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masterwords · 4 months

Text

go the f*ck to sleep

Summary: JJ sees Hotch struggling with single parenthood and offers to help. Miraculously...he accepts.

Pairing: none

Words: 1.4k

Warnings: mentions of canon character deaths (haley & jj's sister), insomnia, grief, depression

Notes: I woke up this morning and had this image in my mind. It was written so fast and it's barely a fully fledged thought but...here you go. It's sad Hotch hours. And it isn't hotchgan! (I have a lot of that coming your way in the next week though, between several stories and several moodboards.) Merry Thursday!

*********

It wasn’t much. Hell, it was barely anything at all, she thought as she set the paper cup (extra hot americano, double shot) on Hotch’s desk. She held the card in her hands, hesitant. His office was cleaner than it had been in as long as she could remember, and it made her deeply uncomfortable. Like he was hiding something.

He’d always been an open book when it came to his work load. Case files and reports stacked on his desk, his email perpetually two away from being overflowing, the data on his phone complaining about the number of texts he wouldn’t delete. Just in case he needed them. (And he had needed plenty of them, so the end justified the means, so to speak.) So this new thing, this clean office, clean desk, organized email inbox...well she was a little concerned.

Everyone deals with grief differently and as she looked around at this office she barely recognized, JJ could see his grief written in every tidy corner, every neatly filed piece of paper. Maybe he was on top of it so he could be home with Jack, that was best case scenario, but what she thought might actually be happening was that he’d simply begun taking all of it home with him. That he was drowning in his apartment where no one could save him.

She looked at the card in her hand and thought about her parents grieving over her sister. How her father stopped talking to her for months, how her mother doubled down on the anger and the intensity. How she became a surrogate for what was lost but not in any helpful way. She could remember it all vividly while knowing there was a lot of that time she’d never really be able to access. She was older than Jack when her sister died, Jack would have even fewer memories when he was grown. He’d barely have a glowing faded ghost of a mom in his head, but he’d have a hardened father who can’t smile and can’t sleep that is tangible and be full of resentment. She knew that from experience.

That was enough to make her set the card down. She might be overstepping, she probably was, and he might just drink the coffee and toss the card in the garbage can (she knew he wouldn’t) but she had to try. Derek was still trying, still absorbing a lot of the work load, anything he could without stepping on Hotch’s toes but everyone else had gone back to business as usual. She couldn’t leave Derek to shoulder this burden on his own, she had to try to help.

She was in a meeting with Strauss and Garcia when he finally made his way to his office. The coffee, once piping hot, was cold and he stared at it long and hard for a minute in disbelief. It had already been a hellscape of a morning, putting out fires left and right...most of which weren’t even his fires...and the sight of the coffee there almost pushed him over some inexplicable ledge. He sat on the couch, but it looked and felt a lot more like falling, like collapsing, like his legs simply giving out.

If the coffee came close, the card did the real pushing.

“Hotch,

When I had Henry, everyone made jokes about finally really knowing what it was like to need coffee...well they weren’t kidding. I know Jack isn’t a newborn, but I have a feeling the sentiment will ring true still. So here’s to coffee, huh?

From one caffeine addict to another, if you ever need help with Jack, call anytime. Henry could use a big brother to show him the ropes.

JJ”

The tone of the card was light, casual, but the sincerity in it made his chest ache. The likelihood of him asking JJ to babysit Jack for him was slim, he thought she knew that when she wrote it, but all the same he was touched by the sentiment. And the coffee, once reheated, was exactly what he needed to pick himself up and finish the day on his own two feet. (Before collapsing into bed as soon as Jack was asleep only to toss and turn all night long again and again and again and again. Only to finally crawl out of bed at 3am after sleeping in rough ten minute intervals all night, dragging himself to his messy home office and watching the sun slowly creep through his closed blinds with tired eyes and piles of paperwork as high as his knees.)

When he did finally call JJ for help, he’d been at the sleepless night thing for three months and things were starting to feel filmy and unreal. He was at the end of his rope. Derek had been his lifeline in many ways, absorbing the work load when it got to be too much, but he didn’t know the first thing about kids so Hotch couldn’t ask him to babysit. It would be a disaster. Then he remembered JJ’s card, and it felt like his last line of defense. A hail mary. “Could you watch Jack for me for an hour or two?”

“You have a date?” she asked with a cheeky smile, pushing a spoonful of mashed potato into Henry’s waiting little mouth while holding the phone between her shoulder and her ear. Hotch let out the saddest laugh she thought she’d ever heard.

“Not exactly. I was hoping to try to take a nap.”

“Ahhh, yes. I hear you. If I didn’t have Will forcing me to take naps during the day…” she paused, biting into her lip. The queen of foot in mouth has done it again, she thought. “Well. Just give me a time and I’ll be there.”

He made a pot of coffee and showed her around, giving her the lay of the land like she’d never been inside before. Like she hadn’t gone in after Foyet, gone in with Derek and Emily and Dave, ducked beneath crime scene tape to check the place out, look through his intimate things. But it was different now, there was life here. Jack’s things were brightly colored and littered the place with tiny happy bombs. An Iron Man blanket laid on the couch, a splash of bright crimson against the dull grayish brown. Legos were in the carpet, crayons all over the table with play doh crumbs and the remnants of the toast Jack was still insisting he wasn’t done with from breakfast. “I’m sorry I haven’t picked up,” he muttered, and she laughed.

“Hotch, it’s fine. This is pretty clean for someone with a kid that age. Really.”

He glanced around and shrugged, shame clawing at him in spite of her words. He should have done more to pick the place up. It really was the least he could have done, she wasn’t even accepting money from him for her time.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked finally, glancing at Henry teetering on chubby little legs, brand new at the whole walking thing. He was invested in whatever it was that Jack was playing, he just had to get there first and that was slow going as a newly bipedal creature. Hotch glanced around and saw all of the choking hazards, the glass, the outlets not covered, the corners to bang his head on and the kitchen drawers easily opened to danger and death. His apartment wasn’t baby proofed because he never had Jack here at that age. He hadn’t thought this through. Not only that, but he noticed that Jack still had bright purple and green marker on his chin and forearms, remnants of his unsupervised tattoo session while Hotch was shaving one room away. He thought he'd gotten all of it washed off.

“Hotch...it’s okay. I’m going to sit here with them and they’ll play and that’s it. Maybe we’ll read a few stories, color a picture, rob a bank if we get really bored…”

“Thank you JJ.”

“ Wow. Not even a laugh huh?”

He smiled weakly. “I’m sorry. I haven’t really been sleeping.” Like that should explain it all. Judging by the look she gave him, it might have. The look on her face was compassionate, but he detected a little pity there too. He figured he deserved it. If he looked in the mirror he’d give himself the same pitying look.

"Do you need a bed time story?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. His eyes went wide for a moment, his features finally giving way to a tired smile. A real one, unprovoked.

"No. Thank you though. Really."

"Alright then, go. I’ll try to keep them quiet. Thank you for the coffee. Get some sleep Hotch.”

#aaron hotchner #jennifer jareau #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #it's platonic but all you jotchies out there can indulge if you want #i won't mind <3

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xxmaddyxx · 1 year

Note

Hi!! I love your writing so much 💕 and I had a request, I was wondering if you could do kenma comforting the reader after she lost all her saved game data?

Basically my ps4 decided to try to off itself this week and I had to factory reset it, which ended with me losing all of my saved data, for every game I've ever played on there (including 500+hours in just one of those games 🥲)

Anyway I was just thinking who else would understand this pain better than the pro gamer himself <3

Thank you!

oh no :( im sorry you lost all your data ive had that happen and it's lowkey depressing. i gotchu with the headcanon though don't worry

Kenma x reader who lost her game data! masterlist

one day you were chillin and playing your ps4... nothing strange happening at all

sike

your ps4 just powers off

and the woman was speechless

you sat there for a second looking at the black screen lowkey confused

me personally my ps4 is on life support so this is normal but anyway

you leaned forward and powered it back on

a few minutes later literally none of the games were working

it either had the "internet connection loss" message when you were literally right next to the router

or it just closed the game -_-

you texted kenma and asked what you should do

babe i think my ps4 died

wdym died?...

like it's not working

did you power it off and back on

it shut off by itself...

you might have to take it down to factory settings...

i can't do that do you know how much time i have invested in these games

babe idk what else to tell you

and so with a heavy heart, you opened the setting and took your ps4 down to factory settings

hundreds of hours of gameplay gone... because the mf ps4 decided to fuck up

you faceplanted on your bed

when you heard a soft knock at your door

you already knew who it was so you got up and opened your door to see Kenma with a dollar store bag in his hand and a dq blizzard in his hand

"babe, what're you doing?" you smiled at him

"losing your game data sucks, it's happened to me plenty of times." you and him walked to your room

he set the bag on the bed and handed you the blizzard as he went on his phone

you dug through the bag and saw candy, chips, and your favorite drinks

"omg Kenma, how much did you spend?" you picked up the receipt that read-

he snatched it

"dont worry bout it." he showed you his phone

it was one of his past streams

"chat, what should we play next, kinda bored."

you could see he was reading the chat and sipping on an energy drink

"babe what did i tell you about the energy drinks"

"shh"

on the stream you saw the screen go black, like yours did

"oh shi-" he choked on his drink

"kenma what did you do." you could hear kuroo's voice on the discord call they were on during the stream

"my ps4 just decided to not work."

"huh, that makes no sense."

"shut up and let me try to power it back on"

kenma skipped at couple minutes of the stream and you saw that his games were all glitchy too

"kenma you good?" kuroo asked

"bro i gotta take the system down to factory settings."

"are you sure? that's a lot of progress that you'll lose."

"yeah i know it's gonna suck."

sure enough, he did it on stream and all his progress was reset

kenma put his phone down as you fed him a bite of your blizzard

"see babe, it happens. it'll obviously take you longer to get your progress back bcs you play a lot less than i do, but we can have little gaming dates maybe?"

you kissed his cheek, "sounds great ken"

thank you for the request!! feel free to request more <3

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skynapple · 2 months

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Budding Romance | Ch. 4

Love and Deepspace | Jeremiah x MC / slow-burn / friends-to-lovers

warnings: none

Multi-chapter | A03 link

Beginning | <- Prev | Next ->

Back in the present, new friends begin to reconnect. Pizza will be had.

[Present]

“She…died.” He had said. The air hung around them, dust sparkling in the glow of the grow lights around the store.

Her stunned expression turned somber, crystalline eyes brimming with compassion. ”Oh my God, I'm so sorry. What..." Her sentence trailed off as she hesitated to ask.

It’s not that he’d wanted to bring up the subject so quickly, but he couldn’t help it. After years of being one of her closest friends, all he wanted to do was catch up, brimming with desire to share his happenstances. He was trying his best to keep it contained, remembering the fact that he had no right to expect immediate closeness with someone who was nearly a stranger.

"I was young. Brash. In love. Proposed after like, 6 months. I guess she was into that.” He shook his head, reminiscing. “She passed away before we got married. Car accident."

More like the Deepspace Portal event 30 years ago.

"But it was... humbling, and beautiful, being with her. She loved this little shop.” I wish you could have met her. She would have loved you. You would have gotten along so well.

"Philo...It means love. Because you loved her."

He nodded. The dirt he’d accidentally smeared on his brow began to irritate the skin, and he instinctually rubbed it again, making it worse. “Don’t worry about me. I’m ok. It was years ago now.” After so much time had passed, it was the truth.

Meanwhile she stood across him, only a little comforted, a light ache in her heart at the topic and slight embarrassment after being the one who initiated the conversational direction.

Seeing her expression and immediately wanting to comfort her, he smiled, "Trust me, she's looking after this place. I've had nothing but good luck here." His grin widened. "Even you walked in."

---

A season later, it was a warm spring day, with flower blossoms floating through the light breeze, adding a romantic touch to the environment, but the shop was closed, and Jeremiah had no idea what the weather looked like. There he sat in the secret back room of his shop, plugging away at research and data. Several chat windows were open - an entire network of Lightseekers utilizing adapted technology with the remains of what was with them from so long ago, still quite advanced compared to what earth contained me.

He’d instant messaged Xavier a few coordinates and some wanderer identification, paused to stare thoughtfully at his phone and added,

[Take care of her if she's with u.]

Seconds later, [Not coming.] was all he received in response.

Course not. Let me guess, ditched her. Again. He only thought it to himself, stretching his right shoulder. The hours had passed quickly, and he’d completely lost track of it all. When he finally stood, his knees cracked from lack of movement. Grogginess threatened to plague his mind. There was still so much to do.

A growl escaped his stomach. He grumbled. Not enough groceries for anything quick. Instant noodles for the 3rd day in a row? No. Delivery was too expensive when he was quite literally in a walkable downtown area. He grumbled once more, sleepily grabbed his keys, and headed out the door.

He ended up at a nearby pizza place and despite the noisy interior, found himself beginning to nod off as soon as he sat down at a booth in a far corner to await his order.

Unbeknownst to him, several minutes past. A warm hand on his shoulder stirred him, although it took him moment to get his bearings. He straightened, rubbing his eyes, straining to identify who the hand was connected to through his bleary state.

"Wow, birds of a feather." A familiar voice said.

What is she doing here?

"Hmm?"

"I wasn't sure if it was you, but then they must have called your name a dozen times. I grabbed your order for you."

She indicated to what she placed across him.

"Oh, sorry. Thanks."

"You ok?"

He rolled his neck, not entirely remembering the sequence that put him in the shop, and still processing her presence. Sleeping in public too? Now that was something he hoped Xavier never discovered. "Just pulled an all-nighter. I'm good."

"That's what Xavier said. Hah. You two really are similar.”

Ah, so they’re talking at least. That’s good.

Jeremiah picked up his slice, not minding that she was still sat next to him. "Did he also tell you he's headed to the no-hunt zone without you?” He prodded, half-curious, half-hoping that this would fall back on Xavier somehow.

“What?"

Her flabbergasted expression rang genuine to him, making him chuckle. Got ‘em.

"You did not hear that from me."

She spent a minute texting Xavier, muttering to herself under her breath. Immediately after, his own phone lit up. He decided to not look at it.

"You gonna join him?" He said between chews. The restaurant seemed to pick up in business now, and he glanced non-chalant at the growing line. Distracted, he observed it.

She scowled, leaning her head on her hands, almost pouting. "I wasn't assigned like he was..." A sigh. "And today's my day off."

“The guy can handle himself, don't worry." A bubble of irritation rose through him, and he felt the fought the urge to roll his eyes. It was a habitual response, born from years and years of needing to reassure her. Of course she was like this cause he left her. She didn't have to try to sound so tough about it. "He'll return to you before you know it."

Except, this time, she only shrugged. "Yeah ok. You know he just does what he wants. Shows up when he wants. And hey, pizza or wanderers... tough choice but I think I made the right one." She nudged him with a free arm.

He felt himself smile tiredly. Despite still getting accustomed to the differences in her personality, he appreciated that it felt like he could be friends with her in this life too. He was beginning to look forward to the ways she surprised him. Just what was in that brain of hers?

"What are you doing after this?" She asked casually enough.

"Going to bed."

"Makes sense.” She stood finally, brushing a few long dark strands behind her ear and smiled warmly. "Well, I'll let you go. I'm meeting up with an old friend today. Don't wanna be late."

“Have fun. See ya.”

It not that he wasn’t thrilled to see her, it wasn’t even the tiredness in his brain, but the fact now that she was a little more playful, a little more curious, a lot more casual, he was struggling to wrap his head around it. There were moments when it felt very surreal being around her. The fluctuations in her tone, the way she pointed things out, obviously her appearance and the way her eyes were so expressive all stuck out to him.

It’s her, but it's… not. But it unmistakably is.

And yet it was a very comforting thing, being reunited after all this time. When he was around her, he felt a little more like his old self, an old self he’d nearly forgotten. He smiled to himself and finished his now cold pizza, a little amused at himself that she’d been the one to find him in this state. Memories of late nights in encampments, watching over each other through the long nights, chiding each other over small things, the bickering, the banter.

Fine, I missed you.

#madi writes #jeremiah x mc #lnds jeremiah #love and deepspace jeremiah #love and deepspace mc #love and deepspace xavier #lnds xavier #lnds mc #lnds #l&ds #love and deepspace

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papuhater · 2 years

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🕷| 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐘!!

𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: tim klitz (girl next door, 2004) x spiderman!reader

𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: headcanons Klitz with a gn! reader who is like spiderman (au)

a/n; based on tobey maguire's spiderman (my personal fav since i was 4), spoilers for the spiderman movie (2002), and i wrote this at 2 am, don't judge, not proofread

🕷ok so, this idea came to me while running

🕷let’s first leave some points clear;

🕷 instead of living in a la, you guys live in nyc

🕷 you have peter parker’s backstory (even ben’s death)

🕷 you live with your aunt may!

🕷 eli, matt and klitz are the tripod but you are like the piece that keeps it together

🕷 klitz met you at the start of highschool, on bio class

🕷 mf deadass was failing the class

🕷ofc you were partners and you didn’t want to fail your classes

🕷”Hey, your name is Tom, right?”

🕷”It’s Tim….” he deadpanned "please call me klitz."

🕷it was rough at first of course, after all, in all of the months of working together you didn’t remember his name-

🕷you both worked your problems out and became friends, then he presented you to the tripod, he ended up liking you surprise surprise

🕷matt and eli just told him 'ask them out! their family loves you, and they surely like you'

🕷all of the classes he would just stare at your form, you would catch him sometimes like °v°, while he's like ._.

🕷 during a visit to a lab to see some experiments with spiders, klitz had planned asking you out <3

🕷the trip was going pretty well, you were rambling data about spiders and would chirp in sometimes like ^^, he couldn't stop staring at how passionate you were with science

🕷the time came when everyone was quiet and he was mentally preparing to ask you out, when you let out a small 'ouch!'

🕷"what happened? y/n?" he grabbed your shoulder but your face was sweating

🕷he looked to your hand and it was swollen

🕷you ran into the bathroom while klitz stood like "huh???"

🕷he assumed it was an allergic reaction, but he spammed your phone the whole way back to his house with messages like 'are you ok?????'

🕷meanwhile you, on the other hand, was puking, feeling dizzy and when your hand went to rest on the cubicle door, it.... sticked?

🕷 last time you checked, that isn't how hands work, you pulled with all of your strength

🕷 which ended up on the door still sticked on your hand, only that it was ripped out of the cubicle-

🕷"HUH?"

🕷 after calming yourself down, you un-sticked the door and left running the lab, on your way home, you checked your messages; most of them were of klitz the other ones were of the tripod and one from aunt may;

🕷 the message said that your uncle ben was dead, after finding out, some days passed, and you stopped going to school to take 'mental health days'.

🕷 you isolated from the world, one of the people that you loved dearly had died, the man who raised you was dead

🕷 after the 'incident' with the spider, you came back to your ordinary life, ordinary if you could call ordinary having spider powers

🕷ben l/n died because of a robbery, so y/n l/n decided to start using their powers to fight against the evil you could.

🕷when they came back, they stopped talking to the tripod or any friend, most of them understood; "They have lost a family member, it must be hard...", the real reason was to keep them from any harm, any tie to you might get them killed.

🕷 like i mentioned, you wanted to fight against any evil you could, you started to train and control your spider-powers, and made an appearance;

🕷"MYSTERIOUS SPIDEY CATCHES BURGALERS!"

🕷 for weeks, the only thing you could hear in the hall was this weird 'spidey' that was caught helping the police with crimes.

🕷back to klitz;

🕷klitz was the first one to notice you acting in a weird way, was it the death of your uncle ben?

🕷 "y/n! please talk to me, i'm your friend" he pulled you into the empty hallway "friends don't cut each other like that."

🕷 y/n had changed, and he didn't like it. they had stopped wearing glasses, they seemed- no, they definitely were taller. eyebags were very noticeable in their face, and when he stared he noticed,, bruises?

🕷"it's nothing klitz, i'm ju-"

🕷 "no y/n, i'm serious, what is it w-with everything?" his hand grabbed you arm and lifted it "what is it with this bruises?"

🕷you pulled your arm with much more force he almost fell, he stared at you

🕷"klitz, something is happening, and i can't understand it completely, it might be dangerous-"

🕷you were cut off when his hands grabbed your wrist to inspect it more, you reacted not so quickly because you were getting used to spider-sense, but he pressed and the web was splashed onto his face

🕷he stared, you stared, until like the reaction when his hand went to touch his face, you ran, you could hear him screaming for you, but you ran to your home, and locked yourself in your room. klitz sent many messages, you saw your phone, and decided to not ignore him

🕷'y/n can we please talk?'

🕷'i'm sorry'

🕷' there's nothing to be sorry for but can we talk?'

🕷 you ended up saying yes, you both meet up, and talk. you open up about what happened, and he listens, looking flabbergasted and completely confused, the meeting became the date he wanted to invite you.

🕷"so you have spider powers?"

🕷"technically, yeah"

🕷 the date summary; klitz was obviously in l-o-v-e, and you noticed, so you told him to have another date! and klitz pressed a bit and he got you both to date, even though you were not fond of the idea (as much as you have big crush on him) because he could get hurt

🕷 horribly hurt.

🕷 dates went on, villans appeared, klitz was always there

🕷 he would grab you hand under the table during class, when you came from a rough fight, you would crash into his room, and he would deeply blush while cleaning and healing your wounds. the tripod teases the both of you, calling you lovebirds.

🕷 one time out of sheer curiosity, he asked if he could swing with you through the city in your webs

🕷 you reluctantly agreed, but all of your worries washed out of your mind when both of you cuddling on a roof, with a blanket below, while staring at the stars with klitz hugging you tightly, his face resting in your hair.

🕷"tim klitz, i'm sorry."

🕷"what are you talking about?" he looked over to you, you sniffled

🕷"you know, for putting you in grave danger."

🕷"y/n, i love you so, so much, that nothing, will ever lead me away from you." he kissed your forehead, and you relaxed.

🕷"i love you too."

#the girl next door #2004 #paul dano x reader #paul dano #klitz x reader #klitzcore #klitz x y/n #tim klitz #klitz the girl next door #danonation #danocel #paul #paul dano x you #klitz x you #klitz

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renfaires · 1 year

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What is it about the summer for me? Why does the universe seemingly work against me this time of year?

The last time I talked to Bryan, it was at Daniel’s funeral (almost 18 years ago)—and that memory has gotten me through some of the worst times in my life (I still have dreams about that deep hug he gave me, and wouldn’t let go; it was honestly one of the most comforting experiences of my life). He wasn’t my friend (he was my older brother’s), but I grew up with him around the house (we were neighbors) and he was literally one of the nicest people I’ve ever met (which is saying a lot, considering the people my brother typically hung out with).

He called me about a year ago, out of the blue. My brother warned me. “Hey I talked to Bryan earlier, and he asked for your number, so expect a phone call.”

I was really thrown off by it. Hadn’t talked to him in over a decade (and we were NEVER that close anyway). Still reeling from pandemic life adjustments, partner and I had just separated, my dog had just been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease, I was broke, depressed, anxious, unmedicated, and really going through it, so I ignored the call (I know… that’s gonna bother me forever now) and he actually left a voicemail (like, who does that unless they really want to talk to someone?)

I never returned his call, blaming it on my social anxiety and the fact I’d rather text than talk… Still doesn’t excuse why I never texted him either (but honestly, I just didn’t have the spoons until very recently). But I kept the voicemail. I always intended to call back when I felt well enough…

And now I won’t ever get the chance. Bryan died by suicide this morning, and everything’s come full-circle in the worst way possible (two brothers who lost their best friends to suicide almost exactly 18 years apart)… Only Bryan had kids (which makes everything harder)—who must be teens by now (yes, I come from the South where pregnant teenagers was like a fad)

I’m not trying to feel sorry for myself, or guilt myself (there’s already plenty of that), I’m just struggling with how to support my brother while also dealing with my own mixed emotions. But I am tired of going to friends’ funerals (we’re too young for this). And I’m so emotionally exhausted researching death statistics (for work) and seeing my friends represented in the data (especially the suicide metric).

I’m tired of being the person my family always comes to with difficult things like these, like I’m expected to be the expert in resiliency because I work in the grief field and was bereaved as a kid from my own friend��s suicide… they think I’m just supposed to know how to handle this stuff I guess.

But honestly, it never gets easier. What looks like resiliency is actually just careful compartmentalization and repression for me. I’m not okay. I usually tend to just shut down emotionally rather than “deal.” But I can say I probably wouldn’t feel as shitty and depressed if I had maybe answered his call a year ago. Not that it would have changed anything, but who knows… And like I said, I’m not trying to guilt myself (even if I do feel some); I DID get a bit of a mental warning alarm when my brother gave me the heads up a year ago; it was just so random and out of nowhere that I suspected his call had to do with “heavy” things (but I wasn’t emotionally equipped to talk to him back then). I guess I’ll never know now.

Anyway, if you have the bandwidth (that’s important), reach out to your people and ask how they’re doing (it’s so easy for all of us to get wrapped up in our own shit). Tell them you love them. And take care of each other.

#tw: death #tw: suicide #just a depressed vent this morning #please ignore #might delete l8r

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robinruns · 1 year

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what a weird fucking couple days it has been.

yesterday i overslept BIG TIME, like i tried to wake up at 4:30 when my alarm went off, but i just could not do it. next thing i know, kyle's waking me up and it's already after 7 am and i'd slept thru at least his alarm (i think mine 6 am alarm is off actually). so that was a rush. then my mom calls me and says that she got a parking ticket in my dad's name downtown madison. for those who may be new, my dad died two years ago in april. turns out it's the penultimate truck my dad had and sold for cash in 2020. turns out the dude never registered it in my dad's name, it had no plates on it, and so when the cops looked up the vin number, it came up to my dad. so my mom's freaking out and like what the hell am i supposed to do ya know? so i told her to call the cops and be like "hey, here's what's up, what do we do". they called her back and explained what they needed to get the ticket out of my dad's name, told her to call the dmv and they told her what they need to get the car out of my dad's name. of course my mom can't get the document the cops emailed her so i'm like i'll stop by after my eye appointment tomorrow afternoon and do it then.

jump to today. i wake up about 15 minutes before my alarm because fuck me i guess, but i get to the gym earlier than usual. i got good enough workout in, and then stopped at dunkin for a big ass coffee. i got home, got ready for work, and got to work knowing i was leaving at 2:30 (2 hours early) and had a shit load to do. my mom texts me and decides i need to leave earlier and stop by her house first. uggghhhh fine whatever, i'll get it done early then back home earlier.

nope. of fucking course not.

but first i had to get that shit load of work done. i got... some of it done, not all of it because i lost an hour of work time. i'm going to have to do overtime this weekend to make up for it. not like i need to make up for my hours off, but like i need to catch up or try to get ahead ya know?

anyway, i head to madison. i get there and she's freaking out but i get it printed. then she wants to do the thing for the online form for the dmv, but needs my dad's drivers license number. this sends her into a full blown meltdown because she can't find it... just to find it about a minute later. turns out because the sale of the car was almost 2 years ago, we can't do the online form so she calls the dmv and explains the situation. meanwhile i'm like i need to leave in 5 minutes, sooooooo. so what does she do? freaks out that she doesn't know how to operate the dmv website and shoves the phone in my hand as i'm like "i need to leave!!" but luckily i find it in two seconds and get it opened/printed. but then as i'm leaving she's like "come back when you're done."

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuucking hell.

eye appointment went fine. eyes a slightly worse than before but i knew that was coming. the person who was checking me out and ordering my contacts kept calling me girl though and i kinda wanted to be like "please don't assume my gender just because i'm wearing a dress". i head home and my mom's like about to leave. "i'm out of ink so i can't copy this form for my records." ugh. i try to scan it, scanner won't send the data to the computer. fine, go get the ink. so i sit in peace and quiet with shandy for the first time in AGES. she's all sleepy from going to the vet and getting her shots this morning. i love her.

anyway.

i don't know why i had to come back. but i did. she got her forms, i got a headache. whatever.

but i apparently won tickets to the badflower show, so i'm gonna see if jennifer wants to go again since she really likes them. i still haven't gotten my waterparks tickets that i won from the other radio station, but whatever. if they never showed up, then they never show up. no skin off my nose. so maybe that's my tomorrow night, idk yet. ugh. too much going on. and i need to do my taxes.

sigh.

#personal

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kyratittyfish · 2 years

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tag 10 people you want to know better

I was going through my Tumblr notifications and realized that @commander-krios tagged me in this game over a month ago, so I'm finally compiling this awesome list!

relationship status: Single and not really ready to mingle.

favourite colour: Blue

favourite food: do I *really* have to choose just one? I'll take that as a yes, so, being Italian, I'm legally obliged to say pizza.

song stuck in your head: at least 10 songs all playing on top of each other.

last thing you googled: dollars to euros exchange rate. which is 1 to 1, meaning I can't afford to buy the reason behind my last google search.

time: not yet past my bedtime, mom, it's Saturday night! Wait, you meant timezones. In that case, CET.

dream trip: to IKEA. I really love IKEA. And to Scandinavia. Which is almost completely unrelated to my love for IKEA.

last book you read: a formerly* endless pile of university textbooks. (*): I finally graduated.

last book you enjoyed reading: something predating the formerly endless pile of university textbook, but my memory doesn't go that far back.

last book you hated reading: the formerly endless pile of university textbooks.

Bonus:

favourite thing to cook/bake: Tiramisu, revisited traditional Italian recipe

favourite craft to do in your spare time: way too many, and my answer depends on the month, the lunar phase, the atmospheric pressure in Cheesequake, New Jersey, and the total number of hair shed by my cat during the day. Under the current circumstances, I'd say knitting.

most niche dislike: leopard prints. tomato skins.

opinion on circus(es) now and in history: not a fan, mostly because of the exploitation and abuse of circus animals.

do you have a sense of direction and if not what is the worst way you ever got lost: my sense of direction gets considerably worse when my phone battery dies or when there's no data service. I got lost in a olive forest with my father one night when I was 13.

People I'd like to get to know better:

@korblez@spaced0lphin @elleweird @swaps55 @ghostxofxartemis @screwyouflightlieutenant and any and all who read this post! (you're too many to name and I don't wanna clog your notifications with tags)

#get to know me #know me better meme

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bunnygirlheart · 2 years

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post fulla questions i was tagged to answer by @bunnygirlbutta

What was your last…

Beverage: my black coffee that i let get cold :( i still drank it though

Phone call: not a clue. ive never liked phone calls,,

Text message: ‘‘...you know all about knot tying, huh? Glad to hear it‘‘

Song you listened to: soles - love will have its sacrifices (i was thinkin abt carmilla series)

Time you cried: if tearing up just a lil bit counts . it was around 5am and i was thinking about an incredible compliment i received from someone i love. if not then idk when it was, though i know what that one was about too.

Have you ever…

Dated someone twice? nope.

Kissed someone and regretted it? nope.

Lost someone special? hard to say.

Been depressed? and the scars to prove it,,,

Been drunk and threw up? no.

In the last year, have you…

…made a new friend? several i love yall 💜

…fallen out of love? nope

…laughed until you cried? i . dont think so?

…found out who your true friends are? dont know what this means

…found out someone was talking about you? no

General

How many people on your fb list do you know in real life? i am not on fb and would destroy their data centers given the easy opportunity

List 3 of your favourite colours: Purple!!! pink? green.

What was your first…

…surgery? n/a

…piercing? n/a (thatd be neat though)

…best friend? idk ?

…sport you joined? not a clue. i have never been into sports. dont remember the last time i touched anything of the sort

…vacation? hm. good question. i dont know that either

…pair of trainers? weird question and i don’t know it.

Right now, what are you…

…eating? nothin

…drinking? ^

…about to do? think abt kissing girls. ok no im doing that right now. so . maybe play terraria some more?

Your future

Do you want kids? makes me feel good to think about myself being a mother at some point in the future, but whether I actually would wanna have children ... idk. im only 23 though so like ....

Do you want to get married? if someone i love wants to marry me, I . huh. i was gonna say I wouldn’t be against it, but then it occurred to me, what if multiple people wanted to be married to me? i think thats not how it works? so . no i guess, on grounds of i dont wanna leave anyone out.

Ideal career? ... i have no clue what im doin yall

Which do you think is better…

…lips or eyes? well, vanya’s gotten me all caught up in kisses lately, so probably lips. eyes are lovely too though so idk really

…hugs or kisses? ^ that answers this well enough, but hugs are nice as well, so its hard to say for both of these.

…shorter or taller? yes? sounds good. real answer is i do not know. if youre notably taller or shorter than 6 ft pls come here so I can figure that out

…older or younger? too big of an age difference is weird,, anyway id say i dont care but i suppose .. the two people im most into right now are both a lil bit older than me so . maybe that says something. dont think so though

…romantic or spontaneous? im inexperienced in romance so i cant really say

…nice stomach or nice arms? hmmm well im a big fan of a good tummy c:

…sensitive or loud? idk what this means really

…hook up or relationship? relationship

…trouble maker or hesitant? i would like to cause more problems on purpose but i am v nervous always

Have you ever…

…kissed a stranger? no

…drank hard liquor? yes

…lost glasses/contacts? probably

…had sex on the first date? no

…broken someone’s heart? yes

…been arrested? no

…turned someone down? uuuhhh. maybe?

…cried when someone died? no

Do you believe in…

…yourself? trying to!

…miracles? define miracle

…love at first sight? no

…heaven? no

…Santa Claus? lmao no?

…kiss on the first date? why not, if it’s going that well?

…angels? no

#tagging . no one. dont feel like perpetuating this thing cx #oh but if you want to feel free to pretend i tagged you ig #serah i know i said i didnt wanna do this but i changed my mind i am doin it for you c:

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chargetheintruder · 2 months

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I'm Back.

Let's see . . . nope, I didn't die, my laptop did though, and I nearly did, and had to do some surgery? And then therapy to get my head on a little bit straighter? That's it, the shortest version.

Oh, so you want details? More of those below the break.

It started the week of January 10th, into the 11th. Comcast was having a data breach. And somehow, between them and Google? You know, the company openly PROMISING to update and protect Chromebooks through 2026, and Samsung devices in particular, through 2028? Those guys?

Somehow, a virus got through and knocked out the Wi-Fi. At first I thought it was the cable room's problem, that's how bad it was. Nope, it wasn't that and Comcast swore up, down and sideways that it wasn't their router at all (*eyerolls*). So I did what any Chrome person does and did a Powerwash, and . . .

Somehow, restoring everything to FACTORY DEFAULT didn't restore the ability of my device to find or use Wi-Fi. Yeah.

Then from mid-January to mid-February, my life wasted away as I tried three times, over three weeks (so no, not stalking) to contact my out-of-state best friends in hand-written snail mail through the Postal Service. I was living off of stuff from the vending machines and shredding old pants I didn't wear any more to use as backup-backup-BACKUP toilet paper of LAST resort. (not flushing it but otherwise, you know).

Either NONE of the three letters went through at all (which means the USPS wasn't doing its job) or my friends gave up on me.

THEN, on the 18th of February, late night, into the morning of the 19th, the bane of my existence, my bladder/prostate issues, got too severe. I was down to the last 2 to 3 percent of my urinary function again, couldn't pee or poo to save my life, and was in blinding pain. I had to decided: die in my apartment, surrounded by enemies or die in the hospital surrounded by "professionals."

I chose the latter, nearly died in blinding, howling agony anyway, then had people torture me for an hour-plus trying to put a catheter in me (the first 3 times without ANY anesthetic, mind you, and the 4th with only a numbing gel) before finally deciding I needed it done surgically. One surgery (WITH anesthetic, thank goodness), a cystoscopy, a urethral stent and a Foley implant later, and well, yes, I still had to fight DAILY to have any time to recovery from SURGERY in this hospital, and still had to fight for a pen and paper to write things down with so I could try to arrange for a safer place for me to recover than the public housing mess I'm stuck with now.

So you know, I did what I had to do: get released after the 6th day in the hospital to the local Respite Center to also get titrated on something for the depression while my body tried to heal up (or kill me four more times with pain issues in multiple places). Good times, (sarcasm), and I had to ask for a third week in a two week program to get anything done. Like a new State ID and/or a free "government phone to get back on the internet with. And well . . .

I have the temporary ID, will get a real one sent to me in about a week, and the phone? It came with a bad SIM card and is useless, so far, as a phone. But with a LOT of struggle (tiny screen, bad eyes and big fingertips) I was able to get online and pay some bills, and thanks to the money I had "saved" from not being online at all for 2 months, I was able to start the "pay bills, hurt, then die" cycle over again with a newish Samsung Chromebook. Because the smartphone sucks? Yeah. :-p

And yeah, this includes a bladder infection (taking care of that) and having the Foley implant swapped out manually for a new one (the nurse I saw at the Urology department Wednesday was good, and so was the stent at keeping me from feeling much). Things are weird right now, my body's still in more than occasional pain, and It's bad that I've lost my besties of more than 15 years . . .

But I'm still around for people to pick on, I guess. (*shrugs*)

#long #personal #health issues #getting back online #stuck with Chrome #because it's cheap #and not a smartphone #stuck in public housing #because that is a trap and a half

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ahopkins1965 · 2 months

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Men, who leave their phone numbers on a Non Secure Website

This blog is very serious and it really pertains to billions of people. It is called men and the reason why they leave their phone numbers on a Non Secure Website. Men who leave their phone numbers to women are usually desperate and they are always eager to consult with women. The reason why men leave their phone numbers on Non Secure websites is simply because of the fact that; they would like for each woman to call them immediately. It is not that women will call them; even though they might appear to become interested in the men who leave them their phone numbers. What these men do not realize is that Non Secure websites are hacked all of the time.

If men continue to give their phone numbers to women on these websites, they are taking a chance of not only getting hacked, but they will become victims of telephone harassment. This means that a man will become harassed to the point that he would have to get his phone number changed. A lot of men do not know that there are women who possess strange personalities, or in some cases, do not want to be bothered anyway. Men who leave their phone numbers to the women most of the time, they will not receive a reply. If they are lucky, they might get lucky and get a phone call. Moco Space, MySpace, Black Planet, and Face Book are non secure websites that all of will have to be very careful. The websites itself have a lot of users. It is not very easy for a man to leave his phone number for each woman that he sees on each website. A man in today’s society would like to become happy before he dies.

I know that single men who tend to make this mistake of leaving their phone numbers online are putting themselves at risk of having his phone number cloned, hacked, and illegally retrieved by computer hackers, data thieves, and scammers. I will admit that I have made this mistake of leaving my phone number online for a woman to give me a phone call. This is because at the time, I got hacked, I was not aware of it. I thought that things were okay, and I was talking to real people. I was talking to real people all right; these individuals were talking to me from out of the country. I became a victim of fraud and I was devastated!! I lost $16,977 dollars in Western Union Funds. I got scammed by 18 people within a 2 year period.

This is because the men that I was online with were using women’s profiles on Black Planet.Com and Yahoo. The email addresses as well as the phone numbers that these men and women were using did not belong to them. I had to check this entire website and information out for myself. All of the profiles and email addresses were hacked and fake. I was also a victim of a romance scam. I thought that I was going to marry someone from another country, and it turned out to be a complete scam. Whenever a man leaves his phone number on a non secure website, he is definitely putting himself at risk of getting himself caught up in a deceptive scheme or a trap. Why do men leave their personal information online on a non secure website? The answer to this question is very simple. They are desperate for female attention. They want a woman to respond to them so bad that they will do everything to seek her attention. There are more women who live on this planet than men.

The men who are remaining; will go all out and try to appeal to the needs of each woman that he see online. It is preferred that a man should exercise self control and only pray to God for a female in their life. I do not understand why men are leaving their phone numbers online for anyone to obtain them. In some cases, a woman might give a man the wrong number just to shut them up. They give a man the wrong number because they really do not like him. However, a man will not give up on finding someone online to talk to. They will acquire a lot of female friends and still he is not satisfied. A man is not satisfied with what he has online until he loses it. When a man loses everything that he has online, a profound sadness takes place.

A man will start crying and he would eventually start over and get another account or accounts. There is not a concrete answer to this question. It is that a man’s satisfaction level is pretty low and high in most cases. Men who are self confident and know exactly what goes on online will not leave his phone number online for anyone to obtain it. Men who usually leave their phone numbers online are insecure and need a woman to help them to heal. A woman is flesh to a man. She is a bone from the bone of a man and flesh of his flesh; according to the Holy Bible.

There are a lot of younger men who usually leave their cell phones numbers online all of the time. There are at least 70% of men between the ages of 18 to 40 who are leaving their phone numbers online. This statistic is based on the United States Department of the Census.

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diaryandgirl · 2 months

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reflection on january 2024 goals

there's still a third of February left and so a reset is warranted! we have to know where we are starting to know how to build a map, so I am starting with a reflection of how January went.

I am happy with how my goals went for the month! a lot of habits started off strong and died down as the month progressed, which happens a lot with habits, but I am pleased with how most of them went.

I didn't achieve a few goals because I ran into issues with them, but I consider those as learning opportunities on how to set good goals. pivoting or scrapping is an option and I'm happy to move into February with that mindset.

Adult

cook 2 new recipes (really enjoyed this goal and am enjoying being in the kitchen more!)

follow the 1 minute rule (simple but very effective at maintaining a clean state)

observe the 10 minute clean up (problematic because sometimes I didn't need 10 minutes to clean, which made me not do it, which made me need to do it)

use YNAB (I love data so I knew this would not be difficult for me)

buy only on Tuesdays (I forgot here and there, but overall my low spend kicked off very well with this rule)

buy coffee maximum 3 times (when I made this goal, I meant I didn't want to buy coffee when I was tired. I forgot that I like to study at coffee shops though. I didn't buy coffee at all when I was out so it's a semi-success)

Work

figure out how to study for LMCC/make study schedule (this did not happen and I am okay with that. I still have lots of time!)

study 20 minutes daily (I got distracted by interviews so I did it for half of the month)

prep for interviews

Content

post 2 YouTube videos (it was touch and go for a moment there, but I am so happy I was able to achieve this goal)

film clips daily (I didn't find this to be a very useful goal so I scrapped it halfway through the month)

post daily on Tumblr (really happy about this! I found it super creatively fulfilling to push myself to post something every day)

Health

complete POP Pilates for Beginners Calendar (asterisk because I didn't technically, but I tried really hard to get really close so I'm giving it to myself. but I will make this a February goal)

work on push ups daily (I scrapped this because I started having pain. I need to figure out what's wrong with my form)

close rings daily (streaks are so powerful because I did this until January 15th, lost my streak, and then it was all downhill from there)

dry January (I feel great about this! I really enjoyed not drinking)

go to the dentist

go to the doctor

Personal

Korean Duolingo daily

no social media Sunday (this was very difficult when I first started it but got a bit easier each week which was interesting)

read Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

follow time limits on apps on phone (I'm surprised by how successful this was for my phone, but also I often check the website version of these apps on my laptop so I don't know if I met the spirit of the goal)

bathroom and dining table are phone-free

make one move towards dating

#goals #monthly goals #january #2024 #reflection #motivation #inspiration #diaryandgirl

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hdvas · 7 months

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Freelance Like a Pro - 12 Ultimate Tips to Work Like an Expert

Making your first dollar as a freelancer is exciting, but it doesn't stop there.

Figuring out how to freelance like a pro can feel overwhelming and even discouraging when starting. To achieve success, one must work hard, be dedicated, and persevere.

Freelancing is a great industry that brings more freedom to people who want to start their home business. Freelancing has taken the world by storm and has opened numerous work-from-home job opportunities throughout the globe. If you're tired of working a 9-5 job, freelancing may be for you.

There are numerous benefits to choosing freelance as a career. First, it allows you to run your own business to compete as hard as you want. In other words, you get to decide the number of hours you will work on a day, week, or month. But freelancing isn't all fun and games. Even though it is enjoyable, some challenges will arise that small businesses don't face.

Tips to Freelance Like a Pro

Many freelancers exist, but only few are making money.

How do those who are succeeding differ from those who are not? Here are tips to help you freelance like a pro:

1.) Setting up for success

There are many ways to freelance, but not all are right for you. To freelance like a pro, you must set up suitable systems that streamline your work.

Here's how:

⋅ Set up a solid business plan

⋅ Set goals and milestones

⋅ Find your niche and stick to it

⋅ Create a brand identity

⋅ Get organized and stay organized

In addition, make sure your office or workspace is comfortable and efficient. Get a standing desk or sit/stand desk if you can afford it, and ensure you have the proper lightning. You'll want to invest in good quality furniture and equipment that will last for years.

2.) The toolbox

Another thing you need to do is create your own freelancing toolbox. Your freelancing toolkit will include all the tools and resources you need.

In addition, it will also help you build a foundation for your new business venture and give you the confidence and motivation to continue on your journey as a freelancer.

As a freelancer, you need the right tools to be successful. It is vital to remember that there are thousands of tools out there that can help you become successful in freelancing. However, there is only a handful of them that are truly essential for every freelancer.

To keep your business running smoothly, it's essential to know theses tools to use them effectively when working with clients.

What to do to succeed in freelancing?

Once you have your toolbox together, it's time for you to start working on your project. You will need motivation and determination if you want things to go well for yourself and any clients who hire you. It will take time before things start rolling smoothly.

3.) A Good Working Space

You may have heard that a proper working environment affects employees' productivity. However, did you know that freelancers need it just as much?

This is because you need a proper working space to focus on your work, which will also affect your productivity.

On top of that, creating a good working space for yourself as a freelancer helps you focus on your work quickly and increases your productivity!

4.) A Backup Device

You need a backup device if you work online to access your work from anywhere. This can be a laptop or desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. I use my smartphone as an offline backup for my business. It's handy when I'm out and about and need to access my files.

I also use Google Drive to store all my documents and files. So if anything happens to my laptop or phone, I still have access to all my data.

Having a backup device is essential. Why is it so important?

If you're a freelancer, you must always ensure that your work is backed up on different devices. All your work will be lost if your computer dies or gets stolen.

A backup device is essential to protect yourself from losing your work. You can use external drives or cloud storage to back up your data and files. The choice is yours, but I recommend using both methods because they can complement each other.

5.) A Hearty Collection of Skills

You may be a great graphic artist, writer, or programmer, but you need other skills that complement your main skills to make it. Many believe they can get by with one skill and make it work. However, this is not true if you want to freelance like a pro. You need to have multiple skills so that you can cover all bases.

If you're content writer and social media manager, this should be enough for your clients, but what happens if they need someone who can do both? They might choose someone else instead of risking their brand image by hiring someone who doesn't know what they're doing if they had to choose between the two.

This is why it's essential to have a hearty collection of skills to satisfy more customers than before.

As a freelancer, you will need to be able to handle several different types of jobs at once, so you must have a several skill sets in your arsenal.

Suppose you want to become a freelancer or start your own journey as an entrepreneur. In that case, you must know exactly what types of skills will make you stand out from the crowd when applying for freelancing jobs.

6.) A Mentor

Regular communication is essential. You need to be able to pitch ideas, ask questions and receive feedback. You need to know when you're doing a good job and when you're not.

A mentor can help you with all of these things. They can advise you on handling different situations, keep you from making mistakes and even help you find new opportunities.

Here are some of the most common ways a mentor can help:

⋅ A mentor will help guide you through your first steps in freelancing

⋅ They will advise on how to negotiate projects and clients

⋅ They will give feedback on how you can improve your skillset and workflow

⋅ They can help build up your reputation as an expert in your field

A mentor will help you start your freelance career by guiding what tasks are worth doing for money and which are not. They will also advise on how much money each task should make for the time invested. This helps prevent over-selling yourself or working for too low of pay.

Also, a mentor will keep track of your successes and failures to better advise you on how to improve you in the future. If they see a pattern of failure, then they may decide that it would be better if they took over part or all of your workload until things improve again. It is up to them whether or not they want to do this, but it is often helpful for both parties involved. If you need a mentor in your freelancing, please visit this link: https://courses.thesurgemarketplace.com/product/freelancing-virtual-assistance-course/ and choose option C.

7.) An understanding of your Finances

Freelancing is hard work and requires a lot of self-discipline. Knowing where your money goes and the amount you spend on your business is essential. If you don't keep track of your finances, it's easy to run out of money and not know why.

You should also have an emergency fund for unexpected maintenance or medical expenses. Generally, you should set aside three months of living expenses. This is in case something goes wrong with your business, or you lose clients unexpectedly.

Get a separate bank account. Even if you are freelancing full-time and earning enough to cover your bills, getting a different bank account is still a good idea. You will be able to keep track of your income and expenses more quickly this way.

Set up an automatic savings plan. Suppose you have enough money coming in each month. Set up automatic savings, so your savings grow automatically without thinking about it. This is also an excellent way to put aside money for tax time.

8.) Self-Marketing Skills

Professionalism, self-marketing skills, and communication are some of the most important aspects of freelancing.

You may have all the skills required to do a great job, but if you can't market yourself or communicate effectively with clients, then it won't matter. You'll always get clients and your business on the ground.

What do you need to know about self-marketing?

As a freelancer, you are in charge of your success. You don't have a manager or an HR Department to tell you anything. You are on your own!

That's why it's so vital that you learn to market yourself and make yourself stand out.

Why should you learn how to market yourself?

The answer is simple: marketing is essential for any company that wants to be successful. And because marketing is crucial for any freelancer who wants to get jobs and earn money with their talent and skills.

The best way to learn how to market yourself is by doing it! Like in real life, when we want something badly, we have no choice but to practice until we get it right.

9.) A Great Reputation

Building trust with your clients begins with an excellent reputation. When they find out that you are a good freelancer, they will be willing to work with you again and again.

A bad reputation can hurt your chances of getting hired. However, an excellent reputation will help you get more clients and make more money.

It's what will bring you steady work and referrals from clients.

Here are various ways you can do to help build your reputation (freelance like a pro):

・Create a website. A website is a great way to showcase your work, provide information about yourself and your business, and give potential clients an easy way to contact you. If you need more time or money to build a site, consider using WordPress or Squarespace to create a simple but professional-looking site.

・ Display customer testimonials on your website and social media accounts (with permission). The best way to establish credibility with potential clients is through testimonials. They show that others have hired you successfully and enjoyed working with you.

・ A good testimonial also includes specific praise for something you did well. This personalizes it and makes it more convincing than saying, "I loved working with Jane because she was really nice!:"

・ Post frequently on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. These platforms are often used by potential clients looking for freelancers who do similar work types (and might fit into their budget).

10.) Crafting your Online Presence

Your online presence is one of the essential things to consider when starting freelancing. It's about ensuring you have an attractive website and how you present yourself on social media. In this post, we'll look at some things you should do to build your online presence.

Another step to freelance like a pro is to craft your online presence. This means building up your reputation. You want clients to find you and know what you offer. You also want a website or blog showcasing your work and your services' value.

To accomplish this you should establish yourself on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. These are all free ways to get your name out there, so more clients can find you when they're looking for someone like you.

You should also ensure that your website looks professionals and has content that shows what kind of work you do best - writing, designing, or coding.

11.) Create a Web Custom Portfolio

Creating a custom web portfolio is essential to freelance like a pro. It helps you to present your work and services to people who visit your page. It also helps in attracting potential clients who may be interested in hiring you for their projects.

A web custom portfolio is an avenue to showcase your skills, experience, and work. You can also share it with potential employers or clients so they can know what they should expect regarding your services.

Creating a custom web portfolio is not difficult at all. All you need is creativity and know-how on how to do it right. You don't need to spend too much money creating one; instead, you can use free tools online or even create one yourself if you are creative enough.

A web custom portfolio allows you to build trust with potential clients and show them that you can handle their projects.

Creating a custom web portfolio doesn't have to be complicated or expensive, but it does take time and effort. You will spend hours searching for inspiration and learning new skills, but once your portfolio is complete, it will pay off in the long run.

12.) Social Media

Getting in touch with clients and building relationships is easy with social media. It's also an excellent way to promote your business.

Social Media is another powerful tool for freelancers. It can help you get clients, work on your projects, and build your personal brand. Here's how:

・ Create an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. These are the most popular social networks, so having an account is vital. However, remember to set up an account and remember about it. You need to actively use these accounts (at least once a week); otherwise, they won't be effective!

・ Post pictures of your work in progress and finished products/projects on Facebook and Instagram. Your followers will appreciate seeing what you do behind closed

doors!

・ Sharing blog posts related to freelancing can also help build your brand and attract new clients.

Other tips are:

Create an account on all available platforms

Set up your profile

Use hashtags on Instagram and Twitter to attract potential clients

These are the top 12 excellent tips to freelance like a pro. This guide will help you with your freelancing.

Are you a newbie eager to start a work-from-home career but need help knowing where to begin? Surge Marketplace is dedicated to helping you start freelancing from scratch to success. Interested? Visit Surge Marketplace Page and send us a chat on how we can assist you.

Sources:

#virtual assistant #freelancingtips #freelancing

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wanderingandfound · 9 months

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Maybe it's an effect of my lack of experiental memory, maybe it's because I'm a perfectionist and a completionist, but I hate data loss so so much. It's a combination of itchiness and anger and so much grief. I can't study classics or religion and mythology or history too much because it overwhelms me, all that we've lost. I wanna work in libraries but I need to constantly remind myself to not go down the path of archives because that will just stress me out. If I think too hard about my mom's computer that crashed with so many photos and all her emails on it from a friend that moved overseas and died young, her cousins that carelessly wiped her grandma's floppy disks with years of genealogical research because they wanted to move my great grandma into a home and sell off her things, the time my headphones wiped my phone (but thankfully not my SD card) the time a while later someone stole my phone (with that SD card), grief. I get sad every time I see a blog has deactivated. A Twitter mutual I only barely knew died and before they did they deleted their Twitter accounts and Tumblr and wiped their AO3 and so now the only memory I have of them is joking about the sunk cost fallacy when a specific character caused a tragic accident.

You would think this would drive me to take photos and records and be careful and diligent about backing things up, but no. All it does is make me loath to delete things.

So at least today I can rejoice in being a good older sibling. My baby sister just graduated college and she went to a tech school that gives all the students fancy laptops so that each class year has the same specs. What they also apparently do, is remotely wipe (or something?) the computers a month after graduation, with only one email the week beforehand for warning. An email my sister did not read in time.

She's been miffed about this for a few weeks and then today I come home early from work to find her on the verge of tears while on the phone with our brother. Her Stardew Valley save file is gone, as that's something that saves to her computer rather than the cloud. She had put 160 hours into it. And now it was nowhere to be found, and reinstalling the game just generated a sad empty file.

But after some poking I was able to find it. Mission complete, my good deed for the day done. :)

#personal #My Real Life Invading the Internet #suicide allusion cw//////

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astropithecus · 10 months

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Obituaries: Kevin Mitnick, hacker and fugitive turned security consultant, dies at 59

In 1995 I was 11, my favorite movie was The Net, and Kevin Mitnick - sitting in federal prison - was basically a folk hero. He wasn't allowed access to a phone, because the rumor was he could start a nuclear war by whistling modem tones into a receiver. To a kid that grew up watching WarGames that was effectively a superpower.

I spent the next few formative years learning to "hack" - not entirely because of Mitnick, but it couldn't have hurt. I was the textbook script kiddie, a tween with just enough knowledge to scrabble onto the shoulders of giants. My first forays into software development were via Visual Basic, making AOL "progs" to flood chat rooms and "punt" those bold enough to cross me (interestingly, there's good reason to think Mark Zuckerberg started out the same way).

In 1997, I noticed the local library's catalog computers were running a Telnet client connected to a public IP. I had learned the ins-and-outs of Telnet setting up a MUD server for me and my friends (when I see people play D&D over Discord I always wonder if there'd be a niche for a solid, modern MUD server to fill), so I signed out and then manually brute-forced the password to sign back in. I was looking over my shoulder, half-expecting to get escorted from the building, as if anyone was watching the catalog Telnet server that closely. I don't remember what the password ended up being, only that it was a single-case dictionary word - we were still a few years from a public awareness of password complexity - and I managed to guess it.

Now, with a few years of IT work behind me and a healthy whitehat interest in social engineering, I realize Mitnick probably would've just told a librarian the computer wasn't working and watched her type the password. Regardless, 13-year-old me was proud of his ingenuity. I took my newfound knowledge and used it to check what books were available at which library branch without leaving the house, one time I even put one hold until I could convince my mom to drive me there. Mostly I just enjoyed the thrill that I made it work. I wasn't experienced enough to consider using a proxy (or better yet, to not "hack" from my own computer) so I suppose I'm lucky I knew better than to take on anyone with better security than the local municipal library system. I don't think they ever even bothered to change the password. A few years later, they introduced a public website to do the same thing, because information wants to be free.

That was the aspect of "hacking" that I think has been lost in the intervening years. Hacking now is generally about profit - bitlocking data, demanding ransoms, swiping crypto wallets, harvesting credit card details, running scams, selling password hash tables. When it's not, it's about social activism; whistleblowing, leaking documents. Don't get me wrong, cyberdisruption is a valuable thread in the tapestry of civil disobedience, but Mitnick represented a different breed. He never launched a nuke, the "whistling into the phone" rumor was likely an intentional falsehood, vilification promoted by law enforcement, made plausible by the unusual abilities of a 1960's phreaker named Joybubbles. There was no agenda, no malice; there's not any indication Mitnick ever profited from any of his hacks (directly, at least - certainly the infamy helped his eventual IT security career). It was just an obsession with challenging yourself to accomplish things people assume are impossible, and the satisfaction of the eureka moment when it works. That spirit - so prevalent in hacker communities in the 80's and 90's and the phreaker circles that preceded them - has all but vanished from our public perception of hacking. The terms "hacker" and "hacking" themselves have become almost exclusively negative.

Probably just as well. Who needs more Mark Zuckerbergs?

Kevin Mitnick's business card, featuring a working punch-out lockpicking set

#free kevin #long reads #news #interesting #hacking

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