#I know people have done good analysis but I want to conduct my full own

[bioswear]

I’m sick with excitement

[swimmingleo]

Changes: or to take the higher ground before it's too late

I'm going to be real here folks, I cry ugly tears to this song. Bad.

Changes is a song on Cam's album "The Otherside". It's country, it's folk and it's an album a bit influenced by changes in Cam's life (a change of label, personal life). She collaborated with Harry on the song Changes, as she opened for him on a venue and was already working with Tyler Johnson.

From what I gathered: Harry sent her the demo of the song, implying he made most of the writing on this one. What I'm basing this claim on is her interview for Rolling Stones (read it here):

I heard [the demo] and was just like, “Oh, this ache to outgrow something that you don’t want to outgrow!” It felt so good. I normally don’t take outside songs [...]

‼️DISCLAIMER‼️when analysing this song, I'm gonna go from the idea of it being written with a queer mindset (how surprising of me). Cam rendered the song beautifully and it is very much her own, but I believe Harry's input is consequential. After all that's his lil whistle and cute fishsona in the MV.

Sad queer analysis ahead.

Let's analyse the lyrics first:

There is a town

Somewhere down a country road

The speaker describes the town to us, from memory, from experience. "There it is, down the road, can you picture it ?"

I see it now

I take it everywhere I go

The speaker doesn't currently live in the town, they're on the move (nice throwback to the coutry road). But despite all the travelling, they realize the sedentary smalltown never leaves them. It's part of them. It left a mark on them.

The river sways, I can almost hear it now

As if to say, "You're not the only one who wants a way out"

The town is so real to the speaker they can sense it, eyes and ears. But it gets a bit dark: the river sways like it's trying to leave its bed. The river is envious of the speaker who managed to leave. The town is so toxic even nature wants to get away from it. Or the speaker resents the town so bad that they project their own resentment on the river.

So, I go

'Cause I don't wanna feel like I don't know you anymore

I memorize those roads

This is the call for the speaker to leave for good. Their motive doesn't seem to be ambitious or anything grand. They leave because they apprehend a feeling. Apprehending a feeling, something that may not even happen, is the way of an anxious person. Anxiety is the motive of their departure. However, they still memorize the roads leading to the town, just in case. Perhaps one day they'll come back.

Somewhere out in the big wild country

Someone's fallin' in love in a backseat

Givin' it away

Like their hearts won't ever break

Suddenly it's about love ! Young love, one that is lived in the small compartment of a car, somewhere hidden and safe in the big wild country. As if the countryside was unexplored and threatening.

God bless the young hearts sippin' cheap wine

Gettin' drunk with their friends for the first time

Thinkin' nothing's gonna change

'Til everything changes

The speaker looks at the youth with tenderness, wishing them the best. But once again, they're not in the town in the present time, they don't see the youngsters fooling around, they can only guess from first-hand experience. And it's very specific: falling in love, getting drunk with friends and thinking everything's gonna be easy like that forever until it's not and heartbreak ensues.

From there I hop in with the raw queer theme of those lyrics. It started by falling in love and it ended up in a heartbreak. In between, the speaker got drunk for the first time with their friends, people they trusted enough to let go a little, but in the end everything changed. Why ? Alcohol makes you forget about code of conduct, how you're supposed to behave. It makes you say or do things you might not have done sober.

We can interprete this chorus as the beginning of the end for the speaker. It's the only part of the song evocating the past, and it's fun and easy, but it's also where things started to get bad the way they are in the present. Something might have happened that first time the speaker got drunk and it marked the end of innocence and careless childhood, and it probably has to do with love as no other factor is provided apart from falling in love and heartbreak.

They never leave

They're all havin' babies now

Watchin' daytime TV

Livin' off the gossip of a cruel small town

They. With Harry, it's always You, Me, and They. They are having babies, all of them, like it's not a very difficult thing to do, it's just natural. They have the leisure of the day, not a thing to worry about, if not gossip. It's not implied anymore, the small town is downright cruel. Gossip fuels it, but on behalf of someone else, and that someone is most definitely the speaker who left and who describes its inhabitants in the most mundane way, perhaps with a hint of contempt. The speaker seems bitter.

So, I go

'Cause I don't wanna feel like you don't know me anymore

Don't recognize my face

Reprise of the pre-chorus except now, the speaker provides another reason for their departure. Not only they feared they wouldn't know the town anymore, they also feared being seen as a stranger. It's not like the speaker actually changed physically: but it might as well feel like it. Again, apprehension, anguish. As implied in the chorus, things changed to the point where the speaker feels they would seem like a whole another person to the rest of the town, a stranger, a threat to the integrity of the conservatives. So they leave before this shift in perception can happen.

There ain't nothing here for me anymore

They say they don't hear from me anymore

And I don't wanna hear it anymore

The town is not outwardly hostile. It's still the town that saw the speaker as a kid. The town doesn't understand why the speaker left, but the speaker won't give in and get in touch. They want to be as far away as possible, until they don't hear the questions, the river, everything. It's almost like the speaker doesn't carry the town in their heart at all. They want to forget it all, and it hurts everytime the town tries to lure them back in. The way Cam sings it is painful to me man

Somewhere out in the big wild country

I was fallin' in love in a backseat

Givin' it away

Like my heart won't ever break

Had such a young heart sippin' cheap wine

Gettin' drunk with my friends for the first time

Thinkin' nothing's gonna change

'Til everything changes

Yeah, just the confirmation of the chorus being the speaker's experience. I went ahead and assumed it was already lol but it's like a plot twist effect. It's dramatic. It's a personal song to someone.

TO MAKE IT SHORT to me this song is intense and very in touch with the queer experience. Though it describes a specific situation, it is surprisingly not that detailed or full of metaphors the way Harry often writes: this town could be literally any smalltown in the countryside. The backseat could be the one of any car, cheap wine is something any teen can afford. I like to think Harry wrote it for himself but is also aware so many people went through the same thing, and still will. I have to admit I'm heavily biased writing this, as the experience of a queer kid struggling to find their place in a well settled smalltown is familiar.

GETTING DRUNK AND QUEER IDENTITY is an analogy Harry already used in Fine Line when he sang "We'll get the drinks in so I'll get to thinking of her". To drink is to let go, to unveil the most subconscious aspects of yourself you might not want to deal with otherwise. You don't care about judgement and you get to explore those parts freely. In Changes, this is the last memory they recall before stating the changes and their departure. Perhaps getting drunk for the first time would be when they realized they're queer. Or acted upon it, causing their little world to shake. They chose to leave before it eventually wouldn't feel like a choice anymore. There is no life for people like them in a cruel smalltown.

SMALLTOWN BOY

This song reminds me an awful lot of Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat. The song is about a queer boy having to leave the smalltown where he grew up because of persecutions and no future prospects.

Mother will never understand why you had to leave, Smalltown Boy

They say they don't hear from me anymore, Changes

But the answers you seek will never be found at home, the love that you need will never be found at home

There is nothing here for me anymore

Other people not understanding why they leave. People who can't truly empathize even when they mean no harm. They would never understand the speaker's departure, because those people get to find love and have babies and live a peaceful life in the countryside.

You were the one that they'd talk about around town as they put you down

Livin' off the gossip of a cruel small town

Yeah yeah. I really struggle with just seeing this song as nostalgia when such harsh words are being used. I do believe there is a part of fondness for that town, that countryside setting and the early days. But it's not all tender memories.

CHANGES AND ERODA

Of couuuurse we all noticed the adorable purple fish with the pearl necklace. It represents Harry, no question, as it whistles Harry's part. And of couuuuurse we all made the link with the erodian fish, and some even noticed they formed the bluegreener pair when their colors are inverted.

It makes sense for those fishes to be connected with this interpretation of Changes. Both works are about a small town, lost in the nature, where the people are watching, aware of everything that isn't normal, that is peculiar. The early life of the peculiar boy is similar in every way to the early life of the speaker in Changes. The fish in Adore You grows too big for the island and has to leave, and though Eroda makes amends with the peculiar boy, he leaves as well because his future, his fulfilment, is somewhere else. So does the speaker in Changes.

IN CONCLUSION

The more I write posts like this, the more endeared I am by Harry's world. How Harry writes for himself, but also for other people with songs like this. How nature finds its way in all that he does. How grounded he is, how he doesn't seem to forget where he came from. It really is such a rare thing to see in a mainstream popstar's writing and art. How can someone say he sold his soul to LA is beyond me

[lucky-sevens]

is there any more info on jonny before he was mechanized? i feel like i remember something implying he was nicer before he was mechanized

first off, i want to apologize for taking so long on this ask! i have several pending in my inbox that i have not gotten to, and i’m very sorry for that! i haven’t even been that busy, just procrastinating- that said, i do have a lot going on, so this may be a constant until my workload decreases, which will probably be around winter break; unless i find myself another project to have to do). (timestamp for future reference: this post made november 25, 2020)

but now, let’s get into the analysis! i touch on what you’re asking here, but i have also taken the opportunity to do a full analysis of jonny’s backstory for future reference! (content warning for discussed transphobia, rest under cut)

addressing jonny having a good heart, he says in his crew bio ‘I’m told I had a good heart, but the Doc dealt with that after the whole patricide thing.‘ maki has talked about this more on the mechscord, implying that it referred to him being a good person (rather than a more literal take) and that mechanization directly corrupts morals (more on this in a potential upcoming meta). however, we do not know specifics on how his personality was different. that addressed, let’s continue with trying to figure out what exactly happened in jonny’s backstory.

jonny’s backstory is presented to us in one eyed jacks, however, in his crew bio linked above, he says he made it up. this is with the exception of him killing his father. in death to the mechanisms, there’s the ‘you’re projecting’ exchange, which is a fairly well known joke, but for people who haven’t seen death to the mechanisms-

[JONNY] I mean, in Oedipus’s defense, it’s harder than it looks not to end up in a, emotionally-charged narrative climax where you murder your father. It’s…

[ASHES] No it’s not.

[JONNY] Everyone thinks it’s so easy, “Oh, I’d never kill my father.” But sometimes, life happens.

[ASHES] Most people don’t kill their fathers.

[TIM] You’re projecting.

[JONNY] I…

[IVY] Again.

this piece of banter could definitely be considered evidence towards him actually doing so. in addition, maki has said on the mechscord regarding his backstory ‘the best lies always contain a grain of truth‘ and implied that a lot of it wasn’t a lie, including jonny’s original last name (vangelis).

he did make some of it up, though, and that opens up an interesting pathway of analysis. a very common theory i’ve seen is that one of his lies is about the existence of jack. jack and carmilla fill potentially very similar roles in the narrative, and there are some subtle echoes of each other, like the fact they both only have one eye. the theory proposes that carmilla was the one actually filling the role of jack, and convincing jonny to commit patricide.

there is a song other than one eyed jacks that is likely to have more truth to it. the dr carmilla song homesick is likely a retelling of both jonny and carmilla’s backstories. in fact, it was originally played as a duet between jonny and carmilla. i have no direct source on this, but keep in mind exhumed and {un}plugged, which has the album recording of homesick, is a solo album, with only carmilla on both voice and instrumentals, and there’s actually an echoing voice effect to make it sound more like the recorded duet between carmilla and jonny (which can be found here). the other live gig where carmilla performs it on her own, lashings, jonny is absent, and the toy soldier performs rose red solo as well. as discussed, jonny killing his father is the part of his backstory that i believe can be trusted, and well, homesick has the lyric ‘dear father, i’ve come to kill you’. it also feels more like the truth than one eyed jacks, which is trope-y and sanitized in a way that feels like jonny d’ville wrote it.

from there, further analysis can be done of the lyrics in the context of them referring to jonny. an interesting aspect is that the duet has slightly differently lyrics, and dialogue in character after the song. quoting directly, jonny, likely taking the role of carmilla’s father, says “Get out of my house, never darken my doorway again. I have no daughter. Do what you’re gonna do, son. You’re a disgrace.” the easiest way to interpret this is carmilla being kicked out for being transgender, which has further support in that maki herself is a trans woman and that this iteration of homesick was performed at transpose london. there has actually been a very interesting book about trans culture published that discusses doctor carmilla and the themes thereof.

but i digress- from the perspective of analyzing jonny’s backstory, ‘do what you’re gonna do, son’ echoes the portion of one eyed jacks to the tune of ‘house of the rising sun’, where jonny kills his father. locke’s opinion on this is that billy vangelis is attempting to convince jonny out of killing him, flipping between approaches. (this also implies that jonny is a trans man!) the other change in this duet is that there’s an additional verse about their mothers (again, likely being a line that could apply to both jonny’s mother and carmilla’s), but not very much analysis has been done on this.

viewing the rest of homesick in this lens, it implies that everything in that song also applies to jonny. carmilla’s mother, siblings, and ‘lover’ (loreli) are all mentioned and discussed, and those could also be similar figures in jonny’s life. locke has suggested that ‘dear brother’ and ‘dear lover’ could be referring to the same person for jonny; a very close friend/boyfriend. xe has also conducted further analysis on what the song could mean, and formed headcanons based on that; for the sake of objectivity, and the sake of not making this meta stretch longer than it already is, i won’t go into them, but if you’re on the mechscord and you search ‘homesick from:jenn-locke#4349 in:sad-mechs-hours′ her thoughts are fairly easy to find, and xe is considering writing something up eventually, which i will link if it’s completed.

in conclusion, one eyed jacks has some truth to it, but homesick by dr carmilla is likely the most accurate picture of jonny’s backstory.

[dramaticviolincrescendo]

The thing is, Ian was right. Mickey doesn't know any better, the writers on the show made sure of that, because for them the only important thing about Mickey is his devotion to Ian. But we're a bit more realistic about it and can analyze Ian's actions without being limited by someone's poor imagination.

There’s a lot to address here, so please forgive me for the lengthy response, anon! 🙂 I’ll preface all of it by saying this: my general opinion is that if Mickey has what makes him happy, we should support that regardless of how we feel about the other party (with obvious exceptions like physical abuse, etc.). If Byron was what made him happy, I would support him even if I couldn’t stand the guy. The same goes for any other character in any other franchise, at least for me. Now, onto your points:

I’m not sure which scene you mean when you mention Ian saying he doesn’t know any better, but I’m definitely with you on our ability to analyze Ian’s actions. The problem here is that analyzing will always be colored by perspective and implicit bias. If your fave is Mickey, anything that hurts him will look a whole lot worse than what he does that hurts Ian and perhaps lead to conducting a less than thorough analysis or rejecting sensible arguments about Ian’s character. Based on the number of posts I see about how Mickey is the only good thing on the show, I’d argue that that is a very real danger in many of the takes on Ian as well as everyone else. I’ve seen some pretty heavy demonizing of characters who hurt Mickey’s feelings or aren’t actively sweet to him, which is a bit unrealistic since that’s life and Mickey certainly never seems to mind or let it keep him down for long.

As far as him not knowing better, on the whole, I don’t think that gives Mickey much credit at all. Actually, it doesn’t really give him any credit, which is sort of surprising given how vehemently people defend his IQ, academically and emotionally, against what amounted to a joke. Mickey knows that Ian messes up and does things that are questionable at best and hurtful at worst. He’s not an innocent, pure character who endures heartache after heartache to throw himself at the brick wall of earning Ian’s attention. He gives as good as he gets and has hurt Ian too. They’re human and written very realistically in that regard. Their love for one another allows them to forgive transgressions and move on, not hold grudges or “not know any better” with regards to what they deserve. Love isn’t about what we deserve, and I think it’s important to remember that a relationship won’t last if it’s based on an arbitrary numerical score of who has done more harm than the other. Things happen. Poor decisions are made. They can allow that to break them or work through it. Mickey has actively chosen to work through it because at the end of the day, he loves Ian more than he is interested in finding something else. In earlier seasons, Ian similarly chose to work through it with someone who might never be in a position to come out and begin the full relationship that he so desperately wanted. That’s beautiful to me, not contemptible.

As far as the only important thing about Mickey being his devotion to Ian, we’ll also have to agree to disagree. 🙂 In the early seasons, while Ian was certainly the catalyst for it, Mickey’s story was about coming out more than his devotion to Ian. That’s why we have the scenes where he taunted Kash (focus: keeping his secret), purposely got sent back to juvie (focus: hiding from Terry if he found out), and got married (focus: self-preservation). We do absolutely see a rising devotion for Ian during this period, of course, and there’s no argument that his character was written expressly to be Ian’s love interest. The writers still made him a well-developed one with his own motives, fears, and desires outside of Ian in a way that later love interests didn’t get. (My own belief is that they didn’t intend for the later relationships to last like they did Mickey, but regardless of the validity there, Mickey was written as a character with more depth from the very beginning and existed before anything with Ian ever happened.)

The first half of s4 shows Mickey on his own merits. He’s handling his new position as a patriarch of the family, running the business while Terry is fairly hands-off and watches. He decides to help the Russian girls and ends up going into business with Kev. We learn a lot about Mickey’s character outside of Ian during that time. In fact, there are only a couple of scenes that really focus on him missing Ian until finding him becomes Mickey’s task: asking Kev if anyone has heard from him, the bathroom scene, and the later Alibi scene. Otherwise, the early s4 writers showed us a Mickey who was compassionate, ambitious, utilitarian, entrepreneurial, and collaborative—all without tying it back to Ian. Kev and V are renowned friends of the Gallaghers, but Mickey doesn’t grow closer to Kev in an attempt to learn more about what happened to Ian. He doesn’t help the girls because he thinks Ian would want him to. In fact, with the exception of those scenes I mentioned, we have no reason to believe that Ian is on Mickey’s mind at all while he’s doing these other things. He has a life outside of Ian just like the opposite is true, and s4 went to great lengths to show us that.

The second half of s4 is, once again, about keeping his secret until he decides to come out. (Read: decides to, is not forced to. More on that in a moment.) Yes, his devotion to Ian is once again the catalyst for some of his decisions, but there’s much more to it than that. Once again, we still see scenes with Mickey operating on his own for his own purposes. He doesn’t leave home entirely because he wants to be with Ian—he also wants to escape from his wife and pretend that things are the way they used to be. He doesn’t scam money from the rich guy or take more than his cut from the register at the Alibi to protect Ian—he does it for self-preservation so that Svetlana won’t get him killed. He doesn’t go to the baptism to keep up appearances and protect Ian—he does it to keep up appearances for himself and because...well, like it or not, that’s his son. The lattermost is something Ian specifically does not want him to do, and if he does, he wants to be there. Mickey goes against his wishes because it’s about protecting himself (and perhaps, by extension, their relationship), and rightfully so. Coming out at the Alibi does once again tie to Ian as a catalyst for change in Mickey’s life, but it didn’t have to happen. Mickey could have grabbed his coat, told everyone goodnight, and left with Ian. At no time did Ian tell him that he would leave if Mickey didn’t come out to everyone or admit they’re a couple, even if he did make reference to the fact that Mickey was hiding and not free. All Ian wanted was for Mickey not to treat him like a mistress or expect him to stick around if he did. Instead, it was a logical culmination of Mickey’s written development to come out. He’s stronger and more independent than he used to be. He’s capable of taking care of himself and surviving in the world without relying on Terry. He’s in a position where yes, he’s still justifiably terrified of coming out and what it’ll mean where Terry is concerned, but he’s able to do it. Ian is a catalyst for it, but being devoted to him isn’t Mickey’s only reason.

In s5, a lot of Mickey’s story does revolve around his devotion to Ian, but not any more than Ian’s revolves around devotion to him in the second half of s3. We still see Mickey doing business and running the family, but having Ian be his more central concern makes sense because Ian is sick and the writers have already told us that his health is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. In denial or not, Mickey knows this. And so we see his story center around Ian because, to an extent, it has to. Ian is mentally and physically sick. He’s adjusting not only to meds, but to a label that makes him feel ashamed and afraid. Mickey is devoted to him, and so Mickey does everything he can to take care of him. But here’s the thing: that scares Ian too. He’s seen what happens to the people who try to take care of Monica. He knows how it felt to try only to be ignored or betrayed or abandoned. The breakup isn’t about anger at being coddled or, by my interpretation and Ian’s own words, him being selfish. It’s about him seeing that Mickey’s devotion is going to keep him from living his life and ultimately (in his opinion) hurt him beyond repair, and so he sets Mickey free. It hurts him, yes, but it does work.

Because even though we don’t see it happen on-screen, s6 through s9 can’t possibly be Mickey sitting in a prison cell pining over Ian. If that was going to happen, we’d have seen it in s4. By this point, we know who Mickey is outside of Ian and can assume that he’s operating in much the same way on the inside until he figures out what he wants to do. We know he and Svetlana had a business arrangement where they took out contracts for work he could do in prison. We know that he makes a business acquaintanceship with Damon, which means he was probably involved in dealing or smuggling while there. Neither of these things can possibly revolve around devotion to Ian because they could conceivably keep him from Ian longer. His sentence is fifteen years, and if he’s counting on being out in eight to be with Ian, he needs to be on his best behavior. He’s not. He’s unapologetically not when he sees Ian again and talks about what Damon is. Ian looks less than comfortable with it, but that’s not why they ditch him—it’s because he might get Mickey caught with his behavior. Even breaking out happened once he was able to solidify an opportunity working for a cartel, so while Ian may have been another catalyst (besides the obvious desire to get out of prison), the decision wasn’t about devotion to him. The only decision that was about that was the one he made at the border to let Ian go without making him feel worse about it. He’s devoted to Ian, so he knows that dragging him along on the run into the unknown won’t be good for him. He needs stability and a support system and medication, none of which Mickey can provide if they cross that border together. So, out of his devotion, he lets Ian go. They have a heartfelt goodbye and separate for what they think is the last time.

Does Mickey’s devotion lead him to turning himself in? Absolutely. But not before spending another long stint living his own life. The writers make sure we know that he had a life without Ian playing a role in it, once again conducting business and operating successfully on his own merits. They’re limited in what they can show because Noel wasn’t available, which made logistics important, but they didn’t leave him high and dry or insinuate that he was waiting around in Mexico for an excuse to return to Ian. He was once again a successful businessman in the illicit economy. When he returns in s10, his storyline does then appear to revolve around devotion to Ian more—but it doesn’t. Mickey has people he hangs out with in prison separate from Ian and with no ties to him. With the Byron situation, it wasn’t about proving devotion for Ian when he thought Ian questioned it—it was about hurting Ian because of what happened at the courthouse, even after he found out what Ian was really afraid of. If the writers were only interested in showing his devotion to Ian, he would have ditched Byron the second Ian told him that he was scared of his disorder and ruining them. He doesn’t. He sticks it out because Mickey is so much more than his relationship with Ian: he’s independent, vengeful, hot-headed, impulsive, and stubborn. These are traits that have been set up by the writers throughout the series both with and without ties to their relationship, and he very adamantly adheres to his revenge-plot-turned-catalyst-for-Ian-pulling-his-head-out-of-his-ass because he isn’t all about devotion to Ian.

I completely respect your opinion on the matter and appreciate the opportunity to discuss it at length! Ultimately, it boils down to this for me: the writers get a lot off flack for some of the narrative decisions and, of course, they won’t always be to our liking. Opinions and preferences assure us of that. I don’t think it’s about us being more realistic or more capable of analyzing a character, though. Everything above was written. It wasn’t spelled out and handed to us, no, but the writers put it there so that we could then analyze it. There’s no analyzing a blank slate or someone whose only narrative is devotion to Ian. The writers have given us a wealth of things to consider when it comes to all the characters, Mickey included, and we wouldn’t be able to have this conversation if they didn’t. Mickey is intelligent, thoughtful, insightful, and more than capable of standing on his own two feet as both a fictional person and a character. If he chose Ian, then it’s because he has weighed all these things and found them to be nothing in the grand scheme of their love for one another. Again, though, we can agree to disagree. Thank you for this ask—I find myself writing more about Ian, so I had a lot of fun thinking back over the series to answer it! 😃🧡

[sevenfactorial]

Info about applying to PhD programs in pure math

This is... basically what it sounds like. I’m sure a lot of this is applicable to other PhD applications but I’m only very familiar with pure math. This is aimed at current seniors about to apply, but there is a section about prepping for applications in advance.

The highlights:

Recommendation letters are the most important thing. Most schools ask for 3ish. Try to get people who know you well, not just a student in the class. Someone you've conducted research with and one from a different institution are ideal if possible

Ask for rec letters at least a month before the due date is a good rule of thumb.

Research experience is probably the second most important.

Get the opinion of multiple professors who know you in order to build a list of potential schools. Then widdle it down to your will-actually-apply list (probably 8-14 ish). 

My opinion but please apply to at least 3-4 safety/match schools. Even when you're fully qualified, acceptance rates are simply low enough that a bit of bad luck means getting rejected or waitlisted from a few of them.

Most pure math due dates are in early-mid Dec but a few schools are in Nov and some are as late as mid-Jan. 

Schools will generally have their own graduate application portals. Some are better organized than others. Some require you to submit all your material before you can send a request for submitting rec letters so plan accordingly.

Acceptance letters will very slowly start going out in mid-Feb but the vast majority of programs won't send out anything until like, March and not be done until later than that. Accordingly, wait until at least mid-March to begin freaking out if you haven't been accepted anywhere.

You should 100% be expecting a tuition waiver and stipend from a program if you're applying for a PhD.

The rest of the posts is.... ridiculously long so I’m putting it under a cut. I mention things to do in advance to help you decide if grad school is right for you and things that make your application look good, give a full time line of the process, a list of things applications commonly ask for, and some miscellaneous notes. (The points above are repeated in more detail).

In addition, some links to other resources math students may appreciate:

an old post of mine about grad school apps (overlaps a lot and features some ranting from during the application process)

about REUs including my addition specifically about math ones

summer programs for undergrads that aren’t REUs by @counter-example and @jungleuniversity

Tips for prospective grad student visits 

Also about prospective grad student visits by @thisurlhasbeenleftasanexercise

Also for context, I went to a large state school in the US for undergrad. I started as a CS major and added on math as a secondary major after my first year and dropped CS during third year. I’m primarily interested in discrete and algebra, though I have a significant topology background from undergrad too. I got most of my advice from people around the department, as I became pretty involved during my third year. Now, I’m a first year grad student at another large state school in the US, generally considered pretty decent though not a “top math program” at all. Not that much else has happened so far.

Things in advance (aka things to help you decide if grad school is for you and things that look good on an application)

Take the standard classes. For pure math, this is at least one semester of linear alg, abstract alg, and analysis each. Linear and analysis are also good for applied math but I'm not sure what else if anything is considered standard.

Take some grad classes if you have the option. Most people are not ready for this until senior year, but some do manage as juniors. Talk to people who know you well and the prof teaching the class before you do this though.

Try to get involved with research whether this is through independent studies at your home institution, REUs, internships, or other stuff.

Be involved in your department. This helps with getting you more personalized advice for applying.

The rough suggested timeline (assuming junior yr is your second to last year and senior is your last of undergrad)

Junior April: Take the math subject GRE so you can take it again in Sep or Oct if desired (perhaps not applicable atm). The general can be taken kinda whenever; I suggest fall of senior year.

Junior April/May: Start talking to professors/post docs/mentors/etc. about programs you may be interested in. Write/type it down. Don't worry if it gets long, you will shorten again later.

Summer: Do some research if possible; an REU or research at your institution (if an REU, also get your mentor's opinion on potential schools towards the end as well)

Senior Sep: Start whittling down your list. 8-14 seems to be the "normal" range of schools to apply to but some people panic and do more. Remember that asking for waivers is completely acceptable but applying is still just generally expensive (I spent around $800 for 10 schools)

Senior Sep: Apply for the NSF GRFP. You can apply as an undergrad senior and once during your first or second year of grad school if you didn't already get it. The due date is in mid-late OC but ideally you'll have a draft of your essays and ask for rec letters by the end of Sep, if not earlier.

Senior early Nov: Ask for rec letters if you haven't already. The rule of thumb is a month before the due date. Provide them a list of schools you want to apply to including due date and where/how to submit as soon as possible (as well as anything else they request of course; many ask for a resume and a draft of your personal statement).

Senior Dec-Jan: Submit stuff! Pure math programs typically have deadlines in Dec or early Jan. I think the big days are Dec 10th, Dec 15th, and Jan 15th but some are earlier or later. (applied math masters tend to be earlier I think; in Nov). I suggest putting them all into a list or calendar. In addition, some schools won't let letter writers submit until all of your stuff is submitted so start applications early, even if you don't finish them immediately.

Senior Feb: Programs will slowly start sending out offers in early Feb and pick up in mid Feb, but don't fret until AT LEAST the beginning of March! Grad programs are just way too slow at getting out offers for it to be worth worrying until then (and even then, it's definitely not time to panic but mathematicians are frequently anxious people so I get it). Waitlists are slower to come out; usually starting in early March. Also note, there are many programs that don't actually send out replies to everyone unfortunately.

Senior late Feb-early April: prospective student days! They might be online in 2021 unfortunately but try to attend whatever form they're in if you can (only one of my visits during spring 2020 was online since the others happen to be very early and safely beat covid in the US). Be warned, it's very possible to get offers of admissions and to visit very last minute. I do not have advice for how to make that less stressful.

Senior April 15th: Common reply deadline. If you got your offer in the first round or two, this is probably your deadline to accept. In addition, this means more offers will likely come out shortly after once more people have declined. 

Senior summer: graduate. Send a completed, official transcript to your new institution. Check your new email account for stuff you're suppose to do. Some programs have some sort of program during the summer for in-coming students. Most places have graduate student training of some sort for a week or two before semester starts. 

Some common things to be asked for in applications

Not actually a thing asked for but many graduate schools have their own portal for which you will have to make an account to submit an application. A few use a common system that kinda sort shares a database of accounts? Some are fine and some massively suck.

Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose: Occasionally called something else and once in a while actually separate things; will usually have a prompt of wildly differing specificity. Sometimes, the prompts come from the department itself and sometimes from the university's graduate school. I suggest having one or two "base" essays then tweaking them for each school. Sometimes a word/page limit is specified but if it's not, around 2 pages/1000 words is pretty reasonable.

Transcript. Some accept unofficial but some require official but generally not an unsealed one. I ordered myself one official transcript and sent it to multiple schools instead of paying for them to be sent to each school during the application process.

Resume or CV: Most ask for either a CV or is fine with either, in which case I give them my CV. I sent more or less the same one everywhere.

Some other notes

Yes, ask for application waivers. Just be polite about it.

Your goals for your essays are primarily to show that you're interested in math and math research and are capable of like…. writing things that make sense

Do not start out an essay with either "I loved math since I was little" or "I actually didn't like math when I was young" or any variations of those. (I had one essay that started with a mildly humourous anecdote from undergrad combinatorics and another that talked about how my undergrad department has greatly affected me).

You should 100% expect to get a tuition waiver and living stipend as part of a TA fellowship (or more rarely, an research fellowship) as part of your offer of acceptance for a math PhD program (pure or applied). Health insurance is also frequently part of the package. This is not true of masters programs unfortunately.

How schools do waitlists depend wildly though most don't have super long ones like prestigious undergrads do. If you're still interested in a place you're waitlisted at, follow their instructions to confirm your placement on the waitlist then wait until April before following up again, expressing your continued interest and asking for an update. You might even want to wait until around the common deadline, April 15th. The number of people who declined before April is just really really low so nothing really happens until then.

[lgfreelancing]

Virtual Assistants: Why You Should Hire Them Now

Today, business owners are searching for fresh and creative ways to increase their profit margins.

People in business who have been active in their projects excel at two skills:

When it comes to setting organizational targets, they use strategic analysis.

The company makes the best of the opportunities at its disposal to achieve long-term viability, and it is secure of the outcome.

As your company expands, you’re burdened continuously with so much work. You’ll be wondering, “How can I take care of that kind of burden on my own?”

When you take the time to consider this scenario thoroughly, you will know that you must find an alternate solution to using a full-time employee: Ask for assistance from an experienced virtual assistant to meet or surpass your standards.

The virtual assistant industries have soared in fame in recent years, but why hire a virtual assistant in the first place?  What will they do for you and your company?

Who are Virtual Assistants?

Virtual assistants are self-employed experts from a remote location to offer various services to companies or entrepreneurs in the most literal way. They have virtual access to the data and resources they use to do their work, even though they aren’t in the workplace. Virtual assistants were traditionally self-employed people who worked on specific projects.

However, as the virtual assistant industry has evolved, they may be beneficial because they can work on a variety of critical activities, including:

• Customer support

• Administrative tasks

• Social media management and marketing

• Data entry and management

• Appointment setting and Calendar management

• Accounting and bookkeeping

Want to know the reason why you should hire a virtual assistant for your company?

Here’s why:

Minimized operational expenses

Most company owners and developers hire virtual assistants to reduce their overhead costs. You will get someone who will do the job for you if you use a virtual assistant instead of hiring a full-time employee. You have to pay them for work that is already complete, and they usually bill by the hour or by the job. Overhead expenses like theirs are not included in the price of wireless access, laptop, or any office-related costs when they operate remotely. Hiring simulated experts will also help you save money on training expenses. When you recruit a new employee, you’ll have to dedicate a large amount of time and money to prepare them for all aspects of their work. You won’t have to think about teaching virtual assistants since they only work on unique projects that they are already good at. They can begin right away!

Established Workforce Is Maximized

Regardless of how boring or uninteresting these duties may be, a company’s administrative and clerical tasks must be fulfilling. There is typically much effort involved in managing the company efficiently, which entails managing contracts with vendors, service companies, business partners, and customers and ensuring that all of the business’s workforce standards, compensation, and donations are regularly modified. As part of a team leader’s general duties, team members may need to plan activities and meetings, manage phone calls, and communicate with customers.

Because of this job’s time-consuming nature, office-based workers can devote considerable portions of their energy to non-skills-specific causes, such as administrative and clerical duties, which means the more challenging and skills-specific aspects of keeping the company afloat will suffer. It is more likely to be true for organizations with no capital or workforce.

Hiring virtual assistants also enables companies to rely on their key competencies. It allows companies to make the most of their resources and staff, is a cost-effective alternative to in-house clerical help. Providing company owners with the ability to delegate duties by not overloading their staff with undue obligations that meet their original work application requirements allows them to accomplish their everyday operations efficiently.

Minimizes Conflicts

Since the company doesn’t expect the virtual assistant to be physically present in the office workplace, they are not subject to office drama. They can therefore complete their assignments efficiently and without prejudice.

Employee conflict is unavoidable in every workplace. Employees vary in appearance, educational history, personal knowledge, and values, after all. Virtual assistants are effective in eliminating organizational stress and misunderstandings. Although simulated contact may confusing at times, it is less likely to result in intense debates among the workers concerned. In reality, since they are either paying for each production or the time they give to their boss, remote workers working in the same team are more focused on getting the job done and cooperating.

It offers a significant improvement in performance for businesses. Gleaming, tardiness, and habitual absenteeism are all automatically reduced while productivity is improved.

Scale your company processes quickly

Virtual assistants will also assist you with effectively scaling up your company activities. You can effortlessly handle increasing job demands without having to hurry the hiring process, and they encourage you to attract talent on a project-by-project basis efficiently. You can use virtual assistants to deal with massive scope increases instantly and only eventually employ full-time staff after things have cooled down.

Have customer support around the clock

The majority of companies have a large number of clients. However, dealing with global demands and time gaps can be difficult when the business and staff are only in one region. Since virtual assistants locate online, you can hire them from anywhere in the world to fit various time zones. This way, you and your colleagues will strike a healthy work-life balance while also serving consumers most of the time.

Allows for more critical analysis

You’ve opened up your time, which frees you up to spend more attention developing your company, and virtual assistants can manage your non-core duties. Rather than squandering time and money on day-to-day activities, you should use them to think creatively about the company’s long-term objectives. It enables you to set targets that can lead to increased results and long-term sustainability for your company.

A virtual assistant is always useful because these frameworks will help you optimize your everyday job tasks efficiently; they will open up resources to focus on crucial functions by doing everything from your phone calls to maintaining your social media pages. It’s also good for all sides since they are highly professional at what they do, requiring no attention. It is a win-win situation!

The thing to note about being competitive is that it’s never continuous. If companies don’t respond to new consumer needs and changes, they will be ineffective. In the near term, brand-new names will likely arise to threaten traditional companies in one direction or another.

And if it is possible to locate the right assistant who works remotely, finding a virtual assistant will help with a wide variety of company activities. Hiring a virtual assistant makes for more extensive and smaller opportunities for enterprises. Both of these advantages help organizations achieve greater heights of achievement.

Are you looking for a virtual assistant for your business? Lyza Grace Freelancing Services can conduct tasks on your behalf with outstanding performance. Feel free to contact me anytime you need assistance. I’ll be happy to assist you.

[quixoticnexus]

Morality Guide

All of my characters have “Classical Alignments” listed in their About Pages, but I decided I wanted to expand on that, since it only really gives you an idea of what you’re dealing with. So if you’re interested in hearing the in-depth analysis of why I put them where they are, keep reading! Going in order of when they were added. (This might continue to be updated as I add more characters.)

Xavier: Chaotic Good

Xavier is a young man who’s deeply disillusioned with the establishment and how the world works as a whole. He’s convinced that nothing will ever change and no good will ever come unless the entire system is burned to ashes. While he’s emphatic about protecting those weaker and underprivileged, he’s also quick to resort to violence to get the result he wants. 

This ideology is pretty firmly baked into his persona due to years of trauma and abuse. It’s hard to get him to change his ways, but not impossible. Someone caring and patient enough might be able to ease his savage temper and make him see that maybe he DOESN’T have to default to violence all the time and that maybe some people in the establishment genuinely care for the well being of others and can stay. So he’d drift towards Neutral Good in that instance.

That said, someone could also convince him to become utterly jaded in the idea that there’s even a concept such as Good or Evil in the first place, and just convince him that the only thing that matters is burning the establishment. In that instance, he’d become much closer to Chaotic Neutral, but due to his naturally caring nature, this would be much harder to do. His inclinations towards good are much stronger than his inclinations towards lawlessness, despite what it might seem on the surface!

Adrian: Neutral Good / Chaotic Good / True Neutral / Chaotic Neutral

This guy is possibly the second most flexible when it comes to interpretations of his morality. (More on that in a second.) He almost always starts out as either Chaotic Good (most Thief-only verses) or Chaotic Neutral (most Spy/Assassin verses). Obviously his “hobby” automatically puts him on the wrong side of the law, and in general, he can be quite selfish. Life has taught him that nothing actually matters except for fond memories and varied experiences you can relive later. Even his “Code of Conduct” is less about easing the suffering of others and is mostly about keeping things interesting for himself.

That said, he’s not nearly as baked into those positions as Xavier is. While he’ll never cross over into being completely evil, it’s pretty easy to mellow the Chaos aspect out since his rather jaded outlook on the world comes from a place of heartbreak rather than malice. If someone feels like going the extra mile and helping him realize he shouldn’t be such a selfish dick (to everyone but those he’s attached to), you can even possibly get him into the Neutral Good category! Otherwise, he’s likely going True Neutral. 

Tobias: True Neutral (HIGHLY variable)

This guy is the one who has the highest potential to change from verse to verse. He’s smack dab in the middle of the chart, not because he’s perfectly balanced in every way, but because he’s super impressionable and will change based on the last thing that sounded good to him. How he ends up depends entirely on the people he looks to for guidance, for better or for worse.

I really can’t stress this enough. So far in most of his interactions, he’s been pretty good, if not a bit annoying and dude-bro-y. With good role models like Rose and Leon, he acts pretty respectably! With girls he wants to impress like Annalise, he can (eventually) be convinced to actually improve himself to be more appealing to them. He can become neutral good, or even lawful good with enough effort. It’s possible!

BUT. The flip-side is also possible. To put it bluntly, he’s one step removed from a full-blown incel, and I mean that in a completely literal fashion. This guy is one or two seedy internet forums away from losing his mind and trying to drive a truck into a crowd of women. It is THAT BAD. His sense of entitlement and desperation for anyone that will validate him makes him a prime target for radicalization, or even being directly used by evil people who will make him feel wanted. 

In short, he’s the best Grunt anyone could hope to have. If you pay him with a sense of belonging, he will do ANYTHING you ask and subscribe to ANY ideology, no matter how fucked up. 

Kouki: Lawful Good

Kouki’s as stereotypically Lawful Good as you can get. He is purely a pacifist, doesn’t eat meat (or consume animal products in modern verses like dairy), and probably would answer you literally stabbing him in the gut by threatening to raise his voice. 

Like basically all of the guys listed above, his point of view came from a long life of abuse and neglect, but instead of getting jaded or angry with the world, he decided to make the conscience choice to live his life in a way that will never hurt anyone the way he was hurt in the past. He’s tied that philosophy with the “religion” he now lives his life by, and it won’t be changing any time soon. 

There’s no way anyone could ever get him out of the “Good” category. The most you can hope for is convincing him that some laws are designed to hurt people and are thus unjust, resulting in a more neutral take. But even that’s going to be a struggle for you. This is a guy that lives and dies by his extremely strong moral compass.

“Doc”: Neutral Evil

This guy has no morals and is utterly self serving to the point of it being cancerous. I have him classified as Neutral Evil, because he does see the use in using the law to his advantage as a shield, when it suits him. But obviously the things he does isn’t ever going to be state sanctioned. 

If given a choice, though, he’d be mostly aligned with the Lawful side than Chaotic. This guy absolutely LOVES twisting contracts and agreements to serve his needs. He finds the comfort that comes with having whatever you say backed up in ink very reassuring. That way if he ever does come down, at least he can drag his associates down with him. 

Kyoko: True Neutral

While Kyoko’s morality is also variant based on the universe she’s in, it’s much less so than our friend Tobias. For the most part, she only sticks to the variations of Neutral and never strays too far to the extreme corners of LG/LE/CG/CE. 

She is ultimately a self serving individual like Doc and Adrian, but unlike those two that are determined to twist the world to wring every drop out of enjoyment out of it before they drop dead, Kyoko’s mostly just trying to survive. She just exists in this space and is trying to get by as best as she can without raising a fuss or raising suspicions. 

If that means a few people who saw too much maybe have to disappear, that’s too bad, but it’s the circle of life in a way. One being dies so another will live. And live, and live, and live, and live. 

Kaneda: Chaotic Neutral

Kaneda’s kind of a surprising one for a lot of reasons, but I think how unstable his mood is in general makes a great case for Chaotic Neutral as opposed to True Neutral. Chaos is a large part of his life, as is the opposition to norms that he feels hold people back from their true potential. He always encourages people to be most true to themselves above all else, damn society.

He’s also commonly at odds with the law in many of his verses, but that has less to do with it -- unlike someone like Xavier, who’s made total anarchy his life’s mission. Kaneda’s opposition is mostly to societal norms and stuff like the gender binary and how one is allowed to express themselves.

That being said, Kaneda is pretty impressionable and is willing to do basically anything to prove himself worthy of being loved. Depending on who is influencing him, he can quite easily drift from Chaotic Good to even Chaotic Evil. (But Chaotic Evil is a bit of a heavier lift thanks to his general love of humanity.)

Touma: True Neutral

Touma is to True Neutral what Kouki is to Lawful Good. In fact, he might be even more rigid in his placement overall. He is the total opposite to Tobias, who will flip into another category at the drop of a hat.

Touma is almost militant in his desire and inclination to only look out for his own. He would do anything for his daughter and extended family as a whole -- no matter how cruel or sadistic. If it helps him in his goal to provide for his family, he’ll do it with no questions asked and no quibbles. And trust me when I say he’s done some fucked up shit in the past to achieve this end.

That being said, he doesn’t seek out such stuff, and would prefer to not have to do it at all. He has a working moral compass and knows what’s right and what’s wrong. It just ultimately doesn’t matter to him when the chips are on the table.

[holytheoristtastemaker]

Remote work is rapidly growing in all industries. Some professionals might just push away this new work style, seeing it as simply a necessity that’s not fit for a product manager who’s constantly managing team members, strategies, client and partner communication, and upcoming challenges. But let me tell you this: Product management can be even more effective when done remotely. No need to fear going for this career path. I’ve put together this detailed guide to help you understand the challenges of remote work and its implication on your product management career. First, I’m having a look at a remote product manager’s core duties. What it means to to be a remote product manager I’ll just say this from the start: There’s not much of a difference between what a remote product manager does when compared to someone who works from the office. In fact, you’re probably already doing part of your work remotely. Like conducting user interviews or holding meetings with your stakeholders. Your role in remote product management So what does a remote product manager even do? Different companies and products have specific needs. Your daily activities as a product manager or owner can be similar though. Remote PMs too have the exact same roles as their office-based counterparts. Here are some of the duties a product manager has: Lead the development of the product and its strategy across multiple lifecycles Discover user requirements through user interviews Develop the positioning and vision of a product Use a variety of tools to produce wireframes and mockups, gather feedback, and deliver results Establish clear timelines and feedback patterns Define quantitative and qualitative metrics and use these to evaluate the success of the product and review delivered work to ensure alignment with the specifications Build actionable user stories Create and manage the product roadmap Maintain consistent client and stakeholder communication Partner with other teams to ensure a unified product development and delivery process Lead the product team and take full responsibility for its actions Create new feature announcements and content Who hires remote product managers To find a new remote job and make the first step towards this ideal lifestyle, you can simply look under the Product category of these remote-exclusive job websites: Dynamite Jobs DailyRemote Working Nomads Remote Age Remote Global Remoters Jobspresso NODESK letsworkremotely Good news is that more and more companies are starting to consider switching to distributed teams and even accepting remote workers for highly skilled professionals. If you need an overall look at some of the companies who are hiring remote product managers, here’s a list to start with: Buffer Canva MailerLite Close.io Convergys ConvertKit Hotjar MeetEdgar Pearson Dell DigitalOcean Glassdoor Pluralsight Toptal VMware Zapier Apple Automattic Keep an eye on their job boards to see when a new opportunity pops up. Note: You can always just ask your current employer to let you work remotely or reach out to companies you’d love to work for and inquire into any available positions. Why working remotely might not be right for your product management career Just like the skills of an in-office and remote product management expert are similar, there are a couple of personality traits and habits that will influence whether or not you’re the right fit for working remotely. To get it out of the way, it’s safe to say that bad communicators will never make it as remote employees. These are those people who can’t take feedback, always have to contradict other team members, and just don’t want to answer your inquiries on time. Product management is fast-paced. 🚀 Especially in small teams who are commonly the ones looking for remote members anyway. So communication needs to be done in detail and accurately even when you’re not face-to-face with the rest of the team. There’s no time to nudge people into sharing their thoughts or asking questions when they don’t know how to move forward with a task. Even more so, the product manager should be the one to tie all team, user, client, and other stakeholder communications. That’s why most remote product management jobs start with “X years of experience in a cross-functional product design or product management role”. Companies want their product managers to be dependable. Sometimes even more than what they expect from the rest of their team since they’re literally handing over the product to you. If you’re a constant slacker who’d rather scroll through Reddit for hours than create one more ticket, you’re better off somewhere else. What are the skills you’ll need to land a remote product management job A product manager in general needs to have some of the most varied soft and hard skills in a team. Honestly, besides exceptionally good communication and organization skills, the traits and abilities you need to develop are roughly the same as for any office job. I had a look at 100+ remote product manager jobs on Glassdoor so you don’t have to resume what the top skills for such professionals are. Next are the results that prove my point. 😉 Here are some of the most commonly mentioned skills that employers are looking for from their next remote product manager: Strong leadership skills Organization and prioritization capabilities Critical thinking Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Strong client management abilities Ability to manage multiple, simultaneous projects Time management and budgeting skills Command of diverse product development frameworks, strategies, and/or rapid prototyping solutions Ability to troubleshoot customer issues and create detailed bug reports Ability to work autonomously Passion for working cross-functionally Problem-solving skills Strong technical understanding of how software products are built Ability to collect and structure qualitative and quantitative research that will be used for making product and design decisions A clear understanding of key metrics and ways of measuring a product’s success All in all, the requirements depend on the company you apply to. Some will prefer a strong communicator who is able to work cross-functionally and bring the entire team together. Other employers will have specific needs such as programming language knowledge or stronger experience when it comes to user interviews or focus on a specific stage of a product’s life cycle. What you’ll need above any of the above skills is product sense. This means you’ll first have to become a subject matter expert and learn all the ins and outs of the product. You’ll then own the entire creative process around generating new ideas, spotting challenges, and creating the whole roadmap along with doing user research, keeping track of metrics, and prioritizing tickets. Simply, you need a complete product-oriented skillset along with dependable traits that will allow your employer to trust you with their product’s evolution and fixing potential problems. Where to start your remote product management career preparation? There’s no training in particular that you need to go through separate from your usual product management courses. However, before jumping into this entirely new work style, I recommend you test it out for a couple of weeks or months. Try a side project or get a part-time job that will have you interact with clients and other team members through multiple time zones. Having this kind of beforehand experience will show you if you actually like collaborating this way, if remote work is suited for you, and where you need to improve. You might not like using multiple tools to maintain communication or maybe you’re just someone who only feels productive in an office environment. For tiny problems like the latter, try to find an actionable solution. In this case, going to a coworking space daily or setting up a fully equipped work desk. If the issues are huge [like when you’re not productive at all without supervision], there’s really nothing you can do. If you’re at the beginning of your PM career, being ready for remote work is the least of your worries. You’ll first need to develop and grow your product management skills overall. From learning how to conduct user research and market analysis to knowing what goes into a product roadmap, how PM frameworks can be used within different types of teams, how to set and monitor key metrics, and so many more product-focused skills and roles you’ll put to use for real products. By far the biggest struggle new PMs always have is worrying about their interview process. What will I say? What if I don’t know the answer to a question? I’m not ready for this job. All natural concerns for any product manager newbie. There’s so much help out there though. 🙏 I’m a huge networking fan so the best tip I’d have for you is to connect with experienced product managers who are willing to coach and prepare you for your next interview. If you’re the shy type, you can always opt for classic LinkedIn messaging instead of face-to-face meetings but bear in mind you’ll have to get over your fears to nail the interview.  💪 Remote product management best practices So you’ve landed a new job or you just want to prepare yourself mentally for what’s to come? I’ve put together my 6 best tips I’ve acquired throughout the years from my own experience and talking to other professionals: Maintain a regular schedule One of the top perks of remote work is flexibility to work whenever you want to. Honestly though, as a product manager you might have to mold your schedule according to when the rest of the team is online. Postponing work [and implicitly communication] can cause serious gaps in productivity. If you don’t know when you have to work on your tasks, when it’s time to dedicate yourself to prioritizing other colleagues’ duties, and when you can still fit in time for feedback and meetings, you’ll end up postponing everything indefinitely when you’re really supposed to be one of the faster responders in the team. As a PM, others look up to you and expect your input and instructions at all times. So compared to the asynchronous communication that remote companies are used to, sending feedback and holding video conferences in real-time works better for product managers and their teammates. This takes me to the importance of establishing clear communication patterns and methodologies. Communicate You already know the story: communication is the ruling king when it comes to remote work. Yet, in this kind of work situation, one-on-one meetings are more insightful than ever. They allow product managers to talk to every single member of a team individually, get feedback, and improve not just their product, but also the employee-company relationship. Beyond this, you need to understand that working remotely takes extra effort for maintaining those friendly work relations you would in real life. Managers have a top duty here: to create strong bonds that will eventually build up employee retention. No ideas? Turn to your team. Hold special opportunities for non-work related activities like get-togethers or just a weekly one-on-one meeting to allow employees to get to know each other better, learn about their hobbies, and make a new friend. Turn to video tools to bridge the communication gap Your basic Slack back-and-forth messages or email exchanges create huge information loopholes. They don’t give enough room for clarifying any details and you might end up with results that are totally different from what you’ve expected. Video, on the other hand, fully replaces your face-to-face office meetings. All remote fun aside, in-person meetings are still an essential part of work for humans as they allow your team members to understand that there are other people who depend on their performance and it’s not just them working from an empty office room. This, in turn, creates accountability, making the entire collaboration process much more effective. Plus, screen sharing will save the day every single time. Establish clear review patterns There’s no such thing as working aimlessly. You need goals and set performance review methods to assess whether the work you and your team puts into a project or product is efficient and spot potential bottlenecks. To keep everyone involved in this review process, set up a defined timeline for your review tasks and meetings. For instance, decide when and how to hold your daily stand-up meetings. Working remotely you have lots of possibilities for every single review process. For the stand-ups you can opt for video conferences or use a Slack bot to automate everything and save time since team members can simply write down what they worked on, what they’re taking care of on a given day, and their potential challenges. The review workflow doesn’t just end here as you’ll probably have to take over and see how and who can help a person with their issues so the product development process can run smoothly. Address risks ahead of time While strong communication is a common trait both on-site and distributed teams need to develop, what remote product managers need more than anything are plans. Particularly a highly-detailed action plan for tackling risks before panic installs. I’m talking here about a common document any team member will access to read and find out how they can manage their own crisis. Keep your whole team on board Working remotely is a collective effort. As the person who’s held responsible for any success and failure of your colleagues, you’re in charge of cultivating a desire for remote success within the team. Here’s the list of everything your team needs to understand and work on before you jump into the world of fully-distributed companies: The benefits of remote work Communication guidelines Risk management techniques The importance of feedback and staying connected Staying accountable for one’s work Get involved in the teams’ overall growth by supporting its cohesion and moving collaboration processes forward Developing traits and skills such as discipline, empathy, dependability, and self-organization [in other words, constantly developing themselves on a personal and professional level] Key takeaways So yes! You can work remotely as a product manager and be just as effective at your work. No performance limitations here. Product managers still have the same duties and roles when working from home or an exotic beach in the middle of nowhere. Daily work is quite similar too but your quality of life is highly improved. Here’s what a day in your life as a remote product manager might look like: Take care of urgent tasks or team/client inquiries Stay updated with any industry or market changes Do some networking 🤝 Stand-up meeting time! 🥳 Work on the product roadmap Take a well-deserved lunch break 🍔 Answer some more emails Respond to tickets Client meeting One-on-meeting with one of your teammates Sprint retrospective! 🥳 Do keep in mind that product managers have some of the most diverse days with a constant flux of new challenges and opportunities that need to be covered. Already a happy remote fellow? Share your best tips with fellow product managers or people who are considering this career but have been hesitant thinking it’s not suited for the remote lifestyle.

http://damianfallon.blogspot.com/2020/04/is-remote-product-management-career_30.html

[the-nerktwins]

There’s more to “Another Day” than meets the eye…or, ear…

Sometimes the most interesting thoughts are captured during discussions. I recently began a thread in a Beatles forum I’m a member of, about Paul’s song “Another Day” and the deeper meaning I personally found within it. The conversation veered into two different directions. One was the concept of the lyrical content being overlooked for a few possible reasons, not the least of them being that the protagonist was a woman. The other branch of this conversation veered towards was the musical anatomy of the song and how it serves to add texture to the story the lyrics are telling.

It’s with regret that I report that some participants completely overlooked the musical complexity of this track. To illustrate, here are a couple of key quotes from respondents in the thread I started:

“In contrast to 'Eleanor Rigby, 'Another Day' is cute and perfect instead of full of contrast and dynamics. The cozy comfort of the music itself reflects the bland predictability of the protagonists' life, as depicted in the song. I'm just not sure that's the best approach to take. I think John and George's (Martin) influence would have added some dimension.”

“Yes it's typical of McCartney to wrap a dark story in a cute song. He likes to hide things (even from himself).”

I was left wondering if me and these posters were even listening to the same song! I was also reminded of how ready people are to default to and parrot the (false and grossly oversimplified) talking points that the fandom has been spoon-fed about Paul’s songcraft since the 1970’s. Paul is hardly ever regarded as a valid artist in his own right outside of the Beatles collective, that is terribly, truly wrongheaded in every imaginable way.

I find it galling that many fans still want to hear his early, solo work with a “Lennon filter” applied to it. I’ve seen people saying things like, “This song is good, but if he’d done it with John it would’ve been GREAT!” I completely disagree. McCartney’s compositional abilities by 1967 had evolved to the point where he could “hear” in his head almost exactly what he wanted his final product to sound like. He was adept at articulating his vision to producers, engineers, and bandmates rather early on.

It also hasn’t escaped my notice that certain fans resent his abilities within the confines of the Beatles’ collective since it did contribute to some friction within the band during their late period, and then they turn around and completely ignore his competency when it comes to his solo work (and lament that he couldn’t collaborate with Lennon or George Martin on particular solo songs). It’s a paradoxical mentality and I’m not shy about denouncing it. It gives me whiplash, if I’m quite honest about it!

Since I don’t know (and didn’t ask) the participants about whether they’ve had any experience as musicians, I can make some allowance for the fact that people who’ve played music can hear things in a piece that non-musicians may not pick up on. The thing is, there exist a fair number of sources which could at least illustrate what’s going on musically in “Another Day.”

As for me, since I have a musical background, and I can HEAR what’s going on. To me there are “contrast and dynamics.” The song builds, crescendos, and comes back down again.  There's a lot going on in terms of time signature changes, and decorative elements which add texture to the story being told.  It’s brilliant! I realize that someone who has little to no musical experience could miss it.  There are musically-inclined people out there who can explain it, however, and I went looking online for just that. I conducted two simple Google searches: “Paul McCartney Another Day Musical Analysis,” and “Paul McCartney Another Day Sheet Music.”

With the second search, I found a website which allows the user to play a midi file of the song (with the lead vocals, backing vocals, and every instrument) while the user is taken through the sheet music. The parts being played highlight what’s going on in the song as it’s playing. If someone is inexperienced as a musician, it can serve as a nice, visual aid to see just how complex a composition is, and how much is going on within it. Here’s a screenshot of the site, and a link to “Another Day” for illustrative purposes.

"Another Day" by Paul and Linda McCartney on MuseScore.com

To me this is proof-positive that "Another Day" isn't just a cutesy, fluffy song.

For some further argument in the favor of the musical merits of this song, I stumbled upon comments from fans in the Steve Hoffman music forums, in a thread called "Paul McCartney 'Another Day' Appreciation Thread"

After the bit ".... leaves the next daaaaayyyy..." there's this descending run on the guitar that is perfectly placed, but very difficult indeed to play. – Edgard Varese

yeah, another day is an absolutely killer track. to me its really the perfect song: catchy as hell, yet imaginative and really far more complex than a casual listener would ever realize. i also agree with the thoughts on the rythym guitar. great song to learn for any guitar player, not just for the rythm, but for the chords also. i believe it starts with a g to a b7 with an f# bass and really you've got me hooked from there – andyw676

Listen to the bassline...amazing. – Stateless

I've always loved this song, everything about it really. The undertone of Rigby-esque sadness was obvious to me from the get-go, and the yearning in the "sometimes she feels so sad" bit as the music shifts up and down chromatically always put a lump in my throat. Paul's very good at getting some of the more delicate emotional shadings in his songs. Great song. Thanks for the thread! -- Gardo

That song has some crazy chord changes, and lots of em. Makes it special. – Dave D

To diverge just a little bit into lyrical territory, there were some nuggets of push-back within this Steve Hoffman thread against the typical appraisal of this song, namely it being labeled as “lightweight” or “trite” by certain critics or fans.

Similarly, on "Another Day" if you read the lyrics carefully you may come away feeling not uplifted by a catchy little ditty but a mite saddened by the sometimes crushing loneliness of the modern grind. Personally I love the "At the office where the papers grow..." and "Alone in her apartment she'd dwell..." parts, some of Paul's best lyrics. Remarkable concision. – Dr J

I don't consider it quite as light as I did. It's almost a social commentary on the way women's lives were in the 70s, although not a knock at anyone specific. I admit I'm stealing a little of my wife's analysis. – kevinsinnott

I find it interesting to note that the second poster needed some assistance from a woman regarding his appraisal of the lyrical content. It’s another reminder of the depressing reality that this song is likely written off as superficial and lightweight, and not much analysis applied to it, but because the protagonist is a woman. Just as a lot of our struggles as women are ignored or ridiculed, a song written by a male who sympathizes with our plight is written off as “silly” and “fluffy” by male fans, even if the lyrics have a dark subtext.

To me, the song speaks of something dark and existential going on within the protagonist's psyche, and Paul himself is simply a narrator, imploring the audience to empathize with her as much as he does. And by empathizing with the plight of a woman, Paul unfortunately gets labeled a superficial square who creates “Muzak” and isn’t “Rock N’ Roll” enough. And that’s not right any way you slice it.  Even more ironic is that not long after "Another Day," Lennon at the behest of his wife would be singing and talking about Women's struggles for equal rights and the injustice of it all.  He glibly missed his former songwriting partner's intent in this song.  That's not unlike John at all, however, and that's certainly not the point of this essay.  It's just an observation I found interesting.

"Another Day" also speaks to me as an acknowledgement that people who are highly functional can and do suffer depression; people are coached to wear a mask of being “OK” because it’s not socially acceptable to admit you are not OK. Just keep your head down, go to work, do what you’re supposed to do, get on with it, and don’t tell anyone about your problems…

“As she posts another letter to the sound of five People gather 'round her and she finds it hard to stay alive.”

To go back to the song being marginalized as a little bit of radio-friendly, pop fluff, when to me it clearly is NOT for a moment, I want to acknowledge something. Fans were less able to access opposing literature and materials in the early 1970’s, and McCartney himself wasn’t talking much to the press (and unless you’re a brand-new fan, you know why), so I can see why people sort of accepted this viewpoint at the time.

As Erin Torkelson-Weber has pointed out in interviews and on her blog, “The Historian and the Beatles,” Paul’s relative lack of response to the talking points being pushed by John and Yoko within their post-breakup PR campaign, as well as Paul choosing not to give too much weight to the unfair critical appraisal of his work that was tainted by rock music “journalists” essentially siding with John and Yoko, really created a vacuum, allowing for the fandom’s appraisal of Paul’s work to be dominated by this narrative. Therefore, it’s natural that many, if not most fans in 1971 would buy into these sentiments.  

What I find annoying is that this tendency continues to persist within the fandom, even among younger fans! This is despite having a considerable amount of evidence available at our fingertips that can serve to point out how very wrong this narrative truly is, up to and including the damn sheet music!

With the ability we now possess to access contemporaneous source material and examine all of it objectively, and the ability to listen to virtually all of his music for free via the major, online streaming services, it demonstrates laziness when people within the fandom choose not to think for themselves regarding McCartney’s genius and artistic merit separate from the other Beatles (namely Lennon).

“Another Day” isn’t the only McCartney work I’ve seen suffer under-appreciation by fans, but it’s an excellent example to illustrate my point, since it was specifically singled out by Lennon and early 70’s rock critics and used as a device by Lennon and the prominent rock critics of the day to publicly mock McCartney and call his integrity as an artist into question.

A lot of McCartney’s solo work is written off in a similar fashion, and what a terrible shame that is. Quite frankly, I think people are depriving themselves of a lot of pleasure by simply dismissing McCartney and avoiding his music (or sticking to his “greatest hits” without delving into his catalog and giving everything a thorough listen), based on these antiquated appraisals of his work.

In conclusion, I hope this essay didn’t come across too harshly. I just hope it may inspire people to listen more carefully to Paul McCartney’s solo work and give him the credit as an artist that he duly deserves.

[nadziejastar]

You’re metas and analysis of Isa and Lea are amazing. And ty for standing up for Isa. Nobody tries to make distinction between his real self and the possessed emotionless puppet he was a Nobody. You actually made me like Isa, and I’m desperate for Lea/Isa content.

Aww, that makes me happy that you like Isa now. I absolutely adore the entire concept behind Isa. He was such a fascinating character, in theory. Everything about him was conceptualized to connect to the Realm of Sleep and the concepts of rebirth and love. It was incredibly unique and well thought out. It’s just such a shame that he was not utilized in any meaningful capacity. Like, how do you just waste such a perfect setup for an amazing story? How? Why? It just…kills me. Makes me question my faith in humanity, lol.

The fact that people don’t differentiate between Isa and Saïx is SO sad. That was the entire purpose of his character arc. KH3 was so unfair to poor Isa. It went against everything the series stood for. I honestly feel bad for the writers. They must have been so disappointed after they put so much thought into his and Lea’s story. Just the stuff they did with the moon impressed me so much.

Isa: The Moon Goddess of Love and Rebirth

The triple moon is a Goddess symbol that represents the Maiden, Mother, and Crone as the Crescent, Full, and Balsamic Moon. It is also associated with feminine energy, mystery and psychic abilities. You often see this symbol on crowns or other head-pieces, particularly worn by High Priestesses.

In the Maiden, Mother, Crone aspects of the Goddess, Selene is the mother Goddess, Artemis the maiden, and Hecate the Crone. Two of Saix’s weapons are named “Selene” and “Artemis”.

The Balsamic Moon phase is visible in pre-dawn twilight; the darkness is nearly complete. We begin the Balsamic Phase with just a thin sliver of light, and by the end of the phase, darkness is complete. We are approaching New Moon; this is the last waning phase. She has withdrawn into the darkness, leaving the night wrapped in shadows. Disappearing from sight, she is resting, preparing for the next Lunar Cycle.

Isa’s symbol is a waning crescent. But Balsamic is the term used in astrology/magic. It’s the last phase of the cycle before the darkness of the new moon, visible in twilight. I love this since sunset is also associated with twilight. Axel and Saix’s relationship is Days is in a state of twilight. It’s the time when it’s not quite day, but not quite night. Twilight is a period or state of obscurity, ambiguity, or gradual decline.

This is a time of quiet contemplation. We withdraw into the shadowy depths of thought and emotion, resting, reflecting, thinking, feeling, dreaming, and preparing. To a great degree we exist in the ‘invisible worlds’ of subconscious, spiritual realms, daydreaming, and our own inner depths. We are often consciously unaware - much is happening, yet it seems that nothing is happening. The past slips away, quietly into the night as the future slips in. While the Moon releases her current cycle, extinguishing the light and preparing for the next cycle, we too are releasing extinguishing and preparing; even if we don’t know it on a conscious level.

This is just…perfect for the Realm of Sleep storyline. Like, too perfect. This is what Saïx’s Mystery Gear was all about. Xemnas conducted mind control experiments, as a way to get a person to renounce their sense of self. This would allow them to be open to his heart, and he could turn them into another Xehanort. That was his entire goal in the Xehanort Saga. It’s exactly what the letter chi stands for, which inspired the Recusant’s Sigil. The scar symbolizes that Isa had to die for Saïx to exist as another self of Xehanort.

But the rabbit on the moon is a symbol of immortality. The Jade Rabbit was so selfless, he was willing to give up his life for a hungry beggar, who turned out to be the Lord of Heaven in disguise. In reward for his deed, he was taken to the moon to live forever. It’s also a symbol for people on Earth to look at, so they never forget the rabbit’s virtue.

During the experiments on the darkness of the heart, all the subjects suffered the collapse of their hearts. None could be used as vessels. The entire idea behind Subject X is that they were a unique specimen that did not collapse, unlike everyone else. This crescent phase of “Moon Rabbit” is used when Saïx is in his normal state. The rocket is taking Isa’s heart to the moon, where it will live forever. His love and selflessness will never be forgotten. But…it’s not there yet. The rabbit isn’t on the moon. It’s still on the way. But Axel doesn’t know this. That’s why it was called “Mystery Gear”. Of course “Moon Rabbit” feels totally at odds with Saïx’s personality. That’s the whole point.

New Moon is the phase of new beginnings. It is also called Dark Moon. You may not be aware you are beginning anything at all. In fact this is often a time with little conscious awareness of direction. This is a time of emotion, desire, and spontaneity. This is also considered to be a very powerful time to do “destructive magic”, like hexing and cursing.

Saïx’s first weapon in Days is called “New Moon”, and it is also perfect. It’s a new beginning, though not necessarily a happy one. “New Moon”, “Werewolf”, and “Berserk”  are all shaped like the alchemical symbol for antimony. The metal antimony symbolizes the animal nature or wild spirit of man and nature, and it was often symbolized by the wolf. In alchemy, it is thought that antimony has the ability to free gold from impurities, and the innate power to have a similar effect on humankind. Basically antimony is poison, but can be transmuted into pure medicine. And that’s exactly what Saïx needs. A transmutation.

Roxas: What’s it like having a best friend, Axel?

Axel: Couldn’t tell ya. I don’t have one.

Roxas: Oh…

Days completely revolves around two parallel stories. Pretty much everything Axel talks about with Roxas relates back to his past. When he teaches Roxas stuff, it’s almost always implied that he’s speaking from experience. You can tell he is here, because he gets so sad about not having a best friend. Obviously he was thinking of Saïx. And it’s like that for the entire game.

Xion: But you have memories, don’t you?

Axel: Yeah. Not that they’ve ever done me any good.

The entirety of Days takes place in this Dark Moon period of death and darkness. Isa has been banished with deconstructive magic. Isa was the Old Moon. Saïx is the New Moon, the Dark Moon. In his heart, Axel could tell that Isa and Saïx are two different people. He knew Isa’s heart was gone. And he was mourning a loss, just like a death. He was doing a lot of soul searching. He struggled with how to come to terms with his grief.

Lea: In memories, you live forever, you know?

Isa: Well, you may be a really small part of my memories, but at least you’ll never disappear.

Lea: I’m SO flattered.

The best thing he can come up with is to try viewing things from the perspective that he held in the past. If you exist inside of people’s memories, you can live forever. He may have to let go of any hope that Saïx will be his best friend ever again. But he can still hold onto the fond memories of Isa. Those memories can stay separated from the negative memories of Saïx. They can remain pure and undefiled in his heart forever. Isa said that Lea would never disappear from his memories. As long as Axel remembers THAT Isa, he will live forever.

Gibbous is when the moon is nearly full. Nearly, but not quite. We are poised and ready, the goal is so near we can almost touch it, almost reach it. So very close, but not quite, not yet. The Gibbous Phase holds a great deal of power and potential. It may take some patience and determination to tap into it. We find ourselves at the precarious point of being very close to a goal. This phase is about refining, fine-tuning, and tuning in. What you have begun may seem ready, but it can be better.

“Crescent” and “Gibbous” have a similar shape to Lea’s Keyblade.

Challenges, really, are always opportunities in disguise. But this is more true than ever during the Gibbous Phase. When you find yourself encountering glitches in your plans, realize that it is fortunate they were discovered at this stage, and most likely the result will be improving and enriching your endeavors. Impatience is so strong you can feel it in the air during Gibbous Phase. Yet patience is one of your best allies. It will come. It will be soon.

In magical terms, these phases are about breaking hexes, and using constructive magic to attract the things you want.

The level of energy is higher on Full Moon than any other time of the month. We see it, feel it, and sense it. We feel our own power, and the power of the world around us. The moon is the natural astrological ruler of emotions. When she is riding high, so are our emotions. We aren’t happy, we’re elated; we aren’t mad, we’re furious; we aren’t interested, we’re excited; we aren’t sad, we’re depressed. There is an out-of-control tendency that can make it difficult to harness this energy. This is a powerful time, of excess and extremes, which can manifest in a positive or negative way.

And of course, the moon is what breaks Saïx’s icy calm. The Full Moon can bring out the very worst emotions from a person’s subconscious. And during the final battle, Kingdom Hearts is a big Full Moon.

The Balsamic Moon Phase is a time for acceptance and release. What has gone too far to be repairable, we must let go of. The Moon is now retreating into the shadows, withdrawing into herself, resting and preparing to come back strong and vibrant in the next cycle. This is the time we should be preparing ourselves to be refreshed and ready for great momentum and new growth to come.

“Balsamic” is a weapon similarly shaped to triple goddess symbols. The Balsamic phase describes Isa’s story so perfectly.  He disappeared into the darkness of sleep.

This phase of the waning Moon is particularly good for final endings. Anything you don’t want to return - now is the time. We must have faith in ourselves, and the natural cycle, knowing what we let go of now will be reborn. We are making way for something new, releasing emotions and beginning healing…

But “Balsamic” is Crisis Gear. Saïx gets this weapon after he gets the Phoenix-shaped ones. This time it refers to the end of a different phase. The painful phase of the Dark Moon. I think this was meant to represent the time after Saïx is defeated, but before Lea uses the power of waking. I’m sure he wouldn’t know how to use it immediately. The purple aura symbolizes spirituality. But a black aura symbolizes long-term grief.

The Sun illuminates the Moon; she transforms and reflects his light upon the Earth. The illuminated Earth transforms and reflects her light, producing a mystical, silvery glow. These energies of illumination and reflection are ingrained into the phase of Full Moon. We reflect upon our lives and selves, we see more deeply into our own souls, as well as others. We are drawn to the illusive and mysterious.

The Full Moon is when the moon fully reflects the sun’s light. The moon’s energy is at its peak, so it can bring out the worst emotions. On the other hand, due to its power, it is also good for healing.

Full Moons are times when the moon is reflecting all of the sunlight it receives, flooding the earth with powerful energies. These are great times to receive energy healing. The Full Moon energy helps us release that which no longer serves us. It lights up the night, and energetically, these are times when the light can more easily eliminate the darkness in our lives, releasing old blocks. It makes us aware of life patterns that do not work for us. On a subconscious level, we may feel safer holding on to certain toxic emotions such as anger, fear, and jealousy. But with the Full Moon’s energy we can work on letting them go.

This version of “Moon Rabbit” is used in Saïx’s Berserk state. When the rabbit appears on the moon, it is full.  

“I think you can be inseparable even if you’re apart. It’s like, if you feel really close to each other. Like best friends.”

“As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart.”

These quotes are very similar and that was no coincidence. It was definitely implied that Axel used to feel not just close, but inseparable from Isa. As long as you feel really close to someone, you can be inseparable from them, even if you’re apart. And as long as you remember each other, you’ll never be apart. He still felt really close to the Isa from his memories. He never wanted to be apart from that Isa.

“I guess the closest thing we Nobodies have got is our past. You know, memories of the stuff we couldn’t bear to lose, back when we couldn’t bear to lose it.”

That’s why he shifted his attitude on Day 150. Before, he said memories were “just baggage”. Now he says that what he can’t bear to lose are his memories of what he couldn’t bear to lose…back when he couldn’t bear to lose it. Isa is the only established character from Lea’s past, so this was no doubt referring to him. Axel was admitting that when he was a human, he couldn’t bear to lose Isa. Of course, Axel did lose him. So, the next best thing was to hold onto the memories of him. The sad reality was that Axel’s hokey speech was really about finding a way for Isa to live forever, and for them to be inseparable once again. In his mind he knew this was probably hopeless. But his heart just wouldn’t let go of Isa.  

Axel thought he lost something precious—a special heart connection he had with someone. But the heart’s connection can never be lost. Lea realizes Isa’s heart never died. His love allowed his heart to live forever. The rocket carrying Isa’s heart has finally arrived on the moon. The rabbit is now immortal and his virtue will be remembered forever. Under the light of Kingdom Heart’s Full Moon, Lea is able to give Isa a birth by sleep, awakening his heart from the darkness of sleep, and offering him new life. He was right all along. Inside people’s memory, you do live forever. And no matter what, Lea’s heart just could not forget Isa.

Crescent Moon is now visible and increasing in size and brightness, having moved from darkness in the New Moon Phase to a slender, but solid easily visible sliver during this phase. This is the energy we feel during this phase; the beginnings of solidity. Visions and intentions are beginning to evolve into manifestation. Momentum is building, and we are beginning to see and feel the formation of what we have began. Our vision is clear, and direction is chosen. This is a time of seeking, and developing. We are encountering details, and confronting the challenges we must face. The vision held is going from a dream to a goal; from an idea to a plan.

The final scene shows Isa’s pin and it symbolizes the beginning of a new cycle, and also the Maiden phase. This phase is good for constructive magic, attracting things like love, wealth, and personal development.

Roxas: This is gonna sound stupid. Do you know what love is?

Axel: ‘Scuse me?

Roxas: I found out about love on today’s mission–that it’s something powerful.

Axel: That’s true. It is. But I’ll never get to experience it.

Roxas: Nobodies can’t love?

Axel: You need a heart, man.

A few days earlier, Axel was pretty dismissive about Roxas’ girl issues. On the other hand, he was NOT so dismissive about love. Sounds like he had a lot more personal experience in this matter that hit a lot closer to home than girl troubles. Axel has been in love. And he longed to be in a relationship where that love is reciprocated to him. This is something he’s never experienced, so he had no memories of it to fall back on.

After Axel said that, I didn’t think it would be truly satisfying unless he found love. But he specified that the love he truly longed for was the special kind between two people that’s different from caring about your friends. His arc was setting up more than platonic love. He longed for romantic love. That’s why I don’t think his ending in KH3 was a fully satisfying one. Friendship was important to him, yes. But the story set Axel up to have a lover when he finally got his heart back.

Axel: Love is what happens if there’s something really special between two people.

Roxas: You mean, like, if they’re best friends? Inseparable?

Axel: Well, you can care about your friends, I guess, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

Everything in Days was carefully written to parallel Axel’s present situation involving Roxas, with his past involving Saïx. It was done very deliberately. Axel speaks of the past in broad terms, but he always speaks with a hint of wistfulness. The past is very personal to him. And the only established character from his past is Saïx. This was NOT an accident. It’s why I think the story was subtlely implying that Lea was not just best friends with Isa, but in love with him as well. They were best friends who were inseparable, just like Roxas and Xion. But Lea felt something else between him and Isa. And that something was different from the way he felt towards his other friends. What he felt for Isa was special. Lea felt love for him. And what better way to rekindle a lost love than under the heart-shaped moon of Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds?

[azure7539arts]

In regards to chapter 88-89

Because I have seen a few posts around with opinions relating to the revelation that happens in these two chapters, specifically about Wei WuXian’s actions and Wen Ning’s handling of the situation, I’m going to chip in a bit as well.

So for anyone who has NOT caught up with the latest chapters of MDZS and does NOT want SPOILERS, please do NOT read what’s under the cut.

Warning: very long post that’s a combination of analysis and feels. Obviously, everything you’re about to read are my interpretations and personal perception of the characters, so do take it with a grain of salt.

Right off the bat, I just want to state clearly that Wei WuXian has and will never consider himself a hero. His actions have always been more about instincts than actual needs to prove himself; heroism is not the principle on which he operates himself because he has never been conscious of this during the acts themselves. If anything, what he is conscious about are his mistakes and shortcomings, which can be clearly seen via the fact that he slaps himself upon realizing that it was Jin Ling whom he just unknowingly insulted, or the fact that he cringes at the sight of his past self from before his death in Nie MingJue’s memory (and many more, but we are not here to discuss this).

With that in mind, let’s move on to why Wei WuXian never told Jiang Cheng about the golden core business.

Firstly, doing things, especially what will (in retrospect) be considered favors, without never telling anyone about it is basically how the Jiang Clan operates, and Wei WuXian, having nothing other than a couple of fuzzy memories of his birth parents, will of course be influenced by this teaching, too, seeing as he more or less grew up with it.

We can see evidences of this problematic behavior in almost every member of the main branch of this family. For example, Yu ZiYuan (who always outwardly expressed her contempt and displeasure toward Wei WuXian without restraints) was harsh on Wei WuXian, yes, but in the end, even during that seemingly brutal whipping that she gave him as ‘punishment’ for his ‘misdemeanor’ toward Wen Chao, she obviously held back to make sure he wasn’t as hurt as she would later claim him to be even though she could’ve gone all out. This doesn’t negate the fact that she had a penchant for verbal abuse, but in that moment, she decided—without telling anyone, fooling even her own son and the adopted one she was whipping—to not make Wei WuXian suffer. There are many reasons as to why she made this decision, but we won’t be mentioning that here.

As for Jiang FengMian: I will only go over this detail briefly because it only exists in the donghua, but he does keep the brooch his wife discarded, most likely unbeknownst to her, with the desire to once again give it to her when they were on better speaking terms, which never happened.

Jiang YanLi herself was no different. When her father and Wei WuXian came back from GuSu Lan Sect, bringing the news of her broken engagement, she never told anyone a word about her feelings for Jin ZiXuan, probably because she didn’t want Jiang FengMian and her brothers to feel bad about this, until a sudden altercation much, much later on revealed this truth, much to Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng’s complete bewilderment because they had never suspected this.

And finally, Jiang Cheng himself is the same. Jiang Cheng is a complicated character, partly due to complicated relationship (mainly to Wei WuXian), and partly because he is featured prominently in the series, and therefore we know more about him and have more insights into his character. Without spoiling anyone who hasn’t known/already been spoiled/read through the novel before, I won’t be saying what it is, specifically, that he has done to demonstrate the Jiang’s characteristic streak of doing good/well-meaning things for other people without telling them, but please know that he did. He does so with immense consequences, and he does so without telling anyone, particularly Wei WuXian.

Going back to Wei WuXian, with all these examples from the people who brought him up from the age of 9, the very same people whom he interacted the most with for most of his teenager years, of course their behaviors and their conducts would affect him, too. Especially when he feels indebted to them for picking him up from the streets and giving him another home. You may say that all the mentions above may be solitary events, but people do not just decide to do things in a certain way one day, people gradually develop a way of behaving by repeating the same thing over and over—this is why the whole Jiang family exhibits these traits, and not just in certain individuals. And this, probably, plays a part in shaping the way Wei WuXian acts and why he didn’t tell Jiang Cheng about giving his foster brother his golden core either. This is a family of doers, for various reasons, and they do more than they talk, and even when they do talk, they don’t really communicate (e.g., Jiang FengMian and Yu ZiYuan constant fighting instead of talking things through, or Jiang Cheng’s “tough-love” acts toward Jin Ling later on).

Wei WuXian has days to deliberate, though, but he still chose not to tell Jiang Cheng, not because he thought that Jiang Cheng was weak or that he wouldn’t be able to handle it, but most likely because he knew his brother too well, and he knew Jiang Cheng would reject this without considering the option. There are many reasons as to why Jiang Cheng would reject (one of them I won’t be saying here because of spoilers), although most of them would boil down to pride and his inferiority complex. Jiang Cheng would most probably think that Wei WuXian was trying to play hero again (which, again, as we have established, has and will never be in Wei WuXian’s intention or agenda), that Wei WuXian was pitying him, and he wouldn’t have accepted the golden core transfer.

But this, in itself, has its problems and complications, too. Let’s pan this what-if situation out for a bit here: had Wei WuXian had told Jiang Cheng about this option, he would’ve given Jiang Cheng his choice in the matter (which is important because a person’s choice is important), but because there was no way Jiang Cheng, being the person that he was and with the unstable state of mind he had been in at the time, would’ve accepted this from Wei WuXian, he would’ve rejected the option. Would this mean they wouldn’t have any regrets? No. Because Wei WuXian loved (still does) his brother, and combined with the promise he had had with Madam Yu about protecting Jiang Cheng (to death, by the way), he wouldn’t have been okay with watching Jiang Cheng suffer and wither away. 

Remember, at this point, Jiang Cheng was already clearly suicidal. In the novel, and even in the donghua, this isn’t simply lightly implied, the way he behaved and the things he said (asking about why Wei WuXian had bothered saving him instead of just letting him die off because he didn’t want to witness the Wens overrun the cultivation world, and saying that he’d die and come back to haunt the Wens) stated this without leaving any remaining shadow of doubt. As for Jiang Cheng, had he been told, would’ve rejected Wei WuXian’s plan (as we just talked about), but would he have not thought about this every single day for the rest of his remaining days (however long he would’ve managed to live without trying to do something to get himself killed, that is)? Jiang Cheng has an inferiority complex (through no fault of his own, of course), and he wouldn’t have been able to live with seeing Wei WuXian still out there and entirely capable and fighting off the Wens whilst he himself was, more or less, dead weight. The idea that he could’ve restored his golden core at the expense of someone else would’ve never let him go, exactly because of how possibly attainable and absolutely horrifying it was.

And did Wei WuXian in that moment really had a choice? This was Jiang Cheng’s actual life on the line, as well as his own, and Jiang Cheng was his brother—the one he loved, the one he played with, the one who grew up with him and protected him and shared meals with him. The one he promised to protect to the bitter end. It had always been Jiang Cheng’s dream to be the Sect Leader that his father approved of, and he would never be able to become leader and realize his full potential without a golden core. So, Wei WuXian was saddled with a choice: he had to choose between a suicidal Jiang Cheng (which, believe me, is a very hard thing to watch anyone close to you go through) who would very likely try to get himself killed doing something reckless, and a Jiang Cheng who would regain his confidence and take up the mantle of sect leader to continue on the Jiang Clan legacy and rebuild their decimated sect from the group up—like what his parents would’ve wanted, like what Jiang Cheng himself would’ve done had he still had his golden core.

You have to understand that Wei WuXian himself, in that moment, must have been scared, too, scared and desperate, for a multitude of reasons—the Wens finding them and their helplessness in the face of all that power, the operation not working out, him not being able to protect Jiang Cheng and Jiang YanLi anymore. But what must have been the height of his fear (for a teenaged boy who had lost his entire family twice) was losing Jiang Cheng—and he had been losing Jiang Cheng right in front of his eyes because Jiang Cheng—Wei WuXian’s proud and resilient and capable brother—had given up on life. (And let me tell you, it is a very frightening thing that will haunt you for a long time).

Jiang Cheng, a child growing up in the main branch of a prominent, cultivating clan, believed his self-worth to lie in the existence of his golden core—in his continued capacity to keep on being a cultivator. He didn’t know a life outside of that, still doesn’t, and he couldn’t imagine a life in which he couldn’t cultivate anymore. He was devastated. His parents, his entire sect except for his sister, died horrible deaths, and his family home was razed to the ground. Without the means to take revenge, the rage he felt would’ve been nothing but an impotent one, and this was why, the second Wei WuXian told him there was a way, the spark of life returned to his eyes. Because only with the possibility of being able to cultivate again did he actually give himself a fighting chance.

And Wei WuXian saw this because, despite all appearances, he was/is an observant individual.

Consider these passages taken from chapter 60, translated by Exiled Rebels Scanlations, bolded parts by me:

[Wei WuXian] closed the door and pulled out the needle in Jiang Cheng’s head. [Jiang Cheng] opened his eyes only after a long time had passed.

He did wake up, but he didn’t move at all. He was so uninterested that he didn’t even turn around or ask ‘where is this’. He didn’t drink any water, he didn’t eat any food. It seemed that all he sought for was death.

Wei WuXian, “Do you really want to die?”

Jiang Cheng, “I can’t seek revenge even when I’m alive. Why shouldn’t I die? Maybe I’ll be able to turn into a ferocious ghost.”

And:

Jiang Cheng, “If I can’t seek revenge no matter if I’m dead or alive, then what’s the difference between the two?”

After he said this, he wouldn’t speak again no matter what.

Wei WuXian sat by the bed. He looked at him for a while. Slapping his knees, he stood up and began to busy himself.

This, in all honesty, must have been when Wei WuXian finalized his decision. And so he set about to busy himself and try to cook Jiang Cheng a meal, probably trying to think up a believable enough story for his brother in the meantime as well. Maybe he had considered telling Jiang Cheng, maybe he hadn’t. But the second he saw this: “The sentence was only a few words long. However, it immediately lit up the lifeless eyes of Jiang Cheng,” (chapter 60) he had already made up his mind.

As for why he refuses to tell Jiang Cheng later on, it’s a combination of, once again, knowing his brother well, of absorbing the Jiang behavior (something which Jiang Cheng will exhibit later on himself), and of how, in the end, they were two prideful people themselves. Jiang Cheng would’ve been devastated and would’ve felt guilty (as he is now) had this revelation came out after all was said and done, and Wei WuXian hadn’t done this for Jiang Cheng to feel grateful either. He just hadn’t wanted his brother to go kill himself. He hadn’t wanted his brother to live in guilt, and he hadn’t wanted to have received pity from Jiang Cheng either (much like how Jiang Cheng wouldn’t have and had never wanted Wei WuXian to pity him).

We will have our own opinions on this, on Wei WuXian’s choices and whether they were right or not, but in the end, he had only wanted one thing out of this: he had wanted Jiang Cheng, his brother, to live. Actually live and thrive, instead of just dragging a withering existence.

Now, moving on to the second matter in this too long essay, Wen Ning’s handling of the revelation and why he was doing it at all.

Firstly, we need to remember three things: that Wen Ning still feels guilty toward Jiang Cheng for all the wrong things he did; that Wen Ning is very protective of Wei WuXian; and that by nature, Wen Ning is a soft, shy, polite person with a good heart (as demonstrated by him going out of his way to help Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng back when Lotus Pier had just been destroyed). So this revelation doesn’t stem from a want and/or need to humiliate Jiang Cheng, nor does it have any ill-willed intention at all other than for Jiang Cheng to please just stop going after Wei WuXian for a second.

From the moment Wen Ning woke up from his 13 years of imprisonment, all he heard was bad news. Very bad news. In all of those bad news, aside from the fact that his entire family died, was the one fact that Jiang Cheng had personally led the siege up Burial Mounds himself to eradicate evil, Wei WuXian and those fifty Wens people who had been clearly old and feeble last time Jiang Cheng had checked, and had caused Wei WuXian’s death. (This, Wei WuXian denied, saying that his demonic cultivation was what had done him in in the end, but because Wei WuXian is a liar, we don’t know if Wen Ning actually believed this or not).

Eventually, there was the second Burial Mound siege, also led by Jiang Cheng, also organized by people who wanted Wei WuXian dead. Wen Ning couldn’t have possibly been okay with this, with the way they were treating Wei WuXian, considering that just one nameless junior disciple bad-mouthing Wei WuXian alone was already enough to set him off. But, this aside, Wen Ning had had a tough time, too, what with the blood corpses of his brutally slain family coming back up from the death to help the very same people who had killed them years ago, only to crumple back to dust before his eyes.

This was a lot of stress, and Jiang Cheng has never stopped trying to make sure Wei WuXian sees the disdain, anger, and contempt Jiang Cheng has for him. And because this is Jiang Cheng, he never holds back his words, especially when he has a multitude of complicated emotions when it comes to Wei WuXian, which have been festering for nearly two decades.

(Excerpts, all are what Jiang Cheng says to Wei WuXian during what leads up to their eventual fight taken from chapter 87 and 88, translated by Exiled Rebels Scanlations, and bolded parts by me:)

“Wei WuXian, you really don’t take yourself as an outsider, do you? You come and leave whenever you want. You take with you whomever you want. Do you perhaps still remember whose sect this is? Who’s the owner?”

“If you’re leaving, please go as far as possible. Don’t let me see or hear you fooling around in Lotus Pier again.”

“You really should kneel for them properly, having dirtied their eyes and contaminated their peace.”

“Burn some incense? Wei WuXian, are you really that dense? It’s been so long since you were kicked out of our sect, and here you are taking unwelcome people with you to burn incense for my parents?”

“Look how forgetful you are. What does unwelcome people mean? Then let me remind you. It was because you played the hero and saved Second Young Master Lan, who’s standing beside you right now, that the entire Lotus Pier and my parents went down with you. And that wasn’t enough. With the first time, soon comes the second. You even had to save Wen-dogs and drag my sister down with you. What a person you are! What’s more, you’re even so generous as to take the two to Lotus Pier. The Wen-dog’s strolling in front of my sect’s gates; Second Young Master Lan came here to burn incense. You’re here on purpose to remind me, to remind them.” He continued, “Wei WuXian, who do you think you are? Who gave you the face to take whomever you want into our sect’s ancestral hall?”

“Who’s the one insulting my parents in front of their spirits?! Could you two please understand whose sect you’re in? I don’t care if you act so shamelessly outside, but don’t you dare fool around inside our ancestral hall, before my parents’ spirits! After all, they were the ones who brought you up—even I feel ashamed for you!”

“Mess around outside however you want, whether under a tree or on a boat, hugging or otherwise! Get out of my sect, get out of anywhere my eyes can see!”

And because Jiang Cheng has always had a temper, and this, again, has been festering for years, he keeps trying to chase after Wei WuXian even after the Wei WuXian in question has coughed up blood and had a nosebleed and collapsed.

Wen Ning has probably been watching the entire thing (hence why he manages to jump out and uses himself to block that very damaging whip that Jiang Cheng didn’t manage to pull back in time), and for a person who is very protective of Wei WuXian, who is hurt right then, Wen Ning, with his own emotional stress and psychological trauma, snaps.

Jiang Cheng still blames Wei WuXian for everything, and Wen Ning cannot bear that. Wei WuXian, after all, is the first person who acknowledge him and complimented him, the only person who was willing to extend a hand to help his sister and his entire family, and the one who ended up paying for that choice with his life.

Wen Ning doesn’t fight Jiang Cheng because he still feels guilty, but at the very least, he can’t just stand there and let Jiang Cheng keep chasing Wei WuXian out and away, spewing such hurtful words in the meantime as well. Wei WuXian might act carefree, but Wen Ning knows that these things bothered Wei WuXian—he was there to see Wei WuXian break apart for himself, after all.

And Wen Ning does what he has always done: he defends Wei WuXian.

Wei WuXian, Jiang Cheng, and Wen Ning, are their actions and reactions right? I don’t know. I can’t tell, not when the situation is multifaceted and very complicated, especially when you try to look at the big picture and analyze what is going on at specific points in story and what may be driving these character forward as they progress through the story.

[financialsuccessbook-blog]

Affiliate Bots Review: The New 17 Automated Software Package That Generates PROVEN Profits - My 2019 Review After Purchase

Today I will be presenting what I believe to be one of the most powerful affiliate marketing resources to be released in the last year. I will be reviewing the phenomenon appropriately titled, "Affiliate Bots”. If you are an internet marketer trying your hardest to get sales online with no results. This is the internet marketing software package for you. Or if you are simply someone wanting to get started making money online but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on complicated software, this is Absolutely for you! Also be sure to check out my full review of Wealthy Affiliate University, the 1# Online Business University. It teaches people around the globe how to build a profitable online business around what they're passionate about! Affiliate Bots Video  How This Software Package Will Help Your Business I predict that after you’ve gotten your hands on this software bundle, and started to use it, you will never look at online marketing the same.

I’ve been an internet marketer for years and this has given me renewed hope that there really is “an easier way” to get the job done! If you follow Chris' instructions, watch his tutorials (which are very short and understandable), you will have tools that can convert your business from a time hog, into a money-making cash machine! The process is very simple: 1. Pick a product (The software makes this easy, and displays options from numerous product marketplaces with analytical data) 2. Use the script creator, then the "Rapid Video Creator" to make professional videos in 60 seconds. (Tapping into YouTube and Google rankings you previously would never have!) You don't even have to have a website to do this! 3. Decide on the keyword you want to rank, and upload. 4. Rinse and repeat! That’s it! This can be repeated thousands of times since there is virtually no end to the number of affiliate products out there How Affiliate Bots Has Solved My Automating Problems! I first came across this affiliate marketing resource as I was researching the best-selling and most popular affiliate products. This is one of the best-selling on the top affiliate networks currently, and it’s not hard to see why.

The creator(s) claim that they make over $900 dollars a day using only the tools provided within this package. After I watched his presentation, I became convinced that this was the automation I needed for my business! Along with an appealing 17 “software Auto Bots” included in this package, there was a plethora of “bonuses” included. Some of these included access to even more premium resources and guides on how to use everything. These make it a breeze to start incorporating your new “autobots” into your business safely and effectively. I have tested nearly every one of these software bots and find them incredibly worthwhile! Automating key aspects of my online business has never been easier!

Affiliate Bots Review – What’s Included?

My Rating: 4.8/5 Stars

Price: $97 $47 $17.00 (One Time Fee) Link To Buy: Here 100% Money Back Guarantee: Yes - 60 Days Included Available in: Worldwide Number of Items Included: 17 + Bonuses & Guides Primary Categories: Affiliate Marketing, Software, Business, Research Creator: Chris & Ken (The Affiliate Bots) Released: November, 2018 Bonuses Included: Yes* Training Included: Yes – In Depth This package includes 17+ software bots. Each of them can be utilized for different purposes. The price on this is very affordable, and after you read my review, I think you will come to the same conclusion as me: “It should cost more”. For about $1 dollar a piece, affiliates around the world have been using these tools to revamp their online businesses for maximum profits. My research indicates that unlike many “gurus” and affiliate products, this package provides genuine worth. I will be including a short summary of what each of these “Bots’ do, below each listing for your convenience. I will also be discussing the bonuses that were included after I purchased! For details on every software bot, and on everything that is included, be sure to click one of the buttons or links provided. Chris does an excellent job of outlining some key points on why you need this software.

Review Of The "Automated Software Bots" Included:

• “ChristmasAffiliate Bot” This bot predicts the most popular items for the holiday/Christmas season. Which can help when choosing which products to market as an affiliate.

This is very nifty for any affiliate marketer. Sales go through the roof for many businesses during the Holiday/ Christmas season and having predictions on the hottest items can have a huge impact on your bottom line. Most people understand, “Supply and demand”, but I think many people aren’t aware of, “what they demand”. Again, this has excellent value off the bat. • “HostingAffiliate Bot” This bot shows the top affiliate programs that provide website hosting.

Many people today understand that the standard for being “’successful” in life changed decades ago. We no longer have the option to rely on employers for retirement or even reliable income for that matter. Indeed, today entrepreneurs are popping up worldwide every day. More and more people want to start online businesses, and they need website hosting! That’s where this bot comes in. Finding the best affiliate programs that offer online hosting has become a snap. You can now refer potential buyers to popular hosting sites and get paid while doing it! I personally love this bot. It’s genius. • ”IMAffiliate Bot” Frankly, I find it amazing that anyone would ever offer something like this in the first place. Chris & Ken provide you with a bot that displays the highest converting “affiliate product promotions” for the last 6 months!

Maybe I should phrase that differently, they literally show you what is top grossing in the affiliate marketing niche and converting online. They go even further to provide statistics and compare all of them so you see the best of the bunch. • “Affiliate Ads” This bot can instantly find and create banner ads for thousands of ClickBank affiliate programs. Gone are the days when you had to manually search up and find affiliate programs that provided banners for your site. An Alexa rank is also shown (if available) for every program listed. I think the worth of this bot is apparent for anyone who has ever used Clickbank before. Or at least for anyone who’s become frustrated with the lack of intuitive tools they provide affiliates. • “Warrior250” This bot pulls up the top 250+ affiliate programs on WarriorPlus (a digital product marketplace) and updates itself daily!

I don’t know if I can stress the implications of this bot enough. This makes product research, comparison, and execution (inclusion into one’s business) almost none existent. The only thing left for me to do is decide which one I like, and request to advertise that particular product. The vendor links are included making these requests a synch. Naturally a WarriorPlus account is needed, but they are free and very easy to set up. Just remember to fill in your billing info so you get paid for any referrals! • “King Of The Zon” This bot updates itself daily with the top 200 Amazon products. Research has never been easier with a bot like this!

Many people get into Amazon because of it’s reputation and buyer base. Naturally, the primary use for this item lies in being able to advertise products based on their popularity. If you are a marketer of popular items on Amazon, this will become an essential part of your product research. • “Launch Pulse” Want to see the latest and greatest JVZoo, ClickBank & WarriorPlus launched in the next 30 days? Never fear, “Launch Pulse” is here! You are basically getting inside knowledge about a product launch, its ratings, popularity, and payout all in one place without actually conducting any research of your own! Amazing to say the least. • “CB 250” The creater of this software says that this bot, “shows you the top 250 ClickBank affiliate programs, making seven figures a month in sales”. I don’t know about you, but this is one of the most incredible pieces of internet marketing software I have ever seen.

Clickbank remains an affiliate’s go-to for digital products. It is very easy to make money with products that payout so well. The research is what kills most though. Sure you can do it, but it takes valuable time. This bot turns what would be hours of headaches into minutes of picking and choosing. Only from the best-selling products, mind you. • “King of the Zoo” Ever heard of, JVZoo? Maybe, maybe not. That’s why this bot is essential to any growing marketer… just like JVZoo! Similar to Clickbank, JVZoo is an online marketplace full of digital products that affiliates like you and me can promote.

“King of the Zoo” is wonderfully configured to present the top grossing products on this platform, and enables the user to cut hours of research into mere moments of analysis. This alone is worth the cost of the package, and it also introduced me to a killer marketplace for products! • “1 Click Affiliate” This bot is very helpful. I was pleased to find that this bot made copy writing very simple and formulaic. It is Not perfect, and any copywriter will no doubt find several flaws. However, for the cost this is a brilliant way for anyone to automate a sales letter and or learn how to write good copy. • “1 Click Video Pages” This bot is exceptional for creating video sales/landing pages for products. You simply customize the kind of page you want, upload it to your website, and attach a video or image for a professional looking page. I myself think this is genius and absolutely love it. • “Rapid Video Creator” A very simple but effective tool that does what it says. And that is to make a “high conversion” sales video with simple text slides. You can customize it with music, images, text, coloring, slide speed, and a few other options.

It is simple and saves a ton of time if you were going to make a visual text presentation. It was a bit difficult to use since the image features since they weren’t all that intuitive. However, after inserting text, and customizing it with pre-included music and background images, I found it very useful. • “Resell Database software” This database is easily worth hundreds of dollars. It compiles a list of the top sites that offer affiliates hundreds if not thousands of digital products for resell. It also displays useful data and links making it a breeze to analyze and implement any of the listed sites. Many of these sites have been around for years and have a plethora of choices and products that you can start making money off of today! • “AutoMail software” This “AutoMail software” is very simple and easy to use. However, it isn’t an autoresponder or pre-programed software that will send out emails on a list.

It is basically a broadcasting software that you can use to build an email list on your site and send out unlimited emails. Pretty cool, though I’m sure many would argue that there are better alternatives. Very useful, though a bit old-fashioned if you ask me. • “Domainaveli” This software is pretty incredible if you ask me. I would have killed for a software like this when I was first deciding on my first website name. That being said, I think many people will find this tool a good alternative to standard keyword tools which I think most people use to decide on their website URL’s. Initially, I was skeptical about its worth, but it really has grown on me! I like it. • “Flip DB” The “Affiliate Bots” said that this is, “a database of 360 websites making up to $26,000 per month - from the auction site Flippa”. This software is truly amazing. It analyzes and lists hundreds of websites listed on Flippa.com (an auction site for selling/buying websites) and shows whatever information it could pull up automatically. Utilitarian isn’t a suitable term for a software like this. It really makes buying websites as easy as 1,2,3.

Bonuses Included:

You actually get more than 17 software bots with "Affiliate Bots". I received bonuses for Wordpress, guides to social media, and plugins. Really cool stuff.

I also received access to the "T Shirt Titan". This was designed as a way to launch your own T-shirt designs and products. As part of the "Titan" series, it is a premium system similar to Affiliate Bots with its own resources, software, guides, and tutorials. It is easily worth hundreds of dollars and he throws it in absolutely free! I have gone though all of it, and I still can't wrap my head around how someone like Chris could be so generous with his software.

About The Creator/Company

The creators of this program are “Chris & Ken (The Affiliate Bots)”. I don’t know a whole lot more than that. This is a recent launch that just came out in November 2018. Not a whole lot is known about the “Bots” brand. However, they are “Clickbank Certified”, and anyone who has ever heard of them knows how secure they are.

Also, so far, my customer service experience with them has been very positive. The Good: PRO #1: This software is ridiculously cheap. The amount of value you get with Affiliate Bots is astounding. I myself absolutely love the software and information that came with my purchase. I still can’t believe how much comes with it. PRO #2: The guides, video tutorials and customer support has been excellent so far. I am very pleased with how well I’m treated as a consumer with them, even when I needed help with something simple. PRO #3: There are numerous packages and bonuses that come with your purchase. Naturally there is also the option to join his premium memberships or get his elite software packages that specialize in specific tasks. (E.g. Video makers, niche research, slide animations, WordPress themes, etc) The Bad: CON #1: Sometimes software can be strenuous on your PC or be difficult to work with. Note: Contacting support has been very useful here. They have fixed every issue I’ve had so far. CON #2: The layout for some of their software is rather linear and a bit difficult to navigate unless you are in their premium “club” hub. I’m getting used to the navigation now, but I thought it was worth noting. It does make it easier to rinse and repeat the process of using the software provided though. Simply start at the top and work your way down. Let me know what you thought of this review, and what you think of Affiliate Bots in the comments below. Feel free to like, and share as well! Best regards, Jacob Highley Jacob@FinancialSuccessBook.com Read the full article

[orbemnews]

How to Navigate the Postpandemic Office The DealBook newsletter delves into a single topic or theme every weekend, providing reporting and analysis that offers a better understanding of an important issue in the news. If you don’t already receive the daily newsletter, sign up here. As companies reopen their offices, they are deciding how the virtual work arrangements they’ve relied on during the pandemic will factor into their long-term plans — or not. Google’s “flexible workweek” calls for employees to spend at least three days a week in the office and the rest at home. Microsoft’s “hybrid workplace” means most employees can spend up to half their time working remotely. Ford Motor’s “flexible hybrid work model” leaves it up to workers and their managers to decide how much time they need to spend in the office. Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase don’t have names for their postpandemic policies, because they expect most employees to return to the office for most of the time. Goldman’s C.E.O., David Solomon, called working from home an “aberration,” and JPMorgan’s chief, Jamie Dimon, said it had “serious weaknesses.” But many companies have hatched a postpandemic plan in which employees return to the office for some of the time while mixing in more work from home than before. The appeal of this compromise is clear: Employers hope to give employees the flexibility and focus that come from working at home without sacrificing the in-person connections of the office. How, exactly, to strike this balance can be less obvious. Should companies require employees to be in the office on certain days? For a set number of days each week? How should those in the office accommodate colleagues working remotely? To help answer pressing questions like these, DealBook assembled advice from experts about where to start, how to avoid common pitfalls, and the most important things to consider when not everyone is working in the same place. Where to start By Robert C. Pozen and Alexandra Samuel Mr. Pozen, a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, and Ms. Samuel, a technology researcher, are the authors of “Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work … Wherever You Are.” A review of the research on virtual teams comes up short on universal best practices for designing a hybrid office. But it does suggest certain factors that companies should focus on. We call these five factors FLOCS: function, location, organization, culture and schedule. What is the function of each team member? A team that spends many hours on brainstorming or collaborative tasks needs more time at the workplace. By contrast, teams that do a lot of deep, focused work benefit from the relative quiet of home. What is the location of each team member? Hiring in a single metropolitan area means you can join your teammates in a nearby office or meet up easily for one-on-one meetings. Conversely, there’s no point in making employees report to the nearest office if everyone they work with is in another city. What is the structure of the organization? In a comparison of two accounting companies, researchers found that a flatter hierarchy helped facilitate virtual work, because remote workers didn’t feel too far from the center of the organization. Our own research also found a strong correlation between employee autonomy and productivity outside the office. What is the culture of the company? Companies with an individualistic culture seem to make a smoother transition to virtual work; by contrast, companies that stress “us” over “me” have been slower to adopt online collaboration. What is each team’s schedule? If schedules are similar and work is interdependent, it’s good to encourage everyone to work roughly at the same time. If employees live in different time zones, it’s better to set a few common windows for real-time communications like videoconferences, and let most other work unfold through email or document sharing. These factors make it easier for managers to address the most common challenges faced by hybrid teams. Take communication barriers: What if half the team is in the office and the other half is dialing in from home? If their locations are dispersed (so the Zoom callers can’t make it into the office) and the organization is flat and decentralized, the company could use a buddy system to make each person in the room responsible for keeping one particular Zoom caller fully in the conversation. If the caller misses something, the in-room buddy can fill in that person via text chat; if the caller is being talked over, the in-room buddy can step in to ensure that the person is heard. Another common dilemma is deciding exactly who will be in the office on which days. This is further complicated by a significant gap between executive and employee perspectives, with most executives feeling that company culture depends on people spending at least three days a week in the office and most employees saying they want to spend at least three days a week working remotely. The answer begins with function: Who needs to work closely together to do jobs effectively? These people should spend the most time together. If their locations are close and the team is largely on the same schedule, interdependent team members can go to the office on the same two or three days a week, for the same set of hours. That also opens the door to significant savings on real estate by rotating different teams through the same space. Similarly, this lens can deal with a typical problem among mostly remote employees: feeling second class, especially if other employees choose to be in the office every day. If employees will rarely be in the office because of location, and an organization is hierarchical in a way that emphasizes climbing the ladder, they may feel left out and worry that they’ll miss out on promotions. A team manager can help them by encouraging a schedule that lines up with the rest of the team and addressing cultural biases that exclude particular groups by going directly to remote employees with the latest news and job openings. There is no single right way to design a hybrid workplace. But asking the right questions can help each team shape what we call the Goldilocks plan — with not too much or too little remote work. Today in Business Updated  April 23, 2021, 1:31 p.m. ET Choice has a downside Mr. Bloom is a professor of economics at Stanford University. In monthly surveys about remote work that my research team has conducted since May, we’ve found that 30 percent of U.S. employees never want to return to working in the office, while 25 percent never want to spend another day working from home. Given such different views, it seems natural to let the workers choose. One manager told me: “I treat my team like adults. They get to decide when and where they work as long as they get their jobs done.” But this approach raises two concerns. One is that it’s likely to result in “mixed mode,” the widely disliked situation when some people are at home and others are at the office, all appearing in one Zoom box in the conference room. The second, less obvious concern is the risk to diversity. It turns out that who wants to work from home after the pandemic is not random. In our research we found that among college graduates with young children, women want to work from home full time almost 50 percent more often than men do. This is problematic given evidence that working from home while your colleagues are in the office can hurt your chance of promotion. In a study I ran in China at a large multinational company, we randomly assigned volunteers to work remotely or remain in the office. Remote employees had a 50 percent lower rate of promotion after 21 months than their colleagues in the office. Adding this up, you can see how the let-them-choose approach could lead to a diversity crisis: Single young men who generally opt to go into the office five days a week could rocket up the firm while employees with young children, particularly women, prefer to work from home and are held back. Remote work can be a huge benefit for firms and employees, but should be centrally organized so everyone within the same team is in the office on the same days. This is how working from home will work out. The elements of teamwork To better understand how teams can best work together online and in person, the Harvard researchers Ashley Whillans, Leslie Perlow and Aurora Turek interviewed employees at a consulting firm as it adapted to remote work during the pandemic. The researchers used what they learned to define categories of team interactions, which companies can consider when deciding how to structure work — regardless of where it happens. Content interactions: communication about tasks, such as sharing feedback while sitting side by side. When work went virtual, more of these interactions took place asynchronously, through digital work tools such as Slack. One manager said communication had improved because individuals had more time to think. Bounce interactions: new idea generation, as with an impromptu whiteboard brainstorming session. In the virtual version, individuals often generated ideas on their own, and then they and others emailed them back and forth. That made it harder to align with others; some teams adjusted by moving brainstorming sessions to videoconferences. Process interactions: defining and structuring work, such as check-in meetings. Without an option to drop by a colleague’s desk to ask a casual question, teams felt there should be more process conversations, but also that these chats could be exhausting. Some teams moved away from using video meetings to less-demanding communication tools like Slack. Social interactions: getting to know one another, such as sharing meals when traveling together. Some teams experimented with virtual happy hours or dinners, but not everyone was interested in taking personal time to participate, and many saw these virtual events as less effective than in-person outings. Huddle interactions: informal exchanges, like those that take place in a hallway between meetings or over coffee. These largely went away in the virtual environment, and managers became the primary conduit of all information. Some teams began scheduling time for informal conversations about work, such as sending a Google invite to debrief after a meeting. Development interactions: mentorship and development feedback. While weekly meetings continued in the virtual workplace, informal feedback conversations stopped. One person suggested “sideways” feedback meetings, where all participants, regardless of position, give feedback to one another. Ms. Perlow, one of the researchers leading the study, told DealBook that considering these categories while managing partly remote teams can “shine a light on the different aspects of teamwork that we need to make sure we’re solving for.” “We used to be co-located, and that was one beast. Now we have 100 percent virtual, and that’s one beast. Hybrid is going to be its own beast,” Ms. Perlow said. “It’s not going to be just a little bit of each. It’s going to have its own core issues.” What do you think? What’s the ideal mix between remote and office work? What’s lost when people work less in the office? What’s gained when they work more from home? Let us know: dealbook@nytimes.com. Source link Orbem News #navigate #office #PostPandemic

[isroselalondebisexual]

What do you think Jade Lalonde, Rose Harley, and Dave Egbert would be like? I've already seen some analysis on John Strider so i don't wanna force you into rehasing anything ^^;

Jade Lalonde, my girl Jade raised by a Permissive parent, probably wouldn’t look toooooooo terribly different from canon Jade. Her interests are well financed, and she’s a good self-motivator, which is probably good because showing off her achievements to a drunken parent isn’t going to get the same response as a coherent parent. Of course, Mom is super proud of her brilliant daughter, and of COURSE she loves her super duper dearly and thinks Jade is the most intelligent girl alive, but it can get a little frustrating for Jade to explain her interests, and then ten minutes later realize her mom hasn’t retained a word. This Jade’s gonna be more acclimated to frustration and broken expectations, which is gonna manifest itself in two ways. She’s not gonna respond much at all when she’s disappointed, sometimes by really major things that she SHOULD get pissed off about, or she’s going to blow the fuck up over seemingly minor shit that most people would be able to brush off. But it’s more about the principle of the thing than the actual expectation that got broken, y’know? Probably gonna be sneakier than canon Jade, able to manipulate the situation to get her mom to actually DO stuff she needs her to, whether that be through passive aggression or batting her eyelids or setting up a situation so her mom “conveniently” will be reminded of certain things, and that’s gonna carry over into her other relationships as well, entirely unintentionally at first, that’s just sorta how she’s used to operating. Her role, then, as the Witch of Light, combined with that naturally honed ability to manipulate the situation with intelligence and a calculated amount of luck, is going to be one that comes naturally to her, and she’s going to be a HELLRAISER. She’s going to be UNPARALLELED. There will be no imp nor ogre nor time travelling demon who spits destruction from his maw that will be able to stand against her. She’s here, she’s brilliant, and she and her friends will be catching no unlucky breaks because she is the one whose will Luck bends to.

Rose Harley, raised by a dog and some chess people, alone on an island. Probably gets pretty entrenched in her know it all bossy phase pretty quick, but is less sure of herself. Doesn’t get a lot of positive feedback aside from her dog and some chess people who she’s pretty sure she’s smarter than, but that makes human interaction even harder for her, and she’s never really been good at interpersonal stuff to begin with. Lots of false confidence, I think, but suffers from impostor syndrome pretty badly. She WANTS to belong in the group, she really really wants to be involved and included and someone who BELONGS there, but can’t shake the nagging feeling that everyone else is a regular human being and she’s. Weird. And not in a good way. Gonna be more anxious than her canon counterpart, I think. Her favorite books she’s read 1000 times over and she’s got SUPER in-depth thoughts and analysis for the stuff she takes interest in, a very very brilliant girl who is never sure when “sharing” becomes “oversharing” and when “odd in a fun way” becomes “Rose that’s creepy.” Her role as the Seer of Space goes along well with being awake on Prospit prior to the Game even starting, as she has dealt with visions of the future all her life. Unfortunately, since space is all-encompassing, she’s not seeing what is fortuitous, or what WILL happen, or even what SHOULD happen, she’s seeing what happens in pretty much any timeline anywhere and it’s her task to sit down, think about what she’s Seen, and parse together whether they should or shouldn’t take that path. Her honed analytical skills will be pushed to their limits and brought to task over and over again, but through her smarts and what she has Foreseen, she is able to direct their group and conduct them in such a way that the new universe is spawned and they are able to win. The fact that she is SO CRUCIAL to their success helps her feel more like part of the group, but presents a NEW problem of wondering if maybe now they’re just pretending to be interested in her for her abilities. Her big hurdle is allowing herself to see that she is loved and wanted, and she truly does belong with them.

Dave Egbert is a kinda nerdy dude, he takes his camera with him everywhere and is always taking selfies or posting stuff to his instagram and did you hear? I heard someone say he has a collection of like, roadkill or something. Dave absolutely has a collection of dead shit. Also cicada shells that show up on the trees and bushes, because hey man cicada shells are cool. He’s super into his dumb nerd shit like video games and even reads that dumb gamebro magazine that he damn well KNOWS is dumb but he likes it and he’s not embarrassed about his interests! He knows the stuff he likes isn’t cool and doesn’t try to pass it off as cool, he just enjoys himself and fuck the haters. He ADORES his dad, was definitely one of those kids that began crying the MOMENT his dad dropped him off at daycare or smth, very attached but also complains about him sometimes, because kids complain about their parents, especially since Dad Egbert is the type of dude to walk up in front of his kid’s friends and use the embarrassing toddler nicknames like “sport” or “squirt” or smth and Dave’s friends are like “lmao your dad actually calls you ‘sport’ I thought that only happened in movies” and Dad also has like, a wallet full of Dave’s pictures and Dave is just like “daaaaaad” but also heck yes he was an ADORABLE baby so he sorta thrives off the attention. Has the biggest, dumbest crush on John imaginable. Dad found out Dave was queer not because Dave came out, but because Dave is just SO OBVIOUS about his stupid giant big dumb crush on John and Dad just sorta… quietly accepted this about his son and tries to be a good parent however he can. He’s not the most well-educated about queer stuff but he always tries his best to be respectful and that goes doubly now that he knows his kid isn’t straight. Dave having a supportive parent is a very good concept and one I am wholly behind in literally every way. His role as Knight of Breath is the defender of freedom, which probably means he must first liberate his consorts from his denizen, and then has to go a step further to protect his friends, probably from their own neuroses. Jade thinks she has to leap through all these mental hoops, but she doesn’t, Rose thinks she has to PROVE her worth, that she’s valuable, but Dave would love his sister even if she couldn’t do anything for them, John has been trapped in this toxically masculine, angry place for years and Dave can help him out of there, help him find peace and acceptance even within himself, Dave can pry back the dark gunk that’s been coating John’s soul and let him breathe freely, possibly for the first time in his life.

John Strider, we’ve touched on so I’ll just go over briefly here, but I like to keep these asks done in sets and now that I’ve set a pattern I’m not breaking it. John would end up one of those nasty, nasty, angry bullies. Bro is toxic, abusive, hypermasculine, and unpredictable, which means John winds up angry, lashing out, and hypermasculine as well. He goes way too far, way too often, and doesn’t apologize, total jock stereotype from oldtimey movies and shit, strong and athletic and attractive and just plain mean. Acts like he’s hot shit because whenever he’s at home he’s painfully reminded that he is small, and weak, and can’t actually do anything. Dave is his bro and he likes him plenty but he makes a lot of mean spirited gay jokes to start, probably as a cover for his own identity crisis that he has buried so deep deep down inside him you’re gonna need a shovel to unbury that shit, and is oblivious to Dave’s crush on him. Has a soft spot for Jade, who is kinda the only person who can get John to talk about his feelings frankly and honestly, and probably has a crush on Rose because he thinks that that’s what he’s supposed to do. She’s a girl, she’s his friend, that’s how heterosexuality works, right? His role as Heir of Time, I’m afraid, would be a deeply unpleasant one. What would likely happen is he directs the alpha timeline by having his offshoot timeline selves merge with his alpha self, like what Rose did from Davesprite’s timeline back in canon. But instead of just, like, ONE offshoot timeline self merging with the whole, it’s every single dead John. Every single time his friends die, he dies, every time something goes wrong, he gets to Experience that. He gets to have those memories seared into his brain, one with himself, one with every timeline that has ever existed, and it only further cements his belief that life is cruel, and uncaring, and doesn’t give a single solitary shit about him, or his loved ones, because he does love them. He’s broken inside, all warped and twisted wrong, but he does love them. It is only, and I do mean ONLY, once he and Dave manage to have their heart-to-heart, once John allows Dave in, that John is able to slowly pry out of the dark and hurting place that has stifled his soul for so long. Not to be stupidly, ridiculously cliche, but it is love that frees him, and the love between the two of them that helps him heal. John Strider and Dave Egbert would be a nigh-inevitable otp like that’s just the way this AU would work out my dudes.

*sticks m leggy out* I love getting long winded and these are fun, please share your thoughts with me my dudes. 

[today-is-a-good-day-to-blog]

Wanna One personalities

Yoon Jisung | ENFJ: The Giver (stable & mature) Givers are natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. They have a tendency to take on too much and can sometimes not take of themselves as a result of taking care of others.

Ha Sungwoon | ESFP: Entertainer (turbulent & immature)If anyone is to be found spontaneously breaking into song and dance, it is the Entertainer personality type. Entertainers get caught up in the excitement of the moment, and want everyone else to feel that way, too. Entertainers love the spotlight, and all the world’s a stage. The biggest challenge Entertainers face is that they are often so focused on immediate pleasures that they neglect the duties and responsibilities that make those luxuries possible. Complex analysis, repetitive tasks, and matching statistics to real consequences are not easy activities for Entertainers.

Hwang Minhyun (stable & mature) & Bae Jinyoung (turbulent & immature) | ISTP: The Virtuoso While their mechanical tendencies can make them appear simple at a glance, Virtuosos are actually quite enigmatic. Friendly but very private, calm but suddenly spontaneous, extremely curious but unable to stay focused on formal studies, Virtuoso personalities can be a challenge to predict, even by their friends and loved ones. Virtuosos can seem very loyal and steady for a while, but they tend to build up a store of impulsive energy that explodes without warning, taking their interests in bold new directions.

Ong Seongwoo | ENTP: The Debater (stable & mature)The Debater personality type is the ultimate devil’s advocate, thriving on the process of shredding arguments and beliefs and letting the ribbons drift in the wind for all to see. Debaters don’t do this because they are trying to achieve some deeper purpose or strategic goal, but for the simple reason that it’s fun. No one loves the process of mental sparring more than Debaters, as it gives them a chance to exercise their effortlessly quick wit, broad accumulated knowledge base, and capacity for connecting disparate ideas to prove their points.

Kim Jaehwan | ESTP: The Entrepreneur (stable & mature)Entrepreneurs always have an impact on their immediate surroundings – the best way to spot them at a party is to look for the whirling eddy of people flitting about them as they move from group to group. Laughing and entertaining with a blunt and earthy humor, Entrepreneur personalities love to be the center of attention. If an audience member is asked to come on stage, Entrepreneurs volunteer – or volunteer a shy friend. Theory, abstract concepts and plodding discussions about global issues and their implications don’t keep Entrepreneurs interested for long. Entrepreneurs are full of passion and energy, complemented by a rational, if sometimes distracted, mind.

Kang Daniel | ESTJ: The Executive (stable & immature)Executives are representatives of tradition and order, utilizing their understanding of what is right, wrong and socially acceptable to bring families and communities together. Embracing the values of honesty, dedication and dignity, people with the Executive personality type are valued for their clear advice and guidance, and they happily lead the way on difficult paths. Executive personalities lead by example, demonstrating dedication and purposeful honesty, and an utter rejection of laziness and cheating, especially in work. If anyone declares hard, manual work to be an excellent way to build character, it is Executives. However, Executives don’t work alone, and they expect their reliability and work ethic to be reciprocated – people with this personality type meet their promises, and if partners or subordinates jeopardize them through incompetence or laziness, or worse still, dishonesty, they do not hesitate to show their wrath.

Park Jihoon | ISFJ: The Defender (stable & mature—but he's so walled off, it makes me wonder if he was traumatized or abused at some point in his life) The Defender personality type is quite unique, as many of their qualities defy the definition of their individual traits. Though sensitive, Defenders have excellent analytical abilities; though reserved, they have well-developed people skills and robust social relationships. Defender personalities (especially Turbulent ones) are often meticulous to the point of perfectionism, and though they procrastinate, they can always be relied on to get the job done on time. Defenders take their responsibilities personally, consistently going above and beyond, doing everything they can to exceed expectations and delight others, at work and at home.

Park Woojin | INTJ (stable & immature—his oddities will probably mellow out with time) It’s lonely at the top, and being one of the rarest and most strategically capable personality types, Architects know this all too well. Architects form just two percent of the population, and women of this personality type are especially rare, forming just 0.8% of the population – it is often a challenge for them to find like-minded individuals who are able to keep up with their relentless intellectualism and chess-like maneuvering. People with the Architect personality type are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but they do not squander their energy.

Lee Daehwi: ENTJ: The Commander (turbulent & immature—Daehwi still needs to learn to trust himself and get over his FOMO) Commanders are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. However, Commanders are also characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves. Perhaps it is best that they make up only three percent of the population, lest they overwhelm the more timid and sensitive personality types that make up much of the rest of the world.

Lai Guanlin | INTP: The Logician (stable but immature—someday, he'll be capable of so much more) Usually known as the philosopher, the architect, or the dreamy professor, Logicians have been responsible for many scientific discoveries throughout history. They may appear to drift about in an unending daydream, but Logicians’ thought process is unceasing, and their minds buzz with ideas from the moment they wake up. This constant thinking can have the effect of making them look pensive and detached, as they are often conducting full-fledged debates in their own heads, but really Logicians are quite relaxed and friendly when they are with people they know, or who share their interests.

It's my opinion but I hope you enjoy!💋

[leyahroehl]

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The best cheap car insurance in Virginia has to do with discounts and policies that will give you a better rate in the short run. The first option that comes to mind, they do include some in the price, and some are even included in the insurance quote. The second option that comes to mind, and one that is more unique, is the policy options. These options allow you to customize your insurance policy, and often include coverage for a variety of claims. And sometimes, it’s easier for you to pick which option counts as comprehensive. Car insurance premiums depend on several factors. Understanding these factors means that you don’t end up with a policy that doesn’t adequately cover your needs. It’s your obligation as a policyholder (or, in some cases, your employer) to pay your premium, in order to ensure that you get the coverage that best fits you and your lifestyle. There are a variety of ways to secure discounts on your Virginia auto insurance..

My husband and I bought $2 million of life insurance even though we already had coverage through work, and years later I still think it was the right call

My husband and I bought $2 million of life insurance even though we already had coverage through work, and years later I still think it was the right call. His daughter just passed on me and since we are still financially independent we decided that we might as well get a life insurance policy on each other. His friend suggested we just put the coverage together and just compare prices so we could get a policy. The quote on the website for our two of us is $2.22 per month, which is pretty cheap. The first quote I was given shows a male client for $18,000 of term life insurance with a 40% conversion. The first quote I was given was $3.19 per month for the same coverage, for a much cheaper price. The second quote I was given as an individual was under $4.00 per month. The premium quote looked very good as you would expect. The premium was only $2.02 per month, which was a pretty decent price for the policy. The final quote I was given was only $1.70 per month with a 40% conversion. I think my friend s friend used.

How much is the average cost of Denver, Colorado auto insurance?

How much is the average cost of Denver, Colorado auto insurance? In Denver, Colorado, an insurance can compare to and exceed the national average, with the best auto insurance company getting between $3,639 and $7,924 for drivers. However, remember that the cost of car insurance will vary depending on several components, from your driving record to your age and gender. Our ratings of the best insurance companies in Denver, Colorado, will determine which insurance companies are an ideal choice for your specific needs and budget. To give you an insight into the average insurance costs in Denver, Colorado, we looked specifically at the top 9 insurance companies under $1,000,000 and average annual insurance premiums of around $1,700 USD. To give you an approximation of how much a company can charge you for car insurance in Denver, Colorado, we created a list of the top 9 largest insurers and ranked them based on the following table: Best Overall Quality Insurance companies use a multitude of proprietary and proprietary approaches to pricing – from how you drive to how.