When Reki Carson had new business cards made up, she chose the only description that truly captured her work: "Troll-Hunter". She had been tempted to add "Extraordinaire". In the early days, Reki had played multiple roles: SEO, PR/PMP, MVP etc. She would consult pretty much anyone on anything,and v. versa. Her plan at the time was to always have an answer.
Unfortunately, not everyone recognized the value of the answers Reki provided. In monetary terms, least of all.
You can actually survive quite well on gratuities and gratis, if you do it right, relying on trade and payment in kind. For a while. Sort of.
And so. when one of her co-creators (Reki shared a communal working space with a collective of like-minded independents) - when one of her co-creators, a local entrepreneur, asked her if she'd like a full-time gig, she jumped at the opportunity.
"Not likely, I have too many commitments as it is."
"Well...
"Doing what, anyway? Pestering people all hours of the day? I know your kind of work, Brit."
One of this entrepreneur's latest ventures was a small privately owned group of Infestation Consultants passing under the name Dial-a-Pest. The idea was simple. For some people, life was just too good. They worked religiously, brought home massive paychecks, but lead soulless lives.
Brit's company supplied these people with something they were lacking: something to hate.
For a fee, a trained specialist would follow you, learn your habits, likes and dislikes, then find a way to move in to your life. Next door. Whatever. They would irritate you. They would make your life miserable, and you would pay for it because that was what was missing from your life. "Life too good? Dial-a-Pest" was their tagline.
Stop paying and the service goes away, as specified in the terms in the EULA. But people didn't stop paying. People wanted more.
"I'm diversifying. Getting into the internet."
"You have a web presence, don't you? I helped you develop it..."
"Deeper than that. I mean, think about it..."
"Just tell me what you're thinking."
Conversations with Brit typically wound round and round like this. He could spend 15 minutes asking you if you'd like to put on a fresh coffee pot.
"Trolls."
Traditionally, trolls live under bridges. If they see sunlight, they turn into stone. And they can regenerate lost body parts. But these trolls, they live in internet forums, and much like gremlins, you should never feed them.
"Trolls, Brit? Trolls?"
"As I said, I'm diversifying. You like, we put a pest in your home. Some people though, personal troll. That's what they want."
"And me? How would I fit..."
"I want you to find them for me... message boards... forums... join them, get to know them, then recruit me the best damn trolls the internet can provide. I'll make it worth your while. And theirs."
This had been several year's back. Since then, Brit's business had flourished, due largely to Reki's aptitude for finding and promoting the best. Troll hunting was now her primary gig, and she'd be the first to admit: she loved it.
