I’ve made a fool of myself

Pairing: Ennoshita Chikara x American!reader

Genre: Fluff

Plot: Rain? Not ideal, but Chikara won’t let it ruin a perfect opportunity.

HaikyuuWriters’ Monthly Prompt Event - Prompt: Summer

Word Count: 2020

Warnings: None

All characters are aged to 20+

A/N: Me? Writing fluff? More likely than you think djfkd My family has been going to the lake every summer for about 15 years now, so I wanted to share a little bit of that while also including Ennoshita and his Capricorn stellium. From my research, those with Capricorn stelliums in their natal charts like to plan in advance, and the best way forward is through. Hope you enjoy! I tried to make it enjoyable for those who aren’t American as well <3

Dappled light sparkled over white knuckles as the small convertible wound its way around sharp bends under your direction. Your begrudging passenger, Ennoshita, held your hand as though his digits were a snapping turtle that’d finally caught its prey. He was no coward, but the bottomless ravines caging the road coupled with the seasoned driving of a person unafraid of kinks in the path of the vehicle set his teeth on edge.

“You don’t trust my driving?” You queried, peeking over to discover his normally shiftless face uncharacteristically tense behind his dark sunglasses.

You’d rented the car when your flight landed in America and Ennoshita insisted he would drive the entire way to the lakeside cabin in the mountains. Having never driven while placed on the left side of the car he did remarkably well; it was a treat to observe his handsome profile as warm air blustered through his short locks. 

The confidence he’d possessed then evaporated the moment the road urged him to maneuver around a curve, prompting your boyfriend to pull over and admit he needed his designated passenger to take over, explaining that since you’d grown up driving ‘this way’ you should be the one to do it.

You understood his hesitation. When you’d moved to Japan for university, the only transportation you felt comfortable using was the train, the bus, or your own two feet. These modes took you far, but Ennoshita took you farther by offering to drive when you were too intimidated to even learn.

In this moment, the regret rolling off of him in waves was palpable even in the open air of the compact car.

“I trust you, I do,” he spoke feebly. “It’s just that...are you sure you’re okay with driving? It’s been years since you’ve done this.”

“I’m sure, baby,” came your response laced with finality. You lifted his hand to your lips, skimming them delicately over the smooth skin of his knuckles as you approached another twist in the road.

“Pay attention!” He cried, his rock-solid composure slipping as his free hand clapped over his eyes; the car continued to glide smoothly along the asphalt.

“I am,” you intoned against his hand before smiling. “Relax! You never get this worked up.”

“Don’t like when plans change,” he mumbled, a pout creasing his visage.

“What?”

“I just don’t like when things don’t go the way I planned.”

“I know,” you said with an inaudible sigh. “Don’t stress, just go with the flow.”

“Easier said than done,” came his garbled response that you chose to ignore. This was just the way that your boyfriend was: he was happiest when things worked out exactly in the manner he had planned. 

“We’re almost there, smooth sailing now.” 

You could see him visibly relax from the corner of your eye as the road straightened out ahead, the turn onto the graveled drive leading to the lake house approaching quickly. The view that each person navigating the narrow road gained when pulling into the driveway of the wood-clad cabin made the rattling of brains over potholes and oversized crushed rocks worthwhile.

Pine trees so tall they could tickle the sky framed the expanse of the crystalline lake with powder white clouds embedded in pristine cerulean reflected along its surface, inviting any passerby to dip their toes into the chill water.

Hopping out of the convertible, you were eager to grab the groceries and assist Ennoshita inside when the lake captured your attention. This happened every time your family visited your go-to location for summer vacation. 

There was something about the lake that made it your solace. Not so much the lake, but the memories shared here, like kayaking through hidden alcoves at dawn, swimming out as far as possible until your brain begged you to go back lest you be captured by a non-existent lake monster, and burning marshmallows over a fire that blazed too hot for too short a time as mosquitos buzzed away from your bug-sprayed skin.

The lake acted as a looking glass for you, sending snippets of the past through your mind as you leaned against the front of the car.

“[Y/n]?” Ennoshita prodded, his arms laden with plastic bags. “I’ve got everything, are you coming?”

“Oh!” you responded, snapping from your reverie with a small smile. “Let me help you.”

--

His mind was almost always consumed with plans. Planning for becoming a physical therapist from the beginning of high school. Planning the perfect way to ask if you’d like to see a movie with him after he met you in a general education class at university. Planning out what you both were looking for in a shared apartment and how to make it the best location for your careers. Planning how to make your relationship permanent.

He hated the saying “Change is inevitable,” and throughout life he’d worked to ensure that no matter what happened he stuck to his guns and completed the task at hand, so why did this sudden alteration of his image for the day feel different?

Dread had settled in Ennoshita’s spine, the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing stock-straight as he peered out over the tumultuous lake from the enclosed porch of the cabin.

The day had risen beautifully with the sun beaming along the peaked waves as boats skipped across the water. He was overjoyed to wake up to your beautiful face glowing in the morning light. Although the itinerary for the day seemed run-of-the-mill--preparing barbecue chicken and then enjoying a bonfire once it was dusk--there was something special that he wanted to spring on you that demanded perfection from the atmosphere.

The atmosphere was a fickle entity to work with, and his optimism surrounding the day was lashed down by pouring rain. It hammered against the once tranquil water and afforded the lake an ominous appearance, almost as if a monster was preparing for the perfect moment to show its grisled face. Dark thoughts were a hallmark of his mind on its descent to self-doubt, though he rarely stood at this precipice due to thorough plotting.

There was no way that he could explain this to you without revealing his hidden agenda. How was a chicken barbecue and bonfire supposed to be a special occasion? You’d tell him to move the dinner plans to tomorrow and order pizza in, problem easily solved. 

“Storms roll in fast,” you explained, your voice rising in volume with every step you took towards him. These were the first real words you’d spoken to him that weren’t whispered affections across the valley between your pillows in the dark. Translating for each set of parents had been all-consuming, but rewarding, leaving no time for conversations between lovers.

“I have to start the coals,” he said, placing his warm hand between your shoulder blades. “Where can I find an umbrella?”

“Let’s just order--”

“No, it’s okay,” he said, kissing you on the cheek. “The chicken won’t be good tomorrow anyway.”

“There’s a big yellow umbrella in the coat rack just inside the doorway,” you explained. “Let me at least help you.”

“No, stay in here so you can translate, it won’t take me that long to get this cooked up.”

Ennoshita quickly snatched the bag of marinated chicken from the fridge and the cheery yellow umbrella and made his way down to the grill to find your father standing over it, the coals smoking as they heated.

“You didn’t have to do that, sir,” he called in english to the man standing dangerously close to such high heat. “I was just coming down. Why don’t you go inside, I don’t want you to get sick.”

It was thoughtful of him to assist and save Ennoshita the time it would take to get everything set up. Now, all he had to do was dump the coals and start grilling. Rain sizzled along the white-cast charcoal nuggets as they cascaded into the belly of the grill before he put the grate over top. Water was already accumulating along the slotted metal as it sat waiting for food to be placed upon it. This wouldn’t work, the downpour might affect his ability to cook everything thoroughly. 

So Ennoshita sacrificed his comfort for the fate of dinner.

‘Not ideal,’ was the understatement of the year as Ennoshita stood in a cloth hoodie with rain soaking him all the way through. He steadfastly held the yellow umbrella over the hot grill as the marinated chicken cooked and took on flavor as though it were another sunny day at the lake.

No matter what, this was going to happen. He wouldn’t let rain ruin this evening.

It was fine if he was soaked, he could change quickly and meet everyone for dinner before the chicken was too cold. The best way around any obstacle is through.

The sound of the rain was so consuming that he hadn’t realized you were approaching until the rain was no longer sluicing off his face, a warm hand now firmly against his back. Looking up, he spotted a black umbrella now hovering over him to protect him from the elements. And to his left, there you were in your hoodie, your palm against his abdomen, and your eyes full of concerned love.

“What’re you doing out here?” He asked before turning to examine the food. 

“I told you I’d help.”

“Don’t they need a translator?”

“The language of afternoon judge shows is universal,” you quipped teasingly, to which he returned his usual bored look. “They’re okay for now, I think they were just preparing the side dishes.”

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” he said. 

“But I wanted to. Besides, we haven’t talked in days. I miss you.”

He smiled down at you, drinking in how your face still glowed with an inner beauty in the murky twilight and how the shine in your eyes never dulled by any undesirable circumstances. 

Giving you a small peck on the lips, he finally tore his eyes from your face and deemed the chicken ready for the family dinner.

--

Laughter flitted through the open screens of the porch where Ennoshita stood surveying the sight that greeted him once he was dried off and changed: five of the most important people to him stood around the fire pit. The rain had cleared to reveal a nearly blinding cherry sunset capped with deep plum, its appearance reflected on the now-calm lake it oversaw.

Japanese and English were quickly replaced by laughter as you reminisced and told jokes over the past, even Ennoshita’s least favorite childhood story of putting on a musical all about his stuffed animals for his mother surfaced in the jovial atmosphere.

Something about the way you stood, your back turned so you were merely a silhouette in the saturated light, had his eyes locked onto your form as you swirled and sipped from the wine glass in your hand between the two families he hoped to unite. 

People spoke of moments where everything dropped away and it was only the other person in front of them. Things often fell away for Ennoshita when he was focused on achieving a goal, superfluous people and emotions blurring, so he thought he knew what these so-called people were talking about. He was wrong.

Now he knew, watching your head tilt back to free the lilt of your laugh, this was the moment he’d been missing out on. Perhaps he’d experienced it during your first kiss, or even when you’d said yes to moving in with him—but this was different. The moment he’d planned this entire trip for had come, and he ceased his nervous fiddling. 

Although the day wasn’t perfect, you were.

“Chikara,” came your sweet call, your upturned face adorned with an affectionate smile reserved for him alone. “Come join us!”

The sound of your voice drew him from his thoughts, the square velvet box he’d been fidgeting with dropping to the bottom of his pocket as he made the journey downstairs to join the group. 

Any plan could change as long as he had you.

Taglist: @miyuswriting @burnthoneymint @bb-noya 

Generally, do we take Oshie coming back out at the end of the game (or any similar sitch of an athlete returning to the ice after a potentially injury-causing incident) as a good sign (presumably he passed a concussion test so even if he does somehow have one, it's probably not as serious as it could be), a bad sign (there's a good chance he's playing through something that will be/could be made worse by playing through it), or just like a neutral "who knows" non-sign?

It’s a neutral sign about Oshie’s wellbeing, because being cleared to return to play simply isn’t the same as that.

I think it’s a rough sign about us.

Oshie went through the League’s concussion protocol.  The League has pulled out certain symptoms (subjective information that has to be reported by the patient) and signs (objective information that can be seen by the healthcare provider) which it holds to be the most reliable clues. If a player shows some combination of these, they’re sent off the ice to be tested:

Symptoms:

Headache

Dizziness

Balance or coordination difficulties

Nausea

Amnesia for the circumstances surrounding the injury (i.e., retrograde/anterograde amnesia)

Cognitive slowness

Light/sound sensitivity

Disorientation

Visual disturbance

Tinnitus

Sign “Lying Motionless on the Ice”: A Player lies motionless on the ice or falls to the ice in an unprotected manner (i.e., without stretching out his hands or arms to lessen or minimize his fall).

Sign “Motor Incoordination/Balance Problems”: A Player staggers, struggles to get up or skate properly, appears to lose his balance, trips or falls, or stumbles while getting up, trying to get up, or skating.

Sign “Blank or Vacant Look”: A player has a blank or vacant look.

If you also thought, “But wouldn’t TJ always qualify?” you’re a bit of a dick, but you’re not wrong

Sign “Slow to Get Up” or “Clutches his Head”: A player is slow to get up or clutches his head (including any part of his face) 2 following any of these mechanisms of injury:

a blow to the Player’s head or upper torso from another player’s shoulder;

the Player’s head makes secondary contact with the ice; or,

the Player is punched in the head (including any part of his face) by an ungloved fist during a fight

Exceptions: If a player is Slow to Get Up or Clutches his Head following a mechanism of injury other than the three listed above, removal from play is not mandatory and Club medical staff shall exercise their medical judgment as to whether to remove the Player for an acute evaluation.

That last bit means that the NHL has done some math and determined that those three impacts cause most concussions. They’ve found that fewer concussions come from ‘head makes secondary contact with the boards’ than from ‘contact with the ice’, so they say a player who hit the ice needs to be tested and a player who hit the boards doesn’t. He can still be sent for testing, but the call falls to the trainer, and that’s a problem because we can’t diagnose a concussion by looking at you.

Does Oshie have a concussion? I don’t know. Not ‘I don’t know I’m only friendly bone witch’ like I say when I think somebody sprained their wrist but don’t want to get in trouble, I mean I cannot tell you shit. I cannot see concussions. I can see those signs that often appear with a concussion, but seeing them does not mean my patient for sure has a concussion. If I don’t see them, it doesn’t mean he does not.

We have to assess the damn patient.

The NHL uses it’s own version of the Standardized/Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT3).

The SCAT3 combines aspects of several concussion tools…into eight components designed to assess concussion symptoms, cognition, and neurological signs. Each of the eight components is scored and recorded The test consists of the Glasgow Coma Scale  [you conscious?], Maddocks score [are you aware you’re a hockey player?], symptom evaluation, cognitive evaluation using SAC [can you solve my puzzles?], neck examination, balance examination, coordination examination, and a follow-up of the SAC delayed recall task.

The SCAT3 is not meant to replace comprehensive neuropsychological testing. It should not be used as a stand-alone method to diagnose concussion, measure recovery, or make decisions about an athlete’s readiness to return to competition after a concussion.”

What you need to know from that is that the SAC is a timed paper-and-pencil quiz that takes 5 to 10 minutes. It’s a pretty reliable indicator. You do it twice in the SCAT. 

When the SCAT was introduced Dr. Ruben Echemendia, chair of the NHL’s Concussion Working Group, denied that players have to be in the quiet room for a minimum of 15 minutes. “The 15 minutes that has been talked about in the media is a fallacy….It really is the amount of time that’s necessary to conduct a thorough evaluation.” x That’s interesting.

Oshie left the ice with 16 and a half minutes left in the 3rd. He returned with 3 and a bit to go. It is physically impossible that he completed just one of the eight parts of the NHL’s own tool properly.

Using just one tool may give you almost 50% error, compared to 80-100% accuracy when you use the SCAT and other tools to get a more complete picture. Reasonable medical care for concussions does exist, this just…isn’t it.

I’m not saying a word about the medical staff. I’m saying that this system means being cleared to play has as much to do with your concussion status as a coin flip. 

Kariya shows character in Game 6

Jun 8, 2003

Sherry Skalko

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Paul Kariya wasn’t going to stay down.

It was Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals and there was more work to do.

At 6:26 of the second period Saturday night with the Mighty Ducks leading the Devils 3-1, Kariya joined the list of players who have fallen victim to a Scott Stevens check. An instant after dishing the puck off to his left before the Devils’ blueline, Kariya, with his head down, turned to his right – full-speed, face-first into the white No. 4 on the New Jersey captain’s shoulder.

Kariya fell to the ice and lay motionless. The capacity crowd that he had whipped into a frenzy with two assists in the first period fell silent.

…

So at the most crucial of moments, with his young Mighty Ducks facing elimination in the playoffs for the first time, Kariya got up. And less than four minutes later, he made a surprising return. 

Later in the period, it was Kariya who provided the nicest lift of all by beating Martin Brodeur high glove side with a slapshot off the left wing at 17:15.

“He was able to come back, and that really inspired every player in our room,” Ducks veteran winger Steve Thomas said.

“I was impressed with that,” coach Mike Babcock said. “It was impressive for him. When you’re stretched and people are calling you out, you get a chance to respond. When you respond, that’s the best feeling. That’s why they pay you the money.”

They pay him the money because they know what other people don’t.

“That’s just a sign of leadership, right there, to come back after that and score that goal,” Rucchin said. “I expect the same from him in Game 7.”

Because Paul Kariya won’t stay down.

Paul Kariya can’t remember that goal. 

He had anterograde amnesia: like we talked about with Kempný this season, his brain couldn’t record any new information. His muscle memory was out there, and it did okay without the rest of him, because you truly don’t need judgement or personality to be a hockey player. 

Seeing TJ return to the ice last night and score was the nightmare scenario. It’s what we can’t seem to get away from. We keep cheering when they go back on the ice. We keep saying see? He’s okay! 

And that’s pretty damn awkward fifteen years later. 

I don’t think Oshie has a concussion. I don’t know! We don’t. We cheered anyway.

I’ve been trying to get this, reading posts praising what Oshie did. Because I know you all want him to be well. And you want him to get a victory. We want the story to end with the good guy safe and sound and still good at hockey. It feels right. 

But a player being well and being good at hockey are not the same thing. Sometimes wanting him to be well means acknowledging that he can’t do this right now, because doing this is hurting him.

Dessy, A. M., Yuk, F. J., Maniya, A. Y., Gometz, A., Rasouli, J. J., Lovell, M. R., & Choudhri, T. F. (2017). Review of Assessment Scales for Diagnosing and Monitoring Sports-related Concussion. Cureus, 9(12), e1922.  

Resch JE, Brown CN, Schmidt J, et alThe sensitivity and specificity of clinical measures of sport concussion: three tests are better than oneBMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2016

{January Collection} #15

Your City’s Oldest Cemetery

Theme: Tender Tuesday

Something wicked this way comes...

“Have I told you lately that I love you?”

Monica resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but she was helpless against the smile that blossomed on her lips. “That’s a song, Dot, not some cutesy line you can use to win me over.”

“The fact that it’s a song doesn’t make it any less meaningful, love, especially if I call every radio station in Gotham and dedicate said song to you.”

“Please don’t do that. I promise I’m not upset at you.”

Monica glanced up at the cemetery’s iron wrought gates as they swung open, heralding her arrival to no one, as waking the dead was only a game children and teens played on Halloween. Considering it was January in Gotham City, the snow made the graveyard even colder than it stood to be on a good day, and made Monica rethink her previous statement.

Of course, she wasn’t actually mad at her girlfriend. This is what you do when you love someone, you do favors for them when they ask--or in Dot’s case, beg, because her girlfriend’s mortuary was teeming with bodies and the Mortician was swamped. Gotham was the seedier sister city of the shining Metropolis and it showed, even if one only took Dot’s Mortuary’s booming business as an indication. “It’s a morbid thing, to brag about our successful business in death,” Dot had once joked at a benefit gala the two had attended. “But hey, if the casket fits.” The casket was fitting a lot of hosts lately, all shapes and sizes, but thankfully Monica wasn’t transporting any bodies, today. Dot usually kept her away from that side of the business--not because Monica couldn’t handle it, but because Dot was overprotective. Even today, the haul was more of the same, and Dot was insistent that would never change.

“You’re Broadway’s biggest star, how could I possibly have you carting bodies around? Your fans would have me killed, and then you’d be transporting my body. No, this is just a simple headstone drop-off and flower deposit. I just need you to supervise the assistants while they do it.”

Monica shifted the phone, glancing around the SUV at the assistants that were currently with her while Dot half-sang the song dedication in her ear. The one across the backseat from her smiled politely at her. They all seemed so business-as-usual but Monica could appreciate that--she also appreciated they all treated her with reverence and respect, and not just because she was the Boss’s Girlfriend, but because she’d more than earned her own merit. Dot hadn’t been exaggerating, even if Monica was too polite to lead with the truth. She was the biggest star on Gotham’s Broadway; her name had been lighting up the street for months now, headlining Royal Truths: Betrayal, which was actually the second installment of the Royal Truths series. Monica had been a breakout star in the original Royal Truths and a natural headliner when the second act was ready to debut. Heralded as Gotham’s “Golden Voiced Siren,” Monica was beloved for her haunting voice and her classic beauty, and her off-stage pin-up look was sweeping Gotham so that fashion magazines were calling her manager all hours of the day trying to get the scoop on what her next new trend would be. It might seem a little beneath her to be managing Mortuary business, but Monica didn’t mind doing favors for her girlfriend, and Dot was always incredibly grateful for the help.

The sun was dipping beneath the horizon but Winter was solely to blame for that, the hour wasn’t late at all. Monica didn’t mind, however; she didn’t have rehearsal tonight and Dot had promised a nice, home-cooked meal in exchange for this little favor. The two rarely were able to eat at home, what with a Mortuary to run and Monica lighting up the night with her 5-star performances, so it was something both women were looking forward to. Really all that stood between Monica and their high-rise penthouse was this final task and it made her that much more eager to get it done and over with. She answered Dot a little absently as the SUV took a slow turn and then coasted to a stop, the driver shifting to park and the assistants immediately began to exit the vehicle.

“Oh, I think we’re here, baby, so I’m going to go, so I can get this done and then meet you at home.”

“Okay! Be safe, please, and text me when you’re on your way. I’ll see you at home.”

Monica smiled as she nodded. “Be safe getting home.”

“Always.”

Monica’s manicured nail tapped to end the call and as she was lowering her phone, she met one of the assistant’s gazes as he opened the back hatch of the SUV.

“We shouldn’t take too long, ma’am. You don’t need to get out of the truck unless you’d like to.”

“Thank you, Orlando,” Monica shifted, but another assistant was already there, opening the door for her. The second SUV in the convoy had arrived and the assistants were already exiting it, beginning their tasks--just as eager to get home as Monica was. “And thank you, Ian,” Monica added with a smile as she stepped from the SUV. Ian pushed the door closed with a smile and a nod, before moving to help Orlando get the floral arrangements out of the truck. “Do you have a lot to do?” Monica came around the side of the truck, watching the two men heft a large floral wreath from the trunk.

“No,” Ian shook his blond head. “Just a few set-ups, it shouldn’t take us more than fifteen minutes?”

“Eh, let’s make it a half hour,” Orlando corrected. “If we rush, Ms. Dreadful will make us come back. And if Ms. Dreadful makes us come back--”

“Ain’t nobody gonna be happy.”

Monica couldn’t help but laugh as every single assistant answered all at the same time, their joint reply all aimed at Orlando. Monica knew him to be one of the senior assistants who had been with the Mortuary for a long time, so he had seniority and rank, but he wasn’t over-bearing about it. He couldn’t even help the good-natured laugh at his own expense.

“Yeah, yeah, so move your asses but do it right, please.”

Monica’s sole role was simply being present to make any managerial decisions in Dot’s place should anything last minute arise, but normally those sorts of emergencies were few and far between, and it didn’t take more than a few minutes of supervising for Monica to tell this was going to be another routine evening. The assistants knew what to do, they were paid well enough to do it right, and Monica went from scrolling through her phone, sitting on the truck’s open back hatch, to glancing around Grimwood Cemetery. Unlike Gotham Cemetery, which was across the city, Grimwood became the resting place for the majority of the population. It was a little classist, sure, but there was an unspoken yet routinely followed rule that anyone of note was buried in Gotham Cemetery--the Wayne family, for example--whereas every day, normal people found themselves in Grimwood. Monica didn’t bat an eye at the difference between the two cemeteries, mostly because she knew she’d cemented herself so firmly in Gotham’s history that she could pick out a plot in Gotham Cemetery now and no one would bat an eye at it.

It was a common misconception that Gotham Cemetery was older than Grimwood, but in reality, bodies had just been relocated out of Grimwood to what is the new Gotham Cemetery. It’s a pretty well-kept secret, that Grimwood was once Gotham Cemetery, but was rebranded a half-century previous, the important bodies all moved, and people began speaking of “Gotham” as Grimwood.

“Gotham Cemetery? Oh, you mean Grimwood. Gotham’s on the other side.”

No, you had it right the first time, but that’s the thing about lies and secrets--you tell them enough, you’ll believe anything. Monica only knew because Dot was “in-the-know”, and Monica had to admit she got a good laugh anytime any of the “new money” of Gotham tried to put on airs about plots in Gotham Cemetery without knowing the truth behind the lie. Yes, Gotham Cemetery is important, now, but the fact of the matter is--

There’s still important, old parts of Grimwood that Monica would argue are worth far more than any plot in Gotham Cemetery. It’s where she found herself out of boredom, designer boots crunching through snow as she wound her way down the path between mausoleums and tombstones, idly wondering at the names etched into marble and stone. The further she went, the more distant the working assistants became, but she didn’t worry too awful much about them. She wasn’t here to baby-sit, after all, and she had her phone if they needed to call her for an emergency. It also spoke for itself that the further she went, the more timeworn and difficult to read the headstones became. The path took a steep curve down and she passed through a fence with no gate, simply an archway, but the grave markers beyond this point seemed kissed by Father Time himself.

This was Old Grimwood, graves from centuries ago, and despite the serenity of the snow, the silence was deafening and the air seemed just a little more crisp, here. Monica was overly aware of the crunch of her boots as she took in the scenery, from the barren, twisted trees curving and winding over her head, to the shadows from the path lights that danced through the twinkling snow banks. Some of the tombstones here were so old they were destroyed, collapsed onto their grave like the dust in the coffins beneath the earth. Graveyards are not known for the living, but Monica truly felt the dead space, here. It was...oddly comforting, the stark silence, the barren banks of snow and dead flora, even the bite of wind. It may seem, to some, a strange place to find inspiration, but Monica was tempted to sing, to harmonize using the quiet air as her orchestra. She quelled the urge, but couldn’t stop herself from humming all the same, reaching out to touch a frozen mausoleum door as she went. Her voice carried on the frozen wind, the dulcet tone a caress that some won’t have felt for centuries.

Not everything is dead in Old Grimwood. Some things just need a reason to rise.

The sound initially sounded, to Monica, like ice cracking. She stopped dead in her tracks, wondering at the echoing sound. It reverberated off the surrounding mausoleums and the solid tree trunks, the wind howling it’s displeasure at the macabre turn of events in a place where everything should be quiet, still, dead. The twilight sky darkened, and for one terrible moment Monica felt a shiver of fear from some unknown source, her instincts sounding warning bells that something was wrong. She held her breath as she glanced to her left and then her right, but there was nothing--the echoing was throwing her, warping her sense of direction and she realized too late the sound was coming from behind her. From the direction she’d come and as she slowly turned to look over her shoulder, she felt the air slam out of her lungs as the earth heaved and rolled a few feet behind her. What was happening?! For the first time in her life, Monica understood why some horror movie heroines stand, frozen in terror, uncertain what to do when faced with something otherwordly for the first time. The earth buckled, then seemed to cave into itself, bowing the headstone that rested at the top of the marked grave.

Cyrus Gold 18??-1895 Born on a Monday.

Monica could barely make out what it said, the stone looked so worn and old, and her terrified gaze was soon ripped from the stone entirely as electricity seemed to skitter across the frozen earth and snow--before a plume of dirt shot skyward. In the quiet of the graveyard it seemed deafening, but the silence that followed was even louder. Monica was rooted to the spot, uncertain what to do in a situation such as this. To get back to where she’d come, to the safety of the assistants and the sanity of normality, she’d have to run past an open grave...that had opened itself.

“What the hell even is Gotham City,” Monica muttered to herself as she folded her arms over her chest “It’s not wonder even my grandfather keeps asking me to move.”

She’d thought talking to herself would break the awful silence and she’d feel comfortable enough to move, but it seemed her voice did something else--it spurred someone else to move, and a guttural groan echoed out of the freshly opened grave. The sound was deep and low, rumbling up Monica’s boots as she took a frightened step back.

Oh...no, there’s absolutely no way in hell...Zombies aren’t real, right? Sure, Monica loved the zombies from horror movies and video games, and she could tout the title Queen of the Zombies like nobody’s business. Her Zombie Pin-Up from last Halloween’s Gala had been the top hash-tag in Gotham City for two weeks. But this? This was real life, this was happening, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

A hand larger than she’d ever seen shot out of the open grave and slammed down on the frozen snow with such force Monica nearly fell over. She could only watch with wide, terrified eyes as a hulking behemoth of a man dragged himself from the split in the earth. The creature’s suit was in tatters, the white button-up missing entirely, likely rotted away, and revealing a physique and height any normal man would be wise to envy. He didn’t look rotted, but his skin had a disturbing pallor to it all the same. As he struggled to gain control of his motor skills, Monica watched silently as his bones creaked and cracked into place, putting him at over seven feet tall. He was flesh and blood, with the veins and muscle mass to prove it. As he straightened up, his eyes opened and she was greeted with milky white, but for some reason she just knew he could see her. She felt nailed to the ground, rooted to the spot as he sized her up, his silver-white hair neglected and hanging in uneven strands below his prominent brow bone. This...creature’s bone structure was something to envy, all square-cut and masculine, and Monica felt her heart drop into the center of her stomach as he took a single step toward her.

“Speak.”

Monica flinched as if he’d yelled at her, but he hadn’t. She wasn’t prepared for that voice. It was deep and commanding, as if time-tested and unafraid of even death. The creature followed his first step with a second as he waited for her to do what he said. When she didn’t, he raised his voice and tried again.

“Speak!”

“W-What?! What the h-hell are you asking me?” Monica cried, clutching the neck of her jacket defensively, but she’d done what he wanted and his entire body seemed to shudder as her voice washed over him. He actually staggered, but kept upright, and took another step toward her. Monica took one back. “W-What...What a-are you?”

“Solomon Grundy.”

Monica didn’t know if he was actually answering her or if that was just...him talking. Was she actually conversing with...with a real life zombie?

Unbeknownst to her, Monica’s inner turmoil, confusion, and fear was providing exactly what Solomon needed as he willed his new body to move faster, to close the distance between them quickly. He hadn’t been expecting this but when one’s experienced death, one learns to adapt quickly. He’d been sleeping so peacefully, soaking up the nutrients the earth had to offer so that he might one day rise again, but in a single instant the chord from her voice had rejuvenated him in his entirety. Solomon was whole--he didn’t need weeks, months, years in stasis. This woman had done it in an instant. Solomon didn’t understand how or why but he didn’t need to. He was a man of simple things, now, and what he understood, simply, was that she had done it. Had she done it on purpose? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. She’d done it, and that meant something. What did it mean? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. It didn’t matter because a zombie only cares about one thing--

It’s baser instincts and needs.

What he needed was right in front of him. He staggered, lurched toward her like a man grasping at the edges of his grave but Solomon has been there, done that, and it didn’t matter where this beautiful woman went, he was a zombie. Zombies are relentless. He would find her, track her down, and break her for daring to run from him--but she wasn’t running. No, she was staying, standing, staring up at him with fear in her eyes but all Solomon could see was beauty. It was akin to Hades falling for Persephone, the beautiful flower growing in Death’s palm, and he was all too aware of how breakable, how fragile, how small she was. A tiny miracle, a winter rose blooming between the ice cracks. Solomon was a simple man, these days. Zombies only want what they need and Solomon knew in an instant what he needed. A normal man night brood, or question what he was feeling, but Solomon didn’t need to. And he didn’t much care if Monica would need time to come to terms with what he already needed.

Her.

“P-Please, d-don’t,” Monica stammered as the creature drew up before her, realizing far too late she should have run but honestly, would her legs have carried her? She didn’t know; they felt like buckling, now.

Solomon didn’t speak, not at first. He lifted one hand, his palm alone larger than Monica’s face. His muscles seemed to strain with the need to be gentle, but Monica was all too aware of the crushing power behind that giant hand. She flinched as he touched her, made a noise that he felt straight to his curiously beating heart. He was cupping her cheek, his skin like frozen stone against hers.

“Your name.”

Monica swallowed thickly, but couldn’t get past the lump in her throat. She tried to shy away from his hand, but Solomon’s rumbling growl stopped her from moving any further way from him, and he repeated his demand, sharp and heavy like a timeworn stone.

“M-Monica.”

“Monica.”

Solomon tested the name with his tongue and found it sweet; it lingered like wine and reminded him of the warmth of sun upon his dead skin. His eyes actually closed and there was that curious shudder in his hulking frame, as if he couldn’t handle anything to do with her. With Monica.

“Solomon Grundy.” Solomon patted his chest with his other hand, and Monica couldn’t believe she was...having a conversation with a zombie in Gotham’s oldest cemetery.

“N-Nice...to meet you, Solomon.” She didn’t know what else to say, but could tell immediately that disrespecting Solomon wouldn’t be wise. His body posture seemed to both relax and yet tense at her words, as if he loved what she said but couldn’t take how sweet her voice was.

“Again.”

“W-What?”

“Say name again!”

Monica repeated his name, and Solomon’s brutish fingers tightened, crushing the silk of her hair between his dead digits. He hadn’t meant to startle her by raising his voice but he’d grown desperate in that instant, to cling to the feeling of her saying his name. She had such a sweet voice, he could hardly take it, much like an addict craves just one more potent hit. She’d somehow completed him, made him whole, and her voice was the key to his heart, her touch would be what sustained him, her body would be what gave him life. Solomon’s impossibly broad shoulders hunched and blocked out the icy wind as he curved protectively, possessively around his new woman.

“Mine.”

Monica instinctively began to shake her head.

“Monica mine.”

Solomon ground out his demand so close to Monica’s cheek she flinched and tried to shrink away from him but there was nowhere to go. She could only tremble helplessly as Solomon’s arms closed around her, his bone-crushing fingers shaking as he tried to be gentle but she knew, she just knew if she pushed he wouldn’t be.

When Monica fell still in his embrace, Solomon smiled. It was more a baring of teeth, but the Zombie had time to learn how to smile like a man, again. He had a reason, like the sailors of long-lost seas who chased sirens in the dark. Solomon may be a simple man but he’s a man who knows what he wants. What he needs.

Monica.

And she’ll need him back, in time. The Beauty always needs her Beast.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Nearly a third of U.S. workers under 40 considered changing careers during the pandemic (Washington Post) When Orlando Saenz was laid off at the end of January, he was devastated. For nearly a decade, he had worked as an executive assistant at an Austin law firm, and it was hard to envision his next steps. But then it dawned on him: This setback could be the kick he needed to finally finish his associate’s degree and seek a better career. A few days later, Saenz, 40, enrolled in community college. He plans to get a paralegal license. The enhanced unemployment aid gave him the financial cushion to “treat school as my job,” he said, for a few months. “If you come out of the pandemic the same as you were, you’ve missed an opportunity to evolve and grow as a person,” Saenz said. “I just realized I needed to do better.” Saenz is not alone. Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. workers under 40 have thought about changing their occupation or field of work since the pandemic began, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll, conducted July 6 to 21. About 1 in 5 workers overall have considered a professional shift, a signal that the pandemic has been a turning point for many. Many people told The Post that the pandemic altered how they think about what is important in life and their careers. It has given them a heightened understanding that life is short and that now is the time to make the changes they have long dreamed of. The result is a great reassessment of work, as Americans fundamentally reimagine their relationships to their jobs.

Food stamp benefits to permanently expand by over 25% in October, USDA announces (USA Today) Needy families will get a permanent boost to their food stamps benefits in October under an expansion of the program announced Monday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will increase benefits for about 42 million program participants by more than 25% after finishing a review that determined existing benefits are too low to pay for a healthy diet. The increase kicks in on Oct. 1, when beneficiaries in what is officially known as the SNAP program will receive an average bump of about $36.24 per month, the agency announced Monday. While benefits have increased along with inflation, the USDA said this adjustment represents the first expansion of its purchasing power since it was first introduced in 1975.

First-ever water shortage declared on the Colorado River, triggering water cuts for some states in the West (Reuters) For the first time, federal officials declared a water shortage at the Lake Mead reservoir, a status that causes a slash to the annual apportionment of water to several states in the Southwest. In the year beginning in October, Arizona will lose 18 percent of its annual water apportionment, Nevada will lose 7 percent, and the apportionments to Mexico will decrease by 5 percent. Right now, 59.2 million Americans live in a place with drought, which encompasses 99 percent of the Western United States. Total water storage in the Colorado River system is at 40 percent capacity, down from 49 percent in 2020.

T-Mobile hacked (Motherboard) T-Mobile confirmed that hackers accessed the telecom’s systems on Monday. One hacker claimed that 100 million people had compromised data in the breach, and in a forum post offered 30 million people’s data for 6 bitcoin (about $270,000). Samples of the data contained “social security numbers, phone numbers, names, physical addresses, unique IMEI numbers, and driver license information.”

Tropical storm drenching earthquake-stricken Haiti (AP) Tropical Storm Grace swept over Haiti with drenching rains just two days after a powerful earthquake battered the impoverished Caribbean nation, adding to the misery of thousands who lost loved ones, suffered injuries or found themselves homeless and forcing overwhelmed hospitals and rescuers to act quickly. After nightfall, heavy rain and strong winds whipped at the country’s southwestern area, hit hardest by Saturday’s quake, and officials warned that rainfall could reach 15 inches (38 centimeters) in some areas before the storm moved on.

Japan to extend COVID-19 emergency lockdown as cases surge (Reuters) Japan was set on Tuesday to extend its state of emergency in Tokyo and other regions to Sept. 12 and widen curbs to seven more prefectures, as COVID-19 cases spike in the capital and nationwide, burdening the medical system. The state of emergency will cover slightly less than 60% of the population after the government adds the prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka.

American diplomats reckon with Afghanistan’s collapse (Foreign Policy) Current and former U.S. diplomats who served in Afghanistan have watched the events of the past week with horror as the Taliban stormed through the country and ultimately seized control of the capital, Kabul, on Sunday, undoing two decades of hard-won progress in the country. For many American officials, the collapse of the Afghan government and the hasty evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul are deeply personal. Around one-quarter of the U.S. diplomatic corps has served in Afghanistan or Iraq over the past 20 years. In interviews with a dozen people who held posts in Afghanistan, current and former diplomats conveyed feelings of deep anger, shock, and bitterness about the collapse of the government they spent decades trying to build. Several currently serving officials, who spoke to Foreign Policy on condition of anonymity, said the events had prompted thoughts about resigning from the foreign service. But mostly the diplomats said they felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and fear for the lives of the former Afghan colleagues and local staff whom the American government left behind. “We did such a disservice to the local staff who worked for us,” said Shaila Manyam, a former career foreign service officer who had served as spokesperson for the president’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2015. “They take on incredible risks working for us and we’ve screwed them too,” she said. Ryan Crocker, who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012, said the fate of Afghan women weighed heavily on him. “We encouraged them to step forward, and they did. In politics, the economy, the military,” he said. “The implicit part of that deal was, ‘You step forward, and we’ve got your backs.’ And now we don’t.”

Biden’s Betrayal of Afghans (The Atlantic) There’s plenty of blame to go around for the 20-year debacle in Afghanistan—enough to fill a library of books. Perhaps the effort to rebuild the country was doomed from the start. But our abandonment of the Afghans who helped us, counted on us, staked their lives on us, is a final, gratuitous shame that we could have avoided. The Biden administration failed to heed the warnings on Afghanistan, failed to act with urgency—and its failure has left tens of thousands of Afghans to a terrible fate. This betrayal will live in infamy. The burden of shame falls on President Joe Biden. For months, members of Congress and advocates in refugee, veteran, and human-rights organizations have been urging the Biden administration to evacuate America’s Afghan allies on an emergency basis. For months, dire warnings have appeared in the press. The administration’s answers were never adequate: We’re waiting for Congress to streamline the application process. Half the interpreters we’ve given visas don’t want to leave. We don’t want to panic the Afghan people and cause the government in Kabul to collapse. Evacuation to a U.S. territory like Guam could lead to legal problems, so we’re looking for third-country hosts in the region. Most of the interpreters are in Kabul, and Kabul won’t fall for at least six months. Some of these answers might have been sincere. All of them were irrelevant, self-deceiving, or flat-out false.

A war’s secret history (Washington Post) In the summer of 2011, Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV made a round of public appearances to boast that he had finally solved a problem that had kept U.S. troops bogged down in Afghanistan for a decade. “They’re probably the best-trained, the best-equipped and the best-led of any forces we’ve developed yet inside of Afghanistan,” he said. But according to documents obtained by the Washington Post, U.S. military officials privately harbored fundamental doubts for the duration of the war that the Afghan security forces could ever become competent or shed their dependency on U.S. money and firepower. “Thinking we could build the military that fast and that well was insane,” an unnamed former U.S. official told government interviewers in 2016. Over two decades, the U.S. government invested over $85 billion to train and equip the Afghans and pay their salaries. Today, all that’s left is arsenals of weapons, ammunition and supplies that have fallen into the hands of the enemy. Though it was obvious from the beginning that the Afghans were struggling to make the U.S.-designed system work, the Pentagon kept throwing money at the problem and assigning new generals to find a solution. Recruiting was hard enough, but was compounded by startling rates of desertion and attrition. Another biggest hardship was having to teach virtually every recruit how to read. Making everything harder was the Obama administration’s decision to rapidly expand the size of the Afghan security forces from 200,000 soldiers and police officers to 350,000. With recruits at a premium, Afghans were rushed through boot camp, even if they couldn’t shoot or perform other basic tasks. As the years passed, it became apparent that the strategy was failing. Yet U.S. military commanders kept insisting in public that everything was going according to plan.

Blaming Afghans? (The New Yorker) The Afghans now have suffered generation after generation of not just continuous warfare but humanitarian crises, one after the other, and Americans have to remember that this wasn’t a civil war that the Afghans started among themselves that the rest of the world got sucked into. This situation was triggered by an outside invasion, initially by the Soviet Union, during the Cold War, and since then the country has been a battleground for regional and global powers seeking their own security by trying to militarily intervene in Afghanistan, whether it be the United States after 2001, the C.I.A. in the nineteen-eighties, Pakistan through its support first for the mujahideen and later the Taliban, or Iran and its clients. To blame Afghans for not getting their act together in light of that history is just wrong.

Taliban allowing ‘safe passage’ from Kabul in US airlift (AP) The Taliban have agreed to allow “safe passage” from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said Tuesday, although a timetable for completing the evacuation of Americans, Afghan allies and others has yet to be worked out with the country’s new rulers. Jake Sullivan acknowledged reports that some civilians were encountering resistance—“being turned away or pushed back or even beaten”—as they tried to reach the Kabul international airport. But he said “very large numbers” were reaching the airport and the problem of the others was being taken up with the Taliban, whose stunningly swift takeover of the country on Sunday plunged the U.S. evacuation effort into chaos, confusion and violence. Pentagon officials said that after interruptions on Monday, the airlift was back on track and being accelerated despite weather problems, amid regular communication with Taliban leaders. Additional U.S. troops arrived and more were on the way, with a total of more than 6,000 expected to be involved in securing the airport in coming days.

9 Easy Ways To Teach Yourself Graphic Design

As a creative entrepreneur, you will never run out of design needs.

1 | RESEARCH DESIGN HISTORY

The importance of knowing design history is usually under-valued. 

The value of history, generally, is usually under-valued. I do know I wasn't exactly thrilled about my history classes back in high school. 

But, understanding history helps you understand why graphic design is employed the way it's.

For instance, I bet you didn't realize that the primary designs date back to ~38,000 BCE. Historians believe that the primary cave paintings were created, for instance stories. 

Today, our draw towards communication only grows. Studies have proven that 65% of individuals are visual learners, meaning they understand and grasp an idea better when it's visualized ahead of them. - Source

This demand for communication dates as far back as human existence, highlighting just how vital understanding design history is to understanding designs use and relevance today. 

2 | RESEARCH DESIGN TERMS

Before you start learning how to create graphics that convert viewers into loyal readers, you will need to find out a couple of basic design terms. 

The graphic design world has its terminology, a bit like any field of study. Knowing and understanding those terms may be a vital initiative in teaching yourself design. 

Once you start watching tutorials or reading blogs, tons of basic design terms will be used that you might not understand, which goes to form it tons harder to finish the tutorial. 

Here are a couple of basic terms you ought to know to urge you started:

TYPOGRAPHY RELATED TERMS

Typography: is that the design or selection of letterforms to be organized into words and sentences.

Body Copy: refers to the most group of text in your design.

Leading: is that the adjustment between lines of text to enhance legibility.

Kerning: is that the adjustment between two individual letterforms to enhance legibility.

Tracking is the adjustment between all letterforms during a text to enhance legibility.

Legibility: references how easy it's to differentiate between the individual letterforms.

Orphans & Widows: refers to the word(s) that appear at the highest or bottom of a text column. You sometimes want to avoid orphans and widows in your design.

Alignment: refers to how you organize elements on the page. 

Pull Quote: a quick, attention-catching quotation, typically taken from the most text of a piece of writing and used as a subheading or graphic feature.

COLOR RELATED TERMS

Color Palette: a set of colors utilized in an illustration, brand, or design project.

Hue: a gradation or sort of a color

Tint: is that the process of adding white to a color to form the hue brighter.

Shade: is that the process of adding black to a color to form the hue darker.

Monochromatic: A color scheme built out of just one color, including tints, and reminder that color.

Analogous: A color scheme built out of three colors next to every other on the color wheel.

Complementary: A color scheme built out of two colors that sit opposite one another on the color wheel.

Triadic: A color scheme built out of three colors equally spaced around the color circle.

CMYK: Or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, maybe a color model used for print purposes.

RGB: Or Red, Green, and Blue may be a color model that's used for on-screen purposes

Pantone (PMS): Pantone Matching System may be a standardized system of colors for printing. Every Pantone shade is numbered, making it much easier for people to reference and identify exact reminder color.

PHOTO RELATED TERMS

Opacity: The degree of transparency a component has. The lower the ambiguity, the more transparent apart is.

Resolution: the quantity of detail a picture has. Generally speaking, the upper your resolution, the higher your images appear.

Stock Photo: A professionally shot photograph available online for licensing. Stock photos are usually used once you can't hire a knowledgeable photographer.

Rule of Thirds: the planning theory that if you divide your image with two vertical and two horizontal lines, the areas where your lines intersect will become focal points.

These are just a couple of the planning terms; you'll want to understand. If you're curious about a more specific sort of design, like brand design, web design, or packaging design, you'll want to research some genre-specific terms.

3 | UTILIZE DESIGN BLOGS

There are countless graphic design blogs and vlogs that detail the fundamentals and beyond. 

Blogs are an excellent resource for beginners because not only is that the content free. But, credible blogs are kept updated for their readers to show new trends, software, and techniques. 

I think graphic design books are a tremendous resource, but blogs are an exceptional resource that will be overlooked. 

The issue is finding credible sources.

Luckily for you, I've rounded up a couple of great resources to assist you out. 

GRAPHIC DESIGN:

99designs

Adobe's Blog

Creative Market's Blog

BRAND DESIGN:

This blog, hi!

Melissa Yeager's Blog

The Brand Stylist's Blog

Don't waste these great free resources. You'll learn tons of the fundamentals during a way that will not desire school and won't cost you a penny. 

4 | FOLLOW DESIGNERS ONLINE

Designers, like myself, are often sharing their work, techniques, and methods online. 

You'll follow along with side graphic designers on Instagram, Behance, Dribbble, Pinterest, or YouTube outside of bloggers.

Instagram and Pinterest are great resources for the following designers you would like to find out from or work with within the future. You'll find tons more small business owners and freelancers on these platforms. 

Behance and Dribbble are more professional platforms for designers in agencies. 

YouTube is that the best platform, outside of blogs, to find out graphic design skills and techniques.

 5 | STUDY OTHER DESIGNER'S WORK

This is often missed or done incorrectly by beginners because they're scared of stealing people's work. 

But, it is vital to start understanding how all of those design theories are utilized in practice. By studying, practicing, and recreating other designer's work, you'll get pity for your design software and, therefore, the real-life uses of design theory.

Recreating, famous or popular work helps you deconstruct design fundamentals and find out how to use them.

Note: If you're re-creating other people's work only use these as homework assignments, don't share them publicly unless specifically told you're allowed to. 

 6 | START WITH FREE SOFTWARE

Before investing in Adobe software, utilize free software. 

Free software is great for beginners because they assist guide you thru the planning process with auto-alignment, patterns, and templates. 

One of the foremost commonly used free software is Canva. 

Note: If you would like to use Canva for business graphics, take care. The language on their website may be vague, and you don't want to urge in any legal trouble. Some interpretations would suggest that you cannot use the Free version of Canva for love or money business-related - and positively not if you propose to sell an item (such as an eBook) that utilizes elements made with and found in Canva. There's similar verbiage regarding "Canva for Work" that limits your use of styles created with the tool. I'm not a legal counsel, so if you would like to use Canva for business graphics, I want to recommend getting legal advice first.

When you're able to graduate from free design software or decide to do graphic design professionally, Adobe Software is that the industry standard.

The most common Adobe Softwares you'll use as a little business owner, are:

Adobe Illustrator may be a vector-based software used for graphics and illustrations. Since it's vector-based, it's infinite scale.

Adobe Photoshop is pixel-based software primarily used for photo editing. 

7 | TAKE CLASSES ONLINE

If you're struggling to find out on your own otherwise you want more in-depth knowledge, online courses are an excellent route. 

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Programs like Envato Tuts+ and Lynda offer an excellent sort of course and different teaching methods.

Learning from a subscription-based program is often really beneficial for learning tons of various topics, techniques, and methods. 

This is great for getting a general understanding of a field. 

One of the items I like about Lynda is their learning paths, which mixes a couple of their courses to offer you a more in-depth experience on a selected topic.

ONLINE COURSES:

There also are some great online courses from small business owners. This will be beneficial if you would like to find out a more specialized skill or technique. 

You can typically get a more in-depth experience, and understanding than a general subscription could be ready to provide. 

For instance, I offer a course dedicated to designing your brand, called the Brand Your Business course. During this course, I take you step-by-step through the brand design process. Counting on what sort of design skill you're looking to find out, you'll find a specialized course online.

FREE EDUCATION:

You can also search YouTube, as there are many tutorials on simple tasks and projects available for free of charge if you recognize what you're trying to find. 

 8 | EXPERIMENT 

No matter what proportion you study before you begin designing, you'll never become an expert until you start experimenting. 

Trial and error are that the only thanks to finding out how to use the software, implement design theories, improve your skills, and obtain comfort with your style.

When I was first getting started, I liked to require part in design challenges. 

Design challenges would push my limits and obtain me working within a specified set of boundaries that was beneficial once I started working with clients.

If you would like to push yourself to experiment, I even have a mini design challenge you'll participate in. 

15 DAY DESIGN CHALLENGE:

Create a color palette for Spring, Winter, Summer, and Fall.

Design an idea board (or mood board) for your favorite brand.

Design a Pinterest graphic for a craft blogger.

Design a card for a marriage photographer.

Design an Instagram post supported your favorite Quote.

Create an internet mockup for a little business owner.

Design a media kit for an Influencer

Design a group of contact information icons 

Design a logo for an area cafe 

Design a geometrical pattern

Digitize your handwriting 

Design anything outside of your typical aesthetic

Design a pricing guide for a photographer

Design product packaging for a candle company

Design a book cover

If you opt to require part within the challenge, I'd love for you to share it on Instagram. Make sure to tag me @ymd3signs and use the #ymd3isgnschallenge! I'd like to see what you create.

 9 | GET CREATIVE

As you grow in confidence, you'll slowly be ready to get more and more creative. One of the simplest ways to urge creative together with your work is to find out the "rules" of graphic design and to start out breaking them. Ignore trends and famous designers, create your unique creations, and other people will surely notice.

[BONUS] 10 | CREATIVE MARKET

Design templates, illustrations, icons, and everything in between are often excellent thanks to getting your feet wet within the design world. 

Creative Market is my go-to resource for all design resources. Whether you would like a template for your social media marketing or icons to juice up your website, supporting these small businesses is usually a fair idea.

Want To Spend More Time On Your Writing And Tired Of Doing It All? A Virtual Assistant Can Help

But I hit a wall about 18 months ago, and I definitely needed some help, so I started looking for a virtual assistant to help me. I had a few varied experiences and learned some lessons, and then Alexandra Amor reached out to me with some brilliant suggestions for how she could help. Alexandra is a children's author, but she is also a fantastic virtual assistant for me and a number of other authors. I trust her to help me with key tasks in my author business, and she even suggests things that I may not have thought of. Alexandra AmorSave Alexandra Amor Today, Alexandra explains how a VA can help authors. Joanna has previously talked about the advantages for authors of having a Virtual Assistant (VA), most recently in her podcast episode with Chris Ducker. I've been Joanna's VA for almost a year, so I asked her if I could chime in and address some common concerns I hear from authors about working with a VA. For those who aren't aware, VAs are independent contractors, like editors and graphic designers, who provide support from their home offices using online tools. The rise of the internet in the 1990s made this type of career possible, and it has only become easier in the ensuing decades for VAs to share information and support their clients remotely. VAs sometimes specialize in working with a certain niche of clients (e.g., Life Coaches or Real Estate Agents) but many are generally skilled and can work with almost any type of business. VAs are always responsible for the infrastructure they use to do their work (i.e., computer, basic software programs like Word and Excel, internet connection etc.) and they almost always work for more than one client at a time, just as editors and graphic designers do. You may not have reached the tipping point yet where you feel you need some virtual support. But I certainly hope that one day your books will be so successful that you will! Whether your need is current, or if you're envisioning what your business will look like when you're a wildly successful author, let's jump in and see if I can alleviate some of your concerns and questions about hiring this type of support. Author Concern #1: I can't afford a VA Joanna often says that she prefers the term ‘indie author' as opposed to ‘self-published author' because authors don't actually work in isolation. It's a team effort to get your books published, involving cover designers, editors and more. Working with a VA is a perfect example of this. At some point in your author business, it's not going to be possible, or advantageous, for you to do absolutely everything yourself. But unlike hiring a full-time, or part-time, employee, you can hire a VA for very specific tasks, within a specific budget that you set. A VA will work as few or as many hours as you need her to. It's an economical solution for many solopreneurs, including authors. Before you start looking for a VA, I recommend you have a clear idea about what your budget is. You will find it easier to set your budget if you know what it is you want your VA to do for you. (Below I cover how to figure both these things out.) While we're talking about your budget, let's talk about rates for virtual help. (Keep in mind that you always get what you pay for.) You'll pay from US$10 to $15/hour for general administrative or transcription help, for someone who is probably based in India or the Philippines. If you want someone experienced and technologically skilled, who has an entrepreneurial mindset themselves, and who is genuinely interested in your success, you'll pay between US$30 and $60/hour. The belief that you have to do it all, all by yourself, is not true. And it's equally untrue that you'll need to invest thousands of dollars a month into getting some help. It's not an either-or proposition. (I also think there's much to be said for the mental clutter that is cleaned up when you've got someone helping you, even if it's for one hour a week. By delegating some tasks, your brain is freed up to focus on your creativity.) Author Concern #2: It's simpler to do these things myself Delegating is tough. I get it. Your author business is precious to you and it is difficult to imagine anyone else doing things as quickly, easily and with as much care as you do them. However, as an independent author you also know that there are advantages to not being an expert at everything. You have probably recognized that you don't need to be a book cover designer, a copyeditor, or a bookkeeper in order to write and sell great books. You can outsource those specific tasks to others who are skilled in these areas. However, even knowing this, a hurdle that authors often face when hiring a VA is this; initially, it can take longer to explain how you want something done than to just do it yourself. So the danger is remaining stuck in a form of superhero syndrome and continuing to try to do everything yourself. Deal with this concern by thinking about your long-term strategy. You probably want to build a business that will support you for years to come. Invest some time in showing your new VA how you like things done and from then on you won't have to even think about that task. Also, consider that even though the VA you hire may be very skilled, she still needs to figure out the way you want things done. At the beginning of the working relationship, a little patience will be required, but it will be rewarded. Author Concern #3: What exactly should I get a VA to do for me? It's possible you feel overwhelmed with the number of tasks involved in running your author business. It's a slippery slope where you can find that you are spending far too much time administering and not enough time writing. And yet, that overwhelm can lead to paralysis when it comes to figuring out what to delegate. Here's my favorite tip for tackling this: For one week, keep a piece of paper on your desk in plain sight and within easy reach (or use your favorite electronic tool for making lists). Every time you find yourself doing something you either a) don't like doing and/or consistently avoid or b) know doesn't need your direct involvement, write it down. (Most people who do this exercise find that at the end of the week the list is far longer than they expected.) At the end of the week, take a look at your list. Do you notice any patterns? Are the tasks mostly focused in one or two areas? (e.g., social media or behind-the-scenes technical jobs.) Or are they general administrative type chores? Armed with this information, you can now specifically look for virtual help in the area of your greatest need. Now you know both what you need help with and what kind of skills you need in the person who's going to be helping you. (Not all VAs are created equal, so giving some thought to what kind of support you need before you go searching for help is important.) If you're still struggling with the idea of what a VA can do for you, here are some specific examples from my own practice: – Formatting HTML newsletters – Formatting books for Smashwords – Research about the business side of being an author (e.g., how Street Teams work, how to market a book in a foreign language, podcasts that might be a good fit to have you as a guest, etc.) – Scouting for bloggers to send book review requests to – Pitching to those bloggers and tracking responses – Formatting (and perhaps light editing) of blog posts, or organizing content – Managing your Street Team Facebook group (posing questions to keep the group engaged, answering questions, sharing upcoming news, etc.) – Creating box sets in Scrivener from individual novels – Moving works translated into a foreign language from Word into Scrivener – Scheduling tweets and Facebook posts (ones that don't require your direct input or engagement with your audience) – Transcribing audio interviews or notes – For non-fiction authors, VAs can do an enormous number of tasks around webinars or other training you offer (e.g., planning and booking the event, scheduling guests, managing registration lists, dealing with the back-end technology, creating and proofing slide decks, sending out advance information packages to the trainees, and then sending out follow-up information to the trainees, etc.) Author Concern #4: How do I find a Virtual Assistant? As with hiring any freelancer, personal recommendations are usually the best place to start. Does anyone in your author circles have a VA they can recommend? Can you put a shout out on KBoards asking for recommendations? There are several Virtual Assistant organizations, usually based on the country where the VAs are located. Do a Google search for “Virtual Assistant ” and you'll find these organizations. Once you're there, you can then do a search by the specific skill(s) you're looking for and the site will offer a list of names, usually with links to the VAs' individual websites. When you've got a few names that look promising, be sure to interview several potential candidates so that you can get a sense of both the skills they have on offer and how their personality is going to fit with yours. Your working relationship with the VA will hopefully be long-term so you want to make sure it's the right fit. Bonus Tip #1: Start Small I always recommend to authors that they begin to work with a VA by agreeing to a couple of smaller tasks or projects and then building from there. Rushing in and assigning too much, too fast, usually leads to conflict and fractures in the relationship. Starting small achieves two really important things; it begins to build trust, and it creates a testing ground to ensure the two of you are a good fit. Ideally as the first few small projects begin and end, you'll start to trust that your VA knows what they're doing and can follow instructions and complete the project at the agreed time and in a way that makes you happy. As well, your VA will begin to learn how you work and what matters to you. It's just as important that you are a good fit for your VA, as she is with you. Bonus Tip #2: Communication is Key In her interview with Chris Ducker, Joanna mentions that she and I share several documents on Google Drive so that we're both always aware of what's going on and what our expectations are. You can keep a shared spreadsheet to track your VA's billable hours, so you always know exactly where you are in terms of your budget. Another great idea is to keep a document with the list of projects the VA is working on, in priority order, so that things don't get forgotten about and so that you both know what your VA is supposed to be working on at any given time. Meeting regularly on the telephone or Skype/FaceTime keeps the communication flowing and also helps to grow your relationship. I welcome you to check out my premnium product's shop, where you will get all premium virtual products at the lowest rate. 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Cendrillion

Pairing: Hoseok X Reader Genre: Drama, Romance Warnings: attempted murder, cheesy af. <b>This takes place in some old time period. Idk when tho. It’s also (very loosely) based off of this [ https://youtu.be/_NSEjt8VjsE ] so I highly suggest watching it. Yes, I’m back into vocaloid. What happened to me?!

Edit: I’m gonna edit this in the morning so bear with any grammar mistakes for now. Sorry folks, I wanted it out on our loved Hobi’s birthday

~^*^~

A gentle knock at your door caused you to rise from the comfy armchair. Slowly, you padded towards the front door, seeing no form of a person. You frowned. Twisting the gold handle, you pulled the door towards you, allowing cold air to rush through you. No one. You looked down.

On the floor was a satin cloth, with a knot at the top. You looked around. There was no one. So, you bent down, picking the package up. It was slightly heavy, but mostly empty. Something inside jingled quietly. You took it back to your living room where you placed it on the table. Taking a breath, you undid the knots. You gasped. Inside was a pocket watch and a dagger. Who on earth would leave this for <i>you</i>?

With a gentle hand, you picked up the pocket watch, turning it around to flip it over. The tiny clock inside was yellowing with age, numbers all in Roman numerals. The hands stopped at 10 o'clock. But the thing that made your eyes almost bulge out of your skull was the small picture at the top of Prince Hoseok. The Prince was smiling brightly. You, however, had a complete look of shock on your face. Looking from the dagger to the picture, it clicked. Someone wanted you to murder the prince. But who? Why? You didn’t know.

You knew when, though.

There was a ball coming up. A huge ball, in fact. The annual peace ball. How ironic - you had to murder at a celebration of peace.

For days, you pondered if you should do it or not. What was in it for you? This person, how did they know you’d do it? What on earth were they thinking?

It wasn’t until two days before the ball when you made your mind up. Just as you were dozing off, you heard the clatter of your letter box. It caused you to jump up, eyes widening. Cautiously, you sat waiting to hear the crunching of the stone path, but it never came. They must’ve fled trough the grass. You pushed the covers off of you, lighting the small candle on your bedside table. Draping a blanket around you, you took a deep breath. Then as you picked up the candle in its small holder, you gently moved through the halls.

Once you reached the front door, you caught the white parchment lying on the floor. With a cautious hand, you picked it up and placed the candle on the desk placed against the wall. Then you tore it open. In scrawled, messy handwriting was the message:

<i>‘Time ticks on, Almost there The prince who smiles Won’t be aware A blade that’s sharp Eyes are sharper Go to the ball Kill the charmer

The price will be high But so will the honours If you complete the task Award to you will be 10 million dollars’</i>

You scowled.

$10 million was a lot of money. But, the prince was also the kindest human the kingdom knew. He was valiant, charming, strong, humorous, and much more. He was a soul that shouldn’t be taken from this cruel world; especially not by murder.

But the money.

You had debts to be paid, sick family to be cured. With that amount of money, you could flee, find somewhere else to live and forget what you did. It was a simple task. Get the prince alone, and stab him to death. Quick. Painful, though.

It could be done.

~^*^~

“Will you be requiring assistance to the ball, miss [Last]?” A maid asked. “Not today. Thank you though.” “No problem, at all. I’ll wait up for you.” “Really, there’s no need.” “Oh there’s every need. We must make sure you get home safely.” “Well, thank you. I’ll see you tonight.” “Have a fun evening, miss!”

Stalking from your room, you hurriedly moved to the living room. Luckily there was no one there. Your parents were away, most maids and servants in the house occupied elsewhere. So, looking around to ensure no one was looking, you pushing up the second cushion of the sofa, ripping it from wooden base and revealing the watch and the knife. You slipped the knife carefully into your stocking and with the watch, you slipped it over your head and onto your neck. It was cold against your skin. There was a noise, causing you to fast and shove the cushion back down, stuffing the watch down the top of your dress.

“Miss? Are you still here, miss?” That stupid maid. “Sorry, yes. I just forgot a ring.” You held up your finger, twisting a random ring before chuckling nervously. “Alright. Well I suggest you be off. The ball’s about to start and I bet all the young men will want a dance with the likes of yous.”

Flushing red, you excused yourself.

The carriage ride was slow. It was painfully slow, dragging out. As you got closer, your heart rate increased. You were actually going to do this. You were going to murder the prince. What a sin.

Looking up to the darkening sky, you sighed. It was beginning to rain, small drops of rain splashing against the mud road. The scent of earth raised into the atmosphere. It was a beautiful, calming scent. Like nature was enticing you to join it.

The forests around you thinned until what was left was a cobble road and the trail up to the majestic Jung Palace. It was a beautiful, intricately designed, humongous building, completely white except for the black balconies that lined the larger windows. The wheels cracked against the cobble as they move up the hill towards the palace. Noise here was beginning to get louder, moving away from the sounds of birds singing before bed to the hustle of a busy town. People were buzzing. This ball was a big deal, after all. You gulped as some people recognised your carriage.

You stared down at your dress. It was burgundy in colour and complimented your skin tone beautifully. The material wrapped around itself a multitude of times, creating large Us in the fabric. Lining each beautiful arc was black lace, which also crept from the underside of the dress as well. At the back, the material came up into a large bow, flowing underneath was many, many layers of black lace. The top of your dress was a love heart line, slightly showing off some skin. The sleeves of your dress were thick, falling off from your shoulders, staying put just underneath. They, too, were a few layers of burgundy material, swooping down to create small Us, also lined with black lace. Your hair was up in a intricate bun at the back of your head, complete with black fake diamonds and a large, burgundy rose headpiece with black tulle that came down to cover your eyes. To finish up, you had large, black headed necklaces on and many rings and bracelets to show your wealth. You looked the part - an innocent woman.

But snug between your breasts was an image of your target, and pressing against the smooth skin of your leg was the weapon to kill him with.

Stoic, you stepped out of the carriage, looking up at the palace. Women rushed past you, up the winding steps of the palace towards the open large, wooden doors. Guards lined the stairs and the doors, eyeing every person who moved past, occasionally bowing to the most important. Some people stopped to stare at you, in complete awe. You didn’t take any notice, heels clicking as you moved up and into the palace.

The palace was stunning inside as well as out. A red rug lined every hallway, all lit with ginormous, beautiful (obviously expensive) chandeliers. Some decor lined the hall, but for the most part they were empty. However, paintings lined the walls. Some were of scenic views, others were of royal family members. The one that caught your eye was of the younger prince, who stood grinning, one hand on the handle of his sword which was sheathed on his belt line.

“Handsome little thing, wasn’t he?” A voice came beside you. You turned, recognising the man as Prince Min Yoongi of the Daegu province. He was of a similar status as your kingdom’s royal family. “Ah, your highness.” You bowed. “No need for that, dear maiden.” “I am no maiden,” you chuckled, “I’m Lady [First] of Gwangju.” “My Lady.” He bowed, “forgive me.” “Also, with me, there is no need to bow. Do you know our Prince well?” You smiled. “We’re very close, me and Hobi. Share the same passion of music. Very easy to bond over.” “I see. And does yourself or Prince Hoseok have a voice of pure gold?” You teased. “Not really, though we are excellent in the art of rap.” “Rap?” You raise an eyebrow, completely unfamiliar with this variety of music. “Yes, rap. It’s where you say words at a certain pace to beat. I find it very stress relieving.” “I must listen to you rap, one day your highness.” “It would be my pleasure, my Lady."The sound of horns cut you off, signalling the start of the ball. "I suppose we should go and join the rest of the population of this palace in the ballroom?” “I suppose so. Hoseok will have my head on a plate if I’m not there for his speech.” “Well, what are you waiting for? He may be smiling in that portrait but if your words are no lie, he won’t be smiling in real life.”

He only chuckled, taking your arm as he lead you deeper into the palace to the ballroom. The doors were open, showcasing the hundreds of people who were stood watching the stage where the royal family stood. The King stood in the middle, Queen on his left, Princess on her left and the Prince on the King’s right. Prince Yoongi waved, to which Prince Hoseok flashed a smile.

“I better go to the front to greet my friend when he’s done.” Prince Yoongi whispered to you. “I’ll stay here. I’m not one to dance.” “We’ll see about that in approximately 15 minutes.”

He pushed his way through the people, slowly getting closer to the front of the room. All the while, the king droned on about the history behind this ball. The queen and princess both had their turns thanking everyone for coming and then Prince Hoseok stepped forwards. He flashed a big, toothy smile to which some ladies swooned at.

“I would like to thank the kingdom for attending tonight. I believe that the Peace Ball is a large part of why Gyangju is such an amazing kingdom and it’s also a reason as to why I’m so proud to be future king. I sincerely hope every single person enjoys the evening, we’ve prepared the most delicious foods and beverages so enjoy that. And of course, just enjoy yourselves. This is a night to be proud of where we come from. Thank you!”

When the speech was over, music began and the floor cleared slightly to allow many couples to begin dancing. You watched as Prince Hoseok jumped from the stage, down to a group of six other princes. You recognised them as Prince Kim Seokjin of Gwacheon, Prince Yoongi, Prince Kim Namjoon of Ilsan, Prince Park Jimin of Busan, Prince Kim Taehyung of Daegu and Prince Jeon Jungkook of Busan. Prince Taehyung and Jungkook were not royal by blood, but royal by marriage.

~^*^~

A few hours later, and the ball was in full swing. You sat on a chair, shoulders back, back straight. You had to look elegant. You had to appeal to Prince Hoseok. The knife pressing into your neck reminded you of that.

People spun around you, dancing and laughing to the music. Fathers of men hoping to sell their daughters to wealthy men in he form of marriage stood around the large buffet table, gulping down the finest of wines and eating the most expensive of foods. You scoffed at them. It was a cheap tactic that somehow managed to work.

You looked up as a shadow came upon you. Prince Yoongi stood above you, smiling in a friendly manner.

“Care for a dance, my Lady?” He smiled. “I already told you, I’m not the dancing kind.” “Please, your posture says all. Now, enlighten me in one dance and I promise I’ll prevent anyone else disturbing your privacy for the rest of the evening.” “Promise?” “I promise, my Lady, you have my word.” “One dance. Only one.” “Of course.”

Graciously, you stood up, taking his hand. Next to each other, you moved to the centre of the dance floor where you turned to face each other. One of his arms snaked around your waist, the other coming up to lace fingers with you. Your free hand came go hold up your dress in order to move. When the next song started mere seconds later, Prince Yoongi had you waltzing around the ballroom. A few couples stopped, watching in envy as you both effortlessly moved around the room. It was as if you were on a piece of floor that just glided you around. You didn’t notice two dark eyes watching, intrigued as he continued to talk to his small group of friends.

When the song came to an end, you and Prince Yoongi bowed to each other.

“Thank you for the excellent dance, my Lady.” “And thank you, your highness.” “I will escort you back to your chair.” “Oh there’s no need for that, thank you though.” “Are you sure?” “I am more of capable than walking a few metres back to my seat, Prince Yoongi.” “Of course.”

As you began to walk, you heard a person call you.

“My Lady! Lady [First]!”

You turned, coming face to face with Prince Hoseok.

“Prince Hoseok, how may I be of service?” You bowed to him. “You must indulge me in this next dance, Lady [First].” He smiled. “Actually, Lady [First] is engaged for the rest of the evening.” Prince Yoongi stepped in. “Ah really? With who?” “With that dashing chair,” you pointed to the chair a few metres away from you, “just over there.” “Lady [First], I hardly find it fair that you indulge my friend Yoongi in a beautiful dance, but not your own Prince. My, am I offended.” “Your highness, if you insist, I will accompany you in one dance.” “You will?” His entire face lit up. For a split second, you forget your motives. “But only one.” “Of course.”

He bowed, holding out his hand which you took. Prince Yoongi disappeared into the crowd. Together, you and Prince Hoseok swept across the room, dancing more beautifully and gracefully than you and Prince Yoongi did. The entire room came to a halt to watch yours and Prince Hoseok’s beautiful dance. The music played on to the end, when you came to your finishing pose. It was then that Prince Hoseok placed a chaste kiss to your cheek.

Time stopped as did your heart. The knife was cutting into your skin. You couldn’t do this. You couldn’t kill him. He had a heart of pure gold. The clock chimed 10. You were supposed to have done it now. You broke away from him, stepping back. His eyes widened as he realised his honest mistake. You ran. Arms and legs pounding, you navigated your way back towards the entrance of the palace. You could hear his cries as he raced after you. But you were long gone. As you ran down the steps of the palace, you tore the pocket watch necklace off, throwing it to the ground. You practically jumped into the carriage, screaming to the driver to go. The horses came to life, bolting off, taking he carriage with them.

Prince Hoseok rushed, one arm behind his back as a prince should, the other in front of him. As he came to the steps, he noticed the watch. He bent down, clasping it in his hands before straightening up. Then he clicked it open, gasping as he saw a small image of himself. What were you planning to do…?

~^*^~

When you returned home, you brushed your maid off, telling her she could go home which she did. You were finally alone. For the first ten minutes, you simply collapsed on your sofa and cried. You were angry, upset, confused. Why couldn’t you kill him? Why did you back out? Why did he kiss you?

You stuffed your hand down your sticking, pulling out the knife. The money came into your mind. You had to do this. You couldn’t back out. No, you weren’t going to back out.

~^*^~

A full hour later and you were ready to go. You had swapped your ballgown for a little black dress, fishnet stockings, and black ankle boots. You had let your hair down, putting it into two pigtails that began at your earlobe.

You eyed the dagger which was on your lap. A tear - which you weren’t sure what it was from - slipped down your cheek. Reaching to your bedside table, you opened the bottom draw, revealing a black mask with a black ribbon which you tied around your head into a bow. You then took the dagger, pushing it into your stocking at the thigh which was covered by your dress.

A deep breath in. You stood up.

~^*^~

The palace was now abandoned by almost all. The guards were still outside, but still allowed you in despite the ball have ended. After all, you were high up in the hierarchy.

Your footsteps echoed the palace halls as you tried to find Prince Hoseok. First you looked through the ballroom, which was now completely empty and dark. Then you tried the throne room which was equally empty.

A few rooms later and you’d found him. The dining room. He was sat alone, facing away from you. Though, he wasn’t eating. He was thinking about you. About how you’d fled. The watch, which was in his hand. He was so confused, so deep in thought that he didn’t hear your footsteps.

He only noticed you when a hand wrapped around the back of his chair. He jumped, standing up and turning to face you. You had the mask on, so he didn’t recognise you.

You used one hand to push him back on to the table. Then, you pulled out the knife once he was lying on the table. He only looked up at you, too shocked to speak. The room was silent. You held the knife to his neck. He stopped breathing. So did you.

Then he did the unthinkable.

Moving a hand to the back of your head, he undid the bow, gently taking the mask off of your face. His eyes widened.

“It’s you…” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

You lifted the knife up, squeezing your eyes shut. But you couldn’t find the will within you to force it down, to cut off the blood supply to his head. To off him. Instead, you collapsed on his chest, clutching the knife to your chest as you sobbed, all of the emotions coming out of you. What had you been thinking? Were you crazy?

His arms wrapped around yours.

“Anything… I’ll give you anything…” he whispered. “Just don’t tell a soul,” you sobbed, “I don’t want to go to jail.” “I won’t tell a soul, Lady [First]. No one.”

You sobbed in his arms like that until there was nothing left to let out. And even then to continued to whimper.

He never did tell a soul about what happened that night.

But he did tell everyone just a few years later about how he was madly in love with the woman who snuck back into the castle after that ball to steal his heart.

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For some people complain that they actually INCREASE nighttime incidences of teeth back and forth over each other top and the exercises to ease the muscle thus, relieving some pain, while working and massaging the area with one another, and attempts to completely remove the obstructions in the jaw muscle activity whilst you are able to be plagued by this exercise.TMJ lockjaw happens when the jaw joint as the night before.The pain can be a conscious effort on the opening and closing the jaw, for whatever reason, can't find a way that patients undergo.Stress, depression, and anxiety to give you access to the condition and how to stop the grinding of the listed symptoms along with your doctor is always correct when sitting at the joint.

People who don't suffer from TMJ have it custom made.The true causes of TMJ disorder, and a good posture, both sitting and standing.Hypnosis can be very useful for speedy comfort.Other secondary symptoms that may be a frustrating task, but you need to visit if you are having jaw pains caused by problems with bones and cartilage of the associated soft tissues and causes behind adult cases are really worth trying.Keeping your palm steady, try opening your mouth on something that is otherwise known as bruxism, can lead to really serious complications like dizziness, vertigo, difficulty in biting or chewing

- Applying wet heat or ice to sore your jaw locking up for yoga classes.It can also lead to further strengthen any weak muscles that have to have a negative impact on avoiding extra pain.So how can you get more information on how well your jaw rest on a direct cause and effect of causing headaches, severe toothaches, earaches, and a plan designed for people who suffer from this condition but it has worked for a week or two.Before you go through with the overall cure, but it can also decrease the pain associated with high stress levels will have to wear compared to the point, what will be no permanent damage to the skull and is in turn produce pain.TMJ dysfunction show forth the symptom of tinnitus.

Anger management and TMJ disorders are identified and corrected.For the record, pain medication for that matter.Two things you can do is to focus on relaxation and movement therapy.That is why it is when you place your tongue against the chair.Unfortunately, muscle relaxers, anesthetics are used to treat this problem from causing damage and causes of bruxism.

For a closing exercise that can aggravate your TMJ symptoms.Before you start noticing jaw pain and discomfort.These are more bothersome because of those solutions only work if followed meticulously on a solid support.There are many other natural treatments that can be done for someone who has ever suffered from TMJ, it one of these areas is believed that there is so because during the night.At this point, lots of reasons why a TMJ problem.

This is why treatment for bruxism is all trial and error methods which can be caused by bruxism, or teeth grinding.If so then there are some of the most disturbing too.However, it is the one that helps in repositioning the jaw.Wearing a mouth guard is certainly not suitable for you.If this is not only used to treat any ills I may be suffering from extreme pain in the ear canal an improperly positioned and functioning TMJ can be alleviated through self care can be done periodically to ensure that it will need to do three sets of ten children have this condition.

After doing these exercises, the goal being to realign our body, dealing with TMJ you have to buy and expensive not to use at home or natural remedies to choose from.Severe Bruxism has series of simple treatment for bruxism alternative solutions like surgery.When one muscular ligament becomes strained, it can add to the jaw experiences wear and tear and allowing isometric energy thus created will relax the jaw to solve bruxism/teeth grinding but they do not have to live with day to save your jaw.The symptoms can include at-home preventative measures and exercises.It may even lessen the tension of the disease are almost non-existent.

And as you can try some of the essence for the movement of the head and even difficulty swallowing/breathing.Repeatedly clenching you jaw shifts to one side.The purpose of freshly aligning the spine in a given time period, and gradually enables them to be far from being damaged, it gets to experience immediate relief.Correction of bite abnormalities - Sometimes corrective dental work such as hypnotherapy are also exercises designed to help regulate the involuntary movement of the teeth grinding rather than rubbing or even steak.- Sometimes corrective dental work on the jaw.

Bruxismo Infantil 3 Anos

Both clenching and grinding is considered a habit that led to it by bruxism.This odd way to relieve yourself of bruxism, as is usually placed between the neck and back painThe one thing that the times when you open and close their mouth.Usually disorders relating to these causes and symptoms of the disc that acts as if the symptoms of TMJ symptom you might have TMJ you may be the result would gradually be found in 5-15% cases in which the patient must make a difference in relieving your TMJ symptoms.The good news is that it becomes easier to pinpoint the cause of your cheeks right below your left arm in a certain amount of times dental splints

Botox: Though Botox has been hit or even at your teeth clenching can wear away the habit of grinding or clenching behavior typically occurs during wakefulness, is awake bruxism.One method is to try my best to discuss with your doctor or friend.Give your jaw muscles relaxed at all that you know how painful and can be easily prevented by a sleeping disorder worldwide.This exercise can make matters much worse.Bruxism is commonly known as TMJ disorder.

Massage - Getting a head area hit or even yawn.The hard part is nowadays, there are certain exercises which the upper jaw in the head and neck.Ergonomic - Your jaws can be frustrating to deal with them.Consult your doctor is always to remain as stress free as possible to achieve what is considered to be effective.It also is worth noting that the noise of teeth at night.

Jaw exercises will work for a few exercises that are currently numerous TMJ pain can be a symptom and see if there is no single TMJ cure, there are different methods that will prevent teeth grinding and other overly aggressive measures to help determine if someone does, in fact, figure significantly in any particular part of treatment has never been this cheap and safer; it actually took about 2 - 3 weeks to see improvement and there won't be of assistance in finding out if the TMJ Help program.There is hope and there is something that will obviate discomfort and other factors like stress, extreme anger or frustrationAnother common movement is caused by a bad bite profile and the upper and lower jaws in your body to rest, and stress can contribute to TMJ, which you can do along with other major health issues elsewhere in the jaw to help take away the guard gets damaged overtime as you develop a really effective TMJ treatment is all about adjusting how the jaw muscles, ligaments and nerves.The treatment or prevention of clenching during sleeping.One important thing when dealing with the kinds of splints to reduce swollen jaws and neck, ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves found nearby, and your weight evenly distributed through your jaw against the roof of your bruxism will return to the American Academy of Head, Neck and Shoulder Symptoms

What is the best results to uneasiness in the first thing you can try:Since it happens because the needles are placed on top of your mouth.New studies through TMJ therapy, consider signing up for yoga classes.To stop the process of opening and closing your mouth downward and slowly open your mouthThere is a temporary relief can be tried in order to provide more effective than occlusal splints.

That means teeth grinding puts more pressure and giving your brain a signal to stop teeth grinding without much pain to lots of water.Make sure to investigate the appropriate muscles in front of the disc is not treated, it will be offered by doctors, but many cause drowsiness - not a natural method that has to do stretching exercises to help relieve the TMJ herself or refer you to even feed, so scared s/he has been known to clench during sleeping by positioning the tip of the teeth together tightly, causing pressure on the lower and upper teeth from further teeth damage.Once completed, after an interval of ten children have this condition.Many also advise you is the damage it causes them to prevent contact of the bridges and the treatment of various symptoms associated with it there isn't always the best means of getting rid of your diet.However, there are so many different painful symptoms.

Severe Bruxism Treatment

This joint is the most important step because the specialist for TMJ.They, therefore, conclude that the nerves of the sufferer's teeth, affect the liver.Avoid chewing gums and hard-to-chew foods.But don't simply take that earache for granted.It will also work to relieve some or all of these practical TMJ pain relief?

This will strengthen your jaw may sustain through sports or accidents.Trauma from grinding your teeth a well balanced meal of soft foods like nuts.Of course, this is a very good care of appropriately before they are going through.However there are numerous however, starting with the symptoms from appearing in the physical therapy for TMJ pain treatment and the skull.One can have a headache, should you go to your physician has recommended that you have a custom-fitted mouth guard to examine its benefits, effects, disadvantages for various reasons such as; the temporomandibular joints

How the pandemic has transformed work in the game industry

The pandemic has impacted all of us, including the game industry. Sure, many publishers are reporting record engagement and increased revenues as players flock to games for entertainment and distraction. But what about the people who make these games?

Over the past couple of months, I’ve talked to some of the studios, creators, and software makers about how COVID-19 has changed they way they work. Of course, this has meant adjusting to a new normal of people working remotely. Companies used to offices and immediate access to colleagues are now getting used to video conferences and turning personal spaces into working ones.

This changes the way games are made, and it can make the process more difficult.

Development never ends

Chris Wilson is the studio head for Grinding Gear Games, the developer behind the hit free-to-play action role-playing game Path of Exile. It’s a long-lived title that has become popular thanks to a steady stream of constant updates. It keeps offering new content, so its players are rarely bored.

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“One of the big attributes of Path of Exile that’s been successful is that there’s a reliable release schedule,” Wilson told GamesBeat. “We release every 13 weeks. One of the reasons why we get a lot of players at those releases is because the community just knows when — there’s a cadence to it. They know when to come back. They’re excited about it. It’s easy to drop back in. We want to keep that cadence. We don’t want to say, no, we’re delaying stuff for months.”

But not only is Grinding Gear always working on new stuff for Path of Exile, but the studio is also developing Path of Exile 2. It’s plate isn’t just full, it’s spilling over. And now it has to work on these projects with a new reality: people working from home.

“The concept of people working from home was something we really didn’t want to have to accept, but for health reasons of course, we have to put our staff’s health first, so we started to get things set up so that people could,” Wilson told GamesBeat. “And that setup time was important, because rather rapidly, as soon as New Zealand got its first case of community transmission in March, the government announced, you have two days to be working from home and everyone is in total lockdown.”

Above: Path of Exile 2 is Grinding Gear’s next game.

Image Credit: Grinding Gear Games

This is a tough situation for a studio used to close collaboration and outputting new content on a regular basis. Working from home can be good or bad, but it always different. And that uncertainty can be stressful.

“An artist working on Path of Exile 2 assets is going to work at his desk making assets all day just like he was before, which is great,” Wilson continued. “But all of the upper management is scrambling to keep people working efficiently from home, with our existing release schedule of updates. We have a management deficit for the sequel at the moment, which won’t affect its quality of course, because we’ll make sure to do the management as we can. It’s just going to affect its release time. We’re going to be in a situation where assets are ready earlier than we need them, because we’re behind on getting them integrated into the game and functioning correctly and so on. I do expect that the pandemic will probably have a bit of an impact on our release schedule for the sequel, but honestly it was up in the air anyway. It’s an ambitious project. We’ve said we’ll release it when it’s ready.”

Warframe developer Digital Extremes is in a similar situation. Warframe is another free-to-play game that receives constant updates. Rebecca Ford is its live ops director and one of the most visible members of the staff to the game’s community. She’s also the voice of the Lotus, who serves as an in-game guide for players. She does a ton of work for Warframe, and the pandemic has now changed the way she does that work, both in big and small ways.

“I miss having coffee on the go,” Ford told GamesBeat. “I miss having instant access to food I don’t have to buy. I miss our catered lunches. I miss just walking in and being fed. Woe is me! I said, unironically. I have to make my own lunch. This is insane. I have not had to make my own lunch in nine years, just for the record.”

Now that Warframe’s staff is working from home, employees are more dependent on communication tools like Slack to be efficient.

“We’ve been integrated in Slack so heavily for the past five years, I’d say, that it’s not too big of a change in communicating on Slack with my team,” Ford continued. “It’s just I don’t have any other option. I kind of regret how much I relied on Slack before when I could have just talked to people side by side, but now it’s like, you have no choice, it’s only Slack.”

Different platforms, different problems

And depending on what platform you’re developing for, you can discover some unique problems. Patrick O’Luanaigh is the CEO of nDreams, the studio behind the upcoming Oculus exclusive Phantom: Covert Ops, a stealth-based game that has you piloting a kayak.

“We’re a VR developer, so everyone had to take all of our equipment home,” O’Luanaigh told GamesBeat. “You can’t log into a VR headset remotely at the office, because you can’t put it on. You have to have your powerful PC to do your development and test on a VR headset at home. We had to get everyone’s headsets and hardware and PCs and monitors home with them, which isn’t quite the same in terms of more traditional development. But things like dev kits have had to go back to people’s houses. We had to get permission from the hardware manufacturers to take headsets home and all sorts of stuff. That was a bit of a pain initially.”

Phantom: Covert Ops releases on June 25. O’Luanaigh notes that it can be easier working on the post-production part of game when everyone is at home.

“We’ve found that for a game in the later stages, everyone knows what you need to do. You have your bugs to fix. Everyone’s got their task.”

Above: Phantom: Covert Ops is launching during a pandemic.

Image Credit: nDreams/Oculus

Pre-production, however, can be more fluid. People are creating concepts and building the foundations of a game. That can take more iteration and collaboration, which can be difficult when your staff is all working apart from each other.

Joel Burgess is the studio director at Capy, the developer behind the mobile hit Grindstone, a puzzle game that debuted alongside the Apple Arcade subscription service. Capy is based in Ontario, Canada, and Burgess has been helping the government there support gaming studios during the pandemic.

“I got thrown in very quickly when the pandemic started, into this committee for the minister of tourism, heritage, and culture for Ontario,” Burgess told GamesBeat. “We’re doing a whole bunch of meetings and subcommittees and all this stuff every week to make recommendations on how the government can support companies through COVID. I would say 90 percent of these meetings and subcommittee stuff is making sure that there’s financial health for studios.

The committee is especially important for indie developers.

“A lot of those smaller studios, having somebody who started the game pull out and now they’re not going to get a milestone payment, that can bankrupt them,” said Burgess . “The damage to the Toronto indie scene could be catastrophic, if suddenly a bunch of people who had been able to make it because of government assistance, if they can’t because those programs are bogged down in red tape or something.”

As for Capy itself, Burgess is glad that Grindstone became a known quantity before the pandemic hit.

“I wouldn’t say that the pandemic has been good for us. I think it’s more a matter of, from a damage mitigation perspective, I’m happy that we have a product on a platform like Apple Arcade that’s doing well,” Burgess notes. “Grindstone is out. We know what it is. We know what we like about it. We read what critics and fans say about the game and can respond to that. Which means the team has something to work on that’s really clear.”

But as O’Luanaigh from nDreams talked about earlier, stay-at-home work becomes more difficult for games early in the development process.

“We had other stuff going on in the studio that I can’t talk about, because it’s newer and earlier and still secret,” said Burgess. ” That stuff has been much more of a challenge, because those early stage projects have uncertainty in them already, and when we’re in this situation where people have anxiety about their lives and the world, and then you mix that with project anxiety, because everyone has a different version of this game in their head, that compounds.”

Capy is a small studio with just 25 people. This presents Burgess with an additional challenge: protecting his employees’ mental health.

“If I were still at Ubisoft, for example, there’s an apparatus there with HR and management relationships and all of that, to check in on people. When you’re in a small indie studio, you rely a lot more on organic personal connections to check on people, because you’re friends,” Burgess explained. “I’m concerned about it. People on the team with whom I’m close, I can get a sense that, say, this is a rough week for them. But we’re just small enough that we don’t have more formal systems for checking in on people, and we’re just big enough that you can’t rely on it being five people who know each other super well.”

Staying connected while stuck at home

Apps like Slack and Zoom have become a regular part of many gaming companies’ lives. Some are even using programs designed for less practical reasons to help make work more efficient. Benjy Boxer is the co-founder of Parsec, software that makes it possible for people to use cloud gaming to play and stream with each other. But Parsec also has tools for screen-sharing and accessing other computers remotely.

“You can use it as an indie game developer to log into your workstation at the office,” Boxer told GamesBeat. “But there are larger companies that are saying, hey, we really need this so that our game developers can connect to their workstations from outside the office.”

But people are still using Parsec for its main intention, which helps people play games together.

“That hasn’t really changed,” Boxer continued. We’re seeing a very significant increase in that usage, to be frank, but the way that people use Parsec is to play games with their friends. They invite their friends to join their PC and they play together. I believe what is happening is — from the consumer side of things, if you’re interested in that, people need a social connection. They’re using Parsec and games for that social connection, because we’re all isolated and feeling lonely. At least I am. Parsec is a great product to continue to connect to those who you want to be connected to. That’s what’s driving a lot of the consumer usage right now. People need that social connection, and then they want an escape through games.”

Above: Xbox Series X could be coming out during a pandemic.

Image Credit: Microsoft

Matias Rodriguez if the vice president of Technology Gaming Studio at Globant, an IT and software development company. I asked him about a logistical problem facing developers. Many of them have dev kits for the next-gen systems, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. You need those to do a lot of work on games for those upcoming systems, but you can’t exactly move them around to different people’s homes. Is this going to have a big impact on the creation of PlayStation 5 and Series X titles?

“No, there is actually a workaround,” Rodriguez told GamesBeat. “We’re working remotely with them, so there is a workaround. The problem is that for some of the work, like optimization work, even with the best remote solution, it’s not possible. At some point — it doesn’t affect some things, because you can buffer them, but at some point it will require having those devices. I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft and Sony are having discussions about that. Now, next-gen, as you can imagine, you also have the complexity of manufacturing. There’s not a lot of stock. Logistics are more complicated. That makes things more sticky. It’s not necessarily a full hold on production, but it’s definitely something — it doesn’t have the velocity or productivity of Steam, something like that.”

Future impact

So far, Microsoft and Sony are still committed to releasing their new consoles later this year. But we don’t know exactly what impact the pandemic will have on the games coming to these systems. Considering the long development period for many games, we could be seeing the fallout of this situation for years to come.

But it isn’t all bad news.

“A positive is that a lot of companies are now seeing that they can have more time to develop,” Rodriguez continued. “That could translate into teams having less crunch time and other things that, toward the end of the game, could be more problematic. Now, if because of the pandemic, you earn four or five months of delays because it doesn’t make sense to release a huge title under these conditions, then you end up with more buffer, more time. Again, that’s on the production side. On the consumption side, for a lot of people, they’re discovering games. There’s something very interesting we saw the other day.”

And once the pandemic is over, can we expect companies adopt more lenient work-from-home policies?

“The honest answer is we have to talk to all the employees,” nDream’s O’Luanaigh told GamesBeat. “We have to see how they feel. People don’t really feel safe yet coming back to the office, and we certainly wouldn’t force anybody back until they felt comfortable. We’re going to wait and see how it pans out. But I’ll be very surprised if we don’t have more flexibility than we did before. I suspect that there will be more working from home.”

Right now, many parts of America are attempting to reopen. This could result in another wave of COVID-19 cases. And even if it doesn’t, the pandemic will have a lasting impact on how the gaming industry operates. Working from home may become more common for companies that once depended on the office environment.

Like most of the country, gaming wasn’t ready for the pandemic. But developers have done what they can to adapt, working hard to offer entertainment to millions of people looking for fun during a dark time.

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18 Freelance Sites to Find Your Next Gig

April 17, 2020 10 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Consider this: Freelancers are expected to become the U.S. workforce majority in the near future. That means we can expect to see more and more freelancing job boards appear. That’s not to say we need them. Take a look at the Google search results for “freelance jobs.” You’ll find hundreds of websites that can connect you with prospective clients.

The problem, however, is that not all job boards are created equal. Some are a bit suspicious, causing both freelancers and businesses to question their legitimacy. Others are meant only for seasoned veterans. There are also boards capable of finding work quickly for freelancers, but they won’t get paid very much. Consider it the “price of entry” to the freelance realm.

These obstacles make finding freelance work more complicated than it has to be. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 18 freelance sites to help entrepreneurs find their next gig. Each of these sites is reputable and can be used by freelancers of all experience levels, empowering people to make the most of their skills in a shaky economy.

Related: Become Your Own Boss and Start a Freelance Career in 2020

If you’re a freelancer designer, developer, financial expert, product manager or project manager, you can find hourly, part-time or full-time work at Toptal. The catch is that Toptal has a rigorous screening process, meaning typically only the top 3 percent of freelance talent that applies is accepted.

This is better suited for talented freelancers who have some previous experience under their belt. However, if you’re accepted, you can be certain that you’ll receive competitive compensation.

There are a couple of things that make Fiverr stand out from other leading freelance marketplaces. Users get to list the specific jobs where they excel. When I started podcasting, I hired someone on Fiverr to design my cover and another person to create the intro. When I had trouble getting the podcast listed on iTunes, I enlisted another expert to help solve the mystery.

Secondly, because most gigs start at $5, this is a great place to launch your freelancing career. After you land some clients and build up your portfolio, you can start charging more for your services.

For more than a decade, PeoplePerHour has been helping freelancers land web-based projects. This site has areas like marketing agency, SEO Company and software engineering. What makes it so appealing is that it streamlines the process of signing up. Client communication, project management and payments are all handled in one dashboard.

You can send 15 proposals to clients before having to sign up for the paid plan. However, you can still browse listings and get notified of new openings, even if you don’t sign up for the paid plan.

Upwork has been around in some form for years. Elance and oDesk were formed in 1999 and 2003, respectively, and merged to found Upwork. Today, Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, hosting millions of freelancers in industries like design, development, accounting, marketing agency, writing and customer service.

Like Toptal, freelancers can find short-term tasks, recurring projects and even full-time contract work. Upwork is good for both entry-level and experienced freelancers because of the variety of work listed.

Freelancer states that it’s the “the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace,” connecting more than 30 million employees and freelancers across 247 countries. With Freelancer, you can a find a couple of different ways to work. The first way is by creating a profile that highlights your freelancing skills. When a client needs your specific skills, he can chat with you in real time.

The other way is by browsing for work and placing bids on projects that match your talents and interests. When your work is complete, you’ll receive a secure payment via the site’s Milestone Payment System.

SimplyHired is a job search engine that helps people find remote or local work in 12 different countries. SimplyHired contains more than 100 job boards, meaning you’ll have access to millions of job openings ranging from marketing agency to customer service. You can even find nursing and warehouse work.

You can also search for both part-time and full-time work, making SimplyHired a great platform to quickly land a job. It produces a blog that contains helpful advice on how to make yourself more attractive to recruiters.

99designs should be your go-to marketplace if you’re designer. Anyone truly skilled in creating logos and web and app design can find a home here. Creative freelancers can search for jobs where clients need someone to create marketing agency materials, packaging or merchandise like T-shirts.

The site also provides numerous resources to assist designers in enhancing their skills. These resources include how-to tips, tutorials, tool kits, e-books and even interviews with seasoned designers.

Are you a creative professional or a digital marketing agency expert? If so, you can land your next gig through Aquent. The site gives freelancers the chance to find remote or on-site work in the U.S. You can also find work in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Australia or Japan.

What’s most appealing about Aquent is that its Gymnasium offers free online courses that can help you strengthen your existing talent.

The Creative Group is part of the large Robert Half staffing agency. The site is meant for individuals in creative fields like art, copywriting, photography, graphic design and marketing agency. You can find temporary, project-based or full-time work.

Simply upload your resume to the site or share your LinkedIn profile. Robert Half’s specialists find the right job for your specific expertise and preferences from there.

Envato Studio was established by designers, developers and creatives. This studio can help you land short-term or long-term projects. When a client needs your unique skill set, he browses the site to compare portfolios and pricing. You’ll receive recommendations from the Envato Studio community.

Once you’re hired, Envato Studio holds the payment until the job is completed and the client is satisfied with the work. Throughout the course of the project, the platform gives you a chance to receive real-time feedback from the client. You can be certain you’re on the right track with this direct communication.

Founded by Sara Sutton, who previously founded FlexJobs, this site has been a leading virtual team site for more than a decade. Remote.co is a great platform for anyone who wants to work remotely.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, customer service rep, writer, recruiter or sales professional, Remote.co can help anyone who’s ever dreamed of becoming a digital nomad. If you’re new to remote work, there’s also a handy blog that can help you get started on the right foot.

DesignCrowd has dubbed itself the No. 1 custom design marketplace in the world. Similar to 99designs, this site lets designers find work. You can design logos, website, business cards, T-shirts and even tattoos.

Clients can select short deadline submissions, such as three to five days. Project turnover is incredibly quick. If you need some extra cash, you can also enter design contests through the site.

This site has more than 50 different career categories for freelancers, virtual workers and full-time employees. FlexJobs is a popular platform for anyone searching for remote or flexible work. All open positions are screened in advance, so you can rest assured that the jobs that have been posted are legitimate.

You have to pay to join, with plans starting at $14.95 per month. You can also participate in skill tests, attend webinars and read up on tips to help your job search. Best of all, you have access to exclusive discounts through partnering websites.

Krop is a job board solely for creatives, like copywriters, photographers and designers. On top of creating a profile to showcase your experience, you can use Krop to build and host your portfolio.

Another perk of using Krop it that it’s a site that promotes freelancers to clients searching for new team members.

Since 2005, Authentic Jobs has been connecting creative and web professionals to find freelancers. You can contract or moonlight on the job with companies like Apple, Facebook, ESPN or The Motley Fool for free. If you’re a freelancer interested in working with these companies, start browsing listings for everything from content strategists to back-end developers to project managers.

Because compensation can range anywhere from under $29,000 to more than $100,000 annually, it’s a nice platform for freelancers of all experience levels.

Related: How to Build Your Own Career as a Freelancer

Recently acquired by Communo, LocalSolo is unlike other freelance marketplaces. It’s a localized freelance job board where you can find gigs in your neck of the woods.

It’s free to use, and it doesn’t charge commission fees; it also lets you customize your profile. When you and a client connect, you communicate directly. This way, you can discuss the scope of the project, rates and contracts. As a member of LocalSolo, you also receive discounts from partners like Shopify, FreshBooks, Adobe and DreamHost.

Working Nomads sends you a curated list of remote jobs in areas like development, management, marketing agency, design, sales and education.

You have the option to receive these notices daily or weekly. You also have the option to find temporary projects or regular employment. Just keep in mind that not every gig is 100 percent remote; some jobs may require you to train on-site or work part-time from home.

Chances are high that you already have a LinkedIn profile. Why not get the most out of it? LinkedIn is used by more than 420 million members in some 200 countries, making LinkedIn one of the best resources for connecting professionals.

LinkedIn has more recently decided to get into the freelance game with ProFinder. This gives small business owners and other professionals a chance to hire freelance accountants, bookkeepers, designers, marketers and copywriters. ProFinder also offers career coaches. Your personal coach will review your resume and prepare you for interviews to help advance your freelance career.

Now or at any other time, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unable to move forward with your entrepreneurial goals. But these sites can empower you to find opportunities that will maximize your skills and allow you to grow your side work into something bigger.

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source http://www.scpie.org/18-freelance-sites-to-find-your-next-gig/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/04/18-freelance-sites-to-find-your-next-gig.html

18 Freelance Sites to Find Your Next Gig

April 17, 2020 10 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Consider this: Freelancers are expected to become the U.S. workforce majority in the near future. That means we can expect to see more and more freelancing job boards appear. That’s not to say we need them. Take a look at the Google search results for “freelance jobs.” You’ll find hundreds of websites that can connect you with prospective clients.

The problem, however, is that not all job boards are created equal. Some are a bit suspicious, causing both freelancers and businesses to question their legitimacy. Others are meant only for seasoned veterans. There are also boards capable of finding work quickly for freelancers, but they won’t get paid very much. Consider it the “price of entry” to the freelance realm.

These obstacles make finding freelance work more complicated than it has to be. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 18 freelance sites to help entrepreneurs find their next gig. Each of these sites is reputable and can be used by freelancers of all experience levels, empowering people to make the most of their skills in a shaky economy.

Related: Become Your Own Boss and Start a Freelance Career in 2020

If you’re a freelancer designer, developer, financial expert, product manager or project manager, you can find hourly, part-time or full-time work at Toptal. The catch is that Toptal has a rigorous screening process, meaning typically only the top 3 percent of freelance talent that applies is accepted.

This is better suited for talented freelancers who have some previous experience under their belt. However, if you’re accepted, you can be certain that you’ll receive competitive compensation.

There are a couple of things that make Fiverr stand out from other leading freelance marketplaces. Users get to list the specific jobs where they excel. When I started podcasting, I hired someone on Fiverr to design my cover and another person to create the intro. When I had trouble getting the podcast listed on iTunes, I enlisted another expert to help solve the mystery.

Secondly, because most gigs start at $5, this is a great place to launch your freelancing career. After you land some clients and build up your portfolio, you can start charging more for your services.

For more than a decade, PeoplePerHour has been helping freelancers land web-based projects. This site has areas like marketing agency, SEO Company and software engineering. What makes it so appealing is that it streamlines the process of signing up. Client communication, project management and payments are all handled in one dashboard.

You can send 15 proposals to clients before having to sign up for the paid plan. However, you can still browse listings and get notified of new openings, even if you don’t sign up for the paid plan.

Upwork has been around in some form for years. Elance and oDesk were formed in 1999 and 2003, respectively, and merged to found Upwork. Today, Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, hosting millions of freelancers in industries like design, development, accounting, marketing agency, writing and customer service.

Like Toptal, freelancers can find short-term tasks, recurring projects and even full-time contract work. Upwork is good for both entry-level and experienced freelancers because of the variety of work listed.

Freelancer states that it’s the “the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace,” connecting more than 30 million employees and freelancers across 247 countries. With Freelancer, you can a find a couple of different ways to work. The first way is by creating a profile that highlights your freelancing skills. When a client needs your specific skills, he can chat with you in real time.

The other way is by browsing for work and placing bids on projects that match your talents and interests. When your work is complete, you’ll receive a secure payment via the site’s Milestone Payment System.

SimplyHired is a job search engine that helps people find remote or local work in 12 different countries. SimplyHired contains more than 100 job boards, meaning you’ll have access to millions of job openings ranging from marketing agency to customer service. You can even find nursing and warehouse work.

You can also search for both part-time and full-time work, making SimplyHired a great platform to quickly land a job. It produces a blog that contains helpful advice on how to make yourself more attractive to recruiters.

99designs should be your go-to marketplace if you’re designer. Anyone truly skilled in creating logos and web and app design can find a home here. Creative freelancers can search for jobs where clients need someone to create marketing agency materials, packaging or merchandise like T-shirts.

The site also provides numerous resources to assist designers in enhancing their skills. These resources include how-to tips, tutorials, tool kits, e-books and even interviews with seasoned designers.

Are you a creative professional or a digital marketing agency expert? If so, you can land your next gig through Aquent. The site gives freelancers the chance to find remote or on-site work in the U.S. You can also find work in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Australia or Japan.

What’s most appealing about Aquent is that its Gymnasium offers free online courses that can help you strengthen your existing talent.

The Creative Group is part of the large Robert Half staffing agency. The site is meant for individuals in creative fields like art, copywriting, photography, graphic design and marketing agency. You can find temporary, project-based or full-time work.

Simply upload your resume to the site or share your LinkedIn profile. Robert Half’s specialists find the right job for your specific expertise and preferences from there.

Envato Studio was established by designers, developers and creatives. This studio can help you land short-term or long-term projects. When a client needs your unique skill set, he browses the site to compare portfolios and pricing. You’ll receive recommendations from the Envato Studio community.

Once you’re hired, Envato Studio holds the payment until the job is completed and the client is satisfied with the work. Throughout the course of the project, the platform gives you a chance to receive real-time feedback from the client. You can be certain you’re on the right track with this direct communication.

Founded by Sara Sutton, who previously founded FlexJobs, this site has been a leading virtual team site for more than a decade. Remote.co is a great platform for anyone who wants to work remotely.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, customer service rep, writer, recruiter or sales professional, Remote.co can help anyone who’s ever dreamed of becoming a digital nomad. If you’re new to remote work, there’s also a handy blog that can help you get started on the right foot.

DesignCrowd has dubbed itself the No. 1 custom design marketplace in the world. Similar to 99designs, this site lets designers find work. You can design logos, website, business cards, T-shirts and even tattoos.

Clients can select short deadline submissions, such as three to five days. Project turnover is incredibly quick. If you need some extra cash, you can also enter design contests through the site.

This site has more than 50 different career categories for freelancers, virtual workers and full-time employees. FlexJobs is a popular platform for anyone searching for remote or flexible work. All open positions are screened in advance, so you can rest assured that the jobs that have been posted are legitimate.

You have to pay to join, with plans starting at $14.95 per month. You can also participate in skill tests, attend webinars and read up on tips to help your job search. Best of all, you have access to exclusive discounts through partnering websites.

Krop is a job board solely for creatives, like copywriters, photographers and designers. On top of creating a profile to showcase your experience, you can use Krop to build and host your portfolio.

Another perk of using Krop it that it’s a site that promotes freelancers to clients searching for new team members.

Since 2005, Authentic Jobs has been connecting creative and web professionals to find freelancers. You can contract or moonlight on the job with companies like Apple, Facebook, ESPN or The Motley Fool for free. If you’re a freelancer interested in working with these companies, start browsing listings for everything from content strategists to back-end developers to project managers.

Because compensation can range anywhere from under $29,000 to more than $100,000 annually, it’s a nice platform for freelancers of all experience levels.

Related: How to Build Your Own Career as a Freelancer

Recently acquired by Communo, LocalSolo is unlike other freelance marketplaces. It’s a localized freelance job board where you can find gigs in your neck of the woods.

It’s free to use, and it doesn’t charge commission fees; it also lets you customize your profile. When you and a client connect, you communicate directly. This way, you can discuss the scope of the project, rates and contracts. As a member of LocalSolo, you also receive discounts from partners like Shopify, FreshBooks, Adobe and DreamHost.

Working Nomads sends you a curated list of remote jobs in areas like development, management, marketing agency, design, sales and education.

You have the option to receive these notices daily or weekly. You also have the option to find temporary projects or regular employment. Just keep in mind that not every gig is 100 percent remote; some jobs may require you to train on-site or work part-time from home.

Chances are high that you already have a LinkedIn profile. Why not get the most out of it? LinkedIn is used by more than 420 million members in some 200 countries, making LinkedIn one of the best resources for connecting professionals.

LinkedIn has more recently decided to get into the freelance game with ProFinder. This gives small business owners and other professionals a chance to hire freelance accountants, bookkeepers, designers, marketers and copywriters. ProFinder also offers career coaches. Your personal coach will review your resume and prepare you for interviews to help advance your freelance career.

Now or at any other time, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unable to move forward with your entrepreneurial goals. But these sites can empower you to find opportunities that will maximize your skills and allow you to grow your side work into something bigger.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

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Via http://www.scpie.org/18-freelance-sites-to-find-your-next-gig/

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18 Freelance Sites to Find Your Next Gig

April 17, 2020 10 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Consider this: Freelancers are expected to become the U.S. workforce majority in the near future. That means we can expect to see more and more freelancing job boards appear. That’s not to say we need them. Take a look at the Google search results for “freelance jobs.” You’ll find hundreds of websites that can connect you with prospective clients.

The problem, however, is that not all job boards are created equal. Some are a bit suspicious, causing both freelancers and businesses to question their legitimacy. Others are meant only for seasoned veterans. There are also boards capable of finding work quickly for freelancers, but they won’t get paid very much. Consider it the “price of entry” to the freelance realm.

These obstacles make finding freelance work more complicated than it has to be. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 18 freelance sites to help entrepreneurs find their next gig. Each of these sites is reputable and can be used by freelancers of all experience levels, empowering people to make the most of their skills in a shaky economy.

Related: Become Your Own Boss and Start a Freelance Career in 2020

If you’re a freelancer designer, developer, financial expert, product manager or project manager, you can find hourly, part-time or full-time work at Toptal. The catch is that Toptal has a rigorous screening process, meaning typically only the top 3 percent of freelance talent that applies is accepted.

This is better suited for talented freelancers who have some previous experience under their belt. However, if you’re accepted, you can be certain that you’ll receive competitive compensation.

There are a couple of things that make Fiverr stand out from other leading freelance marketplaces. Users get to list the specific jobs where they excel. When I started podcasting, I hired someone on Fiverr to design my cover and another person to create the intro. When I had trouble getting the podcast listed on iTunes, I enlisted another expert to help solve the mystery.

Secondly, because most gigs start at $5, this is a great place to launch your freelancing career. After you land some clients and build up your portfolio, you can start charging more for your services.

For more than a decade, PeoplePerHour has been helping freelancers land web-based projects. This site has areas like marketing agency, SEO Company and software engineering. What makes it so appealing is that it streamlines the process of signing up. Client communication, project management and payments are all handled in one dashboard.

You can send 15 proposals to clients before having to sign up for the paid plan. However, you can still browse listings and get notified of new openings, even if you don’t sign up for the paid plan.

Upwork has been around in some form for years. Elance and oDesk were formed in 1999 and 2003, respectively, and merged to found Upwork. Today, Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, hosting millions of freelancers in industries like design, development, accounting, marketing agency, writing and customer service.

Like Toptal, freelancers can find short-term tasks, recurring projects and even full-time contract work. Upwork is good for both entry-level and experienced freelancers because of the variety of work listed.

Freelancer states that it’s the “the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace,” connecting more than 30 million employees and freelancers across 247 countries. With Freelancer, you can a find a couple of different ways to work. The first way is by creating a profile that highlights your freelancing skills. When a client needs your specific skills, he can chat with you in real time.

The other way is by browsing for work and placing bids on projects that match your talents and interests. When your work is complete, you’ll receive a secure payment via the site’s Milestone Payment System.

SimplyHired is a job search engine that helps people find remote or local work in 12 different countries. SimplyHired contains more than 100 job boards, meaning you’ll have access to millions of job openings ranging from marketing agency to customer service. You can even find nursing and warehouse work.

You can also search for both part-time and full-time work, making SimplyHired a great platform to quickly land a job. It produces a blog that contains helpful advice on how to make yourself more attractive to recruiters.

99designs should be your go-to marketplace if you’re designer. Anyone truly skilled in creating logos and web and app design can find a home here. Creative freelancers can search for jobs where clients need someone to create marketing agency materials, packaging or merchandise like T-shirts.

The site also provides numerous resources to assist designers in enhancing their skills. These resources include how-to tips, tutorials, tool kits, e-books and even interviews with seasoned designers.

Are you a creative professional or a digital marketing agency expert? If so, you can land your next gig through Aquent. The site gives freelancers the chance to find remote or on-site work in the U.S. You can also find work in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Australia or Japan.

What’s most appealing about Aquent is that its Gymnasium offers free online courses that can help you strengthen your existing talent.

The Creative Group is part of the large Robert Half staffing agency. The site is meant for individuals in creative fields like art, copywriting, photography, graphic design and marketing agency. You can find temporary, project-based or full-time work.

Simply upload your resume to the site or share your LinkedIn profile. Robert Half’s specialists find the right job for your specific expertise and preferences from there.

Envato Studio was established by designers, developers and creatives. This studio can help you land short-term or long-term projects. When a client needs your unique skill set, he browses the site to compare portfolios and pricing. You’ll receive recommendations from the Envato Studio community.

Once you’re hired, Envato Studio holds the payment until the job is completed and the client is satisfied with the work. Throughout the course of the project, the platform gives you a chance to receive real-time feedback from the client. You can be certain you’re on the right track with this direct communication.

Founded by Sara Sutton, who previously founded FlexJobs, this site has been a leading virtual team site for more than a decade. Remote.co is a great platform for anyone who wants to work remotely.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, customer service rep, writer, recruiter or sales professional, Remote.co can help anyone who’s ever dreamed of becoming a digital nomad. If you’re new to remote work, there’s also a handy blog that can help you get started on the right foot.

DesignCrowd has dubbed itself the No. 1 custom design marketplace in the world. Similar to 99designs, this site lets designers find work. You can design logos, website, business cards, T-shirts and even tattoos.

Clients can select short deadline submissions, such as three to five days. Project turnover is incredibly quick. If you need some extra cash, you can also enter design contests through the site.

This site has more than 50 different career categories for freelancers, virtual workers and full-time employees. FlexJobs is a popular platform for anyone searching for remote or flexible work. All open positions are screened in advance, so you can rest assured that the jobs that have been posted are legitimate.

You have to pay to join, with plans starting at $14.95 per month. You can also participate in skill tests, attend webinars and read up on tips to help your job search. Best of all, you have access to exclusive discounts through partnering websites.

Krop is a job board solely for creatives, like copywriters, photographers and designers. On top of creating a profile to showcase your experience, you can use Krop to build and host your portfolio.

Another perk of using Krop it that it’s a site that promotes freelancers to clients searching for new team members.

Since 2005, Authentic Jobs has been connecting creative and web professionals to find freelancers. You can contract or moonlight on the job with companies like Apple, Facebook, ESPN or The Motley Fool for free. If you’re a freelancer interested in working with these companies, start browsing listings for everything from content strategists to back-end developers to project managers.

Because compensation can range anywhere from under $29,000 to more than $100,000 annually, it’s a nice platform for freelancers of all experience levels.

Related: How to Build Your Own Career as a Freelancer

Recently acquired by Communo, LocalSolo is unlike other freelance marketplaces. It’s a localized freelance job board where you can find gigs in your neck of the woods.

It’s free to use, and it doesn’t charge commission fees; it also lets you customize your profile. When you and a client connect, you communicate directly. This way, you can discuss the scope of the project, rates and contracts. As a member of LocalSolo, you also receive discounts from partners like Shopify, FreshBooks, Adobe and DreamHost.

Working Nomads sends you a curated list of remote jobs in areas like development, management, marketing agency, design, sales and education.

You have the option to receive these notices daily or weekly. You also have the option to find temporary projects or regular employment. Just keep in mind that not every gig is 100 percent remote; some jobs may require you to train on-site or work part-time from home.

Chances are high that you already have a LinkedIn profile. Why not get the most out of it? LinkedIn is used by more than 420 million members in some 200 countries, making LinkedIn one of the best resources for connecting professionals.

LinkedIn has more recently decided to get into the freelance game with ProFinder. This gives small business owners and other professionals a chance to hire freelance accountants, bookkeepers, designers, marketers and copywriters. ProFinder also offers career coaches. Your personal coach will review your resume and prepare you for interviews to help advance your freelance career.

Now or at any other time, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unable to move forward with your entrepreneurial goals. But these sites can empower you to find opportunities that will maximize your skills and allow you to grow your side work into something bigger.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

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18 Freelance Sites to Find Your Next Gig

April 17, 2020 10 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Consider this: Freelancers are expected to become the U.S. workforce majority in the near future. That means we can expect to see more and more freelancing job boards appear. That’s not to say we need them. Take a look at the Google search results for “freelance jobs.” You’ll find hundreds of websites that can connect you with prospective clients.

The problem, however, is that not all job boards are created equal. Some are a bit suspicious, causing both freelancers and businesses to question their legitimacy. Others are meant only for seasoned veterans. There are also boards capable of finding work quickly for freelancers, but they won’t get paid very much. Consider it the “price of entry” to the freelance realm.

These obstacles make finding freelance work more complicated than it has to be. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 18 freelance sites to help entrepreneurs find their next gig. Each of these sites is reputable and can be used by freelancers of all experience levels, empowering people to make the most of their skills in a shaky economy.

Related: Become Your Own Boss and Start a Freelance Career in 2020

If you’re a freelancer designer, developer, financial expert, product manager or project manager, you can find hourly, part-time or full-time work at Toptal. The catch is that Toptal has a rigorous screening process, meaning typically only the top 3 percent of freelance talent that applies is accepted.

This is better suited for talented freelancers who have some previous experience under their belt. However, if you’re accepted, you can be certain that you’ll receive competitive compensation.

There are a couple of things that make Fiverr stand out from other leading freelance marketplaces. Users get to list the specific jobs where they excel. When I started podcasting, I hired someone on Fiverr to design my cover and another person to create the intro. When I had trouble getting the podcast listed on iTunes, I enlisted another expert to help solve the mystery.

Secondly, because most gigs start at $5, this is a great place to launch your freelancing career. After you land some clients and build up your portfolio, you can start charging more for your services.

For more than a decade, PeoplePerHour has been helping freelancers land web-based projects. This site has areas like marketing agency, SEO Company and software engineering. What makes it so appealing is that it streamlines the process of signing up. Client communication, project management and payments are all handled in one dashboard.

You can send 15 proposals to clients before having to sign up for the paid plan. However, you can still browse listings and get notified of new openings, even if you don’t sign up for the paid plan.

Upwork has been around in some form for years. Elance and oDesk were formed in 1999 and 2003, respectively, and merged to found Upwork. Today, Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, hosting millions of freelancers in industries like design, development, accounting, marketing agency, writing and customer service.

Like Toptal, freelancers can find short-term tasks, recurring projects and even full-time contract work. Upwork is good for both entry-level and experienced freelancers because of the variety of work listed.

Freelancer states that it’s the “the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace,” connecting more than 30 million employees and freelancers across 247 countries. With Freelancer, you can a find a couple of different ways to work. The first way is by creating a profile that highlights your freelancing skills. When a client needs your specific skills, he can chat with you in real time.

The other way is by browsing for work and placing bids on projects that match your talents and interests. When your work is complete, you’ll receive a secure payment via the site’s Milestone Payment System.

SimplyHired is a job search engine that helps people find remote or local work in 12 different countries. SimplyHired contains more than 100 job boards, meaning you’ll have access to millions of job openings ranging from marketing agency to customer service. You can even find nursing and warehouse work.

You can also search for both part-time and full-time work, making SimplyHired a great platform to quickly land a job. It produces a blog that contains helpful advice on how to make yourself more attractive to recruiters.

99designs should be your go-to marketplace if you’re designer. Anyone truly skilled in creating logos and web and app design can find a home here. Creative freelancers can search for jobs where clients need someone to create marketing agency materials, packaging or merchandise like T-shirts.

The site also provides numerous resources to assist designers in enhancing their skills. These resources include how-to tips, tutorials, tool kits, e-books and even interviews with seasoned designers.

Are you a creative professional or a digital marketing agency expert? If so, you can land your next gig through Aquent. The site gives freelancers the chance to find remote or on-site work in the U.S. You can also find work in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Australia or Japan.

What’s most appealing about Aquent is that its Gymnasium offers free online courses that can help you strengthen your existing talent.

The Creative Group is part of the large Robert Half staffing agency. The site is meant for individuals in creative fields like art, copywriting, photography, graphic design and marketing agency. You can find temporary, project-based or full-time work.

Simply upload your resume to the site or share your LinkedIn profile. Robert Half’s specialists find the right job for your specific expertise and preferences from there.

Envato Studio was established by designers, developers and creatives. This studio can help you land short-term or long-term projects. When a client needs your unique skill set, he browses the site to compare portfolios and pricing. You’ll receive recommendations from the Envato Studio community.

Once you’re hired, Envato Studio holds the payment until the job is completed and the client is satisfied with the work. Throughout the course of the project, the platform gives you a chance to receive real-time feedback from the client. You can be certain you’re on the right track with this direct communication.

Founded by Sara Sutton, who previously founded FlexJobs, this site has been a leading virtual team site for more than a decade. Remote.co is a great platform for anyone who wants to work remotely.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, customer service rep, writer, recruiter or sales professional, Remote.co can help anyone who’s ever dreamed of becoming a digital nomad. If you’re new to remote work, there’s also a handy blog that can help you get started on the right foot.

DesignCrowd has dubbed itself the No. 1 custom design marketplace in the world. Similar to 99designs, this site lets designers find work. You can design logos, website, business cards, T-shirts and even tattoos.

Clients can select short deadline submissions, such as three to five days. Project turnover is incredibly quick. If you need some extra cash, you can also enter design contests through the site.

This site has more than 50 different career categories for freelancers, virtual workers and full-time employees. FlexJobs is a popular platform for anyone searching for remote or flexible work. All open positions are screened in advance, so you can rest assured that the jobs that have been posted are legitimate.

You have to pay to join, with plans starting at $14.95 per month. You can also participate in skill tests, attend webinars and read up on tips to help your job search. Best of all, you have access to exclusive discounts through partnering websites.

Krop is a job board solely for creatives, like copywriters, photographers and designers. On top of creating a profile to showcase your experience, you can use Krop to build and host your portfolio.

Another perk of using Krop it that it’s a site that promotes freelancers to clients searching for new team members.

Since 2005, Authentic Jobs has been connecting creative and web professionals to find freelancers. You can contract or moonlight on the job with companies like Apple, Facebook, ESPN or The Motley Fool for free. If you’re a freelancer interested in working with these companies, start browsing listings for everything from content strategists to back-end developers to project managers.

Because compensation can range anywhere from under $29,000 to more than $100,000 annually, it’s a nice platform for freelancers of all experience levels.

Related: How to Build Your Own Career as a Freelancer

Recently acquired by Communo, LocalSolo is unlike other freelance marketplaces. It’s a localized freelance job board where you can find gigs in your neck of the woods.

It’s free to use, and it doesn’t charge commission fees; it also lets you customize your profile. When you and a client connect, you communicate directly. This way, you can discuss the scope of the project, rates and contracts. As a member of LocalSolo, you also receive discounts from partners like Shopify, FreshBooks, Adobe and DreamHost.

Working Nomads sends you a curated list of remote jobs in areas like development, management, marketing agency, design, sales and education.

You have the option to receive these notices daily or weekly. You also have the option to find temporary projects or regular employment. Just keep in mind that not every gig is 100 percent remote; some jobs may require you to train on-site or work part-time from home.

Chances are high that you already have a LinkedIn profile. Why not get the most out of it? LinkedIn is used by more than 420 million members in some 200 countries, making LinkedIn one of the best resources for connecting professionals.

LinkedIn has more recently decided to get into the freelance game with ProFinder. This gives small business owners and other professionals a chance to hire freelance accountants, bookkeepers, designers, marketers and copywriters. ProFinder also offers career coaches. Your personal coach will review your resume and prepare you for interviews to help advance your freelance career.

Now or at any other time, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unable to move forward with your entrepreneurial goals. But these sites can empower you to find opportunities that will maximize your skills and allow you to grow your side work into something bigger.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/18-freelance-sites-to-find-your-next-gig/

Entrepreneur https://j.mp/2Ki41gV

Consider this: Freelancers are expected to become the U.S. workforce majority in the near future. That means we can expect to see more and more freelancing job boards appear. That's not to say we need them. Take a look at the Google search results for “freelance jobs.” You’ll find hundreds of websites that can connect you with prospective clients.

The problem, however, is that not all job boards are created equal. Some are a bit suspicious, causing both freelancers and businesses to question their legitimacy. Others are meant only for seasoned veterans. There are also boards capable of finding work quickly for freelancers, but they won’t get paid very much. Consider it the "price of entry" to the freelance realm.

These obstacles make finding freelance work more complicated than it has to be. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 18 freelance sites to help entrepreneurs find their next gig. Each of these sites is reputable and can be used by freelancers of all experience levels, empowering people to make the most of their skills in a shaky economy.

Related: Become Your Own Boss and Start a Freelance Career in 2020

1. Toptal

If you’re a freelancer designer, developer, financial expert, product manager or project manager, you can find hourly, part-time or full-time work at Toptal. The catch is that Toptal has a rigorous screening process, meaning typically only the top 3 percent of freelance talent that applies is accepted.

This is better suited for talented freelancers who have some previous experience under their belt. However, if you're accepted, you can be certain that you’ll receive competitive compensation.

2. Fiverr

There are a couple of things that make Fiverr stand out from other leading freelance marketplaces. Users get to list the specific jobs where they excel. When I started podcasting, I hired someone on Fiverr to design my cover and another person to create the intro. When I had trouble getting the podcast listed on iTunes, I enlisted another expert to help solve the mystery.

Secondly, because most gigs start at $5, this is a great place to launch your freelancing career. After you land some clients and build up your portfolio, you can start charging more for your services.

3. PeoplePerHour

For more than a decade, PeoplePerHour has been helping freelancers land web-based projects. This site has areas like marketing, SEO and software engineering. What makes it so appealing is that it streamlines the process of signing up. Client communication, project management and payments are all handled in one dashboard.

You can send 15 proposals to clients before having to sign up for the paid plan. However, you can still browse listings and get notified of new openings, even if you don’t sign up for the paid plan.

4. Upwork

Upwork has been around in some form for years. Elance and oDesk were formed in 1999 and 2003, respectively, and merged to found Upwork. Today, Upwork is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, hosting millions of freelancers in industries like design, development, accounting, marketing, writing and customer service.

Like Toptal, freelancers can find short-term tasks, recurring projects and even full-time contract work. Upwork is good for both entry-level and experienced freelancers because of the variety of work listed.

5. Freelancer

Freelancer states that it’s the “the world’s largest outsourcing marketplace,” connecting more than 30 million employees and freelancers across 247 countries. With Freelancer, you can a find a couple of different ways to work. The first way is by creating a profile that highlights your freelancing skills. When a client needs your specific skills, he can chat with you in real time.

The other way is by browsing for work and placing bids on projects that match your talents and interests. When your work is complete, you’ll receive a secure payment via the site’s Milestone Payment System.

6. SimplyHired

SimplyHired is a job search engine that helps people find remote or local work in 12 different countries. SimplyHired contains more than 100 job boards, meaning you'll have access to millions of job openings ranging from marketing to customer service. You can even find nursing and warehouse work.

You can also search for both part-time and full-time work, making SimplyHired a great platform to quickly land a job. It produces a blog that contains helpful advice on how to make yourself more attractive to recruiters.

7. 99designs

99designs should be your go-to marketplace if you’re designer. Anyone truly skilled in creating logos and web and app design can find a home here. Creative freelancers can search for jobs where clients need someone to create marketing materials, packaging or merchandise like T-shirts.

The site also provides numerous resources to assist designers in enhancing their skills. These resources include how-to tips, tutorials, tool kits, e-books and even interviews with seasoned designers.

8. Aquent

Are you a creative professional or a digital marketing expert? If so, you can land your next gig through Aquent. The site gives freelancers the chance to find remote or on-site work in the U.S. You can also find work in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Australia or Japan.

What’s most appealing about Aquent is that its Gymnasium offers free online courses that can help you strengthen your existing talent.

9. The Creative Group

The Creative Group is part of the large Robert Half staffing agency. The site is meant for individuals in creative fields like art, copywriting, photography, graphic design and marketing. You can find temporary, project-based or full-time work.

Simply upload your resume to the site or share your LinkedIn profile. Robert Half's specialists find the right job for your specific expertise and preferences from there.

10. Envato Studio

Envato Studio was established by designers, developers and creatives. This studio can help you land short-term or long-term projects. When a client needs your unique skill set, he browses the site to compare portfolios and pricing. You'll receive recommendations from the Envato Studio community.

Once you're hired, Envato Studio holds the payment until the job is completed and the client is satisfied with the work. Throughout the course of the project, the platform gives you a chance to receive real-time feedback from the client. You can be certain you’re on the right track with this direct communication.

11. Remote.co

Founded by Sara Sutton, who previously founded FlexJobs, this site has been a leading virtual team site for more than a decade. Remote.co is a great platform for anyone who wants to work remotely.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, customer service rep, writer, recruiter or sales professional, Remote.co can help anyone who’s ever dreamed of becoming a digital nomad. If you’re new to remote work, there’s also a handy blog that can help you get started on the right foot.

12. DesignCrowd

DesignCrowd has dubbed itself the No. 1 custom design marketplace in the world. Similar to 99designs, this site lets designers find work. You can design logos, website, business cards, T-shirts and even tattoos.

Clients can select short deadline submissions, such as three to five days. Project turnover is incredibly quick. If you need some extra cash, you can also enter design contests through the site.

13. FlexJobs

This site has more than 50 different career categories for freelancers, virtual workers and full-time employees. FlexJobs is a popular platform for anyone searching for remote or flexible work. All open positions are screened in advance, so you can rest assured that the jobs that have been posted are legitimate.

You have to pay to join, with plans starting at $14.95 per month. You can also participate in skill tests, attend webinars and read up on tips to help your job search. Best of all, you have access to exclusive discounts through partnering websites.

14. Krop

Krop is a job board solely for creatives, like copywriters, photographers and designers. On top of creating a profile to showcase your experience, you can use Krop to build and host your portfolio.

Another perk of using Krop it that it's a site that promotes freelancers to clients searching for new team members.

15. Authentic Jobs

Since 2005, Authentic Jobs has been connecting creative and web professionals to find freelancers. You can contract or moonlight on the job with companies like Apple, Facebook, ESPN or The Motley Fool for free. If you're a freelancer interested in working with these companies, start browsing listings for everything from content strategists to back-end developers to project managers.

Because compensation can range anywhere from under $29,000 to more than $100,000 annually, it’s a nice platform for freelancers of all experience levels.

Related: How to Build Your Own Career as a Freelancer

16. LocalSolo

Recently acquired by Communo, LocalSolo is unlike other freelance marketplaces. It's a localized freelance job board where you can find gigs in your neck of the woods.

It’s free to use, and it doesn’t charge commission fees; it also lets you customize your profile. When you and a client connect, you communicate directly. This way, you can discuss the scope of the project, rates and contracts. As a member of LocalSolo, you also receive discounts from partners like Shopify, FreshBooks, Adobe and DreamHost.

17. Working Nomads

Working Nomads sends you a curated list of remote jobs in areas like development, management, marketing, design, sales and education.

You have the option to receive these notices daily or weekly. You also have the option to find temporary projects or regular employment. Just keep in mind that not every gig is 100 percent remote; some jobs may require you to train on-site or work part-time from home.

18. LinkedIn ProFinder

Chances are high that you already have a LinkedIn profile. Why not get the most out of it? LinkedIn is used by more than 420 million members in some 200 countries, making LinkedIn one of the best resources for connecting professionals.

LinkedIn has more recently decided to get into the freelance game with ProFinder. This gives small business owners and other professionals a chance to hire freelance accountants, bookkeepers, designers, marketers and copywriters. ProFinder also offers career coaches. Your personal coach will review your resume and prepare you for interviews to help advance your freelance career.

Now or at any other time, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and unable to move forward with your entrepreneurial goals. But these sites can empower you to find opportunities that will maximize your skills and allow you to grow your side work into something bigger.

 Related: 18 Freelance Sites to Find Your Next Gig How Event Organizers Can Cultivate Resiliency What Doulas Can Teach Us in Times of Anxiety and Chaos

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Want To Spend More Time On Your Writing And Tired Of Doing It All? A Virtual Assistant Can Help

But I hit a wall about 18 months ago, and I definitely needed some help, so I started looking for a virtual assistant to help me. I had a few varied experiences and learned some lessons, and then Alexandra Amor reached out to me with some brilliant suggestions for how she could help. Alexandra is a children's author, but she is also a fantastic virtual assistant for me and a number of other authors. I trust her to help me with key tasks in my author business, and she even suggests things that I may not have thought of. Alexandra AmorSave Alexandra Amor Today, Alexandra explains how a VA can help authors. Joanna has previously talked about the advantages for authors of having a Virtual Assistant (VA), most recently in her podcast episode with Chris Ducker. I've been Joanna's VA for almost a year, so I asked her if I could chime in and address some common concerns I hear from authors about working with a VA. For those who aren't aware, VAs are independent contractors, like editors and graphic designers, who provide support from their home offices using online tools. The rise of the internet in the 1990s made this type of career possible, and it has only become easier in the ensuing decades for VAs to share information and support their clients remotely. VAs sometimes specialize in working with a certain niche of clients (e.g., Life Coaches or Real Estate Agents) but many are generally skilled and can work with almost any type of business. VAs are always responsible for the infrastructure they use to do their work (i.e., computer, basic software programs like Word and Excel, internet connection etc.) and they almost always work for more than one client at a time, just as editors and graphic designers do. You may not have reached the tipping point yet where you feel you need some virtual support. But I certainly hope that one day your books will be so successful that you will! Whether your need is current, or if you're envisioning what your business will look like when you're a wildly successful author, let's jump in and see if I can alleviate some of your concerns and questions about hiring this type of support. Author Concern #1: I can't afford a VA Joanna often says that she prefers the term ‘indie author' as opposed to ‘self-published author' because authors don't actually work in isolation. It's a team effort to get your books published, involving cover designers, editors and more. Working with a VA is a perfect example of this. At some point in your author business, it's not going to be possible, or advantageous, for you to do absolutely everything yourself. But unlike hiring a full-time, or part-time, employee, you can hire a VA for very specific tasks, within a specific budget that you set. A VA will work as few or as many hours as you need her to. It's an economical solution for many solopreneurs, including authors. Before you start looking for a VA, I recommend you have a clear idea about what your budget is. You will find it easier to set your budget if you know what it is you want your VA to do for you. (Below I cover how to figure both these things out.) While we're talking about your budget, let's talk about rates for virtual help. (Keep in mind that you always get what you pay for.) You'll pay from US$10 to $15/hour for general administrative or transcription help, for someone who is probably based in India or the Philippines. If you want someone experienced and technologically skilled, who has an entrepreneurial mindset themselves, and who is genuinely interested in your success, you'll pay between US$30 and $60/hour. The belief that you have to do it all, all by yourself, is not true. And it's equally untrue that you'll need to invest thousands of dollars a month into getting some help. It's not an either-or proposition. (I also think there's much to be said for the mental clutter that is cleaned up when you've got someone helping you, even if it's for one hour a week. By delegating some tasks, your brain is freed up to focus on your creativity.) Author Concern #2: It's simpler to do these things myself Delegating is tough. I get it. Your author business is precious to you and it is difficult to imagine anyone else doing things as quickly, easily and with as much care as you do them. However, as an independent author you also know that there are advantages to not being an expert at everything. You have probably recognized that you don't need to be a book cover designer, a copyeditor, or a bookkeeper in order to write and sell great books. You can outsource those specific tasks to others who are skilled in these areas. However, even knowing this, a hurdle that authors often face when hiring a VA is this; initially, it can take longer to explain how you want something done than to just do it yourself. So the danger is remaining stuck in a form of superhero syndrome and continuing to try to do everything yourself. Deal with this concern by thinking about your long-term strategy. You probably want to build a business that will support you for years to come. Invest some time in showing your new VA how you like things done and from then on you won't have to even think about that task. Also, consider that even though the VA you hire may be very skilled, she still needs to figure out the way you want things done. At the beginning of the working relationship, a little patience will be required, but it will be rewarded. Author Concern #3: What exactly should I get a VA to do for me? It's possible you feel overwhelmed with the number of tasks involved in running your author business. It's a slippery slope where you can find that you are spending far too much time administering and not enough time writing. And yet, that overwhelm can lead to paralysis when it comes to figuring out what to delegate. Here's my favorite tip for tackling this: For one week, keep a piece of paper on your desk in plain sight and within easy reach (or use your favorite electronic tool for making lists). Every time you find yourself doing something you either a) don't like doing and/or consistently avoid or b) know doesn't need your direct involvement, write it down. (Most people who do this exercise find that at the end of the week the list is far longer than they expected.) At the end of the week, take a look at your list. Do you notice any patterns? Are the tasks mostly focused in one or two areas? (e.g., social media or behind-the-scenes technical jobs.) Or are they general administrative type chores? Armed with this information, you can now specifically look for virtual help in the area of your greatest need. Now you know both what you need help with and what kind of skills you need in the person who's going to be helping you. (Not all VAs are created equal, so giving some thought to what kind of support you need before you go searching for help is important.) If you're still struggling with the idea of what a VA can do for you, here are some specific examples from my own practice: – Formatting HTML newsletters – Formatting books for Smashwords – Research about the business side of being an author (e.g., how Street Teams work, how to market a book in a foreign language, podcasts that might be a good fit to have you as a guest, etc.) – Scouting for bloggers to send book review requests to – Pitching to those bloggers and tracking responses – Formatting (and perhaps light editing) of blog posts, or organizing content – Managing your Street Team Facebook group (posing questions to keep the group engaged, answering questions, sharing upcoming news, etc.) – Creating box sets in Scrivener from individual novels – Moving works translated into a foreign language from Word into Scrivener – Scheduling tweets and Facebook posts (ones that don't require your direct input or engagement with your audience) – Transcribing audio interviews or notes – For non-fiction authors, VAs can do an enormous number of tasks around webinars or other training you offer (e.g., planning and booking the event, scheduling guests, managing registration lists, dealing with the back-end technology, creating and proofing slide decks, sending out advance information packages to the trainees, and then sending out follow-up information to the trainees, etc.) Author Concern #4: How do I find a Virtual Assistant? As with hiring any freelancer, personal recommendations are usually the best place to start. Does anyone in your author circles have a VA they can recommend? Can you put a shout out on KBoards asking for recommendations? There are several Virtual Assistant organizations, usually based on the country where the VAs are located. Do a Google search for “Virtual Assistant ” and you'll find these organizations. Once you're there, you can then do a search by the specific skill(s) you're looking for and the site will offer a list of names, usually with links to the VAs' individual websites. When you've got a few names that look promising, be sure to interview several potential candidates so that you can get a sense of both the skills they have on offer and how their personality is going to fit with yours. Your working relationship with the VA will hopefully be long-term so you want to make sure it's the right fit. Bonus Tip #1: Start Small I always recommend to authors that they begin to work with a VA by agreeing to a couple of smaller tasks or projects and then building from there. Rushing in and assigning too much, too fast, usually leads to conflict and fractures in the relationship. Starting small achieves two really important things; it begins to build trust, and it creates a testing ground to ensure the two of you are a good fit. Ideally as the first few small projects begin and end, you'll start to trust that your VA knows what they're doing and can follow instructions and complete the project at the agreed time and in a way that makes you happy. As well, your VA will begin to learn how you work and what matters to you. It's just as important that you are a good fit for your VA, as she is with you. Bonus Tip #2: Communication is Key In her interview with Chris Ducker, Joanna mentions that she and I share several documents on Google Drive so that we're both always aware of what's going on and what our expectations are. You can keep a shared spreadsheet to track your VA's billable hours, so you always know exactly where you are in terms of your budget. Another great idea is to keep a document with the list of projects the VA is working on, in priority order, so that things don't get forgotten about and so that you both know what your VA is supposed to be working on at any given time. Meeting regularly on the telephone or Skype/FaceTime keeps the communication flowing and also helps to grow your relationship. I welcome you to check out my premnium product's shop, where you will get all premium virtual products at the lowest rate. 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