#3/4 these r just rookie... huh

[jayzzu]

even more club penguin twitter

human rookie n gary art by @chilblaingrace

[dorianepin]

crazy to think that oscar has literally been a rookie for the past 4 years like the last time he was a returning driver to a series was with mfing r-ace. been thinking about how next year is going to become a real yardstick in measuring his growth potential which is honestly just wild because it's been so long since we've seen him actually grow season-to-season within the same team structure & competitive environment......... yes prema f3 to prema f2 is about as consistent as you can get and there are so many more variables in f1 but even so i feel like much of the discussion around him these days is strictly >"well the race pace is a measure of tyre management and track familiarity and nothing more!" but then it's also a question of quantitatively how much of the pace deficit will be annulled through accruing this experience and how much is just the gap in raw race speed beyond predictive measures... and of course when compared against (ARGUABLY) a top-3 driver on the grid i don't even expect this to be observable after simply one year but i guess what's interesting is that he's often been regarded as a "complete package" who attains success through well-rounded race management and i'm like... well that is good in that there is less mental coaching required for him but also limiting in that he's already closer to his maximum potential than someone rougher around the edges might be.

ngl it kills me how pirelli's tyres blowing up in qatar indirectly gave him the best pr ever by leveling the field off so much deg-wise lol... and then that inversely made people way more critical of his performance in austin when i think it was actually a really good weekend by rookie-dnf standards because 1) he was managing to finetune his weaknesses session-by-session despite the physical challenges of the track surfacing and sprint formatting constraints and then 2) he still held on pretty well after the oco contact in the main race.......... the one thing i'll say about op's racecraft is that imo he's been showing some really solid defense lately and he is usually in the right when it comes to racing inchidents it's just a matter of developing awareness of when it's best to engage in this stubbornness and knowing who is most prone to going bowling on the grid lol. lando is so keenly avoidant and purposeful/conservative in his overtakes (mxc red flag restart great example) but this too is something i think will come with time. (in this case specifically because i think oscar is mentally smart and shrewd enough to pick up on the same awareness)

only 3(.5) races left......... i continuously am just so ??? at the fan rating binary because i really do believe that even "bad" weekends like austin have their own personal highs and then the "good" weekends like suzuka need to be equally contextualized but i suppose that is not as fun as (waves vaguely at reddit wank). i just want [] total points and 4 p[] in championship and i will be happy <3 fun that oscar pretty much has p9 locked down at this point... wish the gap were closer to 63 but it's also already mildly embarrassing for him that he's all the way down in p8 lol this year's been rough for him huh.

[gojology]

Job Benefits. (Part 4)

❝...𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑶𝑵, 𝑺𝑷𝑰𝑻 𝑰𝑻 𝑶𝑼𝑻.❞

CONSPIRING. - Chapter Four

you can find part three here :

part three : routines

pairing : ceo! gojo x female reader warnings : cursing, no proof reading, no editing wordcount : 2494 a/n :  this is so bad, i... i am so sorry. in my defense i haven’t written in a while, but i hope u guys still like this regardless </3

     Almost immediately after stepping foot into the room, you’re greeted with a minimalist, yet clean looking interior. Large window panes with Tokyo’s beautiful sunlight filtering into the already lively room.     There’s a few co-workers you can see sitting by the vending machines on plush arm-rest chairs, the cushions colored a beautiful tan alongside oak wood arm rests and chair legs. Others are on their phone, texting and furiously tapping and a feeling of anxiety immediately eats you up whole. You were seriously starting to regret coming down here, what was the point other then to make Gojo jealous? You could’ve very well eaten in your office- and what you were doing was childish anyways.      You stood in the entrance way of the room, nervously fidgeting, eyes scanning for Keto Sugaeru amongst the faces that were starting to blend in. You can only vaguely remember how he looks like from the few visits he had made to Gojo’s office, jet black hair, usually tied in a bun, always a kind, yet careless smirk on his face. He was handsome, which would be a definitive beacon amongst the rather disgruntled looking office workers.     “Hey, are you gonna move or what? Blocking the damn way.”     You hear a gruff impatient voice behind you, and you twist around, stumbling with the newfound height of your high heels as you did so. A man’s eyes bored into your own, glaring at you with a mix of hatred and annoyance. You gulp, finding yourself unable to respond, instead averting your gaze to the floor meekly.    “You gonna talk? We don’t have all day, sheesh, they’re hiring anyone into the workforce nowadays huh-”      “I’m sorry- I uh, I’m r-really new here so...” modestly giving the man a kind smile, but he seemed to have no patience for you.     As if a divine being heard his rude comment and immediately swept down with some karma, a firm, large hand is placed onto the man’s shoulder that you hadn’t seen prior. It gripped the flesh tightly, and the mysterious man glared directly down at the now squeaking rude one.      “Did I hear that right?” is all he says, a few co-workers are twisting their heads towards the altercation, now you’re sweating bullets. You grip onto your lunch so tightly you’re afraid it might burst, and those incredibly long fingers of his are inching towards the stout man’s collar.     Eventually, the perplexing man smiles kindly, retracting his hands to his sides, now lifeless and slack. “Please, Nishima, refrain from picking on people. We don’t tolerate this in the office, and don’t be dumb enough to do it in front of someone who has direct connections to the Gojo family. Run along now, I’ll leave you off at a warning. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood.”     The man grumbled a few times, kicking at the floor before heading out, you turn your head to thank the man, looking at him with an admirable gaze, but you realize something-      He has the jet black long hair you were searching for before any of this happened, it’s tied up in a bun, and it looked ridiculously smooth and soft. Something you’d pay to drag your hands through and play with. He has that carefree grin displayed on his handsome features, shamelessly showing off his good looks. Tall, and he definitely had a familiar voice that took you a while to put a finger on it.     This had to be him.      “You frozen girlie? I haven’t seen you around in the lunch room- here go sit there, that seat’s super comfy.” he gestures to one chair, and you snap out of your trance, nodding in response, yet still unable to fully register what just happened to you.      “Sugaeru?” you blurt out, your eyes wide while stumbling like a just born fawn towards the spotless table. How good was your luck today? He came to you.      “Suguru.” he corrects, looking back at you, a teasing curve to his lips. “Holy, you completely butchered my name, I think I know you from somewhere-” for a second, he looks like he’s seriously thinking before he beams. “You’re Gojo’s secretary, Y/N, aren’t you? What brings you down here? Gojo told me that you’re usually reserved in your own little world and you do everything in your office.”      You stammer, still unable to believe your luck, but your shoulders are relaxing and the tension has completely evaporated into thin air. “Uh, yeah I’m Satoru’s secretary. I- Um, I wanted to... Get some water?” that was a horrible lie, even for you.      “Rookie mistake.” Suguru pulls out the aforementioned chair for you before walking to the other side of the table to place his lunch on the tabletop carefully. “Water here is super overpriced. You should bring some from your own house if that’s the case! Colleague to colleague, just don’t tell anyone I said that, or else I’ll get in trouble.” winking at you, he twists the lid to his container presumably holding his food, instantaneously a cloud of steam emerges and a delicious scent wafts through the room.     After a moment of silence between the two of you as you both opened your lunches, you clear your throat, meaning to make conversation. “Thank you for saving me back there.” sheepishly, you smile at him. “It’s really appreciated, I just couldn’t believe how rude a person could be, especially since u-uh... You know, he could’ve, like, just walked around me?” stuttering, you grab your utensils in an effort to look relaxed and comfortable, even though you had no idea how to speak to him.     “Atta girl, no problem.” he responds warmly. You feel safe in his shadow. “Hey, if your Gojo’s friend, you’re my friend. Don’t worry about it. I heard you’re new to the office.” he pauses, looking around the now bustling room before covering the sides of his mouth and whispering towards you. “Secretary position was open for a while because no sane person in Tokyo wants to be Gojo’s secretary.” sitting back down while snickering, he takes a bite out of his lunch.      Giggling, you finally ease up. As opposed to Gojo, Suguru’s more sincere and straight to the point. He’s funny in his own way without being obnoxious.      You scoff. “Yeah, I can see how anyone could go insane from working with the guy. It was the only good secretary position open, though...” you muse aloud.      Suguru crosses his arm over his chest, your eyes carefully surveying his attractive figure as he does so, a thoughtful smile on his face. “Well, imagine being friends with him for more than 15 years. I’m sure I’ve gotten a few screws loose.” he says suggestively, wriggling his eyebrows.      You cover your mouth, trying not to laugh- but it just spills out of your lips, and you forget that you just met the guy, that’s just how friendly he was. “Don’t say that!”      “What? It’s true!”     You didn’t quite know it just that, but a seed was planted that day- you and Geto’s relationship, and it would only blossom from there.  ‧₊˚✩彡.     Gojo’s paranoid.     It seems like there’s a secret that he’s not in on, he realizes that Geto’s visits to his office are growing more and more frequent, yet he spends less time at his office, rather, spends all of his time at yours. Feeling left out was never a positive emotion. In response, Gojo would increase his visiting between the two of you, “accidentally” walking in on the both of you casually chatting, but it’s like he’s a ghost in the room. He’d get a few lukewarm stares and a few polite greetings, but that was that.     He’s not sure if it’s jealousy, or what.      He knows he should be supportive of his best friend potentially getting a girlfriend, and he tries to be- but something about Geto and you together really pissed him off, he just doesn’t know why. Maybe it’s the way the pairing between you two seemed so natural, it would be almost sure that a relationship would occur soon that angered him. Having dating co-workers was almost never a good thing.      Deep down he knows that’s not it.      As the weeks past by, the visiting grew almost unbearable, hearing your laughter- your giggles- from jokes that weren’t from him was infuriating. Listening to the repetitive clicking of your heels down the stairs into the break room was driving him insane, and eventually he can’t even open an email or do anything involved with work. You and Geto were constantly on his mind, and he’s morbidly curious as to when the friendship occurred- or if it was possibly more than that.    His first attempt at getting to the bottom of things was bringing it up between the two of them, him and Geto, just as casual chit-chat, but it didn’t go exactly as planned.      Geto would have a sympathetic, almost mocking grin on his lips, but those eyes of his were telling enough. It was a whole other book of lust and need, for you. Brushing the topic off with a wave of dismissal, he’d chuckle and put a mask of friendliness on, but Gojo’s known Geto enough to see where this was going.      He couldn’t have this, everything was brought to him on a silver platter, so it was only natural for him to feel like he needs you, even if he didn’t. Perhaps you were another trophy to his endless collection to him, he just didn’t know. He’d never felt so strongly of a woman, much less his secretary, something was brewing inside of him.    One thing he doesn’t understand is why Geto. He’s flawless in appearance, restless, impossibly good at sex, why weren’t you stroking his ego? Whatever, this was another topic of conversation, what he needed to do now was win you back.     He calculated in his office the average time in which Geto would visit, music drowning out the muffled talking, and finally he’s ready and absolutely certain that this would be a good time to chat you up. Having everything planned out, an aura of confidence radiated from him.      “Y/N!” you hear a chirp from the door, lifting your head up in excitement, you realize it’s not your beloved Suguru, rather, it’s Gojo. Gluing your eyes back on your computer screen, not even bothering to peel them away, you clear your throat in acknowledgement. “Sir?”      A smug grin flickers across his face for just a second before he pulls out one of the chairs across from your desk, scooching it a bit further away for some extra leg room before promptly sitting down. “Knew you’d remember to call me sir, I knew I hired well when you stepped into the interview room, so sharp.”     You don’t detect a shred of sarcasm in his compliment, and finally you turn your gaze upon his face. This was certainly out of the ordinary for you, as he hadn’t visited as often with Geto in the picture now. Gojo’s not wearing the iconic black shades that concealed his cerulean eyes, now, they’re out for you- his private audience.     His eyes are brimming with energy and mischief, almost like a child’s. They’re transfixing, like diamonds handpicked and placed into his eyes. You’re overwhelmed from your work once again- a direct consequence of Gojo neglecting his own, yet something about this greeting reminded you of one of the first few times he had visited you, when he stole your carrot pen. Thus, causing you to direct your undivided attention towards him, he seemed promising, after all, what was the worst that could happen?     “That’s besides the point, Mr. Satoru. Is there any reason why you came here? I’m actually finishing up a report right now and the deadline is in two days.” taking your coffee mug up from it’s usual spot on the tabletop, you sigh in relief as the warm liquid goes down your throat and set it back down, anticipating his answer.     In usual fashion, Gojo chuckles good-heartedly. “It’s your fourth month anniversary you’ve been working here, or third, or second, fuck like I remember. This is a cause for celebration and you’re worrying about finishing up a report?”    “You’d know better then to come to me with an offer of slacking off if you knew my fourth month anniversary of working here was coming up.” you respond coolly.     His eyes slightly widen, before he lets out a dry chuckle. “Ah, I missed my sassy secretary, say, why don’t we celebrate? We can go out for a staff dinner in celebration. I’ll pay, no need to worry. It’ll be confidential information between the two of us.” tugging at his collar, he quirks an eyebrow, you’re visibly thinking.      “Does this imply you want this dinner to only be between the two of us? Why’s that?” you pry, a tinge of hesitance in your pitch.     Ah, shit. This was going off the tracks.     Gojo taking a hand to his chest defensively, he loudly announced, “It’s important to build a positive connection between the two of us! We’ll be working together for years to come, of course. So skeptical of you, why do you look so down?” the retort was cheeky, and good at that, as it left you speechless.     “I’m not sad, or anything-” you pause, your mind had gone blank. “I- Um... I-” attempting to return to your work instead, you give him a dirty look, but he stares back with such intensity you don’t know how to feel. “I’m doing work, don’t screw up my train of thought, please?”    “You definitely weren’t saying that when I offered to take you out to eat, come on, spit it out.” he tsks. Utterly defeated, you sigh.     “I wanted to invite someone.” you spit out, obviously embarrassed.     Gojo pretends to act shocked, before excitedly inquiring, “And who might that be?”     “G-Geto.” there was no point in lying now.    He oohs, looking down at your shaking hands and back up at your face. “Ooooh, Y/N has a crush on my best bud? Who woulda thought!?”    Your cheeks going warm, you shake your head furiously. “No I don’t! I- Mr. S- Sir! This is so unprofessional of you!” stuttering, you drop your head on the desk, arms pillowing the sides of your head and groaning.     “How cute. Anyways, you accept that dinner date?”     You lift your head back up, sniffling. “It’s not a date!”    Giving you a shit-eating grin again, his eyes twinkle. “Oh, but it is.”    “I- Aghhhhh!” putting your head back down on the desk, this time without your arms, you don’t know how to respond, so instead you make a mockery of yourself.    Laughing, Gojo decides not to tease and you and instead says, “Meet me in Shibuya district, there’s a super nice restaurant, I’ll drive to your house, no need to worry about transportation. 9 PM, see you there!” his voice grew more distant down the hallway, you can still hear the clicking of his shoes and his deep humming.     So you had a date tonight,     Now how would that go?

[p1harmonyofficial]

[📰] 20 Questions With P1Harmony: K-Pop Rookies on the High Energy of 'Disharmony: Break Out' Mini-Album

By Heran Mamo

Plus: See a full, translated video interview with the sextet exclusively on Billboard.

P1Harmony explore a wide range of topics and genres on their high-intensity mini-album Disharmony: Break Out, which was released April 20 as the follow-up to their first EP, Disharmony: Stand Out.

Named one of the rookie K-pop groups to watch in 2021 by Time, members Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul and Jongseob had a unique experience stepping into the spotlight for the first time: The sextet debuted in the Korean film P1H: The Beginning of a New World on Oct. 8, 2020, before releasing their debut EP, Disharmony: Stand Out, on Oct. 28. Starring in a film prior to releasing their own music allowed P1Harmony to be more comfortable and confident enhancing their choreography (their Billie Eilish medley choreography has amassed more than 1 million YouTube views) and even coming up with their own music video concepts.

To commemorate the release of Disharmony: Break Out, the members of P1Harmony answered Billboard’s 20 questions about how Korea shaped who they are, how their evolving sound shines through on their latest mini-album, and the meanings they've taken away from this project as well as what they hope their fans will too.

1. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

Keeho: 5 Seconds of Summer, CD

Theo: BIGBANG’s MADE, CD

Jiung: Lee Moon Sae, cassette tape

Intak: Teen Top's "Miss Right," mp3

Soul: G-Dragon, CD

Jongseob: B.A.P’s "1004," CD

2. What was the first concert you saw?

Keeho: Ariana Grande’s The Listening Session

Theo: BIGBANG’s MADE Concert

Jiung: Lee Sun Hee’s Concert

Intak: Open Concert by KBS when I was 7!

Soul: Teen Top’s Japan Concert

Jongseob: B.A.P Concert

3. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?

Keeho: [My mom] used to do work related to music, she was a musician. My dad used to work at a university as a counselor.

Theo: My mom is a hairstylist.

Jiung: My mom used to be a banker and my dad used to work at National Tax Service.

Intak: My mom is a [yoga] trainer or coach and my dad is a businessman.

Soul: I’m not sure.

Jongseob: My mom used to be a jazz dancer as well as an instructor and my dad used to work at National Dance Company of Korea.

4. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

Keeho: Myself and acquaintances

Theo: Myself

Jiung: My rap and my vocal coach

Intak: My parents. They gave me full support, as well as the confidence to be able to pursue my dream.

Soul: Teen Top

Jongseob: B.A.P and my parents

5. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

Keeho: The Grammys!

Theo: Our own world tour!

Jiung: To perform in front of a million people

Intak: To become a respected musician

Soul: To perform at a big music festival or a stadium, like Coachella

Jongseob: To perform until I can’t

6. How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

Keeho: It’s a place where I was able to gain my own confidence and learn the importance of being friendly [manners]. It’s also where I was able to experience a wide range of vocalists and their styles, which ultimately helped me shape and find my own vocal style.

Theo: It’s a place where I was able to live without any pressure or concerns.

Jiung: For me, my hometown is currently a place where I can find mental stability and state of relaxation. I reminiscence about my hometown quite frequently when I need to recoup and find mental stability.

Intak: I was raised in the rural part of Korea, so I was always close to nature and grew up playing in the valleys or riding gunny sacks in the mountains. I think that’s what helped me be at leisure.

Soul: It’s a place where I grew up without any hardships.

Jongseob: It was one of the most comfortable places in Korea with positive vibes and clean, refreshing air, which helped me find peace and ease.

7. What’s the last song you listened to?

Keeho: Ariana Grande’s "POV"

Theo: P1Harmony’s "End It"

Jiung: DPR IAN’s MITO

Soul: P1Harmony’s "Reset"

Jongseob: Penomeco’s Dry Flower

8. What’s your karaoke go-to?

Keeho: Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You"

Theo: BIGBANG’s "BANG BANG BANG"

Intak: Bobby’s "YGGR"

Soul: I don’t go to karaoke haha

Jongseob: Beenzino’s "Dali, Van, Picasso"

9. If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

Keeho: Beyoncé

Theo: G-Dragon and Huh Gak

Jiung: Lee Sun Hee

Intak: Michael Jackson

Soul: Beyoncé

Jongseob: Post Malone

10. How has the pandemic affected your creative process?

Keeho: My source of inspiration has become very limited, as I don’t get to go to new places or meet new people.

Theo: I think because I couldn’t really go out, I was able to focus more on my craft.

Jiung: I was able to really dig deep into my work, writing lyrics and composing.

Intak: I didn't have a lot of ideas, but I also thought writing about COVID-19 could be a source of new ideas.

Soul: It was hard because I couldn’t really go to places that would usually help me get inspiration.

Jongseob: It was a bit difficult because I lacked having new experiences and meeting new people. My source of inspiration was also very limited, because I would just go to the same places.

11. How did starring in the film P1H: The Beginning of a New World prepare you for your debut as a K-pop boy band?

Keeho: I think it was a good opportunity for me to learn how to be more comfortable in front of the cameras.

Theo: I was able to gain confidence and felt a sense of pride knowing that we were the first ones to debut in a unique way with a full-length movie.

Jiung: I think it was a unique way of introducing us to the world and gave us the opportunity to learn how to be more focused and theatrical onstage.

Soul: It was a great experience, because it allowed me to learn the basic manners of the industry and the importance of staff members.

Jongseob: I think it helped us build a strong storyline and composition for our music. It will be easier to understand our music and its message if you watch the movie.

12. What do you want fans to take away from your mini-album Disharmony: Break Out?

Keeho: I believe it would depend and vary on how you interpret it, but we hope our listeners really enjoy our music.

Theo: I hope our fans and listeners gain confidence through our music, which is one of our strongest messages.

Jiung: I would like for our fans P1ece to really understand, take and gain everything from what we are trying to deliver in our message.

Intak: I would like for our fans to find the courage to speak up and have their own voice.

Soul: I just want our fans to be happy when they're listening to our music!

Jongseob: I think it depends on who is listening, but I hope our fans can take away anything and everything they can in a positive way and earn confidence as well.

13. Which song from Disharmony: Break Out is the most meaningful to you and why?

Keeho: I think it’s "If You Call Me" because it's a song that all six of us worked on together

Theo: I would like to pick "Reset," because I did so well in the studio while recording this song, so it means a lot to me.

Jiung: I’d say "Pyramid" because the lyrics "I’m on the top of the pyramid" helps me feel like I’m really the best and makes me want to live by that mindset. It definitely has become one of my favorite tracks.

Intak: I would pick "If You Call Me" for the same reason Keeho picked it. It’s a meaningful song to me because we all worked on it together as a team.

Soul: I think every single track on the album has a special meaning for me and because it’s all our songs, it’s a super difficult question to answer.

Jongseob: I think for me, our title track "Scared" is the most meaningful. The message of the song, which is not to be afraid to voice your own opinions and to live the life you want to live, is what I strongly believe in and that’s the kind of attitude I want to have.

14. Your debut EP Disharmony: Stand Out is much more hip-hop leaning, while your second features more R&B harmonies and EDM production while still refining the rap verses. What made you want to switch up your sound in only a manner of six months?

Keeho: I think we wanted to really make sure our message is being delivered clearly and strongly, so I think that’s why we picked tracks that were as strong with aggressive sounds.

Jiung: I don’t think we had a special moment or particular reason as to why we decided to do what. We just wanted to portray our feelings and thoughts that we felt at that moment while making music, and the time that we spent in between our albums, is what probably contributed to the change of sound as well.

Intak: As Keeho mentioned, I think we wanted to stand out a bit more with more clarity and distinct characteristics, which is what drove the aggressiveness and the slight change of sounds for this album.

15. Since you help choreograph and conceptualize your videos, what do you hope to convey in the accompanying visuals for Disharmony: Break Out?

Keeho: As you can see in our choreography for "Scared," we incorporated football into our routine. Football is a sport that is very aggressive and requires a lot of energy so we thought it was a good fit with our song. With these specific key points, we tried to really emphasize our message as well as our energy.

Jiung: I think our choreography, stage outfits, and concept all adds up and helps level up the intensity of the song as well as the message that we want to deliver. Our music video and choreography really turned out well, so I hope our fans appreciate and enjoy it!

16. Which artist is on your bucket list to collaborate with?

Keeho: Ariana Grande

Theo: BIGBANG, Taeyang, G.Soul, Dean

Jiung: Ty Dolla $ign

Intak: Justin Timberlake, A$AP Rocky

Soul: Les Twins

Jongseob: Penomeco, Smino

17. What’s one thing that even your most devoted fans don’t know about you?

Keeho: I really don’t like long nails. I just can’t stand it, so I tend to always keep my nails short.

Theo: I don’t really sweat. I don’t think I sweat at all.

Jiung: I have a habit of chewing the inside of my mouth, unintentionally.

Intak: My lips are naturally moisturized so I don’t need to use a lip balm to make them glossy!

Soul: I have dermographism, so even the slightest irritation like a scratch will leave a mark/scar for a while.

Jongseob: I have a slim waist and biggest feet of all members.

18. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

Keeho: I don’t really cry, so I don’t think there’s a movie that ever made me cry.

Theo: The Korean movie Miracle in Cell No. 7 makes me cry every single time I watch it.

Jiung: Korean traditional children’s song "Daddy Cheer Up" makes me tear up.

Intak: I have a couple, but if I had to just pick one, it’d be the movie Forrest Gump.

Soul: I don’t cry like Keeho so I have never cried watching something and I just don’t like to watch sad movies.

Jongseob: "Falling Slowly"

19. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your pre-debut self?

Keeho: Don’t worry too much and work harder.

Theo: Think 100 times before acting on it.

Jiung: Are you truly sincere?

Intak: Enjoy life a bit more.

Soul: Be more emotionally stable.

Jongseob: It's never too late.

20. What does a successful 2021 look like for you?

Keeho: I hope to release as much music as we can!

Theo: I wish we can make at least 3 comebacks.

Jiung: I hope to gain more emotional peace and stability.

Intak: "Rookie of the Year" award!

Soul: There’s a necklace I really want to buy and I hope to buy it by the end of this year!

[vera-invenire]

VnC Liveblog - Chapter 4

.All chapter liveblogs are linked HERE.

The Case Study of Vanitas, aka, It’s Probably A Really Bad Idea To Get Into  Fights With People Called ‘Hellfire Witch’, Boys, I’m Just Saying

Not much to note in the cover art this time -- we’ve got Vanitas’ standard imagery in blues and blacks, with emphasis on the hourglass earring and his eyes. And the gears, through after the airship we haven’t really had much else that was very steampunk-ish in the story. Maybe that’ll change in later chapters.

Re: the eyes -- we know that most vampires have eyes that glow red when they drink or use their powers (I think that’s how it works?) and they have a link to the crimson moon, but Vanitas is human, so even though he’s got a connection to the Vampire of the Blue Moon, his blue eyes might just be a coincidence. (re: for the  a e s t h e t i c) (though the color matching with that hourglass is a bit suspect on the symbolic level, so who knows)

We get a bit of a peak at the dynamics in Dante’s crew before we jump back into the action --

Johann is very camp. I wonder if the matching suits were his idea. I like his relationship with Dante, though. Riche seems to be their junior member -- at least Johann is looking out for her.

Uh-oh. Luca’s heading back into the fray.

Chapter title: Memoire 4 Love Femme Fatale

Well, ‘femme fatale’ is Jeanne, that’s pretty clear. But ‘love’? Eh? Are we introducing a romance? Or is this the protective love between Jeanne and Luca?

So, Jeanne’s chasing Noé down the back-alleys of the -- was it the riverfront district? Warehouses, we’re surrounded by warehouses.

She catches his foot!

Noé intercepts! \o/

(’may i throw you back’, pfff)

But Vanitas is no slouch himself, even if he is back to being carried like a kitten.

We already knew that Vanitas was aware of Jeanne’s reputation, but this exchange makes me think he knows a bit more than surface level rumors. But he doesn’t seem up-to-date with the no-killing influence Luca has on her.

Vanitas tells Noé to follow the plan (which we are not privy to) as Jeanne finds them again.

'No’, ‘I refuse’, must be Noé‘s favorite words, he says them so much.

(Can you imagine baby Noé just constantly saying ‘i refuse. i refuse.’ all serious-like whenever someone tried to make him put down his blankie, cuz I’m imagining it, lmao.)

Note: Noé‘s teacher is a scary badass. (also what’s he holding? a cane? a switch?? oi, what was Noé‘s training like)

Meanwhile, Noé feels like he’s finally getting the upper-hand --

Uh-oh.

Pride goeth, etc etc

*sports announcer voice* That’s gotta hurt.

But why’s he looking at his hand? I didn’t notice him holding anything before.

“Now... let’s see.” He and Vanitas still have a plan to enact. Also, hi Riche!

So we haven’t had much time with these three yet, but I’m starting to get a feel for their priorities. Dante would never, ever in a million years admit to anything like fondness for Vanitas, or vice versa, but underneath all the mutual sniping I think there’s a small bond there. A teeny tiny one.

Whereas with Johann -- he honestly doesn’t care about Vanitas one way or another. If V were to be killed in front of them, I think Dante would be shocked and frozen for at least a second while Johann would say, ‘welp, it’s been a lark, toodle-loo’, grab his Two People, and get them all the hell out of there, not bothering to look back.

Riche, I don’t know enough about yet. She mostly registers to me as the rookie of this trio, tbh.

Yes, antagonize the massively powerful warrior who just threw Noé through a brick wall. That’s a good plan. (is this the plan, that would be a terrible plan)

Ooo, history, I love history. I especially love MochiJun’s history and how layered and batshit it can get once the reveals start to hit.

So the vampire-human war happened a long time ago -- how long ago, we don’t know. We know that BlueVampire!Vanitas was alive during that time. We know that Jeanne was alive during that time, but was then put asleep.

(Why? Some thoughts: she was a weapon of war and put away when peace came; she went off the rails and had to be subdued; her being put asleep was a condition of some kind; she wanted to be put under, etc. There’s no way to know what really happened yet, but it’s interesting to think about.)

We also now know that BlueVampire!Vanitas used to tell Vanitas stories about the war that clearly didn’t leave out many details. But that wording...honestly, it sounds like maybe Vanitas was a kid when he heard this? Telling stories is something you usually do with a kid, which might make sense because.human!Vanitas doesn’t look that old. Anything that happened more than a few years ago would slide into ‘kid’ territory.

Which makes me wonder...did BlueVampire!Vanitas raise human!Vanitas? Or teach him, at least? I’d be a neat parallel to Noé and his teacher.

(what if they’re the same person, bwahahaha)

Anyway, back to Vanitas taunting the highly aggravated weapon of mass destruction.

Oooo, he’s about to pull out a special move. And he -- dropped the book?

is that thing really there, or is it, like, symbolic

oh shi-

The gloves are literally about to come off...!

That kid’s got horrible timing.

Ohoho, someone woke up from their nap. Was this part of the plan or is it an interesting complication?

Ow.

...IT WAS A TRICK, you sly dog.

also vampires are monsters, huh? or just curse-bearers and bourreaus? i think this distinction may be a biiiiit important. (is this why you’re always so shocked when Noé does/says something decent, oh boy)

LMAO, oh god, I hope this Greek chorus follows Vanitas around all the time just to drag him, wouldn’t that be amazing

Damn, boy -- he really knows how to work the superior disdain, doesn’t he?

I’m still shaky on how these true names work. Do vampires just fall into types, and that’s what gets warped? You’d think something called a ‘true name’ would be more individual than that.

Oi, Jeanne, you aren’t watching? Though I like Dante being all, ‘whatever, I’ve seen this show before.’

ahahaha, OOPS.

That’s what happens when you let your grandstanding get away from you, bb.

oh hey, look who was lurking nearby and NOT HELPING AT ALL.

“...you must be joking.” in this kind of context is like, one of my favorite lines.

Also damn, Jeanne is a badass.

Yeah, saw that coming.

She really shouldn’t have let Vanitas see how distracted she became when Luca wandered into danger.

*snorts* The Greek chorus doesn’t lie.

It’s a bluff, though; no way would Noé agree to harming the kid.

oh my god.

(”don’t forget to cover his mouth as you would a hostage, like so” akfdsajkfhkjf)

Noé, you are too innocent, too pure.

And she folds like a house of cards.

I don’t think even Vanitas expected this plan to work so well.

Oh, a little bit of crazy eyes there. This is gonna be a Thing, isn’t it? Vanitas, who, as far as we know, owes his loyalty to nothing and no one uses this to kick Jeanne while she’s down.

Heh, wonder what’s gonna happen when Vanitas finds something he wants to protect.

That is definitely a plotting look in his eye. He just saw how to use this to his advantage.

1. um what

2. hey, is this the first time we’ve seen him bare handed? It’s nice to know he doesn’t have actual claws under those gloves.

3. speaking of which, is that ‘my strength is suddenly gone’ bit because there IS something magic-related about his hands, or is she just in shock?

4. that is a very unnerving look. Vanitas, what are you doing

...holy crap, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??

Vanitas what are you doing

Shit, this is why the chapter was called “Love Femme Fatale”, oh geez.

dante, why do you look the most freaked out out of everyone?

Alright, I know Vanitas has been set up as being utterly unscrupulous, what with the lying and taking a little boy as a hostage and using a bloodthirsty monster to do his dirty work, etc, but seriously, someone needs to introduce him to the tenants of the #metoo campaign. Sure, fine, she tried to kill him two minutes ago, but this feels like a line too far.

...

Yeah, this ain’t real. The disdain, the fear, the calculation from before -- that was genuine. This is another bluff.

And I think I know why he’s doing it. Fighting Jeanne made it very clear that she is waaaaay out of his league, strength-wise. He only won through guile, and it’s a trick that might not work again. This woman has a well-earned, blood-soaked reputation, and she was gonna walk away from this fight seeing Vanitas as an enemy to herself and Luca.

But Vanitas saw her weakness -- she lets her bonds with those she cares about distract her. She’s a killer, but she’s sentimental. Emotional.

So, if you’re Vanitas, how do you deal with this, knowing that Jeanne the Hellfire Witch might become a problem for you down the line? How do you plan to defeat a potential foe who is so much stronger than you, someone you could never hope to defeat in a fair fight?

Apparently, if you’re Vanitas, you try to seduce them.

Even if the actual seduction part doesn’t work, you can still mess with her head just enough to make her confused, maybe make her a little more likely to hesitate when it’s time for the gauntlet to finally come down.

And a split-second’s hesitation could be all Vanitas would need to make his counter.

(sidenote: i still think it’s  h i l a r i o u s  that Dante is the most outraged about all this kissing and love declaration stuff. Noé apparently can’t hear any of this at all, which I think is very convenient. We don’t get to see his reaction to this kind of game until later, apparently.)

Uh-oh. Looks like this kid is powerful and very, very pissed.

“A large-scale “formula” revision” mmhmm, okay, what’s that supposed to mean? Am I getting an explanation for the magic system yet?

Looks like it’s not just Luca keeping Jeanne from going off the rails -- she does the same for him.

Look at that. She’s throwing death threats but now she’s blushing, she sure as hell wouldn’t have been blushing before he kissed her, the stupid plan is working.

And honestly, aggravation and confusion are probably going to work better than actual tender feelings in this seduction. He’s going to play this role to the goddamn hilt.

Look at that face, the jerk.

Alright, that’s a better face.

Noé has no idea what he’s getting into, the poor soul.

(he didn’t have much of a presence in this chapter, did he. maybe Jeanne is mostly going to be a Vanitas subplot instead of a Vanitas-and-Noé subplot)

Apparently we’ve traded one killer on the streets for another. And even more intriguing -- he recognized this killer. ‘Course, now he’s dead, so I don’t know how useful that’s gonna be.

Whimsical creature of darkness! I did not miss you.

The true threat is revealed with a name -- “Charlatan”. But, you know --

(Charlatan: a person who falsely pretends to know or be something.)

-- which makes me think there’s proooobably something else behind this guy. He is a fake, after all. (Though, hey, ‘charlatan’ is a nice contrast with Vanitas the doctor, don’t you think.)

That’s all for chapter 4! What a night, eh?

Next, CHAPTER 5.

[osakaso5]

Tenn Kujo TRIGGER Police Rabbit Chat Part 2: Heaven's Brain

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Tsumugi: Kujo-san, good work. As we discussed earlier, I've sent the script and data for "i7 Police 2" to you..! 

Tenn: Good work. 

Tenn: I'm sorry that I didn't contact you earlier. I'll look them over. 

Tsumugi: Don't worry about it, I'm the one who's sorry for trying to reach you at such a busy time. 

Tenn: Can I ask you something? 

Tsumugi: Yes! 

Tenn: Will we be okay with all these nonsensical plot points? 

Tsumugi: While there's some unusual elements, it's still a serious story  at its core..! 

Tsumugi: But if you have any points of note, do tell me ><

Tenn: They're all points of note. Oh well, at least I can relax knowing that my complaints will be heard on this shoot. 

Tsumugi: I'm really sorry... 

Tenn: It makes things easier. 

Tenn: And I hear you were kind enough to make compromises and explain the more confusing plot points to the actors back when you filmed i7 Police 1. 

Tsumugi: Right, we try to be careful not to make any progress before the actors understand what's going on..! 

Tenn: In that case, I think it'll be fine. 

Tsumugi: That's good..! 

Tenn: So, I'm a boy detective? 

Tsumugi: That's the theme for your costume, but your actual character is a high-ranked officer, with a commanding role in the international police! 

Tsumugi: Within the international police, "Three Radiant Guys", or "TRG" for short, is known as a brilliant team of investigators. 

Tsumugi: You're the rookie with masterful deduction abilities, "Heaven's Brain". Gaku-san is a loose cannon, but he's also a skilled sniper by the name of "Eagle Eye", and Tsunashi-san is an ex-SAT agent who now leads the international special forces, "Dragon Claw"! 

Tsumugi: Yuki-san and Momo-san, Gaku-san and Tsunashi-san's old partners,   belong in the criminal organization Dyna R. 

Tsumugi: They're "Hundred Claw", an unrivaled martial artist who uses knives and is said to be invincible, and "Thousand Eyes", a terrorist hacker who can infiltrate any machine and is wanted all across the globe! For reasons unknown, they defected from the police force and became wanted fugitives! 

Tenn: What a backstory. I'm starting to feel even  more complicated about this. 

Tsumugi: Heaven's Brain,   TRG's rookie genius, joins the group to search for the pair's whereabouts, but it turns they were remodeled into aliens, and he's actually their former superior who's also an alien. 

Tenn: An alien. 

Tsumugi: Yes! 

Tenn: We come in peace

Tsumugi: Take us... to your leader... 

Tenn: Hey

Tenn: I just snorted. 

Tsumugi:

Tenn: Don't make me laugh. 

Tenn: I didn't think they'd change me into an alien, too. 

Tsumugi: Don't  you like it..? 

Tenn: I don't really care what planet my character's from. 

Tsumugi: If you have any other questions or concerns, let me know! 

Tenn: Is Riku's character a captive from the start? 

Tsumugi: Yes. Since we're still not allowed to use actresses, he plays the part of the heroine. 

Tenn: That's what happens when you market your group with a pure image. 

Tsumugi: TRIGGER does a lot of work on romance dramas, after all... 

Tenn: If this was just us, there'd be a romance for sure. 

Tsumugi: I wonder which one of you three the heroine would end up with? 

Tenn: If you were the heroine, who'd you choose? 

Tsumugi: Huh!? 

Tenn: It’d probably be  one of the two Mr. Most Desired Embraces. My character would be the young and reckless guy who has pure feelings for the heroine, but gets rejected and matures as a result. 

Tenn: But in reality, I can be just as unpredictable as those two. Should I show you my techniques? 

Tsumugi: Your jokes are going to give me a heart attack one of these days..! lol

Tenn: ^^

Tsumugi: Just to get us back on track, could you answer this questionnaire about the show? ><

Tenn: Yes. 

Choices/outcomes:

1. Is there anything about your character that resembles you?

Tenn: The way he tries to keep his cool when there's trouble, I guess. I may not be able to solve cases coolly like my character, but I try my best to have an objective point of view at all times. 

2. What if you were actually Re:vale's superior?

Tenn: I've been able to come this far because I had Re:vale to aspire to. If the positions were  reversed, I'm sure I'd have to be working all day  and night just to stay ahead of them. 

3. What if you'd only recently joined TRIGGER?

Tenn: I can't even imagine TRIGGER being any different from how it is right now. I guess the fact that we discuss our views openly would stay the same, though. 

Tsumugi: Thank you for your answers..! 

Tenn: Gaku and Ryu have started working on heir roles. By doing muscle training, anyway. 

Tsumugi: So I've heard. I'm glad you're taking the time to work on your characters... 

Tenn: Those two seem really fired up for this. I'm pretty excited, too. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. 

Tenn: By the way, have  you heard from Momo-san  and Yuki-san? 

Tsumugi: Re:vale? Not in particular, is something  wrong? 

Tenn: they've been coming to me for daily advice. 

Tsumugi: Advice!? 

Tenn: Gaku -> Yuki -> me <- Momo <- Ryu

Tsumugi: Is that an  air flow chart..? 

Tenn: It's the current composition of our relations. 

Tenn: The ones at fault here are the script that deals with all these delicate issues, as well as Gaku and Ryu, who keep avoiding me. 

Tsumugi: So you do mind not having a partner... 

Tenn: I don't. 

Tenn: Momo-san's here. I'll go greet him. 

[rubiaryutheroyal]

Phoenix Wright: Proud Punster - Pt. 1

Why am I purposely going to ruin my favorite video game series with this garbage? Because I can!

If you’ve seen the “pt. 0″ post earlier, please don’t look for it. It’s gone. I killed it. Mwahaha. No, but sometimes posts via mobile glitch up and ruin it once viewed from my computer. Since I only meant it as a placeholder and reminder for myself - that I probably could have just posted privately, gosh - I decided to can it. Sorry.

(Meanwhile, if people want me to share trivia about Takumi’s old development history, though, I can do it on my main blog! ...only if I get asked or a reply about it. There’s a lot.)

Since case 1-1 is so short (and awkward), I’ll collect all the jokes I could muster from it here. Have a nice read and relive the memories!

The First Turnabout

(1) Phoenix: *pacing around the lobby reading a file* Victim’s name is Cindy Stone. Location, her apartment. Time of death, between 4:00 and 5:00 pm. Cause of death, blood loss from blunt trauma to the head. She was struck once…

Mia: Wright!

Phoenix: Oh, Chief!

Mia: Whew, looks like I made it on time. Good luck today! It’s your first trial. You’ll want to leave a good impression.

Phoenix: Y-yeah.

Mia: How are you doing now?

Phoenix: O-oh, you know me… I’m always all Wright!

Mia: …

Phoenix: I-I’m sorry, Chief. It let it slip again, didn’t I?

Mia: Take care, Wright. The last thing we need is for the judge’s mood to be ruined by a bad pun.

Phoenix: I-I know, but I’m nervous as heck! It hasn’t been this bad since I had a class trial back in elementary…

Mia: Well, that was then and this is now. Don’t let it get to you after all this time.

Phoenix: Right…

(2) Larry: Oh, it’s all over! My life, everything, it’s all overrr!!

Phoenix: H-hey, Larry! What’s wrong now!?

Larry: Oh, Nick, I’m not long for this world…

Phoenix: Uh, you don’t look sick.

Larry: But I am! I’m feeling feverish, my hands are shaking, and my heart… My heart! It’s so empty…

Phoenix: …You mean your girlfriend, huh?

Larry: Ohh, Cindy… If only I could turn back the clock to save you…

Phoenix: Aw, it’s not all bad, Larry. You still have me, who believes in you.

Larry: Look, man. I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, but forget it. I’m a hopeless idiot who can’t get a date and when I finally do, I lose her for good. What else do I have to redeem…?

Phoenix: W-well… I may not be able to save your girlfriend anymore, but I at least can save you.

Larry: Nick…

Phoenix: Besides, there’s no way I’d leave my best friends hanging. Trust me. You’re in the Wright hands now!

Larry: …

Phoenix: …Uh, Larry?

Larry: …I think I see the light already…

Phoenix: H-hey! Don’t go there! It wasn’t that bad, was it!?

(3) Judge: Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Larry Butz.

Payne: The prosecution is ready, Your Honor.

Phoenix: The de… um, defense is ready, Your Honor.

Judge: …Mr. Wright?

Phoenix: Y-yes, Your Honor?

Judge: This is your first trial, is it not?

Phoenix: Yes, it is. I’m uh… a little nervous, is all.

Judge: Hmm. Your behavior today will determine the fate of your client. Murder is a serious charge. I hope for both your sakes that you can control your nerves.

Phoenix: Y-yes, of course… Um, but if all goes well…

Judge: Yes?

Phoenix: M-maybe I can stay for the full subscription?

*the entire court goes still*

Payne: Hee hee. It looks like they’re doomed from the start.

Mia: Wright! I warned you about this already!

Phoenix: S-sorry, Chief! I just blabbed out the first thing that popped in mind…

Mia: Can’t you put in a little more restraint…?

Judge: …Mr. Wright.

Phoenix: Y-yes, Your Honor? (Uh-oh. Here comes the penalty.)

Judge: I wasn’t aware we had a subscription service for the viewing of these trials. Where do you go to sign up?

*another still silence*

Payne: Um, Your Honor, we don’t. It’s just a silly joke made by that rookie lawyer.

Judge: Ah, that explains it. For a moment there, I thought I was missing out on a great deal. Each one of these trials is an expensive venture, after all.

Phoenix: (You RUN these trials, Your Honor! Why would you subscribe to something you see in person!?)

Mia: …Well, at least we caught a lucky break with this judge.

Phoenix: (I didn’t even know there was someone who’d take my puns literally… Maybe we could use this to our advantage?)

Mia: Wright, if I were you, I’d be careful with those puns. They can still be potent.

Phoenix: Yes, Chief.

(4) Payne: Mr. Sahwit, you go door-to-door selling newspaper subscriptions, do you not?

Sahwit: Oh, yes! Yes, that is correct.

Payne: Please testify to what you saw on the day of the crime.

Phoenix: *visibly shaking* …Must… resist…

Mia: Wright? Are you alright?

Phoenix: Chief… his name… the puns…!

Mia: Just try your best to keep it in.

Phoenix: *desk slam* (Well, Mr. “Saw It”, I challenge you to be frank about what you actually saw! Larry didn’t do it!)

Mia: Please try harder.

Phoenix: Y-yes, Chief.

(5) Phoenix: OBJECTION! Witness, the murder weapon wasn’t a clock. It was this statue! Unlike a clock, it only has one hand on its face!

Payne: OBJECTION! Actually, the witness is correct. This statue is indeed a clock.

Phoenix: W-what?

Payne: Its head is a switch. You just tilt it and it says the time aloud. I didn’t bring it up earlier because I thought it to be a trivial detail.

Judge: Oh, I see. Well, Mr. Wright?

Phoenix: (…This ornamental statue is a clock? Then, that means… It’s an ‘okidokei’!)

Mia: …? Wright, what are you getting so giddy about?

Phoenix: Er, ahem. I-it’s nothing, Chief! (Dang it, Larry. You had that joke just sitting around, didn’t you…?)

[T/N: ornament – ‘okimono’; clock – ‘tokei’. ‘okidokei’ is a clock that is sits out as décor. Also, the verb ‘oku’ from the same ‘oki’ means ‘to be left out in the open’; hence why it was found on the floor.]

(6) Judge: Will the witness elaborate? Did you strike the victim with the clock?

Sahwit: I… I never…! Th-that day… I heard, no, I saw… saw… nggh!

*toupee fling*

Phoenix: *blat*

Sahwit: Shutupshutupshutup! That doesn’t matter! I-it was him, I tell you! I saw him! H-he killed her and he should burn! Give him death!

Judge: O-order! Order in the court!

Payne: Y-your Honor, a moment please! There’s not a shred of evidence supporting the defense’s claims!

Phoenix: What? He threw his hair at me! If that’s not trying to get out of a hairy situation, then I don’t know what it is!

Judge: Mr. Wright!

Phoenix: Your Honor?

Judge: Please, no more jokes, especially at this late hour.

Phoenix: M-my apologies, Your Honor.

(7) Phoenix: The clock wasn't three hours slow, it was nine hours fast! The victim hadn't reset her clock since returning home! That's why the time you heard when you struck her was wrong! Proof enough for you, Mr. Sahwit? Or should I say... Mr. Did It!

Sahwit: Ngh…!

*flop*

Judge: O-order! Order, I say!

Phoenix: *beam* (Now that’s what I call a hard punish!)

Mia: …How long are you going to pump your ego over yet another pun?

Phoenix: Chief, I won the case. Can’t you at least seem a bit happier for me…?

(8) Mia: Wright, nicely done! Congratulations!

Phoenix: Heh. Thanks, Chief. But I owe it all to you.

Mia: Not at all! You fought your own battles in there. It's been a while since I've seen a trial end on such satisfying note!

Phoenix: R-really? Even with all the puns I made?

Mia: I said it ended on a satisfying note.

Phoenix: R-right…

Mia: Still, I have to admit that as you went along, they started to get less annoying. I even had my share of smiles.

Phoenix: *grin* O-oh, thanks… (I don’t believe it. She actually liked them!?)

Larry: …My life is over.

Phoenix: What? Larry! You're supposed to be happy! What's wrong now!?

Larry: Aw, Nick… I told you. I’m still a dead man walking…

Phoenix: But you’re innocent! The case is closed.

Larry: …That still won’t bring her back.

Phoenix: (Oh, Larry…)

Mia: Congratulations, Harry!

Larry: H-Harry?

Mia: Yes, you! I can practically see the headlines now: “Harry Butz, Innocent!”

Larry: Heh... um... thanks! I really owe you one. I won't forget this, ever! Let's celebrate! Dinner? Movie? My treat!

Mia: Oh, no, I couldn't.

Phoenix: (Hey, I was the one who got you off the hook! And why is it that when Mia makes a pun, you don’t feel like rolling over!?)

(9) Mia: Well, I think our work here is done! Shall we be off?

Phoenix: Yeah, I guess so!

Mia: Say, how about dinner. On me? We'll drink a toast to innocent Butz!

Phoenix: Yeah! (…Did you really have to put it that way?)

Mia: Oh, speaking of Harry… You were saying part of why you became a lawyer was because of him.

Phoenix: Er, yeah. Part, at least.

Mia: You'll have to tell me more about it sometime! Maybe… over drinks?

Phoenix: Oh, sure… Um, I didn’t realize you were such a fan of drinking, Chief.

Mia: I can take a few shots from time to time. It might also get my mind off of a few things.

Phoenix: ? Like what?

Mia: Don’t worry about it. You’ve done plenty enough already.

Phoenix: …This isn’t about the puns, is it, Chief?

Mia: Well, you’ve had plenty enough of those too, but it’s not nearly as bad as what I’m talking about.

Phoenix: …?

[thegloober]

Yankees 3, Orioles 2: Hicks sends Yankees to the postseason with a walk-off double

Game 154: The Penultimate Home Game

Postseason bound! Saturday evening the Yankees officially clinched a spot in the 2018 postseason with a 3-2 walk-off win against the Orioles in eleven innings. The Blue Jays beat the Rays earlier in the day to help the Yankees out. At worst, the Yankees will be the second wildcard team. The magic number for homefield advantage in the Wild Card Game is now seven.

(Mike Stobe/Getty)

Lynn Grinds Through Five Innings Real Talk: Lance Lynn starts are just as painful as Sonny Gray stats, except Lynn is a tad better at getting outs. He labored through five innings against the Orioles — the 2018 Orioles — on Saturday and finished with two runs and nine baserunners allowed. Lynn also benefited from two runners being thrown out at the plate and another being caught stealing. So the O’s made a full inning’s worth of outs on the bases while Lynn was on the mound. Geez.

The Orioles scored their first run on a play that was equal parts bad, dumb, and weird. With runners on the corners and one out in the third, Cedric Mullins hit a weak tapper back out in front of the plate, and Lynn and Gary Sanchez did the “I got it you get it” thing. Sanchez picked it up, rushed the throw, and it sailed wide of first base. But! Gleyber Torres retrieved the ball in foul territory, threw home, and Steve Wilkerson was tagged out … by Lynn? By Lynn.

Huh. Sanchez committed a passed ball that put a runner on third with one out in the first place, then he threw wide of first for an error, and then he got caught watching the play and Lynn had to make the tag at the plate. Not your best inning, Gary. Anyway, a run scored on the play and the play at the plate was the second out. Lynn was able to get the third out and strand the tying run at second.

In the fifth, the Orioles scored in a more traditional way. Wilkerson doubled and Caleb Joseph singled to right, and Aaron Judge threw Wilkerson out at the plate. Poor guy was 0-for-2 going home on the afternoon. Two things about this play. One, Judge’s throw from right field was 96.9 mph, which is pretty nuts. I guess the wrist is feeling good. And two, replays showed Wilkerson never actually touched the plate. Sanchez blocked it with his foot. Cool.

Lynn’s final line: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K on 93 pitches. Five consecutive batters reached base against him in the fifth inning, yet Aaron Boone stuck with Lynn with the bases loaded and two outs, and he got the ground ball to third to escape the jam and keep the score tied 2-2. Lynn had eight swings and misses among his 93 pitches and three came in one at-bat, when Joseph swung and missed at the same inside two-seamer three times.

Was this Lynn’s last start of the year? He’s not going to be in the postseason rotation should the Yankees advance to the ALDS, so they may move him to the bullpen during the regular season’s final week in preparation for his postseason role. Normal rest would allow him to pitch Thursday, and then he could squeeze in one more tune-up outing Sunday. I guess we’ll see. Lynn was not all that good Saturday, but it could’ve been worse.

(Mike Stobe/Getty)

A Bit Of A Mess Against Hess The Yankees put eight men on base in five innings and still had a weak showing offensively against rookie righty David Hess, who went into Saturday’s start with a 5.22 ERA (5.68 FIP) and 19 homers allowed in 91.1 innings this year. Hess did not have a single 1-2-3 inning yet somehow the Yankees only had two runners in scoring position in his five innings. Miguel Andujar had a one-out double in the fourth and Andrew McCutchen and Judge drew back-to-back one-out walks in the fifth.

As you might imagine given Hess’ numbers and their offensive tendencies, the Yankees scored their two runs against him with the long ball. Aaron Hicks short-porched a solo shot in the third inning and, two batters later, Luke Voit went opposite field and nearly over the home bullpen. It was one of those home runs that makes you think Voit is no fluke. Driving a fastball to the opposite field side of dead center with 109 mph exit velocity like this ain’t easy:

The first three batters of the third inning had base hits for the Yankees. Hicks homered, Andujar singled, Voit homered. Voit’s home run was a solo shot because Andujar was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double. Replays made it look like Andujar thought the ball was clearly into the right-center field gap, but Adam Jones got to it quickly and made a good throw to second. By time Andujar picked up the pace, it was too late. Still love ya, Miggy.

Battle of the Bullpens Both clubs went to the bullpen after getting five innings of two-run ball from their starting pitcher. First out of the bullpen for the Yankees: Chad Green. He was able to pitch around a leadoff double and a two-out walk in the sixth inning. Closer-turned-seventh inning guy Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a scoreless seventh. His fastball velocity was way down (96.1 mph average and 98.3 mph max), though, after a month-long layoff, I’m sure he’s still rebuilding some arm strength. Hopefully he gets back into the triple digits next week.

The Orioles, meanwhile, went to Miguel Castro. He tossed a scoreless sixth and seventh innings even though the Yankees had a runner on third with one out in the seventh. Gleyber Torres doubled to left and moved up on a passed ball, then was cut down at the plate on the contact play on McCutchen’s grounder to third. I hate the contact play so much. I mean, I get it, force them to make the perfect play. That’s why teams do it. I just hate it. Especially with Judge due up. And, even if they intentionally walk Judge, you’ve still got still Didi Gregorius at the plate with runners on the corners. Bah.

How important was this game? Important enough that Dellin Betances got the call for the third straight day. First time all season he’s pitched back-to-back-to-back days. Relatively low pitch counts Thursday (16) and Friday (11) helped make it possible. Dellin struck out the side on 19 pitches. He extended his AL record to 44 straight appearances with at least one strikeout and is five games behind Chapman (2014 Reds) for the all-time record. Probably not enough time to get there this season. Oh well.

Anyway, right around the time Tanner Scott struck out Hicks to end the eighth inning, Ken Giles got Tommy Pham to hit a tapper back to the mound in Toronto to close out the Blue Jays’ win over the Rays. That knocked the Yankees’ magic number for a postseason spot down to one. A win Saturday and they’re in! Aaron Hicks, do the damn thing:

Unseen in that video is Hicks fouling a pitch directly into his left ankle two pitches prior to the walk-off double. It looked pretty brutal. He was in obvious pain and stayed on the ground for a while before successfully lobbying to stay in the game. Then, two pitches later, he doubled into the corner (on the fourth slider of the at-bat) to send the Yankees to the postseason. Gregorius set that up with a leadoff single. Hot damn that was fun.

Leftovers Man, what an escape job by Jonathan Holder in the tenth. He allowed a leadoff double and then a weird infield single where Voit got caught in no man’s land, and Holder couldn’t beat Jonathan Villar to the first base bag. A grounder right at Gregorius (infield in), an intentional walk to load the bases, a line drive at Voit, and a pop-up to Torres got Holder and the Yankees out of the inning. The O’s went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position on the evening.

The Yankees did a whole bunch of nothing against Baltimore’s bullpen. One hit in five innings before Didi and Hicks teamed up for the game-winner. In fact, after Voit’s home run in the third inning, 26 of the next 31 batters the Yankees sent to the plate made outs. This was the opposite of Friday’s game. Friday night neither team could find a reliever who could get outs. On Saturday, everyone got outs.

Speaking of the bullpen: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K combined from six relievers. Green, Chapman, Betances, Zach Britton, Holder, and Tommy Kahnle each threw a scoreless inning. Sonny Gray was warming up when Hicks walked it off in the 11th, so he was the next man in the game. Great work from the bullpen, especially Holder, who escaped that massive jam.

And finally, Hicks’ home run was his 26th home run of the season, extending his career high. It was also the 250th home run of the season for the Yankees, extending their franchise single-season record. Voit then hit their 251st homer of the year. Here are the six most homer happy teams in baseball history:

1997 Mariners: 264

2005 Rangers: 260

1996 Orioles: 257

2010 Blue Jays: 257

2016 Orioles: 253

2018 Yankees: 251 (and counting)

Can the Yankees hit 14 home run in their final eight regular season games to break the record? It’ll be tough since four of those eight games will be played in Tropicana Field, which isn’t exactly known for giving up home runs. A good five-homer game Sunday would really help the cause.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings Go to ESPN for the box score and updated standings, MLB for the video highlights, and FanGraphs for the postseason odds. Here’s our Bullpen Workload page and here’s the win probability graph:

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next The final home game of the 2018 regular season. Time flies, man. Veteran lefty J.A. Happ and veteran righty Alex Cobb are the scheduled starters for Sunday afternoon’s series finale. That’s a 1pm ET game.

Game 154: The Penultimate Home Game

Source: https://bloghyped.com/yankees-3-orioles-2-hicks-sends-yankees-to-the-postseason-with-a-walk-off-double/

[survivorsolomonislands]

Episode 10 “The One Where This Tribal Council is a Mess” (Zakriah)

(here we go yall lmao- pippa)

All along it was always me and Aro and that's how it's gonna continue to be until we're both voted out anyways. Idk Mitch has lied to me already twice now and I don't play baseball so there's no third strike here. Ofc Willow and Allie flipped on us and ofc it's just me and Aro like it always has been. And I can't wait to get 10th.

(a while later)

These people aren't even good at lying and Willow was trying to help me literally all along and she was right there literally was nothing she coulda done about it!!! I feel awful that I ruined any trust I had with her and I feel awful for cultivating a relationship with the wrong rookie on numakira. I'm just so fucked up rn and I knew it was happening too.

(later)

She's over here apologizing to Mitchell and NOT ME for this last vote when I literally just left the alliance chat! So that OBVIOUSLY tells me she has no intention of trying to work with me again after this and that pretty much me and Aro have no shot to make it any further in this bih

(even later)

Most of what I just said was very spur of the moment and I don't even remember half of it but tbh me and mitch are on the same wavelength rn and us and aro's lives basically depend on MY MORTAL NEMESES lexi and rtp

(so much later)

Mitchell and Zakriah's guide to surviving Tumblr Survivor: Solomon Islands Merged Tribe. Step 1) Vote with Allie against LA Step 2) Form a vets alliance Step 3) Steal Willow from Allie

(later isn’t even an option anymore)

LEXI AND ALLIE ARE IRL BEST FRIENDS WHAT THE FYCK IS THIS

(3 years later)

MITCHELL IS A FUCKING DETECTIVE HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS GAME IS TOO FUCKING MUCH HOW IS LEXI SO FUCKING STACKED WITH PREMADES IN THIS GAME I THOUGHT ME/ARO/LINUS WAS BAD WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUCK

(everyone has died, Zak is the only one left)

NO HOLY SHIT SERIOUSLY THIS IS LIKE WHEN IN A MOVIE SOMEONE FINDS OUT THAT THE PERSON THEY THOUGHT WERE INNOCENT AND LIKE THE GOOD GUY IS ACTUALLY THE DEVIL AND HAS BEEN BEHIND EVERYTHING THE WHOLE TIME AND THEIR FACE IS LIKE FLASHING EVERYWHERE THEY LOOK THAT IS L I T E R A L L Y ALLIE HOW DID WE NOT FIND THIS OUT SOONER OH MY LANTA

I just wanna say, Jacob, I voted Matt for you.

So there's literally no possible way I can win immunity - one of my two friends in the game exiled himself from the challenge and that leaves me next to be picked off from winning immunity along with Aro, LA, and maybe Allie too tbh. It's basically Allie/Lexi/Willow's comp to lose at this point and there's literally not a single thing I can do to give myself any edge to win at all. Out of nine people competing in this challenge only one person is working with me, and in a challenge that's essentially a popularity contest, 2/9 gets you nothing. I'm willing to accept the fact that Mitchell and I are completely screwed, and it's not helping that Mitchell is quite actually ostracizing himself from the rest of the people. I'm honestly praying he's hiding another idol from me at this point.

i know it's been a while since my last confessional and i don't wanna make a long one rn but allie's bitch ass

SO the plan for right now is to get the majority to split the vote between 2 of Me, Mitch and Zak. Willow is willing to flip with us so we can get ahead of the split and put 4 votes against Lexi or Johnny and get our minority asses back in this game. Not gonna lie Im having a blast being at the bottom with Zak and Mitchell even though Mitchell is kinda rude towards Willow >.> . We are basically the 3 amigos/ Witches Coven of the season but we will be successful know that!

Oh my GOD if I pull this off... If i pull off this 4-3-3 vote tomorrow night it WILL be the single best play I've ever made in a game. Like I'm honestly shaking. This is either aboutta go so horribly wrong and Willow is lying to us all or it's gonna go extremely well and I won't know until it's either me joining Jacob, Dana, and Matt on the jury or it's Johnny joining them. I have a vote negator, but my history with vote negators has not been a fun one. I would kill to have an idol, but if I make it through this vote, which would literally be the biggest miracle ever, I fully feel like I can retake control over my fate in this game. All hope may NOT be lost!!!

(a little bit later)

ooookay... So I just lost literal years of my life planning a Johnny blindside and now he's trying to take out Allie!!! Everyone is literally fucking VYING FOR OUR VOTES right when we thought it was a clear majority against us! What the fuck this game is so hilarious I don't know what the fuck to even say right now!

(yall thot huh)

Wow I can't believe we just orchestrated a 4-3-2-1 vote. Like imagine how lit it would be for the two people voted as most likely to be voted out next in the challenge were to literally take the 3-2-1 cirie patent vote and upgrade it to a fucking 4-3-2-1 vote! Im beyond shook at this like ive been spending the last three days absolutely certain I was gonna be the next voted out and now as far as I'm concerned I should only be seeing my name once or twice this round. I feel like ciera rn bc I'm making a big fucking move! Game changer Zakriah razzak!

Okay so I need to start writing more confessionals. BUT HOLY FUCK SO MUCH JUST HAPPENED. Okay so first to start off I won individual immunity, and I even had a one rope disadvantage, like how the heck did I do that! I mean it was just Touchy Subjects, but still, I never thought I was gonna be able to win a challenge lmao. Also I'm too tired to finish writing this confessional so I'm just gonna submit and write more tomorrow goodnight lmao.

If everyone's telling me the truth, which why would they, we get to make the sole decision on whether to keep around Johnny or Allie - the two people controlling the whole game. And the best part is that either one of them getting taken out is one less rookie to pick off me/mitchell/aro (and rtp and lexi but screw them), and then that plus my flare gets us at the very least a tie if we piss everyone off with this vote. But, hey, they left us in the dark last time, it's time for some revenge anyways! And then, after we finally get the upperhand again, we can avenge Dana too! I'm still out for blood rtp

(ive avoided this for days)

Mitchell is saying this tribal council is essentially a sitcom episode and if it is it would be called The One Where This Tribal Council is a Mess

(he’ll be gone soon, don’t worry)

Literally we're looking at rtp targetting johnny but voting with allie bc he doesnt think theres numbers to get out johnny and so its "supposed" to be a rudimentary vote split against me 4-3-3 a la queen daisy peacebeuponher but IN ACTUALITY what we're looking at here is johnny reneging and trying to blindside allie in some kind of mess of a 5-3-2 vote WHEN REALLY willow is "using" the three of us to get out JOHNNY in a FUCKING CRAZY ASS 4-3-2-1 vote that's gonna be something like johnny-aro-alie-me and i honestly... LOVE THIS

OKAY SO LET'S FUCKIN DIVE RIGHT INTO IT going into last tribal something was a miss bc of a certain miss willow sayin cryptic ass shit like "i'm sorry i can't stop what's about to happen" and so i knew then that we were fucked. the suspense of waiting was alleviated by allie basically saying she flipped and it wouldn't be on me; i could've guessed it would be matt since she hates matt, but i never thought she'd actually flip and do it bc i don't see how any of us would benefit from leaving a solid 6 to form a very volatile merge but WHATEVER and then i exposed allie and lexi's pregame relationship and close irl friendship and thought i'd blown myself up, particularly after wILLOW TOLD ME SHE FUCKING ALREADY KNEW INSTEAD OF TELGKIEFFREFIURHDIF TELLING ME TO CHILL, and NOBODy seemed to think that it was a big deal. combined w that, i fuckin bought my ass a trip to the cave and couldn't compete in immunity so FUCK me but  then also... good things zak guilted willow HARD about what allie made her do, which was particularly effective bc willow already felt like it was bad for her game. so while allie is saying we should vote LA, then saying johnny and RTP told her no so we can't, i'm like... we need willow rn to flip on this dumb twerking girl who is so far up these kids' ass yet MIRACULOUSLY still has willow up hers??? and zak does in fact guilt her into trying to get everyone else to split the votes so we can do something like get LA out or whatever but i'm sittin here like... alright... who gotta go? and it comes to me. johnny the frat boy, my lover and archenemy!! miss chrissa and dana send their regards bitch!! it seems to me that johnny has a certain degree of control over LA and Luca, and as long as he's in a potential rookie or nuTemoana faction could be reunited or resurrected on his behalf. i don't want that. the game gets more open with him gone. so zak laid the groundwork for willow's flip, and i get to her and convince her the flip gotta be on johnny. it's almost too good to be true. a 4-3-3 vote agaisnt mr frat boy keeping i, mitchell kalabang, still in the game w my f3 of zak and aro and now w miss willow on our side??? FUCK YES and then zak finds a flare that allows him to burn someone's vote at a tribal council, which means if willow stick w us worst-case scenario at the f9 is rocks. things are fallign into place, i'm so JFIOHWEIODFH EXCITED BC it's gonna be HUGE and it's almsot too good to be true when johnny's frat boy ass says he wants to get out allie w me, la, zak, aro, and him. ????? johnny wants to flip on her ass bc of my expose about her and bc she's controlling willow. little does he KNOW that willow already flipped against allie and on HIS ASS and that allie is no longer a threat bc people know that she and lex are friends. so now johnny thinks it'll be like 5-3-2 or something but in actuality it'll be more like 4-3-2-1 johnny-aro-allie-zak which makes me sCREAM THAT"S  SO FUDI*CVJOWDIS FUCIING EBEAUTIONFGD BEAUTIFUL AND ICONIC but THEN RTP FIWEODJFD  COMES TO ME AND ASKS TO MOASMDFUIBHWENDS make a move against johnny and i'm all ike ???D<EKODJFKLJWD iorhejdgio YOUWDFI(JF hwo are you people giving such a clear mnoritjy THISF IOWJDMFIO much POWMERUIOFMWEIOFDJ POWER and he can't get LA on board so he resigns himself to the split vote between aro and zak tellign me about it even tho it's supposed to be a secret but little does he know that i already know about it and i also know that it's a farce bc willow flipped and that it's not even happening bc JOGNY flipped and rtp targets johnny who targets allie who splits the vote betwween aro and zak w rtp bc he can't get the votes aginst johnny while aro and zak are gonna tke out johnny bc WE have the votes and i'm CRYIORJHdf cryin i really think we might actually get the 4-3-2-1 and if that fucking happens i'll literally fuvkcixghnfei shit myself on call somehow i mitchell kalabang am coming out on top?? and i like johnny legitimately to some extent and he might want to work w me, but johnny has also lied to me and has multiple other deals and alliances, and i can't work w that if he's gonna keep shit shady. zak and aro have been loyal and honest to me since day 1 so i'm ridin w them boys and i hope you use all the money you're in charge of as treasurer of the frat to drink yourself into a stupor so as to neuter the humiliation ur gonna feel at being outmaneuvered by fuckin willow. ALSDOJQSOFD speaking of shady miss allie like... first she flip, then i find out she got a #secretpairbeware, and i'm like ???? this BTIHDCIH she might wanna F3 w me and willow but AGAIN how am i gonna play w u when u say shit like "i know you said you didn't wanna do this and take out matt and i respect it so i got literally the entire rest of the tribe to do it instead and against u without telling u haha we still good tho i own you and control you" she seriously got so cocky after that and so self-righteous in defending herself about the lex thing and it's like... girl how the FUCK am i still savin ur ASS after tonight LMFAO the #obvioustension i've felt between me and LA is gone i think, we've had some rlly good chats lately and welp it's gonna suck for her when i now snake HER but whatevs!! and RTP and i are prob good now too considering he told me about his johnny plot and then about the split. considerin i'm gonna do his work for him and oust johnny he shouldn't be too mad lol ! idol searching i fucking went into a cave and my choices were octopus and moray eel and y'all had to be fuckin kiddin ME but ofc the cave fucks me up AHFUIEWHD AGAIN and no second idol for mitcherell kalabganfger but whatevs Somehow, everything has lined up to give me an unprecedented amount of power for someone who felt helplessly on the bottom after Matt, who I feel was an actual tick in this game harming me more than helping me with his poor gameplay and social skills, was voted out. I think I've played an influential role in getting this vote together and in forming a group that can now move solidly forward. I just... if this all works I'm going to cry because RTP going for Johnny going for Allie going for Aro/Zak who're going for Johnny without RTP knowing is a fucking sitcom episode. I can't fucking breathe. If the 4-3-2-1 is what actually happens tonight i might literally cry laughing on call for tribal. mitchell kalabang is not dead yet!

also biggest VILLAIN?????? how the fUIHEWDRHJIernfuier what've i done this season but been lied to and love dana i jsut... and they fucked up w what they said bout luca bc now he's pissed and i'm all like... come to papa :)

IM STILL SO WORRIED EVERYONES LYING TO ME THOOOOO

Okay so, in Touchy Subjects I tied with Johnny in the category "If you could not win the game, who would you most like to see win". And I'm very confused by this because I literally thought I wasn't a threat to win at all. Johnny I understand, he's the one controlling everyone, he's the one calling the nuTemoana shots, and so if he made it to the end he would win no doubt. But me on the other hand, I haven't exactly done much, like I've tried to make good social bonds with everyone, and been honest with everyone, but yeah other then that I'm kinda confused how I got the majority in that category. Onto another topic though. I never thought I would ever say this, but I'm actually pretty damn excited to go to tribal tonight. I have individual immunity, so basically I 100% made it to single digit placements, which is amazing!! Anyway onto the vote. It's going to go great because Johnny thinks Allie is going home, but in actuality Johnny is going home. I guess I sorta convinced Allie, Lexi, and Ryan to split the votes on Zak and Aro. So the vote should go 4-3-3, if all goes according to plan. I'm really hoping this works bc Johnny wont expect it, and it'll get the biggest threat out of this game. I really like Johnny though so I hope he won't be too mad and that we can be friends once this is all over.

[topicprinter]

10 cold email tips I used to get 60,000 signupsI’ve worked at Toggl since 2015 and in the two years, I’ve driven over 150,000 visits to Toggl (*that can be directly accounted for) thanks to, almost exclusively, cold emails.My focus has been on media placements, negotiating content partnerships and securing guest posts and mentions in relevant industry blogs and generally, increasing referral link traffic to Toggl’s website.In the process, I’ve sent about 500 emails, resulting in 94 new, high DA backlinks. Which means I had an 18% sent-to-publication success rate. Not too shabby.It’s important to clarify at first: I’ve personally typed and carefully went through every single email I sent. Talk about scalable, huh?So before you keep on reading, keep in mind — there will be no miracles here, I won’t be sharing growth hacks or get-rich-quick-on-pyramid-schemes tips, every tip I share will smell of blood, sweat and tears.During my first few weeks I carefully noted every email I sent, every response and whether it led to a successful new mention or not, this is what that table looked like:A glimpse at my first few weeks at Toggl - screenshot here - http://ift.tt/2nw7rzb, for every 5 emails I sent, I would get one high DA article published linking to Toggl’s website.The conversion rate from visit to signup on these articles is at a staggering 40%. I guess earned media really works.Over the next year and a half, I would continue to work on these, sending about 500 emails that in turn resulted in 94 publications and 150,000 visits to Toggl. Since the conversion rate averages at 40%, this led us to obtaining 60,000 new signups. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s a look at our conversion rates:Referral traffic conversion rates - screenshot here - http://ift.tt/2nflQ6J I mentioned above, these links came from: -media placements -content partnerships -and guest posts[Shout out to Zapier that brought us consistently high numbers of quality visitors and an astonishing conversion rate, if you build apps – make sure to partner up with them] And they were all made possible by some nifty cold emails which brings us to my next point: Here are the techniques I used to drive 60,000 signups for my company:10 techniques for killer cold emails*1. Do your research *Before ever opening your email client, you need to research the people you’re talking to. Google their name, read their work online, bookmark some great pieces of work, scroll through their social profiles, learn about what makes them happy, angry or slightly annoyed.Check what political candidates they support, how they feel about important social topics, what they most likely voice their opinions about and what, generally — makes their heart tick.NB: Research will help you learn what they’re interested in and what they’re most likely to notice in a conversation. Use the information you collect wisely and in a timely manner.Pro tip: If you’re looking to get media attention, make sure to check out Muckrack – a tool that helps you research and contact journalists, it’s irreplaceable in my work.2. Make yourself familiarIt’s called cold email for a reason, it’s your first contact with people who know little or nothing to you. Unfortunately for you, people tend to like things they’re familiar with more than they like the new and different. Which is why we eat at the same places and tend to think our own customs are superior to others’.Fortunately, there are things you can do to appear familiar. Before sending an email, follow your contact on social media, try interacting with them and see how it goes. Another good way to do it is to contact them after a big change or success in their life, a quick “congrats” will go a long way.Try getting your contact to remember your name before you send an email.3. Personalize the emailThis should go without saying. Make sure you mention their name, their beat (if they’re journalists) or the name of their company. Write about why they’re special to you and what made them stand out among many others.NB: Reporters and other experts can immediately spot a mass email so don’t even try sending one.I’ve added more tips on personalizing your outreach below.4. Find something you have in commonI made it a point early on to never send an email before I find at least one thing I have in common with the person I’m reaching out to.Finding something in common with people you’re trying to talk to makes it more likely you’ll seem familiar and hence more likable to them.This tiny hook can boost your success rate. We use it in dating all the time.5. Strike a conversationBy being genuinely interested in having a conversation and engaging with people, we become genuinely interesting to them. People love being asked questions, make sure you hit the right topic and they won’t be able to resist replying.Whoever you talk to, learn enough about them to figure out what gets them excited and strike a conversation about it.6. Use emotional hooksEmotional hooks serve as a powerful way to engage your readers, and have been used in fiction writing for years. It takes a few smart adjustments to use them in cold emailing but when you do it properly — they’re incredibly effective.Here’s a beginners’ guide to emotional hooks - http://ift.tt/2nw2d6s. Make it short and simple58% of journalists say that the ideal length of a PR pitch is 2–3 paragraphs. Try to apply this advice to every cold email you send. Don’t try to oversell, get lost in long pitches or overwhelm your reader with too much info.Think of what you want to say, stay focused on the main point of your email and edit out all the unnecessary parts. While it may sound easier said than done, try this: assign a goal to your email and then to each sentence. Once you’ve done that, edit out the sentences that don’t support the main goal or point of your email. It gets easier with time.8. Make it about them, not you I wish I could say it’s a rookie mistake to try and score any kind of relationship by only focusing on yourself but that would be a blatant lie. The truth is, in so much of marketing, PR and our own conversations, we tend to focus on ourselves and the points we’re trying to bring up.Likewise, when we get engaged in conversations with other people, we tend to focus on our own benefits and how what they’re saying relates to us vs. a whole other world of opportunities. Remember, your email won’t be relevant to a person unless it’s about them. Use this petty human characteristic against your reader and start with focusing on them and only them. Everyone appreciates a good listener.9. Check the clock There’s so much data on email response rates vs time they’re sent and still, somehow, I get cold emails at 6 pm on a Friday and just.. cringe.First of, make sure your email is still relevant, i.e. don’t share old news that’s already been covered and hope to score another point. Don’t go through a random contact list and blast off emails before checking they still have the same interest/work at the same place. Before sending, double check their timezone and schedule the email to reach them while they’re at work and still focused enough.Mornings are best, but not too early, I tend to aim at 11 am delivery. Because, everyone needs a couple of hours at work to get some focus, think about the big picture and plan out their day before they dive into an endless pile of notifications. Be respectful of their time if you want them to notice you.To sum up, the perfect pitch must is: timely, relevant, personal and intriguing enough to get a conversation started.10. Follow upFollowups get 30% higher response rates than first emails, maybe it’s about persistence but also — it might just be about familiarity and the mere-exposure effect I mentioned in tip #2.So make sure to follow up, write a quick email acknowledging how busy and important they are while politely asking to consider your email one more time. Bonus tip: Tool up! Make sure you have the right tools before even starting a cold email adventure.I use Boomerang to schedule my emails, Trello & Streak to keep track of who I’m talking to and of course— Toggl to keep track of my time. If you’re curious, an average pitch takes about 60 minutes to research and 15 to write.If you liked this, you can recommend or highlight on Medium - http://ift.tt/2nftCxE

[osakaso5]

Ryunosuke Tsunashi TRIGGER Police Rabbit Chat Part 2: Dragon Claw

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Ryunosuke: Tsumugi-chan, good work! We got the script and the extra materials today. Thanks for preparing them! 

Tsumugi: Tsunashi-san, good work. You didn't need to message me just to thank me..! 

Ryunosuke: The characters are so interesting. Me and Momo-san are former partners, and now I’m working with Gaku and Tenn! 

Tsumugi: Yes! Momo-san and Yuki-san have suddenly quit the international police to become criminals, and TRIGGER, as their former co-workers, are searching for their whereabouts. 

Tsumugi: Kujo-san is the rookie detective genius "Heaven's Brain", and while Gaku-san is a loose cannon, he's also a master sniper by the name of "Eagle Eye". You are an ex-SAT agent who's now commanding the international special forces, "Dragon Claw"! 

Ryunosuke: That's so cool. It's like we're heroes! 

Tsumugi: Momo-san and Yuki-san are you and Gaku-san's former partners, who are now members of the criminal organization Dyna R. 

Tsumugi: They're "Hundred Claw", a martial artist and knife expert who is said to be invulnerable, and "Thousand Eyes", a master hacker who is wanted worldwide! For some reason, they've defected from the police force and become villains! 

Ryunosuke: And that's why I'm Momo-san's old partner, while Gaku is Yuki-san's old partner. Oh yeah, and Tenn's an alien! 

Ryunosuke: 

Tsumugi: He's Yuki-san and Momo-san's former superior, who was remodeled into an alien... 

Ryunosuke: I see, so there's even more aliens... I kind of wanted to play one, too! I've never been an alien before. 

Tsumugi: TRIGGER doesn't get many chances to play aliens, do they!? 

Ryunosuke: I even practiced acting like an alien, what a shame... lol

Ryunosuke: Tenn gets remodeled and joins our investigation team after Momo-san and Yuki-san go missing, so we don't know him. 

Tsumugi: P-please wait a moment, Tsunashi-san! 

Ryunosuke: Okay! 

Tsumugi: You practiced being an alien..? 

Ryunosuke: I did! 

Ryunosuke:

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: If you can, please tell me what sort of things you practiced..! 

Ryunosuke: It's a secret! 

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: That's a shame! 

Ryunosuke: Really..? In that case, I can tell you in secret the next time we meet. 

Tsumugi: Waah, thank you very much ><

Ryunosuke: It's pretty refreshing to have Tenn play a superior. His character's really smart, so he's the sniper Gaku's partner, and instructs me, the ex-SAT agent. 

Ryunosuke: Huh, speaking of SAT... 

Tsumugi: Tamaki-san's character is an active SAT agent! 

Ryunosuke: Ah, that was in the info we got! Tamaki-kun was so cool in the previous drama, his movements were so sharp that he seemed really strong. 

Ryunosuke: I'm excited to do action scenes with him, but I'm also wondering if our characters know each other? Maybe they'll have a complex relationship! 

Ryunosuke: Ah, I'll make sure to remember all of this by the start of our shoot, so don't worry! 

Ryunosuke:

Tsumugi: Thank you very much ><

Ryunosuke: Since I was partners with Momo-san back when he was in the police, I wonder if we'll get any flashback scenes? 

Tsumugi: Only four chapters of the script have been finished so far, but there are plans to include flashbacks! 

Ryunosuke: I see! Of course I'm looking forward to our group action scenes, too, but since it's my first time doing a partner role with Momo-san, I'm really excited! 

Tsumugi: I hear you worked on a romantic drama series with Momo-san! 

Ryunosuke: I did! Momo-san's presence makes shoots really harmonious, so all us actors got along well. I have a lot of good memories from shooting that drama. 

Ryunosuke: I wasn't used to acting yet so I was all nervous, but he'd always help me with my script readings. He really is a caring and kind senpai. Plus he's like a reliable big brother. 

Tsumugi: That’s a lovely story! I'm very honored to be able to work with all of you. 

Tsumugi: Due to you character's background in the special forces, he's very strict and soldier-like, did you have any concerns or questions about his scenes? 

Ryunosuke: I'm not sure. If anything, this role might actually be easier for me than the ones I usually play? 

Ryunosuke: You know, since I get cast as a womanizer so often. 

Tsumugi: I think romantic roles also suit you well, and they're very exciting! 

Ryunosuke: Thank you! It's kind of embarrasing to have a girl tell me  that directly. 

Ryunosuke: 

Ryunosuke: A guy like Gaku is perfect for those roles, but they're too much for me to handle. I think a role where I get to work my body suits me better than escorting girls! 

Tsumugi: I genuinely think your usual roles suit you! But I also think that these sort of serious and hardworking roles are perfect for you. 

Ryunosuke: Really? Thank you, Tsumugi-chan! 

Ryunosuke: I'll try my best to be as reliable as I can. 

Ryunosuke:

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: By the way, I know you must be busy, but could you answer a few questions on the show..? 

Ryunosuke: Yeah! Go ahead! 

Choices/outcomes:

1. Is there something about your character that resembles you?

Ryunosuke: The way he works hard for the sake of other people, maybe? I think I work harder when I'm doing something for other people, rather than myself. 

2. What do you think it'd be like to actually be Momo-san's partner?

Ryunosuke: I think he'd be a reliable teammate in a sports match! At work, he's really perceptive and always in the right place. I'm sure he'd be someone who'll push me ahead, and who I can rely on. 

3. What do you think it'd be like if Kujo-san had actually just joined you?

Ryunosuke: I haven't thought about it, but I guess he might fight with Gaku less? Don't you think? Then again, Tenn always says exactly what's on his mind, and me and Gaku both like that about him, so maybe he wouldn't be that different? 

Ryunosuke: By the way, I was thinking I'd work out some more for this drama! 

Ryunosuke: I thought I'd add to my usual routine, but Anesagi-san warned me not to overwork myself, so I'm not sure how much I should do. 

Tsumugi: I see..! I wouldn't want you to overwork yourself for this role ><

Ryunosuke: I'm not that confident in my acting, so I thought I'd at least do something about my looks! 

Ryunosuke: Muscle workouts are so much fun that I can get a little too into them (lol) If you think I'm starting to get too muscled for a girl's liking, please tell me... 

Tsumugi: I can't imagine that ever happening, but I promise I will ><

Ryunosuke: I can't wait for the shoot!