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danielhitome · 5 years

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Recipe for the Future of Eating

Meet Jessie and James. They’ve been married for over 3 years now and neither of them will hesitate to say that this has been some of the most wonderful time in their lives. Just as long as you don’t mention cooking.

"What should we eat tonight?"

"Who's cooking?"

"Can you do the dishes?"

"I told you not to buy so much, now they are all going to waste!"

The lovebirds were both laughing with a hint of embarrassment as they recounted things that could have potentially "sabotaged" their marriage.

For a lot of people, cooking isn't an easy or pleasant experience when you have to do it every day. It can be the most stressful moment of the day, and it isn't hard to imagine how it could strain a marriage or family relationship. And it isn't just about the time pressure that 77% of Americans feel when rushing to cook a meal in less than an hour after a long day of work. Even experienced home chefs can get burnt out by the mental stress involved in figuring out what to serve on the dinner table every week, while trying to keep meals interesting, on budget, and with minimal waste.

Unlike many other families that cook to save money, eating out is an option for Jessie and James. The millennial couple make enough money to eat, travel, and enjoy the finer things in life from time to time.

"It’s hard to eat out and stay healthy. Do you know how much a quinoa salad with a little bit of chicken costs?", James joked, "Anything that sounds healthy are expensive, I guess there’s no traveling for us or we can't pay our rent!"

Humor aside, cooking is essential for many. Whether it's to sustain a balanced millennial lifestyle or keep the family sane and healthy, the benefits come with a substantial time and psychological expense for those who take on the responsibility in the household.

But wherever there's a problem, there's also opportunity for enterprising individuals.

Food channels, recipe websites, and food bloggers have all raced to rescue. There are certainly no shortage of recipe ideas on the Internet that attempt to inspire people with great dinner ideas., But choosing the right ones can be overwhelming. Content companies like Tasty are trying to make cooking seem less stressful by capitalising on our desire for simple and practical dinner ideas. Traditional media too, Jamie Oliver' "30 Minute Meals" ("15 Minute Meals" more recently) and other cookbooks that appeal to busy would-be home cooks constantly make the bestselling list.

But when it comes to actually saving people time and stress, the real game-changers came from several slick mobile apps.

Does this sound familiar to you?

You wake up late on Saturday morning with an empty fridge because you have had a busy week. You open Instacart, select what you want, and they will get all the ingredients you need for brunch within an hour. You don’t even have to get out of bed. Feeling even lazier? Place an order at your favorite breakfast place using UberEats or DoorDash. You can order whatever you want in a few taps.

The latest invention certainly counts meal kits. Anyone can order everything they need for a few specific recipes and have a box of ingredients in the exact amounts delivered to their home. The initial excitement among time-strapped consumers who still aspire to cook have successfully propelled leading companies like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh to IPO. But these companies can only continue to remain successful if the meal kit subscribers don’t cancel their services within a year - Most of them do.

Why is this happening? A lot of it has to do with the fact that meal kits are expensive, and people are certainly not thrilled by the excessive amount of tiny bottles and boxes that are used to transport the ingredients.

While all these advances in the food space certainly have made feeding ourselves and our families easier, consumers are still constantly making trade-offs between time, cost, health, and taste.

Eating tasty and healthy meals require either time or money, sometimes both. And there’s a real need to solve this problem, despite an incredibly challenging one. But as Jeff Bezos put it, if it’s a need that is not going away in the next 10 years, it’s a good problem to focus on.

Luckily, now we really have the opportunity to not just solve this problem, but to go about it in a way that’s actually good for our planet.

Here are couple personal predictions that, if all come true, will completely re-shape the economy of eating.

1. Robot

Eating at restaurants is more expensive than cooking, of course. When we eat at restaurants or order take-out, we outsource the labor of cooking by paying nearly 20% of the price of the meal.

Can robots replace chefs? Probably not anytime soon if we're talking about Michelin star chefs. But we can certainly expect to see robot chefs getting adopted in commercial kitchens, and they will be versatile enough to cook (or assist the preparation and cooking of) 90% of everyday dishes.

We have already seen fully automated restaurants serving customers, and pizza robots that bake the pizza while delivering it to you.

What about cooking at home? My first prediction is that the future of eating will involve minimal cooking at home. We will "liberate" ourselves from the time and stress spent planning and cooking meals.

But having robots cook for us is only the beginning.

2. Data

On average, up to 34% of the food in a restaurant is wasted. And in some cases, they are wasted before they even reach a customer’s plate.

If a restaurant know exactly who will come and what they will order, zero waste would not be just a dream, and the savings can certainly be passed onto the customers.

However, most restaurants today can't even make personalized recommendations to impress their customers. And even if a restaurant does a fantastic job tracking and making use of data, it can hardly predict the diverse and constantly shifting tastes of the entire population. Unless a restaurant (or chain) serves a significant amount of the population.

Don't be surprised though, some companies already have this capability. Companies like Grubhub and DoorDash have been collecting data at scale that they can tell you a particular customer is likely to order Vietnamese Pho next week because he loves Asian cuisine with noodles being his go-to option, but he has just grown tired of Japanese udon.

Two things may happen in the future:

Data will be shared among restaurants to better predict demand and preference

A single gigantic restaurant chain that serves a large portion of the population will also come to own a significant amount of the data about our eating habits and preferences.

Personally? I’m betting on the emergence of a big restaurant chain, but it won’t be anything like the restaurants we know today. For now, let's just call it "Big Food". It certainly will serve fresh, healthy food that’s highly customised to people's individual taste preferences, and possibly body conditions.

3. Supply Chain

When we buy groceries at supermarkets, we certainly don't enjoy the wholesales discounts that restaurants receive. And even if we want to buy in bulk, it's simply not realistic to store fresh ingredients in large quantities.

With a deep understanding of what people want to eat and what’s good for them, "Big Food" can accurately predict the demand for every ingredient and source ingredients very effectively at scale.

That's hardly where "Big Food" will stop. When it gets to serve millions of meals daily, owning the source is the only logical thing to do to enjoy maximum cost savings.

So, my third prediction is that, those who cook for us will also own the farms. But it would be a complete disappointment if it's all about chasing higher profitability. The significance of owning the sources of food is that, a forward-thinking (and ethical) "Big Food" that understands consumers' growing concerns about health and the environment can invest in developing sustainable farming that yield safer and more nutritious ingredients at much lower costs.

4. Logistics, Packaging, and Storage

Is cooking at home, eating at restaurants, or ordering take-out more environmentally friendly? This is a tough question to answer.

Besides food waste, there’s also packaging, disposable utensils, gas, electricity, and more.

Let's start with energy consumption.

Most of us likely believe that cooking at home should be more energy efficient. And for the most part, that’s true. Restaurants consume significantly more electricity keeping their lights, air-conditioning, and equipment running. This becomes an even larger problem when ordering takeout because of the gasoline burned to deliver your food. But when you count the round-trip required to pick up groceries, which are shipped in bulk to a restaurant in one truck load, the equation becomes complicated. That's also without considering the packaging and plastic bags that come with our grocery shopping.

As far as packaging waste is concerned, some studies even claim that the disturbing amount of packaging in meal kits cause less of an environmental impact than the food wasted due to poor grocery planning.

Without delving into every factor of the carbon footprint equation, we can assert that the food of the future needs to be both convenient and enjoyed without guilt.

So, here goes my final prediction.

"Big Food" will ship multiple cooked meals contained in environmentally-friendly containers that can stay fresh for an extended period of time, in a single delivery. It will leverage data to optimize its delivery routes for the lowest fuel consumption (thus lowest possible shipping costs too).

This also has significant implications to the roles of kitchen appliances. In the future, perhaps our fridge may exist mainly to keep these pre-cooked meals fresh, intelligent enough to defrost the meal you're going to eat tonight ahead of time, and automatically shrink its size to keep energy usage very efficient as meals are taken out. In any cases, kitchen appliances need to adopt this new way of eating.

Reality

Most of these "predictions" are already happening on their own separate ways. When you put all of them together, it's not hard to see the emergence of super massive centralized cooking facilities, which I refer to as "Big Food" earlier. These companies will develop the capability to:

Cook a wide variety of ready-to-eat dishes and cuisines that cater to a massive amount of the population’s daily meals.

Integrate every component required to produce a meal from farming to the last mile delivery.

And most importantly, produce fresh, nutritious, very affordable, and environmentally-friendly meals.

However, there are many reasons why "Big Food" may go against our interests and bring negative disruption.

Think about the types of companies that are in the best position to define "Big Food". They are the industry leaders in food processing, consumer packaged goods, grocery retail, and even appliance manufacturers, most of whom tend to care more about shareholders' interests. We certainly don't want our food to be filled with unhealthy ingredients and preservatives, or packaged in materials that don’t decompose for the next 1,000 years. But if what they offer is cheap enough, most people will easily give in, predictably.

A lot more ethical questions still need to be answered. One thing I’ve always wondered is: How will we use the time regained when we are freed from cooking? A few more books, or 2 more hours on Youtube?

I do believe that the future of eating is a future without cooking. But for now, cooking is still your best option if you plan well!

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Three More Food For Thought

Cooking will continue to exist and the market around cooking can still continue to be extremely vibrant, but it will likely exist as a hobby.

Food will be the next medicine, or “preventive healthcare” to be exact, and they will be tailored to our genetic makeup and body conditions.

A friend asked me: "If the future of eating is about efficiency, wouldn't the most efficient way to eat be taking pills that supply the optimal level of nutrients?" I do think that these "meal pills" might one day exist in the distant future, but its popularity would depend on the complementary VR experience that delivers a realistic eating environment that is essential to our human experience.

Photo credit: freepik, mrsiraphol, rawpixel.com, mrblmoreno

#futureoffood #futureofeating #futureofcooking #cooking #eating #family #dinner #food delivery #future of food #sustainable farming #economy of food #centralized kitchen #robot chef

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lilietsblog · 7 years

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tag meme

tagged by @kerowyn-ankh man you keep tagging me in these wonderful things and I keep leaving them open in a tab to do later and then just. not doing that. im so sorry. i love them. please do this forever

Name: Hanna! or Anna. If you call me Ganna you'll be technically correct but I might just cry. LILIET FOR Y'ALL MY NAME IS LILIET

Nicknames: eeeh I'm assuming you are not trying to refer to my memories of being bullied from kindergarten to middle school nor asking about all the vast landscape of RP characters I've made on RP forums where your character's name had to be your nickname... so, um, Liliet. Or if you're asking for pet names / diminutives for my actual real life name, Anya, Anyuta... basically anything that Russian allows except Nyusha and Nyura I will fucking deck you for that

Zodiac sign: Equius what do you mean that is not a zodiac sign

Height: 156 cm

Orientation: aro ace last I checked

Nationality: Ukrainian

Favorite fruit: THIS IS LIKE ASKING WHICH OF MY PARENTS I LOVE MORE. I'll go with "tomato" just to underscore the feeling of being utterly lost that I experience looking at this question.

Favorite season: UHHHHHH. I HAVE TROUBLE PLAYING FAVORITES OKAY. I'll go with "summer" I guess bc WALKING BAREFOOT ON THE GRASS. And hiking. And swimming. And horrible, horrible stuffy heat you cannot escape from okay look I have trouble playing favorites okay

Favorite book: AAAA. HOW. ALL OF THEM. You know what I'll go with "Demon's Dance" by Zimina bc while she has very tenuous grasp of spelling, punctuation and grammar of the language she writes in her books have brought me hours of joy. It's trash. It's my favorite trash.

Favorite flower: uhhh roses. They are pretty. There's a reason they are a popular choice. SO MANY COLORS

Favorite scent: outdoors without exhaust fumes. I AM A BIG CITY CHILD. I literally don't give a fuck what it smells like give me cow manure and rotting swamp JUST AS LONG AS IT'S NOT EXHAUST OR CIGARETTE SMOKE.

Favorite color: fuuuuuuu this is REALLY HARD OKAY. I DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST COLORS. Maybe pink but like so many different shades of pink it's not even the same color so I guess I'm cheating by picking pink? Whatever.

Favorite animal: rats, cats, foxes, dogs, ravens, dolphins, rabbits, horses yes I did in fact give up thank you for noticing.

Coffee, tea, or hot cocoa: Tea, because it's much easier to make tasty than cocoa, doesn't cause headaches like coffee (COFFEE I LOVE YOU WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO ME) and has SO MANY VARIATIONS. I love all of them. Except the gross ones. Which ones taste gross to me varies day by day but thankfully tea is VAST AND DIVERSE.

Average sleep hours: hmmm if I say I go to sleep at 11 pm and get up at 7:30 that gives me 8:30. Sounds about right. Except for when I go to sleep at 2 am :>

Cat or dog person: I am a rat person. I love rats. I want to get a rat as soon as we move to our new house. I also love cats and am a cat person and have dreamed of having a cat for years and now my cuddlebug cat is my greatest joy. I love every single dog I've ever interacted with and we are going to get a dog and I'm so happy and I'm a dog person. I DO NOT DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN WONDERFUL AND JOYOUS PETS OKAY

Favorite fictional character: urgh. You are not making it easy on me. Basically I have several Types that I love every single one of: 1) nerdy stoic/emotionless bookish smart girl not good with people, aka me. Twilight Sparkle, Ayanami Rei (yes I group them together here bc I love them in the same way), Hermione Granger, the list goes on. You know them when you see them; 2) a kid who's been doing horrible things because of parental issues and struggles with the concept of empathy and being a good person bc they weren't really taught how. Vriska Serket, Marvel's Loki, I KNOW THEY ARE ALL TERRIBLE THAT'S THE SELECTION CRITERION BUT THEY ARE MY CHILDREN AND I WILL PROTECT AND GUIDE THEM TILL THE END OF MY DAYS; 3) a dark-haired (preferably LONG haired) stoic/emotionless pretty guy who's Been Through Shit and as a result acts offstandish to everyone but really just Suffers. Often overlaps with 2), like Marvel's Loki. Popular examples include Uchiha Sasuke. The fucking trashiest examples I get angry at myself for even acknowledging include Kylo Ren. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry.

Apart from that, I also love TRAITS in characters that make them my absolute faves: - hypercompetence. Does not necessarily mean "can do anything they need to" but "has a very good idea of their own ability and can tell how hard a challenge will be realistically ahead of time". That's literally all I ask for how hard is it to provide writers (I am an anxious baby okay this is Important For My Mental Health) - hyperempathy. Gimme Heart of Gold who will sympathize with and forgive literally the person who is currently trying to kill them. Gimme someone who is legitimately tortured over not being able to help everyone at the same time and is running themselves to death forgetting self-care. GIMME - trickster traits. Like yeah I fucking hate pranks and the kind of joke where you're supposed to know the other person is not speaking seriously but tricksters - strategists, pranksters, shapeshifters, teleporters - are still delightful and wonderful and REALLY FUN. OH LOOK THIS IS ALSO LOKI FUCK THAT GUY FOR HOW MUCH OF MY HEADSPACE HE TAKES UP. wait not even a guy all the time Loki's genderfluid PRONOUNS ARE HARD - a politician who is selflessly working for the good of people. I WISH I WAS JOKING BUT I AM NOT. I have SUCH a hard-on for political fantasy and GO WATCH LOG HORIZON IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. This is one of my most favorite things in the book world

actually now that I've remembered Log Horizon I would like to nominate Shiroe as my Absolute Fucking Fave bc while tumblr provides very little content re: him and I cannot flourish in a fandom without other people, he is like the dense concentration of all my favorite things in one character. I can't even say that it's a flaw that he's a guy bc a certain flavor of selflessness and caring is much more fun in a guy bc girls are already socially expected to be like that and Fuck That Noise. I love him the way he is I love EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM /goes off to cry also he's aro ace fight me

Number of blankets you sleep with: one, but a REALLY BIG AND HEAVY one. I don't care how hot it is I will wrap myself around the blanket instead of the blanket around myself I NEED IT

Dream trip: hmm. This is actually an interesting question because I've never thought of it that way. I'd like to go everywhere possible but logistics of travel are hard and frustrating and I like hiking and grrrhh. I dunno. I want to be able to fly

Blog created: 4/13 2014, around midnight. I WILL NEVER FORGET

#tag meme #tagging everyone and no-one #whoever feels like doing this tag me as having tagged them i will be so happy

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elvesofnoldor · 7 years

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got tagged by @jedihighcouncil (thanks! Sorry this is a little late haha)

Nickname: my mom has 234802394 unofficial nicknames for me and they are all...technically...in Chinese. she has one official nickname for me and its also in Chinese. Star sign: cancer Height: 5′7? (idk i should be b/w 1.69-1.70cm lol. i’d like to think im 1.70cm) Time right now: 10:25pm Last thing I Googled: star wars rebels season 1 Song stuck in my head: i have no idea what is called :\ Favorite music artists: im never too passionated abt musicians (these composers doing classical music in 19th century r exceptions lol). I’d say Leslie cheung but i genuinely hate these trashy ass mf canto pop songs :\\\ I like indie shits that features poc as band members, so im gonna go with....Bloc party? There is also this black canadian artist that goes with the name of “cold specks” and i luv her stuff too! I’ve been playing her songs on this radio show ive been doing cause i only aimed to feature indie songs from artists of colour or bands consisted of mainly artists of colour. Speaking of which, I actually played one of the songs Oscar isaac covers in inside llwyen davis on the show too lmao, so i guess Oscar Isaac can count too??? If i gotta go with an established mainstream musician i’d go with Sia. Last movie I watched: logan ( it could be “kubo and the two strings” tho) When did you create your blog: September 2013 Currently wearing: black to white gradient leggings, long sleeve shirt with a hoodie, black socks Blog content: mostly star wars now, movies and a few tv shows. Obviously theres joke posts, a few bizzare shit posts, too much personal posts and some social justice content Other blogs: i have a leslie cheung sideblog but that blog has been inactive for over a year cause i decided to only post original content on there and...its been very hard for me to open photoshop to do edits and gifs and graphics these days :((( Do you get asks regularly: not at all tbh lol i used to get moderate amount of asks when i was in spn fandom Why did you choose your url: i love poe and i want to make my url related to his name! I also couldn’t think of something artsy to go with “poe” or “dameron”...well i could, but im not satisfied with any of urls i came up with so i resort to make a url that sounds as close i can get to his full name. Also I kinda want my url to be unmistakably... “star wars”? Gender: cis girl Hogwarts house: pottermore sorts me into ravenclaw?? But honestly im not sure if im hufflepuff or ravenclaw and i dont really care Pokemon team: UM! the blue one??? i forgot lol its been a while Favorite color: i always say “blue”, or “sapphire” for this kind of question, but honestly? blue gets boring for a while, lilac is probably my 2nd fav Average amount of sleep: ...LOL! who the heck knows?? 5-6? These days i woke up at 6 or 7am and then fell asleep till 10, 11 or even 12 a lot sooooo Dream job: I would love to be an indie filmmaker making documentaries or fictional narratives but I also like to survive in a capitalist society! There r literally filmmakers out there who wins awards at film festivals but couldn’t pay their goddamn rent! Captalism is evil my dudes! Even awards don’t pay then what if you don’t get awards! I’d also want to be a prof specialized in transnational Chinese cinema or whatever, but do i wanna get a phd after getting my masters tho? Also there aren’t that many universities out there with positions in humanities programs, and im not as scholarly as I should be. Tbh i love screenwriting, I’d probably try to write for feature films or maybe even tv shows, cause filmming on set is exhausting as fuck and i aint got the brains and passions for considering logistics as a director.

tagging @sammywilson, @platanochips, @poefinn, @scoundrelhan @fineiljosten, @skygualker, @softdameron, @bodhiroks @jewneto (no pressuring in doing this guys!! Also while im pretty sure none of u mentions not wanting to be tagged in tag games, if you actually don’t like to be tagged, just tell me so i wouldn’t do it again <3)

#tag #yolanda talks #previous url: Crownlesscas #long post for ts

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writenavy · 7 years

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(1/2) Hi! So I’m working on this space opera about a flagship in which the (5-star) admiral, flag captain and some other staff/crew are central characters. And while I’ve found info on staff structure and the like, I’d love to get some inside knowledge to help me write these characters better! Sorry if my question is a bit vague & broad, haha, but basically; what –beyond ordering a bunch of ships around– does an admiral actually do? Duties, mundane tasks, management, commanding/leadership etc.

(2/2) What does their day look like? What kind of relationship would they have with their flag captain (& vice versa) and the regular ship crew? And from the other perspective; what’s it like working on an admiral’s staff? Duties, day-to-day, how much/when does staff members interact with the admiral etc. Are there enlisted in the staff or only officers? Also if there’s any good resources (esp. books!) from the perspectives of/about admirals I’d love some recommendations!

I’m going to take this one on piece by piece. Before I get on with that, I do want to say that how an admiral and their staff work depends a lot on their personalities. Admirals, like any other leader, come in all shapes and flavors. Some are petty tyrants who are great at micromanaging, and some do a really good job of stepping back. So, part of what happens will be defined by the characters you’ve got. That said, I’ll talk about what probably should happen.

What –beyond ordering a bunch of ships around– does an admiral actually do? Duties, mundane tasks, management, commanding/leadership etc.

An admiral’s job is looking at the big picture. A five star admiral is going to be commanding a huge fleet, possibly the entire navy. So, he/she is going to spend most of their time looking at these kind of things:

Logistics, logistics, logistics. There’s a great saying about war: Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics. You would be shocked how much goes into moving a fleet around. Do they have enough fuel (or whatever resource your ships use for propulsion)? What about food? Ships can’t stay at sea/away from port indefinitely (even in space), so what safe ports/planets are there? Sailors need R&R or they’ll go crazy - and be less combat effective - so where in a warzone is there safe liberty? How can you get spare parts for when things break? Even spaceships can’t carry everything they need.

Mediating conflicts of priority. Whether that’s having to decide which ship gets widget A that will fix broken gun B when four ships need it and there’s only one of widget A available, or who gets the replacement gunner’s mate out of three ships that want him/her, Admirals get to make the hard decisions.

Keeping an overall eye on the material condition of the ships under his/her command. Ships break, and there’s no amount of advanced technology that can fix that. Think of how complicated your car is, and then multiply that by about a million. Ships break all the time, just because there’s so much complicated equipment. My first ship was fond of lighting on fire at random moments. Most fires were minor, but they required a lot of new (expensive) circuit cards to be replaced, and every cruiser in the Navy seemed to want those same cards. Depending on how many ships the admiral has under their command, this will probably be a daily or weekly meeting that takes hours.

Overall strategy. Where is the fleet going? What do they want to accomplish? What ships are chosen as scouts? Which ones have to play rearguard (which their captains may not like)?

Answering the mail. Unless the five-star admiral is also the leader of the nation, he/she has a boss who is going to want status updates. In order to provide these updates, the admiral is going to have to have updates provided to him/her by their staff. Someone might ghost write the emails/messages for the admiral, but the admiral still has to know what’ going on.

Dealing with the locals. If the ships stop in anywhere other than where there’s Naval/Fleet apparatus to deal with trouble, the admiral is The Guy who has to smooth over ruffled feathers. Sailors will always get in trouble. It’s pretty much a law of the universe. It doesn’t matter how well-educated your worlds are...Sailors will still be Sailors. When you’re cooped up in a restricted environment like a ship for weeks/months on end, you really want to let loose when you finally get ashore. Admirals also get the fun public relations things, like making speeches, taking tours of important places, and generally playing like a uniformed politician.

What does their day look like?

Honestly, an average day is probably full of meetings. We often joked that we had meetings to plan more meetings, but there’s an enormous amount of administration that goes into running a ship or a fleet. An admiral sets their own schedule, but there will be a lot of things that need their attention. There will be at least one unpleasant surprise on any given day, from Ship X broke Important Thing Y to Seaman Timmy went and offended the locals by lighting precious statuary on fire.

Outside of meetings, a lot of people (staff, captains, etc) will come by and need the admiral’s answer on something. They’ll need a decision made or the knowledge that a senior officer has, or just to brief the admiral on something that has happened (be it wrong or right).

What kind of relationship would they have with their flag captain (& vice versa) and the regular ship crew?

An admiral has to trust their flag captain. The flag captain has to fight the ship while the admiral fights the fleet; the admiral isn’t going to be able to pay attention to the “little” things, like if their ship is surviving the battle. So, there has to be a lot of trust. The flag captain also has to understand the admiral’s tactical and strategic thinking very well, so that he/she puts the ship in the right place at the right time and understands what the admiral is thinking. And that trust has to run both the other way, too, because the flag captain has to trust their admiral not to do something stupid and get them killed - because no one wants to fight for someone who will do that.

The admiral’s likely to be a more distant figure to the regular ship crew, but he/she will be on the ship, so they’re likely to wander around and chat with folks to get the pulse of the fleet. The flagship is likely to be a large ship, so the crew probably won’t know the admiral well at all.

And from the other perspective; what’s it like working on an admiral’s staff? Duties, day-to-day, how much/when does staff members interact with the admiral etc.

It depends on how senior you are. The department heads (we call them N-heads in the USN, since they all have staff codes. For example, the N-3 is Operations) see the admiral every day or most days. But someone who works for the N-3 probably won’t see the admiral even most days. I generally saw the admiral about once a week as a lieutenant working under the N-3, and that was in a meeting that I coordinated. Yeah, I saw him in the hallways sometimes, and when I was Staff Duty Officer, although then I usually dealt with the Chief of Staff.

Day-to-day duties depend upon what the person in question is doing. Each individual has a job, whether it’s in operations/planning, weapons, navigation, tactics, supply, engineering, training, etc. The heads of each department will coordinate with their counterparts on the ships to help the ships deal with whatever problems they have, and if the problems need to be brought to the admiral’s attention, they’ll do that.

And...well, there will be a lot of meetings.

Have you noticed that I keep mentioning meetings? The Navy is full of them, and the more senior you get, the more time you spend sitting around a table.

Are there enlisted in the staff or only officers?

There are definitely enlisted members of the staff. Most of them are more senior enlisted, generally first class petty officers and above. They’re there to be the technical experts and generally keep officers from doing anything too stupid. There are a lot more officers than enlisted on most staffs (unlike ships, where it’s the other way around), but you tend to get very smart senior enlisted folks on the staff.

Also if there’s any good resources (esp. books!) from the perspectives of/about admirals I’d love some recommendations!

I haven’t read a lot of books about Admirals in particular, but The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea has generally good reviews and has a great reputation. Another book that talks a lot about command and decision making is The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. It’s about a corner of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which is one of history’s biggest naval battles. Some fascinating decisions and mistakes were made by flag officers during that battle, so it’s a really good window into decision making processes.

Both these books are focused on World War II, but you really do need to go that far back if you want a mother-loving navy war, so it makes for good examples.

One series that handles staff organization and dynamics pretty well is the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. If you haven’t read it, it’s billed as Horatio Hornblower in space, and I will unashamedly say that I adore the series books.

#navy #admirals #world war II #staff #writingadvice #emilisborealis #ask toseehowthestoryends

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the-blue-eyed-fallen-angel · 7 years

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Dame-Tsuna, Right?

Welp, after about 8 years without writing shit, here it is. My first fic in the KHR fandom, and my first fic in general.

Hope you like it.

Title: Dame-Tsuna, Right?

Rating: T, with some M parts.

Warnings: None for this chapter.

“I’m terribly sorry, but we already have someone else in mind to be a tutor.” Said Sawada Nana sweetly to the baby at her door.

Reborn frowned. While Iemitsu had talked about how much his wife would be delighted to have a personal tutor for their no-good son, Reborn should have known better than expect a smooth transition.

Still, he wasn’t the Number One Hitman In The World for nothing, and had prepared accordingly. “Please, Signora Sawada.” he said, tending her an envelope. “I came as a personal favor for Iemitsu. He told me his son needed a lot of help with school, and that I was his last hope to, and I quote, “make his Tuna-fishie a strong man like his Papa.” He said, cringing internally at that last bit, but it was a calculated maneuver. Hopefully, it would buy him enough time to convince the woman to hire him.

Nana frowned as she read her husband’s letter, but returned to her placid demeanor as soon as she finished. “Well, I guess I can ask Tsu-kun to meet you, at least. It’s not like you can force him to obey, right?” She laughed at her own joke, which made Reborn chuckle himself. The woman turned, beckoning him with one hand. “Here, sit on the counter as I go get him.”

At home this late on a school day? Reborn thought, sadistically gleeful even as he thanked the woman and sat in a stool. Once Sawada-san had left the room, he took out a small electronic and turned it on, fiddling with the dials for a bit. He took a look at the display, before nodding and putting it away in satisfaction. He would have liked to make a thorough sweep of the room, but there was no time, and the device only showed frequencies consistent with standard-use Vongola bugs, so it would have to do for now.

“Tsu-kun will come down shortly.” said the woman, re-entering the kitchen with a mischievous smile on her face. “Would you like something in the meantime? I have tea and cookies.” She offered, puttering around the kitchen.

“Espresso if you have it, madam.” He answered, taking out a small folder and reviewing the meager information he had been able to gather. Once again, Reborn cursed the uncanny ability Iemitsu had to yell to all and sundry he had a cute little Tuna-fish for a son, and simultaneously have absolutely zero relevant facts.

He sighed, scanning the first page.

Sawada Tsunayoshi. 16 years old. DOB October 13. Average height. Average weight. Not a member of any clubs. No known hobbies. Constantly bullied. No self-esteem. Clumsy. Not very intelligent. Timid. Previously known as “Dame-Tsuna”. Known Relations: Sawada Nana, mother. Yamamoto Takeshi, Kurokawa Hana and Kyoko Sasagawa: Acquaintances, maybe friends.

If it wasn’t for the grid organizing the information, it would hardly cover half a page. Rebor huffed and flicked to the next one, which held a quick overview of the kid’s academic record.

Bad grades all around since kindergarten, then a slow and steady rise from the start of elementary, only to drop sharply back down, hovering just above failing. What really worried Reborn were the two long absences: The first one was two months long, just after the kid had entered elementary, having been caused by an accident at school. The second one was last year, almost six months long, with no obvious cause. There had been a note about the kid presenting some kind of test and claiming homeschooling, but it had been denied, so Tsunayoshi had been forced to repeat the grade.

The most worrying thing was, the records didn’t have any more detail than that, and even the best of Vongola’s informants were unable to find anything more substantial, and Iemitsu swore up and down that there were no signs of tampering of the records. But even so, at best, that meant there was someone with a vested interest to keep Tsunayoshi as anonymous as possible.

Someone not from Vongola.

The third and last page was a ‘report’ from Iemitsu himself, along with a photo of Tsunayoshi. What was intelligible under the coffee-cup stains, handwritten notes and sentimental ramblings painted the picture of a wimpy, no-good kid who had accepted his lot in the lowest rung of the food chain, a momma’s boy and pretty much useless.

Dino 2.0: Civilian Edition™, in short.

He eyed the three pages and sighed, putting them back on his folder when he heard footsteps come down the stairs. He quickly put everything incriminating away and took out another folder, this one black and branded with the Vongola coat of arms, and sat down with his best innocent expression.

Sawada -san also heard them, turning back at the door from her place near the coffee machine.”Ah, Tsu-kun. This is Reborn-san, the prospective tutor.” She said with a smile. “Tea?”

“Please, kaa-chan” said a soft voice behind him.

Reborn took a look at his student, and nearly fell off his chair.

Maybe baka-Iemitsu was onto something when he decided to keep his son off the Mafia, he thought dazedly.

Tsunayoshi cocked his head to the side, suspicion morphing to concern in the face of Vongola Primo. The resemblance was uncanny, taking into account how many generations were between the two. Reborn vowed that he was going to have words with the Head of the DEDEF, because seriously, a photo of a chubby-faced, wide-eyed ten years old clinging to the skirts of his mother did NOT, in ANY way, indicate that the same kid was a carbon copy of the founder of the most powerful Famiglia in the world.

“Are you feeling well?” asked the kid, taking a cautious step towards him, one hand raised. His eyes were a deep honey color, sharp as they looked him up and down. “We can do this some other day, if you are feeling ill.”

“I’m fine.” Reborn snapped, making a mental note to get the kid back for the disrespect. He was the best Hitman in the world, he was always fine, and pointedly ignored how the kid could read him so easily.

Tsunayoshi wavered, like he wanted to step nearer, but eventually he lowered his hand, marching to the opposite seat from Reborn, a long ponytail flapping behind him.

He took the seat just as Nana finished, and accepted his teacup with a smile. Reborn nodded his thanks to the woman, who sat besides her son, sipping her own cup.

They sat in silence for a few moments, the three of them seizing each other.

“So, mom said you were a tutor?” said Tsunayoshi, breaking the silence.

Reborn nodded. “I am one of the best tutors in the world, and I have decided to take you in as my student.” He said in a tone that bore no discussion.

The kid frowned, taking another sip of the tea as he studied Reborn over the rim. “How come? There must be a lot of other people interested.” He put the teacup down. “I will be honest: we aren’t rich, Reborn-san, so I doubt we could pay your fees, and I doubt the Sawada family has any connections that could be of use to such a prestigious tutor.” He said, palms up on the table.

“I am here as a favor to your father, so that’s nothing you have to be concerned about.”

“Of course I have to be concerned about it!” Countered Tsunayoshi, annoyance seeping into his tone. “There are logistics to take into account, for example: Is food included in the deal, or do we have to feed you? Are you going to buy your own stuff, or should we? Where would you stay? What other expenses could be incurred? And those are only the ones off the top of my head.” He said plainly.

“Not to mention” continued the kid with a pointed look, not quite interrupting but not letting Reborn a word in edgewise. “That we don’t know who you are, or who asked you to come here.” He ducked his head a little. “If you could give us some insight, that would be much appreciated”

Reborn took one long look at the kid, and made a mental note to incinerate the reports he had been given. Taking a page from the folder, he gave it to Nana. “Those are my credentials. I’m sure a call to any number there would be enough to verify my identity.” The lie came easily to Reborn, even as he felt the Mist flames imbued on the paper waver, before settling around the woman like a cloak. They were an insurance policy, one that he thought wouldn’t need but was glad to have brought with him. Visconti used them whenever he had to infiltrate a non-mafia place, a simple illusion to make the target more suggestible to his words.

Nana’s expression tensed for a moment, before melting into an excited smile. “Tsu-kun! These credentials are amazing!” She exclaimed, prompting Tsunayoshi to give a concerned look to his mother. The woman scooted closer to him, and showed him the paper. “Look closely! See the name there? Do you think that’s the same Dino Cavallone?”

“From Cavalleria Banca” confirmed Reborn, stomping on a superior smirk as Tsunayoshi’s eyes flickered with interest. “I tutored him for some years during his teens.”

“That’s so amazing!” gushed Sawada san. “And this one?”

“La Nostra Signora del Cuore Coraggioso.” Muttered Tsunayoshi. “That’s a private school in Italy, isn’t it? Something like Eton.”

“That’s right. I taught there for some years, before I started Tutoring privately.”

“And what exactly did you teach there? It says here you lasted less than 5 years.” Said Tsunayoshi.

Sawada-san nodded. “Good question, Tsu-kun. What are your specialties Reborn-san?

“Mathematics.” He answered immediately, taking out a diploma from the folder. “I have a Ph.D. on theoretical maths. I also have three Masters in History, two on Italy and one on World History, and I also have degrees in Chemistry, Theater, Literature, Physical Education, and Art.” He turned to look at the kid. “I had to leave due to personal issues.”

“This is quite an impressive resume!” Gushed Sawada-san, as she flipped the paper and started reading the second sheet. “Research on Oxford…. Guest Speaker on a Versailles exhibition… Gosh, you are so worldly, Reborn-san!”

“But there isn’t anything on that list even remotely connected with actual Education.” Said Tsunayoshi gently, which made Sawada-san deflate for a bit.

“That’s true…” Sighed Sawada-san, before perking right back up. “But then again, He does have experience, and most of his knowledge would be useful for you, no? And” she said, pointing with a finger. “His specialty IS math, which is your worst subject overall.”

Tsunayoshi huffed. “I would do a lot better if the teacher didn’t hate me.”

If Reborn had blinked, he wouldn’t have caught the utter fury that shadowed Sawada-san for a moment. But just as fast as it had come, it went away, leaving a bone-deep sadness and regret that didn’t fit her at all.

“All the more reason to accept tutoring, Tsu-kun.” she said softly, taking one of the kid’s hands.

So Tsunayoshi was having trouble with a teacher in particular. Either that, or he was an extremely accomplished liar. Before meeting the kid, Reborn would have been more inclined to believe the second theory, since math wasn’t the only thing the kid was failing at. But in the mafia, it wasn’t uncommon to have teacher show favor to one student while sabotaging others, so Reborn would give the kid the benefit of the doubt, at least for the moment.

Tsunayoshi thought about it. “We have to make sure the certifications are real, first.” He said slowly.

The woman and her kid traded a Look, before the kid nodded, making the woman beam. “Let me get the phone~.” She said, trailing off in a note, and with a spring on her step, she went out of the kitchen.

Tsunayoshi watched her leave with a soft smile on his lips, before shaking his head an taking a sip of his tea, apparently oblivious, or deliberately ignoring, the hitman in front of him.

“Mom is pretty excited.” he said after putting his tea down, and taking a cookie from the platter. His words were slow but steady, like he was thinking exactly how to phrase them. “She had been talking about having me do better in school. This is about the best timing you could have hoped for, Tutor-san.” He said, finally looking back at him with a curiously blank look.

“Really?” Asked Reborn with interest.

The kid nodded slowly, still looking at him. “We already had someone else in mind, but he is… busy at the moment.The earliest he said he could come was ten months, and that was being unrealistically optimistic.” He swirled the tea on his cup, before finishing it in one big gulp. “So if you impress her? It’s almost a certainty you’d stay.”

Reborn smirked “It’s a done deal.”

Tsunayoshi cocked his head to the side. “You… are pretty sure about this.” He said, gesturing between himself and the baby.

Reborn straightened, and raised his voice so it was easily heard across the hall. “I am the best opportunity you will ever have, Tsunayoshi-kun. I will make you the leader of the new generation.”

The kid stared at him for a couple of heartbeats, before turning away with a snort. “God, you are full of yourself.” He said as he took the plates on the table, and started washing them.

“Just to be clear,” he said, talking over the rush of water. “I’m giving you a chance because I promised mom to.” He turned of the water and grabbed a nearby rag. “You have six months to convince me to keep you.”

The next second, Tsunayoshi face planted on the counter, a heavy weight on the back of his head.

“You have severely misunderstood the situation.” Spoke Reborn, his terse voice a contrast with the shoe grinding on the back of Tsuna’s head. “My presence here is not dependent on your whims, child.”

Then he jumped back to his seat, looking through his files just as Sawada-san rejoined them in the kitchen, where she promptly snatched Tsuna up and began twirling around.

“Oh, Tsu-kun! Fate has smiled upon us!” she cried joyously as she spinned, ignoring her child’s attempt to get out of her grip. “If Reborn-san is half as good as the school says, he’s perfect to teach you!”

Tsunayoshi wriggled out of her arms and gasped for breath a couple times, before turning to his mother. “Fine. Fine! I’ll take him.” he said, and her smile became incandescent. “But I need to get to school soon, or Kyoya will have my hide.”

Sawada-san sighed. “All right, I’ll start settling him down. Would you please follow me, Reborn-san?”

Reborn smiled up at the woman “Molto Grazie.” He finished the cup of espresso. “But I would like to talk with Tsunayoshi-kun alone.”

“But Kyo-”

“I’ll call Hibari-kun for you.” Said Nana, starting to go out to the the phone.

“And we’ll talk in your room” He said, jumping off his chair and starting to march upstairs, not bothering to pay attention to Tsunayoshi’s annoyed mutterings.

They reached the room, and Reborn closed the door, feeling jittery and fighting a bloodthirsty smile as he turned to his student, who’s sitting on the only chair in the room and eyeing him warily. At the very least, the kid had good instincts.

“Well’ he says, blinking innocently up at the brunet. “Now that we are alone, I can speak clearly to you”.

Reborn moved, channeling but a fraction of his power, and his feet connected with a satisfactory “whomp”, sending his useless student to the floor.

“I am Reborn, the Best Hitman in the World.” He says, letting Leon crawl into his hand and transform into his pistol. “My true line of work is assassination.”

He pointed the gun at the kid’s forehead. “And I’m here to make you a Mafia Boss” he finished with a flourish.

Tsunayoshi looked at the barrel of the gun, then at the baby. “Are you joking?” He asked, slowly moving a hand and touching the muzzle of the weapon.

In return, Reborn shots the impudent little brat, and he dodged.

It was clumsy, and graceless, but he dodged, and Reborn doesn’t know if he’s feeling giddy or murderous.

They stared at each other for a moment, before Tsunayoshi sighed and stood up from where he had sprawled. “Guess not”.

And then leaves him alone in the room without so much as a by your leave.

Reborn adjusted his fedora, the hat shadowing his already dark eyes. This kid was A Problem.

Iemitsu was going to pay for this misinformation in blood. There was no way this kid was a civilian, not with how he had dodged his shot, and at such close range too. Hell, he wasn’t even sure the kid was the same kid anymore. Sure, he looked like him, but Reborn had met a lot of skilled infiltrators, and Mist Flames existed. A disguise for the general shape, some internal Flame to take care of the details, and no-one would know.

And his eyes… It had been only a second, but Reborn had seen the honey-like eyes become a bright carnelian, keen and sharp and dangerous.

No way a civilian would have those eyes.

Reborn took off his hat and straightened it, before the creases were able to set in. Leon crawled from his hand, to his shoulder, and licked his cheek, receiving a pat and a smile from the Arcobaleno.

“I’m fine Leon, just a bit ticked off.”

Leon transformed into a hammer, before transforming back into a chameleon and giving Reborn a meaningful look.

“Not yet Leon.” said Reborn, fighting off a smirk.

Time to find his troublesome student.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tsunayoshi forced his hands to unclench before his fingernails dug into his skin. That would make him bleed, which would make his friends worry, and then he would have a babysitting entourage for the rest of the week, which he does not need right now.

Tsuna sighed and ignored the faint presence of Sun Flames in favor of the much more welcome sight of Namimori Middle’s gates.

“Cub, you are supposed to be excused for today.”

“...Aaaaannnndddd there it is.” Tsuna thought, forcing a smile to his face even as the prefect jumped down from his perch in one of the trees, the white and red armband a striking contrast against the black jacket flapping in the wind. “Hello, Kyoya-sann.”

Hibari just looked at him, a scowl on his face and arms crossed, the lethal glint of a tonfa peeking from under the cuffs of the perfectly ironed white shirt. “Students may only be excused in case of sickness or family emergencies.” Recited the prefect, still glaring at the brunet.

“Mom called a home tutor.” Explained Tsunayoshi quickly “But he arrived way earlier than expected, and she didn’t want to risk my chances of getting extra help, apparently the man is in high demand. He taught at the Scuola.” He said, sending a meaningful look at the teenager, whose eyebrows climbed up before a razor-sharp smirk took place on his face.

“I see.” Hibari turned, walking back to the building. “Get to class.” He shot back, making Tsuna chuckle, walking into the school and taking the stairs two at the time, reaching his classroom.

Tsunayoshi took a centering breath, and schooled his expression in a neutral mask, opening the door. Kobayashi-sensei flicked his eyes up to him, frowning and making a gesture for him to come in, before returning to the lecture. Tsuna stepped inside, seeing him marking him in the assistance book, and his fist clenched once again. He’ll ask Kyoya to fix the records later, but for now, he just walked to the back of the classroom.

“Yo, Tsu.” Says Takeshi quietly, turning his attention from his doodling to his friend, smile becoming strained upon seeing him up close. “Did something happen?”

“New tutor” Tsuna huffed out, hunching down on his seat, making his friend lean over him with a concerned look. “Nothing happened, so quit your face. It’s just…” Tsuna could only sigh and hunch even lower, lifting his left hand and extending his pinky, showing a golden ring.

“Oh.” Is the only thing the carefree young man said, eyes going sharp and giving another, slower once-over to his friend.

“Don’t, okay?” Said Tsuna abruptly, giving him a Look Takeshi had come to fear. “The guy was weirdly insistent about this, and I’d rather get whatever information we can from him first.”

“If you say so…” says Yamamoto, closing his eyes and dropping his shoulders, his signature smile becoming much more strained. “But I’m going to your house after this. I want to meet this tutor person myself.”

“I was afraid you’d do that.” Muttered the brunet, resting his face on his arms. Seriously, his friends were way too damn overprotective, and while he was supremely grateful he had them in his life, sometimes he could not help but wish they would calm down on the mother henning.

“Hey, cheer up.” Said Takeshi, giving him a pat on the back. “If worst comes to worst, you can sic my dad and Kyoya’s mom on him.”

“I don’t think so, Keshi.” Said Tsunayoshi, body tensing. “His name’s Reborn.”

The rest of the class would not be able to explain later what exactly had happened, but all of the sudden, the lights seemed dimmer, and the air tasted stale and sharp, like the air before a storm. Those who were paying attention would handwave their misting breath as a trick of the light.

But none of them would be able to forget the icy dread that pooled on their stomach, how their lungs just plain refused to move, choking Kobayashi-sensei as he tried to form words, because there was something there, something dangerous, something that would tear them to shreds if they drew any kind of attention.

And then the moment passed.

Kobayashi-sense cleared his throat, taking a drink from his thermos and continuing as normal, the students rubbing their head or flexing their hands, trying to shake off the numbness that had crept in.

“I see.” Said Takeshi, voice just as cold as the ice covering the page he had been using. Calmly, he took the page and crumpled it, frost falling and melting before touching the floor, and thrown with perfect accuracy into the trash bin near the door, getting an annoyed look from the teacher. Takeshi answers it with his own winning grin, before dismissing it from his mind as he looked at the brunet. “What does he want?”

“Make me a mafia boss”

Takeshi couldn’t help the outburst of giggles that followed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class finished, and both boys were getting their stuff when they were joined by two girls.

“Are you okay, Tsu?” Asked Kyoko, sweet chocolate eyes roaming over him, looking for any kind of injury.

He shook his head, books under an arm. “Yah, I’m cool. Keshi here just got emotional.” He said, giving his friend a narrow-eyed glare, to which Takeshi smiled genially.

“Well the news are not exactly good so…”

“News? What news?” Demanded Hana, crossing her arms and sending the two boys a glare, making them wince.

“Don’t get mad at me, I just found out today.” Tsunayoshi discreetly got behind the taller boy, leaving him to face the brunt of the woman’s ire, all the while giving her one of his best disarming smiles.

Hana just glared harder “Out with it, baka-Tsuna.”

“Mom got me a new tutor. He’s staying at my house.”

“And?” She said, clenching her hands on forearms. It’s never a good sign that Tsuna gets evasive.

“His name’s Reborn.”

Kyoko gasped, turning to Hana who was sporting the same huge eyes as her friends, her nails digging on her skin.

“Shit. Are you okay? What I am saying, of course you are okay, you wouldn’t be here otherwise.” She hunched down and lashed with a hand, dragging him until her lips were right by his ear, all while eyeing the windows and the door like they had personally offended her. “We need to get you out of here” she hissed, “somewhere far and safe. Maybe we can start calling the debts, and we have to do something with your mother, but then Yamamoto-san is going to get involved, and - “

”Hana!” Exclaimed Tsunayoshi, cutting the rambling girl off and putting his hands on her shoulders. “Hana,“ He continued, softer now. “It’s ok. I don’t know what his thing is, but he’s not here to harm me. He wants me to become a Mafia Boss.”

Hana blinked twice, her face going tight for a moment before she doubled over in a fit of giggles, her arms wrapping around her middle as she shook, drawing some weird looks from a couple of stragglers, who then finished exiting the classroom, leaving the group alone.

“Ciaossu!”

The four teenagers turned to look at the baby standing on Tsuna’s desk.

“Wha - How did you get there?” exclaimed Hana, snapping straight and scrutinizing the baby standing on the desk.

“It is a se~ cret~” He sing-songed, bringing one finger in front of his lips and winking, which made Hana snort and Kyoko squee.

“Oh, you are so cute!” Cooed the smaller girl, coming nearer. “May I carry you?”

Reborn smiled blindingly “No.”

“Awww” Kyoko said, pouting, and dropping her shoulders.

“What about a trade?” He proposed. “You tell me who you are and how you know of me, and I will let you carry me.”

“Of course!” She said, clapping her hands. Behind her, both men sighed and facepalmed, while Hana arched an eyebrow at her friend. “I am Sasagawa Kyoko, pleasure to meet you!” She said, doing a full 90 angle bow. “And these are my friends: Yamamoto Takeshi”

“Yo!”

“ - Kurokawa Hana - “

“Hi”

“- And Sawada Tsunayoshi. But I guess you already met him, since you are his tutor and all”

The baby nodded, but didn’t move. “And you know me how…?”

“Everybody knows about the Greatest Hitman in the World!” She said, a huge smile on her face. “Even though the stories never said anything about a baby. But I guess you’d want that secret, ne?” She finished with a wink.

“I have told you, that’s just a stupid urban legend.” said Hana rolling her eyes.”Though I have to give you props, kid, your disguise is a dead ringer for the description.” She said, giving him a thumbs up. “Could have fooled me and everything”.

“Thank you.” Said the baby, hiding his twitching hand.

“So can I hold you now?” Asked Kyoko, an eager grin on her face as she made grabby motions.

The little hitman shrugged. “If you want”.

He was immediately snatched off the top of the desk and comfortably nestled into the crook of the girl’s arm. Reborn turned to look at her. “That was… Pretty fast” he said, not bothering o keep his interest out of his voice.

“I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?” She asked, he pretty smile changing into a concerned frown as she tucked him more into her arms, making sure to be supporting his neck and putting her other forearm under his knees, “Is this better now?”

“I’m fine.” He said, filling this detail for later. It was hard to catch him by surprise, and civilians rarely were that fast, so he hadn’t been expecting it.

Tsunayoshi, Reborn decided, had some very interesting friends. The other kid had demonstrated some very potent killer intent, and what appeared to be a natural ability for Rain Flames, and this girl seemed to be shaping up to be a possible Sun. He turned to look at the dark-haired girl, eager to see what she was going to do. “Where are you going now?”

Hana shot Tsunayoshi a look, but he shrugged his shoulders. “We go to the cafe.”

“I can’t go today.” Said Yamamoto suddenly, receiving a puzzled look from Tsunayoshi.

“But I thought you wanted to meet him…?” Asked Tsuna, vaguely gesturing to Reborn.

Takeshi shrugged. ”Well, yes, but I remembered I have to help my old man today. Maybe we can play together tomorrow!” He said with a smile.

“Sure thing.” Answered the baby. “It will be an interesting day”

“Then it will be just Tsuna and Kyoko today. Are you okay with that?” Hanna asked. “It’s not very fun, and they won’t be able to look after you then.”

“Sure! I’d love a cup of coffee.” Said Reborn with his best innocent expression.

“I… Don’t think they’d let us serve you coffee.” said Kyoko, wincing and darting a look at Tsuna. “The cakes, on the other hand, are an absolute delight”

Reborn didn’t answer, merely frowned at it, but decided it wasn’t worth to make a scene over it. “All right.” He said, sighing. “But they better be as good as you say, or Tsuna will pay the consequences.” He threatened, making the girl laugh.

Kyoko smiled. “They are the best there are. Promise.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reborn had to admit, as he took another spoonful of a deliciously spongy angel cake, that the cakes were, in fact, a delight.

“See? I know what I’m talking about, I am a total cake connoisseur.” Kyoko boasted over her own cake, a Chocolate Monstrosity consisting of 16 different chocolates. Reborn had taken one look at it and vowed to never go near the thing.

He didn’t comment, instead concentrated on polishing what was left of his own cake as Kyoko waved Tsuna over.

He went, a smile on his lips and a tray on his left hand “Was everything to your liking?” He asked, taking both dishes off the table, and setting down two glasses, one with soda and one with milk. “Will there be anything else?” He smiled, taking out a notepad and pen from his white apron.

“No, that’s fine. Thank you.” Answered the girl with a giggle. “And everything was delicious as always.”

“I am glad. Would you like your check now?”

“Yes please.” Said Kyoko, taking out her wallet, leaving about twice as much for the bill.

Tsuna took it, smile never faltering “Thank you very much. I hope your visit had been satisfactory, and to see you soon”

“You are welcome!” She beamed, watching as her friend left to leave the tray behind the bar, and made his rounds to the rest of the tables.

“I didn’t know he had a job” said Reborn, putting down his soda and keeping watch over his student.

Kyoko smiled. Contrary to the wide, luminous smiles she had been giving, this was small, and dim, and made her look so sad Reborn almost regretted asking. “It’s... a new development” she said, voice small but firm.

And that only made Reborn more curious, but even he knew when to not push it. And although Kyoko was doing an exemplary effort to keep her composure, her hands were starting to tremble.

So instead, he asked “Do you work with him here too?”

She nodded “Most of us do. Keshi comes when his dad’s restaurant is slow, and Hana-chan and Onii-san have Saturday and Sunday. Most of us have shifts during the week. There are a few others, but they are very intermittent.”

“And you get that much traffic?” He asked, looking around the comparatively tiny shop.

She smiled, “Oh yes! We are one of the best tourist spots…” She trailed off, catching sight of something outside. Reborn turned back to the terrace, where a group of five- no, six students of Namimori middle were making themselves at home, until one of the waiters stopped them. The entire laid-back demeanor stopped, and all of them -three girls and three boys- seemed to have ganged up on the poor server.

There was a clatter and, by the time Reborn looked back, Kyoko had stood up, back disappearing into the backstore. Looking around, people were starting to look up at the teens, most of the patrons glaring or sneering, but a few looked squeamish, alternating between the terrace and the door, like they were planning on running.

Unable hear what was happening from his table, he hopped off his seat and climbed into the vent ducts, navigating them until he found the one vent going outside, just over the table. Leon, ever the loyal pet, transformed into a small camera, connected to a tv, that was easy enough to slide out.

“I told you, Midori-san, you can’t stay here.” Said the server, back straight and arms crossed, staring severely down at the girl in front of him.

“And I told you I don’t care.” Said ‘Midori-san’, huffing “I want cake, and you have the best cakes in town. Therefore, I will eat my cake here” She finished with a sniff.

“You were banned, and you still need to pay for the last display you and your friends destroyed the last time” He answered between clenched teeth. “So please vacate the premises.”

“Or what? You’ll call the police?” Said the boy with a red bandana “Please do so, maybe then you will be able to clean this place of filth.” He said, spitting right at the feet of Tsunayoshi, who had just arrived at the scene, about four more servers behind him.

Tsunayoshi merely narrowed his eyes, looking between the glob of saliva and the boy “As charming as ever, Mochida-san.”

The boy smirked widely, showing his teeth. “Dame-Tsuna! How’s the runt doing?”

“I was doing well before now. What are you doing here? Yawaru-san has not been repaid from the cakes you ruined last time.” He said in an even voice, eyes firmly planted on Mochida.

“Mi-chan wanted cake, so stop acting like a person and go fetch her one of your best.” Said the long-haired girl, who had managed to snatch a chair and was comfortably scrolling through her phone. “And get me a creme brule. Ko-chan, same as always?”

Ko-chan was still standing, hands wringing nervously inside her long sweater sleeves. “N-no, thank you Riku-san” she said, even as she stole a glance at Tsunayoshi, who still had to look away from Mochida.

Rika-san rolled her eyes, adjusting the shades on her head. “Suit yourself.” Then she glared at Tsunayoshi. “Well, what are you waiting for? Shoo.”

Tsunayoshi didn’t move. “We’ll serve you when the damages have been repaid. Until then, you are persona non-grata here, and if you keep being difficult we will be forced to take drastic measures.” he said softly.

“I’ll show you drastic measures!” Said Mochida, swinging a bokken towards him at the same time the other two boys moved to the sides.

Tsunayoshi however was unmoved. The bokken was easily blocked by a broom one of the other servers held up, and the other two boys were blocked in by the rest of the servers.

“I hope I am clearer now” said Tsunayoshi on the silence that ensued, the same bright carnelian from before now boring into Mochida. “If you don’t leave, we will kick you out.”

Mochida barked a laugh, but he took a step back, rising the sword close to his chest. “Fine! This is a shit place anyway.” Then he turned back to Midori. “We’ll get you some cake from somewhere else” He said, snagging her hand and pulling her as he started walking away, ignoring Midori’s whining of “But I want it NOW!”

Rikka-san sighed, locking her phone and standing up, giving Tsunayoshi a look that could curdle milk “You’ll pay for this, Dame-Tsuna. Come on Ko-chan, Tora-kun, Sasuke-kun. ”

She stood up, slinging her pack on her left shoulder as Ko-chan swiftly went to her side, the other two boys going after them.

Tsunayoshi followed the girl with his eyes until they reached the end of the street, and disappeared over the corner. Once they were gone, he let out a short breath, turning to face the rest of the servers. “Thanks everyone for your help. Please go back to your stations.” He said, voice even, but loud enough to reverberate through the place.

There was a general murmur of agreement as the servers went back, most of them sending concerned looks at him, one or two brave enough to give him a reassuring squeeze. Tsuna smiled at some of them, reassuring them he was fine, until Kyoko finally arrived with an older man in tow.

“Ah, so you took care of them.” Said the girl.

Tsunayoshi nodded “Yeah. They didn’t try to pull anything today, thank the Gods for small mercies.” Then he turned to the man, who shrank back at the steely gaze. “And what were you doing, Fukuoka-san? I distinctly remember telling you to not leave the front alone while in business hours.” He said, voice silky and cold as ice.

Reborn watched as the man, who had to be at least twice Tsunayoshi’s age, sputtered and blushed. “I didn’t! I went to the back to check if we were stocked on a couple cakes and couldn’t hear…” The man trailed off at the unimpressed look Tsuna sent him, before he turning to Kyoko.

“Found him with the door of the office closed and locked.” She said, shrugging her shoulders at the betrayed look the man gave her.

Tsunayoshi pinched the bridge of his nose, brows furrowing. “This is the second time, Fukuoka-san. Please get your stuff from the back office, and turn in your key at the end of the shift. I’ll give you your check today.”

And with that, the kid turned back in, leaving the man with a white face and clenched fists. Kyoko gave the man a hasty bow and returns inside, but by that time Reborn is back on their table, finishing his soda.

“So, what was that about?” He asked casually, Leon crawling inside his suit.

Kyoko shook her head. “Some really nasty people from school. Since Tsuna started working here, they have come at least once a week to cause trouble.” She frowned, biting her lip. “I wish we could do something about them. Something permanent.” She said, her tone of voice suddenly growing darker, shoulders hunching and her hands tensing into claws around her own drink.

Reborn barely suppressed a smirk. He could work with that. “I could help with that.”

She looked up through her bangs, eyes gleaming with interest. “Oh?”

“I need to… assess what my student can do. This would be a good test.”

She smiled, the darkness around her suddenly dissipating. “That would be much appreciated. Tsuna… he sometimes underestimates how he influences us”

“How so?” Asked the baby, tilting his head.

But the girl, instead of talking, shook her head.“It’d be better if you saw it for yourself. That way you can for your own opinion.”

Reborn crossed his arms, mulling over this. “Fine” he said in the end. “But I’ll come after you if I don’t like what I see.”

“Fair enough.” she said, finishing her drink. “Are you going to be fine?” she asked then ”Since Tsuna just fired the manager, he most likely will have to stay and close, usually at seven or so. Do you want me to take you home?”

“No, I like to people watch, and cafes are the best places to do so.”

She smiled, taking out a notebook and a pencil. “All right. I will do some homework, then. If you want anything else, let me know and I’ll order for you.”

Reborn decided not to comment. If he wanted anything, he’ll make Tsunayoshi pay for it. “Sure thing.”

And so, the time passed, Reborn just looking around the restaurant and Kyoko doing her homework, sometimes asking him for help whenever she got stuck on something.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was 7:43 when the last stragglers left and Tsuna was able to close shop.

Kyoko stretched, yawning, as she changed her weight from one foot to another. “I can’t wait to get home. Today was tiring” she said, trudging along her best friend, Reborn on her right shoulder.

Tsunayoshi eyed her up. “Hm? How so? It was pretty normal. Well… Until he showed up” he amended, gesturing to the baby.

Kyoko frowned, before her eyes lighted up, her mouth dropping on a perfect ‘o’ shape as her eyebrows climbed. “That’s right! I forgot to tell you this morning!” She said “Mochida asked me on a date.”

“WHAT?”

Tsuna turned his body, but unfortunately, his legs seemed to miss the fact they, too, should turn, and he ended up on the floor for the second time that day.

“Owowowowowow…” he muttered, holding his cheek with his left hand, his right hand pushing up.

He scrambled back up again, eventually. “Didn’t he give up? Hell, isn’t he with Midori for that matter?”

“Yes and yes” said Kyoko serenely, not faltering on her step. Reborn would even go as far as to say she actually had an extra-spring to it. “That’s why I couldn’t meet with you after Gym today, I was too busy avoiding him.”

“Avoiding him?” He said darkly.

“The boy has an alarming inability understanding the concept of No.” She said shrugging, looking at her side and noticing the thunderous expression Tsuna was wearing. She took his hand into hers and gave him a smile that had Reborn swearing there were flowers and sparkles around. “Don’t worry Tsu, It’s easy enough to avoid him. And you know I can take care of myself just fine.”

“Even so,” he said in a sigh. “It’s offensive to me you have to be hiding from that… that… Urg. The only thing coming to mind is pig but pigs are actually nice animals.” He said in a frustrated huff.

Kyoko giggled, squeezing his hand a little, but kept quiet.

The rest of the walk was done in silence, just their steady pace on the streets and the cool wind of early April blowing. There weren’t many cars on the streets, people having long gone home or the bar with coworkers, or even staying late on the office. Muted sounds coming from the houses lining the streets, here or there a bark could be heard or the low hum of a tv.

They reached a fork on the road, and stopped.

“Have a nice night, Tsu.” She said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek, prompting a blush and a smile from Tsuna, and raised eyebrows from Reborn.

“Good night Kyoko. Tell good night to Onii-san for me.”

“Yes sir.” She said, laughing as she turned, a graceful move that made her skirt flare, her long hair flapping on the breeze .

Tsuna watched her go with a fond smile until she turned a corner, and then he turned around, starting the short walk to his house.

“You really like her.” Said Reborn from the wall to his left.

Tsuna looked at him, confused “Of course I like her. She has been one of my best friends since we were six. I am very lucky to have her” he finished, smiling.

Reborn kicked him on the head, hard enough to make him stumble. “Stop doing that stupid expression, Dame-Tsuna.” He said, back at the wall. ‘Have you told her?”

“Of course I have told her!”he said, frowning in confusion before his mind caught up to what the baby implied ”... Ah! NO! It’s not like that!” Said Tsunayoshi, flailing around. “She’s like my sister! I love her to bits but I can’t see her as anything else.”

Reborn huffed, but said nothing, and privately mourned the missed opportunity to use the Dying Will Bullet. “Then you are more pathetic than I thought.”

Tsunayoshi rolled his eyes, opening the gate to his house. “I’m home!” He called, leaving his shoes at the door, and trudging up to his room. Reborn followed him, jumping into a chair.

The kid looked around, and walked up to the bookcase, rearranging the books there, before going around and picking up the random bits and bobs off the floor. Since the kid had left the room pretty much spotless that morning, Reborn guessed he was just feeling anxious and was trying to delay.

Eventually, once the floor was clean and there was nothing else to distract him, the kid turned to him. “So, a mafia boss” He said, sitting heavily on his bed.

“That’s right. The 9th Boss of the Famiglia is old, and was preparing to retire and leave the family to one of his sons. Unfortunately, the three sons died. The most qualified to Inherit, Enrico, was shot in a feud.” He said, showing him a photo of the corpse of the man. “The second one, Massimo, was left to drown. And the third one, Federico, burnt to death in an arson.” He finished.

Contrary to his expectations, the kid didn't flail or freak out at the photos. Instead, he took them on his hands, examining them, and Reborn was surprised to recognize true grief on his face.

“My condolences.” He murmured, giving one last longing look to Federico’s photo before returning them to him. Reborn accepted them without comment, and in it’s stead took out the family tree he brought.

“So you see, the first Boss of the Vongola” and interestingly, the kid tensed at the name, “retired to Japan, and he is your great-great-great-grandfather. You are part of the bloodline, and a legitimate candidate to be a mafia boss.”

“I see.” He said, taking a look at the tree. “And why me, and not Iemitsu?” He asked, tapping with a finger the name above his.

“There are complications relating to him” Was all Reborn said, before snapping the family tree closed. “Do not worry. I will make you into a fine Mafia Boss.” said the hitman, pulling out a set of pajamas and starting to put them on.

Tsuna huffed “I’m not worried about that.” He said, pulling out his own set of pajamas and walking out of the room “because I will not become Vongola 10th.”

“Oh, you will” Answered the hitman, a sadistic gleam entering his eye as he pointed his gun to Tsunayoshi. “And the first thing on the agenda is for me to evaluate you in your academic disciplines. Hand over your homework.”

Tsuna closed the bathroom door, groaning as his new bruises twanged whenever he moved. Reborn was Spartan, with a capital S, and the last couple hours he had quizzed him on anything and everything, and when Tsunayoshi didn’t meet his criteria…

He winced again, but put the pain out of his mind. Right now he had bigger concerns.

Carefully, he pulled his cellphone from amongst the bundle of clothes.

“You were right about me.” was all he wrote. His thumb hovered for a second over the “send” button.

He was going to lose his oldest friend over this, and it was something he would never forgive his bum of a father.

But he had promised.

He closed his eyes, pressing the button. Tsunayoshi swallowed, trying to keep breathing around the enormous knot that had suddenly appeared on his throat, and forcing his eyes to open up. He left the phone near the sink as he undressed, and let the warm water wash over him for a while.

He heard the phone ping after a while.

With slow movements, he turned off the water, carefully pulling up the feet over the lip of the bath. The phone display had gone dark, and it was clouded from the shower steam. Tsunayoshi genuinely debated leaving it, or even deleting the message without reading it, but that was the cowardly way out. He took another deep breath, ignoring the ringing on his ears and the pressure on his temples, and opened the new message.

“I’m sorry. If there is anything I can do, let me know”.

Tsuna coughed, incapable of stopping the genuine smile and the tears that rolled down along his nose, and then he laughed, a short burst of hysterical giggles, and distantly felt his back hit the wall, but he was too high on relief to care.

“I’ll be fine for the moment. Don’t contact me tho, this guy means business, and I want to keep you as a surprise >:)”

“Wow, pissed you off already?”

“Not yet, but I can tell it’s a matter of time”

“You never did get along with egotistical ppl. I’ll lay low, good luck

… Ti amo.”

Tsuna smiled, warmth filling him.

“J’te aime aussi”

He slid down the wall, staring at the messages for a while, before turning his phone off and taking his clothes, stashing his phone back inside the bundle.

By the time he returned to the room, Reborn had made himself at home, stringing a hammock and sleeping soundly, even thoug his eyes were open.

Tsunayoshi put his clothes on the chair, and tucked himself into bed.

#Mine #text #DTR #KHR #Katekyo Hitman Reborn #Tsuna #sawada Tsunayoshi #Reborn #Nana #Fanfic #Fan fic #Fanfiction #yamamoto takeshi #Kurokawa Hana #Kyoko Sasagawa #hibari kyoya #Smart!Tsuna #Serious!Tsuna

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elenahowl · 7 years

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I love these things! Can you do 5-50?

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? Sometimes I feel like I smile too much, and I often giggle at inappropriate moments, but my smile itself is fine.

6: do you keep plants? No. I wish I did.

7: do you name your plants? No.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?Loads of writing, and lately also a lot of printmaking and typography.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? Yes, but only when I’m alone.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? Kind of awkwardly sprawled on my side and stomach.

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?@mrs-depp @highwaytovengeance @avenged-seven-times @valovalmieni Chicken nuggets!

12: what’s your favorite planet? Eris.

13: what’s something that made you smile today?I never have to deal with my abusive ex-friend again.

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?Very bohemian. We’d have a ton of art supplies, random scraps of newspapers and drawings on the walls, and lots and lots of books. Books are mandatory.

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! Mark Twain was born on the year when the Halley comet passed, and died on the year when it went by again. Both times he had missed it.

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? The shrimp linguini my mom makes very rarely.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? I don’t want to dye my hair. I just wish my hair naturally grew out of my head in the weird blonde-to-red ombre I have right now, leftover tint from when I dyed my hair back in July.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. @voxiferous and I were having a sleepover and it was late at night and trying to figure out writing logistics. This included elvish anatomy and biology and thus the “smaller livers” joke was born. There’s no good way to explain how this conversation started, continued, or ended, but basically we googled and discovered that a smaller liver does not help anything in a humanoid body. And that’s why I’m not a science major.

19: do you keep a journal? What do you write/draw/ in it? Everything. I have so many journals for different things. Sketchbook, notebook, diary, more sketchbooks, bullet journal…

20: what’s your favorite eye color?Soft brown.

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. It’s a tie between my Kånken backpack and my Doc Martens purse. Little Black Kånken and I went all over Helsinki together. Originally I was just going to take my Jansport galaxy backpack to my classes while I was studying abroad, but I quickly realized it was too big to fit under most of the seats at the University of Helsinki, and it marked me clearly as a foreigner since Jansport isn’t really popular over there. When I carried my Kånken, people took one look at me, assumed I was Finnish, and I blended in perfectly. And when they tried to speak Finnish to me, saw my blank look, and realized I wasn’t Finnish, they’d occasionally try to speak Swedish to me. I got my Doc bag in Paris. Pickpockets are a real thing, and I didn’t want to wear my backpack while I was in Paris, so on a whim I bought a tank of a bag that carried my sketchbook and pens during my stay. It was new and not broken in at all, so it was basically bulletproof and nobody could have pickpocketed that if they tried. Also could be used as a weapon.

22: are you a morning person? I’d like to be, but I’m not.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?Reading and watching youtube videos.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?@voxiferous

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?I jumped the fence at the historic girl’s school ruins near where I live.

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?My favorite pair of black Docs finally got too worn out to wear last month. They lasted for eight years, but were no match for the Tuska festival mosh pit, where they lost their watertightness.

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? Classic regular bubblegum.

28: sunrise or sunset? Sunset.

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? @lustarcana HHHHHNNNNGHHHHHHHHHH!!!Also @weareinvictus‘s liberal use of the word “pure” to describe everything good.

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? Yes.

31: what is your opinion of socks? Do you like wearing weird socks? Do you sleep with socks? Do you confine yourself to white sock hell? Really, just talk about socks. I like socks. I tend to wear plain, dark socks. I do not sleep with socks. I hate white socks. For some reason my socks get holes in them faster than average.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3am when you were with friends. My best 3AM story isn’t really with friends, more casual acquaintance turned enemy, but it’s good. I’ll post it later because it’s REALLY long.

Edit: It’s here.

33: what’s your fave pastry?Korvapuusti.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. What is it called? What does it look like? Do you still keep it? My classic Winnie the Pooh bear (old style teddy, not disney version) still has his place of honor in my bedroom. I never really slept with stuffed animals, preferring dolls, but he was always there to chase away bad dreams.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? Do you use them often?Stickers and pretty pens are the best. Also stickie notes.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?Folie à Deux-era Fall Out Boy.

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?Tidy chaos. Everything has a place, but it looks messy to the untrained eye.

38: tell us about your pet peeves! People who ask dumb questions. People who sit/stand way too close. People who are super obsessed with famous people to the point of having no identity outside of fandom (see response to 32). People who stalk celebrities.

39: what color do you wear the most? Black.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? Does it have any meaning to you? The heartagram necklace I have I got at a HIM concert in 2014. I took it with me on study abroad. K noticed me wearing it and said he ought to sell something like it in his shop. I wore it once upon a time because I’m a fan of HIM, but now I wear it because I’m a fan of K. I think of it as the Valo family crest.

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?I reread Tithe by Holly Black a week ago. I still love it.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? Describe it! Ipi Kulmakuppila in Kallio. Just up the street from K’s shop, very hipster-y place, but the people are nice, the space is very open, and I went there a lot while in Helsinki.

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?Pretty sure it was on New Year’s Eve when I was standing on the porch with Butterfly. It was freezing and neither of us had a coat, but in the middle of our conversation I looked up at the stars and he looked up with me and that was that.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?About a week ago when I thought I was completely done with the issues of my toxic ex-friend, before this fresh wave of chaos from him began.

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? Not nearly as much as I should.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. Anything about Finnishing something for my study abroad paperwork.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?Any icing with way too much food dye.

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? Is it the same today? Dying in a fire. Yes.

49: do you like buying cds and records? What was the last one you bought?I don’t. The last one I bought was a sampler CD that came with a Kerrang magazine in a thrift store in Helsinki. It’s not good.

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? 4-leaf clovers.

#ask #Anonymous

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itsfinancethings · 4 years

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Margaret Keane, CEO of Synchrony—a company that financed $140 billion in purchases for American shoppers last year, via a range of credit card programs—has lived all sides of the debt equation. When she was 10, growing up as one of six kids in Queens, her father, a police officer, developed a costly and ultimately fatal illness that she says left her family burdened with thousands in medical bills. “We were getting calls to shut the electric off,” she says. “I don’t think you could ever forget that.”

She put herself through college working as a debt collector, earning $5.50 an hour, making 90 calls a day, while a student at St. John’s University. She excelled and ended up in the management training program at Citibank before rising to run Synchrony, where she now presides over an army of employees approving loans, and also collecting them when borrowers fall behind.

The ability of consumers to keep paying their bills will play an outsized role in the post-pandemic recovery. So far, Keane is not seeing a spike in delinquencies one might expect given the plunge in economic activity, though the stimulus is clearly aiding those bill payments. “The consumer is definitely hanging in there,” she says.

Keane, 60, recently joined TIME for a video conversation on the mindset of the American consumer, the impact of small business health on any recovery, and what corporations need to do to help address systemic racism in society.

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

(This interview with Synchrony CEO Margaret Keane has been condensed and edited for clarity)

Your company was founded in 1932, another time of great financial distress, to help people buy appliances on credit. Now there are tens of million of Americans out of work. What parallels do you see?

What’s interesting about our company is the culture and the roots of how we came about was really during a time of crisis. And honestly, back in the day, when you think back, I know it doesn’t feel innovative now, but actually lending people money was a big deal.

What products were being sold?

Back in the ’30s, people would literally go to their local corner appliance store and pay weekly to get the appliance. You can imagine people weren’t working and GE wanted to sell appliances. So they came up with this idea, ‘Okay, how do we finance appliances?’ And that’s how the company started—GE wanted to sell appliances. Appliances were still relatively new for them. Having that at home was a big deal. It allowed the average American to have access to those kinds of luxuries back then.

How concerned are you about the health of the American consumer right now?

Coming into the crisis the consumer was very strong. People were paying their bills. Right now, we are not seeing real change to our performance on delinquencies. There’s two big unknowns. The first unknown is there’s been a lot of stimulus for people. I’m sure you’ve read, people put a lot more in savings.

Savings are at a record rate, right?

Record high, and then a second piece is people are paying their bills. Now the question is, is it the stimulus that’s helping them pay their bills, tax returns? What’s interesting to me is that consumers are being conservative. They’re being thoughtful about how they’re using their dollars. So what we need to do is say, ‘Okay, what happens when the stimulus stops? And then when the stimulus stops, how many people actually get back to work?’ That’s really the piece that’s a little uncertain right now.

With your partnerships with so many big retailers such as Lowe’s, Sam Clubs and the newly announced Verizon card, you have a lot of insights into consumer behavior. What are people buying now?

There’s a lot being spent around the home, home improvement. You can’t find plants now.There’s a lot being spent around the home, home improvement. You can’t find plants now. You can’t find vessels to plant in. Furniture obviously dropped, but didn’t drop completely. People are still buying online. What we did see though is that the ticket size was smaller because you didn’t have a sales person saying, ‘Oh, if you’re going to buy that chair, you might want to think about this table.”

Anything else?

Bikes. Fishing rods. All outdoor stuff now is kind of hard to get. I was just talking to someone who said you can’t find kayaks right now. People have just said I’m not going to take vacation. So I’m going to have vacation at home. And then there are people who say, ‘Okay, I really want to make my house more of my vacation.’

I’ve heard you mention that all of these Zoom calls are going to drive demand for another service that you finance.

We have our health care business, CareCredit. We do a lot with plastic surgeons. And I joked that the plastic surgery business is going to take off. And sure enough, it has taken off now that things have reopened.

Is that true? Do you think that’s driven by Zoom?

I use myself as an example. I’m looking at my face every day and there’s some things I should be getting. [LAUGHTER]. One of our employees, their wife is a nurse in a plastic surgery center, and she told her husband that she saw 32 patients in one day. It’s the most she’s ever seen in her entire career.

What economic indicators do you monitor to tell how consumers are feeling financially?

We look at things like are people paying less than their minimum payment? Are payment levels holding? And honestly, all of that’s holding. So that’s a sign for us that right now, the consumer is definitely hanging in there.

Purchase volume is the number of times people use their credit card?

Yeah, these are purchases on our card. Our cards across our merchant and retail and health care networks. When we started the pandemic, it started out, in March we were down 26%. It moved down to about 31% [in the first half of April.] And it’s now down 10% (in late May.)

TIME for Learning partnered with Columbia Business School to offer a series of online, on-demand classes on topics like effective leadership, negotiation and customer-centric marketing. To sign up or learn more, click here.

How are brick and mortar retail stores going to come out of this?

We have been over-retailed for a long time. There was a retail transformation happening even before COVID. And there were a number of retailers that were struggling. What the COVID experience has done is accelerate that transformation. And we’re seeing more bankruptcies and reductions in retail. We’re seeing, obviously, more and more people buy online than ever before. But people still like to go to a mall and get out and see things and touch things.

I know your view is that some of the problems in retail went beyond competition from e-commerce, right?

Online is not the only driver of why retail has had its troubles in opening. I think there were some fundamental challenges underneath. Too many stores. No investment in the stores themselves. Lack of inventory. I was in a store before this whole thing happened and, honestly, I had to really search to find someone to pay for something. You’re like, ‘Oh, my God, why am I even here?’

What is your biggest concern about the economy?

I’ve been through many crises before where we’ve modeled a lot of things out. We tend to model unemployment. I don’t think we’ll be at this 40 million unemployment number. I think the real concern that I have when I think of employment is more around the small business constituents here. And how many of them actually survive, right? I think the real question is how many people survive in the small business segment, and then what does that do to unemployment?

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

And what are your models showing right now?

It will be a double-digit unemployment number we think going into 2021.

What’s your favorite letter these days to describe the expected shape of the recovery?

I think it’s going to be somewhat of a U, but it’s going to be a little elongated It’s going to be a little slower coming up.

How important are small businesses to the American economy overall?

We need a robust small business community here to make our economy in the U.S. work. Studies show they employ the most people. They keep our communities strong. As a country, small business is the heart of who we are. [On June 17, after the interview was conducted, Synchrony committed $5 million to support small business; $2 million of that amount is directed to minority and women owned businesses in underserved communities.]

And people still value the connection with local businesses.

I live in a little town here [In Connecticut] and I walk down my Main Street, and I keep saying ‘I love that store, I hope they’re going to be back. And that store, I hope they’re going to be back. The restaurants, I hope they’re going to be back.’ These are real businesses with real expenses that have been shut for quite awhile.

The majority of your 17,000 employees work in call centers. How is that going in the pandemic?

We moved the entire company to home. That’s much easier said than done because we literally had to give everyone the technology. We had to create a whole logistics process. We put those packets, if you will, together: Their work-at-home technology. And then they’d come into our call centers, pick it up. We had like a whole process. We have some funny stories of people driving in the middle of the night to meet the FedEx guy to get the headsets because they weren’t going to make it in the morning.

What’s in that kit?

It’s a laptop, it’s a camera, it’s headsets, it’s speakers. A mouse. But in addition to that, we had to work with them and make sure their network could handle it, too. There was a lot of back-and-forth on just getting them set up in the right environment at home.

That sounds expensive. What did that cost?

I have no idea how much we spent. I know it was a lot. But I didn’t even ask. If we weren’t in a pandemic, we would have had our 55 meetings before we got to the decision of, Okay, we’re going to move everybody home. Then we would have done the budget. Then we would have said, well, whatever. We didn’t do any of that. We moved.

When you were a debt collector back in the day, did you have a good spiel? Did you go off script?

Look, I always try to tell people, what you do learn in collecting is there are people that have real tragedies and really are trying to pay and they’re lawful. And there are those people who are trying to beat the system. And I think the trick of a collector is figuring out who those other people are, and just making sure you have empathy for the people that have hit something.

Did you have a good nose for the people that are trying to beat the system?

You don’t have it at the beginning. But then you do. I went into it with a very rose-colored kind of glass thing, And then you’re like, ‘Okay, now I realize what people are talking about.’ It’s the repeat offender that gets you.

How is your workforce doing, mental-health wise?

You know the whole work-at-home is a good thing, but it puts a lot of stress, particularly for women who are trying to home-school.If you asked our staff out in the field, they’re saying this is the biggest challenge we’re facing right now is a lot of anxiety, a lot of depression. You know the whole work-at-home is a good thing, but it puts a lot of stress, particularly for women who are trying to home-school.

How do you respond to that?

We were working on mental health before COVID because it’s been very clear to me that we have a very stressed environment in our work right now. And there’s a lot of people who need extra support. So we were actually piloting some things in our call center, where some wellness coaches that were actually there at the site. So we now just transformed that to wellness through telemedicine. And we’ve expanded to offer free consultation with psychologists.

What has been your response to the outpouring of support to address systemic racism in society?

I have to as a leader recognize that we have some real work to do in society and the country. And we’re part of that. What can we do internally?

I didn’t want this to be like a check mark, like, We sent the note out. We all said ‘We’re sad.’ And then move on. This is a pivotal moment in our country that Synchrony can play a role inside its company, and then we’ve got to think about what we do outside the company. [On June 25, Synchrony announced a $5 million donation to organizations supporting social justice and equity.]

So corporations should be involved in this solution?

There’s no way we’re going to solve this, because there’s so many things that need to be solved, without corporations stepping up, engaging in our communities, and engaging with government. I think it’s all about how we lift everybody up through this. There’s how do we hire more diverse people in our company? How do we give more people of diversity, no matter what diversity, the opportunity inside our company? And we’ve been working on a lot of this. And we were very focused coming into this year on Black and Hispanic leadership. And particularly Black … because we don’t have enough. We’re doing a lot of soul-searching because we could pat ourselves, great places to work. We get all these awards. We’re great. But like let’s look at the numbers on some of these things and how we make a difference. We have to double down on all this right now.

KEANE’S FAVORITES

BUSINESS BOOK: I like leadership books. I loved Hamilton. I loved the Grant book. I love historical novels of people who have led. I’m very into those types of figures because look, they made a lot of very difficult decisions to bring our country together both times.

AUTHOR: I’m a big Nelson DeMille fan. I actually like his older stuff better because they’re so good

APP: Twitter. I use it to really stay abreast of what’s happening.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIP: I never go to sleep with an unread email. It’s zero every night.

PREFERRED STRESS RELIEF METHOD: In the middle of the day, I try to make an hour of time for myself to go take a walk outside. Just getting outside has a whole different feeling. And it’s funny because it’s not like I did that in my office. I would work all day, but for some reason I just need to get up, get out, clear my mind, and come back a little refreshed.

(Miss this week’s The Leadership Brief? This interview above was delivered to the inbox of Leadership Brief subscribers on Sunday morning, June 28; to receive emails of conversations with the world’s top CEO’s and business decision makers, click here. The Leadership Brief will not be published over the Fourth of July weekend. The next weekly edition will hit your inbox July 12.)

#IFTTT #Blogger

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newstechreviews · 4 years

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Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

(This interview with Synchrony CEO Margaret Keane has been condensed and edited for clarity)

Your company was founded in 1932, another time of great financial distress, to help people buy appliances on credit. Now there are tens of million of Americans out of work. What parallels do you see?

What products were being sold?

How concerned are you about the health of the American consumer right now?

Savings are at a record rate, right?

With your partnerships with so many big retailers such as Lowe’s, Sam Clubs and the newly announced Verizon card, you have a lot of insights into consumer behavior. What are people buying now?

Anything else?

I’ve heard you mention that all of these Zoom calls are going to drive demand for another service that you finance.

Is that true? Do you think that’s driven by Zoom?

What economic indicators do you monitor to tell how consumers are feeling financially?

Purchase volume is the number of times people use their credit card?

How are brick and mortar retail stores going to come out of this?

I know your view is that some of the problems in retail went beyond competition from e-commerce, right?

What is your biggest concern about the economy?

Subscribe to The Leadership Brief by clicking here.

And what are your models showing right now?

It will be a double-digit unemployment number we think going into 2021.

What’s your favorite letter these days to describe the expected shape of the recovery?

I think it’s going to be somewhat of a U, but it’s going to be a little elongated It’s going to be a little slower coming up.

How important are small businesses to the American economy overall?

And people still value the connection with local businesses.

The majority of your 17,000 employees work in call centers. How is that going in the pandemic?

What’s in that kit?

That sounds expensive. What did that cost?

When you were a debt collector back in the day, did you have a good spiel? Did you go off script?

Did you have a good nose for the people that are trying to beat the system?

How is your workforce doing, mental-health wise?

How do you respond to that?

What has been your response to the outpouring of support to address systemic racism in society?

I have to as a leader recognize that we have some real work to do in society and the country. And we’re part of that. What can we do internally?

So corporations should be involved in this solution?

KEANE’S FAVORITES

AUTHOR: I’m a big Nelson DeMille fan. I actually like his older stuff better because they’re so good

APP: Twitter. I use it to really stay abreast of what’s happening.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIP: I never go to sleep with an unread email. It’s zero every night.

#Blogger

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charlierejouis · 5 years

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Captain Marvel Q&A Review

I want to try something a bit different. Rather than straight review this movie, I want to talk through some questions people may have about the movie. Having seen it once, I’ll try to get to some questions and keep this as spoiler-free as possible. Here’s an example.

What was it like seeing Marvel’s first female-led movie?

Well, frankly I haven’t seen Elektra yet. I haven’t heard a lot of good things about it. It was made in an era when superhero movies aren’t at the same quality we know them to be now. After ranking the MCU films, I’m starting to get more interested in the films outside of the MCU, especially some of Marvel’s films outside of the MCU that doesn’t have Deadpool in them.

Jokes aside, let’s go!

Were you concerned about Captain Marvel going into the movie?

Yes. I tried to read one of the newer Captain Marvel comics and couldn’t get past the issue #0 of the series. Then seeing the trailers and semi-controversy surrounding the movie, gave me successively less hype over this movie that I genuinely wanted to like. The thing that gave me the most concern was meeting with Chris Claremont at NYCC and hearing him say that he was concerned about this movie. Though some of his complaints were about not getting his touch on Carol’s character in the movie, a good number of the issues brought up about Captain Marvel were the same issues other people have been voicing.

What are some of the issues people have with a Captain Marvel coming out?

Frankly, Carol’s not been doing so well in the comics department. Recently, Marvel Comics has been pushing her as sort of the face of a new era of comics. Since becoming Captain Marvel, though, she hasn’t had a series sell well or last long. Factor that in with another Civil War event that doesn’t put her in a good light, but still makes her out to be the supposed good guy, and it’s not surprising that Captain Marvel isn’t a hilariously popular character with a good number of Marvel fans.

What is your take on the politics surrounding the movie, up to its release?

Full disclosure, I don’t personally align terribly well with modern-day third/fourth wave feminism. I have a number of issues with both sides of the intersectionality arguments. However, I personally side more with the arguments against so-called “SJW issues”, especially considering many people making arguments against them are on both sides of the political aisle. Before seeing the movie, I feel like the idea that the making of this movie into a feminist battleground was a mistake. Not because I don’t think politics in movies is a bad thing, but because I was worried that this controversy was a way of distracting people from how good or bad the actual movie would end up being. I think that Brie Larson going after fans and critics was stupid before the film came out. People were not expecting this movie to do well the instant it was announced and her actions didn’t help to ease people’s concerns about the film.

And, after seeing the movie, how has this view changed?

I was not expecting this to actually be a feminist movie. Like, I know Brie Larson actually said that this was a feminist movie, but I figured that meant this was a good movie for women and girls to see come out on the day we celebrate them. No, this movie is, without exaggeration, a feminist allegory for women who live under the patriarchy. This results in at least some changes I know will piss fans of the comics off. However, I don’t have too much of a problem with the movie with that recognition in mind. I still think that marketing for this movie goofed up, but only in not giving us the best of Carol in the movie. Though, as an overtly feminist movie, I don’t think this will have as wide an appeal as it would if it wasn’t. Like, I wouldn’t be shocked if the upcoming Black Widow movie goes in a different direction and is considered better than this movie in any and all respects.

Are there any things fans of the MCU/comics ought to look out for?

One big thing I can say is that Monica Rambeau is in this movie. In the comics, she was the first female Captain Marvel so it will be interesting to see how her future pans out across the MCU, especially with Miss Marvel in play. Ronan the Accusor and Coulson are in this movie, but they don’t play a seriously large role in this film. In regards to continuity, they do refer to the Strategic Homeland Intelligence, Enforcement, and Logistics Division as SHIELD in this movie, which kind of messes with Iron Man stuff. This movie also messes up some things with the first two Captain America movies and the first Avengers film. Also, the Marvel Studios logo is a tribute to Stan Lee and I’m glad that we got that.

What did you think of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel?

I don’t love Brie Larson as Captain Marvel in this movie. A lot of people say that she gets worse the more the movie goes on. To be honest, I think that she has some of her best moments as the movie goes on. However, I can’t say that this was a good performance for Larson as Captain Marvel. Interestingly enough, her best moments were playing off of other characters whom I considered to be more interesting than her. I don’t want to jump on it being her fault as she’s apparently won an Oscar a few years ago and I don’t love the directing or writing of this movie overall. Not to mention that this is her first time as the character. Maybe, under the Russos direction, she’ll improve in my eyes. Carol does smile when she sees Stan in his cameo and that made me like her a bit more.

Do you have any serious issues with this movie?

I have a lot of small issues with this movie. There’s one twist that everyone who’s seen this movie knows was supposed to be a joke. I’m not mad it happened so much as slightly annoyed by it. I don’t love some changes I hinted at earlier as one ruins a lot of potential for the MCU’s future, another feels like we were lied to by marketing for this movie, and others leave a bad taste in my mouth. Usually, my inclination is for movies to not spend more time than they need to do their thing, but this could have benefitted from having another half hour to tie up some loose ends or explore some issues presented within the movie.

Are there good things about this movie?

I love Samuel L. Jackon as Fury in this movie. We get to see him while he’s still a bit more optimistic about the world and it’s amazing seeing him play off of Carol. After the feminist angle of the movie is fully revealed, the movie becomes more fun to watch. A few expectations are subverted in ways that make sense for the movie’s bend and aren’t terribly unwelcome changes of pace. Apparently, they got the composer for Fortnite to write the music and she did a good job, though I doubt she’s getting an Oscar over this. And, I’ll say it again. I really, genuinely, and unironically hope we get a movie with Monica in the future. I don’t care that she didn’t do a lot in the comics. I want to see her do something in the MCU.

Do you need to watch this movie to understand Avengers: Endgame?

No. There is a bit of an explanation as to why Carol wasn’t a part of the MCU so far. We do see her give Nick Fury the pager he used in the end-credits scene of Infinity War. There’s a scene from Endgame that involves her, similar to how the end-credits scene of Ant-Man showed a scene involving him in Civil War. However, other than the assurance that she will be in Endgame, there’s not much of a connection to this movie and Endgame, at least so far as I can tell. To be fair, Marvel is trying to be as quiet as they can regarding this movie, considering how much it’s supposed to change about the MCU. Not getting a serious connection to it isn’t terribly shocking, disappointing though it may be.

Overall, how does this movie rank among the MCU?

Before watching the movie, everything I had seen and heard regarding the movie led me to believe this was going to be, at the very best, a movie just shy of my top 5 or, at the very worse, the next worse film in the MCU. I’m happy to report that, after my first viewing of this movie, it’s in neither extreme. I can’t say it’s outright the worst movie in the MCU, but it’s pretty close to it. For all the talk Captain Marvel being the strongest hero in the MCU, I can’t say I’m terribly impressed by her powers, considering I don’t understand how her powers work in the MCU. And, regarding Carol Danvers, she might actually be one of the worst people behind an MCU hero. For now, I’d say that it’s an okay film that’s close to being my least favorite film in what’s shaping up to be the best phase of the MCU. I may even consider it to be the outright worst film in the MCU.

Is it worth watching?

Ultimately, I had fun watching this movie. To invoke Digibro, it could have been much better, but it could have been so much worse. However, that’s because I already enjoy the MCU. I left the theatre and could barely explain why it was a good film for my Uber driver. No one whose I trust, of varying political views and allegiances to the MCU, said this movie was better than okay and many said it was below average. If you’re fine with your movies having more of a feminist angle, definitely give it a shot while its in theaters. Otherwise, you’ll likely have some fun with this movie when it comes out on DVD. I can’t really advocate watching this while in theaters.

If you have more questions for me, I’m planning to do a follow up where I get into more spoiler-related stuff. See you!

#captain marvel #mcu #well... this happened #i've had this ready for a while #but here it is

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1vet2another · 7 years

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1vet2another: Military to college student

By Matt Medhat

As an active-duty enlisted Marine in the infantry (3/1 out of Camp Pendleton), I didn’t have a clue what life would be like after service. I was months away from getting out. A lot of Marines spent their last month’s assigned to time-killing positions like landscaping or lifeguard duty while their old unit prepared for the next deployment. I wish the military put more emphasis on preparing us for getting out, just as they prepared us to enter the service. In my opinion, the transition classes were a joke. I continue to make the journey from an enlisted service member to civilian. I have learned a lot along the way and hope to pass on that knowledge to my fellow veterans (still learning).

I received a Bachelor’s in Economics, worked for 2 Fortune 100 corporations (still working for one), and recently received my Master’s from Northwestern University. This is blog #1 of hopefully many more. I will share experiences and provide tips on each part of my journey. We will discuss everything from preparing to leave service, college life, finding a career, getting hired, business tips, community involvement, etc. My goal is to help you gain a competitive advantage, realize the power of your skills and experiences, and ultimately crush the transition. It is important to note that I am not always right (wow). These blogs are my own perspective from my own experiences. I hope to spark conversation and want to hear your own opinion, whether you agree or not. Also, if you want me to add a topic or go more in depth, I am willing to do that as well (use the comment section below). Let’s get started…

Whether you are 2 years away or 30 days from entering the civilian world, it is never too early to prepare. The choices you make now will have a huge impact on your success after the military. If your goal is to enter the “white collar” workforce, you almost certainly need higher education, specifically a bachelor’s degree. Believe me, I get the argument that a degree doesn’t guarantee success, and there are numerous examples of people succeeding in corporations without it. But the odds are not on your side with this strategy. A bachelor’s degree has quickly become a minimal requirement for getting your foot in the door at most businesses.

Competition is everywhere and the majority of your competition will have a bachelor’s degree (at least). The name of the game is standing out among your peers. A degree paired with your service will give you a competitive advantage. What you should avoid is taking time off. The time right after service is not the time to take a break. In addition to not wanting a gap in your resume, you are already slightly older than most students in school, it will only get harder to get back into the student mode the older you get. Keep the momentum going and get right into it. Remember, it is an extremely competitive environment and your time is limited. Let’s review some tips to help you start the process of getting a Bachelor’s degree after the military…

1. Earn credit while you are still in

During your service, you may have opportunities to start chipping away at your degree early. For me, I was able to register for a college course while on a Navy ship during deployment. My platoon officer was the acting professor for a Psychology 100 level course, which would count towards general education required at a university. The course was offered through Central Texas College and all assignments and tests were sent to the university for grading. This expedited course lasted about 6 weeks. If you look for it, opportunities are everywhere for college level courses. Find your local education information center on base and learn about your options (available schools/benefits). Utilize the tuition assistance offered during service, it will help your limited GI Bill benefits take you further after service. Also, knocking these courses out now will only save you time when pursuing your degree after service. Taking an accredited course should reduce the amount of courses/credits you will be required to take at a university after service. It will also give you a taste, perhaps even confidence, about what it will take to be a college student. Schedules for military men and women are hectic, but we all know down time exists. Use this down time to your advantage!

Another way to start chipping away at your degree is utilizing the education and training you received in the military. Many of these are accepted by universities as credits towards your degree, which means you don’t have to start from scratch. I believe I had around 20 something credit hours before I entered Western Illinois University. In addition to the 3 hours from my psychology course on ship, I was able to add things like recruit training and courses from the learning management system. Coming in with credit hours allowed me to graduate about a semester earlier compared to my peers.

2. Use your officers

Before you begin looking at schools, put some thought into your plan. Are you positive about your career path after service? Is there something specific you want to study? Are you planning to attend as a full-time student or part-time? Am I looking for a school with a great reputation? Am I willing to get a student loan, how much can/should I be spending? Will I get better benefits in one state over another? Online or in-person (highly recommended)? Should I save money and go to a Community College or do I want the full University experience? Are you completely clueless about what you are looking for? There are thousands of universities in the U.S., many of which specialize in different areas. You might want to be closer to home, in a city, or somewhere warm. The point is you need to start filtering down your wants before going in. You don’t have to know everything, that is where your officers come in.

I had no clue what I wanted, I just knew I should go to school and take advantage of the benefits offered. I also knew it was important for my career, no matter what I chose (still had no clue about the career either). I found officers to be great resources. Since all of our officers already had the bachelor’s degree, I decided to start asking questions. They quickly helped me narrow down my selections and helped prepare for the dreaded application process. They also helped me understand my benefits, in addition to pointing me to the experts. Understanding the benefits in the state is critical. It is also important to know the benefits that each school will offer/accept. In addition to state and federal benefits, some universities will accept more military credit hours than others. All of this information should go into your search. Pro Tip: If you don’t have competent officers to talk to, utilize your base resources. If that doesn’t work, use the online community. Sending your questions out on LinkedIn or RallyPoint can give you a great deal of insight. You should also reach out to the Veteran Resource Center for each school (most schools have these). The VRC will be one of the best resources to help you through the entire process.

The application process takes persistence and patience. Be prepared to get a few rejections. I had less than average grades in high school, so transcripts weren’t going to help me. I also had average ACT test scores. Overall, I had to really leverage my military experience. In a way, I had to prove that I was a completely different person because of the military and would excel as a student. My best opportunity was to rely on the essay and recommendations. One or two of my closest Lieutenants were critical to this process. My essay had to persuade the reader that my work ethic, leadership skills, and other challenging experiences in the military would make me a successful student. Learning how to highlight my soft skills (like leadership, work ethic, etc.) and connect them to my experiences (through the use of stories) was the difference maker.

Officers were also my only hope for letters of recommendation (another application requirement). Once again, I asked a few of the Officers (who knew me well) to write recommendation letters. I made sure they made one for each of the universities I was applying to. Pro Tip: Have them write a generic one for your job applications after college, and save it somewhere safe! Like I said before, you will likely get some rejections, which is why I recommend finding a few different target schools to apply at. In my opinion, the school reputation at the bachelor’s degree level is not as important as the master’s degree level. So it is okay if you don’t get into that long shot school.

3. Find the right major, be open

Once you get accepted, it is okay to not choose a major right away. In fact, if you aren’t 100% positive about your future path, I would recommend waiting at least a year before choosing a major. For me, I took advantage of the general education portion of my degree to learn about different areas. In a way this allowed me to stick my toe in the water. This is important when you feel like you forgot everything from high school. I even had to take a math refresher course before entering college level math courses. General education and different elective courses also allowed me to find the topics I had the most interest in, which is important if you want good grades to follow. I chose Western Illinois University because they were very military friendly and a few hours from home (plus Illinois paid tuition for in-state public universities). They accepted more credit hours from my service than most schools. They also were well known for criminal justice degrees. At the time, I was almost positive that I would become a police officer (I was infantry, what else was I going to do?). Side note: Just because you had a specific role in the military, doesn't mean you have to continue down that same path. If you were in a logistics role, you can choose a career in finance after the military. It is all about leveraging the soft skills gained from service. Instead of choosing my major from the beginning, I still decided to wait after recommendations from my surrounding network, including the school counselor.

I ended up loving the Economics courses (of all things) and decided to major in Economics. Note to those considering criminal justice: having a criminal justice degree will help you enter this industry, but limit you in others, like business. It also isn’t required to have this degree in order to become a police officer. I spent a lot of time talking to different federal agencies like the FBI, DEA, etc., and they preferred degrees like accounting, finance and economics anyways (just a thought). I never thought (along with the majority of those closest to me) that I would enjoy and major in Economics. I am grateful that I didn’t choose criminal justice immediately. Research, being patient, following my interest, and being open to new areas of interest helped me find a degree that would lead into some great careers. It also helps to research the degrees you are looking into. What kind of job/salary potential does it have? How many that receive this major get a job immediately after graduation? Will this silo me in one industry? With all that said, it is important to not wait too long. You should at least pick a major by the end of Sophomore year (don’t become a permanent student).

This blog was meant to provide some high level tips for getting a bachelor’s degree after the military. If asked, I am willing to go into more depth in any of the areas I covered. Future blogs will cover succeeding in school, finding a job, getting promoted, etc. Please let me know your thoughts!

#veteran #college #school #career #military #enlistment #marines #usmc #army #navy #air force #student #wearesva #mattmedhat #1vet2another

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