#eight tabs of references open just for their suits

[askthesupersisters]

Saw that there is a little kitty cat in the series. How is the little guy? :3

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-09-23

I have a normal number of tabs open

Listening: Went to a metal show I knew nothing about because my partner was going and I figured it would be a good way to hear what they're into.

Nest of Plagues is a Hungarian outfit, which I liked a fair amount. Bad mix from their sound engineer but otherwise fun. I have no idea what any of the songs they played are so here's a random one:

Next up, Lone Survivors, a French prog metal group. Really fun, great bass

Then Science of Decay, Swiss group. Probably the most consistently good.

And the headliners who were Orphaned Land, an Israeli pan-religious peace themed band? Bizzare on many levels. What is the point of non-blasphemous metal.

Pretty good show all around, I'm not a huge metalhead so other than like "pretty good, some of this is nice" I have very little to say.

Reading: A Desolation Called Peace which is a delicious little thing. A really different book from Memory, and makes very efficient use of its scenes to handle a lot of information very deftly.

It's a bold move to do the like, barest intimations of a relationship in book one, ends with a single kiss. Book two: starts with them deeply estranged on the other side of the galaxy from each other, midpoint fucking, endpoint ???????.

The Eight Antidote scenes are clever! The sanitized self-concept of the empire in this one kid. There's a bit about the "Atrocities Teixcalaan had smartly given up committing" it's such a great line

Watching: Finished Mobile Suit Gundam. which was interesting and educational for multiple things, for one just as a reference for a bunch of other media I've consumed.

I want to compare it a little to Avatar, which is good but suffers heavily from the constraints of being a Western Children's Show, Gundam is a toy advert like Transformers but it doesn't feel the need to lean into "here is your moral lesson of the week" stuff so it can do some really thoughtful storytelling about war and duty.

The instrumentalization of the whole White Base Crew where they're just taken on as an expendable force by Earth is so great because it keeps them at a distance from both sides while still putting them on A Side.

The Newtype stuff towards the end both focuses the story and sort of weakens it? It moves you away from the drama and struggle of the crew into building this universe lore.

I'm probably going to jump ahead to Witch from Mercury and then maybe watch some of the past seasons.

Making: Some abortive microscope stuff, ran into weird power issues, need to fix that. Fiddling with VR projects but nothing meaningful, I wanted to try and work on some 3D curve visualization stuff but I mostly got bogged down remembering how VR on Linux works again.

Playing: Fell off Tactical Breach Wizards but I'm back, pushing through the final act. It's going well and I'm getting Rion under me, he's pretty finicky at times but very powerful.

Tools and Equipment: A consideration for you: if you have weird neck pain check your pillow. Ever since my partner spent a few nights at my place they found their neck pain gone because I use good normal pillows made of firm foam rather than bullshit sad feather sacks that compress down to one centimeter thick and do fuck-all for your neck. I do not know who thought down pillows was a good idea, stop doing that. You need to keep your neck supported!

[msclaritea]

"Enjoy it before it destroys your soul" – why Trent Reznor, Joe Bonamassa and Jack White are withdrawing from social media channels | MusicRadar

Twitter CEO and largest shareholder Musk has since responded to Reznor's move in a reply to a Tweet, admitting he's a fan of his music but branding him a 'crybaby' for quitting the platform.

Best of 2022: While Jack White has recently made it clear that he's leaving Twitter due to Elon Musk's decision to reinstate Donald Trump's account, Trent Reznor is the latest musician to close his account on the platform. Meanwhile, in a now deleted Instagram post Joe Bonamassa stated he will no longer be personally posting on his social media accounts. So what's going on?

Reznor's reasons for leaving Twitter don't just reference the 'billionaire class' to take a swipe at Musk's recent takeover of the social media platform, but what he perceives to be the negative climate of the social media channel in general. 

“I’m about to depart," stated Reznor before closing his Twitter account on Sunday (20 November). "We don’t need the arrogance of the billionaire class to feel like they can just come in and solve everything. Even without him involved, I just find that it has become such a toxic environment. For my mental health, I need to tune out. I don’t feel good being there anymore.

Although Reznor used his Twitter account infrequently, despite having 1.6 million followers, he remains an influential voice for musicians and the wider music world alongside White who outlined his own reasons for leaving Twitter in an Instagram post on 20 November. 

Twitter CEO and largest shareholder Musk has since responded to Reznor's move in a reply to a Tweet, admitting he's a fan of his music but branding him a 'crybaby' for quitting the platform.

In a follow-up Tweet Musk also suggested the Oscar-winning musician might be better suited to online marketplace Etsy. 

White and Reznor are clearly not the only musicians grappling with their places on social media right now. Joe Bonamassa yesterday announced – in a now deleted Instagram post captured and transcribed by Killer Guitar Rigs(opens in new tab) – that he intended to step away from posting personally on social media following negative comments from a small minority of followers on his Instagram – at least one referring to Bonamassa's physical appearance in a playing video the bluesman posted over the weekend. The user later deleted their comment.

"This isn’t what I signed up for eight years ago"

“So, after sleeping on this I have come to a conclusion. Last night I allowed a few clowns [Bonamassa tagged a user he identified as being involved in the post at this point that we're choosing to omit] being one of them to cause me to go onstage angry. That is not fair to you the fans.”

“Also, This isn’t what I signed up for eight years ago," wrote Bonamassa. "Social media has become such a distraction for me. This place feels like it has the maturity of high school and I fear I am gonna be provoked one day into saying something i might regret.

“So I’m leaving this wonderful place to the influencers and good looking. Enjoy it before it destroys your soul. I will see you in real life somewhere down the road and in Riverside tonight.

“Any posts on this page going forward will not be from me. Thanks for the eight years."

Fans were quick to voice their dismay, with many continuing to urge Bonamassa to reconsider his decision. We hope he does too, as he brings plenty of guitar history education to his posts, as well as his playing.."

[weightlessau]

cute and squishy [ateez; jongho]

1.5k words

summary: "oh you're so cute and squishy!" "i could kill you" (lowkey mafia!ateez)

Okay, you admit that going on vacation alone is kind of sad. But what else are you supposed to do when all your friends have to work while you're lucky enough to be on vacation? You didn't let that stop you when you booked your trip including a hotel with a pool which you are sitting at. 

And you certainly aren't regretting your decision while sipping your cocktail in the sun. One hand holding your cocktail, the other a book. That's the vacation you want to have, just following your own interests, not having to consider anyone else.

"Excuse me," a voice from your right interrupts your thoughts, "is this chaise lounge free?"

"Oh-uh yes," you nod, stunned by the sudden interaction.

The woman lying next to you doesn't seem to mind and starts a conversation after she made herself comfortable next to you. "Can you please put sunscreen on my back?"

"Sure."

While you rub the sunscreen onto her back, she starts talking, "my husband didn't want to come down to the pool today or I would have asked him, sorry if it makes you uncomfortable," she smiles apologetically up at you, squinting against the blazing sun.

"It's no problem, it's not like I have anything else to do," you laugh to reassure her.

"Did the others you're here with also not want to come down?" 

"Oh no, I'm here alone," you answer and lie down on your back again, ditching your book in favor of continuing the conversation.

"That's cool." She puts on her sunglasses to look into your direction better without being blinded by the sun. "If you want any company just come to me then. My husband never wants to go anywhere with me. We came here to relax together with some friends, but he just jumped right back into work and dragged the others with him."

"What room do you stay in?" you ask, hurriedly adding, "for future reference, if we want to go to the bar later maybe?"

"Sure, I'd love to!" she smiles brightly with her teeth on display. She must've been really bored. "I stay in the suit in the highest level. Just press the highest number in the elevator and you'll be dropped off directly in front of our suite."

Ignoring that she may be very rich and letting that intimidate you, you two continue with your conversation, becoming new friends immediately. You learn that her name is Sunhi and she's even lives just half an hour or so away from your home.

Later that same day, you lie in bed, freshly showered after you came back from dinner, not yet tired enough to sleep. You decide that this is the perfect time to meet up with your new friend for a trip down to the bar and get ready to go out. Slipping on your slippers you grab your room keys and get into the elevator. Pressing the highest number you get dropped off exactly where she described it.

You nervously knock, hoping she's free to grab a drink with you and actually meant her offer.

A few seconds pass, you lift your fist again to knock, but before you can do that the door flies open suddenly, revealing a tall, intimidating man dressed in a perfectly fittet suit.

"What's your business here?" he roughly asks.

Not even processing anything, you just stutter out, "I'm looking- I'm looking for Sunhi?"

Leaving you no chance to escape, the man grabs your arm, still hanging in the air, and drags you into the large suite. You can't even admire the extravagant interior, stunned by seven more man sitting around a large table, all staring at you.

"What do you want from my wife?" the blooding man in the center of the others ask.

"Uh," you look at the large man towering behind you and back at the waiting figures in front of you, "I wanted to ask if she wants to go to the bar with me?"

Luckily you're spared any more scary questions when you see your new friend make her way into the living room.

"[y/n]! Hi! What are you doing here?" Relieved that she's here, you hug her back and repeat your request.

"Sure, just let me get ready for a second." With that she leaves you with eight men staring directly at you while you try to avoid eye contact at all costs.

The silence is broken when Sunhi's husband speaks up. "Anything happens to her and you're dead."

You force down a dry gulp. "Okay," you squeak out.

As if on cue, Sunhi comes back again, grabs your arm lightly and you make your way down to the hotel bar.

Both of you skip any light stuff and immediately go for the harder liquor. You to forget whatever the hell just happened to you and Sunhi because she liked your idea. Drink after drink keeps coming from the bartender, your tap already heavy, until the reception has to call someone to come and pick you up. They would have called someone for you, too, if it wasn't for the fact that you are on vacation alone and too drunk to properly answer any questions.

After a few minutes of Sunhi and you giggling over the dumbest stuff, the door open for Sunhi's husband, Hongjoong, and another man.

Hongjoong makes his way to pick up yours and Sunhi's tab while the other man comes to you.

"Jongho!" Sunhi shouts once she realized who is standing right next to her. "My baby! When did you come here?"

"Just now."

"Here," you thrust your glass, still slightly full with some alcohol, towards him, "do you want a drink?" you slur.

"Alright," Hongjoong comes to your table, "I'll take Sunhi to our room and Jongho you take the friend to theirs."

"Okay, boss," Jongho agrees and helps you get up.

"I have a name, you know," you pout at Jongho when you get into the elevator next to the one Hongjoong helped your friend into.

"Okay." He doesn't even look into your direction, just glaring at the closing doors.

"It's [y/n]," you giggle as if it's the funniest thing ever.

"I didn't ask." He's still glaring at the doors, but you can see that he's suppressing a smile.

"You're so scary," you drunkenly say, "why are you so scary?"

"I don't know," finally he looks at you and your pout, "you tell me."

"You just need to smile." You smile widely at him, heavily leaning onto him, unable to stand on your own. You reach out with pointed fingers, pocking at his cheeks, trying to drunkenly guide his lips up into a smile.

"Smile," you demand and beam at him.

With a defeated sigh he does it reluctantly, showing his cute gummy smile, while thinking when the elevator will arrive at your level.

Before that can happen, you grab his cheeks and pinch them hard.

"Oh, you're so cute and squishy!"

"I could kill you." The frown from before returns to his face and the doors finally open. Jongho throws a strong arm over your shoulder and carefully tries to guide you towards your room. But you don't make it easy for him. You're still trying to grab onto his soft cheeks.

"Nah," you drawl out in response to him, "you're too cute for that, squishy! You'd never hurt a fly!"

"I'm not joking. I could just kill you right now."

"Could, but you won't because you're my squishy now!"

The next day you not only wake up with a massive headache, but with a blanket of regret weighing you down. 

Just a little after lunch a knock on the door, leaves your head pounding again. With a heavy goan, you heave yourself up to the door. 

"Morning," Sunhi whispers, "do you want to come to lunch with me?"

"Yeah, why not?" You haven't eaten anything all day in fear of throwing it up.

Only when you're already down near the restaurant does she tell you that it's with her husband and their friends. Which means Jongho, your 'squishy', is going to be there.

Not even looking into their direction, you immediately go to fill up your plate. Unfortunately, you can't avoid Jongho forever, though. To make it even worse, there's only two seats left around the large table. One next to Hongjoong and one next to Jongho. You're tempted to sit down next to Hongjoong for a second, but decide it's better to avoid the wrath of him. Jongho's eyes follow you when you sit down next to him, even scooting away a little from him, which only puts a grin on his face.

"Are you feeling any better?" Jongho smiles at you teasingly. You only spare him a quick nod before bowing over your plate again.

"No comments to my smile?" Again you only shake your head no.

"Come on, you weren't this shy yesterday," he teases you even more.

"Because I was drunk, Jongho," you deadpan.

"I thought I'm your squishy, why are you calling me Jongho now?"

You groan. "As I said: I was drunk."

"Aww, man. What a shame. I thought we had something going on for a second," Jongho pouts at you with his head tilted into your field of vision.

"Something going on?" you curiously tilt your head to him, too.

"Yeah. You know, pet names and all that," he smirks, "even though I would've liked to take you out on a date before we did that."

part two: adorable and soft

[scone-lover]

@findingniamho​

HAHAHAHA thank you so much for this ask!!! ❤️ This is exciting. Honestly the Egghead fight was one of the most entertaining scenes to write. (Coming up with all the puns was an egg-celent time.) Rereading it just now was like an out of body experience 😂 

Link to the original chapter here - passage & commentary below the cut!

So I have to start with how this scene was born. This is a Simon scene. He’s had a couple fight scenes with Vampire, but I wanted to show him off as the superhero of the city. What was he doing before Vampire appeared on the scene? What are his strengths and weaknesses? Despite the scene’s silliness, it’s also one of the first where we start to get a sense of what Mayor Mage is up to. 

So I knew I wanted him to do the typical defending-the-city thing, and showcase him and Penny as the dread companions power duo.

Besides the plot stuff, my main goal was to make this scene as ridiculously, stereotypically comic book-ish as possible. 😂Hence, Egghead the Villain.

Most of the credit for Egghead goes to my friend -- they’re really into DC and helped me with a lot of the plot stuff in this fic and making things semi-realistic. (Every time you read a clever plot point, it was probably them. 😂) For this non-Vampire fight, my friend suggested a gangster who was doing crimes and bribing the police. Hence this exchange--

“Okay, okay, um-- fuck. Did you call the police?” She huffs. “Yes, and I think they’ve been fucking bribed, because they pretended they didn’t even know who Egghead was! Can you believe that?”

I made him a repeat villain because honestly, I just thought it was more compelling that way. They know who he is already, Simon can grumble about him, they have egg-themed quips at the ready, etc. 😂 

As for the name, Egghead. I love how it came together because Simon is a baker, and I was able to work a couple baking jokes in there eventually. But in reality, it was me begging my superhero expert friend (named t below) to help me out with crafting this villain and coming up with some witty exchanges. A transcript of our conversation with the brainstorming and some of the rejects--

t: the gangster has a nickname right? he has to if he’s a supervillain t: make it a gimmick t: like if he has a red outfit call him mr. red or something t: he has a flamethrower and call him dragon (this made it in, later) me: Vampire already has a flamethrower t: they can be forced to fight him together me: Vampire is at home studying bc he’s a NERD t: ok he can be bald and simon can call him egghead me: THANKS I HATE IT t: simon throws him on the ground at the end of the fight - that was over-easy me: I hate you where do you get this shit t: I mean it’s typical superhero stuff t: he wears yellow and white and deals crack me: This fic is so food themed I love it t: that’s your villain. that’s it. t: listen, if the Flash can have an ice skating villain, YOU CAN HAVE EGGHEAD. And he was born.

(And yes, The Flash does have an ice skating villain. AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE ICE POWERS.)

Okay, let’s do this! Warning that this is definitely going to go through more than 500 words of the chapter. 😂 

Men dressed in black suits with bright yellow pocket squares. And larger men around the perimeter, wearing grey and holding flashlights. It looks more like a business transaction than anything; there are briefcases and money being passed back and forth, hands being shaken. “Hey!” I call. There are six men, and they all turn to stare at me, and then make a run for it. The flashlight beams dart wildly and I hear a few of them clatter to the floor. Everyone starts yelling at once and looking for an escape.

I basically watched an episode of Brooklyn-99 and crafted the warehouse drug deal based on that. 

“Don’t move. There’s only one exit,” Penny says in my ear. “And you’re standing in front of it.” I stand my ground, but no one comes near me. The suited guys stay slightly behind the muscular ones. Finally, one of them steps forward. “Mage’s Head Boy. Come to tell us off?”

This scene was also an opportunity to have Penny in Simon’s ear! I wanted them to work together more closely than just talking about superhero stuff - I wanted Penny to be invaluable to Simon’s superhero success and in on the action, too. She’s kind of modeled after Oracle from Batman throughout this fic. 

Mage’s Head Boy is a pretty transparent CO reference. 

There are times when I’m grateful for my ability to just have muscles and growl at people and make them disappear, and there are times when I wish I was witty like Vampire. This is definitely the second. I can’t think of a response to that. Luckily, I have a best friend with a head full of wit. “Tell them to fuck off,” Penny says. Then again, maybe not. What would Vampire say? I get hot and frustrated in the face of danger. He seems to get cooler the higher the stakes get. I fall into a fighting stance. “You wish.” The guy takes a step backwards. “But since I can’t bring you to the police, I suppose I’ll just have to teach you a lesson.” “That was good,” Penny says in my ear.

I obviously had to work a bit of Baz jealousy / crushing into this. I like the idea of Penny being super blunt. She’s smart and sometimes witty, but more often she just says it like it is. “Cooler the higher the stakes get” was a direct reference to the similar line in Carry On. With Simon’s last line - this scene was all about showcasing him as a “typical” superhero that you’d find in a comic, fighting a classic comic book villain. So I gave him one of those cheesy lines.

I’m surrounded. There must be fifteen or twenty of them. Eight huge muscular guys, and the rest in suits. They form a loose circle around me. Almost all of them wield knives, but I don’t see any guns so far.

I knew from the outset I wanted this to be a one-against-many fight. At this point in the story I’d set up a good dynamic for Blade vs Vampire, but not so much Blade vs. other city threats. What makes him a trustworthy hero? Simon’s origin story is that he got news attention by fighting off a group - so putting him in this group fight setting was a chance for him to shine.

A man steps out from the shadows. He’s bald, with a straight, dark mustache, and he’s wearing a pristine white suit and a shirt the colour of an egg yolk. “Egghead,” I say in what I hope is a threatening tone. The name sounds absurd. I’m glad the mask covers my mouth, because I don’t think I can keep a straight face. Penny coughs. Benedict Eggerton, better known as Egghead, is a drug lord who wears yellow and deals… crack. (I know.) (He got into crime early; his parents were poachers.) (Okay, I made that one up. I can’t help it.) I put him in jail earlier this year, but he escaped and fled north.

I was laughing so hard while writing this. You can see in the text exchange above where the suit and nickname came from. I was trying to come up with what his first name might be (my first idea was Sunny). I was so amused when I finally thought of Benedict. 😂 The poachers line is also from my friend T, and the “north” is a reference to Scotland, which comes back later as the Scotch Egg joke.

I draw my weapon, trying to look as menacing as possible. “I remember your blade being bigger,” he says, eyeing my kitchen knife. “Is it too cold for you in here?”

PFFFFFT I LOVE THIS JOKE okay so. I originally made Simon forget his sword because I thought the fight would be too easy - and going back to what I said above, he’s kind of returning to his “roots” with this fight - that spark he has that makes him a hero. And then I wrote the line “I remember your blade being bigger.” TO BE CLEAR, this was not originally intended as an innuendo. 

And then my friend said something like ‘he should turn up the heating in this warehouse then’, and I was like OH DING DING DING PENIS JOKE! 😂I’m oblivious sometimes. I’m glad I realized in time because this is honestly one of my favorite villain lines I’ve ever written.

I really, really wanted to give the “too cold” line to Vampire. It would be perfect for him. But Simon always has his normal sword with Vamp, so Egghead it was. And he instantly became an icon. 😂 

I twirl the knife between my fingers. “I can crack you anyway.” “Good effort,” Penny whispers. “But a bit rough on the delivery. 'Take a crack at you' might have been better...” “Sword or no sword,” I continue, “you’ll be an egg wash by the end of this.” “What?” Penny says. “Is that a baking reference?” Egghead cracks his knuckles, and his men rush me.

Much like Penny does later in the scene, I had a tab open of egg-related words up while writing this. I had to work in the baking reference. But a terrible one. There’s a French term for whisking eggs that basically translates to “beating eggs into snow” - and I wish it was a thing in English, because, you know, Simon Snow. Oh well. 😂 

I Google a list of ways to make eggs. Simon needs to win this fight, but more importantly, he needs to get some egg-themed one-liners in there to show them who’s boss. Chances like this don’t come around very often. 

Listen, Penny is very dedicated. I love the idea of heroes just being quick-witted and coming up with these ridiculous quips on demand. But ultimately, I thought it was funnier - and more in character for Penny - to do this. (Even though her Superhero name is Quickwit, oops.) She has the world of Google at her disposal. Egg puns may not seem important, but superhero image and reputation is half the battle.

Simon is being attacked from all angles, but he fights like a whirlwind. The bulky guys attack first, mostly with their fists. Simon kicks their legs out from under them. He throws them across the floor like they weigh nothing. “Behind you!” I say. Simon spins around and disarms the man behind him, twisting his arm, and I hear a shout through my earbuds. He grabs the guy’s knife and kicks him in the stomach, sending him sprawling. Simon Snow faces fifteen men with nothing but two knives, looking like he’s ready to explode.

I loved writing this from Penny’s POV. I am used to writing fight scenes from the POV of the person fighting, so this was definitely a cool challenge. It’s part of why I brought Penny into the scene in the first place - so I could show Simon in third person. Almost like we’re watching a movie and getting some overhead shots. From his POV, you don’t realize quite how awesome he is. So getting to showcase him like this was really fun.

I still have to wonder how Shepard knew… well, everything. 

Don’t tell anyone but I didn’t know yet either

“He’s Scottish,” I tell Simon. “Scotch Egg.”

I know. This one’s bad.

He’s a blur of gold and white in motion. He throws his knife—I have no idea where he learned to do that—and it embeds itself in one of the men’s legs. He rolls across the floor, picking up two more discarded knives.

I don’t do a ton of plotting/outlining with fight scenes, but one thing I decide in advance is where and how everyone gets hurt. I didn’t want Simon to win the fight too easily, but I did need to injure him somehow. So it wouldn’t be too easy, but also to serve as a counterpoint to the socks thing later.

I watched a lot of action sequences to write this fic, especially with the trickier one vs. many scenes. 

Simon tosses him like a sack of flour.

Couldn’t resist the baker!Simon reference.

“Hard or soft boiled,” I whisper. “Which way is it gonna be, Egghead? Hard or soft boiled?” Simon shouts. He whispers to me, “That was stupid.” Egghead raises an eyebrow. “Last chance to leave us alone, Blade.” I consult my list of egg dishes. “Give up before you get scrambled.” Simon twirls his blades. I love it when he does that; he looks like Deadpool. “It’s your last chance to surrender before you get scrambled.”

I loved the hard or soft boiled line at first. And then I wrote it down and said it out loud, just to check, and it sounded SO DUMB. 😂I almost took it out, but then figured—Simon is probably not going to think this through, either.

Maybe the Deadpool line was a bit on the nose here, but I wanted to give readers some really vivid imagery of what Simon looks like right now with these dual wicked blades kitchen knives.

“I prefer my eggs… poached,” he says. 

Even though Egghead has turned out to be quite a serious villain—there are guns, drugs, and a backstory—he is, after all, original master of the egg puns. He would never turn down this opportunity.

Egghead scrambles (ha) to his feet

I think Penny is just me in this.

“Over-easy,” I whisper.

“That was over-easy,” he says.

Not my best. But it had to be in there.

I’ll skip the serious bits, since the plot there is pretty self-explanatory, to this:

I wish he’d asked what we serve, because I have so many egg puns at the ready. Eggs-ecution. Hash-ing out justice. Karma served hard.  

My beta ashspren gave me this line, and I could not be more grateful. Imagine the chapter without this. It would be a shame.

Here are a few egg puns that didn’t make the cut, SADLY:

You're washed out, egghead

*Egghead gets angry* hey, it was just a yolk

I had to go "beat" some eggs

*uppercut* Sunny side UP!

I'll bash in your Eggnoggin’

Some people are just bad eggs

Sorry this is so long—this has been a purely self-indulgent experience. Thanks so much for this ask, I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you like it! ❤️ 

[doubleoh7q]

Short Fics 1/15: Banana

James Bond, an elite -if senior- agent, stood next to the youngest Quartermaster he’d ever worked with. Neither of them was facing the other. Instead, they stood just inside the doorway facing the breakroom. On the table before them was the most offensive thing an MI6 quartermaster had ever had the displeasure of witnessing. It was a complete, blatant disregard for the rules. A truly rotten example of total disrespect in his division. The sight was so offensive, a double-oh agent had been pulled in on his day off to deal with the situation. 

‘It’s a banana skin.’ James began silently pleading this was not the “great emergency” he’d been called in for.

‘Exactly, 007.’ Oh, good god, it was.

‘I’m afraid I don’t follow you, Q.’ The double oh was thinking no sane man could. The logic of calling in a sanctioned killer for a piece of litter was entirely Q’s own and he was not keen on sharing it.

Q’s next words were said by way of explanation. ‘There has been a banana skin on that table in this break room every single morning for the past two weeks.’ In fact, they did nothing to explain it at all.

‘And?’

‘And there shouldn’t be!’ The agent was beginning to see where this was heading.

‘Yes.’ James shot a sideways glance at Q. ‘I’m starting to get that.’ He could see Q had clearly been expecting Bond’s outrage to match his own. James wasn’t even remotely sorry to disappoint. ‘I’ll be honest, Q, I’m not sure why you called.’

The Quartermaster scoffed. ‘I want to know what you’re going to do about it, 007.’

Still not sure what he was supposed to do, Bond’s voice conveyed his amusement at with the situation at hand, whatever that was. ‘Wouldn’t maintenance have more expertise in this area?’ he said.

‘This is not a joke, Bond.’ Dead serious, Q’s volume increased. ‘Someone in this division is a rule flouter!’

‘I suppose flouting is a gateway drug to espionage?’

‘007, if you do not start taking this seriously, I will suspend your equipment privileges effectively immediately.’

That would mean no DB11. No exploding fountain pens. No experimental weapons. A watch would just be… a watch. The best part of his missions would be gone, wasted on some other bloody agent. ‘What would you suggest we do Quartermaster?’

‘That’s more like it, 007. I think the first step would be catching the culprit in action.’

‘Don’t suppose you have any camera feeds in a breakroom?’

‘It’s not usually an issue. I would suggest round the clock observation as an alternative.’

‘I can’t just stand in the corner every day. How do you expect me to carry out a stakeout in a room that barely covers 200 square feet?’

The next morning James regretted having ever asked that question. It transpired that Q had already worked that out, right down to having borrowed a uniform from the Vauxhall Cross maintenance crew. Currently, James was wearing the said uniform and had the back popped off of the vending machine in the Q-branch breakroom. He’d been there for several hours and was still diligently removing wires, tabs, screws and panels before putting them back exactly where they’d been before he had moved them.

When anyone asked what he was doing, he’d say ‘Just taking a look at the vending machine.’ And if they tried to ask what was wrong with the poor machine, he heaved a frustrated sigh and a ‘What’s it to you?’ because there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. The only thing wrong was that the maintenance cover only worked for Q-branch’s night shift. The night’s skeleton crew was so thin he doubted they’d ever seen any double-oh agent in person. Unfortunately, the day shift was starting to roll in. Which meant a few sceptical glances.

‘Do I know you?’ A few people tried to peer under his hat as they asked, but James just peered closer at a wire and reached for his cover story.

‘I’m with maintenance ma’am. You’ve probably seen me fixing the lights last month. A big job that one.’ It was enough to avoid further probing, at least until Q’s resident tailor Leon went for his mid-morning cup of tea.

‘James Bond. As I live and breathe, finally been demoted then? What was it that sent M over the edge?’

‘I’m still an agent Leon. Just…’ James’ cover needed a new explanation. ‘…testing new undercover methods for your Quartermaster.’

‘And I’m tailoring a suit for the King of England. I’ll leave you to your duties, 007.’ Leon left with his tea as Bond removed another wire before glancing over to the door and-

‘Son of a bitch.’ He spotted a fresh banana peel next to the kettle and dropped the panel he’d just unfastened.

Leaving the breakroom, James moved through the sea of desks towards Q’s office. He had to dodge a few weapons tests, but he got there in record time. Throwing open the office door Bond stood half in Q’s office, one had on the doorknob waiting for Q to look up. He didn’t wait more than a few seconds before he had the quartermasters attention. ‘It’s Leon.’

‘The tailor?’

‘Yes.’

‘But he’s…’ Q struggled at the idea of one of his best innovators being the culprit. ‘…He revolutionised the use of Kevlar in featherlight suits. He’s one of our brightest. Are you sure?’

‘It’s him, Q.’

The Quartermaster looked down at his desk before meeting Bond’s eyes decisively. ‘Very well. Take him out.’

‘Bloody hell, Q! Surely MI6 doesn’t execute for breakroom offences.’

Bordering on exasperation, Q clarified his meaning. ‘Out of the building, 007. He’s on suspension, pending review.’

‘Right.’ Bond took a final look at his Quartermaster and left to escort the offender out of Vauxhall. Seven hours replacing vending machine parts makes a man want to see the job right out the door.

After placing Leon in a car to be taken home Bond made his way back down to Q’s office. Walking in for the second time that day, he closed the door behind him and sat down on one of the armchairs facing Q and his desk.

‘All taken care of, 007?’

‘Yes just one question left, Q.’ Seven hours had made James wonder if this really was about a litterbug and not something else.

‘And what might that be, 007?’ What indeed?

‘Did you enjoy the view?’ James teased.

‘I don’t know what you’re referring to.’ Although from the red flushing Q’s face, James was quite confident he did.

‘I spent seven hours in that breakroom, Q. It took me an hour to work out that if I could see you, you could see me.’

Q visibly struggled to collect himself. ‘I like to keep an eye on all undercover operations.’ He paused. ‘You know that, Bond.’

‘I suppose you like a man in uniform too.’ Bond quipped back.

‘I… I never said that.’ Q wasn’t denying it though.

‘I do hope you’ll reinstate Leon though. You’ll find I look much better in a suit.’

‘He’s only suspended a week.’

‘Yes. It’s a good thing I have suits at home, or I’d have nothing to wear this evening.’ Bond stood up to leave.

‘This evening?’ Q asked. He was a little intrigued.

‘Yes, we’re going for dinner.’

‘Dinner?’

‘There are better ways to get my attention than a rubbish investigation, Q. I’ll meet you at eight. And call a real maintenance worker, will you? I have a feeling I've broken the vending machine.’

[lonk080125119-blog]

Convert Anything To Anything

Methods to convert WAV to MP4 on-line with WAV to MP4 Converter? WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe is an HD video converter, on-line video downloader and DVD burner bundled into one piece of video software. Import the WAV file to iTunes, right click it, and choose "convert to aac" or no matter it's referred to as. Total Audio Converter can cut up FLAC and APE information by CUE (split CUE-primarily based FLAC, split CUE-based APE). Step 2: Choose the WAV format and the standard of audio. WAV recordsdata are good to have, nonetheless, as a result of they allow probably the most flexibility. In any case, in case you are not accustomed to this tool particularly and media file conversion basically, you must get some additional data before you start converting MP4 to WAV format. Free MP4 to WAV audio converter is a totally free all-in-one video converter and YouTube downloader. Click "Profile" drop-down button and set the video format as you like, for example, choose "MP4 MPEG-4 Video (.mp4)" as output format from "Common Video" class if you'd like to transform ISMV to MP4. - On-line e-guide software, convert between numerous e-e book codecs on-line. It not solely helps you turn MP4 to WAV, but many different formats conversion. In different phrases, it won't be an issue so that you can convert MP4 to WAV. Trying to transform it once more, even choosing one other output format, is mindless. MediaCoder - the settings allow MOV to WMV but it surely gives an error to say it isn't attainable when the convert button is clicked. Explorer will open so you may select a location and right here is the place you wish to label the file with an mp3 extension and hit Save. To MP3 Converter encodes numerous audio and video codecs, similar to MP4, WMA, M4A, FLAC, WAV, AMR to MP3 effectively and quickly. TWDown additionally helps you change your favorite twitter videos to MP3 and hearken to them offline whereas on the go, you can convert any kind of twitter movies to MP3 on-line together with Music. It is one of many few standouts among the many many strong file converters that facilitates the file format conversions, in an attempt to make issues simpler for you. Free M4a to MP3 Converter can convert AAC to MP3, M4a to MP3 and MP4 to MP3. ITunes is ubiquitous and cross-platform with Home windows and Mac OS X assist, and will handle the conversions simply, or you can go with the free obtain called All2MP3 that may convert the audio too. When the conversion is full, a inexperienced Download button appears on the web page. The above elements of the article focus on the other ways of converting MP4 to WAV and convertwav tomp4. Step three: Next, select mp4″ as the output format by clicking the drop-down arrow. WAV to MP4 Converter supports most widely used common input and output audio formats. Assist for new input formats: M4B, WebM, OGV, OGA, DTS, DTS-HD, EAC3, AIFF, GSM, MP1, QCP (qcelp), RA, TrueHD, VQF, MP4V, MKA, M2TS, MTS, WTV, F4V, F4P, F4A, F4B, VIDEO, M4R, AVS. MP3 is a digital music format which allows CD tracks to be diminished to around a tenth of their regular size with out a vital loss of high quality. This web site would not permit a lot customization on video and audio information. The converter by VeryPDF will convert your PowerPoint presentation to a variety of video formats, and is suitable with most versions of Home windows, together with Vista and XP. Output formats include MP3, MP2, MMF, FLAC, APE, WMA, WAV, WV, TTA, OGG, MPC, AMR, AC3, and AAC. This can be a highly effective and steady instrument that gives extra options than different free packages that convert M4A to MP3 online and even offline. Then you are allowed to decide on a file to transform. Added converting Wav (PCM eight, 16, 24, 32 bits, DSP, GSM, IMA ADPCM, MS ADPCM, AC3, MP3, MP2, OGG, A-LEGISLATION, u-LEGISLATION) to FLAC files. 28 Partial since eleven.zero. AAC is just supported within the MP4 container. AAC, OGG, FLAC, WAV, M4A, ACS, M4B, AIFF, MP3 and extra. Now below the Audio Codec tab select the MP3 codec, choose a Bitrate, amount of channels, Pattern Charge, MP4 to WAV and then click the Save button. And there are occasions when the media recordsdata we now have on hand are really ill-suited for the gadget we need to use, comparable to you probably have an enormous excessive-qualitymkv file but wish to play it in your older smartphone and really want it to be transformed to an MP4.

MP4 (MPEG-4 Video) is a multimedia container and a compression normal for video, audio and other information (resembling subtitle, picture, text and more), developed by the Transferring Picture Experts Group (MPEG). So I have to convert awav f32 track into the highest quality format doable that fits in a mp4 container. It can aid you to convert your music absolutely free to WMA, MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AIFF, Apple Lossless format and bunch of others. Simply drag the flicks you want to convert into its window, choose a tool to transform it for from the Convert To pop-up menu, choose a desired high quality utilizing the Quality slider, allow the Add To iTunes choice if you'd like that to occur when the conversion completes, audio-transcoder.com and click Start. 11 AAC is just supported within the MP4 container. To avoid patent points, assist for MPEG 4, H.264 and MP3 shouldn't be built straight into Firefox Cell (Android) and MP4 to WAV Firefox OS. Instead it relies on assist from the OS or hardware (the hardware also wants to be able to support the profile used to encode the video, within the case of MP4). TWDown is one of the best and most safe free Twitter video downloader on-line instrument, it helps you generate direct links to your favorite twitter videos and save them for offline viewing and sharing.

The conversion is fast and environment friendly, you possibly can convert MP4 to WMA in prime quality with the MP4 to WMA converter. 24 Opera Mini itself doesn't help any video or audio, but any video or audio is handed to the gadget to play if it has help for that format. Not only that, however conventional video conversion software program can take a half hour to a number of hours to complete the conversion course of, all relying on your hardware. Total Audio Converter supports WAV, MP3, OGG, WMA, APE, FLAC, MP4, AAC, MPC and plenty of different uncommon image file sorts files (complete checklist).

[vicehectic]

Vongola Vigilantes (1/?)

Based on this post I made a while ago, or you know, just this:

“...instead of Class 1-A and the Vongola 10th gen being the same age, the Vongola are a long established vigilante group that’s a pain in police’s and villain’s sides (most heroes either have neutral opinions or quietly agree with the Vongola) while Izuku loves them and is their number one fanboy.”

Parts 1 / 2 / 3 / ?

Also on AO3

A good portion of the city is flooded. Electricity is out, communication is down, and a chuck of the population is missing.

That's the context of the video Izuku is watching. He knows it like the back of his hand and keeps the memory close to his heart, but Izuku is easily a thousand of the million views that the video has racked up.

It's not even a good video, especially in this day and age. It's grainy and horrible and it's at 360p, but it still has millions of views. The video is also years old but views still increase by the hundreds every day.

A voice is heard behind the camera as soon as it starts.

“The tsunami hit yesterday,” it's a female voice, exhausted, tired and without hope as she pans her device across the wreckage of the city she can see from the hole through a wall, “It came without warning, without even an earthquake. The other people who survived in the building think it's a villain's quirk,” there’s a long pause, “Some good heroes are if they can't even stop this long scale attack,” she says cynically.

The voice sighs and the video is shaking, “We were lucky enough to live on the upper floors of the building, but the building is leaning, and it won't be long until it tips, with all of us in it. I can feel it and the kids have stopped believing me. Kids are smart nowadays,” there's an empty laugh that follows.

The video jerks suddenly and the voice is suddenly full of disdain, “Those dang heroes! Where are they? We're in this collapsing building either waiting to starve or tip over. Heroes are never there when we need them,” she says with contempt.

There’s a long moment where all the audio is just strong wind hitting the mic and the video just shows the wreckage of a building across from it.

Then there's a yell, “Hello, is anyone EXTREMELY there?!” it's a loud voice with a mechanical quality to it, but it is ear catching and unique, especially when the voice emphasizes the word “extremely”.

The video immediately jerks as the female voice yells, “Yes! Yes! Over here! Please! There are families trapped over here! Please help us!”

There's a moment of just nothing, until a man suddenly appears through the destroyed wall of the building. He's wearing an out of place black business suit with a yellow dress shirt and a black skinny tie. He has a strange white mask that covers his face and because of the quality, Izuku can't quite make it out, but Izuku has already committed that mask to memory from more clear pictures and videos. There's a pale yellow sun painted with watercolors at the left chin, while on the right side of the forehead, there's a black outline of an open clam with two rifle bullets crossed within it. The man's white hair is slicked back, and there isn't a hair out of place. There are formal shoes to match his attire on his feet, but there's a sparkling yellow fire like substance coming out the bottom that allows him to fly into the building easily.

The man approaches the woman behind the camera slow enough to show he means no harm, but fast enough to show his urgency. As he comes closer it's easy to make out a gold object with a bright yellow gem wrapped around the upper left arm of the man over his suit.

“Ma’am,” the man says, “Please lead me to the others, we need to get you all to extreme safety,” while the voice is completely serious, there's a strange quality to how he puts slight emphasis on the word “extreme” again.

The video jumps up immediately, “Of course!” the woman says and they both start to move, rubble is all the video shows for a while but there is still audio.

“How many people are extremely with you ma'am?”

There's a grunt, “Three dozen?” the woman asks rather than answers, “At least.”

There's silence for a couple of moments before the man is saying something, and it's not Japanese. But luckily subtitles appear on screen, translating the Italian words the man says, “I'm going to need some help around here Alaude.”

Alaude has a note next to it, noting that it's a name and not some sort of unknown word.

The video cuts to a different view, where the woman has her video focused right on the man who had called out to her, “Excuse me,” she asks, “But what are we waiting for?”

The man looks directly at her and the voice is suddenly very cheerful and bright, “Extreme reinforcements! Before they arrive, can I ask if anyone is injured?”

There's a murmuring in the crowd that is presumably behind the woman but a man steps into frame holding a child in his arms, “My little boy, Kaidoh, he got hit by some debris.”

The man in the mask immediately rushes forward pulling something out of his pocket, “Sir, if you allow me, I could heal your son before his injury gets extremely worse. Is that okay with you?”

The father of the child stares at the masked man, “Is that a scalpel?” he asks, scandalized.

The masked man immediately jabs the scalpel against his hand but it's completely unscathed, “It won't cut through anything. It's just an extreme tool I use to channel my powers.”

The father stares for a second before nodding, laying the child in his lap. The masked man immediately moves forward and the scalpel in his hand lights up in sparkling yellow energy. The man gently brushes the scalpel against the wound on the child's head and the wound stitches back together in seconds.

There's awed gasps that can be heard, but it only lasts for a second when a newer voice says, “Knuckle.”

The video turns in a flash and it takes a second for the video to focus on a man wearing a similar suit to the man referred to as “Knuckle”. He also wears a black suit and tie but has a dark purple dress shirt instead. He has a similarly blurry white mask but Izuku has also committed that to memory. The white mask is similar to Knuckle’s with the same clam and bullet combination on his right forehead, but on his left chin is the same watercolor painting of purple clouds. The man's hair is an inconspicuous normal black and he steps closer to the group surrounding Knuckle without even glancing at them.

“Is this all of them?” the man's voice is also mechanical, altered in some way, but it's also very cold and lacks emotion at its base.

Knuckle nods enthusiastically, “Let's get going while we can, while the building extremely remains intact.”

The new man turns away from the group and heads for a wall. The man lifts his left hand and there's a rather large silver bracelet around his wrist with a purple gem that lights up in a sparkling purple energy, similar to the yellow energy that Knuckle has, and then strikes the wall. The walls goes down immediately, screams of terror filling the mic of the camera the woman has.

“Alaude!” Knuckle scolds with a disapproving tone, “That's not extreme at all!”

Alaude barely glances back, “It's here, get them on it.”

The woman behind the video rushes forward with a gasp and in seconds, she's at the edge of the building, pointing the camera towards a floating slab of earth, “Oh my god,” she whispers out of disbelief. She turns the camera towards the masked men, both who had joined her at the edge, “Who are you people?”

Alaude is the one who turns to answer her, “Vongola.”

The video ends as soon as the word leaves Alaude's mouth.

Izuku’s mouse clicks on the close button of the tab, closing the video titled “First Appearance of the Vigilante Wonders: The Vongola.”

“They're so cool!” Izuku whispers to himself as he clicks on another video.

“-They call themselves the Vongola. Now, with us today we have a vigilante expert from Tokyo University to talk with us, Professor Tadashi Hito. Tadashi-sensei, could you tell us about we know so far about the Vongola?”

“Well they suddenly appeared during the aftermath of a villain's quirk, rescuing civilians using their quirk. They seem to be a group eight people who suddenly decided to assist the civilians in the city to rescue them. As it is, in the laws of Japan, quirk usage in public areas by those who are not licensed to do so is a crime. For these individuals to appear out of their good will to help civilians could be considered heroic, but it's illegal for them to take such action. And seeing how those individuals decided to disguise their appearances and voices, they knew what they were doing could be punishable by law.”

“Vongola, that's what they're calling themselves. That means ‘clam’ in Italian, and it's a rather strange title for themselves-”

“From eye witness reports we have been able to identify the codenames they called each other. Giotto, G, Asari, Daemon, Spade, Romeo, Knuckle and Alaude-”

“The vigilantes who call themselves The Vongola have appeared again, stopping a hostage situation in a local bank-”

“The Vongola Vigilantes have been leaving a clam mark on the victims they take out-”

“-we don't have any leads on them at the moment but we are doing our best-”

“The Vongola? I think they're great. Petty crime has dropped-”

“-what they're doing is punishable by law. They may think they're helping but they're just needlessly breaking laws. We have heroes and laws for a reason-”

“-gola have been spotted in broad daylight! They seem to be the individuals code-named Asari and G-”

“-the police gave chase but in the end vigilante Romeo and Spade disappeared-”

“-in his testimony that Vigilante Daemon from the Vongola saved the young hero's life-”

“I would say the leader has to be Giotto, he's hardly ever spotted, but he's without a doubt doing things in the background-”

“-definitely seen heroes working with some guys of the Vongola. But they always seem to escape by the time police-”

“It has been ten years since The Vongola emerged from the shadows of a flooding incident, and not once have they been identified nor caught. They've been saving civilians all over Japan from simple petty crimes to large-scale villains’ crimes. What we know about the vigilantes is scarce, and for what we know, they could be our co-workers, our next door neighbors, or a regular customer at some restaurant you always go to. There's not much we can do for them, but we can thank them for the service they've given Japan. I can't imagine what would have happened if I hadn't been saved by Knuckle and Alaude all those years ago from that collapsing building. I wouldn't have been able to see my children grow up to be who they are today. So, for that, I am eternally grateful.”

Yeah I did a thing. Idk if I’ll continue this or not? Feedback is appreciated though!

EDIT! I continued the thing! Read here!

Parts 1 / 2 / 3 / ?

Also on AO3

[amarabliss]

The Deal - 9 (Steve McGarrett/Reader)

Steve and the team are faced with a job they can’t do alone leading them back to you…the one they locked up in prison a couple years prior, offering a deal you can’t refuse…Steve struggles seeing the  supposed reformed inmate as he has to keeps tabs on them until the op is over…will things run smoothly? or will there be trouble in paradise?

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight

Steve stared at the email finger tracing over his lips as he read it. He smiled a little hearing the inflection of your voice in the words that you wrote. You were doing well for yourself and he was happy for you. He looked up as Danny walked inside his office, “Hey.”

“Hey back.” Danny smiled putting his hands into his pockets, “So I got an email this morning from Y/N.”

“Yeah, me too.” Steve pointed to his computer, “Sounds like she’s been doing really good for herself.”

“Right, I mean we knew she would when we sent those reference letters to her.” Danny nodded a little, “Hard to believe it’s been, what seven months.”

“Yeah something like that…” Steve nodded thinking back to the last time he saw you.

It had been a wild ride of events that led him into your hospital room. He stepped inside seeing you resting on the bed hooked up to a few monitors. Your arm was in a cast, the side of your face scrapped, bruised, and bandaged in places. He stopped at the foot of your bed looking away taking a deep breath in through his nose.

“If you’re going to growl during this visit…” He looked back to you as you opened your eyes into slits a small smirk playing on your slips, “…can you at least do it in a sultry way?”

“Sultry?” His eyebrows shot up as he looked at you, “What you want a strip tease or something?”

“Are you offering?” You laughed a little before groaning making the small smile on Steve’s fade away quickly.

“Take it easy.” He stepped over to the side of the bed looking down into your eyes seeing one of the blood shot from damage, “What were you thinking?”

You stared up at him for a moment before looking away, “I was ensuring that the information got out. We would have been caught….”

“You should have told me!” His voice began to raise.

“Told you?” You looked at him again your mouth slightly open, “I don’t…Steve you took me out of jail to make sure that this would succeed. You told me to make it happen. If I had told you what I was about to do your feelings would have jumped in…”

“Feelings? What feelings?” He interrupted you taking a step back, “There are no feelings.”

“Aw man…” You stared up at him sadness in your eyes, “Catherine really did a number on you…”

He watched you look away from again. He swallowed before clearing his throat, “I…just came by to tell you that you’ve been released. The warden is bringing your personal effects over and has apparently talked to someone about your exams.”

You glanced over at him as he reached into his back pocket pulling out a few envelopes, “The team wrote several letters of recommendation for you. You did good and proved to us all that you’ve changed.”

“That…” You watched him set them down on the side table, “Thanks…”

“Yeah.” He nodded watching you lean your head back, “I’ll let you rest.”

He cleared his throat leaning back in his seat before looking at Danny, “You think she’d help us on this case?”

Danny’s eyes got wide, “Well I don’t know…I mean I guess she could be useful. She might see some ins and outs that we didn’t.”

“It’s art heist and she used to steal art, now she tests security systems to stop people from stealing art.” Steve stood up looking at Danny, “We’re at standstill on this…”

“Sure.” Danny smiled looking at him, “I mean we could use a little more feistiness around here, right?”

Steve let out a soft chuckle, “I’ll give her a call.”

“Yeah…just you know…be nice.” Danny told him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve crossed his arms.

“I’m just saying you two parted on not such great terms if I remember correctly.” Danny squinted at him a little.

“Well…yeah…but I kinda stayed in touch.” Steve glanced down at his laptop. He’d gotten a call from a bank for a reference and ended up tracking you down sending a brief email giving you a heads up. Ever since the two of you kept in touch exchanging emails a few times a month.

“Oh, really?” Danny tilted his head a little making a face, “Well…then, do what you think is best. You are our fearless leader after all.”

Steve did. He couldn’t believe how easy it had been. He thought for sure you’d give him trouble and sass. You didn’t though.

You just told him you’d be on the first flight out that you could get. An hour later he received and email confirming your flight. You’d be here tomorrow.

Steve fiddled with the lei in his hand looking at the people getting off their flights. Danny watched him carefully, “Would you stop? We’re going to need to buy her a new one.”

Steve looked at him and then to the lei seeing how crumpled he was making it, “Sorry…”

“Why are you acting like this?” Danny crossed his arms,

“Like what?”  Steve glanced at him before looking back at the people for you.

“Like a giddy school boy.” Danny smirked when he looked at him, “What have you two been talking about?”

“Nothing…just her business and you know general stuff. How do you dos and she checks up on the team…” Steve told him glancing over at him, “You know…normal stuff…”

“Right…no of course.” Danny looked away from him seeing you round the corner hair bouncing around your face, “Oh hey…look.”

Steve followed his friend pointing. He couldn’t help but smile as you raised your hand waving at them. He moved forward to meet you but stopped midstep as people moved out of your way his mouth dropping open.

He heard Danny next to him, “Wow…”

You walked up to him your shoes in your hands, “Sorry…I lost shoe on the plane and it was all crazy…and…well…”

Danny smiled at you looking you over dressed in a snug pant suit that went over your plump belly, “Wow…you look amazing…”

“I look like a blimp…” You laughed looking at him, “But thank you.”

“Pregnancy is a beautiful look on you.” Danny stepped forward giving you a hug.

“Oh please…” You hugged him tearing up a little, “keep talking my self esteem needs it right now.”

“Aww…” Danny rubbed your arms gently, “I remember when Rachel went through this…never mattered what I said, she called me a liar. Your emotions are all high and out of whack.”

“Oh you have no idea.” You wiped your eyes before looking at Steve, “Hi.”

He blinked several times before he spoke, “Hi.”

You smiled before speaking again, “So I am starving.”

“Right…uh we can grab a bite before getting you setup at your hotel.” Steve swallowed trying to wet his dry throat.

“Well I…actually was hoping one of you might be able to put me up for a bit while I search for a place to live.” They both looked at you surprised, “Yeah, I’m moving back. I wanted to have him here, Hawaii is where I felt most safe, and my doctor won’t let me back on a plan until after he’s born.”

“It’s a boy!” Danny smiled happy for you, “That’s so awesome, I’m sure I can…”

“You can stay with me.” Steve beat him to the punch, “I’ve got that spare room that I’ve been working on for my mom when she visits. Little small, but…”

“It’ll work.” You nodded staring at him, “Thanks.”

“Sure…you want to eat out or at home? I don’t know how you’re feeling.” Steve asked you his grip on the lei tight.

“I am a bit tired…you mind if we grab something and then take a nap before work?” You asked bringing your shoes close to your chest.

“That’s fine.” Steve nodded looking at Danny, “You gonna be able to handle things without us?”

“I am more then capable of getting the team up to speed.” Danny rolled his eyes before looking at you, “It’s really good to see you…you look great, better then great, you’re gorgeous, and if he gives you any trouble just punch him. It’s what I do.”

You laughed giving him a hug again. You hadn’t laughed in a while. Things took off rather quickly and your business grew fast. You had employees and contracts, and people who actually believed in you.

You glanced at Steve as he drove while you took another bite of a french fry. His face was rigid in thought. You let out a sigh through your nose, “Yes.”

As he pulled up to a stop light he looked at you, “Yes?”

“The question that’s been rolling around your head since you saw me at the airport. The answer is yes.” You looked into the bag of food on your lap.

He stared at you until the light turned green. He didn’t say anything or even look at you until he pulled into his driveway. He put the truck into park, “…why didn’t you tell me?”

You looked at him, “…I’m scared.”

“You’re scared…that’s your reason for not telling me that you’re carrying my son?” Steve looked at you his eyes full of emotions, “Y/N…”

“Steve…you’re an amazing guy and no doubt would be a tremendous father.” You told him looking away, “But…I just got out of jail. You still looked at me as a criminal and…and I didn’t think…”

“Didn’t think what?” Steve turned in his seat a little more looking at you.

“I didn’t think you’d want me…any part.” Your nose got red as you started to cry, “God dammit…I’m so over all this…crying shit.”

His nose flared as he looked at you. Before he got out of the truck he let out a sigh, “I’m gonna be there for you…and him…no matter what.”

You looked at him as he shut the door and walked around to yours opening it for you. You looked at his hand extended to you, “I’m not made of glass, Steve.”

“I know…but I’m not going to let you do this by yourself anymore.” Steve told you in a low voice, “I wish you would have told me…”

You looked away feeling more tears, “I…I’m sorry…”

He sighed, “We’ve got…a lot to talk about, but for now you need some rest.”

He helped you inside and got you settled before he walked out to his private beach. His mind was racing as fast as his heart was beating. He knew she wasn’t lying. There was this…switch that went off inside of him when he saw you. He knew.

He was going to be a dad…

[michaelandy101-blog]

19 Social Media Advertising Myths to Depart Behind in 2021

New Post has been published on https://tiptopreview.com/19-social-media-marketing-myths-to-leave-behind-in-2021/

19 Social Media Advertising Myths to Depart Behind in 2021

Like every main marketing technique of the previous decade, social media has had loads of time to build up some massive myths.

And even if knowledge has disproven plenty of marketing myths right this moment, some entrepreneurs will nonetheless maintain onto a number of, just because it is onerous to maintain up-to-date on what’s actually happening with social media.

Sure, social media landscapes change dramatically daily. Nonetheless, as a marketer, it is necessary to establish fantasy from actuality to be able to create an efficient social media technique. 

That will help you separate reality from fiction, I put my MythBusters hat on and drudged up a number of the most typical social media myths on the market.

Let’s dive into some social media myths we have all most likely heard from colleagues or mates. Then, I am going to clarify why it’s essential to go away these outdated methods of considering behind. 

19 Social Media Myths to Depart Behind in 2021

1. My clients aren’t on social media.

In 2021, over 3.7 billion people worldwide are active on social media. As we speak, it looks as if there is a social platform for all the pieces and everybody. Whereas household and mates join on websites like Fb, Instagram, or Twitter, professionals are networking on LinkedIn.

Odds are, at the least one social media platform has an viewers that can align together with your model. Undecided which one is the very best for you? Try this weblog submit to discover which social platform(s) are best-suited in your model — and which most likely will not work in your wants.

2. You need to be part of each single social media community instantly.

Simply because I can identify a whole lot of social networks, it does not imply I ought to arrange a profile on all of them.

By all means, analysis different social networks. Arrange an organization profile or web page and provides ’em the outdated school strive. However it’s possible you’ll discover that some aren’t actually price your time. If that is the case, contemplate eradicating your profile and transfer on. You need to solely commit time and sources to the platforms that align most together with your viewers and marketing techniques. 

The most effective entrepreneurs use knowledge to establish which marketing actions yield the very best outcomes — if a social community is not serving to you out, minimize it free. 

three. Pinterest is just for B2C organizations.

Pinterest is completely superior for B2C entrepreneurs, to make certain. However normally when somebody says a channel is just for B2C, the B2B marketer in me takes that as a problem to show it isn’t so.

Seems a few of my colleagues really feel the identical approach, as a result of considered one of them wrote a whole information to utilizing Pinterest for enterprise. It’s also possible to take a look at the accounts of manufacturers like GE, Microsoft, Econsultancy, and yours actually for some B2B Pinterest inspiration!

four. You need to solely attempt to get followers and followers that can change into clients.

High quality is necessary, sure, however do not underestimate the ability of a giant social attain. Keep in mind a few of these factors subsequent time you bemoan buying a fan or follower that lives exterior of your gross sales territory or goal demographic:

Extra followers and followers means you are getting access to their followers and followers.

In the event that they’re an influencer, their clout transfers to you by affiliation.

After they share your content material, your search engine marketing improves.

They could nonetheless refer enterprise your approach.

After all, that does not imply you should not additionally goal a particular, high-converting viewers in your social channels — to determine your ideally suited audience on social media, take a look at this submit.

5. You need to solely schedule posts throughout the work week.

When you should not pressure your social media supervisor to work on the weekends, you actually can schedule posts or launch social media adverts on the weekends forward of time — and, relying in your viewers, it may be a good suggestion.

After all, you may must establish when your viewers makes use of sure social platforms probably the most. Whereas pique social media engagement instances happen across the center of the week, most platforms even have excessive engagement instances throughout the weekends and evenings as effectively. 

6. You will have wonderful social media engagement when you ask your family and friends “Like” each submit.

You’ll be able to’t simply have your mother and uncle Like each submit you set up on Fb. Though it’d really feel such as you see a whole lot of posts that your folks or relations like, Fb and different social media algorithms are a bit extra subtle than that in the case of figuring out which posts get seen.

To get social media feeds to favor your content material, you may want a selection of individuals interacting together with your content material — each to develop your attain, and to point out up in customers’ information feeds. 

So, quite than encouraging simply your folks or relations to Like or coronary heart your posts, encourage your followers to Like, remark, or share to encourage additional dialogue and unfold your model consciousness. 

7. It’s important to reply to social exercise instantly.

There is not any doubt a speedy response is appreciated, but it surely is not at all times required. Folks perceive that you just’re operating a enterprise. There are different issues happening. If you happen to get again in a well timed method, however not in mere seconds, it is alright.

There are exceptions, after all. As an example, Verizon runs a number of Twitter accounts. One is @VerizonSupport. Whereas Verizon will share weblog posts and academic marketing supplies on this Twitter, it additionally makes use of it to reply to questions or considerations from prospects or clients.

As a result of Verizon’s assist account is for customer support quite than marketing, reps who handle this channel needs to be responding instantly to inquiries.

One other instance might be when you’re operating a social media account that receives a grievance which is public to all customers and will damage your credibility. In that situation, you need to seek the advice of your service group as quickly as doable and write a considerate reply that exhibits you are taking the suggestions significantly. 

eight. Social media is solely about participating dialog — and never a spot to share branded content material.

It is not that conversations aren’t necessary. You’ll be able to’t simply ignore your followers. However, whereas it is helpful to stimulate conversations and discussions together with your viewers, it isn’t the one level to social media marketing. 

Other than permitting you to nearly join with individuals, social media is a lead generator, a non-organic visitors instrument, and an ideal place to share your greatest content material.

If you happen to publish priceless posts, they won’t at all times stimulate dialog, however they may lead individuals to your web site and merchandise.  

9. Social media marketing techniques do not drive bottom-line outcomes.

Piggybacking off of the final fantasy, you’ll be able to really generate worth past simply “engagement” and “brand equity” from social media. Social media drives leads and clients, interval.

Do not consider me? Listed below are a number of stats you need to know:

In the end, notably by means of promoting or influencer marketing methods, social media could be a viable alternative for rising gross sales. (Simply examine my checking account each time I scroll Instagram and “Swipe Up to Buy”.)

10. It appears to be like cheesy to look relatable as a model on social media.

The content material you publish on social media ought to at all times preserve your audience in thoughts — however that does not imply you’ll be able to’t additionally publish content material that exhibits your model’s persona. Or, frankly, even your group supervisor’s persona.

There are individuals behind your organization; do not be afraid to point out that with your personal particular model of humor, photos of folks that work at your organization, and hyperlinks to information content material that you just discover notably entertaining … even when it isn’t straight associated to your business.

11. Hashtags are important for each submit.

You realize these tweets that seem like this?

Love this text on #socialmedia #marketing that talks about #pinterest and has a picture of a #pet #lol

The purpose of hashtags is that they be part of collectively frequent dialog threads. So whereas it is good to have a hashtag for an occasion, like a webinar or a commerce present, do not lose your thoughts if it would not change into a trending matter. It is not essentially going to blow your leads purpose out of the water if it does … consider hashtags as a technique to be extra user-friendly for these following the hashtag, not a technique to make all of your marketing goals come true.

12. Social media monitoring takes eternally.

One social media monitoring situation: Glue your eyes to your pc display, open 5 tabs for every of your social networks, chug three espressos, click on between tabs, and hit refresh like a maniac.

Alternate social media monitoring situation: Use social media monitoring software program that alerts you when necessary phrases are talked about; examine again to your accounts briefly each hour or two to see if it’s essential to reply to anybody, observe somebody again, and so on.

That second one takes you, in mixture, possibly 30 minutes a day. No massive deal. Everyone breathe. All the things’s gonna be alright.

13. Social media managers needs to be new graduates or have years of expertise.

This is not only a fantasy. It is really an ageist principle that needs to be fully deserted — if it hasn’t been already.

Being good at social media marketing, or any job for that matter, has completely nothing to do with how younger or outdated you’re. You’ll be able to study the instruments and methods at any age, and make errors at any age, too.

As a substitute of contemplating a social media supervisor’s age vary, search for the candidate who’s each inventive and analytically-minded sufficient to handle your presence. To study extra about the best way to rent the very best social media supervisor in your model, take a look at this submit.

14. Solely younger individuals use social media.

Assume that the one individuals on social media are Gen Z and millennials? Assume once more.

Contemplate this: 40% of internet users age 46 to 55 are on LinkedIn by the tip of 2020; roughly 55% of Facebook users are over the age of 35 as of 2021; and in 2019, over 80% of 45-64 yr outdated U.S. web customers watched movies on YouTube.

Greater than possible, your viewers (at any age!) is on social media — the secret’s determining which one they like probably the most. 

15. Newer platforms, like Snapchat and TikTok, aren’t price taking significantly.

Snapchat and TikTok are each cell social media apps which have pulled in millennials and Gen Z as a result of their distinctive platforms. Whereas Snapchat thrives on ephemeral content material, AR filters, and Bitmoji options, TikTok highlights goofy, enjoyable, or musical 10 to 60-second movies much like Vines. 

Even if these platforms pull in odd content material created by customers, it would not essentially imply that manufacturers cannot use the apps to achieve credibility and consciousness. 

At this level, a plethora of manufacturers — from publishers to B2C firms — have created profiles or adverts for TikTok. One of the crucial shocking and oldest manufacturers to construct a TikTok technique is The Washington Put up. Though the publication has a really formal social media presence on different platforms, they use TikTok to spotlight the humorous, but human, aspect of working in a newsroom. 

Equally, plenty of bigger companies have additionally launched paid promotions or long-form Tales on Snapchat Uncover. To study extra about these firms and the content material they’ve launched, take a look at this weblog submit.

At this level, you’ll be able to actually take any fashionable social media platform significantly. However, as we famous when debunking earlier myths on this submit, you need to establish which platforms greatest match your viewers and your targets earlier than spending time and money to construct a technique for them. 

16. You do not have sufficient content material to have a social media channel.

The factor with social media is that it strikes actually quick. What’s posted right this moment would possibly very effectively be forgotten about tomorrow. It is easy to consider this as an issue by saying, “I don’t have enough content to post.” However, alternatively, you can simply repurpose content material or re-share nice content material repeatedly.

If the subject your submit discusses is evergreen, it is going to virtually at all times be helpful, even when you repurpose or repost it later. This does not imply you need to share the very same hyperlink and replace commentary day after day, but when a number of weeks go by and also you need to re-promote one thing, go for it. Simply do your loyal followers a favor and discover a new fascinating nugget of data to name out in your replace.

17. Social media offers individuals a venue to publicly bash your organization.

The reality is, offended clients have already got loads of venues: phrase of mouth, Google opinions, Yelp opinions, and plenty of different locations on the web that can permit them to present suggestions after they aren’t blissful. Not making a Fb web page merely for worry of adverse suggestions is not defending you from an offended wrath.

As a substitute, get forward of the dialog by being conscious when adverse opinions are going down, studying them, responding to the client, and developing with options for his or her issues. Moreover, when clients are happy, encourage them to share their constructive tales.

18. Social media is simply too “fluffy” to have stable metrics round.

Once more, social media is not about fluffy issues we talked about earlier, like “brand equity” and “engaging conversation.”

Sure, these issues occur, but it surely does not imply you’ll be able to’t measure the effectiveness of your social media actions.

With HubSpot marketing tools, you’ll be able to establish precisely how a lot visitors social media drives to your web site, what number of leads social media generates, and what number of of these leads change into clients.

From there, you’ll be able to even calculate issues like the typical cost-per-lead and buyer — throughout particular person social media networks, and in mixture — similar to you do with each different marketing channel (proper?).

19. Social media is totally free marketing.

It is free to hitch, but it surely’s nonetheless a useful resource funding. Even if you’re posting without cost, you may possible must pay an worker to handle your channels and construct methods. And, as your social media technique grows extra profitable, you would possibly resolve to up time and money investments.

Fortunately, social media remains to be one of the crucial inexpensive methods to spice up audiences, model consciousness, and finally leads. This makes the funding price your whereas. 

Navigating Social Media Advertising

Now that you’ve got discovered concerning the falsehoods and myths behind social media, it is time to begin wanting on the precise research-back techniques that would make your model profitable on a given community. 

For extra knowledge that backs why you want a social media marketing technique in 2021, take a look at this record of stats. For tactical recommendation on varied social media techniques and platforms, learn our Final Information to Social Media Advertising. 

Editor’s Observe: This submit was initially revealed in October 2012 however was up to date in February 2021 for comprehensiveness and freshness.

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New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/travel/the-anxiety-of-the-2300-a-night-hotel-room/

The Anxiety of the $2,300-a-Night Hotel Room

Carbon Beach is a beguiling and exclusive crescent of sand along the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, famous — infamous might be a better word — for the long and mostly losing battle conducted by its wealthy homeowners to keep the public off this stunning mile of coastline.

It is also known as Billionaire’s Beach, a fitting reference to the Californians who have staked their claims there, a cast that has, over the years, included David Geffen, Larry Ellison, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Eli Broad.

Still, you don’t have to be a billionaire (or even a millionaire) to wake up in a room with floor-to-ceiling glass that makes you feel like you are sleeping atop the sands of Carbon Beach, to settle in for breakfast on a deck with views up and down the Pacific, to cast open the sliding doors and let the smells and sounds of the ocean wash over your room.

But it is going to cost you. A lot.

In 2017, the Nobu Ryokan Malibu, a homage to the serenity of a Japanese inn, opened on Carbon Beach, offering 16 rooms discreetly set in a maze of teak and glass, with two private walkways leading to the sand. It’s part of a chain of Nobu hotels and restaurants, whose owners include Nobu Matsuhisa, the chef, and Robert De Niro, the actor. Mr. Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle, whose home is just up the beach, is the principal owner of this West Coast Nobu venture. There are eight Nobu hotels across the world, but this is the only Ryokan.

An ocean-front room with a deck clocked in at $2,300 a night, not counting another $300 or so in taxes. During the off-season. And there is a two-night minimum, though the hotel was willing, at least on one occasion, to waive that. (The reservation was not in my name and the hotel did not know about my connection to the Times.) With a 4 p.m. check-in and noon departure, that comes out, pretax, to $115 an hour.

For that much money — figure $5,200 for two nights, taxes included — we probably could have jetted off to Japan and experienced a real ryokan, or, more practically, rented an entire house in Malibu for a few days. But instead we booked a hotel room. There are rooms that go for as little as $2,000 a night for a first-floor garden room (don’t expect to see the beach out your window). And if $2,300 a night isn’t enough of a splurge, an ocean front suite with skylights goes for $3,500 a night.

Was it worth it? Along with my spouse, Benjamin, I have, over the years, occasionally indulged in splurge hotels: the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, a Singita in South Africa. These can be enriching, even if your stomach drops when confronted with a tab that exceeds the cost of your first car. They can also make you wonder, when that credit card bill comes due, what on earth you were thinking.

And this is a year when California in general, and this part of California in particular, has been battered by mudslides, fires, windstorms and torrential rains. The Woolsey Fire that ripped across Malibu late last year stopped a few miles short of the Nobu Ryokan.

Drive a few miles north of the hotel on the Pacific Coast Highway and you’ll soon encounter grim reminders of the destruction: the burned-out shells of a cluster of homes on Point Dume — normally, a beautiful place to stroll the bluffs, looking down on the sea lions and tidal pools — and the wildflowers poking through what were hills of smoky embers. The hotel was forced to close during the worst of the fires; the Pacific Coast Highway was a stream of emergency vehicles and evacuees, and a thick and ominous bank of smoke rose above the horizon.

And the wildfires weren’t the end of it. A bank of cold, whipping rains followed, causing mudslides on the hillsides that had been stripped of greenery, closing down parts of the highway. The day we were originally supposed to check in, hotel management was exceedingly accommodating when we called to inquire about changing the reservation after waking up to torrential rains and a round of mudslide warnings.

There is a reason billionaires chose to make their homes (or one of their homes) in this part of Malibu. It has some of the most seductive coastline in the country: the hills, swaying with bright green grass, which will be brown before long, slope gently to the ocean. The waves are dotted with surfers, lit up in the seductive golden light that is California. Much of Malibu is wild and undeveloped; you can cross four lanes and take off into the hills, hiking trails that give views up and down the coast. An early morning jog through the mist on the beach can be a bracingly solitary experience.

All that, of course, is free.

Getting behind the doors

The Ryokan rests at the north end of a stretch of high-design exclusivity — a blur of low-lying teak and glass alongside a palette of sand and ocean — which includes Nobu Malibu, its sister restaurant, and the Little Beach House Malibu, a West Coast outpost for the London-based, members-only Soho House.

When we pulled up to the hotel one Saturday afternoon as motorcycles whizzed by us, the front doors were locked, as is the practice, to keep out the celebrity-seekers and tourists. After we identified ourselves as paying guests, a click of a switch at the front desk slid the doors open to reveal five hotel workers stationed in the lobby, welcoming us with bows, hot towels and a tour.

The lobby opens to an outdoor Japanese garden, lush with greenery and flowering trumpet vines, and a deck built from ipe wood overlooking the beach. It was empty when we were there; perhaps the guests preferred the wicker chairs set out on their private decks. During our time there, we did not run into another guest, though there was no shortage of housekeepers, groundskeepers and butlers. Off to one edge of the property, through a passageway that leads to a small, well-equipped gym, a lap pool glistened invitingly in the daytime sun, it too overlooked the beach. But it was also, unfortunately, closed because of what we were informed was a permit issue involving the city of Malibu.

But who wanted to swim?

Our room was up a flight of stairs, in a corner with a wraparound deck that faced the ocean to the west, and the Little Beach House and the Malibu hills to the south. A bowl of fresh fruit awaited us: pineapple, blackberries, raspberries, passion fruit and carved cantaloupe, as well as his-and-his pots of green tea.

Rooms here are designated by name. Ours was the Suiheisen room, which is Japanese for horizon. (It is known among staff as the Rock Star Suite.) It was not particularly large, but it was dramatic, with the walls of windows and a television screen hidden in the ceiling that lowered at the push of a button. The bathroom, in a nod to the hotel’s Japanese design influence, had a toilet seat that lifted automatically upon sensing motion in the bathroom; amusing at first, annoying before long.

And there was a Japanese teak soaking tub set on the deck facing the ocean, complete with a bowl of aromatic Himalayan salts to sprinkle in before drawing the water. Thick towels were draped over the back. Sitting in the tub, steam rising in the air, glancing at the boats bobbing on the swells as the sunlight faded was so serene (detoxifying was, I believe, the word of the day) that we almost didn’t want to leave for dinner.

But we did, of course, walking five minutes to the restaurant, where I had made a reservation on my own, though the hotel did volunteer, after we booked our room, to get us a table.

And there are few restaurants anywhere that match the dramatic setting and sheer verve of the Nobu Malibu, with its open-air dining room set right over the ocean and under the stars. We closed the place, along with Jack Dorsey, of Twitter and Square, who was eating a few tables away.

A ryokan in name only

In a traditional Japanese Ryokan, guests sleep on futons set on tatami mats on the floor and share a common bathing area. They are known as fairly humble accommodations. Breakfast and dinner are often included.

Humble is not the word that came to mind ocean-side in Malibu. The rooms at the Nobu Ryokan are equipped with cashmere robes by Loro Piana and custom-made yukatas, a kind of lightweight Japanese robe. Forget futons. These beds are done up in 800-thread count linens by Anichi. Though the room bar is well-stocked and the snacks, most from Dean & DeLuca, are included, alcohol is not.

Breakfast was in keeping with the open-your-wallet spirit of the hotel: Tacos with scrambled eggs and avocado was a fine way to start the day on the deck — but came to $22 for three bite-size tacos. Coffee was another $12, but at least it was French-press. (And it was punctual: ordered for 10 a.m., the knock on the door came at 9:59).

By the time we had eaten, it was nearly noon and the clock — and meter — was running on our stay, as I was only too keenly aware. At this price tag, a night like ours can be as much a source of anxiety as an escape. What if it rains? What if I’m late arriving? What if I don’t like my room?

For this much money, dare I wander off for a stroll up the beach or should I stay on the deck and take another soak in the Japanese tub?

Sometimes too much really is too much.

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by Gwen Lamar

  If you feel overwhelmed by cold calls, you’re not alone.

No two calls are the same, which makes the experience exciting and, at times, frightening.

This is exactly why we’ve gathered 25 “super quick” cold calling tips to help you every step of the way.

Pro Tip: Calling prospects right after they’ve opened your email can result in a 32% higher connect rate. This tool tells you when they open — in real-time.

9 Ways to Prepare For Your Cold Call

1. Research, Research, Research

Researching your prospect should be a pre-call ritual. By tracking down key information about them, you can deliver calls with value and keep their attention. Without research, you appear selfish by showing zero investment in the person on the other end of the phone. Your prospects will appreciate the extra effort made with personalization and will open up to better conversation.

2. Write an Outline of What You Want to Say

Write up a quick (30 seconds or less) cold call script that you can reference on the phone. The idea isn’t to read from this verbatim but to use it as a guide to help you communicate your message clearly and confidently.

Remember: The goal of a cold call isn’t to pitch to someone on the spot. You’re just trying to get them to commit to a meeting at a later date.

3. Or Steal a Call Script From Us

They say that Steve Jobs kept this Pablo Picasso quote close to his heart when he was leading the team that developed the Macintosh computer:

“Good artists copy. Great artists steal.”

We like to think that great salespeople do the same. Save time by stealing these four sales call script templates and then make them your own.

4. Take 1-2 Hours to Go Through Your Call List

The only thing in front of you should be your call list and script. Anything else can be a distraction that prevents you from being fully present with the person on the other line. ✅

5. Calculate How Many Calls You Need to Make to Hit Your Goals

Do you know how many cold calls you need to hit your monthly quota? Use this worksheet to work backward from your goals and pinpoint roughly how many cold calls you need to make each day and in total for the month.

To adapt this spreadsheet for your own use, click here to open the original, then File > Make a Copy.

6. Prepare a Strong Opening Sentence

You have ten seconds to prove to that you’re worth talking to, so differentiate yourself from other callers. After introducing yourself, turn the focus to your prospect by weaving in your research and personalizing the call.

For example, You could open with a compliment on a recent professional accomplishment you came across through research.

7. Let Rejection Motivate You

Rejection brings emotional pain. We can relive and experience social pain more vividly than physical pain, so it’s easy to get discouraged by a bad call. Don’t be defeated. Keep a positive attitude, pick up the phone and continue learning from your mistakes.

8. Practice Makes Perfect

Never go into a cold call completely, well, cold. Simply rehearsing what you’re going to say builds confidence which leads to better performance. The more confident you become, the easier cold calling will be.

9. Overcome Call Reluctance

Studies show that 80 percent of new salespeople fail due to call reluctance. It’s completely normal to feel jittery before a cold call, but with the right measures, you’ll be able to conquer that.

Next time you’re feeling nervous:

Take Positives Where You Can: Regardless of the outcome, look at every call as a learning experience. Learn from the negatives and embrace what goes right.

Use Essential Oils: Pick a scent that relays fond memories. Essential oils can trick your mind into moving to a place of positive power.

Look at a Photo of a Loved One: Seeing someone you love makes you feel happier, relieves pain, and makes you less susceptible to anxiety.

How To Smile And Dial At The Perfect Time

10. Know the Best Times to Make Cold Calls

Weekday afternoons are the best time to make cold calls, according to Yesware’s analysis of over 25,000 sales calls. The majority of calls lasting over five minutes occur between 3:00-5:00 pm on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

11. Find the Time That Works Best for Your Prospects

Of course, research studies like the one above are great for inspiration — not prescription. We recommend using Yesware’s data as a starting point to find the cold calling time blocks that work best with your prospects.

There are several different tools out there that help you find your cold call sweet spot by tracking call connects (or you could use an excel sheet to track this manually):

12. Use Trigger Events to Get Your Foot in the Door

If you contact someone right after they sign a contract with your competitor, chances are they won’t bite.

But if you know exactly when they enter the market for a new vendor and reach out before they start the search, your seemingly serendipitous call may be received with much more interest.

The good news is that the secret to perfect timing isn’t really a secret. You can pick up on these opportune moments — known as trigger events — by keeping tabs on publicly available information that surfaces every day across a variety of online channels.

Use services like Google Alerts or Mention to keep an eye out for things like:

New executive hires → A new member of the C-suite wants to prove his or her value and may be more open to new ideas than already entrenched business leaders.

Winning large contracts/large customer announcements → Drop a line to say congratulations.

Company expansions → A new location or geographic change could be a primary upsell or introduction opportunity.

Mergers & Acquisitions → If one party is already a customer, this could be a golden opportunity to get your foot in the door and bring in add-on revenue.

Funding → Your prospect is up to eight times more likely to buy from you after they experience an event where they can afford to change.

Behavioral indicators → Are your prospects looking at an email you sent? Go get ‘em — you’re more likely to grab their attention while you already have it.

How to Turn Cold Calls Into Booked Meetings

13. Make a Good First Impression by Saying “Talking with,” Instead of “Speaking to”

When you cold call a prospect, the first thing you want to know is that they are in fact the person you’re trying to reach. The way you verify their identity is this person’s first impression of you, so it’s critical to get this right.

Try to use the words “Talking with” when you get someone on the line. These two words imply that you and your prospect are going to be engaging in conversation.

In contrast, “speaking to” describes a one-way action. It suggests that you are going to broadcast your message — whether they want to listen or not.

14. Use The Best Friend Formula to Turn Indecision into Booked Meetings

Coined by Yesware sales extraordinaire Ian Adams, this three-part formula for overcoming objections tells you exactly how to respond to “Could you just email me your information?”

While it may be tempting to agree to follow up over email (and hop off the call), there’s a better way to give your prospect the information they need to make an informed decision and take a meeting. One that doesn’t involve your message going into a black hole.

11 Cold Calling Tips While on the Call

15. Keep Your Goal in Mind

Setting goals is proven to increase motivation and having a specific goal in mind can decrease levels of anxiety, disappointment, and frustration. No matter what your goal is, every action is a step towards achieving it.

16. Use Social Proof to Influence Behavior

We are easily influenced by other people’s behaviors. Social proof plays a major role in selling because it shows the prospect that your product has helped other people with similar pain points. Try telling a customer success story of someone who had similar pain points.

17. Ask Open-Ended Questions

By starting your question with ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘where,’ ‘when,’ and ‘how,’ you give your prospect more room for response.

Cold calling is a two-sided conversation and you want to learn as much as you can about your prospect, what they do, and their needs. By asking how they feel, you open up more opportunities for discussion.

18. Watch Your Tone of Voice

Research indicates that 38 percent of spoken communication is comprehended by the tone of voice. Without facial expressions and body cues, you can only convey your points with your words and tone of voice. People respond well to mirroring, so try to match their tone of voice or speech patterns.

19. Don’t Give an Easy Out

Your goal is to keep them on the line, so you shouldn’t open with: “Is now a bad time?” Stick with personalized statements that will keep them on the line instead of encouraging them to hang up.

20. Lead with Them, Not You

Fact: People spend 60 percent of their time talking about themselves. Self-disclosure produces a burst of activity in neural regions associated with pleasure, motivation, and reward. Keeping the focus on your prospect works wonders for both parties: your prospect gets to talk about their favorite topic (themselves) and you can gain their attention in interesting, unique ways.

21. Listen

This is one of the simple cold calling tips: Don’t just talk at them. Listening is an easy way to build trust because it makes a person feel valued and it can give you the opportunity to learn more about their needs and concerns.

22. Don’t Waste Their Time

Remember: When you’re cold calling, you’re essentially intruding on someone’s day. You have about ten seconds to prove your value and run the risk of getting hung upon. By proving that you value your prospect’s time by applying research, engaging in conversation, and keeping the call brief, you earn respect.

23. Stay on Track Throughout the Call

It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of a cold call. Engage, ask questions, but remember to stay on topic. Take notes, stay organized, and remember your ultimate purpose.

24. Keep It Positive

Positive thinking is scientifically-proven to build your skills, boost your health, and improve your work. Much like overcoming rejection, don’t let defeat (or negative thinking) get the best of you. Every mistake you make is an opportunity to learn and do a better job in the future.

25. Leave a Voicemail

Think of it as an audio email, and keep it to 20-30 seconds. Don’t worry about a reply; just focus on continuing to nurture your prospect’s trust in you.

At the beginning of your voicemail, insert your connecting statement (after you say who’s calling) then end with a note that triggers curiosity.

  Go to our website:   www.ncmalliance.com

25 Cold Calling Tips You Can Use To Get Meetings with Anyone by Gwen Lamar If you feel overwhelmed by cold calls, you’re not alone. No two calls are the same, which makes the experience exciting and, at times, frightening.

[biofunmy]

The Anxiety of the $2,300-a-Night Hotel Room

Carbon Beach is a beguiling and exclusive crescent of sand along the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, famous — infamous might be a better word — for the long and mostly losing battle conducted by its wealthy homeowners to keep the public off this stunning mile of coastline.

It is also known as Billionaire’s Beach, a fitting reference to the Californians who have staked their claims there, a cast that has, over the years, included David Geffen, Larry Ellison, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Eli Broad.

Still, you don’t have to be a billionaire (or even a millionaire) to wake up in a room with floor-to-ceiling glass that makes you feel like you are sleeping atop the sands of Carbon Beach, to settle in for breakfast on a deck with views up and down the Pacific, to cast open the sliding doors and let the smells and sounds of the ocean wash over your room.

But it is going to cost you. A lot.

In 2017, the Nobu Ryokan Malibu, a homage to the serenity of a Japanese inn, opened on Carbon Beach, offering 16 rooms discreetly set in a maze of teak and glass, with two private walkways leading to the sand. It’s part of a chain of Nobu hotels and restaurants, whose owners include Nobu Matsuhisa, the chef, and Robert De Niro, the actor. Mr. Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle, whose home is just up the beach, is the principal owner of this West Coast Nobu venture. There are eight Nobu hotels across the world, but this is the only Ryokan.

An ocean-front room with a deck clocked in at $2,300 a night, not counting another $300 or so in taxes. During the off-season. And there is a two-night minimum, though the hotel was willing, at least on one occasion, to waive that. (The reservation was not in my name and the hotel did not know about my connection to The Times.) With a 4 p.m. check-in and noon departure, that comes out, pretax, to $115 an hour.

For that much money — figure $5,200 for two nights, taxes included — we probably could have jetted off to Japan and experienced a real ryokan, or, more practically, rented an entire house in Malibu for a few days. But instead we booked a hotel room. There are rooms that go for as little as $2,000 a night for a first-floor garden room (don’t expect to see the beach out your window). And if $2,300 a night isn’t enough of a splurge, an ocean front suite with skylights goes for $3,500 a night.

Was it worth it? Along with my spouse, Benjamin, I have, over the years, occasionally indulged in splurge hotels: the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, a Singita in South Africa. These can be enriching, even if your stomach drops when confronted with a tab that exceeds the cost of your first car. They can also make you wonder, when that credit card bill comes due, what on earth you were thinking.

And this is a year when California in general, and this part of California in particular, has been battered by mudslides, fires, windstorms and torrential rains. The Woolsey Fire that ripped across Malibu late last year stopped a few miles short of the Nobu Ryokan.

Drive a few miles north of the hotel on the Pacific Coast Highway and you’ll soon encounter grim reminders of the destruction: the burned-out shells of a cluster of homes on Point Dume — normally, a beautiful place to stroll the bluffs, looking down on the sea lions and tidal pools — and the wildflowers poking through what were hills of smoky embers. The hotel was forced to close during the worst of the fires; the Pacific Coast Highway was a stream of emergency vehicles and evacuees, and a thick and ominous bank of smoke rose above the horizon.

And the wildfires weren’t the end of it. A bank of cold, whipping rains followed, causing mudslides on the hillsides that had been stripped of greenery, closing down parts of the highway. The day we were originally supposed to check in, hotel management was exceedingly accommodating when we called to inquire about changing the reservation after waking up to torrential rains and a round of mudslide warnings.

There is a reason billionaires chose to make their homes (or one of their homes) in this part of Malibu. It has some of the most seductive coastline in the country: the hills, swaying with bright green grass, which will be brown before long, slope gently to the ocean. The waves are dotted with surfers, lit up in the seductive golden light that is California. Much of Malibu is wild and undeveloped; you can cross four lanes and take off into the hills, hiking trails that give views up and down the coast. An early morning jog through the mist on the beach can be a bracingly solitary experience.

All that, of course, is free.

Getting behind the doors

The Ryokan rests at the north end of a stretch of high-design exclusivity — a blur of low-lying teak and glass alongside a palette of sand and ocean — which includes Nobu Malibu, its sister restaurant, and the Little Beach House Malibu, a West Coast outpost for the London-based, members-only Soho House.

When we pulled up to the hotel one Saturday afternoon as motorcycles whizzed by us, the front doors were locked, as is the practice, to keep out the celebrity-seekers and tourists. After we identified ourselves as paying guests, a click of a switch at the front desk slid the doors open to reveal five hotel workers stationed in the lobby, welcoming us with bows, hot towels and a tour.

The lobby opens to an outdoor Japanese garden, lush with greenery and flowering trumpet vines, and a deck built from ipe wood overlooking the beach. It was empty when we were there; perhaps the guests preferred the wicker chairs set out on their private decks. During our time there, we did not run into another guest, though there was no shortage of housekeepers, groundskeepers and butlers. Off to one edge of the property, through a passageway that leads to a small, well-equipped gym, a lap pool glistened invitingly in the daytime sun, it too overlooked the beach. But it was also, unfortunately, closed because of what we were informed was a permit issue involving the city of Malibu.

But who wanted to swim?

Our room was up a flight of stairs, in a corner with a wraparound deck that faced the ocean to the west, and the Little Beach House and the Malibu hills to the south. A bowl of fresh fruit awaited us: pineapple, blackberries, raspberries, passion fruit and carved cantaloupe, as well as his-and-his pots of green tea.

Rooms here are designated by name. Ours was the Suiheisen room, which is Japanese for horizon. (It is known among staff as the Rock Star Suite.) It was not particularly large, but it was dramatic, with the walls of windows and a television screen hidden in the ceiling that lowered at the push of a button. The bathroom, in a nod to the hotel’s Japanese design influence, had a toilet seat that lifted automatically upon sensing motion in the bathroom; amusing at first, annoying before long.

And there was a Japanese teak soaking tub set on the deck facing the ocean, complete with a bowl of aromatic Himalayan salts to sprinkle in before drawing the water. Thick towels were draped over the back. Sitting in the tub, steam rising in the air, glancing at the boats bobbing on the swells as the sunlight faded was so serene (detoxifying was, I believe, the word of the day) that we almost didn’t want to leave for dinner.

But we did, of course, walking five minutes to the restaurant, where I had made a reservation on my own, though the hotel did volunteer, after we booked our room, to get us a table.

And there are few restaurants anywhere that match the dramatic setting and sheer verve of the Nobu Malibu, with its open-air dining room set right over the ocean and under the stars. We closed the place, along with Jack Dorsey, of Twitter and Square, who was eating a few tables away.

A ryokan in name only

In a traditional Japanese Ryokan, guests sleep on futons set on tatami mats on the floor and share a common bathing area. They are known as fairly humble accommodations. Breakfast and dinner are often included.

Humble is not the word that came to mind ocean-side in Malibu. The rooms at the Nobu Ryokan are equipped with cashmere robes by Loro Piana and custom-made yukatas, a kind of lightweight Japanese robe. Forget futons. These beds are done up in 800-thread count linens by Anichi. Though the room bar is well-stocked and the snacks, most from Dean & DeLuca, are included, alcohol is not.

Breakfast was in keeping with the open-your-wallet spirit of the hotel: Tacos with scrambled eggs and avocado was a fine way to start the day on the deck — but came to $22 for three bite-size tacos. Coffee was another $12, but at least it was French-press. (And it was punctual: ordered for 10 a.m., the knock on the door came at 9:59).

By the time we had eaten, it was nearly noon and the clock — and meter — was running on our stay, as I was only too keenly aware. At this price tag, a night like ours can be as much a source of anxiety as an escape. What if it rains? What if I’m late arriving? What if I don’t like my room?

For this much money, dare I wander off for a stroll up the beach or should I stay on the deck and take another soak in the Japanese tub?

Sometimes too much really is too much.

Follow NY Times Travel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Get weekly updates from our Travel Dispatch newsletter, with tips on traveling smarter, destination coverage and photos from all over the world.

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[rosephazelip]

Eight Immediate Tips about Asphalt Grinding.

Easy To Follow Advice For Starting Your Home Business

Many individuals usually do not manage to grasp how to go about creating and operating a work from home business https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFCcJJF9oVw You should know that getting a home based business will not need to be as difficult as you might think. Learning tips in the trade, such as the ones out of this article, is step one in understanding home business.

Don’t forget to consider tax deductions for the business Internet use. A share of the fee for the service could be deducted through your earnings, even though you can’t claim more than half the charge if it’s being used on your part or a member of family for non-business purposes.

Keep family interruptions to a minimum while working from your home. Interruptions are distracting, and distraction will impede your productivity. Let folks know when you may be available. They should know that your privacy and work focus is vital to creating money to allow them to eat and also have a roof over their heads. Also, you will need to have somebody babysit your children during working hours.

Don’t quit your task when you’re just starting your home business. Getting the business to get profitable will not happen overnight, thus if possible, you need to remain at your existing job. You will find benefits to this, including possessing a steady income while you wait around for your company to change a profit.

Incorporate a banner bar for the site. This enables you to swap banner links with some other webmasters that you know. The technique is not difficult, nevertheless it will effectively enable increasing both party’s traffic and ratings among popular search engines like google.

The separate checking account you open specially for your business will be used as an economic record keeping tool. Keep your business expenses experiencing this account, as well as your individual finances out. In this way, you can keep your business and personal transactions separate. Also, it is a smart idea to open a particular bank card for your business.

To get a bigger taxes, you must carefully track all of your current business’ expenditures. Include everything that spent on the business, transportation and ISP service are typical examples. The positive aspect of these business-related expenses is that you can deduct a number of them off your taxes. Keeping tabs on every nickel and dime is essential, since there is absolutely no reason to skip out deductions you might be qualified for.

Keep the area that you simply serve as safe as you possibly can. You should have a fire extinguisher and smoke detector inside. Also, ensure your computer configuration suits your style. Adequate fire protection can lower insurance fees and well-designed, ergonomic computer setups can reduce chances of getting repetitive-motion injuries.

Your home business can create a big online splash with some effort invested by using search engine marketing. SEO is ideal for owners of home businesses because it may help them be more visible online. There are several professional guidelines for utilizing SEO, and so they will help you get going.

Refer back often for the tips you’ve discovered here. Jot down the following tips and choose how better to incorporate them into the business from home. You will only see results in the event you actually start using these tips..

from Hotel in Downtown LA Travel Tips http://www.hotelsindowntownla.org/eight-immediate-tips-about-asphalt-grinding/

[fashiontrendin-blog]

How To Wear The Men’s Logo Fashion Trend

http://fashion-trendin.com/how-to-wear-the-mens-logo-fashion-trend/

How To Wear The Men’s Logo Fashion Trend

At the turn of the decade, a glut of opinion pieces decried the death of the subculture. Mostly white, middle-aged rock journos moaned that there were no proper ‘scenes’ anymore. That fast fashion and Spotify had killed youth movements. That everyone dressed the same, in some version of post-Libertines skinny jeans and tees. That individuality had died in the 1990s with Britpop.

Roll on eight years and the NME’s dead, the kids have never dressed more disparately and, like a renegade master, the nineties are back once again (if you get that reference, you’ve probably already got the look in your attic). Where once you needed some knowledge to pick your Blur fans from your Oasis fans, today’s style tribes come pre-branded.

By embracing logos in a way not seen since the days when Tommy Hilfiger sold in shops other than TK Maxx, it’s easy to pick the skatewear kids from the high-fashion set, the wannabe grime MCs from the Rafsessives.

All of which makes logomania at once a trend that anyone can jump on, and one that’s fraught with peril. Unlike in the nineties, when logos were a slightly less gauche way to flaunt your wealth than wearing a coat made of cash, this time around they embody a convoluted blend of irony, status, lack of status, in-joke and fashion knowledge. Get it wrong and you’re your dad in the Supreme queue. Get it right and you’re Jonah Hill in Palace, quietly breaking the internet.

Here are four key ways to be the latter.

Wear It Loud And Proud

The OG logo move, both back then and right now, is the branded tee. “Gucci kick-started this trend [in recent years] with its logo T-shirt,” says Luke McDonald, a stylist at online wardrobe service Thread. Though street- and sportswear brands have never abandoned their graphics, the luxury brands had steered more minimal since the noughties as customers preferred a subtler display of wealth.

“But that doesn’t translate well to Instagram,” McDonald says. “Logos do.” Gucci’s tee, while still nosebleed expensive, let consumers buy into the hottest brand in fashion without shelling out four figures. Plus, everyone could see what you’d bought and where it was from.

Labels high and low followed suit. “At the moment, you can’t have too much,” says Nick Eley, head of men’s design at ASOS. “There’s a real trend for all-over or huge, oversized logo prints.” These are not for wallflowers. You are, in essence, paying a brand to act as their advert, so make sure your go-to is more than a pretty picture. “You should pick a label that feels authentic to your style and lifestyle,” says McDonald.

Logo clashing is doable, but tricky. It’s better to give your chosen brand the spotlight unshared. “I would treat logos in the same way I treat prints,” says Chris Hobbs, menswear fashion editor at MatchesFashion.com. “One at a time, otherwise your outfit will start to wear you.” If you look like an F1 driver, dial back.

As A Subtle Wink

There are always ways to dip a toe into any fashion trend, even one that’s as look-at-me as this. On the high street, the approach tends to be OTT – the logos themselves have less clout, so their owners need to go big lest the punters go home. But among the labels with more cache, even those that have long been logo-shy have leaned into the trend. Albeit gently.

“The subtlest way to approach logos is to pick a label that doesn’t visibly brand their product,” says Eley,” but which has a particular sign-off or print that is immediately distinguishable.” Think Burberry’s check, recently reintroduced after being binned in the noughties because of its popularity among the less-well-heeled, and Margiela, with its signature stitches.

For a pocket-money take on that approach, look for either tonal logos – think a white-on-white Stan Smith, or black-on-black Nike swoosh – or stick to trousers, where the branding is subtler. Joggers in particular, with the logo relegated to the side stripe, tick off two trends at once.

“You can also restrain the impact of your logos with layering,” says McDonald. “Under a plain hoodie or an open shirt, you just get the flash of a logo on a tee.”

With A Healthy Dose Of Irony

Let’s make one thing clear: all logos have some sense of irony. Those worn in earnest are too thirsty to be tolerated; today, status is earned by not looking like you care about status at all. Confused? Good. Because that’s the headspace you need for Gucci’s self-inflicted bootlegging, by which the brand flogs price-of-a-suit T-shirts with the word ‘GUCCY’ written on them.

Fair cop. Your correspondent once purchased a Palace tee in which the enormous rear logo reads ‘Placae’. It seemed funny at the time, but is in reality obscene. Also, no one has ever noticed the typo. However, ridiculous as all this might seem, it does introduce the one thing that’s never been fashion’s strong suit. “Fun,” says Benns. “Gucci is having fun with its typography. And I think that’s interesting.”

For those without the bank balance for knock-off versions at luxury prices, the streetwear world offers the time-honoured logo flip. “It’s always been about democratising those brands and the things they represent,” says McDonald. “It makes them accessible and relevant to street culture.” Bowlcut Garms does a number of neat brand mashups and Sports Banger has reworked everything from Helly Hansen (as Hackney Hardcore) to the NHS and Nike logos.

In Your Pocket

Gucci doesn’t make its billions from the stuff in Jared Leto’s wardrobe. Rather, it’s the accessible, affordable products that let everyone else buy into the brand without a call to Wonga.

“That used to mean fragrances,” says McDonald. “But now, every brand has a range of lifestyle accessories, from phone cases to lighters to keychains, all of which have the logo front and centre.”

For the man looking to rep the logo trend without going all fanboy, it’s the gentlest way in. For the genuine fanboy, it’s the most affordable.

Key Brands To Wear For The Logo Trend

Luxury Brands

Gucci

The word Gucci is almost as heavily ingrained in the lexicon of fashion connoisseurs as the word fashion itself. It’s a name synonymous with luxury, glamour and style – which is probably why people are so keen to have it plastered all over their chests.

The respected Italian fashion house has been one of the key high-end labels spearheading the logo trend, and also the one having the most fun with it. Pick from printed tees, hoodies, bags, trainers and more, all boasting that big-ticket green and red branding.

Off-White

If the logo trend is all about irony, then no brand is a better example than Virgil Abloh’s acutely self-aware Off-White. Abloh’s imprint has received almost universal praise for its tongue-in-cheek use of branding, logos and labels – perhaps most notably recently in its collaborative effort with Nike, ‘The Ten’.

He must be doing something right. After all, you don’t get named creative director of one of the most esteemed high-fashion labels on the face of the earth – Louis Vuitton – for not having your finger on the pulse.

Balenciaga

There are few brands that can get away with flogging a pair of plain white socks emblazoned with their logo for just under £100. Balenciaga is one of them.

Ever since Vetements’ Demna Gvasalia – a man known for his love of bold logos – took the reins of the Spanish luxury label, not-so-subtle branding has become one of its calling cards. Think embroidered baseball caps that cost more than your rent, politically-themed pool sliders and plenty of nods to popular culture.

Mid-Priced Brands

Tommy Hilfiger

When you take the nineties resurgence into account, it’s hardly surprising that Tommy Hilfiger’s legendary flag logo is flying high once again. Tommy was a staple fixture in the world of fashion 20 years ago and with a little help from the vintage resellers of the social media generation, is now back in full force.

Block colours, bold fonts and nineties styling are what it’s all about. And at manageable price points, adding a dash of Hilfiger to your wardrobe won’t leave you living off super noodles until payday.

Calvin Klein

It’s always been about the logos at Calvin Klein. When that now-iconic branded waistband first peered over the top of a pair of jeans, a legend was born, cementing the Calvin Klein font as a symbol of style and sex for men all over the world.

Today it’s more than just nice underwear, though. The American label has taken that same typeface and applied it to tees, hoodies, outerwear and more, staking its claim as one of the leading brands in the logo trend.

Levi’s

With little more than a small red tab, sewn onto the back pocket of its jeans to denote where they came from, Levi’s has hardly been a brand renowned for its heavy use of logos. However, in recent years, that’s all changed.

Many of Levi’s casual offerings now feature the brand’s sportswear logo, which first made an appearance at the 1984 LA Olympics. Its T-shirts are quickly becoming as iconic as their denim siblings, making now as good a time as any to get involved.

Streetwear Brands

Palace

In less than a decade, London-based label Palace has gone from fledgling skate brand to fashion royalty. Its unique sense of humour and beautifully designed ‘triferg’ logo have made it the imprint of choice for clued-up skaters, streetwear connoisseurs and fashionistos alike.

The Palace logo and font face have become common sights in skate parks, at fashion weeks and on the shoulders of the hip-hop elite. And with seasonal drops that see the streets of Soho jammed up with hypebeasts from London and beyond, there’s only one other label that comes anywhere close…

Supreme

Undisputed king of logos, Supreme is well known for its unfaltering ability to slap a bogo (that’s ‘box logo’ for the uninitiated) on anything – like, literally anything – and have people dropping their life’s savings to get their hands on it.

That instantly recognisable white-on-scarlet trademark is one of the most famous logos in fashion, made all the more coveted by the amount of sheer dedication (and money) it requires to obtain.

Stussy

The logo thing may be what’s hot right now, but California-born street/surfwear originator Stussy has been on it since day dot. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Shawn Stussy’s eponymous label in the first place, we might not be sat here writing this at all.

Known for its graffiti-inspired script logo, Stussy was the brand that pioneered heavy branding and made it one of streetwear’s calling cards. Plus, unlike similar labels, clothes aren’t produced in deliberately limited runs, so getting your hands on a piece is actually an achievable feat.

Sportswear Brands

Adidas

When it comes to bold logos, the big-hitting sports brands have been doing it for longer than most. Adidas’ trefoil logo and three stripe trademark have become two of the most recognisable designs in the history of, well, design.

Worn as a badge of honour by hip-hop heroes such as Run DMC in the eighties, Britpop stars and terrace lads of the nineties, and pretty much everyone else since, the Adidas logo is one of the all-time greats, making it one of the easiest to wear, too.

Nike

Nike’s logo couldn’t really be any simpler, but therein lies its beauty. The Swoosh has permeated every part of the world and you’d be hard pushed to find anyone who doesn’t instantly know what it is. Because of this, it’s an obvious go-to when it comes to getting yourself involved in the logo trend.

The Oregon-born sports label is known for slapping its mark on everything from tees to trackies, sneakers to socks – making it the perfect way to embrace the logo look without going too left field.

Champion

It may have been founded almost 100 years ago, but thanks to today’s obsession with logo-laden sportswear, Champion is now more relevant than ever before. Due to a number of recent high-profile collaborations, the American heritage brand has become a favourite in streetwear circles, while still counting athletes and sportsmen among its customers.

Think hoodies, tracksuit bottoms and tees in its signature reverse weave fabric, all featuring a hearty dose of in-your-face branding.

[tolionplz-blog]

How To Send A Facebook Video Via Email

How To Share Facebook Videos On Whatsapp From Mobile

This study on Fb videos has been refreshed in October 2017 so that you can keep you up to date concerning the newest developments within the utilization of videos on Fb. On three. Create Content material Completely for Facebook”, I can see arguments each for and in opposition to this. Your audiences are doubtless completely different throughout every of your social channels. Some people choose to comply with you on simply Twitter, others only on Facebook, while some could select to comply with you on all channels (likely the smallest of the group). Creating exclusive content material for just one channel means many might miss out on it on other channels. Some see it as an opportunity to encourage people to observe you elsewhere however I've found it far better to let people follow you where they select to and consume what you need to offer in the best way best suited to them. Encouraging individuals to observe you on one other network hardly ever works either (the sort of promotion generally sees dismal response even with paid promotion behind it). Individuals on Facebook don't need to go over to Twitter to see what it's a must to say, they need to see it on Fb where they already are.

How Do You Copy A Video Link From Facebook

Setting the FB Video Download is straightforward, all you'll want to do is sign up to Facebook, identical to on an internet browser. Easy methods to share facebook video to any social facet by means of copy to hyperlink. Now, you'll be able to see the list of obtainable choices > Tap on Share External (Which now open the record of obtainable apps which might Share the file) > Scroll to the underside > Tap on Whatsapp > Select the Contact or Group you want to Send. You possibly can add the title while you upload your video onto Facebook. The FB Video Obtain Free uses a smart workaround method to go around the Fb constraint of downloading videos. It's a gentle weight app which not solely helps you to save the videos offline but in addition has a neat file supervisor which lists all of the saved movies.

How Do You Download A Video From Facebook

With Fb video being the top precedence of marketers in 2017 , we'd love that can assist you get forward of this rising trend. On this publish, you may learn 17 actionable ideas to extend the views, engagement, shares of your Fb movies. That said, it is best to try our put up on The Unbreakable Guidelines Of Video Sharing It gives Facebook video posting tips. Bear in mind, downloading Fb movies is insanely simple. Think about if what you are posting is a video you wanted downloaded from Facebook before hitting the share button. I am consumer i very like to using this video facebook downloader apps. I am having the same drawback, it will appear because I have my Animoto account registered beneath my business e mail tackle when I attempt to send my video to my Fb Enterprise Page Animoto tries to link into my private Facebook element which has my personal e mail handle registered. This will likely be as a result of my Fb Enterprise Page is managed by my personal Facebook profile. Solely Me. Your video might be shared to your Fb timeline, but it can solely be viewable to you. The next time you're looking Facebook via the official app, you will discover a finger icon in the left corner of your status bar, as soon as you scroll to a video. Most popular viewers: This allows you to set the people you need to achieve based mostly on their pursuits and the Pages they've instance, a sports activities retailer may select pursuits akin to working” and lengthy distance running” for a video on a new long distance trainers. As a primary step, we're making a small update to News Feed in order that Facebook Dwell movies usually tend to appear higher in Information Feed when these movies are actually stay, in comparison with after they're now not reside. Folks spend greater than 3x more time watching a Fb Live video on average in comparison with a video that's not dwell.

How To Send A Facebook Video To Text Message

Plus, Fb movies appear to get extra natural reach within the information feed. The module also requires an utility of similar title referred to as Xposed One Faucet Obtain Download and set up them each. First, download the YouTube app by the Google Play Store or App Retailer - each are free. If a photograph is shared on Fb and you want to share it on WhatsApp, then go to the picture on Fb first. Tap on obtain to download the video to your system storage. There is one other Animoto account that is linked to the Facebook account you're hoping to share to. Try logging into Animoto with any alternate electronic mail handle to see in case you have a number of Animoto accounts. If you need assistance locating the other account, please attain out to our Customer Success staff One in every of our advisors will probably be comfortable to assist locate and disconnect that account for you.

How To Share Facebook Videos Externally Android

When you get an interesting video in Fb and want to share it with your Fb and non-Fb associates, then it's best to know the way to share any video outside Facebook. And I'm positive you may share the video with your Facebook pals in one-click. Over eight billion videos or 100 million hours of videos are watched on Fb each day. You can re-measurement the looks by altering the width and top. Pasting the above code will embed the video in your page and it is going to be out there for any consumer - there is no have to have any Fb account to observe that. How to share video from facebook to whatsapp Presently, you're only in a position to hyperlink your Animoto account with one Fb account at a time. It appears to be like like you already have an Animoto account associated with xxxxx@ and it is linked to Fb. No worries though you possibly can easily disconnect that. To take action you can log into that xxxxx@ Animoto account, go to Settings, scroll right down to Connected Providers, click on the 'X' subsequent to Facebook, and hit save. Then once you log into your other Animoto account ( yyyyy@ and share your video you'll be prompted to log into Fb. Simply use the log in data associated with your Fb Business page.

How Do I Share A Video From Facebook To Whatsapp

Video Average Watch Time: The graph will present you the purpose at which the audience dropped off. Looking at that point to know what made individuals stop watching would possibly aid you in creating higher content material. To embed Facebook video, first navigate to the total video publish. Click on the date stamp on the put up or go into the Video tab and choose the video. Select the Embed Submit link on the best sidebar. Here is one other bonus: Facebook would routinely document your dwell video and publish it in your Fb Page or profile after the published ends.

How To Send A Facebook Video Via Email