#honestly coming up with a poll everyday is not always easy

[911tvshowpolls]

Thank you and hello!

So we have had a poll of ours be really popular in the last 12 or so hours.

The latest poll, 911 Re-watching, has almost 700 notes. Most of our polls are lucky to hit 100.

This is not some sort of weird brag.

We want to the say thank you to everyone who has interacted with the poll, but especially we want to say thank you to they many people who REBLOGGED the poll!

There are so many fun tags for us to read in terms of which season has the most re-watchable episodes and that has been so fun to read!

But while we have a bit more attention, we wanted to do a quick re-introduction.

This is a daily 911 TV Show Poll blog. We post one poll every day that is up for 24 hrs. We skip Thursdays because its 911 watching day :)

We are open to poll ideas/suggestions/input at any time! Send us asks at any time!

We have big plans to conduct a poll to find the fandom's favourite 911 episode (thus far) this summer between season 7 and season 8!

We hope you enjoy the polls and all the 911 content!.

Thank you once again for reblogging and spreading the latest poll as far and wide as it has gone. There is no way we would have gotten as much interaction without the reblogs. We are a new and small blog and don't have a huge reach. The reblogs make a huge difference, so thank you again.

[otonymous]

Time After Time: Victor’s Firsts (MLQC NSFW Headcanon)

Hey everyone!  

Thanks to all who voted in my Twitter poll to see whose NSFW “Firsts” headcanons they wanted to read next. 💕Victor was the undisputed victor (haha!) over Kiro, so I hope you all enjoy my longest headcanons to date...ALL 18 MINUTES OF IT! (these totally got out of hand, for whatever reason LOL) 😵😆

Warning: NSFW/18+: Explicit/graphic language - reader discretion is advised.

Naughtiness ensues after the cut!

A Time To Learn: Your Relationship With Victor:

A battle of wills and wits that gradually blossoms into a relationship founded on mutual trust and admiration, learning and growth

Your relationship with Victor isn't easy, especially at the beginning when you are learning about each other and how to mesh with one another — it will be a hard-won love, but one that’s absolutely worth the payoff in the end

Victor is very logical, pragmatic, stubborn, domineering and - especially at the beginning — overprotective (tends to withhold information from you if he feels it would hurt or harm you in any way).  While his intentions come from a good place, it will annoy you to no end to be sheltered like this

But as the relationship progresses and Victor comes to fully understand that you are a grown woman capable of holding her own and making her own decisions, he will gradually cease this type of behaviour  

Initially, it will be hard for you to know where you stand because of Victor's reluctance to let his poker face slip and reveal his emotions.  But when you finally see him crack a smile, or hear the soft chuckle of his deep laughter followed by a muted exclamation of “dummy” or “idiot,” you’ll feel like you’ve won the lottery, becoming addicted to doing whatever you can to see the corners of those lips tug up when he thinks no one is the wiser

When you first defy him, Victor is pleasantly surprised: he's used to getting his way personally and professionally because his overwhelming presence, business acumen and instinct usually lead him in the right directions, so he has rarely ever encountered opposition.  While he is initially taken aback by your bravado, he’ll find your attitude refreshing, amusing even.  His cock will too (more on this later) 😆

This is the type of relationship where one person fills in the gaps of the other: you'll soften Victor’s hard edges, temper the manner with which he interacts with others, and make him laugh harder than he ever thought possible.  You are the figurative sunshine in his life, the warmth he has been missing for so long.

On the other hand, Victor lends you his unflappable confidence, his expertise and experience, the will to stick to your guns and really fight for the things you want.  He is your safe haven, champion and protector.

Talk is cheap for Victor, who prefers to show love and affection by way of action: brewing medicinal soups when you’re sick (with a spoonful of caramel pudding at the ready to chase away the bitter aftertaste), tucking a cozy throw over you when you’ve fallen asleep on the sofa yet again, cooking your favourite foods when he knows you’ve had a rough day, waiting outside your office in the pouring rain to drive you home when he knows you’ve forgotten your umbrella

He also loves to high-key spoil you: whisk you away on his private jet for spontaneous weekend getaways at Lake Como or Bali, beautiful bouquets arranged on your desk Monday mornings at the office just because, an impromptu Champs-Élysées shopping excursion when you mention needing a new winter coat…THAT BLACK CARD THOOOO

Victor is a steadfast lover: reliable, responsible and always, always there when you need him.  He is your rock, a solid foundation from which you are emboldened to jump and reach for the stars…forever knowing he will be there to catch you if you fall

He often anticipates your needs, sometimes even before you realize them.  And as your relationship progresses, the ways in which he offers help will become less overbearing and more sensitive to your feelings and your right to make an informed decision

Victor is most expressive in the bedroom.  For all his emotional reservedness in his everyday life, the passionate nature he keeps buried deep inside is finally given an outlet through sensual pleasures

As with everything else in his life, lovemaking is serious business for Victor.  He is an intense lover who wants to be the very best, the one to erase even the tiniest shreds of whoever came before him.  He needs to leave his mark on you, physically and emotionally.  Even if he wasn’t your first, he’d be damned if he’s not your last.

Ever the epicurean, Victor is the pussy-eating champion.  Thoroughly devoted to exploring you orally, the man would go for hours if you’d let him, taking care not to miss a single inch of trembling flesh.  Obsessed with numbers, Victor is not satisfied to move on to something else until he’s given you multiple orgasms with his tongue alone.

The man is humming(!) in pleasure as he eats: lips, chin and cheeks shiny with your arousal and his spit.  This will be the only time you see Victor with less than impeccable table manners

Victor considers it a point of pride and responsibility to bring you to your climax well before he reaches his own

The man also loves to see you in elegant silks, satins and lace and will surprise you with the most beautiful lingerie

In all honesty though, garter belts, stockings, stilettos and nothing else are this man's jam when he really gets down to business

Needless to say, Victor’s super fit and muscular physique translates to stamina for days...

The First Kiss:

Having spent an exhausting day ironing out the minute details of your proposal with Victor, you slump onto the leather sofa in the corner of his office, meaning to take a 5 minute power nap to recharge while Victor leaves the room for a bathroom break

“The man is a machine…” you think to yourself, stealing a quick glance at your phone before the weight of heavy eyelids finally shepherds you to slumber: 9:15 pm

You are out cold.  Dead to the world.  You don't even hear the click of the door as it opens, or the soft approach of polished Oxfords when Victor quietly crouches to bring his face level with yours, gazing at your sleeping form, undisguised tenderness completely transforming that stoic visage

Victor is smiling, one large hand curling into a loose fist before it rises to cover his mouth — the side of his index smoothing over his cupid’s bow in an unconscious bid to satisfy the desire for physical contact

Jet black eyes sweep from disheveled hair to the delicate silver chain around your neck, pupils widening as they trace the line of your collarbone upon which the sapphire pendant lay

Then…slowly….as if caught in the pull of some hypnotic tide, Victor moves even closer, Adam’s apple prominent in his throat as he swallows.  Paying no heed to the heat gathering beneath an increasingly tight collar, the man continues studying your face, intent on mapping every smooth contour onto his mind for posterity

It is only when he feels the warmth of your breath on his cheek that he stops, breaking out of his trance and mentally chastising himself for almost losing control.  For losing himself in the sight of your soft lips parted in slumber

Just when he makes to stand and cover you with his suit jacket, your eyes fly open to lock onto his

Time stops.  Lost in the intensity of the gaze, neither of you dare to even breathe, let alone speak, lest the sanctity of the moment is broken

The sheer proximity of Victor Li has you captivated: cedar wood and pine wafting subtle from burning skin, long lashes softening dark eyes that blazed with hunger, lips that trembled ever so slightly with longing until you couldn’t help but become famished for just one taste…

And before you can even make sense of what you’re doing, you've propped yourself up on one elbow, bridging the gap between your lips and his — plush, soft and slightly parted

Victor’s eyes widen for a moment, a thousand different emotions silently brewing inside that busy mind until the slide of your tongue into his mouth blankets the chaos with a quiet calm.  Only then does the LFG CEO yield completely to the warmth of your lips and the fire in his soul, eyes closed as he finally allows his body to take what it wants, what it has yearned for since the day you challenged him

And when he gets to this point, Victor's kiss deepens, becoming more and more aggressive until you’re forced to pull back for a bit of air before diving in for a second round

Confession Of Love:

This man is not the type to throw the word “love” around lightly, so when he tells you he loves you, he MEANS IT.  It’s not lust.  It’s not like.  It’s a Ride or Die type of commitment.

Victor Li leaves very little to chance.  The first time he tells you he loves you, he will have planned it…WAY in advance

The man knows timing is everything (haha!) and will choose the very special occasion of your birthday to make his confession

He rearranges his work schedule (and yours) for the special day, flying you out to Paris on his private jet

At exactly 1:14 pm, he’ll present you with your gift at the very top of the Eiffel Towel: a ladies’ version of the Patek Philippe timepiece he himself wears

The back will be engraved with both your initials and the numbers 1-3-1-4.  You'll start shaking the moment you see it.

1:14 pm, 13:14, 1-3-1-4: all essentially meaning "forever" when pronounced in Chinese

Honestly, it will feel like a proposal and in a sense, it is: once Victor is absolutely certain about someone, he will never let them go.  His love is for life.

You are absolutely speechless, hands trembling so hard that Victor has to hold them steady before he slips the watch onto your wrist

Then, after taking a moment to savour the sweetness of having a shared token of love, Victor bends to place a kiss on the back of your hand, the most tender look in his eyes when he finally looks up to say, “I love you.  Happy birthday.”

Doesn’t that sound much nicer than "dummy"?! 😆

The First Night

Despite all the impossible deadlines Victor sets for you in the course of your professional collaborations, the man is incredibly patient when it comes to matters of the heart

Until Victor tells you he loves you, he will not have sex with you (much to your horny chagrin)

This is actually specific to you and not his personal code of conduct per se.  In the past, the man has had no problems bedding women he’s had, at most, lukewarm feelings for

But YOU are a totally different breed, worlds apart from the starlets and socialites that threw themselves at his feet

Victor is fascinated by your honesty: the frankness of your words, your artless behaviour.  Mesmerized by the fact that he can read you like an open book (which is why he is so keen on protecting you from those who would use that to their advantage).  Touched by the genuine kindness and consideration that guides much of what you do.  Impressed by your tireless spirit in fighting for the people and things you care about

In short, he has never met another person quite like you, especially in the cut-throat world of business and high society where he has learned to excel — a place where poker-faced people keeping their cards close to their chests are the norm and not the exception

Holding out on sex is as painful and torturous to Victor as it likely is to you; the man is incredibly attracted to you, and has been since the day you dared to challenge him to secure funding for your company.  Deep down, Victor knows you had him ensnared the moment he saw the fire burning in your eyes (not like he’d ever tell you though LOL)

And each time work brought you before him, the man couldn’t help but notice something new to admire: the way your hair fell in soft wisps — begging to be gently tucked behind the shell of your ear, the captivating flutter of lashes as tired eyes blinked back fatigue, the pleasing lilt of your voice even as you laced your words with sarcasm

It wasn’t long before Victor found his thoughts drifting to you, haunting his nights and sneaking up on him during the day…especially when he was in the shower, eyes closed and moans amplified in the wet heat as his large hand reached down to stroke the length of his cock — imagining your legs wrapped around his waist, your tongue nimble on his shaft

In spite of all this pent-up tension, Victor doesn't rush into sex because he wants things to be done right.  You are the most important person in his life and he feels the need to eliminate any possibility of things going wrong

In short, he won’t treat you like the women who came before because there’s absolutely no comparison: no one has ever made him feel the way you do

That being said, it doesn’t mean you and Victor won't get up to some extreme heavy-petting: grinding on his lap in his Bugatti, palming him through his dress pants at the office, a hand slipped beneath your skirt when you’re bent over wiping kitchen counters at Souvenir as payment for your meal  

So when Victor gives you the ultimate birthday gift of finally telling you he loves you, the two of you are hightailing it back to your penthouse suite at the grandest hotel in Paris, bodies already flush against each other and kissing as the French do in the privacy of an ascending elevator

BUT Victor is the king of deliciously unhurried love making.  It is his preferred modus operandi.  After all, the man really knows how to enjoy the finer things in life: food, wine, your body and every single reaction of bliss that can be teased out of it.

You can bet that Victor will fuck you nice and slow and thoroughly.

PREPARE TO BE PAMPERED LIKE A QUEEN

Strains of Duke Ellington & John Coltrane's “In a Sentimental Mood” are being piped through built-in speakers as Victor approaches you from behind, notes of pine and cedar accompanying the heat of his body, wafting in gentle waves to make the fine hairs of your skin stand on anticipatory end

And as you watch the sun kiss the horizon through a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows — orange rays setting the Eiffel Tower ablaze in a sea of luminous fire — fingertips are trailing up your bare arms, Victor gently gathering your hair to sweep it over one shoulder before pressing his lips to the nape of your neck, eyes closed and inhaling deep, trying to hold on to the subtle sweetness of your skin

His hands, incredibly dextrous despite their size, easily tease apart the knot of your halter dress and you tremble under the intensity of his gaze over your shoulder as they watch satin trace every curve  — your dress dropping to pool on cool marble at your feet

There is something especially exquisite about seeing the City of Light laid out before you as you’re slowly laid bare by Victor.  And just when you start to blush at standing stark naked before the fully clothed CEO, he places your hands on his chest, seductive command permeating that deep voice when he says, “Undress me.”

Sliding your palms over the broad expanse of his pecs, you palpate the rhythm of his heart, caress the lines of hard muscle beneath that perfectly starched dress shirt  

By the time your fingers are unbuttoning his collar, his Adam's apple is already bobbing in his throat, the deep breaths he’s drawing to rein in desire amplifying the rise and fall of his chest

When the last button is undone, the sight of Victor’s gloriously perfect torso erodes the last of your frayed patience and you’re practically tearing the shirt off his muscular arms, wrestling with his belt.  And although you are dying inside from your lack of finesse, Victor is secretly thrilled that you want him that badly.  Full marks 😆

Finally….finally….that beautiful body is revealed in all its glory: sculpted from innumerable laps in his olympic sized pool and so genetically blessed below the belt that your mouth is watering at the sight

BUT FIRST, a bath!  Blue balls be damned, Victor Li will enjoy this moment to its fullest.  He knows that a slow seduction can build up to the most explosive sex.  Clearly.

The man will absolutely insist on bathing you, don't even try to fight it.  He gets an acute sense of satisfaction from taking care of you in every sense of the word.  Also, there’s nothing quite like the slippery slide of his hands all over your body

Step into the marble infinity tub and lay back against his broad chest.  Soak in the warm waters as you take in the view of the city around you, the peony-scented candles, the white-petaled orchids…all meticulously planned by the man soaping you from behind, gentle hands exploring

Lose yourself in his touch: fingertips trailing after bubbles that glide over the swell of your breasts, large hands submerging to wrap around your waist until they cross at the navel, moving down to rub languid circles between your legs until you tremble — Victor’s lips finding yours when your head falls back against his shoulder in bliss

And when you reach behind to feel him - long, hot and hard  - his soft groans will drive you to the precipice of madness until you’ve got him sitting on the edge of the tub: face a mask of ecstasy to feel your lips on him, your greedy mouth never seeming to get enough of his delicious flesh

Best believe that Victor almost has a heart attack when you let him slip from your mouth when he begins to twitch, observing him with innocence in your eyes as you pump him to completion, teasing the tip of his cock with your hardened nipples while he coats your chest in his release

The man is DONE when you finally look down at your breasts as if surprised, gathering up his cum with the tip of your index and bringing it to your lips for a taste, coy smile blooming all the while on your face

Jaw tightens.  Cock hardens.  And suddenly the world around you slows to a stand-still as you’re lifted so quickly you barely have time to think before his hands are coaxing your legs around his trim waist, your body wet and slippery against Victor’s as he carries you to the bedroom

Laying you upon the king-sized bed, Victor’s lips seek the heat between your thighs — lapping fast, tasting slow, drawing out slick pleasure to coat his tongue and wrench his name from somewhere deep in your throat

Nothing gets Victor Li hotter, faster, than the sound of your voice, desperate and needy for him.  The man is addicted to it.  You can bet he won’t be emerging from between your legs until his cheeks and chin are so shiny it’s obscene, and you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve convulsed against his fingers and tongue, orgasms bleeding one into the other like sweetly turbulent waves

And when he finally rises — your flavour faint on his tongue as his lips find yours — he’ll swallow your moans as he finally pushes into you: gradual, gentle, savouring every searing twitch of muscle adjusting to the welcome intrusion of his long, thick heat

Hips moving fast, swaying slow…pelvis grinding in circles to hit your clit because he can’t get enough of the way you shudder against him, or the sting of your teeth sinking into the flesh of his shoulders (mark him up, Victor LOVES it)

EDGING: Victor will hit that spot with expert precision over and over again till you’re on the verge of exploding…only to pull away, rhythm slowing to a grind to leave you hyperventilating and dizzy with need as this torturous pattern repeats

When he finally lets you (and himself) come, you are a sweaty, screaming mess, nails scratching to leave crimson welts on Victor’s back that will make the man smile to see in the mirror the following morning

Victor likes to remain buried deep within you for a bit after his release, holding you in his arms as he peppers you with kisses: on your lips, cheeks, forehead and eyelids

Afterwards, you can bet that the CEO will have a full spread delivered to the suite, where the two of you will spend the rest of the evening feeding each other in bed in between rounds of passionate lovemaking.  Remember?  Victor has stamina for DAAAAAYYYYYSSS and has to make up for lost time 😂

⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱⏱

Thanks so much for reading!  Check out more of my work here! 📚

[stellar-imagines]

HEADCANONS REQUEST: ❝S/O with Meltdowner quirk, artificial arm and eye.❞

[ Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia ] [ Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa Shouta, Takami Keigo ]

「Headcanons of Midoriya, Aizawa and Hawks with S/O who has a Meltdowner quirk, artificial eye and arm from past encounters with villains.」

MIDORIYA IZUKU

♤ You never knew he’s a science nerd until he questions the principles of your quirk. It’s quite a complex quirk if you do say so yourself. However, talking about your quirk is actually exciting, especially with someone like Midoriya who’s always willing to listen to whatever you’re saying. This guy, as usual, is jotting down notes at the speed of light which makes you wonder whether his writing is still legible. Even though you try to keep it as simple as possible by telling him what you could do with your quirk, like being able to melt through thick metal walls, block shockwaves, disintegrate objects and make a shield ― he seems more interested in how it works. So, get some refreshments ready and prepare yourself mentally cause this is going to take a while.

♤ This guy is still a nerd and nothing can change that. It doesn’t apply to your quirk only. He’s super interested in your artificial eye and arm. You were given the freedom to customize your artificial body parts, so you often sneak of to the Department of Support. One of your weaknesses is that you needed to take a certain time to aim with your quirk but your artificial eye made it easy for you to aim as it allows you to track movements. Originally there’s a limit to how much power you can use but thanks to your new arm, you were able to go beyond your limits when using your ability.

♤ He trains with you everyday and helps you make up for your weaknesses. You like to test your output during training session but you were always careful with it since the backlash and blow away your body and break your arm. Having a quirk like this really intimidates people because it’s capable of destroying a person in seconds. When Midoriya watches you melt through even the thickest of metal, he’s mentally taking note not to piss you off. But of course, you wouldn’t hurt this boy, he’s too precious.

♤ Oh but the way he looks at you after every mission you come back from. You’re usually just tired and there’s nothing you’d like but to lay down on the bed with him right now. He would be all over your face, babbling about how cool you looked in TV, beating up all the villains with your quirk. Midoriya could go on for hours, just praising and rambling on about your most recent success. You have to shut him up with a kiss and thank him with a smile before you could continue with your plan to laze around with your lover.

AIZAWA SHOUTA

☆ Aizawa isn’t born with an offensive quirk and he’s never the type to stand out. He would be someone who supports instead of leading the attack. He’s super amazed with what your quirk is capable of, going as far as to say that you’re a destructive hero. This guy knows people without actually meeting them because he actually keeps up with news. He learns that you’ve actually lost an arm and eye from a villain attack a year ago. His respect towards you grew when you continue to work as a hero, with an artificial arm and eye which makes up for your weaknesses.

☆ Genuinely amazed at the amount of power you hold in your hands. Your quirk was very destructive and honestly, with your quirk, you could blow up an entire city if you wanted to. Of course you couldn’t do that because as a hero, you have to keep the causalities and damage to surrounding structures to a minimum. He’s definitely the guy on the sidelines telling you not to cause any more damage and destroy the surrounding buildings. But you end up destroying nearby buildings and most of your money goes to repairs.

☆ Super proud of you and is very secretive of that. Aizawa had the TV on once during his day off. Originally he planned on making himself some coffee until he changed to the news channel to see that there was a villain attack. And what’s more, when he hears someone mention your name, he forgets his coffee. He would be at his couch, watching intently like a kid watching their anime. You bet this guy is cheering for you to beat up some villain ass and by the end of the battle, he will be super proud, like a dad watching their daughter win some sports festival. If only you knew he was usually like this.

☆ He is a very attentive lover. Aizawa pays close attention to you, he’s the one reminding you to check your limbs regularly and accompanies you to get them repaired if there’s anything wrong with them. If by any chance, you do your own repairs, he’s there to help you despite not knowing much. There were the days where you would have to rest your arm and can’t really do anything much, he will be taking care of you, buying you food and all that. He might not look like it but he is one great caretaker, he’s usually lazing around the house but when you’re injured or something, he’s up and doing everything he can for you.

HAWKS (TAKAMI KEIGO)

♡ Bird man never realized he’s into strong women until he laid his eyes on you for the first time. As a Pro Hero who’s rising in the ranks steadily, it was no surprise that Hawks have heard news of you before. This guy thought you would’ve retired after that one mission that cost your eye and arm. But look and behold, you were alive, kicking and patrolling like usual. Hawks is amazed that you’re still working as a hero instead of taking a break from being a hero. You should’ve seen the look on his face when you used your quirk to completely disintegrate the car that the villain threw your way. He was in love and awe.

♡ Low-key thinks that you look super hot when you’re using your quirk. And of course, being the cheesy guy he is, he will make stupid pick up lines and puns related to your quirk. He’s the type of guy who would get to know you through an unorthodox method. You both would coincidentally bump into each other during patrol or a villain attack. He flirts openly with you, saying cheesy things about how you melted his heart or something along those lines.

♡ Hawks has this tendency to mess around with someone. This is done in various methods, whether by teasing, making stupid jokes or small little harmless pranks. He tends to mess around with you for the sake of getting an interesting reaction from you. Of course, you didn’t mind because you thought it was kind of endearing. But there are just those times where he can’t read the atmosphere and decide to pester you when you’re in a bad mood. You would threaten to burn his wings off with your quirk. If he chooses not to believe you, you would hold your quirk in a ball-shaped stationary form to show how serious you are.

♡ Helps you with repairing your limbs! But usually he uses this as an excuse to touch you. He’s not that smart with gadgets and you should know that more than anyone else. Even so, Hawks likes to keep you company while you work on repairs. He will occasionally disturb you to gain your attention. When he’s feeling extra generous, he would make some coffee or tea for you. Not only that, he might actually bring some food for you though it’s all take out because he can’t cook for shit.

Total: 1290 words Published: 22.08.2020

We’re looking into expanding our list by adding two more fandoms. Please help us by casting your vote in our ongoing poll ― CAST YOUR VOTE HERE!

Thank you for requesting! ｡٩(ˊᗜˋ)و*｡ In case you all didn’t notice, we’re both Raildex nerds  (っ˘ω˘ς ) Mugino’s abilities are quite complex if you ask us but we did all we can! So happy to hear you loved our previous headcanons! Hope you like this one too! ― author Lou

Thank you for requesting! It’s really nice to know that there are people out there who enjoys the Raildex series. Hope you enjoyed this, anon! ― author Natsuki

Requests are open! Matchups are closed!

Please do not mind the grammar mistakes and typos.

[madamebaggio]

Notes: I got super late with this because the internet sucks and the holidays suck the life out of me. I had a hard time focusing on a longer chapter, so the others will also be late, but I hope you like.

For those of you who might not remember, there was a poll this month and this is one of the ships that won a fuller post.

Also, remember that for the Crackship Fleet next month there’s still time to choose a prompt for your favorite ship. Some of them are already booked, but we still have maaaaany left. So check december’s post of your favorite ship and see if you’re interested in picking a prompt for them ;)

This follows this.

***

Fury was the most paranoid man Steve had ever met, and he was convinced that every step the Director took as carefully planned.

That was why he was surprised when Fury actually came to meet them at the ship.

Once the woman who introduced herself as Mera - eventually she told him her full name was Y'Mera Xebella Challa, and she was Xebellian princess, but she’d been the Queen of Atlantis’ protégeé - demanded that the weapons found be returned to her people, Steve had to call Fury.

He didn’t know what to think about this whole thing, and too many agents had heard this conversation; so he needed to make it official and call Fury in.

He told as much to the princess and that they’d have to wait. When she didn’t look happy with the suggestion, Steve explained to her that, if she chose not to wait, the only answer would be to fight everyone on that ship.

The thing was… For a moment, it seemed like she’d considered it. She ran her eyes over the ship, and he could almost hear the voice inside her head calculating and evaluating the risks.

“We shall wait.” She declared after a full minute, like she was granting him a favor.

Steve informed her it’d take a few hours at least for Fury to get there, since they were in the middle of the ocean and Fury had stayed back in DC.

She said it was no problem, she’d wait and give diplomacy a chance.

It wasn’t an encouraging choice of words.

She chose a spot on the ship where she could keep her eyes on everyone, but kept minimal contact, even when Steve did try to engage her in conversation.

He wasn’t really good at talking to women in general, and something about this one…

It took five hours for Fury to reach them -which did involved rappelling down from the quinjet followed by Agent Hill -but eventually he got there.

“Captain.” He nodded at Steve, then threw a look her way. “That’s her?”

“Yes, sir. Princess Mera.”

Fury gave him a flat look, before turning to her. “Your Highness.”

She threw him an assessing look. “Director Fury, I assume.”

“Yes. Captain Rogers says you want to claim those weapons.”

“They belong to my people. They were stolen by humans.” She pointed out. “I don’t wish to start something over this, and I don’t blame humans in general, but they belong to my people.” She insisted. “If I have to open a dispute about it…”

“I do not like threats.” Fury warned her.

“And I don’t like thieves.” She told him, unrelenting. “I came here in peace to recover weapons that should not be in human hands. The technology we have in Atlantis is nothing like you’ve ever dreamed about.”

“We’ve had dealings with Asgard.” Fury told her. “We understand of… Different technology.”

“If you know about Asgard, you know these are not things you want anyone getting their hands on.” Mera insisted. “This is something you can’t control. What happens if they get stolen from you?”

“Like they were from you?” Nick threw back dryly.

Mera gave him a flat look. “I waited in respect to your Captain.” She finally said. “I didn’t have to. We are in my territory; I don’t wish to start a battle, but I will. And then, I’ll have to do it again and again, because I know that what you have here, isn’t half of what’s been stolen. Which means there are other ships and other people. If you want, we can race to find those, and make every single minute a battle.” She sighed, like it pained her to say so. “Or we can work together.”

Fury just arched an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. “We have the same end goal: to keep these out of the wrong hands.” She insisted. “This can be a battle, or it can be a partnership.”

Fury levelled her with a serious look, then seemed to have a whole telepathic conversation with Hill before turning to Steve. “What do you say, Captain?”

“I think she deserves a chance to say her piece, Director.” Steve told him honestly.

Fury sighed. “Have you ever been to a jet before?”

“I don’t leave the ocean very often.” She told him honestly.

“Then I guess this’ll be an adventure.” Fury said dryly. “We’re going to DC.”

***

After some debate, Mera agreed to leave some of her guards on the ship with the other agents, and go to the Triskelion. Steve didn’t know she had people with her until they started coming out of the water, but she assured him that they’d follow orders and wait. 

Fury, for his part, had conceded that it might at least be good to exchange information. He didn’t look happy when he realized Mera had people waiting as well, but he didn’t say a word. Hill, who seemed to always know what Fury was thinking, was the one talking to the agents and giving orders, since her boss was having a staring contest with the princess.

Mera hadn’t seemed sure about boarding the quinjet, but let Hill help her out the harness on and went up quietly.

Steve insisted on going along, mostly because he was curious about what she had to say. Atlantis, as far as he’d known his whole life, was just a fairy tale. The world just kept getting bigger and stranger…

Once he climbed aboard the quinjet, he was surprised to find Natasha there. “Agent Romanoff.”

The corner of her lip ticked up. “Captain.” She looked at Mera, who was already sitting. “What do you think?”

Steve sighed. “I miss the simpler days.”

Natasha arched an eyebrow at him. “Have we ever seen those?”

He chuckled. “I guess not.” He looked at Mera too. “I don’t know what she’s capable of.” He admitted. “I don’t know about her abilities, but if she’s to be believed… There’s an army down there.”

Natasha just hummed noncommittally, as the quinjet lurched forward.

***

Steve spent some time talking to Natasha, and only after noticed that Mera hadn’t moved from her spot, and her hand was resting on her stomach.

He walked closer, than sat next to her. “You’ve never flown before?”

“No.” She admitted. “It is… Different.”

“I imagine so.” He was quiet for a minute. “How is Atlantis?”

“Unique.” She responded immediately. “It’s like never you’ve ever seen before.”

“You don’t know what I’ve seen before.” He pointed out, a grin on his lips.

She looked mistrustful for a minute, as if she wasn’t sure if he was mocking her. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve seen before: nothing is like Atlantis.”

There was love in her eyes and voice when she spoke the name of her home. She was a proud woman, it was easy to see that, but now -looking closely -Steve could see royalty in her as well. He believed she was a princess, because there was something radiating from her that was clearly about that.

“And how does a princess become a soldier?” Steve asked.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Why would one exclude the other?”

“Good point.”

They were silent for a minute. “Do you trust your Director?” She asked.

Steve wondered if he should lie and tell her what she wanted to hear, but he was a terrible liar and she deserved the truth.

“It’s more complicated than that.” He admitted. “I know that Fury is the man that will do whatever it takes to protect people. He believes in the fight he fights everyday, but… Whatever it takes means…”

“Whatever it takes.” She completed unnecessarily.

“Yes.”

She hummed her understanding. “But you still fight for him.”

“I fight for the things I believe in: freedom, justice, dignity. Fury just happens to be a man that I believe fights for the same reasons. We don’t always agree about method, though.”

“So how can I trust him?” She pushed back.

“The same way we can trust you; a leap of faith.”

She arched a brow at him. “Too early for that, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps.” He agreed with a rueful laughter. “But what else can we do? Fight over it?”

She pretendo to consider it, but there was a certain mirth in her eyes that betrayed her. “I’ll trust you then.”

“Me?” Steve asked surprised.

“There is something about you that makes me want to trust you.” She admitted, even though she didn’t look that happy about it. “In the few hours I’ve known you, you’ve kept your word, and that’s all I can ask of someone I’ve just met.”

“I guess.” Steve was grinning by then.

“I don’t want this to become a fight.” She told him, suddenly serious again. “I’m a princess and if something happens to me, there’ll be retribution. But I choose to believe you won’t let them put me into an aquarium.”

“I’ll do my best.” He assured her. “Does that mean we can work together?”

She tipped her chin up. “Let’s see how impressive that Triskelion is first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Just Mera is fine.”

“I’m Steve.”

[queentorri]

Why is life so complicated? You spend so much time looking for the right answer, you find it but then its outdated. I'm tired of being wrong, it's like I've been wrong all along. Does everyone but me have a secret handbook? I swear I can't get over this outlook, matter of fact can someone let me borrow their fuckin' book? I see so many people living the right way and every night I stress and I stress but still can't get it right. The worlds spinning and moving so fast and everytime I'm coming in last. I wanna do things the right way but it's so hard and I ask for help but no one has anything to say. I swear I'm behind on a lesson, I guess the world just wants some of us to keep guessing. I feel like I'm gonna run out of time, when I try to talk everyone looks at me like I'm a fuckin' mime. I'm not an act on a stage, staring at me like an animal in a cage, I'm already drenched in rage stuck in my own mental cage. Stop laughing, someone close the curtains tell them the shows over I need a break, it's my sanity that you think you can take nah don't touch me I'm not fake. Nah my helps not coming they always flake. Everyday I'm fighting for my soul and honestly this fights taken its toll. Matter of fact let's take a poll? How many thought I'd make it, sucks for you, i couldn't even fake it. I'm sure some of y'all were embarrassed that's I stumbled, fuck you I tried asking for help, you ignored me & watched my world crumble. Go ahead judge me, I pray one day the creator shows you and leaves you fucking.... humble. Fuckin phoney, you're fuckin fake, dont stress one day I'll make it. I tried carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, when it dropped the world shut me out and it just kept getting colder. It's just a dumb ass rat race, I just couldn't keep up the pace and you just wanted to brag about my face and to say she's still in running for first place. Well guess what it ain't a race, and if it was I definitely wouldn't be in first place. Yes I've still got my mind, not just a pretty face. I'm not here to impress anyone, I tried that and failed, fuck that I'm tired of wearing the dunce hat... Go back to that what the fuck was I talking about? Oh right my mind being filled with constant doubt. But what's life really about? I mean deep down we're all filled with doubt. All these questions with no answers, like who the fuck created cancer? Why do children and animals get abused? Are you watching? 43 you fuckin' a used? Why do some of us get to live an easy life, while others only see constant struggle and strife? Won't someone answer my questions? Fuck it I'll keep guessing. Why do the good die young? The world insists I'm speaking with a forked tongue. I just wanna know why the worlds so blue, won't someone give me a fuckin' clue? I wanna know why the worlds so cold, I hope I find out before I get too old. I want to know the secret to happiness, I've tried looking but my lifes still a fuckin' mess. I'm wandering around lost trying to find my real purpose. I guess to find it you're suppose to live the right way, another question? Who defined the right way? I keep asking but no one has anything to say! I guess I'll always be wrong, but wrong feels right, wrong is my homie we're hella right. I'm losing my sanity, I'm losing my hope, dont worry I'll cope... no this time I won't just go and shoot some dope. It killed my care, and honestly we were a scary pair. I fell in love with my own chaos, my mind is beyond complex, I put drugs into my vein, numbed my pain but I've surpassed being blind only I can make mental love to my soul & brain. Recognized & respected myself and since I know I can handle a lot I really survived more then I thought... and finally its quiet. Nah I'm done causing a riot.

[yuurisnice]

im happy for u !!!! also,,, do you mind suggesting places online to make money like that ? :0 idk what reputable sources are but need money for food/hygiene stuff/etc while im in college, ;-;

Alright this might be a bit of a long post but here is my routine pretty much. I’m gonna put it under a readmore so I’m sorry mobile users. 

Usertesting. 

I’m not sure if you have to be 18 or not(I don’t think so) but it is available in multiple countries. UserTesting is short 5-10 minutes tests, sometimes more, where your screen is recorded and you give feedback to web and app developers. This can be anything from talking through your browse of a start up website to helping big companies like microsoft and apple improve their programs. When I first get on the interwebs, the first thing I do is log in to to usertesting and I leave the tab open so that I can see as soon as a test comes. You need to take a screener to see if you’re the demographic they’re looking for. Often they will have specific requirements. NO NOT LIE. They will be able to tell that you lied on the screen. They will not pay you and they will give you a low rating which affects how many tests you get. All payments are made through paypal. 

Amount Made this Month : $50

Swagbucks (non-ref)

Swagbucks is one of the most well known passive income earning sites. You do a daily poll, watch videos, fill out surveys, and get cash back on certain purchases. You have to be at least 13 and it is limited to US, CA, UK, AUS, INDIA, and IRELAND.I don’t spend a whole lot of time on here. I usually just do the daily tasks and watch a couple videos after that. I have my credit card linked so I get swagbuck bonuses from that. I only fill out offers if they’re 100% free. If you wanted to and had the dedication(And a phone farm) you could make an extra 30 dollars a month. So far I only have 1900 SB (19 dollars) but in this month I’ve only earned 700. I really recommend this if you’re just starting on with online passive income. It’s a great first site to ease in to. Payments are made through paypal, gift cards, and donations to charity. 

Amount Made this Month: $7

EpicMuseum (Non-ref) 

This is about developing a museum. Everyday you sign in a collect donation points which you can redeem for statues. The more statues your museum has, the more money you make.This is never going to make you any money, at least not right away. It’s been a month and I still only made $0.23. I only do this because it take 3 seconds out of my day and I find it interesting. I honestly shouldn’t include this but it is on my daily routine. They accept payments through paypal or payza, 

Amount made this month: $0.00

Microworkers

This is a site based around microjobs. People post micro jobs and you accept them for small amounts of money. This can be as small as doing a google search to as big as downloading an app and giving a review. Each job pays between $0.01 and $3.00. I tend to go on here and do about 20 minutes of work a day if I can. It’s really easy to accumulate money quickly and not feel like you’re doing too much. There’s jobs available in just about every country though there’s more if you’re from US, UK, CAN, AUS. Payments are made through paypal, Skrill/ Dwolla, Transpay, and Payoneer. If you do paypal, you’ll need to wait about a month for a pin to arrive at your home inorder to withdraw money. 

Amount Made this month: $28.64

Clickworker

Clickworker is almost exactly like microworkers in that there are lots of micro jobs for small change. Where you’re more likely to make money is if you pass the UHRS Assessment. I don’t really know too much about this site right now because I’m just getting back into the swing of it. I used to use it a little over 2 years ago and made around $200 in a month. This is just US based as you need to send in a W-9 in order to receive payment.

Amount Made this Month: $5.60 

Bing Rewards

Bing rewards is super easy and it recently became available in the UK! Bing will pay you to use their search engine. You get points everytime you search on your computer and your phone. There’s also fun little quizes you can take every day to earn extra points. If you think you can bare using bing instead of google for the sake of money, then I highly recommend you use this. I made big my default search engine about a six months ago and since then I’ve made about 60 dollars. I haven’t always been real on top of Bing Rewards because I didn’t think I had much use for gift cards, but now that I know I can buy food from them, I’ve added it to my daily routine. You can only cash out in gift cards. There is no paypal option. I usually only cash out with an Amazon Gift Card or Starbucks. I believe it’s 5200 points is 5 dollars which may not seem like a lot of money but when you start stacking those amazon cards, you’ll have a pretty decent amount of money to spend. So far I have about 30 dollars in amazon gift cards which I’m gonna use to buy dog food next month. Payments are through giftcards, microsoft discounts, Xbox live months, and merch. 

Amount Made this Month: $15 

Amazon Mechanical Turk

Amazon Mechanical Turk, or Mturk as many call it, is the most well known croudsourcing website. It’s hosted through Amazon and you have to be a US citizen and 18 years old as you’re essentially being contracted and you have to report this income on your taxes. I literally JUST had my application accepted last night so I haven’t gotten to use this enough to give you any feedback or opinion on it, but all the forums I follow say you can make a decent amount of money at it if you can get through the slow, bumpy start. Here is a subreddit that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about getting started with MTurk. It’ll be much more helpful than I am. 

Amount Made this Month: $0.00

GlobalTestMarket

GTM is by far my favourite of the survey sites. I can make and easy 10-15 dollars in a night. 120 points is 1 dollar and you can cash out in paypal at $10. Here is a list of countries that can sign up and you must be at least 14. Any survey site you visit, the surveys will always be boring and seem never ending, so make sure you’re doing something else while doing surveys. I like to have Netflix on in the background.If you have a survey site you prefer, stick with it. I’ve been with GTM since I was a youngin and I’ve cashed out well over 500 in my years. If I could go back in time I’d tell college me to stick with the damn thing for those 3 years cause who knows who much I could have made. Payments are made through paypal, giftcards, magazines, charities, and pandora subscription.

Amount Made this Month: $30

Total Amount for Month of June: 136.24

The threads that I follow the most to find new sites and new ways to improve my routine are here and here.

This is just my routine and it in no way has to be exactly what you do. I really recommend that you take time to look into sites before you devote any time to them. 

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t make a whole lot of people. I follow so many people who make upwads of 1500 a month doing this kinda stuff so my 100 dollars is so small in comparison but it’s still so helpful to me. 

If you do decide to sign up for any other these sites and you use my referral link while doing so, thank you so much. And if you don’t, no sweat man,just glad I could help. 

If anyone uses any other sites and stuff or knows of ones that can be used in countries that aren’t the USA, please let me know so I can see about adding them to my routine. 

Okay. I hope that covers everything. 

[padi-idc-divemaster-courses]

DEMA review – getting some inspiration

So another DEMA show has drawn to a close and what a fun one it was. The last DEMA show that I had attended was two years ago when I was pregnant so my "networking" time was more of a minimum as apart from the fact that my feet ached, I got tired so easy. Plus in Orlando, a lot of "networking' happens in the "mosh pit" as we fondly call it, the foyer bar at the Rosen hotel. 

If you haven't ever been to the DEMA show I can highly recommend it. It is a great learning experience but you need to definitely make a plan of action to get the most out of it, otherwise you will be wandering around the aisles of amazing scuba diving products looking up in awe and coming away with nothing to move forward with. A good goal, as a dear friend of mine says, is to come away with at least 3 good contacts. People or companies that you may be looking to work with in the future, can collaborate with. 

So I made my three contacts at this show and what did I learn? Well, various things especially looking at what is coming into the world of scuba diving. One of the things I noticed is that there are so many of those full face snorkel masks out there. Why? It's funny as literally every rep we talked to rolled their eyes when you even mentioned them but hey, everyone is buying them so it's a necessary evil.  I know there is some controversy around them at the moment so the recommendation I think is to stay on the surface whatever. 

The course director update as always was interesting as PADI is looking at updating the instructor program ready for next year. I think it needs the update as the world and everyone in it are continually evolving. I am looking forward to seeing more online and digital options which will be more accessible for learning. 

Also, hit the shark and ray tourism seminar which was a fun workshop. Okay so we don't always work with sharks and rays but many aspects of the sustainability options for the program, can be applied to our business model in everyday practice. I am going to see which of these I can start implementing soon....

One of the most exciting things for me, was the launch of the PADI Adaptive teaching techniques program. I had the honor of being able to work on developing the program with PADI which honestly, is largely in thanks to my inspirational friend Ernst Van de Poll who is an incredible instructor and has devoted may years to introducing scuba to people of all abilities and being a phenomenal educator in all aspects of marine conservation. I have definitely taken some of my cues from him.

So, back to the program, it is developed into two parts, the adaptive support diver and the adaptive teaching techniques. The teaching techniques is for anyone of a divemaster rating (or in active training) and above who wants to learn techniques to be able to adapt standard PADI programs for anybody who wishes to learn. I think it's a great thing and I will writing a bit more about it soon when we schedule out first program. Exciting stuff though.

As for the rest of DEMA, it was fun catching up with everyone and enjoy the lovely Sam Adams that PADI was nice enough to put on at the booth at 5pm ; ) It's funny how everyone gravitates to one area depending on what's being served !!

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[ama-phantom-prod-blog]

A Final Look Back

Mastery: Personal Development & Leadership

My journey to obtaining my Master’s degree began with the course, Mastery: Personal Development and Leadership. My goal for this class was simple, to understand the concept of Mastery, and how to utilize this concept for both, personal development and developing professional leadership skills. I know this seems like a boring topic, but it was quite the opposite. 

I began by having to evaluate myself by completing the Grit Scale and Ambition Scale self-assessments. This is where I found out that I scored very high for both Grit, which is passion and perseverance for long-term goals and ambition assessments. I even performed a personal SWOT analysis on myself to understand what I need to focus on. I would also begin brainstorming and researching the framework of my Mastery journey and set goals for each milestone.

Executive Leadership

This class was about understanding effective decision-making processes, power and influence, mentoring, leading organizational change, and investing in and managing relationships to achieve business goals. We read two of the most fascinating books that were polar opposites in understanding leadership. This is the only class that I continuously reference back to time and time again. This class was a game changer.

The first book was Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell. This book explained the five levels of leadership, influencers, having the right attitude, creating positive change, and developing your people. This book was focused on being positive with influence, attitude, and environment. Just by reading it you felt the positivity and wanted to implement what you’ve learned.

The second book was the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. This book talks about leadership and power like it’s a methodical game of chess. The book uses examples from history to explain each law. This book can come off as cruel or ruthless but is a pretty good realization of how people really can be. Some of the most successful people today have gained their success through the topics discussed in this book.

Project & Team Management

I honestly thought I this was going to be a long drawn out process, but I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in such a short amount of time. I was able to take what I learned from a brainstorming session and apply that to create a visual timeline. This was a very productive way to look at my scheduling strategies in a new perspective. By creating a detailed timeline of the order and process of things, I was able to jump right into my budget.

I always knew that it would be more than just research, but I never realized how fun things could be. I began this journey by picking a team member I’ve never met and we chose a team building exercise as an icebreaker. It was simple really, we played a trivia game and had to work together to solve the problems. Even though it sounds basic enough, it got us to communicate and work together as a team. By using a method called the DiSC assessment, I now have a better understanding of how to identify personality traits, which is based on everyday behavior. I can use this as a tool to better understand my employees, and how I can help them reach their maximum potential. I can now place the right people in the proper positions. I also learned about conflicts in the workplace, and strategies to resolve them. I think I’m on the right path to managing a team.

Business Storytelling & Brand Development

My goal coming into this course was to have a clear understanding of how I could create a brand for my company. I was also hoping that I could create my brand with the right guidance. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that it doesn’t work like that. Your brand is how your customers feel about you, and since I’m just starting out, I haven’t exactly established this yet. I have learned that I am going to have to build a strong rapport with my customers, and I now understand that this will take time.

I was able to perform what’s called a brand audit on a company of my choice. This was a more in-depth look at one of the most successful companies I know, but more importantly, trust. I chose Apple, Inc. because I value their products and services, but I am mostly drawn to them because of their stellar customer support. I have many Apple products because I know that they are always best in technology, knowing what the customer needs, and makes every sophisticated product easy to use. This is a great company to look up to because they are known for being consumer-driven, innovative technology, and their customers trust them.

Another assignment that I thought was interesting was our Industry Research assignment where I was asked to provide a PEST Analysis. This assignment had me looking at the Music Industry growth, competitors, and main trends. I have done a great deal of research on this before, but I’ve never had the opportunity to do a PEST (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological) Analysis before. I was able to look at the music industry in a new way, and see how each factor impacted the industry.

Even though my goal was not met for this class, I have a clear understanding of what I need to do, as a company, to achieve this. I know that I was ambitious to think that I would come out with a brand for my company, but I have a lot of faith in my company. I know I need to focus on quality and innovation as my brand story builds.  

Entertainment Business Finance

My original expectation for this class was to learn and have a better understanding of financial principles and improve my personal finance skillset. I am actually walking away from this class with a lot more than that. This class has helped me develop decision-making skills, financial planning, and understanding capital management. This class has gone above and beyond my expectations and has helped me develop my financial skillset.

I think that each assignment has equally important “take-away” concepts that will benefit me in the future. For example, working with financial statement analysis has provided me with the knowledge being able to look at a company’s financial statements and calculate the overall health of the company by using ratio analysis. This was very interesting to me because I have never worked with Liquidity, efficiency, leverage, or profitability ratios before. Another assignment that we worked on was the Time Value of Money, which was very interesting to me because it explained Lump Sums and Annuity of both present and future values, and capital budgeting. Working with Investment analysis, I can now look at a project and understand if it will be profitable, or if it should be rejected. In addition, I can perform a break-even analysis to see how much sales or revenue is needed to generate profit. Finally, creating a pro forma financial statement that is based on the forecasting of the business, which estimates the future demands of the products and services.

Digital Marketing

My original goal for this course understood and develop skills to help me manage my professional online presence and develop effective marketing plans in the digital environment. This course is now halfway through and I can already see the bigger picture. I have been working with my website and focusing on SEOs. Using this tool improves my chances of my website to be closer to the top of the search results when someone enters a relevant term. Although I knew what this was, I never took the time to apply this before this class.  

Another area of focus was social media. This is a subject that can go very bad quickly or can be the best way of advertising across the world. I say that it can go bad because we are branding ourselves, and if taken lightly we can make a fool of ourselves. Using social media for marketing, on the other hand, can promote your business beyond what traditional advertising could do. On the consumer side of things, you can interact with businesses by commenting, sharing, and liking a page or post, and this is also like word of mouth only faster. On the business side of things you can tell your brand story, share and promote your work, provide customer feedback, share upcoming events, create polls, offer discounts, post pictures, and videos, provide the live feed to your followers, and the list goes on. The important thing to remember is that builds relationships and connects you to your customers. The possibilities are endless with social media and with today’s society, you can connect to your entire target audience. “Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with your marketing.” Mike Volpe 

Product & Artist Management

My goals for Product and Artist Management were to come out with the tools and strategies to address unique issues of interconnectivity of artist and product management activities. I feel that this class has indeed gone above and beyond my initial goal by teaching me what it is to be an artist manager and how many roles that entail. I really enjoyed working on the artist manager case study because I was able to see what qualities and traits work in the music industry. I think that the best part of the case study is that I was able to see the success of an artist manager that was well deserved. I was also able to research the major players in talent agencies and management firms. I researched two vastly different companies and had to go against what I thought was going to be my top choice, but turned out it was not the best move I could make for my career. 

On the product management side of things, we focused on niche markets and how to compile information that paints a distinct picture of who the target audience is. I enjoyed using resources like Nielsen to understand user behavior and trends, but I didn’t fully understand the depth of this knowledge until we discussed narrowcasting. Today we have over 300 channels on television and I honestly thought that it was broadcasting getting broader. Before when we had three networks to choose from, that was broadcasting. The content was everything from the news, TV shows, and talk shows reaching a broad audience. Narrowcasting focuses on niche specifics by creating content like age, sex, and lifestyle. For example, we have news, sports, cartoons, family shows, and so on, and this lets advertisers know exactly who their market are, when, and where to show their products. Narrowcasting is knowing exactly who their target demographic is and how to reach them through specific channels. I think that this absolutely meets my goal because I can use this strategy in my future.

Negotiation & Deal-Making

Before taking Negotiating and Deal-Making I was not at all comfortable with negotiations, even if it came to pay. I had no idea what I was doing and I honestly wanted no part of it. Now I feel like I have a much better understanding of negotiations. I think the most important part of negotiations is the preparations. I now know that I need to prepare by researching every aspect of the negotiation to have a better advantage.

Another important part of research is having objective criteria. Having objective criteria can benefit everyone. Objective criteria are factual information that is relevant to your negotiation and can be used to resolve differences. It is information that you can resort back to when the negotiation gets heated, or you can use this information as a starting point in a negotiation.

I think that my favorite topic and one that I will definitely be learning more of in the future, which is Game Theory. This also starts at the preparation phase, but it is a way to analyze the situation and allows you to make decisions by determining the optimal course of action. I know that this seems more difficult and I am sure that once I dive into it, it will become more difficult. However, as I have learned you analyze what your opponent’s moves could be, and what would happen if they took that route, and you do the same for yourself. Once you have rated every scenario you will see the best outcome for both sides. I have not got into the mathematical side of things just yet, but I fully intend to. I think that game theory is absolutely brilliant and should be utilized in everyday situations. I think that this is great not only because you will see the best outcome for your negotiations, but the best outcome that benefits everyone.

Advanced Entertainment Law

I have really enjoyed taking this class and I feel like I have taken away a lot more than I originally thought. I was able to see how contracts were structured within the music industry and how evolving trends affected them. We have focused on liabilities surrounding my business plan, which has been incredibly helpful when looking at the bigger picture. There are so many liabilities that I did not consider or factor into my plan. One, in particular, is intellectual property infringement. This is important in many aspects of my industry and my business. Not only with protecting my own intellectual property but also when using other companies software. I even understand that my focus will need to be in everyday business law focus such as breach of contract and employment law.

I always knew that I wanted to make sure that I treat my employees well but there are rules and regulations that need to be followed. I also know the same goes for Contract law and that it is good business to follow through with what is promised, so do not promise what you cannot produce. I have viewed several contracts where it just seemed like someone was promising more than they could provide. I would also make sure that everything is explained in a contract that way there are no questions from either party. In my opinion, this seems very basic, but this class has shown me that after review of different case studies that is not the case at all. I loved looking at court opinions and seeing how the judicial system worked. This course has exceeded my original goal of just understanding how Entertainment Law works, but now I understand how to apply it as well. This has been a learning experience that has opened my eyes, and may even want to pursue in the future.

Entertainment Media Publishing & Distribution

My original goal for this class was “to understand the issues that are currently affecting media publishing and distribution, and address issues such as, piracy, social media, digital rights management, and legislation. I will study traditional and new digital publishing and distribution models, and explore strategies for protecting and monetizing creative content. This will help me develop a publishing and distribution plan for my business.” This course has exceeded my expectations because it covers everything you need to know. I know what it takes to get an appointment to meet with any executives of a record label, and I know how to prepare for that meeting. I know how I am going to protect my content and how I can make a profit from it.

One project that I really enjoyed was creating my own Electronic Press Kit (EPK). Even though I know that it is also good to have a traditional press kit, which is in a physical form, I wanted to create an EPK because of how clean and professional the appearance is. I was able to create the EPK with all of my own personal elements, and I actually think that I would use this to promote my business. There are a few elements that I would change and add to my kit. I would want to add in lyric sheets and I would want to get more photos that are professional and better quality demos, but this was a great learning experience. In fact, this class has been a great learning experience that has tied together with my previous classes. I can take what I have learned in my Advanced Entertainment Law class and apply it here to understanding contracts, publishing and licensing. I can’t wait to see what other class can help me understand distribution.

Business Plan Development

My original goal for my Business Plan Development class was to create a formal business plan using the skills acquired by my course study, incorporating the business, management, and technical knowledge, while receiving feedback from my peers and my instructor. This class did exactly that. I have completed a business plan for the business I have wanted to create not only for me but also for my community. I was able to utilize the information and skills I gathered from other classes, such as Project & Team Management, Entertainment Business Finance, Digital Marketing, Negotiation & Deal-Making, Advanced Entertainment Law, and Entertainment Media Publishing & Distribution. I was able to use what I have learned and apply it to my business plan, and much to my surprise, because I was so well equipped, creating my business plan was a lot let stressful than I originally anticipated. One thing that I really enjoyed was creating my One Minute Pitch for my business.

Throughout my business plan, you will find my one minute pitch because our professor told us that we never know where someone will start reading, or if something gets mixed up they will know who you are and what your business is and about. Even the little things can end up being a big deal and I am glad that we know that now. Everything that we have learned in this class I can apply towards my professional career. I am really happy with knowing the steps that I need to take in order to start a business. Knowing the right places to obtain information in regards to research, what I need to account for in the financial statements, and what information I need to present to the investors. I am very happy with how this class has turned out.

Final Project: Business Plan

I enjoyed this class very much. I was able to watch as I pulled my business plan together and seen how all the hard work in my previous class could come together. I guess I didn’t realize just how instrumental each class is to this program. My original goal for this class was to complete and present a written business plan that encompasses all concepts and academic requirements previously learned from each class.

Not only did I complete and present a written business plan, I also created a pitch that I could use to entice an investor into wanting to hear more at a meeting. I also learned about cover letters and how important it is to have accurate financial statements. This class has helped me pull everything I was taught from every class prior to my business plan and how I can present it to potential investors.

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Required Reading

MASS MoCA will unveil what it’s claiming is the “world’s largest watercolor painting,” a 120-square-foot (8′ x 15′), site-specific commission by Barbara Prey. That’s quite a claim, though I do wish the painting was a little more exciting. (via MASS MoCA)

This article about a family “slave” in the US has been much discussed this week. Alex Tizon, who died at the age of 57 this year, writes about when he realized who the woman who lived with his family was. The whole story is chilling:

To our American neighbors, we were model immigrants, a poster family. They told us so. My father had a law degree, my mother was on her way to becoming a doctor, and my siblings and I got good grades and always said “please” and “thank you.” We never talked about Lola. Our secret went to the core of who we were and, at least for us kids, who we wanted to be.

After my mother died of leukemia, in 1999, Lola came to live with me in a small town north of Seattle. I had a family, a career, a house in the suburbs—the American dream. And then I had a slave.

RELATED: Some interesting responses:

"My Family's Slave" is now trending in the Philippines, where it's lunch time. I'm going to share a few interesting threads from Filipinos:

— Adrian Chen (@AdrianChen) May 17, 2017

Honestly I'm convinced 3/4 of you who are opining about the Tizon piece didn't finish reading it

— Sarah Jeong (@sarahjeong) May 17, 2017

Eudocia Polida was an enslaved person whose hopes and dreams we know filtered only through the service of others by system not choice

— Sydette (@Blackamazon) May 17, 2017

Read "My Family's Slave" &I just literally wanted to reach into the story and punch every fucker in the Tizon family, including the author.

— ✡️Josh Shahryar ☪ (@JShahryar) May 16, 2017

I hate Interview, which is a celebrity-obsessed rag full of starfuckers, but I do always love Antwaun Sargent’s perspective, so I really enjoyed his interview with painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye:

SARGENT: One signature aspect of your painting is that the figure almost blends into its surroundings, because the earth tones of your backdrops are reflective of the character’s dark brown skin tones. There are a lot of things that are being signified but particularly there’s a critique of the hypervisibility, which Ralph Ellison talked about, that renders blackness completely seen and unseen. Is that part of the negotiation between the figure and its surroundings in your work?

YIADOM-BOAKYE: Maybe I think more about black thought than black bodies. When people ask about the aspect of race in the work, they are looking for very simple or easy answers. Part of it is when you think other people are so different than yourself, you imagine that their thoughts aren’t the same. When I think about thought, I think about how much there is that is common.

Robert Rauschenberg’s “Bed” (1955) piece includes a “stolen” bedcover from another artist:

But for the artist Dorothea Rockburne, the painting carries a more personal charge. She first met Rauschenberg during their student days at Black Mountain College, the fabled school near Asheville, N.C., that was briefly the epicenter of the American avant-garde. One day, Ms. Rockburne was in the college laundry room unloading her wash from the dryer when she realized that her patchwork quilt was missing. “The next time I saw it was at the Leo Castelli Gallery,” she recently recalled in a tone of disbelief, referring to the public debut of “Bed.” “My first thought was: Son of a bitch! We were close friends.”

Masha Gessen writes about the language of autocrats:

A Russian poet named Sergei Gandlevsky once said that in the late Soviet period he became obsessed with hardware-store nomenclature. He loved the word secateurs, for example. Garden shears, that is. Secateurs is a great word. It has a shape. It has weight. It has a function. It is not ambiguous. It is also not a hammer, a rake, or a plow. It is not even scissors. In a world where words were constantly used to mean their opposite, being able to call secateurs “secateurs”—and nothing else—was freedom.

“Freedom,” on the other hand, was, as you know, slavery. That’s Orwell’s 1984. And it is also the USSR, a country that had “laws,” a “constitution,” and even “elections,” also known as the “free expression of citizen will.” The elections, which were mandatory, involved showing up at the so-called polling place, receiving a pre-filled ballot—each office had one name matched to it—and depositing it in the ballot box, out in the open. Again, this was called the “free expression of citizen will.” There was nothing free about it, it did not constitute expression, it had no relationship to citizenship or will because it granted the subject no agency. Calling this ritual either an “election” or the “free expression of citizen will” had a dual effect: it eviscerated the words “election,” “free,” “expression,” “citizen,” and “will,” and it also left the thing itself undescribed. When something cannot be described, it does not become a fact of shared reality. Hundreds of millions of Soviet citizens had an experience of the thing that could not be described, but I would argue that they did not share that experience, because they had no language for doing so. At the same time, an experience that could be accurately described as, say, an “election,” or “free,” had been preemptively discredited because those words had been used to denote something entirely different.

Siobhan Burke is speaking out against imagery in dance that exploits women (including images of sexual violence):

By “images of violence against women,” I mean not just depictions of violent acts but also the kind of forceful partnering that’s become so ubiquitous, so gratuitous, so banal in ballet — the yanking, dragging, prying open of women’s bodies by men — both with and without a narrative pretext. Calling it out, as I did after seeing Angelin Preljocaj’s “La Stravaganza” (1997) for City Ballet in 2014, or Mauro Bigonzetti’s “Cantata” (2000), performed by Gauthier Dance in 2016 — feels as tiresome as watching it, and unpacking its history would take more space than I have here.

… My disappointment with “Odessa” led me to post a photo on Instagram — my favorite place to air an impulsive thought — with the caption “no more gang rape scenes in ballets, please.” (The photo was of my face, looking directly at the camera, wearing what I consider an “over it” kind of expression.) This prompted an expansive thread of comments, including by my colleague Alastair Macaulay, who had reviewed “Odessa” for The New York Times. He asked whether my call for “no more” was a call for censorship: “Must works of art only depict people behaving correctly?”

The answer, of course, is no. If artists want to deal with rape, gang or otherwise, as subject matter, they should, as they should grapple with any difficult issue. But they must really deal with it: Say something. Don’t just toss it in as one more incidental plot twist, one more exquisite thing to behold. Acknowledge its urgency, its complexity and the fact that to many in the audience, it may not be so abstract.

Documenta or Crapumenta?

Graffiti castigating the spectacle as “Crapumenta 14” soon appeared. “I refuse to exoticize myself to increase your cultural capital. Signed: The People,” has been a particular favourite. While Giorgos Kaminis, the city’s mayor, maintained Documenta was fantastic for tourism (as Aegean Airlines’ new and fully booked Kassel to Athens route has proved), critics complained that it amounted to the worst kind of crisis tourism.

“There’s anger because they haven’t taken circumstance into account,” says Nadja Argyropoulou, a curator in Athens. “Their theory is beautiful, radical and timely, but they didn’t mingle or take the leap into the everyday or address the reality here. Circumstance is what humbles theory and makes art as important as real life.”

For detractors, Szymczyk had become the embodiment of the corporate, neo-liberal order he professes to abhor, a purveyor of the worst kind of soft German power. Not only was the exhibition abstruse, it had committed the cardinal sin of omitting Greek artists and curators. “There are so many names,” Argyropoulou says. “People who should have been in it but were never approached. But please also write that we want them to succeed. If they fail, it is us who will be left with their ruins of contemporary art – and in a country that is continually looking to its past, with unresolved questions of identity, that would be disastrous.”

An obsessive fan found the source for the cover image of Radiohead’s OK Computer album (it’s a highway in Hartford):

    After looking at 2,000 scripts, 25,000 actors, 4 million lines, and analyzing them by gender, this is what Hanah Anderson and Matt Daniels (writing for the Pudding) found:

A tour of the new Foster Partners–designed Apple HQ, where the tech company even designed a special pizza box for employees:

For workers who want to take the café’s pizza back to their pods, Apple created (and patented) a container that lets air and moisture escape so the crust won’t get soggy. (via Wired)

Jack O’Donnell worked for Trump in the 1980s, and he reminds us that everything he’s doing is NOT a surprise:

After I resigned in April 1990, I wrote a book about my time with him, Trumped: The Inside Story of the Real Donald Trump, His Cunning Rise and Spectacular Fall, in 1991. In the book, I told stories about Trump’s leadership style that would come to echo his presidency years later.

I witnessed him make public phone calls that he insisted were private and use those conversations to humiliate and corner the person on the other end. I witnessed him demand loyalty from those who worked for him. I witnessed him make impulsive decisions as a result of his short attention span.

RELATED: Did you know Nixon wrote to Donald Trump in 1987? Presidential historian Michael Beschloss posted this:

Nixon writes to Trump, 30 years ago this year: http://pic.twitter.com/rKxHBXNuXO

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) May 17, 2017

ALSO RELATED: A new poll suggests a majority of Americans believe Trump is a liar and wish Obama was still president. More data from Public Policy Polling:

Only 40% of voters approve of the job Trump is doing to 54% who disapprove. For the first time we find more voters (48%) in support of impeaching Trump than there are (41%) opposed to the idea. Only 43% of voters think Trump is actually going to end up serving his full term as President, while 45% think he won’t, and 12% aren’t sure one way or the other.

… By an 8 point margin, 49/41, they say they wish Hillary Clinton was President instead of Trump. And by a 16 point margin, 55/39, they say they wish Barack Obama was still in office instead of Trump.

And Time Magazine‘s new cover became a topic of discussion on social media. This is probably the funniest take on it:

@TIME Fixed this for you. *Turn on audio* http://pic.twitter.com/7soqnUZI7r

— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) May 18, 2017

Or did Time rip off Mad Magazine?

Once More, With Stealing Dept. TIME MAGAZINE RIPS OFF MAD MAGAZINE?https://t.co/dWYykrr4tJ http://pic.twitter.com/bfYrj2DpUb

— MAD Magazine (@MADmagazine) May 18, 2017

Required Reading is published every Sunday morning ET, and is comprised of a short list of art-related links to long-form articles, videos, blog posts, or photo essays worth a second look.

The post Required Reading appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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