#support emails back and forth for 2 weeks

[knifebucket]

there are some things in my life that are so obscenely difficult and have so many freak roadblocks that I can't help but think that the universe has cursed me specifically

[fuck-customers]

I injured by back and had to get a doctor's note so I can sit while I'm helping customers. I already have a note to be able to sit when I don't have customers, so you'd think it wouldn't be an issue. Except my designated chair is a steel folding chair with no padding, which does my back no favors. I showed a picture of it to my doctor and she said it "looks like something you find on the side of the road", which isn't wrong. So my doctor gave me a revised note to be able to sit in a chair that has support and padding. So my boss had a manager fish out an ancient chair from storage that was nice and padded, and honestly quite nice.

Except for the fact that it has little things that I think are supposed to be armrests but they're like thigh-high. And I am a big guy and have too much ass for the chair. I sat in it on Friday for two hours and it's now Sunday afternoon and I still have bruises on my legs in the exact shape of the "armrests". So I offered to provide my own chair so I don't have to keep going back and forth. And my HR apparently got back to my boss because I got an email from her about my accommodations.

"I'm currently providing a cushioned chair that has a back support, so please better clarify from the doctor on what this means"

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that my doctor needed to specify that my accommodation for a chair has to be one my ass actually fits in?? Like, that should be a fucking given? Otherwise you could just give your employee a fucking Barbie chair.

I even showed the bruises to my boss, so I know the company knows about it. So this will be my fourth doctor appointment about this note within like 2 weeks.

At this point, I'm damn sure that they're being difficult on purpose. And I'm very tempted to ask my doctor to make the new note extra bitchy about it, because like, I shouldn't need a fucking doctor's note for a different chair when the one they're providing has caused me visible injuries.

My doctor is just petty enough to wright a 10 page report going over everything from dimensions to what colors are the most calming.

-Rodney

[adventures-in-the-mad-forest]

Voice Acting Volunteer Info

Taglist: @canvas-the-florist @awkwardqueercreature @bananaconda33 @prince-rowan-of-the-forest @bluebellieart

@dewberrybramble @strange-destinations @thewickedcompanion @duck-in-a-spaceship @kitkat4406

@general-kalani @astrowillscreamintothevoid

Kofi blog post (All the same information is located under the read more).

Please ensure that you read and understand this before signing up! If you have any questions, please ask!

Summary of the Podcast:

It's about Glacie, and their coworkers, who work at the Meeting Point. The Meeting Point is a restaurant/shop located near the Mad Forest. Coming back from a pretty long break, due to their own unreality problems popping up, Glacie is warned that the forest grows hungry. After some incidents, Glacie's hallucinations start getting real bad, and they eventually venture forth into the Mad Forest.

Content Warnings of this Podcast Include (but are not limited to):

Unreality

Ableism

Pain

Blood

Implied Death

Podcast Genre

Modern-ish (emphasis on the ish) fantasy horror/action

Some things to note:

This is Volunteer Work, while I will be doing my best to pay you all, I can not promise that this will happen.

You Must Be 18+ to Volunteer to Voice Act (Mainly due to the workload)

You do not need prior Voice Acting work to throw your hat in the ring! That is not going to be a factor in the form or a question I ask in the Zoom meeting

The form that goes out today is to schedule a Zoom Meeting where you’ll do your audition then on the characters that you selected that you want to attempt to Voice Act. You can try for multiple characters, and say how many you’d like to Voice Act for (maximum of 3 characters). Fill out the days and times you are generally available. We can schedule a specific date based on schedules two weeks before the meeting. (It is important to note that the form times are in MST, as I live in Arizona in the United States. That is UTC -7. Please convert to your time zone before saying you’re available.)

I’m going to state this again so it’s not too buried: Zoom meetings are when auditions will be held, I’ll be starting to schedule those in November and December, at least 2 weeks ahead of when I first email you!

One social media is required for me to credit you in the podcast officially! You may have up to three, (this is mainly so that intros aren’t too long). Yes, I will be annoying about this.

You may only work up to 20 hours per week on Voice Acting. Including practice and breaks of less than 1 hour. This is to ensure that, if money is made, I can pay you back for your time fairly without you overworking yourself for essentially no pay if no money is made from this.

Speaking of Making Money off of this

How am I attempting to do that? You’d be right to ask. Currently, early versions of the unedited script are available for early viewing for $6 each, and a bundle is available for $35 total. Only the first episode is free in the unedited version so that those who are unsure of their interest can find out if it’s their cup of tea or not! These are also currently on a 25% sale, as I'm about to get the edited script going up for early access within the next few days.

With the edited version, the first two episodes will be free for early viewing (since most of the main characters show up by that episode it will give a better idea of who they are), however the rest will be priced at $12/episode with a bundle available for $60.

95% of those funds will be going to back paying volunteers for this project. 5% will be for extra fees that may arise as we get further into the process of recording, editing, and uploading. (This is after Stripe takes out their fee).

There are also memberships available for anyone interested in supporting the podcast!

I also sell my own art on the side and will be opening up commissions! For these I will be putting 75% of the funds into payment, with the other 25% (after the stripe fee) going towards making more art.

Not only that, but after Voice Actors are picked, I will start building a kickstarter for the project that is planned to release in May or June. This is to give us time to record 1 or 2 episodes to share bloopers and behind the scenes with backers. As the max amount of time a kickstarter can be up is 60 days, I will be doing a lot of advertising for it when the time comes on different blogs. While I would recommend you share the kickstarter on different social medias too, it’s not a requirement. And it’s something I will be discussing in more depth with the podcast team.

How Will I Pay You if the podcast makes money?

If you have a kofi, I will be leaving some generous tips! If not, any app that takes card as payment (without me having to make an account) will do! I am not doing checks, as this is open to volunteers from around the world who speak english, and even if it was just the US, I’m scared that they might get lost in the mail!

If you don’t have a place I can pay you with a debit card, please be willing to find a way to do that before you fill out the form.

I am willing to teach you how to set up a kofi if you need help with that!

You will be paid back at $15USD/hour if this podcast starts making money

Again, this is not guaranteed! Voice Acting will be considered Volunteer Work unless money is made!

Now let’s get into the Available Characters for Season 1

Main Characters: 

Cameron - She/her, Cis, lesbian, works at the Meeting Point. Cameron is wonderful, she’s independent, but terrified of being alone. She’s sassy and protective, but she’d do anything for her friends.

Shaun - He/him Cishet, coolest straight guy you’ll ever meet. Gives everyone nicknames, even if they don’t stick. Doesn’t like being serious without room for whimsy, he enjoys having fun. Honestly, he’s just a silly guy.

Dwayne - He/him, transmasc, pansexual, aromantic. Single dad of two (Laila and Deon). Is doing his best to provide for his kids and give them the best life they can possibly have. Ms. Lemona is his babysitter, both of them feeling as if they owe the other for the help they provide each other.Priority for this role is for someone who is black and transmasc

Gerry - He/him, Cis, aroace. 19 years old, youngest member of the Meeting Point. He’s just been hired to work there and is finding his place, is closest with Dwayne at this point. Has a habit of calling Glacie boss for some reason (no he is not being forced to.)Priority for this role is for someone who is brown.

Side Characters:

Delmena - She/her, Cishet. Widow. She’s an older woman who uses a wheelchair. While she’s outfitted her house to be more accessible to her, the outside world isn’t as put together. This is why she hired Carmelita, a helper who lives with her but is mainly asked to do anything that requires going outside and dealing with jutting sidewalk, no pavement, things like that. While Delmena will go with her most times, sometimes she enjoys staying at home and doing things herself.

Carmelita - She/her, Transfem, Lesbian. Works as Delmena’s stay at home caregiver, while Delmena doesn’t need her most of the time, both of them provide wonderful company for each other. She recently (ish) moved to the area, after struggling to find a job in the bigger town of Campeal. Priority for this role is for someone who is Hispanic/Latina and transfem

Haeyl - She/her, Transfem, Straight. Shaun’s dogsitter, pretty mysterious. But she has a right to be. Wonderful to be around, Mellon (the dog) loves her, and she loves dogsitting for Mellon.Priority for this role is for someone who is black and transfem.

Laila - 8 years old, she/her. Dwayne’s daughter, and eldest child. She’s loves to tease her brother, and take his toys as she’s taller than him (she gives them back, she just likes to frustrate her brother). Really interested in dragons and magic, one of which she’s told doesn’t exist; the other one she hasn’t gotten a clear answer on.Priority for this role is someone who is black.

Deon - 6 years old, he/him. Enjoys trains and magnets, and is also interested in magic. Is tired of Laila stealing his toys and keeping them from him. Has a habit of accidentally leaving toys out on the floor, which caused the incident that happened to keep Dwayne from being in the first episode of the season.Priority for this role is for someone who is black.

Ms. Lemona - She/her, transfem, Laila and Deon’s babysitter as Dwayne works at the Meeting Point to provide for them. She enjoys watching these kids, and teaching them new things, even astounding them with the creations she makes. She’s a woodworker, and knows some basics on how to make some more mechanical bits and bobs.Priority for this role is for someone who is black.

Other Characters:

Glacie’s Guide - A hallucination of sorts, not much is known about it, but it claims in the beginning of Season 2 to be there to help Glacie navigate through the forest. (Although whether that is true or not remains to be seen).

Various Background Characters

This includes customers at the Meeting Point as well as, random chatter that is unintelligible in certain parts of the episode.

Audition Information

I have chosen lines for each character that I believe gives a good view of who they are!

See this google doc for those:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19LNLDZgUOYPCCF6i8nH2iQrXe5UXK-S_nJGmqJ-Hzvc/edit?usp=sharing

If you'd like access to the full script before viewing, DM me on tumblr!

Forms open today, and I will begin scheduling auditions as early as Early November/Early December! As auditions happen, I will begin casting in Late December/Early January, because of this, if there’s someone you’d like to play I suggest getting the form in early. I will Not recast a part unless someone drops out so do not ask! As people are cast, I will be editing the form to reflect this.

How does casting work?

I will be attempting to schedule zoom meetings to cast specific characters on specific days. After the last zoom meeting for a character is done, and there are no scheduled zoom meetings for this character for a week, I will contact the person who got the role and give them the link to the discord server with information on what role they got. Then I will be removing said role from the form. This will continue until all roles have been filled.

I will also be contacting those who didn’t get the role to let them know that they didn’t get the role.

I would recommend, trying out as many roles as you’re interested in! While you can be cast for multiple roles, depending on how many people audition, roles will be 1 per person with the exception of background roles.

The various background roles will have between 2-5 people voicing those characters, and due to the amount of lines, only count as 1 extra role!

Joining the discord server is mandatory for Voice Actors! This is because I have things set up to record in the discord server itself.

Any questions? Feel free to ask!

Voice Acting Volunteer Scheduling and Sign Up Form:

[wingzie]

Speaking to the media as a UK Army

Earlier in the week I mentioned in a local group chat that the UK’s attitude towards BTS and KPOP overall had changed. It felt like everyone was excited during Dynamite and then interest was quickly lost. Things got worse after the Festa Dinner. Because of previous experiences with a certain boy group, it was reported that the members would never return. These stories were soon edited, but it was obvious that there was a certain bias against the members now. The previous hype posts for them and their new releases were less present. Instead, we have gone back to having to do everything ourselves during chapter 2. 

As I am sure many of you are aware, it has already been a tough week for UK Army. We found out that MUSE had inclusions, making it harder to chart. We got backlash from solos for something that wasn’t our fault and the emails we sent were ignored or received weird responses. We are a resilient bunch though and we continued to promote and gain more funds. I figured that things for us couldn’t get any worse. I was wrong. On Sunday I was sent an article from the BBC by a friend. They asked my thoughts on it and I quickly understood why. Something else worried me though. I recognized the journalist. He is someone that we have history with. He kindly wrote about Persona and Wembley in 2019, but he also sneaked in a line that he thought that the members were miming through the concert. At the time, a few Army tried talking to him about it on Twitter and he was receptive to the feedback. I decided to try and do the same and to do it privately in the DM’s. Something which he told me himself that he appreciated. I spent a good amount of time drafting my message. I made sure that it was polite, but also included the reasons why a certain part of the article was troublesome. During this, a friend of mine also made a detailed thread correcting the misinformation. Once the message was sent, I went on with my day and waited to see if I would get a reply. Much to my surprise, I did indeed get a reply. I don’t have consent to share our messages, but we replied back and forth a few times and he said that he would look into changing the wording. I quoted my friend's thread, explaining that I messaged him privately and that he was working on it. As someone who posts about Jikook on a regular basis, you could say that I am used to getting unnecessary abuse. However, I was not fully prepared for the response to this. As more hours passed and there weren't any changes made, the more anger and hate I received. This greatly confused me, as I wasn’t the one who wrote the article itself. I just wanted to try and help and we had to be patient. 

A day later the edit was made. I messaged the journalist again to thank him and he responded back, explaining that the reason it took so long was because there was a debate internally about the best way to respond. I then shared on TL about the edit being made. It wasn’t the best edit, but that’s all we got. Unfortunately, the hate towards myself increased even more. Some said that the article was my fault, that I failed BTS or that I was an anti. Plus a few words that I daren’t repeat here. Some saw what was happening to me and sent kind support. These included people who I have never interacted with before and I will be forever thankful for that. I also spoke with some about the response of the general public towards the article. The article was heavily advertised so there were discussions in relation to Seventeen going to Glastonbury. This hasn’t been done before so some were curious and some were confused. It was interesting to see the reaction to it, even if it was poorly written. I was personally exhausted though.

This whole ordeal started on Sunday and I woke up on Tuesday still feeling a bit wary of receiving more hate. On top of this, I had gained around 300 more followers from all of this and didn’t know how they would react once I started posting Jikook. If I’m honest, I felt a bit uncomfortable with everything going on. What did shock me though, is that some of these new followers were going through my “pinned” post and liking the threads on Jikook. It made me a bit self-conscious, but I didn’t want it to overcome me and Jimin’s promotions though, so I came up with an idea. 

July is my Birthday month and to celebrate I am doing a giveaway for other UK Army. This gives them a chance to get any albums they currently do not own and to try and boost sales for Jimin at the same time. The UK fanbase don’t really want to be associated with me because of my account, so I decided to do everything myself. To help boost morale, positivity and the community spirit that Army has. Overall, I do not regret reaching out to the journalist. He was rather difficult to speak to, but an edit deserved to be made for the way in which it was written. I appreciate the discussion we had and those that supported me. My focus will continue to be on Chapter 2. Look after yourselves and each other. 

[mariacallous]

Standing next to her hastily packed suitcase in Michigan’s Macomb County Wednesday night, Tyra Muldrow had a bad feeling in her gut.

“I have this eerie feeling that I need to get the hell up out of there,” says Muldrow, a 20-year-old Black woman from Florida. She was in Michigan as a door knocker, hired by a subcontractor for Elon Musk’s America PAC operation to turn out the vote for Donald Trump in the heavily contested working-class suburbs of Detroit.

Muldrow and the rest of her canvassing group of roughly a dozen people had just been fired en masse, after WIRED reported that they had been tricked and threatened as part of Musk’s get-out-the-vote effort. Speaking publicly for the first time about her ordeal, Muldrow says that the canvassers in her group were fired with little explanation beyond a complaint that someone had spoken with the press. Many, including her, were still owed money. Muldrow had to find her own way home; others are still stranded in Michigan.

A representative for Musk and America PAC did not return a request for comment.

On October 15, Muldrow’s cousin Ebony Jones recruited her for the job, offering upwards of $2,000 per week and a return flight, per emails reviewed by WIRED. Muldrow signed a nondisclosure agreement the same day, and was then flown to Michigan on October 18 as part of a campaign for Blitz Canvassing, a subcontractor which had received more than $9 million from America PAC for presidential campaign canvassing as of October 29. Only upon her arrival in Michigan did Muldrow realize what this job would really entail: canvassing for Trump.

No one in her group of contractors—referred to internally as a “cell”—had a driver’s license. They were initially transported via Ubers, and were then driven back and forth for nearly two weeks in a pair of seatless U-Haul vans between their targeted neighborhoods, staying in a series of motels and AirBnBs in the Detroit suburbs of Warren, Livonia, and Mount Clemens. The three suburbs are in Wayne and Macomb County, the latter of which was the only Detroit-area county Trump won in 2020. In Macomb, where Muldrow primarily spent her time canvassing, he got 53 percent of the vote—almost exactly the same level of support he earned in 2016, when he secured a margin of tens of thousands of votes in a state decided by a little more than 10,000 votes.

The cell was composed entirely of Black people, strangers from out of state who did not know each other but were usually forced to share rooms, according to Muldrow. According to a text message from Jones, Muldrow was promised $1.50 per door, and $2 per door if she knocked 1000 or more doors per week—an all but impossible number. Muldrow further says they were told they would have to pay for their lodging unless they met the unrealistic quotas. The contract the door knockers signed stated they were “expected to maintain a 17-22% engagement rate during the campaign,” a high target relative to the number of people who typically open their door for a stranger. Videos recorded by Muldrow show cramped living quarters and frequent bickering between members of the cell.

“Our subcontractors never should have driven their canvassers in a U-Haul van and those involved were immediately reprimanded,” Tim Pollard of Blitz Canvassing tells WIRED.

On Wednesday, October 30, Muldrow and her fellow door knockers were fired hours after the publication of the WIRED story.

At first, some people had trouble logging into Campaign Sidekick, the glitchy app used by America PAC for canvassing. There was confusion before they were finally told it was over: “Everyone is fired,” said Jones, who served as the door knockers’ manager, in a GroupMe chat, according to screenshots obtained by WIRED.

Jones did not reply to a request for comment.

Muldrow thought Jones might be joking about everyone getting fired, but some of the door knockers noticed they had been locked out of Campaign Sidekick, according to the group chat.

“I called my mom immediately,” Muldrow says. “My mom told me I was overreacting because, it's [my] cousin, so she was like, ‘Oh, maybe she's playing a joke on you guys. Don't take it literal.’ And my mom was like, ‘She sent you up there in the first place. You went with her. If anything, you would have your flight home through her. She's not going to let you be stranded.’”

Then, Muldrow says, Jones began asking the door knockers which one of them spoke to the press.

As arguments ensued, Muldrow started to fear for her safety. Muldrow packed up her belongings and called Connor Berdy, a 29-year-old political consultant based in Warren, Michigan and the founder of Vote For Change LLC, a consulting group in Southeast Michigan for his community organizing work.

Muldrow had met Berdy—who runs canvassing operations for school board, county commission, and judicial candidates—when, by chance, one of his employees struck up a chat with her while she was canvassing near their home on October 23. Berdy and Muldrow got lunch soon after, and Muldrow told him about how the door knockers in her group had been tricked, threatened, and driven around in U-Hauls to their door knocking locations.

Management had “clearly not prioritized the safety of the workers or the integrity of the operation,” says Berdy.

Berdy then arrived, and pretended to be an Uber driver to get Muldrow out of the situation. He had already bought Muldrow a flight back home to Florida, paying out of his own pocket.

“First I see Tyra on the side of the road with her suitcase and everything,” Berdy tells WIRED. “So I pull up, turn my hazards on, act like an Uber, and then right as she starts walking around, I hear someone say, ‘Where's Tyra?’ And, ‘Oh, that sneaky little bitch.’”

Muldrow made it to the airport and on to her flight home. At that point, she says, she had only been paid $69 for the canvassing job, for which she had been promised she could earn upwards of $2,000 a week. A Cash App payment she showed WIRED for that dollar amount was listed as “for Gotv”—the acronym for get out the vote. Muldrow says she texted Jones asking when she would get the rest of the money she was owed. All she got was a read receipt.

As of Saturday evening, at least three others from the canvassing group hadn’t received full payment for the work they’d done before being fired, according to screenshots from the GroupMe chat.

“Following the incident, some of the canvassers and contractors involved left the program, some decided to stay, all have been paid,” Pollard says. WIRED could not confirm that canvassers in Muldrow’s group had decided to stay, nor that they have all been paid.

The Trump campaign has largely outsourced its field operation in Michigan, a crucial swing state, to Musk—a move that has come under heavy criticism. Outside of Michigan, America PAC is a codefendant in a class action lawsuit in California over unpaid wages to canvassers and other alleged labor violations, a development first reported by WIRED. Blitz Canvassing has also reportedly had issues with the Campaign Sidekick app flagging door knocks as fake. In Nevada and Arizona, up to a quarter of the door interactions were flagged as potential fakes within the app, according to The Guardian. (“Sidekick was never expected to handle the auditing of America PAC’s door operation. The reason the PAC is confident in its numbers is because of the auditing procedures each canvassing firm puts in place and the auditing procedures of the PAC writ large,” a person familiar with the America PAC operation told The Guardian at the time.)

After she returned home, Muldrow didn’t think she was going to get paid what was owed to her any time soon.

However, on Saturday night, right after WIRED reached out to Jones for comment, Muldrow heard from her cousin for the first time since she’d been fired. “You did not get 1000 doors but to make this right and move forward we will pay you the $2000,” she wrote, according to text messages reviewed by WIRED. “The quickest solution I can think of is to send someone to pay you in cash.”

Later that night, shortly after WIRED reached out to America PAC for comment, Muldrow was pleasantly surprised. She’d just been paid $2,000 on Cash App. The caption?

“For Michigan Gotv 742 doors paid in full.”

A few minutes later, Muldrow got a follow up text from Jones. “Please let wired know that you’ve been paid asap.”

[once-upon-a-time-the-end]

no shockers that by the end of the week, marketing consultant never responded to literally any of my emails. Pretty much par for the course, though. I mean she never speaks to me directly. Like there are exactly five of us and I'm not ~Important~ enough for this person to respond to.

Supervisor emailed me back without including anyone else to basically be like "um, excuse me, do what this person says." And then proceeded a back forth for the whole day of me basically reiterating my previous comments and responses. Like she thought I was just being "difficult" or something when, in reality, out of the five of us, I am the only one who knows how any of this works. I was trying to outline the issues with what was being asked and then asked for an alternative direction so I could make a plan for my time. It's like, idk, I have actual knowledge and experience to draw on when giving an answer!!11!

Like, sorry, Outlook does not support media queries in html/css so what you are asking for literally will not work in outlook emails. But, right, I just "can't take feedback".

Or how about the time we had to print new bags with our new branding and we only had the budget for 1 color, 1 side and the marketing consultant did not approve of the design being 1 color so her "feedback" was to do 2 colors. And then i was like "the issue is that we only have the budget to print 1 color, 1 side" and then three weeks went by until my supervisor had to prompt the conversation. And then her only response was, "my earlier feedback still stands." like what the fuck?

They ask me for things without knowing shit all about how any of it works and then assume I'm just uncooperative when I try to explain why what they are saying won't work. I, very often, give recommendations for what I think we should do only to get SILENCIO in response. Then we get into zoom meetings where I'm asked to present progress or some shit and I'm like "hello, I sent u all a document and email outlining all the things and included questions and recommendations" and no one remembers or listens to shit so I have to repeat myself 5 thousand times only to be treated like I'm just "unwilling" to do what I'm told!!!!1111!!!! FUUUUUUUCCCCCCK

[loquaciousquark]

Having one of those days where you can feel the dozen invisible hands behind you, keeping you upright and on your feet, and I just have to sing some praises for our admin staff semi-publicly.

We've had a fairly important VIP speaker trying to get on the schedule to meet the students. After a ton of back and forth with the venue, flight arrangements, catering order - basically everything going wrong that could - we finally land on today lunch, with the main student body in the 2nd floor classroom and any overflow in the 3rd floor classroom via Zoom.

I've already had to offload a lot of duties that would normally be mine, including a building tour, because I had practicals this morning that absolutely could not be moved. The whole time I was grading, though, I was thinking about how I needed to race out after the practical, set up the Zoom on 2, run up to the 3rd floor, start that Zoom there and join my own meeting, check the sound because it constantly picks the wrong devices, race back down, check the food order, find the battery for the lapel mic because the Monday AM lecturer always runs it dead and never puts in a new one, make sure there's a basket for the raffle tickets, and then somewhere in there actually meet this speaker I'm supposed to be introducing and apologize for the scheduling confusion and thank his organization for their support of our program.

My student's practical ends at 11:53. I have seven minutes to set this all up, so I race across the hall to find:

It's all been done. He's already in the classroom with his notes and the lapel mic, set up on Zoom with his slides ready to go. The third floor classroom is already in the Zoom call, video running with the sound tested and everything. The raffle tickets are in a basket and are being handed out as I approach. As I walk up I get an email from our alum director with the speaker's bio I'll be using to introduce him. He's got a water bottle and he's schmoozing with the students & faculty and literally all I have to do is walk in, read his bio, and sit down. They even have a lunch set aside for me.

It was just...incredible. Not only did they help me without a word of complaint, they anticipated every need and solved it before I even had to ask. I had been dreading that ten minute timespan for over a week, and I walked in to find every possible problem had already been discussed and completely addressed. It was so wonderful I very nearly started crying.

They're not direct reports to me, so I can't influence their annual reviews or anything, but I'll be writing thank-you notes to each of them and will send an email to their manager. Good admin support can be so hard to find, and this was another reminder of how preciously golden our current team is.

[chronicallyuniconic]

I just. Is it just me????

Epilepsy Nurse was 15 minutes late to call, but when I answered, the line went dead so she hung up. She rang again 2 mins later, I heard her say hello, then it went dead again.

She didn't bother ringing back a third time, but emailed me, "sorry I couldn't hear you but you have another appointment with someone else this week so wait for that one"

In the amount of back and forth emailing me she could have rung me.

So I ring neuro secretary who says "ah yes, I spoke to nurse X, she's busy for the rest of the day, but because of the other appointment there would be *no point* in having this one"

NO POINT.

I said this is the first time in a year I'll be able to speak to someone about seizures, instead of relying from online stranger support as its all I got.

NO POINT.

Neuro sec asked if I was having SEIZURES and am I still. FUCK ME. ARE THEY KIDDING.

I'd been waiting 45 mins earlier with all my notes, ready and waiting, to be told there's no point.

THEN WHY WAS THE APPT MADE IN THE FIRST PLACE???

I asked if there was any point in the other appointment because noone can tell me why or what for, and I'd be wasting a lot of money in taxis.

You know, causing a lot of stress because of the long stretch of hospital you have to wade through to reach neurology like it's in the fucking restricted section.

I'm so fucking done.

NO POINT.

Is it just me? I thought I'd have someone to talk to. This fucking sucks. I am currently inconsolable. "but don't get stressed, you might have a seizure" I fucking hate this. All of it.

[thoughtfullyraggedpsion]

Speed Meets Strategy: 5 Proven Ways to Accelerate Time to Market with Wrike

In today’s digital-first economy, time to market isn’t just a metric—it’s a strategic advantage. Whether launching a new product, rolling out a marketing campaign, or deploying enterprise solutions, the speed at which organizations move from idea to execution can be the difference between market leadership and missed opportunity.

Enter Wrike—one of the most robust collaborative work management platforms that empowers teams to deliver faster, smarter, and more efficiently. In 2024, as organizations demand greater agility and cross-functional coordination, Wrike has become a critical enabler of business velocity across industries.

This article explores five transformative ways Wrike helps enterprises accelerate time to market, improve execution quality, and reduce operational drag.

1. Centralize Workflows for Cross-Functional Clarity

One of the primary barriers to fast execution is siloed communication. Product development, marketing, design, legal, and sales often work in disconnected systems, leading to delays, misalignments, and duplicated efforts. Wrike’s biggest value lies in unifying teams and workflows into a single digital workspace.

With Wrike, organizations can:

Create shared project spaces for real-time collaboration.

Assign tasks with clear ownership and deadlines.

Customize workflows that reflect specific team processes (e.g., agile, waterfall, or hybrid).

Maintain visibility into dependencies across departments.

By eliminating platform-switching and centralizing updates, Wrike drastically reduces time lost in back-and-forth emails and status meetings. Everyone—from executives to execution teams—can track progress through visual dashboards and reports, streamlining accountability and aligning stakeholders.

Custom request forms also help triage incoming work properly, routing it to the right person or team instantly, and ensuring project intake doesn’t become a bottleneck.

2. Automate Repetitive Tasks and Approval Flows

Manual processes are a silent killer of speed. Approvals that sit in inboxes, redundant data entry, and unclear feedback loops often lead to project stagnation. Wrike helps combat this by embedding automation at every level of the workflow.

With Wrike’s automation engine, organizations can:

Set conditional logic to route tasks and approvals automatically.

Use blueprints to templatize common projects or campaigns.

Trigger notifications, escalations, or handoffs based on task status or completion.

Auto-create subtasks and assign them with pre-defined due dates.

For instance, when launching a product, automated workflows can ensure that as soon as design assets are completed, they are sent to the legal team for review and then automatically routed to the marketing team once approved.

Automation not only saves time—it reduces human error, enhances compliance, and ensures work progresses continuously, even across time zones.

3. Use Real-Time Dashboards to Drive Agile Decision-Making

In fast-paced industries, waiting days or weeks for performance data can be costly. Wrike’s real-time dashboards provide executives, project managers, and cross-functional leads with instant visibility into what’s on track, what’s at risk, and where attention is needed.

Teams can:

Customize dashboards by department, campaign, or objective.

Visualize task progress, timelines, and resource utilization.

Use Gantt charts and workload views to rebalance tasks as needed.

Track key milestones and SLA adherence.

By making performance data accessible and actionable, Wrike supports agile decision-making. Leaders no longer need to chase down updates—they can proactively identify blockers, realign resources, or adjust timelines without derailing momentum.

This visibility is especially crucial for product launches and go-to-market (GTM) initiatives where timing and coordination are critical to success.

4. Enhance Collaboration with Integrated Communication

The average knowledge worker switches between multiple tools—email, chat, documents, calendars—dozens of times per day. This fragmentation slows execution and increases cognitive load. Wrike brings collaboration into the context of work, allowing teams to communicate where the work is happening.

Key collaboration features include:

In-task comments with @mentions to notify stakeholders directly.

File attachments and version control for creative assets, briefs, and deliverables.

Live editing and proofing tools that eliminate the need for external email threads.

Time-stamped updates and change logs for full traceability.

Wrike also integrates seamlessly with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, and Adobe Creative Cloud—creating a connected digital workplace where creatives, strategists, and developers can operate in sync.

With everyone on the same page—literally and figuratively—teams avoid miscommunications, reduce rework, and accelerate approvals.

5. Scale with Templates and Blueprints for Repeatable Success

Speed doesn’t always come from working harder—it often comes from working smarter. Wrike empowers organizations to scale velocity by templatizing successful workflows and creating repeatable blueprints for common initiatives.

Examples include:

Product launch templates with pre-defined phases, tasks, and owners.

Marketing campaign blueprints with asset review cycles and content deadlines.

IT rollout frameworks that incorporate security checks and compliance gates.

These templates standardize excellence—so teams don’t waste time reinventing the wheel for every project. At the same time, Wrike allows flexibility within these templates to accommodate unique project needs, ensuring standardization doesn’t come at the cost of agility.

This balance between consistency and adaptability is key to improving throughput while maintaining quality and compliance.

Moreover, organizations can build centers of excellence within Wrike—repositories of best practices, reusable assets, and performance benchmarks—that reduce ramp-up time and enable faster onboarding of new team members.

Read Full Article : https://businessinfopro.com/the-top-5-ways-to-accelerate-time-to-market-with-wrike/

Visit Now: https://businessinfopro.com/

[accountsandfinancetips]

Top 7 Indicators It’s Time to Switch from Spreadsheets to Cloud Accounting

Overview

Still using spreadsheets to manage your business finances? You’re definitely not alone. But here’s the thing—those rows and columns that once made sense might actually be slowing you down. In this post, I’ll walk you through seven signs it’s time to ditch the spreadsheets and move to cloud accounting. No tech jargon or sales pitch—just real-world signs it’s time to level up.

Introduction

Let’s be honest: we all start with spreadsheets. They’re free, they’re familiar, and for a while, they get the job done. I’ve been there too—juggling budgets in Excel, copying and pasting invoices, scrambling at tax time. It works… until it doesn’t.

At a certain point, your spreadsheet system starts costing you more in time, stress, and missed opportunities than it’s worth. So, how do you know if you’ve hit that point?

Let’s break it down:

1. You Spend More Time Fixing Spreadsheets Than Growing Your Business

If you’re spending hours each week digging through formulas or patching up data, you’re not running your business—you’re babysitting a file.

Cloud accounting handles the grunt work for you. It syncs with your bank, categorizes expenses, and pulls reports with a click. That’s the time (and headspace) you get back to focus on actually growing your business.

2. Your Finances Live on One Laptop—and That’s Risky

If your financial data only exists on your computer, you’re one crash, one spill, or one lost file away from disaster.

With cloud-based accounting, your records are backed up automatically and accessible from anywhere—whether you’re at the office, on the road, or working from a coffee shop. Your data stays safe, no matter what happens to your laptop.

3. Errors Keep Sneaking Into Your Books

Spreadsheets are powerful—but also fragile. One wrong formula or deleted cell can throw off your entire report, and those mistakes often go unnoticed until it’s too late.

Cloud tools pull in data directly from your bank or credit card. Fewer manual entries mean fewer chances for human error—and more confidence in your numbers.

4. Tax Season Feels Like a Fire Drill

If tax time feels like a last-minute scramble—digging through inboxes, tracking receipts, trying to remember what that expense was for—you’re not alone.

Cloud platforms keep things organized year-round. Your transactions are logged as they happen, and most software can generate the exact reports your accountant needs. Less chaos, more calm.

5. You Never Really Know How Your Business Is Doing

When’s the last time you had a clear view of your cash flow?

If you’re relying on spreadsheets, odds are your financial picture is always a few days (or weeks) behind. Cloud accounting gives you live dashboards and real-time reports so you always know where things stand—no guesswork needed.

6. Collaborating Is a Mess

If your team’s sending spreadsheets back and forth, chances are someone’s working off the wrong version—or worse, overwriting someone else’s work.

With cloud tools, everyone can access the same info in real time. Your bookkeeper can reconcile transactions, your accountant can pull reports, and you can check in anytime—no email threads, no confusion.

7. You’re Ready to Grow—But Your System Isn’t

Spreadsheets might work when you’re small, but they don’t scale. Once you’re managing more invoices, employees, or products, things start falling apart.

Cloud platforms are built to grow with you. They handle everything from payroll to inventory, and integrate with other tools as your needs evolve. Your systems won’t just keep up—they’ll help drive your growth.

Conclusion

Spreadsheets are a solid starting point. But if any of these signs hit close to home, it’s probably time to move on.

Cloud accounting isn’t just about saving time—it’s about getting better visibility, fewer mistakes, and a system that actually supports your goals.

Most business owners who make the switch say the same thing: “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”

If you're starting to feel that too, trust the signs. It might be time to upgrade.

Blogged by: BDGAGSS

[avion-technology]

From Manual to Magical: Automating Approvals in Business Central

Manual approvals may seem harmless, but they are often the hidden culprits behind slow operations, employee frustration, and missed opportunities. The truth? Every “Can you approve this?” email you send is a productivity leak — and it adds up.

For businesses using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, there’s no need to stay stuck in this cycle. Its built-in approval automation transforms delays into instant decisions. And when guided by a tech partner like Avion Technology, based in Chicago, USA, implementation is streamlined and fully customized to fit your unique workflows.

Why Businesses Are Turning to Automation

Today's business users are looking for simplicity, speed, and control. Most organizations exploring approval automation in Business Central are already struggling with:

Delayed approvals that stall purchases or projects

Overwhelmed managers stuck in email back-and-forth

Audit stress due to poor documentation or tracking

Bottlenecks in finance or procurement

This growing frustration is leading companies — especially in competitive markets like Chicago — to seek solutions that are already available within the platforms they use.

That’s where Business Central’s approval automation comes in. And to truly unlock its power, businesses are turning to experts like Avion Technology, who help tailor automation to real-world business logic.

What Makes Business Central’s Automation So Magical?

Business Central doesn’t require external tools or complex add-ons to automate your approval workflows. It’s already equipped with powerful features — they just need to be set up correctly.

Here’s what businesses gain when automating with the help of a solution partner like Avion Technology:

Custom Rules & Triggers: Set up approval thresholds by user, department, or vendor.

Smart Routing: Automatically send requests to the right people based on logic.

Real-Time Notifications: Alert approvers via email, Teams, or Business Central dashboards.

Escalation Paths: Keep decisions moving, even when someone’s out of office.

Audit-Ready Trails: Every action is logged, creating a clear compliance record.

When these elements are configured to match your business model — which Avion has done for multiple clients across the USA and specifically the Chicago market — the transformation is both fast and frictionless.

A Chicago Business Example: From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs

Consider a mid-sized construction company in downtown Chicago. Their finance team was managing equipment purchase approvals via email, causing frequent delays and missed vendor opportunities.

With help from Avion Technology, they transitioned to Business Central’s approval automation in just 10 days. Here’s what changed:

Approvals were routed based on cost thresholds and department heads

Managers received instant notifications on mobile and desktop

Escalation rules ensured no request went unresolved for more than 48 hours

Approval times dropped by 60%, and vendor payments were processed faster

This is just one example of how automation, paired with the right configuration partner, delivers real operational gains.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do we need additional software to automate approvals in Business Central? No. It’s built-in. What you need is a proper setup. That’s where Avion Technology helps — ensuring your flows are mapped correctly from day one.

Q: We have a complex multi-approver structure. Will this still work? Yes. Business Central supports multi-layered approvals. Avion has implemented workflows for clients with 3+ levels of conditional logic.

Q: How long does it take to implement? Most businesses are up and running within 1–2 weeks with Avion Technology’s support.

Q : Is this better suited for large organizations? Not at all. In fact, small to mid-sized businesses often benefit the most — especially when every minute counts.

Final Takeaway

You don’t need to add more software. You just need to use what you already have — better.

With Business Central’s built-in approval automation, you can turn manual processes into streamlined workflows that save time, reduce friction, and boost productivity. And with Avion Technology — a Chicago-based Microsoft Dynamics partner — guiding your setup, you’re not just adopting automation; you’re implementing it right the first time.

🚀 Ready to Go from Manual to Magical?

Streamline your approval processes with automation built right into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Let Avion Technology help you implement it — tailored to your business, your workflow, and your growth goals.

👉 Contact us today at

www.aviontechnology.net to get started with a personalized demo or consultation.

[mayimkjs]

FOOL's MATE Update Post #3

Master Post　　Last Update

This has been a productive month production wise. I've also decided to add a school date to these posts so people know sorta where I am and how close I am to my docu class. Don't worry, these are vague enough that I won't get doxed. The master post has been updated to include this info.

School Date: Summer, Term 8, Week 5

The T2 Summery and Kazui's Birthday

I wouldn't say the T2 summery caused problems, but it caused a lot of work. I ended up looking more into the novel because of the end. I also shot up like, 15 slides the day it came out.

So, Kazui's birthday timeline was a thing. It's honestly sorta cute, but MIKOTO ADMITTED TO HAVING ISSUES! And he's finally talking to people. So that convo is now everywhere it needs to be. I'll probably have a separate post about that convo honestly.

Props & Shipping Frustrations

So Prime Day happened. I was able to get a lot of small props that will be placed around the set that represent the other prisoners. I'm currently waiting on the keyframe desk mat and keyframe MeMe poster. The Double pin set and the Double EP acrylic stand somehow shipped before them. MILGRAM CF was sorts a pain because the carrier changed at some point and I had no idea until it was already in Mass. Then I had to wait like, 2 weeks to open it because I had it shipped to my house, not school. Luckily I have PT almost every other week so I have to go home often.

Also, since I already had her, I decided a while ago to include my copy of Miku V2 in the set. That then evolved to including all of he VOCALOIDs that DECO's used except maybe galaco. I might eventually get galaco V6. I want to get the MEIKAs first cus I want to include them in the set because one of them is named Mikoto. I recently found a copy of Megpoid - Native, which I promptly snagged up. I was originally going to use one of her V3s cus I had all of them except her Native. Even though he's only used Luka and galaco once, I'm still including them.

Side note: If your interested, I'll be holding a V3 giveaway if the serial isn't dead because my new GUMI is in a starter pack and I already have 2 copies of the base V3 editor. > https://x.com/ametra_voca

The script books were sorta a headache because of the misprint. I decided to use From Japan to order them not knowing that Buyee allows you to request items from shops that they don't have listed on their massive list if you email them I believe. So I had to go back and forth with support, which was fairly easy but support them self's were a little confusing. Then when the replacement arrived at the warehouse, I was not notified and only learned that they had it by looking at my profile. They also reset the holding time so I didn't have to worry about them throwing away the books which was nice. So those have shipped and should be here this or next week.

The Intro & Music

I'm currently taking Motion Graphics 3 and our project for this class is to make a show intro. So I'll be making a prototype intro for FOOL's MATE. I'm also taking MIDI which is a 5 week class instead of the normal 10. So I'll also be using what I make in that class and improving it to use as parts of the soundtrack. In total, I've made 4 or 5 short loops that I'm planning on improving in probably Cubase. I'll probably upload them to Audiomack once they're done. I want to get used to using Cubase so I can use it and Studio One in tandem. Also Cubase is just more common then Studio Once in the west and knowing how to use it will make my life easier. I also made a track list and have started to gather royalty free music I can use. If you have any ideas for track names, please share!

Filming

The tarot interview is on hold for the time being. I'm probably going to rework the email and guest brief. But I just need a break from all that bull. I "scripted" out all of the timeline convos. I pretty much just threw them into Celtx and mostly formatted them correctly for a script. Each convo has the date at the top, character's name, sprite info and dialogue. I also finally made the set layout.

HQ Version of the Set Layout

I'm Looking to Start Getting Other People More Involved

This means volunteer and commission work. I am looking for some proof readers for the research doc to check spelling, grammar and make sure that things make sense and are correct. If you're interested in that, just DM me or fill out this form.

I'm also looking for artists to commission. See this post for more details. If your interested in helping with the music, you can reach out in the same means as the art commissions.

Storyboarding

Decided to do some storyboarding both on my own, and because I needed one for the MGFX project I talked about earlier.

Little know fact (I think), storyboarding isn't just for animation. They are used in every aspect of film/TV. And web development too I guess. So I've started making storyboards for the scripted scenes of FOOL's MATE.

Intro

So the start of the intro will be an IRL bit. This plays out right before the opening.

Then it will go into a very condensed version of the credits that will only contain production, story, character design, music and creation credits. This'll be sorta true crime inspired.

Full Intro Style Guide

Timeline

For the timeline, the layout and habits of the assets are going to be similar to the VD translation videos that people make. So I went through all of the convos I'll be using and made a list of what sprites I need. I'm thinking of commissioning my childhood best friend, LJ, to do the sprites. Her art's improved a lot since I've last seen it and I also just wanna reconnect with her and this is an excuse to do so.

Timeline Script　　Timeline Storyboard

Needed context for "microwave". I had no idea what to name it. I image that he's viciously vibrating here and the only thing that came to mind was "microwave".

Changes

Added

Last/Next Section Navigation

Info from the T2 Summary 

Sub-sections to MILGRAM Theories

Links Page

8/5/24 Timeline Info

Reformatted

“Table of Contents” 

“Precursor”

“Who are the people behind this?”

“Color Scheme Meanings”

Moved

Mikoto Knew That Something was Wrong > Mikoto Theories

The Kayano System and Es are more connected than we think. > Mikoto Theories

Jackalopes in Folklore > Who is Jackalope

The Origin of the Modern Jackalope > Who is Jackalope

Credits & Sources to its own document

Other

Removed “Personal Theories”

Relinked navs to “Table of Contents” 

Removed unneeded drop shadows

Reorganized beginning

Links

Research Doc (Comments on like always)

Milanote

Reddit Post

Feedback Form

Commission Form

[johnklok]

Top 5 Alternatives to Microsoft Bookings for Dynamics 365 CRM Users

If you’ve been riding the Microsoft Bookings wave, you know how essential a good scheduling tool can be. But what if we told you the ocean of booking solutions is vast and brimming with Microsoft Bookings alternatives that might perfectly fit your unique needs?

You will uncover tools with intuitive designs, flexible pricing, and features that might make you reconsider your current booking setup. So buckle up, and let’s set sail on this voyage of scheduling discovery!

1. Calendar 365

Calendar 365 is a comprehensive scheduling solution primarily tailored for Dynamics CRM users. As it tightly integrates with Dynamics 365 CRM, it offers businesses a seamless experience to manage their appointments, tasks, and resources directly within their CRM environment.

Features:

Unified View: Calendar 365 provides users with a consolidated view of all appointments, tasks, activities, and even custom entities. This makes planning and tracking easier.

Multiple Views: From Day, Week, Month to Gantt and Agenda views, users can switch between various calendar layouts based on their preference.

Custom Entity Support: Unlike many other scheduling tools, Calendar 365 allows users to manage custom entities. This is particularly beneficial for businesses with specialized scheduling needs.

Recurring Appointments: Users can set recurring appointments, ensuring regular tasks or meetings are always noticed.

Resource Management: Calendar 365 offers the ability to manage and allocate resources, be it rooms, equipment, or staff.

Color-Coded Entries: Different activities and appointments can be color-coded for easier visualization, making it simple to differentiate and identify tasks.

Integration with Dynamics CRM: As it is designed primarily for Dynamics CRM users, the integration is deep and seamless, ensuring that data flow and synchronization are smooth.

Limitations:

Specialized for Dynamics CRM: Calendar 365 is tailor-made for Dynamics CRM only.

2. Calendly

Calendly is a cloud-based scheduling application that allows professionals and businesses to set their availability and have clients or colleagues easily book appointments. By eliminating the need for back-and-forth emails and manual scheduling, Calendly has gained popularity among many professionals across various industries.

Features:

Event Types & Duration: Users can set different event types, such as 15-minute consultations, 1-hour meetings, or group events. Each event type can have its unique settings and availability.

Time Zone Intelligence: Calendly automatically detects the time zone of the person booking the appointment, ensuring there’s no confusion about the meeting time.

Buffer Time: Users can set buffer times before or after meetings to prevent last-minute bookings or to ensure breaks.

Integration with Other Calendars: Calendly can sync with Google Calendar, Office 365, Outlook, and iCloud, ensuring that you never get double-booked.

Customization: Users can brand their Calendly link and booking pages with company colors and logo.

Automated Notifications: Send confirmation and reminder emails or SMS messages to attendees.

Limitations:

Limited Free Version: The free version of Calendly is quite limited. It offers only one event type, and many of the more advanced features are behind a paywall.

Limited Customization: While basic customization is available, users might find the options for adjusting the look and feel of the booking page to be limited compared to some other platforms.

No Native CRM: While Calendly does integrate with CRMs via third-party connectors, it doesn’t have its own built-in CRM functionality.

Complexity for Multi-User Scheduling: While it offers round-robin and collective availability, the setup can be complex for teams with multiple members, especially if various rules or conditions need to be applied.

Price Point: For businesses or professionals needing advanced features, the pricing can get relatively high, especially compared to other scheduling tools with similar capabilities.

3. BookingLive

BookingLive is a versatile online booking and reservation system designed for a broad range of industries, from healthcare and education to events and tourism. It offers basic appointment scheduling features and functionalities to manage courses, classes, events, and more. Tailored to accommodate both B2B and B2C enterprises, the software is suitable for businesses of all sizes.

Features:

Versatility in Booking Types: BookingLive is not just for meetings; it facilitates reservations for courses, events, classes, and other appointment types.

Automated Notifications: Automated SMS and email reminders ensure that both the service providers and clients are always in the loop.

Integration Capabilities: BookingLive can be integrated with a wide variety of third-party applications, including CRM systems, payment gateways, and marketing tools.

Resource Management: The platform allows businesses to manage and allocate resources effectively. This can include rooms, equipment, or even staff.

Payment Handling: Integration with numerous payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe makes processing payments smooth and efficient.

Limitations:

Learning Curve: While BookingLive is comprehensive, its wide range of features can make it overwhelming for some users, leading to a steeper learning curve.

Price: Depending on the functionalities required, the software can be relatively pricey, especially for smaller businesses or startups with limited budgets.

Customization Restrictions: Despite offering customization options, there might be some limitations when it comes to deeply personalizing or tweaking specific features to unique business needs.

4. Calenso

Calenso is an online scheduling tool that offers personalized booking experiences for users and their clients. The platform focuses on making the booking process as seamless and efficient as possible, aiming to save time and reduce administrative tasks.

Features:

Personalized Booking Experiences: Calenso allows businesses to create booking pages tailored to their brand, thus enhancing customer experience.

Smart Scheduling: The platform suggests suitable appointments based on predefined parameters, streamlining the booking process for the user.

Automated Reminders: To minimize no-shows, Calenso sends automated reminders to attendees through email or SMS.

Integrations: Calenso can be integrated with various tools, helping businesses manage their workflows efficiently.

Online Payment Processing: If a business wishes to collect payment for appointments or services, Calenso supports online payment functionalities.

Limitations:

Limited Advanced Features: While Calenso is rich in basic functionalities, it might not offer advanced features found in more comprehensive booking platforms.

Customization Restrictions: Calenso provides personalized booking pages, there could be some limitations in deeply tailoring the look and feel of the platform according to very specific branding needs.

5. Bookafy

Bookafy is an online appointment scheduling software that caters to businesses and professionals, offering them an automated system to book meetings, appointments, and calls. Its intuitive design and integration capabilities make it a popular choice among users who prioritize functionality coupled with a user-friendly interface.

Features:

Variety of Booking Options: Bookafy supports both one-on-one appointments and group events, providing flexibility to users based on their requirements.

Integration with Calendars: The platform can sync with major calendar apps like Google Calendar, Office 365, and Outlook. This ensures that users are never double-booked and always have a consolidated view of their schedule.

Customizable Branding: Users can tailor their booking page to reflect their brand aesthetics. This includes customization of colors, logo, and even the URL.

Automated Notifications: Bookafy sends out automated SMS and email reminders to clients, reducing the chances of no-shows.

Online Payments: The platform integrates with payment gateways, enabling businesses to charge for appointments if necessary.

Limitations:

Pricing Structure: Depending on the feature set required, Bookafy can become pricey, especially for smaller businesses or solo professionals.

Limited Customization: Even though users can brand their booking pages, deeper customization of the platform according to very specific needs might be restricted.

Conclusion

It is evident from the above discussion that while MS Bookings is a powerful tool, numerous worthy alternatives are available to cater to diverse business needs. If there is one alternative that truly stands out for Dynamics CRM users, is Calendar 365. Seamlessly integrating with Dynamics 365 CRM, Calendar 365 offers a familiar environment and enriches it with custom entities, a unified view, and deep personalization capabilities. For businesses anchored in the Microsoft ecosystem, it offers the promise of both continuity and enhanced functionality.

Find a detailed comparison between Calendar 365 and Microsoft Bookings here:

Book your Calendar 365 Demo

All product and company names are trademarks™, registered® or copyright© trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

This Article is originally published on:

[archived-junkissed]

sounds of the season

day four of junkissed’s svt season’s greetings event

member — radio host!junhui x reader genre — fluff, college au word count — 1.7k synopsis — when your university’s radio show hosts a matchmaking event to raise money, you figure, what have you got to lose? the question you should be asking is, what have you got to gain? warnings — jun is so awkward but we love him, this is pretty dialogue-heavy sorry notes — lowercase intended. also i know nothing about how radio works so if i’m wrong just ignore it lol

this is part of @svthub's snowventeen winter collab! be sure to check out the collab masterlist here and support our talented writers! this collab contains both sfw and nsfw fics; minors dni with nsfw fics.

read part 2 here

one reblog = one holiday song on the radio

“that’s the end of today’s program, everyone, thanks for tuning in. remember to sign up for our ‘matchmaking for charity’ event while you still can! for every successful match, we’re donating $20 to toys for tots, so be sure to get your application in so we can find you a special someone this december. link is on our instagram, and our website, sdu.caratsradio.org, go check it out.”

a different voice follows. “we’ve been sounds of the season on 111.7 fm, hosted by our very own communications undergrads. have a great weekend, sdu students! we’ll see you back here monday at six for more holiday tunes.”

jazz study music from the next hour’s program begins to play as you sigh, closing the tab on your computer open to the school’s website.

for the last few weeks you’ve been listening to shining diamond university’s student radio station; more specifically, you’ve been listening to the duo that hosts the holiday music hour every monday and friday at 6pm. the festive music puts you in a better mood, but what you’re really there for is the hosts’ voices. their tone is so calming, most days you like to turn on the station in the background while you do your homework. something about the way they speak helps you focus. whoever they are, you could listen to them talk for hours.

there’s probably pictures of the hosts somewhere on the website, but you haven’t gone looking for them. you’re a little afraid that realizing that they’re not just pretty voices on your laptop, and knowing that there’s real-life faces connected to them would ruin the experience. so for now, you’re content to just imagine their voices and let your brain fill in the blanks.

you’ve been tossing around the idea of signing up for their event back and forth in your mind for a while now. being matched with a stranger at school just sounds nerve wracking, but at this point, you haven’t got much to lose. the worst that could come out of it is another bad date. plus, it’s for charity. you don’t know exactly what the parameters of the event are, but even if it doesn’t work out with whoever you’re matched with, you figure you could always just act like it did so the charity still gets the money.

what the heck, you figure. maybe it’ll be fun.

a week after signing up you get an email with info about your match and instructions on when and where to meet him. on saturday at noon he’ll be at the far corner of the café in the campus dining hall wearing a white hat, and you’re told to wear something blue so you can recognize each other.

when you get to the dining hall, the guy sitting at the table in the far corner is… attractive, to say the least. you would even call him your type, if you knew anything about him besides the fact that you’re on a blind date with a randomly paired listener of the program.

“hey! you’re my match, right? i’m junhui.” he stands up, greeting you with a shy smile. he’s deceptively taller than he looks sitting down, and you take him in for a moment.

“yeah, that’s me! nice to meet you!”

“can i buy you coffee?” he asks eagerly. “um, or whatever they have at the coffee shop.”

“oh– sure!” you say. you weren’t sure what you’d been expecting, but you hadn’t been expecting him to be so polite. “thank you.”

“of course,” he smiles.

you stand in line together at the register, and you order a cheap drink off the menu. but as he’s telling the barista his order, something clicks.

“hold on, you sound… really familiar.” you squint, tilting your head. he takes the two cups from the barista and looks over at you, confused. all of a sudden the realization hits you, and your eyes widen. you’d know that voice anywhere. “wait, aren’t you–”

he nods sheepishly, handing you your drink. “yeah, i’m one of the radio hosts.”

holy shit. “that’s cool that you signed up for this too, though. did one of the comm professors match people, or was it random, or…?” you ask, trailing off to let him answer.

“no, me and jeonghan put the matches together. so it was on purpose.” his fingers toy with the cardboard sleeve of his coffee cup, and he lets out a nervous laugh. “would you hate me if i told you i matched us because i’ve had a crush on you since we had com101 together?”

“really?” you laugh. blush creeps into his cheeks. “honestly, i barely paid attention in that class, i only took it for the credits.” you stop, realizing how that must sound to him. “i mean, no offense! i wasn’t trying to be rude, i just–”

he shakes his head quickly. “i get what you meant. and, it was a pretty big class, so. easy to not know everyone.”

“why didn’t you say anything? i know i probably looked grumpy in that class, but i promise i’m not,” you say, adding a smile that you hope looks encouraging.

“no! it’s not you,” he rushes to explain. “i’m just not that great at talking to people.”

“but… you host a radio show?”

“it’s not the same. i’m not truly talking to anybody but jeonghan. there’s a monitor that shows us how many people are listening, but i ignore it.” he leans back in his chair. “i have to do it as part of one of my classes, but i actually really enjoy it now.”

you smile. “that’s good that you found something you like.”

he clears his throat, taking a small sip of his drink. “so, do you, um, listen often? you don’t have to say you do if you don’t, by the way, i won’t be offended. just curious.”

you debate lying to not expose yourself, but he looks so excited to hear that you can’t honestly tell him no. “actually, yeah. i listen almost every program. you have a really nice voice.”

the tips of his ears turn bright red, and immediately you feel awkward again. “sorry, is that weird to say?”

“that’s—no, not at all!” he stammers. “i think it’s a really big compliment. thank you.”

“yeah,” you add, not sure how to respond without making things weirder. you’re both silent for a second, the busy sounds of the dining hall’s café filling the room in the absence of words.

after an almost uncomfortable amount of silence passes, you laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “so, uh, what do we need to do for this to be considered successful?”

“huh?”

“for the charity thing. how do you decide what gets donated and what doesn’t?”

his focus snaps back to you. “oh! we’re donating for all the matches, even if they don’t work. we just said that as, like, an incentive so people would sign up.”

“oh.” you nod, thinking.

“did– did you want to leave?” he asks shyly. “i don’t wanna keep you here if you’re not enjoying it.”

“did you want to leave?” you counter.

“well… no,” he says. “but i don’t wanna force you.”

“you’re not, don’t worry,” you say, shaking your head. it’s awkward, for sure, but it’s far from the worst date you’ve ever been on. the least you could do is stick it out for another half hour or so.

“sorry this is so weird,” he laughs. “i don’t go out a lot.”

“it’s fine.” you smile at him, hoping he’ll relax a little. “is that why you signed up for this?”

“well, kinda,” he nods. “i was hoping i’d recognize somebody’s name and maybe make a new friend. but this is good, too.”

you fight the urge to frown, since it’s obvious he’s trying his best, but you’re confused at his statement. “what do you mean, ‘this’?”

“i… don’t know. what do you think this is?”

“a date,” you say simply. 

“oh!” he says, fiddling with his cup again.

“is that what you want this to be?” you ask gently.

“i– yeah, that would be really cool,” he grins, nodding. “a date.”

you smile at his enthusiasm. he’s cute, and his personality is, too.

“so, what’s working at a radio station like?” you pry. having finally been able to meet the man behind the voice you’ve heard so much of, you can’t say you’re not more than a little curious about who he is.

“oh, yeah, you like hearing me talk, sorry,” he says. your face heats in embarrassment, but before you can defend yourself, he continues on. “um, it’s pretty fun. the machinery’s pretty cool, the microphones and stuff. makes me feel like a professional singer or something. even though it’s more just choosing music to play than me actually talking.”

he looks up. “you can come by while we’re live sometime, if you want,” he says. “the studio’s really nice, they have beanbag chairs and somebody always brings snacks.”

“is that allowed?”

“sure! you can be my special guest,” he grins. “only if you want,” he adds a second later, as if he’s just thought of something.

you smile warmly. “it sounds fun. i’d love to.”

his face lights up. “great! can you come monday? we’re announcing the results of the matchmaking thing then.”

“i’ll be there.”

he pauses. “is this… a second date?” he asks tentatively. god, he’s adorable.

“yes, this is a second date,” you giggle. 

he stands up. “should i walk you to your car? or is that too much?”

he holds the door open for you as you step outside.

you laugh. “no, my apartment’s on campus, i just walked here. but thank you for the offer, you’re really sweet. and thanks for the coffee, too.”

it might be because of the chilly december weather, but his cheeks seem a little pinker than before. “no problem,” he grins. “i’ll see you monday, i guess? for another date?”

“i’ll see you monday,” you confirm with a smile.

he waves, still grinning, and pulls out his phone. as you start to walk away, you hear his voice from behind you, “hannie, dude, you won’t believe what just happened!!”

you giggle to yourself. you can’t wait til monday.

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[sadgothicbitch]

Hi so i usually don’t make posts like this but i wanted to bring attention to an important issue. if you didn’t know humboldt state university recently became a cal poly. This week they sent out an email letting the student body/parents know that they accepted over 1000 freshman. this is way more students than they can handle and because of this they are forcing all of the current students off campus. this means a few things 1. they have rented out hotels (including a motel 6) to have students stay there and they will have to be shuttled back and forth to campus and 2. students will have to find off campus housing. The problem with the second solution is that there simply is not enough housing in the towns surrounding the campus. This means that many students will either have to drop out or become homeless. The university has had many problems that it has not addressed but this had been the tipping point. These problems include but are not limited to: no covid housing(if you get covid you are forced to stay in your dorm with many other people and there is no way to get food without relying on friends), lack of disability resources (there is no disability housing and the disability shuttles are often late/unreliable), and a lack of communication between administration and the student body. The acceptance rate is too high for the new influx of people applying to the university and there is not enough space/resources for everyone. Students have been organizing and pushing back against this new policy. There have been efforts towards community outreach and media attention. There is a protest tomorrow and it is expected that most of the students will show up to send this message home. if you would like to help and support struggling students I have a few resources for you.

Here is a petition for the cause

Here is an article if you would like more information

You can also follow the instagram page @calpolyhomeless to follow the progress of this protest

Thank you so much for reading. Please help as students deserve safe housing!

[zorlok-if]

Mentioned about a month ago that I was considering launching a Patreon sometime in the future (here). I've been going back and forth about some potential tiers and rewards, here's what I've come up with so far:

Tier 1: NPC

$2.50 per month

As an NPC (non-player character), you will receive access to the "teaser builds", which include parts of the next main update, as well as one week of early access to public updates for all of my projects. You will receive monthly updates that include exclusive sneak peeks and insights into my writing process. You will also be supporting me and demonstrating how much this project interests you (which will motivate me to create content even faster).

Early access

Monthly updates

Tier 2: Hireling

$5 per month

As a hireling, you will receive all NPC tier rewards. In addition, you will gain access to the D&D campaigns, series of short interactive games that allow you to play tabletop RPGs with characters from Zorlok and other stories. D&D episodes are released every month (switch off month-to-month between shorter one-shots and longer sessions set within an ongoing campaign).

Early access

Monthly updates

D&D games

Tier 3: RO

$8 per month

As an RO (relationship option), you will receive all hireling and lower tier rewards. In addition, you will gain access to any exclusive RO content created—including spicy and/or sappy snippets, exclusive artwork, and (if you are 18+) any NSFW content produced. Instead of just monthly updates you will be able to read weekly updates. You will gain access to exclusive polls related to the D&D campaigns. These polls include which characters you want to play with and what kind of campaigns/stories you want to play through. You can also choose to be listed in the credits on my itch.io store pages.

Early access

Weekly updates

D&D games

RO (& 18+) content

Exclusive polls

Patron credit

Tier 4: Hero

$12 per month

As a hero, you will receive all RO and lower tier rewards. In addition, you will gain the beta role and be able to read the beta builds for all my projects, with the choice to provide feedback or not. You can also choose to be listed in the credits within my games in addition to the store pages. You will also be able to participate in live Q&As that will be done after each major update.

Beta access

Weekly updates

D&D games

RO (& 18+) content

Exclusive polls

Patron credit

Q&As

Tier 5: Legend

$18 per month (3 slots available)

As a legend, you will receive all hero and lower tier rewards. In addition, you will receive a complementary writing commission every other month, beginning the first month that you join. These will be at least 750 word snippets. You will be asked to provide another means of communication (either a tumblr account, discord handle, or email) so that we can discuss details about your piece*. These pieces can be spicy (if you are over 18) but I will not write explicit sexual content or graphic violence. I also reserve the right to refuse to write about certain subjects if they make me uncomfortable or I feel that I can't write them well enough.

* If you are contacted about your snippet and do not respond within one week then you will forfeit your spot that month, I will contact you again the next month about a snippet (as opposed to having you wait two months before your next opportunity)

Beta access

Weekly updates

D&D games

RO (& 18+) content

Exclusive polls

Patron credit

Q&As

Writing commission

Tier 6: Warlock Patron

$24 per month (2 slots available)

As a warlock patron, you will receive all legend and lower tier rewards. In addition, the writing commission that you receive will be at least 1000 words and you have three form options: a short interactive scene, an unlockable moment in an upcoming D&D game, or a traditional snippet. The same rules apply as listed in the legend tier. You also get early access to Twine commission slots when they become available.

Beta access

Weekly updates

D&D games

RO (& 18+) content

Exclusive polls

Patron credit

Q&As

Interactive writing commissions

Twine commission priority