#if i could figure out how to advertise myself to do comms or something so i could get them i'd do it in a heartbeat

[cosmicgesture]

that moment when an expensive thing you want is on sale, but you have no money

i miss getting birthday monies T-T

[dracononite]

i dont want this to sound mean because i absolutely dont mean it that way.

but genuinely how do you feel comfortable setting prices for your comissions so high? do they sell out?

i ask because to sell comms i have to criminally undervalue my art (legit 8$ for a full body drawing) but no one ever buys comms if its more expensive.

how do you do it.

It's not mean! Artists pricing their work fairly is something I strongly advise and would like to advocate for more often, because I used to undercharge a fair bit as well. I don't take offense to people thinking my prices are high, because I know they're not anywhere close to industry standard, and that plenty of people can afford my commissions, because I do get a consistent stream of clients.

I'd like to get a little more in detail with commission pricing since I know it could be useful advice to artists who have less experience. But it's the end of my work day and this all might be somewhat scattered, so TLDR: I'm comfortable with how I price my commissions because of the time and skill that I put into them, and because I need to price them like that as art is my full-time job.

Now for the long version... To start off with, this is all based on my multiple years of doing art as a full-time job. I started doing commissions in 2017, supported myself through college with my art, and now am financially independent with an apartment lease. In the end this is all from my opinions / perspective, but I do have experience.

I base my prices on an hourly rate that I determined using this wonderful Twitter thread on accurately pricing commissions as a full-time artist. This may not be what you specifically need, but I recommend anyway since it's a great example of pricing your commissions in a way that's fair for you.

Once you've calculated an hourly rate, it's just a matter of timing how long it takes for you to finish a commission-quality piece from start to finish and using that to figure out what the base price of that specific commission type should be. Then you can consider things like add-ons (rendering, additional characters, etc) and upcharges (deadline fee, multiple correction rounds, etc.)

Adjusting your prices to your needs, demand and turnaround time can take a lot of finagling. I constantly adjust my prices, though I try to bump them up by a small bit every few months to account for my growing portfolio and audience, economic inflation, and how much I need to charge in sales taxes. Yes - add sales tax to your prices if you make any substantial amount with art. You can do so easily on Paypal and Stripe invoices! Otherwise, you're gonna get slammed with owed taxes come tax season, since taxes aren't automatically being deducted from your "paychecks" and sent to the gov like salary jobs. Trust me, it's happened to me, and I'm still paying off my 2021 taxes.

Also, doing the actual art is only half of, well, doing art as a job. The other half is what I call "housekeeping" or "agent" work - communicating with clients, building and updating a website/portfolio, posting finished pieces to art galleries, building a recognizable online presence/brand/aesthetic, and actively advertising your work in a way that gets both old and new eyes on it. And you need to keep in mind that this is work too, that you need to be paid for.

Adding all of that on top of what you might originally price your work at may seem excessive or intimidating, but everyone deserves a living wage. Learning to keep that in mind will help your confidence in pricing your work fairly.

Now for a few more tips:

Advertising can be hard because of social media algorithms and economic hardships, but you just gotta keep at it. Learn what type of posts work for you! I recommend using concise, clear language and easy-to-read layouts. Keeping a kind of consistent "template" to your advertisements can help people recognize that it's you before they even start reading.

As you grow your audience and portfolio, you can build a good reputation by being consistent and honest. Communication and turnaround time are huge. I personally give an estimated turnaround of 1-2 months to allow for sick days, weekends, delays and other obligations. Having a solid terms of service is really helpful too. I'm a-ok with anybody referencing mine, even copy/pasting it and adjusting it as you need. Feel free to!

Having small income on the side has been a huge help to doing art as a full-time job, if you're at all interested in it. I get pocket change every week from lineart base sales on my Ko-fi shop, but it really adds up. Patreon is a bigger investment since it operates on a monthly subscription basis. Personally, I use about half of the monthly pledges I get to pay for manufacturing stickers and postage. Even if you don't have a LOT to offer, if you want to do art for an audience and have people looking to support you, Patreon or similar sites might be worth looking into. Monthly sketch dumps, speedpaints, streams etc for a few bucks is more appealing to people than you might think, especially if it's things like storybuilding or character designs. People like getting invested in things!

I hope this helps you in some way, and maybe others out there too. It's taken me years to get to this point, so don't get discouraged! Underpricing art has become such an issue, especially on sites like Amino and DeviantArt that it's affecting artists' self-esteem and view on how they should price their work. But there are always people willing to pay for art. Art is a luxury and should be priced as such! It should be available for those who are seeking it out, not for everyone.

[geneshaven]

Safe

PART 5

 “Overwatch,” Oliver said. “We’re in position. I’m not seeing anyone outside the safe house.  No guards on the roof either. We have a good spot here up above everything.”

“Yeah,” Felicity replied. “I don’t think Anatoly wants to advertise that the safe house is an armed fortress. You’re right though. Exterior is clear. I’ve set up a four block radius in case reinforcements arrive.”

“Any contact with Speedy,” Oliver asked her?

“No. She’s gone silent. But we know where she’s heading. I’m guessing you’ll meet up with her shortly.” Felicity stopped transmitting then spoke again. “Uh…I’ve got a new contact in your vicinity---fifty yards away and…sixty feet above you.”

John nudged Oliver’s arm. “Oliver, over there.” He pointed to a building across the street from them.

Oliver looked at the building and saw a red figure poised at the edge of the rooftop.  Then the sound of a repelling arrow flew between the two buildings.

“Overwatch, I’ve got eyes on Speedy.”

“Told ya so,” Felicity teased.

Thea secured her end of the line and then jumped off the roof. She sailed the fifty yards between buildings, traveling at a 45 degree down slant.  Oliver watched her all the way down, and then she landed next to him and John.

“Thea…” Oliver started to say.

“Where’s Roy,” she overrode him? She set a steady gaze on her brother.  “Ollie…where?”

“Guys,” Felicity’s voice broke in. “Three more bad guys are moving to the room Roy’s in. I think they just got orders to eliminate the mole.” Felicity hesitated. “Sorry Speedy…I didn’t mean that…Roy isn’t a rodent…I mean…”

“Overwatch,” John broke into Felicity’s babble. He pulled a small tablet out of a pouch in his suit. “Can you send us what you’re seeing?”

The infrared and heat signatures from Argus’s satellite feed suddenly appeared on John’s tablet. “You mean like that?” Felicity responded. “I still don’t understand after all these years why you guys keep asking those questions. Uh…Overwatch…tech support…hacking---have you met me?”

Oliver made a throat clearing sound. “Let’s stay focused,” he told her.

“Grouch…” Felicity said back to him.

Oliver reached out for John’s tablet.  There was purposeful movement towards Roy’s room.

Thea lost what little patience she had and started to move away from Oliver and John. “The hell with this,” she said. “I’m going in and get Roy out of there.”

“Thea!” Oliver called out, putting enough force in his voice to stop her. Then he softened his tone. “Thea, Roy is thirty feet below us, to your right. Do you have a thermal arrow in your quiver?”

A thin smile animated her face “Uh…vigilante…Speedy…training---have you met me?” She reached behind her and pulled out said arrow. “Okay Ollie, how do you want to play this?”

Oliver handed the tablet back to John and pulled out his own thermal arrow. “This has to be on my mark,” he told Thea. “There are five targets now outside Roy’s room. Once you drop in, you might want to have Roy back you up.”

Thea’s smile widened. “Just give me the countdown, big brother. Do you and John need us to help with the other nine targets in the house?”

“No,” Oliver answered. “After you guys finish taking out those five guys, you need to leave the house through the window in the room. Once outside, secure our exit. We’ll be right behind you.”

“Sorry to break in,” Felicity said through the comms. “But we’ve got visitors moving toward the house.  One…two…I count ten. They’re approaching from behind you, four blocks away. I’m guessing its Watson and her fellow agents.”

“Okay,” Oliver acknowledged.  “Our timetable just got accelerated. Let’s move.”

**

Roy was still a little groggy from the blow he took on the back of his head. He was lying on his back, spread-eagled on the small cot where they dumped him. His arms and legs were zip-tied to the cot. The tightness from the plastic ties was making his ankles and wrists throb from lack of blood flow.

He had been surprised that he was still alive when he came to. Anatoly was really pissed when he revealed Roy’s betrayal. When the blow came and put Roy out, his first and last thought before darkness took him away was of Thea.

After Agent Watson “recruited” him into her anti-vigilante agenda and after she threatened Thea’s freedom, Roy decided to play along. Watson had no idea how much Thea meant to him, how he would always protect her…with his life and without hesitation. It was something he took away from Oliver’s influence. Roy understood the lengths his mentor would go to keep those he loves safe. Roy loves Thea just as much as Oliver does Felicity.  And like Oliver had done, Roy would take a sword through his chest to make sure Thea stayed safe.

He tried to ignore the pain in his wrists and ankles by calling up an inner image of the woman he loves. It seemed to help.

Then an ear-piercing blast thundered into the room. Dust and debris rained down on him and Roy reflexively closed his eyes. When the thunder faded, he opened his eyes and saw a familiar, red leather clad figure standing next to the cot.

“Hello Roy,” Thea spoke. “I am so happy to see you.”

“Thea. Wow! You look so much better wearing that than I ever did. I was just thinking about you.”

Thea pulled a knife out of a sheath strapped to her leg. She flashed it at his bindings and freed Roy from the cot. “Hold that thought, love. Do you feel up for a fight?”

Before Roy could answer, the room’s door burst in and Anatoly’s men came in to tie up loose ends.

Both Roy and Thea moved instinctively. Thea put arrows into the first two goons through the door. Roy surged forward with his best Parkour motion and spun his hands and feet into the other three targets as they were trying to step over their fallen comrades.

Ten seconds was all it took to take them out.  “I could have handled all five myself,” Roy told Thea. “If my hands and feet weren’t hampered by the loss of blood flow…”

“Sure, you could have taken all five,” Thea replied. “But this is me rescuing you, so…”

Gunshots screamed out from inside the rest of the house. That would be Ollie and John engaging their targets, Thea thought.

She went to Roy and took his hand. “Do you trust me,” she asked him?

“With my life,” Roy responded.

Both of them turned and raced across the room. They crashed through the lone window together and dropped down into the cool night.

@it-was-a-red-heeler @almondblossomme @memcjo @louiseblue1 @flowerandsunshine @dmichellewrites @1106angel @wanhani @turtlejustice @wordslovedreams @mitturkey @tdgal1

[sl-walker]

Something with Meglann, if you like, maybe her thoughts on the whole Dani and Maul dynamic? Or her thoughts on Bryne and Ahsoka if you want to really delve....

“Truffles.”

“Truffles?”

Meg nodded, fingers playing over the cup of tea she was given when she forewent the offered alcohol.  Across from her, leaning against her desk, Queen Breha was eying her with some amusement, a smile tugging on her mouth and both humor and curiosity in her eyes.

The fact was, Meg was still kind of awestruck by her queen.  Even though Aldera (and in fact, all of Alderaan) managed to feel like a small town, even though nobility and royalty both walked into her diner to eat, even though their leaders were incredibly accessible, it still blew her mind sometimes that the queen had taken any notice of her.  But thanks to some hesitant but intelligent questions at a university lecture that Breha headed, Meg found herself called aside and then hired; officially her title was handmaiden, as that what the budget allowed for, but in reality, she was part-time assistant and occasional ear-on-the-ground, and only once or twice had she actually been called upon to help Alderaan’s incredibly beautiful queen dress or handle her hair.

Even for as informally as Breha treated her, and as many times as Meg had been told to relax, some part of her still felt what could only be called hero worship around the woman.

Much of Alderaan felt the same way.  House Antilles and House Organa were both among their very eldest and most revered, and their queen was of both of them.  She was loved by most, and those who didn’t had the good sense to be very quiet about it.  The only other woman who inspired that sort of awe on this world still alive was the Queen Mother herself; Meg adored Queen Mazi equally as much as her daughter-in-law.

Now, she was in the– interesting position of trying to explain one Daaineran Faygan, which was a little like trying to describe a force of nature on legs.

“It’s– a pretty typical Dani story,” Meglann started, smiling some both in warmth and for her queen. “Meaning it starts unexpectedly, leads to chaos, arrests, some bruises and, uh, more interesting intimate activities, and ends with her eating enough calories to feed four or five full-grown men.”

Breha huffed a breath out of her nose, saluting with her own mug. “By all means.”

“All right.”  Meg sat for a moment, working out how to tell it, then said, “I met her about six months ago, just after I took over the diner, and it was while I took a day trip to Corellia to buy some truffles.  I know that’s pretty high fare for the diner, but I was catering for House Syrush because their second daughter, Brenna, had classes with me and recommended me.  I figured that was pretty good advertising, but I wanted to wow them, so after having a panic attack looking at the price of truffles here on Alderaan, I found them cheaper by the pound through the common market on Corellia and headed there.”

Breha was listening; Meg knew she had been a teacher before marrying into House Organa, but nothing drove that home quite like the quiet, keen, attentive way that the queen paid attention to people.  As if she was logging every word in her mind and honestly enjoying it; as if the whole galaxy was a classroom, and everyone a student who needed the teacher who believed in them to give them that time and attention.

One of about a thousand reasons Meglann would die in service to her, if it came to that.

“I’ve– never had the kind of funding available to buy truffles fresh before, so I was a little bit uninformed when I was picking over them?”  Meg winced, just a small amount. “But I picked some that looked really good, handed the man my credits, and then this red hand reached out and grabbed my wrist.  When I looked up, she smiled at me and said, ‘I wouldn’t waste the credits, beautiful, those are fake.’”

“How do you fake a truffle?” Breha asked, squinting a little bit, an incredulous grin on her mouth.

Despite herself, Meg grinned back. “I’ll get to that, your majesty.  Anyway, I had the usual reaction most people have when Dani smiles at them and she hasn’t arrested them before – I guess sometimes even if she has – but before I could get too distracted, the man who was selling the truffles came out to give me my receipt and a bag, saw her, and ran.  Dani grinned at me, then took off after him; she vaulted right over the stall display.  In the meantime, I stood there for a few seconds holding apparently fake truffles before I realized he just took off with House Syrush’s advance and followed her, right over the stall, landing in more produce because I’m not exactly experienced in produce-jumping for sport.”

“Bold!” Breha said, laughing, head falling back.

She had the kind of laugh that made it feel like the whole world laughed with her, and Meg found herself doing the same, until they were both giggling.

The queen wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand, still beaming. “That’s a helluva mental image, Meglann.  What next?”

Meg set her tea aside on the side table, rubbing at her cheek a little, then gestured. “A merry chase through the streets and alleyways.  I’m pretty fast, I was able to catch up even with cabbage leaves in my hair.  Dani called for backup, but before it got there, the man ducked into a garage and then nearly ran us over driving through the wall with a landspeeder.  I thought for sure we’d lost him, but then Dani sees another speeder in there.”  She held up her hands. “I’ve never seen anyone hotwire anything that fast.  I jump in and she only tries to kick me out once before taking off after him, telling me to get my restraints hooked up.  She was grinning the whole time, though.”

Just remembering it was a rush; Meglann wasn’t exactly prone to landing in adventures, but being around Dani made her feel like she could not only throw herself into it, but succeed.  The Zeltron-hybrid had that effect; now, Meg tended to measure hangups and setbacks in life much differently.  Much more confidently.

“She seems to have just enough pirate in her,” Breha observed, smile settling to something more warm, though still amused. “And inspires a little pirate in others, too.”

“For a cop, anyway.”  Meg smiled at the memory. “We chased him to the hangars outside of the spaceport and right into the middle of a whole bunch of black market dealers.  At least sixteen thugs.  Dani told me to stay in the speeder and jumped out, and the brawl was on.  I did stay in the speeder at first, I was a little terrified and a little excited, and they didn’t bother me.  Our fake-truffle dealer ran up onto a small ship, one of the in-system kinds of carriers, but since she was surrounded and giving three times what she was getting, there wasn’t much we could do about it.  I saw someone sneaking up on her and the only thing I could find was a spanner in the back seat, so rather than watch someone beat her head in with a bar, I took a deep breath, jumped out, and– well, hit him.  Hard.  Six or seven times.”

She winced again at that; Alderaan was a peaceful world, there wasn’t a lot of physical violence they dealt with here, and it hadn’t really felt good beating that guy up, but she was more worried how her queen would view it.

Breha, though, seemed more impressed than bothered. “I’ve slugged a few thugs in my day.  Sounds like you were good backup,” she said, voice teasing.

Meglann breathed out a sigh of relief.  “I tried.  Thankfully, when Dani had called for backup, they kept track of her by her comm and they all poured in, but not before she had eight of the thugs laying on the ground, either unconscious or clutching parts they didn’t like having bruised.  A few managed to apprehend the vendor and return the credits to me.  I was a little bruised and smelled like cabbage, and maybe a little dazed, but okay.

“They arrest everyone and then Dani comes over and tells me that I was a good partner.  She was a little beaten up, but those guys were definitely worse.  I stammered out a question about what the truffles were if they were fake, and I think I probably looked like I was shaken, because her expression–” Meg gestured to her own face, “She just looked really sweet.  She put an arm around me and led me outside, and told me all about it.  Apparently, some genius got the idea to take the nasty mushrooms that grow on the vaporators on Tatooine, which look just like truffles, and pass them off to the unsuspecting, then use that money to buy off the Hutts for rights to sell spice in their space.  Except, as more people further out caught on, they kept having to move and they were desperate enough to try the Core worlds now.  And apparently, this ring of fake truffles and spice dealing had been going on for decades.”

Breha raised her eyebrows, looking suitably impressed. “Did that, uh, bust it up?”

“No, but it gave CorSec enough people to shake down for the information that lead to them joining a huge, multi-system operation to do so.”  Meg pushed her curls out of the way from where they’d worked loose from her ponytail, still smiling over the memory. “Before I left Corellia, Dani asked me out on a date and took me to a place where I got to try – and buy – real truffles.  Uh– my day trip became a two day trip, and I made her breakfast the next morning.  Then made her two more breakfasts.  We’ve been seeing each other since.”

“Not exclusively, though?” Breha asked, after nodding the rest of the tale.

Meglann knew why she was asking; Dani wasn’t exactly subtle about who she was interested in – which was anyone worth being interested in – but she still didn’t want to frame her lover in a bad light, given that Alderaan tended to be more conservative about such things and definitely more private. “No,” she said, shaking her head with a chuckle, “because if I had her all to myself, I’d go broke trying to feed her.  I’m glad to share the burden.”

“And the benefits?”

Meglann nodded, feeling her heart warm. “And the benefits.”  She bit her lip, then said, “Dani’s– special.  I never feel like just another person she sleeps with.  And– and I think I give her back something special, too.”  Especially when Dani showed up after a tough case and they only went a round or two before she was sleeping against Meg, looking exhausted and relieved all at once, as if Meg was a safe shelter she could turn to.

A fair trade, Meg thought; Dani bringing adventure and brightness and laughter into her life, and Meg giving Dani the warm safety of someone who would hold her all night and cook for her in the morning.

Breha was quiet as she absorbed that, then she nodded. “Good.  Hopefully she’ll only sow the minimal amount of chaos while she’s here,” she said, with a half-smile.

Meg snorted at that. “I wouldn’t count on that.  Our record right now is four adventures per every ten visits.”

(Later, when Breha primed her blaster to go and jump into the latest madness, she made a mental note to tell Meglann it was now five in ten.)

[ruffsficstuffplace]

The Keeper of the Grove (Part 66)

“Wow, that Keeper of the Grove costume is amazing! I'd be scared if you weren't so tiny, kid, but you and your girlfriend are still pretty creepy.”

“Well ain't you the best damn Piper I've ever seen all night! Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were the Holy Shepherd herself come back from the Aether to bless us with her presence.”

“OH MY GOSH! NINJAS OF LOVE! I NEED A PICTURE WITH YOU, RIGHT NOW, OR I'M GOING TO DIE! LIKE, LITERALLY DIE!”

“Hello! We're from the Old World Animation Society, and we'd love to take your picture and use it as part of our promotional material...”

“Well howdy there, cowboy! Mind if I ask y'all what time it is…?”

Taiyang grinned. “Well, pardner, I'd say it's… niiinneee forty-five…!”

The other Old World cowboy laughed. “Thanks for the laugh and the memories, pardner,” he tipped his hat to Taiyang. “You and your gals enjoy your night now!”

He tipped his hat back. “Yer welcome, pardner, and y'all stay safe, too!” he said, before he resumed waiting at a bench with Weiss, watching over their bags of souvenirs and food while the others were busy with a game of “Shoot the Shade.”

Weiss sighed.

Taiyang turned to her. “Something wrong?”

“I can't believe no one's noticed,” she replied. “All of these pictures, all of these people stopping us, and not a single one has had even the slightest inkling, if I wasn't pretty sure they're also like us.”

Taiyang shrugged. “It's Eve of the Ether; 'weird' kinda becomes the new 'normal.'”

Weiss was about to reply, before she saw a group of Fae walk on by, dressed in their usual armour with their animal features out, shrugging off any suspicion by speaking in fluent Nivian. The difference between Fae and human fashion was so great the unsuspecting masses probably thought they were just dressed up as characters from a holo or a Trance sim.

“Are you fucking kidding me…?!”

“Yeah, they do that,” Taiyang hummed, smiling. “The 'costumes' Summer, Qrow, and Raven were 'wearing' when I first met them were just like those, actually!”

Weiss turned to him. “You met them on Eve of the Ether?”

Taiyang smiled. “In this very city. We met while we were in line at a 'Test Your Strength' game, where I was betting my last Urochs on breaking the record. I couldn't do it, but Summer broke the ever loving shit out of it and the machine, then split her prize money with me—so long as I promised I'd buy Qrow that beer he'd been clamouring for all night with my share.

“It was at that moment that I’m pretty sure I fell for her, and though I didn't realize it at the time, she was pretty interested in me, too.”

“What, couldn't see her expression under the mask?” Weiss teased.

Taiyang chuckled and shook his head. “Nah, she was actually going without it that night, not scare the crap out of people for a while. Denial is a hell of a thing, though.”

“So how’d you end up dating her?”

“We spent the rest of the fair together, and had a lot of fun. By the time the sun was almost about to rise and we all needed to leave, I realized this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities staring me in the face.

“I was young, lovesick, and had only enough money for the return trip back under the boot of the coziest kleptocracy in Avalon. What was the harm in following these three strangers back to whatever wild place in the Country they came from, I thought?

“As it turns out: a heckuva lot!

“But if I had a time machine to go back to the exact moment where I made that decision, I'd punch out Past Me, take his place, and convince Summer to take me home with her, so I could do it all over again without all the really bad decisions...

“How are you enjoying it out there, by the way?”

“Very much, actually!” Weiss replied. “My first two weeks aside, everything couldn't be better. At the very least, it's bounds better than what I left behind…”

Taiyang nodded. “You haven't experienced a Soul Eater attack yet, have you...?”

Weiss slowly shook her head. “No, actually... should I be worried?”

Taiyang was about to answer when the others came walking back with their prizes and badges proclaiming them the “Slickest Shade Shooters in the Realm.”

“I suppose you'll find out for yourself eventually!” he said as he got up to meet them.

Weiss sighed, figured that finding out how terrible something was from first-hand experience was just the way things worked in the Valley.

They eventually decided to go get dinner, and at Weiss' recommendation, they ate at Fiorina's.

For reasons of maintaining their cover, they chose a corner booth, Weiss and Pyrrha squeezed all the way inside and out of sight from the rest of the restaurant, Penny making sure that their bags of prizes and souvenirs were arranged in a way that would handily block the surveillance equipment without arousing any suspicion.

“This isn't amateur hour,” Ruby whispered to Weiss and Pyrrha. “We know what we're doing.”

They saw them in action as Taiyang talked to the waiter for all of them, and found out that he had followed the news very closely and had actually watched the fake ransom/execution holo several times—enough to feel that there was something disturbingly familiar about Ruby and the sound of her voice.

Taiyang sighed. “Look, Marty, I know it was big news realm-wide, but come on: we're just here to eat and enjoy ourselves! You wouldn't want to get in trouble with your boss by making seven hungry customers lose their appetites all because you couldn't stop talking about that awful tragedy would you?”

On cue, everyone but Weiss and Pyrrha looked at Marty with a mix of uneasy, disgusted, and extremely annoyed expressions.

Marty groaned. “Okay! Fine! I'm sorry for bringing it up... I'll be back with your orders in a 'jiffy…'”

They all watched him sulk off from the corner of their eyes, until he disappeared back into the kitchen. They let out sighs of relief, then started casually talking and discussing how to spend the rest of their night, as Pyrrha had essentially given them an effectively unlimited budget to do anything they wanted.

“I wish we had some way of paying you back for all this, 'Piper,'” Ruby said after they finalized their plans. “We've spent a LOT tonight.”

Pyrrha smiled. “Oh, it's fine! The memories I've made with all of you are more than worth every Uroch. My only regret is that we'll probably permanently part ways come morning...”

Yang smirked. “It's not to late to ask for our comms, you know—maybe you can just get Penny's, she's pretty well-connected after all,” she said, winking as she nudged Pyrrha with her elbow.

Pyrrha blushed.

Yang raised an eyebrow, then beamed. “Oh man! You already have, haven't you? Gimme a high-five, 'Piper!'”

Pyrrha tipped her cap lower over her bright red face, before she quickly high-fived Yang.

Penny smiled. “If I may interrupt: I do see a way we would be able to recoup our expenses,” she said as she pulled out her temporary comm-crystal, projected an advertisement out to the whole table.

“The Candela Couple's Costume Contest?” Weiss asked. “But contestants have to have a clearly matching theme, and it's only open to romantic—oh, right...”

“I'm game!” Ruby said. “It might be fun.”

“You'll probably score a lot of points with the judges for being relevant!” Taiyang added. “What is for sure is that you two going to get a lot of attention.”

“Possibly the bad kind...” Weiss muttered.

“Our ploy's worked very well so far,” Pyrrha said quietly. “I think it'll be safe to assume that it'll keep on working.”

Blake pulled out her own comm-crystal, typed something on it: “Make escape plan, just in case?”

Pyrrha nodded. “I can be bait for a distraction; I'm getting hell when I get home anyway, what's a little more trouble?”

Taiyang hummed. “Don't see how this can't work, if all of us work together!”

Yang raised her hand. “Yeah, that's going to be an issue, because I have several issues with this plan.”

Ruby sighed. “Can't you just let it go for tonight, Yang? We could really use the money.”

Yang glared at her. “No. You are my precious, innocent baby sister, and I am not okay with throwing you at the mercy of strangers for Urochs, especially when you'll be going in with Ice Princess over here!”

Weiss growled. “Everyone, could you please excuse myself and Yang? We'll just be going to the restroom...”

Ruby looked uneasily at them both, before she sighed and began to make room for them to leave, the others following suit.

Diners and servers gave them a wide berth as they walked on past, fearing the aura they were giving off—like an inferno coming up against a blizzard.

They kept their voices down for the benefit of the people actually using the facilities, but the tension came through loud and clear.

“What is your problem with me?” Weiss snapped. “What is it that is that ticks you off about me dating Ruby?”

Yang scowled and held up her hand. “I suggest you don't go there, princess, or else we're going to have to add broken furniture and walls to our bill later. Look: has anyone told you about the statistics of Fae/Human relationships? About how they’re almost always doomed to fail?”

“Penny has, and in my defense, that's the same thing they said about my grandparents relationship, and look how they ended up,” Weiss huffed.

Yang groaned. “I'm trying to help you here, Weiss! You know one of the biggest reasons why the Shit went down? It's because dad thought he could handle a relationship with Ruby's mom!

“Now don't get me wrong: they were crazy for each other, and Uncle Qrow’s got the proof in his chronicle, but the fact is, dad just couldn't handle all the cons of dating a Keeper—though it probably didn't help that he was forced to live with his ex-wife, AKA my mom the Alpha Bitch.

“Dating Ruby is going to be crazy, it's going to be full of problems, and trust me: you may think you've got it all figured out, but then something's going to happen that'll turn your whole world round and round till you don't have the slightest clue which way is up or down!

“Trust me: I watched this shit unfold before my very eyes, and it was a helluva roller coaster of ups, downs, and seventeen-dimensional shapes beyond our comprehension! I was just a baby for all of it, but I know you know from personal experience that little kids absorb and understand a lot more shit than adults think they do.”

Yang's eyes softened. “Dad wasn't perfect, as a person or as a husband both times he tried, and he'll be the first to admit that! But he was a helluva lot more well-adjusted and had a whole lot less issues than you did, Weiss.

“You're going to end up getting hurt. Ruby's going to end up getting hurt. And with Keepers, you can bet there’s going to be plenty of collateral damage. And I don't know if you’ll believe me, but I sincerely wish none of that to happens to you—to either of you.

“So please: will you say 'No' to the contest…?”

Weiss looked Yang in the eyes, saw the sincerity, the desperation. She felt the anger and indignation inside of her drain away as she saw something far too familiar:

Someone who only wanted to protect her little sister.

Weiss slowly reached out and touched Yang on the shoulder. “Yang…? I believe you, alright? I don't want Ruby to get hurt either, and trust me, I'm already starting to get a pretty good idea of all the crazy shit that happens when you date a Keeper.

“But I'm entering that contest with her, and I'm going to keep on dating her, unless one or the both of us decide to break it off!”

Weiss carefully pulled off her mask. “Ruby's going to get hurt, Yang. You can't protect her from everything. And I know you know she doesn't want you to—even if you are her big sister.

“It's called the growing the fuck up, and there's nothing you can do about it.”

Weiss put her mask back on.

Yang looked down, defeated. “… If you two happen to win one of the big prizes, and you have to do the big victory kiss for the crowds, don't go full-on make out session, alright? The images my brain is offering are bad enough, I don’t need the reality broadcasted on live HoloVision for all of Avalon to see.”

“We won't, I promise,” Weiss replied. She looked away. “… Besides, we, uh, kinda know from firsthand experience that it's REALLY bad for me to get too excited...”

Yang looked at her in curiosity. “Why? What happens?”

Weiss slowly looked back at her. “… I accidentally freeze our lips together...”

Yang sniggered. “Well, at least I you're not giving her the cold shoulder, huh?”

Beat.

The both of them groaned.

“Oh, fuck me, that was a mistake...” Yang said, quietly gagging.

“Yes… yes it was...” Weiss grumbled.

They returned to their table, told the others that Yang had changed her mind and that she'd join the plan. “And just so we're clear here: this is only because I don't want Ruby to get in trouble,” she added as she and Weiss slipped back into their seats.

“That means she's starting to like you!” Ruby whispered as Weiss returned by her side.

Their food arrived shortly after. They could see Marty still being very suspicious of them, especially with how Weiss and Ruby noticeably kept their masks on as the others began to dig in, but thankfully the other server with him told him to knock it off.

“Geeze, Marty, lay off the shock news for a while! That shit's not good for you...” they muttered as they returned to the kitchen.

After a dinner spent with Weiss and Ruby's hoods up and heads down as they ate, they sent an entry picture of them for the contest:

The two of them in the center, satisfied and looking very much in love while the others were slumped over “dead” on the table, ketchup “bloodstains” everywhere.

Penny attached their fake identities, playfully captioned it “Dinner Date for the Keepers,” then sent it off before they paid their bill and left Fiorina's. Marty was still wary of them and none too pleased about the mess beside, but the generous tip Pyrrha convinced him to give it a rest, for now.

It had barely been five minutes when they got a message back from the officials:

“What amazing costumes and astoundingly bad taste! We love it, you're in.”

Note: As the author finally remembered, their saying “Sexy Animal Noise” in their “Dr. Nefarious” Voice.

[topicprinter]

Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Justin Baum of ZZZ Bears, a brand that sells military teddy bears.Some stats:Product: Military teddy bears.Revenue/mo: $7,500Started: June 2015Location: Winston SalemFounders: 1Employees: 0Hello! My name is Justin Baum and I’m the founder and ZZZEO of ZZZ Bears (like getting your zZZ’s). We make a line of teddy bears dressed in military uniforms named SGT SLEEPTIGHT that protect kids as they sleep from bad dreams, fear of the dark, monsters under the bed and more!But SGT SLEEPTIGHT is much more than a bear in a military uniform. He’s part of a military grade sleep system that includes a door hang, sleeptight oath, and stickers shaped like military commendation medals awarded to kids who sleep through the night.Our customers are primarily military families - both active duty and veterans - and we sell both online and on Marine, Coast Guard and Navy bases around the world. In the last two years, we were also carried by Target stores nationwide and appeared on ABC’s The View!imageWhat's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?My full-time job is in advertising. (Think Don Draper with less Brylcreem,) And from 2005 to 2012, I worked at JWT, the United States Marine Corps’ longtime ad agency. As the Creative Director, I was in charge of recruitment advertising - writing the television commercials, print ads, billboards, etc - for the Marines during two of the most unpopular wars in our nation’s history.Every time I’d go to a Marine base to film a commercial, I’d bring my then 5-year-old daughter back a small gift from the Marine Exchange. At the time, she was having trouble sleeping - bad dreams, fear of the dark, monsters under the bed - the usual fears of a young kid.So I bought her a teddy bear and told her a story.I said, “This is Marine bear, and for 200 years he’s protected our nation. And now he’s going to protect you while you sleep.”“What if he falls asleep?” she asked.“He’s a Marine. He would never fail his mission!”That night, we put the Marine bear on duty and she slept like a bear in hibernation.I realized that if this military teddy bear could help her, it could help others suffering from the same nighttime fears. Although I had a full-time job at the time, I began thinking about how to bring these bears to boys and girls everywhere.I also realized that the bears could have an even bigger mission than simply helping kids sleep. During my time with the Marines, I learned the true meaning of selfless sacrifice - not just from those who put on the uniform, but the families as well. So I decided that our mission would be to give back to those military families who sacrifice so much for us.Today, we donate ZZZ Bears monthly to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty through our partnership with TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors).imageTake us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.I had no idea how to get a teddy bear made. So I did what anyone in my position would do. I Googled it.That led me into the abyss, AKA Alibaba. I quickly found a manufacturer in China who was willing to make a small quantity for a reasonable price. We traded emails, thoughts and sketches for a design and finally landed on something I was happy with.I wired him the money not knowing if I’d actually ever see a bear. After all, I had no idea who this guy was. For all I knew, he was emailing me from his new yacht in Bali, paid in part by me!But lo and behold the bears arrived! And they were… okay. The uniform looked good but the stitching on the embroidery was inconsistent and sometimes crooked. The bear’s fur looked a bit cheap. While not perfect, it was good enough for now.Describe the process of launching the business.My personal portfolio is hosted on Squarespace (JustinBaumCreative.com in case you’re interested) and I really liked how easy it was to build my site. So without much research, I decided to host my e-comm site with them as well.imageI called in favors from my agency co-workers who were designers and wrote the copy myself. (Sometimes it pays to be a writer.) Then, I sent a mass email to friends and family assuming they would spread the word far and wide. After all, I had a genius idea that solved a universal problem for parents that I knew would spread like wildfire.With a deep breath, I hit publish on the site.And… crickets.Besides a couple sales from friends (thanks Marcus and Andrew) and family (thanks mom), nothing.I was desperate. And after two whole days, I declared ecommerce dead to me.On a lark, I sent a DM to the Marines through their Facebook page. Despite my experience with the Marines, I had no contacts that could help me in getting the bear into the on-store bases called Exchanges. However, within 24 hours, the buyer from the Marine Corps Exchange emailed me. After several emails, we had a deal. The only catch? She wanted the bears to be wearing the unique camouflage pattern of the Marines. The problem was the bears I had in inventory were wearing a generic camo pattern.Ugh.This turned into a familiar theme. Soon after landing the Marines, I got into the Navy Exchanges which wanted bears in a Navy uniform and oh, by the way, they don’t have sergeants in the Navy so I had to trademark a new name - Sailor Sleeptight.This story repeated itself when I got into the Coast Guard Exchanges and the bear’s name became Coastie Sleeptight.The lesson? Adapt and go with the flow.When I first got into the Marine Exchanges, they sent me a bunch of new vendor paperwork to fill out. And I panicked. The only questions I could answer were my business name and address. Everything else was greek. They asked about case packs, wholesale price, chargebacks and there were more acronyms than I could count. I had no idea what any of this meant. As the days turned into weeks, I thought for sure I would lose the account over my inability to answer basic questions.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?So while the bears were selling well in the military exchanges, my web sales were pathetic. That’s when I learned the power of Facebook. I’m not sure how it all happened exactly but I got a Facebook account and immediately joined a bunch of entrepreneur groups. There I met a bunch of people who would change the course of my business.I met a generous Navy veteran named Juan who also had a plush business and who generously agreed to share the name of his manufacturer with me. Today, three years later, I still use that same manufacturer and probably will for the life of my business. He also told me about the power of Facebook ads. And then things started to get rolling.I hired a Facebook ads guy, a friend of a friend, and we started running ads. At first, the idea of spending $20 a day for a product that costs $30 sounded crazy. But as the ads started to work, I kept upping the daily spend to as high as $100 a day with good success.I started posting almost every day on Facebook and Instagram and figuring what people responded to. One of the best uses we’ve found for Facebook is seeking input from our followers. When I post a cute photo of a girl with SGT SLEEPTIGHT I might get 25 or 50 likes and 1 or 2 comments. If I show people two options for packaging or a tagline and ask their opinion, I’ll get hundreds of comments!https://www.facebook.com/ZZZBears/posts/1403349023135824This strategy works great for me on Facebook but doesn’t work at all on Instagram. To this day, I have a very hard time getting engagement on that platform and I no longer waste my time trying.Another important relationship I made online was with another veteran and aspiring entrepreneur named Blake Wayman. Blake was just getting started with a plush product in the same category as mine. Although we knew were going to be battling for the same customers, we became instant friends and I shared my manufacturing contact with him. But Blake taught me something even more valuable that a contact. Blake created a really emotional video for his Facebook page and with only a $50 boost, got over a million views and thousands of comments and shares. That not only taught me the power of video on Facebook, but also showed me what our audience responds best to. It wasn’t comedy or even a product centered approach. It was his personal story.In an effort to break into retail beyond military exchanges, we attended the largest toy trade show in the world in New York. This turned out to be a waste of money. With a very small booth and unknown product, it was almost impossible to get any attention. The buyers from major retailers had pre-arranged appointments and walked right by. Some of the mom and pop stores showed interest but not enough to make it worth the time. Time to move on.Someone on Facebook told me about ECRM - an organization that connects sellers with buyers from major retailers looking for products in their particular category in a hotel setting. Long story short, I got approval to meet with 3 Target buyers for 20 minutes in a Miami hotel room as part of one of their toy events (without actually attending or paying for the event itself). They loved my product as well as my genuine enthusiasm and belief in my product and after several follow up emails we had a deal. Fast forward 6 months and we were in 500 stores nationwide. Every day, I checked the numbers to see how we were doing. I also went to several stores to see how it was merchandised. Much to my dismay, there were some stores where the product was stuck in the back room. At this point, I hired several college students to call all 500 stores and ask for SGT SLEEPTIGHT. The majority of stores had them on the shelves but some didn’t. At the end of the test, we simply didn’t sell well enough to be carried in the future.imageWith all of the time and effort it took to get into Target, I changed course to shelve retail and focus on killing it online.I think it’s common for new entrepreneurs to be obsessed with getting into big box. They think, if I can only get into Target or Walmart I’ll be set. But nothing could be further from the truth. The margins are slim and the rules are stacked against us. For example with Target, I had to agree to pay 100% of the markdown costs. So if sales were slow and they marked the bears down from $24.95 to $10, I was responsible for paying Target $14.95 per bear! You can see how that alone could bankrupt a small business.How are you doing today and what does the future look like?From the beginning, we’ve done most everything ourselves. The hard way. From assembling the bears into their boxes in our living room to shipping out a thousand bears to the military exchanges from our basement. While this saved us money, it took a lot of time which in hindsight could have been better spent developing new products, marketing, engaging with customers, etc.imageTo that end, we’ve recently hired a fulfillment house to handle all of our orders to the military exchanges. If that goes well, we’ll have them handle all of our shipping needs in the future.In the last year, we also started selling a bear not wearing a military uniform. That bear, dressed in a police uniform, has become one of our top sellers. We’ve had a lot of requests for a fireman bear so that will likely be next. We always start by ordering a small quantity - we’re fortunate that our manufacturer has a very low MOQ - to test the market before committing to larger numbers and more cash.With the exception of year one, we’ve turned a profit every year. That’s because we’ve learned what works (FB ads, for example) and what doesn’t (hiring so called “experts” and consultants).Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned is that nothing happens as quickly as you’d like. I thought I’d put up a website and be a millionaire in year one. When that didn’t happen, I panicked and got desperate, making mistake after mistake. The fact is, building a business takes time. So I’ve learned to be patient, and enjoy the journey - both the ups and downs.Here’s my top 6 mistakes I made that you don’t have to.#1. Not having a mentorAs a small business owner, you’re going to be faced with lots of daily decisions. Micro ones. Medium ones. Massive ones. And the unfortunate fact is, you’re going to get a lot of them wrong. Some are unavoidable.After all, small business isn’t a science (it’s more like a toddler’s messy art project.) So, find a mentor. Someone who’s been there, done that. Someone who’s willing to share their time and their wisdom. Someone who has no financial interest in your company. Here are a couple of good starting points to find your perfect mentor:LinkedIn is a professional networking site that makes it easy to connect with buyers and businessmen alike.Reach out to an organization affiliated with your category. For example, if you’re in the toy industry you might contact the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA).SCORE is a mentoring organization over 10000 free business mentors in 300 local chapters across the county#2. Trying to do it all yourselfGrowing up, my mom used to tell me how good I was at everything – from drawing to baseball to brushing my teeth. I now realize it was a well-meaning lie. Nobody is good at everything, and nobody can do it all. So be brutally honest in assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Then get help.For example, you might be really good with numbers but not so good at digital marketing. No problem. Go to Fiverr and find someone to write a blog post, handle your SEO or color correct an image in Photoshop. There are plenty of subject matter experts out there. Find the ones you need, put them to work and stayed focused on what you do best. PS, I love you mom.#3. Not requiring references from new vendorsI learned this one the hard way. In fact, I almost lost the business in year two because of a dishonest manufacturer. (Ask me about it over a beer.) Now when I hire someone to do a job, I require at least three references from someone who has used their services in the past. And I speak to every single one. If a vendor refuses to provide references for any reason, including customer privacy, I thank them politely and move on to someone who will.#4. Assuming you know what your customers wantIt’s amazing to me how many people start a business or continue to operate a business without seeking feedback from their customers and potential customers. For us, Facebook has been a great platform to ask questions and get real time responses. And our fans love it. If I post a photo of a bear and a child, I’ll get 50 likes with a couple of comments and shares. If I post a question asking if they’d prefer the bear come with a pillow case or a drawstring bag, I’ll get literally hundreds of comments. And the best part is, this kind of interaction builds a connection between our customers and our company. Customers feel invested in our success because they’re contributing to it. This type of research used to cost thousands. Now it’s practically free.#5. Having tunnel visionYou know that thing that you’re absolutely, positively certain is a home run? I hate to break it to you, but it probably won’t be. Believe me I know. I thought getting ZZZ Bears into a big box retailer would be the holy grail. So when Target decided to do a 500 store test in our second year, I thought, WE’D MADE IT! Wrong.Ultimately, we didn’t have a high enough sell-through rate to get picked up. So what did we do? We pivoted. (After a good cry of course.) We decided to refocus on boutiques where owners or sales staff would always be on hand to tell the story of the bear to moms and dads. It’s not easy. The orders are smaller, and the logistics are more complex. But the upside is huge.#6. Being in it solely for the moneyA warm fuzzy feeling isn’t the only reason to adopt a social mission. In fact, research shows purpose fuels profits. Which, if you think about it, makes sense. After all, employees who drive meaning from their work are happier and more engaged. Plus, having a purpose makes you stand out to customers, creating a loyal, passionate following. The key is choosing a mission that naturally aligns with your company.For example, because we make a teddy bear dressed like a soldier, we give back to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. Mark Twain said it best. “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” Find your company’s “why” and success will follow.What platform/tools do you use for your business?Our favorite tools and platforms:ShopifyOur first site was created on Squarespace which makes web design super simple but didn’t have the apps to scale our business. We now use Shopify which is awesome. Their app store has almost anything you’ll ever need and we use ones that increase average order size with upsells and enables people to personalize their bear.FacebookSounds obvious but Facebook ads account for an overwhelming percentage of our online sales. Plus, the feedback we get from our followers on our page is invaluable.To collect emails, we use pops by Privy . It’s free and couldn’t be simpler to set up and use. We’ve also experimented with some of their other features including abandoned cart emails with great success. So while we currently use Klaviyo** as our email platform, we may completely switch to Privy in the near future for all our email needs.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?Some of my favorite podcasts are How I Built This and Without Fail. They both feature founders and their story of growing a business from nothing to something big with all the ugly parts in between.I also like The Pitch which features founders pitching their ideas to investors looking to get in early on the next big thing. All of these are inspiring and also make me feel less alone in this crazy rollercoaster ride.Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?I still hold a full-time job and ZZZ Bears is purely a side hustle. With that in mind, we are not looking for full-time employees at this time. Instead, we pull specialists from Upwork and Fiverr as needed for everything from graphic designers to developers.Where can we go to learn more?zzzbears.comFacebook.com/zzzbearsInstagram.com/zzzbearsIf you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

[inexcon]

RSI Comm-Link: Far From Home: Crawling Back

Crawling Back

[ Guitar Music ]

It’s been a long while since I’ve seen your face. A spell too long since I’ve set in one place. But right when I start settlin’ down, The need comes strong, and I turn right round.

Cause the way is clear, my friend. And I’ve got that urge again. Slide into gear, jump, hit the drift. A change of scene, a perspective shift.

And I’m far from home, my friend. Don’t know when I’ll be back again. Got a whole wide ’verse to see, But you’re always here with me.

[ Music Stops ]

I don’t think it’s possible for my face to get any redder than it is right now, but there you go. Hopefully that’ll keep those who keep asking for progress reports on my burgeoning musical indulgence. And for those of you haven’t heard me play before, that bit of foolery was my attempt at creating a Far From Home theme song of sorts. The chorus still needs some work, but I’m a bit happier with the melody than the last time I played it for you. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually finish it this year.

Been teaching myself how to guitar for on about fifteen or so months now. Decided to start learning after I had picked up a pretty well-worn six string off a scrapper who was not quite as adept at trigger as he thought he was. That’s a tip for you there right there. Always play for barter. You start playing for credits and things will eventually get heated. But when the stakes are some piece of whatever, I find that everyone comes away from the table happier. Take for example the losing game I had a few months back. Sure, I was a little sad to see my Lords of the Winter Court book set go, but at least I know it has a good home.

It was nice to finally be able to mess around with the guitar again, seeing as I haven’t really had time to think straight, let alone play since the new year. You might remember me saying how I like to hustle hard at the top of a new year, set myself up in case of trouble down the road, but let me tell you, 2947 has been busier than most. Not to complain about good fortune coming my way, but I’ve been so busy since Traveler’s Day that I’ve actually had to turn down jobs, if you can imagine that. It felt damn good when I finished that run to Baker last week. Right now, I’ve got a few small drops out to a refinery in Horus, and then after that I’m thinking about taking my shingle down off the boards for a few days. Almost forgot what my hold looks like empty. I might even go check out what’s happening on Serling. Haven’t touched down there in about a decade, so it’s probably about time for another visit. If any of you have some recommendations on what’s worth a look these days, shoot me a comm when you can.

Speaking of comms, along with my music making, I’ve been letting my correspondence fall to the wayside. Apologies on that. I’ve picked out a couple that caught my eye to answer today, but I will try my best to respond to whatever else I can this weekend.

First up we got — wait, where the hell did it go? Damn Glas update changing all my preferences … Improve my experience my ass … Okay, here we go. Have a question from Stace who wanted to know, “I’ve been hearing about people going zero-g for the power savings on their systems. What do you think?”

Stace actually wasn’t the only one to ask me about this. I guess there was an article in Long Haul last month that’s got everyone excited. I looked over the numbers and yeah, they might make sense on the screen, but honestly I think any power savings you get is going to be gobbled up by your loss in sanity. For me, the less time I spend in zero-g, the better. It’s hard enough out here without having to deal with floating around the whole time. I mean, I guess maybe as a solo flier you could turn it off most of the time, and then boot the gennie back up when you want to take a shower or something. I don’t know. Maybe I’m too attached to gravity for my own good. I’d say just go ahead and try it for a week, Stace. See what you think. If you love it, go ahead and rip the gennie out.

Next we got a comm from Tanner, who was kind enough to ask, “Any advice for investing credits when a windfall comes your way?”

I figured this was a good one to answer since I’m coming off my busy season right now, and have a bit of extra creds to think about myself. There are a few standard items that I like to check off my list whenever I’m flush. First thing first, I make sure my insurance for the year is paid off. If I fall on hard times later I never want to have to decide between covering Shana and eating something, so I take that question off the table and rest a bit easier knowing she’s covered. After that I have two main funds that I dump any extra creds I have floating around into. Mind you this is after all my normal monthlies are paid for. First is my emergency repair fund. I know that sooner or later, something’s going to break, so I try to have about three quarters the cost of an engine repair stored up at any given time. It usually ends up being a cheaper part or fix than that, and so I just add enough when I have it to top it back off.

The second account is my ‘Guilt Free’ fund. This is probably the greatest gift anyone can give themselves. I never keep more in here than I’d mind lending to a friend, and I use the credits to pay for anything stupid that my little heart fancies. Like on my upcoming trip to Serling I know I’m probably going to splurge and buy myself one of those new reactive-gel seat cushions they’ve been advertising the crap out of everywhere. Do I really need one? Not really. My old cushion is pretty comfortable still. Do I desperately want one for no good reason? You bet. And thanks to the credits rolling around in my Guilt Free fund, my butt’s about to get itself an upgrade.

Now, this next comm is a bit more serious. It seems one of our fellow flyers out there is having a rough time dealing with the solitary confinement that comes with traveling long stretches by yourself. As they describe it, their “mind is beginning to crawl into the drift” and they’re looking for some advice on crawling back out.

You have my sympathy on that, my friend. I know for damn sure I’ve been in that same spot. Think probably a lot of us have. Happens to anyone who flies alone out here long enough. It’s those quiet moments when all your work for the day is done. You want to shut your brain off, but you just can’t. There’s nothing good on the spec or maybe there’s not even a relay out where you’re floating. So you wind up staring out into the darkness, and that’s when the darkness starts wiggling its way in.

Let me say this first before I give any of my personal advice. Never hurts to take the time to talk to a professional. There’s usually one or two in the system available to take a comm. But if that’s not an option, or you’re looking to tackle things yourself, the main thing I’d say is don’t attempt to fix things with getting high or drunk. Trying to numb your way out is just jumping straight to nowhere good. Now, I ain’t judging, I’ve tried it myself. If you’ve been tuning in to me for any length of time, you’ve probably heard a story or two about me hitting the bottle. And while sometimes I was drinking to celebrate, a lot more often it came from a place of pain. That’s my vice of choice, but there’s plenty more out there. I know far too many people with black spider webs crawling up their arms or that faraway look only discons get. Hell, just last month I heard about a woman who dismantled her own life support system while wacked out on that new stuff, Flow.

I mean, did you see that young fella — what’s his name? — Cass? Did you see him try to walk down the red carpet last week? Couldn’t even manage that. Now try to picture yourself like that, but you got to fix a coolant leak or a blown thruster. Not good. I probably would have ended up dead or worse myself if I hadn’t been lucky enough to get this bit of advice that I’m about to pass on to you.

Trick to beating the black? Create something new. Doesn’t matter what. Could be anything, but it turns out if you’re putting something new out into the ’verse it makes it all the harder for the darkness to get in. It’s why I do this show. Why I decided to learn guitar and make my own music.

And before you ask, reading or watching something doesn’t count. Neither does collecting. You sit there watching a vid and you’re likely to come out the other side the same as you went in. No, the important thing here is to be able to point to something and say I made that.

Now, for the poor soul who commed me in the first place, I’d say maybe give poetry a try. “Mind crawling into the drift” is a pretty nice turn of phrase. That said, don’t hesitate to comm me or anyone else, if you need to reach out. There’s always somebody ready to listen.

And I thank you all for taking the time to listen to me. Fly safe out there.

This has been Old Jegger, signing off.

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