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angelamajiki · 4 years ago

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PAIRINGS: Father! Yandere! Enji Todoroki x Daughter! Reader

CW: yandere, incest, soulmate AU, fluff, slight angst, nsfw, kissing, praise kink, virginity kink, size kink, bathroom sex

A BNHarem Collab!

AN: my longest piece to date! the prompt this month was sex work, so i decided to stretch the prompt and do sexual slavery. wanted to go for a softer version of daddy endeavor, so please enjoy <3

5.2k words

The mark on his wrist was one that was shared with yours. Enji had given up on finding his soulmate, deciding that his career and legacy were far more important than some silly marking on another’s body. Love was something he thought he could go without. But when he saw your bright eyes gaze up at him, your chubby hand wrapped around his index finger, his heart had fallen hard—such a sweet, gentle thing. No traces of fear, of disdain, of disgust for him as a human being. Just pure curiosity and unconditional love. His heart leaped for his little girl.

Enji was determined, then and there, that he would never fail you, not like he forgot the others.

Oh, what plans he had for you, his precious princess. He couldn’t wait to spoil you, to marry you and start a new family once you were old enough. Rei realized this as well. Her youngest daughter, her last hope at salvaging her broken family, was to be had by her husband. The thought frightened her, especially after seeing the adoring look in her husband's eyes when she saw him cradle you for the first time. It was so unlike the stoic nature he held for the other children when they were born, only caring to see that they were healthy before leaving off back to his agency, never giving them more than a fleeting touch. It was nothing like when he held you, snarling at any nurse who dared to take his soulmate from the grips of his arms.

Something that had Enji’s conviction more so than his career was something to be feared. Your mother swore to herself that she would not let her husband ruin you.

Once he fell asleep with you tucked in the crook of his arm, a social worker came and collected you to be sent to a foster home and be set up for adoption. It was better than falling into the hands of the monster of a husband.

After the death of Touya, the pair decided to have one more child in hopes of fixing their broken family, but Rei now knew it was for naught. Nothing could save them know, especially now that Enji had nearly burned the building down when he discovered that his little girl was gone, just hours after he had finally found you.

Rei alerted the commission as well for your protection, that utter bitch of a woman. They very well couldn't have the number two hero caught in an incestuous bond with his daughter, now could they. All information of your whereabouts was hidden from him, blacklisting him from working with any foster children, lest he loses his hero license. Enji may have lost you for the time being, but his patience grew as he did. They couldn't keep him from you forever. You'd be reunited one day; he knows it.

The first time he saw you again was when you were fifteen. It was your birthday and the day he had become the number one hero officially, plenty of reason to celebrate. Usually, he would have taken the time to sit near the rose bush he planted in your honor in his courtyard on your birthday, renewing his vows to find and love you to the best of his ability. Enji took great pride in keeping your memory alive with the bush for his beautiful little rose gone too soon from his grasp. But there you were, mere meters from him.

The foster home you stayed at took you out for dinner when he was meeting with Hawks after the billboard awards. Your eyes were unmistakable, a perfect cerulean just like his own. He was so close, yet so far. My, how you had grown since he saw you. Unlike him, you bore your mark proudly on your wrist, not ashamed to admit to the world who your soulmate was. Not like you actually knew who it was anyway.

Enji was prepared to leave Hawks at the table; a new flame lit under his ass, one far more exhilarating than the thought of being the number one hero. He was up and on his way to speak to you before Nomu attacked him. Damn villains, they'd pay for separating the two of you once again. But his conviction only grew stronger. It wasn’t hard to find you after that; he knew what city you were living in. Instincts lashed out at him, demanding that he go sweep you up and hide you away. No, no. That would make you frightened; he can't have that. He’ll watch from the sidelines, waiting until you were of age to make a move. He was curious to see just how life as a foster child was treating you.

Growing up in the foster system had been a nightmare from hell for you. A cursed child is what they saw you as when your skin sprouted flames every time it was touched by the human hand, burning everything and everyone who came in contact with it. From the moment your quirk manifested, you were an outcast, an untouchable, unlovable freak. Someone destined never to feel the touch of their new parents, their lover, their soulmate.

It wasn't long before you realized that you would remain in the foster system until you aged out. Who would adopt a child they couldn't hug when they cried, hold their hand when they crossed the street, snuggle up to when it was chilly outside? Any potential parent was taken aback by your quirk once you reached for the warm touch of mommy and daddy, only to singe their hand or burn a hole in their shirt.

You learned quickly that your touch was something to be feared, that you were something to be feared. You supposed that’s why you looked up to him so much. So much so that you thought about him late at night when the loneliness seemed to drown you in the sea of your insecurities.

Endeavor was the only one who could understand you, understand your quirk. If only your soulmate mark could match him, maybe you feel the warmth of another human being without hurting or mauling them with your power. Abrasive he may be with the media, but there something about him that was so comforting and endearing to you. In your eyes, he was simply misunderstood, a gentle giant amongst the mass personalities of the other pro heroes.

Watching his interviews brought you comfort when you were lonely, his merchandise made you swell with pride and confidence, and his posters on the wall reminded you that you were never alone. It was a silly crush, but it made you feel better about your miserable life.

You even got to see him on your birthday! Well, not exactly. You happened to be in the same restaurant when your foster parents took you out for your birthday. It was apparent that they just felt bad for you, having looked after you for 15 years only to still have custody of your sorry ass. You were almost certain that they were going to kick you to the curb the morning of your 18th birthday.

Too bad they never had the chance. That fate would have been much kinder than the reality you faced now.

Once the Paranormal Liberation Front had effectively ripped society up by the roots and let the tree of life rot for the world to see, your foster parents packed their shit and left the country while you were at school. You’d been alone in the world ever since and were snatched off the streets, ready to be sold into slavery by the villains of the world. Your quirk was the only thing keeping you from being bought like a bitch from the auction floor.

Enji, on the other hand, was more than eager to do just that. After his public smear campaign by his allegedly dead son, he was dead to the world, finally abandoning his family for good in hopes of finding his beloved daughter. His life was dedicated to searching for you, having managed to track you down through his vigilante work. He likes to lie to himself and say that he’s continuing to fight for the greater good, but Enji does it just to have the chance to see your sweet face again. There wasn’t much to go off of, but he’d rather see his fiery end than to give up. That's how he found you at the auction.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Another auction night was approaching, which meant another night of humiliation and being displayed like a slab of meat for a crowd of degenerate wolves. Your quirk was the only thing keeping you from being sold; no one wants a fucktoy they can’t touch. It reduced you to physical labor for your captors, but you were better fed because of it. That didn’t mean they still didn’t try to sell you.

After being stripped down into nothing but a collar, leash, and a muzzle, you were brought to the stage and shoved in front of the ravenous, roaring crowd. You could feel their stares seep into your bones, the grime from the floor on your bare feet only adding to the overwhelming sensation of disgust you couldn’t even begin to describe.

The crowd’s excitement was raucous, jeers and shouts echoing off the halls of the underground auditorium. Masks covered their faces for the sake of privacy lest a vigilante break-in and hunt them all down. Even in the lawlessness of the world, heroes were still crawling everywhere to trail after even the slightest scent of villainy. Doesn't mean they’ll win, but hey, the death of a hero is just the same as the auction was to them.

“Up next, a darling girl with a fiery quirk!”

That was your cue. A handler had a fierce grip on your leash, giving it a few tugs for good measure as the crowd laughed at your stumbling. The auctioneer began to list your qualities and physical attributes, including your quirk.

“And she’s a virgin!”

Added for good measure, the crowd fell silent after listening to the abilities of your quirk. You couldn't hate it anymore; it's what was keeping you from being someone’s onahole until the day you kicked the bucket.

“Can I get $10,000?”

Ah the starting bid. The silence was relieving. Just a few more moments and you'd be off that damn stage.

“No? Going once, going twice, going-”

“One million.”

A booming voice came from the back row, the depths of the shadows to further hide the masked man who just bought your life. Why did it sound so familiar?

“Outstanding! One million dollars for the young lady!”

“Going once.”

It couldn't be.

“Going twice.”

This can't be happening.

“Sold for one million!”

No!

You were supposed to be unwanted, just like you have been your entire life! Yet some mysteriously familiar man outbid the entire auction for little ol’ you.

“Off the stage, bitch.”

The handler snarled, yanking you off the stage and causing you the fall and bruise yourself in the process.

“Watch it!” He spat, picking you up by the roots of your hair. “The merchandise needs to be handled carefully before reaching the customer. Let's hope he doesn't mind some bumps and bruises. For your sake.”

“That won't be necessary; I'll be taking her as is. Immediately, if you will.”

The mysterious man stood had already made his way backstage and behind you, standing formidably over your stark form. Your hair was released, dropping you back to the floor.

“Excellent, sir! I’m more than happy to get this welp off my hands.”

A brief exchange was made while you recovered on the floor, shaking in fear as the situation weighed heavily on your already broken self. The handler took the money and returned to the back room, leaving the two of you alone together.

The stranger crouched down to you and extended a hand to brush the stray hair out of your face, touch remaining tender and gentle when you flinched harshly.

“My poor girl, what has the world done to you?”

His coat enveloped your body as he scooped you up in his arms. The scent of him comforted you more than you would have liked to admit. Teakwood and coffee grounds filled your senses as he held you flush against his chest, leaving the auction house with a renewed sense of vigor.

You were placed in the backseat of a car before he dressed you in simple pajamas.

“Rest. You deserve it.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

At some point in the car ride, you let yourself fall asleep only to wake up in a cozy king-size bed wrapped up in a soft blanket next to a warm fireplace. The false sense of comfort lulled you for a few moments before your situation hit you like a ton of bricks. The anxiety you'd had known your whole life had finally kicked back into gear, forcing you out of bed and into the rest of the house.

It was daybreak, the sunlight slowly trickling in through heavily curtained windows as you walked through the halls and into the kitchen. The man was standing over the stove, sans mask, dressed in a wife-beater and his pajama bottoms. It couldn't be-

“Come in; breakfast will be on the table in a moment.”

Now you were certain.

“Who are you?” Your voice barely above a whisper. “Why did you buy me at the auction?”

A deep, rumbling chuckle flowed from the man.

“I think you know the answer to that, little one.”

His focus was retained on the meal in front of him. “I’ll explain myself over breakfast. Now sit.”

You couldn't help but feel compelled to obey him. While sitting, you took the time to honestly look him over for the first time in your life. Never did you think you would be so close to your childhood crush in such a domestic setting.

He had noticeably greyed but still possessed a majority of his red hair. Muscles were still taught and budging, but he had grown a little bit of a belly. Endeavor was as handsome as ever, aged like a fine wine that you couldn't wait to sip on.

The food was placed in front of you as he took the test next to you.

“Eat and have some water. Then we’ll talk.”

Once again, you obeyed him without question and refrained from eating like a rabid animal. It wasn't even a question, so much so that it is evident that you hadn't had a decent meal in a long time. You were still muscular from the labor you did for your handlers, though.

And Enji liked that about you. How resilient you were, he loved that you inherited his strength but still possessed Rei’s gentle nature. Not that he wanted to credit that woman for anything, but he couldn't deny the obvious. You were his strong, beautiful little girl who had to endure so much because his bitch of a wife decided to separate you from him.

But he was here now, ready to give all his love and protection to his only love. It took everything in his power not to swoop you up from your seat and hold you in his arms until his last breath.

Enji watched you eat, pride swelling in his chest at the thought that you liked his cooking. He couldn't help but wonder what your favorite meals were as well. There's certainly all the time in the world to get to know his little girl now that he had you. And he was never going to let you go.

Your breakfast was devoured quickly, both out of desperation for a real meal and answers to your questions.

“Why did you buy me from the auction?”

It was a complicated question, but you wanted a simple answer.

“I’m your soulmate.” His wrist was on display as he reached across the table to hold your hand.

For the first time in your life, you felt safe. Your one, shining hope was meant to yours and he wanted to be yours. You didn't even question how he knew at all.

His touch was warm and slightly rough, but it was welcome all the same. Even though your skin was lit aflame at his flesh against your, he paid it no mind. He was built to take your quirk, to take you.

“Endeavor…”

“Please, call me Enji.” His thumb rubbed over the palm of your hand. “I’m sure you feel better after having something to eat.”

“Why don't you go take a bath? It’ll help you relax, I can take care of your dishes.”

It was strange how insistent he was on taking care of you, but you can't say you don't enjoy the attention. He seemed to care for you in a way that went beyond caring for a partner, or in your case, a soulmate. But who were you to judge? It wasn't like you had a lot of experiences to use as a comparison.

Making your way back to the bedroom, you took the time to study the house you were in. A traditional, well-kept home, it practically looked like it was untouched. And maybe it was; buildings and homes fully intact were hard to come by these days, let alone ones that were clean and warm.

Enji seemed to lull you into an instinctual sense of safety, even though he bought you out of slavery. Just because he was your soulmate didn't mean that he had good intentions for you, but somehow, his presence alone filled a void in your heart that you had forgotten was even there.

Once you made it to the bathroom connected to the master bedroom, you drew yourself a bath just like Enji had instructed you to do. It wasn't the wisest decision to let your guard down like this, but the man already had plenty of opportunities to fuck you up by this point.

The water was warm and inviting when you sank yourself into it; you couldn't remember the last time you had warm water to clean yourself with. It made you feel light and hazy, slipping into a headspace you had long forgotten—a place of safety and comfort.

Three raps on the door pulled you from your haze as Enji entered the bathroom with fresh towels. Despite the fact that he had already seen you naked, the intimacy of the situation only left you feeling more vulnerable than ever.

“Let me help you.”

He kneeled next to you outside of the tub and pulled a lavender chamomile shampoo from the tub’s shelf. There was room to protest, but you couldn't find yourself willing to do so.

Water was poured over your head before he started a lather in your hair, gently scrubbing your scalp for a while. Even this simple touch made you shudder, it was a long time since you last felt the warmth of someone’s touch. And everything about this man was warm, for you at least. His words, his touch, his heart.

Conditioner was added to your hair as well before he moved onto washing your body. The scrub was gentle across your skin, his hand following after it to help keep the suds from rising too much. Strong hands massaged your back and your neck, both of which needed the much-deserved relief.

“So tense.” He murmured, mostly to himself.

There was a comfortable silence shared between the two of you as he massaged out all the knots and kinks that had built up over the years with your handlers. His touch should have made you flinch but you found yourself pressing into it. A small moan escaped your lips as he worked through a particularly tender spot on your neck.

“Are you enjoying this?”

His lips ghosted your ear as warm breath tickled your cheek and neck.

Your face flushed with a fiery warmth from a combination of the steam, your embarrassment, and the man whispering sweet nothings in your ear as his hands worked at your tired skin.

“Let me help you relax, sweet thing.”

Enji picked you up momentarily to slot himself behind you in the tub. Placed on his lap, you gasped when you could feel his erection hard against your back. Fear started to trickle into your veins as you squirmed slightly, attempting to get out of his grasp.

“Shhh, it's alright, you're okay.” His hand made its way to your throat and rested there gently, stroking over your artery with his thumb. “I’m not going to hurt you, sweetheart. Let me show you how much I've missed you.”

His touch made you feel alive, feel wanted for the first time in your life. You couldn't help but whine when his other hand made its way down your body, gently groping your breast as his lips were pressed to your ear.

“Do you trust me to take care of you?”

His fingers toyed with your nipples, obviously skilled.

“Do you trust me to make the sweetest love to you?”

Another whine caught in your throat as his hand went further, cupping your sex in his much larger hand. He kneaded gently, pressing a soft kiss to your temple when you writhed in his grip.

“Please! Enji-”

Shushing you gently, Enji’s thumb made its way to your clit to stroke in small circles.

“How does that feel, sweetheart?”

You were used to touching yourself, but oh God it never felt like this.

“Good!” You managed to choke out in a wanton moan. “So good! Enji, please, I need-”

A warm pair of lips sealed over yours, silencing you once again. Enji knew how wrong this was, to take advantage of you like this without revealing the truth. But he wanted at least to just once to have you in his arms willingly and eagerly. He wanted to kiss you breathless, listen to your cries and feel your nails dig into his skin as he gave you all of himself without a fight from you. He can worry about revealing himself to you later.

The rough pads of his large fingers started to apply pressure to your clit as his middle finger slipped into your tight hole under the water.

“Don't worry, little one. I'll give you what you need.”

Soft kisses were trailed along your cheek and hand that was on his that was still holding your throat tenderly. Finger pumping in and out of you, Enji whispered sweet praises to you as he felt your hole clench around him.

“Doing so well for me, sweetheart.”

Your breathy moans and whines only served to harden his cock. He felt like a teenager all over again, closing to cumming just from the sound of your voice.

Another finger slipped into your tight core, careful not to overwhelm you too fast. It was obvious you'd hadn't been touched before, not even by yourself. You felt full but greedy for more of his touch.

“Deeper, Enji! Please, can you?”

You were babbling at this point, writhing in his lap as he fingered you nice and slow with thick digits. Enji hummed as he pressed further into, curling his fingers into your G-spot.

Your cry was loud as he began to abuse your most sensitive spot, fully squirming in his arms as tears of pleasure breached your eyes. The sensation was too overpowering for you, making you thrash and arch in his arms.

“Shh, you're okay, sweetheart. You're okay; I'm right here.”

His fingers continued to stroke in a curled fashion, thumb still circling over your twitching clit. Enji kissed you again, deeper and more fierce as he began to fuck you earnestly with his fingers.

“Cum for me, darling.”

Squealing, you gripped his forearm and cried helplessly into his mouth. The build was slow and intense, allowing your orgasm to wash over you in waves of pleasure rather than a blinding, quick light.

“E-Enji!” You wailed. “Enji!”

You shook in his arms, holding onto the larger man for dear life as you experienced your first orgasm. It seemed like Enji knew your body better than you did.

No words were exchanged between the pair of you, but you could feel the tension of your desired hanging thick in the air. This man was going to take your virginity, here and now.

Enji removed his hand from your throat and between your legs in order to maneuver you to sit facing forward in his lap.

“Are you ready for me?”

His honesty made you flush even more. Biting your lip nervously, you hesitated to answer. Were you ready? It wasn’t like you had much of choice; the man could very well take you by force if he so chose to. But you felt safe in his arms, safe with him.

“Let me help you, my love.”

Warm, large hands gripped your backside as he held you steady above his cock. Your hand reached down to line yourself up with his throbbing sex, lowering yourself down on it slowly.

It burned in the best way, stretching you out fully as you pressed your forehead against his chin.

“Good girl, taking my cock so well, darling.”

A pitiful whine left your throat at the praise, hands gripping the forearms that held you in place.

“Can...Can you hold me?” You whimpered. “Please?”

Enji’s arms enveloped you and pulled you flush against his, tucking your head into the crook of his neck as you continued to lower yourself onto his cock. Your breath tickled his ears, making him groan lowly once he bottomed out inside of you.

“Such a sweet girl you are, taking all of me on your first try.”

Another whine responded for you as you ground your hips down on his.

“E-Enji.” You whimpered his name over and over again like a prayer. “Enji!”

“Be still, little one.” Hands back on your hips, holding you in place near the tip of his girthy length. “Let me take care of you.”

Hips in place, the man began to thrust up into you slowly, holding you tight as he stood up from the water. You only gripped and nuzzled yourself into him further, letting out sweet whines and whimpers into his ear while he thrust into you.

Your back was placed against the cool tile of the wall when he tilted your chin up to meet his gaze. Even in this position, he was still at least another head taller than you.

“Look at me when I make love to you.”

Through wet eyelashes, you gazed up at his eyes and let your mouth hang open as he rolled his hips into yours. His eyes shut briefly when he moaned, hissing at the feeling of your wet cunt hugging his cock so well.

“You were made to take my cock, little one.”

Arms reached up to wrap around his neck as he thrust into you, taking his time to make his strokes slow and deep. His hips were flush against yours when you asked him, “Kiss me, please? I want all of you Enji.”

Your bold proclamation stunned him for a moment before yielding, placing a deep kiss and a hot tongue against your lips.

His thrusts became faster as he kissed you with more passion and vitality. For an old man, he certainly had his stamina up to par. Your fingers thread through his red and grey tresses, tugging him closer to you gently as you moaned shamelessly into his mouth.

The pleasure in your core was more intense, fiercer this time around as his thrusts became hard and fast. The sounds of both of your moans and skin slapping against skin echoed off the tiled bathroom walls as the both of you felt your orgasms coming.

“Enji, fuck!” You whined, beginning to squirt on his fast-paced cock. “I-I’m cumming; I’m cumming!”

“Cum for me, princess.”

With a choked sob, you creamed yourself all over his cock, which continued to pound into your hole before he groaned your name and came deep inside you.

Nothing but the sounds of the water sloshing and your labored breathing could be heard as you both came down from your highs.

After a moment of rest, Enji pulled out and wrapped you in a towel before laying you gently on the bed. A towel was wrapped around his own waist as he looked at you fondly, brushing stray hairs out of your eye sight as he sat next to you on the bed.

“I must ask, how did you end up at the auction site?”

What a loaded question, but the intimacy you two shared allowed for it.

“I was kidnapped off the streets after my parents abandoned me when the prison break happened.”

He sighed gruffly and took your hand in his.

“What utter fools, tossing aside a beautiful rose such as yourself.”

His thumb traced over your soulmate mark. You still had yet to know how he knew before ever meeting you.

“It's alright; I never considered them my family. I just wish I could have met mine, but at least I met my soulmate.”

A crinkled smile adorned his face.

“You've done more than meet them.”

What could that have meant?

“I’m your father and your soulmate, little one.”

A rock hit the pit of your stomach as you retracted your hand from his.

“That isn't a funny joke, I'm serious.”

“So am I.” His hand was quick to snatch your back. “What could I possibly gain from lying to you?”

“P-Prove it.”

“Our soulmate marks, I saw yours the moment you were born in the Hosu hospital before my wife separated us all those years ago. I can recite your birthday if you'd like me to, for good measure.”

Fuck, he really wasn't lying. A lump formed in your throat as tears sprung in your eyes.

“Why would you do this to me?” You whispered, barely even able to hear yourself.

“Because I love you. I love you so much, sweetheart. Ever since I saw you for the first time in the hospital, my entire life has changed because of you. All I ever wanted was you.”

Enji was quick to shush your cries, using his free hand to wipe your tears away.

“Will you forgive me for being selfish?”

The disgust and horror filled everyone of your senses, especially when you came to a realization that he was everything you've ever wanted.

What came out of your mouth next stunned the both of you.

“You can apologize by begging on your knees and cleaning me up with your tongue, Daddy.”

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scrambledgegs · 4 years ago

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Too Late the Hero

It was Harvey Dent who uttered the famous lines, “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” A foreshadowing statement, as Dent later on personifies his very words when he goes on to become Two Face in the “The Dark Knight” Batman movies.

This statement cannot be any truer, and we all can recount both real-life and fictional characters who easily represent this notion. The true-to-life “villains” we know of today may have actually started out as idealists, heroes, or savior-like archetypes that we used to looked up to – and looked past whatever side blemishes they also possessed in order to justify their actions. I think the best contemporary example of this – is the person whom Filipinos notoriously love to discuss nowadays – the person that needs no introduction, President Duterte.

About to Croak?

President Duterte has recently been the talk of the town all the more when rumors circulated that he may have contracted COVID-19, while other rumors pointedly said that he was already on his deathbed. To augment such rumors, it was said that he may have allegedly even flown to Singapore to have himself checked. His office was quick to quash any such news by posting proof of life photos of the President, where he is seen to be eating a meal with the first family in Davao. Well, one thing we can all agree on however, is that he did not look his best.

The more significant and underlying message in this recent raucous is that, the general consensus on social media is that many had their fingers crossed for a new President. It looks like Duterte’s star power is quickly fading.

RUDY and RODY

I was reminded of a conversation that a friend and I had around three weeks ago. During our usual, light political banter, I suddenly remembered how my parents used to compare President Duterte to American political icon, “Rudy” Giuliani. Quite serendipitously (and as though Netflix read my phone messages or possibly my mind), minutes later, I came across a new Netflix documentary entitled “Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia” where Giuliani is documented to have played a significant role in.

This true crime documentary examines the rise and fall of organized crime in New York in the 1970s to early 1980s. It narrates the dark tale of how the Big Apple once transformed into the playground of underbelly operations of The Mafia – composed of the five major Italian-American crime families and their sophisticated network of ruthless henchmen. Law enforcers could not put a stop to their rings of crime, or even implicate them, and others that dared come close, found themselves or their loved ones in a rather, messy situation. These crime families of Italian descent were basically your true-to-life gangsters from which The Godfather Trilogy was based on.

Batman, Robin and Commissioner Gordon in Gotham City

Bringing down the Mob back then was a feat everyone thought impossible. Nevertheless, joint forces between the FBI and Giuliani (then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York; 1983 -1989), and his handpicked team of prosecutors were able to do so – and with much required grit and tenacity. Giuliani especially, was credited to be the single piece of rice that tipped the scale in this momentous moment in the history of criminal justice. After which, Giuliani’s political career began to skyrocket. Despite losing his first election in 1989, he eventually gets elected Mayor of New York in 1993, and then reelected in 1997 to hold the position until 2001.

During his term as Mayor of New York, Giuliani’s most popular platform was his “toughness on crime.” Such that, the gentrification, revitalization and “clean-up” of New York and significant decrease in crime rates during those heyday years are largely attributed to him. His appointment of NYPD Chief of Police, Bill Bratton also proved effective, and is often the popular topic of business case studies today. Bratton did not resort to brute force alone. In fact, he was said to be data-driven, resourceful and efficient. His non-traditional, out-of-the-box thinking, many would agree, had indeed brought about real, lasting positive change in New York.

Giuliani was also known for making popular what is known as the “perp walk”, wherein he would orchestrate public arrests, worthy of media frenzies and major headlines, of high-profile suspects, usually of white-collar crimes. The nature of these arrests garnered some criticism of course, but it was not enough then to tarnish his image and push him far away from the good graces of the American people, especially New Yorkers. He is also highly commended for his post-9/11 (2001) disaster responses and was even knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for these tremendous efforts. He was even named TIME magazine's Person of the Year in 2001.

Fall from Grace

However, fast forward years later to now 2020, many of Giuliani’s constituents and longtime supporters who once held “America’s Mayor” of the highest esteem, often say that the Rudy Giuliani of the past is long gone. Embroiled in various controversies and investigations, not to mention issues that involve being President Trump’s current legal adviser, he has said to have become the very type of white-collar “perps” he used to round up and arrest. It is quite unfortunate, isn’t it, these kind of tragic hero to zero stories. Time is not on his side now, but who knows if there is still a chance for a comeback.

Rudy Giuliani’s story sounds very familiar.

Rody

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Davao, Philippines to be exact, during the same time that Rudy Giuliani was rising to fame, there lived and breathed another Mayor with a very similar tough guy image – Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte. An attorney as well, he also began his career in the prosecutor’s office.

Photo taken from The New York Times: Rodrigo Duterte posing with an Uzi submachine gun in 1994, when he was mayor of Davao City in the Philippines.

Duterte Harry

Duterte “made his bones” by allegedly taking crime into his own hands. Before assuming the Presidency, he was known as the gun-toting, smart-talkin’, fearless and tough Mayor who cleaned up Davao which back then, was supposedly a war-torn region due to the emergence of the New People’s Army (NPA) post Marcos-regime. People nodded in approval because he produced “quick” results.

If Rudy Giuliani had his Chief of Police, Bill Bratton and the NYPD, Rody Duterte had a comparable squad as well. With the help of his elite unit of police enforcers, coined as the “Davao Death Squad” (DDS), they were able to arrest crime suspects, such as alleged (but non-convicted) drug dealers and petty thieves and parade them throughout the streets, for behold, all to know and see. This sounds like the Filipino version of a perp walk. In extreme cases, sometimes suspects were allegedly found dead in alleys or eskinitas, their bloody bodies mutilated.

Yet, it could be said that quite a number of Davaoenos, as well as Filipinos beyond the Mindanao region, supported this kind of vigilante method because they felt safer, and they felt that finally, the wheels of justice were turning. To simplify this narrative by using a fictional analogy again, it is the same train of thought on why we have a great admiration for Batman and the like.

Many believed this was what the Philippines truly needed - a “strongman” to discipline the country, which to be fair, is an idea that can understandably seem like the right and sound solution, given the Philippines’s web of problems. Not many are willing to further dissect, assess and accept what is truly needed to lead the Philippines. Duterte’s notoriety thus gained much popularity, and his savior persona spread like wildfire throughout the country, propelling him to the Presidential seat in 2016.

One-Trick Pony in a Small Pond

Four years later, come 2020, and here we are, amidst a terrible pandemic with no signs of turning the tide in favor of a victory. I’ve heard one too many times, friends and colleagues say how they despise being a Filipino, and are looking for opportunities to leave and start a new life elsewhere immediately. I can’t say I blame them.

The once highly respected and beloved Davao Mayor has become the Philippines’s Public enemy number one, for reasons we all know today such as, but not limited to:

Militaristic and shotgun approaches instead of “comprehensive, scientific and systematic policies” to mitigate the pandemic (Read: Lives vs Livelihood Tradeoff?, August 5, 2020)

Lack of economic and fiscal planning and No transparency on stimulus packages and foreign loans (Read: A Perfect Storm, May 22, 2020)

Preferential treatment towards those in positions of power and unequal application of the law (Read: On lockdown and pushed over the edge, April 30, 2020)

Playing Russian Roulette on community quarantine implementations

Deflecting faults and shortcomings through the “Pasaway citizen” narrative

Demeaning local government leaders/efforts when they come up with their own local initiatives

Putting China’s interests ahead of the Philippines (Read: From Ugly Duckling to Black Swan, April 3, 2020)

And some of the more specific controversies that we can’t help but feel overwhelming emotions for:

Trial of Maria Ressa and his attack on free press and journalism

Shutdown of ABS-CBN which includes 11,000 employees to lose their jobs during a time like this

Inaction of recent PhilHealth scandal

Perhaps si Mayor should have stayed as Mayor, or perhaps evolved to a different role beyond public service, instead of eyeing gargantuan tasks too big for him to handle. He may have been “effective” as Davao’s Mayor, but running a country is a whole different ballgame.

It was in fact, the late Miriam Santiago, during the final 2016 Presidential debate held in Dagupan, Pangasinan (April 24, 2016) who pointed out, “We are not choosing a manager, administrator, etc. We are choosing the next President of the Philippines for the next 6 years.“ She even went on to enumerate three minimum criteria that a President must have in his or her arsenal in order to effectively lead, such as “1) Academic Excellence; 2) Professional Excellence, and 3) Moral Integrity” – all of which majority Filipinos flippantly shrugged off as useless qualities. I agreed with her which is why I voted for Mar Roxas. Maybe those who voted for Duterte regret this decision now, and hopefully see the wisdom behind Santiago’s statements.

As I’ve said many times over, Duterte peddled a dream that the Philippines can only be great again with an “iron-fisted” leader, and sadly but quite expectedly, our misinformed voters ate it all up - hook, line and sinker. (Read: ORAS NA, April 26, 2016).

I’d like to believe that Duterte perhaps started out as an idealist, with the genuine desire to carve out change where he thought he could. However, somewhere along the way, he lost himself and what he stood for when he let his ego get in the way. I think he himself now knows, but cannot admit to the public, that a one-trick pony has no business leading a highly complex, difficult and problematic country such as the Philippines.

More Analogies in 2020: The Year of the Rat led by the Pied Piper

Other than Duterte, three other political personalities that will forever be remembered as the shameful faces of the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines are Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Speaker of the House Allan Peter Cayetano and the ever-infamous, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque. I surmise history will not be so kind to them, and their roles and decisions in this crisis will continue to be told on, even when “this is all over.”

Infestation of Rats

These three loyal lackeys of Duterte can be likened to the rats in the children’s fairy tale of the Pied Piper who is no less than Duterte. Roque, Cayetano and Duque seem like educated and smart people, leaving no other explanation for their horrible decisions, except that they have long sold their souls to Duterte, and are in too deep to back out now. They’ve let themselves fall under some kind of spell. A consolation in the story of the Pied Piper, is that the entranced rats follow the Pied Piper’s hypnotizing music to their eventual demise and drown at sea. The Pied Piper however, just leaves them there and walks on. Seems like a foreboding scenario, figuratively speaking.

It would be best if the story ended there. However, we find that the Pied Piper, like our very own version, is a vengeful one, and will stop at nothing until he has accomplished a personal vendetta towards whomever crosses him. In our Pied Pier’s skewed view, he feels that his opponents have gravely wronged him, or have been incredibly ungrateful for all the “work” he has achieved. His next plan of action is to hit them where it hurts the most – by getting to the children or those “most vulnerable and without a voice”. Seizing the power of his position, he is able to demonize multitudes through his filthy words, terrorizing laws and drug wars. (Read: Dead Kids, February 20, 2020).

In so many dark metaphors, in the dead of the night, while everyone cluelessly sleeps, the Pied Piper plays his hypnotizing song that “vulnerable communities” are uncontrollably drawn to, forced to follow, or fooled into blindly following, until they all disappear without a trace, possibly never to be found again.

Light at the end of a Long Tunnel

However, I think our Pied Piper may have made a costly miscalculation. He may have robbed the country blind and killed countless lives (directly and indirectly), while we ignorantly slept, but he has ignited a fire. He has seemed to awoken a sleeping giant – a sleeping giant, unified in anger against this administration and what it stands for. Is Change Coming?

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sumukhcomedy · 6 years ago

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LeBron James: The Rollercoaster Ride

I am a month older than LeBron James and probably half his size. For people like me who grew up in Cleveland as part of the age group that LeBron is, we feel as if we’ve grown with LeBron. We were aware of him at St.Vincent-St.Mary High School before the national media was. We saw him racking up the Ohio Mr. Basketball awards. We were proud to see him on the cover of Sports Illustrated in high school and his games broadcasted on national television. We chuckled as the local media covered LeBron driving in a Hummer like it was big news (news of how corrupt sports can be perhaps).

At the same time, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like complete crap. Ricky Davis was shooting at his own hoop to get a triple-double. Coach John Lucas basically admitted after the fact that the team was tanking to get to LeBron. What a perfect fit. The pride of Ohio basketball could play in Cleveland.

I’ve never cared more about a NBA Draft Lottery and remembering being in the house I grew up in and ultimately so excited when it was announced the Cavs would be picking first overall in the 2003 Draft. LeBron was going to play for the Cavs. And what has progressed has been a 15-year career unlike any other in the history of the NBA and a rollercoaster ride for those of us who love basketball, appreciate LeBron, and have the strange connection of having observed the guy since his high school days while also being in high school ourselves. So, for the sake of the fact that Clevelanders like myself love Cedar Point, I will break down LeBron’s career and my perspective via Cedar Point rollercoasters.

“Mean Streak” – Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010)

“Mean Streak” was an acceptable enough ride at Cedar Point before it was closed after 25 years of operation. It was an enjoyable wooden coaster but at the same time it also jerked your neck around so much that you got whiplash. By the end of it, you asked yourself, “Should we have actually waited in line for a far better rollercoaster?” The same could be said of LeBron’s first go-round with the Cavs, none of which I would say is LeBron’s fault. The first 7 years of LeBron’s career which garnered only one Finals appearance was filled with fun moments in watching his progression but also in organizational blunders that led LeBron to leave. There was a lot of talk of finding the “Pippen to LeBron’s Jordan” and that was supposedly going to happen with Larry Hughes and didn’t even come close. Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones were seen as big splash signings and weren’t at all. As much as the team may have spent, they never found worthy pieces to be on LeBron’s supporting cast and it’s still pretty unbelievable to see that LeBron dragged that awful 2007 roster to the Finals. There are 2 moments from this time that are most worth remembering with LeBron. First is “The 48 Special” against Detroit. After that night, I knew that LeBron was simply too good to never win a NBA title. Even if he wasn’t going to do it in Cleveland, he was going to do it somewhere else. The second was his miraculous shot in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando. It was an amazing moment for Cavs fans but ultimately the team lost the series and it kind of is a symbol as a whole of those first 7 years in Cleveland. Like “Mean Streak” it was enjoyable but shaky and ultimately not successful.

“Millennium Force” – Miami Heat (2010-2014)

Since opening in 2000, Millennium Force has easily become one of the best rollercoasters in the world especially if you are able to experience it at night. Say whatever you may about LeBron’s time with the Miami Heat (and I, as a Cavs fan, will say that I loathed it and “The Decision,”) LeBron came to the peak of his career while coming together with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. This time period marked some of LeBron’s best performances but also led to only a 2-2 record in the NBA Finals (and 1-3 if not for Ray Allen’s 3). The Millennium Force is in some ways overshadowed or less talked about than many other coasters but it is a peak performer in entertainment and consistency. The same could be said of this Heat team who in reality should have done better than 2 titles but also lasted for as long as they possibly could particularly given Chris Bosh’s unfortunate health issues and Dwyane Wade’s age now showing.

“Raptor” – Cleveland Cavaliers (2014-2018)

Raptor is my favorite ride at Cedar Point and so to, for biased reasons, will LeBron’s second run in Cleveland for me. But, much like the twists and turns that the Raptor brings, so too was LeBron’s time in Cleveland which saw so much off-court drama and change that made me wonder as a fan if anyone was even happy playing on that team. Regardless, this 4-year stretch saw the best basketball played in the history of Cleveland and saw LeBron do amazing things I never thought I would see a basketball player do in front of a crowd that will forever love him. LeBron accomplished a goal in bringing a title to the city and ending a 52-year curse. If only I could ride the success of the Cavaliers over this time as often as I can ride the Raptor on a slow day at Cedar Point.

“Top Thrill Dragster” – The last 3 minutes of the 2016 NBA Finals (2016)

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Top Thrill Dragster is 0 to 120 MPH in 4 seconds and is awesome. The line to wait for it is usually forever. Sometimes it’s been closed for the day when I’ve been to Cedar Point. Even though the last 3 minutes of the NBA Finals felt like they took forever, the thrill of it was just as unthinkable as Top Thrill Dragster. I’ve rewatched these last 3 minutes probably over 100 times. I’ll be lucky if I get to experience Top Thrill Dragster that many times.

LeBron James is just an unthinkable athlete with a career so unique to anyone else. He was thrust in the spotlight in his teenage years and lived beyond that hype. He hasn’t succumbed to any major personal downfall like Tiger Woods. He didn’t falter to personal demons or addictions like Maurice Clarett (equally popular in Ohio at the same time LeBron’s popularity was rising). And when we look back at the top picks of the 2003 NBA Draft, none of them have sustained remotely to the level of LeBron. Darko Milicic fizzled out early, Carmelo Anthony is almost seen as a joke now to some with his only hope being a glimmer of the offensive firepower he once had, Bosh is unfortunately out of the league, and Wade’s age has caught up to him.

Many will point to LeBron’s legacy and his 3-6 NBA Finals record and discount him as compared to Michael Jordan and many of the other NBA greats. But the 3-6 Finals record can be attributed to a combination of the Cavs organization, the Heat organization, LeBron himself, and LeBron being ahead of his time. The Cavs organization never fully surrounded LeBron with the right people in his first go-round with the team. The rosters assembled couldn’t possibly match up to the kind of teams they faced and it’s still miraculous that LeBron took the team the 2007 Finals. The Heat organization surrounded LeBron with a great cast but it never fully understood LeBron and ultimately lost him because of that. LeBron himself does shoulder some blame because of his attitude and some criticism could be made of his ability to attract free agents in his first stretch with the Cavs and also that his role as a de facto general manager with both the Heat and the Cavs has just been terrible and he’s left behind his previous teams in salary cap hell with awful players.

But the biggest issue for LeBron is that he simply was ahead of his time. He came into the league at a time when teams like the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs and the big man game of Shaquille O’Neal were reigning supreme. The run and gun nature of Mike D’Antoni and the Phoenix Suns was just starting up and was looked at with doubt that it would succeed. LeBron’s decision to join forces with Wade and Bosh and create a “Big Three” started a trend in the NBA. It was a trend that unfortunately hurt him when Kevin Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors, making it a much harder mountain to climb for him to win a NBA title. The most criticism of LeBron to me could be done of his time with the Heat where that was the greatest opportunity to win titles. The 2007 Finals was unbelievable to even get to. The 4 Warriors-Cavs Finals have asterisks associated with them. It would have been ideal to have a Best-of-7 series with the best, healthy rosters of these teams and that never happened.

If LeBron wins a 4th NBA title with a 3rd team and, especially a team in the iconic Los Angeles Lakers who have been seen as a joke over the past few years, I’d have a hard time not calling him the greatest of all-time. The numbers and records don’t matter. It’s the sheer dominance and uniqueness of his career over the years.

I’m not affected by “Decision 3.0” as I was by “The Decision.” In a way, in these subsequent two weeks, I think it was the best move. For the rest of the world, it’s fitting for Cristiano Ronaldo to play for Manchester United and Real Madrid and now the recent transfer to Juventus. These are the biggest soccer clubs in the world. It makes sense for LeBron to unite with the biggest name in the game of basketball worldwide: The Los Angeles Lakers. It’s even bigger if he can revitalize the team to its “Showtime” era.

It also just makes sense. It’s a time now for LeBron to try to be the greatest basketball player of all-time but he soon wants to be a business mogul. That sense of business is not going to be learned from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert who he has never gotten along with but rather Magic Johnson, an iconic and beloved player that seems to be most in the mold of both life and personality to what LeBron could pave himself to be in the future.

As a Cavs fan who lives in L.A., you’d probably think I’ll be making my way to many Lakers games this season to see LeBron. But that’s likely not going to happen. I can’t afford that! I’ll stick to being an NBA fan and seeing the much cheaper Clippers (they actually have what could be an entertaining roster).

But for LeBron to end up in L.A., to win a title for Cleveland, and to have gone through such a rollercoaster ride of an experience as a basketball player in 20 years, it’s pretty remarkable. And maybe one day we’ll all look at him as the greatest of all-time. That’s not bad in my mind for a “kid from Akron.”

#lebron #lebron james #nba #cleveland #los angeles #cavs #lakers #cedar point #rollercoasters #magic johnson #dan gilbert #akron #heat #showtime #cristiano ronaldo #basketball

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kadobeclothing · 5 years ago

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Why Accessible Marketing is the Future, According to an Inclusive Design Expert

One in four people live with a disability in the United States. That means, if your marketing content excludes people living with a disability, you could be losing out on the potential of converting 61 million people into customers. I had the opportunity to sit down with Christina Mallon, the Global Head of Inclusive Design and Accessibility at Wunderman Thompson (the largest ad agency in the world), to learn how brands are creating more inclusive products and campaigns to reach an underserved audience. Christina has worked with major brands, including Microsoft and Tommy Hilfiger, to help them develop accessible products and content for their marketing campaigns. She’s worked on digital marketing campaigns for Tommy Adaptive, and helped build the first-ever Alexa skill for people with disabilities. Her work has received national attention and has been featured on PBS, Fast Company, Forbes, Yahoo!, and more. Needless to say, I was very lucky to sit down with Christina to learn how marketers should think about accessibility when it comes to building web experiences and content. Here, we’ll explore Christina’s definition for accessibility, examples of non-accessible marketing, and how you can create more inclusive and accessible marketing content for 2020 and beyond.

How do you define accessibility? Christina shared that the World Health Organization defines a disability as a function of the mismatch between a person’s abilities and the demands of the environment. “The best example I have of this can be found at airports,” she shared. As you’re de-boarding a plane and heading to baggage claim, many times the baggage claim is in a different wing of the airport. These airports offer both stairs and escalators to help people get to their luggage. “But why are the only options for getting to the baggage claim stairs and escalators? ” she asked. In describing her example, Christina said “stairs and escalators are two identical solutions to the same problem.” People in wheelchairs are required to take a different route to baggage claim because they are unable to take the stairs or escalator solution that was designed. “This everyday occurrence is a design problem,” Christina said. And as marketers and designers who build digital products and content, we have an opportunity to design something that is accessible for all.

Ultimately, accessibility is an attribute, and inclusive design is a method.

Marketers can make their content accessible by using inclusive design practices. We’ll dive into those, but first — let’s take a look at pieces of content that currently aren’t accessible. Examples of Content That Aren’t Accessible To better understand what inclusive design looks like, Christina shared some examples of accessibility fails, or brands that weren’t meeting the expectation of someone with a disability. 1. Amazon: A desktop site that does not support people who need to purchase through voice. Christina first mentioned Amazon, telling me: “When I was in the UK for business I went on my computer and tried to make a purchase on Amazon. The issue I ran into was that I was unable to use my accessibility voice device on their desktop site.” Noticeably frustrated, she said, “they asked me to leave the desktop site and open amazon on my phone because the phone had built-in accessibility features.”

“They don’t care about me. They just want me to use the mobile device instead of making their web experience accessible.” Because of this, Christina makes a majority of her purchases on Jet.com. She told me that physical stores are difficult for someone with mobility challenges and Amazon does not meet her expectations. So, her brand loyalty and purchases go elsewhere. This is a reminder for product and marketing teams to ensure their desktop and mobile experiences are accessible for all. 2. LEGO: A promotional video for the blind that includes no audio. Another example of content that is not accessible came from LEGO. The beloved bricks launched a new line of Braille Bricks to help blind students learn how to spell. This new product is incredible and even got picked up by CBS Morning News and other publications. However, one publication covered the product launch with this video:

“Now” Christina said, “This is a product for blind people and a marketer created a beautiful promotional video. The video has great shots of the product being used by students. It has nice copy animations that explain the use of the product. And an upbeat song to help tell the product story.” “However, there is one issue.” I could tell it was a big issue. “There is no verbal audio,” Christina shared. Someone who is blind would not be able to consume this promotional video and understand the product that was built for them.

While the video may meet the creative standards of the brand and the requirements for social media videos, it isn’t created with the target audience in-mind.

This is an oversight by the creator, and a reminder for brands to always be mindful of the consumer. After discussing the video, Christina told me to “make sure that your customer experience is inclusive from end-to-end, including the product and the promotion.” Tips and Tools for Creating More Accessible Content Once I had a better understanding of accessibility and examples of what to avoid, I asked Christina how marketers can create accessible content going forward — I asked her, “Is there a checklist, or a list of standards for marketers to reference?” Immediately, Christina replied, “Inclusive design is more than a checklist.” Instead of going through a checklist of how to make content accessible, Christina shared three principles of inclusive design that can be used by marketers when creating web experiences and content. “When creating a piece of content or designing a web experience, be mindful of these primary principles.” 1. Recognize Exclusion Be aware that there are consumers who are vision, hearing, and mobility impaired. Build a piece of content and share your work with them prior to launch. Receive feedback upfront from those audience segments before releasing your campaign to the public. “I try to have someone who is vision, hearing, and cognitive impaired look at every piece of content before presenting my work to a client,” she shared. “I have been able to find people with disabilities, online, who are interested in working with us.” If marketers don’t have an opportunity to work alongside people with a disability, they can always test their work against four main questions: Dexterity Experience: what kind of movement must a user perform to interact with my site or content? Vision Experience: What shapes, colors, text, and graphics must a user understand to consume my content? Hearing Experience: What sound does my content produce that are required for a user to consume my content? Thinking Experience: How much time must a user spend with my content to truly interpret and understand it? Once a marketer runs their content through these questions, they will have a better understanding of what improvements can be made to simplify the work and make it more accessible. 2. Solve for One, Extend to Many As marketers, we have the ability to solve customer problems through design and content. By creating content for people with disabilities in mind, our content will be accessible to everyone.

Christina told me, “design for disability, and your work will work for everyone.” It’s critical that accessibility is a part of your design and creation process upfront — and not an afterthought.

Image Source To best articulate her point, Christina shared some consumer products that were designed for people with disabilities but have become a part of mainstream culture: Touchscreens: Originally designed for people with mobility issues and sold to Apple to be used across all mobile devices globally. Electric Toothbrush: Originally designed for people with limited motor skills to improve dental health. Now used by millions for superior cleaning. Closed Captioning: Originally created for people with a hearing impairment. Now used for people learning a new language or consuming content without audio. These product designs for people with disabilities have made their way into daily life for all, demonstrating that by creating for people with disabilities, marketing content has the ability to be adopted by a larger audience. Tools to Get Started Creating accessible content and web experiences is an ongoing process. Marketing teams may not have the resources to go back and update all pieces of content that have been created. However, moving forward, by being mindful of accessibility, marketers can ensure that their content is being built for the largest addressable audience. I asked Christina for recommended tools that could help marketers get started with creating accessible content. She suggested the following six: WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: A contrast color checker that gives you results in real time for regular and large text. Inclusive Components: A pattern library with a focus on inclusive design. Each post explores a common interface component and comes up with a better, more robust and accessible version of it. Color Oracle: A free color blindness simulator for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It shows you in real time what people with common color vision impairments see. Vox Product Accessibility Guidelines: A comprehensive checklist for designers, engineers, and project managers. axe Google Chrome Extension: Test any site for accessibility violations using the Chrome inspector. Contrast: A macOS app for quick access to WCAG color contrast ratios. Whether you’re building a new website, producing a product video, or creating a new report marketers need to keep accessibility in mind. Creating content and products that can be accessed by everyone will help you reach new audiences and reach your goals. Ultimately, using inclusive design can help you reach more potential customers and grow your business — plus, it demonstrates your brands commitment to serving the needs of as many people as possible.

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pretentiouslittleartstudent-blog · 8 years ago

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Inside my head

I decided to use stop-motion videography to tell my story as I wanted it to engage my audience and made it more personal by drawing.

Whilst doing this video, I drew inspiration from art techniques such as glitching and the usage of avatars to explore self identity. To me, these two channels unbridles the limits that one can express themselves.

Avatars

Avatars are easy to understand, they are icons or figures that we can choose and customise to represent our online self for games, websites etc. The usage of avatars was inspired by “Second lives: Jeux masqués et autres Je” where the construction and deconstruction of identity is explored.

These avatars can be created to resemble our true self or they can be a creation of what we wish to look like aesthetically. One can hide their real self behind and avatar and conjure up a completely different personality, have hobbies and beliefs from his or her actual self. I have avatars that I create when I play games like sims and maple story. For social media such as snapchat I use bitmoji to create my own avatar to express my thoughts and feelings with my friends. Avatars are interesting because we have always discussed the idea of the possibility of having an online persona and an offline persona, and in my opinion avatars add an additional later to this. If we create an avatar that resembles our physical appearances but adopt an online persona that is different from our offline persona, are we then using the avatar as a channel to project how and who we want to be? Is there a difference to someone who creates an avatar that looks completely different from their physical appearance and adopts a different offline personality? On a more personal level, it encouraged me to think of why I use these avatars and the rationale about why I create my avatars to look as such. I noticed I tend to like creating avatars that look vastly different from my asian looks. This can be attributed to my perception of beauty, I have always preferred the “white” look. Blonde hair, blue eyes, sharp noses, defined cheekbone. On a deeper level, it made me question my perception of beauty. What is wrong with my oriental features? What is wrong with having a small nose and small eyes? I realised while I was busy trying to look like a certain type of race, it was useless. I realised despite how I look like online as an avatar, it does not matter and should not matter. Most importantly, one should embrace their physical appearance and spend time thinking and working on their personalities and flaws to be a more worldly person.

Glitches

Glitches however, is something beyond one’s control. We can explore what glitches produce but we cannot channel glitches towards a certain direction. This makes glitches an interesting form of artwork, we often conjure up an artwork such as paintings with the intended art piece in mind but in this case, the artist starts with a technique in hand but the end product is left to the beauty of glitches. Jon Satrom, an artist that explores the usage of glitches in his artwork believes that glitches are “ever-evolving, elusive entities that inhibit and disrupt systems within our realities”. I believe this is exactly how we humans are, we may not be who we define ourselves to be. There may be underlying layers of ourselves that we have yet to discover, or desperately push it to the back of our minds as they are cognitively dissonant with the person that we aspire to be. We are creatures of constant flux, ever changing and full of surprise.

Social Media - Instagram

Amalia Ulman created an “instagram masterpiece” as a sociological critique of the internet’s obsession with appearances using the self-portrait methodology. It forced me to think how much of the pictures/captions/status updates that I post are influenced by how others will perceive me.

Codes

Another art technique that I find particular interesting is the usage of codes to produce art. Before attending this class, codes were merely numbers, letters and symbols to me. They were a language for machines that were simply functional and cold. However, upon reading up on coding, I chanced upon this website - code-poems.com that explored how codes can be more that just a language for computers.

“Code can speak literature, logic, maths. It contains different layers of abstraction and it links them to the physical world of processors and memory chips. All these resources can contribute in expanding the boundaries of contemporary poetry by using code as a new language. Code to speak about life or death, love or hate. Code meant to be read, not run.”

This inspired me to think about whether feelings could be injected into these codes. In my video, I spoke about wanting to create and appreciate so I decided to create an art piece that appreciates the beauty of codes as well as the language of love. I wanted to create an artpiece that utilised codes but wanted to inject something that was personal to me. I experimented with binary codes and drew inspiration from one of the hottest chick flicks “sex and the city”. In this movie, love letters from great men were quoted and there’s one from Beethoven that struck the hearts of all the girls who have watched this movie. Mine included.

“Good morning, on July 7

Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all - Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits - Yes, unhappily it must be so - You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never - Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves. And yet my life in V is now a wretched life - Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men - At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mailcoach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once - Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together - Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.

ever thine

ever mine

ever ours”

I created an art piece that can be exhibited by converting this love letter into a binary code and made it the background of the image, layering the letter in english on top. I played around with different colours to enable the audience to see the contrast between the two. The video ends with the quote “ever thine, ever mine, ever ours” to leave an impression on the viewer. I remember watching the movie and hearing the narrator read out these lines, and felt my heart constrict. I felt the exact same feeling when I saw the quote in the art piece as well. I loved the notion of codes being injected with romance! It was lovely to think of numbers and symbols having the ability to have warmth and feeling.

Defining myself

I used to see emojis as a way to express my emotions and feelings, however, an artwork- “Gorando” that was part of Blinding Pleasures at are byte gallery in London caused me to think about the deeper implications of these seemingly harmless emojis. This artwork is based on the 6 Facebook reactions one can have to a status update/shared post etc. By clicking any one of these 6 reactions, the users are not just sharing their thoughts and feelings with friends and family but are placed at the mercy of algorithms whereby our reactions are under surveillance and big data as well as emotional data are sold in a monetary transaction. I began to think more about how we are led to think that we have a choice to choose the emotions that we wish to express but in actual reality, we are just victims of targeted advertising and emotional manipulation. Thus, I realised how the internet and seemingly harmless things like emojis and status updates can in turn control us if we are not careful. Hence, I want to break away from the control of all these big data and algorithms.

I hope you enjoyed watching my video as much as I enjoyed planning it’s creation and execution!

Links:

http://we-make-money-not-art.com/second_lives_jeux_masques_et_a/

http://we-make-money-not-art.com/obfuscates-your-feelings-on-facebook-and-defeat-its-algorithms-in-the-process/

http://code-poems.com/

http://adage.com/article/guest-columnists/future-engagement-big-data-big-emotion/295350/

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/performing-camera

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/meet-artist-cum-instagram-star-amalia-ulman-203861

http://jonsatrom.com/

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