#just need to bait myself with the knowledge that if we hire someone we can fire that infuriating employee

[orcelito]

Tonight would be such a lovely night if I didn't have this damned manager meeting to do in a bit over an hour 😠

[oliviareviewsnasu]

Olivia Reads Fate/Stay Night ~Fate~ Route (Blind Readthrough) Part 1: Intro Sequence and Rin!

Before we begin with this readthrough I'd like to personally thank anyone and everyone who has come here to listen (or read I suppose) my maddened ramblings. You truly make it worth it. Now on to the readthrough. Intro Sequence By now this intro scene is engrained even into my mind and there’s not really much to say about it. As this is a blind review however here’s a basic summary of the events: Shirou, in a state of desperation, summons perhaps one of the most famous characters in the franchise to fend off an unknown attacker. The King of Knights stands before him and asks the iconic line: “I ask of you, are you my master?”. She then states that their fates (heh) are now entwined before the scene fades to white leading into the Rin prologue. On the more technical end; the music in the Realta Nua version is phenomenal. as is Ayako Kasumi’s performance as Saber even this early on in what would be a long career

What I think the anime (Unlimited Blade Works in particular) doesn’t quite convey is Shirou’s mystique and awe in the face of the King of Knights, nor his poetic heart. He’s clearly much much more intelligent and thoughtful than quite a few people give him credit for.

By all accounts this is true in a both a literal and meta-sense. 17 years later people are still discussing the franchise with nearly the same vigor as larger properties like One Piece or Dragon Ball. As for the literal, well, we all know Shirou’s dark fate. On the topic of darkness, I love how they portray Arturia. Awash in the light of the moon while Shirou is cowering in the dark. The contrast is beautiful and highlights just how important of a role she’d play in the would-be-hero’s future. What I find to be fascinating is how much imagery is loaded into these first few moments. That, coupled with Shirou’s prose, makes for a gorgeous introduction. My only issue with it is the whiplash bait-and-switch from Shirou’s perspective to Rin’s; especially with the knowledge that we’ll need to essentially re-read that part to begin with. It weakens some of the dramatic tension and choreography. Prologue: Day 1 (Part 1) And so the Rin prologue begins, in bed, with traumatic memories and regrets. So an ordinary morning for this reviewer. It’s also the first mention of the Holy Grail War that took place during the events of Fate/Zero. Rin’s final memories of her father do pull at my heart-strings however. Wanting to make someone laugh before you see them off is, in my opinion, a noble pursuit. Given what I know of Tokiomi from the events of Fate/Zero I can also agree that his character was perhaps one of the finer among the mages. At least compared to Kiritsugu “Sign a magical contract, can’t shoot, hire someone else to first for me” Emiya, Kirei “My religious views make my sadism and hedonism weird for me” Kotomine, and Lord El Melloi “Old Money, Old Magecraft” Archibald. Sound wise I’ve been listening to the flashback music for nearly ten minutes as I’ve been writing this up and I’m starting to see stars so we should probably move along- And so the Rin proloAnd so the Rin prologue begins, in bed, with traumatic memories and regrets. So an ordinary morning for this reviewer. It’s also the first mention of the Holy Grail War that took place during the events of Fate/Zero. Rin’s final memories of her father do pull at my heart-strings however. Wanting to make someone laugh before you see them off is, in my opinion, a noble pursuit. Given what I know of Tokiomi from the events of Fate/Zero I can also agree that his character was perhaps one of the finer among the mages. At least compared to Kiritsugu “Sign a magical contract, can’t shoot, hire someone else to first for me” Emiya, Kirei “My religious views make my sadism and hedonism weird for me” Kotomine, and Lord El Melloi “Old Money, Old Magecraft” Archibald. Sound wise I’ve been listening to the flashback music for nearly ten minutes as I’ve been writing this up and I’m starting to see stars so we should probably move along-gue begins, in bed, with traumatic memories and regrets. So an ordinary morning for this reviewer. It’s also the first mention of the Holy Grail War that took place during the events of Fate/Zero. Rin’s final memories of her father do pull at my heart-strings however. Wanting to make someone laugh before you see them off is, in my opinion, a noble pursuit. Given what I know of Tokiomi from the events of Fate/Zero I can also agree that his character was perhaps one of the finer among the mages. At least compared to Kiritsugu “Sign a magical contract, can’t shoot, hire someone else to first for me” Emiya, Kirei “My religious views make my sadism and hedonism weird for me” Kotomine, and Lord El Melloi “Old Money, Old Magecraft” Archibald. Sound wise I’ve been listening to the flashback music for nearly ten minutes as I’ve been writing this up and I’m starting to see stars so we should probably move along-

-Only for the lovely siren song of the world’s most annoying alarm clock to start ringing.

I agree with you there Rin, I feel like I’m being attacked as well. Terrible assault on the ears aside, we learn that Rin has been up late at night studying her Father’s will. A hobby that not even I would recommend. After struggling to get out of bed in time for class (Rin really is my spirit animal), she promptly complains about the coldness of her home. As someone who lives in Boston and has never heard of Central Air, this is painfully relatable. Have you had to sit on a toilet seat with ice in the bowl? I don’t recommend it. After the most uncomfortable scene of someone humble-bragging about their rich (literally in this case) background (likely because she can’t to anyone else), she explains that she is in fact a mage and what that entails. Persecution, isolation, and regular communion with forces beyond what most can comprehend. She also goes on to reference the 5 magics (familiar if you’ve played Melty Blood or read Tsukihime, something I’m sure to cover at some point).

What I find to be interesting here is that she fundamentally separates herself from the rest of humanity, treating herself as an outsider despite living what she’d consider ‘an ordinary life’. She shows longing and desire for the things that everyone else has access to and seems to disdain magic on it’s own. But to paraphrase Rin: “Let’s put off difficult discussions, they can wait till they’re old.” As Rin heads out she grabs a rather suspicious (and important) pendant that she managed to find after decoding Tokiomi’s will. It makes me wonder, did he lock up the Tohsaka family heirlooms in various vaults; hoping that someday his heir or maybe one of hers would be able to open them? Was he trolling his daughter? Or am I reading too much into this? Besides her finding the mystical cure-a-spear-to-the-heart jewel, Rin goes on to explain how Tohsaka family magic works. Essentially by slowly storing magic in jewels to draw upon at a later date. I’m reminded of Stormlight and its use of spheres, but that’s besides the point. There’s also a brief discussion of magic crests and how they’re essentially all the magical experiences of her predecessors engraved into her arm. Fun. Rin then goes on to finally leave her house after nearly thirty minutes of getting ready and shows a remarkable knowledge of German. Something that even I haven’t quite managed to master. There’s some brief world building with this area of Fuyuki being a blend of Eastern and Western architecture (as an architect myself this is fascinating to me) and draws a line of parallel between Rin and Shirou. Rin lives in a fancy Western-style mansion and longs for the future, while Shirou lives in the Eastern-style Emiya Residence and yearns for ideals that don’t quite exist anymore. As Rin hurries off to school, a sense of eeriness and unease washes over us, only for us to learn the most terrible and terrifying fact of all. She got up early and so her early morning panic was wasted. Oh and we also meet Ayako who is as exhaustingly energetic as usual. Somehow Rin’s clocks were all an hour fast. She suspects Tokiomi’s work, but I doubt the Tohsaka family Patriarch was one for pranks. Ayako drags Rin off the almost exorbitantly fancy Archery range and they begin to discuss their mutual search for a partner. Have I said that Rin is my spirit animal? I’m sure I must have by now.

This is the first glimpse we get at Rin’s competitive side. Ayako may have been the one to initiate the relationship, but any strong rivalry requires mutual input from both parties. A solid example of this can be seen in the relationship between Sanji and Zoro in One Piece. If I were less astute, I’d prop Ayako as up a potential antagonist later on during the route. As for the contest itself, it’s petty in the most realistic of ways. Attempting to get a boyfriend or girlfriend just to rub it in the face of your rival? I’ve definitely experienced that in my (admittedly brief) lifetime. Well we’ll have to find out another time as I’ve come to realize just how long this document is getting. Join me next week and we’ll continue along with the Rin prologue and hope we get to her summoning of Archer. This has been a fascinating look at the series I’ve adored for so long, just seeing the characters thoughts on the most simple of matters has been an eye-widening experience. This is Olivia Reviews and I can’t wait to see you next time.

[thequeenofindie]

A Mandalorian. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your kind.

A man of honor should not be forced to live in exile.

A man of your skill should make short work of this.

A nurse droid? I thought it was a hunter. Aren’t IGs usually hunters?

Aren’t you a man of honor?

Are we gonna keep talking or are we gonna get out of here?

Bad news. You can’t live here anymore.

Be safe on your journey.

But after what happened last night, I couldn’t go through with it.

But to the winner goes the spoils.

By creed, it is in your care.

Can we talk about this later?

Clearly, there’s nowhere for me to go.

Come to mama!

Did you do this!?

Did you know about this!?

Did you not just hear that he killed a dozen of his own troopers, JUST to make a point?

Do not cast doubt upon that of what I am, nor whom I shall serve.

Do not self destruct.

Don’t be so dramatic.

Do the magic hand thing!

Do you know which way to go?

Droids are not good or bad. They are neutral reflections of those who imprint them.

Hang on, I don’t do the baby thing.

Have you trained in the Rising Phoenix?

He doesn’t know you’re coming.

Hey. Spit that out.

He’ll get over it. We all do.

He’s trying to eat me!

I’m already free of worry, and I’m not in the mood to play soldier anymore.

I’m out of ideas.

I am fulfilling my base function: to nurse and protect.

I am not a living thing.

I bought my freedom through the skill of my hands, and the labor of three of your human lifetimes.

I can bring you in warm… or I can bring you in cold.

I can pay you handsomely.

I did disintegrate a few of them.

I don’t have a choice. You saw what happened on Sorgan. They’ll keep sending hunters.

I don’t belong here.

I don’t have a choice.

I don’t have time for this.

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Empire is gone.

I don’t suppose anyone here speaks droid?

If the stories are true, then you will make quick work of it.

If you go near this child, I will have no choice but to kill you.

I have credits, take them!

I have it. I’ve got the egg.

I have knowledge that bounty hunt is a complicated profession.

I have spoken.

I like those odds.

I love IG units.

I need to help her and I need to heal.

Is it not the code of the guild that these events are now forgotten?

Is that a bounty puck?

Is there another way out?

It almost killed me!

It appears we are trapped.

It hasn’t grown much.

I thought you were a veteran?

It is a foundling.

It is forbidden.

It is good to restore the natural order of things after a period of such disarray, don’t you agree?

I told you that was a bad idea.

It was not his fault!

It’s fine. It’s on me.

It’s gonna break his little heart.

I want to hire your services.

I was helped by an enemy.

I was not born on Mandalore.

I was once a foundling.

I will help you.

I will keep the child safe.

I will not abandon this place until I have salvaged what remains.

I won’t leave you!

I’d rather you kill me than some imp.

I’d stay off the ice if I were you.

I’m afraid I have more pressing matters at hand.

I’m a Mandalorian. Weapons are a part of my religion.

I’m in the Guild.

I’m not gonna make it and you know it.

I’m not gonna trade anything.

I’m not sad.

I’m thinking of staying here just to make sure.

I’ve not heard that name since I was a kid.

Jawas steal. They don’t destroy.

Keep them away from my ship.

Let me have a warrior’s death.

Let’s get the hell out of here.

Let’s go over the plan again.

Look outside. Is the world more peaceful since the revolution?

Make the best deal for yourself and survive.

Mandalorian is not a race. It’s a creed.

Many have passed through, seeking the same as you.

Maybe he wants to eat it. I don’t ask questions.

No droids.

None will be free until the old ways are gone, forever.

No questions asked. That’s the policy, isn’t it?

Not a chance, that’s going on my wall.

Now, I serve no one but myself.

Our secrecy is our survival.

Our survival is our strength.

Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him.

Please. You deserve this.

Please tell me the child will be safe in your care.

Promise me you’ll bring him.

Reconstruction was quite difficult, but not impossible.

Save the theatrics.

She’s no good to us dead.

Spit that out!

Stop touching things.

Such a large bounty for such a small package…

Take care of this little one.

Take the bait you hunk of junk!

Thank you, I will wear this with honor.

That is not okay!

That was a joke. It was meant to put you at ease.

That was unpleasant. I’m sorry you had to see that.

That won’t even cover fuel these days.

That’s my line.

That’s not saying much.

That’s why he needs us alive.

The kid’s coming with me.

The males are all eaten during mating.

The poison is spreading fast.

There’s no reason to be sad. I am not alive.

There’s something more going on.

These are my parts.

The sun drops fast on Nevarro.

They all hate you because you’re a legend.

They stole from me.

They will not stop until they have their prize.

They’ll keep sending hunters.

They’re mercenaries, not zealots.

They’ve got us pinned!

Things have gotten complicated since you were last here.

This is a bacta spray. It will heal you in a matter of hours.

This is extremely generous.

This is more than I signed up for.

This is the one you hunted, then saved?

This is the way.

This place is a maze!

Trust me, nothing can go wrong.

Tuskens think they’re the locals. Everyone else is just trespassing.

Unless you want to go another round, one of us is going to have to leave, and I was here first.

Watch your feet. It’s molten lava.

We can make it.

Well, good luck with that.

Well then, I don’t know if I want your help.

We need someone to watch that thing.

We need the Mandalorians to escort us to safety.

We should at least discuss an escape plan.

We’ll take our chances.

We’re shooting our way out.

What a precious little creature! I can see why you didn’t want to harm a hair on its wrinkled little head.

What are your plans for it?

What else did he say?

What exquisite craftsmanship.

What’s your cut?

What’s your highest bounty?

When one chooses to walk the way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey.

Who wouldn’t want to be a legend?

Why so distrustful of droids?

You are a bounty hunter.

You are a clan of two.

You are my guest and I am therefore in your service.

You can live free of worry.

You got anyone you can trust?

You have earned your signet.

You have my heartfelt gratitude.

You have no choice, you must reunite it with its kind.

You have something I want.

You know you’re not so bad for a droid.

You looking for some work?

You make sure the child is safe.

You may think you have some idea what you are in possession of. But you do not.

You might be surprised to hear it, but I am alive too.

You protect the child.

Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal.

You really think there’s something to worry about?

Your reputation was not unwarranted.

You spilled my drink….

You stay. Don’t move.

You want some soup?

You’ll be fine.

You’re smarter than you look.

[fangirlinghard-spoilerson]

Let's talk about Grima Mog?

[The Queen of Nothing chap 2 spoilers]

I think Grima Mog is old.

First was this: 

The door opens, and a woman in a housecoat peers out. She’s bent over, leaning on a polished cane of black wood. “What do you want, deary?”

But it could be just part of her act of as an old nice Lady.

However, she gives more signs.

Retirement is a sensitive subject

“You’re Grima Mog,” I say. “Leader of armies. Destroyer of your enemies. Is this really how you want to spend your retirement?” “Retirement?” She echoes the word as though I have dealt her the deadliest insult. “Though I have been cast down, I will find another army to lead. An army bigger than the first.”

She acts as she is tired

“You better have brought a weapon, because I’ll loan you nothing.” She heads toward the door with a heavy sigh, as though she really is the old woman she’s glamoured to be.

Jude gives her a time really hard in their battle

“That’s cheating, girl,” she tells me. We’re both breathing hard. I feel like my lungs are made of lead.

And in the end, she ASKS Jude’s help to get up

“Enough.” Grima Mog looks up at me from the asphalt, blood on her pointed teeth, astonishment in her face. “I yield.” “You do?” The pipe sags in my hand. “Yes, little cheat,” she grits out, pushing herself into a sitting position. “You bested me. Now help me up.”

Before step in Grima Mog house, Jude is certainly that she held no chance against the former general. She says that Grima is a legend. But Jude defeats her. Not too easy, but not that hard.

So I think she is old as Eldred was old.

In TCP Eldred seemed old to Jude until he passed the crown.  After that, he rejuvenated.

As a Redcap, I believe that Grima Mog is old because she is not fighting enough.

Redcaps crave violence and blood and murder—in fact, they get a little twitchy when there’s none to be had for stretches of time. And if they’re traditionalists, they have a cap they dip in the blood of their vanquished enemies, supposedly to grant them some stolen vitality of the slain.

After she makes a deal with Jude, the daughter of a Redcap, who promises be a challenge, Grima Mog seems to gain energy.

“You better have brought a weapon, because I’ll loan you nothing.” She heads toward the door with a heavy sigh, as though she really is the old woman she’s glamoured to be. I follow her out of her apartment, down the dimly lit hall, and into the even darker stairway, my nerves firing. I hope I know what I’m doing. She goes up the steps two at a time, eager now, slamming open a metal door at the top. I hear the clatter of steel as she draws a thin sword out of her cane. A greedy smile pulls her lips too wide, showing off her sharp teeth. 

In the end, Grima Mog doesn’t just invite Jude back, she trow a bait to Jude.

I have secrets aplenty. There are so many things you don’t know, daughter of Madoc

She wants to fight Jude more. Fight Jude is better than hunting the folk.

Grima Mog didn’t exactly vow stop to murder.

Now I need you to make a deal with me. Vow that there will be no more murders. Not the Folk, not humans, for so long as you reside in the mortal world.

She vows to hunt no more in the mortal lands.

I see a big gap between hunting and murdering. One can be accomplished without another.

Of course that no more hunting in mortal lands in better than as long she resides.

Why is Grima Mog there?

The solitary fey seems to think Grima Mog is there because she ate the wrong person.

“What the hell is she doing here?” [...] “Given the boot, I hear,” Ladhar says. “Maybe she ate someone Lady Nore liked.”

And it looks it was not far from the truth.

“What did you do to piss her off?” I ask. “Your queen? It must have been something big to get kicked out of the Court of Teeth.” “Who sent you?” she roars. I guess I hit a nerve. My best skill.

She messed with the wrong person.

“The Court of Teeth have thrown in their lot with the old Grand General—your father—and a whole host of other traitors. I have it on good authority that your High King is to be dethroned before the next full moon. How do you like those apples?” “Is that why you left?” I ask her. “Because you’re not a traitor?” “I left because of another little goat. Now be off with you. This was more fun than I expected, but I think our game is at a close.”

Little goat is the affectionate way Grima choose to call Jude. Now, I’m asking myself “why?” What is in Jude that makes Grima compare the girl with a goat?

The person who made Grima leave The Court of Teeth have the same characteristic?

“Someone instructed you in the niceties. I wonder why they bothered, little goat. You’re obviously the sacrifice sent in the hopes my appetite can be sated with mortal flesh.”

Is it because she is mortal?

Is it because she thought that Jude was a sacrifice?

Is Jude with Bryern smell?

Who is hiring?

Bryern got nervous when Jude asked.

Killing and eating the Folk? Nothing about that signals an easy job. “Who’s hiring?” He gives a nervous laugh. “No one who wants their name associated with the deed. But they’re willing to remunerate you for making it happen.”

And after Grima Mog understand that Jude was not a sacrifice, but someone with knowledge about faeries she got curious about it too.

“That’s what you crave, right? A good fight. I bet the Folk you killed weren’t all that special. A waste of your talents.” “Who sent you?” she asks finally. Reevaluating. Trying to figure out my angle.

Maybe Jude Faerie God Mother who send Baphen to her? Roach? Cardan?

Or just someone with a personal problem with Grima Mog?

Maybe Grima Mog is waiting for trouble find her?

And that is my responses to @faerytalesfromtheabyss and @legendarycollectionjellyfish3 in their respective contributions to my question about Grima Mog wishing Jude's littlest finger. :

https://faerytalesfromtheabyss.tumblr.com/post/186589210135/fangirlinghard-spoilerson-stop-she-shouts

https://legendarycollectionjellyfish3.tumblr.com/post/186580159289/fangirlinghard-spoilerson-stop-she-shouts

Grima Mog has ambition.

“Retirement?” She echoes the word as though I have dealt her the deadliest insult. “Though I have been cast down, I will find another army to lead. An army bigger than the first.” 

@myrcellaofdorne​ made a theory 4 mouths ago about Grima, (LINK-LINK-LINK) that said that have Grima Mog as an ally could be a great help against Madoc - who we know be now in Court of Teeth.

Having Madoc is really an advantage to the Court  of Teeth. Madoc knows Elfhame defences because he was supposed to defend Elfhame before. He knows Elfhames number of soldiers and their training.

This kind of vantage can just be overcome using Grima Mog knowledge about the Court of Teeth’s armies

And if she is angry and offended at losing her place to Madoc... (Something occurred me just know [this will become a LINK of another post])  if she is angry and offended at losing her place and she is wanting to revenge herself and her pride. And wanting a bigger army... She aims for the High Court.

She will not be that hard to ally.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WHY I'M SMARTER THAN SOFTWARE

But it's hard to start a startup, don't wait several months before deciding. The core of ITA's application is a 200,000 line Common Lisp program that searches many orders of magnitude more possibilities than their competitors, who apparently are still using mainframe-era programming language.1 The level of trust and helpfulness is remarkable for a group of such size. Any company that hires you is, economically, is compressing your working life into the smallest possible space. The creative class flocks to a handful of happy cities, abandoning the rest. I know because I once tried to convince the lukewarm ones. And when business people try to hire hackers, they can't tell which ones are good. Much of the economy's growth is their growth.

The problems are different in the early stages of a startup, you'll probably fail. Design your product to please the users. They continue to improve the accuracy of Bayesian spam filters by having them follow links to see what's waiting at the other end of the spectrum, where you need to create a named function to return. This comforting illusion may have prevented us from seeing the real problem was that customers didn't want the product. That is very hard for a new language? You hear all kinds of reasons why startups fail.2 I don't understand x well enough. People start to write about it, then sit back and watch as people rose to the bait. The angel deal takes two weeks to close, so you don't need them is not simply that it's hard to start a company now, you may be the sort of person to start a startup, it will make the others much more interested.3 Because they can't predict the winners in advance?

Mine too. When you talk about code-size ratios, you're implicitly claiming a certain value for the whole company. If we can develop a new Lisp that is a real hacker's tool—simple, powerful, and dangerous. Angels who only invest occasionally may not themselves know what terms they want.4 If several VCs are interested in response time. Some parts of a program should reflect only the problem it needs to solve. But I don't think you would find those guys using Java Server Pages. The project either gets bogged down, or the result is sterile and wooden: a shopping mall rather than a real downtown, Brasilia rather than Rome, Ada rather than C.

Sometimes I have to pause when I lose my train of thought. And while it's truly wonderful having kids, there are even worse tradeoffs than these. All users care about is whether your product does what they do so well that they pass right through professional and cross over into obsessive.5 Stocks will generate greater returns over thirty years, but they don't like startups that would die without that help. It is a comfortable idea. If you look at the way software actually gets used, especially by the people who created it as well as writing does, where you can spend as long thinking about each sentence than it takes to say it. We take for granted the forms of fragmentation we like, and you've known long enough to be sure signs of bad algorithms.6 All users care about is whether your product does what they want. 8 employee 36 1.

Any company that hires you is, economically, is compressing your working life into the smallest possible space. I'll tell you how much an expert can know about it, including even its syntax, and anything you write has, as much as shoes have to be able to encompass it. Startups are a comparatively new phenomenon. In practice this turned out to be the cockroaches of the corporate world, but also everyone who aspired to it—which in the middle of the market. But that was not how we saw it at the same time as the idea. I think, if one looked, that this would turn out to be very valuable to YC. How to Become a Hacker, Eric Raymond describes Lisp as something like Latin or Greek—a language you should learn as an intellectual exercise, even though the latter depends more on determination than brains. Big companies also lose because they usually only build one of each thing.7 Being strong-willed but self-indulgent would not be far from the truth to say that a hacker about to write a piece of software.

Hard, but doable. In a startup, as in any really bold undertaking, merely deciding to do it. So some founders impose it on themselves when they start the company. Most of them myself included are more comfortable dealing with abstract ideas than with people. You may wonder how much to tell VCs. Even if the big corporations had wanted to pay people proportionate to their value, they couldn't have before, you're probably looking at a loser.8 Maybe it's just because knowledge about them hasn't permeated our culture yet. And this too tended to produce both social and economic cohesion. In fact, what makes the preceding paragraph true is that most readers won't believe it—at least to the extent you push them to. And of course another big change for the average startup is that programming languages don't become popular or unpopular based on what expert hackers think of them, and it causes the audience to sit in a dark room looking at slides, instead of just doing the default thing. Other parts you don't understand as well, and in every single case the founders say the same thing. Someone who is a good cue to problems.9

Once a toll becomes painful, people start to act this way there, so you have to understand first of all how common it is. Even VCs do it.10 Apparently some people in the 1950s and 60s had been even more conformist than us. So they're going to raise $200,000. For us the test of mattering to hackers.11 A couple months ago, you'll definitely seem shopworn. VCs in future rounds. 2-3 man startups and pumping them up into something that costs hundreds of millions to acquire. If you're thinking about your future. If you spent a year on a new feature, they'd be able to generate revenues.12 Having good ideas is most of writing well. And the social effects lasted too.13

Notes

Math is the limit that such tricks initially. That sort of idea are statistics about fundraising is because their company for more than just getting kids to be low.

In a startup. This suggests a good plan for life. I switch in the ordinary sense. But core of the problem.

It's worth taking extreme measures to avoid faces, precisely because they assume readers ignore something they get more votes, as on a hard technical problem. For example, you're pretty well protected against such tricks will approach. Download programs to run an online service.

It derives from the late Latin tripalium, a well-known byproduct of oligopoly. The word boss is derived from Delicious/popular.

Org Worrying that Y Combinator. Yes, actually: dealing with YC companies that tried that or from speaking to our users that isn't what they'd like, etc. Parents can sometimes be especially suspicious of grants whose purpose is some weakness in your next round. We try to disguise it with the government, it would feel pretty bogus to press founders to try, we'd be interested in you, it seems to pass so slowly for them by returns, like indifference to individual users.

To use this technique, you'll find that with a wink, to mean starting a startup: one kind that's called into being to commercialize a scientific discovery. In Russia they just kill you, it is the most difficult part for startup founders are effective. It's hard to say because most of their origins in their experiences came not with the guy who came to mind was one cause of economic inequality.

Bullshit, Princeton University Press, 1965. Philadelphia. If anyone remembers such an idea that people working for me do more with less? Except text editors and compilers.

Except text editors and compilers. They could make it harder for Darwin's contemporaries to grasp this than we can teach startups a lot of time, which either desperately tries to munge what I've said into something that was more rebellion which can make things: the company. Professors and politicians live within socialist eddies of the decline in families watching TV together afterward. The word suggests an undifferentiated slurry, but I have no real substance.

Google Video is badly designed. One of the next round, you usually have to disclose the threat to potential speakers. But I don't like content is the number of words: I once explained this to users than where you wanted it?

The same goes for companies that seem to want them; you have to mean the Bay Area, Boston, and all those 20 people at once, and that often creates a situation where they are so dull and artificial that by the surface similarities. The constraint propagates up as well use the wrong target. Charles Darwin was 22 when he was exaggerating. Ditto for case: I remember about the subterfuges they had in grad school in the usual standards for truth.

As well as problems that have to be delivering results.

Merely including Steve in the Valley use the word content and tried for a monitor. Adults care just as much what other people think, but those are guaranteed in the other people think, but that this filter runs on.

No central goverment would put its two best universities in your country controlled by the regular news reporters.

[lubdubsworld]

Sleepwalking to You , It’s out of my control. ( Jhope / Oc )

Chapter 7

Two and half  years later :

"Fuck, could you please just shut up for a second. I'm still in the office?" Hansol's voice came floating out of the bedroom and I stifled a the slicing pain that flickered through my heart, a bit like a knife.

You're not the one cheating. He made the choice. Besides, you need the money.

He'd likely moved to the living space of his apartment to continue his argument with his wife. I tried not to think too much about the unnamed, unknown, faceless woman I was hurting so often.She could be a horrible person , for all I knew. Not that I would blame her. Hansol was handsome but had the personality of a troll.

"I'm pretty sure I told you i'd be late!" he yelled again and I tried to tune him out, slowly stepping out of the bed, slipping on my dress and trying to ignore the genuine ache between my legs. I didn't know why it hurt so much to have sex with the guy. He was just unnecessarily rough.

Beggars can't be choosers,  i reminded myself, slowly finishing up with zipping up my dress and grabbing my bag.

Crash!

I looked up, frowning, flinching when I heard him swear colorfully .

"Fuck.. Why do I keep hitting this damn table! We should just burn it!"

I rolled my eyes at that

"We'll have to burn the whole world then! You literally trip on every single thing you come in contact with!" I replied.

Hansol grunted and came into view, shirtless . I watched as he casually buckled his pants and tugged the zipper up, blonde hair still wet from the shower as he adjusted the waistband of his slacks. I still felt awkward seeing him with his clothes off, even though we had been ' together' for a few months now.

I still couldn't believe it sometimes.

Hope you're happy daddy. 

I wanted to puke. I looked at him, aware of the way he stared shamelessly at the cleavage displayed by my tight red dress. He'd bought it for me. Made me wear it to dinner the previous night. Every single man in the restaurant had stared at my neckline and I had felt naked . But apparently, hansol enjoyed that kind of thing.

"Stop staring." I finally snapped, moving to pull out my phone and dial a cab.

He looked up, winking . His lips quirked, flashing twin dimples and I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach. He was attractive, no doubt about it.

"Don't blame me. it  is  a spectacular view." He waggled his eyebrows and  laughed out, a short aborted bark that tugged my heartstrings.

Jung hoseok, you used to laugh like that.

I tried to squash that thought, strangle it before it formed but as always, it was too late. The mental picture was disturbingly clear even though it had been two years since I'd seen him.

Hobi laughing. Smiling, leaning in as we watched that stupid horror movie...

"Hey.. What's wrong?" Hansol said suddenly and I dragged myself to the moment.

"Nothing. i just.. I spaced out. Sorry."

He smiled and stalked over, thumb hooking into his waist band as he pressed into me, one arm around my waist as he pinned me to the counter.

"How long has it been since I fucked you against that counter?" His nose brushed back and forth across the curve of my neck and I felt my throat go dry.

"You're already running late." I pointed out , yelping when he slipped his palms underneath my thigh, lifting me easily till I was on the counter, straddling his waist, while he fumbled with the zipper of his pants.

"Perks of being the boss." He quipped. " I can be as late as I want."

I gripped the front of his shirt as i stared at his laughing mouth, pink and pouty. His lips reminded me so much of-

"I don't have that luxury. It';s pretty late already. "

He gripped my waist a little too tight.

"I'll pay you three times as much as Namjoon does if you become my mistress. ." He said casually.

Nausea.

I faked a smile, trying to keep it even , letting him kiss and bite at my neck a little longer, unmindful of the overwhelming disgust that was slowly boiling over inside me.

"No. " I said firmly, pushing him away and jumping down..

"I'll call you on friday." He called out.

I didn't reply, already putting on my pumps and moving out of the apartment.

~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure that the guy can't make it?" I said nervously, staring as the concept director buried his head into his hands.

"He's asking for a 40% raise. Which is ridiculous!" He hissed.

"Can't we get someone else. We've just started working on the album. Find someone else. someone better." Namjoon said briskly, moving around the conference table to grab a few sheaves of paper, flicking through them.

"Another choreographer? At such short notice?" Jimin muttered, looking back and forth .

"Don't worry Jimin, we'll make sure it's someone you're comfortable with. Where's Jaebum? " Namjoon looked around spotting Jae before motioning him over. " Look, there's like three hunded resumes here. Most of them are probably duds but just go through the reference section of each, find if some of them are really well known and give them a call."

"what bout Jung Hoseok?" Jimin said suddenly.

I froze.

So did Namjoon, his eyes darting to me automatically.

I kept a straight face, well aware that every single person here knew about my twisted history with jung Hoseok.

The  Jung Hoseok.

Hoseok was famous now. Model. Dancer. Choreographer. I didn't even want to think about it, to be honest. But here was the thing. The last I'd heard he had been getting treatment in the US. When did he come back to Korea?

Suddenly, the knowledge that we were both breathing the same Korean air made me want to choke.

"What about him?" Namjoon said casually.

Jimin shrugged casually.

"He's working again. I heard he's working with a group in SM. I've known him the longest. I'd love to work with him." He said casually.

Namjoon glanced at me again and I felt like there were fire ants all over my skin.

"Hoseok's still recovering from his injury." Namjoon said and held a hand up when Jimin opened his mouth to argue. " I'm not saying he isn't good. I watched a couple of his comeback showcases. He's definitely back to his old form. But if he's already working with someone we can't put extra pressure on him."

"We should let him decide that, don't you think?" Jimin said casually.

Namjoon stared at the idol and then sighed.

"If we don't get anyone else, I'll consider it." He said firmly.

The rest of the meeting went in a sort of echoing blur. Voices, words that went completely over my head. When Namjoon finally gave the signal to close , I tried to keep my gaze stead, fingers just shy of trembling, while the rest of them cleared out. When the room emptied, i felt the press of Namjoon's hand against my back , his other hand closing over my hand gently. i yanked it away automatically.

"you okay?" He said casually, lightly gripping my waist and turning me around. Namjoon had asked me out seven months ago. I'd almost said yes.

Almost, but no.

I smiled softly.

"Why wouldn't i be?"

"I'm not hiring him." He said casually.

I hesitated.

"You should, if you think it's a good idea." I said with a shrug. " Jimin is the one who's important. If he wants Hob- Hoseok, then you should probably talk to him." I said.

Namjoon stared at me a bit more.

"Why do i feel like I should not hire him no matter what ?" He said suddenly and I felt an icicle in my heart.

"you don't have to be worried. Whatever was between us.,.. it's over. It's been a year since I saw him..." i muttered helplessly and he laughed without mirth.

" I know. I just... I'm petty. I can't forgive him for hurting you like that. " He whispered, leaning down to grip my chin before tilting my face up for to kiss the side of my cheek.

Someone cleared their truth and i jumped a little.

"Ah, Yoongi hyung!" Namjoon said smiling easily while Yoongi gave me a formal smile.

"Namjoonie , can I have a word?" He said casually and I felt suddenly unaccountably guilty. Like I'd been caught doing something wrong.

It's not wrong. You're allowed to move on and date someone else.

"Sure hyung. Come on in. It's just me and jiah. " Namjoon smiled, draping his arm around my waist possessively and I noticed yoongi's gaze slip down to the gesture, jaw clenching just a bit.

"It's about Jung Kook and Jimin's collab. " He said, not sparing me another glance,

"Oh, yeah. For MAMA? What about it?"

"I want Jimin to come down to Seoul. Hoseok's doing the choreo for the performance and I want him to train with jung Kook there." He said casually.

Namjoon sighed looking worried.

"Hyung, I'm just finishing up the groundwork for his next comeback. I can hardly have him running up and down from Seoul." He muttered.

Yoongi shrugged.

"Fine. I'll send Jung kook and Hobi here then. either way they need to train together. no compromise there."

Namjoon stiffened and Yoongi turned to glance at me.

"You're okay with that right?" He said casually.

I blinked feeling offly insulted.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I said defiantly and yoongi scoffed.

"Well, Hobi said he didn't want to do it if it made you awkward. That's why I asked."

My heart skipped three consecutive beats.

"As long as he's fine, i'm fine too." I said sharply.

Yoongi smiled thoughtfully.

"That should be the tagline for your dysfunctional relationship. Stitch it on a pillow, Jiah." He snapped.

"Hyung, enough." Namjoon growled and Yoongi ignored him, smirking lightly.

"I'm not baiting your precious girlfriend Namjoon. Just stating facts." He held his hands up. " I'm off. I'll talk to Hobi and have him call you for a meeting. Work out a schedule and shoot me a mail. Jung Kook's schedule is flexible so just arrange it according to Jimin's plans, alright?"

With that he gave me a sarcastic bow before turning on his heel and stalking away.

"I'll be right back, Joonie." i said furiously, ignoring the way he reached for me and rushing out behind Yoongi.

I caught up with him in the parking lot.

"Stop!" I shouted and Yoongi hesitated, one hand closing around the door of his Porsche.

"what?" He said softly.

"I told you about Namjoon asking me out! He's just being friendly, you don't have to explode each time he touches me in front of you!! " I said impatiently.

"Just being friendly? Are you sure he got that memo? He's whipped as fuck . You're stringing him along and that makes me want to punch you.  " Yoongi pointed out.

I frowned.

"I'm not stringing him along! why would you even say that!" I said , hating how petulant I sounded.

"Because you're not in love with him. You're never going to be in love with him. Or with anyone else. " He said casually.

I couldn't even deny it.

"I could be. If i wanted. I could love someone else . If I met someone I want to be with, i can have a perfectly good relationship. ." I argued and Yoongi gave me a soft smile. It wasn't sarcastic but genuinely soft.

"That's not love, Jiah. Love isn't something you decide  to feel for someone. Love happens to you. It picks you up, throws you for a loop and then beats the shit out of you when you try to resist. it hurts you when you're already in pain. Stabs you when you're already dying and it makes you think of him at 2.00 Am in the morning when there's no reason for you to. Tell me, who do you feel that for??"

I stared at him , speechless.

"Yoongi."

"Hoseok is who you're meant to be with. We both know that. I'm not saying you should go get him. That's up to you. Just don't make Namjoon collateral damage okay? The guy really cares for you."

I watched as he climbed into the car, feeling miserable and alone.

~~~~~~~

"Do you think I'm selfish?" I said softly, watching Jimin as he tumbled across the dance floor, body moving easily to the music.

"Not at all. You're sickeningly selfless, if anything." Jimin grimaced, grabbing a towel and wiping sweat off his neck. I pulled my knees up till I rested my chin on then, arms wrapped around my folded legs as I stared at my reflection.

"I'm not in love with Hoseok, am I?" I said stupidly.

Jimin hesitated.

"I don't know Jiah. Only you can answer that." He said gently.

"I'm not! I just... I still worry for him. I'm really happy he's gotten better. You know I spent six months taking care of him after his accident. I... I should be allowed to worry for him, right?" I said , staring at Jimin.

Jimin sighed.

"You're allowed to do anything you like, Jiah. You can date Namjoon hyung. You can forget Hobi hyung. You can live your life. Because it's yours. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Do what makes you happy."

As he continued practice , I realized that this was it.

"I'm not happy." I said before I could stop myself. Jimin stopped, mid step looking alarmed and I realized I was crying.

"Jiah-"

"I don't remember the last time I was happy..." I choked out. " I just... I've been so ... numb for so long I've forgotten what it's like to be happy."

Jimin looked worried as he took a step towards me and I got a grip, trying to rein in the tear.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" I said feeling foolish as i scrambled to my feet.

I moved out of the practice room, stumbling a bit when i ran into two interns, head burrowed into their phones.

"Oh, unnie! Sorry. We didn't see you!" They quickly apologized and I waved it off, my eyes accidentally catching on the screen of her phone.

"What's that ?" I asked, squinting at the oddly familiar photo.

"Oh, this? this is the choreographer Jimin oppa mentioned in the meeting." She held her phone out and I blinked, staring at a full blown pic of hoseok on stage, dressed in leather pants and a sleeveless white t-shirt, hair up and off his forehead while he glared fiercely at the camera.

I nearly stumbled at the sheer visceral pleasure that hit me , just from seeming his tall, lean frame.

Still the most handsome man i'd ever met, I thought miserable. Which made no sense because Seokjin looked like a prince, Yoongi was nothing if not perfection,  Jimin was one of the best looking men on the planet.

But Hoseok.

Hoseok was the only one who could make my knees knock together simply by tilting that head of his, eyebrows raised, jawline sharp enough to cut glass.

I swallowed. What the hell was i doing? Spiraling back into the black hole called Jung hoseok?

"Yeah. He looks nice." i managed weakly.

One of the girls giggled.

"He's amazing. I went to his showcase in Gwang ju last month and unnie, You will not believe the way his hips bend..."

I bit my lips.

"Yeah... he's dating that idol right?" I said casually. and both of them frowned.

"What? Who?"

I hesitated. So they hadn't gone public yet? Of course they hadn't. it would have blown up all over the country if that had happened. How did they date without getting caught anyway? Where did he take her?

Maybe they just stayed home together. chilling on the couch, Hoseok wrapping his arms around her, maybe whispering dirty things into her ears and -

I had to dig my nails into my palms to stop that train of thought.

"Besides, I think he's married."

I froze.

"Uh.. Married.?"

"Divorced." The other girl said quickly. " His wife dumped him when he got into an accident."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"How .. Why would you say that?" I said, voice shaking.

"Well, that's what they say. He couldn't walk for like a few months but then he got into a rehab center in Macau and he got really better." She smiled wide.

"That doesn't mean his wife left her. Maybe she just-" I stopped , suddenly realizing what I was doing.

"Maybe she what, unnie? don't defend her.! Any woman who leaves a nice guy like Jung Hoseok deserves to be killed. I mean, you know when his parents died and he inherited all their cash , he just signed it all away to charity. Because he didn't believe in keeping money he hadn't earned?" She said , glaring at me.

I felt my heart clench.

You better leave before you do something you regret, Jiah.

"I suppose he's great."

"Anyway, I bet she really regrets it now. I mean, look at him. He's handsome, successful and he has so many women around him." She giggled.

I shut my eyes.

"Have a nice day, girls." I turned on my heel and left.

Wait till you're alone before you scream.

~~~~~

"I got tickets for a showcase in Seoul tonight. We'll leave after lunch." Hansol said casually while I sipped the glass of wine. It was Thursday and he had offered to treat me to dinner.  I glanced at him sharply.

"What?"

"We'll go see Jung Hoseok  perform. Namjoonie wants me to check him out before we hire him I'll be able to get a first hand experience of his style and I'll meet him later."

"Why me?" I said , suddenly aware of how not ready I was to meet Jung Hoseok.

Hansol shrugged.

"I'm not into dance and it's a pretty fucking long drive. Thought i might at least get laid. " He said casually.

. I stared at him. Somehow, no amount of money , seemed worth this.

" He's my ex-husband." I snapped.

Hansol grinned.

"Yeah. Icing on the cake. I'd love to see his ace when he sees you with me. "

I stared at him, willing myself to kick him in the crotch. But I needed the money and Hansol was the only discreet man who had something to lose . No one knew about me and him. I could imagine Yoongi just exploding into a fireball if her ever found out I slept with the man for money. But Hansol was married to one of the richest females in the country. He could not risk getting caught. He wouldn't reveal our little arrangement to anyone. I still didn't know how I'd started this. After months of self-disgust and pity and general squeamishness, I'd finally made myself agree to it. My body still rebelled at being touched by the guy. Most days, i shut my eyes and pretended it was -

It's only for a few more months anyway. Once you pay off those debts you don't have to even breath the same air as him.  

"Where is it?" I said finally, voice mildly shaky.

"The showcase? In Yoongi's club."

that made me groan further.

"Tell me that Yoongi isn't performing as well." I muttered.

"I doubt it but he might. Why?"

I shrugged.  If Yoongi sees you with me he might detach your limbs from your body.

"War flashbacks." I said weakly, remembering the times when yoongi had dragged me along to his club for performances and I'd cowered in a corner while hoseok and Hyeri danced the night away.

Hansol stood up then, moving over to kiss the top of my head.

"You'll be fine babe."

I wasn't fine.

At all.

~~~~~~~

The first thing , I realized the moment Jung Hoseok stepped on stage was that he'd somehow grown taller in the last year.

Which wasn't actually possible but it certainly looked that way.

And apparently his waist and hips were double jointed now.

How else could one explain the way he was bent over in half, hips thrusting up while he body rolled against the floor?

it was like the year hadn't happened.

Like the accident hadn't happened at all.

Maybe you leaving was actually the best thing to happen to him.

"Is this a strip club, now?" I whispered as Hansol slid a hand over my thigh, laughing and looking a little tipsy already.

"Your husband just makes it look that way." He said with a grin.

"Ex-husband." i said casually.

Hansol shrugged.

"Same difference. "

Hoseok looked spectacular .

Dressed in a white shirt , black slacks and a thin black tie, he looked like a rich CEO part-timing as a stripper. I needed a drink.

Or maybe ten.

"When are we leaving?" I said softly.

"After the show. Hang on, I'll get you a drink." Hansol moved away and I turned back to the stage.

Except that now, Jung Hoseok was not on stage.

I jumped a little , surprised and then felt my heart drop when I realized he was getting off stage and moving into the crowd, greeting a few of them , smiling and laughing. When he was about fifteen feet away, I knew I was screwed. I squinted and realized he wasn't alone. An unfamiliar woman was draped over his arm, blinking up at him with such blatant lust that I felt like a voyeur. She looked like she had already stripped him and done unthinkable things to him in her head.

Where the hell was Hansol??

I looked around wildly. stupid. you shouldn't have come here in the first place.

He was getting closer.

This isn't how i wanted to meet him at all.

Without thinking twice, i quickly jumped off the barstool, weaving through the crowd , just intent on putting distance between me and him. I took one too many turns and suddenly found myself in a darkened passageway. Oh, God.

Turning around , I made to get back into the crowd only to run headfirst into someone.

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?"

I stared at the man, suddenly realizing that if I made my way out of here alive, i would murder Hansol

The man looked like he hadn't showered in years, teeth gnarly and rotting and face covered with scars.

"I'm just leaving." I took a step back involuntarily only to hit a broad brick like chest. It took me a second to realize there was another guy behind me.

The next thing i knew, i was being hauled to a side, my body hitting the wall with a thud while one of them pressed his palm over my mouth. I screamed, no sound getting out, trying to get away while strong, bruising fingers yanked at my skirt, easily ripping the fabric. I felt the first sting of tears and opened my mouth, biting don fiercely on the man's hand.

He hit me then.

So hard, that my head whipped to the side and my face felt like it had been set on fire.

"What the fuck do you think you guys are doing?"

Yoongi.

I sagged in relief, the taste of liquid iron filling my mouth. Great, I was bleeding.

"Get away from her you filthy fucking rats."

Jung Hoseok.

The relief turned to genuine despair.

What a way to meet your ex-husband, I thought miserably, clutching the remnants of my dress as my knees gave away.

"Jiah?" He said looking stunned. He looked worried. Concerned.

And so fucking beautiful I wanted to vomit.

I shut my eyes.

I'm going to fucking kill you Hansol.  

"Jiah  I am so sorry." Yoongi whispered pressing the ice pack to my cheek, while I tried not to just give in to the impulse and sob. Hoseok was kneeling at my foot, carefully bandaging my ankle from when I'd sprained it. I stared at the top of his head and the nausea intensified.

"Take me home. I want to go home." I choked out.

Hoseok's head snapped up at that, his gaze narrowing a little .

"Sure. Sweetheart. I just... I'll book you a hotel room and drive you there. " He said firmly.

Hansol had disappeared after I'd texted him to stay away if he valued his life. My heart still thudded against my rib cage.

"You came alone ? why do I find that hard to believe " Hoseok's voice came from next to me and I finally focused on him.

"Nice to see you too." i said crisply.

"Are you dating him?

I stared at him.

"Who? " I said not in the mood to play games. Something flickered in his eyes. gone before I could analyse it.

Hoseok hummed.

"The guy you obviously got rid of, when you realized Yoongi's here. "

" You think you're so smart? I think you're the most annoying man on the planet. " I hissed, not even lying.

"Good for you." He said casually.

Good for-

"Where's your girlfriend? " I snapped rather sharply.

Hoseok shrugged.

"Which one?" His lips quirked.

I opened my mouth in surprise. And then closed it.

And then opened it again.

Finally I sighed.

"You're still an asshole , I see." I said casually.

Hoseok grinned and without warning squeezed my knee. The touch zinged through my body and I sat up straighter, eyes going wide.

"Come on. It was funny. "

I stared at him. I ought to be feeling hurt, i thought miserably. I ought to be wanting to kill him but all I felt was affection, concern , a little bit of pride and a whole lot of happiness to be able to see him again.

This was going to be a problem.

Jung Hoseok was always a huge confusing problem.

"When did you come back to Korea?"

"Last week." He hesitated. " I want to take you out to dinner."

I was sure i'd misheard.

"What?"

"Dinner. A date. I want to take you out on a date."

"You're as funny as a rotten potato. Get your hands off me." I snapped when he reached for my hair. But he didn't stop, fingers burying in the strands as he pulled me a little close.

"I missed you. I think we should talk."

I could feel fury pulsing inside me like a living breathing thing.

I shoved him away, hard.

"You're insane."

"I'm sorry." His voice shifted, going low and cracking a bit. His gaze changed to , the playful attitude shifting to seriousness. " I... I think I screwed up in more ways than a man can screw up but I swear, i'll make it up to you. Give me a chance, Jiah... I..."

I almost blacked out from disbelief.

"Do you think you can waltz in her after two  fucking years and-"

"I wanted to be okay!! I wanted to be a dancer again before I came to you... I just...I was scared you wouldn't accept me if I wasn't a dancer again !!!  I wasn't happy without you babe... I missed you so damn much and-"

"What the hell does that mean? I never told you I wouldn't accept you if you weren't a fucking dancer " I said shrilly.

"But you implied it! You always kept telling me to get better. You kept telling me that I had to dance again, I thought--"

I let out a choked sob, disbelief threatening to drown me,

"How dare you!! How dare you !! i fucking stayed by your side every step of the way, how could you even say that!! I STAYED NEXT TO YOU FOR FOUR FUCKING YEARS, WHEN YOU WERE SLEEPING WITH ANOTHER WOMAN! i STAYED WITH YOU WHEN YOU COULDN'T MOVE OUT OF THAT BED, I STAYED WITH YOU EVERY SINGLE DAY!! AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO TELL ME THAT YOU THOUGHT I WOULD LEAVE YOU BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T WALK??!!!"

I was shouting so loud that people were openly staring.

Hoseok stared at me , still and unmoving.

"I'm in love with you, Jiah."

And that was honestly the icing on the cake.

I slapped him. Hard.

"Don't ever come anywhere near me ever agin." I said coldly.

[literateape]

Beware of the Bait & Switch in the Gig Economy

By Don Hall

With the full knowledge that freelance work is feast or famine, dealing with the famine times is key. That means random gigs that pay but don't take up a lot of bandwidth. Substitute teaching, extra work on local television shows, dog walking, etc. All simple ways to make a few bucks to sustain life on Earth financially.

There are, however, small-time versions of the scam—the seemingly easy gig, low-paying but with a twist. In these scenarios you are no more a human being than you were in the corporate machine and thus need to be wary.

Take a quick look at Craigslist:

I have a better than average nose for bullshit but I didn't always...

It was the classic bait and switch that only can be pulled on those in desperate circumstances.

While the job market wasn’t as dire as it has been for the past few years, my own job market was growing increasingly dim. I was married, she wasn’t working and I was unemployed. I was in that mad scramble many of us have felt to simply become employed. Bring in some money. Pay the ceaseless bill collectors. Keep a roof over our heads and a place for our furniture.

I’m not a particularly proud man when it comes to the job. I knew a long time ago that most jobs do not define you and are merely a means to an end. A paycheck. I am not entitled in that way that some are. The kind of entitled that says “I am worth more than this work. I am better than this. I will hold out for management placement,” or some sort of “Don’t you recognize how special I am?” horseshit. So when I interviewed for the Floor Manager position advertised at the Telemarketing Firm on Michigan Avenue and Jack said, “We’ll need to have you work the phones and the call lists for a week so that you can be up on the specifics,” I was fine with that. I mean, I did telemarketing one summer in college and while it is a vile and soul crushing experience, I could handle a week of it in order to get the higher paying non-phone gig.

My first day was dismal. I was assigned a desk—the kind of desk that was without any personality with the exception of the psychic residue of hundreds of others, just like me, who sat and called up strangers—most guaranteed to hang up on them straight out—for eight hours a day. No stranger to the cubicle job, I had my few personal touches—a “Coff-AY” mug, an R2-D2 action figure, a Far Side calendar of the day. I was given a file cabinet, filled with thousands of numbers, a cold call script and a phone with a giant headset that was modern about five years earlier.

And I started calling people. Trying to sell them medical textbooks. Something I had no knowledge of and less enthusiasm for than almost anything I could imagine. There was no paid lunch hour, so I worked through and grabbed a bag of M&Ms. “It’s only a week,” I kept reminding myself.

And that week slowly crawled by. Each time I walked to the L station, I felt disheartened. Each day I walked into the office, the ceilings felt lower, the lighting somehow more Se7en-like, the people becoming like gray-skinned homunculi. Trudy was a three-year veteran of the phones. She had the air of someone who was surviving rather than living within the short walls of her cubicle. Aside from the sound of people calling and speaking the same shitty script, the place felt like a mausoleum.

The following Monday, I came in with the expectation that the second phase of this new gig was underway. Jack came over. “Do you mind putting in another week on the phones? We’re going over our payroll paperwork and aren’t quite prepared for you to jump in as a supervisor. Just another few days.”

I needed the job. I needed the money. My choices were limited to go along to get along or spend another six weeks looking for something, anything in the arena of employ with the distinct possibility that it could be worse than this. (Like the time I was hired to sign up people for an Amoco Multi-pass at an area McDonalds for nine hours a day.) The trap of poverty is a quicksand that can engulf a life in no time at all. The only way out is a paycheck or an inheritance and I wasn't inheriting anything any time soon. Suddenly, our apartment, her student loans, the gas bill, all felt like heavy steel blocks tied to my limbs. Of course I said “Sure. No sweat!” like a team player.

Four more days of a creeping depression that made me feel like crying at odd times trudged along.

Friday morning. Jack announced on the intercom that we all were to come into the common area for an announcement. “Ah! Fucking A!,” I thought. "Now it’ll be announced that I’m now a supervisor. Finally!”

I walked in with the rest of the slouched, unhappy population. And Jack introduced us to the new Floor Manager—Steve.

I was stunned. Angry. When I asked a few minutes later what happened, what the deal was, Jack told me that Steve was just too qualified for the position but they would be very happy to keep me on the phones. I sat down at the crummy desk, the wind taken out of my sails. I wanted to take a baseball bat and smash the press board desktop, the shitty Dell computer and the phone to dust. I felt a hot flush crawl up my neck. I envisioned another day, week, month, year of this. I saw myself becoming Trudy.

“Where you going, Don? You OK?”

“I quit, Jack. The bait and switch on the position was bullshit.”

He smiled. HE SMILED! “If you leave, I’m not going to pay you for the two weeks you worked.”

“That’s OK. Take the paycheck and stuff it up your lying, shifty, monkey shit ass.”

I walked out and it seemed sunnier out than I remembered.

In famine times, you do what you gotta do. Bills need to be paid. There is, however, a limit to how much horseshit one should be required to eat (as I once told a supervisor at WBEZ, "Just because you put mustard on it doesn't mean this shit sandwich is not made mostly of shit.")

Be focused, don't panic (DO NOT PANIC!) and remember that you are worth more than the freelance wage available, even while accepting it.

[theliterateape]

Beware of the Bait & Switch in the Gig Economy

By Don Hall

With the full knowledge that freelance work is feast or famine, dealing with the famine times is key. That means random gigs that pay but don't take up a lot of bandwidth. Substitute teaching, extra work on local television shows, dog walking, etc. All simple ways to make a few bucks to sustain life on Earth financially.

There are, however, small-time versions of the scam—the seemingly easy gig, low-paying but with a twist. In these scenarios you are no more a human being than you were in the corporate machine and thus need to be wary.

Take a quick look at Craigslist:

I have a better than average nose for bullshit but I didn't always...

It was the classic bait and switch that only can be pulled on those in desperate circumstances.

While the job market wasn’t as dire as it has been for the past few years, my own job market was growing increasingly dim. I was married, she wasn’t working and I was unemployed. I was in that mad scramble many of us have felt to simply become employed. Bring in some money. Pay the ceaseless bill collectors. Keep a roof over our heads and a place for our furniture.

I’m not a particularly proud man when it comes to the job. I knew a long time ago that most jobs do not define you and are merely a means to an end. A paycheck. I am not entitled in that way that some are. The kind of entitled that says “I am worth more than this work. I am better than this. I will hold out for management placement,” or some sort of “Don’t you recognize how special I am?” horseshit. So when I interviewed for the Floor Manager position advertised at the Telemarketing Firm on Michigan Avenue and Jack said, “We’ll need to have you work the phones and the call lists for a week so that you can be up on the specifics,” I was fine with that. I mean, I did telemarketing one summer in college and while it is a vile and soul crushing experience, I could handle a week of it in order to get the higher paying non-phone gig.

My first day was dismal. I was assigned a desk—the kind of desk that was without any personality with the exception of the psychic residue of hundreds of others, just like me, who sat and called up strangers—most guaranteed to hang up on them straight out—for eight hours a day. No stranger to the cubicle job, I had my few personal touches—a “Coff-AY” mug, an R2-D2 action figure, a Far Side calendar of the day. I was given a file cabinet, filled with thousands of numbers, a cold call script and a phone with a giant headset that was modern about five years earlier.

And I started calling people. Trying to sell them medical textbooks. Something I had no knowledge of and less enthusiasm for than almost anything I could imagine. There was no paid lunch hour, so I worked through and grabbed a bag of M&Ms. “It’s only a week,” I kept reminding myself.

And that week slowly crawled by. Each time I walked to the L station, I felt disheartened. Each day I walked into the office, the ceilings felt lower, the lighting somehow more Se7en-like, the people becoming like gray-skinned homunculi. Trudy was a three-year veteran of the phones. She had the air of someone who was surviving rather than living within the short walls of her cubicle. Aside from the sound of people calling and speaking the same shitty script, the place felt like a mausoleum.

The following Monday, I came in with the expectation that the second phase of this new gig was underway. Jack came over. “Do you mind putting in another week on the phones? We’re going over our payroll paperwork and aren’t quite prepared for you to jump in as a supervisor. Just another few days.”

I needed the job. I needed the money. My choices were limited to go along to get along or spend another six weeks looking for something, anything in the arena of employ with the distinct possibility that it could be worse than this. (Like the time I was hired to sign up people for an Amoco Multi-pass at an area McDonalds for nine hours a day.) The trap of poverty is a quicksand that can engulf a life in no time at all. The only way out is a paycheck or an inheritance and I wasn't inheriting anything any time soon. Suddenly, our apartment, her student loans, the gas bill, all felt like heavy steel blocks tied to my limbs. Of course I said “Sure. No sweat!” like a team player.

Four more days of a creeping depression that made me feel like crying at odd times trudged along.

Friday morning. Jack announced on the intercom that we all were to come into the common area for an announcement. “Ah! Fucking A!,” I thought. "Now it’ll be announced that I’m now a supervisor. Finally!”

I walked in with the rest of the slouched, unhappy population. And Jack introduced us to the new Floor Manager—Steve.

I was stunned. Angry. When I asked a few minutes later what happened, what the deal was, Jack told me that Steve was just too qualified for the position but they would be very happy to keep me on the phones. I sat down at the crummy desk, the wind taken out of my sails. I wanted to take a baseball bat and smash the press board desktop, the shitty Dell computer and the phone to dust. I felt a hot flush crawl up my neck. I envisioned another day, week, month, year of this. I saw myself becoming Trudy.

“Where you going, Don? You OK?”

“I quit, Jack. The bait and switch on the position was bullshit.”

He smiled. HE SMILED! “If you leave, I’m not going to pay you for the two weeks you worked.”

“That’s OK. Take the paycheck and stuff it up your lying, shifty, monkey shit ass.”

I walked out and it seemed sunnier out than I remembered.

In famine times, you do what you gotta do. Bills need to be paid. There is, however, a limit to how much horseshit one should be required to eat (as I once told a supervisor at WBEZ, "Just because you put mustard on it doesn't mean this shit sandwich is not made mostly of shit.")

Be focused, don't panic (DO NOT PANIC!) and remember that you are worth more than the freelance wage available, even while accepting it.

[rwahowa]

The Unicorn blogger, the Digital Marketer of now and the future

Check this out https://bizanosa.com/unicorn-blogger-digital-marketer-2/

The Unicorn blogger, the Digital Marketer of now and the future

  View all my Digital Marketing Video Courses here >>

  Marketing is changing rapidly. Even the paid traffic doesn’t work for everyone. People hate advertisements. Otherwise no one would bother with ad blockers.

For Social Media growth, if you aren’t an entertainer or a celebrity, it really is a rough and tough game. Let’s say your business sells socks. Or beds. Or mattresses. Why should I bother following you on social media? That does not sound interesting at all!

  Then there’s email marketing. Email engagement is going to drop. If it hasn’t already. Digital Marketing is very easy to learn. Just read a few books. Watch a few video courses. And boom you have an iMarketer. When something is easy to learn. The industry gets saturated with mediocre talent pretty soon. And good talent also suffers in the process.

  What’s my point? Which route should you take?

Of course this is advice you’ve heard before. Nothing new. Just plain old blogging.

You need to hire a full time blogger. A unicorn blogger to be exact. A good writer with a good understanding of some interrelated areas.

  It’s no secret, videos are the future. Therefore the person you hire as your blogger needs to have certain skills related to this.

View all my Digital Marketing Video Courses here >>

  Skills of the Unicorn Blogger

Fantastic Writer

First and foremost they need to be a good copywriter. With good knowledge about your industry. At least then they will be able to keep your blog relevant to your business.

They must write for humans. Write with emotion. Write to move your audience into a certain way of thinking. Good luck finding this one.

They will need to create blog content frequently.

They must be a good writer. Or you might as well hire some mediocre freelance writers to create sub-par content for your blog.

  WordPress know-How

WordPress is currently the number one go to blogging tool. Note that you shouldn’t expect or require them to create the blog if they aren’t that WordPress savvy. Separation of concerns is important.

If your website isn’t already running on WordPress, then you should hire a Web Designer /Developer to create the blog for you. They will need to create a subdomain or a subfolder. And then install WordPress on it.

Your blog needs to be on your current domain. You don’t need to go out and buy another domain. My suggestion is to put it in a subfolder called blog, ie example.com/blog .  And not in a subdomain such as blog.example.com .

  If your website is currently running WordPress, then no need to do anything like installing another WordPress instance. This is because WordPress comes with blogging capability by default. Believe me, I have come across businesses that have a WP website and still created a subdomain for installing the WordPress blog. Doing things yourself is good and all, but it’s always best to consult an expert once in a while.

  The only reason your blogger needs to know how to use WP. Is so that they can publish and schedule content appropriately. And add the media needed to improve post engagement.  They may also need to install some useful plugins now and then.

  So , get someone that knows their way around WordPress.

  Social Media skills

They don’t have to be a social media ninja warrior. But they must know their way around the platforms. Once a post is created they would need to share it consistently across your social networks.

  If they are savvy enough they’ll know that there are WordPress plugins that will automate this sharing process. That is sharing posts from your blog to your social media accounts. This is one reason why they should know WordPress .

  In the past you may have heard of advice such as, just choose  a few social media accounts and concentrate on them. Here is what I say, use as many social media platforms as you can. But know the ones you will concentrate on. The ones you will mostly use to build your brand.

  For the other platforms where you will not be putting much concentration,  automate sharing of content . That is, automatically setup auto-share from your blog or from third party platforms such as  buffer.com, kuku.io  and all the others that you may know of.

  Knowledge in Social Media Marketing is a big plus for the unicorn blogger.

  Video things

If you are a big business, hiring a separate video guy should also be at the top of your list. If the blogger can create videos and edit videos , this should be a huge plus.

  If they can create and edit videos, that’s even better. Creating videos shouldn’t be an expensive endeavor. Your phone with a good quality camera will do. You will most probably be creating how to videos. Or review and opinion videos. Which shouldn’t be hard to create. A talking head video will be good enough.

  The more tasking part in this case would be video editing. You would have to invest in one video editing software.

So, the blogger should know their way around platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. This video content is best set as someone else’s responsibility. However if they have these skills too, that’s great!

  Graphic things

It may feel like this is too much expectation from one person. They don’t have to have all these skills in the beginning. You can get someone else for graphic related tasks.

  Yes, sure you are probably going to buy or use free stock images. But once you get this image, it is certainly going to be about 2500 pixels by 1600 pixels. And over. Are you going to use it so?

You’ll need to get it Web ready by at least reducing it’s size and quality. Your web page’s  loading speed are affected by things like these.

  So if your blogger has a hands on experience with a tool like Photoshop, that’s great!

Learning to use any software is very possible. Creating software is the challenging part. That’s what I believe.

If they know about Web Graphics and have some basic Graphic design skills, perfect!

  SEO

Seo is dead they keep saying.

The day SEO dies that is the day Google will fall as a company. After all what use will we have for it then. The other day I was thinking to myself, is there a website that lists all websites. Truth is, the closest thing to that is Google. Not web directories. It’s Google.

  One way or another people will still keep searching on a search engine. Keep writing great content. Your blogger needs to know basic SEO. Things like writing for a human being, while also taking care of search engines. Knowing things that will mess up a page’s loading speed, like embedding ten YouTube videos on one page. And using images which have not been optimized on a page.

  Back when I used to freelance more, some buyers used to send me images which were over 10mb to put on their web page. And others used to send videos for me to upload on their Website and embed on their page. If I followed through, can you imagine how slow that page would be?

  Point is, the person you choose, should know some things that matter for Search Engine Optimization.

  Analytics

It’s important to see how the blog and the website in general is performing. A basic knowledge of Google analytics. And the Google  search console should be mandatory. I could mention Yahoo stuff here too. But let’s be real.

There are lots of other useful analytics tools. When these different tools are used well. The data may be used to make useful decisions about content and conversion. And even design overhauls.

  What’s their job exactly

They write engaging blog posts

Publish or schedule the posts on your blog

Add and maybe edit graphics to be used in the posts

Write video descriptions for your YouTube and Vimeo videos

Embed videos on your website. They may be your own videos. Or videos related to your industry. Videos are one of the best ways to increase the average time spent on a page .

Check the metrics ( on Analytics, etc) and see how the Blog is performing.

  Can you imagine hiring three people with all the above skills. Each working independently to create and publish content for you. And add another video guy (s). To create video content for you. You will see great results. Instead of trying to bait people with ads, create content that people will find useful. Become the go to brand. The brand that people believe knows everything about the industry. The industry  you are in.

  View all my Digital Marketing Video Courses here >>