#Benefits of Freelancing for Students

[varunrajkalse]

How Students Can Earn Money By Freelancing

How Students Can Earn Money By Freelancing While Studying As a student, it can be tough to make ends meet while juggling classes, assignments, and extracurricular activities. But what if there was a way for you to earn money while still keeping up with your studies? Freelancing is a great option for students who want to make some extra cash on the side. In this article, we’ll discuss how students…

[solarwonux]

Business Proposal || knj (2/?)

pairing: namjoon x f!reader || ex friends to lovers!au friends to lovers!au

Genre: fluff, angst, smut, slow burn, fwb!au, non idol!au, unrequited love

Warnings: slow burn, angst, namjoon is pretty much not the nicest dude lol (will add more as it progresses), kinda sugar daddy au but not really. It will make sense I promise.

Rating: mature, 18+

w.c: 9k

Synopsis: Namjoon is living on borrowed time, and it’s time to cash in. His father is months from taking his last breathe and his life long dream is to watch his oldest son say “I do.”

a/n: Hello, this is longer than I expected it to be, but anything to get the story moving. LMK your thoughts and if you want to be added to the tallest! Enjoy!

m.list

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“I thought you stopped smoking.”

Jungkook jumps at the sound of your voice, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. The burning cigarette in between his index and middle finger. He opens his mouth to say something, but decides against it and closes it, shaking his head. He looks out into the backyard, and takes another puff of his almost gone cigarette.

You sigh and go to stand next to him, leaning against the porch railing as you stare out into the same backyard. Silently wishing it was Spring again. Mrs. Jeon and Lia’s backyard always felt magical. Filled with flowers and greenery that always made it feel like a dream. But in the winter months it was barren and depressing. Nothing exciting grows except for the Lenten Roses in a pot next to the last porch step.

“Bad habits die hard.” He shrugs, taking another puff. “You should know.” He looks over at you, blowing out the cloud of smoke in your face.

You cough, fanning the cloud away. “You’re an ass.”

“Sometimes you ask for it.” He shrugs, throwing the white stick on the ground and squashing it with his boot. “Shouldn’t you be inside, gushing about wedding dresses and invitations with mom, while dad kisses Namjoon’s feet for once again being the perfect son.”

He stuffs his hands into the pocket of his pants. You sigh, coming to stand next to him, wrapping your arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. “Don’t be like that.” You whisper. “You’re lightyears a better person than your brother.”

His chest shakes with a humorless laugh. He has the urge to push you away but you’ve always been the only one with the ability to see through the perfectly curated images he and his brother have built over the years. “It’s always the same. I’m always the degenerate, the one who broke the rules growing up while Namjoon followed them. I’m the one who dropped out of college but he’s automatically the better son because he didn’t, and is now working on his PHD. While I work at a small flower shop, with a freelance photography job on the side. I’m the leech they can’t seem to get rid off.” He lets out a shaky sigh before pushing himself away.

“Jungkook d–”

“No, don’t say anything because you’re helping him knowing very well what he’s done to you. You’re feeding into what they want, and you can tell me it’s to benefit yourself. But how many times did I offer to help you pay out your student loans? How many times did I offer to help you find a better job? And you never took it because you wanted to do it yourself and I respected that boundary. But now that he comes back and offers you the same things with an added marriage proposal on top. You suddenly decide to take up on the offer.” He rants, running a tattooed hand through his long hair. “It fucking sucks because I know he’s going to hurt you and I don’t know if I can be there for you when he does because even if I have never had any sort of romantic feelings for you. I do love you and it hurt so much seeing you so broken and not being able to do anything about it.” He paces, invisibly mapping out the situation with his hands.

“And I can’t even fully hate him either because he is my brother and not many people understand our relationship but I know he loves me. He just has this weird ass way of showing it, and if he hurts you again, I’ll be put in the middle and I don’t want that because I can’t leave you alone and I can’t leave him alone either.” He breathes out, dropping his head feeling defeated.

It’s everything he wanted to tell you yesterday at the flower shop, but he didn’t want Yoongi to see him like this. Truthfully he wasn’t going to let you know either, but seeing the happiness on his parents' faces made him feel more bitter than usual.

You walk to stand in front of him, placing your hands on top of his shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

Jungkook clicks his tongue in annoyance before shaking his head in disbelief. “I know a part of you still loves him and I know that part will fall for him the second he starts acting like the old Namjoon again. I can’t stop you and I can’t stop him either.”

“You out of all people know that I’m not the same person I was then and you know why. You’re right the person that loved him is still inside here but she knows better. I won’t fall for him the way I did then and what happened that night won’t happen again.” You say, hugging him tightly again. “I appreciate you worrying about me, but I can take care of myself.” You whisper, rubbing his back lightly.

He sighs, finally hugging you back and kissing the top of your head gently. “I wish it was Jimin instead.” He adds, making you laugh a bit at the end. That was a whole new can of worms you didn’t want to get into.

At least not now at your fake fiance's parents house.

“I was scared.” He admits, burying his head into your neck. “When you called me and told me to pick you up in tears. I honestly never wanted to kill anyone more than I did that night.” He whispers. You blink away the tears forming in your eyes. Jungkook’s never been honest with you about what he felt that night. You never asked because you were scared of knowing the truth. And now that he’s voiced it you can’t help but feel your heart break all over again.

“I’m sorry, I did–”

“No, don’t be sorry it’s not your fault that he–”

“Am I interrupting something?” Namjoon’s curiosity breaks the two of you apart in an instant. Quickly you wipe away the fallen tears from your cheeks. You step away further from Jungkook while he does the same, avoiding eye contact with the older man as if you’ve been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to.

Namjoon has always had a wild imagination, hence his profession of choice. And right now his imagination is running him up a road he knows he shouldn’t go down. He had been looking for you for at least fifteen minutes, and when he heard your voice along with Jungkook’s voice coming through the patio screen door. He couldn’t think straight, especially not after hearing his little brother be so vulnerable, but he also couldn’t help but wonder what else the two of you were talking about.

As far as he’s concerned the infamous fight between the two of you happened in your old bedroom. Your parents were out on a date and he had come over so you could look over one of his essays. He left your house in a hurry, getting on his bike and pedaling as fast as he could to get away from your house with his heart pounding against his throat.

Had you gone somewhere else after?

Now, he needed to know, only because his curiosity would not let him forget until he knew. It was one of his fatal flaws. Probably the most annoying one.

“Um, I know you came with Kook but it would be weird now if you left with him.” He too feels weird, especially because the two of you looked like you’ve just stolen three cookies out of the jar before dinner. He hates it, it only feeds the little curious demon inside of him. “I have to be somewhere at five so I came to tell you that I’ll take you home but we have to leave in like fifteen minutes to beat the traffic.” He nods, scratching the back of his neck before taking a look between the two of you, and it suddenly hits him like a truck.

Wait, were the two of you secretly seeing each other. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Wait, but what about that Jimin guy? Hold on, were you seeing the of them at the same time, hol–

“It’s fine we are done here.” Jungkook looks over at you, giving you a smile to ease your overwhelming anxiety, and walks to the entrance, patting Namjoon’s arm before heading inside.

There’s a pregnant pause between the two of you, before you decide that it’s been long enough for you to go back inside too. Before you even get the chance to move, Namjoon speaks up, burning his stare into yours.

“Are you seeing each other?” He voices out, finally giving in. He regrets it because the look on your face makes him realize that he’s said the wrong thing.

“You’ve been saying a lot of stupid shit lately.” You shake your head, taking it as your sign to leave. If you have to be in a car with him for an hour. You might as well save your energy. His genetic material is full of nonsense. “I’ll wait for you inside.” You say walking in and leaving him alone in the barren patio.

He can’t help but wonder about a lot of things. All of them start and end with you.

Namjoon is driving.

It’s a view you never thought you would ever see. Back when the two of you were friends he had very strong opinions about driving. The one time you asked after he showed up at the coffee shop drenched in rain water.

He said, “The world will be better without me on the road.” He laughed running off to ask the workers for a towel.

“What?” Namjoon says after stopping at a red light and looking over at you. One eyebrow raised.

“Nothing, it’s just strange.” You shrug. “I never thought I’d see you driving.” You point out, watching as the red light turns green. He steps on the gas, making a smooth right turn and glances over at you. A smirk painted on his features.

“I got tired of biking everywhere.” He says, leaning his right arm on the middle counsel. “This is also more convenient than asking JK to drive me everywhere when it rains or snows.”

You nod looking out the window. “What happened to priding yourself in having a small carbon footprint and world peace or whatever?”

Namjoon chuckles, shaking his head “I still bike most of the time just not to moms house or when it rains. As for the world peace thing. I don’t think being off the roads will stop wars.” He pulls the car to a stop and looks over at you again. Now that the two of you are alone he can’t help but think that maybe you did get a little prettier than what he remembers. Though you still don’t compare to all the women he’s ever dated. Most of them being nepo babies or supermodels. You’re still quite attractive, maybe in another life he wouldn’t have thought twice about sharing a life with you. But you still weren’t the woman of his dreams. Though, the more he navigates through life he’s realizing that such a person simply doesn’t exist.

If they did he wouldn’t be here in the car with you.

“Oh,” you jump up as if you just remembered something important. And before Namjoon can begin to understand what was happening the light turns green again and he’s pressing on the gas pedal. “I forgot to give this to you.” You say, holding out your hand in his view of sight with his mothers ring.

“Keep it.” He says without missing a beat. You’re shocked and you’re about to fight against him, but he beats you to it. “We’re going to be spending lots of time together. It’d be weird if you didn’t wear it when we’re together.” He reasons. It makes sense but you hated every second that passed by in which you had it on.

In a few months it wouldn’t be yours anymore. Plus it just felt wrong to be wearing it knowing it will someday go to someone else.

“You can just keep it and then when we go to places together, just give it to me.” You nudge his arm with your open hand. He glances down at it before looking out to the road.

“No need, you’ll be moving in anyway.” He nonchalantly says, shrugging his shoulders as if he didn’t drop another bomb on you.

Moving in?

This whole deal was taking turns that you didn’t expect. You knew he offered you a house in which you honestly weren’t going to take. But you didn’t think you’d be moving in with him. From what Jungkook tells you his apartment is more of a museum than a home. And you like your little apartment. It was perfect for one person, it had everything you needed and it was close to two subway stations. It was absolutely perfect and the rent wasn’t crazy expensive.

Rent.

That’s another thing to take into consideration. Would he make you pay for rent if you did by some miracle agree to moving in, because you’re more than positive you wouldn’t be able to afford it. Not now with your passable income from the flower shop. Of course, that chapter of your life will soon come to an end, but even working as a professor in your prestigious alma mater wouldn’t be enough to pay whatever crazy amount his rent is.

“Hold on, that wasn’t in our deal.” You close your hand in a fist and bring it down onto your lap turning your entire body to face him.

Namjoon rolls his eyes. “The cats out of the bag what would people think when they figure out we are engaged but not living together.” He pulls up into the parking lot of your apartment building and puts the car in park. He turns his entire body to face you, one hand gripping onto the steering wheel. “I don’t think you understand how crazy mom can be. She will be over unannounced every other day now that she knows we’re getting married. It’s best to avoid all those questions because they can get invasive.” He states, turning off the engine and opening up his door. He looks over at you. “I can’t stay long but I’ll walk you to your door.”

You were beginning to get annoyed with how nonchalant he was acting about all of this. For a person who claims this was all fake he seemed to be trying his hardest to make it seem as real as possible. You’re starting to wonder if you should set up some ground rules first before you make such a serious decision.

What if you do move in? When all this is over what will happen to you?

You have no doubt in your mind that he will kick you out the second he gets tired of this scheme. You have no doubt in your mind that he will begin to act like this never happened. It is what he does best. He crosses boundaries and when you make it known he acts like he didn’t and that you were in the wrong the entire time.

It’s what happened then, but this time it will be different. This time you’re determined to keep your guard up as high as a skyscraper. This time you won’t fall for his smile, his charm, his laugh or his heart. This time you’re going to put yourself first and to be able to do that you need to have a serious conversation. Set some ground rules before you can continue anything else.

“Namjoon, wait.” You say as he’s getting out of the car. He rounds the front and opens the passenger door for you.

“What, I need to be somewhere in fifteen minutes, let’s go.” He rushes out looking down at his Rolex then you.

You get down from his car, stepping to the side as he closes the door. “We need to talk about this.” You use your pointer finger to single the space between the two of you.

He lets out an annoyed sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. “We will, but not today. We can have lunch next Wednesday after you come in for training.”

“Namjoon I just don’t think you understand. You’re making all these choices without getting my opinion first. I understand you want your parents to believe that we are actually engaged. And I understand that you have a lot left to lose. But you’re not the only one in this. I get to have say in this too and I–”

Namjoon holds his hand out to your face, blocking your words from coming out. “I get it and believe me I would love to talk about it because we have a lot of things to discuss but I really can’t today. I have a dinner meeting with a coworker and I need to pick her up in—” he looks down at his watch and up, “-in ten minutes.” He finishes and starts walking in front of you.

A dinner meeting? On a Sunday? With another woman?

You don’t want to be that person. You firmly do believe that men and women are able to be friends without anything romantic and sexual happening between them. But he’s acting a little bit suspicious and you can’t help but wonder if he’s going out on a date.

God, you’re so annoyed it’s honestly becoming very tiring. And you’ve only been fake engaged for a few hours. You can’t begin to imagine what the next months will be like or for however long he plans to keep up the scheme.

He calls out your name. He’s standing in front of your building entrance, snapping his fingers to hurry you up.

“I’m not a dog.” You roll your eyes, and push past him. You press the button to the automatic door and hold your hand out before he can take another step. “And I don’t need an escort.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“And you’re going to be late for your date.” You state stepping inside, leaving him floored with your little outburst. He wants to follow you and tell you a few choice words, but the ringing of his phone keeps him from pressing the button again.

He can talk to you another day. Right now you’re right about one thing. He is late. Even if it’s not a date like you have just assumed. He hates being late to places.

In a relationship.

The little phrase next to yours and Namjoons name has been haunting you since you got the notification last night. Least to say you had not gotten a wink of sleep. You had messaged Namjoon asking him what it was all about. The two of you had not talked since Sunday and making your fake relationship official on Facebook for friends and family to see was definitely something you didn’t see him doing.

It had caught you by surprise. What surprised you the most was the comments underneath the status, offering you kind words and congratulations. The few “it's about time,” comments had set you off. You weren’t sure if it was because you were engaged or because the two of you were engaged to each other. It had your mind racing in all sorts of directions.

Yet, what really didn’t let you sleep was Taehyung’s messages and Jimin’s cryptic “it all makes sense now,” text you had woken up too.

Your fake fiance always prided in living a life away from the drama. And while he’s having a blast living a fantasy you were on the other end receiving nasty messages from your friends and what you assumed were women he had been with once upon a time.

It was all getting too much. You were supposed to be enjoying your last shift ever at Euphoria before you ventured off into the world for bigger and better things. But here you were blocking comments and ignoring Taehyung’s angry spam and Jimini’s nasty comments, with a knot at the base of your throat.

You’ve never hated Namjoon more than you did now. Since he was ignoring you, probably annoyed with your constant pleading to delete the status. You would have to wait until you saw him again next week to scream in his face.

What didn’t help was that Jungkook had called in sick, so you were stuck with the brooding owner, sending you a glare whenever he heard you sigh.

“Okay, out with it. What has you acting like the queen has died?” He cuts a stem off a rose, before placing it in the middle of a few baby breath branches.

You put your phone down, face down hoping it would somehow keep the notifications from coming. “First the queen has died. Second, Namjoon is so fucking annoying. I…ugh.” You let out a frustrated sigh. Probably the thousandth one of the day before putting your head in your head, cradling it.

The headache that you had woken up with after three restless hours of sleep was only growing to be worse. You hear the older man laugh before patting your back awkwardly. “I think this is the part in which Jungkook would be saying I told you so, but I still fully support you getting the bag you deserve, and unfortunately whatever he did is part of the consequences you just have to face.” He states proudly before retrieving his hand and going back to the bouquet he was working on.

You raise your head, hoping your glare would bury him six feet underneath the ground. “You’re no help sometimes. I don’t know why I even ask for your advice.”

Yoongi clicks his tongue before shaking his head, “You see that’s where you’re wrong. You didn’t ask for my advice. I’m just telling you the honest truth. Now if you can’t take it then you shouldn’t have accepted the deal in the first place.” He shrugs, wiping his hands on his apron before grabbing a pair of scissors. He goes to the ribbon wall behind him, taping his chin with the tip of them in thought.

“What did he do this time anyway?” He says getting a hold of a lavender one and measuring it before cutting it off.

You lift up your phone, opening it quickly and navigating yourself through the homescreen before clicking the bright blue app. “This! He did this without letting me know.” You extend your phone showing him the status.

He leans his head forward squinting his eyes before breaking out into a smile. “Congratulations, I knew the two of you would be perfect together.” He jokes, making you groan out in annoyance. He chuckles, cutting up some flower bouquet paper. “Jokes aside, that is an asshole move, but what else would we expect from the devil himself.” He says grabbing the bouquet and placing it in the middle of the pale pink paper. “You knew what you were signing up for.”

“Ugh, I know, I know, I know. I don’t need you to remind me.” You push yourself off the counter as soon as the bell to the shop dings signaling someone has walked in. “It’s the aftermath of his actions that’s sending me up the wall. I really ha–” You turn around putting your best customer service smile only for it to fade away the minute your eyes come into contact with ones you’ve grown up with.

The warmth they once held for you is gone, now replaced with stone cold anger.

“Jimin.”

“Do you want to explain to me what’s going on?” He pushes his way past you and walks to the aisle full of supplies. “Because the last time we talked you told me you weren’t ready to be in a relationship and as much as it hurt I respected that but now you’re here engaged. And to Namjoon?” He says exasperated. You follow him, thanking god the shop was empty because this wasn’t where you wanted to have this conversation.

You knew it would eventually come and you would have no other option but to have it. Yet, lately the world has been throwing curveballs at you left and right since Namjoon came back into your life. So, what else could you expect?

Plus Jimin has never been one to keep his emotions bottled up. It’s one of things you admire most about him. When he was angry he would voice it. When he was sad he would cry freely and explain why. And when he was happy and in love he had no shame in letting the whole world know. Which is why you couldn’t continue anything with him anymore. Even if he was the one that made you feel comfortable again in your body and encouraged you to explore things with him. You didn’t feel anything towards him other than friendship. It’s not like you didn’t try. You did the moment you realized he had fallen for you months ago. It’s probably why you prolonged cutting things off with him, but you couldn’t do that to him anymore.

Not when he had verbally confessed and was giving you everything he should’ve been giving to someone who didn’t view him as more than a friend. The two of you should’ve listened to everyone who said it was a bad idea, but both of you were stubborn. That’s something you aren’t afraid to admit. Unfortunately the decision the two of you made almost a year ago was now coming back to bite the two of you in the ass. Though for some reason it felt like you were getting the shorter end of the stick with everything that had gone down in the last few days.

Maybe you were cursed?

“Min I can explain.” You whisper yell, reaching out to him. He retracts, throwing his hands up and steps away from you.

“No, I don’t need you to explain anything to me. I saw what that man did to you and you went back to him after cutting things off with me.” He spits out, venom laced in his voice as he cards a shaky hand through his already messy hair. He stops for a second biting his bottom lip and looks over at you.

“Were you seeing him while we were together? Were you with me when he couldn’t be with you? Because I can’t even begin to explain how fucked up that is. Especially for someone like you but I guess I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did.” He rants, his hands shaking as he finds somewhere to put them to hide the visible anger he is feeling inside.

“It’s not like that Min, please just let me explain.” You plead, taking cautious steps closer to him. Gripping your apron tightly to keep yourself from crying. This is why you admired your oldest friend for the longest time. He wore his heart on his sleeve whereas you couldn’t let yourself cry in fear of looking pitiful and weak.

He takes one final look at you before shaking his head. “No, I don’t want anything from you. I just want you to stay out of my life.” He says before walking past you, bumping your shoulder with his and walking out.

This is what you feared the most. Losing him. You did have the intention of telling him what was happening when the time was right. This whole situation with Namjoon wasn’t something you ever intended on keeping a secret from both him and Taehyung, but of course you could never walk at your own pace.

For as long as you can remember nobody ever let you march to the beat of your own drum. Everyone around you always forced you to act whenever it was suitable for them. And right now as much as you were at fault too, you couldn’t help but blame Namjoon and his impatience.

Every day that went by, you realize how much this was inconveniencing you rather than benefiting you like you had originally thought.

“Now, I think this is the part in which Jungkook would say I told you so.” Yoongi speaks out from behind you.

You roll your eyes, shake your head and send him a glare. In a haste you untie your apron and rip it off. “I quit.” You say walking past the counter and throwing the fabric onto it.

Yoongi shrugs, trying his best to give you a reassuring smile in which it looks like he’s in pain instead. “Impossible when you only had five more minutes left of your final shift.”

That’s the last thing you hear him say before walking into the back and finally letting your tears fall down.

You’ve had your fair share of heartbreaks in the past.

When you were five you had your first boyfriend–Paul. A blooming relationship that lasted merely three days. On the first day of school he gave you a note with a poorly drawn flower and “I love you” written in the center. In his best five year old handwriting. On the second day he kissed you in the line on the way to Spanish class–dared by his best friend–Pedro. And on the last day, he played with you on the playground but on the way back to class he was holding hands with another girl.

Your first heartbreak.

Then you embarrassingly harbored a crush on him for three years after. In fifth grade–Christian had stolen your heart as soon as you saw his crooked smile and overly slicked back hair, but of course he had picked the prettier and meaner girl in class–Yuni.

Your second heartbreak.

Though, the infatuation didn’t last long, you forgot about him as soon as you entered middle school.  But you remember your heart beating out of time when you saw him at Sunday school. You were in seventh grade. Your body was changing. You felt awkward as hell listening to a sermon while fantasizing what it would be like to hold his hand.

When you were fifteen on the other hand. All hell broke loose.

You fell out of love with a lot of firsts in your life, and everything felt so black and white. Things that made you happy. That you viewed as pillars slowly started fading away. It started with ballet, then it trickled down to your studies. You didn’t feel like doing anything, your feelings were confusing and you felt angry with everything and everyone around you. To add the cherry on top your crush of possibly four years broke your heart–Jung Hoseok.

He was perfect. He was tan, tall, and handsome. He had a beautiful smile with moony eyes. He was funny and smart and loved to dance. You had met him during your first dance practice back in seventh grade. All it took was a smile, a wink and a killer freestyle for you to fall head over heels for him. He was nice, he sat with you during lunch whenever Taehyung and Jimin had a different one. He helped you out with your math homework and he even cracked jokes about your favorite boy band at the time. He would ask you about your day and make sure you didn’t skip your meals.

Jimin and Taehyung were so tired hearing you yap about him twenty four seven and so they offered to help you out. The three of you came up with a plan on how to confess to him, but all of that went down the drain one Wednesday afternoon.

The tears didn’t start falling when you saw the self proclaimed bad boy holding hands with one of the popular girls from school–Harley. They came after when you ran out of the dance studio because Of course it had to be her. God had blessed her with the perfect genes. The perfect hair, the perfect smile, the perfect body, and she was a way better dancer than you. She was beautiful and you were a colorless painting next to her that lacked detail. You had acne on your forehead, and even if you had ditched the contacts and braces a year prior. Your hair was still frizzy, and your body wasn’t desirable. Your boobs were practically non-existent, your hips were too wide and your stomach wasn’t flat

It sucked because you seriously thought he could’ve been it. He had been it for a while. You pulled back. Curating a home in a fantasy world, caging your heart in. Despite your friends being protective over you like a little sister. Their protection was nothing compared to how locked up you had your heart. That is until you met Kim Namjoon–and that also ended in a disaster. After that you didn’t give a fuck, you let men come and go. Use you for their needs until one night you awoke from your slumber. Sadly it had already been too late.

Jimin was there to repair you brick by brick. He helped you rediscover yourself in more ways than one. He helped you feel comfortable in your body. Something that was so foreign to you it took lots of trial and error. Yet, you broke him.

Despite all the heartbreak you have experienced in your life. This had to be the one that hurt the most, because you hurt him, and nothing you do will ever bring him back to you.

All because you wanted to have the upper hand.

This is why you disliked Kim Namjoon. Just like he brought you back to life he had dulled you at the same time. He made you feel special but at the same time ordinary; and because of him–though it wasn’t his entire fault you were equally to blame–you had lost one of the most important people in your life.

In honor of such event you had been avoiding the world for the entirety of three days. On the fourth day–today–you had finally forced yourself out of bed.

It was your first day of training at your new job which meant you were going to be in the same room with your nemesis AKA your fake fiance. Listening to him brag about how much better he is at everything.

Everything was a shit show.

You purposely took the longer route, hoping it would work calming you down. The Cherry Blossoms were finally blooming, signaling the end of a bitter winter and the birth of a new chapter in your life. You had hoped that Jimin and Taehyung would have been here for the ride, after you explained everything. You didn’t get the chance too and now the two of them were acting as if there wasn’t a decade of memories between the two of you.

Your phone buzzed in the pocket of your hot pink slacks. You weren’t going to be teaching yet, just observing some classes and following Namjoon around while he condescendingly explained what your life would be like as a University Professor.

Are you close? - N

You rolled your eyes at the message. You had been scheduled to come in at ten-thirty. It was ten on the dot and he was already rushing you. You begin to wonder if this is what it was going to be like the entire time the two of you will be together.

Don’t forget to wear your ring, we’re going to mom’s for dinner tonight. - N

The annoyed sigh made its way out of you before you could stop it. You hope that it won’t always be like this. Him making plans for you without consulting you first. Or him outing the relationship is such an irresponsible way without letting you know. If he was going to make every single decision for you, then you will call things off. You had taken the entirety of your night writing down a list of demands in order for you to continue things.

Well it was more of a list of things that annoyed you about him. A list in which you only hoped the two of you could come to a compromise. You don’t want to change him. Mostly because he is stubborn and doesn’t see anything wrong with himself no matter how many times people close to him have mapped it out for him. He won’t turn the other way keeping his ground. All you want to do is meet in the middle for however long he wants to keep this charade up.

One of my TAs  is waiting for you at the front of the building. I’m assuming you know the way. She will show you around and I will meet you for lunch. Don’t be late. - N

The third text came in making you grip your phone tightly in your hand. Even when he wasn’t around he somehow manages to make you want to scream out in anger.

I’m five minutes away.

You reply, putting your phone away and ignoring the last text he sends you. You will not let him ruin your last few minutes of freedom.

Eunseo is amazing.

She immediately greeted you in high spirits and complemented your hot pink blazer and slacks combo. And offered to carry around your bag because to her it seemed too heavy, but you refused.

Despite having attended HYBE U almost a decade ago. It hadn’t changed much. There were a few new buildings to compensate for the enrollment capacity, and a carpark where dorms used to be. But other than those slight changes nothing had changed. Even the large field in between the common hall and the dorms was still the same. The trees always bloomed beautifully in the Spring. Though you couldn’t ignore the pang you felt in your chest while walking through the field with Eunseo as she talked about her classes and how much she looked up to Mr. Kim.

This was where you found out you were in love with Namjoon all those years ago. It was Fall, the foliage was at its peak and the leaves were just starting to fall down. The two of you had decided to meet here instead of the cafe that day to enjoy the weather a little more before it turned gray. There was a particularly strong wind and the leaves came rustling down landing on the two of you making the both of you laugh. The sun was shining in the most perfect way possible, his skin glowed underneath it and something inside of you turned.

That day all you could do was think about him. You fell asleep dreaming about his smile and woke up expecting his scent to cloud over you like a blanket.

It was so beautiful yet tragic and you had never turned back since then.

That is until he turned on you.

With the way Eunseo was describing him. You could almost picture him being the same way he was when he tutored you. According to Eunseo he was funny, kind and really cared about his students. He always went out of his way to explain the material in ways his students could understand, and listened to everybody’s opinion extensively. But he also challenged them and pushed them to work harder.

He loved his job and profession more than anything in the world. It’s something you always did admire about him. Even on late nights or when the stress was too much for him to handle. He always found a way to look at it in a different light. For some time you had wished he would’ve done that with you when you confessed your feelings to him. That night he was someone you had never known. It was like something switched off inside of him and he became the heartless jackass you’ve come to know about in recent years.

“You’re very lucky. He will be such an amazing husband.” Eunseo said bringing out of your long train of thought. You stopped dead in your tracks, surprised as she giggled at your reaction.

“H-How do you know.” You clear your throat, bringing your hand up to your chest and playing with the little aquamarine pendant you never take off.

“He told me before I went down to meet with you.” She shrugs, grabbing onto the straps of her backpack. “Don’t worry he’s only told me and I don’t have many friends to tell. So your secret’s safe with me.” She winks turning around and skipping away.

You shake your head and follow her trying to keep up as best as you can. Maybe wearing heels wasn’t the brightest idea, but it was your first day on the job. You need to make a good impression on your future co-workers. In which you hadn’t met yet, but you assumed it was because Namjoon would be the one to introduce you and he was currently in a lecture.

You jump when you hear your name being called from across the field. You turn around quickly as Namjoon makes his way to you. His beige trench coat blowing in the wind. The combination of his nike’s, light blue jeans, and airy button down shirt was more casual than what you expected. Even his hair wasn’t styled. He looked stress free or a normal person.

“Mr. Kim, I have taken care of her and now I am returning her to you in one piece. Just like you instructed.” Eunseo says from beside you. You look over at her. She’s wearing such a bright smile on her face. Her proudness over such a nimble task makes you chuckle. A moment you will never forget now because it’s made you realize how much you desire to inspire someone.

The same way Namjoon has inspired her.

“Thanks Eunseo.” Namjoon replies once he gets closer, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his coat. He looks you up and down, raising his brows before turning over to his student. “This doesn’t mean you’re getting extra credit or an extension on your next paper.”

“It was worth the shot.” She smiles, sending him finger guns making him laugh. She turns to face you, “It was so nice to meet you Mrs. Kim, I’ll be sure to keep on the lookout for your class next semester.” She says giving you an enthusiastic thumbs up. “I’ll see you in class Mr. Kim.” She finishes before turning around and heading down the path leading to the library.

“She’s not going to turn in her paper on time.” Namjoon says from next to you shaking his head. “But she’s one of my best students. Somehow her papers always manage to impress me even if I threaten to take away a whole letter grade for every late paper. It somehow motivates her to do even better and I can’t.” He sighs and looks over at you. “Did you find everything okay, I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you. I told the office to schedule you after my classes today but they refused. Even being head of a department has very little perks.”

You look around quickly to see if anybody was around. There were a few students making their way to classes but each of them were engrossed with their phones or notes or conversations amongst themselves. They weren’t paying any attention to the two of you. So, he didn’t have to act so nice. “You’re so strange.” You comment, widening your eyes and covering your mouth as quickly as possible.

Namjoon rolls his eyes before sticking his hand out for you to take. “And you’re so nice.” He retaliates. The slight pang of bitterness slicing through his words. You almost feel relieved that he was still in there somewhere.

“Thanks, you bring out the best in me.” You take his hand, watching as he interlaced your fingers with his, forcefully pulling you to walk.

“Whatever, let’s just go to lunch. I’m starving. We can talk about things then.”

Okay you take it back. HYBE U was definitely still not the same.

There was a whole dining hall with the bougiest restaurants that you one hundred percent would not have been able to afford when you were a student here. You assume that’s why it’s pretty empty, except for a few faculty.

Namjoon and you had been sitting in silence since the two of you sat down after ordering. Your mouth almost fell open when you saw an avocado toast for almost twenty dollars. Thankfully Namjoon had offered to pay. Now the two of you were waiting for your overpriced food in complete silence. You weren’t sure what to say if you were honest.

Hey thanks for the job, you're still an asshole though.

Or

My best friends hate me because you ruined my life and now they think that what we have is real because you decided to make it official on Facebook. And like who uses Facebook anyway you old man.

In the end you settle for the nice quiet, listening to the ambience around you until your food arrives. The waiter carefully places your plates in the middle of the table and the two of you quietly thank him. Then Namjoon clears his throat, grabbing your attention.

“I usually bring my own lunch but I like this place whenever I forget to cook.” He cuts the toast in half and puts one of them on your plate, and makes sure you get a piece of avocado too.

“You cook?” You tilt your head to the side, picking up your utensils and poking the soft egg in the middle, letting the yolk run.

Namjoon nods, placing some pasta on your plate. “Jin taught me a couple years ago.” He hands you a napkin and starts filling up his plate. You have no idea who this Jin guy is. Namjoon says his name as if you’re supposed to know already, but you’re curious. Namjoon was a genius but he was a complete incompetent buffoon in the kitchen. You can’t explain how many times you witnessed him and Jungkook fighting in front of you whenever you were over their house because he always burned the simplest things. It would stink up the kitchen and Jungkook would lose it because he always lost at rock paper scissors and ended up being the one to clean the kitchen.

“Who’s Jin?” You wipe your mouth, and take a bite of the pasta humming in delight. Maybe the price of the food was worth it.

“He owns the gym Kook and I go too. He sometimes comes over, you’ll meet him soon.” He clarifies.

You nod, letting the silence consume the two of you once again because what else are you supposed to say. Instead you just take another bite of your food.

Maybe if you prayed hard enough, Jungkook would waltz in and break the awkward air looming between the two of you. Of course you had things to say to him, but how were you supposed to bring it up if the conversation wasn’t going down the route.

“Kook’s mad isn’t he?” Namjoon puts down his fork and takes a sip of his water. “I saw him at the gym last night and he almost beat the shit out of me.” He chuckles like it’s no big deal.

“He’s not the only one.” You retort, reaching into your bag and taking out a sheet of notebook paper in a plastic sleeve and place it on the table. Not the most professional looking thing but you were short on time.

“Lo–” Namjoon starts, you assume he’s going to defend himself and his actions. But he doesn’t get very far because you immediately cut him off.

“No, I understand you want everybody to believe whatever this is.” You say pointing between the two of you. “But there’s not just one person in this act. You can’t keep making choices without consulting me first. The brunch was fine. I was able to come up with something on the spot. But the moving in is not, nor is the fucking Facebook status or telling your student or the dinner we have with your mom tonight.”

Namjoon rolls his eyes, “It’s a stupid status is not a big deal.” He takes a bite of pasta. The nonchalance in his demeanor causes the anger you had somehow managed to push away resurface once again.

“It is a big deal Namjoon. Because of that stupid status, neither Jimin or Taehyung are talking to me. You didn’t give me the chance to tell them and finding out through the internet is a pretty shitty thing.” You try to reason. He pokes his cheek with his tongue and crosses his arms.

“Isn’t Jimin the guy you were with at the party? You two were pretty close.”

“He was my best friend. But because of your actions he’s cut off all communication with me.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing the two of you aren’t friends anymore. He looked pretty comfortable touching you at Taehyung’s place.” He says looking around then you. Yeah, you’re adding this to the list of dumbshit he says. Hopefully by the end of this you’ll be able to publish a whole book.

“Are you listening to yourself?” You say tapping your ears. “You sound so dumb right now.” You shake your head, suddenly losing your appetite. He does bring out the worst in you, and you’re beginning to regret ever saying yes in the first place. “Jimin and I used to fuck and sure things were a little rocky between us since the night of the party. But I still care for him. He's still someone important to me and you’re not respecting that. You outed our relationship to the whole world without consulting me first and you keep doing shit without asking if I am okay with it.”

“It sounds like you’re just looking for someone to blame instead of owning up to whatever you did to your precious Jimin.” He shrugs, digging into his avocado toast. You truly want to dump his iced americano all over his head, but your hushed voices are getting a bit louder and people are starting to take notice.

“You’re completely missing the point. This isn’t about me or Jimin’s relationship. This is about you not willing to see that in order for this to continue you need to include me in big decisions like that. I am my own person Namjoon. I have a life outside of this, and you can’t just expect me to stop it and be at your mercy whenever you need me. What if I had plans tonight?”

“Then you cancel them. This is important.”

“Fucking hell, are you not listening to me. I honestly have no idea how to explain this to you in an easier way or without sounding like a broken record. I’m not a doll Namjoon, you can’t wind me up when you need me. I am a fucking human being and you’re not treating me like one. If this continues I will literally call this whole shit off.”  You pick up your fork and forcefully shove some pasta in your mouth.

“You can’t do that. You promised.” He accuses with his finger, furrowing his brows in anger.

You roll your eyes and swallow. “Just like you, I can also break promises.” You shrug before sliding your forgotten list towards him. “These are my rules, if you can’t follow them then I swear  Namjoon I’ll call your mom and tell her everything, and it would totally suck I mean this job seems to be amazing.” You threaten crossing your arms in front of you.

He huffs, snatching the list from the table and reading them. This time you welcome the silence as you wait for him to finish. After what seems like his third run through he puts the list down again, your bubbly handwriting makes his head hurt a little. He could never understand why you always wrote in colorful pens and marked your i’s with hearts.

In his opinion it was overrated and you were a full grown adult, not a toddler.

“You can’t expect to change me. This isn’t forever.” He says like he’s reminding you. Despite you being his fake fiance he never really assumed you would expect him to remain monogamous. He was still a man with needs and he refused to touch you in that way.

“I’m not asking you too. I’m asking you to meet me in the middle and respect me a little more. I know you hate me but I’m not your biggest fan either. Yet, I agreed to this and I am here.”

He tugs his bottom lip in between his teeth in thought. He stares into his plate of food for what seems like hours. He could do that. Maybe things won’t be so unbearable if the two of you were just walking side by side rather than on opposite ends. He also can’t deny that you’re a little right, this was harder than he assumed. You are definitely not the pliant girl he knew once. Maybe this version of you excites him a little, but of course he won’t ever admit that to anyone. He’s already having a hard time admitting it to himself. If you’re going to ask him to meet you in the middle with your annoying list of demands then he’s going to ask the same of you.

Eye for an eye.

“Fine, but only if you agree to move in with me.”

“That’s ridiculous. I don't understand why I can’t just be at my place. I mean you just said this wasn’t forever.” You mumble.

“Ahh then I guess I’ll just rip this up.” He says taking out your sheet of paper and holding it out in front of him ready to shred it.

You panic and hold your hand out to stop him. “Fuck fine, I’ll move in with you.”

“Perfect, I’ll clear out the guest bedroom this week and you can move in on Saturday.” He smirks, and resumes to his meal.

Once again he’s won, but you will find a way to have the upper hand one of these days. “This is so dumb I still don’t understand your reasoning.”

There’s a part of Namjoon that also doesn’t understand it. That part of him he’s pushed away for years. It’s the part of him that wants you there with him. It’s incredibly selfish. He’s aware he’s asking too much of you already, but he hopes having you in his home will give him an excuse to come home. Lately, he’s been tired of just his plants and artwork receiving him when he gets home.

Yet, that’s something he won’t ever admit out loud either.

“It just makes things easier.” He shrugs, shutting down the conversation. Leaving you to wonder if his actions have more meaning to them than his words.

[nenelonomh]

hey! I love pour blog and I have a question..idk if you could answer it but anyway. I wonder if you know about any website that offers remote jobs that could be done by uni students with no experience in work... I rlly need it to help my family... Thank you anyway and I wish you the best!!

hey gorgeous,,

thank you for the compliments, and i apologise for the time it took me to answer your ask. as for your question, i've done a little bit of research.

virtual assistant positions. as a virtual assistant, you can handle various admin tasks such as email management, scheduling appointments and social media management. often, this role offers the flexibility of working remotely and setting your own hours.

online tutoring. depending on your skill set, you could benefit by offering your services as an online tutor. you can choose the level of students you work with and the amount you charge. additionally, this can double as study revision,, by reinforcing your knowledge in certain subjects. see this post on the feyman technique for more info.

graphic designer. if you have design ski;;s, explore remote graphic design opportunities. you can create visual content for websites, social media, marketing materials, and more.

if none of these fit your skillsets, have a look on freelance sites such as fiverr and upwork. these sites can give you an idea of online services you may be able to provide, and give you an easy way to connect with customers.

i hope this post was what you were looking for, and i wish you the best of luck! i'm proud of you for looking out for your family and i am inspired by your determination!

❤️ nene

[macgyvermedical]

RN Scope of Practice

I recently learned something that was pretty interesting about the RN scope of practice.

In hospital settings, we tend to think of registered nurses as carrying out the orders of physicians and advanced practice providers. In a hospital just about everything needs an order, including things that in nursing school we were always told were under our scope of practice-like ambulating the patient, dietary plans, positioning, wound care, etc...

So I was wondering- what can a registered nurse do without an order? Do we have our own scope of practice if we were to, say, freelance?

It turns out, yes- I can only speak for the state of Ohio, but outside a facility that requires an order, an RN can actually do a lot in the way of independent practice. The reason everything requires an order in a hospital setting is facility policy, not law.

Here is what the Ohio Revised Code says the RN Scope of Practice is:

"Identifying patterns of human responses to actual or potential health problems amenable to a nursing regimen

Executing a nursing regimen through the selection, performance, management, and evaluation of nursing actions

Assessing health status for the purpose of providing nursing care

Providing health counseling and health teaching

Administering medications, treatments, and executing regimens authorized by an individual who is authorized to practice in this state and is acting within the course of the individual’s professional practice

Teaching, administering, supervising, delegating, and evaluating nursing practice."

"RNs have independent licensed authority to engage in all aspects of practice specified in Section 4723.01(B), ORC, except that, when providing nursing care pursuant to Section 4723.01(B)(5), ORC, the RN must have an order from an individual who is authorized to practice in this state and is acting within the course of the individual's professional practice for administration of medication or treatments or for the regimen that is to be executed."

Basically, if you read down that list, the only thing that actually requires an order is #5. But other than that, RNs are allowed to independently practice without medical direction, as long as we are doing something that is within our scope.

What does that mean? Well, if you look at number 1, we can identify patients who can use nursing care. If you look at number 2, we can independently select, use, and evaluate the effectiveness of nursing interventions such as positioning, diet, oral hydration, non-pharmacological pain, anxiety, and nausea control, run codes if we have ACLS, etc... If you look at number 3, we can do pretty much any physical assessment. If you look at number 4, we can provide health coaching and teach health education to the public. And if you look at number 6, we can teach nursing students, delegate to those lower on the nursing hierarchy, and study nursing practice academically.

So what does that look like? Well, an RN can independently select a patient who could benefit from nursing care, assess that patient, advise nursing interventions that may help them, perform those interventions or delegate them to an LPN, STNA, or CHW, evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions, provide health education to that patient, and pass along that knowledge to a next generation of nurses, STNAs, and CHWs.

So I just want you to know, RNs, future RNs, and writers that write RNs, an RN is an independent license. You do not need a medical provider to practice nursing, only to do things that fall under a medical scope of practice.

[bettsfic]

Desolately need a teacher’s perspective. If you feel comfortable can you way in on this:

I’m thinking of switching to English with a writing concentration because I love reading and learning about writing. However, I’m worried about a few things:

1. People keep saying there are no jobs for English majors

2. I’m worried that reading and writing in my academic life, may either crush my love for it in my personal life(e.g. bad professors or students who rip you to shreds(so not constructive criticism really))or cause me to be too burnt out to read or write on my own time.

Sorry just to add (in regards to my question about being an English major): I’m terribly afraid that my writing voice may change into something inauthentic when takings certain writing courses in this major.

these are all good and difficult questions.

to start, there are as many jobs for english majors as there are for anyone else. except maybe, idk, engineering or nursing or something. and if engineering or nursing are things you enjoy *almost* as much as english, then that might be a good option. but an english degree will qualify you for any basic office job and also jobs in publishing, copywriting, copyediting, media and communications, and a whooole lot of other things. publishing is a nightmare, yes, but not more so than most other industries. and with the right amount of hustle, freelance copywriting can be an extremely lucrative profession. if you're willing to move to LA or NYC, there will be many, many opportunities available to you. they might not be good opportunities, and you might not succeed all the time, but you'll make do. personally i think it's better to spend 4 years (and a lot of money) learning something intrinsically valuable to you and risk a more unstable job market than it is to slog through 4 years in a subject you're less passionate about but that has a clearer career trajectory.

more importantly, your major doesn't matter nearly as much as it might seem. what matters is completing the degree to the best of your ability and learning to apply the knowledge you obtain to multiple fields. as much as some people would have you believe, you can't predict or plan for your entire future. you can only honor yourself and your interests in the present.

but that's english. creative writing is a different beast. i don't recommend majoring in creative writing unless you need the motivation of a hard deadline. it doesn't open more doors for you than an english degree does, and very very few cw professors get adequate training in creative pedagogy. a good professor is great, but a bad professor can ruin writing for you for a long time. unlike an english degree which is a medium risk for a big reward, a cw focus is a high risk for a medium reward. if you're already writing on your own time for your own fulfillment, that's more important than writing for a class.

you're right about a cw degree changing your voice into something inauthentic, and you're right about it damaging your creative motivation. both of those things have some benefits, though: when you adapt your voice into something it's not, later it'll snap back into an even stronger version of what you're doing now; and being forced to write for certain assignments will offer discipline so that you learn to write well even when you're uninspired and unmotivated.

regardless, all of that is better suited for an MFA. 4 years reading, 2-3 years writing. that will get you the education you're looking for and you'll be spending that time doing work you enjoy. i don't recommend going straight to the MFA after the BA, but people do that all the time anyway. the MFA will pay you so you won't go into any additional debt, and you'll gain teaching experience to boot (i do not recommend any programs you have to pay a single cent for unless you're filthy rich and bored). you'll write a thesis and go on to begin a life of words, be it reading the words of other people or writing your own.

so spend this time reading stuff and thinking about the stuff you read, writing some original work for a writing sample, and maybe sending that work out to some magazines. go meet with the creative writing faculty at your university and ask these questions to them as well. they'll give it to you straight about what your specific university's program is like and what it can offer you. even if you don't focus in cw, there are probably a ton of other extracurricular cw opportunities available to you, like working at the undergrad lit mag or attending readings.

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

Back to uni to-dos: Final year edition

This will be my final year at university, which in itself is honestly unbelievable. Here's a list of things to do before and during your final year, although anyone can benefit from this advice!

1.Review your graduation requirements Make sure that everything is on track grade-wise and that you have enough credits to graduate. If there are any issues, meet with your academic advisor so that you have enough time to fix everything and graduate hassle-free.

2. Fix your sleep schedule before your classes are due to start. You can't be productive if you're always sleep-deprived and running on coffee. Your final year is especially important, so you need to be able to focus, which is practically impossible if you're sleep-deprived.

3. Exchange contact details with your favorite professors, advisors, etc. This may be a cultural thing, but here it's quite usual to remain in contact with your professors. You don't have to be facebook friends, but having someone you can ask for advice or request a LinkedIn recommendation from may be useful, which leads me to the next point.

4. Update your LinkedIn & other profiles This includes updating your email address to something more professional because the email address you had since you were 12 is unlikely to be all that professional now. Add any experience that you may have, whether it's an internship, freelancing or a job placement etc.

5. Plan what comes after or review your plan Are you jumping into a masters degree? Freelancing? Working abroad? Not many people have a 100% finished plan, but it does help to research your options and have an understanding of what you want to do after. Things change and as the past year has shown, some previously considered options are definitely not it.

6. Career fairs and networking events Chances are you may have attended some, but for final years these things are especially important. You have a chance to personally meet recruiters and to exchange contact details which may come in handy in the future. Obviously you can do that via LinkedIn, but I for one think that talking in person can add more of a personal touch. Regarding networking in general, it doesn't necessarily have to be a formal affair. Sure there are those formal meetings but they don't always have to be. There are plenty of facebook groups e.g. marketing, women in finance etc. which you can join and ask for mentoring, advice or even if you can meet up for a coffee and a chat. Alternatively, your university most likely has a careers/guidance office where you can find out about any networking meetings or organizations that have events going on.

7. Create an application schedule Many firms open their graduate student program applications at a certain time, so depending on where you're applying, or if you're skipping that, a schedule is a good idea. If you're targeting different sectors then your resume will have to be altered a bit to make it appropriate for the job that you're applying for. Many jobs also require cover letters, so it may be a good idea to have a rough template so that you know what exactly it is that you're supposed to include and then edit accordingly.

8. Try to get some work experience It doesn't have to be full-time at an office type of work, but any experience is good. Freelance language tutor, an internship, volunteer work, writing for your uni's paper. Experience doesn't automatically guarantee you a job, but it can be beneficial in standing out or giving you an extra boost.

9. Try to get some extra qualifications A language proficiency test, a coursera course (there are quite a lot of free ones), a LinkedIn powerpoint course, Code First Girls javascript course (also free!). You can add quite a lot of skills to your LinkedIn profile, but you do need to be able to back them up. These extra courses and qualification aren't just good for your resume, but they're also a good way for you to develop new skills and develop new interests. And who knows where they might end up taking you. My teachers former student ended up finding herself a husband on a study abroad language program in Korea and now they're happily married and living in Japan I think.

10. Make the most of it Uni certainly has it's ups and downs, but for most it's a pretty rewarding and occasionally enlightening journey. You may have different feelings towards it, but it is coming to an end so make some good memories.

11. Remember that life will go on after uni Many people may feel odd after graduating, you just spent 3-4 years living your life as a student and now you're not. Your previous routines that worked before may not work anymore. You may not be as close to your former dormmates. You may drift apart from your college bestie. But life goes on. Many things may stay the same and even more things may change and that's ok.

[subliminalbo]

I've been workshopping ideas for the next chapters in these three series for literal years. Part of the issue is that none of them have been particularly popular, so consider this as part getting your opinion and part advertisement for some non-Alphas or Assimilation series.

Fleur-de-lis

The Elevator Pitch Former model turned corporate executive Elena Maxwell devises a plan to brainwash rival lingerie company Confidential's stable of supermodels to add to her own at collection at Fleur-de-lis.

Last Chapter Confidential models arrive at a massive rural estate in England for the winter photoshoot. Makeup artist Natalie stumbles into a conspiracy from which she can't escape.

Next Chapter Natalie adjusts to her new existence as Elena Maxwell's slave.

Lacey's Story

The Elevator Pitch A young college student turned slave is force to find a new master when her professor suddenly dies.

Last Chapter Lacey confronts her ex-boyfriend Brad with an opportunity to be her new master. Brad tries to convince Lacey to fight the mind controlling lingerie that her professor gave her.

Next Chapter Brad's new girlfriend Sam investigates the source of the mind controlling lingerie, Fleur-de-lis.

Obedience by Fleur

The Elevator Pitch Fleur-de-lis launches "Obedience by Fleur," a lingerie that brainwashes the wearer, sparking an investigation from freelance journalist Santiago Cruz. When Santiago is forced to choose between her own freedom and a Fleur-de-lis model's, she forsakes everything that she once believed in.

Last Chapter Ed and Santiago begin a new relationship in the fallout of Santiago's decision. Santiago continues investigating Ed and Fleur-de-lis in secret. Ed enjoys the benefits of brainwashed supermodels.

Next Chapter Santiago meets with the former CEO of Fleur-de-lis, Elena Maxwell, in Brazil. Elena shares her story of deceit and mind control, revealing how Ed and the board of directors wrestled the company from her hands.

[amanitaphalloides]

Please give me all your unemployment, job hunting, interviewing, etc tips!

hi unemployed community member <3

I am so sorry in advance for the length of this. I’m coming at this as someone who got laid off from a corporate job and is basically looking for the same job again, so ymmv with how relevant this is, but here’s a random array of tips I have found helpful.

MY GUIDE TO BEING UNEMPLOYED!

Getting your shit together after losing a job

Things you may need/want to do quickly if you have just lost a job (ie my week 1 unemployment to do list):

apply for unemployment benefits

review, negotiate, and sign your separation agreement

make an unemployment budget

take advantage of your final weeks of employer-sponsored insurance by having last-minute doctors appointments and getting your prescriptions refilled

look for new health insurance

contact student loan servicer to request a deferment/update your payment plan

More about this:

Unemployment benefits

If you’re eligible for unemployment benefits, apply to them right away. Different states are different, but you may need to have an in-person meeting at the unemployment office before you get any money. Scheduling this can take weeks. The world will look so much brighter if you have a little income. So if you qualify, do this first!

You will typically qualify for benefits if you got laid off or fired, but you also made qualify if your contract ended. Also you can usually freelance and still get benefits depending on how much you make.

Budgeting

Making a budget was really important to me so that I could concretely see whether I needed to panic about money and so I could give myself permission to relax. My goal was to stretch my severance and unemployment as far as possible while also doing stuff I enjoy.

Here's my budget template just in case our brains work the same way. This template is based on an old budget of mine - there are items on here that I set to $0 once I got laid off. I literally did budget in movie tickets because that has a massive impact on my joy in life.

Severance

If you are getting severance, it is possible to negotiate how much you get! I was able to get a few extra weeks basically by saying “this is bad timing and my income also supports my family."

Negotiating severance is like negotiating salary in that your former employer will probably give you less than you ask for. It's unlike negotiating salary in that you usually have zero leverage so honestly you might as well do an emotional appeal. IMO

Putting together an unemployed life

Stuff I consider absolutely non-negotiable aka things I MUST do not to spiral:

Make plans with friends. Write all your social plans down in your calendar and treat them as seriously as work.

Do something other than job hunting. Pick up a hobby. Give yourself a really specific reading or movie watching challenge. Volunteer. This will allow you to feel like you have a life which is absolutely critical to your self esteem, your ability to socialize, and your ability to function. You are going to have days when you NEED to feel cool. That will be way easier if you volunteered a few days ago than if you haven't done anything joyful for weeks.

Try to take care of your physical health. Move your body, eat full meals, go to bed at a regular time. I have really realized that sometimes the difference between me feeling good and despondent is truly just like, have I slept well and eaten and exercised recently.

Do things you like doing. I think it is very common to become unemployed and feel like you have to strip away everything in your life that's not focused on the job hunt. But you cannot stop doing everything that brings you happiness and expect to be okay. You will love your life if you fill it with things you love and you will hate it if you don't.

More tips....

Make a list of free or cheap things you can do for fun and then do them! Being unemployed is a great time to go to free days at museums if there’s anything like that near you. It’s also a good time to try a new recipe, check out a new walking path, FaceTime with a friend, write your grandma a letter, make diary comics, listen to new albums, watch movies you always meant to watch... for me though getting out of the house is especially important. I am constantly googling "free things to do in chicago this weekend" lol it pays off especially in a city!

I literally make Google calendar events for myself that are like "free museum day." I need to protect that time and treat it like an appointment to make myself actually do things.

If you have friends who wfh, go hang out with them and job hunt while they're working!

Applying for jobs

Tell everyone that you are job hunting. Post it far and wide. A lot of people get referral bonuses so they'll be trying to help you!

Job boards I use most heavily: Idealist, Otta, Built In, LinkedIn

This is so obvious but a lesson I really learned recently: only apply to places if you would take the job. If you're like "realistically I would not do that for that salary range" do not apply. you are gonna get yourself in Situations @ me two months ago

If you have a 1st or 2nd LinkedIn connection at a job you’re looking at dm them and say you'd love to hear what they think of the company!

I have also had success messaging random people on LinkedIn. Basically following this format: "Hi [name]! I came across this job at your company - I'm really interested and I'd love to hear more about what it's like working with the team. I'm sure you're busy, but is there any chance you have 15 minute this week or next to chat with me about the company before I apply? Thanks either way!"

Not everyone will want to talk but sometimes people still give you good insight into the hiring process.

It is really important to me to have boundaries around my job search. This has varied a bit depending on my schedule but the best thing I've found is telling myself I apply to jobs 9am-12pm. At noon I am DONE.

Interviewing

My interview prep: practice my elevator pitch with a focus on why it lead me to this company, pick out a few anecdotes from my past jobs I can share (a time I messed up, something I worked on that had a good result, something that didn’t go as expected, a time I had to deal with conflict), read the job's website and any news items I can find about them, and do a little quick review of the industry.

Most commonly repeated questions I've encountered recently: what's a time you made a mistake, what kind of management style do you like, why should we hire you.

This is the first time in my life I've ever genuinely practiced an elevator pitch and I hate to say it but it's really helped

After an interview (especially a panel interview) immediately take a few notes on what people said so you can write personalized thank yous.

I hope something in that was helpful and if not I'm sorry for the wall of text LOL but hugs and kisses it is all gonna be ok!!!

[vvyvernicus]

Meet Eris the Accursed, original character concept done by me.

I got the idea for this character when I was somehow pulled back into the Sofia the First fandom after what feels like years. Writing it all down may help with getting it out of my system 😎

A TDLR of what is listed below;

Eris is essentially a sorceress who can no longer cast magic traditionally. Instead, she uses her talents to dispel outbreaks of curses that appear in various kingdoms. While she serves a valuable role, she is widely looked down upon for her unsavory work with rumors spreading around her which makes her quite infamous. Eris however, couldn't care less about the treatment unless it directly impacts her from getting jobs done.

More detailed info below~

As said in the shortened summary, Eris is a sorceress. Or was, at least. She never got to claim that title for herself as a tragic accident befell her at only five years old. After the incident, she was never able to properly use magic again, despite being initially considered gifted, and was never able to officially finish sorcery training.

This event had not only rendered Eris unable to use wands (without them breaking with even the simplest spells), but had cursed her as well. The curse in particular was dormant however. So the only penalty Eris appeared to face was not being able to use wands anymore.

Eris was born to two powerful magic users. Her mother in particular was especially beloved for putting on elaborate flashy shows with her magical talents. However, after getting pregnant with Eris, she fell incredibly ill. It was an undiagnosable illness that seemed to only worsen up until Eris was born. On the day of her birth, Eris' mother had left the world.

Due to her mother's death, Eris' relationship with her still living father had been strained from birth. He resented her as much as he missed his dead wife. It was not until he found a way to use Eris that he began to tolerate her. Seeing as how Eris was able to handle curses gave him a bright idea to use her to his benefit.

Although she was a hardworking student at a prestigious sorcery academy, Eris was an easy target for bullying and mockery. She couldn't do spells without destroying wands, and despite not using them for that fact, she was instead ridiculed by not being able to use magic at all. Even when showing great promise in alchemy and memorizing details from lessons, other students refused to socialize with her and even most teachers kept their distance. At age 10, Eris made the decision to leave the school as she thought there was no use for her to be there any longer.

From then onwards, Eris devoted her life to the research and act of dispelling curses, influenced by her father who pushed her into doing so. It leads her to a rather lonely life as she is often traveling from place to place as she takes up freelance work as one of the world's only renowned curse exorcists. Unfortunately, despite doing good deeds by getting rid of the curses, it is seen as a rather icky and immoral matter to people and ended up giving her the title "the Accursed" because people associate her with all manner of curses.

Even though others look down at her or with disgust, Eris remains indifferent about how she is treated. She does not hold back when making passive aggressive remarks about someone if they continue to pester her, most of the time these remarks will fly over their heads. Still she is not one without a heart as many would seem to believe. She has a special softness for animals even though they too, are wary of her due to the vibe she gives off.

Outside of her curse work, her hobbies include: reading fictional books, fencing and drinking rare teas.

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this long ramble of a character description! Part of me feels like if this gets even the slightest bit of positive feedback, my motivation will be heightened to start up another fanfiction, featuring the character mentioned above. (Not like I already have a really good general idea of how the fanfiction would go, haha) 😅

[raylangivins]

Are you a video editor or smth? Did you have to get a degree for this or?

Yeah I’m a video editor or smth.

You don’t need a degree to be an editor, all you technically need is edit skills and a competent reel. However, employers like it when you do have a degree (especially if you’ve never worked in editing before), because it demonstrates that you’ve had experience working with deadlines, and with the constraints a brief. A lot of jobs will ask if you have a degree, and if not, for at least 2 years of relevant work experience.

In terms of actually learning editing though, you can just do an informal short course (which I recommend over learning through YouTube tutorials if you’re actually looking to work towards a career). They’re usually taught by freelancers who work in the industry, and can guide you on what specifically you will need to know for a job. They’ll give you more useful workflow best practises that companies like, which isn’t information you’ll necessarily find in YouTube tutorials. You will get to work with a brief and come out of it with something to put on a reel. And they are good networking opportunities! Students and tutors share job opportunities they find all the time. Same benefits of a degree, but much cheaper and less time consuming.

Short courses are also handy because they usually specify on certain softwares so you can learn for the type of job you want. Bear in mind it’s been about 4 years since I’ve had to look for a job, but at least when I was looking, the industry standard for traditional media (film/journalism/network programming) was Avid, although even back then you’d have to do a proper post production course to learn it cause no one else was arsed using it. New media companies usually go for Adobe softwares or Final Cut (but that one’s rarer). DaVinci’s editing software was fairly new when I was last job hunting, but people swear by it, so I imagine that’s a more common one now too. (It’s handy to know too bc it’s the industry standard for colour grading).

I would say the one thing a degree is useful for is that a lot of editing jobs are unfortunately not solely editing jobs. You might get lucky and find a company willing to hire you on your editing skill and train you up themselves on anything else they want you to know, but a lot of places are specifically looking for an editor/videographer, or an editor/graphic designer. More generalised media degrees are good to have for these jobs, because a lot of media courses encompass a lot of media elements besides editing, so you can say you have some experience in a number of things, even if it’s very little. Sometimes, knowing the basics is enough, and they’d be much happier taking you on and training you if they know you’re not starting from scratch. At the very least, I would always recommend anyone who wants to work in editing to learn how to operate some sort video camera manually, even if it’s just a shitty old DSLR.

[myf00djournal]

Out on my morning walk looking like a well matched queen 👸🏻

Thinking about my peers on here doing some reflecting and setting of goals and pondering if I set concrete goals for myself this year. Retrospectively, yes I suppose I did! Things just kind of happened and I guess seeing them through was the persistence.

My brain dump looking back -

👩🏻‍🏫 Work - Hmm. Well I started in a role that will not exist next year which is a shame. I will still be in a similar role, albeit temporarily until the end of the year. Then, I am not sure what’s happening. My HSC class ranked 1st in our system so that’s pretty exciting. I made a lot of connections with my students and supported them through some pretty heavy shit…

📚 Study - …This then prompted me to start my Masters which I am 3 units into. I have been toying with the idea of pursuing this for ten years so that is a long term goal achieved for sure!

💵 Other work - I wrote freelance exam papers and did HSC marking for some side money 💰 I have said no to the exam papers for next year which I am so proud of myself for.

🏋🏽‍♀️ Training - I went to the gym 170 times which seems to average 3-4 times per week. Sounds right. Jan-Sept is hard because of netball, I was lucky to get to the gym 3 times per week during the season. My gym doesn’t open on Sundays either. Sept-Dec was a solid hit out during the challenge. I managed to lose 10kg, making my total loss since September 2022 16kg without any gains back. I didn’t suffer any major injuries in the gym and this contributed to my consistency and ability to push myself more.

🏃🏽‍♀️ Parkrun - I ran 33 parkruns this year. In April last year I set a goal to get back under 30 mins. I did it this year not once but nine times 🥹 all in the second half of the year. This was my biggest running year since 2019 due to lockdowns etc.

🏐 Netball - My rep and club team both finished 3rd 🥲 I had great seasons, particularly for club my shooting accuracy was the highest and most consistent it’s been for years sitting around 85-90% every game. That was my goal ✅ No injuries that sidelined me - except for my dislocated finger 🤣 briefly. Another goal ✅

💵 Monies - Without putting amounts out there it’s pleasing and also a privilege to get through the year comfortably. I got to travel with my bestie at the start of the year, book a holiday with Josh (Wednesday eee) and still save a good amount for my emergency fund, general savings and pay for my units upfront for uni (although 75% is subsidized thanks government). When I cleaned out my wardrobe I was pleased not too part with too much which means I haven’t overconsumed and wasted.

🏥 Health - I had my endo surgery which had been on my mind for about 3-4 years. ✅ I already feel so many benefits from it and regret not having it again sooner (last one was 2009!). Had another iron infusion. Generally, I do look after my health and try to do regular dental, chiro, GP visits etc. I only saw my psych once this year. I could probably have done with a top up because things got very dicey for me around April, but we made it through.

🥂 Alcohol - I stopped drinking between August-November and since have only had alcohol on 5 occasions (I use a dry days tracker). I’m sorting out when feels safe for me to drink and how much control I have. The reset has really helped me understand why I used to drink, sometimes alone, and that I put myself in unsafe situations when this happens. I still have some soul searching to go but I am on the right track.

My brain dump for 2024 -

👩🏻‍🏫 Work - Enjoy the year. Relax a little. Set boundaries. Know where you stand.

📚 Study - Complete 5 units

💵 Other work - HSC marking and that’s it

🏋🏽‍♀️ Training - Keep up with gym, average 4-5 times per week. Bench 60! Be nicer to people at 5am 🤣

🏃🏽‍♀️ Running - Attend as many parkruns as I can. Go under 28 (home PB). Volunteer more. Maybe do a half again in November? Depends on other factors.

🏐 Netball - Have already said no to rep (can you tell I am being so firm with my resources next year?). Will always play club. Goal - Win grand final again. Shoot at 90-95% accuracy.

💵 Monies - We connected with a financial advisor just before Christmas so plan to see that through and have a look at what we can do! Clearer goals will then form. I also want to stop shouting people things. I am overly generous with this and it needs to stop because a lot of the time it’s colleagues who never do a shout so it never comes back to me 🥲

🏥 Health - Find out what I am anaphylactic to on 28/2 😀 and hopefully don’t die during that test! Continue managing my endo and other factors that connect to all of that. Maintain my weight loss in healthy and sensible means (which I am confident in myself I can).

🥂 Alcohol - I want to continue to be mindful in my motives for drinking, how society has normalized alcohol consumption, etc. I want to be safe, feel healthy and not ruin next days for myself.

📷 - My bestie and I need to take more photos together

📱- I really need to reduce my screen time (cruise will help with this!)

📖- I really need to read more (2 books planned for our cruise!)

🧽 - I keep editing and adding to this lol. I want to maintain a really minimal space inside our home. We have done a lot of decluttering the last few weeks and I am really keen to keep it up. We have a council clean up booked for 2/1 and what better way to start the NY! Can’t wait to drag some of our old stuff out and say see ya 👋🏾

[trending-makeupcourses]

Exploring the Cost Structure of Lakme Academy Makeup Courses

Do you intend to pursue a profession in wellness and beauty? If so, you may be aware of Lakme Academy Delhi. This esteemed college provides a range of programs that will give you the tools you need to succeed in this fast-paced field.An overview of the costs of attending Lakme Academy Delhi, including tuition fees, extra expenditures, and financial assistance alternatives, is given in this blog article. By making sure they are aware of the financial criteria for enrolling in the esteemed university, it seeks to assist people in making well-informed decisions about their future in the beauty and wellness business.

Lakme Academy for Makeup Courses

Makeup Course

Using professional-grade supplies and equipment, students enrolling in the Lakme Academy Delhi course receive hands-on training to hone their skills. In order to expand their portfolio and obtain real-world experience, they can also work on actual clients and photoshoots.

The Makeup Artistry Course at Lakme Academy has several benefits, one of which is its affiliation with the well-known beauty brand Lakme, which gives students access to the newest products, techniques, and trends in the business. Students now have the chance to work with Lakme on a variety of projects, fashion shows, and other events thanks to this cooperation.

The minimum cost of the cosmetics training may be increased, and some of its courses may also contain Lakme beautician course prices Delhi.

Advanced Makeup Course

The extensive Lakme Academy Delhi Advanced Makeup Course equips prospective makeup artists with the abilities and know-how required to succeed in the beauty business. This course explores advanced techniques, trends, and artistry in greater detail than it does the fundamentals. Advanced makeup application techniques, including high fashion, editorial, avant-garde, and bridal looks, are anticipated to be taught to students. In order to give students a solid foundation in makeup artistry, the course also covers topics including colour theory, skin tones, face shapes, and product expertise. Graduates of the Lakme Academy Advanced Makeup Course will have the knowledge and self-assurance to pursue a variety of career options in the cutthroat fields of fashion and beauty.

The lakme academy fees for makeup artist  course might vary depending on the course's type and length, from 60,000 to 1 lakh.

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Participating in Lakme Academy's Bridal Makeup Course offers several advantages, one of which is the practical instruction given by top professionals in the field. Pupils can hone their abilities on actual clients and obtain invaluable experience in a work environment that is professional. The course also stresses the value of communication and customer consulting skills, which are critical for establishing a prosperous career in the bridal cosmetics sector.

Students who successfully complete the course will earn a certification from Lakme Academy, which is renowned in the beauty industry for providing top-notch instruction. In addition to confirming the student's abilities and expertise, this certification makes it possible for them to work as freelance bridal makeup artists or in salons, spas, and bridal boutiques.

The lakme makeup course fees may reach 40,000, depending on factors including location, type, and length.

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Lakme Academy Delhi aims to assist students from a variety of backgrounds by providing financial aid and scholarships for its cosmetics training. Scholarships based on merit are given to students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, artistic flair, and a love of makeup. For the cost of a lakme makeup course, individuals in need of financial assistance might apply for grants, loans, or work-study programs. The academy gives scholarships to under-represented groups in the makeup industry as another way to encourage diversity and inclusion. For information on other lakme makeup course fees, prospective students can get in touch with the admissions office or apply for these scholarships on the academy's website.

Comparison of Costs with Other Makeup Schools

Lakme Academy Delhi offers a comprehensive curriculum taught by industry experts, owing to its premium tuition structure and access to Lakme goods. However, the addition of real-world training, hands-on experience, industry exposure, and opportunities for job placement enhances the course's value. Students can benefit from working on real projects, learning about the industry, networking with professionals, obtaining certification from a reputable company, and more. When assessing the lakme makeup course fees, growth potential, skill development, and job opportunities should all be considered. As a result, depending on your budget, you can check out the list of other Best Makeup Academies that we have included.

Top 4 Makeup Academies of Delhi

We've already talked about the costs of the Lakme Academy Delhi Makeup Course; at this point, you probably want to find the most prestigious makeup schools so you can start over in the beauty or cosmetics profession.

1.Meribindiya International Academy

2.Pearl Academy 

3.SMA International Makeup Academy 

4.Meenakshi Dutt Makeup Academy 

Conclusion

Students at Lakme Academy Delhi are prepared for professional success by the school's emphasis on business acumen, industry trends, and professional etiquette. Graduates are better equipped to navigate the market and forge successful careers because they have a deeper awareness of both the business and artistic aspects of makeup application.

The course's emphasis on practical training, where students may deal with actual clients and hone their artistic techniques, is one of its main advantages. The program covers a wide range of topics to ensure students are well-rounded and flexible makeup artists, from fundamental makeup application to sophisticated special effects.

[saber-monet]

To Manifest more money, get more specific.

Here are a FEW( there’s nearly infinite ways, don’t close yourself off!) ways one can receive money

Treat it like Pokémon and collect them all lol

1. Salary/wages: Regular income earned from employment self/employment.

2. Investment returns: Profits gained from investments such as stocks, bonds, or real estate.

3. Inheritance: Money or assets received from a relative or benefactor.

4. Grants: Funds awarded by organizations or institutions for specific purposes, such as research or education.

5. Loan repayment: Money received when someone pays back a loan that was previously provided.

6. Dividends: Payments made to shareholders from the profits of a corporation.

7. Royalties: Payments received by creators for the use of their intellectual property, such as books, music, or inventions.

8. Tips: Additional money given as appreciation for services rendered, typically in industries like hospitality or personal services.

9. Rebates: Refunds or discounts given after a purchase, often as an incentive or promotion.

10. Alimony/child support: Regular payments made to a former spouse or partner for financial support.

11. Found money: Money discovered unexpectedly, such as in lost or forgotten accounts, or on the ground.

12. Lottery winnings: Prizes won through games of chance like lotteries or scratch-off tickets.

13. Refunds: Money returned to a consumer after returning a product or canceling a service.

14. Sponsorship: Funds provided by companies or individuals to support a person or organization in exchange for advertising or promotion.

15. Crowdfunding: Money raised from a large number of people, typically through online platforms, to support a project, cause, or individual.

16. Cashback rewards: Money returned to a consumer as a percentage of their purchases, often offered by credit card companies or retailers.

17. Scholarships: Funds awarded to students to help cover the costs of education, typically based on academic achievement, financial need, or other criteria.

18. Patronage: Financial support given by individuals or organizations to artists, writers, or other creatives to fund their work or projects.

19. Rental income: Money earned from leasing or renting out property or assets, such as real estate, vehicles, or equipment.

20. Contest winnings: Prizes awarded for winning competitions or contests, which may include cash or other rewards.

21. Side hustle earnings: Additional income earned from part-time or freelance work outside of one's primary job.

22. Government benefits: Financial assistance provided by the government to eligible individuals or families, such as unemployment benefits, social security, or welfare.

23. Referral bonuses: Money received for referring new customers or clients to a business or service.

24. Stock options: Compensation provided to employees in the form of company stock, often as part of their overall compensation package.

25. Affiliate marketing commissions: Money earned through promoting and selling products or services for companies as an affiliate marketer.

26. Consulting fees: Payments received for providing expert advice or services to clients or businesses.

27. Trust distributions: Money distributed to beneficiaries from a trust fund, typically according to the terms outlined in the trust agreement.

28. Liquidation proceeds: Money received from selling off assets, such as stocks, bonds, or property.

29. Cash gifts: Money given by friends, family, or acquaintances as a gesture of goodwill, celebration, or support.

30. Insurance payouts: Money received from insurance companies to cover losses, damages, or expenses incurred due to accidents, disasters, or other covered events.

Focus on the ones that fits your self concept the best, for the best results. 

[040504210320092209191319]

ccan i be crazy for a second as a Detective Media Consumer

this post actually drives me nuts and normally i'd be like whatever everyone on the internet uses hyperbole but op clearly doesn't know much about the genre or archetype and the fact that a bunch of people who also don't know a lot about the genre agree with them is a littleee aggravating likeeeee

while they aren't wrong that plenty of fictional detectives are affiliated with law enforcement most of them are not

arguably the most influential ones aren't affiliated with law enforcement and hate cops, not just sherlock holmes

'all of them should be weirdos about-' they are. they are amateurs who enjoy mystery solving.

it's worth noting -- bc op brings up holmes in the tags of their og post -- that holmes popularizes the fictional detective archetype and that's why many of them are actually not police detectives

let's look at a few of them

philo vance: famously hated by the police, messes with investigations for fun

john dickson carr's gideon fell: another amateur detective, also annoys tf out of the police

edogawa rampo's akechi kogoro: literally a college student with a hobby (sound familiar?) who often runs circles around and deceives the police to get culprits off the hook when he feels like it

soji shimada's kiyoshi mitarai: an astrologer and college professor who gets brought cases by his crime enthusiast boyfriend, hates the police and nearly gets arrested by an officer for being disrespectful

seishi yokomizo's kosuke kindaichi: another amateur sleuth who's often underestimated by police investigators

yukito ayatsuji's kiyoshi shimada: a buddhist monk who solves mysteries part time because he's a mystery enthusiast

nisioisin's iichan: literal college student, solves mysteries because he happens to be there

nisioisin's jun aikawa: a freelancer in many fields who isn't solely a 'detective,' but isn't tied to any one organization or agency

etc etc etc

like yeah there are many detectives who are even p.i's that are often affiliated with or working with the police (L from death note, shawn spencer, etc) to act like they're typically written or portrayed like a cop character is so...??

when. a very clear, defining facet of the archetype is that they aren't part of the police force. and it's usually because these stories often feature officers as their culprits. like. .

not to mention that many of these characters are also meant to solve their crimes in unconventional ways, apart from the bureaucratic methods of a crime scene investigator - again they are Guys With a Hobby they're Mystery Enthusiasts and i'm sure a lot of authors find more freedom writing a private investigator than a cop because cops are supposed to wrap things up a certain way. they're supposed to be aiming for arrests. sometimes a detective doesn't want to do that. sometimes they want to solve the crime, lie to the police, and get the culprit off the hook bc they know the truth and don't think that the culprit deserves to get jailed and they dgaf if that's "right" or "wrong" in the eyes of the system

like i do think that a lot of more 'mainstream' media like criminal minds or CSI or whatever do portray a very different sort of detective but traditionally your fictional detective is a private investigator and their stories usually mandate that the police are incompetent, corrupt, etc in order to benefit the amateur sleuth who usually has poor rapport with them

it's definitely rarer to find detective media where zero cops are involved, i get it, but i think it's crazy to completely ignore that the entire genre originated from and is built off the backs of guys who cannot mind their own business to save their lives

[samtheflamingomain]

strike one

As someone whose working life actually started in a union, and a mother (derogatory) who was a union activist (abusers can be outwardly good people blah blah), I have a pretty solid understanding of the ins-and-outs of unions.

I got my first job at 14 in a chain grocery store floral stand. I was automatically in a union. It never affected me until my manager warned me we might be on strike soon. I asked why and he looked at me, fresh out of 8th grade, making less than minimum wage (because it's actually legal to pay students less even though I was working almost full-time) with no benefits and still technically on probation and thus not entitled to the 10% off groceries card that came with the job and remembered volunteering to take my mothers' cart thru the checkout to get us that 10% off till I did get my card, and this is a run on sentence for good reason. He said, "I can't give you a good reason."

"Can you give me *a* reason?"

"Full-timers are holding out for a health care insurance increase." Oh. Okay. I'm a child and don't understand 85% of those words.

Luckily we didn't strike, but looking back, I completely disagree with his initial statement. He *did* give me a good reason - or at least a fairly decent one. For 2007, downright progressive.

But a few days pass and next time I see him I ask my manager about it and he says not to worry [about the strike, not about him], we made a deal. To me this sounded kinda shady, because I'm a child and have only heard the term "make a deal" used on CSI when someone is getting stabbed etc. I asked what the deal was.

"We got 85% [health care] coverage." Oh, that's good. The more the better, right? I'm a child.

He looks at me as if I'd just spoken tongues. "Why would you even care? It doesn't affect you, you're technically part-time [and thus not entitled to ANY health care]?"

Maybe now's a good time to say that he's a boomer. The concept of someone actually wanting someone else to have something they don't have genuinely shocked him.

I think it's also the time to mention that I'm Canadian - when we bargain over health care, we're talking eyes/teeth/mental health care - all should be included but they're not.

"Because... everyone should have full health coverage?" It just sent him.

I may have mentioned that I was a kid through all of this - because even as a marginalized class of worker, I still held solidarity with the people in my department.

Now, I'm a cook by trade but an artist by passion (and occasionally commission). I work in 2 departments. And even though the SAG-AFTRA are higher-ups and full-timers and I am not, I still hold solidarity.

I fully believe we should ALL support this strike, but I'd like to appeal to the artists among us, and the creative within all of us:

If any of us ever want to be fairly compensated for art - generated by a human with a soul and passion - we have to support "higher ups" getting fairly compensated for same.

Remember how I said I was a kid earlier? And I came to that ~incredibly enlightened~ position? Yeah, it was a kid just shoehorning the concept of "union bargaining" into "The Golden Rule". Because it doesn't take a lot of thought to show our work on that exercise.

It really is that simple. Treat the writers and actors the way you, a hopeful fiction writer or a local theatre actor, or you, an Etsy jewelry maker or custom portraiteer, the freelance taxedermist, the for-hire graphic designer, would like to be treated. With, at minimum, fairness.

The situations aren't 1:1, and of course I'm in favor of all of us getting a fair deal, if we want to set a precedent, now has never been a better time.

Stay Greater, Flamingos

[hustler-786]

How to Become a Millionaire in Your 20s: Unlocking the Path to Financial Success!

Introduction:

Achieving millionaire status in your 20s may sound like an audacious goal, but it's not an impossible feat. With careful planning, smart financial choices, and determination, you can set yourself on the path to financial independence and potentially reach millionaire status early in life. In this article, we'll explore actionable steps that can help you achieve this milestone and build a solid foundation for a prosperous future.

1. Set Clear Goals: The journey to becoming a millionaire starts with setting clear and specific financial goals. Define how much money you want to accumulate and by what age. Having a well-defined vision will serve as a powerful motivator and help you stay focused on your objectives.

2. Embrace Frugality: Living below your means and adopting a frugal lifestyle can significantly impact your ability to accumulate wealth. Be mindful of your spending habits, avoid unnecessary expenses, and save as much as possible. Every dollar saved is a dollar that can be invested to grow your wealth further.

3. Invest Wisely: Investing is one of the most effective ways to build wealth over time. Take the time to educate yourself about different investment options, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and mutual funds. Understand the principles of risk and return, and create a diversified investment portfolio that aligns with your risk tolerance and financial goals.

4. Build Multiple Streams of Income: Relying solely on a single income stream might not be sufficient to achieve millionaire status. Consider exploring side hustles, freelancing, or starting a small business to supplement your primary income. Diversifying your income sources can provide financial stability and increase your earning potential.

5. Harness the Power of Compounding: The earlier you start investing, the more you can benefit from the power of compounding. Compounding allows your investments to generate returns, and those returns, in turn, generate their own returns. Over time, this snowball effect can lead to significant wealth accumulation.

6. Focus on Personal Development: Investing in yourself is as crucial as investing in financial assets. Constantly upgrade your skills, knowledge, and education. The more valuable you become in the job market or as an entrepreneur, the higher your income potential. Attend workshops, read books, and seek mentorship to improve your personal and professional capabilities.

7. Surround Yourself with Success: The people you surround yourself with can significantly influence your mindset and drive your success. Network with like-minded individuals who inspire and challenge you. Engage with mentors or join mastermind groups to gain insights from experienced individuals who can help you navigate your path to success.

8. Avoid Debt Traps: While some debt may be necessary, such as student loans for education or a mortgage for a home, it's crucial to minimize high-interest debts. High-interest debts can quickly become a burden, hindering your ability to invest and grow your wealth. Prioritize paying off debts strategically to free up more resources for investments.

9. Be Patient and Persistent: Building wealth takes time and consistent effort. Be prepared for setbacks and challenges along the way. Stay committed to your goals, and don't let temporary obstacles deter you from your long-term vision. Embrace the journey, learn from your experiences, and keep pushing forward.

10. Seek Professional Advice: If you feel overwhelmed or uncertain about your financial decisions, don't hesitate to seek guidance from financial advisors or experts. A professional can help you create a personalized financial plan, offer valuable insights, and keep you on track to achieve your millionaire goals.

Conclusion:

Becoming a millionaire in your 20s is an ambitious but achievable objective with the right mindset, financial discipline, and perseverance. It requires a strong commitment to setting clear goals, making smart financial choices, and continuously investing in your personal and financial growth.Remember, the path to financial success is unique for each individual. It's essential to craft a plan that aligns with your values, passions, and long-term aspirations. By implementing these strategies and staying focused on your objectives, you can set yourself up for financial independence and a prosperous future. Start today, and embrace the exciting journey to becoming a millionaire!

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