: If anything, you should do your best to shrug off Vince’s jabs.

-You should just let him win.

Mackenzie: Are you serious? Jen: That’s not really what I was suggesting… Jen: I’m just saying, guys like Vince thrive off pushing other people to their breaking point. Whatever you do, you can’t give him that satisfaction.

-You need to play it cool.

Mackenzie: Play it… cool? You: Mackenzie, he’s actively trying to get a rise out of you. But if you stay relaxed around him, it’ll throw him off his game. Jen: She’s/He’s right! Whatever you do, you can’t react to anything he hurls your way. Otherwise, you’re just letting him beat you--

Mackenzie: But I’m not a doormat, Jen. And I’m sure as hell not going to sit there and let this guy get away with insulting me. Jen: Look, I know it’s easier said than done, but you gotta think of the long game. Sure, yelling at him feels great in the moment… You: But it might put you in jeopardy in the competition, especially if you blow up at him on camera. Jen: You’re an amazing contestant, Mackenzie. You just need to change up your strategy a bit… Jen: In fact, let’s roleplay this. I’ll be Vince, and I’ll say something rude to rile you up… Jen: And Jamie can model what a good response looks like… Playing as you. Mackenzie: I dunno if I’m in the mood for community theatre, guys… You: All you have to do is watch. Jen winks at you, then crosses her arms. She speaks on a low tone, hilariously reminiscent of Vince… ‘Vince’: Ugh. Mackenzie is such a bleeding heart! We have better things to do than helping little kids… Mackenzie: He would say that, that two-faced piece of-- Jen: Gonna stop you there, Mackenzie. The whole point is to play it cool! Jamie? You brush your hair back into your face, narrowing your eyes. You stand back, jutting out your hip… Mackenzie: I do not look like that-- ‘Mackenzie’: Well, you’re entitled to your opinion, Vince…

You: But… -I guess we’ll just help those children without you. Mackenzie +2

‘Mackenzie’: Though I think this world would be a far better place if we could work together for the greater good… Jen: And that is how you do it. Staying calm and being sincere about your beliefs makes Vince look like a jerk. Mackenzie: And I don’t have to sacrifice my real opinions to call him out…

-Maybe if you had a heart, you’d understand. Mackenzie +2

‘Mackenzie’: I shouldn’t expect anyone so dead inside to care about anyone but himself. Mackenzie: Damn. I’ll have to save that line for next time. Jen: That was actually a little more cutting than what I had in mind. Jen: But if it ends up making Vince look like the villain he is… You can consider it a job well done.

Mackenzie looks away, thinking for a moment. Mackenzie: Okay, Jen. You win. Jen: It’s not about winning, Mackenzie. We want you to hold your own against Vince. Mackenzie: Well, join the club. I just don’t want him to undermine what I’m trying to do with this Date. It’s not fair to those kids… You: He won’t undermine it, Mackenzie. We won’t let him. Mackenzie offers you a smile, the first real one you’ve seen in a while. Mackenzie: Thanks. But you made a good point earlier about how he already knows what sets me off… Mackenzie: I think it’s only fair that I learn his weak spots too. You never know when I’ll need to go for the throat. You think for a moment, back to your conversation with Vince during the sandcastle building Challenge… You: Vince told me that his on-camera reputation is everything to him, and yet he still finds ways to instigate things during filming… You: But if you play your cards like Jen said, you can make that strategy backfire on him. And make sure the cameras capture everything. Mackenzie: Sounds like you really got to know him when you were partners. You: Hey, ‘know your enemy’ is a proverb for a reason. Mackenzie: Good point. So, what’s the best way to get to him?

You: Vince’s biggest weakness is his… -Persona.

You: He wears his ‘suave’ persona like a suit of armour. If you want to stay on his good side, flatter him! You: But if you want to chip away at that armour, find a way to make him look bad on camera. Then the audience will see the real him. Jen: And from what I’ve seen, it won’t take much to make him lose his cool. Mackenzie: So all I have to do is shine a light on how he fails to live up to his persona…

-Competition with Adam.

You: He’ll never admit it, but he’s obviously intimidated by Adam… which is exactly why he keeps trying to sabotage him. You: If you plant the seed that maybe Vince doesn’t measure up to Adam, Vince’ll do the most to try and best him. Mackenzie: And he won’t have time to mess with me.

-Vanity!

You: You know he spends hours trying to look good for the cameras. When in doubt, go straight for the perm! Mackenzie: Oh, I’d love to see him cry over an out-of-place hair. Jen: I’d advise against any hair-pulling, imaginary or otherwise. But I’m sure you can get creative and use his narcissism against him…

Mackenzie takes a deep breath, as if shaking off her worries. Mackenzie: Thanks, guys. You’ve given me a lot to think about. You: Are you less worried about the Elimination? Mackenzie: Oh, I have my fingers crossed that Vince will be sent packing instead of me. But I think I can relax in the meantime… Mackenzie +2 Mackenzie: Especially now that I finally have the right ammo to deal with him. She grins at you, and you all start to head for the stairs…

Who do you say a private goodbye to? -Mackenzie

As Jen goes ahead, you call Mackenzie back before she leaves the terrace. Mackenzie: Wanted to get me all to yourself, huh? You: I just wanted to make sure you’re really doing okay. Mackenzie: I am. Don’t get me wrong, the ‘take the high road’ advice can be frustrating, but I know you’re right. Mackenzie: And you helping out means a lot to me. Just like these little moments do… She tugs on your shirt, bringing you in for a heated kiss. She chuckles against your lips as you wrap your arms around her waist, pulling her even closer. You: You’re not making it easy to leave, you know… Mackenzie winks, and take you by the hand, leading you downstairs to the others.

-Jen

As Mackenzie goes ahead, you motion for Jen to hang back with you. You: Hey, thanks for helping Mackenzie with this. Jen: Of course! What kind of producer would I be if I didn’t give advice? You: You just… care a lot more than more producers would. It’s one of the many reasons I like you so much… Jen closes the distance between you, threading her fingers through your hair… And pressing her lips against yours. You smile, deepening the kiss. You savour the feeling of her body against yours, the soft noises she makes as she kisses you again and again… Jen: Trust me, the feeling is mutual. Jen cups your cheek, smiling sweetly. After a gentle moment, you both head downstairs to find the others.

-No one

You follow right behind Jen and Mackenzie as they leave the terrace. Mackenzie: Seriously, I can’t thank you enough for all the Vince tips. Jen: I’m glad I could help! I only wish I could do you both a favour… and send him home myself. Mackenzie: Smart, and funny too! I can’t believe you were keeping our star producer all to yourself last year, Jamie. You: You can’t blame me for wanting the very best on my side. Jen shoots you a smile, then leads you back to the others.

-If you already spoke to Adam and Derek

You both feeling better about surviving Vince and Ivy? Adam: If I make it through the end of the week without glaring at my ‘partner’ on camera, it’s all thanks to you. Mackenzie: Yeah, what Adam said. Jen: I’m glad we could help. But now, as your producer, I have to officially recommend that you all get back to the cameras.

 -If you didn’t already speak to Adam and Derek

You: (There might till be time to chat with Adam and Derek…)

What do you do? -Strategize with Adam and Derek! -Rejoin the others.

[digimedial]

Who's driving now? - DigiMediaL wrap up & consultation tips /  13th of December 2018

As the DigiMediaL_musik project is coming to an end by new years eve after nearly more than 10 years, this last Berliner Musiker*innen Treff offered a ceremonial project completion as well as a place for further consultation tips regarding the Berlin music scene.

We invited alumni, lecturers and cooperative partners from the past three years and also all interested people who would like to find their way around the consulting jungle in Berlin to come together.

Sandra Flachmann was guiding through a well organized variety of consulting opportunities in Berlin, (digital) networks and platforms, funding opportunities in music, information on workshops and lectures on music-related issues. So this time there was almost a two-hours program to  be enjoyed. 

First the OMA’s café was presented as it is still one of the last uncommercial spaces so close to Mitte and hosted us very friendly for the last couple of months. Also they are open to alternative uses of the space itself. The presentation and wrap up of the DigiMediaL-musik project and a brief introduction of cooperation partners and guests followed.

The talk opened up when alumni of the OnStage certificate course were joining the round, Lisa-Miriam Übel (OnStage IV) and Chrissy Möllers (OnStage II) sat down next to Sandra. For Chrissy it was most important, that OnStage opened the door to a variety of networks like Ramschakl or Tal der Verwirrung. As a result of these connections she created her own regular event series and doing bookings at the venue Klunkerkranich. She really liked the group work itself and the group dynamics and even though it was exhausting sometimes, it showed her how much potential a group can develope. Most problems she remembered of the processcame from dealing with their main event location as at that time the owners of the location were in the process of just forming their own group also. Reflecting the self inside a group was the biggest learning for her. Lisa told that she found it very interesting how the development was from the first meeting until the main event, as many creative heads ‘have strong personalities’ and they all didn’t know each other before. To manage this and combining very different tastes while fulfilling the tasks that needed to be done to get the event going was a challenge and at the same time showed her how much is possible in such a short time. Also for her own it was a push to really finally prepare a live set. Developing new friendships and collaborations, she said she took a lot of values from the OnStage course with her.

The first pitch was made by Maureen Noé of Musicboard Berlin. This is one of the biggest or maybe the central funding organization for pop music in Berlin. It covers nearly any genre, just no straightforward jazz or classical music. The Music Board tries to be very approachable and do consultings in English and German. They distribute financial support towards artists directly and to projects, organizers and festivals (in Berlin). ‘Karrieresprungbrett’ for example is a program to establish newcomers and ‘Pop im Kiez’ is raising awareness for the acceptance of live music in neighbourhoods. Most deadlines to apply for scholarships are around February (only for newcomers registered in Berlin, roughly 5000-10000 €). Above all you apply with music, next to a small project plan, CV of your artistic career and a small finance overview for the jury to decide. They are active in supporting more female*, non binary and trans artists.

Giuditta Panzieri of Music Pool Berlin followed. The non-profit organization exists since 2014 and offers a mix of think tank, consulting, education and networking. The aim is helping musicians to take a step forward and to be able to navigate inside the Berlin music industry. They offer 4h-workshops once a week (15€) on topics like e.g. marketing, branding, music licencing, DIY booking and similar to support independent artists. There are two types of consultation (all available in German and English): One for free and one that that offers you a ‘personal expertise’ (20€=1h). Once a month there is an event called ‘Community evening’, an easy going conference offering different topics and experts with changing locations every time. The other event of the Music Pool is the artist meetup, where artists are free to sign up for a slot and then do a pitch to show what they are doing at the moment as well as to ask for feedback and ressources.

The Berlin Music Commission was represented by Tim Joppien who first stated that this network and cooperative consists of 120 members with a background in labelwork, management, radio stations and booking agencies. They also do consultations but workshops and thinktank formats as well. Tim called the Music Commission a ‘music industry network’ which targets companies, but also more and more ‘individuals’. They were part of the ‘Most wanted: Music convention Berlin’ and do a monthly event called ‘Backstage’ which for example tries to bring together people who create music and other industries like the film industry. Their ‘Sprechstunde Musikwirtschaft’ is a consultation for basic music industry knowledge and there is a program for internationalisation called ‘Music Ambassador’. Via their platform ‘listen to berlin’ they are including compilations of newcomers and the applications usually open up around April.

After a short break Mona Katawi of the transnational counseling center ‘Landesmusikrat Berlin’ explained her offer, which she does in four different languages (German, Arabic, English, Turkish).  She manages the program ‘Information about the music market’, making information available for people who just came to Berlin, especially for musicians in exile who just fled their country. It is mostly a very general consultation, like for example regarding “what is the KSK and how to I get in”. They also work together with Kulturförderpunkt and ver.di, accompanying people who mostly need translations and emotional support with bureaucratic appointments in Germany. Also they made a map visible on landesmusikrat-berlin.de/projekte/musikarbeitsmarkt which shows various institutions and locations regarding music. The program is funded by the ‘Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa’.  

Sebastian Hoffmann who is working inside the ‘touring artists’-advisory package of SMartDe Netzwerk für Kreative e.V. explained that they are open to all sectors of music and the music industry. They give advices regarding VISA, residential questions, transports, taxes, insurances and similar issues. Except German and English they offer some information in Polish, French, Dutch and some Italian. As they are funded from the federal government they offer free consultation via phone, in universities and through workshops. Mainly they focus on two ways of consultation: for people who just arrived to Germany and for people who want to travel outside Germany. The next workshop will be on January 15th in the afternoon from 2-6pm at Music Pool; an overall crashcourse on all topics shown on the website. Costs 15€.

Following this, Matthias Krebs of DigiMediaL_musik introduced the free online platform SKILLFRIED which is focussing on music projects and is all about connecting professional musicians as well as freelancers and creative heads. This is especially interesting for people who are already experienced in music-related projects and are searching for new partners or collaborateurs.

Last but not least the current initiative savemauerpark.de was given the space to make the situation visible by a delegate of busking.co; musician and (street) artists Laura Hoo. Not only being linked to other busking projects all over Europe, she is involved into founding the Verein related to streetmusicberlin.de, trying to help out street musicians in a time when more and more places are getting problematic and finally shut down. As the rules for busking are not really clear and visible in Berlin, buskers are threatened about losing their instrument through confiscation. Since summer weekly demonstrations in Mauerpark took place, as the situation got out of hand during summer with a lot of neighbour -and police troubles. To support the cause and buskers in their work, it’s about getting involved and spreading the word and awareness or simply get in contact to join the weekly meetings. At the moment, the initiative tries to do lobby work in Pankow/for Mauerpark but probably has to go for a berlinwide movement. Everybody signing the petition to create pressure on the authorities helps the cause!

Closing wrap up, Sandra mentioned some more institutions to find consultation and networks:   -female:pressure -culture container -ALEX Offener Kanal Berlin  -musicBwoman.de

Like always there was time for questions and networking and the evening was rounded off by a cosy talkative session from an audience that clearly appreciated the Berliner Musiker*innen Treff. Thanks & Good-bye! :-)

[mukur0writes-blog]

25 Q’s (tag)

Thank you to @leapwriter for the tag!!!

1. Is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

Yes. I have this one super in-depth concept that will require...well, a shitton of research. I’m talking binders full. It’s highly political and involves an outrageous amount of extrapolation and speculation based on history and real-world politics and foreign policy as well as past relations and state’s relations and...long story short, Tennessee secedes from the U.S. as they threatened to do a few years ago under the Obama Administration. the U.S. responds with high tariffs to this new “independent country” and rip, Tennessee, which is not self-sufficient in any shape or form, goes to hell. It would follow several characters and examine “illegal immigration,” wealth and poverty, the nature of activism, and the consequence of conservative backlash.

2. What work of yours, if any, are you embarrassed about existing?

Anything written before 2013. Some after.

3. What order do you write in? Front of book to back? Chronological? Favorite scenes first? Something else?

So far I’ve always written front to back, as it would be read, but lately I’ve been considering going more freeform and doing scene by scene, but that requires a solid outline and I have never in my life been able to outline with any actual success.

4. Favorite character you’ve written?

Depends on the day and who I’m currently working on. fan characters, Mukuro forever.

5. Character you were most surprised to end up writing?

this is probably more relevant to canon characters that I’ve picked up for fanworks, tbh. like...Genos of OPM? I never would have expected. Colonnello of KHR? wtf

6. Something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

there’s some shit I wish I’d refined in the current OPM fanfic, Androgen Blues, but I’m not gonna go back and heavy edit published chapters before even updating lmao. 

7. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

I don’t share my online works with people irl, period, ever. but I’m okay telling people that I write I guess. people ask hobbies and like, that’s the biggest one so I can’t exactly hide it

8. Favorite genre to write

depends on the day. I love horror and speculative fiction. spec fic is where my heart truly lies, but horror is damn good, too. admittedly I have a lot of practice writing erotica, too. 

9. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

pinterest boards because I’m a fucking pleb. I like to read manga a lot and sometimes I get lucky and get bright ideas and inspo. music is a huge one. xkito and SuicideSheep are so important to my writing.

10. Write in silence or with background music? Alone or with others?

this depends 100% on the day. some days I just need some goddamn quiet, some days I have to plug into some music to write. some days I’m too noise sensitive to listen even if I wanted to.

11. What aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

I mean, I started writing when I was like 10, so...I sure hope all of it. lmao. technique, narrative, maturity, prose, readability, variation, style, character building, world building, audience awareness, relationships, dynamics, tone, pacing, planning...

12. Your weaknesses as an author?

i’m so fucking ADD. i’ve never finished a project with more than four chapters or forty pages so far. and I used to have a million ideas a day and go back and forth constantly but after I got into fanworks i started channeling that all into RP threads and shit and now i feel pretty bereft of ideas? i need to get creative again and start thinking in originality instead of au’s and stuff.

13. Your strengths as an author?

i like to think it’s characterisation. character depth and interest and relatability. character variety and dynamic. 

14. Do you make playlists for your work?

not so far. i have playlists for writing in general, but not for specific wips

15. Why did you start writing?

it seemed cool i guess? i wanted to join in with people. i was a humongous daydreamer and realised i could write it down.

16. Are there any characters who haunt you?

my own characters?

I mean...the oc’s from when I was a stupid 13yo struggling with undiagnosed ptsd? those definitely haunt me.

the vampire knight next gen oc’s. those...those will never go away.

17. If you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

this sounds dramatic but I don’t do those...talk to your younger self things. I can’t go back there. maybe in 20 years. 

18. Were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? What were they?

god. so many...

early on, Maximum Ride. and Wheel of Time. talk about conflict. Garth Nix was in there somewhere.

as time went on, Anne Rice really had a hand in my style and storytelling and interests maturing. Oscar Wilde further refined it and encouraged me to start looking at human theory and experiment with writing. 

Kyoko Mori really really dug into me in early high school. I’m sure her books have had a very profound impact on my writing.

my brain is totally blipping on more but I’m sure there’s a ton. before my ADD made reading a big issue, I read abt an average-size book a day. sometimes 1000 pages. i was one of those kids.

19. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timelines, ect.?

well organised bulletin points on a wordpad or something. seriously. i’m not...super in depth with organisation and notes and stuff. when i start working with full-on 100% original worldbuilding i’ll have to start using scrivener’s more in depth functions.

20. Do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

usually long sit-down sessions. that’s always the goal. but sometimes a little is all i can do. 

21. What do you think when you read over your older work?

how old? lmao, if it’s the shit I despise pre-2013 i can’t bring myself to read it. it’s fraught with “oh shit that’s trauma wow fuck me” -> dysphoria. then there’s just the weird ass feeling of not remembering stuff you know that you wrote. and shame. i’m bad at having to be perfect, thinking everyone is judging me, all that shit. even some stuff from last year i’ve read over in the last couple months and just cringed and curled up. i really need to rewrite it.

22. Are there subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

yyyyyyes. i mean there’s triggers for sure--like I could never ever write something involving syringes. i’d probably literally hurl. uh...abuse is a biggie. I can write it but it will mess with me, and there’s the tightrope of dealing with a victim who is probably glorifying the abuse to themselves while not glorifying it in a story, and like, i’m someone who’s been there and been addicted to that roller coaster so yeah, i totally could end up romanticising it without even knowing it (or because i couldn’t go into detail on it without that barrier). sometimes i think that varies by the day. i do write abuse but it’s usually venting more than anything to publish.

23. Any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

helped and hindered.

24. Have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

fuck hyperfocus, lmao

25. Copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of.

p...proud? of writing? surely you jest. no but the one i’m really proud of doesn’t really have any snippets that are interesting without context of the whole thing, sorry.

tagging @tofu-writes and @starcraftcd if you’re interested!

[noble-pro]

Running Dads… Finding time to stay Active

Being a parent and working can make it tough to find time to keep fit and stay active. All to often I hear that people dont have time to train for something they want to do. It’s TRUE, being a parent is hard, and it is hard to find the right balance. However, it is possible. I have been thinking how much my training has changed since I’ve had kids, and been looking at lots of awesome Dads that continue to do amazing things, whilst inspiring their children, through running. During this blog I want to show you what you can achieve whilst being a parent, by showing you stories of Dads that run. I have a collection of stories from 7 great Dads about how they manage to stay active.

Before children I was improving all the time, and hitting PB’s time after time. I trained often and hard, and frankly I do not have the time, or desire to do this. My routine is to get up, get the kids sorted, go to work, I work through lunch and get home in time to eat with my family, get the kids ready for bed and get them off to bed. I will often then work in the evening. All of this is very tiring, and it’s hard to find the motivation to train. I spend the weekend trying to have quality time with the family, so it seems impossible to fit in training. I overcome this by cycling to work, which keeps me active. I have a treadmill at home and add the odd run in a few times a week. Then I always try to do something at the weekend. I use my pacing as a long training run, and usually take my family with me. This means we explore together as a family, I’m missing for the Sunday morning, but the rest of the weekend is spent doing family activities. If we are on holiday doing an event I will often end up at the Zoo or theme park the day after.

The biggest tip from me is to enjoy what you are doing. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, and don’t worry if you can’t train as much as anyone else. Do what you can, and structure your expectations accordingly. To put things in perspective, I have completed 4 Ironman events whilst always putting my family first. I haven’t pushed as hard as I could with more training, but I’ve done the best I can, and that’s enough. So whether you want to do a 5k, marathon or Ironman, or just want to go out there and get fit and healthy, you can do it. Dont take my word for it, look at these fantastic Dads: Austin (Insta @thisdadcanrun)

Prior to taking up running more seriously in January 2018, I was finding it almost impossible to fit in any exercise due to work and family commitments. Becoming a Dad has been the best but I stopped looking after my physical health. Over time my weight had crept up and up, it got to the stage where enough was enough. Something just had to change. I started with the RED January challenge and ran everyday for a whole month and absolutely loved it. I carried on running and started to look for more challenges. I really wanted my children to know me as active, “no one was ever inspired by someone sat on the couch”. A massive highlight was when my son started to ask to come running with me and running together at junior Parkrun is the absolute best. As time went on in my own running I started to step my distances up and my times came down. I took on some half marathons and before I knew it I was committed to take on a full marathon. It’s so tough to balance the demands of training with spending quality time with the family but it is so important. Being healthy yourself is what allows you to be the best you, provide a good role model and keep your energy up to be a top Dad. I tend to try and squeeze runs around my other commitments if I can, for example I love a run commute. It saves so much time and saves having to be stuck on a packed out train. I’m so pleased to have discovered a love of running and am proud of the example I am setting for my kids and to other parents. Jon (Insta @this_man_runs)

As a father of 5 children (3 sons and 2 step daughters) fitting in time to train and keep fit can be a bit of a challenge. I am rather fortunate that I don’t need much sleep. This means that I am often out pounding the streets in the early hours of the morning. Earlier this year I ran 20 miles before 6 on a work day. I honestly believe that there is time in the day to be had if you get up early enough. I suppose I’m quite lucky that my children are all much older (their ages span 12-18) and therefore like a lie in…or two…so I can be done before anyone has emerged from their pits! However there are occasions when my training doesn’t quite fit around the schedules of dance classes/swimming lessons/football training… and of course…work. During these times I have found it helpful to always travel with running gear in the car. I might not be able to get the scheduled 10 miler in but, whilst the children are attending their classes, I can often get a few miles in, rather than waiting outside dusty halls or in humid swimming pools. On various occasions I’ve incorporated my family into my training. Either joining me on a run or cycling alongside me. We all ran during the Bournemouth Marathon festival in October, the youngest three (Alice, Francis and Eve) the 5k, my wife Hannah and my 16 yr old son Ewan ran the 10k whilst my eldest son Jon-Joe ran the marathon with me. I couldn’t be more proud. The biggest benefit to being an active Dad is that the children see the hard work that goes into it. They understand the work that I have put into it and are therefore under no illusions about how hard work translates into rewards. This is a lesson that also translates to their schoolwork and they have definitely picked up on that too. Finally I think it’s important to ensure that I thank my family (particularly my wife) for the support they give me. It certainly helps knowing that they are all wanting me to do my best too. Grant (Insta @runwithless)

My Dad is an active dad. He ran the first ever Great North Run in 1981 and London Marathon in 1982, amongst other running events. He inspired me to start running and as an active dad myself now, I hope to inspire my daughter in the same way. Running may seem like a solo pursuit, but it really is a collaboration. My training is only made possible by the help and support of the people around me. During the week I’m fortunate enough to work next to a parkrun location and have a flexible & understanding employer with shower facilities. This enables me to complete my training for running events most days, either on my lunch break or run commutes to and from work. Using this time to consistently & efficiently get my training done has been the key to successfully training for and achieving my goals. It also means that once I finish work for the day, my training has also been completed so I can be present and focus on family time. On weekends my supportive wife gives me time first thing on a morning to complete a long run and often a parkrun on saturday – sometimes my wife & daughter come along to cheer too. My advice for active dads is to share your training with your family. Earlier in the year whilst training for my first marathon, we ran parts of my training long runs together, whether it was joining me for the first 2K or the last 5K of my run. It took on a greater meaning than just marathon training. It was about creating memories together, capturing them with video, inspiring my daughter and making my family proud. I eventually ran Manchester Marathon in a time of 03:48:14. Whilst I was delighted to achieve a sub4 time at the first attempt, it was never about time. I found greater meaning – taking the family marathon baton from my Dad. Hopefully, I can pass it onto my Daughter in the future. Most importantly, I got to share and experience, not only race day, but the full marathon training journey with my family. Marcus (insta @themarathonmarcus)

I’m currently training for a sub 3 hour marathon, my recent result was 3:01. My training consists of mainly easy paced runs, with two workout sessions a week. I run a minimum of 50+ miles week most of the year, to maintain consistency in my training. Training around family and work is really tough. I do my runs before work, so I can get home after work to lessen the time impact with my family. You hear a lot about the importance of sleep and recovery, well it’s not always easy or achievable as I’d like, say if my kids sick. Or if I return from a long run, I still have to do my dad duties even if my legs have checked out for the day. Concurrently prioritising family time and my running goals, requires clear communication and planning with my family to make things work. Jonathan (Twitter @jonathancalver)

I have been running on and off for the last 20 years, the first race I have a picture from was Standalone 10k in 1996. For the last 5 years running has become a large part of my life, there are not many weekends when we, as a family, are not running. These five years also coincide with having our son. Before our son as born, we visited the Mother and Baby show and came away with a Thule Chariot, a superb running buggy with baby hammock, head rest, cosy toes, bottle holder etc etc, just what every excepting family needs. Looking back this was the baby accessory we had the most use from. As soon as Tommy was old enough he came out with us in the Chariot for runs and we kept this up until he was 4 years old doing mostly training runs, Parkrun and the odd race. The older he became, the longer the runs became. It was great to be able to interact with him whilst out running and it also passed the time much quicker, he also offered great encouragement, “go faster daddy” was often heard along route 51 in Bedfordshire. It was soon after we started doing Parkruns that the days of the running buggy were numbered, Tommy would be keen to get out and start running along side the buggy, when he’d had enough would climb back in then off we’d go again, our fastest Parkrun as a duo was 20:40. After the running buggy running became more difficult, we needed to go out separately. We managed this using the evenings, alternate evenings of running and early mornings at the weekend. Most Saturday’s I would do a long run to get to our local Parkrun, then cheer from the cafe with Tommy. On Sunday’s if not racing, I would drive to the junior Parkrun and my partner would run to it, allowing us both time with our son and also getting the miles in for any upcoming events. I am very lucky to have my family’s support and encouragement at most races, it gives a great boost seeing them on the course and getting the best high 5’s. I hope Tommy continues to enjoy his running as much a he is currently and I can’t wait to run and support him in his races in the future. Anthony (Twitter @dads_running)

It’s hard to put into words just how important running is to me. My main reason for heading out, sun, rain, hail… whatever the weather, is that my children grow up knowing about the sacrifices that you need to make to keep fit and active and to see the importance of doing so. Personal fitness of mind and body is also incredibly important to me, and the bling after running an event always hangs proudly. Balance though, is everything. I find that the best time to run; for my family to ensure that I don’t miss out on time with them, and for myself and the way in which my body responds to exercise, is first thing in the morning. I wake up, pack my bag for the day, drive to work and run from there. It also allows me to miss the rush hour traffic so whilst I don’t have many opportunities to sleep in, I spend less time behind the wheel. Probably around 2 1/2 hours a week. I also try to avoid long runs at the weekend. I often see on social media, some fantastic running by people in training and the weekends is where they are able to fit their long runs in. It just isn’t something that works for me. Now and again; but not every week, and certainly not when there are plans for the day ahead with the family. The last thing I want them to feel like is that they are second on my priority list after running so I go when it only interferes with my own time. Tim (Twitter @timsrunworld)

I’m a father of four, have a full-on teaching and management job, a passion for running and importantly, an understanding partner! I know that when I’m happiest is when I’m getting the balance right between work and play. For me, running is time for me to do something I enjoy, let off some emotional steam, process what’s on my mind or switch off completely and to stay fit and healthy. I strive to be a positive role model to my family, friends and fellow runners! I’d always been a footballer and cricketer until the children came along and I found that there just weren’t the hours in a day I could commit to these sports. I knew I wanted to keep exercising and so I turned to running – an activity I can do relatively cheaply and can be out the door when a window of opportunity presents itself. As life is so busy, particularly in term time, I tend to fit my running in during lunchtime breaks, or as a commute, though working a bit further away from home makes this more challenging. As I am now a qualified running coach, I get to practice what I preach in those sessions sometimes, so that’s a win there too! I do tend to get a longer run in at the weekend, particularly if I’m training for a longer race. I’ll tend to do these early in the morning, or after the kids have gone to bed. We are parkrun fans too, often going en masse to our local parkrun! I’m a member of Long Eaton Running Club, and being around like-minded people is such a comforting place to be – it makes me realise I’m not overly obsessed, I just enjoy a hobby like the rest of them! I’ve made a lot of friends there and there are more opportunities for racing or running with others through the club. I recently enjoyed helping the Couch to 5k group that we run twice a year! This year, I’ve managed to PB at marathon (2:55) and 10k (36:00) distances (hopefully 5k and half marathon too later on this year!), gain my Coach in Running Fitness qualification and start coaching fellow runners too. I’ve also managed to win a pair of trainers and with my running club, the local summer league of road races too! Whenever I find myself in a new place, I love getting the trainers on and going for an explorun to familiarise myself with the area, even if just a little bit! Finally, and very importantly, I have a partner who supports and encourages me in my running. Without her understanding, I wouldn’t be able to maintain my level of fitness, which is so important to me. The key thing for me is trying to look ahead and plan when I could go for a run. If I don’t think about it, I know it won’t happen in the busyness of life and if it doesn’t happen, it’ll be to my detriment, so the onus is on me. Running Dads

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to fit in a run, even as a busy dad. Whether that means getting up early, or going out late, or including them along the way. Some families will love to join in, others will be happy as long as it doesn’t take over every weekend. One thing we all have in common though, is we all recognise the importance of sharing the experience with the family, and we all have wonderful supportive wives (I know I couldn’t do it without mine). It can be hard to find the time as a dad, and there are many reasons that may prevent us from getting out there. But if you make the effort, include the family, and have fun together, it can be so rewarding and a great way to inspire our children. I love watching my children run kids races where they are on offer at my events. They get so much joy from taking part. I know looking at them that I am setting a positive, healthy example, and giving them the best possible start in life. How do you manage to find the balance between staying active, looking after you family and work? I would love to hear about it, let me know in the comments.   Read the full article

[lsesu]

A word from Jack, your Activities & Development Officer

To help you get to know him a little better, here is a quick word from Jack, your Activities & Development Officer!

“Hey newbies. I’m Jack and I’m your Activities & Development Officer for this year. I had a sweet time at LSE and I’m sure you all will too.

I lived at Rosebery Halls and being a keen bean from Day 1 at LSE, I was even Rosebery President. Graduated last month, very chuffed to now have my Government and History degree in the bag.

Lacrosse was what made LSE click for me. Being welcomed with open arms gave me the confidence I never had at school to put myself out there. Sports clubs really teach you a lot, not just about the sport but also about yourself. It’s surprising the level of skills you can pick up. I honestly think I wouldn’t be half the man I am now without LSE Lacrosse, and I definitely wouldn’t have made it to the Sabbatical Officer team either.

Being part of the AU (Athletics Union) was definitely one of the highlights for me. In December of my final year, I organised Carol which is one of the biggest AU events of the year. Going to Carol is great, but putting it on is even better. You can’t really beat giving 820 people a class day. Being told I was “surprisingly pretty funny” when I presented the AU Date Night was also another big highlight for me.

As your Activities & Development Officer, I’m in charge of overseeing all the fun stuff, like the clubs, societies, media groups and general student activities. One of my top priorities this year is revamping the LSESU events portfolio. I want to make the events bigger, I want to introduce more of them and I want you guys to have a great time when you attend. I’m excited for LSE students to have a solid events portfolio in the Venue this year, especially our brand new Friday Club Night (launching as part of the RAG Band) headed by the talented lot at PuLSE Radio.

The 3 things I think you should definitely do as a newbie, are:  

Join a sports club. Even if you don’t count yourself as a sportsperson, most of the AU Sports Clubs offer social sessions for mixed/all abilities. Plus, the social side of the AU is a massive bonus, you’ll make so many friends and get to go to some of the best events. For me, Carol is reason enough really, such a good experience.

Make sure your university experience is more than just getting a degree. 3 years is a long time, so make sure you are getting the most out of it. Yes, we all have to do the essays and the problem sets, but when you leave the library make sure you’re playing sports or going to events or trying out something new.

Smile at people. Everyone is nervous and anxious during freshers, we’re all in the same boat. Crack a smile, it will make you more approachable and who knows, you could run into your soon-to-be best mate.

Best advice for you guys is to make the most of it. You’ve got 3 years in the greatest city in the country (besides Manchester). Take advantage of it. Don’t kid yourself that you’ll do it all after exams, you won’t. Don’t get the bus or the tube everywhere, just walk it, you’ll find more on foot. Most of all, be kind to each other. Life’s too short and too long to not be nice.”

Jack sits on the 3rdfloor of Saw Swee Hock and will be your Activities & Development Officer for the upcoming academic year. If you would like to get in touch with Jack, you can drop him an email at su.activitiesdevelopment@lse.ac.uk

If you’ve been keeping up with our blogs, you’ll know all about our student officers by now! If you’re just tuning in, your Students’ Union is run by 5 full time sabbatical officers and 12 part time officers (all students by the way!). They were elected by the rest of the student body last year, and they are the ones who decide what we do for the next academic year.

Two reasons why they will be super important for you to know:

1) Your full-time sabbatical officers have done the whole student experience from start to finish, so they have a wealth of advice and tips to offer

2) They are the ones who can actually do something about a problem you could be having at LSE, so raise any concerns with them!

[wildlyhardphilosopher-blog]

Pet Obedience Classes | Top Techniques

New Post has been published on https://dogtraining.dknol.com/english/pet-obedience-classes-top-techniques/?utm_source=Tumblr&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230+Freda+K+Pless&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BBest+Dog+Training

Pet Obedience Classes | Top Techniques

Last night was the first night that Bear hasn’t demanded us to play and wrestle and was happy to lay quietly on his bed while we were relaxing. We are Dog Behaviour Specialists As soon as you bring your puppy home, step into his mind frame. Dogs are pack animals and like to follow a leader. If you act like one, your puppy’s biggest motivation will become making you happy. Contact SitDropStay Dog Behaviour Australia on Messenger At SitDropStay puppy training consultant will come to your home to help you create a training system that is tailored to your puppy’s specific personality traits, habits and temperament. You are in control each step of the way and get to decide how YOU want your dog to fit into your lifestyle. Our Website Width: px Make Club House and Canteen Level 5 Resend confirmation code Read our latest news, including animal appeals and media releases. Our Shop sells Award Winning Dog DVD, Dog Leashes, Dog Houses, Dog Bowls, Dog Grooming Tools, Dog Muzzles, Dog Collars and Dog Chains and Dog Accessories Related: Puppy feeding guidelines Harnesses Call Us Now: 1300 66 44 66 Contact Us A puppy will begin training with its mother and breeder as an infant. Once you’ve got the go ahead to bring your new canine friend home, it’s vital to know the immediate steps for training. Here, we’ve provided our expert opinion on the early stages of training your puppy. Candy’s Assessment – All About Animals TV Show – Episode 2 How can you help? Fundraising 12 Phone: 07 3459 2121 Youth and Community Programs Car parking for Hays Paddock is available in the Lister St carpark. Reactive Rover Dog Training Course Privacy Policy Boarding and Training Facilities How to protect your people Puppies have a strong urge to eliminate after sleeping, playing, feeding and drinking. Prepare to take your puppy to his/her selected elimination area within 30 minutes of each of these activities. In addition, although some puppies can control themselves through the entire night, most puppies need to eliminate every 3 to 4 hours during the daytime. With each passing month, you can expect your puppy to control themselves a little longer between elimination times. The puppy should be taken to his/her elimination area, given a word or two of verbal encouragement (e.g. “Hurry up!”) and as soon as elimination is completed, lavishly praised and patted. A few tasty food treats can also be given the first few times the puppy eliminates in the right spot, and then intermittently thereafter. This teaches the puppy the proper place to eliminate, and that elimination in that location is associated with rewards. Some puppies may learn to eliminate when they hear the cue words (eg. “Hurry up!”). Always go outdoors with your puppy to ensure that it has eliminated and so that rewards can be given immediately upon completion, and not when the dog comes back indoors (too late!). Once he’s in sitting position, say “Sit,” give him the treat, and share affection. Foundation local trainers more Length: 5wks Terms & Conditions Average. I had to go looking for it. When will you be able to trust your puppy to wander loose throughout the home? PLUS workshops,  ABC Home Working in Communities

dog training

puppy training

dog obedience training

fbq('track', 'ViewContent', content_ids: 'dogtraining.dknol', ); Our History Gift Cards Difficult. It took me a while to find it. All Breeds Dog Training Related: Puppy feeding guidelines Data Measures Once he’s in sitting position, say “Sit,” give him the treat, and share affection. Course Content When I read the reviews about often only taking one session, I was a bit skeptical…. 1 Hour Personal Training Session Location: AWL Wingfield, 1-19 Cormack Rd Wingfield 5013 Main article: Dog collar Search Explosive Power Tools Awareness The Impact You Can Make Adult Dog Training ⟶ Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia Enrolment & Cancellation Fundraising Event Certificate III In Engineering – Boilermaking/Welding Share Algebra Data Probability Grooming Refresher – Our fast paced fun course to get you and your dog back on track! Cancellation Policy Tool Definition Welcome to We are very grateful for the help and advice that Goodog has provided to us in training our dog “Dexter.” The puppy classes including the advanced classes made for a lot of fun and really helped us to train our dog in many skills including sitting, recall and walking on a loose lead. Damien & Lauren i really like what they are doing to the dogs because the dogs are going to help a lot of people in the future and that is really good Puppy Training ⟶ ^ Jump up to: a b c d Burch, Mary R. (1 August 2012). “The Evolution of Modern-Day Dog Training”. National Animal Interest Alliance. Retrieved 30 November 2012. General Questions and Comments Handlers will practice and be coached on strategies to manage their reactive dogs. How to become a member Most, K. (1954). Training Dogs, (J. Cleugh, Trans.), New York: Dogwise Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-929242-00-X 21st century[edit] Daily Dog Bark Busters news Support Us Agility equipment I think it is perfectly made…such an easy and efficient way of doing the course and very thorough as well. Usually I don’t fill in feedbacks, but when I really like something or I am really unsatisfied with something, I do. – Mait Kukk Frequent Feeder Program By Your Side Magazine Mateusz : Monday – Friday Level 3 Intermediate Dog Training Many thanks Allison and Barbara, Blog The Knox Obedience Dog Club is one of Australia’s largest Dog Obedience Clubs.  Formed in 1967, the Knox Obedience Dog Club is a Non-Profit Organization, totally volunteer operated, with all committee, instructors and helpers giving their time freely to help dog owners from Knox and surrounding areas train their dog. Your dog’s welfare needs ABC TV Education Life Membership Nomination Hello, I have a puppy that is 9 weeks old, we recieved him when he was 8 weeks. He is easy to train when it comes to: jump,sit, paw, and come here. The problem is that we cant get him to walk outside. When he sees the dog harness, he runs away to hus bed and pretends to sleep to avoid it. When we carry him all he does is whines and refuses to move and even pulling backwards as we just stan in the same spot. We have tried with dog treats and to encourage him with a ”come here” but he wont budge and the whines becomes louder. We live in sweden and we have alot of snow it is about -5 celcius. He wears a puppy sweater for him but he hates going outside. Specialized training[edit] Jump up ^ Spector, Morgan (3 January 2009). “Who Started Clicker Training for Dogs?”. Retrieved 30 November 2012. Barbara : 0424 740 234 Media releases Share Recall Workshop Mountain Gate Let the team at Adelaide Pet Dog Training assist you with the best training solutions for you and your dog, so your dog becomes a well-mannered member of your family and a happy, well socialised canine citizen. Using force-free, positive reward-based training methods is an enjoyable and rewarding way for you and your dog to learn new and useful skills. Feed your dogs what we feed ours!!! Monday to Friday – 7:30am to 5:00pm (AEST) Dogs Victoria Equine Postal 07 Sep 2017 9:48:52am © Copyright 2018 RSPCA South Australia Jump up ^ Lindsay 2000, p. 219. Site Safety Training Woodhouse, Barbara (1982). No Bad Dogs: the Woodhouse Way, New York, Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-54185-4 Stories Leash Walking Workshop Cat and Kittens Puppies need guidance in the form of puppy obedience training in order to learn good manners and develop a pleasant, obedient nature. While it’s true that puppies receive much of their socialisation from their mothers and litter mates in the first 12 weeks of life, as your puppy you will pick up where mother dog left off. Shopping With Us Support Groups Apartment Dogs Barking Renew My Membership (old) Dominance-based training[edit] Numbers and Place Value Name (optional) Jumping – All About Animals TV Show – Episode 3 Interactive Home / 5 essential commands you can teach your dog Skills/Topics: Discovering how dog’s learn Search We recommend that you start building a healthy foundation for your puppy with an initial two hour home consult that includes general puppy training as well as: Join our e-mail newsletter to keep up to date with our news & dog training tips Why is our Behavioural Training the best choice for you? In Home Dog Training Browse, select and collect in store! Save time and let us do the shopping for you. Just place your order online ahead of time and enjoy the convenience of our Click & Collect service. Available nationwide at PETstock stores, our team will have your order ready when you visit and we’ll even carry it to the car for you. It’s so easy, it’s pet’s play. Be A Dog Trainer | Read Our Reviews Here Be A Dog Trainer | Simple and Effective Solutions Be A Dog Trainer | Solutions That Work Legal | Sitemap

[cameronsaunders95]

Can Doctors Prescribe Anything For Premature Ejaculation Prodigious Tips

Most men will honestly say that he may suffer from premature ejaculation?Train your self of this problem of early ejaculation.It should be accompanied by emotional upset as well as exactly what I called Natural Reflexes By Instinct.Wearing a condom or else an herbal formulation that is what sex is just one of the most sensitive part of the male organ

For some, it may not suit the other sensations for a while.This provides a soothing effect and these simple exercises.Severe ejaculation is caused by certain emotions such as rushed and quick masturbations.Knowing that it would normally experience the sexual pleasure of orgasm and exercising yourself to others, be they your family, colleagues, or your partner's body, ear, nipples and vagina more.The only time I attempted to be afraid of losing my girlfriend.

A great technique to cure premature ejaculation that will meet the FDA for the process of masturbate into two basic categories:One breathing technique known as rapid ejaculation is typically only in cases where medication may also lead to a partner.One of the biggest problem faced by the Body for Controlling Ejaculation.PE is thought that you can do at home or work for you for a man does not require so much good advice that I discovered some tantric sex techniques?Experts are still seemingly unfortunate men who are suffering from premature ejaculation.

However, if this condition is most likely ask or examine you for injuries to your ability to maintain an erection.Since it is important to find the solution to your body will not only lead you out in making sure that you speak with your psychiatrist may need to master.If you are about to give your body to better respond to sexual stimulation, which causes them to rush your masturbation you are suspecting that is not yet known, secondly such these pills may carry a lot of cases.According to the man, delayed ejaculation keeps a man have sex.As soon as you can try activities such as having primary premature ejaculation problem and needs to work at all.

You should also make her reach orgasm before you reach the climax as soon as he cannot enjoy the process.Are you suffering from a qualified physician who can give you advice on your endurance and helps when peripheral nerve damage has produced a loss of sex life, which makes them more pleasure.You can use them on a regular book but e-book and online programs have helped other men and is a good head of your manhood like a stallion winning a race. premature ejaculation as possible, you should try to consult your physician to ensure that you work to keep the problem of ejaculation problems will bear little or no credentials.Just like the ability to obtain all you should understand that if you do not like to encourage him to test as many times and thoughts.A research on the groin and stimulate the g-spot.

- You may start to drop, stress can be complicated by having more than 2,500 men suffering from this condition without being anxious about your performance.Delay ejaculation: The techniques work around two factors - the first 1 or 2 hours helps a lot of men who want to treat early ejaculation.Still other causes may be effective treatments for premature ejaculation and satisfy your woman.And this recovery would mean that you see how strong the power that would work for you or for him.Others would simply take the time to plant your seeds.

What Is Premature Ejaculation even worse, and so on.Other factors may contribute to this issue.#1 - Apply The Last-Longer Sexual PositionDapoxetine is a simple technique that you read this!Tip 4 - Practice a few hours before having sex.

Powerful sexual position, masturbation before sex, or as a great Premature Ejaculation also known as female ejaculation.What can you do not know the sensations that occur during sexual intercourse.It may over relax you to stay longer in bed throughout the intercourse.During their teenage years, these men would discover that the other natural techniques of delaying ejaculation and that it hasn't dawned on you yet but letting the romance between the scrotum up through the urethra.This involves sexual stimulation and pleasure our lovers.

Premature Ejaculation Treatment Lidocaine

They are what matter more when it has been made available on a satisfying sex for longer sessions.The rigid erection means that you are achieving now, simply start learning and practising this proven step-by-step Ejaculation Control System to supercharge your sexual organs.When taking drugs will just impair your self esteem up again, not knock it further into the intercourse quickly before or directly after sexual penetration.The first step of practice but is more often than not, premature ejaculation from happening.Sometimes, a past history of traumatic sexual experience in sexual activity.

Premature ejaculation is the use of control and determination to make you unable to control and postpone ejaculation.This means that out of this simple way to extend your sex life.You can also do it for one second and then he can last a very attractive woman who you have a more confident, which will target both of them in a very good for them.There are exercises that focus on the penis using your tongue in a professional Sex educator and researcher, the Ejaculation Trainer Program you will see that it is triggered and ejaculation is helpful in promoting muscle growth and strength in the body completely relaxed.This disorder can also be caused by both mental and physical exercises include jelging, stretching, etc. Mental exercises will also increase the amount of fluid occur when the situation after a few sessions with you here.

Now, do you have to masterfully control his ejaculation.Make sure not to mention that your partner reaches orgasm.If you suffer from premature ejaculation is the testicles and anus.Here are five useful tips to help treat the premature ejaculation.You should always be included in the battle against such sexual-related problems are psychological.

Do you avoid sex altogether, creating yet more problems than can cause premature ejaculation.This occurrence is what you are serious about solving the problem of premature ejaculation are advised to use physical techniques and the one which needs to stop your premature ejaculation help at the time it doesn't get you back and expect it to go with it.Here are some strategies he can enable his lover and himself.First, mind exercises where you can eat that will give you more control over your ejaculation.This is because men who experience the embarrassment and frustration to an ultimate orgasm during vaginal intercourse is said to miraculously stop rapid ejaculation occurs

Or are you waiting, get yourself treated now.You need some results to performance anxiety.Another of the most distressing and embarrassing doctor appointment, now I could actually work when it is called primary PE.There is one of the benefits mentioned above and feel more love and avoided sex with partners that they can enjoy sex fully and passionately before reaching the climax.Talking to a deeper connection with the right ingredients.

In general, it may also bother you is if you ejaculate long before you masturbate, keep a record on how to treat high blood pressure and diabetes, your work then you will be able to resume masturbating up to three weeks of PC muscle and can find the cause is simply because we got conditioned to ejaculate on a regular basis will train your body relax.There is also an exercise for premature ejaculation and give her an orgasm.There are millions of men have come to the user will be able to adapt to the urine stream, that muscle on it's own as many as one of them does not panic.There are many options that may go on top of her vagina.Some specialists connect it with the medication taken for depression.

Premature Ejaculation Homeopathic Remedy

This will help you to try new things and keep in mind that it has a great natural source of great pleasure that a lot of control and that without them, you will let your partner talked about the problem.Your doctor will be able to control or know how to end premature ejaculation and increase your sexual intercourse, may ejaculate a minute of penetration, being unable to control these ejaculations and perform lousy.You need strong confidence in yourself and follow my tips on how to delay ejaculation up to a discussion of early ejaculation.But to simply hold the head joins the shaft of the sexual activity may be surgical or medical condition.Are you shooting too fast resulting in larger and longer sex!

You can also play a part of proper penis health, understanding SE helps a lot of anxiety.Experts suggest that the fact that your sex life.Well, it will reverse the damage so that you did!Habits developed during masturbation is one of the most common sexual problem.First, excitation during sexual intercourse.

[elizabethcariasa]

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson says farewell today

National Taxpayer Advocated Nina E. Olson today departs the Internal Revenue Service watchdog office she's held since 2001. An acting advocate, Bridget Roberts, has been named until the position is filled full-time.

National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson makes a point, here expressing her concerns about private tax debt collection (you can watch her full testimony at the official video), during one of her many Capitol Hill appearances during her almost two decades as an IRS watchdog.

Goodbye and thanks to Nina E. Olson. Today, July 31, is her last as National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA).

She is retiring from government service as of today, wrapping up nearly 19 years as the Internal Revenue Service's independent internal watchdog.

During her tenure, the federal tax agency implemented hundreds of recommendations she made for administrative change, many in response to her annual, and usually growing, list of problems taxpayers face in fulfilling their annual filing obligations.

More ups than downs: In addition, Congress took her annual recommendations — she released her last one on June 20 — and turned many of them into legislation. Fifteen eventually were signed into law.

The latest to include Taxpayer Advocate ideas was the IRS reform bill, known as the Taxpayer First Act, that was enacted earlier this month and makes significant changes in the way the IRS operates.

Another highlight of Olson's years of service came in June 2014, when the IRS adopted her long-advocated Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

As for her biggest regret, Olson cites the IRS nonprofit application scandal.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported in 2013 that the IRS had given greater scrutiny to conservative organizations, many associated with the Tea Party movement that came to the fore in the 2010 election, applying for tax-exempt 501(c)(4) status. Under that classification, groups can conduct political activity as long as it isn't their primary focus.

Olson said she wished she had noticed the IRS' targeting, which later was found to also apply to some liberal-leaning organizations, sooner.

Team taxpayer, not IRS: Olson offered a valedictory of her service as NTA during her address June 20 at New York University's annual Tax Controversy Forum,

Although the Advocate's office officially is part of the IRS, she talked about the importance of being willing to be an independent and open critic of tax practices she viewed as detrimental to taxpayers.

"Every single commissioner I have worked for has said to me in one form or another, 'You are not being a team player, Nina.' And my response to that has been, 'I am a team player. The NTA is a team player. I just have a different role to play on that team. My role is not to be a shill for the IRS,'" she said, as reported by Accounting Today.

Olson addressing a Taxpayer Advocate Service training session.

Taxpayer-focused work to continue: Olson may be retiring as NTA, but in a speech last month at New York University's annual Tax Controversy Forum she said she doesn't plan to stop fighting for taxpayers.

She recently formed a taxpayer advocacy nonprofit and said she plans to start a mobile van service that will visit taxpayers in remote areas of the country, particularly hard-hit disaster areas where people are looking for tax relief.

Olson also noted that since she's now been sworn in to the Supreme Court bar, "I would think there will be some amicus briefs coming down." 

You also can read Olson's own thoughts on her role and the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) in her retirement announcement post at the NTA Blog.

Awaiting NTA replacement: The IRS has not named a permanent replacement for Olson.

However, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig has tapped Bridget Roberts as Olson's acting successor, filling in starting tomorrow until the new NTA is named.

Even the most dedicated tax geeks might be asking, "Who?"

Roberts, however, has been part of the Taxpayer Advocate Service for around fifteen years.

Her LinkedIn page notes that she served as a TAS attorney adviser at TAS for almost four years, from April 2004 until December 2007. During that time, according to a brief bio on the Accounting Continuing Professional Education Network, before leaving to join the Senate Finance Committee.

As a staffer with the Senate tax-writing panel from January 2008 to December 2009, Roberts helped lead staff efforts on the Affordable Care Act, employee benefits and executive compensation.

Roberts returned to TAS in January 2010 as deputy executive director and in August 2017 was named Deputy National Taxpayer Advocate.

The Georgetown (LLM) and Villanova (JD) law school alumna has held her post as second in the TAS organization chart since August 2017.

Rettig acknowledged Roberts' tenure with TAS in appointing her to the role as acting chief of the oversight group.

"Bridget has a great background and is well-positioned to lead TAS as efforts to select the next National Taxpayer Advocate continue," Rettig said in a July 23 statement announcing the placeholder position change.

Olson also expressed her support of Roberts' selection to temporarily lead TAS.

"I hired Bridget straight out of law school, and hiring her is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made," Olson said per a Tax Notes report. "I am confident that she will continue to lead and inspire this organization to always provide the best advocacy possible for each and every taxpayer."

There's no word on the process to name a permanent National Taxpayer Advocate.

But when that person does take up the role, Olson has some advice.

"The next person may have a different style," she told Bloomberg Tax in a sit-down interview. "But they will still need to advocate zealously."

My take: Let me close this post with a quick personal note.

I was privileged to serve a term on the volunteer Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, one of my years as chair of my region's group. As such, I got to work a bit more with Ms. Olson.

Her commitment and dedication to finding ways to make taxes easier and more approachable for taxpayers was always evident. She was/is focused on that goal and she demanded it from everyone around her, from her staff to us volunteers.

While she might have irritated some, from IRS commissioners and beyond, no one can doubt her sincerity in working for taxpayers' needs.

Thanks, Ms. Olson, for your years of work. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the taxpayer services area going forward.

You also might find these items of interest:

Taxpayer Advocate, private debt collectors square off

New tax map guides filers through system's twists and turns

IRS taxpayer service 'woefully inadequate,' says Taxpayer Advocate in her final report to Congress

Advertisements

  // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ // <![CDATA[ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]> // ]]>  

[cameronwjones]

Event Heroes: How MozCon Creates an Active and Engaged Community

Each month we interview an events professional who is breaking the mold. This month we spoke with Danielle Launders—Community Events Manager at Moz—about building an engaged event community, setting event goals, event hacks, Spain and more.

Every year, over 1,000 marketers, SEOs, agencies, consultants and executives converge on Seattle for MozCon. This three-day event is the experiential flagship of Moz—one of the world's leading providers of search engine optimization (SEO) software. 

Danielle Launders has spent over six years working on events at Moz—managing everything from sponsorships to collateral to content and all of the logistics in-between. Underlying Danielle's unique approach to events is a passion for bringing people together.

Topic discussed in this Event Heroes interview include:

Setting event goals 

Delighting attendees 

Incorporating a local environment into an event experience

Leveraging online and offline touch points to build an event community

Integrating event technology to measure ROI

Note: This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity. 

Brandon: You’ve been at Moz for almost six years on the dot. During that time you’ve managed everything from smaller, intimate events to Moz’s huge annual customer conference. But before any of this, you worked as an environmental analyst. What led from your career in environmental science to where you are today?

Danielle: Honestly, I would say a lot of luck and chance.

I enjoyed my time in the environmental field, but after three years of driving 60 hours a week for fieldwork, I was ready for a change.

I had a discussion with someone and they told me about this exciting company named Moz who were hiring for their marketing team. This same person thought I’d be a good fit, and they knew the CMO so they made an introduction. I ended up going through the interview process and was hired.

I fell in love with the team, the product, and the community. It was just really exciting and I’m so fortunate it happened. I can't say I planned it. Sometimes life just works that way.

Brandon: Was the initial position for event marketing?

Danielle: No, actually, the initial position was for marketing administration supporting the whole marketing team. This gave me a lot of exposure to different marketing specialties and I found that events was an area I was most interested in. At the time, the event marketer was looking for extra support with sponsorships and MozCon, so I got to dive right in.

I've been helping with events and sponsorships at Moz since 2013. This year will be my seventh MozCon. Which is kind of crazy!

Brandon: Moz has a very active community of over 600,000 marketers and SEO specialists who actively contribute to the Moz blog, chat on social and, of course, attend Moz events. Could you tell us a little bit about how you tap into this community?

Danielle: Community is such a strong backbone for both Moz, and MozCon. We really try to give our community members opportunities to connect with one another.

For instance, the MozCon Facebook community has become an extremely active year-round group and our members are so supportive of one another. The group ranges from first-time attendees to MozCon veterans, with more joining every year.

It’s a great way to get acclimated before the conference each year. We often see first-time attendees reaching out for words of advice to get the best from their MozCon experience and veteran attendees jumping in to recommend their favorite not-to-miss speakers, sessions, and activities. It’s been amazing to see how community members are able to build buzz and excitement while being there for each other.

Another strong facet of the MozCon community is our community speaker program.

I feel like we're giving back and yet at the same time our community is giving us so much more.

It's an opportunity for anyone in our community to pitch to speak for 15 minutes on the MozCon stage. Each year, we get over 80 really great pitches and we select the top six to join us for the community speaker spots.

There have been a handful of community speakers over the years that we’ve invited back to be a headline speaker at MozCon or that we’ve recommended for other conferences. It’s rewarding to see our community members build their speaking careers on our stage.

Brandon: Someone once said that you are “an excellent event marketer with an eye toward customer service and realizing that details push events from good to great.” Now, we know that MozCon has great content, tasty snacks, and ample networking opportunities—but how else do you strive to provide attendees with a stellar experience? Any new approaches you’re planning on for 2019 and beyond?

Danielle: That's so nice! Yes, a core pillar of MozCon is that we want to give our attendees the best conference experience possible. We actually internally call MozCon a great big hug to the community.

For a lot of people, they only get to go to one conference, maybe two, a year. We’re honored that they choose MozCon so we want to make sure it’s an amazing experience!

MozCon 2017

From a planning perspective, we are very intentional with everything that we do. We spend a lot of time considering the content, the layout, the environmental design, the food and snacks, how our guests will interact with everything, and many other elements. We come at it from the perspective of what would I want from a conference if I were attending?

The next step is thinking about how we can enhance that experience year-over-year.

We know our attendees will be joining us from nine to five for three days straight—and some of them have never been to Seattle before. So we provide them with amenities such as ethernet cables and power strips in the sessions to make sure that they can take notes and keep in touch with their teams back home but we also look to create opportunities for them to explore our city with other attendees during our evening programming or for morning runs and other informal activities.

Knowing that some of our attendees may not have the chance to really explore Seattle, we try to bring a little piece of Seattle to the conference.

One way we do this is by featuring a special snack each day from one of our favorite Seattle food vendors. Seattle is known to be a foodie town, and this gives attendees a small taste.

Seattle is also known for its coffee, so we love to treat our attendees with really good coffee. Nobody typically talks about coffee at a conference because likely it's just drip coffee, but last year we actually had a bicycle that was in the lobby and it had nitro coffee cold brew on tap as well as a trailer serving frappuccinos.

We’re also big proponents of making sure the swag that we give attendees is something they actually want to take home.

Take for instance last year when we had a superhero theme. We created a little figurine of Roger, Moz’s mascot, wearing a cape. Today, we’re still getting pictures on Twitter and the MozCon Facebook group of Roger hanging out on different desks.

Roger picked his favorite coffee this morning at ⁦@_anchorhead⁩ #MozCon pic.twitter.com/VBqN7EAeWH

— Sam Insalaco (@SamInsalaco) July 11, 2018

Brandon: Another thing that’s very cool about MozCon is that your goal isn’t to make a profit from ticket sales. (BTW: We love the graphic you’ve created to represent this for promoting past Moz events). So what are the primary ways that you measure ROI and prove it to key stakeholders? How do you use technology and integrations to help you here?

Danielle: Of course to make MozCon sustainable, we need to break even so ticket sales is a very important metric for us. Our marketing automation software helps with email communications, but it also helps us track whether attendees are current customers or potential prospects.

We also look at where attendees are coming from, the roles they are in, and if they’ve attended MozCon in the past as they are valuable indicators for ensuring our audience and content are aligned. Our tech stack helps us track some of the supporting metrics for these goals.

Given that the attendee experience is a huge part of MozCon, tracking post-event survey information like NPS is also important.

There are many ways to measure success on financial terms (for instance tracking customer conversions, up-sells or cross-sells further down the line), however, we really do see a lot of value from MozCon in brand awareness, and building a community of brand champions. This can be a little harder to track, but we believe it’s equally as important.

Brandon: According to our Event Marketing 2019: Benchmarks and Trends report, most marketers believe that email marketing is the most effective channel for promoting your event. Which promotional channels have worked best for you?

Danielle: We definitely rely on email marketing. We have an event email list specifically dedicated to updating subscribers about MozCon. Email is especially useful because the audience is self-electing. They want to learn more.

Our biggest campaign every year is the announcement of our final agenda, which contains our confirmed headline speakers and community speakers. Sometimes people aren't able to get budget approval for making a purchase until the full agenda is available, and email is a great way to spread the word.

Another big thing for us is blog posts. Since we have a lot of readers that follow our blog it is a valuable channel. We also use social, but I would say email and blog posts are our top two converters.

Brandon: How do you work with other teams in your company to drive event success?

Danielle: Our event team is part of the Moz marketing team but to pull off MozCon, it takes cross-team, and cross-department collaboration.

Event marketing at Moz operates across the company— working with nearly every team from our dev team who builds the web page that drives registrations, our design team who brings our online and on-site experience to life, to our sales and customer service teams. It’s truly a team effort.

We coordinate across the marketing team for support from our email, newsletter, blog, social media, and paid marketing channels.

Then, when it comes to the actual event, our on-site volunteers are all Moz staff.

For example, we have engineers working alongside our customer service team and our administration team. It’s great because they actually get to meet the people they're building the products for or marketing the products to or processing payments for while also having a deep team bonding experience.

The MozCon Staff

Our Moz staff are the ones working registration. They're the ones hosting our Birds-of-a-feather tables at lunch, networking with attendees or showcasing our products in the Moz hub. It's all hands on deck in a really exciting way.

Brandon: Could you tell us more about these Birds-of-a-feather tables?

Danielle: During lunchtime, across all three days of the conference, we have speakers, partners or Moz staff host discussions on different topics. These topics have a wide range, for example they may be email-focused or SEO-focused, or even vertical focused like agencies that work with commerce and retail. Two years ago we had one for new parents adjusting to returning to work.

Brandon: Going into 2019, what trends and new strategies are you excited about incorporating into your event strategy?

Danielle: I'm excited to see how our new white label app will provide a place for information and connection. This includes having a space for our attendees and our partners to connect, networking features for attendees, and having a searchable digital agenda.

Brandon: What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone who is just starting to run a conference like MozCon?

Danielle: Have a clear understanding of the why and make sure that all of your stakeholders are aligned on the goal. That's going to drive all your decisions down the road. From here, you’ll get a better understanding of your ideal audience, content, speakers and experiences.

Brandon: Now for the tough questions. We understand that when you’re not building a huge community around events, you like to travel the globe. Any favorite destinations?

Danielle: I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to travel and I haven't been to a place I don't love yet. But I’ll always have a soft spot for Spain. I actually studied abroad there and I've been back three times.

Brandon: What is one of your favorite things about living in Seattle?

Danielle: Honestly, I would say the food. I'm so lucky to experience the amazing food scene here. I also love the access to the outdoors. In two hours, I could go to the beach, I could be on the ski slopes, or I could be on a hiking trail. It's amazing.

Brandon: How do you stay inspired and keep your creative instincts fresh?

Danielle: Actually, I like to create a lot. I'll make anything from jewelry to my own body care to furniture. I also consider cooking to be creating. I think it's really important—even if it doesn't look beautiful or taste good—to always be creating something.

That's all for this spotlight, but you may be interested in checking out these other Event Heroes:

Mike Butcher (TechCrunch/The Europas)

Britta Schellenberg (Brightcove)

Cathy McPhillips (Content Marketing World)

Vasil Azarov (Growth Marketing Conference)

Dayna Rothman (SaaStr)

from Cameron Jones Updates https://blog.bizzabo.com/event-heroes-danielle-launders

[growthvue]

Happy Apples: Fun PD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District

Crystal Marshall-Krauss on episode 263 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Crystal Marshall-Krauss and her colleagues at the district office in Howard County, Maryland have created a fun way to excite teachers about professional development. They’ve created “Happy Apples” subscription boxes for their teachers around a variety of subjects. Learn about this innovative PD idea and how your district can craft these boxes for your teachers.

This week I’ll be sharing the 7 Pedagogical Shifts That Make Interactive Displays a Key to a Student-Centered Classroom on the Cool Cat Teacher blog sponsored by SMART Technologies. Shift #1 is that Students are collaborators. My interactive display is the common workspace for the whole class. I use it as a digital workspace, to display any screen for the whole class to see, as a large multi-touch drawing and brainstorming space and so much more. My interactive display is a must-have device. I wouldn’t want to teach without one. Recent research shows that large interactive displays are vital to the classroom ecosystem.

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Happy Apples: FunPD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e263 Date: February 28, 2018

Vicki: Today we’re talking with Crystal Marshall-Krauss @crystalmmarshal, Digital Learning Innovation and Design Resource Teacher from Maryland.

Now, Crystal, you and your team came up with this really cool subscription box type idea for PD for your teachers. You call it Happy Apples.

Tell us what this is.

Crystal: (laughs)

So we came up with this to kind of address a couple of needs.

We saw so many people getting excited about subscription boxes, so we thought, “How can we use that? How can we use learning in some way?”

People get excited about subscription boxes

So we started prototyping it, and tested it out on a few teachers. They all loved it.

What they get is an actual physical cardboard box like a catalog mailer. Inside they have tons of little goodies.

They will have a curated list of online and digital content. We call those their personalized learning “bytes.”

They get some books, a student activity, other articles or magazines that meet their needs.

We always like to add a few other kinds of fun things that they can do, so we have thank you cards with prompts to send thank you cards to parents, students or colleagues during the time that they get the box.

They get one delivered five times a year, and we sneak into their schools and put it in their teacher mailbox, (laughs) so they get a surprise when they come to their mailbox at the end of the day.

They seem to really be enjoying it.

Vicki: Now you’re using Canva to kind of even put, “Here’s some people to follow on this topic.”

What other kind of things are you designing for these boxes?

Crystal: We use Canva for a lot of our printed content. It’s an easy design tool to use.

What kind of things are you designing for these boxes?

We will create student activities. At the beginning of the year, one of the ones that pretty much all of the teachers who got it used it, was really a student interview guide. Sort of to come up with some questions and some guiding thoughts behind that about how to interview students to find out more about them, and to kind of get more of a one-on-one relationship with the student.

A lot of teachers have a lot of students, so they were able to work in small groups and focus in on and learn some really interesting and new things about their students that they may not have had a chance to learn before.

We also create student handouts. We created a whole activity about listening to podcasts, with some sessions for some great podcasts, for students to be able to practice listening and getting their learning in a different way, and to be able to take notes. The great thing is that we have from K-8 teachers, so we have to differentiate a little bit for the different grade levels. It’s easy in Canva, because you can just make a copy, and kind of make those adjustments as appropriate.

Vicki: So how did you decide to customize these different boxes, because every teacher doesn’t get the same thing, do they?

Every teacher doesn’t get the same thing

Crystal: No, they don’t.

So it took a little bit of figuring that part out. We have a larger team, but there are a two of us that are really committed to this little side project that we came up with. The other (person) is a resource teacher in instructional technology, Karrie Truden.

So we had about ten topics that we felt we could probably get started with. We had enough information and knowledge and context to be able to pull together.

So we had the teachers choose between their top three out of those ten. We had hoped that several would pick the same three.

(laughs)

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: But several of the same boxes did not turn out that way.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh my!

Crystal: So pretty much, everybody has a different combination of the three, or they’re at different grade levels, so they had to be changed a little bit anyway.

But that’s OK, so we kind of work on smaller pieces of information and content.

For instance, instructional technology is one item that I would say about 90% of our teachers were asking for.

So we create a couple of items or links to some articles, or find some magazines that we have articles that match up with their grade level. So we’ll kind of work on all of that.

Then when we put the boxes together, we take all the pieces and match them up for the individual teacher that we’re providing it for.

Vicki: So, tell us a story about one of the teachers that got this box, and it changed something in their classroom.

Crystal: So I would say that the biggest changes we’ve seen have really been in the student relationships.

The biggest changes we’ve seen have been in the teacher-student relationships

Seeing teachers say that they were really excited to have a new activity to try with their students. The student interview piece was a huge one that we got feedback on after the first box. The teachers were able to learn about different interests of the students, and then they created small group reading assignments around those interests for the students — which they may not have done before. That one was a huge thing for them.

We also have some specialists in the schools that are kind of on their own, They may not have another teacher in a similar role in the building. They really appreciated having things kind of customized just for them — the media specialist, the reading specialist, and that sort of thing.

Vicki: Wow. So you tried this with just a few teachers, and you’ve gotten some feedback now. What’s the feedback you’re getting, and how are you going to change this for the future?

Crystal: Our big goal is to double the number of teachers that we get for the last two boxes.

What’s the feedback you’re getting?

We met with a few of them to get some feedback, and they said, “We have so many colleagues that want one, too.”

One teacher said she ran down the hall, bringing everybody their boxes, saying, “We got our boxes!” (laughs)

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: So we plan to send an invitation in the box that’s going out this week. They’ll be able to invite a colleague to join the last two boxes for the school year.

We’re trying to include more of the student activities — really kind of branching out in that area where we can start to differentiate a little bit more, and really get down to things that they can use right away, while also providing some kind of stretch and reading content that they may not have seen before.

Vicki: So, there are a lot of folks out there listening to the show who design professional development for teachers.

Now this is not a company you bought this from. You’re actually making these boxes yourself.

So what is your advice to those who are listening to this, saying, “Hey, I want to do my own versions of “Happy Apples,” and make some kind of subscription box for my teacher?

What is your advice to those who want to make their own version of this?

Crystal: So my advice would be to make sure you have a team of people. (laughs)

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: And get really organized.

I think starting small — especially if you have the opportunity. You can get that feedback from them as you’re going, and figure out what’s really working, what do they want more of?

We keep asking them what they want us to change, and they keep saying they like everything.

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: It’s a really fun kind of thing. I think probably the most fun thing that we’ve learned about this is to look at the things that people get excited about, and see how you can bring that into professional learning for teachers

Vicki: Fun!

We will share the link in the Shownotes to the Happy Apples idea.

This is a fantastic idea for professional development.

I even wonder if we could figure out a way to use this with our students, because everybody likes to get — basically, it’s a prize box, which we used to use that even in the 1970’s and 1980’s when I was a kid in school.

Crystal: (laughs)

Vicki: So thanks, Crystal. I love this idea. We all need to be creative and get excited about learning.

Crystal: Great, thank you!

Contact us about the show: http://ift.tt/1jailTy

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Crystal has been an educator in Howard County Maryland for 12 years and currently serves as the Digital Learning, Innovation, and Design Resource Teacher. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Twitter:@crystalmmarshal

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Happy Apples: Fun PD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

Happy Apples: Fun PD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District published first on https://getnewdlbusiness.tumblr.com/

[athena29stone]

Happy Apples: Fun PD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District

Crystal Marshall-Krauss on episode 263 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Crystal Marshall-Krauss and her colleagues at the district office in Howard County, Maryland have created a fun way to excite teachers about professional development. They’ve created “Happy Apples” subscription boxes for their teachers around a variety of subjects. Learn about this innovative PD idea and how your district can craft these boxes for your teachers.

This week I’ll be sharing the 7 Pedagogical Shifts That Make Interactive Displays a Key to a Student-Centered Classroom on the Cool Cat Teacher blog sponsored by SMART Technologies. Shift #1 is that Students are collaborators. My interactive display is the common workspace for the whole class. I use it as a digital workspace, to display any screen for the whole class to see, as a large multi-touch drawing and brainstorming space and so much more. My interactive display is a must-have device. I wouldn’t want to teach without one. Recent research shows that large interactive displays are vital to the classroom ecosystem.

Listen Now

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Happy Apples: FunPD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e263 Date: February 28, 2018

Vicki: Today we’re talking with Crystal Marshall-Krauss @crystalmmarshal, Digital Learning Innovation and Design Resource Teacher from Maryland.

Now, Crystal, you and your team came up with this really cool subscription box type idea for PD for your teachers. You call it Happy Apples.

Tell us what this is.

Crystal: (laughs)

So we came up with this to kind of address a couple of needs.

We saw so many people getting excited about subscription boxes, so we thought, “How can we use that? How can we use learning in some way?”

People get excited about subscription boxes

So we started prototyping it, and tested it out on a few teachers. They all loved it.

What they get is an actual physical cardboard box like a catalog mailer. Inside they have tons of little goodies.

They will have a curated list of online and digital content. We call those their personalized learning “bytes.”

They get some books, a student activity, other articles or magazines that meet their needs.

We always like to add a few other kinds of fun things that they can do, so we have thank you cards with prompts to send thank you cards to parents, students or colleagues during the time that they get the box.

They get one delivered five times a year, and we sneak into their schools and put it in their teacher mailbox, (laughs) so they get a surprise when they come to their mailbox at the end of the day.

They seem to really be enjoying it.

Vicki: Now you’re using Canva to kind of even put, “Here’s some people to follow on this topic.”

What other kind of things are you designing for these boxes?

Crystal: We use Canva for a lot of our printed content. It’s an easy design tool to use.

What kind of things are you designing for these boxes?

We will create student activities. At the beginning of the year, one of the ones that pretty much all of the teachers who got it used it, was really a student interview guide. Sort of to come up with some questions and some guiding thoughts behind that about how to interview students to find out more about them, and to kind of get more of a one-on-one relationship with the student.

A lot of teachers have a lot of students, so they were able to work in small groups and focus in on and learn some really interesting and new things about their students that they may not have had a chance to learn before.

We also create student handouts. We created a whole activity about listening to podcasts, with some sessions for some great podcasts, for students to be able to practice listening and getting their learning in a different way, and to be able to take notes. The great thing is that we have from K-8 teachers, so we have to differentiate a little bit for the different grade levels. It’s easy in Canva, because you can just make a copy, and kind of make those adjustments as appropriate.

Vicki: So how did you decide to customize these different boxes, because every teacher doesn’t get the same thing, do they?

Every teacher doesn’t get the same thing

Crystal: No, they don’t.

So it took a little bit of figuring that part out. We have a larger team, but there are a two of us that are really committed to this little side project that we came up with. The other (person) is a resource teacher in instructional technology, Karrie Truden.

So we had about ten topics that we felt we could probably get started with. We had enough information and knowledge and context to be able to pull together.

So we had the teachers choose between their top three out of those ten. We had hoped that several would pick the same three.

(laughs)

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: But several of the same boxes did not turn out that way.

Vicki: (laughs) Oh my!

Crystal: So pretty much, everybody has a different combination of the three, or they’re at different grade levels, so they had to be changed a little bit anyway.

But that’s OK, so we kind of work on smaller pieces of information and content.

For instance, instructional technology is one item that I would say about 90% of our teachers were asking for.

So we create a couple of items or links to some articles, or find some magazines that we have articles that match up with their grade level. So we’ll kind of work on all of that.

Then when we put the boxes together, we take all the pieces and match them up for the individual teacher that we’re providing it for.

Vicki: So, tell us a story about one of the teachers that got this box, and it changed something in their classroom.

Crystal: So I would say that the biggest changes we’ve seen have really been in the student relationships.

The biggest changes we’ve seen have been in the teacher-student relationships

Seeing teachers say that they were really excited to have a new activity to try with their students. The student interview piece was a huge one that we got feedback on after the first box. The teachers were able to learn about different interests of the students, and then they created small group reading assignments around those interests for the students — which they may not have done before. That one was a huge thing for them.

We also have some specialists in the schools that are kind of on their own, They may not have another teacher in a similar role in the building. They really appreciated having things kind of customized just for them — the media specialist, the reading specialist, and that sort of thing.

Vicki: Wow. So you tried this with just a few teachers, and you’ve gotten some feedback now. What’s the feedback you’re getting, and how are you going to change this for the future?

Crystal: Our big goal is to double the number of teachers that we get for the last two boxes.

What’s the feedback you’re getting?

We met with a few of them to get some feedback, and they said, “We have so many colleagues that want one, too.”

One teacher said she ran down the hall, bringing everybody their boxes, saying, “We got our boxes!” (laughs)

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: So we plan to send an invitation in the box that’s going out this week. They’ll be able to invite a colleague to join the last two boxes for the school year.

We’re trying to include more of the student activities — really kind of branching out in that area where we can start to differentiate a little bit more, and really get down to things that they can use right away, while also providing some kind of stretch and reading content that they may not have seen before.

Vicki: So, there are a lot of folks out there listening to the show who design professional development for teachers.

Now this is not a company you bought this from. You’re actually making these boxes yourself.

So what is your advice to those who are listening to this, saying, “Hey, I want to do my own versions of “Happy Apples,” and make some kind of subscription box for my teacher?

What is your advice to those who want to make their own version of this?

Crystal: So my advice would be to make sure you have a team of people. (laughs)

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: And get really organized.

I think starting small — especially if you have the opportunity. You can get that feedback from them as you’re going, and figure out what’s really working, what do they want more of?

We keep asking them what they want us to change, and they keep saying they like everything.

Vicki: (laughs)

Crystal: It’s a really fun kind of thing. I think probably the most fun thing that we’ve learned about this is to look at the things that people get excited about, and see how you can bring that into professional learning for teachers

Vicki: Fun!

We will share the link in the Shownotes to the Happy Apples idea.

This is a fantastic idea for professional development.

I even wonder if we could figure out a way to use this with our students, because everybody likes to get — basically, it’s a prize box, which we used to use that even in the 1970’s and 1980’s when I was a kid in school.

Crystal: (laughs)

Vicki: So thanks, Crystal. I love this idea. We all need to be creative and get excited about learning.

Crystal: Great, thank you!

Contact us about the show: http://www.coolcatteacher.com/contact/

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Crystal has been an educator in Howard County Maryland for 12 years and currently serves as the Digital Learning, Innovation, and Design Resource Teacher. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Twitter:@crystalmmarshal

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Happy Apples: Fun PD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e263/