#{ I’m adding additional services to my pet boarding business }

[leondxs]

owning a small business is just having constant imposter syndrome

[mimssides]

Life on Crow Avenue: Part 22

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___

Lunch was going well this Friday and Virgil was talking with Logan about good books on pet care for families and kids who wanted to help with the training of their pets. Because of that he almost missed Roman asking Remus about changing the working hours.

“Why would you want to change the opening and closing times?” Virgil asked a little anxiously even though he did not know why he felt anxious right now.

Roman was reacting quicker than Remus was and turned to Virgil with a gentle smile on his lips.

“Oh, we’re thinking about hiring someone working part-time for the store. Ideally, they could also help us with the taxes and stuff but just a helping hand would be a nice start. And if we had help, we could maybe do an evening sale once a week or and open on Saturdays,” Roman explained and suddenly all were staring at him.

Logan, Virgil and Janus seemed a little taken aback while Patton looked slightly overwhelmed though happy. Curiously he let his eyes rest on Remus and saw him subtly nod towards his direction. Patton beamed. The twins had had a talk yesterday night and he felt so happy that things finally were turning around for them. They truly deserved it.

“So, you could maybe have some more free time, I assume?” Patton offered after another beat of silence and Roman directly caught onto his line of reasoning.

“Yeah,” Roman agreed with a wide smile, “that was the plan! We never had that luxury before but I think that we could try to treat ourselves now, right Emi?”

Remus leaned back in his chair and looked uncharacteristically blank from Roman to Patton before he gave a slow nod and added: “Yeah. That’s the idea. The flowers sales are working well and we have a steady number of returning customers. It’s not a bad investment to employ someone now, when were still having everything under control. It’s the best time to make them familiar with the shop.”

“I wasn’t aware that your store was going this well,” Logan said and eyed the brothers with furrowed brows.

At that Remus’s odd behaviour stopped and he snickered, while Roman gasped offendedly. With astounding speaking speed Roman began to rattle down about the flower delivery service, the decoration for different holidays and celebrations, they provided as well as all the advertisements he had made and was still making on social media and the several posters and flyers he had hung up on community boards and distributed around a few retirement homes as well in parks around the aera.

“When did you have time to do all that?” Janus asked as Roman ended and began to eat the pasta he had prepared for them today.

Chewing and gesticulating with his fork Roman answered: “Before the move we had a few days, because we packed everything up rather quickly and then I got to design a few things on our laptop. And when we came here, I did the footwork, when Rem had a bit of help from the movers to get the store in order. It’s an important part of business and mouth to mouth advertisement is really good with clientele but especially older clientele, like ours. And we can’t stop now just because it’s going well. We’ve gotta go with the time and make sure we’re still what our customers want and need.”

“So, you’re basically your own advertisement department?” Janus asked frowning.

“Yeah. It’s important for business. I want to eat and for us to have a home. Can’t be slacking off, can I? Also, I like doing it. Our teacher always let me design new posters for the store and even paid for a and editing program that I still use because I was really good at it. It’s a fun change from – Oh, do you think I could hang up a job application ad at the board from the theatre group? Or would Rodriguez not like that?”

Janus almost had a whiplash from the sudden change of topic but then confirmed that Roman very likely wouldn’t have any objections against that. Roman seemed to be more than happy about it and the group returned to their lunch and previous conversations.

___

A week later Janus and Roman went to the meeting of their theatre group. Roman had offered to drive him, so Virgil didn’t have to or that Janus didn’t have to drive himself, as he apparently wasn’t a good driver and didn’t like to drive. To Janus it was a rather welcome development and he liked sitting on the co-driver’s seat and watching Roman behind the wheel.

When they arrived, nothing was out of the ordinary; they greeted their friends, asked how everyone was, just the causal small talk until all where here and they could start with the current meeting.

The time flew by and soon their meeting had reached the end. They were all sticking around for a bit and Roman took his chance to talk with Rodriguez about the ad he wanted to hang up and went to talk with him in the backroom where they stored some props. Janus used that opportunity to gather the rest and finally speak with Samantha.

“Okay, I need to be quick but I have a small request, Sammy dearest,” Janus began and the whole group was already curiously listening.

“What is it Jay?” Samantha asked rather suspiciously of the sweet tone.

Unbothered by her visible distrust Janus answered: “You will be out of town at the 4th, as you usually are, I assume?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to remind you all of-”

“Do me a favour and do not do that. I would like to surprise Roman with something. And as I know him, he won’t let himself have some additional downtime which means I will have to trick him into it. And for that I could use the meeting as an excuse, if you would not inform him that it’s not taking place.”

Samantha blinked several times before she frowned at him and raised an eyebrow in a disapproving manner.

“I won’t help you seduce this him, Jay. I’m not an accomplice to your playboy stick,” she told him.

Janus let out a groan and he shot a vicious look the tree women that snickered at his predicament.

“For once I’m not trying to do that, Sam! He – He needs something for himself and I doubt that a one-night stand is what that is or that he would even be interested in that. I really just want him to have something nice. He’s been through a lot lately and I don’t think he’s really taking care of himself. Just don’t say anything to him. I’ll do the rest. It’s all I ask of you.”

Samantha scrunched her nose. She wouldn’t say she was Janus’s friend but she liked the man well enough. He was a cynical and sarcastic character and he was a decent improviser and actor. And she did respect him, despite his casual anecdotes of sleeping with random men once in a while. She looked over his shoulder and saw Roman and Rodriguez coming back.

Roman was not any random man to her. He was charming and passionate about what they were doing here. He was definitely talented but more importantly he was a hard worker. He tried harder than the others and put a lot more effort and time in the little practices they did. And other than that, she simply liked him. So, she took a leap of faith and nodded to Janus and shot the rest of them a look to keep their mouths shut about this.

Gratefully, Janus gave her a nod of acknowledgement before he turned towards Roman who walked towards him with a big smile.

“I assume, I will have to wait as you are hanging up your flyer?” Janus asked playfully and Roman shoved him softly.

“A flyer? What for?” Renee asked.

Roman turned towards the middle-aged woman. She was Celia’s friend and drove her here. Curiously she watched as Roman showed her the piece of paper he was going to hang up close to the door.

“Job application? You look for someone working in your store?”

Roman nodded and explained: “Yes! It’s going well and we could use a helping hand.”

Renee’s eyes wandered over the paper and she looked back up at him.

“This is a part-time job for a flower shop, do I see that right?”

“Yes. If you know someone who would be interested, please let them know! The payment and workload will be discussed in the interview with me and my brother, if you were wondering,” Roman explained as his tone got a little more serious.

Renee nodded and studied the paper a little longer. The she glanced back up at him and scratched the side of her nose.

“I used to work in a flower boutique and my youngest is up to college now. I’ve got the time for a job to be honest but I’d like to know why you decided to hire now? You haven’t been open very long, not even a year, as I understand it. Why didn’t you hire someone from the beginning or do it later?”

Janus watched Roman’s expression grow serious. The others hadn’t seen him like that before. Even when he plays a serious character it has no resemblance with the person that was standing here in front of them now. This, Janus assumed, was businessman Roman. The Roman that was concerned with his and his brother’s survival and would do what it takes to get them through.

And suddenly it slipped. He grew softer again and looked sheepishly to the side before telling her patiently: “We are writing black numbers and have already established a number of returning customers. But it is getting a bit much since it requires both of us to work with little to no breaks. So, it is a decision for my and especially my brother’s mental health. If you are interested in the position, further information will be disclosed at the given time.”

Renee looked at him rather surprised. Roman simply cracked a grin and huffed, walking past her towards the entrance where he could hang up the ad.

“But do not apply if you’re not a hard worker! We won’t take you just because I know you and you have some free time to fill!” he called over his shoulder and Cecilia and a few others started to laugh while Renee didn’t look too amused about that comment.

Janus just looked after him and let his words from before go through his head. There had been something hanging around the twins and Janus hadn’t been able to point his finger on it. Now he had something to go off and when Roman and he told the others goodbye and drove back home, Janus took the chance to make sure he was assuming the right thing.

“I suppose that there would be a reason as why you wouldn’t tell me and you certainly don’t have to now, but did something happen with Remus and you that you are doing this for your mental health?” Janus asked as they stopped at a red light.

Finger tapping. Roman’s fingers were tapping on the wheel and his eyes directed to the street while he occasionally glanced to the rear mirrors. He pressed down the gas pedal as the red light went green and Janus assumed that this was the end of the conversation. But as the had left the crossroad, Roman cleared his throat and Janus turned to look at him.

“Rem’s going to a therapist every Thursday. He scheduled it himself, made all the calls. I only learnt about it when he asked me if he could leave earlier to go to the meeting. He isn’t super comfortable to tell everyone that he is going, which is why we hadn’t said anything yet. So, please don’t tell Virgil or Logan.”

Janus faltered. He hadn’t expected that. He hadn’t expected to see Remus going through with it. Not that he didn’t want he to get better but the possibility of Remus actually trying to do some work on his mental health had seemed so impossible in his mind.

“Is the silence a sign of disbelief?” Roman asked with a grin.

With a fake cough Janus tried to regain his composure.

“I wouldn’t say disbelief...”

“It’s fine. Quite frankly-” Roman paused as they stopped at another red-light and looked to Janus with such a unbelieving and yet relieved expression – “I’d had lost hope a good while ago. For him truly getting better. Parts of my head already trying to accommodate myself to a life where he no longer would be. Not that I think I could live a life without him but – Well. Now he’s trying and I think it’s worth to try and believe in him.”

Janus was left speechless. Roman was a lot of things; brave, enthusiastic, idealistic, hot-headed and a hard worker. He was not a quitter. He was not a guy like Janus who gave up when he realized something would get too complicated or too hard.

But maybe that thought wasn’t quite fair to Roman. Because Roman was human. He had lived a rather eventful and traumatizing life; he had fought his way up to this very moment but how often had he fallen back? How often did he fail at the things he deemed too important to fail at? Even the hardest optimist had their limits. And Roman had almost lost his brother four times now. The only thing that he had been able to rely on for so long. And Roman had just told him something that Remus had explicitly told Roman not to tell other people.

“Why did you tell me?” Janus asked as they reached their destination and Roman had parked his car.

Roman turned and looked at him while unbuckling his seatbelt. He met Janus’s gaze and paused in his movements for a minute.

“I am scared too. Not only him. This feels like a last chance and it’s nagging on my brain. I needed to tell someone who isn’t him or Pat. And so, I told you. Because I trust you.”

Janus just stared into Roman’s dark brown eyes. He wasn’t sure if he was still breathing or if he had stopped but in this moment he didn’t care. He couldn’t care. All his mind was telling him in this moment was that he was looking at Roman, who trusted him and that he was entirely uncertain as of why he did trust him.

“I don’t understand,” Janus said with a dry mouth. “I - I acted inconsiderately after Remus’s attempt. I was not helpful to you in that moment when you needed me most and-”

“That was this evening. That one evening. And yeah, it was a big thing but it was big for us all. Stressful for us all. And you have your story and baggage too. I cannot expect of you to act perfectly in that situation. And I don’t. Not when you excelled in every moment after. You were kind and understanding and I appreciate it a lot. You let me hold your hand. You came for me and it’s been a while since anyone came just for me.”

Nothing terrible should happen to Roman ever again. No one should ever hurt him again. He should never be in danger again. And Janus would do whatever was in his power to secure that he decided in that very moment, as he looked into Roman’s eyes and just gave a nod before he got out of the car.

They parted ways. Janus got ready for the set in James’ bar and after he had played for the night, he sat down to the gang’s usual table. Listened to Logan talk with Roman over classic literature, greeted Virgil when he joined them later on and made sure to keep an eye on Roman for the whole evening.

___

Virgil and Janus had decided to have a movie night this Saturday evening and Janus was now in the kitchen getting the second batch of chips during one of the cheaper vampire movies he had ever seen in his life. And due to his nephews love of such movies, he had seen a fair share of them.

Whistling a tune Janus checked his phone and to his dismay found another message of Juno. She had been on his case for the last few days and normally he had little problem to blend her badgering out, but not when it was about this. He sighed, pushed the message away and got back to Virgil in the living room. Unceremoniously, he flicked the light switch on and got Virgil’s attention.

With a frown Virgil looked over and as Janus waved with his phone, while putting the chips bowl down on their coffee table, he had a hunch what was going on.

“Did Mom write you about something?” Virgil asked and pulled his legs onto the couch to hug them against his chest.

Janus clicked his tongue and put his hand next to the bowl before he bitterly smirked to Virgil.

“I get that she’s your Mom and that she worries and that you talk with her about stuff that weighs you down,” Janus began in the calmest voice he could muster. “But did you really have to talk with her about what happened to the twins? She’s bugging me about it since you did and asks regularly if something else happened and if it worries you or makes you sick.”

Virgil’s expression darkened the more Janus spoke and when he had finished Virgil pressed his face against his knees and groaned in agony.

“I told her not to freak out! I really said that I’m fine, uncle J! I – I just- I’m sorry she’s giving you a hard time! I just wanted to talk with her about – about you know? We almost lost Remus and we had no idea! It – it-” Virgil tried to explain but couldn’t quite finish.

Sighing Janus moved closer to his nephew and put his hand on his knee, drawing little circles on it.

“I get it, chief. I do. It’s a heavy load those two brought with them. And you were brave enough to still choose to interact with them, while I shied away from it at first. I’m just annoyed by her, you know. She always dots you and she really isn’t talking nicely about neither Roman nor Remus even though neither is responsible for all of that. She cannot see that though and maybe you could try and not mention them too much to her for the moment? Just so I could get a little peace of mind for now?”

“Yeah, sure… I’m sorry about her. She always makes it hard on you, even though you’re not responsible for me.”

Janus smiled and Virgil looked up again and rested his chin on his knees.

“You’re her only baby. She’s worried,” Janus replied and ruffled through his hair with a fond grin. “Not everyone has the best son on earth, you know.”

“Oh, shut up!” Virgil squealed and hid his head again by pressing it against his knees.

Janus snickered and put the movie back on to get Virgil out of hiding. It worked and the two continued watching the movie in silence. Virgil ended up huddling against Janus’s side and he kept “stealing” chips from his bowl even though Janus had it brought for the two of them.

“Are you worried about her disliking Roman?”

Janus looked over to Virgil with a frown. His nephew smirked a little and continued: “Because she might give you shit once you’re together with him?”

Groaning Janus shoved Virgil to the side and listened him giggle at his theatrics just to shove him back into the upper arm. Janus bickered for a moment to which Virgil only rolled his eyes and eventually flicked his arm again, so Janus would stop.

“Listen,” Virgil said as Janus rubbed his arm in pretended pain, “it’s fine that you like him.”

“I do not.”

“Yes, you do and don’t interrupt me. He’s a sweet guy. And you keep insisting that he doesn’t need a relationship now but you shouldn’t decide for him if that’s the case. He should get a say in it too. I mean like, if I shouldn’t get doted on, he shouldn’t either, am I right?”

Janus said nothing to that and Virgil knew that he had one this argument. He settled down again and they kept watching the end of the movie before putting in Mary Poppins after Janus’s request.

___

@varthandi

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@mychemically-imbalanced-romance

@whattheremus

Tagged for this fic:

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[weaselle]

The Plan to Save All - speedrun

I’ve tried to write this out before and it gets really involved and complicated because it’s a big idea I’ve spend decades developing. I want to try to get it all out in one simple, short, digestible bit. Here we go ____________________________________________________________________ (edit) the MOST simplified version/overview:    Phase One: initial membership all lives under one low-cost roof  Phase Two: start making $$ by creating alternatives to shitty institutions  Phase Three: use those institutions to create an entire city  Phase Four: showcase successful alternative that self-propagates via imitation _____________________________________________________________________ 

PHASE ONE: -leverage group dynamics to lower living costs of both money and time -find simple solutions to complex systems by addressing them under one roof -provide affordable housing and property ownership to minimum wage workers 50 to 100 people live in a single building with communal facilities: shared industrial kitchen, showering (like at the gym -- in fact, include a gym) common areas for recreation, etc. This lowers cost through efficiency, i.e. you don’t need 50 apartments with 50 ovens, you can have a large communal kitchen with like 4 industrial ovens. One Monthly Payment: everything including food and chores        -about one 50th to one100th of the 10 year mortgage (and property tax)        -all utilites: garbage, gas, electricity, water, internet, group phone plan        -meal plan, like at a college or whatever.        -laundry plan        -community fund (for building upgrades, amenities, repairs, etc)        -about one 50th to one 100th of the caretaker stipend        -a group healthcare/health insurance program Caretakers: about 20% of the residents no monthly bill for living there, plus paid a reasonable stipend. Caretakers have a 30 hour workweek wherein they do all building maintenance and cleaning, provide the meal plan, do the laundry, water the plants, feed the pets, etc. Not only does this solve an increasing time issue for the residents, each caretaker also receives the solution because they live in the same facility - in other words, the caretakers that do the cooking don’t have to come home after work and do laundry and the caretakers that do the laundry don’t have to come home and cook dinner. More time to be a student, do art, or care for your kids. Costs continue to lower through efficiency - you don’t need 100 apartments with 100 toolboxes containing 100 hammers. Shared facilities like gym showers means caretakers don’t have to clean 100 showers all over the building; about 25 showers in one place will probably do. Free Rooms (and board): semi-temporary room and board outreach programs it does not significantly increase each person’s monthly bill to leave about 5% of the facility’s rooms empty and absorb the corresponding room-and-board costs (in other words splitting the total bill 75 ways instead of 80 ways equals almost the same payment per person). This allows the group to offer free housing and food to whoever they decide needs help in their area - women fleeing abusive relationships, homeless veterans, disowned transgender teens, etc. Cost: about $1,000 per month, or roughly 2/3 a minimum wage income. My initial budget exploration shows that the total monthly cost to each paying resident works out to be about a thousand a month. Since about half the monthly payment is going to the mortgage, and property values / local minimum wages tend to be relative to each other, this amount tends to be about 2/3 of a full time income on minimum wage. In other words, out where minimum wage is about seven dollars, the property values are also lower, making the total monthly payment closer to $700, whereas in Oakland where I’m doing the most planning, the mortgage would make the monthly payments closer to $1,200 but minimum wage is 11 or 12 dollars. Remember, total payment includes food and everything. Built in Disposable Income Raise (through cost lowering) even if none of the residents ever get a raise in 10 years, after a decade the mortgage is paid off which means the monthly bill gets cut in half. Plus residents now own outright a share of the facility, which increases in value; the beginning of a retirement investment. But in phase two we go after more money anyway. **************************************************************************************************** PHASE TWO: -help the middle class pay minimum wage workers to create alternatives to corrupt, damaging, or flawed institutions -create monetary success and grow socio-economic\political capital -move into another, better building -help the next group of 50-100 minimum wage workers Develop Caretaker Positions into alt institutions imagine you want to start a business as a bike repair shop. Now imagine you are starting that business with 100 guaranteed customers paying a pre-arranged fee that has been budgeted to cover your business supplies, workshop lease, plus your wages and personal monthly bills. Dog walking, gardening, house cleaning, cooking or food delivery, whatever the group needs and the facility/community is designed for, there are plenty of business to start this way. A group providing a dedicated and funded laundry service to 100 people within a facility designed for it can easily expand to accommodate paying customers from outside the community and keep growing. This is how the facility can start offering house cleaning, laundry, meal plan, gardening, etc. The middle class is already paying for these things - gardeners, housekeepers, dog walkers, laundry service, food delivery... so the market is there. The wages for these jobs are typically more than minimum wage. As more middle class households become customers, more residents of the facility can quit their minimum wage jobs at corporate mega stores and start earning better wages working for themselves and each other. The community incorporates and is able to take part in all the unfair advantages afforded corporations over the common public. Soon the public will BE corporations, and either everybody has to pay a fair tax, or nobody does. This also helps the group include a health plan as part of the monthly bill. Move to Better Facility and offer the old one to a new group When the first group gets a property and pays the mortgage, they pay the bank an additional few hundred thousand dollars for their property. For instance, if you buy a 2 million dollar property from a bank and pay a 30 year mortgage, the total payments on your 2 million dollar property after 30 years will actually be about 3 million dollars. It’s less over a ten year mortgage, but still. SO when the first group owns their facility outright, they can enter a second 10 year mortgage on a different facility, but offer the first one to a second group while acting as the bank themselves - doing this for a cycle of 3 means that after 30 years the first group owns a single property just like a standard mortgage, but has helped two other groups own property and defrayed their own payments instead of shoveling so much money into a bank. The goal is to liberate more and more property from the banks and enter them into a system of citizen-to-citizen ownership where people own the buildings they live in, having paid other citizens for them. In the second facility, the building is nicer, there are more amenities, monthly payments go up, and you add people to the group. The people you add are more-than-minimum-wage professionals. Teachers, firefighters, admin clerks, paralegals. Some of them join the caretakers to provide their services to the group -- daycare, tax-filing, vehicle repair, IT service, plumbing, even community security officers who are people you know and trust who live with you... and of course coffee and cake and everything else. Once again, these are fledgling businesses with guaranteed clientele and budgeting, that can then be offered to customers outside the community. Once again, the other professionals added to the group can quit their outside jobs and work for each other and themselves. These all grow into full institutions along planned paths. The caretaker watering the plants and cleaning the house becomes a gardener and handyman. The gardener/handyman starts a landscaping home-renovation business. That business grows into a property development and construction company. The caretaker doing the laundry starts offering repairs and minor alterations (replace a button, hem some pants). They start a laundry/dry cleaner and taylor business. They grow into a clothing line. The meal plan grows into a restaurant grows into a farm-to-table network. After school programs, daycare and tutoring become a whole school. Each service within the community becomes a business that grows into an institution. PHASE THREE Build A City You have a large construction company. You have a school. You have a publicly owned non-profit bank/credit union. You have firefighters. You have Alt-mart, which I’ll have to explain fully somewhere else but involves a locally sourced mega-mart featuring a permanent farmer’s market and is designed to put Walmart and Target out of business. So. You have all the elements you need for a functioning city. Have your construction company build one. In this city, there is no private property; you lease a private residence directly from the city, which holds the whole city in a trust for the citizens and administrates it via an elected city council, which means each citizen owns an equal share of the city as a whole. The whole “rent” is therefore subject to regulation and available to fund public works instead of going into the pockets of some real estate mogul or slum lord.  Imagine if your city had your entire rent payment to help end homelessness, provide healthcare, maintain infrastructure and innovate powergrid alternatives, instead of trying to do all that for the 2% of the property value they have access to now. I have a whole bunch of city design stuff that addresses things like sustainable water sourcing etc, but, I’m trying to get through this quickly PHASE FOUR this is important. By the time you get to phase 4, the project is showing a successful straight line development from minimum wage/poverty and powerlessness, to autonomous socio-economic alternative achievable by any group. You start as a fry cook in your twenties, and you end as a comfortably successful citizen in a city you created, that takes proper care of you and which has improved the lives of countless people along the way, all by the time you are 65. Now THAT’s a retirement. You KNOW people are gonna copy that all around the country. It’s my socio-economic worm ... it self replicates, and has the potential to subvert and replace existing socio-economic systems. I don’t want to tell people how to live, I’m trying to free them to live how they want. If they want a city that allows homelessness but everybody gets a horse, then fine, that’s their city (which I predict will fail, but whatever) the power will be with the people, and the city I live in will have priorities I agree with.

[giancarlonicoli]

Fire & FawningJuly 24, 2020

Scott Galloway

@profgalloway

10-min read

The CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google are scheduled to testify in front of the US House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. Some thoughts…

Big tech has won before the hearing starts. Agreeing to let all four testify concurrently inhibits the committee’s ability to go deep on any one issue, and will leave the American public with a sentiment instead of a viewpoint on big tech, much less any conclusions (such as, that the Obama DOJ was asleep at the switch, and Instagram and Whatsapp should be divested). The Covid-inspired remote format dramatically lessens the likelihood of an unscripted moment that reveals something the American public didn’t previously know. Fabric softener for tough questioning is the deep pockets that keep members in power.

When the show starts, Zuck will be the target of the most ire, as he’s an oligarch minus the charm. Bezos, on the other hand, will receive the least ire, as his command of soft power is second only to China. Being on these committees must be just awesome, as every member clings to their office as if they were Puerto Rican rescue dogs clinging to lamb lung fillet. (I see this with my dog Gangster. It’s a moment that gives you pause … to see how much a living thing can love something else.)

Bezos has the power to take away the committee’s lamb treats (he owns a powerful arbiter in the WaPo) and, maybe more important, they want invites to the best parties in DC (low bar) at the old textile museum — Bezos’s man cave in Kalorama. I think Bezos lacks character and code (he gamifies the commonwealth for his own enrichment #HQ2), but I’d love to roll with him, and so would every first ballot hall of lame panelist questioning him at the hearings. Cook and Pichai will likely just try to stay out of the line of fire and fawning for Zuck and Bezos, respectively. Expect Zuck to use two words repeatedly in his defense (tik and tok) as he attempts to wrap himself in the flag and convince the committee that he’s our national champion, singularly able to repel the invading Chinese … coming for our children.

But there is hope. By limiting the hearing to the antitrust subcommittee, the House gives more time to representatives who have domain expertise. The sharpest of these embers, if they take the right approach, may be able to move the needle from apathy towards outrage and build momentum for future change.

The key here is to recognize the medium is the message. Exploit the one attribute of the format that can be much improved: visuals. These always look awkward and very fifties during live testimony, though Representative Katie Porter does a great job with her mini white boards (note to self: get one). The “share screen” function should be the weapon of choice here. Words will communicate themes (you’re too big and abuse your monopoly power, which suppresses innovation, job growth, and the economy). Little is new here, but points can be communicated more effectively than before. The best opportunity to yield insight into why big tech should be broken up is to highlight the scale of the firms, and the problem. The winning cocktail is visuals and proportion.

The effective panelists at these hearings use the witness as a prop to stamp their passport on the way to the destination (you're a monopoly). The strategy is simple: ask a question, share screen/visual, unshare so public can see an awkward reaction by witness, allow 5 seconds max for answer, interrupt, and wash/rinse/repeat. So, as I’m hoping to be unanimously approved as US Ambassador to Australia in the Biden Administration (#itcouldhappen), here are my suggestions for visuals and questions:

All Four

Q: Messrs. Bezos, Cook, Pichai, Zuckerberg, your firms have added greater market capitalization in the last five years than the largest retailers and CPG firms have in total. This is a large portion of the entire consumer economy. If you were public servants, would you be concerned that too many of the spoils are being registered by increasingly fewer firms and people?

Q: Your market capitalization per employee is thousands of times higher than that of other companies in your sectors. Do you think your companies contribute to income inequality?

Q: Since the onset of the pandemic, nearly every sector, other than big tech and companies deemed too big to fail, has shed substantial value. Instead, since the beginning of the year, your firms and Microsoft have increased in value by an average of 35%, while the remaining 495 firms in the S&P 500 are down 5%. Every firm, sector, and economy appears to have incurred a transfer in value and power to your firms. Should we be concerned that your considerable advantage pre-Covid is now unassailable?

Q: Small business formation is at a multi-decade low. The fastest-growing sectors receive scant funding from investors. Why should someone invest in a search engine right now, or a music streaming business, or a social media platform, or an e-commerce firm, given the sizes of your companies?

Apple

Q: Mr. Cook, monopoly rent is when a monopoly producer lacks competition and thus can sell its goods and services at a price far above what the otherwise competitive market price would be, at the expense of consumers. Our information age is often called “the app economy,” denoting how important apps have become to commerce and consumption. Your firm and Google dominate the app ecosystem, with 62% and 38% shares, respectively. This chart shows the rents you are able to extract from every streaming video app. Every media company that wants to reach a consumer online must pay you a toll or rent. Do you think any of these firms believe that paying you this rent is a choice?

Q: Apple TV+ is offering consumers $1 billion in original content for every .80c a month the consumer spends on your Apple TV+ streaming video service. Isn’t it your opportunity to differentiate your $1,300 phones and fund Apple TV+ from the revenues of an unrelated product that allows you to offer a media product at well below cost? In sum, isn’t Apple guilty of “dumping,” that is, buying market share with unfeasibly low prices?

Q: Spotify is consistently rated as a superior music service to your Apple Music, yet Apple Music is growing faster than Spotify in the US. Isn’t this a function of you owning the rails, and being able to levy a 30% tax on a competitor while illegally reducing their discoverability in the app store?

Amazon

Q: Mr. Bezos, you are the wealthiest person in the world. Your wealth exceeds the GDP of Kuwait and Luxembourg, combined. It exceeds the defense budgets of Israel, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, combined. A common feature among the other wealthiest Americans of the 20th century (Rockefeller, Morgan, Mellon, Carnegie, Gates) is that most/all of these men presided over firms that were eventually tried for monopoly abuse and deemed monopolies. Why should we believe your wealth accumulation is any different?

Q: Last year, Amazon paid $162 million in federal tax while your largest competitor, Walmart, paid almost $3 billion. Do you think this level of participation in our country’s infrastructure and services is appropriate for a company worth $1.5 trillion?

Q: Due to Covid-19, US consumers are expected to spend an additional $41 billion on retail ecommerce in 2020. Since you control 38% of US e-commerce revenue, doesn't this mean that you've added at least $16 billion in topline revenue due to Covid while thousands of small businesses have folded?

Q: In a five-week period during the pandemic, your firm added the value of the world’s largest firm by revenue — Walmart. If your firm can accrete the value of the largest firm in the world in five weeks, and money is power, then isn’t your firm the most powerful private entity in history? Hasn’t your firm reached a level of soft and economic power well beyond the point when the DOJ has historically taken antitrust action?

Q: Our understanding is your firm has more full-time lobbyists in Washington than there are sitting US senators. Are you aware of any retailer or tech firm, other than Google, that has this many lobbyists attempting to suppress regulation or antitrust action?

Q: Mr. Bezos, 82% of American homes have Amazon Prime, more than voted in the 2016 election, have a pet, attend church, or decorate a Christmas tree. Can you name any other firm that has a recurring revenue relationship with 8 out of 10 households?

Q: Your video content, as registered by IMDB and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, is far inferior to the content offered by AT&T's division (HBO), yet you refuse to distribute HBO Max as a stand-alone offering on your service. Doesn't this mean you are leveraging your distribution power to weaken the competition (HBO Max) and reduce consumer access to better content?

Q: Mr. Bezos, the recently released TOS for your audio and podcast platform say that participants on the service cannot say anything bad about Amazon. Are we to assume that all assets you control, including The Washington Post, are restricted to only positive comments regarding you and your firm?

Google

Q: Mr. Pichai, your search engine is the default on Android devices, and you have a multibillion dollar contract with Apple to be the default search engine on the iPhone. You’ve also bought digital advertising networks to build your part of the digital advertising duopoly. What company — whether a search business or an advertising firm — can begin to compete with a behemoth with such a massive advantage and such deep pockets?

Q: Google owns the dominant digital ad server, DoubleClick Ad Exchange, or AdX. Over 90% of large publishers sell their ad inventory on AdX. And Google owns the dominant tool, Google Ads, through which advertisers purchase inventory on AdX. Don’t you think controlling both the auction house for ad space and the main auction participant for buying those ad spaces allows Google to engage in anticompetitive pricing?

Q: You’ve been fined three times by the EU for acting in ways that harm competition. Google searches favor YouTube ahead of other video rivals. Searches often display results just under the question as the user types, making it unnecessary to click any links. This deprives other firms of revenue. You present search results as you see fit, independent of the cost to other businesses. Don’t you think having 71% share in the search business and increasingly locking other companies out of profits through search is unfair use of monopoly power?

Q: YouTube has come under criticism many times in the past for radicalizing our children through an algorithm that suggests increasingly violent and extreme content. A user can start out with “downtown NYC” and within three videos they are being offered conspiracy theories about how 9/11 was an inside job. One of your former engineers accused YouTube of perverting civic discussion through radicalizing algorithms. Don’t you think that if YouTube were its own company and had more competitors of similar size, that it would be forced to work harder to correct these algorithms that are so toxic to the public good? If the best corrective mechanism of a free market is competition, where is the competition to force you to do better?

Q: Mr. Pichai, can you name any other firm, anywhere in the world, that has this level of market share of a sector greater than $100 billion in size?

Facebook

Q: Mr. Zuckerberg, a Princeton University study of Americans’ internet habits leading up to the 2016 presidential election found that Facebook led users to untrustworthy news sites 15% of the time, and to trustworthy news sites only 6% of the time. Studies have also found that the underlying Facebook algorithm, which promotes emotion and outrage, benefitted Trump more than Clinton. Do you feel partially responsible for the erosion in the sanctity of our elections?

Q: This summer, a number of Facebook’s biggest advertisers announced a boycott of the platform in response to your inadequate handling of hate speech. In response, Nick Clegg, your Vice President for Public Affairs, said, “We’ve made huge strides … But, you know, on an average day, there are 115 billion messages sent on our services around the world, and the vast, vast, vast majority of that is positive.” Clegg’s defense is also an admission that Facebook is too large to safely manage. Are you too big to protect your platform from hate speech and socially divisive messaging?

Q: As we saw in the 2016 elections, Facebook’s power can be exploited to disrupt elections, broadcast viral propaganda, and inspire deadly hate campaigns around the globe. Facebook is an algorithmic rage machine that perpetuates conspiracy theories (including that vitamins will protect you from Covid) at a far greater rate than truth. Enragement is engagement. Nearly half of all top-performing posts that mention voting by mail are false or misleading. What good are you offering your users that outweighs the cyberwar Russia fought on your platform, and that it is prepared to fight again, the systematic surveillance of users, and the torrent of misinformation on your platform?

Q: Teen suicide has skyrocketed — up 77% for older teen girls and up 151% for younger teens. Hospital admissions due to self-harm are up 50% for 15-19-year-old girls and up 200% for 10-14-year-old girls. Gen Z is on the brink of the worst mental health crisis in decades. Do you think platforms like Instagram, where girls perpetually feel their appearance doesn’t match up to filtered images, has something to do with this mental health crisis?

Q: Mr. Zuckerberg, you are in sole control of a platform whose algorithms select and deliver content (news and entertainment) to 2.6 billion people. Your algorithms are opaque to government agencies. You are the principal source of information for a cohort larger than any country or religion — a population greater than that of China and the US, combined. You cannot be removed from office, and will likely control these algorithms for the next 5-7 decades. So, we’d like to get to know you better. You know, get a feel for the real Mark Zuckerberg. A couple of questions:

Are you a pathological liar? Do you display a lack of remorse or guilt? And again… Are you a pathological liar?

Life is so rich,

P.S. More about my take on the hearings (or at least, more entertaining) on this week’s Prof G Show.

[wildlyhardphilosopher-blog]

Dog Training Mat | Best Methods Here

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Dog Training Mat | Best Methods Here

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[loveiscosmicsin]

5. "You're burning up" - Ignoct

Hurt/Comfort Prompt Meme

You can check this out, too, if you want. Just pics of my dumb drafts I wouldn’t post in my fics: https://mobile.twitter.com/loveiscosmicsin/status/827227422009364480

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An AU that features Oracle of Futurity Noctis Lucis Caelum, Crown Prince of Lucis and Ignis Scientia, Royal Retainer and “Blind Seer” to the Princess and King of Light Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae. Fate Swap. Loosely follows canon. How IgNoct would’ve been under these circumstances had Ignis grown up in Tenebrae as Luna’s best friend. Not genderbending the characters, the roles have been masculine and feminine respectably in the lore until the roles were reversed in the current generation. Sorry if you get confused.

@letshareapapou was kind enough to write this fic with me Radiance is also on Ao3

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5. “You’re burning up.” – IgNoct

“It’s been some while. Do you remember the last time you saw Prince Noctis?”

Luna glanced away from the scenic view of the window to address the traveling companion sitting across from her. “It’s been twelve years.” When her companion didn’t react to the given answer, she added, “Though he had stayed in Tenebrae for only two weeks, we’ve remained in contact after that time.”

“This will be our first time going into the Crown City.” Ignis inclined his head, registering information he already was aware of. “He’ll expect to see a fine young lady.”

The lady in question let out an astonished gasp. “Ignis! Have I not achieved outstanding ovation for my maidenhood? Am I not the paragon in both etiquette and citizenship surpassing all expectations?”

“Ah, yes,” Ignis stroked at his chin, unaffected by Luna’s protests. “How could I forget the polls unanimously declaring you a winner in all fields…” He fixed the young woman with what Luna defined as a cheeky remark, “All from publications that target adolescent girls and mature women, I may add.”

The woman crossed her arms over her chest. Ignis’ attack was uninvited and she mentally chastised herself for falling in a trap. “And just what is it that you’re implying? What do you know that I don’t?”

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for all that.”

“Oh you!” Luna kicked at Ignis’ shoe in a huff.

Ignis chuckled, “Fine display of refined behavior, indeed, Lady Lunafreya.”

The anointed King of Light and Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae and Royal Retainer to the Crown Ignis Scientia were well on their way to Lucis. The King’s elder brother, Ravus, was able to secure safe passage via train. He had his qualms about letting his sister go off alone, but couldn’t compromise a peaceful visit with armed guards so he allowed her retainer to accompany her. For additional insurance for the lord commander’s conscience, he had asked for the two travelers to don on the ceremonial robes so they could blend in with the crowd of pilgrims arriving to the Citadel. There was an ongoing festival and many from all parts of Eos came to receive the Oracle’s blessing as well as experience Lucis’ hospitality. The conditions were fair and they agreed to return once they concluded their mission. After all, Tenebrae achieved some autonomy because of the King of Light’s emergence and contesting on her people’s behalf.  

Ignis was two years Luna’s junior, and had been in service to House Fleuret ever since he was a young boy. His brilliance and stoicism provided a contrast to the passionate and often, rebellious princess. They were polar opposites yet while Luna wasn’t as demure as she appeared before others, Ignis had a mischievous side to him, they developed an unbreakable bond.

Not only was Ignis her retainer, he was also her childhood friend. Ignis was expected to serve the future Queen of Tenebrae and was nearly removed from service when he lost his vision twelve years ago, the very day Niflheim set their beloved homeland ablaze. The Empire and remnants of the Tenebraen government didn’t hesitate with what to do with the vulnerable chamberlain-to-be. At that moment and before the new regime, the princess and future King of Light-to-be vetoed the forced resignation and asked Ignis to remain at her side until the day he died. Ignis accepted and he overcame his disability, his devotion rang louder than the hindrances along the way. He rose as advisor to the crown princess.

Luna breathed out softly and leaned back, glancing out the window, lips pursed as she drummed her fingers on the table.

“A gil for your thoughts?”

“What if… What if he’s disappointed?” She spoke in a whisper. It was a question she desperately wanted the answer to but at the same time, shield her ears to avoid it. It had been years, they were children then, expectations low and the cherished moments seemed to stretch out for eternity. The world seemed as open as the sylleblossom field that they had played in. But that was no longer, Noctis had grown into an amazing Oracle, renowned and bright as the stars in the night sky and Luna was… simply exhibited about as Niflheim’s priceless centerpiece and lauded as a celebrity in the tabloids.

“Luna.” She blinked back to Ignis, his gloved hand extended to hers, eyes set forward though there was nothing he could see in them. She gave a small smile and placed her own hand over his. He leaned in and kiss her knuckles gently. “You are a beautiful and extraordinary young woman. You need to give yourself more credit. Pay no heed about what the Oracle might think.” Ignis sighed, squeezing her fingers. “Remember that you must also be wary. Boys grow up into—”

“Men?” Luna interjected.

“Beasts with a ravenous hunger at even the sliver of exposed flesh. Oracle or not, the prince is still a man.”

Luna laughed softly. Her advisor never had the pleasure of meeting Noctis. He didn’t hold a favorable opinion of men who Luna showed the slightest interest over. Had Ignis succumbed to this ravenous hunger since he was also a man? Never once had she witnessed such crude behavior.

“I find your distaste of Noctis silly, Ignis. He’s been nothing but kind to me. He’s a very good friend.” She laughed outright at Ignis’ sneer, “Besides you, of course.”

“As it should be,” he said haughtily as he released Luna. “I’ve been at your side for nearly my whole life. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The princess smiled to herself. Ignis was rarely so outright rude but when it came to the Oracle he was always a bit adversarial, at least when it was just the two of them. Luna sensed a bit of jealousy, but overall concern at how she would be received.

She knew he only wanted what was best for her, and that thought was comforting as Lucis came into view.

-

“My word, that was an experience we’ve endured.” The Crown Advisor panted as he and his lady boarded the elevator. Normally, he could walk around without his walking cane with ease, but as it was his first time in Insomnia, he had to rely on it. The princess filed no complaints about the pace nor did she walk ahead of him, simply stood at his side. “Next time, perhaps we should consult a map. That errand left us chasing after our own tails.”

“But didn’t it feel nice to help?” Luna chided gently as the doors closed with a whoosh, and the floor under them shifted upward. “Those chocochicks were devastatingly precious especially the one that mistook your hair as a nest.” She made no attempt to conceal her jovial laughter, much to the advisor’s chagrin.

“Yes…” Ignis swore that he could smell the unpleasant musk of the foul fowl that had catapulted itself at him. It took a handler several minutes to dislodge the chick’s claws without ripping out his hair. That quest was a story he rather not take home to Tenebrae and he would appreciate it that Luna did the same. Unfortunately, knowing the good lady like the back of his hand, she most likely wouldn’t let the ordeal go unheard. “Altruism is all well and good, but Lucians are a peculiar lot. You could only go so far on the kindness of strangers.”

“It was fortunate that we were able to help those people. The petting zoo attraction would’ve been short of animals to exhibit. The children would’ve been devastated.”

Ignis hummed at this. Luna, a woman of class and virtue, had always offered a hand. No task was never beneath her and as her advisor, it warmed his heart to witness generosity even if it led to unexpected adventures. The lord commander’s concerns were unfounded, the two companions’ identities went unrecognized and thus, it made their explorations unrestained. He had a hunch that getting out of the city would be uneventful as it was getting in unless those chocobo wranglers or other venders found themselves in assistance, Luna could never say no. It would be a hassle if reporters caught wind of Lady Lunafreya’s whereabouts and her business in the Citadel.

It was fortunate that his dear friend didn’t insist on taking one of the birds home, he would’ve enabled her and poor Umbra and Pryna would have had competed for Luna’s divided attention.

“At the price of missing the Oracle’s speech.” He turned to the young woman, the endpoint of his cane scraping the carpet beneath them. “By the by, how are you faring, Luna?”

“I’m… all right,” Luna answered though the lack of cheer in her voice was disconcerting. “We missed the speech. They’re bound to replay it as the festival goes on, but we’ll finally be able to meet with him soon.”

The two friends were silent after that. The music, banter, and sound effects from the festivities were distant the longer they rode on the elevator. All Ignis could detect is his companion shift from one foot to another, her clothes rustling, restless.

“You seem a little on edge.” Ignis observed. There was little that slipped past the advisor’s intuition.

“Not at all,” Luna denied as the rustling grew louder and her voice quaked. “It’s unbelievable the people could wear these garbs during a sweltering summer’s day here. You insisted that I keep my hood up at all times.”

Ignis still wasn’t convinced. His lady would never bring up meager excuses, not when she had something to hide. “I haven’t felt you this tense since we stumbled in that cave full of tonberries.”

“You fell into that nightmare, Ignis, and I rescued you.” The royal scion sniped, sounding crossed.

“Oh. Yes. I was attracted to the glint of their blades and I assumed that they were interested in a culinary match.” Ignis laughed to himself. Light was the only thing his eyes could detect and in his curiosity, he made contact with daemons. He and Luna made quick work of them and retreated when the horde arrived.

“I can’t believe I’m finally going to see Noctis, Ignis.” Had Ignis continued musing over a fond memory, Luna’s words wouldn’t have broke his thoughts. “This notebook we exchanged… means the world to me.”

“What brought this up…?”

“I thought over what you said. About you being there for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Does it seem silly that I haven’t done the same for Noctis? I mean, Umbra and Pryna have more physical contact with him than I do.” She paused, her throat constricted the rest of her words, “Maybe I’ve been insincere or dishonest to him… Or has he been withholding something from me?”

“Luna,” Ignis stopped her, holding out his hand. “Hand me the notebook, if you will.”

The advisor ran his fingers over the hardcover, tracing the smooth designs embellished on it. He never been privy to what the King of Light and the Oracle wrote in it and even if he was, it was never his place to ask about the contents. When Luna wrote to Noctis that she would be embarking a trip to see him in Insomnia, the cur had the audacity to write “Got it” in response. Luna’s heartfelt words, paragraphs she had requested Ignis to listen as she read them aloud and two words were all Prince Noctis wrote. She found it amusing, but the advisor didn’t take kindly to it.

“I’m confiscating this.”

“I do not under—”

Ignis waved the book lightly. “It’s in the past. Your future’s ahead.” He motioned above them before pocketing the book in his vest. It weighed heavy for such a slim memento.

Luna’s eyes were on him, he could sense her soft stare. Surely, she wasn’t plotting to overpower him to retrieve the book back, was she? “Why, Ignis, are you telling me I can’t learn anything from a book?” She teased further with a jest, “That would be refreshing hearing that from you for once.”

“Rereading pages from the same chapter won’t get you to the next.” He said softly, feeling an ache in his chest at the words. “This simply isn’t an exam you could cram for like you have in the past, Highness.”

It wasn’t jealousy, not exactly, but there was a vise over his ribs. Noctis was the Oracle, this fact couldn’t be denied, but under that authority, he was still just a man. What if he didn’t live up to Luna’s impressive commendations whenever she spoke of him? Ignis wouldn’t allow her to be hurt, never again. The fires of Tenebrae had been nothing, he would take out Ifrit himself if it would procure Luna’s happiness.

Everyone knew of the legend, a woman, blood of the Oracle from the Nox Fleuret nobility and a man, the King of Light, born into the Lucis Caelum dynasty, were chosen by the divine to safeguard the natural balance of the world. Together, the Oracle and King were to vanquish the Starscourge, it was their calling to fulfill, it had always been a woman who was the Oracle and a man who was the King. But then a phenomena occurred, the roles switched when Lunafreya and Noctis were born. History witnessed the first woman accept her calling as the King of Light while a man ascended to deliver holy testaments as the Oracle of mankind. Ignis was uncertain of what trials Luna had endured or what the future would hold for her. If Ravus’ training sessions were any indicator, then Luna would encounter conflict and grand battles. Ignis wouldn’t falter nor would he fear for Luna’s side was his place until the very end. But now wasn’t the time for fighting.

Today was an important day. Luna had longed to see Noctis and the desire went beyond a shared sense of duty.

The elevator came to a full stop, a bell jingled and the doors parted with a sharp whish. Ignis stepped first and Luna’s heels clicked after him before she touched his arm. A melodious and airy voice greeted them.

“It is heartening to see the King of the Stone once more. A sentiment that I do not enjoy alone.”

“Gentiana.” Luna was elated, her hand on Ignis’ arm trembled slightly as though uncertain of how to react to the welcome. “It’s wonderful to see you again. Blessed be.” She dipped low for a bow.

“Gentiana?” Ignis asked, tilting his head to how the King performed that bow, practically a bounce in her step.

“Gentiana’s a Messenger,” Luna informed the advisor. “A spirit faithful to the Oracle. She had accompanied King Regis and Prince Noctis to Tenebrae.”

“You are the blind seer,” Gentiana spoke out. “The stars have aligned for our fortuitous meeting, my prayers answered. Blessed be.”

“I wouldn’t call myself a seer…” Ignis was skeptical about this fabled guardian and how she held knowledge of him. Predictions of the political affairs held no water for what concerned his lady the most. “Blessed be, Messenger.” He returned the greeting with a bow.

“I apologize, the Oracle couldn’t be here to greet you formally. He has many duties to tend to after the ceremony. I stand here in his stead until he able to break free from them.”

Luna’s fingers anxiously tightened on Ignis. “Oh, of course! Today is very important. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Noctis.” She agreed, however, Ignis was seething inside.

How far they had traveled? How long had Luna waited for this moment? Did she mean that little, to be shoved aside this way? The Oracle was given a two-week’s notice of their arrival and he couldn’t prepare accordingly. Ignis squeezed a fist and did well to conceal it at his side. Unbelievable.

“Shall we retire to lounge? I have arranged tea and… coffee can also prepared if the drink is not to the seer’s liking.” Ignis flushed, he’d never been one for tea, piqued at having been outed so easy. He wondered how much the Messenger knew of him.

Luna giggled, “That sounds lovely, thank you.”

“This way then, my King.” Gentiana voice was soft and bell-like, echoing sweetly down the long hall.

Ignis couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed as he followed Luna’s gentle motions and words, the heat dying out of him like ice on a flame, her joy was almost palpable.

“How have the years treated you, Gentiana?” Luna initiated a conversation after the Messenger dispensed the beverages and tea cakes. “You look as lovely as ever.”

The Messenger hummed thoughtfully. “As of now, trying times are at a standstill, O King, but the Oracle has yet to reach his full potential. For the first time in many cycles, my liege may live a long and joyous life. I am very content witnessing his growth.”

Luna sniffled and behind a wobbly words, “I’m so happy to hear that, for you and Noctis.”

“Sweet girl, may I sing my praises that you have bloomed into a brilliant flower after all these years? You were but a bud facing towards the sun. I am enraptured by your presence today, a kingly aura like petals glistening and flourishing after the rain.”

Ignis nearly choked on a pastry, feeling like he was in the middle of some very heated flirting. Luna wasn’t faring much better, she was probably just as red.

“Oh-ah-um, thank you!” She said quickly, voice high and flustered. Ignis decided he liked the Messenger after that.

The royal retainer rose from his seat and the act didn’t go unnoticed by Luna.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to visit the loo,” Ignis retrieved his cane before directing a question to Gentiana. “Where may I find it?”

“The bathrooms are two doors down the hall on your right. You will pass the water fountain on the left, then the men’s room is on the right.”

“Thank you.”

“Maybe I should go with you…” Luna suggested.

Ignis shook his head. “You shouldn’t concern yourself. The directions were clear and concise.”

“All right…”

The advisor smiled. “I’ll return shortly.”

After Ignis’ visit to the toilet, he took his time exploring his surroundings. He was never one for staying in one place for long and though Luna would never accuse him of this, Ignis felt that he was encroaching on an intimate reunion. Luna never had close friends who were women, a cloistered lifestyle enforced by the Empire no doubt had a hand in the King’s interactions. She had earned this.

The advisor followed the rhythmic orchestra of water crashing into a pool from the fountain. He went close enough to feel the drops spray his face before backing away. Stretching out a hand, he felt the walls, stopping at coiled metal mounted on it. There was an intricate appeal that Ignis appreciated in the ornate swirls and twirls. He realized that it was a frame. As to what, Ignis sought the answer as he continued investigating.

Layers of paint cleverly collected on the canvas left a distinctive style in each brushstroke. It was an oil painting, but of what Ignis cannot distinguish. Even as he caressed the image, detect the techniques used, and find no flaw to distract him from his inquiry, the mystery remains such. Then he discovered a blemish, definitely not something the artist had intended. It felt like a scorch mark, a hole left in the painting. Almost small enough to go unnoticed, but someone deliberately made an effort to conceal it by plastering more paint on it.

“Who could’ve done such a thing?” He asked himself.

“Are you lost?”

Ignis dropped his hand immediately. He didn’t anticipate that there was an audience or a bystander. He would’ve heard the intruder’s footsteps approach. How careless he was for pondering over a mere painting. But then again, the advisor was the intruder, a permitted guest who was simply immersed into details.

Being caught in his zealous affection for the arts wasn’t what made Ignis’ heart stop. It was the voice of the speaker. Many times had Ignis observed Luna falling upon every word articulated from the public broadcasts, nearly dropping whatever she was doing at the time to listen and deliver her own prayers. There was no denying that those three words belonged to Oracle and Crown Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Ignis blinked on instinct at the voice, it was low and intimate, passing at him gently like the summer breeze. He closed his eyes and breathed out, it was more beautiful next to his ear than through a radio or a television, the static running it thin. In person it sounded light and airy, curling around him gently and encompassing him in an embrace before teasingly fleeting from reach.

Ignis hated himself for wanting to hear more of it. He let his hand trace over the edge of the painting before dropping it slowly. “Not lost in that sense. I was merely enjoying the piece. The artist showed great care in crafting it.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“Though someone left a mark on it. Most curious.” He continued as he stroked at his chin, puzzled. “It couldn’t been of the artist’s doing.”

“The Oracle did it,” the other man replied. “Maybe he thought could make a statement shortly after its completion. If someone didn’t come to put the fire out, that painting would be more than a little singed.” With mock exasperation, he passed over his own woven speculations. “He had his attendant cover it up pretty good or so he thought. Well, I won’t be the bearer of bad news that someone spotted it.”

Ignis wasn’t certain what scheme the man was cooking up or why he was referring to himself as a third party, but he’d play along for now. Contrary to his words, Noctis didn’t sound upset at all about the incident. What compelled him to commit vandalism? “A pity that he held a unfavorable viewpoint. It’s a marvelous painting.”

“You think so? Well, that’s the Oracle you’re touching.”

“My word! You can’t be serious!”

“Dead serious. Closest you’ve come to touching the real deal. The nose’s way off though.”

The Prince Oracle’s laugh was playful, Ignis felt his ears heat. Of course, the palace was where the Oracle resided, most of the paintings were probably of him. Ignis felt like a fool. To be caught stroking a depiction of the Good Lord, Shiva preserve him for his folly.

“Guess he’s pretty marvelous, huh?” The Crown Prince hummed, his voice a bit closer than where he last stood. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell if you don’t reveal that mark to anyone.”

Ignis turned to him, readily expecting a gasp at his unsightly scars, a normal response from new acquaintances. Instead a hand slid over his face. Astonished, Ignis turned away from the touch, his own hand flew up to seize the offending appendage, fingers curling tight around a wrist. Does this man not have no gauge of personal space?

“Sorry, that was rude,” Noctis apologized. “Should’ve told you I was going to touch them.”

“You should’ve asked instead.” Ignis growled, feeling out of his element before being entrenched in a cold wave. He was touching the Oracle, one of the most paramount figures of Eos. His office, body, and vestments were considered holy. He was also a prince, Ignis was a mere servant. He quickly released the wrist.

“My sincere apologies, I shouldn’t have done that.” Ignis said lowly and shakily reached up to adjust his glasses in attempt to free himself of his worn nerves, his body tense at the invasion. He expected the Prince Oracle would have his head for this and report to Lady Lunafreya to administer the appropriate punishment. His fate was sealed.

To his surprise he heard a snort. “Done what? Defend yourself? You got fast reflexes.” The last words sounded like he was praising Ignis.

“I’ve had time to adjust.” Ignis replied coolly.

The Oracle chuckled. “I suppose you have… Can we try this again?” The voice questioned, it was barely above a whisper and wounded tightly. Ignis sighed in disbelief, but nodded mutely. Consent was given. This time, the hands caressed his cheekbones and paused. “Can I remove your glasses?”

“Do what you wish.” He said pointedly. He should be bowing to the Oracle’s whim, but the last few minutes left him with him tense. Ignis never liked being touched there. He still had nightmares of the healers trying to preserve his life. The tonics they used left him in perpetual agony. Fingers teased over the rims and they were oh, so gently pulled away.

Ignis swallowed at the feeling of his last barrier being removed. Soft pads edged over the cut on his right brow then fluttered towards the worse of the damage: his left eye. Ignis flinched and the movement halted. There was a warm breath on his face.

“Shh, it’s okay.”

Ignis wanted to scoff and say something scathing in return but he couldn’t. He felt himself lean into the touch. Just why was he letting the Oracle have his way?

“There you are, Ignis!” Luna called out as she scurried towards the men, another set of heels followed at a more languid pace. “Gentiana and I were worried and—” The woman gasped. “Noctis, it’s you!”

“Your lordship is right welcome back to Palace Caelum.” The Messenger’s gratuitous greetings reverberated the room. “You humble us with your presence.”

And just like that the spell that the Oracle held over the advisor broke as the former lowered his hands.

“Thanks, Gentiana,” Noctis said. “Glad to be home in one piece. Sorry, I took so long, Luna.”

“No, that’s all right. I knew you were busy and… You must be exhausted.”

“Not exhausted to see you.” Noctis replied as metals clinked together. “I trust Gentiana kept you company while I was away.”

“Yes, she’s been a gracious host.” Luna paused before realizing her place. “Oh! Ignis, this is Noctis. Noctis, Ignis is my most cherished friend and advisor.”

Ignis bore in mind that Luna was watching and gave the Oracle a respectable bow. “It is an honor to meet your acquaintance, Your Highness.”

“And I liked it better when you were pretending to not know who I was.” Prince Noctis joked as he tapped the advisor’s shoulder with his fist.

“Ig-Ignis!” Luna gasped.

Ignis straightened his back, meeting the confident voice with a tilt of his head. “And who’s to say that you weren’t doing the exact thing?”

“Noctis!” Luna scolded. “How could you not introduce yourselves? That’s so rude!”

“Sorry Luna, Specs and I were just teasing.” Noctis laughed.

Ignis mouthed the new nickname to himself with a scowl.

Luna must have saw because her voice came out playful instead of trying. “Of course, boys will be boys after all.” Ignis felt his hair raise at the words.

“Oh yeah, speaking of Specs, here.” Prince Noctis voice was warm as he reached slowly and curled his fingers around Ignis’ forearm. Ignis felt something light placed in his palm. He blinked and made a low sound of embarrassment before placing the glasses back on his nose. “I’d put them back on for you but I feel like I’d get a fist to my face if I tried.”

Ignis hummed thoughtfully, “Capital idea.”

Luna made an annoyed sound. “You two, really.”

There was a sound of bells, clothes rustling over skin before a voice spoke.“It is growing late. Shall I show Lady Lunafreya and the lord seer to their rooms for the evening so you may recuperate?”

“Mmm, I’d like to do something else tonight.”

Ignis blinked, for once out of the loop as the conversation turned.

“That would be ill-advised, my liege,” the Messenger gravely implored.

“Noctis, you’ve had such a long day…” Luna said softly.

Noctis sighed, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Luna, you’ve traveled a long way and waited so long. I think I should start as soon as possible to grant your request.”

Ignis stood quietly. Request? His stomach churned. He moved, gesturing for Luna. A familiar hand curled in his and squeezed firmly. He stared in her direction.

“I was unaware you requested something of the Oracle… Are you all right?” He wanted his words to be light but his voice came out a bit strained. Was she afflicted with the Starscourge? How had he missed Luna’s illness? Had it been long? Was she in pain?

“Oh… Oh! Ignis, no!” A forehead was placed against his. “I’m okay!”

The advisor felt the tension he planned to unleash dissipate. He sagged against her. “Thank the Six.” He breathed.

“You honestly jump to such horrible conclusions, Ignis.”

“It’s my sworn duty.” He said dryly, feeling his charge chuckle. The corners of his lips twitched upwards.

“Your sworn nature.” Luna pulled away, squeezing his hands. “The request… was about you.”

Ignis froze. “About me?”

“Luna told me you lost your sight a long time ago,” the Prince Oracle explained. “She asked if she could bring you here for healing.”

Something broke inside Ignis. It clicked as to why Luna was so adamant pleading Ravus to allow Ignis to accompany her. The lord commander probably had a handmaiden in mind given that it was considered improper for people of the opposite sex to be alone together, no matter what the nature of their relationship was. Ignis always had followed the orders given to him. Perhaps Ravus had shared the same sentiments of male and female relationships and rather not leave his sister alone with the Oracle. While Luna made this entire about meeting a distant pen pal, she had been thinking about Ignis the entire time.

“Lady Lunafreya,” the advisor swallowed a lump lodged in his throats as he lowered his head. He suddenly felt like the wounded little boy with bandages draped over his face, begging not to be sent away from the court long ago. “Am I in the way?”

“What? No, of course not. How could you ask me that?”

Then there was the girl, just two years older than he, who stood in his defense, declaring that she would claim full responsibility for the boy though she was asserted that he was his own person first. She had nothing left, the jewels of her crown forcibly removed and no standing to demand anything of her oppressors. To demand the servitude of a mere chamberlain was a reckless and foolish gesture.  

“Because I…”

The retainer was a sniveling boy then, fearful of the unknown variables of the future if he was removed from Luna’s side. Ignis owed his life to her. It didn’t take long after the accident for him to realize that he was a burden. The rebellious princess had fled the Fenestala Manor many times and Ravus publicly humiliated her before the imperial captors. When Ignis was ordered to apply salves to the welts and angry scores on her back, the girl didn’t cry once. Ignis decided he had to be better in order to serve Luna, as her equal, in fulfilling her destiny and seeing their homeland liberated. Together, they had the will and they were far from powerless.

Luna brought Ignis into her embrace, swaying slightly as she rested her chin on his shoulder. The advisor returned the motion almost mechanically. “Ignis, you have been my pillar of strength. We were apart when Tenebrae burned, but when the flames were extinguished, a greater menace became our reality. You stood by me, let me lay my burdens on your back, but never gave me any in return. For every complaint and worry I had, you listened without fail.” Luna pulled back to take him my the shoulders. “There’s no else I would rather have by my side.”

“Luna, that’s hardly true—” Ignis argued.

“Remember the goblins?” Luna interjected.

“As you would let me forget even if I tried.” Ignis winced. Reminiscing about the past was almost an guarantee that it would lead to who saved who first and why. The advisor and the princess had plenty adventures when they were younger. Most of those exploits having to do with encountering monsters. Never a dull moment at the Tenebraen princess’s side. They encountered more creatures than a princess and advisor should.  

“I may had joked that I saved you, but I chose to go in that cave.” Luna’s voice turned a bit whimsical, “I’d stumbled upon an old wives’ tale about a beautiful creature who could recreate any sound in this world. Said creature could be found in that cave.”

“You wanted to hear your mother’s voice again.” Ignis said gently, remembering.

“Yes, it was reckless—”

“You were a child.”

“Yes, but I knew the cave was no place for children. You tried to stop me but I insisted, and you… You came with me. You held my hand, shielded me from the goblins, spoke to me softly as I wept and we came out of there alive. You saved me. I was wrong and put us at risk, but you always came to my rescue.”

“I only wanted you to be happy.”

“I know, and that’s why I asked this of Noctis. I know you’re not sad or alone, but with this you could be so much more. You guided me through that darkness. Now let me do the same for you.”

“It’s like what I told Luna,” the Oracle interrupted, his tone serious. “I can heal you but it has to be on your own terms. Nobody’s forcing you to choose.”

“Y-yes…” Luna stammered. “Please don’t see this as an order. If you refuse, then I won’t stop you. I only wish to help as your friend…”

“There’s no need to explain yourself, Luna. I know you have good intentions.” Ignis smiled before turning to Noctis. “Can it be done? Could you heal my sight?” He shook his head. “The healers said nothing could be done for me and it’s been many years…”

“I knew the moment I touched your face that it can be done.”

“You knew immediately? That’s impressive.”

“Well, I’ve had a very good teacher. Gentiana knows her stuff for sure.”  Noctis laughed off the compliment, sounding a bit embarrassed by it. “Still got a long way to go.”

“I am merely a guide, my dear Oracle, nothing more. What you have done, it was but with your own hands.” She replied, sounding proud and aloof all at once.

Prince Noctis made a sound. “Gen, you’re too modest.”  

“A trait I fear I’ve imbued in you.” She countered easily.

“Anyway,” The Oracle sidelined, “If you need time to decide, Gentiana can take you to your rooms and—”

“I’ll do it.” Ignis’ voice was strong, he licked his lips, “I would… very much like to see again.”

It was a will yet foreign to his ears. To reclaim a sense should be what anyone would desire, but to Ignis, he had lived in darkness for the past twelve years and adapted to it. The loss gradually became something that didn’t weigh on his mind aside from the opportunities locked from him. It would be a new perspective even though he didn’t know what it meant just yet.

“Sweet.” Prince Noctis replied, “I’ll take you my room, then.”

“What…?”

“I mean, it’s comfortable, has a casual ambience, and we’ll have our privacy.” The Crown Prince postulated slyly. “What’s not to like?”

“Plenty! For starters, our… relationship hasn’t progressed beyond acquaintances.” Ignis retorted hotly. He wasn’t aware whether this was a case of conflicting cultures or Prince Noctis was proposing something. Normally, one doesn’t invite someone to their room upon first introductions. Given all the buzz of admirers, Ignis was positive that the Prince Oracle was indeed a handsome man, but…

“Then let’s get to know each other better,” Prince Noctis laughed. “Just joking. It might take a while to reverse what’s been done to you and there’s no telling what’ll happen if we’re separated for too long.”

“Prince Noctis, are you certain you wish to do this?” Gentiana asked. “You have never performed a miracle that took longer than a few hours.”  

“And I’ve healed thirty people in that time. Broke my own record.”

“Then I’ll see that you are not to be disturbed.” Gentiana conceded with a sigh.

“Thank you, Noctis…” Luna’s voice sounded as it was submerged in water. “But if it’s too much…”

“It’s not,” he assured her. “No favor’s too much when it’s from a friend. Maybe Specs and I can become friends after this.”

Silence followed and Ignis sensed their gazes fall on him. “I… Yes…” He mentally kicked himself for sounding insincere.

“Well, I leave Ignis in your hands, Lord Oracle.” Luna exalted in an optimistic tone.

Noctis groaned, “Please don’t call me that…”

“Good night, Ignis,” Luna’s hand found Ignis’ and squeezed it. “I… I hope everything works out all right.”

“Rest easy,” Ignis patted her hand. “You’ll see a new man come morning.”

At that, the group parted ways. Gentiana was to show Luna the guest room and retire for the night while Ignis was escorted to the Prince Oracle’s personal quarters. The advisor found it strange how Prince Noctis insisted on healing him instead of meeting Luna’s expectations of nightly conversations at a cozy cafe until morning came. What special interest did he have to gain from this? It had to go beyond the request of a friend.

“There’s another reason why I wanted to take you here,” Prince Noctis began as he helped Ignis to a chair.

“Why’s that?” Ignis inquired. He felt around for a table before removing his tinted spectacles.

“I want the first thing you see be Insomnia’s skyline. My room’s got the best view of the lights, sunrise to dusk. The Citadel’s got a life to it, activity, there’s noise, but it’s relaxing. I can stand over there by the balcony and if I distance myself long enough, sometimes I’llforget that I’m the Oracle and Crown Prince.”

Ignis blinked, it shouldn’t be so strange for a person to speak about his homeland especially if it’s a place he’s fond of, but to hear the Oracle rave about it enthusiastically felt uncharacteristic to the way the media portrayed him. Prince Noctis seemed like a normal person who genuinely loved his home.

“I spared you the possibility of running into more paintings of myself. I can share the gorgeous sights with you.”

“There are more paintings of your likeness…?”

“Yeah… Like a timeline. People think that sending paintings of me are the greatest gifts they could bestow and my old man keeps on accepting them. It’s not flattering, just annoying.” Prince Noctis groaned. “No paintings here though.”

“I see…” Ignis nodded pensively, mildly absorbing the facts and thinking back to the mark on the painting.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“What do you look like?”

The two men froze and Ignis felt the informal atmosphere that Noctis projected was instantly vacuumed into regions unknown. They had spoke at the same time, syllables clashed and then realizing that their questions strayed off to different tangents, fell silent. Ignis made a massive error, he had forgotten his place. Simply because he didn’t possess knowledge of other people’s faces didn’t mean he had to ask the Prince Oracle of his. Word would reach Luna’s ears that her advisor wasn’t mindful of his courtesies, his reputation and career ruined, he single-handedly besmirched House Fleuret’s good name.

“My apologies, Your Highness. I—” Ignis stammered.

“Noct.”

“What?”

“Noct. It’s just the two of us here.” The Oracle said, quietly. “Can you say my name?”

Ignis swallowed. “Noct…” It felt foreign on his tongue. It wasn’t just the name, it was a nickname.

“Ignis,” Noctis sounded appeased. “Want something to drink?”

“Water would be lovely, thank you,” Ignis felt as though he was being asphyxiated, reminding himself that it was common courtesy to address someone by their preference. But a hoarse “Your Highness” managed to slip out. He needed that water, Merciful Shiva.

“Noct.” Noctis reminded from the other end of the room. He returned with a chilled bottle of water and Ignis downed a gulp. “So… You want to know what I look like?”

“N-no, nothing like that…” Ignis was in a barren desert and all the water in the oasis cannot rid him of his dry throat. “How would you describe yourself?” Just what about the Prince Oracle caused damsels’ hearts to race and devout followers’ tones to change? Why would he desecrate a self-portrait?

“Wanna touch my face and tell me how you’d put it? I can’t be held responsible if you get nightmares.”

“Well, I hardly think I’ll have nightmares. I don’t scare easily.” Ignis replied with an upward a curl of his lips, hearing Noctis move closer. A light, but pleasant citrus musk wafted, it must’ve been the man’s cologne.

“Only giving you a fair warning.” The Oracle replied lightly, a tease in his voice. “Here.” Fingers pulled at his gloves before they paused. “Uh, do you mind?” Noctis asked, a bit embarrassed.

Ignis had forgotten he had been wearing them. He almost never removed the gloves so the barrier was easy to brush off and placed in the back burner of his mind.

“No, I don’t.”

Softly, Noctis peeled them off, holding Ignis’ hands in his before carefully raising them.

Ignis followed the movement and reached out. The first contact was like ice. He must have made a face because Noctis’ voice was low, suddenly intimidated but he made no effort to pull away.

“Sorry, I run cold these days.” Noctis apologized as Ignis traced the delicate cheekbones. Hair brushed against his inquisitive knuckles. So young and dare Ignis note to himself, handsome. “I think… it’s because healing takes so much out of me. Someone told me it’s like laying on the grass on a midsummer’s day when they receive my healing.”

Ignis paused on Noctis’ chin, daring not to laid his fingertips on his lips. He found himself drawn to this man, wanting to hear more. “What does it feel like to you?” He questioned, curiosity winning out. “What sensation do you feel in return?”

Noctis’ answer was somber. “Like I’m caught in a never-ending blizzard.” His jaw clenched slightly.

“I’m sorry.” The response was lame but it was all Ignis could think to say.

Cold hands clasped his, Noctis had removed his own gloves, and the two men were forehead to forehead. The familiar caress had the advisor breathing lightly.

“Don’t be, I feel like I’m starting to warm up to you…” Elegant hands cradled Ignis’ face. “I’m ready. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Blessed stars… Kings of Lucis… Oracles of Yore…” Noctis projected his essence into the calling, voice detached and weightless in a request, “Please guide me.”

Behind atrophied and ruined eyes, Ignis detected two rings of gold light, nimbi around gray clouds, hovering over his face. The Prince Oracle’s hands carried a wonderful low-pitched hum. When the former moved them, the volume changed, like bells tolling in the distance, sending pleasurable sensations to the latter’s scalp and entire body. Ignis felt himself enveloped in warmth and understood what Noctis meant about the feeling. Above him, Noctis was muttering sacred passages, but nothing that the advisor could make out, a dead language in a hushed tone. Ignis’ eyelids fluttered, the amiable presence was soothing, warmth permeated his chest, and he nuzzled against the Oracle’s forehead.

A warm breeze, much like the emergence of Tenebrae’s summer solstice, captivated Ignis. This presence lulled him and lowered his defenses, allowing Ignis to bask in this heat he couldn’t see…

“You can talk,” Noctis ceased his indecipherable prayers, addressing Ignis normally. “It’s kinda weird if we stay quiet the entire time.” He chuckled. “Or you can sleep. Last guy I healed snored if you can believe it.”

Ignis blinked at the comment, slow to reach back into himself to gather a response. Words seemed few and far in-between but Noctis sounded like he wanted  something other than silence, so Ignis obliged.

“What would you like to discuss?” He questioned softly, honestly not sure his level of skill was on par with the Oracle, Luna would call him foolish, but outside customs and rules, Ignis knew little, and Noctis hardly seemed the type for either, if Ignis was being brutally honest.

There was a low humming, from Noctis this time, contemplative of the proposed question. “How about… you?” He said like it had been the obvious choice all along, Ignis flushed and felt Noctis forehead move against his own.

“Me? I’m hardly a topic of interest in conversations.” Ignis said lowly. He felt a heat pool in his stomach, continuing up to his chest, to his neck and stopping at his eyes as Noctis shuttered and breathed out, pushing the energy to a low simmer under his skin.

“Don’t sell yourself short. Luna thinks very highly of you. I’d just want to hear it from your mouth.”

Ignis snorted. “I’m not going to wax poetry about myself.”

Noctis chuckled, “There are other things I’d like to hear come from your mouth.”Ignis’ lips suddenly felt hotter than anything as he pursed them.

“Are you this brazen with everyone?” He whispered, horribly unnerved at how easy it would be to touch lips to Noctis’.

“Only with cute guys who wander in and feel up paintings.” The Oracle teased.

“C-cute?” Ignis repeated. “I wasn’t feeling up your painting, I was simply—” No, correcting that he was admiring the artwork wouldn’t have made a difference either way. He wasn’t certain if the Prince Oracle was either refreshing or downright frustrating. “If you’re curious, I suppose I’ll tell you.” He paused for a moment before speaking, “I hail from a hamlet in Tenebrae. Being that I was the only son, my parents wished a better future for me than to become a carpenter. My uncle used his connections within the royal castle to enroll me in a special program. I was considered gifted at a young age and given an important task to serve Lady Lunafreya. I was to be chamberlain of the household. Then…” He swallowed, his tone low, “Lunafreya allowed me to pursue a higher education despite my disability. Her encouragement led me to where I am today.”

“Made top of your class with honors and Luna still fights off nobles who are interested in you.” Noctis stated. “But what do you do for fun? Got any hobbies?”

Ignis wanted to turn away but he couldn’t. His wide eyes stared to nothing, but an awfully inquisitive shadow.

“Come on, Ignis, tell me.” Noctis said quietly, voice turning intimate.

Ignis let out a breath. What did he have to lose at the admission? “I had… at one point envisioned myself as a chef. It was silly given my upbringing but the idea appealed to me. Maybe it was one of my childhood aspirations at one point. Mind you, it was easier to concoct meals that weren’t too complicated in preparation.” The advisor chuckled darkly, “But as chamberlain and retainer, I couldn’t be lax in duty so I memorized recipes no matter how difficult they were. I was told that my dishes are quite delectable.”

“I really want to kiss you.”

Ignis jumped, head slamming into Noctis’. The Oracle’s hands came up and clasped his shoulders loosely.

“Sorry, sorry, a bit too much.” Ignis relaxed and sat back down. “You’re just too perfect… Can I ask you something crazy?”

“I don’t think I want to kiss you right now, to be perfectly honest.” Ignis said bluntly.

Noctis laughed, “I know, I was being a bit much, but that wasn’t it. Will you let me taste something you cook after this?”

Ignis blinked. “I… hadn’t thought of the first thing to do after I’m healed, but yes… If you think you’ll enjoy something mediocre. What would you like me to make?”

“I like pastries.” Noctis said, sounding a bit shy, his hand swept over Ignis’ brow.

“A sweet tooth. Who would’ve have known? Given your forwardness, spicy food might be something of your preference.”

“Well, spicy food is a close second.” Noctis cleared his throat. “No, last time I was in Tenebrae, I had these amazing desserts, but I forgot what they’re called.”

“Hmm… Tenebrae is renowned for many things, not limited to its cuisine. You want me to recreate these pastries for you?”

“If you can. I mean, you’re from there so I thought maybe…”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Ignis promised. He once baked cookies and cakes for Luna in the past, simple but edible things that the princess cooed over their sizes. That was before her taste buds for sweets had changed and Ignis ceased baking accordingly. “What are your hobbies, Noct?”

“Fishing. When I can. There’s not much open land in Lucis, you know. Ravus taught me.” Noctis sighed. “There was this lake and my dad wheeled me over and we sat on the pier all day.” Noctis smiled, his voice fond, “He was probably bored because I wasn’t at good at it. But instead of making me release the small fish, he let me take them home as pets.” He paused, quietly adding, “I’d like to go back to that lake someday.”

Something wet hit Ignis’ face.

“Sorry. Yeesh, this is embarrassing.” Noctis’ voice was light but it wobbled at the end. Ignis reached up the face, trailing his hand up the Crown Prince’s cheek.

“It’s all right to miss something.” Ignis said, gently.

“It’s just a fishing spot.” The other man argued weakly.

“It was where you and your father found peace for a time.”

“It was nice,” Noctis confided, “When I was chosen to be the Oracle, it was hard. But when I saw that look of relief on someone’s face after I performed a ritual, it was worth it, you know? But I can’t help everyone. Things just went out of my control. We’re taught, the end… it’s peaceful. The Six welcome you with open arms and you’re happy… I don’t believe it and I don’t think I ever will.” Noctis whispered, like it was a shocking secret, for an Oracle, Ignis supposed it was. “But… for the people that I couldn’t save, I want to believe it.”

That sort of belief, Ignis thought, is what made Noctis a great Oracle, a belief for someone else’s happiness even when your own was waning.

Silence settled between the two men for what almost felt like an eternity. “This is coming along great,” Noctis assured. “I can almost taste those pastries.”

“Is that all you’re looking forward to?”

“I told you, I can’t wait for you to see Insomnia. Maybe I’ll give you and Luna the grand tour while I still have you. Anything you want to see, you’ll get.”

“Noct?”

“Yeah?”

“Will I be able to look at my face?”

“Yup,” Noctis sounded perplexed by the question. “I mean, you should.”

Ignis shook his head. The Prince Oracle misunderstood so he asked a different question, the young man talked so much about recovering the advisor’s sight but nothing else. “My scars… would remain after this, won’t they?” A forced laugh pushed past his lips. “I’m told that they’re a frightening sight to behold.”

“What? Really?” Ignis was surprised Noctis’ voice held only shock.

Ignis’ lips twisted bitterly. “They must’ve disturbed you considerably when you approached me.”

“Touch.” Noctis said.

“Pardon?”

“My first reaction was to touch them. They’re very attractive…” His voice got quiet. “Is that morbid? You just… You’re so attractive. I can’t imagine how you looked before but I don’t really want to. The scars, they’re part of you and proof that you’re alive. Especially the one on your lip…” Noctis’ voice droned off with a sigh.

Ignis has never quite gotten that reaction, it was usually pity or sympathy though not often expressed in words, it was in their tone that soured the conversations. It got a bit exhausting to feel people’s stares, his glasses could only cover so much after all.

“They make you look… I dunno, striking? Powerful?” Noctis hummed, “It’s hard to describe. Your eyes are a beautiful green, a bit pale but boy, do they shine.”

“Ah yes, a milky film over green, lovely.” Ignis sneered, he’d been a told of that as well, it made him a bit queasy the first time it had be described to him.

“Whoever told you about your looks must have been jealous, Specs. You’re a vision.”

Ignis woke up lying on something soft, no longer sitting upright like he was in the chair. A bed. He didn’t recall ever falling asleep nor walking to a bed. Did it mean that the healing was complete? He dared to open his eyes, exhaustion fought at his lids and instead of seeing endless darkness, he saw dawn broke.

Soft rays of light peeked over skyscrapers and the sky was blushed with an array of radiant colors, colors that had served no purpose to Ignis for he had forgotten, save for gold and black. Daylight would soon bathe the streets of the Prince Oracle’s homeland. What seemed like absolute darkness was of the past and it permeated deep to his core. Noctis was right, Insomnia was breathtaking.

As he let the moment sink in and cherished the first sight in twelve years, fire embraced the space between his shoulder blades. Ignis rolled over.

A man’s raven locks were messily sprawled out over a pillow and delicately framed his svelte face. His black button-down shirt and white trousers were chaotically wrinkled by a poor sleeping position. Serenity and incandescence was about this man, no longer a silhouette but just the man in peaceful slumber. Ignis’ breath hitched in his throat and couldn’t help but be enraptured. He was stunning, possessing an almost otherworldly beauty. Ignis found himself questioning if this man was the savior who reclaimed his sight, that with his infernal mannerisms yet retain an air of modesty. This was Noctis.

But trepidation made the advisor’s heart uneasy. He sat up. Noctis’ complexion was flushed, splotchy and his slender brow was knitted in discomfort. Ignis’ hand pushed past the damp hair and rested on Noctis’ forehead. The advisor placed the other hand on his own. Noctis was running a fever.

“Feels good…” Noctis groaned, his eyelids fluttered, revealing stellar blue eyes as smoldering and subtle as open flames. “Morning, how you feeling?” His voice was groggy and slurred as he leaned in the advisor’s hand.

Ignis dropped his hand but swept at the Prince Oracle’s hair. “You’re burning up.” He murmured. “You said healing makes you cold.”

“Told you,” Noctis said through a sheepish grin as he closed his eyes. “Something about you… Burns me up.”

[antionetterparker]

Ranking the 38 best ways to make money fast TODAY

Stack that paper like Dunder-Mifflin, I’m not mad at you, you’d like to get to that paper TODAY.

In this actionable list, we’ve taken my Internet money-making experience and paired it with a researcher to figure out the best ways to make money today.

The result?

The best (and most actionable) list on how to make money today on the internet.

Let’s kick it off:

38. Donate plasma

This one’s for you really desperate folk who don’t want to take a couple hours out of your day to start something yourself.

Donating plasma is the exact opposite of scalable and digital, so I don’t really recommend it. Plus sitting around at a plasma center waiting room sounds like the DMV on crack. The only big upside is that you can watch Netflix or something while the needle’s in your arm.

Not the greatest money-making method, but if you need to make roughly $70, get over your fear of needles and head over to your local plasma center.

37. Recycle cans/bottles

Recycling cans is obviously not very scalable, nor does it pay a lot, but you can’t deny that it’s a quick and easy way to make some cash. If you throw away all your cans, start collecting them in a bag instead.

Pester your family and friends as well if you need to. Heck, if you’re really desperate, pick up after sporting events. You’ll find a lot of cans there.

If you live in a state with “bottle bill” laws, you can return your cans and bottles for that deposit. Otherwise, you’ll have to take your aluminum cans to a scrapyard.

36. Mow lawns

A tried and true business model for adolescents, yet adults can earn a quick buck mowing lawns too. Just ask family and friends if they got grass that needs cutting.

You can scale your lawnmowing hustle by hiring more people and offering more services, whether that’s fertilizing the lawn or shoveling snow in the winter. Eventually, you can sit back and manage it while your employees mow the lawns.

35. Rent your clothes

Welcome to the sharing economy — a sector that’s estimated to grow from $14 billion in 2014 to $335 billion in 2025. You can rent out just about anything nowadays, including nice clothes. (1)

List them on websites like StyleLend, Date My Wardrobe, and Rent Not Buy to bring in some quick cash. (2) (3) (4)

34. Start a daycare

Most American households spend 10% of their income on childcare, and 20% of households spend over 25% of their income on it. The average weekly cost for a nanny is $556. (5)

There’s a lot of money to be made here if you know how to scale. Start small by offering childcare services on websites like SitterCity and Care.com. Once you’ve got some references down, scale that to an in-home daycare so you can care for multiple children at once. Finally, start recruiting other experienced sitters and nannies to work for you. (6) (7)

33. Open a new bank account

The high level of competition in consumer banking means most banks offer hundreds of dollars in cash for opening a new account with them and moving all your money there.

Watch out for fine print stuff, though. Most require you to deposit a specific amount of money (usually large) and maintain that amount. Many also ask you to have a certain amount of money direct deposited every month or leave your account open for a certain period of time before you qualify for the signup bonus.

32. Odd jobs

All around your city are people who will pay you to do things for them. Getting groceries, raking leaves, moving heavy objects, you name it. Check out Craiglist and Facebook Marketplace to find some jobs for you, but as always, be safe and bail if you’re suspicious.

Or, you can sign up for TaskRabbit if they’re in your city if you want a central app with which to look for odd jobs here and there.

31. Sign up to be a movie extra

Depending on where you live, being a movie extra for a day or two is a fun way to make around $100/day and get the chance to see yourself on the big screen. You don’t have to live in LA or NYC either…according to Forbes, Louisiana actually beats California’s film industry now, and Georgia and Canada aren’t far behind. [8]

30. Offer luggage storage

If you live near a major airport and have a spare closet, or even some extra living room space, start offering to store people’s luggage while they wait for their flight. A buddy of mine lives down the street from JFK in NYC and made a killing doing this. He listed his closet on Airbnb and specified that he was selling luggage storage space rather than a place to stay – charges $10/hour per bag and makes 3 figures a day just answering his doorbell. [9]

29. Rent your driveway

Live near a football stadium? How about a popular beach? Offer paid parking in your own driveway or even on your lawn. The closer you are to the place people want to go, the more you can charge.

And yes, there is a tech startup specifically for listing your driveway for rent. It’s called Pavemint. [10]

28. Sell your used stuff

There are tons of places to go if you want to sell used clothes. Most cities have a Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange, and consignment stores will take anything from clothes to books to furniture.

For old electronics, check out Gazelle.com. Stuff in good condition could net you some decent cash on there. [11]

If you’d rather not leave your house, letgo is an app that lets you list used stuff and sell it from your cell phone. [12]

27. Offer moving services

Do you even lift bro? If you’ve got a truck or a van and some heavy lifting skills, offer to help people move their furniture for a quick buck. Advertise on Craigslist, but if you really want to get sneaky, paint an ad on your truck’s windows and park it near a U-Haul center. Traffic: redirected.

Turn your income passive by growing your client base and eventually franchising throughout the country.

26. Start a pet sitting business

You can actually make pretty good money watching people’s pets while they’re out of town or offering dog walking services. Websites like Rover.com let you set up a profile and connect with pet owners. This business idea is somewhat scalable, too. Offer to board them in your own home, and you can host multiple dogs from multiple owners. Pet sit in their house, and Airbnb put yours on Airbnb while you’re gone.

Get 10+ clients who need their dogs walked around lunchtime and walk them all at once…you could score a couple hundo in under an hour. [13]

For real scalability, build up a network of reliable dog sitters (students are great for this) and pay them, but take a commission. This will let you grow your client base to infinity.

25. Start a house sitting business

Even those without a pet need their homes watched when they’re gone for a long time.

Ask family and friends, then check out your local paper, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. Use a central site like Mindahome.com to set up a profile and expand your client base. [14]

If you could find some way to combine house sitting and pet sitting services into one business, you could offer on or the other as an add-on service for an additional fee.

24. Grocery shop for others

Grocery shopping is a healthy part of the gig economy now. Just look at all the green Shipt shirts in your local grocery store.

Shipt shoppers can earn between $15 and $22 per hour (including tips) depending on their speed and skill in completing orders. [15] Many reports on Glassdoor indicate that Instacart pays even better, plus its easier to sign up for. They might have less availability in your city, though.

Track your mileage for tax purposes, because you’ll be driving a lot for either of these services.

23. Help students with their homework online

If you’re one of those secret nerds who always wins at pub trivia and got all As in high school, you could make some easy money offering homework help online. Websites like eNotes, Tutors, Chegg, and WyzAnt will pay you to offer to tutor or write out answers to study guide questions. If you’re good, you can bring in $15/$20 per hour. You can work from anywhere and many tutoring websites let you set your own hours. [16] [17] [18] [19]

22. Micro-gigs

Micro-gigs are tiny, hyper-focused tasks that pay a few cents to a few bucks at most. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) hosts all kinds of micro-gigs like data entry, surveys, categorization tasks, rating YouTube videos, etc. [20]

Amazon Mechanical Turk won’t get you rich, but completing a few micro-gigs a day will earn you cash quickly.

21. Flip stuff on eBay

Flipping stuff involves buying things (or finding free stuff) and reselling them for more than what you paid. The trick to this business is having an eye for finding hidden gems and stuff that sellers don’t know the value of. Pair that with copywriting skills that optimize eBay listings, and you can actually make a living off this one.

Look for stuff to sell in the free section of Craigslist, at garage sales, thrift shops, flea markets, etc.

20. Test websites

User-friendly websites are critical to business success, so businesses are willing to fork cash over to you in exchange for testing their website and telling them the good and the bad.

UserTesting, a leader among website testing companies, pays you $10 per 20 minute test. Making the internet a more user-friendly place at $30 an hour is a pretty nice gig. [21]

You can scale website testing by creating your own website testing business if you know what makes a good website. Acquire clients who need their sites tested, hire people to do the testing, pay your testers a decent rate, and keep the rest for yourself.

19. Start a tech support company

Tech support is one of those fields that will always exist. IT jobs are expected to grow 22% through 2020, which is INSANE growth. [22]

If you’re one of those people who can keep up with technology, milk it. There will always be a knowledge gap here that lets you charge good money. If the Geek Squad at Best Buy can get away with charging money to click a few buttons for you (it costs $40 to have them set up your email or install iTunes), you can do it.

There are knowledge companies on dating. On learning code. On winning money in poker. And for the smart, non-addictive personality types: you can clean up on some poker wins (like this online casino).

18. Perform transcription tasks

This is a good one for people who need money fast and don’t have a specific skill to leverage. Companies like Transcribe Anywhere, Rev, and TranscribeMe will pay you to transcribe audio files to text. [23] [24] [25]

17. Sell crafts on Etsy

There are currently 1.8 million sellers on Etsy and 30.6 million active buyers. That’s a great supply to demand ratio…now to pick a product with a low cost and high return. [26]

If you can design cute greeting cards, bead a necklace, weave flower crowns, or knit a scarf, you can sell stuff on Etsy. If you can’t do any of those things, just put a bird on it. It doesn’t have to require immense talent to sell.

16. Sell services on a freelancer website

Based on data from popular freelancer website PeoplePerHour, self-employment is expected to grow 3.2% every year for the next five years. By 2020, half of the population will be self-employed. HALF. [27]

This is the future. If you’ve got an in-demand skill, you can make big money freelancing. But on websites like PeoplePerHour, Fiverr, and Upwork, you don’t necessarily have to be super skilled. You can sell just about anything you can do virtually, from online research to travel booking to dating advice. [28] [29] [30]

15. Sell stock photos

Got an SLR camera and know all about what F-stop, shutter speed, and ISO mean? You can sell your generic landscapes and portraits on stock image websites like iStockPhoto and Shutterstock. [31] [32]

14. Flip domains

If you want to flip stuff without leaving your home, or without the startup capital required for flipping houses, try flipping web addresses. Domains are basically internet real estate. Buy one up that you think will increase in value, sit on it, and sell it on a website like Flippa. [33]

13. Drive for Uber or Lyft

Lyft drivers make an average of $377/month taxi-ing people around larger cities, and Uber drivers make $364/month.

It’s okay money for a side gig and something you can start pretty quickly if you have a car. Plus, Uber lets you cash out your earnings to a debit card the same day you earn them (up to 5 times), while Lyft does the same for a $0.50 fee once you reach $50 in earnings.

But remember, these figures include people who only drive a couple hours a week. The more you drive, especially during peak hours, the more you’ll make. [34]

12. Rent out your car

Peer-to-peer car renting is a rapidly-growing sector of the gig economy.

A lot of people cover most, if not all of their monthly car payment by renting it out on Turo or Getaround. In fact, according to Turo, the Jeep Wrangler takes an average of just 5 days per month to pay itself off (and earns double its monthly payment on average). [35] [36]

And yes, you can scale your car rental hustle simply by buying more cars and listing them all on Turo. Target a specific niche (offroading, small nimble sports cars, muscle cars, etc.) or just get a wide variety of cars if you live somewhere suitable for more types of vehicles.

11. Deliver food

Another growing gig economy sector is food delivery. Now you can deliver food for pay with companies like Doordash and Postmates without having to work at a pizza shop.

If you’re already an Uber driver, check out UberEats. Uber lets you accept both types of requests during the same shift, ensuring a full work schedule for you.

10. Rent out your spare room

The average Airbnb host rakes in a whopping $924 a month by renting out their space. It’s by far the most lucrative venture when compared to all other gigs in the sharing economy. More than Uber, Lyft, and PostMates drivers make on average…combined. [37]

Plus, this is a business that’s scalable AND automated. Rent out your whole apartment/house for even more money and stay with a friend. When you make enough money, buy another apartment and rent it out full-time – ROI on full-time rentals is usually 150% or more. Some Airbnb hosts have built vacation rental empires this way and quit their jobs entirely. There are even services out there like Guesty that handle your bookings for you. Plus, this can be done 100% remotely. [38]

9. Credit card churning

All my 700+ club members (I’m talking credit scores) – this one’s for you. Credit card churning involves applying for lots of credit cards for the rewards, canceling them once you’ve gotten the rewards, and repeating. Advanced churners will go through 2-3 credit cards every 3 months, and some have used churning to go on free luxury vacations around the world, sitting in first class and staying in 5-star all-inclusive resorts.

If it’s cash you’re after, though, there are some ways to score that by focusing on cash back cards rather than travel rewards cards. The good credit cards often offer promotions where you get $200, $300, or even $500 cash back just for signing up. Then you can manufacture spending (you’ll have to read up on that one) on your credit card to milk it for even more cash back.

It involves some initial research (check the subreddit for credit card churning), but hey, it’s free money. [39]

8. Become an Instagram influencer

You know that girl on Instagram who’s always flaunting a new Chanel bag and flitting off to a different luxury island once a month? And you just wonder how the hell she makes a living?

Well, of those 200,000 followers. Yes, a lot of the content you see on Instagram is actually sponsored, and yes, you can make really, really good money.

The average sponsored post costs $300. That’s 3 hundos just to snap a photo and post it…and people with followers in the six-figure range, that number shoots up to the thousands. [40] Grab your iPhone 7, download the latest and greatest photo filter app, and get started.

7. Launch a crypto ICO

Remember how I mentioned investing in cryptocurrency can have huge returns?

Imagine starting your own.

Crypto ICOs are basically a way to hack funding your new cryptocurrency, and they’re blowing up. Initial Coin Offerings are basically fundraising/investment tools that allow you to raise money by selling “tokens” or cryptocoins rather than actual equity in your venture. Etherium, one of the biggest cryptocurrencies now, started out with an ICO that raised $18 million in 2014. [41]

Make sure your crypto has something valuable to offer, though; people are more suspicious of new crypto nowadays thanks to several pump-and-dump schemes since it became popular.

6. Be a virtual assistant

According to data gathered by Upwork, one of the biggest freelancer platforms, Virtual Assistants are one of the fastest-growing niches in online and freelance work.

The best part is that just about anyone with a computer and an internet connection can be a Virtual Assistant. There’s plenty of room for low-skill tasks like data entry, making phone calls, and scheduling appointments. At the same time, there are people who need Virtual Assistants who are masters at Photoshop, great at writing press releases, or excellent social media managers, and those VAs make a lot more.

5. Self-publish eBooks on Amazon

Thanks to self-publishing platforms like Kindle (Amazon), Kobo, and Nook, anyone who knows how to write can publish their own book. If you know how to write well, even better. If not, outsource.

You have to do your own marketing, but the royalties that these platforms take are insanely low. Take Amazon for example: on a higher priced book, you make 30% commission off every sale. Not bad. If your book is priced at $2.98 or lower, though, you get 65% commission off every sale.

So hire a ghostwriter and an editor to churn out low-level but intriguing books (think trashy romance novels or “how to” guides) quick and rake in the cash. [42] [43] [44]

4. Sell stuff on Amazon

Amazon makes up a whopping 43% of all internet sales. Just think about how vast the internet is and let that sink in for a minute. [45]

There’s a lot of money to be made if you know how to look for it. No, I don’t mean that used textbook from your freshman year of college.

I’m talking about Fulfillment by Amazon. Basically, you source the inventory, have it sent to Amazon, and they cover the rest: storage, shipment, everything. All you have to do is pick the products, make the listings, and take the orders. Plenty of people have completely replaced their income doing this.

3. Start a blog

Can’t leave this one off the list… blogging has worked out pretty well for me, lol. If you need some quick tips, check out my article on how to start a blog.

From selling ad space to influencer marketing to affiliate marketing to product sales to guest posts, there are countless ways to monetize a blog if you’re creative and smart.

Actually, some of the biggest sites on the internet (and likely some of your favorite sites) started out as blogs: Huffington Post, Techcrunch, Perez Hilton, Life Hacker… to name a few. The top blogs bring in 6-figure incomes per MONTH (HuffPo does 7). Within the top earners, advertising banners and pay per click are the biggest revenue streams, with affiliate marketing not far behind. [39]

2. Make money using Facebook and Instagram Ads (3-4 hours)

Understanding how to profit using Facebook and Instagram ads (they share the same dashboard) is a superpower.

It’s literally cheating.

Gary V says on almost every keynote that we’ll look back at these years and wonder why didn’t we go harder with this “underpriced attention”.

It usually takes some testing before finding profit, but once you’re there, you squeeze that juice as much as you can.

Step 1: Sign up for Facebook Ads [40].

Step 2: Find a product or offer to sell (Alibaba, Amazon, Ebay are great)

Step 3: Find an audience to sell (Split test different demographics until you find a winner)

Step 4: Find out how much Facebook ad money it costs to make a sale (cost per sale)

Step 5: Scale accordingly (Remember, if you’re spending $3 to make $5 over and over, go all-in)

Best training: Local Marketing Vault

1. Start a local marketing agency 

There’s a reason why some of the biggest names in internet marketing – Tai Lopez, Alex Becker and others — have launched courses around building your local marketing agency.

Going local is huge because it hones in on areas without much competition, and it can be replicated in millions of towns and thousands of industries across the United States.

It also brings in good money.

Consider: 3 clients paying you $3,000/mo.

Thats already a six-figure business.

But you gotta know how to bring it. If you’re already a marketer who understands how to bring customers to a business, you can get start getting contracts today.

Step 1:

The model is simple to learn, and our coaching program teaches you every step while connecting you with people who are already raking in 6-figures doing it.

Part 2: Money making trends

When you’re trying to make money fast, you’ve gotta be able to track where the money is now and where it’s headed. You used to be able to make a quick buck by starting a 2nd job flipping burgers or picking up a spare shift at the local bar, but that way of making money fast isn’t really as effective anymore.

A lot of things have been shaking up the way we make money and disrupting the economy in the past decade or two. The good news is, if you know how to spot new trends and adapt, it’s actually easier than ever for just about anyone to make a quick buck.

To break it down for you, we’re basically seeing 4 new economies taking over and ruling the way we make money.

1) Digital economy: from ordering food to personal training, everything that can be made virtual will…most of it has already. While department stores were down 6.4% last year, online retailers were up 11.9%. [41]

Pro tip: whatever you do, do it online. You can make money faster, and the sky’s the limit.

2) Sharing economy: peer-to-peer networks, sharing access to goods and services, renting out everything from your apartment to your boat to your clothes. The sharing economy is taking over, and it’s expected to increase by over 2000% in 10 years. [42]

Pro tip: Airbnb is the world’s largest accommodation provider… and they own no real estate. Uber? The biggest taxi company, but they own no cars. When you build a business like this, you don’t have to invest in physical assets, because they’re all being traded by your users. Brilliant.

3) Gig economy: Like I mentioned above, self-employment is the future. Data from freelancer websites shows that half the population will be self-employed by 2020.

Pro tip: Why have a boss when you can work for your OWN dream? Whatever your money-making scheme, do it for you, not someone else. No amount of money is worth giving up your freedom.

4) Global economy: globalization has already happened, and there’s no turning back…welcome to the 21st century. At the same time, we’ve all seen the “think global, act local” bumper stickers. Ironically, the global economy has spurred a HUGE trend in buying local, from farmer’s markets to local boutiques to all the hating on chain restaurants.

Pro tip: Go local…providing local services is the most predictable way to succeed in business.

However, thanks to globalization, local doesn’t necessarily mean *where you live*. Basically, do something in one locale, and if it works, you can replicate it endlessly across America… assuming your idea is digital.

If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed that local lead generation falls in line with all four of these.

I’ll Paypal you $500 if you show me a better money-maker than our method.

via https://mlmcompanies.org/ranking-the-38-best-ways-to-make-money-fast-today/

[mlmcompanies]

Stack that paper like Dunder-Mifflin, I’m not mad at you, you’d like to get to that paper TODAY.

In this actionable list, we’ve taken my Internet money-making experience and paired it with a researcher to figure out the best ways to make money today.

The result?

The best (and most actionable) list on how to make money today on the internet.

Let’s kick it off:

38. Donate plasma

This one’s for you really desperate folk who don’t want to take a couple hours out of your day to start something yourself.

Donating plasma is the exact opposite of scalable and digital, so I don’t really recommend it. Plus sitting around at a plasma center waiting room sounds like the DMV on crack. The only big upside is that you can watch Netflix or something while the needle’s in your arm.

Not the greatest money-making method, but if you need to make roughly $70, get over your fear of needles and head over to your local plasma center.

37. Recycle cans/bottles

Recycling cans is obviously not very scalable, nor does it pay a lot, but you can’t deny that it’s a quick and easy way to make some cash. If you throw away all your cans, start collecting them in a bag instead.

Pester your family and friends as well if you need to. Heck, if you’re really desperate, pick up after sporting events. You’ll find a lot of cans there.

If you live in a state with “bottle bill” laws, you can return your cans and bottles for that deposit. Otherwise, you’ll have to take your aluminum cans to a scrapyard.

36. Mow lawns

A tried and true business model for adolescents, yet adults can earn a quick buck mowing lawns too. Just ask family and friends if they got grass that needs cutting.

You can scale your lawnmowing hustle by hiring more people and offering more services, whether that’s fertilizing the lawn or shoveling snow in the winter. Eventually, you can sit back and manage it while your employees mow the lawns.

35. Rent your clothes

Welcome to the sharing economy — a sector that’s estimated to grow from $14 billion in 2014 to $335 billion in 2025. You can rent out just about anything nowadays, including nice clothes. (1)

List them on websites like StyleLend, Date My Wardrobe, and Rent Not Buy to bring in some quick cash. (2) (3) (4)

34. Start a daycare

Most American households spend 10% of their income on childcare, and 20% of households spend over 25% of their income on it. The average weekly cost for a nanny is $556. (5)

There’s a lot of money to be made here if you know how to scale. Start small by offering childcare services on websites like SitterCity and Care.com. Once you’ve got some references down, scale that to an in-home daycare so you can care for multiple children at once. Finally, start recruiting other experienced sitters and nannies to work for you. (6) (7)

33. Open a new bank account

The high level of competition in consumer banking means most banks offer hundreds of dollars in cash for opening a new account with them and moving all your money there.

Watch out for fine print stuff, though. Most require you to deposit a specific amount of money (usually large) and maintain that amount. Many also ask you to have a certain amount of money direct deposited every month or leave your account open for a certain period of time before you qualify for the signup bonus.

32. Odd jobs

All around your city are people who will pay you to do things for them. Getting groceries, raking leaves, moving heavy objects, you name it. Check out Craiglist and Facebook Marketplace to find some jobs for you, but as always, be safe and bail if you’re suspicious.

Or, you can sign up for TaskRabbit if they’re in your city if you want a central app with which to look for odd jobs here and there.

31. Sign up to be a movie extra

Depending on where you live, being a movie extra for a day or two is a fun way to make around $100/day and get the chance to see yourself on the big screen. You don’t have to live in LA or NYC either…according to Forbes, Louisiana actually beats California’s film industry now, and Georgia and Canada aren’t far behind. [8]

30. Offer luggage storage

If you live near a major airport and have a spare closet, or even some extra living room space, start offering to store people’s luggage while they wait for their flight. A buddy of mine lives down the street from JFK in NYC and made a killing doing this. He listed his closet on Airbnb and specified that he was selling luggage storage space rather than a place to stay – charges $10/hour per bag and makes 3 figures a day just answering his doorbell. [9]

29. Rent your driveway

Live near a football stadium? How about a popular beach? Offer paid parking in your own driveway or even on your lawn. The closer you are to the place people want to go, the more you can charge.

And yes, there is a tech startup specifically for listing your driveway for rent. It’s called Pavemint. [10]

28. Sell your used stuff

There are tons of places to go if you want to sell used clothes. Most cities have a Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange, and consignment stores will take anything from clothes to books to furniture.

For old electronics, check out Gazelle.com. Stuff in good condition could net you some decent cash on there. [11]

If you’d rather not leave your house, letgo is an app that lets you list used stuff and sell it from your cell phone. [12]

27. Offer moving services

Do you even lift bro? If you’ve got a truck or a van and some heavy lifting skills, offer to help people move their furniture for a quick buck. Advertise on Craigslist, but if you really want to get sneaky, paint an ad on your truck’s windows and park it near a U-Haul center. Traffic: redirected.

Turn your income passive by growing your client base and eventually franchising throughout the country.

26. Start a pet sitting business

You can actually make pretty good money watching people’s pets while they’re out of town or offering dog walking services. Websites like Rover.com let you set up a profile and connect with pet owners. This business idea is somewhat scalable, too. Offer to board them in your own home, and you can host multiple dogs from multiple owners. Pet sit in their house, and Airbnb put yours on Airbnb while you’re gone.

Get 10+ clients who need their dogs walked around lunchtime and walk them all at once…you could score a couple hundo in under an hour. [13]

For real scalability, build up a network of reliable dog sitters (students are great for this) and pay them, but take a commission. This will let you grow your client base to infinity.

25. Start a house sitting business

Even those without a pet need their homes watched when they’re gone for a long time.

Ask family and friends, then check out your local paper, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. Use a central site like Mindahome.com to set up a profile and expand your client base. [14]

If you could find some way to combine house sitting and pet sitting services into one business, you could offer on or the other as an add-on service for an additional fee.

24. Grocery shop for others

Grocery shopping is a healthy part of the gig economy now. Just look at all the green Shipt shirts in your local grocery store.

Shipt shoppers can earn between $15 and $22 per hour (including tips) depending on their speed and skill in completing orders. [15] Many reports on Glassdoor indicate that Instacart pays even better, plus its easier to sign up for. They might have less availability in your city, though.

Track your mileage for tax purposes, because you’ll be driving a lot for either of these services.

23. Help students with their homework online

If you’re one of those secret nerds who always wins at pub trivia and got all As in high school, you could make some easy money offering homework help online. Websites like eNotes, Tutors, Chegg, and WyzAnt will pay you to offer to tutor or write out answers to study guide questions. If you’re good, you can bring in $15/$20 per hour. You can work from anywhere and many tutoring websites let you set your own hours. [16] [17] [18] [19]

22. Micro-gigs

Micro-gigs are tiny, hyper-focused tasks that pay a few cents to a few bucks at most. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) hosts all kinds of micro-gigs like data entry, surveys, categorization tasks, rating YouTube videos, etc. [20]

Amazon Mechanical Turk won’t get you rich, but completing a few micro-gigs a day will earn you cash quickly.

21. Flip stuff on eBay

Flipping stuff involves buying things (or finding free stuff) and reselling them for more than what you paid. The trick to this business is having an eye for finding hidden gems and stuff that sellers don’t know the value of. Pair that with copywriting skills that optimize eBay listings, and you can actually make a living off this one.

Look for stuff to sell in the free section of Craigslist, at garage sales, thrift shops, flea markets, etc.

20. Test websites

User-friendly websites are critical to business success, so businesses are willing to fork cash over to you in exchange for testing their website and telling them the good and the bad.

UserTesting, a leader among website testing companies, pays you $10 per 20 minute test. Making the internet a more user-friendly place at $30 an hour is a pretty nice gig. [21]

You can scale website testing by creating your own website testing business if you know what makes a good website. Acquire clients who need their sites tested, hire people to do the testing, pay your testers a decent rate, and keep the rest for yourself.

19. Start a tech support company

Tech support is one of those fields that will always exist. IT jobs are expected to grow 22% through 2020, which is INSANE growth. [22]

If you’re one of those people who can keep up with technology, milk it. There will always be a knowledge gap here that lets you charge good money. If the Geek Squad at Best Buy can get away with charging money to click a few buttons for you (it costs $40 to have them set up your email or install iTunes), you can do it.

There are knowledge companies on dating. On learning code. On winning money in poker. And for the smart, non-addictive personality types: you can clean up on some poker wins (like this online casino).

18. Perform transcription tasks

This is a good one for people who need money fast and don’t have a specific skill to leverage. Companies like Transcribe Anywhere, Rev, and TranscribeMe will pay you to transcribe audio files to text. [23] [24] [25]

17. Sell crafts on Etsy

There are currently 1.8 million sellers on Etsy and 30.6 million active buyers. That’s a great supply to demand ratio…now to pick a product with a low cost and high return. [26]

If you can design cute greeting cards, bead a necklace, weave flower crowns, or knit a scarf, you can sell stuff on Etsy. If you can’t do any of those things, just put a bird on it. It doesn’t have to require immense talent to sell.

16. Sell services on a freelancer website

Based on data from popular freelancer website PeoplePerHour, self-employment is expected to grow 3.2% every year for the next five years. By 2020, half of the population will be self-employed. HALF. [27]

This is the future. If you’ve got an in-demand skill, you can make big money freelancing. But on websites like PeoplePerHour, Fiverr, and Upwork, you don’t necessarily have to be super skilled. You can sell just about anything you can do virtually, from online research to travel booking to dating advice. [28] [29] [30]

15. Sell stock photos

Got an SLR camera and know all about what F-stop, shutter speed, and ISO mean? You can sell your generic landscapes and portraits on stock image websites like iStockPhoto and Shutterstock. [31] [32]

14. Flip domains

If you want to flip stuff without leaving your home, or without the startup capital required for flipping houses, try flipping web addresses. Domains are basically internet real estate. Buy one up that you think will increase in value, sit on it, and sell it on a website like Flippa. [33]

13. Drive for Uber or Lyft

Lyft drivers make an average of $377/month taxi-ing people around larger cities, and Uber drivers make $364/month.

It’s okay money for a side gig and something you can start pretty quickly if you have a car. Plus, Uber lets you cash out your earnings to a debit card the same day you earn them (up to 5 times), while Lyft does the same for a $0.50 fee once you reach $50 in earnings.

But remember, these figures include people who only drive a couple hours a week. The more you drive, especially during peak hours, the more you’ll make. [34]

12. Rent out your car

Peer-to-peer car renting is a rapidly-growing sector of the gig economy.

A lot of people cover most, if not all of their monthly car payment by renting it out on Turo or Getaround. In fact, according to Turo, the Jeep Wrangler takes an average of just 5 days per month to pay itself off (and earns double its monthly payment on average). [35] [36]

And yes, you can scale your car rental hustle simply by buying more cars and listing them all on Turo. Target a specific niche (offroading, small nimble sports cars, muscle cars, etc.) or just get a wide variety of cars if you live somewhere suitable for more types of vehicles.

11. Deliver food

Another growing gig economy sector is food delivery. Now you can deliver food for pay with companies like Doordash and Postmates without having to work at a pizza shop.

If you’re already an Uber driver, check out UberEats. Uber lets you accept both types of requests during the same shift, ensuring a full work schedule for you.

10. Rent out your spare room

The average Airbnb host rakes in a whopping $924 a month by renting out their space. It’s by far the most lucrative venture when compared to all other gigs in the sharing economy. More than Uber, Lyft, and PostMates drivers make on average…combined. [37]

Plus, this is a business that’s scalable AND automated. Rent out your whole apartment/house for even more money and stay with a friend. When you make enough money, buy another apartment and rent it out full-time – ROI on full-time rentals is usually 150% or more. Some Airbnb hosts have built vacation rental empires this way and quit their jobs entirely. There are even services out there like Guesty that handle your bookings for you. Plus, this can be done 100% remotely. [38]

9. Credit card churning

All my 700+ club members (I’m talking credit scores) – this one’s for you. Credit card churning involves applying for lots of credit cards for the rewards, canceling them once you’ve gotten the rewards, and repeating. Advanced churners will go through 2-3 credit cards every 3 months, and some have used churning to go on free luxury vacations around the world, sitting in first class and staying in 5-star all-inclusive resorts.

If it’s cash you’re after, though, there are some ways to score that by focusing on cash back cards rather than travel rewards cards. The good credit cards often offer promotions where you get $200, $300, or even $500 cash back just for signing up. Then you can manufacture spending (you’ll have to read up on that one) on your credit card to milk it for even more cash back.

It involves some initial research (check the subreddit for credit card churning), but hey, it’s free money. [39]

8. Become an Instagram influencer

You know that girl on Instagram who’s always flaunting a new Chanel bag and flitting off to a different luxury island once a month? And you just wonder how the hell she makes a living?

Well, of those 200,000 followers. Yes, a lot of the content you see on Instagram is actually sponsored, and yes, you can make really, really good money.

The average sponsored post costs $300. That’s 3 hundos just to snap a photo and post it…and people with followers in the six-figure range, that number shoots up to the thousands. [40] Grab your iPhone 7, download the latest and greatest photo filter app, and get started.

7. Launch a crypto ICO

Remember how I mentioned investing in cryptocurrency can have huge returns?

Imagine starting your own.

Crypto ICOs are basically a way to hack funding your new cryptocurrency, and they’re blowing up. Initial Coin Offerings are basically fundraising/investment tools that allow you to raise money by selling “tokens” or cryptocoins rather than actual equity in your venture. Etherium, one of the biggest cryptocurrencies now, started out with an ICO that raised $18 million in 2014. [41]

Make sure your crypto has something valuable to offer, though; people are more suspicious of new crypto nowadays thanks to several pump-and-dump schemes since it became popular.

6. Be a virtual assistant

According to data gathered by Upwork, one of the biggest freelancer platforms, Virtual Assistants are one of the fastest-growing niches in online and freelance work.

The best part is that just about anyone with a computer and an internet connection can be a Virtual Assistant. There’s plenty of room for low-skill tasks like data entry, making phone calls, and scheduling appointments. At the same time, there are people who need Virtual Assistants who are masters at Photoshop, great at writing press releases, or excellent social media managers, and those VAs make a lot more.

5. Self-publish eBooks on Amazon

Thanks to self-publishing platforms like Kindle (Amazon), Kobo, and Nook, anyone who knows how to write can publish their own book. If you know how to write well, even better. If not, outsource.

You have to do your own marketing, but the royalties that these platforms take are insanely low. Take Amazon for example: on a higher priced book, you make 30% commission off every sale. Not bad. If your book is priced at $2.98 or lower, though, you get 65% commission off every sale.

So hire a ghostwriter and an editor to churn out low-level but intriguing books (think trashy romance novels or “how to” guides) quick and rake in the cash. [42] [43] [44]

4. Sell stuff on Amazon

Amazon makes up a whopping 43% of all internet sales. Just think about how vast the internet is and let that sink in for a minute. [45]

There’s a lot of money to be made if you know how to look for it. No, I don’t mean that used textbook from your freshman year of college.

I’m talking about Fulfillment by Amazon. Basically, you source the inventory, have it sent to Amazon, and they cover the rest: storage, shipment, everything. All you have to do is pick the products, make the listings, and take the orders. Plenty of people have completely replaced their income doing this.

3. Start a blog

Can’t leave this one off the list… blogging has worked out pretty well for me, lol. If you need some quick tips, check out my article on how to start a blog.

From selling ad space to influencer marketing to affiliate marketing to product sales to guest posts, there are countless ways to monetize a blog if you’re creative and smart.

Actually, some of the biggest sites on the internet (and likely some of your favorite sites) started out as blogs: Huffington Post, Techcrunch, Perez Hilton, Life Hacker… to name a few. The top blogs bring in 6-figure incomes per MONTH (HuffPo does 7). Within the top earners, advertising banners and pay per click are the biggest revenue streams, with affiliate marketing not far behind. [39]

2. Make money using Facebook and Instagram Ads (3-4 hours)

Understanding how to profit using Facebook and Instagram ads (they share the same dashboard) is a superpower.

It’s literally cheating.

Gary V says on almost every keynote that we’ll look back at these years and wonder why didn’t we go harder with this “underpriced attention”.

It usually takes some testing before finding profit, but once you’re there, you squeeze that juice as much as you can.

Step 1: Sign up for Facebook Ads [40].

Step 2: Find a product or offer to sell (Alibaba, Amazon, Ebay are great)

Step 3: Find an audience to sell (Split test different demographics until you find a winner)

Step 4: Find out how much Facebook ad money it costs to make a sale (cost per sale)

Step 5: Scale accordingly (Remember, if you’re spending $3 to make $5 over and over, go all-in)

Best training: Local Marketing Vault

1. Start a local marketing agency 

There’s a reason why some of the biggest names in internet marketing – Tai Lopez, Alex Becker and others — have launched courses around building your local marketing agency.

Going local is huge because it hones in on areas without much competition, and it can be replicated in millions of towns and thousands of industries across the United States.

It also brings in good money.

Consider: 3 clients paying you $3,000/mo.

Thats already a six-figure business.

But you gotta know how to bring it. If you’re already a marketer who understands how to bring customers to a business, you can get start getting contracts today.

Step 1:

The model is simple to learn, and our coaching program teaches you every step while connecting you with people who are already raking in 6-figures doing it.

Part 2: Money making trends

When you’re trying to make money fast, you’ve gotta be able to track where the money is now and where it’s headed. You used to be able to make a quick buck by starting a 2nd job flipping burgers or picking up a spare shift at the local bar, but that way of making money fast isn’t really as effective anymore.

A lot of things have been shaking up the way we make money and disrupting the economy in the past decade or two. The good news is, if you know how to spot new trends and adapt, it’s actually easier than ever for just about anyone to make a quick buck.

To break it down for you, we’re basically seeing 4 new economies taking over and ruling the way we make money.

1) Digital economy: from ordering food to personal training, everything that can be made virtual will…most of it has already. While department stores were down 6.4% last year, online retailers were up 11.9%. [41]

Pro tip: whatever you do, do it online. You can make money faster, and the sky’s the limit.

2) Sharing economy: peer-to-peer networks, sharing access to goods and services, renting out everything from your apartment to your boat to your clothes. The sharing economy is taking over, and it’s expected to increase by over 2000% in 10 years. [42]

Pro tip: Airbnb is the world’s largest accommodation provider… and they own no real estate. Uber? The biggest taxi company, but they own no cars. When you build a business like this, you don’t have to invest in physical assets, because they’re all being traded by your users. Brilliant.

3) Gig economy: Like I mentioned above, self-employment is the future. Data from freelancer websites shows that half the population will be self-employed by 2020.

Pro tip: Why have a boss when you can work for your OWN dream? Whatever your money-making scheme, do it for you, not someone else. No amount of money is worth giving up your freedom.

4) Global economy: globalization has already happened, and there’s no turning back…welcome to the 21st century. At the same time, we’ve all seen the “think global, act local” bumper stickers. Ironically, the global economy has spurred a HUGE trend in buying local, from farmer’s markets to local boutiques to all the hating on chain restaurants.

Pro tip: Go local…providing local services is the most predictable way to succeed in business.

However, thanks to globalization, local doesn’t necessarily mean *where you live*. Basically, do something in one locale, and if it works, you can replicate it endlessly across America… assuming your idea is digital.

If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed that local lead generation falls in line with all four of these.

I’ll Paypal you $500 if you show me a better money-maker than our method.

[beimanorthrun-blog]

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Hurricane Florence Makes Its Presence Felt, Days Before Landfall

ELIZABETH CITY, N. C.—Hurricane Florence disrupted travel and halted business across a swath of the Southeast days before the storm’s expected landfall.

Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, Daimler AG and Volvo Cars suspended production Wednesday at their new plants near Charleston, S.C., and Boeing Co. stopped production at its plant in North Charleston, S.C.

Florence weakened over the Atlantic Ocean and was downgraded late Wednesday to a Category 2 hurricane. Even so, it is expected to remain an “extremely dangerous major hurricane” when it nears the coast late Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorologists said the storm was tracking slowly across the Atlantic and had shifted south Wednesday, lining up to affect Georgia more than previously expected. Florence has the potential to dump historic amounts of rain, as much as 40 inches in some places.

Aviation data site FlightAware reported 280 cancellations Wednesday, and 547 Thursday.

“Based on current models, it’s likely that the biggest impact will be to the Charlotte airport,” a FlightAware spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said it was flying larger aircraft than planned on routes in the region ahead of the storm and adding flights, for a total of 1,000 additional seats aimed at assisting evacuations. United Continental Holdings Inc. also added service to the area to help passengers evacuate, said chief executive Oscar Munoz.

American Airlines Group Inc. canceled some 705 flights in the region scheduled between Wednesday and Sunday. Southwest Airlines has canceled 264 flights through Saturday morning.

Some airlines waived change fees and allowed passengers to fly out of the storm’s path with extra luggage and pets on board for free.

“We’re doing everything we can to help them,” American Airlines Group CEO Doug Parker said Wednesday at a conference in Washington, D.C.

Duke Energy Corp. said the hurricane could knock out electricity for more than 1 million of its 4 million customers in the Carolinas.

“People could be without power for a very long time. Not days, but weeks,” David Fountain, the North Carolina president of Duke Energy, said Wednesday.

The company has been assembling 20,000 utility workers from as far away as Texas so crews can begin restoring power in the region as soon as it is safe. Mr. Fountain said the company is “primed and ready.”

A Boeing spokesman said some 787s were flown from its plant in North Charleston, S.C., to the plane maker’s facilities in Everett, Wash. “We...will continue 787 production there until it is safe for our employees to return back to work in South Carolina,” the spokesman said.

BMW AG also has a plant in the state, and railcars transporting vehicles to the port of Charleston for export have been diverted to holding areas, said a BMW spokesman.

With more than 400 automotive suppliers located in South Carolina, a supply-chain disruption could be far reaching, according to automotive forecasting firm LMC Automotive.

The firm said while plants in South Carolina are at the greatest risk for an extended production loss, automotive plants in Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee could be impacted by flooding.

State and local authorities in the Carolinas and Virginia had ordered at least 1.5 million people to evacuate the coasts, while urging many more to leave. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster lifted some orders for the southernmost parts of the state, but on Wednesday urged people in flood-prone areas to get to higher ground.

With Florence’s predicted path shifting south, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency Wednesday for his entire state. Virginia, the Carolinas and the District of Columbia had already declared states of emergency. President Trump has issued federal emergency declarations for Virginia and the Carolinas so far. The president spoke with Mr. Deal on Wednesday and let him know the federal government was ready to help with anything the state needed, according to White House.

In inland North Carolina, the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg—the nation’s largest military installation—said only “mission and emergency essential personnel” should report on Thursday and Friday. The base told service members to contact their commanders for guidance.

Across the region, many people boarded up homes and businesses and left to areas farther inland or out of the storm’s predicted path. Others gathered supplies and prepared to ride it out in their homes.

In Elizabeth City, N.C., employees at a Lowe’s helped customer after customer load 50-pound bags of sand into their cars and trucks. Karol Smith came looking to pick up 300 pounds of sand for her house. “This is my first big storm here,” she said, as she and her daughter loaded their vehicle. “We have been all over the place trying to find stuff.”

In Goldsboro, N.C., Jacob Whitfield said he planned to close his jiu jitsu school Wednesday night, then will head west with his family to stay with his mom outside of Greensboro. Fresh in his mind was another powerful storm, Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

“We’re right on the edge of where it’s going to be really bad,” he said. “When Hurricane Matthew came through the flooding was biblical. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen again.”

—Adrienne Roberts, Jon Kamp, Scott Calvert and Alison Sider contributed to this article.

Write to Erin Ailworth at Erin.Ailworth@wsj.com, Cameron McWhirter at cameron.mcwhirter@wsj.com and Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/hurricane-florence-could-be-the-storm-of-a-lifetime-1536759584?mod=rss_asia_whats_news

[kathleengage696]

New Post has been published on Power Up for Profits

New Post has been published on http://www.powerupforprofits.com/2017/07/a-crucial-insight-for-authors-to-increase-revenue-opportunities.html

A crucial insight for authors to increase revenue opportunities

Virtually every client I work with has similar goals.

Write a book

Market an existing book

Be booked to speak

Make money …. and lots of it

Influence others with the written and spoken word

These are all achievable goals for experts who are willing to put in the time, money and effort with laser focus on the outcome; selling books.

You might be wondering why the great majority of my clients have similar goals. One, I’m clear on what I offer… are you? Two, I’m clear on who I can best serve… are you? Three, it’s my passion and I have a track record of success in these areas… do you?

The more you know who your market is, what your expertise is and you are in alignment with the products and services you offer, the better.

The Plan

It’s important to have a plan around your outcomes. Otherwise, like many frustrated experts who write books, you end up spinning your wheels.

Recently, I wrote a post about what to determine before anything else. My recommendation is to read that post in addition to this one.

Once you establish who you’re writing for, where they hang out and how you plan to reach them, you can move into a really great way to generate revenue while creating massive value.

Conversion funnels

A conversion funnel is exactly what it sounds like; a way to convert tire kickers into subscribers and subscribers into buyers.

In a recent consulting call with a client, we mapped out a first level conversion funnel she could create to generate leads and revenues from those who read her book.

The image of the simple funnel is just that, very simple. As you move forward you can get much more complex in what you’re doing, but start with something simple and manageable.

One reason people give up on funnels is due to complexity. To start, a two step funnel is perfect.

Set, Go and Drive

I have four main funnels in place. Each begins with a gift that is specific to book marketing and speaking (or both). The gift for each funnel is of extraordinarily high value as is the first level offer and every offer that follows.

Once the funnels are set up, you can pretty much set and go. From there, you drive traffic to the opt in page. This is done in a number of ways including the very thing I am doing in this post, adding links throughout my post. There are plenty of other ways, but for the purpose of this post, we will stay the on target with getting you on board to create funnels.

You do have to test things, so don’t assume you can throw something up online and the floodgates will open. With the right testing, analytics and tweaks, you will have a winner.

Value … ALWAYS

I’m a firm believer is giving incredible value to my community. All of my conversion funnels create high value every step of the way.

Here’s a look at first level one of my conversion funnels. It’s for Cheat Sheets and Checklists for Profitable Speaking gigs.

When someone opts into this offer, they are then taken to a small up-sell offer. This gives them a chance to “test the waters” for a very minimal investment. The program they can get for the low cost once sold for 10X the amount.

Why would I do this? To turn a subscriber into a buyer. It’s simple mathematics.

Click here to get the Cheat Sheets and Checklists or click the image.

Before we continue

Let’s get one thing out of the way before you continue reading this post. This particular post is only for authors who want to generate revenue. If you’re writing simply for the joy of writing, fantastic. This is not for you.

However, if you’re they type of author who loves writing AND you want to generate revenues from your efforts, this is for you.

Now that we’ve gotten that on the table, let’s get on with the topic at hand; authors making money.

The client I mentioned is an expert on wellness. The information I shared with her could apply to just about any genre whether it be pets, relationships, Feng Shui, parenting, entrepreneurship, or investing. Just about any topic or genre works.

The many ways that an author can make money are…

Book sales

Speaking fees

Selling from the platform

Consulting fees

Product sales

A book can be a “feeder” into all of these revenue streams. A feeder can be the first level of a conversion funnel.

Start today to create a funnel

Years ago I had a mentor who encouraged me to get my first funnel done before creating a second, third or fourth.

These sage words made a huge difference to the success of my business. Why? First, I learned a lot with the first funnel. Two, rather than simply being in creation mode, which can make us believe we are being productive, it’s essential to be in implementation mode. Third, you are securing your financial future as an author.

Here’s the thing, when you have funnels in place, no matter what’s happening with the economy, having various information products such as books, eBooks, eReports, transcripts, and MP3’s you can put into aspects of the funnels, can make a huge difference to your bottom-line.

You can go from a so-so revenue stream to one where you can generate thousands upon thousands of dollars each and every year (for some of us, monthly) in passive income.

Announce Your “Thing”

Once you have the elements in place and you’ve been building your list, you are in a great position to announce local book signings, interviews, podcast shows, new blog posts that relate to your book(s), new releases and so much more.

If you have yet to create your first funnel, isn’t it time to get in the game? You may be shocked at how much opportunity you are literally leaving on the table by not having this in place.

Time Factors

I often hear this from authors, “I just don’t have the time or knowledge.”

My response, “Make the time. If need be, hire the job out to someone who can get it done lick-itty-split.”

Time management is crucial to an author’s success. If you struggle with this, join the Book Accelerator program members live on Monday, July 24th at 11 a.m. Pacific for a private training on productivity.

During this private training, I’ll share my best strategies for productivity that lead to higher output and increased profits.

I’ll also be going into more detail on conversion funnels.

Click here for more information and to join.

[wildlyhardphilosopher-blog]

potty training adult dog | how to train my puppy to come to me

New Post has been published on https://dogtraining.dknol.com/english/potty-training-adult-dog-how-to-train-my-puppy-to-come-to-me/?utm_source=Tumblr&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230+Freda+K+Pless&utm_campaign=SNAP%2Bfrom%2BBest+Dog+Training

potty training adult dog | how to train my puppy to come to me

How to prevent and resolve common puppy issues like nipping, inappropriate chewing, excessive barking, and jumping up. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to think we’re like any other dog trainers. Not only does our program surpass any other dog training program around, but our clients are welcome and encouraged to train with us for the lifetime of their dog. If you keep coming, we’ll keep teaching. At no additional cost!! Our “Lifetime” clients are also invited to our annual picnics and parties for dogs, as well as receiving a discount on boarding. Over the years, we have helped thousands of people with their family pets, therapy dogs, hunting dogs, personal protection dogs, police dogs, narcotics detection dogs, and service dogs for people with special needs. If you have any questions, please watch our training videos, feel free to call, send an e-mail, or stop by a group class. The training staff and I look forward to meeting you. Intro to Dog Sports Hi, wondering if these steps would work for another breed of dog, such as a Shih-Tsu? Thank you for your help. 8 in 1 Teaching your dog to walk calmly beside you while leashed in public is both incredibly important and incredibly difficult. To be fair, it’s only difficult because you must take time to practice properly several times per week and with incrementally-increasing levels of distraction for your dog. How to toilet train your dog © Rebecca Newens It is not acceptable for puppies to bite people, or other animals, unless they are in true physical danger and need to defend themselves. Forgot password? Message Boards Live Reptiles What Does The Course Guidebook Include? Start a Fundraiser Regular feedings will house train a puppy faster This is why your best line of attack when toilet training a puppy is to pre-empt them with plenty of trips outside. 1 (800) 419-8748 Dog Training Internships Gayle Gaston With no regular, predictable pattern to when your puppy needs to poop, house training will be more difficult. Training Your Cat To Stay Inside Great advice! Well written thank you Sometimes your dog may bark or whine while in the crate or pen. Or if he is confined inside a room, he may scratch, whine, or bark at the door. Dogs that don’t give you any verbal cues need to be observed carefully, because the only sign you may get is the sniffing and circling routine. Get Naked Created by Kathryn Newman in 1996, we pioneered in-home dog training in the Twin Cities. From puppy training & Good Manners in the home to national consulting & regular, featured appearances on KARE-11 TV, Kathryn and her talented team have grown Augusta to four Twin Cities locations to include doggy daycare, overnight care, dog training classes and professional grooming. 3:13 Guardian Gear (1) I totally understand you don’t want to crate her all day – and you shouldn’t. I’m sure you have thought about getting someone to take her for a walk in the middle of the day if at all possible? It is hard for such a young dog to keep it in for a whole day… To find a solution I think you can Tweet on Twitter July 27, 2018 If you seek in-home training, are you in Pavlov’s territory? (Click the contact page to view our territory.)* 5.0 out of 5 starsVery helpful Initially, you will have to build your routine around your puppy’s needs, and these are reliably predictable when they are very young. Puppies need to urinate immediately after waking up, so you need to be there to take your puppy straight into the garden without any delay. Hyperactive/overexcited Trap Neuter Return – TNR Dog Training Locations real-time updates from Patch. Not Helpful 21 Helpful 82 1,007FansLike Train Comment: * © Vetwest Animal Hospitals 2018 BREED INFO Create the dog’s calm submissive state The Canine Dimensions Puppy GoodStart® program Burt’s Bees Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter Google+ Newsletter 39 Healthy Treats You Can Stuff in a Kong If you live in a condo or apartment without easy access to the outdoors, indoor housetraining may be your best option. Training your puppy to use pee pads can make life easier for both of you and help to keep the mess contained. This training method is not perfect, but it works well for many dog owners. If you’d like to give it a try, we recommend Four Paws Wee-Wee Pads . Cornucopia Institute About Cesar Millan Shy Dog (Wallflowers) Brewer-Patriot Sets Up Shop In Lakewood Follow the instructions on the container, but repeat three times. Missing Teeth? Material Why does my puppy bite my other dog’s face? Use Deterrents Changing Lives: Strollers & Bicycle Baskets Get “HAWS-ed”! One of the most common—and worst—training mistakes is to punish the puppy once he finally does come. Sure, you’re irked that he ignored your frantic screaming his name to come. Maybe chasing him made you late for work. But you teach the wrong lesson by acting upset. He learns that when he finally comes he’ll be chastised, so he’s even less likely to obey the next time. Never punish when your puppy comes no matter how long it takes him to respond. Here’s how to teach your puppy to come on command. Playing… Playing… Free professional nurse advice Skin/Food Sensitivities New customer? Start here Deworm Cats Lori Chamberland is the Director of Karen Pryor Academy. She also provides limited in-home dog training in the Hudson, MA, area. A canine sports enthusiast, Lori and her dogs have competed in agility, K9 Nose Work, and Treibball.  B2B Solutions I approach marking like all housetraining problems, taking dogs back to Housetraining 101, with the emphasis on keen attention, since it is important to interrupt the urge to mark before actual house-soiling occurs. For dogs who are chronic markers, a belly band that prevents house-soiling may be a helpful management tool. Armarkat Flea & Tick Collars ERROR Search for: Creating the right environment During and/or after playing and exercising 3 How dogs learn More Options Burt’s Bees “Early Puppy Training” CL Battaglia. Breeding Better Dogs. Our Links What [Graham] was able to do was nothing short of miraculous. He took an abused, confused, terrified dog and eased him into the busy world of Southern California. $150 Not all puppies are the same. Some will need to wee within 2 minutes of drinking, others after 20 minutes. Some will need a bathroom break within 2 minutes of waking, others 15 minutes later. Crime Map Toilet training a puppy Phone The only way to correct your puppy Granting Free Time In Your Home One of the first questions we are asked at puppy kindergarten is how are you doing with potty training your puppy? Even our most experienced puppy raisers will still sometimes have questions on how to potty train a puppy. Your puppy’s tail #2 in Books > Medical Books > Veterinary Medicine > Food Animals Veterinarians across the country have recommended our in-home puppy training program as a safe alternative to group lessons for young puppies who have not yet been fully vaccinated. With our in-home program, you can start your puppy’s training as young as 8 weeks of age! Teaching good manners at a young age is the key to having a polite, well-mannered dog later on. If you own an older puppy, don’t worry, it’s never too late to start! Our certified dog trainers can custom design the perfect training program for your puppy at any age. The Canine Dimensions Puppy GoodStart program is the only puppy training program that teaches owners how they can actually prevent aggression later on. This is especially important for families with children in the home.

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fbq('track', 'ViewContent', content_ids: 'dogtraining.dknol', ); In case you missed it… Baby gate: baby gates are a great way to keep your puppy from sneaking away to other parts of the house unsupervised. Grreat Choice® Dog Pads Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Dog Training Locations With over 45 years of combined experience, there is no problem too big or small for our certified dog trainers Don’t rush the process. Remember, you’re asking a lot of your dog. If you take it up a notch and he’s really struggling, go back to the previous stage. Alpha roll ‘Did Not Rise To Level’ Of Cruelty: SnoCo Auditor On Dog Beating Friends of HAWS If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Website Info & FAQs Briard Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Few things are cuter or more fun than a new puppy. Bringing home one of these furry bundles of joy is often among a pet owner’s most treasured memories. The first few weeks will be filled with special milestones and precious bonding time. But to ensure that you look back fondly on the start of life with your new pet, you must take a few steps to help him grow into a well-behaved adult: The Goldendoodle Handbook: The Essential Guide For New & Prospective Goldendoodle O… The date listed is the start date of class. You MUST pre-register for all classes. All classes meet once a week on the same day and time. Prices and dates subject to change without notice. People often ask me at what age they should start puppy training. The answer is immediately! Here are some quick tips on the steps to training and maintaining an obedient and balanced dog from the start. MasterPeace Dog Training Center is a full-service dog training center. Our classes include Puppy Kindergarten, Pet Obedience, Continuing Education, Competition Obedience, Rally Obedience, Pet Agility, Puppy Agility, Competition Agility, Nose Work, and other specialty classes. We are often adding new classes and events – be sure to check out the side bar entitled Upcoming Events! We teach using positive methods of training including clicker training and are committed to teaching you to train your dog in a way that is not only effective, but fun for you and your dog. how do i train my puppy to stop biting me | teaching puppy to walk on leash how do i train my puppy to stop biting me | teach puppy to walk on leash how do i train my puppy to stop biting me | how to get a puppy to walk on a leash Legal | Sitemap

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Zalando kody rabatowe Articles

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