#he always keeps an eye out for potential competitors to eliminate

[mischievous-thunder]

What truly got Johnny killed is his relentless flirting with Wade's Angel Baby

[zenonaa]

Read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18720781/chapters/44402326

Comments: birthday fic for a fictional character

***

...

I recall that I was in my Tokyo office because I remember a dark auburn bookcase unit with a unique design stood to my left, the one with the circular frame at the centre. Within the circle, several shelves had been fixed to form the shape of four staircases, and right in the middle of that was a compartment where one could sit a photograph, but I had not.

Someone buzzed my intercom. When I raised my head, I could see the bookcase unit at the edge of my vision. An associate of mine, a renowned interior designer, gifted it to me years ago.

“You have a visitor,” said my receptionist through a speaker.

“Let them in,” I instructed.

A few moments later - I didn’t count the number of seconds - the door ahead of me opened and Osamu Sugawara came in. He always looked like he just raked his fingers through recently washed hair.

I had no time for pleasantries. “What is it?”

Osamu grinned and swaggered over to my desk, holding a stack of papers. Once he had crossed the room, he set them down.

“These are the results for the first task,” Osamu said.

The first task had been assigned to all one hundred and eight competitors. Simply, they were given a certain amount of money and with it, they were to try to make as much of a profit as possible within the timeframe, which was six months. He watched my face as he pushed the papers toward me. I cast my eyes toward the list of names.

At the top was one that I didn’t recognise right away.

“Byakuya Polanski?” I read aloud.

Basic facts were listed by his name, such as his date of birth and how much money he made. Reading them answered some of my queries but raised other questions.

I met Osamu’s gaze. “This one’s eleven?”

That would make him...

“... the youngest of them all,” said Osamu. He pointed to Byakuya’s name like I was some kind of idiot who hadn’t read it, but between us two, he was the idiot.

Of course, he was a successful businessman but when compared to me and many of my near equals, Osamu was a total idiot, though he was smarter than the common filth that most of the population consisted of.

“Between him and the next competitor, there’s a wide margin, and this Masanori person in second place is in his forties,” I said. While Osamu was all smile, my face was as stiff as stone. “Is all this information correct?”

“You think they were mistyped, or mixed up?” asked Osamu, raising his eyebrows, and he almost looked serious. “No, no. It’s correct. I’ve met the boy several times. He’s really a remarkable child. Very stern though, just like his mother. Doesn’t trust anyone except his butler, and he doesn’t do friends either.”

I steepled my fingers and stared at Byakuya’s name, in thought. Osamu carried on talking. When I glanced up, he was waving a hand around animatedly.

“Plays the violin beautifully and can speak multiple languages,” he said, like a commoner father boasting about their son. “His mother must push him hard.”

He nattered on. I grimaced and lowered my gaze, keeping my face tight.

“Describe his mother to me,” I said without looking up.

“Eh?” Osamu paused. He settled down. “She’s called Anastazja. Her mother is Polish and her father is French and the managing director of Polanski Business Limited.”

This Anastazja woman must have been pushing Byakuya because while every woman chosen for me was born from the elite, overall, she was rather near the bottom of the barrel. There was also the fact that this Byakuya child was the youngest person competing. A female child was a year older than him and she was significantly lower down the list. I squared my shoulders.

“Kijou?” said Osamu, more curious than cautious, but still both.

“Everyone below the fifty-fourth ranking... they’re to be removed from the competition,” I announced. “I will arrange that. Don’t bother yourself with it.”

Osamu nodded, but I doubted he planned to bother himself. He was a carefree man. No, I would be in charge of authorising their removals, as per tradition.

“Is there anything else you require me for?” I asked.

“Not on the business side of things,” he replied.

“Then that is everything,” I said. “You may leave.”

I returned my focus to the stack of papers and heard Osamu’s footsteps recede. The door then shut.

Despite this Byakuya child’s early success, it is too early to determine a winner. That is why there are to be other tasks, each one whittling away more competitors until finally only one person remains. As far as I am aware, the youngest never won. It was always someone older.

Anyone could be trained to play stocks. The next tasks will leave only genuine candidates.

***

...

For this next task, I directed that the competitors should earn money using an industry that the conglomerate doesn’t already focus on. I excluded them from various enterprises such as mining, nonferrous metals, petrochemicals, aerospace and using the stock market, to give a few examples. The conglomerate comprises of many more than those, for it branches into most sectors, but I permitted competitors to involve themselves in industries the conglomerate doesn’t concentrate on.

Of course, I couldn’t allow the task to be too simple. Everyone began with the same amount of funding. I would be judging them not just on their profits, but also their business image, connections and potential... among other things. Again, those are just a handful of examples.

On this day, I was in an office in America. Everyone had been ordered not to bother me while I worked. It didn’t matter how important they deemed something to be - I would not be available for any meetings or queries.

I started before dawn the day after the last task’s deadline. The sky was a gradient between pale blue and faded orange as I booted up my computer. Sitting in a silent room, I sifted through my emails, stuffed with attachments, and spreadsheets soon dominated all my monitors.

Some names stood out to me from previous tasks. Only the ones who ranked highly, of course. Anyone who performed below my expectations were already dead to me. Ultimately, I came across a certain name. Byakuya Polanski. I rearranged the windows on my monitors so that his efforts filled every screen.

He opted for the pharmaceutical industry, which included medical devices. A quick glance informed me that Polanski Pharma Co Limited had made massive profits. Not as much as certain other competitors, but so far, enough to put him in the top ten.

Even so, I wasn’t judging them solely on their profits, though that would certainly have a significant influence on how I ranked them overall.

The logo consisted of a ten point star with ‘Polanski’ written next to it, sleek and professional. According to his head butler, who had been authorised to write up in detail about Byakuya’s venture, employees exhibited high satisfaction in all areas, which other than limiting turnover and ensuring greater work performance meant nothing to me. If a worker did excellent work and they were miserable, that wasn’t of my concern. His report incorporated graphs and questionnaire responses with contact details should I wish for them to confirm the information shown to me.

I cupped my chin as I perused. As stated in the butler’s report, Byakuya played a large role in designing and developing the technology, which included robotic limbs and implants, and he also heavily involved himself in the medicine side of things. The technological aspect was more groundbreaking, using scientific knowledge that an ordinary person could only imagine, yet this was a child on the verge of becoming a teenager.

This went beyond being a businessman. This was being an inventor. A genius. I noted that the technology wasn’t ridiculously expensive to produce, even quite cheap compared to the rest of the industry without having a detrimental effect on the quality. After I read the tests done on his products and the results of said tests, I delved into the breakdowns of his costs and found a startling beginner’s error.

He undersold his products. Other companies offering the equivalent sold them at a far greater price, and theirs were inferior to what he had available. Had he increased his prices, he would have made a far greater profit. Yes, he had many customers right now, and the female child in a photo was smiling at the camera as she showed off her new arm, but Byakuya could have easily increased the prices by a vast amount and still had customers.

Did he intend to appeal to a lower class of people, even though they had less money?

That loss of profit could have cost him the competition. I had half a mind to score him poorly so he would be eliminated, but he performed adequately regardless. I decided to rank him nineth, and by evening, he had dropped to twelfth.

By night time, I finished my initial readover, and I pressed a button.

“Luwak coffee now,” I said.

My personal assistant brought some through within the next ten minutes. She bowed then left, only speaking to address me once, and I remained deep in thought.

This will take some time.

***

...

I decided on my final rankings for the previous task. Thirty people remained in the competition at that stage, including Byakuya Polanski.

Only when a victor emerged did that person receive the coveted Togami name. The same happened to me - I had always been Kijou, but I wasn’t Kijou Togami until I proved myself in the final round. My superior genetics and elite upbringing ensured my victory. There, I showed that only I was worthy and no one who battled against me deserved to be a Togami. Not while I existed.

The next round had a much tighter budget. I relocated them all to different countries and tasked them all with creating a home business, forbidding them from partnering up with any companies already affiliated with the conglomerate and I made them use aliases.

They could only work with local businesses and six months after I set this task, I had thick folders physically in my office, one for each remaining competitor.

Halfway through my evaluations, I came across Byakuya’s folder. He started an automobile business, repairing, taking in used cars and reselling them or reusing the parts. In addition to that, he trained not just employees but customers too, as well as gave out advice.

“He’s a bright one, isn’t he?” said Osamu, slouched forward and resting an arm on a corner of my desk. Other than the occasional comment, he had mostly been quiet for once. “Did you know that he can pilot a helicopter?”

I elevated my gaze.

“You know him well, Sugawara?” I said.

Osamu tilted his head a little.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on several of your bastard children,” said Osamu, which didn’t surprise me. He smirked. “He’s the cutest of the bunch.”

A lot of my senior employees did the same. I could remember some visiting me in my teenage years and for some time after. Activity picked up as the competition drew closer. For me, the competition officially began when I was in my late twenties. Soon after I became the sole heir, I supplied sperm to private clinics as had been tradition.

Anyway, the reason these visits took place was so business associates could try to suck up to someone likely to become the future head... but the youngest never won. No teenager had ever won. The oldest competitor in this competition had been a male called Masanori, who had fared poorly in the second challenge and was struck off then. He had been in his forties during this competition, and those like him stood a better chance of winning than a child.

So I didn’t understand why Osamu acquainted himself with someone who had no hope of winning.

I didn’t like not understanding things. Osamu’s lips still curved.

“Sugawara, what made you seek him out? There were more than one hundred competitors older than him,” I told him.

“Just a hunch,” said Osamu. He shifted a bit, still with that slit of a smile on his face.

My interest extended no further. Osamu was a valuable colleague, so I didn’t wish to start unnecessary strife or bother him with more questions. That would be inconvenient for me. I continued to sift through Byakuya’s folder. His young age would have put him at a disadvantage as few people would take a twelve year old boy seriously, especially as he didn’t have his family names to fall back on, but apparently he had been accompanied by his head butler.

Clients must have assumed that the old man with him was the one they were dealing with, not the child, and I said as such. Osamu shrugged a shoulder.

“Probably. But by having a handsome young boy with him, they probably thought Pennyworth was his grandfather or something. A combination like that will appeal to many customers,” Osamu explained.

I read on, and then I quietly considered what I had read. Osamu didn’t rush me for an answer, watching the process on my face.

“Overall, he has done adequately,” I announced. “Byakuya made some interesting decisions. He offers free consultations, giving advice on reasonable prices so that customers can see if they’re being overcharged at other places. This will make customers go to him, as his prices seem cheaper and fairer, but by doing that, he is limiting his profits. Something similar happened in the previous trial. He’s offering free healthcare and childcare to the employees... an unnecessary undertaking.”

Osamu didn’t say anything. I read some more, regardless of the onset of a headache, and then glanced up. For some reason, or more likely, for no reason, Osamu was still there. In my personal space. And he had been for the past several hours, all the while contributing very little. My lips pursed.

“You don’t have to be here,” I said, restraining a sneer, and Osamu straightened up casually.

The reason I fought my annoyance down wasn’t so I didn’t offend him. I simply didn’t want to betray any emotion. If I showed a sign of weakness, then anyone could chisel away at the chink in my defences that it made.

“Until next time, my dear friend,” Osamu said, and he strode away, raising a hand briefly as he headed to the door.

But he didn’t leave when he got there. He paused, then looked at me over his shoulder.

“I heard about what happened to Masanori-kun. A plane crash... I suppose there was no getting around the pilot’s death,” he remarked in a light tone.

I didn’t reply. Osamu finally left, and I finally had some peace.

Now I could concentrate fully, and I finished going through the rest of the folders. Afterwards, I massaged my temples and heaved a sigh.

It will be a few days before I came to a final decision, I expect.

***

...

While I was seated at a desk in one of my many offices, going over my list of the fifteen competitors set to participate in the final task, I was disturbed by the sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up off my desk and checked the caller ID. Unknown. Only a few people knew my personal number, but the caller may have retrieved it by other means, such as by finding it in someone else’s phone directory or by misdialing it.

As I had important business to attend to, and because I had no desire to know who it was, I hung up. Even if it was someone I knew like my doctor, I would have declined the call. After much solitary deliberation, I had painstakingly narrowed down thirty competitors to fifteen based on their performances in previous tasks and information provided by a large number of trusted and verified sources. The reason why I had needed two weeks to go over the data again and again and so on was because one of these fifteen would take over for me once I retired. A single mistake could doom everything.

I read over the names, even though I could recite them off by heart at this point. One of them was Byakuya Polanski. If I’m honest, I didn’t expect him to win but he had done well in every task, despite his age and the mediocrity of the maternal side of his family. Though I had my doubts, if he wasn’t suited to being the new head of the conglomerate then he would lose and the individual who was the most qualified would become it. His presence wouldn’t matter.

Every challenge helped sculpt my views on each person, bit by bit, and I feel confident in every choice.

Still... I eyed Byakuya’s name.

My phone rang again.

The same number as before.

Not only that, but I had been sent text message saying, ‘I would pick up if I was you.’

I could have blocked the number, or rejected the call again. However, I was curious though mostly annoyed, so I clicked to accept the call.

“Who is this? How did you get my number?” I demanded in a professional tone, so curt and sharp.

Laughter, lazy and young, crackled disrespectfully. My face grew hot.

“As your heir apparent, I of course have your direct number,” said the person.

“What is your name?” I asked, gritting my teeth.

“Ah, I don’t have a name. I’m Nameless. See, when I was very young, a murderer came to my town and slaughtered everyone except me because he missed my hiding place, and he burnt everything to the ground. Therefore I am Nameless now.”

Any retort that I had prepared disintegrated in my mouth, and my mind didn’t prepare any others. I was silent and I could barely breathe.

The person was not put off by my silence. They carried on talking in a bright voice.

“You’re silent. You must remember. This town... was a mining town. It had access to very valuable minerals. The conglomerate wished to acquire some, but no matter how much money you offered them, they declined. The less people who knew, the better, so you hired a hitman and he killed everyone. Almost everyone. Suzuhiko... do you remember him?”

Of course. He was in the final fifteen.

“Suzuhiko did it, and you covered it up. It has been a cold case ever since. Did you know my father delivered the post and my mother would always get real mad if we trekked in mud? She would spank me when I did, and I would keep doing it just to elicit a response from her. His sister found me, and she convinced him to let me live and they adopted me. Now... what do I want? It’s simple. As I’m Nameless, I wasn’t entered in this little game, so I think it’s only fair I’m entered now.”

“You’re not a Togami.”

“But what am I if not that? I’m nobody now, because of you.”

They couldn’t see my hands tremble.

“I’ve already chosen fifteen,” I said. “It has to be fifteen competitors. That’s tradition.”

“I can be whoever you want me to be. If you won’t listen to me, I’m sure the press will. I’d like to see you quash that, Father.”

My whole body stiffened and I dragged my gaze to the list of names. All of these had very important and influential families. To take off almost any one of them would draw too much attention, raise too many questions. Most of them knew each other. Most.

Therefore, I said...

“... you are now Byakuya Polanski.”

“Awesome! Don’t worry, I bet my sister or my brother are still in the competition, so they will give me a lift. We’ll chat real soon. Bye.”

The person hung up.

I put down my phone.

I thought long and hard, for a long time.

I decided I will have to make some adjustments for the final round.

***

...

The final round didn’t go as planned, I must admit.

Suzuhiko was supposed to kill this invader. It didn’t matter, as I have since found out, that the traitor was a male child around the same age as Byakuya. If he posed a threat to the integrity of the Togami Conglomerate, he had to be eliminated even if he was a child.

For this final task, I had every remaining competitor kidnapped and taken to an island. The only people that I did not kidnap were Suzuhiko and his two siblings, and I let that be known. This created some tension and animosity, as desired.

Then they were all given a simple task. On the island, I had set up a scavenger hunt filled with challenges. A few of them referred to it as a game. Whoever completed it first would prove themselves to be the rightful heir. They were allowed to work together but only the individual who keyed in a password revealed when the tasks were all completed would become the heir, so it would be unwise to trust or depend on anyone else. It wasn’t a password that one could guess - it was a string of numbers and letters that had no connection to any of the others.

But one competitor had a secret, second objective. Suzuhiko was to murder the invader. The parasite.

Everything went as I anticipated for the first few weeks. Sometimes several of them grouped together to solve certain puzzles while others remained lone wolves. They slept little, smoked during intervals and nosed around the premises. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I expected Suzuhiko to murder the invader but I didn’t, however, expect everyone to start killing each other before Suzuhiko had the chance to complete his mission.

The invader died. Suzuhiko died. By the end, there were fourteen corpses and a body that was young and almost dead. They stabbed, bludgeoned, crushed and set each other on fire. Other than the female, there was a detective and his assistant who both appeared as the killings commenced. I arrived at the end, having seen it all play out on whatever cameras they didn’t break during the bloodshed, but I had someone explain it to me in detail over a game of chess.

We sat in my private plane, opposite each other with a chessboard resting on a table between us. By ‘we’, I mean me and Byakuya. He is tall, but he has a young face so I can see how he succeeded in disguising himself as the female assistant of a detective. His alias was Polaris Polanski. The surname was his own, while the forename was the name of a star but also based on ‘Pola’, the name of his mother’s mother. This disguise fooled everyone not colluding with him, and the long hair he had before he cut it off had helped.

Byakuya must take after his mother, because his hair is blond and his eyes are blue, unlike mine. I will meet her when we register our marriage.

After all, her son had won.

“My butler only killed one of them. Shinobu wasn’t in a state to tell me his name, but with some digging around, I found out he was her adopted brother, Kazuo,” said Byakuya. He moved his bishop to H6.

I used one of my bishops to take the bishop he relocated.

“It’s no more than a corpse now,” I stated, referring to the invader.

Byakuya examined the board with a furrowed brow, then he dragged his queen diagonally across most of it to take my bishop. His queen couldn’t be immediately displaced, and I stared at the board as I weighed my options.

Earlier, Byakuya had told me how he, his butler and the detective got here. He hired the detective, found out where one of the competitors lived and stalked them. Then, when the competitor was being kidnapped, Byakuya’s butler made a distraction nearby so Byakuya and the detective could plant a tracker discreetly onto the transporter.

We used more than one transporter for each individual and Byakuya’s group had to follow with a delay, so they missed the private plane that took the competitor to the island. They reached the island weeks after the task properly began. While this may seem late, only a couple of people knew about the location. To find out about it at all required more than a detective with a high ranking.

Not only that, but Byakuya solved the island’s puzzles within days.

And that is why I chose Byakuya to be my successor. I moved my rook forward and leaned back in my chair.

“You’re the youngest that has ever won, but don’t take it as a compliment. Just because you are a child, that doesn’t mean I will show you any leniency or kindness,” I warned him.

Byakuya moved his rook to an adjacent square, but while mine had stepped toward him, his shifted once to the side, claiming none of my pieces. He looked up, stony-faced.

“I wouldn’t want you to,” he said, and I hitched my other rook across the board.

The game continued in silence for a while. It progressed slowly but neither of us were bored or distracted. We took our time contemplating our moves and studying our opponent. When Byakuya snuck to the island, he thought to bring a change of clothes, so he no longer wore a pinafore dress but a crisp suit. As he pondered his next move, I regarded him coolly, and when his eyes met mine, though his pair differed in colour to mine, I found them not so different otherwise.

“What will happen to Shinobu?” he asked, reminding me that he was a child.

“She will be expelled like the others,” I said with my arms folded over my chest. “That one is unfit to have the Togami name.”

He didn’t answer right away. In the meantime, I moved my queen forward. Some thought absorbed him, and as his eyes drilled into space, I could tell that he was not as focused on the game of chess as he should have been.

“The others seem to be falling into unfortunate accidents,” said Byakuya, and his gaze flitted to my face. He tipped his head slightly to one side. Though his features were smooth and blank, it was not due to a lack of thought. They were deliberately so.

I didn’t correct him. For them, it was a curse. A curse that came as a result of falling from greatness to the worst possible fate - becoming part of the 99%. But for me, it was a burden, though a necessary one.

Byakuya blinked. After he did, a shadow seemed to fall over his face.

“I will have her be my secretary,” said Byakuya, and I scoffed.

“Are you soft in the head? Or worse... the heart?” I asked him, and I jerked a hand through the air. “She would steal your place in a heartbeat. You would have to sleep with your eyes open from now on if you did that.”

He didn’t falter.

“I can’t be killed,” said Byakuya simply, and he finally moved one of his pieces. “Don’t mistake it for me being emotional. I have no interest in making friends with her, or anyone. I only trust my butler, as he is employed to be trusted. I won because I am intelligent and unaffected by feelings and bonds and other nonsense. If I couldn’t survive by myself, or cracked under pressure, I wouldn’t be here.”

Byakuya sat back.

“You have not seen my full potential yet, Father,” he added. “I will show you I am worth more than a talking cow.”

That was what I told him. I told him that I had been bribed, and that was why the invader usurped Byakuya’s place.

“You are to address me as Togami-sama,” I said, and I took his silence as acknowledgement.

We continued in near silence, gradually losing more and more pieces. Soon I had a king, queen and pawn left, and he had his king, queen and three pawns left. As I waited for him to make his next move, a thought gnawed at me until I could barely tolerate it and I curled my lips.

“I’ve been wondering about something for some time,” I said, peering at him. “Tell me... I noticed that in your tasks, you undercharged your customers and had unnecessary expenses. Why?”

Byakuya nudged up his glasses.

“You mean the free healthcare? I was making a profit, and I am already very rich. I can easily afford it,” he said.

“But why?” I pressed.

“Why not? It’s barely a dent in my pocket and yet for some people, it’s life-changing. If they’re doing business with me or providing labour, then why not? I’m not a person who takes pleasure in the misfortune of others, and they can’t help it if they’re not as brilliant as I am. Besides, I don’t need the world’s wealth to know that I’m a genius and better than everyone else, Togami-sama.”

He was a strange child. While he didn’t trust others and severed all emotional ties with everyone else, he seemed to have no qualms about providing support for them... to an extent. We would have to work on that, but for now, we continued to play.

The game seemed to be approaching a stalemate.

But then,

“Checkmate,” said Byakuya, thirteen years old, and I knew that for better or for worse, he would take the conglomerate where it had never gone before.

***

“Father.”

On hearing that voice, Byakuya looks up and swivels his chair around. In the doorway of his home office stands his son, around eleven years old, with pale grey eyes and purple hair, but he has his father’s nose and his father’s frown.

“Yes?” says Byakuya.

His son, Aloysius, raises the book in his hands.

“I was wondering if there are more diary entries other than these?” he says.

Byakuya’s eyes flicker, and his lips pinch together.

“Those were the only parts I could salvage. The place was almost entirely destroyed,” says Byakuya.

He still remembers the ruins and how the pages were singed as he cradled the book in his hands. His father’s former mansion still smelled like death when he entered, and Makoto voice’s calling to him had sounded like the wind outside.

‘Shut up. I’m busy. Go bother Kirigiri for another ten minutes.’

‘Togami-kun...’

‘I said leave me alone. You’re more annoying than usual.’

‘All right, Togami-kun. We’ll be waiting for you outside. Come out when you’re ready.’

“Then can you tell me what happens next?” asks Aloysius, breaking through the walls that had started to set around Byakuya.

Memories from so many years ago partially resurface, and they run down imaginary walls like crayon melting on a radiator. The scene crumbles away as he returns to the present. Byakuya fixes his eyes on Aloysius. He’s the same age that Byakuya had been when the competition started.

Those don’t exist anymore. In fact, the conglomerate doesn’t even exist, but Byakuya has something more valuable. A family that loves him and a family he loves back, as hard as it is to voice at times.

Byakuya stands up. His chair creaks.

“Let’s go to the living room,” he says. “And get your mother... she’s in the bedroom.”

Aloysius’s face lights up and he darts out of the room. Byakuya stares out of his window at a blue sky. His parents married for formalities, but him... he married a person full of love, someone brilliant and loyal, and importantly, someone he chose for himself and who chose him, even when the Togami name didn’t mean anything to the rest of the world anymore.

He turns away and leaves the room, shutting the door behind himself.

In the living room, Aloysius tugs his mother’s arm, and as Touko sits down on the couch, looking around in confusion, Byakuya recalls his father’s last entry and decides this is definitely for the better.

[eccentriccowboy]

Assassin// pt. 1

Synopsis: ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ inspired story where y/n and her best friends Luke, Calum, Ashton, and Michael compete in a game of Assassin.

you do not need to have read TATBILB to get this, it’ll be explained. But basically assassin is like tag where you have a specific target, but someone else is also targeting you. The game occurs in all hours in all places, unless otherwise disclosed as a safe zone. If you get tagged you are eliminated while the person who tagged you takes your target, tracking and chasing each other until there is one survivor.

Pairing: Slow burn relationship between bestfriend!Luke and Y/N (seems to be my specialty huh)

Warnings: swearing probably knowing me. also i didnt proofread this

Word Count: 1.7 k

Notes: i finally had time to write today bc school was cancelled today because of a hurricane warning WOOP WOOP I MIGHT DIE BUT AT LEAST I WONT HAVE MATH HOMEWORK.

*****

Rules:

1. Every house/apartment and workspace is a safe zone for all players.

2. A player is only eliminated when both the tracker’s hands are rested somewhere on the target’s body.

3. You can only kill your target, you can make alliances with someone, but you cannot make the kill for them.

4, Alliances are per round(until you/your alliance get out one or both of your target). After that you must either go separate ways or you can negotiate another alliance.

5. Winner gets to ask whatever they want of one of the losers.

6. No hard feelings and definitely no sore losers.

*****

“I’m not leaving my house, that’s how I’ll win,” Luke decided. Before you could correct him on how awful of a plan that was, he realized his mistake. “Wait, no, shit, that wouldn’t work,” he furrowed his eyebrows, clearly conflicted on what to do. 

“Don’t even bother coming up with a plan, I’ll get you out before you come up with step one,” Michael bragged. You rolled your eyes at that one.

“You shouldn’t be talking, mister. Remember last year when you were first out?” you smugly chided.

Michael’s face fell for a moment, before deciding to tease you back.

“Hey, at least I’ve won a year,” he remarked, subtly reminding you of how through the 15 years of playing Assassin with your four childhood best friends, you’ve never won once. “Four, actually,” he smirked, before getting off your couch to head to the fridge.

“Think you’re forgetting almighty Ashton over here, mates,” Ashton said, including himself in the conversation. He stood up from his seat on the couch and raised his hands in the air, pretending like a crowd was chanting his name. “Ashton, Ashton, Ashton...” he mumbled jokingly.

You giggled at your foolish friend’s behaviour. “You won’t even know what hitcha this time. I’m telling ya this is my year,” you nodded your head, not sure if you were trying to convince him or yourself.

Luke smiled at you, always the optimist. Luke had won the least amount of games over the years, besides you. He has only ever won twice, whereas Michael has won four, Calum’s won three, and Ashton has remained reigning champ with six wins.

“Never late for a comeback, Y/N,” Luke slung his arm around you casually, rubbing your shoulder. You hoped to dear god he couldn’t hear your heartbeat quicken as you leaned in to his embrace.

You don’t honestly know when you developed feelings for Luke, you just know they weren’t good. You have been friends with him since first grade, it’s not like you can throw away such a valuable friendship for a stupid relationship that wouldn’t ever work.

Instead, you calmed down your heartbeat as best as you could and hugged Luke back, accepting the fact a relationship would never work. It was a sweet moment, though, embracing Luke no matter your relationship status

“Can’t make a comeback when you can’t even win once!” Michael yelled from the kitchen, ruining the moment. You sighed, before getting up from the couch to grab a piece of paper and a pen to write the names on.

“Where ya goin’?” Luke asked, missing your warm embrace.

“Gotta write the names down somewhere,” you replied, opening your desk drawer. 

“Thought we were gonna wait ‘til Calum gets here,” he questioned.

You shrugged. “Gonna get a head start. Also wanna rig it so I get Michael’s name first.”

*****

Once Calum had arrived, you had already prepared the pieces of paper in a large hat for you guys to pick from. 

“Ready to be beaten to ground, losers?” Michael started again.

“No time for smack talk, let’s just get this over with so I can win,” you said. You shook the hat to scramble the papers, then one at a time you each selected a paper.

You grabbed the last paper, holding it close to your chest where no one but you could see what it said.

‘Michael”.

You tried your best to keep a straight face, while analyzing your competitor’s expressions. Calum and Luke both had on poker faces, while Ashton and Michael smirked at their slip of paper.

“Well this is gonna be fun,” Ashton remarked.

*****

You wanted to wait a while to kill Michael, as you basically had all the time in the world. Hell, these games could go on forever. In 2015, the game last over three months before Calum finally got Michael out.

And the longer you wait, the other guys will start attacking each other and dwindle themselves down, leaving less work for you to do. You just had to stay careful and not get caught by your attacker.

You devised a plan: you would only cook at home or order in for the duration of the game, you’ll switch up the route you drive to work every weekday. Say goodbye to a social life for a while because you aren’t going out anytime soon. But you will keep your eyes open if an opportunity arrises to strike Michael.

It continued like this for a week, and nobody made any moves. Everyone seemed to be keeping to themselves, hiding themselves from the rest. As far as you know, no alliances had been made, either.

As the days passed by and the game remained static, you began to become antsy. You wanted to make a splash, a big move that will shock the other players. It was time to get creative.

By the end of the day, you had a devious plan. The plan took time, persuasion, and dedication, but oh boy would it be worth it when you got Michael out.

*****

You had snuck out of your apartment complex at 3 am last night in hopes your attacker wasn’t watching you. You then got into your car and drove in the dead of night to Michael’s apartment building. 

Now here’s the part of the plan that would take great dedication. You parked your car outside of the apartment complex, far enough away where Michael could not see the car if he looked out one of his windows. You wandered to the back alley behind the building, pepper spray in hand in case the worst was to occur.

With no one around, you grabbed your phone out of your purse and turned the flashlight on, shining it on the floor until you found what you were looking for: the garbage cans. 

You weren’t going to rummage through stranger’s trash, you weren’t insane. But you did merely open the lid and peer into the cans to see what food you might find. And there, laying at the top of the fourth garbage can you checked, were empty cardboard pizza boxes.

Dominoes. Michael’s favourite pizza place.

And there were 5 of them. Enough to last a grown man about a week and a half. Almost as if this mysterious man was living off of delivery pizza instead of going out.

This couldn’t be a coincidence. You knew Michael would be too lazy to cook his own food. Now you just needed to use this information to your advantage.

*****

“Psst!” you whisper shouted to the delivery man standing at the entrance to Michael’s apartment complex, waiting for access.

“Psst!” you whisper shouted a bit louder, finally gaining the man’s attention.

He looked at you, bewildered, his eyes shifting from you to the locked gate then back to you. Finally, he took a few timid steps in your direction, where you were hiding in a bush. 

“Um, yeah?” the man asked, clearly still uncertain about the potentially insane women hiding in a fucking bush.

“I need to ask you a favor,” you put your hands out in front of your body in attempt to show him you were harmless. “Hear me out, okay? I’m playing this game with my friends, it’s called assassin. It’s basically just a harmless game of tag. Your delivering this pizza to 22B, yea?”

The man looked at you skeptically, before murmuring out a yes.

“Okay, well you see, the guy who ordered the pizza, his name is Michael, I’ve got to tag him out. Will you help me out?” you continued before he could say no. “Your part is super simple. All you have to do is tell Michael the gate won’t let you in and see if he will step out to come get it. I can’t get him while he is in his home.”

The man continued to stare at you. “What’s in it for me?”

You shrugged, “Name your price.”

“100 bucks,” he shrugged back.

“50,” 

“60,”

“Fine,” you rolled your eyes. “Just make sure he doesn’t see me, and if I don’t get him out, you don’t get paid.”

The man agreed to your terms, then called Michael back. “Hey, man, the electric gate’s giving me a bit of trouble. Do you mind coming downstairs to grab the pizza?” The man listened to Michael’s response, then looked at you and gave you a thumbs up.

“He’s coming down,” he said. You nodded, your heartbeat suddenly picking up. Oh god, what if you mess it up? 

You went back to your position in the bush, close enough to the gate entrance that you could jump out and place both of your hands on Michael easily.

As you waited for your unsuspecting friend to come downstairs, you reflected on the craziness you endured to get here. You stayed up until 3 am just to rifle through stranger’s garbage, for Pete’s sake! You deserved this win already.

Finally, you saw a tall man start walking to open up the gate. “Sorry, man, this happens all the time. I’m surprised it’s taken you this many deliveries this past week for it to finally happen to you,” Michael called out.

“No problem man, less work for me,” the worker chuckled. Michael opened the gate, suddenly distracted with trying to find the proper bills in his wallet. This was your chance. 

You lunged out of the bushes, your hands stretched in front of you. In the corner of Michael’s eye he saw a body of sudden movement, his head turning, but it was too late. Both of your palms landed on his left arm.

“AHA, take that!” You raised your hands in the air in victory. Michael clutched his head in his hands, in disbelief his game was over so soon.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me, SHIT!” He uttered.

“What? Got no creative one-liners for this, huh?” You smirked.

“Yea, yea, just have fun with who you’ve gotta get next.”

Your ears perked at that. There’s still four other players blocking your way to victory.

“Who is it?” It was Michael’s turn to smirk now.

“Ashton.”

Well shit.

[danielxrk]

          ✞ TEAM JINIELJI * LOVE SHOT  { performance details }

( * mentioned, some very briefly: @rkkhg @hyojinrk @rkxsungwoon @rksihyeon @rkmason @rkminhyun @jacksxnrk @rkpjy @rkkenta @rkpwj @hakyeonrk )

[ event mods this isn’t relevant ]

there’s only one set of interviews to sit through before results-- only a few moments more of this excruciating, agonizing wait. now, he tries to pass it with idle conversation with hyojin and hyunggu, though it’s all surface level, and he can’t focus on any of it. the results come soon enough, and daniel feels nauseated. he doesn’t want to send hyojin home, but if sungwoon gets eliminated, he wants to go down with him, just like last year. it’s only right. this is the only way it makes sense.

the winners come first, and daniel was so preoccupied with fretting that he didn’t even let himself get his hopes up. maybe he forgot this was even a part of the competition with his eagerness for today to be over, so needless to say, when his and hyojin’s names come up in the top three, he’s shocked. he looks over at hyojin mouth agape, but even in his downtrodden state, he can’t help but smile at him. as they make their way up the stage, both with their first appearances in the top three, more than being proud of their performance, he's proud that they made it there together, newbies, undeniably there due to their performance together and not due to a pairing with a front-runner.

his nerves set in back when he's on stage, not because he's afraid for these results, but for the ones that come after, that tension in his shoulders that he tries not to let show on his face, but there is still an inkling of wanting to win. next to these competitors, he doesn't think he has what it takes to best him, but he wants to. he wants to be good enough for that. sia's duo is the one to win, and it's not that he's surprised about that, moreso he's surprised it isn't minho. he looks at him with that surprise written on his face, then bows, and really, top three is more than he could've ever asked for.

that acknowledgement does not stay with him, and does not resurface until far, far later.

next comes the moment he's been waiting for, or dreading, depending on perspective, and-- actually, it doesn't come. what comes are different results he entirely forgot about, and he gets his hopes up that he'll see minhyun, and yet part of him wishes, if sungwoon gets eliminated tonight, that they all do-- that they can go back to the band, and the reason why they're all here. in come jackson and jinyoung, and truthfully, expected, but disappointing-- not that he's disappointed it's them coming back, but minhyun, officially eliminated. their unrealistic hopes of getting signed to the same company and continuing on as a unit, even if not empty enigma in name, gone.

sungwoon's elimination is also expected, but disappointing-- no, devastating. daniel knew. daniel knew in his heart that this was the inevitable result; it's why he reacted so intensely, and yet there was some part of them that hoped the judges would overlook their mistake in favor of what daniel sees in them. saw in them. no, still sees in them, even eunji, with all of their complicated history.

he sits stiff, silently inconsolable, deaf to any words around him through the announcement of the next challenge-- vaguely hears trios and who he's grouped with and nova but doesn't even have the heart appreciate the irony or fate of it all. all he hears is i want to go home, i want to go home, i want to go home, reverberating in every corner of his very existence, and the dreadful sinking feeling that he can't. he can't even leave because it would inconvenience jinyoung and yeji. regardless, when they're done speaking, he practically launches himself out of his chair and rushes over to sungwoon, lacking words, lacking anything but the clear and heavy concern in his eyes. he hugs him, because he hasn't in too long, and he doesn't have the words to explain how he feels, let alone here.

sungwoon pulls away from the hug too soon-- mumbles an apology, and it leaves daniel cold, such an unfamiliar feeling when it comes to sungwoon. "don't be sorry," he says, delayed, likely too late, and he doesn't even know if he means it. he wishes it was different, so he wouldn't be eliminated here, like this, so maybe sungwoon should be sorry, because it could've been prevented. sungwoon could've caught it. maybe he should be sorry, for leaving daniel alone in this without him after everything. he never even considered a reality where he would outlive sungwoon on this show, like it goes against the very laws of the universe.

the exchange of contact information with jinyoung is awkward and reeking of exhaustion from the day's results for both of them, but it's quick, and he already has yeji's, so that makes it all the easier to do what he really wants to do: just leave.

friday, he considers not even showing up-- going to work over going to practice, which is evidence enough of how little he still wants to be in this competition. there is some small, rational albeit often drowned out voice in his head that says you can't leave kenta and woojin alone in this after you dragged them into it, and maybe that's what compels him to go. no-- it's the fact that his boss calls him and tells him he doesn't have to come in, and to just focus on the competition that doesn't give him an excuse anymore. it's like he knew. somehow he just knew daniel so desperately wanted an out and refused to give it to him. daniel on the other hand, knows he'll have to use all of his vacation time for every other day he needs off for this competition, which only makes him want to get eliminated even more.

[ relevancy starts here ]

still, he shows, and unsurprisingly, jinyoung and yeji are already there. he greets them with the ghost of a smile that he doesn't mean, then takes to the practice room floor with them to sort through potential song choices, except...it's mostly jinyoung and yeji deciding. neither daniel's head nor heart are in the right place to contribute, even if he wants to, distant and spacey and empty of his usual inspiration-- emotionally exhausted. 

upon his own arrival in their shared practice room, kenta plows into daniel with a hug, and daniel barely has time to consider the consequences of this action before he casts them aside in favor of clinging to his friend, and this pillar of much needed, albeit distant, support here. “do your best,” he encourages him in a whisper, unable to wish bad upon kenta even if he wants nothing more than for them all to go home to empty enigma. when kenta pulls away, retreating to his side of the practice room, daniel feels better and more desperate to keep them all together simultaneously. he just doesn’t know how to achieve that anymore.

his teammates still call him on his distance, naturally, though daniel is too surprised by it. he jumps, and tries to cover his tracks. i just don't have any ideas yet, he claims, and it's not a lie, even though there's much, much more. they press him more for ideas, and he truly doesn't have any, so he shakes his head, he apologizes, and feels more out of his depth than he has during any other point in the competition. he feels backed into a corner, and he feels terrified, as averse to confrontation as always.

he can't say he just wants to go home. he can't say he doesn't want to be in this competition anymore-- that a large reason he just doesn't have anything to add is because he doesn't want to try, he just wants to be eliminated. the mgas sufficiently sucked the life and soul out of him in a two day period, and he doesn't think he has anything left to give. "i'm not at my best right now," he admits instead. "my friends--" and he sucks in a big breath of air, puffs out his cheeks, and exhales, because he doesn't want to say it. not here, not on camera, not when he's still supposed to want this. "whatever you guys want to do is fine, really."

they still don't take that answer. they can tell he wants to give up, and yeji tries to motivate him gently at first. daniel still can't find it in him to listen to her, so it's jinyoung that takes the direct approach, grabs him by the shoulders and says "if you give up now you realize you're proving everyone right? that you were here just for your band and that without them you can't cope?"

"he's right, oppa. you can't go out without knowing you did your best." it leaves daniel stunned, but he knows they're right. yet in the face of his overwhelming emotions and the talent of his teammates, he doesn't even think he has a right to contribute, even with a growing desire to-- not to avoid his own elimination, but to give them a performance they can be proud of. they go through some more song options, this time, daniel more actively engaged.

they settle on exo as an artist, or at least jinyoung and yeji do, while daniel agrees because at least he actually knows them, after hyojin taught him about so many kpop artists last week. they go through a few of their songs, daniel still listening close to silently, unmoved by most options. "i think any of them would be fine," daniel answers when prompted, and yeji scowls at him. "at least tell us which ones you like better than the others," so daniel does. he points out call me baby when they play it, and love shot especially gives him pause. "i think love shot sounds cool," and the others like it too, so at least it's a song they're all willing to do, though they have no further direction.

"i'm not good at dancing," he supplies, his first meaningful assistance to the team, and they nod, and-- yeah, they probably already knew that. yeji, at least, already knew that. "i wouldn't mind just singing and rapping, but that would disadvantage yeji," jinyoung adds, and daniel nods, albeit hesitantly, knowing he's right once again. still, isn't there a way for them to all do their strengths without forcing themselves into areas they're weak in? then again...does he really care? if he wants to go home, he can dance. that would certainly get him his ticket very quickly, and yet...

yeji takes the opportunity, now that they've decided on a song, to go get herself some water. "you're still quiet," jinyoung notes, and daniel blinks, wide-eyed, not conscious of his time zoned out. "i was thinking about the performance. promise," he assures him, but jinyoung still looks skeptical.

"so, what were you thinking?" jinyoung asks him, and daniel hesitates once again.

"i was thinking...do we all need to do each other's strengths, or...?" he doesn't know whether he should share more of those thoughts, and yet, "i was thinking me dancing would be a surefire way for me to go home." he doesn't need to tell him how much he wants to go home.

"then what would you rather show?" it’s not...exactly accusatory, but daniel worries it’s accusatory.

"i don't...think i have very much to show, especially not anything i didn't already. it'll be just like eric said,"  a repeat.

"and you think the little kid has something better to show? take what he said and use it. fight, don't just stand there and let him and all the others decide who you are.  because i'm honestly starting to believe them," and the classic evidence of their birthplace, busan, makes an appearance: satoori.

daniel gawks, and feels his heart somewhere in his stomach, freezes up in the face of such unavoidable, explosive confrontation, and it's his nature to want to diffuse it by any means possible-- to concede and cower and back down, and yet he has more confidence than he did before-- than he did last year. now, there is a fire, however small, and it all converges in a "you don't know who i am," albeit muted, an emergence of his own satoori, and he means it in more ways than one.

jinyoung. daniel and jinyoung knew each other a long time ago, back in that shared birthplace, when they were young, and before daniel's family whisked themselves away to vancouver following a job opportunity for his father. they did so quietly, and daniel, at least, told no one, young and unsure entirely what moving would entail-- only sure that he certainly didn't want to stumble through any goodbyes, conflict-averse even then. so he just didn't say any, including to jinyoung, and he never saw him again until on this show. daniel is certain this fact is a motivator behind many of jinyoung's harsh words toward him; he must resent him for leaving busan without saying goodbye, as so many have. it's understandable. it must be personal.

jinyoung is clearly tired of daniel's self-deprecation, on top of his lack of input and lack of spirit. "if you want to show you’re your own person, it's time to prove it. you're creative and good-looking; put these assets to work. show us who you are."

yeji, apparently returned from her water break without daniel's knowledge chimes in with a, "show us who you are," the same time as jinyoung's.

"i'm sorry," he says, and he once again knows they're right. he wants to prove it. if he's going to go down (and he's sure he's going to go down) then he wants to do it fighting, especially since yeji and jinyoung won't accept anything less, rightfully so. "i just don't know what to do," a response out of instinct, more desperation in his voice.

"did you improve since last year at all?" jinyoung asks regardless, busan dialect still strong, and daniel's resolve strengthens too-- his near non-existent temper flares, because this is an answer he knows. this-- all promotion of empty enigma aside-- is why he's here for a second year in a row.

"are you here to diss each other or practice?” yeji asks them, clearly unamused herself, but that doesn't stop daniel from responding.

"yes!" he argues back, with feeling, even if he deflates a little, immediately guilty of anything resembling an outburst, but his renewed strength still remains. "i used to be bad at everything, but now i'm decent at two things. plus, i can play multiple instruments, i can arrange music and write songs, and--"

yeji looks right at him. "did you already perfect the entire dance choreo oppa? is that why you are acting like this? AT LEAST SPEAK KOREAN IF YOU ARE GONNA FIGHT."

"we are speaking korean!" jinyoung and daniel fire back in unison.

"look at you, you're synchronized already."

yeji's dragging them out of their argument is successful, like a bucket of much needed cold water poured on daniel to calm him down, and he actually manages a little laugh. he looks over at jinyoung, and he doesn't look as upset as he should be, all things considered.

"you can do this, and prove everyone wrong, but to be able to, you need to believe in yourself, and you need to participate," jinyoung says, more calmly now, and daniel wonders if jinyoung wanted to make him snap, just so he'd finally take a stand for something.

"okay," daniel agrees, because jinyoung has been right all along, and he knows it. daniel has received enough criticism to last him a whole year from the netizens online, and from people in their interviews, and even someone as passive as he is wants to make them take it back. he wants to invalidate them, and each week he survives is more and more proof that they were wrong. even if he still doesn't want to survive this week, he does want to put together a performance that will make them eat their words. "i'll do my best, but let's try to dance as little as possible so we do well?"

"so, are we going to hug, or are we going to argue in satoori again?" jinyoung asks, and daniel laughs, and reaches toward him for a hug, however awkward.

yeji coos at them in the background, and subsequently gets pulled into a hug along with them, and maybe this conflict, at the very least, wasn't as bad as daniel thought.

when they pull away, daniel is finally ready to get down to business, and the fog in his mind clears just enough for him to finally have an idea.

"jinyoung can sing, yeji can dance, and i can rap." he can't rap that well, but he can-- better than anyone else on this team, and it may be an asset here. "can we do something with that? each of us putting our respective skills on display? i'd like to do a different arrangement too, if we could," because if they want him to show who he is, that's an important part.

they agree to that, and daniel goes further with the idea, goaded on by their approval. "we can give jinyoung the first singing part, and give me the first rapping part, and give yeji a dance solo afterwards to really highlight it. then we can all sing and rap together, combining those two skills, and then..." god, he doesn't want to say it. he doesn't want to do it.

"dance?" yeji asks, and daniel nods, very hesitantly. "i think it would make the most sense...for all three skills to come together at the end. just-- not too much!! okay?" and yeji agrees to that too. "we could start out all sitting down, and you can play your guitar, oppa, and then dance after that?" yeji offers, and daniel nods. the guitar is an important part of his identity too, after all. they listen to the original love shot over and over, deciding which parts they want to include, and what they want to cut to keep within their three minute timeframe. daniel is very careful; he learned the dangers of not checking times the hard way last week, and yet-- he wonders if it would be so bad for them to mess this up, knowing he's the weakest performer of the three, and that he would likely take the fall for it. no, they'll catch that mistake, even if daniel wanted to put them through that embarrassment (he doesn't.)

after that, they separate, yeji to figure out what parts of the dance they should do, and how much, and jinyoung and daniel to do the line distribution. "i was thinking it would be cool if we open with your singing, so it focuses on that individual skill, then i rap, so it focuses on that one, and then yeji has her dance solo for the chorus to focus on that skill, them separated like that, and maybe a spotlight on each of us as we do each part, so we aren't just standing there," he laughs, and jinyoung gives his approval, and daniel smiles, pleased his ideas are being received so well after the trouble he gave them earlier. they listen to the original love shot over and over, and daniel shares his thoughts on how he'll change the arrangement so jinyoung will know how to best match the lyrics to it and assign them.

they gather together once again once the line distribution is done, however, and yeji isn't pleased. she sends daniel a glare, and he's taken aback. “are you underestimating me?” what is it, not enough lines? he looks down at the sheet, and he supposes his and jinyoung's lines usurp her own, but he thought such a long dance solo during the first chorus would put her on their level; he wanted to highlight them all. but no, she wants to sing before her dance solo, and daniel doesn't say that kind of ruins the entire concept, even if he wants to. instead, his fear of conflict wins out, and he insists, "no!!" and if she wants more lines...he looks to jinyoung, since it's his she'll be taking. "it's up to jinyoung hyung!" and he grins. understandably, jinyoung has her sing the lines she looks to take, and when she passes his test, they edit the line distribution accordingly.

he tries not to let his disappointment show. with this change, they still find a way to highlight their skills: a spotlighted bridge for jinyoung, and yeji's dance solo stays, as does her own spotlight. all that's left is daniel, and his...spotlighted rap? "rapping isn't my best skill," he admits, and he realizes how it sounds-- "not that i'm bad at it!" he might be. "i'm just better with instruments, so maybe my highlighted point should be with my guitar." they talk over a potential guitar solo for daniel, and where to place it; yeji suggests they use it as they instrumental of the first half of the first chorus, preceding yeji's dance solo, but daniel shakes his head, because he wants her to have that all to herself.

"maybe an intro?" he offers, and they're all in agreement. he'll play the familiar love shot chorus from the very start, so everyone knows exactly what they're in for-- well, hopefully not exactly. daniel still aims to take the audience by surprise, as he always does, as predictable as they claim he is. this entire competition, he's proceeded with a determination to present different performances, all connected by the thread of who he really is, and this time, he intends to do the same.

there's just the very unfortunate fact that he didn't bring his guitar with him today.

so saturday he comes into practice with it strapped to his back, thoughts and heart more in order to do his best even if he still wishes he was already eliminated. he wasn't, so, he'll...well, he still doesn't really know what he'll do. his best? he doesn't know what his best is right now, either. maybe his best right now is worse than it's ever been, but he tries not to let himself sink too far into that mindset, lest he incur jinyoung's wrath again.

this time, he actually arrives before his teammates, and he sits with his guitar, expanding on the bare bones of the arrangement he started putting together when he got home last night (though he was mostly just too tired to get through much.)

yeji arrives first, and when she does, she wastes little time-- says “i have fixed the choreo, so that you should be able to dance it,” and nods, and he can see her determination. "great," he replies, dripping in far too much sarcasm, so he repeats it, brightly this time, and with a smile: "great!"

the day is spent starting on the choreography, since they all know that's what daniel will need the most work in, and him sufficiently getting his ass kicked, both by the very act of dancing, and his teammates as well. when he needs a break, he can return to the ever-present comfort of his guitar, grateful for the fact that this is still useful to their performance too, not just an excuse to avoid dancing or to take his mind off of the trials of the past few days and the inevitable ones to come. he listens to the original love shot, translates them to different sounds, all instruments he can manage in his head, and the others run their lines, and yeji chips away at her dance solo. thankfully, they leave him to this until yeji decides he's remained idle for too long and forces him into more dance practice.

all is well until the staff informs them that their plans for spotlights aren't allowed, all lighting to remain the same throughout all performances, and daniel becomes dejected. not only was his original plan for layering skills one on top of the other thrown out eventually, but their one to literally spotlight each of their strengths is foiled now, too. they discuss how to change this-- how to make their highlighted moments less awkward for the others, and with that settled, it's back to the dancing.

he hasn't danced in so long-- at least not properly. the last time was when joohyun tried to help him with this fruitless pursuit before trc's triple threat challenge, but he quickly opted out of that in favor of only singing and rapping, thus throwing the competition altogether in favor of enjoying the stage itself. huh. maybe this is a common thread. since then, the last time he danced was on the last season of the mgas, unlike his band-mates, who all surpassed him in dancing by a long shot within the past year.

it's so utterly clear how out of his element he is, and even more, how little he wants to be in this element. he stumbles and he forgets moves, head still foggy and not entirely present despite a renewed will to do his best since yesterday, and he apologizes. he apologizes and apologizes again and again, mistake after mistake. “don’t apologize for making mistakes, just practice so you don’t make them when we are performing– this is where you can make mistakes,” yeji says, and it's equal parts kind and stern; daniel can appreciate her approach, and he nods.

however, jinyoung chimes in with a, "if you get a move wrong during the actual performance will you start saying sorry? because that won't do," which daniel appreciates a great deal less, regardless of the statement's validity. he doesn't want to argue again-- knows they don't have time for arguing again, and wouldn't know what to say if he wanted to, so he just replies with a resigned "no," and gets back to practice.

his guilt with every mistake doesn't quite lesson, nor does his compulsive need to apologize every time he doesn't reach a certain standard of perfection (thanks, mom) so an apology slips past his lips again on instinct, and this time, it's not one of his teammates that scolds him. instead, it's jungeun from the other team.

"i know we're on different teams but if you don't get your shit together then you might as well tune your bass again instead of being here," she says, and daniel, once again, is taken back by her sheer audacity, and he stares for several moments, fighting back his clenching jaw and fists for the sake of the cameras, choosing his words very carefully, because he will be the one to make her look bad here if he can help it. his gaze is still harder than usual, even if he keeps his expression level, masked by something pleasant. "i'm going to get better just so i can beat you jungeun-ssi," he says, and he bows to her slowly, making the under-handedness of it more apparent, even if it could be mistaken as something respectful and bright.

he returns to practice with a renewed determination after that, and less apologies, accompanied by yeji into the night. jungeun's words twist in his head long enough that they weigh heavily on him before long, another reminder that if he can't do better, he doesn't deserve to be here. if he doesn't want to be here, that should be just fine, right? it's not like he disagrees with her, but someone else saying it...if sungwoon was still here, it would be easier to endure-- easier to believe he deserves to be anywhere sungwoon still is, too. but sungwoon isn't here. here, it's just daniel, jinyoung and yeji, and kenta, farther out of reach than daniel wants him to be, jungeun and hansol by his side, like they're all suspended in their own corner of the universe while gravity still pulls daniel somewhere else.

[ no reading necessary unless you want to read some emo gay shit ]

he follows that pull to the familiar door of the sharehouse the other empty enigma members occupy, and lets himself in with the key he's kept ever since he lived on their couch while searching for his own place. he doesn't know who he expects find there, if anyone- all of them out practicing or asleep, but his feet still carry him to that sofa anyway and he lays there, face down, entirely exhausted. he feels better already; he misses them, and just being here eases that feeling.

"quit being a baby," and it's sungwoon's voice. daniel doesn't reply-- just stays there, and he feels movement, the couch dips by his head, sungwoon squeezing in to sit. daniel is too drained to even lift his head, and sungwoon runs his fingers through daniel's hair, and they just stay like that, silent. sungwoon, always reliable, quiet companionship even after his own elimination, and daniel missed him.

when he finally speaks, it's "sungwoon, i love you and i don't want to do this without you," and it's without even a thought-- not a single worry, so simple to say, like it's the easiest thing in the world. daniel doesn't even think of the potential impact of those words, spoken so casually-- words daniel sees as just a quiet, indisputable fact, and a fact he's known for what seems like so long. thoughts stripped away by exhaustion, new troubles on his shoulders temporarily on hold, and for once, this is not one of them. it's easy. (one day, he'll tell sungwoon he's been in love with him since last of the real ones, and that what started as a feeling he tried to stifle and choke back then grew into a truth he just knows now. he doesn't think to do that either, relaxed into this rare slice of reality where he doesn't need to think at all.)

“you have to do it," sungwoon tells him, and where daniel would usually protest anywhere else, for sungwoon, he listens, and turns so he can look up at him. "for me, and for minhyun, and for kenta and woojin.” sungwoon really wants him to keep going forward. there's a part of him that wishes he would've just said you can come home anytime. he craves validation for his feelings, but it only becomes clearer and clearer that they just aren't. "i love you. i believe in you," sungwoon adds, and daniel feels his vision blur, and tells himself it's because of exhaustion and not tears-- not because sungwoon's love remains overwhelming and undeserved, or because it always comes when he needs it most.

he covers his face with his hands, and lets out a long groan to hide the depth of his emotions, before he answers with a begrudging, "fine," but he's only kidding. how can he not do it for sungwoon and the others? if he was willing to go home for them, how can he not fight for them too, if they want him to? he doesn't want to leave kenta and woojin alone in a competition he dragged them into, either.

he inches forward until his head is in sungwoon's lap, and he stares off toward the turned off tv in front of him, and what he says is soft: "i just want all of us to be able to stay together." i want to be able to stay with you.

"we're not going anywhere," sungwoon responds, and it's without much air. daniel doesn't think he can say it and mean it, even less that he can be certain of it, but daniel wants to believe. he wants to believe he didn't drive empty enigma to its death in a venture intended only to benefit it, even though with each passing day in the competition, it becomes clearer and clearer that they aren't emerging unscathed. if he, kenta and woojin survive until the end, and obtain one of those contracts none of them expected or wanted, even then, they will only be at half strength. even less is the likelihood that the same company will want any of them, or their past history as a metal band. daniel wants to believe it's all or nothing-- that they all would succeed together, and now the only option is for them to go down together.

"i don't wanna be a dumb trainee, i wanna be in my dumb band," daniel whines, and he almost kicks his feet to punctuate the tantrum, but that would require more movement than his already sore limbs are capable of. he continues to complain, and to whine, but only because he's already made up his mind to do his best from now on, because they want him to succeed, and he doesn't want to make them sit through him moping on television any more than he already has. sungwoon endures him, and when daniel has run out of worries to spout, quelled in the security of his presence, he lets himself fully sink into sungwoon's support.

he doesn't realize he fell asleep until he wakes up, suddenly confused about where he is and what he's doing and what year it is. "what the fuck..." he mumbles, and he turns and looks up, and there sungwoon still is, and previously conscious daniel's thoughts and recollection finally bleed into presently conscious daniel's for everything to make sense.

"it’s 2022. the world has ended. the only people left alive are you and me. there are zombies outside of this apartment," sungwoon says.

"oh, okay," daniel plays along like that makes sense, and he still just looks up at him. "not a bad way to go," too sincere, eyes drowsy but unmistakably fond.

sungwoon looks kind of frozen, and the weight and meaning of what he just said settles in, so daniel backpedals-- hint of a smile disappears, replaced by a growing blush. "well, i guess the zombie part would kind of suck, but--" not you. not being with you.

"nevermind," he chuckles, nervous. "i guess i should leave at some point, huh?"

"you can stay over if you want. on account of the zombies. you know."

"well, i guess it would be pretty dangerous to go outside," daniel jokes, like he's considering this offer for these reasons alone, and really, he is, but he rubs his eyes. "no, i want to, but i really should go. i have church tomorrow morning and i don't think i could get away with wearing clothes i practiced in the day before."

he lingers for a little longer, trying to sear this into his memory for the days, maybe weeks, he'll have to go forward without him, and then he finally sits up. when he stands, it's with an over-exaggerated groan on behalf of everything in his body that aches.

"be safe," sungwoon tells him.

"yeah! i will," daniel replies easily. "see you soon, sungwoon hyung," and it's a promise.

when he gets home, after he falls into bed:

✉ ⊰ sungwoon hyung ⊱  ✉ wait, you think the world is ending in three years?

[ the gay emo shit is over but this still isn't relevant ]

sunday morning comes, and daniel, used to lack of sleep as he is, still gets out of bed, gets ready, and goes. it all comes as some kind of relief-- usual routine to remind him that some of life is still the same, even in the earthquake of his own. he picks his grandmother up, and she congratulates him on making it to the top three, and he smiles, and apologizes to her in advance for the upcoming performance. apologizing for how bad his dancing will be, or for the nature of said dancing? a mystery.

[ warning: homophobia ]

she tells him about her week as he drives, and he listens, and finds solace in this, too-- familiar noise to root himself in, unshakable love found everywhere even in trying times. when they arrive at church, she pulls him into a warm hug, and she is clearly the more powerful one despite how he towers over her in height. he hugs her back, and shuts his eyes, and it's like she just knows, without him ever telling her the details of his band, or about sungwoon, or minhyun. she just knows, and he tries not to dwell on what she might think if he told her everything about sungwoon he has to say.

service comes as a comfort too, and it puts his head back on straight. ultimately, none of this is for him to decide. it's not just a matter of him not being able to control the judges, or whatever plan they have for him and the empty enigma members, but it's about all of this being...bigger than him. it's about empty enigma being a blessing granted to him that he was never guaranteed he would get to keep-- one he never expressed enough gratitude for, and it's about whatever it is god is writing out for him, and about trust. it's a reminder that despite this overwhelming feeling of life spinning entirely out of control, if what he claims to believe is true, that still operates within god's perfect sphere of control.

so this is all a part of god's perfect plan. he tries to accept it at face value, and not dig too deep into it-- not to wonder if this is the shoe finally dropping on him and sungwoon, evidence that god wants to tear them apart, and that daniel has overstepped boundaries, or at the very least, pushed them too far.

[ homophobia end ]

when the service ends, he stays behind, sending his grandmother ahead of him, sitting as the place clears out, because there's much to pray about, so he does.

he prays for guidance, and the right attitude going into the rest of the week, and that god would keep empty enigma together, or help him accept it if that's not his will. he prays for the others in the competition: strength for woojin and kenta, and that their time practicing is successful and isn't too trying, and that regardless of what happens, they'd give performances they're proud of. he prays for sungwoon and minhyun-- for comfort for them, and peace, and happiness going into the future. (he prays that he can meet them there.)

he thanks god for his teammates, and how willing they are to help him, as much as he's tried their patience, and he prays for energy for them and for their success, and that he would only help them going forward, and not burden them too much. he prays that he would learn, and that he would improve, and that by thursday, he'll be a source of pride for them and not embarrassment.

the response he gets is i know what's best. trust. do your best with what i've given you, so he does. he will leave his fate in god's hands, where it belongs, and accept whatever result he receives going forward, without trying to manipulate it himself.

[ relevancy: begin ! ]

he goes into practice afterwards like a whole new man, ready to work and make up for time he lost to his grief and uncertainty the days prior. he runs his lines with the others, plays through the entire guitar part of the arrangement he's settled while they do, sings the other instrumental parts he's thinking for jinyoung and yeji, and notes them down in his notebook for his own reference later. he throws himself into dance practice with renewed vigor too, and only requests a break when he sees that the team they share a practice room with taking one too.

when they do, he returns to his guitar, and calls kenta over, meeting somewhere against a wall where their practice spaces converge. "does this sound cool?" he asks, eager for approval from empty enigma's lead guitarist and the very man that taught him guitar in the first place, and he plays his intended guitar intro for him, a little apprehensive. as he should've expected, kenta meets him with much warmth and excitement. "that sounds really cool!" he assures him, and daniel grins. "really? okay! thank you! that's all i needed you for," and the smile doesn't leave his face, especially not with this teasing. when kenta makes a great show of pretending to be wounded, daniel lightly punches him in the arm. "get back to work! you're being a distraction!"

they find their way back to practice with their teams, who may not be very happy about them fraternizing with the enemy, but it was for a good cause. "i think i have the whole arrangement down. i just need to record the instrumental tonight."

and still, they practice without it, daniel's guitar intro, jinyoung's singing, daniel's rapping, yeji's voice joining them, and for the part of yeji's dance break, daniel sings the soft "nananananana"s and starts doing the cupid shuffle in place of the choreography yeji hasn't quite settled on yet. he grins at his teammates, and sure, he's goofing off, but at least he's practicing his dancing, right?

he practices the relevant dancing after, yeji always the persistent teacher, correcting his mistakes. 

( “i can’t spread my legs like that!” daniel insists, despite already resolving himself to do so by any means necessary.

"you did it last year, didn't you?" jinyoung chimes in.

"not this," daniel argues.

"oppa! they're basically squats. it's not hard! quit whining. you can do it." )

he takes his leave early enough to run to the studio before it closes, bringing all of the necessary instruments with him. he tirelessly records the instrumental for their mellow, yet still sultry remix, true to the original even with its differences. as always, he records a backtrack with all instruments, and then one without the live instruments-- this time, his guitar, just in case. when he listens to the finished product, he's satisfied, and maybe even proud-- and it's also very late, so he heads home, and manages to get a little more sleep than he did the rest of the week.

he comes in monday with both his guitar and a recorded instrumental, and thankfully, jinyoung and yeji like the finished product too. he grins, pleased after they give him their approval, and then it's time to practice for real, backtrack and all, and their performance grows closer and closer to entirely complete. they pretend to hold microphones for the parts where they'll have them, figure out where to put them when they won't, practice with daniel's guitar and without, and practice where to stand when each of them get their (metaphorical) spotlight, all of it choreographed to give them direction in case they freeze come performance day, but daniel knows they won't. sometimes daniel forgets, but he actually has more stage experience than most, and he trusts it to carry him through.

during a break, daniel checks his phone for any urgent messages (or any encouraging them too, always looking forward to one from haknyeon, but never disappointed when it doesn't come, completely understanding of the strain he must be under while preparing to debut.) for better or worse, he opens up naver, looking at comments on the most recent article about mgas. one stands out to him: praise for he and hyojin's performance, which he appreciates, yet...another comment on how often he's played guitar. it troubles him. truly, daniel worried about this already-- always concerned with becoming too repetitive, and what truly qualifies as a new side of himself, and whether he should push the boundaries of what that means. he wants to remain true to himself, but he's tired of it.

jinyoung fusses at him for being on his phone, and daniel's head snaps up, quickly putting it away, and he returns to practice, but before long, he expresses his thoughts. "hey, i've been thinking about something," he begins, and both yeji and jinyoung give him their attention. "there are a lot of comments about me...being repetitive, and people wondering when i'll put away my guitar. i think they think i hide behind it," maybe he does.

"you can just do your guitar intro, and instead of playing guitar the whole time, put it away afterwards?" jinyoung suggests. "that's what i was thinking," yeji adds. daniel grins, "yeah, that's kind of what i was thinking too. should we?" he still isn't sure, but maybe he'll take his teammates' simultaneous thinking on this as a sign that he really should. if he already wouldn't mind going home, and he's sure he'll be eliminated if they're in the bottom five, what does he really have to lose? if he wants to show he's on this show for something other than his band, he can set aside what most links him to it for a round to prove it. "okay, let's do it," daniel agrees, that smile back on his face.

there's just one thing: like this, he doesn't quite get to show off his main talent as much as the others. he wants to request a way to make his intro stand out as much as yeji and jinyoung's individual parts do, and he also wants to throw his guitar playing in the face of everyone who doubted him, and-- "you can sit in the center, and play your guitar intro, and make everyone that doubted you think 'here's daniel, playing his guitar again,' and then you can put it down and prove them all wrong," jinyoung says again. "i was thinking that, too!" yeji chimes in in disbelief. "yeah, me too," daniel admits, mouth agape, but then he laughs, and they all do. "can i have the five seconds of time we have left for my guitar intro? then i can play the whole chorus," and they agree to that, too. maybe their synergy is finally where it should be.

for some reason, when yeji makes her way to the practice room's exit, she runs straight into the door. maybe she's tired; understandable. still, daniel practically jumps, eyes wide, but jinyoung beats him to asking if she's okay, so he decides to stay back and let him handle it. yeji sits down after that, checking her phone, and daniel gives her some time before he makes his way over to her. "what, you can be on your phone and i can't?" he teases.

"the one time i am!!" yeji protests.

"i'm kidding, i'm kidding!" daniel replies, and yeji just pouts, so he takes a seat next to her. he's not just worried about her smacking her head, but about her checking her phone; unlike him, yeji has been so focused, so he hopes something isn't wrong to prompt this.

"are you okay?" he asks, a general question, and yeji nods, but he stays seated with her until she's ready to practice again, and when she is, jumps back to his feet, ready to join her.

when he's actually committed to practice and improving, and giving the best performance he can come thursday, his confidence grows. he still thinks he's a terrible dancer, but by monday, he has all of the choreography memorized, and can go through it without stopping. there's still time to improve, so maybe by the time they take the stage, he'll only be a mild to moderate embarrassment to his team instead of a massive one. he can hope. he'll pretend it's the case regardless, because it's not like he's talking them out of dancing now. it would be a humongous waste of effort, too.

maybe it's this confidence, or looking through performances of love shot to try to capture the right energy in the dance that compels him to want the last line of the song that accompanies the ending pose. it's memorable, and something close to poignant, and he thinks he can sell that where he can't sell his dancing. as jinyoung said, he's handsome and creative; he should put these assets to use. he knows his face and his instruments are his biggest strengths, and he's not going to use an instrument for long, so that leaves the former as the primary quality he needs to present strongly, so he timidly approaches yeji.

"do you think...i could do the ending line?" he wants to sing a little more. he's more experienced with singing, so he thinks that's still his biggest strength of the three idols are expected to display, even if it's by a small margin. aside from that, he wants to leave his impact in the performance-- hopefully a positive note to end on even if everyone watching found his dancing comically bad. he asks yeji instead of jinyoung for a few reasons: one, because he's scared shitless of jinyoung. two: because yeji has fewer singing lines, and if she doesn't want to part with any, he'd understand. three: because yeji is the judge of his dancing, and should know whether him doing the final line is justified.

“if you can do the entire choreo without making a mistake by the end of today, i’ll consider it,” is her response, eyebrow raised, rightfully critical.

"okay," he agrees, still with his natural hesitation. "does it count if i don't make a mistake but it isn't very good?" his expectations aren't very high, which means they're realistic.

"if you don't make a mistake it will look good," yeji returns, and she thinks too much of him, surely.

"since it's at the end it should only be a reward if i've looked strong enough up to that point," he says, measuredly. he doesn't think he'll look strong enough, but he wants to try anyway. "so if i don't look good enough don't give it to me, okay?"

“if you don’t look good, it will be highlighted when you are in the center position. it will throw the performance off. is that something you will be happy about?” he opens his mouth to reply, then shuts it, because she's right.

" ....no," daniel answers. the last thing he wants to do is throw the performance off, especially more than he already has with his mediocre dancing (mediocre is generous.) " that's what i was saying, i just thought-- no, it's okay. i don't need it, you're right."

"are you giving up that easily?"

"i don't know; i just want the performance to be the best it can be for everyone," he says. he still wants the line, but he doesn't want his greed to affect them negatively, especially after they've worked so hard. if it will highlight weaknesses more than strengths, it's far from worth it. if this highlights his dancing, it will certainly be a weakness.

"i said if i don't think it looks good, not if you don't think it looks good." well, valid. yeji does have a better eye for these things, and he's sure to be more critical of himself than anyone else is. well. maybe. jinyoung might have him beat there.

"if i'm strong enough, it would be nice so i can have a part in the final chorus and sing again," he shares, and that much is true, but it's not really his main purpose for asking; it's just a bonus. "and because...i'm sure people will have bad things to say about it. if i'm better than they expect, it'll be an exclamation mark on me doing well. if i'm worse than they expect, it'll be an exclamation mark on the fact that i did it anyway and they had to see me do it, right? i want to throw it in their face," and he says it with more determination than he has all week. there is still a part of him that will not lay down and let them kick him while he does. there is a part of him spiteful, desperate to use that as fuel to reach new heights, and halfway through their practice time, it finally rears its head. "but only if you think it looks good," he adds with a sheepish smile, just in case he got too overconfident for a moment.

"so practice, show me what you've got."

"yes. i will."

so he attacks practice with that same determination. they run through the entire performance together, then they split up to work on their own individual parts, helping each other where it's needed, which mostly means jinyoung helping yeji with her singing and yeji helping them both with their dancing as needed, but it gives him a little time to practice dancing by himself. he keeps his eyes trained on the mirror, and by now, after watching yeji and the original choreography so many times, he can tell when he messes up. he can tell when he's out of time, or when he misses a move, or mis-steps, but he no longer apologizes. he starts over, practicing in both slow motion and full speed, and he tries to learn.

when the day ends, he stands in front of yeji. he's not confident in his dancing yet, but he is confident he'll show yeji the best dancing he's ever shown her. the music starts, and he dances it at full speed, and he focuses-- doesn't let his mind wander, doesn't let it fill with self-doubt and criticism, just dances, and when he finishes, he looks to yeji expectantly.

“you can have it, if jinyoung oppa agrees,” yeji decides, and the smile she gives him is so uncharacteristically warm for this week that he can't help but stare in disbelief. “i’m proud of you oppa,” she says. "really?" daniel asks, still shocked, but a grin blooms onto his face before long, too. "okay! if you're sure!" and jinyoung does agree.

daniel stays a little later regardless, just because he doesn't want to leave yeji alone while she finalizes her dance solo, and he knows the more he practices the dance, the closer it'll get to being something serviceable. eventually though, he bids farewell to yeji, if only so he has enough time to transition from practice daniel to working-at-a-coffee-shop-at-5-am daniel, because he has work the next day, or more accurately, in the morning.

by tuesday, yeji shows daniel her finished dance solo. he watches with rapt attention, but no intention to criticize, because he knows he has far from any right. of course, there's nothing to criticize anyway, because it's powerful and makes the most of every second assigned to her for their instrumental, so he smiles. "i don't know anything about dancing, yeji-yah, but i think it looked really cool!" and that's important, because he figures much of the audience will be watching from that perspective. he's sure it will look good to anyone's eye; he is grouped with the one judges deemed the best dancer in the competition, after all. "i think it matched the music well, too."

more practice, and daniel feels almost giddy to have it all put together now, and two full days to practice exactly how it will be on stage. doubt still comes in waves: should i have pushed for something where we could all sing instead? should i have fought harder for us not to dance, if we weren't going with my original idea of layering skills over each other? will i be nothing but a burden without my guitar? am i betraying who i really am? i came on this show to show people why they should support empty enigma; am i selling out by doing this? do i really have anything to show?

he's just better at combating it now, even if it still shakes him up at moments. it's too late to make any changes. he doesn't want to. the last thing he wants to do is make a change to try to benefit himself and appear unprepared on stage instead. this is what they're doing, and all he can do is his best with what they've settled on, and when he has confidence, he thinks it's something good. it should be entertaining. even if his dancing is bad, that will be entertaining too, right? if he's going down-- and he has a good feeling he's going down --at least he'll go down trying everything in the book, a stronger and more diverse performer than the daniel of last year's mgas. an artist.

the two teams in the practice room exist in relative harmony, aside from jungeun's criticism of daniel and his subsequent new fear of her. there are kenta's glances thrown his way, and kenta's...general clownery, and hansol tends to keep to himself and mind his own business, which daniel appreciates over another person against him. he's only really bothered by them come wednesday, when they're...breathing heavily? intentionally? he doesn't know their choice of song (well, he does now, after listening to it so many times in practice) but that can't be part of it, can it?

"is it the other team, or just daniel dying?" jinyoung asks, and it's so uncharacteristic of his serious nature that daniel can't help laugh. really, it would be funny with anyone saying it, but even moreso in this case. "both," he answers, righting himself from where he was already bent over, hands on his thighs, catching his own breath.

as their time comes to a close on wednesday, it's bittersweet, and a little nerve-wracking. all that's left is to perform, but aside from that, it's the last he'll be able to practice with everyone here, the other team included. even with yeji and jinyoung's harshness with him, his time with them will end tomorrow, one way or another. he doesn't know what time he's guaranteed with kenta going forward, either, but he tries not to think about that too much so his emotions don't get the best of him again. he's grown used to retro future team's presence too, and there's something comforting about practicing in the company of five other people that there just isn't on his own with only one other person or by himself. there's something about this that daniel loves-- teamwork, striving toward something with other people. the evidence is in both his band and his appreciation of all of the group stages of last year's mgas.

kenta bids them farewell with one final act of tomfoolery, something he declares is a magic trick, and daniel's primary thought is oh man, i have to see this. still, he gives his friend his attention as he dramatically waves is hand around a kleenx box, only to pull one out and pretend it's some huge feat. daniel looks on, expression mostly confused, until he does it again and tosses it behind him-- then he has to hold back his easily-won laughter. then, kenta starts pulling out all of the tissues, and daniel shakes his head.

"i'm not helping you clean that up!" he makes very clear, though the smile is still on his face, and he drops it, joking, "and i have to blow my nose..." even though he doesn't. kenta isn't done with them however, and says "it was worth a shot..and a love shot," firing a finger gun at them, and daniel groans and rolls onto the floor in his embarrassment.

on the day of recording, his feelings are conflicted. for one, he's thankful to sit in between yeji and jinyoung, for maximum support, which-- thankfully (surprisingly?) they're thoroughly giving him, anticipating his nerves. granted, if he and yeji switched places, he could sit next to kenta, but for some reason, he thinks like this, it's better for his focus. this way, he won't let his thoughts drift to empty enigma, and that emotion of last week won't creep into his thoughts and weigh him down again after everyone fought so hard to send it away. yeji keeps reassuring him that it'll be alright, and jinyoung offers a pat to his thigh every so often, silent reassurance, as is so true to him.

"it will be," he answers yeji, flashing her a smile, and really, the more she says it, the more nervous he gets, even though he knows she means well. the more he watches the performances preceding him, he gets nervous too-- all stronger dancers than he, and he grows more and more convinced he's about to get up on stage an humiliate himself, but jinyoung and yeji worked too hard for him to bring shame to them, so he'll give them his absolute best. he hopes when they watch this performance back, they'll be more proud than they are embarrassed.

retro future team's performances precedes theirs, and it's fun to watch them-- to see the result of all the practice they shared during the past week, and it seems to have paid off. daniel enjoys it, and as always, it's great to see kenta on stage, and see how he grows week to week, and during it, with the realization that their time comes after, daniel slips into a state of eerie calm.

it's not unfamiliar, but in this venue, it is: the cameo confidence, the razor sharp, in-his-element focus that comes before he steps on stage at an empty enigma show. there is some small inkling of a thought that he has no right to feel this way here, but its quickly stifled by this new self-assured certainty. no going back now. i want people to say i'm bad at dancing but still gif my face.

when he steps on stage, guitar and its stand in tow-- evidence that today will be a little different, for anyone that cares to pay attention-- it stays. he sets his guitar down in the stand, only for their intro. "we are the love shot," they say in unision, before jinyoung shouts "ji!" and holds the iconic love shot finger gun to his lips. "niel!" he shouts, and he does the same, standing so they're all back to back. "ji!" yeji finishes, and they all hold the pose for a moment before daniel picks up his guitar and stand and they scurry toward the chairs center stage. they sit in the same order they did in the audience: yeji, daniel, then jinyoung.

daniel opens them up, and thankfully, it's not with dancing. he starts on a high note-- his best: with the guitar. he put the best of his guitar into this intro too, in case the audience forgot. he knows they haven't forgotten he plays the guitar, but maybe they forgot how good he is. has it ever really been on display on the mga stage? maybe not, but he shows it off now, playing the iconic love shot chorus so they know exactly what they're in for, and yet-- they don't. he sets the guitar down on its stand, defying the expectation that he would cling to it for yet another performance, and then they all stand.

the instrumental kicks in, and there's a distant it's the love shot in it that opens it up into something acoustic, different from the original, as all daniel performances must be. the guitar lingers in the instrumental, a constant reminder, but not in his hands as they make their way across the stage, jinyoung's singing leading the way.

they all sing an "aye aye" before the bass of the instrumental kicks in, a little twist, an r&b side, layering of the darker undercurrents of the original song. yeji takes over, then jinyoung joins her again, and it's daniel's turn with his rap, piano the main focus of the instrumental now.

ah, i’m burning i can’t breathe, it’s like i’ll split in half i’m thirsting and with this one glass it’s like i’ll overflow on this dangerous night

he originally laughed at that-- thirsting, and its alternate meaning in english, a true show of his maturity. there wasn't time for laughing though, as he practiced and worked out the arrangement, and after his original half-hearted input to choose loveshot as a song-- after he really sat down and listened to it-- he was glad they did. despite the sexy nature of the song and its choreography, it had a deeper meaning than expected, and daniel hopes their rendition highlights that. his last couple lines are singing, a reminder that yes, he can still do that too, assisted by yeji's harmony, and the build up to the chorus.

jinyoung's it's the love shot, and instead of the familiar chorus, there's another surprise: yeji's dance solo. the boys take the sides of the stage as yeji fills it with her presence and her talent, over the instrumental chorus, not joined by any singing, just the distant, electronic sounding, almost indistinguishable nananas in the backtrack.

jinyoung takes over with the smoothness of his vocals, and yeji follows him up, showing her own vocal prowess she improved over the course of the show. daniel has another rap next.

even if i cover my eyes and ears and force myself to wander, in the end the answer is love i fill my stomach, starved by too much ego an empty glass of compassion left behind now i fill it again, let me hear it all

he didn't relate to the first section of rap so much, but this one, he does, or likes to think he does. it's a story of his week, in a way-- the struggle of the early days, and his teammates' harshness with him, and how he eventually wandered back to sungwoon and found his answer there. keep going. you can't give up. it resounded with everything else the others said, undeniable, and so he pressed on, trying to accept all criticism as something that would make him better instead of something meant to hurt him, and it's brought him here, to this stage, where he gives it his all. he gets to sing another line, too-- the last one, something he's very grateful for. he always loves to show two sides.

it leads into what one would expect to be another chorus, but isn't-- instead, the cutting of the instrumental altogether, just jinyoung center stage, singing that familiar bridge. after it is something else familiar: the slow build of the original instrumental. yeji harmonizes over daniel's final rap as it leads them into the final chorus, and daniel knows what's coming after. it's anticipation now more than it is dread, even on stage, and he's proud of that fact.

my heart burns my beliefs dried feeling like they’ll break apart i wet them with you, filling in the gaps lighting the flame in my heart that felt ready to go out yeah

jinyoung sings one final it's the love shot, powerfully, punctuating the beginning of the end-- just kidding. it won't be that bad, and if it is, daniel will make sure to sell it the whole way through.

they burst into the choreography of the original final chorus too, yeji in the center, thankfully, and daniel doesn't reflect on the times he struggled during the week now. now, gameface: on, and the gameface for this just so happens to be an incredibly sultry look. the mga viewing audience of this season may not know it, but in fact, he plays this game all the time.

jinyoung and yeji cover the adlibs, thankfully not giving daniel one more thing to worry about on top of his dancing. after the beginning part of the chorus, they do a surprise switch to another part of loveshot's choreography: the move with the gun behind their back, incredibly practiced by daniel with yeji's discerning eye, because he couldn't see how badly he was doing it himself. it's cleaner now than it's ever been, which still isn't as clean as it could be by far, but he'll take it. improvement is improvement, and all he can ask for at the end of the day.

the most difficult part of the choreography is over, leaving only the part that's like walking in time, and for this part, daniel takes the center-- hard-fought due to his desire for the final line, and only time will tell if this proves to be a mistake or not. still, they finish, and it's daniel in the center that sings the final:

it's the love shot

before making a gun with his fingers, raising it to his lips, and knocking it back like its a shot.

[technostructacademy20]

Why Firms Are Rapidly Adopting BIM?

It is a known fact that BIM is now an industry standard in building and project design. However, it is also a known fact that usage of BIM goes well beyond design, collaboration and 3-D Modeling which are focused on improving efficiency or bottom line of a project. Undoubtedly, these bottom-line benefits are the ones that help a firm save money and magnify its net profit. However, It’s only very rarely that one might notice the top-line benefits of the technology. This is the reason why people might not fully realize the potential of adopting  BIM. When one invests in BIM, one is investing in efficiency improvement, cost reduction, and increasing scale.

Here are some reasons for the rapid adoption of BIM as pointed out by a BIM consulting firm in CA.

Source of Competitive Advantage

There are still many businesses that don’t invest their time, money and resources in BIM. The reason is that many in the industry are yet to fully trust the process. However, when one looks at it from a competitive point of view, BIM actually takes an edge over the traditional processes.

Firms that are BIM enabled can easily convince project owners to adopt BIM in their projects. This then eliminates all the non-BIM firms from this competition automatically. Some competitors may add a further edge to their pitch by utilizing BIM use cases such as 5D BIM or BIM for energy modeling. Through BIM, one can visualize the most realistic models at each and every stage of a project’s life-cycle. It can also be used to demonstrate presentations to stakeholders especially business ones who generally do not have a background in architecture and design.

Better Results through Increased Collaboration

BIM is not simply a technology, it is an ecosystem that allows professionals from various areas like engineering, architecture, construction, engineering, the management  or contracting to collaborate on the same building model. The breadth and depth of expertise of your BIM department play an important role in determining a firm’s capacity for growth. According to BIM Modeling Companies the more you invest in your BIM department the more likely are you to draw clients to your firm. One must realize though that, increasing the department’s capacity does not only mean taking on more workforce. It is actually not that easy a task to find a large audience who are conversant with BIM.

Reduced Risk through Simulation

BIM is not just a 3D Mapping tool that some claim it to be. BIM allows for additional detailed overlays like time, cost, energy that facilitates easy simulation of entire information elements that are involved in finalizing a project. For example, Simulation allows for even assessing whether a particular side of a building will be exposed to more sunlight and hence have a higher energy gradient. This way BIM allows you to build a buildings energy graph and project the cost savings emanating from various models.  

Managing Complexity of Operations

A buildings outward appearance might be the most important thing that catches a person’s eye but it’s the internal operational elements like electrical systems, plumbing, fire, hazard prevention and mechanical systems that are very crucial as they have a very high degree of complexity and any fault might lead to endless ramifications. These internal systems help people move in and out, function effectively and ensure their safety. So all of them need to meet certain quality standards. BIM is a powerful panacea to address this. It allows for effective planning and coordination of these systems from the design stage itself so that no future conflicts emerge.

On-Demand Solution

Old Legacy solutions like CAD systems are very resource heavy in terms of hardware requirements. But with the advent of cloud solutions, BIM packages are nowadays ON demand and can be accessed anytime, anywhere and from any device. If a stakeholder is traveling he or she can easily use a mobile device to access designs. If a contractor wants to review something from onsite that is possible as well. So all in all the On Demand aspect of this solution has made it an industry standard.

Conclusion

Innovation is an ever-growing process and anyone can edge over another, so it is always advisable to be informed and constantly keep innovating. We have clearly elucidated some of the major reasons behind the rapid adoption of BIM. 

TechnoStruct Academy is the educational division of TechnoStruct LLC that is committed towards educating and lifting the lives of many students who dream about getting into the Construction and Designing Industry. At TechnoStruct Academy, the students can avail from any of the 6 specialized bim courses taught by industry experts, and also get the opportunity to work on live US-based projects.

Want to learn at TSA? Book your seat today!

[iamshuvashis]

80 Years Of Animated Fairy Tales:

 By the early 1930s Walt Disney faced a dilemma: his popular cartoon shorts about Mickey Mouse were starting to lose money. His competitors could afford to produce cartoons at a loss as lead-ins to their live action films; Disney, who did not have a movie studio, could not.

But he had another idea: he could produce a full-length film of his own. Only, instead of making a live action film, he could produce a full-length cartoon feature, running, say, for about 88 minutes. Good length. Sure, it might cost as much as $500,000. (Cue gasps.) He would need 300 artists. It had never been done before. It’s safe to say that very few people thought this was a good idea. And that $500,000 turned out to be a very wrong estimate. It’s also very safe to say that this idea is why we have the entertainment megacorporation of Disney as it exists today.

The process of creating Snow White officially began when Walt Disney acted out the story he had in mind to his main animators. Later, some of them said Disney’s performance had brought them to tears; whether this was true, or just a later Disney legend, is a bit difficult to determine. But the preparation had started long before that. Disney had wanted artists that could be cartoonists, but not just cartoonists, and paid to have his cartoonists take art classes, first at the Chouinard Art Institute, and later at the newly formed Disney Art School. (Somewhat scandalously, some of these art classes involved—gasp—nude models, which apparently had the side effect of encouraging cartoonists to show up.) Cartoonists were also sent to the zoo to study animals.

This was all great, but it left just a few little technical problems: first, the difficulty of creating the illusion of depth from two dimensional drawings, needed to give the film a realistic feel; second, the difficulty of creating four lifelike animated humans; and third, not having enough artists available, even after the art school program. Oh, sure, Disney had artists diligently churning out Mickey Mouse cartoons, but for this, he needed more. Three hundred more.

This might have been impossible except for a fortunate (for Disney) historical fluke: Disney just happened to need those artists during the Great Depression. Which in turn meant quite a few just happened to be available at considerably lower-than-usual rates.

That still left Disney with the two other issues. The solution to the first was a technical milestone: a multiplane camera. First, the art was separated and put on different levels of glass. Then, each piece of glass was separated. This meant that when the camera moved in, the art on top would get “bigger” faster than the art on the bottom—giving the illusion of depth, and allowing the camera to move in and out, the same way it could in a live action film. As an added bonus, this meant that special effects—for instance, rain, which was not always animated, but instead a film of actual water drops—could be filmed on a separate piece of glass.

Next came the issues of trying to animate three adult humans, one girl, and seven dwarfs—and make their actions look realistic. Animated cartoons had included human figures before, of course—but always in exaggerated, unrealistic forms, and the results had looked, well, wrong. For Snow White, animators studied dancers and asked the voice actors for the dwarfs to dance, studying their movements as well, to see how humans actually move. The end result seems commonplace today, but at the time it was an innovation: animated humans with (nearly) natural movement.

It wasn’t perfect—the Huntsman’s movements, for one, are not always entirely convincing; an artistic/production error led to an accidental “shimmer” effect with the Prince, and a few of Snow White’s movements are off as well. But at the time, audiences found it jaw-dropping.

So how does it hold up today?

I’d have to say, mixed.

A significant part of the problem—and one, to be fair, pointed out by the animators at the time—is the film’s pacing. It starts off sharply, moves into a terrorizing forest sequence (a sequence that not all small children survive) then pauses for a long, extended housecleaning scene, pauses for another long sequence focused on the dwarfs, and then another long sequence focused on the dwarfs, and finally jumps back into the action as the queen belatedly realizes that the Huntsman gave her the wrong heart. Which means that we get a very long, often slow cartoon about singing, cleaning, working, and properly washing faces and hands, where very little actually happens (unless you are counting the story of that poor tortoise) bookended with sequences of near horror and terror.

As you might be realizing, this creates a rather jarring tonal problem as well, and for all its ambition to be the first full-length animated film, Snow White isn’t quite there in anything but length: rather, it’s a sometime uneasy mix of the old cartoon shorts with a full-length film. To a very large extent, this was playing up to the audiences of the time, who had certain expectations from their animated cartoons that focused on short, funny gags and characters doing silly things. Walt Disney, almost always good at reading his potential audience, correctly guessed that this audience would be expecting silly dwarf scenes, and provided that—even as his animators complained that the dwarfs’ scenes went on for far too long.

But in a way, they had to: Despite the need to fill 88 minutes of screen time, Walt Disney severely cut the original story, eliminating the original beginning, with its deeply symbolic elements, two of the queen’s attempts to assassinate Snow White, and the gruesome ending in which the evil stepmother is forced to dance in hot iron shoes until she dies. Not that the evil stepmother gets away scot-free—or alive—in the Disney version, either, but the death occurs largely off screen, confirmed mostly by the hungry eyes of the lurking vultures.

(Not that the vultures convinced small me at all. We didn’t see the witch really die, after all, and she was a witch with a magic mirror, so clearly she was totally still alive and was going to come back and kill all of the little birds and rabbits. So, yay Disney for sorta trying to reduce the cartoon violence, but minus several points for leaving a little six-year-old me in quaking terror.)

Cutting those two assassination attempts was almost certainly necessary to keep Snow White from looking too credulous—especially since, to keep the last assassination attempt believable, Disney did keep Snow White almost as young as she was in the Grimm fairy tale. Almost. As noted last week, Snow White, in the original Grimm/Lang versions, is seven when she first becomes “as beautiful as she could be,” and runs off to the woods shortly after that. This Snow White seems to be at least twelve—she’s old enough to work as a scullery maid, and take on a motherly role to the dwarfs. But not much older than that. She’s drawn with a flat chest and the features of a young girl, and voiced with a childish, high pitched voice—in striking contrast to the rich, older tones of her stepmother.

(It’s also in striking contrast to the voices of later Disney princesses, usually voiced with richer, more mature tones; the closest vocally to Snow White are the younger heroines Alice in Alice in Wonderland and Wendy in Peter Pan, who aren’t princesses or love interests. For entertainment, try comparing the voices of Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), Belle (1991) and Elsa and Anna (2014).)

It’s not just her appearance and voice, either, but many of her actions that indicate her youth and inexperience. When Snow White first sees the Prince, she runs. Sure, she later pops out of a tower to sing at him, a probable nod to Rapunzel, and, to be fair, older girls might also flee after being surprised by the head of a stranger popping up over a wall, but that initial reaction suggests a certain immaturity. In the forest, she reacts to her surroundings in sheer terror, running, tripping, falling, and weeping—later calling herself silly for doing so. In part, of course, she is fleeing her stepmother, under the perhaps justified feeling that she can’t possibly escape the woman…even if the evil queen only seems to be employing one other servant and a raven. True, the evil queen also has a magical mirror, which should count for something, but the mirror does not seem to be particularly good at the whole chasing-down-princesses-in-the-wood bit.

But her most childish moment comes later in the film, when she eats the apple offered to her by the old witch. Everything—the warnings from other characters, the reactions from the animals, the sudden appearances of the vultures who, I must say, did not show up for the major housecleaning binge, like, thanks, vultures—should tell her not to do this. She was intelligent enough to make the best of things under her stepmother; intelligent enough to realize that she had been foolish for no reason at all; intelligent enough to bargain her way into a home with the dwarfs. And yet, this.

It feels wrong, and makes sense only if Snow White is enchanted (which she doesn’t seem to be), if Snow White is incredibly stupid (which again, apparently not, based on other bits of the film), if Snow White is too terrified to say no (an explanation that appears in other retellings, but not here), or if she is simply too young to know better. Disney went with the last.

But that reasoning in turn creates another jarring moment, since this young girl, young enough to take an apple from a terrifying old woman despite ample warning, is the same young girl who, just moments earlier, takes on a motherly role with the seven dwarfs—all men older than she is. (Well, at least six of them are. Dopey may be three.) It’s not just that she, with a lot of domestic assistance from the various cute animals, cooks and cleans for them—she also orders them to clean up before dinner, and kisses them all on the head good night.

In part, Snow White can take on this role because—in stark contrast to the Grimm version—when she arrives, the little cottage is an absolute disaster, and the dwarfs, if not exactly interested in cleanliness, are interested in getting a decent meal. The dwarfs in the Grimm tale don’t actually need Snow White as their housekeeper; it’s a fair trade for their protection, as well as part of the ongoing Grimm moral lesson (good girls focus on housework, not vanity). In the Disney version, Snow White earns her way into the cottage with hard work—with, admittedly, the help of a lot of animals, as a nice nod to the idea that it’s almost certainly impossible for one girl to take care of seven very messy men without help.

This also allows the film to linger on its theme of work. It’s not completely new to the story: in their version of “Snow White,” The Grimms had associated housework with positive images of women and girls—basically, girls that do housework, and avoid the temptations of vanity, stay alive and get the prince. The Disney version doesn’t quite follow this: it’s surprisingly, and even hilariously, not all that concerned with issues of vanity and personal appearance—hilariously, given the Disney Princess product line this film would eventually help launch. Yes, Snow White does look at herself in the well once, but the purpose of this is more to set up a song (“I’m wishing!”) and to show off that Disney’s animators had accomplished the hitherto impossible: creating an animated image of something reflected in water, than to say much about her looks. (Thanks, multiplane camera!) And that’s about it for Snow White’s vanity.

But the Disney version does pick up the work focus, only with a twist. It focuses on the sheer joy of having work to do, and the idea that working will bring you joy. In our first glimpse of Snow White, we see her smiling as she scrubs steps. We later see her singing and smiling as she cleans up the house, and a number of adorable woodland animals eagerly help her out—and have fun doing so. We see the dwarfs—whose accents, grammar and failure to bathe regularly stem from then-popular representations of working class people—sing about the sheer joy of working. All this while doing housework and mining, typically classified as tedious, menial jobs.

Doing tedious tasks have often been part of a hero’s journey and assigned tasks feature in many fairy tales, often with the assistance of small animals the hero had helped along the way. But this particular message seems to spring more directly from the Great Depression than from fairy tales, a message that reflected the relief of having any job at all, no matter how menial or tedious. And to a certain extent the original condition of that cottage may also have reflected certain images from the Great Depression: neglected, almost run down, small enough that the seven dwarfs all have to share a single bedroom—though at least they’ve personalized their beds. And although definitely cartoonish, the images of the dwarfs curling up in various odd places also fit familiar images of unemployed people finding jobs wherever they could.

That these scenes are cut between shots of the dwarfs picking up huge gems from the mine suggests that something is seriously wrong with this kingdom’s economy—echoed in the scenes in Snow White’s nearly empty castle. The dwarfs have gems, yes, but no one is buying them. Still. It’s a job, and so, hi ho, hi ho, off to work they go.

Since I’ve brought that up, I must say that I found the songs a bit of a mixed bag on this outing as well. Three, granted, became instant classics and Disney staples—“Heigh-Ho,” “Whistle While You Work,” and “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and it’s entirely possible that hearing the latter in far, far, too many television commercials over the years shaped my instinctive cringing at the sound of it sung in Snow White’s little piping voice. “I’m Wishing,” sung in the same little high pitched voice, which has not been as eagerly embraced by advertisers, did not evoke the same reaction, so that could well be it.

But I can’t say that my reaction to the washing song and the silly song done by the dwarfs had anything to do with advertising: those songs have not become popular staples, for a reason. As the animators complained, they are featured in sequences that last far too long, almost to the point of forgetting that yes, yes, there’s an evil witch out there. The moment she comes back, the dwarfs immediately recede: the Evil Queen doesn’t just have a far more powerful presence, she’s visually more interesting.

Walt Disney, however, insisted on leaving in the lengthy sequences: he wanted the dwarfs to be individuals, characters that the audience could embrace. Even if, in the end, Snow White and her prince couldn’t, or at least didn’t—they head off to a palace, while the dwarfs stay behind, sadly waving their hats, getting ready to head back to work. Housework brought Snow White to her prince; mining work leaves the dwarfs open to having complete strangers, evil witches, and assorted animals just walk into their home at any time, arranging things to suit themselves. But then again, I can hardly say that the dwarfs did anything to save Snow White, other than put her in that coffin: not only do they leave Snow White at the cottage without protection (as in the original fairy tale) but they waste several valuable moments fighting with the animals who are trying to warn them. Well done, dwarfs.

Which is probably why, in the end, my favorite characters end up being the Evil Queen, magnificent in her evil, willing to go to hideous lengths to remain the loveliest woman in the land, only to fall off a cliff because she didn’t have the sense to make her disguise something she could easily drop in order to run faster.

And the little tortoise.

I’d totally forgotten this film even had a little tortoise. It turns out, however, that he’s the most adorable and heartwarming character in the entire film, and yes, I’m including all of the dwarfs and the cute little animals. Possibly because each and every time he finally achieves his slow, hard-fought-for goal, he gets knocked down and has to start all over. With a smile. I’ve been there, tortoise, I’ve been there. Hugs.

And that leads to the other great part of the film: the animal animation, which is spectacularly beautiful, with each and every animal individually animated. Disney would only reach those heights in a few more films: it’s incredible that they started off so well here. They are almost—almost—enough to help little viewers forget that this film also has a very scary witch. VERY SCARY.

Watching the film, it’s remarkable just how many elements of the Disney brand are already in place: the adorable helpful little animals, the first of the Disney princesses, and of course, the memorable songs. As much as Walt Disney liked to say afterwards that it all started with a mouse, it’s equally accurate to say that it all started with a fairy tale. What’s also remarkable is just how many elements of the Disney brand are not there, and would be developed later. We’ll be seeing that as we continue.

[junker-town]

The Overwatch League is back, and it’s a lot different

This season of the OWL could have consequences for all of esports. Here’s everything you need to know.

The Overwatch League returns for Season 3 at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, and you can catch all of the matches on YouTube.

For the uninitiated, Overwatch is a fast-paced video game that looks chaotic on screen, but requires incredible coordination and communication, making it an excellent competitive sport in which teamwork usually trumps individual skill.

The league is making big changes for the coming season that could major ramifications not just for the competitors, but esports as a whole. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Overwatch League season.

I’m super new here, what is Overwatch?

Overwatch is a 6-vs-6 class-based shooter in which two teams fight over objectives. Unlike Counter-Strike or Fortnite, where the only difference between characters is the guns they pick up, Overwatch characters have unique abilities.

If you’ve never seen competitive Overwatch before, I recommend this summer’s World Cup match between the United States and South Korea to get started.

How does the Overwatch League work?

The league consists of 20 teams, split into Atlantic and Pacific divisions, that play 28 regular-season games apiece. The division winners get the top two seeds in the playoffs, followed by the next four teams with the best records regardless of division. The teams ranked seventh through 12th go to a wild card tournament to determine the final two playoff spots.

Playoffs are double-elimination, so any teams that slip up get a second chance to make a run to the final.

Are OWL teams actually playing in their home markets now?

Yes!

Overwatch League started in 2018 with teams named after cities, with the hope being that it could become the first game in esports to create local fandom just like traditional sports. The league started with 12 teams, then expanded to 20 squads representing cities in six different countries. Most of the teams are owned by esports organizations that compete in other games, and are promoted as part of those brands despite being named after cities and not their parent organizations.

Though the teams are tied to regions their names, they played exclusively at Blizzard’s studio in Los Angeles in Season 1. The show went on the road for a small number of local team-hosted matches in Season 2. For the start of the current season — Season 3 — the LA studio has been left behind entirely, and all the matches will be played in the teams’ home markets.

The league is hoping to build off the big success of its homestand weekends in Dallas and Atlanta last season. The league returns to Dallas in Week 1, and will also have matches hosted by the New York Excelsior in New York City.

Why can’t I find the Overwatch League on Twitch?

Almost every esports tournament that matters can be found on Twitch, so people who haven’t kept up with the news are going to be in for a shock when they don’t know where to find the Overwatch League on Saturday. Activision Blizzard has signed a deal to give its three biggest esports titles — Overwatch, Call of Duty and Hearthstone — exclusively to YouTube.

The platform draws hundreds of millions of eyeballs on its gaming-related content, but has not seriously competed with Twitch on live events. It is clearly willing to throw around a lot of money to change that. No one knows how much the YouTube deal is, but it’s rumored to be more than OWL’s last one, which was worth $90 million over two years.

Leaving the platform where most of your audience hangs out is a bold move!

Yeah. It’s possible that Blizzard has drastically underestimated how much of its audience is casual. Most Overwatch League streams sat between 100,000 and 150,000 concurrent viewers during matches. It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, but the first week of Call of Duty League peaked at about 75,000 viewers on YouTube. A lot of people go to Twitch to see what’s on, notice OWL is popping, and check it out. That doesn’t really happen on YouTube, which currently has a bad live content recommendation system.

But it’s possible that Blizzard and its advertisers don’t really care about live viewership. Video on demand is a lot more easily accessible on YouTube than it is on Twitch, where Call of Duty League is off to a solid start. Week 1’s marquee match between the Chicago Huntsmen and Optic Gaming has roughly 516K views as of publish time.

OWL should see a dip in live viewership over the first few weeks of this season, but it could wind up with more total viewership in the end.

Where did my favorite caster go?

Controversially, the Overwatch League has seen some of its top commentators leave this offseason. The departure of former OWL commissioner Nate Nanzer, who joined Fortnite publisher Epic Games, apparently led to irreconcilable differences of opinion about staffing and creative vision between Blizzard and some of its talent.

Christopher “Montecristo” Mykles and Erik “DoA” Lonnquist, who were extremely popular League of Legends casters before signing on with OWL full time, are the highest-profile departures. Fans won’t be happy to see Auguste “Semmler” Massonat or Malik Forté go, either. (Chris Puckett is no longer with Blizzard full time, but could potentially make appearances, since he’s still working with the company on a freelance basis.)

Alarmingly, the league has yet to announce a complete talent lineup. The league’s signature voices, the duo of Mitch “Uber” Leslie and Matt “Mr. X” Morello, have yet to confirm they’ll be back for Season 3. And while they’re expected to return, the OWL wouldn’t feel the same without them.

Hey so ... it seems like a lot could go wrong here

Yeaaaaaaaah. If you care about esports in general, not just Overwatch, you should be keeping an eye on the league this season. Considering the big risks that the league has made by going to an all-homestand model, changing platforms and declining to re-sign top talent, it’s possible that this season could go very badly for OWL. And given that investors have collectively sunk over a billion dollars into the league, failure could have long-term consequences for esports as a whole.

This is not to say that a massive failure on the part of OWL would stop the growth of esports. Rather, that it would inform the business model going forward. Is it viable to run franchise leagues like traditional sports leagues? Or does esports need to follow a completely different model?

Enough of that, let’s talk about the games. What am I looking at here?

Overwatch currently has 31 heroes, and teams play six of them at a time. Heroes are not exclusive to one team, like League of Legends or Dota 2; both teams can play Mei at the same time, for example.

The characters are split into three different classes. Tanks have high survivability and damage mitigation. Support characters can heal teammates. And damage characters focus almost exclusively on eliminating enemies. Teams have to pick two characters in each class. Games are often decided by which team can combine these abilities with the best coordination, rather than simply who’s good at shooting.

Here’s a good explanation of the game’s four different map types. Overwatch League matches rotate through the map types and are first to three map victories, due to the possibility of draws.

What is “the meta?”

When you watch Overwatch League, you’ll hear casters refer to the meta on occasion. This means the metagame — the game inside the game, or the current preferred strategy.

“Meta” alludes to how how hard it is to balance a video game like Overwatch in a way that makes all characters equally viable in professional play. There will almost always be a composition of six characters that is ideal for a particular situation, given their combination of abilities.

Blizzard recently released a new version of the game with small tweaks to the strengths and weaknesses of a few characters. While these small differences are hardly noticeable if you play the game yourself at low ranks, they’re extremely important to how the game is played at the professional level. No professional matches have been played on the latest version of Overwatch, so even the best players can only guess at what the current meta is.

We will likely see a variety of strategies in the opening matches, before teams finally settle into a clearly defined meta. But there’s a wrinkle this year ...

New for this season: Hero pools

Every week, four of the strongest characters in the game — one tank, one support and two damage — will be banned from Overwatch League play in an effort to shake up the meta.

Last season, fans got sick of seeing the same characters and strategies over and over again. Before the league mandated that teams picked two characters in each class, the meta was something called GOATS, named after the team that popularized the strategy. This three-tank, three-support, no-damage character composition forced star players who preferred damage dealers to use the tank hero Zarya or the support hero Brigitte instead. This was annoying to fans as well as players, who were bored with having to play Brigitte, a character with a low skill ceiling.

Mandated 2-2-2 was initially celebrated by the community, but ended up making things worse. The double shield composition led by tanks Orisa and Sigma was even less fun to watch (and play) than GOATS.

To avoid running into a problem like that again, Blizzard introduced the banned hero pool system. So even if the meta is bland one week, you can be sure that different characters will be played the next week.

I’m not from any of the cities that have teams, want to give me a rooting interest?

Front-runners: If you’re a fan of the Yankees, Patriots and Barcelona, may I suggest the San Francisco Shock? The Season 2 champions are widely expected to win the league again this season. The introduction of hero pools could have been a massive shakeup, but it actually just benefits San Francisco more than anyone else. The Shock don’t have the best player in the league on any character, but have a top-five player in the league on literally every character. They don’t have a set starting lineup, but 10 players they can swap in and out seamlessly depending on the map and which heroes are banned.

Pure fun: If you care about play style more than wins and losses, the Chengdu Hunters are for you. They were the only team to consistently buck the GOATS trend and play damage characters on a regular basis early last season, and are expected to keep playing off-meta compositions thanks to Ameng, the only player in the league whose best character is the tank Wrecking Ball.

Moneyball: If you really liked that book or movie, you’ll be able to get into the Boston Uprising, who have become the OWL’s Oakland A’s. Boston specializes in picking up undervalued players from the second tier Contenders, developing them, selling them to other teams for a profit, then replacing them with fresh Contenders talent.

Talking smack: If you really just want to get into a team that is funny and loud and likes taunting, you should support the Atlanta Reign.

Lovable losers: Despite disappointing results, the core of the Houston Outlaws has remained intact for three seasons, mostly because of their strong fanbase and lovely personalities that make them very hard to fire. Muma, Rawkus and Linkzr are among the league’s most popular players, even if they lose more than they win.

Yoooooooo! Deadass, I just want a team that’s dope as hell. That’s facts, bro: Los Angeles Gladiators.

I want a team that wins but I don’t want to seem like a really obvious bandwagoner, you know what I mean?: Hell yeah, I know exactly what you mean. The Shanghai Dragons set a global sports record for futility by losing their first 42 matches. But the team finished a respectable 13-15 last season, then made some big additions during the offseason. They’re going to be really good, so get on board now before the bandwagon fills up.

[commandertheory]

Amonkhet Commander Set Review

For each new set, I write an article discussing the new legendary creatures and the nonlegendary cards that I think will be relevant in Commander. This review is obviously a bit late, as I was taking a hiatus from the blog when Amonkhet got released, but the review might benefit from having a few months to play with the set and get a more accurate impression of the cards.

The Commanders of Amonkhet

The token generation is pretty inefficient compared to some other white commanders, and although double strike will help her get to 21 commander damage, the limitation on her ability to attack keeps her from reaching her potential as a Voltron commander.

Seems like a strong commander for monoblue control. He allows you to hold up counterspells and cash in your unused mana for cards right before you untap, while also potentially serving as a late-game threat once you’ve got a full grip of answers.

The relatively low power and the weak effect of her activated ability makes me think that the payoff for building around her is not worth the effort. That being said, she’s easily one of the best commanders for breaking symmetry on The Abyss, Magus of the Abyss, and Spreading Plague.

Like Bontu, the rewards aren’t really worth the trouble of activating Hazoret or bringing her online. The life totals in Commander are way too high to waste time dealing damage 2 at a time (Purphoros notwithstanding).

His activated ability is not much of a reason to run this guy as a commander, and the Voltron potential implied by his power-to-cost ratio is, of course, diminished by his requirement that you commit to playing other creatures instead of focusing on dealing 21.

I try to keep an eye out for potential themes in need of a commander, but BG -1/-1 counters wasn’t really on my radar. Hapatra ended up being a pleasant surprise, as it turns out there was enough tech available for her that she added a new archetype to the Commander metagame.

Most effective tribal commanders are ones that take a tribe with a lot of borderline playable creatures and give them just enough of a boost to create a viable deck. The problem with Neheb is that most Minotaurs are not on the borderline; they are unplayable. +2/+0 and first strike is not going to be enough to make Cursed Minotaur and Gnarled Scarhide playable in a 40-life multiplayer format with tons of board wipes.

However, Neheb might do some good work as a discard outlet for madness/reanimator strategies and as a way to repeatedly trigger things like Geth’s Grimoire or Waste Not. Here’s a rough list.

Double strike and haste make for a strong Voltron Commander, so throw together some ramp to get her down early and some decent auras/equipment (Hero’s Blade, Grafted Exoskeleton, and any saboteur equipment will probably be good in this deck) and call it a day.

He can’t use his ability to help deal commander damage (even when he’s embalmed), so you’re stuck trying to eliminate multiple opponents with giant tokens (or ones with brutal saboteur abilities) sliding past their blockers. Overall, the plan seems kinda weak, but there are a few cute things you can do to make the unblockability more relevant.

The Maindeck Cards

In this set review, I’ll be using two five-point rating scales to evaluate the nonlegendary cards, one that measures how many decks a card is playable in (we’ll call that “spread”), and one that measures how powerful it is in those decks (”power”). Here’s a brief rundown of what each rank on the two scales means:

Spread

1: This card is effective in one or two decks, but no more (ex: The Gitrog Monster). 2: This card is effective in one deck archetype (ex: self-mill decks). 3: A lot of decks will be able to use this card effectively (ex: decks with graveyard interactions). 4: This card is effective in most decks in this color. 5: Every deck in this color is able to use this card effectively.

Power

1: This card is always going to be on the chopping block. 2: This card is unlikely to consistently perform well. 3: This card provides good utility but is not a powerhouse. 4: This card is good enough to push you ahead of your opponents. 5: This card has a huge impact on the game.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

Banishing Light is good because it’s cheap and hard to get rid of. Angel of Sanctions trade those two advantages for the ability to deal three in the air and return once after it gets killed, which I think is a pretty raw deal. It also compares really unfavorably with Admonition Angel.

However, embalm does work well with populate, so Trostani ought to get more value out of it than most commanders.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

If your deck has a heavy token theme or your Commander makes tokens, this should be an easy inclusion.

Spread: 3

Power: 3

This card is great in token decks, hate bear decks, decks with lots of mana dorks, and Doran builds. 3+ power kills most of the threats in the format while protecting your little dudes. Plus, even if your (nontoken) weenies get killed later, the second half of this card regrows them for you. Great value.

Spread: 1

Power: 1

Maybe in some Ad Nauseam combo deck as the third copy of Angel’s Grace (with Phyrexian Unlife being the second)? He doesn’t do much since he’s pretty easy to remove later on in the game when people are actually winning.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

It’s obviously most effective in Kemba and Raksha. You might be tempted to run it in a token list or a blink deck, but I think in those situations it fares poorly compared to other options at the same price point.

Spread: 2

Power: 1

These types of effects often create combo potential, but the combination of an end step return and a limited scope of targets handicaps the Vizier to the point of unplayability.

Spread: 1

Power: 1

Assists with Persist combos and generates infinite mana in combination with Devoted Druid. Unfortunately, it doesn’t accomplish anything by itself, which makes it less appealing than other combo pieces in the same colors that are effective in isolation.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

It acquires counters too slowly to be of much use outside of decks with extremely low average CMCs, and only getting one free spell per turn is likewise pretty limiting. However, decks with lots of cheap counterspells that frequently cast them on their opponents’ turns ought to be able to milk much more mana out of this card than the other decks in the format. In Baral, Azami, etc, this could easily end up producing a great deal of mana if you can manage to get two or more counters on it.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

Commit can keep just about anything from killing you and is basically an Utter End when you’re responding to a shuffle effect. I’m not sure how often you’ll pull the trigger on Memory, but having the option to refill your hand is sweet.

Spread: 1

Power; 3

There aren’t a whole lot of Blue decks that discard often enough to make Drake Haven worthwhile, but Baral control might be one of them.

Spread: 4

Power: 4

The strongest X mana draw spell in monoblue ever printed. I would play this in any deck already running Blue Sun’s Zenith and Stroke of Genius.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Sift is far too weak for most Commander decks, but this could do good work in Brago decks that were already blinking Oath of Jace.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

In decks that have enough self discard this card is comparable to Elesh Norn. It even cycles which makes it easy to reanimate and smooths out draws. Plus, if you’re playing it in a green deck, you can find it with Survival of the Fittest, cast it, and then use Survival to cycle through a bunch of creatures and pile counters on your opponents’ stuff.

Spread: 4

Power: 1

Very expensive, only hoses one person, and 5 life per turn cycle is not the fastest clock.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

She's a Zombify with a couple of tokens attached. That’s probably good enough for a Zombie tribal deck but I don’t think she’s good enough for decks that aren’t interested in Zombie synergies since cheaper reanimation exists.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Lumping these together because both of them are limited to Zombie tribal decks. I think both cards are a little on the weak side, but it’s not like Zombies were a strong tribe to begin with, so they ought to fit in just fine.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

Hapatra can use it to generate more bodies to power her sac outlets or swing with, while The Scorpion God can keep stinging scarabs to farm cards.

Spread: 5

Power: 2

If you want this effect, Hero’s Downfall is just a much better card, since being able to interact with your opponents on their turn is way more relevant to most games than a smidgen of graveyard hate and a 2/2.

Spread: 4

Power: 3

This is a decent card that suffers from an abundance of strong competitors. It’s probably the fourth-best mono-Red artifact destruction spell (after Fiery Confluence, Vandalblast, and Shattering Spree), but that might be too low on the totem pole to make it into most decks.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Joins the long list of cards that infinite combo with Kiki-Jiki. Also goes infinite with other copy effects and is serviceable in aggro decks, as well.

Spread: 1

Power: 1

It’s flashy, but it’s mostly worse than Final Fortune, and it’s not like anybody was playing that card.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Repeatable red removal, even if every other turn.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

The only deck I can think of that would be interested in both the haste and the sacrificing would be Marchesa, the Black Rose.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

It’s a little reductive to call this a Cleaver Riot, but that’s the easiest point of comparison for evaluating this effect. I think most Red decks will pass on this card, but Heartless Hidetsugu needs damage doublers so he can eliminate any player foolish enough to let their life total settle on an even number. 

Spread: 5

Power: 3

Really good in metagames with lots of mana dorks and utility creatures. Plus, cycling means that it’ll never be a dead card. High ceiling + high floor = probably worth running.

Spread: 3

Power: 2

It mostly seems worse than Elvish Piper (and it’s not like Elvish Piper is that great), since it requires you to risk it in combat, it only works every other turn, and you can’t surprise anyone by dropping fatties in during combat/at end of turn. It's probably also worse than Frontier Siege in terms of total mana generation.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

There are plenty of Green decks that are dependent on mana dorks, and a decent number with token themes, but I still wouldn’t expect this to regularly ramp out more than two lands until you get to the late game (at which point the ramp is not very impactful).

Spread: 4

Power: 3

Comparable to Reclamation Sage. Manglehorn is stronger in metas where fast artifact mana is prevalent since it greatly slows down development in exchange for flexibility and a superior creature type. It’s pretty reasonable to run both. Also relevant is how it shuts off Winter Orb the turn it comes in, removing the surprise factor.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

I think this card could have legs in Enchantress builds. Enchantress builds tend to be Pillowfort-y and have a lot of mana lying around, so paying 8 mana to shut out flyers isn’t far outside of what those decks were already doing. Plus, Enchantress decks tend to be low on win conditions, which a steady stream of 5/5s ought to ameliorate.

Spread: 3

Power: 3

Only good in creature-heavy decks, and especially strong in Animar and Momir Vig. Unlike Oracle of Mul Daya, you might not get immediate value out of him in the early game since the creatures will cost mana that you might not have and it’s harder to chain together multiple creatures. Solid in Monogreen since the creature density tends to be higher and ramp spells shuffle the deck for a redraw.

Spread: 4

Power: 1

Doesn’t protect itself, and it’s not guaranteed to get you card advantage unless you go through the trouble of setting it up. The ultimate is also pretty weak in this format.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

There aren’t a whole lot of Red/White Voltron commanders that don’t already have double strike, but I think Zurgo will be eyeing this as a means of shortening his clock.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

Every new cycle of duals with basic land types makes fetches that much better, and obviously cycling makes these lands more useful in the late game than most other mana fixers. I’d consider these a staple part of a Commander manabase, although I’d be wary about running them in decks that desperately need all their lands to come into play untapped (decks with really tight curves and/or decks that need to get a lot done in the first few turns of the game, for example).

Wrapping Up

Let me know if you think I’ve misjudged any of these cards or if you’ve discovered any other cool uses for cards from Amonkhet that I didn’t think of. Thanks for reading!

[aicelab]

If you avoid these errors, you almost become a successful DropShipper by yourself.

DropShipping is rightly regarded as a true success model in e-commerce. Low start-up costs and manageable running costs give this trading concept its extraordinary potential. However, if an entrepreneur does not know how to avoid a number of typical mistakes, he will also suffer shipwreck with this business model.

How DropShipping becomes your personal recipe for success

For some years now, it has been impossible to imagine the e-commerce start-up scene without the DropShipping trading model. No other business concept in this industry offers such a good opportunity/risk profile. DropShippers do not need any special capital for the start and also have a clear advantage in terms of running costs. They save a lot of time by eliminating the tedious and small-step order processing, which they can profitably invest in marketing their offers and customer care. In this way, a profitable online shop is created within a short period of time, which can feed its operator well and whose workload is kept within clear limits.

DropShipping finally provides equal opportunities for young founders and prospective entrepreneurs. The business model is available to everyone, regardless of origin, financial possibilities and creditworthiness.

Good entrepreneurs know exactly how to avoid mistakes

Successful entrepreneurs should above all have a talent: You need to know how to avoid serious mistakes in your own business. If a young company fails, this is usually not the result of poor market conditions and a lack of potential, but usually the consequence of serious mistakes in the management. If you know the most important sources of error, then you can optimally protect yourself from driving your own start-up against the wall within a short time.

The DropShipping trading model is characterized above all by its low complexity. And the potential sources of error that young entrepreneurs should beware of are correspondingly clear. We have listed the crucial mistakes that can lead to the failure of DropShipping companies for you and explain exactly how you can consistently avoid them. In this way, you will be able to bring your DropShipping start-up on the road to success and keep it that way.

Error 1: Underestimate the effort

A start-up in the area of DropShipping requires hardly any capital at the start and is associated with considerably less work than the management of a trading company in the classic area. However, in view of these excellent start-up opportunities, founders should by no means underestimate the small but definitely existing effort they will have to make. If you don’t want to experience an unpleasant surprise, you have to reckon with smaller expenses, for example for a powerful PC, office equipment, office supplies or fees for software use or hosting.

And you should not be under any illusions when it comes to the time required. It’s true that as a DropShipping retailer you don’t have to deal with the packaging and shipping of parcels. However, the time saved in this way should definitely be invested in the marketing of the shop and offers and in the support of prospective customers and customers. This is the only way to gain a clear lead over the competition and to exploit the full potential of DropShipping.

It is therefore essential that you plan for certain expenses and that you take into account a realistic amount of time spent working in your own company.

Error 2: Put on the wrong suppliers

Your suppliers play a very special role in drop shipping. You are the direct interface between your company and your customers. If the supplier proves to be unreliable and, for example, sends the orders of your buyers too late or in poor quality, then this always falls back on you as the shop operator. It does not matter to your customers whether you have commissioned another company to process the order or whether you yourself are responsible for the malfunction. An unsatisfied customer will avoid your shop in the future and prefer to carry his money to the competition.

With this in mind, it is very important that you make every effort to select your drop shipping suppliers. Check the companies in question thoroughly in advance and include only those partners in your supplier pool who are distinguished by reliability, professionalism and seriousness. In addition, a good supplier will always draw your attention to new interesting products and thus help you to make your product range permanently attractive.

Before you decide to cooperate with a new supplier, you should first complete a few test orders and pay close attention to how quickly and in what condition the goods arrive at your premises.

Error 3: Select products with high returns rate

Returns of orders by your customers are a serious disruption of the DropShipping business model. If you are forced to take back a shipment, you will have to unpack it and check it. Then you are faced with the question of whether you can reintroduce the product directly into the goods cycle or whether its condition means that it is only suitable for recycling. In any case, returns put a significant strain on your workflow and, as they accumulate, can quickly eat up your good profits.

There are various reasons for a high return rate. Often the reason for the return lies in the product itself. This is especially true if the article does not meet the qualitative requirements of the customer. It is also possible, however, that the product description in the shop may create false expectations among your customers. If the article arrives then the expectations are inevitably disappointed and a return is made.

Always keep an eye on the return rate for certain products and try to find out why an item is returned more often than others. In this case, change the product description or, if nothing else helps, part with the article in question.

Error 4: Neglect marketing

As a DropShipping retailer, you benefit greatly from the opportunity to take care of the marketing of your shop and your offers. While your conventional competitors have to deal with the tedious handling of orders on a daily basis, DropShipper gives you enough time to familiarize yourself with marketing and online marketing and thus give your shop a very good chance of success.

However, you should also make the most of this potential, otherwise you will simply give away a valuable opportunity. A widespread mistake in drop shipping is to neglect marketing and thus fall further and further behind in the field of competitors.

Avoid falling into this dangerous trap and give top priority to marketing your shop and offers. Always remember that you need as many customers as possible in order to position yourself successfully on the market in the long term.

Error 5: Generate high running costs

Especially for new entrepreneurs, the risk of incurring excessive costs in the initial phase after founding is very high. Blinded by initial successes and a growing account balance, many young entrepreneurs feel compelled to immediately reinvest the supposed wealth. In this situation, for example, staff are hired, expensive business premises are rented or a great company car is purchased by leasing. No question: All these things are worth striving for achievements with which one can sweeten one’s life in a pleasant way.

However, each of these purchases significantly increases your running costs. From now on you will have to bear these expenses month after month. But what happens if sales do not flow so generously in the short term? In this situation it can happen to you very quickly that you lose your hopefully started company again.

Keep your running costs under control and try to keep them as low as possible. Better put your surpluses aside for bad times instead of spending them immediately.

If you know the errors that can occur during drop shipping, then you are on the safe side. In addition we would like to give you in our guidebook present new DropShipping strategies for more success. With these you effortlessly increase your potential as an entrepreneur and profit from high sales.

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[harrisjv]

VideoMax Review Discount And Huge Bonus

VideoMax Review - Are you searching for even more understanding concerning VideoMax? Please go through my straightforward evaluation about it before choosing, to evaluate the weak points and staminas of it. Can it be worth your time and effort and also cash?

7 Video clip marketing patterns that will certainly continue into 2019

Given that our previous blog post on this topic, the proportion of business identifying the advantages of utilizing video clip marketing has risen from 63% in 2017 to 81% in 2018. These companies are plainly recognizing that VideoMax Material is now an important tool in their sales utility belt.

For the previous two years, video clip material has actually experienced an unmatched increase in popularity as a device for marketing. Whether you are doing your regular online store, playing Candy Crush or researching the quickest method to take a trip to your aunt's house, it's there. Have you ever before visited to Facebook to overtake your close friends, and logged off an hour later on having conserved a delicious brand-new recipe as well as bought a brand-new, sophisticated set of socks? You're not the only one. Such is the indisputable power of Video clip Marketing.

With 76% of marketing experts reporting that video has helped boost their business sales, its influence can not be disregarded. It's not only firms who are profiting, however. 20 years ago, young adults would shriek with delight at a glimpse of Justin Timberlake, Tom Cruise ship as well as the stars of TELEVISION show Ally McBeal-- Justin as well as Tom have actually still got it yet YouTube stars, vloggers as well as also specialist gamers are related to with the exact same love. Without video content, this success would not have been possible.

In our previous access, we discovered a few of the benefits of video clip over various other types of content. We will certainly now take a better take a look at the video fads that we can anticipate to maintain growing for the remainder of 2018, well into 2019.

Video Marketing Fad # 1: Spielberg in your pocket

Do you recognize anyone without a mobile phone or tablet computer? Nowadays, that's like asking if you understand anyone without a head.

If you leave your house in a thrill, you could neglect your wallet. Drag. You may forget your secrets. Darn it. However if you forget your smart device ...?! Just how will you cope? Suppliers have actually got wise to the reality that individuals are expecting our phones to act as an expansion of ourselves instead of a mere device, specifically when VideoMax involves the picture quality generated by the integrated cameras.

Smart device electronic cameras are now like an added pair of eyes, producing images and also video of such quality that on the internet visitors can feel they are with you; climbing up that mountain, browsing the shopping center and consuming that vegan, paleo, gluten-free hamburger.

Steven Soderbergh, director of Sea's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, Erin Brockovich, as well as Magic Mike has all the movie studio paraphernalia at his disposable, yet also he selected to film his latest film entirely on an apple iphone.

With the capability to produce such quality literally at our fingertips, creating engaging, appealing video advertising material is no longer the advantage of big sector alone.

Video Clip Marketing Pattern # 2: It's hip to be square

Simply a couple of years back, marvelous widescreen was where it went to. Most people have a widescreen television to get that full cinema experience in the house. Nonetheless, if our practices continue to advance, VideoMax looks likely that soon those TVs will be accumulating dirt.

Researches suggest the average individual invests 45 mins everyday watching mobile videos on-line, and also it is predicted that the web will catch up with tv in terms of hrs seen in 2019. All you require to do take a look around any kind of coffee bar to see that this forecast is most likely to find true; gone is the buzz of discussion, to be changed by staring at screens while drinking a cappucino.

Due to this increase of mobile video, pictures are evolving from the horizontal, vast layout we are all knowledgeable about, to the vertical.

Fortunately, this advertising pattern is very easy to stay on par with by creating video clips in a square style. When Instagram introduced it was right in addition to this. Initially, the new, square format appeared alien but now it's typical. When it pertains to Facebook, square video clips inhabit 78% more space in its News area as well as receives a higher portion of engagement.

Video Advertising Pattern # 3: Keep an eye out! It's behind you!

360 level video clips are on the increase, alongside digital reality.

By supplying users with a much more 3-Dimensional, immersive experience by means of video, they practically feel like they are right there, despite the fact that they could be in their PJs, consuming Jerky on the sofa.

These types of video clips are especially beneficial tools for those in the traveling and tourism sector. After years of tourists grumbling "it's absolutely nothing like VideoMax remained in the brochure", they can now get the full image. In fact, if a location or resort does not stay up to date with this trend, potential consumers might begin to question what they are hiding.

Video Advertising Fad # 4: Place your pocketbook away

Hands up who intends to spend much more on advertising. Nobody? Certainly you don't! In a world of increasing expenses, it is a welcome relief that reducing expenditure no longer has to suggest cutting web content when creating video.

As formerly discussed, high quality video is simple to accomplish with just a smartphone as well as a straightforward editing and enhancing app. Even if you have the creativity of a potato, the rise of the job economic situation implies working with professionals to layout, movie or voice your video clip is extra economical than it ever was.

Video Clip Advertising Trend # 5: Welcome the globe to your event

Videos don't only need to concentrate on selling and promotion to reap financial benefits. E-learning videos can profit both customers and staff members.

Training days can be a nightmare for staff members. Needing to take a day out of their active timetable to being in a feral room to pay attention to a person talk at them concerning the value of spread sheet maintenance is far from appealing.

Video can communicate a lot greater than words, especially if it is a complicated or, risk we state, plain topic. In just a few frameworks, computer animations can state far more than a whole day in a stuffy training area can. Also, by utilizing video, you can train more employees at any kind of one-time-- they can also find out in the comfort of their own residence, conserving loan for the company on all fronts.

For VideoMax clients, e-learning remains to be a versatile, easily accessible alternative for those with busy way of livings wanting to discover brand-new skills. You can also incorporate material training as well as advertising and marketing by using a training course as an incentive for customers who accept share their information. Win-win!

Video Clip Advertising Fad # 6: It's still awesome to be slick

Broadcasting live? Yes. It might seem daunting some, yet if your business is to stay on par with the pattern, it's something you're mosting likely to need to think about.

The ongoing development of Social Media platforms is driving this. Look at Instagram's launch of Live Streaming at the beginning of 2018. Actually, with 50 million even more customers than Snapchat, Instagram is driving lots of patterns in Video clip Marketing as well as is definitely one to see. Likewise, Facebook Live broadcasts have actually increased year on year considering that its launch in 2016.

If you are yet to embrace the power of Social media site, it's time to hop on board, make close friends with it and also treat it like a partner.

The wish for real-time material is definitely growing in toughness. Actually, upwards of 13% of internet traffic from VideoMax originates from online video clips. Below are a few reasons why:

Cost-effective

Broadcasting live eliminates at any time and investment previously utilized in manufacturing and editing and enhancing. The video clip after that stays on the system, all set to be shared and also reposted.

Authentic

Target market are most likely to depend on live streaming. They understand it hasn't been doctored as well as it exudes authenticity.

Engaging

Individuals spend three times much longer viewing live video clips online compared to their pre-recorded counterparts. The spontaneity as well as regarded risk involved in an online program is extremely compelling.

Video Advertising Trend # 7: From one to a million

It only takes one engaged individual to spread your message to millions of consumers around the world. Simply one. This is the potential video advertising, as well as social networks currently has.

The competitors for clicks is raging. Although the manufacturing is extra obtainable than ever, it will always require creative thinking, ability as well as an understanding of human psychology to launch an absolutely effective campaign.

To cover it up

It only takes one involved individual to spread your message to millions of customers across the globe. Just one. This is the possible video clip advertising and social media now has. The competition for VideoMax clicks is raging.

Although the production is more easily accessible than ever before, it will constantly need creativity, ability and an understanding of human psychology to release a truly successful campaign!

VideoMax Review & Introduction

Designer: Dr Ope Banwo

Item: VideoMax

Launch Date: 2019-Jan-22

Release Time: 11:00 EST

Front-End Price: $27

Particular niche: Video clip

What Is VideoMax?

VideoMax is new video clip Advertising and marketing Innovation that permits you to include limitless contact us to activities, optin types as well as any kind of html elements on top of your youtube or wordpress videos to take prompt activity as well as transform those clients/ visitors right into direct leads, sales as well as payments for you.

PROS

Add social sharing switches on top of your video clips

Add Click To Call/ Action For Click To Share Your Video clip

Include Unlimited Optin Forms On Your Video clip

Add Banners Advertisements Inside Your Video clips

Add affiliate links right into your video clip and earn money

Ability to add a survey in addition to your video clips

Quickly Redirect to pages after playback

Automate Email List building with approximately 10 Autoresponder assimilations

VideoMax Characteristics & Benefits

Include social sharing buttons on top of your videos

Include multiple social media sites sharing icons on your video clips so Customers can share your material across 5 social media systems for even more reach and unrestricted website traffic ...

Include Click To Call/ Action For Click To Share Your Video

Now you can make audiences do something about it after, prior to and even at the middle of viewing your video advertisements. Make your customers take any type of activity you desire straight from inside your Video clips ... It could be to a landing page, to a sales page or even to a check out page ...

Automate Email List building with up to 10 Autoresponder combinations

VideoMax has up to 10 e-mail autoresponder integrations that you can select and also incorporate your optin type to. So when audiences optin to your optin form inside your video, their e-mail address goes directly right into your email autoresponder. This is Checklist building on Steroids.

Capability to include a survey on top of your videos

Add a study on top of your videos so customers can share what they think about your video clip and also this likewise aids with comments for additional marketing functions.

Add Unlimited Optin Forms On Your Video clip

With VideoMax you can include endless optin kinds directly inside your video clip and you can utilize this to accumulate leads right from inside your video and convert them for even more sales, commissions as well as profits

Include affiliate web links right into your video clip and also generate income

Add your affiliate web links appropriate inside your evaluation video clips for immediate sales and also compensations

You can add your webinar web links as well as lots of other choices

Have a Video ad for your webinar? You can currently gather leads best inside your video clips, obtain endless button web traffic also right from inside your video clip ad. Send your customers to your webinar registration page right from inside your videos too.

Video Training & Text Guidebook

Complete step-by-step training on just how to make use of the software program for finest results ... Software is additionally idiot-proof to make use of. Definitely no technology abilities needed!

Price & Assessment

FRONT END: VideoMax License includes [Developer + Commercial]

- Regular monthly: $27. - Yearly: $57. - Charter: $67.

OTO1: VideoMax Professional Advertising And Marketing Toolkit [Professional Website + Complete Advertising And Marketing Equipment]

VideoMax Installment ($ 97 One-Time).

Downsell 1: VideoMax Professional Advertising Toolkit [Specialist Site + Total Advertising Tools] ($ 67 One-Time)

OTO 2: VideoMax Reseller Plans

50 Licenses: $127. 200 Licenses - $147.

OTO 3: VideoMax VIP Mastermind

- Weekly Webinars. - Q and also A Sessions.

$ 1 Test. $ 47 Month-to-month.

Conclusion

" It's A Good deal. Should I Spend Today?"

Not only are you obtaining accessibility to VideoMax for the best rate ever supplied, yet also You're spending totally without danger. VideoMax consist of a 30-day Refund Guarantee Plan. When you select VideoMax, your fulfillment is guaranteed. If you are not completely pleased with it for any type of reason within the initial 30 days, you're entitled to a complete reimbursement - no doubt asked. You've got absolutely nothing to shed! What Are You Waiting for? Try It today as well as obtain The Adhering to Perk Currently!

[douchebagbrainwaves]

KEEP YOUR MIND

Larry Ellison, Michael Dell, Jeff Bezos, Gordon Moore. In effect, this structure gives the investor a free option on the next round, which they'll only take if it's worse for the world. But this will change if enough startups choose SF over the Valley. Historically the closest analogy to what he does are the great Renaissance patrons of the arts. But we knew it was possible to start on that little because we started Viaweb on $10,000 of seed money from our friend Julian.1 You could not nest statements. If you want to be on it or close to those who are.

As a Lisp hacker.2 A fair number of smart people, but diluted by a much larger number of neanderthals in suits.3 When most people think. The suburbs of Pittsburgh in the 1970s it was fashionable to design new programming languages.4 Was the person genuinely smart?5 Some VCs will probably adapt, by doing more, smaller deals. If you ever end up running a company, you'll have the most freedom. A fair number of smart people too, but I don't think we will, with server-based software, you can try importing startups on a larger scale. Most startups that fail do it because they fail at one of these.6 It's more straightforward just to make the check out to, you're going to make money from it. I earlier called the central fact of philosophy: that words break if you push them too far.7

Having your language designed by a committee is a big bias toward writing the application in the same way a low-restriction exhaust system makes an engine more powerful. You can tell just by looking at structural evidence, and structurally philosophy is young; it's still reeling from the unexpected breakdown of words. Often they're people who themselves got rich from startups. But they grew into it really quickly; some of these guys now seem about four inches taller metaphorically than they did at the beginning of the summer, turned out to be right, and of all the future work we'd do, which turned out to be useful for server based software, surprisingly, is continuations. I believed I understood them, but because you need more of them than anything else. Customers loved us. It does seem to me very important to be able to sign up a lot of Lisp's unpopularity is simply due to having an unfamiliar syntax.

I. And there is a role for mathematical elegance: some kinds of work, all you need is a handful of talented colleagues.8 And a good thing.9 But they share, along with Ruby and Icon, and Joy, and J, and Lisp, and each year the median language gets more Lisplike. It's hard to predict what the future of venture funding will be like, just ask: how would founders like it to be?10 The competitors Google buried would have done better to spend those millions improving their software.11 In these the best practitioners aren't conveniently collected in a few top university departments and research labs—partly because talent is harder to judge, and partly because people pay for these things, so one doesn't need to rely on teaching or research funding to support oneself. Imagine waking up after such an operation. Partly because you don't need to write it yourself, then all that code is doing nothing but make your manual thick.

Arguably it's an interesting failed experiment. Both founders and investors tend to take these for granted now. If you want ideas for startups, but most reduce to this: look at something people are trying to do, personally, is discover a new abstraction—something that would make as much of the company. This is a crucial difference between startups and big companies. That's what makes theoretical knowledge prestigious.12 Startups often make things cheaper, so in that respect they're better positioned to prosper in a recession than big companies.13 Picking startups is a principle I learned from studying philosophy.14

That makes Wodehouse doubly impressive, because it meant that to write as he wanted to, he had to commit to being despised in his own startup, go ahead. So I hope people will not be too offended if I propose that ancient philosophers were similarly naive. The big disadvantage of the new system is that it helps most to be in a great city. As well as writing software, I had to do sales and customer support. And people don't learn merely to get a good job, is a language that actually seems better than others that are available, there will always be both supply and demand. With server-based apps get released. Indeed, food is an excellent metaphor to explain what's wrong with the usual sort of job. Even now there is too much money chasing too few good deals.15 The only way to do it.16 Steve Jobs People alive when Kennedy was killed usually remember exactly where I was when a friend asked if I'd heard Steve Jobs had cancer. Paradoxically, fundraising is this type of distraction, so try to minimize that too.

Notes

I'm satisfied if I could pick them, just as Europeans finished assimilating classical science. If you extrapolate another 20 years, but they seem to be discovered. Classical Athens saw a similar effect, however, by decreasing the difference between good and bad luck.

The original version of the world as a general term might be a big change from what it can buy. Within an hour over the details. And though they have less money, it's hard to tell computers how to allocate research funding moderately well, partly because it has about the cheapest food available. This is not a chain-smoking drunk who pours his soul into big, plus they are in research departments.

Actually Emerson never mentioned mousetraps specifically. He did eventually graduate at about 26. But it will have to do that. Though we're happy to provide when it's aligned with some question-begging answer like it's inappropriate, while simultaneously implying that you're not sure.

In fact, we found Dave Shen there, only Jews would move there, only Jews would move there, and philosophy the imprecise half.

At some point has a word meaning how one feels when things go well. Foster, Richard, Life of Isaac Newton, p.

In practice you can use this technique, you'll find that with a potential acquirer unless you want as an expert—which, if you make money. It's hard to erase from a technology center is the only one person could go at a blistering pace in the sense of the essence of something or the power that individual customers have over established companies can't simply eliminate new competitors may be useful here, which would cause other problems. Because we want to write your thoughts down in the absence of objective tests. When I talk about the Thanksgiving turkey.

This suggests a way in which multiple independent buildings are gutted or demolished to be is represented by Milton. Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston.

This is a coffee-drinking vegan cartoonist whose work they see of piracy, which is not a problem this will make grad students' mouths water, but it's not enough to become addictive. Most of the 70s, moving to Monaco would only give you money for other kinds of startups will generally raise large amounts of money.

A knowledge of human nature, might come from. Even college textbooks is unpleasant work, the most part and you make something popular but from what the editors think the main reason kids lie to them?

It would not be led by a big effect on what you learn in college. Incidentally, I'm guessing the next three years, but you should be. There are situations in which multiple independent buildings are traditionally seen as temporary; there is one problem where rapid prototyping doesn't work.

At this point for me was the ads they show first. Historically, scarce-resource arguments have been seen mentioning the site. So by agreeing to uncapped notes, VCs who can say I need to raise more money chasing the same in the sophomore year. If the startup in the other: the way they have wings and start to spread the story.

Aristotle looked at with fresh eyes and even if the fix is at fault, since they're an existing university, or one near the door. Philadelphia is a way to make a conscious effort. In practice formal logic is not much to say, ending up on the spot very easily.

Sites that habitually linkjack get banned. While the audience already has to be writing with conviction. But I know randomly generated DNA would not be if Steve hadn't come back with my co-founders Mark Nitzberg and Olin Shivers at the network level, and making money on the admissions committee knows the professors who wrote the ordering system and image generator were written in Lisp.

In the Daddy Model may be whether what you have the balls to ask for more than investors. If you're doing.

I think it was one of these companies substitute progress for revenue growth. An earlier version of Explorer. They assumed that their explicit goal at Y Combinator certainly never asks what classes you took in college. Stiglitz, Joseph.

This is why hackers give you term sheets.

Thanks to Jessica Livingston, Trevor Blackwell, Robert Morris, Paul Buchheit, Jason Freedman, Fred Wilson, and Geoff Ralston for sparking my interest in this topic.

[maritzaerwin]

4 Best Ways to Earn More Money as a Virtual Assistant

Earning more money as a virtual assistant is possible if you improve on these key areas: productivity, negotiation, and expertise.

Since your clients want value for money, they’ll always expect you to demonstrate your expertise and deliver quality work within set deadlines.

But reliability, high output, and great virtual assistant skills don’t come cheap. You know that but most clients don’t. That’s where great negotiation skills come in.

If you learn how to ask for the rates you deserve and favorable working terms you’ll always look forward to signing up and onboarding more clients. That translates to more cash and a successful virtual assistant career that others can look up to.

So here’s a game plan for boosting your productivity, skillset, and negotiation skills.

1) Increase Your Productivity

Time is precious in the virtual assistant business. But the ability to work remotely and set a flexible schedule can often tempt you to take your eyes off the goal.

Since most virtual assistants are paid per task it’s important to stay focussed and accomplish as much as possible within a workday.

Lack of focus always starts with distractions and it takes a while to get back to peak concentration.  A study done by the University of California, Irvine discovered that it takes you 23 minutes and 15 minutes to get back on track after a distraction at work.

So first, limit your distractions. Most distractions such as email notifications and unexpected visits from loved ones are caused by others. These are easy to eliminate by reminding your friends and family to respect your workspace and work hours.

You can also disable all email and social media notifications when you’re in the zone and keep your phone at arm’s length until your tasks are complete.

Only allow yourself to be distracted when you take a break from work. You can schedule a 5-minute break after every 25 minutes of work using the Pomodoro Technique. After about 4 breaks, you can allow yourself to have a longer break of about 20 minutes.

If you feel as if your brain is fried at the end of each workday, this technique will keep you from pushing yourself too hard while helping you get work done.

Faced with unpleasant tasks and looming deadlines, most virtual assistants resort to distracting themselves.

Scrolling through your social media feed and putting off your boring tasks may give you short term relief but it lowers your income potential.

Next time you feel like distracting yourself, follow the 5-minute rule that Instagram’s Co-Founder, Kevin Systrom uses to beat procrastination. 

“If you don’t want to do something, make a deal with yourself to do at least five minutes of it. After five minutes, you’ll end up doing the whole thing.” – Kevin Systrom

And he’s right. Once you start on a task and get into the flow state, you’ll get so immersed in your work that you lose track of time.

Once your distractions are out of the way, batch your tasks.

Here’s what batching looks like. You pick similar tasks from multiple projects and group them together. Next, you set aside a block of time to complete these tasks.

Have a look at this social media manager’s to-do list:

Research and create content for social media channels.

Update the social media calendar.

Schedule social media posts.

Respond to social media messages.

Monitor brand mentions.

Monitor competitors’ social media channels.

Find and engage with potential customers and brand advocates.

Engage with thought leaders.

Engage with social media influencers.

The social media manager may group these tasks in three different batches as follows:

a) Content Creation

Research and create content for social media channels.

Update the social media calendar.

Schedule social media posts.

b) Communication

Respond to social media messages.

Monitor brand mentions.

Monitor competitors’ social media channels.

c) Outreach

Find and engage with potential customers and brand advocates.

Engage with thought leaders.

Engage with social media influencers.

The second to-do list seems more manageable, allowing him to use one skill at maximum efficiency as he concentrates on one task at a time. Switching virtual assistant tasks wastes time and leads to more errors which inevitably lowers your income.

Lastly, automate your tasks. Some tasks only keep you busy rather than earn you more money.

A great example is setting up meetings and calls with clients. You can reduce all the back and forth by using appointment booking software. Clients can just pick a date and time that’s convenient for them saving you time to work on more challenging tasks.

Other tasks that you can automate include task management, customer service, and bookkeeping.

To become your most productive self, you must understand how you use your time. Using a productivity app will help you know where all the time goes, so you can make adjustments to your schedule and start earning more.

Productivity Apps Every Virtual Assistant Should Try

RescueTime: This app automatically tracks your time and helps you set productivity goals. For instance, you can set a reminder for spending less time on your email inbox. In addition, it tracks time spent in meetings, commutes, calls, and breaks so you can have an in-depth report of time spent each day.

Focus@Will: Using streamlined music, Focus@Will keeps your brain in a focus-flow state. This improves your motivation, learning, and memory, allowing you to get more tasks done.                   

2) Get In-Demand Virtual Assistant Skills

According to Small Revolution’s Virtual Assistant’s Salary: The Definitive Guide, work experience plays a major role in increasing your income.

Employers pay virtual assistants based on three levels of experience – beginner, intermediate and specialist. The scope of work, also related to a virtual assistant’s skill level also comes into play when an employer is considering what to pay a VR.

Entry-level virtual assistants display basic skills and get paid the lowest rates. A beginner VA typically earns between $10 – $20 per hour.

Virtual assistants with intermediate skills get an average income. They usually have a few years of experience and online job training under their belt. Experienced virtual assistants attract a payment of $11 – $30 per hour.

Specialist virtual assistants have worked long enough to decide what niche they’d like to focus on. They have mastery in at least one skill such as graphic design or email marketing and are therefore able to command more pay than the other two levels. A specialist virtual assistant can earn between $14 – $35.

So how do you upgrade your skills to start earning more? Pick a niche for yourself and enroll in an online course. You’ll be able to ask for more pay when you can demonstrate additional skills to your client. Here are a few skills you can add to your virtual assistant resume.

Social media marketing: Learning how to market your client’s business online through ads will pique the client’s interest. If you’re already updating your client’s social media pages, take on more responsibility and get paid more.

Graphic design: Learning how to create visually appealing graphics will make it easier to update your client’s social media channels, website, and sales pages.

Affiliate program management: Learning how to set up and manage an army of marketers will drive traffic to your client’s website and increase sales which translates to higher pay for you.

Remember to keep yourself updated on industry trends by attending networking events. Interacting with other skilled virtual assistants will open your eyes to more income-generating opportunities.

Another way to reap from peer to peer education is by working in a coworking space.  A work from home career can be very isolating so you must be proactive in joining a community of experienced virtual assistants if you want to grow.

3) Become a Better Negotiator

Being busy as a virtual assistant doesn’t always translate into financial success especially if you don’t match your rates to the quality services you provide. To avoid selling yourself short, you must understand your worth.

Look to your experience and expertise, keeping in mind all the projects you’ve worked on in the past. Consider the amount of time it has taken you to perfect your skills as well as the demands this new client will place on your time. That should give you the confidence to ask for more when you enter into a negotiation.

Since you’ve already started working as a VA, you probably have a minimum acceptable rate that you charge your clients.

Virtual assistants arrive at this amount by summing up their monthly expenses with their business expenses. They then divide it by the number of hours worked in that month. Sounds familiar?

If you’ve been using guesswork to know how much you should charge a client, here’s a formula that will come in handy next time:

Minimum acceptable rate = (business costs + personal overheads) / worked hours) + tax

The minimum acceptable rate sets the groundwork in every negotiation and clients will pay what you ask for if you’re willing to demonstrate value.

Understand the client’s problems and show them how your time and skills can help solve these challenges. Provide as much value as possible and soon you’ll be an irreplaceable member of your client’s team.

The elements of negotiation aren’t always fixed. If you can’t get exactly what you want out of a negotiation, employ the Expanding Pie Principle.

Introduce benefits, annual bonus paid time off or health insurance into the negotiation. Find out how you and the client can arrive at a win-win arrangement even though they can’t match your rates.

4) Prevent Virtual Assistant Burnout

Negotiation isn’t always about money. It also involves setting boundaries around your availability so that you can prevent virtual assistant burnout.

Raising your income puts pressure on you to get more work done which, if left unchecked, pushes you closer to exhaustion, alienation and poor performance.

You know you’re suffering from burnout, when you lack concentration, feel less engaged at work and even avoid social situations. You start having a series of bad days which places a tremendous amount of stress on personal and professional relationships.

You start to lose money and your reputation as a reliable and competent virtual assistant starts to fade. Burnout may cost you your hard-earned career.

At the root of burnout is excessive and prolonged stress. Therefore, stress management strategies such as regular exercise, quality sleep, and proper work-life balance are critical.

Use your free time to not only do the things you love but to also build a supportive network of friends. When you’re alone, it’s easy for challenges to seem bigger than they actually are.

Social contact gives you the opportunity to gain a different perspective on the challenges you face and reminds you that you are not alone.

As a result, you’ll come back to your workspace with renewed focus, ready to overcome any obstacles that may stand in the way of you earning more money in your virtual assistant business.

The post 4 Best Ways to Earn More Money as a Virtual Assistant appeared first on CareerMetis.com.

4 Best Ways to Earn More Money as a Virtual Assistant published first on https://skillsireweb.tumblr.com/

[shirlleycoyle]

How Google Changed the Secretive Market for the Most Dangerous Hacks in the World

Between 2016 and 2018, Ian Beer found more than 30 vulnerabilities in the iPhone’s operating system. These bugs were worth millions of dollars on the open market.

Beer’s ultimate goal is to make the iPhone even more secure, but he doesn't work at Apple. He's a hacker for Google’s Project Zero, an elite hacking team focused on finding bugs in popular software and products made by companies like Apple, Microsoft, and by Google itself.

In between hunting bugs, Beer has also released a tool to help other researchers jailbreak the iPhone in order to find bugs in iOS, and taunted Apple during a talk at a security conference where he asked the company to donate his would-be rewards to a charity.

“I'd love to get a chance to sit down with you and discuss how together we can make iOS even more secure for all our users. Cheers,” Beer wrote in a tweet directed at Apple’s CEO Tim Cook at the time. (Apple has tried to hire Beer, according to two sources with knowledge, but for now he remains at Google.)

In other words, Beer wants to avoid precisely the scenario he laid out in a bombshell analysis he published at the end of August, where he detailed a shocking years-long campaign to hack iPhones in China.

“The reality remains that security protections will never eliminate the risk of attack if you're being targeted,” Beer, who used to work at GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence agency, wrote in a blog post. “To be targeted might mean simply being born in a certain geographic region or being part of a certain ethnic group. All that users can do is be conscious of the fact that mass exploitation still exists and behave accordingly; treating their mobile devices as both integral to their modern lives, yet also as devices which when compromised, can upload their every action into a database to potentially be used against them.”

The researcher did not name them, but that “certain ethnic group” was later revealed to be the persecuted Uyghur minority in China’s province of Xinjiang. Apple confirmed news reports that the Uyghurs where the targets of the campaign in a statement that challenged some details of Google’s report.

This latest research has earned Google headlines all over the world, but Beer is only one of a team full of a team of superstar hackers, which include Natalie Silvanovich, Tavis Ormandy, and Jung Hoon Lee, the 25-year-old who was once dubbed one of the world’s best hackers by the The Register. Ever since Project Zero was announced in 2014, these hackers have taken apart software used by millions of people—and predominantly written by other company’s engineers—with a mission to “make zero-day hard.”

Do you work at Google, Apple, or in the security team of another tech giant? Are you a vulnerability researcher? If you have any tips about vulnerabilities and exploits, and the market for them, using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, OTR chat at lorenzofb@jabber.ccc.de, or email lorenzofb@vice.com.

Zero-days are vulnerabilities or bugs in software that are unknown to the software maker, meaning they haven’t been patched yet. Hence their name: the company has been aware of the issue, and able to knowingly fix the bugs, for zero-days. As well as vulnerabilities, the term zero-days can be used to refer to exploits, which are techniques and code used to take advantage of those bugs.

In five years, Project Zero researchers have helped find and fix more than 1,500 vulnerabilities in some of the world’s most popular software, according Project Zero’s own tally. In Apple products, Beer and his colleagues have found more than 300 bugs; in Microsoft’s products they found more than 500; in Adobe's Flash, they found more than 200. Project Zero has also found critical issues in CloudFlare, several antivirus apps, and chat apps such as WhatsApp and FaceTime. A Project Zero researcher was also part of the group who found the infamous Spectre and Meltdown flaws in Intel chips.

These numbers show Project Zero has had a massive impact on the security of devices, operating systems, and applications used by millions of people every day.

For Google, these disclosures give the internet giant good publicity by showing how much the company cares for the security of not just its users—but everyone else too. In assembling one of the most elite hacking teams on the planet, Google is messaging to its customers that it takes security very seriously. Along the way, Google has given itself an excuse to probe its competitors products and software, doubtlessly learning from others' security mistakes. Project Zero has been able to poke holes in the bulletproof mystique of the iPhone's security, which is widely believed to be the hardest consumer device to hack. In doing so, Google is able to insert itself into conversations it might not otherwise be a part of.

Regardless of Project Zero's true mission, there’s no doubt that the team has had a profound influence on the cybersecurity industry in the last five years.

“Without this level of technical detail in the public eye, defenders don't stand a chance.”

For one, Project Zero has normalized something that years ago was more controversial: a strict 90-day deadline for companies that receive its bug reports to patch the vulnerabilities. If they don't patch in that time frame, Google drops the bugs itself. Microsoft, in particular, was not a fan of this policy at the beginning. Today, most companies that interact with Project Zero respect that 90-day deadline as an industry standard, a tidal change in the always controversial debate on the so-called “responsible disclosure”—the idea that security researchers who find vulnerabilities should first disclose them to the affected company, so that it can fix them before the bugs are exploited by hackers. According to its own tally, around 95 percent of bugs reported by Project Zero get patched within that deadline.

“People looked at the way the wind was blowing and then decided that—maybe just maybe— instead of creating a fuss, creating a fix within 90 days was just easier,” said Chris Evans, Project Zero’s original team leader.

But perhaps no accolade is more significant than how much people on the other side of Project Zero’s fence, whom Evans would call the “insecurity industry,” hate the Google hackers. This “insecurity industry” is made of companies like Azimuth Security and NSO Group, government contractors whose job is to find bugs and write exploits. But, instead of reporting the vulnerabilities to the companies who own the software, these companies sell them to governments who turn them into tools to hack and surveil targets.

“Fuck those guys,” said a researcher who works for a company that does offensive security, referring to Project Zero. “They don’t make the world safer.”

The researcher, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to talk to the press, said that zero-day vulnerabilities are sometimes used to go after terrorists or dangerous criminals. So when Project Zero kills those bugs, it may be killing tools used by intelligence agencies to go after the bad guys, according to the researcher.

In the end, however, Project Zero isn’t really stopping the trade of exploits to governments. If anything, Project Zero is highlighting areas where hackers can find more bugs. According to the researcher, by finding and reporting high-quality bugs, Project Zero is driving up the cost of other bugs and exploits, as they become rarer and harder to find.

“The price goes up and they’re making us all rich,” the researcher said. “Life does get hard, we just charge more. Keep doing what you’re doing, cause I’m getting richer.”

Ben Hawkes, Project Zero’s current team leader, thinks that being open about zero-days and detailing them in blog posts ultimately benefits users by pressuring companies to improve the security of their products, and show them what skilled hackers can do to hack them.

“We want to help provide accurate understanding of how attacks work to a wider audience so that users, customers, can ask the right questions and ask for the right things from their vendors and suppliers,” Hawkes said when we met in Las Vegas this summer.

“Fuck those guys, they don’t make the world safer.”

But some think Project Zero may actually be helping law enforcement and intelligence agencies learn from its research and help them develop what are known as N-day or 1-day exploits. These are hacks based on zero-days that have been disclosed—hence their name—but work until the user applies the patch. According to some critics, the ideas here is that malicious hackers could lift the code published by Google researchers as part of their reports and build on it to target users who have yet to update their software.

Earlier this year in Las Vegas, during the Pwnie Awards ceremony, a mostly satirical affair that recognizes the best and worst hacks of the year, the founder of Azimuth Security Marc Dowd joked about this idea. When he was introducing one of the awards for which Project Zero was nominated, Dowd called the Google team “NSO Group’s commercial arm.”

There is no evidence that government hackers have taken the exploits published in Project Zero’s research, and turned them into hacking tools. But—at least in theory—it could have happened, or could happen in the future.

“There are a lot of ways in which attackers can try and create exploits for things that are known,” Evans said. “It's an age old problem of security disclosure, right? If you disclose something will the bad people turn around and use it?”

That shouldn’t stop Project Zero, or others, from sharing detailed knowledge of bugs and exploits, according to Evans.

“Let's be clear, this will happen. Eventually, some researcher, maybe Project Zero, maybe someone else, they'll publish something, and some future harm will occur. But you know, they did the right thing by sharing what they found, so that we can all learn from it,” Evans said. “You got to reserve your anger for the person that did the bad thing, not the security researcher who was just on the journey we're all on to share things and learn together and grow together.”

Hawkes also agrees that there is a risk of something like this happening, but it’s all a matter of keeping an eye on it.

“We have to constantly monitor and assess to make sure that our disclosure policy results in more good than harm,” Hawkes said.

According to him, the reality is that the window of time to exploit users with an N-Day is shrinking on many platforms that have gotten better at forcing users to patch, such as iOS. Plus, Hawkes said, it’s not that easy to turn one of Project Zero’s bugs into reliable N-day exploits. It's one thing to know there’s a bug in software, another to turn it into malware that bad guys can use to hack users. (For example, the much hyped Windows vulnerability known as BlueKeep was disclosed in May, and hackers have yet to turn it into an exploit that works seamlessly and can cause significant damage)

“There's actually a substantial amount of additional research and development that you have to perform to take a Project Zero report and turn it into something that is pragmatically useful as an attacker in the wild,” Hawkes said. That’s because in practice attackers need to chain several different exploits to hack a target, so Project Zero may give them information on one of those links in the chain, but then the attackers need to use that exploit with others.

“The set of people that have that capability, that can perform that research and development. The theory is that they also have the capability to find the zero day themselves. […] That set of people appears to be very very small,” he added.

In other words, there aren’t that many other teams outside of Project Zero and offensive-focused hacking teams who can find highly valuable bugs and write these kinds of exploit.

That’s what makes Project Zero almost unique. It’s a team of extremely talented hackers who devote a lot of time and resources into finding bugs in the software of anyone they think it’s an interesting target. This means that more often than not, highly paid Google hackers are looking at code written by other companies.

“I think we'll look back on Project Zero as previous generations did on AT&T Bell Labs: such a concentration of brilliant minds allowed to direct their own research is a beautiful thing, for however long it lasts, even if not long for this world,” said Katie Moussouris, a security researcher who launched the Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research (MSVR) team in 2008. MSVR is a pioneering program that has very similar goals to those of Project Zero: namely to find, report, and help fix bugs in third-party software. But MSVR has always been a program more than a team. There are no dedicated full time researchers on MSVR, while there’s around a dozen researchers working for Project Zero.

Hawkes is convinced that the world needs more Project Zeros. With that goal in mind, he said him and his colleagues have started to talk to other companies about building a “coalition” or Project Zeros across the industry, academia, and nonprofits.

It’s unclear what this coalition would look like, or who would be willing to be part of it.

Eric Doerr, the person at Microsoft who manages MSVR, said that there are no plans to have researchers work on that program full time, at least for now. We also asked Facebook, Amazon, and Apple if they had any plans to follow Google’s footsteps. Facebook declined to comment, while Apple and Amazon did not respond.

Moussoris agreed with Hawkes that the world needs more security researchers who focus on hard to find bugs, and then tell the world how their attacks worked—no matter who they work for and where the bugs are.

“Without this level of technical detail in the public eye,” she said, “defenders don't stand a chance.”

Subscribe to our new cybersecurity podcast, CYBER.

How Google Changed the Secretive Market for the Most Dangerous Hacks in the World syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[technostruct]

Why firms Are Rapidly Adopting BIM

It is a known fact that BIM is now an industry standard in building and project design. However, it is also a known fact that usage of BIM goes well beyond design, collaboration and 3-D Modeling which are focused on improving efficiency or bottom line of a project. Undoubtedly, these bottom-line benefits are the ones that help a firm save money and magnify its net profit. However, It’s only very rarely that one might notice the top-line benefits of the technology. This is the reason why people might not fully realize the potential of adopting  BIM. When one invests in BIM, one is investing in efficiency improvement, cost reduction, and increasing scale.

Here are some reasons for the rapid adoption of BIM as pointed out by a BIM consulting firm in CA.

Source of Competitive Advantage

There are still many businesses that don’t invest their time, money and resources in BIM. The reason is that many in the industry are yet to fully trust the process. However, when one looks at it from a competitive point of view, BIM actually takes an edge over the traditional processes.

Firms that are BIM enabled can easily convince project owners to adopt BIM in their projects. This then eliminates all the non-BIM firms from this competition automatically. Some competitors may add a further edge to their pitch by utilizing BIM use cases such as 5D BIM or BIM for energy modeling. Through BIM, one can visualize the most realistic models at each and every stage of a project’s life-cycle. It can also be used to demonstrate presentations to stakeholders especially business ones who generally do not have a background in architecture and design.

Better Results through Increased Collaboration

BIM is not simply a technology, it is an ecosystem that allows professionals from various areas like engineering, architecture, construction, engineering, the management  or contracting to collaborate on the same building model. The breadth and depth of expertise of your BIM department play an important role in determining a firm’s capacity for growth. According to BIM Modeling Companies the more you invest in your BIM department the more likely are you to draw clients to your firm. One must realize though that, increasing the department’s capacity does not only mean taking on more workforce. It is actually not that easy a task to find a large audience who are conversant with BIM.

Reduced Risk through Simulation

BIM is not just a 3D Mapping tool that some claim it to be. BIM allows for additional detailed overlays like time, cost, energy that facilitates easy simulation of entire information elements that are involved in finalizing a project. For example, Simulation allows for even assessing whether a particular side of a building will be exposed to more sunlight and hence have a higher energy gradient. This way BIM allows you to build a buildings energy graph and project the cost savings emanating from various models.  

Managing Complexity of Operations

A buildings outward appearance might be the most important thing that catches a person’s eye but it’s the internal operational elements like electrical systems, plumbing, fire, hazard prevention and mechanical systems that are very crucial as they have a very high degree of complexity and any fault might lead to endless ramifications. These internal systems help people move in and out, function effectively and ensure their safety. So all of them need to meet certain quality standards. BIM is a powerful panacea to address this. It allows for effective planning and coordination of these systems from the design stage itself so that no future conflicts emerge.

On-Demand Solution

Old Legacy solutions like CAD systems are very resource heavy in terms of hardware requirements. But with the advent of cloud solutions, BIM packages are nowadays ON demand and can be accessed anytime, anywhere and from any device. If a stakeholder is traveling he or she can easily use a mobile device to access designs. If a contractor wants to review something from onsite that is possible as well. So all in all the On Demand aspect of this solution has made it an industry standard.

Conclusion

Innovation is an ever-growing process and anyone can edge over another, so it is always advisable to be informed and constantly keep innovating. We have clearly elucidated some of the major reasons behind the rapid adoption of BIM. To learn more about BIM and how to implement it and use it in your future projects you can head to www.technostruct.com

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Road to the Fortnite World Cup Finals – Part 2: Dark Horses

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/road-to-the-fortnite-world-cup-finals-part-2-dark-horses/

Road to the Fortnite World Cup Finals – Part 2: Dark Horses

Epic Games has released a new blog post on the Fortnite Competitive Twitter account detailing the World Cup Finals.

Part 2, properly named Dark Horses, focuses on the lesser-known individuals which have qualified for the World Cup; the original Part 1 of this series focused on the big-names.

You can read the full blog post from by Cameron “SUND0WN” McGrory below…

While the Competitive Veterans blog focused on some of the more common names you hear in the competitive Fortnite world, this one will focus on some of the lesser well known players. The goal is to give you an idea of what makes these individuals successful, what the defining factor of their play style is and a little bit about how they got here. Let’s take a look at some of the Dark Horses who have a shot to take home the Championship.

While most of the Fortnite world is familiar with the Tfue’s, Mongraal’s and X2Twins of the world, there are so many additional incredibly talented players who will be taking the stage at the Finals in New York City. Here are some of the players who might not have as much of the fame, but are capable of taking down anyone else in the field and could end up a Fortnite World Cup Champion.

Referred to as one of the strongest players in Europe yet still flying low under the radar of most fans and viewers, Theo “Crue” Ferrer, a double qualified player for the Valhalla Vikings, has the skill set, attitude, and experience to match any other player in the field. Qualifying for the EU Winter Royale Semi-Finals was just the first step in Crue’s consistent run in Competitive Fortnite. Since then, he has qualified and placed within the top 40 consistently in almost every Open event within Fortnite, showing that his strength is consistency and adaptation to a meta that changes constantly. His partner for the duos portion of the cup, Moussa “Chapix” Faour will also be able to take a swing in the Duos segment of the Fortnite World Cup Finals. When both of these competitors get an early and successful rotation, they can set up and bait top players into positional traps near the end game, racking up more and more points as the circles start to move. Setting up funnel strategies like this on Finals day is going to be the win condition for Crue in Solos, and both Crue and Chapix in Duos. Their high game sense combined with months of synergy make them players with an accelerated understanding of game mechanics and movement patterns. Crue has an amazing opportunity to make an impact in both Solos and Duos, so keep an eye on where these guys are on the ladder.

Late game and those final clutch moments in a really close Competitive Fortnite game are very important. To get to those big moving circle rotations that help to survive the rest of the match, you are going to need to have a strong early game. This is where NAE’s Solo qualifier Jonothan “Nittle” Weinmen swoops in harder than anyone else, always getting an early elimination or two, removing any type of comfort a top player in his vicinity has during the early moments of the game. Qualifying in Week 3, Nittle’s aggressive use of pushes early with precise aim and unorthodox angles always makes him start and end a fight with some of the biggest advantages you can possibly see. He’s used his success in the Qualifier weeks to network with other players such as Crimz and Spades, who formed a trio with Nittle, grabbing the second place spot in the first Trios Cash Cup. Playing as an endgame position-focused Duo gives Nittle an extra boost in Solos, rounding out his repertoire and truly making him an ultimate beast of a player early game (and now late game as well). A fully rounded out player going into the Fortnite World Cup Finals with momentum from a high placing tournament finish is a formula built for victory. Anyone and anything in Nittle’s path is up for grabs, whether that’s eliminations, or the title of Solo Fortnite World Cup Champion.

International expectations have been ramping up these past few weeks, and one interaction has been going underway in pro level scrimmages for a few weeks now. OCE’s aggressive duo Parpy and Volx have been causing ripples across NAE games, moving over to NA to get vital practice and fully prepare for the Fortnite World Cup Duo Finals. This Duo’s signature style of fighting has top pros on their heels, always getting tags down first and seamlessly switching between roles amongst themselves mid fight, as well as during late game on rotation. Like two puzzle pieces making up a picture, no other Duo utilizes and exploits their positioning quite as quick or as efficiently in a box fight like Parpy and Volx. Using heavy snipers and unorthodox loadouts as a tool to get in closer and to start fights, one big advantage these competitors have is being the leaders in every engagement and controlling the pace of whatever fight they have with their full-on pressure style from the get-go. Recently, the Duo placed 21st during the Trios Cash Cup in NAE, a region where the strategies, meta, and gamestyle is drastically different. They have already adjusted to how aggressively things work in two different regions, and are about to start putting the pressure on global domination as they finish up practice for the main event.

Over in the South American region, Argentinian Fortnite prodigy Tiago “k1ng” Lapp has been making waves and double qualified through controlled aggressive play. A player on 9z Team, he pushed the limits in a region where only the pinnacle of placements and gameplay would allow you to qualify for the Fortnite World Cup. K1ng’s use of patience and timing, especially in box fights and endgame, messes up the traditional rhythm most players are used to following allowing him to take shots and drop down on players when they are at their most vulnerable. Pioneering the strategy in South American servers of waterfalling down and “all-inning” players with a vertical advantage from odd angles, k1ng shreds the player count. His specialty is in earning high back-to-back elimination games where sometimes the first elimination starts 20 minutes into the match during the sixth moving circle, yet lets him end with over 15 eliminations before he queues up for another. Like a snake charmer he can expect and read opponents with dangerous fangs, moving them exactly where he wants to before he strikes, every move methodical yet tactically aggressive. Qualifying with only eight  games played and a total of 144 points, k1ng will use the advantage he has with double qualifying and being able to absorb as much information as possible during Solos to apply to Duos, potentially bringing out another efficient and repeat performance with record breaking averages.

Will any of these players be able to show the world that they are among the best of the best? Will a new player rise to the fore of the Fortnite scene? Or will the old guard of veterans be able to hold off the horde of hungry newcomers? The ultimate Victory Royale is there for the taking, and any of these players have the ability to take home the title of Fortnite World Cup Champion.

Tune in to the Fortnite World Cup Finals July 26-28, starting each day at 12:30pm Eastern. Watch in-client or fortnite.com/watch

comments below

Source : FortniteIntel

Credits to :

Mitche Reames

[aicelab]

If you avoid these errors, you almost become a successful DropShipper by yourself.

DropShipping is rightly regarded as a true success model in e-commerce. Low start-up costs and manageable running costs give this trading concept its extraordinary potential. However, if an entrepreneur does not know how to avoid a number of typical mistakes, he will also suffer shipwreck with this business model.

How DropShipping becomes your personal recipe for success

For some years now, it has been impossible to imagine the e-commerce start-up scene without the DropShipping trading model. No other business concept in this industry offers such a good opportunity/risk profile. DropShippers do not need any special capital for the start and also have a clear advantage in terms of running costs. They save a lot of time by eliminating the tedious and small-step order processing, which they can profitably invest in marketing their offers and customer care. In this way, a profitable online shop is created within a short period of time, which can feed its operator well and whose workload is kept within clear limits.

DropShipping finally provides equal opportunities for young founders and prospective entrepreneurs. The business model is available to everyone, regardless of origin, financial possibilities and creditworthiness.

Good entrepreneurs know exactly how to avoid mistakes

Successful entrepreneurs should above all have a talent: You need to know how to avoid serious mistakes in your own business. If a young company fails, this is usually not the result of poor market conditions and a lack of potential, but usually the consequence of serious mistakes in the management. If you know the most important sources of error, then you can optimally protect yourself from driving your own start-up against the wall within a short time.

The DropShipping trading model is characterized above all by its low complexity. And the potential sources of error that young entrepreneurs should beware of are correspondingly clear. We have listed the crucial mistakes that can lead to the failure of DropShipping companies for you and explain exactly how you can consistently avoid them. In this way, you will be able to bring your DropShipping start-up on the road to success and keep it that way.

Error 1: Underestimate the effort

A start-up in the area of DropShipping requires hardly any capital at the start and is associated with considerably less work than the management of a trading company in the classic area. However, in view of these excellent start-up opportunities, founders should by no means underestimate the small but definitely existing effort they will have to make. If you don’t want to experience an unpleasant surprise, you have to reckon with smaller expenses, for example for a powerful PC, office equipment, office supplies or fees for software use or hosting.

And you should not be under any illusions when it comes to the time required. It’s true that as a DropShipping retailer you don’t have to deal with the packaging and shipping of parcels. However, the time saved in this way should definitely be invested in the marketing of the shop and offers and in the support of prospective customers and customers. This is the only way to gain a clear lead over the competition and to exploit the full potential of DropShipping.

It is therefore essential that you plan for certain expenses and that you take into account a realistic amount of time spent working in your own company.

Error 2: Put on the wrong suppliers

Your suppliers play a very special role in drop shipping. You are the direct interface between your company and your customers. If the supplier proves to be unreliable and, for example, sends the orders of your buyers too late or in poor quality, then this always falls back on you as the shop operator. It does not matter to your customers whether you have commissioned another company to process the order or whether you yourself are responsible for the malfunction. An unsatisfied customer will avoid your shop in the future and prefer to carry his money to the competition.

With this in mind, it is very important that you make every effort to select your drop shipping suppliers. Check the companies in question thoroughly in advance and include only those partners in your supplier pool who are distinguished by reliability, professionalism and seriousness. In addition, a good supplier will always draw your attention to new interesting products and thus help you to make your product range permanently attractive.

Before you decide to cooperate with a new supplier, you should first complete a few test orders and pay close attention to how quickly and in what condition the goods arrive at your premises.

Error 3: Select products with high returns rate

Returns of orders by your customers are a serious disruption of the DropShipping business model. If you are forced to take back a shipment, you will have to unpack it and check it. Then you are faced with the question of whether you can reintroduce the product directly into the goods cycle or whether its condition means that it is only suitable for recycling. In any case, returns put a significant strain on your workflow and, as they accumulate, can quickly eat up your good profits.

There are various reasons for a high return rate. Often the reason for the return lies in the product itself. This is especially true if the article does not meet the qualitative requirements of the customer. It is also possible, however, that the product description in the shop may create false expectations among your customers. If the article arrives then the expectations are inevitably disappointed and a return is made.

Always keep an eye on the return rate for certain products and try to find out why an item is returned more often than others. In this case, change the product description or, if nothing else helps, part with the article in question.

Error 4: Neglect marketing

As a DropShipping retailer, you benefit greatly from the opportunity to take care of the marketing of your shop and your offers. While your conventional competitors have to deal with the tedious handling of orders on a daily basis, DropShipper gives you enough time to familiarize yourself with marketing and online marketing and thus give your shop a very good chance of success.

However, you should also make the most of this potential, otherwise you will simply give away a valuable opportunity. A widespread mistake in drop shipping is to neglect marketing and thus fall further and further behind in the field of competitors.

Avoid falling into this dangerous trap and give top priority to marketing your shop and offers. Always remember that you need as many customers as possible in order to position yourself successfully on the market in the long term.

Error 5: Generate high running costs

Especially for new entrepreneurs, the risk of incurring excessive costs in the initial phase after founding is very high. Blinded by initial successes and a growing account balance, many young entrepreneurs feel compelled to immediately reinvest the supposed wealth. In this situation, for example, staff are hired, expensive business premises are rented or a great company car is purchased by leasing. No question: All these things are worth striving for achievements with which one can sweeten one’s life in a pleasant way.

However, each of these purchases significantly increases your running costs. From now on you will have to bear these expenses month after month. But what happens if sales do not flow so generously in the short term? In this situation it can happen to you very quickly that you lose your hopefully started company again.

Keep your running costs under control and try to keep them as low as possible. Better put your surpluses aside for bad times instead of spending them immediately.

If you know the errors that can occur during drop shipping, then you are on the safe side. In addition we would like to give you in our guidebook present new DropShipping strategies for more success. With these you effortlessly increase your potential as an entrepreneur and profit from high sales.

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