#Digital Trust Market Share
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Digital Trust Market Is Estimated To Witness High Growth Owing To Increasing Emphasis on Data Security
The global Digital Trust Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 308.34 Billion In 2023 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR Of 14.2% over the forecast period 2022-2030, as highlighted in a new report published by Coherent Market Insights. Market Overview: The Digital Trust market refers to the use of cryptographic algorithms and protocols to secure data and ensure the authenticity and integrity of digital transactions. It encompasses various solutions such as digital signatures, authentication systems, and encryption techniques. With the increasing digitization of business processes and the growing threat of cyber attacks, the demand for digital trust solutions is on the rise. These solutions provide organizations with the assurance that their data and transactions are secure, thereby building trust among their customers and stakeholders. Market Key Trends: One key trend driving the growth of the Digital Trust Market is the increasing adoption of blockchain technology. Blockchain provides a decentralized and immutable ledger that enhances the security and transparency of digital transactions. It eliminates the need for intermediaries, reduces the risk of fraud, and ensures the integrity of data. The financial services sector is one of the major adopters of blockchain technology for various applications such as cross-border payments, smart contracts, and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes. Moreover, industries such as healthcare, supply chain, and government are also exploring the potential of blockchain for enhancing digital trust. Overall, the Digital Trust market is witnessing high growth due to the increasing emphasis on data security and the adoption of advanced technologies such as blockchain. These trends are expected to continue driving the market during the forecast period. Key Takeaways: The global digital trust market is expected to witness high growth, exhibiting a CAGR of 14.2% over the forecast period from 2022 to 2030. This growth can be attributed to increasing concerns over data security and privacy, stringent government regulations, and growing investments in cybersecurity. In terms of regional analysis, North America is expected to be the fastest-growing and dominating region in the digital trust market. The region has a well-developed IT infrastructure, a large number of established technology companies, and stringent data protection regulations. Additionally, increasing adoption of digital technologies and a high level of awareness regarding data security among consumers are driving market growth in the region. Key players operating in the digital trust market include IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Oracle Corporation, Gemalto (Thales Group), RSA Security LLC (a subsidiary of Dell Technologies), Entrust Datacard Corporation, Auth0, ForgeRock, Ping Identity Corporation, OneSpan Inc., Okta, Inc., Nok Nok Labs, Inc., Signicat AS, and Jumio Corporation. These companies are investing in research and development activities to enhance their digital trust solutions and expand their market presence.
#Digital Trust Market Size#Digital Trust Market#Digital Trust Market Share#Smart Technologies Market
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Big Tech disrupted disruption
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/08/permanent-overlords/#republicans-want-to-defund-the-police
Before "disruption" turned into a punchline, it was a genuinely exciting idea. Using technology, we could connect people to one another and allow them to collaborate, share, and cooperate to make great things happen.
It's easy (and valid) to dismiss the "disruption" of Uber, which "disrupted" taxis and transit by losing $31b worth of Saudi royal money in a bid to collapse the world's rival transportation system, while quietly promising its investors that it would someday have pricing power as a monopoly, and would attain profit through price-gouging and wage-theft.
Uber's disruption story was wreathed in bullshit: lies about the "independence" of its drivers, about the imminence of self-driving taxis, about the impact that replacing buses and subways with millions of circling, empty cars would have on traffic congestion. There were and are plenty of problems with traditional taxis and transit, but Uber magnified these problems, under cover of "disrupting" them away.
But there are other feats of high-tech disruption that were and are genuinely transformative â Wikipedia, GNU/Linux, RSS, and more. These disruptive technologies altered the balance of power between powerful institutions and the businesses, communities and individuals they dominated, in ways that have proven both beneficial and durable.
When we speak of commercial disruption today, we usually mean a tech company disrupting a non-tech company. Tinder disrupts singles bars. Netflix disrupts Blockbuster. Airbnb disrupts Marriott.
But the history of "disruption" features far more examples of tech companies disrupting other tech companies: DEC disrupts IBM. Netscape disrupts Microsoft. Google disrupts Yahoo. Nokia disrupts Kodak, sure â but then Apple disrupts Nokia. It's only natural that the businesses most vulnerable to digital disruption are other digital businesses.
And yetâŚdisruption is nowhere to be seen when it comes to the tech sector itself. Five giant companies have been running the show for more than a decade. A couple of these companies (Apple, Microsoft) are Gen-Xers, having been born in the 70s, then there's a couple of Millennials (Amazon, Google), and that one Gen-Z kid (Facebook). Big Tech shows no sign of being disrupted, despite the continuous enshittification of their core products and services. How can this be? Has Big Tech disrupted disruption itself?
That's the contention of "Coopting Disruption," a new paper from two law profs: Mark Lemley (Stanford) and Matthew Wansley (Yeshiva U):
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4713845
The paper opens with a review of the literature on disruption. Big companies have some major advantages: they've got people and infrastructure they can leverage to bring new products to market more cheaply than startups. They've got existing relationships with suppliers, distributors and customers. People trust them.
Diversified, monopolistic companies are also able to capture "involuntary spillovers": when Google spends money on AI for image recognition, it can improve Google Photos, YouTube, Android, Search, Maps and many other products. A startup with just one product can't capitalize on these spillovers in the same way, so it doesn't have the same incentives to spend big on R&D.
Finally, big companies have access to cheap money. They get better credit terms from lenders, they can float bonds, they can tap the public markets, or just spend their own profits on R&D. They can also afford to take a long view, because they're not tied to VCs whose funds turn over every 5-10 years. Big companies get cheap money, play a long game, pay less to innovate and get more out of innovation.
But those advantages are swamped by the disadvantages of incumbency, all the various curses of bigness. Take Arrow's "replacement effect": new companies that compete with incumbents drive down the incumbents' prices and tempt their customers away. But an incumbent that buys a disruptive new company can just shut it down, and whittle down its ideas to "sustaining innovation" (small improvements to existing products), killing "disruptive innovation" (major changes that make the existing products obsolete).
Arrow's Replacement Effect also comes into play before a new product even exists. An incumbent that allows a rival to do R&D that would eventually disrupt its product is at risk; but if the incumbent buys this pre-product, R&D-heavy startup, it can turn the research to sustaining innovation and defund any disruptive innovation.
Arrow asks us to look at the innovation question from the point of view of the company as a whole. Clayton Christensen's "Innovator's Dilemma" looks at the motivations of individual decision-makers in large, successful companies. These individuals don't want to disrupt their own business, because that will render some part of their own company obsolete (perhaps their own division!). They also don't want to radically change their customers' businesses, because those customers would also face negative effects from disruption.
A startup, by contrast, has no existing successful divisions and no giant customers to safeguard. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain from disruption. Where a large company has no way for individual employees to initiate major changes in corporate strategy, a startup has fewer hops between employees and management. What's more, a startup that rewards an employee's good idea with a stock-grant ties that employee's future finances to the outcome of that idea â while a giant corporation's stock bonuses are only incidentally tied to the ideas of any individual worker.
Big companies are where good ideas go to die. If a big company passes on its employees' cool, disruptive ideas, that's the end of the story for that idea. But even if 100 VCs pass on a startup's cool idea and only one VC funds it, the startup still gets to pursue that idea. In startup land, a good idea gets lots of chances â in a big company, it only gets one.
Given how innately disruptable tech companies are, given how hard it is for big companies to innovate, and given how little innovation we've gotten from Big Tech, how is it that the tech giants haven't been disrupted?
The authors propose a four-step program for the would-be Tech Baron hoping to defend their turf from disruption.
First, gather information about startups that might develop disruptive technologies and steer them away from competing with you, by investing in them or partnering with them.
Second, cut off any would-be competitor's supply of resources they need to develop a disruptive product that challenges your own.
Third, convince the government to pass regulations that big, established companies can comply with but that are business-killing challenges for small competitors.
Finally, buy up any company that resists your steering, succeeds despite your resource war, and escapes the compliance moats of regulation that favors incumbents.
Then: kill those companies.
The authors proceed to show that all four tactics are in play today. Big Tech companies operate their own VC funds, which means they get a look at every promising company in the field, even if they don't want to invest in them. Big Tech companies are also awash in money and their "rival" VCs know it, and so financial VCs and Big Tech collude to fund potential disruptors and then sell them to Big Tech companies as "aqui-hires" that see the disruption neutralized.
On resources, the authors focus on data, and how companies like Facebook have explicit policies of only permitting companies they don't see as potential disruptors to access Facebook data. They reproduce internal Facebook strategy memos that divide potential platform users into "existing competitors, possible future competitors, [or] developers that we have alignment with on business models." These categories allow Facebook to decide which companies are capable of developing disruptive products and which ones aren't. For example, Amazon â which doesn't compete with Facebook â is allowed to access FB data to target shoppers. But Messageme, a startup, was cut off from Facebook as soon as management perceived them as a future rival. Ironically â but unsurprisingly â Facebook spins these policies as pro-privacy, not anti-competitive.
These data policies cast a long shadow. They don't just block existing companies from accessing the data they need to pursue disruptive offerings â they also "send a message" to would-be founders and investors, letting them know that if they try to disrupt a tech giant, they will have their market oxygen cut off before they can draw breath. The only way to build a product that challenges Facebook is as Facebook's partner, under Facebook's direction, with Facebook's veto.
Next, regulation. Starting in 2019, Facebook started publishing full-page newspaper ads calling for regulation. Someone ghost-wrote a Washington Post op-ed under Zuckerberg's byline, arguing the case for more tech regulation. Google, Apple, OpenAI other tech giants have all (selectively) lobbied in favor of many regulations. These rules covered a lot of ground, but they all share a characteristic: complying with them requires huge amounts of money â money that giant tech companies can spare, but potential disruptors lack.
Finally, there's predatory acquisitions. Mark Zuckerberg, working without the benefit of a ghost writer (or in-house counsel to review his statements for actionable intent) has repeatedly confessed to buying companies like Instagram to ensure that they never grow to be competitors. As he told one colleague, "I remember your internal post about how Instagram was our threat and not Google+. You were basically right. The thing about startups though is you can often acquire them.â
All the tech giants are acquisition factories. Every successful Google product, almost without exception, is a product they bought from someone else. By contrast, Google's own internal products typically crash and burn, from G+ to Reader to Google Videos. Apple, meanwhile, buys 90 companies per year â Tim Apple brings home a new company for his shareholders more often than you bring home a bag of groceries for your family. All the Big Tech companies' AI offerings are acquisitions, and Apple has bought more AI companies than any of them.
Big Tech claims to be innovating, but it's really just operationalizing. Any company that threatens to disrupt a tech giant is bought, its products stripped of any really innovative features, and the residue is added to existing products as a "sustaining innovation" â a dot-release feature that has all the innovative disruption of rounding the corners on a new mobile phone.
The authors present three case-studies of tech companies using this four-point strategy to forestall disruption in AI, VR and self-driving cars. I'm not excited about any of these three categories, but it's clear that the tech giants are worried about them, and the authors make a devastating case for these disruptions being disrupted by Big Tech.
What do to about it? If we like (some) disruption, and if Big Tech is enshittifying at speed without facing dethroning-by-disruption, how do we get the dynamism and innovation that gave us the best of tech?
The authors make four suggestions.
First, revive the authorities under existing antitrust law to ban executives from Big Tech companies from serving on the boards of startups. More broadly, kill interlocking boards altogether. Remember, these powers already exist in the lawbooks, so accomplishing this goal means a change in enforcement priorities, not a new act of Congress or rulemaking. What's more, interlocking boards between competing companies are illegal per se, meaning there's no expensive, difficult fact-finding needed to demonstrate that two companies are breaking the law by sharing directors.
Next: create a nondiscrimination policy that requires the largest tech companies that share data with some unaffiliated companies to offer data on the same terms to other companies, except when they are direct competitors. They argue that this rule will keep tech giants from choking off disruptive technologies that make them obsolete (rather than competing with them).
On the subject of regulation and compliance moats, they have less concrete advice. They counsel lawmakers to greet tech giants' demands to be regulated with suspicion, to proceed with caution when they do regulate, and to shape regulation so that it doesn't limit market entry, by keeping in mind the disproportionate burdens regulations put on established giants and small new companies. This is all good advice, but it's more a set of principles than any kind of specific practice, test or procedure.
Finally, they call for increased scrutiny of mergers, including mergers between very large companies and small startups. They argue that existing law (Sec 2 of the Sherman Act and Sec 7 of the Clayton Act) both empower enforcers to block these acquisitions. They admit that the case-law on this is poor, but that just means that enforcers need to start making new case-law.
I like all of these suggestions! We're certainly enjoying a more activist set of regulators, who are more interested in Big Tech, than we've seen in generations.
But they are grossly under-resourced even without giving them additional duties. As Matt Stoller points out, "the DOJ's Antitrust Division has fewer people enforcing anti-monopoly laws in a $24 trillion economy than the Smithsonian Museum has security guards."
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/congressional-republicans-to-defund
What's more, Republicans are trying to slash their budgets even further. The American conservative movement has finally located a police force they're eager to defund: the corporate police who defend us all from predatory monopolies.
Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg
CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
#pluralistic#coopting disruption#law and political economy#law#economics#competition#big tech#tech#innovation#acquihires#predatory acquisitions#mergers and acquisitions#disruption#schumpeter#the curse of bigness#clay christensen#josef schumpeter#christensen#enshittiification#business#regulation#scholarship
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DAY 5973
Jalsa, Mumbai June 25/26, 2024 Tue/Wed 2:07 AM
Birthday - EF - Anamika Gupta .. đđš
Ef Ăzen Eren Wednesday, 26 June .. and all ur prayers and wishes for this special day for the Ef ..
the Agenda .. an act of predetermined thought and conveyance .. what shall bring attention recognition be the intent .. any express that can remotely be given the spin, and mastered is the guile and expertise of such ..
it is lamentable , ignominious to witness the impotency of content .. to somehow in any which manner , to be able to draw attention in storied form, just so it can be put up and seen or read , in favourable condition to them that devise it ..
devise .. for the right is not needed to be devised ..
pity ..
never ever underestimate the generation that follows , or is about to follow .. they are aware and alive to every situation and knowledged to hold their own in debate or discussion ..
we are enriched by the circumstance that often fall upon us .. and then we find a way .. even when there be none ..
"In today's digital age, the ubiquitous nature of content has paradoxically led to a dilution of its potency. With the democratization of content creation, anyone with an internet connection can produce and distribute information, leading to an oversaturation of the digital landscape. This phenomenon has profound implications, rendering content less impactful and more ephemeral.
First, the sheer volume of content available online has created a paradox of choice. Every minute, hundreds of hours of video are uploaded to platforms like YouTube, thousands of blog posts are published, and millions of social media updates are posted. This relentless flow of information makes it difficult for any single piece of content to stand out. The audience, overwhelmed by options, often resorts to skimming or entirely ignoring vast amounts of content, diminishing its overall impact.
Moreover, the quality of content has become highly variable. While the ease of content creation has empowered many voices, it has also led to an influx of low-quality, poorly researched, and sometimes misleading or false information. This glut of mediocre content competes with high-quality, well-researched pieces, making it challenging for audiences to discern value and trustworthiness. As a result, even content of genuine worth can struggle to achieve the recognition and engagement it deserves.
Another critical factor contributing to the impotency of content is the algorithm-driven nature of content distribution. Social media platforms and search engines prioritize content based on engagement metrics such as likes, shares, and comments rather than the inherent quality or informational value. This prioritization often leads to the virality of sensational, clickbait content at the expense of substantive, insightful work. Consequently, the attention economy favors superficial engagement over deep, meaningful interactions with content.
Additionally, the fast-paced consumption habits of modern audiences further erode the potency of content. The average attention span has dwindled in the face of constant digital distractions. People increasingly consume content in bite-sized formats, such as tweets or short videos, which limits their exposure to in-depth analysis or comprehensive narratives. This shift towards brevity undermines the ability of content to foster nuanced understanding or sustained engagement.
The commercialization of content also plays a significant role in its diminishing impact. Content marketing has become a dominant strategy for businesses, leading to a proliferation of branded content. While this can provide value, it also contributes to the noise and can sometimes prioritize promotional messages over genuine, informative content. The blending of editorial and advertising content can lead to skepticism and diminished trust among audiences, further reducing the impact of the content they encounter.
Lastly, the fleeting nature of digital content means that it often has a very short lifespan. Unlike traditional media, which could have a lasting presence, digital content is quickly buried under the avalanche of new information. This ephemeral existence means that even impactful content can be forgotten rapidly as attention shifts to the next trending topic.
In conclusion, the impotency of content in today's times is a multifaceted issue stemming from the overwhelming volume of information, variable quality, algorithm-driven distribution, changing consumption habits, commercialization, and the ephemeral nature of digital content. To reclaim the potency of content, creators and platforms must prioritize quality, foster trust, and find ways to engage audiences meaningfully and sustainably amidst the cacophony of the digital age."
Love and more ..
Amitabh Bachchan
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Naruto Modern AU/Hollywood pt.1 - The Uchiha Family & Sasuke.
All types of reasons have led certain people to the level/status of celebrity. We will explore it in this Modern AU of Naruto. Oh yes, starting a new project (regardless of all the stuff in the drafts) as a means to share my lore and practice digital art.
They are your typical influential family/lineage/clan in the world of celebrity-dom and Hollywood. Taking their root foundation in Madara Uchiha who made a lot of money exploiting the landâs abundant minerals along with Hashirama Senju when they created Konoha. He built the foundation block of the Countryâs central bank and police department. Yes, Madara lost most of his wealth through the years to the sin of gambling and failed business ventures. To this point of being a historical comedic fact of the past, his descendant Fugaku Uchiha had to rebrand and start with a "fresh foot" in a different industry; Technology & Scientific Lobbying/Investing. Along with ownership in the industrial prison complex but heâs not telling you the second part.
Finances magazine "The Ryô Treasury" loves to paint Fugaku as a self-made businessman who worked hard and won the investment lottery. These types of publications love to omit to the public the fact that anyone in the Uchiha clan born after Madara is technically a trust fund kid/nepo baby. Fugaku included since like most of his close and distant relatives were born into the higher class regardless of the money Madara lost throughout the years.
Many historians and the media do their best to conceal the depth of the influence Madara had on the country of fire and cover it up with the "billionaire gone broke"Â narrative because he had controversial political and social views that led to his fall apart from Hashirama Senju centuries ago.
Many industries go to the higher clans like the Hyuuga, Uchiha, Aburame & Senju for funding since they own a lot of the countryâs resources and various entities. Itâs hard to tell because it is well concealed on purpose like how the cheap wine you buy at the grocery store comes from a vineyard owned by a Senju who operates under a different surname.
With all that status and money, Fugaku married Mikoto (from an unknown background) and created the main and most popular unit of his clan with his two sons: Itachi and Sasuke.
Letâs Start with Sasuke:
He lived, along with his older brother, the typical luxury childhood with a large main mansion, a cottage summer home in France, maids, going to a 7-star school no one can find on Google Maps &, etc. The intense security of such a sheltered childhood created a rebellious fire in him. So, out of the blue at 18yo packed his bags and left his parents' house without warning. He settled on the rough side in the major city of Konoha to reinvent himself. After discarding his surname and blow-drying his hair, he dived into one of his hidden passions; music. With his dadâs funds, purchased a few guitars and started to compose music. Not only for pure love for the art form but in the hope of making a name for himself, to stand on his own feet and not hide in his brotherâs shadow anymore. The fact that Itachiâs career was taking off around that time was pocking at his justified sibling inferiority complex (but heâll never admit it).
After many trials and errors, he was able to befriend a few people while still refusing to disclose his identity. Like a random young guitarist coming up from the struggle, he created the punk rock band Taka along with Suigetsu (2nd guitar), Karin (bass), and Juugo (drums). They went from performing in small clubs to selling out large venues and becoming the most recognizable punk rock figure of their era and sending them on tours across different cities and countries.
Keep in mind they were able to pierce the market in Iwagakure due to the large rock music scene bringing a new sound standing out from the traditional heavy metal of the country of stone. They couldnât say the same about other large cities like Sunagakure and Kumogakure who were at that time close to the outside musical influences until recently.
Sasuke took pride in his achievements accomplished without his fatherâs connections. The band was extremely popular among teens and young adults for their good music, edgy aesthetic, and participation in the punk/emo subculture.
 Letâs not lie, a lot of their female fanbase was in love with the handsome lead singer Sasuke. He was an iconic punk/emo fashion icon for his legendary smoky under-eye makeup and spiky hair. All the members rocked some type of spiky haircut as well who were immensely popular at the time. Regardless of the focus on Sasuke, many of their fans love Suigetsu with his unique looks, great sense of humor, and certified crowd-hyping skills. Karin, the one and only e-girl punk girly, and Juugo, the sweet muscular teddy bear drummer who composed a lot of the bandâs songs along with Sasuke. Their sound is akin to Red Jumpsuit Apparatusâs Donât You Fake It and early day Paramore.
youtube
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Unfortunately, the band disbanded 5 years later for many reasons. First, punk rockâs popularity fell by the wayside and was outshined by rap & hip hop from Kumo (this era was short-lived). Also, Sasuke realized that all the members were growing apart in different ventures for their lives:
- Sasuke: By mistake, his family name was discovered. Somehow, he avoided the fraud accusation but realized he didnât want to be a singer all his life. He outgrew it Also his father finally reached out to him and promised to guarantee his sonâs future career venture if he came back so they could play into the "influential family" unit image Fukagu wanted to create (think of the Kardashians). Being interested in modeling, Sasuke complied.
- Suigetsu: Always wanted to do something in his hometown (Kiri). He kind of went off the spotlight, rumors say he is working with artists from Kiri and is a DJ wearing a full-face helmet, so we might never knowâŚ
- Juugo: Always known he had a talent and passion for photography, so he pursued it as a career. After putting a few portfolios out here, he was recruited by the renowned fashion, designer Orochimaru and itâs in his circles where he met A-List fashion model, Kimimaro. They are now engaged.
- Karin: She is now a bass and guitar instructor at the most prestigious music Academy in Konoha. The breakup was tougher on her for many reasons but the fact that Sasuke started dating and is now married to the professional wrestler and fitness influencer Sakura Haruno played a huge role in it at the time but sheâs now comfortable with their relationship, and she became the godmother of his daughter.
All these things happening at the same time made the disbandment a little smoother to digest for them but was a huge shock for their fans.
Sasuke is now a model operating under Orochimaru. His handsome looks, talent, and fatherâs connections allowed him to make a name for himself. He keeps lending juicy contracts left and right. For some reason, he has regained pride in his family name and wears it publicly. Despite his efforts, he is back to being the Young brother in his parentsâ eyes, but he doesnât care anymore. Him and Itachi are 2 distinct entities at this point and get rarely mentioned together in most professional settings.
Sasuke is now busy and married with a daughter named Sarada. He canât let these ideas get to him since he has a relatively good public image and enjoys his privacy (he doesnât share too much about himself or his family with the public). He has blatant rudeness towards paparazzi, interviewers, and anyone talking to him. Pretty privilege allows him to be labeled as an introvert and keep it pushing.
next part
#naruto#naruto modern au#naruto au#naruto fanart#naruto headcanons#naruto imagines#my art#sasuke uchiha#itachi uchiha#sakura haruno#sakura uchiha#uchiha clan#fugaku uchiha#madara uchiha#uchiha itachi#uchiha brothers#team taka#uchiha sasuke#naruto shippuden#naruto art#hashirama senju#mikoto uchiha#hollywood au#celebrity au#IM BACK#sarada uchiha#suigetsu hozuki#karin uzumaki#juugo#taka
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Generative AI was always unsustainable, always dependent on reams of training data that necessitated stealing from millions of people, its utility vague and its ubiquity overstated. The media and the markets have tolerated a technology that, while not inherently bad, was implemented in a way so nefariously and wastefully that it necessitated theft, billions of dollars in cash, and double-digit percent increases in hyper scalersâ emissions. The desperation for the tech industry to âhave something newâ has led to such ruinous excess, and if this bubble collapses, it will be a result of a shared myopia in both big tech dimwits like Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, and Silicon Valley power players like Reid Hoffman, Sam Altman, Brian Chesky, and Marc Andreessen. The people propping this bubble up no longer experience human problems, and thus can no longer be trusted to solve them. This is a story of waste, ignorance and greed. Of being so desperate to own the future but so disconnected from actually building anything. This arms race is a monument to the lack of curiosity rife in the highest ranks of the tech industry. They refuse to do the hard work â to create, to be curious, to be excited about the things you build and the people they serve â and so they spent billions to eliminate the risk they even might have to do any of those things. Had Sundar Pichai looked at Microsoftâs investment in OpenAI and said âno thanksâ â as he did with the metaverse â itâs likely that none of this wouldâve happened. But a combined hunger for growth and a lack of any natural predators means that big tech no longer knows how to make competitive, useful products, and thus can only see what their competitors are doing and say âuhhh, yeah! Thatâs what the big thing is!â Mark Zuckerberg was once so disconnected from Metaâs work on AI that he literally had no idea of the AI breakthrough Sundar Pichai complimented him about in a meeting mere months before Metaâs own obsession with AI truly began. None of these guys have any idea whatâs going on! And why are they having these chummy meetings? These arenât competitors! Theyâre co-conspirators! These companies are too large, too unwieldy, too disconnected, and do too much. They lack the focus that makes a truly competitive business, and lack a cohesive culture built on solving real human or business problems. These are not companies built for anything other than growth â and none of them, not even Apple, have built something truly innovative and life-changing in the best part of a decade, with the exception, perhaps, of contactless payments. These companies are run by rot economists and have disconnected, chaotic cultures full of petty fiefdoms where established technologists are ratfucked by management goons when they refuse to make their products worse for a profit. There is a world where these companies just make a billion dollars a quarter and they don't have to fire people every quarter, one where these companies actually solve real problems, and make incredibly large amounts of money for doing so. The problem is that theyâre greedy, and addicted to growth, and incapable of doing anything other than following the last guy who had anything approaching a monetizable idea, the stench of Jack Welch wafting through every boardroom.
5 August 2024
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Lughnasadh Masterpost - Spoonie Witch Friendly
Lughnasadh, this holiday typically lands on August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere (February 1st in the Southern Hemisphere).Â
Lughnasadh celebrates the arrival of the late summer season and the abundance of the first harvest.
Usually it a harvest of grain and corn, but in other areas itâs a fruit and vegetables for harvest. Youâll see the days begin to shorten from here.
This is a holiday that is more easy to feel disconnect from as most arenât out there Stardew Valley style on their grandfathers farm. We either have a small garden of our own or everything is store bought. Or those who are gluten intolerant they also may find it harder to connect.
Celebrating and honoring the harvest is important. Even if we are not personally gardening we are offering thanks for natures prosperity in keeping us fed and healthy with each bountiful harvest.
But after this correspondence list I will give you a list of ideas of how everyone can celebrate.
Correspondences
Colours
Yellow
Orange
Gold
Green
Light Brown
Dark Purple
Tan
Herbal
Rosemary
Cinnamon
Mint
Basil
Garlic
Flowers
Sunflowers
Marigolds
Hydrangeas
Daisy
Dahlia
Zinnias
Yarrow
Roses
Honeysuckle
Oaktree
Apple tree
Edibles
(Anything within season)
Wheat, grains, bread
Corn
Apples
Berries
Peaches
Pears
Squash & zucchini
Tomatoes
Mead
Animals
Calves
CrowÂ
PigÂ
Rooster
Salmon
Eagle
Lion
Squirrel
Stag
Lamb/ Sheep
Crystals
Citrine
Quartz
Amber
Malachite
Carnelian
Aventurine
Garnet
Tigerâs Eye
Metals
Symbols
The Sun
Wine & mead
Pentagram
Sunflowers
Corn
Wheat
Berries
Spiritual meanings & intentions
Prosperity
SuccessÂ
Gathering, harvesting
Giving, donating, sharing, charity
Thankful & grateful
Ancestors & heritage
Offerings
Blessings
The folk
Health
Career
Scents
Rose
Apple
Lavender
Cinnamon
Mint
Frankincense
Sandalwood
Coconut
Patchouli
Gods / Goddesses / Spirits
Demeter â (Greek)
Ceres â (Roman)
Isis â (Egyptian)
Luna â (Roman)
Dana â (Celtic)
Tailtiu â (Celtic)Â
Cerridwen â (Celtic)
Parvati (Hindu)
Pomona (Roman)
Lugh â (Celtic)
Taranis â (Celtic)
Adonis (Assyrian/Greek)
Attis (Phrygian)
Mercury (Roman)
Osiris (Egyptian)
And many other harvest Gods/Goddesses
Need some suggestions to celebrate? I got you covered.
High energy celebrations
Abundance rituals
Visit a harvest festival
Harvest your garden
Bake bread
Baking pastries
Make jam or preservesÂ
Visit a farmerâs market
Create a large meal for the folk
Deity offerings
Create a money bowl (try rice in it just trust me)
Low energy celebrations
Healing bath ritual
Light a candle in honor
Prayer to Gods/Goddesses
Journal
Eat some fresh vegetablesÂ
No spoons celebrations
Create a digital manifestation board (Try Pinterest)Â
Eating fall themed pastries
Drinking apple juice or cider
Thank the harvest when you are able to fuel your body for taking care of you
Remember that itâs okay if you cant do much while you are unwell. That you come first and you simply existing is a blessing.
How you celebrate the holiday does not matter. You can choose to do any activity that feels right. These are only suggestions and remember that you're enough no matter what.
#chronic illness#chronic illness magic#spoonie#spoonie magic#spoonie witch#Lughnasadh#lammas#lughnasadh masterpost#lughnasadh magic#lughnasadh correspondences#witch#witchcraft#wheel of the year#sabbat
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Idk what to call this so you make up the title
@huskers-bar x @nunalastor
Tags: enemies to lovers, angst?, eventual fluff, yearning?, soft huskers-bar, both mods are separate people, no beta we die like i do in this fic (not yet though), minor character death, ooc, au: hellaverse (hazbin hotel), nunalastor is head of the marketing department of the hazbin hotel (lucifer grabbed them randomly), jealousy?, huskers-bar is an employee at voxtek, lulu and angie as villains, lulu is a dog
chapter: 1/? Word count: 1,431
Featuring: babygirl anon and (eventually) @xxx-angie . I may add more along the way depending on who wants to be added. I can probably shoe-horn-in a few more characters
For the sake of not tagging people a million times, I will call nunalastor as a single entity nunalastor, traumatized mod dickmaster and cursed mod nun. and huskers-bar just husk. babygirl anon will be babygirl anon. i will be shortened to lulu but I don't appear in this fic yet. Angie doesn't appear yet, but he will be angie.
A/N: anyway this is 100% going to be a huskers-bar harem fic because i can write whatever i want. This first chapter kinda boring but it gets better (source: trust me bro). Lemme know if you'd like to see any changes. Anyway, goodbye for now. I have uni to get to so less frequent posting (sorry dickmaster, you'll have to live without any of my horrid art for a little while)
"Did you know that Alastor made a happy deer squeak during this scene?"
Ah, yes, the words that twist people's dreams into nightmares. Innocent innitially, and maybe even amusing for a good while, but the longer one lingered, the more their skin would crawl with irritation and burn their insides. Especially when one knew the context surrounding this particular phrase. And boy, did Nunalastor know the context.
~
"Another day, another inbox to slay, another heavenly lord to betray" Dickmaster accessed their and Nun's shared blog, unsurprisingly to hundreds if not thousands of asks invading their inbox, all of which were echoes of different variations of *thumps* and *squeaks*. If Nunalastor hadn't already grown accustomed to such deviancy, they would be horrified. Still, the depraved ideas these people came up with never failed to send shivers down their spine, and not the pleasant kind.
And why do they subject themselves to this? you may ask. It was simple. In exchange for free housing, food and supplies, Lucifer Morningstar, the devil himself and father of Charlie Morningstar had requested their help. You see, originally their blog was not this unfortunate cesspool of deranged demons who wanted to see the devil, overlords and sinners squirm under immense sexual pleasure. It used to be a simple marketing tool for the Hazbin hotel, but as all things in hell, it never goes smoothly. It wasn't like they had a choice in the matter anyway, refusing the king of hell's requests was not an option! His commands were absolute.
Dickmaster took one deep breath, running both hands through their hair and clearing their mind, preparing for probably several hours of torture that was going to be their asks. They poured themselves a drink, setting down in front of their screen. Taking a few moments to relish the silence, they closed their eyes and listened to the soft hum of their beaten up 1950's style computer, courtesy of Alastor's ban on Voxtek products at the hotel. Clicking on their inbox tab, they mentally braced themselves. even if they knew, they could never truly predict the horrors hell had to offer.
"time for #housekeeping" They declared, stretching their fingers, getting their reaction images on the ready and sifting through their own version of digital hell. It would only get worse from here.
~
As Nunalastor started to clean their digital home, erasing one cursed ask after another, responding to one alastor circus theory after another, One ask in particular caught their attention. It was definitely a surprise, and a welcome one at that. It stood out like a sore thumb, simple yet elegant, divine and a blessing among heaps of cursed messages that would have asmodeus and satan themselves shaking in fear.
"hi dickmaster" - anon
Nunalastor couldn't explain it. They don't know what came over them, but they felt a strange sense of attraction to this one particular anon. They were sweet, they gave them a place of solace from the dread that was piss kink headcanons and cursed deer facts, equivelent of the clogged up plumming disasters alastor had to fix with his bare hands at the Hazbin hotel. It was the piece of gold nugget hidden in a swamp full of moss and dog urine.
Dickmaster stared at the message for a good few seconds, really taking in the plainness and beauty of the two words before their eyes, appriciating all that message was as a small smile made its way up their face. This called for a special occasion. Dickmaster gripped their keyboard, nearly smashing it with the force. Their fingers danced along the keys and crafted a response like no other, one worthy of this random anon that managed to make their day a bit brighter.
"Hi babygirl" - Nunalastor
~
On the other side of the pentagram, a kind, sweet and not at all deranged huskers was scrolling through hells version of tumblr. Voxtek devices had proven to be quite useful in the underworld. It served as the main source of entertainment and escape for the lonely, not only for husk, but other sinners alike. Besides, being an employee meant he had extra privileges with Voxtek. Regardless, it introduced husk to the nunalastor blog, which was the best moment of their life (or lack thereof, considering they're dead).
They'd quickly grown accustomed to the undeserved hate thrown their way upon their first ever interractioin. Though they didn't understand, they could play along. They found strange comfort in the twisted logic that any form of attention was better than none. After all, being singled out meant they were special in the eyes of Nunalastor, right? that's how husk comforted themselves anyway. And they haven't seen Nunalastor actually reply to anyone with actual love before.
That is... until it happened. Someone who would later reveal themselves as babygirl anon, husks worst adversary and the unfortunate victim of lulu's slander showed up on their feed.
"hi dickmaster" - anon
"Hi babygirl" - Nunalastor
Husk stared at the screen in shock, their eyes widening and heart growing heavy. Countless questions and conflicting emotions swirled within them, each clutching their hold for attention. 'Is nunalastor serious? Do I not want them to be serious? Why can't I be treated the same? What did I do?' And amidst the chaos, one thought rose to the surface, crystal clear in Husk's mind.
'I want to be loved like that'
The frustration of being at the end of every one of Nunalastors verbal spears finally caught up to husk. Every small jab they'd written off as jokes suddenly felt like small pin needles scraping their skin. Unable to deal with the whirlwind of emotions and the confusion of it all, Husk sought solace in the one place they could always trust, the bottom of a bottle.
So they took a swig. And another. And another. Intil there wasn't a shred of emotion left to feel. Not a single thread of frustration left in them, not a nerve of anguish, not a line of confusing verbal spewage...
And not even a speck of self-restraint
~
"THEY JUST KEEP COMING" Dickmaster exclaimed, more like yelled as their inbox was flooded with more cursed asks at a rate faster than they could answer. At this pace, they'll be there all day, answering these asks like a poor overworked minimum wage employee at a call center.
"They'll run out of ideas eventually" Nun responded, nonchalantly, leaning against a nearby wall, sipping on a drink of their own. Nun watched as dickmaster struggled to find another reaction image fast enough so they could call it quits and leave the rest of the struggles for future Nunalastor to handle, or more accurately when it would be nun's turn to answer all the unhinged people in their inbox.
The hurried clicking of the keys on a keyboard could be heard throughout the entire room, bouncing off the walls, reflecting exactly how much infestation was actually happening in nunalastors inbox by the minute. "it would be great if you could answer a few you know, my fingers are dyin-"
And then it suddenly went quiet. The clicking died down and the unbelievably loud buzzing of their computer, along with the hitched breathing of Dickmaster was the only sound bouncing around the room. Nun of course raised a brow at this. "what's the holdup? we can't afford to take a break you know" they said, as if they were the one answering all of the asks in the first place.
nun walked over, curious as to what exactly had stopped dickmaster in his endless pursuit of emptying their inbox, considering they were always the more enthusiastic one of the two. "are you okay?" nun asked, half sarcastically. Their eyes landed over the current ask in their inbox.
"I wish you'd love me" huskers-bar
and suddenly the silence made sense. the pause had been a justified one.
dickmaster inhaled, followed by a deep and saddened exhale. they didn't want to take their eyes off of those five words. they could stare in awe and amazement at them for hours. it wasn't even the fact that it was just another ask that wasn't cursed, but because it was huskers-bar that sent-
a hand on dickmasters shoulder snaps them out of their daze, being brought back to reality, the pitiful reality. they were in hell for a reason, they reminded themselves.
"you remember our deal, don't you, dickmaster?" nuns voice cut through the buzzing, sounding deep, gruff, threatening and slightly saddened.
"yes of course" dickmaster turned back to the monitor, giving one last look at the ask before typing out what nunalastor has agreed would be the appropriate response.
"you'll get over it. #we are a huskers-bar hate blog"
#i'm kind of sorry but i cant take writing seriously when i called one of yous dickmaster askfdjaslkdfjoasidjgf#huskers-bar x nunalastor#i hope at least. idk i dont read this shit back to myself. my self esteem is low enough already#lulu is delulu#nunwhiskers
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Marvus and his money headcanon
(Been surfing through the marvus tags and I've got some thoughts to share regarding this clown)
To start off, I personally think troll currency is more digital than physical. Like everyone uses a card to trade or get items (and its only due to the empresses restrictions on things when she removed the adults from the planet) but physical money is still real, it's just a fun thing that highbloods and high midbloods use to flaunt and to trade amongst each other.
To signify the value of the bills, they have a strip of color from the cast they were made for. For example, Teals =80, Cerulean =90, Indigo =100, etc.
(There were coins that were common amongst lowbloods and low midbloods, but that got discontinued when moving to cashless/digital. There is evidence preserving the old currency existence such as in museums showings of the old times and extremely old paintings in the clown churches.) (You can think that these coins are caegars or not)
With that out the way! On to Marvus and his money đ°
I imagine Marvus doesn't really care about money nor feels that it has a heavy connection to his identity compared to performing/entertaining. Marvus just knows that people wanna see him and lose their shit at his concerts and are willing to drop stacks to be there even with the risk of being culled.
With that, Marvus can be loose with his money, quite literally throwing it around to which some highbloods would critique the act as 'disrespectful' and 'rebellious' since money is one of the ways ancestors can provide to descendants and give them a clue to their existence. (If they want or have left a will if they died, regardless, the empire still sets them up with a small fund)
I dont know if philanthropy would be an actual thing or just be a thing highbloods (like Zebruh) say they do for approval points. But I imagine Marvus would be the type to do so in the most unconventional means.
He probably stopped his tour bus once to grab a grubshake or a handmade sandwich from a small cafe and threw a fat band on the counter saying, "Keep da change lol." Leaving the workers there in awe and fear cause damn he just weirdly blessed them, and damn they now gotta fight off his fans from stealing the marvy money. (If Marvus is there, his fans are certainly gonna be there too.)
Marvus definitely buys his crew lunch or, if he's hanging with someone, offers to pay for them when he's out and about. He stresses tf out of his accountant because he doesn't keep track of how much he spends in a day. You know his ass absolutely has a money gun to use at his concerts.
Bascially when you're Marvus, you're a baller who is a big spender.
When interacting with Marvus, depending on his quadrant, you're gonna see how he moves with his cash.
â˘âĄ Matespirit âĄâ˘
if you got this man in this quadrant, good luck on getting Marvus not to spoil the fuck out of you. Trust and believe he'll take any chance to drop some stacks on you. If you guys are out and you say or point out some items, you can bet that Marvus is buying them.
Oh, you think that clothing line is cute? Guess what? He's ordered the entire line to be sent to your place.
Big fan of video games? No problem! He is getting the newest console out on the market in your favorite color with your name on it.
Love sweets? Bam! He's gonna invite you over to his crib and have you watch a team of trolls bake the best desserts of Alternia.
Money ain't a thang to this man. It gives him a chance to show his love through the material means and show that he wants you to enjoy yourself and time with him. Small part of him uses money to be a temporary fix when he has to go on long tours. If he can't spend time with you on troll FaceTime or in real life, he'll send gifts to show that he's still alive and thinking about you.
However, if large displays of affections through money don't appeal to you or you start to feel overwhelmed by the purchases or think he's being disingenious in his affection, he'll pull it back.
He'll likely give you a card that's connected to his account so you can have the control to buy what you want without feeling like you have to ask him. (And such an act will give him a small piece of security to know you'll have the means to survive financially on Alternia, especially if you've expressed times of financial hardships to him)
Also doesnât matter if it's public or private, He's gonna randomly place bills on your person, i.e., stuffing them in your pockets, slipping them in your shirt pocket, pinning them to your jacket. If you ask him why he's doing that (or wonder where he stores his cash)(btw he literally has no pants pockets) Marvus is gonna give you a saucy wink and smile all dumb and say "a mf gotta pay dem feez 4 havin a wicked mate lik u b ;0)" than he'll place a smacking wet kiss on your forehead and be all noisey about it while doing so.
â˘â Moirials ââ˘
In this quadrant, his spending habit might look casual to outsiders, but with you, they'll be a tad more personal. Still be extra af like in matespiritship but he'll be spending money to clear his mind or yours.
Feeling stressed about some unfinished work? Don't worry. He'll reserve a spa service just for you.
Need to cry out some hard feelings? He's gonna get some matching pajamas and grab some emergency blankets to get that session on.
You know that one ring that SpongeBob and Patrick have to show off their friendship? He's gonna get something like that to represent your guy's moirallgience. Anything involving moirails, he will buy and send them to you.
You're definitely gonna be his merch tester and probably be brought to his trips to the galleries when he goes to buy art pieces. (Need your support and opinion when bidding for art pieces.)
Like with matespiritship, if you feel like he's being insincere or rather prefers more handmade gifts. He'll try to schedule days to create personal gifts. He might pay someone to tutor him about your interests just so you can rant without having to stop and explain what you're talking about.
Marvus will remember what your favorite snacks and favorite meals are for when you're hanging with the crew or just him. Compared to where he won't care about what someone orders, you don't gotta worry about an order mess up or reminding him. He got that locked in, unless you want something different, then just point him to it.
If there is a fucked up order for you, he will raise hell. Typically, he won't care if something he orders is messed up. He'll pay for another one. However, on behalf of his moirial, this mf gonna walk up to the counter like that meme saying they asked for no pickles. The first and hopefully (in his opinion) only time you'll ever see him asking for a refund.
A thing that'll be a routine of your relationship is him swinging by your place late af in the daytime to grab you and get some breakfast before he has to start his night.(Unless you spend the day at his hive than he'll order said breakfast and catch some more Zzzs with you.)
â˘â¤ Kismeses â¤â˘
Now in this quadrant, compared to the other two, Marvus is a clown who's mischievous as hell. This bitches antics are gonna be up to 100 when it comes to him.
Honestly, you're gonna be on your toes for buying things. It'll become a back and forth of him randomly, not having money than to him having it though being really annoying and lazy with it.
If your someone who's well off, you better hide your wallet. Marvus will snag your card and make an excuse how he left his cash in his other pants/trailer/hive and buy the most stupidest shit under your name. (He'll troll cash app you back but do it so tediously that you hope your account crashes)
If he catches a single hint or a word, even a wrinkle of disgust on you, Marvus will make it the bane of your life.
You dislike the residue of his paint left on your face after a hate-makeout session? Marvus now has to buy this one face paint that is known for being messy. what? His manager told him, too. :0)
You think cowboy boots are clunky and tacky? Guess who's strolling up in some bedazzled purple lined boots that jingle when he walks.
You make a comment on how creepy troll beanie boos plushies are, he's gonna get a brand deal with them and send you a crate of his new designs. A note will be attached saying "4 my numba 1 fan ;0)~".
Similar to moirallgience, you will be a merch tester, yet you won't know if he's being serious or wanting to rile you up. Regardless, when you shit on the design he's showing you, that's how he'll know his fans will love it! Doesn't matter if it's the simplest design, an eyesore to the public, he'll promote it to the point that even your small-time friends will surely mention the product to you. Might even send a shout-out to you on Chitter for your 'help'.
Don't ask him for a bill if you want something from a vending machine. Marvus will pull the most crumpled weirdly stained bill you'll ever see in your lifetime and smile at you plainly like, "Here u go buddi dats all I can find on me atm lmao." Additionally to this, he will slowly count his bucks out if you all are in a line somewhere. (Marvus knows no one will rush him and if you complain, he'll pretend he lost count and start over)
To conclude this, watch out for when he's feeling more petty. He'll make a habit of sending you items in loud peculiar packaging that suggest to those handling it that there's something inappropriate in it when there really isn't.
â˘â§ Auspistice â§â˘
With this one, Marvus doesnât fit the vibe of where he might truly kill his kismeses. Nor does he seem to want to be in a situation to be aggravated enough to join in murdering someone (Going off his response to MSPA reader when the clown fight happened). However, Marvus may strive on not becoming active on those emotions. Close calls can exist.
A tiff among his roadies about best faygo flavors is a good way. His manager hassling him, and trying to change up his brand is close enough. Groupie sea dwellers trying to follow him back to his trailer and not taking a hint is a real close call.
If you mediate for Marvus a few times, he'll certainly be grateful (and a bit embarrassed) he'll grant you a gift card of some shop of your choice as thanks.
On the other hand, you've been around long enough to spot a murderous Marvus, then you're undeniably a part of his inner circle. With the exception of being his paid emotional bodyguard coach.
As business-like, it might seem in the beginning, you're a trustworthy and skillful individual in Marvus's eyes. He knows dealing with irritated trolls, particularly enraged highbloods, is not a fun nor easy task.
Other trolls may feel like this relationship is wandering into moirallgience territory.(which might be) Marvus won't really care about those opinions and possibly offer to meditate for you in the event he catches you in a tense position.
Youâll be called for his long tours when he has to do shows for sea dwellers and, without a doubt, be put through the ringer. It'll end with you guys munching on loads of the troll version of ice cream in silence.
At any point, you're too stressed to de-escalate a situation. He'll give you a paid vacation and make sure you don't come back until you are entirely stressed free.
He may tell you once he calms down that you should open a private business due to your and I quote "motherfckin dopeazz obzi-va-tional skilz."
Small note : Marvus has dealt with people trying to form a quad with him just for the fame/money, as we seen with Zebruh. So if he catches signs that what's happening, he's going to be acting distant and extremely scripted around you, then like ghost you. You'll be blacklisted from his concerts (unknowingly), and future clowns might keep a close eye on you if you hang at the churches.
Welp, that's all! Hopefully, this was entertaining to read! I do apologize if some parts feel rushed or that there were more details in some quads, I tried to keep them around the same length.
#whistalk#hiveswap friendsim#marvus xoloto#hiveswap marvus#marvus x reader#Hiveswap headcanon#hiveswap#friendsim#reader insert#Quadrant talk#hs marvus#long post#Small mention of Zebruh#Small mention of sea dwellers#Would Marvus be a Troll Mr. Beast in spirit?#Trying to summon the xoloto vibes when writing speaking parts in this#MSPA reader mentioned#homestuck
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Browsing the World Wide Web
Browsing the World Wide Web
One of my favorite passions is creating/finding ways to navigate the web that are healthy, authentic, and fun! Here are some resources I use to guide my internet usage. Some language has been slightly adapted for tone and accessibility. For more in-depth reading, follow the links! (taken with permission from https://yair.garden/browsing). Shared Ideals
MelonKing has an excellent list of shared ideals which I try to keep in mind as I browse the web. It's a great starting point!
Creativity is First: We see the ability to design, decorate, and graffiti digital spaces as essential and powerful.
The Internet is Fun: We want the Web to be a playground that's free to explore and enjoy.
Corporations are Boring: We are tired of the monetization, data abuse, and endless breaches of trust in corporate culture.
The Web is Friendly: We believe the Web should be friendly and supportive; caring is a radical act.
Right to Repair: We value the freedom to make, break, and repair our stuff - tinkering is a form of debate and protest.
One World Wide Web: We want free open knowledge and global connectivity, without paywalls, bubbles, or borders.
Chaotic Effort: We believe that value comes from the time and effort put into projects they love for no reason other than love.
No to Web3: In many (but not all) situations, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, unfairly trained AIs, and buzzword tech are unwelcome and uncool.
Manifesto for a New Web
The YesterWeb is an organization seeking to progressively transform internet culture and beyond. After two years, they created three core commitments and three social behavior guidelines to benefit everyone.
A commitment to social responsibility and partisanship.
A commitment to collective well-being and personal growth.
A commitment to rehumanizing social relations and reversing social alienation.
50 additional manifestos can be found here Social Etiquette
Engage in good faith.
Engage in constructive conflict.
Be mindful of participating in a shared, public space.
Why say no to Web 3.0?
One of the shared ideas of our community of web surfers is to push back against "Web 3.0". Here's why:
It's driven by predatory marketing tactics.
It requires complex technological and financial knowledge to fully understand.
It is actively harming the environment.
It caters to early adopters and whales.
It profits off artificial scarcity.
Investors are banking on Web3, and they really don't want to be wrong.
Personalized Web Surfing Guide
Make your web surfing personal and adventurous, away from corporate influences. Here's a simple guide for a unique browsing experience.
Configure your browser
Remove Ads and Clean up Privacy:
Ublock Origin for removing ads
ClearURLs for removing tracking elements from URLs
SponsorBlock for skipping sponsorships on YouTube
Make it a Safer Space:
ShinigamiEyes for highlighting transphobic/anti-LGBTQ sites
TriggerRemover for removing trigger-inducing content from pages
Clean up UI for Beauty and Minimalism:
CleanerReads for a muted Goodreads experience
Minimal; for a minimal and less attention-grabbing internet
Bonuses for a Cool Experience:
Library Extension: Check book availability at local libraries
Translate Web Pages: Translate pages in real-time
Return YouTube Dislike: Bring back the YouTube dislike feature
How to Browse and Surf the Web
Explore Beyond Corporate Sites: While the internet is vast, the majority of users only see a small fraction dominated by large corporate sites. These sites often prioritize shock value and extreme content, overshadowing the richness of the wider web. Explore alternative avenues to discover the internet's diversity.
Search Engines: Avoid corporate search engines like Google. Instead, consider using alternatives like Kagi, which focuses on privacy and doesn't sell your data. While it costs around $10/month, Kagi offers a diverse mix of web content, making it a worthwhile investment for varied search results. Other niche or non-commercial search engines can also provide unique content. While they may not be sustainable for daily use, they're great for discovering new sites. Find them here.
Webrings: Webrings are collections of websites united by a common theme or topic. They offer a unique way to explore sites created by real people, spanning a wide range of interests. Here are some of my favorite webrings:
Hotline Webring
Retro Webring
Low Tech Webring
Geek Webring
Soft Heart Clinic Mental Health Circle ...and here are some list of webring databases to explore!
Curated List of 64 Webrings
Neocities Webrings
Curated List of Active Webrings
Comprehensive List of 210 Webrings
Cliques/Fanlistings Web Cliques/Cliques are groups which you can join usually if you fulfill a certain task such as choosing an animal or listing your astrological sign. Fanlistings do the same for fans of various topics! You can then be linked on the clique's/fan group's site for further website discovery! Here are some web clique directories:
Project Clique
Cliqued
Fanlistings Network
5. Link Directories
Many sites have smaller link directories of buttons where you can find sites that they are "mutuals" (both creators follow each other) and "friends/neighbors" â sites they follow. It's a great way to build community. There are also larger link directories of sites which someone finds cool, and it's a great way to intentionally explore the web. Here are some of my favorites:
SadGrl Links
Melonland Surf Club
Neocities Sites
Onio.Cafe
Though there are many more! 6. Random Site Generators
Finally, there are random site generators which allow you to randomly stumble upon websites. While not very practical, they are a lot of fun and offer a unique way to discover new corners of the web.
A list can be found here
What now?
The next question you have is probably how can you become an active member/contribute in this world of the underground web? I unfortunately don't have the energy to write a guide right now but it will come soon! In broad strokes, consider making a site on Neocities. If you do make a site, remember to include a robots.txt file to get AI and bots out of there and don't forget to rate your site so we can know who it's for. If you'd like to transition off social media I recommend an RSS Reader such as the one at 32bit.cafe or on Fraidycat (guide on this to come soon as well!). For your twitter-fix you can always post a status at Status Cafe and your mood at imood. There is a whole world out there full of passionate and friendly people who are ready to reclaim the web. Excited to see you there!
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How to Become a Billionaire in 10 Easy Steps (According to Ali)
Hey there, folks! Today, we're going to be talking about something that's near and dear to Ali's heart - making bank. That's right, Ali knows a thing or two about becoming a billionaire, and he's generously decided to share his secrets with all of us. So sit back, grab a notebook, and get ready to take some notes.
Step 1: Get a Loan
The first step to becoming a billionaire is to get a loan. Sure, it might seem counterintuitive, but trust Ali on this one. Borrow as much money as you can and invest it in something risky. If it pays off, you're already on your way to the top.
Step 2: Take Risks
Speaking of risks, that's another key ingredient in the billionaire recipe. You can't be afraid to take chances if you want to make it big. Whether it's investing in a new company or quitting your job to start your own business, you need to be willing to put it all on the line.
Step 3: Be a Hustler
If there's one thing Ali knows, it's how to hustle. You can't sit around waiting for opportunities to come to you - you need to go out and make them happen. Whether it's networking, pitching your ideas to investors, or cold-calling potential clients, you need to be willing to put in the work.
Step 4: Surround Yourself with Successful People
As the saying goes, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If you want to be a billionaire, you need to surround yourself with other successful people who can mentor you and help you grow.
Step 5: Learn from Your Failures
Failure is an inevitable part of the journey to becoming a billionaire. But the key is to learn from those failures and use them as opportunities to grow and improve.
Step 6: Stay Hungry
Once you achieve success, it can be tempting to rest on your laurels. But if you want to stay at the top, you need to stay hungry and keep pushing yourself to achieve more.
Step 7: Embrace Technology
In today's digital age, technology is key to success. Whether it's using social media to market your business or using cutting-edge software to streamline your operations, you need to stay up-to-date with the latest tech trends.
Step 8: Give Back
As Ali always says, "it's not about the money, it's about the impact." Giving back to your community and supporting causes that you care about is not only the right thing to do, but it can also help boost your brand and reputation.
Step 9: Stay Focused
With so many distractions and competing priorities in today's world, it can be easy to lose sight of your goals. But if you want to become a billionaire, you need to stay laser-focused on what you want to achieve.
Step 10: Never Give Up
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you should never give up on your dreams. Becoming a billionaire is a lofty goal, but with hard work, determination, and a little bit of luck, it's definitely achievable.
So there you have it, folks - Ali's 10-step guide to becoming a billionaire. Are you ready to take on the challenge? Let us know in the comments below!
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Since it's almost July 8th where I am, I decided to just do a meta rant for Tai and Sora today for @taichiyagamiweek. Before I start- I do not ship them and request that you don't tag as ship. Just because it may read that way, but I don't want my post to be weaponized for ship wars/character bashing.
I saw some other people start on this already, with some entries discussing how their character development leans on each other. And it does. Heavily. ...In Adventure. After that, they kind of drift apart.
These two are the only non-siblings who knew each other before that fateful week at camp. And they're somewhat like siblings, with Sora's "mom" personality coming off a little less strict with Tai than the others. She can be exasperated with him at times, but knows he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's proven himself on the soccer pitch, and takes those leadership skills into the Digital World.
Sora sees the writing on the wall with SkullGreymon long before anyone else. Of course, no-one could predict that Agumon would become such a beast. But she knows Tai isn't acting like himself, and even tries to stop him from jumping in front of the other Greymon.
In return, Tai tries to be there for her, in his own way. He just comes off as accidentally insensitive sometimes (like when Sora believed herself incapable of love). In Adventure, the characters teeter between childhood and their teen years, which is a really awkward age. Add in Tai being naturally impulsive- saying the first thing that comes to mind- and it may seem like he doesn't care. But he prepares to sacrifice his own life to save Sora from Datamon, and trusts her skills as well as she trusts his.
The shift starts in Our War Game. The root of the friendship becoming less close is character decay on Sora's end. From here up through Kizuna, she sits out important battles, becomes increasingly feminine, and stops sharing as much screentime with Tai compared to Matt. Now, femininity is not bad by nature, and there are logical reasons for the first two points (not so much the third, other than marketing). But I do feel all three contribute to their "drifting apart".
Becoming more feminine puts her in different social circles. Tai stays in the soccer field. Other, non-DigiDestined boys did as well. Some of the kids in tri. may be childhood acquaintances, who even knew Sora. But by tri., Sora's retired from soccer. It's doubtful she'd even still talk to Tai if not for their shared digital adventure.
Not having as much screentime with Tai- including sitting out key battles- does not help. Because they spend less time together, their drifting only hastens. Sometimes it feels like Sora is a background character in Tai's life. A shame given how important she was in Adventure- to Tai and the group.
This isn't a bad thing persay. People grow up. They make new friends. They don't keep friendships from their childhood. But it's also a symptom of a greater issue with Sora's writing. And it's Tai's loss. He could use her voice of reason more now than ever, with his Digimon gone and his heart in pieces.
#digimon#tai kamiya#sora takenouchi#taichi yagami week#i could go on and on about sora but this is a tai-week related thing#i will loop back to her one day#meta#taichi yagami#digimon meta
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World Three = The Fair Land Of Medievia
đ°đđ¸đŚđđ¸đ§ââď¸đ§đ§ââď¸
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Jewel: Rhodochrosite
Power: Crystals
Color: Mauve
Theme: Fairytale Princesses & The Middle Ages
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Objective:
Go on a quest to save the fair Princess of Medievia from an evil dragon and bring her to her Prince Charming.
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Chapter III: Your Princess Is In Another Castle
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The third episode/chapter pays homage to the âShrekâ franchise from DreamWorks, the Disney Renaissance movies of the 1990âs, the classic fairytale tropes, fables, and nursery rhymes of your childhood, the medieval era kingdoms of the past, and the âbedtime storyâ movie plot from your favorite movies.
The episode begins on an unconventional note, where the first scene is that of a live action mom and her daughter getting ready for bed, while pop music plays in the background. The two talk about what a wonderful day it has been, as the daughter asks her mom to read her a bedtime story. As the mom rummages through some classic fairy-tales, she stumbles upon a mauve-colored storybook, of which she never read to her daughter before, and asks if she would like for her to tell the story of âThe Kinger & His Knightâ. Upon questioning about the alleged misspelling of the word âKingâ, the mom shrugs it off, saying she herself has never read it either and that she found it at a flea market one day. The mom decides to read the story to her daughter, starting with the iconic words: âOnce upon a timeâŚâ
The camera zooms in to the interior of the book, where from here on out, the mom becomes this episodeâs narrator as we meet Team Circus yet again in the Magical Digital Van, all while Pomni and Kinger sing along to âAll Starâ by Smash Mouth, with Caine behind the wheel, as usual. When Pomni excitedly asks to play the song again, Bubble, who is feeling anxious right now, says that she and Kinger have played that song six times already, with Jax replying that enough might be enough for them all. None of that matters now as Valerie (who had been on a phone call with Caine via one of the Communicator Bracelets) tells them that they have arrived at their next destination, The Fair Land Of Medievia.
Medievia looks just like a kingdom from the Middle Ages, with a beautiful castle, a medieval town, commoners walking amongst the beautifully-dressed aristocrats, all while sharing the same theme of the medieval era, with knights, princes, princesses, and bards. As Team Circus looks around in awe over how well-detailed this town is (the animation style of this place is reminiscent to that of the classic Disney movies), Caine and Bubble try to find a place where they can stay, using some of the money left over from the previous episode, and it's there that we are greeted by a traveling bard by the name of Stumpulot, a flutist who is in search of a permanent residence as well as a well-paying job, whom Pomni immediately befriends after sharing that the she and her friends also need a place to stay since they're tourists from a different area. The two proceed to sing about their new friendship and the things they share in common. (How exactly would that work? I don't suppose anyone would want to hear a Lizzie Freeman and Patrick Stump duet, do they?)
We cut back to the live-action daughter asking why this bedtime story is a musical all of a sudden, before the mom answers that it just is, before showing her the lyrics and music sheet of the song that Pomni and Stumpulot just sang. The daughter's only reply is a flat âOh.â
We cut back AGAIN to Team Circus, who are having a lunch break in a tavern called âThe Triskelionâ, where Pomni and Stumpulot storm into the tavern, and they beg like little kids if he can join them on their adventure, puppy dog eyes and all. At first Caine refuses, voicing his skepticism from the last time they trusted someone, but after Ragatha and Jax of all people join in on the cutesy pleading, he gives in, and allows the bard to join them. Hooray!! Through Zooble's assistance, they were able to find a nice cozy area where they can stay for the night, called the Fox Inn. As Team Circus settles into their room for the night, Kinger puts on a movie via Bubble's communicator bracelet, and he chooses Shrek 2. Stumpulot comments that Medievia used to have such whimsical characters (i.e., the fairytale characters everyone knows and loves) back in the day before the King decided that they were simply too much and relocated them somewhere else in the kingdom. While Pomni tries to enjoy the movie, she can't help but think to herself what might have happened to these characters.
The next morning, at like 4:45 AM, the room service lady, named Janiss, wakes the still sleeping group to inform them that everyone in the kingdom (yes, even the visitors) are invited to the King's Grand gala to celebrate his daughter's Sweet 16 â already, they can tell just how unapologetically self-indulgent the guy is. Kinger is, for some reason, the only one excited because of his belief that he himself is royalty (as seen in the canon pilot), so this is his chance to actually impress someone like him, much to Caine's concerns. The two have a conversation as the others get dressed for the gala (eat up Royalteeth shippers!), with Kinger musing how much Queenie would have loved to attend an actual party hosted by a member of royalty, and Caine just praying that everything will work out in the end, as so far, nothing has gone wrong, which only fills the ringmaster with so much dread. Kinger remarks that this is the first time the two have actually talked like actual close friends since Queenie's abstraction and yet, there's still a rift between the two of them. The chess piece asks if everything is okay, to which Caine just responds with the usual âI'm fineâ. Like he had been for years now. âWell, if you need anything, you can always come talk to me. I miss having you with me all the time.â Kinger replies.
Team Circus, now fully dressed like medieval characters at a ball, head towards the castle on foot, with Pomni remarking to Ragatha that Kinger hasn't acted like his kooky self since they got to Medievia, no dissociating, no easily being startled, and no short term memory loss. Perhaps it would be because this place makes him feel right at home, but she can't be too sure. Ragatha comments that while she isn't completely in the know, she has heard stories that Kinger used to be this grandfatherly figure that everyone looked up to, even Caine for some reason. The ragdoll can only hope that side of him will come back to him eventually.
With this, they arrive at the castle gates, to be greeted by a plump, Santa Claus-esque man dressed in silver, pale blue, and periwinkle, all while wearing a golden crown, who introduces himself as King Cloudbeard, through excited handshakes for each of the members of Team Circus. As they walk inside the castle's throne room itself, they are greeted to a large crowd of equally dressed guests of the kingdom, from other royals, to nobility, the working class, the commoners, and even the most destitute of peasants, all with varying degrees of color and flamboyance. The throne room is decorated with a sparkling gold and diamond-encrusted chandelier, with at least four tables of different gourmet snacks to try out, with an empty giant plate being reserved for the princessâs birthday cake for later. Speaking of the princess, King Cloudbeardâs daughter, Princess Purity, is listlessly listening to the cacophony of the party, wearing that clichĂŠ Disney Princess face of âwanting more out of life than her privileged upbringingâ on her designated throne next to her father's. King Cloudbeard is happily asking how Lord Spaniel and Lady Fowl, two nobles of Medievia, are enjoying the party, which only gets eyerolls from the lord and lady, making the King's face droop with sadness.
An hour and 45 minutes pass, and Team Circus is most enjoying themselves, with the occasional influx of new guests arriving, the sound of minstrels playing different songs on their flutes, fiddles, lutes, and drums, thousands of conversations, debates, and arguments filling the air, and the damn chandelier blinding those who look at the lights for too long.
Stumpulot and Pomni take a look around the throne room and find themselves enamored with the food in the table, which consist of sliders, green bean casseroles, slices of honey glazed ham, brownies, cookies, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, thousands of plates, forks, spoon, knives, sporks, and cups, in one section of one of the four tables, and four punch bowls consisting of pink lemonade, regular lemonade, Dr. Pepper, and grape juice each, among others (to which diplomat Rionna curtly retorts that all that good food is making her hungry). When Pomni finds the King sulking near one of the food tables, she asks what's wrong, to which he replies that none of the people he wants to impress is actually enjoying the party; not even his daughter is in the spirits. Stumpulot then asks what's the giant plate for, to which the King answers it's for the birthday cake that's being presented very soon. Stumpulot and the King hit it off with each of them explaining their backstories to each other (the King's wife died recently while Stumpulot is homeless and in need of a place where he can belong) and sharing things they have in common, like wanting to make people happy. Pomni is just munching on the sliders as she watches.
Kinger takes a moment to admire the scenery, when he stumbles upon the lord and lady King Cloudbeard had just talked to. Kinger attempts to make small talk with the two, only getting snide insults from Lady Fowl as Lord Spaniel just waves his fan like a stuck-up prick. Another song ensues from the two, and it's treated like a diss track of some sorts. Gangle and Zooble are just hanging out with each other, as well as Ragatha and Jax, while Caine just stands amongst the crowd, trying to find something to do amongst the environment of bright lights, loud noises, and unfamiliar surroundings. Pomni finds her best friend Caine being idle and offers him a slider, which he politely declines. She asks what's wrong, though he tries to reassure her that he's okay, despite looking like he wants to get the hell out of here. The two have a heartfelt conversation, with Caine revealing why he doesn't know why he feels like this, or why he feels like he's always been this way, with Pomni trying to reassure him that he's not alone.
At last the birthday cake arrives and the whole crowd goes silent, with Princess Purity looking like she just witnessed a murder or something. Stumpulot catches up to Pomni and Caine as the royal chef prepares all sixteen candles (it's actually eighteen candles; the extra two are the 1 and 6 candles respectively), while King Cloudbeard makes a speech about how his daughter is finally growing up into the woman he knows she can be, mentioning how he wished his wife could be there for this momentous occasion, as he declares the whole reason why he invited everyone to the gala was so he can choose a proper suitor to marry off to the princess so she can rule Medievia one day, shocking, dismaying, and even disappointing the crowd that they had been lied to. Team Circus is noticeably not amused by this notion, with Ragatha declaring skepticism over the whole situation, only for him to justify that he had been betrothed to his wife at the age of 16, and his father before him, and his grandmother before him, and so on and so forth; it's an unyielding tradition that has been held up for generations. Princess Purity, enraged that her life is being decided for her, calls out King Cloudbeard for not even allowing the freedom she deserves, which he again tries to justify that he only wants to protect the only remaining remnant of his deceased wife. The crowd is now murmuring amongst themselves, with Lord Spaniel and Lady Fowl looking at the King in venomous disapproval, much to the latter's horror on his face as he still tries to double down on his beliefs. Furthermore, it's revealed by King Cloudbeard in the increasingly heated verbal fight that the reason why the fairytale-esque characters are no longer in Medievia was because the Queen was killed by one when the Princess was just 14, much to the shock of everyone. Stumpulot gestures to Team Circus that they should leave as things have already gotten awkward enough. The party continues on without them, although the atmosphere is a lot more tense and somber with Princess Purity looking defeated.
Two more hours pass, and we are greeted to a scene with the princess, who is looking at the golden afternoon sky as she holds a goblet of grape juice in her hands, pensive about her outburst. Wanting to apologize for stepping out of line, she attempted to go back to the party, only to bump into a distinguished and handsome gentleman, a member of royalty by the name of Prince Steele. Noticing she just ruined his suit, Purity apologizes profusely, only to tell her that it's okay and that it was an accident. When he asks what's wrong, she tells him that she feels really bad for letting the secret out about her motherâs death and the resulting persecution of all whimsical characters in the aftermath, something she feels incredibly guilty over. He tells her that it's not her fault that her dad decided to be rash about certain things, only for her to tell her that he had always been this way, even before the Queenâs untimely murder, but tries to excuse it as the King just wanting to protect his daughter. The conversation continues with Steele revealing that he also has a harsh but loving mother that he wishes would understand things the way he does, leading to the two having their romantic âI Wantâ duet, waltzing and all. The song ends with a tiny hint that the two may have fallen in love with each other as they say their goodbyes, with Purity and Steele heading off in separate directions.
Immediately after, the screen fade transitions to Team Circus finally arriving back at the Fox Inn. Stumpulot apologizes for the botched party visit, which Pomni brushes off as a minor inconvenience (after all, she's experienced much worse back at the Amazing Digital Circus). Caine, who has remained silent throughout the whole journey back, just plops onto one of the beds and shuts off for the night. As Stumpulot and Pomni converse with each other, he reveals that he was originally born in the same place where the fairytale characters were relocated/exiled to, and has heard the story of how the Queen was murdered:
When the King and Queen took their daughter to see a play in the nursery rhyme district of Medievia, they were ambushed by feline crooks, similar to Puss in Boots, had all their possessions stolen, with Princess Purity and her mom, the Queen, being held hostage by the leader of the crooks. King Cloudbeard fought them off as best as he could, but in doing so, he watched the carriage he, his wife, and his daughter were in, get engulfed by flames. We are treated to a scene of the Queen shielding her daughter from the flames as she screams in agony, with King Cloudbeard wailing in grief. Shortly thereafter, the King signs a paper that declares that every last fairytale creature be relocated so that he'd never have to be reminded of what he had lost again. Pomni is horrified by the story (and even shedding tears), but still reminds herself that it doesn't excuse his harsh treatment of the fairytale characters. Stumpulot can only hope that the King changes his mind and apologizes for his mistakes, as everyone else goes to sleep for the night.
We cut back to Princess Purity, who is in her room eating a slice of her birthday cake, when she happily declares to herself that she's finally made her first friend after being isolated from everyone else her whole life. We then get a POV shot to a first person view of a mysterious thug, who knocks down her roomâs door, approaches the princess as she frightenedly asks who they are, and the screen fades to black as she screams in terror.
The next morning, as Team Circus sulks throughout the Medievian village, tired from yesterday's events, they are all greeted by King Cloudbeard and Prince Steele (the latter of whom they have not met before), who have run on foot to ask for help. Understandably, Team Circus refuses to buy into their claims, citing that it was his fault for the birthday party gone wrong with his incessant insisting on his warped ideas of love, until they are introduced to Prince Steele, of whom the Princess had already chosen as her suitor, immediately subverting expectations much to Team Circus's disappointment, thinking that the King got to her head. Steele, after hastily introducing himself to the others, tells that the Princess was kidnapped by some unknown thugs. Thinking it might be those âpesky fairytale hooligansâ again (which Stumpulot takes great offense to), he asks them, or rather demands them, to go to the Fairytale lands where the Princess might possibly be. It's a dangerous and arduous journey, with dark forests filled with creepy crawlies, temptations galore, and above all, villains lurking in every corner. As a result of Steeleâs pleas and begging, all eight members of Team Circus receive a notification for their third objective on their communicator bracelets, meaning that they can no longer refuse the offer to help. Having been through a lot worse, Team Circus happily obliges, since that also means the possibility of finding the third jewel on their journey.
And so, the set off into the fairytale lands, such as the hill with a watering well (Jack and Jill), a gingerbread house (Hansel & Gretel), a mansion made out of straw, twigs, and bricks (Three Little Pigs), and even an ice castle (The Snow Queen), all while âHolding Out For A Heroâ by Bonnie Tyler plays. The music only stops via a record needle scratch once Kinger declares that they've been going in circles the whole damn time after experiencing deja vu with some of the locations, most specifically the gingerbread house that caught Pomniâs eye. Understandably, Caine is ticked off, screaming into the sky in frustration, alerting a group of fairytale characters lead by a large troll with an apparent Scottish accent, a girl wearing a red hood, and a beast wearing a golden crown and a tattered suit, who is carrying a jewelry box with him. The red hooded lady asks if there seems to be a problem, to which Prince Steele replies yes in a quick manner, hyperventilating about the missing princess.
The trio are not happy because of their disdain for royalty after they somehow got banished for no apparent reason, as the bridge troll exclaims. The beast prince reveals that he had tried to rescue a princess once, but doesn't specify further details even when Pomni asks. When Jax frets over getting lost again (out of mostly exasperation, of course), diplomat Pamela teleports a map of the fairy-tale lands, where supposedly they'll be able to rescue the princess, and hopefully not get lost. âYou mean to tell me this whole time you HAD A MAP!??!?â Caine yells out.
But before the overwhelmed ringmaster could get mad further, the map projects the locations in which they'll need to cross in order to rescue Princess Purity: The Blackberry Forest, Wonderland Lane, The Cave Of Covetousness, Mermaid Lake, and lastly, The Princess Tower (convenient naming there, eh?). The others are understandably frustrated by the cliche naming of where the princess could be held hostage. Before they could start their journey, Stumpulot introduces Team Circus to the new trio as Lynnard the Bridge Troll, Red Riding Hood, Prince Draught, and lastly, the Genie Of The Box, who is currently taking a nap in their cozy safe space that beast prince is carrying with him. Without further hesitation, Team Circus, Stumpulot, Prince Steele, and their new allies set a course for the Princess Tower, where Steeleâs newfound love will be rescued.
As Team Circus heads off to their first location, each of the new allies have a pleasant conversation with the members of Team Circus, who all explain their own backstories to the fairytale friends, who in turn explain their backstories to the others, as well as Steele and Draught getting along splendidly. Kinger and Caine are also having a personal conversation of their own, having overheard Steeleâs love story to Draught in the commotion, and the latter expressing suspicions to Prince Steele as he's not entirely too keen on the idea of love at first sight, despite Bubbleâs interjection of the contrary (the sentiment antivirus software had indeed fallen in love at first sight himself), claiming that just because Caine doesn't believe in love at first sight, that doesn't no one else should believe it either. Before the conversation can progress further, they arrive at their first hurdle: The Blackberry Forest.
Yup. The Blackberry Forest is your typical scary dark forest seen in fairytales! It's pitch black in there, if it weren't for the flashlight feature on Pomni's communicator bracelet. Stumpulot warns the others of man-eating creatures known as Deermen and that any sudden noise could alert them to any âfresh meatâ, recalling a time when he and his unnamed brother were playing around in the forest, only to get almost killed by one of the Deermen after they were being too loud that day. At first, they all try to remain as quiet as possible, with the occasional stepping on a twig, tiny yelps in fear, or even a simple gust of wind, until Prince Draught trips on a tree root, yelps out over dropping the jewelry box, alerting a Deerman of the group's whereabouts. As Prince Draught tries to find the jewelry box in complete darkness, Team Circus, Stumpulot, Red Riding Hood, and Lynnard, try to dodge the Deermanâs attacks, before Prince Draught decides to use his beast form to defeat it and protect his buddies, all while everyone tries to escape the forest. Ragatha finds the jewelry box while Jax finds a small ray of light, which leads out of the forest. As everyone else escapes, Prince Draught is seemingly lost to the Deerman. However, they have no time to grieve before they venture off to Wonderland Lane, albeit still in shock over the ordeal.
Wonderland Lane is, for lack of a better term, brain aneurysm-inducing, as its confusing twists and turns lead them to different areas of Wonderland Lane, from a mad hatterâs tea party, to a white rabbitâs house, to singing and talking flowers, and ultimately a rosebush that's been painted red. Pomni has already been accustomed to getting lost in liminal spaces, and thus is good at finding a way out of particular mazes, especially the whacky and colorful ones like this, for example. Caine, Kinger, and Bubble are struggling to get through the painted rose bushes, Jax and Ragatha are forced to participate in a tea party of craziness, hosted by the Mad Hatter and a talking hummingbird (instilling deja vu from Jax and Ragatha), Gangle and Zooble are navigating their way through a multicolored dog park (Gangle gets distracted by the cute puppies as a result), Pomni and Stumpulot are forced to escape a corridor of doors with doors (doorception) after attempting to ask for directions from a white hare, and Lynnard, Prince Steele, and Red are dragged into a flower concert, where it turns out the flowers are tone deaf. This is all while âOne Little Slipâ by Barenaked Ladies from Disneyâs Chicken Little plays. But eventually, they all reunite, but not without falling into what appears to be a similar-looking rabbit hole from the Alice in Wonderland story they just witnessed, where it promptly leads to them getting trapped to their next location, the Cove of Covetousness.
Bubble complains exasperatedly that the map is stupid, just as everyone realizes that they lost the jewelry box. Once Caine and Pomni find the box, it's slightly damaged with the encrusted gems having fallen off and being covered in mud from the ordeal. Lynnard tries in vain to warn the two not to rub the box, but it's too late; after Caine cleans off the mud, the box opens to reveal the aforementioned Genie Of The Box, saying this introductory line: âGood morning, Vietnam! âŚWait, this isn't Vietnam.â
Yeah. It turns out that the reason why the Genie was kept in stasis was because of how annoying she is. And this goes on for a long time, with the Genie chatting up a storm, as everyone else tries to find a way out of the cave. Arguments ensue from this. But before any of this escalates, the Genie points towards a door that leads them out of the treasure portion of the cave, leading everyone to stop what they're doing and realize that they were being stupid. The typical âeasy solution is eventually found for comedic effectâ schtick. As they walk the temple-like halls, the Genie and Stumpulot have a heart-to-heart, with the Genie's origins finally being explained to the audience as everyone else has their own conversations in the background. The cave of the Cove of Covetousness leads to an underwater section of the area that is Mermaid Lake, where, thanks to the Genie's underwater breathing bubbles that serve as helmets to everyone, they swim up to the surface and find the Princess Tower from afar, along with what appears to be a dragon.
The Genie conjures up a boat after Pomni accidentally wishes for one, before stating she has 22 wishes left. When Kinger asks why 23 wishes, Red answers that as annoying as the Genie is, she's fairly generous. Stumpulot, wanting to save what sanity is left for everyone, shuts the box, promptly putting the Genie back into stasis mode. They finally arrive at the location of the Princess Tower where Prince Steele eagerly gushes over Princess Purity's rescue. Stumpulot wonders how they'll be able to get past the dragon, but Steele recognizes the dragon as an old friend of his named Vermilla in his childhood days and the two catch up on the latest events, (much to everyone's confusion, anger, and shock as this was information that was never before revealed to them), and decides to talk to dragon, all while everyone tries and finds a secret entrance to the tower. Kinger briefly glances from behind what seems like a sinister grin, but brushes it off as yet another digital hallucination.
As the others trek their way through a cave-like corridor in the tower, they find another character who appears to be trapped in a dungeon-esque chamber. This character also appears to be of royalty, but looks strangely beaten and tattered, with a look of trauma on his face. He desperately warns them to turn back, and while Kinger, Stumpulot, Lynnard, and Red all look horrified and are convinced to leave at once, Pomni insists on continuing as they have a mission to complete. They all have completely forgotten the objective as a result of everything that went on beforehand, and as Jax tries to find a way to bail out the new character with his arsenal of keys, they find a spiral staircase that would supposedly lead to the rescue of the PrincessâŚ
âŚInstead it would lead them to a trap. Goddamnit. Welp, you know what they say, fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice⌠damn. It's revealed that Princess Purity was never kidnapped and trapped in the tower at all and that it was all a set-up for what the princess and King were about to do. You see, when the princess was âkidnappedâ the kidnapper turned out to be Prince Steele himself. Rather than getting mad, she found it rather hot that Steele would go all this way to scoop her up in his arms, take her away from her boring comfy life, and let her live a simple life away from the palace. She's essentially a careless prick who doesn't care about what's best for her people, and only cares about herself, a typical poorly written Disney princess move. Meanwhile, Prince Steele, after marrying Princess Purity, will become the next King of Medievia after King Cloudbeard enacts his genocide on all the fairytale characters. The fairytale characters were already suffering from bigotry and discrimination long before Medievia existed, and was essentially conquered land that had rightfully belonged to the fairytale characters before being taken away from them. The Queen had objected to the genocide, which angered King Cloudbeard, so he staged the hostage situation in the hopes of getting rid of the Queen, which he successfully did, knowing fully she'd protect his other expendable asset (his daughter, the Princess) so he can finally get some use out of her and enact his grand plan to make Medievia pure. And Purity was okay with all of this, because she cares about absolutely no one but herself, and had always been a spoiled brat that not even her own mom could tame. Plus, she loved her dad more, Purity claims.
And that's when King Cloudbeard emerges from the shadows, still putting on his faux happy persona, although in a much more condescending tone than anything. It turns out he had been following them from the start, using an invisibility spell on one of his signature crowns. We're treated to another flashback Prince Steele meeting King Cloudbeard for the first time, where he reveals his genocide plans to him alongside Lord Spaniel and Lady Fowl, who are actually war generals outside of public knowledge, and Prince Steele reveals that he's third in line to the throne of his own home kingdom, thus having virtually nothing of value, and has been desperately seeking a royal's hand in marriage so he can rule over his people someday. Steele had noticed moments earlier after their little duet that Purity had fallen in love with Steele and asks for the King's blessing, to which the King agrees, as he's in dire need of a public figure to turn the public's attention away from the fairytale âcleansingâ.
Jax manages to finally find a key close enough to break the new character out of his cell, just in time to catch up to the others, only to find out it was all a scummy lie, when Cloudbeard, Purity, and Steele continue their villain monologue. Stumpulot, not believing for a sec who he's seeing in front of him and with tears in his eyes, attempts to rush towards Dice for unknown reasons before being stopped by Steele. Cloudbeard introduces Team Circus and the side characters to Prince Dice, twin brother of Prince Draught, with Draught having been turned into a beast after his kingdom was annexed by Medievia and his brother Dice being imprisoned in an abandoned tower ever since, to be guarded for all time by a chatty dragon named Vermilla. Another flashback shows how Prince Draught said he tried to rescue a princess once. Said princess turned out to be his older sister, Princess Purity's mom, the Queen of Medievia, who was forced into marriage by King Cloudbeard after her homeland was conquered by his Medievian army, including images of Lord Spaniel and Lady Fowl holding her hostage. This meant that Draught and Dice are Purityâs uncles, something that she herself knew since she was 12 years old, but the others didn't, mainly because of the minimal foreshadowing.
The wedding will be happening tomorrow night, Cloudbeard declares. Kinger asks angrily why they chose them of all people, to which Cloudbeard responds that they reminded him so much of those âdisgusting abstracted lowlives'' that plagued his beautiful kingdom, and wanted to give them a first row seat to his conquest, out of sheer sadism and to send a warning to everyone to never cross the King. The word âabstractedâ strikes a chord for all eight members of Team Circus, with them freezing up in disturbed horror and fear for their survival. When Lord Spaniel and Lady Fowl also emerge from the shadows to take the others out of the towers and throw them into the dungeon cart that Cloudbeard had drove in, Stumpulot snarls that they won't get away with this, to which Steele retorts back that they already have. As Team Circus and all the others are locked up in the cart, Pomni glimpses at Vermilla, who looks like she had no idea that any of this would happen and looks remorseful. We don't see her again until the climax.
Everyone looks forlorn and defeated, except our beloved jester herself, who is quick to point out that the Genie can get them out of there and stop the marriage, but no one responds. Pomni rubs the box again, and we are treated to the Genie saying her catchphrase for the second time: âGood morning, Vietnam!!! âŚNope, still not Vietnam.â
Pomni pleads/wishes for the Genie to let them out of the cart, but when she tries, she finds that it's magic-proof. Jax tries to find a key that'll unlock the cage, to no avail. Not even Ragathaâs hairpins can unlock them. Zooble tries to use all of their strength to bend the metal bars, (only to fall apart within seconds), Gangle uses her ribbons to break them apart, and Bubble tries prying them off the cart with his teeth.
While everyone else is trying to open the cage in their own manner, Stumpulot and Prince Dice have a heartfelt talk, saying how much they missed each other, even though theyâre sorry that they had to reunite like this. They reveal some minor info about each other, including the memories they used to have when they were younger, including a sweet reprise of the first song in the episode, which culminates to thisâŚ
Stumpulot reveals to everyone actually used to be a jester for the twin princes before their kingdom was conquered by Cloudbeard. This causes everyone to stop in their tracks to listen. Stumpulot says that he's the great grandson of the Pied Piper, hence why he has connections to the fairytale characters, and that the conquered kingdom in question is the fairytale lands, specifically where Wonderland Lane currently is in question. Stumpulot was there to witness the entire invasion, the capturing of Prince Draught and Prince Diceâs sister, Princess Checkers, the ensuing war, and the death of his family and even the Princeâs mom and dad. His only remnant of his family was the pipe flute his great grandpa had amongst the ruins of what used to be his home. So he ventured near and far to try to find a new one, not realizing until just now that he had wandered into the kingdom that took everything away from him, except he doesn't have the energy to be angry anymore because of what's about to happen tomorrow morning. Everyone shows sympathy for the two of them, even the menace-to-society Genie can't help but feel awful. The atmosphere becomes solemn and quiet as they can only pray for a miracle to happen.
At sunrise the next morning, we see Prince Draught, who looks like he's seen better days, having already tamed a Deerman, and trying to find his way back to the group, only for him to realize that they unintentionally left him behind thinking he was dead, although none of that matters now as he spots a dungeon cart, carrying with him his allies⌠and his long lost brother. He looks on in horror as his keen hearing brought to him by his beast form allows him to overhear a conversation about how King Cloudbeardâs plan to kill off all the fairytale characters is going according to plan. It's disguised as a heartwarming scene where Purity reveals that she didn't like the idea of marrying at 16 because of how young it was, but after finally finding her hero, her Prince, she can safely say that she was wrong about the whole youthful arranged marriage thing being bad because it means she gets to spend the rest of her life with Steele, and live a prosperous life without the âsubhuman caricatures'' that keep getting in the way of Purityâs selfish desire for a simple life and Steele's desire for a throne to sit on.
Draught sets off back to the fairytale lands to warn them about their impending fates.
At an almost-in-ruins fairytale village Prince Draught tries to gather up as much fairytale characters as he can to rescue his allies and stop the genocide of their people. They're all angry that their suspicions have been confirmed and all set up to revolt against the King and maybe stop the wedding in the meantime. They all sing a song about how they knew it all along and how they won't let them take away what little they have left to call home. Characters include Henny Penny, Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots, Pinocchio, The Ant Queen and The Grasshopper King, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, even the Mad Hatter and his hummingbird assistant, the White Hare, the Queen Of Hearts and her card bodyguards, and many, many others. Prince Draught has officially rallied up an army to revolt against the system.
Meanwhile, as the rally song continues to play, after King Cloudbeard announces from his balcony to his subjects that the princess has finally chosen her suitor and that the wedding is in 15 minutes, Purity gets dressed for her big day and in a wholesome (but still evil) moment where she hugs her dad and tells him she loves him, as he walks her down the aisle, to the altar where Prince Steele is, as well as Archdeacon Bishop, who is marrying the two off for the wedding. Thousands of other Medievian citizens are seated at the wedding church benches, along with a battalion of guards to make sure nothing goes wrong, the tied up members of Team Circus, Stumpulot, Lynnard, and Red, although for some reason, the jewelry box the Genie Of The Box is sleeping in isn't even remotely secured, which Red takes notice of very well and tries to discreetly knock off the seating without anyone noticing.
Just as the song ends, Prince Draught boldly shouts that King Cloudbeard's reign of terror ends here, to which the latter responds calmly and ominously that he had expected something like this, which was why he brought company, revealing a hundred more guards from behind the altar. After an action packed scene of the fairytale characters being badass (both individually and in groups), Red finally knocks the box down, breaking it for good, prompting the Genie Of The Box to say her catchphrase one last time: âGood morning Vietnâ holy moly, that's one way to crash a weddingâŚâ Ultimately, the Genie gets the tied up folks out with her magic after Red wishes for their escape, which she happily obliges.
The civilians are unfortunately caught in the crossfire, even those who secretly opposed the Kingâs rules. Team Circus, Stumpulot, and the fairytale allies all try to bail out the civilians to safety, while Prince Dice confronts the King himself, which results in a dual battle while the commotion continues in the background. Meanwhile, Purity, Steele, Spaniel, and Fowl find Team Circus and promptly try to stop them, only for the fairytale allies to retaliate by brute force, eventually getting Kinger, Jax, and even Ragatha to join the fight.
Eventually, the battle ceases with a victory from the fairytale characters by a landslide, the soldiers either being injured or killed, and Dice and Draught finally reunite, with the King refusing to accept defeat as he declares that as long as he continues to sit on the throne, he will always win in the end⌠that is until Vermilla the Dragon breaks into the wedding altar where the King is standing, and unceremoniously eats King Cloudbeard, ensuring his permanent loss once and for all.
It's a scene reminiscent of when Sir Pentious from Hazbin Hotel was killed in an anticlimactic fashion by Adam, and Charlie awakens her ultimate form from grief as a result. Here, though, it's a parody of that, with Princess Purity running towards where her father used to be and weeping just like a Disney princess, Steele goes on to comfort Purity, with Lord Spaniel and Lady Fowl expressing sorrow for the King's death, in a saccharine parody of those sad Disney death scenes.
But just as Steele and Purity are about to sing a reprise of their âI Wantâ duet from earlier, Vermilla the Dragon, sick of their bullshit, just straight up eats all four of them too. At least Purity went out like a true princess. This causes Zooble and Jax to erupt into laughter from the sheer absurdity and anticlimactic manner of the whole thing, while everyone else just stares in confusion and shock.
Afterwards, Team Circus rejoices in Prince Draughtâs survival after catching a glimpse of him alongside Dice, with Red, Lynnard, the Genie, and Stumpulot all having a bittersweet reunion with the long-thought-to-be-lost Prince Dice. Team Circus joins in on the reunion as they all catch up with each other as they, the celebrating fairytale characters, and the Medievian civilians walk out of the church and celebrate the end of King Cloudbeard's tyranny.
Later that evening, a wild celebration outside with fireworks ensues, with Team Circus, Stumpulot, their newfound allies, and all the other fairytale characters enjoying their newfound liberation when a faint desaturated pink glow can be found within a tree hollow behind them, which Pomni notices. She finds the source of the light and finds their next jewel, prompting all eight members of Team Circus to receive this pop-up notification:
~JEWEL OBTAINED!~
2 out of 26
Only 24 remain
The jewel is a beautiful mauve-colored Rhodochrosite.
This unfortunately means that it's time for them to leave. When Lynnard asks, âCan't they stay?â, Stumpulot replies that they're not from here and have a home to go back to. Team Circus share a heartfelt farewell with their new fairytale friends as they all get back to the Magical Digital Van, content and a little amazed with having just saved an entire nation from a tyrannical ruler â though that wouldn't have been the first time they've done so, Jax claims.
The whole journey, the mom narrator has been reading out the entire episode like a fanfic of some sorts, and as the Van drives off into the starry night, the camera zooms back out of the storybook as the mom finishes with â...and the newly freed dwellers of Medievia all lived happily ever after. The end.â The daughter exclaims how awesome the story was, which the mom agrees. The mom tucks her daughter into bed and kisses her forehead, with them both saying goodnight to each other before the mom walks out the door and turns off the lights.
When the coast is clear, the daughter promptly grabs back the book that was put away moments ago, grabs a flashlight, and rereads the book under the blanket covers, as Smash Mouthâs âAll Starâ replays for a second time while the credits begin rolling.
The episode ends with this In Memoriam dedication:
In loving memory of our all star
Steve Harwell
1967-2023
~~~~
Current Status:
2 Jewels have been collected
24 remain
đ°đđ¸đŚđđ¸đ§ââď¸đ§đ§ââď¸
~~~~
⢠OG Cast
Lizzie Freeman as Pomni
Amanda Hufford as Ragatha
Michael Kovach as Jax
Sean Chiplock as Kinger
Marissa Lenti as Gangle
Ashley Nichols as Zooble
Gooseworx as Bubble
Alex Rochon as Caine
~~~~
⢠Audience Surrogate Cast/Diplomats
Hynden Walch as Valerie
Susan Egan as Pamela
Amy Winfrey as Garcia
Mandy Moore as Lulu
Nevaeh Hamilton (me) as Bethany
~~~~
⢠Background Diplomats
Andrea Libman as Winona
Cristina Vee as Patricia
E.G. Daily as Rionna
Stephanie Sheh as Olivia
Debi Derryberry as Yolanda
Cree Summer as Gemma
Ashleigh Ball as CĂŠcelia
Erica Luttrell as Belle
Ashly Burch as Imera
Kimberly Brooks as Bailey
~~~~
⢠Episodeâs Antagonists
Jim Cummings as King Cloudbeard
Jodi Benson as Princess Purity
Paige OâHara as Lady Fowl
Michael Jelenic as Lord Spaniel
Aaron Horvath as Archdeacon Bishop
Ed Sheeran as Prince Steele
~~~~
⢠Secondary Characters Introduced
Angelina Jolie as Mother/Narrator
Vivien Lyra Blair as Daughter
Mike Meyers as Lynnard the Bridge Troll
ChloĂŤ Grace Mortez as Red Riding Hood
Nevaeh Hamilton (me) as Genie Of The Box
Jimmy âMrBeastâ Donaldson as The Beast/Prince Draught
Patrick Stump as Stumpulot the Bard
Adam âSomethingElseYTâ Ortiz Jr. as Prince Dice
Alan Tudyk as Mad Hatter
Melissa Fahn as Hummingbird
Rob Paulsen as White Hare
Tiffany Haddish as Vermilla the Dragon
Alex Borstein as Janiss the Room Service Lady
~~~~
#the amazing digital circus#tadc#the amazing digital road trip#tadrt au#tadc road trip#tadc au#tadc pomni#tadc jax#tadc ragatha#tadc kinger#tadc gangle#tadc zooble#tadc caine#tadc bubble
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Fandom creators tag game
1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing youâve made that youâre most proud of?
I write stories. Usually original science fiction, but in the past two years, I've branched into fanfiction. I also create art and music.
I'm damn proud of my rewrite of Book 2 of Legend of Korra in my Shared Moments series.
I wish I could find a publisher for my original fiction; then I could share what I'm most proud of but alas. The publishing market is incredibly hard to get into and I don't have the health to self-publish, so we'll go with the Korrasami tales for now. For art, I'm damn proud of this piece I did of Lena.
2. What fandom(s) do you create for?
Korrasami from Legend of Korra.
Supercorp from CW's Supergirl
Rojarias from CW's Supergirl.
3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it?
Korrasami. Not controversial much at all. (As a side note, Supercorp feels like an angstier Korrasami. Might be why I like that ship equally well. Supercorp doesn't seem controversial?)
4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon?
Yes, Korrasami is canon. (Supercorp isn't necessarily canon, but there's so much evidence of it in the show that it might as well be.)
5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you?
First fandom I created something for? Or first fandom where I dived into and read everything I could? Because if it's read everything I could, then it's Star Wars before Disney threw out the old Canon (still salty about that). I'd have been pretty young -- still a kid when I was devouring all the Star Wars books. I didn't have any favorite ship though while I did this.
For something I created, Korrasami was the first one I wanted to create art and writing for to be honest. That was three years ago when I started writing Korrasami.
6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date?
Oh, that's a Supercorp one. I was inspired by a weird camera glitch, and wrote an unhinged horror set after season 6. The first part of it is in tumblr. I have yet to publish to AO3 mostly because I want to finish more of it before I do. Sort of loosely based on Lovecraft's Color out of Space.
7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it?
Three years ago I first started drawing and writing Korrasami. Then I branched out into Supercorp.
8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations?
Only my trusted friends and siblings.
9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made?
If anyone did, they have never shared it with me. I would love to see it, and I'd treasure it always!
Though if I'm being honest. I doubt I'll ever get fanworks. Why would anyone go to that much trouble for something I wrote? I doubt anything I write is worth that much.
10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations?
I want to show possible healing journeys that aren't the most painful angstfest known to humanity. I want people to feel the journey too, to capture the world within the character's senses so that their tale feels real.
Whether I achieve this, I have no idea. Some people have written very kind comments stating that I have, and I am delighted by those comments.
11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it?
Two people have said I made a place feel alive through the storytelling and worldbuilding I did. That compliment haunts me in all the best ways, and I have done my best to try to keep that tradition going.
12. Whatâs your favourite thing someone else has made that youâve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!)
It was a Supercorp art piece, but after searching, I can't seem to find it again. It was Lena leaning backwards into Kara's arms, while Kara gently holds her. Colored piece, digitally drawn I think. They look almost like they were swaying back and forth.
13. Give a small sneak preview of something youâre working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share)
Korrasami:
Korra looked at their entangled hands. âYeah, yeah, itâs just some stitching.â
âAnd yet, that âsome stitchingâ made something wonderful.â Asami was determined to remind Korra of what she could do. Itâd been her mantra for the past six months. She wanted Korra to regain her confidence, but it'd been difficult. Thanks to Asami's foolishness they'd both backslid.
Korra had called it Asamiâs paranoia.
Maybe they were both right.
Supercorp:
Lena rises before dawn, prepares her corporate armor, and heads to her full-time job as CEO of L-Corp. Todayâs agenda includes four meetings, one of them with the board, an hour of lab time, a brief lunch, and a visit to Florence in late afternoon.
Itâs the visit with Florence that troubles her the most. The exposure to the strange artifact gave her unsettling dreams, and she woke in a cold sweat after a particularly gruesome one. In that one, sheâd had no control over her body, only watched in horror as another person used her abilities to harm all she loved.
Kara had woken too, and her gentle reassurances had helped Lena fall back asleep, this time with no dreams.
Diving into work to escape the nightmares is how she copes. Perhaps not the healthiest, but undoing all her bad coping mechanisms will take far longer than just admitting they exist.
Rojarias:
Tomorrow morning? Sam reeled from the news. That gave her very little time to pack and prepare Ruby for Sam being gone a week or two.
Yet here she was again, unable to say no. Especially not when two beautiful women were looking at her expectantly.
Damn, Sam was too gay for this. âAll right. Tomorrow it is.â
14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several)
Yes, I have. I'm not entirely sure what exactly they published on AO3 however. I found the tiny Kara piece absolutely hilarious.
15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style?
I do leave comments, yes. I share my enjoyment of the piece, sections that really stood out to me, and/or an overall feeling I got from the piece. I'm trying to be more consistent about it since I know how much comments mean to me as a writer, and I know other writers enjoy them too!
16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all?
Original fiction: (on hiatus but I do plan on finishing) 3
Korrasami: 2 (plan on finishing them, yes).
Supercorp: 3 (yes, plan on finishing them.)
Rojarias: 1 (yes, I need to get on this as it's due next month actually).
Art for Supercorp: 1 (I also need to work on finishing this before the due date next month. I got the rough sketch and need to run it by the author to make sure it's what they want, before I go to town inking it).
17. whatâs the longest itâs ever taken you to finish a fandom project?
Shared Moments: Books 1 through 3 (the finished ones) took me a year. A million words no less. Whew. I'm working on Book 3.5 now. I tend toward longer works, which takes a few months to complete.
My shorter fiction (the ficlets) take less than an hour usually.
For art, it takes me one to three weeks.
18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if itâs published!
These paralleled kisses shake their world. (A chapter for Unraveling Realities)
19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom youâre not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it?
I'm not really sure what counts as being "in" a fandom or not. If I enjoy something, I'll engage with it, but does the engagement mean I'm "in" the fandom now? Or do I have to create something and talk with others in the fandom to be considered "in?" How does this work?
20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers
I absolutely adore Make this your home by pcrtifacts so much I even made fanart for it. It's not finished, but it's regularly updated and so, so good.
Suggested tag list, but there are no rules here, follow your heart.
A mutual you have never actually spoken to but think seems cool -- All my mutuals are really cool! And I'd love to read more of their stuff. Thanks all of you for sharing your stuff!!
The most recent person whose content you engaged with (eg read a fic, reblogged art, whatever form you feel best fits) -- I'm not sure? Maybe the person I reblogged this from?
Someone whose content you saw via tags/reblogs and you followed them because of it @luthordamnvers (I honestly love the indepth knowledge of the show nic has, how willing to share that knowledge, nic's kindness, the fics they write. Honestly, all around wonderful person.)
Someone in your fandom that you think makes cool things @ekingston (Shape of Soup being my favorite plus the art is amazing.)
Someone in a different fandom that you think makes cool things (this is hard. I really only seem to follow or find Korrasami, Supercorp, and on rarer occasions Rojarias or Dansen. There's some Star Wars folks that do fun things, but I can't remember their usernames tho.)
Someone you always tag on things like this @nottawriter
Someone you have never tagged before (I can't remember who I tagged before, so I guess whoever wants to play this game?)
Someone you would like to get to know better @pcrtifacts (love, love their make this place your home fic. And chatting in comments with pcrtifacts has been lovely.)
Someone who makes art you like -- @snazzy-korra (honestly, she's an all around amazing person, and Iove all her art and chatting with her. So grateful for our chats too.)
Someone who writes fics you like: @fazedlight (I seriously love everything mel writes. It's all so damn good. I even wrote a fanfic continuation of a piece I really liked of mel's ficlets. First and only time I've ever done that.)
I suspect some of these people have been tagged multiple times. My apologies if so. But I did want y'all to know how you're appreciated and how much I enjoy your content too. :)
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The canvases arenât even safe đ they used the Boroque era as reference for their search engines. Like Iâm losing my shit constantly over ai art so bad. Like this is totally gonna be a rant so forgive me but itâs driving up the WALLS. Ai art being readily available is killing the incentive for people to be creative. I cannot tell you how many times I think Iâve found a really cool fellow artist on tiktok and then see #midjourney. I take psychic damage every time that happens to me. And Iâm starting to see it infiltrating business too where they generate ai images instead of hire photographers. I also saw someone selling tshirts with ai art on it at my local farmers market. MOTHERFUCKER THE FARMERS MARKET??? HAVE YOU NO SHAME????
NAW PREACH IT cause its become a nagging issue for me for a while that i simply try to not think about and dwell on but dear FUCKING god is it everywhere and it's painfully obvious too! just about every ad takes me 3 seconds to find damning evidence that its ai and im 99% ready to just delete facebook bc #1 i dont give a fuck abt anyone on there anymore and #2 Literally every other post is the most deplorable ai shit ive ever seen that everyone is carelessly oblivious to i mean total abominations that don't make any sense as an image but ppl share bc its the most bottom of the barrel ''relatable'' shit and that's just the sad reality of it is most people don't even give a shit what they're looking at as long as it looks pretty to their eyes for 3 seconds they don't give a damn
and that's just on basic everyday world shit like u said there's so many mfs i think are decent artists where i legitimately cant tell its ai until i read their fuckshit bio or somethin, like that midjourney i didnt even know it was an ai program i would've just thought it was the name of a video game or some shit! like I feel like I'm kinda turning my back on the whole art community involuntarily bc i just dont trust any image i see most of the time and its fukkin sad i ESPECIALLY feel for the real artists prior to this shitshow who have art styles that now look so much like ai that they basically hijacked to feed the machine like I couldn't imagine spending thousands of dollars on an art college and hours of practice just for your art style to be The Blueprint for empty soulless photos cranked out at inhuman rates by any stupid fucking lazy ass clown like Fuck Man it all sucks so much and the worst part is I just feel like it's one of those things where it will not stop until Something caves and i honestly dont know which one it will be but i just know its only going to get worse idk i try to remember that i can pick up a paintbrush or even whatever the hell i want and make something beautiful while 98% of these ai sacks of shit are just limited to stealing other peoples art on the internet and they couldn't even paint a damn flower if their lives depended on it and if i was stuck on a deserted island I'd probably still find ways to make art with whatever tools and resources i have cause that's an artist baybay but as far as The Internet and its grasp it has on the world and trying to make it as a digital artist and trying to make money from your homemade artwork is very grim man and dont even get me started on art and artists in just about every job field rn my heart goes out to them
#me painting hammers at work using spray paint and a pen tip : ai mfs could never#its been irking me for a while and itll only irk me more its soOOOO#like i just draw for funsies atm and get anxious when money is involved but i am planning to start making money off of my art but with this#ai shit its gunna be fukkin hard i dread
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Yo, Black Kings! Ever feel that fear holding you back from chasing your digital marketing dreams? Trust me, I been there. That voice in your head whispering doubts about your skills or your place in the game? Yeah, I know it all too well.
But here's the thing: I stopped letting fear call the shots. And guess what? I stepped into the digital marketing arena and crushed it!
Now, I'm not saying it was easy. But with the right knowledge and a whole lot of melanin magic, I:
Learned the ropes: There's a ton of free and paid resources out there. I devoured everything I could find on affiliate marketing, social media strategy, and the whole digital marketing shebang.
Found my niche: Not all digital marketing is created equal. I discovered what I was passionate about and tailored my approach to that specific audience.
Built my network: Connecting with other black men killing it in the digital space was a game-changer. They shared their wisdom, celebrated my wins, and kept me motivated.
The results? Let's just say my bank account is singing a much happier tune these days. But more importantly, I'm building a legacy, proving that black excellence thrives in the digital world!
Feeling inspired, kings? You too can unlock your digital marketing potential!
Head over to our website (link in bio) for a FREE guide packed with resources and actionable steps to get you started. There's a whole community of black kings ready to support you on your journey.
Let's chat in the comments!
What's holding you back from diving into digital marketing?
Share your biggest dream for your digital future!
Together, let's build a movement of black men dominating the digital marketing game! â
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