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carewyncromwell · 2 years ago

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“Hide your face, so the world will never find you...”

x~x~x~x

HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri ♥️

x~x~x~x

In the Kingdom of Hearts, a time-honored tradition was the yearly Passion Ball. It was held in wintertime at the Palace of Hearts and featured everyone dressed in their finest, as well as masks befitting of a royal masquerade. There was always dancing and fine music -- even the guests themselves were encouraged to take the stage at points -- as well as a grand auction where one could purchase rare, exotic, and beautiful works.

It was an event that -- truthfully -- the new Queen of Hearts didn’t look forward to as much as many others did. Carewyn hadn’t attended any parties back in the Kingdom of Spades, not just due to her family’s lack of wealth, but also because her mother Lane’s social anxiety made her actively avoid such events. As for her time in the Kingdom of Hearts, she’d turned down any invitations she’d received to the Passion Ball. Even the previous Queen had requested Carewyn’s presence at one point, but Carewyn still politely declined.

“My mother will be coming to join me here, in time for the holidays,” she’d explained. “It’s been so long since we’ve had any time together -- I couldn’t bear to part with any of it.”

Alas, before Lane Cromwell could successfully leave the Country of Spades, the border shut down, which effectively cut Carewyn off entirely from both her mother and her brother Jacob. That holiday season was the coldest and most melancholy of Carewyn’s life -- no fit time for her to see anyone, let alone attend an upscale masquerade ball.

By the time next winter rolled around, however, Carewyn was the newly elected Queen of Hearts. Over the course of that year, she’d worked very hard for her new country, as well as tried to use her new position to acquire intelligence about the state of things back in the Country of Spades. She’d had several heated exchanges with the so-called “Tyrant of Spades” in that time, both in correspondence and otherwise --

Do not equate my duty to the Kingdom of Hearts with placation. Lest you forget, I was once one of those people you pledged to protect and serve and now have seen fit to keep locked in a cage.

Despite her origins in the Country of Spades, the people of the Kingdom of Hearts soon embraced their new Queen. For however serious and perfectionistic she could be, she was also compassionate, devoting herself endlessly to the happiness and safety of others. She was fearless in advocating for the needy and yet sensitive when it came to matters of state. She even immediately won over the Queen of Diamonds in the span of one carriage ride around town, simply by expressing sincere interest in Queen Penny’s interest in alchemy. Not to mention that since becoming Queen, Carewyn had become well-regarded for her striking looks and elegant fashion sense. It made it so that when the dashing, charming Diego Caplan was chosen as the new King of Hearts, the Kingdom of Hearts rejoiced, having two new, beautiful monarchs that they could be proud of.

Carewyn and Diego became co-monarchs not long before the next Passion Ball was set to be held. Diego couldn’t have been more thrilled at the prospect. Carewyn herself did what she’d done for the last King -- bury herself in all of the planning and arrangements and then quietly bow out when it came to the actual event so that her counterpart could enjoy the spoils.

Diego, however, wouldn’t stand for that.

“You’ve put in so much work to ensure the Ball’s success,” he encouraged her. “You deserve recognition for that!”

Carewyn tried to brush this off, but Diego was persistent. After all, the people came to the Passion Ball not just to see the King, but also the Queen. It would make everyone happy to see them both there, united as new co-monarchs -- and it would also make him happy, to see her receiving the praise and respect she’d so rightfully earned.

“When we first met, you said you’d done nothing worth praising yet,” he reminded her with a small smile. “Well, now you have! And I think it’s high time you accepted that praise.”

Eventually, after a lot of effort, he wore down Carewyn’s resolve enough for her to give in and agree. She arrived dressed to the nines in red and pearls -- a complete contrast to Diego’s dark blue velvet with gold trim -- looking very stoic despite the resigned exhaustion in her shoulders and her furtive gaze. She tried hard not to look too uncomfortable -- for most of the evening, she sat primly in her throne at the back of the hall speaking to Chiara, the Jack of Hearts, about far more important matters. Her attempt to look productive and authoritative, however, didn’t fool Diego, and so he cut in, asking the Queen for a dance.

“Diego, you know I’m not one for dancing,” said Carewyn lowly.

“You are one for music, however,” Diego challenged her with a grin. “Come now, Carewyn, the people wish to see you...show them what you can do!”

“I would prefer to do that by working hard for them, as I always have,” sniffed Carewyn. “Not by showing off.”

“Who says you can’t do a bit of both?” asked Diego with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Upon seeing the lack of amusement in Carewyn’s face, Diego offered her a gentler expression.

“Carewyn...I realize this event is more attuned to my tastes than yours -- but you’ve worked so hard to put this all together. It feels wrong that you can’t have any fun, enjoying the fruits of your labors. Seeing you sitting on the sidelines, all serious and gloomy...it saddens me. Especially when you’ve more than earned some time in the sun.”

Carewyn’s face softened slightly too.

“...Diego, I’m grateful. Truly, I am. I know you want me to feel appreciated, after everything I’ve done, and yes, you’re right, I do want that...”

She smiled a bit.

“...But I don’t mind being in your shadow. Every bit of sunlight you receive for our efforts -- I receive it too, in my own way, even without being in it myself. Our people’s happiness -- your happiness -- makes me happy. Knowing my efforts have helped the people I care about and made them happy...that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Diego’s eyes sparkled with something a bit more admiring and fonder.

“You truly are a very selfless person, Queen of Hearts,” he said quietly, as his face spread into a fuller smile. “I’m honored to rule our people alongside you.”

Carewyn's light blue eyes grew a little smaller, her smile that little bit more sincere even as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

“Thank you, Diego,” she said softly, and despite her lady-like composure, it was clear she was quite touched.

Diego extended his hand to Carewyn again.

“Will you accompany me, as I greet the King of Clubs?” he asked. “It’s the first time I’ve met the man...”

Carewyn smiled that bit more wryly. “Of course. As Queen of Hearts, I can hardly leave our King unsupported.”

She took hold of his arm and hoisted herself up to her feet, walking across the hall with Diego.

“Be soft-spoken with his Majesty,” Carewyn counseled him.

Diego blinked. “Oh? Is he easily offended?”

“Not at all,” said Carewyn lightly. “It’s just that I’m certain he’s been as sociable at this party as I have.”

Diego laughed. He quickly stifled his volume, however, as they approached the masked, crowned and green-dressed man who his attendants had indicated was the King of Clubs, who was involved in deep conversation with a man in a wheelchair.

“Perhaps you should introduce me?” asked Diego under his breath.

“Perhaps,” Carewyn agreed.

Upon noting where Diego was steering them, however, her eyes narrowed a bit, and she very quickly diverted him.

“Carewyn?” said Diego, startled. “What are you -- ?”

But Carewyn didn’t answer, instead walking right past the man dressed as the King of Clubs, and instead over to a man dressed in a beaked full-face mask standing off to the side, watching the dancers at a distance.

“King Orion,” she greeted. “Forgive our intrusion.”

The masked man considered Carewyn for a moment. With his face being disguised, it was impossible to read his facial reactions, but his voice came out incredibly warm.

“You are the first to recognize me tonight, your Majesty.”

“I consider that a great honor,” said Carewyn.

The King of Clubs gave her a short bow. The Queen of Hearts’ eyes sparkled fondly as she indicated the King at her side.

“Orion...I’d like you to meet Diego.”

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm cardverse #cardverse AU #carewyn cromwell #diego caplan #chiara lobosca #patricia rakepick #orion amari #my writing #aesthetic

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dweemeister · 2 years ago

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2022 Movie Odyssey

Well, it’s another record set for the the latest date that this list has ever appeared. As per tradition on this blog, this is the complete list of films I saw for the first time in their entirety over the last calendar year. They are listed in the order of completion and with a respective rating out of ten from me. Each rating (my ratings system and eligibility rules are explained here) is based on my personal imdb rating. All half-points are rounded down.

March was defined entirely by my blog’s annual 31 Days of Oscar marathon (in which I limit myself to watching films nominated for an Academy Award or Honorary Academy Award winning films). June and early July were defined almost entirely by viewing submissions for Viet Film Fest - which contributed heavily to the amount of short films (one will notice tons of MGM short films and Popeye as well; the latter I believe I will be completing later in 2023) seen this year.

In sum, I saw 207 films that were new to me in 2021 (a sharp decline from 329 in 2021). 116 of those were features (films defined as forty-one minutes or longer); 91 were short films (forty minutes or shorter). My yearly goal to watch more pre-1980 films than 1980 and after - so as to ensure that I my viewing habits are well-rounded, chronologically - failed for the first time in at least eleven years. Among features, I saw six more features released 1980 and after. Adding both features and shorts, the deficit was nineteen. My professional situation in the second half of the year did not help matters.

What follows is the entire list of the 2022 Movie Odyssey:

JANUARY

The Fly’s Last Flight (1949 short) – 6/10

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) – 7.5/10

Hilda and Mountain King (2021) – 7/10

Babes in Toyland (1961) – 6/10

Sidewalk Stories (1989) – 8.5/10

The Donut King (2020) – 7.5/10

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) – 9.5/10

Baby Wants Spinach (1950 short) – 6/10

Chicana (1979 short) – 6/10

Start Cheering (1938) – 6/10

Ladies of the Chorus (1949) – 6.5/10

Drive My Car (2021, Japan) – 10/10

Belle (2021, Japan) – 6/10

La bestia debe morir (The Beast Must Die) (1952, Argentina) – 9.5/10

The Stork’s Holiday (1943 short) – 5/10

Beach Peach (1950 short) – 6/10

American Revolution 2 (1969) – 6/10

The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) – 8/10

Big Fella (1937) – 5.5/10

What Price Fleadom (1948 short) – 6/10

A Hero (2021, Iran) – 7.5/10

Nightmare Alley (1947) – 9/10

Flee (2021) – 8.5/10

One Ham’s Family (1943 short) – 6/10

FEBRUARY

Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953, France) – 7.5/10

The Doll (1919, Germany) – 9/10

Father Goose (1964) – 7/10

Death on the Nile (2022) – 6/10

MARCH (31 Days of Oscar)

Audible (2021 short) – 8/10

When We Were Bullies (2021 short) – 6/10

On My Mind (2021 short, Denmark) – 6.5/10

Please Hold (2020 short) – 8/10

The Dress (2020 short, Poland) – 7.5/10

The Long Goodbye (2020 short) – 6/10

Ala Kachuu – Take and Run (2020 short, Switzerland/Kyrgyzstan) – 8/10

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (2015, Ukraine) – 7.5/10

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) – 7/10

Three Songs for Benazir (2021 short, Afghanistan) – 7.5/10

Lead Me Home (2021 short) – 7/10

The Queen of Basketball (2021 short) – 8.5/10

A Mighty Wind (2003) – 7/10

The Ladykillers (1955) – 9.5/10

A Patch of Blue (1965) – 9/10

Robin Robin (2021 short) – 8.5/10

Boxballet (2020 short) – 7.5/10

Affairs of the Art (2021 short) – 6.5/10

Bestia (2021 short, Chile) – 8/10

The Windshield Wiper (2021 short) – 7/10

Nightmare Alley (2021) – 7/10

Midnight Express (1978) – 6/10

Don’t Look Up (2021) – 4/10

The Power of the Dog (2021) – 8.5/10

CODA (2021) – 7/10

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) – 6.5/10

King Richard (2021) – 7.5/10

Loves of a Blonde (1965, Czechoslovakia) – 8/10

APRIL

Love Me or Leave Me (1955) – 6.5/10

The Batman (2022) – 8/10

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) – 8.5/10

Mahapurush (The Holy Man) (1965, India) – 6/10

Penny Serenade (1941) – 7.5/10

The Proud Valley (1940) – 7/10

The Oyster Princess (1919, Germany) – 7.5/10

When the Cat’s Away (1935 short) – 6/10

Turning Red (2022) – 7/10

Bull Durham (1988) – 7/10

Pillow Talk (1959) – 8/10

The Ancestral (2022, Vietnam) – 4/10

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) – 8/10

Anaïs in Love (2021, France) – 6/10

MAY (VFF submissions marked with asterisk)

Time After Time (1979) – 7/10

Memoria (2021, Colombia) – 7/10

An Inn in Tokyo (1935, Japan) – 7.5/10

Lady on a Train (1945) – 6/10

Petite Maman (2021, France) – 9/10

Gym Jam (1950 short) – 6/10

How Green is My Spinach (1950 short) – 7/10

Bi, Don’t Be Afraid (Bi, đừng sợ!) (2010, Vietnam) – 6/10

Jitterbug Jive (1950 short) – 6/10

Popeye Makes a Movie (1950 short) – 5/10

Footy Legends (2006) – 7/10

Ganashatru (An Enemy of the People (1989, India) – 7/10

Quick on the Vigor (1950 short) – 6/10

Rio in Rhythm (1950 short) – 8/10

Let’s Stalk Spinach (1951 short) – 6/10

Container (2021 short, Canada) – 8/10*

Free Your Mind (2021 short) – experimental film; score withheld*

Why Am I Still Alive? (2019 short, Canada) – 6.5/10*

No Man of Her Own (1950) – 7.5/10

Double-Cross Country Race (1951 short) – 5.5/10

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) – 7/10

Alpine for You (1951 short) – 6.5/10

The Farmer and the Belle (1950 short) – 6/10

Punch and Judo (1951 short) – 7/10

Thrill of Fair (1951 short) – 6/10

Antonio Gaudí (1984) – 6.5/10

Go for Broke! (1951) – 6.5/10

Spellbound (2002) – 7/10

JUNE

Gomenasai (2022 short) – score withheld*

Love, Laugh, Doom, Tears (2021 short) – 6.5/10*

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (2021, Japan) – 6.5/10

ALETHEIA (2022 short) – 6/10*

Vacation with Play (1951 short) – 6/10

good enough (2021 short) – 6/10*

Granny Boot Camp (2022 short) – 7/10*

Closing Time (2021 short) – 4/10*

A Realm of Return (2020, Canada) – 6/10*

Trespasser (2022 short) – 6/10*

Cà Phê 179 (2021 short, Canada) – 5/10*

Mabel (2022 short) – 7/10*

A Crack in the Mountain (2022) – 8/10*

Luv, Me (2021 short) – 7/10*

All I Ever Wanted (2021 short) – 7/10*

Exposed (2020 short) – 6/10*

Project Lullaby: CHOICE (2021 short) – experimental film; score withheld*

MiMi (2022 short, Vietnam) – 6.5/10*

Monkey in the Middle (2022 short, Vietnam) – 6/10*

Crouching Comic (2021 short) – 7/10*

Niềm đam mê (La passion) (2021 short, France) – 7/10*

Spring Roll Dream (2022 short, United Kingdom) – 8/10*

Me (Mom) (2019 short) – 7/10*

After Taste (2022 short, Vietnam) – 5.5/10*

Popeye’s Pappy (1952 short) – 5/10

Lightyear (2022) – 6/10

Friend or Phony (1952 short) – 5/10

Iris (2022 short) – 7/10*

Stinkfrucht (Taste of Home) (2022 short, Germany) – 8/10*

The Greatest Poem (2022 short) – 7/10*

Breakdown (2022 short) – 6/10*

Thuy & T. (2021 short) – experimental film; score withheld*

Talk to Me (2022 short) – 7/10*

Places and Times (2022 short) – 7/10*

It Was Time to Reconnect (2022 short) – 6/10*

The Aberrant (2022 short) – 6/10*

Thunderclouds (2022 short) – 7/10*

Fourth Block (2022 short) – 6.5/10*

My Mother’s Daughter (2022 short) – 7/10*

Mai Tell-Tale (2022 short) – 5/10*

Đêm Tối Rực Rỡ! (The Brilliant Darkness!) (2022, Vietnam) – 6.5/10*

Elvis (2022) – 6.5/10

Big Bad Sindbad (1952 short) – 5/10

Once Upon a Bridge in Vietnam (2022, France) – 6/10*

Buffalo Boy (2004, Vietnam) – 7.5/10

The Wiz (1978) – 6/10

Maika (2022, Vietnam) – 6.5/10*

Jimmy in Saigon (2022) – 7/10*

JULY

Memento Mori: Earth (2022, Vietnam) – 7.5/10*

Children of the Mist (2021, Vietnam) – 8/10*

Side Seeing: The Movie (2022, Vietnam) – 4/10*

Camouflage – Vietnamese Brush Strokes with History (2018) – 6/10*

Tiệc Trăng M��u (Blood Moon Party) (2020, Vietnam) – 7/10*

The Rescuers (1977) – 6/10

My Vietnam (2022) – 4/10*

Memoryland (2021, Vietnam) – 6.5/10*

Popalong Popeye (1952 short) – 6/10

The Black Cauldron (1985) – 4/10

Nope (2022) – 7/10

Shuteye Popeye (1952 short) – 6/10

Swimmer Take All (1952 short) – 6/10

Tots of Fun (1952 short) – 7/10

Oliver & Company (1988) – 5/10

AUGUST

The Rescuers Down Under (1990) – 6/10

The Prince and the Pauper (1990 short) – 6/10

The Gang’s All Here (1943) – 6/10

The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970) – 7.5/10

Three Women (1924) – 6/10

SEPTEMBER

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) – 7/10

Pressure Point (1962) – 6/10

See How They Run (2022) – 7/10

The Woman King (2022) – 7/10

OCTOBER

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949) – 6/10

Babes in Arms (1939) – 6/10

Meet Danny Wilson (1952) – 6/10

The Scapular (1968, Mexico) – 7.5/10

Misterios de ultratumba (Black Pit of Dr. M) (1959, Mexico) – 7/10

The Masque of Red Death (1964) – 7/10

Two Boobs in a Balloon (1935 short) – 6.5/10

Nut Guilty (1936 short) – 6/10

The Red House (1947) – 7/10

NOVEMBER

El vampiro negro (1953, Argentina) – 7.5/10

Minnie the Moocher (1942 short) – 7/10

9 to 5 (1980) – 7.5/10

The World at Their Feet (1970) – 7.5/10

The Grandmother (1970 short) – experimental film; score withheld

Le Million (1931, France) – 7.5/10

Two Billion Hearts (1995) – 7/10

Ancient Fistory (1953 short) – 6/10

The Fabelmans (2022) – 8/10

Shaving Muggs (1953 short) – 6/10

Baby Wants a Bottle (1953 short) – 6/10

Johnny Guitar (1954) – 7/10

Glass Onion (2022) – 7.5/10

Popeye, the Ace of Space (1953) – 6/10

Island in the Sun (1957) – 6/10

DECEMBER

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) – 8/10

Firemen’s Brawl (1953 short) – 6/10

Popeye’s Mirthday (1953 short) – 6/10

Toreadorable (1953 short) – 5/10

Bride and Gloom (1954 short) – 5/10

Fright to the Finish (1954 short) – 7/10

Greek Mirthology (1954 short – 6/10

Popeye’s 20th Anniversary (1954 short) – 5/10

Private Eye Popeye (1954 short) – 6/10

Taxi-Turvy (1954 short) – 6/10

A Job for a Gob (1955 short) – 6/10

Mister and Mistletoe (1955 short) – 6/10

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) – 7.5/10

So closes out, finally, the 2022 Movie Odyssey. Thanks to you all for being a part, whichever ways large or small, of it.

#My Movie Odyssey

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jade-everstone · 2 years ago

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The yearly tradition returns: 2022's Summary of Art!

And hey, I did something a little more design-y than my past ones! Will admit it was a bit tricky to fit each month's pics into the frames this time but I'm glad I tried a different look than usual

thoughts on each pic + reflection on the web + how I want to handle art going into the new year below:

January - Iri Intro!

From a somewhat short-lived thing I wanted to try out: Doing sketches of OCs just to serve as an introduction reguardless of quality. The good thing is, because quality's not a factor I can do these whenever in whatever format or polish. I just prefered doing larger pics this year

Febuary - A 'Cereal' Debate (comic short)

Ok, but she's got a point when you think about it.

From a comics class I took spring this year. The only prompt was "conversation"... well, heated debate in this case.

March - The School Mystery (comic short)

Another one from that Comics class and goddamn I think the panel featured here alone is one of the hardest things I drew that semester. That's pen and ink with minimal digital edits and damn hoping one day I could somehow make a longer comic with a similar style bc it was really fun to ink honestly.

April - The Fish Project

JADE WITH THE FRESH SALMON???? REAL!

Ok but for the real context, this was an April fools project I had in the works since 2021. I turned all my active art accounts at the time into an OC Fishing irony page and sent Jade, Iri, Risa, Jpeg, and both Prisma's on a fishing trip. Not sure how I'll top that in the future... I'm not revealing until April >:)

May - MOONROT

May was when I redesigned & revealed Io to the public! They got a bunch of art this month, but the CN challenge art is my favorite of all of them.

Huh. Suprised I didn't immediately burn out because that semester was extreme in terms of work. I guess wanting to draw Io was that strong.

June - Life, After Wither

A pre-Artfight 2022 pic: I was Team Wither! I like doing splash pics for my own page for Artfight and this stayed my main banner for just about most of the year.

The mini-story I made up for this is these three teamed up across dimentions or something to visit this forest.

July - In the Studio, fr

I don't normally do post-Artfight related pics, but Moog ended up getting the most attacks this year and I wanted to give her an extra pic based on it.

Seems she kept a souviner from the forest in the last pic.

August - B-Hold! The Portal King!

For Clockday on Newgrounds, Strawberry clock the portal King himself!

Kept getting swept up with other things to jump on Newgrounds events, I wasn't gonna miss one of the bigger ones!

September - // DIRECTION //

(outside of being gay for the robot-) I just wanted to draw Alia tbh. With a similar energy she had in her older art too.

October - HELLSPAWN

ABSOLUTELY NEFARIOUS HALLOWEEN PIC!!!

Featuring Io's true/original form + their 'powered-up' state

November - The Fowl Pest (Mock-Cover)

The last two are for my Digital Illustration class. This one is a mock-book cover based on a worldbuilding project of mine (still need to organize it before sharing).

Though tbh if I do want to do more art for said project I might go tra-digital or use a grittier style. During crit I was told this looked "middle-grade"... when the world is "older-YA/Adult"... still like the pic, but damn.

December - Lan Party!

*Sigh* Always wanted to go to one of these! But alas, me and my irls are all busy these days. This is based off a different project I'm working on.

I ended up debuting some different designs for my OCs for said project (notably; Iri, Risa, and Human!Midi) but separate pics for them will have to come next year. In terms of digital lineart, this was the most intense I did this year (traditional lineart comes easier to me than digital).

---

So... 2022. Jesus Christ

This year was rough for me on things personal, and things non-personal. I mean jesus christ every other week something came out that was hostile to artists one way or another on top of some rough patches in my life. I don't want to jinx 2023 or leave things on this note though...

I think my biggest takeaway from this year is I need to rethink a lot of things. How I want to do art, where I want to go, or even my 'digital wellbeing'. This year, I realized keeping art a Hobby or staying "part-time" (as in small gigs & private comms only) might be healthier for me in the long run. I've already had my doubts with a lot of "professional" practices when I was shooting for it (a tl:dr it felt like "no fun allowed" half the time). But realizing how horribly i've treated myself and my art with this chase? That was another thing.

I think i've done a lot of strong pics compared to past years. Especially in terms of backgrounds and not being afraid to draw them (though I could always use more practice, lol). But I've also come to terms with I've been affected by social media without realizing it and how it hurt how I do art. Basically, for the past two years I've been working under the fear of being boxed into doing one thing. Be it fanart, genres, etc. To the point I stopped doing things to force a "brand". Specifically, I stopped doing fanart unless it's oc-centric. I hid straight-up fanart, and started getting irrationally upset over the metrics fanart gets over my original works.

And I hate it. I hate how I let myself judge the value of my work over "numbers and engagement". I hate how I boxed myself in trying to avoid being boxed, because of chasing this corporate measurement of worth. And most importantly, I hate that I nearly forgot that I enjoyed making fanart, because of some dumb culture caused by social media numbers and algorithms. I'm exhausted. So for 2023, I think I want my main resolution to do better with my online life & how I treat myself and my art. I want to pull away from social media a bit more (ironic considered i just came back here heh), spend more time on the slower web & offline if possible, and break that cycle of letting numbers judge my self-worth. And maybe help others do the same. It's much easier said than done, but I don't want to do nothing about this toxic hellscape that is how art is treated online, I want to do something even if the only person I directly help is myself.

And for what it's worth, focusing on my site so far has been cathartic. It's somewhere I can set up my art, projects, weird shit, etc. on my own terms, how I like it. It's quieter over there. And I'm glad I kept working on it beyond just a "portfolio site".

But I guess I have all of 2023 (and what's left of 2022) to process that. For now, I could use some extra time to pretty-up my website some more and take a few more naps before the year ends.

---

extra note: this post is a (slightly modified) mirror of a post over on the everlogs:

Website Version Here!

#art summary #art summary 2022 #2022 #2022 summary of art

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thewritewolf · 5 years ago

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Eating Habits Chapter 1: Anniversary

Things have never looked better for Adrien and his girlfriend, Marinette. Adrien has been living happily on his own, with frequent visits to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Marinette is about to enter a design university and already has a thriving online store. Gabriel Agreste is serving a 184 year long sentence (92 on good behavior). Yes, it looks like its all turned out wonderfully for them in the last six years.

Now, if only Adrien could convince Marinette to take things easy, everything would be just perfect...

(While this is the third part in the series, you can skip the first two parts without missing much besides soft fluff)

First Part: Four Times and the Lucky One | Ao3

Second Part: Just Between Us | Ao3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3.

Adrien glanced at the clock. Still an hour or two to go before their date for the anniversary, but now was as good a time as any to stop. He slowed down and turned off the treadmill. Just because there wasn’t any supervillains left to fight didn’t mean he should let himself get out of shape, after all. Or maybe it wasn’t so much his superhero instincts as his supermodel instincts.

Either way, the highlights of both those careers were behind him, even if he could still technically be called both.

After getting changed back into his street clothes, Adrien stepped out of the gym and made his way home to take a shower. Or at least, what counted as his home for now. The apartment he lived in was fancier than what Marinette was used to, but it was still a big downgrade from the manor that he had spent his childhood in. He preferred it this way though - there was more life with a few neighbors around, and less space meant less that he had to fill. Besides, he wasn’t there a lot so it didn’t matter much anyway.

A shower, fresh change into nice clothes, some expensive cologne, half an hour making his hair the perfect balance of messy and styled, some extra cheese to keep Plagg fat and lazy, and he was out the door again.

No, the place where he really spent most of his time was where he was headed now - the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The place had practically become his real home years ago. Not long after he started dating Marinette, as a matter of fact. Tom and Sabine weren’t his in-laws… yet. But he was sure they would be someday. In the meantime, they treated him as one of their own, with all the love and affection he never had before.

He almost walked past a flower shop without going inside. Almost. On the bright side, he did refrain from buying Marinette a whole bouquet of flowers. But only because she was very insistent that she was running out of space for them all. Between his lack of impulse control and her green thumb, her small room over the bakery was becoming more like a greenhouse than a bedroom. Instead, he settled for just one flower.

The bakery smelled as delicious and wonderful as it had every day he’d ever gone there. He’d gotten the scent of bread and sweets so associated with the place that just a whiff was enough to make his heart soar. The bell above the door alerted them to his arrival.

Sabine smiled at him as he approached and they shared cheek kisses. “Oh, hello, sweetheart! It’s wonderful to see you again!” She said it was such feeling that Adrien had never doubted her, even if it was always the first thing she said to him every time they saw each other. “Will you be coming over for dinner again this weekend?”

“Of course, maman! How could I refuse such a delicious meal?”

“Is that Adrien?” A man’s booming voice shouted from the kitchen in the back. Tom emerged, a wide grin on his face and flour all over him as he walked toward Adrien.

Adrien’s eyes widened and he held up his hands. “Wait, I-” But it was too late. Tom had picked him up in a great big bear huge and he was lifted so high that his feet dangled off the ground.

“Oh, sorry, son!” Tom had the decency to look down abashedly at the mess he’d made of Adrien’s nice clothes, which were now spotted with flour.

“Don’t worry, papa. This won’t take me long to fix. I got here plenty early,” Adrien flashed a quick smile up at Tom. “Actually, is Marinette here? I could probably use her help.”

“Sure, sure.” Tom waved a hand toward the back door leading into their home. “She’s probably working in her room as we speak.”

He smiled and waved at the both of them before heading upstairs, feeling just like the fourteen year old boy who’d visit after school years ago. He opened her trapdoor and sure enough, there she was. So lost in her commissions that she hadn’t gotten ready for their date yet. Which also meant she hadn’t noticed him yet, and he got to bask in her ‘focus face’ - tongue slightly out, nose scrunched, eyes narrowed - for a little while longer.

While he would’ve been fine missing their reservation if it meant watching her work for a little longer, alas, she eventually noticed him. She fell backwards with a squawk and he rushed forward to give her a hand up.

“Adrien what are you-” She winced. “It’s today, isn’t it?”

He nodded patiently.

“...How long have you been watching?”

“Long enough to remember all over again just how adorable you are.”

She groaned. “I was making the face again wasn’t I?”

He kissed the hand he had taken to help her up. “Precious as always.” He held out the flower he had bought for her, a white tulip. “For you, my lady.”

Her eyebrows scrunched up, but the tension left her face almost immediately as she smelled the flower. She smiled up at him. “My favorite.”

“A tulip for your two lips?” He leaned down and closed his eyes.

“Oh my God, Adrien,” she said, laughing. “Okay, fine, but only because you went through all that effort.” She pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did. She pulled away and seemed to notice his suit for the first time. A twinkle of mirth shone in her eyes. “I see papa got a little too excited to see you again.”

“Nothing new there.” He shrugged. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help a poor boy out…?”

“Sure, just give me a minute to get changed.”

“No problem,” Adrien sat down on her well worn chaise and made no secret of watching her.

“Adrien…”

“Hm…?”

“Downstairs, sunshine.” She sternly pointed at the trapdoor. “I’ll call you back up when I’m ready.” Pouting, he paused every other step to shoot a pleading look at her over his shoulder. Eventually she got tired of him and pushed him forward, laughing. “Go, you tomcat!”

Adrien stepped outside her bedroom and sat on the stairs. Pulling out his phone, he checked the time and double checked his reservation. They still had half an hour to get there and it was close by. Plenty of time. After a few minutes of listening to rustling clothing, the door was opened above him and he walked back in.

“What do you think?”

Adrien’s eyes roved over her light summer dress and its pastel colors. He cupped her cheek with a soft smile.

“As beautiful as ever, lovebug.” He stepped back and offered his arm. “Ready to go?”

She giggled and gestured to his suit. “Forgetting something?”

A glance down reminded him of the flour. “Ah, right. I think I remember you promising me a hand?

After a quick clean up, they walked arm in arm out of the bakery and to their favorite restaurant.

----------------

The night was already going well with good food and a pleasant buzz from their drinks. Conversation was flowing between them, mostly one-sided as Marinette filled him in on everything that had happened since the last time they’d gotten to chat freely the week before. More commissions. Her last shifts at the bakery. Which brought her to the reasons she’d been saving so much money in the first place.

“...So I found an apartment.”

Adrien smiled as he poured both of them another glass of wine. “I can’t wait to see it. How close is it to your university?”

“That’s the best part! It’s within walking distance, just a couple blocks away.” Marinette took a sip of her wine while doing a happy shimmy. “I’ll save on commuting costs, and the rent is super cheap too.”

There was a surge of worry before Adrien quickly smoothed it over. Just because it was cheap didn’t mean it was bad. Maybe she’d just found a good deal was all. And even if it was… lacking… she’d be able to improve it, no problem.

“I’m so happy for you! You’re already ahead of the fashion game with all your contacts and professional experience. Having an education in design will be the final thing you need to really excel in the business. You’re going to do amazing, I just know it!”

“Thanks!” She ducked her head shyly. “I’ve been so nervous about… well, everything, to be honest,” she admitted with a giggle. “In a little under a month, I’ll be out of the bakery and putting my skills to the test. And it’s a pretty prestigious university, so I bet I’ll have some competition too.”

“It’s nothing you can’t handle, princess.” His smile faded as he swirled the last dregs in his wine glass.

He felt her take his other hand and he looked up to see her concerned frown. “I know it’s hard, Adrien, and I’m sorry Nino and Alya couldn’t make it. But you know we’re all right here behind you, all the way.”

He nodded, biting his lips. It’d been two years to the day. They had all met up last year to celebrate... and to forget. Sure, he didn’t expect it to really turn into a yearly tradition, and Alya and Nino had tried their best to make it... but it still stung a little that they couldn’t.

“I’ve been talking your ear off this whole time about what I’m doing. What about you, kitty?” She leaned forward to rest her chin and her hands, looking at him with tender affection in her eyes. “What’s next in life for you?”

Adrien didn’t have an answer for that.

---------------

Full, laughing, and slightly tipsy, Adrien walked Marinette to her front door just as the streetlights began to turn on.

“And you know I’ll be there for you forever and ever and ever, yeah?” He grinned from ear to ear, looking more like Chat Noir than Adrien Agreste in the moment.

“Silly kitty.” She leaned in a little closer. “I think just helping me move in a couple of weeks will be enough.”

His arm snaked around her waist, pressing her flush to him. “Then you can count on my help. Even if I have to carry in a hundred boxes alone.” He pulled back one arm to flex.

She rested her forehead against his chest and laughed. “You’re such a dork.”

“Your dork.”

She hummed in agreement. Rolling onto her toes, she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. “Good night, Adrien. I love you.”

He sighed happily. “Ahh, that takes me back.” He let her pull away from him. “I love you too, Marinette. Pleasant dreams.”

After flashing him one more smile, she ducked inside and closed the door behind her. Adrien spent a few long moments standing there, grinning like a dork, before a tiny, snide voice from inside his coat pocket drew him out of his reverie.

“You done staring at the woodwork, kid? Or do you want a few more minutes?”

He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t even manage to be exasperated. He was riding high after tonight, and he felt like nothing could drag him down. Not even grumpy cheese cats.

While it wouldn’t take him long to get home as Chat Noir… the summer night was warm and pleasant. He could almost pretend to see the stars above him. It would be a shame not to enjoy a little stroll back to his apartment.

On his way inside, he noticed that he had mail, but was in such a pleasant mood that he didn’t even glance at it until he’d shut his door behind him. As he kicked off his shoes, he finally looked at the envelope.

The prison-issued envelope.

His smile, a semi-permanent fixture on his face ever since heading over the bakery earlier that day, vanished like fog before the dawn. After skimming the contents, he neatly folded it back up and tossed it into a box of depressingly similar letters.

Try as he might, he couldn’t shake off the bad mood. His only consolation as he drifted off to sleep was that at least tomorrow would be a new day.

#Miraculous Ladybug #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Adrienette #tom dupain #Sabine Cheng #Plagg #ml fanfiction #my writing #Eating Habits #The Lucky One series #Can't tell you how long I've wanted to write this series #been sitting in my inbox for months #some of it is *at least* from december of last year #and now we're getting into the meat of it!#very excited for this

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righthererightzao · 7 years ago

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Honest Q&A Meme: Zaoka Aloka

What is your full name? “Zaoka Aloka!~”

What do your friends call you? “Most o’ me friends jist call me Zao fer short!”

What is your favorite animal? “Carbuncles! A man can find no greater companion in a Carbuncle. Ye treat dem roi, an ye’ll have a friend fer life! Also dare jist plan adorable!”

Where were you born? “I was born in de Sout’ern Islands in Limsa Lominsa!”

Do you have children? “Not at de current moment in time, but mayhaps in de future!”

Is there a person/people you love? “Elle Belle.~ She brings so much colour an’ warmt’ ter my world. I can’t help but feel at peace when she’s dare. I love her wit all my heart an’ I want nuttin’ more den ter make her happy. Den dare are me friends, whom are like family ter me, an’ I would do everyt’in’ wit’in my power ter keep each an’ every single one o’ dem safe.”

What is your favorite color? “Me favourite colour’d have ter be blue! It’s such a calmin’ colour an’ it always makes me t’ink o’ home.”

What is your full occupation? “I work as a Doctor. I have a clinic in which I operate down in de Sailors Ward o’ de Sout’ern Islands, as well as workin’ as de resident healer o’er at de Midnight Bastion in de Mists.”

Are you good at physical fighting? “Hah! No.”

Which form are you best at? “Proper form!~ De kind where I buy everyone a drink an’ call fer calm rat’er den t’rowin’ my fists about~”

What about magic? “I've been dedicated ter Arcanima fer de best part o’ seventeen summers now, studyin’ under de tutalage o’ Master Ormr Ironmane.”

Which type are you best at? “Like me master before me, I provide succour ter dose in need, an’ as such I specialise in healin’ an’ protective magics.”

Craftsmanship? “I’ve dabbled in putting toget’er a few protective charms. Nuttin fancy, mark ye, but dey do de trick!”

Any other skills? “I also do a spot o’ fishin’ in me own time. Nuttin’ is more relaxin’ den castin’ me line inter de sea patiently waitin’ fer dat tug o de line, quickly followed by dat rush o’ adrenaline once summit’ finally bites an’ ye fight ter reel it in! I also like ter cook on occasion... Oh! I’m also not bad at playin’ Tripple Triad, de real sport o’ kings!~”

Are you an only child? “I’m not, no! I’m de youngest o’ five siblin’s. T’ough sadly de ot’ers take more after our Da’ more den our Ma’. Always workin’ some kind o’ con ter take honest coin from dare fellow man. I try ter distance mesel’ from dem, however... Dey are family, an’ I always worry dat one Sun, dey are goin’ ter try an’ con de wrong person...”

Where do you see yourself in five years? “Hmmm dat’s a good question! Most likley in de same place I’m in now, t’ough I do hope ter at least have a home wit’ Elle dat we can call our own!”

Have you ever almost died? “A few times... When ye work out in de field, ye’ll end up wit’ de occasional brush wit’ deat’ but I would dare not let dat ever deter me from my duty ter dose under my care.”

Do you have a secret, not just a secret, but like a really big secret hardly anyone knows? “I try ter keep mesel’ an open book fer de most part, an’ while I do have a few secrets I like ter keep ter mesel... I wouldn’t call any o’ dem ‘big’ persay.”

Salty or sweet? “I am a fiend fer sweet t’ings! T’ough I really shouldn’t indulge mesel as much as I do.. Heh.. heh....”

Do you like yourself? “Aye, I like mesel! I can be hard on mesel at times... Mayhaps more den I should, but not ter de point where it goes down de pat’ o’ self loat’in.’”

Do you believe in the Twelve? “Aye, I’m a believer o’ de twelve, t’ough I mostly pay homage ter Llymlaen, de Navigator.”

Are you religious? “I wouldn’t say I’m devout as such, However... After de Calamity, I take it upon mesel ter partake in de yearly pilgrimage ter de twelve sites o’ Llymlaen.”

Do you carry prejudice with you? “Honestly? I try ter keep me heart free from prejudice. However durin’ me time servin’ as a freelance Doctor in de Ala Mhigan Conflict... Once de victory horn was sounded.. Whilst providin’ succour ter dose in need, dare were t’ings I saw... T’ings dat can only colour my view o’ de Garlean Empire an’ dose from it as less den favourable, ter put t’ings mildly...”

What do you consider entertainment? “Triple Triad~ It’s de best way ter make friends! Ye learn a lot about a person t’rough dat game! All in de cards dey use in dare deck as well as de manor o’ strategy dey employ! Next ter dat, I do love a good singsong~ Can’t carry a note ter save me life, so I leave date ter de professionals o’ de craft!”

Favorite drink? “Ye can’t beat a good Rolanberry Cider! T’ough I do limit mesel ter at least one on me nights off~ Doesn’t help ter have de Doctor in a state o’ merryment, aye?”

Do you have any family traditions? “A few on our Ma’s side. She came ter Vylbrand from de Sout’ern Seas, an’ it was her tradition fer her children ter have familial tattoos once dey were o’ dare eigt’ Summer.”

Are you a good person? “I don’t t’ink dat’s a question we can honestly answer oursel’s. Dat’s more summit dat ot’er folks would measure ye. I certainly strive ter be a good person, wit’ each passin’ Sun. I can only hope me actions prove as such an’ will not find me wantin’.”

Thank you for answering my questions. “A pleasure! T’anks fer askin!~”

Tagged By: @thegildenheart (Thank you! \ovo/ ) Tagging: @ffxiv-ofthewhite @summoningthemoon @aethersent @talesofwight @bexli-nelhah @dd-ffxiv @ffxivtribehydrae @trishelle @meandering-mind @locke-rinannis @thebaileymail @kikilukilu @chidorifarcloud @hithren @moonhartsffxiv @una-xiv @arned-and-dangerous @missmeela @ganchinuaxiv and anyone else who’d like to do it! \ovo/

#Final Fantasy XIV #FFXIV #Lalafell #Zaoka Aloka #IC #Honest Q&E meme

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ourcollectivefantasy · 7 years ago

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Q&A for Aelberyn

What is your full name? "Lady Aelberyn Bloodsword of House Akh'Argar." What do your friends call you? “I permit my friends to address me as Aelberyn.” What is your favorite animal? "I think... owlcats.” She half-smiles and adds, "Mostly large cat types, like panthers and nightsabers." Where were you born? "Right here in Bloodsword Hall, in Silvermoon City, as all Bloodswords have been born since our House was established.” Do you have children? "I do; twin toddlers, Fib and Aelenna who we call by her middle name - Sean - since too many "Aels" can get confusing." Is there a person/people you love? “I love Iloam, my E'riom'O - my cherished one. I care deeply for my husband Jericho as well." What is your favorite color? “Dark purple, like the color of plums.” What is your full occupation? That question gives her pause, and she sits up, tilting her head slightly as she considers. "Occupation: that's an interesting choice of word. I suppose my primary occupation would be the Lady of House Akh'Argar, though I am also a Priestess of the Holy Light, a healer and doctor of emergency, surgical, and internal medicines including forensic sciences, and a Medic and Champion in the Silvermoon Armed Forces. Are you good at physical fighting? "I can hold my own." Which form are you best at? "Blunt weaponry and hand to hand combat.” What about magic? "I have some affinity for Light and shadow." Which type are you best at? "My strengths veer towards healing and support, though I have spent years exercising discipline over the offensive use of divine and shadow energies.” Craftsmanship? “Not... really. I am a competent seamstress and excellent alchemist, though my propensity is to maintain standard rote rather than exercise creativity." Any other skills? "My healing skills go beyond wielding the Light to practical usage, and my creativity is expressed through employing medical science and experimentation. I excell at research and studying science, theology, psychology and sociology, philosophy, cultural and magical studies, and history. I am a capable planner and tactician. I am an adequate cook, particularly baking. I occassionally dabble in writing poetry." Are you an only child? “Yes, my mother died before she was able to produce other children for my father.” Where do you see yourself in five years? A faint, wry smirk twists her lips as she tilts her head thoughtfully. "The world has constantly changed, and life continues to introduce new scenarios that complicate or negate any plans I establish for the long term. At this point I'm inclined to avoid planning that far ahead and addressing life as it comes. That said, ideally and if all is maintained on the same present trajectory, I see myself caring and building up my house, both actually and politically. Establishing a sound education and future for my children. Being an active part of the healing and renewal of our people after long, painful decades of war and destruction. Doing fun, unexpected things with Iloam." Have you ever almost died? "Quite a few times, in battle and other dangerous situations. Apparently I actually did die at one point, though the circumstances were unusual and the healing was immediate.” Do you have a secret, not just a secret, but like a really big secret hardly anyone knows? ”I am sure everyone does. Mine are not particularly interesting to anyone but myself, alas.” Salty or sweet? Another head tilt as she considers the question a moment. "Honestly it depends on what I crave at the moment. I think my tastes lean more towards savory than sweet." Do you like yourself? ”There are aspects about myself I could certainly improve upon, but overall, I would say yes, I am pretty great.” She grins a bit then and adds, "Though I imagine I would not be particularly fond of myself if I had to deal with myself like other people have to deal with me. " Do you believe in the Old Gods? "Of course. The evidence of thier existance, as well as the Titans, the celestials, the troll's loa, and other gods, are really incontrovertible. Denying them would be like denying the fact that we possess beating hearts or that the mountains are made of rocks." Are you religious? ”I am a Priestess of the Holy Light, and I do strongly believe the Light connects all living things.” Do you carry prejudice with you? “I do, alas, though I try not to treat other races with disrespect. It isn't that I believe sin'dorei are necessarily better, you see. I just like them more." What do you consider entertainment? "Reading, experimenting, exploring - I really enjoy learning new things. Iloam got me into battle ball, and I enjoy watching that. I enjoy listening to music and going to concerts and clubs. Ah... and I've been known to enjoy a bit of brawling, under the proper circumstances." Favorite drink? ”Whiskey sour, so I can enjoy the whiskey without making that embarrassing face.” Do you have any family traditions? "We have a few, or are starting a few," she smiles softly. "Iloam is more knowledgeable about actual traditions, and there are a few we've adopted as a family. The House has a yearly noble garden egg hunt for all the children, that's always fun. We also go trick or treating around Hallow's End. Our best traditions are around Winter's Veil - particularly Hogmanay. I've grown to enjoy that holiday more and more as we continue to celebrate it." Are you a good person? One long brow rises at that question. "What constitutes a good person? Or a bad one, for that matter? What percentage of the time must one be engaged in "good deeds" to qualify? How many "bad deeds" must one do until they are no longer a good person?" She slowly shakes her head, furrowing her brow. "I am a person. I am inherently selfish and flawed like everyone else, and I try to do the right thing for myself and my House. I am a servant of the Holy Light, and encourage positive connections according to my faith, but I know there are many who would disagree with me and my actions at times. They would not think I was a good person. Would their judgement be invalid, based on their perceptions of the matter?" She sighs, realizing she's rambling way more than necessary and smiles gently. "I am a person. I am good and bad. I try, and I make mistakes, and I sometimes fail. But I never give up trying. I think, in the end, that's the most important thing. That we don't give up trying to be better than what we are."

Tagged by: @loveherdekay and Iloam

Tagging: Jericho, @kharrisdawndancer, @rethelia, @duskwrath, @riverblade, @stormofmercy, @seetheotherways, @the-silversorrows

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jaymysteri0 · 5 years ago

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Television designer and winner of the Aspen Comics Talent Hunt Chris Callahan had a comic book debut with The Misplaced, about love, death, and the limitations of Paradise published last week. He writes,

Before we get to the step-by-step, full-proof, never-fail, extensively researched formula for how to break into comics, I’d like to tell you a quick story (names redacted to protect the innocent) about how it’s impossible to break into comics…

I have two friends relevant to this article. Person A has been grinding on the con circuit he sells a fair amount of books at each show he does, he’s run several successful Kickstarters, and he has a small but loyal fanbase that buys everything he self-publishes. Far as I know he’s never had a “paid gig” in comics. Person B has had a couple series put out by a major publisher, and he recently wrote something for one of the big two.

Of the two people in question, it’s Person B who feels like he’s still trying to break into comics. After all, his paid work is sporadic, and he’s not really making a living at comics yet.

In truth, “breaking in” first boils down to you and how you define “in”. After all, who’s to say a creator with his own self-published book slinging floppies at the local con isn’t “in” comics?

If you read no further in this article, read this: Do not make your definition of breaking in something out of your control. If you won’t feel like you’ve made it until you’ve been discovered by Marvel, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of frustration that won’t be productive. Marvel does the hiring, not you. Don’t give someone else control of your goals.

No two people I know, or have observed during my time as a con rat, became a comic pro in the same way. The twists and turns and possibilities are too varied. But all of them that went from “I wanna make a comic” to (in one case) working on a TV show based on their comic checked these boxes…

Step 1: Produce Content

Obviously, right? Nope. I went to a “breaking in” panel at a con a few years ago. The moderator started by asking, “How many of you have a comic or portfolio with you?” Only about half raised their hand. “To everyone not raising their hand, you should leave and spend the next 45 minutes making something,” the moderator said. Fun fact: I was one of the people that didn’t raise his hand.

The point was taken, though. No one will hire you to write a comic, draw a comic, or letter a comic until you’ve already demonstrated the ability to do so. Incidentally, no one can impulse-buy a comic from your table at a show if you don’t have any books on said table. Even in the world of crowdfunding, you have to at the very least produce SOMETHING that convinces people to back it.

If you’re a writer, write. If you’re an artist, draw. Don’t wait for permission. Trust me, never once has a Marvel talent scout walked up to a random person at a con and said the following: “I don’t know you, but you seem pretty cool, I bet you can spin a good yarn, wanna write Spider- Man?”

Step 2: Put that content where people can find it

For me, it was posting Misplaced artwork on Twitter that finally got me some attention. Ironically I was posting art before there was a story. They were just random pieces of art with a rough thematic link. But friends kept commenting with things like, “I can’t wait for this book!” So I immediately started writing the book.

Twitter was my ticket, but like I said above, no two people follow the same path to a creative career. The main point here is to “put it out there” via a means you control. There are various web comic outlets. Or if you have a full digital comic, comiXology could be the way to go. Even your own site. You’ve just got to make that content you created available.

Other means of putting it out there:

– If you have a self-published floppy, get a table at your local con. Shelf space at a shop or distribution through Diamond both have barriers to entry. All a table requires is a fee.

– If you’re going after work-for-hire, get your way into a bigger con, print up some copies of your sample work, and politely go table to table and ask the various publishers if you can leave something behind. Check the company’s site or Twitter; most will let you know their process. I have a near yearly tradition of leaving something behind at the BOOM booth at SDCC. Alas, still waiting for a call. I’ve never had any success with this angle, but I know some who have and it’s always worth a shot.

– Finally, enter talent hunt competitions. I won the Aspen Comics Talent Hunt a couple years ago. Top Cow runs one regularly. Any opportunity to put your work in front of people is one you should take. There’s a direct link from me deciding to enter the Aspen Comics contest to being a contributing artist in The Stranger Things Artbook this year. Put your stuff out there any way you can.

Step 3: Tell people about that content you produced.

This step could be its own book, but it’s also arguably the easiest. If you’ve made the comic (Step 1) and gotten yourself a table at your local con (Step 2), then someone at some point during that show will walk by and ask, “What’s this about?” Answer that question, and you’ve completed Step 3.

It gets trickier from there, though. For the most part, people don’t want to be sold to. Starting a conversation about things relating to your book is much more effective. Find your fans where they already live. Seek out means to discuss your inspirations and interests, in person at conventions, online in forums… Introduce your content in context, and it’s much more likely you’ll be introducing it to a future fan.

And of course, who could forget social media? Friends, it is dark and full of terrors. But on some level you’ve got to do it. Twitter and Instagram are still the best places to connect with other like-minded folks and interject yourself and your work into the conversation. Get on Twitter/Instagram, follow everyone relevant to your book, and engage with editors/comic journalists/other creators. Reply to their comments, and share the tweets you think are worthwhile. (Just play it cool. Nobody likes a cyber stalker that likes every post they make.) And just like above, don’t pitch, converse. The soft sell sells harder.

BONUS Step 4: Sticking Around

Be chill. Be easy to work with. It pays off.

In my other life, I’m a TV graphic artist. I basically come up with the logo and general “look” of a show. I’ve done work for all the major networks, most recently redesigning the logo and

associated graphics of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast for NBC. Trust me when I tell you, I am not the best logo designer in the world. Honestly, I’d say I’m average. But the producer loves working with me because I meet deadlines, I solve problems instead of creating them, and I don’t let my creative ego get in the way of the final product. Sometimes that tips the balance in the hiring process.

Aside: How did I get into TV design and land such a high profile gig, you ask? Once upon a time I created a bunch of fake logos and animation samples, I put those on my site, and I emailed a few production companies. Sound familiar? Create a reel (step 1), post it online (step 2), email to inquire about openings (step 3)—and fifteen years later I’m still “in” (step 4).

The Results and Final Thoughts

Don’t aim to write the next Walking Dead; franchises like that are lightning in a bottle. Don’t aim to write superheroes just to get Marvel’s attention if you’re not a fan of superhero comics. Write a cool book or create artwork that you love, and you’ll probably find a couple other people that love it too.

I don’t know how far you’ll get, and I don’t know how fast it will happen. An editor might hit up your DMs. A comic friend might get a paid gig and bring you on board. You might post ten pages on Webtoons and a development exec from Warner Brothers wants to option it. Who knows?

Just repeat the phrase: “Make it, share it.” If you put enough content out there, good things will happen.

If you want to be a creator, always be creating.

#comic creation #breaking in #do it

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daemonluna · 8 years ago

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Parks & Rec fanfic: Pawnee Public Library

Seriously, why hasn’t anyone else written library AU of Parks and Rec? It just seems so obvious to me... Crossposted to AO3.

Leslie Knope has wanted to be a librarian since she was six years old. Leslie believes in learning and literacy, and that knowledge is power. Leslie loves books. She started out as a page when she was in high school, worked her way up to the circ desk, and spent her summers running the best and biggest summer reading program in the county all through university. (She still has boxes of the Dewey the Bookworm branded notebooks, pencils, balloons and tote bags under her dining room table, along with the first four successive renditions of the mascot costume, and all of her scripts and program plans in a series of cross-indexed binders.) She got her MLIS from Indiana State, and promptly came back home to Pawnee. Leslie manages the collections, children's programming, operational policies, staff training and orientation, community needs assessment, and ongoing grant applications and reporting. She loves her job as assistant director the same way Leslie does everything, with the passion of a thousand firey burning suns. She hates the Parks Department with the same intensity, and not just because Tammy Swanson is the director. Bunch of punk-ass dirt jockeys.

Ron Swanson is the library director. No-one knows where he got his MLIS. When asked to provide documentation to the city clerk's office, he handed over a heavily redacted faxed copy, with everything blacked out but his name and the title of the degree. Ron's views on patron privacy, internet filtering, and challenged materials are all very similar to the American Library Association's official statements on the same. Leslie would appreciate it if you didn't point it out to him, though. The ongoing battle between Marcia Langman and Ron over obscene material in the library collection is the stuff of legend. Marcia tried to ban the entire sexual health section, and since finding out that you needed to fill out a request for reconsideration for each book individually, is reconsidering her plan of attack. Marshall Langman is previewing all 137 books that come up when you search the catalogue for gay sex, just to be prepared.

Donna Meagle is the head of the circ department. She is scarily efficient, and god help you if you ever refer to her as "just" a library tech. After the take-down is over, you will find yourself working every Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday, and the day after every long weekend for the next year. (She is also in charge of the schedule.) The rest of the county knows that you had better not lose an interlibrary loan from Pawnee Public Library in transit indefinitely and damn well better do that shelf-check ASAP, and you do NOT hoard AV material and refuse to fill interlibrary loan requests, because ILLS are also Donna's domain. She once won a forty-seven minute staredown with Joan Calamezzo over a thirty-five cent fine, but latchkey kids and single moms are often surprised to find that no, they don't owe that fifty dollar fine for overdues that they've been agonizing over, Donna has no idea what they're talking about. Everyone, but everyone, gets treated with the same damn dignity and respect when you come to HER desk.

Jerry has paged and worked the circ desk for his entire adult life. The rest of the library staff had a yearly pool on the number of times he'll get his hand (and his head) stuck in the book drop. He hasn't been allowed to use the laminator since the incident involving Leslie's vintage Harrison Ford READ poster that ended in second-degree burns. Once, he accidentally gave someone a thousand-dollar credit instead of waiving a ten cent fine. To this day, no-one is sure how he did it, even the ILS software vendor, since the system's not even set up to hold a credit balance. His favourite part of the job is shelf-reading.

Tom handles the serial subscriptions and databases, and is the liaison with the local business community. He's the only one in the library who actually likes talking to vendors' reps, and is the self-proclaimed king of promotional swag. He is currently lobbying for a makerspace, and has big plans for when (if) the library gets a 3D printer. Leslie put him in charge of the monthly children's puppet show only once, which is the reason for the "no rap at storytime ever" rule in the staff handbook. Every other Thursday nights, when Tom is on the ref desk, and Donna works circ, there's a standing tradition of a supper break contraband pizza delivery from the upscale artisan place in Eagleton. (Treat yo'self.) Leslie must never know.

April started as the intern, but since she's been hired on permanently, her responsibilities have been expanding in a way she finds truly alarming. Donna will shamelessly use her to deter the patrons who have been upgraded from lonely and talkative to creepy and annoying. Lately, she's been giving them a deadpan stare and telling them that she's the lizard queen, followed by an extensive cross-examination on their views about organ donation. It has about a ninety percent success rate.

Leslie has put April in charge of teen programming, much to April's dismay. To everyone's surprise, it seems to be working, even though her original goal was to run programs no-one would come to. Her guest speaker "ask an undertaker" program was standing room only, and the extreme smoothie competition is set to become an annual event, even though Leslie nixed dog food as an ingredient for next year. April has a growing group of kids at her programs each week who could kindly be described as misfits, and find her equal parts terrifying and fascinating. She will forever deny that the puppy adopt-a-thon was her idea.

It's probably a good thing April doesn't know that Donna is considering putting her in charge of the high school-aged pages in the fall. She will terrify them with an iron, arbitrary, and occasionally benevolent fist, and they will quickly learn that texting in the stacks, or sneaking in one headphone to listen to music while shelving, in strict violation of Section 3.2.7 of the staff handbook, will result in experiencing her best pterodactyl shriek imitation in the other ear when you are least expecting it, followed by punishment duty Windexing dirty picture book covers for the next month.

After an extensive three-week training course that Leslie created from the ground up, Andy has officially taken on the role of Dewey the Bookworm for the summer reading program. There was a multi-part final involved. He passed the essay segment on the fourth try when Leslie hit on the idea of having him submit it as song lyrics, and narrowly avoided breaking bones on the obstacle course practical assignment in full costume. He's become a regular guest at the puppet show the rest of the year, with his guitar. Last month, there was some added excitement when he climbed into the air ducts and emerged with Mr Bitey, a special wildlife guest. Possums are no longer welcome at puppet show.

Donna and April have developed a method of steering Andy in the direction of the one bank of internet computers that face the back wall, by relocating the snack vending machine at the end of the row. Leaving some spare change in his path at the right moment guarantees that he'll wander right past the back row, then followed by "Hey, are you looking at PORN? In the LIBRARY? Ewww, that is nasty!" carrying across the library in Andy's loud, clear speaking voice. Some days, public shaming is even more effective than a six month ban. Unless it's one of the Saperstein siblings, in which case holding up a toddler to pull the fire alarm really is your best option. Ideally, the library would move the internet stations to a more visible location, but that would require rewiring the network cables and coring into concrete to do it, which costs a lot more than quarters for the vending machine. And this way is more fun.

Ann Perkins is forever grateful for ebooks and the self-check machine, because as much as she knows that patron records are confidential and as many times as she's heard Leslie recite the ALA's Library Bill of Rights off by heart, she'd still rather not look Donna, or god forbid, Tom, in the eye while checking out the regency pirate romances that are her secret guilty-pleasure reading addiction. She's organizing a drop-in flu shot clinic at the library for the winter. Leslie has a binder made up already with alphabetized tabs of contingency plans cross-indexed by severity and likelihood of occurrence. Ann isn't sure that they'll need the flood, earthquake, or rationing system for vaccine shortages for causes ranging from raccoon-related delivery delays to Eagleton-related municipal espionage. The last flu shot clinic was picketed, not by anti-vaccine protesters, but because the residents of Pawnee have confused vaccinations and blood donation, and were upset that there were no cookies and juice. This time, Ann will bring refreshments.

Chris Traeger once reclassified the library as an essential service, at Leslie's urging. ("Literacy IS essential, Chris!") Until the first blizzard, because essential services aren't allowed to shut down for poor weather conditions. Ron snowshoed to work, and kept the pipes from freezing with a butane camp stove and a carefully angled battery-operated fan. He was the only one who made it in, staff or public. It was the best work day of his career to date. Chris currently volunteers in his spare time by organizing an audiobook running club, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Leslie loves Ben, but secretly suspects that if he worked in libraries, he would be a cataloguer. Ben's organizing a multi-day Cones of Dunshire tournament, but is running into schedule conflicts with Tom, who's got the program room booked for an educational lecture series for small business community partners. Ben has a sneaking suspicion it's a multi-level marketing scheme.

Jeremy Jamm is THAT board member, the last person you want to speak to the media (or really, anyone) on your behalf, and who will show up like clockwork for any function where there's an open bar. He once got arrested at the state library conference's opening reception for an incident involving the association president's oldest daughter, a convertible, and a case of mistaken identity--or so he claims. The rest of that year's conference was the most relaxing event Leslie's attended since he joined the board. He's been trying to broker a deal with Sweetums to sponsor the summer reading program for the past eight months, even though it's in flagrant violation of two board policies and six operational guidelines.

Tammy Swanson is head of the Parks Department. Leslie has recently learned that Tammy is angling to have a park built on Lot Forty-Eight. Lot Forty-Eight, future home of Pawnee's first branch library, the best branch library ever. But Leslie's development plans are shovel-ready, she has all the matching grant funds in place, and her community needs assessment is a thing of beauty in twelve colour-coded, cross indexed binders with a custom-built multimedia presentation.

It will be several more years before the branch library is built. In its first year of operation, the roof will leak, the air conditioning will be nonexistent, and there will be a raccoon infestation of hideous, unimaginable proportions. The roof will be fixed, the raccoons will be evicted, and the air conditioning will work--intermittently. And it will be a labour of love. Because Leslie Knope loves libraries. (And hates the Parks Department, but that's neither here nor there.)

NOTES: It will surprise no-one who works in a library that the vast majority of this is pulled from actual experience, second-hand experience, or professional news/gossip (and in some cases, the original is even weirder than fiction), including: trying to ban the entire sexual health section, ILS quirks that can't be duplicated by the vendor (and don't hold a credit balance for found lost items that have already been paid), fine-waiving heartbreak, hoarding AV material and ignoring ILL requests, the desire for 3D printers for no reason other than it's cool, the need for creep-deterrent strategies, extreme food tasting teen programs, picture book windexing and no headphones while shelving, popping up from behind the filing cabinets to comment on computer use, toddlers pulling fire alarms, concrete coring for wiring and budget woes, the possibility of protesters, misunderstanding of what being an essential municipal service technically means, cataloguers (I love and admire you but could never be you), meeting room turf wars, drunk board members at conferences, sponsorship upsets and grant funding, and new branches with no a/c.

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magzoso-tech · 5 years ago

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All the companies from Y Combinator’s W20 Demo Day, Part I: B2B Companies

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/all-the-companies-from-y-combinators-w20-demo-day-part-i-b2b-companies/

All the companies from Y Combinator’s W20 Demo Day, Part I: B2B Companies

Y Combinator’s Demo Day was a bit different this time around.

As concerns grew over the spread of COVID-19, Y Combinator shifted the event format away from the two-day gathering in San Francisco we’ve gotten used to, instead opting to have its entire class debut to invited investors and media via YC’s Demo Day website simultaneously.

In a bit of a surprise twist, YC also moved Demo Day forward one week citing accelerated pacing from investors. Alas, this meant switching up its plan for each company to have a recorded pitch on the Demo Day website; instead, each company pitched via slides, a few paragraphs outlining what they’re doing and the traction they’re seeing, and team bios. It’s unclear so far how this new format — in combination with the rapidly evolving investment climate — will impact this class.

As we do with each class, we’ve collected our notes on each company based on information gathered from their pitches, websites, and, in some cases, our earlier coverage of them.

To make things a bit easier to read, we’ve split things up by category rather than have it be one huge wall of text. These are the B2B companies — those that primarily focus on selling to other businesses. You can find the other categories (such as hardware, AI, and consumer) here.

B2B Companies:

Alude: Property tech in Brazil is a hot market, with startups like Loft and unicorn QuintoAndar raising mega growth stage rounds. Alude wants to control the distribution channel with its simplified home leasing/buying process. Its system automates the process of background checks, document collection, insurance purchasing and online signing. This modernized tech is free for brokers, and the company plans to monetize by selling mortgage and insurance to customers.

Vori: Vori wants to be the operating system for the American grocery supply chain. Even in 2020, supermarkets still have an old school paper and pen ordering process with wholesale distributors. Vori acts as a B2B marketplace for supermarkets and distributors, helping stores produce inventory from vendors in a more efficient way. It says it has 24 active stores using its tech, and is also supporting over 150 distributors in Northern California. Vori acts also as a product discovery engine for supermarkets, helping them stay competitive with Whole Foods and Amazon.

Linkana: Linkana is compliance-driven procurement software in Latin America. There are 40,000 companies in Latin America that spend $60,000 yearly in procurement solutions, creating a $2.5 billion market opportunity. The four-person co-founding team has members who have worked together for nearly a decade.

Weav: Interviewing new candidates at work can be a time suck, and there isn’t a great way to organize and synthesize feedback from the team. Weav records and transcribes interviews for hiring teams so that companies can reach decisions faster and conduct fewer interviews. Led be an ex-Apple/Google/Microsoft team, Weav says it’s building state of the art NLP tools that leverage information retrieval, topic modeling and entity recognition.

ElectroNeek RPA: Everyone agrees that robots are the future of automation, but actually deploying the technology often requires a great deal of expertise. ElectroNeek is building a desktop and cloud-based interface designed to help streamline the automation process for IT employees and business professionals without a robotics background.

Reaktive: Aimed at creative professionals like animators, video editors and engineers, Reaktive is designed to replace desktop hardware with cloud-based solutions. The company claims its offering is 100x faster than traditional solutions, greatly reducing things like an eight-hour rendering job down to 45 seconds. The company has already closed $2.2 million in purchase orders from studios.

Eze: Eze is building a used smartphone market that functions like a commodities exchange. The system will update in real time with the fluctuating price of a wide range of different mobile devices. Devices will be sold to wholesalers in bulk, who turn around and sell them to retailers.

Oda: Aggregates real estate data from listing services and government records into a unified API. The company says it’s currently working with 4 pilot companies.

Okay: Hooks into tools like JIRA, GitHub, GCal, and Pagerduty to give engineering managers a dashboard to better understand how their teams are working and improve efficiency (by, for example, reducing meetings that might break up productivity). Charges $350 per manager.

Tajir: A marketplace to help small stores in Pakistan get inventory. The company says that currently nearly all distribution to “mom-and-pop” shops in Pakistan is done offline; Tajir brings the process into a mobile app with free next day delivery.

GuruHotel: A website and property management/booking system for hotels. Eight months after launch, they’re working with 26 hotels and seeing $20k a month in revenue. The base plan provides a basic hosting/booking engine in exchange for a 5% booking commission, while premium plans introduce other features, such as property management tools, for $350 to $499 a month in addition to commission.

Riot Security: An anti-phishing tool that automatically tests your employees with faux-phishing emails based on the most recently discovered phishing techniques. It starts at $200 a month for companies with under 50 employees, with the price shifting to custom scaling after that. The tool is currently in pilot tests with six companies, with an MRR of $1,000. Find our previous coverage of Riot Security here.

LabGrid: A project-tracking and collaboration tool meant to help biotech companies and labs communicate more efficiently than they might over email.

Trimwire: Hooks into a company’s bank accounts and credit cards to automatically reduce monthly costs by flagging anomalies and hunting for potential savings on recurring expenses (such as forgotten subscriptions).

Upflow: Aiming to be the “Venmo of B2B,” Upflow focuses on getting unpaid invoices paid. It automatically sends customized emails and registered letters to unpaid accounts, updates designated team members when account status changes, and handles payments. They charge $50 per month for companies with fewer than 30 invoices per month, scaling it up to $225 per month for companies doing less than $3M annually. Find our previous coverage of Upflow here.

Explo: Explo is meant to let non-technical employees analyze large amounts of data without having to know how to write/run SQL queries, instead providing them with a point/click interface for generating reports. The team says it has over 400 companies on its waitlist.

Workbench: Workbench is developing a platform purpose-built for hardware companies for sourcing suppliers and storing information/specs about the components they use.

Jet Admin: A drag-and-drop tool for building internal tools without code, hopefully freeing up dev team resources. Connects to databases and services like Stripe/Google Analytics/Salesforce and allows teams to piece together tools by way of pre-built widgets. Free for indie developers, or $19 per user for teams with up to 10 members.

Battlecard: Trains your sales team on what to say to unhappy customers through simulation (complete with synthesized unhappy customer voice). Teams collaborate to write their “playbook” of responses for different situations, sharing the answers/phrasing they’ve found to work best. Roughly a month after launching, the company says it has already booked over $35k in annual recurring revenue.

SnackThis: Is a collaborative, browser-based tool for motion design. Imagine a remote team fine-tuning moving typography in a video, or the way an app moves from screen to screen. One of the co-founders previously sold his motion design-heavy company to GoPro for $80M.

Zeo Auto: Fleet management and tracking for companies with automative fleets in India, allowing them to do things like view current vehicle position, replay past trips, calculate fuel costs, etc. Compatible with over 50 different GPS devices. The company says it has onboarded 2,000 fleet owners, bringing 30,000 vehicles onto the platform.

Savvy: Built for companies unable to offer group insurance plans, Savvy lets them instead give employees a tax-free stipend to put toward an individual health plan of their choosing. The company says that it’s working with over 30 companies after launching two months ago, accounting for roughly $100K in ARR.

Flowdash: “Human-in-the-loop” operations are those that require a human at some point in a process to make a final call — think claims processing, or moderating user-flagged content. Flowdash helps human-in-the-loop teams build new tools with minimal coding, allowing them to integrate them into services like Slack or Gmail. Their base plan starts at $25 per user per month, increasing if you need things like analytics or on-prem deployment.

Dropee: Dropee helps independent retailers in Southeast Asia buy things in bulk from large brands, charging said brands $8 per store for insight on what is or isn’t selling. The company says it’s seeing over $40K in monthly revenue.

NUMI: Helps retailers and marketplaces in Africa import U.S. goods, handling the challenges involved with freight and customs. Currently in a pilot program with Carrefour, which they expect to account for over $500K per year in sales.

Pilot: Pilot handles payroll, benefits and compliance for hiring remote contractors. Companies pay $60 per contractor per month for Pilot to help treat contractors like full-time employees by offering benefits, stock options and expense reimbursements. With COVID-19 quarantines familiarizing more companies with remote work, there could be a big market for ensuring their retention and productivity by making them feel like part of the team.

SEND: SEND is a digital freight forwarder and customs broker for Africa that manages cargo shipping by air, truck, and sea. SEND optimizes routing for faster, more reliable deliveries by bringing documentation online and letting clients just deal with the one company instead of up to a dozen shipping vendors. SEND’s founders are brothers, and see an opportunity to be the Flexport of Africa by conquering the market before that $3.2 billion valuation startup can reach the continent.

Brokrete: Brokrete, a delivery marketplace app, was developed to connect contractors with available concrete suppliers with the most competitive price. The startup’s founders are aiming to capture a piece of what they describe as a $120 billion market opportunity. They’ve already made some headway, by first demoing the app with contractors and then launching its product in December. The company began in the Canadian marketplace and is expanding to Houston this spring.

Paneau: The founders of Paneau are aiming to create a new way for businesses to advertise to ride-hailing customers by placing interactive tablets inside Uber and Lyft vehicles. The tablet can be used by riders to make purchases and even re-route the car. Paneau is already generating revenue — some $11,000 a month — by charging $0.96 cents per trip.

Bego: Bego has created an app focused on the Latam market that uses machine learning to predict future locations of cargo delivery and helps match truckers to customers in an effort to reduce the number of “empty miles.” For now, the startup has one route — Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo — where 42% of all cargo in Mexico is moved.

99minutos: This Latam startup is focused on last-mile delivery for e-commerce purchases. The startup has a wide geographic footprint of 19 cities across two countries with 15,000 deliveries daily and plans to expand to Colombia and Peru later this year. 99Minutos is now launching delivery with electric vehicles and in Mexico is the last-mile delivery partner for Amazon, MercadoLibre and Walmart.

Farm Theory: Farm theory buys the “ugly” yet fresh and fit-for-consumption vegetables from Indian farmers and then sells and delivers the produce directly to restaurants in India. The vegetable delivery service says it can save restaurants up to 30%.

HYPHY: As advertising matures alongside user-generated social media content, HYPHY is aiming to create a market for consumers to sell their photos and videos directly to brands. The marketplace is a way for brands to source media more quickly for advertising or marketing campaigns.

Zaam: Zaam is building a platform to simplify B2B onboarding, reducing complexity and pushing customers through the tiring process of data and document requests through automating as much as possible. The startup says they have hit $120M ARR in the past two months.

HireSweet: HireSweet is building a hiring platform that pushes recruiters towards ideal candidates that may not explicitly be looking for a new job. The platform analyzes behavior like who is updating their LinkedIn, adding to open source projects on Github, or nearing a vesting cliff. The team earned $150K in MRR last month. Find our previous coverage of HireSweet here.

Stryve: Stryve wants the hiring process to pivot to video, replacing phone screeners with video chat questionnaires. The team bills the platform to cut down on endless scheduling back-and-forth’s and boost turnaround.

Paragon: Paragon is a low-code API builder, helping speed up the time to build APIs, API-based interactions and integrations

Syndetic: “Shopify for data,” Syndetic is a platform that lets organizations make their static datasets more dynamic and useful

Cadence: Cadence is a platform for meetings that should have been emails. The early access platform is focused on eliminating meetings related to sharing project updates. It does this by integrating with task management tools and letting employees easily share on Slack what they’ve been working on, who they’ve been working with, and what’s on the docket.

Zynq: Zynq is building an enterprise calendar tool that helps companies schedule meetings more efficiently across the board. The service helps slot meetings to appropriately sized meeting rooms at opportune times so that companies don’t feel like they’re outgrowing their offices too quickly.

Castodia: Castodia hooks your databases into Google Sheets, ensuring that the information there is always up to date and users aren’t stuck manually importing CSV files time and time again.

Onetool: Onetool is building an all-in-one platform that allows startups to subscribe and save, paying for a single subscription while using a variety of vendors to meet their needs. The company hopes its platform can boost discoverability of new SaaS tools and simplify the lives of founders who are having to manage so many subscription services.

Dashworks: Dashworks is aiming to build a search tool that bring together all of the information from your various collaboration tools and databases. The platform relies on deep integrations across a wide variety of apps and boasts customers including Zapier, Stanford and Armory.

Laserfocus: Laserfocus is creating an app that layers onto your CRM and allows salespeople to quickly work their way through calls, emails and meetings with potential clients. The app wants to re-bundle the tasks currently separated across a handful of apps and cut down on distractions for salespeople who are eager to gather information about potential clients.

TrueNorth: To help fix inefficiencies in the fragmented trucking industry, TrueNorth offers a software solution for independent truckers. Think of it as an operating system, but for trucks, to help with everything from fuel and maintenance, to route optimization and load tracking.

Taiv: Taiv wants to help your local neighborhood sports bar better monetize the commercials you see on those in-bar TVs. Charging $4,200 a year per location, Taiv lets businesses replace live commercials with business advertisements about specials or deals. Find our previous coverage of Taiv here.

Humanly: Humanly wants to automate job candidate screening for companies that typically receive a high volume of applications. The company says its tech helps keep screening consistent, while removing bias. Customers include Farmers Insurance, Feather and Grin.

BuildPlane: BuildPlane has designed a next generation toolkit for commercial construction management. The company’s software tracks document requests, manages change orders, handles subcontractor billing and payments, and requests for quotes and pricing. It’s an industry category that has already produced billion-dollar businesses like Procore and PlanGrid.

SINAI: SINAI Technologies is a next generation software platform that lets organizations plan their carbon emissions strategy: it tracks different departments and processes within a company and then gives recommendations on where to reduce carbon emissions to meet internal and external goals. Find our previous coverage of SINAI here.

Logarithm Labs: Logarithm Labs is a project management service for chip designers covering data pipelines, scripting interfaces, and portals and dashboards to parse, structure, and analyze data generated in chip design work

Snapboard: Snapboard provides software tools to create dashboards, visualizations, and applications without code. Find our previous coverage of Snapboard here.

Slingshow: Slingshow is a download-free video recording and delivery application for customer service and complaint resolution. All a customer has to do is take a video of their problem with an explanation and send it off via Slingshow to explain a problem and get help.

Pulley: Pulley is a next generation cap table management tool. Private companies can use it to issue employee & investor equity and maintain ownership records as a company scales. Like Carta, it has a free tier for smaller startups. Unlike Carta, its focus is first (and currently only) on serving founders rather than investors. The founder is a repeat entrepreneur who sold a previous company to Microsoft.

Rosebud AI: Welcome to the dystopian future of corporate spokesmodeling campaigns. Rosebud.ai creates digital avatars and models for any occasion. Companies can filter by demographic, age, and style.

Termii: Termii is a multi-channel marketing and communications service, providing APIs for SMS and user verification for African businesses.

Able Jobs: Able Jobs trains candidates in India on the skillsets companies need most so that businesses can hire better candidates more quickly. They did 130 placements in February

Skypher: Skypher automates the security questionnaire development-and-response process.

Terusama: Taking logistics management all the way to the dockside, Terusama provides scheduling software for freight pickup and digital sign ins for haulers.

Mistro: Mistro lets employers provide benefits and perks to remote teams in over 200 countries. They can offer health insurance, co-working space, development classes, food, IT equipment and more that workers pay for through a Mistro credit card. Teams around the world are embracing remote work due to coronavirus. That trend could last, creating a big market for whoever can help companies attract the best work-from-homers.

#Miscellaneous

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wikipress01 · 7 years ago

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Here’s how big a rock you’d have to drop into the ocean to see the rise in sea level happening now

During a listening to of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on Wednesday, Rep Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) pressed Philip Duffy, president of Woods Hole Research Center, to establish causes that sea ranges is perhaps rising.

They are rising, with out dispute, at an estimated charge of three.Three millimeters a 12 months. Much of that enhance is attributed by scientists to melting floor ice. The planet loses tens of billions of tons of ice annually. Enough is misplaced from Antarctica alone to enhance international sea ranges by a millimeter each three years, however that determine isn’t regular. Sea level rise is happening at an growing charge.

Brooks requested Duffy what else is perhaps contributing to that rise. Duffy pointed to floor subsidence, which is the sinking of the floor in locations that may exacerbate the drawback of rising sea ranges. Cities like New Orleans are sinking shortly, even quicker in many locations than the seas are rising.

Brooks requested if some other components have been contributing to sea level rise.

“Those are all that I know of,” Duffy replied.

“What about erosion!” Brooks exclaimed. “Every single year that we’re on Earth, you have huge tons of silt deposited by the Mississippi River, by the Amazon River, by the Nile, by every major river system — and for that matter, creek, all the way down to the smallest systems. And every time you have that soil or rock whatever it is that is deposited into the seas, that forces the sea levels to rise. Because now you’ve got less space in those oceans because the bottom is moving up.”

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“I’m pretty sure that’s …” Duffy tried to interject.

“What about the white cliffs of Dover?” Brooks continued. “California, where you have the waves crashing against the shorelines and time and time again you have the cliffs crash into the sea. All of that displaces the water which forces it to rise, does it not?”

“I’m pretty sure that on human time scales,” Duffy replied, “those are minuscule effects.”

Duffy is appropriate.

Brooks has a imaginative and prescient in his head like the traditional experiment by Archimedes, in which the scientist sank down into his tub and seen the water overflow — offering a means to decide the quantity of his physique. But the quantity of water displaced by even a big boulder falling into the ocean shouldn’t be like a physique going into a bathtub. It is, as Duffy mentioned, minuscule.

Certainly 3.Three millimeters doesn’t sound like a lot of water to displace, and it does appear, to Brooks’s level, that it’s an quantity — about 0.1 inch — that might be simple to displace with a cliff collapse close to San Diego. The equal rise relative to floor space in an Olympic-sized swimming pool could be 0.0000000000114 millimeters. That’s not attainable, although, since a water molecule isn’t that small.

But if you apply 3.Three millimeters of rise to the total ocean? We’re speaking about a lot of water that’s displaced — 3.Three millimeters throughout about 362 million sq. kilometers of floor space. The whole quantity displaced, then, could be 1.19 trillion cubic meters of water.

We know from Archimedes’ work that the quantity of earth required to displace that a lot water is the identical quantity: 1.19 trillion cubic meters. Here’s a corny video by a science instructor displaying how it really works.

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So to make the oceans rise 3.Three millimeters, we would wish to displace that 1.2 trillion cubic meters of water upward by dropping in 1.2 trillion cubic meters of grime or stone or no matter.

How a lot is that? It’s a sphere of earth a bit over eight miles in diameter. If we have been to steadiness it at the high of the Capitol constructing, it could appear like this.

(Google Earth)

If the sphere have been stone, it could weigh about 6.6 quadrillion kilos. Just drop that in the ocean and — bloop! — 3.Three millimeters of sea-level enhance. (We’re ignoring right here that dropping it in some elements of the ocean would consequence in a mountain in that location. For the sake of explaining issues, we’re pretending that the oceans are only one big uniform pool of water and that the sea level rise is equally constant. This isn’t how it really works, in fact.)

Put one other means, it’s a quantity of earth equal to taking the high 5 inches of each certainly one of the United States’ 9.1 million sq. miles of land space and utilizing it to coat the backside of the world’s oceans. That would push sea ranges up by 3.Three millimeters.

But, keep in mind: That sea level rise occurs yearly. So yearly, we’d want to take the high 5 inches of the United States, roll it in a ball and drop it in the ocean to get the form of sea level rise we’re at present seeing. Don’t fear, although; assuming that the depth of Earth’s crust is about 40 kilometers in the United States, it could take 309,00Zero years for us to get to the mantle.

Except, in fact, that sea level rise is happening at an growing charge. If somebody may test on the white cliffs of Dover for us, we’d recognize it.

from http://www.wikipress.co.uk/news/heres-how-big-a-rock-youd-have-to-drop-into-the-ocean-to-see-the-rise-in-sea-level-happening-now/

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womenbeautylife-blog · 7 years ago

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GETTING BETTER EVERY YEAR

So its time for New Years resolutions. I really love the yearly tradition of taking inventory of my life and thinking about how I want to improve myself and my life in the upcoming year. It feels like going into a new year with intention honors time’s passing and the fresh opportunity that a new year is. And while I definitely don’t accomplish all my resolutions (becoming a consistently timely person is a hard hurdle for me, getting parking tickets, etc), I do manage to succeed at many of them and providing myself a new, improved “normal” with each year that passes.

Go about your resolutions any ways that feels good to you but I’ll share a bit about how me and my hubs do ours. Every year we celebrateNew Years Eve on our own with a staycation in a fun hotel. We order room service, watch movies, and do our resolutions. We have all our previous years of resolutions tucked in our respective New Years notebooks (it’s fun to refer back and see what used to challenge us 10 years ago and what continues to challenge). We write a recap of our year highlights and lows, what we listened to, watched, and read. and then we move on to the resolutions. We review how we did on the last years and write our new goals on a framable card and then share them with each other. Sometimes we have tons of resolutions, and sometimes just a few and we keep them framed on our bathroom sinks where we see them daily.

So while we usually have a list of good beauty-centric resolutions on the blog, this year we’re rounding them out with just good life ones, kay? These are resolutions that I’ve worked on in the past year that have made a big difference for me. So here goes….

Be SMARTER

I spend less time in my car than I used to which means days go by without listening to NPR to stay current on whats happening in the world. Now I get The Skimm which is a weekday newsletter that shares the key points of what happened in the previous 24 hours broken down in a entertaining, brief, and concise way thats a lot like having your journalist BFF tell you the news. Reading The Skimm is the first thing I do every day and I really look forward to the email.

Another way to get smarter is with Highbrow which offers a choice of 65 free, bite-sized courses delivered to your inbox daily. Highbrow’s offered topics range from “Ideas that Changed the World”, to “Incredible Female Leaders Throughout History”, and “The Science of Happiness”.

Between The Skimm and Highbrow, it couldn’t be any easier to get smarter.

Be HEALTHIER

Ugggh, gluten free, organic, local, cardio, turmeric, probiotics, blah, blah, blah, right?! Unfortunately, no. We have to do better taking care of our bodies in consideration of our food choices and general living habits more so than our parents generation had to because we are living in an absolutely different world. Ignorance is bliss until you have a health problem so “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies. I’ve had to discover this the hard way with an array of health stuff coming up for me, I’ve spent the past couple of years changing my habits. The single most important source of info on health, habits, and thriving is the book CLEAN by Alejandro Junger who, as a NYC cardiologist turned function medicine doctor, explains why our collective health is declining as a population (cancer, anxiety, depression, food allergies, arthritis, infertility and so on). Hunger also makes doing better for your health beautifully practical and manageable. This book was life-changing for me.

I also love the newsletters I receive from GOOP, Dr. Mark Hyman, Well+Good, Pure Wow, and The Chalkboard Mag, all of which have a whole-person approach to living a happy, healthy life.

And remember, you don’t have to turn into a joyless monk in order to become healthier, but what ways could you incorporate healthier habits that you wouldn’t even mind? Just do better than last year! And being healthier leads us to the importance of the next resolution….

Be CLEANER

This effort is one that being a well-established beauty connoisseur, I DID NOT want to look at. When it came to considering my beauty products I took the hear “no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” monkey emoticon approach. I mean, I wanted to use the products I wanted to and not factor in any larger issues into my beauty rointine choices. I felt like “green” and “healthy” products were for crunchy hippies and people who don’t really appreciate red-lipstick and sexy hair. But alas, because of both fertility issues we’ve had and a load of GI issues I’ve had, I couldn’t avoid acknowledging how my beauty products factored in. I mean, have you noticed how many young people have fertility issues now or are developing food allergies out of nowhere? There are reasons this is happening, and our food and products are two very large reasons. So I began the year by ruthlessly purging my bathroom cupboards of all unnessecary toxic products and educating myself and finding their replacements. I am not perfect in my beauty choices (I still Shellac my nails every two weeks and use my beloved Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara, and NARS Concealer) but I would say that I made a 85% improvement. I aimed for better, not perfect, and now most of my products are very healthy, conscious, and I don”t feel like I’ve compromised my glam-factor at all.

Sooooooo,

-if you want to learn about WHY you should care, go here, here, or read CLEAN. -to know where each of your products stand on the dirty/clean continuum use the Think Dirty app which gives you each products score form 1-10 and if its dirty shows you in which why it’s dirty (carcinogen? reproductive health compromising?). You can also put your favorite products on your “bathroom shelf” to see what your combined beauty routine score is. -throw out the all the dirty offenders you can! Can we agree that pretty isn’t better than healthy? And what if with a little effort and refocusing you don’t have choose. -replace your old nasties with new loves. Great places to shop for excellent, healthier picks are Honest Co., Cap Beauty, Spirit Beauty Lounge, and The Detox Market.

After lots of trial and error, my favorites are as follows….

Hair & Body body wash one/two shampoo one/two/three conditioner one/two/three toothpaste body oil one/two body lotion one/two body scrub deodorant perfume

Face face wash one/two toner serum one/two face oil moisturizer eye cream lip balm one/two/three

Makeup foundation powder shadow blush one/two/three/four Sadly, I still haven’t found a good healthy mascara, concealer, or eyeliner. Let us know if you do!

And while you’re busy being healthier, smarter, and cleaner can we all just…..

Be NICER

If you’re reading our beauty blog, you’re happily reading our blog and thinking about how to have prettier skin and perfect lipstick(rightly so), let’s take a second to be grateful that we get to enjoy the lovely perks in life and think about how we can add goodness to other people’s lives as well. This can look like so many different ways…..being kinder to other women, taking the time to ask people questions, donating your time or money or extra items to a cause you’re into. We’re on the younger side of life but we can still take mini-breaks from our busyness and ambition to make the world a little nicer.

HAPPY NEW YEAR pretty ladies! We shall meet again here in 2019!

Nine Habits That Could Be Helping Your Weight Loss Efforts

7 Health Benefits to Make You Go Red as a Beet

Tips To Care Yourself After Childbirth

Get An Abundance Of Antioxidants And Weight Loss Benefits From Delicious Pine Nuts!

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dorothykknuckles · 7 years ago

Text

GETTING BETTER EVERY YEAR

Be SMARTER

Between The Skimm and Highbrow, it couldn’t be any easier to get smarter.

Be HEALTHIER

I also love the newsletters I receive from GOOP, Dr. Mark Hyman, Well+Good, Pure Wow, and The Chalkboard Mag, all of which have a whole-person approach to living a happy, healthy life.

Be CLEANER

Sooooooo,

After lots of trial and error, my favorites are as follows….

Hair & Body body wash one/two shampoo one/two/three conditioner one/two/three toothpaste body oil one/two body lotion one/two body scrub deodorant perfume

Face face wash one/two toner serum one/two face oil moisturizer eye cream lip balm one/two/three

Makeup foundation powder shadow blush one/two/three/four Sadly, I still haven’t found a good healthy mascara, concealer, or eyeliner. Let us know if you do!

And while you’re busy being healthier, smarter, and cleaner can we all just…..

Be NICER

HAPPY NEW YEAR pretty ladies! We shall meet again here in 2019!

Nine Habits That Could Be Helping Your Weight Loss Efforts

7 Health Benefits to Make You Go Red as a Beet

Tips To Care Yourself After Childbirth

Get An Abundance Of Antioxidants And Weight Loss Benefits From Delicious Pine Nuts!

The post GETTING BETTER EVERY YEAR appeared first on NokNak Mix.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2EzFj6g via IFTTT

#women #health

0 notes