#guess the car brand logo in 3 seconds

[ahshanhabibbd]

Professional brand logo design.

#brandlogo #logo #LogoBrand

[trainsinanime]

Trains in Miraculous Ladybug - Bonus: The Bus

[Part 1: The Metro Train]

[Part 2: The Metro Station]

[Part 3: Startrain]

[Part 4: The Gare du Nord]

It’s been a while since I made these posts, but I figured I might as well update them, and talk about the remaining public transit vehicle in the show that hadn’t been mentioned yet: The bus, shown here almost in its natural habitat.

Just like most other vehicles, the show has just the one, which is always signed as line 33 to Gare d'Austerlitz. The line is strictly fictional, just like the Metro lines, to justify this bus appearing everywhere in the city.

So let's talk about the bus itself. In the show, it gets thrown around, used to escape Zombies, it loses its breaks at the start of Gladiator, it's an animal prison, it receives the least destructive cataclysm of all time (in Animan) and way more. While it has no logos, and a slightly distorted front end presumably to avoid copyright infringement (yes, vehicle design is covered by copyright), it is unmistakably an Agora by… well, that's difficult actually, because this bus type has a complicated history.

First picture by Vincent Babilotte, from Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA; second by Eole99, from Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA

The Renault Agora was introduced in 1996 as Renault's first fully low-floor bus. In 1999, Renault Véhicules Industriels (commercial vehicles) merged their bus business with Iveco, functionally the commercial vehicle division of Fiat if you squint a bit. The new joint venture was known as Irisbus, and from 2002, the Agora became known as Irisbus Agora. Their logo is actually a dolphin ouroboros if you look closely; I have no idea why.

At the same time Renault and Irisbus were also busy buying companies in eastern europe, and reused their names, which means the Agora was also sold under such famous names (famous among bus nerds anyway) as Karosa and Ikarus in Eastern Europe. Those seem to have been co-branding things, those buses still had either the Renault Rhombus or the Irisbus dolphin on the front, and then a Karosa or Ikarus logo somewhere on the side. Some buses were also sold as Škoda (the part that makes trains, not the part that makes cars). We'll get to those later. Finally, in some countries, it was sold under the incredibly vague name "Citybus".

For Paris, we'll only care about the Renault and Irisbus versions, though. These are functionally the same, they just differ in the logo on the front, which the Miraculous bus simply omits entirely. On the inside, the Irisbus version has newer Iveco engines instead of Renault ones to meet newer emission standards, but that's irrelevant from the outside.

The main feature to recognise this bus from a distance is actually in the rear.

In order to provide a flat floor from the front right to the last seating row, Renault has arranged the engine and related mechanical parts in a sort of backpack. An angled drive shaft drives the rear wheels, which are arranged as a portal axle (a design where there is a small gear set near each wheel so the axle in the middl can be higher or, in this case, lower than the wheel hubs). This design as such isn't unique to Renault; it is also found on some Scania OmniCity buses and several ones in the US, starting with the high-floor GMC Rapid Transit Series in the late 70s. What is unique about the Renault design is how it's packaged, with a gentle curve at the top.

This design actually originated with the Renault R312, the Agora's predecessor, which was semi-high-floor (a single step to get into the bus), and continued to be used by the Agora's successor, the Irisbus Citelis, starting 2006. Here's the rear of one in Liège, Belgium:

Pictures by me, do what you want with them

In real life, the curve is not quite as pronounced as it is in the show, and the show has given the bus's rear end a pronounced overbite. Again, I think that's due to copyright, but that's just a guess.

The buses also come with a variety of rear lights; the ones on these Belgian buses don't match any of the Agoras or Citelises I've seen in Paris. Either way, the same backpack, now with LED lights, is also used on the Citelis's successor, the Iveco Urbanway.

(Oh yes, in 2013, Iveco bought the remaining share of Irisbus and renamed the bus models to Iveco only, but it's still the same fundamental bus design somewhere in there. The rest of the commercial vehicle division of Renault was sold to Volvo around the time but keeps its name. Note, that's the Volvo that makes trucks, not the Volvo that builds cars, which is completely independent and owned by Geely. This confusing shit keeps happening and it keeps getting worse.)

For extra confusion, there's also a version of all three buses that doesn't have this backpack, and instead has the engine under a raised floor. I'm going to ignore this one here.

I really love all the little details they implemented on the bus, like the colored signs on the outside that show route information.

I have no idea why Paris uses these, the buses have digital displays as well, but I like them as a concept.

You can also see the frame for the advertising. In this case it's empty; in other episodes it has shown ads for Adrien, Le Perfume, or for the weather girl contest in Stormy Weather.

On the interior, I'll be honest with you, I'm not that knowledgeable about french buses.

I think the overall layout is correct, but I think the seat color is wrong. Buses and trams owned by Paris's transit operator RATP usually have green seats. Maybe that was another copyright issue? I know that sounds weird, but the transit operator of Berlin (BVG) was recently in a legal battle with the designer of their seat patterns over the question whether BVG could sell merchandise with that pattern. RATP does not have that problem because they sell barely any interesting merch, no matter how much I'd like to buy some.

Next: The dashboard.

We get actually fairly good looks at it in some episodes, in particular Animan, and it looks pretty good.

In partikular, it seems to be a fairly close match for the VDV-Standardfahrerarbeitsplatz, seen here in a Citelis.

The buttons for the automatic transmissions are in different places here, but both versions seem to be available. Also note that this one has a display unit built in, but it seems that is also optional. The one in Miraculous Ladybug has a separate bus computer unit mounted next to the dashboard, which is a very common layout as well.

As the name implies, the VDV Standardfahrerarbeitsplatz is a german invention by an association of bus operators, who have standardised how a bus dashboard should look like. While bus manufacturers can offer their own, and some do, the standard design is usually also available. The advantage is that if you have buses from three different manufacturers, then you only need to train drivers once instead of separately for each bus. Since german companies build a lot of buses, their standards have become relevant in other countries as well; such as France. Paris has a lot of german-built buses these days as well.

I know the Agora didn't always use the VDV dashboard; you can find pictures of a weird angular Renault design. I don't know if they switched, or if the german standard design became available as an option, and I don't know which version RATP used. But it's certainly a type of real bus dashboard, and one that was used by the same company later on, so I think it's okay.

In some episodes, notably Glaciator 2 and Qilin, we also see the ticketing.

Marinette apparently has a Navigo pass, a contactless card that you touch to the validator in the bus. That seems perfectly accurate. In Qilin, she has forgotten that card, but luckily her mom has bought single-use tickets.

In Paris, you need to validate such pre-bought tickets first, which she does by touching them to the RFID validator.

That's really not how it works in real life. Instead there's a distinct validator for these bus tickets that stamps them, but this bus model doesn't have that. It's okay enough, I guess.

The main issue with the interior of the bus is something else: It has a step.

That's a bit of a problem. In real life, the Agora does not have a step, the entire floor is flat. That was its main advantage over the older Renault R312, which did have the step. I have no idea why the show chose to include a step in here. They're consistent about it as well; there's a step at the rear door, too.

(By the way, do not think about where the doors go when they're open. It's different every episode. They're supposed to swing inwards, but sometimes they swing out, or they just disappear.)

My final nitpick would probably be the underside.

I have no idea what an Agora is supposed to look like from underneath. But given that the engine is in the back, it's probably not supposed to have exhaust lines running all the way under it. Yes, that's as minor a nitpick as they come, but I couldn't resist once I saw it.

Overall, though, it's a good bus, and very appropriate if you only have the money to model one. The Agora is definitely a staple of Parisian cityscapes, with more than 2500 delivered to RATP, almost a quarter of the entire production run.

If there's one issue with its inclusion in the show, it's the age. The last Agora was built in 2006, and most of them have long been retired. A number of them are already in RATP's vast historic collection, which is sadly not open to the public except on special occasions. I don't get why; there would definitely be interest, just look at the London transport museum. Paris's public transport is every bit as iconic as London's, but they don't market it as such, and they don't have the museums and merchandise to capitalise on it, and I think that's just sad. Please allow me to give you money, RATP!

Anyway, these days, no Agora can go into Paris anymore. Paris has established a low emission zone in 2017, and all Agoras are too old to be allowed in. There are some Agoras still running in the wider Paris region, but not the city centre proper (though that one still has some Citelises, and also some Heuliez versions, which is a whole other can of worms). If we assume that Miraculous Ladybug takes place in some sort of eternal 2014/2015, which is still the best guess for a timeline that I've seen, then the Agora still fits, but it would hardly be the only or most common bus anymore.

The age becomes an issue in one particular episode, in Bakerix, where Bakerix complains that the bus is electric, and that's not how it's supposed to be.

In real life, the Agora was never available as a battery electric bus. Paris is buying lots of battery electric buses these days, including ones that have some lineage to the Agora, but the original only ever had internal combustion engines…

…well, except for sometimes. There were also Trolleybus versions of the Agora. First, there is the Škoda 24Tr (normal version) or 25Tr (articulated version), which was confusingly built in two versions, one based on the Agora and one based on the Citelis. There is also an Irisbus Agora Trolleybus with electrical equipment by Škoda. Is that a different trolley bus based on the Agora built in cooperation between Škoda and Irisbus, or is it the same one, and they just sometimes branded it as a Škoda and sometimes as an Irisbus depending on local contracts? Your guess is as good as mine. Either way, though, those were only sold in Eastern Europe. Paris doesn't have any trolley bus wires, so there were no electric Agoras here, ever.

That aside, though, I think Miraculous Ladybug did overall really well on the bus, given the constraints they had to work with, and I'm looking forward to seeing it in plenty more episodes.

I think that's the end of this series, unless the show starts bringing the tram or the RER into it. I don't think they will, because I don't think they could tell any new stories that way, but I would greatly appreciate it. Anyway, thanks for reading!

[Part 1: The Metro Train]

[Part 2: The Metro Station]

[Part 3: Startrain]

[Part 4: The Gare du Nord]

[benjaminthecoathanger]

I posted 40,803 times in 2022

That's 13,945 more posts than 2021!

37 posts created (0%)

40,766 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@m-eowdy

@la-mancha-screwjob

@lokebrenna

@liquorice-woofbeast

@buggerit-millenniumhandandshrimp

I tagged 2,123 of my posts in 2022

#goncharov - 58 posts

#food - 51 posts

#favourite - 46 posts

#disco elysium - 38 posts

#unreality - 35 posts

#ask - 27 posts

#art - 23 posts

#god - 23 posts

#anon - 21 posts

#res - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 129 characters

#‘do you want to stay for dinner?’ ‘oh no it’s fine really’ ‘are you sure? we have enough for you’ ‘only if you’re sure it’s okay’

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

NEVER apologize for the Disco Elysium. Apologies aren't very Disco, you see.

YOU. YOU GET IT.

8 notes - Posted February 2, 2022

#4

PLS TELL ME UR JEAN THOUGHTS I AM A DESPERATE CREACHER

sdkfjhsdjkjhfjkdshfkjsd i love how little time there was between me reblogging a disco elysium thing and receiving this anon i am kissing u so sweetly

ANYWAY GOD OKAY JEAN HAS POSSESSED ME. its like im 14 again only with a jean from a less dodgy piece of media

its!! okay. the way you spend most of the game being like oh okay this guy's kind of a dick and but theres enough hints of the kind of person harry was like before the amnesia that you start to be like okay, i understand

AND the way he fucking.. shows up in the stupid wig. even while telling you he's had enough and doesnt care he's still! trying to hold out an olive branch in the form of an inside joke that youve forgotten

and at the end! you know hes fully ready to give up on you if youve been drinking at all and he makes it so clear that youre on thin fucking ice if you managed to stay sober the whole game. but still goes over to help you into the car. just!! i need to lie down its. you know theyve been through some shit and he still cares and aaaaaaa. also i will say as a person i love getting dunked on and like. friendly insults? so the second he called harry shitkid i was like "AH. SOMEONE GETS IT"

also i will b honest i only smoke when something is Very Wrong but boy if i did not leave disco elysium looking at jean going hm yeah i get it. i understand u my guy.

12 notes - Posted January 31, 2022

#3

real talk when are we getting a goncharov blooper reel like i know it was lost media and all but god i deserve it. i want to see the take where katya fires the gun too early, i deserve it

13 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

#2

oh youre english? whats the best stock cube brand then?

okay so i originally didn’t answer this because i was like. i don’t have an opinion on stock cubes like they’re fine whatever this is just one of those british cultural things i missed out on by being born abroad and then. so i got back home a few days ago and you’ll never fucking guess what my parents have hanging on the wall to the cellar

a metal plate with the fucking oxo logo on it.

anyway so i guess that answers your question

16 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

you know what, tumblr advertisement? sure. i would like more songs about star wars actually

35 notes - Posted October 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[chameleon-on-lsd]

Tatort Zürich liveblogging E1 + E2

so I watched Von Affen und Menschen (shoutout to Severin, the current director of the zoo that was there to say 3 words <3) and am now 30 mins into Züri brännt. some things: it's so funny to recognize places and then also be like 'how did they get from THERE to THERE in 2 seconds' (like some of the bike delivery guys path was insane) i like noah. no surprise there I skipped SO many of the abduction scenes. idk if it's the swiss german or that actor in particular but my god, the cringe. "can you knock??" is apparently just a Tatort running gag "du schlafsch? ohni mich?" iconic also all the fucking un-subbed french. I know we have that in school and most of it is also get-able with context clues. but also some is just SO fast. noah and his stupid lil phone lanyard <3 what the fuck is going on with the brother and the weird ass halloucinations of his sister oh girlie tried to off herself with a gun? oh boy noah, that is an ugly ass green/orange tie they're really going for a fucking horror vibe for a police procedual huh he has nice high-german though lmao singing mani matter how swiss you wanna be? yes. we had to sing that shit in primary school lmao (I'm also not really paying HOLY FUK SHOWING THE FULL SUICIDE OF POLICE CHIEF GUY? MY FUCKING GOD but also means that grandjean is not his successor xD

E2: ah, another man xD what a surprise that the swiss tv show has an episode called Schöggiläbe lol now frenchie is singing let Hörk sing! xD (do not) lmao the chocolate fountain WHY DID YOU PUT YOUR FULL TONGUE IN IT. WHAT THE FUCK. this is why I find the huge choco fountain at the Lindt House of chocolate so disgusting what the FUCK is this 4th wall break'????? ew??? now what dark past does mr. 'jugo mit 2 sterne' chef have I keep forgetting that she has a son ......why the 4th wall stufffffff. stop talking to me directly lmao what the fuck was that song???? the Drogehandel one lmao the grandma's introduction as 'vorgängerin und.. nachfolgerin' "die familie isch so abgfuckt!" lmao preach girlie lmao does her laptop have the company logo on the back? that's not how laptop branding works noah my baby <333 "ih de best uflösig bitte. was, nöd mal 2k??" xD also is that a KNITTED TIE? what the fuck my guy (also just learned that is surname is Löwenherz. bless) ?? subplot? random people secretely hidden in random cellar? HARDBRÜCKE! xD wHAT is this conversation xD with the hungarian also, a snazzy shirt from mrs Staatsahwältin what a moustache from the Vermieter xD also I love the random police men they have with them sometimes. and my god the hungarian guy is cute and tall, jesus ohh the neighbour is the lady that hid the other ones away oooooh you're a rent boy (did we know that?) the fucking 80s hair of the daughter is so weird xD they really googled "business graphs" and pulled up the first result xD burning a testament? classy damn, also NOOOO stop the 4th wall bullshit but also lmao at her knocking back shots "20 kleine mohammeds" my guy XDD I like his jacket with the little bird on it welp, he also has kiddos I guess OH, she signed her Kündigung lmao, is she doing VR drunk?? oh no, next day xD noah is so adorable "langsam, susch chunts zmorge wieder ufe" lmao girlie pops is not doing great xD FRENCHIE WITH THE ACTION ROLL!!! ...did tessa not have to do ANY shooting training or certification?? at least things like 'c'est quoi ton problem' are easy to understand xD also, putain lol god the fucking iPhone ring tone xD ??????????????? WHY DID YOU KICK OFF THE MIRROR OF A PARKED CAR? YOU'RE A POLICE OFFICER xD wait, what is her job title? oh, right, she's Fallanalytikerin. but like... maybe don't commit crimes WHAT THE FUCK. grandma is actually mom? ohhhh yeah, so she's the sister of the dead guy and not the daugther oh god tessa, do we need to see you hook up? he's kinda cute at least JESUS fingerbanging her on the dance floor??? whew boy JESUS salfkfaklfasdlaskjd ??????????? should we know the old guy'????? that wasn't charlie right?? idk the hair looked wrong. but she's back there now I guess thank you hot police guy for bringing charlie to frenchie oh hey, the lady and child are still here what the fuck is that outfit mrs staatsanwältin "kei chance sorry, ich schwör" xD you can do it girl. also hurrrrr uniformed guy the brother that got money from the chocolate guy shot him? rent boy guy is adorable in that cableknit sweater d'awwww he's so cute oohh, honor killing ....did she say Schwulenhass so she didn't have to tell the woman that her brother/dad used rent boys? is that the Stadionbrache? I feel like they also dumped the last guy in the car there xD welp heart attack incoming for old mrs matriarch and the young one is such a cold ass bitch xD you'd think she's be sweeter being in the chocolate business~ god, that they almost end both episodes with a suicide d'awww just tossing the money, bless JESUS. just actually shouted NO (at him holding the gun against his head) that was a shot in the shoulder. he'll be fine. see. you did okay tessa oooooh contract killer. I guess. awww Milan. (my love for curly haired scruffy men persists) sadlkasjfklasjl "Ich cha das nöd ohni dich. du blibsch" The ship does sail itself. Because she just made out with a guy who wants to keep her in Zurich but looks happier that her colleague (Ott. Not Tessa. sure honey) wants her to stay.

[aioinfo]

Let's Play "Guess the Car by Emoji" 🤔 🚗 🤩 by AIO Info #shorts #youtubeshorts #guessthecar #emojiquiz #guess This is Guess The Car By Emoji Car Emoji Quiz Challenge. Can you guess the car brand logo by emoji? Let's see in this fun car by emoji quiz challenge! Try more fun games 1. Famous Fast Food Logos - How Many Fast Food Logos Do You Know? : https://youtu.be/bF93yZ4f3Wk 2. Guess the Famous Logo in 5 seconds! | Fun and Easy Quiz : https://youtu.be/FYSzRXsKVBA 3. These FLAGS are so secret, even 99% of people can't guess them in 5 SECONDS! https://youtu.be/jbjb51ArziY 4. Guess The Color By Emoji Challenge : : https://youtu.be/M2znyDtEBg0 5. Guess The Male Superhero Using Emoji - Superhero Emoji Quiz : https://youtu.be/zZOxGPkq7bQ -------------------- Quiz, Fun, Entertainment, Disney Quiz, Logo Quiz, Flags Quiz, Movies Quiz, Serier Quiz, Emoji Quiz, Emoji Games, Quiz and Trivia @Guessers @GIRAFFE_QUIZ @QuizMonster @QuizMadness @Queddle via YouTube https://youtu.be/7mTEXXmGe_Q

[magicaltrash]

Walt Disney Studios in Paris has reimagined their Studio Tram Tour into an updated attraction called Cars Road Trip. Here's the official description per Disney:

Who loves road trips? Cruz Ramirez and Sally Carrera do! Pay attention, sit tight, and get your camera ready for the nature-made and Cars-made sights along the most legendary highway of the American Southwest.

There are 3 stops during this road trip:

First stop: A nutty roadside attraction Snap a pic and don’t forget to wave to Lightning (Flash) McQueen, Luigi, and Guido at the World’s Largest Lugnut. Second stop: Power shower! There’s nothing like a natural carwash in a flash flood for some extra shower power. See how a huge water tanker likes to shake up his cleaning routine in Cars-tastrophe Canyon. Final Stop: An Artistic Mater-piece! Mater is well known for his impressive junkyard creations. Today he’s debuting his latest Mater-piece– can you guess what it is? Honk if you love this motor monument!

With this updated attraction comes new trash cans. In this case, these copper-colored cans feature the "Cars Road Trip" logo, paired with recycling can featuring Paris' traditional non-finished inlet surface (i.e. it's not painted). Fun fact: This attraction was originally slated to be named Cars Route 66 Road Trip, but the "Route 66" branding was dropped - most likely due to intellectual property conflicts. // Disneyland Paris Resort, Walt Disney Studios, Toon Studio, Cars Road Trip, 2021 [Sources: DLP Report & ED92. Used by Permission.]

[henrycavell]

homecoming part 3

summary: Syverson has been medically discharged from the army after a suicide attempt. He’d been able to hide his deteriorating mental health for years from the men around him, but now he has to face it head on. Hopefully not alone.

word count: 2.2k

pairing: Syverson x OFC warnings: suicide attempt, please read with discretion. it’s not very detailed, i don’t think, but just keep yourselves safe ok

authors note: sorry this took so long, i was facing a bit of writer’s block! let me know what you think about this chapter c:

taglist;  @littlefreya​ @mary-ann84​ @wondersofdreaming​ @forthebrokenheartedthings​ @geralt-of-baevia​ @asylummara​ @dearlybelovedluke​ @promptandpros​ @mansaaay​ @daddys-littlewhitegirl​ @vacant-writings​ ​ @80scavill​ @kaatelyyynn​  @iloveyouyen​ @henrythickcavill​ @hell1129-blog​ please let me know if you’d like to be added to my general tag list! 

part 1 | part 2 | PART 3 | part 4

Penelope sat rigid in her vehicle, both hands clinging on to the small phone as her eyes read over the text message for what felt like the fifteenth time. Just four words, four short little words and still, Penelope felt her heart hitting her stomach, turning to stone and somehow sinking even lower. An overwhelming sense of nausea crashed over her like a wave and she peeled her eyes away from the lit screen. Why was she feeling so much guilt eating away at her insides over this message? Just hours earlier, she'd felt so terrified, so fearful almost for her life that she never wanted to see that man ever again and yet... Now, here she was, sitting and feeling bad. Like she'd given up on someone who really needed her help, even if he wouldn't admit it.

She felt like there was nothing she could do anymore, at least not now. Well, she could. Penelope could get back out of her car, march back inside the offices, and head back to Syverson's counselor, tell him she'd changed her mind. That she didn't want to drop him, but something stopped her. Reason, logic, any single one of her last brain cells were practically screaming at her that the man was dangerous, or so it seemed. Telling herself she had a day or two to think about it, Penelope just dropped her phone into the passenger seat and turned the key over in the ignition.

That Friday evening seemed rather solemn. The sky was darker earlier than usual, especially for it to be still in the middle of Summer. Deep reds and purples washed across the sky as Penelope stopped her car on the side of the street, just a short walk up to the bar she liked to sit at sometimes. It was a quiet place, not the type of establishment where you had to worry about college students or fuck boys. Stepping out of her car, she felt a gust of cool wind and looked up to the sky, just in time to feel a raindrop smack right into the center of her forehead. Flinching from the sudden chill, Penelope wiped the droplet off of her face and shoved her hands down into the pockets of her jacket. Penelope loved the rain, storms of all kinds, but she didn't want to be caught in one.

Hurrying up the sidewalk, her crystal blue eyes fell on the red door into the bar, the blinking neon sign that read open. It was a little hole in the wall bar, the windows covered in stickers and logos for different beer and liquor brands, and on the inside of the door, a thousand different flyers for different local bands and art exhibits were littered. It was warm inside, comfortable enough that she could shrug her jacket off as she made her way over to the bar. Throwing her light coat over the back of the barstool, Penelope helped herself to sit before looking up at the bartender and raising her finger, trying to get his attention to. "shot of bourbon, Four Roses if you have it."

The bartender nodded in understanding, before turning away from her, tossing the cloth he'd been using to clean over his shoulder. It was mere seconds before she had a double shot in front of her and she looked up at the man with a raised brow. He'd waited on her hand fulls of times, but she'd never learned his name. "Can tell you need it today." Penelope took in a deep, shaky breath before letting it out, allowing her shoulders to droop. Was it so obvious how shaken up she was?

"Thank you," she answered him before picking it up and shooting it back with minimal effort. The liquor burned going down, leaving a sweet, spicy taste in the back of her mouth. One she normally didn't care for, but now it was almost welcomed, a pleasant distraction until her phone was buzzing off in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Did you get a call from Syverson?" It was his counselor, Kenton, that was his name.

"Uh no, a text message... Why-"

"I think somethings wrong, he ain't the type to go around apologizing... Do you care to go check up on him for me? I know you didn't want anything to do with him anymore, but I have to pick my kid up from soccer practice..."

Her eyes couldn't have rolled back farther in her head. If it wasn't for Penelope feeling a pull, like she needed to speak to Logan anyway, she would've given Kenton a mouthful. The ex-captain had nearly laid his hands on her and he had just so quickly forgotten that?

"Yeah, I guess."

Dropping her phone back into her pocket, she looked back up at the bartender and gave him a small smile, before laying a crisp twenty-dollar bill on the counter. "Thanks, keep the change."

Penelope's cheeks were already tinted red from the bit of alcohol she had, parking her car outside of Logan's house for the second time that day. On the drive over from the bar, she found herself thinking she should've asked more questions on the phone to Kenton. About the call he must've gotten from Syverson, what he said, or what had him worried. It seemed a bit odd to get worked up just from someone sending an apology text, especially after what he'd done... An apology was in order, in her mind. But, Logan must've apologized to Kenton too and that was what she couldn't wrap her mind around.

Taking a few seconds to gather her composure, Penelope found that she was having to curse herself out in her head to force her hand to reach for the door handle. Walking up to Logan's porch was even harder, something just seemed wrong, off. Her footsteps felt heavier and the air around her was so brittle, sending goosebumps down her arms. The front yard looked frozen still as if she was looking at it from a photograph and not actively walking through it. Stepping up onto the porch, Penelope rolled her eyes at herself and grumbled under her breath, "get it together, what are you scared for?"

Tightening her hand into a fist, Penelope knocked on the door a few times before letting her hand drop back to her side. Even taking a step back, a little nervous for Logan to answer the door. She didn't want to be too close to him, but... an answer never came. Looking over her shoulder, she saw his pick up truck in the driveway, so he must be home. Penelope reached out for the door handle to the glass door, tugging it open so she could knock again against the wood. "Hey, you in there? I got your text-" Penelope called, getting up on her tiptoes to try and look through the small glass panels near the top of the door.

Barely able to glance inside, Penelope caught a glimpse of Aika. She was resting at the foot of the stairs, her paws hiding over her face. Even weirder... Knocking again, Penelope lifted up on her tiptoes to get another look at the dog. "Aika, hey girl! Get Sy?" Calling through the door to a dog to go and get her owner made Penelope just feel silly. Aika lifted her head up, barely looked at Penelope through the pane before dropping her head back to the floor and going back to hiding behind her paws.

Penelope's face scrunched up in confusion and without any more hesitation, she reached down to the doorknob and twisted it, relieved to find it unlocked. Pushing the door open, Aika just whimpered but stayed stuck next to the bottom stair of the staircase. That wasn't much like a guard dog, to just lay still when an intruder was right in front of him. Granted, Aika kind of, sort of knew her, but still... Penelope's heart had lurched up into her throat, a whole new sense of dread washing over her as she looked up the staircase to the dimly lit second floor.

"Hey girl, what are you doing down here all alone?" Penelope tried again to get Aika up, her eyes slowly coming back to the dog, but she still just sat perfectly still, like a statue. "What's the matter?" Penelope squatted down at the base of the stairs, reaching out with her left hand to scratch behind Aika's ears. The dog just whimpered, before forcing herself up on all fours and tiredly creeping up the stairs.

"Okay..." Everything about this situation just seemed unsettling. Penelope shifted from one foot to the other, nervously looking around before she took the first step up the stairs. The second floor was even darker than she imagined, every light turned off and every door shut tightly. Aika moved over to one of the doors and let herself fall down on her belly in front of it, whining and whimpering again as she looked up at Penelope with sad eyes. "What, in there?" Penelope asked Aika as if she'd be able to answer her.

Her eyes lifted to the door and Penelope quietly reached forward, holding her breath as she twisted the doorknob and let it pop open. She didn't swing it open, no, instead just stared at the slim crack in the door, still trying to gather her courage. Pushing it open a bit, Penelope stepped up as close to the door as she could, trying to steal a glance inside before just stepping in. Hearing a low, disgruntled moan, as if someone was in agony, Penelope was chilled to the bone, her hands beginning to tremble as she tried to push the door open entirely.

Stepping into the room, it was cliche to think, but nothing could've prepared Penelope for what she was met with. Three or four liquor bottles littered the floor, among the dirty clothes and trash... Three or four that she could make out at least. The curtains over the windows were pulled tightly closed, not allowing in even a sliver of light. Penelope could see Logan's form on the bed, one arm dangling off of the bed. It was too dark to make out any details, but she just knew something was horribly wrong.

"Logan?" She breathed, taking a few steps further into the room, trying to tiptoe around the clutter and mess on the floor. Her eyes were fixed on the ex-captain, how his body seemed so stiff and tense, and yet his breathing was rigid and shallow. Another pathetic grunt came from the man, but no discernible answer. "I got your message... Thought I'd come to check on you..."

The closer Penelope managed to get to the bed, the clearer the picture became. The arm that dangled off of the bed was trembling, blood running down all over his hand, dripping off into the floor. His face was pale, a thin layer of sweat had collected across his skin and his lips looked ghostly white and chapped. Penelope's eyes ran up his arm, her blood running cold as she tried to make out where the source was, but there was just so much red. Penelope had stayed petrified in her spot for long enough, forgetting to breathe until she rocketed forward, collapsing onto her knees next to the bed.

"What... what... are you... oh my god!" Her voice came out in chopped bits and pieces, just a testimony to horror-stricken she was. The girl had been sent into a straight panic, her brain refusing to process thoughts as she reached her hands out, trying to figure out just what to do. Her eyes dragged up to Logan's face once more, his eyes were closed and his lips were parted slightly, quiet breaths leaving him. Looking like he was hanging onto life by a thin, silver thread.

"It's... fine..." His voice came out hoarse and gravely, slow and slurred, too. Penelope's eyes widened at the words that left the man's lips, her hands gently hanging onto his arm now, his blood coating her hands and jacket, a bigger mess being made all over her. "Just... go... let me..." Syverson's words were coming out in just gentle, raspy breaths, barely audible, Penelope had to listen so closely because she couldn't believe what Logan was muttering.

Her hands started to shake even worse, finally flinging herself away from the man, scrambling out into the middle of the floor. "No, no, this isn't fine! I... I'm going to help you...!" No one had warned her about this man having any sort of mental health issues besides general anxiety, a slight case of depression... Kenton told her a slight case of depression!! Nothing to worry about, but now here she was, sitting terrified in the middle of his bedroom floor, watching him bleed out on his bed.

Penelope stared for a few moments more before something forced her to rocket to her feet. He's going to die, she thought, racing out of the room, back into the hallway. She had to get out of that room, had to scrub that image from her eyes, had to just... take a breath. Penelope checked every wrong pocket first before finding her phone in the left side pocket of her jacket, her shaking thumb punching 9-1-1 into the keypad.

[twiceblackvelvet]

Can I request a ceo playgirl Tzuyu x fem reader ? Where reader makes tzuyu believe in love? Thank you in advance and love your writing so much!

A/N; thank you so much. i have seen requests like this before where the writer places the character insert as an employee of the ceo character but i decided to try something a little bit different. also, i’ve got to be honest, i struggled to picture Tzuyu as a playgirl so this may not be too good but i hope you enjoy🖤

For the last two years, you’ve been single. Whilst you’d love to say it’s been a peaceful time-period for you, the two girls currently sitting in front of you have made it nigh on impossible. Nayeon and Sana have been your best friends since you were children but their unhealthy obsession with your dating life is beginning to become unbearable.

Sitting down to lunch, the conversation between the three of you quickly landed on the topic of what they consider your lonely, boring life. They’re animatedly discussing a brand new dating app that some wannabe hipster rich boy has created.

“So basically, you set up a profile and decide whether you wish to be the finder or the seeker. The finder is anyone looking to earn extra money by accompanying the seeker to events, parties, galas and all those other fancy things that rich people attend. They pay you for your service as their fake date and you can decide if you wish to stick with them or move onto the next millionaire. You both rate each other based on how compatible you felt the date went, it’s all very professional.” 

Nayeon’s explanation of the application deserves to be placed into an advert, she’s seemingly looked into it very thoroughly before presenting the idea of you signing up. 

The idea of dating some pretentious, stuck up person with too much wealth for their own good does not sound appealing whatsoever, and yet as you think about your dead-end job and various bills that are quickly mounting into an enormous chunk of your bank account being whisked away from you at the end of the month, you can’t help but give it a second thought.

“We both have profiles, there’s no shame in it. You don’t have to sleep with them or anything, well... unless you want to. You’re basically just arm candy for them to show off to all of their friends that they aren’t losers who isolate themselves to their offices to flirt with numbers and stocks. Trust me, it’s sad for them not you.” Sana adds.

“Fine, but if I end up with some weirdo who tries to get a little handsy, I’ll hunt you both down.”

A high-pitched squeal is all Nayeon and Sana gives you in response as they get to work in setting up a profile for you. Surely nothing will go wrong, right?

It’s been three days since the app has been taking up space on your phone. No messages. No notifications. Nothing. It’s not like you’re mindlessly checking it every couple of hours to check that your friends didn’t include something embarrassing that has been turning every potential seeker away from you, but it is starting to play on your self-conscious every now and then. Even more so when Nayeon reveals she has been on four dates since your lunch meeting.

Just as you’re about to switch off for the night and get some well-needed shut-eye, a small vibration emanates from your bedside dresser where your phone is placed.

[YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSSAGE]

The bold lettering alongside the app’s logo lights up your bedroom. Truthfully speaking, your curiosity is in fact piqued for a split second until you realize it’s almost 3 AM and anyone using a dating app at this hour can’t be a good sign. You decide to still check who has sent you a message but only so you can tell them to get better nighttime hobbies.

However, what greets you when the app loads the singular message is tame compared to the despicable things you expected to see. 

Hello. My name is Chou Tzuyu, I am the CEO of Chou Technology. You’ll have to forgive my being blunt but I am a bit of a newbie to this here app. If you are free tomorrow, I’d like to meet with you to discuss potentially accompanying me to a business event that I am attending the following night.  If this is something you are interested in I will schedule a time-slot and give you instructions on what to wear and where we will be meeting. I know this is all very last minute but please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you.

God, just reading the message has given you a slight headache. This girl couldn’t be any more business before pleasure if she tried. You decide to click onto her profile picture to get a better sense of who she is to help you decide whether to agree to meet her or delete the message. 

Flawless golden skin, wide cat-like brown eyes, plump red lips formed into a small smile and hazelnut brown hair accentuate all of the features perfectly. You definitely did not expect the person behind such a straight-forward and bland message to be quite as beautiful as the girl you’re currently looking at through your screen. Upon scrolling through the images, you can see her alongside a small Maltese dog, posing with several other women who you assume are her friends, in a business suit outside of her company building which reveals that she’s fairly tall and her figure is to die for. All in all, you’re sold that either this woman is a catfish with impeccable Photoshop skills or there really is a goddess-like beauty using this shady app when she could probably bag anyone possible.

Hi Tzuyu. Yes, I’d love to meet with you tomorrow, anytime is fine for me just let me know.

You hesitate for several minutes debating on whether or not to add an emoji to make things a bit more casual between the two of you. You eventually decide against it and hit send. The follow-up reply comes a lot quicker than you expected.

Great. 1 PM @ Jungsik.

A quick search reveals that Jungsik is a restaurant not far from your apartment, however, the reviews and images show that it’s rather expensive and definitely way out of your very small budget. 

Would it be possible for us to meet elsewhere? It isn’t exactly in my price-range nor will I have anything remotely fancy enough to wear to a place like that.

Three small bubbles appear and disappear several times with Tzuyu’s face beside them. You begin to worry that she’s going to cancel and realize that someone like you probably isn’t a good fit for attending the event alongside her.

Send me your address. My driver will pick you up with an outfit for you to change into and dinner will be on me.

You must be dreaming. There’s no way any of this can be real. You read the words several times to try and kickstart your brain into processing them properly and despite believing they’d disappear or change into another message, it remains the same. You consider pinching yourself to double-check but decide against it. Your fingers disobey your thoughts about it being a bad idea to give Tzuyu your address as they lightly tap on the screen to tell her where you live. 

You wait for a response but it never comes. You can see that Tzuyu has read the message though and decide to finally get some rest.

Sure enough, at 12:30 PM. the buzzer to your apartment goes off and a gentleman speaks through the intercom summoning you on behalf of one Miss Chou. Entering the sleek looking car with blacked-out windows, you quickly realize that this Tzuyu woman is from an entirely different world to the one you are used to. A white box is resting beside you and the driver instructs you to put it on. 

You open up the box and pull out a black satin mini dress. The texture of the item alone calls you broke but you also notice that whoever purchased the item forgot to remove the price tag. Your jaw almost hits the floor upon seeing that it’s worth more than three times your monthly salary. Again, you’re left to question whether any of this can possibly be real until the car suddenly comes to a stop. 

“I’ll step out now to let you change but please be quick. Miss Chou does not like to wait.” The driver says as he exits the vehicle.

You change into the dress as fast as humanly possible and exit also. You follow him through a set of doors into the stylish restaurant. This is no doubt be the cleanliest place you’ve ever eaten and worlds apart from the diner you’d regularly visit on your work breaks. Oh, how the other side lives you think.

“The table at the back, blue jacket. Enjoy.” The driver directs you towards a woman with her back facing you and hurriedly leaves. 

Your steps towards the table are hesitant and you can’t help but smooth out the new dress several times in fear you aren’t wearing it correctly or rather doing such a fancy item of clothing justice. When you finally reach the table where Tzuyu is seated you decide upon clearing your throat to gain her attention instead of sitting straight down. She stands to face you and her eyes scan over your entire body on the way up.

Even in high-heels, Tzuyu is still somehow towering above you both in height and demeanor. She’s elegant and graceful in her movements and you instantly feel self-conscious under her intense gaze. The pictures of her showed you that she is beautiful and yet here before you, they do not fully do her justice as she’s that and more. 

“Please, sit.” She motions you towards the chair opposite her own and waits for you to be seated until she herself does the same. “Thank you for joining me. I hope the dress is adequate enough, I had to guess your size based on your pictures. I wasn’t sure if it was something you’d like but it felt like a safe guess.”

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” She nods at your graciousness and moves to pick up one of the menus, when you go to do the same she grasps your hand and prevents you from doing so. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to order for both of us.” You drop your hand back to beside your lap and allow her to inform the waiter she’d like you to have her usual whilst she goes for filet mignon. “It’s by far the best dish, you won’t be disappointed.” 

However, when a lobster dish is presented before you, you can’t help but feel out of place. Tzuyu is quick to notice your confusion and fears she has in fact let you down before she’s even been able to present her plan for you to join her next week to you. 

“Is everything okay? Do you have an allergy? Is it not cooked to your standard?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just, well… I’ve never eaten lobster before. I’m unsure of where to start.” A laugh lodges itself in Tzuyu’s throat with your words. “I’m glad you find my lack of fine-dining experience funny.” You roll your eyes annoyed at her clear arrogance. 

“I promise you, I am not laughing at you. I was once the same, I had no idea about any of this kind of stuff for a long time.” She offers you a genuine smile as she stands to move beside your seat to show you how to properly remove the flesh and what not to eat. “There you go, this stuff here is fine but this is the shell. Unless you wish to choke, stay clear of it.” 

Before you can truly think about it, words just begin flying out of your mouth after seeing such a kind action from by far the most gorgeous woman you’ve ever laid eyes upon.

“I have to ask, how come you’re using that app? If you don’t mind me saying, you’re a beautiful and charming woman. I don’t understand how you’re possibly single.” 

A more genuine and louder laugh exits Tzuyu’s mouth this time and for the first time, you can see that this is the real her and not the person she must try hard to present.

“Well, for a lot of years I struggled to see the appeal of commitment. I had plenty of companions to fill my spare time, however, none of them were ever the right for me. The position I’m hoping you will fill is somewhat different. As far as the women I have previously engaged with, I’d rather not show up to something like this with someone I have had casual sex with on my arm.”

Your face must be in a stunned state as Tzuyu continues to chuckle looking deeply into your eyes. Her honesty is weirdly refreshing and unsettling at the same time.

“I apologize if my bluntness surprises you, I just figure it’s best if we are both honest with each other here. In fact, that leads me to my next question,” She lightly brushes her mouth with a napkin before continuing. “Are you currently dating or meeting with anyone else from the application?”

Not willing to ruin the flow of honesty between the two of you, you tell Tzuyu that she is the first to reach out to you and that you wouldn’t be using the app if you were dating. She seems surprisingly happy with your answer though you’re unsure why. 

“That’s… good. I’d like it very much if you would keep it that way until I am sure that I no longer need your services. I don’t believe you will run in the same circles as those attending the event but I have to be sure.” You nod along not wishing to interrupt her thoughts. “Don’t worry, the event may be formal but I promise you the people attending will all be far too busy discussing themselves to bother you much. If you feel uncomfortable, simply tell me you need some fresh air and I will make sure to get you out of there.”

So far, Tzuyu is too good to be true. You will have to thank Nayeon and Sana for convincing you to sign-up for this app. 

“I will have another dress delivered to you in the morning with suitable shoes and accessories. Do you have a-” Tzuyu physically stops herself from finishing her question and curses to herself. “I will also send a stylist to take care of your hair, make-up and anything else you’re worried about.” 

“Are you sure all of this is necessary? I’m no one special Miss Chou.” The use of her family name stirs up a dark expression as Tzuyu’s eyes appear to be mentally undressing you. She shakes herself out of it before you can take notice of it. 

“Yes, you are. It may have been on short notice when I contacted you but quite frankly, you are a naturally beautiful person. I have seen plenty of attractive people within my life but none more so than you. Why do you think I have gone to all of this trouble thus far? I don’t just do this kind of thing for anyone. The majority of my relationships are a one-time thing that are not given the chance to progress further.” 

Once again, Chou Tzuyu has managed to confuse you. Your eyebrows have never felt so scrunched together quite as tightly as they are now. 

“What exactly are you saying?” is all you can whisper out in response.

“I’m saying that I’d like for you to attend this event with me. But, more importantly, I’d quite like it if you’d agree to do something like this with me more often. I will gladly pay you for your services tomorrow night in making me look good in front of a bunch of boring, old businessmen. Afterward, I’d like for you to allow me to date you. I can’t say that it will be an easy thing for either of us as I still very much so fear commitment, but I am hoping to learn, for you.” 

This time, you do pinch yourself to make sure everything you’re hearing is real and the stinging in your arm confirms you’re not currently dreaming. Your brain is running at a thousand miles-per-hour and struggling to formulate clear thoughts. 

“You do not need to answer now, attend the event with me. We can get to know each other whilst everyone else inflates their own ego. Then, we can see where things lead us. How does that sound?”

Truthfully, it sounds like a whirlwind, and yet you can’t help but agree.

“It sounds lovely.”

[opal-skull]

Realty Leads 101 - Are You Copping Out of Following " up "

Working with a lead generation company has given me helpful insight into both real estate leads and agents. When i dealt with both ends: the consumer and the agents themselves, plus my job was to make them both happy. Sure right. Easier said than done. The consumer side is easy - real estate points want a home value, they want information on the market, they want a real estate agent and we get them that. The real estate agents? Well it is another story - they pretty much wanted everything within sun when it comes to real estate leads. They wanted to be passed people ready to list their homes with them asap, without a work involved on the agent's part. They want listings, not even real estate leads. Well, if I could provide that reliably, all the time, I'd either have a multi-million dollar company, or possibly I'd be doing real estate full time myself. Get this by means of your heads agents: there is no magic service out there intended to hand you listings for a low fee. Instead, all these services provide you with real estate leads and it is YOUR job to turn individuals into clients. Got that? Real estate leads + a person = clients! YOU went to the classes, YOU trained in up on sales and marketing techniques and YOU printed away all kinds of trinkets with your name and logo on them for use on your real estate leads. Ergo, YOU must convince your real estate will cause work with you. And if you're not converting them, maybe you really need to take a look at your own methods, rather than immediately blame the source of your real estate leads. By now, I've probably heard every alibi under the sun as to why online real estate leads are damaging or bogus. And that's all it is, an excuse, a cop out to make you feel better about not being able to go your real estate leads into listings. That being said, here are the absolute best 5 cop-outs I've heard over the years about following " up " with real estate leads and my responses to them. one I'm a new agent and no one wants to use a brand new agent. Well, how do they know you're a new professional? Did you announce it the second you spoke together with real estate leads? You don't need to tell all your real estate leads are actually new. If they ask, tell them, and be honest, but won't just volunteer the information. And how to you know "no one" wants to use a new agent - sounds like a uncouth generalization to me. You won't know until you get out there as well as try - convince your real estate leads that that should be new means you're cutting edge, the best thing out there right now, demonstrate to them what an expert you've become, even if you're new to the work. Just TRY to convert them. Assuming from the start your real estate property leads won't want to use you because you're fresh doesn't even give you a chance. 2 . Some real estate directs are on the Do Not Call Registry. So? There's no this type of thing as a Do Not Knock list. If your real estate brings are on the DNC Registry and you feel THAT uncomfortable endangering a call, you should have your butt in the car, directions into your hand and preparing yourself mentally for your introduction if you knock at their door. And actually, as per the basic guidelines of the Do Not Call Registry, if a consumer on the details makes an inquiry (which is what online properties leads are! ), you can contact them for up to three months after the inquiry. So you've got 3 months to get them within the phone, after that, there's still always that door! Avoid the use of the DNC as a cop-out method with real estate qualified prospects. It's a flimsy excuse. 3. It's unprofessional to go topple on someone's door. This is the line I usually got once suggesting stopping by the property. My thing is, who believed so? Who told you it is unprofessional to go head to your real estate leads' homes and drop off the information many people requested? That is a matter of opinion and as long because your real estate leads don't think it's unprofessional, you're decent. And by showing initiative and going out of your way to meet up with your real estate leads, you may have just earned a client for life-long. 4. These real estate leads are too far from my best area, or it's in a very bad part of town. It is probably my favorite cop out, because it just sounds idiotic to me. If your real estate leads are too far, why does you sign up for that area? Or, if you are getting some realty leads out of your area, how far? Most of the time, agents complain with regards to having to drive 30 minutes away. To me, 30 minutes of the time is DEFINITELY worth the fat commission check I possibly could get. And if some real estate leads are too far, have not you EVER heard of a REFERRAL COMMISSION? Find an amazing agent in the lead's area and send it regarding over. That way you'll still get a portion of the fee AND you've saved 30 precious minutes of your time. Once real estate leads are in a bad part of town, it results in it's a very low-value home and is located in either a ghetto or backwater somewhere. It pisses me off once real estate agents say that the home isn't worth their occasion. Guess what buddy? When you got your license, you increased knowledge that others don't have, but will need at some point. Be willing and open to share this with your real estate sales opportunities, no matter what the economic status of their home and source of income is. If you don't want to help them, no one can force you will, but you are a BAD agent if you're not at least ready to find someone who will your real estate leads. 5. Whether they wanted to be contacted, they would have given all their precise contact information. This is a tough one, because on one place I do agree with this SOMEWHAT. Real estate leads who make a good name, number, address and email seems to be further approachable than real estate leads that have fake names, and / or fake numbers, etc . But again, this statement is mostly a matter of opinion. You have NO idea what's encountering the consumer's head when they filled out their information. Might be they're not technologically savvy and thought if they fit their phone number over the Web, everybody would get it. Could be they mistyped something. Maybe they don't want to be hassled everyday by telemarketer calls but DO still want the content. Until you actually touch base with your real estate leads, you will have no idea where their head is at. What would certainly hurt worse, getting a phone slammed in your ear, or perhaps missing out on a $15, 000 commission because you THOUGHT individuals didn't need anything since they gave a wrong phone number?

[windandwater]

back from Finland and my nightmare flight situation got really fucking funny (and awful) at the end so I’m gonna tell you the whole goddamn thing. cut to save you from Airline Stories.

I mentioned in a previous post that I had to sprint through Heathrow to get to a flight, and it wasn’t my fault. that turned out to be just the beginning but here’s what happened.

airline randomly decided to change my flight to an earlier time

I found out about this from a 3 am text that I read at 8 am on my way to work

cool I have to leave work much earlier

I do that. it was about to rain in New York so it was a good goddamn thing. no subway delays at all.

I sit at the gate for a bit. an hour before boarding, there are still zero airline employees to be found

what the fuck.

I google my flight number. it is not at the gate I’m sitting at.

great.

I walk over to the new gate, the lady there explains “it got changed.”

fine. I’m still on time.

….

the flight is not.

the rain started while I was in the airport and New York is gridlocked, and they barely had enough flight attendants to take off

I check my flight information. I have a connection in Heathrow that’s an hour after my flight and my flight is delayed…you guessed it. an hour.

I’m definitely gonna miss my connecting flight

I accept this (I am on a lot of anxiety medication) to deal with when I get there (thank you, medication!) and go to sleep (so. much. medication.)

arrive in Heathrow

announcement on the plane says that the connecting flight to Helsinki is also delayed, and to see them up front if you are getting on that flight

so I talk to them

“they’re leaving at 8:20 (it is now 7:50), so you can make it but you have to BOOK”

me: “GOT IT.” *takes off*

*accidentally knocks off a baby’s blanket. does not stop, like an asshole. yells EXCUSE ME to every British person in the way, while elbowing them, I’m from fucking New York, MOVE*

“few people runnin' about” happens

gotta go through security first

lady at the desk spins her computer monitor to show me what it says when she scans my boarding pass: “please proceed directly to gate 9”

me: “TRUST ME I FUCKING KNOW”

someone in front of me for some reason has every glass bottle in the world, doesn’t speak enough English for the security people to explain that it’s fine so long as there’s  no food or liquid in them

somehow I get through and make it to the gate

“if you had been 10 minutes later you would’ve caught us, but you’re good!”

phew.

find out later that my family had a similar yet worse experience in Frankfurt. ha.

turns out that was only the fucking beginning. because I still had to come back. here’s how that went.

day 1:

I’m supposed to fly out Saturday at 3 pm. my brother is flying out Saturday at 7 am. Friday night, we are on our way to the BnB and I double check my email.

surprise! my flight has changed. now at 7 am.

ughhhhhhhhhh

fine. I’ll just go to the airport with my brother.

we do that. Air BnB host nice enough to wake up and drive us—for a price, but a pretty good one.

they had a sauna and I had to skip out on using it (I only got to do it once) and I was pretty upset. fuck you, airline.

get to the airport at the asscrack of dawn

I check my email in the car one more time

….

wait a second

the date on this is for Sunday

fuuuuuuuuuuck

screw it, I’ll wait around until their service desk opens and have them put me on a flight

1 hour: nothing

I try and call them. on a janky phone that has issues with phone calls

customer service is closed, because Europe

call the US number

customer service is open and in English but it rings a few times and then I get a message in Icelandic and it hangs up.

….I’m never flying a Scandinavian-based airline ever a-fucking-gain.

2 hours: nothing

fuck. this.

I start googling hotels by the airport instead. check into one. get a shuttle there. room itself isn’t too expensive, but not money I really have.

oh fucking well

I pass out.

wake up, have to leave the hotel to get lunch, come back and read Yuri on Ice fanfic

oh daaamn this hotel has a sauna

tight

get smoked reindeer pasta at the hotel restaurant

go to sauna again

go back the fuck to sleep

day 2:

airport shuttle at the asscrack of dawn but this time I’ve slept all day

feeling annoyed but optimistic. this will suck but at least I’m rested.

get to the airport

once again they have changed the airline on me. this was not self-evident in the email

haul my ass to the right terminal. thank fuck there are only 2.

that last sentence is foreshadowing

in line for getting my ticket (b/c of course I can’t check in at a kiosk) and two people in front of me are going through the same shit. airline answered their phone calls tho and promised them money back

feeling more hopeful

am now flying through Amsterdam. they can’t print my connecting flight boarding pass. I will have to get it printed at the airport when I get there.

there is only an hour between the flights

I am hit with a sudden premonition of doom

but am still hopped up on anxiety medication

here we go again!

make it to Amsterdam with no drama

phone battery is dying. my external battery stopped working abruptly and there’s no charger on the smaller planes. it wouldn’t charge at the gate; was plugged in but draining. I turn it off. charges 2%.

more foreshadowing

I get off the plane and have to ask where to go to get to the correct airline. someone directs me. it’s a different terminal. I run-walk over there, knowing what’s about to happen.

passport control. spend 5 minutes panicking that I don’t have an e-passport b/c I don’t know where to look for the logo. turns out it’s on the front cover! I’m a dumbass.

get there. can’t check in/print off boarding pass

oh boy

have to wait in line for a service rep

this wait takes 35 minutes

I get to the front. my seat reservation somehow does not exist

she manages to print off my ticket. and call them to tell them I’m coming.

looks me in the eye: “you run.”

me: “I run.”

I do that.

new gate is 2 more terminals away

Amsterdam is fucking big and I have now run across 3 terminals of it.

the Dutch are better at moving out of the way than the English

I make it to the gate and people are there yelling “New York? New York!!” make it on the plane. phone won’t charge. ...... great.

no podcasts for me! I watch a Stonewall documentary, a gay rom com, and a slew of nature documentaries.

at least I’m on brand.

make it to New York in one piece. meet a nice German lady and everything.

it was hell coming back here from Greece but from Scandinavia it’s fucking amazing.

anyway

slight panic after going through passport control. I handed them my receipt, promptly forgot I did that, then got my baggage and began looking for my receipt to show to the next set of cops.

receipt was gone

ummmmmm

I empty out my entire bag

nothing

I ask the lady next to me if they kept the receipt

she says yes they did and I nearly collapse. guess there’s no next set of cops this time around. it’s different every fucking time.

she sympathizes. we have a nice chat. she has family in Helsinki and just got back from Greece and Italy.

Scandinavians are not friendly. FUCK I missed New York.

because some people will assume otherwise if i don’t say so: it was not a white lady. I really really missed New York.

I manage to make it to my subway stop with no more drama than wondering why I’m the only person on the train

I realized literally this morning that it’s almost a holiday weekend. oops.

make it to my apartment door

they installed a new front door while I was in another fucking country

(there were issues with the old one)

sign on the door says go see the super. who never answers his door, only the phone.

my phone battery is now at 10%

….

super’s not answering his phone. or the door.

7%

text and call neighbors who live near me. leave messages. try not to panic.

feel raindrops

look up

there’s a storm cloud coming in

I hear thunder

this is the point where I started laughing

I try the super’s other number

“uhhh you changed the door”
 “you were sleeping!”
 “I was in FINLAND!” 
“okay, give me a minute, I’m on my way”

5%

turn phone off

super appears. I am not soaking wet and laughing hysterically. yet. if he’d been any later it would’ve been another story

make it inside. plug in phone. it’s at 3%

answer all my family’s frantic texts, order food delivery, take a shower, go the fuck to sleep, and sleep 14 hours. felt fucking great.

go to work today because it’s 4th of July and if I don’t I’ll only be in for two days. oh well!

[ahshanhabibbd]

Brand Logo Design.

It was created by adobe illustrator And Photoshop. Hope you like it.Professional quality card Give you and support. Thank you Ahshan Habib

[aioinfo]

Can You Guess This Car? 🚗 🤩 in just 2 seconds! by AIO Info #emojiquiz #guessthecar #shorts This is Guess The Car By Emoji Car Emoji Quiz Challenge. Can you guess the car brand logo by emoji? Let's see in this fun car by emoji quiz challenge! Try more fun games 1. Famous Fast Food Logos - How Many Fast Food Logos Do You Know? : https://youtu.be/bF93yZ4f3Wk 2. Guess the Famous Logo in 5 seconds! | Fun and Easy Quiz : https://youtu.be/FYSzRXsKVBA 3. These FLAGS are so secret, even 99% of people can't guess them in 5 SECONDS! https://youtu.be/jbjb51ArziY 4. Guess The Color By Emoji Challenge : : https://youtu.be/M2znyDtEBg0 5. Guess The Male Superhero Using Emoji - Superhero Emoji Quiz : https://youtu.be/zZOxGPkq7bQ -------------------- Quiz, Fun, Entertainment, Disney Quiz, Logo Quiz, Flags Quiz, Movies Quiz, Serier Quiz, Emoji Quiz, Emoji Games, Quiz and Trivia  @_Guessr   @Guessers   @QuizMonster   @TheQuizShow   @GIRAFFE_QUIZ   @Queddle   @FunQuizQuestions via YouTube https://youtu.be/ZWLUVKLwYxE

[sacriilegious]

Oven Repairs

What are the vital elements whilst deciding on the  Engagement Rings Perth quality repairer to your oven or stove?

The following list ought to be an excellent start:

Do you need an electrician or gasoline more fit? Does the technician have the proper certification? Does the organisation have the proper Licenses i.E. Electrical contractors license? What are their expenses? What Brands do they provider? How do their warranties compare? Do they've the rights components on board? Are they members of a height body affiliation? Do they've posted guidelines and procedures? Well, appears simple enough, or as a minimum in case you study enough blogs and many others. You'll discover many versions on the above listing pointing out their method/listing/hints are the panacea for your catch 22 situation; a way to pick the proper repairer!

The reality is massively distinctive. Most human beings needing their oven or range repaired don't have time to make a list and methodically take a look at it off before making a reserving. Worse nevertheless, in little Adelaide you're restricted to a handful of really expert repairers who restore ovens and stoves for a living, in which their abilities, assets, stock, components and so on in shape your requirements.

So what can you do this is short and clean whilst still enhancing your possibilities of having a great repairer? If you do not have time to read the entire article, you may bounce to the precis on the quit of the thing, meanwhile the advice I can provide in a single sentence is  things: Remember a) most foremost appliance repairers will let you know what you need to pay attention, and b) you most effective get what you pay for... If you're lucky!

However, If you are inquisitive about the scenic model, excellent, we will revisit some of the bullet factors above and hopefully nice song to your bull-dust radar.

Q. Does the technician have the right certification?

A. Yes Remember most will inform you what you need to pay attention. But the actual answer lies in a prolonged dialogue. For instance; is your appliance electric or fuel. Then we need to decide if the trouble is electrical or fuel. Most gasoline ovens or stoves have electrical structures inside them, which, if the oven or range is hardwired, requires a registered electrician to perform the restore. If the oven or stove has an electrical fault and the unit is not tough stressed out, then the chances are the average refrigeration mechanic can undertake the repair legitimately. But and isn't always there constantly a however, how do  if the unit is hardwired? And how do you already know if the unit has an electrical or gasoline fault. Most clients won't know! The purpose those clever lists are frequently no longer all that helpful is which you don't have any way of understanding if the repairer has informed a white lie or no longer. In reality, they do not either. They want to peer the process earlier than making that judgement. And right here is the motive they instructed you what you want to pay attention; because most will collect a minimum payment at the first visit no matter whether they could complete the repair or now not. The greater expert repairer will tell you who you want to call, however for them, the payoff has already been executed; that being fee for the primary visit.

Q. What are your charges?

A. Various. Many will nation a name out price, plus a price. Most call out charges consist of some maximum time limit i.E. 1/four or half of an hour. Some will qualify a hard and fast price. Many will exclude the GST. But you, being a switched on man or woman, googled for a repairer that doesn't charge a call out fee. Well, earlier than you pat yourself at the returned too tough, ensure you ask "what the minimum price will be". Many repairers are responding to the pressures of what we check with as the "Deal Shoppers" who ring around city and evaluate fees and pick the most inexpensive price. Those who ebook a name with the cheapest deal rarely end up getting the excellent restore. And if they do get a cheap process, there are typically accurate reasons underpinning that capacity, i.E. Reducing corners, fitting reasonably-priced or 2d hand components, now not paying insurances, not paying accurate wages, now not the use of qualified tradespeople, not being careful to refit covers and alike with all their screws and protection harnesses and the list is going on. Remember, you simplest get what you pay for.

Q. What brands do they provider?

A. Your brand! - Because it is what you want to hear! Most will let you know they could provider your brand, and for the most part it's genuine. On the alternative stop of the scale are the emblem particular repairers who're typically pleased with the manufacturers they provider as it displays their fame within the enterprise. They keep it out like a badge of honour and will inform toot candy in the event that they do not carrier your brand. Specialists will bring extra components for a given emblem, so their probabilities of completing a task at some point of the first visit is higher than someone who upkeep the whole lot and anything. The compromise for brand particular repairer is the list of home equipment that emblem covers i.E. Ovens, stoves, washing machines, dishwashers, range-hoods, microwaves, dryers and others. Which approach the gap for oven or stove parts compete with pumps, and vehicles and seals and timers of the opposite appliances. Look for the repairer who specialises to your emblem oven or stove.

Q. What is your assurance?

A. One year! Or at the least that is the maximum probable solution, because it's what you need to listen. But that is a complicated piece of client legislation. There are two aspects of warranty, labour and substances. The ordinary warranty for Labour is 3 months. Both of which the court will throw out the window if it is a rely before them. But these periods function an inexpensive manual. The trap is in the judgement. If a repairer has to go back to a task to repair a don't forget, how do you decide if the paintings that become finished is the reason or if the motive is a extraordinary fault altogether. There is a better than accurate danger the latter is the case. Those organizations that offer longer warranties know that the probabilities they will must cover the price of upkeep under the terms of guarantee are very low. In truth, it has the brought benefit of appearing like a loyalty program. If the warranty extends to say 5 years or 10 years or maybe an entire life warranty do not forget you're unlikely so that it will judge if the warranty fault is what was formerly repaired. So, during the prolonged guarantee you may call the warranting business enterprise first within the faulty belief the paintings may be completed without spending a dime, that's authentic for very few, if any of those go back visits. Remember, if it appears too suitable to be proper... It likely is.

Q. Do they have got the right elements on board?

A. Yes - Because it's what you need to hear! Service cars have limited area, as such high turnover/excessive income parts constitute the largest quantity held. Repairers frequently qualify the component(s) are commonly held in stock. But that does not suggest it is inside the van that is distinct in your task. No restore agency doing foremost appliance provider paintings is able to preserve an correct up to date van inventory. Which way more likely than no longer, staff taking the reserving haven't any concept what's within the van. Stock held inside the van is best one trouble, the second one is the pleasant of the element. Elements, thermostats, hinges, door seals, etc. Are not made by the logo producer. Elements as an example are made by means of dozens of producers, but they commonly most effective make factors. Brand manufacturers buy their factors from the more legit suppliers, difficulty to a settlement. However those same factors also are made through replica producers. Some are exact best, a few are doubtful. But the distinction is the charge. Cheaper factors may be sold for as much as 50% inexpensive than the better excellent elements.

Q. Is the repairer a member of an Association.

A. Yes - you guessed it, because that's what you want to hear. Electricians are regularly members of NECA the National Electrical Contractors Association. The query is, how does that assist you qualify the repairer is a bonafide, first-rate operator? Simple, it doesn't! This institution are honestly approximately electric contractors who cord building - huge and small. AIA Appliance Industry Australia is probably the primary applicable association. Sadly in South Australia on the way to limit you to one repairer, Electrolux. My enjoy is that the Major Appliance Repair industry is simply too small to aid the actual work essential to validate a repairer as a bona fide high-quality operator. Just because the repairer is a member of an association doesn't suggest they'll be held to a better wellknown of restore.

Q. Do they've published coverage and technique.

A. Hopefully yes, however much more likely no. However, this is a valid method of improving your chances of getting a quality repairer. But absolutely who desires to or has time to read a businesses coverage and system earlier than creating a booking. No one. And then there may be usually the probability that the written files, if they may be made to be had are marketing tools instead of the method and method via which the repairer operates. Having get admission to to a repairers coverage and system is beneficial, however best if a) you have time to study and understand them and b) if you could verify they conform to them.

SUMMARY

If you cannot be stricken analyzing the lengthy model above, here's the abbreviated version.

Make certain you qualify the minimum payable fee at the outset. No call out charge, does not suggest "Free".

Fixed fee maintenance is a valid gain for simple repairs. Because those repairers need to finish the work within a restricted time period and visits to remain profitable. They commonly restriction their time to 1/2 an hour on the first activity. Generally they do not adopt complicated diagnostics or repairs.

When engaging a repairer who qualifies "Free quotes" make certain the quote is obligation free and that your equipment remains for your care. Most repairers who provide unfastened quotes recoup their quotation fees via a margin constructed into the repair paintings. However, if you do not proceed with the upkeep, a charge is normally forth coming.

Ask if there is extra expenses if a return go to to healthy elements is needed. Most repairers have a margin built into the elements, but others do not and add a fee for travel.

Cheap or 2d hand elements are impossible with a purpose to display for. Here you depend upon your gut experience and enjoy. If they force a beat up old van, put on greasy - torn clothes, appearance unkempt you may in all likelihood count on to get ripped off. But that doesn't imply, just because they arrive in a clean van all dressed to electrify that they're sincere great operators, however normally your probabilities improve.

One of the approaches technicians shorten their time at the task is to bend covers, leave screws out and generally harm panels that cannot be visible. They fail to re-clip or cozy cables and many others. Again this is hard to display for, but can commonly be measured via the range of jobs they e-book an afternoon. 8 calls an afternoon is a reasonably busy day. If they do extra than 10 jobs an afternoon or whole jobs in 15 mins or less you can effectively count on they're taking quick cuts.

Long waiting times for parts are common on this industry. Some are legitimate and some aren't. Some repairers use components as a method to improve their scheduling efficiency. These repairers realize you won't wait very long for the preliminary visit, however once they have accumulated money for the preliminary visit you're devoted to wait for the go back visit. Try to get a gauge for a way lengthy elements will take earlier than making the preliminary booking. This wont triumph over the trouble, however might assist manage your expectations. Remember... You simplest get what you pay for and handiest in case you're fortunate. That is a fundamental regulation of commercial enterprise, as rock strong as the regulation of gravity. Make positive you understand why the differences exist; simplest then are you ready to make an knowledgeable choice on upkeep.

[violetsystems]

#personal

There’s always levels to depression in anything.  I was reading an article this morning on the “limits of positive thinking.”  America has always had this sing song hum to it when it comes to adversity.  I’m not talking about we shall overcome.  It’s more like “This too shall pass.”  My dad is famous for saying this.  He’s also famous for thinking every major fashion house is a subsidiary of Polo by Ralph Lauren.  When I told my Dad about the job I applied for he said he knew a guy.  I did the google search.  That guy did indeed work for Ralph Lauren and not the company I applied for.  My mom was a little more receptive.  I had forwarded her the resume acceptance email.  She acknowledged it for about fifteen seconds then turned the conversation towards her car problems for the next four minutes.  I call my parents because I am indeed lonely.  I reached out on LinkedIn for the first time into my professional past.  I connected to about fifteen or so people who could be called upon as references.  It feels more like a trial.  That’s where the limits to happiness come into play under constant duress.  I think psychologically applying for my first real job is more significant than the outcome.  The article talks about how people need to be realistic about our goals and expectations.  Everything having a silver lining sounds nice and gets you through week after week.  But when nobody has any real insight about your struggle, you tend to turn inward.  And that is when the depression sets in with varying degrees of intensity.  It’s all a foggy notion at best.  Where do you go in your career after this?  A paycheck, a job, a mission?  I paid my rent yesterday.  The psychological precipice of how am I going to pay for things isn’t as threatening as it would be for other people.  I did have a severance.  I am waiting on more.  I’ve spent most of my time trying to stay at zero so that I can take a financial breather.  Analyze my spending.  Figure out exactly how much I need to survive.  The encouraging thing about having a resume is that applying for things should be a no brainer.  And yet all I see are jobs in the health care industry or some cultish startup black data mining incubators.  Work for a law firm.  Work for Insurance.  Coming from the number two art school in America all these sound horrifying culturally.  Staffing agencies and recruiters are a whole other nightmare.  In a time this dark, you have the tendency to wish for the light.  That your paladin like behavior will some day be rewarded effortlessly.  They’ll just know.  And how will they if they’ve never done a background check or run your name through a government registry?  I’ve already spent two months proving my identity to enough two factor authentication services to know.  The only thing positive I’m about is I know somebody knows my birth name and what I’ve been doing with my life the last twenty or so years.

What I don’t know or feel is that anybody really cares.  And while I did maybe think somebody out there could empathize, I didn’t want to sit here useless.  And so sometimes, trying is about as best as you can do.  And after a coffee fueled morning I had already written my resume for a contract position that ghosted without an interview.  I made the decision to put a head shot on it.  When the algorithm pinged my watch, I saw the logo for the company I was about to apply for.  I felt a rush of hope and maybe something else.  And I cautioned myself as one should do in these situations.  Because I’ve had my heart crushed so many times to know.  If nothing ever comes of it, you can’t say I didn’t try.  You cannot say I didn’t go to all ends of the earth to connect.  And you can’t say the opportunities weren’t there for me to do so.  If one door is open, there is most assuredly another way.  The reality of the job I applied for is that I will probably be disqualified over the fact I don’t live in Shanghai.  Of course, there could be exceptions.  Am I prepared to drop everything and go.  I have to be.  The only difficulty would be the cat I adopted.  And I’m sure my mom could watch her while I figure out a way to transport her too.  But this is all fairy tales I tell myself when the nightmare I’ve been living is all too real.  I connected with elements of my past on LinkedIn more out of ransom.  For two months I have had no contact or outreach from my previous life.  I’ve tiptoed through the neighborhood around people’s suspicions and emotions.  I’ve moved all my plants from the patio so as to not damage the air conditioner.  I’ve vigilantly watched the thermostat I pay the utilities for so the troll below me doesn’t whine.  I go out to shop and people follow me around in t-shirts advertising lawyers or that I should go get a physical with my COBRA benefits.  This is America mind you.  It sounds like what you would expect Russia or China to feel like.  I’ve been to China a couple of times by myself.  I’ve read so many articles from conservative political officials in America who bemoan the risks to privacy the Chinese pose.  I literally installed TikTok to remind myself how much of this is a joke to me.  An Amazon IT staff member recently had made this sweeping security decision to remove it from all phones in the organization.  It was an overreaction at best.  What people worry about the communist party spying on is kind of ridiculous when everyone in America is just as nosy if not more.  The worst is that they do absolutely nothing with the information.  Even if you overshare it.  My only hope these days happens to be the algorithms that surround it all.  I almost connect to people for the dataset and not the company these days.  That’s what networking is all about I guess.  The cognitive dissonance of maintaining completely one-sided professional and personal relationships is truly American.  So is the double speak.  We are free only after we give up all our information and share all our power.  And then we’re lucky to be forgotten about.  

Putting all those emotions behind me is easy.  I have a suitcase.  I have a lot of things still to get rid of.  I don’t know that this is the most mutually beneficial or holistic answer in these times.  Chicago happens to still have one of the only Chinese consulates in the states.  It’s fairly easy and cheap to fly to Shanghai if it’s business.  I don’t leave my house other than to travel.  I have the world’s sickest connection to the internet when it decides to go over 300 megabit.  I built a whole home office to support COVID-19 and it generally is now wasted on video games and streaming.  My side hobby of investment has definitely seen some improvement.  My name is at least on the books at enough companies to know in passing.  Some of those in Shanghai.  Not enough shares to register a full nod or even blink of an eye.  But through this process I came to understand a new way out.  People keep following me around like I’m an asset but it never amounts to much other than being bothersome and annoying.  I don’t literally have any clue what people think about me.  I’m completely alone and shell-shocked one hundred percent of the time.  The only things keeping me sane are of my own volition and cost money to survive.  Come September when the financial result of all of this is actually more real I could conceivably sit out like I planned until my birthday.  This is to say if the right job didn’t come along.  What is the right job for somebody like me?  Why do I feel picked over like a vulture?  You have to go out there and try regardless.  And when things aren’t working out your way, you have to find a way to survive.  This does not mean you have to find a way to stay positive when the evidence is very real.  It’s not just that nobody cares about me here.  Nobody respects me at all really other than a major women’s fashion brand.  I guess I could work for them too.  It definitely feels more realistic than sitting with a bunch of bro-coders who make dick jokes in the workplace and expect you to validate it with a chuckle.  If anything I can say clearly is that the email verification was a simple way of saying that I had officially started my job search.  I don’t actually feel like the position is far off at all.  It was actually one of the only clear and concise job postings I’ve read in the tech industry thus far.  Whatever happens I at least know somebody scanned my name and my headshot before it was filed under G.  I really hope G stands for good boy and not goddamn this guy really went that far to make a connection.  If it is the later of the two scenarios I at least know somebody out there appreciates how far I go to say hello.  I’m not expecting the world out of that.  Barely anybody talks to me at all.  So I’m humble in that fact that I can back up my ridiculous love letters with a professional resume.  In that you know I won’t stop trying.  Just don’t expect me to be positive about it all the time. <3 Tim

[hockeybloggg]

Realty Leads 101 - Are You Copping Out of Following " up "

Working with a lead generation company has given me helpful insight into both real estate leads and agents. When i dealt with both ends: the consumer and the agents themselves, plus my job was to make them both happy. Sure right. Easier said than done. Visit here : Ola The consumer side is easy - real estate points want a home value, they want information on the market, they want a real estate agent and we get them that. The real estate agents? Well it is another story - they pretty much wanted everything within sun when it comes to real estate leads. They wanted to be passed people ready to list their homes with them asap, without a work involved on the agent's part. They want listings, not even real estate leads. Well, if I could provide that reliably, all the time, I'd either have a multi-million dollar company, or possibly I'd be doing real estate full time myself. Get this by means of your heads agents: there is no magic service out there intended to hand you listings for a low fee. Instead, all these services provide you with real estate leads and it is YOUR job to turn individuals into clients. Got that? Real estate leads + a person = clients! YOU went to the classes, YOU trained in up on sales and marketing techniques and YOU printed away all kinds of trinkets with your name and logo on them for use on your real estate leads. Ergo, YOU must convince your real estate will cause work with you. And if you're not converting them, maybe you really need to take a look at your own methods, rather than immediately blame the source of your real estate leads. By now, I've probably heard every alibi under the sun as to why online real estate leads are damaging or bogus. And that's all it is, an excuse, a cop out to make you feel better about not being able to go your real estate leads into listings. That being said, here are the absolute best 5 cop-outs I've heard over the years about following " up " with real estate leads and my responses to them. one I'm a new agent and no one wants to use a brand new agent. Well, how do they know you're a new professional? Did you announce it the second you spoke together with real estate leads? You don't need to tell all your real estate leads are actually new. If they ask, tell them, and be honest, but won't just volunteer the information. And how to you know "no one" wants to use a new agent - sounds like a uncouth generalization to me. You won't know until you get out there as well as try - convince your real estate leads that that should be new means you're cutting edge, the best thing out there right now, demonstrate to them what an expert you've become, even if you're new to the work. Just TRY to convert them. Assuming from the start your real estate property leads won't want to use you because you're fresh doesn't even give you a chance. 2 . Some real estate directs are on the Do Not Call Registry. So? There's no this type of thing as a Do Not Knock list. If your real estate brings are on the DNC Registry and you feel THAT uncomfortable endangering a call, you should have your butt in the car, directions into your hand and preparing yourself mentally for your introduction if you knock at their door. And actually, as per the basic guidelines of the Do Not Call Registry, if a consumer on the details makes an inquiry (which is what online properties leads are! ), you can contact them for up to three months after the inquiry. So you've got 3 months to get them within the phone, after that, there's still always that door! Avoid the use of the DNC as a cop-out method with real estate qualified prospects. It's a flimsy excuse. 3. It's unprofessional to go topple on someone's door. This is the line I usually got once suggesting stopping by the property. My thing is, who believed so? Who told you it is unprofessional to go head to your real estate leads' homes and drop off the information many people requested? That is a matter of opinion and as long because your real estate leads don't think it's unprofessional, you're decent. And by showing initiative and going out of your way to meet up with your real estate leads, you may have just earned a client for life-long. 4. These real estate leads are too far from my best area, or it's in a very bad part of town. It is probably my favorite cop out, because it just sounds idiotic to me. If your real estate leads are too far, why does you sign up for that area? Or, if you are getting some realty leads out of your area, how far? Most of the time, agents complain with regards to having to drive 30 minutes away. To me, 30 minutes of the time is DEFINITELY worth the fat commission check I possibly could get. And if some real estate leads are too far, have not you EVER heard of a REFERRAL COMMISSION? Find an amazing agent in the lead's area and send it regarding over. That way you'll still get a portion of the fee AND you've saved 30 precious minutes of your time. Once real estate leads are in a bad part of town, it results in it's a very low-value home and is located in either a ghetto or backwater somewhere. It pisses me off once real estate agents say that the home isn't worth their occasion. Guess what buddy? When you got your license, you increased knowledge that others don't have, but will need at some point. Be willing and open to share this with your real estate sales opportunities, no matter what the economic status of their home and source of income is. If you don't want to help them, no one can force you will, but you are a BAD agent if you're not at least ready to find someone who will your real estate leads. 5. Whether they wanted to be contacted, they would have given all their precise contact information. This is a tough one, because on one place I do agree with this SOMEWHAT. Real estate leads who make a good name, number, address and email seems to be further approachable than real estate leads that have fake names, and / or fake numbers, etc . But again, this statement is mostly a matter of opinion. You have NO idea what's encountering the consumer's head when they filled out their information. Might be they're not technologically savvy and thought if they fit their phone number over the Web, everybody would get it. Could be they mistyped something. Maybe they don't want to be hassled everyday by telemarketer calls but DO still want the content. Until you actually touch base with your real estate leads, you will have no idea where their head is at. What would certainly hurt worse, getting a phone slammed in your ear, or perhaps missing out on a $15, 000 commission because you THOUGHT individuals didn't need anything since they gave a wrong phone number?

[pastelgrungewrecker]

Little Details {An Au}

“Y’know, like, Nya?” - Ancient Furry Proverb

“Art is hard.”

“Yeah, but money’s nice dude.”

Drift glared at his... colorful companion. Sketchbook untouched next to mug number five of the dark coffee he swore you could only find at the Shotgun diner- where they currently sat.

Roddy; poli-sci major, “fashion” icon, and Drift’s best friend since high school- cackled and slurped loudly from his coke glass, “At least you won’t be spending four hours hunched over a sewing machine like Gollum with the One Ring.”

“Not everyone can make a grand off of a giant blue dog’s head.”

“What can I say? I’m blessed.”

“I’m not sure ‘blessed’ is how I would describe someone willingly wearing a vaporwave tank top in public.”, teased Drift, plucking at Roddy’s shirt cheekily and managing a tired laugh when Roddy swatted his hand.

“Pardon me, gentlemen- would either of you like a refill?”, asked a clipped voice from the side of their booth. Roddy turned with his Patented Debonair Smile and emphatically said, “That’d be sweet dude, thanks!”

Drift coughed awkwardly, wishing his beanie would slide down and swallow his entire head as he nodded silently.

The waiter, the nametag branding them Percy (written in curly cursive, by hand it looked), smiled from under the dark circles often brought about by midterms. Drift swallowed hard as the smell of dark coffee drifted by him as the mug was refilled, and Percy murmured that they’d be right back with another coke for Roddy.

The brightly colored student across from Drift grinned, head resting on his fist as Percy walked away with a click-clack of shoes over linoleum.

“Dude, just ask for his digits. You know you wanna.”

“The last thing he probably wants to hear at 3 in the morning is some artsy douche asking for his number.”, sighed Drift, letting himself watch where Percy worked behind the counter, “Besides, he’s probably taken, I mean- pretty guys like that are NEVER available and you know it.”

“It can’t hurt to try, I mean- you’ve only been pining over him for what, three weeks?”

“Listen.”

“I HAVE listened, man- and you got some bad puppy love going on. Which is... pretty ironic.”

“Shut your face.”, snorted Drift, taking his mugs in his hands, “Though... isn’t he STEM? You’d think the studying would kill him working nightshift. I mean, didn’t your friend Nautica almost have a breakdown?”

“Nah, she just had... way too much caffeine. Like. Way too much.”

“How much is too much?”

“Remember that time someone dared me to down a whole case of-”

“Don’t. Don’t remind me, nevermind, I understand. Poor thing, Lordy. She must’ve been vibrating into another dimension.”

Percy returned, tired smile and all, and set the glass down on a little blue napkin square in front of Roddy.

“Can I get you two anything else?”, they asked, voice gentle even as it was almost clinical.

“No, we’re good I think.”, said Drift, trying to keep his voice from dipping into that ooey-gooey I-Have-A-Stupid-Crush tone, “Thank you, though.”

“Anytime.”, said Percy with a tiny laugh, “Let me know if you change your minds.”

Drift watched the waiter walk away and pocket the tiny notebook used for taking orders and he could FEEL his face sinking into a dumb dopey smile.

“Oogachaka oogachaka you can’t fight this feeeeelin’, deep inside of-”

“I will fling this coffee at you.”

“Jeeez, alright, alright. I see we have a hater of the classics, wow.”

“You’re a demon, why are we friends.”

“Because I may be a demon, but I’m an awesome demon who throws the best parties and doesn’t narc on your big gay crush on the cute waiter at the diner you like to sketch at. AND I pay for your coffee when I come with you.”

“....Good point.”

“Speaking of sketches, have you thought of any adoptables? I hear they’re all the rage for commissioners- you could probably make a good chunk of change.”

Drift nodded absently, watching Percy as they bustled about behind the counter-

“Oi Percy! Can you run back trash out real quick for me? I’m in the middle of clearing out one of the fryers- second shift destroyed it, it’s like a warzone man!”

“Alright, coming!”, called Percy, irritation present in the tone of voice. Drift watched them rustle around behind the counter- pulling out a hoodie with a very familiar superhero logo branded on the front before tugging it down over a crisp white shirt.

The idea-bulb dinged in Drift’s head.

“Bats.”

“What?”, said Roddy.

“Bat adoptables. Why not, right? Bats are cute.”

Drift flipped open his sketchbook, passing over three or four feline commissions until he found a blank page and began to sketch. Bats with glasses, bats with little patterns like bowties and aprons and all manner of odd spots. He dragged open the backpack next to him, pulling out a few colored pens and scratching out what color would go where as Rody leaned over the table to watch.

“...Okay, those are REALLY cute.”

“Yeah, fruit bats.”, said Drift, “Based on actual fruits-”

He looked up to see Percy returning from wherever they’d gone, drying hands after having scrubbed them clean. The tired waiter glanced around the diner, and seeing no one immediately in need of his attention, dug back into the pile where the hoodie had come from.

A lunchbox was pulled free- nothing spectacular or fancy; but functional nonetheless. Percy unzipped it, reaching in and pulling free a tangerine and a bag of those weird banana chips Drift sometimes saw the vegan in his history class eating.

“And I think the first ones will be bananas and tangerines.”

“That sounds like a capri sun flavor.”

“Not everyone lives on capri-sun and retro rock music Roddy.”

“Uh, clearly they are not living life to the fullest then- unlike me.”

Drift snorted before looking back to his sketchbook and setting to work. A few more coffee refills and another set of snuck glances at Percy and then Drift had enough to work with. Roddy waved the artist off, snatching up the bill and bouncing up to the counter with some song stuck in his head already. Drift snickered to himself as he left a healthy tip on the table, following his brightly colored friend out to the parking lot after the bill was paid only for Roddy to call out “Shotgun!” and all but dive into the passenger seat of Drift’s car.

“Dude, that’s only necessary if there’s other people riding with us.”

“With as big as your crush is I wanted to make sure there was room for me in the car.”

Drift blew a raspberry at Roddy, who only winked back before shutting the passenger door.

When they arrived back to their dorm, Drift made a beeline for his computer desk, moving his tablet off his chair and onto his lap.

And he began to draw.

After a “quick” marathon of five hours (and a juice-pak being lobbed at his head from Roddy), Drift had a set of 4 bat adoptables- ready made and ready to go to post to his art profile.

“How much should I charge per?”

“Probably your usual for those cute chibi designs?”

“Yeah, took about the same amount of time.”

The clack of keys and Drift yawned wide- until there was a notification beep from his phone.

He blinked, looking down.

[EldritchKawaii: Zomg so cute!!! I’d like Tangerine if its alright?]

[deadl0ck: sure thing, lemme send paypal info?]

[EldritchKawaii: Awesomeness, me and my wallet eagerly await!]

Drift leaned back, “I just got these up, what the hell?”

“What, you sold one already?”

“Yeah, Tangerine- hang on, wait. Tangerine, Blueberry, and Fruit Punch.”

Within the hour, all had been sold and there were already inquiries about a new batch.

Drift couldn’t help but laugh, turning back to his sketchbook, “I should’ve tipped Percy forty bucks; I think he just helped me pay this months bills!”

Roddy cackled from where he sat at his sewing machine, picking through his threadbox, “I guess we’ll just have to go back to Shotgun, huh?”

“Guess so. I can’t wait.”