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xpressluna · 2 months ago

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I’ve Patiently Tested 10 Ways to Earn Money Online by Writing — Here’s What Works

The internet is flooded with promises of easy money through writing. As someone who’s spent the past year patiently testing dozens of methods, I can tell you: most are overhyped. But a handful actually work — and work well — if you’re consistent, strategic, and patient.

Here’s what I learned from trying out 10 popular ways to earn money online by writing, and which ones are truly worth your time.

Freelance Writing for Clients

Earnings Potential: $20–$200+ per article Best For: Writers who want stable income and client relationships

This is the most reliable method I tested. Sites like Upwork, Freelancer, and ProBlogger Jobs offer consistent opportunities for writers across niches. Landing your first client can take time, but once you build a portfolio and good reviews, work comes more easily.

✅ What Worked: Targeting a specific niche (e.g., personal finance, SaaS, health) helped me stand out and command better rates. 🚫 What Didn’t: Competing on price in general categories led to burnout and low pay.

Medium Partner Program

Earnings Potential: $10–$1,000/month depending on traffic and topic Best For: Writers who enjoy personal essays or thought leadership

Medium pays writers based on member reading time. You won’t get rich overnight, but with consistent publishing and a few viral hits, income grows.

✅ What Worked: Writing in trending categories (productivity, tech, relationships) and submitting to large publications like Better Humans or Start It Up. 🚫 What Didn’t: Writing random topics without targeting any audience — no one read those.

Ghostwriting

Earnings Potential: $500–$5,000 per project Best For: Skilled writers who don’t need a byline

Ghostwriting is lucrative if you’re okay writing under someone else’s name. I wrote blog posts, LinkedIn articles, and even an ebook for clients who had ideas but no time or skill to write.

✅ What Worked: Positioning myself as a specialist in one area (e.g., thought leadership for executives). 🚫 What Didn’t: Taking low-paid ghostwriting gigs — they often demanded more work than they were worth.

Self-Publishing Ebooks

Earnings Potential: $50–$2,000+/month depending on sales Best For: Writers with expertise or storytelling ability

I published a few short non-fiction ebooks on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It takes effort upfront, but once live, sales can become passive income.

✅ What Worked: Writing concise, valuable guides in a niche people are actively searching for (e.g., productivity, freelancing). 🚫 What Didn’t: Fiction without marketing — I made almost nothing from my attempt at a short story collection.

Content Writing for Blogs & Agencies

Earnings Potential: $0.05–$0.25 per word Best For: Writers who can produce informative, SEO-optimized content

Agencies often hire freelance writers to churn out blog content for clients. The pay is modest, but regular work is possible.

✅ What Worked: Applying to content mills with higher standards like ClearVoice, Verblio, and Scripted. 🚫 What Didn’t: Platforms that pay $5 per 500 words — not sustainable.

Copywriting (Ads, Emails, Landing Pages)

Earnings Potential: $100–$5,000+ per project Best For: Writers who understand psychology and marketing

Copywriting is one of the highest-paid writing skills. I took a short course, practiced writing sales emails and landing pages, and started pitching startups.

✅ What Worked: Learning from top copywriters (like Joanna Wiebe or Alex Cattoni) and building a copywriting-specific portfolio. 🚫 What Didn’t: Generic proposals to clients without tailoring — they got ignored.

Writing for Revenue Share Sites

Earnings Potential: $0–$100/month Best For: Beginners building writing samples

Sites like HubPages or .media pay a small amount based on ad revenue or views. I used these to test content ideas and practice SEO.

✅ What Worked: Treating it as a testing ground and learning platform. 🚫 What Didn’t: Expecting real income — it’s a long game with low returns.

Newsletter Monetization (Substack, ConvertKit)

Earnings Potential: $0–$10,000+/month Best For: Writers with a unique voice and loyal audience

Starting a paid newsletter takes time, but it pays off with the right niche and consistency. My Substack grew slowly, but when I reached a few hundred subscribers, sponsorships and reader support came in.

✅ What Worked: Niching down and offering value (e.g., weekly insights on AI tools for creators). 🚫 What Didn’t: Writing random musings — people won’t pay for general thoughts.

Affiliate Blogging

Earnings Potential: $50–$2,000/month Best For: Writers who can write review-style or tutorial content

By creating blog posts that recommend products and including affiliate links, I made a small but consistent income. SEO and keyword research are key.

✅ What Worked: Product comparisons and tutorials targeting long-tail keywords. 🚫 What Didn’t: Writing without keyword strategy — no traffic, no income.

Writing Online Courses or Course Scripts

Earnings Potential: $500–$10,000+ Best For: Writers with subject-matter expertise

I collaborated with a course creator to write scripts and outlines for an online class. You can also sell your own course on platforms like Teachable or Gumroad.

✅ What Worked: Combining writing with teaching skills in a specific niche. 🚫 What Didn’t: General courses without a clear outcome or promise.

Final Thoughts: What Actually Works?

If I had to rank these based on consistency, income potential, and personal satisfaction, here’s how I’d place them:

Freelance Writing (Clients)

Copywriting

Ghostwriting

Medium (if done strategically)

Ebooks & Blogging with Affiliate Links

Everything else can supplement your income or act as a stepping stone, but the real money comes from treating writing as a business.

💡 Pro Tip: Choose one or two methods, go deep, and build a reputation. Trying to do all 10 at once will dilute your efforts.

#trending

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home-office · 2 months ago

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#IFTTT #Essential Home Office

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opulentconceptions · 2 months ago

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Published in Sounds, 10th April 1982 Blitz |The Test Tube Babies | Partisans | Red Alert | Gig Review | Lyceum 1982 | ALL THIS ‘who dares wins’ lark is all well and good, but Blitz headlining the ropey old Lyceum straight from Skunx and without a lot of hard graft in between was stronging it a bit. They got what you’d expect, five or six hundred kids and a half empty hall. Mind you, no…

#Blitz #Partisans #Peter & the Test Tube Babies #Red Alert #Sounds

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jranimator · 6 months ago

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Understanding the Music Industry for Aspiring Artists

The journey from being an amateur musician to becoming a professional artist is both challenging and rewarding. Aspiring musicians often dream of making it big, but the path to success requires a combination of talent, hard work, networking, and a clear strategy. In this article, we’ll explore actionable tips to help you transition from hobbyist to professional in the music industry.

Understand Your Unique Sound and Style

To stand out in the competitive world of music, it's essential to identify your unique sound and style. This involves experimenting with different genres, instruments, and songwriting techniques until you find what resonates with you. Your sound should reflect your personality and passion while appealing to your target audience. Once you've identified your style, stick with it to build a recognizable brand.

Creating a small music project, like an EP, can help showcase your artistic identity. An EP is an excellent way to introduce your music to the world. If you're unsure where to start, learn how to make an EP. It allows you to focus on a handful of songs that define your sound without the commitment of a full-length album.

Educate Yourself on Industry Basics

Understanding the ins and outs of the music industry is crucial for long-term success. Terms like A&R, royalties, publishing rights, and distribution might sound intimidating at first, but they’re foundational to a professional music career. You can start by exploring what is A&R. A&R representatives play a pivotal role in discovering new talent and guiding artists through the production process. Knowing their responsibilities and how to connect with them can be a game-changer for your career.

Additionally, understanding the difference between musical formats, such as EPs and albums, can help you plan your releases better. Many new artists struggle with deciding what to release first. Learning the Difference between EP and Album will provide clarity and help you choose the format that aligns with your career stage.

Build a Network and Collaborate

Networking is an essential part of breaking into the music industry. Building connections with other musicians, producers, managers, and industry professionals can open doors to opportunities you might not access on your own.

Attend local gigs, join music forums, and participate in workshops or open mic events to expand your network. These environments often foster collaboration, allowing you to work with other artists and learn from their experiences. Such collaborations can also help you refine your craft and gain exposure to new audiences.

Moreover, building a network can make it easier to get a Job in Music Industry, even if it’s a part-time or freelance role. Working within the industry provides valuable insights and connections that can help you advance your artistic career.

Leverage Social Media and Digital Platforms

In today’s digital age, social media and streaming platforms are invaluable tools for musicians. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify allow you to share your music with a global audience, often without needing a record label.

Focus on creating engaging content, such as live performances, behind-the-scenes clips, and music tutorials. Consistency is key to building a loyal fanbase. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages, hosting Q&A sessions, or even performing live streams.

When releasing music online, start small. Creating an EP is a manageable way to introduce your music to the world. Discover how to make an EP and use it to test the waters with your audience. Once you’ve built a solid following, you can consider releasing a full-length album.

Hone Your Craft Continuously

Even the most talented musicians need to continuously improve their skills. Practice regularly and invest in lessons or courses to refine your instrument playing, vocal techniques, and songwriting abilities.

Seek feedback from trusted mentors, peers, or fans. Constructive criticism can help you identify areas for improvement and ensure you’re on the right path. Joining music communities or hiring a coach can also provide structured guidance as you work toward your goals.

Remember, the music industry values professionalism. Whether you're performing on stage, recording in a studio, or networking with industry professionals, always strive to present yourself as a polished and prepared artist.

Invest in High-Quality Recordings

As a professional musician, the quality of your recordings can make or break your career. Fans and industry professionals alike expect clear, well-produced music. Invest in a good microphone, software, and other recording equipment, or work with a reputable producer.

If you’re on a budget, focus on creating a standout EP before attempting a full album. Not only does an EP require fewer resources, but it also serves as a teaser for your music, allowing you to gauge audience interest. Check out the Difference between EP and Album to determine which format suits your needs.

Develop a Marketing Plan

Music is not just about the art; it’s also about the business. A solid marketing plan can help you reach a wider audience and maximize your impact. Start by defining your target audience and setting realistic goals.

Create promotional materials, such as album art, press releases, and social media posts. Collaborate with influencers or bloggers to amplify your reach. Additionally, consider running ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram to promote your releases.

Conclusion

Transitioning from an amateur musician to a professional artist is a challenging but achievable goal. By focusing on your craft, building a network, and leveraging digital tools, you can carve a successful path in the music industry. Remember to start small—creating an EP can be a great first step. Learn how to make an EP and use it to showcase your talent.

Take time to understand industry roles, such as what is A&R, and explore opportunities to get a Job in Music Industry. By staying dedicated and proactive, you can turn your musical dreams into reality.

What challenges have you faced on your music journey? Share your experiences in the comments below!

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pgxn · 1 year ago

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Recent PGXN Improvements

One of the perks of my new gig at Tembo is that I have more time to work on PGXN. In the last ten years I've had very little time to give, so things have stagnated. The API, for example, hasn't seen a meaningful update since 2016!

But that's all changed now, and every bit of the PGXN architecture has experienced a fair bit of TLC in the last few weeks. A quick review.

PGXN Manager

PGXN Manager provides user registration and extension release services. It maintains the root registry of the project, ensuring the consistency of download formatting and naming ($extension-$version.zip if you're wondering). Last year I added a LISTEN/NOTIFY queue for publishing new releases to Twitter and Mastodon, replacing the old Twitter posting on upload. It has worked quite well (although Twitter killed the API so we no longer post there), but has sometimes disappeared for days or weeks at a time. I've futzed with it over the past year, but last weekend I think I finally got to the bottom of the problem.

As a result, the PGXN Mastodon account should say much more up-to-date than it sometimes has. I've also added additional logging capability, because sometimes the posts fail and I need better clarity into what failed and how so it, too, can be fixed. So messaging should continue to become more reliable. Oh, and testing and unstable releases are now prominently marked as such in the posts (or will be, next time someone uploads a non-stable release).

I also did a little work on the formatting of the How To doc, upgrading to MultiMarkdown 6 and removing some post-processing that appended unwanted backslashes to the ends of code lines.

PGXN API

PGXN API (docs) has been the least loved part of the architecture, but all that changed in the last couple weeks. I finally got over my trepidation and got it working where I could hack on it again. Turns out, the pending issues and to-dos — some dating back to 2011! — weren't so difficult to take on as I had feared. In the last few weeks, API has finally come unstuck and evolved:

Switched the parsing of Markdown documents from the quite old Text::Markdown module to CommonMark, which is a thin wrapper around the well-maintained and modern cmark library. The main way in which this change will be visible is in the support for fenced code blocks. Compare the pg_later 0.0.14 README, formatted with the old parser, with pg_later 0.1.0 README, formatted with the new parser.

Updated the full text indexer to index the file identified in the META.json as the documentation for an extension even if the file name is different from the extension (issue 10), including the README.

Furthermore, if the indexer finds no documentation for the extension, either in its metadata or an appropriately-named file, it falls back on the README (issue 12).

These two fixes, the oldest and most significant of the whole system, greatly increase the accuracy of documentation search, because so many extensions have no docs other than the README. Prior to this fix, for example, a search for "later" failed to turn up pg_later, and now it's appropriately the first result.

The indexer now indexes releases marked "testing" or "unstable" in the metadata if there is no stable release (issue 2!). This makes new extensions under development easier to find on the site than previously, when only stable releases were indexed. However, once a stable release is made, no more testing or unstable releases will be indexed. I believe this is more intuitive behavior.

Also fixed some permissions issue, ensuring that source code unzipped for browsing is accessible to the app. In other words, a zip file without READ permission would trigger a not found response; the API now ensures that all files and directories are accessible to the application.

As a bonus, the API now also recognizes plain text files (.txt and .text) as documentation and indexes their contents and adds links for display on the site. Previously plain text files other than READMEs were ignored (issue 13).

I'm quite pleased with some of these fixes, and relieved to have finally cleared out the karmic overhang of the backlog. But the indexing and HTML rendering changes, in particular, are tactical: until the entire registry can be re-indexed, only new uploads will benefit from the indexing improvements. I hope to find time to work on the indexing project soon.

PGXN Site

The pgxn-site project powers the main site, pgxn.org, and has seen 7 new releases since the beginning of the year! Notable changes:

Changed the default search index from Documentation too Distributions, because most release include no docs other than a READMe, which was indexed as part of the distribution and not the extension contained in a distribution. As a result, searches return more relevant and comprehensive results. However, I say "was indexed" because, as described above, the PGXN API has since been updated to appropriately identify and index READMEs as extension documentation. So this change might get reverted at some point, but not before the entire registry can be re-indexed.

Changed the link to the How To in the footer from the somewhat opaque "Release It!" to "Release on PGXN". Should make it clearer what it is. Also, have you considered releasing your extension on PGXN? You should!

Fixed "not found" errors for links to files with uppercase letters, such as /dist/vectorize/vector-serve/README.html.

Tweaked the CSS a bit to improve list item alignment in the "Contents" of doc pages (like semver), as well as the spacing between definition lists, as in the FAQ.

Switched the parsing and formatting of the static pages (about, art, FAQ, feedback, and mirroring) from the quite ancient Text::MultiMarkdown module to MultiMarkdown 6.

Oh, and I fixed or removed a bunch of outdated links from those pages, and replaced all relevant HTTP URLs with HTTPS URLs. Then had to revert those changes from a bunch of SVG files, where xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" is relevant but xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" is not. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Grab Bag

I've made a number of more iterative improvements, as well, mostly to the maintainability of PGXN projects:

The GitHub repositories for all of these projects have been updated with comprehensive test and release workflows, as well as improved Perl release configuration.

The WWW::PGXN, PGXN::API::Searcher Perl modules have been updated with test and release workflows and improved Perl release configuration, as well.

The libexec configuration of the PGXN Client Homebrew formula has been fixed, allowing PGXN::Meta::Validator to install itself in the proper place to allow pgxn validate-meta to work properly on Homebrew managed-systems (like mine!)

The pgxn/pgxn-tools Docker image, which saw some fixes and improvements last month, has continued to evolve, as well. Recent improvements include support for PostgreSQL TAP tests (not to be confused with pgTAP, already supported), finer control over managing the Postgres cluster — or multiple clusters — by setting NO_CLUSTER= to prevent pg-start from creating the cluster. Both these improvements better enable multi-cluster testing.

The End

I think that about covers it. Although I'm thinking and writing quite a lot about what's next for the Postgres extension ecosystem, I expect to continue tending to the care and feeding and improvement of PGXN as well. To the future!

#postgresql #pgxn #postgres #extensions

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shohel500-posts · 5 years ago

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How to Publish Fiverr Gig without Test || Solve fiverr gig test || support Class

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dimeeasy · 4 years ago

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10 Legit Ways to Build Passive Income Online

Whether you are a student looking to make some extra cash, a working professional wanting to build a side hustle, or a corporate escapee and whosoever who is starting to build an online business need to have some cash inflow for the further smooth flow of your business.

There are many sites out there saying make money like $100 a day with surveys, with google sites, etc. Of course, they may make you money for a certain period of time but are not long-term and passive.

You always need to look out for ways to make money that are passive. You need to earn money every month and double it. Here are my top creative ideas to make money online. These real methods have worked in past and will work now and then too.

Freelancing

You would have heard a lot of this from others. But yes, this is the first best way to earn some cash before starting out your business. It will help to get some extra money into your pocket as well as fund a little for your software if you are starting out. You can start freelancing with no investment upfront. It's FREE. You can make money online freelancing.

Don’t worry if you think you don’t have any skills. You can learn small skills by taking a free trial in skillshare. There are tons of gigs people are looking for to get their work done and with the right process, you can make money as a freelancer.

By the year 2027, freelancers are projected to make up the majority of the workforce in the United States, with 50.9% of the working population. In fact, at the current growth rate, it’s estimated that 67.6 million Americans will be freelancing by the end of 2021. That’s 42% of the American workforce! (Website planet).

What are you waiting for? Search in-demand gigs on google keywords and search trends. And yes, patience is the key. You need to wait a few weeks while you get your first gig. Start promoting your services on social media and find your spot.

Starting a Blog

As of 2021, there are more than 570 million blogs on the internet, based on activities reported by WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, Wix, Squarespace, and Medium (and this number is constantly growing) (firstsiteguide).

Now do not get overwhelmed, the one thing is though blogs are growing rapidly, and so are people reading blogs. Of course, blogs are saturated, but when you niche down and find your audience then you can achieve your space in this sea of bloggers.

Starting a blog, yesterday, today, tomorrow, is possible as long as you are using proper rules, like optimizing your SEO, giving unique content to your readers, and more. But, the best day to start blogging for your profit is today and now.

Let us look at some stats on why you should start your blog today

61% of online shoppers in the US say they made a purchase after getting a recommendation from a blog post

Companies that blog actively have 126% better lead growth

80% of bloggers say that they see positive business results from their blogging efforts

Blogs affect customers’ buying decisions as 47% of them go through 3 to 5 blog posts before the buying process (Firstsiteguide)

Give me a better reason why you should not start a blog after these mind-blowing facts.

You can start a niche blog, review blog, cooking blog, gaming blog, parenting blog, and more. Just write what you know or keep an eye on your competitors and outperform them. And blogging is the best for your long-term passive income.

Starting a YouTube channel

Now as we’ve known how YouTube has evolved to be like a video search engine, the platform has grown considerably and is been growing millions of YouTubers.

Again, let’s talk about some statistics about YouTube. YouTube has 2.3 billion users worldwide.

79 percent of Internet users have their own YouTube account.

YouTube viewers watch over a billion hours of video on the platform every day and generate billions of views. (YouTube, 2021)

YouTube is localized in more than 100 countries and is available in 80 languages. (YouTube, 2021)

Every day people watch one billion hours of video on YouTube (source-Oberlo)

Now, the real question is how to make money out of YouTube? Well, there is enough space for you to sink in. Are you a coach, fitness enthusiastic, a person with good communication, or even just an individual with no skills at all? You can make videos, monetize your YouTube account, and earn from AdSense and affiliate marketing.

Umm! Some people may say that YouTube is not for me. I don’t know how to make and produce videos. I don’t have any skills. Well, I have a solution for that. You can make money from YouTube absolutely by not showing your face at all.

Here are some of the niches you can make videos y not showing your face.

If u do not want to record videos, you can head up to free stock videos or images and give a voice-over and start making content.

If you feel shy to start, you will never get ahead. So, the one thing I want to tell to everyone who is shy to make videos and for my younger self, stop doubting yourself. Just do it, don’t care about criticism, success will follow you

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when a person earns a commission for referring a product to others. For eg: You register yourself as an affiliate to promote certain products, when the person you promote the product click on your unique affiliate link and purchases through your link you earn a commission. A commission can range for each and every product.

And the affiliate marketing model is the best, safe model for beginners. You can drive traffic for free and for paid as well. You can be an affiliate marketer if you need a passive income, you don’t need to have any other customer support, you can work from home at your own comfort.

Now, how to register as an affiliate. First, think of what do you like the most. What products do you love using? Type the name in google and see whether there is an affiliate program or just see other affiliate programs in your niche. Choose the one you love so that you don’t feel tired and exhausted in the long run.

There are many other sites where you can choose your products from. You can take products from Click bank, Digistore24, Share a Sale, Jvzoo, and similar other platforms.

Here are the best affiliate platforms for you to choose from

How do you want to promote is the next question?

Well, you can create landing pages in click funnels, kartra, or builderall and promote them through ads. If you are on your budget, you could start a blog and promote it. You can write blogs for free on medium.com. It is a cost-effective way to sell your products. You can create a YouTube channel, talk about how you love using those products, and promote them, you could even use Pinterest to promote your blogs and landing pages.

We all know that Pinterest is a visual search engine and no doubt you can get quite a good sale from affiliate marketing in Pinterest

Once you get your first sale and testimonials you can start your Instagram page and build trust with others to promote the products and scale your business.

Instagram Influencer

Do you love making TikTok videos, always want to be active on social media? Then here is your chance to start earning being an Instagram influencer.

You can start by creating content about the topic you want to talk about the most. If creating a YouTube channel feels a bit challenging, grow your audience and monetize them through Instagram. Feel free to talk about what you feel.

Collect your follower's email IDs. Once you become consistent with the audience and platform, the content you are generating makes a digital course or something you think to monetize your people. Giveaway a lot of freebies, checklists, and many other things to lead your audience to the product you are offering. Build trust with them and try to use all of Instagram's available channels. Use carousals, reels, IGTV, go live to show behind the scenes of your work, and more!.

Staying consistent is the key to grow your audience on Instagram.

Starting a T-Shirt Business

Whether you’re an artist, writer, designer, or entrepreneur, physical products can be the perfect canvas for monetizing your creativity. Yes, you heard that right. You can start your own merch for free. Starting an online T-shirt business is booming in this era an why don’t you be one of them. You do not need to hold any inventory, just design your t-shirt online and publish it.

Let me make it clear. So what is print on demand? How to start your free t-shirt business

Print on demand is a process where you work with a supplier to customize white-label products (like baseball hats or tote bags) with your own designs to sell them on a per-order basis under your own brand.

That means you don’t pay for the product until after you’ve actually sold it, so there’s no need to buy in bulk or hold any inventory yourself.

Plus, with print-on-demand services, everything after the sale, from printing to shipping, is handled by your supplier. Once you’ve set everything up, it takes only a few clicks to fulfill an order once you’ve made a sale.

You can use print-on-demand services to:

Test a business idea or new product line for an existing business without the risks that come with buying inventory.

Monetize an audience you’ve built. Printing on demand is a great option if you’re a YouTuber, cartoonist, or social media influencer who wants to spend your time creating content instead of fulfilling orders.

Create original products for a niche of customers. For example, apparel for people who are passionate about gaming.

Easily print one-off items—t-shirts, books, shoes, bags, wall art, phone cases, clocks, laptop skins, mugs, and so much more. You can send these as gifts or keep them for yourself and your team (source-Shopify)

You can get started with print on demand for almost free with teespring, redbubble, printful . Or you can start your online store on Shopify and sell them as a custom branding.

Do not worry if you are not a pro in graphic designing. You can design your t-shirt on canva and paste the design on your t-shirt too. This is a legitimate and easy business for beginners online. You can promote your merch by using SEO, keywords, and various social platforms.

Let's take a look at the print on demand statistics:

This statistic depicts the market value of the custom t-shirt printing market worldwide from 2016 to 2025. In 2016, the global custom t-shirt printing market was valued at 1.16 billion U.S. dollars, and was forecast to reach a value of 3.1 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

This is insane amount the industry is making from print-on-demand only.

COVID-19 impact Fabric face mask accounted for 11.14% of all goods sold through Printify in September 2020. (Printify)

A 2020 survey revealed that about 96% of millennials and Gen Z have concerns about how the ongoing pandemic will impact the economy. (BigCommerce)

With more people staying at home and focusing on home improvement projects, the Home & Living category is on the rise, with the first 6 months of 2020 seeing a 243.77% growth. Both canvas gallery wraps (2.19%) and premium vertical posters (1.35%) are in TOP15 products sold by Printify merchants. (Printify)

According to Merkle’s report in 2020, roughly 79% of consumers plan to be more conservative with how much they will spend shopping online during the pandemic. (Merkle)

In the first 6 months of 2020, Printify monthly active users have grown by 69%, with registrations up 39%. (Printify)

62% of sellers in the United Kingdom changed their marketing plan because of the pandemic. Moreover, only 14 percent of businesses have decided to stick with their original marketing strategy for 2020. (Statista) ( All sources- Printify) Read more at: https://printify.com/ecommerce-statistics/ And these are just stats alone. Don’t wait now. Start your print-on-demand business right away.

Online Tutoring

Again, online tutoring is gaining massive demand in this digital age. During the pandemic the online tutoring business was a boom and it will be more in the coming years. Just teach people what you know. There are many people in this world who want to learn and are ready to pay for it.

Whether you know to speak English, or drawing, graphic designing, marketing, business, or anything that matters, turn your own skill into a business

You can tutor in paid platforms like cambly, Oakary, iTutor, or just start teaching in YouTube and create tour own course and sell it. You can create courses and teach in udemy too. People all over the world are searching to learn skills and may be you can teach them what you know and monetize your skills.

Amazon KDP [ Selling E-books and low content books ]

As I told you print on demand is a big thing and so does amazon KDP is too. What is KDP? Amazon KDP is nothing but kindle direct publishing. KDP allows you to self-publish eBooks and paperbacks for free. Amazon gives you direct access to your book on Amazon and allows you to create a product detail page for your book. It also gives you the option to expand your book’s availability on a global scale, making it more accessible for readers around the world. Publishing with KDP gives you full rights to your book, which is not something a traditional publishing house typically allows.

What types of content can I publish through KDP?

KDP allows you to publish eBooks (Kindle) and paperback books. However, KDP does not allow the creation of magazines, periodicals, or spiral-bound books.

Content types typically published using KDP include but are not limited to the following:

Novels

Book Series

Children’s Books

Comics

Cookbooks

Journals

Poetry

Textbooks (source: amazon.com)

Selling Photography

Are you a photographer? Are you making enough money? If no then this will help you , if yes you are gonna make an extra dime.

You can sell your beautiful photos on Getty Images, Pexels, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and many more sites and earn money whenever your image is downloaded. If it is a subscription-based site then your earnings will be more. You can post your beautiful images on Instagram and become famous. Ultimately you can collaborate with various brands for their product photography.

If your camera is lying there near you, take it and start clicking pictures and sell your photos online.

Selling on Etsy

Etsy is an online market place that works as an intermediary between customers and artists, crafters of handmade items or collectors of vintage products. The company engages in customer to customer (C2C) or peer to peer (P2P) e-commerce in which both the seller and the buyer are private individuals or micro-businesses. This is in contrast to other forms of internet commerce such as B2C or B2B (source: Statista).

Let's head to our facts about how profitable it is to sell on Etsy

Etsy had over 2.5 million sellers at the end of 2019, and we can only expect that this number has increased.

Etsy sellers live all over the world, in 234 countries

62% of Etsy sellers are based in the US.

California is home to the most Etsy sellers with 14% of US-based Etsy shops. (credits: veeqo)

Etsy is a huge commerce platform, with an especially strong US presence. Plus, the fact that most sellers are multi-channel retailers—and also selling their products on marketplaces like Amazon and Shopify sites—suggests that the platform isn’t just for amateur makers. It’s for eCommerce businesses.

So if you’re already selling handmade or vintage products on another platform, it’s worth it to expand and start selling on Etsy.

If you’re starting a business, it’s important to run the numbers before setting up shop—or at least quitting your day job. Etsy does have associated costs, though it’s worth noting that the listing and transaction fees are lower than other platforms, like Amazon and eBay. (cre: veeqo)

So, if you can start your print on demand you can sell it on Etsy too. If you are good at handicrafts Etsy is the best place to promote.

Conclusion

So here are the top 10 ways where in you can make legitimate money online. You can try all these methods one by one. Well, everyone will look for quick methods to make money online, but those won’t suffice for long run.

If you should build a strong business online you need to stay consistent no matter what. Staying consistent will help audience grow along with you on your journey to make money online. For beginners starting out these methods will help you in starting out to make a dime or two.

One thing I need to make particular is you will not see results instantly. You need to try and try, keep on trying. Whether it is 2 weeks, 1 month or 3 months, you should not stop. Keep up that grind and let’s start the digital lifestyle. Start by making money online fore free with these methods and start investing in ads and make the business run for you in long run.

#passive income #makemoney #make money online #remote jobs #jobsearch #building a business #freelance #social media #education #money tips #earnmoneyonline #make money blogging #make money on instagram #make money now

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cheats-for-sims-4-tu · 3 years ago

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cheats for sims 4 work K9N?

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 rosebud - receive simoleons. Money- type any number after the word money to receive that precise amount of dosh. To enter Cheat Codes in The Sims 4, you must first open the Cheat Console by pressing “Ctrl + Shift + C” on your PC or Mac, while in game. This will bring up. The Sims 4 money cheats ; rosebud - receive 1, simoleons ; kaching - receive 1, simoleons ; motherlode - receive 50, simoleons ; Money X -. The Sims 4 – Build/Buy Mode Cheats ; veeditobjects, Unlocks over extra world environment objects to your game (you'll also have to use the bb. Sims 4 cheat codes offers you a risk-free shortcut to the high life - free money, free houses, instant happiness and friendships, the ability to turn everyone into a plant You name it! It might spoil some of the fun of having to build up to having a best friend relationship or scrimping and saving for that dream home, but it also allows you to be as creative as you like in The Sims 4 without having to worry about the consequences. Especially when it comes to building with no regulations. Sims 4 cheats also allow you to stop Sims and objects from become stuck or trapped, so there's a practical use to them, too. This will then bring up the Cheat Console. Enter the cheat of your choice, press the Enter Key, and the Sims 4 cheat will come into effect. It's worth noting that many cheats require you enter ' testingcheats true ' beforehand. Doing so will reveal the command 'Cheats are enabled', which signifies this is active. Not all Sims 4 cheats need this enabled, but since so many do, it's worth getting into the habit of setting it active at the start of any sessions so you aren't caught out. From there, are many different types of The Sims 4 cheats available. The following are tested and confirmed to be correct for the PC version of The Sims 4 in May , though later versions and other platforms may differ:. Alternatively, you can enter 'testingcheats true', then enter 'Money X', with X being the exact number of simoleons you replace your current total with. As well as instant effect The Sims 4 cheat codes like the above, it's possible to enter a 'testing' mode that allows you to hold down the SHIFT key and click on Sims and objects to change their states. This is much faster, but there are less options for you to pick from than if you used the Cheat Console. First, enter ' testingcheats true ', which will display the 'Cheats are enabled' message. Additionally, you can enter 'testingcheats true', then right click a Sim, select 'Career Gigs Picker Debug to select a Gig. Additionally, you can enter 'testingcheats true', then right click a Sim, select 'Marriage' and modify marriages. Our The Sims 4 cheats can help you fast travel your way to all sorts of bonuses in the game. Meanwhile, if you have expansions, we can help with becoming a werewolf , Fabrication in Eco Living , Tiny Living , how to become a Mermaid , how to become a Spellcaster , High School and attending prom and University Degrees and Distinguished Degrees. In June , we also saw the free addition of ladders in The Sims 4. First, enter 'testingcheats true', and with cheat codes active, you can perform the following for the Vampires pack:. These cheat codes will give your Sims degrees and all the benefits of earning one without having to go to University in the first place. With these cheat codes, players are able to transform into these occult Sims, as well as remove them. This section focuses on vampires and werewolves , but it also works for both Alien and Mermaid Sims, as well. The Sims 4 base game is going permanently free starting in October. State of the Game The Sims 4 - a game of cycles that could do with starting anew. How to explore Glimmerbrook and become a Spellcaster in the magic-focused expansion. How to unlock heroes in Overwatch 2. Nintendo has updated eShop rules on adult content, publisher says. Wild Hearts is anything but a big boar in new 7-minute gameplay trailer. If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Watch on YouTube. State of the Game The Sims 4 - a game of cycles that could do with starting anew Circle of life. The Sims 4 Spellcasters guide on how to become a Spellcaster in the Realm of Magic expansion How to explore Glimmerbrook and become a Spellcaster in the magic-focused expansion. How to unlock heroes in Overwatch 2 How to expand your roster. Wild Hearts is anything but a big boar in new 7-minute gameplay trailer Omega Force's monster hunter out next year. Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store.

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sims-4-free-build-cheat-e0 · 3 years ago

Text

sims 4 free build cheat working JR6E%

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 The Sims 4 Mac cheats: Hold Command (⌘) and Shift, then press c. The Sims 4 Xbox One cheats: Hold down all four shoulder buttons at once. With your lot open in build mode, press Shift+Control+C to open the cheat console box (upper left of your screen): Sims 4 -Open Cheat Console Box. For this The Sims 4 building cheat, go into build mode and open the cheat dialogue box and type “gameplayunlocksentitlement”. Scroll To Top. How do you. Once cheats are enabled, proceed by adding another cheat in the command console box. The free build mode cheatline is “freebuild”. Sims 4 cheat codes offers you a risk-free shortcut to the high life - free money, free houses, instant happiness and friendships, the ability to turn everyone into a plant You name it! It might spoil some of the fun of having to build up to having a best friend relationship or scrimping and saving for that dream home, but it also allows you to be as creative as you like in The Sims 4 without having to worry about the consequences. Especially when it comes to building with no regulations. Sims 4 cheats also allow you to stop Sims and objects from become stuck or trapped, so there's a practical use to them, too. This will then bring up the Cheat Console. Enter the cheat of your choice, press the Enter Key, and the Sims 4 cheat will come into effect. It's worth noting that many cheats require you enter ' testingcheats true ' beforehand. Doing so will reveal the command 'Cheats are enabled', which signifies this is active. Not all Sims 4 cheats need this enabled, but since so many do, it's worth getting into the habit of setting it active at the start of any sessions so you aren't caught out. From there, are many different types of The Sims 4 cheats available. The following are tested and confirmed to be correct for the PC version of The Sims 4 in May , though later versions and other platforms may differ:. Alternatively, you can enter 'testingcheats true', then enter 'Money X', with X being the exact number of simoleons you replace your current total with. As well as instant effect The Sims 4 cheat codes like the above, it's possible to enter a 'testing' mode that allows you to hold down the SHIFT key and click on Sims and objects to change their states. This is much faster, but there are less options for you to pick from than if you used the Cheat Console. First, enter ' testingcheats true ', which will display the 'Cheats are enabled' message. Additionally, you can enter 'testingcheats true', then right click a Sim, select 'Career Gigs Picker Debug to select a Gig. Additionally, you can enter 'testingcheats true', then right click a Sim, select 'Marriage' and modify marriages. Our The Sims 4 cheats can help you fast travel your way to all sorts of bonuses in the game. Meanwhile, if you have expansions, we can help with becoming a werewolf , Fabrication in Eco Living , Tiny Living , how to become a Mermaid , how to become a Spellcaster , High School and attending prom and University Degrees and Distinguished Degrees. In June , we also saw the free addition of ladders in The Sims 4. First, enter 'testingcheats true', and with cheat codes active, you can perform the following for the Vampires pack:. These cheat codes will give your Sims degrees and all the benefits of earning one without having to go to University in the first place. With these cheat codes, players are able to transform into these occult Sims, as well as remove them. This section focuses on vampires and werewolves , but it also works for both Alien and Mermaid Sims, as well. The Sims 4 base game is going permanently free starting in October. State of the Game The Sims 4 - a game of cycles that could do with starting anew. How to explore Glimmerbrook and become a Spellcaster in the magic-focused expansion. How to unlock heroes in Overwatch 2. Nintendo has updated eShop rules on adult content, publisher says. Wild Hearts is anything but a big boar in new 7-minute gameplay trailer. If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Watch on YouTube. State of the Game The Sims 4 - a game of cycles that could do with starting anew Circle of life. The Sims 4 Spellcasters guide on how to become a Spellcaster in the Realm of Magic expansion How to explore Glimmerbrook and become a Spellcaster in the magic-focused expansion. How to unlock heroes in Overwatch 2 How to expand your roster. Wild Hearts is anything but a big boar in new 7-minute gameplay trailer Omega Force's monster hunter out next year. Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store.

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xpressluna · 2 months ago

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I Tried 6 Writing Platforms to Make Money – Here's What I Learned

The idea of making money online through writing is both exciting and intimidating. As a freelance writer and content creator, I decided to test six popular platforms that promise writers an opportunity to earn. My goal was to assess ease of use, earning potential, and overall experience. Here's my honest breakdown of what I found after trying each one.

Medium Partner Program

How it works: You earn money based on member reading time. The more engagement your story gets, the more you earn.

My experience: Medium is incredibly user-friendly and has a built-in audience. I published three articles that were SEO-optimized and shared on Twitter and Reddit. Within two weeks, I earned $23.50.

Pros:

Clean, distraction-free interface.

Great exposure if you're featured by publications.

Encourages good storytelling.

Cons:

Income depends heavily on algorithm visibility.

Need Medium membership to fully interact.

Verdict: Great for thought pieces and essays, but don’t expect fast cash unless you build a following.

Vocal Media

How it works: Writers earn money based on reads and can enter paid challenges.

My experience: I posted two articles and shared them on Facebook groups. The traffic wasn’t huge, and I made about $4.80 in the first month. Their bonus for top-performing stories helps, but competition is fierce.

Pros:

Low barrier to entry.

Frequent themed challenges.

Decent layout customization.

Cons:

Very low RPM (revenue per 1,000 views).

You need Vocal+ (paid membership) for maximum benefits.

Verdict: Use it if you're in it for the long game or enjoy niche communities.

Substack

How it works: It's a newsletter platform. You can earn by charging subscribers a monthly fee.

My experience: This one requires commitment. I started a free newsletter and after a month, gained 54 subscribers. I haven’t monetized yet, but the platform has major potential if you're consistent and deliver high-value content.

Pros:

Full control over your mailing list.

Great monetization if you have a niche.

Supports both free and paid tiers.

Cons:

Growth takes time.

You have to market yourself constantly.

Verdict: Best for writers building a personal brand or writing regularly on a topic.

Textbroker

How it works: Clients order content, and you fulfill it based on your star rating (which affects pay).

My experience: I was rated 4 stars after submitting a writing sample. I completed 5 short assignments and earned $37. It’s decent for quick cash, but the topics are dry.

Pros:

Immediate earning potential.

Flexible work schedule.

Cons:

Pay per word is low.

Quality of assignments varies widely.

Verdict: Good for making side cash, but not ideal for creative writers.

Fiverr

How it works: You set up writing “gigs” and get hired for specific tasks.

My experience: I set up a gig for blog writing at $25article. I got one order in my first month and made $20 after fees. Fiverr is saturated, so getting noticed takes smart SEO and patience.

Pros:

You set your own rates.

Wide range of writing services possible.

Cons:

High competition.

Fiverr takes a 20% cut.

Verdict: Best for freelancers who treat it like a business.

HubPages

How it works: You write informative articles and earn via ad revenue and affiliate links.

My experience: I repurposed an old blog post and published it. I made $1.25 in the first month. Traffic is slow without SEO, but passive income is possible over time.

Pros:

Long-term passive income.

Focus on informative, evergreen content.

Cons:

Earnings start slow.

Site design feels outdated.

Verdict: Ideal for evergreen content writers who know SEO basics.

Final Thoughts

Writing online for money isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but it’s entirely possible with the right strategy. Here’s a quick summary:

Total Earnings: $86.55

Each platform has its pros and cons, and success varies based on your style, niche, and effort. My advice? Start with one or two, test your comfort zone, and evolve from there.

#trending

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weheartchrisevans · 5 years ago

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BOSTON — So you're Tim Scott, the Republican senator from South Carolina who opposes Roe v. Wade and wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and you get a call from Chris Evans, a Hollywood star and lifelong Democrat who has been blasting President Trump for years. He wants to meet. And film it. And share it on his online platform. Can anybody say "Borat?" “I was very skeptical,” admits Scott. “You can think of the worst-case scenario.”But then Scott heard from other senators. They vouched for Evans, most famous for playing Captain America in a series of films that have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. The actor also got on the phone with Scott’s staff to make a personal appeal.

It worked. Sometime in 2018, Scott met on camera with Evans in the nation’s capital, and their discussion, which ranged from prison reform to student loans, is one of more than 200 interviews with elected officials published on “A Starting Point,” an online platform the actor helped launch in July. Not long after, Evans appeared on Scott’s Instagram Live. They have plans to do more together.

“While he is a liberal, he was looking to have a real dialogue on important issues,” says Scott. “For me, it’s about wanting to have a conversation with an audience that may not be accustomed to hearing from conservatives and Republicans.”

Evans, actor-director Mark Kassen and entrepreneur Joe Kiani launched “A Starting Point” as a response to what they see as a deeply polarized political climate. They wanted to offer a place for information about issues without a partisan spin. To do that, they knew they needed both parties to participate.

Evans, 39, sat on the patio outside his Boston-area home on a recent afternoon talking about the platform. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans and spent some of the interview chasing around his brown rescue dog. Nearly 100 million people didn’t vote in the 2016 general election, Evans says. That’s more than 40 percent of those who were eligible.He believes the root of this disinterest is the nastiness on both sides of the aisle. Many potential voters simply turn off the news, never mind talking about actual policy.“A Starting Point” is meant to offer a digital home for people to hear from elected officials without having the conversation framed by Tucker Carlson or Rachel Maddow.

“The idea is . . . ‘Listen, you’re in office. I can’t deny the impact you have,’ ” says Evans. “ ‘You can vote on things that affect my life.’ Let this be a landscape of competing ideas, and I’ll sit down with you and I’ll talk with you.”

Or, as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who has appeared on the site, puts it, “Sometimes, boring is okay. You’re being presented two sides. Everything doesn’t have to be sensational. Sometimes, it can just be good facts.” Evans wasn’t always active in politics. At Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, he focused on theater, not student government. And he moved away from home his senior year, working at a casting agency in New York as he pushed for acting gigs. His uncle, Michael E. Capuano, served as a congressman in Massachusetts for 20 years, but other than volunteering on some of his campaign, Evans wasn’t particularly political.

In recent years, he’s read political philosopher Hannah Arendt and feminist Rebecca Solnit’s “The Mother of All Questions” — ex-girlfriend Jenny Slate gave him the latter — and been increasingly upset by Trump’s policies and behavior. He’s come to believe that he can state his own views without creating a conflict with “A Starting Point.” When he and Scott spoke on Instagram, the president wasn’t mentioned. In contrast, recently Evans and other members of the Avengers cast took part in a virtual fundraiser with Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala D. Harris.

“I don’t want to all of a sudden become a blank slate,” says Evans. “But my biggest issue right now is just getting people to vote. If I start saying, ‘vote Biden; f Trump,’ my base will like that. But they were already voting for Biden.”

(In September, Evans accidentally posted an image of presumably his penis online and, after deleting it, tweeted: “Now the I have your attention . . . Vote Nov. 3rd!!!”)

Evans began to contemplate the idea that became “A Starting Point” in 2017. He heard something reported on the news — he can’t remember exactly what — and decided to search out information on the Internet. Instead of finding concrete answers, Evans fell down the rabbit hole of opinions and conflicting claims. He began talking about this with Kassen, a friend since he directed Evans in 2011’s “Puncture.” What if they got the information directly from elected officials and presented it without a spin? Kassen, in turn, introduced Evans to Kiani, who had made his fortune through a medical technology company he founded and, of the three, was the most politically involved.

Kiani has donated to dozens of Democratic candidates across the country and earlier this year contributed $750,000 to Unite the Country, a super PAC meant to support Joe Biden. But he appreciated the idea of focusing on something larger than a single race or party initiative. He, Kassen and Evans would fund “A Starting Point,” which has about 18 people on staff.

“There’s no longer ABC, NBC and CBS,” Kiani says. “There’s Fox News and MSNBC. What that means is that we are no longer being censored. We’re self-censoring ourselves. And people go to their own echo chamber and they don’t get any wiser. If you allow both parties to speak, for the same amount of time, without goading them to go on into hyperbole, when people look at both sides’ point of view of both topics, we think most of the time they’ll come to a reasonable conclusion.”

“What people do too often is they get in their silos and they only watch and listen and read what they agree with,” says John Kasich, the former Ohio governor and onetime Republican presidential candidate. “If you go to Chris’s website, you can’t bury yourself in your silo. You get to see the other point of view.” As much as some like to blame Trump for all the conflicts in Washington, Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) says he’s watched the tone shifting for decades. He appreciated sitting down with Evans and making regular submissions to “Daily Points,” a place on the platform for commentary no longer than two minutes. During the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Coons recorded a comment on Judge Amy Coney Barrett and the Affordable Care Act.“ ‘A Starting Point’ needs to be a sustained resource,” Coons says. “Chris often talks about it being ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ for adults.”

It’s not by chance that Evans has personally conducted all of the 200-plus interviews on “A Starting Point” during trips to D.C. Celebrities often try to mobilize the public, whether it’s Eva Longoria, Tracee Ellis Ross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus hosting the Democratic National Convention or Jon Voight recording video clips to praise Trump. But in this case, Evans is using his status in a different way, to entice even the most hesitant Republican to sit down for an even-toned chat. And he’s willing to pose with anyone, even if it means explaining himself on “The Daily Show” after Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas posted a selfie with Evans. (Two attempts to interview Trump brought no response.) Murkowski remembers when Evans came to Capitol Hill for the first time in 2018. She admits she didn’t actually know who he was — she hadn’t yet seen any Marvel movies. She was in the minority.“We meet interesting and important people but, man, when Captain America was in the Senate, it was all the buzz,” she says. “And people were like, ‘Did you get your picture taken?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I sat down and did the interview.’ ‘You did an interview? How did you get an interview with him?’ ”What impressed Murkowski wasn’t his star power. It was the way Evans conducted the interview.“It was relaxing,” she says. “You didn’t feel like you were in front of a reporter who was just waiting for you to say something you would get caught on later. It was a dialogue . . . and we need more dialogue and less gotcha.”

“Starting Points” offers two-minute answers by elected officials in eight topic areas, including education, the environment and the economy. This is where the interviews Evans conducted can be found. “Daily Points” has featured a steady flow of Republicans and Democrats. A third area, “Counterpoints,” hosts short debates between officials on particular subjects. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, debated mail-in voting with Dusty Johnson, the Republican congressman from South Dakota.

“Most Americans can’t name more than five members of the United States House,” says Johnson. “ ‘A Starting Point’ allows thoughtful members to talk to a broader audience than we would normally have.”

The platform’s social media team pushes out potentially newsworthy clips, whether it’s Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) discussing his meeting with Barrett just before he tested positive for the coronavirus, or Angus King, the independent senator from Maine, criticizing Trump for his comments on a potential peaceful transfer of power after November’s election. Kassen notes that the King clip was viewed more than 175,000 times on “A Starting Point’s” Twitter account, compared with the 10,000 who caught in on CNN’s social media platform.

“Because it’s short-form media, we’re engineered to be social,” says Kassen. “As a result, when something catches hold, it’s passed around our audience pretty well.”

The key is to use modern tools to push out content that’s tonally different from what you might find on modern cable news. Or on social media. Which is what Evans hopes leads to more engagement. He’s particularly proud that more than 10,000 people have registered to vote through “A Starting Point” since it went online.

“If the downstream impact or the byproduct of this site is some sort of unity between the parties, great,” says Evans. “But if nobody’s still voting, it doesn’t work. We need people involved.”

#chris evans #mark kassan #joe kiani #a starting point #the washington post #news

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antoine-roquentin · 5 years ago

Link

This past summer, Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocery store chains, received a 15-year, 75 percent sales tax exemption for setting up two new data centers in Ohio. This is the definition of unnecessary. Kroger is not exactly poverty struck – it accrued profits of more than $2 billion last year. Moreover, subsidizing data centers is for suckers. Companies need to build that infrastructure, and they don’t create all that many positions. Municipalities and state governments that subsidize data centers sometimes literally pay upwards of seven figures per job.

Then it got worse: Kroger is using its data to move into what’s known as the “ghost kitchen” business, something that is a terrible development for local independent restaurants. So, Ohio taxpayers are helping a massive supermarket chain put other businesses out of business, including their favorite corner eatery. That Ohio is doing this in a year when small restaurant proprietors are under all but existential threat adds insult to injury.

Ghost kitchens are as spooky as they sound. Big corporations like gig companies, supermarkets, and fast food chains use the data they collect through their various lines of business to create delivery-only food operations. But here’s the catch: They often hide and disguise the fact that they aren’t actual restaurants. They give them homey sounding names, like Seaside or Lorenzo’s, and build out web pages that make them appear to be places you could drop in on. In fact, they are randomly located in warehouses and other industrial spaces, and backed by big investors and corporations whose participation is often hidden by a web of shell companies.

The poster children for this issue are the big delivery app companies — UberEats, GrubHub, and Doordash — which use the data they collect doing deliveries for restaurants, and which they don’t subsequently share with those restaurants, to see what sort of items sell best and when. Then, much like Amazon weaponizes the data it collects from small businesses that sell on its platform to create its own products, the delivery apps use the data to create their own, delivery-only food outlets, with the aim of cutting real restaurants out of the business entirely. (Amazon, of course, won’t miss this opportunity either: It has invested in a delivery and ghost kitchen company called Deliveroo.)

This model of operating a platform and then also competing on it should just be illegal, even though it’s widespread. Whether it’s Amazon using info gained from its third-party sellers to steal products, Google using data gleaned from its advertising technology to outbid publishers, or delivery apps cutting real restaurants out of the restaurant business, the issue is the same: The corporation that runs the infrastructure has an anticompetitive advantage over all of the other participants. As Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, succinctly puts it, “You can be an umpire, or you can be a player—but you can’t be both.”

But even if authorities woke up and banned Uber from going into the ghost kitchen business, that wouldn’t stop Kroger. It’s got the data too, and it doesn’t need to trick rival businesses into turning it over. It’s the largest grocer in the U.S., and the second-largest in-person retailer after Walmart. It runs stores under its own corporate name, as well as Harris Teeter and 14 other brands. They are using info gained from their own shoppers. Kroger is partnering with an outfit called ClusterTruck that uses algorithms to remove the so-called “pain points” of ordering food, which I suppose means orders showing up cold, or something.

Big ghost kitchen companies like Zuul pitch ghost kitchens as a way for chefs and restauranteurs to test drive new concepts, as its chief executive explained. And, of course, some small proprietors will make ghost kitchens work; but without clear rules and regulations, the sector, like so many others, will eventually be consolidated and dominated by the biggest players. UBS released a report on these trends, entitled “Is the Kitchen Dead?” that says the rise of these delivery-only entities spells big trouble for small restaurants and grocers. It’s also bad for workers. As TechCrunch detailed, ghost kitchen sites are going to depend on low-wage kitchen workers and low-wage drivers who don’t receive benefits to pump out delivery food.

With all these significant problems, the least state and local officials can do is not provide massive corporations with yet another boost by subsidizing their ghost kitchen efforts. If Kroger sees a big opportunity in delivery and ghost kitchens, and therefore wants to collect and store the reams of data with which to build that business, it doesn’t need that activity subsidized. The smaller outlets – aka your local restaurant – trying to compete with Kroger aren’t receiving tax breaks for their equipment purchases.

Think of it this way: taxpayers — in this case in Ohio — are subsidizing the destruction of small, local, independent businesses in order to benefit the biggest corporations in the country. (What makes this even more offensive: Kroger is also headquartered in Ohio. It doesn’t need incentives to build new facilities in the state, since the cost of starting from scratch in some other locale would probably be higher, even in the absence of subsidies.)

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thiswasinevitableid · 4 years ago

Note

29 for indruck nsfw? i am already amused thinking about what sport either of them would play

Here you go!

29. I’m a professional athlete and I just fired my personal assistant and my manager sent you over but you don’t even know what sport I play or who my team is

When you’re in an aggressive profession it’s best, in Duck’s experience, to be as calm and friendly as you can the rest of the time.

But this whole shit-show is testing his fucking limits.

It’s been two days since he found out his perfectly fine P.A was working for the Wallstreet Journal, hoping to learn that Duck was somehow using his T or his identity to gain an unfair edge in matched. Ned fired him on the spot, thank god, but it took less than twelve hours for the guy to publish some fabricated piece on his attitude and for Duck to remember why he needed an assistant in the first place. He’s gotten so used to having one that he keeps forgetting stuff or dropping the ball on appointments, and the last thing he needs right now is to look like some stupid hick.

When Ned texts him to let him know his new P.A is en route, Duck groans “thank fuck” loud enough to startle the cat from her tree.

He goes to the door when someone knocks, but doesn’t open it.

“Who is it?”

“Indrid Cold? I, ah, Mr. Chicane said this was Duck Newton’s address and I’m supposed to start as his assistant tomorrow.”

Duck opens the door, “Fuck tomorrow, you’re startin today. I gotta focus on strategy with Minerva the next two days if I don’t wanna show my ass Friday night and it’s real fuckin hard to do that with people callin me left and right.” He guides the startled young man inside, then stops to take a deep breath, “sorry, lemme try that again” he holds out his hand, “Nice to meet you, Indrid.”

“Likewise, Mr. Newton.”

“Duck is fine. It’s a nickname. You bring your stuff with you?”

“Yes, it’s all in my car.”

“Good. Here, lemme give you the, uh, the grand tour, so to speak, on the way to your part of the place.”

Indrid smiles and nods, hanging back slightly as Duck leads him through the house. They cover the living room, kitchen, Duck’s bedroom, then come what was once the garage door.

“This here’s the gym; you can’t find me in the rest of the house, I’m probably here.”

“Goodness” The other man’s eyes widen behind his red glasses, “that’s an impressive array. I mean, I know professional athletes need to train but I, ah, I assumed you did it on site with the rest of your team.”

“Team?” Duck closes the door, spots Indrid’s fingers diving into his pockets to hide their twitching.

“Yes.”

“Which team?”

“Your...sports team?”

“....you got no fuckin clue who I am, do you?”

“No.” Narrow shoulders sag in his sweater.

Duck chuckles, “Figures.”

The silver haired head snaps back up, “Mr. Chicane didn’t say it was a prerequisite for hiring me.”

“Guess he didn’t. And I guess it ain’t. Just hoped they’d hire someone who knew what the fuck he was gettin into.”

Indrid crosses his arms, “They gave me a very thorough job description. I assure you I can do every part of it. Laying out your pre-workout and scheduling appearances isn’t rocket science, and it doesn’t matter if the dry cleaning I pick up is for a, a baseball after party or some sort of charity basketball fundraiser.” It dawns on the taller man that he’s just snapped at his boss. He contracts in on himself, staring down at his black converse.

Duck takes the chance for a more careful look; all of his clothes are second hand, chosen as if he’s cosplaying a jock who went into white collar work. There are piercing holes in his ears, flecks of silver polish on his nails. This job application was a hail mary and Ned Chicane went ahead and caught.

“No harm done, slim.” He rests a friendly hand on Indrid’s arm, “think it’s time I enlightened you.”

His office doesn’t get used much, so a sprinkling of dust greets them as he flips on the lights and reveals posters, magazine covers, and newspaper clips bearing Duck’s face. The gloves he used to win his first fight hang in a place of honor, right above the photo of him and the other fighters from Amnesty Boxing. It’s an older photo, taken the first time they sent a team out of state, sun-faded to the point the writing on it is disappearing. It makes him smile all the same.

“This does explain the set of instructions for helping you cut weight if needed.” Indrid takes in the posters, then turns his attention to the corner dedicated to Duck’s model ship collection. He cocks his head, says more to himself than Duck, “boxer. Interesting.”

“Were you just gonna bluff about knowin who I was until I said somethin?”

“That and look for clues in the rest of the house.”

He smiles, “Like a man with a plan b. C’mon, lemme show you your room.”

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

Alright, so Indrid should have researched Duck Newton before turning up at his house so he didn’t come across as ignorant and unprepared. But he was busy running every Taskrabbit and UberEat he could get just to scrape up enough to keep his landlord off his back. Sue him for not wanting to sleep in his car again.

He never expected to get this job; live-in P.A who doesn’t have to pay for groceries (buy them, yes, since that’s one of his jobs) is not the kind of luck he’s familiar with. He keeps waiting for the catch, so nervous that when Duck pops in on him unpacking he assumes he’ll scold him for his wardrobe.

“I, should I buy some more professional clothes?”

Duck takes in the two duffle bags and backpack, “Up to you. I don’t mind you lookin like the little art punk you are, but a dress shirt or two might help if we gotta go somewhere real upscale. Don't worry about buyin it yourself; just use the same card we do for groceries.”

Indrid is still hung up on why the fact a man three inches shorter than him calling him “little” makes his chest burn. Luckily, the phone rings and distracts him. Then it rings again. And again. And again. All while the inbox doubles every time he looks at it.

This turns out to be the catch; the work is actually hard. Everyone and their uncle wants to interview Duck, get him to sponsor something, or proposition him. Four hours in, he’s overwhelmed, overstimulated, and ready to hide under the desk. His fidget necklace isn’t helping, so he pulls out his chewable one; it often helps him think in high pressure moments.

The phone rings again and he growls at it.

“You’re allowed to let things go to voicemail, y’know.”

He spins in his chair, black rubber moth still in his mouth. Duck leans in the doorway, tank top soaked in sweat and towel around his shoulders

“I, I’m sorry. I just don’t want to drop anything important.”

“Ned handles the fights and the money, and anyone I care about has my private number for emergencies.”

“Right. I knew that.” Indrid can’t have his boss thinking he’s a total space-case.

Duck smiles, “What I’m sayin is; ain’t the end of the world if you don’t get back to everyone right away. Besides, right now you need a lunch break, slim. Lemme go rinse off and I’ll join you.”

By the time Duck enters the kitchen in an old “NIN” shirt and jeans, Indrid has his protein bowl laid out for him and is finishing microwaving a hot pocket for himself. Before he can scurry away, Duck pats the seat beside him and Indrid sits down, preparin to politely listen to Duck talk about himself or his sport.

He talks for ten minutes about the trees he saw on his run that morning before asking Indrid what he did before coming to the house. Indrid explains about his art and his side hustles in tarot and palm reading, about the run of bad luck that saw him without roommates and lost him his steady gig at a coffee shop. Duck makes genuinely sympathetic noises, lets Indrid change the subject when the fact he was on the edge of disaster makes Indrid’s chest tighten. They’re still talking about music as Indrid returns to his desk and Duck goes to meet Minerva in the gym.

By the time Duck’s fight rolls around that weekend, Indrid is feeling much better. He has a system of sorting emails that works for him, some mothman stickers to help him organize the paper calendar on his desk, and more confidence in his ability to spot callers with ulterior motives. He’s shut down two separate ones looking to trap Duck into interviews where he’d be forced to defend his very identity. Duck overheard his responses to the second one and brought him back a fancy creme brulee latte from his breakfast as a thank you.

He doesn’t go to the fight; it’s a small one for charity and Duck has Ned to manage him, Minerva to train him, and Leo to coach him ringside. He doesn’t need his P.A. Instead, Indrid finishes up his correspondence for the day, makes sure Duck’s breakfast is all set in the fridge, and confirms the masseuse is coming in the morning.

Once in bed, Indrid gets sucked into the commission he’s doing and is lost to the world until a tired, satisfied face pokes through his door.

“Oh! Hello Duck. Did it go well? Do, ah, is there something you need from me?”

“Yep, I won like I thought I would. And nope; was just poppin in to say goodnight.”

No one’s said that to him in a long time. The bitterness of that realization is sweetened by Duck’s smile.

“Goodnight to you too, Duck.”

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

Minerva is sick, which wouldn’t be a problem except for one part of his workout. He could skip it, but he needs to keep everything sharp for when they go to L.A.

“‘Drid? You got a few minutes?”

His assistant appears in the doorway, black jeans and white “Cramps” tank-top fitting him in a way that makes Duck want to hold him face down on the floor and find out how to take his breath away.

“What do you need?”

Duck points to the heavy bag, “You up for bracin this while I hit it?”

“I...I am not as strong as Minerva.”

“You don’t gotta be; this is just to keep the damn thing from swinging while I’m doin this speed drill.”

“Alright.” Indrid takes off his glasses and sets them on the folding chair, joining Duck, “how do I hold it?”

Duck shows him, does a few test punches to make sure he won’t send the poor guy flying. The round clock dings green, and he’s off. The bag wobbles for the first few seconds, then Indrid seems to find his footing and holds it stable enough for the drill to work. When the round ends, Duck steps baack, “okay, you can let go until the next round.”

“Goodness.” Indrid stretches his hands, “I feel for your opponents. I’m jarred just from that.”

“You need to stop? I got two more rounds at least, but if it’s hurtin you I caan skip ‘em.”

Indrid shakes his head, smiling, “nono, I like helping you with this. It’s exhilarating.”

The bell dings.

“Glad to hear it. Now brace it again.”

By the end of round three, Indrid is panting loud enough for Duck to hear him over the fan. He looks up, glove still on the bag, and finds them face to face.

“Minerva said three to five rounds for this. You wanna keep goin?”

Indrid, breathless and grinning, nods, “Can’t have you slacking off, now can we?”

Duck wants to bite his lip, just to see what happens. Blames the thought on the adrenaline. Then discovers the exact same thought waiting for him when Indrid, cleaned and in his most respectable clothes, joins him in the car to go to an interview.

Ned gave the P.A a list of likely questions, so they practice those as they creep across the Bay Bridge. But Duck notices that on both the trip there and back, whenever there’s a lull in conversation Indrid is on his phone reading about boxing. Duck knows the other man fixates on topics that interest him; knowing one of Duck’s passions has earned that distinction makes him smile.

After that, he starts inviting Indrid to watch him train, or shares his thoughts about matches with him. That’s all it takes for Indrid to start drawing him into long, animated conversations about his sport. When Indrid asks why there’s such debate over the proper way to wrap hands and also how does Duck do his, Duck demonstrates.

“Here, ‘Drid, now you try it on me.”

The P.A moves the wraps slowly, deliberately, moving Duck’s hand like it’s a priceless treasure he’s readying for transport. Every time he bites his lip in concentration or brushes hair from his forehead, Duck has to remind himself to breathe.

“Done.” Indrid is still holding his left hand, “Did I do well?”

The boxer tests the wraps, wiggles his fingers and clenches his fists. Then he squeezes Indrid’s hand, “you did perfect, slim.”

Duck can wrap his hands in his sleep. But whenever he’s home, he finds Indrid and asks him to do the honors. Indrid does them every time. Perfectly.

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

Indrid stands in the green room with Ned and a cluster of arena employees. The roaring crowd a few walls away echoes through the screen. He’s never seen Duck fight, but this event required all hands on deck to handle P.R, scheduling, and making sure Duck had what he needed to win.

Duck and his opponent enter the ring. Touch gloves.

Indrid’s pulse climbs.

Then the bell sounds and no useful noises come through the T.V. Just the announcers shouting and being drowned out by the crowd. Indrid gives up on parsing the cacophony, focus only on Duck. He’s seen him practice, but in a true match he’s a different beast. His opponent is faster, that much is clear, but Duck is patient, steady, blocks and weaves until he can land blows that make Indrid hurt just watching them.

Duck is magnificent like this. Indrid has to draw him like this, has to capture this and keep it forever, he has to, he has…

He has a hard-on in the middle of the green room.

He sticks it out long enough to see Duck win and then bolts to the bathroom so it can be taken care of by the time the boxer is done with the post-fight interviews.

They go out to celebrate, and Duck never nudges Indrid aside to let someone more important sit next to him. And as the drive to the hotel, he nods off with his head on Indrid’s shoulder.

It only gets worse after that.

Duck will coax him into joining him for a run with the promise of a fancy breakfast. On cheat days, Duck orders food to the house or takes Indrid out to lunch, and somehow the thing he wants when not focused on macros is always the thing Indrid mentioned he’d been craving. He invites Indrid on hikes with him, starts taking him to all his events even though he seldom needs help or herding at them (“yeah, but it’s nice to have someone to crack jokes with”). And on days when Indrid needs to be alone, or wants to see other friends, Duck simply smiles and closes the door.

The most dangerous days are the ones without anything on the schedule. Then it’s all too easy for Indrid to pretend that they’re something they’re not while he draws at the table across from where Duck is building his model ship. Too easy to imagine that the water-wise garden Duck tends is something he put into their house, not his house that Indrid happens to live in. Too easy to admit that Indrid wants to look after him for no payment except being looked after in return.

Duck reciprocating his feelings is within the realm of possibility. Indrid’s caught him staring when he walks in on the P.A doing yoga, and the casual touches long ago made the leap from accidental to deliberate. He also knows that Duck can’t fire him--only Ned can--and hopes that might lead to the boxer slinging him over his shoulder and tossing him on the bed one of these days.

There’s also the tabloid site circulating a photo of them with a caption claiming he’s Duck’s “boytoy” in spite of them only being two years apart. They’re not even sitting that close in the picture; Duck’s just smiling at him like he’s the only thing in the world, that’s all.

Currently, he’s having an easier time keeping his feelings buried because--ever since they landed in Vegas-- Duck has been a dick the rest of the day. Well, as much as a dick as he can be; his offenses are mainly snapping at people and lacking his usual patience.

When he scolds Indrid over something silly in the hotel that night, Indrid turns and stares at him over his glasses.

“Duck, what’s wrong?”

“Wh-uh, fuck, nothing, why do you, uh, fuck, I’m fine.”

“You just snapped at me in a way that was completely uncalled for.” He crosses his arms, “is it the fight? I know it’s a big one but that’s no reason to be rude.”

Duck scratches the back of his neck, “You’re gonna laugh at me.”

“I swear I won’t. Or, if I do, it will be after you leave.”

That gets a smile, “I’m uh, well, I’m what you’d call ‘horny as all fuckin get out.’”

Indrid’s immediate thoughts would solve the problem at hand while creating a new and far worse set, so he keeps them to himself and replies, “If need privacy, I can come back later and hold all your calls.”

“Nah.” Duck sits on the bed, “You’re not supposed to get off before a fight. Makes you too relaxed.”

“That strikes me as an old wives tale. Old boxers tale?”

“Either way, it’s one Minerva still believes. If I lose, she will ask about every possible cause, includin that one. Better if I just cat nap before I start all my pre-match stuff. Come get me in fort minutes?”

“Of course.” Indrid waves and closes the door before he offers to lay down in the hopes of Duck having a wet dream while holding him.

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

Duck wins, though it’s a tough battle to get there. He fucking hates these Pay-Per-View fights, they try to make it sound like he’s got beef with the other guy. In reality, once he’s down from a knockout, Duck is the one who helps him to the other side of the ring.

There’s a flurry of press afterwards, of questions and congratulations while all he wants to do is shower. He gets clean, promises Ned they can all go out to celebrate later. As he and Indrid finally escape to his suite he’s forced to admit that--if the thoughts of hitting the “fire” button and fucking Indrid against the wall are any indication--his problem from earlier hasn’t gone away.

“Do you need me to see if I can get a masseuse up here? You look very stiff.”

“Just uh, just tense.” Why did he tell Indrid he liked those jeans on him? He’s worn them as often as he can since.

Indrid cocks an eyebrow, “Still pent up even though the fighting is done?”

“Yep.”

The P.A shakes his head, hiding a smirk, “Do you need me to find something for you to watch?”

“No.”

“I mean it, this place has all the good channels.” He’s so earnest, picking up the channel guide like it, rather than those fucking jeans and shirt with Duck’s name on it, has what Duck needs.

“No.” He growls.

Indrid sighs, sets the book back down, “This mood is annoying us both, so just tell me what kind of porn you want and I can go out and buy it.”

“Unless they got somethin called ‘boxer jackhammers skinny artist until he cries’ we’re gonna be shit out of luck!”

The P.A blinks, “Duck, this is Vegas, I can probably find that. Or look for it on your laptop…” he trails off when their eyes meet. Duck knows he must look like he’s ready to jump him. Indrid licks his lips, “Duck? What, ah, what exactly lead to this situation?”

“You really wanna know, slim?” Duck steps across the carpet, notices Indrid padding over the black and blue patterns to meet him.

“Yes.”

Duck removes Indrid’s glasses, “Had a dream about you while I was on the plane. Woke up havin just finished fuckin you open. First thing I thought was “no big deal, ‘Drid’s right here. We can do the real thing once we get to the hotel.’ Then I fuckin remembered that we couldn’t, and I know for damn sure that if I jerk off I won’t feel satisfied because you’re be over there” he jabs his thumb at the door connecting their rooms, “so close and completely outta my reach.”

“So keep me right here instead.” Indrid purrs, fingers tentatively finding Duck’s hips. The light contact splinters his self-control and he practically tackles Indrid onto the bed, kissing him as the taller man moans and paws at his clothes.

The kiss takes the heat off enough to clear the steam fogging up his head and sits up, “This really okay?”

“I would have said if it wasn’t now for goodness sake please get back down here.” Indrid yanks him forward by the front of his shirt, smashing their lips together. He’s humming and sighing every time Duck touches him, rolling his hips to display a quickly forming hard-on.

“Aw, sugar, you gettin excited just from kissin’?” Duck grinds down just to see him gasp.

“Y-yes. I, Duck, I’ve wanted this for months.”

The implication of those words slam his desire into overdrive, “You sneaky little thing, that why you kept runnin around in tight clothes?”

“Most of my clothes h-hang off me.” Indrid holds tight to Duck’s thighs as the boxer strips his shirt off, “but yes I, I did start wearing what you liked more often.”

“Ain’t that thoughtful. And what were you hoping would happen, slim?” Duck yanks his sweats off and kicks them to the floor.

“This.” Indrid’s eyes keep slipping down to stare at Duck’s dick.

The boxer strokes himself lazily, “like what you see?”

“So much.”

“Then how about a closer look, sugar?” He crawls up Indrid’s body to straddle his face. It looks even better than normal framed by his thighs.

“Do I get to touch too?”

Duck guides his hands onto his ass, “As much as you want. You gonna be sweet and let me fuck your face, or am I gonna have to hold your mouth open?”

Indrid opens his mouth instantly, a whimper creeping out of it as Duck strokes his hair. The sound morphs into a louder, but muffled, moan when Duck sinks down. He teases his dick against Indrid’s lips, drags slick across his chin, feels his jaw tremble with wanting to close. Duck shifts so his dick touches Indrid’s tongue, “get to it. Oh fuck” he braces a hand on the wall, “heh, didn’t know Ned screened for cocksuckin skills.”

Indrid shakes his head, brown eyes wide as Duck roughly rides his face.

“No? He didn’t make you demonstrate on some of the other fighters? Didn’t make sure you could make a whole gym cum to prove your mouth was good enough for me?”

“‘O” Indrid shakes his head again, silver strands sticking to the pillow as he kneads Duck’s ass in a way that makes him groan.

“Too bad for them. Because now they ain’t ever gonna get a chance.”

A whimper and write of the torso; Duck glances over his shoulder to watch Indrid buck his hips in the air, pre-cum clear on his crotch. His feet, still in their shoes, point and flex as he moans around Duck’s dick.

“You like that, don’t you sugar?” He threads both hands into Indrid’s hair, pinning his head down or pulling it closer as it suits him, all the while gently rubbing his scalp “like knowin’ that you’re doin well.”

A harder suck in reply.

“Then be a good little cocksucker and make me cum.” He holds his head down and let’s loose, grinding and grunting in pursuit of the heat that starts at Indrid’s tongue and is steadily curling up into Duck’s belly. The other man holds him tight, moaning and licknig and sucking until Duck cums on his mouth, the lasts bursts of it happening against a slackening jaw.

As soon as his legs cooperate, he climbs off and guides Indrid to sit up in his arms. His attempt to check on the other man is interrupted by a frantic kiss.

“I was gonna ask if you wanna keep goin’, but I think I got my answer.”

“Yes, I mean no, I mean please don’t stop yet. Please I, we can do whatever you like, we can do just this, you can drag me out on the balcony and fuck me in full view of the city-”

“Easy, slim, easy.” Duck cups his cheek, “let’s start with somethin simple. Get naked and get comfy on your back for me. I gotta go grab somethin from down the hall.”

His memory turns out to be spot on; the vending machine on this floor has toiletries, including condoms and a travel bottle of lube. He buys ten of one and three of the other, drops them in the pockets of his robe and hurries back to Indrid. Sprawled on the bed, he looks painfully vulnerable, like someone who got used to life kicking him and telling him to stay down.

It’ll be different when they’re together, Duck can promise that much.

“Seem to recall you wanting me to keep you here.” He grabs a handwrap, holds it where Indrid can see, “how do you feel about me usin this?”

“Extremely good. Oh, oh hello.” He laughs when Duck rolls down beside him to pepper his face with kisses. The process of trapping his hands to the headboard is prolonged thanks to their mutual need to keep kissing every five seconds.

“Now” Duck kisses his shoulder, “I didn’t bring any toys to fuck you with, so it’s just gonna be my hand.”

“You say that as if it’s a disappointment to me and not incredibly sexy.”

“Some folks don’t think you’re fuckin ‘em unless you use somethin dick-shaped.” Duck shrugs with a flicker of sadness from the last time he had that conversation.

“Tell me who insulted your body or your skills in bed and I shall stand outside their window with a megaphone informing them of how terrible their manners are and how they missed out on the finest man in the world.”

“That’d be funny” Duck leisurely kisses his belly and hips before sitting up, “but you’d have to get outta bed.”

“True. Ah well, a sternly worded email will have do OOOh, oohhhyes.” He wiggles his hips as Duck presses in the first finger, relaxing under his touch.

“Get the feelin you’ve done this before”

“Yes.” Indrid’s chest is flushed and Duck reaches up his free hand to play with his nipples.

“What’s the most you’ve taken?”

“Th-three, I believe. I, ah, I’m usually facing away so I sometimes lose track.”

“You're takin four tonight. Can’t believe anyone would wanna miss out on how you look when you’re getting fucked.” He teases the second finger to prove his point and Indrid’s mouth curves with bliss.

“My ass is many people’s type; my face not so much.”

“Fuck that.” Duck pushes the second finger in. Indrid arches, then sighs as Duck keeps working him open.

“I find it difficult to care what they thought right now. I, ahhhn, it’s much more fun to think about you.”

“About me…?”

“About right you’re doing right now and, AH, what we can do next. I do so want to sit in your lap in the hot tub back home.”

“Can manage that. What else?”

“I’d very much l-like to fuck you, however you’ll let me and, and I want us to do it right after you train some day, you look so good like thatAHgod.” The third finger is in and Indrid is now steadily pushing down on them, “and one of the times you get me to run with you I expect a blow job in reward oh, ohfuck” his eyes are wild and eager, “please do the last one, I’m ready, I want it so badly, please.”

Duck begins teasing the fourth finger, “Think all those wants of yours sound real good. You wanna know mine?”

“Absolutely. AHaahnnnahgod” The wrap tightens as Indrid clings to it, trying to stabilize himself as Duck fucks his hand into him hard.

“Soon as we get home, I’m gettin the strap-on and fuckin you for a solid hour at least. Gonna leave you so fuckin raw and relaxed you won’t wanna do anything but lay there, and you’ll goddamn get to because you’re mine and I’m gonna take care of you.”

“Duck” it’s a happy sob, Indrid’s cock bobbing in the air.

“Gonna take a trip somewhere private, just the two of us, and you’re gonna spend the whole fuckin time tied up, to the bed, a chair, whatever the fuck else I feel like so I can ride your dick whenever I want.”

“Yes.” Indrid is barely getting out words between his cries.

“And the next time you have the fuckin nerve to wear tight jeans the day I gotta fight, I’m gonna shove a vibration plug up that cute little ass and lock your cock in a cage so we can both be horny without bein able to get off.”

“Duck please, I’m close, please touch-”

He wraps his fingers around Indrid’s dick and works him over hard and fast, “Soon as I’m done with that fight, you’re gonna blow me in the locker room so I can focus on nailin your ass into next week when we get--ohfuck!” Cum hits his chin as Indrid gasps and squeaks, scratching at the wraps and the headboard.

If Duck ever loses his memory, he hopes this is the last moment to go; Indrid Cold, happy, safe, and satisfied while he moans Duck’s name.

Indrid is boneless as Duck undoes the bonds, though he rallies enough to pull the boxer into a hug so he can cuddle him like a teddy bear. He kisses his throat, feels his pulse even out beneath his lips.

“Duck? Does, ah, does this mean what I think it does?”

The phone rings right as he’s about to answer. It’s probably Ned, so he holds up a finger and grabs the receiver.

“Go for Duck. Yeah, yeah that’ll be fine” he nods as Ned explains the plan for their exclusive, late night dinner, “yeah, tell ‘em five; you, Minerva, Leo, me and” he winks at a beaming Indrid, “my boyfriend.”

#indruck #indrid cold/ duck newton #trans duck newton #reader request #meet ugly #boxer au

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