Street urchin Keith

Give me fast reflexes, bloodied fists, stiff upper lip. Give me a chip on his shoulder and something to prove because he’s lived this long on his own and he’ll be DAMNED if he’ll let anyone walk all over him.

Give me a secret heart of gold.

Keith’s scrappy, wiry, and muscled, all sharp edges from the outside... hunger and endless fighting will do that, will carve you down to muscle and bone.

He doesn’t get along with others much, but there’s something in him that won’t settle for seeing innocents kicked around.
(Maybe it reminds him too much of when he was young, those years until Shiro when he didn’t have someone to stick up for him.)
He’s got an issue with authority, a cynical streak a mile wide, and a hesitance to open up to anyone who hasn’t earned his trust. He’s used to fighting for himself.

But he’s discovering he’s good at fighting for others, too.
He sees kids getting picked on, people being harassed, and assholes using their power and authority to get their way.

He’s there with his fists raised and a snarl on his face, his attitude flaring up. He scares off the bullies but waves away the “thank you”s he’s offered.
“It’s nothing,” he says. “I’m just doing the right thing.”

It’s not heroism, to him. It’s helping the underdogs, the people like him.

Keith thinks he’s bad with people. He doesn’t trust easily, he fumbles over his words... he’s stony and wary, coming off as aloof.
Keith doesn’t realize his actions speak on his behalf.

Sure, there are those who fear his fists, who sneer at his toughness, who rage at his rebellions and disregard for authority.

But there’s a lot more who see the softness under his rough exterior.
And certain people, the ones who sneak their way in under his guard... they see the real him.

They love him, for his loyalty and nobility and the way he’ll never keep his mouth shut if he knows something’s wrong.
They love his determination — the way he never, /ever/, gives in — and the confidence he exudes when he’s doing something he knows he’s good at.
They love the unexpected humility there, too: how even though he’s got talent, it’s not being better than others that makes him happy about it, it’s the fact that those talents help him achieve his goals.
They love the vulnerability he shows to those he trusts, opening up about his hopes and fears. They love that he shows affection through action and is blunt about what he feels.
Because Keith’s spent too long worrying about losing the people he loves to let them go on not knowing his feelings.

As soon as someone takes the time to see him, to know him, to /trust/ him, he’s all in.
Keith loves like he fights — no holds barred, no subtlety about it. He’s fiercely loyal, fiercely protective... and he’d do anything for the ones he loves.

More from For later read

How I created content in 2020

A thread...

Back in Aug 2016, I started creating content to share my experiences as an entrepreneur.
Over 3 years I had put out 1,200+ hours of content - posting every week without


Little did I know that something I started almost 4 years back would give my life an entirely new direction.

At the end of 2019, my biggest platform was LinkedIn with ~700K followers.

In Jan 2020, I decided to build a team that would help me with the content.

I ran a month long recruitment drive to hire a team of interns.

It comprised 4 detailed rounds - starting with my loved 20 questions, then an assignment, then a WhatsApp video round and finally F2F.

Through 1,200+ applications, I finally selected 6 profiles, starting March.

I am a firm believer in @peterthiel's one task, one person philosophy
So the team was structured such that everyone was responsible for ONLY one task

1. Content ideas
2. Videography
3. Video editing
4. LinkedIn (+TikTok) distribution
5. FB+IG distribution
6. YouTube distribution
the whole point of Dunks was you could go cop them at VIM whenever you wanted for $65. this shit is like having to enter a raffle to buy milk.


like seriously why not make a ton more of them if they're gonna be so sought-after? they land at outlets? so? nike still makes money off that.

the only reason to keep making them so limited is that they KNOW all that matters is the profit on the flip and if they were readily available FEWER people would want them, not more

the whole system is super broken, but it's just gonna go the way it goes, because at this point it all caters to the secondary market. the only reason Nike can sell Jordan 1s for $200 is because the people buying them can flip them for $500

adjusted for inflation, a $65 AJ1 in 1985 is like $160—and modern-day AJ1s are made from cheaper materials in factories staffed by cheaper workers. they don't HAVE to be $200 retail. but the secondary market nuked the whole concept of what sneakers are "worth"
There is some valuable analysis in this report, but on the defense front this report is deeply flawed. There are other sections of value in report but, candidly, I don't think it helps us think through critical question of Taiwan defense issues in clear & well-grounded way. 1/


Normally as it might seem churlish to be so critical, but @cfr is so high-profile & the co-authors so distinguished I think it’s key to be clear. If not, people - including in Beijing - could get the wrong idea & this report could do real harm if influential on defense issues. 2/

BLUF: The defense discussion in this report does not engage at the depth needed to add to this critical debate. Accordingly conclusions in report are ill-founded - & in key parts harmful/misleading, esp that US shldnt be prepared defend Taiwan directly (alongside own efforts). 3/

The root of the problem is that report doesn't engage w the real debate on TWN defense issues or, frankly, the facts as knowable in public. Perhaps the most direct proof of this: The citations. There is nothing in the citations to @DeptofDefense China Military Power Report...4/

Nor to vast majority of leading informed sources on this like Ochmanek, the @RANDCorporation Scorecard, @CNAS, etc. This is esp salient b/c co-authors by their own admission have v little insight into contemporary military issues. & both last served in govt in Bush 43. 5/

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