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artificialqueens · 5 years

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malamente part 7 (branjie) - evan

art by @k-i-t-e-98!

AN: oh hello! It’s been a while! I’ll admit I had abandoned this story and dove headfirst into school this past semester, but I can’t move on from this little world and I really want to see this through. There’s no telling how long the next chapter will take, but I have a plan. This might have 11 chapters total, but that’s an estimate. Let’s see what more trouble I can get these two into. Shoutout to Meggie for her constant encouragement!

New to Malamente? Catch up here on AQ or over at AO3. I’m @formercongressman.

–

It’s a slow news day, but every day is a slow news day in this town. So Yvie’s got her sketchpad unabashedly open over her work computer’s keyboard, knowing there’s no easy way she can make it look like she’s actually hard at work were someone to come in and check up on her.

She’s trying to find the line between human and starfish for the five-limbed creature she’s sketching, and it’s proving more of a challenge than she had anticipated. There’s only so many places you can locate a face.

“Knock-knock,” a voice says aloud. Yvie cringes before she turns around, trying with little avail to block her sketch pad with her body.

Her boss is in the doorway. He looks chipper, he’s got his fist raised as if he was going to knock on her cubicle wall but no, that would be too normal and unobtrusive of a thing for him to do. She smiles with as many teeth as she can show. “Hi, Patrick.”

“How’s that school carnival story coming along?”

“Almost done,” Yvie lies. It’s been sitting in her drafts folder completed for two days. It wasn’t a story she could make anything mildly edgy out of, so she banged out a haphazard scene of kids and goldfish and smiling parents that she couldn’t get away from quickly enough. “Just putting in some final touches.”

He must know Yvie hates him; she’s not subtle, and it bugs her even more that he pretends everything is perfectly peachy-keen.

“That’s great! Because I’ve got something new for you.” He hands her a manila folder which she doesn’t open. “Something a little more exciting, a little more up your alley.”

“Great, I’ll take a look at it.” She sets the folder on her desk, turning away in the hope that he’ll leave.

“What are you drawing? Is that a starfish?”

Fucking hell.

She tosses the sketchpad into her desk drawer and slams it shut. “It’s nothing.”

“Well. Get me that carnival story by the end of the day!”

“Yup.”

She waits until she hears his footsteps recede, muffled by the dreary brown carpet, before she finally opens the folder. She’s curious, truly; that much she can’t pretend.

And damn, he wasn’t lying. It’s a big story, technically. Definitely not the kind of thing Yvie usually gets assigned. The first page is a police report of a rich white lady getting carjacked in the middle of the day about a week ago. The woman is important; she’s the wife of the chair of the symphony board. Yvie’s seen her smiling face on a billboard near the bank downtown, and she looks chipper even in the driver’s license photo paperclipped right below the report.

She knows the story she’s supposed to write. Community Rocked by Violence: Your Personal Wealth is Always Under Threat, with a picture of this woman looking stoic and a little hurt. She’ll write a paragraph about maybe why the guy did it, trying to realize and flesh out the narrative, and Patrick will cut it in editing and simultaneously lob off another piece of her willpower and soul. This story is an opportunity, sure, but she already knows where it’ll go, knows how it’s supposed to end.

She flips to the next page and the hairs on her arms stand on end.

It’s Victor fucking Paulson, smiling with his teeth but not with his eyes, in his Best Buy employee photograph. He’s the suspect, rumored missing for about a week, having taken off with this Nina West’s minivan. There’ll be no sympathetic paragraph for her editor to cut on this one, that’s for sure. She thinks of the screen door to his apartment slamming and waking Yvie up at three in the morning, Vanessa’s voice ricocheting off the buildings as she shouts back up at him, his cold and terse words back at her lost in the buzz of the bugs chirping in the night. He’s an asshole, Yvie knows that for sure. But this level of criminality is downright eerie. She whips out her phone to tell Scarlet.

Y: Have you seen Victor at all this week?

S: no, why?

Y: He stole a car, nobody’s heard from him in a while

Y: Just got assigned the story at work

S: sounds about right for him

S: that’s a big story baby!! happy 4 you

Y: Thanks, but it’s weird right?

S: it is

S: but as they say

S: bye bitch

Yvie chuckles and send back the thankful emoji. That explains why the neighborhood has felt different, why she hasn’t seen anyone coming or going from Victor and Vanessa’s apartment in the last couple of days. She wants to roll her eyes a bit at Vanessa for moving in with that older blonde woman the second her boyfriend skipped town, but she’s seen quicker U-Hauls and frankly doesn’t blame her.

She finds a sticky note on the back of Victor’s photograph. It’s in Patrick’s neat handwriting: police dragging their feet, he’s friends with cops, maybe investigate?

“Oh fuck yeah,” Yvie mutters aloud.

The non-starfish in her desk can wait. Yvie’s finally got a real mystery to solve.

–

“Vaaaaaanjie! Your girlfriend’s here with coffee!”

Silky’s voice booms through the dress store, earning them a concerned look from the few people shopping and a narrow glare from Vanessa’s boss behind the register. Brooke flushes red, nearly spills the latte she’s holding on the wall of wedding dresses beside them. Silky cackles as Vanessa pokes her head out from the dressing room.

“Bitch!” Vanessa hisses under her breath, loosely shoving Silky out of the way. Her cold glare melts as she shoulders up next to Brooke.

“Vanjie, huh?”

“You better not start calling me that.” Vanessa takes the coffee from Brooke’s hand with a well-concealed smirk. “Thank you, baby.”

She doesn’t bring up the “girlfriend” thing. They’re not girlfriends. They haven’t discussed it, haven’t thought to put a word on it. It feels risky, trying to cram whatever tenuous but wonderful arrangement they’ve managed to develop over the past couple of weeks into the box of a word. Besides, “girlfriend” feels frivolous. This is something else, not quite documented with language yet.

“You get off at six, right?” Brooke tucks a loose strand of Vanessa’s hair behind her ear.

“Six, yeah.”

“How does stir fry sound for dinner? I got some purple cauliflower at the farmers market and some Thai peppers and I wanna give it a go.”

“They make cauliflower in purple?”

“Vanessa!” A woman pokes her head out from behind the dressing room curtains, and Brooke watches the ice sink back into Vanessa’s eyes. “I think you already took your break?”

“Be right there!” Vanessa affects her voice, a kind of faux-sweetness that makes Brooke laugh while Vanessa’s manager turns away with a stern eye.

“That sounds real good baby,” she continues, voice softer, “but everything you make is good.”

Brooke rolls her eyes, knows it’s not worth it to argue with Vanessa on that. “I’ll have it ready a little after six, then.”

“I’ll be there.” Vanessa pops up on her toes to press a quick kiss to Brooke’s lips. She breaks into a smile that Brooke can’t help but mirror.

So it’s like that, mostly. It’s easy.

Brooke doesn’t really notice when Vanessa stops promising she’ll go back to her apartment eventually. Brooke didn’t really believe her in the first place, especially when the promises always came when Vanessa was splayed out adorably on the couch or picking up a pile of recently discarded clothing next to Brooke’s bed. Eventually Brooke suggested that Vanessa hang her work clothes up in the empty closet that used to be Jason’s, and that’s probably the moment that solidifies it.

Vanessa moves in. Her duffel bags empty out and disappear, and her makeup spreads across Brooke’s bathroom counter. The cabinets fill up with Takis and sour candy and other foods that would scald Brooke’s mouth, the fridge is stocked with leftover Chinese food Vanessa picks up for them both after work some nights.

It’s nothing like when she first moved in with Jason. He liked space, distance, room to think. Even in those early months he would lock himself away in his office after dinner and go to bed without saying goodnight. But Vanessa joins her in the shower, wraps her arms around Brooke’s waist when she’s cooking, falls asleep with her fingers laced against Brooke’s. Brooke thought maybe she just wasn’t cut out for domesticity. But this feels so fresh and good and right.

Whatever the opposite of loneliness is, Brooke thinks this is it.

It’s a week or so later and they’re sitting by the fireplace, wrapped up together underneath a knitted blanket Vanessa’s abuela had made, while Brooke flips through a Chekov play and Vanessa scrolls through her phone. Vanessa curls against Brooke’s side, a closeness and comfort that’s become thrillingly normal.

“This feels so easy,” Vanessa breathes into the collar of Brooke’s shirt. “Should it feel this easy?”

Brooke knows what Vanessa means. She tucks her book between the couch cushions and cards a hand through Vanessa’s hair. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“I just…” Vanessa sighs, straightens up, bites her lip. It’s a serious and vulnerable face, one that reminds Brooke too sharply where they are and how they got there. “I always wanted some fairytale romance, you know I love that sappy shit. Like in a rom-com where everything sorts out nice and happy in the end. And this, you, this feels like the end of the movie.” Her fingers trace around Brooke’s wrist. “But I keep looking over my shoulder. I keep checking under the bed. I keep biting my lip when I drive past cops, and I don’t know if that’s going to get any easier.”

Brooke pulls her close again, feels the emotion welling up in Vanessa’s shoulders and presses a hand against them, wishing she had her own magic to will it away. “I want it all to be easy. But life’s not a movie.”

“I know. I just want it to be.”

It’s quiet except for a few sniffles. Brooke holds her because it’s all she can do.

“Do you think we’ll ever get to be normal?” Vanessa asks after a moment.

Brooke smiles a little. “We were never normal.”

“Can we try it for a while? Cook dinner together, watch trash TV, tell me the shit from your past and I’ll tell you mine?”

That Vanessa’s eyes can glimmer like that after all of it, after everything, is reason enough to agree.

When Jason was still alive, Brooke had given up on a home. Hell, she’d largely abandoned love, or the concept of getting anything she’d expected or hoped for in life. Even someone who seemed like the most brilliant match – wealthy, educated, with famous friends and a divine record collection – could ruin your world, take and take until you were hollow and fragile as a seashell. Vanessa was far from her fairytale fantasy. Vanessa ticked none of the boxes she’d learn to look for. But life is not a movie, and maybe she could throw out that broke-ballerina-to-trophy-wife storyline script along with the coldness and cynicism she’d so far managed to shake.

“I want that,” Brooke breathes. “Yes, please, let’s be normal.”

Vanessa smells like spice today, cinnamon sugar with cloves. She laughs a soft laugh that’s just for Brooke, one that crackles like a fireplace. It’s warm here, Brooke thinks, the kind of place she could make a home.

–

The next morning, normal gets off to a rocky start.

The doorbell rings at eight A.M., and Brooke wraps herself in a robe to answer it. Her shoulders tense when she sees the gardener, who’d dug up her backyard before there was another body to bury. She had forgotten to call him to tell him there was no garden to fix, an oversight that snapped her immediately awake.

“Morning, ma’am. Warmer day today, thought I’d fill in your garden plot out back.” He’s chipper.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. It’s already filled in.” She mirrors his smile. “Just eager to start planting, that’s all. I’ll still pay you for today, of course.”

The gardener looks at his shoes, and then towards the gate. Brooke holds the silence, an old trick she’d learned at fundraisers with Jason to maintain control of an unpredictable situation, when someone else was thinking. Any awkward silence can be a power grab if you minutely twist it in your favor. Fortunately the man doesn’t need much convincing.

“Alright then, Ms. Hytes. Thank you for your business.” He turns to leave and grabs something at the base of the doorstep. “Oh, and here’s your paper.”

She takes the paper from him, lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding as the door clicks behind her. That hadn’t been suspicious, she’s pretty sure, and her confidence grows by a centimeter.

She’d never cancelled Jason’s Sunday paper subscription, and she barely kept up with local news anyway. She lays it absently on the kitchen island while she fumbles with the french press, still a little too sleepy to remember exactly how strong Vanessa liked her coffee. Very strong, she guesses, and dumps and inordinate scoop of grounds into the glass.

“You bringing me breakfast in bed?” Vanessa appears in the archway, wrapped tightly in the comforter she dragged along with her.

Brooke smiles. She can’t think of a better morning. “Yeah, get back in there.” She pops a few slices of sourdough in the toaster.

“It’s cold without you.” She moves towards Brooke, nestling back into her. For a brief moment she allows herself that indulgent, cliche thought: they fit well together.

“If you were wearing clothes–” Brooke starts to tease, but then she catches sight of the front page of the paper, and her face contorts in shock.

“What? Did I–” But then Vanessa sees it too, and her shoulders tighten. “Shit,” she breathes.

The lower quarter of the front page is Victor’s face in black and white, stern and unfeeling. It’s his Best Buy employee badge photo. There’s a smaller photograph of Nina with Jon and the kids, their Christmas card photo from this year. But she can’t look away from Victor, whose gaze seems to be boring holes right through the newsprint.

Brooke reads over Vanessa’s shoulder. Thankfully, there’s not much there. It’s a scathing indictment of the police working on the case, who refused to tell the reporter nearly any of the details they had, apparently because they weren’t looking into it. It’s a call for answers, ones that the reporter herself wasn’t able to find. That’s good. That’s something.

“They’re still looking for him,” Vanessa says, worried.

“The police aren’t.” Brooke bites her lip, and rubs small circles into the skin of Vanessa’s shoulder with her thumb. “And Nina won’t push them. There’s nothing here to worry about.” And Brooke surprises herself by believing it.

The toast pops up. The kitchen smells like rosemary.

“Let’s forget about it, then.” Vanessa turns away for a moment, shakes her joints loose, and then looks up at Brooke with the trusting beginning of a smile. “We can forget about it.”

Brooke rolls up the newspaper and wedges it underneath folded cardboard in the recycling bin.

–

“The front page!”

Scarlet elatedly drops the newspaper down on the bed where Yvie is still cocooned in the covers. Yvie saw a draft before it went to print, so this is no surprise, but Scarlet’s bright energy this early in the morning hits squarely her like a dropped pallet of bricks.

“Under the fold,” Yvie murmurs, snaking an arm out to peek at it.

“Yeah, but it’s the front page! My girlfriend is on the front page on a Sunday. I’m getting this framed.” Scarlet bounces on and off the bed, then heads for the kitchen. “And I’m popping champagne.”

Scarlet likes champagne, always keeps a bottle or two in the back of the fridge to mark the smallest celebratory occasions, so it’s not that rare of a moment. There’s no orange juice for mimosas, but that doesn’t stop her. Yvie knows it makes her happy to pop a bottle, so she lets Scarlet shoot it off over her bed and the cork smashes directly into the light fixture. Scarlet cackles, Yvie rolls her eyes, and they drink directly out of the bottle.

“I hope this doesn’t lead to them actually finding him,” Yvie says between sips. “It’s been so much quieter next door.”

“He’d end up in jail, right? Or at least if he came back there’s no one left for him to shout at.”

“Lucky Vanessa.”

Yvie missed having her around, and she knew Scarlet missed having someone to snoop on. But even then, she knew that anything would be better for Vanessa than staying in that place. Yvie left home on her eighteenth birthday. She knows the allure of an escape hatch.

Still, there was more that just felt… off about Victor’s disappearance. While she had been researching the story, Yvie had called the toll companies for the highways outside of town, and there was no evidence of any plates matching the ones on the stolen car. D15NEY, a cheesy vanity plate she’d repeated too many times to forget. He could have taken back roads, sure, but stolen cars just usually don’t stay stolen for long. It got under her skin that the police hadn’t called to ask those questions, though they still didn’t have any satisfying answers.

Maybe that wasn’t her job. Maybe that was well above her pay grade. Maybe she shouldn’t be so bothered about a rich white lady who lost her minivan. But she had a feeling that kept itching at the back of her neck, Victor’s gaze glaring vacantly from that Best Buy photo, and the persistent inability to drop it.

“Hey,” Scarlet says, snapping Yvie back to reality. “I’m proud of you. And you should be proud of you too.”

Yvie leans over to kiss Scarlet’s forehead. “I am.” It’s not a lie. It’ll open up more interesting projects at the paper, maybe even a promotion out of working under Patrick down the line. And then a bigger paper, and then something national… She’s getting ahead of herself.

“And hey,” Yvie says instead. “You know I love you, right?”

Scarlet beams and nods and scoots up the bed to kiss her, but her foot gets caught in a blanket and she topples forward. Champagne splashes on the comforter, which has seen much worse, and Yvie laughs as Scarlet rolls into her arms.

“Drinking on an empty stomach at nine in the morning…” Scarlet muses to herself. “Bad idea.”

Yvie finally pulls herself out of bed, and drags Scarlet along with her. “C’mon, put a shirt on. I’ll make you toast.”

–

It still looks a bit like an unmarked grave, so Brooke plants her garden.

It’s winter, but they’re pretty far south and Brooke researches some plants that are hardy enough to still grow. Spinach, kale, rainbow chard; dropping the seeds into the soil feels like she’s sending them on a doomed mission, but she does it anyway. But soon they sprout, soon they flourish, and Brooke can hardly contain her excitement.

“It’s all the extra nutrients they got in there,” Vanessa jokes when Brooke drags her out into the yard to show her the leaves peeking out through the dirt. Brooke isn’t sure whether to grit her teeth or laugh, so she does both.

Maybe Vanessa’s right. A corpse in a garden is something like compost.

Soon they’ve got more greens than they know what to do with. They make salads and stir-frys and smoothies but it’s still more than they can eat. Brooke snags a small stand at a weekly farmer’s market, and gets hooked on this new reason to get out of the house. She quickly learns why it was the last spot available, nestled between a particularly smelly fishery and an apiary that likes to bring along some of their bees, but she learns to live with it and breathe through her mouth and she sells the veggies off at rock bottom prices. Turns out Vanessa’s magic can get rid of bee stings like they’re nothing.

Time passes. The cold air softens, and a weed springs up from a crack in the cement under the carport and weaves itself through the spokes on the wheel of Nina’s van.

Holidays with their respective families come and go. Brooke is grateful her family is too cautious and uptight about grief to ask her if she’s seeing anyone, but when she facetimes with Vanessa that night she finds out there’s a horde of Mateos eager to meet her. They come over in early February, and Brooke and Paula cook side by side while Vanessa’s cousins gleefully raid the liquor cabinet.

She overhears Paula whispering something in Spanish to Vanessa in the hallway – esta suerte, para encontrar alguien tan sincera y cálida e inteligente, es algo que solo ocurre una vez en la vida – too fast and affected for Brooke to understand. A second later she sees Vanessa dabbing at red eyes, careful with her makeup, and Brooke gathers her up in her arms.

“They’re happy tears,” Vanessa explains. “Really happy ones.” Brooke kisses her eyelids anyway.

They manage to get Nina, Silky, and A’keria together in the same room for a dinner party, and the night seems to be off to a rough start when Silky shouts over every carefully planned conversation starter Nina tries to initiate. But there’s very little an entire bottle of tequila can’t fix, and soon Nina and A’keria are dancing to Nicki Minaj while Vanessa and Silky shout out less-than-tasteful alternate lyrics over the music. They all crash in guest rooms, and Brooke is pretty sure she can hear Nina mumble, “Much more comfortable than the back of my car,” before she falls asleep on top of the covers with her clothes on.

Vanessa says it first. Brooke brings her an iced dragonfruit tea with boba home from the farmer’s market on a Tuesday afternoon. Vanessa is wrapped in a tangle of blankets on the couch, nearly finished with the Donna Tartt novel Brooke had gifted her just a few days before. She takes a huge sip from the drink, and with a mouth full of tapioca pearls, it’s a grateful sigh: “Ugh, I love you.”

It’s so casual that Brooke almost doesn’t catch it, and Vanessa is so wrapped up in the book that she doesn’t even look up. But Brooke pauses, waits, hopes.

Vanessa looks up quizzically and Brooke watches the gears in her head turn. The color rushes from Vanessa’s face as she catches up. “Oh fuck, I mean–”

“I love you too.”

“I love you,” Vanessa says it again, and Brooke knows that the dopiest smile is spreading across her face. Bubble tea forgotten, Vanessa climbs into her arms. They say it back and forth until the words almost lose meaning on their tongues.

She’d said it to a few high school boyfriends, said it to Jason, said it to the Icelandic ballerina after a week and scared her away, but this is the first time it’s felt right, and mutually true. Now Brooke says it whenever Vanessa leaves for work for the day; Vanessa says it when she comes against Brooke’s mouth and she could never have imagined I love you sounding both holy and obscene.

It’s like nothing ever happened. Normal works, until the ground thaws.

For a few rainy days in early April, Brooke lets the garden go untended. She’s about to plant her first tomatoes, and she wants to make sure she has the perfect weather to be able to spend all day lining them up in perfect rows. Her shoes squelch in the mud, a feeling she’s almost come to enjoy, along with the dirt that cakes into her knees as she crouches down.

But then she catches it. There’s a corner of a black trash bag peeking up from the dark soil.

She wants to live in the moment where it’s just a piece of trash that’s blown in from another yard, before everything clicks into its horrible place. It’s torn on the edges, tattered like an animal had gnawed at it. Shit. She’s scooping soil on top of it before she can even think, pushing it back down into the ground and far away. She feels something shift, something that is decidedly not soil underneath her hands but she refuses to think about it, refuses to give it a name.

The tomatoes won’t get planted today. She’ll wait for another day of rain to wash away that texture beneath her fingers, and that memory from her skin.

When she stands, she feels a tweak in her back and winces. It doesn’t resolve when she stretches or twists, just pinches back harder with every breath. Of course. Phenomenal.

Brooke pours herself a glass of wine and takes a bath. It’s three in the afternoon, but that doesn’t matter. Warm water doesn’t loosen the tension in her muscles, and the lavender scent of the bubble soap seems oddly tinted with hints of iron. She closes her eyes and resists excavating anything she’s managed to keep buried for months now.

She’s dressed in sweats when Vanessa gets home from work, curled still uncomfortably on the couch.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“I pulled something, I think.” Brooke omits any mention of the trash bag in the garden. It’s gone now, and it will stay gone, no need to bring it back up.

“Here, sit up.” Vanessa’s hands on her shoulders are an instant relief.

Vanessa doesn’t use her magic often, doesn’t need to. She’ll use it to wipe away her own bruises from running into cabinets or when Brooke’s got a pimple in the middle of her forehead, and on the rare and glorious occasion, in bed. Now, Brooke feels the warmth from Vanessa’s hands sparkling under her skin. The knot against her spine comes undone, the stress that she hadn’t noticed before melts from her shoulders.

Vanessa catches it. “You doing okay?

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” It’s a lie, and Brooke hopes Vanessa can’t sense that.

Vanessa hums and Brooke feels her reaching deeper, into the base of her spine. Something opens. “I think I–”

Lightning strikes. It feels the way broken glass sounds, exploding in shards that crackle their way up and down Brooke’s back.

“Fuck,” Vanessa shouts, pulling her hand back sharply and shaking it like she’s been burned.

“What was that?” Brooke tries to reach for Vanessa, tries to comfort her, but she holds her hand close to her chest. The electricity lingers in Brooke’s body, crackling like a blanket loaded with static.

“I don’t know.” Vanessa rubs her palm, pain in her face. Brooke wonders if she can heal that kind of thing herself. “Abuela never… I don’t know. Fuck, I’m sorry, baby.”

“I’m sorry.”

Vanessa gets up and runs her hand under cold water. Brooke sits on the couch, silent and particularly helpless.

Something is catching up with them, but Brooke has no words for it. It’s seeping into their normal, which turns out to be more fragile than she had thought. Ordered rows of tomatoes and the easy comfort of fresh love feel a bit distant. She feels it in every vertebra.

They decide that if nothing else, it’s a safe night for a TV binge. They order pizza and curl up on the couch, as Brooke holds tight to Vanessa and tries to settle into the weird static sensation in her spine. She catches Vanessa flexing her hands, rubbing her fingertips together, still feeling the aftereffects of the shock. They settle into bed like any other evening, huddled in the weight of too much unexplained.

Most nights sleep comes easily, but tonight it’s miles away. She silently counts to ten, fifty, a hundred, and still can’t get the thrumming feeling of worry in her chest to go away. After an hour or so of sleeplessness, she slips her arms from around Vanessa and gets up to find a book in the living room.

She stops suddenly before she can even make it to the living room.

Jason is sitting in a chair by the bar.

There are a few things you expect from a ghost. They’re supposed to be see-through, or pale and ragged like a corpse, or at the very least levitating. Jason is none of those things. He looks solid, human, too comfortable in a spot where he so often used to sit. He’s got a glass of dark liquor in his hand, swirling a large ice cube around, with a rueful smirk carved into his face.

If she hadn’t watched him die, hadn’t felt him go cold, she might think he let himself back in with the key.

“Brooke Lynn.” His voice has a sour edge, and she’s instantly reminded of how much she hates the way her name sounds when he says it. “It’s been too long.”

“This isn’t real,” she says confidently, elbow planted on the back of the other chair.

He cocks an eyebrow. “You wanna test that?”

“Yeah, actually.”

Jason throws his glass at her, and she braces herself, but the glass passes through her, no impact. She glances over her shoulder, looking for glass shards or any sign that this was real.

“I thought so.” Brooke narrows her eyes knowingly, a little self-righteously, and god it feels way too good to be able to look at him like that with no repercussions. A bit callously, she sits in the chair across from him.

“You still flinched,” he notes. There’s another glass in his hand, refilled with scotch and ice that clinks against the sides.

“Why are you here?”

“You drank all my scotch.”

“Well, you weren’t drinking it.”

“And there’s a 26-year-old shop girl sleeping in my bed.”

“My bed, now.”

“You always were a vindictive bitch, weren’t you? Under all of that? She can’t see it now, but give it a year. You know you’re meant to be alone.”

Brooke bites the inside of her cheek until she tastes blood. Jason always knew how to drive a knife.

“Why are you here?” she repeats.

“You’re getting too comfortable, that’s why.” The ice clinks against his glass. “I’m here so you don’t forget.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, you didn’t even know him–”

“I’m talking about me,” he smirks.

“You always are.”

“Would you listen? God. Justify that body in your garden all you like, but can you justify what you did to me? Have you heard of divorces, Brooke Lynn? Police reports? Fighting back?” Brooke feels her jaw tighten, and Jason catches it. His eyes light up, his words drip with sickly-sweet contempt. “No, instead of facing me, you spit on the life I gave you and killed me. You’re cheap, you’re greedy. But there’s quite a few different ways to stab someone in the back, huh?”

“Stop.”

Brooke feels ice prick at the base of her spine. It’s subtle, the first snowflakes just starting to fall.

Jason laughs softly to himself. It’s a face she’s seen too many times on him, that smug self-righteousness, one she never imagined having to see again. It’s engraved in the contours of his face, she notes. There’s no way to know the cruelty behind those laugh lines.

“You said it, honey. None of this is real. What does that say about what’s going on inside your head?”

Brooke stands, turning to leave, to run. She wishes she had a drink to throw in his face, wishes she had some way to hurt him. “You’re burning in hell.”

“Go back to that girl,” he calls after her, and she can hear his cruel smile. “You’re going to destroy her.”

In the hallway outside the bedroom, Brooke presses her face into the sleeve of her sweatshirt and breathes. Each breath is ragged, threatening to turn into a sob, but she packs it up tight, pulls it inwards and downwards. The pinpricks spread. Fuck.

Jason knows right how to get to her, how to wedge into those soft spots and make her wish they were never there. It’s impossible to write off. Ghost or fever dream, she’s haunted.

She presses the heels of her hands into her eye sockets, sets her shoulders, and goes back to bed. She settles in next to Vanessa, who rolls back into her touch.

“Hey, were you up?” she murmurs softly.

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep.”

“You talking to someone?”

“Nina.” Brooke lies. “On the phone.”

“Mmm.” And she’s asleep again.

Two lies in one evening. You’re going to destroy her, he said. Vanessa twists warm against her, settles against her chest. Brooke hopes Vanessa can’t feel her heart racing from where she rests her head.

Sleep comes in fragments, waves of unconsciousness so shallow she’s not even sure if she’s slept. Ice blue shards slice up and down her spine through the night.

–

#rpdr fanfiction #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #nina west #scarlet envy #yvie oddly #branjie #scyvie #hurt/comfort #magical realism #malamente #evan #tw domestic violence #tw murder #concrit welcome #lesbian au

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pipesflowforeverandever · 5 years

Note

11 and 7 :0c

11: What do you like best about this fic?

Of the fic itself: The gradual buildup to and then the reveal of anything to do with Joey; delving into Sammy’s religiosity and mindset; creating a female character I can be proud of.

Of writing it: Seeing people analyze it and see everything I intended and then some, and then gush about it.

7: Where did the title come from?

As a heads up, a lot of these refer to things in each arc so if you don’t want spoilers for parts you haven’t read (and don’t want to be spoiled ofc), I wouldn’t read about the titles you haven’t gotten through yet. It especially includes the major plot twist in ARITR and the end/climax of the whole series.

Hymns of Struggle: This was the very first thing I had to name, and I don’t remember a lot about the process, but I think I was just especially thinking of things I wanted to convey in a way that sounds good. “Hymns” fits both musicality and religiosity, and “Struggle” conveys a feeling of, well, struggle. And together, I intended to give the idea that people are praying through their suffering, with hope (either pointless or good).

Wonders of Heresy: I wanted to keep the same basic rhythm in titles, so this is where the pattern (blank) of (blank) starts. This in particular is supposed to point out the things Francine brings that are amazing, even if they distract or go against Sammy’s faith. This goes for both her phone and new knowledge as well as her meeting Alice. I also think it especially fits the very last chapter where Sammy is trying to teach Francine how to sing/pray to the ink demon and she just… *plop* to the floor like a little kid.

Parables of Empathy: I already knew ahead of time I wanted this part to be about Francine getting to know Alice and the Projectionist better. “Parables” in this case refers to biblical lessons meant to be modeled after, and so this part is about trials Francine (and Sammy secondarily) goes through that she and others will learn from and use in the future.

Flickers of Faith: “Flickers” simultaneously refers to a flame dying and a flame sparking to life; it’s an in between state and by the name alone, you can’t really tell where you are. It’s precarious, and dangerous, and the characters both physically and emotionally are threatened. My first chapter for it is called “The Last Stair,” which tries to convey the idea that sometimes the in-between is more distressing than whatever outcome is next. And so, Sammy for the first time has doubts in his faith, and Francine for the first time begins to question what Sammy has told her and goes out to test it herself.

Tides of Longing: In Flickers of Faith, I use the title here to refer to Francine’s want of something more eating something up Sammy holds dear- if I recall right, his sense of security in the ink demon. Here, I use it to also refer to a recently revealed Joey swallowing the studio up in his curse because he longed for his son. Joey, Sammy, and Francine are all shown here to deeply want something, and they face the moral complications of the pursuit of it.

Cares of Communion: In a way similar to Parables, I knew I wanted to talk about people “communing” or talking and being together. I knew I wanted Francine to talk to Joey again- inevitably so, as they are both very drawn to one another despite justified apprehensions on both sides- and I wanted Sammy to talk to Alice after Francine met with her again. This is probably my weakest title choice, but it’s still not necessarily bad imo because it sounds good and rolls off the tongue. I want to say I changed the title at least three times, even after posting chapter 1 of it.

Dances of Duality: I was talking at either @startistdoodles or @aceofintuition‘s stream and I was asking for ideas for titles of upcoming arcs in general, and Ace suggested either the whole title or at least the Dances part. In this section, I try to make it more apparent that something deeper is happening, that there is mirroring between Joey and the rest of his studio and between Francine and Henry.

“Dances” is both literal and figurative, of course; it can both be something fun and intimate as well as an analogy to dodging one another in a fight- predicting their next move. It goes for Joey especially as he does his best to analyze Francine while simultaneously marveling at the warmth she brings other people, and so Joey ends of in one moment letting himself go and allowing himself to enjoy the otherwise horrid, murderous whimsy/power of the studio with her…and in another moment he has to predict what she is going to do, and what the demon is going to do. And well. I actually already drafted two dancing moments prior to writing this arc, so “dances” kind of fell in my lap…and especially so with Sammy’s dance mirroring Joey’s.

A Rock in the River: I had a big, long talk with Ace about this one. I was pretty attached to the title pattern at this point, but they convinced me that the finale needed something different, because something different is happening in a major way for the story and the characters. And so the title itself represents that- a change. The path of life is being redirected by something towards another direction.

We first came up with the idea that something nature based and/or like a fairy tale is fitting, and a lot of the analogies I use of such things (candles, bodies of water, trees, rain, etc) would be brought full circle. In particular, I was thinking about the second or third chapter of Tides where Joey is described as having the belief that time is like a river, and when Henry left, fate was going in the wrong direction. Joey had faith in magic and believed that it brought him and Henry together, and therefore as a man of magic, he had the ability to change the flow of fate and put things where they were supposed to be. Of course, he only ends up in the most ironic way shifting it entirely away with his selfishness and lack of introspection, and so no one was allowed to continue living as their were supposed to not just as employees but as human beings with proper bodies and souls that can rest in death. Time is askew and means nothing to the studio, and this is not a world these people are meant to be in.

There’s a few people that I could say are the “rock” that comes and changes everything to the way it’s truly supposed to be; most obviously, Francine brings about change and it’s entirely plausible the studio would not be set free if not for her influence. But I also really wanna give credit to Sammy, for one. Sammy goes against everything he’s taught himself to emotionally survive what he’s been through for nearly a century- he runs away with his faith and believes in himself and his friend. He basically kills his “god” in order to set himself free, he is the change he prayed for.

…I really, really need to mention Henry too, though. Henry changed the studio- his game-canon arrival creating the setup of Hymns- but also in his own personal story, he sought for his dad and ultimately left again after realizing (one way or another) that he not only did not change in a way that mattered- and actually got even worse as his destruction created an eternal cycle of self-hatred and perpetuated harm and possessiveness. I haven’t written about this yet, but Henry presumably had to struggle with the aftermath of his decision and try to reconcile the truth that he did what was good for himself and his family. And in the end, Henry survived and left the studio, and he had his own peace living a full life with a loving family. And Joey realizing Henry in spite of Joey’s mistakes still had his own life in his hands of course couldn’t take back everything the 50 years of believing he killed his son did to him emotionally and to the studio, but it managed to undo the knot for Joey to let go; he let go of his son, and his son saw the sun again, and so could everyone else without him.

It’s also less directly relevant, but I feel I should be fair and give a shoutout to Alice for changing too, going from someone that harms others because she believes they’re wasting away anyway- using their bodies to make herself who she wants to be- to someone willing to throw away the body she’s worked so hard for and put her fate into someone else’s hands. She learned to love, and to let someone care for her instead even after being reaffirmed in her first life and the eternal one that no one was really looking out for her.

As another note, I also already planned out the ending where everyone is released at Joey’s “heart”- or his sacred childhood home in a beautiful, natural scene like a fairy tale, and so the title helped wrap everything full circle that way too.

#hymns spoilers #ask box #gingie #hymns alice #hymns sammy #francine #hymns norman #hymns henry #tak talks #tak writes #long post #science5life #hymns of struggle #batim au #fanfic #fanfiction #writer ask

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literary-sapphicc · 6 years

Text

I’m scared

So, here in Brazil we are voting for president and congress. Very well, but that’s some points I’d like to shoutout:

1) a lot of conservatives were elected! São Paulo is the richest and most developed state here, and yet is the one who votes the worst! People that share fake news were elected (Kim Kataguri, Mamaefalei, ALEXANDRE FROTA). And then for senator: Suplicy has lost, and yet he was a great politician (I read that people were trying to avoid PSL [Bolsonaro’s Party], so voted on Mara Gabrilli [PSDB], so Suplicy lost).

2) The South is the most developed region here in Brazil, and yet it can be so... fascist. Only in the Northeast Bolsonaro was defeated. (People in the south say that people in the Northeast don’t know how to vote).

3) Haddad has few/little chances to win against him, so that scares me. Anyways: we need to bring anyone from the left and anyone who has common sense to stop Bolsonaro. I like Haddad, but I don’t think PT would be a good choice for now - Boulos and Marina, otherwise, are awesome (Marina - in my opinion - has the best proposals to women’s [including more political participation]).

4) this elections were tragic: people with GUNS! People filming the urns (it’s a CRIME). My cousin posted a photo on WhatsApp: a gun with the saying “let’s go Bolsonaro”.

5) now we need to fight against the fascism, on my Twitter a lot of LGBTQ+ people/black people/women were in despair (I’m crying and shaking), because Bolsonaro and his speech are made of hate for the minorities. A lot of people saying that we need to resist and that we need to stay calm, fight back and don’t hurt ourselves.

6) people wanted Ciro Gomes (I like him), but he only got 11(or 12)% of the votes, so... (I was praying so he could win today). I wanted Boulos, Manu (she’s Haddad’s vice), Haddad and Marina as my presidents!

7) this election is marked by fascism and anti-leftism. It’s clear.

Edit: I forgot to say that Bolsonaro PRAISES dictatorship and a torturer (Brilhante Ustra)

Edit 2: please, feel free to add more things to this.

Edit 3: PEOPLE BROKE THE URNS: they were trying to take away the number 7 (Bolsonaro is 17).

Edit 4: a week or two before the elections we had a republican, feminist and anti-fascist movement: #EleNão (#NotHim).

Edit 5: Dória (PSDB) and Marcio França (PSB) are technically tied, so (like the president) we’ll have another day to vote. I’m happy because I don’t want Dória, he was a terrible prefect (he didn’t even finished the mandate, and PSDB isn’t a good party, so...)

Edit 6: Cabo Daciolo was FASTING ON A HILL and got more votes then Marina! I mean, COME ON GUYS!

Edit 7: Boulos got 0,5% of the votes (my candidate, I love him and the work that he does, but I like Natalia the most)

Edit 8: Bolsonaro has a general as a vice. And this general (Mourão) said that he could give a self-defeat, extinguish the thirteenth (a salary people receive) and said that his grandson (or nephew) was the whitening of the nation. Besides: he said that homes where the mother or the grandmother were the leader are a “fabric” of degenerates for the traffic.

Edit 9: someone said that I was spreading fake news, so here’s the thing: I based this on Folha de São Paulo, Estadão, Veja, G1, Globo News (Plantão das Eleições/Elections on Duty with Bolsonaro and Mourão), Jornal Nacional, the interview that Bolsonaro conceded to Roda Viva (with journalists from Folha, Estadão, TV Cultura, Valor Econômico and Globo).

Edit 10: some of the bolsominions were trying to teach nazism to Germany (because the Embassy said that nazism is far-right and some people here in Brasil think that nazism is left) and liberalism’s to The Economist (someone called it The Comunist) because the magazine told that Bolsonaro was a threat. Other magazines said that he was a threat to América Latina.

Edit 11: Bolsonaro received support from religious leaders (Malafaia and Feliciano, if I’m not mistaken, and I know for sure - for what I read - that Edir Macedo supported him).

Edit 12: Edir Macedo’s nephew is prefect on Rio de Janeiro (Marcelo Crivella).

Edit 13: one pastor was excluded from Renascer because he didn’t want to support Bolsonaro, and Havan’s owner, Luciano Hang, coerced employees to vote in Bolsonaro.

Edit 14: John Oliver made a program about Brasil and said #EleNão.

#eleicoes 2018 #desespero #brasil #brazil #bolsonaro #haddad #bonoro #ciro gomes #marina #boulos

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karrahkshatria · 4 years

Text

Get Closer With Me

Hi guys! I was supposed to work on my articles today but I ended up procrastinating the whole day. Is there such thing as a productive procrastination? I guess, this must be a great example of such.

Quarantine has made me think of some worthwhile activities, including this. The other day, I found myself looking through my cabinet and discovered a bunch of nostalgic things. It made me realize how simple life was way before. Indeed, life is a never ending cycle of going through changes. Sure, we can never turn back time but at least, we have these things that would help us reminisce our past moments.

I also remembered a note I published on my Facebook wall way back 2011. I got to scan and copy its content here and figured I could compare my perspective 9 years ago to present time.

So here it is! It’s a bit long but if you have time, just take time. Hahaha!

NAME: Karrah Kshatria B. Seronay

AGE: 27

BIRTHDATE: January 27, 1993

PRESENT ADDRESS: Butuan City

WHAT WAS YOUR:

2011

1. last beverage = too big.

2. last phone call = from my mother, dugay na to.

3. last text message = quote man to. gm actually.

4. last song you listened to = Papa Amerikano haha

5. last time you cried = feb 2011 burial sa akong lola.

2020

1. last beverage = water,still O_O

2. last phone call = from an unknown number. Food Panda. haha

3. last text message = BPI OTP O_O but if from a person, Innah – we text whatever we like to tell each other. hahaha

4. last song you listened to = haha how jeje was Papa Amerikano before? Last night, parents were in the mood to listen to old songs. From what I remember, it was Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

5. last time you cried = I think weeks ago, when I was watching a KDRAMA. Haha. If I remember it right, it was Ep 13 of I’m Not A Robot. Hands up, fellow Kdrama fans?!

HAVE YOU EVER:

2011

6. dated someone twice = no

7. been cheated on = no

8. kissed someone & regretted it = wala

9. lost someone special = idk

10. been depressed = YAH

11. been drunk and threw up = nope!

2020

6. dated someone twice = no, not ever

7. been cheated on = No. And I hope it will not happen.

8. kissed someone & regretted it = Nope, never had a first kiss…

9. lost someone special = Yes! If lost is defined as walking away from your life. Or if lost means death, still the same answer as my grandparents were also special.

10. been depressed = Yes. We all deal with hard times in our lives but what’s most important is how we get up from those and the people who were there to support us.

11. been drunk and threw up = still, no coz I don’t drink. It’s a personal and my doctor’s choice. So, I can always get away with it. haha! But I throw up on a normal basis before when I was sick. O_O Is that valid? Haha!

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:

2011

12. Sky Blue

13. Purple

14. White

2020

12. Sky Blue

13. Pink- the only thing that changed. Haha. Girly naka ghorl?!

14. White

LAST YEAR (2010/2019), HAVE YOU:

2011

15. Made a new friend = YEAH!

16. Fallen out of love = NO

17. Laughed until you cried = YEAH YEAH

18. Met someone who changed you = maybe

19. Found out who your true friends were = YE

20. Found out someone was talking about you = I can't remember

21. Kissed anyone on your FB friend's list = yeah! my family.

2020

15. Made a new friend = Yes! Shoutout to my new friends! :)

16. Fallen out of love = No

17. Laughed until you cried = Yes, the last time was with my laughing buddy, Alex! We understand each other’s humor because great minds think alike. hahaha

18. Met someone who changed you = I think so. Some people change you, without you noticing it. Because even the smallest things matter.

19. Found out who your true friends were = I’ve always had my trust in my friends. I don’t have a lot but the ones I have, I know they are all true.

20. Found out someone was talking about you = No? Not curious though. I mean, we all talk about certain people. But that does not necessarily have to be anything negative.

21. Kissed anyone on your FB friend's list = Still the same, family

GENERAL:

2011

22. How many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life = 90%

24. Do you have any pets = way uso

25. Do you want to change your name = di ko, mahal bayad.

26. What did you do for your last birthday =celebrated with friends and family

27. What time did you wake up today = 1pm

28. What were you doing at midnight last night = nag internet

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for = COLLEGE GRADUATION

30. Last time you saw your Mother = minutes ago

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life = none, I <3 my life. char

32. What are you listening to right now = sound sa TV ug sa electic fan nga gatuyok

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? = wa, di ko kastorya niya kay iring sya. nag joke ko. HAHAHA

34. What's getting on your nerves right now = boredom

35. Most visited webpage = facebook, twitter, yahoo and everything

37. Nicknames = karrah, kar, yang, yang2, yangertz, karyang, yangerz, shat2, karyatot

38. Relationship Status = SINGLE

39. Zodiac sign = Aquarius

40. He or She = She

41. Elementary = Urios College Grade School

42. High School = Agusan National High School

43. College = XU

44. Hair color = Black

45. Long or short = medium

47. Do you have a crush on someone? O_O

48. What do you like about yourself? can't think of, daghan musulod sa akong mind, haha feelurs!

49. Piercings = none. bisag earrings wa

50. Tattoos = wala, sauna nuon kanang pataban sa mga pagkaon na tag pisohon

51. Righty or lefty = righty! I wish both :))

2020

22. How many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life = 90%, I think the same. I accept only the people I know. Artista ka ghorl?! haha

24. Do you have any pets = Yes, we have pets now! A dog and a cat. Cookie and Minggoy! And we love them both dearly in spite of their imperfections. Hahaha Drama ka ghorl?!

25. Do you want to change your name = Before, I don’t like my name. Now, I have learned to appreciate its unique nature. Kshatria… At least, smaller probability to be “HIT” in applying for NBI Clearance.

26. What did you do for your last birthday =celebrated with friends and family, same same. Anyhow, I still feel special and thankful that I reached this age. Every day is a blessing, after all.

27. What time did you wake up today = 12:30PM, 30 minutes earlier than before. Not really a morning person. #quarantingz

28. What were you doing at midnight last night = procrastinating. I was supposed to do my task for my online job, but I took time to delay important things and played Trivia 360. So ended up sleeping at 4:30 AM. O_O

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for = Waah, it’s been 7 years since college graduation! Time flies! Now, I cannot wait for this quarantine to be over. But I’m taking my time to enjoy and be productive. I can’t wait to travel. I also can’t wait to figure out where I want to be for the rest of my life. I can’t seem to dig deep inside what it is that I really want. So,might as well just live in the moment and be amazed by what’s in store.

30. Last time you saw your Mother = She’s actually in front of me right at this very moment.

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life = None. We are where we are now because of our past. As much as I struggle with contentment, I still would choose to have this life at the end of the day. We are here for a reason. We are here for a mission.

32. What are you listening to right now = I am listening to my family’s random conversation. I also hear a car machine being turned on by our neighbor. My mom is humming a Tiktok music. My younger sister is listening to old songs. It’s quite fascinating that our ears can hear all of these sounds all at the same time.

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? = Hahaha! Sir Tom! Tomas! My BPI officemate. The ever mighty and passionate employee, Tom!

34. What's getting on your nerves right now = None. Positive vibes all the way!

35. Most visited webpage = FB and IG. Sometimes, Twitter.

37. Nicknames = karrah, kar, yang, yang2, yangertz

38. Relationship Status = SINGLE

39. Zodiac sign = Aquarius

40. He or She = She

41. Elementary = Urios College Grade School

42. High School = Agusan National High School

43. College = Xavier University

44. Hair color = Black

45. Long or short = So now I’m quite confused whether this is pertaining to my hair or my height? If hair, medium. After 1 year, it has finally grown. Hahaha. If height, then I have long accepted I am short.

47. Do you have a crush on someone? I don’t admit my crush before. But now, my crush is Jo In Sung. So, I guess I have a crush.

48. What do you like about yourself? Modesty aside, I think I am an understanding person? Patient? Kind? Hehe. Char lang.

49. Piercings = Still none, no earrings also since a couple of years ago.

50. Tattoos = None

51. Righty or lefty = Righty!

FIRSTS :

2011

52. First surgery= wala

53. First piercing = ears

54. First best friend = hmmm.. *thinking* *reminiscing* :)

55. First sport you joined = pingpong kanang sa pe. hahaha

56. First vacation = la nako ka remember

58. First pair of trainers = ha?

2020

52. First surgery= Way back 2016. My first and hopefully, only surgery. It’s termed as Small Bowel Resection wherein a part of my intestines where a tumor has grown was cut and removed. It was a life-changing moment and I could not be more thankful to God for giving me another chance to live. Life is precious!

53. First piercing = Ears. Yeeeeaaaars ago!

54. First best friend = My sister! My ate! It has got something to do with our 1 year age gap. Too close. Haha!

55. First sport you joined = Same same! Not yo’ sporty girl!

56. First vacation = Still can’t remember.

58. First pair of trainers = I still don’t get this. *puzzled*

RIGHT NOW:

2011

59. Eating = nope

60. Drinking = wala

61. I'm about to = sweep the floor.

63. Waiting for = ♫ tonight wooooo ♫

2020

59. Eating = Chocolate!

60. Drinking = none

61. I'm about to = Werk. Have to write articles. So, I’m currently procrastinating by doing this. LOL

63. Waiting for = you. *oops* haha

YOUR FUTURE :

2011

64. Want kids? = maybe

65. Get Married? = I can't say basin diay mag madre ko :)

66. Career? = businesswoman!

2020

64. Want kids? = still a maybe

65. Get Married? = I am open. It feels good to have someone you can be with for the rest of your life. But we never really know what our future holds.

66. Career? = Now, this question has become so hard to answer. But, I have always dreamed of working in ADB or BSP. Taas ng pangarap, ghorl?!

WHICH IS BETTER :

2011

67. Lips or eyes = eyes O_O

68. Hugs or kisses = hugs.

69. Shorter or taller = taller

70. Older or Younger = same age?

71. Romantic or spontaneous = wa koy hanaw ani

72. Nice stomach or nice arms = nice everything haha

73. Sensitive or loud = ambot ui. bahala sya

74. Hook-up or relationship = uhmm... relationship.

75. Trouble maker or hesitant = trouble maker hahaha

2020

67. Lips or eyes = eyes, still

68. Hugs or kisses = hugs.

69. Shorter or taller = taller

70. Older or Younger = same age. Hasn’t changed.

71. Romantic or spontaneous = Spontaneous!

72. Nice stomach or nice arms = nice arms

73. Sensitive or loud = Sensitive?

74. Hook-up or relationship = relationship, definitely! I must have not known what a hook-up means before.

75. Trouble maker or hesitant = Now, I don’t get this question. hmmm

HAVE YOU EVER :

2011

76. Kissed a stranger = nope!

77. Drank hard liquor = nope, I'm a good girl

78. Lost glasses/contacts = nope, I have a good eyesight. haha

79. Sex on first date = NO

80. Broke someone's heart = wa nay uso sa ako

81. Had your own heart broken = nop

82. Been arrested = never

83. Turned someone down = don't know

84. Cried when someone died = syempre

85. Fallen for a friend = no.

2020

76. Kissed a stranger = nope!

77. Drank hard liquor = I tried San Mig Light and Red Horse once… Haha. Realized how distorted my thinking about alcohol was way before. It’s not that bad to drink, but you have to know your limits. Drink moderately. I mean, I even go with friends when they drink, although I usually take the listener/watcher role. It’s fun to talk and laugh about anything under the moon!

78. Lost glasses/contacts = nope, I have a good eyesight. Haha. Still holds true, now.

79. Sex on first date = No

80. Broke someone's heart = I think so?

81. Had your own heart broken = Yes! Part of growing up!

82. Been arrested = never

83. Turned someone down = Yes?

84. Cried when someone died = syempre

85. Fallen for a friend = no.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

2011

86. Yourself = sometimes

87. Miracles = way-e-es!

88. Love at first sight = I don't think so

89. Heaven = YEAAAH!

90. Santa Claus = sauna.

91. Kiss on the first date = nope

92. Angels = yeah!

2020

86. Yourself = We have to. Otherwise, we’ll get nowhere.

87. Miracles = YES! Our lives are a miracle! I witnessed a great miracle when I faced my first ever surgery. God was there. God is here.

88. Love at first sight = I think this has changed. I kind of believe this now, but not absolutely.

89. Heaven = YEAAAH!

90. Santa Claus = sauna.

91. Kiss on the first date = depends? hahaha

92. Angels = yeah

That’s it! The 18-year old me vs. the 27- year old me. Some have changed, some have also remained the same. We grow up. Our view about life changes. But one thing constant among these is the love of family and of God.

If you’re still reading up to this point, I suggest you make one as well. It’s a great exercise to know yourself better. You realize things you have never actually thought of before. Enjoy answering! Stay safe!

0 notes

non-bunnary · 7 years

Text

So.....tonight was interesting

I went to a vigil for Trans Day of Remembrance, and volunteered to read off the names. I got almost all the way through before I burst into tears.

Then I lost my phone charger, couldn't find it, my phone died and I had to go to Walmart to get a new one.

BUT as I was pulling into Walmart, my fucking car ran out of gas!

So then I was stuck for a while, dead phone, dead car, unsure what to do. Luckily I was able to charge my phone in the electronic section (shoutout to the employee with every original Pokemon badge as a pin on his vest) and call for help.

Then to top it all off when my friend arrived, I filled up the gas can I bought at Walmart and WE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW THE DAMN THING WORKED!

The vigil started at 7, everything else started at around 8, I just got home at 11, so yeah, it's been a night.

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minnievirizarry · 7 years

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7 Alumni Engagement Best Practices for Universities

A university campus is a hub of fond memories and experiences.

While students likely learned a thing or two about industry topics and set themselves up for career success, they also built a relationship with their college that grew to ingrained loyalty.

For universities, the love and commitment of your alumni can be a powerful tool for fundraising opportunities, marketing and brand awareness. However, if you want to tap into those benefits, you need to find a way to maintain the relationship you own with your students even after they receive their degree.

Once upon a time, most of the alumni engagement best practices revolved around direct mail campaigns, phone calls and student reunions. Now the digital age means universities can engage with their alumni on a more consistent and modern basis.

If you’re ready to take your school’s marketing strategy into the digital world, here are seven alumni engagement best practices you should keep in mind:

1. Collect Useful Information About Your Alumni

When brands engage with customers through social media, they use buyer personas to help determine who they’re speaking to. It also helps with what kind of content brands need to produce to resonate with their target audience.

Making meaningful connections with your alumni requires higher education schools to perform the same due diligence. You need to know as much about your supporters as possible. This will allow you to tailor your outreach strategy to every type of student. There are plenty of ways a school can gather important details about their alumni, including:

Monitoring hashtags and keywords people use when speaking about your university.

Tracking the type of content that gets the most attention from your campaigns.

Using alumni surveys to uncover important demographics about location, gender, jobs and more.

Looking good down in SC! #BoilerUp https://t.co/lu3aefwDyF

— Purdue Alumni (@PurdueAlumni) March 18, 2018

2. Create Persona Maps for Each Alumni Group

The great thing about college is it gives people the chance to interact with others from different backgrounds and cultures. However, this also means colleges need to work harder to segment the groups they’re speaking to in their social media efforts.

Once you’ve collected important data about your students, you’ll be able to segment them to better speak their language. For instance, if you’re a designing a campaign for the class of ’92, ask yourself:

Do they prefer podcasts or blog posts?

Do they like to interact through live video?

Are they more likely to connect through Twitter or LinkedIn?

When do they spend most of their time online?

Are they engaged by visual content?

What kind of jobs do they have now?

What subjects were they interested in while at school?

By looking at alumni preferences, groups like the University of Cambridge discovered that both YouTube and Instagram content would allow them to connect with their audience’s preference for visual content.

youtube

3. Use Tools to Monitor Your Engagement Strategies

Managing a social media campaign can be a complex experience for any brand. Since the only way you determine whether your campaigns are successful or not is to monitor them over time, you’ll need a tool that helps you to continuously learn from your efforts. After all, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for delighting your students.

For instance, social media management software from Sprout Social helps universities measure engagement habits of alumni. This means you can determine whether they’re spending more time on Twitter, or LinkedIn.

In fact, Dartmouth College drove a 3,803% increase in engagements on major networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram through Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox. The university specifically saw more than half a million engagements on Instagram alone since using Sprout! Learn more about Dartmouth’s success with Sprout here!

Case Study

How Dartmouth College Cultivates Community, Supports Successful Strategy Using Sprout Social

Cultivating a community on social media is a goal for many organizations, but fewer are more suited to it than Read More …

Once you know where your audience is spending their time, and what content they enjoy the most, you can begin to adjust your alumni engagement strategy.

4. Use LinkedIn to Promote Networking & Learning

LinkedIn is a professional social network designed to bring people together in the business world. Since the focus of your alumni post-graduation is finding a job that suits their new qualifications, LinkedIn is a perfect way to show students you still care about their progress.

On LinkedIn, you can build your own groups or communities for graduates. These groups allow alumni to connect with people from their classes and reach out to local businesses seeking new employees.

Few things drive alumni back to their alma mater quite like the search for a new career. While your university might offer listings on your internal database, 79% of today’s applicants are using social media for their job searches. Alongside creating career groups on LinkedIn, you can collaborate with your career services department to offer training sessions too.

Just some of the useful training resources you could provide for your students might include advice on:

How to act in an interview

How to find a mentor

How to change careers

How to use LinkedIn to ask for an employer referral

How to network through social media

How to create your personal brand

5. Use Twitter for Brief Updates & Shoutouts

Everyone loves being in the limelight. Social media is a great place for universities to sing the praises of its graduates. This is a powerful way to encourage more engagement with the college brand. Not only will you get to interact with your previous students, but you show potential students your graduates make something of themselves.

Penn State frequently updates their LinkedIn page with alumni stories, for instance:

However, when you’re trying to enhance your alumni engagement best practices, your shoutouts don’t have to be related directly to the things they accomplished in college. Fast paced platforms like Twitter are perfect for celebrating a student who just married their college sweetheart for instance.

Additionally, platforms like Twitter can also be useful for universities who want to keep their alumni informed about what’s going on with the college. A quick update means you won’t risk boring them with long-winded articles and blog posts.

6. Use Instagram to Romance Your Alumni

One of the primary reasons colleges spend so much time interacting with alumni through social media is that previous students are an exceptional source of fundraising opportunities and investment capital. However, asking your alumni for donations too early could damage your reputation by making you look too money hungry. After all, a large portion of your alumni are still paying back their loans.

According to a CASE article, great fundraising campaigns include a stage called romancing. Romancing your alumni means not only reminding them of the wonderful moments they spent on your campus, but giving them an insight into how their involvement in your fundraising campaigns impact the future of your university.

Does your pet’s name have a connection to @theohiostateuniversity or are they always sporting 🌰 gear? Share your photos and stories with us for a chance to win one of 50 @theohiostatealumni pet bandanas! #LoveYourPetDay #BuckeyeForLife

A post shared by Ohio State Alumni (@theohiostatealumni) on Feb 20, 2018 at 9:00am PST

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, Instagram campaigns help you to interact with students emotionally–before asking them for money. Share snaps from the years they spent at the university and highlight before and after pictures showing positive changes alumni funds have made to your campus.

People love to see the transformative effects of their investments or donations and Instagram is a great platform for keeping your alumni in the loop.

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7. Give Your Alumni Reasons to Share Content

Nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool. Nothing generates nostalgia more than a personal story or picture from someone who also took your class when you were at university. User-generated content is a wonderful tactic for universities who want to improve their chances of engagement with alumni.

The only problem is that your graduates are too busy pursuing their careers to worry about supporting your marketing campaigns. While it’s tempting to simply offer your students a voice and hope that they’ll grab the opportunity, most graduates will want something more from their university.

Thank you to all our alumni volunteers and student leaders who attended #PSUCapitalDay!

Hear from Alumni Association President Steve Wagman as we wrap up the rally 🔽 pic.twitter.com/c2HeeFYyns

— Penn State Alumni (@PennStateAlums) March 13, 2018

A study found that 55% of alumni organizations don’t actively focus on giving their graduates any benefits. This could be the reason why it’s so hard for many schools to continue connecting with students in a lucrative way after they’ve graduated.

Try enticing your students to contribute to your word of mouth campaigns by offering them personalized rewards. For instance, your literature students might like a free bookshop voucher for a story about their alumni experience.

Even a small token can be enough to encourage your graduates to start sharing their tales. As soon as they do, your social platform will become more engaging. Not only will it appeal to existing students who want to learn from their predecessors but also investors looking for evidence of your university’s potential and prior alumni searching for ways to relive their glory days.

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williamlwolf89 · 4 years

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29 Best About Us & About Me Pages (+ Why They’re So Good)

Most website owners don’t take their About Us page very seriously.

They’ll talk about themselves for a bit, upload a photo or two, and then call it a day. Worse, they rarely update the darn thing — the About page they threw together on Day 1 is the same one they’re sporting months (or even years) later.

That’s a problem because most visitors to your website aren’t old, familiar faces — they’re first-timers coming from Google who don’t know anything about you.

And the first thing many of those visitors do? Yep, they check out your About Us or About Me page.

Sophisticated bloggers, freelance writers, and business owners know the About page is one of the most important pages on your website — it introduces you to new readers, potential customers, and future adoring fans.

And the websites that get them right — like the ones I’m about to share with you — have a huge advantage over their competitors.

So, ready for some inspiration? Let’s dive in.

The Best About Us Page Examples

1. Todd Henry

Why Todd Brown’s About Me Page is So Good

Todd Brown writes with the precision of a Navy S.E.A.L. sniper within each section of the page. Every word plays a role and delivers. It’s the writing equivalent of Bruce Lee’s one-inch punch.

What You Can Learn From Todd Brown’s About Me Page

Once you say what you need to say, stop writing.

2. Advance Your Reach

Why Advance Your Reach’s About Us Page is So Good

Many great About pages talk about their company’s history solving a specific problem. Few people talk about solving a personal problem as foundational as fixing a broken relationship with your father.

Is it me or is someone cutting onions in here?

What You Can Learn From Advance Your Reach’s About Us Page

Don’t be afraid of getting vulnerable, especially if it’s central to why you chose your path. Letting your guard down builds a stronger bond with your ideal readers and more effectively repels the ones who aren’t a match anyway. Win-win.

Editor’s Note: Advance Your Reach has one the best About pages I’ve ever seen. From design to copy, it’s nearly perfect. Their business could be solely focused on selling black licorice and, based on their About page, I think they’d still be successful.

3. Grammarly

Why Grammarly’s About Us Page is So Good

Grammarly has a cult following with professional writers. And Grammarly prominently displays the reason why right on their About page. Their benefit-rich copy serves as a beacon to bring more writers into their warm embrace.

What You Can Learn From Grammarly’s About Us Page

Make your mission statement loud and clear. Grammarly’s mission statement — “to improve lives by improving communication” — is at the very top of their About page. Make sure readers can find yours too.

4. Ramit Sethi

Why Ramit Sethi’s About Me Page is So Good

Ramit’s ‘About Me’ page stands out for two reasons:

First, he positions himself as a contrarian — the anti-expert expert.

Second, Ramit is known for being long-winded. He’s true to form on his About page, but it’s worth reading every word.

What You Can Learn From Ramit Sethi’s About Me Page

There’s no such thing as “too long” when it comes to content, if it’s engaging and informative. It’s important to be true to yourself and not just mimic what you see other people doing.

5. Ray Edwards

Why Ray Edwards’ About Me Page is So Good

Ray takes advantage of the way the human brain is wired. He knows that, when people see a question, they want to answer it. In the case of his About page, they have to read more to have enough info to answer the question.

And if it does sound like them, they’re more likely to keep reading, which is exactly what he wants.

What You Can Learn From Ray Edwards’ About Me Page

You can get your point across about what you offer, while still keeping your reader as the focal point. Frame what you’re selling in how it will help your reader.

6. SiteGround

Why SiteGround’s About Us Page is So Good

SiteGround lets you know right away that they’ve been in the web hosting game since 2004. You can’t overstate the value of getting potential customers comfortable that you’re not going to go all Bernie Madoff on them.

What You Can Learn From SiteGround’s About Us Page

Repetition can be a good thing. If you have a key advantage versus your competitors, say it loud and say it proud. In SiteGround’s case — longevity, loyalty, and innovation make for quite the trio.

7. Truvani

Why Truvani’s About Us Page is So Good

The copywriting and web design here are fingerlickin’ good — the page seamlessly transitions from establishing a rapport (based on values) to selling. The CTA (call-to-action) isn’t all neon signs and flashing lights, but you can’t miss it.

What You Can Learn From Truvani’s About Us Page

It’s okay to “sell” on your About page. People didn’t just show up on your ecommerce site to do some light reading. Make a quick connection, and then make it easy for them to get your product.

8. SE Ranking

Why SE Ranking’s About Us Page is So Good

Differentiating your company when it’s in a crowded niche isn’t easy. An “all-in-one SEO tool”, SE Ranking competes with the likes of Moz, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.

But despite the stiff competition, SE Ranking doesn’t overdo it. Their About page projects calm and serenity by using solid copy and a pleasing color scheme.

What You Can Learn From SE Ranking’s About Us Page

You don’t have to “go big” to be effective. A nice page design featuring bold colors and top-notch copy will always jump off the screen.

9. Yellow Leaf Hammocks

Why Yellow Leaf Hammocks’ About Us Page is So Good

In a word: simplicity.

Yellow Leaf Hammocks combines a socially-conscious mission statement with a product description that lets potential clients know everything they need in only three lines of above-the-fold text.

What You Can Learn From Yellow Leaf Hammocks’ About Us Page

You don’t have to write a novel in order to make a great first impression. Having a clear, compelling, catchy message — prominently displayed above the fold — helps you grab your readers’ attention before they turn away.

10. WP Engine

Why WP Engine’s About Us Page is So Good

WP Engine does a lot of things well on their About page, but I love the “Our people fuel the engine” section toward the bottom of the page.

It shows WP Engine knows their target customer cares about diversity, and that it’s a key differentiator for them.

What You Can Learn From WP Engine’s About Us Page

Using numbers makes your About Us page feel official. If you’re a business that has interesting data at your disposal, following WP Engine’s lead and prominently display it.

11. Kajabi

Why Kajabi’s About Us Page is So Good

From the large, high-quality photo that greets you, to the way they casually weave in four unrelated success stories of customers to show the lengths of their unconditional support, Kajabi’s About page feels like it was crafted by someone you might know.

What You Can Learn From Kajabi’s About Us Page

Don’t make it all about you. Speak directly to the type of reader (or customer) you want to attract. Come across as a friend who can help them, not a stranger looking to get something from them.

12. RKA Ink

Why RKA Ink’s About Us Page is So Good

RKA Ink’s About page tells you not to hire them (or anyone else) until you’ve read a free eBook. Of course, not only does this eBook bring them email leads, but its content helps convince readers why they are the best option.

It’s a rare example where you end up in a long-term relationship with a company because they told you NOT to hire them.

What You Can Learn From RKA Ink’s About Us Page

Just because you have a business doesn’t mean you can’t have a personal brand. And if you can showcase the same writing or design chops on your site that you want clients to buy, you’ll be way ahead of your competition.

13. Bob Goff

Why Bob Goff’s About Us Page is So Good

Bob Goff uses his website’s About page to introduce you to his team members. A headshot for each team employee is given, allowing readers to put names to faces.

What You Can Learn From Bob Goff’s About Us Page

Let readers and potential customers learn about everyone in your company, not just the head honcho.

14. FreshBooks

Why FreshBook’s About Us Page is So Good

Freshbooks turned their About page into a second home page — with links for everything you might want to know about them. It’s surprising we don’t see businesses use this approach more frequently.

What You Can Learn From FreshBook’s About Us Page

Large and small businesses — like people — can be multifaceted. Thoughtfully putting all aspects of your business on display casts a wider net, which attracts a larger group of people to bring into your world.

15. Harvest

Why Harvest’s About Us Page is So Good

Harvest creates a perfect user experience on their About page for the no-frills, busy professional. They give you direct links so you can jump straight to whatever you’re looking for. No scrolling.

What You Can Learn From Harvest’s About Us Page

“Simple design works” is the main lesson, but there are two important storytelling lessons here too:

First, people love origin stories.

Second, business origin stories are even better when they start by solving your own problem. It exponentially ramps up the relatability.

16. iThemes

Why iThemes’ About Us Page is So Good

In a word: community. They start with the Oklahoma City shoutout and then each person on the team shares a catchphrase or motto. You can learn a lot about a person from what they choose as their catchphrase.

What You Can Learn From iThemes’ About Us Page

Highlight the people who comprise your company, not just the company itself. iThemes’ About page gives the name of the company, its home city, and a simple tagline. The rest of the page is dedicated to their people — who they are, what they do, and how you can connect with them on social media.

17. Wave

Why Wave’s About Us Page is So Good

Testimonials are great social proof, but business awards are just as effective (if not more so). And they’ve been collecting business awards like Pac Man gobbling up power pellets, Wave’s About page prominently displays them.

What You Can Learn From Wave’s About Us Page

Awards add instant credibility. And whether or not the reader has heard of the company giving out the award doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think it might.

18. Asana

Why Asana’s About Us Page is So Good

The pictures Asana uses are fantastic at giving new readers a glimpse behind the scenes at their office. Each one looks like a photo you have on your camera roll, complete with the action blur in the screenshot above.

What You Can Learn From Asana’s About Us Page

Your photos don’t need to go through a gauntlet of 23 Snapchat filters to make a first impression that sticks with your reader. The photos just need to match your overall message.

19. BuzzStream

Why BuzzStream’s About Us Page is So Good

BuzzStream’s About page gives you enough info to know what BuzzStream does, but not how they do it. It stirs up curiosity, while giving the reader multiple ways to contact BuzzStream if they want to learn more.

What You Can Learn From BuzzStream’s About Us Page

With the right hook, you don’t need to tell your whole story on your About Us page. You can place your bait and wait for the leads to start pouring in.

20. Marie Forleo

Why Marie Forleo’s About Me Page is So Good

A beautiful website isn’t worth much if the content sucks. Marie Forleo not only has one of the most eye-catching About pages on the web, but she also hits you right in the feels with her heartfelt words.

It reads as close to a letter to a friend as you’ll see.

What You Can Learn From Marie Forleo’s About Me Page

Read Marie’s About page and you’ll learn how to write about what you believe in — and why — without it looking like a bulleted buzzword bingo cheat sheet.

Aside: She also has a book with the best title ever — Everything Is Figureoutable (affiliate link).

21. Ann Handley

Why Ann Handley’s About Me Page is So Good

I love Ann Handley’s stuff. And her About Me page is no different. Her value proposition is so dialed in, it almost brings a tear to my eye. The testimonials in the speech bubbles are a great touch too.

What You Can Learn From Ann Handley’s About Me Page

Third person works great when you have lots of accolades (like Ann) to showcase. Written in the first person, it might come across as bragging.

22. Nathan Barry

Why Nathan Barry’s About Me Page is So Good

The founder of ConvertKit, Nathan Barry knows dropping the names of a few well-known customers (“Gretchen Rubin, Chris Guillebeau, Pat Flynn, Tim Ferriss, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tim McGraw”) work as well as any raving 5-star review when it comes to proving your product does everything you promise.

What You Can Learn From Nathan Barry’s About Me Page

If you have a high-profile customer, subscriber, or admirer, don’t be afraid to leverage it.

Also, positioning is key. I switched to ConvertKit from MailChimp partly because I learned ConvertKit was built for blogging — made by creators for creators (like me). If you’re part of your target audience, be sure to say so.

23. Tarzan Kay

Why Tarzan Kay’s About Me Page is So Good

Between the popups for the 80s pricing persona and referring to me as a “superstar”, I totally would have signed up for Tarzan Kay’s email list if I wasn’t already on it.

Tarzan’s About page is a masterclass on writing with personality. No person on the planet could plagiarize her page and get away with it.

What You Can Learn From Tarzan Kay’s About Me Page

There’s a reason “hero’s journey” stories are so popular. Most people see themselves as the underdog.

“If this other person who was broker than I am could turn it around, then so can I (with their help).”

If you have a hero’s journey story, use it on your About page.

24. Talking Shrimp

Why Talking Shrimp’s About Me Page is So Good

Laura Belgray’s About page has possibly the best FAQs I’ve ever seen. You need to just go read them because I can’t do them justice. Humor. Fun Facts. Persuasion. It’s all there.

What You Can Learn From Talking Shrimp’s About Me Page

If you’re legitimately funny, don’t be afraid to sprinkle humor throughout your About page.

Through Laura’s humor and powerful word wizardry, you’re probably going to want to redo your own About page with FAQs like hers. Luckily for you, she has a course on that — conveniently linked to in her About page.

25. Tim Ferris

Why Tim Ferris’ About Me Page is So Good

Tim includes a TL;DR version of his bio on his About page. But honestly, if you read the first bullet in the “long winded” version, you’ll want to read the rest. I’d even go so far as to call Tim the king of social proof.

What You Can Learn From Tim Ferris’ About Me Page

Communicating how you help people in a brief statement is one thing. Summarizing your life’s impact and still doing it justice is a different story. You can learn how to do it by studying Tim’s short version.

26. Jessica Lawlor

Why Jessica Lawlor’s About Me Page is So Good

Jessica lets you know she’s about pushing boundaries, but pulls the reader back in letting them know this is the right place for them before any knee-jerk fear makes them click away. It’s the perfect balance of reality and what could be.

What You Can Learn From Jessica Lawlor’s About Me Page

Focusing on aspirations that feel within reach to your readers is more likely to get them to take action. This means sometimes you may have to underpromise on what you can deliver. Weird but true.

27. The Creative Penn

Why The Creative Penn’s About Me Page is So Good

They say an image is worth a thousand words. In Joanna Penn’s case, that’s spot on. The first thing you see on her About page (for a site dedicated to writing, no less) is a photo of her TWENTY-SIX books. It certainly got my attention.

What You Can Learn From The Creative Penn’s About Me Page

Sharing your journey — even as you’re on it — is a great way to establish credibility and build a following with people who want to learn the gems you’ve picked up so far.

28. Ashlyn Writes

Why Ashlyn Writes’ About Me Page is So Good

*Chef’s kiss* to the specificity Ashlyn Carter uses throughout her About page. She makes it perfectly clear who should (and shouldn’t) use her services.

What You Can Learn From Ashlyn Writes’ About Me Page

Specific writing slaughters ambiguous writing in a back-alley street fight all day long. Writing for everyone means you’re writing for no one.

29. B2B Launcher

Why B2B Launcher’s About Me Page is So Good

Practical and no-nonsense are two of my favorite things. You can see Ed’s commitment to both with his “choose your own adventure” style of lead magnet pop-up. He gives immediately-actionable information for each group of people.

What You Can Learn From B2B Launcher’s About Me Page

If you want to address two audiences on the same page, it helps if those personas are at different points on the same development journey (i.e. beginning writer vs. six-figure writer). If you can pull it off, it’s highly effective.

What’s Your Favorite About Page?

Too many bloggers, freelance writers, and business owners take their About pages for granted.

But not you.

You know the About Us page is the second most important page on your site — only ranking behind your homepage.

And you now have 29 great About Us page examples to inspire your own.

All that’s left is to take what you learned and put it into practice.

Which example above was your favorite?

Is there a great About page example we missed?

Let us know in the comments below!

The post 29 Best About Us & About Me Pages (+ Why They’re So Good) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/best-about-us-pages/

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rposervices · 4 years

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100+ Top HR and Recruiting Podcasts

More and more of the smartest people in the HR industry are sharing their best practices through insightful interviews via podcasts. Whether you’re on your morning commute or working out in the gym, these podcasts are a great way to stay up to date on the latest in everything from people analytics to hr software. While this list may be a bit daunting, it’s our hope that you latch onto a few new podcasts that pique your interest, and then try out others over time. Shoutout to RecruitingBrainfood that has a google doc with a lot of these which was very helpful in our research for this post. Also, if we missed a podcast that needs to be here, please shoot us a note! Ok, here is our big list of podcasts. Enjoy! 1. #Recruiting Host: Gordon Collier About: Dropping talent acquisition value in short consumable episodes designed for the "recruiter". 2. #chattalent Host: Alan Walker About: In this podcast, Alan Walker speaks to industry leaders, interesting Talent, Recruitment & HR folk, and anyone else who has a story to tell, or something interesting say. 3. #WorkTrends Host: Meghan Biro About: #WorkTrends is a podcast and Twitter chat hosted weekly by Meghan M. Biro. You’ll get all the news you need to stay current, and hear from leading experts, HR tech vendors and HR practitioners about what inspires them.

4. 21st Century HR Host: Lars Schmidt About: 21st Century HR is a podcast exploring how to build better businesses through modern people practices and approaches. Each episode spotlights progressive practices and leaders that are reshaping the field of HR. The aim of the show is to illuminate what it takes to build people-centric companies. It includes stories and journeys of CHRO's, Chief People Officers, CEO, Head of Talent, and more. 5. 40-Minute Mentor Host: James Mitra About: Finding great mentors who you can learn from is one of the top tips that they are always giving to candidates who work with them at JBM and to help those of you who are looking for that mentorship they decided to launch this podcast. In each episode, they share the inspiring stories, advice, and mentorship from those in their network to help you learn from their insights so that you can apply them in your career and your life. 6. Big Fish in the Talent Pool Host: Erin McDermott Peterson About: Big Fish in the Talent Pool is a podcast hosted by Erin McDermott Peterson, a former Global Head of Talent Acquisition and RPO General Manager. She interviews current Fortune 500 Global Heads of TA exclusively, about the joys and challenges of TA Leadership. Everything from employment branding, to new technologies, to culture and unconscious bias in hiring, global team management, smart sourcing, the talent market, assessment tools, to RPO decisions, and more! 7. Candidate Experience Podcast Host: Chuck Solomon About: Focused discussion on improving the candidate journey from application to onboarding.

8. Careers: On the line Host: Joe Mullings About: Joe Mullings is hoping to provide insight to those looking to really drive his personal careers with advice rooted in 3 decades of career development and coaching. Joe has helped build hundreds of companies working closely with CEOs and entrepreneurs in the high-tech world. He founded the top search firm in the medical device industry and has built other businesses including The Armory which had world-class UFC fighters and World Champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu professionals. 9. Changeboard HR Future Talent Podcast Host: Changeboard About: Changeboard's HR Podcast 'Future Talent' features interviews and discussions with senior thought leaders sharing their perspectives on the changing world of work. Changeboard is a leading destination for HR jobs and thought leadership. 10. Click IQ Academy Podcast Host: Alan Walker About: The Click IQ Academy is a resource, learning and networking hub for recruitment and talent acquisition professionals. This channel provides both access to content that was recorded with podcasts in mind first, and audio versions of our video content. 11. Copeland Coaching Host: Angela Copeland About: Angela Copeland has coached job seekers for over 10 years, & is the founder of her career coaching practice, Copeland Coaching. She is the host of the Copeland Coaching Podcast, author of syndicated newspaper column Career Corner, and author of career book Breaking The Rules & Getting The Job. 12. Corporate Alumni Leaders Host: EnterpriseAlumni About: Corporate Alumni Leaders and Industry Experts discuss a variety of topics around executing a successful and sustainable Alumni program. EnterpriseAlumni invites leaders interested in understanding how to launch, engage and re-engage their Alumni communities to a series of webinars with global thought leaders and subject matter experts. 13. Crazy and The King Host: Julie Sowash & Torin Ellis About: Julie and Torin are serious about destroying the lame, losing and punitive Diversity and Inclusion narrative while chasing a narrative of ambition and freedom to explore. 14. CXR Podcasts Host: Chris Hoyt About: CareerXroads Recruiting and HR headlines, articles, and anecdotes from the world's most trusted community of talent acquisition leaders. 15. Digital HR Leaders Podcast & Video Series Host: David Green About: In this podcast and video series, David Green will be speaking to a range of senior HR leaders who are pushing a data-driven and digital HR agenda. You'll hear from people leaders who are driving transformation in their organizations on how HR can prepare for the future and what HR leaders need to do to prepare for the Future of Work. 16. Eat Sleep Work Repeat Host: Bruce Daisley About: An Apple #1 Business Podcast on happiness and work culture. Bruce Daisley interviews psychologists, neuroscientists and workplace experts to understand how we can improve our jobs. The series has a focus on science and experts, over gurus and opinions. 17. EX Podcast Host: Stephan Vincent About: This podcast brings a different lens to the employee experience: a brand and customer experience angle, rather than a traditional HR angle. 18. Gartner Talent Angle Host: Scott Engler About: The Gartner Talent Angle podcast is a new and exciting approach to talent management. Every month, we’ll talk with those on the forefront of HR innovation—innovators, academics, HR professionals, economists, coaches—to explore the most interesting and cutting edge ideas in the world of HR and people development. Join us as we reimagine talent. 19. Good to Great Education Webinar series Host: Lee Stanley

About: Education insights from Head Teachers Principals and Senior Leaders, giving you access to their biggest wins and successes. 20. HBR IdeaCast Host: Various About: A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management. 21. HBR Women at Work Host: Various About: Conversations about the workplace and women’s place in it. 22. HR Leaders Podcast Host: Chris Rainey About: The “HR Leaders Podcast” explores the future of work with industry influencers and HR executives from the world’s leading global brands. 23. Hiring Success Podcast Host: SmartRecruiters About: Learn how companies are cultivating business success through hiring success. Now, more than ever people are what will determine the future of a company. Getting the right talent at the right time is the ultimate competitive edge for any venture and SmartRecruiters is at the forefront of fostering those connections. 24. Honest HR Host: SHRM About: Breaking down HR and organizations—talking about getting to the C-suite, challenging your boss's ideas, leading organizational culture and more. 25. LinkedInFormed Host: Mark Williams About: Weekly LinkedIn updates, discussion, interviews and tips for the UK's best known LinkedIn Trainer, Mark "Mr. LinkedIn" Williams. 26. A Better HR Business Host: Ben Geoghegan

About: The podcast looks at how HR consultants and HR tech firms grow their businesses; and how they help employers get their best out of their people. 27. Der Personalberater Coach Podcast Host: Simone Straub About: A podcast for all those who provide personnel: either in the context of project business or in permanent employment. You are in the right place if you want to get off to a flying start as a beginner in this great industry, if you want to advance to the next level of sales as an experienced consultant or if you want to generate stable revenues as an entrepreneur in the HR consulting business and want to retire from operations. 28. Drive thru HR Host: Mike VanDervort, Robin Schooling About: DriveThruHR is a captivating, easy-to-digest, and occasionally irreverent lunchtime discourse that covers topics relevant to HR professionals. Their guest and hosts discuss a variety of topics including HR Technology, Recruiting, Talent Management, Leadership, Organizational Culture and Strategic HR. 29. Hier is AMC Host: Marcel van der Quast About: A series of interviews with which I want to put the spotlight on labor market communication. By talking to different people who are involved in AMC, employer branding or recruitment marketing. 30. Hire Power Radio Host: Rick Girard About: This show is disruptive and it will challenge the conventional thinking of how you recruit for your company. The show's mission is to help Entrepreneurs and hiring managers to avoid costly hiring mistakes! They identify a specific problem and provide proven solutions to enable you to WIN the right hire, sharing insights from top-performing rebel entrepreneurs, disruptors & industry experts. 31. Hiring Guild Host: Sheila Thompson, Greg Hoy About: It is a series of chat-based interviews with industrial professionals that discusses a plethora of things, from design to gaining trust and various recruiting techniques. 32. Hiring on all cylinders Host: Entelo About: Entelo focuses on intelligent hiring and attempts to help people understand, and provides insight into the best ways to hire someone, to optimize your business growth 33. HR Happy Hour Host: Steve Boese, Trish McFarlane About: HR Happy Hour, the longest running and top downloaded HR podcast, focuses on human resources, management, leadership, and workforce technology. The show is hosted by Steve Boese, the Co-Chair of the HR Technology Conference and Trish McFarlane, CEO of H3 HR Advisors. 34. HR MarketWatch Host: George LaRocque About: A podcast discussing the future and newer generations of hiring, taking interviews with CEOs and with an interest in things like AI recruiting and recruitment of the perfect employee. 35. HR Tech Weekly Host: John Sumser About: A weekly podcast by HR Examiner with over 200 episodes, discussing things like technology, advancement, culture, strategy and investment.

36. Huntflow Insight Host: Lev Pickalev About: This is a Hunt-flow Insight podcast. Here they talk with important people from the HR industry about their experiences, problems and their solutions. 37. HZaborowski - der Recruiting Podcast Host: Henrik Zaborowski About: A podcast with many guests about recruiting, innovations in recruiting and changes in the world of work. Usually spontaneous and a bit chaotic. 38. IBM Watson Talent Host: IBM About: Turnover is a critical problem facing organizations in every industry. Unhappy employees leave their companies to find new opportunities where they can develop their careers, learn new skills and take part in exciting and challenging work. Recorded at Think 2018, this podcast covers how to identify and close skill gaps, engage employees in meaningful work, and build personalized career experiences for them. 39. Inside Talent Host: Craig Fisher About: Inside talent includes hiring guides, including new theories and step by step videos that help you make the best of choices while hiring. 40. Inside Team Building Host: Katharina Wolff, D-Level About: Inside team building is a podcast aimed at a prominent feature of successful employing businesses - team building. Learn how to build the best teams and ensure that they work together and cooperate with your company! 41. Let's Fix Work Host: Laurie Ruettimann About: Work is broken. Laurie is here to fix it. Every two weeks, she brings you interviews and insights from people who are changing the world, taking risks and showing up every damn day to say NO to corporate bullshit, misogyny, institutional racism and everything else that is wrong with how we earn our pay checks. 42. Margins Host: Mary Ellen Slayter, Lee Price About: Margins will explore what it means to communicate in the digital age. They’ll share stories about the messier side of content marketing — what works, what doesn’t, and the big questions we’re all asking at work. In this no-advice and no-checklist zone, you’ll hear from marketers, creative people and leaders. 43. Mucho Success Host: Jose Pinero About: How can Latinos become more successful? Learn the secrets o.f the most influential people and apply them to your life. Join corporate veteran, entrepreneur and business coach Jose Pinero as he interviews fascinating leaders and brings inspiring stories, lessons and advice to empower and elevate Latinos. 44. Nelidské zdroje Host: José Kadlec, Matej Matolin About: Are you interested in news from the world of recruitment, sourcing and modern HR? Then this podcast is for you. In each episode of the podcast, José and Matej talk about a specific trend or problem not only in the recruitment field. 45. New Yawk HR Host: Anthony Onesto About: The most dangerous phrase in the language is 'we've always done it this way.' A contrarian view on HR & Recruiting practices is presented via these podcasts. 46. Nine To Thrive HR Host: Deb Wolfsen About: Looking for fresh content to solve your human capital issues but don't have a full hour? Subscribe to the HCI podcast series to gain access to leading HR practitioners from Fortune 1000 companies, as well thought-leaders, authors, and academics. These experts cover everything from talent acquisition and analytics to engagement, retention, and development. 47. NPR Host: Various About: Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. Invisibilia—Latin for invisible things—fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently. 48. People Masterminds Podcast Host: Eveliese Luiting, Kristel Moedt About: Welcome to People Masterminds. Discover the greatest of HR architects and their mind baffling techniques. Dare. Embrace. Amaze, and be amazed. 49. People Power Host: Glenn van der Burg About: With a focus on the common man, the podcast goes to show what a lot of people do not manage to see. The fact that they hold a lot of power, and can do a lot of wonderful things if they put their minds to it. 50. Pioneer stories Host: Bee Heller About: The podcast focuses exclusively on the more interesting and often neglected aspects of a business and dives into the likes of business culture, geography, and other social structures. 51. Radio LEDR Host: L'École du Recrutement

About: The School of Recruitment is our way of building and making a job proud, that of recruiter.Radio LEDR is the voice of resistance, of those who are proud to be recruiters. 52. Real Job Talk Host: Kat Troyer, Liz Bronson About: A podcast about jobs, career, and what isn’t said at the water cooler.Seasoned HR and recruiting consultants Liz and Kat help you navigate your career and get through your work day. Go beyond the employee manual for some real job talk! 53. Recruiter Startup Host: Dualta Doherty About: This podcast will help you to set and operate a world class Recruitment Agency. Dualta bring you the stories behind the personalities you see on LinkedIn. 54. Recruiters Live Lounge Host: Roy Ripper About: Inspiring interviews with today's most successful recruitment business leaders brought to you weekly. They start every podcast with their biggest failure before uncovering their 'eureka moment' and the actions they took to turn that moment into success. 55. Recruitment On The Go Host: Harver About: Recruitment On The Go is your go-to podcast to learn about everything and anything recruitment-related – on-the-go. With a new 7 - to 15-minute episode every weekday, Recruitment On The Go is the perfect podcast to listen to during your morning or afternoon commute. 56. Recruitment Radio Host: Dan Daw About: In each episode, our podcast host Dan Daw is joined by a fellow recruitment expert who will share their industry insight, career wisdom, entertaining anecdotes and love of music. Tackling the all important question of what music to play 57. Recruitment Rollercoaster Host: Hishem Azzouz About: This is the show where Hishem bring to life the true failures, learnings and successes from Recruiters and Recruitment, by talking to some of the most talented recruiters out there. 58. Recs & Devs Host: Davy Engone, Texidi team About: If you are working in tech recruitment, you may already have experienced the gap between tech and non-tech profiles and the struggles to "speak the same language". Texidi's Recs & Devs brings tech recruiters and developers closer together. 59. RecTech: the Recruiting Technology Podcast Host: Chris Russell About: Hosted by Chris Russell, online recruiting's mad scientist, the RecTech podcast covers all aspects of recruiting technology and recruitment marketing including interesting new tools & vendors. You'll also hear how recruiters leverage technology to find talent. 60. Rekryteringspodden Host: HOME of Recruitment About: A series of interviews focusing on various recruiting techniques from the professionals of the industry. Tune in to raise your recruitment knowledge bank! 61. Rockstar Recruiter Host: Dave Hume About: Interviews with leading industry specialists, giving you insider knowledge, actionable tasks to create a seriously effective and profitable recruitment business. Take your recruitment to a whole new level! 62. Saul Searching Host: Darren Saul About: Saul Searching - the Saul Recruitment podcast where Darren searches for loads of interesting and valuable insights for his listeners! Anything from how to build a "WOW" company culture to Job Seeking strategies to what makes a "winner's" mind set - it's ALL here. 63. Secrets of Staffing Success Host: Haley Marketing Group About: Candid conversations with entrepreneurs and thought leaders in the staffing and recruiting industry. It is brought to you by Haley Marketing. 64. Sourcing Certification Videos Host: David Galley About: Sourcing Certifications provides Talent Sourcing Training and Skill Assessment for Recruiters, Talent Acquisition Professionals, and Teams and has enjoyed training tens of thousands of professionals internationally since it started in 2012. 65. TA Innovators Radio Host: Adrie Smith About: Talent Acquisition Innovators Radio is an interview podcast tailor-made for the Talent Acquisition and HR community. With a new guest every episode, they’ll discuss the ins and outs of the recruitment process, engaging fresh talent, managing tough internal hiring dilemmas, and the future of talent acquisition. 66. Talk Talent To Me Host: Rob Stevenson About: Starring recruiting leadership from everywhere under the talent acquisition sun, Talk Talent To Me is a fast-paced rough-and-tumble podcast about the strategies, techniques, and trends shaping the recruitment industry. 67. TaPod - For everything Talent Acquisition & Recruitment Host: Craig Watson, Lauren Sharp About: Speaking with TA leaders, Industry suppliers and even those from the 'Agency Dark Side' Tapod will explore challenges, changes and confusion in a world that is crying out for a voice. They aim to be informative... a little controversial... with a touch of crazy. 68. TechRecruit Host: Stacey Broadwell About: Join global influencers and thought leaders as they share valuable insights on the most innovative tools, platforms, and tactics they use to #WinHiring 69. The CandEs Shop Talk Host: Kevin W. Grossman About: HR and recruiting industry influencer and Talent Board VP, Kevin W. Grossman, talks shop with CandE winners, talent acquisition leaders, industry influencers and technology providers. 70. The Chad & Cheese Show Host: Chad Sowash, Joel Cheesman About: Lock your doors and hide your kids. Chad Sowash and Joel Cheesman are here to punch the recruiting industry right where it hurts, complete with breaking news, brash opinion, and loads of snark. 71. The Collaboration Superpowers Podcast Host: Lisette Sutherland About: Weekly podcast featuring interviews with remote-working experts including advice and action lists, pitfalls and solutions, and much more. 72. The Employer Branding Podcast Host: Jorgen Sundberg About: In this weekly show, international employer brand leaders, rebels, and innovators share their favorite tactics and strategies. From challenger brands with momentum – to leading companies such as GE, Walmart, Unilever, Wells Fargo, and Salesforce. 73. The experience designers Host: Steve Usher About: If you’re fascinated by the future of work and understand the importance of how people experience an organisation as they move through the employee journey. This podcast is for you. 74. The Firefish Podcast Host: Cameron McLennan About: The podcast focuses on recruitment industry trends, business development advice, marketing advice and what the future of our profession holds. 75. The Future of Work Podcast Host: Jacob Morgan About: A weekly show where Jacob has in-depth discussions with senior executives and business leaders around the world on the future of work. Each episode of the podcast explores a new topic and features a special guest. 76. The HireCast Host: Dan Louks, Devyn Hinchee About: A podcast about working, hiring, and making sure this 1/3 of your life is the best it can be.

77. The HR Social Hour Host: John Thurmond, Wendy Dailey About: HR pros Jon Thurmond and Wendy Dailey talk to other practitioners about connecting, giving back, and building your network. 78. The HRChat Show Host: Bill Banham About: Listen to the HRChat show to get insights, strategies, and anecdotes to help you get more from the world of work. Show topics covered include HR Tech, Leadership, Talent, Recruitment, Employee Engagement, Recognition and Company Culture. 79. The Jack & Ollie Show - The Early Careers Podcast Host: Jack Denton, Ollie Sidwell About: Jack and Ollie make their way through a host of different topics and issues found in the wonderful world of early careers and explore the early careers market together with the help of the wonderful people they’ve met over their combined 20 years of experience in the sector. 80. The Jim Stroud Podcast Host: Jim Stroud About: The Jim Stroud Podcast explores the discoveries and trends forming the future of our lives. Brain to brain communication, robot bosses, microchip implants for workers and immortality as an employee benefit are all happening now! 81. The JoyPowered Workspace Podcast Host: JoDee Curtis, Susan Tinder White About: The JoyPowered Workspace Podcast: Where they put the humanity back into HR! JoyPowered is updated at least once a month and explores humane HR practices 82. The Lonely Marketer Host: Glenn Southam About: A podcast series sharing insight and views on recruitment marketing. The Lonely Marketer shares knowledge of recruitment marketing to give you the validation you are doing things right and the confidence to try new things.. 83. The Look & Sound of Leadership Host: Tom Henschel About: An ongoing series of Executive Coaching Tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived. 84. The People Leaders Podcast Host: Jan Terkelsen, Michelle Terkelsen About: People Leaders is a boutique consultancy and training provider specialising in the development of high performing teams for businesses of all sizes. We teach managers to become leaders and inspire staff to become teams. 85. The Pozcast Host: Adam Posner About: Hosted by Adam Posner, where street smart, business smart, all kinds of smart people share their insights into the world of marketing, career journeys, and personal growth. 86. The Recruiting Animal Show Host: Recruiting Animal About: Specialists discuss their winning formulae and the ways in which they ensure that they get the best hire and the best yield, all within one podcast. 87. The Recruiting Brainfood Podcast Host: Hung Lee, Adam Gordon About: A talkshow with leading figures in the staffing industry where AI, future of work, recruitment agencies, diversity & inclusion, gig economy, recruiting technology, workplace culture and the rest are discussed. 88. The Recruiting Future Podcast Host: Matt Alder About: The Recruiting Future Podcast - one of the leading podcasts on it's genre, this is a regular 2-3 times per month podcast which sees Matt Alder interview some of the leading thinkers and doers in the recruiting world. 89. The Recruitment Agency Growth (RAG) Podcast Host: Sean Anderson About: A podcast featuring industry leaders focusing on the growth aspects of recruitment agencies, with tactics, ideas, inspirations and stories, all being shared under one roof 90. The Recruitment Leadership Podcast Host: Alison Humphries About: The Recruitment Leadership podcast is here to help those in the recruitment industry gain awareness and understanding on the hot topics faced by those in the business of hiring people. 91. The Recruitment Marketing Club Host: Robert Woodford About: A series of Podcasts, featuring many renowned personalities that discuss the different recruitment strategies for a number of places including targeting non-graduates etc. 92. The Social Recruiting Show Host: Katrina Collier, Audra Knight About: The hosts chat with people in the HR, Talent Acquisition, Recruitment, and Employer Branding space about all things recruiting, marketing, sourcing, employer branding, social media, diversity & inclusion, and more. It’s the perfect light-hearted way to expand your knowledge and be inspired. 93. The Sourcing Challenge Show Host: Mark Lundgren About: Sourcing Challenge Show is a weekly show where Mark talks to Talent Sourcing Professionals from around the world about how they got started in the in Industry, what they are excited about working on now and more. 94. The Strong Suit Host: Jeff Hyman About: Recruit Rockstars Podcast is the playbook to find the winners & ignite your business, with biweekly episodes. 95. The TA Report Host: Matt Clarke About: The TA report features short form conversations with Talent Acquisition Leaders from across the UK - Discussing the past, present and future of Talent Acquisition. 96. The Talent Cast Host: James Ellis About: James Ellis was once bitten by a radioactive recruiter and found himself with strange new powers - the best show for you if you wish to find talented workers and to inspire your team 97. The Talent Development Hot Seat Host: Andy Storch About: The Talent Development Hot Seat features interviews and insights from leading talent development professionals and company executives who are passionate about developing their people. The host, Andy Storch, will ask each of them to share some of their successes, failures, challenges and advice for others as well as what trends they are seeing in the industry. 98. The Talent Equation Host: Stuart Armstrong About: Aiming to support people realize their potential, Talent equation brings the mix of talent to your pre-existing HR gravy, and helps you realize the true potential of a talented, motivated workforce. 99. TotalPicture Host: Peter Clayton About: TotalPicture interviews thought leaders, practitioners, and vendors in HR technology, Talent Acquisition, Staffing, Leadership and Innovation to provide cutting-edge content and actionable information to their listeners. 100. Value through vulnerability Host: Garry Turner About: This is Value through Vulnerability, a human-centred podcast dedicated to helping put the human back into humanity. We share ideas, opinion & challenges around courage, self-awareness, vulnerability, inclusivity, listening, trust, values, mind-set & more. 101. Work Life Host: Adam Grant About: Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work not suck. From learning how to love criticism to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again. 102. Workaround Host: Jasmine Werner About: Jasmine Werner explores the world of new work in digitization. Every Monday, in a new episode with guests around the topic of man, work and HR Tech. 103. Workology Host: Jessica Miller-Merrell About: Since 2014, the Workology Podcast has been a podcast for the disruptive workplace and HR leader who's tired of the status quo. Hosted by Jessica Miller-Merrell, founder of Workology.com. She sits down with guests to discuss trends, tools and case studies for the business leader in 25-minute, bite-sized episodes. 104. XING E-Recruiting Podcast Host: Xing About: Xing regularly prepares for you an exclusive conversation with an exciting personality from the HR environment. Get to know innovative stories, take a look behind the scenes of various companies and above all: be entertained. 105. Young Talent To Go Host: Studydrive About: There are many HR experts and people with great stories to talk to. Easygoing and informal. The goal? A podcast that provides the listener with tips for his professional life within the HR scene. 106. Your Pursuit Of Happiness Host: Laura Smyth, Paul Smyth About: Join your hosts Laura and Paul as they explore issues that matter to people working in the Irish Fintech and financial services industry. 107. Talent Talks Host: SEEK About: Offering to you, the best of hiring advice, join the professionals at talent talk, and get to know how to acquire the real talent. 108. FREE TALENT Der Podcast für Freelancer und Unternehmer Host: Daniel Barke About: Freedom and a laptop on your lap: Freelancing is becoming increasingly attractive and an essential building block for the labor market of the future. But what does it mean to work successfully freely? Find out, with Daniel Barke. 109. #Neurodiversity At Work: Prisoners, Vagrants, Vagabonds and Albert Einstein Host: Theo Smith About: Jamie Leonard - the CEO and Founder of the Recruitment Events Company – has been a key supporter and advocate for Neurodiversity at Work. Jamie shares his view and vision for Neurodiversity at Work and beyond in this podcast. It's a personal and inspiring story.

Final Word Again, we hope this list serves as good inspiration to start listening to some of the best and brightest in the HR and recruiting industry. If we missed one, let us know! This post originally appeared on SelectSoftware's blog where we write about the latest in HRTech. Read the full article

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fullspectrum-cbd-oil · 5 years

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Trump’s First Presidential Portfolio Lags Job, Stock Market Growth

In his first address to the U.S. Congress, President Donald Trump hailed General Motors Co, Harley-Davidson Inc, Intel Corp and seven other companies as innovators and job creators, predicting they would be among those producing “tens of thousands of new American jobs” and investing “billions and billions of dollars.”

Nearly three years later, with unemployment at the lowest in half a century, that first presidential portfolio has stumbled to fulfill that forecast. While Trump’s 10 companies have spent billions on new factories and upgrades, they failed to keep pace with new hires, according to a Reuters analysis of the group’s capital expenditures and headcount since 2017.

Collective employment at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Ford Motor Co, GM, Harley, Intel, Lockheed Martin Corp, Sprint Corp, Walmart Inc and small biotech Amicus Therapeutics has remained flat at about 2 million workers, the analysis shows. In the same period, total U.S. employment has risen by 4.5%.

Wall Street has not smiled extensively on Trump’s selected companies either.

Most of the companies’ total shareholder return has trailed the S&P 500’s 47% advance and sector benchmarks since Trump’s February 2017 speech. Only four of the 10 have outperformed the broad benchmark while five have lagged the wider market by 35 points or more, as of Jan. 28.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere declined to comment about the individual companies, but noted more Americans are coming off the sidelines and finding work, and U.S. wages and consumer confidence are rising.

“Despite headwinds from severe monetary tightening and a global recession, President Trump’s agenda of fair and reciprocal trade, lower taxes and deregulation has created the strongest economy we’ve ever seen,” he added.

Still, struggles within the Trump portfolio underscore how the president’s economic and immigration policies have produced uneven results as he seeks another term in the White House.

Since he took office, only Fiat Chrysler and defense contractor Lockheed Martin have added a meaningful number of net new workers.

Lockheed’s U.S. headcount is up about 15%. Fiat’s employment is up about 11%, with some gains coming from broader North American operations. The net gain of jobs at the two companies is about 22,800 since the end of 2016, according to company disclosures.

“What a great brand Jeep is,” Trump said in a shoutout to Fiat Chrysler’s hot-selling vehicle, before signing a tariff agreement with China.

By contrast, the combined overall U.S. headcount at Ford and GM has declined by about 10,000, or 5%, to 184,000, despite investing billions of dollars in their automotive plants. (For a graphic click https://tmsnrt.rs/315LHzh )

For a broader picture, the U.S. economy has produced an average of 193,000 new jobs per month, over the past three years. But even with the benefit of Trump’s 2017 massive corporate tax rate cut, that is 14% less than the 224,000 jobs per month created during the last three years of Barack Obama’s administration, according to U.S. Department of Labor figures.

“Trump wins some, loses some when compared to Obama,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at financial research firm Moody’s Analytics, referring to various economic indicators like stock market gains (more under Trump), federal budget deficit (less under Obama), fixed mortgage rates (lower under Obama) and household net worth (higher growth rate under Trump).

But Zandi and four other economists interviewed for this story said Trump sets himself apart with a restrictive immigration policy that is exacerbating labor shortages across jobs that pay low wages and top-end salaries.

“This is going to become a very severe impediment to growth,” Zandi said. “We’re used to seeing 200,000 new jobs created every month, but it will be one-fourth of that a few years from now.”

The U.S. labor force has grown at an annual rate of 0.5% in the 10 years since the Great Recession ended. But in the other four recent recoveries, annualized labor force growth was more than doubled, exceeding 1%, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Meanwhile, a key plank in Trump’s agenda – rebuilding the country’s manufacturing base – recently took a hit when the sector fell into its deepest slump in more than a decade.

But there are plenty of bright spots, big and small.

U.S. headcount at defense contractor Lockheed Martin, for example, has surged 15% to about 102,300 employees since the end of 2016 as it seeks full-rate production of its F-35 fighter jet, according to company.

Lockheed shares have climbed, too, producing a total return of 76% since Trump’s 2017 speech, easily outpacing the S&P 500’s total return of 47% during that time.

Amicus Therapeutics Inc, which Trump hailed for treating rare metabolic disorders, has nearly doubled its U.S. headcount to more than 500 people, according to U.S. Department of Labor disclosures. Its shares are up 39% since Trump’s speech, boosting its market value to more than $2 billion. The Nasdaq US Small Cap Biotech Index is up 61% during that time.

SPENDING BILLIONS

In 2018, the Trump portfolio of companies collectively used about $60 billion from their cash flows on capital expenditures to make new products and to remain competitive, according to their financial statements. Intel, for example, plowed $29.6 billion into research and development and capital investments during 2019, up 33% from 2016 levels. It plans to invest more than $7 billion to complete a chip plant in Arizona, one of the largest construction projects in the country.

“We anticipate it will create 3,000 Intel jobs,” company spokeswoman Chelsea Hughes said. Intel’s total return is 99% since Trump highlighted the company in his first address to congress.

After a recent surge in its stock price, Intel is beating the 91% total return of the S&P 500 Semiconductor Index. The benchmark includes high-flying rivals like Nvidia Corp, whose shares are up 147% since Trump’s address.

Japan’s SoftBank Corp is also investing billions of dollars in U.S. startups, and has created thousands of jobs, with help from American venture capital firms and mutual funds.

But as seen by the WeWork saga, and other troubled investments like the dog walking company, Wag Labs Inc, a lot of those jobs could disappear overnight.

Other companies Trump touted that have kept payrolls inline are getting mixed reviews from investors.

Shares of Harley-Davidson have dropped 34% since the president hailed the “magnificent motorcycles” in his first address to congress. Trump’s trade tensions, however, have hurt the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company, which last year struck a deal to build a smaller motorcycle in a venture with a Chinese company. Harley-Davidson’s latest available headcount of 5,900 is down slightly from 6,000 at the end of 2016, according to company disclosures.

Trump has criticized the company for moving some of its production offshore. Harley Davidson did not return messages seeking comment.

The economists Reuters spoke with applaud the investments, but they say big chunks of capital go toward upgrades and automation, not necessarily net gains in workers.

“There’s not a lot of trickle down to the local economy,” said Sarah Low, a University of Missouri-Columbia economics professor who focuses on employment in rural areas.

(Reporting By Tim McLaughlin; editing by Dan Burns and Edward Tobin)

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toboldlygo-downonme · 5 years

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shoutout to the 7-11 employee who when i came in at 2:30 in the morning and said I’d never had a slurpee said “I don’t care, try all of them,” smiled vaguely, and then went back to cleaning the hot dog grill

#gtalks

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geeksperhour · 5 years

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12 ways to boost the morale of your support team

No matter how great your product is, the one thing your customers are likely to remember is the direct interaction they have with your company. In fact, studies have found that 70 to 80% of customers are likely to stop doing business with a company because of bad customer service.

News of bad service travels more than twice as fast as praise for good service. In a recent study, 95% of respondents said they talk to others about the bad experiences they had with a brand, while only 87% shared good experiences. With word of mouth spreading like wildfire over social media, your reputation is in your customers’ hands.

Your support team is the first—and often only—point of contact your customers have with you. You can have the most skilled, efficient, and customer-friendly support staff in the world, but your business will suffer if they’re not motivated, not happy, or don’t work together well.

“The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers.”

When your customer support team feels like they are making a contribution to the success of your business, it soon translates into customer loyalty.

In short, Happy employees = Happy customers

But how do you achieve this? Let’s take a look at some practical approaches, as well as how using the right software solution—like SalesIQ—can help you achieve these goals.

1. Provide the Right Tools

Without the right tools, your team can’t work effectively. Inadequate resources will demotivate even the best employees. To create a competent customer support system, tools like customer engagement and live chat software, CRM, support desk software, and more that work well with each other need to be in place so your team can easily manage customer data and interactions.

2. Give them the freedom to solve issues on their own

It’s good for businesses to have a set of rules and processes, but beware of creating a rigid structure that would make your team feel like their hands are tied. Whenever possible, give them the leeway to solve a customer’s problem within the guidelines you’ve created. Give them the authority to find creative solutions to issues without having to approach you for every little thing. With the freedom to solve issues using their own intellect, employees are motivated to serve customers in a faster, more efficient way.

3. Talk to your team

Managers often tend to think, “My team knows I’m here if they need me.” Don’t fall into that trap.

Your employees need to have a good rapport with you to feel comfortable bringing forward problems, asking questions, or making suggestions. And that requires conversation. It doesn’t have to be in-depth, daily discussions, but it needs to be frequent. It can be as simple as scheduled weekly meetings or a quick “What’s up?” once every two or three days.

4. Balance their workload

Even a motivated workforce with access to the right tools will fall flat on its face if their workload is not correctly managed. It’s no surprise that if you put too much weight on one pair of shoulders, they will start to stoop. This burnout will prove to be costly.

A proper balance and distribution of resources is the key here.

Zoho SalesIQ lets you set rules to automatically route incoming chats to different members of your team. You also get statistics on how many times the assigned staff has missed/forwarded a chat, the resolution time, and the number of times each rule has been triggered, all of which allows you to assess the efficiency of your routing rules.

In addition to balancing the load on your team, this also helps you improve your CSAT scores by making sure your customers are connected to the right staff without much forwarding.

5. Set clear and realistic goals

More than 60% of employees feel they waste time on low-priority work. Avoid this by setting clear, smart, and realistic goals aimed at fulfilling objectives. Design them to be measurable so employees feel motivated to achieve them.

6. Avoid micromanagement

Keeping an eye on how your support team functions is important, but not at the cost of looking like you’re always breathing down their necks. Instead, by choosing the right metrics to measure performance and then gamifying it, you can create some friendly competition that boosts morale and improves performance. Leaderboards and badges are some great ways to do this.

However, it is important to pay attention to the language you use when talking about your gamification system, or this could backfire. Keep the conversation focused on individual targets rather than about being better than the others.

7. Give them credit when it’s due

Good customer service happens when efforts and results are recognized. Give people a pat on the back when they deserve it. Good feedback is vital for enhancing employee morale. Zoho SalesIQ’s internal message board gives your team a space for these shoutouts.

But feedback doesn’t always have to be positive. If they do something wrong, they need to know that too, but negative feedback is best communicated in a private conversation. You can also use a bit of encouragement to pump up disengaged employees.

8. Share customer praise

Knowing how one’s actions help other people improves productivity by up to seven percent. So, the next time you get good customer feedback, share it freely with the agent who earned it. In fact, share it with your whole team at a shift meeting, or post it on a bulletin board for all to see. It will make the person feel good about being able to bring about real change and will inspire others to do the same.

9. Incentivize them with customized reward programs

One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to rewards and recognition. While some people like shoutouts, others prefer a quiet word of appreciation. In order to successfully incentivize and encourage your customer service team, it’s important to know what exactly motivates them. One of the best ways to do this is to conduct employee surveys or hold a brainstorming session.

10. Encourage individual growth and personal development

Give your team members the chance to focus on developing their skills. By creating a culture that nurtures employees, you instil a sense of loyalty and belonging among your team members. Make the effort to teach them new skills, help them work on mastering old ones, and offer them opportunities and guidance for growth.

11. Promote work‎-life balance

Work must not consume employees’ lives. Companies and managers that recognize the need for balance are increasingly attractive to workers. By introducing flexible scheduling and recognizing family needs, you can establish a basis for stronger employee satisfaction and better performance.

Zoho SalesIQ lets you set business hours for your live chat so your customers know when your team isn’t available. Visitors can still leave a message for you to follow up right back.

You can also create your own AI-powered chat bots with Zobot—our enterprise-ready bot builder—so visitors can get quick answers, or get help tracking orders or fixing appointments while your staff is away.

And, most of all,

12. Listen to what your customer service team is saying

Spend some time talking to each team member. Ask for suggestions and involve them in helping the business grow. It’s a win-win situation. You get business insights from the people who directly interact with your customers, and this will make your team happier because they’ll feel like their voices are being heard.

from Zoho Blog https://ift.tt/2Q8Qhe5 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Zoho Blog GPH #Geeksperhour

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disc-golf · 6 years

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6 Ways Successful People Think Differently

Joe Coulombe was successful.

At least, he was by most standards. Several years ago, he launched a small chain of convenience stores in southern California that fit the 7-11 model.

But then, he saw an opportunity. Always one for innovation and improvement, he wondered if he could create something that would better serve the growing population of recent college graduates who wanted convenience, but also craved something better than two-day-old hot dogs and Mountain Dew.

So, he opened a market in Pasadena. He stocked it with wine and liquor, as well as high-quality prepared foods and fresh ingredients. He hired hard-working employees and put an emphasis on training. He paid them well, too.

He worked long, hard hours. He regularly analyzed his business. He never gave up, even when business was slow.

Eventually, the market grew, so he decided to add more locations—especially around universities and young professional hubs. He added more healthy, organic foods to the markets’ shelves, and diversified his offerings.

Lo and behold, in a few short years, the concept took off.

That market is Trader Joe’s.

Coulombe’s success story—and outside-the-box thinking—is only one example of many enjoyed by entrepreneurial pioneers who upset existing industries to meet a need and solve a persistent problem.

Why was he successful? Because he thought differently—about his business, about the world around him, and about himself. Because he was focused. Because he was determined. Because he was connected to his community and his customers.

You see, all successful people think differently.

They resist complacency and are driven by urgency.

They say NO to almost everything and have a relentless focus on what matters.

They make up for a lack of resources (money, support staff, etc.) by being resourceful with what they have.

And they are always open to opportunity.

This isn’t a genetically inherited quality. Successful people learn how to think differently.

You can, too. Here’s where to start:

1. Think differently about time

The beginner thinks: “I must be available to everyone all the time or I will miss out on deals.”

The successful person thinks: “My time is my most valuable asset. I must protect it and put it to work for me. And I will persuade the world to see it my way for their benefit, too.”

Successful people know time is more valuable than money, and that unlike money, time cannot be replaced when it passes. That’s why they are so protective of the clock and make every minute count. They control their mornings and own their days. They build systems to deal with the chaos.

Make that shift in your mind. Would you let anyone come into your home and take money out of your wallet? No. Then why do you let the same people come into your life and take your time?

Stand up for the minutes, hours, and days of your life. Time is always counting down, and you need to use it as wisely as possible.

If you find that people are stealing your time, set up weekly “office hours” for open communication with clients, prospects, and employees. Communicate this time clearly, and frame it as a clear benefit to everyone who walks through your door.

When unavailable, be sure you convey your regrets (via an automated response or voicemail) with a positive note:

“I’m sorry I can’t respond/talk right now. I’m busy at work behind the scenes making our products and/or services and/or facility better for you so that you can enjoy an amazing experience. Thank you for understanding, and I really look forward to speaking with you during my office hours.”

See how easy that is? You CAN take more control over your time when you think differently about it.

2. Think differently about preparation

The beginner says: “Most things take care of themselves and don’t need much preparation. I’ll just roll with the punches.”

The successful person says: “The more I prepare for each day, the more I can be sure I am taking big steps toward my goals and dreams.”

This quote recently struck me, and is a particularly fitting inspiration for those needing to embrace preparation:

“Nothing wins more often than superior preparation. Genius is usually preparation.” —Kekich Credo #73

Think about it: If your energy is low, it’s because you didn’t plan your meals right. If your meeting is a waste of time, it’s because you didn’t come prepared with the right information. If your workouts are not effective, it’s because you didn’t take time to figure out what kind of exercise routine would serve your goals best.

But those who are prepared can face adversity and still move ahead.

The first three steps to preparing for your days come from my book, “The Perfect Day Formula”: Complete a nightly brain dump, create your priority to-do list, and develop a process for reaching your daily goals. (More on that here.)

Success is in preparation. So spend time on it and make it a priority.

3. Think differently about connections

The beginner thinks: “I will ask someone famous to meet me for coffee and pick their brain about lessons they learned from decades in the industry.”

The successful person thinks: “I will add value and earn the right to an introduction. Better yet, I will become so interesting that the rich and famous will seek me out.”

A few weeks ago, you might have noticed social media and sales superstar Grant Cardone recommend me on Instagram. “Go and follow Craig Ballantyne,” he said.

Why did he give me a shoutout? Because I gave him value.

I hosted a 10-minute Instagram Live about the five things Grant Cardone is doing right on social media. After the IG Live, I tagged him in my story and told everyone to watch the replay.

Cardone himself watched the video, then he thanked me in his story and told everyone to follow me.

I got all of that with a simple, two-step process: Add value, then earn the recognition of others.

It’s important to know, however, that I wasn’t fishing for a shoutout. I just added value to Cardone while providing my audience with insight on how to build a successful IG account. Yes, I tagged Cardone, but I didn’t ask for kudos or a push. He just gave it to me.

My results were earned from thinking differently—adding value, not asking for it.

4. Think differently about referrals

The beginner thinks: “People will send referrals to me. I don’t have to ask.”

The successful person thinks: “People want to help, but they are too busy. They will forget to send me referrals unless I remind them, reward them, and make it easy for them.”

Referrals offer an easy, quick source of revenue for your business, but in order for you to enjoy that revenue stream, you need to create a “culture of referrals.”

Here’s how that starts:

Put together a welcome good basket for all NEW clients of your highest priced program. The basket would include your favorite bars, shakes, a shaker bottle, a T-shirt, a book (like “The Perfect Day Formula”), and a card. With these, include a piece of paper with a reminder to refer clients to you; you can even include a referral script if you think that’s a good fit.

You must also do this for all of your past clients who have massive “referral potential”—advocates and loyal customers.

Lastly—this part is important—never stop asking for referrals. People WANT to help you, but because they are so busy, they just need to be reminded how they can help.

For example, I “reminded” my awesome client, Joe Arko, about sending referrals last week and he sent me two great prospects. In fact, one has already registered for a workshop, so I’m sending out a $1,000 commission check to Joe that he’s putting in his children’s college fund.

(If you haven’t already read it, there’s a lot more about how to capture referrals in my article from last Wednesday. Read it here.)

5. Think differently about motivation

The beginner thinks: “I need someone else, like Tony Robbins, Oprah, or Craig Ballantyne to motivate me to action.”

The successful person thinks: “Motivation only comes from within, not from someone else. You must look into your heart to find your why.”

I recently shared my top 10 motivators for daily action, and I believe everyone should have these. What are yours?

6. Think differently about leadership

The beginner thinks: “I can’t be a leader until I’ve earned my stripes. I need to follow.”

The successful person thinks: “I believe my ideas and vision can change my business/industry for the better, so I’m going to stand up and lead that change.”

The reality is, the world needs your voice and vision.

One of my friends, Drew Canole, founder of supplement company Organify, put it this way: “You must always be beating the drum of your vision.”

That vision is what guides the ship that is your business, that gives your employees clarity and purpose, and that brings your customers with you on your journey.

The best way to keep that vision clearly articulated is to lead a Weekly Alignment Meeting with your team (more on that here). Also, be sure to meet with your employees and coworkers one-on-one to discuss goals, frustrations, and how each person in your company serves the vision you’ve laid out.

There’s no question that successful people approach life differently than others. They think about each element of their day in a unique way—a way that ensures no opportunity is squandered, no problem left unsolved, no pain untreated.

Coloumbe did it with Trader Joe’s. My friend, Bedros Keuilian, did it with Fit Body Boot Camp. I’m doing it with my coaching and the ever-growing world of Early to Rise.

How will YOU think differently on the path to success?

Keep yourself on the path to success by thinking differently about your mornings…

Sign up now to get our FREE Morning Routine guide—the #1 way to increase productivity, energy, and focus for profitable days. Used by thousands of fitness, business, and finance industry leaders to leapfrog the competition while making time for the people who really matter. Learn more here.

The post 6 Ways Successful People Think Differently appeared first on Early To Rise.

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flauntpage · 7 years

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Your Wednesday Morning Roundup

This is Joel Embiid’s world, and we’re just living in it.

I mean…

🤭 http://pic.twitter.com/qrmEh5z0Bp

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 13, 2017

JoJo dimes. Ben jams. http://pic.twitter.com/TpsdGNqnWX

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 13, 2017

Déjà vu http://pic.twitter.com/zrsgOk5JYx

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 13, 2017

Embiid had a night in the team’s 118-112 win over the Timberwolves to end a four-game losing streak. 28 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high eight assists for “The Process” in his return from a back injury, along with 26 points for J.J. Redick, and 15 points and 11 rebounds from Richaun Holmes, who’s been improving the past few games.

The Sixers are back in action Friday night on ESPN as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ll dedicate the entire day towards the Sixers with “Philadelphia All Access,” and the team will also debut their new red “statement” jerseys.

The Roundup:

Continuing with the Sixers, Ramona Shelburne had a great interview with Embiid and his personality in the NBA:

“I don’t go over the line, but I feel like I’m always right there,” he says with a grin. Of course he is aware it makes people within the organization crazy that their budding superstar keeps giving shoutouts to the deposed general manager who led the franchise to one of the worst stretches in NBA history. That’s kind of the point.

“I won’t mention names, but a lot of people weren’t happy” with his call-outs, Embiid says. “I don’t care. To me it was like, we’ve gone through so much, and I get that Sam Hinkie wasn’t the most loved in Philly, but that was the guy who drafted me. I still like him. He did a lot for me.”

So he calls himself The Process, over and over, mischievously defusing its bite with humor and hashtags but still cutting right up close to the quick.

“I’m not doing it to hurt anybody’s feelings or create a situation,” Embiid says. “I just think it’s funny.”

The team is scheduled to debut their “City Edition” uniforms next Thursday against the Toronto Raptors as part of their “Spirit of 76” campaign. We started to see some pics of some of the swag:

#OnBrand http://pic.twitter.com/sRWYGrWi05

— Chris Heck (@chrisheck76) December 12, 2017

Additionally, Conrad Burry found out the New Era snapback design for the Sixers’ “City Edition”.

—

The Flyers continued their winning ways, beating the Maple Leafs 4-2 at home for their fourth straight win. Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny scored earlier in the game, before Couturier’s snipe from a nasty pass from Giroux became the eventual game-winner.

Coots with a great pass from Giroux gives the #Flyers a late lead! http://pic.twitter.com/NaD0d7PzaU

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) December 13, 2017

The team will look to make it five straight wins Thursday night at home against the Buffalo Sabres.

—

It’s official: Carson Wentz was placed on IR by the team. He’s done for the year. Special teams ace Bryan Braman fills his spot on the roster.

Meanwhile, don’t expect a big change in the offense under Nick Foles, according to offensive coordinator Frank Reich:

“There will be very minor, minor tweaks to the game plan. I mean, this is our system. … We built the system; certainly, it starts at quarterback, but it’s really built around all the talent that we have on offense. And good for us that all our quarterbacks are talented. Now Carson has some unique physical traits that he does exceptionally well, but it’s nothing that Nick can’t handle. So we’re full steam ahead,” Reich said.

With their leader on offense out, the defense will have to step up in a big way for the rest of the season.

Get to know your new backup, who won’t be Colin Kaepernick, but Nate Sudfeld. He looks a little bit like Foles.

Despite no Wentz, oddsmakers still like the Birds.

Off the field, Malcolm Jenkins was honored by City Council for his social justice work.

—

The Phillies have agreed to terms with relief pitcher Tommy Hunter. We had Addison Reed for about 20 minutes, but that was shut down quick. Addison Reed is a true Philliea.